If there is one thing that can get Areelu's attention over her daughter, it's keeping her daughter safe. About fifteen minutes before the appointed time, Areelu sets up a magic circle against good, alters herself into a more ordinary appearance, and sets about casting a planar binding.

His will is not nearly strong enough to resist her call.

Ten minutes later, a small foxlike creature appears in the center of the summoning circle. Neither of the people he sees seem to be evil and his detection is coming up blank, but you never know for sure with planar bindings.

"You called me?"

"Yes. Luzai is in danger - someone has been leaving severed heads in her belongings, and she's been staying in Kenabres, a city overrun by demons. I wanted someone subtle and trustworthy to keep an eye on her - someone who could keep her safe, without making her a target."

"And you wanted a Vulpinal? We're not much good at fighting off demons, miss."

"I don't need the demons to die, just for her to be safe. Between your illusions, enchantment, and blinding, you're well positioned to do just that."

After that, it's just a matter of negotiating the terms and arranging a token payment; convincing agathions to defend good people from demons, especially Vulpinals in a city overrun by Abrikandilu, is a fairly easy task for someone as splendid as she is. Once that finishes, all that's left is one last hug, and then transporting Luzai and her guardian back to her room. She'll keep a quiet eye on things though, just in case.

"Hi," Luzai says. "Um, this is my room, where the severed heads were left. There's going to be an attack on this position, soon, and I'm going to fight in that, so I can't stay long." 

"Right. I'll try not to get noticed following you, I'm pretty good at being sneaky."

At those words, the Vulpinal fades from visibility.

Okay cool! 

She goes to find Anevia. 

Anevia is up on the roof, keeping an eye on the southern approach to the tavern. She's not the only one on watch, but there's a certain grimness among everyone doing so.

"Last-minute intel on how the cultists' forces are arrayed," Luzai says quietly. 

Anevia blinks in surprise.

"You got a response?"

"Yes. Probably going over more than just what's immediately tactically relevant should wait until later, though." 

"Right, what have you got?"

She'll also have to keep an eye out for what the goal could be if there was a plot involved, even if she's not sure what kind of plot by the architect would have them worth fooling. That's how they get you.

Luzai has: a lot of notes on what kinds of groups were where and heading in which directions. They aren't likely to all show up at once; these groups, composed of thus and such parts casters, archers, melee guys, etc., are likely to arrive in this order, although obviously things could change. 

That's a surprising amount of verifiable detail, and it mostly makes sense as a plan by the cultists too. They'll want a stronger mobile reserve to counter it, even if it means giving more ground for free.

"Got it, I'll tell Beth. Do you think you can take up a position in sight of the north entrance, out of the way of the straight line to the tavern door? If your intelligence is correct, that's where we should be getting most of the heavily armored cultists coming in, so it's prime space for a grease or two."

"Can do." 

Seelah is also there. Ah. Luzai can't help but flinch and look away guiltily for a moment when she sees her, but--she's a grown-ass woman. She is two grown-ass women. She can do her fucking job even if it means interacting with someone who used to be her friend and stopped. 

Good, that pairs well with Seelah's strategy of going back to ignoring her personal issues until there aren't people in danger. She's not the only paladin at the front lines here, but they're counting a lot on normal militia and guardsmen to keep the numbers up.

Makes sense. 

Luzai casts Grease when the first cultists show up. And she has a crossbow. Let's do this. 

It's actually a little bit before that happens; there are some skirmishing forces out in the street ahead that fall back once overwhelmed, and then a few tense minutes of keeping their head down as the sunrise sword and cultist crossbowmen try to suppress each other with missile fire, but then the gate starts getting pummeled with alchemist fire. Camellia and a few junior clerics use create water to force them to waste extra ammunition, but eventually the structural integrity of the gate gives out.

The first wave of the assault is a number of cultists serving as the screening for a few Dretches, and Luzai tripping them up allows the archers to make them pay in exchange for the stinking clouds they detonate on the front lines. Even outside of the main splash zone the smell is incredibly nauseating, but her stomach is willing to cooperate with her at least enough not to hurl.

UGH. GROSS. 

Luzai feels really sorry for people who turn into Dretches, that seems like a really unpleasant way to be, but also, uuuuuugh. 

She has three more Grease, plus two Web, and one each of Sleep and Hideous Laughter. None of these will get rid of the smell. 

Whatever. She will crossbow a Dretch in the fucking face. 

It's not a fan!

In addition to disabling about half the defenders in melee, the clouds of noxious gas also serve as decent cover for the demons following behind; immune as they are to poison, they're even less hampered by the odor than paladins are. A few more Dretch, to refresh the clouds and attempt to terrify anyone who isn't a paladin, but with them a number of Abrikandilu and a pair of Babau. The mortal cultists seem to be giving the main approach a fairly wide berth, but judging by the human screams of pain from the rooftops that's because they're putting the ladders they brought to use.

BAD AND NOT GOOD. WEB. 

That's catches a wide enough area to slow almost all of them, and even the ones strong or dextrous enough to keep moving still have to maneuvre around their immobilized fellows. The extra time also allows the paladins to finish off the vanguard unimpeded, but then a cultist manages to get close enough with more alchemist's fire to set the web alight before getting taken down by arrows. Neither the burning strands nor the grease fire it starts seriously impede the demons, and then the front lines clash as the paladins try to buy enough time for their vomiting fellows to rejoin the fight.

Someday Luzai is going to invent a version of Web that isn't flammable. She puts it on her to-do list, after "close the Worldwound" but before "poke Geb with a stick."

She alternates between crossbowing at demons and splashing human cultists with acid until the fire has gone out, and more Grease or Web will fulfil its intended purpose as anything other than fuel for the fires. At one point she makes eye contact with an Abrikandilu and gives it a very cold smile. It has no way of knowing that if it puts so much as a scratch on her it had better hope she kills it before her mother finds out, but she does. 

If it knew that it would be fleeing in terror, but unfortunately the demon in question remains blissfully unaware of its impending doom. It continues to make a beeline towards her until Seelah savages it in the flank with Radiance, at which point it decides that it has bigger problems.

While her willingness to get close is very helpful for directing acid at cultists, it also puts her in line of sight of some of the nearby rooftops, a fact which she is reminded of when she gets tagged by a crossbow bolt. It's not a telling blow, but given that her only protection is her gloves it still hurts a lot.