1952/Ashfall

Ashfall
Date of Scene:	04 April 2015
Location:	Fall
Synopsis:	Hollowsvile is under attack! It's out of the way, making it hard to get to quickly, but the ghosts of the town's ancestors have gone out seeking help from Multiversal denizens!
Cast of Characters:	20, 560, 626, 726

---

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    Orange leaves on black trees stand, casting shadows, clutching hands. Knot hole eyes, and feet in the land.

    Town of haunting splendour waits. Well-filled cemtery, open gates. Dead with the living, mingled fates.

    Peace for all, no matter what side they might fall on the living or dead divide.

    Dry forest burning, orange leaves become fire. The grinning jack-o-lanterns did not conspire, to make this scene real, this horror unfold.

    ------------------------------------------

    This town is an anomaly, though there are surely others like it. The living and the dead existing side-by-side, peacefully. As well-preserved corpses, distinguishable from the living only by their pallor, stitched skin, and possibly some missing hair or eyes, the ancestors of the town of Hollowsville stick around for as long as they're needed, before passing on fully. They are intelligent undead who are FRIENDLY with the living, and who the living are friendly with in-turn. Even the spectral ancestors make appearances once a year, on Halloween.

    Hollowsville is a town that looks like it was modelled after a graveyard. Its ACTUAL graveyard is even more expansive than the town itself, and has so many elaborate structures it actually comprises and is considered Hollowsville's 'east district'. Crosses are everywhere on the buildings - roofs, windows, iron fences and gates - but there are other symbols, religious, arcane, or simply associated with death. Pentagrams, angels, merry skeletons, so on and so forth. Jack-o-lanterns are commonly used in places of torches.

    Hollowsville is very Halloween-like all year 'round, to outside visitors, though it becomes even more so on that day.

    But Hollowsville doesn't get much in the way of visitors, because not everyone is comfortable with the undead or how the people here are so close with them. There are many communities hostile towards the undead, even! That's why Hollowsville is so out of the way, in the middle of a forest of black trees with orange leaves, and vast fields of pumpkins, and dense fog, and blood-red rivers (that are actually just water). No one wants to come all the way out here just to mess with a town where over half the population is dead.

    No one except apparently winged goat-man demons, with flesh that is partially shadow and flame, who have emerged from the cloudy skies overhead to begin throwing fireballs down at the citizens of Hollowsville. The assault has been ongoing since last night, and lumbering, non-intelligent zombies, so very different from the bright-eyed and emotional Stitchskins of Hollowsville, have also staggered their way out of the forest, already engulfed in ever-burning flames.

    And these zombies have wandered around, attacking people if they come across them, but otherwise just... Touching things, and setting them on fire. In a dry place like Fall, a lot of things burn really good.

    The spectral ancestors, normally asleep until October 31st, have awoken and gone scattering across the Multiverse, in search of those who can help their living (and corporeal undead) descendants. Anyone who would respond to a ghost showing up and pleading for aid would have been led here, by whatever means they use to travel, even if it takes them hours to get here from the local Warp Gate - which is rather distant.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Grounded as she is, Toph Beifong has never been one for spiritual mumbo jumbo. Still, when a ghost shows and asks you for help, it's a bit tough to say no.

    The blind earthbender follows after the spiritual ancestor, a bit annoyed at how difficult and bothersome it is to have to follow something that she can only track by hearing. But she does manage to follow the ghost, rushing through the forest as quickly as she can. Upon reaching the outskirts of Hollowsville it's easier to pick up the area and what's going on. Including the shuffling zombies. "Sheesh... I can smell them even from here," Toph mutters before she rushes ahead. And as she does so she does slow down briefly to launch earthen spikes towards any approaching zombies that might have the silly idea that she would make a decent meal or potential wandering torch.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Friendly undead are not a completely alien concept to Kyra. Seeing them living alongside the regular living, however, was and it certainly weirds her out when she finds herself lead here by the ghost. All too happy to respond to the call for help. Friendly undead or not, Kyra knew that all undead burned pretty well. Most at least.

    Zombies already on fire are also an anomaly to her. "Yep." Kyra agrees with Toph as she pulls out the Luna's Resolve from the ornate holster on her hip. "Definitely smells like burning flesh. I'll keep what I can at range!"

    Cheerful, she seems quite at home fighting malevolent undead. Without hesitation, as soon as she spots one of the burning corpses, she'll shoot it in the head.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Getting asked by a ghost to help a town of half dead and half living inhabitants wasn't even remotely close to anything Shirou thought would happen today. But he does his hero thing as always - what did anyone expect?

    "So there's good dead and bad ones in this place? They better be easy to tell apart..." he can hope. He can really hope.

    But for now, he just GUNS IT.

