A pickle, indeed.

He felt Fangs entrench themselves into his flesh, pinning him down to the ground. He could see the marks and the blood on his leg, but there wasn't anything there. 

Instinctually, he raised his current sword arm high above his head, and sent it down like an axe. 

His arm suddenly stopped moving, just above his leg. He felt nothing against his arm, yet it stopped nonetheless. The sensation of fang biting into his flesh deepened in response.

While he was distracted, another bolt of searing flame burrowed deep into his already wounded arm, rendering it all but unusable.

"Ahk- Gods damn you!" Grigor shouted, lowering his head in pain. The arm again- Is he sadist or just a poor shot? 

Grigor focused his breath, and blinked hard... He had to focus, or he'd die.

He raised his head, and his gaze met a large boulder, not ten feet away.

Hm? Had he missed that earlier? To hells with it- The next shot was mere seconds away, he needed the cover.

The fang sensation still burrowed deep within, shooting pain up his entire leg. But dealing with pain was still part of his job description. 

He stood up, stepped with his right foot, and slammed his left leg ahead, a loud and pained grunt escaping his throat. Still, he moved.

"Hot dang!" Shouted the coward from the bushes, seemingly impressed. 

His ego boosted, Grigor confidently fell behind the boulder, and curled his body so he'd be fully obscured.

He peered his head around, just barely... Coward was still obscured by the bushes. Just a little closer, and he'd have a clear view of the coward's face.

"Shi- Push 'em out, Bolt!" The shaky voice shouted once more.

'Bolt'- Hells, that's what he shouted before!

The biting sensation left Grigor's leg, and blood began to trickle from the holes it had left behind.

Thinking quickly, Grigor erratically swung his sword in front of him. He felt like an idiot, but it seemed to work. For the moment, at least.

What in the hells was this thing? The bite felt canine in nature, baring resemblance to that strange young boy, or more likely a wolf. A summon of some kind, perhaps? Was there another miscreant about? He breathed, and tired to hone his senses...

Shock. There were a multitude of presences. One was S's, the other the coward, two remained unaccounted for. 

Heavens! Multiple assailants? One must be the summoner- But what of the other?  

And what of the summon itself? He'd heard of invisible summons before, but this was far stranger than that.

His arm seemingly made contact with it earlier, yet he didn't feel anything. The thing hid from sight and sound, and made no footprints in the grass, yet it still cautioned around his sword. Or so it seemed, at least. Most strange... 

Be that as it may, Grigor knew he couldn't keep up the defense against a creature he couldn't see for long. 

These beliefs quickly proved themselves to be true, as in a matter of moments, a great weight pressed against Grigor's chest. There was no tactile sensation, merely the feeling of heaviness. 

"Agh-" Grigor was shoved backwards, and once again he fell to the ground. The boulder now only covered about half of his body, leaving the rest of him exposed.

"Ah! Nice one, Bolt!" The coward shouted, and Grigor could see a bright orange light forming at the bottom of the bush!... "Wai... Holy cow is that the arena guy?" 

The orange light faltered for just a moment.

Grigor immediately channeled the greatest sit-up he'd ever done in his life, and pushed his upper-body up with inhuman strength.

He was NOT going to allow his fame to be the reason he dodged another shot.  

"Is... Nah, no way..." Grigor heard the voice in the bush conclude. 

He reached for the spot on his chest where the weight was, until he came upon resistance. His instincts, his reliance on sensation cried out in confusion within him, but he breathed, steeled his resolve, and grabbed at... Something, he hoped. 

He pulled and pulled, exerting as much strength as he could manage into his left arm, and... He pulled.

The heaviness left his chest, and moved to his arm.  

His arm started to shift erratically, clearly the thing was flailing, trying to break free of his grasp. Yet it didn't seem to be biting him, it just flailed. 

Grigor held his arm out, and away from his body. 

It was strange, the creature was likely distressed, yet it wasn't attacking him. He'd imagined that the creature's true from resembled a moderately sized canine, like a small wolf. Surely it should be able to claw or bite or struggle more than this, yet all it seemed to be doing was trying to get closer to him.  

Bah, no matter. So long as Grigor could maintain his grasp, this threat was neutralized. Which he could maintain for... Considering the pain in his other arm, the blood leaking from his leg, and his poor sleep last night... Maybe a minute or so.

More than enough time for a man of his caliber. All he had to do was close the distance, and this fight would be over.

For a moment, he was resolute, ready to bring the fight to an end- And then his heart dropped. 

