Hallowed Kaline (1) (MANUSCRIPT)

Issue # 31 Hell on Holiday Pt. 2

      Maximus Kaline looked at the dying Kyle Chimner. In his heart, he knew what destiny had in store. Taking Kyle to seek immediate medical help couldn't matter too much if Zarkadda still lived and wielded the potential of murdering more people. His hands clamming up with sweat, Max held his katana in his hands, slowly taking it out of his sheath. 
         I'm grateful that Kyle didn't rob me of this earlier. Farewell, old friend. I'm going... to avenge you. Avenge you just like how I avenged my parents by killing Malechor. Wrapping one of the cleansing tags around his sword, Max flicked a blink of his glance over to Aubrey. "Tell me something, please. You guys have done exorcisms before at the Complexia Portia, right? You purify the faerie out of a place- Have you ever purified a faerie out of a human?"
         Aubrey blushed and put her hands up. "Not me, specifically. I've done environmental purification... never purified a person before." 
        Maximus looked down at Natalie, her face wilting with despair. "Well, I'm not sure what I'm about to do right now... but you said that the de'Navra are a race of human-faeries, correct? What if I... remove the 'faerie' from Zarkadda? Make him wholesomely human?" 
        "WHAT?" Zarkadda's eyes widened. Taking his glasses off, he darted to Maximus and grabbed the hunter's sword. "NO YOU DON'T!" 
       "I see. So we're already fighting then. Very well! Zarkadda, I'm going to turn you into a human. You lack compassion and empathy... and I will be your judgement." Maximus took a deep breath and hacked at Zarkadda's shoulder. 
      "GAH! I couldn't... dodge in time." Zarkadda zipped away from Max. 
      Damn. Every time he moves, those stupid mosaic shards come after me. Max held his katana with two hands as he watched his opponent dart across the warehouse. 
      "You're not even one of the best hunters at your little academy... and yet you managed to get a hit on a de'Navra. Good job, kid." Zarkadda put a hand to his shoulder and coughed as his skin began to bubble up. Steam rising, Max's attack quickly healed. 
        He heals that fast? Shit! Max shivered. 
       "Too bad your academy has gone too shit. Father Agnus has been revealed to be the second tribunal faerie. No one can kill a tribunal faerie... except... a de'Navra." Zarkadda wagged his finger. "So you have fewer places in which you can return to now, boy. Agnus has gone his own way." 
        No. Maximus bit his bottom lip. That can't be true. Tony's practicing on his own to become a better hunter. I thought I heard... Kyle s- s- say something like that. f Tony's not training at Titanium-Corps... then where? 
       Zarkadda dove at Max, clawing at Max's arm. 
       Max fell back, his sword clanging away from him. No. NO! 
       "Hmhmhmhmhm. Hah. Foolish little hunter. You can't ever hope to fight a de'Navra. Now is the time for you to square up your losses and wins... because it's over. Be thankful for all the faeries you've so viciously tormented and killed." Zarkadda grabbed Max by the scruff of his shirt and eyed him deeply. 
      Get off me. Max gritted his teeth as he felt his body picked up by the force of Zarkadda's hand. "GET OFF ME!" Struggling out of the enemy's grip like a spastic vegetable, Maximus escaped the tormentor's clutches and dove for his sword. 
      "Hmph. Impressive. Never had a hunter escape my grip before. Too bad I've taken off some skin. Remember that scar I've given you, kid. I don't claw my opponents just for the fun of it. I want them to... remember me." Zarkadda's yellow eyes lit up, his golden gaze widened over Maximus's defensive stance. He rubbed his hands together and grinned a toothy grin. His glasses, now off his face and hanging around the top of his shirt in a fold, jiggled. 
       "Bullshit." Max spat on the ground. 
        Zarkadda's right eye twitched. "Pardon?" 
       "Bullshit! You're gonna remember me." Max ran at Zarkadda. The tip of his sword plunging into the air, Zarkadda quickly bounced away and dodged the blow. "Not. So. Fast!" From underneath Zarkadda's leg, Maximus tilted his sword so it caught his foot and made the de'Navra trip. 
        "Wh- Whoa!" Zarkadda's arms went out, his solar-plexus exposed. 
       "Now, I hope you can... become a better person after this. I'm exorcising that malevolent faerie out of you, de'Navra." Max, his right arm soaked with blood, quickly plunged his diamond blue sword into his opponent's stomach. 
       Zarkadda's eyes widened. His glasses fell off his shirt and blood squirted from underneath his pants. His yellow eyes glowed brightly, then fell to a deadly platinum blue. His lips tightened. 
      His body shaking, Zarkadda's legs locked up. His back arched awkwardly and his hands opened, the palms emitting mosaic shards. Rainbow-esque colors poured out from the tormentor's wrists.  
       The de'Navra put a hand to his chest and barfed buckets of blood and sinew. "H- H- How... did you know that you could-" 
       "It was just a hunch." Max glared at Zarkadda as he whispered into his ear.
      Falling back into Max's arms, Zarkadda's eyes closed. 
      Aubrey yawned then held her breath. He... did it. He really-
      "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Out from Max's arms came the wicked Zarkadda, his mouth opening wide as his clothes burned a black fire. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" 
      "What!" Max jumped away, his katana bloodied and still wrapped with the cleansing tag. 
     Zarkadda's dark purple hair suddenly morphed into a series of violet snakes. Hissing sounds filled the empty warehouse as the reptiles found themselves unable to leave their owner's head. All trying to bite the wind around them and lick Max, they blinked a ferocious focus. 
      "What? I thought I... had him!" Max ran to Aubrey. 
      "YOU... IDIOT! THAT CLEANSING OF MY SOUL... ONLY RUINED MY HUMAN SIDE! I AM NOW WHOLLY A FAERIE! WHICH MEANS I AM... NOT A PROPER DE'NAVRA! HOW... COULD... YOU?" His eyes a shining blue and his hair a mass of snakes, Zarkadda wept into his hands. "I'M UGLY! AND IT... BURNS! MY INSIDES... BUUUUUUUUUUURN!" 
      "We need to get out of here. Now." Aubrey shook Max's shoulder. "Max. Come on." 
      Max blinked, shaking his head. "But... I thought I-"
     "Max! We need to go." 
     His eyes unable to blink, Maximus watched as Zarkadda floated up to the ceiling. His hands still over his crying face, the de'Navra intruder exploded through the roof. His eyes able to blink once more, Max fell back and caught his breath. Breathing heavily, he looked over to the wound Zarkadda gave him. 
      "We... certainly accomplished something." Aubrey smiled, looking over the exhausted hunter. 
      N- Natalie. Max's eyes began to fasten from exhaustion. "Natalie! Oh gosh, that's right. Are Natalie and Kyle okay?" Max jolted up and followed over to his female friend. 
       Aubrey beat him to it, the young girl already kneeling over Kyle. 
       "Oh no. Oh no. Please. Please be okay." Max looked to Kyle and Aubrey. 
       Natalie's stomach growled as she stared at Max. Her expression blank, her body sat stiff on the concrete floor. Her legs sat sprawled out in an odd manner. 
       "I can... try to bring him back. Do I have the right tags and parchments for it?" Aubrey pulled out a bunch of paper from her pockets. 
       "Bring... him... back? No. No, no, no. That means he's already... passed on?" Max's eyes  lowered and he turned his head away from the Cardinal. 
       Aubrey nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. "I... am too late." 
      Max continued to look away, putting his hands up to his eyes. His face fell, covered by hands and dark red hair. "We were all... too late." 

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