Chara was the first of the four to move, despite still being shaky from the trip. Rose and Lily were out of their cases and already dancing on their wires. Most of the horde was still focused on trying to break into Whitewood, but a good number of Creeping Carrion and Fungal Shamblers were headed their way. Individually they weren’t very tough, but they were tireless, relentless, would never be scared away, and were immune to almost all poison that didn’t target the vines or fungus animating them.

Fotia, Pagos, and Chara moved to one side, raining magic into the incoming horde, dropping some of the enemies and injuring others. As they moved, Bedora moved forward, her hammer at the ready, and started cutting down the faster animal Carrion they were running ahead of the pack. They smashed to the side as if they were made of paper, bones cracked with ease. Some of them were able to get back up, but others stopped moving as the vines animating them began to rapidly wilt away.

Nissa behind Bedora was chanting, a green circle forming around her as she cast some sort of spell. After a moment it coalesced around a larger crossbow that Kahari hadn’t seen before. She fired it, bolt flying high past the horde surrounding the village and embedded itself deep in the wood palisade surrounding the village. Nothing seemed to happen at first, before thick fines sprouted from the wood and spread from the point of impact. It didn’t go very far, but it was enough to patch the hole near where she had shot, slowing the number able to get inside the village itself where sounds of fighting could still be heard.

Kahari moved up next to Bedora with his Heartseeker Glaive, and began using it to cut down creatures Bedora didn’t hit. Between the two of them the faster beasts were thinning out, but more and more just kept coming in. Just when he thought one of the wolven Carrion was going to slip past them, blue flashed his vision and Pagos cut the thing in two before moving on. Flaming bolts also sailed past them as Fotia provided ranged support. As things were going, the faster ones were going to be wiped out before the slower half of the horde could reach them.

That was what Kahari had thought, before something big rushed them. A Monster Boar, entangled in vines with most of the flesh of it’s face missing, charged them. This thing was going to be a problem. Monster Boars were already tough, but this thing no longer felt pain. Kahari dodged to one side as the thing charged head first into Bedora, who was sent sailing several feet backward. She landed on her feet, but from the blood oozing from her arm, it’s tusks had bit deep.

“Focus on the boar!”

Bedora shouted as she reversed her hammer to bring the hammerhead to bear instead of the spike. Nissa chanted behind them and began healing Bedora even as Pagos flashed in from behind to slash at the Boar’s flanks, drawing it’s attention to the little puppet. Even as it twisted to try and hit the much smaller, much faster creature, Kahari began chanting a spell of his own, a twisting blade of air that bit deep into the tusks of the creature, trying to damage one of it’s main weapons. The spell didn’t cut deep, but it did cut deep enough that other attacks would have a weak point to make use of.

Behind all of them Silverleaf finally finished whatever it was that she had been chanting, and massive columns of silver light slammed down into the horde around Whitewood itself. The creatures evaporated under the light. Hundreds were gone in seconds, leaving only a fraction of the forces left. The funniest thing, in Kahari’s eyes, was that Silverleaf didn’t seem tired in the slightest. Instead she launched into another chant as the thing in armor scrambled to get out of the light, his right arm missing, only a smoking hole left behind where it had once been.

It glared at the massive tree, before a swirling black vortex drew him in and he disappeared. Kahari’s lapse in concentration caught him as the boar charged him. He scrambled to get out of the way, avoiding a direct hit, but it’s tusk dug deeply into his thigh. The pain was intense, but he could still stand, but Gods did it hurt to put any weight on that leg. He gritted his teeth through the pain, and took this chance to stab Heartseeker deep into the things side, it barely seemed to do anything but that was a future problem.

Even as he limped backwards towards Nissa who could actually heal him, Bedora came sailing in from above, bringing her hammer home on the things skull. Most opponents would be driven into the dirt by such an attack. Instead the Boar just swung it’s head around with an angry bellow and threw Bedora clear. It turned to charge her before she could get solid footing, but instead it’s face was filled with fire as Fotia unleashed hell from a distance. It quickly rounded on the puppet instead.

“Keep cycling attacks, it focuses on the last to hit it!”

Kahari called as Nissa knitted the muscle of his leg back together with her magic. It itched and burned, but he could see his health being restored as Pagos came in from behind the boar, cutting deep into it’s flank. It roared and twisted, it’s damaged tusk catching her in the face and sending the lightweight doll flying backwards. Her face was damaged, but as the Boar prepared to charge it, Bedora came in again from the side and brought her hammer down on the creature’s damaged tusk, knocking it free.

The Boar swung it’s head to try and catch her, but the tusk it wanted to use no longer existed. All that happened was she moved backwards with a smile.

“Come on big guy, I’m ready this time.”

It screamed in rage and charged her. She twirled her hammer as she sidestepped to the side without a tusk, and let the creature's momentum carry it into the spike of her hammer. Contrary to what she believed it did not stop moving, and instead tore the hammer free of Bedora’s hands as it kept moving past her.

