Elisa's Wind Attack was dealt with. Beyond it, was revealed the sharp tip of a Timeworn Elven Dagger approaching rapidly, aimed for the Commander's head.
Dodge-
Lin bent his neck, letting the thrown Timeworn Elven Dagger pass him by.
"That was a close one." He whispered.
"Was it?" Elisa let the third Timeworn Elven Dagger fall off her mouth and into her mouth. "He acts like he doesn't feel pain, but I can tell, since I've been looking at him for a long time..."
'Don't tell me you-'
Lin quickly turned back, and Elisa leaped closer.
"He hates pain! But there is something he hates more!"
Elisa swung her Dagge. The Commander blocked with one hand and threw a punch with the other.
She slipped through the space below that arm and stood behind Lin.
The latter wasted no time to turn.
"Can you see it?" Elisa asked as she pointed behind her with the tip of one of her blades. "The expression on his face?"
Elisa's Wind Attack was dealt with. Beyond it, was revealed the sharp tip of a Timeworn Elven Dagger approaching rapidly, aimed for the Commander's head.
Dodge-
Lin bent his neck, letting the thrown Timeworn Elven Dagger pass him by.
"That was a close one." He whispered.
"Was it?" Elisa let the third Timeworn Elven Dagger fall off her mouth and into her mouth. "He acts like he doesn't feel pain, but I can tell, since I've been looking at him for a long time..."
'Don't tell me you-'
Lin quickly turned back, and Elisa leaped closer.
"He hates pain!"
Elisa swung her Dagger. The Commander blocked with one hand and threw a punch with the other.
She slipped through the space below that arm and stood behind Lin.
The latter wasted no time to turn.
"Can you see it?" Elisa asked as she pointed behind her with the tip of one of her blades. "The expression on his face?"
Elisa leaped forward the attack once more.
Once again, she slipped behind Lin.
Beyond the Commander's shoulder, she could see it.
The expression on the Monster's face who had been woken up from its slumber.
A slumber that had been interrupted by a Dagger pierced its calf muscle.
"I'll just have to deal with you before the guard dog wakes up fully-" The Commander leaped forward, and so did Elisa.
"He hates pain, but there is something he hates more than pain. Can you guess what it is?"
Elisa's Timeworn Elven Daggers were swung, thrust, and spun.
Lin's Gauntlets hit, blocked, and deflected.
"Oh, the expression on his face once he sees the kitty passed out..." Elisa started. Lin flinched, and the tip of her Weapon drew a short and shallow wound on his arm. "Can you imagine it?"
Suddenly and out of nowhere, the Commander felt a great amount of pressure.
Something was coming.
It was close. Too close already.
His eyes stared at Elisa's.
With his vision focused to its maximum, he could see it.
Without a care about the Timeworn Elven Daggers approaching his stomach, Lin jumped away to the side.
BAM-
The Commander jumped back a few more times before staring at the rising cloud of dirt which was hiding Elisa's position.
The light emanating from his eyes shone a bit brighter, and he could see them through the smoke.
'Tsk.'
Lin clicked his tongue.
"How slothful..."
The cloud of dirt started settling and,
"Hohoooo!!" A smiling Elisa appeared. With the end of her Dagger's handle, she tapped his shoulder repeatedly. "You've gotten stronger, haven't you? Haven't you?"
The white-scaled Monster scratched the back of his head.
"Maybe."
He turned to face Lin, and a familiar sensation left him puzzled.
"He-"
"Reminds you of someone, huh?" Elisa chuckled, completely reading his thoughts. "That's a Commander. Know what that is?"
Mark shrugged.
"I can guess. So? Anything you have to tell me before he-"
Elisa made her Timeworn Elven Daggers spin before putting them back in their sheathes.
"Zephyr. That was his name, right? That guy was probably a Commander. Or a future Commander maybe?"
Mark's body started twitching, and a smirk appeared on Elisa's face.
"Scared?"
The white-scaled Monster brought its hands together.
Crack-
Crack-
"Rematch 1 of 2..." Before Elisa could finish her sentence, a cloud of dirt rose in front of her. "Start?"
'Commander... The same as Zephyr? But then what about this visible Aura?' Mark asked himself as he ran towards the Orcish Fiend whose eyes shone.
'Knock him out... Just like before... At the right...'
