The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Oct 25, 2016 19:26:48 GMT -7
Unhallow wrung their hands and paced (slowly as to not get her heart rate up too much) in the entry way of their house while they waited for Sin Eater. They had a request. The last dragon fight proved to them that their power wasn't strong enough on its own. Unhallow always thought fighting dragons would be really easy with a power like theirs, that they would be able to just run up to the dragon and make sure not to get too far away and it would die really fast. This never happened. Worse than that, the dragons seemed to mess with their power somehow, so not only were they not dying very fast, but Unhallow could rarely even tell what was going on in the battle. It was obvious their current strategy (or lack thereof) was not working, and that they needed to learn how to handle battles. They needed to learn how to fight.
Learning how to fight would make them more useful to the Keepers too. They'd be able to fight minions if dragons had them, much like the last one did. It seemed like a good idea, but Unhallow had no idea where to start. Thus, they asked a friend. Sin Eater knew how to fight, and wouldn't be hurt too badly by their power if they started exerting themselves. Even so, Unhallow was afraid. It was hard enough fighting right now where they mostly just stood around and waited for their power to do something useful. It was hard to watch things get hurt like that. Being an active participant in a fight sounded even worse, and the fact that they would have to get close to fight was a really scary thought. However, it was the most effective way to fight for Unhallow because of their power. They couldn't be afraid. They needed to be stronger, they needed to be useful, they needed to stop messing up. This would help.
Unhallow still hadn't figured out how to get the electricity or water working, so their house was freezing. From the outside it looked abandoned. The plants were all varying shades of yellow and brown. The house itself was still covered in ivy, but it was so withered it looked more like the house was oozing something than it looked like something was growing on it. The wood of the house was showing signs of age and rot, and the glass in the boarded up windows had clear cracks in it. There were no signs of any insects or small animals anywhere nearby, so the area was eerily silent. At the very least, Unhallow had managed to disarm all the landmines in the yard, though they hadn't gotten around to picking them all up yet. Unhallow was used to their home, and none of this bothered them. Though they were starting to get a little irritated by the occasional child that would come here on a dare because it looked like a haunted house.
They figured the two of them could fight outside near the bunker out back. The grass there wasn't just withered, Unhallow had turned it to dust long ago, so there was a clear patch of dirt out there. It was light enough that Sin Eater would be able to see, and it would probably be more comfortable than fighting indoors where it was really dark and cold, or fighting on the dying plants. That said, they had no idea and was content to let Sin Eater decide. Soon enough, they felt Sin Eater approach the house. They didn't wait for her to knock on the door or say hello, and opened the door and went outside once she was nearby.
"Thank you for doing this. I don't have a lot here, but let me know if you need anything. There should be a spot out back that's safe. Should we go back there?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Sin Eater on Nov 2, 2016 12:39:20 GMT -7
Sin Eater was in a fairly good mood as she responded to Unhallow's invitation. This would be an excellent way to let off some steam after the disappointment of the last dragon's attack. It was rare for people to outright ask Sin Eater to punch them. She was fairly certain that Unhallow had no idea what she was getting into.
"Good thinking. Let's go there." Sin Eater's tone was light and encouraging. She began to explain her plans as they walked together.
"So, if we're going to make a fighter out of you, there are a few obvious steps. You'll need to work on your bodily strength, your ability to run fast and hit hard. I can't help you much there, since my power keeps me in perfect physical condition no matter what I do. But you shouldn't need much help. Just run some laps and lift some weights on your own time.
"There's also your fighting technique. This is something I could help you with. I trained extensively when I first came to Emerald City, and I still need to brush up on my techniques now and then. But even if we make a champion fighter out of you, you'll still be a liability in the field.
"The real place in which you need improvement is your willingness to fight. You always hesitate to hurt people. It needs to come naturally to you, to be second nature, to the point that it doesn't distract you from being mindful of other threats. Against dragons capable of influencing our minds and bodies, you might even need to be ready to kill your friends in order to save the rest. To that end, I've devised a little... hm, let's call it a game."
