The assault on Calixto(Rank up)

Vala paced back and forth outside the healers hut in Calixto Village. The young healer had been with Fayla for hours, but when he finally came out he shook his head. "She's fine, physically. A few bruises, but I don't know why she wont wake up. We'll just have to wait." Vala nodded quietly. It had been almost two days since Fayla was attacked by the black robed figure in the woods. Lilian and Andreas had left an hour before, heading for their respective destinations. Lilian was headed to the hold to get help from the order, but not before sending a message back to the knights to inform them of the danger, while Andreas went to Sinderon to get Fayla's mother. If anyone could wake her up, it would be a magical healer.

The soldiers she'd seen had been spotted. A few had come close to the village, and when Vala dispatched them she realised that they were not.. Alive. Fayla had told her of the stories her father scared her with when she was a child, but they had never really believed them. But undead truely did roam Serenity Valley, and whoever Fayla had encoutered along side them, still wanted her dead. Vala looked up and realised the healer was still watching her. "You should rest." Vala shook her head. "I'm fine. I wont rest until she's awake." She said. He hesitated then nodded. "What about some food? You haven't eaten since you arrived." He said. She shook her head. "Alright. There's some stew if you want it. I added extra meat." He said. Then he went back inside. Vala continued to pace, to impatient to sit still.

Several hours passed, and she'd finally sat down outside the door, arms crossed, listening to the silence, when a man came running up to the door. Breathing heavy, his face was terror stricken. "Miss, there's men in the woods. They look like the.. soldiers.. you described." Vala was on her feet in a second. The undead soldiers "How many?" She asked. "I didn't see. Only one of them robed types. The Marshall is gathering the village folk. She reckon's they're going to attack." Vala followed the villager back to the square, where the most of the small village had gathered. She tried to keep her face calm as Vala approached. "Heanta. Looks like you're robed man's come for you and you're friend. I have a mind to toss you out of the village, but Knight Andreas was clear you were to be accommodated. Besides, I'd not like the Eldari to die." Vala kept her face blank.

"I appreciate that. If you wont throw me out, why not leave? Get these people out of here." Vala said in reply. "No. These's are our homes. No one's going to abandon them. We've the spears and shields to raise a small Malitia. We'll defend this village with our lives. We'll move you're friend to a more central house. You can stay with her." She said. "If you're not abandoning me, I will not stay inside and hide. Keep the Undead off me, and I'll kill the robed one." Vala said. The Marshall scowled. "I still don't believe you're tale of walking corpses." She said. Vala shrugged. "I didn't believe it at first either. But it doesn't make it any less real." She said. "Hmph. Just make sure you remember what side you're on. I don't want any of my people getting hurt while you're bloodlusting." She grumbled. Vala frowned, wondering what the woman had heard about heanta.

She was about to respond, when another man came running up. He carried a short spear and a unadorned round shield. "Marshall, the strangers are coming. Its a small wave. No sign of the robed one." The Marshall cursed. "I need more time, damnit." Vala pulled out her bow. "I'll take care of it. Gather you're men, I'll do what I can to hold them off." She said. Worry weighed on her heavily. This would be much easier to handle if Fayla was awake, but if Vala failed, Fayla would die. She steeled her resolve, strung her bow and followed the man to where the undead had been sighted. She watched them shamble slowly across the open field. Vala knocked an arrow and fired, hitting the first one in the eye. As soon as she did, the other's threw up their shields and close ranks. They picked up their pace. In the distance, Vala spotted the robed figure watching them advance. She fired several more arrow's picking off a second and third, and the Undead sped up with each kill. She put away her bow, and prepared to fight.

Kyren Mellis had chosen his hill to die on a long, long time ago. He trusted the power of Aristorath completely, which was the reason he was still alive while others had attempted to join the Great Plan and fallen by the wayside. It was this loyalty to Aristorath and his fear of Lady Ariella that drove him mercilessly to his objective. While Aristorath was the conceiver of the Plan, Lady Ariella was a more-than-capable understudy, who wielded no small power of her own. She was the brawn who kept things in order. The walking corpse of his brother Stephan walking alongside him was proof of that. In another life, Kyren would have been aggrieved at the death of his brother. However, Stephan had disappointed Lady Ariella, a crime everyone knew the punishment for. If not for Stephan's failure, the Eldari who had stumbled upon some of their assets in the forests surrounding Serenity Valley would have been dealt with, and Aristorath's plan could continue unseen.

