《(Book 1 Complete!) Runeblade: A Delving LitRPG Survival Adventure [Runic Magic & Skill Merging]》


 Chapter 1: The Fall

    Trees blurred as Kaius sprinted through the forest.


    He thought he heard crashing behind him. The bandits were on his tail. He¡¯d easily had a league''s head start when he saw them on the top of a precarious ridge line. One of them had been pointing at him, a thick ropey scar on the man''s face.


    They¡¯d closed the distance so fast.


    A root caught his foot, sending him stumbling. A thrown out arm caught his fall, the bark of the oak digging in painfully. He had to get to Father.


    They had a tracker. He knew it. Otherwise, he would have lost them. Even if they¡¯d only just moved into this area of the forest, he¡¯d lived in the Sea since he was a boy. He could cross it better than any village hunter he¡¯d met.


    There, up ahead. It was the elm with the strange split in its trunk. He¡¯d pointed it out to Father a few days ago. He was almost there.


    He pushed on, ignoring the way his heart slammed in his chest. How each breath felt like a knife blade on his throat.


    He just had to get to Father.


    <hr>


    Kaius came smashing through the underbrush, stumbling to a stop in front of their cooking fire. A pot of soup was bubbling away. His father looked up, green eyes wide in surprise. He wasn¡¯t supposed to be back for another good hour or two.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± Hastur said, jumping to his feet. ¡±What¡¯s wrong, boy? Are you alright?¡± he asked.


    Kaius bent over, panting, as he struggled to get the words out. ¡°Bandits! Right behind! Think they have a tracker!¡±


    Hastur¡¯s face went cold. He moved. Blurring into their tent. A moment later he was in front of him. Shoving his pack into his hands even as he shrugged on his armoured leather and chain jacket.


    ¡°Go!¡± he shouted, pointing in the opposite direction that Kaius had come running from.


    ¡°But-¡± Kaius tried to protest.


    ¡°Now! Fool boy!¡± he all but screamed, shoving Kaius. ¡°This is what we prepared for! You know our legacy, you can merge the rest of the skills yourself! Go!¡±


    Kaius felt the panic rising. He couldn¡¯t leave. Father could handle them. He was only supposed to leave if there was no chance. They were only bandits.


    ¡°I-¡±


    Hastur slapped him, the stinging mark bringing tears to his eyes.


    ¡°Go! If I don''t find you, I¡¯m already dead. Go!¡± Hastur shoved him again.


    Reality collapsed. His father¡¯s words sinking in. He had to leave. Kaius shrugged his pack on as fast as he could. He took a second to double check he had properly secured his sword. A heavy hand slapped on his shoulder.


    ¡°Fool boy.¡± His father looked him dead in the eye. ¡°I love you. Now go!¡± The rough shove sent Kaius stumbling.


    He went.


    <hr>


    Hastur drew Art In Motion, the longsword gleaming as it caught the light. It was a masterwork, a strange blade with a section of diamond cutouts through its centre. A blade that no longer fit him, not as reduced as he was. He¡¯d always been wary of giving it up. He¡¯d made the thing after all. It would serve him well today.


    They¡¯d finally found him. Of course, it had to be today. A few short years and the boy would have been gone. Such was luck. The Lady had always had it out for him. For Unterstern.


    They arrived.


    Nearly thirty of them exited the underbrush, moving to surround the camp. He supposed he should feel flattered, sending that many for little old him.


    One of them stepped forward, into the edge of the camp. Garbed in thick leathers that had seen better days, he was a tall and imposing man with a savage scar cutting down his face.


    ¡°Y¡¯vesh, take Job and the archers. Go find the boy. Don¡¯t kill him, just rough him up and scare the shit out of him. He¡¯s needed alive.¡± The leader of the troupe said, his eyes never moving from Hastur¡¯s own.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± A ratty figure fled, six men with long bows right at his tail.


    Hastur lunged for them. The leader of the bandits tutted, moving to block him as the rest of the bandits closed ranks. Hastur growled in fury.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want, harassing a hunter and his son like this. If you think us easy prey, I¡¯m sorry to tell you, but you are sorely mistaken,¡± he spat. With a flicker of intent, he focused his True Sight on the leader.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ??? - ??? - Level 157:


    ???, ???, ???


    Hastur grit his teeth. No common bandit had an anti-scrying skill that powerful, nor were they that level. They really had found him. Leather hand wraps creaked as his grip tightened on his sword.


    ¡°Come now, Hastur.¡± The man said, slowly circling the camp. Forcing him to move to keep him in sight. ¡°Art In Motion is far too distinctive for that to work. You can drop the pretence.¡± His voice was gratingly smug.


    ¡°Hells.¡± Hastur swore. He knew he should have gotten rid of the fucking thing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, you¡¯re a hard man to find.¡± The leader continued. ¡°I had to search the whole of bloody Vaastivar for over a decade before I found a lead in Deadacre.¡± He smiled, sinister and bleak. ¡°I guess that¡¯s why I¡¯m paid so much.¡±


    ¡°If you know who I am, then you know what I am capable of. I suggest you leave.¡± Hastur¡¯s voice was flat. Hard.


    ¡°Maybe once, Hastur. Maybe once. But now? With your class shattered and your body ruined?¡± The man laughed. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find you are much more manageable. I¡¯m honestly impressed you can even walk after you were poisoned. Soul Rend is nasty stuff, after all.¡± he said with a sneer.


    Hastur spat at the bounty hunter, spittle flying to splatter against the man''s trousers.


    He looked down with disgust. ¡°Now that¡¯s just uncouth.¡± He looked back up. ¡°Unbefitting of a Risen house of Locrua, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I tire of these games,¡± the man continued. ¡°Teach me the method for acquiring the Unterstern legacy skills, and I''ll let you and the boy go. On my honour as a professional. If you don¡¯t? I¡¯ll kill you and torture it out of your boy,¡± the man said icily.


    ¡°You can fucking try.¡± Hastur ground out.


    He charged.


    <hr>


    Branches whipped Kaius¡¯s face, stinging his tear tracked cheeks. The depraved men at his tail hooted and hollered. He heard a cry in the distance - was it his father, or one of the bandits? Kaius wanted to turn back. To stand his ground and help his father defend their camp!


    He grit his teeth and ran faster.


    Duty demanded his flight. His father, Hastur, had drilled him for this moment for years. The knowledge of their family¡¯s legacy skills that they held was too valuable. One of them had to survive, to carry on the legacy.


    His father should be fine. Even crippled, locked out from the use of his class skills, Hastur still had the tyranny of stats to lean on.


    So he ran.


    An arrow whistled past his head.


    ¡°That''s it! Run boy!¡±


    The ingrates were laughing at him!. Taunting him as they leisurely kept pace. His head whipped back. He glimpsed a figure garbed in ratty leathers that could have been called quality a decade ago.


    He might know the forest better than their best. It didn''t matter. They had a class. He did not.


    So he ran. Faster and harder than he ever had before.


    **Ding! Physical Conditioning has reached Level 13**


    Kaius ignored the notification, pumping his arms harder. His longsword thumped into his hip with every stride. He longed to draw it and turn on his pursuers. He was practically guaranteed to be the better swordsman: Warforged was his second combined skill. Even if it was low level, its method of creation was a secret for a reason.


    All the skill in the world would matter little against five full grown men, all of whom would be considerably stronger and faster than him. There was no way any one of them was under level fifty.


    As the trees whipped by him, arrows consistently flew close enough for him to know they could have hit him - if only the archer wanted them to. Kaius heard the growing roar of a river.


    ¡°Shit,¡± he swore. He had forgotten about that. Too strong and swift for him to pass safely, it may as well have been a solid wall. The bandits certainly hadn''t.


    They¡¯d been herding him.


    He had no choice. He would hit the banks of the river soon. Already he could see the spray that was kicked off the rapids as it hit the light. He couldn''t go left, the river quickly looped backwards which would lead him back to the majority of the bandit group¡¯s forces. He would have to go right.


    It might kill him, but that was better than the only other option available to him.


    Planting his foot firmly on a tree root he pushed off. Kaius heard the muffled curse of one of his pursuers. They hadn¡¯t expected that.


    The roaring of the river grew louder, a cacophony that almost drowned out his pursuit.


    Sunlight streamed through the trees, revealing the edge of the forest line as it retreated from the banks of the river.


    Dipping and dodging Kaius wove through the trunks, arrows hitting home with a thwack as they landed around him. The bandits had given up their pretences and were trying to hit him with real seriousness.


    He burst onto the river bank and was confronted by a solid wall of mist and haze. Vision obscured, his only hint of his destination was a violent roar to his front.


    Ahead of him the land fell away, a sharp demarcation delineating earth and sky like the ground had been cut free. The river howled as it shot straight over the cliff''s edge. Kaius¡¯s chest thumped as he grasped the enormity of what he was about to do. It was a steep drop.


    He and his father moved camp regularly; they¡¯d only arrived in this area of the Arboreal Sea a few days ago. Neither of them had managed to find a path to the base of the falls yet.


    Even if it was free of rocks, the undertow created by a river of this size was more than enough to drown him.


    His jaw clenched as he stared at the slice of sky, sprinting straight for the edge. Just a few more long-strides and he would make it.


    ¡°Job, take him down!¡±


    A line of white fire shot through his left leg.


    Bitter resistance surged through him, he only had one option.


    Kaius threw himself forward.


    Over the edge of the waterfall.


    The forest stretched out below him, an endless mat of green. Vanishing over the horizon as the glistening snake of a river coursed its way through the wild terrain.


    Then gravity reasserted itself.


    Kaius let out a scream of terror as he plunged towards the watery depths below.

 Chapter 2: The Great Depths

    Bubbles swirled around him, colossal forces pulling him from every direction. Water surrounded him on all sides, stabbing with an icy chill. Weighing him down, soaking his travelling clothes. He tried to kick, to force his way upwards. Agonising heat shot through his leg, the limb flapping ineffectively.


    It was broken.


    He was going to drown.


    Fighting to move, he tried to discern which way was up even as he was thrown and twisted around by the currents.


    His vision started to tunnel; a deep burning ache settling into his lungs.


    I¡¯m going to drown.


    Still he struggled, Rapid Adaptation fighting to keep the fear at bay.


    The faintest hint of a scintillating glow rose up from the depths, too blue to be the surface, growing brighter as he was forced down by the hammerblow of water from the falls.


    It was forgotten in his all-consuming need for air.


    The black closed in.


    Then¡­nothing.


    <hr>


    He was falling again.


    Back hit stone. Hard. His head smacked into the ground with a crack that he felt in his teeth. He heard water hit the ground with a splash, drenching his surroundings. The sharp pain rose him to full wakefulness - a cough and a splutter forced out the water in his lungs, leaving him retching.


    Pushing his sopping hair out of his eyes he looked around, shocked at his continued survival. Eyes adjusted to a soft light, far dimmer than the sun he was used to, though still more than enough to see by. He was in a damp cavern, the lighting immediately explained by a thin patchy coating of phosphorescent moss. Roots speared through the light intermittently, bursting through stone and moss alike.


    It smelled horrible.


    He pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing at the pain in his leg. Ever the useful skill, Rapid Adaptation prevented the pain from paralysing him, but it did not remove it.


    Evidently it hadn''t been enough time for his Health to regenerate his wound.


    Looking over the cavern floor, Kaius spotted an impressive number of fish carcases in varying states of decomposition. ¡°That explains the smell.¡±


    Eyes widened as he realised he had no idea if his gear had been ripped off him in his fall. Training took over, his hands searching for the presence of his pack and longsword. Both had a variety of minor enchantments, so they would have been undamaged by the water. If they stayed attached to him in the violent turbulence of the waterfall.


    He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt both the hilt of his sword at his waist and the top of his pack peaking over his back.


    ¡°Small miracle, that. More importantly though, where in the hells am I?¡±


    He looked to the ceiling where he must have fallen from, confused by the lack of water. Kaius quickly found his answer in the form of a dull circle of runes inscribed in the ceiling. He recognised them from his father''s lessons. He¡¯d had it hammered into him that they were to be avoided at all costs, at least until he was ready.


    A portal to the Great Depths. One whose counterpart had ripped him across space to deposit him here.


    With impeccable timing the System thrust a notification in front of his face,


    **Welcome to the Great Depths.**


    Layer: 2


    Biome: Overgrown Graves


    Kaius groaned as he read the message.


    ¡°Fuck. Layer two though. It could be worse.¡±


    Being on the second layer of the dungeon meant he would be facing monsters with an average level range of ten to twenty. Not the worst, certainly within his capabilities if he was slow, meticulous, and incredibly careful.


    It wasn''t that that worried him however. It was one of the reasons his father had impressed on him to avoid the Depths if he ever stumbled on an entrance. A tongue-lashing he had received after getting a little too curious about the glowing circles that dotted the forest above.


    Firstly that the entrances were one way - and once used would not be usable again for a period of time that could range from a few minutes to months.


    Once in, you had no way of knowing how long it would be until you could receive assistance. Which didn¡¯t matter if the portal you fell through was at the base of a fucking waterfall!


    The lesson had only one other component. There was only one way out of the Depths. You had to slay one of the Guardians that defended a portal to the surface and a portal deeper. You could traverse laterally. Moving through biomes to find a favourable match up. But you had to kill a Guardian.


    Something no unclassed had survived. Ever. Not even on the first layer.


    Monstrous beyond compare, the Guardians had a far higher level than the layer average, with far more power per level than a common Depths-born. They even had access to class skills. His father said trying to face them was practically suicide unless you were with a full team of appropriate levelled Delvers.


    Kaius slumped backwards onto the damp stone.


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ve just got to make history if I want to survive.¡± He put his head in his hands.


    Still, he was breathing. He had his gear. His training. If he was careful, the danger of the Depths should aid him in acquiring and levelling the skills he needed to create the legacy skills he was aiming for. They were a significant force multiplier, and if he managed all ten before his class selection, he should get offered quite the selection of classes. With a class and a few levels under his belt, it might be enough.


    He would just have to survive the two years until his class selection. Alone. In the Depths. Fuck.


    ¡°Okay, immediate plans. Set up a safe base of operations. Father said monsters wouldn¡¯t come into entrance rooms, so I''m safe for now. It might take him a few weeks, but he will find this entrance when he deals with the bandits.¡±


    Stuck in place for the foreseeable future, Kaius reverted to his training. His leg still ached from the fall and the arrow wound, but at the least it was no longer broken thanks to the regenerative properties of his Health.


    Step one would be assessing his status and how long his recovery would take. Realistically, a few hours at the most. Then, scouting and securing a lasting source of food and water. Based on the biome name he would most likely be facing a mix of undead types and beast types. Or undead beasts, which could cause an issue.


    Long term he would just have to sit tight, work on his training, and wait for his father.


    ¡°If he even survives the bandits...¡± the thought came unbidden.


    Kaius tried to force the fear out of his mind, leaning on his skill to drive off its paralysing grip on his throat. Hastur, Father, would be fine. He was strong. In all their years of sparring, Kaius had never even come close to besting him. Even now he was a man grown with a Unique weapons skill, Father still trounced him easily. After all, he had the same skill at a far higher level, and had far more stats to boot.


    Hells, the hunters in the frontier villages that bordered the Sea tipped him their hats in a deference they showed no others.


    ¡°But if he had a flare up..¡± The last one happened just yesterday. A wracking fit of coughs and muscle spasms that had left him gasping and weak for hours.


    Kaius scrunched his eyes shut.


    ¡°Status and survival first.¡± he thought, letting out a slow and steady breath to calm himself.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 18


    Class Selection: 1 Year, 49 weeks, 6 days


    Level: N/A


    Race: Human (Dynastic) - +1 free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Resources:


    Health - 0/200 (2/min)


    Stamina - 86/190 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    Stats:


    Endurance - 20


    Vitality- 20


    Strength - 19


    Dexterity - 20


    Intelligence - 12


    Willpower: - 20


    Stat Points: 0


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/a


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 10


    Warforged (Unique) -16


    Tracking (Common) - 20


    Sneak (Common)- 20


    Trap Finding (Uncommon)- 20


    Orienteering (Common)- 20


    Herbalism (Uncommon)- 20


    Cooking (Common)- 20


    Sense Weakness (Rare)- 15


    Physical Conditioning (Uncommon)- 13


    As he had expected, his Health was hovering at rock bottom. Thanks to his stats being capped at twenty until he got a class, he had a paltry two hundred. All of which had been consumed as his body attempted to heal from the arrow wound, and no doubt whatever considerable damage he had sustained in his fall.


    His resource regeneration was similarly low, but even still he could feel the barest pulse of heat surging through his body. The small blips of regenerated Health instantly consumed to heal his injuries.


    His Stamina was rather drained too, but he had enough to function on. Besides, he wouldn''t be leaving until his Health was full, by which point it would have long since topped off.


    With that done he scooted over to the edge of the wall, making sure to avoid the manky and very old fish carcases that dotted the cavern floor. With a heave, Kaius pushed himself atop a stray root that seemed to jut out of the floor, lifting himself out of the splash zone of any further potential water drops.


    He probably could have hobbled over, but Kaius didn''t want to accidentally reinjure anything partially healed. He didn''t want to spend any longer than necessary waiting for his health to fill.


    Groaning in discomfort, Kaius decided to inventory his skills in order to take his mind off his leg. His third legacy skill was coming along nicely. He only had to max out Sense Weakness and Physical Conditioning at twenty in order to merge them, and the rest of his motley collection of Common and Uncommon skills, into Explorer¡¯s Toolkit.


    Normally that would have taken him a few more months. They were combat focused skills. Sense Weakness was self explanatory, and the second slightly reduced the stamina cost of physical activity.


    Normally he would be steadily training both in controlled hunts with his father. Down here though, he more than expected that they would be seeing a lot of use.


    It was just his luck that the ambush had occurred now, before he could merge the Unusual legacy skill. Far greater than the sum of its parts, it was one of the broadest survival focused skills he had ever heard of. It would be invaluable for keeping him breathing in the world dungeon. He¡¯d need to prioritise capping Sense Weakness and Physical Conditioning as fast as he could.


    After that he¡¯d be able to work on his dynasty''s legacy defensive skill. That, the survival skill, and Rapid Adaptation and Warforged might just be enough to ensure his safety. He¡¯d need that. He couldn¡¯t only focus on just barely surviving. That would make it impossible for him to acquire and merge the component skills he needed for the rest of his legacy skills.


    Especially the sixth and seventh skills in his legacy. They were vital for the plans he had for his class. Without them, there was no chance he would be able to practise weaving and binding runic spell inscriptions to his flesh. Something that would let him cast without the channelling time and focus requirements of a normal mage.


    Without practice, it wouldn¡¯t influence his class. Without that influence, he would need to pick a channelling class if he wanted access to magic. Which would mean the sway of his close combat legacy skills on his class selection would go to waste. No one used channelled magic in melee, it was suicide. He had one shot at a class that blended magic and blade.


    There was no way he was going to let being trapped in the Depths come between him and his goals.


    Besides, if he managed to complete the full set of his legacy skills and practise such a unique method of bodily imbuement, he was sure to be offered an Unusual - or maybe even Unique - class. That would give him just the edge he needed to slay the Guardian and escape.


    Not exploiting his legacy skills to the fullest extent possible would be a waste, and a stain on his family name. Even one merged from only three or four general skills was worth a noble''s ransom. The ones that were part of the limited few that were an open secret only slightly less so.


    A good general skill could change fates. Hell, an old hunter who had shared their fire once had boasted that the only reason he felt comfortable ranging so far into the Sea was that he had been lucky enough to unlock two Unusual skills. If only the man had known what his and his father''s skills looked like. Unusual was usually the lowest rarity for a legacy skill - though some more common merges of two to three skills were Rare.


    Yet, despite their power- their frankly insane value- almost no one actively hunted for combinations. You only had ten general skill slots, and you couldn¡¯t remove skills. The chances of the skills not merging and leaving you with a motley collection of poorly optimised junk burning a hole in your status was astronomical. Even if by some small miracle you did have the right skills? If they were in the wrong order they wouldn¡¯t merge.


    A favoured fable, that was. The noble scion who refused to listen closely to his parents, ending up with five Mastery skills instead of Master-at-Arms.


    Kaius shook his head.


    Some people might be willing to risk two, three, maybe even four of their general skills in order to attempt to discover a legacy skill. But more than that? All ten? Pure lunacy. He¡¯d once heard from a Hiwiann caravan that some Greenseed duke had announced he had received a skill guide as loot from a Guardian. His father -Hastur- had said it was more likely to be political posturing. A convenient way to boost the renown of any future scions.


    Kaius thanked the gods that he had the favour to be born into a dynasty with such an insanely valuable hoard of knowledge. No one, not even the mighty dukes of Greenseed, openly flaunted a complete set of legacy skills. The shattering of the empire was said to have started over such a legacy.


    It was the stuff of legends. Ten skills merged into the first slot, nine into the second, and so on. He¡¯d heard a bard once, telling the story of a lucky boy with such a set ascending to godhood the moment he got his class. Ridiculous of course, his father had the same set as him and was still very much human.


    But the benefits were very real, and the dangers of someone finding it out just as heavy. It almost frightened him. People would kill for even one of his skills. Hells, he¡¯d literally overheard more than one disgruntled farmer mutter about kidnapping a noble to secure a legacy for their own sons. Bluster in the face of a noble''s might, but the intent was there. Let alone if they found out a full set would lead to a free evolution of your final general skill.


    He now understood why his father wouldn''t even let him out of their rented rooms when they had visited villages when he was a young child. Too afraid he would let the secret slip.


    Father had always been cagey with exactly how they came to possess such a bounty. Nor why they had no hold, clan, sect, or nobility - unlike any other dynasty he had heard of. Why, despite having a king''s foundation, they hid like rats in the woods.


    He had told Kaius that their dynasty was old. Far older than most. Still, that was the smallest and least difficult of the prerequisites in attaining such a legacy.


    Neither had his father explained the origins of his bizarre injuries. The ones that inhibited his abilities to use his active class skills. That caused him such agonising and debilitating flare ups.


    It wasn''t that hard to guess though. Someone had found out, and when they did his father had been forced to flee. To preserve their legacy. Much like Father had forced him to flee in turn.


    Kaius buried his worry for his father''s safety. In the end, as much as it burned him to think, it didn''t really matter. Father¡¯s¡­condition¡­ had been getting worse over time. His father had done everything he could to stoke his desire to become a Delver. To explore the world and grow strong. See sights unseen, and carry the Unterstern name to lofty heights once again. Promising that once they didn¡¯t have to hide his training, he would settle down in one of the frontier villages and stop pushing himself in spite of his affliction.


    He¡¯d just thought he¡¯d have more time. Time enough to finish his foundation, and then later to obtain his class. Time to spend with his father. Days on hunt, evenings setting camp, nights sat around the fire.


    If those bandits had robbed him of that, there would be a blood debt. One he intended to repay with interest.


    He just had to get out of the damn Depths first.


    <hr>


    A figure lounged on a throne of rough hewn stone, one leg tossed contemptuously over the armrest. He looked like he was chiselled from granite. All rough angles and hard lines, striated muscle barely concealed from view by a thin robe far too fine to be made of mundane silk.


    The chair hovered in an endless black expanse. Vacuous space only broken by a thousand thousand dancing lights. Moving to some unheard tune.


    ¡°Report.¡± The figure spoke, words barely scraping free. Like he had nearly forgotten the delicate control it required.


    A light floated free of the swarm, drifting over to phase through his skull. The figure sat unmoving. Bored.


    **Integration - initiated 13,364 years, 9 months, 3 weeks, 1 day, 14 hours, 38 minutes, and 13 seconds ago**


    **Integration Stage 1 - completed 13,289 years, 3 months, 4 days, 19 hours, 8 minutes, and 42 seconds ago**


    **Integration Stage 2 - Pending ¡­ **


    ¡°Useless.¡± The words were forceful. Bitter. An ancient frustration sending the dancing lights into a swarm of anxious activity.


    ¡°Summary since last report.¡±


    Another light drifted free from the swarm, pulsing as it approached the figure. The light entered their mind. They blinked, a pensive expression crossing their face. A century of history parsed in an instant.


    ¡°An unclassed in the depths? First time in a few decades. Probably no chance, just more dead meat.¡± Thick fingers drummed against stone leaving hairline cracks in their wake. They didn¡¯t have anything better to do.


    ¡°Full historical analysis, Kaius Unterstern.¡±


    Another light, another instant.


    The figure sat up with a start, leg crushing the stone hand rest in their haste. They frowned at the distraction. A look of intent and the stone was whole again. They turned back to the report, digesting what they learned.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ He might make it.


    ¡°Observe the boy. Let me know of his progress.¡±


    **Attempt forced Observation status?**


    ¡°No!¡± The figure hurried. ¡°But inform me if he meets the criteria.¡±


    They leaned back, drumming their fingers into the stone again. Dust flying free with each impact. For the first time in millennia they felt impatient.


    ¡°C¡¯mon kid. You might be my ticket back to the fold. Give me an excuse to put my finger on the scale.¡±

 Chapter 3: Cloudy with a Chance of Swarms

    Kaius stood in the cavern, holding his longsword out in front of him in a ready grip. His eyes coasted over its length, taking in the flawless steel decorated with a strip of sigils down the centre.


    The sword had been a gift from Father. It had taken months of brutal sparring to merge Warforged, the second legacy skill in his dynasty¡¯s collection. There were times when he almost thought his father hated him, with how mercilessly he had beat him on the training field. He came to understand that it had been necessary. A reality of the looming date of his class selection.


    Allegedly made from an alloy of deep essence, meteoric iron, and a miniscule amount of orichalcum, it had been forged by a master smith. Much like the rest of his fathers gifts, it had been personally inscribed with enhancing runes by Father while he worked with a commissioned master craftsman. Their sole trip to Deadacre was a fond memory of an overwhelming riot of people, sounds, and smells. His burning desire to get out and see the world had only grown after that.


    He¡¯d watched Father use runes to make an arrow that had shot clean through a boulder once, shattering the stone like an egg shell. Yet the enchantments on his blade were comparatively minor. Thanks to its superior make and materials he could comfortably cut through leather and bone with ease. Durable, scalpel sharp, and perfectly balanced.


    Its enchantments only served to reinforce those points. Magics of an unbreaking and self repairing nature. A honed edge that would never dull. Resistance to the elements, and the passing of time.


    Father almost certainly could have enchanted the blade so the barest of nicks would have rent the life from his foes. At least, the sort of foes that he had any business facing in the first place.


    That would have defeated the entire purpose of the gift. It was a tool. Reliable and dependable, certainly. But not something that would remove all challenges he would face. Father had sat him down on the very first day he gained the ability to learn skills, explaining it to him. They grew through struggle and strife. The strength of your class offering influenced in much the same manner. There were no shortcuts.


    Even before he unlocked his access to skills and stats at fifteen, the entirety of Kaius¡¯s life had been that of preparation. How to identify food and clean water, how to hunt and kill, two hours of running every morning, how to staunch an artery and more. All with practical examples - though in the case of an arterial bleed, it had been his father who had suppressed his healing and opened his brachial artery. Too dangerous for a boy without Health, his father had said.


    Not that that had made it any less traumatising. He still remembered the way Father¡¯s face had gone slowly white, while he was coated up to the elbows in his father¡¯s blood.


    It had been, and still was, the only way he would ever complete his skill evolutions and cap them at twenty in the measly five years between matriculation and class selection. With a good class he would have had a ticket out of the forest, one that his father had wholeheartedly supported him on. Promising that he had something lined up in Three Fields when that happened. That they wouldn¡¯t need to hide when there was no chance of somebody spying on his training.


    He¡¯d wanted to be a Delver. Now he had to be one before he was ready.


    There was no way he was going to let being trapped in the Depths come between him and that goal. Hell, given the way skill levelling responded to danger, it would probably even be a boon.


    He¡¯d had a level up for Warforged in the works for weeks now, and a single level might just be the difference that would keep him alive. A little training wouldn¡¯t hurt. Besides, there was no way he was going to explore the depths without his Health topped off.


    He raised his blade into a high guard, flowing smoothly through his stances. Weaving between imaginary enemies as his sword flashed out with blurring speed. A swift parry and riposte, twirling into an overhead strike that cleaved through an ¡®enemy¡¯ attempting to sneak up behind him.


    On and on he moved, working out his feelings of frustration and uncertainty. Feeling the rhythms of his movements, and the slow burn of his muscles. Between his stamina and his Physical Conditioning he continued for a while, a familiar thrilling heat welling up within him.


    **Ding! Warforged has reached level 17!**


    Warforged:


    Level 17


    Unique


    The pedigree of slaughter stretches far. From fist and rock, to bow and spear. The history of violence reaches to time primordial. You have steeped yourself in its arts.


    Skill that enhances technical mastery with all weapons and improves the lethality of strikes. Novel and exotic weapons require a period of familiarisation that reduces with level.


    Each level moderately increases proficiency with all weapons.


    Each level slightly increases speed, control, and power of strikes


    Merged from: Unarmed mastery, Improvised Weapon Mastery, Throwing Mastery, Dagger Mastery, Axe Mastery, Pole Weapon Mastery, Mace Mastery, Sword Mastery, Archery Mastery


    Kaius stopped halfway through his swing, his chest heaving.


    ¡°Finally,¡± he thought.


    Despite the fact that levels slowed as skills reached closer to their cap, Kaius was certain that the danger he was bound to face would only push Warforged to new heights. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Walking over to a pool of displaced river water that was far away from any rotting fish, Kaius rinsed the sweat off his face.


    A quick look at his resources told him he was nearly topped off. He was ready to scout. Looking into the dim exit out of the entrance chamber, Kaius felt a mixture of dread and excitement flow through him.


    It would be the first time he would be entering danger without his fathers watchful eye over his shoulder.


    <hr>


    Kaius felt his breathing steady - shadows that previously loomed to hide imagined foes now wrapping around him to hide him in their embrace. Using Sneak made him feel at ease, especially in unfamiliar places. Common or not, the way it eased his movements, guided him on how to reduce his presence, was a rare comfort.


    Poking his head around the cave''s edge he surveyed the area. Much like the entrance room, the tunnel was mostly bare rock illuminated by the odd patch of softly glowing moss. More tree roots that pushed their way free of cracks in the stone. Clawing their way across the walls like creepers.


    If it had been anywhere else, the effect would have been pleasant. Almost comely. Growing up in a forest had made Kaius rather fond of natural spaces after all.


    Unfortunately, this was the Depths, and the writhing shadows that the roots threw off in the slowly pulsing light grated at his nerves.


    Kaius held his sword at the ready.


    Kaius wasn''t going to bet his life on depths-born making their presence obvious, even if it was common. If there was one thing his father had hammered into him, it was that the Depths seemed to love breaking its own rules when it would put you most at risk. His father had told him about a brush with death he himself had had when a stone elemental had phased through a wall on the fifteenth layer.


    That wasn''t the only thing he had to contend with either. Tunnel sections were notorious for being littered with traps. If he hadn''t had Trap Finding he wouldn''t even step foot out of the entrance room.


    Unfortunately, a level twenty Uncommon skill was far from enough to ensure his safety, and he had to leave the chamber anyway.


    ¡°Okay... Overgrown graves. Already know that probably means beast and undead types, but from the looks of it, the tunnels are following a natural theme. Probably not going to be artificial traps then, I think?¡±


    Kaius scrunched his brow. His father had mostly focused on identifying the depths and parsing biome themes. Any actual lessons on delving strategies had been supposed to come later, once he¡¯d gained his class. It was supposed to be his final lesson. A long awaited send-off before his father settled in for the easy life of a runic inscriptionist. Something he could do without his class skills and without straining his old injuries.


    Taking a steadying breath, he took a final look at the safety of the entrance room, double checking that his pack was nestled safely off the floor on an errant root. While it had waterproofing enchantments, he didn''t want to risk it being washed away if there happened to be another deluge while he was gone.


    He¡¯d made all the preparations he could. It was time to leave.


    The passage ran off from the cavern, quickly splintering into a multitude of directions. He decided to keep left. The Delver''s classic.


    <hr>


    It didn''t take long for Kaius to hit his first obstacle. A tangled mess of spiderwebs coated the cave from floor to ceiling, thick enough to almost completely obscure his view. Something darted across, crawling deeper into the nest and out of view.


    Massive, hairy and black. Wider than the length of his foot. Physically, probably not all that dangerous. There was no way in hell the things were not venomous though.


    ¡®Course the first thing I come across is bloody spiders,¡¯ Kaius groaned to himself.


    He¡¯d always thought they were unnerving. Too many legs and eyes by far. Plus bugs had no right to have fangs. It simply wasn¡¯t right.


    He shook his head to throw off his nerves, Depths-born spiders or no, it wasn¡¯t like him to quake in his boots at the first sign of a fight. Crouching down Kaius scrounged up a few fist-sized chunks of stone, courtesy of the omnipresent tree roots cracking the surrounding tunnel walls.


    He would make them come to him.


    Taking a breath to steady himself he stepped out from behind the bend in the tunnel, before pelting the spider''s nest with the rocks. The stones sailed through the air, punching easily through the silk webbing.


    The trail of carnage was followed by an aggravated chittering. Kaius calmly drew his sword.


    ¡°The silks are weak, that''s good. No risk of being caught up.¡±


    A single spider crawled free of the ruined webbing, approaching his position quickly. Furious at the invader that had dared to violate its nest.


    Kaius ran forward, the spider raising its forelegs in response. Kaius thrust, his sword point piercing the creature''s thorax.


    The hardened steel punched through the bulbous sack of flesh, spilling grey-brown ichor freely across the floor as it clattered against the rock below with a clank. The spider screeched. Flailing, desperate to rid itself of the weapon embedded in its torso. Behind it, Kaius saw more racing towards him from further in the cave. Their numbers grew until they looked like a pulsating mat of black that seemed to bleed up the walls.


    Kaius didn''t stand on ceremony. He lifted his sword, spider still firmly impaled, and slammed it against the rock wall to his side.


    The spider all but exploded.


    **Ding! level 5 Lesser Cave Spider slain**


    Kaius frowned when he saw the notification, connecting the dots between the below-average level of the monster, and the steady flow of similar spiders that were still leaving the nest.


    ¡°Of course it''s a bloody swarm.¡±


    The next spider dashed at him. With a grunt Kaius stepped forwards, bringing his foot down to stomp on the creature with his full weight.


    **Ding! level 4 Lesser Cave Spider slain**


    He swallowed his disgust at the resulting crunch-then-squish, already swinging his sword into one of its brethren that had taken to crawling on the wall, wincing as the gush of fluid splattered against his chest.


    Still more spiders followed, Kaius fell into a gorge-rising routine of strikes and stomps that splattered both his surroundings and his body in ichor.


    The steady flow of spiders abated, leaving just over a handful remaining. His stamina remained high, but it didn''t do anything for the hammering of his heart, the burn in his arms, or the bellowing of his lungs.


    A weight hit him, scrabbling on his back. Kaius felt a searing pain in his shoulder, numb agony spreading through the muscle from two sharp points. With a cry he reached over and grabbed at something hard and fuzzy.


    Yelling in fury he ripped the spider off his back, its fangs tearing at his already healing flesh as the itch of expended Health coated the wound. He threw it to the ground. A rough stomp smushed the monster, its many legs flailing in an attempt to flee.


    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Lesser Cave Spider Venom**


    Kaius stared in horror at the notification.


    ¡°Fuck.¡±

 Chapter 4: The Grove

    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Lesser Cave Spider Venom**


    Even as Kaius read the notification, he felt a burning inflamed heat growing from the wound.


    ¡°Blasted depths, not now!¡± he muttered to himself.


    Numbness spread through his arm. He had to pick up the pace. A quick look satisfied him that no more spiders were coming to ambush him from the ceiling so he ran forward. Bringing the fight to the remaining handful of spiders.


    Without the element of surprise they fared as well as the rest of their brethren. Their sticky ichor coating his boots and the blade of his sword.


    Kaius threw his head around, looking all over the walls and ceiling for more of the creatures. Nothing. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest, failing to calm even as he leaned onto the soiled cave wall. Pain, thankfully easy to ignore, shot through his arm and back, radiating out from his wound in lockstep with his heartbeat.


    His Health was burning by the second, expended to stave off the violent effects of the venom.


    ¡°Gotta get back to the entrance room¡­¡± The thoughts came slowly, impeded by the thick fog that had begun to cloud his mind. If he could get there he would be safe from attack, would have time for Rapid Adaptation to work its magic.


    With shaking hands Kaius managed to sheathe his sword, too preoccupied by the pain and weakness coursing through his body to bother dealing with the ichor that still coated its hilt. Leaning on the wall with his good arm he began to stumble towards safety, the venom spreading through his body by the second.


    He had to make it back.


    He would make it back.


    Step after arduous step.


    He would make it. He had to.


    <hr>


    The walls of the cave swayed precariously like a deep sea galleon under Kaius¡¯s feet. Grasping for the roots that dotted the wall with a steadying hand did nothing to help with his vertigo.


    Stumbling slowly, he made his way through the tunnels. Often he had to stop, convinced he was getting turned around even though his hand never left the rightmost edge of the cave. How many steps was it supposed to be? He was sure it wasn¡¯t this far. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be going left?


    It was only the radiating ache on his shoulder that kept him grounded. The writhing tendrils of expended Health had retreated from the surface of the wound. Concentrating around the deep well of venom left behind. Coursing through his veins with every heartbeat.


    Insistent. Heightening his pain with every throb. Drawing him back from the fog.


    He coughed, chest shuddering. A light splatter, his eyes drawn to the red blood.


    Kaius checked his Health. The interface flickered into his eyeline a second later, the heavy weight of the poison slowing his thoughts. He watched its value drip away. It might have been slow, but it was decreasing all the same.


    ¡°Just need to survive long enough for Rapid Adaptation to do its thing...¡±


    It was a trickle. Slow enough he might make it. As long as there weren''t any more spiders - any more venom and his healing wouldn''t be able to keep up. The entrance room. That was where he was going. He had to get to the entrance room.


    With a groan, Kiaus forced himself to take another step as he leaned heavily on the cave wall.


    That''s all there was to it. Just one foot after another.


    <hr>


    Slumping against the wall of the cavern, he heard a splash. Something soaked through his pants. Was he sitting on the floor?


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has added a new Resistance: Venom!**


    Rapid Adaptation activated. Energy flooded out from his centre, corralling and encapsulating the venom as it purged it from his system. He gasped. The leaden weight on his mind and body retreated quickly.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 11!**


    ¡°Finally.¡± Kaius thought to himselfIf you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Rapid Adaptation:


    Level 11


    Heroic


    Danger lurks in every corner. Adapt or die.


    This skill allows you to develop resistances to all damage types and afflictions. Novel dangers require a period of adaptation to develop a resistance. Certain sources of damage are harder to adapt to, such as physical harm and esoteric mana types.


    Each level slightly increases resistances to dangers you have adapted to.


    Each level slightly reduces exposure required to adapt.


    Resistances: Pain, Fear, Poison, Disease, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Void, Aether, Venom


    Merged From: Pain Resistance, Fear Resistance, Poison Resistance, Disease Resistance, Fire Resistance, Water Resistance, Earth Resistance, Air Resistance, Void Resistance, Aether Resistance


    With a groan Kaius pushed himself out of the puddle he collapsed into. He walked over to where he had secured his pack, retrieving a rag.


    ¡°That was not fun,¡± he whispered to himself as he mopped at his slicken face.


    He could feel it there still, the waves of nausea and brain fog made sure he wouldn''t forget it, but having added Venom to his list of resistances he was in little danger of anything more than discomfort.


    He clasped his hands, thanking Ellyntr that he had such a useful skill.


    When he was younger he had often complained that it was far less flashy than the stories he had heard villagers tell. Ten-skill merges were supposed to be flashy, weren''t they? Like the hero Josan¡¯s Astral Strike. Oh, how he had loved to hear how he could pierce any armour, striking at a monster''s very soul.


    Father had shaken his head at him. Resistance skills were powerful, he said, but too specific for most to make use of. The ability to grow resistant to anything given a little time and exposure? He would appreciate it when it saved his life.


    It was one thing to know that Father was probably right. Another entirely to have it proven in his first minutes in the Depths.


    Kaius shuddered as he thought back to the nearly two years of discomfort and agony it had taken to level its constituent parts. Each resistance incorporated into the skill had to be done delicately, lest his freshly integrated body give out.


    The final two skills he had to raise to their cap before he could merge Rapid Adaptation? Those had been truly hellish. Advanced elemental resistances. Exposure to the effects they defended from was normally enough to easily kill someone many times stronger than him. His father had had to use specialised devices to inflict him with the barest traces of the aspected mana.


    Irreplaceable artefacts. Strange bronze cylinders the size of a finger, covered in runic inscriptions denser and smaller than any other enchantment he had seen. Tipped with a fierce needle to be implanted deep into his flesh. First one. Later, dozens.


    A single misplacement could have killed him.


    Almost did, more than once.


    Shaking off the bad memories Kaius finished mopping his face. Taking a deep breath he leaned back, watching the glowing moss pulse. Shift through blues and subtly greens, the asynchronicity warping the shadows.


    <hr>


    A short walk through the tunnels brought Kaius back to the remnants of his battle with the spiders. Cracked chitin and sprays of ichor coated the floor of the cave. With a contemptuous sniff, Kaius stepped over the remains of his slain foes and continued on.


    Taking his scabbard off his back, Kaius cleared his way through the remaining dense webbing. Wadding itself thick.


    A few turns through the tunnels later and he spotted a slow brightening of the light. Emanating from around an upcoming corner. He dropped into a crouch, feeling his Sneak skill guide him into reducing his profile.


    Walking into the unknown was a risk that could get him killed. It was also his only option.


    Turning the corner, the roots that protruded from the cave wall grew dense and clustered. Leaving him with only a narrow path through a bramble-like mesh. The cave brightened ahead of him, shining through the gaps - though he had yet to see why.


    Kaius grunted in dissatisfaction. ¡°Guess I''m moving up.¡±


    With each step he tested his footing with the balls of his feet, unwilling to give himself away by accidentally disturbing the increasing number of loose stones that had been torn free by the roots.


    As he moved the roof of the cave slowly rose above him, the tunnel widening in much the same way. He pushed further through the snagging roots. A gap appeared ahead, light blinding him after the dimness of the cave. Rushing forwards Kaius yanked on one leg as a particularly ornery root snagged his pants.


    He burst through the opening.


    Kaius found himself gazing out over an expansive cavern from a vantage point partway up its wall. Far above, the familiar shifting pulse of glowing moss absolutely coated the ceiling. Providing far more light, though the cavern''s edges were hidden by a haze of gloom.


    A gentle, if treacherous, slope of scree fell away before him. Levelling out to meet the cavern floor.


    Kaius stopped transfixed, his attention drawn away from the space''s immense size to the dense blanket of foliage that obscured his view of the ground proper. The stout tree¡¯s leaves glowed a dim green, though with less potency than the moss far above.


    A sea of green, stretching out further than he could see. A forgotten forest, potentially hundreds of long-strides beneath the surface. A shadow of its cousin above, drowned in a strange fae light.


    Straining his eyes in the half-light, Kaius drank in the sight. Was that..? It was. He could barely make out a dilapidated stone structure in a gap in the trees. Just close enough that it wasn¡¯t hidden in the gloom.


    ¡°I¡¯d bet my sword that is where I will find some undead.¡±


    Kaius narrowed his eyes. In the Depths an underground forest meant hazardous wildlife. There was a small chance that he was off base and the wildlife would be undead, but the distinctly living nature of the swarm of spiderlings suggested otherwise. With how long he was going to be trapped down here, that meant he had a food source.


    The undead themselves were probably the true hazard of this biome. They would be the grindstone he needed to push his skills just that little bit further. Delving was a dangerous profession. You either took every opportunity you could to eke out another iota of growth, or you died. He might have started a few years early, but he refused to fall into the second category.


    He dashed down the slope, anticipation urging him forward faster than was wise.

 Chapter 5: Unnatural Encounters

    After leaving the tunnel, Kaius descended into the strange glowing forest that he had found so deep beneath the surface. He crept across a dense carpet of lichens, the fungus squelching underfoot as he pushed yet another dense bush out of the way. It glowed with soft illumination to match the canopy of the trees above, spores shimmering almost imperceptibly as they were kicked up with every step. The flat light draped the underbrush, the lack of shadows playing hell with his depth perception.


    He moved from tree to tree, making sure to hide behind their bulk as much as physically possible. As he moved his gaze roved over his surroundings, Kaius made use of his Tracking skill to survey the surrounding area.


    A scratched root here, disturbed undergrowth there, even the odd far-off grunt revealed the presence of beasts living amongst the trees.


    Kaius was determined to make it to the ruined structure he had seen. He couldn''t risk attracting the attention of whatever denizens lived in the grove without having a defensible location to fight from.


    He was confident in his skills. Just last week he had managed to clear a nest of boggarts. Without his father stepping in. High-level depths-born were something else entirely. He¡¯d seen a delver once, muttering into his cup at the Stout Oak about a run gone bad. How they pursued intruders with dogged single-mindedness, free of fear.


    The undead would hopefully be a different story. At lower levels, they could be among the most dangerous. Wights that inflicted fatal contagion with but a touch. Incorporeal spirits immune to all wounds, yet still able to tear out your throat. Higher up, where he was, they were little more than empowered corpses, hamstrung by the slowing touch of the grave.


    With a little care and dexterity, he should be safe from their clumsy strength.


    He should be getting close to the church he had spied from above. Though it had only looked like a half-hour walk, the terrain had slowed him. He was eager to see what else he could find, the opening in the trees had been far too big for the single building he had seen poking over the canopy.


    <hr>


    The forest opened up, revealing a battered church that stood proud in a sea of gravestones. A low stone wall guarding the perimeter.


    While it might have once been grandiose, age had not been kind to it. Shattered tiles covered the roof, barely protecting it from the elements. Thin stone openings dotted its cracked walls. Glass long since shattered, only the rotten remnants of shutters remained to sway in the strange breeze that flowed through the cavern.


    Buildings were common enough in the Depths. Apparently, as you got deeper it was possible to find entire ruined fortresses, even cities. Rich in artefacts, forgotten language, and lost culture, it was almost impossible to believe that they were all creations of the dungeon.


    Did the Depths create it all whole cloth, the creation of some dreaming intelligence? Or was it simply watching, creating twisted inversions of the world above? Perhaps in some long-forgotten time this church had stood in some rich glade of the Greenseed Dukedoms, only to find itself reflected in the endless Depths long after it had turned to dust?


    Kaius moved on quickly from his musings, His eyes moving to the expansive graveyard that circled the church. There was no order to the graves. Flat planes of stone rising abruptly from the earth in a haphazard manner. So different from the orderly rows that lay on the outskirts of frontier villages.


    Wait. Was that? It was.


    A figure shambled out from behind a headstone, plodding its way through the graves. It paused. Waiting. It turned in place, seemingly scanning the field in front of it. It found nothing, moving off in what seemed to be a random direction.


    Kaius narrowed his eyes, scanning the graveyard. More jumped out to him, though to his relief they were few in number.


    Five in total and gaunt of frame, the figures shambled around in meaningless circles as they stumbled over hidden debris. They were scattered across the graveyard, each moving as if they were completely unaware of their compatriots. Their patrol was lilting, seemingly without any true vigilance. Like old, half-remembered, orders - a bodily habit followed blindly.


    Despite the distance, Kaius could still make out the presence of mouldering leather cuirasses and rusted iron helms, as well as a motley collection of pitted weapons held loosely in unresponsive fists. One stood out above the rest, draped in chainmail and a solid helm, holding a massive club in both hands. That one would be a tough nut to crack.


    The way they were spread out amongst the graves, and their seeming total lack of cooperation, could work in his favour. He liked his chances much better if he could force them to face him one at a time. Being undead, they lacked the regenerative vigour of Health. Even if they kept coming until he destroyed the core of their reanimating magics - usually the head- he could whittle them down with crippling blows.


    As long as he could stop them from swarming him, that is.


    Kaius bent down, rooting around for a stone. ¡°If it worked once..¡±


    He found one, working it loose.


