Vivienne moved without hesitation, a blur of shadow and malice as she surged forward. Her claws extended, wicked and gleaming in the faint light, each step carrying a predatory grace. She didn’t waste time sizing up her foe; hesitation had no place here. The Arbiter turned sharply toward her, the golden filigree across its ceramic body flaring in response to her approach, its ticking intensifying like a countdown to something catastrophic.
"Let's see what’s underneath all that porcelain," Vivienne snarled, her voice an eerie harmony of tones that resonated through the clearing. She slashed out, her claws sparking as they raked across its chest. The Arbiter reeled back a step but showed no sign of damage; instead, its intricate filigree patterns shifted, locking into new configurations.
"Hostile detected," the Arbiter declared, its tone chillingly calm. A crackling hum grew from its core as golden light began to coalesce along its forearms. With an almost casual motion, it swung at Vivienne, a radiant blade of energy extending from its wrist.
Vivienne barely avoided the strike, the blade carving a molten line into the ground where she’d stood. Her six eyes narrowed, her grin sharpening. “Oh, it’s got toys. Rava, I hope you’re taking notes!”
“Not the time, Vivienne!” Rava snapped, dodging away as the Arbiter swung its other arm toward her.
Taron, meanwhile, crouched low behind a fallen tree, trembling as he tried to make himself as small as possible. His breath hitched as he watched the exchange, the terrifying fluidity of Vivienne’s movements contrasting starkly with the Arbiter’s mechanical precision.
Vivienne darted forward again, her shadowy form rippling as she feinted to one side before striking at its legs. This time, she aimed for the joints. Her claws sank into the ceramic plating, cracking it, but she was forced to retreat as the Arbiter unleashed a blinding pulse of light. The energy wave knocked her back, and she landed hard, skidding across the clearing.
“Note to self,” she muttered, picking herself up. “It doesn’t appreciate me poking holes in it.”
“It’s an Arbiter—it doesn’t appreciate anything!” Rava shouted, slamming her bare fists into its side in a desperate attempt to throw it off balance. It staggered slightly, the ticking growing louder. “I could really use my gear right about now!”
“Next time, we’ll raid an armoury first,” Vivienne quipped, darting back into the fray.
The Arbiter’s filigree patterns began to glow brighter, arcs of energy dancing along its limbs. “Noncompliance will not be tolerated. Initiating suppression protocols.”
“Oh, that sounds bad,” Vivienne muttered, her grin unwavering despite the escalating danger. She glanced at Rava. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“If it’s ‘hit it harder,’ then yes!” Rava growled, dodging another swipe of its energy blade.
Vivienne’s grin widened into something feral. “Close enough,” she growled. Her voice deepened, echoing with a guttural resonance as her body began to transform again. Shadows surged from her skin like ink bleeding into the air, swallowing her form. She grew rapidly, her limbs elongating, her hunched figure now towering above even the Arbiter.
Her claws became massive, jagged extensions, crackling faintly with raw aetheric energy. The ground beneath her trembled as her feet reshaped, sinking into the soft earth under her colossal weight. Tendrils of shadow rippled outward from her back, snapping and writhing like living things. Her face, once vaguely humanoid, now stretched into a nightmarish mask of six glowing, star-like eyes that flickered ominously in the darkness.
The Arbiter recalculated instantly. Its ticking quickened, frantic now, as it processed the new threat. "Entity classification updated: Colossus Anomaly. Threat level: catastrophic. Executing maximum suppression protocols."
Vivienne swayed her massive form forward, claws flexing as she loomed over the Arbiter. But then, her six glowing eyes flickered as she looked down at herself. Her guttural growl softened into a sharp hiss of irritation.
“Oh, for—really?!” Her voice, though monstrous, carried a note of very human exasperation. “The dress! I just put it back on, and now look at it! Ruined. Absolutely shredded.”
Rava, dodging a blast of golden energy from the Arbiter, paused just long enough to glance at Vivienne and choke back a laugh. “Seriously, Vivienne? You’re worried about your dress now?”
Vivienne’s colossal head turned toward her companion, her jagged teeth glinting in what might have been a sheepish grin—if one ignored the nightmare visage. “I have priorities, Rava! Do you know how hard it is to find decent clothing when you’re part monster?”
The Arbiter’s voice cut through the exchange, cold and unyielding. “Hostility persists. Initiating absolute containment.”
Golden filigree etched into the ground flared to life, arcs of energy spreading outward several pillars of light emerging from the earth around them. Above them, a dome of golden light began to coalesce, sealing the clearing and cutting off any hope of escape.
