But that body Thirteen didnÆt even bother to pay attention to her expression just gazing at her chest and hips greedily Seeing that she was a woman all of his earlier tension evaporated He licked his lips After IÆm done with her
I was rather excited when I smelled blood The woman whined But to think itÆs just a pesky mosquito like you Better that I donÆt let you wander around though
Thirteen didnÆt even see the spear strike that slit his throat
Chapter 970
The feeling was kinda like the taste of bad tequila sticking in her throat No matter how many times Alana released a breath she couldnÆt shake it Her instincts informed her matter of factly it was a bad feeling but it was really just tight AlanaÆs iron control bound it in place keeping it from being a big deal
In the predawn light Alana used even strokes to brush ReinaÆs hair The filtered sunlight from the tall windows caused the other womanÆs locks to glimmer revealing the rich and complex color that belied her dark hair While it was calming the even motions werenÆt giving her the usual sense of no strings attached bliss
Alana was careful to keep her breathing soft and quiet even though she vehemently attempted to activate her diaphragm and expunge the peculiar knot of tension that constantly nagged at the edges of her attention Part of her thought that the lack of success meant she should stop trying to force it Yet she still clicked her teeth together and ruthlessly expanded her ribcage in fruitless attempts to dislodge it
What is wrong with me Alana wondered This this isnÆt me IÆm DonnytonÆs fighter Even if images arenÆt simply another battle why am I losing so badly This is so stupid
RainaÆs been rubbing off on me IÆve become practically maudlin around her
Raina sighed and looked meaningfully up at Alana Do you really have to go
A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of AlanaÆs mouth as she felt Raina consciously or not activated some of her charm when she asked the question At the moment it was a welcome distraction from the unstable and contradictory currents of emotion that AlanaÆs mind had devolved rapidly into over the last four days
If nothing else it was a good sign that RainaÆs mental trauma from the challenge against Randidly was slowly starting to heal Very few things had pierced through AlanaÆs own funk but how strongly Raina had been affected had grabbed her attention The long shadow cast by Randidly was starting to fade Of course If not me I canÆt be sure that we will be able to help Zone Eleven Besides this will be good training for myself IÆve been feeling a bit restless the past few days
And what about your oh so precious training sessions Raina asked
Alana waved her hand while trying to keep the motion light and careless Paolo and Kayle will manage without me Even if they donÆt want to their competitive edge will make them go all out
After nodding meekly Raina said nothing further The two women remained silently in their positions Alana brushing while Raina sat for the next ten or so minutes Alana gritted her teeth and forced herself to enjoy it She should be savoring it It would be the last time they had this small comfort for several months after all
Alana was not currently upset that she hadnÆt been able to face Randidly in the prior challenge No she was quite proud of her ability to force three blows out of him while he was in that hyper powerful state The problem started the night after the challenge
No even that was wrong The night after the challenge she furiously inscribed into her soul the feeling of channeling all those hopes and images fed into her by Donnyton That experience of transcending she memorized its every corner She was like a wide river basin prepared to bring a vast flood of water toward the sea
When she woke up the next morning the only feeling that remained was a metaphysical dehydration No more spiritual fluid flowed into Alana from DonnytonÆs people She was empty The feeling had vanished It had left her so aggravated Alana had to consciously relax her jaw several times over the past four days in order to not grind her teeth to dust
After being the most powerful person in Donnyton for so long this struggle made her feel weak
It was a dumb thing to panic over The past four days without any progress in the area of images exacerbated that foolish panic It was even more foolish to expect to master something in four days that Randidly took months at least in which to grow proficient Her current progress was more than enough
But without a solid counterfactual that seed of panic had grown fat and poisonous in the back of her mind Her anger and frustration was a vicious cherry red poker prepared to burn away the rot but she couldnÆt pin the emotion down enough to eliminate the remaining panic Some always seemed to squirt away
Until she could finally get the knack of making an image down Alana suspected that it would remain as slippery as a muddy eel
Getting out of Donnyton might be good for me Alana thought
Later today Alana would depart with Sam and a group of fifty elite individuals from Donnyton to head toward Zone Eleven and assist with their rampant monster problem The request from Zone Eleven could be considered a godsend for both parties Zone Eleven needed help to prevent the greatest monster horde Earth had ever seen and Donnyton needed a way in the wake of their public draw with Randidly to prove their strength
Both to the world and to themselves
Alana was quickly selected to lead the expedition She took the news stoically when she had been informed and then returned to the darkness of her tent Very rarely over the past four days had Alana left her tent For training reasons She was the peak of Donnyton strength its invincible spear the teacher that led them all
Yet since those light headed hours in the early morning after facing Randidly an image had refused to manifest for her That truth was an unavoidable plague upon her mind While Kayle Paolo and Dozer all slowly gathered their strength and created more and more detailed images Alana found she could create nothing
ItÆs only been four days Alana rumbled at herself Yet her thoughts continued to scurry around the reality of the situation
She was an empty riverbed The substance of her Soulspace became dry and rutted That dark panic whispered that this would become a long term problem If she didnÆt solve it immediately there would be consequences
Again ItÆs been four days Alana thought tiredly as she set her brush down What can one person accomplish in four days
Randidly took only a single day to break the spirit of Donnyton and leave without a backward glance
Donnyton needed her more than ever and she could do nothing So in some ways it was a relief to leave Donnyton now In other ways it felt like she was running away
While AlanaÆs body continued to sit in silent struggle Raina interrupted the quiet between them You know these days have been such a nice break for me This was the perfect excuse to take some days off of work IÆve even made some recent sketches ItÆs one of the few things I can safely do as an invalidÆ teehee Would you like to see them before you go
Of course Alana said simply with a completely even and neutral breath Although she knew that it was likely the fear and pressure itself that had kept her from being able to condense an image from the abundant mental energy she produced it was difficult to simply be rid of it
Even now my mind is running around in circles Alana sighed inwardly
Raina hopped up enthusiastically and rolled across her bed to the desk at the far side When she reached it she pulled out a long drawer and produced several thin pieces of sketch paper With an easy smile Alana accepted them and began to look through them
The first to AlanaÆs embarrassment was a portrait of her staring meaningfully out a window Even more strange was the fact that she was not wearing her armor or carrying a spear At the moment she was currently wearing the exact clothes that could be seen in the sketch She looked fragile Vulnerable