The arena floor crackled with tension. Mysterious Luminary Blue stood poised. Opposite her the evolved Guttural Screecher, a hulking, furless nightmare on four powerful legs, croaked at her angrily. Smoke drifted out of its jaw as it maintained a low guttural growl that seem to rumble through the very ground itself.
The crowd held its breath in anticipation, waiting to see who would act first.
And it was the Screecher. With a convulsive heave of its chest, it unleashed a torrent of searing, white-hot flame directly at the spot where Blue stood. Charring the concrete black under the intensity of the blast.
But Blue was already a blur of motion. She darted sideways with inhuman speed, the flames licking the air where she'd been a fraction of a second before. She charged towards the monster's flank, sprinting forward to close the distance between them.
The Screecher in response wheeled its massive head around, sweeping across the field with its torrent of fire. The deadly plume of scarlet heat rotating to intercept her charge.
Seeing the wall of flame coming towards her, Blue halted her advance. Planting a foot down and propelled herself upwards, leaping in a graceful arc that carried her cleanly over the rolling inferno. She landed lightly on the scorched concrete on the other side, already turning to face her opponent.
The Screecher halted its fiery breath, its single-minded fury focused entirely on the Luminary. It pivoted, unleashing a fresh, concentrated torrent not at her new position, but at the ground directly in front of her. Sweeping its head left and right and slowly forcing her back. Blue skipped backwards, the flames licking at her toes. Then, in a fluid motion that seemed almost casual, she dropped into a backward cartwheel. Her hands grabbed a loose chunk of concrete as she summersaulted backwards.
Once she was standing back on her feet she hurled it directly at the Screecher. The concrete chunk flew true, shattering against the Screecher's thick skull with a sickening crack. The monster roared, more in rage than pain, but staggered back, momentarily disoriented.
Blue seized the opening, surging forward with blinding speed, a streak of blue smashed into the Screecher's exposed belly and sent it tumbling backwards. Causing the Screecher to crash into one of the arena walls with a deafening crunch.
Dazed but far from defeated, the Screecher shook itself off, molten drool dripping from its jaws. It bunched its powerful new legs and leapt straight up, hovering for a moment before slowly gliding back down, unleashing a cascade of fire from above that washed over the spot where Blue had stood.
Blue wove through the falling embers and residual flames like a dancer, ducking and dodging with supernatural grace. But the Screecher lashed out at her not with fire, but with one of its whip-like tails. It smashed into her, knocking her sideways and sending her tumbling across the concrete.
Aiko gasped, her hands pressed against the glass of the VIP booth. "Is she going to be okay? Why isnât she using her weapon?"
Elara, standing beside her, didn't take her eyes off the fight. "She doesn't need one," she murmured, a hint of professional respect in her voice. "Watch."
Blue pushed herself up, seemingly unharmed, though she flexed her left arm briefly. Apparently having been able to block the blow with her forearm at the last second. The Screecher, puffing its chest at its momentary triumph, charged once more. Vomiting a continuous river of flame ahead of it, coating the path between them in a sea of fire, its multiple tails wriggling furiously as it bore down on the small figure.
Instead of retreating further, Blue ran straight at the oncoming inferno, and at the last possible second, she dropped into a slide, skidding under the searing wave of flame, the heat blistering the air inches above her. She reappeared directly underneath the Screecher, seemingly untouched by the flames. The Screecher reeled back and slammed a massive foreleg down, cracking the concrete where she was moments before.
But Blue had moved behind the monster, and instead of pressing her foe with an immediate attack. She started backing away, weaving and dodging as the Screecher, enraged by her escape, turned and lunged, snapping and breathing gouts of fire. To the roaring crowd, it looked like Blue was being forced onto the defensive, driven backwards across the charred arena floor.
The Screecher lunged again, jaws snapping wide. Blue feinted left, then darted right with explosive speed, flanking the monster completely. And the Screecher realized it was standing right in front of the corpse of the Three-Horned Bruiser, its beady eyes staring directly at the dead monsterâs sharp horns.