    ¡°This should do nicely.¡±


    He needed to get closer. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Now.. where do I want to do this.¡±


    He scanned the low wall surrounding the churchyard. There. A bit to his left.


    A crumbled opening, littered with loose cobble. Narrow enough that he could use it as a choke point. The undead would fare worse than him on the uneven footing. Every stumble would be something that Sense Weakness could capitalise on. If he could get to the wall without being spotted, that is.


    He just hoped the undead wouldn¡¯t have the sense of mind to haul themselves over the chest-high stone and flank him.


    It was still his best bet.


    Each step was careful as he stepped over loose earth and stray branches with ease, his passage near silent compared to the soft rustle of leaves shifting in the breeze. Always careful to keep a bush or a tree between himself and his targets. Their disjointed patrol always seemed to leave one watching in his direction. He wasn¡¯t going to risk discovery before he was ready. No matter how oblivious they seemed.


    He stopped behind his final bit of cover. A scraggly little bush that just barely covered the majority of his person.


    Peeking out over the top, his eyes focused on the movements of the undead. Each shaky step they made snapped in a stiff legged mockery of a march. Though the way they ignored each other as they strutted around the graves left much to be desired in the way of discipline. Kaius just hoped their lack of cooperation remained when he engaged them.


    No matter which way they wandered, there always seemed to be one positioned just right that would see him making a break for the fence line.


    Muffling a curse, Kaius suppressed his urge to run into the fray anyway.


    ¡°You¡¯re in the Depths, you fool. Being cocksure is how you end up dead.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, he noticed his forearm had started to burn due to his too-tight grip on the stone he had found. Forcing himself to loosen his grip, he settled onto his haunches and began to wait.


    <hr>


    ¡°Now!¡±


    The soft earth beneath his foot gave way slightly as system-enhanced strength and coordination moved him from a low crouch to a dead run in a fraction of a second.


    He kept himself hunched. Trying to minimise his profile.


    He ran as fast as he could to the obscuring safety of the wall. He shifted his tongue, mouth bone dry as he kept his gaze locked on the undead. It had taken what felt like hours for the entire group to coincidentally face away from him. The time dragging as shimmering half-light and drifting shadows tried to drag his attention from his quarry.


    He was halfway there.


    One of the undead, the tough-looking one carrying a half-splintered club, stopped dead. Its back facing him. The soft noise of the glade around him seemed to quieten, his gaze sharpening. The world seemed to narrow to the dense pulse of blood running through his veins, and the soft jolt of his feet impacting the ground with every frantic step.


    He was so close.


    It was the furthest one away. If it noticed him it would pull all of them in at once.


    The club wielder snapped to attention and continued stumbling forward. Still facing away from him.


    Throwing himself into a slide, soft earth muffled the movement. The long shadows of the wall reached out to him. Pulling him into their embrace. Sneak doing its work.


    Air rushed out between his tense teeth. Kaius forced himself to relax the aching tension in his jaw.


    He came to a rest in the shadow of the wall, the crumbling gap he intended to take advantage of only a few metres to his left.


    Shuffling back towards the wall, Kaius held his sword ready. Straining his ears for any hint of approaching movement.


    Any indication he had been spotted.


    He got his feet under him, bracing his rear foot against the wall so he could bolt and reposition at the slightest sign he had been discovered.


    But¡­ nothing.


    With a soft sigh of relief, he set down his sword, before unbuckling his pack and resting it gently down against the hard stone barrier.


    Picking up his sword with his off-hand he snatched the rock with his dominant. It would let him start the confrontation on his own terms. He rose. Eyes barely peeking over the chest-high wall. Taking in the undead.


    The closest one commanded his attention, his first target. Just close enough to be in range of his throwing arm.


    Gaunt and withered, it looked like a two-week-old corpse had been left out on a smoking rack. Decrepit, but dry. No leaking sludge or flesh-melting sores. No decay. Mouldering boiled leather clad its figure, while it clenched a pitted shortsword between almost skeletal fingers.


    Sense Weakness nudged him. Made his vision drift higher


    There, next to a shrivelled ear, was a spot where something had ravaged the creature deep before whatever animating magic had stalled off its effects. The bone of its temple was exposed, sunbleached and almost splintering.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes narrowed. Locked on that point. In a single fluid motion, Kaius rose to his feet, drawing his arm back before hurling his fist-sized rock with practised accuracy.


    Breath caught in his throat. Kaius watched the stone hurtle through the air as he palmed his longsword back to his dominant hand.


    The stone connected.


    Splintered bone caved in. A crack rang out across the graves. The stone embedded deep in its watery grey matter.


    Its body crumpled.


    **Ding! level 12 Wretched Militiaman slain**


    **Ding! Sense Weakness has reached level 16!**


    Sense Weakness:


    Level 16


    Rare


    Hearts, lungs, brains, arteries, eyes, mana cores, light, water, acid, or poison. Everything has a weakness. Everything.


    Increases awareness of exploitable vulnerabilities in foes.


    Each level slightly increases efficacy. Esoteric and magical vulnerabilities, and foes, are more resistant to this insight.


    The rhythmic shuffle of the undead stopped. The remaining four, spread out across the graves, turned towards the sound. As one they locked their gazes on him. Blackened orbs burning a hole in his own.


    His stomach dropped.


    Kaius had to fight to keep his grip suitably relaxed for swordplay. Steeling himself he took a few confident side steps. Holding his place in the opening of the wall, ready to make his stand.


    As soon as he moved, whatever spell held the undead enthralled broke. With a jerky lilting gait, they set off towards him. Ready and willing to rend the flesh from his bones

 Chapter 6: Fight, or Die

    Kaius positioned himself with the gap in the wall to his front. The first one through the breach was draped in disintegrating mail, holding a hatchet high overhead.


    His eyes narrowed. Breathing kept even more through rote practice than true confidence. The undead lurched forwards. Stumbling as its lacking coordination failed to keep it steady on the uneven stones that littered the gap in the wall. Its jaw hung open. Almost like it was wailing, though he heard no sound.


    Behind it, Kaius could see its compatriots closing in on his position. Quickly.


    Fast steps closed the distance between them. The undead brought its hatchet down in a heavy chop toward Kaius¡¯s head.


    Snapping into a hanging parry, Kaius caught the blow.


    His blade met the hatchet edge to edge. Binding the weapon even as his arms shuddered under the undead''s infernal power. He knew he would lose a contest of strength. He didn''t even try.


    A flick of his wrist moved the hatchet off-centre. His blade was a lever, the momentum of his foe used against them. Twisting to free his sword. A slight lunge and he had run the undead through its throat.


    A certain death.


    Or so he thought.


    The reality of what he was facing hit him with a punch.


    Pain exploded through his chest. Hot iron flooded his mouth as he stumbled backwards out of range. Ribs grated with the movement. Cracked.


    They were quickly enveloped with an itching fire as he steadied his footing, his Health beginning to slowly drain as it soothed bruised flesh and splintered bone.


    ¡°Idiot! Mistakes like that are how you end up dead!¡± His father''s voice seemed to echo in his mind


    The other undead were quickly approaching the gap in the wall. If Kaius wanted any chance of maintaining the favourable choke point he had to put pressure on the one that had hit him. He brought his sword into a low guard. A flexible position to defend from.


    He ignored the sharp discomfort in his chest.


    The undead came into range, swinginging its hatchet. Kaius backstepped. Allowing the momentum of his foe''s swing to pull it off balance.


    He stepped forwards with a lunge, sword poised to lance the undead through its skull. It pivoted its hips. Eyes burning with glee as it returned its hatchet in a spiteful reverse strike.


    Kaius¡¯s face blanched. He could abort his strike. Attempt to dodge the incoming blow. However, the only way he could do that would be to throw himself to the side. Leaving him unbalanced and the initiative firmly out of his hands. No time. He had to commit.


    He braced his core, twisting slightly to minimise his profile.


    The blunt edge of the hatchet slammed into his obliques, just missing his lowest rib. Air whistled past his clenched teeth. Winding him.


    His sword punched through the undead''s nose. Enchanted steel sliding through bone with ease.


    **Ding! level 11 Wretched Militiaman slain**


    Stepping out of the lunge, Kaius forced himself to ignore the radiating ache of his side. It was quickly joined by the crawling dull itch of his regeneration. He forced himself to take a deep breath, his diaphragm spasming.


    The rest of the undead had arrived.


    He brought his longsword up. Hilt pulled in tight to his armpit, floating point trained on the head of the leading militiaman that advanced on him. This one armed with a derelict straight sword and buckler. Right behind it, a companion encased in a pitted breastplate and wielding a spear.


    The final one trailed behind them. Still making its way across the graves.


    The one with the straight sword entered first, its reinforced buckler held out front to ward off blows. The one with the spear fell in behind it. Hovering and ready to attack from behind its vanguard.


    Kaius grit his teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got this¡± He reassured himself.


    He stabbed forwards. The leading undead reacted instantly with a speed that contrasted its withered body. Its buckler knocked his sword away from its head, following through with a running stab towards his chest.


    Sense Weakness twinged. Muscle memory and Warforged enhanced skill capitalised on the burst of intuition.


    Kaius took a half step back, the dirty point of the militiaman¡¯s straight sword coming within a hair''s breadth of his tunic. He pivoted his hands. Borrowing the force of the bucklers parry to twirl his sword overhead.


    He was too far back on his rear foot to cave in the undead''s brain pan, but¡­


    The point of his sword ripped through the undead''s ratty leather armour. Cutting clean through its leading bicep. Treacle-like blood welled up from the wound, spilling slowly free. Reanimating magics or no, the creature was still primarily of flesh and blood. It needed muscles to move.


    Its arm fell weakly to its side, sword held in a limp wristed grip.


    Immune to shock and pain, it did little to stop the undead. Stepping forwards it twisted with its hips, throwing its whole weight into a wild haymaker


    Neither did its spear-wielding companion give him a moment to breathe. Even as Kaius stepped back again to avoid the vanguard''s reckless attack, the rear undead thrust forward. Pressuring him with its spear.


    Fear shot through him. He shifted his head to the side to avoid the blow. A fire split his cheek, blood spilling free to wet his neck. The pitted blade had exposed his gums to the tepid air of the underground glade.


    He sucked in a breath. Air stung his open cheek, mouth filling with blood. He didn''t have a moment to think. Health would deal with it. He had a fight to finish.


    Swallowed blood coated his throat.


    The leading undead was still off-kilter from its full body swing. Kaius attempted to stab forward to finish off the foe. Its companion gave no quarter, a flurry of thrusts preventing him from finishing off its ally. Forcing him to focus on parrying.


    They danced like this for some time. Kaius narrowly dodging clumsy half-disabled swings from the leading undead as its spear-wielding companion locked down his advance. Every wasted second, another that the final undead with the club drew closer. Each party was in a deadlock. If it joined the battle the tenuous balance would be broken, and not in his favour.


    He had to do something, and fast.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Worse, he was not fuelled by indefatigable magics. His muscles burned, his chest bellowing with great gulping breaths. Each one grating at the two almost healed chest wounds, every aggravation slowing down the healing process.


    Still, he was getting his measure of the militiamen. Furious, strong, and relentless they might be, their movements had an almost rote quality to them. Repetitive. Exploitable. He had yet to see any one of the undead do more than cycle between a few clumsy chops and stabs.


    With every stab and wild swing, Sense Weakness and his own combat knowledge shed light on more and more vulnerabilities.


    The leading undead threw its whole body into a swing once more. Its limp arm and the awkward weight of its sword pulled it off balance on the uneven terrain. Another opening. One he knew would be defended by yet another stab from the rearguard undead.


    Kaius¡¯s focus contracted. Blade spinning to parry the spear thrust that he had seen coming. Borrowing force from the collision he pivoted his sword into a downward slash, taking the off-balance undead clean through the neck. Decapitated, its body fell limp.


    **Ding! level 14 Wretched Militiaman slain**


    Without pause his sword whipped back up, parrying yet another probing strike.


    And another.


    He advanced now, putting the pressure on the undead spear wielder.


    It retreated, attempting to gain sufficient distance to bring its weapon to bear. A stab, then another step. Then a stab. Repeat. If he moved to attack, the spear came up. Warding its face.


    He twitched. Jerking his sword forward in a false stab.


    Its spear came up. The moment was here.


    Kaius slashed low. Blade met desiccated flesh, shearing through its knee. The undead pitched over. He carried his cut through to whirl into an overhead strike.


    His blade buried itself in the undead¡¯s brain pan.


    **Ding! level 12 Wretched Militiaman slain**


    **Ding! Sense Weakness has reached level 17!**


    Triumph washed over him, his mouth splitting into a feral grin that twinged the slowly shortening cut through his cheek. His eyes stayed trained on the sole remaining undead, tonguing the rent. Feeling the air as his flesh writhed as it reknit itself closed.


    Wielding a great club in both hands, it was garbed in a long shirt of surprisingly well preserved chain, while a dented and dirty steel helm sat on its head.


    ¡°This one might be a tougher nut to crack.¡±


    Kaius took advantage of the momentary break in battle to survey his resources.


    Resources:


    Health - 94/200 (2/min)


    Stamina - 0/190 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    Kaius winced as he took in his drained stamina. With his frantic pace through the dungeon, he would have entered battle without it topped off. The resource drained far faster in mortal combat compared to casual exertion, something he had had to learn the hard way in his first spars with his father.


    He would have to rely on his bodily fitness from this point out, something luckily supported by both stats and skill.


    ¡°Hopefully I get a level of Physical Conditioning out of this.¡±


    Kaius squared his shoulders and advanced on the approaching undead. Sword point was held low in a guard of false openings. Hoping to bait a parryable swing.


    The final Militiaman reached the breach. It whipped its great-club towards him in an overhand blow. Kaius¡¯s sword flashed up, binding the dense wood of the club, and pulling it away in a sweeping parry. He disengaged with a twist to follow through with a lunge. The point of his sword lancing towards the undead''s face.


    Its head turned at the last minute.


    Sparks flew as his blade ground its way across the undead¡¯s steel helm, missing its open face.


    Already having reset its stance the undead returned with another wild swing. Kaius stepped back, the club whistling past his chest with a draft that cooled the sweat beading on his skin.


    He stepped back again, stance shifting so that his sword was held diagonally behind him. More false openings. The undead stepped forwards.


    Another swing.


    His breath heaved, a deep burn settling into his lungs.


    Another step back. Another swing.


    He struck from low to high. Enhanced muscles straining as he sought to regain the flow of battle. The point of his sword skittered against the chain that covered his foe, drawing a grunt of frustration from him.


    He brought his sword back up, held over one shoulder. For the first time a great cry left his lips as he brought his sword down over his head in a furious cut.


    The undead brought its club up, catching his blade as its edge bit deeply into the wood.


    Muscle memory took over. He twisted his wrists slightly as he pushed forward, breaking the bind. His sword slid past the militiaman¡¯s guard, impaling it in the throat.


    His point caught on the chain covering the creature''s neck.


    ¡°Fucking! Mail!¡± He laboured through clenched teeth.


    Soundlessly the undead lashed out again. Kaius hissed in surprise..


    He whipped his sword to block the blow, just barely managing to bind it as the reverb of the strike nearly lost him his grip on his blade.


    The undead hammered on his guard. Empowered strength and leverage working to its advantage. Kaius¡¯s arms quivered, a deep ache shooting up his arms as his bones creaked from the strain.


    Without his stats he would already be dead. Even a fifth stronger and more durable than baseline, he was barely holding on.


    Panic began to claw at him, his breath coming in shallow gasps.


    The undead drew back, only to smash into his blade again. Kaius shook in his stance, knees nearly caving under the force of the blow.


    His eyes rolled in his sockets, closer to an animal¡¯s than a man¡¯s.


    He needed to do something. Now.


    The club rose again, and Kaius broke. Stepping back the undead struck the ground with a small explosion of dirt, before whipping its weapon towards Kaius once more.


    He just barely managed to parry it.


    His thoughts turned to Hastur. To his father. A memory flashed through his mind.


    He sat at the edge of a clearing, hot blood spewing down his face and staining his naked chest red. His practice blade lying in the dirt somewhere behind him. Hastur stood over him with a hand outstretched, its knuckles bloodied. He held his own blade in his dominant hand. Dark hair with soft curls failed to cover his fathers kind green eyes, smile lines standing out on the prolonged youth of his face.


    With a lurch he was pulled to his feet.


    ¡°Remember son. We are not just swordsmen.¡±


    Kaius panted, squaring his shoulders.


    The undead, soundless as always, brought its club down in another heavy blow. With a sharp cry Kaius brought his blade to meet it. Binding it once more.


    The impact shook him to his bones.


    Before his foe could leverage its strength Kaius pivoted his blade, turning his block into a parry. The undead, suddenly faced with a lack of resistance, swung its club away. Utilising the momentum of the exchange Kaius spun. His leg flicked out into a scything kick.


    The heel of his boot impacted the undead''s helmet with a clang.


    It stumbled, suddenly off balance.


    Kaius planted his feet. Pulling his sword in tight to his chest he shifted his weight onto his back foot. He lashed out with his leading leg into a push kick that unbalanced the militiaman..


    The undead fell, helmet clanging loudly on a stray flagstone.


    Lunging forwards, breath and spittle flew out from between his painfully clenched teeth. His gloved hand slid up the blade of his sword, grabbing in a firm half sword stance.


    Kaius dove onto the decrepit body of his foe. It grabbed its club with both hands, pushing the weapon up to meet him.. The bar of reinforced wood took him in the ribs. Pain flared through his sternum. A sharp crack emanating his just barely healed ribs. Still weak from the punch he had taken earlier. Kaius coughed, watching a fine spray of red coat the undead''s wretched face.


    He didn''t falter.


    Kaius tossed his sword to the side. Too unwieldy in quarters this close. He ripped his hunting knife free of his belt. Aligning its point with the eye of the undead. Even now, trapped by leverage and the full weight on his body, it tried to snap at him. Rabid in its desire to end him.


    The point of his knife came down, brackish sludge erupting from its ruined eye. He felt the slight resistance of its socket.


    A cry of rage. A shift of his body weight. It was done.


    The undead fell blessedly limp.


    **Ding! level 18 Wretched Militia Captain slain**


    Kaius rolled off the captain''s body, bonelessly falling on his back as his chest heaved. Knife left standing proud in the undead''s socket. He winced as each breath caused the edges of his twice cracked ribs to grate against each other.


    **Ding! Physical Conditioning has reached level 14!**


    **Ding! Warforged has reached level 18!**


    Kaius couldn''t help it. He laughed, pain or no. There was something so singular about staring death in the face, succeeding, and being rewarded for it. It was the sweetest ambrosia, and the most decadent nectar.


    ¡°You were right, father. As always.¡± He smiled as we watched the softly glowing moss throw shifting shadows on the cavern ceiling. ¡°I¡¯ll be out as soon as I can, and then I¡¯m coming for you.¡±

 Chapter 7: Basecamp

    Kaius slumped onto the wall of the ruined church, sliding down until he sat somewhat comfortably. His heart still pounded from the excitement of going toe to toe with a full party of undead.


    Beside him lay a pile of poor quality armour. Scavenged from the body of his slain foes, it had been gruelling and disgusting work. He did, however, have a need for them when he started working on his defensive legacy skill. So he had grit his teeth and done his best to ignore his slowly healing wounds as he had stripped the bodies.


    To his great relief, the small stonework building had been empty when he had peered in through a shattered window. Its only contents some tattered tapestries, a few splintering pews, a large empty hearth and an unadorned stone altar at the head of the church.


    With four thick stone walls, windows too narrow for most things to climb through, and a thick wooden door that seemed in relatively good shape, it was just about as good of a spot as he could hope for in the Depths. Plus, while individual rooms and regions did reset in a biome, it often took weeks or even months of no human presence at this shallow of a layer to happen.


    ¡°Which means I will need to return here even if I go on extended explorations, since finding the exit from this layer, and being strong enough to handle its defender, will take far longer than that.¡±


    Kaius sighed, ignoring the slight burn of his now simply bruised ribs. His health had unfortunately burned itself out before they were fully healed, and now he had to wait for the slow trickle of his regeneration to fix the rest.


    He closed his eyes, lightly thumping his head into the wall behind him.


    To call the enormity of the problem in front of him ¡®tough¡¯ would be a grievous understatement. His dance with a single small group of undead militiamen had brought him close to the brink, and it was a near certainty that encounters of that nature would be common, if not more difficult.


    He had to come to terms with the fact that he was going to be stuck down here for a long, long time. That if he rushed, was careless, or simply unlucky, he might not make it out alive. He didn''t want to. But he had to.


    ¡°Back to basics Kaius. You¡¯re deep in some of the most hostile territory available. You need to make a plan.¡± he thought to himself.


    If he was going to do this, he needed to be strict. Strict and smart. First step, securing a reliable source of food and water. He might have a few weeks worth of rations, but they were non-perishable and it would be far better if he could save them for emergencies and longer expeditions. They also weren¡¯t exactly the most pleasant things, tooth-splitting hardtack and some hyper-nutritious pemmican that coated the mouth with cloying fat.


    He also needed to merge his next legacy skill, Explorer¡¯s Toolkit, as soon as possible.


    There should, if his hearing was right, be beasts in the glade. Hunting them, truly hunting them, should both ensure his own safety and give him an opportunity to train Sense Weakness. The danger of stalking true beasts instead of mundane animals would more than likely super charge his growth. Plus the hearth that sat across the room from him seemed perfect to use as a smoker to start stockpiling jerky for longer term storage.


    From there, in his down time, he would work on Physical Conditioning the old fashioned way. Gruelling effort, sweat, and tears.


    If he devoted himself to the task, he might be able to finish them off in the next week.


    Then it would be time to start collecting more skills all over again. He eyed the loose pile of armour next to him. The skills they represented would give him some measure of security, and once he had Adamant Body he would finally feel a little more confident in truly delving the Depths.


    <hr>


    Kaius crouched on a sturdy tree branch, steadying himself on the trunk behind him with one hand. He was nestled in amongst the canopy, the long shadows cast by the soft lighting of the cave ceiling above cloaking his figure in darkness.


    He had left his pack behind at the church, preferring to travel light for a simple scouting expedition.


    With sharp eyes his gaze all but tunnelled a hole into the boar-like creature that rooted in the dirt not more than a few long strides below him. It was a strange creature, strikingly dissimilar to the common boars he had seen in the forest he had grown up in. Yet in many ways it was still a boar. Roughly the right shape, tusks, a snout. It just had a row of spines, no hair, and almost no fat on its freakishly muscled body.


    It looked fucking frightening if he was entirely honest with himself.


    Kaius frowned, suppressing a shudder.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°At least it doesn''t seem to have the same sense of smell as a real boar. One of those would have picked me up long before it saw me¡±


    His eyes roamed over the creature, its rippling musculature and thin skin hiding little from him.


    There, just above and slightly behind its shoulder. In between a gap in its ribs. With each of the beast''s heart beats he watched as the spot slightly distended and pulsed. An artery, most likely a major one with its proximity to the heart. At least if the thing was built anything like a normal boar on the inside. Sense Weakness twinged.


    Kaius smiled. ¡°Perfect.¡±


    Reaching over his back Kaius drew his sword with painful slowness. He¡¯d already dulled the shine of his blade with ash from the church''s hearth, so the only thing that could give him away now was if he made too much of a racket.


    The beast below dug its tusks into the ground surrounding the roots of the tree, flinging a soft shower of dirt into the air. Evidently it had found something worth eating, as it lowered its head and began to snuffle. All the while unaware of the predator that stalked it from above.


    Sword in hand he let go of the tree trunk behind him. Tension in his core and powerful legs kept him steady. His vision narrowed to a point. He could almost hear the thump of the creature''s heart. The soft background sounds of the glade faded from his perception, the point of his sword levelling at the spot that pulsed.


    He leapt.


    As the ground rushed up to meet him his stomach dropped away. What if he missed? Sprained his ankle and found himself sprawling in front of some hell-pig that would no doubt gore him at the first opportunity?


    His sword pierced the thumping gap in the boar''s ribs, passing cleanly through its chest before lodging itself deeply into a tree root below the beast. A sharp jolt shot through his legs as he landed.


    Kaius dropped into a backwards roll to disperse his momentum, coming up in a crouch with his hunting knife drawn in a smooth flowing motion. Tense, ready to act at the slightest movement.


    The boar surged.


    At the sudden pain of being run through like a copper-piece skewer the boar launched into a frenzy. It found itself stuck fast. Mouth opening to let out an enraged squeal, yet all that escaped was a wet gurgle as a torrent of red flowed from its mouth. A steady stream of blood trickled down his sword. The disturbed earth quickly turned into a rusty coloured mire as the beast tried and failed to free itself with rapidly weakening legs.


    Even as its Health burned, the mindless creature only continued to widen its wounds with its struggling. Soon even that preternatural vitality gave out and it collapsed to the floor, limp.


    Kaius watched the creature, tension leaving him as he recognised his success. A sense of solemn duty fell over him. He had been hunting with his father as long as he could remember, and he knew that no good hunter left a creature in pain longer than was necessary. Even if his quarry was a Depths spawned beast.


    He approached swiftly, a firm grip on his knife. Taking one of its spines on its neck in his hand, he drew his blade across the boar-thing¡¯s neck, severing the carotids and its remnants of life.


    **Ding! level 14 Dire Boar slain**


    He took a moment to appreciate the creature''s sacrifice, its life spent to fuel his growth and its body to satiate him.


    The moment passed and a wide jubilant grin split his face.


    With this he had secured enough food to well and truly start stockpiling. Though, glancing at the lean musculature of the creature, he might need to find something with a bit more fat if he wanted to stave off protein starvation. Pemmican might have been mediocre, but it fuelled the body well.


    Pulling his sword free with a heave, he cleaned his blade before hauling the boar''s body up by its hind legs to help the meat bleed. After a few limb burning minutes Kaius gutted the carcass before hauling it onto his shoulders and setting off for home.


    After all, he didn''t want to stick around to wait for something else to come and investigate all the blood.


    <hr>


    Kaius tended to a small, but very smoky flame at the base of the hearth. Luckily for him, whatever real world place the church had been modelled after had had a massive grill spanning the upper third of the open hearth.


    He had already butchered the boar on the altar, it being the most convenient place to do so. The meat was as lean as he suspected it would have been, but in some ways that made for easier preservation.


    His fire started nicely, he quickly moved over to the altar and began hanging slices of meat off the rails in the grill, securing them in place with whittled wooden skewers.


    In time he would have himself some jerky. It wouldn''t last anywhere near as long as it would have if he had enough salt available to properly preserve it, but it should still last several weeks before going bad. As long as he kept it dry that is.


    Neither of his remaining skills really required him to actively hunt down opponents to progress, so unless he was ambushed or ran into undead he would need to be careful to avoid scouring this glade of its denizens.


    Large the glade may have been, it was still a creation of the Depths, and as such only a facsimile of an ecosystem. Once he had hunted the creatures it contained to the last, that was it. No more food.


    Kaius nodded to himself in satisfaction as he secured the last strip. In a few hours this batch would be preserved enough for him to switch it out for the next one. Moving over to his bag, he quickly untied his lightweight camping pan from where it was secured its front. The creature might have been lean, but it still had some fat. Most of it layered in its belly meat.


    He¡¯d saved that for himself. After one of the most eventful days of his life, he was due for a hot meal.


    Besides, if he cooked it right, he should be able to render out some of the fat and save it in one of his spare containers. If he pounded out some of his jerky he might be able to make some pemican after all.


    Nestling his pan at the edge of the hearth''s lightly smouldering coals, Kaius waited for the pan to preheat before throwing on the slab of belly. A soft sizzle entered the room, and Kaius couldn''t help but close his eyes and salivate as the scent of cooking pork wafted over him.


    He needed to refuel. After that it was time for some hard training. He was determined to finish off Physical Conditioning as fast as he could.

 Chapter 8: Light Weight!

    Kaius squatted for what felt like the thousandth time in front of the low heat of the hearth. Tightly held to his chest was a stray flagstone from the crumbling wall outside, large enough that its weight dug uncomfortably into his arms.


    Reaching the bottom of his descent, he felt his quads stretch with a deep burn that brought a grimace to his face. Another drop of sweat from his face baptised the stone, its surface turning ever more slick. Forcing him to hold the rock tighter, and aggravating his already exhausted arms.


    Pushing himself upwards he felt himself hit a wall, shaking as what felt like the weight of a giant pushed down on his trembling legs. Individual muscle fibres began to ping, his lower body consumed by a bone deep agony.


    A low roar left his throat. Kaius pushed, driving his heels into the ground. Scraping the bottom of the barrel.


    Finger-length by finger-length, his quaking figure rose.


    He had been at this for hours now, his Stamina long since drained. Without fail, he would hit the wall, and without fail, he would push a little further. Quickly he would reach his limit and collapse. A few moments spent bonelessly on the floor, giving liquid muscles a moment''s respite, and he would rise again to switch to a new grouping.


    Kaius squatted again, thick veins bulging in his neck.


    Again. Here he got stuck, straining upwards. A loud crack emanating from the back of his jaw. The pain of his broken tooth cutting through his exhausted fugue. Quickly taken over by the burning itch of regeneration. Still he strained upwards.


    Again.


    Again.


    Again. His legs refused, one shaking knee buckling inwards as his legs totally gave out. His mind blanked, his narrow cone of vision and the ringing in his ears subsuming all of senses for just a moment. The stone slipped from his limp hands.


    The jarring impact of hitting the cold stone floor brought him back. As did the crunching sensation and blaring pain as the rock landed squarely on his right foot.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Kaius swore. Pushing himself upright as fast as possible to roll the stone off.


    **Ding! Strength has reached level 20!*


    **Ding! Physical Conditioning has reached level 15!**


    Physical Conditioning:


    Level 15


    Uncommon


    The thumping of a heart that outruns a predator. Blood fueling muscles that burn with the savage delight of the hunt. Lungs that bellow, gaseous transfusion bringing necessary vitality. Life. It lives and dies on the basis of exertion.


    Each level slightly increases peak physical fitness. Each level slightly decreases the deleterious effects of exertion


    Even clutching his stinging foot Kaius couldn''t help but let out a loud laugh


    He had done it. The unthinkable. Two levels in the same skill and a stat point in the same day.


    His breath still heaving, Kaius grabbed his water skin and drained it to the last with great, greedy gulps. The cool water, faintly tasting of must and leather, soothing his parched throat. Once it was done, he shook the neck of the skin over his face, encouraging the last few stray drips free.


    With an unsatisfied sigh he threw the skin to the side. It landed with a dull thwack.


    ¡°Well, now that that''s done I guess it¡¯s time to find a water source.¡±


    He winced as he shifted his leg, wounded foot and thrashed muscles complaining loudly.


    ¡°Maybe once I''ve recovered.¡± Kaius then eyed the slowly smoking hearth, and the nearly complete batch of jerky hanging above it. ¡°And maybe once I''ve tended to the fire and put on some more meat. Wouldn''t want to risk it going bad after all.¡±


    He flopped onto his back, the cold support of the stone ground feeling like a prized feathered mattress to his overworked body.


    <hr>


    **Ding! Physical Conditioning has reached level 20!**


    Kaius lay on the floor, his naked chest heaving. Each ragged gasp he made scraped uncomfortably against his bone dry throat.


    Two days.


    Two bloody minded, gruelling days.


    He¡¯d worked himself until he puked, and then he¡¯d picked himself up to do it all over again. Every type of exercise he could manage with his body and a few torturously heavy stones, switching things up to avoid monotony.


    A supernatural effort. The human body simply wasn''t designed to push itself to true exhaustion even once, let alone consistently and repetitively. Sure, with the regenerative properties of Health and Stamina it was possible, but the mental strain alone to push through the pain and fatigue was a demon in its own right.


    Kaius was sure that without Rapid Adaptation and the resistance to pain that it brought, he would have had no chance. Certainly, the pain had been enough to push that skill up a level as well.


    Even then, even with his herculean effort, it should have been impossible.


    Kaius frowned.


    ¡°People just don''t gain five levels in one skill, and one in another, in two days. I¡¯ve pushed myself to the brink for years, and it still would have been tight to keep the pace of a skill level a day that I need to fully cap myself before class selection. Father mentioned that classes increase skill levelling speed ¡­ somehow, but I dont have one. It can''t be the combat multiplier either.¡± He thought.


    It was a conundrum. A question with an answer he had no way of discovering.


    Kaius sat up, reaching for one of his spare shirts to mop the sweat off his face and body. In the end it didn¡¯t really matter. Whatever the cause of his increased growth, it was something that could only be beneficial for him. Besides, if this was something that happened across the Depths as a whole it would be something that was widely known. Especially amongst the large community of risk takers that plumbed its expanse.


    Whatever it was, his father must have kept it from him for a reason.


    Honestly, it wasn''t even too hard to guess at. If it was a Depths-wide effect, which he couldn''t be sure of, he completely understood why the information was withheld from him. He would even understand if it was some greater taboo to share with people before they had a class.


    He had been ¡­. Brash at times. When he was younger. The process of planning a full stack of general skills, acquiring them, and then levelling both them and your stats was an incredibly gruelling process in the five years between matriculation and class selection.


    In many ways it was far worse for those with legacy skills, and according to his father most people with means had at least some access to an incredibly limited selection that were more widely known. He himself would be making use of a few of those.


    The fact he had a complete set of legacy skills was incredibly lucky. Not just because of the sheer bloody rarity and power of it, but because as a full build it was an incredibly wide and flexible base. Not so specialised he was locked in to anything, and not so disparate that he felt like he had a single tool from ten different professions.


    It meant his path to classing up was relatively laid out, and he really only had to think about his final skill and the spell casting experimentation he would have to do later.


    Even with all that, and a consummate prodigy of a father as a round the clock trainer, he had often felt like he was floundering when he was younger. That he wouldn''t make it in time.


    If he¡¯d known that he could accelerate it all, even if it meant he would be in immense danger? He couldn''t lie and pretend he wouldn''t have been tempted.


    ¡°And what if I was a poor peasant boy with grandiose dreams? Pressured by my father to take the skills needed to have a stable life, taking over the farm. Surrounded by monotony when all I really wanted was to live the life of those I heard in the solstice bard songs? Yeah I can see why this would be kept secret, overconfident young men and women would inadvertently kill themselves in droves.¡± He thought.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Kaius pulled himself up, lurching with a wry smile as his overworked legs made their protest known by buckling slightly at the knee. Groaning in discomfort, he forced himself through a series of gentle stretches. He knew that recovering his stamina would fully do away with his state of weakness, but as an unclassed his regeneration was painfully slow. He may as well make himself a little more comfortable while he waited.


    After that he would set off. He was overdue for a full scouting of the glade . With luck he might find himself some more undead. Sense Weakness was getting close to its cap, after all.


    <hr>


    Kaius moved through the trees with a surety and confidence borne from a lifetime in the forest. His senses were fully in tune with the environment around him as an unexplainable breeze rustled through the canopy overhead. Without conscious thought he tuned the noise out, vigilant for any sign of beast or undead.


    In some ways it was far easier to do so than it had been in his forest home. While this was the Depths, and the sheer density of powerful creatures with system access was far higher, he had yet to see any signs of life or unlife that didn''t fit into that category. Excluding the flora around him of course.


    It meant all he had to look for were any signs of life or movement. No need to categorise if that flash of movement was a startled deer or a greater meles, a King of the Forest, coming to tear him limb from limb.


    If it moved at all, it wanted to kill him. Nice and simple.


    Keeping an eye out for something moving in a forest? Interpreting tracks and other signs of something passing? That was something he was very very good at. It was how he ate.


    He¡¯d been making his circuitous route through the glade for a few hours now, intent on building as thorough of a mental map as he could. Already he had found a few fruit bearing trees, Herbalism yanking at his attention. Strange purple globular things, with a thick rind covering lighter reddish flesh. They didn¡¯t reek of magic, so they weren''t reagents. Still, he¡¯d grabbed a couple, stashing them away to test for toxicity when he grew tired enough to rest.


    Travelling light, all nonessentials had been left at his base camp. Currently his pack contained a thin blanket, some basic medical supplies, and enough food and water to last him three days. He¡¯d been lucky to find a stream when he¡¯d taken a break from training Physical Conditioning, and had been making intermittent trips.


    While Kaius doubted it would take him that long to scout the glade, it was always better to be prepared than to be caught lacking.


    Beasts had already forced him to vary his path more than once. He had a different type of quarry in mind. Though he had taken the chance to observe and train Sense Weakness when he could do so safely.


    Currently he was on the trail of what he assumed to be some more undead. He doubted there would be anything else in these trees that were wearing boots. From the tracks he knew it was a group, however their lacking intelligence meant that they moved without any semblance of formation. It made it hard to tell their exact numbers, what with the way they stumbled around and crossed lines every few strides.


    At the very least it made following them easy. The path of disturbed dirt may as well have been a paved road for how blindingly obvious it was to him.


    Picking up his pace, Kaius refused to let his focus slip. Each step he took was measured, if fast from a lifetime of practice. With ease he stepped over and around dry brittle leaves and loose twigs, minimising the noise from his passing.


    He was unsure exactly what sort of senses the undead had, whether they mirrored that of a living man or if it was something of a more arcane nature. Either way, he wasn''t going to allow himself to get sloppy on the mere chance that he might be wasting the tiniest modicum of effort.


    A short while later and he caught up to them.


    He heard them before he saw them. Heavy foot falls crashing through the undergrowth in a clumsy staccato. The sound of it sent his heart rate thumping in his chest, a savage tension surging through him as his jaw tensed in anticipation.


    Quietly as he could he swung his pack off, nestling it safely at the base of a tree. He drew his sword silently.


    His approach slowed as he started to move from tree to tree, eyes locked on the point from which he could hear the moving undead. Tree by tree, step by step, the sounds began to grow louder.


    As he drew close the tension that weighed on him began to morph, changing into a savage anticipation of the clashing of blades, rent flesh, and a battle well fought. Kaius felt his face go hot, a flush rising as blood roared through his veins. He could almost hear it.


    His father called it the Bloodsong. Said it was common amongst those who delved the Depths. Said you had to be a certain kind of mad to enjoy throwing yourself into death hour after hour, day after day. And you did have to enjoy it. Those who didn''t quit. Or died.


    Only a few weeks prior he didn''t understand. Even a few days ago, his brush with death as he cleared the church had terrified him. That had faded. Oh, he was still scared. Only a fool didn''t fear death. Fear kept you sharp. Now though, it was paired with excitement. No where else would he see the kinds of gains he had seen.


    Being trapped down here was a blessing. It might have been a blessing covered in thorns, but it was a blessing all the same.


    Peering out from behind a bush he was crouched behind, Kaius saw them.


    Five undead, in a distant and messy formation.


    The leading two looked to be carrying heavy boar spears, while of the ones trailing further behind two were carrying hunting knives closer in size to daggers. The final undead that was lingering at the centre of their rough formation held what looked to be a timber axe.


    All, barring minor differences, were garbed in what amounted to simple clothing with a heavy leather vest. Kaius smiled at the sight of that, ratty leather would do little to stop his honed blade from cleaving through them.


    Still, flimsy armour and poor quality hunting instruments or no, the undead were still a threat. They were ungainly, but he knew from his previous fight that they were front loaded with Strength. A good blow could easily shatter an arm, leaving him at a severe disadvantage at best.


    He would have to leverage speed and flexibility to outmanoeuvre them, especially since this time there wouldn¡¯t be a convenient natural choke point. Though, he should be able to use some of the dense underbrush to hamper them, but it would affect him too with the length of his sword.


    Taking out the knife-wielders as fast as possible should minimise their advantage on that front though.


    Kaius set his eyes on the rearmost undead, one of his first targets, still brainlessly wandering forwards. Taking a sharp breath to steady any lingering nerves, he ignored the way his tongue stuck to the roof of his bone dry mouth. Choosing instead to lean into the Bloodsong that bubbled away beneath the surface.


    With silent steps Kaius moved past the bush he had been hiding behind, his pace accelerating as fast as he could still remain silent. He brought his sword up into an inside guard, pommel pulled into his armpit as he pointed it directly towards the walking corpse he had set his eyes on.


    The ground flew beneath him, Kaius quickly closing the gap. Soon he could make out the thin, limp, hair that dotted the undead''s withered scalp. With each step it let out a dry rasping gasp. Forced to make a mockery of even the most basic of life''s functions.


    Somehow, some way, it sensed him, tensing once he was within a few scant long-strides of its back. It stopped. Beginning to turn as it let out a rattling gasp. A facsimile of a mind knowing that it should call out to its compatriots, but its expired flesh was unable to act on the half remembered instincts.


    The other undead continued on, unnoticing.


    It made an about face, Kaius locking gaze with its glassy and soulless eyes. It was too slow to do anything other than that. From his inside guard Kaius¡¯s sword spun over his head, pivoting his lower body with the motion as he brought his sword down into an overhead swing.


    Magically honed steel cleaved through its brittle skull with a subtle crunch. Black blood and stinking grey matter coated his blade.


    **Ding! level 13 Undead Huntsman slain**


    He pulled his sword free, lurching into another run as he advanced on the next undead that held a knife. It was less than ten long-strides away, the gap closing fast.


    Behind him the slain body of the first undead hit the ground with the sharp crack of a splintering twig. Kaius winced at the sound. Almost as one the remaining group stopped dead, slowly turning to investigate the sound.


    The remaining knife-wielder saw him, a soft rattle of a war cry leaving its shrunken lips. It stepped towards him with its hunting knife held high. Kaius didn''t stop.


    It swung. He planted one foot solidly into the loamy soil, bringing himself up short. A sharp jolt of force shot up his leg, but the slight pain was quickly forgotten as the undead''s blade sailed past his chest in a narrow miss.


    The failed swing left it wide open. Kaius didn''t hesitate. He speared it through the nose, a cold spray of jellified fluid catching him in the face.


    **Ding! level 13 Undead Huntsman slain**


    The heat of battle washed over him, a manic grin growing on his face as blood boiled in his veins. Spinning on his lead foot, Kaius pivoted to face the rest of the undead.


    Slack jawed and expressionless, they had wasted no time thinking on the death of their allies. No moments of panic or shock slowed their responses. They simply advanced on him, led by the one wielding an axe.


    Kaius flicked his sword, rotten brain matter splattering on to a stray pile of leaf litter.


    The two undead holding boar spears had their points levelled at his chest, slowly advancing. The axe-wielder had no such compunctions, working itself up into a stiff legged run. Kaius settled into his stance, happy to let the undead build some distance from its allies.


    It reached him with the fury of a runaway bull, swinging its axe in a savage horizontal swipe.


    Kaius simply stepped back, letting the axe sail past him harmlessly.


    The momentum of the blow briefly pulled the undead off balance, before it righted itself and quickly lashed out with an overhead. Kaius parried the blow, a flick of his sword pulling the axe of centre. A swift riposte cut a furrow through its chest.


    They were so clumsy.


    Kaius struck for the head, eager to finish the fight quickly. The undead just barely managed to bring its axe up to block, its infernal might stopping his blow cold. Shoving back against his guard it broke the bind, shifting its hands to bring its axe down in a short chop.


    Openings screamed to him. Strength and a certain awkward speed it might have, but without control, without technique, it was useless.


    With a flick of his wrists Kaius brought his blade back around, binding the axe once more. A slight turn of the blade and a forward push, and he slipped through the undead''s guard.


    Impaling its head on his blade.


    **Ding! level 14 Undead Logger slain**


    **Ding! Sense Weakness has reached level 18!**


    The corpse dropped like a puppet with its string cut. Kaius¡¯s chest rose with each deep inhale, the exertion of battle impossible to avoid. Still, the burn in his muscles felt good. Seeing the undead lie inanimate once more, shattered and broken, felt good. Knowing that each one he put down was another step closer to his goals made his blood sing.


    He understood it now. The Bloodsong. How it could drive people to such maddening heights.


    He levelled his gaze on the final two undead, still slowly approaching with their boar spears levelled.


    Only two left.

 Chapter 9: Fervour & Fury

    Kaius stood on the wide trail beaten through the undergrowth of the subterranean glade, watching the two undead that slowly approached with spears levelled at his chest.


    Their weapons had the stout look of boar spears. Leaf shaped blades capped by lugs on a stout haft six strides in length. They were weighty, unwieldy things. More meant for planting firmly in the ground to arrest a boar''s charge than true weapons of war.


    They still held the reach advantage. If only barely


    Kaius grinned, the Bloodsong still running hot in his veins. Mere seconds previously he had slain their allies. They would be joining them soon.


    Feinting a step forward, Kaius watched the undead thrust toward him, warding off an assumed advance. Like the others they were strong and fast, but ungainly. Their bodies lacked the smooth flowing balance of a trained fighter, wooden fingers struggling to rearrange themselves as they adjusted their grip.


    Even the points of their spears wavered through the air, as if uncertain of where to strike.


    With each step they took forwards, Kaius took a calm one backwards, holding his sword at the ready.


    The left one cracked first. Suddenly lunging, it drove its spear towards him with its rear hand, thrusting towards him in a great extended stab. A snarl left his lips as he flicked his sword, pushing the spear away from him.


    He stutter-stepped forward, bringing himself inside the first spearman''s guard. He grabbed the spear haft, capitalising on the undead''s sluggish reactions to shove it upwards and knock away the second spear thrust that had been poised to take him in the chest.


    Yanking hard on the haft he held, he pulled its stumbling owner towards him. Kaius pivoted on his leading foot, scything his rear leg outwards.


    His shin met the side of the undead''s knee with a gruesome crack.


    Its leg gave out and its grip slipped from the spear as it tried to arrest its fall.


    Its companion was not idle, their own spear already descending in a sharp cut towards Kaius.


    His eyes widened. His kick had put him out of position, and with a sword in one hand and a spear held mid haft in the other, he had no way to block or parry.


    Instead he chose to give flesh to take bone.


    Twisting, Kaius felt the half blunted edge of the boar-spear cut a line of fire from nipple to hip, a wet stream soaking his tunic in moments, quickly followed by the rapid itch of his Health draining to heal the wound. It enraged him. He¡¯d been overconfident again.


    A quick step took him out of reach of the downed undead that was even now grasping towards him, taking its spear with him. A few more took him out of the range of the still standing one.


    He took a moment to look down. His front was soaked, a deep red spilling across the dyed green fabrics and staining the hardened chestnut brown leather reinforcement of his hunting clothes. It would take hours for them to repair themselves.


    They had been a gift.


    Kaius narrowed his eyes at the standing undead, a vein on his neck bulging as he saw his blood drip off its spear point.


    Creating some more distance, he tossed his stolen boar-spear up in the air slightly and reversed his grip.


    He hauled the heavy spear over his shoulder, raising his sword with his other arm to aim at the undead that continued to stumble towards him.


    Twisting and engaging the muscles in his back, he heaved.


    The spear flew.


    The undead attempted to bat the projectile out of flight.


    It missed.


    The spear smashed through the undead¡¯s chest, lugs ensuring its momentum was fully transferred. It fell.


    Kaius let out a dark laugh. Running towards his downed opponent, he ignored how each step sent another lash of pain through his chest.


    By the time he arrived the undead was already scrambling at the ground, hurrying to right itself. His downwards chop ended that.


    **Ding! level 13 Undead Huntsman slain**


    He turned to the remaining undead, advancing towards it. It was actively clawing at the ground, dragging its way towards him. Its empty expression infuriated him. The way its slack mouth revealed rotten nubs of teeth and a shrivelled tongue. Its empty eyes betraying a total lack of thought, even of those primal functions such as hunger or rage.


    He spat on its face, then shattered its skull with a stomp.


    **Ding! level 14 Undead Huntsman slain**


    Kaius let the moment wash over him, his thumping heart and screaming chest doing little to dampen his jubilation at his victory. He was starting to feel like it was actually possible. Surviving the Depths as an unclassed.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Five undead, and little more than a scratch to pay for it. Sure, it was a small raiding party. He knew that as far as things had gone so far, he had played it incredibly safe. Greater threats there might be, but he had a lot of room to grow. Seven more merged skills, one within hands reach. He could do it.


    He could get out and find Father


    The blood leaking from his chest started to soak into his pants, he grimaced at the cool stickiness on his skin.


