It was to put it simply an unfair comparison of their base specs And while she effortlessly squashed his counter attacks she continued to advance toward him
Of course Hank could feel his image slowly gaining traction in the surrounding space The pressure from AlanaÆs image greatly increased the speed of its spread Gradually the chill of Wivanya was being pushed back by the whistling austere beauty of the Wild West He was settling into the track of the plucky underdog Yet as Hank sidestepped an ice blast and blocked a kick that was crackling with holy energy he didnÆt feel optimistic about his chances
Alana whipped her spear around and thrust toward his stomach Hank fired several bullets at her waist to slow her down but she ignored the attacks The bullet struck her but only produced the smallest spurts of blood from the wounds His image didnÆt even manage to inconvenience her AlanaÆs ability to ignore outside influences was positively unfair
Her decisive lack of response to his attacks meant that Hank had to bring the butt of his pistol down to knock aside her spear thrust The skin of his hand sizzled and burned from the strange radiation of AlanaÆs image as the golden flames licked greedily upward but Hank was able to spin away without taking serious damage
Except then he found himself looking at the narrowed sapphire eyes of a three meter tall dragon It was a frozen moment that Hank knew would end as soon as he blinked or reacted to WivanyaÆs ambush Yet he wanted to remain in that strained piece of stretched time for as long as possible Because as the odds were stacked against him
As quick as lightning splitting an old oak Hank drew his revolver popped open the cylinder slid in a specialty bullet then popped the cylinder back into place As a dragon claw with all the fury of winter was howling toward him Hank pointed his gun toward the ground and fired The special bullet blasted him quickly upward about ten meters before he began to slow
He switched to his repeater and then cursed as he twisted midair and had to deflect another of AlanaÆs thrusts with the barrel of his gun Hank lashed out with his leg but Alana somehow managed to duck under the attack while midair and continue her preternatural rush toward him He aimed with the repeater but she was already too close
Hoping to seize the initiative Hank twisted and brought his knee upward in a brutal attack toward AlanaÆs forehead But she casually slapped his attack aside with her off hand dispersing his force Then her spear snaked forward and ripped a hole along HankÆs armpit Golden flames raced along her spear to spread to HankÆs body as they locked eyes The Second Revelation Struggle
What followed was a chaotic mess of split second decisions as AlanaÆs methodical thrusts inflicted increasing amounts of damage while Hank struggled to keep up HankÆs left shoulder was almost completely shredded and at least two of his ribs were shattered He felt something trickling down between his shoulder blades and couldnÆt tell if it was blood or sweat
In the meantime his image was rapidly gaining traction in the surrounding space the clouds had truly parted and allowed the sun to shine down on the match But the small accumulation of advantages simply wasnÆt enough to keep up with AlanaÆs efficient spear strikes
Even worse Hank could feel some vital energy in his chest being rapidly depleted as he stayed within the halo of light that Alana produced He had broken away before the flames spread directly to his body but they continued to damage him The holiness about her person was a spiritual poison that seeped into his mind Against the purity and grace that she displayed it was difficult to muster up the will to resist
Yet somehow HankÆs smile just kept widening Ya jus like this If Alana werenÆt like this
Eventually Hank managed to get himself smashed down into the marble of the arena rather than skewered He left a bloody stain on the ground As he staggered to his feet he cast a meaningful glance over at Ancho Due to the small distraction he was completely blindsided by a blast of frost that knocked him off of his feet
Ancho snickered clearly broadcasting his thoughts See Almost over
If we win you can have the trophy Hank muttered as he smacked his palm against his arms to restore feeling in the limbs God but his left shoulder ached every time he moved But he couldnÆt afford to remain still So he slid a new magazine into his repeater to pepper Wivanya with bullets The dragon surged forward with hatred in its eyes thankfully screening AlanaÆs vision of Hank as she drifted casually downward In that opportunity he Dodge RollÆd several times in quick succession to keep Alana from locking onto him in the short term
Ancho soft brown eyes displayed complete apathy for a humanÆs obsession with status The trophy was worthless to him Inwardly Hank was becoming very annoyed You can sell it I reckon The trophy For as many apples and sugar cubes as ya want
Ancho considered this chewing thoughtfully on the corner of the refereeÆs uniform even while snow began to fall chaotically over the arena Although Hank was moving with more vigor than he had been at the beginning of the match due to the growing momentum of his image he was still clipped by a large icicle that Wivanya launched out at him Hank swayed from the glancing impact but was ultimately able to stay on his feet Blood dribbled out of a half dozen wounds inflicted on him by AlanaÆs brutal assault
IÆm barely standinÆ bud Hank drawled with false humor At which point Ancho finally huffed in defeat and gave his permission
Eternal Companion Hank whispered even as Wivanya spread her wings wide and screeched The gains Hank had made in the sky were gradually forced back and snow fell more heavily in the surrounding area But Hank felt some warmth returning to his extremities From the distance the sound of hoofs reached his ear with the reassuring staccato of rain on a tin roof
Wivanya surged forward with an increasingly dense aura of chilling air around her forcing Hank to roll sideways and rip open the wounds his body was dutifully knitting together When the first strike missed Wivanya narrowed her eyes and conjured a half dozen ice spears that pierced the ground around Hank and hemmed him into a small area But at the same time a shadowy figure reached the edge of the arena
Hank honestly hadnÆt realized how much he had needed a horse until he saw one fleeing in panic from a giant grasshopper Something clicked instantly in his mind Because the monster was only Level 28 Hank had finished it in a single bullet and cautiously approached the horse That was how he met Ancho
But ultimately Ancho was just a normal horse even if Hank had his suspicions about that based on how expressive Ancho was So he couldnÆt actually play any role in a serious battle of HankÆs But really Ancho didnÆt need to he just needed to spend time with Hank exposing him to the details and meaning that could only be gathered slowly through observation
With enough time and dedication Hank could create for himself a companion with all the life and character of the real horse
minus a few superfluous personality traits of course
Once it leapt up onto the raised platform AnchoÆs shadow clone reared up and released a clarion neigh that attracted everyoneÆs attention Everyone but Ancho who buried his head against the refereeÆs back as his image equivalent bared himself before so many humans
Too late to save you now Wivanya hissed but no sooner had shadow Ancho landed back on all four hooves than it stepped forward and was right next to Hank As an image especially as an image within an area with the heavy presence of HankÆs image space was not a serious problem Hank swung up into the saddle and they stepped again escaping from the frigid encirclement And when they crossed the distance to the far side of the arena Hank had his revolver ready with the second powerful bullet in the chamber
It had been far too long since he had seen Alana Perhaps it had only been fifteen seconds but after her initial blitz it made him extremely wary