Chapter 331: A desperate fight

[Stats visible due to hidden class superiority.]

[Ghoul]

[Tier 6 (Higher Undead); Level 35]

[HP: 3220/3220]

[Attack: 375]

[Attack Damage(No Armor): 2.3K]

[Agility: 729]

[A cursed being, brought back in hunger through hunger. A ghoul will always search for the next meal, only cooperating with others if a meal is to be found. It will always claim the first rights to a meal, its venom deadly even to other undead.]

[Status: Eternal Hunger: Makes the ghoul unpredictable and much more dangerous. It will do anything for a meal. No matter how much it feeds, it will never be filled.]

[Passive ability: Death's Touch: A ghoul's claws are coated in an extremely toxic substance. A grazing blow is enough to kill most.]

[The damage differs based on Tier difference, at the same Tier it will do 1% max HP per minute. Increases drastically the larger the difference, while it does not decrease much in inverse. Also negates all normal healing, investing the desired effect. Only divine healing can be used to treat the wound.]

[Special ability: Howl of hunger: Sends out a terrible howl paralyzing its victim.]

Eldrian only realized the idiocy of using Observer when the information flooded his mind. Making him too slow to attempt another desperate escape. 

"Noooo!" A normally timid voice echoed in the air, followed by the sound of a limb being severed. Looking up in disbelief Eldrian saw Kydone staring down the ghoul.

Her shaking shoulders informing him of her fear, yet she gripped her shortswords with resolve, staring the ghoul down in defiance. Ready to put her life on the line for Eldrian's.

Their standoff lasted longer than Eldrian's entire attempt at survival. Giving time for Anthise to work and Eldrian to sort through the information from Observe. As soon as he managed to think clearly, he cast Anthise on Kydone and Thera on the ghoul. 

Kydone disappearing from his sights followed by the ghoul being sent backwards. Black fluid on Kydone's blade, soon starting to sizzle. 

With the fight restarted, the two started moving so fast Eldrian only barely managed to follow them. Most of their attacks were a blur to his eyes. 

At first, the ghoul was forced to hastily defend, but this quickly changed. While Kydone had the speed advantage, the unnatural movement of the ghoul's limbs almost completely negated this. Not to mention its missing arm quickly regrowing by pulling flesh from other parts of its body. 

Once it had two arms again, the advantage flipped almost immediately. Kydone suddenly forced on the backfoot. The ghoul appeared frailer, more shriveled, yet this did not weaken it. Its attacks were just as quick and strong as before. 

They were nearly evenly matched. However, just a single cut, no matter how small would signal Kydone's defeat. As such she had to be extra careful, the ghoul completely aware of this. It pressed even more, opening itself to attacks. 

Openings Kydone could never exploit as the ghoul's claws were always at the ready. Aiming not to hit a good blow, but just to cut the skin. A despicable way to fight, one Kydone could do little against. 

Soon she started panting from the strain, just seconds having passed yet it was the hardest fight of her life. Unlike last time, she could not retreat. She would not.

Eldrian realized this and cursed himself. He could see that Kydone would not last long. If she would last until the others arrived was unknown. The description from the system made the venom appear less deadly than it was. 

It only stated the health loss, but the true problem was the pain. A searing pain through the mind. A pain that would rob most of your focus and a great deal of your energy. 

'I need to do something,' Eldrian tried to speak, finding that the action hurt. Even breathing hurt, it felt like he was drowning. Shutting out the pain as much as he could, Eldrian tried to think. 

He tried to stand, finding to his horror that he was paralyzed. Again, he shut this out. Telling himself to only focus on a solution. 

His arms were still functional, but just barely. They too were in pain, throbbing constantly. Yet they could still move, so Eldrian moved them. 

'She needs help!' No longer was it just about losing a few levels, suddenly the situation became all the more serious. 

Eldrian's mind spun as he realized that the longer the fight lasted, the more panicked Kydone became. Her last near-death experience flashing in her mind making her movements sloppy and her escapes all the more narrow.

