(Second Book Complete!) Runeblade: A Delving & Skill Merging LitRPG

Flicking his eyes back to the hulking brute of an arachnid that lay nestled in the crown of an oak, Kaius pondered their assault. The garish white and yellow of its carapace took on a new meaning now that he had seen its description. Danger.

A welcome one, that could springboard their growth if they approached this battle right, but one that would also take care in how they handled the fight. This would be as fierce as fighting the Champions had been, he could feel it. That same prickling intensity of heightened awareness was present, the sensation of every facet of his being coming alive, zapping him with tiny jolts, right down to his bones.

Veiled Assassin Spider- Level 81:

Beast, Ambusher, Elite

Level eighty-one was an extreme jump, but he thought they could manage. At least, he and Porkchop could. Between their heroic classes and Honours, they were gaining an average of fourteen stats per level, let alone their flat bonuses. While he didn’t know exactly what being an Elite meant for their opponent—other than the few elites they had faced in the Depths being stronger than their levels had implied, much like the Champions and Guardian—he had to assume that it did not have a massive edge on them as far as pure statistics went.

Skills too, while it almost certainly had them handedly trounced on the basis of levels, he and Porkchop without a doubt held the advantage in quality.

Their resident mage on the other hand… Ianmus was fucked if they let the spider reach him.

It was worth the risk. While there was no guarantee of there being an Honour waiting for them if they won, Kaius thought the chances were pretty good. He already had an Honour for slaying an enemy thirty five levels above him as an unclassed, and as far as he knew no one in the first tier fought things that far above them, not even with a large team. Such a gap, against an elite, in what the system would consider a team of two? Before they’d even reached level fifty? That was exactly the sort of feat of strength that he could see the system rewarding.

That honour was vital, not just for growing his own personal might, but to bind Ianmus closer to his cause.

Kaius’s mind raced, trying to figure out how he could get Ianmus to commit to the assault. With the way both he and Porkchop were staring at him expectantly, waiting for his response, he knew he only had a couple of moments before suspicions started.

“I need you to back me on this. No questions, just follow my lead.” Kaius pushed through his link with Porkchop. Without waiting for his brother’s response, he turned to Ianmus.

“We must do this. I cannot explain, not right now, but this fight just became far more valuable to us, you included.” Kaius said, an intense fire illuminating the gold-flecked-green of his eyes.

Ianmus grunted, biting his lip as he struggled against the lethargic chill of dread that washed over him. “How bad is it?” he whispered.

“Eighty-one, elite.” Kaius said calmly, his full attention on his ally. He watched the wave of horror wash over the man’s features, before he visibly bore down on the gut reaction, suppressing his fear with a will honed by the rigours of battle and study.

Ianmus paused, taking a slow breath to collect himself. “Kaius. If anyone else dared to suggest they wanted to fight an elite as a team of three I would think them foolish. If they wanted to do the same thing while outlevelled close to three times over, I would think them certifiably insane.” the half-elf turned to the third member of their little group. “What of you, Porkchop. Have you succumbed to insanity as well? I would not think of one of the meles to take such a foolish gambit.”

Porkchop snorted. “Then you do not know my people well, elfling. Regardless, I know what my brother intends, and it is a worthy risk. Not to mention it is a risk that is far less fraught than you realise.”

Stepping forwards, Kaius clasped Ianmus on the shoulder, willing his certainty and confidence to flow into the man, for him to absorb some of the boundless hunger that he felt building within him by the second. “Please, Ianmus. Trust me. This is not some delusion of invulnerability sung into existence by my lust for battle. I will not pretend I do not feel it, the hunger to throw myself at such a great beast, but it is not why.”

Ianmus met his gaze, searching his face for an answer. “Then what, Kaius? Because from here it is the only reasonable explanation.”

