Trail of the Terror

Zaiyah could hardly believe that they were losing. When Aralynn sent Zaiyah and her group, including Kesrai and Valrien, they were quite assured that this task was a simple extermination of a minor enemy that had disrespected the boundaries of the Forest. Zaiyah even recalled hearing reports of a sentry being sent out to check the enemy's forces...and Aralynn had claimed when she sent them that only the large terror and a few ghouls remained of the original force that attacked. It should have been no threat for them to handle. She had never expected this kind of resistance - it was almost as if she was lied to...

And then she thought to herself that she was lied to. Aralynn could have sent her here simply to get rid of her without getting any blood on her own hands, while earning herself even more prestige for sending someone to defend the honor of the Forest. It began to make perfect sense to Zaiyah...she could have been sent here unprepared with two other 'undesirable' individuals from the Order so they could take care of a few enemies and then be disposed of, and Aralynn was the only one that could have orchestrated this sort of trap.

"What makes you think that YOU are so powerful as to grant another that sort of power?"

Valrien saw the ghoul clasping onto the edge of his sword, and he realized that it would slow him down too much if he kept trying to fight. He flung the sword, with the ghoul still latched onto it, and mashed it into the rocks beside him and then sent it flying a few feet to the side. He drew his curved dagger again and it pulsed very, very slightly with a faint energy. He spun around as he saw the other ghouls behind him and jabbed the dagger towards them in quick, relentless bursts to try and stab them repeatedly and keep them away from him.

Even as the orreghar began to falter, it kept up its assault. It bashed and stomped its way through as many ghouls as it could as it made its way towards the main enemy force. It caught up to the first armored demon which was lashed and tethered to the ground by the Spiritborne's grappling spell, and it brought its gigantic hoof down upon it with as much force as it could muster, trying to squish the immobile and nearly defenseless demon with its might before the ghouls started to rip it apart from the inside.

The terror looked at her and smiled a sick twisted smile knowing he was winning the battle for her mind; the order has abused her and used her instead of cultivating the potential and power she held. A mistake he would not repeat. He chuckled then laughed “I have the power of the wastelands! The beasts bow to me; I have more power than the order. I can give to you armies! I can give to you power over demons the order could never control.” He walked forward again and would stand up straight, showing his true height and showing the spikes and war scars he would look down at her “I am the place demons belong, now being ordered around by humans.”

The ghouls would back off of valrien and just surround him trying to keep him away from the rest of the fight knowing what he would do. He was strong and he would ruin the offensive by the armored demons and their ghoul allies.
The first armored demon would be crushed by the orreghar but not to death it was able to still move and roar out in pain but not able to really go anywhere, the power the ‘master’ had attained would be able to heal it this sub-species was too valuable to let die so easily. The ghouls on its back would continue to rip and tear at its muscle tissue some even going so far as to try and burrow into its back biting and clawing away at it.

The ghouls that had avoided the hell hounds are beat some of them ran forward to kesrai ready to tear her limb from bloddy limb as the other armored demons continued to fight the light rune borne.

"You can hardly expect me to believe all that you say only from your words." Zaiyah glared up at the terror, still not quite convinced that what he was saying was true.

Valrien kept the ghouls back long enough to back up towards the boulders and step up on a small rock ledge, getting some distance between him and the ghouls. While watching them carefully, he stepped up onto one of the taller boulders, giving him a route to work his way across the edge of the ridge towards the main fight to help Kesrai - but he would have to move slowly and cautiously, and he watched the ghouls every step of the way.

The orreghar disabled the armored demon as best as it could as it felt the ghouls burrowing their way into its back. The light Runeborne were overrun and slaughtered, and when they were defeated, the healing spells and enhancements that they were using to keep their allies alive were disrupted and ended abruptly.

The Spiritborne defender sent a runic shockwave through the tendrils holding down the demon, blasting it with enough force to possibly knock it back or render it unconscious. While the Spiritborne caster completely focused its barrage on the approaching ghouls, the defender began to charge another spell. They had very little time before the ghouls would reach Kesrai, but they didn't intend to let them get to her easily.

The armored demon that was already hurt would roar out in pain and was blasted backward away from the main fight some ghouls moving to try and move it away defending it. The other armored demons would charge the other spirit borne trying to keep them from the ghouls that were dodging and running around trying to make it to kesrai without getting mowed down.

