"First things first," I said, stepping away from the window. "That safety measure you planned for me. We are tossing it… If you cut off my magic for thirty seconds, Garek is going to knock me out cold. And if he actually turns out to be a cultist, I'm dead."
Mitsuki rubbed her forehead, clearly exhausted by my persistent paranoia.
She still firmly believed her people were clean, but the tactical reality of the situation forced her to compromise. She looked up, meeting my eyes with a heavy, deadpan stare.
"If I do not sever your mana… can Garek survive against you for more than ten seconds?"
I tapped the stock of the shotgun resting on my shoulder and ran a quick mental simulation of exactly what I could do to him if I lost control.
