Fat and round, it stood, writhing in an entropic fluid of pulsating desire. Gone was the screaming hivemind of the Infestare, replaced by a single immutable will. And through its deafening silence, Sonera could almost hear a melodic hum.
Yrix stood firm, as if expecting such madness to come from the Infestare's Queen. She, more than most, was familiar with their ritualistic behavior. For that reason alone, the Arch-Flayer remained unperpetrated.
Sonera, on the other hand, was visibly curious. Her understanding of what it meant to be a Psion had proven to be an easy challenge that night, after so much madness from within and without. Once the Infestare abomination made its first move, she nearly hesitated.
Like a coiled ball of smooth flesh, the Broodmaster lept into the air, revealing its old shell to be merely a guiding figure from which the mutated form had sprung forth. Yrix bounced off the ground to meet the creature head on, curling into a ball to avoid a large, thrashing tendril before unpacking her frame for an outstretched kick. The resulting explosion of air caused Sonera to squint as her silver hair blew backwards.
Her eyes had taken long enough to process what she was seeing.
But it was clear enough.
Like a sickly puss jutting out from the Broodmaster's neck, a long, snake-like appendage proved to be its new body, thrashing towards Yrix with its widened face; reminiscent of a flower. The old body lagged, balancing awkwardly with its new weight. One could almost judge the validity of such a transformation, up until the crater left by Yrix's kick dissapeared from the face of the Infestare.
It could heal.
Sonera felt outclassed more than ever, uncertain of what to do as the Broodmaster lifted its shriveled sword into the air. Its new head breathed down upon the raised edge like an opened petal, encasing it in yellow flame and empowering its destructive potential. Burying its judgement into the ground, the earth began to glow hot before erupting with great violence.
She jumped.
Sprouting her wings as the floor beneath her turned into a thousand sharpened daggers, Sonera puttered weakly into the air, calling forth her radiant revolver just as she began to spin out of control. Her spiral stabilized, and her shot was true, delivering a rather crispy gift for the Broodmaster's writhing appendage. It reacted to her fire as well as she would hope, causing Sonera to smirk if only a smidge.
"Good now." Yrix winked, using her outstretched hand to guide Sonera's flight.
Lerching forward, the Broodmaster raised its armored shoulder and charged towards Sonera, its flailing appendage lagging behind. With the discipline of a warrior, it closed the distance with steady patience, blocking her ranged attacks with a wave of its long blade. Sonera drew her own, circling her foe while mentally cosigning herself to whatever horror was soon to be unleashed.
It was almost ironic to see the Infestare fight so gracefully in its transformed state, thrusting and poking as if waiting for the right moment. But throughout each calculated measure, Sonera could feel its floral eye staring at her from above, signifying its feral intent. The knight was merely a shell afterall.
She danced with it for only a few moments, though it felt like years, keeping the looming foe at bay with footwork alone. But the speed and effortless nature of the Broodmaster kept Sonera unsettled. She knew it was holding back.
Clenching its armored fist, the Broodmaster fainted an attack, using its overwhelming control over its own momentum to deceive Sonera and grab her by the wrist when she least expected it. The wriggling upper body then expanded itself to reveal a gaping mouth lined with hundreds of teeth and dripping saliva, eager and ready to devour the girl. Only then did Yrix intervene, striking it in the back with an arrow encased in purple vibrancy.
"My student." Yrix tilted her head while levitating in the air in an almost godly state.
The Broodmaster's true face burst open from the side to reveal a pulpy arm of its own belonging, unarmored and pulsing with white liquid as it began conjuring a curved blade of energy that fit into its sickly shaped palm with ease.
Using its lengthened reach to slash at Yrix, it renewed its efforts to devour Sonera, only to be thwarted again as a ball of coiled energy slammed into its face. Reeling back with impatience, the Infestare snarled at Yrix, who had seemingly snuck past its defenses once again.
"Like I said." Yrix hissed, tearing Sonera away from the Broodmaster's gasp. "My student."
