"What in the actual fuck."
"Calm down."
"How are they so fast?"
Lila scrambled into a fighting stance, staring up at the vast cavern in front of her. To her amazement, the Infestare had managed to dig out miles of soil, even going as far as to place stabilizing pillars of living chiten along various points. What was once pitch black had been replaced by a series of glowing spines stuck into the wall, providing the girls with ample view of their impending doom.
"They could have kept you in the dark," Ivy muttered, using her mechanical vision to see regardless. "Cocky creatures."
A bony staircase had been laid out before the girls, placed perfectly beneath the bunker. Ivy's suspicions were spot on. The Infestare had come for them with a proposition.
"Stay behind me." The heiress's eyes flashed red as she called forth her staff.
Lila attempted to protest, only to reel back in fear as a dozen Incipents sprinted towards her with gaping jaws. She was merely a girl faced with the worst the universe had to offer. Fortunately for Ivy, she had already exhausted every ounce of terror left in her soul.
She wasn't afraid of them.
The heiress swung her staff gracefully, utilizing its tip to shatter the Incipent's bones with a gravitational blast. Bringing her baton to the rear, she spun it around as fast as her Psionic grasp would allow, knocking aside any Infestare who attempted to climb up from behind. Lila, on the other hand, was still struggling to compose herself given the predicament.
From what they could see, the Infestare had dropped them onto an island of sorts, surrounded by avenues in which the creatures could approach. It wasn't so unlike the Garth, only this time the enemy preffered a ritualistic brawl over a hunt. Either way, Ivy was sick of it.
"Fucking pits," she swore. "If I have to see one more."
Lila reached for the gun Yrix had given her, only to realize she hadn't brought it with her. Yet when all hope seemed lost, she spun around to see a glimmering replica plop into her arms. Ivy spoke nothing of it, giving a simple nod before diverting her efforts towards the enemy.
"Huh?" Lila tilted her head.
She didn't have much time to ask how the Psionic construct worked, or if its transparent surface could even fire a bullet. But despite looking like a shard of glass more than a metal frame, it operated just fine, sending a barrage of similarly structured bullets. Lila's draw nearly dropped as her weapon found its mark, knocking the helmet off a Pennant, exposing the floral tendrils beneath.
The Earthling shrugged. "Not even gonna ask."
The Pennant responded with a volley from its own firearm, melded into its arm like a parasite that spat out strings of purple acid. Lila dodged them easily enough, grabbing onto the creature with her Psionic grapple before speeding away in the opposite direction. By the time her inferior weight caused her to snap back, the Pennant had already lost its footing, stumbling into a skeletal fist from one particularly angry heiress.
"I said stay close." Ivy hissed.
"There's too many! I gotta move around!" Lila complained, crawling about like a hastened bug while the Infestare attempted to catch her. "I'm not as brave as Bobo!"
Ivy nearly chuckled, recalling the specific characteristics of Lila's plushies. As if inspired by their memory, she sprouted her wings one more, leaping up into the air with silver eyes. After a moment of concentration, she unveiled a ring of blades that orbited above her head, mimicking Sonera's radiant power.
Ivy's blades came crashing down, exploding into a white light that disintegrated all it touched.
"Don't flashbang me goodness gracious!" Lila flailed her arms around. "I can't see shi-."
The heiress snapped her fingers, encasing her partner in a layer of silver energy. "Run now, as fast as you can."
Lila looked down at her own sweaty palms, realizing Ivy was mimicking one of Lunae's techniques. With her temporary resillance, she ran headfirst into the Infestare like a wrecking ball, tearing through them with Psionic speed. Such was her effort that the girl nearly slipped off the edge.
She stepped away, blinking from space to space with every breath.
"How are you doing this!" Lila gasped.
"I am what I am." Ivy frowned. "Now keep fighting."
An eerie music filled the chamber, more frantic and, in a way, a bit groovier than the tune playing on the surface. It had never occurred to the girls to expect such a thing from their feral enemy. But for what it was worth, they had a better understanding.
"This can't get any more cracked, can it?" Lila panted, running back to Ivy's side.
