Windblade was a striking sight, a blend of formidable strength and breathtaking beauty. But as my eyes admired her, the memory of her dramatic entrance, hurling Airachnid into the mountain, sparked a pang of concern. Beauty aside, she didn't need to do that; it was a bit over the top.
"Well, your arrival was… let's say, impactful," I began, crossing my arms as I faced her. "But I think you've got a little problem to sort out." My gaze shifted to Airachnid, who was recovering a few meters away.
Windblade stood, the sound of her gears humming like a finely tuned mechanism. Her eyes, gleaming with curious intensity, met mine briefly before turning to her adversary.
"I'm aware of the situation," she said, her voice firm but laced with a determination that hinted at unfinished business. "If I may, I have something to settle with her."
Before I could respond, a blinding white light tore through the air next to Windblade. The movement was so fast that I barely detected it: a powerful kick aimed at her face. Windblade ducked at the last moment, narrowly avoiding Airachnid's foot as it sliced through the air.
"Who do you think you are to come and run me over like that?" Airachnid shouted, fury pulsing in every syllable. Her purple eyes blazed with a mix of wounded pride and raw anger.
Without wasting a moment, Airachnid unleashed a flurry of attacks, her claws sweeping in swift, lethal arcs.
To my surprise, Windblade anticipated every strike with unnerving precision. Her movements were fluid, almost choreographed, dodging with a grace that seemed to defy the laws of physics.
Realizing her direct attacks weren't working, Airachnid switched tactics. With a familiar motion, her arachnid legs extended from her back, their razor-sharp tips aiming for Windblade's red armor.
Windblade drew an energy sword pulsing with a blue glow. She blocked the claws with ease, the clash of metal against energy sparking at the contact. The pace of the fight escalated, each strike faster than the last, kicking up a curtain of dust around them.
In a bold move, Airachnid raised her foot, aiming a powerful kick meant to crush Windblade's arms. The red Cybertronian leapt back with feline agility, spinning in the air and landing with an impact that shook the ground.
Without hesitation, she charged, moving at breakneck speed. Her fist connected with Airachnid's face in a metallic crack, followed by a precise elbow strike that caught her rival off guard. With a fluid motion, Windblade grabbed Airachnid's arm and flung her to the ground, sand exploding around them.
But Airachnid wasn't one to give up easily. Even with her torso and head slammed into the ground, she used her arms for leverage, spinning her body in a maneuver and delivering an upside-down double kick. The blow caught Windblade by surprise, forcing her to raise her arms to shield herself.
With uncanny agility, Airachnid sprang to her feet and launched her techno-organic webs at her rival. Windblade, however, sliced the web in half with a precise swing of her energy sword. The two faced off, locked in a standoff like a Wild West duel.
I settled onto a nearby rock.
"Too bad I don't have popcorn and a soda to go with this," I muttered, a crooked smile creeping onto my lips. It had been a while since I'd seen Airachnid fight with such ferocity, and the fact that someone could keep up with her agility was, at the very least, impressive.
Airachnid lunged again, feigning a direct punch to Windblade's face. Of course, it was a fake attack; one of her hind legs shot towards her opponent's head, aiming for a lethal blow. However, Windblade, as if anticipating the move, blocked the claw with her sword.
Two more of Airachnid's paws lashed out in quick succession, aiming to pierce the red armour. Windblade leapt, executing a spinning kick that intercepted the second claw, while dodging the third with a precision bordering on the supernatural.
"Damn… that's some absurd agility," I commented, unable to hide my admiration. "It's like she can see the future."
Airachnid, now driven by a palpable fury, had abandoned any trace of conventional tactics. Her claws oozed a viscous acid, dripping onto the ground with a hiss that corroded the sand into a blackened crust.
She hurled jets of the corrosive liquid at Windblade, but the red Cybertronian dodged with precise movements, anticipating each attack as if she could read her opponent's thoughts.
It was clear Airachnid was at her limit. Her purple eyes blazed with a mix of frustration and wounded pride, each of Windblade's dodges feeling like a personal affront. The gothic spider wasn't used to being challenged like this, and the anger pulsed in every move, making her attacks wilder but also sloppier.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Airachnid roared. In an instant, she activated her battle mode. The black plates of her armor shifted, taking on a red hue with golden accents. Her already imposing silhouette gained sharper contours, the feminine form of her Cybertronian armor now radiating an aura of almost sensual menace.
Windblade had no time to react. With terrifying speed, Airachnid launched a direct strike at the Autobot's chest, her metallic fingers slicing through the air with a whistle.
The impact was brutal, hurling Windblade backward with a crash that echoed across the desert. She hit the ground hard, sand exploding around her, and used her sword to dig into the earth, slowly halting her slide.
"Damn it…" Airachnid hissed, examining her metallic fingers now stained with the blue glow of her opponent's Energon. "She managed to leap back just in time to avoid a fatal blow."
Windblade rose slowly, her face contorted in an expression of controlled pain. Her red armor was marred, an irregular gash near her spark exposing faintly sparking circuits. Airachnid's strike had been precise, clearly intended to rip out her spark in a single move.
"Well, no surprise there," I muttered. "Airachnid's speed in that form is ridiculous. In a fight where it all comes down to agility, that perverted spider always comes out on top."
Windblade drew a second energy sword, the twin blades pulsing with an intense blue glow in her hands. With a defiant shout, she charged at Airachnid, who met the challenge with a predatory grin.
