Wild Tiger Chase | Book #2 (Complete)

30: this world can hurt you

— Rob —

Rafa dodged the kick with a sidestep and made a show of rolling her eyes. With a tired sigh, she gripped Léon's calf and tugged on it with enough strength to make him lose his balance.

He fell down again.

Léon clicked his tongue and huffed, pushing his bangs from his eyes.

"Is this really all you can do?" she asked. There was a tinge of pain in her voice—something like fear and desperation mixed together. "That's not even fun anymore, Léon."

Dirt and grass already covered Léon's clothes, and a large bruise was starting to show on his right arm; his palms were red and coated with scratches, his right knee was bleeding, and now his eyes were welling up. Rob moved in to help him up, but Rafa stopped him with a glare.

"Goddess, that's frustrating. C'mon, Léon, on your feet!" she growled.

Léon looked aside and lowered his head.

Rafa let out a laugh drenched in disbelief. "I said I couldn't fight normal bandits, but if they're sluggish like you, I think I can take down a dozen or two."

"Harsh," Phillip mumbled. "Calm down, partner."

"Zip it, cowboy. He needs to show he wants this, all right? I'm not here to coddle a grown-ass man. Never did, never will." She balled her hands and furrowed her eyebrows, eyes set on Léon. "The least you could do is to tell me what's happening with you, mate. You're not even trying—and I've heard enough about you to know that's not who you are."

"Not who I am?" Léon echoed in a low voice. "You don't know who I am! I'm not a melee fighter, okay?"

"Uh. Yes, you are?" Phillip said. "We used to practice together, Leo. You were good in close quarters—and I swear I'm not making sexual jokes right now."

Léon huffed. "No, Phillip. That was before. Now I fight using my powers, but I lost them. All right? There's nothing I can fucking do, got it?" It was so strange to see him edgy like this; Léon was always so composed and calm.

Rafa covered her lips with a hand and did nothing but stare at Léon for a solid minute, and Rob understood the frustration. Léon wasn't like this. Léon was brave and powerful; he was a hero.

"Can't you just... I don't know, teach him to use his powers, Rafa?" Phillip said. "Channel the Cosmic trace or whatever bullshit he needs? With... I don't know. Meditation, yoga, mushroom tea?"

"I could teach him Samba and he could still refuse to dance it if he didn't feel like it. I just don't want to waste energy in this if Léon doesn't want to make an effort."

"I am making an effort!" Léon snapped back. "But you can't expect me to be like before; I lost my powers, remember? More than half of them!"

"Or so you keep saying." Rafa shook her head. "That's an excuse, mate."

"It's not. I'm trying and I'm putting in the effort, but as you can see—"

"I see nothing."

"As you can see," Léon insisted, "I'm just not powerful anymore."

Rafa stared at him and waited.

"I'm telling the truth!" Léon said.

"Okay. You have half the powers of a cosmic trace wielder." Rafa shrugged. "Show them to me."

"What? But—"

"Show them to me! Show me what you can do. Anhangá mentioned claws; let me see them."