Runeblade

Chapter 50 : Duels

Kaius circled the goblin champion at the summit of one of the slight hills that rolled over the fungal farms. Every few seconds it would test him, lunging forwards with a clumsy stab of its pike. Kaius would dance back, happy to take the time to let his ribs heal before he fully committed to an assault.

Behind him he could hear Porkchop in full blown battle with the dismounted goblins warg. Their extended tussle had moved to the base of the hill, after a particularly successful tackle on Porkchop's part had sent them rolling down its slope in a blur of claws and teeth.

He knew his friend would come out on top. He already would have called for him if there was any true risk of something going awry.

Kaius parried another of the Outriders' thrusts. He felt the itching heat die down on his ribs as the flesh finished reknitting itself. He checked his resources.

Resources:

Health - 246/300 (2/min)

Stamina - 184/200 (2/min)

Mana - 140/140 (2/min)

The drain had stopped. Though he was surprised at how little it had taken to heal the wound. It had felt like his entire side had been flayed.

"Though, looking at that weapon, that's no real surprise." He thought, staring at the bloodstained barbs that lined the spear points edges.

Thrusting again, the outrider screamed in fury when Kaius parried its blow once more.

"Vrakk! Grhuzkar ghul snar mi vhok!"

Kaius shot the goblin a taunting grin. Whatever it tried to say was strangled in a furious cry. It launched forwards with a thrust. Smashing the stab aside, Kaius snapped out with his off hand, grabbing the weapon by the haft just below its stride long blade.

Before the goblin could process the move, Kaius yanked. Sending it stumbling towards him. He returned the goblin's aggression with a stab of his own. Enchanted steel was sharpened further by warforged, cleanly punching through the goblins studded leather armour to bury itself deep in the goblins chest.

Green blood erupted from the Outriders mouth, spilling down to stain the front of its armour.

Kaius pulled his sword free. The goblins aura pulsed. Its hand snaked for its back, ripping free a curved knife the length of Kaius's forearm. It stabbed, glowing in the sight of Sense Mana. He tried to parry, still holding his sword with a single hand. The blade seemed to glide around his defence, somehow warping the path of his blade.

No way to avoid it, not if he wanted to keep up the pressure. He leaned on Adamant Body, twisting at the last moment to protect his vitals. With unnatural luck the longknife found a gap in his armour, sinking into the side of his stomach. Pain flared, quickly locked away by Rapid Adaptation. Blood filled spilled free, staining gleaming scales red.

**Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 12!**

Roaring in fury, Kaius yanked on the goblin's pike, pulling it forward. The knife shoved deeper into his stomach. He ignored it in favour of driving his knee deep into the Champion's own. The goblin gasped, dropping its weapon. Kaius tossed the pike to the side, laying into the goblin's jaw with a heavy haymaker.

It stumbled, stunned by the shock of the swing. Kaius stepped back, the goblins knife still planted in his stomach. Gritting his teeth, he ripped it free. Tossing it behind him out of the goblins reach. He charged back in, swinging his sword in an upwards diagonal slice.

Shaking itself free of its daze, the champion danced back. Avoiding its swing. It pulled free another knife from a sheath on its back, tossing it to his dominant hand with a hiss. Kaius refused to give the Outrider a moment to breathe, rushing in with a flurry of tight swings.

Unburdened by its burdensome polearm, the goblin was an agile demon. It danced around his swings, cutting parries shunting his sword away. It wasn't entirely successful. A growing number of cuts rent through its leather armour, wounds staining its torso a dark green. Even if it was nominally stronger than him, Kaius had the advantage of height and reach, and a knife was a poor match up for a longsword.

Screeching, the outrider dove in, Mana flashing. Its knife found an impossible hole in his guard. Leaving a deep cut on his thigh. Kaius transferred his weight to his other leg. If he collapsed due to an injury to the muscle, the goblin would be on him in seconds. He forced it back with a heavy chop, giving his leg precious seconds to heal.

