Fresh Recruits! (Job/Plot)

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The feast and festival that began proceeding the completion of the castle city was still going strong into the next day and could be heard from a great distance away due to there being few to no obstacle that could obstruct the sounds of their revelry. One would expect a group to be exhausted after so grand of a festivity but the finishing touches of the castle had rejuvenated the army of the maimed in a manner of speaking as they knew the work on the castle was complete.

However, this was not the current purview Menkahour, the leader of a small band of low ranking nobles that have thrown their lots in together to gain back the oasis that was theirs. Although this was their land and their intent was to reclaim it, it could not be overlooked that there was now a nice and formidable looking fortress that was standing there, protecting one of the scarce water sources that were in this area.

Menk had been requested when one of the more pitiable noblemen were thwarted in their feeble attempt to drive out the invaders and riff raff that was now polluting their sacred land given to them by the gods themselves. So in response to this news Menk had summon the meager forces that were currently under his control as the head of a minor noble family. While this was laughable in terms of a real army such as those by the true heliohaptians or the slave army this would be more than enough to get rid of some living debris that had blown into their sands.

Unlike the previous group of attackers they would begin their attack as soon as dawn broke out. While a night attack sounds good in theory due to the element of surprise, it was actually more of a blunder for an army to do such a thing. In the darkness of night one was liable to fall onto their own blade or confuse their comrades for their foes. This was specially true when attacking a compound that one did not know the layout to. Also dawn would be more advantageous to them because the defenders of the fortress would normally have their guard down. That and the sun was to their backs so their vision would be unhindered while the defenders would not be as lucky and would have a hard time seeing the oncoming slaughterers.

However, not all would be according to plan of Menk as one can plan all they want with logic and sound strategy but that often proved to be meaningless in regards to the High Priestess and her cult known as the Sacred Order of the Flames Reach. A good majority of the Helio Branch of SOFR and the hidden flames were bandits to this area that were very knowledgeable and experienced in night ambushes and using dawn to attack, both in practice and on the receiving end. In accordance to their well earned knowledge they had the forethought to establish a witching hour guard that defended the castle in the middle of the night.

While the rising sun had impeded their sight partially they would still have ample time to spot the oncoming army of a few hundred and would begin setting beacons a light across the castle walls which would be followed by the sound of a war horn which would begin to awaken the sleeping members of the hidden flames. By this time the noble’s armies would begin to scale the walls as well as barge through the downed gate that was mistakenly left down out of carelessness. Or was it? Soon dozens of soldiers would be screaming in agony as they were coated in boiling oil that the defenders constantly had prepared for such events. Now this would not be enough to kill them but would be capable of stopping them from proceeding further as they collapse from the pure pain. Others would stumble into each other as they try to avoid the splashing oil which would cause several of their numbers to fall into the massive ditch that was carved into the ground around the castle town.

Now there was a battle in the entrance of the castle as well as the ramparts of the walls as a majority of the forces begin to breach, though now down a hundred due to the defenses. Menk was  finding this to be quite a nuisance and would go to the frontlines of the assault himself casting his sandstorm which would cover the area in flying and swirling sand that would inhibit sight and movement. He did not like how much of a fight these forces were putting up. They have only lost a few dozen compared to his hundred. But that was normal when attacking a fortified stronghold, the attackers losing more members but normally the defenders were at the disadvantage after that due to the shear numbers of the attacking army normally. Although this was another shortcoming of Menk’s sense the Helio branch of SOFR had several thousand members, with a majority of them here in the castle city that was made specifically for them.

The High Priestess of the Flames Reach, Gilles, had foregone the recent festivities so she was able to sleep well. Or at least until the horns blared and the raucous sounds of fighting were emitted. She would scowl as her sleep is disturbed, she knew right away that they were under attack before the member of the hidden flame bursts into the room to inform her of the current circumstance. She would allow the hidden flame to drape a robe over her, nothing fancy just enough to cover up her bare body. She would look at the items that she had gathered over the years and would choose only the hammer for this excursion. The sword was nice and her staple weapon but she had  yet to use the hammer or any of the hammer techniques that accompanied her blade style. Also it was better suited for handle large numbers than the blade which was best formatted for singular combat.

She would go out and see that the battle was going strong, or at least what she could see with all of this dust and sand flying about in the air. She would start to make her way through the armies swinging her Hammer of the Sun left and right not really focusing on any one attacker for long as they were more nuisances than anything else. When it started to get real dense of the soldiers she would activate the hammer’s trump card “Judgement under the Sun” which creates a miniature sun almost of heat magic that would cause those in the 1m area hit by it that survived to experience visions from her memories directly.

The Trauma that they would experience would be the excruciating pain that Gilles would feel every time that she would self mutilate her own body. While she saw the pain as a gift and a blessing of her power her body and mind would still register this as trauma. Her body was failing to keep up with all of the constant abuse she gave it and she had been ignoring it. But those who experience her trauma and the feeling of her body could tell that her body was slowly but surely failing, finally starting to lose in a battle of maintenance. She was someone who was living on borrowed time now.

Gilles would spot a spell in the distinct shape of a snake headed directing for her throat. She would case Judgement Under the Sun, once again in an attempt to mitigate the damage knowing it would not stop all of it, the spell being too strong for her current weapon. The dehydration spell in the shape of a snake would shrink but still manage to sink its fangs into her throat causing it to shrivel and wrinkle up a bit. She would twist her head following the direction that it came from and would spot a young nobleman around her age wearing a ridiculously flashy suit of armor. So this must be the leader behind the forces that invaded her newest abode.

Woodpecker’s Charge would be her initial attack, as she gets within 3 meters of the nobleman. He tongue would dart out like an unstoppable spear but would be obstructed by the sand barrier that the magician casts.  This would give her a chance to use her hammer’s special ability once more which would cause Menka to experience her trauma of losing her arms in battle this time. While distracted due to the trauma magic Gilles would take this chance to smash the hammer down onto his legs crushing them. “Do not think that death will great you my comrade! You and those that survive here are blessed to join us in our worship of our lord” As she says this the remaining attackers would surrender amidst the defeat of their leader and would be taken along with Menka for their conversion, soon to be come the protectors of the land that was once theirs.

WC 1540/1500

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