[Owah Chronicles: The Fallen Lands] (Sakura/Hotline/Darian)

[Darian]

(Huh, and here I thought we were supposed to be staying away from the tree... eh, I'll work things out! I didn't have a big plan for this... but I got an idea!)

"Hope that's enough to win us this, because otherwise-" Maxine slashed through several skeletons in one swing. "We're going to be in big trouble!" She too was dodging around like a maniac, keeping away from spikes of roots that shot up beneath them. It seemed the circle of salt was actually slowing the things down, because there was always a few split seconds to dodge when the ground pushed up before the spike shot up... but these were the roots that reached OUTSIDE the circle.

Unfortunately, inside the circle was a different matter. when Orga got too close to the tree itself, spikes shot up immediately in the entire circle. Fortunately, Orga managed to pull back just in time instead of running into a spearwall.

"Dammit, she's not letting us close!" Maxine cursed and cut away from the nearest skeleton. Fortunately, it seemed that the tree's ROOTS were vulnerable to attack, and the Dryad let out a screech as Maxine took the change to slash at a root with her currently flaming sword.

Then the dryad, screaming, her tree like body warping, formed a massive fist. it rose high in the air and descended down on Orga!

[SakuraHanaryuu]

*Orga stood her ground at the great fist, where anyone else with a right mind would evade, Orga planted herself, and readied her next hit*, "Big target...big strike", *she muttered and with a slow wind up, she stomped her foot and batted the huge fist away with increadible force, the crab shell covering her weapon being both flexible enough and hard enough to manage, pluss being reinforced with special glues, the weapon was durable and could withstand the mighty strike. The fist flew to the side, sweeping away dozens of undead as the wind from the blow sent Orgas cape billowing behind her...however in planting herself, she left herself oppen to the root attack, and recieved stabs to her feet which crippled and hobbled her movements...the knightly woman did not scream out though, despite being in tremendous pain, Now unable to dodge, she slowly strafed while crushing the roots as they popped up, and should another fist be thrown, she would repeat the gigantic parry.*

*Orga was out of salt and salt water, she wanted to leave, to go back home and nurse her foot injuries...but she knew, if she tried, these ghosts and gouls would fall on the town and bring harm to the townsfolk. She'd left a letter of warning with Mr. Felicci he was respected amongst the townsfolk, he'd make sure everyone was ready to defend themselves should the worst come to pass.* "Enough of this..." *A dark look overtook Orgas face, and she began to walk, not run, straight at the tree, she crossed the salt line, and was immediately impaled by the spear wall, her blue blood spilling over the ground...but even then, she marched, roots speared her, over and over and she would not yeild. The pain was unbelievable, but she didn't care. When all of the roots were fixed to her, she stomped her foot, with a great ROAR and swept all of them away, snapping them apart with raw power and the seawater imbibed club, which made the roots brittle and easy to break...riddled with holes, she limped forwards to the tree, still somehow able to parry its fist strike, before bringing her club skyward, and with the face of a demon, she brought the club down over the trees face, the sea water weakening her target, and then a second blow, cracking the trunk in half...thinking her task accomplished, Orga fell...and did not rise. She slowly retrieved a healing potion from her hip, the green pot, only to find it had been smashed apart by a root spear. She smiled, and laughed.* "Well...I guess their not strong enough yet...perhaps I should wrap them in something soft...like hemp..." *She looked bad, her body was a pin cushion of roots, every gorgeous curve made into a mangled mess. She tried to pull a root out, but it was too painful to try.* "H-h-hey...M-max? Can y-you get these...th-things...out of me?" *she asked, quivering on the ground.*

[Darian]

(Huh... thought we were doing the whole Orga gets resurrected bit later. Would it be cool if Orga survived till later, or do you want to do that now?)

"no, nonono!" 'Maxine' rushed forward when the tree split open, and Orga fell to the ground, full of spiked roots. "You god damn idiot, why did you do that?!"

Desperately, the smaller human pats over Orga's injuries. "Arrgh, and i don't have any idea which one of these are in your vitals..." She mutters, looking around and seeing the rest of the dead falling back to rest. "You never rush in! Why the HELL did you rush in!? There were openings, we just had to find them! Idiot!"

Maxine freezes then curses. "This better work..."

She digs into her pocket and pulls out the strange pouch that she had been wearing around her neck, opens it, and holds it up to the sky.

White lights begin to rise up from the ground little things that look like fairies, but come only from the graves and fallen corpses. They are small, fragile things, but innumerably precious.

