Kiara unsheathes her katana, jumping back to create enough distance while Evander decides to attack headfirst towards the creatures. His confidence is unwavering as he clashes with the unknown. The Elusives reappear and appear next to Kiara, their reflexes and movements feel jarring and glitch-like. They flicker in and out of existence.
Kiara swings her katana, her attack is elegant and swift like an artist swinging with a paintbrush. The Distortion zone's walls start pulsating, and the violet hues that overbear the environment flicker. The Elusive's body shifts from solid to an ethereal form as Kiara's blade slices through space.
The master looms over the scene from a distance, watching the chaos away from the chaos inside the dome. He sees the electricity sparking in the air start going violent as the ground starts to glow a hot pink.
Hmm? the master questions as a bright burst of energy glows beneath Kiara's and Evander's feet.
Suddenly as if gravity had been switched off, everything becomes weightless in the air leaving the combatants floating. Kiara and Evander were like puppets connected to a string. The laws of physics have turned upside down. The Elusive traverse zero gravity like it is swimming through water, their bodies swaying left and right as they travel closer to Kiara and Evander.
Evander kicks his legs in the air, trying to flip himself upside down. Building up the momentum, Evander with a maniacal grin, slams his dagger in the Elusive's head. The curse spirit hisses in pain as it tries to push Evander away.
Flicking his wrist, Evander summons a Khopesh in his extended hand. Swinging the blade around the curse spirit's neck, he spins around building up force to cleanly sever the curse spirit's head.
Kiara's stomach churned violently as her body screamed with confusion. Nothing about what was happening made sense.
Swinging her katana, Kiara tried to slice down the Elusive but the recoil spun her sideways. There is no ground where she can plant her feet. The Elusive gracefully moves through the air around Kiara as if its body is a living torpedo. It swayed for a predatory elegance as it closed the distance.
A pulse throbbed in Kiara's eye. Trying to kick herself forward, her body twisted and moved awkwardly as she drifted. Using basic physics, Kiara swings her katana, the force sending her spinning but she tucks in directing the motions towards the Elusive.
Aiming her speed and momentum, she prepares to strike against the Elusive's core. With her trajectory locked in, Kiara slices down the core with all her strength.
The walls of the distortion zone pulse once more gently this time. The gravity distorts and shifts before sending everyone back down to the floor. Kiara feels like powerful energy is dragging her down. Her body stops just before crashing to the floor suddenly the zero gravity flickers back like a light switch. Weightlessness has kicked back in.
"Interesting," the master watches carefully. He takes notes on how each combatant fights. Evander is fierce and aggressive, contrasting with Kiara's reactive precision.
"Javelin," Evander commands, a bright light summons a javelin in his hand. Spinning the weapon in his hand, Evander throws the spear into an Elusive. The javelin traverses through the zero gravity like a swordfish cutting through the sea—fast, and sharp.
The javelin strikes the cursed spirit, sending it crashing into a boulder. The Elusive lays lifeless as it gives out its final hiss. It dissolves into pure spiritual energy in front of Evander's eyes.
Sensing the strength difference between Kiara and Evander, the Elusives switch their gaze to a different target. The cursed spirits start traversing through the air, their gaping jaws wide open preparing to strike.
Kiara holds her katana to change her axis mid-spin like how a rollerblader adjusts to stabilize themselves. The Elusive floats over her and whips its sharp barbed tail on Kiara's back. The force sends her spiraling into the Distortion zone's walls. Kiara is launched out of the dome as she crashes onto the ground. She manages to cushion the landing with a burst of spiritual energy at the last second but the impact leaves a deep ache radiating through his body.
Evander's body shudders violently from Kiara crashing onto the floor. A pain–not his own, pulses through his spine. The master takes instant notice of the phenomenon, observing closely.
Shared pain link? The master's eyes widen with intrigue, a wild smirk appears on his face. He leans lazily against his arm watching the Elusives start to move towards Evander.
