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The Life of Valor (Grave x Kat)

The next morning, Scott awoke first and saw Jessica's angelic face. She was smiling and murmuring happily. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled as she opened her eyes.
"Good morning, beautiful. I love you."
He gave her a kiss and a hug before getting out of bed.

Scott got dressed in some shorts and a tanktop and then turned to face her.
"I'm going to go and retrieve our clothing from the special spot. I'll see you in a few minutes."
He was out the window in a second and heading to the spot at a quick jog.
 
Jessica mumbled softly as she woke and blushed a little as she saw Scott and he kissed her and hugged her and told her he loved her. "I-I love you too..." She murmured then nodded and went to get dressed herself.
 
As Scott was heading for the special spot where his clothing was, he was surprised to see a familiar figure floating on the surface of the water. It was Enjela, the Empress of Kasha, although she was not dressed in the same regalia of her office as she had appeared to him years ago. She was dressed in a more functional silvery pantsuit, something more suitable for travel. Could that mean she was here in person? If whatever she had to tell them was important enough for her to travel here from her home planet, then it had to be bad. His first thought was that the Grymwar were planning an invasion of Kasha or another invasion of Earth, but something still felt off.

Scott dropped to one knee and paid her respect as a member of royalty. She had told him time and again not to do that, but he never listened. It was just a respect thing with him. When he rose up, he looked into her eyes with a mixture of friendliness and dread.
"I welcome you to Planet Earth, Empress Enjela, and I feel honored that you came here in person. However, I know that if this is important enough for you to come here yourself, it must be bad."

Enjela nodded with a tight look on her face.
"Scott, the situation is worse than you know. This time we face not just a threat from the Grymwar, but from one of our own."
Scott's eyes widened.
"A Kashan?" he said, not believing what he was hearing.
The Kasha were a peace-loving people that detested war, and he could not imagine one of them turning to violence on a scale wide enough for him to need to get involved.

Enjela shook her head and turned her eyes to Valor, who she could see within Scott.
"Valor, an old enemy of yours has returned to strike us. Jukei has a host."
Scott felt a shudder from within that could only have come from Valor, and he could feel several emotions coming from his friend, the most powerful being anger.
"That bastard!"
Scott was stunned once more by Valor displaying any kind of anger.

Valor was one of the most emotionally-controlled beings he had ever known, so for him to give in to anger must have meant that this Jukei creature was truly despicable.
"Is Jukei also a Voltari?" he asked.
"I'm ashamed to say that we are indeed of the same race. Once, we were even friends."
"So, what happened?"
Valor sighed.

"The Voltari Armor Weapons System asked for the best and brightest that my species had to offer, not unlike what NASA asked of your species. Jukei was intellectually brilliant and mentally tough, on the surface a credit to my species. The only problem was that he was completely amoral. He didn't care about the true aim of the project, which was for the Voltari to function alongside a host, ideally a Kashan. He only wanted a host that he could control with absolute authority, a humanoid that would allow him the freedom of movement to take the power and control that he craved. That was why for him, finding out that Kashan and Voltari could not coexist in the same body was no problem; the host dying would have only left him in complete control of the body, what he wanted all along."

Scott felt his own anger rising up in his chest, and he knew it was not just residual anger from Valor. His bonding with Valor over the course of many battles and life events had been the defining journey of his life, and the fact that this Voltari could treasure power over that joint experience revolted him. It was clear that Valor not only despised Jukei for his horrible personality, but also felt sad that he had horribly misjudged the character of someone he had thought was a friend.
"Stage Two of the project, a Plan B, if you will," began Enjela, "was that we would find wielders of worthy character and gift the Voltari to them. That was what began our association. Jukei, however, was expelled from the program so that he could not hurt anyone else."

"I'd imagine that didn't sit well with him."
"No, it did not. He began speaking treasonous words against me and so I was left with no choice but to lock him up. Unfortunately, I failed to foresee that a Kashan scientist named Dalweh working within the VAWS program could also be subject to dark temptation. He sought to overthrow me and was willing to risk his life by using a Voltari to do so. He was a perfect candidate for Jukei's manipulation and ended up serving his ends."

Scott nodded.
"So, this Kashan scientist Dalweh used VAWS to place Jukei inside of him. How much power was he able to draw out?"
"Not much, thankfully," Enjela replied, "The ego clash between them prevented much of a bond. In the end, Dalweh was barely able to manifest Jukei and lacked any kind of combat skill. If it had not been such an egregious and potentially dangerous breach of protocol, it would have been...funny."

Scott smiled, imagining the beating the two richly deserved.
"So, what happened after they were defeated?"
"They fled the planet and I thought that would be the end of them. Dalweh is certainly dead by now, and I had hoped that Jukei would join him in death. Unfortunately, Jukei has learned how to place himself in different hosts without the use of VAWS. The worst case scenario has now happened."

Scott felt his heart sink into his stomach.
"You don't mean that Jukei has-"
"Yes," Enjela answered solemnly, "He has been taken in by the Grymwar, and their new chieftain, Vizharr, is his host."
Scott was speechless, and Valor was saddened by the news.
"It seems that there is no low that Jukei won't sink to in order to get the power he craves. I can hardly believe that the two would have a strong bond, though."

Enjela shook her head sadly.
"Actually, it is the worst bond of all. Both are motivated by a need to get revenge on Kasha, and to this end, they have actually achieved great power. Just like you can cover your entire body in the Armor of Valor, Vizharr can cover his entire body in the Armor of Jukei. It seemed that this was a secret weapon that they had as a backup in case you two repelled Dulzak's invasion. As terrible as the attack on New York was, it was only the appetizer in the destructive meal of the Grymwar."

Scott shook his head.
"It seems like this time I might be facing an enemy that is every bit as powerful as I am. The Forbidden Tenth Fist puts me a bit ahead of Vizharr, but I can't rely on just that to beat him."
"That's why I want you to come with me back to Planet Kasha. The VAWS program will help you complete the Forbidden Tenth Armor to destroy them and save the planet."
Scott shook his head and looked back toward the house.

