Lute's barrier continued to shield him from the lighting that crashed into him. It sparked and sputtered. He moved like a wrecking ball through the center of the Aetherguard formation, bowling over a half dozen of them as he passed. Once he had broken up their rank and file, he dismissed the barrier and summoned forth his blade of ethereal blue flame.

He severed the closest guard in twain, the man dying with an aghast look on his face. Two more were impaled before the others could react as Lute drove forward elongating the blade to capture a third on the shishkabob. They all died, suspended on his ki as it boiled their innards and cauterized them. Such wounds were not easily healed, if even possible at all.

The defender's numbers were substantial, as a dozen or more more appeared moments later in a flicker motion to reinforce. Lute could easily see himself getting mired down in a battle for a long while, even if it were simple as chopping lumber. A drawn out massacre wasn't really his objective. He had bigger fish to fry, like the actual leaders of Hollow.  Cut the head off the snake, and the body dies. Their morale needed to be shattered if he were to get them to surrender to his rule.

Hachi and Kuueru had more than enough power and skill to handle the army.

"Kuueru," Lute called across the battlefield. "I leave you to handle this wretched lot."

Lute trusted her to get it done. He didn't think twice. He was a bit greedy in his seeking the best fight and the most glory. Amethyst aura bursting to life around him, he rocketed across the "sky" of Hollow towards the palace platform in the center.

---

Little did Lute realize, the biggest challenge of the Hollow wasn't in the palace, but embedded among the enemy. No longer bearing the mirrored mask of the Triumvirate, Tres stood shoulder to shoulder with his Aetherguard.

The biggest difference was that he didn't carry a staff. Being an arch-wizard of utmost power and skill, he didn't need such trivial implements to weave his spells. Lute flew off towards the palace as a purple streak. Tres didn't like letting him go.

Both his eyes set upon a demoness wrecking havoc through his ranks. She would be his target before he went after the Namekian. Because, Tres knew the danger of leaving a demon unchecked within the skull. The entire city seeped in the dark energy of the Demon Real and served as a conduit of it. Demons had a natural affinity for such power, easily able to absorb it and bolster their own natural strength. It wasn't beyond logic that she could surpass Lute if she knew what she was doing.

"Spread out," he commanded the Aethergaurd. "Find the human spellcaster. I believe we only hit his decoy. He's bound to be lurking around. I will take down this demon monstrosity. Ensure they don't interfere."

Tres floated up, leveling with Kuueru. He held out a gloved finger towards her. "The Namekian certainly keeps interesting company, to say the least."

He turned his hand, palm up and curled his finger. "Transmute: Air to Glass."

In a bubble around Kuueru the very air she breathed with shift and shimmer before it was magically transformed into glass. The pressure of all that glass closing in would cause it to burst into millions of scintillating razor sharp shards. If the demoness was't quick enough, the very air she sucked into her lungs would be transmuted as well and slice open her vital organs like blood filled pinatas.

Tres didn't relent though, wanting to make sure that he had gotten the job done. He shifted, eyes locking onto the scar of rubble their crash landing created. Giant sections of destroyed building levitated into the air. He clenched his fist and they began to crush inward, compacting into dense spheroids within seconds. As the gravity spell he wove focused, the spheres began to glow bright hot and red from increasing surface friction.

He swung his arm and hurled what was best described as meteors of molten metal and rock straight at Kuueru, or what remained of her after the damage of the first spell.

---

Hachi yawned. Escaping the chain lightning spells the wizard army hurled at them had been child's play. Still, he couldn't help but wish he had time for a cup of coffee. Yes, he preferred tea most times during the day. But, after his deep slumber--he really needed that bitter bite of black bean water.

A xeno family were huddled in the corner, holding each other for support as he perused their refrigerator. They didn't have coffee or an alien analog to it. He found a an aluminum canister and popped it open. He was met with a nutty aroma and looked inside to see a frothy white liquid. Reminded him of almond milk. He took a long drink of it, his upper lip stained with its residue.

Not quite almond milk. Actually, it had a strange flavor to it, reminding him of orange juice. It was good though. 

"Thirsty," he said and shrugged, placing the canister back inside the fridge. A half second later her turned and phased through the wall.

Their screams of horror were muffled now that he stood in the atrium of the residential complex. Through the glass pane windows above, he spotted Kueeru fighting it out in the sky. Moments later, a single powerful wizard embedded her in a sphere of glass.

"Oh. That is a gruesome spell."

Tapping his chin, he thought to plan his next move. No doubt the wizard army would come hunting for him. He didn't really feel like fighting, so he would lead them on a wild goose chase. But, before doing that he felt a little obligated to help out Kuueru in her duel. She was a friend and somewhat a student, after all.