They flow through the air to collect in the small pouch, passing through it in a rapid stream. there are so many, tens of them, fifty, maybe more...

'Maxine' pulls the bag shut and the lights vanish. Then she presses it into one of Orga's palms.
"Don't let go of this... not unless I'm there too. and don't go ANYWHERE." the woman hisses. then dashes off to ransack another mausoleum.

The pouch... there is a weight to it, not on the hand, but a pressure on the spirit. whatever is in this is powerful...

and 'Maxine' did not forbid her from looking...

(If Orga dies while holding that bag, something interesting will happen... but I thought it would be cooler reveal it more slowly. if Orga survives, maxine will tell her on her own, I promise.)

[SakuraHanaryuu]

(My idea is that Orga is crippled, and can't protect the village for the next event, a Mirelurk raid. Having sensed the corrupted dryad's passing, a swarm will attempt to sweep away what they percieve to be a weak and defenseless village, it is in this next event that Orga shall likely die.)

*The Scorpioness maintained an iron grip on the bag, desperate for aid*, "A-are the dead back...gulk...where they belong?" *Orga wheezed as something rather strange began happening. The roots as strange as it sounded, were being pulled into her body, dissolving in that parasite thing within her. The black slime also filled the large holes in Orgas body, she wouldn't be standing or walking anywhere soon without aid, but she wasn't dying.*

"Mph...not so bad I guess." *Orga crowed out rubbing her belly very slowly*, "I was expecting you to eat me inside out when I hit the ground..."

[Darian]

(that sounds good... and the time between then our characters can become a little more friendly with each other.)

Sadly, Maxine couldn't answer Orga's question about the dead... but as nothing around her was trying to claw her eyes out, she could assume that things were going well.

A thudding of heavy footsteps revealed that Maxine had returned.

"I found a healing potion-! What the..." She trailed off as she approached, seeing the lack of deadly spikes inside Orga's big belly and the patches of black slime over the wounds. Maxine blinks, then shakes her head and steps forward. "Open your mouth and drink this. Don't try to move... it should help."

A red potion in a small glass potion is pressed to Orga's lips. Maxine watches her carefully as she drinks, trying to take in her condition. Hopefully the potion would at least get her upright...

[SakuraHanaryuu]

*Orga carefully drank the red liquid, not wanting to waste a single drop, she licked the bottle clean with her thick meaty tongue and returned the bottle to its owner*, "Huff...th-thank you, Max....just give me a minuet...* "With the medicine runing through her system, namely some pain killers and a bit of magic to help close up her wounds, Orga was able to stand, but just barely*, "AAah...my legs are on FIRE...tsch..." *she shrieked catching herself with her cudgel*, "Ah...I hate to ask, but, I need help getting home...take me to Feliccis shop...please." *Orga took a shaky step, hissing from the pain, but as proven, her shear conviction could keep her on her feet in impossible situations.* "I-Iiif you can't, just go get some of the fishermen...they have strong backs, they can carry me back...I know I'm fat and encombering...but they can handle this blubber bound knight for sure...they've lifted Mirelurks and dark-sharks before, both of which are larger than myself....huff...some dark-shark stir fry...would be so fine right now..."

[Darian]

"Don't get up, you Idiot!" Maxine thrusts herself under Orga's other arms, the fluffy fur almost burying her, yet her back and shoulders still firm. "I'm not leaving you here, and of course I'm getting you back to the town!"

Gingerly, she encourages Orga to sit. "Now that I know you aren't dying, don't move for a bit. Let me go and ransack a few more tombs. There might be another health potion around here." Once the scorpioness is sitting, she stands and places a hand on her shoulder. "rest for a bit, but don't go to sleep. We'll move out after a 'short rest'. The sun isn't going to set anytime soon."

Maxine comes back with another two potions. she' doesn't take any for the scrapes she's gotten, and pushes them between Orga's lips. She's also found a few more sacks of something, and at this point, has taken back the mysterious pouch from Orga.

She sits in front of the resting girl... taking a moment to breathe herself.

"... that was a really dumb move, you know." She says at last. "Spikes like that... spear walls? they're meant to kill big things like you. You can't just go charging in, especially with no armor."

