Lux manages to get past the outcast’s defences

(Yes/No (Even): Can Lux overcome the defence system? | [5,1] Yes but...)

With a thunderous grinding of metal, the Machine’s many arms hurtle towards Lux. She ducks under one sweeping strike, steps back to dodge another downward smash, then hurdles over that arm before it can move again to avoid a grabbing claw. Landing barefoot on the hard stone floor, she feels very aware of her lack of defences – physical ones, at least. She’s less aware, or at least has less time to think, about how her makeshift clothes slip out of place as she moves, leaving her more and more exposed with each swift motion.

The outcast leader watches her with a mixture of anger, incredulity, and – Lux thinks – a certain amount of arousal. “I almost thought you might be here to fight,” he calls out mockingly, “not to cavort for my amusement.”

“Tough talk for a gutless coward hiding behind a machine,” Lux shoots back, swaying aside to evade another swooping limb. She times her movement and darts forward, coming to a stop at the base of the central dais.

“Waste all the energy you want,” the outcast sneers. “The machinery will not tire. Your soft, weak body is nothing against the power I wield. You cannot even touch me.”

“Let’s see about that,” Lux says. She whispers an invocation, conjuring electrical energy at her fingertips, and lays her shocking grasp onto the control panel.

Lightning surges through the metal. The outcast’s eyes go wide as the jolt runs through the panel. He jerks backward, losing his grip. His control is broken – if only for a moment.

In that same moment, Lux senses a sudden movement, and begins to dodge – just too late. A metal claw closes around her ankle, lifting her painfully off the floor and dangling her upside-down. Frantically, she glances around, looking for Eron – it’s all up to him now…