Runeblade

The depthsborn snake-centipede lazed in a patching of sunlight, coiled around itself.

It made it hard to judge its true size, but Kaius thought it had to be an easy thirty or fourty strides long. Thankfully, its wide and flat body segments looked to be two strides wide, so even with its size, it wouldn't have an overwhelming mass advantage on them.

Still, it was armoured in heavy scaled plates. It would be a hardy beast, that was for sure.

A good thing in Kaius's eyes. It only meant more opportunities to work on his skills. Despite using both Mercurial Reversal and Runeblade Hymnfocus as often as he could in their recent fights, he was still getting their measure.

The second Skill especially. Hymnfocus required more active concentration than he was used to, and getting it right in the middle of a battle was still awkward to weave into his overall fighting style.

He was determined to get it functional — not just for the levels such a growth in mastery would bring. It was easy to see how infusing his sword with combat spells could become a core part of his fighting style — especially with the subtle changes in effects his spells underwent. More options to leverage when they could be best exploited was always good.

Kaius focused on the depthsborn ahead of them, pouring over the system description that Truesight called into being.

Lobed Serpent - Level 247:

Depthsborn, Beast, Vanguard

A vanguard — a heavily armoured offensive fighter. He could work with that — at the least, it was an easier match-up to handle for him and Porkchop than a hyper evasive Skirmisher.

Next to him, Kaius could see Kenva making her own assessments. Valuable, considering her ability to identify weaknesses, and her own analysis evaluating the danger the beast would personally present to her.

Giving him a nod, the environment around Kenva twisted — shielding her form as she crept closer in dead silence.

Waiting with baited breath, Kaius silently drew his blade, ready to dive after her.

While he knew she would gain much by getting close enough to see the creature's soul and flow of energy within its body, it was still nerve-wracking.

Thankfully, the lobed serpent didn't stir as she crept forwards, stopping just over twenty longstrides from where it rested. A moment later she returned, giving Kaius a grin as she dropped her stealth skill.

"What'd you find?" Kaius kept his voice quiet — unwilling to alert their target.

"Farseer says it's an extreme threat, so no change compared to the rest of the beasts. Otherwise, its vitals are concentrated in the upper third of its body, the closer to its head the better. Armour is tough stuff — barely any weak points. The plates overlap on its top side, but the underneath is a little thinner and has gaps between its body segments."

Kaius nodded — it was useful info. A few Nails into its throat, followed by a Stormlash and a Bladerite boosted Mercurial Reversal or Rend? He could do some serious damage.

It would have been even better if he could layer even more of his blade skills, but it seemed that Bladerite's supportive function towards other skills eased its ability to be used in conjunction. While it hadn't proven impossible to use his Mystic's Rend with Mercurial Reversal, it was still difficult. The energies and intents behind the Skills clashed — required more active focus on his part to tame and control.

Another thing to practice — though perhaps not in live combat until he could do so with reasonable reliability.

Combining anything with Hymnfocus was out of the question for now. The skill was proving focus intensive enough as it was without Bladerite amplifying everything further.

Feeling Porkchop approaching his position, Kaius grabbed Kenva's eye and gestured back towards their teammates. As they moved to meet them, he focused more fully on his bond.

"Time to keep quiet — Kenva's found us another beast."

Kaius got back a feeling of acceptance, and the impression that his message had been passed on to Ianmus.

They met moments later, leading the rest of their team towards the lobed serpent as they shared what they had learned.

"Patriarch's fury, that's a hideous thing, isn't it? Are we going to fight it? I thought we were cutting through the clearing."

Kaius shook his head.

"Stealthed swarm in the way — we take this one out and circle around."

"What's our plan?" Ianmus whispered.

"You and Kenva open as per usual. Though it may be worth Kenva using her Ensnaring Seedburst since it's been so nice as to coil itself up for us. Porkchop gets its attention with a Challenge and charges with Breaker of Men. I'll soften it up a bit with a few Nails and try to hit it from the flank. Kenva, you shoot when Ianmus is ready — that'll be the signal."

His team nodded their assent, and Kaius watched Ianmus start to gather mana. Right before he moved to the front of their line, Kaius dipped into Vyrnthane — dropping a tightly shaped barrier around his back line. It had grown tougher, denser, than when he'd first gotten the skill. He doubted a ruin bringer would be able to shatter it with a single easy tailspike now.

Leaving his backline behind, Kaius crept closer to the dozing serpent, closing the distance with Porkchop.

A minute later an arrow shot past him, threading its way between two of the lobed serpent's coils to bury itself deep in the ground.

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Energy pulsed through the earth, woody vines erupting free to clamber and knot themselves over the central bulk of the creature. Kenva's skill wasn't high enough level to cover its full form, but she still succeeded in binding its head.

The beast's eyes snapped open, a crackling hiss echoing out of its sinewy form. Light snapped through the undergrowth, boring through four different sections of the creature's body that had been layered together in its rest.

The lobed serpent spasmed, red blood dripping from blackened holes in its flesh. It snapped its jaw, ripping open the vines that bound it shut, before it tore into those that held it pinned. An arrow slammed home into its gullet.

Porkchop roared. The serpent locked on to their bastion. Porkchop charged a moment later, the ground rippling under his feet.

Nails shot from Kaius's outstretched hand — sinking deep into the seams between segments on the serpent's belly. He raced in.

Another beam, smaller and lesser, scoured the serpent's eye. It ignored the wound, breaking free of ensnaring routes to rear up into a striking position. A dozen legs wavered in an undulating threat.

It struck.

Kaius felt his stomach clench.

Porkchop dropped his shoulder.

A wave of jagged crystal rising from the earth to tear at the serpent's stomach. Kaius watched the serpent reel, its fangs chipping his brother's pauldron. The weight of Porkchop's charge slammed home — the serpent's jaw crunched.

