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

The Tyrant sailed across the battlefield, a blazing monstrosity that left embers burning in its wake. Glowing motes settled on the dead ground of the no man’s land, a highlighted path that held Kaius in transfixed horror.

It was going for his friends — how? It had broken through their encirclement so easily! They had to catch it. One good hit could leave his friends on death’s door.

Waves of force hurled him after the Tyrant. Porkchop roared, attempting to force the Tyrant to face him with his new challenge skill — The Dominance of Claw. It was no use, though the ability had been empowered when it evolved from Bulwark’s Challenge, it was still designed to spread its power across many targets. The monstrosity shattered the compulsion, only glancing at Porkchop to give him a toothy smile.

Rotten bastard was taunting them.

Kaius hit the ground, sprinting after it.

Rather than face down the rapidly approaching Tyrant, Kenva and Ianmus split.

Abandoning a spell mid cast, Ianmus tore to the right. Starlit Alacrity hastened him to blurring speeds, his every footstep leaving a trail of light. Kenva ran the opposite way, loosing an arrow directly at the Tyrant.

Waving a hand, it burnt the arrow mid-flight. Without hesitation, it raced after Kenva — pausing only to thrust its hands towards Kaius and Porkchop.

Flames billowed, surging into a wall of red that towered triple his height. Every stride of it warped and wavered with searing intensity. Kaius could feel the heat of it from a dozen strides away, prickling at his skin.

They were cut off.

Even if he went over, the delay would be more than enough time for the Tyrant to catch up with Kenva. Even with Arc and Rieker advancing from a different angle, the Golds were too far as well.

Rotten roots, she couldn’t even escape using her new skill. Vanishing into a cloud of autumn leaves mattered little when their opponent could simply burn them to cinders.

Should he use Fractured Warp?

Indecision warred within him — it was so early. They had barely bloodied the bastard, using it now might ruin his chances at a finishing blow later. Gritting his teeth, he wracked his mind for another option.

The wall drew close. He made his choice — to burn. No matter his wounds, it would be worth it. He had a resistance to the flames, and could heal the damage. Kenva wouldn’t be so lucky.

“We punch straight through,” Kaius said through his bond, jaw clenched tight.

“This is going to suck,” Porkchop replied, roaring out his fury.

“Yes it will.”

Kaius held his breath and raced into the conflagration. A Maelstrom burst into existence at the last moment.

It was more than mortal fire, a red inferno backed by the power of a system-born champion. Winds whipped at the flames, desperately trying to pull them away from his body. His spell couldn’t keep up — the Tyrant’s attack was too dense, and the radiating heat alone needled his skin.

It only hurt for a moment, then his hair blackened and his skin bubbled and browned as nerves burnt away. Every scrap of him soaked into the fabric of his under armour, as the outer layers of his flesh sloughed away.

Then he was free, running towards the blurry figure of the Tyrant as his eyes slowly recovered from the flash frying he had endured. There was no sudden rush of cold air, just a bone-deep numbness.

His Health exploded through his body, and with it came pain. Letting lose a rasping scream, Kaius didn’t break stride as his nerves regrew like sprouting roots. Every motion heightened the agony, scrapping the exposed nerves against the sodden weave of his clothes.

Porkchop was no better. Even with his unyielding physicality, he had only a fraction of Kaius’s resistance to fire. His orichalchum armour was sooted a deep black, as blood and weepings dripped from every seam in his plate.

Kaius’s vision snapped back into focus with a wet pop, the itch of his health retreating from his eyes. The Tyrant was just ahead of them. It was focused on Kenva, presenting them with its back.

It hadn’t expected them to punch right through its skill, they had an opening!

“I’m going to tear it in half,” Porkchop growled silently.

Kaius felt the sentiment in his bones. Incensed by his agony, he reached for Stormlash and used Hymnfocus to thread the spells tightly woven mana into his blade. Sergeant’s Insight pulled at his attention. There was a gap in the chitinous plates that were haphazardly scattered across the creature’s back. He could practically see its organs pulsing invitingly on the other side of its greying flesh.

The opening was small, but his blade lanced through the air like it was guided by divine provenance.

Sergeant’s Insight blared in his mind. The Tyrant had proven itself to be a creature of speed and agility, one that had dodged even the most immaculate of attacks. It would notice him. He wasn’t sure how, but it would. He split his focus, devoting his Glass Mind to track the lines of potential danger that sprouted from the Tyrant’s every movement thanks to Moment of Flow.

The glyphs on his temples burned as Kaius cast Compel Obsession. Kaius flung his will towards his target, urging it to focus utterly on its pursuit. He didn’t get it to focus on Kenva directly, no, there was far too much risk that might lead to some attack she couldn’t avoid. Instead he twisted its focus onto its cruel enjoyment, the sadistic pleasure it took in toying with them.

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The Tyrant let loose a howl of delight — and utterly missed Kaius’s thrust.

Scaled skin parted like water as Kaius ran the Tyrant through. Lightning burst from his blade — the power of a Stormlash released in a single flash directly into the creature’s organs. Resonance tore through the creature’s body, the second tier of Harmonic Control empowering all of his mana-based sword Skills.

It stumbled.

In that moment of weakness, Porkchop hit it like a landslide. Jadecrash slammed into the creature’s ribs — and sent it straight towards Arc and Rieker.

The Golds had closed the distance quickly, circling around the Tyrant’s flames. With Porkchop offering its flailing body on a platter, they pounced.