But alas, Kyren was now approaching Calixto with his unit of undead soldiers, mindless and tireless killing machines that obeyed his every command, looking to end the Eldari and the Heanta who rescued her. He saw movement amongst the wooden buildings and fortifications, and smiled. They had encountered a watchpost en route, and had allowed the watchmen to leave and spread word of their approach. It mattered not. A village militia was no match for his force. Kyren looked at his brother, now just an asset like the others, and smiled grimly. "For the Great Plan, brother." Kyren stopped on a hilltop overlooking the village in the distance, and signaled his force to advance. The undead force rumbled forward like a ocean wave, and the first signs of resistance began to show with arrows dropping assets slowly. Kyren commanded his force to hasten, and they picked up speed as they approached the perimeter of the village. Kyren noticed the red hair of the Heanta he had been sent to kill, and he ordered all assets to advance and crush everything in their path. The Heanta had to die. As Stephan trundled off to fight, Kyren was strongly reminded of that fact.

The undead trundled forward and Vala charged, slamming into their formation with a leaping knee drop that smashed the skull of one as he collapsed to the ground. She rolled aside, taking he legs out from beneath another with a spinning kick, and smashed her fist into his face as he went down. She barraged another with punches forcing, breaking ribs and bones though the damage seemed ineffective and he simply backhanded her with his shield. She hit the ground and rolled as a sword slashed at where she had been, and the undead surged around her. But then there was a roar, as men and women with spears and shields joined the field, though only a small group. The marshall's spear found its mark in an undead's skull, and she looked down at Vala. "We'll hold them here. Take out that robed man."

Vala kipped up to her feet, and nodded, then leap over an attacking undead's sword, her claws finding purchase under his helm as she lept over. with her other hand she twisted, and snapped the neck before kicking off the corpse to clear another and run towards the stranger on the hill. On the way, she encountered a familiar dead man, his face a mottled bruise and his chest a gaping would. He was the one that had attacked Fayla. At first she believe he was the one behind this, but it was clear he was just a minion. She dropped him with a spin kick, and slammed her foot down on his skull for good measure before closing with the new robed man.

Vala did not wait to engage in polite conversation, lunging at him with vicious swiftness. He looked mortal, so tearing him to pieces wouldn't be too hard. Vala flicked out her claws, sliding low to slash open his leg before rising behind him. She aimed a rending strike to the back of his neck, following up with a spinning kick to the head. She lept away then to eye him warily, preparing to resume her attack.

Kyren watched as the village militia began to rally to face the wave of undead warriors that converged on their homes. The necromancer felt bad for the denizens of Calixto as he sent yet more soldiers to crush them. They could never know that their deaths were but a small price to pay for the success of the Great Plan. Kyren was starting to become concerned however, as the Heanta child was starting to put a real dent in the forces available to him. She was able to hold of the assault enough that the Calixto militia was able to form a sturdy defence, and Kyren's advance stalled. What was worse was that Heanta was now advancing towards him. She carved a swathe through his troops, even putting down Stephan for good measure as she passed. However, Kyren had not lasted this long in Aristorath's ranks without an appreciation for contingencies.

The Heanta closed at speed, leading with a low slash to his leg. Kyren sidestepped out of the way and turned to keep her in front of him. He was then forced to duck a slash at his throat before being caught in the jaw by a spinning kick. He staggered back a couple of steps but remained standing. He locked eyes with his opponent, and bowed respectfully. It was always proper to respect the ones you were about to kill. "Heanta warrior. In accordance with the Great Plan, Mistress Ariella has ordered the end of your life and that of the Eldari." Charging up an Enervation Blast, his expression became stony. "Resistance is futile." Kyren pointed the staff at the Heanta and discharged the Enervation Blast at her with alarming speed, before following it up with a trio of Pain Bolts aimed at any part of Vala he could see.