    ¡®But first, I should probably clean myself up,¡¯ he thought.


    After cleaning his sword on some loose leaf litter, Kaius sheathed it and jogged back to his pack. A clean cloth from his first aid kit and some water was enough for him to start mopping up the blood that coated his chest, the tear in his tunic giving him convenient access.


    It didn''t do much for the rapidly drying blood that had soaked into the cloth and leather, but the cleaning enchantments would take care of that. The rip still annoyed him though. He hadn''t lied when he said they had been a gift.


    One his father had given him for his most recent birthday, now that he was fully grown. Like all of Father¡¯s gifts, they were superbly made, and he had personally inscribed them. Strong, but simple inscriptions meant to keep the garments in perfect repair while providing some minor resistance to the elements. Still, Self Repair was a notoriously complex enchantment, a testament to Father¡¯s skill.


    They straddled the line between hard wearing hunters clothes and armoured leather. Tough cotton, with at times double width hardened full grain hide protecting his important bits.


    Rinsing his cloth of blood as well as he could - he did still want to preserve his water after all- Kaius returned it to his pack before fetching a large needle and thread. A few minutes of fiddly work and the rent in his clothes was held together with an ugly but firm stitch.


    Once the tear had repaired itself he would be able to pick the thread free, but for now it was more important that his clothes were secured tightly in case he ran into anything else unsavoury.


    Packing everything away, he swung his bag onto his back before returning to the scene of his battle. A frown crossed his face, his brow furrowing in surprise. In the heat and intensity of his clash with the undead he had missed something.


    The messy tracks that he had followed to track the undead?


    They continued.


    ¡®That''s interesting.¡¯


    His eyes flicked to his Resources.


    Resources:


    Health - 139/200 (2/min)


    Stamina - 174/200 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    His health was still slowly dropping, but it was quickly levelling out as the cut on his torso finished healing. Half an hour to top himself off. Not bad. He could always keep his distance if he found anything noteworthy in the meantime.


    Afterall, the undead he had seen up until this point hadn¡¯t exactly been the most perceptive things.


    He eyed one of the discarded boar spears, the one that had slashed him through the chest. It could come in handy, having something with a bit more reach. Even if it was in poor shape, its stout construction meant it should hold up fine. At least temporarily.


    The fact that it wasn''t covered in undead viscera like the one he had planted in its owner''s chest helped too.


    New spear in hand he set off following the trail.


    <hr>


    It ended up being much longer than Kaius had anticipated. Luckily his new armament acted as a half decent walking stick, even if it was a little cumbersome.


    Now Kaius watched the looming cavern wall draw closer and closer. Wherever the tracks led, it seemed to be positioned at the base of the cavern wall.


    As he continued on, he was relatively surprised to find that the tree growth failed to thin out. The portion of the cavern that he had originally entered had been relatively sparsely populated by plant life. Still enough to qualify as a sort of forest, but the trees were spaced wide apart.


    It had gotten denser as he had penetrated deeper into the thick of the glade, but he had thought that the lighter tree cover extended around the full circumference of the massive cavern. Apparently he was mistaken.


    He closed the remaining distance to the looming cavern wall, leaving the trail to pass through densely knotted trees and bushes. He wanted as much cover as possible, though he stayed close enough that the undead''s tracks were always in sight.


    Once he got within a hundred long-strides of the cavern wall he found a suitably memorable tree, another one of those rare fruit laden plants that he had seen in his travels. Scoring its bark with his hunting knife, he made sure the mark was clear and visible from the bush beaten tracks he had been following. Then, he stashed his pack.


    Spear held at the ready, he pushed his way through the undergrowth.


    The soft glow of the cave moss shone between the closely nestled trunks. He approached slowly, keeping his profile as minimised as possible as he used the ample foliage as cover. Once he got as close as was comfortable, Kaius put a thick tree trunk between his body and the edge of the trees.


    Peering around it, he saw that the trees abruptly stopped a good thirty or so strides before the cavern wall. The no man''s land covered in long grass and a few scraggly bushes.


    It was what he saw on the cave wall that drew his eye. Off to his right, in the direction of the tracks, was what looked to be a compound set into a great opening that had been worked into the stone, its jagged edges reminiscent of mining. Three stone structures standing proud in the shadow of the cave.


    They seemed to have a similar architecture to the church where he had made his home. The same tall slatted roofs, with thin slitted windows set high in each wall. Where the church was clearly a place of worship, this seemed to be some sort of hunting lodge.


    The main building, situated at the back of the shallow cave, was a wide and squat building. A veranda spanned its front face, collumned stone holding up its awning. Across its paved surface numerous drying racks were set up, ratty and hole ridden fur pegged in place.


    The other two buildings were smaller in scale. One was set close to the entrance, a large smoke stack jutting out slightly from the cave and rising above its lip. The most likely reason for its positioning, he supposed. If he was to guess, it had to be some sort of smoke house, though he was in no rush to see whatever meat stores were kept within.


    The final building was a small, but over engineered, building set just off to the side of the main lodge. From the little Kaius could make out through the dark shadows that drenched the cave, it had no windows, and it''s heavy set door was barred tight with several chains.


    The sight of that set Kaius¡¯s heart thumping.


    It wasn''t just the Bloodsong and the wealth of experience available that sent so many into the Depths'' embrace. Monetary reward and otherwise unobtainable resources did that enough all on their own. Artefacts, rare materials, and strange alchemical ingredients could all be found here. Often they were tied to some Depths-born construction, from what he had heard.


    Just like a secure locked building attached to a hunting lodge built into the side of an impossibly sized cavern.


    ¡®There¡¯s just one problem¡¯ He thought to himself.


    The entire place was crawling with undead.

 Chapter 10: Kiting

    From his vantage point Kaius was able to make out fifteen undead.


    They milled around the hunting compound that was recessed into the cave wall. Some drifted from building to building, patrolling the area in some mockery of a lively camp. Others just stood there, swaying in place.


    It was unnerving. The unnatural stillness with which they stood, unbroken by the micro-movements and twitches typical of the living. The way they burst into motion without warning, speed and power juxtaposed by a jerky and almost mechanical lack of grace. It set his teeth on edge. It looked wrong. Unnatural.


    He hated the undead.


    Fifteen would be the most amount of anything he had faced in single combat. He had skill and dexterity on his side, but it was still a lot of bodies.


    At the very least they all seemed about as well armed as the patrolling party he had faced an hour or so earlier. Half rotted leather hunting gear, not even true armour, and a smattering of hatchets, axes, spears and knives.


    Unnatural and disgusting they may be, the fact that they were undead would play in his favour. They would have nonexistent Endurance. No Health to regenerate wounds. His father had told him of great and terrible spirits of death who could heal with Mana. Not here though. Deep, far deeper than he would ever reach for years.


    Strong, indefatigable, and immune to blows that would mean the end of anything with a heart beat. They were also dim, clumsy, and had no Health.


    He could fight them defensively, utilising positioning, the environment, and superior coordination to whittle them down one by one.


    Fifteen was still a lot of bodies. He gulped.


    Kaius took a deep breath, quelling the nervous tension within him. Despite their numbers, he couldn''t deny that the prospect of facing off against such a large group was as exciting as it was anxiety inducing. Plus the dangling carrot of the store house was too great to ignore.


    There was something more than the promise of glory and loot that made the risk so enticing however. The pressure and push of facing so many foes at once would force him to the edge, he would have to capitalise on every single mistake the undead made.


    The urge to merge his next legacy skill had been a constant buzz in the back of his mind. Every one he completed would make him just a little safer, give him another powerful tool to work with as he tried to survive in an environment he had no right to be in.


    The battle ahead was sure to level Sense Weakness, in all likelihood more than once.


    He needed that. Needed the edge his next legacy skill would bring him. Needed to start on the next one after that, that would bring him some much needed survivability.


    Tightening his grip on his spear, his knuckles went white.


    Kaius launched himself forward, pushing off a root and shoving the trunk he was hiding behind to bring himself up to full speed in a burst of acceleration.


    The light brush standing between him and the end of the treeline whipped against his legs. Quickly forgetting the stinging mark of their passage as he bent his mind to the singular goal of closing the gap between himself and the closest of the wandering undead.


    He brought the point of his spear up and level, turning his run into a charge.


    Soft breeze covered his advance, the rustling of leaves enough to drown out his heavy breaths and the soft thumping of his feet on soil.


    He was almost there.


    Some of the undead, those who just so happened to be looking in his direction, had already noticed him. Ambling limbs readied glorified farm tools as they drew in his direction on stumbling. His target did not move. Too dim-witted to experience even vague curiosity at what had riled up its fellows. Kaius grinned, surging blood making his face grow hot.


    The point of his spear rammed into the back of its head with the force of a charging bear, driving deep into its liquified brain. Black blood sprayed out as the undead was flung forwards from the force of the collision. The machete it held in its hand tumbled to the ground.


    **Ding! level 12 Undead Scout slain**


    Vibration shot through his spear and into his arms, stinging the palms of his hands. He was forced to plant his feet, sliding in the soft earth to arrest his charge.


    Ripping his spear free from the body of the dead scout, he turned to face the rest of the undead, now well aware of his presence.


    In an instant he assessed their composition. They were still spread out, those first few who had seen him only now just beginning to cross the courtyard between the lodges buildings. He still had time. Unfortunately, whatever mindlessness impeded the undeads'' senses and cooperative abilities also seemed to make them impervious to surprise. They all just seemed to notice he was there, and then got ready to gut him where he stood without taking any time to think about it.


    The closest to him was a trio who had been standing in the shadow of the smokehouse. One with a spear, One with a hatchet, and another with a knife.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Kaius was already moving, a burn settling into his legs as he launched off in a new direction. The spear-wielder tried to ward him off, waving its duplicate of his own weapon at him. He feinted a lunge, smiling as it reacted with a clumsy stab. Lashing out with his spear, he batted away the threatening point of the weapon. Committing to his riposte, his spear point sank into the undead''s shoulder with a sickening crunch.


    It tried to bring its spear around for a slash, but its shattered joint inhibited its motion, achieving nothing better than a slow, shaky, slide. Kaius pulled his spear free from the joint and pivoted on his front foot, stabbing out to catch the nearby undead knife-wielder full in the chest, utilising the lugs at the base of his spear point to shove it backwards.


    Black blood sprayed from its chest as Kaius ripped his weapon free from the second undead. He whipped his spear back around to his first target, the leaf-like blade tearing a path through the spear-wielders quad.


    It collapsed onto one knee.


    While the knife holding undead was scrambling its way up from the ground, the last of the immediate undead charged at Kaius. Happily kicking over its ally that struggled to rise with a partially severed leg.


    He stabbed its face. It parried. Pushing his spear point down with a savage chop of its hatchet. Moving with the strike instead of contesting it, Kaius stabbed the undead in the hip. Reverberations resonated up his spears haft as its point ground along bone, making a mess of the joint.


    After he ripped his blade free, it took a slow haltering step forwards on its injured leg. Satisfied the wound had hampered it enough, Kaius lunged towards the one with the knife, who had almost fully recovered from their fall.


    Organ damage or no, the blow to its chest hadn¡¯t done much to slow it down.


    His spear point punching through its undefended face solved that.


    **Ding! level 14 Undead Huntsman slain**


    The initial pack dead or disabled, Kaius looked up to survey the rest of the lodge.


    The front runners of the remaining eleven were getting uncomfortably close, with the rest not far behind. He decided to fall back, unwilling to tangle with such a large group while leaving even crippled allies at his undefended back.


    A few quick stabs left deep cuts on the remaining standing undead, nicking the muscle of its arms and hampering its movement. He would have liked to drop it where it stood, but it would take time to work his way through it¡¯s guard.


    Kaius jogged backwards, parallel to the cavern wall. Neither of the two still ¡®living¡¯ undead he had engaged were able to follow him, their damaged knee and hip hampering their movement.


    He looked past them, focusing on the mob that rapidly reached where he had just been standing. The shambling staccato of their feet striking a discordant note with the strong and even beat of his heart hammering in his chest.


    The leader of the pack held an axe. Taller than most, it struck an imposing figure. Kaius no longer feared them though, any anticipation he held as he watched from the treeline was washed away by the roaring rhythm in his blood and the savage joy of combat.


    Kaius had gotten their measure now. Disgusting creatures they might be, but no real threat. Too clumsy. Too many openings.


    The large undead reached him, a stumbling chop swinging wide and leaving it over extended with a simple back step. Sense Weakness screamed at him. A smooth step forward. A simple thrust.


    Another spray of black blood. Another body crumpling where it stood.


    **Ding! level 16 Undead Logger slain**


    His compatriots quickly followed, mobbing him. Wild, uncontrolled swings were avoided with tight and efficient movements. Those he could not dodge, he pulled off centre with simple bats of his spear.


    The undead¡¯s numbers quickly began to work to their detriment, ungainly strength and dim witted minds turning the rabble into an unreasoning pit of aggression more than any cooperative fighting force. None tried to force him into a corner. None tried to attack in unison, or create openings for a fellow.


    Kaius feinted, an undead with an axe taking a wild swing only to elbow a fellow undead holding a knife, sending it realing. A quick stab caught the flat footed undead, returning it to the embrace of true death.


    **Ding! level 14 Undead Huntsman slain**


    Kaius continued to back up, making use of the strip of open space that separated the vale from the edge of the cavern. ¡°So mindlessly aggressive,¡± he thought to himself as a spear-wielder''s botched swipe slapped an undead holding a machete, who had committed to a thrust at the wrong moment.


    Unfortunately the blunder didn''t leave either of them opening for a killing stroke. Too many of the mob still standing, a committed lunge would leave him far to open to a strike from their allies. It didn''t, however, mean he did nothing. A light thrust scoring a line across the offending undead¡¯s forearm, hopefully deep enough to hamper its grip.


    His retreat from the mob was slow. Measured. All he had to do was wait. He had already seen so many openings. Sense Weakness remained silent, no more than a low level hum in the back of his mind. Too many opponents for him to capitalise on the failure of a single individual.


    Still, his time would come. He just had to be patient.


    Another avoided wild swing. The dance continued.


    An axe wielder struck, its terminal arc ending with a violent crunch in one of its allies'' knees as Kaius dodged the blow. The unfortunate undead pitched forward, mangled leg collapsing as it tried and failed to take another step. Sense Weakness twitched in the back of his mind.


    Kaius¡¯s leaf-shaped spear point arrested its fall.


    **Ding! level 16 Undead Huntsman slain**


    He stepped back, back burning as he wrenched his spear free in order to keep pace with the thinning crowd.


    Looking to the tree line off to his right, he considered if it was worth it to dive into its embrace, before deciding against it. While his heart thumped, and his legs burned at his continual giving of ground, nothing had yet to turn against him.


    Kaius took his time, allowing the uncoordinated mass of limbs and flesh that pursued him to work to its own destruction. False openings were seen through, as he trusted in Sense Weakness to lead him right. It wasn''t perfect, he was sure if it was a higher level it might have been able to direct him to capitalise on more delicate openings instead of only the most obvious. It was still enough to stop him falling into a trap.


    Steadily he whittled away at the small horde of undead. A tangle of limbs here, a wild swing shoving another out of position there, at one point one enterprising undead even managed to bury its hatchet in one of its compatriots foreheads.


    It wasn''t easy, not by a long shot. A quick glance at his resources showed his stamina was getting uncomfortably low, closing in on half full. His legs burned something else, unused as he was to an extended jog backwards while fending off infernal corpses. The scavenged spear was also looking worse for wear, its once stout haft ragged with chips and deep scratches from warding off blows.


    Finally, when there were only three left, he received the first of the notifications he had been waiting for.


    **Ding! Sense Weakness has reached level 19!**


    ¡°Took long enough!¡± He thought as a grin split his sweat streaked face.

 Chapter 11: Unpleasant Surprises

    Kaius planted his feet. There were only three undead remaining from the small mob that he had stumbled upon at the hunters lodge and led on a merry chase. More than a low enough number for him to stop running. Of the three, the one front and centre held a pitted machete, same as the one on its left. Its companion to its right holding a hatchet.


    All three tried to swing as soon as Kaius stopped moving. He thrust, lancing the middle undead in the shoulder. Or at least, he tried to. The leftmost undead whacked his spear with its machete, shunting him off target. He swung his spear sideways, pivoting to a new target and carving a line through the rightmost undead''s face as he smacked away the hatchet it had raised.


    A spray of thick black blood coated the soft grass between them.


    Kaius took another steady breath, the smell rotting blood mixing with the earthy tones of disturbed loam. Any disgust at the scent washed away in his Bloodsong. A step back prevented his rabid foes from closing the distance, he feinted another strike at the centremost undead, before whipping his spear back into the hatchet-wielder. One of the boar-spears lugs impacted the undead''s skull with a savage crack, splintering the bone.


    The other undead tried to capitalise on his committed attack, lunging towards him with a swing and a stab. Kaius leapt back out of range, his heart keeping a steady rhythm even as his tunic clung uncomfortably to his chest due to the sweat of his extended exertion.


    In its fervour, one of the machete-wielders lunged after him, swinging its blade in an attempt to gut him where he stood. Kaius pulled his haft in tight and the undead¡¯s machete swung past, leaving it flat footed. Experience and Sense Weakness drove him to action, a thrust puncturing deep into the underside of the undead¡¯s jaw, and erupting from the crown of its head with a crunch of shattered bone.


    **Ding! level 15 Undead Huntsman slain**


    Kaius maintained his momentum, ripping his spear free to flow into a tight cut at the next closest undead. It brought its machete up in a block, catching the haft of his spear before it could cleave through its skull.


    Breaking the bind he pulled back, then thrust with a rapid flurry of stabs, alternating between targets. The undead did their best to ward him off, but decrepit nervous systems hampered their attempts.


    One, looking almost frustrated, tried to physically chop through his haft. Kaius grinned, stepping back to let the axe swing past and pull the undead off balance. The opening did not go unmissed.


    It fell with a weeping hole where its nose used to be.


    **Ding! level 16 Undead Huntsman slain**


    Sweat stung as it streamed down Kaius¡¯s face and into his eyes. Not for a moment did he consider taking a hand from his weapon to wipe his face, nor scrunching his eyes to clear the salty irritant. He was too honed in. There was only one left.


    One.


    Left.


    Kaius let out a war cry, breaking the silence he had held since springing his ambush. The savage reverberations stabbed at his throat, heightening his aggression. He swept his spear up before slamming it down into the undead''s guard. It stumbled at the sudden force, before rallying itself to jump toward him in mindless fury.


    Switching his grip, he momentarily held his spear like a quarterstaff, before slamming its butt into the undead''s machete. Knocking the weapon away. A reverse strike drove his spear point through the creature''s neck, a torrent of black soaking its ratty leathers in moments.


    He carried through the strike with a push kick to the undead''s chest, sending it sprawling prone. Kaius planted his foot and smiled at the scrambling thing.


    ¡°Fifteen doesn¡¯t seem so bad anymore.¡± He said, eyes cold despite his grin.


    He slammed his spear home, planting its leaf bladed point in the monster''s skull, and leaned his full body weight into the spear. Pulling it free, he walked away from the messy pile of blood and viscera before slouching over as he gasped.


    That had been rough. But so, so much fun. As the unnatural wind cooled the sweat on his brow, Kaius looked at the destruction he had left in his wake. A line of black, evidence of the dozens of wounds he had inflicted on the mob. A grisly trail leading to the hunters lodge far in the distance, interposed every so often by the limp corpse of a downed foe.


    ¡°Gods damn them, that was tough¡± He panted, using his free hand to massage one of his calves. They still burned something fierce, strained from his hapdash retreat over uneven ground.


    He squinted, seeing an undead slowly shamble its way closer to him, shaded in the half light of the cavern. One of the crippled ones, hampered by its injured leg. It promptly stumbled, falling over face first.


    The absurdity of it jolted, a soft bark of a laugh escaping his lips.


    ¡°Well, best not leave a job unfinished.¡± He said with a shake of his head.


    Standing up straight, he planted his spear point first into soft soil below, allowing it to stand freely. He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, shaking loose the accumulated tension in his arms, before bending over to stretch out his legs. A groan slipped out as the burning ache in his legs intensified behind his knees and the back of his thighs.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit better.¡± Kaius mumbled as he stood back up.


    He took a look at his spear, its mangled haft, and blood drenched tip. He frowned.


    ¡°Probably best to just grab a new one.¡±


    He looked back to the distant undead, now risen again and limping in his direction, patting the hilt of his longsword for reassurance.


    Keeping a comfortable pace, he set off the way back the way he had come, one eye trained on the tree line for any sign of beasts that may have come to investigate the noises of his battle. Thankfully, there were none..


    He kept in line with the trail of his battle, walking around the leaking corpses of his slaughtered foes. Though unfortunately he was not entirely able to ignore their foetid stench now that the heat of battle had left him.


    ¡°Gods that smells rank.¡± He said, his face paling. It could have been worse, he thought. He¡¯d mostly avoided blows to their centre mass. He shuddered to think what unholy abomination he would have to deal with if he had perforated their bowels.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    About halfway to the hunters lodge and the stumbling figure in the distance Kaius stopped by the corpse of an undead who had been using a boar-spear of its own. He eyed it, checking it for any major damage. It was splintered and poorly maintained, but in a damned sight better state than his own.


    He tossed his spear to the side, replacing it with the new one.


    With a new walking stick in hand, he locked his eyes on the slowly approaching undead and picked up his pace.


    Once he got close enough to the creature he stopped. Hefting his spear over his shoulder, he took aim and threw it at the undead with a grunt. With unerring finality it soared through the air. It tried to smack the missile out of the air. Unfortunately, it was hampered by the deep wounds Kaius had left over its limbs.


    The spear slammed home into its face, the blade sinking down to the lugs as the weapon''s weight sent its corpse sprawling.


    **Ding! level 15 Undead Huntsman slain**


    Kaius let out a hoot of success, pumping the air. ¡°Bullseye!¡± he said with a grin.


    Reaching the corpse, he yanked his spear free. Only a short walk from the lodge that had been set into the cave, Kaius could see the final undead struggling as it clawed its way across the ground, a shattered knee preventing it from rising.


    ¡°Pathetic things, aren¡¯t they?¡± Kaius said to himself as he watched it haul itself across the dirt on one good arm..


    Finishing it off took even less effort than the walk over to it.


    **Ding! level 14 Undead Huntsman slain**


    Pulling his spear free from its skull, Kaius cleaned its point in the soft earth before looking over to the lodge''s compound. It was entirely empty, draped in shadow by the stone hollow it had been built in. It was an eerie sight, one that heightened Kaius¡¯s senses. Some primal insight that baulked at the unmoving silence of the buildings.


    A flicker of intent brought up his resources.


    Resources:


    Health - 200/200 (2/min)


    Stamina - 64/200 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    His eyes flicked back to the ominous buildings.


    ¡°Not a chance in the Pit that I''m going in there without all my Stamina. There¡¯s more of them inside, sure as a merchant¡¯s a swindler.¡±


    Oh sure, the temptation was there. To kick the door in with a wild yell, engaging whatever he found in a brawl. Relying on his strength of arm and his skill with the blade to see him through the day - but he would have to be a massive idiot to do that. There could be anything inside those buildings. Another handful of undead? Sure, he could manage that. It could also just as easily be some witch, or undead necromancer, and he had no intention of risking his life for a Song.


    So he slunk back into the tree line, taking a few minutes to find his pack. After digging through it to secure a water skin and a handful of too-smoky jerky, he returned to the tree he had first inspected the lodge from. He rested his back against the trunk, yanking at his tough strip of dried meat with clenched teeth. It really needed some salt, the muted ashy taste pulling all the moisture from his mouth. He kept his eyes on the lodge, ears tuned in to catch anything that might be approaching from within the forest.


    With a stout tree at his back he wasn''t too worried, but it always paid to be careful.


    <hr>


    Kaius exited the trees, his stamina back to full after waiting for just over an hour. Spear in hand and sword on his hip he made his way towards the lodge compound.


    His first target was the smoke house. His reasoning was simple, it was a hell of a lot smaller than the lodge itself. Which meant if it was full of undead, it would most likely have less of them. The squat stone building seemed to loom over him, its tall chimney rising up just higher than the lip of the shallow cave that the compound was built into.


    He tried to peer through its thin slitted windows, but they were too high up for him to get a good look. Plus, it looked pretty dark in there.


    Circling the building, he found a door facing towards the centre of the compound. It was as stout and imposing as the building itself, built of rough hewn planks reinforced with iron, a simple wooden gravity latch holding it shut.


    He reached out, tense and ready to react as he gripped the wooden bar that held the door shut. He lifted the mechanism in a quick jerk, shoving the door open as he leapt backwards and levelled his spear at the now open entryway.


    It swung inwards, hitting the wall behind it with a clatter of wood and stone. Kaius furrowed his brow, peering into the dark interior of the building. Judging by the lack of sound, it was empty. He still didn''t trust it. Holding his spear at the ready, he stepped through the shadowy threshold.


    His mouth flattened into a tight line as he drank in the interior. Whatever strange intelligence formulated the biomes of the Depths certainly did have grim sensibilities. In the centre of the smoke house there was a burnt out fire pit, metal butchery hooks attached to the rafters above. Humanoid limbs hung suspended, desiccation unable to hide the grizzly evidence of consumption.


    He certainly didn''t miss that some were noticeably smaller than the others.


    Kaius spat on the floor, a hot rush of anger suffocating his disgust. He turned on his heel, marching out of the smoke house as he pulled shut the door behind him.


    He knew it was a set piece. It was common knowledge that while the Depths often contained some shattered mirror reflections of things that existed - or once did - it twisted them to fit whatever strange logic was behind its biomes. There were a dozen campfire stories of delvers coming across some truly twisted regions.


    It still didn''t sit right with him. He was no stranger to blood and guts, but it just wasn¡¯t right.


    He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He still had another building to clear. If the smoke house was free of undead, the lodge sure as hell would have some.


    He approached the wide stone veranda, picking his way through the fur tanning racks that dotted its expanse. Not that the things stretched across the frame could ever be considered so valuable a good, what with the blatant strips of dried flesh and massive holes. A few of them he moved, clearing them away from the path to the door.


    He winced as their brittle frames clattered against the floor, waiting for some clamouring horde to fall on his head at the noise. Thankfully the cave and buildings within stayed blessedly silent.


    He approached the entrance, made of the same rough hewn and reinforced wood as the previous one. Though no less ready than the first building, his heart stayed steady as he grabbed the latch. A final steady breath centred his mind. He flung the door open.


    The interior was shadowy and dark. To his surprise the building was completely open on the inside. He entered cautiously, spear held at the ready.


    The moment his foot crossed the threshold ensconced torches flared to life, throwing the interior of the building into stark relief. Kaius¡¯s eyes widened, momentarily blinded. Blood pulsed, throbbing in his neck as his heart rate accelerated.


    A soft grunt grabbed his attention. Whipping his head around, he focused on the source of the sound.


    There, at the head of the hall, sat a great monstrosity. Enthroned on a seat of rotting fur and splintered bone, its black eyes drilled into him. The grotesque sneer that split its face conveying a level of contempt that chilled his blood.


    Its muscle bound body had more draught than a draught horse, a complete lack of body fat revealing every single striation in its musculature, to the point it looked almost flayed. At least, the definition that wasn''t marred by its diseased and pockmarked skin.


    Its black unblinking eyes never left his own as it slowly reached down, grabbing a blood stained cleaver that must have been the size of his thigh.


    A slow and purposeful rise brought it to its full height, the overly thick leather apron that covered its front rustling with the movement. It towered over Kaius, easily a stride and a half taller than him - and he towered over the villagers he had met at a strapping six and a half strides tall.


    This was no mere mindless undead.


    It smiled, rotten teeth poking out from behind scarred lips.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: The Hungry Butcher **


    ¡°Shit.¡±

 Chapter 12: The Butcher

    Kaius all but flew backwards out of the lodge, desperate to avoid a scenario where the giant undead could box him in and bring its obvious strength to bear. Dread shot through him as he took in the size of the undead. It made him look small, and he had no doubt that its monstrous cleaver would make short work of any sort of defence he could field against it.


    His only chance was to rely on mobility and positioning to see him through the fight. If he even could. He blanched at the thought of the casual contempt on its face as it rose from its throne. The damned thing had moved with decidedly more grace than the other undead he had fought.


    As his feet touched down on the dusty rock that made up the cave floor, Kaius heard great rattling thumps echo through and out of the hunting lodge. Seeming to almost shake the foundation of the building itself, each thundering reverberation reaching into his chest to set a cold grip on his heart.


    The Bloodsong was still there, keeping his blood roaring hot. But it was muted. Tempered by primal feelings that screamed out, urging retreat to a long forgotten canopy in the face of something long of teeth and strong of claw.


    Reaching the centre of the compound, Kaius took a long and slow breath, pushing the lances of ice that crept up his extremities to the back of his mind. Focusing on the battle ahead. There would be no room for mistakes. Not against a true monstrosity like this.


    He settled into his stance, legs slightly bent and his grip on his spear firm but loose.


    Great, grey fingers gripped the top of the lodge''s door frame, aged wood splintering as the sausage sized digits clenched. Kaius¡¯s stomach dropped as the Champion stooped, bowing its head to fit through the building''s entrance. Its cleaver dragging along the floor with a terrible screech of tortured stone.


    It crossed the veranda, tanning wracks shattering like kindling in the passage of its inexorable bulk.


    Standing at the threshold, it stared at him again. Cold malevolence glimmering in its eyes as a rictus grin split its diseased face. Kaius took a sharp breath, stoking the forge of battle-lust that had been growing within him over every brush with death he¡¯d had since getting trapped in the Depths.


    ¡°Meat.¡± It spoke. The words rumbled across the intervening space, a timbre of tortured metal rattling deep in Kaius¡¯s chest.


    The champion lifted its oversized cleaver with a slow grace, slapping the sharpened slab of iron into its opposing palm with a great thwack.


    A wooden stair splintered as it kicked off the veranda, the Champion charging him with the unhindered momentum of a raging bull. Kaius kept his eyes locked on the undead, ready to react.


    Its great strides ate up the distance between them quickly. It was fast.


    Raising its cleaver high, the Champion chopped. Kaius danced to the side. The slab of iron bit deep into the cave floor, stone shards leaving stinging bites as chipped stone showered his face.


    He counterattacked instantly, lancing the undead in the arm with his boar-spear. Kaius tried to follow it up with a second stab to its exposed face, but was forced to dodge when the Butcher sliced at him with casual ease.


    He didn''t even try to parry the blow. With its obvious strength, his spear might as well have been a toothpick.


    The Champion lashed out again, air whistling as its cleaver blurred towards him. Dipping back, Kaius repositioned, trying to harry the undead with a flurry of quick strikes. It managed to ward off some with sweeping parries, but for all its strength and increased coordination nothing could make such a weighty weapon as deft as his spear.


    Small cuts and shallow stabs marred the chest and arms of the undead, small rivulets of thick running blood leaking from the wounds. Kaius watched the injuries intensely, relief washing through him when he saw that they didn''t heal. Thank the gods for that, it would be challenging enough to whittle down the creature without having to burn through a pool of restorative energy.


    Lunging, the Champion snatched toward him with a plate sized hand, trying to grab him with a fatal grip.


    A sharp slide back just barely brought Kaius out of its range. He quickly retaliated with a warding stab that ground against the bones in its palm.


    Roaring in frustration it slammed its cleaver into the stone floor at an angle, showering Kaius with stone shards and dust. His eyes welled up, forcing him to blink rapidly in an attempt to clear the sudden irritants.


    He threw himself backwards, a water stained impression the only warning he had of the giant¡¯s follow up slash. Landing on his side, he rolled with his momentum, rising to his feet in a single fluid movement. The Champion was already charging towards him.


    He took the momentary reprieve to clear his eyes, dodging another cleaver strike and retaliating with a slash that carved a line of weeping black through its pustule-ridden shoulder.


    All distractions were forgotten now. Blood running hot, his senses hyper focused on the target in front of him. Kaius fell deeper into the Bloodsong with gusto, feeling the rushing need to fight.


    The Butcher growled in fury, venting its malevolent aggression with a slash at his torso. Kaius slipped to the side, the blow whistling past him. Before he could retaliate, it moved with the momentum of its swing, bringing its cleaver around again.


    And again.


    And again.


    Continuously Kaius gave ground to the Depths-spawn¡¯s fast flow of heaving strength and cutting iron. They moved around the natural stone courtyard, the Champion unable to corner him. Failing to force him into a position where he would be unable to dodge. Yet Kaius was equally as unable to penetrate the whirling offence to punish the assault.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Suddenly the blows stopped, the Champion¡¯s face twisting into an expression of hatred that chilled the blood.


    Its chest heaved as it opened its rotten mouth wide, shoulders pushing back as it inhaled. A great howl left its throat, a sound of ravenous consumption. The air shimmered as the sound hit Kaius like a physical wall. Something sank its way into his ears, pushing into his mind.


    He could feel it. Stoking a primal fear. Encouraging his heart to race, his stomach to shrivel, suffusing his mind and body with a sickly, rotten terror. Calling to mind the final paralysing moment when the beast tears into your entrails, and you know there is nothing, nothing, you can do to fight or run. So you lie still, terror drenched, and die.


    A sob caught in his throat, pupils dilating.


    And then something fought back. Surging through him, rebuffing the energy with a deft familiarity. Walling it off. Crushing it. Denying it. Faster than he could blink, the foreign-borne fear was gone.


    **Ding! You have resisted Fear: Call of Consumption**


    **Ding! Rapid Adaption has reached level 12!**


    The undead Champion watched him with glee, expecting him to freeze. Kaius pulsed with fury, incensed that the creature would dare to attack him in such a manner. To violate the sanctity of his mind, even if just for a moment.


    An idea came to him. Reckless, almost stupidly so, but his fury at the Champion''s mental effect made him far more inclined to try for a decisive action. Plus, the beast had a bloody class skill. He¡¯d heard of the Guardians that defended the passages through the layers having them, but that was it. He knew nothing of Champions and their abilities. If it had one, who''s to say it wasn¡¯t high enough level to have more? Or that next time, its roar wouldn¡¯t paralyse him, or send him fleeing in terror?


    Better to take a chance now.


    Kaius held still, allowing a slight tremor to enter his hands, jaw quivering as he stared at the champion with a wide eyed expression. The champion let out a slight chortle, convinced it had gotten him. Its arms fell to its side, cleaver carried with a practised ease. It stepped forwards.


    ¡°Closer, you bastard.¡± Kaius thought.


    It took another step, strolling with the calm surety of a sadistic predator that liked to play with its food.


    ¡°Closer!¡±


    Another step brought it into range. Kaius exploded into motion, hidden tension erupting through his limbs as he lunged forward. His spear hurtled towards the Champion''s undefended face. Its eyes widened in surprise. At the last moment it jerked its head to the side, the edge of Kaius¡¯s spear carving through its cheek and down the side of its head.


    Loose flesh fell free, the undead''s cheek flopping open to reveal the blackened nubs of its teeth. Black blood flowed from the wound, staining its grey flesh and leather apron.


    Kaius looked in shock at the lacking result of his surprise attack and attempted to pull his spear back. With a swiftness belying its size the Butcher snatched up his spear, yanking Kaius towards it as its cleaver rose up for a killing stroke.


    Forced to let go in order to not be pulled into the creature''s reach, Kaius stumbled back, palming the hilt of his inscribed sword. He drew it free of its scabbard, silver and grey ripples catching the soft light. He watched as the undead tightened its grip on his borrowed boar spear, the wooden half creaking momentarily before it shattered.


    It was for the best anyway. He¡¯d always been more comfortable with the sword his father had gifted him in hand, and the more he used it the more focused the influence Warforged would have on his class would be. Plus, nothing ever settled in his palms quite as well as his sword.


    The Champion stepped in, trying to catch Kaius with a diagonal slice. He dodged to the left, bringing his blade to bare, slicing the giant and scoring a deep cut across its shoulder and chest.


    While his sword might have lacked some of the reach of the boar-spear, its mana drenched alloy and supernaturally honed edge made short work of the creature''s toughened hide.


    Whipping back around, the Champion brought down its cleaver in an overhead strike. Kaius¡¯s eyes widened. It had moved faster than it had before. He didn''t have time to avoid the blow. His sword came up in a parry, trying to push the slab of iron away. The oversized weapons'' sheer inertia shoved him back..


    The cleaver skittered down his sword edge, refusing to bind. The Champion twisted its wrist, guiding its blade to skirt past his cross guard with ease. He tried to disengage, but was too slow to prevent the tip of the weapon from cutting deep into the flesh of his forearm.


    Blood welled from the wound, spilling free to land on the cold stone with a light splatter. Kaius and the Champion broke their engagement, stepping back to circle each other with calm steps. The undead''s easy grin was made all the more grotesque by the flap of its cheek hanging down past its jaw. It shook its free arm, now dripping and stained with the foetid blood that spilled forth from the wound on its shoulder.


    He didn''t miss the slight shudder as it tried to lift its hand to its front.


    He¡¯d done some damage to the muscle. That was good.


    Nor did Kaius miss the growing itchy heat emanating from his wounded arm, so different from the burn of Health - already expending itself to seal the cut. No, it was the withering furnace of a fever.


    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Blood Rot: Profane Instruments**


    Another skill. That was bad. No less because he had no idea what blood rot actually did. He could only hope that Rapid Adaptation would see him through and keep him in fighting shape. At the very least he doubted the Butcher had anything else left up its sleeve. If it followed any normal sense of progression it would have to be over level forty to have another skill. He would already be dead if that was the case.


    Even as it stood, it was a lethal foe. Without his legacy skills he would be dead a dozen times over. Not for the first time he thanked the gods for the luck of his birth, even if it did mean he grew up in the wilderness, hiding from unknown enemies.


    He could feel Rapid Adaptation working, its bolstering energy flowing through his body to taste and sample the new threat. Devising the best way to adapt and neutralise the deleterious force.


    He just had to hold on long enough for it to get there.


    His arm hot and swollen, Kaius leapt towards the Butcher, stabbing towards its face. It raised its cleaver to slap away his thrust, only to roar in frustration as he twirled his blade and cut deep into its shoulder. Its blade arm, this time.


    Kaius stepped through with his blow, aiming to circle behind the Butcher and cut off its avenues of attack. The undead whirled on him, lashing out with a cut that ripped another line of hot fire through the thin layer of fat that covered his belly.


    **Ding! Affliction - Blood Rot: Profane Instruments strengthens!**


    An explosion of pain that radiated out from the cut, followed by a welting and sickly heat. His abdominals tensed uncontrollably, and Kaius felt his skill start to probe the new location. Continuing to taste the flavour of the energy, trying to take its measure. He could already feel the tendrils of rot seeping up his arm from the previous cut. Snake-like, using his veins as highways to ravage his body.


    He had to finish this. Fast.

 Chapter 13: Victory or Death

    The Butcher''s cleaver followed its terminal arc, wounded arm unable to control the momentum of the monstrous weapon with as much ease as it had before. The wild swing left it open. Kaius was remiss to let the opportunity go to waste. Every second was another that his afflictions would continue to weaken him.


    Stepping forwards, he brought his sword down in a heavy overhead strike. The Butcher lashed out with its free hand, trying to ward off his strike. It was successful, partially at least. Knocked off centre, his blade bit deep into its clavicle with a spray of rotten black blood.


    The undead howled, infuriated by the injury. It lashed out with its fist. Trying to leverage its size and strength to crush him. Kaius flicked his sword, biting deep into the Butcher''s forearm as he turned the blow, grating against the bone. He didn''t fully escape unscathed, his wounded arm surging with agony from the force of the collision.


    A hiss escaping his throat, Kaius disengaged.


    His Health had already sealed his cuts, but whatever the undead''s skill-enhanced cleaver had inflicted him with was fighting against the purifying energy, forcing a constant expenditure to keep the wounds closed. Something he couldn''t afford, he barely had a pittance with the cap on his Endurance.


    Drawing in another great breath, the Champion released another fearsome roar. This time the ability washed over him as pure, hateful, noise. Rapid Adaptation working quickly to rebuke the power before it could get its hooks into him


    **Ding! You have resisted Fear: Call of Consumption**


    Kaius moved through the wall of sound, swiftly engaging the creature while it was enraptured in the execution of its natural magics. He needed to cripple the beast. Slow it down.


    He needed to go for its legs.


    Before it could snap its jaws shut, he lunged. The tip of his sword lanced straight the thick rope of muscle above its knee. He withdrew and disengaged, watching as its leg buckled slightly under its prodigious weight. The Champions roar petered out with a squeal of pain and anger.


    It lunged, trying to sever him at the waist. The blow was still fast, still backed up by monstrous strength, but it was slower. More manageable. He watched the heavy blade waver slightly as damaged muscles failed to work as they should.


    He saw an opening, his skill twinging.


    Side stepping the swing, he cut. His blade deepened the cut on the Butcher¡¯s shoulder, parting flesh to grate against bone. He dragged the cut, stepping through to lengthen the incision and wrap it around the meat of the joint.


    **Ding! Sense Weakness has reached level 20!**


    Kaius ignored the notification, all his attention focused on the battle.


    The ruined remnants of its shoulder tore and the Butcher''s swing collapsed, arm slapping weakly against its chest before dropping to its side. The massive iron cleaver clattered against the ground, the Champion no longer able to lift its arm effectively despite keeping a firm grip on its weapon. With a howl of frustration it swung at him with its free arm, stumbling slightly on its wounded leg.


    Kaius turned the strike with the edge of his blade, allowing the undead''s own strength to carry through the cut. Biting deep into its forearm.


    He danced back to disengage, watching the Champion''s fingers on its grow lax. He must have severed the ligaments.


    Rapid Adaptation surged, finally stalling the creeping affliction in his veins. Getting its measure and stopping it dead. Slowly it pushed back, consuming and destroying the corruption hairsbreadth by hairsbreadth.


    Finally, Finally, the battle had turned in his favour


    Kaius turned his attention to his resources, more than aware that the corruption instilled by the Butcher¡¯s contagion had wreaked havoc on his Health, forcing the energy to expend itself to ward off its deleterious effects.


    Resources:


    Health - 48/200 (2/min)


    Stamina - 109/200 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    His eyes widened, shocked at how low it had gotten. It was well and truly a race now. With how quickly the Blood Rot had drained his pool of regenerative energy, it would wreak havoc on his body as soon as his Health ran out. He could only hope that Rapid Adaptation would be able to purge the disease before that happened.


    The Butcher scowled at him, thick hairless brows scrunching over its unnatural black eyes.


    ¡°Gonna. Eat. You.¡± It ground out, straining as if each word was a challenge.


    The Champion lurched towards him, decidedly slower on its wounded leg. Kaius slipped around a clumsy swing of its cleaver, the undead leaning into the momentum of its body to attack. He cut into the calf of its uninjured leg as he pressed an opening in its guard. More black blood joined the growing pool covering the stone floor.


    The Butcher was unfazed.


    ¡°Gonna. Flay. You.¡±


    Throwing its whole weight into a heaving swing, the undead''s weakened leg slipped on the blood slickened stone. It stumbled. Kaius darted in, ducking under an outstretched arm poised to pull him into a deadly embrace. As he passed he sliced with his sword, severing its hamstring.


    The Champion fell. It tried to push itself up, only for its leg to buckle under its weight, returning it once more to the cold stone.


    ¡°Crack. Your. Bones. Drink. Your. Marrow.¡± It hissed, staring at him in open hatred.


    Kaius watched the creature, face twisted with rage at the sick fantasies it had lost itself in. Abandoning its cleaver, it hauled its bulk forward on wounded arms, lame legs kicking weakly in an attempt to assist the movement. It didn''t try to flee, lost in its own mindless hunger.


    ¡°Split. Your. Skull. Mash. Your. Brain. Tear. Your. Veins. Drink. Your. Blood. FEED! ME!¡± It wailed in impotent starvation.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Just fucking DIE!¡± Kaius screamed, the exertion making him feel light headed.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 13!**


    The notification flashed through his mind, joined by the sensation of his skill bolstering, burning out his infection with renewed vigour. It was almost there, close enough that he knew he would purge the effects of the Champion''s skill before the last vapours of his health dissipated.


    It didn''t make the process comfortable. He could still feel the noxious power curdling in his veins, a feverish red heat radiating from the site of his almost-healed wounds. Breaths came heavier than they should, and his limbs felt leaden. Each swing, every parry and dodge, drained him. Made his vision close it, like he had run a dozen miles without stamina.


    He shook off the cloying lethargy, squaring his stance against the crawling Champion that left a trail of black in its wake.


    ¡°Meat.¡± it said, staring into his eyes.


    Kaius took a steadying breath and walked towards the Butcher, careful to keep the point of his sword trained on the monster.


    The Champion came closer. Closer still.


    Close enough.


    Kaius threw himself into a lunge, his battle cry echoing through the cave as he dived into a fencer''s thrust.


    The Butcher heaved itself forward, uncaring of the sliver of steel that raced for its head. Its hand lashed out with a speed that could only come from a final, desperate, attack. Shocked, Kaius only had a moment to register the suicidal attack before one of its meaty paws clenched around his leading leg.


    Bones shattered.


    Inscribed steel slipped cleanly through boil ridden flesh and mutated bone.


    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: The Hungry Butcher - level 21 Miasmic Slaughterer! **


    Kaius collapsed with a scream, his calf slipping from the undead''s slacked fingers and folded. Shards of bone cut through his flesh, agony setting its grip on his throat. He gasped


    Noxious impulse surged through his nerves, hammering into him with an overwhelming cacophony of sensation. The pain seemed to concentrate on his eyes and ears, narrowing his senses until all he could see was a thin pinprick of hazy grey accompanied by a high pitched whine.


    He collapsed on his back, chest heaving as he tried to suck in air. His vision blurred further, tears welling in his eyes.


    The final vapours of his Health burned free, trying to set what it could of his shattered shin bone. It brought momentary relief from the initial stab of agony that accompanied an unexpected wound.


    A relief quickly followed by a terror filled realisation.


    ¡°The Blood Rot!¡±


    His attention dove inwards as he pushed himself up onto his elbows with a start. He relied on the innate awareness that every thinking creature had of its soul space to search his body for the Champion¡¯s magical disease.


    He found nothing.


    Rapid Adaptation had cleared the inflection.


    Kaius slumped back down with a sigh of relief, yelping as his jostling moved his still shattered leg. He looked at the twisted limb and winced. While he could just leave it to heal on its own, at least partially setting the break would drastically reduce the amount of Health required to recover.


    Eyes drifting past his ruined leg, his attention settled on the limp form of the champion. His sword was still stuck fast in its head. A growing pool of black blood seeped forth from the corpse. He needed his sword. Injured as he was, he was fucked if something came across him in this state and he had no way of defending himself.


    Kaius growled, staring at his weapon.


    ¡°This is going to suck.¡± He sighed. ¡°Nothing for it, I suppose.¡±


    Balling up the hem of his tunic with resignation, he pulled on the material until he could comfortably bite down on the wad of fabric and leather. A few sharp breaths to steady his nerves, and he shoved himself upright. A hoarse yell escaped him as the movement shifted his leg.


    Refusing to give up the momentum, he gasped and snatched the handle of his sword, falling back to the floor to pull the blade with him. It slipped free with a wet squelch, clattering loudly onto the stone floor beside him.


    ¡°Just a little more, you can do this.¡± He thought.


    He pulled himself up into a seated position and shuffled backwards, biting his wadded tunic so hard he half expected to hear the crack of a breaking tooth. Finger-length by agonising finger-length he hauled himself away from the growing puddle of blood that expanded from the Butcher''s corpse.


    Once he had made it a couple of long-strides away, Kaius collapsed back down with tears streaking down his cheeks. He let go of his sword, preparing himself for what he had to do next.


    He sat back up, staring at his twisted leg with dread. He reached out towards it, before freezing half way. A frustrated growl was dampened by the fabric in his mouth.


    ¡°Last bit. Then you''re done.¡±


    A sharp breath brought him focus and he lunged towards his foot, twisting it back into position. A half strangled scream sounded in his ears as if from a great distance, agony coursing up through his leg and shorting out his mind. Kaius collapsed back down with a whimper.


