I can barely react as it lunges forward. Barely, being the key word. It couldn't exactly see us, but it could smell and hear us and that was enough to get my leg as I jumped. Hearing the tearing sound, I had almost thought it had gotten into the roasted eyes that were scattered around the clearing, as I had left some of the remains around haphazardly. However, as I went to look at the source of the noise, which I had assumed was coming from my behind and to the left, I actively realize that I am missing an entire leg from the waist down. And now the pain hits once I realize it's gone. Real convenient that. Fuck, it hurts. Just don't focus on the pain, no matter how much you want to. You may have fallen over onto the ground like a ragdoll, but you've still got a job to do. Plus, with how much my regeneration's been upped, I feel like bleeding out isn't that much of a problem for me at the moment, as it is my problem making sure that Stein does not get eaten. To do that, I have to make it come over to me somehow, so come on, ignore Stein you ugly bastard. I scream in pain, both to relieve my stress and try to get its attention. That however, just spurs Stein into action while only making the things head twitch slightly towards me direction. Stein's legs bunch underneath him and he lunges forwards, grasping one of its two legs, and biting down, hard.

If it was perhaps any smaller, I think Stein would have knocked it down on its face with that bite, as it would've lost its ability to keep its footing. Unfortunately, it's big AND it apparently has good balance. It just lifts the leg and throws Stein off of it. I'm actually fairly impressed with how accurate that throw was, as it had enough force to make Stein fly through branches into the hidden portions of the woods and straight at a tree just sitting outside my line of sight, judging by the huge thunk sound. Shit. It's heading after Stein. Stein's got the focus on him now. Of course the damn monster's going to go after the one who hurt it. Why wouldn't it? I can hear the rumbles as it starts to charge toward Stein. I can't see clearly, everything's blurry. I don't know if it's cause the adrenaline or the blood loss. The one thing I can see clearly though are the stat bars in the corner of my eyes.

HP: 230/640 MP: 300/300 AP: 35/35

If I take another attack like that, I'm a straight up goner. SHIT! If only I could...wait that's it! Didn't I get something called Aura of Fear. If I use it, maybe the thing will just....run away? No, it's probably too low level to work on it. What about my new skills? No, the class I got stuck with is a non-combatant type of class I think, judging by the skills I got. My thoughts are hard to articulate with those goddamn sounds. The yipping, gnashing, gnawing, snarling of the fight. Goddamn it! Wait....maybe there's something in there?

Spellcraft! Maybe I could make a spell to save us.....No, not how the skill works. It just allows me to make enchantments easier and also allows me to use runic magic. Not helpful. Don't even know any runes. Manipulate Construct? Could be like a earth bender type of situation. No, just lets me mess with magic circuits inside items. Cool, yes. Helpful, no. Unless, maybe the thing is using magic? No...Read Magic's not giving me anything, in fact it's entirely useless given nothing's changed from using it. Planning.....just makes a plan. Level depends on the foolproofness of it. Not helpful. Blueprint....makes a blueprint for a thing I have made or got blueprints for. If I have materials, can instantly make the thing using it. Not helpful. Damnit, the sounds of the fight are so distracting right now. Wait....Inspiration! That's it!!!! [Inspiration].

Due to Inspiration's effect, you can no longer use it for the rest of the day without serious consequences towards mental health. You have also gained knowledge pertinent to the task in which you're trying to do.

Implanting knowledge...

Oh god, this hurts my head so much more than the mind control stuff....Ok. So....half my AP points to use this, and I pass out for about 5 seconds, judging from how both of them are in somewhat different positions, but no big wounds or anything have yet to happen although...no. Focus on the reason behind [Inspiration] Did it...yes! I got knowledge on magical practices. It didn't give me everything, but I wasn't expecting it to anyway, judging from all those notes at the end. Because now, I actually know how to fucking use magic! Alright, so from what the skill...implanted in me I guess, is that magic is a bit like throwing up at first.