Using a technique similar to Rena's, Yrix had transformed her body into a round ball of energy, only this time more solid like obsidian and covered in purple runes. She had rolled past the Infestare and saved her student all in one move.
"I-." Sonera panted as she dangled in the air.
It was difficult to say thank you to someone she still despised.
But Sonera was more polite than many gave her credit for. She knew her place in the universe and how blessed she was to have Yrix at her side, given the current situation. For those reasons combined, her gratitude, however meek, was expressed through the Psionic plane.
"Don't mention it." The Arch-Flayer shrugged. "Isn't that how your people say it?"
Having rolled her student away, Yrix transformed back into her familiar state, lifting her hand to block a long slash from the Broodmaster's elastic reach.
"Keep your distance, wait for my mark," Yrix spoke firmly before charging towards the enemy.
Sonera was left dazed, shaking her silver-topped head like a child. It was difficult to maintain the power that had kept her afloat earlier in the battle, as the piercing songs of her maniacal inside continued to wane like a dying fire. Fortunately, she could still feel some lingering influence and managed to pick herself off the ground.
"Hold on, Yrix." Sonera huffed before making her way back into the fray. "I'm coming."
The Arch-Flayer was swift as she was careful, using a variety of Psionic projections to ward off the Broodmaster. By then, it had nearly four different appendages, all clasped around some ill-made weapon.
Roaring like a hundred animals, it chomped at Yrix with the intent to devour. She blackflipped out of the way, however, using her sharpened heels to kick the roof of the monster's gaping maw.
For all its ferocity, Yrix simply wasn't afraid.
She did have an idea, however.
She levitated higher into the air, firing off an arrow that enraged the monster. As it opened its maw once more, the Arch-Flayer rolled right into its gullet.
Sonera had only a brief moment to process what had occurred before a massive explosion of purple light sent her flying back.
Reeling from the blast, Sonera opened her eyes to see Yrix standing above her, covered in the insides of her enemy. The student caught on rather quickly, swiveling her head to see the exposed portion of the Broodmaster's face as it began to regenerate. She spun around gracefully, twirling in flame as her new attire emerged with smouldering beauty.
"Die," Sonera whispered.
Waving her hands togethor, she called forth a ring of knives that twitched with anticipatory energy. Sonera unleashed her arsenal, lighting the insides of the Broodmaster with radiant flame just as soon as its face began to seal up. What happened then resulted in a pyre so mighty that even Yrix shifted her gaze.
"Almost." The Arch-Flayer nodded.
"Almost?" Sonera panted, concealing her panic behind that steely gaze.
She had never been more glad to keep her family away from the fight.
- - - - - - - - -
"I-I can't." Lila coughed, falling to the floor as she held her left leg with a shaking hand. "Ivy, I'm sorry."
The Heiress didn't even respond, focusing her efforts on smashing the next wave of Incipents with her staff. So mighty was her effort that the onslaught of Infestare began to truly waver. That meant little when compared to Lila's condition, however.
She was just a girl.
"I uh." Lila looked up with a shaky smile. "I think I'm losing too much blood here I uh...I really love you Ivy. If my Mom's still out there, can you-."
"Stop." Ivy finally spoke. "You'll live."
Throughout the tiring battle, Lila had accumulated several bites and scratches, including the hits she had taken when challenged by the flaming Pennant. Without a healthy Psionic Ambience, she was just a human, and not a particularly tough one at that. It was a fast so easy to forget, given what Ivy and Sonera were made of.
It didn't help that she had taken such a beating a few nights before from both Imura and the Mimic. For all her bravery, Lila was reaching her limit. She was beginning to fade.
"We'll beat them, I'll get you out, and we'll escape this place togethor." Ivy snarled.
Lila panted as her eyes drifted, her smile still sweet as honey.
"You're uh...a really good girlfriend, Ivy." The Earthling shivered as she braced both hands on the floor in an attempt to support herself. "You deserve the Ginjous."
"Lila, stop!"