Crawling upon the Panthera serpentes' body from the depths of the ocean was a mass of what seemed to be painted hands, the medium something like oil paint as it moved and writhed to grab at the monster's body. It was
It was after that one glance that he released his Danseur's Flight, allowing himself to fall away from the monster's open jaws to drop near its neck where the reverse scale was.
The world felt like it was in slow motion—violent ocean waters rippled slowly, droplets on the monster's body dripped in lazy trickles—as he stabbed his Kampilan forward with both hands to the hilt. His sword, as it was, was not meant for stabbing given the dual tip; it was why he immediately twisted the blade instead of forcing it any deeper, using the sharp edge to slice at the scale until it broke apart from the body.
A mighty roar shook through his core right as he continued falling, and just as he thought he'd have to use Danseur's Flight again, a painted hand caught him—and the reverse scale—mid-air.
It was strange. That was his first thought.
The hand under him felt solid, and yet, his eyes had a difficult time processing it as something real, and not a painting. It was undoubtedly solid however, and it was carrying him as if he were nothing more than a doll, made to be a plaything for a giant's hands.
It felt odd to be supported in this way. While his team could usually watch his back with their own capabilities, it wasn't often that another person could make him feel so physically small.
Part of him felt unsettled at the idea. Of course, who wouldn't be? This was a power that could very well crush him in one go, regardless of his hero status; it would only be normal to feel cautious.
Another part of him—just a vague, fleeting thought in the back of his mind—was intrigued. Why? He didn't quite get it either.
Slowly, carefully, the hand descended with him in its palm, its fingers unfolding like a ramp and allowing him to alight with his own two feet.
Nikolai looked proud of himself when he finally got a look of his face, and for good reason.
"You're stronger than you seem," he said, giving Nikolai an appraising look. The man preened at his words; not at all abashed at wearing his heart on his sleeves. "Couldn't you have plucked the reverse scale on your own with that?"
"Well, I—"
Drip.
Nikolai's nose began bleeding at that exact moment, halting him from speaking. Malic frowned at the sight of it. So it was that kind of skill; a strong one, yes, but not one without consequences from the looks of it. "Your nose is bleeding."
"Ah, it does that," Nikolai laughed. The natural way he bowed his head forward, fingers applying pressure to his nose, gave Malic the impression that he was used to doing this. "It'll be okay in a second, so don't mind it."
That did not sound at all healthy.
"What do you use your coins for?" If he had such high level skills, surely, he could have spared some coins to improve his general stats. There was no use to such powerful skills if the person using them could just as easily collapse from using them once. It was practically suicide, in fact, given how deadly monsters could be.
Just how did this man survive for this long?
"Upgrading my skills." Nikolai gave a snap with his free hand, and his giant, painted hands melted away into the ocean. He had probably used Painter's brush, which was at level 32 last Malic had checked. "If you're concerned about my stamina and strength, I usually just use potions that I get from hidden missions."
Hidden missions had no guarantee of being less dangerous. Malic still didn't understand where Nikolai got the confidence that he was exuding when he was still putting pressure on his bleeding nose, and saying such ridiculous things.
"Potions are temporary solutions," he said, frowning. "Or are you just that much of a fool?"
"I don't really think—"
"Niko-ssi!"
Nikolai's free hand was caught in Ji-yeong's grasp before they could even properly blink. Though Malic was used to such behavior to not give a damn, Nikolai looked appropriately shocked as he almost stumbled back onto the floor.
Only Ji-yeong's quick reflexes and her hand to his back had prevented the fall.
"Ji-yeong! You surprised me," wheezed Nikolai, hand dropping from his nose to his chest. The sudden release allowed the blood to flow down his nostrils once more and he winced, quickly returning his hand to his nose. "Ugh, sorry…"
"You're bleeding?" Ji-yeong released his back from her hold to get a better look at his face. She was frowning, and rightly so. "Was it the skill you used? I can share some coins with you if you need to upgrade your recovery stats—"
"Don't be a fool, Ji-yeong," Rhiannon said, having followed right after Ji-yeong's sudden appearance. She was frowning as well, but for an entirely different reason. "Save your coins for yourself."
