The mana built inside Sereza's tail exploded outward in a tidal wave of acid. The acrid yellow engulfed Lolthis and she activated her movement skill.

  Her body disappeared inside a cloud that slipped out of Lolthis' grasp. Before she could pull away from his sword, mana flashed and the bone blade shattered. The explosion rocked the cloud, sending shards flying across the arena.

  "Damnit," I growled.

  Sereza's cloud shrunk, and desperately tried to close together as it sank toward the ground. Her skill came undone and revealed the felkin underneath.

  Holes ravaged her form, chunks of her flesh were missing revealing bleeding sinew and pieces of pulverized bone. Green spilled onto the sand and she leaned forward, head limp.

  "Fuck," Isaac whispered. "That skill is dangerous."

  "She's alive," Teddy said. He frowned and sighed. "I don't know for how much longer. It's a wonder that the match hasn't ended."

  I tore my gaze away from Sereza's shaking form and glanced toward Lolthis. The acid had created a haze of sand that just started to settle.

  He stumbled forward, nearly falling before he planted his foot into the ground and stabalized.

  Lolthis looked up and revealed the damage. Patches of fur had melted away revealing angry pink skin. From his front, blood pooled below his legs. But his face remained whole, covered in a helmet of bone that stretched down his neck and over the top of his chest.

  His hand that held the blade looked as ravaged as Sereza, with a deep gash missing from his palm. He stomped closer and lifted his head in a howl. As he lowered he spat a wad of chunky red plegthm.

  "You bitch!"

  Sereza placed her palm into the sand and struggled to push herself up. Her head barely managed to meet his face before he grinned with blood-stained teeth.

  "What? N-not a fan?"

  "I was willing to spare you the agony. I gave you a chance. All you had to do was be a good girl and comply!" he roared. His fingers clawed at the air and bone jutted from the center of his palm. It elongated into another blade before he clutched its handle and swung it forward. "You'll be screaming for mercy when I'm done with you!"

  Sereza's arm collapsed beneath her. Her chin sank into the sand but the grin remained. She licked her encrusted lips and flopped her head to the side.

  "Deadman."

  "What did you say?" he growled.

  Sereza slid her arm forward and slowly balled her fingers except for one. Her pointer trailed up his front and stopped at his chest.

  "You're a dead man walking," she chuckled before hacking up more blood.

  Lolthis reached Sereza and panted above her. He leaned forward and pushed his sword against her cheek.

  "I changed my mind." He knelt and grabbed her hair, yanking her head to meet his gaze. "You'll make a lovely adornment on my masters' walls. And your father can weep every dawn and dusk as he's forced to wax your corpse."

  His grip tightened and cut into Sereza's cheek. The felkin sighed and laughed, her words coming out as a whisper.

  "What was it you said? Scream for me? Well come on. Let's not disappoint the people. Let's hear that cry."

  Lolthis grip slackened and Sereza hit the sand. The beastkin's hand started to vibrate and he turned his claws around. The blade slipped and he whimpered before falling forward.

  The crowd gasped, a collective silence befalling them as they watched the beastkin roll across the arena. His legs spasmed and he pounded the ground as he desperately clawed at his chest.

  His skill deactivated and the bone-helmet cracked before crumbling into shards that dug into his face as he continued to roll. The first strangled scream exited his throat as little more than a wet cough. The second spilled blood while his back arched. By the fourth and fifth, the angry howling turned into moans of torture that blanketed whispering that had begun.

  It filled the air, drowning out other noise. Each new addition raised its pitch and lasted a second longer. When he attempted claw at his own skin his limbs betrayed him. The acid touched meat ground into the course sand, darkening the mixture in a slurry of vomit, blood and spittle.

  By the twelve drawn-out shriek, Lolthis curled into a ball and clawed at his chest.

  Slowly, Sereza sat up and raised her fist. It punched the sky and broke the crowd's lull.

  Cheers assaulted the booth and fans screamed Sereza's name.

  Her fist stayed long enough for the arena to signal the end of the match. As her arm dropped the announcer took control and whipped the crowd's frenzy into a storm.

  Green roots sprouted from the ground and wrapped Lolthis like a mummy. Mana pored out of the tips while flowers sprouted along the vines before turning grey and wilting.

  Familiar golden light bloomed from underneath Sereza, and she sighed.

  I finally relaxed, feeling it was easy to breathe.

  "That was close. Too close," I complained, while closing my eyes.

