Mother of Midnight

Chapter 136 – The Weakest Champions

With not-Ivor fully occupied by Rava’s unrelenting, lightning-wreathed assault, Vivienne turned her full attention toward not-Elira. The archer moved with fluid precision, each nocked arrow glimmering like starlight, but Vivienne’s focus was razor-sharp. She sidestepped gracefully as another arrow whizzed past, the shimmering bolt narrowly missing her. A smirk curled at her lips as she straightened, her black eyes gleaming mischievously. “I must say, darling,” she drawled, her voice dripping with amusement, “you have the most beautiful eyes. Truly captivating.”

Not-Elira’s expression darkened, her nebulous eyes swirling more violently. “Die, beast,” she spat with venom, loosing another arrow with ruthless intent.

Despite Vivienne’s enhanced speed and agility, not-Elira was proving remarkably adept at maintaining her distance. Every attempt to close the gap was met with a graceful sidestep or a well-timed leap, the woman’s every movement unnervingly precise. She didn’t just evade; she danced around Vivienne, her braid glinting like threads of twilight as she twisted and twirled away from each approach. Each time Vivienne advanced, another arrow was nocked and loosed with unsettling accuracy, forcing her to either dodge or deflect with a quick swipe of her claws.

The distance between them remained maddeningly consistent, and with each failed attempt to draw closer, Vivienne’s frustration grew. "You really don’t know when to stand still, do you?" she hissed through clenched teeth, her voice laced with irritation as she rolled under another shot. The arrows weren’t ordinary—each one shimmered with that strange, ethereal energy, and while they hadn’t struck her yet, Vivienne could feel the weight of their power in the air.

But she couldn’t afford to play a drawn-out game of cat and mouse. Not with Rava still holding her own against not-Ivor, and certainly not with Tarric bleeding out behind her. Her eyes narrowed as a new plan formed in her mind. If not-Elira wanted to keep her distance, Vivienne would make her regret it.

She slowed her pursuit, planting her feet firmly into the stone floor. The air around her grew heavier, almost humming with tension as she inhaled deeply. Her eyes shimmered with molten, prismatic light, a kaleidoscope of swirling colors that seemed to pulse in time with the rising melody that slipped from her lips—a haunting, layered summoning song that echoed eerily throughout the chamber. The sound wasn’t just heard; it was felt, vibrating through the air, seeping into the stone beneath her paws.

Vivienne’s fur began to shift, crystalline growths sprouting along her sleek lynx-like form, each shard gleaming with an iridescent sheen. The glowing veins that lined her body pulsed brighter, feeding energy into the rapidly growing crystals. They crept up her limbs and down her tail, sharp and jagged like a living, growing armor. Her voice deepened, harmonizing with itself in an unnatural, layered tone that sent shivers through the air.

Beneath her feet, the stone cracked. Shards of crystal burst forth from the ground, spiraling and twisting as if alive. The melody crescendoed, and with it, towering crystalline beasts began to form. Each creature was vaguely feline, their jagged bodies gleaming like polished glass. Eyes of pure light stared out from hollow sockets, and as they took shape, they let out low, echoing growls that resonated with the rhythm of Vivienne’s song.

Not-Elira froze for a moment, her nebulous eyes narrowing in wary recognition of the growing threat. Vivienne grinned, her voice never faltering as she stepped forward, her crystalline beasts flanking her like living extensions of her will.

"Go ahead, darling," she purred, her layered voice ringing with dangerous amusement. "Keep running. Let’s see how far you get before they catch you."

With a flick of her crystalline tail, the summoned beasts sprang into motion, charging at not-Elira with terrifying speed, their gleaming claws tearing across the ground as they closed in.

Not-Elira reacted instantly. Her nebulous eyes flashed, and with a fluid motion, she nocked three arrows onto her ethereal bow. The strings of starlight thrummed as she released them, each arrow streaking toward the incoming crystalline beasts like falling meteors. They struck true, shattering two of Vivienne’s summons into a rain of iridescent shards that scattered across the stone floor.

But the third beast dodged the arrow with feline grace, closing the distance with a feral snarl. Not-Elira sidestepped, her movements unnaturally fast, and as the beast lunged for her, she spun, conjuring a whip of starlight in her free hand. With a crack like thunder, the whip snapped through the air, coiling around the creature’s crystalline neck before she yanked hard, sending it crashing into the ground.

