Smack!
Rus flew through the air like a fly, swatted aside by the Rat King's retracting claw. She struck the ground at an angle and skipped across it like a stone on water, tumbling and bouncing dozens of meters.
Crash—
Rus finally stopped skidding. She spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered to her feet.
The Rat King looked down at her as if asking whether she was done yet.
Masterful technique meant nothing against overwhelming strength. Even with her near-suicidal attacks, the Incubus had only cut through the Rat King's thick hide and drawn a little blood.
Rus answered by picking up the Longsword that had landed several meters away. She swayed to her feet and charged the Rat King again.
Out of patience, the Rat King grabbed Rus as easily as it might seize an armored beast. The instant its claw closed around her, the Incubus lost all strength to resist.
"Hhk..."
A strained wheeze escaped Rus's compressed chest. Her bloodshot eyes reflected the Rat King's ugly head drawing closer and closer. A flash of helplessness passed through her.
Goodbye, Legion Commander... Goodbye, Lady Biross. Goodbye, Annan... Olmedo Just Right...
The Rat King was about to send its opponent flying like a brief shooting star, just as it had in the previous round, when a tiny trinket fell from Rus.
The Rat King lowered its head and stared at the Annan Figurine lying shattered on the ground.
The claw squeezing the breath out of Rus loosened slightly. Then a voice sounded in her mind: "What is your relationship with Lord Annan?"
Annan? Lord Annan?
The Incubus was in no state to think. Almost unconsciously, she answered, "I'm friends with that Annan Thing..."
The Rat King raised its head and saw Lord Annan waving at it, silently mouthing