Robert
Beyond the large stone doors at the far-side of the church, there lies a hidden room that hides perhaps the most important component of the abandoned place of prayer — a large, cylindrical altar, engraved with a multitude of texts on both its face and on its sides. The altar, constructed of the same white marble as the rest of the church, overlain primarily with gold, with some accents of silver and small portions made with what appears to be brass, is some distance from the door (~30m) by a long, empty hallway (about 5m in width).

The walls of the structure are incredibly sturdy — perhaps even brinking on *Indestructible,* Despite the fact that they are construed of the very same hewn stones of marble that the rest of the church is made of. The ceiling, elevated quite some distance from the smooth floor below, is completely overspread by hundreds-upon-hundreds of magical, runelike carvings, descending a bountiful yellow light akin to that of the Sun, itself. 

An eerie, divine presence dominates the atmosphere of the hallway, which only grows more imposing as one grows closer to the foot of the altar.

***The door rumbled open, and Tabby found herself immersed in the territory of the divine.***

A billowing presence — like a turbulent, warm wind — flew over the tabaxi's cautious form, its presence projected by naught but the relief of the extreme pressure within the internal domain of the room. Warm, surging heat, not quite overwhelming, yet still burdensome to endure, engulfed her body, the passionate zeal of the dominating **Sunlight** Cascading downwards, tangibly burdening her body. It was as if she had stepped into the domain of an entity just short of a *Deity.*

Before her was the gleaming, alluring sight of a golden altar — clearly an entity of magnificent importance — its form at the foreground of the otherwise isolated and emptied hall. However, there was just one thing between her and the call of the hallowed altar: a knight, clad in silver, knelt upon the ground at the foot of the altar, its right hand rested on a blade stabbed into the floor below.
James
*`The knight clad in silver lifts its bowed head, taking its notice of the trespasser within the hallowed domain...`*

Its back initially remained faced towards the entryway, its head turned away from the sight of the crossbow-wielding tabaxi. The knight, roused by the rumbling noise of the door opening, nevertheless could sense the disturbance from across the hall. Its hand, restfully sat atop the handle of its silver blade, shifted, taking the weapon firmly by its handle, and lifting it from its stabbed position into the ground below. It stood upright — at an imposing, incredible armored height of 200cm — slashing the blade through the empty air as so to flick the rubble which clung to its pristine silver form. Its height, form, and weapon revealed, there was only one more thing to note of the silver knight: a **Sword, sealed in an ornamental holster,** Rested upon its back.

The knight turned, and met the sightline of the intruding artificer, its silver blade at the ready in its right hand. Without hesitation, the knight walked forth, beginning its approach towards her, positioned at the opposite of the hallway of expansive length.

*`"You, who dare approach the Altar..."`*
*`"...Turn back."`*

A simple warning, as the knight continued to tread forth. It gave her enough courtesy to depart of her own volition, yet once it had deemed her a threat — either by her staying long enough for the knight to cross the several-meter distance between the two, or by her making the first attack — it would most certainly retaliate.

As the knight approached, she would notice that the divine presence did not emanate from the knight, itself, but rather the gleaming altar behind it. Considering the sheer strength of the altar's eminence, there would be no doubt that the guardian assigned to protect such an extraordinary monument would have equal might to its importance...
William
Focused more on the reading off of her gauntlets than what's visually going on around her, Tabby hopes to see at least one more speck of school information before... Ding! The timer runs out and the ten minutes of *Detect Magic* Have been lost as the screen flips back in with a *Ker-chunk*, she looks up at the ceiling, taking note of the mural painted upon it. Well, that certainly seems like a font of magic power, doesn't it...

And then her eyes fall upon the Silver Knight, who has begun walking towards her, sword in hand. What to do, what to do... Ah, right. This knight might possibly not be as gifted in terms of sense as the previous battle, so what if... "Sounds fair to me!"

Tabby heeds the warning and turns around, walking for enough out of sight and back towards the door, fully okay with just heading right back out. Or, at least, that's what she hopes to deceive the knight into believing, for once she turns behind the door — leaving it open and seemingly *Turning* The way back towards the rest of the church, she slides up behind it and does two things, not in combat quite yet. For starters, she withdraws the dagger at her hilt, it glowing with the *Blessing of the Forge* Instilled upon it through many weeks of tireless work. But, does Tabby attack? Oh, no, not quite yet. That's only for a last resort.

_ _
Yes, instead of waiting for the knight to get closer and stab him point blank, the crafty cat casts *Invisibility*, the electrical field from earlier extending from her armor and distorting her form until it simply was not perceivable to both the strange prisoner, and *Hopefully* The knight, as well. With that sorted, Tabby steps back into the open cavity of the door, taking great care to hide her blade from the knife in the instance her plan backfires and placing both hands upon both doors and seemingly smiling, testing the waters for the next bit.

*If the divinity is from the statue, it might be a conduit... Not that I'd get much use out of it, but... That might be a target should things go wrong.*
James
The knight glared forth as the intruder so swiftly complied to leave. Perhaps they were craven, perhaps they were wise; either way, so long as they left in peace, it would not pursue her further. The knight, satisfied, eased its grip on its silver blade, slowly turning back to face the altar behind itself. Its greaves clatter quietly against the ground as it retreated further back towards the altar, once more to rest at its foot...

...

The knight quietly inhaled, its head tilting to oncemore glance over their shoulder and back toward the door. The silver blade still in its grip, the golden gleam of its gaze shot from one end of the room to the other, piercing the divine stillness of the atmosphere behind itself. It turned, calmly, and faced the open doorway once again.

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*
_ _

The silver-clad knight muttered, and, in its distance from the invisible form of Tabby, its words would mostly go unheard. Yet, while its words went unheard, its spell did not go unseen — the familiar, faint form of a **Golden-hued, transparent shield,** Fashioned into a form that appeared vaguely similar in shape to a **Kite shield.**

*`"I am sworn by oath—"`*
*`"To forbid those unworthy to approach the Altar,"`*
It spoke, declaratively, to what was apparently empty air, towards the invisible figure of Tabby—
*`"So to safeguard its purity."`*

The golden gleam within the knight's eyes sharpened, and an openly miraculous presence of arcane energy shot towards Tabby, its essence that of a powerful detecting spell.

***`"Come to me openly, and not by stealth."`***
*`"You will kill me, and prove yourself worthy of the Altar."`*
*`"Otherwise, I will forcibly remove you from this sanctified hall.`*

The silver-clad knight proclaimed, its tone somber, and lacking of aggression.
Yet, as it finished, it swung its left arm upwards, pointing towards the ground **Just ahead of Tabby,** The form of the magical barrier at its side **Hurtling towards the knight's selected target, slamming into the ground at which it pointed.** The impact would not be enough to harm Tabby; it was only meant to alarm her, and to serve as warning for her to leave.
William
*Oh, mercy. Nice.* So, Tabby takes this moment to prepare, taking the blade of Otaaraa and coating it with the spell *Arcane Weapon*, the only bit of magic energy she herself could provide without any external power — because of the nature of this spell, the *Invisibility* Dissipates, the field retreating back into the confines of the armor and remaining there; powered down indefinitely without the spell slots to use it.

It's true, Tabby has no time to smith this blade into peak performance with this knight blocking the way, but by channeling *Arcane Weapon*, it unlocks her *Battle Ready* Ability, the gauntlet temporarily carving out paths for the energy to travel through in the blade, enchanting it with *Thunder* Damage so that should it impact something, it would cause a shockwave of sorts through the blade to the intended target. Tabby could play this fair, or cheap. Let's see what this sword has to offer.

So, Tabby jumps back as the shield implants itself on the ground, vowing not to make the same mistake as last time and casting *Vortex Warp* At the very last second, marking the end of her spell slots above level 2 as she transports herself back into the altar's room, blade at the ready. "Have it your way."

"I'll even let you make the first move." She stands at the ready, blade in front and to her upper left, thrumming with audible noise. As she gets into her defensive stance, letting the arcane guide her hand in this coming fight. Should the knight happen to close the distance in this enclosed room, range would provide her no benefit, instead a hinderance to her ability.

Tabby's goggles slide down her face on their own; it seems they too are enhanced in some way, made evident by the fact that they begin to *Glow* A deep blue, strands of visible aura coming off of them and to each side as her armor and gauntlets alight in the face of combat.

In case it wasn't abundantly clear, Tabby takes the *Ready* Action, waiting for the knight to come into range of her sword.
James
*`"I see..."`*

The knight spoke, its tone somewhat enervated. Its sharpened, arcane gaze calms, as it witnessed the intruder manifest once more before itself. Stopping, some distance from Tabby — about five-to-six meters, total — the knight lowers its blade, its silver edge pointed towards the ground at its side.

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

The knight clad in silver whispered the words of a prayer anew, its left hand extended rigidly forward. A golden, glistening light manifests before it, dancing in a dynamic flux, before ultimately intertwining into a reinforced and consistent shape of a **Large shield,** About **2 meters** In width, and **1.5 meters** In height. The translucent form of the barrier hovered just at its fingertips, weightlessly hovering within the space that it had been anchored to.

Gazing from beyond their silver helm, the knight stared at Tabby, its demeanor almost disappointed, as if she had failed to meet some expectation. With some hesitation, and the barrier between the two, the knight sheathed its silver blade, its left hand still extended to sustain the presence of the *`Solar Aegis`* Before itself. 

The knight flicked its left index finger forwards, pointing at Tabby...

***`SWOOSH`***

...And the barrier shot forwards with remarkable speed, rushing forth at a velocity of about 55km/h. Were the barrier to collide, it would harshly displace Tabby backwards, likely sending her tumbling back through the hall, yet not striking hard enough to damage bone or severely bruise her flesh. An attempt to counterattack the shield would likewise prove futile; its arcane sustenance seemed nigh of indiminishable, overflowing with an intense, miraculous vitality that rendered it several times stronger than steel.
William
As the knight reaches within 5 meters, Tabby rushes forwards VERY quickly, the *Ready* Action previously taken swinging into play as she stabs right towards the likely unprotected *RIGHT* Hand casting the Aegis, combining the *Thunder* Shockwave with that of an *Arcane Jolt*, causing the strike to be even heavier in power, attempting to knock the knight completely off balance — stagger him to make a blow that would likely be fatal.



And now, it's her turn in the combat. 

Tabby, blade glittering with concentration yet to be broken, surges forward, aiming a slice at the knight's left hand — in attempt to subdue some type of spellcasting that he may possess in said hand, as evidenced by the shield — and another *Arcane Jolt*-infused *Thunder* Shockwave strike aimed at the legs, intending to sweep the knight straight off his feet and to the floor underneath her, where, if successful, she would point her blade at his chin.

Regardless of success, she grunts out a few words between swings, namely. "I'm - Not - Going - To - Kill — You if I — can help - IT."

Now is the time to remind that *Thunder* Is a shockwave type of magic, and *Arcane Jolt* Empowers any weapon strike with that of Force damage, another incredibly potent type of shockwave. Tabby fully expects to be able to succeed, but only time will tell.

Tabby is unable to take *Extra Attack* As her *Ready* Action was violated by the shield. Thus, she is forced to end her turn with only 2 powerful attacks towards the knight.
James
The knight looks dreadfully, tired, from beyond their knight, its eyes following Tabby as she charged forth and dodged the initial, oncoming form of the barrier. The arcane energy that trickled from its left hand could physically be felt permeating throughout the atmosphere at and about the atmosphere around its fingertips, sparkling magnificently with the tremendous quantity of mana and sheer, prevailing faith that bolstered the silver-clad knight's incantation of miracles. The light fades as the barrier dissipates, having missed her entirely; though, it had already performed a valuable task for its creator, which was forcing Tabby to break momentum in her forwards charge to dodge the barrier.

Not so much as taking a step backwards or forwards, the knight's somber eyes hold tightly to her form as she continued to move forth, the rousing of arcane energy oncemore manifesting in a most brilliant manner about its left hand. Considering the knight's proficiency, speed, and strength in the art of incanting miracles, as well as the fact that Tabby had been forced to dodge, the knight had all but entirely reset the scenario to a state akin to its very beginning, albeit with Tabby displaced at a slight angle to its left. 

Tabby could hardly clear a second meter before the knight, again, hushedly muttered the phrase of the miracle anew.

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

Yet it would not manifest the effect of the miracle instantaneously. The knight allowed Tabby to continue in her approach, almost allowing her to fully complete her charge forwards, and too allowing her to begin the winding motion that began her slash directed for its left hand.
_ _

In the moment that Tabby had shifted her forwards momentum into a slash, a shield — smaller than the first, at about a meter in diameter, and with a weakened opacity, only slightly visible to the eye — manifested mere millimeters from the knight's left hand, round in shape, yet sturdy and reinforced in nature. It manipulated its hand, ever-so-slightly, to redirect the angle and the presence of the shield to intercept Tabby's blow, yet would not physically guide its form — rather, the knight would manipulate it remotely, traces of the miraculous mana streaming from its fingertips and into the shield, so as to control it from just a fingers'-length distance.

***`PING`***

Forcefully, magically, the shield was flung to oppose Tabby's slash at an angle and momentum exactly opposite her blade. The shield would collide forcefully with her sword, its arcanely-reinforced nature **Dampening even the tremendous shock brought forth from the enchanted blade,** Reverberating with a magical ***PING,*** Yet continuing forth with such incredible force as to **Parry her blade insomuch to force it to rebound backwards,** Thus interrupting the opener of her combo of strikes.

The knight's eyes briefly locked with hers, as, in the moment of impact, it muttered again,

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

***`A second shield, exploding forth from its empty right hand, identical in size and shape to the first kiteshield-esque form of the barrier it initially used to open combat, flew forth from point-blank at the likely-staggered Tabby.`*** As was for before, were it to hit, it would likely send her tumbling backwards, yet would not do enough damage to break bone or severely bruise her.
William
Naturally, from such an un-react-able distance, Tabby is hit by the shield, sent tumbling back and rolling onto her stomach, quickly pulling herself up. On a concentration spell save DC, she rolled a 13, so by some sliver of luck, she manages to just barely hold on to *Arcane Weapon.* "Not.. Bad." She coughs, standing up and getting back into posture, trying to think of a way to cease the shields.

Her eyes lower to her gauntlet, a small readout reading the power level available to her for the next attempt.

2 level 1 spell slots, 1 level 3.

One level 3 spell slot.

Tabby's eyes widen as she realizes the implications of this, quickly reaching into her *Weapon* Bag of Holding and pulling out a real, live, unenchanted crossbow bolt. The gauntlet that grabbed said bolt infuses it with magic energy and she tosses it skyward, arcing directly above the knight's head before... *Plink! Plink plink plink plink plink!* With her gauntlet acting as a *Spellcasting focus*, Tabby casts *Conjure Barrage* Directly on top of the knight, forcing him to choose between either her or the hundreds of crossbow bolts raining directly down upon him. She rushes forward, but is forced to *End her Turn*, sword poised once again at the knight's legs, fully intending to swipe at them should he choose to prioritize the arrows. What a precarious situation...

If one were to block Tabby, the bolts would certainly deal substantial damage. If one were to block the bolts, Tabby would be able to retaliate with a myriad of pure arcane force.

Tabby *Ends her Turn* After putting the knight in this situation.
James
The barrier that struck Tabby faded, and the knight stares onwards, its posture now relaxed, with her at a restored distance within which the silver-clad knight could comfortably manage any oncoming rush of attacks. The roundshield at its left hand, however, did not fade, still hovering some distance from its wrist, bound to its armored form by a stream of miraculous mana that trickled from its left hand, visibly feeding the arcane barrier the sustenance in energy it required to continue existing. Its subtly red irises peered from beyond its helm towards Tabby, watching her closely as she prepared her second attack...

*`...One soon to come from above, and one that would leave her open to charge forth...`*

The knight blinks softly. The somber, fatigued aura of the knight not only persisted through up until this point, but only seemed to grow more and more tired as Tabby continued to fight on. Not in physical strength, but in mental, as if the knight was exasperated by her very effort to continue fighting.

_ _

***`PING`***

It raised its left hand overhead, and the roundshield that hovered by its left hand shifted positions, now guarding the trajectory from which the barrage would descend. Being 1 meter in diameter, the roundshield wound soundly defend the knight from the volley of replicated projectiles, its translucent and thoroughly-reinforced, enchanted nature serving to effortlessly deflect even a tremendous amount of attacks simultaneously. The knight, was, of course, a specialist in the Prayers of Unity — and the *`Solar Bulwark`*, especially. There was not one within the whole of the Ark who could match their prowess with the Sun of Protection, save for maybe **`UKUE`** Himself.

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

As the knight witnessed her charge forth, it would ignore the decision that it was granted entirely, instead maintaining the first barrier over its head with its left hand,** Extending its right hand forth in the time it took Tabby to charge, instantaneously manifesting a tower-shield-esque form of the miracle**, spanning two meters in width, and two-and-a-half meters in height, protecting the entire frontal flank of the knight. Her blade, upon contact with the shield, would rebound against its dense form of tremendous arcane prowess as though it struck a wall of steel.

It is in this moment, that the knight, from beyond its translucent shield, stared at Tabby, meeting her eyes from within the gap of its visor. There is the appearance of severe disappointment and deep, deep sorrow within their crimson eyes, their gaze downcast, before they closed their eyes entirely.

*`"...Then, you are not the one either."`*

The knight would lower their left arm once the volley of overhead arrows began to pass, yet would independently sustain each of the two shields at their left and their right, averting their gaze from Tabby.
_ _

*`"You do not possess the right of strength to kill me, nor to approach the Altar."`*

*`"..."`*

...They spoke, dejectedly, as if disappointed with her lack of might, pausing briefly.

*`"I do not wish to fight you any longer."`*

***`"Please, leave this sanctified hall."`***
William
"Let me think about it for a moment." She steps back, willingly withdrawing her blade and taking note of what the knight was wearing for the first time in the encounter and keeping a defensive stance — the blade pressed against her gauntlet in her right hand, still thrumming with *Thunder* Magic. 

