Decka jumped off first, his frame tumbled towards the ground at a rapid pace. Until he eventually landed.
Wood and soil parted as the Zegus landed. Decka's shield shot up and waited for his ally to touch the ground.
Tellendor's blinding-blue tip dug into the ground, hilt sticking up. Ether landed on one knee behind his weapon. A silver-blue arm rose up and grabbed the weapon's handle.
"A straight dash, no stopping. Quick pace all the way, you hear?" Decka ordered.
Ether didn't wait for him, he got up and darted towards the farm. The Warriors in the distance reminded him of his tumble with Dominatsu, and the victory that followed.
Unlike last time, this battle's victory would be determined if they survived. But Ether was eager to combat the Light Legion once again.
Three Warriors turned to look at the advancing duo, their stances quickly devolved into a battle-ready posture. Except for one, that one ran back alerting everyone about the incoming threat.
"Get down, boy!" Decka called out.
Ether dropped to one knee as a shield with sharp edges darted across the field towards one of the warriors.
The black and gold disc eventually made contact with the defending forces, except the contact was not lethal. A warrior lifted up their pike, making the shield bounce off.
But the end goal wasn't a kill, it was a distraction.
While that warrior worried about the shield, Ether was open to drive Tellendor into the gut of his ally. The Zegus dropped down on his knees, defeated.
Ether tried to repeat the same thing with the other warrior, but he planted the pike down and embraced for impact. Blade met metal as a sharp ding ringed out.
The warrior then struck the side of Ether's helmet, causing him to lose focus of his opponent. Before he could get damaged further, Decka grabbed the warrior by his neck and promptly whipped him.
A bone crushing sound echoed between the three as he went still.
"Brace, more to come," Ether notified Decka.
A small group of warriors rushed towards them. Ferals, Zegus, and some Thawed all ready to drive away the new threat.
When both sides made contact, a newfound spirit was forged. One made specifically for Decka.
He lifted his shield over Ether's head, protecting him from an incoming heavy-mace. The blow deflected off the shield, allowing Ether to swipe the legs of his attacker.
Tellendor formed a clean cut. With that power, he sliced the chest of an incoming Feral. The wound wasn't deep enough to cause serious damage, but was enough to cause him to flinch.
Decka quickly slit the Feral's throat with his shield. Before he could recover for another attack, a much heavier mace slammed onto his shoulder. Instantly stunning him.
Ether kicked the attacker back, allowing Decka to bring back his focus and attack. His shield dug directly into their forehead, killing them instantly.
While he was busy with that, Ether took on a two-on-one fight.
Tellendor struck the surface of a small shield tied to the forearm of a Light Legion warrior. The weapon left a clear mark on the leather.
Just as he was about to attack again, he quickly dodged forward towards the warrior. Then turned around last second to catch the weapon from his other aggressor.
He grappled the handle, then tore it away. Ether spun around and lifted it up to catch the incoming axe. But it was no use, the wood broke with ease as the edge of the weapon darted towards his shoulder.
It sunk inside, sending a warm rush of blood through his body. The attacker kicked Ether off, sending him back to the other attacker.
The sudden halt caused Ether to drop on one knee. Completely vulnerable to attacks. The second attacker wrapped an arm around his neck and began to choke him.
From behind the deafening sound of a heartbeat and warm feeling over his forehead, Ether managed to hear someone break bones with ease.
Then a sudden relief washed over him as air began flowing through his body again.
"Your wound is deep, you may stand here and rest while I go get Quinn. Fight off anyone trying to stop our escape," Decka ordered Ether.
He opened his eyes and struggled onto his knees, completely ignoring the uncomfortably warm feeling of the wound.
"I'll take a moment then catch up with you. See you in there," Ether responded.
He rested on his knees while Decka ran towards the houses. While he mustered his strength, he heard another voice speak.
"You want her, heh?" A female voice asked.
Ether turned to look behind him, where his second attacker laid on the ground. They looked at one another, an awkward silence fell between the two.
"Why do you sound so... familiar?" He asked, confused.
The warrior took off her helmet, revealing a brown-haired Zegus. Discomfort was obvious in her eyes.
