It wasn’t a fight; it was a massacre. Vana shot people down in lots as they charged at him, swords drawn. Ianis was busy slicing up the lifeless bodies of other office workers, taking a black smog bubbling within them. I worked on lessening their numbers in the most humane way possible- a clean shot through the head with my energy pellets. I grimaced at this carnage unfolding before me, white clothes spattered with blood, but not a drop of my, or any of our ichor visible. “I think we’ve done enough.” I shout, competing with the sounds of rushing wind and screams.

We had descended to the seventh floor from the tenth, leaving a trail of corpses behind us. Vana looked monstrous. His green-gold clothes melded with skin to form a sleek, metallic surface, and empty, pale, unblinking eyes stared blankly at nothing. His bow hummed with excitement, as if all this death was pleasing to it. Vana knocked an arrow, and wind whittled around us. It fired deep into an office worker’s chest, exploding into a powerful storm.

The fighting paused, and a woman emerged. She looked to be another office worker, black suit, black tie, white button-up shirt. But there was something different about her. She seemed powerful, imposing. White splotches interrupted her deep brown skin around one eye, its pupil ghostly pale. She carried an axe, about as long as her body, which glittered in drifting light. Ianis noticed her. Staggering back, he whispered in Vana’s ear.

“Oh. An Acolyte. Welcome!” Vana giggled, his voice wavering as if it were clasped by a sense of insanity.

His blank, pale eyes were wide open, observing the woman with unhinged curiosity.

“This is Farci territory, storm-bringer. Turn back or be prepared to face me.”

She assumed a defensive posture, axe level, hand outstretched. Without warning, Vana leaped at her, arrow in hand. He landed with a bang, a windstorm stretching mere inches from where the woman dashed away. She raised her hand, and pillars of earth grew from the floor.

“I think that’s cheating, Grunda. I thought you could only manipulate the earth!”

Grunda did not grace it with a reply, not an audible one at least. She slammed her axe to the ground, making fissures travelling towards Vana.

“The building is made of stone. It’s how her earth-magic works here. Be careful, Lady Auva. I believe you should step in.”

I nodded, dashing at Grunda, catching her off-guard. We crashed through the wall, my hand gripping her neck, into the cliff. She slammed her arm into the crumbling cliff side, and grasping hands of dirt shot out at me. I batted them away with Ceres, fingers still curled around Grunda’s neck. Energy ran through my palm, and her eyes widened. An axe careened into my skull, and I fell down, down, down, into the blackness below.

-

I woke up in a shallow pool of water, my golden ichor seeping from the axe wound in my skull. I raised a hand to the darkness above, skin slick with gold.

“Oh. You’re awake.”

To my left was Ianis, kneeling beside me to apply a foul-smelling liquid to my injury.

“Serum. We immortals can’t naturally heal, so we use this.”

I breathed for a second, a soiling sensation flowing through my body.

“Where are we?”

“Below the building. I put up a cover of shadow so Grunda can’t see us.”

Grunda. The acolyte.

“That’s right, Lady Auva. Nice to have you back. Grunda is the Acolyte of earth, possibly the strongest acolyte before Peiper, the acolyte of life.”

Ianis sat me up, brushing dried ichor from my hair, and drawing his weapon. He gave me a small smile, whispering “Stay here and recover.”, before slipping through the shadowy membrane and out of sight. Ceres lay beside me, her cool handle brushing my leg. I picked her up, feeling each glittering ruby and sapphire. A roar came from nearby, answered by a second, more powerful, screech. A mighty gust of wind blew against the shadow barrier, shattering it and unveiling two gargantuan beasts locked in combat. One was a humanoid falcon, gold streaks mixed with green, yellow, white feathers. A beak ended in a point, and its eyes were white, glossed-over. It flew around a large woman with butterfly wings, various metals and gems lining its earthen body. They each had to be at least half the size of a skyscraper, clashing on top of the ruined Soul-tec. Their duel was like a dance, each performer throwing all manner of attacks at each other. The butterfly woman, presumably Grunda, stood on a flat, collapsing stone roof, struggling to keep the building afloat. Someone had broken every chain suspending Soul-tec, probably Vana or Ianis. I sat in a small alcove in the cliff partially filled with water, overlooking the dark sea below. A black streak stopped midair, becoming a person- Ianis. He glanced at me, then dived to avoid a spinning boulder aimed at him. I rose. Vana swung his wings, forming a twister that tore through Soul-tec, aimed at Grunda. Summoning my wings, I took Ceres and stood up.

”I don’t advise you fight in this condition, Lady Auva.”

But I need to help.

“You can help in other ways.”

Like how?

“Take a ruby from my handle. Don’t worry, it’ll be restored.”

I plucked the red gem from its socket, cupping it in my hands.

Now what?

“Call for Ianis.”

Ianis floated many meters from me, too far to notice my wave, but still within earshot.

“Ianis! Over here!”

Ianis turned to me, but so did Grunda.

“Show him the ruby!”

Hand outstretched, I held the ruby between two fingers, its red hue glimmering crimson on my face. Ianis looked surprised, then nodded. He reached out to me, as if he were to take something, and the ruby disappeared.

As the ruby disappeared, so did part of my soul. At least it felt that way.

What was that?

“Soul transfer. He’s borrowing a sliver of your powers for this battle. Now sit back, Lady Auva, you need to give time for the serum to work.”

I nodded and collapsed to the floor. Ianis glowed a bright pink, the visage of a snake coiling protectively around his body becoming visible. It bared its fangs, then slithered into his mouth.

Using his newly formed angel wings, Ianis flew above Grunda. With a flick of his wrists, a ball of shadow formed. With another, a snake slithered inside it, pulsing with light and glowing through the orb. Swinging his arms in a circle, he threw the orb at Grunda. It arced through the air, leaving a dark pink trail behind it. Though the orb was minuscule compared to Grunda, it exploded onto her head, leaving a dent in the earthen surface. She roared in pain, collapsing to the floor. Vana swooped down, talons outstretched, grabbing Grunda and slamming her against the spiky cliff. She screeched in surprise more than pain, making hands of hardened dirt form on either side of her. They reached forward to crush Vana, closing on either side of his body. Wings gone, Ianis dove, lashing out with his ribbon, slicing away the right hand and leaving Vana to break the left. He easily shattered it, the hand crumbling to dust. Grunda rose, higher and higher into the air. Vana followed, creating a storm in his palm. Before he could unleash it, Grunda vanished- no, shrunk to her human size, and another flying creature snatched her away. I watched this unfold from my little alcove, unsure of what to do.

-

“So she escaped?” asked Lady Aera, one eyebrow raised.

“I think Grunda knew she was outmatched.”

Vana had been taking this lightly, lounging on a cloud he made. We were still at the ruined Soul-tec, the projected form of Aera hovering near us. She didn’t seem too mad, just slightly annoyed.

“This was a good outcome, Lady Aera. Auva was healing, so it was just us against her.”

Frowning, Lady Aera sighed.

“I guess you’re right, Ianis.”

Though Lady Aera was relenting, there was a sliver of disappointment in her face.

“Just go. We didn’t even know she’d show up, anyway.”

Vana gave a low bow, then dispelled the projection.

“That was fun! We should go again sometime.”

My head was still sore from Grunda’s battleaxe, and I certainly didn’t want that again.

“Sure, sure.”

Vana was really dense, or didn’t care. He flew to the pickup spot, still holding his Godly Machina. It glittered in the light before Vana disappeared behind a building.