Moira couldn’t fathom this chain of events. She couldn’t fathom what had driven her father to face John Newman, the Gamer, the man whose meteoric rise to prominence had been all the talk of the past year in the Abyss, the man who was blessed by the Lady herself, to face that man with equal numbers, thinking it would be fair. She couldn’t fathom what had made John Newman reciprocate by facing the force on his own. She couldn’t fathom why the Gamer had insisted on making it such a humiliating display, rather than a swift execution. She couldn’t fathom why she had even stood back for as long as she did.

Least of all could she fathom Jane ‘Rave’ Hollmey.

Victory had been in the palm of Fusion’s hand. As that light spirit had aptly pointed out, Moira would have stood no chance against the entirety of their forces. Likely she could have beaten the Gamer on his own. Perhaps she could have beaten the Gamer and a few of his familiars. Never could she have beaten the Gamer and all of his familiars.

Rave, on her own? Aside from facing the Gamer on his own, she weighed her chances to win this battle the best. Her elemental had evolved and whatever had exactly happened to her in the Death Zone had obviously made her stronger. Moira hadn’t been sitting around uselessly either. The revelation of the blessed generation allowed her to pursue power far beyond what the average Warden could have hoped to achieve. There had never been more Faith in the world, fuel for the Lady’s designs.

As one blessed by her grace, it meant Moira had more power available than any other Warden before her. Utilizing this knowledge, she had trained to live up to the opportunity. It was the supreme deity’s will that had her born at a time during which she could serve the Lady more effectively than her predecessors. Expectations by divinity had to be met.

“Ya know, ya would look really cute if ya scowled less,” Rave shouted over the autumn rain. The grey curtain diminished line of sight. That wasn’t a big factor here, both of them had superhuman vision. Sunlight being blocked, however, was a massive disadvantage for the feline Lightbearer. “So, do we start on three or something?”

“This is your duel,” Moira responded shortly. ‘Never converse with the sinner you aim to defeat,’ the Shield Branch's mantra in regards to mid-battle conversation echoed in her mind. Air was better used maintaining stamina than forming words.

“Momo, can ya give us a countdown?” the Lightbearer requested.

“Alright, alright,” Momo shouted back. A trio of fireflies made their way over, one was blue, one red, and one green. “When the green one vanishes, you start!”

“Thank ya!” Rave shouted back and turned to Moira. “Ya have your hair up today.”

“I’m taking this seriously, unlike you.” The Shield Warden allowed herself a single quip, against her better judgement. The blue firefly was extinguished suddenly.

“You think I’m not serious about beating you?” Rave asked, her words slow and disbelieving. The red firefly disappeared. “I know why I just can’t fucking stand you.” The green firefly vanished and Moira charged forwards, her massive tower shield raised. “I’ll kick the stick out of your ass!” the feline Lightbearer shouted. Light burst out from her being, enveloping her in a flame-like Aura and even turning her hair gold.

The first attack was a mere laser, breaking harmlessly on the shield. Then Shift took the Lightbearer right in front of her. Moira activated her own aura, alarmed by the speed at which Rave raised her foot. Had she started off with full power, perhaps the Shield Warden could have reacted in time. Instead, her shield was hit directly by a Seismic Step.

Moira hadn’t expected the difference in their speed to have grown this dramatically. Last time around, Rave had been faster, but not domineeringly so. More importantly, the Shield Warden had expected neither an immediate Unleash, nor a horizontally executed Seismic Step.

Keeping her flight stable, she maintained vision on the Lightbearer. “Lady, bless me,” she muttered to herself. Divine power descended from the sky. It felt like her soul was swelling with her grace, growing beyond the boundaries of her mortal form, seeping into her armour and finally bundling in her shield.

Like ploughs, her heels cut through the ash and dirt of the meteor crater she landed in. Moira barely came to a standstill, when her shield lifted itself. Several projectiles of light broke on the blessed metal, launched from the clawed hand of her opponent in mid-air. Rave had jumped straight after her and now drew her reinforced right arm back.