"I understand the importance of this, I really do. Unfortunately, you caught me and Valor at a bad time."
Enjela looked confused.
"A...bad time?"
"Yeah, I'm currently on a mission from Shadowgreen hunting werewolves. And..."

Enjela looked curious, and probed him with a look.
"And...?"
Scott smiled as a vision of Jessica appeared in his mind's eyes.
"I...have a girlfriend now. I can't just take off and leave her with no explanation like that. I did that once already, and I promised her I wouldn't do that again."

Enjela blushed in happiness, a smile gracing her beautiful face.
"Aw, Scott, that's wonderful!" she gushed while taking his hands.
Scott was not expecting this reaction of the normally reserved Empress, and was almost bowled over by it.
"Well, yeah, uh..."
"I was afraid that because of your enormous responsibility, you would forsake love, and I was sad for you. I'm glad to see that I was wrong."

She let go of his hands and snapped her fingers.
"I know! I'll go and meet her and congratulate her on such a fine choice of a mate."
"What?!"
Scott could only imagine this obvious alien walking, or even floating, into Mr. Allen's house and how well that would go over. He was about to try and talk her out of it, but she was already flying toward the house at high speed.

"When did she get that fast?!"
Scott grabbed the clothes in a single leap across the pond, and leaped back, hitting the ground running. His flawless athleticism and incredible speed saw him reach the house a few seconds after the Empress, but unfortunately, that was a few seconds too late. The Empress was floating at the kitchen table, much to the shock of Jessica and her father. Not caring about the shock, Enjela gently took Jessica's hands in hers.
"You must be the girlfriend that Scott was just telling me about."

Scott stepped into the kitchen and looked from Mr. Allen to Jessica. The Empress still seemed completely oblivious to the shock of her presence.
"Well, I can assure you that you have picked the best man on Earth for a mate. I would know, since I was the one who gave him Valor, a fine Voltari man if there ever was one. Scott can be a little too independent for his own good sometimes, but me and my people will forever be grateful to him for what he has done. However, what I really want to know is about you."

Enjela came down to the floor and sat in the chair.
"So, how did you two meet? Was it love at first sight? Did he tell you about Valor right away, or did that come later? I want to know everything."
She may have been the Empress of a far away planet, but when it came to matters of love, Enjela was just as eager to hear about it as any Earthling woman would be.

Mr. Allen was getting up, afraid that this creature that he could not recognize might hurt his daughter, even if she(?) did seem almost as human as him. Scott could see what was happening, and moved to intercept him.
"Mr. Allen, please come with me. I will explain everything."
He walked with him out of the room and they sat down on the couch. It was here that he explained his true identity and the identity of the woman currently chatting with Jessica.
 
Jessica was already downstairs eating breakfast with her father when her eyes widened in shock as a flying woman flew into the room and began talking to her excitedly about how she was dating Scott. She looked at Scott shocked as he arrived before watching after her father, guilt and worry on her face as Scott led him out of the room and she glanced back over at the eager woman. "U-Um... well... we both work in the same building in New York so we chatted quite a bit. I managed to drag him out of his office to have lunch one day with the intention of being his friend and making him less anti-social... He told me about Valor when he asked me out which was a few days after we had lunch... But..." She glanced back to the door to the other room. "My father didn't know about that yet..."
 
Enjela looked at her sympathetically.
"What a sweet story. Scott's...uh..."
She paused for a moment, searching for the right word. She had a grasp of the Earth language known as English, but sometimes had problems finding the right word for a situation.
"...tendency to be anti-social started with the task I assigned him."

Enjela was able to see into Jessica's heart because of her empathic abilities. On Kasha, males and females do not speak so much with words, they speak by connecting through hearts and minds. It was an augmented way of conversation that allowed two beings to converse in total honesty. For this reason, while Enjela talked about her history with Scott, images and something resembling video from her memories were appearing within the mind of Jessica. There was noticeable staticy glitching, since she knew from previous experience with Scott that this was not how human beings conversed, but after a little time it became smoother and easier. The emotional warmth or coldness of the topic of discussion could also be felt within them, so when happy or funny memories were discussed, their minds and bodies were filled with warmth.

Enjela put a memory out to see like one might take a picture out of a scrapbook. It was an image of Scott at age fourteen, a regular human teenager that had just displayed an extraordinary act of courage.
"Wasn't he so cute? I have always treasured my first encounter with Scott because I could see all of what he would become in his eyes. The courage and kindness that made him willing to sacrifice his own life to save the life of another was the kind of compassion I knew could save my planet."
She put that memory back in the stream and pulled out a memory of the first time that Scott had manifested Valor on his arm.

"This was an important step on his path to being a hero. I remember being so scared that this sweet boy would not take to the Voltari soul and would pass away after proving himself to be just what our worlds needed. But to my delight, Scott and Valor were able to bond perfectly and become the hope that my world needed."
After this joy, though, a mood of sadness seeped through her a little bit.
"My departed husband, Enilroth, and I were never able to conceive a child. For this reason, I have always seen Scott as the son I never had."

Her hands glowed with a gentle warmth, and passed that warmth to Jessica as a sign of her maternal love.
"I have seen into your heart, and know that you too carry pain of loss. You are such a sweet, good-hearted young woman, though, exactly the kind of person I hoped Scott would find someday. I see a beautiful future for the two of you, because I can feel the love that you two have for each other. It is pure and beautiful."
She smiled, letting the warmth and kindness that Jessica radiated fill her own heart, so that she might experience, just for a fleeting moment, the feelings that Jessica had for Scott.

Enjela gave her a wry grin.
"My my, some of those feelings were quite naughty, weren't they?"
She let out a gentle, melodic laugh to soothe the mood and then grew serious once more.
"What you should know about Scott through your own eyes is missing, though. Unlike the rest of the world, you never saw him at his best, when he was defending this world from the Grymwar. That's just not acceptable that the one he loves the most in the world has not seen that."