    The engine, that is. He's roaring through a forest path on a small motor bike - it's old and rusty, but the engine's running well enough despite the hellacious noise from a rusted-out muffler.

    He really needs to fix that when he finds more parts.

    Magic Circuits already active, he's going over a handful of designs in idle moments between turns... and this eventually leads him to Kyra at the town's edge. He putters to a stop, dismounts after killing the engine, and just BOGGLES upon surveyin the town.

    "What the hell's happening here?! It's just like the ghost said..." Teeth grit and blood boiling to full alertness, he quickly scans about to find the nearest person in peril where he can go help...

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    Earthen spikes slam into the Flame Zombies, tearing through them. Unlike typical zombies, it seems that when they take enough damage they just kind of dissolve into flaming ichor and sink back into the ground. Though in bursts of fire and smoke and audible darkness-made-mist, new Flame Zombies come forth to replace the slain ones. Horned demons with skin a mix of red and black, charred leather, are flapping around in the sky as well. They have wolf-like heads with goat-hooved feet, with sharp claws on the hands they are using to conjure fireballs and hurl them from above.

    Kyra's shot seems to have heavily damaged one of the Flame Zombies, but it dissolves no more quickly than when Toph tore through the earths with earth spikes. It's not necessarily the LOCATION so much as doing enough damage, it seems. Fortunately, holy bullets blowing a zombie's head off seems to be 'enough damage'. And it to cause two of the Flame Zombie's companions to both orient on Kyra and start staggering forward. At least, as an upside, these Flame Zombies are nice and slow, meaning she should be able to stay at range and give them what for. And heck, the more of them coming after HER, the fewer of them that are going after buildings and the people in them.

    Given the heat radiating from the Flame Zombies grows more uncomfortable the closer they get, there's plenty of reasons to keep one's distance. But the flames don't seem to be damaging their surroundings unless the zombies specifically reach out and touch something. It's fully possible that Shirou could fight them in melee range and just move quickly enough to avoid being hit, or rush in to scoop someone up without getting burned from mere proximity.

    The ghosts that led these people here were all obviously telling the truth and really are peaceful and NOT part of the attack group. They can't do anything to help on their own, because they lack bodies, but the looks of distress and pain on their half-transparent faces as the trio of indistinct figures float around, watching, shows they are suffering from seeing the violence towards their descendants. One of them says, "Come. We must lead the lost and trapped ones to safety!" Then the three phantoms go swirling of in spiralling mist corkscrews as they try to find anyone trapped in burning buildings or otherwise in trouble and show them a way out.

    That just leaves the demons in the skies and the zombies coming out of the ground to deal with!

    Distinguishing friendly undead from hostile is pretty straightforward, also. The friendly ones look like people with lots of stitches. The hostile ones are all oil-covered, charred bodies, constantly engulfed in flames but never seeming to burn through all the way. The Stitchskins even ACT human, showing emotion, trying to shield the families they left behind when they died, or being shielded by said families in turn. A mother with one living daughter and one undead one are trapped against the side of a candy store, surrounded by a gradually tightening half-circle of zombies. That stitched-up little girl looks just as terrified as slightly-older, living twin.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The arrival of Kyra does catch Toph's attention, and the girl nods her head. "I'll try to keep it clear behind you," Toph offers. As the motor bike roars through the trees and towards them Toph can imagine that the zombies are not that advanced, so Toph doesn't hinder it. When Emiya speaks up she doesn't turn to face him, only letting out a snort. "You're the one with working eyes, buddy! But it seems like the dead are not quite so dead anymore!"

    It seems like there's something up in the air though. "What's flying around up there?" When she feels the fireballs crash into the earth she can't help but feel a little uneasy. But as Kyra says on the radio frequency, there's somebody there who needs help. So Toph kicks into the ground, concentrating on the area around the family.

    Earthen spikes shoot out around them, aiming at the zombies to knock them away and to also prevent anybody from getting to them.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra grins brightly as the Luna's Resolve proves to be just as effective as she had dreamed, this marking the first time she's actually managed to /damage/ something with it. In fact, it might have even been overkill since the bullets she has to that gun are limited and the fire zombies seem to be pretty plentiful. Toph's earthbending was just as effective so she's happy to let the blind girl take the lead with that.

    Knowing that Toph can't sense things through her abilities if they're in the air, she switches her focus to the demons above, moving in closer, keeping well ahead of the slow-moving zombies easily as she hunts down the airborne demons. "Hey Shirou! The undead setting things on fire are bad! The other ones are good and are just trying to get away!" Kyra warns as she fires off a shot from the Luna's Resolve at a demon. She seems to be most focused on the demons that go near Toph, covering the Earthbender as she works.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Sizzle. Crackle. FSSSSH-CLANK!