Moira stood her ground, even as the heavy impact of the punch rippled through the shield and up her arm. The blast of the martial art visibly disturbed the rain, showcasing the cone shape of the otherwise invisible ki explosion. Blood vessels burst underneath all the enchanted armour. All the damage was mended swiftly by the Lady’s support.

Hammer gripped tightly, aura active, Moira stabbed at Rave with the thorn at the top of her weapon. Adeptly, the gold-haired Lightbearer dodged, twisting her body out of the way. One movement flowed into the next, Rave attempted to assault Moira’s side, but even if the Warden was slower, her shield was positioned perfectly to block the glowing claws. Hard light shattered on the shield. The threat of the hammer followed behind the successful block, coming in a wide swing.

Rave jumped backwards, then straight back in to exploit the opening on Moira’s right, hammer-wielding side. “Lady, protect me!” the Warden shouted and her blessing answered. Part of the glow from her shield separated, creating a barrier of radiance between herself and her opponent’s sweeping leg. Rave raised her clawed hand, the broken claws restoring along the same burst of light that blinded Moira.

Even though the blessing swiftly restored her retinas to normal condition, she did not know what exactly happened when another burst of ki rippled through her shield. Her arm had moved on its own, or, rather, had been moved on its own.

“Did ya become some kind of precog?” Rave asked, while Moira blinked the remaining confusion away. Having dashed several metres back, the gold-haired Lightbearer looked at Moira from various angles. “’Cause you’re definitely slower than me, but ya keep reacting in time. I know, I know, easier to react and all that, but this is just weird!”

Moira readied herself. Her shield had a quarter-circle cut-out in the top right corner, allowing her to see her opponent even while it was raised. Waiting for the Lightbearer to make the next move, she carefully adjusted the grip on her weapon. By holding it close to the head, she limited her range, but maximized the force and speed behind the attack. It was a small and important difference since Rave was able to close any gap so swiftly.

Staring stoically across the lowest point of the crater, Moira waited for any subtle change in the Lightbearer’s face or body language to betray her next step. Legs or right arm meant she would use a martial art, left arm some kind of light attack.

“By Gaia, ya really suck the fun out of everything!” Rave grumbled and raised a hand. Not to attack, but to tap around on her headphones. “Might as well search for a better song…”

Moira stormed forwards, shield raised. Like she had done during their last duel, Rave jumped upwards and tried to utilize the upper end of the shield as footing. What had been semi-successful back then, was now impossible. The rim of the shield had been reshaped into an edge. Even if she had won, the Warden had prepared for their next encounter.

The look on Rave’s face betrayed that she recognized this before she stepped on the sharp rim. Her foot came down suddenly, hitting the air instead of the shield. A single step was all she needed, and she sailed right after Moira.

Utilizing Drift, the Warden instantly turned 180 degrees, continuing her charge without slowing. She hit Rave in the back. A successful strike, but not one that did a lot of damage. Rave was hurled forwards, she managed to roll, mud scattered into the air, soiled her hair, swiftly dried and crumbled away when she shook her head.

A hiss and a launch and the melee immediately picked up again. A Penetrative Blast hit the shield again, closely followed by a laser that shot a hole in the dangling cloth of her tabard. Then Shift, bringing Rave behind Moira. A blast of light, searing hair. Retaliation through a wild swing of the shield. It missed, as did the hammer swing that followed.

‘Just one good hit,’ Moira thought, as the melee continued. ‘That’s all I need.’

Rave’s growth in power was surprising, but it didn’t exceed her own. The improved protective powers of her blessing, the increases to her sturdiness and physical prowess, every last minute of training spent increasing her mastery with the hammer, they were all necessary for this challenge. For the Lady she had prepared and by the Lady she would prolong the independence of the Order, if that was her will.

One-two, one-two, one-two, Rave’s attacks followed the steady beat. Martial art into spell, over and over again. Right and then left, kicks sometimes replacing the former. Her attacks were predictable in their nature, but not in their execution and the relentless flow of aggression never slowed down.

Eventually, Moira managed to take her place in that rhythm.