In the moment she was about to be pummeled with a flaming ball of slag, the idea lightbulb went off in his head . A grin spread across his lips.

"Ah. I know the perfect thing."

WC: 1,033 | 2,6521
Queen Kuueru

Setting up a demonic ritual inside of the lobby of an apartment building was a bit awkward. Hachi flicked his wrist and produced some chalk out of the sleeve of his robe. An old materialization trick, always fun to preform, especially for the kiddos. Above it seemed Kuueru was dealing with giant spheres of super-heated rock being flung at her. Looked painful and not at all a good time. Then agian, most fights were really boring and very irritating. Hachi didn't understand how people enjoyed them.The entire area shook and rattled as the shots that miss landed with destructive consequence. Hachi kept looking up at the glass atrium overhead, unsure if it would shatter and come falling down on him. 

"You're making me uncomfortable."

With a quick chant he cast a transmutation spell that turned the glass back into sand. It rained down inside of the lobby, getting in his hair and all over his shirt. He dusted it off and grimaced, wishing he hadn't lost his hat. Sure, he could make a new one. But, he really didn't want to. It wasn't the same. At some point before this all was over he would find the little xeno brat that stole his and get it back.

Chalk in head he traced the outline circle, whistling a somber tune as he did. Once that was drawn, he sketched in some ancient runes--each one curved and twisted. The demonic language was crude and barbaric, appropriate though. He also willed some candles into existence, dropping them along its circumference. Those always helped set the ritualistic ambiance better than anything else. Tapping his cane, they set ablaze all at once.

Demonic words escaped his lips next, bringing forth the incantation. Kuueru no doubt could feel the dark energy, latent and abundant within Hollow. She could draw on it, if she had the training and time to do so. This spell accelerated that feat, gathering a decent chunk all at once and delivering it in a neat little package to her.

After the spell was cast, he watched one of the slag balls hit her and do little to even move her. She then noticed him below and told him to hide. He shrugged back at her.

After a moment of contemplation, he continued whistling his tune and pushed open the front doors to the apartment building, stepping onto the avenue. A handful of the Aetherguard were there waiting for him. They fired shrieking bolts of flame and hurled daggers of frost.

Hachi shifted and went invisible just before they hit him, slinking away. 

---

Bright yellow blood dripped from Tres's left arm. The demoness's claws had wracked him good. Her teleportation had been unexpected. He wondered why she hadn't used it to get inside of Hollow.

Then again, maybe they knew about our teleportation wards? There's no way...

It appeared that whatever gift of dark power she received had made her go into a frenzy. Ki blasts shrieked away from her hands, crashing into the unsuspecting Aetherguard. Some of them had turned back to engage her. There was a real fear from them of putting their back to her. That irritated Tres the most. They were supposed to be disciplined troops, who followed orders. The wizard was the reason for her sudden surge of power.

"You idiots! I told you. Find. The. Wizard."

Tres needed to formulate a plan and fast. How would he take down such a monster? She now outgunned him. But, he had the clever experience necessary to win. This time levitated up the broken remnant of the tiny stealth ship they used to invade Hollow. It was a lot harder to compress than the other pieces of rubble, but he managed to do it, clenching his fist down hard. As it dripped liquid metal onto the street below, he wove a second spell to her left. A thin rift tore open in space and time, leading far away from Hollow into the dark of space.

He chucked the sphere at her, aiming slightly to her right. It zipped through the air with speed and precision, as this time he was focusing on the sole attack rather than sending a furious barrage as before. She would find it easier to dodge to the left and if she did, she would hopefully enter rift and be hurled into the abyss.

She had already teleported once. He doubted she could pull such a feat off again. If she noticed the rift, she would be forced to take the burnt of the impact. It was always best to put one's foe in a lose-lose situation.

Despite that, he didn't trust that gambit to take her out alone. Yet, it bought him the fleeting moments necessary to produce a scroll from his robes. Booming words, ancient and forlorn escaped his lips as he read from the etchings made upon its weathered surface.

This grandiose spell would take a moment, so he hustled to have the full incantation finished before she retaliated. 

WC: 841 | 3,492
Queen Kuueru

Lute landed in the center of the platform suspending the Palace of the Triumvirate above the rest of Hollow's dense metropolis. His heels cracked the polished flagstones with a resounding force. Intricate gardens surrounded him and the path leading forward to the the gates. Fountains and statues poked up above the hedges and garden banks, each one an esoteric shape with rivulets of water babbling and cascading into great reservoirs. Sprinklers kept all the groomed plant life well watered and vivid in exotic greens, yellows, and blues.

