Volleys of charged balls of energy exploded all around, leaving holes and spreading splinters of wood everywhere. Grusha struggled evading the majority of electrical orbs, which were not particularly powerful shots. The problem was the overload they caused in her system, forcing already the expense of a couple dozen quills. Her management of the energy was still imperfect, but with every blow she felt a little more attuned.

A tree collapsed in front of Grusha, nearly crushing her. At the base of the trunt was Lady Hammer holding the tree like some sort of oversized lance, she lunged the tree at her. Grusha got tangled in the branches and was smashed against another tree from behind, locking her between the two pieces of lumber. Lady Hammer jumped atop of the tree trunk and dashed towards her. With a heave from her only leg, she shoved the tree aside with the hopes that it would through Hammer off balance. Instead, she flipped in the air and pressed against the trunk on her heels, followed by pelting straight downwards in a kamikaze crash against Grusha.

Being slightly overwhelmed by Hammer’s incredible agility and speeds, she hardened her skin to absorb the grunt of the impact. The ground craters from the force of the impact, and Grusha was knocked to her knee. Another quill exploded from her back.

Hammer grabbed her by the backside and lunged her against the tree, not giving time to respond. A spark lit up from the side and exploded in front of her face, blinding her and sending more electrical shocks through her system. Grusha absorbed the energy and channeled it into her fists, punching Lady Hammer that sent her flying high in the air.

Tiny pellets were being shot at her from a distance, the barrier use held two fingers aimed at her. From the barrier, tiny orbs were formed and shot at her art blinding speeds that she could barely keep up with. One shot grazed her shoulder, it completely penetrated her hide. What made it especially dangerous was that they were completely odorless and soundless, it was as if they were the absence of mass.

“I see. You’re a one trick puny.” She remarked.

Static intervened. Barreling into her. “Pony, Wildebeest. I should’ve taught you proper enunciation sooner.” Her punched charged hits onto her abdomen, and kneed her away.

Trying not to lose sight of the orb man, she struggled to fight all three of them at once. Lady Hammer was returning into the fray with warhammer in hand, jumping high in the and landing with a strike from her hammer. Grusha stepped back, avoiding the conflict. The three of them halted their assault as well.

Everyone took the moment to breath and reassess the situation. Static lifted a fist and charged his hand up, igniting an electromagnetic pulse that drew Lady Hammer’s shield to him that was knocked far away. He handed the shield to Hammer who accepted it graciously. Grusha growled stubbornly. There was only one acceptable outcome for her, and to accomplish that she now knew what was needed to do.

Whipping around, she bolted a straight shot away from them. The orb man and Static launched multiple projectiles towards her direction, trying to slow down her escape. Lady Hammer sprinted right after her, hard at her heels. Everything was carefully calculated for Grusha, she knew exactly what they would have done with some minor leeway of deviation.

When Hammer was just ten meters behind her, Grusha dug her fingers into a tree and flipped over, flying heel first into the next tree’s trunk. Springing onto another tree whipping right over Lady Hammer, who swung her warhammer up to strike her but missed by a fraction of an inch. Grusha then leapt off another tree as if she were a trapeze, and flew like a living bullet straight to the other two.

Lady Hammer grunted frustratingly. She tried to skid into a halt to make a full 180 turn, pinning her warhammers handle into the ground to slow down her trajectory. Like an olympian, she swung her torso and spun around to toss her warhammer with extra force. The warhammer whistled through the air, right behind Grusha.

Static shot multiple beams at Grusha which she absorbed and channeled into her fists, he thought that she was going to barrel into him. He hunched over and braced to absorb the impact and use the attack against her, her demise from that point would be inevitable. Striking the brains of the operation was a smart, but desperate move. Especially considering that she had Lady Hammer to deal with. To his surprise, her vector veered at the last second by the ever so slightest, changing her trajectory past him straight for Orbs.

“Orbs! Fall…” Static could not finish his sentence, the warhammer the Lady Hammer launched pummeled straight on the chest. Disrupting his remote link to the puppet, he accidentally shot a powerful beam from his fist at Orbs.

