"Shishou!? Are you OK?" You take a step towards the woman in alarm as you worry about having hurt her, but... you fell for another of her traps. You barely manage to notice in time, but you notice her hand twitching slightly, not simply spasms of pain, but... with a purpose.

You swing around and knock a runestone that was speeding towards your blind spot out of the air with your wrist. But as you connect with the pebble, it explodes instantly, and you're barely fast enough to cover your face as the explosion engulfs your body. The explosion itself is immensely powerful, but contained to a tiny area, and you are sent flying into the wall right next to Touko by the shock wave. Of course, you don't allow yourself to slam into the wall, twisting yourself in the air and reshaping the thin layer of golden light protecting your feet and hands specifically into clawed talons, scraping deeply into the wooden floor as you used it as a means to stop the impact.

Part 44