The ambush from the last floor was felt throughout the crowd.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklzKqZDlxM
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbX6PjW4Buw
Even though Juke and I weren't affected, the other's faces were considerably downtrodden. Some members were now left without a partner and had to team up with people they weren't very familiar with. Morale was low, especially since our leaders were missing.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVxspOrYQR
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8e2qqwzpB
The remaining group was small, too. Only about eight people were left, meaning that, with the five remaining floors, some were simply required to take them alone. There was chatter of moving as a single unit, taking on each room as a whole rather than having forces split from the group, but others countered that doing so would be abandoning an order and that we had to "trust our other members."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgW3uGDbJJ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCmY1wtic9
As for me, my nerves only spiked. The image of all those fallen bringers was engraved into my mind, and I desperately tried to keep the word "corpse" out of my head. Over and over, telling myself that they were simply unconscious when the right side of my mind constantly told me otherwise–
**SLAP**288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HNNVUnC0V
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VOJk1qKOB
"Ack!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJ2kts6HlX
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DMV9iz9Ew
I wasn't prepared for the strength I slapped myself with. My muscles were incredibly tense, and I hadn't even realized.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuZ1OYuUbW
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqJcLjYOvJ
"No use in thinking about it. No use in thinking about it! Come on!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFHjfaPYrc
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIyTTBBIoU
I steeled whatever I had left of my resolve and kept trudging through the stairs. I had a complete vision of the crowd, and it made it apparent just how thinned out it had become. To my great dismay, I could even see Rover.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9oyNLnTpj
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbnhntdVwA
"...Useless–!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmniR6xK1zJ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfbv9tvW8y
I tried not to think about anything that. I knew I couldn't suspend it for long, but every second I could force my legs forward was valuable. So I ran and ran and ran and ran and–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5N9Z0J86QI
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLN7fZEHnl
Suddenly, I noticed something. Though I naturally hadn't been paying much attention to her, the person beside her had changed.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExVheOR2bw
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQ5MSHd1pA
And it was someone I recognized288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkascCqL0A
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8NQOVmcbD
–
–
–
The most grueling part of this siege hadn't been the laborious running. It hadn't been the various enemies, the threat of death or even seeing allies fall like flies in the previous ambush. No, for Rover, it was restraint.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBU8ZeSrf8
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDXSnDciLC
To do nothing in the face of Hard-Bringer gave her near-uncontrollable rage. Those she swore she'd see crumble, running amok and stealing lives as they always have, unable to even point her weapon at them. If it weren't for those looming words by that wimpy child, resting in the corners of her mind like spiders, she would've caved in.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaIkwjTeYH
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbsPzGsCag
Especially now that her surrogate partner was a completely new face.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCRCH3ApzP
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2o4MoEnTE
"Hi."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIv6Q3PQIiS
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYP7Na1H8S
As she raced up the steps, a man in glasses only a little taller announced himself. She could see him facing her in her peripheral, and though her habits urged her not to, she matched his gaze.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhzxJI0yHE
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4DRhRAjdX
"What!?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3jNw0aA3W
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNe1TXM6dEB
Though, perhaps, she should've spared an extra second checking her tone.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORVyO5EfFM
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZyDXNFQ4N
"S-Sorry for the intrusion, ma'am! I just thought we'd familiarize ourselves."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZG1nrDexFQ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHk2QvDN2L
His nervous expression didn't loosen one bit. When Rover tried a softer face, the sweat on his brow multiplied. Rover gave up appearances, quickly discarding dismissive dialogue before her introduction.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjoTMjcKHD
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8tQeSOnQG
"I'm Nigel. You're the volunteer, aren't you?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3tzq1JMYQ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsuOKc1G4V
"Volunteer makes it sound lame! I'm Rover! L-Let's work well together, alright!?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUOUqCRWs9
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkp7J7jLW0
Nigel's tense expression eased a little. He worried about a sudden reassignment just as much as Rover did.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2PUcLpD1Z
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NOE3ml9PE
"I know this is a bit impromptu, but my partner perished on the floor below. Thank you for bearing with me."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblOG02Ecsz
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlgUfnUQrW
He raised his right hand, one that clutched a metal collar with a tag. Rover knew immediately who it belonged to, and the unusual idea of consolement entered her mind.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQd7sUZugK
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87z9Lo95nx
"That... that's really bad. I'm sorry for–"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTQX0NYBIk
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NSI8lhvcb
"Don't worry about it. You've suffered a similar fate, haven't you? We're in the same boat."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHvuUDBLA3
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkv4kTFaEa
He kept a smile with those words, but his eyes lacked the light to convince her. He turned his head away, and the two of them kept running up with their usual worries.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAKMTISybk
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8uMWtwOoF
And then, finally, they hit a flat surface.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFJJeMNcGU
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1o2PbojH4
"The next room's up ahead!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjMJRHdPBY
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbMfOBmEfX
She had been in this scene nearly a dozen times already. And each time, she dreaded it. Sprinting to that door, knowing that there would be a monster in man's skin. She swallowed that dread like before, and each time, it poisoned her blood further and further.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQ7BekGTsc
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKJ1T9hOG6
The crowd made it to the room. It was relatively small, but an immediate feature was the giant stained windows, granting a tinted view of the city outside. Rover gave minimum attention to the stature of the room, however, because there, by the exit, sat a man who could only be described as–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjxQuogIzT
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqTaH40jMz
"Holy shit! Are ya a titan!?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg94wMP8fSn
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLleWW0SsJW
