Forged Destiny [Book 5: Ch. 14]

The Ursa swept one paw down and behind it and lashed out with a straight thrust toward me. As it hurtled in, I angled my sword to block it – not to deflect, but to take it full on – and jumped in the air.

If I couldn't propel myself, I'd find someone with the strength to propel me. With my feet no longer grounded, the claw hit me centre-mass, crashing my sword into my breastplate and knocking the air from my lungs. I sailed back, off the wall immediately and through the air, away from the Ancient Grimm. Past the whistling wind and my own agonised cries, I had the sense of mind to curl into a ball.

My impact with the roof of a house was less than kind. I'd expected to crash into it, but I went straight through, bursting through slate and roof beams to crash into the wooden floor of an attic with a cry of pure agony. Something was broken, I knew instantly. But as I forced myself to roll over, I knew it wasn't my neck or back, so it didn't matter.

Through gritted teeth and pain, I forced myself up, limped to the nearest staircase and tried to descend it. My footing failed, and I rolled down, armour bouncing off each step and the wall as I crashed onto the first floor. Not having the time or energy to stand, I pulled myself to the next staircase and rolled down that, too. I managed to roll into a stumble and a stagger at the bottom, not quite getting on my feet but rather some strange, one foot, one hand and a knee animal-like rush. It brought me to a window and I hurled myself out, smashing through and rolling on the stone floor outside.

Not my best landing, nor my best of anything else. The roars behind me told me the Grimm hadn't been idle, as I knew they wouldn't have been. I tried to stand, cried out in pain, and then forced myself to anyway.

[...]

He pushed the General away and laid a white cloth over his face, turning to me and tutting. "Multiple wounds, bleeding and what looks to be a broken shoulder. Would that we had a Priest here, but I can make you a potion that will dull the pain and accelerate your blood replenishment.

[...]

I must have passed in and out of consciousness for a while, though there was no measuring the time, of course. It had been day when the battle began, but it was the middle of the night when I fully awoke. The sounds of melee were just as fierce as they'd always been, but they told me Magnis still stood. The inner walls were much easier to defend, even if the Grimm kept on coming. In my useless state, I had plenty of time to ask myself how so many Grimm had spawned and why they'd come in our direction with such purpose. There were no answers, of course. The methods of the Grimm were alien to all.

I felt strong enough to stand and did so, the potions I'd been fed running through my system and leaving me with an odd sensation of numbness. I could still feel my limbs, but they were heavy and muted, like I was walking in a pool of water. The pain relief was a blessed kindness, however. The wounds that had been stitched shut no longer burned like ants were feasting on them.

—Forged Destiny [Book 5: Ch. 14]