Grub's breathing was uneven, each inhale dragging against his chest as his vision blurred at the edges, the world around him beginning to smear into something distant and unstable. The poison had spread further than he liked, creeping through his body in a slow, deliberate invasion that dulled his limbs and weighed down his thoughts. For a brief moment, his focus slipped, and his mind wandered somewhere it shouldn't.
Wrighty.
The image came suddenly, uninvited, but clear. That same stupid grin. That loud voice. That reckless way of throwing himself into everything without thinking twice. Grub let out a weak, breathless laugh despite himself. He hated how loud Wrighty was. Hated how he never shut up. Hated how he made everything feel… lighter.
And yet— He missed it. He missed all of them. The ridge. The chaos. Even the arguments. It felt so far away now, like a distant dream that belonged to someone else.
Grub's expression hardened.
No.
That kind of thinking was dangerous. That was the kind of thinking someone had right before they died. He wasn't dying here. He refused.
Grub tightened his grip on the morning star and forced his body upright, steadying himself despite the poison clawing through his system. His breathing slowed slightly, controlled through sheer will as he raised his weapon again, preparing himself for what could very well be his last exchange.
His eyes flicked across the arena for a brief second, forcing clarity into his fading vision. He spotted Tre'yon standing at the edge of the circle, his fight already finished. The lizard was watching him now, and for the first time since they had met, there was no pointless chatter, no easy smile. There was fear written all over his face.
Grub noticed that and then his gaze shifted again.
He saw Lelan. She stood above, watching closely, her attention locked onto the fight in a way that felt different from before. She seemed like she wasn't just spectating the battle. In fact, she seemed interested in something but it wasn't on him. Her eyes were on Cordylus.
Grub narrowed his eyes slightly. Not just her. Everyone was watching him. Even among rookies, this guy stood out. He seemed to be well respected around here despite his clearly rotten personality.
Grub rolled his shoulders slightly, settling into position as Cordylus began laughing again, the sound sharp and unhinged as it echoed across the arena. The black lizard tilted his head, smiling that same twisted smile as he asked again, almost casually, what Grub really was.
Grub didn't answer. He simply lifted his hand and made a small motion.
Come at me.
Cordylus frowned slightly, the smile twitching for just a moment before settling back into place.
"So you're really not going to tell me," he said, his tone almost amused. "No matter. I'll figure it out when I cut you open."
Then he moved. His dark masses moving at an unbelievable rate. The same sudden burst of speed as he closed the distance in an instant, dagger leading as he aimed straight for Grub's center.
Grub reacted quickly . Even through the poison, even through the haze clouding his mind, his body moved. The morning star rose just in time to catch the strike, metal clashing against metal as he deflected the blow and forced himself backward to create distance.
Cordylus didn't stop.
He pressed forward immediately, his attacks relentless, each movement flowing into the next with unnatural speed and precision. Grub shifted into defense completely, focusing on parrying, redirecting, dodging anything he couldn't block cleanly.
He could not let that blade touch him again. Not even once. The pressure built quickly.
Cordylus was enjoying this as his laughs echoed through the open space.. Every strike came faster than the last, his movements growing more aggressive, more bloodthirsty as he pushed Grub backward across the arena. The space behind him closed rapidly until there was nowhere left to retreat.
A wall. Grub's back nearly met it as he held his ground, forced into pure defense. The morningstar moved constantly, intercepting strikes, deflecting angles, buying him fractions of seconds at a time.
Cordylus had the advantage. It was obvious. And yet—
Grub hadn't been hit again. Not once.
But he was weakening. His arms were heavier. His vision dimmer. His timing was slower.
Then a strike came in that he couldn't stop. It slipped past his defense. Its trajectory was too fast for the fatigued Grub to defend against. And in that instant, Grub understood. He had no choice.
The weight in his chest responded. That familiar pressure. The cold heavy darkness emerged once again.
He pulled it forward without hesitation, forcing it through his body and into his arm as he stepped into the attack instead of away from it. His fist moved like a rocket. And just before the dagger could pierce him, Grub drove a right hook straight into Cordylus's jaw. The impact was explosive. Cordylus's body lifted off the ground and was sent flying backward, crashing hard against the arena floor as the sound echoed through the space.
