They all stood in front of the door at the ready, Olga looked around to make sure everyone was prepared before pushing the doors open.

She was more careful than usual and did not slam them open, instead slowly pushing the doors away from each other as she walked in first.

The room was illuminated in a purple light from purple fires in bowls on various pillars lining around the edge. If you could call such a large space a room anyway.

It was a huge pyramid shaped room about hundreds of meters across and high in the center. Some of the stone pillars five meters across, went up to the roof unlike the others holding the purple flames. Everyone’s eyes were drawn to something in the centre, a large creature.

Analyze

[The Anchor - Spectral War Dancer]

It, no she. She was tall, easily over five meters in height, she was a regal looking black dress which reached all the way to the ground not showing her feet but exposing her two pair of arms in full, one set in front of the other. Her exposed skin was glowing a deep spectral indigo in color and her head was covered by a black cloth of a sort rectangular in shape, it exposed black horns on either side of her head point to either side before curling up to their points. All four arms were lifted into the air in front of her. A pale blue glowing sphere floated between her four hands, whatever it was threw Tisha’s Spatial Senses for a loop.

Tisha realized that her eyes had to be very good to be able to notice details at such a range, little things like this reminded her that even in the smallest ways her body had gone beyond a human’s capabilities.

She glanced at Finch who also turned to her, they gave each other a knowing nod. Before she looked towards Olga.

“I believe we must stop whatever she is doing.”

“We were gonna do that anyway.” The woman confirmed before summoning a nail in her hand as she threw her arm back.

“We fight the usual way.” She said before hurling the Nail that she had just enlarged at an incredible speed, the air on the edge of ripping apart under the force.

However, before the nail cross halfway, the War Dancer turned to the group immediately putting her arms down and the glowing object disappeared. The skirt of the dress raised up with seemingly no physical action from the creature herself, revealing nothing underneath.

From the center multitudes of large arms much like her two pairs appeared from where her waist should have been, each of them as big as the woman herself, the moved and bent as if without joints rushing towards the nail and knocking it out of the sky.

Spectral Arms – Powerful separate limbs that act out the users wishes, more energy is required to control more limbs and give them commands.

A sudden burst of information entered Tisha’s head as she or rather as her Orb examined the giant arms, this must have been Observation. What she gained wasn’t far beyond what she could just see but the extra information about the energy cost was somewhat helpful.

“Tch.” Olga clicked her tongue in annoyance before barreling towards the enemy more and more arms revealed themselves from underneath the dress, there were at least twenty or more limbs by now and more were joining.

“Welcome, Vessels of that blasphemous Scourge. Dogs of the drowning woman” A deep and symphonious voice came unexpectedly from the War Dancer.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, she could talk. That was surprising and also made her far more dangerous. It meant she had an ego, could plan and could adapt. Very unlike their enemies they had come across so far. And also, the Scourge? Drowning woman?

“You have finally been summoned to this world by the damnable System governing this place, but you are all far too late. This world would be consumed very soon and your world would be next.” The threat came out of nowhere, they still had no clue what their exact reason for being brough here was and this creature is telling them that the very Earth was in danger.

During her talking the War Dancer had been moving up in the air lifted by the mass of limbs now over thirty in number as they spread from her to the surroundings targeting the group. She would be far harder to reach with that height advantage over them, though they were in luck as they had ranged options.

On top of that, four circular objects each a meter across floated out of her back before each of her four actual arms grabbed them in their centers. The objects had serrated edges along the outside.

War Dancer’s Chakrams – Can be used as melee weapons, at range as boomerangs and some users can control them remotely.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Look, four arms, we barely know anything about this place. But I know a threat when I hear one.” Olga replied after the initial shock with a dangerous glint in her eye.

“So why don’t ya get down here so I can give ya face a good smacking.”

“You, a barbaric creature like you humans having gained power beyond what you should have dare to challenge me? Amusing, I would teach you the errors of your ways.” The condescending tone she took made it clear what she thought about humans in general, not worth her time, but her hand had been forced.

Olga did not hesitate to launch herself into a mighty leap straight at the Dancer. Spectral Limbs came after her from below as she smacked them away midair. Unfortunately, there were too many and eventually she was overwhelmed, throwing her into the ground and gouging the stone out as the mass proceeded to slam her into and through one of the large pillars connected to the ceiling causing it to collapse.

Tisha was already charging her Orb as the rest of the group rallied themselves having been woken from the stupor by the violence before them.

“I see you Vessels have dregs of an Origin in you, something you do not deserve, allow me to cull you all.” The Dancer intoned, she spread her arms out dropping the Chakrams and causing them to float out around her. Her Spectral Arms took on a deeper color.

