[Iron League] The Dancing Stones

[Philomel]

The instant he stepped onto the third platform, Philomel felt her heart sink.

Damn, thought she, Shinsou, why did it have to be you?

This man she knew well, unlike William Arcus. Indeed, Philomel and Shinsou had a history behind them, full of battle, strife, shared hope, trust and that most unequivocable of bonds - sex. Their bodies had combined in more ways that one, making sweet music of sword on sword and flesh by flesh, meeting eyes and then cursing one another. Experiences had brought them terrifyingly close to death, near to love, and bordering on obsession. Allies were they normally, as their two great organisations met with common foes, but today - now - with his entrance, they would be forced to be enemies.

So little time did he give. It seemed no sooner than Shinsou arrived and his golden irises met her solid silver ones than he whisked his way into action. The trio now present, he swiftly drew out his weaponry. That tapered-hilted blade, the personality-filled Enpera appeared from nothingness and the man seemed to breathe. A crouch and a shout later, and he had summoned his familiar shadowed enchantments into existence, quite literally writing them to into life.

His execution was marvellous, his footwork artistic. No sooner had he begun to make the motions for this to begin than Philomel realised this battle was going to be harsh - and rapid. And short-lived if she did not make decisions now. Two enemies: well, she had the advantage over that. Sucking in her breath Philomel blasted instructions to Veridian and the other members of their merry, murderous party as a dark hand flew towards her with a shining blade, coming like a righteous hand.

Keep an eye on Arcus. I will deal with Shinsou.

With an upwards thrust Philomel threw up her mythril blade, Nameless, cutting off a sharp blow from Shinsou's enchanted one. Down then came the Rabbit, whistling through the air like the sharp wind itself, parrying yet another mighty and sparking blow. Veridian meanwhile bared his teeth as his eyes searched for William Arcus, leaving the clashing of steel to his beloved. Easy was it to spot the second enemy, for it only needed one to follow the other string of black, smoke-like projectile from Shinsou. When he found the human, however, he was gifted with knowledge that he never wished he had had to be.

Fuck. Philomel, the platforms and the pillars ... they are incredibly unstable. They-

He cut off, letting her see for herself as he shoved the picture into her eye. She was silent for a moment as she frantically used two blades and barely managed to stop Stygian from wounding her. An image of Arcus dancing over steadily tumbling columns of landmass darted between them for a partial second. A sign that in here, now, there really would be no time.

Fine then, Philomel gritted her teeth and suddenly crossed Nameless and the Rabbit in front of her, fighting off Stygian's most recent slash with a loud, merry clang. Into the fray, full throttle we must go. Focusing, she directly contacted Delath, where he was waiting in the earth below the Citadel, Mao the rabbit holding onto his scales. With a wordless command she summoned him, without taking her eye of Stygian she gave Veridian an idea of what she had planned.

There were two enemies - but they could be four. So swiftly, so easily. Bringing rock and fire like no one else could. Four to keep the fight mighty until the last one of them tumbled into the void: all of their ultimate, inevitable fate.

As the earth began to tremble beneath her, Philomel screamed - and so did Veridian. Fire began to ripple up his spine as hair dramatically sprouted up hers and the two of them danced a tango of rage and fury. Blood boiled, souls that lived in them rejoiced as they allowed that secret part of themselves to begin to overwhelm them, strength and swiftness becoming their ally. Philomel's scream steadily turned into a bellow as her throat thickened, her muscles developed, and she thrust hard - hard back against the fray. Midway through her face enlonging and becoming that of a dark-coated goat, she suddenly pounded the ground with her hoof. It threw her into the sky, away from the platform, right into the air, taking the shadowy arm and Stygian along with it. The second it gave her, even though minor, provided essential time for her full form to take place and she slammed - smack - into the ground, next pillar over as the now twisted, mutated form of a true bipedal goat. Truly Raging, not yet Enraged.

Behind her the fox chittered with appreciation as his whole body quintupled in size, fire very literally burning over his coat. But his paws kept their place. Even as he drew to the size of a mighty horse, he remained for the ground beneath him to continue to rumble, the quake to begin ...

And for this party to truly get started.