Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

810 - Crumbling Defense

Before Sissel had gotten halfway to them, Lex had come up with a strategy.

Solvei, engage her in close combat. Don’t give her room to cast any spells, but otherwise focus on fighting defensively. I’ll support you with my magic and the Charismata until I can find an opening to exploit.

Understood, Master!

The telepathic reply came as Solvei was already advancing to meet Sissel, crouching atop her serac as it rocketed toward the snow giant, her ice blades at the ready. Lex, for his part, moved perpendicular to the two of them, holding a claw out toward Solvei as he focused the Charismata on her, directing its power to bolster her supernatural defenses and enhance her reaction speed.

Then the two of them were upon each other.

With the massive blade of ice jutting out from her right vambrace giving her greater reach, Solvei was the first one to lash out. Roaring a wordless battle cry, she swung her weapon in an upward-tilted horizontal slash, clearly expecting Sissel to try and block it.

But rather than catch the blade with her axe, Sissel instead veered slightly to her right and fell to her knees, her momentum carrying her forward as she leaned back, Solvei’s oversized ice-sword passing just over her head without connecting. Solvei snarled at that, raising the dagger in her left hand, clearly intending to bury it in Sissel’s upturned face as the two passed each other-

Only to have no chance to complete the action as the head of Sissel’s axe connected with her serac, the blade still glowing brightly with the power it had been imbued with.

The strike shouldn’t have been a strong one. Sissel’s position gave her no leverage, nor had she swung the blade so much as stuck it in front of Solvei’s path. But with the strength of aristeia behind it, the axe was easily able to shatter the platform of ice, causing Solvei to yelp as she went tumbling across the uneven ground.

Sissel recovered her stance instantly, one hand already glowing as she started to gesture and chant-

Only to duck an instant before Belligerence would have caught her in the side of the head, dodging Lex’s throw. Unfortunately, his attack hadn’t broken her concentration, and in the instant before she completed her spell Lex realized that it was one he recognized. Solvei! She’s trying to separate-

All at once, his awareness of Solvei disappeared from his mind.

Cursing as he recognized the same spell that Paska had used, Lex instinctively fought down a surge of panic, turning his eyes toward where the crystal-clad wolf had fallen. He’d been hit with this spell before; Paska had used it to suppress his connection to Solvei during his ambush. But that was all it was: a suppression, and a temporary one at that. They were still connected-

Then Lex caught sight of Solvei, and his blood turned to icewater.

Her black crystal armor was gone, as were her ice weapons. Still in her humanoid form, she’d shrunk back down to her normal size, and was looking at herself in shock, her jaw hanging slack. Only the fact that one of her eyes was still golden in color signified that she hadn’t completely reverted to being Akna.

But that was small comfort to Lex, who realized in that moment that Sissel’s spell – empowered by aristeia – had gone far beyond the version that Paska had cast. Rather than simply suppressing the active portion of their connection, such as telepathy and his teleporting her to his side, she had completely negated all of the benefits that Solvei had reaped as a result of their connection.

Until Sissel’s spell wore off, she was nothing more than an adlet with a winter wolf’s soul inside her.

“I didn’t realize it at first,” announced the snow giant calmly. “That she was your familiar, reincarnated. Her suddenly having so much magic was suspicious, and so was your teleporting her out from under Grisela’s puppets, but since you’d empowered her to summon all those ice elementals the last time we fought, I wasn’t sure.”

With deliberate slowness, she raised her axe to point at Solvei. “But then she said that I’d killed her before, and it all clicked. Which makes it a good thing that I’d prepped a ‘disrupt link’ spell. And with aristeia behind it, well...”

Sinking into a crouch, Sissel sprang at the defenseless adlet. “Looks like this will be a shorter practice session than I thought!”

But Lex was already casting, rattling off an enchantment as fast as he could. Immediately, a layer of ice spread along Sissel’s limbs, spreading across her body to cover her torso, head, and weapon all in a frozen prison. The subzero temperature of the icy cocoon wouldn’t harm Sissel in the slightest, he knew, but it would hopefully buy them a few seconds. “Solvei, get out of here!”

Shakily managing to get back on her feet, the adlet paused, her mismatched eyes flitting between him and Sissel. “But what about you?!”

“JUST GO!” roared Lex. “Get clear until her spell wears off and you have your powers back, then I’ll summon-”

The sound of ice shattering announced the end of that plan, as Sissel broke free and continued her charge. “As if I’d let you get away!”

Solvei fell back immediately, but without her serac – and having no armor to protect her footing – she didn’t make it more than two feet before the rubble-strewn ground caused her to stumble, collapsing as Sissel closed the last few feet of distance between them, the glow of her axe seeming to intensify as it started its fatal swing. “This time you die for good!”

“M-MASTER!” screamed Solvei, closing her eyes as she raised one arm in front of her face in a last, futile defense.

