Chapter 17-445: A Moment of Balance (2/2)

Lhasa was overrun by vivic fires, cleaning up planar infections, driving back the influence trying to exert itself out of the Palace above them. Reality was, if not fixed, healing itself very aggressively here, and if they could just get rid of the source at the heart of it, things would end up fine.

Briggs didn’t allow anyone up here who didn’t have an Astral Ward and the Sun Saves at +30 with Steady Focus, at least. He just noted the way the phasma here was actually sparking on his Sun, and suddenly all the eager souls ready to take a piece of the King in Yellow decided that investigating all the buildings and being thorough about clean-up here was actually a smart thing to do.

There were no more Tibetans. If anything was going to be preserved of their heritage, it would be what was taken away with the invaders. On the other hand, nobody in their right mind wanted anything of Buddhist heritage preserved at all, so it basically became dual purpose: find all the valuable stuff spread around the place, and then Burn it all as payment for coming here.

It sounded like Astral Wards were going to be a very important thing for people to have in the future. Maybe on a par with the Death Wards that were the primary focus of most of the people here to gain with their goldweight.

It came down to him, Sama, Ai Ren (a Chinese Shadowknife), The Mick, Amaretta, Sir Pellier, Helix, Father Bower, and Azaia Morningwind. There was a second wave of Senior Forsaken and Dragon Warriors who would close in as the trailing remnants of the Yellow Fog dissipated... or as reinforcements if called for.

As it was expected that the King in Yellow could mind control those who got close to Him, nobody was particularly eager to go racing into His presence without appropriate defenses.

It was a fortified palace, but it wasn’t erected to deal with superhuman attackers at the level of a Ten Hagspawn with a chip on his shoulder. Endure chopped into the main doors a few times as Tremble sheared through the iron-reinforced wood, and eventually the doors gave way, the bar behind bounced out of its holders, and the ghast-monks and moon beasts within came out to play.

Blood magic wove with lightning, Weapons burning black and white filled the air, while cerulean flames covered the place and moon beasts died screaming. The moon beasts were the elites of the defense, crackling psychic mind-bending magic reaching out repeatedly to claim and control some new living pawns and servants, and turn them against their foes.

Said pawns were having none of it, and between Forsaken Auras, Astral Wards, and Sun Saves, none of that was successful, meaning the creatures had to rely on the melee fight to save them, which it didn’t.

There were a lot of final defenders to get through, flocking from their stations to the conflict at the command of their liege, throwing themselves into the fight with no regard for their lives.

That was fine, as those attacking had no regard for the lives of the defenders, either, and were plenty happy to send them along en vivus.

The second wave coming in through multiple doors did pull some of these attackers away once the yellow fog was burned back, and back, and back. Conflicts and screams rang about behind the group as they made their way to the central hall slowly, shooting and hacking with every step they took, the yellow fog burning away around them as they did so.

The Mick and Amaretta were alternating between expending spells and Reserves through scarlet strikes. Helix was popping out 18d6 arrows with adroit calm, and occasionally letting loose an AoE Bolt or two to help soften up masses of the enemy. Azaia was Shardcasting in overwhelming flurries of crackling lightning and force, carrying unavoidable streaks of black and white to the enemy over and over again. Father Bower was keeping a circle of virtua sunlight up around them, a Brilliant Halo that was burning at the enemy as they strayed too close, weakening them by the second.

Sir Pellier was shooting Lady Florentine non-stop, silvery flashes of Holy Light accompanying every profound round from an Inspired shooter as Thunder rang out and holy bells heralded the end of the ghast-monks and the moon beasts fighting with them. Ai Ren moved from here to there unseen, and his Helices Cut Time from everything his short Blades touched, crumbling them to dust and ash.

Sama and Briggs were beyond the ability of either of the main minions to stop. Not even when the ancient Buddhist statues, blackened and running with yellow pus, Animated and proceeded to start fighting them with frowning faces and stone-splitting palms did they give an inch. Endure and Tremble pounded and hacked their way through the corrupted Blackstone Guardians, giving them about as much respect as they gave Buddhists in general.

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They kicked in the closed doors to the main chamber beyond, the armored guards and their tentacled faces burning merrily on the floor where they had been unable stop the intruders.

Yellow fog swirled about their feet, flashing and flaring as vivic Weapons dipped to meet it. Cleared bubbles accompanied Briggs and Sama as they strode inside, pushing the yellow fog away from them, and everyone beheld the cloth-wrapped figure up on the ersatz throne at the far side of the room.

Briggs hardly glanced at the arrogant figure wrapped in silken robes the same hue as the fog sprawled lazily there. “Flanks!” he barked curtly.

Walls of Fire exploded up on both sides of the room, and shrieks came from the columns rising there as the cloth-wrapped Servants of Leng concealed behind them were caught. The Servants stumbled out of the Walls all aflame in three and four colors. Half of them immediately went flying back into the spells when pushed by magic, and the rest found themselves facing down some very prepared Powered with a lot of dangerous ranged attacks.