Their mission had failed. What little hope there had been was gone as their slim opportunity slammed shut before them like a steel barred door now welded shut. The slap Lanus had given his once-lover wasn't devastating, in fact, by Drev standards it was more of a warning shot, but now something that might have been foreplay in a previous life was the starting gun on a war to end all wars.
A war to end the Universe.
Noctus reacted first, but predictably it wasn't to join in the fight. The little coward turned on the spot and sprinted straight back into the blackened bowels of the deserted space station, vanishing into the darkness before anyone else had so much as lifted their weapons.
WIth Kazna still partially stunned, it was Everett who actually made the first move, lunging forward towards lanus, bare hands open like talons seeking to tear Lanus's eyes from his skull. Still shocked by what he had done, Lanus was slow to react, but by then Adam and Sunny had already begun moving.
Adam stepped in front of Lanus, spear raised to block the incoming attack.
Sunny, trusting Adam to take care of everything else, went straight for Kazna. Didn't matter that she was stunned, on the floor or otherwise. Drev code of conduct be damned, she was willing to break it if it meant saving the universe.
She thrust her spear downward, aimed at the junction of kazna's skull and neck, and missed last second as Kazna threw herself to the side. Still she didn't manage to escape fully, the point of Sunny's spear driving itself into the meaty junction between Kazna's neck and shoulder.
Kazna screamed, but that particular area on a Drev is solid with muscle, and partially protected by carapace. The hit was solid, but not debilitating, and as Kazna jerked herself away, a spurt of orange blood was left in her place dripping from Sunny's spear, though she was not deterred, priming herself for another thrust at her mother's head.
Kazna was still a warrior, however, and the three pronged trident was back in her hand in a matter of moments, catching Sunny's spear by the haft as it arched down towards her face. She then used her superior strength to throw Sunny back, saving herself just enough space to rise to her feet..
Though she had been thrown back, Sunny had not lost her balance, and came in with a second attack just as Kazna was regaining her footing. Kazna was larger, and much stronger by simple muscle mass alone, but there was a downside to being so big.
Takes more energy, and more time to moving something that tall.
Closer to the ground, getting up would have been much easier for Sunny or Adam, but as big as she was, Kazna took some time to regain her feet. That left just enough of an opening for Sunny, who initiated a sharp flurry of attacks, each one precise in their execution to the point where Kazna Almost seemed surprised, She raised her trident in a desperate attempt to fend of the whirlwind that was Sunny's weapon, but even she was only just able to avoid death blood spattering in shallow arcs as the tip of Sunny's spear scored a hit across Kazna's upper cheek, and across the back of her upper left hand.
But now Kazna was on her feet, and more than willing to use the height advantage against her opponent.
In a contest of martial weapons, the larger person has the advantage of strength. In many instances contests of strength win out with the bigger on top due to sheer brute force. The only counter for smaller stature against sheer brute force is..... Skill.
Enough skill may level an unfair playing field, and it became very clear in those next few moments who was the better fighter.
Kazna had not been to real battle in years at this point, almost half a decade or more.
Ever since the Drev war she had spent most of her time, plotting, scheming, politicking, in jail, or as a mouthpiece for the void. Long gone were the days where she had headed armies and called legions to her feet. The innate skill and talent was still there, old muscle memory taking over from a life spent with a weapon in hand.
But it wasn't good enough.
Not good enough when matched against skill honed by years of hard work from a soldier who had been fighting almost continually for the past decade, trained by the greatest military master of their generation, and versed in the arts of many exotic fighting styles not native to the Drev Homeland.
When this conflict had started, Sunny was below average on combat performance, burdened by doubt, and held back by her perceived shortcomings. But years of continued extensive training was enough to turn a warrior of no great talent, into the greatest warrior of a generation.
Kazna swung her weapon, but by the time the blood would have landed, Sunny was gone. Using the environment around her Sunny, dove forward, skidding alone the deck upon the smooth carapace of her knees, skidding right under Kazna's arms and straight into her guard.
Sunny attacked her legs first, swiping at the tendons at the back of her heels, a move she had pulled once before. Perhaps if she had been equipped with two swords instead of her traditional spear the move might have gone without a hitch, but the awkward length of the spar was too much in the tight space. Even so she scored a sharp hit on Kazna's leg forcing her briefly to one knee
Her golden eyes burned with an intense focus.
Kazna, unable to manuver within an enclosed space, made the decision to drop her trident, whipping two daggers concealed from the inside of her cloak. Both low glanced off of Sunny's SE armor to her noticeable surprise, but a third, surprise blow cuffed her briefly around the side of the head.
Even so it seemed sunny was only moments away from driving a weapon through her mother's heart when, a long, low bellow echoed up from the bowels of the ship. The sound was deep, haunting, strangely human but just inhuman enough to cause an eruption of goosebumps to appear on every human in the room.
It seemed Noctus had been busy.
