Tabula Rasa: Adventures In A New World

Krvavy lightly chews at the inside of her cheek. “Where was it that Beryl saw those tracks...?” She asks, squinting into the slightly too bright sunlight.

Khalia glances up at the cloudless sky. “Southeast.”

The barbarian blinks, her brow furrowing just a bit. This rocky and hilly terrain extends the furthest in that direction. But that area isn’t exactly the best for hunting. Not compared to the forests down to the south and to the west... Even the rolling plains up to the north are a bit better, bare as they often are...

“Come.” Khalia gruffly grunts, grabbing onto her Mate’s hand. Those bestial, furred fingers of hers quickly interlock with the Drakling’s black-scaled digits, squeezing tight.

That shameless show of intimacy causes Krvavy’s heart to flutter a little... despite the slight bit of disappointment welling up within her. Walking by her precious puppy’s side isn’t nearly as interesting as following after this Greenskin. She could have had such a wonderful view...

The Were-Beast’s other hand idly paws at the piece of armour so snugly secured over her upper torso, claws clinking against solid metal and poking at the padding beneath.

A soft sigh passes through Krvavy’s pale lips. “Don’t mess with your breastplate.”

“Rrrgh...” Khalia grumbles and growls, glaring down at that accursed thing. Her slightly hate-filled eyes slowly turn towards her barbaric Mate’s utterly bare breasts. Her face scrunches into an even deeper scowl, nose crinkling and fluffy ears flicking. “Rrhhhnnh...”

“You don’t have a trait that makes being nearly naked more effective than wearing armour.” The Drakling dryly comments, slowly shaking her head. She has given this explanation how many times now...? And how many more times will she have to say it before Khalia gives up and just accepts this fate...? “And even if you did, well, you flail around a lot more than I do.” Krvavy glances at that Were-Beast’s bound breasts. Which, it should be said, are just about as big as her own. Even though Khalia is not quite a full head shorter than her. “So you need the ‘support’.”

Khalia scowls in just the right way to show that she knows her Mate is right, even if she doesn’t want to acknowledge it. She stifles another growl and instead vents her frustration by kicking at some loose pebbles with her paw of a foot.

A comfortable silence descends on this Drakling and her disgruntled Were-Beast, the two of them making their way further and further from the cave that they call home.

Bit by bit, the mild annoyance that Khalia can’t help but feel begins to fade away, the faint frustration of being made to wear actual armour in addition to a loincloth paling in comparison to this time she gets to spend alone with her Mate. She would, of course, prefer it if they were both naked. But at least they’re out here together, a gentle breeze whispering through their hair... Her shaggy tail slowly begins to swish from side to side.

“Did Beryl tell you just what kind of tracks she found?” Krvavy asks after a few minutes, unable to keep her curiosity at bay.

The Were-Beast lazily nods.

Krvavy waits a few good seconds before slowly narrowing her eyes. “And you aren’t going to tell me?”

Khalia’s four pointy little tusks gleam in the warm light of the sun as she simply shoots toothy grin towards her Mate, playfully squeezing the hand that she is holding tight.

“Tck... So that’s how it is.” The barbarian clicks her tongue and furrows her brow, but ultimately lets her precious puppy keep that secret. It’ll be a surprise. And hopefully a good one.

“Hrrh...!” Khalia suddenly perks up, her shaggy tail going still... if just for a second. “Here...!” She quietly barks, doing her best to not be too loud.

Krvavy quirks her brow and curiously glances around, emerald eyes trailing across the pebbly ground. She doesn’t see anything resembling tracks. The only notable thing around here is a small, gnarled tree with a fairly fresh notch cut into its trunk.

“Elfy said tracks near cut tree!” The happy hyena of a Were-Beast excitedly explains, repeatedly tapping a clawed finger against said tree. Which rustles and sways from the strength of those impatient pokes.

“We’re quite far from home.” Krvavy idly comments, looking up at the sky. They still have quite a few hours of sunlight ahead of them, so that isn’t a problem, but she can’t help but wonder what Beryl was doing all the way out here? Maybe the tanned tomboy was simply looking for tracks that would catch Khalia’s interest, all so that the Drakling and (former) Orc could do exactly what they’re doing right now? Arranging what is essentially a date between Krvavy and one of her girls does sound like something Beryl would do...

