Runeblade-Chapter 301B3 : Cold Desert Night, pt. 2

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Four ruinbringers, standing fresh and free on the surface of the desert. The closest was twice as far as the pagoda they were aiming for, but that meant little. The creatures were fast, able to flit across the sand at a pace he wouldn’t have been able to match on solid ground.

If they were spotted, Kaius knew that they would be hard pressed to make it into the stone safety of the pagoda — to say little of the fact that that safety was not guaranteed. There was no certainty that the entrance to the next biome was within, nor that it would be free of other dangers that could prove lethal if they rushed in unprepared.

They were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

He was sure of one thing, if they fought more than one ruinbringer at once, they were almost certain to lose someone — regardless of their recent gains.

He didn’t much like their chances of avoiding that in the open desert either. Even if the scorpions were widely spread through the sand, they had no way of knowing how far they would roam at night, nor how far away they would be spotted from.

At the very least, they hadn’t yet — the ruinbringers were slowly picking their way across the dunes, their tails bobbing to brush the sand every few steps. As if they were refamiliarising themselves with their territory.

Kaius blanched as he refocused on the creature’s deadly projectiles. The ruinbringers wouldn’t even need to reach them to be a threat — with how fast and powerful the fired spines were, he had no doubt that they would have considerable range.

As much as the greater distance would give them more time to react, it would still be like trying to withstand a rain of hellfire.

“What do we do?” Ianmus whispered, staring at the scorpions in horror.

Kenva was focused, tracking each creature like a hawk. “We can’t stay here, that’s for damned sure. Hidden tent or no, I don’t fancy testing its illusion against the senses of a tier two beast — not when they could sense us so easily without their eyes.”

Suppressing the desire to curse, Kaius wracked his brain’s. Kenva was right, as much as he hated it. Their best bet was trying to make it to the pagoda.

They would need to run like they had demons on their tail, without thought for standing to fight — a battle would be suicide, and no amount of roaring bloodsong was enough to convince him that such a thing was a good idea.

“Walk until they spot us, or run right now?” Kaius asked.

He twitched as a scorpion turned towards them, ready to bolt if it made so much of a sound. It continued to wander aimlessly, slowly drifting from where it had slept away the day.

Relief flooded him as he let go of the breath he was holding.

“We run now,” Porkchop said confidently. “The sand will muffle our movements, and I am too large for us to conceal our approach anyway. What’s our plan?”

Kaius nodded, mind racing.

“Straight for the pagoda, without fighting back unless we absolutely have to — we’ll need to save our strength for what might lay inside, if we’re unlucky enough it isn’t the entrance to the next biome. Ianmus, use your Sundrenched Strength now. They didn’t react to your channeling when we ambushed them previously, so there’s a good chance they don’t have mana sight.”

Giving a sharp nod, Ianmus started to weave his spell, ghostly streamers of solar mana condensing into a hazy sigil at the top of his staff.

It grew brighter than usual as the mage dipped into his Hypercharged Spell, the metamagic lending the enhancement vastly greater potency at the cost of increasing its drain on his reserves.

Kaius saw a subtle flash of mana as the spell seeped into his bones, filling him with solar vigour. His muscles bulged with renewed strength, and the mild remnants of fatigue from a full day of hiking fled him — leaving him buoyed and ready to move.

The scorpions stayed still, failing to react to the magic. Thank the bloody gods.

They could do this — he still had a good dozen casts of Slip Step to increase his speed, and Kenva and Ianmus had their movement skills.

Although…gods’ scorn, Starlight Alacrity left a trail of light when Ianmus used it — he’d have to save it until they’d been spotted. There was no way the mage would be able to keep up without it.

“You alright carrying Ianmus until we’re spotted?” He asked his brother. “His movement skill will give us away.”

Porkchop bobbed his head slightly, eyes still trained ahead.

Kaius sighed in relief — that was one problem down.

“Alright, Ianmus — you’re on Porkchop until we get spotted.” The mage gave him a nod and hurriedly moved to Porkchop’s side, grabbing one of the straps attached to his underarmour to haul himself onto his back. “Kenva, use your movement skill straight away.”

