Runeblade

B2 Chapter 251: Bonefields, Finale

Heart thumping in his chest, Kaius shut out the pain of his injuries.

Agonous it might have been, the pain was drowned out by the roaring heat of his fury. He would not be cowed by simple pain—he would not be bested by something little better than a mangy dog-thing.

Hoarsely crying out, he ignored the feeling of his shattered bones punching through his skin as he twisted, driving the point of his sword deep into a gap between the bone plates that covered the biter’s chest.

The beast yelped, yanking its head to the side.

With as good of a grip as it had, Kaius was yanked off his feet—the world going horizontal as his flesh tore further. Using its overdeveloped strength, the biter hauled—tossing him away in a desperate attempt to dislodge his blade.

Somehow, he managed to keep a grip on it—the world blurring around him as he spiraled through the air in a splay of limbs.

He came down hard, tumbling across the plateau in a flail of limbs and streaking blood. Groaning at the rough treatment, Kaius pushed himself to his feet. He coughed, wincing at the flare of pain that radiated from his shoulder—and from the flood of blood that filled his mouth.

Spitting out the red, he glanced at his wound. It was ruined—an injury far worse than the cat that had almost done him in when he’d first landed in the Depths.

His armour was in tatters—stray strips of flesh and white bone protruding from the hole where his pauldron had once been. Hot blood pumped from the wound—slow as treacle, but soaking him all the same.

Trying to lift the arm was useless, and whatever skill his enemy had used was inhibiting his healing. Every thump of his heart pushed more blood from the torn mess of blood vessels. Even with Lesser Regeneration causing his vital fluid to flow like thick treacle, every moment sapped him of his strength.

His stark lack of fear made Kaius pause. He’d grown. The last time he’d had his shoulder broken like this, he’d cried—fearing his death.

Now, the thought of that only made him bare his bloodstained teeth—the Bloodsong rising to a fever pitch.

Rapid Adaptation was already burning through his system—fighting the affliction off, but there was no way he would bet on it happening soon. His Glass Mind made it clear that was folly—adapting to what was happening now is how he’d see another day.

Seeing his wounds, a trio of biters peeled off from the pack, stalking towards him with the one who had wounded him at the lead.

Kaius’s smile widened at their approach and he tightened his grip on his blade, adjusting his stance to better use it with one hand.

And to think he’d been worried the fight wouldn’t be enough of a challenge.

…

Leaping backwards, Kaius relied on his Slip Step to put a decent chunk of distance between him and the approaching bone biters. His shoulder fucking hurt—and his health was burning faster than it should trying to fight through the affliction that was stifling his recovery.

Abominable undead-looking dog-things they might have been, these beasts hit as hard as a hill giant.

And now he had to take on three of them one handed.

He knew he shouldn’t have found that prospect exhilarating. That it should have sent a wave of dread rushing up his spine, constricting his throat.

Unfortunately, he’d long since accepted that he seemed to have lost his mind in the Depths. Just a few bits, really. The unimportant ones, like a healthy sense of self-preservation, and a good understanding of reasonable risks.

Grunting at the jolt of pain, he shoved his blade under the pit of his ruined arm—forcing himself to hold the weapon against his body, flexing muscles making bone shards punch deeper into his flesh.

As quick as he could, he pulled two potions free from his pouch. One the green of grass shoots, the other the silver-blue of heated steel.

Two restoratives, mana and health.

Holding both at the same time, he ripped the corks free with his teeth, before pouring both down his throat. The tonics mingled on his tongue, a confusing alchemical mixture of the icy chill of a sacred wind, and the warming fuzz of taking a nap on a field of wildflowers.

**Ding! You have imbibed a Tonic: Superior Life Infusion**

**Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Nourishing Kiss of the Moon**

As the alchemical mixtures hit his stomach, energy coursed into his soul—both his Health and Mana recovering by a full thousand. They’d been costly things—but more than worth it in his honest opinion.

Discarding the bottles, he reset his stance as they tinked against the stone. His blade was leveled, held angled upwards with his elbow bent.

His chosen opponents were still approaching cautiously—wary of the figure who had slaughtered so many of their pack mates.

Seeing their caution, Kaius risked a quick glance at Porkchop. He’d felt his brother’s burning rage—and the pain that had been building on his back and hindquarters.

Arrayed against what had to be half of the pack’s original numbers, Porkchop was doing his best, but without Kaius there to sow confusion and discord through their ranks he was having a rough go at it.

Oh, sure, he was still a terror—even outnumbering him ten to one, the biters shied away from Porkchop’s every movement, doing their best to never be caught in the range of his deadly claws and fangs.

But they did have the numbers, and even with his Autonomous Greatshield, Porkchop couldn’t defend from every assault. Great gouges had been torn from his lower back and hind legs—some as deep as Kaius’s wrist where the biters had torn chunks of flesh out of his brother.

As much as the sensation of his brother’s pain drove his battlefury to a fever pitch, he was confident that Porkchop could hold his own. Especially with Ianmus supporting him.

In that brief look, another of the mage’s silvery-white Rays of Tender Recover splashed over his brother—his healing rapidly recovering.