Before the Screecher could wriggle away, Blue planted her foot on its back and delivered a powerful, precise kick. The force, amplified by her Luminary strength, propelled the massive creature stumbling forwards and directly into the waiting horns of the dead Bruiser.
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The central horn, thick as a man's arm and wickedly sharp, punched through the Screecher's chest with a wet, tearing sound. The monster shrieked, an ear-splitting sound of pure agony as it was impaled. Frantically wriggling to try to pull itself free.
But Blue didn't give it a chance to do so, sprinting to one of the Bruiser's side horns she snapped it off with surprising ease and drove its tip straight through the Screecherâs skull. The horrific shrieking cut off instantly, the Screecher shuddered once, then went limp, hanging grotesquely from the Bruiser's middle horn.
Silence fell for a split second, heavy and stunned. Then the announcer's voice boomed, "AND YOUR VICTOR! IN A STUNNING DISPLAY OF TACTICAL BRILLIANCE AND RAW POWER⦠MYSTERIOUS LUMINARY BLUUUUUUE!"
The crowd erupted. The roar was deafening, primal, a wave of adulation crashing against the reinforced glass of the VIP booth. Blue stood panting slightly amidst the carnage, releasing her grip on the horn and took a step back. She gave a short, almost perfunctory wave to the roaring masses before turning and jogging towards the holding pen gate. It slid open just enough for her to slip through, then slammed shut, hiding her from view.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" the announcer continued, "We will have a short intermission while our technicians repair the minor breach in the containment field. But fear not! The show will resume shortly. In the meantime, we will be opening the exclusive auction for âsouvenirsâ from tonightâs spectacular battles a little early. If you want to snag a piece of a bonafide Rift-Monster to hang as a trophy on your wall, I suggest you bid early, and bid often!â
Aiko let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The brutality was overwhelming, but Blue's skill was undeniable. Compared to Crimson Blaze she felt a little slower than the red Luminary, but the ease and aura of control she radiated through the entire fight made her think it would be a close match between the two of them if they were to fight.
Though her thoughts were soon interrupted as the elevator indicator lights started blinked, showing it was ascending to the top floor.
"Elara," Aiko whispered urgently, "the elevator, is Blue coming up here? Isn't she a Luminary? Shouldnât we hide or something?"
Elara chuckled softly. "Relax. Blue's chill. She wonât bite, just relax." She did however, pull up the hood on her hoodie and adjust her sunglasses slightly, and Aiko decided to do the same.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime and Mysterious Luminary Blue stepped out, still in her windbreaker, mask, and her baseball cap planted firmly on her head. Now that she was standing only a room away Aiko noted quietly that her appearance was that of a girl in her late teens, which made her the oldest Luminary she had ever met. Though that was also at the age where the Celestials tended to halt the aging process, so there was a good chance she was older than she looked.
She moved with the same economical grace sheâd shown in the arena, heading straight towards Vance and offered him a quick, formal nod of the head.
"Courier," Blue greeted Elara in similar fashion, her voice muffled slightly by the mask. It was calm, level, utterly devoid of any exertion from the battle only moments ago. Her eyes, sharp and intelligent, flicked over to Aiko. "Hello," she said simply.
Aiko, slightly intimidated by the focused gaze stammered back, "H-hello."
Blue tilted her head slightly. "Oh, right. The facemask." She tapped the black fabric covering her lower face. "Apologies. You can't see it, but right now I'm smiling at you. I was told it makes me look more friendly and approachable." The words were delivered with absolute seriousness, like a vicar telling you he had just run over your dog, completely at odds with the sentiment they were trying to convey.
Aiko blinked, startled by the stark contrast between the deadpan delivery and the attempt at friendliness. "O-oh! Right! Sorry!" She forced a more genuine, friendly tone. "Hello, Mysterious Luminary Blue. Your fight was incredible! Really impressive!"