Spectral Arms (Enhanced) – The Spectral Arms are now far more powerful with the addition of Varos to modify them they would have additional effects.

Just saying additional effects meant nothing to Tisha she needed more information.

“You curs aren’t the only ones to have access to Varos, hahahaha!” The Dancer taunted with a manic laugh.

“Be careful everyone those arms are even more dangerous!” Tisha yelled, she could not elaborate much as they were already in combat.

Finch had spread his Mist already which did not seem to have any effect on the arms apart from maybe slightly draining Varos from them but it slowed the movement of the Dancer herself. Both he and Mel were as always giving range support which was mostly blocked by the arms as Damon was forced on the defensive to protect them.

Tisha’s Orb let loose a powerful blast, her strongest yet it screamed across the room into the air, too fast for the Limbs to intercept and slammed straight into the Dancer. The explosion rocked the room, clearing to show that it had zero effect, her dress was not even singed.

Instead, a haze covered the air with what looked like cracks spreading across it.

Varos Shield – A barrier formed from Varos.

[Perception grade up G+(+) to F-]

Tisha could feel the imperious superiority radiating from the creature as she practically floated in front of them she had both superior offensive and defensive power compared to the entire group with the arms on top of the barrier and the Chakrams which she had not used yet.

A pillar, one with a purple flame, made its appearance on the scene flying so quickly and from straight behind the Dancer. It slammed straight into the barrier which seemed to strain for a moment before both the barrier and the pillar shattered. The barrier disappearing like a mist as the pillar turned into powder from the force.

“Don’t count me out, monster.” Olga laughed as she strode towards them with a joyous gait. Before turning her jog into a full-on sprint towards the creature.

“Aaarrrgh!” The creature shouted in anger sending waves of Spectral Arms to every person, there was only so much Damon could do to protect the others. Pillars around the room were crushed like nothing, luckily it seemed they were more decorative than anything else as the room did not look like it was going to collapse in on itself.

Olga had changed from going on the offensive to diving back towards the group to protect them, or more specifically Finch and by extension Mel. Tisha realized that her Suspension could stop the flailing limbs. It seemed as long as her target was attached to a creature it could be affected. So she currently could not freeze the chakrams unless the Dancer held them.

“It seems some of you have attachments here, let me help with that!” The Dancer pointed towards Finch, she had been quick to notice Olga’s protective behavior when he was concerned.

More limbs rushed towards him leaving less of them on everyone else.

“Shit!” Olga exclaimed in alarm using her body as a shield.

The limbs were everywhere but no more where appearing, it seemed the monster could control up to eighty of them if Tisha counted correctly. Eventually, they had managed to hold the advance of the limbs on with their hasty defense, mostly thanks to Damon’s shield, Olga’s sturdy body and good us of Suspension which seemed to have received a reduction of its cooldown.

Tisha glanced at the Dancer, she had a hand on her head which was slumped down in a sad looking pose, that was before the room shook. A burst of Varos from the creature shocked the group she raised her head up yelling into the air.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!” A burst of twenty more limbs erupted from beneath the dress rushing towards the group as they scrambled to protect Finch yet again.

That was, until the limbs took a sudden turn towards Tisha herself. Every single one of them.

She couldn’t react, as the limbs took her by surprise her Swift Step already primed to reach Finch and would not get her out of the way in time. The limbs crashed into her.

…

Is what she thought, she opened her eyes slowly, to find that she was not in the same position she originally found herself. In her place was Mel.

“Told you I would pay you back.” The woman said with a grin almost smug, she was covered in a golden barrier that held all the limbs back.

Intervention – Swap places with a target and cover yourself in a very powerful barrier.

The woman had not had many chances to use her Armament as they had gone through the tear and so no one knew what its ability was until now.

Tisha smiled back, it seemed to woman was fine for now in the barrier. The monster had tricked them into thinking that she could control a maximum of eighty limbs. But it seemed to be a hundred, however they had to be careful if they could be fooled once, it could certainly happen again.

As she turned towards the monster, something pricked her senses, she turned back to Mel just in time to see the barrier fade. The look of surprise on the woman’s face told Tisha that this was not meant to happen. This had to be one of the extra effects of the enhanced version of the limbs.

“Wha-” Mel had the time to let out before getting crushed by the limbs, not just crushed, Tisha saw and felt the woman practically disappear a few seconds later. Another effect of the limbs, she had felt Varos being drained from Mel before something seemed to happen to her, no to her soul.