World Tree MUSH

    Moving on, there's two more sets of roots to burn out in the nearby area. Protecting the group using the laser device is about the same as before, Mara Struck, Abundance Abominations and corrupted Ingenium devices come to try and stop the group, and those assigned to defense duty engage and stop them. Gongshu sets up and collapses his device with help from Clara, presumably, for both sets of roots, and by the time they're done, the large branches surrounding the furnace have withered away, the air losing the strange floating green/yellow haze that looks like some kind of symbols.

    From a vantage point on the far side of the Commission, the Ebon Deer can be seen, standing and looking straight at the group, but not moving from its spot, the strange flower it emerged from slowly withering away behind it. The Deer itself looks just as imposing, but it's clear that it's only got its own power to rely on now.

    "Right, that should do it... we should head back before they have a chance to regrow." remarks Gongshu as he puts his device away one last time.

    "The last thing we have to do now is..." begins Welt,
    "Go say hello to our 'Deer Friend'... get it?" quips Stelle with a boarish snortle.

    Clara totally helps setting up the thing!
    Then she watches the flower wilt.
    "... Did that do it?" She asks.
    That should do it, Gongshu says.
    "Okay! Let's go--..." Clara pauses and stares owlishly at Stelle like she did not just say that.

    Talia is a helpful assistant, doing whatever Gonshu advises when it comes to setting up stuff. She frowns as the flower wilts, "Hmm. I was hoping there'd be more feedback." She murmurs, before shrugging a shoulder. Stelle's comment does draw a confused look from Talia.

    Jessica sets up shop near Gongshu whenever needed, sniping any approaching hostiles that get past the others. It's a pretty standard manner of dealing with things for her.

    "Well, cervines can have a lot of different attitudes," Jessica notes. "But I'm not sure I'd call this one a friend! It is being kind of mean..." She reloads her pistol with originium rounds, tail swishing thoughtfully.

    Devices are not Bi De's cup of tea. As such, he was out front as part of the first line of defense while they were being set up! The chicken looks a lot more relaxed now that he's had some time to just battle interesting foes, but...

    "It is true, it is a deer. A pity that unlike the other spirit animals I encounter, it seems unwilling to find a peaceful solution."

    He strokes his wattles with a little cluck, the only hint that maybe, just maybe, he's continuing the 'joke' of not getting the joke.

    After everyone reacted to Stelle's poor attempt at humour, they can start making their way back to the Furnace. Gongshu hangs behind with Tingyun and Clara, while the others take point.

    There's no other encounters on the way to the Deer, and it follows their approach every step, its statue-like face never showing any emotion.

    As they confront it again, it stamps its hoof and summons its vine-like minions once more, the plantlife erupting from the stonework of the platform, but noticably, the light suffusing the Deer flickers for each one it calls forth.

    Talia gives Stelle a disapproving look regarding her joke, but now they need to deal with the Deer itself. That thing would give the mightiest gringer on Sorgan a run for its money, "Clara, have your droids do the thing!" What is The Thing? Hard to tell!

    She meanwhile is going to dip and dive and dodge with her lightsaber hilt in hand, only turning it on when she can't dodge in time and cutting through a minion or two while she rushes the Deer!

    That... That was such a bad joke that poor Clara is left staring at Stelle for a good, long, moment before everyone gets moseying.
    Time to do the thing.
    "Oh, yes. Mister Svarog, Mister Grey, do the thing!"
    Svarog and the secondary construct exchange a look before the two nod to one another...
    And plant themselves on either flanking side of the party to draw aggro.
    Because as soon as that deer starts attacking?
    They're going to stack punishment counters on it and its minions. And then follow up with bringing the pain.

    Well... that is a thought out plan isn't it? Jessica thinks so, anyway. The idea of pinning things in a crossfire is a good one, right? That's why she positions herself so she doesn't shoot the two robo-dudes, and promptly braces her arm to start taking shots at the deer.

    "Um... actually... is anyone taking care of the others?" She looks worriedly at Svarog and Gray, in case she needs to snap some shots at the minions as well.

    Talia and the others are concentrating fire on the deer, huh? That leaves the weakened minions it summons to be an oncoming threat. Bi De flares with Qi as he dashes forward, splitting in two to cover more ground. It's a tower defense now, and he's the tower.

    You only need one, when you're willing to play a deadly game of...

    Chicken.

    "Stay right there while I give you a present~" chirps March, pointing at Svarog. She makes a finger gun motion, and a mote of Six Phase Ice streaks out and lands on his back. From there, a sheen of icy armour spreads over his frame, not limiting his movement but providing a bit more protection from the lashing thorns of the vines, and the errant zaps of golden lightning from the Deer itself.

    Stelle holds the Flaming Lance aloft, then spikes the tip into the ground and a burst of flame erupts from beneath the Deer. "FRACTURE!" The flames implode, then detonate and disrupt the Deer's footing, opening it up for others to take shots at weakpoints, or at least get better aim at possible weak spots.

    Welt adjusts his glasses, and stamps his cane on the ground... spikes of imaginary energy, black voids limmed in golden light, erupt and skewer some of the vines, intercepting attacks from Talia's blind spots, and opening the way for the Qi-powered Rooster.

    The Deer makes no sounds, but as it turns back from getting its footing disrupted, it glowers at Stelle, aiming its horns at the Trailblazer to fire a zap of golden lightning.