Despite the pleasantries of the palace yard, the Namekian moved forward with caution. They Aetherguard where there, waiting for him without a doubt. It didn't make sense for all of their forces to be sent on the intercept. Their place of rule was also a place of greed and pride. They liked nice things, thus they would protect them. Even if those things were pointless in the end.

It was typical though, of the rich and powerful to flaunt their position in such a way. The rest of Hollow remained quite modest in comparison, its people hard working and trodden. It was sad. It would change, and fast after he took over. 

Eyes flickering back and forth, he anticipated the coming attack. Being that they were wizards, he needed to keep his senses keen and be ready for anything. Their attacks wouldn't be conventional. They never were.

A trio of enormous faceless statues stood outside of the palace gates. Each one was a good fifty feet in height, a gleaming mass of metal and stone. Lute's first clue to what was about to happen came from the leading statue. It loomed forward, like a serpent striking out at prey. Its massive hand came down and threatened to crush the Namekian.

Lute grimaced as he caught its fingers with both hands, seizing the appendage before its collision. Both of his feet were pushed deep into the path, ripping up flagstones and hurling them in every direction. Fighting instinct told him to pivot and throw. However, before he could do that his back was lit up with crackling bolts of lightning and tendrils of frost.

"Argh!"

The Namekian jerked hard, snapping a finger off the statue's hand in a single motion. As he whipped around, he flung the stolen finger at a cadre of Aetherguard casting upon him. They dispersed before it landed, rolled, and crushed a tree into into loose splinters and bark.

He vanished, appearing beside one of the Aetherguard. The xeno's eyes widened with terror as Lute grabbed him by the neck. Using his claw-like finger nails he raked out the guard's throat, spraying crimson into the air. He flickered behind the next, kicking him and folding him in half with the brunt of it. A third managed to scorch his left side with a jet of flame. Lute simply charged through it and the pain, striking him down with a headbutt that could have split an asteroid. The Atherguard simply crumpled into the precisely cut grass.

The entire trio of statues were animated now, their big feet thundering with each step as the rushed Lute. The Demon Clansmen's eyes dazzled bright amethyst as twin rays of ki shot out of his pupils. They cut like precision lasers, chopping the arm off the lead statue and also channeling deep furrows into its torso.

---

Despite Tres's efforts, the demoness was still standing. She didn't return with attacks, rather questions. Which, was good for him as he finished the incantation on the scroll. The spell he summoned forth would need time to come to fruition. And he could seize it by amusing her curiosity for a moment.

"I am Price Tres of the Triumvirate. We are the three leaders of Hollow, and have vowed to keep the city safe and in secret. And it has. The city has persisted since the time before the rise of Lord Frieza."

That was somewhat of a lie. The attackers today weren't the first to have entered Hollow with ill intent. Past incidents had been ex-Atherguard, exiled. Only to return with vengeance. Because of that, any Aetherguard these days that went against orders or did questionable acts were sealed away in a magical prison instead.

"It's curious how you learned of our city. We pride ourselves on being tight lipped, making sure we're only myth and legend among the galaxy. Tell me, what oracle or divination led you here? There's now way it came from simple word of mouth."

Tres could feel it now, the power of the scroll reverberating in his bones. The demoness was too strong for him to slay alone. But, he had this up his sleeve to at least keep her trapped so he could reinforce the palace, which was under attack by the Namekian. He could sense the magical wards placed there screaming in alarm. It was even a little hard to concentrate with the constant head-space noise. 

Above Kuueru a massive rift opened up. This time it was different, as with it descended a sphere of bronze, covered in all sorts of archaic runes. This was old magic, the type touched only by the elder races and the gods themselves.

The sphere began to unfurl into ribbons and cords, becoming like a mass of hair suspended in the air. Each strand shot out at her with precision and speed. They moved so fast that even she would have a hard time avoiding them. It was a spell of binding and would attempt to pierce her flesh or wrap her up in a tangle. As more and more converged, she would be pulled into the center of the mass. Eventually that would lead her to be swallowed whole and sealed in the core the bronze sphere. There her ki would be sapped and suppressed. She would remain helpless until Tres released her.

Or the sphere was hurled into the nearest star, as he intended.

The casting had drained him. In fact, he needed to land atop a nearby roof to gather his breath. Beads of sweat rolled down his bald head and watched, praying for the spell's success. Otherwise, he would fall prey.

WC: 1,035 | 4,527
Queen Kuueru

"Unless you’d prefer to see your city fall to ruin before I do that. I’m sure that could be arranged."