Arc moved first. A stomp cratered the earth, shooting him towards the airborne tyrant. Clasping his hands together, they rose high into a heavy hammer blow. His boney armour grew, surrounding his hands with a spiked ball that shimmered with potency. Yellow blood sprayed as he spiked the creature down.

Rieker was already waiting. One hammer slammed into the Tyrant’s jaw. The blow echoed, a half dozen ghostly copies superimposing. Carapace splintered as his attack snapped the Tyrant’s head to the side and left one mandible hanging limply.

His other hammer blow hit it in the chest, rocking it back.

Arc flew back in, a full bodied push kick echoing like thunder as he sent the Tyrant flying right back into Rieker’s waiting arms.

Racing towards them, Kaius watched in awe as they worked the Tyrant over. Every blow splintered its armour and pulped flesh. As far as he knew, Rieker and Arc had never fought together on a single team, yet they moved like they’d fought as brothers in arms for years. One went high, the other went low. The Tyrant would swipe, and one would smash the blow aside with brute force — creating an opening for the other.

With the Tyrant occupied, Ianmus and Kenva didn’t miss their opportunity. Arrows and solar rays slammed into the creature wherever there was an opening — a raking burn across its thigh, fletching sprouting from an arm in mid swing, and more.

In seconds, they’d left the Tyrant with a dozen wounds, each dripping tainted yellow blood to the parched earth below.

They’d stolen back the initiative. A few more moments, and he and Porkchop would be able to push it harder.

“Enough!” the Tyrant screamed before they could arrive. It was concussive, backed by a physical power that almost knocked Kaius out of his stride.

Shimmering red flames burst from its skin, empowered by a glimmering energy. Kaius recognised it immediately, his mouth drawing into a thin line.

“Essence!” he roared out a warning.

It came too late. Its wounds utterly ignored, the Tyrant burst into motion. Raking one hand, searing flames forced Rieker back. An eyeblink later, a savage push kick ripped through the middle of the flare. It sent the guildmaster flying, a shocked gasp escaping his lips.

Arc didn’t stop. Stamina surged through him, his breath steaming as he threw a straight punch at the back of the Tyrant’s head. The air shimmered around his fist, a savage crackle filling the air.

It reacted like it had eyes in the back of its head. It crouched, Arc’s fist sailing over the top of its head by the barest of hair’s breadths. Spinning through the motion, the Tyrant slammed two left elbows into his chest. Both detonated on impact, shattering Arc’s bone plating.

Blood sprayed from the Gold’s mouth, but he fought on. Letting out a clipped shout, mana pulsed and his flesh visibly reknit — natural armour repairing in moments. Leaning back, Arc narrowly slipped past a snapping hook, before he threw his own upper cut in retaliation.

The Tyrant’s two lower arms grabbed the limb, holding it fast. Essence flared — surging into Arc’s flesh as his arm was devoured in flames. Letting lose a hoarse yell, he hammered the Tyrant with his free arm — every blow hitting like a heavy maul.

Weathering the storm, it unleashed a flurry of punches. Each one staggered Arc, rocking him on his feet.

Gods’ blood, the creature was hammering him! They had to help — Kaius could see the foreign essence building up with every blow. He knew little about the strange energy, but he knew it would be ruinous.

Refusing to let the Tyrant simply batter the man, Kaius let loose a triple shot of Nails. His back line did the same, a cone of splinters and solar rays pelting the Tyrant.

They were nearly there! Arc just had to hold on for a few moments.

Out the corner of his eye, he saw Kenva draw. The energy within her arrow was potent, and dense swirling winds coated it like a shawl. Howl of the North Wind.

Before she could loose, the Tyrant sneered. With a single, snapping kick, it hurled Arc away. One of its arms swept up, and an immense blade of flame shot towards Kenva — forcing her to abandon her shot.

“Fuck!” she snarled in frustration.

The Tyrant only laughed.

Arc was struggling to stand. His armour was blackened by the Tyrant’s fire, and Essence lingered on his wounds.

“Ianmus, get to Arc!” Kaius called, diving in.

“Already on it!” Ianmus shouted back, releasing a parting bolt of solar magic towards the Tyrant.

His blade slashed from high to slow, burning with the light of his HellbladeInvestiture. Essence or no, they would fight. He refused to believe it was unbeatable. They’d already injured it — sooner or later it would fall.

The Tyrant slapped his blade to the side. Essence surged up its length, lighting up channels in the crystal of its body like they were glowing veins before it raced into his arm. It hit him like nothing he’d ever felt before. Heavy. Corrosive.

He had to fight anyway. Rapid Adaptation lay dormant in the face of the assault, but his soul burned true. Authority stifled the foreign influence, lessening the blow just a hair.

It laughed in his face, pulling back in a sudden leap before Porkchop could latch on with the crushing bite of his warden’s maw.

Standing two dozen strides away, it smiled cruelly as it glanced at Rieker and Arc. The former was rising to his feet and wiped his bloody mouth, while the latter was bathed in a steady stream of healing magic.

“The fate of those too weak to seize the impossible. Disappointing,” It hissed.

Kaius held himself back from replying to its taunt. It would be nothing but wasted air.

The Tyrant might have been injured, but it had led them on a dance. Rieker and Arc were injured, and suffering under the lingering effects of its essence. Hells, it’d nearly gotten Kenva.

The bastard was too damn fast. If they wanted to take it down, they’d need to hit it with something it couldn’t avoid — and something too powerful to ignore.

He had an idea.