The minutes to catch our breath and plan passed quickly. With a movement of her hand that could have been a flag drop signaling a race starting, Marlie announced her call for us to begin our battle once again.

With a flick of my wrist, I summoned the second newest member of my party. Liefiathan’s reliquary spun through the air before spinning, spinning, spinning and landing on a one of all things. Feeling a chill run through me that had nothing to do with my sharp intake of breath, I had to force myself to focus.

The monster released by Edbert was almost familiar, but confused me. The same size and shape as Bagheera, it had the sabertooth kitten fangs of my Ossicarn but instead of jaguar-like spots, the tanned fur of a lion cub and a faint frill of fur. Around its neck was a collar of coal like bumps and I hit it with an analysis.

Instantly, I realized why it seemed so familiar.

It was an Ossicarn, though one with a different set of types. Unlike Bagheera, its secondary type was Fae.

Indeed, it did seem otherworldly in some ways as it pranced around, alternating spots of black and blazing coal fire coming from the ring of marks around its neck.

This felt like it was going to be a bad match for Liefiathan, which I had already used the weakness understanding powers of my Guard and Shepherd classes to infer was Fire- at least for my Liefiathan.

I couldn’t withdraw it, though. We would have to try to fight smart. With a quick use of my analysis skill on Hierophant the Liefiathan, I was reminded of its moves.

Leaf Tunnel, which was a nature typed move that could create greenery anywhere and create a tunnel of foliage and leaves all in one fell swoop. It could be used to constrict enemies.

The other was Bramble Bite, which‌ summoned a series of hardwood like vines with thorns and what back home we would have called ‘stickers’. It, along with Liefiathan’s own teeth, would help it with bites.

And if it could cause the bleeding status, my new trait would activate.

“Liefiathan, use a leaf tunnel around the arena. Be ready to strike when I call with whichever one I’m fighting. Beyond that, stay on the move and try to keep his Ossicarn off of you.”

The leaf dwelling shark-snake monster popped its head out of the leaves and let out a ‘sssss’ which sounded less like a noise from a snake and more like ruffling leaves. Moments later, it rushed forward and hopped out of the pile entirely before diving back in. The entire autumn colored pile of leaves began to glow green and suddenly the stonework of our battlefield began to glow as well. Grasses, bushes, and piles of leaves suddenly appeared.

Immediately, Edbert’s Ossicarn had flames floating around it and began its chase of my serpentine shark monster.

Which left us, and the sword wielding noble scion charging at me with his blade in both hands and shield dropped on the other end of the battle.

“You aren’t going to make me look like a fool, you outworlder peasant! Know your place already!”

As he charged, I worried for a moment if my staff could stand up to that steel. As soon as the worry passed through me and was gone, however, I begun to spin my staff and keep it in a defensive posture. I even put on my best cocksure action hero.

“Peasant? What are you, an idiot? Feudalism is for people who can’t actually make friends.”

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Deflections and parries helped me out just fine with his charging swings, but the fact of the matter was the sword had more hardness and weight behind it. Reinforced via the magic of the system or not, my staff barely kept up with his strikes.

With every thrust, slap, bat, or hammer strike I landed on Edbert, he landed two cuts on me. I could already see my health bare down from seventy-five points to sixty. He was probably only five points down.

Around us, Edbert’s lion-like ossicarn and Hierophant the leifiathan continued to play a game of cat and fish-snake. The cat monster would swipe fiery claws or shoot bolts of ghostly fire at the piles of leaves, only to have them be empty and have leifiathan appear out of a shrinking pile of leaves.

Even from here I could see the mana pools of both monsters were draining faster than they could regenerate, and melee strikes had as much to do with their fight as magical techniques. Fang, claw, fin and tooth clashed.

Whereas I was losing, the monsters stood evenly matched. Hierophant might be weak to fire, but it also was so fast that it was hard to hit it for the ossicarn.

I didn’t have time to observe or think further. Edbert had closed with me again and I barely ducked out of the way of his sword, potentially slashing my head off.

“Hey! I said this was non-lethal, Edbert! This is your last warning!” Marlie called from the sidelines.

Edbert turned to begin arguing, but before he could get a word out, I threw a southpaw punch right in Edbert’s face. I hit him as hard as I could, and he may have more experience and be more of a warrior than I, but it was still a blow to the face - and my body stat wasn’t to be ignored.

Blood dripped from his chin, and he spat blood on the ground. As it did, my eyes dilated and my heartbeat picked up in pace.

[[Trait: If it Bleeds, you can Kill it activated.]]

I felt a rush of strength, speed, and confidence flow through me as the trait came into its activated state, and realized of course I did. It had just given me ten points more in my body, knack, and charisma stats, after all.

“Why you little!” he shouted, and tried to punch out at me with his own fist. As it rocketed forward, I moved on instinct, catching his hand and twisting my hips. I threw him through the air and away from me.

“You’re the one that’s little, Edbert. I’m old enough to be your daddy.” I replied, turning towards him to focus on him.

Which was when his ossicarn took my legs out from under me with a menacing roar. I flew backwards, going -excuse my foul language- ass over teakettle and came to the ground in a heap. As I tried to push myself up, I felt the sting of a slash on my left thigh.

“Idiot. Full contact means my monster shouldn’t be ignored.”

I gave a nod, before pushing myself, wobbling back up to my feet.

“Was about to say the same.”

Liefiathan had a similar trait to if it bleeds you can kill it. It was why it had chased me back in the Dragon Fang’s Bog Dungeon. I could see even from here the bonuses it was receiving from Edbert’s bleeding.

“Hierophant. Now! Bramble Bite!”

Instantly an entire garden’s worth of spiked vines shot out at Edbert and his approaching ossicarn, and as quickly as they showed themselves, they crashed together like a bear trap. I almost felt bad at Edbert’s scream, but if he was making my leg hurt, I might as well make him have one too.

Besides, I had an ossicarn to get payback on and I could see with a glance that it was not a fan of water the same way that Hierophant was not a fan of fire. I rushed forward as fast as my hobbled leg would allow and when I was in range shouted, “Waterfall Fist!”

Instantly, a stream of water built up around my arm, snaking up and down it like a mountain stream before coming down in the opposite direction. It kept up like this for a few seconds before rocketing out like a fire hydrant being released.

Hit by the blast of water with several pounds of pressure more than it had in weight and caught in the biting vines of the bramble bite, it shook and let out pitiful screeches before breaking from the vines and flying towards the edge of the ring.

It dripped blood as it landed, letting out growls and glaring sabers, not daggers, at Hierophant and I.

Which was, of course, when it got caught up in the glow white energy that swallowed its entire body. I had seen enough monster collection shows with evolution to know what it meant.

Edbert’s Ossicarn was about to be a much, much bigger threat.

Crap.