The Red Hand

"Gack!" Katlyn yelled in pain as she was kicked away by Kira, slamming into Nier who barely kept himself upright as the two collided.

"Are you okay?" Nier asked as he reacted with a quick magic shield to protect them against blasts of fire sent by the Half-Dragon.

"Oh yeah, just peachy. I got my shit kicked in by this lizard lady, and I think I've broken a few ribs, but I'm doing great." Katlyn rolled her eyes as she was set down.

"Well, since you're still running your mouth, I'd say you're fine." Nier said as he flicked his hand, causing earthen spikes to shoot out from the ground beneath Kira, who easily evaded or destroyed them all.

{Dammit! This woman, she's powerful... I don't think we've been able to land a single hit on her that's actually done real damage. At this rate...} (Nier)

"It's been a while since we got ourselves in a sticky situation like this one, huh?" Katlyn said as she spat out some blood and wiped her mouth. "Can't say I hate it though." She smirked as she cracked her knuckles. "Sure beats the usual boring missions. Though I could do without the broken bones and bruises."

"Having fun is good and all, but we need to be realistic here, Kat." Nier said as Kira landed. "We might need to consider high-tailing it." He'd felt some incredible power explode outside the base, and while he couldn't see the unfolding battle he found it hard to believe that the Demon Army was going to win.

{That level of power doesn't instill me with confidence. I don't know if its Penelope going all out or what, but I'm not exactly itching to find out.} (Nier)

"You know that if word gets out that we dipped on a client mid-battle there's going to be no recovery from that." Katlyn noted that their reputation would be permanently ruined as Miz'ri healed her.

"True, but ruining our reputation is a whole lot better that than winding up just another corpse on the battlefield." Nier said with a bit of dry laughter as he readied himself for another of Kira's attacks. "Miz'ri, do you think you're magic can get us out of here?” He was hoping she could boost their speed to let them run away.

"Perhaps, but I suspect that an attempt to flee will be met with chase and ambush by the others within this place." Miz'ri said as she continued to heal the both of them with dark magic, their wounds stitching together in an effective, yet grotesque manner. “There are others who seem to be keeping their distance, likely waiting for exactly the kind of move you are suggesting.”

{And even then, there's no guarantee that those outside this place won't give pursuit either.} (Miz'ri)

"Then that means we'll just have to force our way out." Katlyn said as she palmed her fist. “I think I can deck a few of those scrawny ones out of the way.”

"Then its decided. Miz'ri, use your magic to restrain and slow her down. Once she's inundated, we'll take the chance to run." Nier said as Kira leaped toward them. "Use everything you've got! We're only going to get one shot at this, so let's get it right!" He said as he blocked Kira's blade, bringing her to a halt, though only barely.

*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*

"Errr..." Nier grunted under the weight and ferocity of Kira's blows, taking hits to his arms and torso from the attacks that he wasn't able to block and allowing blood to spill to the ground from his wounds.

"Don't you think it's time to end this farce?" Kira asked as she deflected one of his counter attaks, slashing him across the chest as he was left wide open. "It's clear that you can't win against me, so give up and accept your fate. Perhaps Lady Akagi will take some mercy on you if you do."

“I... I sincerely doubt that!” Nier said with a laugh.

"Hey, don't go forgetting about me!" Katlyn roared as she leaped in from behind the Half-Dragon, only to have Kira spin around, grab her wrist, and spin her around, slamming her into Nier, knocking both to the ground.

"Don't worry, I didn't." Kira said as she leaped forward, ready to end her two stunned opponents, only to have her blade blocked by a dark barrier erected by Miz'ri.

*CLANG*

"Oh? That's quite a strong barrier..." Kira said as she pulled her blade up and held it over her head. "But not strong enough! Ability Boost!" She roared as power coursed through her body, allowing her to smash the barrier to pieces, and causing it to explode like glass.

*SMASH*

"Now! Do it now, Miz'ri!" Nier yelled at the Half-Elf to use her magic to restrain Kira, which she did, channeling dark power into the ground and causing the terrain to liquefy and wrap around the Half-Dragon like dark chains.

"Magic Booster! Reinforce Spell! Magic Reflector! Physical Reflector! Reaction Delay!" Miz'ri yelled frantically, casting several magical enhancements on the earthen chains to slow Kira down further by making them harder to break.

"Hey, rather than run maybe we should take this chance to kill her?" Katlyn asked as she was pulled to her feet.

"It... It won't hold for long." Miz'ri said as Kira began to thrash and pull at the spell, with a few sections already starting to buckle and break as she tried to get free.

"By the Gods, how can even that only barely slow her down?" Katlyn's eyes went wide as she watched Kira already start to break free.

{That spell was enough to restrain that fucking Demon thing we fought! How the hell is a dragon blooded that strong?!?} (Katlyn)

"There's no time to gawk! We need to run, now!" Nier grabbed her arm and pulled the beastkin away as the three of them bolted at full speed in an attempt to put distance between themselves and the soon-to-be-free Half-Dragon.

"You won't get away from me that easily!" Kira roared behind them as they ran, and a few seconds later Miz'ri confirmed that she'd escaped as her magic was shattered, wincing in pain as Kira shattered the spell.

