Jace pulled himself up, chest tight from the hit, ribs aching.
His helmet was cracked down the side, and one of the straps had snapped loose.
Blood was leaking from his elbow and his lip, and the ringing in his ear hadn't stopped. He stumbled back a few steps, trying to get a better view of the thing.
It hadn't moved much.
The monster just stood there, breathing through its gaping cavity. Towering. Shoulders like concrete slabs.
Arms longer than its legs, hands dragging slightly at its sides. Its head tilted once, as if studying him.
[Jace. You need to move.]
"I am moving!"
[You're staring. That's not the same thing.]
The monster stepped forward again.
Jace flinched.
[Back up. Right side. Give it space. Don't go for power, not yet.]
"I don't even know how to—"
[Yes, you do. We practiced this.]
The thing lunged again, sudden and brutal. Jace barely dropped to the side, rolling across the cracked street.
His shoulder scraped the ground. He pushed himself up with a grunt and turned to face it again.
[You need to time your burst. Just like before. From your core. Don't think, just feel the shift in pressure.]
The monster swung low this time, and Jace ducked under it. He felt the wind from the swing push against his back. He scrambled away again.
[Hands up. Keep your stance light. You're not trying to trade hits. You won't win that.]
"I noticed!" Jace barked, dodging another heavy step that sent concrete flying.
[Good. Stay mobile. Wait for the angle. When you see an opening, you release.]
The creature moved faster now. It stomped, then swiped, then stepped again.
Jace jumped back each time, breath short, body aching from earlier hits. His legs were burning. He wasn't used to this kind of pressure.
Another swing. Jace slid under it.
[Now. Left palm. Channel from the diaphragm—]
Jace pressed his hand out instinctively, but nothing happened.
The monster paused. Its head twitched.
Jace's eyes widened. "Why didn't it—"
[You hesitated. That wasn't release. That was panic.]
The thing snarled. Then it rushed him.
Jace dove out of the way again, just narrowly avoiding another slam. He rolled through the landing, barely keeping balance as he got back to his feet.
[You're surviving. But that's not enough. We need control.]
Jace didn't answer. He was focused on staying alive.
The street around them was cracked and scattered with debris.
Car alarms were still faint in the background, but the neighborhood was empty. He had space. No one to get hurt. But that also meant no backup.
It was just him and this monster.
And so far, he wasn't winning.
Jace circled the creature slowly. His ribs still ached from the hit.
The left side of his helmet was cracked, the inner padding pressing unevenly against his temple. His left arm felt stiff, but not useless.
The monster didn't move fast, but it covered space quickly. Each step was heavy.
Its limbs were thick and long, and its body blocked out most of the space between the buildings.
[Stay low. Don't let it corner you. Keep moving.]
Jace didn't try to block. He knew better. One clean hit and he'd be done. He watched the creature's arms closely.
The moment it twitched, he darted to the side and let its swing pass through air.
He slipped under, planted his foot, and fired a short kinetic burst from his right hand, straight into the creature's side. It didn't fall, but the impact staggered it half a step.
It turned fast, swinging low. Jace barely moved in time, the edge of its forearm grazing his jacket. He rolled across the pavement and pushed himself up.
His hands were scraped, but he didn't stop.
He stayed light on his feet, waiting for another opening. The creature's body twisted again, Jace slipped past its reach, crouched, and fired a burst from his left palm into its back.
This time, it lurched forward, one knee briefly buckling.
[That's working. Just keep your angles clean.]
He didn't need to be told. Jace moved behind a broken car, using it to block the monster's next charge.
The impact crushed the door, but the delay gave him just enough time. He came around the back and fired another burst at its knee.
The hit didn't drop it, but it forced the leg to shift. Jace angled behind it again, fired another burst into the lower spine area, then backed off fast.
He kept distance. He didn't block. He dodged everything he could, even if it meant scraping his arms or sliding on the street. Getting touched was better than getting hit.
His breathing was rough now. Arms sore. But he wasn't flinching anymore.
The monster stepped back, reassessing him.
Jace steadied his stance, adjusting the grip in his fingers.
He wasn't trying to win outright.
The creature moved slower now.
Its breathing was louder. Each exhale came with a wet, wheezing sound.
It shifted from foot to foot, hunched slightly forward, one arm hanging looser than the other.
Several of Jace's kinetic bursts had landed clean, especially on the knee and ribs. It was still standing, but not with the same weight as before.
Jace could see it now, this thing wasn't tireless. It could wear down.
But so could he.
His arms felt heavy. His palms were stinging from every recoil. His body ached from rolling and ducking, and each breath came shorter than the last.
The adrenaline had dulled the pain earlier, but it was catching up now.
He circled again, keeping the car between them. The creature didn't charge this time. It lifted one leg, then slowly stepped around the other side of the car.
Neither of them moved for a few seconds.
Then Zin spoke.
[It's tired. This is your chance. Aim at the neck or upper spine. A full-force burst might finish it.]
Jace blinked, not responding.
[Jace, you can't keep dodging forever. It's down. End it before it recovers.]
Jace stayed still.
He looked at the creature. It wasn't human, he knew that. It didn't think or speak. It had attacked him without hesitation. It probably killed many. It didn't deserve mercy.
But killing it?
That wasn't something he had prepared for.
His fingers twitched. He could do it. The power was there. He could load everything he had into one close-range shot. It would hit hard enough. Zin was rarely wrong about that.
He stepped forward slowly.
The creature saw him and lifted its arm again, defensive now, not aggressive.
Jace hesitated.
This wasn't a spar. This wasn't training. This was ending something's life.
[Jace. You have to.]
Jace clenched his jaw. His hand shook slightly.
He stepped in.
But he didn't fire.
The creature swung wide again, one last desperate move.