Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

First Blood

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.