Khalia’s nose scrunches up, nostrils flaring as she sniffs the air, sweeping her head from side to side. Step after step, she slowly stalks her way around that short, twisted tree... “Here!” This eager Greenskin all but jumps in place. “See tracks!”

The barbarian shrugs, pushing her idle thoughts aside. Not to be left behind... or to risk getting dragged through these hills... Krvavy quickly follows after her precious puppy.

“Heheehehe~!” The sound of slightly manic laughter squeezes past the Were-Beast’s plump lips as she scrambles down the rocky hillside. “Here here here~!” Her shaggy tail wildly wags back and forth as she gestures towards the ground, with both of her hands and even one of her pawed feet.

A patch of clay-like dirt covers this stretch of ground, marred with dozens of cloven prints of various sizes, some more clear than others. But they are all very similar to each other. A pair of almond-shaped indents, tips angled in towards each other, followed by two smaller holes pressed into the soil. Every single print looks like that. Some larger, some small. But all are otherwise identical.

“Can Mate guess~?” Khalia’s grin only grows wider as the Drakling catches up to her. “Guess what we hunt~!”

Krvavy tilts her head to the side, brow furrowed and eyes narrowed just a bit. These tracks look a lot like deer footprints. But... there are way too many together for her to assume that. Maybe, just maybe, if they were down in the forest, but up here in the hills...?

It would make more sense if these were goat tracks, but that doesn’t seem quite right either...

Far, far too much enthusiasm fills this Were-Beast, her whole body quivering with excitement. Soft, impatient sounds rumble from deep within her chest as she almost anxiously shifts her weight back and forth between her legs, battling against the urge to simply blurt out the answer.

The Drakling carefully kneels down, pressing a finger into the soil. It is fairly firm. Does that help...? Krvavy shrugs, moving to stand back up.

Only to pause, freezing in place.

The ground between and around these prints is uneven. Not in a natural way, but as if it was disturbed by more than just feet. It is as if these creatures were... digging. Rooting around in the dirt.

Krvavy glances up at the excited Were-Beast looming above her. “Are we hunting... boars?”

Khalia’s fluffy ears tremble and shake, her amber-gold eyes gleaming with pride. It takes all of her willpower to keep herself from howling in pure joy. “Yes~!” She roughly grabs onto her Mate’s shoulders, forcibly dragging that Drakling back up... before wrapping her strong arms around Krvavy’s muscled midsection. “Yes~! We kill piggies today~!”

The Drakling tries not to wince as her precious puppy’s crushing hug grows just a bit too tight. She sighs in relief when Khalia mercifully releases her. “Was this Beryl’s idea, or...?”

A pair of paw-like hands take hold of that Dragon’s pale-skinned face. “Mine~!”

Krvavy slowly nods her head... as best as she can, at least. “Right.” With a few insistent nudges, those touchy hands drop away, letting her emerald eyes freely trail over these tracks. It is really hard to tell how many boars were here. It could have just been a few who walked in circles over an over again, or it could have been an entire family numbering in the dozens. “And what if there are too many for us to fight?”

“Huh?” Khalia blankly blinks, almost as if she hadn’t considered that. “We... scare them away?”

“Mmn...” Krvavy bites the inside of her cheek. That... might actually work. Animals already tend to flee from her just because she smells a bit like a Dragon to them. And Khalia’s roar has a similar terrifying effect... “Alright. We’ll give it a try. But we will be very careful about it, understand? Don’t do anything reckless and don’t get yourself injured.”

“Yes Mate!”

“Good.” The barbarian gives her Were-Beast a firm pat on the head. “Now... it looks like the tracks lead in... that direction.”

“Rrrrghn...” Khalia’s shaggy tail impatiently swishes back and forth, grumbling and growling as she holds a paw-like hand up to block the light of the low-hanging sun.