Enjela focused and what looked like a video ready to play appeared.
"Would you like to see it now? I will warn you that it will be hard on the heart, because Scott will suffer and even though we would both want to reach out to him and tend his wounds, we cannot. On the other hand, this video will help you to understand Scott on a level that I see you've been wanting with all of your heart. There are reasons to watch this event, and reasons not to. I ultimately leave the choice up to you."
 
Jessica blinked in surprise as she saw images in her mind and she smiled softly as she saw Scott so young. She then looked at the woman sadly as she spoke of her lack of a blood child. "I'm sorry..." She murmured then blinked in surprise when she realized the woman had read her mind, or well, her heart more like. She looked down a little sadly at the mention of her loss then she blinked in surprise and blushed madly at the woman's comment of her 'naught feelings.' She then looked down a little as she spoke of how she'd never seen that Scott had defended the world. She then looked up at her then at the video and said. "I... I want to see it..."
 
Enjela nodded solemnly.
"Okay. Here we go."
She closed her eyes and began to focus on the memories. It would take a lot of concentration to make the memories run smoothly, and she breathed deeply like she was in a trance. The memories began to play in both of their minds, and it was an over-the-shoulder view of Scott entering the scene where part of New York was burning.

Scott sprinted from the airport, his eyes on fire as he desperately tried to make his way through the crowd of onlookers. However, they were all pressed around, and there was no easy way he was going to get through without hurting someone. He directed his thoughts toward his right arm, and Valor materialized there. This drew the attention of some in the crowd, but he had no time to worry about that. He punched the ground and shot upward, covering his head with Valor Armor as well to avoid cracking his skull on the roof. Once he had punched through, he armored his feet so that he could jump off harmlessly and continued sprinting toward the city center.

Along the way, he had willed on the rest of his armor, trying to focus on getting to his enemies and not on the carnage he saw along the way. Overturned cars, destroyed buildings, and dead and maimed people were everywhere, proof of the ruthlessness of the enemy. The Grymwar had begun their savage invasion, and they would spare no one who got in their way. There was no way that he could let this continue, and as Scott ran down Broadway, he was amazed by what he saw. The mothership was so gigantic that it was the size of an entire borough, and he couldn't believe the scale of the invasion. He turned his attention to down the street as he got his first glimpses of his enemies.

The Grymwar were absolutely huge, standing at eight feet and wide like a professional bodybuilder. They were brimming with muscle and scales that he could tell would make them extremely hard to hurt. They were different shades of yellow and gray on their bodies, seeming to undulate in the light while they moved forward. As they got closer, he could see slightly-raised spikes brimming over their bodies, which not only provided an extra layer of defense, but also meant that having any kind of contact with their bodies could slice you open. Their faces were twisted in ugly grins, revealing an entire mouth of sharp teeth. It was clear that evolution had picked them to be the apex predator in close combat, and he was thankful that Valor would protect him from their weapons and allow him to strike with something that could shatter even their hardest of scales.

Scott decided that it would not be best to allow them to make the first strike, and drew back his left leg to stomp it on the ground and send out a small quake that lifted a car. His other foot was pointed forward, and he raised his fists in a Muay Thai fighting stance. He had his right fist higher, and then brought it down into position in a nonverbal fighting challenge. The Grymwar laughed at his antics, not put off by his armor or movements due to their supreme confidence in their combat ability. The lead Grymwar foot soldier knocked a car out of his way with a backfist strike like it was a toy, and they continued forward in a march they believed could not be stopped. They were wrong.

In the brief time that Scott had been obscured from view by the car, he had covered the remaining distance between them. From here, he executed a back kick that caught the lead Grymwar directly in the chest. The power was too much even for this being, and he flew backwards, hitting the Grymwar soldier directly behind him and knocking him hard to the ground. The one who had received the kick flew backwards into a building, which then collapsed on top of him. Scott saw the third Grymwar to his immediate right throw a punch at him, which he evaded with a hop that led into a pivot on his leg. As he came back around, he swept the fourth Grymwar's legs out from under him and came back around with a snap kick that landed under the chin of the Grymwar soldier that had thrown a punch at him, lifting him off of his feet and causing him to hit the ground.

Scott saw that the second Grymwar knocked down by his buddy's momentum was getting up, and Scott lifted his leg to land an ax-kick on its face. However, the Grymwar blocked the kick and pushed back, which caused him to have to pull back his leg and reapply his stance to avoid being knocked off balance. His savage opponent got to his feet and launched himself at him, intending to try and tear his head off with his hands. Scott countered with a right punch to the jaw, a left punch to the nose, an uppercut that pushed the left side of the jaw up, and a spinning kick across the opposite jaw with such speed that it was a flawless combination attack. By this time, his other opponents were also rising, and he hit them harder with similar combination attacks. However, even from fists and feet harder than diamonds, Scott could not keep his opponents down no matter what techniques he used.

The three Grymwar stood there amused, having lost some teeth and scales, but not suffering much other damage.
"This is the mightiest weapon of the Kasha?" one of them laughed in an ugly voice brimming with pride.
"No weapons are mightier than those used by the Grymwar. We are the most powerful race in all of existence. Even armored with a Voltari, your pathetic human body can never rival our bodies. Even the weakest of the Grymwar are more powerful than the strongest warriors of other races."

Scott was ready to shut this egomaniac up for good. His right fist alone glowed with the white-colored energy that represented their true power.
"I don't know your name, but you talk too much."
In a second, he lashed out with a Fist of Valor in the style of a Karate punch, which landed flush and completely destroyed the head of his opponent. Before the other two could fully comprehend the shock of seeing their teammate die before their eyes, he coated his right foot in glowing energy and did a side flip that aimed a powerful Jeet Kune Do style kick at his opponents. The entire kick destroyed both of their heads, and Scott used the momentum to return to a regular standing position as his opponents bled out at his feet.

