Fang's feet skittered across the rough concrete of ShieldTown's Streets, attempting to find enough friction or stability to stop the pointy semi-tractor of flesh and metal from pushing her clear across town as its sword-like claws skittered lamely against Forgemaster's armor. She was only just holding the gnashing mandibles away from her face and keeping it from grappling her entirely with a straight-arm. That luck wouldn't last... eventually it'd find a gap and cut into her under-suit.

[b][color=#CE2B95]"C'mon...,"[/color][/b] she grunted with a note of frustration as her heel skipped off a rock and buckled her knee for a moment. Fang braided [Silver] threads down her leg and [i]stomped[/i] as the Collector thrust her out of an alleyway and into the thoroughfare next to ShieldTown's wall. The pair stopped abruptly as the concrete shattered beneath her, and the tail end of the creature buckled and jack-knifed like a de-railed train. Her HUD outlined Raudd and Zolya in her peripheral as she pushed with her toes to buy enough leverage for a straight punch directly to the collector's thorax.

The impact echoed through the alleys and streets like a gunshot. The force ripped a plate of armor off its back and hurled it into the side of someone's house as the collector tumbled after it, scrabbling at steel armored walls and concrete to regain its footing. Fang took a breath, pulling time to a crawl to buy a moment to think.

[i][color=#CE2B95]What's the plan here?

Got pulled away from an endangered citizen, need to get back to her.

Can't delegate this though, too dangerous.

What do I have to work with?[/color][/i]

[center][b]Heartbeat.[/b][/center]

[i][color=#CE2B95]Reinforced buildings. Some juicy corners. Lots of concrete.

Many hard and durable surfaces. Iffy traction: liable to skate over the surface of these streets if I'm not careful.

And the creature? ... Strong, but can't overpower me. Fast but can't outpace me... confined quarters. many pointy ends.

Some bruises. Armor is holding. Friendlies in the line of fire...

Relentless assault. Pull it out into the open across town where I have the advantage. End it quickly.[/color][/i]

Fang stepped after the collector before it could regain its balance, spinning the weapon wheel in her HUD until her hand closed around the shaft of Alex's spear, materializing in a flash of white. Windows shuddered as she whipped past, the spear sang electric bass in low "E." The collector was angling to intercept. Fang bounced herself up and skipped off a wall to change angles, driving the spear down towards a seam in the collector's armor that looked like it was protecting some vital plumbing. It twisted a sword up and sparks flew as the collector's arm was sheared off.

It was just enough of a deflection to throw her strike off target and gouge the armor. Fang let go of the spear as she felt the shaft bend, allowing it to spin in place as it ricocheted off the collector instead of getting flung from her grip. She deflected an overhead slash with her forearm as her momentum carried the two together.

It was leveraging the confined space to keep up with her. Perception enhancing implants… this was starting to feel eerily familiar to the fights she had with Violet Glass a couple years previous. Fang turned her shoulder into the collector and checked it to the ground, grabbing the spear as her feet found the street again. She swung the flat side of the spear awkwardly, and it crashed like a cymbal as it slapped the collector’s torso. Her feet found traction and she hauled on the end of the spear, feeling it flex and trusting that it wouldn’t break as she swept up the collector. Servos and hydraulics complained as Fang crushed it into the reinforced corner of somebody’s house.

The collector’s limbs bent and folded at uncomfortable angles as it braced itself against the building and shoved down on top of her. Fang was off balance as its full mass hit her shoulders. Change of plan… hopefully Raudd wasn’t rushing into that intersection. She let herself fall back, rolling with the momentum and planting her feet on the collector’s thorax. When she felt her shoulders rolling up, Fang braced her hands against the ground and took a breath, shoving with her whole body and launching the collector. It tumbled back through the intersection chased by sparks as it twisted and flailed to try and find purchase on something before hitting ShieldTown’s outer wall.

Fang was in motion as soon as her feet touched the ground, twirling the spear’s point into position and aiming with her free hand. She dug her toes into to the concrete pushing off for one step before planting, twisting through her hips and throwing the spear. It boomed through the intersection like a cannon shot, and cracked like thunder as it impaled the collector against ShieldTown’s wall. The collector’s thorax was crushed by the force, splintering the wall, and sending a shockwave rippling through the defensive perimeter and dome overhead. There was a short but tangible pause before the spear’s pommel sparked and fired its rocket thruster, shuddering lamely as the collector’s spindly legs writhed in its final moments.

Fang’s breath hissed out of her helmet’s vents as she took a moment to regain her bearings. There was only a moment or two to catch her breath before she needed to get back to that trapped civilian.

Dean really wasn’t kidding when he said that thing was rocket powered…