The cursed spirits taking advantage of the situation start 'swimming' towards the Ascendant. Kiara, reacting fast, rushes back into the distortion zone only to instantly be hit with the zero gravity effect. Her body flips on herself, her limbs flailing disoriented as she floats high in the air.
An Elusive silently slithers behind Kiara. Noticing this, Kiara swings her katana, her body shifting on her axis. She slashes towards the threat but the Elusive jerks back exactly when Kiara swings her katana. Once she is in a vulnerable position, another Elusive comes out of nowhere from above like a rocket. It slammed its body on Kiara's exposed side. The impact sends her spiraling backward through the zero-gravity space.
Kiara grits her teeth calculating the angles around her while Evander laughs to himself as he swings his blade in zero gravity.
While Elusives can work in packs, they mostly work alone to increase territorial control, The master narrates to himself seeing Kiara and Evander struggle against the threat. Distortion zone Elusives are much different- with increased intelligence, they know how to work better together and plan and strategize attack plans in mere seconds.
"Time to take care of the boss," the master slowly says. His gaze mechanically moves his gaze to where the high-end Elusive is. "Fall," he commands as his body is engulfed with a pure black mist.
Kiara feels another Elusive closing. She spins mid-air to face the closest cursed spirit. Evander notices Kiara's attempt, needing no more to understand what she's trying to do. He charges towards her while Kiara redirects with controlled finesse.
She draws her katana mid-air, charging with spiritual energy as Evander kicks off a floating boulder, launching like a bullet.
In a single slice from above and below, the Elusives were bisected in synchronized blows, their bodies cleanly sliced. They stayed still, their bodies not moving before exploding in a violent burst.
The distortion zone pulses as the zero gravity turns off once more. Kiara's and Evander's bodies gently float down to the cold dry dirt below them. Collapsing onto the ground, Kiara catches her breath. The Elusives in the area sense something in the distance and they start to leave the area to investigate.
The vast air felt stunning, almost memorizing. The place is at war with colors that contrast nicely with each other: violet hues and electric pink. Pulsing lights stretch far like ribbons of pure gold, leaving behind chaotic bright trails. Pieces of trees and boulders were suspended in mid-air like a shattered world drifting through time itself.
Evander grins slightly. "Do you want to call it? No shame," He shrugs his shoulders, resting his Khopesh on his shoulder. "This place is a pain anyway. I remember why I never liked being here, the environment is not right for my tempo."
A long pause. Kiara's fingers twitch but she bites down on her lip.
"You know what. Screw it," Kiara finally mutters. "I can do this. The universe can't stop me. I'm proving myself here today."
"What is that going to be?" Evander paces around Kiara, raising his eyebrow.
"That I'm not a chicken," Kiara points her finger at Evander, raising her voice declaring war on the universe. "I'm not going to quit. This is a fresh start."
The crystal spikes start sparking with an unknown energy. The air crackles like fireworks. The distortion zone's wall drifts and distorts as if it is going to collapse in on itself. The walls start to narrow in on themselves before snapping back with a powerful force.
"Oh great," Kiara lowers her arm, already regretting the bravery. "Something is going to pop out of nowhere isn't there." She grips her katana as the distorted world around her continues to shift mocking her efforts.
On the outskirts of the dome, the master has finished off the boss of the distortion zone. He looms over the defeated corpse as it gives one last death cry. The master's face is expressionless yet his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
As soon as the boss of the distortion zone is defeated, it normally collapses the dome. This happens as the boss is the central point–the core of the dome's structure, The master forms a hand sign, and a black spiral ooze forms under his feet. But there's always a loophole. What if you had replaced the central point before the dome had time to collapse? Replace it with power–similar or on equal footing that tricks the structure into stabilizing.
An armored lanky humanoid Elusive rises from the blank goo below it. Its movement is mechanical and lifeless. Slowly opening its gaping jaw, it lets out a weak insect-like hiss. It had an elongated smooth head, devoid of eyes. The distortion zone slowly steadies and eases back into its regular shape. The Elusive starts moving towards Kiara and Evander.
