B3 Chapter 312: Roots, Finale

Kaius stared at the field of pallid tendrils waving through the air, standing at the threshold to the cavern. They looked disgusting. It was perhaps a little ridiculous that he was more unsettled by their demeanour and form than the deadly danger of their venom. In his defence, they looked like someone had wacked an insectile beak at the end of a shrivelled tube of skin.

Taking a critical eye, he planned his approach. They were spread evenly through the cavern, but he knew from the last worm that they could strike at targets at least two longstrides away. It looked like no matter where he was, there would always be at least two close enough to attack him.

Hateful Nail was an option to thin the herd, but he only had a handful of casts of it left — they were better saved for beasts that he couldn’t cleave in a single slash. Besides — a close quarters battle would be perfect for training his more physical skills.

Mystic Rend in particular would come in handy. After crossing past level one-hundred in his last battle with the kolnir, it could support three strikes before the imbued arcane energy would disperse.

Not to mention, its blast had grown…forceful. While it was only marginally larger than it had first been, each detonation was several times more potent than it had been before. More than enough to pulp worm-flesh.

A wave of solar magic splashed against his back. Vigour rushed through him, bolstering his physicality so that he could better match the worm’s blinding speed.

Porkchop layered the enhancement with his totem, the jade pillar erupting right next to the cavern’s entrance.

**Ding! You have been Enhanced: Sundrenched Strength!**

**Ding! You have been Enhanced: Totem of the Glade!**

With nothing left to wait on, Kaius brought his sword into mid guard and stepped into the cavern.

He approached the closest worms, the world tightening until all that mattered was the battle in front of him. Everything at his disposal was tuned to the coming conflict.

Mystic’s Rend pulled on his free mana, a thin whine filling the cavern as a flickering wire of energy surrounded his blade.

The first worm struck suddenly. One moment it was undulating lazily, the next it was stabbing straight for his chest as he moved a handspan forward.

Instinct and training saved his life. Wrenching his blade up into a parry, he caught the worm right behind its head — barely a handspan before it pumped him full of toxic venom. Mystic’s Rend tore through its fragile flesh, purple viscera flying upwards.

Still wiggling, the worm’s beak slapped against his cuirass, falling to the floor. Without the power generated by its body, it was helpless against his armour. In all honesty, it felt like a light punch.

An arrow splattered it a moment later.

**Ding! level 247 Pale Rootborer – Envenomed Parasite slain – Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

…

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached level 142 > 143!**

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

Kaius ignored the chimes of his level rising, focusing on the confirmation of the worm’s death.

Eying the next closest worm only a handful of strides away, Kaius took a step back. Regardless of his lack of injury, that had been close — if he’d been a heartbeat slower, he would have already been envenomed.

“What are ya, scared! I’ve seen weasels with more guts than you!” Porkchop lightheartedly teased, though he couldn’t hide the undercurrent of agony that crossed their bond.

The heckling was followed with a hacking chortle. Kaius rolled his eyes, but moved in all the same — even if taking the worms out one by one was the safest option, he knew they would need to push if they wanted to reach the second tier by their self imposed deadline.

There were a lot of skills to cap between now and then, after all.

Sensing his motion — somehow — two more worms snapped towards him as soon as he came in range. His heart lurched as he slipped to the side. The dodge pulled him out of range of the leftmost rootborer, its body straining towards him at full extension. The other slid past his chest — only to flop to the ground as he snapped his blade down in a wicked hack.

Before he could move to engage the first worm, Kenva loosed a shot directly at it.

It contorted at the last moment, the projectile shattering harmlessly into the dirt behind it.

“What in the hells?” Kenva called out, finishing the worm he had severed a moment later.

**Ding! level 247 Pale Rootborer – Envenomed Parasite slain – Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

…

**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached level 144 > 145!**

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

Kaius mirrored her confusion, backing off. They were fast bastards, but how had it sensed Kenva’s shot? Everything pointed to them ‘seeing’ based on vibration or something similar. For them to not only feel the passage of her arrow, but also react fast enough to avoid it? That was insane!

“Take another shot at one towards the back!” he called, keeping his eyes trained closely on the worms.

Another arrow soared towards the rear of the cavern — almost too fast for him to track.

Just like the last shot, the worm continued to drift in place uncarring of the incoming attack — until the very last moment, where it snapped to the side, bending a section of its body out of the way.

Kaius frowned. He’d managed to hit two of them just fine. What could possibly be different?

“Focus on the ones I sever for now — I’m going to test a few things!”

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He dashed in. Uncanny Dodge gave him a warning the barest of moments before the worm struck. The premonition came with a burst of energy that made it almost easy to spin on his front foot.

Tempted as he was, he didn’t cut the worm mid strike. He waited — spinning his head to bring his blade down the moment after it had reached full extension.

The rootborer snapped to the side, too fast for him to correct his strike. The second his sword sailed past, it folded over itself to launch its beak straight at his chest once more.