"But I'm confident I can manage with my current stats!"
"Those are the words of an idiot. If anyone has coins to spare, it's Malic."
Malic scowled at the attention that was redirected his way. While it was true, that didn't mean that he was as generous; there was a reason he was able to upgrade all of his stats and skills so far, after all. "I'm not giving him any. He's the fool for not using his coins appropriately."
"Ah, so you'd just let him die?"
"Yes."
Nikolai, when Malic glanced over at him, was smiling. Did he think he was just trying to be funny? This bastard…
Rhiannon let out a dry laugh, catching his attention again. "What a cruel jerk. You're really making me wonder why I followed you."
She was teasing, and he knew it. They both did. Despite all the cruel words, all the disparaging jokes, she was his friend from the start; she'd followed him because they both trusted each other through the end of the world.
That didn't mean he found her any less annoying at times. Like right now.
"Is it not because you need me to survive," he said bluntly.
"Excuse me? Since when did I need anyone?"
"Would you like a list?"
"Ren-oppa!" Ji-yeong's voice broke through the growing tension, forcing them to put a halt to their argument. Renato, as he'd been called, was jogging toward them with the small Kira easily keeping up. "We need your help!"
Nikolai sighed. With his voice coming off nasally due to the fingers on his nose, he said, "It's really not that bad—"
"Nonsense," Ji-yeong interrupted, shaking her head at him. "You might think it's nothing now, but even the smallest injuries can be dangerous when we're always on the run like this. It's best to heal what we can when we can, instead of acting stupid and thinking it's thrifitness or bravery."
Nikolai visibly winced at her bluntness.
Malic, on the other hand, didn't bother to hide his smirk. This was one of the reasons he liked Ji-yeong, even when she could get a little too bubbly for his tastes at times. Her bluntness, when it appeared, could be just as merciless as him on a usual day; the impact was even better considering her usually friendly nature.
"What happened?"
Renato held a hand up to Nikolai's face as he asked his question, his palm glowing as he activated his Healing Hand Lv. 53. Nikolai, for all that he was a stranger to their team, didn't even flinch at having a glowing hand suddenly shoved in his face.
It made Malic wonder once again if Nikolai was brave or with a death wish, or perhaps even both.
"It's a mild side effect from using my skill," Nikolai explained. The smile on his face was thankful despite the fuss that he'd put up in receiving a healing favor from Renato. "And, thank you. It really isn't that big of a deal…"
A disapproving frown settled on Renato's normally gentle face. "Small injuries can build up over time, Nikolai. I'm not sure how you've managed for this long, but since you're a part of our team now, you need to take care of yourself better. It's just as much for the team as it is for you."
Nikolai looked over to him in seeming confusion. He frowned in return, saying, "What?"
"I'm part of your team already?"
Clearly.
He cocked a brow anyway, deciding he'd give a response instead of leaving the man hanging. "Did you have anyone else you could go to?"
"Well, no…but I didn't think it would be this easy for you to accept me into your group..?"
"You proved your worth."
"By using a skill that gave me a nosebleed?"
Even Nikolai looked disbelieving at his own words. Malic supposed it was strange given his reputation with the media—which was keeping an eye on him even now, for all that he was doing his best to ignore the helicopters and cameras from the distance. He was known for his bluntness, his easy dismissal at the idea of working with anyone outside of his current team; of course it would be odd if he'd accept this stranger that easily.
But Ji-yeong had vouched for him, and though his sense of self-preservation was lacking, his proven knowledge and power so far had been useful. He couldn't feel any sense of malice from him either, which was easy to feel from the bastards who had only wanted to be on his side for fame, fortune, or for the stupid idea that they could eventually replace him by being near him often enough.
It was better to have this fool on their side, than on anyone else's.
That was what he thought for now, at least.
"Yes," he said. Nothing more than that, and nothing less.
He didn't mind the man's incredulous expression as he turned to Kira, welcoming her with a pat on the head as she came to cling to his hip.
Nikolai would figure it out eventually if he had any speck of intelligence left in him.