Lex was already hurtling toward the two of them, claws tearing through the ground without regard to how uneven the terrain was. But although he’d be there in a matter of seconds, Sissel’s axe was only a few feet from Solvei’s body, and Lex knew he’d never make it in time, his heart in his throat as his thoughts crystallized into a single, overriding command.

Use it! On Solvei! NOW!!!

Acknowledged, replied his tulpa even as Lex felt its spell – one of the few it had taken it upon itself to prepare during the equinox, and which was now his to command since he’d gained control of the thing – activating.

An instant later, a pit opened beneath Solvei, causing her to shriek as she suddenly plummeted thirty feet to the dirt floor at the bottom. The sudden loss of her target caused Sissel’s swing to go wide, and Lex saw her face twist as she struggled to check her own momentum, barely managing to avoid the hole in the ground which had swallowed her foe.

Her sudden course correction left her open, and Lex poured on the speed, leaping onto her lower back before she had a chance to recover. Snarling, she reached a hand back, trying to grab at him, but the animal instincts in Lex had ingrained memories of countless enemies who’d tried exactly that maneuver. He didn’t have to think to know how to react to it.

Easily twisting past her grasping fingers, one of his claws came up to tightly grasp the wrist of her probing hand, pressing his weight on it and keeping the limb trapped even as he used it to vault himself further up her broad back, reaching upward to grab her shoulder. So close! Just a little further and he’d be able to tear her throat out!

Sissel apparently realized that too, because she dropped her axe and instead reached back with her other hand, fingers scrabbling to take hold of the claws clutching her shoulder. Bending at the waist, she didn’t wait until she had a firm grasp on him as she doubled over, trying to fling him clear of her.

Exactly as his inner beast had predicted she’d do.

Rather than trying to fight against her desperate maneuver, Lex moved with it, allowing her to pull him forward as she bent parallel to the ground. For an instant, he was dragged forward, claws pulled free as he lost his hold on her...and then came to an abrupt stop as he wrapped his back legs around her neck, claws locked under her chin as he pressed the tips of his talons to the milk-white skin of her neck.

Ducking his head down, Lex just enough time to see Sissel’s featureless eyes widen as her lips pulled back in a grimace of alarm, and the sight set the animal in him to howling.

“I win!” he snarled.

Then he raked his claws across her throat.

...to no effect whatsoever.

Lex had tested his new body’s natural weapons thoroughly back in the Shrine of the Starless Sky. His claws, he’d found, could easily cut through stone, and even steel offered no more resistance than thick clay. But his black crystals had proven to be a barrier that even his claws couldn’t overcome, with his talons unable to leave more than the smallest of scratches on their surface.

But right now, he wasn’t even able to inflict that much damage on Sissel’s skin, the alabaster flesh remaining completely unblemished beneath his claws.

Once again, he’d underestimated just how powerful aristeia was.

Sissel seemed no less surprised, her breath catching in her throat for the briefest instant.

Then she tore him off of her, flinging him to the ground as hard as she could.

The impact hurt Lex not at all, his new body easily absorbing the force of it even as his predator’s instincts screamed at him to get up, that he was vulnerable on his back. But he had barely started to move when Sissel’s foot came down hard on his tail, causing him to growl in pain as she cut off his escape. He immediately conjured a spike of black crystals on either side of the offending limb, attempting to have them do what his claws couldn’t as he directed the jagged points to pierce her foot at the ankle and hobble her.

Instead, they shattered against her skin, no more effective than his claws had been.

First Sissel had shrugged off his deadliest spell. Now she’d shown herself to be completely beyond his ability to injure.

Lex had faced numerous opponents stronger than himself, but in that moment he realized that he was completely outclassed by what Sissel had become.

“Too bad, I really thought you had me there,” admitted the snow giant as she grabbed her axe again, the blade still shining from the power she’d imbued it with. “But I think I’ve learned as much as I can about aristeia from you, so let’s bring this to a close, shall we?”

She didn’t wait for an answer before she grasped her axe with both hands and brought it down.

There was no spell that he’d be able to cast before she completed her downward stroke. His black crystals would almost certainly crumble before the sheer tonnage of magic that she’d poured into her axe. Turning into a shadow would simply invite her to cast that purging spell on him again, likely imbued with aristeia. His tulpa had no more spells which could help, and he couldn’t think of anything that it could conjure which would save him. Even severing his tail in order to escape wasn’t something he’d be able to do before Sissel delivered the deathblow.

Calculating and discarding all of those options in the split-second before Sissel’s weapon completed its arc, Lex took the only remaining course of action left open to him.

Raising his foreclaws parallel to each other, he called Belligerence back to his grasp.

Appearing directly in the path of the axe, the rune-marked center of the quill caught the descending blade crosswise just below its head.

