AA. 197

Lucy didn’t stay put. Her casual demeanor disappeared as she moved. The gravity locus moved in the opposite direction of where Olaf had gone, settling in a boulder, and Lucy sped towards it. She seemed to fall more than run or fly. Nil attempted throwing a spike in her path, but the gravity locus moved. She changed direction, and her speed dropped significantly.

The physics and potential of the ability astounded Nil. Trapping and crushing someone was just the most basic usage of a gravitational monopole. Lucy could just as easily disorient foes by making them fall in different directions. If her team members figured out how to move effectively with her, they’d also benefit from swift movement. Nil imagined that with enough practice, her team members could also benefit from the reduced gravity to move swiftly. However, Lily would likely have issues since her power seemed to demand staying glued to the ground. 

Did she get knocked out of the Cleansing, or is she lagging behind?

Nil didn’t get time to think long. Lucy avoided both of his attacks, and her companion resumed his assault. The ground trembled. Laval projectiles flew. Fissures spread, and spikes sprouted from them. All were too slow for Nil.

The new tail of Chaos wrapped in Balance felt more like a part of him. Thanks to My Body Is My Domain, he felt a keener connection to the shaped appendage. It moved exactly how he wanted and needed it to. Nil didn’t even need to think about it. The tail was a part of him and acted as such. Besides acting as an extra appendage, it gave him the necessary balance and stability to push harder and move at more incredible speeds than his Finesse allowed. None of Olaf’s attacks reached him.

At first, Nil made it look like Lucy was his target. He created another electrified Chaos Spike just as she reoriented toward him. The throw forced her to move the gravity locus, lose speed, and change direction again. Nil immediately pulled Meatball out of his core and threw it at Olaf with all the strength he could master. She didn’t need to be told to use Reinforce and Quicksilver Burst. The drakeling understood now that it was standard practice.

A pillar of half-molten rock popped out of the ground, blocking Meatball’s path. Unfortunately, for Olaf, it wasn’t enough. Bronze Ascension had made the drakeling hardier. Reinforce further increased her resistance to heat and fire, and she had Regenerate to help recover from damage. A sliver of the woody carapace unfurled, and one of the four tentacles grabbed Olaf’s construct. 

Meatball swung around it and straight into her target’s face. A pained yowl burst from him as bones and teeth cracked and spikes tore gouges in his face. Meatball zoomed away, just about avoiding the explosion of molten stone that spread in a circle around Olaf.

Since the man was sufficiently occupied, Nil refocused his attention on Lucy. He didn’t know the extent of her abilities and nothing about her soul armor, except it seemed to mask her personal energy signature. However, thanks to One With The Source, Nil had no trouble feeling the energy surrounding the controlled gravity locus.

Its area of influence was a rough sphere. The planet’s gravity seemed to warp the shape as the two opposing forces collided and interfered with one another. The field’s strength seemed to weaken the further one was from the locus, so Nil took a risk and moved just along the edge. Occasional thrown spikes forced Lucy to stay on the move and regularly move her gravity locus for speedy movement. She failed to weaponize them. 

Nil’s speed and monstrous energy levels helped him keep Lucy on the backfoot. It wasn’t long before he drove her into a corner, where volcanic formations limited her movements. Then, more spikes followed. Lucy had no choice but to sacrifice her weapon. Whatever magic ran through, it blocked Nil’s Chaos at first. The resistance didn’t last for long. Eventually, the crimson energy disintegrated sections of the giant hammer.

The woman tried to pull a fast one, but One With The Source helped track all energy movements. The gravity locus split, becoming two. One stayed close to Lucy while the other moved toward Nil. Fortunately, each of them was just over half the size of the first. Most of her coat had burned away, exposing the soul armor below. It covered her lower half, abdomen, back, and shoulders but left much of her chest exposed. 

Nil wasn’t sure whether it was the nature of her chassis or an aesthetic design choice. The latter felt silly. It had allure, but mostly exposed breasts meant the lungs and heart were also poorly protected. He had only seen such designs only in video games and fantasy game covers. The gravity locus under Lucy seemed to flow into her, and her armor shifted. It compressed, becoming sleeker, and the air around her, especially all exposed areas, seemed to ripple. When Nil threw another Chaos Spike, it warped when passing through the rippling area and changed direction, striking and disintegrating surrounding stone.

On the bright side, the locus Lucy’s armor had absorbed shrunk considerably, condensing around her body. Meanwhile, the second maintained a healthy distance, never moving closer than the first’s range. The woman came at him, left arm cocked and ready for a strike, moving at blinding speeds.

Even though Lucy’s speed had increased significantly, she was no match for infused Toggle Supercharging and Anti-Friction Lattice. Hand blasts also ensured he could maneuver the uneven landscape with ease. The tail made things even easier. Intent once again played a role. Source constructs usually had no weight, but as the limb became a part of him, Nil could easily shift his center of gravity. Pushing off surfaces also helped change direction without Expend blasts and losing too much speed.

“Got Mr. Sneak,” Selia said. “Going to help Meatball with the volcano.”

“Volcano?” Shawn sounded concerned. “The Wilson party jumped you?”

The man got no response. They couldn’t afford to get distracted or consider giving the opponent a chance. Lucy and her companions had opened fire with hesitation. There were no questions or proposals of teaming up. Wilson Luduses wanted the Forge team eliminated so they could have all the glory on Earth. Nil didn’t care about any of it. He had a job to do, and they were in the way.

