Garden Of The Abyss

"Get back!"

Acting quickly, Strife grabbed hold of the red-haired girl, quickly dashing to the other side of the barren field to avoid the reach of the reawakened monstrosity. 

Good decision, Strife, Donatien commended. 

Left as the nearest body to the fiend, the mage of french origin was the first to find himself in the empty sights of GIMP. 

"Did you enjoy your slumber? I'll be sure to reunite you with it soon enough." 

With it being free from its statuesque fate of ice, an aura as sable and deathly as its own body clad itself to its form; vein-like formations glowing with a sapphire hue pressed against its rubbery, inflated sections of its form as if experiencing some sort of immense stress--yet it was laughing in a mix of joy and utter ecstasy. 

"Charlotte…"

"Yes?"

Tucked near the wall of trees that outlined the deathly field, Strife's call of the girl's name didn't pull either of their eyes away from the form of GIMP nor the mage he stood before him. 

"Would it work on that thing? The ability you used against me?"

It was a question that brought a somber expression to the young girl's face as she paused for a moment before gently shaking her head, keeping her hands tucked close to her chest. 

"It won't...a spirit like that--it's life is something flowing in all directions, malice pointing every way...it doesn't have the capacity to feel or remember things specifically. Against an enemy like that--I'm useless…"

"...I'd have to disagree with that last part, Charlotte. You're strong--you just don't believe it well enough."

Strife's words didn't sound like he was just trying to lift her spirits--delivered with the stoic tone he usually spoke with, Charlotte could only find this to be the truth, to some degree. Even if she believed him not to be lying purposefully, doubt wasn't erased so easily. 

"Please support us both."

"I'll do my best…!"

Watching as the archer parted from the safety of the treeline, Charlotte felt her heart throw itself against her chest as the two men squared off once more against the unnatural entity. 

Why does my heart feel like this…? They're strong--yet for some reason, I can't help but fear for their lives, she thought. 

"An Outlander and an Argonaut fighting together…what kind of twisted reality have I found myself in?"

With muscles swelled and slathered in perspiration from battle, Donatien smiled slightly at the concept of the ally beside him.

"That's what you find odd? Not the dastardly foe strapped in the garments of the depraved before us?"

"…I won't deny that."

Adjusting his ice-formed glasses at Strife's words, Donatien responded calmly while his unlikely comrade retrieved an arrow for his weapon. 

"Also--ex-Argonaut."

"Duly noted."

At the moment of their last words being exchanged, the enemy before them—towering over them with a bulked form—began the second round of their bout with a smash of its rubbery fist to the ground between them. 

As fast as it came, the two men managed to evade it as it was heavily telegraphed. Digging into the brittle soil, the tremendous impact drilled through the ground with a vibration.

Surprise attacks won't work anymore, abhorrent spirit, Donatien thought. 

Taking the brunt of GIMP's attention, the ice-wielding mage sprinted at him--but not without a plan; manifesting into each of his hands at the call of the proper incantation were two sabers formed of frost. When taking into account the battles he had already faced, Donatien's clean, swift moments became even more impressive to Charlotte in spite of the man's exhausted self--dashing forward with a burst of speed as he swung the icy edges of his weapons against the apparition of malice. 

Following the double-slash were a quickly launched set of arrows--piercing GIMP without any seeming resistance. 

"Did we…?"

Donatien muttered before looking back, witnessing the abomination of lust pop like a balloon from the combined attack--its form turning into nothing more than scattered pieces of black rubber. 

"Donatien!"

Strife's yell came with a sharp caution, turning the navy-haired man's head back once more as another pop resoundined; coalescing into a tangible form, sable rubber intertwined and combined--reforming GIMP into existence. 

How? I know for a fact we killed it!...This is the second time it's avoided the grasp of death, Donatien thought. 

The moment it reconstituted itself, the malevolent spirit laughed in a roar of giggles and chuckles before spinning around into a harsh kick; only a split-second was awarded to the man to raise a wall of ice to guard against the swift attack. 

Without any care for the barrier of frost in the path of its thin pole of a leg, GIMP kicked straight through the ice with ease as its foot crashed against the man's forearm. 

This power--it's without a doubt higher than before! It feels like it's trying to bore a hole right through my arm! He winced. 

Defending against the kick, the glasses-wearing mage found himself relieved from further pressure of the kick by way of a volley of arrows being brought down on the spirit in a malicious hail. 

Using the brief window to launch his own counterattack, Donatien chose to attempt another binding of the spirit--"Skadi: Law of Frost!" 

Rushing over to aid in this maneuver, the elven archer brought himself into the wind's care with a single leap--retrieving from his quiver of a boundless depth a rather plain-looking, umber arrow formed of a rough, grainy material. 

"Ga-ha-ha-ha!"

Laughing hysterically for a reason unbeknownst to them, GIMP simply watched as it became surrounded by dancing particles of ice before the arrow Strife held was sent his way--twisting and turning itself as it shifted into a rope of sorts, wrapping around GIMP tightly. 

"Now, do it!"

With Strife's call, Donatien followed through without a single word, only adjusting his glasses once more before clenching his fist to send the spell into its final rotation. It was a beautiful array of the frozen, azure element that glistened with its translucent form. 

I will not fail here today, evil one, Donatien thought.