Grand, you really think you're some kind of superhero?" I spat, trying to keep my voice steady, but my heart was hammering against my ribs. I turned my attention back to the lizardman. It was a 2v1, sure, but it felt more like a 1v20. I tried to bluff, to act like I wasn't completely terrified. "Yeah, that's right, back off! We're… we're trained professionals!" But the lizardman didn't falter. It just charged, a blur of motion, and I felt a blow that sent my soul halfway to heaven. Grand, bless his reckless heart, managed to parry the next strike, then landed a clean uppercut. I heard a sickening crack, and the lizardman staggered. Maybe, just maybe, we had a chance.
"Grand, you've been hiding this from me? You know how to fight?" I exclaimed, surprised and a little pissed. "Let's just finish this lizardman. Together." I was ready to end this nightmare.
Grand, surprisingly calm, replied, "Ever since this apocalypse started, I've been having this strange energy. The more I try to connect with it, the stronger I get." He looked at his hands, a faint, almost ethereal glow surrounding them. "I don't know what it is, but it's keeping us alive."
We started working together, a brutal, desperate dance. Grand was surprisingly fluid, parrying and landing blows, while I… well, I mostly got smacked around. That lizardman was relentless. But I noticed something: when it wasn't focused on me, Grand could actually get some hits in. So, I started playing distraction, shouting insults, anything to draw its attention. Grand, meanwhile, grabbed this huge, pointy metal rod and jammed it into the lizardman's eye. It screeched, but we quickly realized it had some kind of regeneration thing going on. But then we saw, the more it regenerated, the weaker it became. We turned the tide, quick, I grabbed a long rod and started bashing it's head, all those cricket practices finally paying off. Just when we thought it was over, a huge, red energy burst out of the lizardman. Its last card. It went berserk, easily beating us into a pulp. Grand was down, gasping, and the lizardman raised its spear, ready to finish him. I couldn't let that happen. I dove in, shielding Grand, and felt the spear pierce my stomach. A searing, white-hot pain exploded through me. Everything went blurry.