Separated from Althris by the charge of a particularly large owlbear, Kino tried to make the best of things by positioning herself between Egon and two of the encroaching beasts. Flashbangs, gasbombs and the like would more likely hurt her comrades than her foes. She doubted that any of her hollow, toxin-filled knives could pierce their thick hides in order to deliver the deadly payloads into the owlbears' bloodstreams. And so, amidst the chaos, Kino had jacked up herself with a phial of Adrenalite and grabbed her sturdy oak walking stick, taking a stance to guard Egon while his arrows rang true.
She thumped the heavy quarterstaff against the ground to gain the attention of the two owlbears circling Egon, then deftly brought it crashing into the skull of the larger of the pair. The stave was solid and heavy, and Kino's strength was jacked to near-inhuman levels by the Adrenalite. It impacted with a satisfyingly loud thud. The ursine beast didn't even blink, merely knocking it away with a backhanded swipe. Unfazed, Kino used the staff's momentum to bring it crashing into other owlbear's neck. The beast grunted in pain; Kino grinned jubilantly beneath her mask.
"Eat it, bastard!"
Her small victory was abruptly ended as she noticed the first owlbear charging at her on all fours, its wickedly curved beak snapping wildly. Kino struck the second owlbear in the neck again to keep it from charging as well, then pivoted her torso to avoid the first owlbear's flesh-rending maw. The ursine mammoth turned its failed lunge into a sideways headbutt, swinging its massive cranium around into Kino's ribcage. The drug-fuelled alchemist heard several of her ribs crack, but felt no pain even as the impact sent her tumbling across the ground.
Kino curled up her body to turn her haphazard tumbling into a controlled roll. Then, quickly extending her arms, she turned the roll into a handspring and landed on her feet. She regained her footing and looked up to see both of her wild-eyed opponents bearing down on her. Aiming for the eyes, a flick of her wrist sent a tox-filled everglass dagger towards her foes. Another dagger flew from her hand as she feinted a dodge to the left. A third dagger sailed outwards as she juked to the right, avoiding the oncoming charge. Not waiting to see if any of her projectiles connected, Kino sprinted towards the downed tree trunk her quarterstaff had landed against. She moved as a blur, chem-enhanced leg muscles pounding furiously as they carried her towards her weapon. Kino Vanden was damn fast. The owlbears were faster.
Kino realized that if she tried to take the time to pick up her weapon and bring it to bear, she would be disemboweled before she could swing it. She also realized that it was resting against the downed stump at a roughly 45 degree angle. Kino didn't break stride as she leaped towards the staff and planted her foot on it. The supple wood bent then whipped back, trampolining her backwards in a graceful arc over the incoming predators. Kino twisted and contorted mid-air, snagging the larger owlbear by the neck with her legs. It roared and bucked. Dangling upside down, Kino squeezed her legs together. The owlbear bucked harder as it began to choke. Its partner reared up on its hind legs and advanced towards her. Kino realized that the Adrenalite was wearing off.
Suddenly feeling very tired, very scared and very much in pain, the Wandering Apothecary nevertheless mustered every last ounce of energy in her body and clenched her thighs together. Kino violently jerked the owlbear's head to the left, then to the right. Kino felt the snap of vertebrae. The primal creature gasped, spasmed and fell beneath her. The alchemist was still straddling the dead creature's neck as the last vestiges of strength drained out of her. Staring up at the starry sky, Kino sighed as she heard the surviving owlbear's footsteps reverberate closer and closer. She couldn't even move her head to see her killer approaching. The stars were oh-so beautiful.
"Guess this is it, then."
She gently closed her eyes. She was ready.
The deathblow never came. Her killer startled, staggered, then stopped. The neurotoxins from the knife in its eye had finally overcome its robust constitution. The second owlbear silently crashed down into the grassy loam.
Bleeding heavily, Kino blacked out.