    He spat out his tunic.


    ¡°Fuck. Me.¡± He ground out, panting between words.


    Despite the agony, he couldn''t help the low rumbling chuckle that started from deep within his chest. Even if he did wince every time the movement jostled his slowly healing break.


    He had no right to have come out on top. The bastard even had a class! What the fuck was that!? He¡¯d never heard of Champions in his life!


    He¡¯d killed it. Killed something with a class, something that was supposed to be as close to impossible as you could get, the advantage of stats and skills too high to overcome. Oh sure, he knew that the Guardian he was eventually doomed to face would have one, and would be exponentially harder than this battle. However, he had only planned on that with all of his skills in place. Even then! Even then he had mostly planned on waiting until he had his own.


    Yet here he was. Broken. Bleeding. But well and truly alive. After facing something with a class.


    ¡°Unbelievable.¡± he whispered.


    The encounter had shown him something. That the Depths held hidden dangers far beyond what he was taught. For the first time in his life, Kaius felt dissatisfied with Father¡¯s traditional methods. Sure, if all had gone as expected, he would have never in a million years stepped anywhere close to the Depths before his father had given him sufficient lessons on its hazards.


    Lessons that were supposed to happen in the final months before his class selection, with practical training following it.


    Yet here he was, nearly two years early. Of all people. Of all people! Father should have known to plan for the unexpected. Or was it a simple coincidence that they lived deep in the forest, weeks'' journey from the closest small frontier villages? While having a perfect set of legacy skills?


    Kaius snorted at the thought. Father had always been cagey, but he supposed the knowledge of exactly what had happened to their dynasty was another lesson that had been left until he was older.


    It hurt to think of his father''s failings, after all he had done for him, but it was just so frustrating to think how different his approach would have been if he had known that Champions existed.


    For one, he probably would have waited until he had merged his fourth skill. He might not have gotten so injured with Adamant Body.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened suddenly. His skills! He¡¯d levelled Sense Weakness! He was finally ready to merge the skills!


    A wide smile split his face. He couldn''t do it here of course. It required a centred mind and a period of meditation in his soul space to feel how all the pieces flowed together. Something he felt very little confidence in doing here. For one, it would be impossible to do while dealing with a broken leg. He was also a little worried about beasts coming to investigate the blood and noise.


    No, it would need to wait until he was in the relative safety of his base camp.


    He also had something a little more pressing on his mind, other than healing his leg. Kaius turned his head, twinkling eyes landing on the stout stone building that sat to the right of the lodge proper.


    ¡°Loot.¡±

 Chapter 14: Rewards

    Kaius stood up from the cold stone floor of the hunting compound, wincing as his leg protested at the movement. After nearly an hour and a half of waiting, it had mostly healed, and hopefully it wouldn¡¯t take more than another quarter hour or so until it was done.


    Still, he didn''t exactly plan on sitting on his ass if he could walk around fine now. He would just have to be a little gentle with it in the meantime. The offending limb still itched terribly, no matter the incredible benefits of the natural healing, it was a decidedly uncomfortable process. Especially when you could feel each individual shard of bone realigning and fusing.


    Shaking off the memories, he walked over to the cold corpse of the Butcher and nudged it with his foot, nodding in satisfaction as the limp meat stayed dead. Just in case. Wiping his sword on its ratty clothes, he sheathed it at his hip.


    Turning to face the store room that sat by the wall of the cave, he looked at its lock, wondering where the key would be. Probably the lodge proper, seeing as that had been where the Butcher had been enthroned. He¡¯d heard stories of treasure being guarded by particularly strong denizens of the Depths, and if a classed up Champion didn''t count, he didn''t know what would.


    He limped towards the large stone and wood building where he had first encountered the massive undead, the torches inside filling its hall with an orange flickering light.


    As he crossed the threshold, he inspected the seat where the Butcher had sat. Up close it was even worse than the quick glance he had gotten earlier. Nearly as tall as he was, it was perhaps more accurately described as a throne than a chair. Though if it was to be a throne, its monarch had been a gruesome one indeed.


    Rotting uncured furs coated the seat, damp secretions leaving an imprint where the Butcher had lounged. The sight, and the images it brought to mind, made Kaius wince. Turning his attention away from the nauseating sight, Kaius explored the massive hearth behind the seat that stretched across the head of the hall.


    It was dusty, with low glimmering coals slumbering inside. He¡¯d missed it entirely on his first look, captivated by the threat the Champion had presented to him. Above its mantle a great deer skull was mounted, larger than any of the many thousands he had seen in his years living in the forest. He looked at its rack in awe, it must have been a truly impressive specimen in life, if it had ever truly lived.


    Finally tearing his gaze away from the ornament, he scoured the mantle top, where a glint of firelight on metal caught his attention. A key. Overly large and crudely wrought. Hopefully it would be what he was looking for.


    Kaius snatched it up and hurried his way outside of the building as fast as he was able. Returning to the chained storehouse he grabbed at the thick padlock that held the door shut fast, interesting the key with a slight tremble. He jiggled it briefly as it got stuck.


    The lock clicked, the joyous sound sparking a short laugh of success as he popped it open. Chains rattled as he hurried to weave them out from the doors latch. He cast them aside, the links clattering as they hit the stone floor of the cave.


    Barely containing his excitement, Kaius worked the latch and threw open the door to reveal a dark room. The only light entered through the open doorway, drenching the interior in shadow. He took a furtive step forward. Hidden sconces burst into flame as he crossed the threshold.


    Their flickering light revealed a lone plinth at the back of the room, topped by what looked to be some sort of strange rectangular belt bag. Kaius approached quickly, snatching it up and turning it over in his hands to inspect it closely.


    Perhaps two handspans wide and half that deep, it was an interesting thing. Made of some sort of hardened leather that held firm in his hand. He wrapped it with one knuckle, a soft knock resonating through its interior. It was a dark burnt umber in colour, a lighter trim capping its edges. The bottom four corners were capped off in brass, while it was held closed by a sturdy buckle of the same material. Kaius turned it over, revealing a back with three loops along its top edge to thread it on to his belt.


    He furrowed his brow quizzically. All in all, Kaius was a little disappointed. A bag wasn''t exactly what you expected when you risked life and limb for a reward. He shrugged. In the end, at least it was something.


    He fumbled with the buckle for a moment, before pulling it open. A glitter of yellow and silver metal immediately caught his attention. There, to the left of the bag was five pieces of silver and a single yellow disk sat in a jumbled pile. Impossibly round, each face was embossed with an incredibly complex swirling pattern. He pulled them out, feeling the cold metal as he rolled them around his hands.


    Depths-coin. Impossible to doctor or forge, thanks to some minor magic imbued into them during their spawning. They were practically a universal currency, and often the yardstick against which all others were measured. A bit too rare to be adopted as a primary measure of wealth, and they only came in two denominations which hampered their use outside of large purchases.


    Kaius grinned. A much more satisfying reward, he thought. He¡¯d just found room and board for a year, if what he remembered of the prices that Hastur had paid at The Stout Oak was correct. Though, he supposed that with Three Fields being a frontier village it was probably more reasonably priced than most.


    He dropped the coins back into the waist pouch one by one, enjoying the satisfying clink as the coins impacted each other. His attention turned to the other contents of the bag. The coins, nice as they were to find, were clearly not the intended goods to be stored. The interior of the bag was divided into 8 rectangular segments, one of which had held the coins. Of the others, four were occupied by tight fitting squarish glass bottles, their clear exteriors revealing a softly shimmering burnt orange liquid.


    Potions, in a conveniently standard bottle shape if from what he could see at a quick inspection. He pulled one free, surprised at how easily it slid out despite how firmly wedged it had looked. Unfortunately, much like the bag itself he had no real way of knowing what these did. At least, not yet.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Luckily, he did have something he could do. Uncorking the potion, Kaius brought the bottle to his nose and breathed in deep. It smelled of spicy lilacs and sunshine - somehow that was possible, bloody alchemy. Herbalism, something he hadn''t had much chance to use in the Depths, came to life. The notes and scents of the potion swirled through his mind, bringing with it notions of growth, of life surviving despite the efforts of an uncaring world, of a stubborn weed handing on on a destitute cliff.


    ¡°Probably some kind of restorative, though of what type and function I have no idea. Most likely not Mana.¡± He mumbled to himself, before corking the bottle again and returning it to the waist pouch. He planned on holding them in reserve, unwilling to potentially waste a powerful brew when he did not need to.


    If there was an emergency he would risk it, but otherwise they would stay locked tight.


    Kaius buckled the potion bag closed, before taking the time to thread it on to his belt. It sat on his right hip, opposite his sword. It was surprisingly comfortable, despite its hardened exterior he could barely tell it was there outside of a comfortable and balanced weight.


    It was time for him to return to camp. Excitement bubbled in him at the thought of his next merge. It was always something he had celebrated with his father, another successful step on his preparations for a class.


    Kaius left the shadowed hunters lodge, his almost healing leg not enough to hamper the pep in his step. Stepping past the bodies of lesser undead he dipped back down to the forest trail, spending a few minutes to locate the marked tree where he had stashed his pack.


    Collecting his belongings he returned to the edge of the treeline. He decided he would follow the cavern wall back in the direction of his original entrance to the glade. The lighter vegetation would speed up his journey considerably, and he did still need to properly scout the massive underground environment.


    ¡°May as well see if there''s anything interesting on the way.¡± He murmured to himself, setting off at a brisk pace.


    <hr>


    Kaius stepped into the ruined church, a sigh of relief slipping out as he settled into the closest thing to safety he had found in the Depths. He walked over to the still slightly smouldering coals of the hearth before dumping on another log to stoke the flames. While the cavern itself was a fairly consistent tepid temperature, the draughty stone interior of the building was far more pleasant with a source of heat.


    He slung off his pack, depositing it by the rest of his gear that he left behind when he set off for his scouting expedition. A slight grumble escaped him as he eyed the light mist of blood that covered the side of his pack.


    His way back had been relatively uneventful, at least if you compared it to the excitement of assaulting an undead compound and defeating a Champion. He¡¯d spotted a few more tunnels shooting off into the cavern walls of the underground glad, though thankfully they had been completely undefended. He would be leaving those well enough alone for now.


    Biomes were great sprawling things, often with more than a few large environs like the one he found himself in. Otherwise, they were often made up of dozens or hundreds of twisting tunnels and smaller rooms. He had no intention of getting himself into a grand exploration until he had plummed this main cavern for all it was worth, though thanks to Orienteering he wasn¡¯t too worried about getting lost.


    The stain on his pack had come from a particularly enterprising trio of dog-like creatures who had stalked him for some time. Luckily for him, they had picked up his trail a few hours into his journey so he had been fully recovered before he was forced into another confrontation.


    He looked down to his pants, sighing as he saw the great rents where the beasts had latched on to his leg. The same one that the Butcher had shattered in its grip.


    ¡°Had some bad luck today, haven¡¯t you friend?¡± He sighed, shaking the offending limb.


    The tear in his clothes annoyed him, even if the leather reinforcement had helped to prevent worse wounds, having stray material flap around in the breeze was distracting and uncomfortable. Luckily both the tear on his trousers, and the cuts on his tunic should repair themselves by morning.


    Watching as the fire roared back to life Kaius took a seat in front of the hearth. He felt the radiating heat warm him, sinking into his bones. Slow, steady breaths resonated through him, his heart slowing to match the rate of his respiration. Slow inhale. Hold. Slow exhale. Hold.


    The meditative repetition of it continued as he lost himself in the reaches of his mind, his eyes closing as he dove into his soul-space. He was ready. Ready for his next step.


    His mind drifted to Tracking, its nodule in his centre emanating a thousand sights, uncountable impulses. Disturbed earth, a stray fibre, a scratched trunk. A million million ways to see a forgotten passing, to see trails left in time, waiting to be unearthed. Most were still inaccessible to him, the skill needing to grow further, but they were ready and waiting.


    He moved to the next nodule that orbited the fire of his soul. Sneak. Shadowed nights and hidden scents. Eyes passing by unawares. Of hiding. Of Stalking. Half foreign instincts washed over him as he tasted its depths.


    He reached out with his will, feeling both centres of power. They were easy to link, threading a thin line of comprehension and personal understanding between them. A glowing wire that he spun from the burning conflagration of his soul. The two shards seemed to resonate, a growing attraction trying to pull their energies together.


    He clamped down on the motion with the full weight of his mind, halting the merge in its tracks. He knew if he allowed it to continue they would create Stalking, a lesser and relatively well known merge. If that happened his goal would be permanently out of reach, his plans ruined.


    Kaius¡¯s focus wavered for a moment, unused to flexing his mind in such a fashion. The two skills wavered, fighting back against him in an effort to move together. He grabbed at them like a vice, forcibly stabilising them again. It was the first time having to do such a thing, his first two mergers not having another valid outcome to contend with.


    He wasn''t worried. He¡¯d spent months of practice in guided meditation with his father, as much as they could squeeze into their usual fireside rituals. Not just on the mental skill needed to hold the merge stable, but the understanding of the ultimate result. The mindset and comprehension needed to link so many disparate parts. This, at least, he¡¯d had practice with.


    Once he threaded in another, he wouldn''t need to worry. He just had to get over this next hurdle.


    His metered breaths continued as he settled into the measured tension of holding the skills in place. Once he felt ready, he reached for the next one.


    As soon as he split his focus, Tracking and Sneak wavered again. Sweat beaded on his now furrowed brow. The third thin thread of power reaching out from his soul slowed, undirected without his focus to push it forward.


    He gritted his teeth, inching it forward as he tried his best to hold the first two skills steady.


    They rattled precipitously, screaming against his hold on them, professing their desire to merge into a new form.


    His soul touched the third skill.

 Chapter 15: Insight and Growth

    Kaius just managed to prevent Tracking and Sneak from merging, the skills rattling against his control as his soul touched Trapfinding. Instantly the previous two skills settled down, no longer having an easy route to merge their energies through the conduit of his soul.


    Trapfinding tasted of tension and exploration. The joy of exploring new mechanisms, and the fear of the deadly payload they held. A thousand sights washed through his mind, most of them hidden deep within the Depths. But not all. Bank vaults, siege defences. Mechanisms, physical, magical and biological. How to identify likely placements. A suspicious mound of disturbed earth, or a flagstone not quite flush.


    A necessary skill for those who would delve where they were unwelcome. Those who sought to survive, and thrive where others dared not to tread. His soul threaded his comprehension into the previous two. However, the link felt incomplete. A kit with missing tools.


    Next he reached out to Orienteering. Something for one to feel at home in the depths, and the vast wilds that coated the world above it. The stars above, the way water flowed, distant scents carried on the air, and an ever growing mental map. So many things to be used to centre oneself in an expansive world, to always know the way forward, and the way home.


    It slotted into his growing picture, fitting like a glove. A way to find his path.


    Another thread of his soul reached out, connecting to Herbalism. It represented a wealth of resources to be found. Not just food, but restoratives, mending balms, and a million different ailes soothed. A way to keep the journey going, and a reward in addition to the simple beauty of the journey itself.


    The skill clicked into place. Kaius couldn''t help himself from sighing in relief, before returning to his measured meditation breathwork.


    ¡°Just a few more.¡± He thought to himself.


    The burning fire of his soul sent out its sixth flickering thread, connecting with Cooking.


    The smell of roasting meat over a campfire. Freshly baked bread steaming as it left the oven. The roaring cacophony of an overworked kitchen as hands blurred, layering a dish of exquisite beauty. Cooking was something universal, something that the poorest beggar and the richest king relied on every day of their life. It represented succour, a revitalisation. A way for a weary traveller to rest, recharge, and reflect on the last leg of their journey. It tasted of exotic spices, discovered in the furthest reaches. Of comfort, of experimentation. Something that brought a little bit of home with you on a long expedition.


    The skill snapped in place, flaring as it joined the growing chain of power.


    Sense Weakness felt different from the rest. A ruthless edge and undercurrent. A quality of violence. Eyes that sought the rhythmic pulse of an artery, that spotted the idle strap that left a gap in the armour. No journey was free of danger, Kaius thought. Stepping into the unknown required surety of your own capabilities, a mindset to strike fast, strike hard, and know that you would succeed against all odds. The Depths was the greatest frontier of them all, and any who delved its reaches without an awareness of what they faced was a fool.


    This skill brought that to the table. Afterall, everything has a weakness.


    A thrum resonated through the chain of skills, falling just short of a crescendo as the seven linked nodules of power flared with an internal light.


    Kaius couldn''t stop a grin from forming on his face. Just one more and he would be done.


    Kaius reached out a soul thread to Physical Conditioning, the link of power snapping directly to the skill as if magnetised. Impressions flooded through him. The burn of exerted muscles. A heart slamming in his chest as it pushed oxygenated blood through his veins, fuelling the vehicle of his power. An untiring body, unfailing through a lengthy journey. Never failing. Never stopping. Just step after measured step, taking him to the next horizon.


    A soft chime resonated through his soul space, all eight of his linked skills flaring with light. They pulsed in his internal mind''s eye, slowly sliding together. Their inexorable attraction was inevitable. Even if he wanted to, he was sure he didn''t have the mental control to stop their conglomeration.


    Individually they were useful tools. Together, they represented a breadth. Something that would support him through any journey or exploration he went on. Helping him find his way, like it had for his family for generations.


    It wasn''t as flashy, or as combat driven as many of his other skills would be. Instead it was dependable, something that would support him in the background for many years to come.


    An Explorers Toolkit.


    **Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**


    Kaius¡¯s eyes flashed open, his cheeks aching as his smile spread even wider.


    ¡°Yes.¡± he thought at the prompt, urging it to continue.


    He felt the skill nodules orbiting his soul draw ever closer together, flashes of energy buffeting his soul as they began to brush together. Some force outside of his control flooded through him, aiding the mixing of disparate forms as the balls of contained energy dispersed. Threads began to extrude from the vacuous gas that emanated from the site of his prior skills, weaving into a new, denser orb.


    It began to spin, slow at first, but quickly accelerating to rotate at a speed that caused his mind to ache when he attempted to comprehend it. With each revolution it drew in more from the remnants of his eight former skills. Threads of meaning and gaseous power flooded the new creation, a sudden flare causing it to burst into light.


    The shockwave buffeted him, hitting his mind like the spike of an ice pick. Slowly the new skill slowed, drifting down to join his other merged skills in orbit around his soul.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    **Ding! Skill Merged! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit obtained!**


    Immediately he pulled up the description of his latest skill, eager to see it in person. His father had given him some rough descriptions, but apparently it was something of a tradition to keep the exact wording away from the youngest of the family.


    Explorer¡¯s Toolkit:


    Level 1


    Unusual


    Explorers are a rare breed. Always seeking the next horizon, the next unseen sight, regardless of the challenges and dangers that lie between here and there. Rarely do they make it without sufficient skill and preparation. Luckily, you have a toolkit.


    Skill that improves a wide array of capabilities that are useful for wilderness survival, and makes the user at home in most environments. Efficacy of the skill is reduced in inhabited environments.


    Each level moderately increases wayfinding capabilities.


    Each level moderately increases awareness of hazards, and how to neutralise them.


    Each level moderately increases awareness of useful forage and reagents, and how they might be utilised.


    Each level moderately decreases perceptibility while engaging in stealth.


    Each level moderately decreases the stamina cost of physical activity


    Each level slightly increases positive effects of reagents and self-created consumables, and aids in their creation.


    Each level infinitesimally adjusts the user''s surroundings to support their needs.


    Merged from: Tracking, Sneak, Trap Finding, Orienteering, Herbalism, Cooking, Sense Weakness, Physical Conditioning


    Kaius whistled as he read his latest skill¡¯s description. It was broad. He had known that already thanks to what his father had told him. Yet it was something else entirely to see it laid out so plainly.


    Explorer''s Toolkit was an exceptionally flexible example of a legacy skill indeed. His father had expounded on this in great depths to him. Take ¡®awareness of hazards¡¯, an expansion of Trap Finding. Not only would it cover explicitly laid traps, but also would warn of poisonous plants, or a valley that was particularly susceptible to flash flooding. ¡®Neutralising¡¯ covered everything from detecting an open guard, to how best cross a raging river. Hells, ¡®self made consumables¡¯ included food, meaning even if he never picked up alchemy his meals would keep him fuller for longer. Eventually, with magically active ingredients and a high enough skill level, it would let him make meals that would provide long lasting buffs.


    Individually they would be lacklustre. A poor man''s Alchemistry or Wayfinding. Together, they represented a flexibility and breadth that was a vital addition to his limited skill slots. Afterall, general skills were usually best used in a supportive function. This single skill alone would help him cover a dozen different bases without stretching his foundation too thin, and while inevitably flavouring his class with a certain level of self sufficiency.


    All in all, he couldn''t have been more happy with the result. Practically fizzing with excitement, Kaius opened his Status for the first time in over a week.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 18


    Class Selection: 1 Year, 48 weeks, 4 days


    Race: Human (Dynastic) - +1 free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Resources:


    Health - 200/200 (2/min)


    Stamina - 200/200 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    Stats:


    Endurance - 20


    Vitality - 20


    Strength - 20


    Dexterity - 20


    Intelligence - 12


    Willpower: - 20


    Stat Points: 0


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/a


    General Skills (3/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 13


    Warforged (Unique) -18


    Explorer¡¯s Toolkit (Unusual) - 1


    It was strange to see so many empty spaces in his general skill list, after so many months of it being cluttered with a random hodgepodge of survivalist skills.


    His next goal would be much more focused, something more immediately useful for his survival in this danger ridden hellhole people called the Depths. Something that would shore up his defences.


    Adamant Body


    He couldn''t wait to get started.


    But first, dinner. And then a nap. He was exhausted.


    <hr>


    Kaius peered out from behind a tree, watching two undead foot soldiers that ambled around a burnt out campfire. Surprisingly, it had taken him barely fifteen minutes of walking deeper towards the centre of the glade to stumble across them.  Explorer¡¯s Toolkit had started to show its value quickly, highlighting the sounds of clumsy movements over leaf litter against the constant background noise of the forest.


    The undead would serve his purposes well. Each was garbed in a chain hauberk and tabard, a crow eating carrion emblazoned on their chests. Thankfully both were free from any metal helms that would serve as true armour for the cursed creatures. They carried lightly rusted arming swords, something he was more than confident handling with the extended reach of his longsword.


    Before he burst from behind his hiding spot Kaius took a moment to centre himself. It had become something of a pre-battle ritual, falling into a mindset of focus and flow. Emptying his mind of distractions and limiting his world view to the single moment that was to come.


    One of flowing blood and whirling steel.


    He kicked off, launching away from the trunk. As always, he was unable to catch the undead flat footed. They simply turned towards him placidly, raising their swords as soon as they detected his approach.


    His own blade flew free of his scabbard as he brought it forward into a close guard, the hilt pulled in tight to his waist. The ground between him and the closest undead flew by. Raising its arming sword, the footman cut towards him, its blow fast but ungainly.


    Kaius brought his sword up, aligning his edge to catch the blade in a bind. Rather than try to turn the undead¡¯s sword with a quick parry and riposte like he normally did he defended with a straight block, twisting his whole body into the action to brace against the collision.


    The arming sword crashed against his own, the dreadful sound of shearing metal hammering into his ears. The infernal strength of the undead ground against him. Before it could batter through his guard, Kaius stepped back and disengaged, whirling his sword into a heavy overhead that tore through the footman''s crown.


    **Ding! level 17 Undead Armsman slain**


    Kaius turned on the remaining soldier, blade flicking out to turn the blow that had been heading for his undefended flank. His parry created the opening that he needed to slay the undead, but he held himself back. That wasn¡¯t what he was here for.


    He waited, settling comfortably into a mid guard. The undead corralled itself quickly, cutting towards him once more. Kaius blocked the strike, gritting his teeth as the impact stung his palms and rattled his shoulder. He lashed out, pushing the undead back with a front kick before settling back into his guard.


    Again, the undead swung, and Kaius blocked, the enhanced steel of his blade taking a chip out of the edge of the creature''s lesser weapon with a screech of fury. The footman pulled back, hammering his guard again. Kaius¡¯s shoulder began to ache, tiring quickly from defending with matched force against a stronger opponent.


    ¡°C¡¯mon¡­ It shouldn''t be long now. It¡¯s only Common¡± He thought to himself, sweat streaming down his back as the thick ropes of muscle that lined his spine stood out in stark relief as he pushed back against the undead¡¯s blade.


    The footman began to hammer his guard, giving up on trying to find a way around his ironclad defence in favour of simply smashing through it. Every blow struck his sword like a blacksmith''s hammer as it rang in defiance of the abuse.


    A final smash caused him to buckle at the knee, his guard slipping.


    The undead pulled back for a killing stroke.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Block?**

 Chapter 16: New Tools

    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Block (Common)?**


    ¡°Yes!¡± Kaius thought, accepting the notification instantly. With a grunt of fury he dug his feet into the ground, regaining his collapsing defence. He flicked his sword, catching the incoming blow of the undeads blade and turning it away in a textbook parry.


    The footman brought its arming sword once more, mouth hanging open to reveal blackened nubs and sore ridden gums as it swung at him in mindless fury. Kaius was ready, his blade moving smoothly to arrest the undead''s swing. A twist of his wrist sent the arming sword skitting down the spine of his sword, safely sailing past him.


    Getting frustrated at its impotent offence, the undead footman flew into a harried flurry of blows. As uncoordinated as it was, its bodily power lent a furious speed to its swings. It took all of Kaius¡¯s skill to maintain his defensive stance, giving ground as the assault forced him back.


    His parries lost all ornamentation, all unnecessary flourishes falling beneath the simplicity of a simple economy of movement. The moment came when the undead tried to go for a decisive stab to his chest. Kaius transitioned from a mid-guard to a high one, the body of his blade catching the incoming assault and drawing it towards the canopy above.


    The clang of clashing swords was matched with an unmistakable ring that echoed through his mind.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Parry (Common)?**


    Kaius accepted the offered skill without hesitation, pushing the undead back with a boot to its chest. He stepped back, creating distance from his opponent even as the undead tripped over the burnt logs of the fire that dominated the centre of the cleared camp.


    His sword drifted down into the fool''s guard, its point almost touching the ground.


    ¡°This is where it starts to get a little dicey.¡± He thought to himself in grim determination.


    The undead scrambled to its feet, hasty in its desire to see him dead. Turning back towards him, the footsoldier tightened its grip on its sword before racing at him with a charge.


    It stabbed toward him.


    Kaius left his sword unmoving, watching the point of his opponent''s blade with razor sharp focus. At the last moment, his leading foot twisted into the leaf litter with a slight crunch. He twisted at the hips allowing the attack to sail past him with less than a hand span to spear. The undead still came barreling towards him, unable to get its momentum under control.


    He stepped back, allowing the creature to trip over his outstretched leg. It went careening past, impacting a trunk with a glorious clatter. A guffaw escaped Kaius¡¯s lips, unable to suppress his mirth as the sight.


    Backing towards the centre to ensure ample space to move, Kaius watched the undead right itself before it rushed once more towards him. It chopped, an easy side step all he needed to bring himself out of harm''s way.


    The footman''s failed blow transitioned into a wild unbalanced cut, one that Kaius avoided with a back step. He began to walk around their arena, focusing on minimising the movement required to avoid a blow. Despite the incensed savagery with which the withered undead pursued him, it still failed to make a sound. Its lack of expression irritated Kaius. Battle was supposed to be a hot-blooded thing. At this point he was basically fighting a doll.


    A light slide brought him out of the way of a stab. He retaliated with one of his own, stepping forward out of his fools guard to impale the undead through the chest. Nothing that would really injure the thing. He doubted it would even slow it down, but it was a necessary step.


    He pulled his sword free before the undead could run up its length, pivoting on his front foot to allow the footman to race past him as it prepared for another blow. A stutter step forward brought him back into range and the point of his sword cleanly pierced between the undead''s ribs.


    It whirled on him, widening the wound, black blood beginning to seep into the loamy floor. It lashed out with a savage chop.


    Kaius stepped into its guard, raising his fist to slam his pommel into its jaw. Bone shattered, and its expression grew even more feckless as its mouth hung free.


    Arms raised to wrap him into a fatal hug. Kaius danced back, escaping the attempted grapple.


    The footman quickly abandoned that tactic, lunging towards him with another thrust. Calm movements avoided the blow, carrying him forwards to deliver another heavy pommel strike to the creature''s skull.


    A chime resounded through his mind as he danced back out of reach


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Footwork (Uncommon)?**


    A wild grin split Kaius¡¯s focused expression, and he took a moment to mop at the sweat that had been beading at his brow with his off hand.


    ¡°Just one more now. Though probably the most dangerous.¡± He was not looking forward to the wash he would need after this. Things were about to get messy.


    He let the undead charge towards him once more, watching the savage cut that scythed towards his midsection. Kaius turned with the blow, allowing the undead¡¯s sword to part his flesh, cutting a line of leaking fire across his ribs. He hissed at the pain, an uncomfortable itch already spreading across the wound.


    His turn had saved him from true injury. Yet even minor flesh wounds still hurt.


    A stab was deflected with a warding forearm, the flat off the blade leaving a stinging welt as it smacked it with his exposed flesh. The undead brought its sword back around, swinging it over its head into a heavy chop.


    Kaius danced backwards, another shallow cut on his chest welling up with blood. Painting him red and revealing where he had allowed the undead blade to strike him. Individually each wound was a minor thing, but slowly they stacked up. A dozen shallow flesh wounds staining his pale skin a bright carmine. His Health leaked free, surging into the wounds to seal flesh. Sweat mixed with congealed blood, pale pink rivulets cutting tracks through the gorey veneer.


    The undead seemed to notice the change in the battle, its swings coming faster and more wild with every stroke. Second by second Kaius¡¯s miniscule Health pool dipped lower.


    His body moved with every strike that the undead made. Twisting and pulling, only ever allowing its sword the slightest purchase on his flesh. Minimising wounds so that they left him unhampered, the only danger a slow creeping risk of blood loss.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Even without his Health he would be able to fight unhampered. Which was a lucky thing, as he had to keep this up beyond what his pool could sustain.


    Finally the dreadful full body itch of his regeneration abated, its store of power fully spent. Kaius continued his macabre dance with the undead.


    A quick cut nicked his shoulder, followed closely by another to his palm as he slapped away a stab. His chest was riddled with the evidence of a dozen close calls. He could feel the exhaustion creeping up on him, more than the physical exertion his stamina could fuel. Each slow drip of red from his body felt like another hour he had gone without sleep. Another hour spent running at a full clip.


    Finally, it happened.


    Finally, he got the notification he had been waiting for.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Toughened Physique (Rare)?**


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    His breath came in great heaving gasps, but it did not stop him from drawing in a breath and screaming at the undead full in the face. He was so goddamn tired of letting the monster whale on him like he was a training doll, regardless if it was of his own volition.


    He had been watching the undead for what felt like hours, dissecting the way it moved. The mindless swordplay it leveraged against him. Everything.


    It may as well have been as undefended as a free standing stick.


    **Ding! Explorers Toolkit has reached level 2!**


    For the first time in a long time his sword flew from the fool''s guard, circling up before he sliced towards the undead''s undefended knee with his full body weight behind the blow. Enchanted steel cut through desiccated skin and brittle cartilage, separating the extremity from its body. The undead pitched forwards, unresponsive to the grievous wound it had just endured.


    Even as it fell it tried to get one last clumsy slash in. Kaius batted the blade out of the undead''s weakened grip, sending it spinning off into the undergrowth. The footman hit the ground with a dull thump.


    Without standing on ceremony he drove his sword point clean through the back of its skull.


    **Ding! level 17 Undead Armsman slain**


    Kaius stood over the corpse, chest rising and falling rhythmically with his heavy breaths. Absent-mindedly he wiped as his chest, smearing clotted blood with the fresh rivulets that spilled from his open wounds.


    He stared down at himself, eying his soiled hand with disgust before he took in the state of his pants. Blood had soaked into the fibres of the heavy canvas, staining the defensive leather plates that guarded his thighs and groin.


    ¡°Godsdamnit!¡± He swore.


    Necessary or no, it was still disgusting. Every movement caused dried blood and barely healed cuts to pull at his skin, the sensation raising his hairs. Those that weren¡¯t already plastered down that is.


    Shaking his head at the sorry sight of himself, Kaius cleaned his hand and sword on a nearby patch of grass before heading into the bushes to grab his stashed pack. He elected to avoid wearing it. No point in soaking the damn thing in blood, he thought. Instead he simply held it by its carry loop and set off towards the church.


    There he could clean himself up and assess his new skills.


    <hr>


    Kaius rang out the rag, pink bloody water streaming to soak into the graveyard that surrounded his base camp. He had his thin blanket wrapped around his waist in a rudimentary skirt, secured in place with his sword belt.


    While the enchantment on his pants would have cleaned them perfectly well without taking them off, the sensation of blood soaked cotton and leather was decidedly unpleasant, and he wasn''t about to subject himself to the sensation if he didn''t have to.


    He soaked the rag with more water from one of his water skins, wiping at the mess of dried blood that covered his torso. A wince escaped him as the rough fabric irritated one of his still healing cuts. Luckily, he was almost done.


    A final few passes of his body and he had fully cleansed himself from the bloody remnants of his skill gaining session with the duo of undead. Hanging up the rinsed out rag to dry over one of the closer headstones, Kaius retreated inside the church to the comfort of its slowly smouldering coals.


    Having moved a large hunk of stone in front of the fireplace as a rudimentary seat, Kaius settled down, staring deep into the flicking flames and reaching out to warm his hands.


    ¡°Lets see what I got¡± he mumbled. While it was endlessly annoying that his father insisted on the ¡®tradition¡¯ of not explaining more than the broadest outlines of a skills function as it pertained to his family''s skill set, he did have to admit that it preserved a lot of the excitement and majesty of gaining a new skill.


    While he would never be envious of those who did not have the luck of birth to be born into the possession of a full set of merged skills, he did privately admit to himself that he could see the appeal of the freedom to pick and choose as one wished.


    Though, he supposed that almost everyone had to deal with pressures regarding their families expectation of skill selection, and very few had anything close to what he had to show for it.


    Shaking his head to clear his idle thoughts, Kaius pulled up the description for Block.


    Block:


    Level 1


    Common


    The art of defence is as old as the art of war. With enough skill, might, and courage, even the most overwhelming onslaught can be endured.


    Skill that improves technical mastery of blocking, and aids in negating the physical forces of your opponent¡¯s attack during a block.


    Each level slightly increases blocking proficiency.


    Each level minutely decreases forces opposing a block.


    He nodded as he read the skill. It was simple and direct, but that was what was expected from Common skills. Even Uncommon ones were still basic and straightforward, it was only when you got to rare -but mostly Unusual and above- that skills truly started to get interesting. Not that he had heard of anyone getting a skill higher than Unusual without a class. Even getting offered one was about as rare as having legacy skills, the well known ones at least.


    Still, that didn''t mean a Common skill was useless. Anything but. If he had had Block at a high enough level, he wouldn''t have had to be so reactive against the Butcher, if what he thought about the skill decreasing the force of collisions was correct.


    It would be a helpful tool, but he had more to explore.


    Parry


    Level 1


    Common


    Why endure a strike when you can guide it? Control of the enemy''s weapon is control of the battlefield, and those who dictate, win.


    Skill that improves technical mastery of parrying, and aids in controlling the physical forces of your opponent''s attack during a parry.


    Each level slightly increases parrying proficiency.


    Each level minutely increases control over opponent momentum during a parry.


    Another straightforward inclusion to his skillset. It wouldn''t change anything about the way he approached fights, as it wasn''t truly transformative, but every level would make him slightly more effective in combat. Though capped to twenty the influence wouldn¡¯t be all that much until he merged the skill.


    He brought up the next skill.


    Footwork:


    Level 1


    Uncommon


    The difference between life and death can be thinner than a hair. The wrong twist, the slightest flinch, a leg slightly out of place, all can spell your doom. Watch your footing.


    Skill that improves reaction, bodily control, and speed when repositioning during combat.


    Each level slightly increases capabilities when tactically repositioning.


    A fine addition, Kaius thought. Already he could see the next piece of his inheritance coming together, and could picture the way each skill slotted into the overall picture. He knew it would most likely be at least a couple of months until he could merge them, even with the increased skill growth thanks to being in the Depths. He could probably grind it out in a few weeks if he had a sparring partner, but alas he did not.


    He only had one more skill, and then he could get to planning his next move.

 Chapter 17: Snacks of the Unwise

    Kaius sat on his rather uncomfortable seat in front of the hearth, enjoying the radiating warmth that slowly dried him from his earlier clean. His skill list had been growing nicely, though he still had two more components to add to his list before he could relax.


    It was always impressed upon him that the first thing he should do after merging a skill was collect the requirements for his next one as fast as possible. Technically the system wouldn¡¯t add a skill to your list without asking. However, in practice it was unfortunately possible to accept a skill that you didn''t want. Spending so much effort to not think about accepting an unwanted skill could potentially generate enough of a mental impulse for it to occur.


    That was not something he was interested in letting happen. Even if it was just a folk myth, there was no reason to risk it when all it cost to avoid was a slight inconvenience.


    With that in mind, once he had gone over the last of his recent gains, Kaius planned on getting Light, Medium, and Heavy Armour Mastery as soon as he could..


    ¡°Though maybe not by hunting through the centre of the glade.¡± He thought to himself.


    He hadn''t missed that as soon as he had pressed towards the centre he had seen undead that were stronger than the others he had fought, and better equipped too. He was still a little nervous of running into something like the Butcher again, after all. Better to wait until he had all the pieces in place before he went off galavanting and taunting death directly to its face again.


    A circumnavigation of the glade would be better. Open sightlines would allow him to pass by any obvious encampments, thanks to the seemingly poor senses of the undead. Running into any stray beasts wouldn¡¯t be an issue - if anything it might help with gaining his last few remaining skills he needed.


    Kaius nodded to himself, happy with his rough plan, and brought up the last of his most recent skills.


    Toughened Physique:


    Level 1


    Rare


    Sometimes you are forced to take a hit. Those of weak will, flinch, allowing the attacker to land where they may. Others lean into the blow, a heart strike skittering across hardened ribs. Flesh is given, but death is avoided.


    Skill that increases the body''s resistance to injury, and increases speed and control when the user is unable to avoid injury, aiding them in receiving the injury to nonfatal locations.


    Each level slightly increases the chance to divert attacks to non-fatal areas.


    Each level minutely increases the effectiveness of Endurance to bodily integrity.


    Kaius grinned as he read the description of the skill. This was something that would make an immediate difference, even if a small one at first. The boost to endurance was significant, but would be of little utility until he was much higher level - at which point he would have merged this skill anyway. However, the instinct to divert unavoidable blows to turn them into minor wounds was huge.


    Especially because, if he was correct on the wording of the skill, it would still work while wearing armour.


    Standing with a smile Kaius stood up and retrieved his pack, as well as the slightly rusted chain shirt that he had scavenged from one of the undead guards that had originally surrounded the church.


    He returned to his seat, facing away from the fire to dry his still damp back. Fumbling with the buckle, he eventually opened his bag before pulling out his folded reinforced tunic and laying it out by the fire.


    He was going to put it back on shortly anyway, so he wouldn''t hold himself back from small creature comforts like pleasantly warmed clothes. He then moved to the chain shirt, folding it up as best he could. It was big enough to fit over his tunic, and he needed it for Medium Armour Mastery.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to wear it straight away. First he needed Light Armour Mastery, his jacket should be enough for that. Unfortunately the final skill he needed for Adamant Body was Heavy Armour Mastery. He¡¯d scavenged a breast plate, but it would be too unwieldy to take with him.


    There was no way in hell he was going to wear the heavy chest armour on his trip either. Taking it off would be too slow, and if he was ambushed with it on he was likely to get offered the skill and be forced to turn it down. It¡¯d make reacquiring it difficult, the system more unforgiving when you had already rejected its gifts once.


    Unfortunately, even just bringing the chainmail would be a challenge. It didn''t fold quite as easily as canvas and leather. Kaius cocked his eye at the sizable lump of metal.


    ¡°Now how am I going to make you fit.¡± he muttered.


    The weight wasn''t much of an issue, at most it would be a stone and a half. It was his pack that was the issue. It was a big bag, large enough for him to carry all he needed for an ongoing journey. He still needed to empty it a bit first.


    Kaius reached into the bag. The first thing he decided to leave behind was his bulky medical kit. While it was a vital resource, he ultimately still had his natural health regeneration. Plus, he thought that in a true bind he could always gamble on one of the potions he had gotten for defeating the Butcher. Next was a redundant waterskin. While he was definitely bringing it with him, he could always string it to his belt.


    As Kaius pulled the water skin from his bag, something rolled free with a soft thunk. Peering in in curiosity Kaius spied one of the strange purple fruits he had found in the glade. Pulling it out of the bag, he tossed it in the air, appreciating its solid weight as it impacted his palm with a satisfying thwack.


    ¡°I¡¯d forgotten about these.¡± He thought to himself. In all the excitement of clearing an undead encampment and slaying a champion it had completely slipped his mind. Setting the fruit down in front of him, he reached back into the bag, rummaging for its compatriots. Four more of the almost fist sized orbs joined the first one.


    They certainly didn''t look dangerous. A thick, almost scaley exterior showed a virulent purple through the cracks. Kaius tore at one with his hand, a light and almost bready flesh bleeding a soft violet juice as it revealed a cluster of slimy seeds at its centre.


    He sniffed.


    It smelled sweet - Almost like an apple, but more floral with a strong robust earthy undercurrent.


    Explorers'' Toolkit tickled at the back of his mind. Pulsing a low and lazy warning about the fruit. Kaius eyed the fruit with suspicion. Normally, at least with Herbalism, a truly dangerous fruit or berry almost screamed out at you.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    He licked at a thin trail of juice that had rolled down his arm, an indescribable sweetness radiating across his tongue. Explorers Toolkit pulsed another warning, almost lazily.


    Kaius decided to risk it.


    He bit into the soft interior of the fruit, a trail of sticky juice streaming down his jaw. As the soft delicate flesh of the fruit hit his tongue his eyes widened. It was delicious. Like jellied stone fruit. Like a summer orchard in full bloom. It -


    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Gladeplum Lethargy**


    His jaw half distended, half way through his next bite, Kaius stopped dead. He sent his focus inwards, surveilling his inner realm.


    The poison seemed to be doing ¡­ nothing?


    He pulled up his resources.


    Resources:


    Health - 11/200 (2/min)


    Stamina - 84/200 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    His health ticked up before his eyes. Whatever the poison was doing, it wasn''t damaging his body at all. Even something as indirect as slowing his breathing would expend the resource in an effort to fight it off. His stamina, however, was dropping prodigiously.


    That was ¡­ fine?


    His attention turned to the surge of Rapid Adaptation, already racing to contain the strange poison of the fruit. It seemed to have it well in hand.


    Kaius had a stupid idea, a grin spilling across his purple stained face.


    He took another massive bite of the gladeplum, moaning as its floral and sweet juices rolled across his tongue. Barely chewing, he swallowed the bite and took another. And another.


    Quickly all that was left of the fruit was a pile of slimy seeds. He snatched up another, devouring it with similar gusto. After weeks of dried jerky the succulent gladeplums may as well have been godly ambrosia for how their sweetness enveloped his mouth.


    After a few minutes he moved to the next one. The growing well of mild toxin built up in his stomach, slowly overwhelming the containment that Rapid Adaptation had created. His stamina bottomed out, and by his third fruit his eyes began to droop.


    By the fourth every limb felt like it was weighed down by a particularly hefty oxen. Even chewing became a struggle. Kaius could help but let out a large yawn.


    Slumping off his seat, he sprawled out in front of the hearth, the fire warmed stone feeling as soft as a fleece filled pillow.


    As his eyes drooped closed Kaius¡¯s thoughts wandered.


    ¡°I hope this works¡­¡±


    <hr>


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 14!**


    **Ding! You have resisted Gladeplum Lethargy**


    Kaius groaned, rising to wakefulness with agonising slowness. His eyelids felt like they had been cast from lead, his whole body did really. Forced to squint, he blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear the indistinct blur that coated his vision.


    He lifted his head, straining against the weakness that held him stuck to the floor. Slowly, control of his body returned to him as his skill eliminated the last remnants of the poison that had incapacitated him. He shook his head to clear the drowsiness, clicking his tongue against the bone dry roof of his mouth.


    ¡°Need water¡± the thought was basic, primal, but his remaining lethargy wasn''t exactly conducive to higher thought.


    A few minutes later he stood, empty water skin in hand, and rubbed at his eyes.


    ¡°Well, it worked.¡± He thought with a grin. It was a massive find. The biggest struggle with Rapid Adaptation was that most methods of levelling it by their very nature carried a deadly risk. Especially since most things capable of afflicting him also had a vested interest in turning him into a corpse through significantly more active efforts. It was far too dangerous to infect himself with unknown afflictions in combat.


    If the worst had come to pass, and he had still not capped the skill as his class selection closed in, he would have been forced to take drastic measures. He was no masochist, but pain would have served to level the skill in a controlled manner, as gruesome as it was.


    The plums represented another avenue, something that he thought he would never get access to in the depths. A poison that didn¡¯t physically harm the body. That was the original plan, up in the forest below. If, in the months preceding his class, he hadn''t capped the skill naturally they had planned to travel to one of the larger frontier cities and enlist the skills of an alchemist.


    ¡°Though, completely disabling myself for who knows how long is not exactly what I would consider ¡®safe¡¯.¡± Kaius thought, looking at the ageing barred door that secured the church.


    The plums were too useful, too plentiful, and too plain delicious to ignore, but next time he would have to make some preparations to ensure his safety. Quietly, with more than a little abashment, Kaius admitted he might have been a little hasty.


    In his defence he didn''t think that they would have quite so potent of an effect. Plus, he had been living off a diet of plain water and smoked meat for far too long. Fresh fruit was too much of a temptor.


    With a sigh Kaius adjusted the blanket he was using as a skirt, before unbarring the church door to check on his pants and boots that he had left outside to let his cleaning enchantments work their magic. Pulling the clothing off the headstone they were draped over, he inspected them before nodding in satisfaction at their reasonable level of cleanliness.


    A few minutes of getting changed and he was all suited up, pack rearranged to fit his scavenged chain shirt. He only had a few more skills to gain, and he still had more scouting to do. Pushing deeper into the glade was an option, but he hadn''t missed that as soon as he had made tracks for the centre he had quickly ran into stronger and better geared undead.


    If that was an indicator of growing danger, he wanted no part in it. At least, not yet. On the other hand, the thin clear strip that separated the glade from the cavern walls would give him good sight lines, allowing him to spot any more camps similar to the hunters lodge from a distance far enough to avoid significant danger.


    Scouting out the various exits tangling deeper into the biome was something he would need to do anyway, so a circumnavigation served as good a goal as any in his opinion. He decided to bring his empty water skins with him. It had been a few days since his last trek to the stream, and he was down to a single one, half empty at that.


    Rolled tight he managed to squeeze them under the flap of his pack.


    ¡°May as well start where I came in. It¡¯s close to home and as recognisable a spot as any.¡± He mumbled, leaving the church and vaulting over the small stone wall that surrounded its boundaries.


    <hr>


    Kaius strode along the thin stretch of grass that existed between the glade proper and the walls of the immense cavern that held the glowing forest deep beneath the earth. He kept close to the tree line, happy to let the canopy and endless wall of trunks break up his figure as his feet ate up the distance beneath his feet.


    He¡¯d been walking for some time now, moving counterclockwise from his start, and already he had passed a couple of exits from the immense space. Much like the tunnel he had entered from, these passageways were relatively small. Maybe big enough for three men to walk abreast, they were covered in rooty vines. Barely lit by the luminescent moss that was omnipresent in this biome of the Depths, they quickly turned off, barring him from deeper insights into their destination.


    He had simply noted them, and moved on. He¡¯d already decided that he wasn''t going to leave the glade until he had at least acquired his next merged skill. It would shore up his defences nicely, and for all the glades danger it was still far better than ambush-ridden passageways that were no doubt covered in traps.


