by Morgan Landry 3/4/2015, 5:41 pm
Chiara briefly delayed the chronometer to look at Aria.
"I'm not fighting, am I?" she said with raised eyebrows. Then she started to race again.
Hurdle, hurdle, jet of acid, two spinning blades, barbed wire, hurdle, hurdle, hurdle... she lost count, letting only her innate reflexes control her actions. Her movements were quick but powerful. Sending a spinning blade back with a slash of her sword, she brought her shield in front of her, feeling the pressure of the acid jet on its surface before climbing up the net again.
Aria may have said that casually but it still nagged at Chiara. Do you actually want another fellow demi-gods blood on your hands? Twenty-seven. Twenty-seven reasons for people to grab her and smash her knees. Gritting her teeth, she snapped back to focus to escape the painful guilt, at least temporarily. A blade thumped off her shield. Hurdle. Barbed wire clawing at her clothes as she crawled away under it, sand sticking to her. Sweat dampened her face. Rolling back to her feet, she kept racing, moving her concentration entirely on the track, her face only showing physical effort.