Ivy stood alone, silence filling the empty tunnel as she waited for Yrix's signal. Some part of her felt like she should be shaking, terrified of the fight ahead. If she failed, it would be, at the very least, rather embarrassing. But she felt a responsibility to her family, even while trapped under Yrix's thumb. If she could win, perhaps she would finally be seen as more than an accessory to her father. An ironic thought considering what Rena beleived.
"Right then," Ivy spoke to herself in a vain attempt to keep her adrenaline running as her heels began to quiver. "Pretend they're watching."
The light of the empty collesium enveloped her as Yrix opened the doorway, allowing Ivy to step onto the sandy surface. The whole arrangement was, for the most part, designed with larger Consortium members in mind, leaving Ivy as nothing but a spec compared to her surroundings. But eventually, after a rather awkward walk, she found herself deep enough into the arena to spot Sonera.
She wasn't alone.
Lunae whispered into Sonera's ear intently, assuring her things would be alright. Sonera frankly didn't need that confidence boost, but it was the thought that counted. She had someone supporting her.
"You can do it." Lunae's voice brushed against Sonera's cranium like a warm breeze. "We beleive in you."
Rena entered the conversation, her Psionic trace far more grating and unnerving. "Kill that stupid bitch."
Sonera herself seemed rather at home in the collesium, tapping her boots on the ground with anticipiation. While she had never been in such a gawdy arena before, she was still well acquainted with the art of dueling. After all, she was always an impulsive one. Fighting a girl her age for reasons entirely unavoidable was just another Tuesday.
Both girls saw fit to wear their preferred attire, with Ivy donning her white Tesselation dress and Sonera sticking with Yrix's uniform. It wasn't at all a practical arrangement. But as girls, they didn't care.
"On my mark." Yrix raised her hand, staring at the two girls as they stood silently at the center of the arena. "Be ready."
The wait felt like a thousand years for Lila. She wanted to faint. She wanted to run away. But all she could do was sit still and let that numb feeling in her heart arch into her bones. Apparently, getting tossed through walls by a Daregen was preferable to girl drama.
"Begin!" Yrix tried not to cheer so loudly, her excited voice seeping through her formal tone.
Neither Ivy nor Sonera saw fit to rush at the other. They were smarter than that. During their time fighting against the Vesper, they had each taken good measure of each other's skill. One reckless move could spell the end.
"Tsk." Ivy rolled her eyes, circling around the arena as she summoned a silver baton, gripping it tightly with her delicate fingers.
She had no intention of killing Sonera. Beating her half to death would suffice. But more importantly, winning the duel would finally send Lila away for good.
Sonera had an even simpler thought process. Her friend was in need. And she wanted something to punch.
*Martians, am I right?*
Yrix seemed to understand the strategy, waiting patiently for the first strike. She herself had fought in countless tournaments and festivals, taking a similar approach. It wasn't at all a coincidence then that her students, whom she had awakened with her signature imprint, were behaving in a similar manner.
It was rather wise not to tell them how much of an effect she had on their minds. Even for Yrix, restraint had a spot to fill in the Psionic playbook. That, of course, didn't stop her from feeling proud.
"My little Psions." Yrix snickered to herself. "Already so feral. So thoughtful."
Ivy was the first to act, shifting two fingers on her free hand upwards to summon an energized hexagon beneath Sonera. That was easy enough to dodge, but it sent a message. Sonera couldn't wait around forever.
As if to prove that point, Sonera unveiled a radiant colt from behind her back, firing a single shot at Ivy's head. The heiress blocked the attack with a flick of her wrist and followed up with an encirclement of diamond projections that came flying towards Sonera silumtanously.
Using her experience as a dancer for the Bratva, Sonera stood on one foot, allowing each diamond to wizz past her as she spun around. It was a challenge accepted. Summoning another colt, Sonera concentrated on firing a total of six shots at Ivy before her powers would expire, fanning the hammer on her weapon to increase its rate of fire.
Realizing she would waste a considerable amount of energy deflecting each shot, Ivy decided to show her own skills, arching her back to be level with the floor, and raising her left leg as a fiery shot sailed over the top of her head. She spun around and jumped, maintaining her elegant posture as the projectiles continued to narrowly avoid her.
