Loch Activated Windstep. He ran across the distance in a flash, each step of his foot on the ground sending shockwaves of pain through the twisted ankle.

  Loch slammed into the Si-Te-Cah. It felt like hitting a brick wall, the two falling to the ground. Loch screamed in pain, feeling his shoulder dislocate. He landed hard, wrist barely supporting his weight, keeping him from slamming into the stone. The Si-Te-Cah fell, rolling in a heap. Pain flared all along his body. Joints hurt, bones hurt. Loch felt nauseous, the pain so intense. Loch rolled over onto his back, pain flaring across his body. As thin as the Si-Te-Cah was, the creature had felt like solid stone.

  Black creeped in along the edges of his vision. All Loch wanted to do was collapse and fall asleep. His head pounded, his vision blurry. He knew some bones were broken, feeling a sharp pain in his lung every time he forced out a ragged breath. Loch tried to push himself up, falling back down. He groaned.

  A louder, deeper groan came from the side. Turning his head, Loch saw Little River Stone starting to sit up, a big fur covered hand to his head. A growl from the other side made Loch turn to see the Si-Te-Cah struggling to get up. The monster lifted his head, glaring at Loch. The red eyes seemed to glow with rage as the Si-Te-Cah fully stood.

  He still was hunched, tilting to a side, arm hanging useless. Taking a step, the limp had gotten worse. But the monster was standing and moving. Something Loch was not.

  He came closer.

  Loch tried to sit up, an arm down to push. He bit back the scream of pain flaring through his wrist. Getting to his knees, Loch tried to summon Onyx. The axe didn’t appear. The Si-Te-Cah laughed. It was a pain filled sound. Growling, the Si-Te-Cah spit, a glob of blood landing on the cavern floor.

  “It has been a long time since I have been in a battle like this,” the Si-Te-Cah said, forcing each word out, spitting blood on the ground again. He smiled, the white teeth stained red. “Too bad it will now end.”

  “Shut! Up!,” Loch growled, raising a hand, palm up, toward the Si-Te-Cah.

  He Activated Elemental Surge. The wave of energy slammed into the Si-Te-Cah, blasting the monster back. He landed hard, rolling along the ground. Sparks of energy surrounded his form.

  Loch stood up, unsteady. He took a step, feeling pain through his ankle. Another step, another flare of pain. Loch saw a bright flash of white.

  He Activated Bulwark, the shield appearing. The edges wavered, the form not as solid, not as bright. The white blast struck, Loch staggered back, growling in pain as he set his hurt angle to brace himself. The shield started cracking, the green color growing lighter, the edges wavering and the shield starting to shrink. Loch could feel the white energy, feel the heat. He bit back the growl of pain in his ankle, leg and lungs as he fought against the pressure.

  The blast stopped. Through the tint of the shield, Loch saw the Si-Te-Cah staggering as he took a step. The hand still glowed but was hanging at the monster’s side. A low hum started behind Loch, not as loud, it didn’t echo through the cavern, just filling the immediate area. Loch could feel a bit of energy entering his body, not as much as before, but every bit was welcome.

  He stood a little straighter, lowering his arm with the shield still active. Holding out his hand, he concentrated, focusing on his weapon. He’d never really thought of where Onyx went before. He thought about it and the axe appeared. But he’d never considered what happened to the energy that formed the axe. It was part of his soul. Did it need to be somewhere when he didn’t summon it? Shouldn’t the axe just exist at all times?

  Loch realized that it should.

  He concentrated on the weapon, pushing past the pain in his head.

  Onyx appeared in his hand. It seemed to glow brighter. He threw the axe. It didn’t shrink but stayed the same size, spinning end over end, crossing the distance in an instance. It slammed into the Si-Te-Cah, knocking the monster down again, lightning crackling around the axehead stuck in the Si-Te-Cah’s shoulder. It disappeared, returning to Loch’s hand. The axe glowed, not disappearing, but just shifting to the two smaller weapons with larger hammerheads compared to the axe heads. Loch threw them both.

  One slammed into the Si-Te-Cah’s wounded shoulder, the sound of bone shattering loud. The other was blocked, the Si-Te-Cah’s glowing hand slamming into the weapon, knocking it to the side. The weapon disappeared, returning to Loch.