“Don’t worry. We’re getting close.” Grimacing just a little, Krvavy pokes a stick into a fresh mound of dung, doing her best to not breath in. Not through her nose, and not through her mouth either. “Very close...”

Khalia glares at the rocky ground. There aren’t any obvious tracks pointing out the direction that these boars went, but there aren’t all that many options either...

The Drakling’s emerald eyes dart to the side. “That shrub looks like it was recently trampled.” She states, gesturing towards the rather ragged bush in question. “Do you think that’s the right direction?”

The Were-Beast scowls, furrowing her brow in thought. “Yes.” She answers after a few long seconds.

“Well, come on then.” A smile makes its way onto Krvavy’s face as she gently grabs onto her precious puppy’s paw-like hand. “Don’t want these little pigs to get away, now do we~?”

A gentle breeze caresses Khalia’s faintly flushed cheeks, brushing aside a few loose strands of her black-brown hair. “Ehehhehheh~...” Soft, giggling sounds slip past the Were-Beast’s plump lips, her head nuzzling against Krvavy’s shoulder as she lets her Mate lead the way.

After spending hours upon hours hiking, it only takes the two of them a few more minutes before they find their quarry.

The beige-brown fur trailing down Khalia’s spine stands on end as she hastily ducks behind a large rock, dragging the Drakling with her. “Mate...!” She excitedly whispers, repeatedly nudging Krvavy in the side, driving her elbow into the slightly softer spot beneath that barbarian’s ribs. “So many piggies~...!”

Krvavy isn’t anywhere near as excited as her Were-Beast is.

The ridge ahead is absolutely covered in boars. There have to be at least thirty adults and twice as many young. And those ‘young’ boars aren’t all piglets... though there are a lot of those oddly cute little things, with their light brown fur and whitish stripes... No, most of these boars seem to be whatever the teenage equivalent of a pig is: not anywhere near as big as the obvious adults, but not small either.

A slight bit of dribbling drool drips past Khalia’s plump lip as she stares at this potential feast on many, many, many legs.

“Calm down.” Krvavy cautions this gluttonous Greenskin of hers, resting a hand on Khalia’s shoulder. “Do you see any that look... isolated? Any that we could catch alone?”

The Were-Beast shakes her head from side to side, dislodging the no doubt many distracting thoughts cluttering up her mind. Her brow knits together, eyes narrowing into slits, as she sweeps her gaze over this horde of scavenging boars. “There...!” Her whole body trembles with barely restrained excitement as she points a clawed finger at her target.

A frown quickly finds its way onto Krvavy’s face.

Further up the hillside, a fair distance away from all the other boars, stands an absolute monster of a pig. Its body is a thick, round barrel covered in bristly black hair. Its legs are like tree trunks. Its elongated head is adorned with six huge tusks, two of which are curling back towards its skull. All of that alone makes this car-sized beast look intimidating and terrifying. Which makes the dense mane of white-tipped quills trailing down the ridge of its back all the more worrisome.

Krvavy glances back towards the horde.

At a glance, they all seem like fairly normal looking boars. But upon closer inspection, all of the other obvious adults have bristly quills lining their hairy backs as well. Though none are quite as aggressive and sharp as those of this lone one that Khalia picked out.

These aren’t normal boars. They are like the Rock Bear. Some mildly magical beast that shares enough traits to earn themselves a similar name.

And Inspect more or less confirms that, telling her that these are so called ‘Bristleback Boars’. What an original name...

The Drakling’s fingers drum against her thigh. She slowly sweeps her gaze across this huge horde. “Look...” A soft sigh passes through her parted lips. “We might be biting off more than we can chew here.”

“Rrrgh...” Khalia’s attention snaps towards her Mate, amber-gold eyes glaring into the side of a horned head. “Hill steep. Other piggies can’t climb. Big one alone.” She firmly states those facts.

“Yes, but that ‘big one’ got up there somehow.” Krvavy calmly responds, closely and critically looking over the hillside that it is rummaging around on. There are a few potential paths that it could have taken. Narrow, twisting trails... Steeper switchback sections... A couple meandering slopes... “So the rest could swarm up there as well.”