The surprise didn't phase Sunny for more than a moment,, but a moment was all Kazna needed to throw Sunny back scrambling back to regain her own feet as Sunny snarled and readied herself to come again. Before she could do so, Kazna held out a hand and jabbed it straight towards Sunny, "She is yours to devour, feeder."
Everyone in the room would have liked not knowing what that meant, but were soon graced by the terrible image of a fleshy writhing monster, that crawled its way out of the black hallway and into dim luminance.
Apollyon's little side project.
A creation in his own image, cobbled together from spare human parts.
Descriptions of the eldritch abomination defied reason, its body so confusing it was difficult to look at much less fight.
As Sunny and Kazna had dueled, others around the room had erupted into movement. Adam and Lanus were locked into combat with Everette, whose shadowed companion spurted out from his skin as if the man had sprung a leak. Adham was busy annihilating the rest of the Void sided makers,.
On the other side of the room Ramirez and Renegade stood at odds with the seen, completely still, staring at each other.
"Follower's of Apollyon, RISE." Kazna shouted
Adam keyed his mic as Fielty opened a broad signal to all friendly ships through the Empyrean, "Apollyon is GO."
He needed not say anymore, throwing himself back into the fray with lanus. Just as more of those eldrich abominations came spilling into the room. Renegade and Ramirez were forced to break away as the room was flooded with Chaos. Sunny vanished behind a tide of flesh, still going after kazna.
For a moment Adam thought they would be overwhelmed until he found himself pressed back to back with Lanus.
"Duck!" The drev shouted, and Adam did as told just as his father-in-law's spear whistled over his head, catching a meat appendage as it reached for them. It was odd just how familiar fighting with Lanus felt, like Sunny just.... Taller. Adam grabbed Lanus by the ceremonial scarred slits in the back of his carapace just as the Drev took a rapid turn. Adam used that momentum to take out two inhuman humanoids that came spiling out of the black hallway.
Landing back on his feet, Lanus thrust his spear forward, straight into the body of one of the abominations, and Adam took care of another creature that tried for Lanus's open back.
They were overwhelmed, "Everyone, we have to go."
Sunny snarled in response but Kazna had retreated behind a line of meat leaving Sunny to fend of attack after attack as multiple meat appendages shot out to try for her neck.
Together they backed away towards the shuttle.
Adam and Lanuz made it there first holding off a semicircle of open ground around the shuttle as the others fought towards them. Lanus ducked and Adam rolled over the big Drev's back, landing on the other side of him just in time to deflect a weapon, glowing orange headed towards Lanus's flesh,
A void weapon sure to cause irreparable damage to the soul itself.
Lanus turned and again Adam found himself back to back wit hSunny's father.
It was a good fight, and a brief pang of guilt washed through him to the point he couldn't help it was the words blurted from his mouth, "I'm sorry."
They spun in a tight circle, Lanus taking on the big meat creature while Adam took care of the humanoids, "Sorry for what?" Lanus said.
"Sorry for.... You know... killing you."
There was no unawkward way to say that.
Lanus Gave him a very brief look of amusement before turning back to the fight, "I am not sorry."
Adam thrust his spear sharply forward, Under Lanus's arm and impaling a smaller creature that had gotten inside his guard, "I mean, maye, but I sort of feel like this entire thing might have been my fault."
Lanus huffed a sharp burst of air, "You did not control Kazna's actions. Her transgression was her own."
"Oh.... well uh. Cool. Glad we are squared away."
Lanus hummed in amusement even as he stepped back to avoid another swiping claw.
Ramirez was the first to show, sprinting from a churning wall of meat and diving into the open space between them.
"Start the shuttle! Adam ordered, and ramirez nodded, his lips pursed tight together, a trickle of blood running down his cheek as he slammed his button into the door controls and vanished inside the shuttle.
No need to wait for the Makers, they would make it out just fine on their own.
It was Sunny he was worried about, worried that she wouldn't make it back.
But just as he was beginning to think the worst, both she and Adham came sprinting out of the churning mass.
"Your man" Adam shouted to Adham
But the Maker shook his head, "They got him."
Sunny dove onto the ship, as the engines started up.
Lanus grabbed adam by one arm, swinging him in a tight arc. Adam's armored leg was enough to deter unwanted followers as Lanus hauled them both back into the shuttle tripping over the lip and onto his back just as the shuttle door closed and Ramirez fired the engines. The ride was bumpy for a moment as they shot backward, over the bodies of several abominations and then out through the airlock energy barrier. Adam lay on his back next to lanus, also panting with exertion.
After a few puffing breaths Adam turned to look at his father in law, "Do you want to see them?"
Lanus turned his head tto look at Adam brows furrowed, "See who?"
Adam didn't wait for an invitation, instead turning on the small Holoprojector on his wrist, "Your grandkids! This is Kay, ist he adorable, and that is Nyx and that is Astra, aren't they adorable!"