“Ah, well.” Kaiden shrugged. “Close enough.” He lunged forward.
Ability: Shield Bash
The stun caught Moran full in the chest. It didn’t deal any damage, but it locked him in place for two seconds. And two seconds was just enough time.
“Titus!” Kaiden shouted but the big man was already on it.
Ability: Improved Shield Charge
He came in like a bus, slamming into Moran from behind and driving him several steps forward. Several steps into Thorne’s reach.
“Improved Grip Like Iron,” Kaiden shouted. “Let’s give it one more try.”
Thorne lunged forward with the ability and grappled Moran. He kicked and flailed, landing hammer strike after hammer strike on her, but in Improved Last Rites she couldn’t be killed. How did you kill what was already at zero percent health?
Ability: Enfeebling Strike
Loads charge into your hammer. On a successful hit, this charge floods into the target’s nervous system, making them more susceptible to pain. Increases damage taken by target by 50% for 10 seconds.
Kaiden lunged forward and slammed his hammer into Moran’s ribs, then reeled back before a counterattack could kill him.
“The thing I pity you for most,” Kaiden said, pulling his eyes up to Moran’s, “is that you’ve forgotten what it means to have allies you can rely on. Friends to have your back.” He backed away.
“Boom,” Zelda said, then pulled the trigger on the ability she’d been charging. She was in Sniper Mode, and Moran hadn’t touched her, but her health was down to five percent. It became apparent why as Kaiden’s visor read out the abilities she’d chosen for the finisher.
Ability: Pain for Gain
You may sacrifice 25% of your max health to make your next attack deal 2x damage. If you sacrifice 50% of your max health that attack will deal 4x damage instead.
Ability: Inferno Shot
You fire an explosive, superheated blast that ignores 50% of the target’s armor. Deals 3x base damage to all targets in range (allies included). Takes 7 seconds to charge (must be stationary).
The attack was like nothing Kaiden had ever seen before. Inferno Shot on its own was a terror to behold but this was something else entirely. When the Warden Corps army had marched out what felt like forever ago Kaiden had thought they were the most frightening thing he’d seen. An asteroid about to destroy a planet, a natural disaster given shape and purpose – but this, this was more. In every way. It was like staring into the heart of a star as it went supernova. An asteroid could take out planets, but this would take out solar systems.
Kaiden’s eyes burned like nothing he’d felt before as Zelda’s supercharged Inferno Shot tore across the room. The explosion as it hit Moran shook the room so hard Kaiden toppled over and dirt and debris rained down from the ceiling. He wouldn’t have been surprised if the impact was felt all across the asteroid, shaking all of Custos to its core.
In the midst of the nuclear inferno, Thorne was laughing madly. She was invincible for two more seconds while Improved Last Rites finished up and she watched firsthand as Moran’s health drained away to nothing. His health pool was massive and he’d tanked pretty much everything they’d thrown at him so far, but there was no tanking this. His health drained to nothing, then his armor burned off, then his body entirely. When the attack ended, Thorne was left standing, her arms wrapped around nothing but a faint scorch mark on the floor.
Warden Hierarch Slaen Moran killed – 20,000 EXP gained!
Achievement Unlocked!
Harbinger of Upheaval – 10,000 EXP!
You’ve toppled the leader of all law and order in the universe and brought about a new age. It’s time for change to take root in Nova... and beyond. A new age is on the horizon.
“That’s what’s up!” Titus said, pumping a fist in the air.
We did it. Holy shit. It... it actually worked.
“No time to celebrate,” Zelda said, and she was right. The timer was down to four minutes now. Far less time than Kaiden would have preferred.
Moran’s death had fulfilled the ‘kill all enemies within fifty feet of your place of death’ condition of Thorne’s Improved Last Rites and she was fully alive again, if one percent health could be considered fully alive. But it was enough to do what she’d come to do.
She rushed to the broadcast control console and began working the controls.
“Every extra second we can give people to consider the broadcast is needed,” she said as she worked. “No time to waste. We need as many downloads as possible. Spread this bad boy far and wide. Titus,” she said over her shoulder. “Come here, hold this down.” She gestured to a touch screen and he stepped up and pressed his hand to it. “Takes two people to do this part.”
“But I was able to do it with one—” Zelda began before Thorne cut her off.
“One can upload but It takes two people to activate,” she reasserted, then shot Zelda a look. She turned to Titus who had his hand planted on the screen. “Good, keep that there.” She moved a step to the side to an identical control panel. She repeated the procedure she’d done on the first one, then pressed her hand to that console’s touch screen and looked back to Zelda. “It’s ready,” she said. “Database?”
Zelda produced it from her inventory, the opened padlock appearing in her hand as she ran up to the console.
“There,” Thorne said, nodding toward a slot in the front of the console. Zelda held the padlock up, then gave it a quick kiss.
“For Bernstein,” she said and slid it into the slot. The console accepted it with a faint whirring.
“Good, good.” Thorne said with a nod. “All right, it’s ready to go.” As she said it, a button
