The midnight chiroptera matron, or as Kya was determined to call it, the jelly bat matron, was floating in place about twenty feet off the ground. Its enormous wings slowly beat out down, each gargantuan flap making Kya’s teeth rattle just slightly at the sudden change in pressure.

True, the thing was an absolute horror to look at, its weird intestines hanging down to form some macabre tentacles or the utter abomination that was it’s face and wings and, well, basically the entire thing looked to be ripped straight from a child's nightmare who had a fear of equal parts eldritch creations and jellyfish simultaneously.

But what really did it for Kya, what really told her that this thing was, under no specific circumstances, to be fucked with unless you came absolutely armed to the teeth, was the presence it had and was able to deploy at a whim.

She remembered her first days back in this very same forest. She remembered seeing the reaping tiger, and how much its aura had shaken her to her core. That thing had been an apex predator, a peerless hunter in its own domain with absolutely nothing to fear for miles in any direction. When it had looked at her, not even using its powerful eye intimidation thing, it had so totally and completely pressured her with its simple presence that she’d been hard pressed even to move. She had felt something similar from the hellhound alpha, a presence of danger, of complete confidence that it was the most powerful thing around and could practically go anywhere it wanted unchallenged. For all it knew, it was the toughest thing bar none.

Now, looking at the midnight black eyes of this demonic hell spawn, she felt almost nostalgic for those simpler days when all she had to worry about was a little fire breath or mental tricks. Because the aura of this thing, the sheer force of its very presence so close to her was just incredible. She had no words to describe the effect it was having on her, she knew it was powerful, transcendently so. It was literally a being out of her league, and she knew it, and it knew it. The look it was giving her now was one of such pure and utter contempt, that Kya was beginning to get a little offended by the monster not taking her as even a slight threat.

Still, when looking at the duo that stood a few feet in front of her, it wasn’t as though Kya couldn’t understand why. Out of their impromptu trio, she was absolutely the odd one out. The two in front, the user of War, and the user of Earth, were without question the dominant forces on the battlefield this night. The monster ahead of them may have had an ever so slightly more powerful aura than either one of them, it was a massive beast from the very pits of their waking horrors after all, but when Alder and Wade stood together like that? There was no question, they stood head and shoulders over this thing, and Kya could tell that it knew it too.

Acting quickly, and quietly, Kya took out two of the lesser healing potions she’d been hoarding like a miser for the longest time, swapping the superior one given to her by Alder and putting it away safely for later use.

Pulling out both tiny corks and then flinging the bottles away without drinking a drop of their liquids. Then, taking each of the small brown corks, she put one in her left ear and then her right. They weren’t the best, and they certainly weren’t the most comfortable things she’d ever worn, but if they helped prevent her ear drums from melting then who was she to complain.

While she’d been busy stuffing little bits of wood into her ears, the other two had been quietly whispering a plan back and forth to one another. Finally, Wade looked back and said “Target the wings if you can, but stay out of the way unless it's a sure thing. If you aren’t confident of surviving an attack, don’t go anywhere near it, understand?”

Before Kya could so much as nod her confirmation, the monster seemed to grow tired of simply floating, or rather, it seemed to have finished another of its gargantuan inhalations. Knowing what was coming next, and not wanting to give it the opportunity to do it again, Kya launched her rat fang dagger hurtling directly into the mouth of the jelly bat matron the second it opened it up to release its scream.

There were three things of import that Kya took away from that one move right there in the seconds to follow.

Take away number one, her ability had evolved and she could tell. It was vastly more powerful than before, the speed, force, power, and control she had over the objects she controlled was on a whole other level. Where before she’d been a kid with a slingshot, now she was a teenager with a bow and arrow. It still had room to grow, she could feel that it was nowhere near the peak of what it could one day become, but damn if it wasn’t a refreshing change to feel the sheer raw power now at her fingertips.

Take away number two was that even beyond the simple rank up of her abilities, she was currently under some effect, she suspected from Wade, that was boosting her abilities. She’d felt it back when going against the juvenile jelly bat, but it felt different this time. More general and at a slightly weaker level than the kind she’d used before. Either way, she could again feel her concentration, her focus and her drive, they all increased noticeably, which might have been what spurred her on to take such an action and be the first one to act in their standoff because, and this last one was important.

Takeaway number three, she was not the most powerful person here, nor was she the only one able to react when they all saw the monster open its mouth to screech.

Because she had sent her dagger flying forwards, Wade, who had been about to leap forwards in an almighty bound, stopped mid action and stumbled forwards. This had the fun consequence that when her dagger was, albeit rather painfully, eaten and swallowed by the colossal beast, it of course let out a screech of pain and frustration the very next second.

Both Alder and Wade looked back at Kya, who, to her credit, at least had the decency to look slightly abashed as the waves of concussive sound echoed around them, causing them all to flinch back a step.

“Just act as support!” Wade called over the sound, before turning back and carrying out the plan she had wanted to execute all along: leap up there and beat the shit out of the demon bat.

