Kim hadn't been sure what Elwin was up to, but she didn't see a reason to stop him. However, now she couldn't help but grin at getting Harold to give them a target to protect first. One that he'd be likely to go for first.
Although, she couldn't help but wonder if by having asked Harold that, that it gave him time to seriously consider how best to beat them. Otherwise, she had a feeling he'd have attacked whoever was closest first. Which would have at least gotten the fight to end that much sooner since they wouldn't have had to deal with more talking when the fight had already been determined to be unavoidable. Then there was the fact that giving Harold a chance to think about who to go after first allowed him to apply some strategy in the fight rather than using brute force. Which was what Kim had the sense was what he was used to doing.
However, that was a moot point now. It wasn't like she could have gone back in time to explain this to Elwin. At least with her current knowledge. A stray thought teased her about how there probably was a book on that very subject in the library. She'd just need to get a book with which to trade for it. Not that she'd likely ever return to that library. Not with how close they were to reaching the end of this competition.
"Just to warn you, I don't plan on dying on this world here," Kim informed Harold, who merely blinked at her, looking rather incredulous. As if her assertion was something he couldn't have fathomed her saying.
"You really don't have a choice anymore," Harold merely replied, his voice strained as he continued his transformation.
His body rippled, each limb thickening as if watching a time-lapse video of a creature growing from a newborn to an adult. Each second feeling like it was a few years of growth that Kim could see. Harold's clothing, however, didn't find it as fascinating as it tore to shreds, much like when the Hulk would transform and his shirt would tear apart.
On top of that, Harold's skin grew a fur that almost looked like armor and Kim wouldn't be surprised if it helped reduce the damage he'd take from any of their blows. Not because she expected it to be the case, but rather because she felt that it'd be more par for the course at this point than anything else right then.
Harold's fur had the typical orange and black of a regular tiger, though Kim idly thought the shade of orange was more of a pumpkin orange than an outright orange. It didn't change anything about what was happening, but it did make Kim wonder if all that had happened to them in this world was slowing her mind down, as she couldn't imagine that she'd have ever had that sort of thought in the past.
It might not be this world, but she certainly wasn't going to discount the possibility, as it was the primary target she could think of right then. She didn't plan on letting this world be her final resting place, but she couldn't discount the possibility that she might not make it here. That she'd be unable to beat Harold or something else before the competition was over. However, until that happened, she didn't plan on letting this become her grave without her giving her all in the endeavor of survival.
Kim drew her sword as she could see Harold's fingernails turn into claws that were at least an inch long. She wasn't going to try and come up with an exact measurement because she knew those claws were rather intimidating themselves and if she got an exact measurement, she might find her own resolve to win this fight start to fail.
"So, you're going with a hybrid form, huh?" Elmo asked, sounding like he was still just waking up.
Kim wanted to look at him to see if her was actually awake and alert or if he'd been merely having a lucid moment before returning to the same state he'd been in all morning. Even eating breakfast had made Kim wonder if he'd have problems staying on the road.
"What do you mean?" Harold growled, although Kim couldn't help but wonder if Harold had much of a choice in that. That if his voice was going to be more of a growl whether he wanted it to be or not right then.
"Well, there's the fact that you're part humanoid and part animal right now, which would make you a hybrid. If you went full animal, then you'd be a tiger then, right?" Elmo asked, making Kim wonder what Elmo was up to. She couldn't see this having any real benefit to them. Especially since Harold had made it clear that he wasn't going to let any of them leave. Even if they tried to back away from the dungeon.
"And what's your point?" Harold asked, his growl sounding a little defensive to Kim, making her grin at the thought of such a creature feeling defensive.
Kim could imagine Elmo shrugging at that moment. However, she didn't plan on looking to see. She could also imagine Harold attacking her at that moment if she took her eyes off of him right then.
"Just that in your hybrid form, you'll be easier to hit because you'll be much larger, you'll be a little slower because of the bulk, and then you'll be a little slower in reacting because of all that," Elmo replied, as if this was an intellectual discussion rather than the start to a fight to the death. A fight for survival.
Kim was confident that everyone had their weapons ready by now, but again, she didn't dare look to confirm that supposition. There'd be too much at stake to do that.
"And what would any of that matter to me?" Harold asked, sounding like it didn't matter if he was slower or easier to hit. "I'm still protected by plot armor, so there's nothing you can do about that."
"I do have a spell that strips plot armor away," Elmo remarked, making Kim wonder what he was talking about. Never had he mentioned such an ability.
Although, she stopped herself from thinking too much about that subject. She didn't even really know what exactly Harold meant about plot armor, so it's not like she could specifically say if Elmo could do such a thing or if it was merely a mental game. Both with the 'plot armor' and the ability to remove it.
"I'm sure you could hurt me easily," Harold commented, his growl sounding rather amused. "As plot armor will only keep me from getting killed. It doesn't guarantee that I won't get hurt or anything like that."
"Suit yourself," Elmo sighed, as if he had given Harold every opportunity to end this peacefully. Which, Kim would have been happy if he'd succeeded. As it would have at least reduced the fights they'd have to deal with by one and this certainly was going to be a tough fight. One that Kim wasn't sure if they'd be able to make it through without any damage.
Harold frowned as Elmo spoke. Kim wasn't sure what it was that gave him pause, but she certainly wasn't going to complain. The longer they delayed the start of this fight, the more likely any strategy Harold had come up with would be out of his mind. Kim couldn't be sure how well that would work, but she had hope that Harold's seemingly simple mind was as simple as he frequently appeared. She wouldn't be surprised if she was wrong, as she didn't know Harold well enough to give an accurate assessment on the matter. Her assessment lay solely in the interactions she'd had with him so far. Interactions that didn't give Kim a high expectation of his intelligence.
"What're you playing at?" Harold asked after a minute of silence between them. "There's no way that you're this confident when you're staring your doom in the face."
"As far as boss fights go, even the mid-stage boss fights, you're not that big of a problem," Elmo replied, his voice more smug than Kim would like. It was almost like he was trying to provoke the lycanthrope.
"And for me, all of you aren't even a mid-level boss," Harold said, his grin with the feline features on his face making him seem even more intimidating than he had before. "You're hardly a mob fight."
"And that's why you're the mid-level boss," Elmo's reply making Harold's expression change to look as if he'd been hit hard by something unexpected. Something that he hadn't expected.
"You're going to pay for that," Harold said when he recovered from his reaction. "You're going to regret ever saying something like that again."
"How?" Elmo taunted with a laugh. "If you're going to kill us, then we're not going to be able to regret any of that at all. Even if we get reincarnated, it's not likely that we'll remember this life so there'll be nothing for me to regret."
"Yeah, well how about I make you the last to die?" Harold's growl came out as a rumble. "You might not be able to have much time to regret what you said, but it'll be something at least."
Then before Kim had even time to even blink, much less react, Harold lunged at Heather, his speed so fast that she wasn't even able to move her sword in reaction.
It was at that moment that she knew there wasn't anything that she'd be able to do about him. That she was in over her head and there wasn't anything she could do about it.