In martial arts tradition, Scott dropped fluidly to both knees, put both hands up like he was praying, and closed his eyes and bowed his head in prayer. This was an ancient symbol of paying tribute to those killed or defeated by the martial artist, wishing them peace and change in their hearts, either in this world or the one beyond. Rising up with his pants stained by the blue Grymwar blood, he began running all-out to try and get to the mothership. Having deduced that their weak point was the head, Scott killed any enemy he came across with a Valor-charged strike to the head. With his armor protecting him from their spikes and teeth, it had become an even playing field where skill was the determining factor. Though their fighting experience probably equaled or exceeded his, depending on their lifespan, his comprehensive knowledge of all martial art/fighting techniques melded with a body that had been pushed to the very limit of human strength, endurance, and flexibility ensured that neither they nor any other mortal being could defeat him in combat, especially since his impenetrable alien armor powered by spiritual energy ruled out conventional weapons and other superpowers, as evidenced by his perfect fighting record against even the most powerful mutants in the world.

(Story continues beyond this, so keep watching :D.)
 
Jessica had to fight not to tell the woman to stop from the carnage she saw, it brought bad memories but she forced herself to continue watching as she saw Scott struggling with the Grymwar before finally finding how to kill them. She watched as he raced to the mother ship, her eyes worried and sad.
 
Scott continued sprinting toward the mothership. His only thought was that if he could destroy it, he could end the invasion and mop up the Grymwar that were left. He coated his entire arm in Valor energy and slammed his fist into the ground, rocketing toward the ship after leaving a huge crater behind him. However, as he got closer, he saw that there were several thousand smaller ships defending it. They moved to intercept him, and he felt great impact as the tip of a space ship slammed into his stomach. He was thankful that he had Valor Armor or he would have been cut in half.

Deducing that the ships themselves would be a path to the mothership, Scott pulled himself onto the ship by doing a handstand and launching himself toward the cockpit. His feet easily went through the alien glass and knocked out the pilot. He then launched himself off of the pilot and soared gracefully through the air to land on ship after ship. Thrown off by such an unorthodox strategy, the Grymwar were having trouble adapting to it. They shot down their fellow pilots and crashed into each other as they tried to stop him. Scott was almost to the mothership when they finally changed tactics.

Several of the ships got together and fired their most powerful blasts. They hit dead-on, but had no effect on his armor.
"Come on, guys, even Shell-Shock used to hit me harder than that!"
He flew toward them in a streamlined fashion, like a missile. When he was close enough, he raised his right arm that was glowing and grinned behind his face protector.
"Shockwave of Valor!"

A powerful ring of energy emanated from him and destroyed every spaceship surrounding the mothership. As a nice side benefit, it had destroyed every gun on the side of the mothership that he was going to make entry on. He crashed through the outside wall and rolled on the floor to reduce momentum, pressing his hands against the wall to prevent himself from going through.
"Whoo, what a rush!"
"Yes, that was what you would call 'sweet'."
An alarm began sounding on the ship, alerting the onboard defenders to an intruder.

"Ah, the welcome party is on its way. Let's not keep them waiting."
The first defender that appeared caused Scott to drop his shoulder and lash out with a roundhouse kick to the head that put him through the wall to cause him to hopefully fall to his death, an example of Muay Thai's brutal power. He saw more coming as he used the momentum from the kick to return to a normal stance. He ran at them and stopped when he was in range for his attack. Using his right leg, he swept the legs of the first Grymwar out from under him and moved into a side stance.

From here, he launched himself forward off of his back foot to execute a textbook perfect Karate flying front kick. This effectively used his opponent as a cannonball against the others coming behind him. Before they could stand up to continue the fight, Scott extended his fist.
"I'd love to keep playing with you guys, but I've got a planet to save."
He unleashed a Shockwave of Valor that effectively cut the massive ship in half. As the half he was in started to fall to the ground, Scott punched a hole through the top as he went up with an uppercut.

"Let's cut this thing down to size."
Scott's arms began to glow and he began to breathe in deeply.
"Million Punches of Valor!"
His fists began to fly like crazy as he moved along the ship's length, smashing it literally to pieces. The rubble fell from the sky and began to crush cars, buildings, and Grymwar soldiers. His last punch finished the destruction and launched him back toward the half of the ship that was still airborne.

As he sailed over the ship, he saw an opening where the pilot would be. He landed perfectly through it and caught the pilot completely off-guard. He launched a Fist of Valor strike powerful enough to not only completely destroy his upper torso, but destroy the entire front of the ship, including the control systems. He saw a golden staff come flying at his head out of the corner of his eye, and ducked the blow before jumping to tackle his attacker through the wall. Scott encased his fist in energy to destroy this Grymwar's head, but the energy from his fist was pushed back as his enemy raised the golden staff and it glowed with red energy. When his enemy quickly whipped the staff aside, Scott was shocked to see that the Valor Armor had been ripped completely off of his right arm.

The surprise left him vulnerable to a punch to the face that separated him from the Grymwar. Quickly reapplying armor to that arm, he silently reminded himself that he could only do that eight more times on that arm today. His opponent made no effort to right himself from his fall, hitting the ground at high speed and creating a crater. Scott did an aerial front-flip in the air to orient himself and landed in a ninja crouch that left a smaller crater.
"That must be the Grymwar chieftain," he said, his face growing hard and determined.
"Yes," Valor replied, "let's kill him and finish this."
 
Jessica gasped and covered her mouth to keep from crying out to the mental Scott as she saw him literally run into a ship as he would have been stabbed in two if he had not had that armor on. As she continued to watch she momentarily face-palmed at the puns before she continued watching, her eyes widening in worry as she saw the Grymwar remove his armor.
 
As Scott was getting to his feet, the Grymwar Chieftain stepped out of the crater. He had the same yellow-gray coloration across his body as the other Grymwar, although parts of his entire body were covered in red-colored tribal symbols that hearkened back to a prehistoric history on the Planet Grym. He was taller than the other Grymwar, standing at ten feet and being even more muscular than them. In his right hand he clutched a golden staff with a red jewel inlaid at each tip, not just a symbol of office, but a weapon capable of removing his Voltari armor! The creature smiled fiendishly, its eyes filled with pride. It opened its mouth to speak, paused, and then opened it again.

