Chapter 86: Optimisation

Kaius charged into the room, confronting the full presence of the flayed horror for the first time. A full head taller than him, the skinless giant groaned in fury as it smashed aside tables laden with glassware with ease.

Racing forwards, Kaius kept the tip of his sword trained on the abomination. One arm rose as it reached him. Danger flared in his mind, prompting him to move. Kaius twisted, a side step taking him out of the path of the horror’s rapidly approaching fist.

**Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 3!**

His returning slash cut deep into the exposed flesh of its arm, scouring its bone. Clear fluid and blood welled up from the wound as the abomination squealed. Refusing to give up his initiative. Kaius reached out with his off hand.

Golden light spilled out from underneath his gloves as shard after shard of crystallised arcane energy shot towards the monster. Drifting his hands upwards, his spells punched deep into the horror’s flesh, leaving weeping holes in its chest and head.

The wounds melted like putty, flesh flowing to restore wet muscle to fullness. Kaius frowned at the lack of damage his spells did. Normally, the small crystal dart was perfect to punch through armour and damage critical organs.

Not so against the horror. With no discernable weak points and unnaturally fast regeneration, the small holes he had left in its body sealed themselves in seconds. The abomination was barely even slowed, gurgling as it lashed out for him once more.

Kaius weaved around the strikes, punishing its attempts with a flurry of heavy slashes that cut deep into its exterior.

**Ding! Dodge has reached level 2!**

Porkchop joined the battle, ethereal blades erupting from his claws as he carved into the abominations flank.

The depths-born flailed, wailing arms shattering the wood and glass furnishings of the laboratory as it attempted to pin them down. It might have been strong, and they had yet to leave something even remotely resembling a disabling wound, but it was slow. Too slow to catch them.

Porkchop plunged his claws into the creature’s ribs, prompting it to retaliate with a heavy hammerfisted swing. Kaius stepped in, sweeping his sword up high overhead. He chopped.

Enchanted steel backed by enhanced strength cleaved through the muscle on its forearm, continuing clean through its bones.

The monster wailed. Treacle-like blood flowed from the wound, resisting gravity as it started to bud on the end of its severed limb. It was regrowing fast, muscle and bone weaving itself by the second. The horror whipped its other fist towards him.

He stepped forwards, sword rising to meet the wild swing with another heavy overhand, cleaving through the flesh and bone. The leaking limb hit the ground with a splat. Kaius smiled as Porkchop didn’t waste the opening, rearing up onto his hind legs to rake his enhanced claws down the creatures back.

Even with its prodigious regeneration, the horror was all but useless without its arms. Kaius hacked at the creature’s legs, the thick limb taking a full three chops to get through the trunks of muscle and bone that supported its weight. It squealed, more thickened vital fluid budding on its latest stump as it pitched forwards.

Kaius lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding getting flattened by the horror. Now prone, they descended on it with a fury. Porkchop dug deep furrows into the creature’s chest as Kaius moved up to its head, decapitating it with a clean strike.

**Ding! Dodge has reached level 3!**

Like he had suspected, the wound was not a fatal one, another regenerative bud sealing its neck. The loss of its mind made the creature go wild, writhing on the floor like a maggot dropped in acid. Kaius moved, hacking at quickly healing stumps to stop the creature from regaining its footing.

The moment its health ran out was obvious. Whatever mechanism kept its vital fluid contained to the growing buds on its stumps failed, thick blood falling to the ground with a splash. A moment later it fell limp.

**Ding! level 17 Flayed Horror slain**

His chest heaving with the exertion of combat, Kaius stared down at the body of their slain foe. The way it had persisted after he had removed its head had been…unnerving. Even the undead had the grace to die when you took care of the head, at least the ones they had fought so far.

Thankfully, despite the unique quirks of fighting flesh horrors, it had been a relatively easy battle.

“Good warmup, eh?” He said, giving Porkchop an easy smile.

Porkchop scowled at him. “A gross one you mean. Why do they have to be sticky?”

Kaius shrugged. “It is what it is. Just need to focus on removing bits from them, you had the right idea when you started digging chunks out instead of just scratching it.”

Porkchop wasn’t the only one who would have to adapt their fighting style for the fleshy creatures they would find in this biome, his spells had been useless. A few ideas immediately jumped to mind, both of which would only require a few modifications to the shaping portion of his runic hymn.

Looking around the laboratory, Kaius spotted a few reading desks nestled in amongst the bookshelves that lined the wall of the mezzanine above. A curving staircase was nestled in the far corner of the room that led up to the landing, out of view of the door they had originally peaked through.