She landed the kick and he staggered away. He locked eyes and bowed to her and she was confused by the sign of respect. Then he began to spout rubbish about a Great Plan, and an mentioned a Mistress. Vala smiled viciously at him. "I'll be sure to tell you're mistress how miserably you failed before I rip her throat out." Vala Said. The Mage raised his staff, and shot a blast of dark energy from it. Vala dived to the side and it hit the ground where she had been standing and exploded. Vala crossed her arms, throwing up her deflection barrier seconds before she was hit by the wave. She stood up and glared. "I wasn't done speaking, shitface." She said. "Let's do this properly. Call back you're forces, let them watch our fight. If you win, you wont have to worry about me." And she wouldn't have to worry about the Undead overwhelming the Melitia.

Vala waited to see what he decided. If he did agree, she would wait until his undead retreated. If not, she would simply resume attacking him. Eitherway, she decided to see if she could garner a little more information out of him. "So, mistress Ariella, is she you're leader?" Vala asked, taking her stance to fight. She lunged without warning, opening with a sweeping kick to the legs, and using the momentum she spun on her hands to aim a spinning kick to the head. She rolled back from the mage, before dashing forwards to close, aiming a series of punches to the chest. Blows with her Drakna could crack ribs. Vala finished up by attempting to grab his arm, and if she succeeded she would spin under it so that he was forced to bend forward or have it break, and then followed it up with Knee to his exposed face.

Kyren was unconcerned by the threat from his opponent, but he was far more interested in her method of dealing with his attacks. She dodged the first one with preternatural skill, before raising some sort of barrier to repel his follow-up. She was talented, but it was a shame such talent would have to be extinguished. Such was the fickle nature of fate. The Heanta then reacted with anger at being interrupted, before trying to goad him into throwing away his advantage with an obvious ploy to buy time for the condemned village of Calixto. Kyren was unimpressed, and he looked at the Heanta with coldness. "I assure you, young Miss, everything is happening properly in accordance with the Plan. Your hopeless attempt to stall for time will not make any difference." He shook his head. "No. The fate of these people was sealed when you brought the Eldari here."

The Heanta then asked about Mistress Ariella, in another obvious attempt to gain some advantage, but Kyren decided to humor the girl this time. She should at least know why she was about to die. "Mistress Ariella is part of the Great Plan. She brings order to chaos, so that our Master can fulfill the Plan." Kyren tensed as the Heanta lunged forward, leading with a low sweep to his legs. He jumped over it, before being forced to raise his staff to block the subsequent high kick. He didn't have time to brace his stance when he landed, so he was still knocked backwards by it, though he remained on his feet. When he regathered his senses he found the Heanta pressing again, peppering him with hands about his chest. He parried as much as he could, though the sheer speed was such that he still got tagged by one, driving the breath out of him as he stepped back out of range of the barrage. The Heanta then attempted to grab his arm, but he reacted a bit faster this time, swinging his staff up to knock the grab attempt away. Kyren then jumped back out of range.

Kyren fired another Enervation Blast at the Heanta to keep her honest, before receiving a signal from one of his troops in the village. He looked over the Heanta's shoulder before smiling at his opponent. "It appears, my friend, that the Plan is progressing as expected. I must leave you now." He nodded his head towards the village, where the undead forcehad now reached the buildings of Calixto, and Kyren's forces were beginning to move into the village, though the milita were still slowing their progress considerably. "Your Eldari friend will be waiting for you in Novaris." With that, Kyren poured all of his power into a summoning spell he had learned from Mistress Ariella, though the effort was much more taxing on Kyren himself. An Undead Knight emerged from a cloud of shadow, wearing heavy plate armor and wielding a heavy sword. Kyren commanded the Knight forward to engage Vala, and the Knight responded by charging forward and swinging his weapon at the Heanta with wide sweeping arcs, intending to cover his master's retreat. The Knight swung at her viciously, aiming for any part of the Heanta he could reach. Kyren meanwhile, disappeared away towards the village. The final part of this operation would require his direct supervision.

