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--donation bonus (day #31, post 1/5)--
Helen made a fist and punched the dirt in order to give herself the leverage to climb back to her feet. Her regeneration was already pushing the chunks of broken wood out of her flesh, and she could feel her shattered bones reforming.

As her ear drums restored themselves, she heard more explosions, quite close. They sounded like Desmond’s, being preceded by that distinct and low sizzle. She could feel drops of rain as well, few and faint, perhaps just now starting to fall.

‘Hurry,’ said Mehlsanz. The reaper was not without her wounds, either. Thin plumes of white-and-black smoke rose out of the ghost’s backside and upper right arm.

Helen rushed back toward the battle.

And from that point, it was utter mayhem.

Every combatant was present again. All hope of keeping formation was lost in a mad scramble. Lightning hacked Hector’s arm off. Flames engulfed Andres. A shower of yellow crystals riddled the Queen with holes before an iron wall rose to her defense. A beam of light claimed one of Karkash’s legs. A forest fire devoured trees in the background, and no one was in any position to stop it from spreading, but perhaps the rain would render that unnecessary.

‘I can hardly tell what is happening!’ said Helen. She bounded out of the way of another swarm of crystals.

‘We’re slowly losing ground,’ said Mehlsanz privately. ‘And it’s about to get worse. I sense six new souls approaching quickly from the direction of Rendon, and given the situation, they’re probably Abolish, too.’

An iron spire shot up next to Helen, and then lightning crashed against it. She squinted against the blinding flash while struggling to maintain her concentration. ‘Should we retreat?!’

‘Maybe,’ said Mehlsanz, ‘but we probably wouldn’t get away--on your right!’

The top of the tree next to her erupted, making the whole thing groan and topple over. Helen leapt out of the way. ‘There must be something we can do.’ She went to work on her arms, focusing and flexing in order to reestablish the calcium carbonate. Her peachy skin turned pale white as it hardened, cracking here and there.