Chapter 57: The Strength of Preparation

Kaius watched the hobgoblin Champion. Evaluating it even as he was forced to slip around ever more furious swings of its axe. Since activating its body enhancement skill, the hob had grown cold. Focused.

Whatever the skill was, it was broad, and powerful. It was now strong enough to use its axe one handed, despite the weapon carrying enough steel at its tip to make enough swords for a whole regiment. It was faster too, dashing in with a fury that forced him to focus almost entirely on defence. If that wasn’t enough, the Champion’s already prodigious rate of healing had sped up. Every thrust, every slash, left a wound that healed almost as fast as he could leave them.

Even with Porkchop laying into the Champion’s undefended flank at every opportunity, the hob’s seemingly limitless vitality was able to keep up with ease.

Yet the skill had some clear drawbacks to make up for its strengths. Weaknesses that Kaius planned on exploiting. Ones he picked apart further with every passing moment.

Its furious offence may have grown all the more oppressive, but defence and strategy had been all but forgotten. Wild sweeping swings left openings by the dozens. The problem lay in actually capitalising on them. Even if Explorer’s Weakness screamed at him, highlighting dozens of vulnerable arteries, joints, and ligaments that would help to slow the monster. It was just too fast. Too strong. Without the stats to back up his capability, he had few opportunities to deal a decisive blow.

He was going to have to bait it.

That wasn’t all. The skill was clearly influencing the hobs mind. Gone was the fury, the rabid howls of bloodlust. All that was left was a single minded, cold, determination. One that was utterly focused on tearing him asunder. So focused, that its already poor capacity to split its attention between multiple attackers had deteriorated further.

While he may have had few openings he could act on, Porkchop had dozens. Ripping and tearing into the exposed flank of the hobgoblin. Only forced back with the odd wild slash, more to stop his friend from hampering its attempts to flay him alive than any true focused assault.

Kaius pivoted on his front foot, shifting out of the way of a heavy slash of his head. A little too slow, the strike glanced off the top of his helm. He stumbled, his vision blurring. Head ringing like a bell. Though, maybe that was just his helmet. A pulse of aura, clearly visible through his skill – impaired vision or no.

The axe lit up in his eyes, a strange ethereal outline adding definition to his shaking natural sight. He dove, hitting the ground hard. Stone shrapnel doused him

He heard a roar. Porkchop leaping to his defence. A dark red smudge tearing into smushed green. He shook his head. The daze left him as his head grew hot with expended Health. The hob was trying to drive Porkchop off. Desperate to reach him.

His friend was having none of it. Tearing into the Champion with savage fury. Paying for it in blood. A massive split graced the sides of Porkchop’s barding. Blood poured forth, spilling onto the stone. It joined the existing green to make a multicoloured slick. A direct hit. How Porkchop hadn’t been cleaved in twain Kaius had no idea.

Forcing himself to his feat, Kaius let out a battle cry, drawing the attention of the hob once more.

Porkchop shot him a look. Giving him a once over. After sharing so many battles they were beyond words. His friend simply knew he was ready. Was better suited to bearing the brunt of the Champions fury. Much like Porkchop was their best bet to wear down its resources with his iron hard claws and greater might.

Pouncing, the champion leapt at him once more.

It had to be flagging. The skill didn’t make use of mana, otherwise he would be able to see it with his skill. It was running of Stamina, and a skill like that had to have a major cost. Even if the hob was heavily loaded on Strength, it was still only level twenty six. No way it had the resource pool to keep this up for long. Same with its Health. Porkchop had been absolutely tearing into it. Even if its skill stopped them from overwhelming its regeneration, it had to be getting low.

Yet even with the enhanced acuity of Eagle Eye, Kaius could see no trace of exhaustion on its face. No evidence that its healing was slowing.

Kaius spun around another swing, grunting as the heavy axe skimmed his heavy pauldrons. Dousing him in a shower of sparks.

**Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 16!**

He had to watch those. His chest still screamed in agony from where an earlier blow from the champion had scrapped against his ribs. Too much damage and his healing would slow. That would be the beginning of the end for him. Without the focus and fury of Psychopathic Assault, manually directing his health took far too much focus to use in battle.

He felt confident though. They could do this. He didn’t need the potion. Far better to save it for when it was truly needed. The first had already saved him and Porkchop’s life both, and he only had one left.

The hob spun on Porkchop again, lashing out as his friend sunk his claws into the Champion’s shoulders. Yanking it back. Giving him a moment to breathe. He dived on the opportunity. Cutting deep into the muscles, adding to the quickly healing wounds his friend had left behind.

The battle had devolved into a grind. Even with its skill, the Champion was forced to chip away at their resources. Unable to catch them with a fatal blow that would finish them off. They fought together too well, covering each other’s weaknesses, capitalising on openings, and giving eachother time to breathe. To reset and heal.

Yet the Champions vitality, its staying power, was similarly inviolable. It kept pace with them, refusing to go down despite numerous and ever growing wounds.

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It bored him. This was work, not a fight. Where was the fraught desperation? The thrill of cornering your opponent into an unavoidable killing blow?

He wanted to end it. All they needed was a moment. One that wouldn’t come while the hob’s furious assault continued unabated. Just a single moment.

He knew where they could get one.

“Ready to run?” He called out, earning another chip on his sword as he narrowly parried another of the champions swing.

“We’re fleeing?!” Porkchop asked, offended.

“No!” He stepped back, axe sailing past. “The formation!” He dodged again, axe slamming into the stone next to him. “I’m going to go for his knee! Knock him over when I do and run!”

“Right!” Porkchop clawed the back of the hob’s legs, dancing back as it furiously slashed in retaliation.

Kaius waited for the moment. Eagle Eye tuned to the limit of what he could comfortably handle. Taking everything in. Working in unison with Explorers Toolkit to spot the opening he needed.

There.

A diagonal slash. The weight of its axe forced the hob to step forwards. Bending, opening the front of the joint. Its hands off centre. Unable to force him away.