After the black lizard hit the ground there was a deafening silence. Then a burst of shock made its way through the lizards.
The watching lizards leaned forward, murmurs spreading through the crowd as the sudden reversal broke the flow of the fight entirely. Even Tre'yon's expression shifted, a grin breaking through his earlier worry.
Above them, Lelan narrowed her eyes. She watching closely. She seemed to be expecting something. But she felt nothing. It seemed to be just a normal punch. Her confusion was immediate.
Grub steadied himself, breathing heavily as he forced the weight back down, suppressing it as quickly as he had used it. He couldn't afford to rely on it. At least not fully, not with so many eyes on him.
He would use as little as possible. Just enough to survive. Cordylus pushed himself up slowly, one hand moving to his jaw as he laughed again, the sound lower now, more excited than before.
"That…" he said, grinning. "Was that Anima?"
Grub shrugged.
It was the truth. He didn't know.
Cordylus laughed louder.
"How strange," he muttered, before moving again.
This time, he feinted.
The dagger came forward, drawing Grub's attention, forcing the morning star to intercept—but it wasn't the real attack. Cordylus's leg snapped out instead. The kick landed hard against Grub's side and in an instant pain exploded through his already damaged ribs, sending him stumbling backward as blood spilled from his mouth, staining both his real lips and the false ones of the mask.
As he was catching himself Cordylus was already moving. He jumped forward, aiming to follow up, but Grub reacted, bringing the morning star up and catching the strike, forcing it aside before the dagger came in again. Grub saw it this time. He caught the wrist mid-motion. Then he acted quickly and gave it his all to end the fight here.
The weight surged again, flowing upward as he stepped forward and slammed his head into Cordylus's skull. A sharp crack split through the arena as Cordylus's body went slack instantly. The black lizard collapsed on the floor like a ragdoll. The crowd reacted with a mixture of gasps, silence and shock.
Grub stood over Cordylus, breathing heavily as he raised the morning star.
Then—
"Enough."
Lelan's voice cut through everything. "Do not harm him. He is much too valuable as a prodigy."
Grub paused. Then lowered his weapon. The match was over. He had won.
But the moment the tension left his body— Everything gave out. Grub's legs buckled beneath him, and the world went dark.
***
When he woke, the first thing he noticed was the ceiling. Then the weight in his arm. Then the unfamiliar sensation of something feeding into his body. He turned his head slightly.
Medical tents.
There were lacerts moving around him. And thin tubes connected to his arm. And as he felt around his intricate he sighed in relief that they hadn't touched anywhere they shouldn't. They also didn't seem to remove his hood or cloak.
Honestly, he was quite lucky they hadn't.
Grub stayed still, letting them finish whatever they were doing until he was eventually cleared and allowed to leave. His body still felt weak, but the poison had been stabilized—slowed, maybe even partially removed.
So he stepped outside. There he saw that Tre'yon was waiting.
The lizard smiled the moment he saw him, speaking quickly, clearly congratulating him, though Grub only caught pieces of it. Still, he heard enough. More than enough.
Tre'yon's expression shifted slightly as he continued, his tone softening.
"…sorry…my…brother...die…"
Grub listened more carefully.
"…animal attack...not long ago…"
Tre'yon chuckled lightly, though there was no real humor behind it.
"…just trying to fill the gap…"
Grub said nothing. He simply nodded. Tre'yon nodded back, accepting that, then gave a small wave before walking off.
Grub watched him go. Then looked down at himself. The poison, the way they had treated it. It hadn't been as lethal as he thought. Or maybe— They just knew how to deal with it. Either way, it was something worth studying.
But that was for later. Grub glanced around briefly, making sure no one was watching. Then he pulled out his notebook and began writing.
He wrote about everything. The fight. About Cordylus. His personal theories on the poison. How fighting with his morning star had been. And most importantly— The language.
Because now— He understood it. Almost fully. Grub allowed himself a small smile as he closed the notebook and looked back toward the arena. Then he waited for the next round.