I'm trying to equate this to something I understand so that the knowledge sticks. I may have [Remembrance], but if I can't figure out an easy way to think of it, the knowledge is just going to...It's supposed to stay inside your body, so those who forcibly put it out into the world, are actively ejecting the very thing that keeps them alive. From the skill, the sensation is supposed to be like the beginning of throwing up, if you haven't used any outside your body before. Ok. Going into meditation. The sounds of the fight and the ripping fade away as the skill activates. However, the false peace isn't meant to last. Time still goes on when I use the skill, so I have to make it count while I can. Plus, an added benefit for doing this in the middle of the fight is that this uses MP, which means that I can see the internal effect of what I'm doing, quite easily actually. [Read Magic] is actually quite helpful here, as before it was literally just a black abyss of my eyelids staring out at me. With the ability activated in conjunction, I can actually see the flow of mana from something that I think is my mana pool. It seems to be the same thing, as while the stuff is being expelled from it, so too is the actual MP value within my stats slowly going down through continuous use of Meditation. Now I just need to follow the instructions. Slowly, I reach out with my consciousness towards it. The will's important, without that, I'm basically just imagining doing it without anything occurring. However, as I am now, I am too far away to actively cause any change. I need my mind to actively move towards the pool and away from the blackness..

Deep in my trance now, I slowly float closer to the glowing white pool. The inky blackness slowly surrounding it lights up as the pool fills my vision. Now I just need to....tug! I felt a brief resistance, as if I was pulling on a layer of something, surrounding my pool; a layer of something that is now broken, as the contents of my MP pool start to spill out. Ok, I won't have long now, plus if I don't use the stuff quick, I might die. I've got do this. I exit out of my meditation, ignoring the messages from the system that are sent towards me. This isn't going to last long. My magic is pouring out of every fiber of my body. So much, that I can actually see the glow flow into the air and dissipate. Ok. Focus.

I reach out and try to grab the magic in my hands, but it flows out. Shit! Ok. Just calm down. I was able to touch it before by using my will; I can still do it if I try. I reach out again and grasp the wisps of vapor, this time putting all of my intent into doing so. I can finally touch it. Now I just need to shape it into something while I still can. Can't make the mana into a fireball, cause I do not know how to make it do that, but I can shape it into a weapon. A spear. I form its edges, focusing on the concept of "sharp". Something like this isn't necessarily sharp in the first place until you put the intention into the mana.

And now it's done. I try to get a clearer look, squinting to see exactly what is happening in the physical world.... no. No. NO. NO! NO! NO!NO!NO!NO! GODDAMN IT ALL! Not like this. Reaching back as far as I can while lying on the ground, I launch it straight towards that ugly face. Maybe it's the sound it makes as it flies through the air. Maybe it's the fact that I was screaming the entire time. Whatever the case, the thing turned towards me from the mess it was tearing into that laid upon the ground, and roared. That was the absolutely wrong choice as the spear just goes through the monster's head and flies off into the sky. There's a swift sound of a squelch, before the thing closes its mouth and starts walking towards me silently. Shit! How is it still alive if that went through its brain?! It must have super regeneration or something. Uh, shit do I still have my satchel? Ok, it's attached still. Even if I know magic now, don't think I have much more for a second shot. Need to make this one count.

It starts stalking closer before it opens its mouth again. I can see that the wound, while going directly through it, is starting to heal again at a quite rapid pace, like a spider web's threads overlaying eachother. I don't know how, but I can tell that it's grinning at me. Savoring the moment as it were. It slowly opens its mouth and licks its lips. Ok. It's overconfident, and......As soon as the monster opens its maw, I throw in my satchel. It swallows it, according to plan. Now, I just cower in fear and stroke its ego while the satchel does its magic.

Almost instantly, I can see its face change. Even if I couldn't tell how, where before it had oozed smugness, now it looks like it has a bad stomach ache. I knew keeping those mushrooms was a good idea. With a heavy whump, it fell onto its front, with its mouth slightly ajar. Oh. Well....now, it kind of looks like it has rabies, with that pale color coming from the foam crusting around its mouth, and it's just lying there, kind of helplessly. How did I even survive this kind of thing anyway? I guess I can worry about it later, for now I have to make sure. I step closer to the downed beast, and with the last of the magic I could make, I conjured another spear and stabbed it straight through its head. Hopefully, some of the mushrooms will reach its brain. One can hope. Wait! Shit!