The heiress raised her staff, locking blades with a tall Pennant whose bony sword nearly squashed her comparatively tiny frame. She held her position for some time, using the opportunity to swing her baton from behind and impale the creature with thunderous force.
Lila watched with awe. "How are you not-."
She already knew the answer. Without any mental restrictions, Ivy was just a shorter Mimic. Indeed, the Infestare were not the only monsters in that chamber.
"Lila!" Ivy pointed, her eyes widening.
The Earthing tried to turn in time, but was lifted off the ground by an even larger Infestare. It appeared as an amalgamation of flesh and tendrils, its face akin to an empty trough with long eyes slithering from within. Using its long reach and immense strength, the creature brought Lila in close, attempting to devour her whole.
Ivy concentrated, spinning both her staff and baton around herself as she stretched out both hands. Just before Lila could be taken in by several grasping vines, a large, angular projection appeared at her feet, effectively choking the monster in the process. The ward didn't last long, however, as several Incipents climbed on top of their comrade to pull the projection out.
As if condemning its own allies, the large Infestare chomped down, devouring them as it grew in size.
It was known as a Symbiote for a reason.
Using its lengthened appendages, the creature reached out towards Lila with an overhead swing, taking advantage of her weakened state.
"Hah!" Lila gasped, still picking herself off the floor after she fell from the Symbiote's mouth. "Shit!"
The Earthling shut her eyes, expecting the worst. Yet all she felt a moment later was the rush of cold air. Only after coming to her senses did she realize what had happened.
"Ivy!" Lila cheered. "Y-you used my power?!"
Ivy cradled the girl in her arms with a smile, having backed away towards the edge of the island. "Just stay on your feet."
The heiress clenched the air, calling forth a silver revolver that shook violently in her hands. Even with her mimicry, it was quite a challenge getting the details spot on.
"Die." Ivy snarled, using a bit of Sonera's cadence as she pulled the trigger.
The Symbiote turned to ashes in the distance, as Ivy's firearm broke apart into a hundred little silver pieces. Lila could hardly beleive what she heard. Deep within Ivy's lovely voice, there was someone else.
The Earthling tapped herself on the head. "Focus."
Half expecting another wave of Infestare to materialize mere inches away, Lila raised her fists. But to her surprise, the room fell silent.
Something was afoot.
The floor shuddered, and soon every fallen corpse glowed with multicolored luminescence. For with blood comes the satiation of deep hunger. And even in death, Infestare could grow.
At the center of the island lay a newly drawn rune, inscribed by an invisible hand as it flickered with life. Lila recognized the markings and shuddered at the realization.
It was one of Lunae's.
"What are they doing?" The Earthling stammered.
Ivy kept her eyes peeled in silence. Yet out of nowhere, a marking appeared above her pale chest, written in the same place as Lunae's. Only the rune was different, having never been seen before. Using her eyes to scan the language, Ivy was able to peice togethor a fragment of meaning.
"Worthy."
"Lila." She gasped.
"Coward."
The Earthling blinked out of existence, reappearing at the center of the arena in a puff of green flame. Soon after, a ring of fire encircled her position, trapping her within a small arena. Ivy simply wasn't fast enough to prevent what came next.
"Oh my." Lila looked up with disbelief.
A pillar of swirling smoke appeared before her, and with it came a towering Infestare, its blackened frame covered in scars and ash. It seemed close in structure to a Pennant, only its visor had been inscribed with a grueling smile. Lila could only watch in horror as it unsheathed a blazing sword, its hilt nearly the size of her desk back on Earth.
Wasting no time at all, the Infestare's blade came crashing down, granting Lila the opportunity to prove herself. But the simple girl was unprepared, scared, and frankly out of her depth. She barely had time to even process her own doom by the time it was all over.
Yet she still lived.
Ivy skated through the flames, balancing on her heels as she held her staff aloft. With perfect precision, her weapon collided with the Infestare's blade, sliding off its edge and redirecting its aim by a mere inch. Flame and poisonous energy shot forth from both the ground and the sword, missing Ivy's dainty face by a hair.
Her confidence was unmatched. Her grace unfaulted. And her beauty, most of all, was captured perfectly in that moment.
"Oh." Lila stared.