The great demon had covered the distance between it and Ellyrie much faster than the captain had anticipated. It brought it´s massive hammer down in an arc. Ellyrie waited until her foe had put all it´s fury in the blow before she bent her knees and jumped back.

She went flying into the air as the hammer hit the ground, sundering the stone and making the very foundation of the citadel tremble. The force of her jump was spent, and the captain began to fall. She kicked backwards, and with another blast sent herself toward her foe as it wrestled the hammer out of the earth.

In flight the captain pulled her flare from her belt and threw it up into the air just before landing on the demon´s massive shoulder. The pure red muscle was as solid as armour, and even with all her might she could not pierce the demon with her blade. It turned it´s head to stare at Ellyrie, and let go of it´s hammer to reach for her.

It´s hand was fast, the swollen fingers enveloped her before she could disengage. She struggled against the grip, which only made it tighten harder. The demon let out a bellowing laugh as it watched her struggle. It only stopped when the captain ceased, and a grin formed on her lips.

"You might want to get out of the way." The pressure on her ribcage turned her speech ragged, but was not enough to dissuade her triumph as she watched the golden lights race towards them from the temple spire.

Three great arrows pierced the demon´s back, each the length of a grown man. It let out a piercing howl and dropped Ellyrie, who quickly kicked herself back and away from her foe, landing on the wall opposite of the gate.

In the corner of her eye the captain saw a red flash, and she dropped her weapon to check her ribs. She had time, help had arrived.

Thaeus was soaring through the air, standing atop his staff. A roaring burst of flame burst out of the end, sending him straight towards the demon. Moments before impact he pushed back to fly straight up, grasped the other end of his staff and brought it straight down on the demon´s head in a fiery conflagration that sent the great monster reeling backwards.

Thaeus landed in the crater that had before been the courtyard with his back turned toward their foe, facing Ellyrie. He gave her a bow before turning his attention back to the abomination.

"Cairon is tending to those we have been able to save, captain. I will make sure to make up for his absence." As he approached the demon he thrusted his staff into the ground, folding his hands in front of his chest.

The demon had regained composure and it´s hammer. It yelled out at Thaeus in it´s twisted language before bringing the hammer down upon him. It put all of it´s unholy strength behind the swing, and it crashed down with a deafening gong as it hit a bright golden barrier just inches above Thaeus´s head.

He looked up to the demon´s deformed face with a smile. "Despite your form and purpose, you are a formidable opponent. You have my respect." In one motion he rose his folded hands up, pushing the demon back, step by step.

The heat was radiating from Thaeus´s skin, evaporating his sweat and covering him in a cloud of mist, the muscles of his arms were tensed to the absolute limit.

Another flash came from the temple´s spire, though this time it carried a black shadow, and with it a howling laughter. Fiona had leaped up and grasped onto Aeneya´s arrow and was riding it towards the demon, scythe in her right. It screeched through the air as her blood red eyes were pinned on her target.

"Great beast, you will have the honour of being a sacrifice to the Reaper, my pale mother herself!" The arrow pierced the demon´s upper back, the impact threw it off-balance and released the pressure it had put on Thaeus´s shield.

While the demon staggered Fiona leapt up it´s body by the arrows now sticking out of it´s skin and reached the back of it´s neck. The blade of her scythe was glowing a bright red as she brought it up. "And with my strike I will send you scurrying back to the dark beyond, where you will repent for your sinful, abominable existence and-"

The demon began to slowly turn it´s head, staring up at Fiona out of the corner of her eye. The Sky knight let out a high-pitched 'eep', and struck down with her Scythe. The blade pierced the burgeoning muscles and cut a deep and gushing wound. Putrefied green blood sprayed out of it and hit Fiona in the face, she gagged and lost balance, falling off the monster´s shoulders.

Ellyrie watched her companions deliver blow after blow to their enemy, and with regained strength leapt down from the walls to Thaeus´s side. With Fiona landing less gracefully than the young Sky knight would have wanted, their captain had free aim. It had turned towards Fiona and the spire, where Aeneya continued to rain volley after volley into it´s musclebound body

She let the tip of her blade scrape across the ground, creating a trail of blue fire in it´s wake. Demons were beings of ancient magic, the most corrupting and infectious kind. For it to truly be eliminated as a threat, it had to be ended in kind.

Ellyrie rose her sword into the air and grabbing a handful of crystals in her left. Fire began to engulf the blade, extending it further and further. One after the other the crystals dimmed, until the length of the fiery blade surpassed the demon. It finally turned around, staring down at the captain.

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"When you return to your master, tell them of what you learned here. Do not challenge the empire, and most of all, do not challenge the Sky Knights!" Ellyrie brought down her blade of fire, and it seared through the demonic beast, bisecting it straight down the middle.

For a single moment it stood still, a statue to everything detestable. Then the two halves came apart, burning up as they hit the ground. The flames fed on the mass of flesh, and the captain fell to her knees, dropping her blade as it seared through her gloves.