Rover glanced behind her, realizing that Juke was the one to yell that. She saw Kenny near him, huffing with his hands on his kneecaps.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDyU6KvaOQ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zvFf2no4m
A titan. It was a familiar word. She heard it from the stories her mother told her. But, of course, there were no titans in King's Peak, only tales of them.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXRu27DGf4
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5HNxg9WiO
But, even if it was only in name, the titan a man was. A member of Hard-Bringer with such size, and his head nearly reached the ceiling when he stood. Such monstrous height intimidated nearly everyone, but for Rover, it was the opposite.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjXKK16VbE
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1tPtqwpqU
Rover recognized that height. Rover recognized that build, even though it was concealed by robes, and as the man went to pull his hoodie down, the face that appeared only confirmed her intuition.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZegebpWjd0
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDcjTJvofh
"This is where your advance ends– huh?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBsfWI4nOm
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMx6Sa3FAoH
The towering man stopped his speech, compelled by the dashing girl with a rapier in hand. She leaped forward and stuck her foot out, but the man blocked the kick by raising his arm. Rover then thrust her blade, and the man narrowly dodged by tilting his head. However, his angled head was grabbed by her free arm, and through a feat unexpected of her size–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DMqIXiL45
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINX62D1PSf
**THUD**288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobkwC1rSrX
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiH9UQCgNT
She shoved the man down to the ground. She immediately followed with a thrust, but she only caught his robe, and the man scurried away.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSazVH7AaR5
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkF7dAdF53B
"...Same tricks as always."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWA5X0FcJMy
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52kfFHaCo3
Though her snide remark was entirely unperturbed, the rest of the room stared with mouths agape, as if they had just witnessed alien life.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoR9C1YE8e
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kjONqII2E
"Hoh– it is you. You!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3iKSVd58Z
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKwSydcfr7
Because, the once hulking, monster of a man, was now suddenly the size of a teenage boy.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjlkG1TFZp
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wqkloFzD1
"I never expected to run into you today, Rover! Hahaha!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxn1gDCbeW3
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DjaRT8nkz
The crowd was stunned. Only one member moved through the shock, and everyone stared to find it was Nigel.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGjv7S3NNH
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddVv94iPVi
"Everyone," he shouted. "Move on, we'll take care of things here!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVWiWKpLgL
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0LF5ysyiQ
Rover pointed her weapon at the man, a clear warning to stay in place. The man obliged without much resistance, and Rover turned her head to make sure everyone would leave. But then she noticed how Nigel didn't move one inch to that door, and his use of 'we' only just registered in her mind.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgKiHnRyU8
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAHljtXkft
"Nigel."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7J4TGwJ3q
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZA5STRFWVq
"Yes?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8sMleCLvG
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFe3kWnX99o
"Leave. I'm fighting this one alone."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsm3J28Nqey
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPhd1g5cYf
"...You're kidding me, certainly."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZhAuDuokw
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ppl4uVJRD
Rover shook her head back and forth.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNODzpJqlLI
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl49mWSMeA
"Do you honestly think you can take him alone? You saw what he did, didn't you?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUCmOCPsGL
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kuoMpayRe
"Of course I did. And I know how it works."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuWPlFNJKm
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqvPIdfvLJ
"You fought him before, then?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6NlsDwbef
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNYZ6pVxUg
Rover quickly nodded. Nigel looked at the man with a constrained face, balling his hands into shaking fists. After an irritated, almost hopeless sigh, he complied. But not before one final word.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ylsjgGx7S
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yymscppX9
"Aren't you and I a team? Are you absolutely certain?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uaztKWAC6
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRT8QFR5X4B
Operating on instinct, Rover nodded, but then his opening question computed with her, and her eyes suddenly constricted.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPXKMUslCe
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡum12u2uJmg
"Very well! Don't die on me!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOYqMfXogN
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPy3gaHm9xN
His opening words caught Rover like a chain. It reminded her of that moron's scolding, forced her to consider her vow– her earnest word that she'd cooperate –and inquired why she didn't abide by them. But Rover answered that inquiry easily.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaKvL5WRhV
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcNq9s0BzX
This man wasn't just a Bringer. She had a history with him. This man was an enemy. A bipedal wretch, barely human, who boiled her blood and furrowed her brows.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvHb25SSFP
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwBUUUEYmy
No, now she was certain of it. This monster had to fall to her hands; anyone else would just be a hindrance. So she would take him alone, as she always had.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobgquM26mY
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkelJmBQWgc
She looked back one last time, making sure that only she and the man were in the room. Nigel was gone, but to her surprise, there was still another member of the crowd there. He drew particular attention. Standing between the exit, not quite leaving it, with clear indecision festering within.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7uYVmBtMU
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsC2r0Wzboy
"Rover," Kenny suddenly shouted. Her eyes moved to his face, constricted and complicated. She was compelled to call it a scowl, but no scorn was in Kenny's face. Only concern, and disappointment.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AgaqWPrVQ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkYfpiI24T
Even without hearing it, Rover knew his words. It suddenly was difficult, to see his face like that. Now, the embodiment of that vow was staring directly into her. Not just at her eyes, no– she felt the observation of her soul.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTRaLvdXBL
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfegw99zU6L
"..."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzJeSbmJC8
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhKlisBWOz
It was suddenly difficult to do anything. And yet, the feelings that burned within her formed too great an inferno to douse. If that boy took two steps further into this room, or even one, she felt like she would lash out. She felt like– she knew she would yell at him not to butt in, to mind his own business, to go fuck himself, and to leave her alone. Words that she had slung candidly before. Words that she knew better than family.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwK4yWYiQVV
