Debris was already flying, sparks of lightning landed on surfaces, almost disintegrating them entirely before the runes stepped in to do a full immediate repair. The black-haired girl had jumped back after trying a few attacks on him. He covered the distance instantly by throwing his spear. It shot across the room like it was late, but it arrived, deflected by the sword wielded on Alloy's left hand. Her sharp eyes getting sharper as she read the movements of Zed, or, at least tried to. He moved so fast it was like seeing a blur every time she could glimpse him.
'Behind!!' She deduced. Turning to clash weapons with him, he had his spear raised, ready to cut whatever was in front of him, Alloy was the target. He saw her place her swords above her to defend, and he smiled, shooting down from the air to a loud clang with Alloy's swords. She wasn't strong enough to handle the force he brought with his attack, in turn, it forced her to fall down face first along with her swords that began dissipating from the lack of concentration. Zed stood right in front of her lending her a hand to get up. She took it, helping her up to bring them both to a squatting position. They smiled. Alloy because she missed fighting someone she can't beat, as well as her other goal… and Zed because he saw how far she had come along. They stood up. Jumping to opposite ends of the room.
He flung his spear, its force deliberately lessened to keep from injuring Alloy. She deflected it with a sharp parry, the impact carrying her into a back flip before she landed lightly, adjusting her stance. The moment her feet found stability, she lunged forward. Zed mirrored her movement, their weapons colliding in a shower of sparks, the force of the clash sending them both skidding back to their starting positions.
Zed struck the ground with his spear, splintering the earth beneath them. Fragments of stone shot upward, but before they could settle, he spun his spear with practiced ease, his drift amplifying its motion. The weapon blurred, stirring the air into a focused whirlwind that lifted the broken shards and sent them hurtling toward Alloy.
She reacted instantly, flipping backward and catching herself on her hands, her legs snapping out to deflect the flying debris. Two stones shot back toward Zed with pinpoint precision, but he moved faster, slipping through the barrage untouched.
They met in the center again, exchanging three rapid clashes, the force behind each strike pushing them back in equal measure, Alloy pushed a few feet further. On the third impact, both slid to a stop, a beat of stillness passing between them before identical grins flickered across their faces.
"What's wrong?" Zed asked with a smile. "Regretting calling me old??"
"Never" Alloy grinned back.
"We'll see about that." Without hesitation, they lunged once more, the fight far from over.
*****
Meanwhile, the Night forest was undergoing its biggest threat yet. Lore, Trogan, Ivy and the rest of the knights were busy dodging and trying to counter the attacks of the figures that were launched on them. In a span of three minutes, half the knights were wiped out. The air changed, the smell of fresh wood now had a better tinge of something else, even fresher blood. Ivy and the commanders were furious, they had tried launching multiple attacks on the figures, but they kept coming back, however, Ivy destroyed one of them thrice, and to her surprise, the hunk of wood never rose again.
"Lore!! Trogan!! Their lifespans are limited!! Destroy them thrice!!" She urged, dodging the fist of another. The commanders took note of this and began focusing on the same opponent more than twice. They were shocked as well.
"Oh… they all have different lifespans!!" Peril's voice echoed once more. Lore clicked. She was beginning to get fed up with the game. Trogan as well. He had fought at least four of those things, holding them back as they just regenerated and arrived again. Lore looked at him. Her eyes in awe of what she was seeing. Trogan had been attacked only by piercing attacks, what was odd about it was that specific areas were being targeted. His iron defense was strong, but should anything be exposed to enough pressure enough times, it could easily pass through to the other side.
"Trogan!! Watch your defense!! Those patterns are the same. One of those things might pierce you."
"Don't worry about it!! Like I said. They can't even get through half my layers. On your right!!" He replied. Lore countered another figure, kicking it o the ground before impaling its head, splitting its wooden frame to pieces. Just then Perilius emerged from the shadows, trying to catch Lore off-guard, she swung her sword at her, Lore noticed a second earlier and raised her lance, its shaft blocking the attack with a loud clang. They both reacted equally, Lore jumping back, right next to Ivy, Peril jumping back into the trees.
"They are called Kareki. Beings of my master's power." Her voice echoed once again.
"Why are you doing this??!! What do you want from Zephro??!!" Lore demanded.
"You mean apart from this sword??"
"You would be long gone by now if the sword is all you wanted." Ivy said.
"You have a point. No matter. She'll love it once I go back with you."
Their eyes widened. The sound of her words catching them off guard.
"What would you want with Ivy??!!" Lore demanded, her eyes sharpening.
"That's what I wanna know." Peril said, her evil chuckle echoing through the forest. "But I can't until I take her."
"That's not happening!!" Trogan ordered as he destroyed the last of the ones surrounding them.
"We'll see."
A bead of sweat ran down Ivy's forehead, reflecting her green hair, there was no reason for her to be considered special, it was clearly embedded in her life before she landed on Zephro. But her concerns were now different. Both her and Lore knew Peril wouldn't have lured them there alone without a plan. Something else was coming, and they needed to prepare for it.