  I breathed in and then out, half-tempted to summon Galarion and have him absorb the headache crawling against the front of my skull. It had appeared during the middle of the fight but it was easy to ignore. Now that she was safe, the tension only fueled its ability to scratch my brain.

  "Cyrus, look," Teddy said.

  I opened my eyes and saw Sereza outside of the healing circle. She shook her head and stumbled to her feet. The circle appeared again but she stepped out of the way. Blood dripped down out of raw flesh and she shook where she stood.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "What's she doing?"

  "She's refusing the healing," Eodyne explained.

  "What? Why? Is she crazy?" I groaned.

  She shook her head. "If she accepts it, she'll be crippled. "

  "Crippled? Wha-oh. If she takes the healing, it'll use her body's reserves. It'll ruin her chances of winning the free for all."

  "Yes."

  I clenched my teeth and summoned a pin. After fixing it to my collar, I headed for the door.

  "Where are you going?" Teddy asked.

  "To heal her. She'll collapse from blood loss before she makes it to the booth."

  He nodded. "Use my emblem if you need to. If there are any complaints, the Lightcrests will handle it."

  "Thanks."

  I exited the booth and hurried down the steps. The rowdy audience members made it difficult, but most were civilians without strength passives. With my new body, even if I wasn't as strong as someone like Igas, I easily pushed them out of the way and made my way through.

  Once I was past the crowd, I hurried down the stairs and into the tunnel connecting to the under arena. An attendant by the entrance moved to stop me but he glanced at my wrist and retreated.

  As I entered, an elf blocked the door and I tapped his shoulder.

  "H-huh? What?" he sputtered.

  Ugh. Moooove!

  I used my tail to push him to the side and slipped through.

  "Don't be an idiot. Accept the healing before you bleed out, child!" a man in golden robes yelled at Sereza.

  His hair was spiky blonde that framed his pale face and he slammed his staff against the floor before pointing it at the felkin. Sereza stood with her arms clutching her stomach and shook her head.

  "Can't do that," she coughed.

  "You're being stubborn. You'll die! Myol! Do something."

  Myol stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She stared at Sereza, her eyes tracking the green staining the floor.

  "And what do you want me to do exactly, Zebb?"

  Zebb–who was obviously the healer who used the golden light–flapped his hand toward Sereza. "Make her see reason! Are you telling me you're willing to let her die inside our arena? For what? Pride?!"

  Myol sighed and then looked over. Her eyebrows lifted as she saw me walk forward. I ignored her and the rambling healer and smirked.

  "Did you have to pull a me? Really?" I teased.

  Sereza laughed before wincing. Her smile remained. "It was worth it, though."

  "I'm sure it was. But how about we try not dying."

  "You're one to talk."

  "Excuse me!" Zebb butted in. "Who are you?"

  "He's Mordred," Myol answered.

  "Mordred? Myol do you really expect me to know every single combatant inside this place? I've enough problems as it is. Such as convincing this stupid child to avoid needlessly dying!"

  I examined the man. He looked young enough, perhaps around his late thirties. But knowing how tiers and ascendance worked-he could have easily been several decades older than his appearance suggested.

  "Listen young lady. Stop resisting and let me he-"

  Myol wrapped her hand around Zebb's shoulder. "Why are you here Mordred?"

  "To heal her," I shrugged.

  Her eyes narrowed but it was Zebb who harrumphed. He swung his staff in a wide arc that nearly clipped me.

  "You? You're here to heal her over a guild sanctioned healer? A tier one against a tier two? Are you mad?" he shouted.

  In response, I removed my pin and tossed it over. He caught it with surprisingly fast reflexes and held it to the light. There was some pleasure at seeing his eyes bulge out of his sockets.

  "Zebb?" Myol interrupted.

  "H-he." He turned and pointed at me in outrage. "You! No!"

  "Zebb. Don't make me repeat myself."

  He looked ready to explode but he took a deep breath and schooled his expression. Almost reluctantly, he handed my emblem back before crossing his arms.

  "He's approved. That emblem is from the healers guild."

  "And you are angry, why?"

  His face puckered as if he swallowed a lemon. His voice came out terse and dry. "Because his emblem is above mine. He's got the approval of the Head Healer herself."

  "Syrreisha?" Myol mumbled. She turned to me. "Really?"

  "Really. Can I heal my friend now, or will that be a problem?" I interrupted.

  Thankfully the healer relented, and let me closer.

  "I'm watching! If your healing is inadequate, I'm stepping in. I don't care what the arena rules say!"

