Renalia charged at her opponent, [Resist Impulse] steadying her stride. The bogling pointed the spear at her but kept its stance flexible by shifting its weight back and forth. She had been on the receiving end of enough assaults, though, to know how to attack around it.

  She [leapt] high in the air as she approached, watching as the spearhead lifted to intercept. At the apex of her jump, she [dodged] down. [Bogling Sight] allowed her to notice how the spearhead dropped before the bogling realized she had shot past the spear’s effective range.

  It took half a step back with its lead foot and, with the opposite hand, pushed the butt of the spear down to swing at her. But her feet had already touched the ground, and she [sped] forward, sliding on her knees and hugging her arms to her chest. Before the bogling could bring its weapon into play, she ducked under its legs like a mouse through a bolt hole.

  Renalia [clawed] at the inside of a thigh as she slid past. Lacking enough force, her claws raked along the thick hide without piercing through. She didn’t expect them to, though. Using the leg like a fulcrum, she flung herself toward the bandage pouch, vanishing her claws to cast off.

  She hopped to her feet as she snatched the pouch, pumping her legs with [strength] as she [sped] toward Boogie. Every step hammered her broken rib, sending a partially [dulled] wave of pain through her side. Cold sweat beaded on her face, but she focused on the crumpled form of Boogie, letting his need drive her forward.

  Renalia slid again, freeing her hands to undo the clasp on the pouch. Her pants shredded beneath her as friction brought her to a stop next to Boogie. She slapped the bandage on the pool of blood welling on his back, appalled by how fast the linen saturated. She threw it away to apply a fresh bandage but stopped, stunned by the unobstructed sight of the wound.

  She could see into his lungs.

  [Bogling Hearing] picked up Boogie’s agitated breaths, their irregularity accentuated by the heavy pounding footsteps behind her.

  Renalia [dodged] as the spear passed through where she had been.

  “No!” she shouted as she turned and swung her [strengthened] arm down. Her claws struck the bogling’s outstretched arm before it could retract it. As if she had slapped a wall, her hand went numb.

  But her claws came away wet.

  She jumped back, anticipating either a side-swipe or a kick. The bogling chose to club her with the spear, accelerating its backswing by rotating its body. Renalia was far enough away, though, allowing her ample time to react.

  Renalia ducked under the spear and sprang forward, extending a [strengthened] arm out to slash across its abdomen. Her claws tore along its thick hide, but her strike lacked enough force to rip through its protection.

  She [leapt] back out of its range to consider the situation.

  However the bog reanimated this warrior, it retained only a basic spear proficiency. So, while it was stronger and faster than Lexi and Donaldson, it lacked the expertise and creativity that made sparring with them so difficult and educational.

  She could avoid its predictable strikes and wait to attack when she could guarantee a solid hit. This was a fight of attrition that she could win.

  The skills that made her nimble were running out, though. She had five more [dodges] and three more [leaps]. More importantly, this was no longer a hunting trip, but a rescue mission. Boogie did not have the time for her to riddle the Bogling with holes.

  She had to use everything at her disposal for one overwhelming attack.

  These thoughts, leading to their grim conclusion, passed through quickly while she caught her breath. The bogling did not seem to tire, though, as it closed the distance between them with lunging strikes.

  Renalia hopped backwards on one foot while undoing the boot laces on the uplifted foot. She circled around a bush, hoping to force it to turn and slow down. But to her surprise, it crashed through without hesitation, unbothered by the branches snapping against its hide.

  She slipped and had to spend a precious [dodge] to propel her away from danger. It wasn’t too much better, though, as the force sent her rolling on the ground, each impact jolting the broken rib.

  She didn’t know how many times she rolled. But in one of those, her attempt to keep the split bones properly aligned failed. Renalia screamed and clutched her side. Only [Bogling Skin] surrounding the severed rib prevented it from jutting out through her chest.

  Renalia spasmed on the ground. She had never been in so much pain before.

  It swamped her consciousness, [Dull Emotion] unsuccessful at isolating it. Feel me, her broken body demanded. It claimed her whole mind, insisting that nothing else mattered. She [resisted], slowly regaining control. But costly seconds whittled away as she battled herself.

  Like a boulder rolling down a hill, the bogling continued its unceasing pursuit.

  Unbidden, a thought came to Renalia. If I just lie here, the pain will end. The bogling would end it for her. It would be so effortless to lay down her burdens and relieve herself of the constant strife against a cruel world.

  No, Boogie needed her. Boogie needed her now.