"Figure's your too much of a coward to agree to that." She said, doubting she could actually wound the yellow belly's pride. But he did tell her about Ariella and mentioned a master above her, giving Vala an idea of their command structure. After dodging and taking a few hits, he shot another one of those blasts at her and this time Vala knew what was coming and get well clear of it by dodging past him. He looked past her towards the village and smiled, then rattled on about his great plan. "I have a knack for ruining people's plans. Don't think you'll be any different." She said. Kyren told he must leave, then followed up that Fayla would be waiting for her in Novaris. "You'll be dead before you see her face." Vala said, rushing towards the man.

She stopped short as a black mass appeared between them, and a warrior suddenly surged from it. Vala dived aside as a greatsword came down, hitting the ground where she had been. She tried to dodge around the Warrior to chase after the coward mage, but the heavily armored undead blocked her path. The knight attacked, swinging wildly aim aiming to hit any part of her. Vala dodged left and right around the blade, her movements a dance with the deadly edge of the sword. She closed enough that he would struggle to swing at her without retreating, and Vala aimed a barrage of punches with her drakna, trying to crush the armor around his joints to weaken his movements. She aimed an upper cut for the helm, attempting to knock it loose to grant easier access to his head.

Kyren did not take the profferred bait when the Heanta responded to his lack of cooperation with another insult. She dealt with his Enervation Blast handily again, before cockily pointing out that she liked to ruin plans and threatening to do the same to his. Kyren remained unmoved. "Ruin the Plan? Not quite. You and your friend are unforeseen variables however, and you must be erased." When he promised she'd see her friend in the afterlife, the Heanta responded with another threat, but Kyren simply dismissed the childish words of one who had no appreciation of the bigger picture. The Heanta rushed him then, but she was not fast enough to stop Kyren before his summoned Knight appeared. He then took his leave, running to the village. Despite his faith in the Plan, he had a feeling that his Knight would not last long. He had to find the Eldari quickly.

The undead Knight swung repeatedly, but he was no match for his target's speed. She peppered him with punches to the joints of his armor, crumpling them in places. When the Heanta aimed an uppercut to his dome, the Knight raised the flat of his blade to parry the blow, the force vibrating through his weapon. Almost as fast as he took the blow, he aimed a straight front kick to her gut to force her back, before aiming a decapitating swing for her head. He let the weapon's momentum carry through and brought the weapon in an arc over his head an brought it down hard, horribly damaging anything in its way and crashing into the ground. He then pulled the blade out with speed and aimed a criss cross of opposed diagonal strikes at his opponent.

The knight blocked her final strike and countered with a kick, sending her back. Vala dropped as he tried to decapitate her, then rolled and launched upwards into a counter kick to the face as he swung at her again. He didn't stop swinging though, letting his weapon follow through in an arc. Vala dodged around the side of him, the down ward swing missing as she did. His blade became stuck, and Vala moved to take his head off but he back handed her, then attacked with a crisscross of strikes. The first missed as she dodged, but as she backed out of reach of the second strike the sword cut across the front of her thigh, rending the flesh. It hurt enough to elicit a scream from Vala as she staggered and her leg buckled.

She quickly examined the wound, a cut reaching from the top right side of her right thigh down to just above her knee, about an inch deep. If she'd been half a foot forward her leg would be gone. She looked up as the knight trundled forward, raising his sword, and Vala sneered. She was not going to fail Fayla. She rolled to the side as the sword came down, then lunged forward leaping up, clambered up the knight in a slit second. Her fist glowed with purple energy as she slammed it down unleashing explosive force into the helmet. The force of her own explosive strike lifted her up and she flipped forward, landing behind the knight.