  Myol sighed but backed off, not refuting his words. That was a surprise. From how she talked, she made it pretty clear that she was the de facto head honcho. Then again, healers tended to have the final say.

  "Ready?" I asked.

  "Please. It... Hurts," Sereza wheezed.

  "Yeah, well don't get grabbed next time."

  Verdant Healer activated and my familiar appeared. Of course, the moment she manifested inside my hoodie I threaded mana into Spirit Lord's Invocation. The transformation was more subtle so it didn't draw immediate attention, but I noticed the arena master glance at my hood before áine disappeared.

  Too damn observant. Should have expected it from a tier three.

  Luckily the healer didn't seem to be as perceptive, and except for the gold around my arms there wasn't much to see.

  I gently touched Sereza's chest and poured mana into the skill. Healing energy dug through her skin and spread across her bones before beginning the repairs. Flesh mended and bones healed. Using the skill, I probed her body to see the full extent of the damage. It only made the gremlin inside aroused at the survey.

  "You're missing some half your organs, you know that right?" I said.

  Sereza swayed and leaned into my touch. "Yeah. But they don't hurt as bad as the rest."

  "Mmm. You're lucky I can do this."

  "I'll buy you a drink."

  "You already owe me one."

  "I'll buy two. And a hamburger," she moaned.

  I finished the repairs, ignoring the intense staring from the two on the side. Zebb practically popped a vein restraining himself while simultaneously stretching his neck to an unhealthy degree. As I finished, I scanned a second time to make sure I didn't miss anything. Thankfully with áine's skill and the transformation, the healing energy saw to Sereza's complete recovery. I spent a final chunk of mana to restore her blood before stopping.

  Sereza stood on her own weight and stretched. "Oh that's so much better. Thanks, Mordred."

  I stuck out my tongue, making sure my mask showed the expression before dropping my skills. áine slipped into my back and returned to the soulspace, once again drawing a second glance from Myol.

  Before I could crack a joke, Zebb slammed into my side with his hip and rushed to grab Sereza's hand. He pushed back her sleeve and ran his fingers across her skin, massaging her muscles before dropping into a crouch. He did the same to her legs before standing and repeating the motion with her face.

  "Uhh," Sereza started.

  Zebb stepped back, looking twice as sour than before. "She's fully recovered. I don't know how, but her body shows no signs of healing fatigue."

  "Can you let go now?"

  "Huh? Oh," Zebb released her and spun around. "You! What was that skill?"

  "Can't tell you. Trade secret," I replied.

  "How da-"

  "Enough. Zebb. Are you satisfied with the safety of my combatant?" Myol demanded.

  Zebb's face contorted and his skin turned red. But as he puffed up his chest, he deflated and started walking away.

  "Yes. My work is done here!" In a smaller voice, I caught the tail end of his muttering. "Impossible skills and their damn cheating nobles! Curse them and the fat balls of their ancestors..."

  That's... Colorful?

  "Are we good to leave now?" Sereza asked.

  Myol studied my face before nodding. "You are. Don't cause trouble."

  Sereza slipped her arm in mine but I stopped and faced the arena master.

  Sereza paused. "Mordred?"

  "Would you have stopped the match? Prevented her death?" I asked, my voice cold as steel.

  Myol didn't react other than to grunt and lean against the wall.

  "Are your ears full of gold? Did you not pay attention when I explained the rules?"

  "They're not, and I did. But I want to know. She could have died at any moment. How did you know to let her keep going?"

  There was a silence, made more awkward by the elf contestant who had made himself a decoration on the far wall. He watched with his eyes rapidly darting between the three of us.

  Myol sighed. "I've been around for a long time. Seen enough combat, participated in plenty of battles. I know when someone's given up. And I know when someone's got a trick up their sleeves. She held fire in her eyes throughout the entire match. If Lolthis tried to kill her, I would have crushed him like a bug. Is that enough of an answer for you?"

  "It is, thank you," I bowed.

  I lead Sereza out of the tunnels and into the arena before relaxing.

  "Well?"

  "Well what?" Sereza asked.

  I summoned a wrapped package from my inventory and waved it in front of her face.

  "Bribe yah for your secrets?"

  She snatched the sandwich from my hand and bit through it, paper and all. “What do you want to know?”

  “Well, for starters, what the hell was that poison? And second, how fucking good did it feel when it worked?”

  Sereza swallowed and a wide grin split her face.

  “Absolutely cathartic.”