[SakuraHanaryuu]

"Honestly I wasn't thinking...it just hit me...when the spears got my feet, I...expected that I would die soon after...rather than be punctured one spear at a time, I decided to take the fiend with me...at least then one threat to Grala would be down and out...I'm used to fighting Mirelurks on the coast...I've only fought ghosts and ghouls one other time, the last time someone came here." *Orga wasn't complaining, she sucked down the bitter potion like it was tea and honey, her wounds slowly closing up now*, "Aah...wow that's good medicine...the pains just gone at this point." *Orga marveled at the alchemical wonder but then insisted she stand up*, "Please I despise this place, I want to get back to town as soon as possible, Mirelurks are crafty monsters, the tricky bastards will sense that I am away, and I fear the skulk of foxes will strike the hen house...mph...while the hound is away."

[Darian]

"Alright, we'll get moving. Honestly, you can't be the only fighter in the village... How would they survive here before you came?" Maxine braced herself under Orga's armpits again and heaved strongly to help the girl up. "Take it slow. The holes are just the outward sign... you're still exhausted, and probably hurt inside. Your body can only take so much, no matter how much you want to do more."

After the two get moving again, Maxine hefts bags of stuff again, obviously loot she's taken from the graves of the cove. "The dead should rest easy here, if we get back safely. The ritual... I can't do it, but Kalira is going to teach me. It... guides lost souls to the afterlife. and you DON'T want to join them. I could have switched off with you, you know, and your club would have been much better against the skeletons than my sword was. The Dryad was starting to make mistakes... if you had held off on attacking or focused on defending, we could have found a big opening. If you're going to last long like this, you can't just throw yourself at the enemy and expect to take them down with you. Take it from someone whose only had the choice of throwing herself at the enemy: do it from the side, or at least shield first." Maxine taps the weathered, beaten up shield she picked up in town, now even more so.

As they walk out of the graveyard, Maxine seems hesitant about something. At last, she speaks up again.

"Look... I know what it's like, to want to protect your home. But..." she struggles for words. "There are times... it's just not enough." She clutches the pocket she put the pouch in. "Don't lose yourself in that... nevermind."

[SakuraHanaryuu]

"Huff...thank you...for the advice..." *Orga seemed sincerely grateful for the information*, "All you've offered me up till now was judgement...its nice to finally get something useful out of you...Huff...I have a whole shack full of crab shells...I'll bet one would make a solid shield reinforcement...I can...get our blacksmith to fix one up like with my Crab whammer...still need to buy a wooden shield though, to serve as the base...I know a bit about shields. You want a wooden base structure, its aparently great at stabilizing the shield against blows." *Orga was droning on to herself to keep herself awake.* "I'll bet I could fashion some armor from the shells too...can't believe I didn't think of that...I've been so busy training and looking out for danger...I'm no armor smith...but, maybe I should be...I've got the strength for the task, I think."

*Orga continued her chatter right up to the door to Feliccis house*, "H-hey master...mind if I sleep here for a while? Blasted Ghouls messed me up pretty bad."

"Sweet Gravey! What happened to you woman?!?" *Felicci promptly held up her other arm and helped the mess of an Arkorian over to a hay stack in the shop, hay was used to give the clay structure, and help keep it dry.* "Tell me everything..."

*After the tale was recounted, Felicci called the neighbors and spread the news that the graveyard had been conquored, and sent for a meeting of the elders himself included among them.* "This could mean trouble Orga, you were right to come here straight away...Mirelurks at the beach already, they showed up out of the blue, just two at the moment, the hunters and fishermen can handle two but if what you said is true, they may be bait to draw out our defences..."

"Cough, I-I didn't know you were a fighter..."

"Former, I'm retired, but I used to be quite the soldier, even got a medal for it, now rest, trust your elders." *Felicci made for the beach first, with his old war horn to give the retreat call to anyone who might be gullible enough to take the bait. Mirelurks were hive minded, and humanoid to a degree, and that inherently meant that they must be treated not as monsters, but as a monster army. It would require tactics and strategy to deal with this threat.*

[Darian]

Maxine tries to stay out of the way when Felicci gets Orga settled on the haystack. when the badger reveals that there are already mirelurks here, she straightens up.

"We won't have long. I know a few things about attacking and defending fortifications... I can help get some things sorted." The warrioress says in an authoritative voice, like an officer reporting for duty. She takes a moment to gather her things... then she looks up at Orga, still resting as the others gather up at the council.

"Kid... Orga, I... I misjudged you badly. I'm sorry for that, but I'll defend this village in your stead, till you get better. Someone like you... well, I can't really call you naive without also insulting myself. I acted much the same when I was your age..." She smiles in a crooked manner. "I still do, really. I think you'll make a good, strong, knight... a better one than me, anyway. I never even told you my real name."