Ether narrowed his eyes. "Are you... Velheta?"
She nodded, trying to smile at a foreign Prime knowing who she was. But her heavy breathing made it difficult for her.
"Why do you ask?"
Ether's hands went up to his mouth in shock. From behind his helmet, he felt horrible. This girl that was dying behind him was someone he was close to.
"Do you remember Ether? Do you remember that time you and I joked around about each other's probabilities of reproducing -"
"And how we stripped naked and began experimenting with each other's bodies?" She chuckled. "I still remember just how much energy you had... but also just how crazy our next encounter would be."
Ether took off his helmet, revealing two big mournful eyes. They looked down at his former lover as she rested in pain.
"Surprised you're not dead. You do live up to the title of Undying Revenge. So many weird things today," her eyes became distant.
"Earlier in my life I had a character who is slowly becoming more and more dangerous to the Light Legion deep inside me... wish we could have done it again before I..." she let some air out her mouth. "Died..."
Ether looked at her, eyes wide open from the trauma. He couldn't believe what was happening, someone he adored and even attempted to mate with died right beside him.
"Seek battle, little Zesher. Life isn't about love, it's more about you," a voice coming from Tellendor whispered.
He forced himself on his feet. The now-burning feeling took over his senses, completely numbing out his other feelings.
Tellendor found its way back to his hands, ready for whatever came next. Slight hums radiated from the weapon itself, making it feel alive.
Ether looked over at the houses, that was where he needed to be. He lowered himself and broke into a sprint towards them.
***
A frozen spear attempted to strike Decka, but was shattered by a durable black shield. He forced the attacker back by thrusting his shield towards them.
"Oh, how great of an elite you would have remained if you were still with us!" Talis taunted.
Quinn struggled to get up. Her legs weren't working properly after being chained up and damaged. Blood ran down her knees and thighs onto the stone floor of the storage house.
Ether ran through the open door, Tellendor ready for combat. As he stumbled through, catching a glimpse of Talis awoke a rivalry spirit.
He took the opportunity to attack Talis while he was distracted. Ether charged towards Decka, sliding before making contact with him.
As Ether emerged from the other side, he jumped with Tellendor pointing upwards. The tip of the weapon dug itself into Talis' stomach.
"Decka, go! Take Quinn and get out of here. I'll deal with this brainless idiot," Ether ordered.
Without missing a beat, Decka quickly shifted his attention to Quinn. Fading from Ether's eyesight. Now he was ready to repay Talis for his injuries.
The Zegus grabbed Tellendor by the blade, then ripped it out. His smile became wide as an unwelcoming black took over his eyes.
"Now who might you be?" He mockingly asked.
Talis tossed Tellendor to the side, then kicked Ether's wrist. Now defenseless, Ether had to result to his ability to fight with his fists to carry him.
Ether swung to Talis' cheek, but he caught the fist. His own hand began crushing Ether's fingers.
"ARGH!" He grunted. "I'll kill you!"
Talis seemed surprised. His eyes got wider and smile turned into shock as he heard the voice threaten him.
"No way! Ether's its you! Oh, oh, let's have a good fight. Yeah?" Talis smirked.
He pulled his fist towards him, sending Ether towards him. Then he rose a knee, delivering a powerful strike to his crotch.
Talis grabbed the back of Ether's neck and forced him back, then he tackled him. Both Variants crashed onto the ground. With Talis in the dominant position, he was now in charge of the battle.
Ether rose two hands to protect his face, but they turned out to be futile. Talis began unleashing a fury of blows to Ether's face. Each hit caused him to lose a some control.
Until he became completely stunned. Anymore hits would mean being out cold, and effectively dead. This time for good.
But he didn't want to die. Adrenaline pulsed through his body as he forced himself to fight back. He began beating Talis' chest like drums. Hits powerful enough to force him back.
Once he got to distance, Ether kicked the Zegus off.
"Ah!" He grunted. "Good kick, little one. Now, ready to meet a frozen fate?"
Glacial blues emerged from his core, drawing down to his palms and eventually into two gauntlets made from pure ice.
Tellendor rose up to the challenge.
"Dominate," it hummed.
Ether lowered his head, then attacked.