Avery didn't expect Vermilion to catch his fall with his weapon, though if was still comparing him to his sparring partner, maybe he should have. Though his mind caught Vermilion's counterattack in time, his body was lagging having put all of Avery's weight into his attack.

Avery took the attack to his chest. The impact of the blow was dampened by his semblance though at the cost of additional fatigue. He stumbled back a couple steps, but having caught wind of the attack beforehand, was able to recover from it quickly. Avery raised back his weapon, and as he sent it jabbing forward[1], he also re-extended the spear to its original length. At the same time, he deactivated his semblance in hopes that the sudden liberation of his hand would cause Vermilion to hesitate, even if just for a moment.

[1] – 8%

---

Aura: 67%   ► 61% (▼ 6%)
Fatigue: 39%   ► 51% (▲ 12%)

"You're going to need to hit way harder than that if you want to beat me."

A pump of adrenaline washed away Avery’s dazed state. The cogs of his mind quickly accelerated, and he was able to see the battle(field) with clarity once again. Since Avery didn’t have much of a chance to before, a flood of thoughts concerning his opponents burst into his head and caused the world around him to stand still for just a moment. Spear-user with semblance included, aggressive, spirited. That was all well and good, but what stood out about Vermilion the most was that he reminded Avery of one of his dueling partners: Annabelle (not pulled out of ass).

Knowing that he had to be decisive if he wanted to win against an opponent that was remotely like her, Avery rallied himself. The world around him was slowly brought back into motion, and the transformation of Vermilion’s weapon clicked slowly at first, accelerating like the clangs of a dropped metal ball. In the same window that Vermilion was transforming his weapon, Avery followed suit though it wasn’t nearly an intricate: he moved his hand up the shaft closer to the head and significantly compacted the butt of the spear.

As the transformation of Vermilion’s weapon neared its end, Avery already had an idea of what it was and what its owner planned to do with it. Avery found it odd that Vermilion would resort to a punch when 1) he had a tactical advantage with his semblance and 2) Avery had just disengaged with his partner whose main weapons were fists (at least when they fought seeing as Vivian had an SMG stashed away).

With Vermilion rearing to life, Avery did as well. He dug his left foot into the sand and pivoted hard, adjusting based on the results of his previous failed attempt, and wrapped his right hand near the base of Vermilion’s weapon as it went by. As he was turning, the spears that were behind him came into view, and while the possibility of pulling Vermilion’s weight through them was nice, Avery opted to take his opponents advice instead. Avery clicked on his semblance, specifically targeting Vermilion’s weapon making it feel significantly heavier, and pulled Vermilion’s weight forward hoping to throw him off-balance. Finally, Avery leaned forward toward his opponent’s massed, as if trying to drive a stake through his heart from the opposite end of his body, sent a heavy stab at the side of Vermillion’s ribcage [1].

[1] – 10-12%

---

Aura: 67%   ► 67% (▼ 0%)
Fatigue: 27%  ► 39% (▲ 12%)

Aurelia raised her weapon to block of the attack, its impact forcing her feet to dig deeper into the ground and sending a jolt of pain into her palms. Moving on its own to protect itself, her body kicked [1] at Ceramite's abdominal region in an effort to remove itself from the danger. Aurelia herself took advantage of the opportunity and sent a vertical swipe aimed at Ceramite’s dominant shoulder [2].

[1] – 2%
[2] – 6%

---

Aura: 56% ► 54% (▼ 2%) + 0.5% (▼ 0%)(▲ 0.5%) overcharge
Fatigue: 37% ► 41% (▲ 4%)
Ammo: [-----] || [-----]

Even in his dazed state, Avery was still able to get a grasp of the battle, albeit faintly, and he didn't like what he saw. He and Topaz had swapped targets and now the passionate spearman was getting on Avery's case. He used his semblance to force Vermilion’s thrown spear crashing into the ground not too far ahead of him, and as Vermilion came charging in, he attempted to parry his attack. Vermilion’s charge was slow, but unfortunately Avery’s reaction time was slower. Despite successfully getting the block, it was too late, and the attack drilled into his shoulder.

Avery winced and let out a faint grunt upon impact, but instead of falling back to regroup his senses, he exhaled sharply and sent his weapon down along the shaft of Vermilion’s for a counter-hit[1].

[1] – 6%

---

Aura: 75%  ► 67% (▼ 8%)
Fatigue: 19%  ► 27% (▲ 8%)

Avery didn't expect Vivian to counter his attack with a kick. He didn't expect Topaz' arrow to come in. He didn't expect Vivian to use that arrow to break out of her ice cast. Any advantage that he had had dissolved into thin air, and it wasn't even the end of it. Avery, caught off guard by the quick chain of events, wasn’t aware that Vermilion took aim at him.

Before Avery could react to Vivian, Vermilion’s shot nailed him straight in the head sending a pulse of shock, pain, and disorientation throughout his body. Vivian’s fist quickly followed up, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying back and skidding through the sand, eventually coming to a stop several feet away. He rose to his feet dazed.

The only silver lining was that she had managed to knock him out of the target zone of Vermilion’s spears.

---

Aura: 88% ► 75% (▼ 13%)
Fatigue: 11% ► 19% (▲ 8%)

Though Avery was successful in hampering her progress for now, he knew that if he didn't keep up the pressure, she would be free in no time; Vivian's call for help further confirmed this. Avery stepped into his next attack, and instead of going for another jab, he instead swept at her feet[1] hoping to, with the help of the sand, destabilize her.

[1] - 4%

---

Aura: 88% ► 88% (▼ 0%)
Fatigue: 9% ► 11% (▲ 2%)

Suna sighed at the rejection of his offer. He took a few steps towards the runt and gently grabbed the back of her collar, moving her away from the wall of the dome. "Stop that," he said as he maintained his grip, making sure that Sean was done talking so Suna couldn't be heard. "And don't make any more noise."

Suna sat back quickly, wondering who the man could possibly be before coming to the realization that, in the midst of this chaotic situation, he had come across a name. With his free hand, he brought out his scroll and on the screen was the information he had searched up earlier. Suna replaced it and took a step toward Sean, tugging the runt along with him, and snatched the radio from Sean's hands. He brought it up to his face and uttered a single word:

"Truer."

Avery was thankful that the duration of the Dust effects was relatively short; if not, he would've been in a world of trouble. At the cost of Vivian's mistake, Avery now knew definitely that she was switching to ice; while he wasn't as worried about it as the electric Dust, it still had to potential to cause severe complications. He took a glance at Topaz who was managing to hold her own before charging at Vivian, all the while keeping an eye on her frozen fist.  He finally released the spearhead of his weapon and sent another jab[1] at Vivian as he hoped to keep her handicapped for as long as possible.

[1] - 6%

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Aura: 88% ► 88% (▼ 0%)
Fatigue: 7% ► 9% (▲ 2%)