“Fuck, this one’s tougher than a normal Boar.”

“Bedora, catch!”

Kahari threw Bedora his spare sword from his storage. It was a simple bastard sword but it was better than Bedora’s bare hands. It had been sized for Kahari, so it looked tiny in Bedora’s hands with her having to use it one handed. After that he advanced on the Boar who was turning to charge Bedora again. This time as it charged, he swung his blade in low, catching one of it’s front legs. Between it’s nearly skeletal nature, momentum, and Kahari’s own swing, the leg came off and brought the boar down, it’s face digging into the dirt. Bedora flashed forward and brought the sword down into the back of the things neck, digging the blade into it’s spine.

Lily jumped on top of it’s back, her blades flashing as she started carving deep cuts into it. None of this seemed to matter as the vines shifted, and a twisted leg made of wood and vine sprouted from where Kahari had cut off the other. The angry monster pushed itself to it’s feet, and turned on Kahari.

“Shit, a lot tougher than a normal boar.”

As it started to charge, it instead found a wall of vine spears sprouting from the ground in it’s way. The things dug in deep, if the thing had organs they’d be riddled with holes at this point, but the boar broke through the spell and continued to charge Kahari. He rolled to the side and the boar skidded to a halt before turning and charging again.

Pagos opened her mouth and sprayed freezing mist into it’s path. The mist quickly solidified into a wall of ice in the thing’s path. It slammed into the obstacle, the ice cracking as it nearly made it through. It snorted and blacked up, preparing to charge again. Before it could, vines erupted form the ground and began entwining around it, restricting it’s movement. Nissa was starting to look pale, she was spending some serious mana on trying to stop the thing.

Chara was chanting quickly to herself as she released control of both Pagos and Fotia who collapsed to the ground limp. Kahari didn’t know what she was up to, but he decided to do the best he could to help out and placed his hand onto the wall of ice in front of him, pouring some of his mana into it so it could repair itself.

Bedora pulled her hammer free from the things skull shortly before lines of purple light extended from Chara’s fingers and impaled themselves in the creature. After a moment they moved and began flooding into the vines animating it, which began to wilt and wither away. As the twisted vines withered, the creature’s movements slowed and eventually stopped. The angry green lights replacing it’s eyes in it’s skull faded and winked out before it collapsed to the ground. The entire group was sweaty and pale now, but thankfully only Bedora and Kahari were bloodied, though those wounds had healed.

“What…was….that?”

Kahari questioned through strained breaths as he looked at the Lamiadyn next to him.

“Thread control spell. My magic fought with the magic of the vines animating the boar. Without it’s master, they didn’t have enough energy to overcome my own, but it took almost all my magic. If it had been even slightly less hurt, I don’t think that would have worked. Wouldn’t have done anything.”

“Thread control?”

“Puppet Magic, if it’s not intelligent the spell can take temporary control. Most beasts are intelligent enough to not count, but most undead it’s fine. Mostly used for stealing things like golems from their masters. Figured it’d work here.”

“Puppet magic?”

“Arcane branch, not elemental. Rare one to, it’s impossible to find spells without commissioning them.”

“Okay…let's move on. Still things to clean up.”

Kahari looked towards the village. There were a few dozen undead of various types roaming around, mostly deer and wolves, but there was a Behemoth, kinda like a big furry ogre but completely feral, with fungus covering it’s body. That was going to be a pain too. Thankfully Kahari could see some Naiad warriors pushing out from inside the village, the smoke rising from within thinning out. The warriors of the village had paler skin than Nissa, who was reasonably tan. Instead they were closer in skin tone to Kahari, with hair that was blue, teal, aqua, or various similar colors. Some of them even had hair that resembled flowing water. They were mostly wielding spears, and were led by a Naiad girl in full armor with a Cutlass in one hand, and a shield in the other.

Kahari moved down the hill along with the others, except Chara who stopped for a second to drink a blue potion to restore some of her mana so she could use her puppets. The rest of the creatures were relatively easy to finish off, especially now that they were no longer acting under the control of one monster. The only one that took them awhile was the Behemoth, but between the party and the Naiads, it was finished off pretty quick. As the final one collapsed, Silverleaf finally cast her second spell.

A pulse of golden light flowed over the area, and the bones and bodies of the undead began to dissolve. At the same time, the black taint of the water began to lighten as she worked to undo whatever curse was afflicting it. She remained still, continuing to chant as it seemed the curse would take some time to undo. The Naid woman leading the warriors stepped forward and spoke to Kahari as he wiped his glaive clean.

“Thank you, we could have won without you but you helped save many lives. Come, my mother will want to speak to you.”

She turned without any further words and strode away as she sheathed her sword. Kahari had wanted to at least ask her name, but it seemed that would have to wait till later. Instead he sighed and took his sword back from Bedora before everyone, sans Silverleaf followed her as her warriors ensured all the undead were truly destroyed and not faking it.