"I don't like using the filthy language of the conquered, so I will only say that your planet is mine and if you oppose me, you will die."
The Grymwar Chieftain's command of English was very rough but understandable. Scott got back into his battle stance.
"Before we begin, at least tell me your name. I don't want to kill a worthy opponent and not know his name."
The creature let out a menacing laugh.

"I am Dulzak, Chieftain of the Grymwar and Keeper of the Blood Magic. Now die!"
Taking his staff in both hands, Dulzak began closing the distance and swung his staff like a baseball player trying to hit a home run. Scott ducked under it and leaped at his opponent, throwing a Fist of Valor aimed at his face.
"Nice try, but your technique is sloppy!"
Scott's fist was thrown off by the staff coming back in a second swing and colliding with his armor, so he had not even grazed Dulzak.

Scott went for a one-legged sweep with his right leg, but suddenly felt the staff jabbing into his stomach. In the time between when he had missed the initial attack and when he was going to try a new attack, Dulzak had stepped back into a side stance and struck with the tip of the staff. Since it was glowing, it had removed the armor where it had touched and had been stopped only by his stomach muscle, which was slightly burned and had knocked some of the air out of him due to the surprise. Seeing that Dulzak was going to attempt to run him through with it, Scott jumped back, and at the same time, the staff glowed again and his enemy pulled up, cleaving a straight line of the armor off up to his face. Scott had escaped further injury, but he could now feel the wind on his skin. Reapplying the armor, Scott had further depleted his Valor manifestations, and that was not good.

Scott tried to gather his thoughts as he avoided further strikes from Dulzak's staff. Whatever this Blood Magic was, it was able to slice through his Valor Armor when it glowed like a hot knife through butter. Counterattacks on Dulzak were a waste of time, as the staff had a reach longer than he could counter. His only way to overcome this disadvantage would be to disarm Dulzak, either by taking the staff or destroying it. When the next attack came in, he grabbed the staff in the middle with both hands, out of range of the glowing tips. Using his enhanced strength, he gripped it and then snapped it in half like a twig.

Following up this victory, Scott encased both hands in Valor aura and aimed two punches at the jewels at both ends at the same time.
"Double Fists of Valor!"
The jewels began to glow and the red energy began pushing his fists back while also stripping them of armor. Scott encased his hands in white Valor energy to protect them, trying with everything he had to push through the barrier and destroy the jewels. Suddenly, Dulzak smacked him across the face with the right half of the staff, destroying the entire lower half of his face protection. The left half of the staff came up like an uppercut, knocking him into the air and onto his back a good ten feet away.

Dulzak turned his attention to the staff and held both broken ends against one another. After a few seconds, a red string-like energy began appearing between them, getting thicker until the staff became almost magnetized together, locking back into one staff. The Grymwar chieftain planted his staff beside him with one hand like a conqueror planting a flag and sneered at Scott.
"Had enough yet, wielder of Voltari? Like all the rest, you are no match for Blood Magic."
Dulzak's attention was suddenly attracted by the sound of air vibrating, and Scott recognized it as the sound of approaching helicopters.

Dulzak turned his head to see a fleet of seven helicopters flying in formation. They split off and began circling him. Scott recognized them as green Apache helicopters, bristling with missiles and machine guns. As the helicopters began raining fire on a coordinated assault on Dulzak, Scott reapplied his armor and planted his feet to the ground to ride out the storm. When the dust settled, Scott could see Dulzak holding up his staff, which had created a red shield around him. Not one missile or bullet had made contact with him, being wiped from existence upon impact with the shield made of Blood Magic.

Scott watched as spaceships began shooting across the sky, destroying the helicopter fleet in the blink of an eye. Across the city, fighter jets were being downed by the Grymwar Space Battalion. The Army and Marines were having no luck on foot or in their vehicles, being ripped to shreds by an enemy nearly impervious to bullets or missiles. The Navy was trying to come in by sea, but the ships were being sunk by the GSB before they could even counterattack. The most powerful military in the world was being completely decimated by perhaps the most powerful military in existence. Scott could see more clearly than ever that the only one that could turn back this invasion was him.

The military were not the only ones scrambling, however. The news media was racing into action to document actual footage of aliens. On every news station right now was the Grymwar invasion of New York, presenting irrefutable proof that everyone who believed in aliens had been correct. CNN had a helicopter keeping a safe distance from Dulzak, and was filming the entire battle between the military and the alien leader. The cameraman watched excitedly as Scott got to his feet to resume the battle against Dulzak. He knew that no matter what, he had to destroy that staff in order to defeat the chieftain and end the invasion.

Seeing that he was up against a shield, Scott knew that the best way to pierce it would be to drill right through it. He activated his Drilling Fist of Valor, in which the armor surrounding his fist began to spin very quickly at 360 degrees. He encased it in Valor energy and jumped forward at Dulzak. When the shield came up, he tried to push through it to pierce it, but the armor was stripped off and his fist was thrown back. He rearmored and unleashed his Million Punches of Valor, but just like before, the armor was stripped off and his hands were pushed back. His own hands, had they not been encased in Valor aura, might have been burned to the point of uselessness by now.

Dulzak connected under Scott's chin with the staff and then stepped forward to whack him in the sternum and slam him to the ground. He raised the staff to bring the tip down on his face, but Scott rolled away and was back on his feet. Scott took his battling stance again, even though he was completely unsure what to do. Dulzak planted his staff again and laughed.
"Why do you still struggle human? It is clear-"
"Scott!"

Dulzak looked confused.
"Huh?"
"My name...is Scott. If you're going to address me, at least have the decency to use my actual name, Grymwar scum."
Dulzak laughed.
"Fine, but name or not, it will make no difference when you die."

