Runeblade

Deep beneath the earth, Kaius stood in a chamber full of ghostly lilies and faced down his opponent.

An armored knight, the mantis watched Kaius, waiting for the slightest hint of an opening. It may have been an insectile beast, but there was a shrewd cunning hiding behind its glistening black eyes. A cold malevolence that was born to fight and die for its queen.

Kaius held his blade in a high ready, melded crystal and steel brandished as a lethal threat.

Another of Kenva’s explosive arrows ripped past them, sinking deep into the hive queen's pulsing abdomen. The creature shuddered. Under constant assault, great weeping wounds had opened on its vulnerable body. Some it managed to block with sudden shields of stone, but it was clearly out of its depth. Its entire being was focused on the production of its young, not combat.

It was still tougher than anything. Most of its stats had to be in Vitality and Constitution — he’d never seen something withstand Ianmus and Kenva’s attacks so easily. It’s like its flesh was made of stone, and each and every one of its wounds writhed, visibly shrinking as the beast’s prodigious regeneration went to work.

Instincts won over the royal guard. Stone erupted beneath the creature's feet, launching it into motion as it charged at him. The lilies summoned by Ianmus’s spell slowed the beast — just. Regardless, Kaius would take every advantage he could get.

He wasn’t fooled — his backline was the true target of its advance.

Sheltered by the pillars at the end of the room, Ianmus and Kenva were too much of a threat to their precious matriarch.

Kaius swung his blade, baiting the one-armed royal guard's feint.

At the last possible moment, it lurched to the side — maintaining its top speed in a total rejection of momentum as stamina pulsed through its body. Some sort of Skill.

It would have worked on most, but Kaius had his own methods. A Shunt exploded, flattening ghostly lilies as he shot to the side.

The creature lurched again. He detonated another shunt, staying right in its face. A slash of A Father’s Gift forced it back, drawing a shrill screech of frustration from its throat.

Good, the sooner it realised that it couldn’t get past him without killing him, the better. He tired of the song and dance — far better they met blade to blade. All he needed was an opening. He’d like to see it survive a VOS-backed Nail to the torso.

If the circumstances weren’t so dire, Kaius would have almost felt a degree of respect for the creature — for the nature of its loyalty. With its black armour, there was certainly a regalness to it.

It had been far too long since he’d dueled with his life on the line. It brought him back to his earliest days in the depths, before he’d met Porkchop. Every encounter had made his heart shudder and pound as he felt the chill touch of death upon him.

Even missing an arm, the royal guard was a worthy foe.

They charged in unison. Bloody energy flooded Kaius’s blade as he slammed stamina into Hellblade Investiture. The cost was immense, but the strength it brought was just as devastating.

Sweeping diagonally from high to low, the royal guard’s scythe cut for his shoulder — an attempt at total bisection. Lilies leapt towards the strike, slowing the blow as stalk after stalk were severed. Kaius read the flows of the movement as visible lines. Ianmus’s spell helped massively, fighting the creature at every turn. Eirnith glowed on his feet as he cast Slip Step.

He warped, ducking under the strike — right inside its guard.

A faint sensation raced down his spine. A flood of nebulous energy leaving him. Sergeant’s Intuition, guiding his blade with stolen fate.

The honed point of his blade slammed into its chitinous chest. Natural armour shattered, ichor flowing down the fuller of his blade. The beast shuddered. He must have hit something important: some organ?

Scoring the first major wound of their duel filled him with heat, a sensation tempered by the screaming danger of its counterattack.

Kicking off, Kaius barely avoided having his own arm severed, the tip of the creature's scythe raking across his scaled armour. The shimmering layer of magic from Lunar Plating shattered. Bolstered by the magic, metal held, bone did not.

Heat washed through his arm, carried away by the itch of his regeneration. Kaius let the arm slump — it needed a moment to set.