The terror laughed "Me and the creatures i command destroyed your forces and still you doubt the power i wield? The attack on the forest was not failed, it was a resounding success. I did what i planned on doing. Killing acolytes and summoned creatures to use their residual magik. With that the master will make me and any other terrors demons ghouls or creatures that serve him but, with you on my side, we will serve no master. We will rule srezia."

The Spiritborne were eventually overrun and unable to defend themselves. The defender released the bindings of the armored demon in a short blast of power around it, while he raised another semi-spherical shield above the ground around Kesrai as a last resort - hoping that somehow, she would be able to hold out long enough to fight back. The caster ran forward a few steps into the crowd, and in a massive burst of energy, it released all of its remaining power in a blast around itself with enough force to destroy anything within its physical range. It destroyed itself in the kamikaze attack, potentially doing an incredible amount of damage to hold off the enemies for just a bit longer.

"As if there are no other ways to gain power. You would have much to learn, should you wish to 'rule Srezia' as you say..." Zaiyah heard the shattering sound of the blast on the ridge above them and recognized it instinctively. She knew that it meant that they were closing in on Kesrai. In a lightning fast motion, Zaiyah sprinted up towards the ridge and leapt onto the side of the boulders, pulling herself up and flipping onto the top of one. She stood in between the terror and Kesrai as she stared at the massacre in the distance.

The terror would smile and follow her up the ridge and he would look down and laugh "Seems, im going to win. What did you say earlier? You would join me no sooner than you lost?"

Most of the ghouls charging kesrai died in the explosion but some survived getting back up to rush and and try and break the shield as the other armored demons attacked it as well trying to break in and rend kesrai apart piece by piece.

Zaiyah hissed. "The fight is not over yet, terror." She leapt off of the ridge towards the combat as if her entire being was driven to do so. Her blades glowed brightly and she whirled back and forth in a flurry of spinning, lightning-quick strikes on anything close enough to the first armored demon she went after.

The Spiritborne defender keeps its shield raised, although it is weakened quickly and it seems to be running out of energy at a fast rate.

Any of the ghouls that were left alive and weren't already preoccupied charged at zaiyah trying to stall her from the demons attacking the shield trying to get to kesrai. The terror roared and laughed at zaiyah, he knew he was going to win.

Zaiyah would make quick work of most of the ghouls unlucky enough to get close to her as her blades never stopped spinning and whirling with enough force to slice the ghouls into bits. She kept up her devastating katas, trying to hold back the approaching forces from Kesrai.

The orreghar lets out a rumbling, low growl as the ghouls burrow so deep into its thick skin that they begin to reach beyond its muscle tissue into its spine and vital organs. It finally can't take any more, and it begins to spasm and collapse as blood flows from the gaping tears across its body. It stumbles and falls with its final breath, sending its massive weight collapsing towards some of the ghouls and demons as it dies.

Kesrai was safe for the time being beneath the shield, and with most of her major summonings being destroyed, she realized that she may still have the time and energy to fall back to her last resort. She began casting another spell, and another rune circle appeared nearby her...

Some ghouls would avoid zaiyah blade and just try and harass her moving quickly, the ghouls that are still alive from the orreghar emerge from his back covered in gore and charge at zaiyah also trying to keep her away.

The armored demon would rise on his to hind legs and bring his two front legs down as hard as possible on the shield trying to break it before she can finish whatever she is doing.

None of the ghouls would be able to get close enough to Zaiyah to harm her without being caught in her blades and risking being chopped into bits. Zaiyah had the speed and endurance to continue fighting off the ghouls as she approached the armored demon trying to break the shield.

The shield began to crack like glass as hundreds of tiny hairline breaks crackle through it. It continued to hold the demon back, but the demon's first strike nearly busted through it. The defender held it up, renewing and reinforcing some of the cracks, but it wouldn't be able to hold up for much longer. Kesrai continued her spell.

One of the ghouls sacrificed itself tackling her legs and bringing her to the ground. In the process the front of its head was lopped clean off and blood sprayed all over anything in front of what used to be his face.

The amored demons would continue his onslaught on the shield trying his best to destroy it.

As Zaiyah's blade cleaved through half of the ghoul's skull, she lost her balance when it threw its entire weight into her and went toppling towards the ground. She landed on her side and quickly rolled over onto her back, immediately raising her blades and charging them with energy to defend herself from the swarm of ghouls that would inevitably try to attack while she was down.