“Then scare them away. They run from our roars, from our scents.” The Were-Beast refuses to budge, defiantly meeting Krvavy’s cautious gaze. This hyena wants to hunt. And a few worried concerns aren’t enough to dissuade her. “Mate.” Confidence and determination underlines her firm and steady tone. “We kill big piggy.”

The barbarian bites her bottom lip. If they could get just that giant boar all alone... Could she and Khalia even kill it? Sure. Without getting seriously injured? Maybe. She idly touches the leafy bracelet wrapped around her wrist, a possible plan forming in her mind.

“Okay.” Krvavy takes a deep breath. “We’ll give it a try. But...!” She holds a hand up, stopping this energetic Greenskin of hers from quietly cheering. “If it rejoins the others before we can get into position, then we are going to give up and go home. Same for if we can’t get the rest to run away. Got it?”

A faint frown plays at Khalia’s plump lips. She glances towards the boars and then back to her Mate. The Were-Beast lowers her head slightly, fluffy ears drooping just a bit. “Yes, Mate...”

The Drakling gives her precious puppy one last headpat before silently gesturing for Khalia to follow her.

A gentle breeze blows from the direction of the boars, hiding both the barbarian and Were-Beast’s scents... at the cost of giving them a firsthand experience at what dozens upon dozens of wild pigs smell like.

Near silently, those two creep off to the side, briefly losing sight of the main group as they scale a ridge that leads vaguely towards their target. It takes them a good few minutes to find a nice spot uphill from that giant boar, and even longer to make their way there. But, luckily, the horde of wild pigs seems content with staying roughly where they are, rooting around and digging in the pebbly dirt.

Sure, a few of the smaller ones have wandered further off... but that doesn’t really matter. Their chosen prey hasn’t moved. Not meaningfully, at least.

Krvavy crouches down behind a scraggly shrug, firmly holding onto Khalia’s paw-like hand. Without a word, she orders the excited puppy to stay still and silent. The leafy bracelet on her wrist rustles quietly as a strong and potent – and expensive – Blackbriar Javelin grows from it, follow by another, and another, and another still. Beads of dark-red, almost black, sap bubble from the four jagged and barbed javelins.

The breeze shifts slightly, blowing their scent alongside that of the boar. It lifts its thick, elongated head up and snuffles at the air.

Krvavy’s Soulbound weapon manifests in her left hand. The Synthetic Heartstone glows faintly, pulsing like its namesake as it gently penetrates into the silty soil.

Khalia quivers with barely restrained excitement. Her clawed fingers twitch and clench in growing anticipation.

Earthen mana flows from deep within Krvavy’s core, travelling along her arm, out her hand, down the haft of her weapon, through the shining spike of a gem, and finally into the terrain.

“SQUEEA!!” The giant boar sharply squeals as its cloven feet suddenly begin to sink into what was, just moments ago, solid ground. It stomps and thrashes, fighting back against the rock and dirt tying to engulf its (proportionally) stubby legs.

The corner of Krvavy’s eye twitches as she pushes her will towards that beast. The magic that makes up Grasping Ground shifts slightly. Globs of stone splash up from below, clinging to the boar and holding it in place. “Now.” She nudges her precious puppy in the side.

“AARRRRRAAAAAAAAGHHH~!!!” Khalia’s Shaking Roar echoes through the hills.

The horde of pigs below, already on edge due to the big one’s angry squealing, descend into chaos as a wave of panic crashes over them. A cacophony of squeaks, squeals, oinks, and all manner of piggy noises fill the air.

“RRGHAAAAAAA!” Raw power bursts from Krvavy’s throat as her own Draconic roar accompanies the Were-Beast’s bestial one.

Dust rises up from the ground as the boars below scramble to flee, stampeding over each other in their hasty and panicked attempts to run from two apex predators that they don’t even see. Quite a few end up tumbling over and falling down the steep hillside, bouncing off rocks and boulders with unpleasant crunches. Some of those ones get right back up and scatter out of sight. Others do not, their limbs and heads bent at awkward angles.

Each and every boar is filled with terror. Except for the giant one glaring up at Krvavy with its pure black and utterly hate-filled eyes.