Her eyes widen as she puts two-and-two together, the sword in her hand *Ssssshnkking* As she changes the type of magic imbued within it using her *Bonus Action*, from *Thunder*, to *Lightning.* This knight is wearing METAL. "I — am not one for just. *Giving. Up.*"

An uninteresting change on paper, but Tabby has come to an interesting realization. The metal on the knight is no ordinary metal. No, no... The knight is wearing *SILVER.* And, pray tell, *What is the most electrically conductive metal in the world?* Not gold, not bronze, not copper nor platinum. A metal so conductive that it is the official benchmark for just how easy it is to conduct a charge.

The most conductive metal in the world is *SILVER*.

But, this knight... It refuses to budge it's magical shield. So... 

Tabby suddenly starts to chuckle, a gas *Pshnk*Ing out of a few canisters on her belt — nothing poisonous nor inherently harmful. It's *Magical laughing gas,* Seeping into the magical shield and around it as the knight speaks to her, hoping to inch its way into his lungs.

To get around the issue of having a magical barrier, Tabby is going to use the gas to make the knight forcibly drop it, casting a very niche spell reserved for only very RARE occasions.

Tabby casts *Tasha's Hideous Laughter*, readying her blade for the onset of the effect, unwilling to give up just yet as the goggles enchant a magical gas-mask looking thing over her mouth and nose, looking familiar to a Razer Zephyr mask.

With this bout of action, Tabby is forced to *End her Turn.*
James
The knight stared at the distanced artificer with a gaze of suspension, its magical shield at both its side and its front maintaining in their intense arcane purity as she made her decision. Its right hand, encased in a gauntlet of overlain silver, remained extended forth, its metallic form reflecting with the gleaming light of its immense, golden mana of miracles that trickled forth from its fingertips. As she made her decision, the knight remained still and steadfast, not so much as taking a step forwards, back, or preparing another attack, allowing her at least the honor to choose.

*`"I understand."`*

The knight responded with languish in its tone as Tabby gave her straightforward and militant declaration that she would continue to fight. Its still battle-ready posture tensened, and the knight gave a deep sigh, as one who had experienced such a sequence of events so endlessly-many a time before.

***`SWOOSH.`***

The protective, kite-shield shaped barrier, manifested by the knight's right hand and sustained directly ahead of itself, projectiled forth towards Tabby in a sudden burst of speed, its velocity at about roughly ~55km/h. Again, were it to strike her, it would have similar results as to the last time it had — having sent her hurtling backwards in a not-quite-debilitating, yet not-quite-unharmful impact. The moment after the barrier struck her, or after she had dodged and the barrier traveled some one-and-a-half meters beyond her, it would demanifest, leaving the knight's right hand freed once more.
_ _

As the gas permeated throughout the atmosphere, and so approached the form of the knight, it would innately be cautious of its nature, yet would inevitably take a single breath of the gas inwards. The scent, noxious, and its effects, rousing within its chest and attempting to impose some form of hallucinogenic effect upon its body, stirred the notion of alarm within its battle-instinct, and so the knight would avert itself from taking another breath of the gas inwards. That was, until—

*```fix
"𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐚 𝐄𝐳𝐮𝐞𝐤."```*

—***The resounding words of a prayer, spoken clearly, not reticent in the slightest.***

