The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Season 2+)

Crystal Keeper

Brea stood on the tree limb, legs bent as she crouched on the wood. She adjusted her helmet and flicked her wings. She gripped the sword's hilt and prepared to spring at the first sign of motion. Her eyes were focused and her ears alert. All the senses in her body ready to jump at any moment's notice. She breathed slowly and calmly, waiting for the signal. The air swayed the tree she was perched atop of and she gripped the branch with her one free hand to prevent herself from falling. Her eyes flicked down and she saw the signal. Of course they would do that.

She dropped from the branch, falling straight down and drawing her sword at the same time she activated her wings and spun in an aileron roll. She swung her soft, faux training sword at the arathim soldier hiding in the leaves directly under her. She then flew through the forest ahead of her as the spider took pursuit. She knocked down dummies, and cut down sandbags. She knocked the arathim spitter from its perches in the canopy and dodged their spitting attacks. She narrowly avoided trees, threaded herself through the branches, and cut through the spitter's web. She was so close to the finish line and pushed herself straight for it. She was so close, she would do it this time. Then she felt a spat web catch her wing and gunk it up. She fell to the ground with a crash, adding to her collection of bruises and cuts. She groaned in pain as she picked herself up and looked at her opponent. She was already standing ready and spun into an attack before Brea could pick herself up. The Vapran princess barely had the time to raise her weapon and defend herself from the duel knife attack as the Stonewood warrior came at her. All Brea could do was parry in defense as the gelfling attacked her over and over and over again in an relentless barrage of attacks. She kept backing up until her back met the hard, smooth carapass of an arathim, arching up in a predatory stance and hissing.

"I get it!" she shouted. "I'm dead!"

The gelfling's knife stopped short of Brea's chest and she breathed a sigh of relief. The arathim lowered back down onto all of its legs and the Stonewood warrior eased out of her fight stance, pulling down her hood. The threader latched onto the side of her trainer's face and they placed the staff on her back.

"If we had been a skekSis you would be dead," they said through the gelfling.

"I know," she gasped, pulling the helmet off to breathe better. "I know."

Brea caught her breath as the spitter cleaned her wings of its webbing. It then walked back down the training route, collecting the silk it had spit and woven during the training.

"We still don't understand why you don't allow us to join you in with all of our knowledge," the Stonewood said. "It would make it easier for you."

"I appreciate the offer," she said through gasing breaths. "But I would just like to keep my mind separated please."

"We do not understand," the ascendency conduit said. "But we respect your decision."

"I really thought I had it back there," Brea said. "After that web."

"You forgot about your exposed back," they said, flipping the knives closed and returning them to her back. "Anytime you think you are out, you're not."

"I'll try to remember that this time," Brea said, standing up.

"You are going again?" they asked. "You've been at this for hours and need rest."

"I'm fine," Brea said. "I can't rest until I get this run right. If I'm to protect the Shard of Division-"

"You can't protect the shard if you are not at full strength," they said.

Brea just looked at them for a little bit, the Ascendency looking at her with confusion.

"You're doing it again," she said.