Runeblade

The manticore honed in on Porkchop with a razor focus. Flames flared higher, searing the air as mana swirled in its body, building to a fever pitch.

Kaius cut right, Slip Step tugging him through the skin of the world as he circled to the flank.

It was concentrating mana in its legs, pulsing brighter by the moment. Kaius's Glass Mind roared to life, his second mind racing through hundreds of memories of mana flows — the way his kills had used an endless variety of skills. The pattern was there: a dozen different abilities shoved into the forefront of his mind.

A charge, infused and reinforced with an explosive detonation!

Deeply immersed in their link, Porkchop reacted to his insight. Mana and stamina surged from his brother's centre, fueling the use of yet another skill. He was still charging — potent crystal attuned power infusing the ground beneath him with every step. Mid stride, he plunged a claw into the ground.

A Prismatic Shardwall erupted in a shower of dirt. The thick barrier of green jade glistened in the light, twenty strides wide. It raced toward the Guardian, hiding Porkchop in its shadow.

Explosions detonated beneath the manticore's paws, launching it forward into a savage pounce — the heat emanating off it wavering in the very air. Kaius grit his teeth, he was close, but not close enough to reach it before it hit.

The battle was moving so fast. It had only been seconds since their backline's initial strike — keeping up took every scrap of mental power he had.

Driving his foot into the ground, he kicked off to redirect towards his target — every ligament in his knee screamed in complaint as the full force of his speed yanked it outwards.

Kaius ignored the pain, his arm snapping up. Two Hateful Nails shot out of his hand, joined by a shower of orange sparks as waste mana was vented from his glyph.

They slammed home — sinking into the manticore's shoulder and flank. He grit his teeth — rotten roots, he'd aimed for its bloody head!

Utterly unphased by both his spells and another solar ray, the manticore ran on, more blasts shooting it forward. Kaius followed, moving to intercept. He had to break the charge — the Guardian was on a direct collision course with Porkchop. His brother needed the momentum advantage.

Bright blue-white erupted from his hand, shimmering and distorted reflections wavering in the black glass behind his target. Kaius lashed — lightning arcing between the two tangled nails in its flesh.

It barely flinched — the sudden electrocution singing its flesh, but not halting its advance. Frustration welled, clenching his jaw tight — there was little else he could do. Too damn fast.

Unphased by Porkchop's layered approach, the manticore dug its claws in a final time — rocketing straight for the Shardwall. It hit the barrier shoulder first.

Sickening cracks echoed through the plateau as a red conflagration bloomed at the point of impact. Porkchop's skill was shattered wholesale, jagged chunks the size of mason blocks flying in every direction — including directly into their summoner.

Porkchop ignored the deadly rain, shards clacking as they rebounded off of his heavy plate — he reared up, throwing himself at the Guardian.

They met in a titanic, bone-shaking, crash. Fire erupted as the manticore mauled him, claws raking along overlapping jade plates. It was not so well defended. Cutting spikes of jade erupted from the earth, rippling out from porkchop in a wave. He wasn't done — spikes of jade, summoned by the Warden's Maw, sank into muscle and flesh as Porkchop savaged the Guardian's shoulder.

Shuddering as he weathered a blow on his pauldron, Porkchop retaliated in turn. Jadecrash turned his arm into a crude club. A clack filled the air as he smashed the beast's knee, knocking it off balance.

Their brawl of primal brutality continued, Porkchop going blow for blow in an unyielding flurry of raw aggression. His armour cracked, fur and leather smouldering beneath it, but he fought on unhindered — ceaseless in his quest to keep the manticore's attention focused on him, and him alone.

Arrows slammed into the beast's chest and shoulders — Godsmaw wood shattering into deadly shards.

Kaius arrived after another bound, landing nimbly by the Guardian's flank. The weight of his responsibility drove him forwards, an engine of duty and spite that fueled his aggression. He had to hamper the manticore's mobility — it was his main role in the fight, and the only way they would win. No matter how tough he was, Porkchop couldn't hold forever, and Ianmus and Kenva wouldn't be able to do enough damage to put it down fast enough.