"Five." Ivy counted, realizing that even Sonera's strongest construct would obey the laws of the firearm she had retrieved from her memory.
On the sixth bullet, Ivy pointed her baton forward, allowing the bullet to become enveloped in her Psionic grasp. Maintaining the firebolt's momentum, she spun it around herself, conducting its course with the tip of her baton before letting it finally slingshot back towards Sonera.
The redirection was as accurate as it was blindingly swift. Not even Sonera could dodge that. She fell backwards, her arm set ablaze as a searing pain washed over her.
"Got you." Ivy smiled.
Sonera didn't register the pain, performing a whip back before dissapearing into a puff of sparks. Ivy hardly had the time to gloat before Sonera appeared behind her, striking at her with the same arm that was still on fire. The heiress spun around, blocking the attack just in time. It was a sloppy defense, however.
"Ah!" Ivy yelped, the impact of the attack reverberating through her wrist as she was flung backwards.
After such a quick exchange, Lila felt herself practically hyperventilating. Her heart was beating faster and faster. The sensation of relentless guilt threatened to suffocate her. It didn't matter how ridiculous Ivy's demand had been; it all could have been avoided if she had just left her alone.
Ivy held onto her baton tightly as she slid across the sand. She knew better than anyone how quickly Sonera would push her advantage. And sure enough, the second she looked up, the girl was there with a sword in hand, swinging it down at her like a barbarian.
Ivy was quick to catch the blade's edge with her heels, whipping it around before tossing her baton at Sonera. The blunt end of the baton struck Sonera in the face, but without time to recover her weapon, the girl was quick to catch it with her free hand.
Ivy was foolish enough to try and pull her weapon back using her Psionic grasp, giving Sonera the open oppurtunity to let herself be taken. Using Ivy's grasp against her, Sonera's elbow jutted outwards, allowing her to strike the heiress in the jaw.
Ivy couldn't even describe the pain if she had the chance. But her adrenaline kept her steady, allowing her to push Sonera off with a Psionic wave. Her enemy didn't fall very far, however, giving her only a second to recover before Sonera came right back with another sword.
At that point, Lunae began to feel sick as well. She leaned against Lila's quivering shoulders, her breath becoming more uneasy by the second. The two girls comforted each other as best they could. But it was pointless. Two strangers they had met mere days ago were at each other's throats, and it made them feel like the world was falling apart.
Ivy composed herself just in time, parrying and reposting Sonera's slash as she assumed the stance of a fencer. During her time on Callisto, she had more than enough time to observe humanity's history of weapons and martial arts. More importantly, her father's modifications gave her the clarity to replicate that skill. She was just as much of a mimic as her mother in that sense.
Sonera may have been stronger on the offensive, but Ivy's form and speed began to overwhelm her. It was only when the heiress made the mistake of attacking with her free hand did the tables began to turn. It did hurt like hell, having her blade reposted by Ivy's baton and an outstretched finger dig into her neck like a saw blade. But it didn't hurt enough.
Sonera grabbed onto the heiress's arm, pulling her closer before twisting it around into a rear arm lock. Ivy could barely begin to scream before Sonera kicked her in the back, snapping her arm right off its socket.
Something snapped within Ivy. She was losing. She was feeling more pain than she ever had in her entire life. It was more then enough to make her forget who she was.
"Get off!" Ivy wailed, her voice becoming unusually raspy.
Using her broken arm, the heiress managed to throw Sonera over her shoulder, slamming her onto the sandy ground before kicking her away with immense force. She had never proven herself to be much of a brute, and after her brief episode of rage, she felt overwhelmed by both shock and pain.
"What?" Lila gasped.
She had watched Ivy, a frail girl, manage to toss her opponent away like she were the towering Vesper. Such strength didn't last long, however, as Ivy fell to her knees. Her eyes were glowing red.
With a painful snap, Ivy's arm locked itself back into place. It would have been rather impressive if she hadn't felt like throwing up.
"Ugh!" Ivy winced, her eyes darting around as she began to panic. "Help..."
She didn't know who she was calling out for. What she did know, however, was that Sonera was still coming for her, blade in hand. Ivy had to force herself onto her feet, trembling all the while.
"Not yet," Ivy growled.
She snapped her fingers, summoning a long silver staff into her left hand, its round tips decorated with her family sigil.