Hundreds of Granian and Cyclitharan soldiers deployed from the Behemoth ships and quickly positioned themselves on the battlefield. As they did so, the three Behemoths landed and sent out Mechs. Groups of ten Mechs marched with the soldiers as they began pushing forward. Before they knew it, the Ethisians were pushed back into the high, thick Walls of their Bastion. It wasn’t after they all retreated that they noticed one thing. Their High Grade leader was left behind, still in the clutches of the Blood Mutant, Grim, a Human, and a Cyclitharan. The Ethisians were so focused on retreating to safety that they ignored the High Grade in her moment of need and by the time they realized it, there was nothing that could be done for her. The Gates to their Bastion were sealed shut and it would be difficult and incredibly risky for them to be opened. With no way of saving the High Grade, the Ethisians hoped and prayed she’d survive...even though she was heavily outnumbered and overpowered. "This time, I’ll make sure to kill you." With a sword in her back, claws in her chest, a tail wrapped around her neck, and limbs corroding to the lethal effects of acidified blood, the High Grade was close to knocking on death’s door, a fate she wasn’t ready to face just yet. "Lord Grim..." she spoke while her face started to twitch. Her purple eyes started to glow and her lean body started to bulge a little. Skyler and Cion, being fighters who relied more on Eneraflux than anything else, understood what was about to happen. The Ethisian was charging up, readying her body for a counterstrike. "...do you think it’s wise that all of you have gathered yourselves this close? Especially with your precious Blood Mutant?" Grim embraced the Ethisian’s body while Cion and Skyler made a run for it. Ace, oblivious to the impending doom, remained where he was as the acidic blood he controlled started to have no effect on the Ethisian. It took Grim screaming at Ace for him to finally grasp what was going to happen but by the time he realized, it was too late. An electric-like field of pure energy escaped the Ethisian’s body in the shape of a dome. The energy, glowing a bright purple, grew outward like an explosion and immobilized Ace as soon as it touched him. The effect was so intense that his body fell to the ground. The Blood Bishop instantly lost all his strength, temporarily, and because of that he could no longer keep Enoris active. The Blood Warrior, weakened by her Crimson Lord’s state, deformed into a puddle of blood. Her sword which was lodged in Ely’s back, melted as well, and together, the puddle and melted sword reverted back into Ace’s arm. [Your body has been corrupted] [A foreign energy has suppressed your own] [You cannot use any of your blood abilities effectively] [Your body cannot heal from this naturally] On the ground, weakened and coughing blood, Ace rolled onto his stomach while his head panged in rhythm to his aching heart. His vision pulsated as well and he swore he was seeing things as though they were colored in purple. "Ace...Ace...can you hear me?" Grim, unaffected by the Ethisian’s attack, called out to Ace who looked as though he got the wind knocked out of his lungs. "Ace!!" "Don’t waste your strength on him, Grim," the Ethisian laughed and then threw Grim over her shoulder. Standing over him, Ely grinned and Grim and teased saying, "He’s out of the picture for now. Can’t have any interruptions from him and that red Ethisian of his." While the Ethisian blabbed, Grim sprung to his feet, lifted Ace, and threw him as far as he possibly could, getting him as far away from the Ethisian as he could. It was now just him and her, two powerhouses going toe to toe against each other. What a terrible fight it was going to be. "Don’t try anything," Grim ordered while his soldiers aimed at the High Grade. "Give up now and die painlessly. Resist and I’ll make you watch all your comrades die at my hands." "Empty threats," she took one step and immediately, the soldiers at the frontline fired at her. Both gunfire and Mech fire ravaged the Ethisian’s body, causing serious damage to her. "Stand down," Grim warned but the stubborn Ethisian wasn’t going to go down easily. She sprung to her feet and raised her arms in preparation to fight. Wounded but not defeated, the High Grade grinned at the black-scaled Granian while its eyes focused on the soldiers ahead of it. "You came with a large army," she spoke while blood trickled down her mouth, "it’s safe to say you’ve won this fight. You’ve bested me Grim...what am I saying? None of us have battled each other. One-on-one, Grim. Just you and I. "Beat me, and my soldiers surrender and become your slaves. I beat you....i take your Blood Mutant along with me. What do you sa..." A kick to the High Grade’s mouth silenced her immediately, followed by a series of heavy blows to its chest, head, and back. The longer it let itself get hit, the faster, stronger, and more relentless Grim became with his attacks. While he did what he did, the Granians and Cyclitharans marched to the Gates while one of the three Behemoth Ships slowly hovered over said Gates. From its bottom, several turrets emerged and prepared to blast the Gates off their hinges. While the shots were fired, and the soldiers marched in to commence a bloody massacre, Grim pounded the High Grade until she was on her last leg. Bested, the Ethisian already accepted its defeat, and just as Grim promised, she was forced to watch all of her soldiers die at the hands of the Granians. "You’re smiling," Grim, irritated by this behavior, sneered while shaking the Ethisian by her head, "does the sight of your own kind’s spilled blood please you?" The Ethisian laughed weakly, its body no longer capable of fighting effectively. Grim questioned one more and in the most condescending tone, she replied saying, "Seeing your precious Blood Mutant fail to understand how grave what my energy did to him is the cause of the smile on my face..." Grim angrily turned his head toward Ace and witnessed how the Blood Mutant waved his arms around. With a heavy expression, Ace struggled to do the simplest thing a Blood Mutant could do—create a single drop of blood. In as much as he struggled, the Blood Mutant wasn’t able to generate a single drop of blood. All of his skills were ineffective. His Blood Skills, the things that made his strength known, were no longer at his disposal. "...what use is a Blood Mutant that can’t use its abilities?" "You...what did you do...ANSWER M..." in a last attempt, the Ethisian wrapped its tail around Grim’s tail and tripped him. With the last of its strength, it managed to dart back into the Bastion where it found a few survivors. Desperate to escape, the High Grade and the other survivors boarded the last few ships and barely escaped. These cowardly Ethisians plotted this already, making sure to leave no room for anyone else other than their High Grade leader. "Set course for Edenia," she spoke while a few soldiers tended to her wounds, "I have good needs to give..." "We have bad news. Bastion One and Two have been..." "Doesn’t matter," she interrupted while laughing, "the Granians came more than prepared...but what I have to report will bring news to our leaders. I’d kill you cowards for running right now but fate has kept you alive for this reason. Take us home." [Your body has been corrupted] [A foreign energy has suppressed your own] [You cannot use any of your blood abilities effectively] Chapters fırst released on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⁂𝕟𝕖𝕥 [Your body cannot heal from this naturally]