“AARWHHHOOOOOOOOOOO~!!!”

The joyful sound of Khalia’s Empowering Howl pierces through the air just as the Drakling lets loose the first of her javelins.

65.46 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

Thick and goopy crimson blood oozes from the fresh wound on the beasts stocky neck, dripping down over matted, filthy black hair.

The rocky bindings crack as Krvavy’s attention shifts away from her immobilizing spell, returning the ground back to its naturally solid state.

37.18 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

The second javelin isn’t as well-placed as the first, slamming into the boars side and, much like the first, quickly getting snapped by the struggling pig. But that hardly matters. The barbed tip remains buried in this giant pig’s flesh. Another dose of Blackbriar venom has been administered.

“SQUEEEEE!!”

Pebbles fly through the air. A sturdy, cloven foot tears its way free from the fractured ground.

Krvavy frowns and makes a call, pushing the third javelin into her Orc’s hands. “Go left! Stab!” She barks out the simple order, taking that fourth and final venomous weapon for herself.

“Hahahaheehehha~!” Joyful, manic cackling can be heard as Khalia hurls herself over the edge, scrambling down this rocky slope. Pebbles, small stones, clumps of dirt, and other small bits of debris are dislodged in her haste.

Krvavy follows with axe in one hand and javelin in the other.

“SQUUUEEEEE!”

A magically strengthened spearhead sinks into the side of that boar’s throat. The wound is deep, engulfing the entirety of that javelin’s thorny tip and even a bit of its reddish shaft, but even then the sharp point doesn’t make it all the way through. Not before the last bits of stone struggling to hold this giant beast in place shatter and break apart, its baleful gaze turning towards the one who dared to wound it.

Khalia’s amber-gold eyes go wide, the Greenskin jumping back as swiftly as she can. But she isn’t quite quick enough. A thick, dirt-covered tusk tears through her beige-brown fur, leaving a deep gouge on her right thigh. “AAUWP!” She yelps, a sharp and pained sound.

Cold rage fills the Drakling’s mind, her body moving by instinct... guiding her forward in a darting lunge.

143.43 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

She thrusts the final javelin in the gap behind this detestable beast’s front left leg. The jagged head sinks deeply into its chest, slicing through muscle and scraping against bone. Krvavy jerks her magically grown spear to the side, opening that wound up even further.

The red-brown shaft snaps as the boar’s attention shifts towards the barbarian.

Krvavy crouches down and tightly grasps her Soulbound weapon with both hands. The sharp crystalline spike which crowns her axe lifts up to meet that furious, charging beast.

265.82 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

-3.59 Health

Krvavy’s whole body buckles beneath the boar’s weight as it carelessly skewers itself on her weapon’s crystal spearhead. If it wasn’t for the oversized axehead catching onto its collarbone, then this car-sized pig would be even closer than it already is.

The barbarian’s hands slip up the haft of her Soulbound weapon, grasping it beneath the dark metal heads.

“SQUEAAA!”

A rain of rancid spittle accompanies the rank breath of this boar, that foul beast struggling to stretch its neck forwards, sticky blood gushing from the wound in its throat. Those cruelly curved tusks swing through the air... just barely out of reach of Krvavy’s head.

“Rip! It! Apart!” That grunted order is forced past gritted teeth as Krvavy skids back across the uneven ground.

The base of her weapon bumps into the slope behind her. Its haft creaks as it bears the boars considerable weight.

Krvavy’s heart pounds, that deafening sound drowned beneath this boar’s bellowing, screeching squealing. The subtle curve of her axe’s shaft grows closer and closer to the shape of an ‘S’ as this single second stretches on, giving the barbarian no choice but to burn through more of her mana. By the grace of Sculpt Stone... the rock bracing that weapon gives way, creating a hole for it to sink into.

Her back presses into the slope as a result.

The Drakling grimaces. An odd tingling numbness spreads across her body as mana flows through her channels, diffusing into her skin and scales. A shimmering mirage of bark spreads across her entire being as Oakflesh bolsters her defences.

