Calvin hit the ground hard, the air rushing from his lungs in a painful gasp. He could feel the warm, sticky sensation of blood seeping through his armor, the deep gash across his chest burning with an agonizing intensity. Through the haze of pain, he saw Kyrak standing over him, a cruel, triumphant smile twisting his grotesque features.

But even as Calvin struggled to rise, his companions unleashed a barrage of attacks against the monstrous being. Tank's autocannon roared to life, spitting out a hail of high-caliber rounds that would have torn through even the toughest of adversaries.

Ian wove a tapestry of elemental fury, his hands wreathed in searing flame and biting frost. He sent a blast of scorching wind hurtling towards Kyrak, the air shimmering with the heat of his power. At the same time, Amy's daggers flashed with a sickly green light, the toxins that coated their blades potent enough to fell even the mightiest of foes.

But Kyrak merely held up a hand, his palm facing outward in a gesture of almost casual disdain. A shimmering barrier sprang into existence before him, a wall of twisted, pulsating energy that seemed to warp the very fabric of reality. The attacks that had been launched at him with such ferocity and skill simply dissipated against this barrier, their power absorbed and nullified as if they were nothing more than a gentle breeze.

Calvin watched in horror as Kyrak's barrier effortlessly deflected the onslaught, his heart sinking with the realization of just how outmatched they truly were. The creature's power was beyond anything they had ever encountered, a force so vast and alien that it defied all comprehension.

Kyrak's laughter rang out across the battlefield, a sound that was like the scraping of metal on bone. "Is this the best you can muster, champions of humanity?" he sneered, his burning orange eyes alight with a malicious glee. "Your feeble attacks are like the buzzing of insects to me, a minor annoyance to be swatted aside with ease."

He flexed his talons, the wickedly curved claws glinting in the sickly light. "You have no idea of the true depths of my power, the sheer scope of the corruption that I command. I am the harbinger of your doom, the one who will usher in a new age of darkness and despair."

Calvin struggled to his feet, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he clutched at his wounded chest. The pain was excruciating, a white-hot agony that threatened to overwhelm him with every movement. But he refused to give in, refused to let Kyrak see him broken and defeated.

"We will never submit to you, Kyrak," he snarled, his voice filled with a fierce determination. "No matter how powerful you may be, no matter what horrors you unleash upon us, we will fight you to our last breath. We are the defenders of humanity, the ones who will stand against the darkness no matter the cost."

Kyrak's smile only widened at Calvin's defiance, a cruel, twisted thing that held no warmth or mercy. "Brave words, little storm lord," he rasped, his voice dripping with contempt. "But they will avail you nothing in the end. You are but insects before the might of the corruption, and your kind will be crushed beneath my heel like the insignificant specks that you are. Your kind will be fuel for my ascension."

As the dust settled from the fierce battle with Kyrak, Calvin and his companions watched warily as two more figures emerged from the alien ship. Jesse, Calvin's brother, strode down the ramp, his dark robes billowing behind him. Beside him walked a woman, her face obscured by a deep hood, an aura of malevolent energy pulsing around her.

Kyrak turned to Calvin, a smirk playing across his monstrous features. "I have matters to attend to, little storm lord," he rasped, his voice dripping with contempt. "My servants will have to continue this dance with you."

With that, Kyrak's form seemed to melt into the ground, only to reappear moments later near his ship. He strode up the ramp with a casual air, as if he hadn't just been locked in mortal combat. The ramp closed behind him with a hiss, and the ship lifted off, disappearing into the roiling clouds above.

Calvin faced his brother, his heart heavy with the weight of betrayal. "Jesse," he called out, his voice raw with emotion. "Why? Why would you turn your back on your own people?"

Jesse scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. "My people? You mean the weak, pathetic creatures that cower in fear at the first sign of danger? The ones who would rather hide behind walls than embrace the true power that Kyrak offers?"

He took a step forward, his eyes blazing with a fanatical light. "You're a fool, Calvin. You could have had everything, but instead you chose to align yourself with these... insects."

Calvin shook his head, his grip tightening on the hilt of his blade. "I chose to fight for what's right, Jesse. To protect those who can't protect themselves. That's what true strength is, not the twisted power that Kyrak peddles."

Jesse laughed, a harsh, grating sound that sent chills down Calvin's spine. "You always were a self-righteous prick, little brother. Always so sure of your own moral superiority. Well, let's see how that serves you now."

