Chapter 12: Boar-like

  “FINALLY! Someone who fights with their muscles! Not their teeth!” Thomas was over the moon with Jason, he flicked his hand again theatrically, trying to remove the axe out of Jason’s hands. Though he just couldn't and that made him elated, Jason held onto his axe tightly and grounded himself, pulling away from the telekinesis. “Everyone else here fights with cheap tricks!” He pulled back his sword from the ground and ran forward, welcoming a bout of sparring between this crippled warrior.

  Jason also ran forward, holding his metal axe above his head and clashed with Thomas's sword, Thomas slid the agile weapon under the axe’s arc and across the handle down to Jason's hand, planning to chop it off and leave him with nothing.

  Jason dropped the axe and grabbed the sword's blade, somehow managing a grip he tugged it back and headbutted Thomas, adding yet another head injury to Thomas’s mounting count. “Shit.” He felt his ears ring and the spot he was in was precarious, he was open to any kind of attack as he slipped forward towards Jason's chest.

  Luckily he only received a kick in the side, bashing his shoulder onto a tree and dropping his sword. “Just how high is your defense little man?” He spat out a glob of blood, he was hurt, very hurt at this point, at about 20% of his usual strength. He entered the battle at 50% but that damn white haired kid shot open his veins twice and caused a rupture in his MP. But that was okay, he could still win this, with Marx and the white haired kid gone, that baldie gone and Lily practically useless, he could win. He was sure of it.

  He swiped away both of their weapons, planning to head into hand-to-hand combat, or hands-to-hand combat. Jason took no time in trying to combo his kick into a lunging punch, a slow and sluggish move on his part since Thomas already had the tempo of the fight from being pushed back. He leaned slightly away from the punch and took a swing directly into Jason's liver, “hurts right? That’s a noble technique.” Jason almost fell over as Thomas created more distance. “You’re still standing?”

  Jason held his side as pain spilled out and up his spine, all his muscles locked in place, his eyes fell shut and he thought he might as well puke. He fell asleep standing up and released bile all over the front of his armor.

  “Oh…” Thomas shrugged and walked up to the boy, he was definitely out for the count, the fight was over finally, he took a deep breath of air. He turned his back to go and grab his sword to finish the boy, crouching down he heard a crack of a stick, then the whisk of grass being brushed by, then the squashing on leather boots. How the hell? He had what felt like a hammer slam into the back of his head, the fifth time he had been struck in the head causing a concussive bleed around his spine. “SHIT!” He twisted, not paralysed thankfully, even if it was likely he would have some cognitive decline from so much bashing, he didn’t seize yet but saw flashing lights in his eyes, and he couldn't feel the right side of his face. Jason was moving despite certainly being completely conked out and raced towards another punch.

  Thomas blocked it, jumping backwards with the swing and pressed against a tree. Jason did not stop, he was boar-like in movement and swung again with the same fist. Thomas ducked down as the boy punched a hole into the tree and splintered the outer edge.

  Thomas tried using his telekinesis on the guy but couldn't find a foothold with how low his MP had become throughout the fight, his hands bled out even more so, and a shot of fear filled his body. So instead he recollected his sword and slashed frantically at Jason as he continued to encroach forward.

  Jason used his forearm to intercept the blade, it stuck halfway into his muscle and was jerked away as he kicked forward into Thomas’s hands. He fell backwards again, feeling the pain everywhere as he dropped his sword. He tried to get to his feet and was kicked in the face again, relentlessly he barely had time to think for a second.

  He blacked out for a moment, waking up to trying to shoot his body away with telekinesis, scooting himself across the floor and colliding with a tree into his stomach. Winded and afraid he dodged just barely another punch that landed at the base of the tree. Is this it? Thomas got kicked again, in the shoulder this time, wrapping around the tree and falling onto his knees, his arms could barely keep himself upright as he scrambled backward. He flicked his arm back and just barely pushed Jason away from him as his hands continued to spew blood. He hooked his sword from around five meters away and pulled it with his telekinesis, using it to block yet another punch that would’ve struck his face.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  He forgot to bring his potions, he just needed his potions, he wasn’t prepared. He finally got to his feet and blocked a predictable kick, the tempo was slowly coming back to him as he lost his daze. He had no delusions of trying to take back the win, that was extinguished with the instinctual need to be away from death. He ran, and ran, and ran. Next time, next time he will be at 100%.

