Latril rushed forward, her wings spread, her sword glinting. She swung. Gray metallic blade met the demon-duck king’s right wing. The big black fowl stepped back, the blade of the swird woman’s sword pressing firmly against its wing. Sword and wing struggled for dominance. Latril leaned forward, putting more weight into her weapon. The demon-duck king took yet another step back. Its wing quivered against the blade. Latril’s lips twisted into a cocky smirk. That smirk didn’t last though. A crack filled the air, and said smirk dropped away.
Latril’s golden eyes—each containing the likeness of an upward-turned sword—shifted from the flaming red eyes of her opponent to her own sword. Cracks—growing cracks—ran along the length of her weapon’s blade. She grimaced. Her sword cried. The demon-duck king’s wing quivered. She was so close, but … A sharp pop sounded, and an expletive bled out from between her lips. She leapt back, shards of gray metal clattering to the obsidian rooftop. Her sword had not held. Instead, its blade had shattered.
Slimantha glanced at Latril and cocked her right eyebrow. Her brown eyes then went to the demon-duck king. The mighty fowl stood with its black feathers pridefully puffed up. Was it tough? It sure looked proud of itself for having shattered the blade of Latril’s sword. How tough was it though? Slimantha pointed the tip of her wooden staff at the ducky regal monster. Just how tough was it? An orb of flame appeared at her staff’s tip. How tough was it? Was it strong? She fired the flaming orb at the potentially strong monster—the potentially strong monster she still kind of wanted to pet. Seriously, why was it so cute?
The demon-duck king turned to the fiery incoming projectile. Its flaming eyes widened. Its wings crossed. A fiery explosion rocked the rooftop as orb met wings. The orb was gone, but the demon-duck king remained. The regal monster lowered its wings, little wisps of smoke wafting up from them. The golden crown atop its head glinted. A single drop of sweat rolled down Slimantha’s right cheek. The monster had tanked her fireball.
Slimantha’s eyes—a somewhat distant look to them—drifted down to her staff. The monster had tanked her fireball. She blinked. The air gusted around her. Her hair—her long brown hair—rustled. The monster had tanked her fireball. Her eyes went back to the monster. Its right wing descended toward her in a downward strike. Was this how it ends? Of course not. Wing met slime tentacle, and Slimantha tossed her staff away. The monster had tanked her fireball, but should she really be that surprised? She was a slime summoner, not a fireball summoner. She smiled and drew her right first back. She threw a punch. The impact sent the demon-duck king flying back. The slime tentacle that had blocked the regal monster’s attack melted away. Slimantha blinked. The big ducky monster stumbled back to its feet.
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“This thing”—Slimantha glanced at Latril—“isn’t that tough.” She stretched her arms and then shifted her weight from side to side.
“Not that tough?” Latril glanced at the demon-duck king. Then her golden sword eyes returned to Slimantha. The swird woman held her ruined weapon up. “It broke my sword. How is it not …” She blinked. “Actually, hold that thought.” She tossed her broken weapon away. A fresh silvery sword materialized, floating in front of her. She grabbed it by its hilt. She crouched down, spreading her wings, and then rushed the demon-duck king. She swung. The crown-wearing monster retreated back. A cocky smirk spread across Latril’s face. She glanced at Slimantha. “You’re right. This thing isn’t that tough. I guess it was a problem with that starting weapon I got from the system.”
Slimantha flashed Latril a smile and then turned her gaze back to the crown-wearing fowl—the big cute crown-wearing fowl. Her right hand twitched. She bit her lower lip and then glanced at Latril again. “You mind,” she said, “if I try to pet it real quick?” Her eyes went back to the big ducky monster. “It is looking remarkably pettable about now.” Her right hand twitched again.
Latril’s eyes—Latril’s lovely golden sword eyes—pivoted to Slimantha’s face. “You really want to stop the fight to pet this thing, don’t you?” the swird woman said, getting an enthusiastic nod from the slime summoner. “You do know this is supposed to be the tutorial, right? This isn’t a petting zoo.”
“But what,” Slimantha said, “if this is the tutorial of a petting zoo?” The slime summoner’s beautiful brown eyes began sparkling. She clasped her hands in front of herself and shifted her weight onto her left leg. “What if, like, that thing’s weak spot is, like, getting pet?” Her eye sparkles intensified. “What if, like, it can only be beat by being pet?” She turned back to the big black crown-wearing duck and lowered her hands. “It’s settled then. I am so going to defeat it by petting it.”
“I”—Latril blinked—“don’t think that is how this works.” Her golden sword eyes went from the demon-duck king to Slimantha. Then her eyes drifted to the silvery sword held in her own right hand. She held said sword up, her eyes going back to the slime summoner. “I’m pretty sure whacking that thing a few times with this would defeat it.” Her eyes returned to the demon-duck king. “I mean it really doesn’t seem all that tough.”
“Well”—Slimantha blinked—“I guess I see your point. It really doesn’t seem that tough. I guess I won’t pet it then.” She pouted. “I low-key want to pet it though.”
Latril looked at Slimantha and sighed. “Exactly what part of you wanting to pet that thing is supposed to be low-key?” she said. “You quite blatantly want to pet it.”
“You know,” Slimantha said, pressing her pointer fingers together. “The part that is a key and is low.” She cocked her head to the side cutely at Latril’s facepalm.
The demon-duck king glared at the two women. The flames of its red eyes intensified, and little puffs of smoke emanated from its red horns. A glowing red had spread throughout is golden crown. The big black duck opened its bill and gave an angry quack.