//------------------------------// // 812 - Together as One // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// This time Solvei made the first move. Not bothering to conjure another serac, she rushed in, swinging Belligerence in a showy twirl so as to better disguise where she was about to strike. Growing up, every adlet in her tribe had been required to train with a spear, even an up-and-coming young shaman. While only those who joined the warriors were given training with other weapons, wielding a spear was – like basic lessons on hunting, fishing, reading the weather, and learning elementary prayers to the spirits – something that everyone had to learn. It was something which had only made Akna more frustrated when war with the yetis had broken out; why teach her how to fight if she was too valuable to be allowed to do so? But now she was thankful, her childhood training coming back to her as she closed the gap with Sissel. It was a little awkward to handle Belligerence in her current state – her increased size made it seem smaller than the spears she was used to – but the snow giant had thrown her only weapon away, and Solvei had no intention of giving her time to cast another spell. Not when she could feel that horrific pain-magic still trying to get to her, pounding away at the dark magic that her master had given her, only barely keeping the agony at bay. Master... Roaring a battle cry, Solvei leaped the last few feet to Sissel, swinging Belligerence behind her back before bringing it over her head in a downward thrust. It was an unusual way to swing a spear, and she was hoping to catch the snow giant off-guard with the unconventional attack. But Sissel was already giving ground, apparently having realized that she was at a disadvantage now. Sidestepping Solvei’s descending strike, she threw an open-palmed jab at the wolf’s head, her hand glowing. It was a quick blow, one that sacrificed strength for speed, and Solvei knew that Sissel was counting on aristeia to make up for the lack of power. Taking one hand off of Belligerence, Solvei brought her elbow up sharply, connecting with Sissel’s wrist and diverting her strike. At the same time, her other hand brought Belligerence back up. Barely raising it two feet from where she’d stabbed it into the ground, she adjusted the quill’s angle only slightly before stabbing downward again, this time aiming for Sissel’s foot. With no choice but to step back or be hobbled, Sissel retreated again. But as soon as she was clear she immediately reversed her momentum, moving inward to grab the arm Solvei was holding Belligerence with, trapping it. Grinning, she stepped inward even as she yanked Solvei toward her, preparing to bury her knee – glowing brighter as she channeled aristeia into it – in Solvei’s abdomen... Only for her strike to go over Solvei’s head as the wolf was suddenly half the size she’d been a second ago. Her blank eyes widening, there was nothing Sissel could do, having committed herself to the strike as Solvei – her wrist now thin enough that she was able to smoothly free it from the snow giant’s grasp – thrust Belligerence, which hadn’t changed size with her, into the flesh above Sissel’s hip. The strike tore a ragged scream of pain from the snow giant’s throat, and for a moment she staggered- Then she raised her hands above her head, interlocking her fingers before bringing her fists down toward her enemy’s skull. Her counterattack had almost struck home when Solvei vanished completely. Recognizing that Lex had teleported her, Sissel immediately whirled around- Just in time to see Belligerence – thrown from where Solvei was standing barely a dozen feet away – pierce her shoulder, its barbs easily rending her flesh and lodging deep into the muscle beneath. Biting back another scream, Sissel reached for the weapon on instinct, intending to tear it out of her. She only barely managed to catch herself just in time, remembering that the spear would injure her further if she grabbed it. But that realization had barely managed to cross her brain when Solvei – returning to her enlarged size – rushed back in, ice blades reforming in her hands as she charged. The sight caused a pained sneer to cross Sissel’s lips, certain that the wolf’s display was a bluff; there was no way her cryomancy would be able to injure her aristeia-toughened body. Which means she’s going to dump them as soon as she gets within reach of the spear, decided the snow giant. She was proven right a moment later as Solvei, rather than keeping hold of her ice weapons, instead flung them just before she got within Sissel’s reach. The snow giant didn’t bother deflecting the attacks, allowing them to hit her head-on, snorting as they shattered harmlessly against her. Just as she’d predicted, Solvei lunged- Opposite from Belligerence, rather than toward it! Cursing, Sissel didn’t have time to be confused as she turned to follow Solvei’s unexpected movement- And then Belligerence disappeared from where it was lodged in her shoulder. Realizing that she’d been duped, Sissel had just enough time to catch sight of Lex – having recalled the quill to his sole remaining foreclaw – throw Belligerence at her. But just like before, his injuries and his inexperience with the weapon made his throw easy to avoid, and Sissel had plenty of time to turn aside, letting it fly past her- Into Solvei’s waiting grasp. They were expecting me to dodge it! Sissel realized as the wolf lunged forward, bringing Belligerence back around. That entire sequence was a setup! Then Solvei ran her through. It didn’t feel the way Lex had thought it would. Ever since he’d formed his inadvertent bond with Solvei, Lex had been cognizant of the possibility of using the natural magic coursing through his body to expand their connection the way he had so many other things. After all, if he could use that reservoir of energy to empower his thaumaturgical spells, his dark magic, enchanted items in his possession, and even the Charismata itself, then there was little reason to suspect that his bond with the winter wolf was any different. Even so, he’d never once entertained the thought of investigating that possibility, too afraid of what would happen if he tried. With their bond already enabling not only telepathy, but a permanent sense of the other’s status and distance, not to mention his being aware of Solvei’s emotional disposition – and her feeling his