Vala turned around. Half the helmet was curshed in, and black goop leaked down the knights body. The knight turned around to face her, baskinet a crumpled mess leaking blood and brains, before it toppled forward and hit the ground. The helmet rolled off splashing viscera soup across her feet. "Gross." Vala said. She looked back towards the village, and started to run, though she was pestered by a bad limp from her wounded leg. Vala reached the village, where the villagers had been pushed back to the square. They held their ground now out of desperation, but as she closed she spotted the man who led the undead. He fired one of his blasts, catching three humans in the blast. They died instantly, and a moment later began to rise. This was enough to destroy the lines as undead burst through the spear wall, and moved in behind the villagers. The man, Necromancer, walked forward uncontested until the Marshal charged him, sword swinging.

A corpse intercepted the blow, and more rushed towards the Marshall. But no one was looking towards Vala as the Necromancer's focus was on the house where Fayla was and the path to him was clear. Vala broke into a sprint, and lept into the air. She hit the man's back at speed, bouncing off him. The impact ragdolled him across the square, and as Vala landed, her leg buckling slightly, she turned and swept the legs from under the zombies attacking the Marshall. "Get that breach filled." She snapped and turned to the Necromancer, who was crawling across the ground, legs dragging uselessly. Vala walked forward, intent on finishing the job.

The undead Knight proceeded like the midless automaton he was, focused entirely on his task of ending the Heanta. He scored a hit on his opponent, gashing open her thigh with one of his diagonal slashes. Finishing the job, however, would prove to be beyond him. His opponent dodged his next downward strike, before clambering up on top of him and blasting the top of his head with  a powerful magic-fueled punch. The energy davastated the skull and grey matter of the Knight, and sent the Heanta flying off his shoulders. The Knight began to shutdown as his vital functions ceased. He turned to the Heanta and made one last attempt to fulfil his objective, but it was too late. His last vision was the earth rising to claim him.

Kyren studied the scene before him, noting the layout and composition of the defenses of the Calixto militia. The Humans were doing an admirable job of stalling Kyren's undead forces, but he could see that the militia were hanging on by a thread. He saw that the center was stoutly defended, with their leader barking orders. However, they were spread pretty thin on the left, and so this is where he turned his attention to. He strode serenely towards the haggard defenders that were guarding a barricade between two houses, and bowed to them. "Apologies, but I must make use of you for the Great Plan." He then fired an Enervation Blast at them, killing them instantly. Kyren then focused his power on the corpses, and they rose from the ground almost as quickly as they hit it. The new soldiers turned and began to advance further into the village.

The loss of their flank forced the defenders to retreat even further into the center of the village, and Kyren believed he could see the house where the Eldair was located, with militia guards concentrated around it. He turned his entire force towards the building, and the defenders reset their line and began to hold. The militia leader had attempted to lead a charge against him, but he covered his approach with soldiers, and the woman was held just a few yards away. However, he had turned so much attention to the house that he did not notice the Heanta approaching him at breakneck speeds and leaping to land on his back. The impact was too much for his legs to handle, and they snapped at the shins. Kyren crumpled to the floor, a mixture of agony and shock on his face. He looked up and saw the Heanta assisting the militia, ordering them to reassemble the line, before she turned her attention to him again. His options had reached a singular course, and he begged for forgiveness from his Master and Mistress before doing what he knew had to be done.

Looking up at his would-be killer, Kyren reached for a crystal in a belt pouch, and held it close. "For the Great Plan." With those words, Kyren rammed the crystal into his chest, and closed his eyes as his body left his control and responsibility. The necromancer's body began to mutate, parts of his muscle structure bursting from his overtaxed skin until there was nothing covering the flesh that covered the body. Kyren's form grew larger, and his proportions began to alter, until he was clearly no longer Kyren Mellis, and clearly no longer Human. Kyren stood up glaring at the Heanta and baring a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The new configuration was bipedal, but seven feet tall, with one arm noticeably larger than the other and reinforced with some kind of bony structure, while the other hand held half of Kyren's shattered staff, the broken end almost as sharp as a stake. The creature lumbered towards its target, the final commands from Kyren being the only thing it now knew. It aimed a sharp thrust at Vala chest before swinging a brutal backhand with its armored arm. It roared ferociously, causing the militia nearby to begin to panic, though the authoritative voice of the Marshall was enough to bolster them for the moment.

