The fragile peace within the geo-dome shattered the instant Rhys moved. He exploded from behind the cover of the glowing blue fungi, not with a roar, but with the deadly silence of a striking viper. His target wasn't Lyra or Borin, but the shimmering crystal vials containing the irreplaceable Moonpetal Dew. His enhanced speed carried him across the intervening space in a blur, hand outstretched.
He underestimated Borin. The old retainer, despite his age and intense focus on the delicate extraction, possessed the ingrained reflexes of a lifetime spent in combat. Even as Rhys's fingers brushed the air centimeters from the primary vial Lyra held, Borin reacted. He didn't turn fully, didn't waste a fraction of a second. He abandoned the Bloom, pivoting on his heel, his short sword flashing out in a horizontal arc. The blade wasn't aimed to kill Rhys, but to intercept his arm, thick Earth Qi radiating from it, creating a tangible field of force that felt like slamming into solid rock.
Rhys was forced to abort his grab, twisting violently mid-stride to avoid the crippling blow. Air Weaving flared around him, a cushion and propellant, helping him redirect his momentum into a roll across the dew-dampened floor.
"Scavenger! You dare!" Lyra's voice cracked like a whip, fury replacing her concentration. She slammed her foot down hard. The ground beneath Rhys, where he was about to push off, erupted upwards – sharp, jagged spikes of rock driven by her potent Earth Qi, forcing him to scramble sideways. She drew her own sword, its blade instantly suffused with the heavy, yellow glow of her family's cultivation art, and charged towards him, radiating killing intent.
The confrontation devolved into a chaotic dance around the luminous Bloom. It was a stark clash of styles, highlighting the fundamental differences between their paths.
Rhys became a whirlwind of motion, relying on agility, prediction, and constant environmental manipulation. He never stood still, weaving between overgrown plants, vaulting over root clusters. Air gusts became extensions of his limbs, nudging him out of Lyra's sword path, kicking spores and loose soil into Borin's face. He laid down patches of Water slickness with barely a thought, forcing the disciplined Borin into uncharacteristic stumbles. He spotted a patch of dry, fibrous moss clinging to a nearby ruin fragment and sent a focused Fire spark into it; the resulting flare-up, though brief, momentarily drew Lyra's enraged gaze. He even experimented, tentatively drawing upon the Earth element resonant in the dome, subtly vibrating the ground beneath Lyra as she prepared a technique, causing a slight, almost imperceptible instability that spoiled her footing. Each Weaving was small, low-powered individually, but combined, they created a confusing, unpredictable defense that consumed his Aether at a prodigious rate. He couldn't match their raw power, so he focused on disruption, forcing them to react, preventing them from coordinating effectively.
Lyra and Borin, in contrast, fought with grounded power and established techniques. Borin was the anvil – almost immovable, his defense impeccable. Every block was perfectly timed, absorbing Rhys's momentum, his Earth Qi forming localized shields that deflected Rhys's Air gusts. His counters were swift, precise, aimed at disabling joints or forcing Rhys into disadvantageous positions. Lyra was the hammer – aggressive, relentless. Her Qi-infused sword strikes landed with bone-jarring force when they connected with the environment near Rhys. Stone spikes erupted constantly, trying to trap him, channel him towards Borin. She conjured shields of rock to block his escape vectors, her frustration growing with each near-miss. Their attacks were powerful, draining their internal Qi reserves with each major technique, but they lacked Rhys's sheer unpredictability.
Rhys dodged a crushing blow from Lyra's sword that pulverized the fungal stalk he'd hidden behind moments before. He used the falling debris as a screen, sending an Air blast towards Borin that the old retainer easily deflected, but it bought Rhys a precious half-second. He saw Borin glance towards the vials, ensuring they were still secure near the Bloom.
Then, a new element entered the fray. A guttural roar echoed from the dome entrance – Boulder! He must have dealt with the diversion guards quickly and circled back. He charged in, ignoring Lyra, targeting the biggest immediate threat to Rhys – Borin. Boulder swung his heavy pry bar in a brutal, straightforward arc. Borin, forced to divide his attention, met the blow with his Qi-reinforced sword, the clang echoing sharply. Boulder lacked finesse, but his raw, untamed strength, combined with the pry bar's leverage, was enough to stagger the veteran, forcing Borin onto the defensive.
Seeing Borin occupied, Rhys seized the chance. He feinted left, drawing Lyra's attack, then used an Air-assisted leap to vault right, directly towards the Bloom and the vials. Lyra, enraged by his audacity and potentially by Boulder's sudden appearance, gathered her Qi for a major technique. Rhys felt the familiar pressure build as she prepared to unleash a powerful tremor or earth-shattering strike.
Anticipating the attack, Rhys didn't try to dodge this time. He poured a significant amount of Aether into a combined Weaving – Water and Air swirling together, condensing rapidly. Just as Lyra thrust her hands forward, unleashing her potent Earth Qi, a thick, swirling bank of opaque grey mist erupted directly between them, swallowing her technique whole. The powerful Qi blast dissipated harmlessly within the churning vapor, its energy diffused and scattered.
Lyra stumbled back, momentarily blinded and shocked by the unexpected counter. Borin roared, locked in a brutal struggle with Boulder near the dome's edge. Elara was struggling to her feet near the entrance, still dazed.
In that fleeting moment of chaos and confusion, Rhys saw his opening. The fallen vial lay gleaming nearby. The primary container rested precariously on the dais beside the Bloom, momentarily unguarded as Borin fought for his life. Ignoring the lingering exhaustion, ignoring the Watchers' omnipresent gaze, Rhys launched himself forward one last time. He scooped up the fallen vial with one hand, his other reaching, stretching, fingers closing around the cool, smooth crystal of the main container... just as Borin, with a desperate surge of Qi, threw Boulder back and turned, sword raised for a final, lethal strike.