My Luz (AKA Amity Does Not Negotiate With Terrorists)

Chapter 1: Her Fierce Protector

Author's Note: I have proofread this all of one time, I'm mostly writing it for myself, but thought some folks might enjoy it

--- Amity ---

Hunter pants as a bead of sweat rolls down his forehead as he and Amity come to another brief stalemate in their fight.

"Listen- you're strong, and I'm tired. If this continues you'll probably escape- but here's the thing; We know where to find you... and your human. So just hand over the key.", Hunter said, his plea rang hollow amidst the not-so veiled threat

Hunter gives Amity a moment to process as her eyes go wide as panic begins to set in.

I could destroy the key, at least Luz would be safe then? But this has happened before- The Selkidamus hunt, this jerk threatened Luz and Eda to get what he wanted then too- and his betrayal when Luz was saving the palismen. This isn't just about the key, it is about him putting Luz - my Luz- in danger for his personal gain!

I won't let him do it again.

The panic left Amity's face as her resolve firmed. She stood up slightly from the crouch she was in and lowered her abomination spike from Hunter's neck- all the while commanding his eye contact with her seething glare. So much so that Hunter didn't notice Amity open a few fingers off of the key in a summoning gesture.

Mistaking this for a sign of a concession, Hunter straightened up and brought his staff back to his side "Thank you- I couldn't go back empty handed." He offered in earnest, trying to soften the glare on him, he reached out a hand expectantly for the key...

"Don't worry, you won't." Amity said harshly, as her staff flew into the key hand before she brought it down hard on Hunter's stupid head- no magic, just a good old fashioned noggin knock.

Hunter fell back and looked up with surprise and pain on his face. "Wha- but, your human?!" He tried to retort through the spinning visions of stars he was surely having.

"Her name is Luz- and I will keep her safe from you and the emperor." Amity solemnly swore before quickly spinning in place and drawing a large circle on the ground that glowed purple.

"If Belos knew we had the key he would have already gone after it- which means you are the only threat to Luz right now." She rapped the butt of her staff against the floor of the cave and called up from beneath the lakebed a swelling mass of abomination goo, just like she did the night of Grom- with Luz by her side.

"Wa-wait, I'm sure we can talk about this." Hunter anxiously spat out while scrambling to his feet in the shadow of the massive thing.

"What is there to talk about?" Amity asked rhetorically- as rage swelled up in her voice. "You want to have a chat about how you shamelessly leverage Luz's life to get your way?!" Purple circles around her hands glowed bright and her eyes took on a bright lavender glow. Amity formed a truly massive abomination around herself, with only her face remaining visible from the chest of the behemoth.

Hunter looked up in horror and mounted his staff, probably realizing that escape was his best option for survival at this point.

"I tried to be nice to you, just like Luz would- and you turned around and threatened her for some stupid key!" Amity was screaming at this point, her words resonating and being amplified by the magical substance she was suspended in.

Her voice returned to a disturbingly calm pitch, no longer augmented by magic or burning with anger- instead filled with earnest and the slightest tint of sadness. She softly and firmly said, "You are never going to have the chance to hurt Luz again."

Hunter teleported forward to the exit of the cave above as one of the abomination's arms crushed into the lakebed where he was just standing.

Amity kept sending attack after attack at the guard, but he was a slippery sad boy.

I just have to keep tiring him out, like he said; he is tired, and I have a strength he can't understand- I'm fighting for someone I love.

Amity couldn't guess how long it went on for, it could have been seconds or hours, but the truth probably was somewhere in between. The arm of her abomination caught Hunter in the chest as his teleportation fizzled. He landed on the ground in a blow that could have killed her fragile Luz, but merely rendered the Golden Guard unconscious.

Amity walked her abomination suit over to the unconscious teen, and raised up one arm above her head, shaping it into a hardened scythe...

She will finally be safe...

Amity closed her eyes as she began to swing down towards the boy's crumpled silhouette.

"Hey Boots, you got him... that's enough." Harpy Eda said as softly as she could, while she took on the scene below.