Ace and I struggled to our feet, disoriented from the sudden impact. Crepuscule finely manipulated gravity to turn large pieces of ground into sharpened lances, dozens of them. The air grew heavier. Ace quivered on his feet even underneath an umbrella of stars.
"We need a plan," Ace muttered, his stars teetering on their axis.
I nodded, "First we need to deal with those."
Crepuscule sent the first wave of lances hurtling toward us. I dodged to the side, barely avoiding a spear that embedded itself into the ground where I had stood. Ace flicked his wrist, sending a cluster of stars to intercept another set of lances, shattering them into rubble mid-air.
A few more strands of webs appeared. I saw now, just for an instant. The illusion of the big top vanished and I saw Orbweaver and Spectacle working on the periphery. The lines of silk are forming a nexus around Crepuscule. We just needed to stall. Just as Orbweaver knitted together our trap, Crepuscule also construed a trap of gravity wells and missiles.
"Left!" I shouted, spotting a lance aimed at Ace.
He shifted his stars just in time, deflecting the projectile and sending it crashing harmlessly to the side.
Ace nodded, sweat dripping down his face. "We need to get closer, Vance. We can't keep this up forever."
I still had stamina to spare.
"On my mark, we push forward."
I darted to the right, drawing his attention and creating a gap in his defenses. Ace's stars whirled around him, forming a reactive shield for his march.
"Now!" I shouted.
Ace followed, his stars slicing through the air like blades. We closed the distance quickly, evading and destroying the lances that stood in our way. The pressure of the gravity field increased.
Panting, Ace said, "I cannot..."
With a surge of adrenaline, I leaped forward, landing a powerful punch to Crepuscule's face. The lower half of his mask shattered, revealing a menacing grin. Ace made a slide out of stars that I glided down after the blow.
"It's over, Crepuscule," I declared.
Crepuscule glared up at us, his mouth twitching with annoyance. "Whelp, this has been... something..."
He checked his watch, "...but this circus act is getting tiresome."
Ace and I exchanged a weary glance. The purple light pulsed. I quickened. The air distorted above Ace, I rocketed toward him, hoping he could heal from what I was about to do.
I grabbed him by the waist and put my all into throwing him out of the big top. I jumped, spun, and launched him like a major league pitcher trying to throw a 250 pound ball.
Gravity hit me while I still was on one foot. The air crushed me into the ground, breaking my ribs and God knows what else.
Crepuscule regained his posture, a smug grin spreading across his face as he watched me writhe in agony. My vision blurred as the pain in my ribs flared, each breath a struggle.
I tried to push myself up, but the force of the gravity was overwhelming. He raised his hand, and the ground beneath me began to buckle and crack, shards of stone rising into the air, sharpened into deadly spears.
"Special made, with hate." he said.
I tried to push myself up, but the force of the gravity was overwhelming. With a flick of his wrist, the lances shot towards me.
I rolled to the side, barely avoiding the first wave. The second and third followed in quick succession, each one narrowly missing me as I dodged and scrambled to my feet. My pain was excruciating, but I forced myself to keep moving, to stay ahead of the onslaught.
Crepuscule's lips moved too slow for me to understand while he sent another volley my way.
My muscles burned, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I stumbled, catching myself just in time to avoid a lance that embedded itself into the ground where I had been standing. I needed a plan, something to turn the tide of this battle, but the gravity field was sapping my strength, making it hard to think.
A few more strands of silk crawled across the air, almost completing an enclosure around the villain.
Suddenly, a tempest of force began to grow around Crepuscule. Fine particles and boulders alike swirled around him at the speed of a walking man. Projectiles of all types flew out just as fast as I was moving. I broke what I could and dodged the rest, but gravity was mounting and I wasn't keeping up.
More samples of the ground were levitated and compressed into super-dense weapons. The arena was overly pitted with craters and holes from chunks being removed.
Maneuvering was harder and harder. My run turned into a stride which turned into a walk. Eventually, I missed stepped into an uneven hole and tumbled into a large crater. A barrage of force and projectiles landed as soon as I stopped moving.
Compressed ground pummeled me, breaking my bones and lacerating my skin. The healing was burning through my stamina and the gravity wasn't helping. The illusion of the circus began to flicker. I saw two of my three partners, Orbweaver and Spectacle, working to finalize the trap, their progress seemingly unaffected by gravity.
The circus continued glitching as I was trapped beneath the pressure. Factory under veil of night, then circus under veil of violet light. I saw Ace struggling to stand from an impact crater in the wall of the factory.
The ground began to shred into powder to accumulate in the vortex surrounding Crepuscule. All the webs were shredded and all that progress was for nothing.
Duke was right. We needed the Paradigm for this.
I tried to push myself up, but the force of the gravity was overwhelming. My vision blurred, each breath a struggle. I felt my ribs snap back into place and breathing became easier. My ankle rolled over to fix itself.
The fine dust sandblasted me, ripping suit and skin from my bones. I felt every speck tear through me as I shielded my face and chest with my arms and legs.