Rava groaned. “Great, now it’s locking us in. Guess it didn’t appreciate your wardrobe complaints.”
Vivienne shrugged her massive shoulders, sending waves of shadow rippling outward. “Fine. No more chit-chat. Let’s give this pompous walking clock a reason to regret its life choices.”
She lunged forward with terrifying speed for something her size, her claws slamming down toward the Arbiter. It raised its arm in response, a kite shield formed of radiant energy in a near instant, the resulting impact sending out a shockwave of light and shadow that shook the clearing.
“I think the pillars are empowering it!” Growled Vivienne.
“Then keep that thing occupied while I deal with those pillars!” Called out Rava.
Vivienne’s six glowing eyes flickered toward Rava briefly, her sharp grin widening. "Keep it occupied? Darling, it’s about to wish it had stayed in bed."
She lunged again, her massive claws tearing through the air with a sound like ripping fabric. The Arbiter’s energy shield met the strike, golden light flaring against the inky blackness of her tendrils. Sparks erupted as their opposing forces clashed, the ground beneath them cracking under the pressure.
The Arbiter’s mechanical voice cut through the chaos, unshaken. “Hostility escalation detected. Executing suppression override.” The intricate filigree on its body began to pulse faster, the golden lines shifting and rearranging with alarming precision. With a smooth motion, it extended its free arm, summoning a glowing spear from thin air.
Vivienne barely dodged the spear’s thrust, the weapon cutting through one of her tendrils with searing precision. She hissed in pain, recoiling slightly before slamming a clawed fist down, forcing the Arbiter to retreat. "Oh, you are full of surprises. Shame they won’t save you."
Meanwhile, Rava darted toward the obelisk and the glowing pillars surrounding it, her movements swift and determined. Each pillar pulsed with golden filigree similar to the Arbiter’s, the light connecting them in an intricate web that seemed to fuel the dome of energy above.
"All right, let’s see if we can stop this thing," Rava muttered under her breath. Her voice shifted into the old Lekine tongue, her words carrying the weight of invocation: "Ct evmjtat olfh ae tatolucaem ctol mc, cu jev tat olujat mev!" Sparks of lightning crackled to life around her fists, snapping and arcing against the charged air. She took a steadying breath, coiled her body, and launched a thunderous punch into the first pillar.
CRACK!
The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the clearing. Rava stumbled back, hissing as her knuckles throbbed with pain. "Skath! That hurt," she growled through gritted teeth, shaking out her hand. Her eyes darted to the pillar, where a single, faint crack marred the otherwise pristine surface.
Vivienne, still tangling with the Arbiter, spared her a glance and smirked. "Oh, you’re adorable. Want me to kiss it better?" she quipped before dashing to the side of the Arbiter’s spear. The weapon whooshed past her, embedding itself into the ground with a burst of golden light.
"Focus on not dying!" Rava snapped, her frustration mounting as she glared at the defiant pillar. She crouched slightly, assessing the faint crack her earlier strike had left. Right. Harder next time. Sparks danced along her fists, their energy building with an audible hum.
Gritting her teeth, she coiled her body and launched another devastating punch.
CRACK!
The fracture deepened, glowing faintly with a pulsing resistance that almost seemed alive. The recoil jarred up her arm, and she hissed in pain, shaking out her hand. "Gods, that hurt!" she muttered, blowing on her knuckles as if it would help.
A burst of motion drew her attention. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Vivienne.
The nightmare woman was a shadowy blur of raw power, her colossal form twisting and lunging at the Arbiter. Her claws raked against its radiant kite shield, sending arcs of shadow and sparks flying as the two clashed. The Arbiter, unyielding, countered with the blade on its forearm, a golden weapon glowing with lethal intent. Vivienne ducked under the strike, shadows trailing her movements as she grinned wickedly.
"Rava, darling," Vivienne called over her shoulder, her voice dripping with mockery, "I hope you’re not admiring the view too much. You’ve got a job to do!"
Rava turned her attention back to the stubborn pillar, her frustration boiling over. She clenched her fists, the lightning around her arms intensifying to a blinding brightness. "I didn’t want to resort to this," she muttered through gritted teeth.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and began chanting in a low, resonant tone. “Il caell upholm tate ctolrrm jol.” Her words were laced with power, each syllable sending ripples of energy through the air. The fur on her body stood on end, her hair rising as static built around her. Sparks danced wildly across her skin, and electricity arced outward, leaving scorch marks on the ground.
