Runeblade

Kaius swung for the nightscale’s side with all his might, the burning aura of his Investiture prickling against his skin like a god’s spite made manifest.

Unenhanced, A Father’s Gift was a sublime weapon that had been tempered in godly waters. Backed by his Investiture, he felt like he could cut through adamantine. A shame the cost was so high, he’d have to be sparing with its use yet.

This fight was still going to be tough, Kaius had no doubt about that. He had a bare five casts of Hateful Nail, a smattering more of Stormlash, and only three of Shunt and Bound Maelstrom. Worse, his mana channels still itched from breaking the army’s initial charge with Starfall — he’d have to save his spells for critical moments.

At least he’d recovered enough to comfortably use Mystic’s Rend.

On the precipice of Gold, the nightscale was incomparable to the masses of lesser creatures that Kaius had slain that night. With its natural size and physical abilities, its strength was only multiplied further.

Glinting scales of midnight black may as well have been dwarven plate, even its very flesh felt like cutting through oak.

Yet he still cut.

The nightscale screeched as a plate-sized scale shattered in the path of his blade. With his blood roaring hot, Kaius braced and leaned in; his brother’s forward charge was the only force he needed.

Blood flowed in a steaming wave, washing the streets; cleansing them of accumulated ash.

The wound he had left was deep, but unlikely to cripple the creature. Not with its size and strength. No, it was a provocation. The gaping crater in its flesh would be impossible to ignore.

They had to pull it off its path — if it reached the triage centers at the city centre, the losses would be incalculable. More than that, they needed to force it to turn. At nearly forty longstrides from snout to tail, there was nowhere near enough room on the street for its sinewy form. Even if it clearly had the power to demolish buildings with its physical strength alone, the debris would hamper it — allow him and Porkchop to strike at its vitals.

Letting out a low, crackling hiss, the nightscale lunged to the side to escape his blade. Glass shattered and wood splintered as its leading leg raked through the facade of a wooden house.

Kaius readied himself, flames of heat building within him. Bloodsong called, and aspects responded. It was a vigour finer than any wine. He readied himself, the creature would strike now, he was sure of it.

The nightscale’s massive head rose and it gazed upon them. Its eyes were deeply sunken, and black as night. He tensed, ready for it to lunge, and the carnage to begin.

Mana welled within the beast, rising to a sudden crescendo. Kaius felt a flash of danger from the thick limb just ahead.

Porkchop felt his sudden apprehension — lurching wide to the left and drawing them away from the threat.

Yet the attack never came. Claws burnt bright, digging deep into the paving stones. The nightscale accelerated. Uncaring of the damage it caused to its surroundings, every swaying step left destruction in its wake.

“What the fuck?” Kaius said.

It was running? Gods’ scorn, that made no damned sense! No one sane so blatantly ignored a deadly threat — it wasn’t like it could escape. The damned thing was slowed far too much by the city infrastructure.

“Do you think it's the Tyrant?” Porkchop asked as he redoubled his pace, slowly closing the gap the nightscale had created.

“It must be, why else would a common beast be targeting our wounded — it shouldn’t even know where they are! Not unless the aerial beasts were able to communicate with it somehow.”

“Well then, we just need to make it certain that its only hope to reach its target is to kill us.”

Surging forward, the ground undulated beneath Porkchop’s feet as he unleashed Breaker of Men. Spikes of crystalline metal erupted in a wave, and he charged straight at the nightscale’s side.

Kaius’s stomach lurched. Bloody hells, Porkchop was going to tackle the damn thing. With him on his back.

A laugh slipped from his throat as he grabbed his brother’s armour with his off hand.

Porkchop slammed into the creature's side, digging his claws into the slowly healing cut that Kaius had made moments earlier.

The sudden jolt of the collision nearly threw Kaius clean from his brother's back. The mauling didn’t help either. Tensing, Kaius forced himself forward, thrusting his sword deep into a gap between its many ribs. Mana coalesced along his blade edge, collapsing a moment later.

Mystic’s Rend blew a fist sized tunnel into the nightscale, arcane burning at the edges of the creature's pulsating flesh. Good, the affliction was suppressing its recovery.

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Yet to his dismay, the beast still didn’t turn and face them — only letting out a frustrated roar as it lurched to the side in an attempt to throw them off.

Kaius grit his teeth, mounted combat wasn’t working. He and Porkchop were too set in their fighting styles — his agile and swift, his brother’s brutal and hard. Yet on his own, he’d struggle to keep up with the pace of the creature. He had no stockpile of mobility spells, and had a cursed hunk of steel in place of his bloody foot.

He needed some way he could tear into it and become a biting viper the nightscale couldn’t ignore.

Gritting his teeth, Kaius’s mind raced as he hacked at the reptile's side. Without leverage and reach, they may as well have been light scratches.

