Lucas had both hands on Kruel's wrist.
Kruel had both hands on Lucas's throat.
Neither of them moved. Just standing there in the alien ruins, bloodied past the point where blood meant anything useful, breathing hard, locked against each other, neither giving ground.
Lucas looked into Kruel's eyes.
Kruel looked back.
The void hole in his chest was smaller than it had been. The grey tissue creeping inward from the edges, plastering over the absence. His new horn was more pronounced now, the grey pushing out from between the second and third, the shape of it clear.
Lucas's hands tightened on the wrist.
Kruel's grip tightened on his throat.
"You're still here," Kruel said.
"And you'll be done before I leave," Lucas said.
Kruel's tail came around.
It hit Lucas in the midsection from the side and the tip drove through him and came out the other side and Lucas felt it go through him and felt it come out and the sound that left him had nothing of language in it.
"Arhhhh!"