Vivienne’s grin tightened as her song shifted subtly, calling forth more beasts from the fractured crystal shards littering the ground. Each new summon rose faster than the last, as though feeding on the intensity of the battle. But she could see it now—this wasn’t going to be a simple matter of overwhelming not-Elira with numbers. The woman fought like a champion, her every movement precise, controlled, and enhanced by whatever power fueled that starlit aura around her.

Still, Vivienne wasn’t about to let up. She advanced, her body shimmering with refracted light from the crystalline armor covering her fur. With a sweeping gesture, she directed her newest creations to encircle not-Elira, forcing her into tighter and tighter spaces.

Not-Elira’s expression remained unreadable, but there was a cold, calculating gleam in her eyes. She raised her bow again, but this time instead of firing an arrow, she pulled the string taut and held it, channeling energy into a single point. Light began to condense at the bow’s center, forming a blindingly bright sphere. In an instant, she released it—not an arrow, but a pulse of radiant energy that exploded outward, blasting several of Vivienne’s summons to pieces and sending a shockwave rippling through the chamber.

The force hit Vivienne hard, forcing her back a few paces. Her claws dug into the stone to steady herself as shards of crystal rained around her. She hissed softly, irritation flashing in her shimmering eyes. "Oh, you’re clever," she muttered, her voice still resonant with the layered tones of her song. "But I didn’t come all this way to let a little flash get the better of me."

With a sudden burst of movement, she leapt forward, her speed almost a blur as she closed the gap between them. Her claws crackled with energy, and crystal spikes jutted out from her tail as she swung it in a wide arc toward not-Elira’s midsection. Not-Elira barely managed to twist out of the way, but not without losing a few strands of her shimmering blue hair to the sharp edges of Vivienne’s attack.

Vivienne pressed her advantage, launching into a relentless series of attacks—swipes of her claws, sweeps of her crystalline tail, and bursts of energy from the shards embedded in her fur. Not-Elira was fast, unnervingly so, but even a champion couldn’t keep dodging forever. One of Vivienne’s claws finally grazed her, leaving a shallow but glowing cut across her arm.

Not-Elira hissed, jerking back as the crystalline energy from Vivienne’s claw lingered on her skin, spreading faint arcs of prismatic light across the wound. She staggered for just a moment—a brief, fleeting weakness, but Vivienne wasn’t one to let such an opportunity pass.

With a quick, fluid motion, Vivienne flicked her tail forward, launching a shard of jagged crystal toward her foe. Not-Elira twisted aside, the shard grazing her cheek and shattering against the wall behind her. Before she could fully recover, Vivienne charged again, her claws flashing like lightning in the dim chamber. Each strike came faster than the last, the rhythm of her crystalline song driving her into a frenzy of graceful violence.

But not-Elira wasn’t done yet. With a sharp breath, she pulled an arrow from her quiver—not one of ordinary starlight, but one with a jagged, pulsating core of dark energy. She nocked it in her bow and loosed it directly at Vivienne’s chest.

Vivienne’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the arrow’s strange, ominous glow. Instinctively, she leapt to the side, but not fast enough to completely evade it. The arrow grazed her left arm, searing through her crystalline fur and leaving a crackling trail of dark energy in its wake. Pain lanced through her, but she grit her teeth, refusing to falter.

"Ah, so you do bleed," not-Elira sneered, her voice sharp with cruel satisfaction.

Vivienne glanced down at the smoldering wound. The dark energy was spreading, trying to sap her strength. She snarled, her crystalline armor rippling as she summoned more shards to cover the damaged area, containing the corruption before it could spread further.

"Congratulations, darling," she said through gritted teeth. "You’ve just made this personal."

Without waiting for a response, Vivienne clapped her hands together, sending a resonating pulse through the chamber. The scattered crystal shards around them began to tremble, glowing faintly before rising into the air. With a flick of her claws, she directed them toward not-Elira, who found herself surrounded by a storm of whirling, razor-sharp fragments.