Up until this point, the knight clad in silver had only incanted a single miracle, and a miracle of a singular nature—*Unity,* That of Ukue's prayers, and the Solar Bulwark designed to defend oneself. Now, however, it had spoken the words of a miracle of an opposite nature: a miracle of *Disparity,* That of Aazkue's prayers. The prayer of Purity; the prayer of the **Sun that Purifies.**

```diff
- ☀ 𝐅𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐌. ☀ -```

A light like crimson flame, faint, yet burning, and tremendous in an imposing and positively ***Dominating*** Nature, scorching in the very essence of Individuality, roused from within the knight's body. A plume—an aura—of heat, of arcane, miraculous energy, enveloped its towering stature, its engulfing heat scorching not the knight's body, but **Immolating the ties of the beyond, instead.** Be it of a miracle, a spell, or something as terrific as *Divine intervention, itself,* The crimson aura of false flame would annihilate the effects of interceding abilities that directly attempted to manipulate the knight's form—*Or even the atmosphere that surrounded it.*

Merely being in the presence of the false-flame of individuality was like being in the presence of the star. The miracle was incanted with such strength and skill that one could believe it to have originated from its very creator, themself. In both miracles of Disparity and Unity, of Ukue and Aazkue, the knight was demonstrating such prowess that it seemed worthy enough to succeed the title `Guardian.`
_ _

***Taasha's Hideous Laughter is nullified.***

*`"I will not inflict you with enduring injuries."`*
*`"But, if it is all that makes you see reason—"`*

*Clasp.* ***`SWOOSH.`***

The knight spoke, and just as quickly as they finished, the **Shield hovering about its left arm projectiled forth,** Clearing considerable distance in a single instance, before instantaneously shifting momentum into an **Arced swing that swiped right-to-left,** Aimed to strike Tabby forcefully across her jaw, were she not to dodge nor block. The considerable momentum and arc of the swing would leave no room to dodge left or right, leaving her only options to dodge **Backwards, or below the swing, entirely.**

Yet, that was not the full extent of the knight's attack. Up until this point, the knight has only been using a fraction of its prowess — its ability to carefully manipulate the incantation that was *`Veie Ezuek`*. Its ability and prowess with the miracle was only just nigh of Ukue's himself, and such was reflected in its following action. 
_ _

With the mere motioning of its right hand, and the shortest of whispers beneath its breath, it manifested a powerful tower-shield-shaped Bulwark (measuring **1.5 meters in width** And **2 meters in height**) a half-meter ***Behind* The opposing artificer,** In the very same moment that it swung its roundshield, **Swiftly** (and remotely) **Pulling the shield towards itself** At a speed of 55km/h, equivalent to the last three times it had projectiled its shield up until this point. Were she not to dodge, the shield would not continue travelling long enough to send her tumbling towards the knight, but would rather swiftly demanifest after the moment of impact, the breadth of its effects simply being to **Shove her off-balance and slightly forwards,** Thus nullifying her ability to dodge backwards in response to the arced swing and likely knocking her off her feet were she to either block it or dodge downwards. The extent to which she could evade both attacks, simultaneously, was limited solely to something along the lines of a forwards roll or a teleportative escape maneuver.

It is clear that in these two simple attacks that the **Knight is still yet prepared to attack her,** Waiting solely for her response to the twofold-attack before continuing. Both of its shields demanifested, it is at-the-ready to summon a Bulwark with either its left or right hand.

All this, and the knight has not drawn either of its two swords, nor has it exhausted a significant amount of the tremendous magical capacity in its possession.
William
Tabby's gauntlet battery meter is squarely in the red, the gas mask fading as the gas it is designed to block against is nullified, alerting Tabby that the attack was unsuccessful and she only has but a few seconds to judge her surroundings. 

The shield comes rushing towards Tabby, who, although can sense the bulwark, is not entirely focused on it. If it were to hit, it would be devastating... So Tabby **IMMEDIATELY** Takes the one option that comes to mind, her goggles glinting with red sparks as she *Rolls forward and to the LEFT*, weapon enchanted still with the *Lightning* Granted from the *Arcane Weapon* Spell, slashing directly upwards at the knight's *Hopefully* Exposed hand, swiftly closing distance with her *Feline Agility*, moving 10 feet every second. The individual lenses of her goggles fill with deep crimson, manifesting a power from entirely outside that of the Forgotten Realms, and certainly not magic of Tabby's doing.

From the cat's point of view in the goggles, everything appears entirely red — no, not as if it were tinted — everything red, period. If this knight can call upon some miracle, Tabby is just going to have to make do with what's given. The back of the strap holding the goggles to her face seems to vibrate, alerting her officially to the presence of the bulwark and helping her figure out that this is probably a pretty decent spot to be in. If the knight didn't de-summon the bulwark, it would surely be hit due to the close enough proximity of the cat and the knight's hand, or at least that's Tabby's logic.

_ _
For *Extra Attack*, Tabby slashes at the knight's side with the still charged blade. A single hit could turn the tide due to the guardian's fashion choice of such a wonderful metal.

After attempting her two slashes, Tabby opts to roll yet again, making the whole experience very fluid. A quick rush in, roll, upper slash and stab, and roll back out to the other side of the knight, still guided by the swiftness granted to her with her burst of speed and smoothly getting to her feet, sword at the ready. It is here that Tabby *Ends her Turn*, goggles pulsating with an alter-dimensional awareness.
James
The knight's peering, red eyes kept watch on Tabby as she made her response to its oncoming assault of several attacks. Taking note of her motion and movement, and still at-the-ready, even despite her early motion, the knight gives instantaneous reaction to her relatively-safe option of dodging early, closing the distance between the two and opting to immediately slash out of the apex of her roll. Miraculous mana glittering at the knight's fingertips, the two barriers that it had summoned previously sustained themselves within the air for but the briefest of moments, as Tabby made her attack whilst it could not re-summon yet another barrier in the slight moment that it took to demanifest the original two.

*Or so it seemed.*

Whispering, in response to her approach, the knight invoked the miracle *`Veie Ezuek`* Once again, and, in a moment of intense channeling of arcane energy, it is revealed: the knight is not limited to not just *Two shields,* But up to *Three,* And perhaps *Many more.*
_ _

**Explosively detonating in downwards momentum, the tapering edge of a 1-meter width kiteshield — yet another manifestation of the Bulwark — appeared at the fingertips of the knight,** Erupting downwards in extreme velocity, **Intercepting Tabby's upwards strike by colliding harshly with her wrist.** Lest she turn back on her strike and backpedal within an instant out of her initial roll, the shield would likely impact her wrist with such ferocity that it would heavily bruise the flesh about the point of impact — and likely render her incapable of firmly wielding the sword for some time. Regardless, the sudden appearance of the barrier and its opposing trajectory would intercept her swing upwards, rendering it nigh of impossible to immediately continue in her attack against the knight. The barrier, unless opposed with immense and almost unrealistic force, would continue in its downwards motion, up until the point it planted itself upright in the ground between the knight and Tabby. Were she not to withdraw her swing after the initial impact of the shield, she would find her hands pressed harshly to the ground by the tapered point of the kiteshield, immobilizing them and potentially even rendering them crushed.
_ _

In this moment of downtime bought by the defensive action of the barrier, the knight **Demanifested the two other barriers present beyond Tabby, on the battlefield behind her.** The knight, within armslength of Tabby, does not so much as flinch nor move, instead remaining steadfast in its faith in its own shields. It stared briefly down at her, her posture lowered from her roll, and motioned its left hand rightwards with a subtle whisper.

***`SWOOSH`***

A tower-shield formation of the Bulwark manifested at Tabby's right (identical to the last; 1.5m in width and 2m in height), exploding in identical forwards momentum at the likely-staggered Tabby, as so to send her hurtling to her current **Left.** With her frontal flank blocked by the presence of the planted kiteshield, the shield would force her to dodge **Backwards,** Seeing as it would not stop in its forwards motion until it cleared roughly 3 meters in travelling-distance, with or without Tabby in its way.

And so, as it has been revealed that the knight is capable of summoning **More than two barriers simultaneously,** The knight, in this motion, logically possesses at least **One more shield that it may manifest at any given moment,** If not more. Its mastery of the incantation of *`Veie Ezuek`* Had been proven time and time again within this brief conflict, and perhaps would be proven to an even grander degree, nullifying Tabby's attacks at every given opportunity, all the while without requiring the knight to take a single step.
William
The cat's sword collides with the barrier as she suddenly withdraws, making 2 critical choices in her movement — quickly rolling back, and thus withdrawing her hands, she reaches for the weapon bag, taking her action to *Use an Object*, to dump out the entire insides of the bag — and more importantly, the **Corpse of her Defender**. The knight is allowed a brief glimpse inside of the bag. It is seemingly empty, but the inner workings provide some interesting sight — the inside of the bag looks like a starry knight's sky, freed of things such as smoke or planes, or satellites. A pure mural of celestial bodies.

Yes, there are a few flaws in terms of perfect eyesight and more critical functions like fine-motor in regards to individual finger movement, but Tabby *Did* Expend a spell slot after besting Otaaraa with Cumhall earlier to bring it back to life. "You. REALLY. Need to take a fuckin' HIT." The cat snarls, placing her hand on the automaton's legs, seemingly stopping there as a bit of electricity flickers throughout it.

And back to life it shall be, as the defender's eyes suddenly gleam and turn on like that of an old CRT turning off in reverse, it quickly rises to its knees, then to its legs where it butts its two fists together, letting out what can only be described as either a mighty ROAR. The battle has become a 2v1 as the defender stands interposed between the knight and the artificer, creating the more **Imminent threat** As it readies a **Force-Empowered Rend**, punching directly at the knight's shield with a sudden, jerky maneuver dedicated solely to screw with the knight's perception of the true strength behind the assault. This is, after all, a sudden, new contender to the fight. With its other fist, the defender provides itself a bit of defense, moving its legs to a more sturdy position — ready for the next spell to manifest.

And, of course, Tabby and her Defender End their Turn.
James
The gleaming form of the shield before itself grows in strength, reinforcing itself into a fully-densened, fully-manifested Bulwark of tremendous strength, now serving as the knight's primary vanguard. Positioned ahead of itself and in such an advantageous position so as to defend its entire frontal flank, the knight witnessed as Tabby reached into her bag, with two shields still at-the-ready to be summoned.

Seeing that, with Tabby rummaging through her strange bag of the arcane, she was likely preparing some sort of trick akin to the *Barrage* Stunt that she had performed earlier, the knight prepared a counterattack ahead of time — it manifested a barrier directly **Behind Tabby,** At a distance of about a half-meter, taking the identical shape of the kiteshield before itself. Its tapering point directed straight towards Tabby's lower-back, the shield would suddenly explode forth at 55km/h from her blindspot, at point-blank. While she could likely dodge through the virtue of her *Alert* Feat, she would likely have to either cease rummaging through her bag entirely, or succeed to bring out the Steel Defender at the cost of tanking another hit. The shield would swiftly demanifest itself after it had either missed or struck her directly.
_ _

*`"..."`*
*`"I requested of you,"`* The knight speaks, their tone understanding, yet still deliberated, and almost slightly disappointed,
*`"To leave, peacefully.`*

The knight responded to Tabby's frustration, its posture relaxed in the position it had been stood in since the very beginning of their fight. Were the Steel Defender to manifest and continue approaching, its strike would land square with the kite-shield still positioned directly ahead of the knight, which would resound with an echoing ***`PING`***, yet would not remain damaged nor budge from the impact.

*`"And as I have said,"`*
*`"You do not possess the right of strength to kill me, nor to approach the Altar."`*

It seemed that the knight had finished taking an offensive, at least for the current, given moment. Instead of progressing to attack Tabby any further from its position, it would instead cast its right arm to its front-and-center, channeling the intense miraculous manas that coursed throughout its entire body into the form of the barrier ahead of itself. Tremendous quantities of miraculous energy fortified the barrier ahead of itself, causing its form to shift and expand into that of a widened tower-shield, four meters in width, and a towering five meters in height.
_ _

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

Another shield manifested. A kite-shield, a meter in width, manifested ahead of the gargantuan tower-shield before itself. Lined just several centimeters ahead of the first barrier, the knight had strengthened its defense twofold — and yet, of course, each barrier individually would be nigh of unbreakable to begin with. The knight had manifested a twofold defense of a maneuverable, smaller shield, and a tremendous, impenetrable barrier, withholding the use of its third barrier for more maneuverable and immediate defense in the case that Tabby would attempt to rush about its defense.

*`"You will only tire yourself needlessly, pursuing an end you know nothing of."`*
*`"The purity of the Altar is not to be trifled with."`*
***`"Please, leave this sanctified hall."`***
William
Except, Tabby didn't *Grab* The Defender out. The bag was *Emptied* Onto the floor in an instant. That is to say, the Defender had already awoke, using the fist it left as defense to scoop Tabby away from the bulwark with *Deflect Attack*.

But, Tabby doesn't retaliate with another fruitless endeavor. No, Tabby makes no effort to be outwardly aggressive in this round, instead choosing to reach up and unscrew the back piece to her Defender and stuff two bags inside of it — from the knight's point of view, she could simply be preparing to back out and leave. Somebody needs to go and do some prepwork after this if they want to come back and have a chance at winning.

Tabby, seeing as this guy is beating her at every turn & decision, despite her own magical prowess, is positively fuming with anger as she closes the hatch. "FINE." Mentally, it's not really that fine. Tabby is a prideful inventor, making her machines the best job she could do. To have her contraptions defeated so handily is *Insulting* To her.

Despite all of this previous kerfuffle, Tabby has not committed to an actual action. She takes the *Ready* Action, willing to brave a hit. Her Defender starts moving towards where the shields don't reach. 

Not that such magic would matter, of course. The Defender closes the distance, standing at a mere 6 feet away, taking the *Ready* Action as well.

_ _
The second the knight begins to manifest ANYTHING, the condition of the *Ready* Action will be fulfilled. Tabby will reposition with *Feline Agility* And cast Lightning Lure on the knight's leg, yanking him to the ground and interrupting whatever spell could possibly undo the plan.

What the Defender plans to do remains unseen. It's just a robot and hopefully there should be no possible way for the knight to know what the Bags actually do. Tabby is the more important threat at the current moment with her spell fizzling to life audibly. The Defender is just standing there not doing anything.

Tabby and the Defender *End their Turn*.
James
The knight, stood steadfastly behind its twofold barriers, watched closely as the Steel Defender begun its counterstrafe about its shield, and so, in the same moment that it witnessed begin its movement, motioned its right hand as so to shift the 1-meter-wide kiteshield at equal pace with the Defender, itself, as so to prevent it from reaching one of the knight's unguarded flanks. As the Defender travelled about and around the 4-meter wide tower shield before itself, it would meet only the face of the shifted kiteshield ahead of itself, preventing it from attempting any sort of physical attack on the knight's flank.

And so, simultaneously, in reaction to Tabby beginning her flank in the opposite direction — unbound during the six seconds it took for Tabby to complete her actions — acted in the initial movement she made to strafe around the 4-meter shield. The knight manifested its third barrier before Tabby had fully cleared the width of the barrier and reached its blindspot—her Ready-action Lightning Lure would be incapable of interrupting the knight from forming the shield before it was already too late; a kiteshield, identical to the one that the knight was using to intercept the Steel Defender, appeared before of Tabby, following her in her motion so as to block her from ever reaching a direct and open path to the knight.

The shields to its left and right, blocking Tabby and the Steel Defender, glimmered with excess miraculous mana from each of the knight's hands, overflowing with the vitality of the silver-clad knight's intense arcane reservoir. Reinforcing, once, then twice again, the barriers took on the resilience and hardness characteristic of the large tower-shield before it, reinforced several times beyond the strength of steel, itself.

So it seemed it would simply wait out Tabby unto either exhaustion or her departure from the hall.
William
*You absolute idiot.

You fool.

You blundered.

You're dead now.*

All thoughts that Tabby thinks of as the Defender stands __well__ in the perfect range to do *The Thing*, a giddy wave rushing through her. The cat quickly relinquishes the idea of *Lightning Lure*, but commits to her original plan of *Feline Agility*, and does indeed still intend to utilize her last spell slot on the knight. She quickly rushes the barrier instantly, a layer of **_GREASE_** Arising from the ground that the knight stood on, making the floor within 10 feet around the knight's legs — and the underneath of the foot itself — nigh impossible to stand on. Tabby's goal was not to injure the knight with the *Lure*. It was to trip the knight.

Despite all of the knight's spellcasting, the Defender ins unhindered, and its *Ready Action* Comes into play. With the Grease at the knight's feet, and the trap all set, no amount of magic will save the knight now. Not for what's about to come.

_ _
The Guardian is treated to a swift **"Clckkclkcclkcckkk"** From the Defender as its insides churn rapidly, dispensing the two loaded-up bags perfectly. One opened at the bottom of the chest cavity, and one positioned right above, about to... *Drop.* Not that the knight would be able to see inside the mechanical being of course. But he's not going to be seeing a lot of anything anymore.

The defender's eyes suddenly flash white and power down, the body rapidly distorting in on itself as its electronic guts are RIPPED apart and torn throughout another plane of reality. Both bags cease to exist, and due to the knight's close proximity, he too is shoved inside.

Yes, when a Bag of Holding is placed inside of another Bag of Holding, both items are destroyed and instantaneously open a vortex that leads to the **__*Astral Sea,*__** Sucking up everything within 10 feet just as instantly, vaporizing the magic the knight used to combat the Defender, alongside the caster itself. Anything within 10 feet will be sucked in and dispersed into a plane where you will never need to eat, sleep, drink or age again. Eternally floating, forevermore.

_ _
With the gate created, Tabby simply turns back towards the entrance to the hall and prepares to depart should things go awry. If this knight had a countermeasure against *That*, it's clear that some careful prep-work would need to be done. The crossbow materializes along her back as she simply walks away from the fight, unwilling to participate without the proper measures put in place. To be sure of what to do, she looks over her shoulder at the portal, ready to run on out should things go wrong.
Robert
**```ini
[ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑻𝑴𝑶𝑺𝑷𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝑹𝑼𝑴𝑩𝑳𝑬𝑺. ]```**

Like the very fibers that constitute the realm of reality in which the current world presently existed were suddenly loosened, then tugged securely taut, a primeval presence that transcended the mundane plane of existence manifested itself alongside the appearance of the gateway to `another reality`, its presence of 𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚒𝚍 absoluteness nullifying the portal to the `Astral Plane` before it could even make itself fully manifest.

The world around the Steel Defender wavers, and in the moment of instability, it is questionable whether or not it even exists on the same standing as the surrounding dimension about itself. Nonetheless, as the fluctuating reverberations throughout reality itself slowly quiet, the world makes itself calm, and so, both the Defender, and the Silver Knight opposite itself, are left still within the Vektet.

The same could not be said for the Bags of Holding, however...

Those reverberating, disruptive waves that echoed through the fibers of reality persisted around and about the bags, a resonant, auric hum, and that deep, bone-chilling essence of lucidity persisted about their enchanted forms. They are, on a fundamental level, *Changed,* As if by the primeval presence that had shocked the atmosphere moments prior. Their arcane link to another realm flickers and fades, their enchantments becoming visibly manifest in a shimmering glow that begins to wane and fade away, as if being sifted away, into nothingness. 
_ _

The resonance fades, and so too with it, the **Enchantments on each of the Bags of Holding.** Their links to a separate realm had been forcefully severed, as if by an arbiting, cosmic force that persisted not only within the remote proximity of the hallway, but so too within the entirety of the **Vektet.** It was as if, in the moment that the bags had demonstrated the fretfulness of their enchantment, they had been marked as a threat — and so *Momentarily nullified in their entirety.* Perhaps their effectiveness could be reclaimed with some effort; yet, for the time being, they were rendered no more than empty sacks of cloth.
James
The knight's gaze shifted, as it witnessed the Defender power down. The knight's gaze shifted again, as it witnessed the spellcaster to its side. It could not help but, too, feel the presence of the auric *Law of nature* That intervened directly with whatever process that the machination before itself attempted to perform. Nonetheless, still with the presence of the other attacker at its side — attempting to destabilize its footing — the Silver Knight diverts its attention, its body still roused with the crimson false-flame of ***`Individuality.`*** That very flame was what protected itself from the disruption of the threads of reality, itself, being tugged loose, then taut.

As it witnessed the encroaching grease, the knight reveals that it is not limited to just three shields — but *Four,* Simultaneously, as beneath its greaved legs, manifested a shield — a square-shield, horizontally-placed, two meters in width and two meters in length, elevating itself off the greased ground beneath itself.

*`"I see."`*

The knight commented, still ever-so-slightly awed by the presence of divine intervention...
Perhaps it had underestimated Tabby. Or, perhaps, it had simply underestimated the nature of the world behind the ***`Vektet.`***
For one of such strength to so easily attempt to destabilize reality, itself...

...Perhaps it ought to take this battle more seriously.
_ _

***`UNSHEATHE.`***

The blade sheathed at its left hip is released into the open air, its silvery form revealed, as it stared down at Tabby.

*`"Then, as you have demonstrated yourself, at a fundamental level, to be worthy enough to attempt at my life—"`*
*`"I will give you the greatest honor I know."`*

__***`"𝐀 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡."`***__

Those familiar words rang through the knight's head as they spoke it. How oft had they heard *Him* Speak to them? Their teacher, their mentor, a brother in arms... And one of their closest friends. The thought roused sorrow within their soul, yet sorrow that would soon pass, as the knight cast away their emotion and pointed the tip of their blade towards Tabby.

***`SWING—`***

It swung their blade at the open air before before itself—

***Each of the barriers, save for the one at its feet, demanifesting simultaneously.***

***SWOOSH.***

From behind Tabby—at a closened range of two meters, traveling at a resounding 85 km/h, initially aimed for her back, yet now striking towards her **Front** (seeing as she has turned around), a kite-shield-formed Bulwark shot towards her. The knight would now hold back none of its might, and none of its tricks; it would now neutralize her, acknowledging her as a full threat to the sanctity of the Altar. And so it hoped that she would once again shine, with that dismal essence — *That she would demonstrate, again, the strength to kill its very own self.*

_ _
***LEAP***

The knight leapt a resounding meter-and-a-half off of the shield from which it was elevating, soaring forwards through the air and downwards towards the retreating Tabby, having taken the first motion from its starting position within the entirety of the battle. The knight would not land on the *Ground*, however — no, rather,** It would land on another barrier, just in front and slightly elevated above Tabby's waist-height, slashing toward her turned back in a pincer-attack that would force her to dodge to either of her sides.**

*Yet that was not the end of its assault. It, now, truly would not hold back.* Manifesting two barriers at about ankle-height on each side of Tabby in the same motion that it used to slash, it blocked her immediate left and right flank, forcing her, if she wished to dodge, to not only dodge to the side, but *Up and over one of the two barriers,* Lest she find herself tripped up by their sudden presence. By no means unavoidable, yet by every means a most precarious situation that teetered between the outcomes of escape and severe injury.
William
*Oh, shit, finally an actual battle.* Tabby quickly dodges the bulwark — a lot easier when she faces it head on, and takes the barrier on the left as her ticket out. The headband on her goggles buzzes, alerting her to an imminent threat from behind as she clears the **Left** Barrier due to her high *Acrobatics* Skill. 

In that moment, her goggles gleam once again, allowing Tabby to take a *Chronal Shift*, time seeming to warp from the cat's perspective as she very SUDDENLY makes a very powerful and sudden swing at the knight, aiming to not only disarm him but knock him off the shield and to the floor. In the blink of an eye, Otaaraa's blade is raised to be perpendicular with the floor, and in another, slamming against the knight's sword in between the hilt at the very base of the blade, where Tabby swiftly rotates the blade so that the sword will be hit with the flat metal, pulsing with energy granted by the earlier use of *Arcane Weapon* And that of an *Arcane Jolt*, lending tremendous amounts of **Force** To the swing.

The cat chuckles a bit humorlessly, eyes burning with fiery rage as she takes another sudden swing at the knight irregardless of if the first not connect or bounce harmlessly off, putting, again, her full weight into yet another swing of the flat edge, aimed directly for the knight's pelvis — a very easy place to hit that would be instrumental in achieving her goal of *Laying down the law* On this joyless motherfucker, refusing to let either of her assaults go to waste or to be bested by the knight.

"SO **NOW** YOU WANT TO FIGHT, HUH? WHEN **YOU** WANT ME TO LEAVE, I'M NOT WORTHY, BUT WHEN **I** WANT TO LEAVE, SUDDENLY YOU COME MEWLING BACK LIKE A KITTEN?" She hurls abuse at this poor, poor knight "HIDING BEHIND YOUR SHIELDS AND 'OOOOH, SANCTIFIED HALL THIS' AND 'OOOH, SANCTIFIED HALL THAT'. GUESS WHAT MOTHERFUCKER, IF NOT IN THIS ENCOUNTER, THIS 'SANCTIFIED HALL' IS GOING TO GET **REAL** UNSANI**TARY** WHEN I LAY YOUR FUCKING ENTRAILS OUT"
James
The knight, standing on its elevated platform conjured of miraculous manas, did not allow its crimson eyes to depart from the form of Tabby as she dodged and retreated, her footwork still, in the slightest of measures, impressing its relentlessly-trained and superhuman self. To see her weave and dodge between the slash and the shield, all-the-while leaping over its barrier hidden in her peripheral, was an impressive feat, no doubt, even despite the knight's own prowess. To say it exceeded that which the silver-clad knight had seen once before, however, would be far from the truth.

The barrier that initially launched towards Tabby faded away, and so too did the two barriers that once rose to ankle-height at her either side. It appeared, however, that the knight did not have the time to — or simply *Would not* Take the time to — form another barrier, its gaze still peering, its sword still positioned at its vanguard in a lower *Ochs* Stance as Tabby's enhanced strike soared forth.

To Tabby, her strike was immensely fast, her sword's speed heightened by not only by strength that approached the upper bounds of what her *Tabaxi* Body could currently muster, but so too by the effects of the strange arcana that was *Chronal Shift.* Her strength, relative to what she knew, was immense, the tremendous force of an Arcane Weapon and an Arcane Jolt amplifying the force of its oncoming impact by a significant margin, beginning to transcend what the limits of what *Humanly possible* Was defined as.
_ _

To the Silver Knight however,
The speed of her sword was *Moderate pace* At best,
And its strength was *Utterly **Diminutive*** In comparison to the monstrous strength that its sparring-partner, Kaaze, once had.

The knight's fingers dance about the handle of its blade, twirling in a moment of prowess akin to the beat and flutter of a hummingbird's flight—
The blade's silvery form curled and flourished, dexterously deviating from Ochs stance into a low-guard in the blink of an eye—
And its edge aligns with Tabby's own blade, traveling in an arced parry-riposte that would leave her ha**~~ ~~**
 
__***`𝐓 𝐖 𝐀 𝐍 𝐆!!!`***__

The silver knight's blade impacts against Tabby's upwards strike with tremendous force that does not only transcend human bounds, but makes it pitifully dwarfed in comparison. The arced parry-riposte struck with such impact that it would leave her hands tingling for moments on end, the blade which it impacted reverberating with a cacophonous, metallic *`twang`* Akin to a damaged tuning fork, vibrating shakily in her forcibly-loosened grip with a harrowing sensation. **Her very grasp on the blade had been fundamentally weakened by the strike**, her combo interrupted before it had even begun, **Her guard with the blade forced to the floor for more than a second** Before she could muster the strength to once more raise it in attack.
_ _