Kaius reached for Eirnith, dropping a Zone of Discombobulation directly on the serpent before it could recover from the daze of Porkchop's slam. It's head slammed into the ground, eyes defocusing for a moment, before it rose in confusion.

A shunt closed the last of the distance as he called a whip of crackling lightning to his hand. He cracked his Lash right at the Nails he had left embedded in the beast's belly. Four in total, each one had expanded, cracking open its armour and leaving weeping holes.

Arcs jumped between three metal spikes. The serpent convulsed as electrical mana and reverberant force attacked it from within. His Nails began to glow, superheated from the charge that ran through them — boiling the serpent's flesh.

It screamed. Kaius touched the ground, whirling his blade into a heavy thrust.

The final bindings holding their foe prone snapped. It struck for Porkchop again, only to be stopped fast by a Shardwall that shoved it back.

Before Kaius could land his stab, he felt Uncanny Dodge flare in warning. Unburdened by their old bindings, the serpent cracked its tail towards — spurred limbs poised to skewer him where he stood.

Kaius moved, watching arrows land home in the beast's throat.

He tapped into his Bladerite — pulling on Mercurial Reversal immediately afterward. Glowing with the potency of his skills, A Father's Gift snapped up, catching one of the serpent's legs as he leapt backwards.

His skill went to work, leaching the beast's strength as he slid back, using his blade as a lever to push himself free of its attack.

Its tail swung past his chest.

Energy rushed to the point of his sword.

Kaius cast another Shunt, blasting towards the beast's chest with his blade at full extension.

It slammed home into the gap created by his Nails, wounds already peppered with the remnants of a dozen of Kenva's shattering arrows. He sunk his weapon to the hilt, his sword erupting from the creature's back.

The depthsborn screamed, writhing as it rose its head to the sky in agony. The motion only gave Porkchop the chance to sink the jade fangs of his Maw into a thin joint between its natural armour.

Kaius felt doom flare again — he ripped his sword free, activating Mystic's Rend. Mana coursed to his sword, detonating twice in quick succession as he lengthened the motion into a draw cut.

Blood gushed from its wounds. He laughed, revelling in the joy of the viscera that sprayed his face.

He lunged to the side — away from the sense of danger. He was too slow: the beast's tail clipped his shoulder from behind.

Agony bloomed as Kaius felt a spear-pointed boney limb punch through his scale, sinking deep into his chest.

Pain was nothing — he cast Shunt, ripping himself free to dash in once more.

He was the hammer, Porkchop the anvil, and his backline the fire. More wounds opened on the serpent's body, caught in a crucible it couldn't escape. Its wounds writhed, but no amount of its healing could keep pace with their onslaught.

Twice more, Kaius parried a tail strike, and twice more he used the beast's own stolen strength to deliver a devastating strike to its vitals.

Incensed, it struck like a viper, yellowish liquid spraying from its fangs.

Porkchop blurred — racing infront of him in a moment, his speed boosted by Interceed the Weak.

Kaius heard his brother scream — saw Porkchop's flesh smoke and boil as the acidic spray seeped between the cracks in his armour. Still Porkchop fought on, Breaker of Men slamming the serpent to the ground.

Prone and flattened as their foe was, Kaius got the opportunity he had been waiting for. He reached for a Nail, strengthening his connection with his sword. Relying on the guidance of Hymnfocus he willed his spell into his blade. It took his full focus — a distraction only acceptable with their opponent fully occupied.

Spurred steel erupted from the edge of his blade, hooked and tangled. Still empowered by his Resonance Amplification, the serrations buzzed — screaming as they vibrated back and forth.

Throwing himself forwards, he plunged his sword into the serpent's flesh, levering and hacking within its body. A dozen times a second, each hooked edge would grow and warp — tearing at the serpent with independent hunger.

The serpent went wild, but Porkchop kept its head pinned to the ground, smashing its skull over and over with successive Jadecrashes. It was still dangerous, razor tipped claws burning as they tore through Kaius's flesh.

Porkchop's armour did much to protect him, but the questing limbs found the gaps in his armour, drawing his blood as they sank deep.

A javelin sized arrow slammed into its immobile eye — punching through the thin socket behind.

Beams of light landed one after the other, curving into wounds to lengthen their journey through the beast's body.

Kaius just kept hacking, drenched in more and more of the creature's blood as severed internals oozed out of the rent he left in its body.

It took less than a quarter-minute for him to hear the ding of the system confirming their kill.

**Ding! level 247 Lobed Serpent - Acidic Hunter slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

…

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached level 178!**

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

Kaius grinned and ripped his blade free.

Another level — he'd been waiting for a few kills to get this one. He waved to his team.

"Let's go! Who knows what else will turn up!"

They ran, continuing their journey towards the sound of roaring water. As they lost themselves among the jungle undergrowth, Kaius checked the gains his skills had seen during the confrontation.

**Ding! Class Skill Notifications Consolidated!**

**Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 169!**

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**Initiate's Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 162!**

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**Latent Glyph of Aelina has reached level 149 > 152!**

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**Mystic's Rend has reached level 143 > 144!**

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**Latent Glyph of Vyrthane has reached level 67 > 68!**

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**Sigil of Vesryn's Pact has reached level 85!**

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**Latent Glyph of Eirnith has reached level 65!**

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**Mercurial Reversal has reached level 46 > 48!**

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**Runeblade Hymnfocus has reached level 24 > 27!**

**General Skill Notifications Consolidated!**

**Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 187!**

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**Explorer's Toolkit has reached level 166!**

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**Truesight has reached level 160!**

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**Resonance Amplification has reached level 148 > 152!**

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**Uncanny Dodge has reached level 176!**