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeF6hquCaV
And so, she communicated with a stern nod, and Kenny's biting mouth chipped his nail.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHZt5lrSwp
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgk005rXrJT
"Fine. Good luck!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmNQNf2bna
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiy4I2dwbxP
And then, he was off. His bidding of good fortune completely stunned her. However, she quickly recovered–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEynfrvo8qW
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxbDkkxS3h
**THUD**288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzObKMhZBL
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMduV4xcRk
"Sharp as always! I'm a fool to think that would work!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDya3uRgzEj
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclusIFVQQJ
There came a sudden strike from her front, but it was one that she blocked. She freed her rapier from the struggle and backed away, brandishing her weapon and sliding a leg back into a stance.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCP8GhlIMO5
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoou0Sdftit
"Are you ready," the man asked, a boorish smirk on his face. She could almost see the swirls in his eyes, the way they lost any reason, seeing only combat and carnage as they always had.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqF586OGg6
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAhDU86xv7
She tried to ignore the uncertain, guilty way her stomach formed a pit.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeA9FcPaIJ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO38PYMqYj3
"Come at me, Boris!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGci6vMfg8P
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAgYeBzA2e
–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpy84TbH15e
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWaDFEGn2u
–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkIXZAqhNk
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJooIew1BZ
–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sEVIUgfcm
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYOuvlQKj4
Right before she charged forth, her stalled thoughts sprung into action.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcncWOCDCY
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9wAcxPMoT
Rover knew of their volatile unpredictability. But she was always prepared for it. Even on that street, when they made their audacious announcement, Rover hadn't a shocked bone in her body. But to see Boris utterly defied expectations. She wished she had more time, maybe a moment to sharpen the tip of her rapier, to check the grip on her dagger. But it was too late now, and as she took her first step into battle, she lost all leeway to care.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjqyBhJNMJ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LrpBcKuvc
Boris contested her dash. As he charged forth his smaller stature expanded slightly. He leaped forward, but it wasn't to tackle or to grab. He swung his hips and turned ninety degrees, unbending his legs for a sudden drop kick.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRDOXoX8Tn
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡed8A1Yqp8y
Rover blocked it with her hands. His increased size made the blow harder to cope with, but she still only slid a foot back. Now on the ground, Rover seized the opportunity to stab at the man. She thrust once, and her sword was met with the sole of his boot.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzumXW42lGo
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUSkEbSCU4
"Huh!?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YDuB4Im6V
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFfDeUVJAM
He spun onto his belly, catching himself with his hands, using her rapier as a borrowed axel. He pushed himself off the ground with enough force that, even with his lack of leverage, he flew as a battering ram toward her. Rover's rapier nearly snapped under the pressure, but she moved it away before its steel blade turned into a wobbly tube. She ducked Boris' charge, but he grabbed onto her rapier, swinging back around and destroying Rover's balance. Rover, however, had only one hand on that Rapier.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTAoWYCBQ3
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93BrpkYdwM
"Hah!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvu4MTezEu
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDQQZQqmjl
She used her other to grab her dagger and stabbed at the man. He took the blow unceremoniously, even growing to lessen it, and she was sure it hurt by the subsequent grunt. He flew off her rapier a solid few meters away, taking Rover's dagger with his body.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HDVgT1ZIG
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WDFIKNG9P
But she didn't let up, because she knew that if she waited any longer–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5d2YkOC0A
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oYUklpmgU
"Here!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDn1uYmkMSD
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhqTLEH8hK
Boris dislodged her dagger and he chucked it like a throwing knife. Rover caught it at one of its crossguards, but as she was distracted with doing so, the man performed mana spinning.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODlhQmfrCu
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPd6MllnkUw
"Good thing that dagger's so thin. Otherwise, this wound wouldn't be so easy to heal."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYUXZm7kOr
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5b0pHy3StO
"Tch."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4lWudOnPK
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3x4XOZt28f
Boris returned to his former size. He stroked his chin, tending to his thoughts as he stared down Rover. She afforded him no time and charged forth. She thrust her rapier once, met with a jerk away, and thrust it again. She repeated her thrusts, each of which dodged but less comfortably each subsequent attempt. Rover knew him better, however. She knew that right as she thought she'd get him, he would pull an underhanded trick. So she assumed the eyes of an analyst, narrowing them and gazing at Boris like a hunting cat.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQSiu3nv2U
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujrGblEbf5
**CLANG**288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDS03MHKXx
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1ILljK1Og
And that trick came. Boris caught her thin rapier between his hands, clamping it so fiercely that the metal would snap any moment. But Rover's stance suffered no blow, and poised to strike back, she slung her leg from her side. The blow struck Boris right under the rib, and from his obvious wince, the damage wasn't meaningless.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVca32Y30n
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7X16RlRfB
She struck again quickly, sliding her rapier out and using the butt of its hilt like a rock, smacking Boris square in the face. Boris reeled from the blow and took a few steps away, but Rover swung her arm back and straightened her Rapier, honing in for a vicious thrust.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmZMQUQkjP
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fp7BYyzDd
That thrust, however, had been dodged. And the force Rapier stockpiled only sent her tumbling to the ground. She never landed, though, because a sudden fist to the face replaced her embarrassing fall with a punitive flight. She soared across the room, disoriented, anchoring herself on the floor with her Rapier right before colliding with a wall.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7dayFzSaA
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSMXQJKOIi
As she gathered her bearings, she saw Boris charging forth with a puffed chest. Only, it wasn't puffed, but swollen to inhuman degrees. The image of a bull came to her mind, and for a moment she was paralyzed. But she shook the intimidation off and stepped away, missing a blow that–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSkiEP7oAm