He raised his hands, dark energy crackling between his fingertips. "I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer, Calvin. Watching you beg for mercy as I tear you apart piece by piece."

Calvin's heart clenched at the madness he saw in his brother's eyes, the twisted hatred that had consumed him. "Don't make me do this, Jesse," he pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't make me kill you."

Jesse's response was a blast of dark energy that hurtled towards Calvin with blinding speed. Calvin barely managed to raise his spear in time, the impact sending shockwaves down his arms. He gritted his teeth, pushing back against the onslaught with all his strength.

Amy and Tank moved to flank Jesse, their weapons at the ready. But before they could attack, the hooded woman raised her hand, a wall of shimmering energy springing up between them. "Your fight is with me, little assassin," she hissed, her voice like the rustling of dead leaves.

Amy's eyes narrowed, her daggers flashing with a sickly green light. "Bring it on, bitch," she snarled, launching herself at the woman with a fierce cry.

Tank opened fire with his autocannon, the high-caliber rounds slamming into the energy barrier with enough force to level a building. But the barrier held, the woman's laughter ringing out over the din of battle.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Calvin and Jesse traded blows, their blades clashing in a shower of sparks. Jesse's attacks were relentless, fueled by a manic energy that seemed to come from some dark, twisted place within him. Calvin parried and dodged, his own skills pushed to the limit as he fought to keep up with his brother's onslaught.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Jesse," Calvin panted, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "We can still turn back from this path, find a way to make things right."

Jesse's eyes flashed with a cruel light. "There is no turning back, Calvin. This is the only path, the only way to true power. And if you're too weak to see that, then you deserve to die."

He lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air with deadly precision. Calvin barely managed to twist out of the way, the razor-sharp edge grazing his cheek and drawing blood. He could feel the dark energy radiating from Jesse's blade, a sickening, cloying sensation that made his stomach churn.

Nearby, Amy and the hooded woman were locked in their own deadly dance. The woman's movements were fluid and graceful, her dark powers swirling around her like a living thing. Amy matched her step for step, her daggers flashing in a blur of motion as she sought to find an opening in the woman's defenses.

Tank's autocannon had run dry, the massive weapon clicking empty as he reached for another ammo belt. But before he could reload, the woman sent a blast of dark energy hurtling towards him, the force of the impact sending him flying backwards.

Calvin saw his friend go down, his heart leaping into his throat. But he couldn't afford to be distracted, not now. Jesse was pressing his attack, his blade moving in a dizzying pattern that left no room for error.

"You're weak, Calvin," Jesse snarled, his face twisted into a mask of rage. "You always have been. And now, you'll die like the pathetic insect you are."

He raised his blade high, dark energy crackling along its length. But before he could bring it down in a killing blow, a massive form slammed into him from the side. It was Freya, her fangs bared in a snarl of pure fury.

Jesse's screams filled the air as Freya's razor-sharp claws ripped through his flesh. His dark powers surged erratically, desperately trying to break free from her grip. But Freya was unrelenting. Her powerful jaws locked onto Jesse's sword arm, twisting it back with a nauseating snap. Vines of Decay burst forth from her body, coiling around him like serpents, grasping and shredding his skin.

With a deafening roar, Jesse unleashed a shockwave of energy that shredded the vines and hurled Freya back. She crashed to the ground, battered and bleeding from the blast. As she fought to regain her footing, Calvin charged forward, consumed by rage.

His spear sliced through the air in a relentless barrage. The sight of Freya wounded by someone he once considered family, a man who had sat on his couch, sharing beers while that very same dog rested in his lap, fueled his fury. What madness had consumed his brother?

The storm raged around Calvin, growing in intensity as he poured unprecedented amounts of essence into it. He summoned forth Divine Judgement. Reality itself tore open, a rift forming directly to the plane of storms. Raw, untamed power seeped from the rift as a colossal lightning bolt crashed down upon Jesse's position. Jesse managed to raise his blade just in time, erecting a barrier between himself and the full force of the attack. But Calvin did not relent. He drew the essence from the rift, channeling it directly into his cataclysmic storm, amplifying its destructive might to unimaginable levels.