A test of his weight. It was agonising, but it would still support him. A lunge sent a lance of agony through the wound. The goblin parried his stab, shunting his sword away from its face. He punched through its shoulder instead.

Ripping his blade free, Kaius transitioned into a slash. The goblin hissed, slipping under his attack to stab at his chest. Kaius pivoted, slapping the knife aside and punishing the attempt with a cleave. Attempting to force it back. The goblin took the blow head on, A Father's Gift cutting deep into its torso. Revealing its ribs.

Another pulse of magical potency, the Champions knife glowing with internal light. Kaius pivoted on his lead foot, leaning away from the strike. The cruel blade kissed his arm. Parting flesh with a light cut. A trickle of red spilled free.

For the first time, the goblin's power hadn't left a grievous wound in its wake. Barely a scratch.

Kaius's mind raced. He still didn't know how to block the skill. It slipped past parries and blocks with ease, finding chinks in his armor where none should be. Yet it seemed that even if it all but guaranteed a wound, he could still lessen the wounds he was destined to take.

A weakness. Something he could punish.

He booted the goblin in the chest, interrupting its follow up slash and forcing it back. With a roar he drew his sword up high, bringing it down in a crushing blow. The Champion blocked. Steel rang as height and reach was forced to contend with the simple power of higher stats. Defence holding strong, the goblin spat at him, green tinged spittle landing on Kaius's cuirass.

Heaving, the goblin broke their bind. Forcing Kaius's attack to the side. Aura flashed again. Another destined wound. Kaius lunged towards it, forcing the blow to skitter over his shoulder. The knife slipped through layered steel plates, cutting into the meat of the joint. Barely a flesh wound, Kaius ignored the blip of pain to whirl his sword around. burying his own blade into the Champions outstretched arm. The honed edge sliced through flesh before glancing off the bone.

The outrider screamed, yanking its knife free to jump back. Out of the range of Kaius's sword.

Behind them, Kaius could hear Porkchops confrontation with the warg still going strong, bestial roars echoing across the field. From the ragged sound of the warg's pants, Porkchop seemed to be winning. Kaius grinned. He'd need to pick up the pace. No way was he going to lose to that overgrown fur ball.

Heart racing in violent anticipation, Kaius rushed in. He flowed into a seamless assault of flashing steel and perfectly timed footwork. Every blow had his full weight behind it, shifting into a style that maximised the momentum of his swings. Ringing clashes sounded, the goblin straining against his heavy blows. Its arms quaking. This was it. This was what battle was about. Seeing your foes driven before you. Superior strength rendered useless in the face of greater technique.

The goblin might have been stronger than him, faster than him. It wasn't enough. He was too tall. Too practised. Dismounted and reduced to using an overgrown utensil, it couldn't leverage its strengths. Reduced to relying on a single skill in order to even put up a fight.

Every ringing clash drove the goblin's feet deep into the tilled earth. Forcing it back step by grinding step. He could see the clench in its jaw. The way its slit pupils widened with every descending slash. It was afraid. He could taste it.

He fell into the full embrace of the heat of battle, feeling his blood sing. It used its skill. He slapped the blade aside, taking a cut to his palm. A pommel strike crushed the goblin's orbit in turn, caving in its eye. Another weakness. He pressed the new blind spot.

Dazed from the heavy blow, the goblin barely managed to ward off his follow up slash. Another torn rent opened on its chest. Weeping green blood.

It was shaking now. Sweating. Gulping down air. No stamina, Kaius realised. It was faltering. Aura flared again, quickly sputtering out as the magic of the skill failed to transfer to the Outriders weapon. Kaius let out a savage grin. It seems the ability didn't just make use of Mana. The goblin had drained itself dry.

He pressed the assault. More and more wounds began to accumulate on the Champion, its defence flagging as exhaustion began to set in. Without the bolstering of stamina, the toll of smashing aside the swings of his blade grew heavy. Glee rose within Kaius, watching the way its arms began to quake.

