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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJU7SMEp02
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGicwEhzz5
He began walking the perimeter of the throat, mapping what he was truly dealing with.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGMUcWrZcq
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpR1xcuLQ6
His breath caught.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZnHGG6t7Y
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILMWgGytss
Teeth. Dozens of them in the first ring alone. Perhaps hundreds total.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigNxDADuQ6
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpWcOKgoIQ
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6rK5wQJEf
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeCPKk9Gjy
Slipping through them by chance as he fell was one thing. Forcing his way through deliberately while the creature was awake and aware?118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQItxVKbgKv
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrlPnRFmYV
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcDaS1iYMa
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWBV8Mlsx9
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMWnso8GKX
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVwYBVF4Kq
The enormity of the task settled over him like a weight.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTY1CuzrLW4
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6oyEPVD8A
"Let's get started then." His voice sounded strange in the close space - flat, swallowed by organic walls.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUAocsJWki
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJngNPdsQ5
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDa6lzaIjv
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23ET4s5zpM
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ArRAiWI1n
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONguTPsIMG
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnUEp6UQgx
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0G3WrmFJm3
But his right hand dangled uselessly at his side. Dead weight. The frostbite had taken it completely.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHu9xXiH3n
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdI7N0Knc84
He'd have to do this one-handed.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5dZ93R1a3
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsWqGSbDfD
The blade's tip found purchase against yielding flesh. Cel drove it in.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneFxaZOQDn
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlDoxTx34W
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTl1brP2IlU
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqoDhTDJZn
Cel jerked back, startled. He'd meant to probe carefully, to work the blade in gradually.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZ2i43qEvv
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3k1OEB2AL
Instead, he'd just buried it to the hilt in a single motion.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvN3Zr3YNf
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABTCX7iPlN
'Too much strength again.'118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XdKS3VwoC
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCU8EeBf9m
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawQ2D0ruz4
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIuniNakjE
He wrenched Silent Moon free and repositioned. Then drove it in from a different angle.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8MsmyjLa8
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BRqbxWCFX
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxzbA4eCQO
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2PLSljoWi
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxTNgRxGmX
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRFBUSuPsO
Good. Let it stay ignorant.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6z9lFtuHb
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jzNvmoA4e
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0ZGkwuXvc
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0AatC8V9c
The work was going faster than he'd expected. Much faster.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31siQpEDt9
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwEwb1kGud
After perhaps twenty thrusts - maybe thirty - the tooth shifted.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKXewWaeqD
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wkV5fLFeb
Not slightly. Not a gentle loosening.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPIVGZcV1u
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHBhZ6aDZq
It lurched in its socket, suddenly free on one side, listing like a tree about to fall.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiFYA8Biqe
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpIRvnFY3G
Cel gripped the tooth's base where it jutted from the socket and pulled.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQsT0b4XXr
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqf8qHLf3QD
Nothing. The tooth held fast, still anchored on one side.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IVpWML5Dz
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzxa6CMTly
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs10OA2STmW
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SYSAToAQT
Cel snarled and pulled harder.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRPuCMRmVK
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ42Nvwf545
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuK7581eUs
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VnEJasjox
The fang hit the floor with a meaty thud.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCH1fVaThP7
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKr13BUoOz0
One tooth done.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6mrfhP4Oq
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16epXvScS0
He stared at it for a moment, then looked up at the rows still remaining.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1o1pZOHtY9
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMtwpZPtkP
'That wasn't so bad.' 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2fb872OJG
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdIak7PHcc
The realization settled over him slowly. Yes, there were dozens more. Maybe hundreds. And yes, he only had one working hand.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkENatXfhN
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuOWAk5UKB
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2jnkOucgs
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPMtXbJNzC
This was doable.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8o3TqU2j4
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTyLpj7vZ1
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. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwhsOJHMqv
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl51H4jgNGF
