Runeblade-Chapter 253B2 : Watchers in the Wings, finale

Staring down at the stride-long length of the greatsword that was sticking out of his stomach, Kaius wondered how he got here.

It seemed more than a little unfair that going out of his way to kill powerful monsters that were a threat to the people of Deadacre had led to a sword sticking out of his gut.

Then the stinging heat kicked in, and with it came fury.

He knew he should be saving his spells—knew he should hoard them for if they were captured. Yet, if he did, he would all but consign them to that fate becoming a certainty.

It was a risk, the chance of escape now, or a chance later.

He made his choice.

Expedient Shunt.

Kaius flew forwards, the swordsman behind him cursing at the sudden blast of force. Before the crack of the first explosion had faded, he activated his spell again—another wave of energy bursting free of his chest, canceling his movement the second the blade in his stomach had been removed.

Front foot touching the ground, Kaius leaned on every scrap of bodily control he had to spin on the spot and lunge back towards the swordsman.

Burning stamina to fuel a Bladerite, he wove into a series of tight thrusts and economic cuts—testing his opponent’s guard as his burns and the wound on his stomach healed.

The warrior was strong—every blow was blocked with ease, his slab of a sword smashing aside Kaius’s probing strikes.

And yet…Kaius was beginning to realise he might not be as strong as he expected for a tier 2. Certainly, he was not as titanic as Rieker.

Between his honours and his class, his own Strength was monstrous. His stats, while spread out, were similar to a freshly risen tier two with a Rare class.

More than that, he was a giant of a man, standing head and shoulders over the swordsman, and in the prime of his life with beast blood running through his veins.

The swordsman was old, and only of middling height—even with more Strength, it had far less to work off.

Kaius grit his teeth, cursing the poison he had been afflicted with. Without it sapping his strength, inexorably pulling him closer to slumber, he would have been far more sure in his victory.

Now, with his body ailing and his agility crumbling by the second, he had to rely on his skill with the blade, and his confidence in his constitution.

The warrior thrust, his blade racing for Kaius’s chest.

Kaius swept his blade up, catching the man's sword at the tip with the strong base of his own. Twirling his sword, he yanked the weapon off centre, smoothly transitioning into a counter-thrust.

It cut through the warrior's ear—his ambusher only saved from a sword through the eye by a last minute twitch of his head.

Snarling in fury, the swordsman pulled back, carrying the inertia of his heavy weapon into a sideways cleave. The blade burned—empowered by another of the warrior's skills.

It shattered his defence—blooding Kaius further with a cut that trailed over his hip. Capitalising on the opening, the swordsman guided his weapon’s momentum and carved another furrow through his flesh.

This couldn’t continue. He was being beaten down—his mind too clouded to fight effectively.

Porkchop was faring even worse than he was, their bond revealing just how badly he was succumbing to the poison. Faced with two fighters faster and more mobile, it was all Porkchop could do to stay standing. His brother was running on fumes, and unless something changed, they were done for. ȒἈɴՕ฿Ɛṡ

Giving ground before the swordsman’s onslaught, Kaius’s Glass Mind raced.

Their chances…didn’t look good. Even if he could last another ten minutes before the poison pulled him under, Porkchop wouldn’t last that long—and there was no way he was abandoning his team to their fate.

Yet it wasn’t all bad—faced with an older and more skilled opponent, he felt Corporus begin to keen.

With every slash, parry, and counterattack, the power within his soul flared—a delighted tone ringing out at his economy of motion. At the way he leveraged everything—even if it might not be enough.

He doubted that he would ignite the pillar here on the battlefield—it wasn’t flaring half as bright as when he had finally founded Mentis—but Kaius took solace in the fact it meant he was on the right path.

Narrowly avoiding another of the swordsman’s crushing blows, Kaius realised there was one thing they could do. It wasn’t a certain path to victory, but it would be a retribution.

He fell deeper into his bond.

“Wait for the moment—we’re switching targets.” he sent to his brother, pushing along his intentions.

Porkchop was too exhausted—too drained by the poison— to reply with anything other than simple acceptance.

The swordsman pressed the attack, weaving half a dozen skills into a relentless onslaught that had Kaius just barely maintaining his grip on his blade.

