Chapter 44: Breaking Scene’s
Kikaru blinked, momentarily taken aback before her lips curled into an amused smirk. "Damn, old man. That's pretty metal."
Still breathing heavily, Elias locked his gaze on her. "Don't..." he croaked, forcing the words out, "...don't forget what we're really fighting for here. Even if the Doctor wants to pit us against each other... we have to protect our planet above all else." He winced, his muscles protesting every word. "My perception is terrible... maybe I'm bad at seeing signs... but I know we need to have each other's backs."
Kikaru's amused smirk faded, replaced by a sharper edge. "Hey," she snapped, "those dumbasses had their chance for almost two weeks to train and work out. If they're falling behind because they were too lazy, that's on them."
"M-maybe," Elias struggled to say, his voice faltering under the weight of his exhaustion, "b-but we all have something to fight for... in one way or another."
Elias's vision finally began to stabilize, and his eyes focused on Kikaru as a quest window appeared before him, crystal clear:
Perform 200 pushups.
Manifest 10 objects.
Win a sparring match.
Reward: Level increase (1).