Trijunn chuckled. "You, I think I remember you. V. Tavious, Divinity's Sherpa, the same troublemaker in their ranks, hmm?"
Valentine struck the floor with a closed fist, boosting himself back on his feet. "Shut your gaping maw, animal!"
A blood-made executioner's sword erupted out of Valentine's open palm, coming down with the force of a thousand corpses. In response, Trijunn caught the weapon. Carelessly holding onto the edges.
"Thawed, hmm?" He laughed. "You are not very smart for your kind. My turn."
Trijunn tossed the sword aside, then charged at Valentine. Bringing his knee up towards his opponent's stomach. It was a clean hit, driving Valentine to lower his body to protect himself.
Before Trijunn could follow up with anything, he took the opportunity to use his right arm to sweep him up. Valentine picked the unexpecting Feral, then drove him down using all of his body weight.
On impact, Trijunn felt air get crushed out of his lungs. He felt the attacking Thawed quickly get up then grab his legs. Mimicking how he killed Hizentre.
Except for one crucial detail Valentine forgot about, he did not weaken Trijunn. Giving the Feral the ability to shake off the tight grip, then deliver a powerful strike to the stomach.
Valentine felt the pain getting worse, it was something he could not dismiss. No matter how hard he tried. But he couldn't attend it, unless he wanted Trijunn to go free.
Instead of continuing his attack, Valentine called out to the statue. Ordering it to attack. It listened, running over and striking down with all its strength.
Only to get the same results, Trijunn got up without a scratch. He growled, keeping both eyes narrowed to look for a clean kill.
He lunged towards Valentine, catching him in his grip before throwing the Thawed to his statue. On contact, every spec of blood returned to Valentine. Cleaning the statue up like a sponge.
Dazed, Valentine tried to get back up before Trijunn arrived. But his attacker was taking his sweet time. As he stepped, distant explosions rung in their ears, followed by crumbling.
It was Infinus breaching their defenses. Elites and thousands of warriors rushed inside, being covered by the overhead Siege Weavers.
Hearing the calamity caught Trijunn's attention. Prompting him to look up for any incoming reinforcements. Only to be greeted with a rogue chain to the face.
Hazen leapt off her Sky Beast, landing in front of the injured Feral. "YOU! I WILL END YOU!"
Trijunn cackled. "Really? Well, I don't have anymore." He grunted from the pain. "B - but maybe that's a good thing in your mission, hmm?"
Before she could mutter another word, Trijunn jumped over her, before bringing a kick down on her head. Sending the furious daughter face first to the ground.
She struggled to get up, allowing Trijunn to wrap his hands around her sides and force her onto her back. As her vision cleared, Trijunn laughed at her condition.
"Two attackers. Two! Who's next?" He invited anyone to join in.
Valentine snuck up from behind, then picked him off his feet. Before Trijunn could react, he slammed the Feral right on his face. Then tossed him to the side of a nearby home.
Wood and stone broke as he crashed onto side, leaving a crater there for anyone to examine. Hazen saw her opportunity, and got up to attack. She charged towards him, then brought down her flail's head right onto him.
Striking Trijunn's shoulder, bringing the Feral down to the ground. As a follow up, she attempted to bring the chains around his neck, only to be met with a dazing roar.
Hazen stumbled back, getting to safety behind Valentine so she could recover from her stun. As she moved, another roar answered. This one sounded familiar, she heard it before.
Blue cape danced amongst flames as Risk charged through. Breaking through the inferno, keen on bringing down Trijunn no matter the costs.
"Weak Feral, stand up if you claim to be your pack's alpha!" Risk taunted.
In response, Trijunn laughed at his taunt. "Blow yourself to bits. In three days I was out and ready to continue my duties, Risk. Where were you three days after the bout?"
Both alphas locked eyes. One laughed by nature, the other did because of his confidence. On the beat of an explosion, both Ferals leapt at each other.
Risk caught Trijunn by the bottom jaw, forcing his head back. Before he touched the ground, he pulled back with all his force. Using gravity to weaken Trijunn's defenses.
When they collapsed, Risk took out a wee little popper from his harness. Then hurled it at Trijunn. A fiery explosion engulfed the Feral, he screamed in seething anger as it went off.
Before all the smoke would clear, Trijunn was already up and ready to get revenge. He struck the side of Risk's face with a fist, then delivered a kick to the stomach. Risk lowered himself, allowing Trijunn to struck the back of his heed.
Bringing Risk to one knee, something Trijunn took advantage of by delivering a powerful kick to the jaw. On impact, two of his bottom teeth got lose.
"I have to admit, Risk. Your Legion is powerful, very," Trijunn caught the incoming flail head. "However, they lack awareness. Something evident here-"
He yanked the chain, bringing Hazen closer. Once she got her feet back on the ground, Trijunn brought the chain around her neck, then forced the rest of the chain around her body. Tying Hazen up.
"Maybe you should teach them, hmm?" Trijunn mocked.
As Hazen was struggling to breathe, he knocked the wind out of her by kicking her back. Before she could touch the ground, Valentine caught onto her.
While Trijunn was busy, Risk looked down at his wee little poppers. There weren't many left, only four. So he decided to take one last risk, one that had to win him the fight.
Before Trijunn brought back his full attention, Risk activated each one. Then shot up to his feet and began forcing him to hold onto them. Realizing time was running out, Risk tried one last thing.
He forced one down Trijunn's open jaws, succeeding. However, another popper jumped up to his face while they were struggling. Before either side could react, each popper erupted.
Sending pieces of metal and hot chemicals everywhere. Including the inside of Trijunn's jaws and into every exposed limb.
Valentine watched from afar, shocked. Hazen began breathing normally after he freed her, only to end up with both eyes and mouth wide open.
Risk's final risk was trying to detonate every explosive he had to take out Trijunn, and it worked. But at the price of his own being.
When the smoke cleared, a badly injured Risk fell to the ground beside a dead Trijunn. Hazen ran up to the Feral, praying to Metrivious that he was still alive.
And surprisingly, Risk still was. At least for now. He struggled to stay awake. Blood poured out of his open wounds and melting skin detached itself from his body.
It was a horrible amount of pain, but he did not want to alarm the incoming Thawed. Just so she didn't feel the need to worry over him.
"Wh - what... why did you do that..?" Hazen asked, stunned.
Risk attempted to laugh in his usual tone. "Heh... ah... you - you're young, icicle. Wh - what's your... name..?"
Hazen examined the serious wounds, questioning if the conversation would be worth it. "I - it's Hazen, from Metrivious. We never met before, b - but that was too.. intense."
"Intense..?" Risk tried to bring his eyes over the horizon. "Yeah... Hazen... pretty name. Yo - you have a long ro...ad ah... ahead of you. Ugh. Tell that Jak...ery k - kid to send you to Mur - Murmo...sa. Tell them.. 'last risk taken...'"
With that, Risk let go of his strength. Allowing the Nine to consume his mind, picking it apart to learn about Imbushko through his eyes.
As for Hazen, she remembered those words. What Risk wanted her to say. She did not know exactly what they meant, however she could assume.
For those Ferals, it could mean a variety of different things. But to her, it meant something else. With the death of a distant ally, she came to terms with what kind of Thawed she wanted to be.
Being a parent, or a well rounded Variant, or even a worker Variant seemed dull to her. Just like Hizentre, she wanted to devout her life to something more.
In Hizentre's case, it was Metrivious. But to Hazen, it was something different. She wanted to soar to new heights, ones that her lineage has ever seen before.
Even if it meant she did not receive any offspring of her own. Her world was transformed for good, all it needed was something else to change.