He gave ground. Step by step, he drew closer to Porkchop and the archer and rogue that were harassing him.

Watching through Porkchop’s eyes, he saw the moment the rogue presented Kaius his back.

It was all he was waiting for.

Thunder shook the battlefield, Stormlash appearing in his hand. It screamed through the air—binding the swordsman in chains of stunning agony as he committed fully to a heavy chop. The swordsman’s body was wracked by convulsions as reverberant force and lightning pummeled his internals.

Kaius smirked. Even if they had been watching him, it was hard to adjust to a lifetime of being used to casters needing to channel.

A shunt blew him away from the swordsman—spinning him through the air so that he shot straight for the undefended rogue. Arcane energy surrounded his blade, backed by the fire of his Bladerite.

The second he had acted, Porkchop moved. A Shardwall obscured him from his opponents, and he lurched backwards—charging straight for the stunned swordsman.

The warrior recovered right before Porkchop was about to bear down on him.

“Shit!” he screamed—blade shining as he thrust towards the oncoming threat.

Porkchop ignored the attack—allowing the greatsword to shatter his breastplate and lance into his chest down to the hilt. His weight and speed bowled the swordsman over, sending both of them to the ground.

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Kaius felt his brother's jaws close around the swordsman's head—Warden’s Maw crushing the man’s skull, before Porkchop lurched backwards to free himself from his impalement.

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 107!**

**+3 End, Str, & Int, +2 Dex, Wil, +1 Vit, Free - from Class & Racial Traits!**

….

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 113!**

**+3 End, Str, & Int, +2 Dex, Wil, +1 Vit, Free - from Class & Racial Traits!**

“That’s why you wear a helmet, idiot.” Kaius thought to himself, drawing his sword back to stab his blade into the knife-wielding rogue’s back.

The rogue blurred, reacting like he had eyes in the back of his head. Gods he was fast, far faster than the swordsman.

Before he knew it, the rogue was inside of his guard, and he felt the kiss of the man’s blade three times.

Kaius gasped—blood welling from the wounds.

The rogue backed up, looking behind Kaius at the slain bodies of his companion.

“Typical,” the man spat. “Should’ve known better than to trust a report. At least it’s less of the pot to share.”

Circling along the wall, the archer drew back her bow—aiming for him.

Sinking into his guard, Kaius accepted the momentary reprieve—every second was another he could heal.

“Who are you?” he asked, keeping his tone even and casual.

“No one you would know.” the rogue replied. “Looks like you’re all on your lonesome now, though. Might be best you just give up, save us all a bit of hassle.”

Kaius’s eyes widened, heart slamming in his chest. He didn’t take the bait and look behind him, but he could feel through his bond that the man was right. Porkchop was out—his mind hazy and indistinct.

Killing the swordsman had taken the last of his brother’s strength, and he’d fallen under the sway of the poison.

They’d lost.

He knew that by himself he had no chance against the remaining members of the team. Undoubtedly the leader, the rogue was in a league of his own—he moved like a ghost, and his daggers felt like they hit as hard as the swordsman’s heavy blade. Worse, he felt the numbness creeping up his neck, the weight on his shoulders, and the pooling fatigue that made his limbs feel like lead.

He had little left to give.

The only thing he could do is make them work for it.

He rushed the rogue, a sudden Hateful Nail forcing the archer to evade. Flowing into a cycle of slashes, Kaius did his best to hem the man in.

Yet for all of his advantage in range and strength, the man was impossible to hit. He simply flowed around his strikes like they were moving at half speed—dashing in and out of his guard to whittle away at him with a dozen light cuts.

He was being toyed with—a fact that burned. Every cut was light, sinking just deep enough to cut the muscle, even when it would have been easy for the rogue to leave mortal wounds.

All the while, arrows flew—punching into his legs and arms, hampering his ability to respond.

The archer needed to go.

With only a few more casts left, Kaius used Expedient Shunt—soaring straight for the irritating woman. She only used a movement skill of her own—a surge of wind carrying her out of his reach while she landed three more arrows in his hip.

Howling in frustration, Kaius abandoned his pursuit and whirled back to the leader—his wild swing hitting nothing but air.