The silver knight's blade impacts against Tabby's upwards strike with tremendous force that does not only transcend human bounds, but makes it pitifully dwarfed in comparison. The arced parry-riposte struck with such impact that it would leave her hands tingling for moments on end, the blade which it impacted reverberating with a cacophonous, metallic *`twang`* Akin to a damaged tuning fork, vibrating shakily in her forcibly-loosened grip with a harrowing sensation. **Her very grasp on the blade had been fundamentally weakened by the strike**, her combo interrupted before it had even begun, **Her guard with the blade forced to the floor for more than a second** Before she could muster the strength to once more raise it in attack.

Ironically, it is in this moment that Tabby lands the first of her attacks that even damages the knight. **Arcane Weapon** Transfers the brunt of its shock through the knight's blade, permeating through its silvered armor in a moderately-powered electrical jolt. However, the knight, steadfast in combat, and roused with the purifying, mana-negating domain that was **Solar Purity,** Would soon recover — if it even had to, in the first place. 

Tabby's ***`Alert`*** Feat sparks to life—
_ _

***`𝐒 𝐋 𝐀 𝐒 𝐇`***

Her first mistake was entering the hall.
Her second mistake was attacking the knight.
Her third mistake was making it believe she was a threat,
***And her last mistake was challenging it in martial combat with a sword, its most proficient weapon.***

In the moment that the knight recovered, and in the moment that the knight locked eyes with Tabby, it would, for the last time, swing its weapon. The very atmosphere about its arms and blade shifted, densening, then lightening, a subtle-yet-emphatic vacuum forming as its blade soared forth, transcending speeds that the eye could see. It traveled in a blink from the knight's lower guard upwards, at an angle, and in the moment that it pressed, impossible to be opposed, against Tabby's neck—





**```diff
- 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 -```**





*`Her body was chilled to the very bone.`*




*`...`*





*`Yet she is still alive.`*
*`The blade is pressed against her neck, yet does not travel further.`*
*`The knight had stopped the arc of its swing before taking her life.`*





*`"Where did it depart?"`*
*`"..."`*

*`"I am saddened."`*
*`"I sensed it in you, if only for a moment—`*
*`"Your strength, extraordinary."`*

*`"I thought you naively to be the one,"`*
*`"But it appears that, indeed, you were never worthy to kill me to begin with."`*

_ _
The Silver Knight of the Altar spoke, her red eyes peering with an empty gaze toward Tabby. Now closed in distance, the tabaxi can see it — from beyond the knight's visor, the subtle appearance of red locks, and the knight's somber red eyes... The knight's voice is calm, her tone lacking of violence, and emptied of any further will to continue fighting.

*`"Then, since it is so,"`*
***`"Please, leave this sanctified hall. In strength, you are neither worthy enough to take my life, nor to approach the Altar."`***
William
The cat stares straight ahead, unflinching even in the face of the death that was just a few millimetres away, eyes burning with fury. "I. Will. Be back. And I *Will* Take you down." She turns away, willfully leaving the room, if only for a minor amount of time.

"Mark my gods-damned words." The cat hisses, turning away from the knight as originally intended, marching out of the room with a slight stomp to her boots.

. . . The Defender behind the knight *PsCH*S, as its eyes flicker on, taking a defensive stance as if they were still in the thick of battle, before Tabby puts her hand out behind her in a world-wide *Stop* Gesture. The automaton seems confused, visibly tilting its head. If it had eyebrows, they would have shifted around as well to add to the emotion. It seems that, though the contraption ultimately answers to Tabby, it does still have some semblance of free thought. It puts it's head down in what appears to be *Shame*, walking over and scooping up the things that had dropped out of Tabby's *Weapon* Bag earlier, then grabbing Otaaraa's longsword, shoving them all into the confines of its chest panel — which then subsequently hinges closed.

The Defender, too, walks past the knight, not daring to meet her gaze as they complete the walk of shame out of the hall, the threat of Tabby's return lingering in the air.

Tabby is not one to give up so easily.
James
The hall is as it has been left — quiet, calm, pristine, with an almost divine aura that beat down from upon high. The red runes that lined the surface of the ceiling emanated a most tremendous presence that cascaded through the hushed atmosphere, like a waterfall of sheer, auric energy that descended from upon high. When viewed in calm, it was a most delicately-balanced demonstration of architecture, beautiful by its lack of complexity and clarity in nature. One would find it a hall most fit for prayer, were it not for the valiant guardian that eternally persisted within its midst.

The Silver Knight, clad in its shimmering, unrusting armor that hid away its features from the eye, stood directly ahead of the divine Altar at the end of the hall. In its right hand, it clutched the unsheathed silver blade withwhich it used to safeguard the item of transcendent value before it, held close to its body and beside its breast in a dutiful salute of sorts. This time around, the guardian did not remain in a kneel, and would rather remain steadfast ahead of the Altar, attentive to all that which surrounded itself.

It noticed the door open, and yet would not turn, lest the one who peered through actually enter its midst.
Robert
Of course, that which truly matters within the hall is what is held behind the guardian — the *Altar,* Of such vague description, yet of such tremendous importance as revealed by the way of the church's construction, and by its need for such a dominant custodian.

It is not a humble altar in the slightest. Cylindrical in form, the altar was nearly 3 meters in diameter, and construed of a polished white marble, akin to the bricks which construed the rest of the church, albeit much more refined. The marble of the altar was overlaid in majority by gold, which covered about half of its surface space in total, channeled into beautiful accents that accentuated the pristine white of its form. Silver, too, existed upon the face of the altar, yet only in part; the polished metal was more of an undertone, seen mostly at the brims and edges of where gold had been hammered onto its surface. The last of the 'fine' metals to be seen on the altar, strangely enough, would be *Brass.* Brass covered its base, and was seen quite in scarce upon the object of worship — even less prominent than silver, yet still present nonetheless. 

Vaguely, the rare metals seemed engraved with some sort of text and image, yet the great distance between any observer and the altar itself, alongside the presence of the silver-clad knight dominating the foreground, getting a clear read on what it actually depicted would be quite a task.
John
The ooze seeps through the floor, certainly giving off the aura that it *Is* Divine to the knight's razor sharp senses, yet it makes no effort to attack or use its divinity to harm, sliming up the floor as the God heads towards the altar, wishing to simply examine it. "Hello, madam.. Would you happen to know what this altar is for? As a fellow deity, I wish to admire its *Impeccable craftsmanship..* This *Is* An altar for a deity, yes?"

Truth be told, Cadwynn has no idea. That's why he's here after all.
James
The silver-clad knight lowers its raised sword to hang at its side, its upright posture shifting, as it peered over its shoulder with a single red eye. The hue of its slightly-arcane glare glinted with a crimson light akin to a dying star, its hue brilliant, like rubies — that was, until, a sudden shift; the knight's eye flickered with a subtly-reminiscent refulgence, its red tones overtaken by that of a glorious gold. It shifted its grip on its sword, its brilliant armor clattering at its side, and it turned, viewing the one who had made entry unto the hallowed hall of the Altar.

*`"You trespass on the sanctified hall of the Altar—"`*
It spoke, in warning, taking a slow breath in.
*`"—the object of the Twin Guardians' ambitions."`*

The knight held its blade ahead of itself, yet angled its tip toward the floor — not directly aimed at the intruder, yet with its edge aligned to their profile, as if to demonstrate battle-readiness. Its following words quieted, as it briefly closed its eyes, reminiscing on the nature of that *Ambition* Which once burned so bright to create the object of worship now behind itself. There was a greater purpose for it. Once. Many, many, many years ago.

*`"...The Altar of Impurity's Abolishment."`*

The Silver Knight exhaled deeply, as though wearied, only to continue in heightening the tip of its sword, shifting its body into a stance akin to that of a lower-*Ochs.* The glare of its eyes weaken as its fingers wrap solemnly about the handle of its reinforced blade of silver, and it seems to waver, if only for a moment. There is an ever-present tiring to be found within the knight's nature, stood untrembling, yet ever-wearied within the light of the divine hall. And nonetheless, it would guard.

*`"Turn back."`*
John
". . . I sense your loss of energy in even your voice." The God speaks unto this... Mortal? Person. "I commend your strength for even rising to stand after all that you must have been through as a knight in this hall. If I could clap and give you an applause, I would very much prefer to do so."

"But, I wonder if perhaps you are too tired? Would it not be nice to relax, if only for a moment, and enjoy a moment of silence?" Although it is unlikely to change the knight's opinion, Cadwynn attempts to appeal to that of the mortal's restlessness, assuming that it would indeed take a toll on one's body. He makes a *Persuasion* Check, rolling a 27 as he slowly approaches, tugging at the end of his leash which tethers him to the underside of the door, tugging lightly and causing the Defender on the other side to quickly grasp the clock with renewed strength; knowing that the *Abjuration* On it would prevent any damage from such a sudden increase.

"I wish not to fight someone as skilled as you, but rather to admire the efforts of that who crafted such a fine place of worship.." The God raises its goopy hands, attempting to at least *Mimic* Clapping, though it ends up just making sloshing noises followed by the brief clashing of teeth that found themselves unlucky enough to be on the hands in that moment of time.

"As a god of the law, seeing such a beautiful display brings a tear to my eye... If I had tear ducts, of course. Nrggh— nyeghh—-" The ooze reaches the very end of the 60ft, struggling to move any further and treating the knight to a very comical view as it struggles against the door that trapped it so deviously. *How barbaric!*

_ _
Of course, Cadwynn is simply an ooze now. He does not deal damage, nor can he even attack, simply make illusions. It seems that the knight's threat of death-by-blade hasn't fully set in to the liquid projection, be it either by falsely believing himself to be invincible, or just knowing that he is, indeed a viscous liquid at the moment. The slime feels unthreatened, and simply makes no attempt to be threatening to the knight himself.

"The metals in this statue are - mmmmGH - incredible! I've never seen - haaagh - anything like it..." The trespasser continues to make his attempts at moving by lurching forward, though they bear absolutely no fruit for the labor.
James
***`"No."`***

The silver-clad knight would remain deathly silent and still in the heed of the approaching intruder's speech, its blade still wielded firmly in-hand, and its slightly-opened eyes peering with the essence of stern duty. Its voice would speak firm and curt, yet hushed and without aggression, interrupting the thought only after he brought up the idea of *Relaxation.* It renewed the uprightness of its sword-stance, its eyes of red overlain with gold with an unending enervation — an enervation that could neither be broken by combat or by rest. *Even the longingness to free itself from its unending tire in duty had been drowned out within the silver-clad knight's wearied mind.*

*`"I have guarded this hall for one hundred years."`*
*`"I will guard it for one thousand more—"`*
*`"And then, again, ten thousand further."`*

The knight took a deep breath in, and adjusted the stance in which it conducted itself, releasing its left hand from the handle of the silver blade tightly clutched in its right. It took a step forwards, so to close a slight distance between itself and the intruder, and so spoke in hush the words of a prayer — an Eclipse Prayer, and the sole prayer of its true mastery.

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*
_ _

A kite-shield, reasonably sized, so as to fit comfortably alongside its left arm, manifested, hovering at its forearm with its tapering edge aligned to point at the ground when it rested its arm at its side. Glittering in the glorious golden hue of the knight's characteristic mana of miracles, the shield, with the motion of its hand, operated independent of its bodily control — directly responding to its mental commands. It would not immediately hurl the shield toward the mass of ooze approaching, yet would hover it a short distance of three-and-a-half meters ahead of itself, so to block even just a portion of the trespasser's body. 

*`"I am sworn by oath, to protect the Altar's purity, and to ward away those who are unfit to enter its presence of sanctity."`*

*`"You will kill me, and prove yourself worthy of the Altar."`*
*`"Otherwise, I will forcibly remove you from this sanctified hall."`*

*From the day that duty was imparted...*

None were to enter the Room of the Altar.
None were to approach the Altar.
Only by its death,
Or by the return of its Lord, himself,
Could an audience with the Altar be attained.

*...This was just how it was.*
John
The ooze, understanding that its attempts at advancement were now simply futile because of the dreaded doors, stops trying to pull forward, looking up at the runes that glittered among this ceiling. Truly, he had not seen such an intricate design for worship.. Not in a long, long time.

It's at this moment that Cadwynn wonders if, because of being a type of slimey.. Thing, if he were able to climb the walls to examine the mana more up-close. So he places his hand on the wall, heading back to the door to do so comfortably, and sort of awkwardly shimmies against the surface to no avail. *Stupid liquid body. If I were whole, I would have climbed this in mere milliseconds...*

With that pathetic attempt out of the way, the God turns back to the knight, making the same advancement forward that it had just attempted & subsequently failed, boldly thinking that the knight wouldn't actually fire the shields like she did for Tabby.
William
Sensing the shenanigans going on the other room, Tabby sighs and motions for her Defender to *Open the door* And step in, lifting her up onto the Shield Guardian's shoulders and letting the arcane flow through her crossbow, creating a bolt of energy and aiming down the sight just in case. 

The trio enter the room, Steel Defender moving upward to allow Cadwynn a bit more range in his motion, which he gladly takes. The Shield Guardian & Tabby stand off to the side, making two teams snd potentially easy pickings. They remain on guard as Cadwynn turns to face the cat, creating a diagonal line-of-sight between the two duos, a defensive strategy that would allow them to effectively communicate with each other about threat should something go terribly wrong — which it looks like it very well might.

The Defender stuffs the watch in its chest cavity, closing the door to protect the watch, even though it needed no protecting. This was done to keep the hands free in case of an attack.
John
"What-? No-huh?" The deity questions, incredibly confused by this sudden happenstance. "Okay, ignore them they're - interrupting our fine chat that we were having as they are jealous of our social skills."

"The statue.. What is it made of?"
James
*`"I do not care to converse."`*

It spoke with a light exhale, twirling its empty left-hand's fingertips so as to manipulate the form of the kiteshield, its tapering end directed straight downwards, before firmly slamming into the ground ahead of the knight. Unyielding in its position ahead of itself, it would serve as a buffer and guard between itself and the intruder, yet would do little to actually prevent him from continuing further through the hall — an issue which it would soon resolve, extending its left palm forth and doling a great excess of miraculous energy to the form of the manifest shield. Golden energy fluxed rapidly throughout the atmosphere ahead of the silver-clad knight, naturally coursing to imbue the shield, and **Altering its form.** The kite-shield extended to a width of about two-and-a-half meters, growing in height to about a meter-and-a-half, thus forming a rather robust barricade so to stop Cadwynn's approach. 

It pressed its palm forth, and the barrier would slowly shift forwards, stopping about halfway down the length of the hall. It would allow him to go no further than that, and would soon begin to take measures to remove him from the hall, entirely. Indeed, the knight had no intent to chat — its duty was simple, and most adamant in nature. *Protect the sanctity of the Room of the Altar.*
_ _

The gelatinous mass that spoke to itself was no more than another intruder — lacking in aggression, yet an intruder nonetheless.

Its eyes of crimson overlain with gold settle upon the familiar form of yet another intruder, who earlier stepped foot into the hall. The artificer, Tabby, in the company of excess companions which it had not seen in her last attempt to challenge the Room of the Altar. Its eyes closed briefly, as if to express discontentedness, as it slowly shifted the stance of its sword, and sheathed the weapon entirely.

*`Sssp.`*

The very same sword which it sheathed, it would withdraw — except, this time, with its sheathe affixed to its blade. Adjusting the belt upon which the sheathe was strapped, it unfastened the holster from its side, extending the blunted weapon at its right, leaving its left hand open. So it seemed that the knight would not again use the edge of the blade against Tabby in combat, as it had once been proven that such measures were unnecessary. Contemptuous, perhaps, but not in the perception of the knight; it sought not to slay any who entered the hall, only to remove them from its presence.

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

The words of the familiar prayer, spoken anew, caused the glittering form of two shields to manifest above and behind the guardian — each round in form, and about a meter in diameter. It would not hurl them hastily in an act of aggression, and would instead stand its ground at the half-way mark of the hall, glaring wordlessly for moments on end at the group of four intruders.

*`"Please, leave."`*
John
Cadwynn, never deterred, casts a spell, seemingly flicking parts of his body up the wall and over it, continuing his advance, sliding against the fine magic shield swiftly, pooling on the other side and summoning forth another Cadwynn-like body, undeterred. "Yes, yes, I know. 'I don't want to talk now that other people are here to watch me', very cute. Anyways, this statue... What material was it sculpted out of?"
William
The cat's stance shifts as she seemingly *Also* Casts a spell, her Shield Guardian stomping at the very place that it stood; the ground beginning to tremble underneath the knight at the start of this showdown. While not inherently obvious what Cadwynn cast, with enough knowledge, one would discern that Tabby has cast *Thaumaturgy*. At the same time as these tremors, whispers begin to part from seemingly all around, taking advantage of the cylindrical nature of the room they find themselves in. The Guardian shifts its stance, similar to that of the action taken by the Defender, opting to *Dodge* Should an attack come hurtling their way. They both use their movement options to come closer together, seemingly with the idea that, should an attack be flung their way their combined strengths would be enough to ward off the shields & bulwarks, but they do not advance far into the hall to do so, staying relatively close to the door instead — seems like that would be their exit strategy should things go wrong.
John
Naturally, all of these voices come from the mouths attached to the gelatinous body of Cadwynn, rising to pained screams and warnings of ill omen only subsiding should the knight choose to have a nice calm chat with the entity as it suggested. As the new Cadwynn pushes forward, the other remains squarely rooted in its position, seemingly only moving when absolutely necessary to control its other half, yet staying squarely behind the boundaries that were placed.

The other Cadwynn moves towards the altar, carelessly ignoring the very dangerous knight. Its advance is slow, however, as if the deity seems to have the idea that the knight will pounce should he inch ever-so-slightly closer. 

Despite all of this, nobody dares to attack the knight, instead aiming to confuse and mislead instead; depending on human nature to get the desired results. A joint effort between both parties with a singular goal.
James
The knight clad in silver heeded not the words of the god, and would instead clasp its right hand tight about the handle of the blade in its right hand. With its left, it subtly adjusted and guided the flow and form of its shield, shifting them from their idle stance at its back to its vanguard, each hovering lengthswise just a few centimeters ahead of itself, as if in preparation for a future attack. It, in this moment, truly had no more reason to heed their words than it did to let them pass — ultimately, whatever they said would be of no value to itself, for its only purpose in existence, now, was to *Guard this hall.* And it happened that they were intruders upon its sanctity, forsaking each of its two warnings. Thus, all it had to do, now, was prepare itself for combat.

Its eyes imbued with gold peered harshly at Tabby as she began to cast her spell, its left hand clattering softly as it furled its fingers into a fist. A potent, miraculous mana of a similar aura to that of which it used to incant the miracle *Veie Ezuek,* Identical in essence, yet strangely inverse in acting nature, sprung forth from the knight's palm, as though it had anticipated such behavior from the intruder opposite itself. The mana it conjured grew tangible as it touched the air, its vehemence made visible to the eye, in a crimson, fiery glow. Indeed, the presence now revealed had already been seen once by Tabby — it was a potent, purifying aura, and one of the miracle it so incanted—

*```fix
"𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐚 𝐄𝐳𝐮𝐞𝐤."```*
_ _

_ _
Having used a majority of its power once before, it had no reason to withhold any of its might from the intruder's prying eyes. All that mattered now was concluding combat in a swift and efficient manner, and so the knight would only pull a punch if it meant the difference between killing and sparing Tabby.

The roundshields at its vanguard shift, and the knight took the blade firm into each of its hands, breaking forwards into a rapid sprint as it encroached on Cadwynn. The barrier still stood between the two, and yet the knight did not have its sights set on the amorphous mass immediately before itself. No, rather — it would use one of the two roundshields hovering ahead of itself as a **Foothold and springboard,** Mentally shifting the position in which it hovered just ahead and below itself, before flinging the shield forcefully **Upwards,** Sending the knight fully above and beyond Cadwynn in a tremendous forwards leap that rapidly closed distance between itself and Tabby.

***`CLATTER!`***

_ _
The knight descended in haste, landing a few meters ahead of the intruder, as each of the two roundshields it had conjured ahead of time swiftly flew to its sides. With hardly a pause following its landing, **It began to dash toward Tabby,** All-the-while shifting the angle at which its roundshields hovered at its side ahead and to each side of itself. The shields, suddenly snapping forth in speed, would travel not toward the knight's target, but toward the **Two automata which guarded her.** Each roundshield would travel ahead of the knight itself, **Hovering just ahead the Steel Defender and Shield Guardian,** Intercepting the direct path between themselves and the knight, so as to stop them from immediately counterattacking it in its forward approach.

With such measures to ensure that its attack on Tabby would go uninhibited, it hastened its sprint, the tip of its sheath sword guided in a straightforward motion to **Strike Tabby in the abdomen,** With such backing force that it would wind her and send her tumbling backwards. The knight, however, would not leave such an obvious and easy-to-counter attack to be the sole offensive it would take once it had closed distance with the intruder, however — following the thrust, immediately afterwards, was yet another manifestation of the miracle *`Veie Ezuek.`* It withdrew its forwards-extended blade with its right hand, and, in the same stroke with its left, **Conjured a *Scutum-*Style with such breadth that it would defend the whole of its upper body**, held horizontally, rather than vertically. Freely wielding the weightless shield with its left hand, it would **Swing it in a horizontal arc following its thrust,** Exploiting its advantage in raw strength to intercept both an immediate counterattack and a forwards or sideways dodge that remained within its melee range.
William
Except, Tabby is **Riding** The Shield Guardian ("Lifting her up onto the Shield Guardian's shoulders..."). In one swift motion, she willingly falls off of said automaton's shoulders and away from the shield's oncoming assault, *Abjuration* Flaring and coursing through her Guardian, across her armor as she takes a deep breath, shooting two arcane crossbow bolts at both of the knight's shoulders.

The blade strikes the *Guardian*, and In this moment, the Guardian rushes forth, completely uncaring about the shield or injuries that it may sustain soon, instead presenting a very scary choice to the now-enemy. Get shot, or get the shit beat out of you. The Guardian swiftly pulls back for a punch, aiming it... At the knight's summoned shield, before pulling its punch suddenly — a *Feint* — swiftly kicking them in the exposed lower half with the force mustered by that of a machine programmed with one intent. It seems that both the Guardian & the Silver-Knight have something in common, *They only serve to protect,* For it does not attack on Tabby's express command. Its only rule to follow, *Protect the Amulet*.

The defensive construct moves forward, stomping down at the ground where the now knight would hopefully stand, at the kneecaps, unconcerned with there being a shield or not. The group took a defensive stance upon entering for a *Reason*, and they did not press forward save for the free-minded Cadwynn, knowing that they would surely be met with an attack should they do so. No, the knight brought this upon herself, and now it's time to learn a very hard, and very painful lesson.
John
Cadwynn, ever the opportunist, moves his *Silent Image* Forward, entirely unwilling — or perhaps, *Incapable* Of helping in this fight. "Ooooh... Pretty!" He exclaims, as if mocking the knight for choosing the cat over him, for he was the only one actively making an attempt forward right now. 

The *Steel Defender*, on the other hand, actively moves *Towards* The ongoing scuffle, positioning itself *Behind* The knight as a pincer attack, and, much to Cadwynn's dismay, dragging him ever so slightly from his goal. "Noooooo!!!" The slime screeches in response, but its words fall on deaf, metallic ears.

The Defender gets into position, but due to action economy, is forced to take the *Dodge* Action due to Tabby's *Bonus Action* Being used to control the Shield Guardian. It awaits the knight's rebuttal to the attack
William
She sits up, crossbow in her hand and armor still glowing with the abjuration provided by her Guardian, though it is beginning to peter out due to the very short casting time. It seems probable that the next reaction taken would be from the Defender now placed squarely behind. "I'm not even 7 steps from the door, you dick!"
James
The knight's eyes shift with haste at the figure of the combatants before it — the glittering of mana before itself as the twice-intruder prepared a distant attack, retreating in a single motion, as its blade reverberates in a harsh contact against the metal of the Guardian stood steadfast before itself. The tremendous physical prowess the knight possessed would cause its blade's impact to be enough to impart quite a forceful quantity of momentum into the body of the unliving automata before itself, yet, being sheathed, would not pose enough of a threat to actually damage it. Nonetheless, the Guardian would not be pushed back by such an attack, and thus, unrecoiling, would progress forth in its feint — one that would be met by the wide form of the *Scutum* That the silver-clad knight had manifested. That very same shield would block both the bolts that Tabby shot, alongside the Guardian's punch... Or, well, its punch that *Would be,* If it did not feint. Its true attack came low, however, unseen in a two-way attack the likes of which would pose an unwinnable scenario for an ill-prepared adversary.

The *Scutum* Ahead of itself blocked Tabby's arcane-imbued bolts, and yet the low strike was still oncoming. Its crimson eyes set firm on the leg beginning to extend before it in what was a mere fraction of a second; the moment, to any other observer, flowed by with such speed that it would elude one's ability to rationalize and calculate any form of meaningful countermeasure. 
_ _

Yet, to one possessing of such heritage as the Silver Knight of the Altar, bequeathed by ancestry the right to be *Champion* As evidenced by its flowing red hair and crimson eyes, the fleeting moment passed by at a rate no faster than an awkward clamber. The gold gleam that transcended its eyes' innate nature of crimson beheld in whole, first, the immediate attack before it, and still yet had enough time to shift over its shoulder, confirming the onwards march of the fourth intruder, now positioned directly behind itself. As the sands of time trickled forth, its eyes shifted again straight ahead of itself, and it locked its gaze upon the Guardian immediately ahead of itself, its split focus now honed solely on the oncoming kick.

***CLANG***

The shield of its left hand blocked the bolts, and **The inconceivable angle at which it shifted the blade of its straightsword parried the oncoming kick, adjusting its flow of momentum in such a manner that the knight could ease its body away from the redirected path of the Guardian's attack.**. Within the twinkling of an eye, its fingertips danced about the handle of its silver blade, adjusting its withdrawn and upright stance with unbelievable dexterity, shifting the tip of the sheathed blade downwards, so as to allow such an impossible parry to become probable.
_ _

The knight subtly swayed to the right, demanifesting the scutum which it used to block Tabby's ranged attacks. In the moment that the Guardian would take to recover from its forwards-shifted center-of-gravity, as brought about by its kick, the knight would peer over its shoulder and toward Cadwynn, the unmistakable sensation of displeasure accompanying its cold sightlines. For once, in many long years of service, one had traversed beyond the halfway-mark of the Hall. In this single, fleeting breath of a second, the knight's posture tangibly shifted, and so too did the nature of the atmosphere about itself.


There was only one reason that Tabby, a lone invader to the Hall of the Altar, could continue to challenge the knight.
*It was holding back, and significantly so.*

The sheathing of its blade, the withholding of a destructive offensive prayer that it had yet to manifest in their bouts, and the lack of its usage of the *Blade of a hero's blood* Left undisturbed at its back — all were marks of its lack of intent to truly contest against the intruder as an equal, for it hoped not to slay her, but simply to make her see the err of attempting to continue challenging the sanctity of the Altar.

And yet, now, in this fraction of a moment, there is posed a subtle, yet true threat — the idea that one could lay hands on the Altar, and so make its vow held for hundreds of years rendered worthless.

*It would ensure that this wrong was righted, and in the same stroke, quell the intruder's flame of ambition.*
_ _