Before the royal guard could press its advantage, he reached for Stormlash. Deafening cracks echoed from the ancient brick walls of their battleground as blinding light banished the darkness again and again.

He spent his spells like water, hoping to weaken the beast with searing wounds to its internals.

The royal guard was having none of it. Wary of his magic from its first brush with the spell, it moved. Blurring with speed, mana flooded its scythe. It hacked at the ropes of lightning — severing them before they could land. Each banishment made it twitch, some remnant of the Stormlords fury coursing through its scythe, but it was a lesser thing.

Kaius scowled, still hurling more bolts at the creature. He wanted this fight done quick so that he could help Porkchop. He could hear the titanic clashes of his brother’s own duel across the room, though he dared not break his focus to check.

Regardless, his arm was healed. He halted his cast, charging forward on a wave of force. For a moment, he considered using Compel Obsession or Zone of Discombobulation to foul the creature's defence, before he dismissed the idea. The guard had learned of the threat of his lightning too quickly — far better he save them to guarantee his pivotal strike.

He fired another Nail instead. The creature slipped to the side with ease. Even hampered by ghostly lilies, it was damned fast.

Mid-advance, a soul shaking scream ripped through the chamber as the queen lifted its grotesque head upwards.

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**Ding! You have been afflicted by Queen’s Rebuke - Domination**

It hit him like a hammer blow, a foreign and overwhelming urge to collapse washing over him. Kaius gasped, stumbling as he hit the ground.

It passed as the scream faded — but that moment of weakness was all the royal guards needed.

Both creatures sprinted, tearing across the chamber towards Ianmus and Kenva. They converged, a single unit with blades held high.

Kaius’s heart leapt into his throat. Hurling himself after them on a wave of force, he fired nail after nail into their backs. Steel slammed home, ripping open their carapace.

They didn’t falter, continuing their course.

Recovering from their own effects of the scream, Ianmus and Kenva sprinted to the side, activating their movement skills. Kenva turned, snapping multiple shots of Ensnaring Seedburst.

Vines sprouted, diving for the guards. Their scythes flashed, cutting through the obstacles before they could find purchase.

Still hot in pursuit, Kaius grit his teeth. He reached for Stormlash, and readied himself for VOS. Better to burn it early and grievously wound both creatures than let them reach his back line.

Before he could tap into the spell, Porkchop surged past him, impossibly fast. Right as the royal guards struck, he was simply there, soaking up the heavy blows with his armour. It was cracked, blood coating its surface from the constant battering he’d received, but it held.

Kaius breathed out in relief, Porkchop must have used Intercede the Weak. He wouldn’t have been able to intercept the attacks that quickly otherwise.

Moments later, Porkchop roared in the guard’s faces, forcing their attention onto him. A shieldwall snapped into existence in front of him, summoned suits of orichacum armour charging straight at the beasts.

They were forced back.

Kaius slammed into the back of the one armed beast like a ballista bolt, hacking deep into its side. Hymnfocus burned bright as he channeled a Nail into his blade. Ripping teeth sprouted, gorging on the creature's flesh.

The royal guard hissed, reacting to his assault with a sudden slash. Mercurial Reversal bolstered his parry, but it transitioned into a low swipe before he could utilise the stolen force.

Kaius grit his teeth. Logically, he knew it was impressive that he could go toe to toe with a nine stride tall mantis that had a blade as big as he was. It still galled that he was just managing to hold his own after the creature had lost an entire arm.

He blamed the bloody metal foot. Damn thing slowed him down.

The grubs covering the floor didn’t help either. Rotating through the chamber had brought them through their path. The brainless creatures kept trying to bite them, though their mandibles may as well have been made of tissue.

That said, splattering them every second step really played hell with his traction.

Lunar magic splashed over him, as Ianmus diverted his attention from the queen long enough to refresh Silver Plating. The spell pulsed from the silver concentric seal atop his staff, layered next to a golden one.