Porkchop, at least, was having more luck. Every swipe of his claws tore great strips from the beast’s side, staining his armour a deep red.

It screamed, and heaved towards them — a slam that sent Porkchop stumbling back, and nearly knocked Kaius free.

Leaping back, Porkchop roared his Bulwark’s Challenge. The skill ripped at the nightscale’s attention, its head snapping to Porkchop as it let out bone-rattling scream. It heaved up like a cobra, bracing itself with its back four legs as its forelimbs burned with black energy.

Kaius’s breath caught — had they finally done it?

His anticipation was ripped away from him as the creature snapped its head back to the centre of the city. The skill surrounding its arms winked out. Falling back to the ground, it surged forward again.

He could have screamed. Porkchop did, another Challenge echoing off the surrounding buildings.

“By the matriarchs, I've never fought such a coward!” Porkchop growled, layering his complaint with a goading jab in beast-speak — a raw impression even an unthinking beast would comprehend.

Kaius couldn’t help but agree. They needed to pull it away — or put it down. Yet the damn thing was too big for them to pin down — bastard just kept running away! Unless… what if it couldn’t. Maybe he needed to try a different kind of mounted combat.

“Bring me in close! I’ll jump on its back.”

Porkchop was already moving, “That’s insane! I like it! Fighting with you up there is annoying anyway, I keep getting worried you’ll get squished.”

A fair worry, considering the blows he’d seen Porkchop shrug off before in the past.

He pushed the thought out of mind, honing in utterly on their slow approach to the nightscale. Between its middle set of legs seemed best — its body broadened there, and its odd gait made the space between its limbs undulate far too much to keep his footing.

Guided by his intent, Porkchop surged in.

The gap closed.

Kaius pushed off Porkchop’s armour, popping himself upward. He tore into one of his precious Shunts, force exploding behind him.

A howl spilled from his lips as he sailed through the air. Seizing his blade in both hands, Kaius brought it up high for a plunging stab. By the gods, he was going to make his arrival hurt.

Investiture surged, binding his weapon in roaring energy. He hit the reptile knees first, slipping on its glossy scales. Before he could fall, he drove his sword down with every scrap of force he could muster.

Scales broke. He hit bone. That broke too.

The nightscale screamed. It was bloody music to his ears — he’d love to see the bastard try to run from him now.

Half aware of Porkchop throwing himself bodily at the creature’s first set of legs, Kaius hauled on his hilt. Levering it back and forth, he widened the wound. Steaming blood welled from shattered scales like a mountain spring, soaking him in his foe’s vitality.

No, it wasn’t enough. This thing needed to die — to feel its oncoming death, so it couldn’t even conceive of ignoring them. His spells were precious, but this was the time to use one.

Kaius reached for a Nail, and ignored the stinging tingle in his glyph as he forced the spell to surge into his blade.

Guided by Runeblade Hymnfocus, his blade drank deep of the spell's effects, and brought their changed power to ruinous fruition.

Embedded deep within the nightscale's body, vicious metal teeth erupted from the edge of his sword. They whirred, a tearing mass that consumed the beast from within.

It wasn’t enough — he needed more. Kaius flooded his sword with stamina, honing it to a killing edge with the burning light of Hellblade Investiture. Blood sprayed, misting his face through the grating of his helm.

His lips wetted with the taste of iron, he drove his blade forward, carving a bloody furrow up its back. Muscle, bone, scale — it didn’t matter. All were shattered and torn, only to be kicked free from the wound in a fountainous spray.

That, finally, was enough.

The nightscale slammed to a halt and bucked. It failed to shake him free, his sword embedded like a fisher’s hook.

Hemmed in by the street, the creature hurled itself through the nearest buildings. Debris fell over it in a wave, nearly knocking Kaius free from his perch. Kaius snatched a glance and saw it strike Porkchop — ripping him away from the hole he had gouged in the creatures ribs.

Needle teeth closed around heavy plate, and the creature flung Porkchop free. He hit the paving stones with a crash, scrambling to right himself as he slid to a halt.

For a moment the beast seemed torn between diving after Porkchop, and the ever growing wound Kaius was opening on its back.

At that moment, the Nail he had channeled through Hymnfocus faded, its energy spent. With the sudden absence of the ripping teeth in its back, the nightscale snapped to Porkchop. It hissed, rearing to strike.

Kaius frowned; that wouldn’t do, not at all. Focusing his will, he pushed mana through Mystic Rend — and was doused as his buried blade detonated four times in quick succession.

Rippling jerks rolled up the nightscale's spine. Its head snapped back — focused right at him. Its eyes were wide and shining, a burning hate that screamed vengeance.

The sight of it only widened Kaius’s smile.

He twisted his sword, driving it a little deeper.

No way it was going to ignore them now.