The woman hesitates, then pulls back her hood again. Her face is finally revealed, and it's a strong, beautiful face, as handsome as it is feminine. The scar over her right eye is un-mistakable to Orga's memories.

"My name is Maximarian Ariyanna. Most call me Maxima... and I hope your fortune in life is better than mine, Orga of Grala." With that, Maxima turns and strides away, her travelling cloak, though dirty and weatherworn, seems more like a knightly cape than Orga's proud pauldrons ever were... simply through the woman's willpower and intent to protect.

(Maxima will be setting up defenses on the cliff edge such as boiling oil pots and pikes. Unfortunately, she doesn't know that the mire-lurks have begun digging under the cliffs at the town... it won't collapse the town entirely unless you want it too... but the defenses collapsing will provide a suitably epic death setting when the hydra arrives.)

But... as Orga lay there. she would soon find she had another visitor.
"You stand on a difficult path, Daughter of Armor and Venom." a calm, low, and mysterious voice looms out of the shadows. "it will take you into dark places, and will consume you, if you are not careful."

It was Kalira, the Witch Doctor, her strange mask hovering in the firelight of the empty room.

[SakuraHanaryuu]

*Orga smiled as she saw Maxima's outline*, "I think, you have more valor than you believe...", *she whispered, more than a little punch/stab drunk, as she rested and conserved her strength for the battle ahead. She could feel a doom approaching, the red string of fate, wound around her heart, like being suspended by a single thread in an ocean, miles of water above, an endless abyss below.*

"A reaper if I've ever seen one", *The blubbery scorpioness chuckled at the witch doctor*, "You speak of the one in my belly?", *Orga patted her plump middle*, "...you are of the stranger things I've seen...tell me, do you know anything about my occupant? I fear for my soul...will this creature steal it from me."

[Darian]

"I, a reaper? Perhaps, lady of Venom. but only when things need cutting to prevent the spread of true rot." The masked young woman tilts her head and walks closer to the resting scorpioness. She would see a frog perched on her shoulder.

"The creature within you... it's kin are devourers and parasites. Rarely are they kind to those they reside, and in time take far more than they give. But this creature... it is only a small part of your fate. The spirits, living and dead, whisper of you, Orga. Your path, your choices will affect many beyond yourself... though in what way, I cannot say or see. Only that your path goes into deep places."

The young woman taps her staff lightly on the ground as if thinking.

"Understand, Orga... I do not yet decry or condemn you. More than any of the vain priests and clerics of the light gods, I know that Darkness need not be a cruel, evil force... but all things, when out of balance, lead to ruin. Order, and Chaos... Life and Death... Light and Dark." the fire behind her seems to flare and fade. "It is our choices that shape this balance... and you have choices yet to make."

"Maxima... her burden I shall not speak of, but I know it, and the path she walks well. I believe she will not falter. Yours is a far more uncertain fate... I know very little of you. and so... I would ask you for an assurance of intent. A sacrifice, freely given, right now."

[SakuraHanaryuu]

"...what could I possibly give you as tribute? There is only one thing I value...and if you ask me for my very home, I will refuse you. It sounds like your acting upon your philosophies...I may not be a genius, but philosophy I can respect. So aside from this village, my dear home which I defend with my very blood, I will offer as sacrifice, even my life, what little of it I have left...but only on the promise that you defend Grala harbor and its citizens in my stead..."

*Orga did not tense up, for some reason, she was lax, unlike with the corrupted Dryad. However, one possibility did frighten her...what if this witch doctor, asked her to sacrifice her soul? Still, she was too worn out to even be afraid, her eyes dancing on the edge of slumber.*

[Darian]

"One should always be careful with what you offer, Outworlder." Kalira holds up a warning finger. "Much harm can be done with careless giving... even one such as I could do much evil with blood willingly given, and to take all of you... well, it is not beyond my ability. Fortunately, I do not require your blood or your soul... but your venom."

She holds out a large jar. "A temporary thing to you, but more potent than you know. With it, I have my assurance of your character... and your village has all my arts in this dark hour. They may not like it... but I will allow no-one to be lost to the coming troubles. Grala's people will not perish this night."

So... Kalira wants a jar full of Orga's venom. That seems... ominous.

(Is Orga's status as an outworlder common knowledge, or did I roll a nat 20 on ominous fortelling?)