-9.83 Health

-8.37 Health

-10.77 Health

The boar’s sturdy front legs wildly kick and flail around, battering against Krvavy’s arms as she struggles to hold the impaled beast back.

Stinking, sticky blood rains onto the barbarian, flowing down the length of her weapon and squirting across her body.

“SQUUEAAA!”

Khalia’s magically strengthened claws rake across the boar, ripping its side open over and over again. Her furious and frenzied noises... hate-filled howls and raging roars alike... can barely be heard beneath the pained squeals of this pig.

5.64 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

Krvavy twists and turns her Soulbound weapon, wiggling and wringing it as best she can with the oppressive weight pressing down on her. The sharp, conical crystal that serves as a spearhead digs into this boar’s fatty flesh, the wound that it has made widening even further with each little movement it makes.

“SQUUEEEEAAA!”

The boar begins to pull itself back from Krvavy, swinging that giant head towards the berserker of a Were-Beast assailing its side. The giant pig’s flailing kicks weaken to the point where they hurt but don’t cause any actual damage. Those cloven hooves scrape against Krvavy’s scales, struggling to find purchase as it attempts to use her forearms as footholds.

The near-overwhelming weight begins to lift off of the barbarian’s axe. The muscles in her arms burn with pain.

“SQUEEEEEEAA!”

Krvavy closes her squinted eyes and keeps her lips pressed shut. A flood of filthy blood pours down onto her. Heat builds up within her core. Her axe, bound to her soul, heats up with her.

36.85 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

“SQUAAAA!”

The smell of burning flesh assails Krvavy’s senses before being overpowered by a far more foul scent. The boars fetid breath, uncomfortably hot and moist, blows across her face. Speckles of saliva and blotted drops of bile add the mess pouring down on her.

The Drakling’s jaw jumps open, her pale lips forced apart as a stream of flames burst free from her throat.

413.86 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

The sound of sizzling flesh almost overpowers the agonizingly hoarse screams of that giant pig.

258.44 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

Cloven hooves repeatedly thump into her arms. But the boar’s strength is waning, those frantic strikes doing little more than bruising the barbarian.

267.25 Damage dealt to [Giant Boar]

Krvavy coughs and gasps as her flames peter out. A strong and unpleasant taste fills her mouth before she can close it, her dried tongue coated in a sticky fluid... metallic and fetid.

The boar shudders and seizes, losing even the strength needed to squeal. Even the deluge of blood pouring from its wounds slows to a crawl. But it still takes a few more minutes before Krvavy gets confirmation of its death.

[Giant Boar] has been slain!

+6,393.75 Experience

Level Up! You have reached Level 26. As a Drakling blessed by a divine power, you have 6 attribute points to allocate and have gained +2 to Might & Toughness. If not allocated by the time you fall asleep, it will be done automatically.

+2 Divine Favour, for growing in strength.

“Mate!”

The carcass’ huge weight lifts off of Krvavy, slamming onto the ground beside her with a thunderous thump.

The Drakling wipes a shaking hand across her messy face. All that accomplishes is smearing the thick layers of sticky and slimy blood around. It takes a few, excruciatingly long seconds for Transmute Blood to absorb that filth into mana. But even with it all gone... she doesn’t feel clean.

“Mate!” Khalia grabs onto her Mate’s shoulders. “We killed piggy!” She cheers, joy and excitement underlining her every word, though not enough to hide the way she is wincing.

Krvavy’s gaze is drawn down to her precious puppy’s legs. A steady stream of bright red blood pours down the right one. A large and worryingly deep near-horizontal gash has cut across its outer thigh, beige-brown fur parted to leave bare the raw flesh beneath.

“Me fine!” The Were-Beast’s words aren’t the most convincing, her amber-gold eyes slightly watery. “Mate can heal!”

“It will hurt.” Krvavy drops to her knees, grimacing as she looks at this weeping wound. The boar was rummaging in the dirt with its tusks before they attacked it. And one of those filthy things made this deep cut. Khalia may have a pretty high disease resistance... but not enough to have full immunity. The threat of an infection is far too great for them to simply leave to chance. “We’ll need to cauterize it first.”

The Greenskin grits her teeth and sucks in a sharp breath. She nods her head.