Confident in Porkchop’s chances, Kaius turned back to his own struggle. Brandishing his blade with a flourish, he turned to his side—leaving his injured shoulder pointing away from the biters. No point providing them with an easy shot at his injury if he didn’t have to.

The world wavered as he stepped, moving thrice as far as he should have.

His advance seemed to shake the biters out of their caution. Low growls ceased, and they attacked as one.

A screaming bark came from the leftmost beast—a skill that stabbed his ears like an icepick, waves of crushing force buffeting him a moment later. Muscling through the attack with brute force, Kaius covered his face with his arm, only partially defending from the shower of bone needles that pelted him from another of the beasts.

Half of the needles punched through his armour—but they did little else besides, a few needle pricks far from enough to truly injure him, and pain meant little to him now.

As soon as the initial assault was over, Kaius summoned a Shunt, riding a wave of explosive force as he closed the distance. It was a snap decision, each cast was precious, but he wasn’t about to let the beasts wear him down from range.

A discordant whine filled the air as he sheathed his blade in the burning wire of Mystic’s Rend. The biters scattered in the face of his assault, but Expedient Shunt was fast. Too fast for all of them to escape.

He descended like a holy avenger, bringing his blade down on the neck of the bone biter who had used the bone needles against him. Unfortunately, with his awkward angle, he wasn’t able to strike directly for its undefended throat.

Fortunately, Mystic’s Rend cared little for bone armour. The skill collapsed, explosive arcane shattering the plate that covered the back of its neck.

The beast whined—it’s armour and flesh corroding under the hungry touch of raw arcane.

Before it could recover, or its packmates could force him back, Kaius rolled through the down stroke. Bringing his blade around again, he struck the same wound—this time layering Mystic’s Rend with the enhancing power of his Bladerite.

His sword bit deep—cleaving into the biters spine, before the resultant explosion blew the bone out through its neck.

It collapsed, eyes going glassy.

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**Ding! level 114 Bone Biter - Far Hunter slain - Experience Gained! Increased Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 91!**

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

Kaius howled his victory to the air—and then quickly refreshed his Slip Step so he could avoid the furious retaliation of the other two rapidly approaching biters.

As he raced away, searching for an opening to exploit, another of Ianmus’s healing rays burnt through the air. It was easily thrice the thickness of his previous spells, and so potent that he could see the raw solar mana arcing across its length.

The beam splashed over Porkchop—every one of his wounds repairing themselves within the second. A complete restoration. One that allowed him to turn the tide on the mob that assaulted him.

Porkchop charged, exploiting the sudden shift in the battle to sink his jaws around a biter’s head—his Warden’s Maw crushing the creature's skull.

More power raced into Kaius’s soul with its death, though not enough to push him over the next level. As much as he hated it, the growing experience burden was simply too much for a single death to fulfil—especially with the rapidly shrinking gap in their strengths.

The ray still burned, and Kaius couldn’t help but stare in awe at the spell that had enabled Porkchop’s kill. How’d Ianmus managed it? He hadn’t spent anywhere near the channeling time he would need for such a trick—even if he used his Hypercharged Spell.

Then he saw the tell tale traces of another affinity threaded through the ray, hidden almost completely by the sheer intensity of the spell—a subtle pale green.

Life mana.

He’d used the condensate. Thank the gods they’d found it.

Lunging to the side, Kaius narrowly avoided a clawing swipe from his own opponents. He swept his focus inwards—finding that Rapid Adaptation was making good progress against the affliction. Plus, even with it in place, he was still healing.

His bleeding was almost entirely stopped now, and most of his bones had set themselves, even if they hadn’t properly healed yet.

Another heavy paw strike came for him. He reacted on instinct.

With only a one handed grip on his blade, he risked losing it if he tried to block or parry. Instead he dropped his shoulder.

Thick claws smashed into his pauldron. A deep gasp shot out of Kaius’s mouth as the air was driven from his lungs, partly from the force of the strike, and partly from having his wounded shoulder jostled so heavily.

But he still had his sword.

Bursting to the side with a Shunt, Kaius shot straight into the face of the nearest biter. Right as they were about to collide, he bled off his momentum with a secondary activation. The resultant explosion knocked the beast off balance, its claws scrambling at the hard ground.

Conveniently leaving it unable to deal with the Rend that took it in the throat.

Another explosion rippled out—this one joined by chunks of flesh.

A moment later, more strength exploded through him as unseen beasts were found wanting before Porkchop’s claws.

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 92!**

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

Burning through his body, Rapid Adaptation excised the last of Kaius’s affliction, and his flesh writhed with renewed intensity.

“Heal!” he screamed, needing to finish the fight quickly.

A radiant beam—like getting a warm hug from a loved one—washed over him.

**Ding! You have been Healed - Ray of Tender Recovery**

Between it and his Lesser Regeneration he regained the use of his offhand a moment later—even if his shoulder would take another half a minute or so to fully recover.

Kaius rolled his shoulder, wincing as it twinged. It’d do. It was enough.