"Alright, so how in the hells are we supposed to have beaten someone like her?!?" Katlyn yelled as they leaped to the top of a building before jumping outside of the base's walls and landing on the grass outside. “That dragon blooded is stronger than some of the Demons we fought!”

{Don't tell me she's not even the strongest person here too?!?} (Katlyn)

"Dammed if I know, but we need to regroup with the Army and let... Ariel..." Nier's words paused as he looked out at the battlefield, stunned by what he saw.

"What are you stopping for?!? We need to... get... Moving..." Katlyn paused as well, her blood running cold as she followed Nier's gaze, as did Miz'ri, who ended up puking as she finally caught sight of the carnage that had been unleashed.

"The Army... Its... Oh my Gods..." Katlyn put her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from puking as well as she stared at the bloody battlefield. The Simoea plains were covered in blood and viscera, and while there was still fighting going on in the distance it was clear that the Demon Army had been annihilated. It was a sight that none of them wanted to believe was real, but here it was in all its bloody, gruesome glory."This... This has to be some kind of dream, right?" She said as she took a half step back in fear. "This can't be real... It has to be some kind of sick nightmare. A nightmare of unfathomable bullshit!" She'd never seen such a large force of soldiers be destroyed so thoroughly, and while she'd seen battle and war many times in her life, this was something far beyond that.

{What kind of hell is this?!? Is THIS what a Demon Lord can do?!? And if they fucking knew how dangerous she is... Why the hell did they come down here?!? Why did they fight such a monster?!? We... We have to...} (Katlyn)

"Those men... They walked into a massacre..." Nier said as his hands trembled as Miz'ri continued to spew her lunch on the grass. "We... We never even stood a chance. This... It was... Oh my Gods..."

"Of course you didn't." Kira said as she landed behind them, a look of irritation clear on her face. "You dared oppose my Master and marched to face her head on." She shook her head in disbelief at such a ridiculous action. "Such foolishness only had one outcome." She said as she pointed her blade at the three of them. "But don't worry, you three shall be joining those fools in their graves. I can at least grant you the sweet release of death."

"Well, I guess running isn't happening..." Katlyn laughed, though it was more out of exasperation and disbelief than anything else. “So much for that vacation we were going to take. Ah, I really was looking forward to the beach...”

"And even if we did get away, it's not like there'd be anywhere to run at this rate." Nier said. He figured that once the Demon Army was smashed Akagi would simply march northward and destroy the entire continent, rending any escape merely a delay on their inevitable demise.

{Can... Can even the Gods stop something like this? They... They have to be able to, right?} (Nier)

"So, what you're telling me is we just need to go out in a blaze of glory?" Katlyn commented. "Is that what I'm hearing?"

"It's not how I wanted things to end, but it's the best idea I've got." Nier gave a depreciating laugh as he readied himself for death. "Miz'ri, I'm sorry. It looks like coming with us was-" He was about to finish apologizing when a jolt of electricity shot up his and Katlyn's body, causing both to freeze in place.

{What?!?} (Nier x Katlyn)

"This... This has truly been an unpleasant thing..." Miz'ri's, voice had gone monotone and her eye's had glazed over as she spoke. Though her face was still pale from fear and her legs shook as she spoke. "But I see now what Lady Esquire meant..." She was casting a paralysis spell on her two party members, preventing them from acting.

"Miz'ri, what are you doing?!?" Nier yelled at her as she walked between them and Kira.

"Mizzy! This isn't the time for jokes! Let us go!" Katlyn tried to pull but found herself drained and unable to move.

{Her eyes! Is she being controlled?!?} (Katlyn)

"I'm merely doing what I promised Lady Esquire that I would do. Now Sleep." Miz'ri said channeling a sleep spell, knocking out her two teammates and allowing them to limply fall to the ground.

{I must do as Lady Esquire asked me. This is for the best.} (Miz'ri)

While the 'betrayal' of the Half-Elf was going on, Kira stood completely stunned by events. She hadn't expected the Half-Elf to betray her teammates and was flabbergasted by what was happening.

{Is this what Lady Akagi feels when we end up doing something unexpected?!? Because I don't like it!} (Kira)

"Please accept my surrender." Miz'ri said as she fell to one knee, tossing her staff off the side. "I ask that you spare the three of us, and in exchange, I will tell your Master all that I know. I am a Priestess of Lady Esquire, and I would surely be of use in her war against the Gods." Her eyes were no longer glazed over as she spoke, though it was clear that the Half-Elf was only partial lucid still.

{WHAT?!? WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!?} (Kira)

"I..." Kira was still stunned. She'd expected to simply kill the three intruders, not have one of them throw themselves at her mercy, or better yet, one that was willing to betray the Gods to save themselves and her friends and had no idea what to do. "I... I suppose that I will accept your surrender... But ultimately, I am not the one who will decide your fate. That will be up to Lady Akagi." She'd been told to kill anyone who opposed them, but with two unconscious and one surrendered opponent, she didn't feel right just killing them.

"Thank you." Miz'ri bowed. “I am forever in your debt...”

{I wouldn't thank me just yet, girl. As I've come to see many times over these short few years, DEATH is a truly mercy compared to what Lady Akagi can do to you. A mercy that she is more than willing to refuse.} (Kira)