One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three, their engagements followed a steady beat. Martial art into spell into retaliation, over and over again. Right and then left, kicks sometimes replacing the former, countered by a swing of shield or hammer. Moira’s attacks were slow by comparison, like a long note after two short ones. Rave smiled broadly, bopping her head unnecessarily while they fought.

‘How can she have fu-‘ Moira started her thought, but was interrupted by the words so powerful, they overpowered the pouring rain.

“A solemn reign, for the few that rise up high…” Rave began her chant, still keeping up the relentless assault.

Moira tried to interrupt her concentration with sudden aggression, but Rave only responded to this by increasing her own. Turning faster as the elemental power in her visibly surged, the Lightbearer dashed around the redhead, clawing and punching at her. Each attack was met by the sudden and precise movement of the shield, serving its purpose as a blessed barrier perfectly.

“…and we all fight…”

The feline Lightbearer’s claws grew in length and brightness, turning the rain around them into vapour. Moira could feel her armour heat up by proximity. Interrupting her was obviously out of the question, now it was trump card against trump card. “Lady hear my prayer…”

“…Let our worlds collide!”

“…Awaken me!”

Two instantaneous movements. Claws that elongated into beams of searing, prismatic light, assaulting the Warden’s side. A body guided by a holy artefact at the pinnacle of its purpose. Forces clashing, light curving, rain turning into vapour, and seared craters becoming marked with streaks of glass. One woman, standing resolute, her soul’s blessing overflowing from her physical form, manifesting as a halo above her head, her shield unblemished.

“Just what the fuck is that thing?!” Rave complained, starting her movement backwards.

For the first time in this fight, Moira felt like she could keep up. Rave’s eyes went wide when she saw Moira’s hammer come for her in an upward swing. It missed narrowly. Fresh rain, drops warm like a lake in the summer, poured down on them, driving down the mist the clashing incantation had created.

Everything was slow to Moira, slow, powerful and strangely present. She felt everything around her in spiritual detail. The shaking of the earth when her boot hit the ground. The scattering droplets of mud the force of the step caused. The rattling of her armour when her shield blocked another kick by her opponent. The recovering magical circuits in Rave’s body. The smoothly moving muscles and bones in her own right arm when she raised her hammer to the sky. The air pressed out her lungs, brushing over her vocal cords, getting formed into their final resonance by her mouth, “By your grace, Lady.”

A torrent of light broke the clouds, sending Rave flying backwards. At the heart of the light, Moira funnelled all she could into her hammer. It wasn’t a blessing to last. It didn’t need to. ‘One good strike,’ the Warden thought, filled with clarity. Her third eye was open wide and with it she peered beyond the illumination of her own attack. Knowing where Rave had landed, she jumped.

Rave was clearly taken aback by the speed, but reacted appropriately. Shift brought her back several metres.

It wasn’t enough. Moira covered the distance with her own martial art. Then she brought the hammer down. Aiming straight at Rave’s head, she wanted to end this in one painless blow. Fateweaving would take her away before the impact could truly settle.

Rave’s legs bent, then she jumped, shifting her entire body to the side. Rather than her head, Moira’s hammer slammed down on the Lightbearer’s right shoulder. Time flowed slowly as the bones crunched and cracked. The drops of water around them seemed still, reflecting the golden light of a diminished sun that shone through the thinning clouds.

Then the moment was over.

Rave’s jump had her land gracelessly on her side, hissing with pain as the broken bones were rattled. Turning towards her, keeping shield and weapon ready, Moira advanced. “Surrender,” she demanded, not wanting to draw this out any further.

“Surrender?” Rave laughed and sat up. She held her damaged shoulder. The arm hung limply. “Ya kidding? After all this ya think I’d surrender?” The rain was nothing more than a mild shower now, while Rave got on her feet. “I won’t lose again.” A ray of sunlight broke through, shining exactly on the feline Lightbearer.

Moira noticed the intensity of the light. Much too hot and bright for autumn, it was more befit of summer. As a matter of fact, the entire barrier had been heating up. Alarming about this was only the surge of fresh mana that caused Rave’s aura to expand.