She shot him a questioning look.

“Even if I outstrip the group?”

Kaius nodded. “If you beat us there, you can always support us from the second story balcony — the stone wall should give you cover from any spines. And watch the scorpions on the right during our advance — I'll take left. Everyone else, let me handle any that close in. Between Stormlash and Zone of Discombobulation, I hope I’ll be able to stun them long enough that we can pull away.”

With nothing left to say, he met his team's eyes one by one. They mirrored the churning worry he felt in his gut.

Even if this went entirely to plan, it was going to be a close call.

In his experience, rare were the times when everything went to plan.

He breathed, letting go of the tension. Today wouldn’t be the day — he would make sure of it. They still had far too much to accomplish.

Just a little sprint — a child’s game, really.

Brushing his hand against the hilt of his blade for comfort, he worked his feet into the surface of the loose sand to brace himself, tension winding through his front leg as he prepared to kick off.

“Ready,” he whispered.

“Ready,” the chorus of his team’s voices sounded.

“Go!”

He kicked off with the full might of his Strength, the System heightening his power to a full fourteen times his considerable base.

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Beast blooded muscles burned as the sand caved beneath his feet, a spray of sand hurtling backwards as he cleared ten strides in a single bound. His heart hammered in his chest, focus trained solely on the two wandering beasts in the field of sand to the left of the pagoda.

They still hadn’t noticed them.

Porkchop kept pace with him — running at a full bound as he used his long claws to anchor his footing. Even if the two of them lacked movement skills, they were still fast.

Their ranger was faster. Even lacking in their monstrous stats, her skills were built towards mobility. The living growth of Vinestride coiled around her lower legs, vines shooting down with every step. Anchored deep, they launched Kenva forwards like a tightly wound spring — every one of her steps carrying her further and further ahead.

They ran, the longstrides disappearing before their every step. Each hairsbreadth closer they got to the salvation of the stone tower raised Kaius’s hopes further.

Every step, his form tightened as Corporus did its work — slowly shifting his stance so that less of his strength was transferred smoothly into the unstable ground. The barest of improvements, but one that allowed him to hasten all the same. The soft chimes of skill increases sounded in the back of his mind, ignored in favour of presence in the moment.

The scorpions still hadn’t noticed them.

It didn’t last.

Tracking his pair the entire time, Kaius watched as the closest of the two lashed it’s tails. He blanched, putting everything into his sprint.

Echoing cracks split the night as the ruinbringer snapped its claws and turned to face them. For a moment it paused, and he prayed against all his gods’ scorned luck that it was nothing more than a coincidence.

They were so close, barely two minutes from safety — Kenva even closer.

Chitters of fury spilled from its mandibles. Its tails stabbed, erupting a spray. Two spines flew — straight for Porkchop.

Kaius’s eyes widened as blurs streaked through the night, barely visible even with his mental stats.

They slammed into the desert floor, going wide by a dozen strides.

The ruinbringer shrieked, its further off twin turning towards the sound and noticing them as well.

“Left’s on us!” Kaius yelled.

“Right too!” Kenva screamed from further ahead, exploding upwards to avoid two more spines that missed her by a stride.

Kicking off his brother's back, Ianmus hit the desert floor, his arms wheeling as he got his feet under him. Kaius launched to his side, steadying him with a hand.

The mage said nothing as the light of day burned at his feet. He streaked forwards, a determined look on his face — mana pouring off him in waves as he dumped his pool into Starlit Alacrity. The skill cared little for the soft sand, allowing the mage to skate free on its surface.

Unburned by the awkward weight of a rider, Porkchop’s stance settled as he redoubled his pace and kicked up a cloud of debris.

Falling behind, Kaius flicked his will to Aelina. Blue motes burst from his feet as Slip Step took hold and distance became malleable.

His form flickered, falling in and out of the world as every leaping step covered far more distance, helping him keep up with the rest of his charging team members.

He still lacked his brother’s supreme physicality and natural magical body, and the haste of a true movement skill. Slip Step was a poor substitute. Even with its growing levels making him the fastest in short bursts, it still only lasted for ten steps.