He needed water. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlmvTRMVGq
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnAMwZOFnc
But there was no water here. Just blood, bile and—118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OzdFjbqBa
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4N577mwukH
His gaze dropped to the shattered frost fragments scattered across the floor. The ice that had saved his life earlier.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQqWvdWJIJ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgxlDLKtG9
'Frostmark creates ice.' The thought arrived slowly, fighting through dehydration's fog.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZdFtJrE3n
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRO8CEVFq9K
And ice was frozen water.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUHkA0tcf4
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4BbZehlB6
Cel pressed his left palm against the organic floor.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6GDPIv4lE
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDfvxHLFao
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuwQkqoAgo
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFjiWpRh0c
He pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold, and stared at what he'd created.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyXLERTZZh
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaD5Iqf1ce
Frost. Beautiful and intricate.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4j83OyVnOK
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqapNUfTN7O
Edible?118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmB9Qmhr77
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgqJiBGVOq
His stomach churned at the thought. But what choice did he have?118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTehsi8Btk
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjeFqi7rGT
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrU26qrKHl
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NKo431Jn6
He brought it to his mouth. Hesitated.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4JtPFXyZI
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvKRUqTBtB
Then bit down.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA3E7Y3EX1
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsN2X8gioQ
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9lo6HXfzA
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSCvrwvY8n
But it broke.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaJ26sTev3
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQgkzhYjPW
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7slqnjz8WQ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUQ8gcVO6Y
He chewed carefully, feeling the fragments crack and crunch. Then swallowed.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vesAwfCux
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pYWTBSks5
The cold traced a path down his throat, settling in his stomach with surprising weight. Not water exactly. But close enough. Real enough.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdPDHFA9xx
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbc96EEss90
Cel stared at the remaining frost on the floor, then at his left hand.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlrCVweYyI
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1YmlhgwX7
'It works.'118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvkVATHUnD
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtoTyVq77b
Relief crashed through him so intensely his vision blurred. He could make water. Whenever he needed it. However much he needed.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKDZD7kQZa
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugQsxNg4eM
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqqvxcO6QS
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrd5MmJ1be
His throat tightened with something that might have been shame.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorvFoCOu49
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNirl5UXxe
"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."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvi77q4ZJHb
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWccWBayqKO
The words felt inadequate. Hollow. But they were all he had.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxQCpDAXNy
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rZl4cJLkJ
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKqlnzAMjh
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnc3KpiBK1a
When he finished, he stood, testing his legs. Steadier now. The frost had restored something vital.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAlDbC7qt8
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDAiPL9zd7
But his stomach twisted with a different kind of emptiness. Hunger. Sharp and demanding.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30l9xtWfMc
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREm89TaOUU
His gaze drifted across the organic floor. The ribbed walls. The pulsing tissue that surrounded him.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7zooQDvR9
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQCPS74JaK
All of it was flesh. Meat. Raw, certainly. Probably disgusting.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVcnHf6M5U
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHu1w5KZ6K
But edible.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeFCamEwCJ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAEsmQyfmn
The thought arrived with crystalline clarity, and with it came a hysterical laugh that bubbled up from somewhere dark and twisted in his chest.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fDLfsxxuh
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucOqAMiuDa
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQn9wAIWxK
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBaDxvK8Xa
Compared to that?118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1GlVTYOF5
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN48IpiB8FC
Fresh meat was practically a delicacy.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZK8jYrbKYS
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOxsg5Mce6
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7W6Kzu0AU
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtvBzm01Pg
His stomach turned. Not from the sight - he'd seen worse. But from what he was about to do.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rSyFtcAVh
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwIUitHZRd
He put it in his mouth.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcn6ivuRN1
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ05DRUR11T
Nothing. No taste at all. Just texture - soft, yielding, oddly smooth.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yDW5N7Y3j
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUqQWf6bp6
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcgstv5Qqb
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JXftGeZLz
His throat convulsed. The gag reflex hit hard, muscles spasming as his body tried to reject what he was forcing into it.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaU4r5Rwg2