Not-Elira’s eyes narrowed, and in a blur of motion, she loosed another volley of arrows, trying to shoot down the shards before they could reach her. Some shattered on impact, but there were too many. The rest continued their deadly path, forcing her to dive and roll across the uneven ground to avoid being torn apart.

Vivienne advanced steadily, her voice taking on an eerie, harmonic resonance as she maintained control of the crystal storm. "I could keep this up all day," she said, her tone sweet but dangerous. "But I don’t think you’ll last that long, darling."

Not-Elira’s gaze hardened, and with a sudden burst of energy, she propelled herself backward, creating distance between her and the encroaching crystal shards. She landed on one knee, bow already drawn with another arrow nocked, this one flickering with unstable energy. Before Vivienne could react, not-Elira loosed it—not at her, but at the floor beneath them.

The resulting explosion sent jagged chunks of stone flying into the air, disrupting the crystal storm and forcing Vivienne to leap back. Dust filled the chamber, obscuring everything in a dense, choking cloud.

Vivienne’s eyes narrowed  as she scanned the murky haze for movement. She could still hear the faint hum of aether in not-Elira’s form—an advantage she planned to exploit. With another note in her song, she summoned another crystal beast from the ground, this one sleek and feline, its body pulsing faintly with prismatic light.

"Go," she whispered, and the crystalline creature leapt into the fog, moving silently, hunting its quarry.

A sudden clash of metal against rock rang out, followed by a muffled cry. Vivienne darted forward, claws ready, but not-Elira was already on the move again, weaving through the wreckage with fluid precision. Even without clear visibility, she was proving to be a frustratingly difficult opponent. Every step Vivienne took was countered by another calculated retreat.

This wasn’t working. Not-Elira was too skilled, too precise at keeping her distance. Every time Vivienne closed the gap, the woman would disengage, loosing arrows with uncanny accuracy while weaving between the crystal beasts with almost infuriating ease. The fight was dragging on too long, and with Tarric bleeding out and Rava locked in a grueling battle against not-Ivor, time was not on Vivienne’s side.

She risked a brief glance toward where Rava fought, the sounds of metal striking metal and crackling lightning filling the chamber. She could see flashes of Rava’s gauntlets sparking violently against not-Ivor’s shield, but she couldn’t afford to be distracted. Not-Elira wasn’t giving her the luxury to worry about anything else.

Returning her focus to the fight at hand, Vivienne inhaled slowly, her song shifting. The melody deepened, becoming lower, darker, and more commanding, each note vibrating with raw power. The scattered crystalline beasts responded instantly, halting their pursuit of not-Elira and flowing back toward Vivienne. Shards of shattered crystal littering the ground quivered and began to lift, reforming into new shapes as their numbers steadily grew.

"Let’s see how well you handle being really outnumbered," Vivienne said with a sly grin, her voice laced with a dangerous, teasing edge. She took a confident step forward, and the crystalline creatures swarmed around her like a living barrier, their bodies gleaming with refracted light.

Not-Elira’s eyes flicked from side to side, assessing the growing threat, her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t flinch, but Vivienne could see the tension in her posture—the way her grip tightened on her bow, the subtle shift of her stance as though preparing for something drastic.

With a flick of her tail, Vivienne sent the beasts surging forward in a coordinated wave. "Come now, darling. Aren’t you going to show me what a proper champion can do?" she taunted, her voice dripping with amusement. "Or do you need a moment to catch your breath?"

Not-Elira didn’t reply. Instead, she sprang backward with impossible speed, her bow snapping up to loose a flurry of arrows. Two of the crystalline beasts shattered on impact, but for every one destroyed, two more rose from the fragments, reforming and pressing the attack.

Vivienne advanced steadily behind them, her grin widening as her eyes glowed brighter, swirling with iridescent energy. "You’re quick, I’ll give you that," she said cheerfully. "But you’re not making this very fun. At least try to look less terrified."

Still, even as she spoke, Vivienne felt the growing strain in her chest. Summoning and controlling this many constructs wasn’t easy, and though her song kept them stable for now, her aether reserves weren’t infinite. She needed to end this soon.

"You’ve danced around long enough," Vivienne said, her tone shifting ever so slightly toward something more serious. "At least tell me who I’m fighting. Feels rude to keep calling you ‘not-Elira.’"

