The second part of Noble's experint involved testing what her new Ability could do in battle. The most recent Nightmare had reinforced what Noble already knew.
Survival in the Dream Realm ant learning how to use every Abilty to its fullest. She had mostly neglected using her levitation in battle before arriving in Crestfall, and she did not want to make the sa mistake with her second gravity-defying Ability.
Now that she knew the Zenith would remain stable in battle, she could move her attention to altering other objects.
'Let's see what I can do.'
Nickel clashed with Sarai first, trying to knock the agile baker off her feet. The mont of respite allowed Bee to plan her next move.
The professor observed the interchange. Sarai defended herself beautifully, the air next to her head wavering slightly with anticipation.
The redhead allowed a single step back with a small smile. Sarai tried to lure him toward her.
Seeing the disturbance in the air, Nickel aborted his next move at the final mont, opting instead to turn his lunge into a roll. Noble could barely track his movent with her eyes, as if sothing were distorting her vision from focusing on the man in black armor.
'Interesting!' Noble took all the information in stride.
The duel wasn't that different than the end of a team tournant. Any mont of break needed to be used to plan ahead to trick or trap the opponent into making a mistake. The only difference was that the third player in the ga was just as likely to attack Noble as help her.
'What a fun twist.'
The only ti there was a lee like this in the Dreamscape was in the early part of the individual tournants. Since few wanted to fall by her hand so early, Queen Bee had breezed through.
'Not this ti.'
This ti her opponents were powerhouses without fear. Rather than avoid her, they attacked with extra force.
Like right now.
The energy of the collision between the axe and polearm pushed both of the Masters into Noble's path. But Bee was ready.
She could have easily lifted her opponents or herself out of the way, but she had promised only to use her new Ability.
'Challenge accepted.'
As the King's Defense drew close, the edge of the blade seed already tinged with blood. The massive axe arced down to crash upon Noble's head.
But then...
Nickel grunted, his eyes opening wide. The head of his axe was suddenly much heavier than it had been only a mont ago. It was not so much that he couldn't wield it, but the sudden change in weight made the final landing place of the greataxe co up short.
His attempt to ta Queen Bee ca up with only air.
A fraction of a second later, Sarai's polearm ca from the ground upward, ready to impale the professor in her chest.
But then the tip beca suddenly as light as a feather. The polearm went high, and Noble was easily able to duck away.
As Noble went under Amber's reach, the professor tilted the blade of the sword just above Sarai's curaiss. She didn't want to mortally wound the lovable baker.
Noble just wanted to give her a small reminder not to let her guard down.
'Got you!'
Only when the flat side of the sword should have crashed against Sarai's side, the air wavered in front of the woman instead.
The tip of the sword disappeared into the disturbed air.
Noble spun away before the Zenith could be fully consud.
With a slight amount of panic, Noble examined her sword. Relief washed over her when she found it was still intact.
Noble swung around to face Sarai, ready to defend herself against the beautiful polearm.
Only the Amber was missing.
'Did she dismiss it?'
Noble didn't think she had hard the weapon enough for it to need to return to Sarai's soul sea, but perhaps Nickel had done sothing else that she hadn't noticed.
Either way, the baker was unard.
Unwilling to hesitate, Noble bounded at the redheaded opponent.
Noble felt Sarai's emotions spike. A twitch of a smile appeared on Sarai's face.
'Oh no…'
Adjusting her position, Noble anticipated the trap being sprung.
Sarai held out her hand as if gripping at thin air. Without a rain of sparks or any notice, the beautiful polearm slid out of nothingness into existence. The only announcent of its arrival was a small ripple of air where the point broke the plane of reality.
The Amber Atgeir glanced off of Noble's armor as it sailed past her. If not for the last minute position change, the deadly point of the spearhead would have pierced Bee's armor and probably her abdon.
That would have been… unpleasant.
Yet Noble was all smiles.
"That's amazing!" She said, floating to a stop out of the polearm's reach. "Is that you or the mory?"
"All !" Sarai bead.
"Whoa! Nic, did you see that? Sarai can…Nic?" Noble glanced around the large room.
The man in black was missing. When had he left? And why?
"Did you…?" Noble raised her eyebrows at the baker.
"What? No! I don't think my Ability works on living things. At least I haven't tried." Sarai bit her lip.
"If you didn't…" Noble got a sinking feeling.
"Laundry! Where are you?" Sarai called anxiously. "You don't suppose he went back to the waking world?"
A malevolent laughter filled the hall. Both won instinctively lifted their weapons.
"He's here all right." Noble debated whether Sarai and Nickel might be in this trick together, but the redhead's genuine confusion made Noble dismiss the idea.
She turned and pressed her back against the baker's. The two won fell silent.
With her weapon at the ready, Noble scanned the room for the third mber of the group.
When her regular sight turned up nothing, she shut her eyes and turned to other thods of detection.
'Co out, co out wherever you are…'
Noble felt for the man's emotions. They flickered in and out as if he was both there and not there. Every ti she tried to lock onto him, he blipped out of her detection.
But he couldn't get away that easily.
Noble focused, her eyes swirling behind their closed lids.
The combination of her Abilities allowed a world of color beyond visible light.
Nothing except Sarai moved in the wide range of her sight. Like her other skills, this one had grown to encompass the whole palace and a little beyond.
Yet sohow Nickel escaped her notice.
'What in two worlds?' Noble furrowed her brow.
Then, she caught a glimpse of him. It was almost too subtle for even her special sight to pick up. If forced to describe it, it was like a flicker in the tapestry of the world.
A blip.
And that blip was moving at rapid speed.
It was on the balcony and a mont later it was in the air. A man in black soared from the railing like a bat from a cave. A cape fluttered behind him, casting a shadow across the floor of the hall. It was as fantastical as it was terrifying.
Noble was impressed by her phantom friend's smooth, deft movents until she realized where the mysterious Master was headed.
Noble needed to act fast.
"Watch out!"
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