[SakuraHanaryuu]

"If you betray me in this. My grudge will chase you down, and curse you to damnation after my passing...I am a vengeful woman...but you have my sacrifice". *Orga placed her tail, which was for the most part unharmed by the spear wall, into the jar extended, a bulge moved up along its bulk and into the jar from the razor sharp stinger...though it was more like a blade really, a mass of foamy black venom shot as a stream, like the embodiment of an evil vengeance. Orga did not like using her venom, she hated it, its appearance and the ideology behind it was so Un-knightly that it made her sick...it was easy to part with.* "Arkorian venom is not lethal unless the victim is allergic or applied in overdose. It paralyzes the victim. Still, its fully capable of killing if too much is used...be careful with it."

*Orga stared at the jar, noting the high luster of the liquid black venom, how shiny the substance was. A single redeeming quality, it was not an Absolute vengeance, it was restrained, capable of mercy. This thought spared her many nightmares in the past. Like her venom, she too could be redeemed should she ever take her vindictive nature too far.*

[Darian]

(Should mention... for an Outworlder, Orga is very verbose and well spoken. It's a bit jarring. Also, does anyone know she's an Outworlder?)

"You should not assume one such as I would be unable to quell angry spirits." Kalira's voice is utterly calm when Orga promises a vengeful haunting... perhaps threatening a Witch Doctor with a spirit isn't a good threat. "But rest assured, your venom is not as... vital, as your blood or flesh. Even freely given, Venom is meant to leave the body, and you will soon have more. I will not use this against you should I have no good reason to... and besides..." She stoppers the jar with a solid thunk, and turns away. "I feel you will have more than your slimy resident to guide your path."

The Witch Doctor steps through the door, and begins humming a deep, low song. A green glow surrounds her as she walks toward the cliff walls... and Kalira is gone.

The door is still open though.

[SakuraHanaryuu]

(The magically oriented should be able to tell shes an Outworlder, and her obsessive ideology about knights should be a hint at her nature, Outworlders always have a dream they focus on, a really powerful one that becomes obsession over time.)

"Thats...a really good point actually." *Orga said a bit sheepishly*, "I...actually had no idea you were the type...I thought you were just some crazy woman with a stick...", *The scorpioness stated with humility as she leaned back into the hay stack. She continued resting, but she kept her eye on that door. Her ears on the sea breeze...it wasn't long before she heard what she'd feared.*

"Thud-thud-thud-thud", *Outside the house the huge shellfish stomped about, searching for morsels it could shove into its gullet, villagers fled before it, but it was mostly interested in their food stuffs. But if it got the drop on you, it would grab you in its claws, and suck you down whole sure as the tide...the black shelled fiend...Orga made sure she had her club in hand, then slowly stood. Her stamina had at least returned...but she only had one good swing in her...if she got it from the right angle, that would be all she needed.*

*Orga approached cautiously, her mighty club held low, as she could barely lift the thing...her arms and legs burned with pain, but it was only a matter of time before this fiend found her...She lifted her club, but stumbled in rising it and its tip clapped the ground, she cursed herself and swung as is, but it was too late. The Mirelurk turned and snared her in its oversized right claw, and just shook her, gripping her arm with terrible strength, the jagged claw cutting into her flesh, causing her to wail in anguish until she released her only weapon.*

"The demon?", *the mirelurk stated in a strangely feminine voice despite clearly being a monstrosity, with no apparent gender.* "You're scent...I thought I smelled wounded around here...I suppose it is my lucky day then...the queen gave you top priority...hahaha!" *Orga squirmed in the great crustacians grip, but it just put her arm in its mouth and began sucking her into its face whole. It slurped the blubbery scorpioness down like a noodle and chuckled patting its belly as it stomped about, continuing to munch down foodstuffs, showering Orga with its meals in a humiliating entrapment inside the monsters belly.*

*Orga hissed as she hit the giant crabs stomach acids, they were strong and made her itch and tingle all over as it sizzled and bubbled, she tried to stand to give herself the best chance possible, but the fumes and her own fatigue soon tuckered her out and she colapsed helplessly in the belly of this unnamed mirelurk soldier as food pored over her back. The sheer humiliation of this was unbearable. The beast belched and Orga found the liquid level rise up, forcing her to lift her body upwards just to keep her face in an air bubble at the top.* "AAAH!" *she screamed, terrified that this was happening. No one knew where she was, so no one was coming to save her...she tried pressing all her limbs outward but she was just too weak to fight back...the stupid crab...she couldn't believe it. After felling a dozen of these beasts, she would fall not to its claws, but its belly?! Orga squirmed in a pathetic attempt to get back out the way she came but was met with another gulp of foodstuffs, cheese and raw meat, as well as some bread, smushed into her face as she was muscled down with it....this was really how she died...Orga wept, at her lack of power, at her slowness, at her foolishness...and she wept for her village, she didn't want the town to meet this same fate, swallowed down by monsters that would not only treat them like garbage, but would not apreciate them as their meal, there was no gratitude in this monster for the meal Orga provided it. It just crammed her into its gut and kept eating. No cerimony, no kindness...no mercy either...*

"Whatever god is listening, Please, protect my home! Do not let these beasts destroy our lives!"