Forcing the royal guard on the defensive with a spray of Nails, Kaius summoned an unstable edge of arcane around his blade. Sharp cracks filled the air as Mystic Rend detonated inside one of the creature's legs. The limb held, but it shuddered under the strain.

The darkness of the underground suddenly vanished as an orb of compressed light drifted towards the hive queen. Kaius grinned — no way would they let the guards block that.

To his surprise and suspicion, his opponent didn’t so much as twitch towards its queen. It watched him coldly, keeping up the pressure as they matched blades again and again.

It stabbed — a grossly telegraphed attack. Sidestepping, Kaius realised its ploy too late.

A grub, skewered and wriggling on its scythe. A snapping flick sent the creature hurling across the cavern before he could react, a lingering trail of ichor dripping from its flesh.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kenva tear her attention away from her assault of the queen to fire off an arrow — a desperate attempt to knock away the grub.

The grub popped like an overripe grape — but the shot came too late. Torn strips of flesh continued, their momentum unaffected.

The pulped larva slammed into Ianmus’s spell, detonating it prematurely.

“Rotten roots!” Kaius swore. They needed these guards gone — removing the queen was taking far too long.

He was going about this the wrong way. The guard had the size and speed advantage, worse, it was devilishly intelligent. He needed to play to his strengths. Even if he could hit far harder than the creature, it mattered little if it foiled all of his attacks.

Kaius knew how to get his opening.

Roaring out his frustration, Kaius flooded his sword with Hellblade Investiture. He leveled his blade, hilt in tight to his armpit as a Shunt hurled him straight at the creature. A rash thrust.

An opening, one that became undeniable as he tore at the creature’s mind with Compel Obsession.

The royal guard lunged, extending its own blade as its edge grew bright. Kaius saw it coming, and let it happen. Its own scythe was longer than he was tall, even the most instinctive understanding of battle said he must abandon his approach.

He adjusted at the last moment, launching himself a little high. The point of the scythe slammed into his stomach. Lunar Plating shattered instantly. His armour ruptured immediately after, enchanted scale unable to hold up against such a heavy skill backed thrust.

Agony exploded through him as the scythe erupted out its back.

Kaius only bared his bloody teeth as blood spilled from his mouth. He raised one hand.

Try parrying now.

Runes burned in his throat, and his Authority pulsed as he reached for VOS. The great rune appeared in his mind, sharper and more resplendent than ever before. Through Refinement, he’d solidified his existence, and stood stalwart before the incomprehensible rush.

He could almost see!

Hateful Nail erupted from his hand, a stride long twisted spike of steel that tore straight into the royal guard with a cracking retort.

Chitin shattered as wires bloomed open. For a moment, the guard stood frozen, its upper body only supported by thin strips of flesh on either side of a gargantuan hole in its chest.

It collapsed a moment later.

**Ding! You have slain Golden Ceratin Royal Guard - Level 290 Obsidian Blade! Experience Gained! Increased Experience for slaying a foe of significantly higher level!**

**Ding! Runeblade Helion has reached level 235 > 237!**

**+6 Int; +5 Con, Str & Will; +2 Vit & Dex; +1 Free - from Class & Racial Traits!**

More dings sounded in his mind. Kaius ignored them. Gripping the scythe in his belly, he wrenched himself backwards and tried to ignore the sucking wet sound it made. Flesh roiled, gradually sealing the wound.

“Something's wrong with you, if you hadn’t realised yet!” Ianmus called across the chamber, firing a Ray of Tender Recovery in his direction.

Kenva just shook her head in resignation.

“I thought it was pretty cool. A little help?” Porkchop added, hurling himself at the remaining royal guard.

It was battered, ichor leaking from a dozen shattered chitinous plates. Porkchop didn’t look much better. His back had been ravaged from repeated stabs, steady rivulets of blood trickling down the sides of his armour.

Kaius just grinned, mouth still too full of blood to talk. Brandishing his blade, he ran for his brother's side.