As Ianmus spoke, his voice grew more incensed, words blurring together with a pleading vigour as he tried to make Kaius see reason. “It’s a bloody elite! A stronger baseline than its common brethren, charged with unnatural amounts of mana by accident or right of birth. Better skills, more power, and worse, a better bloodline, which means more stats on top of everything else. How. Could. You. Possibly. Win.” drawing close, Ianmus punctuated every word with a jabbing finger that rattled Kaius’s scale male with every impact.

A flutter of annoyance welled within Kaius. That was enough of that, frustration and fear was no reason to be rude. When Ianmus tried to poke him again he twitched. That was all it took, with the growing influence of his bond skill, his reforged beast blood, and over a hundred points of dexterity, his hand all but portalled to grab Ianmus’s own.

Ianmus stopped, stock still as he looked at Kaius’s hand in shock. His jaw hung open.

Kaius held his allies hand steady for a moment, before he slackened his grip and snapped his hand back to his side faster than he knew Ianmus would be able to track. The mage blinked, slowly. Staring at him dumbfounded, Ianmus looked to his outstretched finger, then to Kaius’s hand, then back again.

“How?” Ianmus finally whispered. “You shouldn’t be able to move like that. It’s not possible. You shouldn’t have the stats, or the base to reach that speed, let alone control it.”

Before he could answer the man, Porkchop stepped in. “Not impossible, just with methods forgotten and recently discovered both. You say you have seen our hidden strength. Ianmus, you have misunderstood us. We have been holding back. Perhaps not to the extent of hiding everything, but you have not seen us truly pressed.”

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Pausing to digest his brother’s words, Ianmus let out a heavy breath and rested his forehead on his staff, staring at the hard packed dirt of the road beneath them. A moment later he looked back up, right into Kaius’s eyes.

“Can you promise this is not some crazed delusion? That there is a good, logical and concrete reason to pursue this reckless madness?” Ianmus pleaded, watching him closely. “Can you promise that we will not end up dead?”

“There is a reason. A good one, other than the sheer amount of levels we will be rewarded with for success. A more obscure reward, by no means guaranteed, but one that seems to fit the general sorts of criteria that I have seen for others. It is worth the risk of death.” Kaius replied, the stalwart iron of his conviction and certainty reverberating through his voice.

Looking back at the assassin spider, he watched it shift in its nest, uncaring of their halted steps. It was confident, he could tell. Utterly convinced that people of their nominal power would be unable to pierce its illusion. Waiting patiently for its next meal to come.

Ianmus continued to stare at him, searching his face for answers as he leaned heavily on the bonds of trust they had started to forge in the weeks they had spent together on the road. Kaius knew he was asking much, but this was the life he had promised himself he would live. Companions were needed, that much was true, but only if they could prove they could keep up.

He met the half-elf’s gaze, watching him with equal intensity. Now was the moment. Where Ianmus would prove he had the mettle and gumption to willingly fall to the insanity, the heat, of the Song. Would he willingly dive into the crucible that would eventually see him reforged? Would he prove that he had what it took to climb towards the peak, even if it required crawling on shattered limbs and wading through agony?

Or would he cower and break?

Something passed through Ianmus’s face. A flicker of resignation, part surrender and part rising exhilaration. A twitch of his brow. A straightening of his shoulders and spine. It told Kaius all he needed to know. The man was in.

“If I am committing myself to suicide, I would know of this reward if we survive this, regardless if we receive it or not.” Ianmus said, a growing ember of courage and manic energy thrumming through his words. The Song, building within him.

Kaius nodded. The man had earned that much. Any companion of his that would willingly attempt feats such as this was worthy of consideration and trust. “Of course.”

“It is good to have you with us, truly. You will have proven yourself with this fight, elfing. Let it be a glorious one.” Porkchop jumped in, sharing his respect.

Ianmus sighed, and leaned heavily on his staff. “I can’t believe we are actually going to do this.” he muttered to himself, before looking up to them once more. “Has our strategy changed?”

Kaius shook his head. Even with the unexpected strength and levels of the spider, their original plan was still their best bet. A searing bolt of solar magic to draw it away from its domain, while he and Porkchop hammered it as hard as they could.