    Fighting was always more fraught in confined spaces, and he had no intention of taking unnecessary risks. Not when he still had another two years stuck with almost no chance of rescue. Somehow he doubted that some high level delving team would just so happen to take a swim at the bottom of a remote waterfall deep in the foothills of the mountains that sealed off his home from the rest of the Arboreal Sea.


    Soon he would come across the spring that breached the wall of the cavern, supplying the small stream that he had been using as a water source. He was pretty sure he could already see it, the distinct spray of water refracting the soft light of the cavern as it erupted from the stone.


    He hoped he would find something there to fight, if he didn''t before. His hunting clothes weren''t quite light armour, but they were pretty bloody close with all the leather reinforcement that covered the almost-jacket that was built over his tunic. It should be enough for his needs at least.


    The ground continued to fall away beneath the measured pace of his strides, the spray of spring water getting ever closer.


    The faintest hint of rustling undergrowth was the only warning Kaius got before a grey blur streaked towards him through the undergrowth

 Chapter 18: Crouching Tiger

    Kaius reacted instantly to the sound of something crashing through the undergrowth. Explorer''s Toolkit screamed in his mind, but only an idiot needed a skill to tell them that unexpected movement in the Depths was dangerous.


    He backpedalled as fast as he could into the open grass as he ripped his sword free from his scabbard. A mottled grey feline figure blurred out of the undergrowth, launching itself towards him with outstretched claws.


    Kaius twisted, shifting to the side to avoid the pounce. One of the beasts paws scythed out to catch him, forcing him to pivot on his feet. He rolled his shoulder, preferring to take the blow on the thick leather that covered the joint.


    The claws skittered on the pseudo-pauldron, cutting a deep line into the thickened material but saving his flesh from a worse wound. The force of the impact knocked him back, forcing him to adjust his footing lest he get knocked prone.


    The beast landed softly. Quickly spinning as it hunched down, its muscles rippling under its fur as it readied itself for another confrontation.


    Kaius brought his longsword up into a mid guard, ready for the beast''s next charge as he quickly slung off his pack and tossed it to the side. He stared hard at the beast. It was far less twisted than he expected considering all the hellish seeming dire beasts he had seen so far. Roughly the size of a wolf, it was big enough to nearly reach his hips. A short mottled coat barely served to hide the thick muscle that stood out in stark relief under its skin. Almost like one of the mountain lions that he rarely saw in the forest above.


    The lion''s chops drew back, revealing sharpened canines as a deep threatening rumble echoed from deep in its chest.


    In an instant it went from motionless to a dead sprint, claws driving deep into the earth to launch itself towards him. It reared up once more, batting towards him with lethal intent. Kaius brought his sword up, blocking the first swing with the edge of his sword. A thin line of red trickled down his blade as it cut deep into the beast''s pad.


    Its other paw hit him with the weight of a fully laden cart. Its claws tore across the leather of his chest, biting into the material and drawing blood. Kaius gasped, forcing himself to inhale after the weight of the blow drove the air from his chest.


    Ignoring his aching ribs, he twisted into his block and carried his sword through to cut heavily into the beast''s shoulder. His blade bit deep, the lion hissing in fury as it jumped back. The creature eyed him warily, padding around him in a circle that forced him to keep turning to match its pace.


    The wound on the lion¡¯s shoulder sealed shut, muscle and skin rippling as it forced itself back into position.


    He missed fighting undead. It was so much more convenient when your opponents couldn''t heal.


    Kaius lunged towards the beast, pressuring it with a false charge. It leapt back with nimble grace, before slowly approaching to circle him once more when he failed to commit to the attack. As soon as its wound was fully healed it rushed in, this time its jaw yawning open in an effort to sink its fangs into his flesh.


    Kaius sidestepped, returning the charge with a slash to the creatures'' flank, it''s dark grey fur staining a darkened red. Incensed, the lion hissed in fury before wheeling towards him once again. A claw ridden paw lashed out, Kaius turning the strike with a flick of his wrist.


    **Ding! Parry has reached level 2!**


    He was forced to abort his riposte, the first paw strike followed up as it tried to claw him with its other arm. Slamming his sword into the offending limb to block, Kaius was unable to react as its first paw returned to rake him across the thigh.


    **Ding! Block has reached level 2!**


    Claws scythed through the thickened leather that covered the front of his legs, digging through his fat to nick the surface of the muscle below. Hot blood flowed down his leg, quickly joined by the burn of Health as it started to seal the would.


    Kaius roared in frustration, forcing the lion back with a stab that nicked its cheek. The lion stepped back, hissing at him threateningly before it charged into the fray once more.


    He tried to manoeuvre around the beast''s approach, but it''s nimble agility allowed it to keep the pressure on him. Swinging his sword to meet muscle bound limbs, he tried his best to ward off the flurry of blows that sought to overwhelm his defence.


    He got a series of parallel cuts across his shoulder and chest for his troubles.


    The lion pounced at him, one leg batting away his sword as its jaws closed around his shoulder like a vice. Dagger like teeth sunk into the joint, and with a mighty crack it closed around his shoulder, the bone crunching like autumn leaves.


    **Ding! Toughened Physique has reached level 2!**


    A ragged scream left Kaius¡¯s mouth.


    Stunned, his sword slipped through his fingers.


    With a heaving yank, it used all of the muscles in its neck and back to pull him to the ground. The sudden pressure and movement caused another explosion of pain through his shoulder, his rough impact driving the air from his lungs.


    **Ding! Toughened Physique has reached level 3!**


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Light Armour Mastery (Uncommon)?**


    The notification went completely unnoticed, Kaius entirely focused on his mortal struggle against looming death.


    Mounting him, the lion''s bloody maw pulled back from his shoulder to go for his throat. Reacting more on instinct than conscious thought, Kaius ripped his hunting knife free from his belt with his still good arm. He drove the blade point first into the beast''s chest.


    With a yell of pained fury he pulled the blade free, hot blood squirting from the wound to cover his face. Ignoring the metallic tang that flooded his mouth, he plunged his knife down once more, burying it in the thick muscle that lined the lion''s neck.


    Red flowed like a fountain.


    It yowled at the sudden wounds it had taken. Leaping backwards, it tore his knife free from its grasp, leaving the blade buried deep in its flesh.


    Adrenaline surged through him, washing away the all consuming agony of his shoulder. He rolled, diving for his sword and wrapping bloodstained fingers around his hilt. He tried to push himself up, screaming in agony as his crushed and bleeding joint tried to take his weight.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    With a moaning heave he pushed into the ground with his sword hand, stumbling upwards to train his sword on the cat with a trembling arm.


    He could feel his Health streaming into the grievous wound on his shoulder, flooding the site with as much revitalising energy as it could muster. He knew it wouldn''t be enough. The joint was completely gone, that alone would probably take more than his entire Health pool. It was the blood. The blood that streamed down his arm and chest, soaking through his garments to stain the grass below. Too much of it. Too fast.


    The cat had done him in.


    It had fucking killed him.


    A roar of fury left his throat as he stared at the beast that even now scratched at the knife lodged in its throat as its own life blood poured free. Only serving to widen the wound, draining away what was left of its Health as it continuously reopened the injury.


    A staggering run brought him forward, pain and blood loss making him feel weak. The lion''s eyes widened as it saw him approaching. It tried to hiss, a wet gurgle escaping its throat as it batted at him weakly in an attempt to ward him off.


    A shaky step took him around the limb, bringing him closer to the beast. He bared his bloody teeth, before spitting at the creature to rid himself of the viscera that coated his mouth. It scrambled. Trying to pull itself away from him as its legs collapsed under its weight. Kaius drove his blade home with a scream, the movement sending agony sharding out from his ruined shoulder.


    **Ding! level 19 Shadow Stalker slain**


    He left his sword embedded in the cat''s skull, gasping as he stumbled free. He reached up to touch his shoulder, eyes scrunching shut as he felt the mess of torn flesh and bone. He pulled his hand back, looking at the blood that covered his hand.


    Why now? He¡¯d gotten so close. Managed to merge a skill faster than he ever thought possible. Just a month or two and he would have had a defensive skill. Would have been safe. It wasn''t supposed to go like this. He was going to surge through the Depths, get his class, and return victorious. He was supposed to find Father. He wanted to see the look of surprise and joy on his face when he saw his boy still lived.


    He didn''t want to die.


    He felt his Health finally peter out, his shoulder still leaking a steady stream of blood. He wavered, vertigo rolling over him as the ground seemed to sway beneath his feet. His eyes slipped to his pack, lying dishevelled on the ground.


    Shouldn¡¯t have left the fucking medkit behind. He was an Idiot! He brought enough jerky for several days and didn''t have enough room for medical supplies? In the bloody Depths? Fuck!


    He screamed in outrage, stomping his foot into the ground repetitively as his frustration and fear washed over him. The movement jostled his ruined arm causing it to scorch with agony as it smacked the reinforced exterior of his potion bag.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened.


    The potions! It might just be enough.


    A manic laugh bubbled from his lips as he scrambled at the clasp sealing the box tight, ignoring the waves of pain that protested at his movement. Ripping the container open, he fumbled for one of the rectangular vials, smearing blood over their glass exteriors.


    He pulled one free, quickly uncorking it with his teeth before emptying the burnt orange fluid down his waiting throat.


    A floral scented heat flowed free of the bottle, tasting of berries and an impossible note of the setting sun. It ignited within him, continuous waves of energy wafting through his body, bolstering the natural welling of his health and stamina that seeped from his soul.


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Solar Revitalisation**


    He gasped, the welling energy immediately diverting to work on sealing the ravaged wound on his shoulder.


    With wide eyes, he brought up his resources.


    Resources:


    Health - 0/200 (2/min +15/min)


    Stamina - 163/200 (2/min +15/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    A brew of regeneration, not the best for his current situation, but a significant one. It might just be enough. He¡¯d need to help it along though, and stem his bleeding that served the worst risk. He sat down heavily, scrambling at his buckled and laced boots with his single good arm. Ripping them free, he unbuckled his belt before tearing off his pants.


    Wadding up a section of exposed heavy duty canvas, he pressed it over his wound. The pressure brought starbursts to his eyes, tears welling up at the agony. He simply gritted his teeth and pushed harder. He had no idea how long the potion would last and he needed to stem the bleeding before it wore off.


    He sat there, huddled on the ground. Eyes scrunched up shut against the agony of his shoulder, feeling his flesh slowly writhe and undulate under the canvas of his pants. Hot blood soaking through the fabric, staining his hand red.


    For the first time in years he prayed. To Ellyntir, Goddess of the lost. That it was enough, that he had the luck needed to pass through this trial. He was a traveller, damn well lost, and most likely an orphan. It had to be enough for a little bit of luck. He pleaded that it was enough.


    He felt heavy. Far, far too heavy.


    A ragged gasp fell out of him, his body betraying him as he fought to keep down the rising panic. It would be enough, he reassured himself. He had survived a fight against a champion, he could survive a brawl with a glorified housecat.


    His breath started to steady. Kaius forced himself to breathe in deep through his nose, extending the inhalation over a number of seconds. He paused. After a slow breath out, he repeated the cycle, helping to pull himself together.


    Shit happened, he needed to get over it. The lion died, and he would most likely live now that he had consumed a tonic. It was a reminder that just because everything had gone in his favour so far, it didn''t mean it always would. He was in the Depths, he had to be bloody careful if he wanted to make it out of here. Literally everything down here would have a stat advantage on him, and so far he had only just barely been bridging the gap with his skills.


    That trend would continue, he would make it so. He had no other option. As he grew his skills, he would be safer, be able to push himself harder. But until that point? No more stupid mistakes.


    As his breathing slowed, and his panic slowly withdrew its claws from his chest, his heartbeat steadied to a measured pace. Slowing the pace of his bleed.


    After nearly ten minutes of quiet contemplation Kaius stopped feeling the slowly stemming stream of blood that had been leaking free of his wounded shoulder. His attention dipped inside of himself, quickly seeing the bolstering energy of the potion of solar revitalisation still burning away happily. That was good, hopefully it would have enough juice left to at least knit his shoulder back together, if not top up his health pool once it was done.


    He really should look at the wound.


    A sharp burst of air between pursed lips steadied him as lightning strikes of pain scattered through his shoulder as he withdrew his makeshift gauze. The blood had soaked deep into the fabric, helping the rough fibres to adhere to exposed innervated flesh. He stared dutifully ahead, placing his pants on the ground as he avoided looking at his shoulder.


    A slight turn of the head and a flick of his eyes let him know all he needed. His face blanched, flicking away from the wound. He¡¯d somehow missed it in the struggle, but the lion hadn''t just crushed his shoulder, it had torn a chunk out.


    A thick mass of congealed blood was the only thing that stopped him from seeing the frayed muscle and broken bone that now made up the joint. Thick shards of white pierced the mass. He could even see his fat layer. Nauseating.


    The world seemed to sway once more, the tree line in front of him seeming to wave as if a mirage.


    He needed something to distract him from the wound. If he physically watched his flesh and bone writhe and reknit itself he was pretty sure he would throw up. He¡¯d had some pretty bad wounds before, but never had his insides revealed to him in such depth.


    It was¡­ confronting.


    He searched his mind for a distraction, quickly finding the system notification blaring in the background.


    ¡°Well, at least I got something out of that.¡± he muttered to himself.

 Chapter 19: Armoured

    Kaius pulled up his new skill, eager to take his mind off the gory wound that dominated his peripheral vision.


    Light Armour Mastery:


    Level 1


    Uncommon


    The best defence is never getting hit in the first place. Unfortunately, it is sometimes unavoidable. Would you prefer cloth, or reinforced leather, when that occurs?


    Skill that increases the defensive efficacy of worn light armour, and increases agility while wearing it.


    Each level slightly increases the integrity of worn light armour.


    Each level minutely increases ease of movement while wearing light armour.


    Kaius nodded as he read the description, careful to avoid jostling the grievous wound to his shoulder. Increasing the durability of his clothes would be valuable. Though they barely counted as light armour, and even if he capped it out he doubted it would have made much difference to the lion that had savaged his shoulder.


    Luckily, chain would, and as soon as his shoulder was healed up he planned on throwing the chain shirt he had scavenged on and never taking it off outside of the church.


    With nothing else pressing, he decided to simply wait until he was healed. His eyes drifted over to the lion, his sword still standing proudly where he had embedded it in the creature''s skull.


    ¡°I should probably grab that. No point leaving myself undefended, even if I would be in pretty dire straits if something else turned up.¡±


    He pushed himself to his feet slowly, relying on the muscles in his leg and his core to do most of the work. Despite the smooth rise, he had to stifle a pained scream as his shoulder protested at the shifting movement.


    He walked over to the lion with slow measured steps, taking care to avoid hurting his shoulder as much as possible. Grabbing hold of his sword, he pulled it free and groaned as agony tore through him. He stumbled towards the treeline where he would be less exposed.


    Death was tied closely to life, he knew that far more than most having grown up in the wilds. The Arboreal Sea was a wild place, more untamed than even the frontier. This was not his first brush with his own mortality, not by far. Even if it was the closest.


    He would be okay. He knew something like this would happen eventually. It happened to all delvers. Even if he had landed up in the Depths a few years too early, and far less prepared than he would like, it had always been his dream.


    Growing up in the forest had lit a fire in him. One that burned to see the sights his father regaled him with stories of. To forge his own stories. Both deep down below and in the wide world above. If he wanted that he would need to be strong, and with strength came danger.


    He needed to be prepared to live with his life on the line. Both if he wanted to escape the depths, and if when he eventually returned as a Delver in truth.


    Leaning his back against a tree trunk to take some of the weight of his feet, he settled in to wait for his shoulder to heal.


    <hr>


    After leaving the site of his battle with the lion, Kaius had managed to make his way to the spring that fed the stream he had been using for water. It had been a welcome respite. A way for him to wash off the blood, refill his water, and cleanse himself from the ardour of battle. The tonic he had taken during the fight had lasted him almost the whole walk to the water source, the better part of an hour. At his best guess, long enough to refill his health pool three times over.


    He slung off his bag, throwing it down roughly onto the ground beside him, his extra water skins that he had tied to its exterior sloshing from the impact.


    Ahead of him was another small cave that wound its way into the rock of the cavern. They seemed to be fairly frequent, as he passed them reasonably often in his journey around the cavern. This one however, was slightly different. A small stone shack was built into the cave wall next to it, with a handful of undead lingering outside.


    These ones seemed fairly similar in makeup to the ones that had guarded the church, and he doubted that such a small structure would host a Guardian, so he wasn''t too worried.


    Perfect enemies to focus on a little skill training, and to help him gain Medium Armour Mastery. He could already feel his excitement rising at the prospect. The more time he spent down here, the more he craved the violent clash of steel and the explosive growth it brought.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Hurriedly unbuckling his belt, Kaius reached into his pack and shrugged on the set of chainmail he had scavenged from one of the churches.


    It was poorly made, poorly preserved, and even more poorly fitted. While his reinforced tunic did well to prevent any chafing, the armour constricted his arms slightly and pinched horribly in the armpit. It was worth it. It was armour.


    He¡¯d been lucky. The clean sightlines of the clear strip at the edge of the glade had let him see the undead far before they had seen him. It gave him time to prepare. For a moment he considered trying a stealth approach, but the even lighting and lack of cover quickly disabused him of that idea.


    Free of the weight of his pack, Kaius simply approached them openly; he''d decided against using a similar tactic to the one he had taken at the hunting lodge.


    The undead didn''t really have the numbers to force him to use a fighting retreat, and a full frontal assault was much more likely to aid him in his skill growth.


    ¡°It¡¯d be quicker this way anyway.¡± He muttered to himself, drawing his sword in a smooth motion. Setting a brisk pace towards the undead that loitered outside the cave entrance, the distance dissolved beneath his feet.


    As one the group acknowledged his presence with a stiff legged turn, vacant gazes training on him with unnerving synchronicity. As a collective they raised their motley weapons and charged. They were garbed in a ragtag collection of armour. Mostly leather, with the odd bit of chain or rusted plate reinforcing their vital areas.


    Apart from two that were wearing helms, the armour was a bit pointless. Even a blow through the heart wouldn''t slow them down.


    None of them had anything longer than an arming sword either, further satisfying Kaius that a frontal confrontation would not put him at too much risk.


    They met his charge with a haphazard run of their own, weapons rising in mindless violence to meet him in a crash of cacophonous steel and whirling blades. Kaius parried one of the undead, turning away its pitted mace and returning the favour by driving his sword through its face.


    **Ding! level 12 Wretched Militiaman slain**


    He stepped back quickly, trying to avoid being gutted by an arming sword. Swift footwork saved him from the full force of the blow, but he was unable to avoid it completely as the tip of the sword skittered along his chest. The dull blade screeched horribly as it skittered along his chain shirt.


    Though the chain saved him from the worst of the injury, the sheer strength of the blow still caused him to wince as it bruised his flesh.


    He retaliated with a stab that was quickly batted away by an undead holding a short-sword. Borrowing the momentum of the parry, he twirled his blade over his head before cleaving into the left most undead''s unguarded head.


    **Ding! level 11 Wretched Militiaman slain**


    There were only three undead left now, including both of the ones who were wearing helmets. The focused his attention on the third undead, holding an ancient looking battle axe. Both of the helmeted undead stabbed towards him with their arming swords in a surprising display of unity. He parried the first thrust, but was forced to twist around the second blow, unable to bring his sword to bear in time. Its rust spotted edge crashed along his ribs, his chainmail saving him once again from suffering anything worse than a deep bruise.


    **Ding! Parry has reached level 3!**


    **Ding! Footwork has reached level 2!**


    ¡°I fucking love armour.¡± he thought to himself with a grin, spinning away from the advancing sword-wielding undead to engage the remaining monster. Already bringing its axe down in a savaged chop. Kaius'' back stepped out of range, allowing the weight of the swing to pull the undead out of position. With its head unguarded he slew it with ease.


    **Ding! level 11 Wretched Militiaman slain**


    He pulled his blade free of the creature''s skull to intercept a slash from one of the remaining militiamen, the sudden movement causing a spray of black blood to trail from his sword point. Pivoting into the movement he avoided yet another thrust from its compatriot.


    He lunged forwards, the failed stab having left the undead open. He took it through the eye, the open faced helmet doing nothing to protect it from a frontal lunge.


    **Ding! level 13 Wretched Militiaman slain**


    Kaius settled in. With only one undead remaining it was time for him to enact his plan. He had a skill to earn, and he intended to get it without another unnecessary brush with death.


    The last undead charged him, raising its sword before bringing it down towards his unguarded head. With a flick of his sword Kaius turned the blow. Instead of flowing smoothly into a riposte he simply reset his stance with a backstep, falling into a flexible mid guard.


    Reengaging him with a wild diagonal swing, the undead tried to cut him through the shoulder. Kaius¡¯s pupils narrowed to points, still shaken from the previous injury he had taken to the joint. He clamped down on the rising feeling of concern, discarding the unhelpful panic.


    A smooth step took him into position and he shifted, allowing the sword through his guard. Its point skittered harmlessly across his mail. The strike still stung, small amounts of health syphoning away to heal the quickly forming contusion the arming sword left in its wake.


    **Ding! Footwork has reached level 3!**


    Another slash he allowed to glance off his shoulder, while the undead''s follow up thrust cut harmlessly against the chain that defended his ribs. It tried to go for his head again, but Kaius simply parried the blow with the extra reach and power a two handed sword gave him.


    Immediately the undead tried to follow up with another heavy overhand chop. Kaius decided to try something a little different. Afterall, he still needed to level his newest skills as often as he could.


    He stepped into the swing, bringing his sword up to catch the weak of the undead''s blade with his strong. The edge of his blade bit into the mundane metal of his opponents, binding their blades. The force of the collision caused Kaius to grunt, engaging the muscles in his legs and back to keep himself stable. His legs started to quiver, feet digging deep into the soft earth.


    Even holding a position of greatly favourable leverage, with two arms to the undead''s one, the creature''s infernal strength was undeniable. It pushed down harder, Kaius clenching his teeth as he fought to keep himself steady.


    He was at his limit.

 Chapter 20: Temptation

    Kaius¡¯s legs shook as the undead pressed down on his sword. Leverage or not, it was a bad match up. Even at such a relatively low level its strength clearly exceeded his own. Regardless if he needed to train his skills or not, there had to be a better way than going toe to toe with undead in an avenue where he held none of the advantages.


    A flick of his wrist disengaged their bind. Kaius pivoted his blade, sending the undead''s arming sword skittering down its length and away from his body.


    **Ding! Block has reached level 3!**


    ¡°Still a bit too risky, I think.¡± He thought to himself as he stepped back to create some distance from the undead. Still, he would need to do it at some point, and blocking higher level creatures with a significant strength advantage would do wonders for his skill growth.


    The undead charged back in, sword held ready to slash him. The dance continued unabated.


    He relied on his footwork, allowing a few more stinging glancing blows that failed to penetrate his chainmail. He was careful to avoid anything that looked like it would allow the undead to connect with the full might of its strength. A simple side step or parry took care of those. Even if the chain held up and protected him from being eviscerated, a full force blow would be enough to splinter bone. He¡¯d had enough grievous injuries for one day.


    Finally, with a last glancing slash across his stomach, Kaius got the notification he had been waiting for.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Medium Armour Mastery (Uncommon)?**


    A satisfied smile crossed his face as he saw that he had achieved his intended result from this unorthodox spar.


    The final militiaman tried to capitalise on his momentary distraction, sword lashing out in a heavy chop. Its last attempt. Kaius parried the blow, lunging forwards as his sword screeched up the length of his opponent''s blade. The tip of his sword took it cleanly through its face, joined by a wet crunch as it pierced the bone.


    **Ding! level 13 Wretched Militiaman slain**


    Kaius rose from his lunge, flicking his sword to clear off the worst of the excess viscera. He wiped it briefly on one of the undead''s shirts, before returning it to its sheath.


    As he walked back to his pack he pulled up his latest skills description


    Medium Armour Mastery:


    Level 1


    Uncommon


    If you are too slow? Too encumbered? You will get surrounded. Overwhelmed. If you forgo all but the slightest defence? You cannot avoid a horde. You die. Find the balance, and you might just survive.


    Skill that increases the defensive efficacy and manoeuvrability of worn medium armour.


    Each level slightly increases the integrity of worn medium armour.


    Each level minutely decreases medium armour''s impact on range of motion.


    Kaius nodded as he read the skill. Much like Light Armour Mastery, the gains were small at first but they added up quickly. Oh sure, it would take plenty of levels for something like soft copper to become as tough as steel, but that didn''t mean it was unnoticeable. Already he could feel the undersized chain chafing less at the pit of his arms, freeing up his movement. Even if only slightly.


    He made a mental note of the small watch house that was adjacent to the cave entrance that carved a path away from the glade. It was a notable point of difference from its cousins that he had walked past on his circumnavigation. If he had come to know anything about the Depths, points of interest such as this served as a warning, and an indicator that it was worth a closer look.


    A short walk and a quick investigation showed nothing of note in the building itself. A small table and a shattered chair sat in front of an opening facing towards the cave, but he found no great treasures or empowered opponents to cross blades with.


    Whatever secrets were hiding, they were probably to be found further into the cave''s depths. He burned to explore it further, the familiar itch to poke around in unusual places rearing its head again.


    Still, he had set himself a goal. Merge his next skill to guarantee a better degree of safety, and then go gallivanting around the depths.


    He added the spot to his growing mental map of the underground glade and moved on. If he found nothing else of note in his exploration of the rim, it would be the first place he returned to when he was ready to move on.


    <hr>


    As Kaius walked he finally had a moment to think.


    He had spent a few weeks in the Depths now, time enough for the omnipresent anxiety that its dangerous confines induced to lull somewhat. There was only so much he could endure before the stress of it all simply muted, hyper awareness simply becoming his new normal.


    He needed to find out the fate of his father, that fact was as solid as adamant in his mind. Kaius¡¯s stomach clenched as he returned to the memory of the fateful morning where Father had forced him to flee. Screaming at him as he had stayed behind to confront the bandits.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    If he¡¯d been able to drive them off, nothing would have stopped Father from searching for him. He would have followed the tracks, as his passage through the forest had been anything but measured and careful.


    When the trail led clear to the edge of the plateau? He would have taken the long journey down, to confirm his death at the very least. With his fathers skill it wouldn''t have taken him long to discover the entrance he had fallen through.


    There was a chance that the portal was still simply closed, and Father was merely waiting for his time. A deep frown crossed Kaius¡¯s face as he considered it. Unlikely. It had been weeks, and while plenty of the various fish carcasses that had littered the ground had been fully decomposed, a few were relatively fresh.


    As much as it pained him to admit, the chances of his father swooping to his rescue was already razor thin, and growing more unlikely by the hour.


    With how vital it was that he push himself into confrontation after confrontation to fuel his growth, he couldn¡¯t waste time hyper analysing it. It was something that he¡¯d have plenty of time to process when he escaped the Depths.


    At the very least, if a bandit group moved into this area of the Sea, there was no way they wouldn¡¯t try to raid the nearby villagers - that is what bandits did after all. That gave him an avenue to look into.


    The people of the frontier were a ¡­ rough sort. Without kingdom guards, roaming knights, or patrolled roads, they had a tendency towards their own kind of justice. No one, no one, would take bandit attacks lying down. Hell, he could already see the apoplectic rage on Holts'' face if Three Fields was attacked.


    Kaius couldn''t help but smile as he remembered some of his own interactions with the short tempered man. The head of the constabulary was harsh, and had given him more than a few choice words when he was younger. In his defence, he hadn''t been quite used to the social mores expected from him when in town.


    They still considered him one of their own, even if he and his father only visited any given village a few times a year. They¡¯d help him, even if just sharing what they knew.


    ¡­


    Leaving the small watch house, Kaius made a good pace in his exploration, only briefly interrupted by an overly aggressive direboar that had tried its best to gore him. The beast had been far more difficult to fight than the one he had gotten the drop on in his first forays into the glade. In the open space it had relentlessly pursued him with aggressive charges, forcing Kaius to rely on a slow accumulation of glancing strikes that bled it dry.


    At the very least it had been good training for his Footwork skill, managing to garner himself another level. He expected his meteoric growth to peter out soon, the early levels always came the fastest.


    As Kaius came further around the gentle bend of the glade the clean line of the cavern wall was abruptly disturbed by a pile of rough boulders erupting from the stone, having previously been occluded from his view by the dense vegetation.


    Kaius slowed, dropping from a brisk walk to eventually stop as his eyes narrowed in on the disruption. He palmed the hilt of his sword, loosening it so that he could draw it at a moment''s notice. He was still a good way off, but he had learnt more than once that a moment of carelessness was all it took in the depths.


    Stepping deeper into the treeline, Kaius dropped into an easy stalk as he approached the disruption to the monotony of his surroundings. As he approached, the boulders parted to reveal a massive cave entrance, easily three times his height.


    He flexed his fingers, hand instinctively drifting closer to his sword as he stopped dead once more.


    There was only one other breach in the cavern that he had seen of a similar size, the hunters lodge on the other side of the glade. Where he had faced a Champion. Where he had almost died.


    Unlike the lodge, this opening seemed to penetrate far deeper as the passage shot away from the glade. A poor angle and shadowy interior prevented him from peering deep into its contents. His eyes scanned the boulders, their nooks and crannies providing a perfect spot for an ambush.


    He found nothing.


    Without any evidence of hostiles, and with Explorers Toolkit being notably silent, Kaius forced himself to approach. Ready for a horde to come barreling towards him at the slightest hint of movement.


    Dipping slightly deeper into the trees for greater cover, Kaius brought himself closer with agonising caution. Now positioned front and centre before the opening, he crouched behind a bush and peered deep into the side passage.


    Running deep into the rock, a sharp bend obscured its depths. Its interior was bare, only the rare stalagmite and stalactite breaking up the rough stone that formed its edges. Even in the cave proper he saw no sign of anything living or undead.


    There was one thing that jumped out at him. Muddied by the light of the omnipresent moss, a soft muted glow seemed to emanate from around the caves bend. The only reason he even noticed it in the first place was its soft yellow colour, standing out in contrast with the pale blue tint that he had grown so used to. Whatever it was, there was something down the cave.


    Still, with such a large opening, he doubted it was undefended. He¡¯d be back, but for now he wanted to put a league or two behind him and make a better pace back to his camp. He readied himself to move on, still keeping himself hidden in the dense brush of the tree line in case something was watching.


    The wind changed.


    A soft warm gust washed over him from deep within the cave. It brought with it a scent of power, electrifying and filled with notes of growth, springtime, and the breaching of roots through fertile spring soil. The scent of magic, alchemy, and natural wonders. His skin puckered, hairs rising as a cascade of sparks ran up his spine.


    **Ding! Explorers Toolkit has reached level 3!**


    Explorers Toolkit screamed at him to investigate, the tantalising smell causing his skill to fire with mad abandon at the allure of the bait. His foot paused halfway through his next step as he stopped fast.


    It was bait, sure as a demon lives in the hells. Nothing that could set off a treasure sense skill with that much power would be undefended, let alone in the depths.


    ¡°I really shouldn''t,¡± He thought.


    He would have to be a moron to go in there. Even if there was something good, it wasn''t going anywhere. He could return, stronger and more prepared to face down whatever horrible creature waited to rip his throat out. On the other hand, a powerful reward could change everything, even the kinds that you would find on the second layer.


    ¡°Fuck it.¡±


    Kaius turned back to the cave.

 Chapter 21: On the Nature of Curiosity and Death

    Kaius slowly approached the cave entrance, relying on Explorers Toolkit to aid his furtive movements as shadows subtly bent to hide his form. He had his sword drawn and ready, expecting something to jump out at him at any moment.


    He watched the boulders that crowded its entrance. Piled in a rough, haphazard manner, they presented plenty of nooks and crannies for any number of beasts to hide and make their dens in. Thankfully they seemed uninhabited, and provided a perfect spot for him to hide his pack as he pushed on with his reckless exploration.


    Kaius sniffed deeply as another gust emanated from the cave. It still carried with it the indescribable scent of magic, a wave bolstering growth washing over him.


    More than anything it was suffused with a sense of power. It set his heart racing, a frantic pulse that sent shooting currents of anticipation right to his finger tips. He adjusted his grip on his sword.


    His only other example of such blatant bait had ended up with him facing down a Champion. Conventionally, he knew a pattern of one was not enough to go on. The deep tension he felt down to his bones protested otherwise.


    ¡°Whatever I find in here, I''m not getting it without a fight.¡± He thought.


    As he approached the rear of the tunnel, it started to curve gently away from him. With his back to the soft radiance of the glade outside, a resplendent yellow glow washed over the far reaches of the cave.


    With each creeping step into the cavern, the scent of magic grew stronger, stoking the rising urge that emanated from his skill. The passage opened up before him, his eyes widening as he dropped deeper into his crouch and slunk closer to the cave wall.


    Peering around the edge, Kaius looked into a sizable cavern. Compared to the truly immense one that held the glade ¡®outside¡¯, this one was admittedly tiny. Maybe one or two hundred strides in diameter, made up of craggly and jagged rock. Unlike most of the other tunnels and caves he had seen, this one was not lit up by the moss he had grown so used to.


    Instead, towering out of a small pool at the centre of the room, there was a towering oak glowing with an internal golden light. Breath held in wonder, Kaius¡¯s eyes traced up its stoat trunk where shifting geometrics danced. At its crown, flat and broad leaves soaked the surrounding stone in a warm radiance.


    From a single branch, a gleaming fruit sat heavy, weighing the limb down until it was deeply bowed. Its glistening skin seemed to shimmer, colours shifting as it swirled between the brightest vermillion and the most resplendent yellow.


    As soon as he laid his eyes on the treasure his heart rate quickened, mouth drying as his focus sharpened. It was only the quiet insistence of Explorers Toolkit that stopped him from rushing out to snatch the fruit. Barely a moment later frigid fingers of ice shot up his nerves as he heard a slow, rumbling exhalation from inside the cavern.


    Revealing itself with the noise, Kaius¡¯s gaze instantly trained on the occupant of the chamber. There, half hidden behind the bulk of the oak''s trunk, was a truly momentous bear. It was nestled on its stomach, resting by the small pond that held the tree. Every few seconds he watched its chest rise and fall, the hard stone catching and amplifying the sound of its breaths.


    Easily outweighing even the largest of mortal bears that he had seen, the creature was clearly a beast. For one, its large size was bolstered by an excessive degree of muscularity. One poorly hidden by its dense grey and gold-tipped fur.


    Kaius stopped fast, staring at the creature with an equal mixture of awe and trepidation.


    ¡°That is a BIG boy..¡± He thought, palms growing slightly slick.


    Asleep or no, Kaius knew fighting a mundane bear with a longsword would be a struggle, let alone what was likely to be a system enhanced Champion. Even with the element of surprise in his favour, it would be a hard battle.


    For a moment he considered backing out, leaving the cave to return when he was better prepared. It would be the smart thing to do. The safe thing. He had more than enough challenge to satiate his growth in the glade proper. With a few more skills under his belt, and higher levels, he could return and slay the tree''s defender with far less risk to his person.


    His eyes drifted back to the shining fruit. He didn¡¯t want to take the safe route. In all likelihood the fruit was simply some sort of alchemical reagent. There was, however, a slim chance it could be a natural treasure. They were vanishingly rare, more something whispered about over a flagon of ale as someone regalled stories about a friend of a friend of a friend, who had once shared a meal with someone who had caught a mere glimpse of the things.


    They were a unique reward of the Depths, and could be found nowhere else. Objects of empowerment that worked directly through the system, divvying out boosts to skills, improved constitutions, and stat points galore.


    If it was a natural treasure, something he was inclined to believe by the way Explorers Toolkit screamed at him to retrieve the fruit, it would be invaluable to him. At only the second layer, it would be a slight boost. At least it would if he was a normal delver.


    He was an unclassed, one stuck in a hostile environment. A couple of stat points could let him increase his health by a significant fraction of his total.


    ¡°And for my class¡­¡± He thought, staringing longingly at the swirling fruit.


    He couldn''t even imagine what such a boost would do for his selection. He¡¯d asked after them before. When he himself first heard of them whispered over a drink at the Stout Oak, on a trip to collect some extra supplies before winter. Father had thumped his way down the stairs, finished with storing their supplies for their journey back.


    When he sat down at the table Kaius had asked him about the treasures, asked why they weren¡¯t funnelled to scions before they gained their class. Afterall Hastur had never stopped going on about how it was a pivotal moment in life, how the next generation always represented the foundation of a dynasty.


    Father had simply snorted at him, speaking into his mug as he told him that it simply wasn¡¯t possible. Certain benefits were denied to unclassed who had not secured them for themselves. When he had tried to press further his father had reminded him of their conversation after the last time he had gone poking into things he had no business with.


    That had been enough to warn him off


    Regardless, the system''s restriction on supplying them to unclassed was moot if he secured it for himself.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Mind set on his course of action, Kaius forced himself to breathe evenly. A clench of his fists steadied the slight tremble that had settled into his arms.


    He could do this.


    It was a worthy risk.


    <hr>


    Kaius crept into the cavern, each step taken with agonising slowness as he forced himself to roll his weight across the ball of his foot and onto his heel. The silent intensity of the cavern ate at him, only broken by the occasional sighing breath of the sleeping champion.


    Every time he heard the beast breathe his heart leapt into his chest, instincts screaming at him to burst into action. Sure that each sound was confirmation that the beast was going to awaken, to rise from its position and roar in fury of his challenge to its domain.


    He forced himself to keep his breathing quiet, worried that the slightest excess noise would shatter the delicate balance of his approach. Forcing his muscles to obey, he took another step closer.


    Slowly, stride by stride, he circled around the cavern. The constant soft pulse of luminance from the oak to his left dragged at his attention, almost begging him to look away from his target. He ignored it, his focus locked in. The pressure of his slow approach inuring him from the slightest distraction.


    He slackened his grip on his sword, too tight and it would impact his sword play.


    As he closed in on the rear of the beast he had to readjust his measure of its size. He knew bears. They crowded the streams that came off the mountains every spring. This¡­thing was far too large to be included in their number.


    It was too late to back out now.


    Despite his anxiety, the bear remained slumbering as he approached. Finally his glacial pace brought him behind the creature. It took all of his willpower to avoid driving his sword point first into the spine of the beast.


    It would be a grievous blow, and would no doubt do much to disable the beast. However, it was no undead. Even a mortal blow could be healed with the powers of Health, something the creature no doubt had in abundance.


    ¡°I need to go for a killing stroke.¡± He thought. "Something that will disable it, even if it survives."


    Health could let you survive many things, but it wouldn''t make you move if your spinal cord was severed.


    His blade trembling slightly in anticipation, Kaius crept up the bear''s side to approach where its head rested on two plate-sized paws. He got into position, lining up next to the beast''s thick neck. Sword held at the ready, he slowly rose it to full extension over his head.


    The bear snorted. Shifting slightly.


    Kaius panicked. Muscles in his arms and back contracted, aching at the sudden intensity of tension. Enchanted steel came down with a blur of flashing silver. The edge of his blade cut through the thickened hide with ease, deep red blood spraying as he cut through the chunky muscle that supported its massive head. The blade hit the spine of the beast and¡­.. Stopped fast.


    The bear''s eyes snapped open, howling in fury and pain at the violent interruption to its slumber. Blood poured from the rent on its neck as muscles rippled beneath its fur, hauling its bulk upwards.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Sunborn Cave Bear **


    Kaius stared in horror at the failed strike, yanking on his sword to free it as he backed away from the rising creature. Lifeblood that poured from the rent in the Champions neck slowed, flesh rippling as its Health was consumed at a prodigious rate to heal the wound.


    ¡°Should have stabbed it in the bloody back!¡± He thought as the creature wheeled towards him clumsily, still disoriented from its abrupt and violent awakening.


    Explorers Toolkit pounced on the weakness, highlighting its cloudy eyes and disoriented manner with razor sharp precision. He dived back into the fray, refusing to let such a vital moment pass uncapitalised.


    The bear batted towards him, a twisting side step letting him dance past the powerful blow. The rising dread of anticipation was gone. All that was left was the rush of battle that heated the blood. He brought his blade up in a rising strike, cutting a deep furrow across the Champion''s ribs.


    Razor sharp steel skittered across the surface of empowered bone, preventing access to the vulnerable organs in its chest. He followed through with the strike, pivoting into a heavy cut that severed more of the thick muscle that lined the creature''s spine.


    The bear howled in fury, incensed by his repeated strikes, rapidly coming to full wakefulness in the face of an intense assault.


    It spun towards him, snaking one massive limb out to smash him flat. Kaius was forced to jump back, skilful footwork forgotten in the face of overwhelming speed and power. The bear reared back, rising to its full height. Kaius punished the opening, a deep stab to its midsection only serving to infuriate the Champion further.


    Dropping towards him, it slammed its front feet down in an attempt to squash him flat. Kaius sidestepped, savaging its features and ruining one eye with a draw cut. Reacting to the pain of his strike instantly, a deep, bassy, growl echoed from deep in the Champions chest. The grey and gold bear lunged towards him.


    Its shoulder hit him like a falling log. His guard collapsed against his chest, the pommel of his sword rapping painfully against his sternum, chain and leather unable to fully blunt the brute force of the impact. Kaius stumbled back, unable to fight the primal strength of the bear. Only saved from greater injury by the creature''s lack of leverage.


    Kaius felt a small trickle of health flood towards his chest, tending to the fresh contusion. Steadying his feet beneath him, his eyes flicked to the bear''s injuries. He couldn''t find them, the only evidence of their existence an assortment of deep red stains that marred its otherwise flawless coat.


    He had to keep the pressure on. Prevent the creature from getting its bearings.


    With a growl of his own, Kaius launched back into the fray. His first attempt at a stab was batted away, nearly sending his blade flinging free of his grip. Moving with the momentum, he stepped into the collision, whirling his blade over head to hew into the bear''s shoulder.


    Kaius was forced back by a snap of the beast''s oversized jaws. As the beast lunged out to bite him, he felt his gaze drawn to the side of its face. There, where he had cut it earlier. While the wound had healed, a mess of blood and stuck fur covered its eye, marring its senses.


    **Ding! Explorers Toolkit has reached level 4!**


    A pivoting side step took him around the head, bringing him into its blindspot. He thrust, burying two strides of steel deep into the cavity between its neck and its shoulder. Without bone to guard its internals, Kaius¡¯s sword sank halfway to the hilt.


    **Ding! Footwork has reached level 4!**


    A gargle left the bear''s throat, blood foaming from its mouth. Kaius pulled back, trying to put distance between himself and the already moving Champion.


    As he retreated the bear lashed out for him once more. Unable to escape in time, the bear''s claws skittered across the chain covering his torso, nearly sending him flying as its claws caught in the ringed joints of the armour. Righting his footing Kaius stepped back into the fray, punishing attack with a retaliatory cut.


    Frustration mounted within him.


    ¡°It just keeps fucking healing!¡± He yelled in his mind. He¡¯d laid half a dozen nearly mortal wounds into the beast, yet its seemingly inexhaustible Health had regenerated it from every strike he had landed. The beast wasn''t even slowed, just growing more and more enraged with each added wound.


    Gritting his teeth Kaius sidestepped another snap of its jaws to pressure it with a low flowing cut to its underside.


    Mid-swing the Champion smashed aside his attack with one paw. The claws on its other began to glow. Icy dread shot through Kaius¡¯s spine. He tried to pull back, to retreat in the face of the obvious skill. He was too slow.


    So fast he only perceived it as a blur, the creature''s paw came sailing towards him. Glowing with amber light, the claws a trail of glistening embers in the air. The blow smashed into his side harder than a battering ram.


    Something crunched.


    Kaius''s feet left the ground as the Champion''s paw scooped him up and sent him sailing across the cavern.

 Chapter 22: Champion’s Might

    The Champion''s paw lashed out with a skill enhanced swipe, smashing into Kaius¡¯s side as its claws trailed floating embers of light. Far too fast for him to react to, whatever skill the champion had used seemed to magnetise its blow to the opening in his guard.


    A soft gasp left Kaius¡¯s lips as the air was forced from his lungs, ejected in a great exhale. His elbow smashed into the side of his ribs, a shuddering crunch resonating through his bones.


    Before he had time to even process the pain of the collision he was ejected, the bear launching him to send him tumbling over the cold stone. Miraculously, more through beating-enforced repetition than any intention, he maintained his grip on his sword.


    He landed in a heap, head rapping painfully against the cold stone. A rapid-fire series of dings sounded in his dazed mind. He struggled to focus, a deep burning ache ratcheting through his torso as he tried and failed to get his lungs to take a breath in.


    Time seemed to hang.


    **Ding! Toughened Physique has reached level 4!**


    **Ding! Toughened Physique has reached level 5!**


    **Ding! Light Armour Mastery has reached level 2!**


    **Ding! Light Armour Mastery has reached level 3!**


    **Ding! Medium Armour Mastery has reached level 2!**


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Rooted Iron Stance (Unusual)?**


    A cold sweat broke out as he took in his final notification, adrenaline dumping to skyrocket his heart and bring him slamming straight back into the present.


    ¡°No!¡± He all but screamed in his mind, rejecting the offered skill.


    He coughed, tasting blood. Health smouldered in his chest, the resource expending itself rapidly as it worked to heal broken ribs and bleeding organs. Kaius grit his teeth, the heat of battle and adrenaline filled veins allowing him to push the pain to the back of his mind.


    He rose to his feet.


    Across the cavern the Champion roared in victory, rising on its hind legs as its massive jaw hung open, a chest rattling roar pouring forth.


    Kaius settled back into his stance, wincing as his ribs ground together at the movement. With his free hand he dropped to his potion pouch. They were a valuable and limited resource, but if now wasn''t an appropriate time to use one, he didn''t know when was.


    The buckle opened smoothly, and in one motion he pulled free a tonic. Uncorking it with his teeth he poured it down his throat, the taste of sunshine forgotten in his locked focus on his opponent.


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Solar Revitalisation**


    Kaius discarded the bottle. The clattering sound of reinforced glass on stone drew the attention of the Champion, who tilted its great head to watch him intently. Kaius calmly rebuckled his potion pouch as the bear dropped to all fours. Dropping his hand back to his sword, he rose into a high guard.


    ¡°Not dead yet, you bastard.¡± He spat out, venom and aggression flowing easily into his voice.


    Already he could feel the tonic working. A bolstering reserve of energy that supplemented the natural welling of regeneration from his soul, stalling out the drain to his reserves caused by his ongoing healing.


    The Champion roared once more, settling into a loping gait as it charged him. Kaius held his ground, staring down the beast with a cold fury. Leaping towards him, the bear widened its arms to catch him in a fatal grab. Kaius sidestepped, ducking through his rotation to fly under its outstretched paw. He slashed, the bear''s own momentum and trajectory allowing him to deliver an agonising incision from shoulder to flank.


    **Ding! Footwork has reached level 5!**


    Kaius¡¯s face whitened in agony as bracing against the collision caused his core muscles to contract around his injured ribs. He finished the cut with gritted teeth, pivoting on his front foot to face his opponent once more.


    The bear landed hard, howling in fury. Kaius brought his sword back around for a crushing chop, his blade glancing off the creature''s hip bone, cutting a jagged wound. Eyes drinking in everything he could from the bear''s posture, he quickly noticed the sagging cut he had left in its side was already beginning to wriggle, flesh tightening to seal the wound.


    He still hadn¡¯t drained it¡¯s health.


    The Champion growled, pink spittle flying free from its clenched jaw. Spinning towards him, it rose up on its hind feet before slamming down with a snap of thumb sized teeth. Kaius whirled away, just quick enough to avoid its bite. Not quick enough, however, to avoid its follow up swipe.


    Glowing claws cut through the air, light trails adding to the golden light emitted from the oak overhead. Its paw caught the lower lip of Kaius¡¯s chain, catching the metal and yanking him to the side. Luck was partially on his side, the poorly wrought metal failed under the stress of the collision, the caught rings snapping free.