He sped at Lucy, skimming the edge of the second gravity sphere. My Body Is My Domain did its job. His speed dropped marginally, but Nil suffered no ill effect. In fact, Anti-Friction lattice seemed to react to the brief stimuli, leaving him to question whether it could’ve helped him win the Chase. He had theorized that the ability had greater usage than movement. Experimentation and study would have to wait until after the Cleansing. 

When the two combatants collided, Nil relied on his tail to redirect the incoming blow. The ripples around Lucy intensified. Much to his surprise, the Chaos blades warped, bending at awkward angles when within the ripples, avoiding the woman’s flesh. When Nil pulled back, they resumed their original shape.

She’s using gravity to warp space!

The fact that she hadn’t released the locus currently merged with her armor suggested that the process wasn’t instantaneous or demanded more concentration than she could afford to spare. Nil sped away from her as the free locus closed in on him. He needed to figure out another tactic. Reaching Silver Realm alone wasn’t enough to take her out. He had forced her onto the back foot, but she clearly had more tricks up her sleeve. However, the second locus started to flicker, and its borders quivered. Lucy was rapidly burning through her energy. The faint energy flow detectable through the soul armor faltered. It was likely she didn’t have much left in the tank.

Team Forge has scored 1 point and needs 2 more to make it through the gate.

Nil thought that it was a technique born of cultivation. It didn’t affect the lightning wrapping. Unfortunately, the woman’s arm seemed to act as a lightning rod, attracting the arcing Chaos and protecting her from harm. So, Nil went back to the basics. He and Lucy sped at one another again. The ripples intensified, and she launched a kick that seemed to shake the world around them. Nil’s tail once again ensured that he didn’t suffer a direct blow. Simultaneously, supercharged speed and toughness added to his new ability’s defenses. He dispelled all Source constructs and channeled the energy through his fist as a monstrous Expend blast.

Lucy simultaneously expanded her gravity locus, merging the old and new together, attempting to crush Nil. My Body Is My Domain, though potent, lacked the power to stand up to the focused assault. She successfully brought him down onto her hands and knees, but it was too late. Her ripples failed to redirect the concussive blast. Nil had shaped and manipulated it, ensuring all the energy went out in a straight line and struck her midriff.

As expected, the soul armor ensured flesh and bone weren’t ripped apart. However, the force sent Lucy flying, and Nil was sure she suffered internal damage, too. Blood sprayed from her mouth, and the gravity locus winked out of existence. Unwilling to give her the chance to recover, he pursued the woman. Nil emitted raw Chaos and electrified it with Balance. Lighting trailed behind his right hand. The attack proved unnecessary.

More blood poured from Lucy’s mouth as she coughed. Her left arm hung limp, and her right weakly reached behind her neck. She surrendered.

Team Forge has scored 1 point and needs 1 more to make it through the gate.

“Where are they?” Shawn demanded, racing out of the cave system just then. 

He and Zora stood on an elongated floating barrier. It disappeared as soon as they touched down, and he came running up to Nil. Their wide eyes scanned their surroundings. Olaf’s volcanic attacks had changed the topography. 

“Gone,” Nil answered. “They jumped us. It was us or—”

“Did you kill them?” Shawn’s words came out soft but stern. His shoulders were stiff, and the internal conflict couldn’t be more obvious.

“Ateeq lost a foot trying to teleport out of a wall after I trapped him,” Selia said. “He tried to keep going and begged me to let him join our team and finish the Cleansing together. I took a hand, and he surrendered.”

“And Olaf?” Shawn’s voice was even softer. His eyes scanned the fissures, spikes, and other bits of shaped earth, as well as rapidly cooling lava. “What happened to him?”

“Meatball and I did a number on him. No dismemberment. Just lots of broken bones, and I got my chain around his neck. He also tapped out.” Selia shot him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Shawn. They didn’t give me much of a choice. Ateeq intended to slither past me and launch a sneak attack. He was probably going to take out Zora. Olaf tried to double-team Nil with Lucy. The way they moved and approached the situation, it's likely they’ve been following us for a while, waiting for the perfect moment to take us out. You love him, but he’s not your friend. Maybe—”

“Completing the Cleansing and eliminating the Forge takes priority.” Shawn’s interruption was short and curt. “If they’re not with us, they’re against us.” He sighed, shaking his head. “It’s a shame, really. We could’ve teamed up and taken out the others in the sector.”

“It was never an option for them or Adrian,” Nil said. Even though all of the conversations they had would appear in the Apocalypse Arena feed, it needed to be said. “I know you worship him, but he’s not our friend, Shawn. They don’t know how to share. As for Olaf. I know you love—”

“That’s enough,” Shawn said. He looked at Nil coldly. “You took out Lucy. Alone?”

Nil nodded. “Turns out she isn’t much of a challenge if you can figure out and track her ability. I forced her to pull out all her stops and burn a lot of energy. When it wasn’t enough, she tried a final desperate attack. It didn’t work out in her favor.”

“It’s a good thing we have the Forge.” Zora sighed. “I imagine Wilson Enterprises would’ve made our lives hell otherwise. They don’t seem the type to tolerate such humiliation.”

“You get what you asked for,” Selia stated. “They had other options, but no. Team Wilson wanted war. They fucked up.”

“Can we move on, please?” Shawn asked, conjuring his transport. “One more point, and we’re done with this sector.”