A slash, a duck, a thrust, a dodge, a strike, a dance. Two near monsters clashed in a cemetery under a necropolis that time has forgotten. One neither fully dead, nor full alive, a necromantic lord, a Crowned of the angels and demons, and one of the last true Fae. The other a mind destroying, soul eating nightmare brought to life, and the only one of its kind. Even at just it's second metamorphosis Stygian was unique, and so was the revenant. Stygian was on a rise in power while the Fae was in a lull. Only one would survive the deadly dance.

Stygian would be panting if the bug could. The Fae was skilled and Stygian's boosted state could barely bridge the gap. A burning line of green fire snapped Stygian's focus back to the fight. The Fae was panting, he slashed down at the infuriating bug. Stygian bent out of the way like a stalk of swaying grass and snapped a strike up fast as a whip. Unrefined and inelegant the strike was fast and perfectly aimed, with training the bug would be a monster with a sword. The revenant ground his teeth now wasn't the time for thought like that. The Fae had never been great at staying on track since all he ever needed was a passing interest to succeed. Sloth made it so the less he tried the better he was. It was- suddenly Stygian's makeshift sword was streaking towards the Fae. The revenant conjured a ball of green flames in front of the strike knocking it the side just enough to dodge. The Fae cast a line of green fire at Stygian and Stygian tried to duck out of the way but it clipped the armored tentacle on Stygian's back.

The fire didn't burn, but rot. The scales cracked and flaked off and the shifter flesh turned to goop. The pain was nothing compared to Stygian's already fried nervous system, and Stygian channeled pain into the Fae using a psychic shout. It was like a dull constant throb that occasionally spiked as Stygian felt more pain. Then just as a hopeless mood had begun to descend and Stygian's attention began to split, the extra layer of reality came rushing back. It was as though Stygian fell into a trance, or perhaps something else, whatever the case Stygian began to hammer the Fae. Every lunge, strike, repose, and slash was prematurely cut off with the advantage of the extra layer. All the Fae could do was defend, but it wasn't enough. Stygian was winning. Every slash of Stygian's makeshift sword ripped away chunks of the Fae's intangible body.

A massive strike sent the Fae, and left both combatants heaving for breath. Stygian dove forward ready to deliver the final strike when the bug noticed something to make its human heart still. The sight seemed to show the potential choices that someone might make, what they might or might not do. In most fights it's about action and reaction so there aren't many options after the first decision. What's more is that most of these flickers would give less than a half second to respond, only game changing for those who could respond to such stimuli. So for Stygian and its jumped up attributes, it was, well not a piece of cake but it was manageable. So when only one option showed up for the Fae's next move Stygian was concerned, and then absolutely livid when it was the same magic beam that took off Stygian's foot.

"THAT'S NOT HOW THIS GOOES. I DON'T LOSE." Stygian screamed with all its might hoping to stagger the Fae.

Stygian tried to cram any wisp of Mana it had left in the shout, but the bug was bone dry. The bug crashed into the Fae and tackled him to the ground, raising it's makeshift sword swaying to the right, and suddenly there was a blinding light and searing pain.

Stygian was a wash in a sea of agony, so total and overwhelming that there was nothing else. It was only pain and... and... A vivid purple thread, Stygian grabbed it and held on like it was an old friend. Dimly Stygian saw the face of a smiling Far right in front of the bug as the Fae readied a second spell. A less mind would have been tempted but the idea of a quick death, I know I have been tempted more than once, but Stygian only gripped the thread tighter commanding the pain to silence and suddenly the thread was a sword, and the the sword plunged down into the center of the last Revenant Fae. Then twisted the sword and pushed it deeper, Stygian slumped and lost consciousness.

While Stygian lay unconscious on a top of a slowly disappearing corpse, and for once it wasn't just me watching and judging the bug. Five Crowned arranged in a circle discuss the fight.

"His magic is weak and he is far too reliant upon his combat prowess. No he is unworthy." The voice was cold and feminine, it came from a Crowned wreathed in ice and snow each point on her crown forked off into many smaller points.

"Not a he surely, I think it's a her. She's too elegant to be a he, did you see how she dodged? Obviously it's a yes from me!" This speaker seemed to be made completely of flowers and bugs, her crown was rimmed with flowers and had twigs for points.

"Even I can'a tell that thing isn't a her. I'd call it a monster if it wasn't for that ironclad will, now I'd just say it'sa terrifying unknown. It's got my vote!" The voice was cheery despite sounding like a landslide, the speaker was also a normal looking human, but with teeth, eyes, hair, and nails of shifting stone. The points of his crown were taller than his head and seemed to make of stalactites.

"Ironclad? The bug clearly thought about casting away it's control, and nearly lost control of it's rage. I vote no, such a menial trail does not deserve a reward." The voice was hawty, male, and came from an armorclad knight. If this knight had a crown it was hidden by his massive helmet.

"I think sheer stubbornness is its own reward, so I vote no, besides the bug will have plenty of rewards without our interference." This voice wavered like a breeze, it's source a woman made of clouds lounging on a cloud. Her Crown was a dark storm ringing her head with twisters reaching up to make constantly shifting points.

These five Crowned were the current strongest in their realm. Normally the organization of the Gilded Eye watches all mortal action to determine who or what is deserving of a Halo or Horn, and deal's can be struck with lesser angels and demons. The top five are normally never involved with mortal affairs, however battles of an uncrowned versus a Crowned are always viewed by them. Promising uncrowned who defeat a Crowned may be rewarded with their own Crown, but it is almost always a lesser prize. You have to be quite entertaining to earn a Crown.

However even if you don't earn a reward they will still stabilize your body, that way you can try to impress them once more. As a cleansing light washed over Stygian, the five Crowned dispersed back to their domains. Only one kept watching. With eyes of flowing rock, the Crowned kept watching. He saw potential in that bug so much in fact that he'd keep a personal eye on the bug. And perhaps a small favor, with a bare thought the Crowned uncovered the Fae's horde and set it to shine for the bug. It was the least and most he was willing to do after the ruling. It was a shame about the injury, but the bug would have to push past it. So the Crowned eagerly waited for Stygian to wake, waiting to see just what the bug would do next.

Stygian woke makeshift sword still tightly in its grasp, and honestly feeling better than the bug had any right too. Tiring to push itself up stygian managed to slam its face into the ground. Trying again Stygian only felt its right arm respond. Looking over to the defiant left, the bug froze. Where its left arm should be there was nothing except for a smooth curved scar marking where the energy had disintegrated it's flesh.

Objectively Stygian knew that an injury like this would be repaired during metamorphosis, but the bug could only stare numbly at the place where an arm used to be. Stygian was untouchable, or at least the bug had thought so. It had survived every tooth and nail fight with little more than scratches. This was more than just a flesh wound it couldn't be shrugged off. Stygian had never before understood what it was like to lose a piece of yourself.

Stygian tried to feel anger or resentment, but it was just numb. For a while stygian just sat and stared, and didn't even notice when its minions returned. It was then staring its own mortality and fragility in the face that Stygian decided that it must become more than a mere twisted bug. It wasn't good enough to be the apex of all life. Stygian decided to become unkillable. Childish and unreasonable, but perfectly normal for our little bug.