[Your Passive Skill "Combative Eyes[D]" is activating!]
Unlike what the Commander had wished for, the first punch didn't connect.
What took place instead, was one of the things Lin hated most.I think you should take a look at
A simple, boorish, and bruttish slugfest.
'Deflect, block, hit... Don't forget about that tail. Looks like the kind that can be used offensively... Don't forget about the Elf standing there... Keep an eye on the Moonlit Feline too...' Lin's eyes kept shining brighter and brighter. The strain from the use of those Eyes was negligible though. He was a Commander after all.
'Stay on the attack... Just like against Zephyr... He's not wearing Armor, therefore... Elisa had no wounds, he probably has no sharp weapons... This is... This is...!'
'Idiot didn't even ask if I was okay. Tsk.' Elisa clicked her tongue before coughing up a small quantity of blood. 'Well...' Her gaze moved to the side. 'With Krista knocked out, I can understand though.' Her eyes went back to the slugfest.
A couple of seconds later,
"Oh. He missed a tempo there. That'll..." Elisa whispered to herself.
And sure enough,
Bam-
A punch thrown with all of the Commander's strength landed on Mark's stomach, launching him away.
Cough- Cough-
Mark quickly stood up. But before he could rush at the enemy again,
"What do you think?"
The white-scaled Monster's gaze went to Elisa.
She was standing a couple of steps away.
'Tsk. Feels like she knew I would end up here.'
"Well?" Elisa pressed.
"Mmm... What I think?"
'Are they seriously...'
"After taking a hit, what do you think?"
'Talking while in the presence of a Commander?'
"Mmmm..." Mark wondered for a bit. "Commanders are supposed to be on the same level, right?"
"Yes."
"Strange. Zephyr's hits felt different. Plus, I don't think he was using everything he had."
"Mm. Mm." Elisa nodded repeatedly.
Lin's eyebrow twitched.
"How come his hits are so light?"
Veins immediately popped on Lin's face.
"Light?"
The Commander's Aura flared up and englobed the two.
Mark's body shuddered for a moment.
A heavy pressure pushed him down towards the floor.
"Can you move?" Elisa, whose body was covered by a greenish Aura, asked.
[Your Title "Devourer" roars!]
[Your Title "Evolving Monster" screeches!]
"This is..." Mark bent his knees slightly under the pressure. "Status?"
"Mm." Elisa nodded. "Different kind of Status than the Status Window though."
"Yeah, it's..." The white-scaled Monster slowly straightened its body up. "Not bad."
"Ha... Hahahaha! Not bad, you say? Amusing. Interesting! In front of a Commander's Status, a Commander's Aura, this is all you have to say?"
ƥandasnovel·ƈom Mark brought a hand to the back of his head. By his side and With eyes filled with surprise, Elisa stared at him.
'How come he can stand in front of a Commander?' She asked herself.
"I've felt something similar before."
"Is that so? From that Zephyr, huh? I don't know a Commander by that Name-"
"Oh, no." Mark cracked his neck. "I'm hazy on the details, but it was probably..." He extended his claws and leaped forward. "Nia or Gaavah."
Elisa stared at him as he ran forward.
'Surprising... This sure does make things easier though.' She thought as she took a side step.
'Did we underestimate the job's difficulty?' Lin asked himself. 'Wait...'
The Commander's body started twitching as he realized something.
'Gaavah?'
Instantly, the Aura surrounding him turned violent.
Pheww-
'Gaavah...?'
Mark's body was forced to slow down, as the Aura surrounding him grew much more dense and almost gained a slimy feel to it.
'Gross...' Elisa thought to herself as she ran.
"Doing this job might have allowed me to take it easy for a few weeks but now..."
As if it were a typhoon, the white-scaled Monster was forced to raise an arm to stop itself from being blown away.
Once again, the earth cracked.
Once again, nature kneeled.
Lin's twitching body started growing slightly larger.
Slightly more imposing.
Mark couldn't tell whether it was actually growing, or simply an impression brought on by the change in the Aura surrounding him
"Feels like I'll be able to take it easy for a few months, if not more."
Mark was a couple of steps away.
Lin pulled his arm back, and threw a punch.
Bleugh-
The Monster's body was launched back, and collided with the Elf that was tailing him.
A punch through air.
A punch through Aura.