[hr][hr][center][img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/021/819/148/large/will-thompson-the-barn-2.jpg?1573059692[/img][/center][hr][hr][center][h2][color=808080]Chapter 5[/color] [url=https://youtu.be/Ma-WJUidpRU]:[/url] [color=808080]A Town in Chaos[/color][/h2][/center][hr][hr][center][color=808080][i][b]Present: [/b]Ymiico'luun'yoru [@Salsa Verde],  Casii’fyret’alan [@Pirouette], “Ismet’ych’lahiin’dichora” [@Force and Fury], Cristophe[@YummyYummy][/i][/color][/center][hr][hr][color=808080]Cries for help could be heard all over town, but they were all dwarfed by the sudden explosion that could be heard at the Eastern edge of town where farmlands could be found. Flames engulfed a large barn that had since partially collapsed. A man's torso, burning and freshly severed, lied dead twenty yards or so away. The cries continued, however, as Bertha, a woman that voiced her displeasure for the group during the town meeting, was trapped under wooden debris and other heavy, metallic materials. There was also her unconscious husband deeper in. If the growing flames didn't consume them, the quickly deteriorating conditions of the barn would ensure their demise by crushing. This wasn't all, as the threats that had been previously repulsed by the explosion, were coming back. Three lycans emerged from different sides, one of them on fire and frenzied. The latter did not pay specific mind to the free prey and was ravaging whatever was near it, but the other two were eyeing the trapped meat. They were fast, and if it weren't for a sudden spray of flames from an interloper wearing a tricorne hat, they would have been goners. However, that one man was no match for the three big creatures. They would soon perish without help. There wasn't any time to waste. If the nearby Yasoi group was to act, now was the time!

Things had moved rapidly since they made it back to town. Casii had believed they were done but they were not. The town invasion was a taste of that shortcoming and now they were in a fight for the town. Casii, Isii, and MiiMii had charged out to the farms to try and pull the straggling yaniis back towards safety of the central defense. Unfortunately they found themselves in a tough spot. [color=teal]"Just needin' a moment..."[/color] Casii rushed into the barn, chasing the distressed cries of the yaniis inside. The fires were first. She raised her staff pointing it at the fire, swirling in an action that drew the air away from the fire. The fire slowed but only the most dangerous fires that were closer to the yaniis. [color=teal]"Quit yer cryin' yanii! I need to focus!"[/color] She cursed.

Ismette swallowed nervously as her peers rushed into the burning building. She felt... different after encountering the other version of herself. Casii had looked upon her with reproach, called her a [i]monster[/i] and it had... hurt. [color=6ecff6][i]But am I still a monster if I use this power to save people?[/i][/color] She reached out with her senses and took the warm, dark, comforting power of the VOID in an embrace.

The yaniis here had a penchant for danger and destruction and somehow Ymiico always found herself right behind it along with her peers. The barn was set ablaze and the shrill screams of the people who denounced them before were now pleading for their help. Rushing in they were treated with prone yanii and ravenous beasts. Ymiico looked at Ismette and Casi, [color=3eb489]”I save yanii”[/color] rushing to the husband first. She tripped over some debris, but was assisted by Cristophe to recover and arrive at the husbands aid.

Casii cursed, not believing she could do much more for the growing inferno. She dug into her bag tossed a seed under the beam that had the yanii woman pinned. She threw what chemical and binding magic she could to grow a balloon kelp that expanded an airbag to lift the beam off of Bertha enough for Casii to reach down and grab the yaniis had, pulling and dragging her out. The balloon kelp wouldn't hold as it was far too dry and hot for that to hold much longer.

Ymiico committed to saving the husband and managed to avoid the onslaught of the Lycan by the shield provided to her by the shield. Just as she were about to save the husband, one final attack by the beats was made against her. Her apple dragon yipped and tugged at her clothes alerting her to the attack. Thinking to herself she quickly spoke [color=3eb489]”Ninpō: Bunshin no Jutsu”[/color] creating three quality clones of herself to divert the Lycans attention. She closed her eyes hoping the gods would help her, the claws through a clone allowing her to successfully save the husband.