As they reached the dirt arena, Sin Eater continued several steps ahead of Unhallow before turning around and spreading her hands to the side, a self-satisfied expression on her face.
"The game ends when all ten of my fingers are broken!"
Sin Eater let the words sink in for a moment. The helmet meant that she couldn't read Unhallow's expression, but any negative emotions would be crystal clear to her power. Feelings like these were a delicacy. She continued.
"And they will be broken, sooner or later, because I'll be trying to break your fingers too, and I'll be absorbing that damage into myself. You 'lose' if I have to break all your fingers myself and we both have to suffer through that pain. You 'win' if you break all my fingers first, cutting the total pain we experience together in half. Isn't that a nice incentive?
"Those are the only rules. Distracting each other with smalltalk and such is very much allowed. In fact, it's half the point. You need to be ready for anyone to attack you at any time. We'll keep playing every day until I'm satisfied with your progress. I hope you learn quickly."
A grin had crept its way onto Sin Eater's face. She did not expect Unhallow to learn quickly.
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Nov 8, 2016 18:09:24 GMT -7
Unhallow tried to stay a good distance in front of Sin Eater while they lead her to the backyard, but the effort was ultimately useless. Unhallow wasn't going to run with someone else around, and Sin Eater wasn't inclined to hang back. The situation always made them uncomfortable, but they were ultimately resigned to it at this point. There was no point in trying to avoid it anymore. The backyard even more dead than the front, with the areas around where Unhallow slept being completely devoid of life completely. That's where they were headed.
They listened to Sin Eater's every word on the way carefully. The first thing was obvious, but something Unhallow was still a little afraid of. Physical exertion made their heart rate go up, which in turn made their power that much stronger. The thought made them anxious enough that they started tapping their fingers together. It was better than it was, they had more options than they did a month ago. Out here there weren't very many people, so the damage they would do while trying to get back into shape would be minimal. That was doable, and it might even make all other aspects of life that much easier. Just walking to the grocery store was trying on their physical capabilities right now.
The second item had Unhallow nodding along, and they figured that would be the most important part. That was what they wanted to know the most, and what they thought would actually let them fight, so they were confused when Sin Eater continued. The third item made their heart skip a beat. Unhallow couldn't argue with it as embarrassing as it was to admit. Even so, just thinking about it was enough to make their stomach turn on itself. They quietly listened until Sin Eater finished talking, though the exact details of the rules didn't register immediately.
"R-Right," Unhallow's voice was a little downcast, but there were clear signs of determination in it. "So what do you recommend--w-wait what?"
It took a moment for Unhallow to realize the implications of what was going on. Sin Eater wasn't serious right? They misheard right? Unhallow blinked a few times under the mask and stood there dumbfounded.
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The Keepers
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Post by Sin Eater on Nov 16, 2016 23:57:41 GMT -7
As expected, Unhallow wasn't quite able to wrap their head around it yet. It might have been possible to go over everything again, more slowly and clearly, but that would be a waste of time and patience. A direct demonstration would be more effective.
Unhallow was not ready for a fight. That much was plain to see with the naked eye, let alone with the assistance of Sin Eater's power. The masked Keeper was resting their weight on their heels, perhaps subconsciously leaning away as a habit developed as a result of their power. It wouldn't be possible to move quickly like that. Their arms hung loose, useless for defense and easily attacked. Their mind was still a distracted haze, clearly not focused on the moment.
Sin Eater's attack was instantaneous. She lunged forward, low and fast, leading with her right shoulder. Her small size meant that she had little hope of knocking her opponent over, but that wasn't her intention. As they collided, Sin Eater grabbed Unhallow's right hand with her own left, and as Unhallow was forced to stumble backward, Sin Eater dug in her heels and began to spin in the opposite direction, almost as if they were dancing together.