Kyren rolled onto his back, a crystal in his hand, and smiled. For the Plan, he said before jamming it into his chest. Vala's eyes widened, as the man went through a transformation comparable to that of a true demon form. Rising to its feet, it turned its glare on Vala, "Oh-" before lunging forwards, attempting to impale her on the end of a staff. Vala dodged but she was caught by a back hand that lifted her off her feet and sent her flying. She landed on her back. "Fuck.." The demonic creature roared, and Vala could hear the Marshall trying to get her men under control as fear rippled through them.

Standing up, she looked at the scared humans, then she turned a glare towards he demon, and roared back, claws splayed. Purple energy surged around her limbs and coarsed over her body, both draining and invigorating her as her Wrath was unleashed. Eyes turned to watch as the 5'5" heanta roared at the 7ft monstrosity, before charging towards it recklessly, and they were inspired. Vala forgot about her leg, as she closed on it. With a jump fueled by enhanced strength she lept onto the monster's shoulders and aimed a pair of powerful strikes downwards at it's face.

The Kyren monster caught the Heanta with a backhand, which sent her sprawling onto the ground. Remembering his mission from his mortal body's final command, the monster turned and began to march towards the militia and the house they were protecting. But he was not in the clear yet, and a roar from behind signaled the Heanta's next move. The monster turned back to the Heanta in time for her to leap atop his shoulders and aim a pair of strikes at his head. Kyren-stein's monster thrust rapidly at the mass on his shoulders, aiming to spoil the Heanta's aim with the danger of being skewered by a sharp lump of wood. At the same time the monster shook its upper half violently, which when combined with the stabbing should have dislodged the Heanta from her perch.

SuperKyren then turned his full attention to the Heanta that was proving to be a massive obstacle in his Plan. SuperKyren fired an Enervation Blast from his mouth at his target, then lunged forward with a flurry of stabs at the Heanta's person, before slamming his giant armored arm down in the hopes of smashing his prey flat. He then jumped back with an unlikely leap, putting room between him and his enemy.

The monster stabbed up at her and Vala was forced back, flipping away to land behind him and drive a powerful punch towards his ribs. He turned around and fired a blast of energy from his mouth, this one larger than the previous attacks. Throwing her arms up, she used her deflection barrier to repel the attack. He followed it up with a barrage of stabs and thrusts. Vala's enhanced Agility and flexibility allowed her to easily maneuver around them with ease. Vala waited for her moment to counter, and the large monster slammed its massive arm downwards. She dodged to his left, getting his massive arm between his other arm and her. Vala then spun and jumped, building momentum to slam her fist down on his elbow with all of her enhanced strength.

Vala jumped back out of his reach, and with a burst of magical energy to her legs shot forward and slammed her fist towards his left knee. She slip past, spinning and slashing at the backs of his legs, doing her best to stay behind him and away from his staff and big arm.

SuperKyren managed to dislodge the unwanted passenger from his shoulders, but soon found his side receiving a hard punch from behind, and he let out an inhuman growl as he turned to continue his attack. His target was continuing to frustrate him though, blocking his attack with some kind of barrier before ducking and weaving between his flurry of staff thrusts. She then sidestepped his hammerstrike before twirling into the air and using the momentum to wind up for a big strike to his armored arm. He still retained some awareness however, and he moved his arm as he stepped away to avoid the attack altogether. The Heanta followed suit, before coming up with a burst of energy to suddenly fire forward towards him. He managed to raise his leg just enough to avoid the potentially crippling strike to his knee, but he didn't avoid the follow-up, feeling the slash across the back of his leg as the Heanta scored a hit on him. She attempted to stay behind him, forcing him to leap forward out of her range. There was damage done, but he was not going to be so easily brought down.

Fortunately for SuperKyren, the pain only served to fuel him, though his anger was causing him to destabilize even further, but he still had his mission. SuperKyren suddenly grabbed a nearby undead soldier with his armored arm and hurled it as hard as he could at the Heanta, before following his makeshift projectile in with a straight haymaker with his armored arm. Whether he hit or he missed, SuperKyren would then follow his arm's momentum into a spin as he brought the appendage around itno a ferocious spinning backfist. He then added another flurry of staff stabs to the mix, trying his best to end this fight quickly.