'Think! Think! Think!' Eldrian shouted this, but just a gurgle came out. The pain doubling and he doubling his ignorance of it. Pushing his focus to the extreme to focus on what mattered. 

It was in this state that he recalled the sword he had gotten, however, his mana was too low. 

'Meditate.' Eldrian immediately thought, knowing that it quickened his mana regen if he entered that calming state. However, how was he supposed to meditate lying on the ground bleeding out internally? 

Closing his eyes, Eldrian tried his best to ignore all the pain and focus into himself. This took a few seconds wherein he pushed all his focus into it. So much that the readings Miracle was taking skyrocketed and they got the second surprise in as many days. 

Slowly the pain started disappearing, Eldrian's consciousness just barely staying in the game. Fighting to gather mana single-mindedly 

He did not manage to enter the state he wanted, yet he managed to get what he wanted. He felt the surrounding mana rushing to him, and instead of absorbing it, Eldrian pulled out the sword and focused it into it. 

Seconds passed, now nearly 20 seconds since he broke the crystal. Still far from when they could expect the others. 

The sword started glowing pure white, radiating heat to the surroundings. Eldrian's hands being burnt from the touch, yet he fought on. Again doing his best to ignore the pain.

'More! More!' He groaned through the blood filling his lungs, focusing purely on the sword. Yet now he found he had no way of informing Kydone of what he was doing. He had no energy to spare to try and force his legs to move. No energy to try and heal them.

Gritting his teeth, Eldrian thought back to how the Alicorns communicated. Having no idea how they did it, but having his own idea. He knew what his soul was, he knew what Kydone's was like. 

'Now! Kydone! Sword!' Eldrian shouted in his mind, using all the spare mana he had to voice that message. Losing consciousness as he did, not knowing if it worked or not. 

His hope. That the magic abyss was truly one place. That all souls existed in that abyss.

...

Kydone was doing her best to avoid taking even so much as a scratch. Recalling the pain from last time made her movements slower. Made her technique fail. 

If not for her actually being stronger and faster than the ghoul she would have long since ended up dead. However, the difference was not much. The abilities of the ghoul more than making up for them. 

By now Kydone was covered in fur, her beast side always came out in situations where her emotions ran wild. Her claws dug into the grip of her sword, her fur soaked in sweat. A few spots of her clothes and fur devoid of both. Spots where the venom had landed. 

Luckily, the venom was far less effective if it did not pierce the skin. Her's being resistant enough to stop it from doing so, as long as she kept the claws from reaching her. Even so, it would pain terribly. Leaving swelling burnt marks all over her body. 

Jumping back, Kydone avoided a deadly hug. Gasping for air she looked side to side for something that might help. 

Suddenly she felt something. Something telling her to look towards Eldrian. Jumping back to make space she gave herself the spare time to look around. Seeing Eldrian lying motionless on the ground with a brightly glowing white sword. 

Mustering her natural ability, Feline Grace, Kydone jumped between the trees as if it was natural that they would make a perfect path. The ghoul failing to catch up before she reached Eldrian. 

Taking the sword and screaming from the pain, Kydone suddenly turned and thrust out with the sword. The ghoul caught off guard, but not unprepared. 

Like before it welcomed the attack to return its own. Embracing Kydone as the sword pierced its heart, an organ it did not need. 

Only when the sword entered it did it realized its mistake. Convulsing in pain it lost its grip on Kydone's sides. Kydone finished the activation and jumped back. Grabbing Eldrian as she did, yet she did not make it far. Falling unconscious after covering just 30 meters. 

Far enough to avoid the blast, but somewhere hidden in the undergrowth. 

...

Waking up, Eldrian knew he was at his limit. He just stayed still and stared at the ceiling. The pain followed him as phantom pains. He gave it a few minutes to go away, yet the strange feeling in his legs stayed. 

"The hell?" He mumbled, sitting up with a struggle. His body exhausted and his mind even more so. To his horror he found that his legs would not respond to him. 

"Come on!" Eldrian shouted, smacking his leg to get it to wake up. His horror increasing as he realized that he felt nothing. 

"No! No!" Eldrian shouted, falling from the chair as he tried to reach his tablet.