Dust, meanwhile, didn't consider not winning to be an option. Jude might be heading in first, but he was on her tail with barely more than a heartbeat to spare. Which put him in perfect position to intercept the creature's first swipe at the pair of them.

The collision of stone against steel reverberated thunderously through the room, knocking both Dust and the statue back -- but he was the first to recover, blades whirling through the air as he capitalized on its moment off-balance.