Blue gave a small nod. "Thank you." Her posture relaxed almost imperceptibly. "Appreciated." Aiko couldn't tell if the 'smile' was still there, but her gaze seemed fractionally less intense.
Vance leaned forward, a small, satisfied smile playing on his lips. He held out a thick, plain white envelope. "Another exemplary performance, Blue. You consistently exceed expectations. The crowd was estatic and the online viewership for your fight was spectacular. Your usual payment, as agreed."
Blue took the envelope, tucking it swiftly into a hidden pocket inside her windbreaker without checking the contents. "Thank you, Mr. Vance." Her masked face turned towards the arena briefly. "Will there be any more fights for me later or can I head home for today?"
Vance waved his hand dismissively. "Not necessary. Enjoy your early dismissal. We'll say the damage to the cage will limit us to smaller fights for the remainder of the day. The viewership spike from your fight was significant enough that we could stop right now and still have turned a profit. Go home and get some rest." He smiled. "You've earned it."
Blue nodded. "Understood. Thank you." She turned to leave but paused as her gaze landed on a silver platter on the table, laden with delicate, cream-filled profiteroles dusted with powdered sugar. Her stomach emitted a loud, unmistakable grumble.
Vance followed her gaze, his smile widening slightly. "Ah. The profiteroles. Care to try one before you depart, Blue? They were freshly baked this morning."
Blue shook her head quickly, almost mechanically. "No. Thank you. I'm fine."
Vance chuckled softly. "You are admirably disciplined. But truly, youâd actually be doing me a favor here. The only regular guests I entertain up here are Mr. Thorne himself; who, bless his cautious heart, wouldn't touch them for fear of them being potentially poisoned. Courier," he gestured towards Elara, "whose culinary appreciation seems limited to the cheap stuff found exclusively on supermarket shelves."
"Hey," Elara protested to no avail.
Vance continued, turning to Aiko. "And Acquaintance? Would you happen to be a massive fan of profiteroles?"
Blue stared at her blankly, âYour name is Acquaintance? Isnât there already a Luminary with that name? Or at least something really similar?â
Aiko shook her head. âAcquaintance isnât my name, itâs just a placeholder. It is just to say that Iâm an acquaintance of Courierâs. I havenât really decided on a proper name yet.â Aiko then turned back to answer Vanceâs question. "And no, Iâm not sure what a profiterole is, but they look lovely though."
Vance sighed theatrically, returning his attention to Blue. "You see? A tragic waste of culinary artistry. I would be genuinely honored if you partook. Consider it⦠hazard pay for the Screecher suddenly growing an extra set of limbs."
Blue stood perfectly still for a moment, her masked face unreadable. Then, she gave a single, small nod. "Okay." She walked over to the platter, turning her back to the room. With quick, efficient movements, she pulled down her mask and popped an entire profiterole inside. She chewed methodically, swallowed, then immediately stuffed two more in, one after the other. She paused, looked at the platter arranged in two neat rows with one conspicuously sticking out the end, and decisively grabbed it and ate it too. She pulled her mask back up, smoothing it into place, and turned around. "Fhanq Oouu," she said, her voice completely muffled by the pastries. "Dere Wheely Gud."
Vance inclined his head, a hint of amusement glinting in his blue eyes. "My pleasure. Safe journey home, Blue. And again, excellent work today."
Blue gave another short nod, taking a moment to swallow before speaking again. "Thank you, Mr. Vance. Courier. Courierâs Acquaintance." Her sharp eyes lingered on Aiko for a second. "Good luck with the name." She turned and strode back to the elevator, pressing the call button. The doors slid open instantly. She stepped inside, turned, and offered a final, polite wave as the doors closed, sealing her impassive expression from view.
The moment the elevator started descending, Vance turned his attention back to Elara.
"Courier. Could you spare me a moment of your time before you conclude your duties for the day," His gaze, sharp and calculating, held hers. "I have some business I would like to discuss with you before you leave."