  Renalia harnessed his need, relaxing her spasming body while steeling herself mentally. Clenching her jaw, she took a deep breath through her teeth to fill her lungs despite the ache. She placed her trembling fingers at her chest, above the lump that the split rib formed. Holding her breath, she pulled down on the protrusion.

  Her breath exploded out in a harsh screech. She was putting herself back together, but the sharp agony felt more like someone snipped her bone with a garden shear. Her vision blurred with tears and threatened to black out altogether. Renalia [clawed] at her thigh, the new shock of pain paradoxically keeping her conscious.

  The bogling disregarded her struggles at life. Catching up to her, it thrust its stolen spear downward. Renalia pressed down on her injury for extra support and [dodged] again. She skidded along the ground in a more controlled fashion than before.

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  But the harsh earth ripped through her trousers, earning itself the gold coin she had pocketed. Renalia snapped her hand out, but it was already out of reach.

  With the bogling closing fast, she had no time to retrieve her precious coin. Her body slid to a stop while she finished undoing the last knot on her boots. She slipped them off and tried to stand. However, a sharp stinging at her chest brought her back down to her knees.

  It was just her body, though. It didn’t matter. What mattered was getting to the bouncing bog, just a dozen paces away.

  Crouching low, she forced herself to run with bent knees, pushing her body up with a hand whenever she got too low. The bogling chased after her, rapidly eating up the distance between them.

  The setting sun blinded her as she ran, but the springier earth informed her of her approach. Renalia turned at the edge of the bouncing bog as the bogling jabbed its spear at her. She [leapt] back to avoid it as the bogling lunged after her.

  She flew out of its reach, and the bogling accelerated after her. As her toes touched the ground, she pulled her knees up to her chest. She activated [Bogling Sight] to monitor its strides. As its foot pushed off the ground, she [dodged] down while [leaping] up with [strengthened] legs. Her thighs delivered a sharp, magically enhanced impulse to the elastic earth, causing it to plunge while she hung in the air.

  Running rapidly at her, the bogling had no time to react to the absence of ground. As its foot impacted nothing and rotated back, its body tilted forward. A deep-seated human instinct took over, and it released the spear, throwing its arms out to break the fall.

  Renalia [dodged] into its embrace, a horrifying parody of the many times she jumped into Papa’s arms. As their bodies crashed together, she wrapped her arms around the back of its neck and head. She hugged it tightly, jutting her shoulder under its chin to prevent it from biting her.

  Using her last [dodge], she sped their entwined bodies downward toward the ground, which was accelerating upward from its bounce. Crouching at its midsection, her toes found the groove in its hide that she had previously created. She extended the [claws] on her foot and shoved her hips out just as her butt crashed into the ground.

  A couple of claws snapped and she screamed in anguish. But the rest penetrated. As her toes moistened, she [strengthened] her thighs and activated her last [leap]. The bogling’s abdomen ripped at the damaged seam and her legs unfurled the flap of its belly.

  Fluids and innards washed over her, making her shiver. The wind–cooling as twilight turned to dusk–made it worse. But Renalia sighed in relief. She would accept the discomfort and grotesqueness if it meant an end to the ordeal.

  No, not finished yet. She still had to rescue Boogie. Pushing with [strength], she squirmed out from under the carcass. By rote, she snatched the Card from the open cavity of its Core and placed it in hers. But without even glancing at it, she [sped] toward Boogie.

  Renalia ran, ignoring how the torment at her side opposed her movement. Boogie needed healing fast. Rensto was probably at the village to greet the baron. But even with her [Bogling Speed] and his closer distance, she could not reach the healer in time. Worse, with liberal usage during the fight, that skill only had a few minutes remaining.

  Only Papa, with what she discovered about his awesome abilities, could do it. But Papa was not here, either. Boogie only had her and her stupid Deck to rely on.

  Renalia reached Boogie, noticing how shallow his breathing had become. He didn’t whine or wag his tail at her arrival, either. She needed to patch the hole in his lung quickly, and there was only one way she knew how to.

  She covered his gaping wound with her palm and activated [Bogling Skin], imagining it sealing his lungs. Boogie seemed to breathe easier, giving her hope. But when she removed her hand, the hole was still there. Whereas on her palm, she saw a thick patch of black hide shaped vaguely like the wound.

  Renalia hastily placed her hand back. However, merely a couple of minutes remained on the skill. Too little to expect hunters to wander upon them by happenstance, especially this deep into the bog.

  Boogie had to activate the [skin] himself while she went for help. Do dogs have Cores? And even if he did, would Boogie know how to activate a Card? But she couldn’t think of anything else to help him.

  She sat cross-legged in front of him and folded her free hand over her core. Renalia focused on his wound, letting his need drive through her. She pictured the [Bogling Skin] Card outside of her Core and reached for the glowing image. Her fingers passed through it, like with all previous attempts.