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOqBP1NntH
**SMASH**288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGCSedOSJk
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGLLsOeFPg
–shook the room as it ruined the wall.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gOongfSvj
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtK0omqFQO0
"Ack. Shit!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVUtdcWmSC
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMduDiNfWtO
Rover realized his reckless gesture was an attempt at an early victory, but she was too energized to fall prey to it, and now Boris was only more hurt.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF85n9OUJPF
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0AzJUQ24s
"These tactics don't work how they used to. You've grown. Haha, you've truly grown!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Lh3fJOUhw
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanKteRR2Fb
Boris deflated his comical size, returning to a more reasonable stature.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3lLvLxWSo
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsOpokcSei
"But not enough."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBfNJAdqHl
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3JZdoadhe
"--!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiY4lq9v5a
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHvCYPg6Qb
Those words, unlike anything prior, brewed steam within her head.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviOQQVT0br
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBNUh12NoO
"What the hell are you talking about? I'm kicking your ass!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOJitZ1Oi6
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nldt72YC7
He wiped some dirt off his shoulder.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGLwFEaCBi
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBUgR2gcLT
"Your intellect hasn't improved one bit, has it? Can't you tell I'm still toying with you?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsT5hHtkjt9
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7W3blKeJT
Her jittering mouth couldn't open to respond. So badly did she want to deny it, to call him out for being coy. But to do so, would just be to lie.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrNWAOPo5d
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlWD4b1eZU
"I remember when you and I first met. Back in those ivory fields, when I offered you a home, you scowled at me and called me scum. That a bringer like me ought "288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCyUfkhLPL
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUwWBW9RDM
"...So what? What are you getting at, shitface?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqUeCwR6fV
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hOXmpNA8G
He smirked. He placed his hands behind his shoulders, closing his eyes. Rover didn't understand what he was doing, and that worried her. That worried her deeply because she thought she knew every trick this monster could pull. She thought she knew every ace up his sleeve, every nook and cranny of his capacity.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrb3JdJyjik
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIsESOYSGe
But, as she was proven yet again, keeping expectations like that was for fools.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaitffUYDYE
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecCLupFv36
From the back of his shoulders, cylindrical masses of earth formed, taking shapes and morphing as his hands moved outward. His arms stopped just above his chest, and as he lowered his arms, Rover's eyes blew open, her clenched throat vomiting a gasp.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPAh1gCqlH
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8V1cBPfJzh
"You talked so much of this goal of yours. Of how you'd beat me. Of how you'd prove yourself to me and all of my colleagues."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxx0EF9SOAN
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyhR3fl1Jg
From the back of his shoulders, a new pair of arms found home, and they pointed their fingers with snappy girth.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuLKdWigNW
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvsPgudJWE
"Hahaha! Come! Show me that this time, you'll do just that"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1p4w0ZrjD
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EySXWFglm
"--Fine!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPPLPub8ub
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDrR3mDszs
Though the doubling of his limbs was obviously intimidating, Rover tried not to be dissuaded by his appearance. She charged forth, dagger now firmly in hand. After all, if she fought the new Boris with a stale arsenal, she'd be crushed.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftm6rh0Zdt
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7feK5VjYF
She began with a thrust, and immediately it was caught by one of Boris' earthly arms, not budging an inch. He bent his legs and threw a regular punch at Rover, one she avoided with a backstep. Her rapier was now confiscated, and she watched Boris raise it with his earthen arms.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9k7kF6MGfL
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDAj2ujb7n
Something inside urged her to scream in defiance. To yell at that man not to do it, but she pushed that unburied temptation down with a commanding glare. Gazing at Boris as he snapped the rapier like a twig.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxDytuaA7B
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVgnGgCyVQ
"Well," he asked, "what now?" He threw the split rapier to the side and taunted Rover, daring her to come closer. Rover didn't fall for the taunt, because what she had was not rage– at least, not at the man before her.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZZGvcvwFQ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsnF7gINd4
Rather, her shaking fists were directed at herself. She raised the dagger and looked at it. Despite its needle-like blade, the curved cross-guards made it a poor tool for thrusting. This was her only weapon. This and her fists, anyway, but if her past had taught her anything, it was that fists were a futile tool against him.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVfGSYgn8f
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3slVF827wl
"Completely still. But, of course, you lost your only way to kill me. Will you give up?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EzjcSaiEe
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1MBTEPYOC
"...You're counting me out already. It's pissing me off!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3lqNd8rtt
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkw6ArV8HUF
Yes, her remaining weapon was better suited to defense. Yes, she was physically weaker than Boris. But if her kit made it so that she lived and died by the presence of her rapier, she would've gone all those years traveling King's Peak for nothing.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzertgGP5K
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERY1RNa5Kq
"You've learned nothing, you overgrown oaf!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXQEad6RqH
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkK54sO6vFG
Her free hand latched onto the strap around her waist, turning it and revealing the satchel that had gone unnoticed by Boris. Unzipping it and reaching for its contents, Rover pulled out an item that made his eyes widen. A thin, elongated, but sturdy vial, one that fits comfortably into Rover's palm.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6CJcLHtH8
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0aPCj6VRG
"...I see. Hahaha, I see! And what kind of exotic mana does that hold?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIVILkg9QQ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHAaY67OtZ
"Come and find out!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCClLPaNyH
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXlZ0G6dsu
And for the first time in the battle, Boris broke the neutral state, dashing at Rover with arms blazing. A result that came at the worst time possible. Because, although Rover revealed her condition for victory, not a single thought of how to use it came to her mind. And thus, she panicked.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzMJbzEcMy
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGd5wvQWmp
Fortunately, she was always a better runner than Boris.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCieTZhrMO
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EZH5K5mU2
"Get back here! Come on you coward!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMq4Sko5DFK
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy314rbZFv0
Rover dismissed those venomous words. Or at the very least, she tried to, but its potent bite was felt throughout her body like the mountains of sweat her brow was producing. She had no idea what to do. For a moment she doubted that she remembered what the vial even contained. But one look at it, at its orange hue that signified distinct divergence, assured Rover that much.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjCxoJ3WF0
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7PJE96tTI
And then, the answer came to her. The wave of panic crashed with the gentle grace of summer water. She stuck the dense vial in her mouth and turned around.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZJyaKxXvJ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDeD05Dj9v
"Finally!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nKI3bSU9B
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcKYc4IcmP
Boris threw his earthen arms directly at her, which Rover dodged. In a bent position, Boris brought both his arms up to uppercut. Rover blocked one fist with her palm and stabbed through the other.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7Xgn2Sj5X
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErx8lbnnok
"--Ack! Shit!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlWWFg9TUZ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gdjL4yr8Y
The parrying dagger slid smooth like silk out of the wound. Rover dashed back immediately, anticipating some kind of reaction.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwBDLkMORB
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtAAPFpcAN
"...My fingers are broken. Just what is that dagger made of?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2c5Nnowz8
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGUUsz9SJG
And then a profound smile found itself on her face. He backed away to perform mana spinning potent enough only to close his wound. Those broken fingers were just what she needed.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwvdvuU97K
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaaOqR2Ip7
She performed a swift dash, closing the gap between Boris and her. He immediately put his earthen arms up as a guard, disjointed just enough from his body to make an attack impossible. Rover thought this sudden focus on defense as suspicious, even as the mana spinning on his hand gave her a reason, so she dared not approach without caution. After all, with how volatile his size changes were, he could–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8MW1wGTZC
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GnqkUrU3C
"...!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMhpFJucgM
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7BKlSUg6F
Her past experience came to the forefront of her mind, and now she observed her reality with a perplexed perspective. He barely altered his size throughout this fight. He stopped only when–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4twdwCOmrn
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Sj8Qd2hP3
"Ah-ha!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUvZm1gikZ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjeOo1hm6e
Though her profession of understanding was muffled by the glass between her teeth, it made the rise of her confidence no less explosive. She seemingly threw all caution to the wind, charging forth directly into his earthen arms. Boris dashed away, keeping Rover at a distance, but to no avail. Her speedy struts caught up to his back peddling quickly, and instead of attacking, Rover grabbed the earthen hands.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzE7v5C4i0
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRhZDE9X5f
The gesture alone confused Boris for a moment, just enough to stun him for what happened next.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3G6rXoxjX
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zgw6cBPvK
**THUD**288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgf0irjYHSI
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnh1pWjoNx
"Urk!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOho18vXPV
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SM9Z0a7X3
Using those arms like a swing, she propelled her feet into Boris' gut. But she didn't stop there. Because there was no better opportunity to do this than now. She pulled the glass right out of her mouth and popped the lid open, throwing it at Boris as she fell to the floor and rolled away.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGFtxmSOT7
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWMPdpeKgj
Now at a distance, Rover observed the magic. But no magic came.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEmDDYrTQO
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxLnd09kZU
"Huh?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rCdTM5GVX
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAgam9MvDZ
There was a fluttering cloud of orange dust before Boris, permeating through the room like any ordinary gas would.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSephlZ27R
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Rs4ngoO6K
"Haha! What was I afraid of!?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nOXVTmSrS
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejhPq521wD
Boris broke into a bellowing laughter. He held his gut not only to soothe the pain but to hold back his chuckles. Rover knew he would've pointed at her had one of his arms not suffered damage, and though that made her bitter, she kept herself composed for the moment.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNlYzU4dxY
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jFXXLXDSr
Boris quit his laughter, wiping a few tears out of his eyes. The orange cloud permeated slowly, so it still was rather thick, but that didn't dissuade Boris from sticking his head in and smelling it like morning air.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSa94ZQ933
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpE9bOuLgs
"What's this? Doesn't smell like anything. You crack me up. At least you put on a good show!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9uK0WHy2e
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5p8x1BuV7v
Boris threw his arms wide.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVsN2sviHl
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IqzNsF6j2
"But I like fights more than performances. I'll do both of us a favor and end this–"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Smn1bbFI8
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5pnAb9fCB
In a flash, as he spoke, as the spit flew out of his face, and as the lids of his eyes closed to blink, he raised his leg one step forward. With that leg, his body followed right after, crashing into the dust of orange, spreading it just far enough that it contacted the earthen arms.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOrglAJWnQ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9d9MJEIMnt
And then the magic happened.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJHEEdXBGD
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyiH8susVj
**BOOM**288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ113exoiH8q
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3bPxSoCA5
That cloud of dust erupted with volcanic ferocity, an explosion so small, yet so extreme that Rover struggled to keep her footing. A great cloud of smoke took the place of Boris' body, and Rover looked on with the slimiest grin she had ever worn.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5j3jywP63k
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuZenREd1n
"Heh. And I even figured out your actual size."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNvMUOGcLv
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5R80Edbm6
She stood up and wiped whatever junk found itself on her shoulder. She approached the site of the explosion, and just like in her memories, it was near heatless. She didn't get too close, however. Just close enough to see Boris' crisps, when that cloud of dust would eventually fade.