    **Ding! Medium Armour Mastery has reached level 3!**


    Landing heavily on his wounded side, Kaius cried out in agony as a lightning strike of pain coursed through his chest. With a pallid face and a sweat streaked brow he rolled to his feet, unable to take a single moment to collect himself lest the Champion capitalise on his weakness.


    He leapt to the side. Just barely avoiding the bear''s charge as it rushed to finish off its downed opponent. He managed a scything cut into its flank as it passed, but he was off balance, unable to transfer his weight into the blow.


    Kaius watched the bear arrest its momentum with gasping breaths. It came to a slow skidding stop, its heavy bulk having a hard time gaining traction on the hard stone floor. Its chest was heaving, every deep pant thrumming through the open expanse of the cavern.


    It turned to face him. Kaius drank in the sight of his opponent even as it stared him down with violent intensity, lips retracted to show its bloodied teeth in all their glory.


    Kaius took the moment to flick his awareness to his resources momentarily.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Resources:


    Health - 84/200 (2/min +15/min)


    Stamina - 147/200 (2/min +15/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    His Health seemed to be stabilising, already the drain from his chest wound had slowed to a trickle. Whatever was left was most likely due to the worsened bruising from his close brush with the second use of the bear''s skill. The tonic was doing its work, his resources rising prodigiously. At least, that is, in comparison to their pitiful standard rate.


    Another big hit like the first one could easily kill him. In all honesty the first one should have killed him. If he¡¯d had the time to react and brace into the blow, it would have broken far more than just a few ribs. He was lucky that most of the bear''s impressive power had been expended on sending him flying across the room.


    He¡¯d gotten lucky.


    That wasn¡¯t good enough.


    A scowl crossed Kaius¡¯s face, and he made the first move to close the gap. A low rumble echoed from the bear as it tensed at his approach, readying itself for another charge.


    Kaius picked up his pace, moving into a run. The bear reacted in kind, iron like claws scratching horribly against stone as it forced its impressive weight to move at an almost impossible seeming speed.


    The gap closed.


    With an outstretched lunge that brought him down into a low crouch, Kaius dove into a fencer¡¯s thrust. The point of his sword took it in the chest, nearly wrenching his blade free from his hand as the bear''s momentum brought it barrelling up its length.


    It wheezed in fury, paws rising to crush him beneath its bulk. Kaius dove to the side, rolling away from the slam to come to his feet by its side. Before he could follow up on his initial move, the Champion spun towards him with an outstretched paw, claws once again glowing with skill infused might.


    Bringing his sword up with a twist to guard his shoulder, Kaius just barely managed to interpose his blade with the incoming blow. Skill enhanced claws met rune-scribed steel in a shower of sparks. He hauled against the claw.


    Rather than making a futile attempt to divert the blow, Kaius tried to divert himself, letting his feet slide against rough stone as he pushed himself back. The blow still rattled him, every joint and bone in his arm aching from the force of the collision.


    **Ding! Parry has reached level 4!**


    **Ding! Parry has reached level 5!**


    Refusing to let something as mundane as stinging pain and numbing reverberation steal the moment to retaliate, Kaius pivoted in his slide. His blade slipped free from the bear¡¯s paw, the deadly limb continuing its light show past his torso. A twist of his hips and he cut deep into the neck of his opponent, a great torrent of blood falling free to join the growing pools that littered the grey stone.


    The bear huffed in agony, attempting to ward off another strike by rearing up to slam, the gushing wound on its neck drenching the fur on its belly. Kaius rewarded the attempt with another probing stab to its undefended midsection.


    The thrust caused the Champion to abort its slam early, yelping in pain as it snapped at him. Kaius danced back, watching the wound on its neck. With a start he realised that its wound had stopped writhing, only managing to seal itself half shut.


    Its Health was depleted.


    ¡°Wait¡­,¡± Kaius thought, staring closer at the wound even as he stepped around another furious palm strike. The healing might have drastically slowed, but it had not stopped. His eyes widened.


    ¡°The Vitality required alone..¡± He thought to himself in wonder. No¡­ It must have been bolstered by a passive skill. To regenerate Health so fast at such a low level? Such an investment of stats would have left it weakened in all other areas, even for an empowered depths-born like a Champion. Something that was clearly not the case.


    The bear roared, voice coming through strong and pure as its voice box recovered.


    Whatever the reason, it meant he could not rely on his usual tactic of whittling down an otherwise stronger foe. Depleting their resources until they were bled dry.


    He needed to press the attack. To keep the pressure on the beast.


    A step forward and a twist took him inside the Champion¡¯s guard, narrowly missing another savage bite that snapped at his arms. Now facing the beast, Kaius slashed his sword. He allowed its momentum to work against it, a savage draw cut parting the flesh of its side.


    Volume was important now, anything he could do to add to the burden that its monstrous regeneration was trying to heal.


    To his surprise, the bear kept running, creating distance as it tore off to the other side of the cavern. Before Kaius could start to chase, it wheeled back around and roared in fury. It dug its claws in and charged, impressive bulk heaving against the stone as it approached him at a barrelling pace. As it crossed the floor of the cavern, it left a streak of red blood that darkened under the yellow light.


    Kaius¡¯s sword dropped behind him as he moved into a rear guard. He readied himself for another slash, hoping to go low and disable one of its legs. The bear drew close. Kaius sidestepped. The bear''s claws glowed. In an instant empowered keratin bit into stone, its limbs straining against its bulk to radically change its direction.


    Where he would have slipped past the charge, the Champion''s altered movement slamming into him, one shoulder driving heavily into his sternum. It knocked the wind from his chest, his ribs shuddering as they creaked ominously. Kaius fell back onto the stone, gasping mutely as his jaw worked ineffectively to draw breath.


    **Ding! Light Armour Mastery has reached level 4!**


    Leather padding or no, the blow hurt, phantom pains of his earlier injury flaring up like forgotten embers fed fresh wood.


    The bear reared up, slamming down towards his prone form. Kaius rolled, just barely avoiding the chest-caving stomp. He rolled again when it followed it up with a swipe, heart hammering away at the instinctive rush of adrenaline that came with being in such a compromised position.


    Mid roll he pushed against the ground, launching himself up. As soon as he got traction on the stone he kicked off, trying to create distance. Sweat drenched his brow. The bear was having none of it, roaring in triumph at finally having caught him off balance.


    A heavy swipe of claws raked across his chain coated back, tearing through the poorly wrought armour, and tracing dripping lines of white hot fire across his flesh. The blow sent him stumbling, a ragged cry slipping from his mouth as his feet raced under him to prevent another fall.


    **Ding! Medium Armour Mastery has reached level 4!**


    Kaius skidded to a halt, just barely getting control of his stumble. He turned to face his opponent, leaping to the side to narrowly avoid a crushing blow.


    ¡°Shit.¡± he thought, slipping under a follow up strike to leave a dripping cut on the bear''s front. If he¡¯d been any closer, that last wound would have ended him, the Champion''s strength more than enough to snap his spine in two.


    Squaring off at each other once more, Kaius and the bear circled. Padding feet matched the heavy impacts of the bear''s paws, each trying to spot a weakness. Kaius could see that the bear was flagging. With each strike he landed, the bear''s intense regeneration grew more and more overwhelmed as it spread itself thin trying to heal the increasing systemic breakdown it suffered from.


    Its fur, once a luscious coat of granite and gold, now hung limp and ragged. Those few parts not drenched in its own vital fluids were slicked with sweat. Wounds crossed its body, revealing thin fat and split muscle. When he looked closely, he could see the growing tremble in its arms. The exhaustion of extended combat, the burden of its wounds, and its own body size working against it, draining it of its ability to fight.


    Kaius knew that this was it. Whatever came next, the Champion would be pulling out all the stops.


    The final confrontation.

 Chapter 23: Slugging Match

    Kaius faced off against the Champion, eying its battered form with an intensity that only came from knowing that his continued life required it. The once regal creature was a sorry sight, its coat sodden with blood, great rents parting its flesh to reveal muscle and bone beneath.


    He couldn''t see it healing anymore, its regeneration too spread thin to have a noticeable impact on any one individual wound. It was a testament to both its physicality and its sheer bloody-minded spite that it kept fighting despite the state of its wounds.


    Kaius knew he wouldn''t have looked much better. He was utterly soaked in sweat. Despite his tonic being enough to keep his Stamina topped off, the resource did nothing to prevent the sheer exertion that a fight to the death brought. Every system within him was in tune, pumping nutrients and adrenaline ridden blood to his muscles. Soaking his skin to cool him down. Downregulating unnecessary organs.


    His back ached, the healing scratches and torn muscles in his back steadily reknitting as his bolstered Health burned to seal the injuries. It did nothing for the blood that had fountained down his back, soaking his clothes and gumming up the ringlets of his mail. The more it dried, the more uncomfortable and painful it became. Skin and fabric merging together into a singular monstrosity that pulled at his wounds with every movement.


    It held no sway over him, his entire mind bent with fanatic focus at the bear as they circled each other.


    With a roar, the bear broke first. Hauling itself forward, one paw scythed towards him. Its claws leaving a now familiar trail of glimmering light, Kaius reacted the moment it activated its skill - blade already moving into position. He dropped into a hanging guard, sword high in front of him as he met the incoming blow.


    Once again he levered off the power of the strike, capitalising on the bears flagging energy to divert the slashing claws just enough to send it sailing over his head.


    **Ding! Parry has reached level 6!**


    The system notification did little to distract him, he swept through the parry and landed a devastating chop against the bear''s shoulder. Savaging the joint to its core. Once again his blade glanced off the bone, the bear''s empowered body too reinforced for even runic steel to contend with.


    The bear moaned in agony, favouring its left leg as its wounded one fell limp, too injured to take its weight. Another torrent of vital fluids joined the growing collection of wounds that the Champion sported.


    Kaius eyed the beast, watching the way its chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. The way it shook, unexplainable by its latest wounds. He had noticed it earlier, the way it paused to collect itself after every use of its skill. Now, the difference was exaggerated. It looked¡­ drained.


    ¡°It must have emptied its Stamina with that last one. It¡¯s fucked!¡± Kaius realised, his mouth twisting into a sinister grin at the turning fate of the bear.


    Advancing with a limping gait, the Champion approached him. Any mortal animal, or magical beast, would have long since fled by now. Only the omnipotent conditioning that constrained all depths-born monsters forced it onwards, ensuring it would fight till its last breath.


    Despite the ruined leg, it was still fast, closing the distance between them with a snarling snap of its jaws. A slide of his back foot had its teeth chomping at empty air, Kaius using the close distance to drive his sword home into its chest.


    He whirled away, the bear¡¯s snarl quickly petering out into a wheeze as foamy blood frothed from its mouth. It forced its failing body towards him, unnatural rage giving it just enough energy to raise up and try to swipe him with its remaining paw. Kaius ducked under the blow, the bear¡¯s arm shaking as it tried to control its momentum.


    It landed on the stone with a heavy thud, front leg buckling under its weight. Kaius darted in, landing another heavy cut on its arm. It collapsed. Bloodsong rising to a new height, he screamed his victory to the air.


    He rushed in, eager to finish off the opponent that had pushed him so hard. The ailing Champion tried to push itself to its feet. Its leg shook as its rose, a low and heavy rumble gargling from its throat as more blood welled from its mouth. It slipped, losing traction on the growing pool of blood that spread on the stone floor beneath it.


    Kaius drove his sword deep in between its ribs, sliding in behind its shoulder to stab deep towards its heart. The bear let out a final shudder, falling limp as a desperate gurgling gasp escaped its throat.


    **Ding! Warforged has reached level 19!**


    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: Sunborn Cave Bear - level 24 Verdant Defender! **


    Kaius watched the still body of the slain champion, a thousand aches dragging at his attention. He ignored them, taking a moment to bow his head in solemn respect for the creature that had put up such a fight. The visceral glee of violent combat left slowly, his heart rate slowing. In its wake it left behind leaden limbs, a heavy exhaustion settling over him.


    Thankfully, the tonic he had consumed still boiled away inside of him, expending its energy to bolster his recovery. It did nothing for his fatigue, more rooted in the mental strain of his focus being stretched to its maximum for so long, rather than in any physical malady.


    Stumbling away from the corpse of the Champion, Kaius approached the pool that housed the glowing oak at the centre of the cavern. He couldn¡¯t help but stare at it, soaring so high overhead. Scintillating geometrics shifted and pulsed over its bark, hanging over the scene of his battle like some ageless observer.


    Arriving at the pond he collapsed to his knees, wincing at the impact. Pulling off his stained gloves, he cleaned his blade in the water. Methodical as he washed the steel, his hands dipping into the frigid water to pour it across his blade''s length. It played on the soft glimmer emitted from the runes scribed on its blade. Endurance, Hone, Permanence. Simple things, Ykkardian, some of the first he had been taught.


    His father stood in front of him by a split boulder. They had found it a few weeks prior when they had packed up camp to move to a different section of the forest, for what had felt like the thousandth time. Father had been ecstatic. It meant another excuse to avoid a trip into town. No need for paper when you''ve got a bloody rock.


    Frustration bubbled up, Kaius failing to suppress his slight scowl at yet another month of being denied another chance of trying Illendra¡¯s fresh bread while he relaxed by The Stoat Oak¡¯s fire.


    ¡°You listening boy?¡± His father asked with a gruff voice.


    He jutted back to the split stone with his chin, thick brown beard swaying in the wind.


    ¡°Pay attention¡± He gestured to what may have well been a swirling knot of string traced out in charcoal for all he could make sense of the image. ¡°You asked me to do this. So now we¡¯re going to commit. Or would you like more resistance training?¡± Father asked him with a slight grin.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Kaius blanched, rapidly shaking his head.


    ¡°Good. Now, Ykkardian is a relatively simple dialect. Strong, self contained sigils. Large vocabulary. I think it could be a good contender for you.¡± Kaius forced himself to stare at the image, regretting ever telling his father his plans for his class. It was all curving lines, with the odd hard straight line carving through the mess.


    ¡°Though, it¡¯s got a messy syntax, and is pretty terrible for higher order networks.¡± He continued, arm sweeping to draw a pointing line at some section of the rune that was indistinguishable from the rest.


    ¡°If it''s bad for networks, wouldn''t it be a bad choice then?¡± Kaius asked with a furrowed brow.


    Father shot him a grin. ¡°It might. Or its powerful and self contained nature could drastically simplify the process. There are other candidates though. Which is why, now that we have such a helpful writing space, we will spend the next few months here learning them!¡±


    Kaius groaned, sinking his head into his hands. Father simply laughed at him in response.


    His eyes focussed, Kaius shaking his head to escape the memory. He stared into the pool. A young man stared back, weary and blood-soaked. He looked tired, shaggy dark brown hair flattened into streaks with a combination of oil, sweat and blood. His eyes were haggard, bags covering cold green orbs that held a shard of steel within them.


    He swiped his hands through the water, ripples wiping away the confronting sight.


    ¡°Need a godsdamned bath.¡± He thought as he peered down at his stained clothes. Cleaning enchantment or no, he hated the feeling of blood soaked clothes on his skin. He eyed the pool, testing its icy temperature with his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had worse,¡± He shrugged.


    Quickly stripping off his gear, Kaius dived into the crystal clear pool. He surfaced with a gasp, almost launching himself back out of the water as the cold kicked him in the chest. The once crystalline water darkened, reds and browns slowly emanating away from him. He ducked back under, scrubbing as hard as he could at his face and hair.


    Once he¡¯d done the best he could he pulled himself out, skin puckering as the air brushed his wet skin. Rapid Adaptation might mean that he was basically incapable of actually suffering injury from all but the most severe mundane temperatures, but it did absolutely nothing for his comfort.


    He settled back down by the edge of the pool, taking his time to work out the worst of the blood and grime from his clothes. It was slow work, the stains already having worked their way deep into the fibres.


    ¡°At this point I would be willing to fight another bloody Champion if it meant I had a bar of soap.¡± He grumbled to himself.


    As he worked the clothes, filth flowing free in great clouds to discolour the surrounding water, Kaius thought back to his fight with the guardian. Bubbling energy welled up in him at the thought of the raw fury with which the creature had pursued him.


    The fight had been stupid. Reckless and unnecessary. Yet he was not quite sure he had ever felt so alive


    ¡°I think I might be developing a bit of a problem.¡± He thought to himself. ¡°Pretty sure most people don''t feel like they¡¯ve had one too many cups of jappa after a fight like that.¡± Yet even if he disregarded the simple joy of testing himself, it was hard to deny the sheer results of the fight.


    Fourteen skill levels from a single fight. It was frankly ridiculous. If he made a habit of it he might need to reassess his time lines on how long it would take him to get his next skill. Months felt far too long now, and that figure was after factoring the strange boost to skill growth he had already seen in the Depths.


    Emptying his last boot, he got dressed quickly. The wet clothes were disgusting, but as he drew them close to his skin they rapidly warmed. Simple enchantments, but more than welcome at times like these. Thankfully they would be dry soon.


    He held up his chain shirt, shaking it out to eye the tear on its front edge and mid back.


    ¡°Not exactly what I would call ideal¡­¡± he thought to himself. With no blacksmiths available, and no way of repairing the chain himself, he would have to make do with the way it was now until he could find a replacement. ¡°The tear in the back, at least, I could thread together with some twine. Not that that would do much to stop a sword..¡±


    A swirl of colourful movement caught his eye, the reflection of the fruit that had dragged him into this cave in the first place. It pulled his attention away from his thoughts. He hastily threw on his chain, hopping slightly on the spot as he shrugged it over his head.


    Wriggling his arms through the sleeves, he looked up at the fruit hanging overhead with gleaming eyes. The silent nudging from Explorers Toolkit redoubled, waking from the recesses of his mind where it had lain dormant during his battle with the bear.


    It was time to collect his reward.


    <hr>


    Kaius stood with his hands on his hips, starting at the wide trunk of the oak tree that rose out of the pond. While a mundane oak would never be seen growing out of a pool of water, they also didn''t glow gold, and nor were they covered in a bark that roiled with shifting geometric patterns.


    No, he doubted that the Depths cared about such things. The tree was shaped like an oak, so it was close enough to be one in his opinion.


    A very large oak tree indeed.


    Currently, that was his issue. While its main arterial branches were more than thick and dense enough for him to easily climb, the lowest one was still out of his reach. That meant scaling its trunk, the same one that was hovering over an icy cold pool of water.


    Kaius threw his head back in defeat with a groan.


    Circling the tree a few times, he found a spot where the distance from pond-edge to trunk was slightly shorter, maybe ten strides at most. Backing up from the waters edge, he hopped up and down, shaking his limbs to loosen them. Setting his feet into a wide stance he kicked off, racing to the pond''s edge.


    Arms pumping, he planted his foot on the pool¡¯s edge, driving his heel hard into the ground to send himself up and over. A yell of excitement slipped out as he wheeled his arms, trying to stay upright as he rushed over the water below. The trunk rushed to meet him.


    Kaius hit the tree chest first with a heavy exhale, air forced out of his lungs from the collision. Arms snapping around the trunk, he jammed his fingers into the wide crevices that snaked their way through its thick bark. His legs kicked as he scrambled for footing, the sound of splashing water echoing out as his booted foot traced the surface of the pond.


    He dug his toes in. Forcing himself upwards with a grunt, he shimmied his handhold a little higher. He squinted, this close to the tree the thin patterns that glowed on its surface were almost blinding. After a moment he gave up, closing them completely as their unpredictable shifting grew nauseating.


    Shifting his grip higher, he hauled himself up a little more.


    Stride by stride he ascended the tree, until one of its thick branches tapped him lightly on the top of his head. He forced himself to open his eyes, doing his best to ignore the way the room swayed in time with the morphing shapes on the trunk.


    He looped his hand over the branch, his back burning pleasantly as he hauled himself up onto the limb. From there it was simple for him to clamber from branch to branch, finally reaching the one that held what he hoped was a natural treasure.


    He crawled outwards, keeping himself low and centred. Kaius savoured the feel of the bark, Enjoying the slight crumbly give it had under his fingers. He¡¯d always like climbing.


    Finally he reached it. A single thick stalk held it fast to the branch from where it hung. It was even more mesmerising up close. Glistening from internal radiance, the fruit was almost impossibly round- a dozen shades of reds and yellow swirling across its surface.


    This close it was impossible to block out its scent. The smell of spring growth was almost palpable. Even without Explorer''s Toolkit screaming in his mind he would have found it almost impossible to ignore the urge to snatch it up and claim it for his own. A wide grin split his face as he stared into its swirling form.


    ¡°I can''t wait to see what it tastes like.¡±

 Chapter 24: Forgotten Mysteries

    Kaius sat on the branch of a massive oak tree. Yellow leaves adorned its reaching branches, nearly scraping the ceiling of the cavern in which it grew. All over its bark, shifting geometrics glowed with a pulsing light. Now that he found him so close he couldn''t help but squint through the distracting light.


    He leaned over the branch, peering down at the swirling red and yellow orb that held his attention so closely. This close, the waves of palpable magic that wafted from the fruit were almost overwhelming. He could smell it, the alchemical power.


    He¡¯d first encountered the strange effect when he had been young, shortly after first acquiring Herbalism. Stumbling across a deep red toadstool deep in his forest home, he¡¯d been attracted by its bizarre smell. That of a cliff crumbling with time. A tree ageing into deadfall as the years ground away at its prodigious vitality. Impossible smells, almost closer to dreams than sensory inputs.


    His curiosity, not for the first time, had nearly gotten him killed. Father had yanked him back, smacking him upside the head with a sharp rap that had made his eyes sting with tears. Magic, he had said, something that young boys shouldn''t trifle with.


    Grandchild''s Lament he had called it, storming away from the mushroom with a tense back and a too-firm grip on his arm. a reagent prized by certain alchemists for the poisonous tonics that it could be used to produce.


    After that little stunt Father had them pack up camp, dragging him on a hike that lasted weeks, refusing to pause no matter how much he felt like his legs were going to fall off. Each time they stopped, it was only to inspect another alchemical oddity, forcing Kaius to hone his understanding of their emanating magic until he could identify which ones were dangerous by scent alone.


    It was imperfect, but until he had an observational skill it was enough to stop him from killing himself.


    The fruit below him absolutely stank of new growth. Incomparable to anything he had seen before. If he was lucky it would be a natural treasure. That alone was enough to stoke his excitement to unbearable heights


    Kaius pushed himself up, scooting his legs underneath him to lie across the top of the branch. Leaning over the edge he stretched out to grab the fruit. His hands touched its skin, glossy and almost slick. The size of two of his fists and slightly slippery, he had to use both hands to secure it. A tingle shot through his palms, magical potency enough to send a charge racing up his limbs.


    The sudden jolt made him flinch, but he held his grip firm. He was not willing to damage the fruit by accidentally dropping it twice his height onto a cavern floor. He hauled himself up, grabbing the branch with his thighs to give himself leverage.


    Swirling in his hands, the fruit popped free with ease, its stalk disconnecting from the slight indentation at its top. The stem shook slightly as the thin branch it was connected to sprung back into position.


    Kaius eyed the fruit, before flicking back to the sheer trunk he had climbed. That wasn''t going to work.


    He looked over the branch to the hard rock below him. It was pretty far, but he should be alright. The worst that could happen is he would sprain his ankle.


    He shrugged to himself, swinging one leg over the branch to sit on it side-saddle. Slipping off with a hop, he fell, the edges of his tunic fluttering in the breeze. He hit the ground, Hard. A painful stab of shock shooting up his heels as he fell into a low crouch, thighs burning as they worked to bleed off his momentum.


    He winced, falling back onto his ass with a thud. He looked up at the branch he had jumped from.


    No broken legs, strange magical fruit secured, everything went perfect.


    Hugging the fruit under one arm, Kaius pushed himself to his feet. He headed to the back of the cavern, taking a seat against its rear wall so that the tree covered the entrance to the room, hopefully hiding his figure from any curious interlopers.


    He¡¯d yet to have that happen, the creatures in the depths seemed unnaturally incurious from what he had experienced so far, but it never hurt to be careful. Especially if he was going to be eating unknown fruit from a magical tree.


    It might have been a risk, but it was a calculated one. He¡¯d spent more than enough time around magically active ingredients to know that at the very least this one did not smell of danger.


    He didn''t stand on ceremony, bringing the fruit to his mouth and sinking his teeth into its shifting exterior. Thin skin parted beneath his bite, juice welling up to run down his chin. Its flavour exploded. Every facet of magic he had picked up from its scent was intensified, swirling around his mouth and down his throat.


    Cramming more of the fruit into his mouth with abandon, Kaius barely chewed before he reached for more. The more he ate, the more the magic intensified within him.


    Strange visions came to mind, carried on the verdant currents of power that coursed into him. A strange cat-like creature bounded across tree branches, eyes locked on a brown blur streaking across the ground far below. Pupils dilated, the creature pounced. Claws dug deep into thick hide. Strong jaws wrapped around the back of a neck. A snap. That same cat-like creature eating its fill. Muscles rippled, the creature growing larger with a yowl as its joints contorted.


    A seed, dropping from a high borough to bounce on stone, rolling before it came to a rest in a small tributary. The stream washed away the seed, before it joined a river. The river merging to become a raging torrent, volatile water kicked up in a spray, catching the light. The same seed, flying free from a waterfall that raged over the edge of a cliff. Falling just right to be caught in a crack, suspended high above the nurturing soil below. Spraying water and roaring sun. A shoot, lancing out, striving to take hold. Roots burying themselves deep into stone, cracking them with persistence and time when they could not find the space required on their own. The tree growing, growing, ever growing. Jutting prominently from a cracked cliff, defiant in the rising sun.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    A great fire, sweeping across an endless plain of yellow. Grasses and shrubs consumed in the face of a growing inferno, howling winds of smoke and fire driving a million million lives into a furor of terror. Heat, oh the heat. Consuming all in its path. A barren land, baked and ashen. A home of charcoal and scorched bone. The first rains, washing away the black. New life bursting free, soaking in a graveyard of fertile soil. Breaching the earth, striving, ever striving, to bring green back to the land.


    On and on the visions continued, washing over him as he continued to tear bites from the fruit''s flesh, only half aware of his rote actions. Every mouthful suffused him with more magical energy, the power soaking deep into the well of his soul to condense as a cloudy gas. A final bite. The collection of power within him combusted, surging to the farthest reaches of his body and soul.


    It shook him from his reverie, a gasp escaping him. The shock wave buffeted his metaphysical centre, ringing the light of his soul like a gong. If he had to put a name to the feeling, it was closest to the time he had snuck into the Stout Oaks stables. He¡¯d wanted to pet the horse there. It had been friendly enough. Unfortunately, in his desire to not be caught, he had managed to sneak up on the beast and gotten a hoof to the chest for his troubles.


    The pain had been bad enough, but the way it caused his heart to skip a beat had been terrifying.


    Father had laughed at his misfortune, telling him he might know better now that he had gotten a knock to take the soul out of his body. Now that he knew what that actually felt like, he could confidently say this was much, much, worse.


    His soul quaked and for a moment everything felt wrong. He switched rapidly from feeling like he was observing himself from a distance, to feeling like he was puppeting a stranger''s body with an uncomfortable intimacy.


    The roiling energy breached the shell that protected his soul. For a moment it stilled, and everything went muted. Then a roaring sensation of suction started, his innermost centre clawing at the energy, drawing it deep into the confines of his soul.


    In seconds it was over, every scrap of the foreign influence was consumed. As the last trail of vapour entered his well of power, his soul snapped shut. At that very instant Kaius slammed back into full awareness of his body. Once damp clothes were soaked with sweat, fabric sticking to his skin with uncomfortable intimacy.


    He felt hot, the glowing oak before him swaying in his vision while his heart hammered an uncomfortable rhythm in his chest.. His throat spasmed, and he forced down a heave.


    ¡°What the fuck was that!¡± He moaned softly, slumping over to press his face against the cold stone of the cavern floor. The pleasant pressure of the hard surface on his face helped to stabilise him, to slow the spinning of the room as he breathed deep.


    Time passed, and his gorge slowly subsided as his nausea faded away. He pushed himself back up, turning his attention to the urgent prodding that accompanied a waiting system notification.


    **Ding! Natural Treasure Consumed!**


    **Ding! Unclassed Detected! Scanning for External Interference¡­**


    **Ding! No External Interference Detected! Assisting with Absorption¡­**


    **Ding! You have Consumed a Natural Treasure: Rune-Forced Apple of Change - 10 Stat Points Gained! **


    **Achievement Noted - You Are Being Observed**


    Kaius sat up like a rod of iron had been rammed into his spine. He ignored the confirmation that access to natural treasures was restricted to unclassed by the system. Glossed over the fact that he was monumentally lucky enough that the fruit even was a natural treasure. Even the fact that he had gained a prodigious ten stat points for the risk he had taken.


    His entire attention zeroed in on his last notification. That was ¡­ impossible.


    He thought back to some of the first lessons he¡¯d had with his father. When he was still too young to travel regularly, when they broke camp only once or twice a season to avoid depleting their food supply. On one of their many evenings around a fire they had been laying on their backs, watching the distant stars.


    He had been young then, young enough that the only thing his system displayed was his name and time until he unlocked partial access to the full interface. Like all children, the magical construct that hovered at the back of his mind had been fascinating. Many an hour had been filled with the simple entertainment of making his status blink in and out of his vision with a thought, getting the hang of only using intention to bring it to the forefront.


    As they lay there, nestled behind a natural windbreak formed of loose boulders he had wandered at the strange magic. Wondered, and asked about its origin.


    Father chuckled at the innocent question, before he was cut off by a wracking cough. He thumped his chest a few times, before taking a deep breath and leaning back against the stone behind him.


    He stared up into the stars high above. ¡°That¡¯s a tricky question, that,¡± he answered with a deep, gravelly tone. ¡°Nobody truly knows, not really.¡±


    ¡°What, how? Wouldn¡¯t someone remember?¡±


    Father smiled. ¡°Not necessarily, It was a VERY long time ago. All we know is that mana density was far less stable. Smarter men than me have measured that. Whatever happened, it was enough that there are only a few scraps of shattered ruins left.¡±


    Kaius rolled over on his bedroll to face his father, the fire warming his front.


    ¡°Mana density? Like what keeps us safe from the monsters?¡± he asked. Father turned his head to face him, shooting him a smile that hid something else.


    ¡°Yes, like that. Though there are some stories. More myths of myths than anything else¡­¡± Father raised an eyebrow in his direction.


    Excitement surged through Kaius, he loved stories. ¡°Really! Would you tell me?¡±


    Father grinned, shuffling to lean closer to him, reaching out his hands to warm them by the fire.


    ¡°Well! Alright then. Waaay back when, when everything was still all higgledy-piggledy, there used to be wanderers. Hero¡¯s who travelled the land, finding secrets in the Great Depths that no one had ever seen before. It is said that one and all were Observed by the system, destined to do great things¡­¡±


    Kaius sat there, still staring at the notification.


    It had been one of his favourite stories. One he had gotten his father to retell many, many times. They had been simpler times. Before Father¡¯s condition got worse. Before Father had asked to prepare him to take on the mantle of Unterstern.


    But it was just a children''s tale, wasn¡¯t it? As far as he knew, no one really understood what had happened in those days, beyond the shifting tides of magic. Hells, he had asked again barely a few years ago and Father had told him that all scholars had was a best guess! That the shifting mana density had caused unpredictable waves of migrating monsters that had overwhelmed whatever civilisation existed at the time.


    Yet, despite his warring disbelief, he could not refute the evidence that was before his very eyes.


    The Observed were real.


    And he was one of them.

 Chapter 25: Food?

    Kaius sat in shock, the jagged stone that dug uncomfortably into his back entirely forgotten. What did it mean that he was an Observed? That shouldn¡¯t have been possible. It was a children''s tale!


    The evidence hung there, the notification staying stable in his vision as he tried to burn a hole through it with his gaze. He knew that he had a lot to learn about the Great Depths, after all, every time he tried to cajole his father for more information he¡¯d just been fobbed off with more training.


    Yes, that was probably his fault. After he¡¯d been caught reaching out to one of the glimmering runic circles that acted as portals to the Depths he hadn¡¯t been able to sit right for a week. In his defence, what sort of teen wouldn¡¯t be fascinated with the world dungeon after umpteen stories about how that was where the strongest were forged?


    He had thought that he would learn things that were mostly common knowledge! Like the existence of Champions. Not massive discoveries, like the fact that an ancient set of legends were secretly accurate, and society at large had simply forgotten how to trigger the attention of the system.


    The secret was dangerous. Many, many of his fireside talks with his father had been about how people would kill for an advantage. It was the whole bloody reason they lived in the Arboreal Sea, hells!


    A good hour of their conversation after his first brush with a Depths portal had been dedicated to exactly how pointless it would have been to dive in by himself. Father had hauled him back to camp, neck bulging in his rage. Throwing him down onto his bed roll, he had bellowed about how much of an idiot he had been. How a chaperoned unclassed in the Depths was all but completely neutered in their growth, and how its treasures would crumble to dust if passed into his hands.


    Mostly though, his father had ranted about how if he had had to dive in after them they would have ended up weeks or months behind schedule. Kaius had stopped listening then, even if he had agreed in private that it would have been a disastrous result.


    If people, especially those of means and power, learnt that not only could an unattended unclassed earn a natural treasure, but that by doing so they would be observed by the system?


    It would be a slaughter.


    Kaius could see it in his mind. Droves inexperienced scions, shunted towards almost certain death just for a simple chance at success.


    He had to keep this secret. Had to learn more. Learn what it meant. Push himself harder. If the system recognised him for earning a simple, albeit rare, reward¡­ What would it do if he slew a Guardian without a class?


    He tore his eyes away from the notification, looking back to the aethereal tree that grew out of the pond. He had to spend his points. Get a move on and finish his trip around the glade. Rumination could wait until he was back behind closed doors.


    He was tempted to divvy them up optimally. He knew what he wanted from a class, and from there the kind of stats it would favour. Bumping up those values could help to influence the options he was offered. He had no way to know for sure though.


    He also knew he couldn¡¯t afford to make that decision. There was really only one he had available. He¡¯d come too close to death, too many times. He had to increase his Endurance.


    Chewing on his lip, Kaius hesitated for a moment before confirming his choice. He slammed the points through as quickly as he could.


    His body rippled, each muscle contracting at once. Lightning shot down his spine, branching to spread to every crevice and edge of his body. His head cranked back, smacking into the rock wall behind him with a loud crack. The pain of the impact was lost, overwhelmed in the swelling sensation of power surging through him.


    The well of power in his soul that held his Health rocketed out, the boundaries of the misty pool expanding by half again. Every cell of his body seemed to condense, the constituent parts that made up his being bolstered by the flow of foreign power. Making him just that little bit harder to injure.


    Slowly the wave receded, leaving him limp and panting on the floor.


    That had been ¡­. Hellish. Overwhelming. Not exactly painful, but different.


    ¡°Note to self¡­ Don¡¯t increase a stat by fifty percent all at once¡± He panted, pushing himself up off the floor with a still quaking limb. He slumped back against the wall, wincing as his bruised head bounced off its surface.


    He pulled up his Status to check on his gains.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 18


    Class Selection: 1 Year, 47 weeks, 2 days


    Race: Human (Dynastic) - +1 free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Resources:


    Health - 300/300 (2/min)


    Stamina - 200/200 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    Stats:


    Endurance - 30


    Vitality - 20


    Strength - 20


    Dexterity - 20


    Intelligence - 12


    Willpower: - 20


    Stat Points: 0


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/a


    General Skills (9/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 14This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Warforged (Unique) - 19


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 4


    Block (Common) - 2


    Parry (Common) - 5


    Footwork (Uncommon) - 5


    Toughened Physique (Rare) - 5


    Light Armor Mastery (Uncommon) - 4


    Medium Armor Mastery (Uncommon) - 4


    Kaius looked over his sheet, smiling at the gains he had made in such a short time. The increase to his Health was going to be massive, and once he managed to cap out Toughened Physique it would help to decrease the amount of the precious resource that he had to spend.


    Every scrap of Health counted. He knew, deep in his bones, that he wasn''t going to be able to avoid taking risks now. Both champions he had faced had provided invaluable resources. The potions he had secured from the butcher had saved his life twice over now, and the natural treasure had just given him an edge he might be able to leverage into future gains.


    It was always about balancing risk. That much had been a focus of a lot of his training. Being punished for messing around with strange mushrooms and portals hadn''t been because it put him in danger, but because it did so for no benefit.


    He remembered the moment when he first learnt Pain Resistance, the first skill he had ever learnt. Father had told him that it was a choice. That no matter how much he wanted him to take up the mantle of the dynasty, he couldn''t force him. That the first few skills were a risk, one that many of his ancestors hadn¡¯t survived.


    It hadn¡¯t even taken him a second to agree, burying his hand into a biting nest of ants up to his wrist. He had kept it there, trembling as a thousand thousand stinging bugs crawled over him, not retreating until he went numb from the shock.


    It had been worth it. He had never regretted that decision. Not even when the tortures grew more extreme over the coming years.


    The Champions were the same.


    He could afford to wait until he had his next skill, but after that? He would hunt them. Their rewards might give him the edge he needed to get out of the Depths alive.


    ¡­


    Kaius left the cavern with the radiant oak, making sure to collect the potion bottle he had discarded mid battle with the bear, and retrieved his pack. Setting off around the rim of the glade, Kaius made what he thought was good time.


    Without access to the sun and stars he had no reliable way to tell the time, but by his reckoning he had been walking for what felt like just under half a day. That is, if he considered his forced nap after consuming a gladeplum ¡®night¡¯.


    The cavern which held the impressive underground woodland was roughly circular as far as he could tell, though it was hard to make any halfway accurate measurements with the just-brighter-than-twilight glow doing little to penetrate the fog of distance.


    He doubted that the glade was much bigger than a day''s walk, though if he was wrong he did have enough supplies to last a night. Climbing a tree to bed in safety from ground-bound predators was never fun, but he had done it often enough.


    Walking through the thin strip of borderland between the cavern wall and the treeline, he passed several more tunnels that wound their way into the rock. So far only one more had shown any differences like the passage with the watch house had been.


    The undead defenders had been a breeze to push through. These ones had been dressed as miners, clad in rough canvas and armed with picks. The clumsy weapons and lack of armour had left them too open, too easy to kill. After his monstrous growth in his fight against the bear he found himself a little disappointed that he hadn¡¯t gained a single skill from the confrontation. Nor had he from the smattering of beasts that had charged him from the trees- most of them only slightly more dangerous than their counterparts in the forest above, at least to him.


    As the hours ate away, his legs began to ache, Health and Stamina not enough to soothe the mundane discomforts of long travel. Finally, his eyes widened as he saw a familiar sight far off in front of him. A yawning opening in the cavern wall, a squat building made from stacked stone poking out of its entrance.


    The Butchers lodge.


    He picked up his pace, glad to be back in familiar territory. He should be back safe and sound in a few hours now. Luckily he had been right on the money. By the time he arrived, it should be just about time for him to get some rest. He was exhausted.


    The lodge opened up to his right, the shadow-cloaked stone buildings, rotting furs and general disrepair of the place cooled his enthusiasm. He stared at the corpse of the Butcher, still laying where he had put it down in the centre of the space between the buildings. Its grey, boil-ridden flesh had decayed further, undead body quickly collapsing in the preceding days without its animating magics. An unidentifiable soup of liquid seemed to melt between its starkly white ribs, the sweet scent of rot rolling over him to raise the hair on his arms.


    His face blanched, saliva pooling in his mouth. Snapping his gaze back to his path, Kaius hurried onwards. Happy to leave the grizzly scene behind him as soon as possible. To his relief, the withered undead hunters seemed to have desiccated without the presence of puppeteering necromancy. The trail of their corpses looked years old, yet still oddly preserved. More a mummification, than active decomposition.


    He left the trail of bodies behind, putting distance between himself and the carnage he had previously wrought.


    ¡­


    Kaius restrained himself from slipping into a jog, smiling as he saw a slight rise appearing in the distance, the consistent flat land of the cavern slowly drifting up at a gentle curve.


    There was only one place he had seen that in his entire trip around the glade, the end of the scree slope where he had entered the cavern. He was close. While the dim and softly pulsing light of the moss was more than enough for him to see, it was gloomy lighting. It blurred vision at a distance, far off objects fading into shadow and mist.


    If he could see the slope, it wouldn''t take him much longer at all to reach it.


    He¡¯d started his eventful walk right at the entrance of the cave he had entered from, and purely for the sake of completionism, he planned to finish it at exactly the same spot. Part of that was that there was a small chance of another tunnel somewhere on this side of the slope; he had seen a few of them surprisingly close together. Mostly though, it simply didn''t sit right with him to leave things unfinished.


    Father might have been a harsh taskmaster, but never once had he complained about Kaius¡¯s work ethic. Hells, he remembered how surprised his father had been when he had been training for Warforged. Day after day, he had woken early - even earlier than his father. Going through his routine of stretches to limber himself up for a day of sparring. It had been a point of pride when Father had broken first, asking him if he wanted to take a day off to go swimming in a lake they had found.


    In hindsight, Father had probably been worried that he had taken some sort of mental damage from the process of acquiring Rapid Adaptation. The reality was much simpler. He had committed to gaining the skills of his dynasty before his class, and after his first skill? A little weapons training had practically felt like a holiday.


    Kaius hit the slope at pace, lengthy strides eating away at the gradually increasing slope. Eventually he hit the scree, forced to clamber up on all fours in order to keep traction. So far, no extra cave exit, just more dusty rubble and jagged rock walls. As he grew closer, the far off ceiling of the cavern came into greater relief.


    A thousand roots pierced through the solid rock of the roof, playing off the light of the pulsing moss to create shifting shadows. Tendrils grasping, undulating in the lightning-like the limbs of some massive beast. From the bottom of the slope it looked far different, a simple mat of light..


    The tree roots confused him, like they did every time he saw them jutting out of a cave wall. He didn''t claim great knowledge of the Depths, it could be very literally underground. He hadn''t exactly ever gotten a shovel and dug to find it. Yet even if it was, trees didn''t lay down roots to bedrock, and they certainly didn''t burrow through it.


    Though, from what he had heard of other biomes, rocky caverns and glowing plants was by no means a universal feature. Maybe it was all just dressing? Like the church and the lodge. An idle curiosity, but one that kept grabbing at him.


    He would have to ask around when he got out, someone had to know.


    All of a sudden, slightly up the slope and off to his left, Kaius heard a roar of crashing water. Quickly followed by a squeak of panic.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes snapped to the source of the sound.


    It had come from the cave that led to the entrance room.

 Interlude 1: Voyeur

    The figure paced over an endless void. Too-fine silk robes billowed in a non existent wind, pressing close to his body. With every step, a thin stone platform appeared beneath him. Vanishing as soon as his naked feet lost contact.


    Swirling lights surrounded him. Dancing through the air in a silent symphony of movement. They trailed after him like a cloud.


    He hadn¡¯t felt this constrained in far too long. It was easy to languish in immobile solitude when there was nothing to hold his attention. It would still be tens of millennia until the safeguards kicked in and he was returned to the greater universe.


    It still infuriated him.


    It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this.


    The chances of a world stabilising after the first stage were vanishingly small. Even for a world that had already had magic like this one. The whole integration, the creation of the Depths, was supposed to incite a ravenous desire for growth.


    Supposed to push them.


    Instead it seemed like they just stopped trying. As soon as the mana density stabilised, as legacy skills were found and Dynasties forged, they had just¡­stopped.


    Space started to ripple, the very fabric of reality beginning to boil.


    It was enraging. An affront to the system. Where were the people pushing themselves to the brink? Forcing themselves to adapt? They were supposed to advance to the second stage far before mana stabilised.


    There were ELEVEN triggers. And not one, not ONE, had been activated in over twelve thousand years. Astounding.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    It should have taken a millennium at most for the integration to run its course. At the very least they should have had the grace to fail and die, rather than leaving him trapped. Undue punishment is what it was. Bloody excessive for a non-violent crime. But now there was a chance. The boy just had to not die.


    A cloud of lights drifted down from the greater swarm, circling his head. The figure looked at them with interest.


    ¡°Report.¡±


    They streamed into his mind, knowledge absorbed instantly. A system notification pinged.


    **Kaius Unterstern is under Observation.**


    A wide grin split his face, individual jaw muscles rippling under translucent-white skin. With a thought he returned to his throne, falling back into it with languishing ease.


    ¡°Good. Let''s have a look then.¡±


    His mind pierced through the space out of time, surveying all of Vaastivar in its gaze. Focus zeroing in on one small section of the Great Depths.


    ¡°Oh? A natural treasure while unclassed? That''s a lucky criteria to meet for Observation. I had my bet on three champions solo.¡± The figure said happily. It was a boon, something that would greatly assist the subject of his interest with his defeat of a Guardian. That was the key. He had to ensure it happened. It was a pity that the feat didn¡¯t come with an Honour, but the fruit was reward enough in its own right.


    ¡°I probably can''t swing you another one of those, but otherwise I''m sure I can ¡­ load the dice, so to speak.¡±


    He wouldn''t be able to influence the Guardian he was destined to face. Nor could he interfere with the depths-born. The construct had absolute control over its confines. A mere glorified supervisor such as himself had nowhere near the authority to influence the challenge of the trial.


    The rewards? Now that was something he could affect. He couldn¡¯t exactly choose what the boy received, but he would be able to lean on the overseer-mind to be a little more favourable and generous. Even if it cost him a thousand years of Psi accumulation, it would be worth it. After all, if the boy failed he would have nothing but time to cultivate it once more.

 Chapter 26: Attack Badger (Friendly?)

    The sound of crashing water echoed out across the cavern, petering off slowly as the residual noises slowly faded. Faint, but unmistakable, Kaius heard a squeak of panic, almost drowned out by the noise of water crashing against stone. His head snapped towards the source of the sound.


    It had come from up the slope, directly from the cave which led to the entrance portal that had teleported him into the depths. Whatever had triggered it definitely hadn¡¯t been a person. Maybe some startled deer had gotten itself caught in the river''s currents, a lucky undertow from the waterfall pulling it into contact with the entrance.


    Deer meant venison. His stomach gurgled at the idea of something different to his poor attempt at boar jerky. He started salivating, imagining the gamey taste that he was so fond of. In the forest above it was a major staple, but even with its abundance he had never grown tired of it.


    He redoubled his pace, turning to scramble in the direction of the cave. The scree gave way under his overeager movement, sending him a half-step back for every stride he climbed. He growled in frustration. This close to a change in the menu, he wasn¡¯t going to let a bloody scree hill beat him.


    Reaching the top, Kaius bent over and panted. His pace had been exhausting, the gravel fighting him every step of the way. Catching his breath, he mopped at his sweat streaked brow.


    Another panicked squeak drifted from the cave.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes narrowed. It didn¡¯t sound like a deer, not now that he was closer. He drew his sword, blade twinkling in the soft light, and stepped into the cave.


    He moved slowly, ears straining to catch any further hints of what might have found itself trapped in the entrance chamber. While he lived far from the frontier, the Arboreal Sea was enormous. The region that he and his father had staked a claim on was still thoroughly considered the outskirts, a region of lower mana and comparatively few truly magical creatures.


    Chances were it was something mundane. Perhaps a young bear. He couldn''t think of any beasts that lived in the outskirts that would squeak.


    Roots erupted from the cave''s edge, curling around him like the fingerbones of some covetous giant as he pushed deeper.


    There it was again! Definitely not a bear. At least, it wasn''t a noise that he had ever heard come from one. Too loud, too forceful for something small, and with a strange timbre that gave it an almost gravelly texture.


    Kaius passed where he had fought the swarm of spiders, gingerly stepping around the dried pools of ichor. Eyes staying dutifully ahead, avoiding looking at their cooking pot sized bodies, legs curled in close to their thorax. He wouldn''t say he was afraid of the creatures, but they definitely unnerved him. Bugs were not supposed to be hairy.


    Still, the sight of his battle meant he was close. Slowing his pace, Kaius started to roll the weight on his feet. Softening his steps to suppress any noise of his approach.


    He could hear it. Claws scrabbled at stone, raking across the surface again and again as the dull scratching sound rolled through the cave. It¡¯s breathing, deep and heavy, hastened to the edge of a pant in the ways he had only heard from a snared meal.