```fix
𝑬𝑰𝑹 —```

—the second of the two roundshields that it had manifested, the one that had no target to intercept, dissipated.

```fix
𝑬𝑪𝑯𝑬 —```

*`Like his and his,`*
*`the wrath of my brother's bronze halberd, and the nobility of my Lord's silver blade.`*

The knight inhaled, adjusting the stance with which it held its sheathed blade into one of a more bellicose nature—

```fix
𝑬𝑰𝑲𝑶𝑽```

Three freed shields, and three to manifest — *Eir,* Three, shields manifest instantaneously about the knight, each reasonably-sized, yet robust with the raw mana which the silver-clad knight donated unto their individual strengths. Each were formed as kiteshields, with their tapering ends pointed directly away from the knight, floating horizontally at about its neck-height. Within the moment of their manifestations, the knight would reveal a most terrifying apparition of its strength — an actual *Technique* Which it had honed, alongside the utmost of its raw, physical might. A demonstration, performed within a single moment, so to quell the immediate threats surrounding itself.

***SWING***

Following the moment of the Guardian's kick, **The knight released a two-handed diagonal swing with its sheathed blade striking toward the Guardian's upper-right shoulder, ** Its force directed from up-to-down, so to shift the momentum towards its left hip, backed with incredible — yet not overbearing — strength that would send a notable shockwave throughout its body, were it to hit. 
_ _

That was not all that came with the single swing, however; one of the three conjured shields that hovered about the knight's neck, delayed only by a half-moment, would swing along an identical arc as did the knight's blade. Following the impact of the blade, the **Shield's edge would collide with the knight's very same target**, travelling with twofold the momentum that its blade did. 

...And then, *Again.* In immediate succession to the first of the shields swinging toward the automata, came the second of the three-shield formation, swinging alongside — at a nigh-identical, yet slightly shifted trajectory — the first and second swing. It, too, collided with a tremendous and only slightly staggered impact, building upon the already tremendous might of the first two impacts.

And then, *Again.* The technique *Eir* — of *Three* — manifested and utilized three shields. Were the first strike to connect, there would be three impacts to follow. The third of the three shields swiftly swung alongside a similar arc to the first two, building even further upon the overbearing might of the first three impacts.

```fix
𝑬𝑰𝑹 — 𝑬𝑪𝑯𝑬 — 𝑬𝑰𝑲𝑶𝑽```

The attack of threefold would have to be dodged — even for a strong, metal being as the Guardian, to take on such a fourfold attack would certainly either force it to the ground, or send it staggering across the floor some distance.
_ _

The three shields used in the technique of *Eir* Receded, floating back into their initial, hovering position about the silver-clad knight's neck, as it wielded with aggression its blade of pure silver, as if preparing to push further its course of attack. It would not immediately press its attack forwards, and yet there was a persisting sense of *Threat* That came with its general proximity to the group; it was watching them closely, and was preparing for a followup that would soon spring in response to their reactions.

Three shields, unfolding from its body, as would a trillium's petals. Threefold an attack, and threefold a defensive measure. *`Eir, eche, eikov.`* 
Tabby, even accompanied by two automata of formidable nature, was still a single combatant against one who had honed its skills to defend this hall for hundreds of years. Now without reason to hold back, she would ought to consider the sheer gap between their individual fighting prowesses.
William
The cat and her metal constructs continue their defensive play, not moving forward into the hall, as that wasn't their plan to attack. In fact, the Guardian need not move at all to deal with this attack, as a burst of fiery red light gleams from Tabby's goggles, expending the last use of *Chronal Shift* Available.

The Defender moves with sudden burst of agility, grabbing the knight's arm as it readies the swing that would deal such incredible damage, and twists it uncomfortably, using *Deflect Attack* To cause the assault to miss; its clean shell gleaming with the same red as Tabby's headpiece did just milliseconds earlier. The Defender grabs the knight's shoulder, but it does so *Too late*. The mighty two-handed strike aimed at the shoulder connects with the Guardian, causing it to begin stumbling as the initial shield also connects. It attempts to regain its footing with the bladed threat out of its way.

Only to be hit by the remainder of shields, indeed staggering it mightily.

Although, that's not the issue now. The moment that the Defender grabs hold of the knight's arm, it attempts a *Force-Empowered Rend* On the back of the knight's abdomen, and in this moment *Another* Ultimatum is made.

Tabby's crossbow alights from her place on the ground, as she shoots a bolt directly at the knight's helmet, knowing full well that there is no chance of it actually hitting, although... That's besides the point.

The punch from the Defender follows suit immediately after the bolt is released, and the knight is forced between head, or a staggering blow to the *Abdomen* From behind. A simple task, if not for *Extra Attack*. Mere parsecs before either attack would miss or whiz by, Tabby shoots the *Second* Bolt, aimed for the neck, again neglecting the fact that there is probably armor there.
John
Cadwynn, completely uncaring to whatever frivolous shit is occurring at the other end of the hall, and being unchallenged in doing so, continues moving both his actual body and his *Silent Image* Forward, unhindered by whatever the fuck was going on near the entrance.
William
"I'm not TRYING to fight you, you asshole." The cat growls, readying another shot as the Guardian regains its footing, looking up at the formidable enemy ahead, yet refusing to move any further than standing directly beside the wielder of the amulet. After all, why should it? If the item to be defended is already nearby, why move away from it and risk its destruction?

No, the Guardian does not outwardly attack until absolutely necessary. Should the knight survive this next turn and continue its assault, then, and *Only* Then, will it attack, instead being forced to take the *Dodge* Action, as the economy has run dry.

"Hardly even step into the hall and you go insane." She spits and hisses, "Fuck *Off!!*"
James
The automata successfully took hold of the knight's arm, but to think it fast enough to continue in a twofold-attack would be overconfident thinking from its master. As its arm was resisted in motion by the automata's tight grip, the knight would pivot on its heel, twisting its torso in a dizzyingly-fast motion that seemed as though it defied the momentum of its former swing. Its crimson eyes overlain with gold foresee the machination's oncoming attack, and it did not allow such a threat to continue further than its origin; **The knight, with its freed hand released from the blade and furled into a fist, struck the automata square in the abdomen,** The whole of its superhuman strength revealed in the following, clamorous reverberation that echoed throughout the Steel Defender's body. The strike, almost twofold in strength what any typical human could muster, would perhaps interrupt the Defender's oncoming swing, and perhaps it would not. 

**The outcome of the *First* Strike's strength would be irrelevant, however, as the *Second strike,* Immediately following the moment that the knight's fist struck harsh against the Steel Defender's chest, would no doubt even send such an automata flying. Manifesting in an instant, forcefully, from the knight's fist, was a small roundshield — no greater in size than a buckler, yet intensely reinforced with magical energy nonetheless — exploding with eruptive force forwards, so to massively bolster the overall impact of the silver-clad knight's unarmed strike.** Such a maneuver, enabled by the knight's blessed physiology that could almost be described as a direct upgrade in human evolution, would occur before the Force-Empowered Rend could even manifest itself as a threat. The knight would tear its grabbed arm away and out of the Defender's grip as it was hurled back, leaving it freed once again.

There was no ultimatum to be found here.
_ _

Aside from the fourth shield it temporarily manifested to strike the Defender, there were still three shields, and three shields to both defend with and attack. Tabby's oncoming bolt is blocked *Without the knight even having need to turn and face her;* Each of the shields of the technique *`Eir-Eche-Eikov`* Were effortlessly manipulated with a freeform control that might cause one to believe that the shields were a very part of the silver-clad knight's body. A single shield would be all that would have to be placed between the artificer and her target, **Each of the two bolts clattering off its reinforced surface as though they had struck reinforced steel.**

The knight's crimson eyes set on Cadwynn, progressing further through the hall. Despite Tabby's lack of immediate threat to its own safety, her presence as a significant delay and hindrance toward any form of action taken against the fourth intruder would be the most pressing.. A ranged-user such as herself would find herself in a natural state of advantage if it retreated — and so, it would eliminate her as a threat before intercepting Cadwynn. His approach toward the altar was slow and apparently hindered, and, with all things considered, she was the greatest obtrusion toward its defense of the hall.
_ _

Withdrawing its extended fist used to forcefully strike the Defender away from itself, the knight broke from its fraction-of-a-moment rationalizing, turning to fully view Tabby and the Guardian before itself. Sheathed, silver blade firmly in its right hand, it directed the blade to its vanguard, and with a wordless command of its mind, the two shields hovering about its neck, as well as the single shield used to block Tabby's bolt, snap to its direct control. **Thrusting forth, they travel at a rather hastened pace of 85 km/h**, each traveling at separate, outwards trajectories that curved about and around the Guardian, before **Honing in on Tabby, drawing close to strike her from her left and right flanks, with the third and final shield descending from a downwards-curving forwards angle.** Each would impact with hefty force, enough to knock her straight to the ground.

The knight, simultaneous to its barrage, slid its thumb against the sheath of its blade, partially unfastening the white-leather holster that clung to the silver straightsword within its right hand. As the shields curved around the Guardian, it swung the sword forcefully at the air before it, and, of course, being at such distances that such a swing would pose no threat whatsoever to the Guardian, it missed entirely. However, the swing would **Release the sheathe from the blade, sending it hurtling toward the Guardian.** Such a direct attack would not harm it in the slightest; yet, the knight's weak and indirect attack was merely an opener. 
_ _

As the sheath flew forth, the knight took an empowered, single stride forwards, bursting in a direct trajectory of speed toward the Guardian, its posture shifting into an impossibly-low stance. Near-instantaneously closing the distance, and at the apex of the step-dash, the knight released an intense upwards slash whose momentum was borrowed from its stride, directed to originate in its slicing motion around the Guardian's lower-right foot while not actually touching it. The whole of the unsheathed silver blade blurred by the sheer speed of its attack, the slash would travel at a steep angle upwards and towards the Guardian's left, aimed to actually **Impact at about its lower-right abdomen and terminate directly at its chin,** Backed with such force that it created a tangible vacuum in the wake of its arm and a following burst of wind that succeeded the flurryingly-fast dash. The Guardian, being made of metal as it was, were it to be hit, would likely not be sliced in half by such an attack, but would nonetheless have its exterior shell gashed, and have the whole of the slash's momentum imparted into its body. To say that the shockwave brought about by the sheer speed of the attack would be enough to knock the automata over would be an exaggeration, but the energy brought about by the gale of wind that suddenly billowed forth would, indeed, be enough to stagger it and push it back.
_ _

To counteract the downtime brought about by its shift in balance downwards and forwards, the knight would, in its brief moment of recovery from the upwards slash, perform an action which did not require the direct motion of its body, and yet would pose a sizable threat nonetheless. Swinging or dodging further from the stance that the upwards slice put it in would likely be impossible — thus, as it began to steady itself and its balance upwards, the knight whispered the single word of an incantation, its blade glittering with the origin of a tremendous magical presence—

```diff
- ☀ "𝑶𝑬𝒁𝑼𝑬𝑲." ☀ -```

*—A potent, crimson-red flame engulfed its silver blade, tangibly warming the air in the direct proximity of the silver-clad knight.*
The crimson flame of *`Disparity`* Flickered forth from the form of the pristine silver metal, erupting forth with a chaotic ferocity that even the knight, itself, could not tame. The flame of *`Oezuek`* Embered from the knight's blade as it solidified its stance, serving as, in its all-burning and uncontrolled nature, itself a threat, merely by *Existing.*
_ _

As the knight finally stood upright from its incredibly lowered stance brought about by its explosive step-dash forwards, it wielded the blade engulfed with the flame of Disparity's terrible ferocity in a stance that emanated pure *Hostility,* Its eyes losing their former, faint glitter of gold, as they locked upon the two before it with naught but the crystalline crimson that matched *`Oezuek's`* Fury. Unconsciously, it paced the fourth intruder's progression through the hall within the back of its mind. Ready to attack, yet wavering for only a moment, it prepared itself to follow up on the offensive. *In the following moments, it would end combat within a single instant, for, if it desired to protect the sanctity of the Hall, it had no other choice.* Lest she retreat here and now, it would have to bring the flame-imbued blade down on her neck.

***It would not spare Tabby's life twice.***
William
Both the punch from the knight, and the Defender's rend connect at the same time, dulling the blow, but none the less hitting the target. The Defender, at the last second, switches its stance into something more defensive, bringing its hands up to block the incoming secondary strike and nullify a bit of the force behind it, causing the Defender to skid back more than a few feet.

However, it does not retaliate, instead remaining in a shielded position to prevent further damage. 

Tabby, seeing the shields drift around her Guardian, immediately rolls backwards. Despite her leg being damaged, she manages to pull this off; gritting her teeth and sucking air through them as her foot touches the ground, sending a jolt of pain through her paws and up her leg. She continues to carry her crossbow, yet does not use it. It seems that for this round, she has other ideas on what to do.

The Guardian is entirely unaffected by the sheathe being flung at it — as to be expected from something so unflinching & built-up. As the knight lowers to the ground, a flare of abjuration courses through the construct as it simply steps backwards, the wind indeed affecting it a fair amount. No matter. The Guardian, being far enough away to avoid the upwards slash of wind, is not sent flying, but instead pushed back. It lurches forward, readying a countering blow before... Giving up on the idea and taking a defensive stance like that of the Defender; the magic flowing through to the cat who found herself close-enough nearby. It crosses its arms in an upwards-facing cross, fists very much still at the ready should another attack come its way, unlike the Defender; who positions its arms far too wide of an angle to make much of a counterattack. Although they ultimately bow to the same master, the Guardian does have its own agenda to fulfill, and does not respond to every beck & call made by the artificer.

