Borenger intuitively lifted his leg as he lifted the club swiftly and stepped down to stab at the kyrenean. The sudden speed of movement caught Isos off guard and it struck his breastplate, making him stumble back to the rail. Seeing this, the shifter brazenly charged at Borenger.

  Her ability to use her claws lost much of the same refinement it did in her other forms but it nonetheless began chipping away at the club. Borenger could not lament the damage of such a cool weapon, with the pressure she was building he could do nothing but block and use his agility to make her lose momentum.

  Though he earned a few nicks and grazes and even as splinters embedded themselves into his skin everywhere he managed to create enough space to start trading blows. When there was enough of an opening between her wild clawed haymakers he went back something approximating the jigen stance and he loudly bonked her on the head.

  As she stumbled she clipped his stomach causing him to grunt in pain. He rested a hand on it, making him realize it was much more than a mere clip. Then suddenly Isos made his approach again, though Borenger could hit him the armor negated most of the potential damage.

  Now he had to deal with both of them relentlessly covering for each other. If there was any solace, it was that the bridge would not be able to handle their combat for long. He could also see that some of the onlookers noticed this and the only ones who came closer were waiting to spring into action to arrest Borenger.

  “Damn seal, at least without that-” He snapped out of the thought as Anarah’s claw came down and almost swiped his head off. He blocked in time but he was stabbed in the stomach and the claw shredded the club down enough to be totally useless, so he abandoned it and began using his knife and unarmed techniques.

  “Fuck!” As he flew out a kick he had to just as speedily if not more retract it as the wolf lady swiped down. Though now he could still force openings it was a lot more dangerous without the club. He dove for the spear immediately, as he did so though his flesh was torn again by the claws.

  With the spear he used it like a staff, but it did not take long for it to begin being shredded as well. Even as small holes were made in Anarah’s side she still easily overpowered him. “It’s useless, she is holding her form on for a lot longer than I expected - or maybe it hasn’t been that long at all?”

  As he tried to recover his position they continued pressing him and he was forced off the bridge, so he slid down the slope into the stream and looked at them. “Maybe this’ll help?” He was wet unfortunately but he didn’t intend to stay standing in the water once they came in.

  Anarah came in first as Isos prepared to bring his greatsword to fight. This was good enough, Borenger planted what was left of the spear in the water and used it to launch off of and attack the beast.

  “Shit!” Isos hurried up as the vrilya began stabbing and cutting the large beast. Though it was strenuous enough that it felt like he could burst his vessels he continued fighting and using the single pole and Anarah’s body to avoid touching the water.

  This finally began slowing the shifter down but it hadn’t really started to turn around for him. As he stuck to her back she clawed his back, causing him to drop the knife for a moment but he quickly recomposed himself and reached for it - dislocating his shoulder briefly and was able to grab it, even as her claws stuck in his back he found the position advantageous and dug it into her breast and pulled the blade upward while shouting.

  Blood spewed from multiple places in the wound and he took the opportunity to stab her in the head. Though the fur was thick, he eventually was able to dig it through her skull.

  “Anarah! No!” Isos tossed his blade which found its way into Borenger’s stomach. “Ah!” But even as he was bleeding everywhere he took the opportunity to scalp the shifter. “This is enough!”

  As he was doing so he could hear a whistle, the law enforcers began to rush down from the north side. But it was too late, Borenger leaped southward and ran into the forest. He was definitely being chased but luckily none of them would be fast enough to catch him in a hundred years.

  He collapsed in the woods, seemingly about to die. The adrenaline quickly and sharply faded away and he could feel the pain all over his body, unlike other times it was not even a good feeling. He curled up to prevent the hilt of the sword from pressing into his body and while moving he puked.

  “Gah” He could barely speak but as he breathed heavily his body heaved and drooled. He hoped to some degree his Master would not see him in such a gross state but at the same time, he was internally begging for Lalant to come. “Pl-” He wanted to groan but his body was properly reacting to the severe wounds.

  Before he could consider more about his position he fainted from the bloodloss. A man cloaked in darkness lowered down and put his fingers below his nose. “Good. Still alive.” It was Lalant’s voice. He frowned seeing the state of his disciple but it quickly turned upside down as he saw the scalp in his hand.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  He chuckled as he pulled it and was unable to get it away from Borenger’s fingers. “Even like this you still hold on, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Lalant took the blade out of his stomach, the body sensing the danger weakly tried to stop him but he was too fast.

  Using it he also cut his own hand, but instead of blood it was more like sparks out of an electrical wire. As they fell down onto Borenger’s body and into his wounds his body was shocked but reinvigorated. “Not even regular vrilya can receive this sort of treatment you know? Lucky bastard.”

  Lalant reminded himself of his own life and death encounters, feeling a bit bad that he forced this young dwarf into even more extreme circumstances. There was also a big change that such a mental strain could lead to destroying his development as a warrior.