[Darian]

There is a jerk, and then a loud roar from outside the crab. the entire stomach swerves and shudders. Snarling from outside, and then the crab begins to scream. Orga would be jerked painfully, and then... there was a loud cracking noise. the wall in front of her splits open with large clawed fingers digging into the flesh and shell, and prising it open.

Revealed would be a horror, a stitched together face that looked like human skin drawn over an elephant skull, with the lower jaws of a lion. it was a terrible flesh golem, or a zombie of some kind, ripping open the stomach of the beast, reaching in and pulling Orga out... She would see it seemed to be made of many beasts stitched together, it's eyes glowing with green flame... a mockery of a giant woman. It hauls her out to reveal that the town is in chaos, and there are people running away.

"Do not be so quick to call for the aid of gods... you never know which might be listening." And there is Kalira, still wearing her mask and her staff glowing with eerie power. "This is not where your path leads. But if you are determined to walk it... who am I to stop you?"

She reaches out and pushes a potion between her lips. She would feel strength flow back into her arms and legs... and her pain would lessen... but the ache would still be there. "This will keep you moving... but if you fight for long, your wounds will end you. Move quickly, if you wish to find Maxima. The Bonded One is buying time at the cliffside... but she will not last. I will assure that the townsfolk are kept safe, but should the Mirelurk's new queen scale the cliff, nothing will be able to stop her. Go!"

She turns and guestures at a group of mirelurks, and undead hands reach up to hold them in place in time for Kalira to hurl an orb full of noxious gas at them, trapping them in the cloud as the undead monstrosity she summoned lurches after another group. All around Orga are fleeing villagers and fighting soldiers, but all of them are in retreat, away from the cliff wall. The village in that direction is on FIRE... But Orga can see a figure still there, amidst the dark shapes of the mirelurks and the smoke. A flashing steel sword.

And what seems like writhing snakes appear to reaching up over the cliff... huge ones, if the sounds of the chittering shrieks are any indication.

[SakuraHanaryuu]

"Hmph...I owe you strange one", *Orga stated, first retrieving her cudgel*, "But I am not the type to value my own life over others...", *with her body renewed, though just barely, she showed some hustle and moved into a brisk jog, a rather comical one though with her curvature and cape bouncing in a rediculous manner, she didn't exactly appear 'cool' or 'knightly'...but she was at the ready, with her stamina and body back in fighting shape, she snapped her cudgel over the face of a mirelurk and crumbled the beast into the ground as if smashing an anthill with a stick.* "I don't know what was in that potion, but Damn! You should've gave me one before the monsters came...If you need a favor later, just ask alright! Your Okay in my book strange one!" *She hollared as she ran.*

*Orga would meet back up with Maxima, her clothes covered in acid burns from the great crabs belly, but she rushed into full attack sprint as a Mirelurk approached Maxima from behind, though it was nowhere near the swordsman, Orga still crushed its legs from behind then went for its face, toppling another quite permanently.* "Huf-huf, Max, is there room for two in this dance? Huff-huff." *A little out of breath, the Scorpioness made to stand back to back with the traveler.* "You know...theres this feeling in my gut, I've had it ever since I met you. Like I know you from a dream or something...its telling me to go with you, that its time I left my home...but not until this blasted plague has been delt with, I will have faith in the people of my town...", *Orga announced while fending off yet another monster crab.* "...Watch the rooftops!", *she called, not in a roar but in a loud announcement, before planting the butt of her cudgel in the dirt, just as a mirelurk lept on top of her, the cudgel transferring all of the weight of the beast straight into its belly, and shattered its armor like glass. Next she simply slammed her stinger into its face and it fell limply.* "Their face is their weak point, the armor on their joints is also weak but not so much as the face plate, the shell and heavy claw are almost unbreakable, but the belly is also softer." *Orga stated, huffing a strange black mist, a feverish heat rising from her shoulders as she ripped her cudgel from the last mirelurks gut and swung it, away from the two across the ground, cleaning it of gore.*

"It's a good day to be a knight!", *Orga sang with a grin, as she continued her defense of the area.*