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7GhQzfuLG
"Hmmm? This is taking a while–"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZvaKn6BlZ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1mG59Z5aU
And indeed, that cloud of dust faded. It faded rather fast. But then Rover realized it wasn't that the dust faded. Rather, something had stolen its spot.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmIfEtV4jL
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qkh2ooH8b
The arm of a titan, reaching out for her, with its open palm like a claw. Rover's instincts forced her body to dash away. Then she stood and watched. Watched as a hulking mass exited the site of the explosion.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWuWSDbxtz
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrn52g0M5L
Then, it shrunk.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTJBHiDTOJ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisXFKiZkJc
"Oh ho ho, you marvelous beast."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oIOpSwuWB
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7VR4dHtL8
Boris' robes were gone. Cinders, undeniably. Then was the leather armor Rover knew he always wore. That was gone too. The only article of clothing that remained were his pants, and even they were hardly intact. He was covered in burns blistered the likes of which she'd never seen, and his earthen arms were now missing. By all strings of reasoning, Rover should've dashed in and dealt the final blow. But she couldn't.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYlleszOp9
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliJTX6J8QN
Come to think of it, it was the first time she'd seen a part of his body aside from his face. And now she felt as if she just discovered a new man. Because all around Boris' torso was a carpet of gaping, sporadic holes.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡri7LMeEkmw
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrzUVg2CMQ
"I can see it in your face. Your disgust. But I know that there's awe in those eyes. How couldn't there be?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sG8Se6vXH
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SiBS1qJHU
Rover snapped out of her trance and brandished her dagger.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpufOuZr3TF
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8x17lNuPUf
"What you're seeing is my Endowment. Many have called it a curse, but I'm not so ungrateful to insult it like that."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZEgMc3jTME
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gToKJwu2Z
Boris raised his unbroken arm. He began mana spinning, forming a brick of earth in his hand. And then, from the large hole centered at his navel, the very same brick spewed out and plummeted to the ground.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQCh6EQ5eq
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiQ9uKTLku
And then, a few seconds later, another brick spat out a different hole.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuvTodvPTj
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyvG2ZoKWv
"Those arms I formed made for a dandy shield, wouldn't you say? Though of course, you hit me in the last place it spawned. Lucky you."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKWykO8QLK
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6KbyPoYfg
Another brick spewed out. It came from his shoulder.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSKCrHyhfu
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKDSiS2HZU
"Well, you've certainly made a mess of my face. But I don't need good looks anyway."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zgEU9BbZs
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiHZ4EYmTi
He dropped the brick in his hand right as another spewed out. He wound his arm, as if to stretch it, then gazed at Rover with the eyes of a monster.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4E2UJ7gYM8
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIu6xJ30ux
"You're not done fighting, are you? Come on."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvLQTrKLom
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRr1wAmel64
"...Freak."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzmVAQonK6
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0h5r9dvIr
"Oh yeah. You loved calling me that before, didn't you?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyKpSeZ4A7
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xZlcB6ZOb
"And just look at how right I was."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9Hnd4OWa2
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXT4j8R506
A hearty chuckle came from him.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjaLunaoek
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48lMfarih9
"Well, that won't do you any good."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ybVbAsMdu
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSQ29OuS8G
Boris entered a stance, taunting Rover yet again.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAxLOzPnc1
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOcMZmqTRH
"Come on. My legs are scorched. Your marvelous plan gave you this opportunity."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKVyfKDUp9
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2KFunP83N
She put one leg forward.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTe5gv4RA9b
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgLz69AiDu
"You've got brains since the last time we met. At least, more than I expected. You used them well. You're still worth keeping around."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPg6SWxbBvw
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJmpZLNGdC
Then another. Boris' grin grew wider.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMrlrw4JZY
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznuFyQFdBL
"A helpless dog like you shouldn't loiter around! Come on, Rover! Don't you have something to prove!?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnJsxnSRW2
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR74w5UOPnx
And even through his manic glare, Rover sprinted. She sprinted with energy to finish, the will to see that monster put down.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJGJdIDoxR
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTkdUcyNy0
–
–
–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwnNjXEuf8
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefA27WHHC0
–From an onlooker's perspective, Rover could see why she'd get concerned stares. Even though her body locomoted tactfully in the fight, the windows to her mind made contorted, bemused shapes. And the removal of her dagger compounded that contortion.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1r2eMuFvTm
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKEWnVkXMV
She threw a fist forward. It was slapped away by Boris, and he attempted a counterattack. Rover tucked her head just in time, and with the tiny space between her skull and his arm, she jumped. Boris avoided a dislocation, but Rover kept the assault with a kick from the side. It was blocked by his other hand. She slipped away just before it got caught, and using her right leg like an anchor, delivered a flurry of kicks at Boris, who went to block them.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbZNDFqFqF
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOsHMEbgoh
–Rover's kicks were laced. Whether it hampered or bolstered them wasn't something she knew or cared about. At some point, she forgot all about the process of kicking, her mind wandering to holes in her gut. The oozing pastries behind the glass, unable to snatch that gilded stash.