Airachnid's arachnid legs shot forward in a blur of motion, their golden-tipped points slashing through the air in deadly arcs. Windblade, however, leapt at the last moment, blocking the attack with one sword while using the angle to deliver a knee strike toward her opponent's face.
Airachnid caught the blow with one hand, the impact reverberating with a metallic groan. Using her other claws, she tried to shove Windblade away, with devastating effect, sending her crashing into the ground with such force that Windblade's eyes widened in surprise at the sheer difference in raw strength.
"I'm going to slice every piece of your body!" Airachnid snarled, her voice thick with a fury that seemed to ignite an old memory. Her eyes narrowed, as if she finally recognized her opponent.
"So you do remember me," Windblade said, rising with visible effort but maintaining her battle stance.
"I'm going to love killing you," Airachnid retorted, her claws extending, the golden tips of her rear legs gleaming with an unmistakable promise of destruction.
Both lunged at the same time: Airachnid swung a claw toward Windblade's left leg while another aimed for her head. The Autobot intercepted both strikes with her swords, metal clashing against energy in a burst of sparks. Seizing the moment, Windblade raised her leg and delivered a powerful kick to Airachnid's chest, forcing her to stagger back.
But Airachnid didn't yield. Despite the impact, her claws pierced the armor of Windblade's leg, the sound of tearing metal mingling with a sharp cry from the Autobot herself.
The gothic spider then grabbed Windblade's foot, her fingers clamping down like a vice, crushing the metal with a sickening crunch. Windblade winced, pain coursing through her circuits, but her reaction was instantaneous. She released the sword from her left hand and opened her palm to block an incoming strike.
Airachnid yanked Windblade toward her, using her free hand to try piercing the Autobot's lower torso with brute force. Windblade caught the blow with her left hand, absorbing part of the impact, though the effort made her circuits groan even louder.
The force of the clash hurled Windblade against a rock, the impact reverberating through the desert as she crashed onto her back, kicking up a cloud of sand around her.
"Damn it…" Windblade muttered. "The Allspark upgrades in her are too much, even for me." Her circuits sparked weakly.
Airachnid, still in battle mode, was a whirlwind of violence in a blender. Her purple eyes burned with a fury capable of incinerating anything in her path. She was in a primal state, ready to tear apart any movement, any shadow that dared cross her field of vision.
I stepped forward before Airachnid could reduce Windblade to scrap. When I got close enough, I touched her metallic leg, feeling the cold metal vibrate with the residual energy of her transformation. The gesture seemed to snap her out of her murderous trance. She lowered her gaze, startled, her eyes widening as she saw me so close.
"What…? What…?" she stammered, her voice thick with confusion, as if my presence was an unexpected break in her script of destruction.
Without answering, I channeled my energy into Airachnid's spark. The air around us crackled, and with a trick I'd mastered well, I forced her transformation. The red plates of her battle armor retracted, giving way to the human form I knew so well: the sultry goth with jet-black hair. The intimidating presence vanished, leaving her smaller and more vulnerable, though that dangerous glint still lingered in her eyes.
"Why the hell did you force me back into this form?!" she shouted, her voice brimming with rage as she gestured with clenched fists. "I was in control!"
"Relax," I replied, keeping my calm despite her venomous tone. "Windblade's not a threat. Now that you've vented your anger on her, how about we try a minimally civilized conversation?" I knew Airachnid wouldn't cooperate unless she'd had her dose of revenge for the "hit-and-run" by the red jet. It was like dealing with a wild beast: you had to let it bite something before you could even think about taming it.
I looked at Windblade, still lying in the sand, the glow of her spark dimmed. I approached and touched her intact leg, channeling my energy once more.
A blue glow enveloped her body, like a wave of liquid light, mending every crack, every damaged plate. The gash in her chest sealed shut, the exposed circuits pulsed with life again, and even the scratches on her red armor's paint were restored, as if she'd just rolled off the assembly line.
"There, good as new," I quipped, stepping back to admire my handiwork.
Windblade examined her arms and torso, flexing her fingers as if testing the reality of her recovery. A subtle smile curved her lips, and she stood, her posture now brimming with confidence. Her eyes found Airachnid, and there was a glint of provocation in them.
"You, looking all small like that, don't seem like much," she said, her voice laced with a tone that was both amused and challenging.
Airachnid stiffened, her purple eyes sparking with renewed rage.
"Lux, turn me back to normal now!" she bellowed, practically trembling with fury. "I'm going to end her!"
"Easy, little spider," I shot back, raising my hands in a placating gesture. "I promise I'll buy you whatever candy you want after this, deal?" It was a cheap tactic, but effective. Bribes always worked with her.
As expected, the mention of sweets doused the murderous fire in her eyes. Airachnid's expression softened, slipping back into the reckless, mocking demeanor I knew so well.
"Humph," she muttered, crossing her arms, but the glint in her eyes suggested she'd accepted the offer.
Windblade watched the scene, a faint smile dancing on her lips.
"It's to be expected that the great Allspark can tame a creature of darkness like Airachnid," she said, clearly trying to stroke my ego. But the comment had the opposite effect on Airachnid, who shot me a glare so scorching it was as if I were the one who'd provoked her.
"Thanks for the not-so-subtle remark," I retorted, throwing Windblade a disapproving look. I sighed, the weight of exhaustion settling into my shoulders. The battle had been a spectacle, but now I had to deal with an irritated Airachnid and a Windblade who seemed to enjoy poking the beast.
"Let's get out of here," I said, crossing my arms. "As precise as I am with controlling my energy, I doubt no one noticed the power spike I unleashed on you two to keep you from tearing each other apart."