Using the staff like a pole vault, Dulzak leaped into the air and attempted to bring it down on Scott's head. Scott avoided it with a side roll, and did a back flip to avoid a horizontal strike. Scott countered by slamming a Fist of Valor strike into the ground, causing an earthquake to shoot right at his foe. With this, he could not only attack him from a distance, but make it hard for Dulzak to get to him. He kept on the move, keeping out of range of the staff.
"Tell me about Blood Magic, Dulzak!"

Scott jumped to the side as his opponent came down with the staff.
"That is not for you to know!"
Scott unleashed another earthquake, pushing his opponent back.
"If you're planning to kill me anyway, why not enlighten me about that weapon there? Or are you scared that telling me about it will give me an idea on how to destroy it?"
Dulzak laughed, holding his staff up.

"If you must know, Scott, this weapon is a tribal staff called the Rod of Ancients, which is given to all the chieftains of the Grymwar. Long ago, when the Grymwar were not large and powerful like we are now, this weapon was a means for the chief to defend the tribe from creatures that would devour us. An ancient chieftain named Yortak, bless His holy name, found a cave with mysterious writings left by even more ancient ancestors of my people. It was almost impossible to read, but the Grymese word for "blood" was clearly visible. Yortak drew the symbols upon himself in the blood of his enemies, and a new power was born. The chief was now invincible, and though frail in body, the Blood Magic and the Rod of Ancients together allowed him to conquer the world as establish the Grymwar as the dominant species of Planet Grym."

Dulzak planted the staff once again, his chest swelling with pride.
"When Yortak, bless His holy name, passed away, his heart was cut out of his chest. Our wise women reshaped the heart and cast spells of Blood Magic upon it, making it into a Blood Jewel. In this way, the first Blood Saint was officially consecrated, and the jewel was placed inside of the rod. When the next chieftain passed away, his heart became a Blood Jewel that was placed at the other end of the Rod. From then on, when a chieftain died, one Blood Jewel was swapped out for another, and the one that was removed was planted within the cave where Blood Magic was discovered."

Scott nodded, unable to keep from being fascinated by Dulzak's culture.
"I don't understand one thing. If Blood Magic was discovered by your ancestors, then why did the first Blood Saint not know about it until he discovered it by accident in some ancient cave?"
"Truthfully, the wise women are still trying to unravel that one, but what they have discovered is not something I would share with an inferior race."
"Fine, then answer this. If Blood Magic was so powerful that it allowed you to take control of your planet, then why do you need an empire?"

"We wish to bring all of creation under the protection of the Grymwar. We pity the Kashans and their weakness, for long ago, we were like them. Under the Grymwar culture, all will be become strong by following our ways."
"So the way of the Grymwar is the right way to you?"
"It is the only way! For everyone!"

Scott laughed and shook his head.
"Then this really isn't about protecting anyone. You use that as a justification to dominate everyone, who you see as being lesser beings. I enjoyed hearing about your culture, but I won't let you force your culture on this planet."
"I fail to see how you can stop me. As powerful as you are, you are still no match for Blood Magic."

Scott clenched his fist, and he felt Valor uniting with him.
"The bond I have with my friend Valor will overcome you. As long as I draw breath, I will fight!"
Scott threw another earthquake at him, and kept doing it as much as he could. While the debris did not seem to be hurting him much, he hoped that Dulzak would either drop the staff or fall into a hole. However, his pole-vaulting kept him mobile enough to avoid this, and Scott was running out of Valor manifestations on his arms.

About thirty more minutes of constant fighting saw Scott finally run out of armor for his arms. Unable to keep Dulzak away any longer, he was pummeled with the staff and stripped of his armor again and again. Eventually, Scott was left completely unable to manifest Valor. Dulzak stood where he was, planted his staff, and laughed in triumph.
"Surrender, Scott! I want to hear you surrender before I kill you!"

Scott clutched his right arm, his heart pounding and his mind racing. There was no conceivable way to defeat Dulzak now. His power seemed to be at an end, and he doubted he could stall for an entire day to recover his power. Running away was not an option, for he would not flee like a coward, nor would he surrender. All of a sudden, a voice calmed his thoughts. Valor was speaking to him, and to his surprise, he did not sound panicked in the least.

"Scott, we must try to manifest again."
"What? But Empress Enjela warned us that we shouldn't do that! We could both die!"
"We will both die if we do not continue the fight against Dulzak! If we don't do something, then Earth will belong to the Grymwar!"

Scott nodded.
"You're right, Valor. We will manifest you again or we will die trying!"
Scott tried again and his arm screamed in pain. Scott cried out in agony, and as he kept trying, blood spurted from his arm. His body was battered and bloody, but no matter how much pain he was in, Scott resolved that if he was going out, he was going out swinging!
 
Jessica was so caught up in the vision she was seeing she almost forgot that it was in the past. She watched desperately as Scott seemed to be fighting a hopeless battle and she had tears in her eyes, wanting to reach out to Scott seeing him in so much pain.
 
Scott continued trying to manifest Valor on his arm once again. He could feel their focus becoming one, but it wasn't enough. His arm continued to be damaged by the strain, his bones snapping and tendons ripping. The pain was so excruciating that it was almost impossible to focus, but the iron discipline taught to him by Alan and Chiang was keeping his mind on the goal. Valor had deduced what the problem was, and connected his mind to Scott's mind.
"Scott, you have to have faith!"

"What do you mean?!"
"The connection is not happening because your mind still has doubts. You don't have complete trust in me or yourself to do this."
Scott tried to manifest Valor again, and screamed in pain as his arm ripped even deeper and black blood began to pour down his arm.
"Scott, you are coming perilously close to tearing an artery. If you don't banish doubt from your mind, you will die for sure, and the hope of the Planet Earth will die with you!"

Scott realized that he was right, and began calming his mind with meditation. As his mind became like a still pond, everything else faded away. He remembered all of the battles back at Shadowgreen, and realized that together, he and Valor could do anything, no matter the odds. All of life would be protected and safe under the shining light of Crusader, the hero born from Scott and Valor together.
"I..."
Scott opened his eyes and raised his fists to the sky.

