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--donation bonus (day #30, post 3/5)--
‘I do not expect you to understand,’ said Hoyohté.

‘NO, SERIOUSLY!’ said Voreese. ‘TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE FUCKING VOID! I’M IMAGINING IT AS A GIANT, INVISIBLE ASSHOLE IN THE SKY! IS THAT ACCURATE?!’

‘I suppose I should expect no less from heretics, but will you even refuse to identify yourselves out of warriors’ respect?’

‘IS IT PUCKERED OR GAPING?!’

Hoyohté said nothing more as Karkash started moving again.

Roman knew that negotiations would have just been a waste of time, and Karkash didn’t look especially fazed by Voreese’s words, but even so, Roman had to wonder if it was wise, attempting to anger a man who could throw bolts of fucking lightning.

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Helen had thus far only managed to develop one real use for her calcium transfiguration power, as the learning curve for it had proved too steep for anything more. Epidermal calcification was all she had, a means of hardening her skin.

It was a simple enough idea but not at all easy in execution. Despite calcium itself being fairly tough on its own, Helen could not simply replace the surface layer of her skin with the stuff, as it would naturally react with the other elements below and reduce her flesh to a bubbling, melting mass of decidedly useless goo. So to prevent that from happening, she needed to make calcium carbonate--a mineral also requiring carbon and oxygen. Both of those elements were readily available in the human body and indeed, the skin itself, but learning to bond them together with her transfigured calcium had been a grueling exercise in patience and concentration. It took a rather precise application of mental pressure, and she’d only recently been able to get it down.

Combined with the fact that, in all of her thirty-three years, she’d never been in a fight until a little over two months ago, Helen was admittedly feeling disadvantaged in this whole ordeal.

Still, she had refused to stand by and let these three gentlemen do all the work. Enhanced strength and regeneration were useful enough on their own, and if nothing else, she could at least help to divide the enemy’s attention.