The boss lunged, its left fist swinging straight for his face. Nox didn't dodge, didn't flinch. He just let it happen. The punch slammed into his chin, snapping his head back a bit. It stung, yeah, but it wasn't the bone-crushing hit he'd taken from the right earlier.
He stayed on his feet, barely stumbling.
'Yup, just like I thought,' he mused to himself. 'That arm's a dud.'
A grin split his face, wide and wild, like some kind of psycho who'd just won the lottery. The monster froze for a second, probably thrown off by the fact he wasn't on the floor crying. Nox didn't give it time to figure shit out.
He grabbed its left arm with his free hand, locking it in place, and raised the pipe high with the other.
"Guess you're not as tough as you think, huh?" he said, voice flat but with a little edge of crazy.
Then he started swinging. Hard. The pipe came down on the monster's shoulder, over and over, each hit landing with a dull thump. The creature snarled and tried to yank its arm free, but Nox's grip was tight, and he wasn't letting go.
"Stay still," he muttered, almost bored, as he kept wailing on it. "This'll be over quick."
The boss monster growled, its snout twisting in pain. "You little pest! I'll rip your head off for this!"
"Yeah, yeah," he replied, not even looking up from his work. "Heard that one before."
He switched targets, bringing the pipe down on the monster's elbow now. The joint bent funny after the third hit, and the creature let out a pissed-off howl. He just kept going, his face blank except for that manic grin.
It was like he was tuning out everything—the pain in his own body, the chaos with Kendra and Vasa fighting that alpha gobdog in the background, all of it. Just him and this arm he was turning into mush.
The monster finally got smart and swung with its right hand, trying to claw his face off. Nox saw it coming and ducked, letting go of the arm just long enough to roll out of reach. He popped back up a few feet away, pipe still in hand, and tilted his head at the creature.
"That the best you got?" he asked, casual as hell, like they were chatting over lunch.
"You're dead," the monster spat, cradling its busted left arm. "I'm gonna tear you apart!"
He shrugged. "Go for it. I'll wait."
It charged again, right fist leading this time. He3 sidestepped, letting the punch breeze past him, and swung the pipe into the monster's ribs. The thing grunted and staggered, but it didn't go down. Tough bastard. He could respect that, even if he didn't show it.
'Still standing, huh?' he thought. 'Guess I'll have to hit harder.'
"Yo, Nox!" Kendra's voice cut through from across the gym. "You good over there?"
He glanced over. She was tanking hits from the alpha gobdog, her armored skin holding up, while Vasa iced its legs to slow it down. They were handling it, barely.
"Doing fine," he called back, not taking his eyes off the boss. "You two stop screwing around and kill that thing already."
"Working on it!" She shouted, sounding annoyed. "This fucker's slippery!"
The boss monster smirked, like it thought it had an opening while he was distracted. It swung its right fist again, aiming for his chest. Nox didn't dodge this time either—just turned into it, letting the hit land square on his shoulder. It hurt like hell, probably bruised something deep, but he didn't even wince.
"Nice try," he said, grabbing the monster's right wrist now. That grin came back, wider than before. "My turn."
He yanked the arm down, pulling the creature off balance, and started hammering the pipe into its side. One hit, two, three—each one aimed at the same spot, right where the ribs met. The monster roared, thrashing to get free, but he held on like a pitbull.
"Quit squirming," he said, voice still deadpan. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."
"Let go, you freak!" the creature yelled, desperation creeping in.
"Nah," he replied. "I'm having too much fun."
He switched it up, swinging the pipe at the monster's head this time. It blocked with its good arm, but the impact still rocked it back. Nox didn't stop. He kept the pressure on, alternating between the head and the body, forcing the thing to keep guessing where the next hit was coming from.
'This guy's tough,' he thought, 'but it's slipping. Just gotta keep pushing.'
"Vasa!" Kendra's voice rang out again. "Freeze its damn head already!"
"Trying!" she shot back, her usual calm cracking a little. "It keeps moving!"
Nox didn't bother looking. He trusted them to figure it out. His focus was on the boss, who was starting to look rough—blood dripping from its mouth, left arm hanging useless, breathing all ragged. Still, it wasn't done yet. It lunged at him again, claws out, going for his throat.
He went for his usual sidestep—he'd been dodging like that all fight, and it'd worked so far. But this time, the furry bastard wasn't having it. The monster faked him out, pulling back its claws at the last second and swinging its leg instead. A solid kick smashed right into his face, catching him off guard.
"Fuck!" he yelped, stumbling back.
Before he could even recover or get flung across the room, the monster's clawed hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of his hair. It yanked him in close, holding him like a ragdoll, and started pounding his face with its good fist. One hit after another, relentless.
"Where's that smug attitude now, huh?" the monster growled, its voice rough and mocking. "Thought you were hot shit, didn't you?"
Nox couldn't even respond. Each punch slammed into his jaw, his cheek, his nose—his head was spinning, and he could feel his HP dropping fast. He squinted at the little health bar in his mind. It was dipping lower with every hit—80, 70, 65.
'Shit, this thing's going to kill me if it keeps going,' he thought, panic creeping in for once.