“You free cast a beam like you used on that bramble ball, then focus on supporting me and Porkchop from a safe distance. Take out eyes and the like if you can, but your first priority will be keeping us strong and hale while attracting as little attention as possible.” Kaius explained.

Ianmus nodded, becoming focused and confident once more as the shock of their opponents strength wore off. “Where do I need to hit?”

Moving behind the man, Kaius pointed directly to where the spider was hunkered down. Calmly and with authority, he directed Ianmus’s attention to the tree it had made its home.

“See that cluster of four branches? One of them splitting into three? Where they meet, two strides above. Can you make the shot?”

Ianmus snorted at his words, as if the idea of him being unable to hit such a target was as ridiculous a proposition as not being able to tie his own shoes. “I already told you, I’m the best shot of my year. I could hit a needle at that range.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Kaius withdrew two of his mana restorative tonics, as well as one of his health ones, and passed them over to Ianmus. “Take these, they’ll restore three-hundred each. You can only take two though, after that toxicity will set in.”

Ianmus nodded, before he focused his eyes on the exact location where Kaius had told him the spider was lying in wait. A moment later his eyelids fluttered, and Kaius watched the half-elfs lips move with unspoken words as colossal quantities of solar mana began to stream from the mage.

Under the man’s will, it drew yet more from their surroundings, a typhoon of power that vortexed. Golden and resplendent, it split into dozens of streamers, raw mana woven into a complex geometry of power.

Kaius watched on in interest. While free casting was mostly about will and intent, he had known that the best among them borrowed from the slightest of principles found in the runic arts to pack even more intent and power into their spells. It was glorious to finally see it in action.

Still, it was easy to see the problems with free casting. Powerful and incredibly flexible it might have been, it was also the most lengthy and focus heavy of the mystic arts. Ianmus would be at this for a while.

Turning to Porkchop, Kaius gave his bond-brother a nod. It was time for them to ready themselves.

With a flash of mana, Porkchop was garbed in thick plates of jade. He led their way forwards, careful to stay out of Ianmus’s line of sight with the waiting spider. They stopped a good hundred strides down the road. Still more than far enough that the assassin spider opted to wait for them patiently, but close enough that they would be able to do battle without worrying about their mage being caught in the crossfire.

As a crescendo of solar might built behind him, Kaius felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise at the mystical charge that built in the air. It caressed his skin, whispering scorching violence and swift retribution.

It was almost too much, layering on his itching anticipation for the fight ahead. His heart pounded, blood singing with an intensity he hadn’t felt in months. Here he was, ready to dance on the knife’s edge, and he had to wait? It was nigh on unjust.

Judging by the way a low growl resonated in his brother’s chest, and his claws rhythmically punctured the earth, Porkchop felt much the same.

A few swipes of his brother’s claws deflected off his blade and charged his vambraces, their enhanced power enough to quickly fill its reservoir. Only a small benefit now, but not one he intended to leave at the wayside for a pivotal battle.

Agonising minutes passed in tense silence, before the faintest of breathy words were carried on the wind from behind him.

“Ready…” Ianmus said, strain and exhaustion evident.

“Go.” Kaius replied, cutting the air with his hand to signal their attack.

A beam of pure white, as thick as his wrist, punched into existence. It burned the very air, resounding with the tortured squeal and thunderclap of the breath of the world being vaporised in an instant.

There was no traversal of space, it was simply a line of power writ into existence. One that connected Ianmus’s outstretched arm to the scoured yellow and white carapace of the assassin spider.

Chitin burst and Ichor roiled. It was a good shot, punching straight through one of its front limbs to pierce through its thorax. Off yellow and brown goo was superheated, ejected from the wound with bone cracking force to coat the crown of its tree-home in boiling viscera. It’s leg fell free to crash softly into the leaf litter below, even as the holes in its carapace boiled themselves shut.

The assassin spider squealed in chittering rage and moved.

Skittering down the tree trunk, its illusion dissolved, and it charged straight for them.

Kaius grinned.