B4 Chapter 497: Nightscale, pt. 2

Kaius swung for the nightscale’s side with all his might, the burning aura of his Investiture prickling against his skin like a god’s spite made manifest.

Unenhanced, A Father’s Gift was a sublime weapon that had been tempered in godly waters. Backed by his Investiture, he felt like he could cut through adamantine. A shame the cost was so high, he’d have to be sparing with its use yet.

This fight was still going to be tough, Kaius had no doubt about that. He had a bare five casts of Hateful Nail, a smattering more of Stormlash, and only three of Shunt and Bound Maelstrom. Worse, his mana channels still itched from breaking the army’s initial charge with Starfall — he’d have to save his spells for critical moments.

At least he’d recovered enough to comfortably use Mystic’s Rend.

On the precipice of Gold, the nightscale was incomparable to the masses of lesser creatures that Kaius had slain that night. With its natural size and physical abilities, its strength was only multiplied further.

Glinting scales of midnight black may as well have been dwarven plate, even its very flesh felt like cutting through oak.

Yet he still cut.

The nightscale screeched as a plate-sized scale shattered in the path of his blade. With his blood roaring hot, Kaius braced and leaned in; his brother’s forward charge was the only force he needed.

Blood flowed in a steaming wave, washing the streets; cleansing them of accumulated ash.

The wound he had left was deep, but unlikely to cripple the creature. Not with its size and strength. No, it was a provocation. The gaping crater in its flesh would be impossible to ignore.

They had to pull it off its path — if it reached the triage centers at the city centre, the losses would be incalculable. More than that, they needed to force it to turn. At nearly forty longstrides from snout to tail, there was nowhere near enough room on the street for its sinewy form. Even if it clearly had the power to demolish buildings with its physical strength alone, the debris would hamper it — allow him and Porkchop to strike at its vitals.

Letting out a low, crackling hiss, the nightscale lunged to the side to escape his blade. Glass shattered and wood splintered as its leading leg raked through the facade of a wooden house.

Kaius readied himself, flames of heat building within him. Bloodsong called, and aspects responded. It was a vigour finer than any wine. He readied himself, the creature would strike now, he was sure of it.

The nightscale’s massive head rose and it gazed upon them. Its eyes were deeply sunken, and black as night. He tensed, ready for it to lunge, and the carnage to begin.

Mana welled within the beast, rising to a sudden crescendo. Kaius felt a flash of danger from the thick limb just ahead.

Porkchop felt his sudden apprehension — lurching wide to the left and drawing them away from the threat.

Yet the attack never came. Claws burnt bright, digging deep into the paving stones. The nightscale accelerated. Uncaring of the damage it caused to its surroundings, every swaying step left destruction in its wake.

“What the fuck?” Kaius said.

It was running? Gods’ scorn, that made no damned sense! No one sane so blatantly ignored a deadly threat — it wasn’t like it could escape. The damned thing was slowed far too much by the city infrastructure.

“Do you think it’s the Tyrant?” Porkchop asked as he redoubled his pace, slowly closing the gap the nightscale had created.

“It must be, why else would a common beast be targeting our wounded — it shouldn’t even know where they are! Not unless the aerial beasts were able to communicate with it somehow.”

“Well then, we just need to make it certain that its only hope to reach its target is to kill us.”

Surging forward, the ground undulated beneath Porkchop’s feet as he unleashed Breaker of Men. Spikes of crystalline metal erupted in a wave, and he charged straight at the nightscale’s side.

Kaius’s stomach lurched. Bloody hells, Porkchop was going to tackle the damn thing. With him on his back.

A laugh slipped from his throat as he grabbed his brother’s armour with his off hand.

Porkchop slammed into the creature’s side, digging his claws into the slowly healing cut that Kaius had made moments earlier.

The sudden jolt of the collision nearly threw Kaius clean from his brother’s back. The mauling didn’t help either. Tensing, Kaius forced himself forward, thrusting his sword deep into a gap between its many ribs. Mana coalesced along his blade edge, collapsing a moment later.

Mystic’s Rend blew a fist sized tunnel into the nightscale, arcane burning at the edges of the creature’s pulsating flesh. Good, the affliction was suppressing its recovery.

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Yet to his dismay, the beast still didn’t turn and face them — only letting out a frustrated roar as it lurched to the side in an attempt to throw them off.

Kaius grit his teeth, mounted combat wasn’t working. He and Porkchop were too set in their fighting styles — his agile and swift, his brother’s brutal and hard. Yet on his own, he’d struggle to keep up with the pace of the creature. He had no stockpile of mobility spells, and had a cursed hunk of steel in place of his bloody foot.

He needed some way he could tear into it and become a biting viper the nightscale couldn’t ignore.

Gritting his teeth, Kaius’s mind raced as he hacked at the reptile’s side. Without leverage and reach, they may as well have been light scratches.

Porkchop, at least, was having more luck. Every swipe of his claws tore great strips from the beast’s side, staining his armour a deep red.

It screamed, and heaved towards them — a slam that sent Porkchop stumbling back, and nearly knocked Kaius free.

Leaping back, Porkchop roared his Bulwark’s Challenge. The skill ripped at the nightscale’s attention, its head snapping to Porkchop as it let out bone-rattling scream. It heaved up like a cobra, bracing itself with its back four legs as its forelimbs burned with black energy.