I heard the announcer say something, but I couldn't pay attention as the Monster Orc was stalking toward me. I couldn't afford to clash like we just did, as he would overpower me every time.

He made a mistake by throwing me away. If he had kept me close and kept pounding me, I would have been done. I don't think he will make that mistake again. I think it was a combination of my Dread and the claws, and it was a jerk reaction. He is too experienced to let that happen again. He has strengthened his mind against my Dread and is coming at me with controlled movements and a smile.

I ran towards him, still on all fours like a beast. I didn't use Sprint as he wasn't far away, and I used all four clawed feet to change direction just before we clashed. I twisted and used Rake and Roar, with Swift Hands and Quick Claw to slice him as I went past.

He still got his knife to slice down my front, but my Leather vest and Tough Hide stopped it from penetrating. I circled him like a beast as his cuts closed up. I picked up my thrown knife as I circled.

I Sprinted at him suddenly, but he moved, putting off my timing. My claws scraped his armour as his steel-capped boot connected with my ribs and sent me sprawling. He didn't wait for me to get up, but was on me right away with another boot aimed for my head.

I rolled, and it scraped past my ear. I twisted my feet, claws ripping his leather vest and drawing blood. He stomped on my arm. The bone would have broken without Kiri's Strengthening and my Damage Mitigation. As it was, the muscles were all badly bruised.

I used Crushing Bite through his leg, but couldn't break the bone. My other hand struck at his groin, but only managed to rip his groin guard.

He stepped back for another boot, but I followed him and grabbed him in a Crushing Embrace. It didn't have the devastating effect I was used to, as he was too tough, but it brought him to the ground.

This was not ideal for me as he was stronger than I, and it was like my bones were being crushed. I did manage to make him drop his knife, but one hand held me in a lock, and the other pounded into my ribs.

Fang Reversal was partially effective at breaking out, and I got my teeth into his bicep. One of my teeth broke on the steel band he had around his arm, but I tore out flesh and muscle and possibly a tendon. That will take longer to regenerate.

His other fist came around and smashed against my head. Fortunately, he didn't have the leverage, but he was drawing his fist back for more blows. The studs on his knuckles had ripped my scalp, despite Tough Hide and Damage Mitigation.

With another Rake and Roar, I got my feet under me and surged up to my full height, ripping into him. Rake and Roar was certainly the easiest skill to master and synced well with my Swift Hands and Quick Claws. I was ripping into him twice as fast as his fists were pounding me.

I needed to separate. He was built tougher and could take more damage than I could. I brought my head down and head butted his nose and synced it with Seismic Smash. He was stronger physically, but I was stronger spiritually.

My mind was clearing from his hit, and I used Blood Clot and Close Wound on my head as he reeled back from my hit. Spiritual attacks are what I need. I sent a Tremor through the ground, and he stumbled.

I needed to take advantage of that and launched into a Lunging Maul. He half dodged and half fell sideways, and most of the damage missed, but he was now on the back foot, and I needed to take advantage.

Swift Hands and Knife Throw, and I embedded my large knife into his stomach, as I got my feet mostly right for another Lunging Maul. He went down under it, but he had drawn his knife in his off hand, and it stabbed between my ribs, going deep. It may have pierced a lung.

I slammed Close Wound and Blood Clot, but they were too low-levelled. I used Tooth of the Mountain to surge for the knife hand, getting it with a Crushing Bite and ripping out a mouthful of leather gauntlet and muscle.

Pain shot through my mouth from my broken tooth.

His knee came up and smashed into my chest, and I coughed up blood. Blood was flowing from his broken nose, his stomach and both arms. He wanted to back off now to let his Regeneration work.

I couldn't let that happen. I had no regeneration.

I was losing a lot less blood, due to a Blood Clot, but I was equally injured. The knife wound through to my lung made it only a matter of time. The lung was only slowly filling with blood, despite the Blood Clot, and surprisingly, my Breath Control effectively kept me with enough air.

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I pushed Revitalise to give me an energy boost and went after him with a Sprint and Lunging Maul and a Rake and Roar. He was trying to block, but my claws kept slicing, then I switched it up with a kick from Unarmed Combat, and empowered it with Seismic Smash when he raised his thigh to deflect it.

I heard his thigh bone crack. He gave up on making space and closed in to finish me. Suddenly, I was on the defensive. He was stronger, and his Unarmored Combat was at a higher level. This time, my ribs cracked, and a thundering smash cracked my arm when I tried to block. His fists kept pounding and pounding me, and my vision faltered when a fist knocked my head sideways.

