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Éliane winced, making a chagrined face when she realized her mistake at Esben’s direction. She really was running on the last bit of fumes, wasn’t she? After correcting her mistake, she raised her eyebrows he pulled out a few chocolate-covered coffee beans. It wasn’t her [i]favorite[/i] snack, but it was pretty high up in her rankings. “I didn’t know you still had some of these,” she replied, bobbing her head lethargically in thanks before immediately popping the bittersweet treats in her mouth. The caffeine was hardly going to be immediate, but hopefully she was going to have the energy a bit later when it mattered. “Thanks.”

At the rate they were going in this awful country, and with their luck, the guardian was going to be fully corrupted. 

Yes, Éliane still was a bit excited for an interesting battle like that, but her energy was still low, you know?

It didn’t take long for them to reach the crystal in question. The moment she and the others put eyes to it, though, it was clear that corruption was involved. 

The pink-haired Skaelan had a little more energy in her now at least.

She didn’t need to be told what to do; she already had her rifle out, keeping it in a low ready position. Without further prompting, the weapon immediately came up as she moved to a more advantageous position right behind some ancient stone rubble. 

Instead of firing off rapid shots, she tested it for weak spots—with several paced bangs, she fired at its limbs, chest, and head, seeing where it would react the most while simultaneously trying to distract it.