"I have seen and wielded the shining light of Valor, bringing hope to those across existence that cry out in pain. I have faith in myself, but most importantly..."
Scott stood up and grabbed his bleeding arm.
"I have faith that Valor can shine even brighter!!!"
As he continued screaming, a powerful aura began erupting from him. The intensity of the brightness and the shockwaves being sent out were pushing Dulzak back to the point that he had to struggle to stay grounded.

As the light subsided, Scott could be seen standing there with a brand-new Valor manifestation. It was clearly an arm of Valor, but rather than being black and gold, it was red and gold. Scott held out his arm, his face determined and hard.
"This is the Forbidden Tenth Fist that represents the bond between Valor and I. This is the power that will defeat you!"
Dulzak was shocked by what had happened, and held up his staff.

"No matter what kind of arm you have, it will never compare to Blood Magic! I will destroy it like all of the others and finish you off for good!"
Scott's arm began shining intensely.
"No, I don't think so. This arm gives me access to a new power that your Blood Magic is no match for."
Dulzak was stunned speechless by such a bold claim.

"Die, Dulzak, and take your Blood Magic to Hell with you!"
His arm went solid brightness and was ready for use.
"Shining Fist of Valor!"
A blast emanated from his fist, careening toward Dulzak and carrying ten times the power of a Fist of Valor strike. Dulzak brought up the Blood Magic shield, and the two energies met each other. He struggled against it, but Scott continued to pour his faith in the combined strength of he and Valor into it.

"I...have...to...touch...that...arm!"
Dulzak tried to take a few steps, but he was pushed back further and the shield began to weaken. Scott pushed the blast forward with his arm and stepped closer. The shield began to crack, and suddenly, Dulzak and the staff were caught in the intense blast. Screaming in pain, his voice was eventually snuffed out as both he and the staff were completely annihilated, not even leaving ashes behind. Scott took off to destroy the rest of the Grymwar, and the CNN chopper followed him.

Over the course of the next hour, it documented how his unstoppable fist turned back an invasion by wiping them all out. Many in the military had their lives saved by Scott, and the civilian populace got the benefit of the military focusing on evacuation while he did the fighting. After all of the Grymwar on Earth had been destroyed, Scott was panting and exhausted. Many news choppers landed and began shoving microphones in his face, trying to get a statement from this superhero that had protected the planet before their very eyes. Scott's eyes could not focus and he collapsed to the ground on his back. His arm disappeared as he fell into unconsciousness.

The memories ended there, and Enjela smiled at Jessica.
"That was a proud day for Scott, and the day my people rejoiced. The Grymwar were finally shown that they could be defeated, and we have hope that their empire might yet be destroyed. We do not hate the Grymwar or want them all to die, but we wish they would keep their culture to themselves. When only one way of thinking is considered the right way, no one benefits. Scott and Valor represent the freedom that people everywhere cherish, and I can only hope that his example will inspire others to stand up against the Grymwar."
 
Jessica had covered her mouth in horror as she silently screamed with Scott seeing him in such pain, tears flowing down her face as she watched this then her eyes widened and she let out a sigh of relief when he defeated them and the battle was over. She nodded silently to the woman's words and wiped her eyes. "I hope he never has to do something that awful again..." She murmured.
 
Enjela sighed gently at what Jessica said.
"Unfortunately, the Grymwar are still very much a threat. It seemed that while Dulzak lead an army to Earth, his successor, Vizharr, stayed behind and built up his bond with an evil Voltari named Jukei. The next time the Grymwar invade a planet en masse, Vizharr will use the power of a Voltari against us. Scott will have to take the power of the Forbidden Tenth Fist to its limit to be ready for Vizharr. I came to Earth in order to collect him and help him train to that level on Planet Kasha, but it seemed that he had other business to attend to."

Enjela looked softly at her.
"Tell me about you, and this pain that you feel inside. I wish to understand it."
Her hand that held Jessica's glowed, and the warmth from it traveled to her heart to help soothe it.
 
Jessica's eyes widened in worry as she heard that Scott had an even bigger threat now. She then looked down a little, feeling soothed by the woman's warmth and she took a breath, feeling compelled to tell her, like she could trust her. "I was seven years old when my mother died... The police said it was just a hit and run but I know it had to be something else... I... I saw her... the coffin had been closed but being so young I wanted to see my mom again... it was..." She shuddered as tears formed in her eyes at the memory. "She was burnt horribly and torn to shreds... Something unnatural caused my mother's death and... that image has never left me..."
 
Enjela listened as Jessica told her the sad tale of how her mother had been killed. There was something familiar about it, a story that Alan had told her once. She nodded, images of Alan as a human being using fire abilities appearing in both of their minds.
"This is Alan Arnan, who was a student at the Shadowgreen Institute before Scott. He was a master of Earth martial arts, and taught Scott almost all that he knows in that regard. He was also the superhero Solaris, and used pyromancy, or the ability to generate and control fire."

"The story of how your mother died coincides with a story that Alan told me years ago. It involves the fate of your mother and the truth about how she died. She should travel to his realm with Scott and talk to Alan. He will be able to tell you everything."
She turned as Scott and Mr. Allen came back into the room.
"Everything okay in here?" Scott asked.
 
Jessica's eyes widened at the potential to learn about her mother's death and when Scott and her father walked in she rushed up to Scott and hugged him tight, feeling an odd sort of relief to see him healthy, even though logically she already knew he was fine.
 
Scott smiled as Jessica rushed to him and hugged him tight, surprised but hugging her back.
"What's wrong, babe?"
Enjela smiled softly.
"I showed her memories of your battle with Dulzak. She is happy to see you healthy after that."
Scott looked down at Jessica and kissed the top of her head.

Mr. Allen sat down where Jessica had been sitting.
"While I'm still trying to wrap my head around this, Scott assured me that everything was okay. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need."
"Thank you, Mr. Allen," she replied.
She then turned to Scott.
"Jessica and I had a heart-to-heart, and the answers to what happened to her mother can be found with Alan."