At least he had Tempered By Dissonance. It seemed that running for his life counted as tactical movement, as far as the skills buff to his speed was concerned.

Next tier, Kaius promised himself. Aelina was sure to offer something longer lasting.

Movement flashed. Another barrage of spines.

This time aimed at him, shot from far closer as the ruinbringers charged over the sands.

His stomach clenched. Fire ignited in his knee, the joint protesting as he hurled himself to the side mid sprint with a burst of Skill enhanced speed. More chimes of skill increases sounded in the back of his mind. He ignored them.

Sand shaded his gaze as the spines kicked up a spray. He kept running.

The scorpions were closer now, legs undulating as they skated with a smoothness that seemed unnatural. Close enough he could see the starlight glinting in their small compound eyes.

Up ahead, a figure launched upwards. Kenva, reaching the pagoda. Vines stretched from her legs like living snakes, questing upwards to wrap themselves over the lip of the veranda wall that sat thirty longstrides above the desert. She shot upwards, unslinging her bow.

Kaius grit his teeth and kept running. The scorpions closed, more spines forcing him to dodge. He wasn’t the only target. Ahead of him, Porkchop’s shield slid through the air, narrowly intercepting a spine that was coming straight for Ianmus.

It punched through the metal, wedging itself halfway through.

His brother’s chest shook — a great inhale.

Kaius’s eyes widened.

“Don’t! You’ll take too many shots!” If his brother used his Bulwark’s Challenge, he was doomed.

Reacting quickly, Kaius fired off a salvo of Nails from both hands. Staccato cracks cut through the night air, his vicious bolts slamming home into the closing ruinbringer’s bodies.

They screamed, furious.

Eight spines shot his way. Uncanny Dodge screamed a warning, his speed bursting to new heights.

Blanching, he detonated a shunt — rocketing forwards right before the projectiles converged.

Another detonation, more distance. He’d almost caught up to Porkchop now, chaining Slip Step as soon as the last had elapsed.

Deep twangs echoed from the top of the pagoda. Kenva, loosing shots to cover them.

To his left, two of the scorpions sprinted side by side, closing the distance. The second they were close enough, he burned one of his limited Discombobulations.

Disorientation wracked the creatures. Aimless, the right most one butted up into the left, tangling their limbs. Aggressive, it shrieked, stabbing at the sudden intrusion with its tail.

A stride of lethal chitin punched through its fellow beast, drawing an enraged scream.

They fell to infighting, natural aggression inflamed by his spell.

Kaius grinned. As much as he wanted to howl his victory to the night sky, he couldn’t. There were still two more.

The pagoda loomed, a streak of light already burning its way across the ground floor veranda as Ianmus sprinted for the exterior stairs on the side of the building.

Cutting it close, he thought as he eyed the rapidly approaching pair on his left. Arrows sprouted from their eyes, but the grievous wounds seemed to have only enraged them.

They rushed for him and his brother, intent on putting down the intruders of their domain.

Dipping into Eirnith, motes of mana burst from his temples as he did his best to repeat his earlier feat. The scorpions only stumbled, their speed quickly carrying them out of the Zone.

He grunted in frustration, pumping his legs faster. A little bit closer and he could act.

Porkchop reached the Pagoda, a totem erupting behind him. Energy burst from the carved jade, filling his body with even more strength — a much needed reprieve that had Kaius wishing he could kiss his brother on his big dumb nose.

The ruinbringers advanced.

The building tension in his chest snapped, focus sharpening to a razor’s edge. Howling fury split the night as a storm released from his grip.

Every inscription he had in Drakthar was burnt, Hateful Nail’s and the crackling might of Stormlash released from both hands.

Storm mana ignored their hardened carapace, convulsions and violent reverberation scouring their internals as spikes of steel were superheated mid flight — glowing a cherry red as they landed home with the squeal of boiling fluid. The beasts howled, shuddering under the weight of his magical potency, their limbs locking up.

Stunned by his continuous barrage, their speed worked against them. They fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Not once had he stopped moving.

Kaius’s foot touched solid stone, bringing with it a surge of relief. He’d made it.

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