“Embolwh atilc pholwerr,” she growled, her voice rising with intensity. Bolts of lightning snapped and crackled around her, illuminating the clearing with every strike. The air grew thick with the metallic tang of ozone, and her body seemed to hum with barely contained power.
"Waetcat me fhell mwh ememilec!" Rava roared, her voice echoing like rolling thunder. Her hair floated around her like a halo of storm clouds, and arcs of raw energy danced from her fingertips to the ground. Thunder reverberated through the dome, shaking its golden structure, as her entire form glowed with fury of the storm.
Rava exhaled slowly, purposefully, the arcs of lightning around her snapping at the air like restless predators. In that moment, the world faded away—there was no dome, no Vivienne, no Arbiter. Just her and the pillar. An unyielding obstacle that demanded destruction.
She planted her feet firmly into the soil, grounding herself, her stance widening as she brought her fists up, charged with raw, crackling energy.
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The first strike came like a thunderbolt unleashed from the heavens. Her fist slammed into the pillar, and the impact erupted in a blinding flash of light. A deafening crack tore through the clearing, thunder rolling in its wake.
The second strike followed, faster and just as ferocious. The lightning in her fists flared brighter, discharging into the pillar in a burst of energy that sent sparks skittering across the ground.
The third strike rang out, a vivid flash illuminating the dome as the cracks in the pillar began to spread, glowing faintly with strained energy. The air hummed, alive with static, as if the storm itself had been summoned to answer her call.
Then came the fourth strike, then the fifth, and the sixth. Each blow landed with increasing pace, a relentless drumbeat of fury and precision. Her fists were a blur of motion, electricity arcing wildly from her fists and scorching the earth around her.
Rava’s breath came in sharp bursts, her focus razor-sharp as the pillar trembled under her onslaught. With a final, resounding strike, a chunk of the pillar broke away, fragments scattering to the ground as golden energy surged erratically across its surface.
The once-steady hum of the dome above faltered, the web of energy connecting the pillars flickering like a dying flame.
Rava stepped back, shaking out her hands as residual sparks leapt from her fists. "One down," she muttered through gritted teeth, her gaze already locking onto the next pillar.
Behind her, the Arbiter staggered for the first time, its golden glow dimming as if sensing the weakening of its power source.
Vivienne’s voice carried over, dripping with amusement and menace. “Impressive, darling! I think you’ve actually ruffled its feathers.” Her colossal, shadow-wreathed form lunged at the Arbiter again, tearing through its radiant shield with a screech of rending energy.
Vivienne dodged another swipe of the Arbiter’s blade, its radiant edge narrowly missing her horned head. She twisted, her colossal form moving with surprising fluidity as she lashed out with her claws, aiming for the golden filigree patterns on its armour. The Arbiter raised its shield, blocking the strike with an ear-splitting clang.
“Rava, how’s that next pillar coming?!” Vivienne growled, her voice layered with echoes. She sidestepped as the Arbiter swung its blade again, its movements relentless and mechanical.
“Working on it!” Rava shouted from the next pillar, her fists hammering against its surface. “These things aren’t exactly fragile!”
“Yeah, well, neither am I,” Vivienne muttered, though she didn’t feel as confident as she sounded. Every clash with the Arbiter’s shield sent jolts through her limbs, disrupting her aether. Its strikes didn’t just wound her—they hurt.
And worse, they felt wrong.
Each cut didn’t just tear through her shadowy flesh but seemed to unravel her aether, like it was peeling back layers of her being. The sensation wasn’t new—she’d felt it before. Her claws faltered for a split second as the memory surged forward, unbidden.
Those spiders. Those dastardly cute skittering horrors.
Her form wavered, shadows rippling like disturbed water. No, she wasn’t going to relive that. Not here. Not now.
“Focus, Viv,” she hissed to herself. She lunged again, slamming into the Arbiter with all her weight. This time, her claws found purchase, carving deep gouges into its arm.
For a moment, the Arbiter paused, its head tilting as if recalibrating. Then, with unnatural speed, it swung its shield, catching Vivienne in the side and sending her crashing into the ground.
Vivienne groaned, pushing herself up with one massive hand. Her dress—what remained of it—was shredded, hanging from her colossal frame in tatters. She glanced down and scowled.
“Of course,” Vivienne muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Because the real tragedy here isn’t the giant clockwork murder machine—it’s the fact that I’m completely ruining my wardrobe.”
The Arbiter moved then, twisting with a speed and precision that defied its size. Its blade arced through the air, glowing with radiant energy, and before Vivienne could react, it cleaved through her arm like a hot knife through butter.