**Ding! Rapid Adaptation has added a new Resistance: Dream!**

Feeling the ding of Rapid Adaptation growing used to the final component of the toxin that coursed through his blood, Kaius hoped for a moment that it would be what he needed to turn the tide.

It wasn’t—even burning with renewed vigour, the poison only slowed. He could feel it now, clouding his mind. Every thought was hazy, like he’d only just woke up, and his wounds crawled with an unnatural chill.

“Who hired you? The Onyx Temple?” Kaius gasped, sweat dripping from his brow. Clumsily swiping through the air, he missed an arrow, the projectile slamming home into his upper arm.

The leader ignored him. His form dissolved like smoke on the wind, racing inwards. Kaius tried to ward him off—only for a dagger to punch through his hand.

With a grip of iron, the rogue yanked his arm upwards. His blade slipped free, clattering to the ground with a loud ring.

“You’re strong—I see why they want you.” the man murmured, his voice guttural.

Kaius bared his teeth. Lightning cracked in his free hand, and he swiped for the rogue—trying to free himself so he could grab A Father’s Gift.

An arrow slammed home into his shoulder, rupturing the joint. Crippled and poisoned as Kaius was, the rogue simply stepped to the side, letting his spell splash harmlessly behind him on the red stone of the plateau.

“Your magic is strange too.”

Blurring inwards, the rogue’s dagger grew dark and indistinct. Ruthless in his assault, he smashed the pommel into Kaius’s temple.

His vision went grey, legs collapsing as whatever skill the leader had used sapped all of his strength.

Flipping his dagger into a reverse grip, the rogue used another skill—his blade glowing with internal light. The dagger slammed home into Kaius’s clavicle, drawing a final quiet gasp from his throat.

The poison in Kaius’s body went berserk—tripling its rampage through his body as the rogue’s final skill inflamed it to new heights.

Barely holding on to the precipice as he was, it was too much.

He slumped—just barely aware of his surroundings, his vision little more than an indistinct haze.

A set of boots hit the ground in front of him, another illusion dissolving. Half delirious as he was, Kaius absentmindedly noted that they were utilitarian—knee high brown leather that looked well worn, like the kind he was wearing under his sabatons.

All but paralysed as he was, that was all he could make out—his eyes half closed and his neck immobile.

The rogue turned to the new arrival.

“You gave me bad information; now I need to go through the hassle of finding more men.” the rogue said, his tone biting.

“You’ll be paid for the difficulties—this was outside our anticipation.” the new arrival appeased in a smooth baritone.

“I better be—no sane man takes out a contract on a greater meles.” he hissed. “The elves have ears everywhere. If this blows back on us, me and Chance will have to flee past the dukedoms if we want to keep our skin. Even that might not be enough”.

The stranger winced. “That was my mistake—I never got within a half-league of them while I was tracking them. It’s my first time seeing the beast this close.” Taking a deep sigh, the stranger turned, looking down at Kaius. “Not to worry—I'm sure he’ll simply be ransomed. The other one though….he’s proven even more interesting than was expected. Expect to be paid handsomely, in addition to what was promised.”

The conversation died to a murmur, and Kaius felt his grip on consciousness grow tenuous.

It was only when manacles clicked over his hands that he returned from the fog, the sudden shock of his mana and stamina growing sluggish and immobile jolting him back.

“Let’s go, Old Yon is expecting us.”

Kaius had just enough wherewithal to fight through his confusion, committing the name to memory before the heavy weight of the Gravebound Slumber tugged him back to unconsciousness.

….

**Class Skill Notifications Consolidated!**

**Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 118 > 120!**

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**Ding! Initiate’s Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 79 > 84!**

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**Ding! Latent Glyph of Aelina has reached level 111 > 114!**

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**Ding! Mystic’s Rend has reached level 46 > 57!**

**General Skill Notifications Consolidated!**

**Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 94 > 113!**

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**Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 98 > 105!** ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

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**Ding! Explorer’s Toolkit has reached level 77 > 78!**

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**Ding! Tempered By Dissonance has reached level 90 > 93!**

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**Ding! Truesight has reached level 78 > 87!**

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**Ding! Resonance Amplification has reached level 87 > 88!**

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**Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 98 > 106!**

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**Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 97 > 101!**

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**Ding! Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus has reached level 109 > 114!**