Cel stood and lifted Silent Moon higher, letting its pale radiance push back the darkness. The blade's four glowing crescents cast enough light to see perhaps ten steps in any direction.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7fBrIlZlu
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJj1bwnzmtM
He began walking the perimeter of the throat, mapping what he was truly dealing with.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DtBw15iRI
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJj3WFYtcx
His breath caught.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ857eSX4Whe
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbptvSxwILf
Teeth. Dozens of them in the first ring alone. Perhaps hundreds total.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWxlQUeaCm
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJGOvgrgYR
They ringed the maw's entrance in concentric rows that stretched back into shadow, each tooth a curved blade of bone as tall as he stood.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOWsKUALSb
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuYFYE9T1W
Slipping through them by chance as he fell was one thing. Forcing his way through deliberately while the creature was awake and aware?130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zBL4S04oR
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPmx6rat3h
Cel's jaw tightened as he studied the formation. The outer ring was densest - teeth packed so close together a child couldn't squeeze between them. But further in, toward where he stood, the spacing grew wider. The creature's throat, it seemed, was less concerned about things trying to escape from within.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeV6hMfzeEn
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeD5wcyTB0n
His gaze tracked from tooth to tooth, counting. Estimating. Each one would need to be loosened from its socket, carved free from the flesh that held it. One by one. With a single working hand.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqjc8TYDFr
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdygMT1s1u
The enormity of the task settled over him like a weight.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyh1jCKSRg
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Mohu3SRgg
"Let's get started then." His voice sounded strange in the close space - flat, swallowed by organic walls.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLjCMdW7T5
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMf6XAvJMo
He approached the nearest tooth, running his left hand along its smooth outer curve. Almost polished. The serrations on the inner edge looked sharp enough to shred flesh.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGC731iodC5
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhgXkRbHSB
The tooth curved inward, its base disappearing into a socket of yielding flesh. That's where he'd need to cut. Sever the connections. Loosen it enough to pull free.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6CFjvWxKm
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmU5fbBdsy
Cel adjusted his grip on Silent Moon's hilt, positioning the blade's point near the gumline. A chokutō was built for thrusting - straight, single-edged, perfect for driving deep into flesh. If he had both hands, this would be simple. Quick, even.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnimpxExnKM
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2MNZfxjWj
But his right hand dangled uselessly at his side. Dead weight. The frostbite had taken it completely.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIglYW0KDp
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu04HSeO1OU
He'd have to do this one-handed.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GBl901QAT
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24sl3TA3UZ
The blade's tip found purchase against yielding flesh. Cel drove it in.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNXNvc6TpR
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06AMnnHmHV
Steel met resistance - flesh and muscle pushing back - yet his uncontrolled strength forced the blade deeper than intended. Silent Moon's entire length disappeared into the socket before he could stop himself, his hand slamming into the base where tooth met flesh. Blood exploded outward, spraying across his chest in a hot wave.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOPM7xLbVd
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRS6hp3mJR
Cel jerked back, startled. He'd meant to probe carefully, to work the blade in gradually.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjoTCKlC1F
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4aHuGWLDY
Instead, he'd just buried it to the hilt in a single motion.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzrQtxOPFJ
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMo3g8vCcY1
'Too much strength again.'130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasmKKmkVsV
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfDMpCqi8j
But unlike the practice swings where control mattered, where balance determined everything - here, raw power was exactly what he needed. There was no finesse required. No technique. Just destruction.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzMtPZSbQd
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvuVgHf7In
He wrenched Silent Moon free and repositioned. Then drove it in from a different angle.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNFdUGCPEN
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzeorAqF0Ef
The blade punched through meat and scraped against bone with a grinding sound that made his teeth ache. He twisted the hilt, using the leverage to carve away the connective tissue. Blood poured from the wound in thick streams.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZdhIKcePe
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TF2NQFlEO
The creature didn't react. No spasm. No sound. Just the steady rhythm of its breathing continuing unchanged, as if he were nothing more than an irritating insect.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3TXUWcWpU
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2mxvbekY5
Good. Let it stay ignorant.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpYuprk6Hr
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenr2e4yJUQ
Cel worked methodically now, driving Silent Moon in from different angles around the tooth's base. Each thrust went deep - deeper than he intended, deeper than he could control. But it didn't matter. Every wild, uncontrolled strike tore away more of the socket's hold.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3zcxsQNqj
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeflpSfymlL
The work was going faster than he'd expected. Much faster.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHpKOHf5Oo
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCgnjM5n4a
After perhaps twenty thrusts - maybe thirty - the tooth shifted.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDk6TPiDPfV
