---
The foul stench nearly knocked him out, but he endured, adrenaline surging through him. He hammered down with a swift blow, aiming for the vulnerable joints near the beast's shoulders.
BAM!
The beast screeched, swiping a thick paw that caught Kai in the side, sending him tumbling across the slimy ground. Pain flared in his ribs, but he grit his mandibles and forced himself back up.
A system message blinked in his mind: "Minor Injury sustained. HP -100." He ignored it. Renna lay gasping on the ground, his exoskeleton smeared with the disgusting diarrhea fluid. Kai had to finish this beast quickly. He scrambled to the creature's front, unleashing a flurry of strikes with all his strength. The beast staggered, rearing up to shoot a fresh volley of vile fluid from its behind. Jumping in a blur, Kai twisted aside. The fluid splashed across a tree, sizzling in a horrifying display of acidic slime.