The monster lept away from her, and spun around with a zombie in his hand. He tossed it towards Vala. She seen the follow up coming quick behind it and ducked under the body, then grabbed its shoulders and pushed herself upward and backwards. The momentum of the corpse caused her to flip over it and she ended up clinging to its back as the first impacted. Bones crunched as Vala and the body were launched upwards continuing to flip end over end, but Vala was unharmed. Vala aimed herself towards Kyrensteins monster and kicked off the mutilated corpse in the air, flashing past and slashing towards it's eyes. She hit the ground and rolled, only to be struck in the back by the massive arm.

Vala imediately curled and protected her head as she was launched forward, bouncing off the ground and rolling up against a building. A zombie charged her at the same time as Werekyren. Vala rolled back onto her feet and pushed the corpse between her and the monster as he started to thrust, tearing it to pieces. One thrust caught her arm as Vala lept out of range. Breathing heavily, she watched the beast trundle forward. Her back hurt, her arm stung, and she didn't seem to be having much effect on it. Much like fighting Korroth, she was getting her ass handed to her, and this time there was no Eldari with an oversized sword to save her.

With a cry of frustration she dashed forward, dodging past Dr Kyren's darker half's staff and aiming a bonebreaking punch with her drakna to his elbow in the hopes of atleast relieving him of his staff. She danced back out of range, looking for a weak point. With another charge she came in on his left side and jumped, attempting the land on his club arm where she could kick him in the face in an attempt to crush his nose and create an opening.

SuperKyren followed the thrown volley in as it spun violently towards its intended target. However, the Heanta managed to bamboozle SuperKyren with a series of mindbending maneuvers that resulted in her not only using his thrown body as a shield against his follow-up punch, but also somehow managed to assault him from above by kicking off the pancaked body. She soared down at him aiming a slash for his eyes. He turned, but the slash got one of his eyes, utterly destroying it. SuperKyren roared with rage, as he completed his rotation and caught the Heanta square in the back with his spinning backfist. The girl bounced off the ground before tumbling into the side of a building to a stop.

But the Heanta had more tricks up her sleeve, grabbing a nearby undead soldier and using it as a shield against SuperKyren flurry of staff thrusts. He managed to score a glancing hit on her arm, but she escaped further harm as she leapt out of range. The Heanta was breathing heavily now, and SuperKyren sensed that he was getting close to ending his target and fulfilling his part of the Plan. However, the Heanta was not done yet, and she charged him again. He plunged his staff/spear towards her but she outpaced him, connecting with a savage punch to his elbow joint. The weapon flew out of his hand, and his non-armored arm now hung uselessly at his side, joint shattered. SuperKyren roared with rage as the Heanta leapt back in, landing on his armored arm. He attempted to fire her off with a swing, but she was too fast again, connecteing with a kick to the face that sent him reeling backwards.

That blow was enough to breach the final barrier between SuperKyren and complete insanity. He stepped back for a moment, foaming at the mouth and teeth gnashing. He reached to his own chest with the armored arm, and with a horrendous roar he tore the flesh from the center of his chest until his beating heart was visible, before aiming a ball of energy at the organ. The heart turned bright red, beating faster and faster until it reached a speed that was not possible. Then the rest of Kyren began to glow. He grew another foot in height, and his armored arm began to glow along the edges of the thick plates and nodes that lined it. His muscles mass grew to grotesque proportions, until Kyren was no longer recognisable at all. The only distinguishing feature amongst the pallid grey muscle and massive armored arm was the glowing red heart that continued pumping rapidly. SuperKyren2 charged forward, hurling a rock at a nearby barricade with horrendous force, and swung his big arm at the Heanta, first across and then spun into a thunderous slam. He then fired an Enervation Blast at the Heanta before slamming his arm down again twice more in an attempt to squash the Heanta flat.