The severed limb dissolved into writhing shadows before hitting the ground, evaporating into nothingness. Pain lanced through her, raw and jagged, but worse than the pain was the disruption. She felt her form falter, the aetheric flow in her body stuttering as if someone had yanked the threads of her being loose.
Vivienne staggered back, clutching the stump where her arm had been. Shadows rippled and reformed sluggishly, but the pain lingered, a dull ache that reverberated through her entire form.
She let out a guttural roar, part rage, part agony, her voice shaking the air around her. The Arbiter stood tall, blade raised, its featureless head tilting as though observing her response.
“Viv!” Rava’s shout rang out across the clearing. “Are you—”
“I’m fine!” Vivienne growled, her tone sharp enough to cut. “It’s just a flesh wound. Or... shadow wound. Whatever.” She forced herself upright, her colossal frame towering once more.
But internally, she wasn’t fine. Not even close. That strike had done more than just physical damage—it had disrupted her essence. Her connection to the monstrous shadow that formed her body felt... frayed, like an unstable thread on the verge of snapping.
The Arbiter advanced again, its shield humming with energy, and Vivienne’s instincts screamed at her to move. She dodged its next swing once again, the weapon coming dangerously close to her, her remaining claws slashing upward in a desperate counterattack.
The strike glanced off the golden filigree on its torso, sparks flying but doing little damage.
“Oh, come on!” Vivienne spat, backing up as the Arbiter pressed its assault.
Meanwhile, Rava’s fists crackled with lightning as she slammed her fists into the second pillar. Another strike, and a fracture split down its side, glowing faintly.
“Just hold on, Viv!” Rava called out, her voice strained with effort. “Almost got this one down!”
“No rush!” Vivienne retorted, dodging another swing. “Take all the time you need! I’ll just be over here, losing limbs and dignity!”
The Arbiter pivoted sharply, raising its shield to bash her, but Vivienne melted into the shadows, reappearing behind it. She lashed out with her claw, raking across its back, and this time her strike connected, gouging deep into the ceramic armour.
The Arbiter staggered, its movements faltering for the first time.
“That’s right,” Vivienne snarled, her voice a growl. “You’re not the only one who can adapt.”
The Arbiter spun, its blade humming with renewed energy, but Vivienne was already gone, darting through the shadows to keep it guessing.
Rava’s final punch landed with a thunderous crack, the second pillar shattering into shards of golden stone. The dome above flickered violently, arcs of energy sputtering as the structure destabilised further.
“Two down!” Rava shouted, already turning toward the next. “Just keep it busy, Viv!”
“You keep telling me that like it’s not the one thing I’ve been doing!” Vivienne shot back, a wicked grin curling across her monstrous features, though the faint flicker in her form betrayed her waning strength.
The Arbiter advanced again, its shield glowing with a golden radiance that seemed impossible to breach. But Vivienne’s eyes locked onto it with a predatory focus. One piece at a time, she told herself. I just need to break it down.
She sidestepped its next swing, shadows rippling as she weaved through the Arbiter’s relentless strikes. Then, with a feral growl, she lunged, her elongated claws curling around the edge of its radiant shield.
For a moment, the Arbiter froze, as though calculating her intentions.
“Gotcha,” Vivienne hissed, gripping tighter.
With a sudden heave, she poured every ounce of her monstrous strength into pulling. The shield resisted, humming with energy, but Vivienne snarled through the strain, her muscles coiling like black steel cables. The sound of groaning metal filled the clearing, followed by a sharp crack!
The Arbiter’s shield buckled, then snapped free entirely, taking its forearm with it. Sparks and aetheric light spilled from the severed joint as Vivienne stumbled back, holding the torn shield in one clawed hand like a trophy. She managed a feral grin, her triumph short-lived.
The Arbiter, undeterred by its loss, swept its blade low, its movements unnaturally fluid. The strike came too fast—Vivienne’s legs gave way beneath her as the blade sheared through her knees with surgical precision. She crumpled to the ground with a thundering crash, letting out an inhuman roar of pain that reverberated through the clearing.
Her colossus form rippled and shuddered, the shadows that composed it writhing as though struggling to reform. Instinctively, she tried to shift into another shape—a smaller, faster one to get back into the fight. But no matter how she willed her body to respond, it wouldn’t.
It wasn’t just disrupting her form, like she initially thought. It was locking her in.
Panic flickered beneath her rage as she clawed at the ground, her massive frame struggling to rise. "Oh, come on!" she snarled, slamming a fist into the dirt. "You think this is enough to stop me?"
