<Grin.> "All right then. Let's do this."

They do, in fact, make a pretty good team.

It's an increasingly tough fight as they go on - 

And then the sword sort of hums, says, "Something feels really weird. Out of place."

She has a brief moment of panic, before – "That'll be the dunj core. Can you tell where it is?"

She's also looking around for it herself, whenever she can spare the attention.

"Uh - that side passage thing. It opens up into a really weird space. There's a - thing floating in the air."

The side passage is little more than a jagged gash in the wall, and will be difficult to get through while fighting.

"Thanks. It looks like a tight fit, I think we'll have to clear these guys out first, but – yeah. We're coming up to the end." It's a good feeling. She bounces it, then wonders if that was necessary – it's probably not a human/weapon thing. Oh well.

"!!!" That's a very nice feeling! "Yeah! Let's! Team Awesome, go!"

oh no he's adorable you know what, she can get behind that sentiment.

Team Awesome, go.

And eventually it's clear.

Working her way through the passage is pleasantly tricky, figuring out where she can rest her weight that will let her reach the next handhold or foothold, and occasionally she has to backtrack a bit when a promising lead turns out to be a dead end.

Eventually, though, they reach the end of the mazelike twisty little passage, and emerge into—

It looks like the room was expanded more violently than by water and erosion. Almost cut away, entirely unlike the rest of the maze.

Hovering in the center is a shimmering red cube, the sides perfectly smooth.

"That's it. It's - wrong."

"That's the anchor stone, the dunj core. We destroy it, and the dunj dissolves."

And with a grand sweeping motion, she brings him down on it, hard.

The wind whips and swirls around them, slashing down with her stroke - 

And it shatters before his blade even touches it, the winds blasting it apart - 

And the dunj wavers, twists, and breaks.

And they're back.

"We did it. Team Awesome!"

...

"So what do you think of the sky?"

"!!! It's so big! There's so MUCH!!!"

She holds him up high over her head, pointing upward to the sky, and holds him there for a moment before swinging him down and around in a grand sweeping pirouette that has more resemblance to stage-fighting than to real combat.

(His enthusiasm is catching, and it's hardly any effort at all to share her exhilaration with him.)

The wind dances with her, and he is distinctly cackling delightedly.

And so, once again, together they dance.

(There's something quiet and animal inside her that wishes she could hug him properly, but she doesn't really wish he wasn't a sword. (Her mother drilled it into her, years ago, that trying to change a man never works out well.))

He laughs, and dances, and the wind swirls - 

And he really wants to hug her - 

And then he can!

He has arms!!! They are great for hugging!!!

...Walking is not super intuitive! He might fall on her!

She grins delightedly at him ­– he's cute and he's smiling at her and she can process the wish fulfillment thing later –

—and he's stumbling but that's she already has her arms around him and she can catch him – (oh, of course, he wouldn't have any practice at standing up) – that's okay, she's strong enough for both of them, she can lift him from the waist and twirl him around – (heh, she was just twirling him around before, wasn't she) –

– she really wants to kiss him and she doesn't know how to bring it up, what even are the rules for this? – but it sure is nice to think about – she presses a little closer to him –

This is great!

He's a lot heavier when person-shaped, but not too bad, and he'll laugh and do his best to twirl with her.

She feels, vaguely, that this scene ought to have a soundtrack.

As it is, she just hugs him and boops the tip of her nose to his.

Nose boops! 

He very uncoordinatedly tries to nose boop her back!

She's more than happy to assist in this operation.

(Her arms are getting tired; she sets him down, but keeps hugging-supporting him.)

He laughs. "You're great! The sky's great! Having a body's great, though being a sword's neat too!"