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEoui10FJq
Not slightly. Not a gentle loosening.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5DpuEe5r6
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IsLHeRTRY
It lurched in its socket, suddenly free on one side, listing like a tree about to fall.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRM9cdgAdVS
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HGfLtKJ9A
Cel gripped the tooth's base where it jutted from the socket and pulled.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bCFpu3poY
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkpQIriEKO
Nothing. The tooth held fast, still anchored on one side.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXm3V1ue1x3
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQqbE7h1GW
He braced his feet against the slick floor and threw his weight backward. Muscles strained. The tooth resisted, grinding against bone and tissue that refused to release.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeVYvByi1o
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfrmbvdBU8
Cel snarled and pulled harder.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfl71Fu40B
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEV77ja8gr3
The socket tore free with a wet, ripping sound flesh giving way all at once. The sudden release sent him stumbling backward as the tooth's weight shifted.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpc10soxJ97
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMLg1m3vQj
The fang hit the floor with a meaty thud.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTv7KgQJAKI
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ru7wGuNW2
One tooth done.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHAvijhWTA
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPe5pQGCujE
He stared at it for a moment, then looked up at the rows still remaining.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTW8lrirjmB
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6E7tX8HCGD
'That wasn't so bad.' 130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSCiCP92K0
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOq12RueA20
The realization settled over him slowly. Yes, there were dozens more. Maybe hundreds. And yes, he only had one working hand.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKf7vXuxaHC
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3N8xklpPC
But he was strong now. Far stronger than he'd ever been. Strong enough that raw power could substitute for skill, for precision, for everything he lacked.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡey0aeh5rIP
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWX4DCzLxL
This was doable.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqKLT5Z3fC
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡialY8eiMgY
His throat worked in a dry swallow, pulling him back to immediate concerns. When had he last had water? Not since his resurrection. Time blurred together, but his body knew - knew from the way his tongue felt thick and papery, from the way even swallowing hurt. 130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2VvhLGYRO
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKA00nG10cW
He needed water. 130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmwZbyIts2
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgU4OIgCZZ
But there was no water here. Just blood, bile and—130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gGU86yMJK
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoLkDPO0ye
His gaze dropped to the shattered frost fragments scattered across the floor. The ice that had saved his life earlier.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhw2uGyUsQ
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHeSWNbXWm
'Frostmark creates ice.' The thought arrived slowly, fighting through dehydration's fog.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WRPqSMXoT
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhn4RgcPhM
And ice was frozen water.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZ76lch9pz
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX5Vofybrg
Cel pressed his left palm against the organic floor.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEqmXikYGY
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEkoBqaQhF
Cold erupted beneath his hand. The familiar burning sensation - vicious and sharp - raced up his arm as frost spiraled outward in delicate patterns. The tissue beneath crystallized instantly, forming a perfect circle of ice.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3rDPOoxp6
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSJm49U7og
He pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold, and stared at what he'd created.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumh0Xh57st
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxEdYOyglO
Frost. Beautiful and intricate.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iuKFT3CMa
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCJDTPagLB
Edible?130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMTAp0fMq7
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HJDdTbAu8
His stomach churned at the thought. But what choice did he have?130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOy90jC4Inb
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ru3WjOJ4X
Cel reached down and broke off a chunk of the frost. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering pale blue in Silent Moon's light.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUkfdbkc0o
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfg10OPEwd
He brought it to his mouth. Hesitated.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRFSBjAN4I
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeNcZWGgfm
Then bit down.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYSyL8gJFJ
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNUyEjjK0B
The sound was obscenely loud - a crunching crack that echoed off the ribbed walls. Like biting into thick glass. The ice was hard, dense, requiring real force to break between his teeth.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlk15uQSwW1
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalPJchX4AJ
But it broke.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0l52J3MYf
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUugJgjo4Su
Cold flooded his mouth - sharp and immediate, spreading across his tongue without melting. He chewed carefully, breaking the fragments down smaller and smaller. The ice didn't dissolve like normal frost would. He had to grind it between his teeth until the pieces were small enough to swallow safely.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHXjkx2N8b
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgt8I31p25W
He chewed carefully, feeling the fragments crack and crunch. Then swallowed.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWZXdm230c
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKK8OPgdn3