  Renalia tried again, concentrating on adding solidity to the image. Added too, a quick prayer to God and Saintess Lasserie of the Cards. But the [Bogling Skin] remained immaterial. A whine of frustration escaped her as she snatched and clawed at the Card.

  She didn’t know what mental picture to form, or even if it was a mental thing at all. Renalia clenched her abdominal muscles in case she needed to somehow physically pop it out. Nothing.

  She took a deep breath and drove all other thoughts and worries from her mind. She released [Dull Emotion], forcibly ignoring how the ache at her side demanded attention.

  Instead, she concentrated with both mind and heart on how much Boogie needed this Card. On how good of a friend he was, always greeting her with a tail wag. On how he had filled a hole in her that she didn’t know existed. Now it was her turn to fill up his hole.

  She zeroed in on how it was all her fault he got injured. She embraced the guilt, letting it drive her desperation. She provoked it, thinking about how this one simple thing, the only thing, could help Boogie. Did she not love him enough to give him this life-saving magic? Or was she just a selfish little girl?

  Renalia’s hand quivered with fervid need as she reached for the Card. Her fingers overlapped it as always, and she clenched her fist in frustration. As she did so, she saw the timer click down to one minute.

  No, no, no.

  Perhaps it was not desire that allowed Card removal. Or perhaps it was hard to convince herself Boogie needed [Bogling Skin] more while the skill currently held her broken rib together. Either way, just knowing Granny could remove a Card did not mean Renalia knew how to replicate it.

  Renalia knew of only one way she herself could remove a Card.

  Holding on to her desperation, she [resisted] the warnings that tried to surface. Mere seconds remained on [Resist Impulse], adding to the urgency. She re-activated [Dull Emotion], scared of what was to come.

  In one swift motion, she unsheathed Shim’s knife from her belt and plunged it into her navel. She recoiled at the explosion of pain, but repurposed the flinch to pull the knife higher.

  Renalia doubled over in agony, trembling fingers losing their grip on the knife as [Resist Impulse] and [Dull Emotion] expired. The knife thudded between her legs into the mud, created by the loss of control over her bladder and the free-flowing opening at her navel.

  Renalia tried not to let the pain deter her as she placed her fingers on either side of the wound. Hyperventilating, she spread it apart. She sobbed, teeth clittering against each other. She barely registered that she had bitten the inside of her mouth.

  She looked at the created opening through tear-blurred eyes, but could see nothing but blood. No glowing rectangles that should have been so clearly contrasted with the waning light.

  No, no, no. It has to work!

  She slipped her fingers into the hole, gasping at the fresh pain. Pinching and pulling, she screeched. Renalia doubled over again, but kept her fingers tightly clamped. It didn’t matter, though, as her fingers had grabbed nothing but blood.

  No, no, no. It’s supposed to work!

  Wiping her tears and snot away, she turned to explain to Boogie that she tried her best, to apologize. But she could barely make him out in the darkness of the new moon. Before she could activate [Bogling Sight], though, she registered the sensations from the palm sealing his wound. Or rather, what the lack of movement was trying to tell her.

  Had been telling her for some time, she realized.

  “No!” she cried, grabbing a fistful of fur.

  But she didn’t know what else to do, for him or for herself.

  Punishing Renalia harshly for failing to deliver on her good intentions was one of the few plot points that existed since the beginning of the story. Parallels with Arcane S1E3 last year almost made this grimmer than I originally imagined, though. I toyed with killing off Lexi, but ultimately decided the original idea worked better. While losing Lexi would be worse from my perspective, it is arguable which would have a bigger impact on Renalia.

  Lexi, of course, had another brush with death in the Mads Majunda fight. But I felt like another death scene just before this one would rob this of its importance. Or maybe I’m just not as ruthless as I’d thought I’d be.

  The second half of this chapter only became a reality in recent months, as I tried to justify the absence/difficulty of card looting/exchanges in the world (besides I didn’t want to write a chaotic strong-dominates-weak kind of story). Whereas other LitRPG writers start with the system and build a story around it, I’m starting with the characters and seeing where they lead.

  And hey, the bouncing bog made a surprise re-appearance. I’m glad Renalia could weaponize Donaldson’s therapy session. I also had a callback to Mama in Chapter 1, ending the scene with Renalia passing out on her back, clutching her belly while spread-eagled. But it felt too forced for something possibly meaningless. So I cut it in a last minute edit.

  But there was a last minute addition to make Renalia lose the gold coin. I like how it took the story beyond grimdark into tragedy.