    With one hell of a lightshow, Kanshou and Bakuya are forged into existence between Shirou's clenched fingers. "yeah. I'm on the same page! These zombies have to GO! TAKE THIS!!"

    With a rowdy, hotblooded yell the redhead HURLS Kanshou and Bakuya into a mass of the flaming zombies. they travel in opposing arcs, slicing and dicing EVERYTHING in their way. Then with another flash of prana new copies of the weapons are in Shirou's hands again. The ones in flight alter their path to head for the BACKS of more zombies even as he throws the new set forward...

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    Toph's earth spikes knock the Flame Zombies away, even taking an arm off of one of them. The family are trying to figure out now whether it's safe to run from there or to remain behind the stone spikes that now act like a barrier around them, keeping the Flame Zombies from moving forward again. They aren't even really sure what happened exactly! But they do appear to be safe for now.

    Kyra's bullet shoots into a THROUGH one of the Flame Demons, leaving a smoking hole in its torso... But not quite killing it. It does seem pretty damn injured though, as it flaps its wings and starts coming after her. Actually... At this point... All the Flame Zombies and Flame Demons visible in the area are converging on the location of these three. It's not unlike two previous occasions, one at Winter, and one at Summer... The monsters were attacking helpless civilians up until rescuers arrived, and then they suddenly lost all interest in easier 'prey' and went after the good guys en masse.

    Shirou's blade-throwing is especially good in a situation like this, as the ranks of Flame Zombies tighten every time their numbers are replenished, since they're all appearing nearby the trio now. As fire balls slam down nearby, Kyra is the only thing keeping the bombs from hitting Toph - though she also needs to make sure to avoid them herself as well, even as she takes down the first demon she shot, and a couple others. One of the Flame Demons swoops in from behind the group, coming closer to their level, and then unleashing a flamethrower-like breath attack on them! The heat alone should be a warning to get out of the way, but thankfully the range seems rather limited, so dodging or blocking with stone walls or white magic barriers or whatever else are all options.

    At least, unlike the Flame Zombies, the Flame Zombies seem to stay gone when their numbers are depleted.

    But there's still a ring of walking dead people coming closer and closer, their deep, gurgling moans, almost MORE of a psychological weapon than their appearances or the flames that constantly threaten from all sides.

    Two things that might be noticed, however: Though their ranks are still several lines thick, and a few of the zombies are getting close enough to attempt to vomit flaming oil on Shirou, the ranks furthest back are no longer being replenished. The other thing that might be noticed is that the civilians seem to be getting evacuated into the largely stone-construction east side of Hollowsville, where the fire should have a harder time spreading. The ghosts are leading the way. Not only are these three making progress against the terrible monsters, but they are buying precious time for the living and the Stitchskins both to get to safety.

    Now if they can just take down the rest of the enemies before their reaching, smoke-and-burning-meat hands can get to them...

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "WE GOT AGGRO!" Kyra shouts, actually slightly surprised that the demons have switched from easier prey to harder prey. The warning is for both her companions as she herself takes evasive manuvers, leaping aside and hitting the ground rolling as a blast of fire strikes the spot where she was just standing. This is repeated for a few more moments before Kyra returns fire, first with the gun, but as the flame demons start to mob the three of them, she switches to a heavier ordinance.

    That heavier ordinance is a Holy spell, aimed into the air, far from the friendly undead of the town so they do not get caught in the crossfire. She centers the middle on the thickest knot of demons and it quickly expands in mid-air to engulf a twenty foot radius in a harsh blast of holy light.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "GAH!" FLaming oil! Shirou's fast but he's not THAT fast. And all he has to work with is another hastily projected pair of his favored weapons. These he crosses to increase the surface coverage ane uses them as an improvised shield while rolling to the side. It does SOME help. He gets splattered along the extremities and some bare skin, but thankfully not engulfed. All he ends up doing is hissing while his skin bubbles and crackles with SEARING pain.

    The pain doesn't STOP him, it merely staggers him for a moment. "HUUUUUAAAAAAH!!!"

    With another yell he hurls himself straight into the fray at more of the zombies. Slash slash slash!

    Then he spins around and hurls the weapons for the Flame Demon before hitting the ground shoulder-first and skidding a while...

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Good, the family will be safe for now. Which means that she can focus on the zombies around them at this rate. Because they do seem to be focused on them now, don't they? It's kinda weird, aren't these things braindead or something? They are in most of the movies and tv shows she has been listening to at least!

    Toph hears the shout, and the blind girl kicks the ground, bending up earthen plates to cover herself and her two allies. It still might get a little hot, but it ought to offer some protection at least! "Thanks, Kyra!" she calls back before she focuses on the zombies as they draw closer.