Not-Elira paused mid-dodge, her gaze narrowing. For a moment, she seemed to weigh her options before replying coldly, "Alisaria."

"Alisaria," Vivienne repeated, savoring the sound of the name on her tongue. "Pretty name for someone so grumpy." She grinned wider, her claws crackling with energy as she prepared to launch another assault. "Well, Alisaria, let’s see how long you can keep up."

Alisaria didn’t answer. Instead, she raised her bow again, drawing the string taut as the air around her began to shimmer with concentrated aether. The air seemed to hum with tension, vibrating as power radiated from her, and Vivienne could tell—this next shot wouldn’t be ordinary. A champion’s power wasn’t something to take lightly, and Alisaria clearly wasn’t going to hold back any longer.

Vivienne’s grin only widened. "Finally, you’re taking me seriously." Without breaking her stride, her crystalline fur began to crack and fragment, the shards dissolving into the air like falling glass. Her body shimmered as she shifted back into her humanoid form, her wavy hair reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors from the lingering crystal dust. Though her lynx form granted her greater speed and nimbleness, this battle required something more precise, something more controlled.

Her song changed, becoming sharper, more intricate, like the ringing of countless tiny chimes layered beneath her voice. The crystalline beasts around her grew denser, their forms sharpening, bristling with jagged edges as they surged forward with renewed aggression.

Alisaria loosed the arrow. It streaked through the air like a bolt of lightning, glowing with concentrated aether. Vivienne dodged to the side, her prehensile tail lashing out to swat the arrow mid-flight. The moment it struck the ground, it erupted in a blast of searing energy, sending a shockwave through the chamber.

"Good shot," Vivienne said lightly, brushing a lock of her translucent hair aside. "Shame you missed." She darted forward, closing the distance between them once more.

Alisaria snarled and reached for another arrow, but this time Vivienne was ready. Her crystalline beasts flanked Alisaria from both sides, forcing her to leap back instead of loosing her next shot. Before she could fully regain her stance, Vivienne was upon her, claws crackling with energy as she swung low.

Alisaria parried the strike with a deft movement of her bow, using it like a staff to redirect Vivienne’s momentum. The two clashed in a blur of rapid strikes and counters, Alisaria’s speed and precision matching Vivienne’s raw power and unrelenting assault. Sparks of aether and crystal shards filled the air as they fought, each refusing to give an inch.

Then Vivienne felt it—a flash of cold against her side. She instinctively leaped back, but not before Alisaria’s dagger found its mark, slicing through the exposed gap in her crystalline scales. Pain blossomed immediately, sharp and biting, and when Vivienne glanced down, she saw dark, viscous blood seeping from the wound. Worse still, the wound didn’t begin to heal as it should have.

Alisaria’s dagger gleamed with a faint, unnatural light, and Vivienne could feel something off—something gnawing at her aether like a slow, relentless drain.

"Ah," Vivienne murmured, her grin tightening into something more strained. "You’ve got tricks too, I see." She took a step back, her breathing heavier now. The wound pulsed with a dull, aching throb, refusing to close, and she could feel her energy slipping, the drain subtle but constant.

"You won’t walk away from this fight," Alisaria said coldly, her voice devoid of emotion as she flipped the dagger in her hand, readying herself for another strike. "Not unscathed."

Vivienne’s eyes narrowed, but she kept her playful tone. "Oh, sweetheart, I didn’t come here to walk away. I came to win."

She raised her hand, her crystalline song swelling in intensity once more, and the shattered fragments of her beasts began to rise again, glowing with renewed light. She would fight on, wound or no wound. There was too much at stake, and Vivienne had never been one to quit while things got interesting.

Rava was relentless. Her fists moved faster than her body could reasonably keep up with, the arcs of lightning that crackled around her limbs painting the air in violent streaks of power. Each strike carried the full weight of her anger and desperation, aimed at not-Ivor’s body with pinpoint precision. Her gauntlets shimmered with the energy, glowing with each thunderous punch she landed. The man’s radiant sword was still deadly, but without his shield to protect him, he was far more vulnerable.

She launched forward again, her fist aimed for his face, but not-Ivor sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the full brunt of her strike. He retaliated quickly, sweeping his radiant sword horizontally in a blur of light. The blade moved with speed and deadly intent, aimed at cutting through her midsection.