  —

  “You should have slept more this morning, I told you.” Millie appeared behind Fay, he was still awake, miraculously, his endurance and vitality made sure of that. He was using some leaves to block up Marx’s wound.

  “Thank’s for helping…” Fay croaked out sarcastically, his hands had finally stopped the constant assault of bleeding, five minutes, maybe, that's how long the bleed lasted. “Help me? Him?” He asked, desperate enough at the moment. Millie seemed completely okay after being swatted away like a fly, not a bruise on her or a mark on her robe.

  “Not him, he isn’t mine.” She passed in front of Fay and crouched down to inspect his hands, holding hers between his, “you will be okay.” She brushed his wrist and turned them to be palm up. There was a gaping wound on one palm that showed bone, “we can calcify it, in fact, I want to calcify all of you, but we may not, since flaying would hurt.” She sighed and lifted his arm to check the wound on his side.

  “This one closed up, you managed, you did. How did you do it?” She looked mystified for a second before returning to her stone faced interior. “Lily!” She shouted, “Come help this dead man!” She stood up and watched Lily hop around Bark's unconscious body.

  “Oh! Uh… oh!” She ran over and proceeded to turn Marx on his back, “help him?”

  “Mhm, as I can’t.” Millie sighed, “Fay stop laying down, you aren't dying.”

  HP: (30/140)

  He was damn close, but the HP was now regenerating, so vitality finally caught up. Those few seconds of clogging that stop momentum gave must've helped a lot. Lily ran back to the cabin to collect some of those bandages he used for Jason.

  “You shouldn't have fought when you were already hurt.” Millie told him with an automated efficiency, “the day is still young, you need food, I will make beef stew.” She walked around a rushing Lily who made it her mission to wrap up Marx as well as she could, her tongue stuck out with concentration.

  Fay watched as Jason walked out of the forest, alive and with his eyes shut firmly, he slowly made his way to the steps of the cabin and sat on a broken one, falling asleep next to Bark and blocking the cabin from entry.

  “Urghhh…” Marx groaned as he finally woke up, “did we win…?” He looked around and saw Fay, smiling, “did you do it?”

  “No…” Fay watched as he nodded and rested his head on the ground again, Lily finished wrapping him up and he seemed to appreciate the gesture. Marx fell back asleep, calmly this time.

  We made a good ally. Fay decided, what is a better way to make a friend than helping them in a battle? It worked, and surprisingly Marx played off Fay quite well, if he had landed that venom knife hit then it would have been over for the blonde boy. Speaking of which, Fay limped towards the knife that was on the ground and picked it up, keeping it just in case another ambush happened.

  He felt completely done with it all, never before had he suffered so much and got so little back. He dragged the knife across his arm to try and get that slight dizzy feeling the venom gave, it was nice, it made him warm.

  [You have been poisoned]

  He shut his eyes and settled near Bark and Jason, “you could probably beat that bear.” Fay told the unconscious boy beside him, “now.” He rested his back on the broken stairs. “Me too, maybe…” Fay curled up and smelt the nice startings of the wood stove inside the cabin, something meaty was brewing.

  [Uncommon Venom Extracted]

  [Venom Extract LVL UP]

  Uncommon Venom -> Higher Uncommon Venom

  +1 endurance

  Thanks… he wasn’t as hurt as he thought he would be, he didn’t get that same spark he got last time when he fought that king fellow. The fight was just so messy, like a bar scrap. His HP was already ticking up and the cuts and bruises that could heal did slowly. The bigger wounds had more trouble. He had to stay awake just in case Marx’s leader showed up, to explain that no, we have not attempted murder on your friend.

  “Urghhh…” he just wanted to sleep again.