Arthur's knuckles connected with something solid and warm. Fur and muscle. The creature yelped and retreated, but Arthur could already hear more closing in.
He stood in the absolute darkness, stripped of everything except his body, and understood what this trial demanded.
The beasts attacked in waves.
Arthur fought blind, relying on sound and instinct. A shape moving through the air to his left. He ducked and drove his elbow upward, feeling it sink into soft tissue.
Something warm and wet splashed across his face. Of course, it was blood. The creature collapsed with a wet thud.
Two more replaced it immediately.
Arthur's fists became weapons. He stopped thinking, stopped trying to see, and simply reacted.
His body went through the motions that it had gotten used to after countless battles with beings beyond comprehension.
Block. Strike. Dodge. The sequence repeated itself constantly.