_ _
The Defender, while in its protective posture, closes its fist around the clock, closing it shut with a soft *Pluph!*
John
In that moment, both the *Silent Image* Illusion, and Cadwynn himself, are immediately whirlpooled back in, causing another frightening frantic of voices to swirl, ultimately peaking and swiftly dying down as the last of the goop is reabsorbed. The machinations of the watch cause one small *Tick!* To be made; the first in a long, long time. And although it moves up by one second, it does not continue on.
William
The spell from before manifests, as Tabby too makes a defensive stand. (Figuratively, not literally.) She begins to speak, before lowering her crossbow to her side, silently and letting out a weak groan as her head lolls back a moment, letting out a gasp before finally regaining control.

She casts *Thaumaturgy* Yet again as the flame of *Disparity* Comes into play, her voice exploding outwards; amplified by the small speakers that pop out from her armor. 

**"FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, I'M NOT TRYING TO FIGHT YOU, YOU FUCKING MORON."** Although dazed, it's still enough to catch someone attention. She quickly dispels the cantrip, taking a few ragged breaths. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've attacked first. I came here to take the fucking goop out before things went bad, you crazy bitch." She readies her crossbow should the knight approach, yet does not shoot any bolt, nor any magic.
James
The shields, upon missing Tabby, would clatter against the ground just ahead of her, before rapidly dissipating into nothingness, returning to their initial, orbital positions about the silver-clad knight's neck. They had missed their target, but had performed their intended task of interrupting any potential further attack from the artificer — which would be, of course, irrelevant, due to the words to follow.

The silver-clad knight stood reaffirmed in its upwards stance, its flame-imbued sword brandished in a stance that reflected a wrath which was not the knight's own; it held the sword with the *Raw strength* That it had once seen a former comrade demonstrate, yet still maintaining the lifeless, pure, 'weaponized' nature of its latter teacher's swordsmanship — its nameless Lord, and the one responsible for creating the Hall of the Altar. The blade held high in a guardless stance at its side, it seemed to prepare for attack, the hostility welling within its body tangibly overflowing into the atmosphere about itself. However, within the moment of Tabby's words, it glanced briefly over its shoulder, and saw the recession of the fourth intruder.
_ _

...Its hostility, in that moment, is snuffed, alongside the flame of *`Oezuek.`* The crimson manas that erupted from the edge of the pristine silver blade flickered and waned into nothingness, as the knight slowly lowered the sword to its side, its posture and gaze easing. Once the fourth intruder's progression was removed from the equation, it, truly, had no further reason to continue assailing Tabby with such virulent intent. Her former warnings and explanations had gone entirely ignored up until this point, but it seemed, finally, with Cadwynn removed, that it would heed her statement.

*`"...I see."`*

The knight's crimson eyes weakly squint at the intruder before itself, and it gave a slow, enervated sigh, lightly bowing its head as if to suggest a half-hearted apology. Without further a word, it twirled the handle of its silver blade, guiding it to be sheathed within the grip of its armored left palm. Disarming its hostile intent, the three shields that hovered like the petals of a trillium in orbit about its upper body withdrew in strength, their golden, translucent figures fading into nothingness as it released each manifestation of *`Veie Ezuek.`*

*`"I am driven by duty to my oath to remove all those who would intrude on the Hall of the Altar."`*
*`"Perhaps this duty has driven me to act too rashly."`*

...So the silver-clad knight spoke, slowly reaching into the small gap of her visor, lightly rubbing her fingertips against the surface of her closed eyes. She adjusted her helm, a single lock of her red hair descending below her brow, which she swiftly pushed aside, taking a soft stride forward.
_ _

The knight would progress close to the Guardian, yet did not possess any sort of intent to actually attack it. As if in slight remorse, the knight slowly retrieved the discarded, white-leather sheath, which it had earlier utilized as a projectile, fastening it back at its side.

*`"...I am"`* 
*`"Sorry."`*

There was a gentler tone in her speech, and one with a slight rasp to it, as she turned slowly on her heel, pacing away from Tabby and her automata, and back toward the altar at the opposite end of the hall.
William
The cat exhales and attempts to stand up — forgetting once more that her foot is injured, which causes her to stumble and fall to her knees, prompting the Defender to walk over and pick her up, placing her back onto its shoulders. If she can't really move on her own, that would cause an extreme issue should something jump out and attack, nevermind the fact that she has expended all spell slots available. Although her infusions are strong, they are not powerful to end every situation on their own.

Watching the knight walk away, the Defender's internal gears begin to shift, deploying small pushes to reset its damaged shoulder back to its original position.

The Guardian flares with *Abjuration* As it too, rids itself of damage taken during the scuffle, both taking *Repair* Actions. Tabby, being human, is unable to take such an action to repair her foot, obviously. Fucking loser.

With that out of the way, the cat simply bows her head to the warrior, not saying anything either out of frustration, or worry that it would end poorly. With that out of the way, they exit the hall and, more importantly, the church as a whole on their way back to  .
Robert
Billowing past him, an air projected by nothing more than the change in pressure between the room before and the room beyond the stone doors, carrying upon it an intense and imposing presence. The air is infused with a hallow energy, so densely so that its sheer level of clarity rings with a quiet, crystalline resonance within the ears. Briefly blinded by the sudden onset of a great, crimson light, Gaige would feel the very essence of the world changing around him, what stillness and quietude the church once afforded now overwhelmed with the passionate zeal of dominating, crimson-red sunlight. 

**```
☀ 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐌... ☀```**

***Gaige had found himself immersed in the territory of the divine.***

As the hero's eyes lifted, adjusting to the new level of light, he sees what appears to be the glare of many stars above him, bound to the form of the ceiling hung high, high over his head. Hundreds-upon-hundreds of magical carvings were spread isometrically over the surface of the ceiling, each almost burning with the same, miraculous, magical nature withwhich they were infused, cascading a warmth and burden like that imposed upon one by a dying star. It was almost eerie, peering into a source of such absolute purity; the light falling upon felt as though it was weighing him down. Its nature brought ab out a resonance with the essence of a particular `Solar Miracle` engraved within his very soul. *Purity. Disparity. Individuality. Like that of the **Sun that Purifies**.*
_ _

Separated by about five-meters' distance, two walls laid on either side of Gaige, perfectly straight, and construed of a rough, pure-white stone, extending over thirty meters to the opposite end of the room, where lies the object of his search: **A large, cylindrical altar.** It, too, was constructed of the same white stone as the room it was in, though it was accented by stripes of silver, and its lower-body was reinforced with a golden-brass-like metal.

But, perhaps more definingly than all,
Would be the imposing presence of a *Knight,* Clad in silver, bowed at the foot of the Altar.
James
*`"You,"`*
*`"Who dare approach the Altar..."`*

The knight takes a deep breath, as it begins to stand. Upright, its silhouette forms an imposing image — it was revealed to be over a head taller than Gaige, its silvery armor reflecting the tinges of crimson red that defined the surrounding room. In its left hand, gripped between its armored fingers, was a silver longsword with a great reach only befitting of a warrior of such a stature; and upon its back rested a sword, sealed in an ornamental holster. 

It slowly turned to face the intruder, and its armor clattered as it began a slow approach toward him. Each step was slow, yet with intent; a great deal of weight lingered within each, as though some great burden rested upon its gait. Starting at the exact opposite end of the hall, it halted as it reached about the halfway point, changing its grip on the silvery-white longsword wielded within its left hand, swinging the instrument with such tremendous force that Gaige could feel the shockwave of its motion from where he stood, almost fifteen meters away. *A warning.*

__***`"Turn back."`***__

It did not move from its position, merely guarding the way forward from where it stood.
Amy
"Hey, is that the altar?"

Gaige's eyes immediately fixated to the looming figure of the knight that stood between him and his objective. He had succeeded in his goal, the altar being just ahead of him; the knight did not seem too fond of his presence however, ordering him to turn back. Of course—turning back was not an option in Gaige's mind. The hero took a few more steps forward, still maintaining a great distance between him and the knight—attempting to relay a message of defiance.

Gaige's head leaned to the left, looking slightly past the Silver Knight at the altar, "Not the best way to greet someone... I think I deserve to know who you are at least. Are you a Knight of Sol?" Gaige questioned the knight's affiliation, no longer approaching any closer, "I'm only interested in learning more about your magicks. I was led here by a woman named Okot; she said to seek out an altar if I wanted to continue my learning. I assume that's the one in question?" He referred to the altar that the knight was guarding, motioning towards it.

"No matter my reasons, I don't mean any harm to you or your order; I only wish to take a gander at the altar," Gaige took one more step forward, attempting to sway the knight to let him by—or at the very least, talk to him. The two were still a distance of ten meters from each other, Gaige wishing to stay out of their range until confirming their intentions. If it had to come down to a fight though... It was one he'd take.
James
*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

The moment it had ascertained that Gaige did not to leave — his determination communicated clearly as he took three steps forward — the silver knight prepared for combat, its free right hand shifting as it incanted the miracle, *`Solar Bulwark.`* A gleaming, light-gold manifestation of miraculous energy formed at its fingertips, a kite-shield-style bulwark forming mere centimeters from its hand. The shield suspended weightlessly, hovering at a fixed distance close to his side, it began to closer approach Gaige, the distance between the two now closing quickly.

It offered him little in terms of a response as it stepped forward, adamantly, Duty pushed it forward as much as it pushed it down, each step slow, deliberated — almost languished — and yet incredibly weighty; intentful.

*`"I am a knight without order,"`*
*`"Sworn by oath, to forbid the unworthy an approach to the Altar"`*
*`"So to safeguard its purity.`*

Answering simply, the silver knight continued in its progression forward. Golden light glittered from beyond its visor, its irises aglow with the same gilded mana that defined the structure of its bulwark. The shield at its side begins to shift, the knight offering no answer to his questio—



_ _

**```"I was led here by a woman named Okot"```**

...It halted in its advance forward.





*`"..."`*
***`"I do not know that name."`***





A long moment of hesitation preceded and proceeded the hero's mentioning of that name. The glint of gold past the knight's visor quieted, fizzling from a gleaming light into a subtle, ethereal glow, and its fist seemed to furl, lightly, before it released yet another great and languished breath.

And, yet...
***Step.***
It continued forward.

***`"Turn back."`***
Amy
The hero maintained his position as the knight began to close the distance, unphased by their intensity. He had discerned this knight was likely not one of Sol, but they _did_ say they were oathbound. Gaige's attempts at diplomacy seemed to be for naught, but to his surprise, the knight halted at the mention of Okot's name. Unfortunately, it was short-lived—the knight continuing their advance post-haste. Though, they no doubt had some knowledge of who Okot was despite their denial; he had surmised this via their reaction from the mention of her name.

"...Is that so?" Spoke Gaige, enunciating the first word. Gaige's face straightened as he held his right hand outward from him.

_`"Okaarum."`_

The enormous pillar of bone manifested below his hand, the hero lifting it with ease over his shoulder. He readied himself for combat, but did not make any movements toward the knight, "You sure about this...? Despite what you say, you know who Okot is—why not enlighten me on what you know? I'm willing to have a chat. Maybe over some tea?" Gaige made one more attempt to disengage the imminent battle.

_`"Veie Ezuek."`_

Gaige recited the same vow, an effulgent, solar shield forming around two meters in front of the hero—the knight's path being obstructed. It would appear he had no intention of turning back.
James
Further attempts at diplomacy did not slow the knight's approach nor change its disposition toward the intruder. From the moment of its deep breath onward, it seemed to have determined something, marching forward, steadily, toward Gaige. His further attempt to invoke the name Okot only subtly caused its grip on its sword to tighten, though it did not bring about a greater change of its stance overall; it remained upright, its sword ready at its side, and its shield hovering, hovering some distance from its forearm. 

One might say that it reacted with some surprise when it saw Gaige incant the miracle *`Veie Ezuek`*, and yet no discernable change of its expression could be seen. The silver helm upon its head and its thin visor hid away all but the subtle gleam of its eyes, its appearance veiled behind the cold visage of its silver armor.

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

As though matching the hero's own usage of the spell, the knight incanted it once more. Another shield appeared at their left, hovering opposite the first.

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

It grew closer, now about only five meters from Gaige and two meters from his shield. A third shield appeared ahead of the knight, the bulwark almost pressed against the intruder's own.

*`"...I am oathbound to reject you."`*

_ _
With a simple motion of its hand, it began its assault. Its free right hand extended forward as the shield immediately ahead of it began to press strongly against Gaige's own — **Threatening to dislodge it and force it back into him if he did not maintain strong focus on sustaining its current position** — while simultaneously launching the leftmost of its shields at about **85 km/h** Around the clashing central shields, immediately shifting directions once it would do so, **Hurtling toward Gaige's center mass from his right.**

The third of its shields remained hovering at its right hand; each shield measured about 1.5 meters in width and 2 meters in height, and were created of such a potent miraculous vigor that they seemed practically unbreakable. However, a direct hit from *Okaarum* Could well knock one off-course.
Amy
He witnessed the knight's silent approach, them castinv Veie Ezuek twice more. The Silver Knight's usage of Veie Ezuek was an application of the incant that he did not know was possible; he had only ever been able to produce a singular shield, never multiple. Gaige's right foot slid back as he prepared for a fight against the galliant knight, his eyes staring directly into their visor.

"...That is unfortunate," Gaige temporarily strengthened his hold on _Veie Ezuek_, the shield clashing with the knight's own. The hero swiftly backed away from the two shields, forming a distance of around four meters. The hero's shield was capable of contending with the knight's with his increased focus, but this was still a disadvantageous situation; it was clear the armored warrior was much more experienced with the spell, needing no where near as much focus to maintain the shields. He'd need to switch up his strategy—and soon. Luckily for him, an opportunity had been created by the knight shortly after he backed away.

His gaze snapped to the second shield which wrapped around amidst the two clashing. Gaige turned to face it, readying Okaarum as it approached. With a weighty swing, the 1000 kilogram dragonbone was sent crashing into the oncoming shield from its left side, sending it greatly off-course—so much so that it was sent directly into the clashing shields. Gaige had hoped to destroy all three shields—including his own—with this action, thinking that the strength of one of the knight's own shields would be enough to break or at least damage one another. Though, he would make no follow up maneuvers afterwards, simply maintaining his distance. He needed to analyze his opponent in greater detail. Could they use the incant more? How many could they call upon at once? The hero intended to keep his distance until figuring these questions out.
James
The shield struck immediately rebounds as the dragonbone makes contact against its form. While such a momentous impact would likely shatter most shields of mundane construction instantaneously — even *Steel* — it seemingly had no effect on the overall cogency of the bulwark fashioned by such potent miraculous vitality. Still, despite its transcendent durability, the shield was still launched at high-speeds into the other two shields. 

Plowing through Gaige's own shield and shattering it swiftly, the bulwark almost immediately began to decelerate following the impact, as an opposite impulse was imposed upon it by the silver knight, whose hand was quickly outstretched in response to the hero's parry — almost with supernatural speed. Indeed, the knight did seem supernatural, as further proven by its following action: a potent, golden glow flickered in brilliant light at its fingertips, as it **Reinforced the frontmost barrier.** Gaige's barrier would be shattered easily; the knight's, however, would not.

***A brilliant coruscation erupted as the two shields made impact.*** Despite how much the knight's own efforts and the destruction of Gaige's own barrier had slowed down the instance of the *`Solar Bulwark,`* It still continued strong, impacting with tremendous force against its counterpart. An energetic shrill broke the atmosphere upon the two's impact — not quite deafening, but indeed startling — as golden light slams against golden light.

***`TAP`*** 
_ _

But the knight was not deterred. Neither by the tremendous light nor the irritating sound. Immediately following the two's impact, the knight took control of the situation by **Instantaneously desummoning both shields**, charging forth with startling speeds in the short pause following their absence. **Two steps forward, and the knight had already about cleared the initial distance between itself and Gaige**.

Its right arm comes in, the shield hovering close to it now volleying forth as it approached point-blank, immediately threatening to strike Gaige in the abdomen and send him hurtling backward.
Amy
"For real...?" Gaige watched as the two shields collided, his own shattering immediately whilst the knight's both stood—damaged, but still standing. He was almost certain that the impact would take out all three due to the sheer speed of the second shield. Though, it wasn't something he hadn't accounted for. After all, he was still testing the waters. He was surprised by the knight's quick thinking to reduce the speed of their own shield, but even more so by their next decision to **Desummon** Both of them. His eyebrows furrowed as he was met with the knight's alacritous advance. Gaige was able to react—barely—to the knight's approach, focusing on the shield they were preparing to strike into him.

_Maybe some offense wouldn't hurt..._

Gaige went back on his initial plan, taking this opportunity to land a likely surprising maneuver. The knight would no doubt be able to discern the incredibly weighty nature of Gaige's weapon—it easily deflecting their shield. What they wouldn't expect would be the hero's mobility with the weapon despite its immense weight. 

With little warning, Gaige ***Instantly*** Went into a slide without any prior momentum.

***Telekinesis***

He had utilized telekinesis on himself in order to gain momentum from seemingly out of no where. Even more surprisingly, Gaige was not in any form of recovery from his weighty swing of Okaarum, easily maneuvering the bone into yet another preparatory strike as he slid beneath the shield. By utilizing a mixture of his own prowess and telekinesis, one end of Okaarum was now within the palm of his right hand—his arm cocked back. With torrential speed, the dragonbone was sent directly into the chest of the extended knight in an upwards thrust. Taking this blow would likely send the knight flying back into the air, the weighty Okaarum being backed by Gaige's telekinetically enhanced strength.
James
The interchange took course within a time that surpassed human reactions. The bulwark soared forward with incredible speed — almost impossible for any mere human to react to at point-blank — and yet was dodged with such haste that exceeded the attack's own. The silver knight's golden-glimmering eyes did not immediately follow Gaige as he tucked low, and had only just begun to move once he was projectile forth in his slide. He was generating force independent of context; the hero defied logic, and thusly it defied the following of the knight's gaze.

