Chapter 43: Hate

Kaius gasped. Trying and failing to force his shattered body to take in a breath. Every one sent shuddering spasms through the musculature of his trunk. Each one heightened his agony. Brushed muscles pulling on the shattered remnants of his sternum.

He couldn’t breathe.

Trying again, he found his gasp catching in his throat. Lungs refused to inflate. He had to clear the blood.

Health burned. Flooding free from his soul space to suffuse his chest. Morphic fire settled into torn muscle and broken bone, forcing his shattered body to mould itself back together. He barely noticed the unsettling cracks of his ribs moving back into place. The candle light of its burn invisible in comparison to the all consuming desperation. To. Just. Breathe.

It was too slow. He had to clear the blood.

He rolled over, gurgling in raw pain as scale and leather pushed his chest unnaturally inwards. He forced himself up onto his knees, bending over in an attempt to let the blood run free from his throat. It trickled out with agonising slowness.

Ribs continued snapping into place.

He coughed, thick wads of blood splattering over the ground below. Filling his mouth with the rich taste of iron. Wracking spasms followed the action, agony flaring as his crushed chest rebelled against the pressure.

Shoving the pain deep he took a deep, gasping, breath. Finally free of the all consuming desire for air.

Holding his chest as still as possible, his eyes shot around the battlefield. He’d dropped his sword in the collision, the blade lying in the dust a few paces away. He crawled to it, wincing with every movement. Snatching it up with jealous haste he turned his attention back to the battle. Right as Porkchop let out another ground shaking below.

His friend was giving as good as he got. Prior wounds forgotten as he laid into the Champion with heavy slashes of his claws. Each one sent the beast stumbling, weeping furrows of torn flesh left in their wake. The Grimclaw didn’t take the assault lying down. It danced around with hasty agility. Never staying still long enough for Porkchop to land a disabling or fatal wound.

Porkchop wasn’t without his own wounds. Whenever the Grimclaw had the opportunity it would lunge in, nipping at his friend, needle teeth tearing out small chunks.

Kaius hissed at the sight. He couldn’t waste his time waiting around to heal.

He dropped inwards, seeing gaseous red flood free of his soul to suffuse ruined flesh. He dived into his soul and yanked at his health pool. Forcibly accelerating the flow of the resource. Icepicks of agony drove into his mind. It was delicate work, not suitable for brute force. Grace would take time. Force did not.

The additional rush of the healing energy vastly accelerated his healing. His chest physically roiled under his armour, ribs snapping back into place with sickening cracks. It wasn’t a perfect process, haste and mental strain made his grip clumsy, a portion of the excess energy diffusing throughout his body to dissipate away. Wasted.

He growled. Jerky hands flicked open his potion pouch. He slammed down an orange tonic, taste of sunshine and vital growth on his lips.

**Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Solar Revitalisation **

The magically charged fluid absorbed the moment it hit his stomach. Alchemical power flooded through his body, settling into his soul to forcefully increase his regeneration. It might be enough.

Forcing his Health to surge from his pool, Kaius wished he had practised this technique more. It was a vital component of his final legacy skill, so he thought that he’d have plenty of time before he had to use it. Stupid.

His sternum healed with a final grinding snap.

Kaius dropped his focus, letting the flow of his health return to normal. His attention snapped back to reality as he lurched to his feet.

Porkchop was soaked with blood, black and red fur plastered tight to his skin. Rents in his flesh glistening under the swaying lights of the lanterns far above. He stood firm in the face of the Champion’s assault. Unyielding.

In contrast the Grimclaw looked battered. Chunks of its grey coat were missing, slickened with even more blood than the prodigious amount that Porkchop had spilled on the floor below. It moved with a limp, twisting and contorting to avoid blows where it could. Kaius sharpened his eyes, watching it like a hawk.

Its wounds still healed, but with how heavy the creature’s wounds were the resource was stretched thin. Each additional cut slowed the regeneration, its health unable to keep up with the systemic damage. It’s body was failing it.

They could win.

Kaius sprinted into the fray, a cry leaving his lips. The grimclaw leapt back from Porkchop, head twisting to look back at him with surprised panic clear on its face. It had thought him dead. Finished from the use of its skill.

A fatal mistake.

Porkchop barged forwards, forcing the beast’s attention back to the fight. It leapt backwards, one leg dragging as it all but stumbled away from the blow. It looked back towards him once more, watching him as he slashed for its flank.

Muzzle twisted into a snarl. The beast tensed. Kaius readied himself for a counter attack even as Porkchop pressed the distraction and reared up.

The Grimclaw disappeared with a pop of displaced air, Kaius’s blade sailing through empty space as Porkchop slammed heavily into the ground. His friend stumbled forwards with a scream of pain. Jolting at the sound, Kaius looked over.

Horror flooded him. The Grimclaw now mounted Porkchop’s back. Claws dug deep into his friend’s back, heavy jaws closing around the back of Porkchop’s neck. Kaius saw the muscles in its jaw and its neck heave. Its mouth started to close. Hair’s breadth by hair’s breadth. It was trying to shatter his friend’s neck.

Porkchop mewled in pain.

“Porkchop!” He screamed, sprinting over to force the champion from his back. Porkchop tried to struggle to his feet, attempting to shake the Grimclaw free. It only made the beast dig its claws in deeper. Kaius blanched, seeing the chunks of flesh tear free from Porkchop’s back.

He had to do something. Now.

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There was still one more Solar Revitalisation tonic. If he could get it to Porkchop it might be enough.

Skidding to a stop by his friend’s side, Kaius hacked at the beast. Adding to the gaping wounds on the Champions back and sides. Momentarily releasing its grip from Porkchop’s neck, the Grimclaw hissed at him. One paw smacked his blade away, before raking Porkchop’s back once more. Kaius grit his teeth in fury, launching forwards to thrust his blade deep into the champions side.

Letting out a cry of pain, it leapt off Porkchop’s back. His friend collapsed to the ground dazed, blood still pouring from his wounds. Kaius had to do the rest of this himself. He needed an edge.

“Fucked up. Sorry.” The words were weak in Kaius’s mind. Strained.

“Sush. You’ll be fine. Just rest, I’ve got this.” He said, his hand trailing reassuringly over Porkchop’s head as he stepped past his friend. Putting himself between them and the prowling Grimclaw.

He kept his gaze locked on the Champion as he reached for his potion pouch, pulling out his last regeneration potion. “Here. Drink this. Chew the bloody glass if you have to.” he said, tossing it behind him to Porkchop.

Porkchop let out a weak chuff. “Don’t need it. I told you, I’m tough. Asshole just crushed my neck, I can barely feel anything below my shoulders.”

“Break them, Kaius.” Porkchop finished after a moment’s pause, his tone venomous.

“Gladly.” Kaius said coldly. He reached for the next potion in his pouch. One of the boiling red ones. The description had worried him. But he needed strength, and he didn’t see how he could possibly feel any more aggressive than he did already.

He snapped his potion pouch closed, bringing the tonic slowly to his mouth as the Grimclaw tensed at the movement. It growled, still watching. Still waiting.