The pieces of Liesa's shattered dagger fell to the forest floor with a series of quiet clinks. She stared at her empty hand, then at the man who had broken her blade with nothing but his arm. Her mind was blank with shock.
'He broke my dagger? With his skin?' She thought, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. 'What is he?'
She looked up at him. The lazy smile was gone, replaced by a look of cold assessment. The murderous intent that had been radiating from her just a moment ago was now gone, replaced with a feeling of pure disbelief.
Nox thought he had this won. 'She's out of tricks,' he thought, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. 'She tried her best, and it wasn't good enough.'
But then something strange happened. The shock on Liesa's face twisted and warped, melting away into a wide, manic grin that was far more unsettling than her earlier anger. Her eyes, which had been wide with surprise, now narrowed with a terrifying excitement.