    The entrance room came into view, an opening in the cave up to his right. He crept forwards, keeping his breathing low and even so as not to give away his position, despite his growing curiosity and excitement.


    Approaching with care, Kaius pressed himself close to the edge of the wall where it turned inwards into the portal room. He held his sword to his side in a sort of half fool¡¯s-guard, out of sight but ready to be used in a moment''s notice.


    The sounds of panicked movement continued unabated.


    Craning his neck, Kaius poked his head around the cave wall. The portal room looked much like he had left it. A deluge had flowed through, stray water captured with the unwilling subject of the magical transportation. It had flooded the room with a thin film of water, pushing old fish carcases to the edge of the room.


    The object of his curiosity stood at the rear of the room. Wet and bedraggled, it faced away from him, rearing up on its hind legs to claw at jagged stone as its tapered snout reached for the now deactivated circle of runes a full body length above it on the ceiling.


    Shaped closest to a common badger, a little meles, it was stout of leg and long of tail. Standing on its hind legs as it was, it was easily as tall as him. A thick and dark red coat covered its hide, tapered in a gradient that deepend to a red so deep it looked black. Its brush with the falls far above had left the hair plastered to its body, revealing the rippling musculature that was normally hidden within.


    Kaius knew that if it faced him, he would see that the almost-black at the edges of its coat would cover its chest and front legs, tapering up its throat to split into a set of stripes that traces the contours of its powerful jaws and dense brow.


    Jaw dropping open with sheer disbelief, his fingers slackened on his blade. Almost letting the weapon clatter noisily against the ground below.


    It was a fucking greater meles!


    Staring at the impossibility, Kaius tried to wrap his head around how a King of the Forest had ended up in the Outskirts. Had somehow fallen into a river? Had gotten itself trapped in the same section of the Depths as him.


    It was small too, far smaller than he had expected from the stories. Obviously he had never seen one in person, they were supposed to be the single most magically potent creature of the Sea. Intelligent, powerful, and with a placid demeanour that hid a fury that could level cities. They never left the core regions of the forest, at least that is what Hastur had told him.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Was it a child?


    The greater meles, apparently accepting that it wouldn''t be able to climb the sheer rock wall, let out a huff and dropped to all fours. Shaking its head, it started to turn.


    Kaius¡¯s eyebrows shot upwards, the movement jolting him out of his shock as a spike of dread that shot down his spine. Yanking his head back from the corner he leaned back into the wall. Chest rising, he took deep breaths, his eyes staring at nothing while his thoughts raced.


    Killing it would be wrong, if he was even confident that he could. They were almost sacred. They were, quite literally, to some of the elven conclaves that made their homes in the deep reaches of the Sea. He forced his breathing to slow, lest the noise give him away.


    Greater meles weren¡¯t supposed to be blood thirsty. It wasn¡¯t a dumb animal, no greater beast was, even the young ones. He could just try to talk to it..?


    He focused on his breathing, heart slowly slowing to make the pace of the slow rise and fall of his chest. Talking to it was probably the best idea. If it was simply a lost young one, he doubted it would be able to make it free of the Depths by itself.


    There were rumours of greater meles rewarding travellers that had aided them in some way. Stories of strange blessings and valuable reagents handed out in abundance. Mostly stories he had heard from ageing hunters in the rare times he and his father had shared their fire. If those stories held a nugget of truth, and he managed to return the young one to its den¡­


    Making up his mind, Kaius nodded to himself. He would do it.


    With a smooth motion he sheathed his sword. As softly as he could to avoid startling the creature. Kaius could still hear it breathing. Heavy pants that cut themselves short. Realising that he probably wouldn''t be able to avoid startling the daylights out of the creature he stifled a wince.


    ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± He thought.


    Taking a final deep breath to steady his nerves, Kaius spoke out calm and steady.


    ¡°Ho, greater meles, I mean you no harm.¡± The words bounced around the cave. He received no response, no longer hearing the deep breaths of the greater beast. The silence hung painfully, his unease growing with every additional moment.


    Head bowed as he scrunched his eyes, Kaius hoped and waited for some sort of reaction. His head came back up. He had to show himself, make sure it knew he wasn''t a waiting threat.


    Gnawing at his lip, Kaius forced himself to step forward, turning to face the portal room. Arms reached out slightly to his side, palms spread to show empty arms. He stopped at the threshold. Across the cavern the badger-like creature had backed up against the stone wall.


    Baring its teeth, the meles held up its considerable bulk on stout legs. Its position was held with ease, staying far more stable than a rearing bear. Its bulky arms were held at the ready, tipped with thick black claws designed to tear through earth and stone.


    Just like he had expected, its front was coated in an almost black red, excluding the few sections of deep orange-red that peaked through the lines on its face. Its legs were trembling, and its nostrils flared with disconcerting speed at each panicked breath.


    Kaius went to take another step. The meles barked, a concussive blast hitting him in an instant to ring his ears. He stopped, foot hovering over the stone.


    ¡°Easy.. I don''t want to hurt you. I¡¯ve been trapped here for weeks.¡± His tone stayed even and calm, seeking to placate the creature''s fear with a soft smile.


    The meles hackles rose, a deep rumble starting in its chest. Something smacked into his mind, forcing aside innate defences, bringing with it a confusing jumble of images.


    He saw himself standing there, back lit by a sinister blue halo of pulsing light. His posture was all wrong. Hands outstretched, poised to grapple and tear. Teeth bared in an open threat. He loomed in the entrance way, speaking a predator''s lies that were only half understood as he tried to worm his way in for the kill.


    Shocked, Kaius snapped his mouth shut, pulling his arms down into his sides. He took a step back.


    ¡°Woah. I¡¯ll stay over here. I''m serious, I grew up in the forest. I would never hurt one of your kind.¡±


    Dark amber eyes drilled into him, the meles responding to his statement with a snap. Another deluge of strange sensory information washed over him, to coloured by scent and sound to be parsed easily. An impression, clear and strong, ran over his strange connection with the meles.


    ¡°Lies!¡± It seemed to say.


    Eyebrows furrowed, confused at the accusation.


    ¡°Why would I lie?¡± Kaius said evenly, focusing on keeping his posture as still and neutral as he was able.


    Images flicked across in a rapid fire blast. Distant mountains. A warning to never cross their peaks, of poor hunting grounds and unsavoury persons. A burning curiosity silenced with a heavy paw. Setting off alone, a meles grown, to explore the strange place. A cacophony of scents, thin air almost absent of the ever present thrum of roiling mana.


    Of seeing figures, garbed in woven plant material and the skins of their kills, so similar to the elves he had seen a time or two. The hot bite of flying twigs. Burning cuts and leaking wounds. He saw himself corralled. Hunted for the first time in his life. Fleeing as fast as his paws could carry him. Throwing himself into the depths of the river, struggling to keep his head above the raging rapids that ripped him away from the shore.


    His gaze focused on the figures that skidded to a stop at the water''s edge, focusing on them with a dizzying clarity. The leading man was a lanky figure. Holding a naked sabre in one hand, he was garbed in leather amour, high quality but poorly maintained. A crooked nose, jagged from an old impact that had left a thick scar stretching from bridge to orbit.


    Kaius recoiled from the connection, his mind reeling back into the immediacy of the present. Fury roiled inside him as he recognised the face. It was the leader of the bandits. He¡¯d never forget that scar. It took a special type of injury for Health to be unable to fully recover a wound. There were also less of them. Barely even a handful, compared to the numbers that had ambushed him and Father. His father had done some damage.


    But if they were still on the plateau¡­


    Kaius clenched his fist, futile frustration surging through him. A low growl from the meles snapped him back to the present. Taking a deep breath, he loosened his hand. Letting it fall to his side.


    ¡°No. I am not with them. Nor are they representative of my kind. I lived on that plateau for years, and know far better than to hunt a greater meles,¡± Kaius huffed, his shoulders slumping before looking back up to look back into amber eyes.


    ¡°No, those men hunted me too. I was driven over the falls. Chased off lest I let them kill me. My father stayed behind¡­ I¡¯m not sure if he made it.¡± His eyes drifted downwards, burning as he thought of the potential fate of his father.


    The hackles of the meles fell, its growl petering out. It was still tense. Still ready and willing to barrel towards him at the slightest provocation, but it had paused at his words. It¡¯s mental connection reached back out, tentative as it brushed his mind.


    ¡°Tell me.¡±

 Chapter 27: How to Win Friends and Influence People

    Kaius sat on the cavern floor, jagged rocks digging into his back. The natural stone made a poor backrest, but his chain vest saved him from the worst of discomfort. He¡¯d moved over from the entrance to the portal room, shifting to the side so as to not block the meles from an exit.


    He was, after all, trying to convince it he was friendly. So far it had gone okay.


    The greater beast sat across the cavern from him. Thin pools of stagnant water and the corpses of fish in varying stages of decomposition layered the ground between them. Remnants from both of their entrances to the depths, and those of prior ones.


    Settled down on to its haunches, the meles eyed him with a quiet intensity as it rested its head on its front paws. As they had talked, the creature''s fur had begun to dry out. Returning to a dense fluffy halo of red tapering to black. It - he, Kaius reminded himself - looked so bloody soft.


    The flickering mental connection that the meles had forged between them pulsed as it transmitted more thoughts and sensations to him. As their chat had progressed, Kaius had been getting better at parsing the information into something resembling language. That, or the meles¡¯ sharp mind had been able to pick up on how he structured communication, and was making it easy for him.


    ¡°So they chased you from your hunting grounds, challenging your Patriarch without honour?¡± The almost words echoed with notes of indignation for the bandits'' offence. Kaius nodded emphatically.


    ¡°Yeah, and now I - we - are trapped down here. At least until I am strong enough to deal with the Guardian. If I wait for my class that''s going to be about two years,¡± He responded, frustration creeping into his tone as he thought of the yawning length of time ahead of him.


    ¡°You are not yet grown? But you are larger than those ¡­ vermin¡­ that trapped us down here?¡± The meles words carried overtures of confusion, a biting venom suffusing its emotions as its mind had drifted over the bandits.


    Kaius laughed. One he quickly cut off as the meles jumped slightly at the sudden noise.


    ¡°Sorry about that. It means I¡¯m amused.¡± Kaius gingerly scratched the back of his head. Snorting in acknowledgement, the meles settled back down.


    ¡°Most peoples like my own, human or otherwise, are already full grown for a couple of years before we gain our class. Like I said, mine is two years off.¡± He continued.


    With a chitter the meles ever so slightly cocked his head at him. ¡°I see.. It is somewhat different for us beasts. A full connection to the ancestral power brings with it ¡­ significant changes. I am a summer or two off from it myself.¡±


    Pushing off with its back legs, the meles dipped into a deep leaning stretch before it fully rose to its feet. It took a sniff and sneezed, pawing at its nose.


    ¡°The fish here are disgusting, take me to your den.¡± It demanded, its imperious tone unable to hide the undercurrent of uncertainty in its emotions. Kaius shot back a warm smile, making sure to hide his teeth. He¡¯d made sure the meles knew it was a friendly gesture, but it had yet to fully get over its discomfort at the sight of a grin.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to.¡±


    <hr>


    Kaius stifled a chuckle as the meles huffed in frustration as its heavy body slowly skidded down the scree slope, a great cloak of dust billowing out behind it.


    He found it impossible to forget what the creature was, but he also couldn''t deny just how young the creature came across as. Even the size of a small bear, he didn''t miss that its paws seemed just a little too oversized, its demeanour flicking to anxiously scan the tree line just a little too often.


    He lengthened his steps, feet sinking deep into the loose gravel. Pulling up alongside the greater beast, he laid his hand on its shoulder. Fingers sunk deep into hyper dense fur as he gave it a pat.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I''ve already cleared out this area of the glade. Even if something has wandered back in, I have yet to find something I haven''t been able to handle myself. With the two of us, we would be more than okay - if we are careful.¡±


    The meles huffed, but leaned back into his touch all the same.


    ¡°I know that! It''s just¡­ The Matriarchs warned me off this place, at least until I had reached the next stage of life.¡± The meles light touch on his mind bringing with it the sight of a massive beast, easily towering over the younger creature. The image radiated with the familiar certainty of safety. Smelled of home.


    Kaius stiffened as the blare of a system notification dragged at his attention.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Empathetic Communication (Uncommon)?**


    ¡°No.¡± He thought, quickly dismissing the prompt. Attention turned back to the meles as he scratched its shoulder, luxuriating in the softness of its coat as the individual fibres parted between his hands, bunching between his fingers with a feather light touch. He had the strange sense that he must be dreaming, who got to actually pet a greater meles?


    Dragging his focus back to their conversation, his fingers continued to twist through its fur absentmindedly.


    ¡°Your mother?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No,¡± the meles snorted. ¡°Matriarch, the oldest mothers of the den. Keepers of knowledge, and ruiners of all fun.¡±


    They reached the bottom of the slope, quickly pushing into the trees that grew with density as they got further into the glade.


    ¡°She said that the Guardians were too strong, that it was littered with obstacles designed for those who walked on two legs. Without the strength to simply overwhelm everything before you, you would simply get trapped, and eventually starve.¡± The meles tried to hide it, but Kaius caught the undercurrent of fear that thrummed across the connection the creature had forged with him.


    ¡°Ah, that. The Guardian is going to be a problem, but it is one that we do not need to rush into. They stay in their chambers, and we can wait until we have a surety of success before we challenge it.¡± Kaius said reassuringly.


    ¡°As for obstacles¡­ I assume your Matriarch was talking about traps. I haven''t seen any yet, but if we come across them I have a skill to both detect and disarm them. We should be fine.¡±


    The meles huffed in response, an image of a stable and secure burrow with thick walls flicking across, an undercurrent of gratitude and resolve shining through.


    Up ahead, Kaius spied another one of the gladeplum trees. He stopped for a moment, taking the opportunity to fill up his pack with several of the delicious fruits.


    The meles approached, sniffing one of the cracked, almost scaly, exteriors of the purple fruit. Its eyes widened, backing up as it batted at its nose with one paw.


    Poison! It said with suspicion, eying kaius as its lips peeled back to reveal a hint of teeth as the hair on its hackles stood on end.


    ¡°Woah buddy, I know!¡± He said, arms rising placatingly. ¡°It¡¯s not for you. The poison only puts you to sleep, and it''s a useful way for me to train one of my skills without too much danger.¡±


    ¡°You will not make me eat this?¡± Teeth were still revealed, but the hair on its neck and back flattened again.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Nope. Though it would be good if you could watch over me when I eat them.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ Though eating poison seems silly.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, it''s better than the alternative.¡± A hint of grim certainty entered his voice.


    The meles dropped the matter, simply watching as Kaius threw on his pack. The pair walked on, deeper into the glade.


    After walking for a while longer, softly glowing foliage parted ahead of the pair. The break in the tree line revealed the edge of the wall that circled the church and its accompanying graveyard. It was a sight for sore eyes, Kaius breaking out into a wide smile as he took in the sight of his basecamp.


    He jogged forward, waving to the startled meles to follow him.


    ¡°Come on! We¡¯re here. I¡¯ll get the fire started.¡± He said, jogging backwards for a few steps as he called out to his new companion.


    <hr>


    Kaius sat on his cloak, facing the flickering warm of the hearth. The meles laid below the fire, stretched out to full extension as it tried its best to absorb every scrap of the radiant heat. A pile of jerky sat in front of the greater beast, its tongue snaking out to snatch it up one morsel at a time.


    Glad that his new companion was enjoying the fare, Kaius felt relieved that he had been so overzealous with turning as many of the beasts he hunted into storable food that he could. An apex predator ate a lot.


    Kaius chewed on some of his own jerky, chasing it down with some water from one of the skins.


    ¡°So, how exactly do you plan on getting through the guardian?¡± the meles asked.


    ¡°Well, I''m not sure how it works for beasts, but I have ten general skills that I need to cap before I get my class. If we are lucky, that might be enough. Unfortunately, I have .. extra things to work on, so it will be a tight deadline.¡±


    ¡°You are merging then? That is good, my Matriarch had said that it was rare amongst the two legged.¡±


    ¡°You know of legacy skills?!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± The meles looked up from the pile to cock its head at him. ¡°Beasts have general skills too, though unlike you we are born with access to the system. I merged my set years ago, I have just been waiting to find the right skill for my final slot¡±.


    Kaius sat dead silent, shocked at the revelation, but also disconcerted with how easily his secret had been revealed.


    ¡°Do you have a full set? I don¡¯t think most of mine would work for a two legged, but I am happy to try if you do not.¡± The meles continued, unnoticing of Kaius¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°Do not share that with anyone else!¡± Kaius blurted out, the intensity of his words causing the meles ears to flick back. Kaius sighed, softening his voice.


    ¡°I appreciate the trust, but that is dangerous knowledge. Merged skills are jealously guarded amongst my people. There''s a chance that the whole reason those men were looking for me and my father was for our skills.¡± His shoulders slumped.


    The meles pushed itself up, plodding over to lie by next to him as it set its massive head in his lap.


    ¡°I am sorry. I did not know that. It makes little sense to me, but we are den mates now. I will keep your secret.¡±


    Kaius scratched the creature behind the ears, watching as its eyelids half closed. He had only known the meles for a handful of hours, but it had no reason to lie to him. He wasn''t even sure if its mind worked that way.


    He supposed, in many ways, that the creature was as starved for company as he was. Lesser meles, the black and white critters, were intensely social beings. From the memories the greater beast had shown him, it was much the same for their distant regal cousins.


    He decided to trust him.


    ¡°It is¡­strange to say this outloud.¡± Kaius¡¯s voice faltered, admitting his deepest secret felt wrong. ¡°I do have a full set, but I am only working on my fourth.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your trust, Kaius.¡± The meles communication was faltering, a sense of trepidation and uncertainty emanating from across the link.


    ¡°You¡¯re not used to names are you?¡± He said with a half-grin.


    The meles huffed. ¡°It is not my fault! I am me, you are you. Names only make sense if you try to talk through air. Mind connection is so much easier!¡± Frustration bled through the link.


    His laugh belted out across the interior of the church, causing the meles to look up at him affronted.


    ¡°Well, as someone who does have to speak through the air, I¡¯m going to have to give you a name. I can''t keep calling you ¡®the meles¡¯ in my head.¡± He said.


    ¡°Do as you wish.¡± The meles said, settling back down.


    ¡°Alright moody, may as well call you Porkchop if you care that little.¡± He muttered, the words barely making it past his lips.


    The meles flicked its ears. ¡°Heard that. Porkchop works, it will make people underestimate my might!¡± Porkchop said with a flash of enthusiasm.


    Kaius laughed. ¡°Somehow I think it wont work quite as well as you would hope. But Porkchop it is.¡± He thought back to what the meles had said earlier. ¡°How on earth have you already merged nine full skills?¡±


    I already told you, us greater beasts gain access at birth, I have had them for years. Most of the time it took me was spent on deciding which ones I wanted.


    ¡°Wait, you got to pick?!¡± His voice was incredulous, the idea of merged skills being in such abundance that choice was a valid concern was entirely foreign.


    ¡°Of course, the den is old, and the Matriarchs often trade them like choice hunting grounds during meets. You did not?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius spluttered. Shocked at Porkchop¡¯s unknowing privilege. It took him several tries to eventually get across that, yes, he really did just have one set. And no, he really could not just trade his knowledge with others.


    According to Porkchop, trading skill knowledge was common amongst the greater meles. Every few springs, dens would meet in a great congregation. Apparently during these meets, the Matriarchs of the various dens liked to trade merged skills like they were housewives swapping recipes.


    The idea of that was as foreign to Kaius as the idea of kidnapping someone for their knowledge was to Porkchop. The meles simply could not wrap his head around the fact that without enough power to back you, there was nothing you could do to stop someone taking what they wanted by force. It just simply wasn¡¯t done amongst his kind.


    ¡°I still think that is ridiculous, you would all benefit so much more if the information was traded. It makes it much easier to find new ones when you have lots of points of comparison.¡± Porkchop said, still struggling to accept his explanation.


    ¡°Yeah, well, It is what it is. People don¡¯t really think about how to make sure everyone benefits, just how to ensure they have more.¡± Kaius sighed, putting his hands behind him to slump backwards


    ¡°That¡¯s sad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, It is.¡± Kaius agreed. Life certainly would have been easier without such a monumental secret hanging over his head. He would never feel guilty for making the most of his birth-right, but if he could, it would have been nice to share it with someone, and have something shared in turn.


    ¡°Well, on the topic of skills. You might be able to help me with my next one.¡± He said.


    Porkchop sat up quickly, ears flicking forwards to train on him. ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still working on a defensive skill, and if we were able to spar, I would be able to merge it a lot faster. I¡¯m not really confident in properly exploring this biome until I do.¡± His voice was calm, testing the waters. For all Porkchop¡¯s friendliness, the meles was still a greater beast, and as he had found, had a far different culture than he was used to. He had no idea how the request would go down.


    Porkchop surged to his feet, ears flicking. ¡°You want to wrestle!¡± Palpable joy bubbled across their connection, Porkchop visibly vibrating with excitement as he hopped up and down on its front feet.


    Kaius sighed in relief, smiling at the creature. ¡°Yeah, I guess I do. Tomorrow though, I only just got back from walking around this entire glade. I should probably take a nap.¡±


    Porkchop drooped. ¡°Okay¡­ I will watch while you rest,¡± he said, his voice bordering on despondent.


    Thankful, Kaius reached over to his bag and retrieved the glade plums he had secured earlier. ¡°Great, because once I eat these I will most likely not wake up until the poison has just worn off.¡±


    Porkchop flicked his ears in acknowledgement, still sulking at the delay to their spar.


    Laying down his cloak and getting comfortable, Kaius scarfed down the fruits, enjoying their succulent sweetness.


    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Gladeplum Lethargy**


    The heavy weight of clawing sleep dragged him down quickly. Kaius didn''t even try to resist, not with how exhausted he was.


    As his eyes drifted closed, he distantly registered the sensation of something soft and warm saddling up close to him.

 Chapter 28: Wrestling

    Standing in the graveyard in front of the church, Kaius held his sheath in both hands like a sword. It was just as well made and enchanted as the blade itself, so it could more than stand up to the abuse of a spar.


    Porkchop stood across from him, the massive badger-like creature almost bouncing from foot to foot with excitement. Together they had managed to clear a large section of headstones. Porkchop had used his digging claws to uproot the slabs of stone, while Kaius heaved them away on aching limbs.


    He¡¯d managed to squeeze into the old breastplate he had scavenged from one of the undead guards of the church. Much like his chain, it didn''t fit well at all, pinching and scrapping at his chest. He wouldn''t want to use it in an actual fight, but he should be able to gain his skill fine in a spar.


    Ideally, he would cap off the skill quickly. Heavy armour had never been his style, far too constricting - it slowed him down. Judging by the deluge of playful energy that bled across their link, Kaius didn''t think that Porkchop would mind that all too much.


    ¡°Wrestling!¡± His new companion barked.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. Remember, the idea is for you to try to knock me here,¡± Kaius rapped his knuckle against his breastplate. ¡°While I try to defend myself with this thing here.¡± He waved his scabbard at the meles.


    ¡°Wrestling!!!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Alright buddy, I¡¯m ready when you are.¡± Kaius settled into a close-guard, pulling his mock blade into his armpit. He¡¯d have to hold back a bit, no need to sour a budding friendship by bludgeoning Porkchop too hard.


    Porkchop hoofed in excitement, rising onto his rear legs to quickly slam back into the ground. Claws dug in.


    The meles blurred.


    Something hit him in the chest. Hard. His breastplate clanged, driving into his sternum with a winding force. Kaius sailed backwards, shoulder catching the dirt. Sending him into an uncontrolled rolling flail. His arm caught under him, wrenching at his shoulder terribly as his scabbard flew free of his grip.


    He skidded to a stop, lying flat on his back. Wondering what the fuck had just happened.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± Panic flooded his connection with Porkchop, the creature bounding over to him.


    Pushing himself up with a wince, Kaius felt his Health flood out to heal a dozen scrapes and bruises. He held up a hand, waving off the meles concern. Porkchop ignored him, shoving his nose at him. Checking to make sure he wasn¡¯t too injured.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright buddy.¡± He said, patting the meles¡¯ head. ¡°What the hell was that though. I didn¡¯t even see you!¡±


    Porkchop pulled back, expression impossible to read on its animal face.


    ¡°..Wrestling?¡± The connection made the emotion clear. He was bloody embarrassed.


    Kaius couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°That is what you call wrestling? Hells. I¡¯m so screwed.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to stop?¡± Porkchop asked anxiously.


    ¡°No,¡± He shook his head. ¡°I need this. Need to cap these skills as fast as I can. It¡¯s for the best you can push me this hard. Though you should probably slow down enough that I can bloody react.¡±


    Ears perking up, Porkchop bounced to his feet. The meles ran back to their starting area in the centre of the cleared headstones.


    ¡°More wrestling! Gentle wrestling.¡± Porkchop clarified after a moment.


    Kaius simply shook his head, walking over to retrieve his scabbard.


    ¡°This is going to suck so much¡± He thought to himself.


    Kaius moved to stand across from Porkchop, dropping into his stance once more.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Porkchop chuffed in excitement. Thick claws bit deep into the earth, providing the necessary traction for the bear-sized greater beast to bring himself up to speed. A decided visible speed this time.


    Though still not slow. Not at all.


    Barreling towards him, Porkchop¡¯s exposed teeth juxtaposed his bright eyes and easy expression. One claw swiped. Kaius moved to parry. The paw swished, diving under his guard. Another clang on his breastplate. He stumbled as Porkchop rapped him ¡®gently¡¯ on the chest with his claws.


    Kaius tried to step back, pivoting on his front foot to slide around his new friend¡¯s guard. Porkchop was too fast. Advancing on him to smack him in the ribs, a little harder than the last. Claws scrapped on metal with a squeal, sending him stumbling to the side.


    Frustration mounted. He should be able to do something. This was embarrassing!


    Lashing out with his scabbard, Kaius tried to smack him over the head. Porkchop reared up. One paw blurring to intercept his attack. He braced, ready for the collision. It didn¡¯t help. Porkchop smacked his scabbard away with ease. The meles slashed towards his chest with his other paw. He brought his scabbard around, trying to block the swing.


    Well positioned defence wasn¡¯t enough. Porkchop simply crushed his guard, sheath and claw crashing heavily into his chest together. The blow drove the air from his lungs, sending him reeling back.


    Kaius fell backwards, thick chest plate doing little to stop his head from smacking painfully into the ground.


    ¡°You holding up okay??


    Groaning in response, Kaius sat up. ¡°Hells, Porkchop. How are you so gods-damned strong?¡±


    ¡°Stats work on the body, and I have a good body¡±. His tone was undeniably smug. ¡°Plus, good skills.¡±


    He grunted. It made sense. Didn''t mean it was any less bullshit. Kaius hauled himself to his feet, levelling his scabbard once more. Porkchop flicked his ears with excitement as he settled into a crouch.


    ¡°Again.¡±


    Yay!


    <hr>


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Heavy Armour Mastery (Uncommon)?**


    Kaius gasped in relief. Half an hour. Half a bloody hour of being tossed around the graveyard like a chew toy. Porkchop was relentless, and seemingly full of infinite enthusiasm for smacking him around.


    ¡°Wait! I got it!¡± Kaius hurriedly called out. Porkchop halted mid swing, halfway through sending him tumbling across the dirt. Again.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Aww. What¡¯d you get?¡± Porkchop asked, dropping to all fours.


    ¡°Heavy Armour Mastery. Now I just need to finish capping the skills.¡± Kaius replied, gleeful that his next legacy skill was within reach.


    The spar had already done some work on that front. Earning him another level in Footwork, and two in Light Armour Mastery. That last one had surprised him. As best he guessed, the way his armoured jacked was softening the blows he had been taking to his breastplate was enough to count.


    ¡°¡­More wrestling?¡± Porkchop asked


    Kaius¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°Yeah. Not right now though. I want to check on my new skill.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Porkchop replied, clearly excited at the prospect of more spars.


    Kaius dropped his hand to his friend''s shoulder. The duo walked over to the church, where Kaius planted his back against the wall and slid down onto the ground. He ached. The breastplate had done its job. None of Porkchop¡¯s heavy strikes had done enough individual damage to really drain his Health, but each smack had done enough to leech a few points. Over the course of a whole spar? He was down to half.


    His Stamina, on the other hand, was completely drained. Exhaustion had well and truly set in. Reaching out to snag a waterskin he had left by the wall earlier, Kaius splashed a little on his face. The tepid water soothing his flushed skin.


    A few quick quaffs quenched his throat. He poured some into Porkchop¡¯s waiting mouth, chuckling as he struggled to not spill the water. He¡¯d need to get some sort of bowl or trough for him, though either way they would probably have to make a daily trip to the river with how big he was.


    Looking over the graveyard, Kaius relaxed into the wall and pulled up his latest skill.


    Heavy Armour Mastery:


    Level 1


    Uncommon


    Proper defence, the kind that lets you stand on the front lines, has weight. It¡¯s hefty, restrictive, and burdensome. It¡¯s also the only thing that will keep you, and your allies, safe in the face of a pouncing Gygax beast.


    Skill that increases the defensive efficacy of worn heavy armour, and decreases armour weight.


    Each level slightly increases the integrity of worn heavy armour.


    Each level minutely decreases the encumbrance of worn heavy armour.


    ¡°Is it good?¡± Porkchop asked, nudging him with his nose when he didn''t respond.


    ¡°Ehhh.¡± Kaius tilted his hand back and forth. ¡°So so. The final skill will be. It¡¯s a broad defensive skill, it¡¯ll help a lot regardless of which armour I will use. A lot of my general skills are like that.¡±


    ¡°What''s your goal?¡± Porkchop asked, curious.


    Kaius looked quizzically at his new companion, surprised by the abrupt question.


    ¡°What? Like after we get out of here?¡± He responded.


    ¡°No. Your class. You talk about the broad base, not what you wish to use it for.¡± Porkchop explained.


    ¡°Oh..¡± Kaius supposed he had never really talked about it. It was something he had been working on for a while, had workshopped with his father. Father had gone the route of a runic inscriptionist - a runewright. Large workings that took time and preparation. It was a strong class in its element, but he had heard enough stories from his father to know that its lack of immediate force projection had forced Father to rely on his general skills far more than not.


    He loved runes. Found them fascinating. Yet casting held his attention just as much. Many considered both to be incompatible. Casters channel. Inscriptionists spent hours - days - working on formations. Worse, focusing on either for his class would relegate Warforged and his upcoming skill to a supportive role. A stop gap measure.


    No, he had something else planned. He drifted to the memory of when he had first told his father.


    Father walked beside him, pushing away an errant branch that was just low enough to brush his head.


    ¡°Body formations? Niche things. What''s with the sudden interest in runes?¡± His father looked at him with a questioning look and a cocked brow.


    Kaius squirmed under his gaze. It was a stupid idea.


    ¡°Well, you mentioned that some delvers carry single use formations. Primed spell effects that were too niche for a dedicated skill, but would take too long to make with freeform channelling when they were needed? I was wondering if you could do something similar with tattoos,¡± he answered.


    Father scratched his chin, falling silent as he pondered on the question.


    ¡°Fascinating. I don''t see why not. It could solve the issue of anything more than a cantrip needing far too much power for a trinket. It would be ruinously complex though. An anchor to subordinate lengthy runic hymns. Hmm.¡± Hastur started to mutter under his breath, talking his way through enchanting concepts that flew far over Kaius¡¯s head.


    His heart skipped a beat. He hadn¡¯t expected that it might actually be possible. Kaius kept walking with just a little more bounce to his step.


    The memory faded. Kaius turned to his friend with a smile. The theory was there, he just needed to put it into practice.


    ¡°I want to cast and use swordplay. Channelling is usually too focus intensive to use from the front lines, but I have an idea. It should work, there is no reason it shouldn¡¯t. I won''t know for sure until I have my fifth through seventh skills though..¡±


    ¡°Experimentation is good! Especially when there are no Matriarchs watching¡­¡± Porkchop said. Pride flowed across the connection, but so did a hint of embarrassment.


    Kaius cocked an eyebrow at that.


    ¡°Oh? And what did you do that got you yelled at, huh?¡± He asked, a smile tugging at his mouth.


    ¡°Ahhh. I did well! Merged a higher order manipulation skill! Multiple sequential merges! By myself!¡± Porkchop replied


    ¡°You got in trouble for merging a skill? I thought you basically got a free choice?¡±


    ¡°Ah. That.¡± Porkchop said, a little embarrassed. ¡°I may have not asked the Matriarch, and we had already known how to merge crystal? I thought she might eat me.¡±


    Kaius laughed, deep from his belly.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think to ask?¡± He said in disbelief.


    ¡°Hmm. No. In my defence I had already picked metal! And crystal is pretty close to metal, only one step higher!¡±


    ¡°Reckless.¡± Kaius said, shaking his head.


    Porkchop huffed, nudging him roughly enough that he had to stick his arm out to stop from toppling over.


    ¡°You sound like the Matriarchs.¡±


    Chuckling, Kaius pushed himself back up, playfully shoving Porkchop¡¯s head off him before he asked what was on his mind.


    ¡°And what of you? What do you wish from your class? Or whatever it is that you beasts get.¡±


    Porkchop shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little different. We commune with the ancestral blood. Body changes, skills tied to new form. Not so flexible as a class, I will most likely always be a Forest King. The Voice will only give me options that would suit me. I am happy to just pick what looks best when it happens.¡± He explained.


    Kaius leaned forwards in interest. It wasn¡¯t every day that you got insight into how the system worked for greater beasts.


    ¡°Sounds nice. More time with your general skills, no need to stress about influencing your class. Time to just enjoy life.¡± Kaius said, envious.


    Porkchop snorted, shoving his cold nose into Kaius¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°No being grumpy. You can change. That is bigger than you know. Becoming more than a greater meles is almost impossible for me. Becoming more than just Kaius only requires work.¡±


    Grunting in acknowledgment, Kaius batted his friend away. He knew that Porkchop was right. It still grated at him. He wanted to be done now, to slay the Guardian and escape. He¡¯d already been down here for weeks. He had years left. Years.


    At the very least when he had finished this skill he would actually feel confident pushing deeper into the glade, and the Depths as a whole. The whole glowing trees thing lost its shine after the first few days. After that? It wouldn¡¯t be too long until he could start his experimentation with magic. A familiar swell of excitement welled up in him, filling his limbs with a bubbling energy that made him want to hop on the spot.


    Magic. He couldn¡¯t wait.


    ¡°Hey Porkchop?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been avoiding pushing into the centre of this glade for a while now. I¡¯ve been waiting until I have my next skill. Want to help me get it as fast as we can?¡± He asked, looking at Porkchop expectantly.


    His friend pounced to his feet, flying a full stride in the air. Porkchop landed with a heavy thud, every part of his body practically vibrating with excitement.


    ¡°More wrestling?!¡±


    Kaius laughed, pushing up. ¡°Yeah buddy. A lot more wrestling.¡±

 Chapter 29: Training

    A month. A whole bloody month. More than a month, in actuality. Kaius was sure that his bruises had bruises, Health or no. A whole damn month of being Porkchop¡¯s chew toy. Tossed around the graveyard like a sack of flour. He never seemed to run out of energy. Never seemed to get tired of having the upper hand.


    Hells! Kaius was pretty sure that the fact he was so totally out outmatched made the whole thing more fun to Porkchop! He had gotten better at least. He didn''t get thrown around nearly as much in their most recent tussles. Kaius chose to simply ignore the fact that Porkchop was definitely moving a lot slower than he could.


    It was so worth it. His growth had been explosive. At first, he had been worried that without the mortal threat of true combat his skills would stall. That his timeline would be set back, no matter how much sense it made for his safety.


    The sheer physical superiority Porkchop had over him had reduced that drawback to almost nothing. The meles was seemingly a prodigy at controlling his strength. No matter what he did, the meles was just that much stronger and faster than him, pushing him to his absolute limit. As Kaius¡¯s skills had grown, so had the pressure. Kaius improved his Parry and Footwork just enough to start avoiding blows? Porkchop sped up. His Armour and Block skills improved to let him hold his ground? Porkchop would hit harder, forcing him back.


    Now he only had a few more levels left before he was ready to merge his next legacy skill.


    He stood out in the opening they had created in the graveyard, Porkchop directly across from him. He¡¯d discarded his breastplate in favour of chain. He¡¯d fully capped Heavy Armour Mastery over a week ago, the process leaving the metal of the armour bent and dented. Almost entirely useless now.


    The field was torn to shreds, great gouts of earth ripped free from the ground from the way Porkchop dug his claws in to gain traction. Shattered cobblestones littered the edges of their impromptu area. They¡¯d done their best to clear them, but he¡¯d been thrown through more than one after an overzealous blow.


    ¡°Last one, yeah?¡± Porkchop asked, anticipation flowing over their ever strengthening link.


    ¡°Yeah. Just a level of Block and Medium Armour Mastery.¡± Kaius called out, his own excitement visible in the smile on his face.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°Ready.¡± He nodded, settling into his stance.


    Porkchop dug his claws into the earth and tore another rent into the ground, stout claws kicking up a cloud of dirt. Accelerating to full speed in a single bound.


    Kaius held his trusty scabbard at the ready. No longer awkward in his grip after a month of full contact sparring. Reaching him in under a second, Porkchop feinted a tackle. Kaius pivoted to the side, stepping to avoid the charging hulk of muscle and fur.


    Dragging his claws on the ground, Porkchop used the leverage to bring himself up short. A heavy paw lashed out, coming down over Kaius¡¯s head. He reacted, slamming out with his ¡®blade¡¯ to block the strike, maximising his leverage by catching the blow close to his hands.


    Porkchop simply pushed down harder.


    The weight of the beast was overwhelming. Forcing Kaius¡¯s guard back, his hands shaking. He was allowed to struggle for a bit, to strain into the block. Then Porkchop smacked him with his other paw, claws raking against his chainmail.


    He wasn¡¯t gentle. Even when pulling his blows.


    Kaius stumbled back, gasping from the impact. Steadying his footing he dove back in, warding Porkchop off with a stab to the face. He reacted like it was a naked blade. Darting to the side before closing in to batter Kaius once again.


    Claws clattered on Kaius¡¯s sheath. A hasty block that barely held.


    Porkchop gave him no quarter, slamming his other paw towards him. Kaius stepped back, catching the blow. He tried to carry through into a stab, aiming for his friend''s undefended chest.


    Porkchop dropped back down to all fours, drawing back and then throwing himself forwards into a heavy shoulder barge. Moving faster than Kaius could bring the point of his scabbard around to ward off the approach.


    A fluffy black and red shoulder hit him in the chest.


    Hard.


    Wind exploded from his chest. He gasped, stumbling to the ground. Porkchop dove forwards, massive jaws clamping over his shoulder. Gently.


    Well, gentle enough not to pierce the chain or crack his bones at least.


    Porkchop heaved. Throwing Kaius across the field with casual ease.


    A panicked yell left his throat as Kaius sailed through the air, dazed at the sudden rough treatment. He landed on a stray tombstone with a crash, stone cracking painfully against his spine. Heat flushed through his body as a trickle of health was consumed to recover from the impact. Porkchop was already approaching, charging him with manic glee.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Kaius just barely managed to roll to the side before the oversized ball of fluffy murder pounced on his chest. He rolled to his feet, bringing his scabbard up just in time to block a heavy swipe of the meles claws. A clack echoed through the yard.


    The scabbard reverberating painfully in his hands, Kaius stepped back, thwacking Porkchop over the head as he disengaged from their bind. Huffing in annoyance, his friend redoubled his assault.


    Kaius gave ground.


    Every step back was a struggle, his strength barely enough to hold up a semblance of defence in the face of Porkchop¡¯s animalistic aggression. A standing headstone bumped into his rear. No more retreat.


    Porkchop reared up, paws descending towards him in an overhand slam.


    Kaius blanched.


    His hands slid down his scabbard as he quickly shifted his grip closer to hold it like a quarterstaff. He all but threw his scabbard upwards, holding it like a horizontal bar to block the blow.


    Heavy claws hit Kaius¡¯s defence. He bucked. Falling down to one knee, arms trembling overhead as they burned with the strain of holding the meles back. Kaius grunted, straining against the overwhelming weight. Transitioning to a roar as he drove his feet into the ground. Forcing himself to stand.


    He shoved against Porkchop¡¯s claws. Trying to get the meles off him. He dropped his left arm, suddenly pushing sideways rather than up. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    With a yelp Porkchop fell to the side, landing roughly on all fours.


    Kaius let out a victorious yell. He adjusted his grip on his scabbard. Readying himself to rap Porkchop over the head.


    **Ding! Warforged has reached level 20!**


    **Ding! Block has reached level 20!**


    He stopped fast. Scabbard hovering a handspan from the meles head.


    ¡°I got it! And Warforged too!¡±


    Porkchop span on him, hoofing in excitement as he butted his head against Kaius¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Yay! Why did Warforged take so long? We have done so much fighting?¡±


    Kaius laughed, still thrilled at the unexpected gain.


    ¡°It¡¯s a skill for multiple weapons. I¡¯ve just been using sword styles for a long time now. Not really enough to really stretch the skill. Blocking like I had a quarterstaff must have been enough.¡± He explained, grabbing Porkchop in a playful headlock as they walked back to the centre of the clearing.


    ¡°Just the armour skill now right?¡± Porkchop asked, their connection strangely absent of contextualising emotion.


    ¡°..Yes? Why?¡±


    Porkchop roared, nearly causing Kaius to jump out of his skin. A paw smashed into the back of his knees. Joints creaked painfully. He collapsed to the ground.


    One heavy foot planted itself on his chest. Holding him down. Porkchop leaned down, jaw hanging open to reveal massive teeth. Leaning over his face. Icy cold shot through him. He was pinned. Had no clue what was going on.


    The teeth grew closer. Hovering over his neck.


    Primal terror.


    And closed over the lip of his chain mail. Porkchop tore backwards. Claws and teeth popping riveted steel with the ease of tearing paper. Kaius lurched forwards, only to stop fast as a heavy slap pushed him back down.Screaming metal gave way in seconds, his armour tearing free of his chest.


    **Ding! Medium Armour Mastery has reached level 20!**


    Porkchop huffed, throwing the section of chain to the side. The meles trotted over to his prize, batting the ruined metal around with flicking sweeps of his claws. Kaius sat up. Chest and back aching from the strain of having chainmail ripped off him like it was threadbare cotton.


    ¡°What the fuck was that, Porkchop!¡± He demanded, his heart racing in his chest.


    ¡°Did it work?¡± Porkchop asked, smug.


    ¡°I mean yeah! But like, warn a guy! What if it hadn''t?¡±


    ¡°Much more effective without a warning. If it didn¡¯t work we could always get you more chain from one of the undead?¡±  His friend replied, looking at him with a cocked head, confusion spilling across their bond.


    Kaius just sighed. Shaking his head. He guessed it had worked. Though for a moment there he had wondered if his new friend had perhaps been a little less friendly than he thought¡­


    Shrugging himself out of the remnants of his armour, Kaius hauled himself to his feet and grabbed his scabbard from where it had been knocked free of his grip.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go inside and merge. You have fun.¡± He said, a little tension creeping into his voice at the thought of how easily Porkchop could have ended him.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep quiet.¡± Porkchop said.


    If he picked up on his discomfort, he didn¡¯t show it. Seemingly more than entertained with throwing a scrap of chain around than following him inside.


    Kaius huffed and walked toward the church.


    <hr>


    Kaius sat on the floor of the church, legs crossed with his arms held comfortably in his lap. The slow rush of his own breathing rang in his ears. Helping to drown out the sounds of the overly energetic Forest King tossing around scraps of metal outside.


    For the second time in less than two months, Kaius dived deep into his centre. The light of his soul became clear in his mind''s eye, looking as real and tangible as if it were hovering in front of him. It hung in an empty space, burning with multi hued golden vigour.


    Three pools of gas orbited his soul, equidistant. One blue, one green, and one red. Each was a different size. Blue, the smallest. Almost half the size of green. While red was half again as big as that. His resources. Watching silently, he could see faint gossamers of coloured energy fly free from the clouds. Falling inwards to join the fire. Excess regeneration vented to be safely discarded.


    Further out he could see his skills. Bundles of pure energy, orbits in sync as they rotated his inner fire without a care for sticking to a consistent plane. Three shone with platinum auras of vibrancy. All but one smaller than the remaining seven, but no less potent for their lacking size.


    One, a riotous mix of colours without end, endlessly contesting dominion over the orb. When one colour seemed like it might be victorious? It was suppressed viciously. Subsumed by another.


    One, the colour of steel and blood. Always warring, always shifting. The orb seemed to physically pulse. As if disdainful of being locked to a single shape.


    The final of the three was more peaceful. Shining greens and blues, calling out in the joy of freedom.


    Rapid Adaptation, Warforged and Explorer¡¯s Toolkit. His three legacy skills. Another would be joining them shortly. His attention drifted to their less glamorous siblings. Honing in on the first one to require his touch.


    A thin tendril of energy stretched from his soul, looking like flowing golden amber. It quested, wavering around the empty space. Reaching for the first skill.


    It connected.


    Sensations slammed through him. A mighty blow aimed for the head, impossible to avoid. A shield interposed, reverberations stinging from the impact. A stream of magical energy, sent with intention to injure and kill. Absorbed and rebuffed. At first, the smallest force was almost impossible struggle to endure, before later earth shattering impacts were shaken off with ease. The surety and simplicity of a pure defence. Withstanding the mightiest of blows. Block. Simple, but powerful.


    Kaius felt the flavour of the skill. Submerging himself in its essence. It was a good tool, one that was a central skill of many soldiers. But it could be so much more.


    Another thread stretched from his soul.


    Impressions followed quickly. Almost a brother to block, so often used in tandem. So complementary. Where Block held fast, this skill diverted with fluid movement and guile. A shattering blow, firmly guided to safety. A gaping opening left behind in its wake. Less brute strength, more smooth action and control. Control of yourself, and of your opponent. Steel flashing, clanking together, guided on a merry dance that left you whole. Parry.


    The skills thrummed. Resonating as threads of soul-fire linked them to his centre.


    On to the next one. Another burning thread cutting through the void.


    Pure mastery of self. The simple joy and pleasure that you are always exactly where you meant to be. Just out of reach. Inside their guard. Slipping past a hasty thrust. Just in range to get access to their throat. Wherever you must. Where Block and Parry relied on furious confrontation, this skill was mastery over the terms of engagement. It was not about avoiding blows, nor about ensuring your own. It was about being the general of your own body. Of being the conductor of a tune that you and your opponents both danced to. Footwork.


    Kaius was starting to feel the strain of it now. A dull throb pulsing just a finger length behind his eyes. The intimate connection to the skills drained him. The act of splitting his attention, of absorbing the totality of a skills function before adding yet more to the load, slowly wearing away at his mental focus.


    His trio of already completed skills seemed to beat down on him. Sucking at his attention. Demanding that they too should be the object of his focus. He blocked them out, focusing on the task at hand. Their burden on the process would only grow as he added to their number. If he couldn¡¯t push them out of his mind, he would fail.


    There was no way he was going to let that happen.


    He clenched his jaw, spinning a thread of gold from his soul towards Toughened Physique.


    The connection snapped into place.


    Skin thickening, like tough leather. Bones growing tough and dense like iron. Flesh hardening like wood. The rhythmic forging of bone and muscle under a thousand thousand repetitive blows. A body reborn under the fires of adversity, every wound more difficult to inflict than the last. The most basic tenant of a living body - adapting under pressure. Where Footwork was mastery of the external world and one''s place in it, Toughened Physique was the certainty that the only true cause of injury was lacking will and applied effort.


    Kaius gasped as he felt the weight of the fourth skill on his mind. His very soul vibrating under the strain of holding all four skills in hand, of finding the thread that linked them. He took a moment to just breathe, mopping at his brow. He exhaled. Slow and steady.


    Just three more.

 Chapter 30: Adamant Body

    Kaius quaked where he sat, his skin growing increasingly clammy. The strain on his mind from holding four skills, from linking them with the light of his soul, was immense. It weighed heavily upon him.