Grusha barreled onto the barrier that spooked Orbs, she released the energy that she absorbed and channeled into her fist. Exploding on the shell that protected Orbs. She rolled over and punched his barrier from behind at the same instant that Static’s beam struck from the front. The barrier began to ripple, at this instant, Grusha forced herself inside the barrier and grabbed Orbs from the collar and dragged him out.

“No!” He yelped.

The little man was ripped out of his seemingly impenetrable shell. Lady Hammer stopped in her tracks, unsure whether she should continue and risk her comrades' life or surrender it. He shook from fear, from having been taken from the comforts of his own little bubble.

He stuttered. “How-how-how?”

She pressed her forehead against his. “I. Am. Alpha.”

Without hesitation, she crushed his neck. Killing him instantly. His body went limp and dropped to the ground, now lifeless. Lady Hammer did not bat an eye, she was accustomed to seeing death. She was an asset of Cavalry after all.

Static whined back to life, but sparked heavily from the damage that Lady Hammer’s warhammer caused. His head twisted around and reviewed his surroundings, assessing everything that had happened. He noticed Orbs dead body at Grusha’s foot.

“That’s, unfortunate.” Static said coldly.

To Grusha, there was nothing to it. A simple matter of survival of the fittest, nature running its course. Orbs was the unlucky skorto to draw the short straw for facing her to begin with, this outcome was going to happen no matter what. She knew she needed to cut the weak links first, he was unwittingly the weak link. It seemed that even Static was not aware how weak he truly was, considering himself as the expendable unit in this makeshift squad.

“My mistake, milord.” Lady Hammer apologized.

“No, the error lies with me. I’ve grossly underestimated her abilities and overestimated Orbs. Let’s just end this ourselves.” He said.

“Aye, let’s shall.” She acknowledged.

At this point, the sun cast long shadows through the boreal forest. Night was fast approaching, and their battle was far from over. This was by far not the longest battle Grusha had fought, but most certainly the most grueling. She faced formidable opponents and she had to admit that she struggled to chip away at their defenses.

Lady Hammer lifted her weapon from the ground. Yelling. “Wildebeest, commendable of you for taking on I the great Warhammer Maiden, Lady Hammer. You’ve held your own in face of battle. Now let’s fight without holding back, prove to me your formidableness! As beasts, let our honor drive us to that perfect climax.”

Grusha crouched, rolling shoulders in anticipation. “You speak too much Enyo, but as honor between beasts, yes, let’s.”

Lady Hammer was angered. “And I repeat. For you, I shall be addressed as Lady Hammer.” She leapt the entire distance between them in one lunge, striking Grusha on the shoulder and knocking her away like a badminton puck.

Grusha growled angrily, upset that she even landed that hit. Her motions were growing sluggish, being slightly unable to keep up with Lady Hammers growing strength. Twisting her neck sideways, she cracked tensed up bones. She felt herself loosen up, attuning herself to her instincts once again now that the pesky Orbs was dealt with. Steam began to envelop her as she let off built up heat.

The only rule of the jungle, the only law us beasts abide by was that the strongest ruled. She thought to herself.

“Why do you fight?” Static asked.

Her quills flicked nervously. There was no response offered. This time it had nothing to with the fact she did not care for idle chatter, it was because she did not have an answer.

“Oh, please do tell. I know you’ve never given it any thought. What is your purpose in life? No one wants you, you are alone in a vast world that has no meaning to you. Was it not I who gave you purpose?”

“Shut up!” She growled. “I fight to live!”

“And for what reason? You have nothing and no one to turn to.”

Silence.

“Is it not fair to say that since I’ve given you purpose and freedom that I can request your life in return? You were nobody, and I instilled that will into you to fight and be something.”

Grusha had at times given idle thoughts the entertained idea of what her place in the universe was, but she never truly gave it any consideration.

“I fight.” She started. “FOR MYSELF!”

She bellowed a deep roar that stirred wildlife miles away, sending birds flying far and wide in fluttering fear. Feathers rained all around them, it was almost as if an omen had been cast upon them three.