Boris quit his consecutive parries, realizing that such a task was a fool's game. He backed away, which took a moment to compute with Rover, and Boris used that moment to charge in and deliver a quick blow. Rover fortunately blocked it, and as she didn't slide across the room, she had ample leverage to pull a maneuver. She spread her arms and wrapped them around Boris, turning around and putting it over her shoulder. Boris was bigger than her, but that mattered little with her strength. She threw him onto the ground, and his back's unceremonious clash with the floor made its effects apparent on his face. However, Boris pointed his vacant hand at her and out came a burst of wind. Rover didn't have the reflexes to dodge at such a short range and went flying across the room.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdY3TVfSK05
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VELgfunVh
–Those morphing cakes reeked of red. Its verdant smell commanded her to smash the glass, but she was smarter than that. She knew that if she broke the shield, she'd lose on the spot. And that couldn't happen. Her blood boiled to steam. Her teeth ground themselves to powder. It was inevitable, seeing as that's how it always went.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPPXltvbAc
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPxlqf6FJs
Boris jumped up from the floor right as Rover landed on it. She struggled to get back on her feet, as the blow from his spell sent her head into a frenzy, but she made do with her wobbly knees. Boris charged forth and tackled with his shoulder. Rover tried to block it, and though she avoided any serious damage, she was swept off her feet yet again. Boris followed with a kick, but right as his foot was about to connect, another gust of wind blew from his chest. It saved Rover from a painful blow and sent Boris soaring away, but the edges of the gust still connected, and she was back on the floor.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7CLix9KoV
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuv7LUxOT1
–When things get at arm's length, they become untouchable. But the obstacle isn't always a protective pane of glass. Sometimes it's a shelf, one just high enough so it's out of your reach. Rover jumped for years, but every time her legs grew stronger, or her arms grew longer, the shelf grew with her, but always a little more. Eventually, her fiddling fingertips couldn't even brush it.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeqJaK6siI
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVt9ddTlhKI
Rover fought yet again to get her feet to the ground. She wiped her mouth with her arm and spat out blood-infused spit. She must've cut her inner cheek.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gUpTBJgwU
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqsghhf93P
Boris was far away from her, but charing with full awareness. His pace slugged from before, it was clear to Rover that the explosion still affected him. She used that thought to muster her remaining strength and met Boris' charge head-on. The two entered a series of throwing and avoiding fists, and Rover's superior speed gave her an edge. She landed blows square in the chest, and as she hit his pores, they immediately constricted. Rover cared little as to what that meant and kept bashing, but then Boris landed a fist into her cheek. She rolled with the hit as well as she could before rounding back with her strongest punch yet. It landed right into Boris' palm. He twirled his arm, a clear attempt to break Rover's own, but she had experience with such tricks. She put her free hand onto Boris' and jumped, countering his rotation with her own, and kicking him in the head. But Boris didn't release his grasp, and instead threw Rover up and punted her gut.
–There was almost no doubt in her mind of what would happen. It was inevitable, in spite of her struggle. She was going to lose. Would she die? She knew Boris well enough, and so she knew she wouldn't. But to her, no future existed beyond the time of her loss. No prospects are had at the precipice of failure. It was like the blackness of recollecting one's memory as a fetus. But if these rotten thoughts were all that were within her, then maybe she could've squeezed out a tie.
