Chapter 15 · Don't Die First

The Rot Warden's blade comes at my face and I don't even flinch.

Nyx is already there. His sword catches it two inches from my nose. Sparks shower down between us and I roll left, come up slashing at the exposed joint in the Warden's knee.

It shrieks. Good.

We've been fighting for six minutes. Maybe seven. I stopped counting after the third wave of adds. Nyx moves like he's reading the boss script in real time—which, okay, he probably is. He cuts off every gap-close before it lands. He calls out timing I shouldn't be able to hear over the noise.

"Left," he says, flat.

I dodge left. The ground where I was standing turns into a spike pit.

"Thanks," I gasp.

"Focus."

That's all he's given me for the last ten minutes. One-word calls. Kill orders. Perfect sync and zero explanation.

He hasn't looked at me once.

I trust his hands. I don't trust his silence.

The Warden rears back and starts channeling its ultimate. The arena goes dark except for the red glyphs spinning up around its feet. I know this attack. It's a wipe mechanic. You interrupt or you die.

"I'm out of interrupts," I shout.