As much as he wished to unload his full crop of Nails into the back of the creature's head, he couldn't. Their alpha strike might have left it wounded, but the damn thing still moved like a leaf in a storm — he'd be as liable to hit Porkchop as he was the manticore itself.

One after the other, twisted spike after twisted spike rocketed from his hands — each followed by a concussive boom. They slammed into the manticore's shoulder, driving deep into its flesh before resonating wires dug their way into the joint.

The Guardian squealed, goblinoid face twisting in agony as its front-left leg was lamed. The sound rose to the point of pain when Porkchop capitalised on the injury, ignoring his own ragged burns to slam a Jadecrash into the twisted amalgamation of steel and blood.

Kaius grinned. The manticore might have been a tough bastard, but it was still a creature of flesh and blood. Switching targets, he unloaded another ten Nails into its hip — a combined half of his prepared pool.

As Porkchop unleashed another Bulwark's Challenge to occupy the Guardian's attention, Kaius raced back — and called on every Stormlash he had prepared. With the beast being able to withstand the stunning effect of the spell, it was better to burn them now and seize a decisive edge.

Waste mana fell from his glyph in a torrent as strike after strike of bottled electrical fury erupted from his hand in a series of thunderous booms. Over and over he hurled the bolts into the twisted wires of his Nails. Crackling arcs jumped across the metal remnants, racing into the Guardian's body as black smoke erupted from its wounds — blood burning wholesale.

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Now it seized, body contorting as it fell to the ground as wracking convulsions washed over the manticore.

Hot joy pulsed with every beat of Kaius's heart, visceral satisfaction coursing down his neck and spreading tingles over his back as he watched the blinding light wrap the Guardian in chains of his own making.

It was the opening they needed. Porkchop launched himself forward, slamming into the manticore with another Breaker of Men. The skill needled the beast with spikes of sacred jade, spilling blood that steamed in the cold alpine air.

Nor did Kaius's backline waste the moment of stillness. A doubled beam burst the manticore's eye, vitreous jelly sizzling in the heat as its natural resistance failed to protect the delicate organs. It screamed, a shriek that stabbed Kaius's ears.

Arrows slammed home one after the other, peppering the ground around the manticore. Roots burst free a heartbeat later, crawling over the beast like living snakes — before they suddenly clung tight, forcibly holding it down. Oh, the fires on its back burned, but the roots only smouldered. Kenva's skill was strong enough to last — for a time, at least.

As Porkchop lunged forward to hammer the manticore's chest and flank, healing beams fell upon him one after the other — restoring him as fast as Ianmus could cast them.

Kaius committed himself fully to his task. The first stage of their attack was done — now he had to get it as close to death as possible before something inevitably went to shit.

It always did, and none of them were idiotic enough to think a Crucible Guardian would go down easy.

A sonic crack exploded from behind him, dust clouds billowing as a Shunt sent him hurtling over the dozen longstrides between him and his target.

He touched down, a secondary detonation of his skill bleeding off his excess speed — only for Uncanny Dodge to scream a warning. Death approached. Behind him and to his right.

Reality quivered as he refreshed Slip Step, diving down the instant he registered the danger. Through the warped echoes of slipspace, he watched the manticore's tail twitch — tearing through its bindings before a headsized maul of bone ripped through where his chest had been a moment before.

Kaius's eyes widened — gasping at the close miss. Gods it was flexible, it had twisted the damn thing nearly completely in half to make that strike!

Hitting the ground, Kaius used his momentum to roll — popping back up to his feet, ready to dodge again.

Kenva was already on it. Four arrows landed in quick succession, double the number of roots clambering over the tail to force it flat to the ground.

He had to trust it was enough — his opening was closing, he could feel it in his bones. That, and the screaming insistence of Explorer's Toolkit that the roots wouldn't last much longer against the fires that burned on the manticore's spine.

