An hour later, Shu was out of Crimson Forest with the mission finally over. He was already hurrying home, the bat resting on one shoulder while the ruined streets blurred past.
'Just let me get back before anything else happens,' he thought, jaw tight. 'I am so done with today.'
He was a fair distance from the dungeon when something shifted behind him, and his body moved before his mind caught up. The bat ripped off his shoulder in a hard swing, fast enough to take a head clean off if it landed the way it should have, then stopped inches from Raniel's face.
A thin line of sweat slid down her temple while her eyes stayed locked on the bat. For once, she looked properly shaken.
"Woah there," she said, holding very still.
He kept the bat there for one more second, then drew it back just enough to stop looking like he might finish the swing. His eyes stayed on her face while his shoulders stayed tight.