  When he was able to stop his pupil’s severe bleeding he picked him up and took him to a decent hiding place within a backdoor hospital. The man there was nobody Lalant knew but criminals could at least be trusted to not give up customers to the law. Even if the kyrenean successfully got the info about their location, he was someone that Lalant could easily dispatch himself, let alone kill.

  Within two days Borenger woke up but was now being carried via his bag being dragged behind Lalant. He sat up, sore and he could feel the pain as he rolled. “Ouch!”

  Lalant turned his head around. “Good afternoon.”

  “Agh!” Borenger struggled to get back up, even if most of his wounds were safe from infection they still basically felt like he still had them. “T-thank you Master.” He gripped the ground and Lalant came over to put him back on the pack.

  “Rest for now. Good job by the way.” He tossed a pelt which landed on Borenger’s chest. As he picked it up and examined it he remembered his battle and teared up a bit, feeling a mix of emotions he stayed silent and Lalant continued dragging him on the baggage.

  Borenger could imagine some of the fight, though without wanting to mess up his wounds he didn’t take the time to enhance his mental image of the event. “Ah, I wish I had a good solid weapon that wouldn’t break.”

  “Well, luckily you stole that kyrenean’s blade?”

  “Really? I don’t recall such a thing.”

  Lalant chuckled a bit and had some trouble speaking. “Well, your stomach took it with you when you fled the cops.”

  “Oh?” He didn’t recall such a thing. “Hey! Did I develop vril-OW-” Borenger hurt himself a bit twisting and sitting up. “V-vrillic intuition?”

  “It’s pretty close, I think if you can focus on the feeling when you’re better off you’ll be able to develop it.”

  “Ah… ah awesome.” Borenger practically passed out again, earning a soft sigh from Lalant as they continued to move through the sand and patches of grass.

  Eventually they made it to the carriage stop, Borenger was still asleep but two servants loaded him onto one of the hovering carriages. Though wheels were of course existent in this world, the ability to hover was widespread - afterall, it allows for easier movement without roads as well as creating the ability for travel between planets.

  Between that stop and the border cities of Indigol and Manzart was not long and equally was not eventful beyond some chatter between Borenger and Lalant.

  Elsewhere on Mafakas, in Belkay a bodyguard swiftly draws his blade - the butt catches the chin of the mer spy in front of him. Before its knees hit the ground below he grabbed the mer by the nape. “Not cute at all.” His voice was soft and boyish - fitting his general appearance, albeit with fay green skin and long blonde hair. A vrilya swordsman.

  Dragging the mer with him he approached a hovercarriage surrounded by one other vrilya and five dwarf bodyguards. He tossed the beast inside. “This is certainly the last of those spies. Don’t kill it this time.” The other vrilya flipped her hair around and the dwarves waited expectantly.

  “What are you doing? Go.” He said and the dwarves hopped onto the carriage immediately, though the other vrilya stayed behind.

  “Jezat, you shouldn’t be so mean to them.”

  “It is just annoying to barely get any time to myself.” When he said this, she pouted. This one was his sister; Skyrane

  “What about with me?” She got close and before she could butter him up he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in.

  “No one can compare to how cute you are.” Even though Skyrane was the one teasing her brother, her face blushed from her cheeks to her ears.

  “Brother… too close!”

  Ignoring her, he kissed her nose which was ticklish so she giggled. “Don’t think I will forgive you for that PDA just because I laughed…”

  “Do you ever forgive me?” He touched her face and let her go, the suddenness of it almost made her fall straight onto her butt.

  “Jerk.”

  “You’ve improved Skyrie, though I am a bit disappointed you didn’t drop like you used to.”

  She hit his chest and whined. “Stop!”

  He took her wrist and began walking with her. “I believe there’s somewhere we could get more privacy.” His ears twitched while he watched her in his periphery. As he expected, her ears were drooping and she was looking away. It wasn’t performative, she was simply that sensitive.

  “I can’t believe you…”

  “In this world there’s no one that could possibly satisfy me.”

  They walked together casually. Meanwhile the spy they captured was being taken to a compound owned by a Nazari Trade Guild member; Tangse Fishery. The smell of which woke the spy up. Though, it sighed when it realized there was a blind fold on and without a doubt was a site for torture.

  Lalant sat near a window looking down into the street from a hospital window. It was a rather convenient vantage point to see the border crossing. Borenger was resting in a tub full of healing liquid, meditating on his body’s functional movement to assist the healing process.

  “We’ll be here for a little.”

  “Is there something important here, Master?”

  “Good restaurants I haven’t seen in something close to twenty years.”

  Borenger stayed silent for a moment and Lalant continued speaking. “Also, I think with that sword it is like fate. Long swords always did suit you.” At this, Borenger’s eyes brightened up, but Lalant sighed as someone far more interested in the whole grain pancakes of a particular restaurant in Indigol.