The Arbiter’s fractured core pulsed erratically, its distorted hum rising in pitch—a sound almost akin to mocking laughter. The blade in its remaining hand dissipated into a shower of golden sparks, only for it to twist unnaturally and retrieve the glowing spear embedded in the ground nearby. Its motions were precise, mechanical, and cold, as if it had calculated Vivienne’s demise down to the second.
Above them, the golden barrier flickered, its shimmering light sputtering like a dying flame, before disappearing entirely. The oppressive weight of the dome lifted, replaced by the cool night air.
“Rava, I could do with a hand here!” Vivienne called out, her voice sharp with urgency. “Maybe a couple of legs too!” She clawed at the dirt, her monstrous form dragging itself backward as the Arbiter’s spear rose high, poised for the final strike.
As if on cue, Rava’s voice rang out like a battle cry. “Gotcha covered!”
She barreled into the fray, her lightning-charged fist slamming into the Arbiter’s torso with a crackling roar. The impact sent sparks and arcs of energy cascading through the clearing, and the Arbiter stumbled, its spear veering harmlessly wide as it staggered to regain its footing.
Vivienne laughed despite herself, her shadowy form flickering erratically. “About time you showed up! Thought I was gonna have to crawl away in pieces!”
“Relax,” Rava shot back, bracing herself for the Arbiter’s counterstrike. “I’m here, and I don’t plan on letting this overgrown cuckoo clock skewer either of us.”
The Arbiter, though momentarily off balance, recalibrated with alarming speed. Its core flared violently, and the spear twisted in its grip, the energy rippling across its length now darker, more erratic, like a storm barely contained.
Rava narrowed her eyes, electricity snapping at the air around her. “Viv, you’ve got one good shot left in you?”
“Do I look like I’m in any shape for a rematch?” Vivienne snapped, gesturing to her missing hand and legs. “But hey, I’ve got one arm and a bad attitude—what more do I need?”
“Good enough!” Rava shouted, darting in to keep the Arbiter’s attention. She feinted left, drawing the spear’s lethal thrust away from Vivienne, then delivered a punishing uppercut to its core. The Arbiter reeled, the glow of its core sputtering, but its movements remained relentless.
Vivienne gritted her teeth, forcing herself upright with a grunt of effort. Her form trembled, shadows surging unevenly as if the damage she’d taken was pulling her apart at the seams. She reached for the shattered remains of the Arbiter’s shield, now little more than a jagged slab of metal and more interestingly— a crystal-like object radiating aether.
“Rava,” she growled, her grin resurfacing despite her exhaustion. “Keep it busy for five seconds.”
“Make it three!” Rava shouted, narrowly dodging another thrust of the spear.
Vivienne didn’t answer. She channelled the last vestiges of her strength into the jagged shard in her hands, shadows crawling over its surface as it warped under her influence. Her grin widened as the shard grew into a grotesque, makeshift weapon—part blade, part monstrous claw, pulsating with unstable energy.
“Hey, clockwork!” Vivienne roared, her voice cutting through the chaos. The Arbiter’s head snapped toward her, its core flickering as though in recognition of the new threat.
Vivienne launched herself forward, dragging her broken form across the ground with terrifying speed. She swung the jagged weapon in a wide arc, the corrupted energy trailing behind it like a storm of black fire.
The Arbiter raised its spear to block, but the makeshift weapon struck true, cleaving through the spear and slamming into its core. The impact sent a shockwave tearing through the clearing, the Arbiter’s distorted hum rising to a deafening pitch as cracks spiderwebbed across its core.
For a moment, everything seemed to freeze—the Arbiter’s fractured form flickering with unstable light, Vivienne’s monstrous grin illuminated by the chaos.
Then the core detonated in a blinding explosion of a golden light being strangled by shadows.
When the dust finally settled, Vivienne lay sprawled on the ground, her monstrous form flickering weakly as she let out a low, guttural groan. With visible effort, she rolled onto her side, shadows pooling lazily around her as if they, too, were exhausted.
Rava staggered over, arcs of residual lightning still snapping faintly around her battered frame. Without a word, she collapsed next to the nightmare, her back hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of their laboured breathing and the faint hiss of dissipating aether.
“That victory,” Vivienne finally muttered, her voice rough but laced with dry humour, “cost me an arm and a leg.”
Rava blinked, turning her head toward Vivienne with a confused scowl. “What?” Her breaths came in ragged bursts.
“It’s—oh, come on!” Vivienne exclaimed weakly, gesturing with her one remaining arm. “You don’t realise how funny I’m being, and that is genuinely depressing.”