cracked ribs

The moment he moved, the doppelgangers attacked, and so Sheik had to be faster.

Mac dashed in from her right. Just one on its own was not a problem, Sheik put him down with a single slash. Two more came in from her back, one brandishing a blade, the other its fists.

Sheik used her dagger to parry the most immediate threat, the blade coming for her neck, but that opened her up to receiving a powerful blow to her midsection. She felt ribs crack under the impact but stood standing.

However, the one with the blade did not let up, nor did it allow her the ability to move, and the one with the fists was already reeling back for a second strike, a strike which Sheik would not be able to push herself through.

Fortunate, then, that the doppelganger’s feet were taken out from under him. Sheik hadn’t even noticed the source at first, but Squirtle had apparently dashed through its legs and tripped it up.

That gave Sheik a bit of leverage. She placed her foot against the fistfighter’s throat, used that grounding to kick the swordsman back, and in one fluid move put both down with a slash.

And she wasn’t given even a second to recover as already more were on her.

- Chapter 43