Their momentum carried them apart, and Sin Eater began to allow Unhallow's hand to slip from her grip... right up until the last moment, when she tightened her grip on Unhallow's index finger. With Sin Eater's grip twisting and Unhallow too off-balance to compensate for it, the full weight of the movement fell on the fragile joint. Sin Eater waited until she heard the snap and her power confirmed the injury to let go and return to a fighting stance.
"By the way, since this training is all about mindfulness and being willing to fight on a moment's notice, you shouldn't be expecting any courtesies along the lines of announcing when things begin or end. We won't be taking any breaks, either. This will keep on going until you end it.
"You need to learn to fight while you're in pain, so I'll let you keep that broken finger for now. How about you attack me next? Let's see what you can do."
Sin Eater was vaguely aware of a bruise spreading from her shoulder as a result of the smaller blood vessels rupturing from their close exposure to Unhallow's power. But it likely wouldn't pose any major problems. She wasn't expecting much here.
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Nov 17, 2016 9:07:11 GMT -7
Unhallow didn't even notice Sin Eater move until it was too late. Even then, they weren't quite sure what she was doing until they felt a snap in one of their fingers. They let out a loud yelp, stepping back and clutching their hand once they regained their balance from the initial push. Sin Eater was serious, and they hadn't misheard. Unhallow bit their lower lip unsure of what to do. It was difficult to argue with her logic, but was this really the right way to do it? That was bothering them much more than the pain of a broken finger. They'd suffered worse injuries, and it's not like they had to worry about getting hurt anyway.
"B-But...A-A-Are you sure? I-I mean, there must be better targets...right?"
Unhallow unconsciously took a few slow steps back, still holding onto their injured hand. As much as they didn't want to hurt Sin Eater, this was her entire point wasn't it? In the end, it wasn't just her was it? Unhallow looked down and bit their lower lip. The thought of actually attacking her was making her stomach do cartwheels. But that was what fighting was all about in the end wasn't it? Causing pain? It was necessary if they wanted to be able to fight dragons well, or be useful for the Keepers. At least, that's what they kept telling themselves as they tried to psych themselves up enough to make a move against Sin Eater. They straightened out again, and started to move towards her, albiet slowly.
All of that was easier said than done. It was easy to think it, but it was another thing entirely to actually act on it. Unhallow's power had already hurt Sin Eater, and they could see the number of smaller blood vessels that already exploded because of it. And she had to do more? With how close they had to get to her, it'd result in a lot more than a broken finger if they succeeded. It made them hesitate for a moment before continuing. They only got as close as they needed to, trying to use the length of their arms to avoid getting closer than necessary. Their movements were slow, clumsy, and obviously hesitant, but they at least tried to grab one of Sin Eater's fingers.
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The Keepers
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Post by Sin Eater on Nov 22, 2016 9:27:14 GMT -7
To her credit, Unhallow actually seemed to be making an attempt at an attack. Unfortunately, Sin Eater was not the sort of instructor to give partial credit for trying.
"You don't always get to choose your targets."
Sin Eater once again rushed in low under Unhallow's awkward stance. There was no need to vary her technique against an opponent like this. Her power sensed dozens of vulnerable points across Unhallow's body, but one stood out: Unhallow's efforts to avoid exertion due to the effects it had on their power meant that their diaphragm was weak from disuse. Sin Eater threw a lunging jab with her entire weight behind it, hammering the point through Unhallow's armor.
Then, while her target was stunned, she struck out to grab Unhallow's left index finger. This time, rather than simply breaking the joint, Sin Eater twisted her wrist, wrenching the finger around and turning it practically backwards with a sickening crunch.
"You don't have time to look for an easy way out. Every moment you hesitate, thinking to yourself that some magical solution will show up to save you from having to make a hard choice... That's a moment longer for things to get worse."
Having the finger twisted around like that would be an especially painful breakage. Sin Eater backed off, giving it a moment to set in, then held up her own left hand as she absorbed the damage, her own finger snapping and twisting in a re-enactment of what she had just done to Unhallow.
