Bare Bones (lco)

[Samantha Khione]

Samantha couldn't help but giggle at Mila's little joke. It was odd. She had never really been one to laugh before she met Mila. But there was just something about the girl that she couldn't help but feel light about. She just... enjoyed being around her. It was strange, but in a good way. Giving Mila a small nudge to acknowledge her joke, Sam got to her feet as well. The blue haired mage gave her skirt a pat to get some of the dirt off of it.

"You know I'm always here to support you, in whatever you need to to." Sam gave her friend a soft smile. It was true. Mila was probably the most incredible person she had come to know, and anything she could do to help and support her, she would. The mage gave a small nod at her question. "I walked the wall, making notes to give to the workers. There was nothing to bad, besides the part that you fixed. As for the fight we may face, I've gotten better at all my magic since you helped me overcome my barrier with wind. And, I even have something new that I've been practicing, although hopefully we won't need it."

Suddenly, there was a noise and a pain sound. Sam looked away at the sight of the blood dripping from the man's hand. For some reason, blood was just something that never sat well with her. She understood all of the knowledge of what it was and what it does, so it shouldn't mess with her. But every time she saw it, her stomach felt uneasy. Once again, Mila was able to use her magic to solve the problem. She was so impressive.

[Mila]

OOC- Going to time skip us.

Mila gave Sam a small smile. She appreciated the encouragement and was happy to hear that her friend had been practicing her magic. And apparently the lady had a trick up her sleeve too. That was good, a lady had to have her secrets and tricks. Mila knew this. The sage was a woman with many talents some good. Some bad. Some questionable. It was thanks to these ticks and talents that she was able to get this far in her journey called life. Mila had managed to master anima magic, learn the staff, and slowly compile a compendium of monsters. She finished the her business with the man and returned to her duties. There were still other walls that needed to be rebuilt. She spent the day rebuilding the walls of the city with her Gaea magic. The power of the earth tome was taxing on her body.

She spent the morning after recovering from effects of her magic. Her body, her mind, everything, it needed a break from casting. She rested well knowing that at least the walls were secure. Secure borders meant secure people. Right? Of course, that didn't always work but she didn't have time to think of the details. She kept resting until dusk. The monsters will attack at night on the new or full moon. Tonight was the new moon.

She dragged herself out of her room and went to join the others. The guard would be mobilizing soon. And her friends too. She needed to be there for them.

[Bee]

"So boring", complained Bee as others ran around like a chicken with a cut off head. When she had first picked up this job she thought there would be action right off the back. She could burn a few monsters and then learn something about them. what she got was free blacksmith work, a bunch of winy villagers and a group of people who did not see the value in lava pits, she was looking forward to that. All in all there would be some action soon, so bee could stop winning. "Why are these monsters so ritualistic", wined Bee as she grabbed her white potato sack off the table. The bag read danger handle with care. The words were sloppy, but they were readable, complements of Bee. The maiden had stored all of her mines in that Bag and at the moment she was debating on whether to use them in the upcoming battle, or save them for the after party, she could not choose.

"Yo Mila", shouted Bee as she caught sight of the sage. Bee leaned her delicate sack of death over her shoulder as she walked up to the sage. She was sure Mila had some kind of plan cooked up, or at the very least where she wanted everyone. With all the sleeping she did she better have something.Bee had to admit that Gaea must be a beast of a tome. Mila was nothing like this after that time they had teamed up, and they nearly cooked themselves. Now that Bee was looking back to it, that was not as cool of a time as she remembered. Sure felt like it at the time, but then again that was the first time she used her precious fire tome. Oh the blaze he made, Bee will never forget that.

"Anyway, is there any spot you want me specifically."

[Samantha Khione]

Sam returned Mila's smile. She enjoyed being around her friend, and hope that this time they wouldn't have to part as soon as the last. Right now, however, they had work to do. They had to get the village ready for whatever the monsters threw at them, and for now that meant fixing the wall. There would be time for more poor attempts at flirting later. Or were they good attempts? Were they even attempts at all? This was confusing. Thankfully, she had work to take her mind off of all this stuff. Prepping for and fighting monsters was much easier than worrying about feelings she may or may not have.

