B3 Chapter 308: Kolnir, pt. 3

Kaius heard the bellowing hoots of far off kolnirs once again. Four in quick succession, closer than they’d been only seconds before.

At best, they only had a handful of minutes.

He wanted to tear at his hair and scream. They had a kolnir pinned beneath Porkchop’s claws, immobile and on the verge of death. It had to be nearly out of health — it had been weakened before Kenva had brought it straight to them, and he could barely see its wounds closing.

It was still a tough bastard, and there was no guarantee they could kill it before they had to flee!

And they would have to flee — they’d struggled against a single, weakened kolnir. No chance in all the forsaken hells that they would be able to handle a whole group of them.

He was wasting time — he could feel the questioning stares of his team as the moment hung.

Kaius grit his teeth. They needed the levels this kill would bring — every single one would make them safer as their strength grew. There was no guarantee they would be able to isolate a weakened creature like this again.

“We fight!”

“Thank the Matriarchs!” Porkchop ripped into the creature’s chest with renewed vigour.

The kolnir gnashed its teeth — still flailing ineffectively in an attempt to haul itself out from under his brother. It floundered. With one arm lying limp on the jungle floor, and its entrails spread wide, it had been crippled. Even unnatural second-tier toughness wasn’t enough to power torn muscles and ligaments with Will alone.

Stepping forwards, Kaius cut at the weeping wounds his Arcane Blight left bubbling in its flesh — its Constitution driven hardiness giving way beneath his blade.

It still lived. No matter its wounds, it still struggled on — ignoring even the unrelenting deluge that Kenva and Ianmus unleashed as they joined the desperate assault.

Even with the full might of their team landing on the creature, they were taking too long. They needed to kill it, now. If they could just crush its blasted head!

The realisation slammed home, his eyes flicking back to the bubbling wounds he had left on its body.

He moved quickly.

Drawing back, Kaius ignited his blade with a burning Rend. He rammed the tip of his blade into the kolnir’s eye. The arcane filament along his sword’s edge collapsed, erupting in caustic energy a moment later. The kolnir gurgled in quiet agony as vitreous fluid and gore exploded from its face.

It was only a flesh wound — the back of its orbit had still stopped his thrust fast. Gods’ scorn.

As much as he wished it weren’t so, its bones may as well have been made from adamant — even Porkchop struggled to crack them as he pressed against the beast’s chest with his full weight and strength. Kenva fired a Lance of Fury at its neck. The oversized arrow barely chipped its spine, ravaging what was left of its throat as the enchantment on her bow caused the projectile to shatter.

Kaius scowled bitter and furious.

Undeterred, he ripped his blade free. More arcane energy had collected on its edge — his Skill capable of sustaining another burst thanks to its level. He rammed his blade home again. Another eruption, more of his Skill’s caustic affliction building up in the wound. It boiled, eating away at the thin layer of bone that shielded it from certain death.

It had to be cracked! No matter how tough it was, the bone was thin — he’d just thrown two uses of a Heroic skill right at it!

“Porkchop!”

He pushed a flood of images across their bond. His brother growled in hungry acknowledgement.

Drawing up to his full height, Kaius roared as he infused his sword with both his Rend and his Bladerite once more.

The kolnir’s remaining good eye widened.

He brought his blade down and felt the orbit crack. It still held. As his Rend started to whine — the energy of his Skill racing to the tip of his sword — Porkchop lunged, slamming a paw into the pommel of his sword.

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There was a grating shudder as bone ground against the edge of his blade. It shot a handspan in. The kolnir stiffened. Mystic’s Rend triggered.

Cracked and compromised, the beast’s weakened orbit wasn’t able to contain the violent expulsion of energy that was compressed by its skull. Fatty gore spurted from the wound, pressurised by a gout of crackling arcane energy.

A ding sounded in his mind. Undeterred by the muck that coated his face, Kaius grinned maniacally.

**Ding! level 244 Kolnir – Jungle Juggernaut slain – Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

…

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached level 132 > 135!**

**+3 End, Str, & Int, +2 Dex, Wil, +1 Vit, Free – from Class & Racial Traits!**

There was no time to stand and revel in their victory — he could hear the approaching kolnirs. Every few moments, another let out a hooting call.