"That's one finger down."
Sin Eater's pleasant tone was slipping. On one hand, she had been looking forward to this under the assumption that it would be a one-sided verbal and physical assault. But on the other hand, some resistance might make things more interesting. Sin Eater pondered whether trying to get Unhallow to truly fight back would be worth while. The pain was a dull throb behind her consciousness.
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Nov 28, 2016 21:04:03 GMT -7
Unhallow knew they couldn't pick their targets, but they found it unlikely they'd ever need to seriously fight Sin Eater, or any other Keeper for that matter. If a Keeper was mind controlled, they had better was to disable them than to actually fight them, and if they weren't then seriously fighting them would be excessive no matter what wouldn't it? This was supposed to be for their enemies and dragons, so fighting friends shouldn't be something they had to worry about right? Unhallow furrowed their brow, but they didn't voice any of their thoughts. Sin Eater was being kind enough to teach them, so arguing with her would be bad. Even if they didn't completely understand it, they figured they should take the lesson to heart anyway.
Their thoughts were broken, not by managing to grab a finger, but by a jab to the gut. Unhallow was completely out of shape in order to avoid getting their heart rate up too much, so their lungs were particularly weak. Even a simple jab like that was enough to knock the wind out of them and leave them on the ground for a moment. Unhallow let out another yelp as another finger was broken, proving once again that Sin Eater was entirely serious about this. It was enough to make them sweat a little.
"N-No, I wasn't--" Unhallow stopped when Sin Eater absorbed the wound. "I-I'm sorry." They paused for a moment to catch their breath. "Are...Are you sure this is okay? That this is what you want to do?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Sin Eater on Dec 8, 2016 5:28:10 GMT -7
Sin Eater made her decision. Watching Unhallow fail so utterly was too pathetic to be amusing for long. Better to provoke a bit of resistance.
"I am sure!" The annoyance in Sin Eater's tone was genuine. She charged forward again, raising her voice as she approached. "Now stop wasting my TIME!"
The last word was punctuated by another attack. Her target this time wasn't a finger. The game's objectives were hardly more than an excuse to beat up Unhallow, after all. Instead, Sin Eater set her sights on Unhallow's head. The helmet was sturdy, but Sin Eater was intimately familiar with its flaws after repairing it so many times, and she knew that it was a bit more fragile around the voice synthesizer in the lower half.
Sin Eater's feet left the ground as she launched a flying headbutt. There was a sharp crack as the front of Unhallow's helmet just barely gave way, sending spidering cracks over their face.
It was intended more to shake Unhallow up than to actually hurt, and Sin Eater probably took the worse of the exchange. There was a sharp pain in her head as she landed on the ground and backed away, signaling a mild concussion as well as some broken skin on her forehead. But the concussion would heal itself quickly, and the forehead cut was nothing compared to the accumulating effects of her opponent's power. Some of Sin Eater's blood had gotten on Unhallow's mask.
"Don't make me repeat myself. If you want this to end, then come here and end it."
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Dec 11, 2016 21:38:13 GMT -7
Sin Eater's words and tone shook Unhallow more than the attack did, so much so that they didn't even see the attack coming. The inside of their helmet was well padded so that every time it was tapped or they hit their head against something it wouldn't give her a horrible headache. Around their mouth was less padded so they could talk, but it wasn't so weak that punching them in the mouth would destroy their teeth. The voice modulator bumped up against Unhallow's teeth, but did little more than make them sting for a moment. Despite that, the attack knocked them onto their back. Unhallow instinctively protected their hands from further attacks, but it took them a moment to get up again.
