Grekal was stuck in the hut the grand elder had built, watching over Gressel and the grand elder himself as Gressel healed and the grand elder regained his strength. As such, she was dependent on the hunters that were on lookout around the clan's village for information on what was going on around them. Sadly, what they told her did not paint a pretty picture.
It seemed the serpent of the grand elder's had pushed back the undead invaders and even destroyed their war machine. Bringing great hope that perhaps once Gressel was awake again to help the grass serpent in its attack against the undead, they could finally vanquish the threat to their north once and for all.
Sadly, it seemed the undead was merely playing with them, giving them the illusion of hope so they could take away, as it was not long after they destroyed the one war machine that twenty came to take its place. If that was all, it would have been bad enough; it was not, as they had fresh undead to add to their next push and even a new type they hadn't seen before.
Grekal waited to hear more on what was going on as she was tending to the grand elder at a particular moment when Gressel finally woke up. "What have I missed?" Gressel asked immediately, trying to get up to date on the current situation. Grekal gave him a quick rundown to which he replied with.
"That bad, huh?" Gressel stated with a morbid acceptance as he got up from his bed, hoping to quickly rally his hunters for another great hunt against the skull, hoping working with the serpent would allow them to finally destroy the skull, sending all this undead at them.
Though that line of thought died as one of the greater hunters of the clan Grokal came into the hut. Grokal looked startled and happy that Gressel was finally awake before he came back to himself and gave his report quickly. "The serpent has returned too wounded to continue to fight for the time being." Grokal stated simply.
"Well, there goes my first plan of attack." Gressel said, sighing, not at all happy that his first plan after coming to had already fallen through. That's when Grokal made it known he wasn't done delivering bad news by continuing.
"We believed it may have been followed." Grokal stated simply without a hint of emotion despite what that might entail. This bit of news caused both Gressel and Grekal to stare at him in horror before they began to argue with each other, though far too fast for anyone to figure out what they were saying.
That's when the grand elder spoke up, making it clear he'd been awake to hear the report. "Enough! There is no time to be arguing." He said loudly before talking in a quieter voice. "We must make the preparations necessary for what is to come next." The grand elder stated simply, showing himself to be a beacon of calm despite the rapidly declining situation.
"Now, Gressel, you will work together with the craftsmen to make defenses so that the village may hold against the undead." The elder said to Gressel, and then he turned to Grekal: "You must prepare the farmers to evacuate and gather everything essential so that if the village fails, we do not fail with it." He said simply both his fellow elders looked like they wanted to argue on specific points.
He grabbed both of them and pulled them closer to whisper something softly in their ears, and so Grokal watched as the two elders showed shocked faces at what the grand elder had told them. "Are you sure such things are only called in war, and this would only be considered an infestation?" Gressel stated he was seriously worried about whatever had been said.
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"Yes, besides, if the village falls, then it will be an act of war, will it not?" The grand elder stated simply, to which Gressel gave a grim nod before both he and Grokal went out to begin preparations to defend the village with the hunters and the craftsman. Grekal gave the grand elder one last round of medicine before going out to gather the farmers to prepare for evacuation.
The grand elder used what strength he had to grab a piece of magical grass and scribble something on it. "Hopefully we will stand triumphant, and this will not be necessary." The grand elder said with little hope before falling back in his grass bed and resting once more.
Meanwhile, craftsmen were using GRASS SHAPE to create a solid wall of grass around the village with a platform at the top for hunters to use the grass spears to strike down from. The hunters under Gressel's command once again were quickly taking position on the wall.
"Alright lads, you know what to do. You know what's on the line. So I expect the best out of you, as you have always given." Gressel said giving a little speech to try and motivate his hunters just a bit more for the battle to come. As they would need every advantage they could get considering how badly outnumbered they were going to be.
Especially considering his own great ability THE GREAT GRASS HUNT was an offensive ability and wouldn't be of use in a defensive ability like this. So they would have to make do without his ability, but his hunters would be up to the task.
Meanwhile, in another part of the village, the farmers were gathering all they could, putting all the supplies and tools they had in the clan's wagons. Grekal stood above the farmers, directing them. "Grab that one, no, not that one, the one next to it!" She yelled at someone before moving on to someone else, being the force of order in a maelstrom of chaos as she both directed the farmers and kept them from panicking.
Both the elders of hunting and farmers spent most of the day making preparations for what was to come, and by the midway point of the day, they had done all they could. Which was rather good timing on their part, as it wasn't long after they finished their preparations that the army of undead began to surround them.
"So it began." Gressel said to himself before speaking aloud using the connection he had to all of his hunters while still in his great hunt form. "The time has come; today we are not hunters; we are soldiers, and we shall hold the hold line!" Gressel said his voice was being heard by all his hunters as they all brought their spears down in response before leveling them at the enemy coming toward them.
"May the fates and the magic of the woods be with us this day." Gressel said softly to himself as he joined his hunters on the wall for the battle. For the battle of his home had begun, and he would do everything he could to keep it, but even with his will to do anything and everything possible, as he looked at the forces beginning to surround his home, he wasn't sure if he or his hunters were enough.