The air density felt denser as if something heavy rested on Kiara's shoulder. The dome walls pulse rhythmically. Evander's gaze notices electrical sparks sparkling near the edges. Flicking his wrists, Evander taps the dome's wall only to meet with a clang. Slashing the walls, the impact absorbs like a dream.
"It seems that the distortion zone is keeping us like a prison," Evander's eyes narrow, and his lips with irritation. "This brings back similar feelings to my prison."
When sealed in a talisman, a person is basically in a space not being able to freely flail your arms and move. You are forever trapped in limbo not being able to escape.
Kiara's eyes flicker to the dome's edges, her body feeling more and more trapped within. The hum of the dome intensifies, andtheir escape seems to grow further away as the seconds pass.
"We likely need to kill the boss to escape," Evander turns his head in a snappy motion. He senses something coming in from the distance.
"So it's like a boss level," Kiara connects the dots, her gamer brain activating. "In video games, you can't escape until you beat the boss to reach the next level."
Evander lets out a soft chuckle but it disappears as a humanoid armored Elusive walks over mechanically towards them. Kiara raises her katana while Evander spins his Khopesh, loosening his stance. The Elusive's mechanical limbs twitch into a battle stance.
"Oh this is going to be great," the master watches over from a high benchtop, his legs dangling off the ground. "Go on fight. Show me everything you got," he lazily leans his head against his arm, grinning at the sight before him.
"Well here's your chance to not be a chicken," Evander mutters under his breath, maintaining eye contact with the cursed spirit.
"I'm kind of regretting saying that already," Kiara says, a flicker of regret crossing her face. Her lips twitch into a wry grin, trying to pass it off as a joke.
"Don't lose focus–" Evander lectures before a fist appears right in front of his face. The Elusive appeared like an afterimage, its fist extended forward. It felt like time had slowed down as the Elusive's fist landed directly on Evander's face, the pain searing through like lightning. It felt like a sudden, brutal snap. The sheer power of the punch leaves Evander's senses a split second to catch up.
The force sends him reeling back as his head whips to the side. Kiara felt something stuck to the back of her throat, and spitting it out, it was blood. Her jaw felt like it was dislocated as her legs faltered on each other as she moves back a bit.
That's new, Kiara's mind races, trying to distract herself from the pain. Her vision blurs for just a moment as she barely gets time to register the blood on her lips. The Elusive smoothly turns its head towards Kiara's direction. It lets out a deathly insect-like cry that nearly deafens Kiara.
The Elusive disappears like an afterimage, not even a blur. No motion is seen, only a faint light trail. It felt inhuman and godlike. Kiara could only see the result of what happened, which was an extended fist aimed straight at her face. Everything felt like time had slowed right in front of her, just for her to understand the danger.
Kiara knew that if that punch landed, it was going to shatter half her face. She had to act. She slides her foot forward trying to trip on herself so she can fall. Her body moved before she could finish the thought. As Kiara falls on her back, the punch nearly collides with her, grazing the air where her head had been.
Such dumb luck. A one-in-a-thousand kind of reaction, The master grins to himself, watching over the scene like a kid watching a movie for the first time. His legs swing like a frolicking child. Most would have their heads gone from speeds like that.
Kiara lays on the ground, her heart pounding like a war drum. She rolls herself over as the Elusive tries to stomp on her head like a watermelon. She rises just in time to block another punch with a katana. The shockwave nearly shattered the blade as Kiara felt her body recoil from the impact.
Thank god my reaction got buffed, Kiara's mind raced like a marathon. My head would have been on the ground. She tries to block the next couple of punches with her already nearly broken katana. Each powerful strike chips the blade before shattering it into a million shards.
Kiara is now defenseless.
The Elusive winds up for a fatal strike, the force built up is enough to blow a hole in a person. Kiara raises her arms to block the attack, reinforcing it with spiritual energy– something that will delay the inevitable. The master's smile widens as the Elusive throws its punch towards Kiara.