A radiant light shines from within the Synthetic Heartstone at the tip of Krvavy’s Soulbound weapon, the air around it rippling and shimmering, warped by the intense heat alone. In just a matter of moments, the filth that stuck to that crystalline spearhead is burnt away, leaving it as pristine and as clean as can be.

The Drakling does her best to steady her sore and aching arms, carefully pulling that weapon into position.

5.12 Damage dealt to [Khalia]

3.82 Damage dealt to [Khalia]

The Were-Beast shudders and clenches her paw-like hands into fists as that burning hot crystal of a blade pushes into her bloody flesh.

“Sorry...” Krvavy mutters, adjusting the strength of her magic to avoid hurting her precious puppy more than is necessary. But there is only so much she can do on that front. It needs to be hot enough to clean away any... contaminants. Too low and this pain serves no purpose.

1.37 Damage dealt to [Khalia]

The Drakling slowly drags the tip of her Soulbound weapon from one end of the wound to the other. The sound of sizzling, bubbling blood accompanies that regrettably plodding process.

The damage notifications may have stopped popping up, but Khalia’s quiet gasps show that she still feels the pain even if her resistances and base armour are enough to nullify the damage. The Greenskin grimaces, grinding her teeth together as she tries to stifle her pained groans.

“There.” Krvavy carelessly drops her axe to the ground. Her hands press into the shaggy beige-brown fur that covers Khalia’s outer thigh. Her thumb idly trails along one of the darker stripes adorning that trembling leg.

“Hnngh!” The Were-Beast’s wounded flesh wiggles and writhes. Veins bulge and sinews stretch as they begin to knit back together, crawling and squirming like a mass of bloody and burnt worms. Green skin covers muscle and fat, forming a scarred ridge as fur sprouts atop it like grass.

By looks alone, it is almost impossible to tell that Khalia’s leg had ever been injured. But a light touch betrays the presence of her new, hidden scar.

“See? Hahh... Me fine!” A brave grin fills Khalia’s face as she pulls her Mate into a hug, pressing her cold metal breastplate into Krvavy’s chest. “Good hunt...!”

The Drakling slowly sighs. She might not have had the mana to mend Khalia’s wound if it wasn’t for her Soulbound weapon’s own reserves. “It was... a bit much.” Her palm presses into the small of this Were-Beast’s back, black-scaled fingers brushing over the raised fur at the base of her precious puppy’s twitching tail. “Let’s do something easier next time, alright...?”

“Yes.” Khalia is quick to nod, her chin repeatedly bumping into the barbarian’s shoulder. “Not best fight. Quick. Boring.”

“Mhm.” Krvavy glances towards the carcass resting off to the side.

Its chest and head are charred messes, still smouldering from her flames. Its side has been completely torn to shreds. Most of the ribs are visible and some of its guts are close to spilling out.

Despite how brutally the two of them dispatched this giant pig, Krvavy isn’t sure she and Khalia could have won if this was a fair fight. The boar was immobilized, weakened, poisoned, bled, and burned. And they still struggled against it.

“Cook piggy?” A hopeful, begging tone fills Khalia’s voice as she tries to casually make that request, reluctantly peeling back from her clingy hug. She bats her eyelashes, her plump bottom lip pushed forward.

The Drakling softly bites the inside of her cheek. They are a few hours away from home and this boar doesn’t look easy to carry. It is bigger than both barbarian and Were-Beast combined. “Sure. But just a part of it. Then we need to gut the thing and figure out how to get it home...”

“Eheehehe~!” A happy, and slightly creepy, giggle rumbles from deep within Khalia’s chest as she immediately begins to collect sticks. Starting with the broken Blackbriar Javelins laying around.

Krvavy shifts her attention towards her notifications. She didn’t expect to level up from this hunt. But it isn’t much of a surprise either. Not only was that boar rather strong, but Libidinous Lifestyle also boosts the amount of experience she gains by... it should be fifty-five percent right now.

As tempting as it is to immediately allocate her stat points... Krvavy will save that for later. For when they return home.

Right now, she has a pig to gut and carve.