The Homecoming 123.

Fight!...

Shur Kee the monk looks down at the crashed airship towards the base of the hill he's on. And he spots movement, not much. But at least some of those who were onboard the Druvician aircorp warship when it crashed, survived.
The short, statured monk whose shard of jade, he wears on a fine silver chain around his neck, is glowing green.
Looks up into the clear sky, and spots the pair of ship's boats that were able to be launched from the doomed frigate, that he knows Helbe the elven thief brought down.
The acolyte in the order of Bru Li then looks out across the fields on the farmland to the west and south of the hill he's on.
And in the distance, he spots a figure out in one of the fields. Who seems to be looking around.
The monk, who is a physical adept. That being someone who is able to use his body as a deadly weapon. Wonders if that person out on one of the fields, is the dark druid Palvarc. Or another spellcaster who was on the warship, who was able to get off it before it crashed.
Then the monk, who wears an odd, conical shaped hat. Looks quickly to his right, and he spots two people walking up the side of the hill towards him.
One is in a uniform of some kind. Obviously a member of the crew of the downed airship. He holds a shortsword in his right hand.
While the other, is a man in his middle years, slightly grey, who is in black robes. Who carries a wooden staff, a staff, that has a gnarled, fist sized top to it.
The short, statured monk who hails from the kingdom of Wah Lee, which is far beyond the Southlands, on the far eastern coast of the continent.
Hasn't seen the man in the black robes up close before. Only at a distance. Even so, he knows who it is. The advisor to baron Harkonin, the dark druid Palvarc.
With his left foot out infront of him, and his right slightly to the side. With his hands almost cupped together, down by his right hip. Shur Kee the monk thrusts his hands forward and out infront of him, as he shouts "Bru Li spirit!".
The first mate of the downed frigate, lifts an eyebrow as he sees a slight, shimmering blue glow around himself. Then he nods when the dark druid Palvarc murmurs to him "Protection spell".
The dark druid who is the advisor of baron Harkonin, frowns as the short fellow at the top of the hill, who is wearing the strangest looking hat he's ever seen.
Turns their way, and steps his left foot forward, and puts his hands down by his side, then thrusts them forward shouting something.
What? Palvarc the dark druid thinks to himself as he didn't quite catch what the individual in the strange, white clothing just shouted.
Then the spellcaster who is the advisor to baron Harkonin blinks in surprise. When a ball, of what appears to be white energy. Exactly the same that came up from the hilltop, towards the airship before it crashed.
Suddenly appears infront of the short, individual wearing the odd looking hat.
The dark druid doesn't know what it is. Just that it isn't magical. As he can't sense it. Nor did his staff give him any warning about it.
All the same, he doesn't want to find out what it can do, even with the protection and barrier spells he has up around himself, as it shoots towards him and the first mate from the downed frigate, that's part of the personal fleet of the lord high constable of the kingdom of Druvic.
"Watch out!" shouts Palvarc in warning to the officer from the destroyed warship.
The dark druid dives to one side, pretty agile for a man in his mid forties. The first mate from the frigate, waits a moment. Then he dives the other way.
And though baron Harkonin's advisor gets out of the way of the nearly nine foot wide ball, of what looks like some kind of energy.
The officer from the downed airship, almost does. But not quite. As his left boot is clipped by it. As it goes off the side of the hill, into the air.
The first mate from the frigate, who is part of the cadre of those who follow the old ways, in particular the ways of the dark druids. Who are trying to spread their beliefs, and practices, throughout the kingdom of Druvic.
Screams in pain, as his left leg is wrenched back behind him in mid dive. Then he goes spinning backwards through the air. Tumbling and cartwheeling a good forty feet, back down the side of the hill, before finally coming to a stop.
"Fuck" mutters the dark druid Palvarc as he looks back and watches the first mate from the downed warship, disappear back down the side of the hill.
Baron Harkonin's advisor winces, as he had both a protection and barrier spell around the ship's officer. Just like he's got around himself. And they failed against whatever the white ball of energy is, that hit the first mate from the destroyed airship.
The dark druid, from where he is on the ground, points his staff at the figure in white, wearing the odd shaped hat.
And as he's just about to unleash a particular nasty spell at the short individual just fifty feet away from him.
His staff warns him of a spellcaster, and of spellcraft. Just then the figure in the strange white clothes, and the even stranger hat, disappears.
After shifting to Shur Kee the monk, and quickly shifting away with him. Helbe the elven thief says to the physical adept "We've got to hit him and run" as they float in the sky, a couple hundred yards up in the air. And about that far from the hill, that the physical adept was just standing on.
