Astria turns away and sticks a needle in the intruder's finger.
'Hey!ãBecause you turned away, it's stuck in a place that's not between your nails!ãLook properly!ãShake and turn it after you've stuck it in!ãThat'll amplify the pain!ãNo, no, no!ãLike this. Like this.
Patrick shows me a sample.
'Okay?ãWhen you're removing a nail, you start here with a pincers like this...'
'When you break a bone, be careful not to break through the skin...'
'It's important to look like you haven't done enough!
'The key is to not bleed so that the potion can heal...'
Patrick's explanation and demonstration continued, and Astria was made to do the same.
During this time, the screams of the three intruders are heard.
Patrick is unconcerned, but to Astria's ears, the screams ring loud and clear.
'As a final threat to anyone who doesn't fall after two rounds, I'm going to stick this needle with a hole in it into a vein, well, a blood vessel!ãI'll stick it in here and bleed you out. And then this container will catch the blood, and by the time it's full, you'll be dead. Countdown to life. This is gonna work!ãNo one's ever fallen from this!
After Patrick's thankless lecture, Astria collapsed on the couch, her energy exhausted.