Valrien saw Zaiyah in trouble as he finished off the last of the ghouls that had cornered him. It was his duty to protect her, and he knew that he would have to do something quickly. He was about fifty feet away, and he started moving towards her quickly. He drew his rifle while he approached, firing off a few quick but accurate shots into the crowd of ghouls closest to Zaiyah, trying to thin down the group around her and give her a chance to get back to her feet. Once he got within range, he strapped his rifle onto his back again and raised his sword, prepared to charge into the attackers and try to save Zaiyah.

The shield could hold up no longer, and the defender relied on his last resort. He blasted the shield into tiny bits, sending the dagger-like remnants of it forward rapidly towards the demons and the ghouls to try and weaken them or thin down their crowds while Kesrai finished her spell. The defender charged ahead into the attackers closest to Kesrai, imploding itself much like the other Spiritborne had done, with enough force to hold off the onslaught for just a bit longer.

The visage of a creature begins to appear on Kesrai's summoning circle. It appears like the silhouette of a massive tiger, yet its skin is nearly jet-black and its structure is twisted with a long, thin figure, a gnarled snout, a jaw brimming with an interlocking set of glistening and razor-sharp stilettos for teeth, massive twisted claws, and - most impressively and intimidatingly - an array of flowing, undulating, otherworldy tendrils each about ten feet in length extending across its back and flicking out in all directions like wild, untamed snakes waiting to strike at their prey. It appeared that this viciously designed creature was charged with spiritual energy, and it was either Kesrai's last attempt at a defense or her brutal and final punishment to her attackers as they closed in on her. The beast hissed and roared with the thunderous, menacing voice of a lion as it finished forming and prepared to defend its new master with stunning ferocity.

The ghouls swarmed quick when they were given the the oppurtunity to attack while she was down. Some would be quickly cleaved in half while others were taken down by the rifle shots coming from valrien. The Ghouls would split some focusing on
Zaiyah while others moved to attack valrien

The last of the ghouls attack the shield would die but the armored demon would just reel back and move quickly trying to gore his opponent and finally killer her.

the terror saw the new threat and roared out shooting as many spikes at it could at it. Trying to bring it down as the terror advanced on it going to kill it.

Zaiyah kicked and slashed at the ghouls, keeping them off of her until Valrien rushed to come to her aid. He hacked through groups of ghouls until he made his way to Zaiyah, although they would both be quickly surrounded by ghouls. He did everything he could to keep them away from her, and gave her a chance to get back to her feet although they both sustained some injuries from the attack. Zaiyah had some slashes in her side and some tears in her arms, and one of the ghouls gashed through Valrien's armor and tore across his chest. Zaiyah was able to make it out of the horde of ghouls and leap up onto a ridge closer to Kesrai, and she left Valrien in the middle of the swarm, wounded and outnumbered, to fend for himself.

Kesrai was finally hit by the armored demon, being thrown backwards a few feet onto her side. Her concentration was disrupted and some of her weaker creations, such as the remaining hellhounds, wavered and faded in strength - some of them collapsed and faded into nothingness. As Kesrai stood back up and regained her focus, she seemed to recompose herself again.

The nine-tails beast sprinted out to defend its mistress. It roared and snapped its tendrils towards the armored demon, trying to snag it and pull it backwards and block it from getting any closer to Kesrai. A few of the terror's spikes pierced through its skin, but it deflected others by snapping the tendrils in the air and blocking them or dodging them. The beast was unexpectedly swift and versatile in using its tendrils as weapons.

The terror would roar and all his forces would swarm either the nine tailed beast. The ghouls around the defenseless hurt man valrien would attack him quckly trying to either mortally wound or kill him but after a couple seconds would go with the rest of the ghouls and armored demon to attack and kill the nine tailed beast. The armored demon would split from the rest of the group and try to kill kesrai her self as the terror jumped down in to the battle and landed in front of Zaiyah and snarled at her.

He said in an angry tone "Lets leave this to our little lackeys shall we?"

The nine-tails would whip its tendrils around, striking anything within range with such force that nothing could get close enough to it to do any damage without getting past its razor-sharp tendrils first.

Valrien would be barely able to defend himself from getting ripped apart, and he was seriously injured by the time they were done with him. The ghouls got him onto the ground and ripped through his armor, tearing through his flesh and nearly killing him before leaving him for dead and going after Kesrai's summoned nine-tails.

The nine-tails positioned itself in between Kesrai and the demon, prepared to defend her to its death.

Zaiyah hissed back at the terror. "Too afraid to fight for yourself?"