Kaius and Porkchop tore across the open square, dancing over the mummified bodies of armoured dwarves as they closed in on the hobgoblin Champion. Their target was quite literally foaming at the mouth, lost in a furor as it charged to meet them. Its axe held high.

“Split!” Kaius called. Porkchop reacted instantly, peeling away from him to approach the Champion from a different angle.

Watching as their foe started to flick its gaze between them, Kaius screamed a wordless warcry. The hob locked onto him, fanged jaw twisting into a snarl as it redoubled its pace.

Now that they were closer, Kaius could see that it almost perfectly matched him in height. Unfortunately, it also looked to be double his weight in pure muscle. Ritual scarification covered its chest in a ropey network of twisting scars. The red whorls and loops standing out in stark relief against the monster's dark green skin.

The axe that it held so comfortably in its hands was positively massive. A thick and lacquered haft sprouted a double sided axe head easily the size of Kaius’s torso. It definitely had the reach advantage, that could be a problem.

The battle started like a clap of thunder. Hurling its axe into a heavy overhand, the hob opened with a stone shattering blow. Kaius lurched to the side, getting showered with chips of flagstone as the axe cracked the ground. Despite the obvious power of the champion, Kaius felt in control. Ready for the battle ahead. Returning the assault with a cross cut, he cut deep into its arm and chest.

He could feel the rush of battle building in his blood. Making his heart thump with a strong rhythm. Growing hot. A few more seconds and Porkchop would arrive. He only had to keep it occupied until then.

Refusing to take its wound lying down, the hob yanked on its axe. Shifting its whole body into a fast horizontal swing that sailed uncomfortable close to his chest. Narrowly avoided with a hurried backstep.

Momentum of the swing tugged the hob along with it, the Champion struggling to control the heft of its weapon. Kaius slipped in, marring its chest with another cut of his sword. The monster's flesh was almost woody, resistant to the biting edge of his blade. It roared, thick spittle splattering on Kaius’s armour. Kicking out with a thick leg, the hob forced him back.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kaius spotted Porkchop sprinting for the hob. Coming in from its left side. To his joy, the Champion hadn’t noticed yet. Too focused on the object of its rage. Kaius dove for the right, feinting an attack.

The hob twisted, lashing out with its axe to ward him off. Leaving its flank undefended.

Porkchop hit the Champion like a charging bull. Claws tore into its green back, renting great strips of flesh free. Unprepared for the collision it stumbled forwards. Its guard dropping.

Explorers Toolkit twinged. Kaius lunged, thrusting his sword and running the Champion through its chest. Green blood erupted from its throat, splattering against the stone. Its eyes started to burn. Shifting its grip on its axe, it slammed the haft into kaius’s chest like it was a quarterstaff.

**Ding! Explorers Toolkit has reached level 12!**

Letting out a cough, Kaius felt the air driven from his lungs. His bones creaking as he was forced back, his blade slipped free from the Champion’s chest. Mana flashed, the head of the hobs axe shimmering red.

“Porkchop!” Kaius tried to shout a warning, his words weak and breathy thanks to his winding. His friend didn’t hear, to focused on tearing into the hob from behind.

It whirled, axe blurring in speed as it turned on Porkchop. Kaius blanched as his friend tried to doge. Too late. Too slow. The axe tore clear through the front of Porkchop’s shoulder, metal squealing as it sundered armoured plating.

Now facing away from him, Kaius got a look at the damage his friend had done. Deep furrows had torn through the hob’s muscular back. Leaking greenish blood and revealing the bones of its ribs. Already the flesh was writhing. Growing to cover the lacerations. Fast too. Faster than he expected.

Gritting his teeth at his friend's plight, Kaius pressed the hob as his skill flared in his mind. The undefended back of the Champion too tempting of a target to ignore. Rising his sword into an aggressive high guard, Kaius threw himself back into the fray. If it had some sort of healing general skill they had only one option. Hurt it faster than it could recover.

Kaius tore into the hob’s back with a heavy descending chop. He twisted with the swing, whirling it around to deliver another slash. Moving into a third.

The Champion howled. Aura flashed again. It spun on him, swinging with enhanced speed in an upwards slash. Kaius blanched. Too fast. Way too fast. He wasn’t going to be able to dodge, not completely.

Gritting his teeth, Kaius slammed his blade into the incoming axe. Pressing his whole weight into the collision. Blade edges met in a crash of screaming steel. The Champion's strength was undeniable. Crushing his defence with ease.

Kaius jumped back, using the pressure of the clash to send himself flying back. The hob’s axe continued unhindered, sailing through the spot he had been standing in an instant earlier. He hit the ground with a stumble. Reeling to get his legs properly underneath him. The hob snarled, taking a step forward. Kaius brought his sword up in front of him, ready to defend. A new nail sized chip disfiguring its edge.

He stared at the damage to A Father’s Gift in shock. That never happened. He’d been half certain that nothing on this layer would be enough to damage the blade. Gritting his teeth in forced acceptance, Kaius stepped forwards to meet the Hob. Already preparing its axe for another swing.

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Ever the stalwart ally, Porkchop refused to let that happen. Snaking forwards, the meles sunk his teeth into the hob’s leg. Taking a chunk out of its hamstring.

Thick leg buckling, the hob howled in rage. Kaius watched as it smashed its elbow into Porkchop’s face, stunning his friend. Kaius’s stomach dropped as Porkchop stumbled, shaking his head in confusion. The hob didn’t wait to celebrate. Its axe came up.