[color=teal]"Quit yer cryin' 'n stand up!"[/color] Casii hollered as she gripped the yanii's hand tightly. She was willing to drag the wailin' yanii at first but felt bad and hefted her up over her shoulder with the help of a little kinetic magic. She carried her out and gave her a toss. [color=teal]"Go'n run. Center of town or whatever yer wantin' to do."[/color]

Ismette, meanwhile, had called forth a hungering shield, and it proved a saviour for her allies. However, she then had the bright idea to try to teleport forward and punch one of the beasts in a wound it had received. It dodged her cleanly and, in return, its partner mauled her arm. She attacked that beast with a dark bolt and she could've sworn it laughed. Her guts twisted in anxiety. She was not cut out for combat. She was [i]not[/i] and it showed.

Again and again, the fiery beast threatened them, forcing Christoph to intervene to save Ymiico. Casii ran out of the burning barn with Bertha and then there was nothing to hold Ismette back. She gathered all of the VOID's energy that she could and unleashed it in that monster's direction as if charged towards her. For a moment, its animalistic eyes appeared to widen in surprise. Then, the dark bolt struck true and... it was erased from existence, utterly. She stopped and stared at the space where it had been and was no longer. She - Ismet'ych'lahiin'dichora - had done that. She was... a monster.	

Casii huffed as one of the beasts came for her. That snapping mouth lunged for her with the yasoi ducking and thrusting a weave of roots to catch it. [color=teal]"Yer in way over yer head, taca!"[/color] From those roots Casii suddenly grew a a sizeable tree trunk suddenly that nailed the creatures stomach. It didn't exactly hurt it outside of a your average gut punch but it did launch it right into the barn crashing inside!

Ismette had considerably less luck with her attempt to compress space and drop the barn and its contents on top of the beast. She was just too slow and, instead, it was at her throat within a second, only a last-moment bound shield knocking its head aside. She scrambled backwards before it seized upon a new target.

Ymiico saw her chance once Ismette was unsuccessful in her attempt. With immediate resolve she unsheathed a kunai from her thigh and spun it around her finger before slinging it out into the barn bursting the kelp bubble Casi made for support. Upon puncturing the bubble the barn collapsed crushing the big bad wolf undertow leaving nothing but ash and cinders.

Casii gives MiiMii a nod, satisfied with their team up, but they weren't done. Turning to face the remaining beast, she charged and, lowering to scrap her hand against the ground in more of a flourishing move before bringing her free hand up to cup over her mouth and blow out a breath of blue flame in a fiery breath that roasted the creature having it retreat further from Ismette and MiiMii.

It only got worse from there as the beast ran off to consume another beast in the barn, burning itself in the process. [color=teal]"Yer dumber than sin, suuthi, so why ain't ya staying down!"[/color] Casii reached into the creature's blood to burst as the water and nutrients were converted to grow plant material that clogged up arteries and veins everywhere to significantly damage it!

A shiver went up her spine as she felt Isii tap into that cursed magic, drawing forth some foul monster. She could feel that unnaturalness in it and barely held her ground, only doing so that with their lives at stake with the raging beast in front of them... at least that one was natural. Speaking of, a lunging flaming claw came for her and swiped. Casii had the know-all to drop an orange tree seed before and grew it rapidly, raising above the reach of the beast as it's claw was captured by the demon's hand and pulled back. Black tendrils whipped and lashed out an anyone trying to attack, leaving Casii shaking her head. [color=teal]"Nope, nuh-uh! I ain't goin' anywhere near that thing."[/color]

The three beasts had met a fiery ends, one way or another. After what felt like long minutes of shrieks of agony, the monsters finally perished, leaving nothing but the flickering of flames to dress the silence that reigned in the farmland. The three Yasoi had managed to clear the area of danger and saved two lives in the process. One of them, Bertha, had witnessed the whole thing. Partially grateful, and partially horrified, she kept her piece this time and made herself small by her unconscious husband. So long as Ismette didn't insist on getting close to the villagers, everything would go as fine as it could. Hopefully the others were doing fine too.
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