He was favouring his leg, and I pounded that for all I was worth. He let out a growl of pain and rage. I moved, roaring back with Rake and Roar, as he didn't seem to know how to defend against it, but only one arm was working.

We crashed into a grapple, and I engaged Crushing Embrace, and he twisted my broken arm, shooting pain through me and making the bone break through the skin. I sliced his eye with my claws, which made him pull back for a second, and I worked Fang Reversal, sinking my teeth into his exposed neck with Crushing Bite. My mouth was filled with his blood, spraying out.

I slammed Frigid Void into his heart as I needed this to end. There was resistance there, but I broke through it. I brought my one good clawed hand down into his eye with Death Strike. I was pretty sure he was dead from the Frigid Void, but I had to try to hide that.

His blood had stopped spraying and now dribbled out of his neck. My arm bone was visible poking through my arm, and I was trying to control my bleeding with Blood Clot.

I rose to my feet, blood everywhere and roared my victory. The roar was not just put on for the crowd, I realised with some surprise. I was part Beast-kin and a fighting beast-kin at that. This was letting the Beast out, and I liked it.

Most of the audience was silent. Surely it wasn't because of the brutality. It must have been because of the coin they just lost. I hope Kiri bet on me.

I started to limp toward the gate as the announcer started to yabber on. I think my brain was fuzzy from the pain and the punishment, so I didn't bother trying to make out what was being said.

I saw Jinx's pink hair coming towards me and a scarred orc beside her. She said something to the orc, and he veered wide of me. She probably threatened him. I wouldn't be that hard to kill right now, and I bet Jack wouldn't have defended me. This is part of the role of the Second, huh?

Jinx/Kiri passed me a health potion, which I drank, and she guided me to the healer's area. My head was clearing quickly. One of the 'sort of' healers approached. "Do you want me to bind the arm?" he asked. I nodded, and he straightened my arm bone and bandaged it with a brace to hold it still. "Have you got a bone potion?" he asked.

"Yes," said Kiri.

"OK," he said, "It will probably help with the tooth, too. Anything else you want help with?"

I shook my head, and Kiri said, "No, we are good."

He backed off, and Kiri went to work on my bones. We didn't speak about secret things, as I am sure there were people around with high-level Hearing Aid. I used a bucket of water to wash the worst of the blood off.

"You have certainly earned a reputation," Jinx said. She fused my arm together several times and fused my tooth as well, giving it a covering to protect the exposed nerve. Then she went to work on my ribs.

I was working on Blood Clot and trying to make Close Wounds work deeper into the stab wound. I could sense the spiritual energy from the potion working, but as it was spread throughout all my wounds, it was not going to get very far.

I used Extract Impurities and cleaned some dust and dirt from the wounds. I wondered if it would clear the blood from my lungs. It was not an impurity, but it was in the wrong place. The answer was no, but I felt that I might have that flexibility at the Journeyman level.

"Here," Jinx/Kiri said, "A bone potion, it will help."

I drank it. I would have another Health Potion later. I had Solar Bloom running, and I think it helped a bit, but it was not for this sort of thing.

I was starting to feel lethargic, which was the Revitalise wearing off. I gave myself another boost to keep me going. Of course, this was the exact danger with it: people would keep using it to hold off the lethargy. The price would need to be paid later.

I got up, "What is the response?" I asked.

Jinx looked at me, "I have been here with you, so I am not sure. When I came to get you, everyone was pretty much surprised that you survived and stunned when you killed him. The Gutter Saints will be out to get you, of course, but there are only two other members at the Monster's level, and you have demonstrated you can defeat the weaker thugs in groups. You will probably get offers from other gangs."

I nodded. Why did people do this? It was just a painful risk for no gain. You can't eat coins, and there is no monster core, teeth, or hide you can make things out of. Then I looked at my skills. You don't see such a gain outside of a serious fight. I guess that is one reason people do this. A Brawler or Fighter Class would also level with this, but I don't have those.

My Blood Clot and Close Wound both jumped to Apprentice level. Quick Claws went to Journeyman level, and a lot of skills went up, mostly because they were still apprentice level. My Pain Resistance also jumped three points. It was good, but was it worth the risk? I guess the risk was not that serious, as I had my cheat, which I had to use, or I would be dead. At least I didn't melt the pit.

"Come on," Jinx said. "We need to get out there and show you are strong. My fight is also coming up, and you are my second."

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