Kaius rushed in, cleaving into one of the Champion's thick arms. Blade cut through the muscle, glancing off the bone. Too reinforced to cut through. It had to have invested heavily in Endurance to be that durable, it was the only thing that made sense to him. Worse, it meant the Champion would have a massive pool of Health.

Luckily, it was enough.

The Champions arm went limp, grip slipping from the haft of its axe. Losing control of its swing, gravity rotated the axe’s head. It slapped into Porkchops shoulder with a heavy thwack, sending him stumbling.

To Kaius’s relief the jolt seemed to startle Porkchop out of his stupor. With a snarl his friend leapt into the fray. His claws carved into the hobgoblin as it tried to put up a defence with only one working hand.

Refusing to let the moment slip from them, Kaius ramped up the pressure. He layered deep cuts into the Champion, leaning heavily on Explorers Toolkit to target critical muscles. Destabilising the monster.

Yet despite the ferocity of their assault, they couldn’t do enough. Kaius grit his teeth, watching as the rents in its flesh rippled, sealing back together only seconds after his blade left its skin. He managed to get in a final deep cut, slicing it from shoulder to hip.

Snatching its axe back up with both hands, the hob whirled on him. Choosing him as the primary threat. It spun its axe in great sweeping strikes. Shifting from blow to blow with a savage grace. Moving with the hefty weight of its axe, constantly in motion.

Forced back step by step, Kaius parried and blocked what he could. Every time the axe hit his blade he watched more steel chip off from its fine edge. Turning it into a ragged saw. Frustration mounted. As much as they had been able to avoid serious injury, they were doing little to permanently injure the monster. A war of attrition.

**Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 15!**

Something had to give, and he was painfully aware the Champion still had another skill in reserve.

Mystic might pulsed in the shadowy afterglow that surrounded the hobgoblin. Its axe ignited. Coming down in a blurring-fast chop.

Kaius spun to the side, catching a glimpse of Porkchop ramming the Champion from behind. Forcing it off its footing. Making it stumble. The swing continued, almost uncontrolled. It hit the floor with a massive crash, shattering the flag stones.

The hob heaved on its weapon. It was stuck fast. Kaius’s skill flared. An opportunity.

Porkchop grabbed the hob by the leg, yanking its feet out from under it. Mauling the limb. It slipped down, just barely keeping its grip on its axe. Neck exposed.

Kaius brought his sword up. Letting out a roar of victory he brought his blade down on the Champion's thick neck. Chipped or no, the edge of his blade was still razor sharp. It sliced through green flesh, a torrent of blood erupting from the wound. Biting into the monster's spine, and completely failing to sever its spine.

Kaius widened his eyes.

The hobgoblin let out a rabid howl. It slammed its fist into Kaius’s stomach. Blood filled his mouth, agony surging through his stomach as something ruptured. He only just barely managed to keep his grip on his sword as he went flying back, the blade ripping free from the hob's neck. Its blood flowed thick, splattering on the ground.

Kicking out, it booted Porkchop in the face where he was savaging its other leg. Porkchop reeled, his nose leaking blood as delicate bone and cartilage was shattered.

"Zhrashka morgul, thrak'nu drok!" the hobgoblin cried in fury. Its body suddenly rippled. The hob contorting as every muscle contracted at one. Vasculature swelled under its skin, pulsing a rapid staccato in time with its heart. Its head snapped up to bore its eyes into Kaius’s own. Burning with a vibrant blood red inner light. So different from the black-brown before.

There was no surge of aura. No pulse of mysticism. No sign of magic at all. Kaius still knew that it was a skill, that he was certain of. One that relied on the might of its body alone.

The Champion's face grew focused. Intense. Where previously it had snarled at every second moment of battle, it was now stern. Driven. Only its largest tusks peeked out from thin lips where previously all had been on display. That was not to say the fight had left it. No, Kaius could tell it was the only thing left on its mind.

It was like looking into a mirror of his experience with the Psychopathic Assault tonic. The hob had only one thing on its mind, all else had been abandoned. Their death and dismemberment.

“Shit!” Kaius cried, the hob leaping to its feet with startling agility. Dashing towards him as it comfortably ripped its axe free with a single hand. “It’s a fucking rage skill!”

The pace of the Champion's assault doubled, forcing Kaius to devote his entire attention to simply staying alive. He couldn’t risk trying to deflect the Champion's swings, not anymore. Not with the ease with which it tossed its monstrous weapon around like it was a piece of pine.

Porkchop jumped in to help him. Tearing chunks from the Champions back with tooth and claw. Yet every time his friend started to do some true damage to the monster it would pulse its aura. Use its skill to spin into a wild storm of steel. Forcing Porkchop back

The hob refocused on him, snatching at him with its off hand. Kaius was forced to jump away. Lest it get a fatal grip on him.

Right into the path of its axe.

Steel scales screamed as the heavy wedge shaped head of the weapon sundered his densely woven scales. Tearing open his chest. Scoring bone. Kaius let out a ragged cry, swinging in desperation. Scoring a deep cut on the hobs axe hand.

He couldn’t keep up. It was too fast. Too strong.

He knew that. Yet all he felt was joy. Exaltation at being pushed to the very edge. At a superior opponent drawing out every drop of his skill and talent.

Twisting around another wild swing, Kaius punished the attempt on his life by sliding his blade between the hob’s ribs. He danced away, the Champion's frantic follow up cutting a shallow line through his bicep. Just barely nicking him.

He knew Porkchop must have felt the same. His friend was totally focused. Only broken by a constant low violent growl. A commitment to seeing this through. Conviction to live at the edge.

They could do this.