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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKWLJDKLLq
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhacfDxeS0I
He began walking the perimeter of the throat, mapping what he was truly dealing with.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdvGxexufN
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SBoeVcnot
His breath caught.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskoncKsAXx
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqyyFGOdZm
Teeth. Dozens of them in the first ring alone. Perhaps hundreds total.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4am6ixooVU
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahJnkVN3ut
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTA3LHhjxJB
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVJY54h3Vs
Slipping through them by chance as he fell was one thing. Forcing his way through deliberately while the creature was awake and aware?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wGKvBchuW
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMUQKVssIm
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzr9BYuFMzC
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavxit4jDeE
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVcMbmsELC
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJDSdjIeH5
The enormity of the task settled over him like a weight.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2d6wx3SlM
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGGLLeTCEb
"Let's get started then." His voice sounded strange in the close space - flat, swallowed by organic walls.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOQK3YoswH
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yaqNyd8Zl
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSs7riNa4E4
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwL8DPKRjw
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTG5bcVu80
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJgbxkDSBF
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xybAZix8o
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZRE29wb9v
But his right hand dangled uselessly at his side. Dead weight. The frostbite had taken it completely.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83gSKz9WR9
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DyzAJlj5M
He'd have to do this one-handed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZS2zgDG4R
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72r9TZ8YYl
The blade's tip found purchase against yielding flesh. Cel drove it in.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZuZd9R3qR
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYeAvy12Pp
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oEdvBbUaM
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZA8HrysWxB
Cel jerked back, startled. He'd meant to probe carefully, to work the blade in gradually.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwMzMDZNw3
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4t93xNdi9
Instead, he'd just buried it to the hilt in a single motion.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymLUt4f6BE
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7xEPBUvIw
'Too much strength again.'27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZL0yeP2uxD
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzaTzFux5z
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdpBPydBFw
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMqPFdnghg
He wrenched Silent Moon free and repositioned. Then drove it in from a different angle.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrlMPvHydb
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8XcFSL1Wx
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPYhA63jgP
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8Xw5MCNIa
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrdjUhxNW2
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xLPwVi7SR
Good. Let it stay ignorant.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamGOF5bhj8
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNEnz7oclS
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIxEMVFH66
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk142fEWrRF
The work was going faster than he'd expected. Much faster.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48MYm5PWk9
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0vbnfjr2F
After perhaps twenty thrusts - maybe thirty - the tooth shifted.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6vTyIEr0A
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ExSQBqQfS
Not slightly. Not a gentle loosening.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOI1W4WBAL
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjibDZSkU1W
It lurched in its socket, suddenly free on one side, listing like a tree about to fall.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfnTHPw9Q6
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawd9cDLNov
Cel gripped the tooth's base where it jutted from the socket and pulled.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrFkKhEl8y
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmNoIUpepc
Nothing. The tooth held fast, still anchored on one side.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8ZrN0gbVm
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxR3YGHwQA3
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUCc8pX88p
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnF3dDe0sZE
Cel snarled and pulled harder.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnDUF1MMhD
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscMDa2X3d4
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zOYvv5rPy
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRoZC83jKk
The fang hit the floor with a meaty thud.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGoTrDw4Rz
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPzd81hnyf
One tooth done.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvK4QpO61if
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjqnURD4VF
He stared at it for a moment, then looked up at the rows still remaining.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZKPimaUgp
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0kg8rZFja
'That wasn't so bad.' 27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpT1nnW5lfJ
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rTYW7e5RF
The realization settled over him slowly. Yes, there were dozens more. Maybe hundreds. And yes, he only had one working hand.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXgZLqZvL8
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxjqqVsAdl
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXHxtWlP00
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMSuBVQcag
This was doable.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIK7Ub5FYEQ
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYALrek8mzl
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. 27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSB9zw5juWr
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGGT7vMnks