She was helped up by Thaeus, who she leaned on until her legs regained their strength. Fiona was still struggling with wiping the green blood off of her coat and face, her yelling and screeching audible even across the raging fires all around.

"She may be a little more docile now, Thaeus." Ellyrie managed to take a step back and recover her weapon. Even now it was overheated, so she swiftly returned it to it´s sheath. "Have her help Mellador in a more helpful way, I'll head up and contact the commander."

Her companion gave her another bow and picked up his staff anew. "It will be done captain, here." He threw her his flare. "In case that something may not go as planned."

He walked through between the halves of the demon and picked Fiona up by the back of her neck, dragging the girl along to the central plaza. Ellyrie watched them for a moment before turning her eyes on the citadel.

As she approached it the captain rummaged through her pouch. Crystal after crystal turned up empty, and a sinking feeling spread across her chest. If anything inside awaited her, she would need to meet it solely with might.

The gates were wide open, letting dim light into the circular entry hall. She heard the crying of a girl and immediately rose her weapon as three figures came into view. Two of the Inhuman hillpeople were dragging a young girl through the hall, stopping as they saw her.

The captains mind shut off, blade in hand she was upon them. What she lacked in magic, she made up for with sheer brutality. Her nameless blade tore through flesh, severing limbs from bodies, and her opposition fell. The taller of the two tried to scurry away from her, but she stomped her boot on his chest and severed the malformed, tree-like head from it´s neck.

First when Ellyrie laid her eyes back on the girl did her thinking return to her. The girl was small and looked quite malnourished, her only clothes were a tattered gown. Yet none of it could take away from her stark blue eyes and flowing near white hair. The captain reached out to her, and for the first time she was shaking.

"It is alright, you're safe now, nobody is going to hurt you." Ellyrie´s voice was trembling as she took the girl´s hand. "Just, stay with me alright?"

With the city still teeming with invaders she could hardly let her go on her own, and returning back to her comrades would spend valuable time they may not have. So despite her worry she took the girl along, up the winding stairs to the throne room.

There she did find the commander of the citadel. She found him a pale, decaying corpse, a blackened blade pierced through his heart, laying on his throne. Before him stood a tall figure clad in pitch black armour, a weave of eldritch runes glowing across it.

The figure turned around, blade in hand. Their face was obscured by her helmet, their voice cold and distorted, yet undoubtedly feminine.

"Good, you brought me my price without being told." Her free hand hovered over the second, sheathed blade around her waist.

"Hand her over and I will spare your life, you deserve that much."

The girl began to squirm at the sight of the black knight and slipped free of Ellyrie´s grasp, running back to hide in a corner. The captain moved between them, her blade raised. "I'm afraid I can't extend an equally kind offer, fallen. I would not be a knight of the empire if I let you live."

The knight unsheathed her second blade. It was as blackened as the first, but the hilt had retained a silver glow despite the years it must have endured in the tainted planes of the old gods.

Neither side made a move, until their attention was drawn to the wide open window on the eastern side of the room, and to the cacophony of crow calls.

A black cloud of them was approaching the city, and beyond them was the silhouette of a great Skyship. Even miles away Ellyrie could not mistake it for any other of the empires vessels. Neither did her foe.

The black knight began to walk up to the window and let out a cry, echoed by a bestial roar as a wyvern ascended up to the window. "You are lucky to keep your life today. The next time that we meet I will not be this merciful."

Ellyrie did not let up, she followed the knight with distance, until her eyes fell on her second blade. The hilt was fashioned after a wolf, with golden lettering across the hilt. She could not read them from here, but she did not need to, for she laboured on it for a hundred nights.

"How, DARE you wield that sword!" She ran forward, her eyes wide open. "My sister´s sword was made for her and nobody else!" Tears mixed with her anger as she rose her blade.

Her swing was parried, and the very same blade cut across her chest with a sickly purple glow. Ellyrie fell backwards to the ground, staring up to the knight who opened her visor.

The face that looked down on her was a near mirror of the captain´s, only older and signed by resentment. "I stole nothing, sister. I had everything taken from me." The wound across Ellyrie´s chest was glowing, spreading a black rot across her skin.

"That is my mercy. For everything you did for me. Your soul wont be taken by that false idol, you will be given true rest." The black knight jumped out of the window and onto the back of her wyvern before flying off, away from the approaching Skyship.

Ellyrie remained, her arm outstretched towards the window. "Kyria, Kyria." Her voice was weak, here arm trembling. As it sank down the tapping of small feet echoed across the room. The girl grasped her hand with her own, tears streaming down her face. The girl´s blue eyes turned to a bright red as she held on close to her.

"Please, don't go, stay, you must. You're my only hope! I, I am so sorry." The captains vision began to dim as the girl´s last words rung in her mind.

"Please forgive me."