The cold traced a path down his throat, settling in his stomach with surprising weight. Not water exactly. But close enough. Real enough.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmU8ICJAkIf
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYV6mGaKi3B
Cel stared at the remaining frost on the floor, then at his left hand.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7R0obNlhj3
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sJLB1xCbM
'It works.'130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6vBPhhpiI
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrq7zN2DbkJ
Relief crashed through him so intensely his vision blurred. He could make water. Whenever he needed it. However much he needed.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTfDBoUes4
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9M8UHtEK5
The authority he'd dismissed as useless had now saved his life twice. First by anchoring him during the creature's violent descent. Now by providing the one thing that separated survival from death by dehydration.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2GxLKgZRi5
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDWPp5zRmY
His throat tightened with something that might have been shame.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIlmMTLBX0
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjtNCsGqvQ
"I'm sorry," he whispered to the darkness. To the moon he couldn't see. To the goddess who'd granted him power he'd been too blind to appreciate. "I'm sorry I underestimated your gift."130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3V8W0FRCx
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jy7z6KZIA
The words felt inadequate. Hollow. But they were all he had.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzISHtH2CFG
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6FZnlDU2c
Cel ate more frost, methodically breaking off chunks and crunching them down until his mouth no longer felt like sandpaper. Until swallowing didn't hurt.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqib2ABE3vn
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy00vLBfz5B
When he finished, he stood, testing his legs. Steadier now. The frost had restored something vital.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLRJJX4sZe
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHqnMShxpw
But his stomach twisted with a different kind of emptiness. Hunger. Sharp and demanding.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mg8mB7mRR
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHzbYXUvxf
His gaze drifted across the organic floor. The ribbed walls. The pulsing tissue that surrounded him.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnlD3b6xBm
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0AJleoJHu
All of it was flesh. Meat. Raw, certainly. Probably disgusting.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Wb1TSI4dr
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgnFRViH7o
But edible.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25KoZLaBRb
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGJgy2z3iX
The thought arrived with crystalline clarity, and with it came a hysterical laugh that bubbled up from somewhere dark and twisted in his chest.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bgKUK4q1b
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxafaN2IzgT
He'd spent a year eating rotting meat crawling with maggots. Meat so far gone it barely qualified as organic matter anymore. He'd choked it down, vomited it back up, forced it down again until his body learned to accept poison as sustenance.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49tvg8mim6
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk45eUkVJPV
Compared to that?130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHt5bPxwE0E
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdYz8j40Zh
Fresh meat was practically a delicacy.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1fDsT8QJv
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiYB7NexHA
Cel carved a thin strip from the wall near the tooth's empty socket. The meat came away easily under Silent Moon's edge, warm and slick. He held it up in the blade's pale light, watching it glisten.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mSDVeyj9o
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkvjNQkFKJ
His stomach turned. Not from the sight - he'd seen worse. But from what he was about to do.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXHHrote4R
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6hu0uQInl
He put it in his mouth.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDx37RCKAg
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAI5Ii7eKV
Nothing. No taste at all. Just texture - soft, yielding, oddly smooth.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzENwV7nuB
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqKzFJHNdi
He chewed. The flesh gave way between his teeth - easier than the frost fragments, but still requiring effort to break down. Warm. Wet. The consistency of... nothing he could compare to. Nothing he'd ever eaten willingly.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBMsWwvv1Q
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxmRbL9m1m
His throat convulsed. The gag reflex hit hard, muscles spasming as his body tried to reject what he was forcing into it.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfX28xGq5po
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oXAyf035R
Cel clenched his jaw, breathing hard through his nose. Forced his throat to relax. Swallowed.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlCdblZRrb
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4nFVWM0Gz
The meat went down.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9fqXCw7Zg
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7e1QGYzlY0
His stomach lurched. Rebelled. For a heartbeat he was certain it would come back up, that he'd vomit everything onto the floor and waste the effort.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZCfbpO5el
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRa5tT2yRQ
But his body remembered. Remembered a year of training, of learning to accept the unacceptable. The nausea peaked, held... then slowly receded.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9OcFk0PWm
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbxjXVTaIJ
He stood there gasping, bent forward. Waiting. Watching for the inevitable rejection.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpY8EH8PKG3
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1sEGKAewR
But it didn't come.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZmkmOWmZU
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08DVfLDw3l
Cel stared at the walls surrounding him. An entire creature's worth of food. Enough to sustain him for weeks if he could stomach it.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNssAJrFQBe
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbI146O8x8