She was right, there was no denying that. Unhallow asked for help, she provided it, and now they were refusing it because it was hard? They closed their eyes tightly and held their breath for a moment. It wasn't right, they were completely ignoring her advice and undermining her authority even though she knew more. It was difficult to ignore everything telling them to stop and that this was wrong, but that had to stop; Sin Eater's tone made that much obvious. Unhallow was a weapon. Thinking of themselves as anything else was wrong. That was their purpose in the organization and failing to carry out that duty meant that they were failing everyone. A weapon's purpose was to injure and kill, so failing to do that meant that they were failing to do the very thing they were meant to do. It really was no wonder Sin Eater was so mad. Unhallow could not forget what they were supposed to do. In their current state they were little more than a broken weapon that couldn't do anything, and that had to change. They shut their eyes tight to try to stop any tears from flowing out of their eyes, and took a deep breath to get their heart out of their throat. Even though it didn't work, Unhallow couldn't let it stop them anymore.
Rather than sit up immediately, Unhallow, tried to kick Sin Eater's feet out from out of her. They didn't bother seeing if it worked or not before striking. Quickly and wildly, Unhallow sat up, practically lunging from Sin Eater's hand in the same motion. There was no hesitation in their movements anymore, but they were obviously not controlled. They were moving like a cornered animal now. Under the helmet, their eyes were wide and wet, and they found themselves unable to even breathe. Even though they were trying their best, Unhallow wasn't even sure if they had the physical strength to actually break one of her fingers.
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The Keepers
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Post by Sin Eater on Dec 28, 2016 15:01:10 GMT -7
The counterattack caught Sin Eater by surprise. Provoking some token resistance had been her goal, but she had still expected Unhallow to take a few moments to stand and gather herself. The sudden leg sweep was a cunning move. Was it blind luck, or was there a killer instinct hiding within her opponent?
One of Sin Eater's feet was slid out from under her across the loose-packed dirt, but her balance was perfect, and she remained standing. She steadied herself, planting her feet and lowering her center of gravity as she prepared to lunge forward and find another finger to break.
But as quickly as that, one of Unhallow's long arms had snapped out and grabbed Sin Eater by the hand. Sin Eater paused, staring down at the sitting Unhallow. She could feel the trembling in their grip.
This was unexpected indeed. What had been intended to be a simple diversion had turned out to reveal something new. Sin Eater's expression was unreadable as she stared into Unhallow's cracked mask.
"Go on," she whispered. "Do it."
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Dec 28, 2016 18:49:23 GMT -7
Unhallow didn't expect to get this far. Now that Sin Eater's finger was with in their grasp they weren't quite sure what to do with it. She wasn't trying to stop Unhallow at all, which surprised them, but it also meant they had a few seconds to think about what to do. Their hand was shaking the entire time and the lump in their throat continued to get bigger. All they had to do was bend it in the wrong direction right? The push started slow, but after only a brief moment of hesitation, Unhallow pushed the finger backwards with all the strength she had. It wasn't enough. The finger didn't break.
Unhallow's mouth went dry again. They hadn't been exercising for some time now, and even went as far to avoid moving as much as possible, so it wasn't that surprising that they weren't very strong. Did that mean this was impossible? Unhallow's hand started to shake even more. Part of them was relieved that they simply couldn't do it, but most of them was panicked that they were continuing to fail Sin Eater so badly. She was devoting her time to teaching like this, they couldn't afford to fail! Unhallow frantically tried to think of something else to try, starting with trying to push harder. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work that well. What they did notice however, was that for a few moments they were able to make a little bit more progress. It took them a moment to connect that with their own power and Sin Eater's healing. Of course, their power would weaken her bones a little at least until she healed. Unhallow directed their power to Sin Eater's finger to see if it would make it weak enough for them to break. They weren't quite sure what to expect, but if they didn't hear a snap their power would at least pick up something. All they needed to do was keep pushing until then, or until Sin Eater no longer let them. Eventually, they felt that snap.
"O-One!"