With every cut, both deep and shallow, the Outriders' Health was slowly overwhelmed. Spread thin in an attempt to heal all wounds equally. Kaius never let up, not even for a moment. Never giving it a second to recuperate.

With a strangled cry of rage the goblin heaved, forcing away his sword with a clang. It dove in, desperate to turn the tide. Kaius punched out, smashing it in the jaw with his hilt. A follow up boot to the chest forced it back.

He heard a howl. Full of bloodlust. Quickly followed by a frenzied whine of pain. Porkchop was winning. The sound made his Bloodsong heighten. They made a good pair. A friend who knew the joy of spitting in the face of possibility, and knew the savage glee of striking down those that should have been their 'betters'.

Kaius thrust. The Outrider parried. The knife gave it little leverage. A Fathers Gift sunk into its chest. The goblin let out a wheeze, blood foaming from its mouth. It still fought on, futile as he thought it may be.

It staggered back, blood pouring from its many wounds. Shaking, almost listless, as its final hate-filled eye bore deep into him. Kaius returned the stare with an intensity of his own, making his gruesome satisfaction clear.

A whine of despair came from behind him, followed by a savage crack and the sound of tearing flesh. He heard porkchop snarl his victory, announcing his domination of the warg.

Kaius scowled. His friend had beat him. Unacceptable. No matter, his fun was drawing to a close.

He stepped forwards, the goblin trying to ward him off with a messy slash of its knife. It's body was failing it. Blood spilled free from a dozen deep rents in its flesh, and a myriad smaller cuts. A slab of its chest hung free. Revealing grizzly muscle and exposed ribs. Kaius had no doubt even if he left it, the Champion would expire of its wounds on its own.

He would not be denied satisfaction.

Another snarl of fury, Kaius heard his friend charging in from behind him.

His hand flung out. "No! You had your fun. This one is mine," his voice was unyielding.

Porkchop hissed. "Fine. Yours by right," his tone was clipped. Understanding, but in no way happy with withholding himself from more glorious battle. Kaius could feel it, rushing across the bond. The bloodlust. The desire to feel flesh give way beneath claw. For bones to crack underneath his teeth.

It should have been maddening. It only heightened his lust.

A savage cry tore at his throat. A scything cut coming in heavy. The outrider tried to block. Bracing against the blow with its whole body. His sword smashed into the tip of its knife. Overwhelming the point of poor leverage.

A Father's Gift rammed home. Cleaving flesh and bone alike. The goblin screamed. Right arm falling free with a spray of blood.

Kaius pressed the assault. It might have felt agony. Might have known hate. It was still a depths-born. It did not flee. Did not beg. Even as it cried in horror of the approaching doom, it did its best to gut him. Shaky parries and dogged slips turned life ending blows into yet more mortal wounds.

Moment by moment, it faltered. Nearly unable to stand. Joy flushed through Kaius's blood. The satisfaction of a fight well fought. It had been a good opponent. Stronger, faster, with all of the advantages. It still crumbled before his might.

It was over now. There was no honour, no song, to be had in toying with a finished opponent.

He ended it.

A cleave smashed its knife aside. Kaius whirled with the momentum. A follow up blow cleaved through the Outriders neck. Its malformed head flew free with a final gush of vital fluid, scowl frozen on its face forever more.

**Ding! You have slain a Champion: Goblin Outrider - level 25 Ironlash Rider!**

Kaius let out a scream of victory, channeling the crescendo of violent satisfaction that had been building the entire fight. Porkchop joined him, letting out a rumbling snarl.

"Good fight!"

"It was." Kaius panted, feeling the rush of battle lust slowly leave him. His exhaustion and aching wounds flooding back as his single minded focus ebbed.

Staring at the ruined corpse of the Champion, he sheathed his blade. Spawn of the Depths and dwarven scourge it might have been, it had still given him a good fight. For that, he had a modicum of respect..

Turning to Porkchop, he was about to ask his friend about searching for their loot when another system notification stopped him fast. Rooting him to the spot.

**Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Born for Slaughter**