He needed water. 27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVpQSjE4LV
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3cgAj3V31
But there was no water here. Just blood, bile and—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLlP4fuwGB
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPJQ8Bowd8
His gaze dropped to the shattered frost fragments scattered across the floor. The ice that had saved his life earlier.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwhHvZBatR
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpdYyaLcdk
'Frostmark creates ice.' The thought arrived slowly, fighting through dehydration's fog.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUdpjUBAp7
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GvPlirCUl
And ice was frozen water.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3zknxlkFB
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDBKLeD2mv
Cel pressed his left palm against the organic floor.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRV3hrb0dzE
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWXYW7Icrb
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0kZcPo3NV
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiaOJ686fPE
He pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold, and stared at what he'd created.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjMhqqMgqj
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFuJv7j7zG
Frost. Beautiful and intricate.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscSRHPy88V
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdX6iaPIMze
Edible?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGkdauP7ZH
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoQnS3RgvK
His stomach churned at the thought. But what choice did he have?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHpKVSJLiO
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsl7NYR269
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwm00VyL7e
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGp2Mvhe39z
He brought it to his mouth. Hesitated.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTkkch2k8z
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsYay6dXSQ
Then bit down.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWSXNhY2Nn
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90gxvGFPQC
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5knZlsjgg
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTJqx3G71a
But it broke.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDREE8tL3d
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVTpx1mXj9
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0aH5tnkFs
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWg0uTsWQzz
He chewed carefully, feeling the fragments crack and crunch. Then swallowed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAtqTQ75xo
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5R7VmJDjqJ
The cold traced a path down his throat, settling in his stomach with surprising weight. Not water exactly. But close enough. Real enough.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVKlNHE0CS
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nzcqAasbs
Cel stared at the remaining frost on the floor, then at his left hand.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEYsvViB5e
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYnzlfnvT2
'It works.'27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvXfwdZSNk
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6a786ZSWcV
Relief crashed through him so intensely his vision blurred. He could make water. Whenever he needed it. However much he needed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAkwebccrn
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLWjlkAift
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CW3Cu7sJK
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPQQdq13mm
His throat tightened with something that might have been shame.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0nsPLXzhB
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mNHz0US5P
"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."27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEYpckPVIR
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJ4zCS0p1G
The words felt inadequate. Hollow. But they were all he had.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbKIRBQXWB
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCehHtLUPR0
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfvuyNcI9c
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZMCj0V1ip
When he finished, he stood, testing his legs. Steadier now. The frost had restored something vital.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqz0FapINP1
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bIVRHVJBi
But his stomach twisted with a different kind of emptiness. Hunger. Sharp and demanding.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslmDCSoiPz
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78xQk9dRHA
His gaze drifted across the organic floor. The ribbed walls. The pulsing tissue that surrounded him.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyOxySRabJ
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeci173iBZ
All of it was flesh. Meat. Raw, certainly. Probably disgusting.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzJ103TeEv
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KbF85d0ex
But edible.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIQptLSNLS
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNXNAlh3Mj
The thought arrived with crystalline clarity, and with it came a hysterical laugh that bubbled up from somewhere dark and twisted in his chest.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0310NS3MIv
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9g4pdobAFG
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJJFV4ZKxA
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNKvrp65to
Compared to that?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaOYW3UdWu
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhGlEpkwj5
Fresh meat was practically a delicacy.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqbL3NLWbo
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35sK7PEuHg
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIFJmDZ2wH
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoFKLSEWrU
His stomach turned. Not from the sight - he'd seen worse. But from what he was about to do.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ269hFqa1KN
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM88rEIiJlj
He put it in his mouth.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7d8Xw2zsIf
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWxeUHgvur
Nothing. No taste at all. Just texture - soft, yielding, oddly smooth.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ439ulShdx
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3DP1zBgWp
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPF6yn68jMc
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTojJtuFxqj
