The putrid stench was more than just stinky; it was debilitating. Noble felt the air seep into her shallow wounds and take root, disorienting her.
The toxin seeped into her system, clouding her judgment. Up seemed like down, and left was right.
But only for a moment.
Noble coughed, waving at the noxious air around her face. "That is truly vile!"
"I feel the same way about your perfume. Now pull me off this wall!" Flint screamed as he tugged at the shard with his working hand.
"If you want a tug then..." Noble reached through the haze for her companion to give him a firm pull when something in her soul changed.
The tether, which she could barely feel most of the time, suddenly tightened. The length that usually stood between them disappeared, shortening at breakneck speed.
Flint grunted, flying forward as the barb remained on the wall. He crashed into the floating Master, and they moved out of the way right as the tail finally made contact with the wall.
The stone reverberated with the powerful shock, and the shard attached to it turned to dust.
The two Masters and their Saint, though, remained alive and unharmed... except for the hole in Flint's shoulder.
The surly warrior seemed immune to the pain. He was too concerned with the whipping tail's continued trajectory.
"Watch out!"
Noble had been too shocked by the development of Flint's involuntary closeness to pay as much attention as she should to the razored tail coming their way. Her mind refocused, trying to deal with both problems at once.
"Go!"
Noble wasn't exactly sure what she wanted, but the tether immediately responded. It lengthened, dropping Flint ten meters before being caught by Noble's levitation.
The tail of the monster passed harmlessly between them. The panther's torso turned to try its luck at clawing the humans into submission, but Syrce would not let that happen.
The galaxy of energy shot at his face, searing his whiskers and taking chunks of flesh from his face.
The momentary distraction gave the two Masters a chance to regroup.
'Stop tossing me around like a yo-yo,' Flint ordered through the Memory.
Noble's mouth dropped open. 'It wasn't me! Well, it wasn't exactly me. The tether...it responded to my commands to grow longer and shorter...'
'I'm not your dog on a leash. Let me loose!' Thrashing in the air, the surly Master tore at the belt. 'If I can get to that thing's eyes, I can blind him!'
Noble registered the slingshot in Flint's hand. She needed to take him close enough to get him in range.
Only, what range did a slingshot need? Perhaps her own bow and arrow would be better, though hers would likely be of a lower rank and tier.
'How close do you need to be?' The floating Master began doing some mental calculations in her head.
'Just send me and I'll tell you when. You'll get it wrong otherwise...' Flint rolled his eyes.
That infuriating man! If only he could fly himself, then he wouldn't need her at all.
In the process of swatting at Syrce, a claw came toward them. Noble loosened the tether again to let them separate. She was too annoyed to bring Flint closer.
The man was also frustrated. It fed her own emotions in a loop, so when Noble lengthened the tether, she also gave him an extra upward push with her levitation.
The surge carried with it a bit of essence, which traveled along their invisible connection like a jolt of electricity.
'Oh?' Noble felt the power leave her. An idea came to her head.
She released her levitating hold on the Master while sending more essence through the string.
'Fly.'
"What?" Flint's audible reply was filled with confusion. He began to sink. "What are you–"
Sending more essence and a large amount of hope, Noble called over the chaos.
"FLY!"
Something unlocked between them, and Noble could feel an exchange of power. While she did not have access to Flint's Ability to manipulate heat, she was intuitively sure that her Aspect was shared with him.
He proved it as the man levitated higher in the air. His eyes opened wide.
"What the..."
'The tether. It's a conduit as well! Now go! You get the eyes, and I'll go for the kill.'
Noble had expected some pushback from the other Master, but to her surprise, he was too impressed with the gift of flight to question her plan.
He took off, sailing too high before having to adjust.
Not as easy as itlooks, Noble wanted to say. She settled for a smug grin.
They had work to do.
The exchange had only taken a few seconds, but Syrce's distraction was wearing thin.
The Monster was large, but it wasn't completely stupid. It had tried to chomp on the balls of energy only to have them dissipate or shock him in return. He needed something more substantial to sink his teeth into.
And the man-sized morsel hovering awkwardly in the air would hit just the right spot!
Roaring, the panther then took a deep breath and prepared to blow his putrid stench onto the human. However, he was not quick enough.
Deftly, Flint placed a shiny stone in his slingshot and spun it around his head once. The frozen stone shot from the weapon with a hiss, aiming straight for the monster's catlike eye. It split the air, and enhanced by Noble's Weight of Doubt, it smashed into the panther with the weight of a boulder.
The monster reeled back, waving wildly as his sight was cut by half. Syrce spun away, dancing across the remaining part of his vision.
The temporary blindness caused by the galaxy became permanent as the second stone met its mark a few seconds later. Growing unsteady on its legs, the panther threw all of his spines in a deadly spray.
Noble dove for the only safe place in the vicinity—the creature's belly.
She flew up the torso, looking for the perfect spot to sink her blade.
At last, she found it. The black spots left behind by the departing bits of bone at first looked the same as the mottled fur, but Noble realized that it was not true.
The flesh underneath was soft, ready to allow the next spine to protrude from the panther's body.
Or to allow Noble's blade in. She struck at the soft spot on the top of his shoulder, digging her Zenith all the way into the hilt. Then she pulled with all her might toward the creature's head, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp teeth.
Blood poured from the panther's neck, and the roar of indignation died in the monster's throat.
He tried to step, but his hooves slipped on the crimson river. With a crash, the giant tumbled to the ground. The galaxy hovered silently above the scene with Flint at her side. The man had his slingshot poised for another shot, but it was unnecessary.
Like the other creatures and humans on the ground, the giant did not rise again.
He grew still, his blind eyes staring toward the sky.
The Violet One, who had been circling like a vulture after the initial attack, landed on the monster to feast. Noble looked away, unwilling to watch the grotesque scene.
As she did, the Spell whispered gently in her ear.
[You have slain a Fallen Tyrant, Fetid Feline.]
[You have received a Memory.]