As the young elven noble glances back, and spots the two ship's boats dropping down to where the downed warship lies at the base of the hill.
Shur Kee the monk, who is still in a meditative state, when he's the conduit for the power of the Jade Warrior, Bru Li. The founder of the philosophical order he's a member of.
Is perfectly at ease floating in the sky, a couple of hundred yards up.
The short, statured monk nods his head in understanding, and does so again, when the elven magic user tells him "I might not be able to save you all the time" followed by "You'll have to use your power to protect yourself against any spells he does against you".
"Do no fear, friend Helbe" says Shur Kee who speaks slowly when he's in a meditative trance, whilst not in combat.
The next moment, the two of them, who are both blurred, are in another spot in the sky, as the elven masterthief shifts them away again.
Just where they were, a black and green, beam of energy passes through. It comes up from the hilltop the acolyte in the order of Bru Li was standing on.
It comes from one end of the staff, in the hands of the dark druid, Palvarc. The advisor to baron Harkonin.
"I can protect myself against magic if need be" adds the physical adept with barely a pause after going from one spot in the sky, to another a hundred yards away.
"That damn staff, with that damn pixie in it" mutters the young elven noble in the royal language of his race, then the highly talented spellcaster, who has the ability to cast multiple spells at once. Shifts himself away, while shifting Shur Kee somewhere else.
"You okay down there?" calls out the dark druid Palvarc as he looks back down the side of the hill "I guess not" dryly adds the advisor to baron Harkonin as he hears the scream of pain from the first mate of the downed frigate. Whose left leg is shattered, not to mention he has a number of other broken bones throughout his body from the violent tumble through the air he took, before hitting the ground.
The dark druid from the very south of the Harkonin fief, spins back around when his staff alerts him. The spellcaster who advises the baron of the fief across the border to the east.
Who has already shot a beam of dark, malevolent energy from his staff at a spot in the sky, the staff pointed to, indicating a hidden spellcaster.
Shoots off another of the beams of dark green energy from the tip of the staff. This one across the top of the hill.
Palvarc grunts in disappointment, as it continues onwards until getting a few hundred yards away, the limit of how far it can go without hitting anyone.
And though his staff, swings quickly away to the left, to the north in the sky. Out of the corner of his eye, to his right on the hilltop. He sees the figure in the strange white clothing, and even stranger hat, has appeared again.
"Bru Li spirit!" shouts Shur Kee the monk as he thrusts his hands out infront of himself once more, creating another ball of spiritual energy barreling towards the dark druid who turns his way.
"Shit" mutters baron Harkonin's advisor, who definitely knows he doesn't want to get hit by what's coming towards him.
The dark druid runs to one side, knowing that his barrier and protection spells are useless against the white ball of energy that's heading his way.
Palvarc, who is missed by the ball of strange looking, non magical energy . Doesn't retaliate against the short fellow in the odd looking conical shaped hat.
Instead he shoots off a beam of dark, green malevolent energy from his staff, towards where it senses a hidden spellcaster, who the dark druid can't actually sense.
"Fuck, by the forest gods" mutters the blurred and shielded elven princeling, Helbenthril Raendril just after shifting. He looks back to where he was just in the sky, about eighty yards to his left. And he sees the afterglow of the beam of dark, green energy shot from the dark druid's staff, passing through the spot in the air he was just in.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, looks down to the hill below. And sees that baron Harkonin's advisor, Palvarc. Is a bit busy at the moment. As he's dodging another of the spirit balls, that Shur Kee the monk has sent towards him.
The elven master assassin waits a moment to see if the dark druid will go after him, or Shur Kee this time.
When he sees the spellcaster from the fief across the border to the east. Roll across the ground, and get up on a knee, swinging his staff around, so that the tip will point at the short, statured monk. The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel shifts again.
"Damn it" mutters Palvarc as the fellow in the strange white clothing vanishes once more, just before the dark, green malevolent beam of energy, shot from the dark druid's staff was about to hit him.
Getting up off the ground, baron Harkonin's advisor lifts his staff, as it swings in his hands to his right and up, indicating in the air where the hidden spellcaster is.
Not this time, Palvarc thinks to himself, who knows that whoever the hidden spellcaster is, they're a distraction. And it's the fellow who has been hurling the nine foot wide balls of strange energy at him, is the real threat.
The dark druid points the tip of his staff up into the sky at the hidden practitioner of magic. But he doesn't shoot a beam of energy at whoever it is.
Nor again, when the staff jerks in his hands, and points at another spot in the sky about sixty yards away to the right, and lower, than what it was previously pointing at.