Samantha spent the rest of the day making her way around the wall with several of the builders, pointing out the various areas that she had noted on her earlier walk. She let Mila handle the bigger stuff, but for the more manageable stuff, she did her best to help the non magic workers. Sam didn't often do manual labor, so it was an interesting change of pace. The mage wasn't sure she was actually helping beyond pointing out the spots, but the workers insisted she was. They were kind.

The following morning, Sam was slow to rise. The labor had left her sore and tired. Her body wasn't exactly made for such things. Eventually, she forced herself from her bed and began to dress. She then made her way down to where she expected to find Mila, her bag tossed over her shoulder. Spotting Mila and the other mage, Bee, Sam headed over to her, greeting them with a smile. "Good morning."

[Mila]

OOC- Due to certain circumstances, I am going to end this thread.
--

Mila stretched a bit as she waited for her companions to regroup. She had a light meal before dismissing herself for a moment to talk with the guards. Mila learned just what everyone had been doing while she was off repairing the walls. Sam was with her for the most part. Bee was helping with the forge. She was busy repairing and restocking the weapons for the people. And she had apparently made several little fire grenades. A controlled explosion of flame could prove to be useful during the night. They could use those to light torches so they could see. Or throw it at the enemy to stun. Yes, Mila saw good use in those little disposable bottles of flammable magic.

She took a minute to look at the map she had on hand and reevaluate everyone's skills. She decided to have Vincent up front to bolster the numbers of the guardsmen. Cen would be a part of the calvary's numbers. His magic sword and experience in battle would prove to be a great boon to those who were inexperienced. Sam and Bee were to support him from behind. And in turn, Mila would support them with her staff. She decided to delegate herself to the role of healer for this fight in order to bolster their pitiful numbers. This town had like a total of two people who had staff experience and they needed all the help they could get. Mila had all the confidence in the world that this tiny town would survive this night.

Nightfall.

This was it! It was time! The moon had risen. And the battle would start. The guardsmen were lined up and ready for the monsters. The citizens have tucked away in the cellars and attics of the various homes within the confines of the village. They would be protected by the great wall that surrounded their home. They would be protected by the people who would risk their lives to fight off the horde. Mila did a quick head count of the village's guardsmen. It appeared that they had the higher numbers. She counted about fifty able bodied warriors who were ready for a fight. And if her initial assumption was true then the monster numbers would total about twenty. She knew that numbers didn't mean everything. She knew exactly what this undead was capable of. They could easily create an opening and overwhelm the group. Mila would be devastated if that happened. The torches were lit for sight. And so they waited. Waited for the enemy to appear.

At first, the night was quiet. Too quiet. Mila took note of the lack of noise. There weren't even bugs making noises. Which was strange because bugs always made noises. Well, no... bugs don't make noises during the winter months. But, this wasn't winter. This was early spring. The season for eggs. All manner of eggs, be they bird, bug, or frog. Mila knew this. Mila knew that there should be a whole lot more noise then just eerie silence.

The silence was soon broken. She could hear them creeping closer towards the village gates. Their bodies rustled the grasses of the wheat crops. Their weapons and armor clanged together as they walked. Soon, they were within eyesight. Reverants. The fleshy sort of undead. The guards waited until the undead got closer. A horn was sounded. And the battle begun.

By morning. It was all over. The village was still standing. The people survived. And the reverants were all dead. Again. There were also some casualties littered about the western lands. Mila herself was exhausted from all the energy she had expended to heal the wounded. But, she gave the survivors explicit orders to put the bodies of the dead in a pile and to burn it. Mila made a large pit in the earth for the people to dump the corpses in. A survey team was sent to eliminate the den of monsters. Bee's fire grenades were perfect for that. With the den removed, peace would be restored to this village.