Chapter 18: Soul Link
Across the gym, Kendra was still squared up with the alpha gobdog. She'd been doing alright, her armored skin taking the brunt of its claws, but then her gaze flickered to Nox. Bad timing. Seeing him basically being used as the monster's personal punching bag made her lose her cool for a sec.
"Nox, you idiot, do something!" she yelled, her voice tight, betraying the worry underneath.
That one moment of distraction was all the alpha needed. It barrelled into her, a solid wall of muscle and fur. she slammed into the wall, the impact knocking the air out of her. She slid down, vision swimming for a moment, and pressed a hand to her side.
"Ow, damn it," she muttered, wincing. "That's definitely gonna bruise."
Vasa's voice cut through. "Kendra, focus! We've got our own problem here!" Ice was still creeping up the alpha's legs from Vasa's efforts, but the thing was barely slowing.
"I'm trying!" Kendra shot back, already pushing herself to her feet. "But look at him—he's getting demolished!"
Nox barely heard them. A constant, high-pitched whine filled his ears, and the monster pinning him wasn't giving him a break. Another fist connected, and he felt something pop near his cheekbone. His HP dropped to 50.
'Okay, this is bad. For real bad,' he thought. He tried to wrench his head free, but the thing's grip on his hair was relentless, each strand feeling like it was being individually torn from his scalp.
"Let go, you overgrown mutt," he managed to get out, his voice raspy and weak, but still laced with annoyance.
The monster just let out a low, guttural chuckle that seemed to vibrate through his skull. "Not a chance, little insect. I'm having way too much fun." It said, mocking his earlier words.
Just when it felt like his lights were about to go out, a small figure darted in from the side. Yeda. She appeared out of nowhere, ran right up to the monster, and threw a punch at its leg.