Two crackling snakes of lightning burst from his hand, binding his opponents tight. Refreshing his Slip Step, he rushed the beasts—burning stamina and mana like water as he hammered them with Mystic’s Rend and Glyphic Bladerite both.

In his haste to return to Porkchop’s side and render assistance, he got sloppy—more blood spilled on the plateau as a lucky claw strike bared his ribs to the world, scything through the flesh that had been exposed by the rent in his armour.

The biters still fell before his fury—arcane explosions and heavy slashes tearing chunks from their flesh, until they collapsed dead.

**Ding! level 120 Bone Biter - Maw of the Mountain slain - Experience Gained! Increased Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

…

**Ding! level 119 Bone Biter - Rabid Pursuer slain - Experience Gained! Increased Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

Without waiting for a moment, Kaius raced towards his brother. Only six biters were left—four shattered corpses lying at Porkchop’s feet.

Still more than enough for him to struggle to ward them all off.

Using another Shunt, Kaius flew in, snapping off a Hateful Nail right towards a biter who’d manage to circle around and sink his jaws into Porkchop’s hip. The metal spike screamed through the air, punching straight into the beast’s eye.

The creature dropped dead a moment later.

**Ding! level 112 Bone Biter - Rabid Pursuer slain - Experience Gained! Increased Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

Three more Nails left his hand—but his other targets were wary of him after the sharp crack of the explosion that had sent him flying towards them. They lurched away from the projectiles—the spells burying deep into their flesh, but failing to leave lethal wounds.

Gritting his teeth, Kaius switched to Stormlash, two crackling arcs leaving the entire group momentarily stunned.

It was enough of an opening for Porkchop to kill two of them—punching into their skulls with his reinforced claws.

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 93!**

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

Landing next to one of the last living members of the back, Kaius cut deep into its neck with a Rend. Claws raked his back—even though the armour held, white fire lanced into his mind as his ribs and spine cracked.

He ignored the injury—removing the head of the beast in front of him with a double helping of Rend and his Bladerite.

**Ding! level 117 Bone Biter - Hunter of the Long Dead slain - Experience Gained! Increased Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

Blue motes trailed Kaius’s feet as he sprinted forwards, taking himself out of the range of the biter behind him as he flickered in and out of the world.

Barely a moment later burning rays shot across the plateau, blinding one of the last two beasts. It was the only opening Kaius needed. Blind and defenceless, it was simplicity itself to send a Hateful Nail into its skull.

**Ding! level 114 Bone Biter - Mountain Maw slain - Experience Gained! Increased Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

With only a single Biter remaining, Porkchop took out his frustration at being mobbed by the vast majority of the pack the whole fight. He descended on the beast in a fury—cracking its carapace with raking swipe after raking swipe of his claws.

It tried to dodge—escape from the danger of a furious greater meles—but it was no use. Porkchop ended it like he had most of his kills—squeezing its brains out of its ears with a crushing bite of Warden’s Maw.

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 94!**

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

**Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Hordebreaker**

**Class Skill Notifications Consolidated!**

**Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 111 > 118!**

…

**Ding! Initiate’s Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 74 > 79!**

…

**Ding! Latent Glyph of Aelina has reached level 103 > 111!**

…

**Ding! Mystic’s Rend has reached level 27 > 46!**

**General Skill Notifications Consolidated!**

**Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 91 > 94!**

…

**Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 92 > 98!**

…

**Ding! Explorer’s Toolkit has reached level 72 > 77!**

…

**Ding! Tempered By Dissonance has reached level 83 > 90!**

…

**Ding! Resonance Amplification has reached level 84 > 87!**

…

**Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 87 > 98!**

…

**Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 89 > 97!**

…

**Ding! Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus has reached level 98 > 109!**

Kaius stood, staring at the notifications with a wild smile on his face.

He laughed long and loud as he revelled in his latest victory. Another Honour! And one that likely had later variants too—this fight had been even better than he’d hoped.

More than that, he felt the visceral satisfaction of stinging wounds and burning muscles. Of the sweat streaming off of him like rain, and his lungs billowing in his chest.

It had been so long, so long, since they’d had a decent fight. Everything, everything since leaving the Depths had been so different. The spider had been desperate, but awkward—he’d been too unused to fighting with Ianmus’s support. The infernus hound had been tainted by the memories of Rieker’s lessons, and the boggarts had been a grind. Even the Drake—relative of dragons it might have been, it hadn’t exactly been a straight up brawl.

This though?

This had tested him—left him injured in a way that had felt so normal in his life below ground. He hadn’t even realised he’d missed it. _{𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎}

Kaius turned to his friends, simple joy on his face.

“We got another one!” he called, thrusting his blade in the air.

Porkchop chuffed, immediately taking a seat as his remnant wounds healed, while Ianmus clapped, his own smile wide and broad.

“A great showing, you two. Very hair-raising display.” the mage quipped.

Kaius was about to reply, when a sharp twinge radiated through his chest. It was like he’d been stung—right where the hole in his armour left his skin exposed. He looked down, expecting to find some bit of scrap scale that had gotten caught.

Instead he found a dart.

“What the fuck?”

**Ding! You have been afflicted by Gravebound Slumber - Poison, Dream, Tier 2**