An absence of impact, however, was enough to grant an immediate reaction to the knight. While, in the milliseconds-short period that Gaige crossed beneath its line-of-sight, it was unaware exactly of his current positioning, the mere fact that it had not hit him was enough for it to reach the instantaneous realization that he had dodged. And following every dodge is typically—


—a counter-attack.

Incredible reactions; spatial awareness; intuition; experience. Each of these things contributed toward the knight's surmising of the angle of Gaige's incoming attack, and, alongside a great deal of pure combatative instinct, allowed it to block. Its left hand curled inward, the tip of its blade pointed downward, as its right arm tucked in — its elbow pressing against the flat of the blade. Both were positioned such to support the silver longsword as it crossed between the weapon of dragonbone and the knight's own chest, preventing a direct impact...
_ _

...Or such had it planned.
The weight and speed of **`Okaarum`** Pressed harshly against the knight's own strength — of which, in the moment, it was not using its fullest — quickly overpowering its guard as it was unprepared for the uncharacteristic weight of the enchanted weapon. The blocking-stance thus compresses inward, the flat of the sword pressing with great force against the knight's own breastplate, as it is then immediately sent hurtling up and backward. It had afforded itself a layer of separation between the attack and its own body, but did not parry it outright as it had intended.

The knight flips backward through the air, launched, but not without control over its own body. It controls the force of the recoil, and, not gravely or even noticeably injured by the attack, extended its right arm to its side, incanting almost immediately after it was launched:

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

A shield was formed behind itself, and the reason for its backward flip was revealed: it was positioning its legs such that it could land on the **Airborne roundshield** It immediately formed with the solar miracle. As its legs curl in — gravity still not yet pulling down on it due to the momentum it was imparted, its stature now angled parallel to the ground — it furled its open right hand, golden light shimmering off its fingertips.

***`𝑽𝑶𝑶𝑴.`***
_ _

Its own assault had begun.
The shield that was now positioned behind Gaige had already lowered to the ground the moment the knight ascertained where, exactly, Gaige was positioned in relativity to itself, and now with stable footing following its attack, it began an assault of its own. **Almost immediately following its recovery from the recoil, the shield behind Gaige swaps directions, sweeping inward toward his back before returning straight back toward the knight with incredible speed and force.** 

Soon after the results of the counter-assault, the knight would slide off the shield and land upright on the ground, now about five meters from Gaige, its sword firmly in its left hand. It would then strengthen its stature, two-handing the weapon, and lowering into a refined, aggressive stance quite akin to that of the *Pflug* — merely a variant more fitting for one of such great height.
Amy
A smirk came over Gaige's face the moment the knight attempted to block his offense, **`Okaarum`** Overpowering the knight's strength—unexpectedly to their dismay. They were sent flying back into the air, Gaige preparing to press his current advantage. He hadn't yet gauged the damage done to the knight, but perhaps he could end this quicker than expected.

Gaige witnessed as the knight landed atop their own shield, the hero now beginning to recover to his feet from his prone position. No matter—he still had the advantage, the knight was no doubt injured by the blow.

At least it _should've been_ he thought. The hero's smirk disappeared as he felt a gust of air behind him, the shield rapidly speeding up as it swerved back towards him. Gaige swiftly turned to face the shield,—it still being around five meters away from him—the hero jumping into the air towards the shield with a height of two meters. 


_ _
Whilst hovering above the shield, the hero maneuvers into a twirl, violently sending **`Okaarum`** From his hand downward—the pillar of bone crashing into the shield with terrific force during its flight. So much that an almost two meter in diameter crater would be left behind by the sheer impact of the bone. He would thereafter land gracefully with a roll, regaining his posture and facing the knight.

_Interesting stance..._

Gaige eyed the knight's _Pflug-like_ stance. It would seem this knight was no stranger to the blade; of course, Gaige assumed so, the mere presence of them being enough to convince him. 

"You don't _gotta_ act tough, you know?" Gaige smiled as he commented on the knight's disregard of his attack. He was unsure if his attack truly did something or not, but nevertheless, it was simply in his nature to jest during conflict. Gaige made no further actions towards the knight, awaiting their next move, the hero now being a full nine meters away from them.
James
*`"...Strong."`*
The knight murmured, releasing a long, costive exhale as it stabilized itself in its stance opposite Gaige. The small shimmer of its eyes beyond its visor honed, in slight, as it squinted.

***`SHATTER.`***
With resistance, but not with such a violent noise as the earlier impact of shield-against-shield had made, the instance of the solar bulwark crushed beneath the enchanted weapon shattered, glints of gold fulgurating out from underneath the dragonbone, energetic sparks scattering throughout the air like small embers of a roaring flame. The shield was shattered, instantly, in one part due to the sheer gravity of ***`Okaarum`**,* And in another part due to the knight relinquishing their perpetuation of the miracle's strong durability.

*`"..."`*
No response to his jesting...
_ _

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

To replace the shield that the intruder had just destroyed, the knight briefly removed a hand from its firm two-handed grip in the *Pflug* Stance, extending it to its side as it conjured forth another translucent, golden barrier. Its form was that of a kite-shield, tapering small at the bottom, exactly identical to the three it had created earlier; however, it had already demonstrated its capacity to create alternative styles of shields in addition to these, as it had with the large roundshield that continued to persist in the air above itself. The silver knight who stood before Gaige was several times more proficient than him in the usage of the miracle, and a formidable example of its great potential in the hands of a master.

Its grip on its blade is reaffirmed, yet it still maintains conscious control over the positioning of the bulwark it just summoned. The kite-shield hovers ahead of itself, angling backward such that its tapered edge faced the hero, before violently launching forth at high-speed — around **85 km/h** — from a starting distance of about five meters. The knight itself following quickly behind its own projected barrier, it wound its sword back, before bursting into a **Strong left-to-right swing** About at Gaige's upper-chest level. It sought to immediately follow-up after forcing him to react to its weaponized barrier in an attempt to first control the positioning of **`Okaarum`**, searching for a strong follow-up if it could set Gaige on the backfoot.
Amy
_`Okaarum`_ easily shattered the shield as the ground rumbled from its impact, Gaige desummoning the weapon of bone; the weapon would then be called upon once more, reappearing in the hero's hands. Despite having now destroyed one shield and heavily damaged two, the knight continued to call upon more to their side. Just how many could they summon...?

"You aren't so bad yourself," The hero complimented the knight in response to their comment. The dragonbone rested at the man's side as the knight launched the newly formed shield at him. The hero's right foot slid back, the pillar of bone being dragged along. Pressing his might into yet another hefty swing, _`Okaarum`_ was dragged across the stone floor—the ground tearing apart from the mere force—into a savage upward motion, aimed at the shield. Upon colliding, the hero loosed his grip on the pillar, allowing it to follow through as it knocked the shield into the air along with itself. Now unarmed, the knight pressed onward into melee range of the hero, carrying-out their horizontal sweep of the longsword.

Gaige had the fluidity of his every motion in mind however, his right arm now being positioned to draw the broken blade of ***`EZERO`*** From his back. He promptly swung the blade down to his right side, blade pointed down as he strengthened his guard with his left hand.


_ _
Upon connecting, the two swords would clash—Gaige likely being able to match the knight in strength with his telekinetically enhanced physicality. Gaige angled ***`Ezero's`*** Blade away from himself,—his torso leaning to the left—preventing the knight from easily dragging their longsword downward and following through with their sweep. Gaige would take a step inward towards the knight using his left foot.


_ _

The two blades scraped against each other, producing a dreadful sound as sparks fell in the midst. Gaige was now mere inches away from the knight that towered over him, his gaze locking with the knight's visor. The hero's guard was lightly dropped, a steady amount of his focus being dedicated to maintaining the clash—_as well as now telekinetically controlling the airborne `Okaarum`._ 

The dragonbone was sent hurtling down from the air at the knight from a distance of five meters at a speed of around 73 km/h. Not only that, but Gaige's left foot slid forward, the hero entangling his leg with the knight's right. ***He planned to entrap the knight into `Okaarum's` descent.*** The upwards swing, the clash, and the entangling of legs were all part of the risky maneuver. He was well aware of the danger within his plan—as well as the uncertainty—but he desired to force the knight into a disadvantageous battle from the get go. The hero was also cognizant of his proximity to _`Okaarum's`_ descent, but he had planned only to remain in close quarters until the strike was all but guaranteed. In the worst case, the silver knight would face the brunt of the dragonbone so he thought.
James
Gaige had approached a step in, clearing much distance with his single stride in the lingering moment the silver knight's focus was occupied by the rusted blade. And yet, in the moment that the intruder had almost completed the motion...

***`GRIP.`***

It was hard even to *See.* Their arm lifted up from their blade and they shifted inward, using their vastly superior range and their uncanny speed for their size to tuck their arm around the clashing blades, gripping Gaige's arm tightly before he had even fully completed his approach. The knight stepped in as did Gaige, only the two shallow guards of either of their blades preventing a lethal strike by either party. Lurching into a forward lean as they brought their helmed visage startlingly close to the warrior's own, the hero could clearly see the pale-blue hue of the real color of their eyes beyond their visor — their true luster hidden beneath the golden glow of a persisting miracle they upheld — their pale skin, and the strands of red hair loosely surrounding their brow.

 Did you find that blade?"`***
Then, **`Okaarum`** Descended.



The one-ton pillar of dragonbone descends upon the knight, and a great cloud of dust enshrouds the area immediately surrounding both Gaige and the space the knight once occupied, its grip now released from Gaige. There is several moments' pause as the obfuscation clears and its silvery form — or its absence thereof — would be revealed...

***`SHIMMER`***
_ _

**```
"𝑬𝑰𝑲𝑶𝑽."```**

—A brilliant light pierces the cloud as it begins to scatter, and there is revealed the knight, kneeling, **Beneath a 2-meter diameter roundshield, its right hand outstretched above itself.** **`Okaarum`** Was suspended, pressed against its form — descending no further. Even the tremendous force of both the weapon itself and Gaige's telekinetic force could not overpower the sheer durability of the bulwark, though it did seem to place a great burden on the knight; it remained locked where it knelt.

*`"...Perhaps you are the one."`*

`"Eir."`

Two more round shields manifest in an instant, each with half the diameter of the one above the knight, one on either side of its sides.

*`"Eche."`*

They flare brilliantly with golden light, as the knight lifts its gaze to stare at Gaige.

***`"Eikov."`***

Again, it repeated that word of incantation, as its threefold defense was complete. The two shields converged ahead of itself — preventing Gaige from following-up on its locked-down position — as it slowly began to stand, forcibly displacing **`Okaarum`** Some distance back upwards with the combined force of its own, great, supernatural strength, and the impulse it imposed upon the shield above its head. Simultaneously, **Both of the two shields ahead of itself launch forward toward Gaige** At the same high-speeds the kite-shields did earlier. This time, however, it was their flat facing him instead of their edge, and their twofold nature would be leveraged to force him to either dodge wide around them, or to retreat entirely, the latter of which the knight sought to force of him. They would travel a total distance of five meters before halting, mid-air.
Amy
_"Wh...?!"_ Without warning, the knight had also taken a step in just as Gaige did—his arm being locked in a tight grasp, one he had no hope of reacting to. His focus had been dialed in on maintaining his various usages of telekinesis, the knight's blinding speed easily blitzing him. His hazel eyes locked with the knight's pale-blue eyes, widening in surprise at the knight's decision to take a step inward. Even more baffling was their disregard for the ongoing battle, instead questioning Gaige on his possession of _`Ezero.`_

Their question would go unanswered, the knight being crushed by the weight of _`Okaarum`_. Gaige swiftly backed away a full two meters in a singular movement, emerging from the cloud of dust that the dragonbone had created; he was mere inches away from being struck by his own weapon. He stood, mouth slightly agape, watching the cloud of dust for a few moments before returning _`Ezero`_ to his makeshift sheathe upon his back. Had he won...? He truly didn't desire to outright _kill_ the knight, hoping to get a chance to reason with them.

***Golden light perforated from the mass of dust.***

A sharp pain ran throughout the hero's mind, the telekinetically-enhanced _`Okaarum`_ beginning to raise from the dust, a shield of incandescent light overpowering its weight. Gaige's left hand rose to his head, the throbbing pain running all throughout.

***It was nothing.***

_ _
The weight of _`Okaarum`_ increased to greater levels, roughly three tons of force now being applied onto the shield. To the hero's dismay, _it was only enough to equal the output of the unyielding knight._ The hero quickly became incapable of maintaining such a deadlock, the bone beginning to rise yet again.

_`"Eir."`_

His attention snapped back to the knight who had now summoned two shields—one to each of its sides. _`Eche.`_ The knight continued their incantation, Gaige weakening the telekinetic pressure to a greater degree as he prepared to close their distance. His gaze met with the knight's own as he unsheathed _`Ezero`_ once more, still applying pressure to the shield above the knight. _`"Eikov."`_ His plan to rush the knight before its recovery was shut down, the shields moving to block his approach. The two shields then were launched at the hero, their flats blazing towards him.

Gaige deftly reanalyzed the situation, the telekinetic pressure upon _`Okaarum`_ being released as the weapon was desummoned. He then strengthened his own reinforcement in order to escape the five meter range of the two shields, the hero creating now eight meters of space between him and the knight in almost the blink of an eye. The throbbing pain in his head began to subside now that he had forfeited the clash between the dragonbone and the knight's shield. 

"...As I said—not so bad yourself," Repeated the hero in a quieted tone, acknowledging the knight's strength. He reminisced back to the knight's question regarding _`Ezero`_, now having an opportunity to respond, "I'll gladly answer your questions if you agree to put all this to rest. I think we can still reach _some_ form of understanding, right? What do you say, huh?" Gaige offered a draw to their duel, willing to enlighten the knight with his journey throughout the Vektet in exchange for an opportunity to simply _talk_. The hero maintained his distance, awaiting an answer from the knight as they recovered from the
James
As **`Okaarum`** Relented, the knight stood fully upright. The miraculous energy at its fingertips flickered, the extreme vitality fluxing through the bulwark fading in the moment that the intruder shifted his attention away from maintaining his attack and back toward his own retreat, swinging its arm to its side — the shield following, as though bound to a position in relation to its hand — as the enchanted weapon dissipated. It took two slow paces forward toward Gaige as he was pushed back toward the entry of the hall by its two oncoming shields, forming the extra distance between the intruder and the altar as the guardian so desired. Three total shields under its control (the barrier it had earlier landed on having disappeared when it chanted) and two standing firmly between itself and him, it gazed forward toward Gaige, moving no further, as it had practically forced him back to the entry of the hall.

*`"..."`*
_ _

Initially, there was no response, and one might think that the knight was simply again going to ignore Gaige. Yet, its gold-lit gaze shifting across the room — scanning over Gaige, then back up to the doors behind him, and then around its shoulder, behind itself — it bowed its head lightly, closing its eyes. A sense of enervation defined its posture as it slowly changed its grip upon the silver sword in its left hand, holding it by around midway along the blade's length, its armored hand serving as a sort of sheathe.

It sighed.

*`"No matter what you offer me, I will not let you continue any further."`*
*`"You will leave, or I will forcibly remove you from this sanctified hall."`*
*`"There is no other way."`*

Despite what it had said, it was not attacking Gaige further, nor pursuing any greater offensive. He was distanced from the Altar and close to the door, and that alone was good enough to fulfill its duty. As long as he did not approach the Altar, it had no reason to attack.

*`"That blade,"`* It commented. 
*`"It does not belong to you."`*
*`"If you are its fitting wielder, you will slay me here."`*

***`"...Kill me,"`***
***`"And prove yourself to worthy to approach the Altar."`***

It was a statement and a request.
Amy
The hero straightened himself, rubbing his left hand against his head as he sheathed _`Ezero`_ with his right. He let out a deep sigh of his own, the weapon of bone once more appearing by his side as he lifted it to his shoulder. It would appear that—yet again—his attempts at diplomacy were for naught, the knight possessing an indomitable resolve. He recalled his first meeting with _`Kaaze`_, the Knight of Sol; he too was unwilling to listen to the hero. His gaze lifted from the floor, now staring at the warrior who opposed him. The hero steeled himself once more, taking a singular step forward towards the knight.

_"Leaving isn't something I'm willing to do,"_ he defied the knight's initial statement for him to abscond from the Altar. His left foot moved in front of his right, another step being taken.

_`"...Kill me,"`_

The words of the knight went through his mind, Gaige resolute in his decision.

***"I suppose there's nothing more to say then."***

Gaige's right arm cocked back, _`Okaarum`_ falling horizontally into position at the base of his palm. With a hearty grunt, the hero's arm pressed forward with immense ferocity.


_ _
The weapon of bone was fired from the hero's body as if it were a railgun, the pillar hitting a top speed of **112 km/h**. Its trajectory was aimed directly between the two effulgent shields that guarded the knight. By aiming in-between the two shields, the hero intended for the dragonbone to displace them by impacting away from their center of mass. In an ideal world, _`Okaarum`_ would overpower the shields, continuing its devastating path toward the knight whilst opening up a gap in the knight's defensive wall.

_ _
If true, the hero would follow through with his full plan—rushing in between the displaced shields at a speed of **97 km/h**, tracing _`Okaarum's`_ path. Having seen the knight's reactions first hand, he suspected they would make an attempt at avoiding the pillar; the hero decided to reveal yet another card within his deck.