He carved another strip from the wall and took a bite. Chewed. Swallowed. Gagged again - less violently this time - but kept it down.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuo54oxEe6
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zqMYJbKf5
A third bite. Fourth. Fifth.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7PqtAvUYn
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6hSfKz5uo
By the tenth, the gagging had nearly stopped. His body was adapting, accepting this new reality the way it had accepted every other horror he'd forced upon it.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJDrbRrvv7
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRi5IOsV0b
When he finished the strip, Cel cut another. Then another. He ate methodically, without pleasure or disgust. Just the mechanical process of fuel entering his body.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxt1j2uynt
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTezGTOsZ7H
Finally, when his stomach felt uncomfortably full, he stopped. Wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0BytRpXEm
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf15BSGvmig
"Right then." His voice was steadier now. Stronger. "Back to work."130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwu1a5s4lF
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOMsZmuoHe
He approached the second tooth, blade in hand.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaf0QVVNTb
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqOzPcohU1
Cel positioned Silent Moon at the tooth's base and drove it in deep.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PKYhJENZe
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGCAz0NpA7
The blade punched through flesh and scraped bone. He wrenched it free and drove it in again from a different angle, carving away the connective tissue.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EDPSLRk2r
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhsLN3sRMk
It went faster than the first tooth. His movements fell into rhythm - drive, wrench, reposition.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJ5ucTsPgp
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacil4ks7lZ
The second tooth crashed to the floor. Then the third.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukupEsrdtT
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXr8O8UMWh
By the fourth tooth, something had shifted. His mind had narrowed to this single task - nothing else existed except the tooth before him and the blade in his hand.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKTO3pgZZK
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIj5a4HYAX
He glanced at Silent Moon between strikes.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDG42VfsrvT
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XnFSBqVe8
Six crescents glowed along its length now. Two more than before.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWR0cZMHUY
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwxkFJSMDy
The blade felt different. When he drove it into the fifth tooth's socket, the steel slid through tissue like it wasn't there. What had met resistance before now carved freely. Silent Moon had grown sharper.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQymxBgT6w7
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1FE2esrlo
'Empathic Steel.'130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoN5U3i4Zp
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtqm1WjK2d
So the trait reacted with sharpness. The more crescents ignited, the keener the edge became.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YZXVuTAtV
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBHJUTD84Q
Each tooth fell faster than the last. His strikes remained wild and uncontrolled, but the blade carved through flesh as if it weren't there.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPxvGD2bTB
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSvq1lxzXL
The gap in the outer rings grew visible. Real progress.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eZOFRhNyS
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92k4ibIeuh
Time became meaningless in the darkness.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUHflRwiKO
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSdDzkKhYZ
Tenth. Fifteenth. Twentieth.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMoh3k8k5G
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptU2JEHSkb
His left hand bled where the hilt's friction had worn through skin. His right remained dead weight. Sweat and blood coated him. But he kept moving.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNovLxGD6Jj
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymQRvJsoxx
How long had he been working? Hours? Days?130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDzyiU0NCE
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvttIRNtWl
The gap was clear now - wide enough to slip through if the creature opened its mouth.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YOB2rfpDX
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHFdfePqPY
But dozens more teeth remained.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8ylAf90g8
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYwknkW7hH
He turned toward the twenty-first tooth.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBehkLxO0z
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡol3Wk4s6g1
Exhaustion pressed down on him - heavy and insistent. His left hand throbbed where the skin had worn away. His arm ached from endless repetition. But beneath it all, his body remained vital. Strong. The divine resurrection had rebuilt him into something that could endure this.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2rzdIYkjL
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6mW7l08gl
A year ago, half this work would have killed him.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MLrjDfZbp
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfl2uFYi4Y
Now? He could keep going.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtk8LBNhZ3G
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphJRoSHE2t
Gratitude flickered through his chest - brief but genuine. This body - this gift - would not break easily.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SYgLwPZNC
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7InzcLnxnH
He raised Silent Moon. Six crescents burned steadily along its length.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4AXLcHybp
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25VzBzqxHP
He positioned the blade and drove it in.130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZW3SJSwRhg
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNv5qUkJjCn
Steel punched through flesh. He wrenched it free, repositioned—130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5jWunHvsW
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTDAkMQEuA
A tremor ran through the creature's body.1234 copyright protection126ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJTjCVzugL 尼

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