Rover fell to the ground, wheezing and panting, remnants of her stomach escaping from her mouth. She expected an immediate attack and braced herself, but such an attack never came–
**THUD**288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrsnhiHWXy
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVZeXtznHy
Rover ate a kick to the face. She rolled across the ground but stopped herself quickly. Her right eye was covered in red, but she could see Boris even through a blizzard. He stomped to her, but Rover didn't move. She reached into the sheath and grabbed the hilt of her dagger, and right as Boris was in range to attack, she threw the weapon at her.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFEyX1w6rK
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYFPuYlBfj
–There were chains around her arms, doubts in and out of hiding, pouncing and making escapes with military expertise. There was guilt in her limbs, the ones she used to seal the oath she carelessly shattered. There was anger in her stomach, the one that was always there, residing like a parasite but pulsing now as if it was bound to burst. There was sorrow in her heart, the one she used to fuel words about things she just didn't understand. The one she used to hope. But one affliction was chief among them all.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyD5JAe1oXS
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhwAZsZCRK
Boris was caught off guard, but not as much as Rover hoped. He just raised one of his arms and let the dagger pierce right through. Boris' screaming was nearly musical to her. Blood leaked from the edges; it was clear the dagger was like a clog. But even so, Boris pulled the dagger out of his arm and sealed the blood-spewing hole with his fingers, performing mana spinning.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4HsgJUUiF
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGU8nxyQ9bI
"You have gotten smarter. Or maybe I've just gotten dumber."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9Chre0iSh
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDU2v2S84Nn
Rover tried to get up and attack. After all, he was right in front of her, making himself vulnerable. She tried, and she was able to get her upper body off the floor, but Boris kept her down with another kick to the chin. Any strength to rise departed, and all Rover could do was watch as Boris approached.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5A8sr4qoK
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqIIm6nkHo
"What a shame. For you, of course. This is the closest you've ever gotten, but you didn't have that extra push."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3J4e2vRs0
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSl46IRFD4h
Rover balled his hands into a fist, scowling at Boris with daggers for eyes.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucUKZTaxo1
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYs6h4UioWl
"Relax, now. Twisting your face won't kill me. Might as well save the energy."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdE6oMeCDmk
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYW99Yd0VE
"You... ass."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPpqydLOJj
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0VUi3DJ5f
Boris stopped before her legs, staring at them while pinching his chin. Rover couldn't begin to imagine what was going on in his head. But she kept on scowling, even hissing at him as if the action would deter him at all.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMbA8HpqUZ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVEGOxNtrk
"You're not crawling away?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nXtd0ozuN
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2aY0FPgkw
"...I'm not a damn worm."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpR3h4eTRyB
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPG6bkgkF3
"Right. You never were the type to do that. But your insults are missing. Well, not that it matters."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg09XMJjZJX
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lb2ArZpLc
Boris crouched down and gazed at her legs. A shiver crawled up Rover's spine, one that left tingling dread in its wake.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAHRptWbCs
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgQdW1dDRF
"I'm spent, but I can't let you run around either. So how about I do, this?"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxdRPCSE62
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3oidgKxxg
He grabbed her left leg by the ankle, and as he did so, he began mana expulsion. He formed a great club of earth in his hand and walked over to her hip. Immediately, Rover knew what was going to happen. She moved her arm in an attempt to slap it away, but her hands couldn't reach him.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSrlSjllOB
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHle1G5oN2p
But, she still tried. As Boris raised the club above his head, the corners of her eyes were taken by darkness. More and more area, subjugated by black until only the very center of her pupils had the ability to look. They stared at the club, as it stood motionless above his head, and she knew any second it would come down, and she knew any second she would be made a fool.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBl62Aww7v
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFo0qQhN5Y7
And she couldn't do a thing.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMfngdAJFJ
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpj2NptNrz
–Frustration. It was her frustration. The object of her long-lived hatred, its ambassador stood right there. But she was being beaten down like a dog. An injured mutt who had to limp on all but one of its legs, even unable to beg. At the edge of achieving her dream, her ultimate goal, she was forced to watch it slip further and further away. And then she realized, she couldn't destroy Hard-Bringer. And then she realized, she couldn't even scratch it. And then she realized, she'd have to wait again, and then train again, and then search again, and then despair again. And as the final blow of the battle came, only two words sprung from her mind:288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgbAUZi8Pr
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJNezFDVlN
Sorry, mom–288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBD6nLJT67
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkd3Smy4Z2r
**CRACK**288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsI59KFSBbc
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wzmIqD2Mp
"AG– AAAAAAAAAAHCK!"288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJR9A1E5gI
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHwS4oX2eR
Her nearly six years of combat experience couldn't have prepared her for this.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgfiHN84Id
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0f8biOktQ
"And there goes your leg."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidYluoHjNk
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU11L9RqFPS
She knew of no word to describe the sensation. Seething, writhing, pounding, shocking,
burning, aching, twitching, pulsing, churning– nothing came to her mind to describe it. The shattering of her femur, shooting fragments of bone like shrapnel to the lining of her skin, but not enough to pierce it. As if dozens of bugs drilled through her flesh, as if an entire home landed on her leg– that's what it was like.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDA5QMhiXC0
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSARiAh6Wr
"It's funny. If it hadn't only been you, I'd probably be dead."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6F2rYS8nE2
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmPW8MO2Yz
She couldn't even move to clutch her leg, to soothe it in any way. The most she could do was groan and yell and grit her teeth, but none of that was possible at once, and when her focus got captivated by his words the way it did, the pain exponentiated.
"Dogs like you– they like to hunt alone. But the moment they face something threatening, they bite just short of drawing blood. Maybe then, you're a defective wolf."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IgxfbdqWk
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnU8R5nnwK
Boris uncrouched and stepped away as a club of earth spat from a pore. He was clearly haggard, limping as he walked away, hardly able to move one leg before the other. That was the only consolidation Rover was afforded; a tiny solace within the sea of agony.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwpU490neg
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9imcBVpd8
But those words of his stole it away.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGl5lWjcdM
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9W3sf56LGY
"Raw strength wins yet again. You got close, but I am still undefeated. Until we meet again, Rover."288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHs3Vl3bKj
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEnD1hPSEo
Boris continued limping away until he reached the wall. Then, reeling his fist back, he smashed the glass panes open. He looked down and whistled before turning around and looking at Rover.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcU9DWEbUTD
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcl9so8ibn
She wanted to scream, but all the efforts of her throat and lungs were channeled to ease her suffering. And oh, how she hated it. How she hated the grin of his face, an arrangement of his teeth and mouth designed for eating feces. He waved her goodbye and jumped off while cackling like a witch.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8pdDXUANc
288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZEHeeIg7y
No strength to draw, no will to push. All Rover could do was lay there and cope, lamenting her loss and that wretched monster's words.
然後按「加至主畫面」