  A blast of white energy shot out, slamming into Loch’s shoulder. He growled against the pain, feeling the heat spreading across his body. With a growl Little River Stone charged past, arms extended. He reached the Si-Te-Cah, wrapping the monster up tight. With a twist, he let the Si-Te-Cah go, launching the monster against the wall with a crash. The rock splintered, larger pieces falling from the ceiling.

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  One of the smaller Onyx hammers slammed into the chest of the Si-Te-Cah. Lightning bolts flared across the monster’s body. Red eyes glowing, the hand barely twitched, fingers snapping. A shockwave spread out, slamming into Loch.

  He pushed against it with Elemental Surge and Storm’s Touch. Energies clashed, pushing against each other. Loch felt his Spirit Reserves dropping. The force pushed against his already hurting body. The low hum stopped. Loch couldn’t see Little River Stone.

  The energy pulse stopped, Loch shifting to stand. Each breath hurt. The Si-Te-Cah used his one good hand to push himself off the wall, taking a couple of slow steps forward.

  “I will destroy all your people,” he said, spitting more blood.

  There was the sound of a small pebble or something hitting the ground. A tooth. The SI-Te-Cah had lost a tooth.

  “I will start with your family. They will die slowly and in pain.”

  Loch felt Go Beyond Activate, followed by Defiant Rage. Power filled his body. His Spirit Reserves growing, his Health and Stamina regenerating a small amount. Just enough.

  “I told you to SHUT UP!”

  He Activated Windstep, bursting across the cavern, appearing in front of the Si-Te-Cah, arms outstretched and hammers held aloft. Smash Activated in both hammers. The Si-Te-Cah’s arm and hand shot out, slamming into Loch’s chest, breaking ribs. Loch swung both hammers in, each connecting with the Si-Te-Cah’s head.

  Loch fell back, feeling the power of the hammers explode against the Si-Te-Cah. He landed hard, skidding across the cavern. Lightning and energy had exploded on the hammer’s impact. Loch blinked away bright spots, the energy fading.

  The Si-Te-Cah stood, still tilted to the side. There was nothing left of his head, upper shoulders missing. The wound cauterized from the energy. The arm was raised, palm out, no energy glowing. Smoke curled up from the wound.

  The body fell.

  Loch fell, landing hard. Blackness threatened to consume him but Loch fought against it.

  ***

  “Are you well Lochlan Brady?” Little River Stone asked from where he sat against the cavern wall.

  Loch pushed himself up, rubbing at his temples. His entire body hurt. Spirit flowed through his body, refilling his Core, and healing his body. Slowly healing. Looking over at Little River Stone, the strange stone in the center providing light, the Sasquatch looked worse for wear. His thick fur was matted, one of his arms hanging across his body. His head tilted to the side, a deep rumbling coming from him.

  “No,” Loch replied. “Everything hurts.”

  “But the Si-Te-Cah is dead,” Little River Stone said, raising a shaking hand to point at the body.

  Loch twisted, wincing in pain, studying the dead humanoid, glad he didn’t have to look at the pulped head.

  “Why am I not getting any Spirit Experience?”

  “The Si-Te-Cah is outside the Connection. There is no Spirit to give.”

  Loch grunted. One of the toughest fights he’d ever had and got nothing from it. Pushing down with his arm, he tried to stand, wobbling a bit before managing to get to his knees. Panting, feeling pain shooting through his body, he looked over at the large stone.

  “Is that what we need?”

  “I believe so.”

  “Good.”

  Loch leveraged himself up, wobbling a bit, holding his arms out to steady himself. The world spun, Loch taking deep breaths until it settled down.

  “It didn’t work for him,” Loch grumbled, pointing at the Si-Te-Cah.

  He took a step, wincing as his ankle threatened to buckle. Summon Onyx, he shaped the axe into a long two-handed halberd, placing the end against the ground. Using the weapon as a cane, he walked toward the stone.

  “He is outside the Connection.”

  Loch turned to face the Sasquatch, looking back at the dead Si-Te-Cah.

  “Didn’t he say his people created the stones?”

  “They did, but the Connection has Claimed them,” Little River Stone said. He grunted, using the cavern wall to help him stand. He walked over to Hall with a heavy limp, the one arm still hanging useless. “When this world was Connected, it was changed and natural magics such as this were Adapted much as humanity was.”

  Loch nodded, studying the stone. The light glowed from the center of the stone, not pulsing.

  “As long as it works,” Loch said, turning to look at the opening leading out. “But first, there are giants to kill.”