Rava twisted her body with feline grace, the sharp edge of the sword grazing across her side, leaving a searing burn. She gritted her teeth, feeling the heat of the wound. She wouldn’t let it slow her down.

With a snarl, Rava brought her knee up, slamming it into his abdomen and pushing him back a step. He stumbled, his sword-arm slightly off-balance. She saw the opening immediately. Without hesitation, Rava launched herself forward again, claws crackling with electric energy, and this time she aimed for his throat.

But not-Ivor was quick, his radiant sword flashing upward in a desperate parry, just narrowly deflecting her strike. He thrust forward with his blade, trying to impale her, but she was already gone, twisting in the air and landing behind him in a flash.

"Is that all you’ve got?" she growled through gritted teeth, her voice thick with the strain of the fight. She wasn’t going to stop. Not now. Not ever. “Is this all the power of a champion?”

The pain from her side was beginning to cloud her focus, but Rava had no time to dwell on it. She launched another barrage of lightning-fast punches, each one designed to keep him off-balance. Not-Ivor managed to block or dodge some of the attacks, but the sheer speed and ferocity of her assault were beginning to wear him down.

The pressure from her strikes, fueled by both desperation and raw power, was beginning to show. Not-Ivor staggered under the force of a particularly heavy blow, his footing slipping slightly on the cracked stone beneath them. But just as Rava prepared to press the advantage, she felt a shift. The air around her seemed to thicken, and a dangerous gleam flickered in his eyes.

Not-Ivor roared, his radiant blade flashing to life in his hands with a surge of energy that sent a ripple of heat through the chamber. He turned the tables with brutal precision, driving the blade forward with a series of calculated thrusts that forced Rava back. Each strike was a blinding flash of light, too fast to avoid completely. The first one grazed her shoulder, the second raked across her side—deep enough to leave a burn, a jagged cut that sizzled as though the very air around him was infused with molten metal.

Rava grit her teeth, pushing herself harder as she darted to the side, narrowly avoiding another swipe of the blade. But the damage had been done. Her side burned, the wound searing with every breath she took, and she could feel the drain on her stamina from the constant barrage of power. The pain was like a fiery vine constricting around her chest, but she refused to show weakness.

Her movements were faster now, fueled by that same fury, but Not-Ivor was relentless. He pressed the attack, using his sword to force her backward, his strikes faster and more calculated. With a final, desperate slash, he caught her across the ribs, leaving a deep, glowing cut. 

Rava staggered, her breath coming in ragged gasps, but her resolve only solidified. She wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. Not while Vivienne was still fighting, not while Tarric’s life hung in the balance.

With a guttural snarl, she lunged again, but this time, the energy felt different. More controlled. Raw. And she would break him, no matter the cost.

“Darius! Hurry up! I need help here!” Alisaria’s voice rang out, sharp and demanding, her eyes flicking over her shoulder as she tried to keep Vivienne on the defensive.

“I’m busy with this mutt!” Darius shot back, his radiant sword crashing down with such force that Rava had to twist aside at the last moment, the glowing edge singing the air around her. His strike missed, but the heat from the blade left a thin, smoldering line on her fur.

Rava’s muscles burned with the effort of dodging. Her side was screaming in protest, the blood from the wound staining her fur dark as it soaked into the fabric of her clothes. But she didn’t flinch. Not now. Not when she was so close. Her claws extended as she lunged at him, the crackle of lightning following every movement, yet Darius was fast—faster than she anticipated. He turned just in time, his blade sweeping upward with precision, forcing her to pull back just as a burst of dawn-infused energy shot from his blade, grazing her leg.

The force of the energy blast sent a shock through her system, causing her to stagger, but she recovered almost immediately, her senses heightened from the pain. Rava snarled, her breathing ragged. She could feel the weight of the fight pressing down on her, but she refused to give in. Not when Vivienne was still locked in combat, and not when Tarric’s life was hanging by a thread.

“You’ll have to do better than that, Darius!” she spat, charging again, this time aiming for his throat. But even as she swung, she knew it wasn’t enough. She could feel the edge of defeat creeping in, her whole body screaming at her. He was too powerful, too controlled. And yet, she refused to stop.