Kya watched in a slight mix of embarrassment and envy as Wade carried out said plan, while eagerly trying to figure out some manner of following suit.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wade, contrary to what she might have let on with her tone, wasn’t the least bit annoyed at Kya. Hell, taking a literal stab at a monster that is way… WAY out of your league was one of her favorite things to see someone do, and she’d now seen Kya do it multiple times over. She didn’t know the full details on where she was from, but it must have been a messed up place to make a person consistently seek out bigger and bigger targets like this.

Wade decided that, as she sailed closer and closer to the main body of the flesh abomination in front of her, that she not only needed to clear her head of these erroneous thoughts, but also that she was going to absolutely enjoy her first 2-Star fight, as a 2-Star, as much as she possibly could.

Landing with a ferocious and resounding crash of ax meeting flesh like stone, she was nevertheless delighted to find that with her new ability, the battle ax was able to cut right through like it was made of nothing more than warm butter.

She didn’t have the abilities like those knowledge nerds who could simply pull up a page of text describing their abilities, she had to go the standard route of understanding her abilities by instinct alone, and it looked to her like she was right on the money with hers. She knew it was going to be a powerful strike ability, she knew that the more momentum behind the swing, the greater the impact would be, and that it would work best with a large weapon. Anything more, and she was still in the gray fuzzy areas before she could make any definitive conclusions.

Still, as she slid down the body of the wriggling monster, eventually falling back down to the forest below and all the while punching and beating the monster with her offhand while channeling her second war ability, making each hit she landed more and more potent than the one before. This ability, too, had gone through an evolution when hitting 2-Star. The same effect as before was still there, she was still getting greater and greater returns for each successive hit, but she could also feel something more now, something beyond simply that. It was as if, every so often, one of her strikes would land with the ferocity and explosive power of a far more potent attack than anything she could muster on her own. She didn’t have a name for it, but gods above and below did it feel simply divine whenever it triggered.

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The spot where Wade fell instantly turned soft and sandy, Alder cushioning her fall, before it resolidified underneath her, and with a leap into the air and an powerful crash to the ground, Alder made a chunk of stone the size of a wagon suddenly erupt from the forest, launching Wade back up into the air at the Chiroptera who was rapidly flapping its three wings to maneuver away and position itself to grab hold of her with one of its intestinal tentacles.

But, unfortunately for the monster, Wade was an ax wielder. Chopping came naturally to her, and these tentacles were basically just large, suspiciously maneuverable trees.

Wade let out a whoop of delight as she got to work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kya watched Alder shoot Wade back into the air with his stone catapult launch technique, and instantly knew that not only did she need to try this for herself, but this was also exactly what she was looking for.

Running over to him as he kept his eyes skyward, blood and gore raining down from above, Kya shouted “Alder, send me up there too!”

“Are you crazy?! It’s bad enough sending her up, and she’s a two star with a giant death ax!”

“Yes, but with my slow fall, I can stay up longer and target the wings with my venom dagger!”

This actually seemed to give him pause, and he looked like he wanted to refuse, but just then Wade came shooting back down. He did a series of complex motions, like some strange martial arts movement as he softened the area around her into pillowy sand.

Just as he was about to resolidify the ground and launch her back up, Kya ran over to stand with her “Alder says I can go up thanks to my slowfall power!”

Wade, armor and helm covering any recognizable features, just gave her a thumbs up and said “Alright, sounds good to me. Alder! Let’s go!”

Groaning in frustration, but not wanting to delay any longer, Kya activated her ability to reduce her own falling speed the moment just before Alder sent them both airborne.

Kya reflected that for all the crazy messed up shit she’d had to do since arriving in this place, she was without even a hint or a question of doubt in her mind, delighted that she’d taken this chance to try something new.

She flew and flew and flew, realizing a little too late that if she makes the effects of gravity pulling on her less, then when she gets launched into the air… she was going to get absolutely launched.

After only a second or two of being in the air, she was already far above the tree canopy, the monster and Wade, she could see it all clearly from up here, and it was at this exact moment that a green crescent moon came up from the horizon like a blade stabbing the sky. Not being one for symbolism but taking that as about the most clear sign one can get from the universe, she canceled out her ability and plunged downwards, venomous dagger readied for action the moment she made it within striking distance.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wade almost immediately lost track of Kya, but just as quickly put it out of her mind. If she had a slow fall power and she wasn’t currently being eaten by the monster, then she would realistically be fine. For now, she had to focus up because, as with the previous two times, whenever she came even remotely close to any of the three massive wings, the monster went absolutely berserk, flailing at her with its tentacles and trying to take bites out of her from its unhinged jaw.

This time was different though. She wasn’t sure what had changed, but apparently the third trip up was one trip too many for the raging monster. Imitating the juvenile in its blinding rage, the matron flapped all three wings at once and sent itself flying at Wade, jaws of death open wide and putting on full display the multiple rows of jagged teeth it had for just such a task.

But it never got the opportunity. Just as the verdant sage light of Sarees came above the horizon, casting the monster in an all new and putrid shade of green, Kya shot down from the sky like a meteor from the heavens, and pierced straight through one of its wings, leaving her venom dagger embedded in one of the wings knuckle joints.