Jesse responded in kind. Dark powers swirled around him and condensed into pellets of pure corrupted energy. He fired them in a ceaseless volley. They pelted off of Calvin's armor, chipping away at it as Calvin pressed forward. This was not a battle of tactics. It had become one of raw emotion and the two men would pummel each other without a care for their own safety until one, or both of them died. Fortunately, Reaper was not playing the same game.

Reaper had ducked away as the battle started, taking up a flanking position off to the side. As Jesse turned away from him, he activated All In and fired a supercharged plasma bolt from his rifle. The energy leaped out and slammed into Jesse's unprotected flank, throwing him to the ground.

Calvin saw his opening and lunged forward, his blade piercing Jesse's chest in a spray of dark blood. Jesse's eyes went wide, his mouth opening in a silent scream as the life drained from his body. He crumpled to the ground, his dark robes fluttering around him like the wings of a fallen angel.

Calvin stood over his brother's body, his heart heavy with grief and regret. He had never wanted it to come to this, never wanted to be the one to end his own brother's life. But Jesse had left him no choice, had embraced a path of darkness and destruction that could only lead to ruin.

Amy and the hooded woman remained entangled in their deadly dance, a mesmerizing spectacle of brilliant radiance and inky darkness. Their powers collided and intertwined, each seeking to overwhelm the other. As they fought, the very air around them seemed to warp and shimmer, distorted by the sheer magnitude of the energies they wielded.

But in the wake of Jesse's defeat, the hooded woman's resolve appeared to waver. Her movements grew less fluid, her attacks losing the razor-sharp precision they once possessed. It was as if the sight of her fallen ally had shaken her to her very core, eroding the foundation of her confidence and determination.

Seizing upon this momentary weakness, Amy redoubled her efforts. Her daggers became extensions of her own body, whirling and slicing through the air in a dizzying display of speed and grace. She moved like a wraith, darting in and out of the shadows, always one step ahead of her adversary's increasingly desperate attempts to defend herself.

With each passing second, Amy drove the woman further back, forcing her to give ground as she sought to evade the relentless onslaught. The assassin's blades seemed to be everywhere at once, a storm of gleaming metal that left no room for escape or respite.

In a final, all-or-nothing gambit, Amy lunged forward, throwing the entirety of her strength and skill behind a single, devastating thrust. Her dagger found its mark, plunging deep into the hooded woman's chest, piercing through cloth, skin, and bone alike.

As the blade sank into her flesh, the woman let out a gasping, gurgling cry, her eyes wide with shock and agony. The sickly green toxins that coated the dagger's edge began to seep into her bloodstream, spreading through her body like a virulent poison. She staggered backwards, clutching at the wound, her face contorted in a rictus of pain and despair.

The woman let out a choked gasp, her hands scrabbling at the dagger's hilt as she sank to her knees. "You... you think you've won?" she rasped, blood bubbling from her lips. "You have no idea what's coming, little assassin. No idea of the true power that Kyrak wields."

Amy yanked her dagger free, watching as the woman's body crumpled to the ground. "We'll face whatever comes," she said, her voice hard and unyielding. "And we'll beat it, just like we beat you."

Calvin looked out over the battlefield, his heart heavy with the weight of all that had transpired. They had won the day, but at what cost? His own brother, twisted and corrupted by Kyrak's dark powers, lay dead at his feet. And the hooded woman's final words echoed in his mind, a chilling reminder of the challenges that still lay ahead. Tears streamed down his face now. He was barely able to hold himself together and the adrenaline began to wear off and reality started to set in. Calvin was about to crumble.

But as he looked to his companions, to Amy and Tank and Freya, he felt a flicker of hope spark to life in his chest. Jesse was family, but as far as Calvin was concerned, he died when he accepted this cursed power. The man Calvin faced today may have worn his brother's face, but it was not Jesse. Not anymore. He was a monster and Calvin's job is to put monsters like him down.

For they were the champions of humanity, the ones who would stand against the corruption no matter the cost. And they would fight to their last breath to defend the world they loved, to protect the innocent and the helpless from the forces that sought to consume them.

Calvin took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders as he turned to face his companions. "Let's go," he said, his voice ringing with a fierce determination. "We have work to do."

Tank looked up at the sky where Kyrak's ship had flown off. "FUCK!" He shouted. "He was right god damn here. We had him!"

"Hey guys?" Seth chimed in through the comms. "I feel like now is a good time to tell you, our little pal Scout, is onboard that ship right now, and he's fully stocked with portal grenades."