emotions directly when they grew too intense – it seemed self-evident that any enhancement of their connection would bring their minds closer together. For Lex, who had long regarded any abrogation of his mental autonomy as a deeply personal violation of his intrinsic self, that possibility had unnerved him deeply. But now, having inadvertently channeled as much magic as his improved body – battered and maimed though it was – could through his link to Solvei in order to overcome Sissel’s spell, Lex realized he’d been wrong. There had been no loss of his identity the way he’d feared. No merging of memories. No dilution of his sense of self. Instead, he had become supremely aware of Solvei. It was as though the existing information he received through their link had expanded to encompass every conceivable detail. He wasn’t just cognizant of how far away she was from him anymore; now he knew which direction she was facing, the exact position of each of her limbs, and what size she’d used her magic to attain. He now not only registered her physical condition, but was innately conscious of how she was putting more weight on her right leg than her left, that her elbow ached slightly from where she’d slammed it into Sissel’s wrist, and that at her current size Belligerence felt slightly too small for her. And he was aware of her emotional state in much greater detail as well. He registered her anxiety and rage about what Grisela had done to Yotimo. Her fury toward Sissel for what the snow giant had done to her, her people, and himself. And her feelings for him... All of that, and he knew that Solvei was receiving the same information about him as well. That closeness wasn’t what Lex had been looking for his entire life. It didn’t tell him anything about how to recognize, let along interpret, someone else’s unspoken cues regarding their mindset. But it was so close to that, so akin to the sense of understanding that he’d wanted so badly for so long – only to give up when the Night Mare had shown him that his efforts had been in vain – that it brought tears to his eyes now. It was only because of the situation at hand, the overwhelming danger that Sissel presented, that he was able to put that aside and concentrate on how the two of them could defeat their enemy. But that was a task which didn’t seem anywhere near as difficult as it had been a few seconds ago. After all, even if Solvei was the only one engaging her, Sissel was fighting both of them now. With the level of awareness passing between himself and Solvei, the two of them could coordinate their efforts without anything as cumbersome as telepathy. Right now, Lex was not only aware of every move Solvei made as she made it, but he also knew what it was leading toward, able to ascertain her intentions as soon as they crossed her mind. And she could do the same for him. That made it child’s play to orchestrate their tactics; he could teleport her without needing to tell her where she’d end up, because she already knew; he could throw Belligerence and she’d be ready to catch it before it left his grip. And she knew that he was raising a small slab of black crystals behind Sissel’s feet even as Solvei drove her backward, the snow giant skewered on Belligerence. Sissel went down hard, unable to muster up the strength to scream as she hit the ground. Above her, Solvei snarled, shoving the quill further down and out Sissel’s back, impaling her to the dirt beneath her. “Shouldn’t have thrown away your axe!” she spat hatefully, twisting Belligerence so that its barbs tore up Sissel’s insides. But despite the agony she had to have been in, the snow giant managed to snarl a reply. “Shouldn’t have gotten so close to me!” She drove her statement home as she reached up with one hand, grabbing the side of Solvei’s head. Fingers squeezed the black crystals of her armor's helmet, which creaked and shattered as though they were made out of glass, while Sissel’s other hand... Regained the flickering black aura of her heart-stopping spell, still ready to be unleashed. In an instant she reached out, seeking to make contact and discharge her spell- Only for her hand to be caught in a roiling purple aura. Snarling, Sissel spared a half-second to glance at where Lex was staring intently at her, his horn aglow, then she focused everything she had on breaking free. She knew what unicorn telekinesis was, knew that its strength was proportional to that of the wielder; all she had to do was overpower it... Then the aura around her hand grew stronger as Solvei added her own telekinesis to it, her eyes flaring brighter. For a half-second the stalemate held. Then slowly, Sissel’s hand crept upward, the snow giant’s fingers inching toward Solvei- Only for the adlet to release her grip on Belligerence, and grasp Sissel’s wrist with both hands...and then slowly bent her grip towards the quill that was pinning her to the ground. Her eyes widening as she realized what was about to happen, Sissel abandoned her grip on Solvei’s head, instead grabbing at one of the adlet’s arms, trying to break her grip. The silence as the three of them fought was broken only by strained grunts, each concentrating with everything they had, putting all of their strength into the struggle. Then Lex slowly raised his remaining foreleg and pointed it at Solvei, calling upon the Charismata. A second later, new strength poured into her limbs, and although Sissel redoubled her efforts, she couldn’t stop Solvei from redirecting the grip of her open hand toward Belligerence, still sticking through her abdomen. Forcibly closing the snow giant’s fingers around the haft, Sissel couldn’t do anything but suck in a breath, knowing what was about to happen- And then – in reaction to being held by one to whom it didn’t belong – the barbs along Belligerence extended outward. Sissel’s eyes bulged as a bloody gurgle escaped her throat, convulsing as her organs were pierced. The tips of the barbs could be seen protruding from beneath her silken shirt, showing that they’d perforated her stomach, her lungs, and her heart...where the light of aristeia radiated from. A second later that light flickered and went out, and Sissel’s body went limp as the radiance throughout her body’s magical channels immediately faded away, causing Lex and Solvei to let out matching sighs of relief. That overwhelming power, which had made Sissel almost invincible, was gone. They’d won.