Instantly, I hobble away from the beast and ignore my logs. I'll need to look at them eventually, but for now I have to focus on my boy. I look away from the beast towards the bloody pile on the floor away from me. It's slow going, and I think the adrenaline's wearing off, because I feel a lot of pain now. It's getting harder to keep my balance. Yeah, the trees are beginning to waver. Shit. Quickly, I claw at the ground to get closer to the only thing I could call a friend here. It takes a lot of my strength, but I finally manage to get to him.

His body is torn in several places, with his ears hanging on by a thin thread of viscera. His claws had been ripped out of his paws, and even some of his pads look like they were ripped off of his foot in the struggle. His fur is matted in blood and sweat, and even I can tell that there are gashes going down to the bone through his coat. His breathing is labored, but it's still there. It might not be for long though. [Observe]

Species: Dire-Wolf Level: 75 HP: 120/1500 MP: ?/? AP: 0/150 Effects: Bleeding Mauled

Goddamn he's definitely lost a lot of health. How...how do I solve this? Wait, no focus. How am I looking? Can't help him if I'm about to die too. [Stats]

Name: Dave Race: Human Class: Engineer, Lv27 [1600/2700%] Level: 49 [3225/4900%] HP: 20/1021 MP: 145/1348 AP: 12/40 Strength: 30 [STR] Dexterity: 25 [DEX] Constitution: 25 [CON] Intelligence: 55 [INT] Wisdom: 26 [WIS] Charisma: 15 [CHA] Luck: 53 [LCK] Available Stat Points: 75

Not to good I guess. I can barely make out some of the numbers through the tears in my eyes, but it seemed like my con went up, even though my maximum HP didn't go up either. I guess it makes sense, considering I've lost an entire limb. Probably bleeding out right about now.... Is...is this it? I mean, I could try to do something. Maybe I could try what I did before, but I don't think that...Wait!! I got affinities! Maybe if I feed him my blood or something it'll let Stein get the same healing factor I got? Then again, he's just as likely to get decay and I'll end up killing him. Shit. I have these things for a reason right? What's their goddamn point!?!? There's got to be something I could do. Wait! I still have MP! I must be able to regenerate faster than I'm losing somehow? I dunno, but I can't look a gift horse in the mouth.

I put my hands on him and try to focus inwards once again. I've got to grasp that feeling again of pulling out my magic. Now that I've done it once, it's easier to do, but I can't just put it in pure form anymore. I don't know whether or not MP actually helps heal someone on its own. Wait...I see something. There are....surfaces near my core. They're flat screens, but I can kind of tell what color they are from the brightness of my magic. One's green, but the other's a bit too dark to tell. Wait! I think those are my affinities! HAHAHA. Finally! I've got something that I can do.

Hopefully, my judgement is right, otherwise I'm forcing my friend to die faster. I pull my magic from my core towards the screen and focus it to go through. There's a bit of resistance, but it finally works! I open my eyes, to see the green energy flow from my body into my friend through my hands. I can't really tell from all the blood, but I think it's working! His bones are being put back into place and I think his wounds are closing! I did it! I finally could save someone....oh..oh god. I'm out of mana. Nothing's coming out anymore, and I....I think I'm....falling...

........So....it seems to me that Dave has finally lost consciousness. Kind of proud of him for lasting this long without a limb, especially for actually making one for himself, even if he hasn't realized he was able to walk after killing that thing. Seems like he's alright for now. Thought he'd die to the Grendel. Glad he didn't though. Wait...could I....No. Best not. Might break him if I try to force it. I'll just monitor the situation and make sure his recovery goes alright. Till then, I could always just.....look through his memories. Yeah. Might not be able to see through his eyes right now, but it'd be a nice distraction from being stuck in here. Now, what should I start with first?