Suddenly in a blur, Evander appears in front of Kiara, his face bleeding and bruised protecting her from the strike.
"Celtic shield!" Evander commands, his right arm glows with a white radiant light. In a quick burst of energy, a large rectangular shield appears in front of Evander's arm. The Elusive makes contact with the shield, releasing a power source of energy through it. Everything came to a complete halt.
No one made a move. Evander breathes heavily as the Elusive just stands like a stone statue not even changing its posture– it is like it is frozen in time. Kiara just stares weary about what could happen next.
The Elusive gently twists its fist before slowly retracting it back. Evander lowers his right arm, the pain radiating like a bad burn. The shield crumbles and dissipates into pure spiritual energy as Evander stares up toward the Elusive.
Evander felt like an insect compared to how tall the Elusive is. It looms over the Ascendant with its back perched over. It didn't make any noises, it didn't move its jaw— it just loomed over them. Not breaking his eye contact, Evander slowly walks back towards Kiara. The Elusive didn't move.
Is it broken? The master questions himself, leaning forward on the branch to examine from above. He puts his hands together trying to understand what his creation is doing.
"Are you going to summon another weapon?" Evander questions, his breathing shallow but he maintains his confidence.
"I need time for my katana to heal itself before I can summon it again," Kiara remarks. She is freaked out by how unnatural and still the Elusive is.
"Guess I'm the only one that I can fight right now," Evander extends his hand out. "Khopesh." Evander's glow glows but instead of a blade, his hand cracks and sprays blood everywhere like a party popper. Kiara winces in pain, feeling something crack beneath her hand.
No. My reserves are too weak to summon a weapon, Evander's eyes widen with horror as he looks up at the Elusive. It didn't look like it moved but something told Evander it did.
With no build-up, the Elusive backhands strike Evander. It looked awkward as there was no wind-up or motion but the outcome was absolute. It was like a broken animation jumping to the next frame. Evander's body crashes and slides across the distortion zone before coming to a complete abrupt stop.
The Elusive perches itself forward, multiple tendrils appear, and shoot out of its back. The master's eyes widen as he sees the sudden change of events. Even he as the creator didn't fully anticipate this. Many of the tendrils stab the ground and it rises like a whisper of divinity and weightlessness. It ascended, radiant and still, bathing in the distorted violet sky.
"Okay. Are you a fairy now?" Kiara jokes, nervously eyeing the ascending Elusive. She swallows hard trying to stall enough time to summon her katana. "You know fairies have wings, not tendrils right?"
The Elusive didn't move. It stood like a mannequin as the tendrils kept it high in the air, looming over Kiara as if she were beneath it. It tilts its head trying to process her words. Kiara's heart pounds in her chest but her voice tries to shield her fear.
Kiara tries to keep her posture low and her legs wide apart. The Elusive lets out a powerful screech before sending out its tendrils towards Kiara. The flying projectiles came in like grey blurs in action. Breathing to herself, Kiara charges towards the threat.
Is she insane? The master tightly grasps the tree watching as Kiara's foot steps forward and pivots around the tendrils aimed directly at her. He is either impressed or dumbfounded by her stupidity. Her body weakly dances as her body shifts around. Her arms flail as her movements become more erratic and almost uncoordinated. The tendrils miss by mere inches as they cut through the air like butter, whizzing past the warden.
I have to rely on my adrenaline, Kiara thinks to herself as she desperately tries to dodge each of the Elusive's tendrils. Come on! I need to buy enough time. I have to summon my katana.
As Kiara turns her head, she sees the Elusive descending towards her with full force like a projectile missile. The sheer momentum fills her with an instinct to act. Trusting her gut, Kiara forms a hand sign.
"Katana," Kiara commands, her voice steady yet bruised. Flickering her wrist, Kiara summons her katana in her right hand. Swinging in an arc, a momentum a perfect blend delicate and graceful like a paintbrush cutting through the air like a canvas. She manages to slice many of the Elusive's tendrils with deadly precision. With its support beams gone, the Elusive falls onto the ground, its arms flailing as it crashes on the floor.