    Toph spreads her arms before she lashes out, sending the very earth rumbling underneath their feet as the ground flips over in several plates, something that will hopefully knock all the zombies approaching them over and make them vulnerable for Emiya and Kyra to dispatch!

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    The Holy spell from Kyra wipes out most of the demons. They may be tougher than zombies, but not tough enough to deal with THAT. They are eradicated, their flesh blasting off their skeletons, which quickly follow after the rest of them as their physical forms are banished back to whatever foul pit they were summoned from originally. The few who remain are weakened enough that Shirou's blades cut right through them as easily as they are the zombies around them. Speaking of those zombies, their numbers are noticeably reduced now, though anyone watching from the outside would still see a veritable wall of hollering, groaning, crooked forms, burning like those sentenced to the stake, but with far more determination and ability to get revenge.

    As Toph's earthbending smashes and knocks down a number of the zombies, that wall eventually becomes more like a knee-high layer of bodies, like a mass grave set to the torch in some town in the distant past where the burning plague victims was thought to be the only way to prevent further exposure. But whatever sickness, whatever magic, is directing these zombies... It is far more insidious and far more -intelligent- than a mere disease.

    The zombies themselves may not be too bright, mostly responding to prey within their limited sensory range and taking a good long time to actually orient on it, but they don't need to be smart when something or someone else can take direct control and make them all focus on a single target.

    Or three targets, in this case.

    They try to roll onto their bellies or to otherwise get in a position to crawl towards the heroes now, even as their numbers continue to be reduced by a Shirou's slashes and throws. Thirty level. Twenty-five. Eighteen. A dozen.

    Sizzling ichor seeps into the ground all around, but still there are twelve of them left - even if no more are coming. It should be a simple enough process to finish them off now, though. At least as long as no one gets caught by one of them or stays still long enough for several dead bodies to crawl up onto them and pull them down on the ground to suffer the terrible fate of being both eaten alive AND burned alive at the same time.

    Even if the surroundings are still on fire, and Hollowsville's fire department are struggling to save as much as they can, the worst of it seems to have been forced through. With a mix of bullets/holy magic, swords, and crushing boulders, the rest should be as straightforward as 'don't get killed'.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "How many places will--" SLASH HACK HISS - "Get attacked before there--" SLICE THRUST BEHEAD! "--aren't any more left?!" He's had ENOUGH of all the zombies and other things causing problems out in the booies... "It's like someone has a problem with anyone who lives in the middle of nowhere!"

    Well parts of him are still ON FIRE, he finds out after that. With a yell he dives tfor the dirt and rolls, trying to extinguiish the flames - oil or not- through COPIOUS DIRTY SMOTHERING!

    ... Away from the ichor, that is.

    Gasping and panting, he's up again but almost snarling with his gaze frantically swiveling about for more enemies and anyone in need of help.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    This is a whole messy business all right. And Emiya's comment is a valid one too! "Seems they don't like people having peace and quiet, huh?" Toph replies, and as he dives for the dirt she does what she can to help by bending it into sand that might help exstinguish the flames a bit easier. Who needs a water bender? Sand might also soak up the oil a bit better too.

    Steadfast and determined, Toph bends as effectively as she can in order to create openings for the two others and also impale as many of the zombies as she can. And when they are finally done she lets out a 'whew' and brushes her hands off. "I can't sense more of them coming towards us... seems we got them all."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Banish, banish, banish, holy-" Kyra singsongs, blowing demons out of the sky before they can sight Toph or Shirou as they work through the zombies. She doesn't stop until there is nothing but finely misted demon gibs left.

    "I think we did get them all. Nothing else more in the air..." she checks her gun and frowns, seeing that she's out of ammo for the Luna's Resolve, "I'll have to give Lloyd a visit soon. Anyway, let's make sure everyone else is okay and that they got the fires put out. I didn't bring the CURE-ALL so if any of the local undead were hurt, I can't really, um, heal them."

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    The last of the Flame Zombies are eliminated. There's still the stench of burning rot everywhere, mixing with the choking, cough-inducing smoke, but even the puddles of liquefied decay seem to have vanished. Aside from the damage to the town and the people in it (and possibly some of the heroes present, like poor Shirou), there's no sign the monsters were ever here.

    So they get to leave behind death and destruction and a huge mess to clean up, and there's not even anyone or anything left to hold responsible.

    Wonderful.

    And if this was part of a pattern, as it seems to be, just eliminating these monsters THIS time isn't the end of it.

    Victory has been had, and most of the town's residents - whether living or dead - have been saved. But it still might feel like this isn't quite the end of things.

    Seeing (or hearing, in Toph's case) the family of three happy to be safe now that the monsters are all gone, a little stitched-up girl with the mother and twin sister who both continue to outlive her instead of joining her in undeath, might lighten that burden a little though.

    It wasn't all for nothing.