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltwnrBKR4T
Cel clenched his jaw, breathing hard through his nose. Forced his throat to relax. Swallowed.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBmJAdjHQC
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmT0tG20cdi
The meat went down.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xxr2gjlm4
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNBZiNW8Rz
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XqqRmMJ0k
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8dScGpJwp
But his body remembered. Remembered a year of training, of learning to accept the unacceptable. The nausea peaked, held... then slowly receded.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyg9YjPqOnx
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCktAwVwlbI
He stood there gasping, bent forward. Waiting. Watching for the inevitable rejection.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd43i0NBOy9
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxIhcHVjQw
But it didn't come.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrA2CVfMYvv
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURzl5S1xJa
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGd57yviZh
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWJBQSkN3h
He carved another strip from the wall and took a bite. Chewed. Swallowed. Gagged again - less violently this time - but kept it down.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHG7AkqXWjm
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUt3pPg1wK
A third bite. Fourth. Fifth.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWqVM6gyET
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYnoGPQUEZ
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKofCRUkaE
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54t9g5Ae4n
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEg6a3yoA0J
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzVEYouIH4
Finally, when his stomach felt uncomfortably full, he stopped. Wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneY62FgVDZ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVt3YGD9bu
"Right then." His voice was steadier now. Stronger. "Back to work."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR41JqXvZKz
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhjplWtJcB
He approached the second tooth, blade in hand.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IYmgdKUj0
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzW1TnkcXVA
Cel positioned Silent Moon at the tooth's base and drove it in deep.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05v6keTxAm
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIBl8GDkxy
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxK7j3I1C7
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡveihZc5EB4
It went faster than the first tooth. His movements fell into rhythm - drive, wrench, reposition.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkr5hngXPM
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSfT9wBmfD
The second tooth crashed to the floor. Then the third.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfmZ14HJCB
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5Ed2DmFaC
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZwA2zc1o5
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpcLYxQ1lh
He glanced at Silent Moon between strikes.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKjIkITBkQ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6LBfB0f91
Six crescents glowed along its length now. Two more than before.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpRQsyKFJN
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwl6VByU3IJ
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVnVHbclfX
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbG6xPSMZI0
'Empathic Steel.'118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkuX1upBAm
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehp6x1JYQO
So the trait reacted with sharpness. The more crescents ignited, the keener the edge became.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3VU8Xkuso
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeS8BIOXvMz
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqdrtjhC4k
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhoBwWRwAN
The gap in the outer rings grew visible. Real progress.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCY0jbtwnwo
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl37pkd8JcI
Time became meaningless in the darkness.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFUTOz9ZGF
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA19pXVFFoy
Tenth. Fifteenth. Twentieth.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp6HpwNg3T
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUSYwAqU6N
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAAuvj9f5O
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydbzgFYlfk
How long had he been working? Hours? Days?118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVYLdghkkr
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnPtmaDiZt
The gap was clear now - wide enough to slip through if the creature opened its mouth.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnK7ecGOVa
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IkoWgEKnb
But dozens more teeth remained.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBLvZsmSRv
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimLWIhihAu
He turned toward the twenty-first tooth.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeumqqTDFgU
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokLdyacvI1
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.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQLZrelJOw
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuJiyiRlaQ
A year ago, half this work would have killed him.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGX6ywLyEFC
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXQgm7BD4Z
Now? He could keep going.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPncpX2nxix
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEe8BRsZIkR
Gratitude flickered through his chest - brief but genuine. This body - this gift - would not break easily.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4SO6Og1JD
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkbDI3t2uK
He raised Silent Moon. Six crescents burned steadily along its length.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcBjYORJGB
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHdeEJHgX7
He positioned the blade and drove it in.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocFadI5iGT
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5MGb0NCZF
Steel punched through flesh. He wrenched it free, repositioned—118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbEOgKepDA
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiAjSdbtpU
A tremor ran through the creature's body.1234 copyright protection114ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFtpm0472o 尼

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