_ _
The hero called the chaotic flame to his side, it consuming his right arm whole. He would follow up on the dragonbone, skidding to a halt in front of the knight as he raised his right arm up to its chest, his left hand grasping the interior of his flame-imbued elbow. _`Oezuek`_ was a vow for imbuing objects or yourself with flames, but the hero had a more... _chaotic_ use for it. Gaige put forth an immense amount of mana behind the incantation, flames cackling in his palm as he attempted to release a point-blank detonation of fire in front of him. He planned to use the detonation as a way to cover any form of dodge or maneuver to avoid the barreling pillar of bone. Of course, using _`Oezuek`_ in such a way no doubt posed risk to the hero himself; he was prepared to be met with backlash from the spell.
James
The knight swung its arm inward. In quick succession, the singular greater roundshield, closest to its body, shifted to its vanguard as Gaige prepared his attack. It sensed the change in atmosphere — the density of the arcana behind Gaige's telekinesis — and, in turn, reciprocated in defense what strength Gaige threatened in offense. The threefold barrier of *`Eir-Eche-Eikov`* Each stood strong in sequence between the guardian and the intruder.

**First impact.**
It clove the two shields asunder, despite the increased force withwhich the silver knight maintained their emplacement. Shattering at their edges, cracks run along the cusp of both shields, golden, miraculous energy fragmenting off their broken forms.

 **Second impact.**
The bone crashes against the knight's vanguard. Thunder deafens the room as the surface of the shield explodes into incandescent light, scintillations of miraculous energy breaking into a turbulent flux around the knight's arm, fingers, and shield together, its prayer channeled into the energy that upheld the bulwark. Blinding light envelopes **`Okaarum`** And the knight, the *`Solar Aegis`* Rejecting the forwards push of the projectiled weapon with a deafening, celestial scream.

 The durability of the shield is utterly unmatched. Not a single crack forms upon its surface as its vitality is maintained perfectly amidst the thunderous clash, its form replete with such dense stellar energy that it took on a fulgent opacity. The silhouette of the silver knight disappears behind the solid barrier of light **`Okaarum`** Began to push forward, forcefully displacing both due to the sheer weight behind its telekinetically-propelled charge forward. Initially holding ground, the knight is quickly displaced over four meters backward by the weight of the assault, its legs skidding as it leaned in, pressing with the whole of its weight forward.
_ _

*`...Now.`*

Following the impossible force of the initial impact, the knight began to shift its weight to the side. The moment the oncoming telekinetic assault would whether whatsoever would be the same moment that the knight clutched its outstretched hand, desummoning the bulwark as it allowed the pillar of bone to soar past its defense, tucking to its left to dodge the head-on force of the enchanted weapon.

Gaige, however, would follow soon behind.

Unseen behind both the pillar of bone and the conflagration of light, the hero was already point-blank with the knight by the time it had lowere the shield. A familiar, crimson light fills its gaze as he incants **`OEZUEK,`** Its right arm lifting immediately in response to form a guard infront of its head. Chaotic, all-disparate energy simmers from small sparkles into brilliant crimson combustion, burning hot and tarnishing the untarnished armor of the knight. Quite simply like a bomb, the manifestation of **`Oezuek`** Forcefully displaces the knight even further backward — and potentially Gaige himself — but does not knock it off its feet; it slid and staggered several steps backward, yet caught itself on its backfoot.

The smoke began to clear as it lowered its guarding arm, scorchmarks running along both the gauntlet it used to block as well as its upper breastplate. 
Yet the extent of damage... Is unknown. It seems to take a moment to recover and does not begin an assault immediately, taking a single, long breath that was audible despite its distance.
Amy
The explosion of flame was unleashed before Gaige, sending him skidding back across the stone floor as he violently swung his right arm—the flames of _`OEZUEUK`_ extinguishing; embers still fell from the hero's cloak as he steadied himself. Luckily for the hero, his usage of the vow on himself had protected him from the brunt of the blast—not to mention his oft use of it from his time in the forest. Dust and lingering flames obscured the hero's view of the knight as he waited with bated breath for the results of his onslaught. To his dismay, the knight still stood behind the dust, standing tall; it would seem his assault had not met his expectations.

"Seriously...?" Gaige—now six meters away from the knight—spoke, mouth slightly agape as his eyes scanned the knight's armor. Scorch marks covered the armor, yet the knight themself did not perturbed in the slightest. That was until the hero could hear the sound of the knight's breath, giving a slight smirk. "Tiring isn't it?" Gaige taunted the knight yet again; since the battle had begun, Gaige hadn't yet been damaged by them and had landed numerous blows. While it was hard to tell if the hero had done anything notable to the knight, one thing was certain to him: **The knight's defense wouldn't hold forever.**

_`Okaarum`_ was recalled to him, Gaige preparing once more to rush down the knight. It was clear they were becoming tired and on top of that, two of their shields had been broken whilst one was desummoned. With a speed of **109 km/h**, the hero continued his offense as he closed the distance between the two once more. _`Okaarum`_ was removed from its resting place upon his shoulder, the hero grasping it with both hands as he unleashed a devastating **Right to left swing** Of the dragonbone, aimed at the knight's abdomen.
James
The guardian, seeing Gaige distanced, began to slowly reach for the sword within the ornamental holster on its back. Deliberating deeply, its free right hand slowly raises, fingers unfurling, as it began to outstretch toward the handle of the blade, a thin, auric presence thinly crackling between its palm and the weapon as the former grew closer to the latter. Like small sparks of flame, a strangely-familiar mana that glowed with the warmth of a golden star began to shimmer, the air around the silver knight beginning to hum...

*`...No.`*
*`Not yet.`*

...Yet the knight seemed to change its mind, furling its open hand into a fist just short of actually grabbing the blade. The auric energy, in turn, flickers out of existence. Its arm lowered to its side and it squinted at the intruder, twisting its simple silver longsword in its left hand as it shifted into another traditional longsword stance — this time, a modified *Alber.* It wielded the blade one-handed, its other extended out at its side as it prepared for his approach.

*`Overwhelming force.`*
*`And diverse miracles.`*

The golden light projected by its glare honed upon Gaige in a squint. Upon the form of the hero, it projected the image of two other warriors it had fought in the past. First he became a great, tall, golden-brass-clad warrior, an incredibly-long and terrifyingly-heavy halberd taking the place of *`Okaarum.`* *Overwhelming force.* Then he became a simple, silver-clad knight — much like herself — who fluently wielded four miraculous incantations, a mingled crimson-and-gold star taking the place of his use of *`Oezuek.`* *Diverse miracles.*

The formative remembrances of two incredible warriors granted it guidance in the face of a new adversary.

*`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎"`*

Its hand remained at its side, the hero now close in his approach with itself. Miraculous energy gathered at its fingertips, yet a barrier had not yet formed.

*`"𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔."`*

_ _
Just before Gaige crossed into proper measure to attack, a full-body-sized scutum-style shield would manifest between itself and Gaige, preventing him from reaching the guardian with an attack utilizing *`Okaarum,`* Despite its great reach. The speed withwhich it was manifested was nearly-instantaneous, purposefully timed such that it would manifest immediately infront of him, forcing him to change directions in an instant or to impact the shield with his body head-on, the latter of which it could, remarkably, sustain, despite the momentum of his approach.

With the intent of stopping him in his tracks just ahead of the shield, the knight would begin a counter-offensive quickly after summoning the barrier, taking a powerful stride in and using its momentum to fuel the might of a full-force forward kick into the back of its own shield, simultaneously applying a strong forwards impulse to the bulwark with its freeform control over the miracle. The combined weight of the two actions would launch the shield with great power straight forward — impacting Gaige if he did not immediately tuck around it (or if he failed to stop in time to begin with) — with such force that it would carry him backward almost the entire distance of the hall.

Whether the impact was successful or not, the knight would immediately incant *`"𝚅𝚎𝚒𝚎 𝙴𝚣𝚞𝚎𝚔"`* Once more: where it would create the barrier would depend on what Gaige would do in response to the initial bulwark's summoning, as well as its own ability to follow-up on Gaige's reactions. If Gaige was struck by the shield, it would immediately react by **Creating a 2-meter wide rectangular barrier five meters behind him**, effectively crushing him between the two shields; if he dodged within such a time reasonable for it to react to, it would simply create a defensive, small roundshield, about the size of a buckler, that would hover a short distance from its right hand.
Amy
The hero eyed the knight's renewed determination, taking note of the _unusual_ mana that began to emanate from them as their hand grew closer to the sheathed blade. Though—much like himself—the knight seemed reluctant to reveal their entire hand. It mattered not to Gaige—he would overcome this obstacle all the same, slaying them before they had the chance. 

By now, Gaige had begun his approach, readying _`Okaarum`_ for another devastating swing. His advance however would be met with a barrier—manifested directly in front of the hero.

_`...Shit.`_

Gaige, with immense haste, attempted to immediately swing around the shield using telekinesis, but could only stop his momentum somewhat before bashing into the shield with his shoulder. His lowered gaze returned to the knight, their armored boot colliding with the shield and sending it—and Gaige—hurtling backwards. The hero—stuck to the face of the shield—heard the chant of the knight, sensing the convergence of mana behind him: another shield. They sought to crush the hero between the two shields, a tactic that he _would_ likely survive, but not without injuries; injuries that Gaige would rather avoid.

_ _
Using telekinesis, _`Okaarum`_—the dragonbone resting upon the floor where he was initially struck—was sent flying into the second shield that had manifested behind him at a speed of **86 km/h**, likely destroying it. Afterwards, the hero would eventually free himself of the initial shield, now being almost the entire hall's length away from the knight.

Gaige regained his balance, standing tall and relatively unphased by the knight's counter-offensive, albeit surprised by just how far he had been sent. Despite everything, it was hard to tell if either the knight or Gaige had made any progress on one another, both of them still having unseen abilities and fighting at full strength.

_`"Square one, huh?"`_ Gaige shouted, commenting on the state of the battle. He rolled his right shoulder—slightly sore from the impact with the shield.
_`"...And it doesn't seem either of us have shown everything."`_
_`"I'll play another of my cards then."`_

The hero called upon _`Okaarum`_ to his side, it resting on one of its flat ends. Whispering under his breath, the hero placed his hand against the side of the pillar.

_`"Okaarum—second iteration."`_

For the first time in the battle, the weighty bone began to crack, pieces of it beginning to fall to the floor as a new weapon was revealed inside its outer shell: a spear. It measured a length of 223 centimeters, the hero grasping it with his right hand. He raised the weapon, flourishing it to his side.

_`"Haven't really used this thing too much... Take it easy on me, alright?"`_ The hero jokingly spoke of his inexperience with the spear, but such was far from the truth; his deft movements with the spear were not that of someone ill experienced.

_ _
The hero took a deep breath, the cold air of the church exhaling from his lungs as he changed his grip on the spear. He raised it above his shoulder as though it were a javelin, cocking back his right arm. It was clear to see that his intention was to launch _`Okaarum`_, the knight having ample time to react and prepare from afar. The hero did not appear concerned about his lengthy preparation however, his grip upon the spear tightening as he took a great stride forward with his left foot. Violently, his right arm shot forth, his grip upon the spear releasing. Although the knight had time to prepare, the sheer speed of the spear would perhaps come as a surprise to them, it traveling at a remarkable **234 km/h**—doubling that and more of a professional athlete's javelin toss. Gaige's lack of a sprinting start could also be seen as surprising, such speed being attained without one. Its velocity could be attributed to Gaige's own physical prowess and the use of **Telekinesis** Upon the spear itself, it seeming to target the knight's left shoulder, aiming with pinpoint precision towards any gaps in its armor.
James
The guardian of the Altar relented from its continuing assault the moment that Gaige reached that same place it kept forcing him back to — the very entrance of the hall, where the hero had returned to the towering height of the great stone doors he had entered from. The shimmer of its gold-hued gaze was filled with an incisive scrutiny, yet it would progress no further from where it stood, for, as long as the intruder was not openly in approach of the Altar, its purpose in pursuing the extension of its attack was lost — it was fulfilling its obligations, no more and no less. That overbearing sense of duty that hung from the shoulders of the knight bore a close resemblance to that of a warrior Gaige had earlier met, conversed with, and defeated: ***Kaaze**, the Guardian of the Ground Gate.* And in like manner to that warrior, even if it would put it at a disadvantage to do so, the knight would hold resolute in maintaining its forestalling position toward the center of the long hall.

Neither he, **Kaaze**, nor the knight standing before Gaige, ever held any ill will toward him; they were merely fulfilling their respective duties, absolute and eternal.
And just like him, this guardian's duty felt most like a burdensome shackle, weighing heavily on its neck.

*It had remained here for a hundred years.*
*It would remain here for a thousand more.*
_ _

The shield behind him shattered and the shield ahead of him faded away. It paced perpendicular to Gaige, realigning itself with the center of the hall, deliberate with its long strides, the golden gleam of its gaze still fixed upon the outsider. It spoke nothing in response to Gaige as he prepared his attack, and yet the golden light of its eyes was filled with an expectant gleam — a sense of anticipation, perhaps —, for once defying the unfeeling and stoic nature of its guardianship. The languished breaths it earlier released in its whispered distress now rose from its lungs having taken a new form, released slowly, calmly, yet evidencing the birth of a renewed animation.

_ _
*`"...Show me..."`*

It murmured and made the first half of another request voiced, its hand rising and its armor softly clattering with the changing of its stance, one hand outstretched far forward toward Gaige as he, oppositely, reeled back, wielding that spear of stripped dragonbone — that enchanted weapon, *`Okaarum.`* It had already seen the destructive capability that the weapon could unleash, and thusly prepared a defense with a proportional effort of its own.

A golden, circular barrier — a spectral greatshield — of three-meters' diameter appeared about halfway between itself and Gaige.
*`"Eir."`*

A second barrier — a roundshield — appeared about a half of the distance between itself and the greatshield, roughly a meter smaller in diameter than the first.
*`"Eche."`*

A third barrier — a buckler of a diameter no greater than its handsbreadth — shimmered forth at the fingertips of its right hand.
__***`"Eikov."`***__

The last of the manifestations happened as the hero spoke of his inexperience. The guardian was not amused with his frivolity, but the sheer essence of his *Strength* Had taken its interest.
*`"...Show me that you are the one..."`*

*Then, the spear split the atmosphere like lightning.*

***SHATTER***
***CRACK⸻***
 ***HUMM...***
_ _

A small and complete circle — a perfect entry and exit hole — pierced through the center of the first barrier without spectacle.
The second offered some resistance, rapidly cracking across its surface in the exceedingly short-lived period of time the spear pressed against its surface, before completely shattering into scintillating shards of miraculous energy.
The third and final barrier hummed. Lifting its hand with the barrier still manipulated in its clutch, it had brought the buckler into the trajectory of the spear, stopping the attack in its tracks. Radiant energy scattered from the site of impact, the room caught blind amidst a violent surge of light, the holy cry of the shield screeching in a similarly-deafening cry. It was blocking the progression of the spear, impossible as that seemed—

***` SHHH⸻TKCH⸻CLKSCH `***

A sound like a crystal shattering, then metal deforming, finally followed by the wet squelch of a sharp instrument piercing flesh.

The broken barrier was still disintegrating at its fingertips. When the light cleared amidst the embers of miraculous life, the spear's form was revealed — dyed crimson, at its tip, trapped amidst broken links of the shattered silver mail of the knight's gauntlet. About forty centimeters of its length extended through its impaled palm, the tip of the spear hovered just before the side of its helm, its fingertips curling around the shaft of the weapon to suspend its further movement.
**The spear had broken its defense.** The attack had hit — perhaps not its target and perhaps not as efficaciously as intended — but, it hit.

***`"𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐚 𝐄𝐳𝐮𝐞𝐤."`***
_ _

Gaige's telekinesis may have threatened to further press the spear through its transfixed palm, but all control over the enchanted weapon would be lost in the moment those words of incantation were uttered. A potent, purifying aura engulfed the body of the knight and the flow of its blood, running along the dragonbone weapon — this was ***`Quetaa Ezuek, the Sun of Purity.`*** It epitomized `Disparity` through individuality, completely severing all external influences whether they were of miraculous or magical origins. This included the effects of Gaige's telekinesis, an application earlier proven in his bout against **Kaaze**.

*`"...I see."`*
*`"You are capable."`*
*`"...Capable of attempting at my life."`*
*`"Then, I will grant you the greatest honor I know."`*

Its silver blade clatters from the grip of its left hand, as it furls its opened fingers about the length of the dragonbone spear. It began to dislodge the weapon from its wound, the outflow of its blood increasing in quickened spurts that mottled the off-white of the dragonbone, fully releasing it from its impaled position and holding the weapon in one hand, as though disregarding its supernatural weight.

***`CRASH!`***

*`Okaarum`* Fell momentously to the floor, released from its grip, and yet the effects of the miracle it incanted had not faded. The very same blood it spilt upon the weapon — that which seethed with the heat of the vow it had incanted — perpetuated the existence of the miracle, continuing its effects: an intentional choice preventing the intruder from retrieving his weapon.

__***`"A true battle to the death, employing the whole of my might."`***__
_ _

```diff
- ☀ "𝑶𝑬𝒁𝑼𝑬𝑲." ☀ -```

_ _
Fire — crimson fire, disparate and all-burning — roused violently in a terrifying flame that engulfed its right arm, its form fueled by an energy that allowed the tongue of fire to extend to a flickering height of over five meters aloft from the shoulder of its arm, where it spread no further across its body. Imbuing its own body with the miracle of **`Solar Imbuement`** — ***`the Sun that Destroys`*** — the knight once more copied a move that the hero had earlier seen used by ***Kaaze***, preparing⸻

***`STOMP`***

A cloud of dust burst from beneath the right foot of the knight.
Then, in the next second,
***It was standing before Gaige.***

***Momentous force and ridiculous speed fueled a supernatural swing of its burning, bleeding fist as it took a simple, but devastating unarmed swing directly for his chest.***

Gaige is launched to Floor 2 by the impact of the punch.

Gaige is punched so hard he lands inside Residence Caerellia.

Gaige gets hit so hard he is launched to the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.
Robert
I'm really angry now.

Therefore I'm taking it out on you.

The ancient dragon somber stone was already looted
Marian
While Gaige is getting jumped by the Silver Knight, he hears a ***`BWWWWWWWWWWWR`*** Behind him.

**```diff
- "NIHIL"
- "NIHIL"
- "NIHIIIIL!"```**