The moment they felt the sound, Unhallow backed up as quickly as they charged Sin Eater before. Their whole body was still trembling. Their voice cracked when they talked, and it was clearly difficult for her to even talk in the first place. They just had to do that seven more times. The whole situation felt wrong, but if it's what Sin Eater wanted, Unhallow felt obligated to listen. Unhallow just needed a moment to recover until their joints weren't so stiff that they felt like they couldn't move, and for their stomach to settle down enough that they didn't have to worry about throwing up in their helmet.
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The Keepers
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Post by Sin Eater on Jan 10, 2017 10:20:27 GMT -7
The sensation of the finger snapping was utterly blissful. A wide smile crept up onto Sin Eater's face as Unhallow retreated, and a giggle bubbled up before she could control it. This would be fun indeed.
"Good. Very good! I suppose I can start fighting back again now."
It hadn't escaped Sin Eater's notice that Unhallow's power had played a part in her finger being breakable with such poor technique and so little leverage. She took a brief stock of her physical state. The prolonged exposure to Unhallow's power at such close range meant that her muscles, tendons, and bones had all reached the point of equillibrium where Sin Eater's natural regeneration was balancing out the decaying influence. They were somewhat weakened, but not enough to be concerning against an opponent of Unhallow's physical fitness.
However, unlike Unhallow, Sin Eater couldn't focus her power on a specific body part. If she weren't careful, she could end up even breaking her own fingers by punching too carelessly. That was a problem given that Sin Eater's combat training was focused on hand strikes, especially against a much taller, longer-limbed opponent like Unhallow. Sin Eater found the chance of failure enticing, even if her risk of dying was even smaller than usual against someone like Unhallow.
"Come on, we've still got a long way to go!"
Sin Eater charged forward, ducking down past Unhallow's arms as she launched a flurry of knees and elbows. Slamming into Unhallow's side, hammering Unhallow's belly, kicking to knock her legs out from under her. Once again, Sin Eater wasn't going directly for the fingers. She needed to see Unhallow pushed to the limit, to force them to fight back out of pure animalistic instinct, reservations cast aside. For all that Sin Eater was only doing this for her own enjoyment, she still believed her own advice, and the prospect of breaking Unhallow's nonviolent tendencies was intoxicating.
She welcomed Unhallow's counterattack.
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Jan 20, 2017 14:10:31 GMT -7
Sin Eater was happy. That was good. Unhallow smiled slightly under their mask, the smile mixing awkwardly with the adrenaline, fear, and guilt. But the reaction meant that this was right. This is what they were supposed to do, it was what she wanted. All they had to do was keep going right? Yet, that thought still made Unhallow's hands shake. It was enough that they almost missed what Sin Eater said next. Even then, they did a double take to make sure they heard correctly.
"Huh?"
Unhallow felt like they should be less surprised that she wasn't fighting back. Of course, it couldn't be any other way. She told them what to do and waited for them to do it. Despite how obvious it was, Unhallow was still surprised at the sudden attacks. They were enough to knock Unhallow off their feet quickly. As much as she wanted to respond to Sin Eater's words, the wind was knocked out of them and they found themselves unable to speak. All they could do was cough. Hopefully that was enough of an affirmative for her. They just had to keep following directions. Sin Eater was happy, this was what needed to be done. The real question was, how were they supposed to do it?
Sin Eater's attacks kept coming, and they hurt. It was clear they were hurting Sin Eater herself too, though she didn't seem to care. But with so many attacks coming, how was Unhallow supposed to attack too? They didn't even have time to think about what to do. Therefore, the first thing they did was exactly what their instincts told them to do: curl up into a little ball and try to roll so that the most vulnerable parts of their body were protected. Unfortunately, there was no way they could attack like this and they had no idea how to deal with her attacks to find an opening. Maybe their power would help? She seemed to be healing faster than Unhallow could do anything, but they also weren't really trying. Their power was what let them break the one finger, so maybe it'd be enough to break others without touching her fingers. It was worth a try until something else came up. They directed as much of their power as they could into Sin Eater's hands. It was really hard to aim with all the moving she was doing, but Unhallow wasn't very accurate with this anyway. It'd work out about the same.
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