His throat convulsed. The gag reflex hit hard, muscles spasming as his body tried to reject what he was forcing into it.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34sNC59TFi
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ487FrntqL8
Cel clenched his jaw, breathing hard through his nose. Forced his throat to relax. Swallowed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeL4oLtC17
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7IhwvEwfK
The meat went down.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXinGUt3t3
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QRCidDgAV
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRkjaM4bAD
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdE7MtooXDP
But his body remembered. Remembered a year of training, of learning to accept the unacceptable. The nausea peaked, held... then slowly receded.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvbxySR1To
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoplEKs6s8X
He stood there gasping, bent forward. Waiting. Watching for the inevitable rejection.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvVnSFDpG0
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZPZfmNd18
But it didn't come.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlENV09sKwZ
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90LC9GFCIe
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhhfOXiDaw
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfVk2bFzbA
He carved another strip from the wall and took a bite. Chewed. Swallowed. Gagged again - less violently this time - but kept it down.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayqiQ0VekR
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjq96a9bMJ2
A third bite. Fourth. Fifth.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdbeC4lxE0
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38oqL8TmLK
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsv4Cox269N
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjasoBdgrm
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjzc93OOvC
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLfroUL6fj
Finally, when his stomach felt uncomfortably full, he stopped. Wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbclZBsDgts
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJF73AiQf1k
"Right then." His voice was steadier now. Stronger. "Back to work."27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1Yp8N3i1T
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHsNJevFcL
He approached the second tooth, blade in hand.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqh3DOXQhrI
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmc3RYlMGRD
Cel positioned Silent Moon at the tooth's base and drove it in deep.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxEtH3YJUU
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpLBpFQ6hw
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhwFU5iD18
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkSfHyRLpb
It went faster than the first tooth. His movements fell into rhythm - drive, wrench, reposition.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXD9jxbvlsn
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXsI3hCTMl
The second tooth crashed to the floor. Then the third.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF2PxnllAf
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABdsKUhS2r
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6f8XD1lY5V
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlskzLPZzQg
He glanced at Silent Moon between strikes.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovR7tnhsGK
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRo4kcU24Sj
Six crescents glowed along its length now. Two more than before.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8b7jF59wL
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WhbVC8C2l
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1Dv4EV5gC
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDGcMsIkF5
'Empathic Steel.'27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqC7bpzx3h
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjnF5FWnQz
So the trait reacted with sharpness. The more crescents ignited, the keener the edge became.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcQlaLLlG7
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhpcO5qcUd
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpkKDAfFCP
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFhdBXKU5p
The gap in the outer rings grew visible. Real progress.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMz8afCNWge
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkcFZCVDeH
Time became meaningless in the darkness.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7qy6Ea8TU
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0JChWgGgb
Tenth. Fifteenth. Twentieth.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7c1mcPHHo
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmcoaaWjUS
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQ8RGJ2r66
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifsbhjlidC
How long had he been working? Hours? Days?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IHWlmjBwH
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0N8AIqNHq
The gap was clear now - wide enough to slip through if the creature opened its mouth.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBwqAVr2fA
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW7bYC7Fnc
But dozens more teeth remained.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgZbUVjHJv
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCmyY1z17H
He turned toward the twenty-first tooth.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUUVqGUgiU
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLubYk3wsz
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65SG5JIOGb
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡke8Om3zpzg
A year ago, half this work would have killed him.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYGp08xL7I
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZe39VyPaDy
Now? He could keep going.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaHACti9xn
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoBFr7Upjp
Gratitude flickered through his chest - brief but genuine. This body - this gift - would not break easily.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcx2zwMWPa
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD23wI9fAUU
He raised Silent Moon. Six crescents burned steadily along its length.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBUivX3mBc
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He positioned the blade and drove it in.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pci9FB9aF
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScouTxqTIc
Steel punched through flesh. He wrenched it free, repositioned—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlWKVQ0lzy
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfNSIaZfIy
A tremor ran through the creature's body.1234 copyright protection23ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIQk0en4te 尼

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