Chapter Text
Apple had grown used to her role in combat throughout Operation Archon, her expertise was well utilized alongside the Thaumaturge squadrons as magical artillery. Quite moreso, as her egi could double as a high impact shell that then arose to fight any Garleans that survived the impact.
Spearheading into the Praetorium with a small team wasn't her role, but the Alliance was out of options and considered her besting of the Primals as significant proof of her ability to do the job of a small army. Though she supposed that was to be expected, her encounters with the Primals were... different. She could rely on her studies of the Allag Summoners to draw upon the aether stored in her garments and the horn she'd recreated from the notes she'd pieced together. She could weaken them through the crystalized cores that now made up her egi, a more concentrated aetheric crystal of the proper power to be controlled rather than overwhelm the aetheric equilibrium within her body.
In short, those victories were cheats, and she'd always felt uncomfortable being treated like she bested them blow to blow. She was terrified from the moment she set out on the Highwind, all the way through the facility's defenses, and to the freight elevator leading to the depths of the Ultima Weapon's lab. Dodging gunfire, magitek canon fire, mortar teams, she'd never run faster, come across so many close calls in all her life, it was all she could do to catch her breath.
And then she heard the impact of armor, looking back to see... him. The Black Wolf himself. Even a shut in like her had heard the tales of his prowess, not only the unnatural strength the gear he wore afforded him, but the speed, the cunning, the ruthlessness. She could feel her heart beating fast, her hands shook as she held out her focus tome in front of her.
They stared as each other for what felt like minutes, he seemed to be looking right through her, studying for weaknesses, likely finding her riddled with them. He raised his sword.
Her mind was fast, recognizing the cross of blue light he carved out in the air. No Aethric component... must have been ceruleum, the subtance was known to be both dense and lightweight, extremely so. Something that condensed could cut, and propel itself with force, not unlike a blade of wind.
Wind. Yes, that was it, her mind focused as she saw his arm lash out to strike at the cerulean slashes, the timing would need to be perfect. She channeled the wind aespected aether through her horn, and the ceruleum blades were lifted in a draft of wind as her Garuda egi took form. the funnel of air sending them back towards Gaius, causing him to have to dive out of the way. With a scoff, and a click on his gunblade, he moved, fast.
Again, her mind was running quickly, reading his leap she formed a shield of earth that absorbed the blow, extending into Titan's first serving as her counterattack, actually landing against his body, sending him flying back. His back to a wall, she moved, it wasn't that she wasn't thinking but... it was just that she had already thought it through and her body was keeping up. *Feel* Hydaelyn's voice echo'd through her as the flames erupted from her focus into a torrent striking towards her foe, the claws of Ifrit stopped only an inch or so from the Black Wolf's face, caught by his sword as he grunted in exertion and pushed back against her egi.
"Impressive..." he barked, about as surprised as she was.