How was this happening? Tres was certain she had been taken by the sealing spell. Yet, here she was behind him, speaking directly into his ear. He shot forward, blinking through the air until he was a safe distance away. Facing her now, he could see that she had undergone some sort of demonic metamorphosis. This new form was far closer to what he anticipated her kind to look like--a wicked corrupt monster.

Kouzi. That name was one Tres hadn't heard for a long time. One he was sure had been purged from reality. The first of the betrayers of Hollow, the witch had risen to the highest of rank and regard. Only, she had longed for more, to leave Hollow and learn of secrets beyond. Tres had brought her with him on many such excursions. Taught her everything he knew. Yet, one maligned text had changed all that. Convinced her that Hollow needed to conquer the galaxy and the Universe. She had tried to monger war, turning foes against Hollow, to prove a point.

It was because of her that the city had become a secret. Tres had to create the memory wiping protocol to erase her foolish mistake. And he had worked for centuries to wipe out any mention or recorded evidence of its existence. All for what?

For it to come unraveled anyway. Kouzi was manipulative and now she had sewn the seeds of downfall. Unless Tres could do something today, if he could win.

As the strongest wizard in Hollow, Tres had forgone ever relying on the ambient demonic power that surrounded them. Much of it was used for other purposes, to power some of the arcane machinery that kept the place operational. The inner structures of Hollow were a delicate balance between magic and tech. The intertwined systems were also built with redundancy in mind, should any element of magic or mundane fail.

The dark power within Hollow was know to corrupt to the wielder. It made them hunger for more and more. Those that learned the art of magic in the prestigious academies on Hollow were forbidden from ever calling upon it.

So, it frustrated him that he would need to be hypocritical. If he wanted to defeat this demon, he needed to use the dark power for his own. A taste of corruption, and one he hoped he could escape from untained. Otherwise, he would face a self imposed exile.

The last thing I need to do is become some abhorrent megalomaniac. Because, that no different than this city's fate if I fail.

Tres drew in the demonic power, which crackled around him in crimson. No doubt Kuueru would feel the desperate shift. Both of his eyes went wide with the surge. The power was far more intoxicating than he anticipated. So long had he skirted around it, had he ignored its lull. Yet, embracing it felt so damn good.

Roaring, he stretched his arm out, fingers splayed wide. Ropes of ruby-red light erupted from his fingertips, snaking through the air as they moved. They would try to wrap around Kuueru, searing her flesh and binding her. And he would lift his arm up, jerking her straight into the air, only to drop it down and send her plummeting into the cityscape below.

"Die you bitch!"

---

Hachi had led the Aetherguard's chase far away from the dramatic scene unfolding between Kuueru and Tres. It had been quite the fun little venture. He appeared in front of them, just long enough to grab their attention--only to slip through walls, shift through floors, or even fade into shadows. They lent chase, a product of their orders. And they attacked relentlessly, hurling lighting, fire, and ice at every fleeting turn.

Amateurs, the lot of them. Hachi could teach them a thing or two about the subtitles of magic. It was like hitting a piano with a hammer, rather than playing an intricate melody.

But, he wasn't here to school them. He was here to defeat them. Perhaps symbolic, he would weave a web around them. It wasn't that hard. A touch of magic to make the threads invisible, a dash of materialization to make them durable. He stuck the threads to various walls and surfaces. Shifting into a fog, he would pass through a formation of the Aetherguard, attaching threads to their legs, arms, and backs.

Keeping the lines slack, they had no way of noticing what they were in store for. Once finished Hachi coalescted in his ghastly form atop of a overpass bridge, becoming solid once again. He carried a grin on his face.

The Aetherguard prepared for their assault and he simply put both hands in the air.

"I surrender."

They paused, uncertainty flashing across their faces. They had not been expecting him to yield in the middle of the wild chase. In fact, it probably seemed to them that they had been outwitted and losing.

"We should kill him," one guard said, stepping forward to level his staff.

"No, there is no honor in killing a man that turns himself over," another said, grabbing the end of it and lowering it.

"You've seen what he can do, do you trust him?"

"You're telling m-"

Arms still raised high, Hachi's index finger twitched. And with it the web was activated. The invisible strands of magic all tightened and constricted. The guards were ripped from their spots and suspended in mid air. They fought and struggled, but the more effort they spent the more the cords entangled them more. It only took seconds for them to be fully bound, arms pinned to their sides and legs crunched together.

Hachi's arms dropped and he frowned.

"I guess I don't have to surrender now. A shame."

Scratching his chin, he thought about what he wanted to do next. Remember that some xeno kid had taken his hat, he raised a finger. "Now to get my hat back."

The guards screamed and writhed, but they remained entrapped as he casually walked under the web and past them.

WC: 1,038 | 5,565
Queen Kuueru