Had Lex’s body still been that of a unicorn, his hasty defense would have collapsed immediately, because the sheer weight of Sissel’s swing was nearly enough to drive him into the ground. As it was he only barely kept his forelegs from buckling, muscles straining as he somehow managed to keep the edge of her axe from splitting his skull in two by a matter of inches, the effort drawing a strangled groan of exertion from his throat.

Sissel smirked, apparently amused by his efforts. “I almost forgot about that toy of yours.”

In contrast to his desperately struggling to keep her from finishing her swing, she seemed to be putting in only modest effort. “I think I’ll take that with me; it’s powerful enough that Mother might want it,” she continued, removing one hand from her axe and grabbing the quill directly, intent on tearing it from his grasp. “I know it lashes out at anyone else who tries to use it, but I think I’ll be f-, AAAAUGH!”

Releasing Belligerence, Sissel’s grip on her axe slackened as she – and Lex – stared at where the quill’s barbs had pierced her hand, leaving bloody wounds behind.

This time he recovered first, pushing her axe aside with strength borne of desperation as he turned Belligerence toward her and thrust it forward.

The jagged tip of the weapon sank into her stomach, drawing a flow of blood which erupted into a fountain a second later as Sissel batted the quill away, the barbs tearing out a chunk of her flesh as she leaped backward, jaw clenched in pain as she put a hand to where she’d been gouged.

Immediately righting himself, Lex took a moment to catch his breath as he glanced between his weapon and his enemy.

Belligerence had wounded her. While aristeia had protected Sissel from his claws, his spells, and everything else he’d thrown at her, it hadn’t been able to protect her from his creation.

Slowly, a dark smile crossed Lex’s lips.

Suddenly he didn’t feel so outclassed anymore.

Author's Note:

Battered and cut off from Solvei, Lex manages to find that Sissel's newfound power isn't as unstoppable as it seems!

Will he be able to turn the tables on her with Belligerence? Or does the snow giant have more tricks up her sleeve?

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Pitfall is a nice one to have, Im trying to remember the cantrip version that makes little pockholes in the ground. Might appear to be nothing but a nuisance, but throw a scatter of those in front of charging cavalry an it can have the same effect as a quality minefield.

If the pock holes are targetable, its almost as bad as portaling.

What is Sissels strength compared to those crystals? she cant be pierced by them, but can she pull or bludgeoun through bulk material?

Especially Lex can now use classic shield and spear action against her? Shield to obscure and paranio where the spear is going to comr from next, especially given the call return trick?

[Alzrius]

11534393 I confess, I'm not able to think of a 0-level spell that creates a small (e.g. ankle-deep) hole in the ground; Lex's create pit is 2nd-level, so there's certainly room for such a thing, but beyond D&D 5th Edition's move earth cantrip (cantrips being somewhat different in that edition), I'm not finding what you're alluding to. That said, if you can find more details about that spell, please let me know; I'm quite interested in it now!

In terms of how much strength Sissel has gained from aristeia, as opposed to defensive properties, it's presently unclear, but the fact that Lex was able to stop the downward swing of her axe with muscle power alone suggests that she's received little to no upgrades in that regard. Of course, being a giant who's probably had at least one buff put on her Strength score, she might not need much more. Particularly if her feeding aristeia into her axe means that it can deal excessive damage of its own accord regardless of how hard she swings it (i.e. how she blew apart Solvei's serac despite her lack of power behind her attack).

As for what Lex can do with Belligerence now...I guess we'll have to wait and see!

[Not so New Brony]

Oof, been so busy with other matters, I missed the update but at least I can look forward to the next update soon. Silver lining and all that.

Anyways, Sissel's power up from aristeia is amazing as it is terrifying since we've seen multiple times of what Lex is capable of and in addition to his merger with the aurumvorax, it was shocking to see his usual attacks as well as the one enhanced by his new body being shrugged off so casually.

Still, even with Belligerence's effectiveness on Sissel's own enhanced body, it does limit Lex's own means of attack against her. Regardless, it gives Lex a fighting chance. It is fortunate that Lex had received the quill and he doubtlessly knows who he should thank for the item that he had used to craft his own weapon. Fits quite well with the goddess' dogma of self sufficiency.

[Alzrius]

11536219 No worries about replying late; I'm grateful to each and every one of the people who comment on this story, especially the ones who do so regularly.

That said, the sheer amount of power Sissel has gained is indeed shocking in its intensity, as she's not only capable of delivering massive damage, but resisting it as well. Given how strong Lex became after his trial in the Confluence, that highlights that Sissel's own transformation is that much more insane for how strong it's made her. Prior to the revelation at the end of this chapter, it was less a fight and more of a struggle for survival.

Fortunately, Lex has found an attack method that works now, so there's still hope, but it's definitely going to be an uphill struggle. Assuming he survives, he'll hopefully know to offer his gratitude to the Night Mare. He might have turned down the new servant she put in front of him, but at least he still has the weapon which can injure Sissel, more proof of the goddess's creed of her helping those who help themselves.