Palvarc, who senses the ship's sorcerer teleporting in this direction. And who also sees out of the corner of his right eye. One of the ship's boats has come down near the crashed frigate.
Plants the top end of his staff on the ground, and waits. He doesn't have to wait long. And he spins around when his staff informs him. By way of a feeling more than anything. Someone has just stood on the ground about ten yards from him.
Lifting the staff, the bottom, or tip end, outwards and away from him. Palvarc shoots off a beam of dark, green, malevolent energy at the short, statured figure in the odd looking hat who has just appeared.
"Fuck!" yelps the dark druid, who drops to the ground, and narrowly avoids getting hit by the beam of energy he just shot off from his staff.
Which has rebounded off the ball of strange white energy that the short fellow in the odd looking hat, is standing in the middle of.
Palvarc who definitely didn't want to test the strength of his barrier and protection spells against the force of the beam shot from his staff.
Rolls to one side, and quickly gets up. As he sees the strange looking man in the stranger looking clothes, and wearing an even stranger looking hat. Is just standing there with his eyes closed.
They then open, and he thrusts his hands out infront of him, with his fingers spread wide. And the ball of strange white energy he's standing in. Shoots forward, and comes hurtling towards the dark druid Palvarc.
Baron Harkonin's advisor, dives out of the way again. His only saving grace is that the ball of strange, white looking energy only goes in a straight line. If it didn't, one of them would of hit him by now. And he knows he would of ended up like the first mate of the downed frigate.
Even worse if he was directly hit by one of the nine foot wide balls of strange energy. As the ship's officer was only clipped by it. And he ended up down the side of the hill. Where he's whimpering in pain. Trying to crawl away.
The dark druid gets up off the ground, as he does. The ship's sorcerer appears on the hilltop after teleporting from one of the fields in the nearby farm.
"Ware his power!" calls out Palvarc to the officer in the Druvician aircorp. The frigate's spellcaster might not be part of the cadre of those who follow, and practice the old druidic ways, especially the ways of the dark druids.
But he sees the figure in the strange white clothing, wearing an even stranger looking hat. As a threat to the kingdom, who was part of why his airship was brought down.
"And ware a hidden spellcaster!" adds baron Harkonin's advisor, who grimaces as the short fellow who has been attacking him, vanishes once more. The dark druid was too distracted, that he didn't even notice his staff warn him off the hidden spellcaster approaching.
"I'll deal to that sorcerer" says Helbe the elven thief as he and Shur Kee the monk stand about fifty yards from the downed frigate at the base of the hill.
The young elven noble who like the short, statured monk, is blurred. Tells the physical adept "That dark druid is getting more and more distracted".
Shur Kee nods in agreement, and the elven princeling from the island of Laerel adds "You might actually hit him if he's even more distracted".
"Let us hope so" says the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, then he lifts an eyebrow, and slowly nods his head when the elven master archer asks him something.
The highly talented elven magic user who can cast multiple spells at once, then shifts the two of them up into the sky, then shifts Shur Kee away after the living incarnation of the Jade Warrior Bru Li does something.
"What is he?" asks the ship's sorcerer "I wish i bloody knew" mutters Palvarc, who then frowns as he thinks he hears the short fellow in the strange looking hat shout something.
The dark druid looks around, then shrugs his shoulders as he doesn't see him anywhere. And as the ship's spellcaster trotts over this way.
Baron Harkonin's advisor glances at his staff, which jerks in hands, pointing away to his left, to the north again.
He looks that way, to where the hidden spellcaster is at the moment. Then he turns and looks at the ship's officer, who has stopped and is looking up into the sky, as he says "Hey look at that" followed by "It looks exactly like that thing that came up towards the ship".
Palvarc looks up into the sky, then he shouts "Run!" as he sees one of the strange looking white balls of energy come hurtling down out of the sky towards the hilltop. The dark druid legs it, and after a pause, so does the ship's sorcerer.
The advisor to baron Harkonin runs away from where it's going to hit, as he does, he sees the short fellow in the odd, conical shaped hat walking up the side of the hill he's heading towards.
Palvarc grimaces and mutters "Oh shit" and dives sideways, as the figure in the strange looking white clothing, wearing an even stranger looking hat.
Stops, stands slightly sideways, with one foot infront of the other. And with his hands to his side, down by his right hip. Then thrusts his arms and hands forward, as he shouts something. This time, the dark druid hears what he shouts, he hears him shout "Bru Li spirit!".
What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Palvarc thinks to himself when he hears what the short fellow shouts. While he dives to one side, hoping he doesn't get hit by the strange ball of white looking energy that forms, and comes hurtling towards him . . . . . .