Layering two Zones of Discombobulation, Kaius watched the manticore — its struggles growing disorganised and confused. Bladerite burned, igniting a fire within A Father's Gift — his soul surged higher with stamina, reinforcing his link to the blade.

Kaius reached for another Hateful Nail, forcing the magic to move to his wishes, to merge with his blade. Hooked teeth glinted in the light as they sprouted from his blade's edge — they whired, a low roar filling the air as the barbs tore back and forth so fast that he saw them only as a blur.

The sound was joyous, raising his own song to its staccato beat. He lunged, right for its throat.

In the same moment, the first of Kenva's roots began to fail — burnt through by gouting flames. The manticore's eyes were locked on Kaius, a scowl on its face.

Tearing an arm free with a heave, it bent around and raked the air. Flames burst in a wave. A wall of raging inferno, racing straight for him.

Truesight let him see through the fire. Porkchop weathered a bite to his back as he dove forward, slamming the limb down. More roots burst free of the earth, binding the limb once more. They would only last so long, but even the momentary reprieve came too late — the fire raged unhindered.

Staring at burning death, Kaius was unfaltering. It was hot, but it was only a candle in the face of his conviction. He would survive — he would persist!

Kaius hit the wall of flame at a full pace. Licking tongues seemed to wrap around him, finding the gaps in his armour as searing agony covered his body. His skin bubbled, melding with the smoking fibres of his underclothes as his metal scales shimmered in the heat.

He ran on, teeth clamped shut as he held his breath. There was no point in sacrificing his ability to breathe just to vent a little pain. Rapid Adaptation surged through him — blunting the cooking heat and helping him to squash the agony into a manageable box. It wasn't as effective against direct damage, but it was enough. He was through.

Now he screamed, pivoting into a wild hack as he drove A Father's Gift into the Guardian's throat. The teeth on his blade howled in hunger, whirring endlessly as they tore greedily at thick hide and flesh alike. Blood fell in a boiling wave — stinging as it fell upon him like pitch. Hopefully because of his full-coverage burns.

He didn't give it anymore thought as his spell elapsed, ripping teeth vanishing like they had never been. Fluid despite his injuries, Kaius switched to rend — whining unstable arcane blowing out chunks of flesh as he twisted into a trio of strikes.

The manticore gurgled, face twisting into rage instead of what Kaius had hoped: pain and fear.

Mana flooded its body. Something he'd seen before — only once. It started to build, flooding its chest to bursting. There was a second weave forming too. Something new. Kaius narrowed his eyes.

"Back!"

He screamed to Porkchop, decisively detonating a Shunt right in the manticore's face. He watched it rock back as he shot through the air, chaining a second cast to extend his retreat to a full fifty longstrides.

Kaius watched mana flood its body. Something new — something it hadn't used before. Building to the point of bursting.

First came ignition. Fire erupted from every pore on the manticore's body, burning its bindings to ash before concentrating on the creature's wounds. They glowed with ghostly light as the creature leapt to its feet. It wasn't healing faster, but it seemed utterly unburdened by its injuries, and no more blood spilled.

The Hateful Nails he'd left in its flesh grew red. Then white. They bowed and dripped — no longer restraining the beast.

For a moment, it looked between him and Porkchop, before it settled on the closer target. Its throat convulsed — a roaring beam of fire erupting from its open mouth as streamers gouted from the ragged hole in its throat.

Kaius's heart lurched in concern for his brother, but he knew it would be fine. Porkchop was ready.

He hunkered down, shielding himself with his armour as best he could. Energy surged as Porkchop activated The Stone that Weathered Time. Flames blanketed him, licking helplessly against his superior defence — with Unbroken Through Suffering he barely winced against the concentrated attack.

If only the defensive skill didn't leave Porkchop so slow!

In a moment of surprising intelligence, the manticore ignored Porkchop — hateful eyes settling firmly on Kaius. It burst forwards, the distance between them vanishing — arrows and lances falling helplessly to the ground at its sudden speed.

Kaius watched it rapidly approach, the faintest glimmer of uncertainty starting to build in his chest.