The inside of his skull itched terribly. One of the presences he detected earlier, they must've been approaching. They were close now.  Couldn't tell where, but close. Worse still, another presence had appeared.

An unmistakably hostile presence that sent a chill down his spine. A vile and deranged something was heading this way a-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-"

Came a semi-familiar voice.

"WHAT THE WHO THE CRAP-!" Came a more recently familiar voice from the bushes.

Wh- Him?

A moment later, a young boy in a tan-trench coat and matching tribly hat tore through the plains on all fours, running at impossible speeds. The creature pursuing him was little more than a blur, but seemed confusingly wet and glossy.

Neither seemed to notice the battle happening beside them. 

"AH, BOY!" Grigor fruitlessly shouted.

No response... Damnit! What Grigor needed right now was a distraction, just a mere moment to close the distance! That could have been it, had paranoia not gotten the best of him!  

Around forty-five seconds... His breathing patterns were beginning to wane. He began to wonder if he'd ever get to ask those questions he'd needed to ask... Hells, he needed a moment, just a single moment, one last push.

"Heeeeeeeey Wand, buddy, out on a job?" Another recently familiar voice appeared. 

"Ugh, PINKY! Did you NOT catch my 'working! don't come any closer'! look, you IDIOT!?" The coward in the bush spat, wearing his anger on his sleeve.

Could it be? The thief from earlier? She was the presence? Damnit! Two on one?! He should've dealt with her when-

Hold a moment... Heavens, earlier she mentioned that she had a liking towards S... Perhaps- agh, it was risky, but-

Grigor peered out from beside the boulder. The pink-haired thief was standing just beside the bush...

His left arm had to hold the invisible beast, but his right was totally out of commission... Argh, hells- He'd only recently severed the connection, it shouldn't be too hard to reconnect-

Grigor let out a pained grunt, and raised his right arm ever so slightly.  

'fr--nd--' 

Psychic connection was coming through. A little choppy, but it was there.

'stron--bu---Lik--S-more-'

He barely had a moment to breathe, or consider his next move. So he acted.

There was another facet to Grigor's spell beyond reading surface thoughts. It wasn't one he developed intentionally, but he was aware of its presence. It wasn't subtle, he tried not to use it, but he was desperate.

'HOLD HIM FOR JUST ONE SECOND-' He silently shouted.

"BWAH!" The pink-haired thief suddenly exclaimed. 'Wh-th-!?'

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The coward in the bushes shouted.

'ACT NATURAL!' Grigor silently shouted once more. 

'Who- Why- The-'

'S IN TROUBLE- JUST HOLD HIM OFF FOR A MOMENT AND I-'

'Sa- N- -ore!'

"Heeeey there, b-big guy~?" Pinkie said to the man the bush, little more than a second after he screamed at her. Psychic things happen fast. "S-Say, m-mind t-tellin-"

"PINKIE, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU TO THE COUNT OF THREE BEFORE I BLOW YOUR FREAKING HEAD OFF."  

Grigor found the coward's lack of vulgarity, despite his obvious rage, somewhat commendable. Still, that's no way to speak to a lady!

"Uh, hey, what's that over there?" The pink-haired thief asked.

"REALLY FUNNY. THREE, TW AWHHFJHHDFHAFHWHDUWAHDWHATHEHECKKKK-" 

'El-ctr-c ha-d, bit-h!' Grigor did not commend the vulgarity in the thief's head. 

Sounds of incredible pain echoed from within the bush. Grigor was anticipating a more social distraction, but it would be folly to look a gift horse in the mouth.

'THANK YOU- S STILL CRITICAL- PLEASE CHECK ON HIM-' Grigor silently pleaded towards the thief.

'Ay- Ay-, cr--py voice -n -y- hea-' The pink-haired thief deftly disengaged from the bush, and ran towards the camp. As she passed by the boulder, she looked towards Grigor with a satisfied, knowing look on her face.

Grigor was in no state to decipher what it meant. Regardless, he was grateful for her willingness to listen to strange voices in her head.

Thirty-five seconds left, and only a few to capitalize on the thief's opportunity.

He had only a moment to decide between his blade or his grip on the invisible thing.

Blade. 

He slammed his arm to the ground, and tried to pin the thing down with his foot while he grabbed his sword.

Before the thing had time to slip out, Grigor was holding his sword and running the remaining fifty yards.

"Shhaaaaaatcrapcrapcrap-" A shaky voice echoed from within the bush

And Grigor grinned thorough his pain.