Kiara stands there, her raspy breathing coming fast. She wasn't out of this situation yet this is her moment.
Can't stop now. Kiara grasps her katana, swinging it down with an arc gleaming in the distortion zone's distorted light. As the blade draws near the Elusive's body, its arm jumps out like a jumpy movie frame grabbing the katana.
You got to be serious, Kiara narrows her eyes, winging up her body for a punch. As Kiara's fist lands on the Elusive's head, it causes its head to jerk back a bit. Kiara's hand however is left in shambles as the bones in her hand were left pulverized. The pain radiating from her hand causes her to wince from sharp pain.
The Elusive furiously grabs Kiara in the head, lifting her in the air. It hisses like a wild animal in front of her. Its breath felt toxic and reeked of rotten meat. It violently throws her like a baseball, her body flails as the dirt ground cracks beneath her shoulders.
She clutches the grass with her battered hand as her vision blurs. Evander slowly regains consciousness as he slowly gets up from the crater he is in. The distortion zone's walls distort to ripple around them reacting to the fight itself.
Smacking the floor with its tendrils, the Elusive sends signals onto the ground. Evander turns his head to see many cursed spirits reacting to the call for backup. Their shifts shift uncontrollably as if resisting the call itself.
"Tch...This is tougher than I thought," Evander clutches his fists, muttering under his breath. "Damn it, Kiara…I better not hear 'I told you so' after this." Showing off a maniacal grin, Evander leaps towards the Elusives with his bare hands.
He grabs one cursed spirit by the neck and slams it on the ground. Shifting his body, he dodges around another Elusive as it sprays an acidic black ooze at him. Lifting his knee, Evander drives it upwards the Elusive under its jaw before slamming it back on the ground like dead weight. Turning his head, Evander is now going to do something very stupid.
"Hey. You're afraid of me or something," Evander raises his head, raising his hands high in the air. "I have no weapons on me. Guess it gives me a chance to beat you into a pulp."
The Elusive's body shifts between tension and relaxation. Its body bends at unnatural angles as it stabilizes its form. It hisses like a snake but it feels piercing inside of the dome. Its steps felt slow, almost building up anticipation.
"You know I thought clearing this distortion zone was kind of fun. Easy," Evander narrates to the high-end Elusive. It hovers over Evander like a silent executioner as it starts to pace around him, its footsteps echoing loudly in the air.
"I thought that until you showed up," Evander smirks to himself, clutching the side of his chest with a slight wince. "I have to admit that I have a lot of hubris. You are strong and Elusive but…I still have a little fight left in me for you."
Evander winds up for a punch, building up force as he jabs the Elusive in its chest, shattering its armor-plating. The master's eyes widened with horror and shock as he watched Evander manage to hurt his creation with such low energy.
"Remember I may be handicapped and weakened but I still have that drive in me," Evander shifts his hand as he jams it further into the Elusive's fleshy chest.
The cursed spirit lets out a high pitch hiss in pain as it stumbles on its feet. It claws at its rising chest with the pain radiating over its body. Its body turns in ways that no human can mimic. Its elongated neck snaps back like a tree branch.
"Oh. Don't you forget this," Evander says boredly, his hand bleeds out like a messed up geyer. He shakes it off like a regular injury not even fazed. "No matter how much stronger you get…An Elusive can never kill an Ascendant. Not while I'm still standing here."
The Elusive turns its elongated head back at Evander. It snarls with fury as it starts to lurch over the Ascendant. Evander bites down on his tongue pushing through the pain.
"Take a break kid," Evander tells a battered Kiara lying on the ground. He chuckles to himself with a half-hearted smile as he meets the cursed spirit in its distorted face."I got you into this," Evander declares to himself, his eyes burning with determination, "I'll be one that is getting you out." He winds up for another punch.
The two fighters launch their strikes against each other, the impact creates a massive shockwave in the distortion zone.