Kitharsis follows quickly after Jharm as he rallies them behind him.  The Companions filter into the fort, finding no one to greet them until farther inside.

Someone beckons them further into the fort, whom Jharm confirms is Nethalika, a proficient wielder of the Darkness.  Kitharsis continues on, following Jharm deeper into the fort.  No doubt toward the room housing the crystal.

They are greeted by who he must presume is Nethalika, sitting on a throne.  Her fleshy wings unfurl as she stands.  She is perched in front of the Crystal, which is protected by a faint purple dome.  Kitharsis notes that the five floating crystals seem to power the dome. 

Dark purple smoke flows through the room and threatens to engulf them.  Meanwhile dark orbs scream down from above, targeting each of them.

The mass of sand building around him springs to life and raises above his head, shielding him from the orbs.

He sheathes his sword, while the three floating ones stay aloft.  Soul Reaver has released a shockwave to deflect the smoke, and Vee has begin firing a barrage at the backs of the three Nethalikas.

Kitharsis stretches out his arms to either side and summons long sandstone spears in the air around him.  Five in total.  They each glow a faint pulsing amber as they float in the air above him.  He pushes his palm forward, and the spears go streaking forward also.  Amber trails stream behind them as they pierce through the air.

Each one targets one of the five smaller floating crystals surrounding the larger one.  The spears are imbued with Kitharsis's pure energy, which should be quite effective against the Darkness.

Blightwing's spell is a potent daemonic attack spell with the potential to do a good amount of damage, but it's nothing like a Sphere of Annihilation or the like.  It would probably break through mid-range shields or defenses but powerful ones would block it.

Soul Reaver's Shockwave spell is very damaging to the environment and his foes and has a wide horizontal reach.  It won't hurt his allies - it'll like of just 'fizzle' around them if they end up in its path - but it could blast apart the stuff they're standing on (eg, the throne that Vee is currently perched on, if the Nethalika's aren't blocking the wave).

The Daemonspawn's defense against the orbs quite straightforwardly consist of them making sure they get hit instead of Soul Reaver by blocking them and tanking any of the damage they might inflict.  Their shields aren't magical, but Daemonspawn are very resilient.

The purple cloud is more disabling then deadly.  Will cause any who suffer from it to struggle to breathe, think, move...basically making it harder to do anything.  The orbs are basically the same as Jharms but darkness instead of light.  At present, there is no way to distinguish which of the 3 Nethalikas are real/fake

The "invigorated" surge of Ork boyz overwhelms the surround section of the Shaiton lines, causing it to completely collapse, leaving the way clear to the hole blown in the wall by Phaerys. Confirming that his Seraph forces were close behind to fill the gap in the lines and tend to the fallen, Jharm hoists his hammer up and dashes for the makeshift entrance.

"With me my friends!  We have little time!"

Entering the fort he pauses for a moment to ensure the rest of the Companions are with him and then continues to move further in.  They find little resistance as they dash through the hallways, eventually arriving at a large door.  The moment they reach the door a chuckle can be heard within an a feminine voice rings out.

"Ahh welcome "Companions.  I've been expecting you.  Do come in..."

Jharm frowns and looks to his friends.

"That...would be Nethalika.  She wields the Darkness better then any of the other Shaiton.  Undoubtedly with the first crystal removed it wont be as easy this time."

With that he throws the door open and moves in.  The group enters what looks to be something akin to a throne room.  At the other end of the room sits a throne, seemingly crafted from some matter of pure black rock.  Sitting on the throne is a woman, her one leg draped over the other.  Form fitting ebony armor covers most of her body.  Her skin pale white, almost akin to a Seraph but her eyes are orbs of inky blackness and she as long dark hair flowing behind her.  As the companions enter she smiles and stands up, her wings unfurling to reveal that while the Seraphs have feathery wings, hers is more akin to a bat.  Behind the throne is another of the large crystals like the one from the first fort.  This time however there seems to a faint purple dome over the crystal and looking upwards one can see 5 smaller crystals floating in the air, faint tendrils seeming to flow down to the shield covering the large one, similar shields visible over the shards as well.

"Again, greetings.  I must say you all have certainly managed to cause quite a bit of trouble.  Dervagon was rather...miffed about the defeat you dealt him, though it seems he enjoyed the ferocity some of you displayed."

She smirks and looks in the direction of Gulgrim.  She then turns her gaze to Vee and pauses a moment, her eyes seeming to briefly flash before she turns her attention back to the group in general.

"Anyways...one does not need to guess as to why you are here, so idle banter I would say is...unnecessary."

She smiles again and reach behind her she lifts a ebony staff off the side of the throne before kissing her hand and blowing it in the direction of the Companions.  Dark purple smoke begins to flow off her hand, falling to the floor and rolling down the room, quickly filling the area behind it as it races towards Jharm and the others.  Her form then shimmers and seems to split, leaving 3 identical Nethalikas standing in front of the throne.  All 3 raise their staffs towards the ceiling, their voices ringing out in unison.

"Embrace Darkness!"

Dark orbs come screaming down from above, heading directly at the Companions.  Jharm takes to the air, floating above the Companions and creates a shield around himself, two of the dark orbs slamming into it and exploding.  Raising his hammer he shouts out in return

"For the Light!"

Shining orbs of Light now descend from above, barreling down towards the trio of Nethalikas.

As the golems detonated, Phaerys hastened to create a gout of flame that would fend off the oncoming waves of darkness. However such desperate measures did not afford the same degree of protection as Jharm's shield of light. The darkness swept over Phaerys and the Seraphs surrounding him, some of them engulfed by dark fire and others falling into a mindless rage. The Ataran's conjured fire guttered like a candle in a strong wind, and he felt that same irritation as before. This battle was a distraction from directives sorely neglected, and the berserk Seraphs were viable specimens for further study.

Phaerys fell upon the nearest one in a whirlwind of taloned limbs, catching them in mid-lunge. Armour and flesh alike were stripped away at the molecular level as he attempted to examine the full extent of the corruption. How did it spread? Could it be halted?

Of course, a warzone made for a poor laboratory environment. Phaerys' efforts were stymied when he was blindsided by an attack from a Shaiton amid the battle still raging around him. A blade bit deep into the Ataran's back, opening a small rent and causing the energy that made up his true body to vent out like a small solar flare. The Shaiton was caught right in the face by the intense light and heat, giving Phaerys an opening to swiftly turn around and cast a handful of alloy shards into its torso.

With a moment to spare, Phaerys quickly reached an arm back to repair the suit breach. That fleeting moment of peril was enough to have brought him back to his senses. It may not have been his duty, but their battle line had to hold firm. And Gulgrim's green tide was sure to swing the momentum back in their favour. Falling back to a suitable position near the Orks' destructive wake, Phaerys prepared to offer fire support once more. A volley of fireballs arced overhead and into the Shaiton around the backlines, softening them up for the inevitable advance of the main force.