Scott looked confused.
"Alan? What would he have to do with Jessica's mom?"
Mr. Allen leaned forward.
"If you have information on what happened to my wife, please tell me. I always suspected there was more to her death than a hit 'n' run, but could never find answers to my questions."

Empress Enjela nodded.
"I understand your feelings, but I think it would be best if you heard it from your own daughter. I will send Scott and Jessica to Alan's realm, where he can give them the answers your family has sought."
"His realm? What are you talking about? Why can't I just call this guy and have him come here?"

Scott held Jessica at his side as he looked at Mr. Allen.
"To sum up, Sensei Alan is the God of Fire. He is forbidden from coming to Earth due to his apotheosis. Because of that, we have to go to him."
Mr. Allen's eyes bugged out.
"You mean to tell me that there is more than one God?"

"Yes, sir. He trained me in the martial arts and used to be a human superhero. He's a good man who safeguards fire so that all across existence may benefit from it."
Mr. Allen was lost for words for a minute, and Empress Enjela waved a hand to open a stable black and blue swirling portal in the living room.
"This portal will take you straight to Alan's realm. I will leave it open so that you may come straight back here once you have spoken with him."

Mr. Allan stood up to hug his daughter.
"Be safe, honey. Please tell me everything that you learn."
He turned to Scott.
"Please keep my daughter safe."
Scott nodded and took Jessica's hand before leading her over to the portal.
"Are you ready to go?"
Scott had not seen his teacher in some time, and looked forward to seeing both the realm and him again.
 
As Scott stepped through the portal with Jessica, they were instantly in the throne room of Alan Arnan. On either side of the carpet leading up to the throne were roiling flames behind glass walls, beautiful fire burning freely and with a life of its own. Alan was seated on a throne, his outfit depicting orange flames and his head actually burning with the shape of a crown. The whole scene commanded power and respect, and even Scott himself was a bit in awe of it. Alan turned his attention to Scott and Jessica, a smile lighting his face. Instantly, he changed his appearance back to how he looked as a human, just an average-looking man with brown hair, so that he could greet these visitors in a more understated way.

Alan stood up and strode to them.
"Scott, Valor, it is great to see you guys, again."
The two shook hands and Alan smiled at Jessica.
"You must be Jessica. Enjela told me about you while you guys were traveling here."
He conjured up a table and had them sit at it.

Alan turned to Jessica, his expression suddenly serious and a bit somber.
"Jessica, I know why you are here. You seek answers to why your mother died, and I can tell you that it is directly tied to the werewolves that you are facing now."
Alan folded his hands on the table.
"Ask me any question, and I will answer truthfully. The truth has been a long time coming for you."
 
Jessica's eyes were wide in awe of the throne room. She looked as the incredible god turned into an ordinary man and nodded briefly in greeting. She sat down and swallowed nervously as the man's expression became serious. She looked at him and asked simply. "What killed my mother?"
 
Alan's mouth tightened, and he began thinking of what to tell her.
"There is no simple answer to that question. Back then, there was a creature that called itself Blood Wolf, a huge werewolf with incredible power that was infecting people with lycanthropy. From what I could tell, your mother was his first victim. I encountered Blood Wolf and your transformed mother and did battle with them. I tried to free your mother from her transformation, but it was no use."

Scott was curious by what he meant.
"Weren't you able to knock her unconscious? I've found that when a werewolf is knocked unconscious, no easy feat to be sure but doable, they turn back into their human selves."
"I knocked her out several times, but Blood Wolf would simply raise her again before that could happen. It seems that when its blood is in somebody, he has total control of them and can maintain the werewolf transformation, perhaps indefinitely."
Scott nodded for Alan to continue his story.

"Knowing that I could not save your mother without first defeating Blood Wolf, I made a rushed decision and launched a thousand degree fireball at him. The bastard simply used your mother as a shield and escaped in the confusion. Such intense heat was too much for her even in her werewolf state, and she suffered terrible internal injuries that ultimately lead to her death. Other contributing factors were damage taken from me during our fight when I tried to free her and damage from Blood Wolf when he brought her under his control after she became a werewolf. As she died in my arms I regretted that fireball I launched a thousand times, wishing that I would have made a different decision in the heat of battle. I must share partial blame for your mother's death, and I am so sorry that I couldn't save her, Jessica."

Tears were running down his face and he gently wiped them away. Having lost his own parents at a very young age, Alan knew full well the impact that came from that kind of loss. After composing himself, Alan continued his story.
"The commotion had attracted local law enforcement, and I was able to pose as a jogger that had just happened upon the scene of this woman who had died by the side of the road. I should have told them the truth about who I was and who did it, but I was not only so emotional that I wasn't thinking straight, but I feared they wouldn't believe me if I told them the truth, because the story just sounds so unbelievable to an average person."

Alan sighed.
"I later found out that they classified your mother's death as a hit and run because of the horrible injuries she sustained. It was the best they could do at the time, since there was insufficient evidence to prove murder. Your mother's body was burnt beyond belief, but there was no accelerant like gasoline used, so they never followed up on that and left it out of the official news stories. I searched for Blood Wolf afterwards, trying to make him pay for his crimes, but could never find him. My guilt and anger left me vulnerable to an archdemon that tried to prey on my mind and threaten the world, and by defeating him, I was granted godhood by the previous God of Fire, thus leaving this matter to a worthy successor."

Alan looked at Scott and Jessica in turn.
"Jessica, you and Scott now have the chance to pick up where I left off and avenge that poor woman. Go to Shadowgreen and search for Blood Wolf. He must be stopped."
Scott gently took Jessica's hand and nodded.
"We will stop Blood Wolf and bring closure to this matter for everyone involved."
 
As Alan told his story Jessica's eyes widened and she covered her mouth as tears flowed from her eyes at her mother's horrible fate. She was silent for a few minutes, taking it all in as she cried softly. She then took a long, deep breath and nodded. "I want to stop him. I will stop him..."
 
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