Vala's attacks were taking their toll, and when SuperKyren's head snapped back, she went for the throat, only to be thrown from her perch as he roared and shook violently. Landing on the ground, she watched as the mad beast ripped open his own chest, and pumped energy into his heart. It began to glow and beat rapidly, and the pulsing beats spread energy throughout his system as he began to grow in size and his muscles thickened grotesquely. Kyren stage 2 charged forward and threw a rock at a barricade, killing two of the humans who had been hiding behind it before Vala could stop him. Then he turned and swatted her away with a crack, sending her flying. He charged after her as she hit the ground and slammed his arm downwards. Vala rolled aside and it impacted beside her. Before she could move, he opened his maw and blasted her with energy.

Pain burst over her and the world became insubstantial. Her vision began to fade, as Super Kyrenjin 2 glared down at her. As death loomed closer, someone stepped into the her vision, blocking the monster from her view. Tall, white haired, the figure turned piercing purple eyes towards her. He stared at her for what felt like a century, as the world around her faded out. "You look.. Familiar." She said. The stranger nodded. "I imagine so, your mother bears my resemblance." He said. Vala nodded, as if it was perfectly normal for her grandfather to be here. "Why are you here though." She asked. Ren smiled. "I would greet my kin at the Gates of Novaris. They lay open for you, little one. Come with me. Pass through and know peace." He said. Vala nodded for a moment. "Yes.. I think..." Vala trailed off as she remembered why she fighting. "If I die, what will happen to Fayla?" She said. "She dies with you. Along with everyone in Calixto. It will hurt them, but not after."

Vala almost agreed. But then she remembered her mother, and her friends. And Merlin's stupid assurance that if she should die, she would be missed. She remembered Lilian, and the blooming love Fayla shared with her. Failure would end that. "No." Ren looked at her, a hint of a smile. "This is not my limit. I will not fail by dying now." His smile broadened. "I was hoping you would say that, little one. I bet the lord of the underworld much gold that you would deny death." He reached down and grabbed her hand. "Now get up Valatrix, and show him the true might of the Hornless." He said pulling her to her feet. Vala's eyes snapped open, as energy flooded through her. The monster's fist was raised to end her, and Vala rolled to side, dodging it as it slammed down. Flipping to her feet, she dodged out of range of the second attack as it come down.

With a cry of rage, energy erupted from her hand creating a purple blade, and Vala lept forward past the beasts guard. Her hand slashed upwards and the energy ripped through his heart, rending it open and spraying blood everywhere. The monster staggered back dying. Vala dropped to her knees, and watched him as he began to topple.

Kyren knocked the Heanta flying with the side strike, and then connected with his Enervation Blast, leaving her slumped on the floor. For the first time in the fight, SuperKyren2 felt some semblance of satisfaction, but by now it was too late. Kyren was no more. As he prepared to deliver his final blow, the Heanta then suddenly regained her feet, dodging his pair of hammer strikes that left a crater in the ground where she had once been. Before he fully realized what was happening, the Heanta had bypassed his defenses with deft movement. Then, it was too late to do anything, as the Heanta let out a howl of rage and rent his exposed heart with a devastating claw strike. SuperKyren2 let out a roar of agony as his heavily mutated body began to fail. His last thought as blood and magical energy erupted form hit destroyed core, was that he had failed... the Great Plan. It was good that he was not going to live to see Mistress Ariella's wrath.

With the monster destroyed, the remaining undead soldiers broke formation. The Marshal of the Calixto militia looked around at the gruesome scene with sorrow and sadness. Apparently, when the leader was destroyed, his control over the undead was destroyed along with him, leaving them to just wander mindlessly around. The Marshal got to work dispatching her remaining soldiers to clean up the rest of the undead, while she ran over to the Heanta and bent down to check on her condition, eyes wide with shock. "Are you alright? That was the damndest fight I've ever seen. I still can't believe what I saw, never mind that you beat him." The Marshal dropped to her knees beside Vala and struggled to assemble her thoughts. "Your friend is safe. We kept them away from her house. But you heard what that man said before he became that thing. There's more of them out there, his master and his mistress. We need to send word to Mith Silvanus. This isn't over."