That all-you-can-eat barbecue had dragged on for a solid two hours. Just when everyone was sprawled out, half-lounging, half-slumped, looking thoroughly disheveled...
A girl appeared at the doorway!
Pretty, with delicate features. The moment she stepped inside, she made a beeline for Markham.
Markham, usually the picture of calm no matter the crisis, shot up like he'd been zapped the instant he saw her. He bolted, ducking behind Ethan in a heartbeat.
"Ethan… save me!"
Seeing Markham looking like he was facing down a demon, Ethan reacted instantly.
Bear Form, activate!
Lacerate!
...
He'd unleashed a skill he'd never used before. This skill, like Ironhide, was from a book he'd looted in Soulforge Abyss. After learning it, he hadn't used it once in Ethereal. In Ethereal, he rarely needed his bear form for combat.
