The more that she looked at those scarlet orbs, the more that Levani saw herself inside of them, saw the corruption on her flesh that angrily wished to grow and spread through her body, that wished to take her soul from her. Wished to destroy everything that she had become, everything that she had known. That’s what she saw when the great beast screeched again, the blood bubbling at its lips, the black trickling over jagged teeth. She saw the cold suffering inside of it, that which wanted to burst forth from its powerful hide, rending it apart as though little more than cloth. Her hand tightened upon the bone dagger in her hand, wishing that it would ground her, that it would pull her from the terror that welled within. It had not been like this before, she knew. She had not felt such dread before, but she had not seen the Watcher’s most ancient creatures so defiled, so changed, so without their mind. The vulnerability of herself was emerging, nearly choking her in that second. If it was not for fate, she would have been like this one, but what curse did it bring onto itself for its creators not to save it as well? Why the youth and not the elder? Would she agonize over the same destiny, once her purpose had been used? Would she, then, be buried beneath the earth, as she did the others?<br/><br/>A tender hand on her cheek pulled Levani from her existential panic and her golden gaze turned, focusing on the details of Kallo’s face, of his pale, blue eyes. There was an emotion in there, one that she had no name for, one that had been growing over time, one that she resonated with in a way that she did not quite understand. It was enough, if barely, to shimmer a light through the fog, the creatures and their squeals of anguish as they attempted to clamber up the rock face behind a thin veil. He made mention that he wouldn’t survive the fight without her, and she had a soft sound like a laugh - perhaps of disbelief, or perhaps the contrary - but she said nothing. Instead, she mused over the strategy that he had proposed, the vines, the golem. Resolutions that she would have come to, had her mind not been far off, had her faith in the moment not been drowned by trepidation.<br/><br/>It was when Kallo’s arm slipped around her and he kissed her that the world seemed to pause at last, the relief as though she’d been waiting for it to do so all along. Hard as the shell of his armor was, his lips, his grasp, were unmistakably soft. What she could feel of him pressed to her was warm, and it passed through their contact, pouring a heat into her chest that tingled quickly down her spine. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone, hardly more than a breath later, leaving her bereft of a reaction. As he pulled away, the image of him sharpened, the world falling back into perfect focus, the sounds of their enemies crashed like a wave against her senses. She huffed quietly, humored perhaps, or disappointed, but it had brought her to, like it had awakened her from a terrible sleep. She watched him slide down the rock face, small, disturbed boulders crushing against some of the creatures as he went. She waited for him to be safe off of the slope.<br/><br/>Levani was at the cusp of her power now, having gone with days of rest, with little energy expenditure as necessary, and it had stored itself within her each day. Having a companion had allowed her to halve needed siphons of her energy, especially one that was as resourceful and skilled as Kallo, and she was ready to face the ancient creature that had been borne of rock. Pulled from the darkness that she refused to face this day, she gathered strength within herself. Raising her staff, the outline of her simmered against the air, the runes of her staff aglow with its beryl runes, humming with power, with whispers of the gods. She slammed it hard against the rock beneath her, sinking that power deep inside of it, a lightning strike through the earth that shook and summoned it. Fed it words and commands, fed it purpose, as though she was a Watcher herself.<br/><br/>The cliff crackled audibly, splinters in the rock shaking the face as it sheared itself away from the main formation, mixing with earth and clay, rumbling as magic wove through it, a tapestry of elements until it made form. The golem stood like a man, slightly hunched at the shoulders, but its torso was large, as well as its fists. It was half the size of the corrupted beast, but its strength was unmistakable. A crown of gem around its ‘head’ were embedded as eyes, glimmering, roughshod and wild, the body of it was engraved with vivid runes, vibrant and energetic. A creature that had snaked around to its backside met with its unmistakable strength, crushed instantly with a swing of its arm. The rock of its creation thundered melodically, as though laughing, and it lumbered to the foot of the slope, joining with Kallo and his ravaging of the smaller cretins.<br/><br/>As it the golem had initially been freeing itself from the rock, Levani had already begun making her way down the path, feet graceful and quick, even as the earth beneath her shook and threatened to send her off balance. When she was close, she pressed her staff into the earth and propelled herself off with an elegant swing, rolling diligently as she landed. Coming to a crouch, she paused in the shadows of the forest, listening to her breath, to her heart, to the breeze. Then to the harsh crunches of bone in the distance, where the golem crushed, or the slick sound of flesh being rendered by Kallo’s enormous blade. Lastly to the screeching behemoth, who was moving ever closer to them, its crimson eyes redirected to the human and the golem at his side. Its claws were parting the dirt where each hand fell, piercing tree roots, bush beds. Its tail thrashed to either side, shearing carving branches and the canopy as it went. Black dripped from it, poured, scouring the ground. The forest was screaming its disdain.<br/><br/>Quickly, Levani ran through the woods, darting over the obstacles that came her way, as if she was in her natural fur. As if she was still daring herself to tangle beneath the creature’s feet, to exasperate it. She was, in a sense, she thought with amusement, but this time, it would be for its death. Not for entertainment. The morbid difference was pushed aside.<br/><br/>As she rounded the ancient beast, several of the morphed animals scattering from behind it rushed her, but she was quick with her dagger. Her arm was healed, no longer so much as hurt, and she moved as though it had never been injured, swirling deftly to catch each one in carnage before it could make contact with her. She was near the creature’s back legs by the time she had finished, but they had stopped, causing her fear that she had not been quick enough. Looking ahead, she could see one front hand come down upon the golem. Her creation was powerful, at least, and was able to match it, hands coming forward to push away its claw, snap it to the side to escape its attack. It shrieked at them, angry, frustrated. She tried not to distract herself for long, pressing her hands against the ground, willing more of her power into the earth. A sigil formed, large and intricate. By the time that she scrambled away, runic tendrils burst from the dirt, ravenous, furious. For the smaller creatures that had been unlucky enough to remain nearby, they pierced through flesh, glutted by the sacrifice of blood, and they grew larger, coiling up the ancient creature’s legs. They climbed until just beneath its haunches, making a vicious lattice over the rocky hide.<br/><br/>Those scarlet eyes turned to affix Levani with such a sudden, violent glare, she was almost startled, unused to seeing such unkind eyes on the ancient beast. While she had expected it to lift a claw to swipe at her, it instead lunged its great head forward, jagged teeth glimmering from its maw. Only by an agile evasion was she able to leap away, allowing it to snap apart the tree that had been left in her wake. Her heart went out to the penance of her hesitation, but she didn’t have long to ponder it. It was swinging its head to the side, and she knew that she couldn’t dodge it, so she braced. It felt like the earth coming to meet her after a drop from a tall tree, save that she hadn’t landed on her feet. It knocked the wind from her, scraping her body against its hard flesh, but she scrambled to regain herself, her staff dropped to the ground. As it opened it jaw to sweep her up into its mouth, she was already climbing the side of its head, hands roughly grasping its many spines. The way was treacherous, for the black was a dangerous obstacle upon its body, decorating her with raw wounds as she went, but she did not relent. Before it could toss her from her perch, she took her dagger and thrust it deep into one crimson eye. As it attempted to close its lid, screaming in agony, she continued stabbing, until she was sure that its vision had been successfully maimed.<br/><br/>“Kallo!” She shouted harshly over its shrieking, for it reeled, one hand barely keeping it steady upon the ground, soft underbelly flashing. It would not be so simple for him, she knew, but it would be something - even as she desperately clung to its spikes to keep from being thrown.