    The Vines continue to attack, thorns being launched, spikey tendrils lashing, and the strange blooms maturing into fruits that then burst to heal the Deer's wounds, but even then, it's still weakening, the minions can't keep up with the damage like that tree could.

    "Oh..." Jessica ducks to the side and starts to change her targets now. When she sees what the fruits do, she instead begins sniping the plants... not to kill them entirely, which would be a lot of work, but to try to shoot the fruits off before they can mature, hoping to cut off the source of healing.

    Progress is good. FAST progress is better, yes?

    Thusly, with Svarog coated in March's ice shield he stamps a foot down to brace as his shoulder ports open up.
    A deluge of micromissiles unleash from the ancient automaton's shoulders at the deer. Mister Gray uses his immense club arm to just try and batter the deer down as well while others focus on the little vine thingies.
    Clara, to her credit as usual, remains to the back of the group, out of the way like a good girl.

    Quick dashing slashes with talons, the occasional buffet with wings... those are all keeping the minions from overwhelming. Bi De is going all-out this time, not conserving his Qi as much. Boss fight being what it is, and all.

    The moment he sees an opening, the second 'Bi De' vanishes so he can concentrate his attacks. Low to the ground, the chicken speeds in now that Jessica has switched targets.

    Concentrated, overwhelming force at the deer, that's his plan. So join in with the robots and Talia.

    Talia is unharmed for now, as she's saved from impalement once or twice by Welt's helpful golden/black light spikes. She begins to spin like a whirling buzzsaw as she cuts through more of the vines, trying to push further towards the deer. Then, she hurls her saber at the deer itself, intending to take its head off its shoulders in one swift stroke!

    Jessica nails the fruit... they look like large peaches, and erupt in bursts of that sickly golden-green light just like the Abominations dissipate into. Svarog's missiles pepper the Deer, and Grey's baton knocks the things antlers aside, sending the bolt of lightning off target, streaking into the distance and striking the outer barrier field of the gargantuan ship they're on.

    March takes a moment and looses an arrow that lodges into the leg of the Deer, slowing its movements as the ice creeps out from the wound. Welt changes target, and points the grip of his cane at the Deer, causing an implosion at its center of mass, making the thing stagger and rear up in pain.

    Stelle darts in with a straight thrust, stopping the monster from landing its hooves down again.

    This opens it up to Talia's Lightsaber, and Bi De's Qi-empowered strike. The Saber cuts the head clean off, and the Qi-powered assault disrupts the remaining internal energies of the Deer, causing it to jerk, go rigid on the lance, and then buckle as life leaves it... it fades away into wisps of green dust, and the flower behind it finally wilts and dissolves in kinds.

    Talia lands the decisive blow.
    And as the deer collapses and begins to dissipate...
    Clara peeks out from behind Mister Svarog.
    "Is it over?" She asks, blinking.
    It seems to be over.
    She heaves a relieved sigh.
    "I'm glad. We'd be in a real bad place if any of you got the antlers."

>> SUMMARY[Clara] >> YOU DEER

    "Whew..." Jessica checks her ammo supplies before holstering her pistol, ears twitching now. She walks over to join the others hesitantly, then relaxes as it looks like things are calmer.

    "So... what's next? I'm pretty sure there was something we had to do after beating the guardian, right?" She glances at Gongshu.

    Bi De shakes himself off, breathing deeply now. That's how he's going to restore himself, after all. As the beast dies, he steps back, also figuring there is more to be done that does not require murdering things. "Will this solve the problem at the Commission? Or is there a further step we need to have?"

    Talia's lightsaber returns to her hand once the beast is slain. "The threat is over." For now, anyways.

    She clips her hilt to her belt and then gives Bi De a nod. "Good work, all of you. Now, we've just got to get to Fu Xuan."

    Welt shakes his head. "General Jing Yuan said the Ambrosial Arbor was an unfathomable celestial blessing..." he looks at the last few vestiges of the Deer as they float away, becoming like autumnal leaves before finally vanishing. "At first glance, that deer could have been an ordinary life form, but the ability to heal such grace wounds in an instant... I think I finally understand why the Xianzhou decided to follow The Hunt(Lan) in eradicating the Abundance(Yaoshi)." he says. "If immortal creations were left to spread unchecked across the universe, entire ecosystems would collapse... it makes sense now that the people of the Alliance wander aboard these massive ships, instead of settling on a planet."

    Gongshu nods sagely. "You are a man of vision Mister Yang. It's a shame the Elixir Seekers couldn't see that hidden curse 8000 years ago." he sighs, looking off into the middle distance for a moment. "Perhaps some rejected the Plagues Author's(Yaoshi) 'gift', but how could an entire civilisation resist the temptation of immortality? But please, I should not wax so philisophical. You must continue to the Alchemy Commission, and the Ambrosial Arbor beyond. I wish you safe travels, the road ahead will only become more dangerous from here on out."

    The group set off along the previously blocked path... and Stelle frowns as her phone buzzes with a message...

    Jessica folds her ears back with a deep sigh. "This is going to be a long trip, isn't it?" She makes a face and holsters her sidearm. "I think we all owe Kafka a punch for dragging us into this mess. But for now I guess we have nowhere to go but forward."