His expression remained impassive, but a genuine smile touched his lips. The fight had been intense, satisfying. He sheathed his sword and descended to the ground, landing beside the fallen manticore.
He looked at his bracelet. The points had increased significantly. But he was not thinking about points. He was thinking about the fight, the thrill of the battle, the joy of pushing himself to his limits.
Fighting is sure fun.
°°°
The pocket world stretched before her, vast and wild, its forests dark, its skies pregnant with the promise of storms. Khione stood on a rocky outcrop, her white hair stirring in the wind, her ice-blue eyes fixed on the horizon. She had been hunting for hours, moving through the terrain with cold efficiency, her wand never leaving her hand. The weaker monsters she had ignored, their prana signatures too faint to warrant her attention. She sought something greater, something that would test her limits.