Wade, too, was falling at a tremendous pace, and quickly passed by Kya, who she presumed to have activated her slow fall ability.

However, all of that was irrelevant next to the sheer strength and concussive force behind the scream that came next from the chiroptera. Wade was actually propelled faster downward, the force of the scream offering to accelerate her on its waves of energy.

Kya, who was anxiously floating downwards, was sent flying back dozens of meters away and off course. Wade could hear her exclamations and see her clutching at her ears and head as she flew off and away. Hopefully, if she had any sense, she would leave the job as done, having contributed honestly more than Wade would have ever expected, and let Her and Alder finish this as best they could.

And yet, this strange feeling in her as she hit the softened earth provided by Alder told her that she probably wouldn’t be doing anything of the sort.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Oh, God dammit!” Kya yelled in pain, clutching at her head as she was launched off course from the earth shattering scream, she’d inspired in the jelly bat matron.

Part of her was quite proud of that blow, landing her dagger right in its wing while flying at terminal velocity would have been enough, but she’d also launched the dagger into the beasts skin, burying its venomous point as deeply as she could to ensure that not only would it hurt like hell, and not only would the venom get a chance to spread through the beast, but hopefully now the wing would be severely weakened or altogether useless.

Still, she wasn’t sure if it was worth the price of the attack as she was sent hurtling away from the battle in progress, and moreover, could feel her eyeballs trying their best to eject themselves from her skill. The power difference in the monster and herself was simply too great at this point. She needed to get stronger and needed to have better control over her abilities. She was confident that if she had mastered her abilities already, she could have taken this thing, or at least done more to assist the others.

Finally coming to a less than ideal landing by colliding feet first with a tree and falling slowly down from there, Kya decided to take the moment and just breathe. Just recover and recuperate what she could.

She didn’t stay there for long, counting out thirty beats of her rapid heart before getting back to her feet and starting to dash quickly back in the direction of the fight. She knew where to go, if for no other reason than the cries and crashes coming from that part of the forest.

Thinking quickly on ways to speed up her traversal, she began playing with her slow fall ability a little bit as she ran mad dash through the woods.

At first, she didn’t feel any difference, trying her best to just ever so slightly reduce the weight pulling down on her body. But eventually, as she focused on ever so gradually increasing the effect of the ability, she noticed her strides were taking her further and further, and that the effort of the run became easier and easier. She was just as strong as before but was carrying less weight for the muscles in her legs to support.

Wondering how far she could take it; she went full strength on the ability and began to bound through the woods like she was an astronaut on the surface of the moon. This was great and all, and of course Kya found herself laughing as she bounded along, it was also incredibly slow as while she could leap a great distance, it took her too long to come back down for another jump afterwards.

So, how about a mixture of the two?

Pushing off the ground at full strength in both the jump and her slow fall power, she sailed forward smoothly and quickly. Then, at the moment she felt her momentum begin to stall, Kya turned off the ability and shot back down to the ground. By repeating this process, she was able to create an almost pseudo-flying technique that let her travel at simply hilarious speeds compared to her simple running techniques. It took her a couple of tries, stumbling frequently as she traveled, but by the time she made it back to Alder, she was able to do it at least consistently well.

But making it back to Alder meant she was greeted with an awe inspiring demonstration the likes of which she had never seen before. Alder, Wade now standing next to him with her ax at the ready, was sending a terrestrial barrage up at the still floating monster, although it looked absolutely the worse for the wear.

With each stomp of his foot, Alder ejected a small cylinder of stones from the ground, and then with a two handed shove like he was passing a basketball, he sent it hurtling up to bombard the jelly bat.

For its part in this, it wasn’t staying still. It consistently tried to come in close as it did dive bomb style fly overs, trying to pick up either Alder or Wade or both with the remaining tentacles it had trailing behind its bruised and battered body. However, as Kya watched, Wade almost effortlessly slashed through one of the sinuous lengths of flesh as though she were trimming a particularly annoying part of the hedges.

As soon as the pair saw Kya re-enter their small clearing, they nodded to each other and both women got close together as they were once more sent skyward to face this leviathan of the skies.

Not wanting to mess around this time, Kya kept her weight mostly normal getting a more regular trajectory towards the beast, before catching the glinting handle of her still buried dagger.

Seeing her opportunity, Kya focused on it and gave the most powerful yank she could, tearing it free from the wing joint with a loud popping and hideously graphic depiction of the intra-skeletal system. Deactivating her slow fall altogether to increase her fall momentum, she let the dagger get closer and closer and then when it was just about right, she willed it to fly straight into the top most wing of the beast, and it once more buried itself at just the right point in the wing joint.

With the shredding of its join on one side, and the skewering of a joint on this one, the beast had finally had enough of the skies, and fell to the earth for a crash landing. This wasn’t over yet, Kya knew, not by a long shot. They had taken it from the skies, but they still had to deal with it on land. However, with the earth user Alder on their side, she simultaneously thought that, just perhaps, this would go as well as she hoped.

Maybe.

Possibly.