    He had to fight to keep his awareness from drifting to the blaring light of his legacy skills. They beckoned to him, inviting him in to survey their potent depths. It was a trap. They wouldn¡¯t synchronise, weren¡¯t right for what he was trying to create.


    That didn¡¯t stop them from calling him.


    With every skill he merged, the problem would grow worse. It didn¡¯t matter that he would be merging fewer skills as he worked his way through the list. The collection of completed skills that orbited his centre would grow and grow, until the focus needed to merge his last would be almost too much to bear.


    That was a problem for his future. Now, he had a skill to finish.


    Straining, he stretched out his soul to the next skill. The thread of soul stuff quaked. Threatening to dissipate as its increasing length caused it to grow thin and unstable.


    The link snapped into place, conduit thickening with a flash of light and a thrum of power. Light Armour Mastery sang to him. Showing him sights of all it was capable of. Speed and agility. Dancing around blows that were too hard, too strong to resist. Everything stripped down. Honed to a point, unnecessary weight discarded. What could not be avoided only needed to be slowed to avoid death. Speed was defence, turning mortal wounds into glancing blows. Barely felt strikes that did little but mar boiled leather. A skill for those quick of blade and light of feet.


    Kaius tasted iron in his mouth.


    Just a couple more.


    Another tendril stretched from the conflagration at his centre. It was a wispy thing, liable to unspool at any moment. Straining towards the next skill, struggling against the growing demands of the shining trio that watched on in fury. Every finger-length was hard fought. A rumble grew in Kaius¡¯s ears, his back aching against the illusory weight that pressed down on his brow.


    Snap.


    The tendril shot back into his soul, the force of the collision buffeting his centre. The fire flared, his remaining links to his skills shaking. Threatening to come apart at the seams. If he didn''t do something they would break. He would lose the merge and be hit by a backlash, unable to try again for weeks.


    Unacceptable.


    He bore down on his soul, pressuring it with the full weight of his mind. Something cracked. Pain was forgotten. His only thought was to stabilise the connections that he had forged in a tenuous balance. A stream of gaseous red flew free of the cloud of his health. Rushing past the boundaries of his centre to restore him.


    Slowly. Ever so slowly, the ripples eased. He could try again.


    This time he took his time. Reeling on the thread with excessive care. Accepting exhaustion as an easy price for his growth.


    The thread grew thinner and thinner. Barely spiders silk catching the light. It touched the skill. Power thrummed across the link, thickening it. Stabilising.


    Medium Armour Mastery felt similar to its predecessor, yet with marked differences. It acknowledged the necessity of agility. No armour was inviolable. There were always blows that anyone with sense sought to avoid. Yet to sacrifice protection on the altar of speed? Foolish. Defence was an art of balance. Wasting energy on avoiding a blow better dealt with with a thin layer of chain was as bad as layering on so much metal to leave one immobile. It was always about balance.


    Something was running from his eyes. Stinging them in his sockets. A thin stream of red fog still left his centre, revitalising his body. Unimportant. There was just one more.


    Kaius tore at his soul, gripping a flickering wire of amber with all of his mental might. It burned, searing his mind. He tugged it. Forced it outwards. Ignoring the yearning call of the trio of skills that ached for his attention. He could do this. The last one.


    The orb loomed, drawing close. Just a little bit more. It hovered there, a calm ball of hardened steel. Indomitable. The thread was thin now. Cutting him deep as he tried to unravel it further. Threatening to snap.


    He reached it.


    Light thrummed through his self spun web. Connections thicken, growing strong and stout. The pathway he had just forged whispered to him, implacable.


    It was a heavy thing. Steel and iron, layered thick. An impenetrable bulwark that stood fast, defending all with ease. It wasn¡¯t a fast thing. It didn''t need to be. What use was avoiding a blow, when it stood no chance to harm. To be able to wade through an innumerable horde with full surety of safety was true defence. A carapace of steel. A true ward against death. Heavy Armour Mastery.


    The skills stabilised.


    Kaius slumped. Barely avoiding collapse at the sudden reduction of mental strain. His head rang like a bell, and he could still feel blood weeping from his eyes. He didn¡¯t have the time to check himself over. Just one last step.


    He felt the resonation of his skills, the way they thrummed with unrealised potential. He stretched another stream of soul-fire, this time starting from Block. One by one, he connected his skills in a chain of power. Completing a loop.


    Each nexus that he linked caused a pulse of inner light to emit from the previous skills in the chain.


    Snapping the last link into place, Kaius felt his inner world sing.


    Inexorably, the skills slid together as they pulsed. They strained against their bonds, eager to join in a union. They represented safety. Control and surety in his own body. An inviolable testament in the face of would-be harm.


    **Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**


    The skills touched. Scattering into ash and dust.


    Attractive force yanked the shreds of meaning left behind by the dissolution of his skills. Weaving the threads into a new form. Spinning them. Growing denser.


    A moment later it was done.


    **Ding! Skill Merged! Adamant Body obtained!**


    Kaius collapsed bonelessly to the floor, his chest heaving. He opened his eyes, finding himself having to blink rapidly through a stinging blur. He wiped at them, hands coming away red with blood.


    ¡°Hells.¡±


    He looked down, finding a fist sized stain on his tunic where the blood had fallen free. He grunted. Pushing himself to his heat, Kaius walked over to where his pack was stashed. He washed his face with a rag and a little water from his skin.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    He still felt slow, thoughts coming at a bare trickle.


    It did nothing to prevent his budding elation. Another skill down. Another step closer to his class, and his attempt at an exit. With Adamant Body in his back pocket he finally felt comfortable to really push himself. To stop dipping his toes into the Depths, and start wading in to plunder its wealth with both hands.


    The skill was still capped at twenty, but the first level was always the most impactful. Already he could feel his body growing tougher, hardening under the effect of the new-born nexus of power that orbited his soul.


    He would be coming for the Champions. The two he had bested so far had rewarded him with invaluable treasures. Every one represented safety, a growth of his capabilities - something so valuable considering the punishing limits of an unclassed.


    He walked over to a loose chunk of masonry, taking a seat. It was time to see what he had earned.


    With a thought he brought up his latest skill.


    Adamant Body:


    Level 1


    Unique


    Forged in the fire of broken bone and rent flesh. A body honed to its limit, directed to the primal need to survive. A carapace unbending, folded steel and toughened leather. All burdens forgotten. True power is the surety that not even a falling star can impede your path forwards.


    Skill that increases effectiveness of all defensive movements, bodily resistance to injury, and defensive properties of armour and other implements of protection. Weight and movement restrictions of worn armour are reduced. Does not affect magical sources of defence.


    Each level reasonably increases speed, power, and control of defensive movements.


    Each level moderately increases integrity of worn defensive armaments.


    Each level slightly increases manoeuvrability of worn defensive armaments


    Each level slightly increases the effects of Endurance on bodily integrity.


    Merged from: Block, Parry, Footwork, Toughened Physique, Light Armour Mastery, Medium Armour Mastery, Heavy Armour Mastery


    It was perfect. Exactly what he needed it to be. Something that would help to ensure his safety as he pushed himself to the edge from here on out.


    With Adamant Body he had completed the first phase of his skill mergers. Alongside Rapid Adaptation, Warforged, and Explorers Toolkit they were a strong foundation for his physical capabilities, massively enhancing his strength in a direct confrontation with foes. They would provide him with a launching point to exploit the Depths for all it was worth. Between them, and Porkchop¡¯s prodigious strength, Kaius began to feel like he might actually make it out alive.


    More importantly, it also meant he was moving into the next stage of his build. He was almost ready to learn magic. His next skill would be an ocular one, laying the foundations for his experimentation by revealing the world of mana to him - and so much more. After that, runes and manipulation. Each one would bring him a step closer to his goal. Binding runic incantations to his very flesh.


    He itched to leap to his feet. To grab Porkchop and push deeper into the glade. He¡¯d spent far too long here. Once he had explored its centre it would be time to move on.


    First though, it was time to survey his status.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 18


    Class Selection: 1 Year, 42 weeks, 5 days


    Race: Human (Dynastic) - +1 free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Resources:


    Health - 291/300 (2/min)


    Stamina - 184/200 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    Stats:


    Endurance - 30


    Vitality - 20


    Strength - 20


    Dexterity - 20


    Intelligence - 12


    Willpower: - 20


    Stat Points: 0


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/a


    General Skills (4/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 14 > 15


    Warforged (Unique) - 19 > 20


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 4 > 6


    Adamant Body (Unique) - 0 > 1


    Kaius smiled as he saw the change to his status. The simple pleasure of seeing Common and Uncommon skills subsumed by something far greater than the sum of its parts. Having so much of his recent skills be reliant on combat was hard. You had to risk mortal injury collecting barely helpful building blocks, before spending weeks training them to the cap.


    He would have far more freedom with collecting the skills needed for his next fusion. Though, for the next one he would need to find somewhere dark. Almost too dark to see by. Unfortunately, the dim flickering blue of the cavern was still far too bright. It might have been a half light, but you could still see with perfect clarity, albeit at a reduced distance.


    A sound scratched at the door, causing Kaius to jolt. Porkchop, done with his playing. Kaius hurried over to the door, undoing the latch. With his intelligence he sometimes forgot that his companion didn¡¯t have thumbs. Whoops.


    As soon as it swung open, Porkchop shoved his head through, butting up against Kaius¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Done sulking yet?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Kaius spluttered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sulking!¡±


    ¡°Yes you were.¡± Porkchop said with amusement. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Sulking is completely normal when you lose to a better wrestler.¡±


    Kaius stared at the meles with an open jaw, astounded at the audacity of the greater beast. The cheek of it! Though he accepted it for the olive branch it was. He wrapped his arms around Porkchop¡¯s thick neck, grabbing him in a rough headlock and dragging him inside.


    ¡°C¡¯mere. I¡¯ll show you the better wrestler.¡± He said, ineffectively trying to shove his friend back.


    Porkchop chortled, hitting him with a light shoulder barge that nearly sent him flying over the edge of the thankfully dead hearth.


    ¡°Told you. Better wrestler.¡± Porkchop said with smug finality.


    Kaius sighed, accepting his defeat.


    Padding over, Porkchop nosed at his hand, encouraging Kaius to scratch his ears.


    ¡°You ready to explore? I¡¯m getting bored.¡±


    Kaius grinned. Porkchop had a burning curiosity that matched his own. Despite his enthusiasm for their sparring, the greater beast had been growing restless. Unsatisfied with their only forays to the stream to gather water.


    ¡°Yeah I am,¡± Kaius responded. ¡±After we check out the centre, I want to investigate some of the tunnels. Some of them looked like they might get dark enough for the first of my next skills.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go then!¡± Porkchop said, bounding out the door.


    Kaius chuckled, taking a moment to grab his pack and buckle his sword to his waist before following.


    <hr>


    Kaius pushed past a fern, feeling the way Explorers Toolkit adjusted his form. The undergrowth seemed to shift around him, plants subtly twisting to hide his form. Aiding his passage. The movement was subtle, almost undetectable. To an outside observer it would seem to be a thing of chance. He knew better. His skill had a soft touch, but it was constant.


    Padding along to his left, Porkchop was just as graceful as he moved through the trees. Not a single scrap of lichen crushed underfoot. At first it had surprised Kaius, after all he was as large as a bear and twice as mean. It made sense once he thought about it, his friend was a creature of the deep Sea. It was obvious he would be at home in the glade.


    ¡°Stop.¡± The message passed through their connection.


    ¡°What?¡± Kaius called back, his voice low.


    ¡°Smell them. Rot and death.¡± Porkchop replied. When he¡¯d first arrived in the glade he had been scared of the undead, now Kaius could only sense a dark anticipation through their link. It seemed like all their sparring hadn¡¯t been good for only his skills.


    ¡°Numbers?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not many. That way.¡± Porkchop gestured up ahead with his nose.


    Kaius nodded. He crept forwards. Moving from tree to tree in eerie silence, lichen softening underfoot to muffle his steps. Always careful to use the cover to obscure his figure.


    He saw them.


    Another burnt out fire pit. Four this time. Three in chain and steel, another in strange dark robes. It would be his first battle alongside Porkchop.


    He couldn¡¯t wait.

 Chapter 31: Pushing Deeper

    Kaius poked his head out, watching the four undead carefully. Three were garbed in tabards and chain armour, half-helms capping their heads. On their chests was an emblem of a crow pecking at a corpse. They were almost identical to the two undead he had fought around a similar camp over a month ago.


    Swords in hand, they strutted around the camp in a mockery of discipline. Their remaining companion was different, standing eerily still as it hovered at the edge of the burnt out firepit that was at the centre of their camp, staring at the charcoal and ash. Garbed in a tatty black robe, it held a staff in its hand that was capped with the mouldering skull of a bird.


    A caster.


    He had no way to be sure, but the threat it represented if it was one was too great to ignore. They had no way of knowing its capabilities, beyond that as a common depths-born it would have no access to class skills. That didn¡¯t stop it from channelling through raw manipulation or its staff if it was an implement.


    There was little he could do to defend against a mage. No way to block a bolt of necrotic energy, or parry a cloud of flesh melting acid. Their best bet was to take it out quickly.


    Turning to where Porkchop was hunkered down behind a large bush he jutted his chin at the robbed undead. Catching his eyes, he peeked out from around the bush to stare at the monster.


    ¡°Mage?¡± Porkchop said silently across their link, one of the benefits of mental communication. Kaius shrugged back.


    ¡°Mine. I¡¯ve got magic resistance.¡± His words were confident, unconcerned with the potential threat of the mage.


    Eyebrows raising, Kaius started at Porkchop in surprise. Magic resistance was a rare power, especially since it had to be a merged skill from what Porkchop had told him. He burned to look at his companions'' status, but it was the height of trust to share that with others. It would be rude to ask before it was offered.


    ¡°Ready?¡± His friend asked.


    Nodding, Kaius slowly pulled his longsword free from his scabbard.


    ¡°One.¡±


    Porkchop tensed. Digging his claws into the ground.


    ¡°Two.¡±


    Kaius braced his foot against the tree. Ready to kick off.


    ¡°Three!¡±


    Kaius sprinted out, raising his sword into an easy guard as he raced towards the closest of the foot soldiers. To his left, Porkchop roared. The sound echoed around the forest, leaving dead silence in its wake. His friend dug his claws in, launching himself towards the potential mage at a speed that Kaius found almost impossible to track.


    The undead turned to face the coming threat.


    Swords held high in their hands, the undead charged. Still standing by the fire, the robed one started to mouth a chant. A sickly green glow alighting the tip of its staff at its silent words.


    A mage after all.


    Kaius smashed into the first foot soldier, parrying its chop. Even at level one, Kaius could feel Adamant Body putting in the work. Giving him the power to finally contest the undead''s strength.


    To his left, his fluffy companion smashed into the undead who readied a spell, sending it to the ground. Hard. Its noxious magic discharged prematurely, showering Porkchop¡¯s shoulder in a haze of riotous green, sizzling against his fur.


    Kaius looked to his friend in alarm even as he followed through with his parry, spinning into a riposte. His blade cut deep into the footsoldiers jaw. Not quite deep enough to kill.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Just kill the others!¡± he said with aggressive delight.


    Kaius turned his attention back to his opponent, already trying to gut him with a heavy slash. Behind it, its companions drew closer. Ripping his sword free, Kaius met the blow blade to blade. He locked the undead¡¯s sword fast, grinning as he felt the lack of strain.


    A push kick shoved it back. Diving forward into a thrust, Kaius stabbed the foot soldier through the gap in its open faced helm.


    **Ding! level 16 Undead Armsman slain**


    He took the opportunity to check on Porkchop, who had sunk his teeth into the mages chest, whipping it through the air as he savaged it. The mage ineffectively battered him over the head with its staff. Failing spectacularly as Porkchop sent it sailing to hit a tree with a crunch. Kaius watched as his companion bound after the mage, intent on finishing the job.


    A swing of a sword ripped him back to his own engagement, the other two foot soldiers closing in on him. Catching the incoming blade with a blurring parry, a quick step back took him out of range. He slashed, cutting a line through the leftmost undead¡¯s tabard. Revealing the chain underneath.


    It was enough to knock the undead back, giving him space. The rightmost footman lunged. Sword thrusting for his chest. Adamant Body or no, the skill was nowhere near high enough level for cloth and leather to protect from a sword thrust. It would be enough for active defence.


    He parried.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 2!**


    He followed up with a boot to the undead''s chest. Sending it stumbling back. Kaius wheeled on the footsoldier that was recovering from his attack, hammering on its guard. The undead just barely managed to raise its sword to block his overhead chop.


    Kaius raised his blade once more. It came down, swinging past the undead''s guard.


    A feint. One he capitalised on quickly. Flowing into a thrust, he impaled the footsoldier on his blade point.


    **Ding! level 17 Undead Armsman slain**


    He heard a crunch behind him. Kaius jolted, whirling around. Sword at the ready. He found Porkchop standing over the crumpled body of the last footsoldier.


    He was retching, rubbing one paw repeatedly into the dirt. Kaius ran over to him, concerned.


    ¡°Hey! You okay? Was it the mage?¡± He asked, hand on Porkchop¡¯s back.


    ¡°No!¡± he whined. ¡°They taste horrible. No more biting!¡± Porkchop wailed. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Kaius went green. He hadn¡¯t considered that. He ran to fetch one of his water skins from his pack, helping to wash out his friend''s mouth. He didn¡¯t dare to think about what kind of plagues and contagions the undead might hold in their flesh and blood.


    ¡°I think no more biting is a good idea, you big dumb idiot.¡± Kaius said, watching as his friend resorted to chewing on leaves to rid himself of the taste in his mouth.


    ¡°Bleh. You want their armour?¡± Porkchop asked once he had thoroughly cleansed his palate.


    Kaius inspected the bodies of the foot soldiers. They were withered, almost bone thin, and their chain sat tight against their frames. Curious, but something to consider later.


    ¡°I don''t think it¡¯ll fit bud. Let¡¯s just keep moving.¡± He replied, dismissing the option.


    Kaius retrieved his pack, and the pair set off, pushing deeper towards the centre of the glade.


    <hr>


    Kaius and Porkchop pushed deeper into the glade. As they moved the trees grew thicker and taller, slowly choking out their view of the cavern ceiling far above. The underbrush - the curling ferns, bushes, and lichens - grew progressively more difficult to traverse. At first it was just a problem of growth. Too many plants too close, slowing their journey. Eventually it got so bad that Kaius had to resort to using his longsword as a machete, bushwacking their way deeper.


    That was just the start. The bushes, once springy things with flat leaves, grew knurled and twisted. Growing thick thorns that stabbed through dense fur and thick canvas alike. The ferns sharpened to a cutting edge, forcing Kaius to take care as he chopped his way through. Even the lichens started to shatter like glass.


    Explorers'' Toolkit could do little but ease the worst of the discomforts. Worse, as the woods grew sinister and twisted the ever present ethereal glow of the canopy above began to dim. Almost unnoticeable at first. The effect grew until the glade was drenched in an ominous half light. Not even the light from the moss covered ceiling far above was able to penetrate the gloom, the canopy too thick to let the balming presence of light pass through.


    The wind stilled, the sudden absence of the sound of rustling leaves setting Kaius¡¯s teeth on edge. He stopped. Listening. Nothing, not even the far off hoot of some beast. The deep glade was utterly surrounded by dead silence.


    ¡°I don''t like this.¡±


    Porkchop¡¯s words carried with them the distinct feeling of unease. He could see it in the tension of his shoulders. The way his ears constantly flicked, searching for the slightest sound. Porkchop¡¯s pupils had widened, dilated so that it was impossible to tell if it was a reaction to the light, or fear.


    ¡°I don¡¯t either.¡± Kaius called back behind him, clearing a path with heavy swings of his sword. Enchanted steel cut through the underbrush with ease, the blade impossible to dull despite his constant abuse.


    They pushed onwards, the glade growing darker and more sinister by the minute.


    Soon the trees towered far above the duo, providing a dim gloom that Kaius struggled to see through. The floor of the glade started to change. Brambles and ferns started to hide headstones, and each step through crunchy lichen regularly revealed the cold stone of a grave cover.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Pruning (Common)?**


    Kaius turned down the skill with a grumble, cutting through another bramble. He grabbed the twisted branches, hurling them to the side to open the way forward. As soon as it was open he stopped fast. In front of him lay an open path, scything through the dense knot of thorny plant life that now coated the glade floor.


    He could barely make it out, the heavy shadow of the deep glade preventing him from seeing more than fifteen or so strides in front of him. Flagstones lined the gap in the brambles, a walkway rapidly splitting off in both directions.


    ¡°I found something, be careful.¡± He said, creeping forward with his sword held at the ready.


    Porkchop huffed from behind him, stepping in close to cover the rear.


    ¡°Don''t smell anything. Can¡¯t see anything either.¡±


    ¡°Stand up and check would you? Can barely see my hand in front of my face, it''s so dark¡± Kaius asked. Porkchop had far better night vision than him, at least for now. Any hint of where the path led would help them immensely.


    Porkchop huffed. Rearing on his back legs, he strained to look through the darkness, swinging his head left and right. Kaius saw his head snap to something, to their front and left before he dropped back to all fours.


    ¡°Saw something, a building,¡± Porkchop explained. ¡°I can''t see the path there though, too many bushes. Want to let me go first? Don¡¯t need you to clear the way anymore.¡±


    Kaius nodded, stepping forwards onto the mossy flagstones to let his companion pass. Porkchop took point, leading them left down the trail they had found.


    Grumbling at the lacking light, Kaius scanned the area around them. Watching for threats. So far there had been nothing, but now that they were heading for a structure they were bound to run into obstacles. He hoped he could unlock Low Light Vision before then.


    There was only one problem. Putting in enough effort to get the System to offer you a skill without there being any threat or challenge was slow. That went double for skills that had no knowledge based requirements, and had no associated action. If he didn¡¯t have Porkchop whose eyes could easily pierce the darkness, he would have turned back far earlier.


    If he didn¡¯t get the skill soon, he was bound to get it in their first fight. The sheer pressure of having to fight while seeing so little would ensure it. Though, he was glad it wasn¡¯t completely pitch black. He needed some light to get offered the right skill.


    ¡°Kaius. Up ahead.¡± His companion said, slowing down his pace.


    He snapped his attention to the front, peering through the murky shadow, trying to spot movement.


    ¡°Enemies?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Porkchop said, flicking his ears. ¡°The path, it splits.¡±


    Kaius urged them onwards. After a short distance he saw what he meant. The section of path they had followed diverged. It shot off to the left and right, while their path forwards continued for a bare dozen strides before suddenly terminating in a tangled wall of vines and needle-like thorns the length of his finger.


    Explorer¡¯s Toolkit started to tingle.


    Mouth pressing into a thin line, Kaius considered their options. He had suspicions.


    ¡°Lets go right. It¡¯s in the direction of the structure you saw.¡±


    Porkchop grunted, setting off. Kaius followed close behind.


    Barely a minute later and they hit another split.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    A dead end.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Kaius¡¯s mind raced. He couldn''t be sure. Not yet.


    They back tracked, taking the other turn in the path. They hit more branching paths.


    ¡°Direction?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius shook his head. ¡°Keep following this one.¡±


    They hit another wall of the bramble. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit was all but screaming to him. He was right.


    It was a maze.


    Kaius tapped Porkchop on the hip, gesturing for the meles to stop when he looked back. He shared the news, getting a low growl of frustration in response.


    ¡°We could cut through? It¡¯s only bushes.¡± Porkchop said, staring at the thick hedges that lined the path.


    Kaius frowned, torn. His skill was far too active for this to be simple scenery. It was keeping him oriented, aware of the direction they were aiming for, even after constant turns. Yet it seemed like it was more than that. A constant low level warning.


    He should at least try.


    ¡°Stay here.¡±


    He walked a little down the path, making sure he stayed close enough that Porkchop was still in his vision. Turning to one of the bramble walls, he drew his sword back, slashing at the tangled thorns. His sword cut through the first branch.


    The hedge flailed. Thorn ridden vines unravelled, thrashing through the air like tentacles. Lashing in the direction of the biting steel.


    With a curse Kaius leapt back, eyes wide as he watched the living whips tear across where he had been standing. Some vines crept out, crawling along the path as they searched for the interlocutor. Kaius backed up, avoiding the questing limbs.


    After a few moments the writhing brambles slowed, retracting back into the hedge. Kaius stared at the spot, brow furrowed.


    ¡°No way we are cutting through.¡± He whispered.


    They were trapped in the maze.

 Chapter 32: Labyrinth

    Kaius watched the brambles that lined the path of the maze with suspicion. Waiting to see if they would lash out in violence once again. He crept forward, getting closer to the spot where he had cut into the branches. Tense. Ready to leap back at the slightest sign of movement.


    Nothing, the bramble was as still as it had been the rest of their journey.


    Sighing in relief, Kaius looked back and found Porkchop staring at the patch of hedge with wide eyes.


    ¡°Think we might have to stay on the path.¡± Kaius said with grim resignation.


    ¡°Agreed!¡± Porkchop replied, nerves evident across their connection.


    His friend pushed past him, taking the lead once more. They hit another crossroads. Kaius tapped his companion to signal a halt. He reached for Explorers Toolkit, seeing if the skill would give him any inclination of a direction to take. Despite spending minutes inspecting the various paths, it remained silent. No more than a low level hum that had been present since they had entered the maze.


    He had no doubt that given enough levels the skill would have done something, exploration and orientation was part of its domain after all. Yet whatever obstacle the Depths had created for him, it was far too large in scale for his skill to handle at its current level.


    They would have to do it the hard way.


    ¡°We¡¯ll follow the left wall. If we hit a dead end, just turn around and keep holding the left.¡± Kaius spoke softly.


    ¡°How will that help?¡± Porkchop asked, tilting his head at him in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯ll take a while, but doing that will get us out. Even if we have to map the entire maze in the process.¡± Kaius explained;


    Porkchop grumbled in response, unhappy with his answer. He kept left all the same, taking the next branching path.


    They continued, time blurring together in the strange monotony of the maze. The darkness grated on Kaius, every looming shadowy shape hiding a potential threat.


    Every minute his tension grew, a winding spring growing close to breaking point


    Suddenly Porkchop yelped, struggling against something in the darkness ahead. Kaius started, the noise shattering his dread like glass.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡± He shot forwards, sword at the ready.


    Thorny vines lashed around his friend, twining themselves around his back as a section of the hedge loomed over him like a hungry beast. Kaius saw finger length barbs dig into his companions hide, staining his fur with blood. With every second, the plant wrapped itself tighter around Porkchop.


    He flailed, yanking back against the ensnaring grasp of the hedge. It only caused the thorns to work their way deeper.


    Kaius hacked at the plant. Despite their firm grip on his companion, the wood split easily under his blade. Slowly freeing the meles.


    ¡°Back up! Get back down the path!¡± He called.


    The hedge didn¡¯t take his interruption silently. More vines came spooling out of the tangle, lashing through the air to ward him off. They raked against him, cutting deep furrows through his chest.


    Porkchop roared, struggling against his confinement. Vines started to snap under the strain, his claws digging into the flagstones below.


    Doing his best to defend himself from the plant, Kaius continued to chop at the vines that held his friend stuck fast. Ignoring the searing lacerations he received in turn. With a heave, Porkchop finally broke free, spinning around to run back the way they had come.


    Kaius dove after him, pulling back from the flailing wooden tentacles that snapped through the air behind him. A look back showed the vines retreating back into the hedge, quickly vanishing to become indistinguishable from the rest of the maze.


    Porkchop slowed, before stopping with a moan. Quickly catching up, Kaius found him whining as he craned his head, trying to pull away broken vines that had been left behind. The thorns still embedded deep in his flesh.


    ¡°Help?¡± he whimpered.


    ¡°Yeah buddy, of course.¡± Kaius said gently, sheathing his sword and hurrying forwards. It was grizzly work, but he quickly removed the rest of the vines, tossing them to the floor. Checking himself over, Kaius found his chest and arms covered in a layer of fine slashes, his reinforced jacket having prevented deeper wounds. Now that he had a moment to breathe, the cuts started to sting fiercely.


    They took a moment to recover, both standing tense. Watching the surrounding brambles with suspicion as they waited for their Health to seal their wounds.


    As the last of his cuts on his arms closed, Kaius pulled up his Resources to check the damage.


    Resources:


    Health - 247/300 (2/min)


    Stamina - 200/200 (2/min)


    Mana - 120/120 (2/min)


    ¡°Not too bad.¡± He thought to himself. Kaius looked over to find his companion licking his wounds, the flesh rippling as it sealed the last of the nasty punctures on its torso.


    ¡°I¡¯m down roughly fifty, are you okay or do we need to rest?¡±


    Nearly two hundred. The meles¡¯ grunted, not looking up.


    ¡°Hells,¡± Kaius blanched. ¡°That nearly drained you?!¡± Porkchop was capped like him, until he could go through whatever analogue beast¡¯s had to class selection. That meant he had two hundred health at most. The brambles could have killed him.


    ¡°No,¡± Porkchop looked up at him. ¡°Remember what I said about having a stronger body? The ancestral blood makes all of our stats have more weight behind them thanks to our baseline, and it also doubles our resources Resources. I have four hundred. I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Kaius sighed in relief. Though, now that he thought about it it did make sense. He¡¯d been suspicious with how easily Porkchop had so totally overwhelmed him physically. Sure, he was built like a bear, and stats multiplied their base, but that hadn¡¯t been enough to explain all of his prowess.


    Looking back down the path to where his friend had been ambushed, Kaius stared at the bramble that had savaged them in suspicion. It can''t have been a depths-born. They would have encountered more of them by now, and there was no way a plant monster would have let them pass without making an attempt on their life. Even if they were ambush predators.


    The Depths did something to the monsters it spawned to populate its domain. Neutered them mentally somehow. Made them act according to specific patterns. Notably, hyper aggression. Hell, half the people he had managed to weasel a delving story out of believed that they were only born when someone entered a biome. Spawned whole-cloth, as it were. They acted out a barely passable facsimile of life, but one the cracks shone through nonetheless. The way the Butcher had simply waited in the lodge for him to enter jumped to mind.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    No, it couldn¡¯t be a monster. They would have run into others by now.


    He took a step in the direction they had fled from.


    ¡°Kaius?¡± Porkchop asked with concern.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just checking something.¡± He called back, creeping forward.


    He strained his eyes in the half light to catch the sign of anything amis. As he approached the spot where Porkchop had been ensnared he slowed. Blood and cut brambles littered the ground, muddying any impressions he could gather from the sight of his confrontation.


    Scanning the bush itself was no help. It was indistinguishable from the rest of the hedge. Even the sections of vine that he and Porkchop had torn free were gone. Either regenerated, or retracted deep into its inner reaches.


    Turning back to the ground, Kaius watched the floor closely. He knew he was on the right track. Something was here, Explorer¡¯s Toolkit wouldn''t be calling to him so incessantly if it wasn¡¯t.


    The skill dragged at his attention, nudging his gaze to a gap in the flag stones.


    Tensing, he moved closer, ready to dive out of the way from so much as a rustle of the bush to his left. It was too bloody dark, he could barely make out anything.


    Wait.


    He could just barely see a thin root crawling through the gaps in the stone walkway, zigzagging its way across. He followed it with his eyes. Unsurprisingly it buried itself into the thin berm of dirt in front of the offending bramble that had assaulted Porkchop.


    As he got closer, Kaius saw fine hairs erupting from the root. Sticking up and out from the path about a finger length. If he hadn¡¯t been looking so closely, hadn¡¯t known the root was there, they would have been all but invisible. Even then he could barely make them out.


    The only sign was the faint raising of stone at the edges of the root, pushed upwards by the plant.


    Kaius backed up, taking a moment to scoop up a short section of severed vine. He lobbed it straight at the line of hairs.


    The vine thwacked into the ground.


    The hedge writhed, twisted tendrils whipping out to snatch around its discarded limb, pulling it deep into its embrace a moment later. Thorns dragged past each other in a circular motion, slowly retreating back into the bush. The plant settled, indistinguishable from the hedge surrounding it.


    You found something? Porkchop called from behind him.


    ¡°Yeah. A trap,¡± Kaius said grimly, his shoulders tense. ¡°Which means I¡¯m going to have to lead, since I¡¯m the one with a skill to sense them.¡±


    Porkchop let out a slow rumble, padding over to come up behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°Me either bud,¡± Kaius sighed. ¡°Me either.¡±


    Their progress slowed to a crawl, Kaius forced to watch the ground with razor intent. Looking out for the slightest sign of a triggering root. They almost stumbled head first into the next two traps, the darkness so dense that Kaius wasn¡¯t able to see the faint telltale buckling of stone until he was only a few strides away.


    The tense atmosphere that had surrounded them since they entered the maze only grew heavier. Steps were slow and measured, and both Kaius and Porkchop kept their gazes firmly locked on the ground just in front of them.


    Only to miss the faint rustle from the trees, and the dark shapes dropping from the canopy far above them.


    Kaius cursed in surprise as something landed on his back, thick fingers scratched at his neck. More shapes landed in the darkness in front of him, their forms obscured. Kaius grabbed the thing on his back, fingers sinking deep into greasy fur as he ripped it off him.


    He tossed the figure into the darkness ahead, readying his blade. Behind him Porkchop roared.


    More behind, you focus ahead!


    Porkchop roared for a second time, sounds of battle quickly following. To his front Kaius could barely make out what he was facing, silent figures blurring in shadow as they loped along on their front limbs.


    Gritting his teeth, he slashed at the approaching monsters. Sweeping his sword in wide arcs, forcing the creatures back. He could barely tell their numbers, only that there were more than four. One of them jumped towards him. He responded with a slash, cutting deep into its chest.


    It was a monkey, though its fur was mank, and looked like it had been torn out in great patches that had taken the skin with it. Undead beasts, great.


    The others took advantage of his preoccupation, throwing themselves forwards with arms outstretched. He tried to ward them off with another wide slash of his blade, but one got through. Thick fangs sunk deep into his forearm.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 3!**


    Kaius yelled in pain, feeling the teeth grind against bone. He grabbed the monkey by the scruff of its neck, ripping it free. He tossed it to the ground before the others could capitalise on his injury. A follow up stomp smushed the monster''s rotting skull.


    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler slain**


    Kaius took a single look at the level and knew what he was dealing with. Another swarm. Fantastic, just what they needed.


    Unphased by the death of their companion, the other howlers flung themselves into the fray once more. Lithe forms blended into the darkness, leaving Kaius struggling to track their positions. Only able to react once they had fully committed to an attack.


    Behind him, all Kaius could hear was vengeful growls and smashing limbs. He left Porkchop to it, trusting his friend to cover their rear.


    A leaping blur of scrambling limbs rushed him. Kaius cut. The howler was bisected, torso sliding free of its legs. It tried to keep crawling to him, teeth gnashing. He was forced to ignore the undead, its allies pressing the attack.


    His sword bit deep into another Howler, severing an arm. Another jumped close, swinging off his blade in a finger severing movement, launching itself at him in a fury. Kaius punched the approaching blur. The monkey dropped to the ground. Landing on its half severed companion.


    Kaius brought his sword down. It cleaved through the howler from crown to groin, cutting into the struggling torso below.


    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler slain**


    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler slain**


    Kaius¡¯s eyes strained against the dark. If he could just see.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Low Light Vision (Uncommon)?**


    ¡°YES!¡± Kaius all but screamed at the system.


    The system acted. A pulse emanated from his centre, a new nexus of power joining the processional orbit around his soul. The darkness was pushed back, everything within a dozen long-strides of him being thrown into a strange monochromatic relief.


    His full faculties of sight returning- at least within the sphere of his skills influence- revealed the forms of four more of the swarming howlers. They lurked back near the edge of his vision, beyond where he could previously see. Kaius kept himself steady, trying not to give away that they had been exposed.


    Two of the undead beasts charged him. Alternating between short hops and long ambling swings on their too-long arms. Kaius paused. Turning his head back and forth like he was looking for them. They entered his range, throwing themselves airborne in an attempt to cling to him.


    A silver flash.


    He caught the first one through the ribs. Twirling his blade he stepped back out of range of the second monkey. Bringing his sword came back around in a heavy overhand chop. Shearing through the howler''s skull.


    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler slain**


    Half crippled, the other howler dragged itself along the ground in an attempt to reach him. Its two remaining companions charged.


    Two quick cuts were all he needed. A final stab for the one on the ground.


    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler slain**


    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler slain**


    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler slain**


    Whirling around, Kaius was treated to the sight of a massacre. The howlers had clearly identified Porkchop as the greater threat, easily fifteen crushed bodies littered the narrow strip of flagstones. Most were pulped, but a few still twitched, trying to claw themselves along the ground even if they were more mush than threat.


    Porkchop was still furiously engaged in battle. Two howlers had managed to latch themselves onto his back. Grimy fingers gripping his red and black fur as the undead sank rotting teeth deep into his friend''s flesh.


    Kaius cursed, running over to cut the final swarmlings off his friend with two deft flicks of his blade.


    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler slain**


    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler slain**


    Unrestrained by foes he couldn''t reach, Porkchop quickly finished off the rest of the swarm that still ineffectively swatted at him. Unable to get close enough to clamber up his back and out of reach.


    The pair walked through the carnage, finishing off the last twitching undead in grim silence. Finishing their black work, they stood there, chests heaving from the fading rush of battle.


    Kaius broke the silence.


    ¡°Time for a break?¡±


    ¡°Yes please.¡±

 Chapter 33: More Skills

    After dealing with the swarm of dead howlers, Kaius and Porkchop pushed further into the maze, more than happy to get away from the rotten blood and viscera they had left behind. They stopped, sitting down on the dark stone pathway to lick their wounds and rest.


    ¡°You got the skill?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kaius nodded, chewing on a piece of jerky. ¡°I¡¯m gonna check it out in a second. Next is Mental Visualisation, Then Appraise and Inspect. I should be able to pick those up quickly on the move. The rest will probably have to wait until we get some down time.¡±


    ¡°Go on then,¡± Porkchop snorted. ¡°Check it. Maybe then you¡¯ll stop fidgeting.¡±


    Kaius raised an eyebrow at his friend. He had not been fidgeting.


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to distract myself in case we got jumped by another swarm. My skill doesn¡¯t reach far enough to see up there. Not yet at least.¡±


    Chagrin flowed over his connection to Porkchop.


    ¡°It was my mistake. A stupid one. I can see the canopy, just didn¡¯t expect to get ambushed from there so I wasn¡¯t paying attention. I¡¯ll be more careful now.¡±


    ¡°Hey now,¡± Kaius said, his eyes softening. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either.¡±


    ¡°Check,¡± Porkchop replied, bumping him with his nose. ¡°I¡¯ll watch.¡±


    Kaius nodded, pulling up his latest skill.


    Low Light Vision:


    Level 1


    Uncommon


    Pierce the shadows with radiant clarity. Unlock the secrets cloaked in the warm embrace of darkness.


    Skill that enables perfect sight in low light levels. Ineffective against pitch-blackness and magical darkness.


    Each level slightly increases the range at which you can see in low light.


    A situationally useful skill, but one he had need of right now. It was often like that with new skills. The system seemed to use some arcane method of weighting practice, effort, and necessity. This skill wasn¡¯t exactly one you could practise, so his sheer effort and need to pierce the gloom had aided him massively in its acquisition. Refined into something more potent, it would be a fantastic addition to his upcoming legacy skill..


    The next component he needed to acquire was the first part of his plans for his class selection. With his ideas for runes, Mental Visualisation was going to be vital for holding their complex shapes firmly in his mind. Luckily, he had already been practising without the skill for years - much like he had with runes. Hastur had insisted.


    If this was the path he was going to go down, he was going to do it right. That meant having a firm grasp of the fundamentals before he acquired the needed skills and started experimenting with imprinting runic spell formations directly onto his flesh.


    Whenever his skill slots were full, Father had changed up their night time routines. With no risk of the system offering a skill prematurely, it was the perfect time. Alternating between lectures on runes, mental exercises, and practise in directing his mana throughout his body.


    With enough practice and effort, the need for necessity decreased. He figured if he tried to build a visual map of the maze in his mind as they explored, he would unlock the skill quickly. After that, the rest of the skills for his next merge would require him to start using his Mana actively.


    His father had made him spend hours practising moving the resource through his body. How to reach down into his centre to wrap the nebulous cloud of blue in a mental grip.


    It was similar to how he directed threads of soulfire during a skill merge. Except he had to direct the resource out of his centre, visualising the energy flowing through channels as he directed it through his body. His first few attempts had been slow. It was all he could do to stop it from dissipating the second it left the nexus of his control, with how difficult it was to hold the required image in mind.


    Now, he was competent. Not a master by any means, but he could direct mana through his body with a little effort. Appraise, and all that came after would require him to suffuse his eyes with the magical force. It would be the first time he had actively used it in skill acquisition. Tough, but also something he looked forward to. Finally starting his journey into magic. Even if he would only be dipping his toes in for now.


    Kaius bubbled with the anticipation of taking another step towards his class. Towards the power necessary to defeat the Guardian. It was something he could control. Could change with his own power. After getting separated from his father and being at the mercy of the fates, he finally felt like he was forging his own path.


    Though, thinking of his future, the notification he had received after eating the Natural Treasure still scratched at him. What did it mean to be Observed? Truly? Even when he escaped he would only be able to ask Father. If he was alive. Anyone else and he risked being branded as a mad man. Or worse, snatched up by someone too powerful to resist to be plumbed for what he knew.


    Even if he ignored the risk to his own safety, he didn''t want the news to get out. If people started shoving unclassed into the Depths in an attempt to find Natural Treasures¡­ Hundreds would die, at best.


    No, better if he went to one of the larger cities and looked through their libraries on his own terms. Maybe Mystral? It was the home of the academies. If anyone had recorded anything concrete it would be there. Something to think about when he had escaped and found out Father¡¯s fate.


    Although¡­


    His eyes flicked over to Porkchop. The meles were knowledgeable. Far more than he had expected for beasts. Their Matriarchs were something else. He might know something.


    On the other hand, he knew so little of what it meant. What if Porkchop thought it was something dangerous? Made him dangerous? He¡¯d only known him for a few months. Maybe he should keep it to himself. At least, for now.


    Porkchop opened his eyes, noticing Kaius¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just thinking.¡±


    The two returned to silence, waiting for their resources to recover before they set off further into the maze once more.


    ¡­


    As the pair descended deeper into the maze, Kaius relied heavily on his new Low Light Vision. It made identifying the thin snaking roots that triggered the grasping brambles far less painstaking. No longer required to slow down to a crawl just to ensure he didn¡¯t miss a hint in the darkness, their pace picked up.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Though that didn¡¯t mean they rushed.


    Not all of the trigger roots were so easy to catch, some barely shifted the flagstones on the path at all, forcing him to lean on the warning pings of Explorer¡¯s Toolkit as they moved. More than once he had to stop fast, his foot hovering mid step thanks to a blared scream of warning in his mind. A closer look would often reveal a root buried deep in the earth. The only sight of its presence a line of almost invisible hairs poking a finger length out from the stone.


    The pressure did wonders for his skill growth though.


    **Ding! Low Light Vision has reached level 2!**


    **Ding! Low Light Vision has reached level 3!**


    **Ding! Explorers Toolkit has reached level 7!**


    **Ding! Low Light Vision has reached level 4!**


    The bubble of monochromatic sight pushed further out with each level, adding a dozen or so strides to the range of his vision. With every increase identifying further traps became just that little bit easier as he was able to survey more and more of the path they took.


    Thanks to Explorers Toolkit absorbing Orienteering, Kaius never lost their sense of direction. No matter how many times they were forced to double back and take a new route, he could feel that they were getting closer. Slowly closing the distance to the far off structure that Porkchop had spotted before they entered the maze.


    He could also tell that they were spiralling inwards, gradually but inevitably. It seemed that wherever they were heading, the maze surrounded it as a thick wall of bramble.


    The entire time, Kaius made the effort to start creating a visualised map of the path they had taken. It was ruinously complex. Every few minutes it felt like he hit a wall in how many details he could keep track of, not the least because he had to split his attention with the far more important task of identifying the traps that laced the maze.


    Every time the image collapsed in his mind, when he forgot if a path turned left or right, or he couldn¡¯t remember the exact placement of a trap, he would start again. Tracing a new route through the brambles in his mind.


    Inevitably the system rewarded his effort. Though, at first, not in the way Kaius wanted.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Split Focus (Unusual)?**


    He declined the skill in an instant.


    ¡°Hey, Porkchop,¡± Kaius said as he nodded appreciatively at the skill''s rarity. ¡°I just got offered an Unusual skill!¡±


    ¡°One you needed?¡±


    ¡°Nah. It¡¯s just the first skill I¡¯ve been offered that high. It¡¯s pretty rare, might be able to sell the method.¡±


    ¡°Sell? Humans are weird.¡±


    ¡°Not that weird,¡± Kaius shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s pretty similar to what you said your Matriarchs do. Just trading for things other than different skills and better hunting grounds.¡±


    ¡°Still weird,¡± Porkchop sent across their connection with a sense that it was as true as a fresh rabbit was tasty. ¡°Should just share all the ways to unlock basic skills. Much easier to find merges that way. They are much more fun to trade.¡±


    Kaius smiled at Porkchop¡¯s persistence, before thinking more on the possibility of selling the unlock.


    Though, as he thought about it more, it was probably pretty unlikely. Its requirements seemed like the type to be pretty easy to stumble across - especially if it simply required enough of a push when multitasking with two complex tasks. Hell, any would-be mage would probably stumble across it if they had any open slots if they practised channelling while staying focused and mobile during battle. Which, he assumed, was all of them.  Especially if they were at all serious about joining dangerous professions like soldiering or delving.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not worth anything anyway,¡± Kaius shrugged. ¡°The chances that it hasn¡¯t already been sold off to a broker already are probably nil.¡±


    It was still a nice find, and he would definitely be silly not to try. But he wasn¡¯t going to hold his hopes up.


    Luckily, after another fifteen minutes or so, and another close brush with a trap that threatened to make the image he held in his mind collapse, he got the skill he was looking for.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Mental Visualisation (Uncommon)?**


    Kaius called for them to halt, grinning at his success. Porkchop padded over to him, bumping him as a tentative question flowed across their connection.


    ¡°I assume you got the right one this time?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kaius nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll just check it quickly and then we can keep moving. I¡¯ll probably be able to speed up some more now that the skill will be doing some of the heavy lifting.¡±


    As the skill settled into his centre he felt the most recent map he had been building of the maze settle deeper into his mind. It no longer took all of his focus just to remember the most recent turns, and when he looked at the image he could almost see the individual flagstones themselves in his imagination. It became almost second nature to keep adding details.


    He pulled up the skill.


    Mental Visualisation:


    Level 1


    Uncommon


    The mind makes the master.


    Skill that aids in holding complex mental images in the mind.


    Each level slightly improves memory, attention to detail, and complexity of mental visualisations.


    Reading the notification Kaius decided he may as well keep up his attempts at tracking their passage. It was an easy way for him to level the skill as they walked. Even if he was likely to cap the skill when he made the necessary runic formation for Sense Illusion, he wasn¡¯t about to turn down some easy training.


    It wasn¡¯t his way.


    Pondering his plan for his next skills, Kaius gestured to Porkchop that they should continue. The skills had to wait. Inspect would be easiest to acquire against a hostile depths-born, and until he had that he couldn¡¯t move on to Appraise. He made a goal to acquire both before they left the centre of the glade. If they found a Champion like he suspected they would, the rewards they received would be perfect for working towards the second skill.


    They continued on, pace measured as they split the task of looking for more traps and swarms.


    ¡­


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 2!**


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 3!**


    ¡­


    The end of the maze was close, he could feel it. As they¡¯d grown closer to the centre the bramble hedges had grown taller. Even standing on Porkchop¡¯s shoulders he doubted he would be able to see over them. Still, Explorers Toolkit said they were near. He doubted there were more than a dozen lines of hedges between them and their goal.


    After walking for a couple of hours they had to be close.


    ¡°Kaius¡­¡± Porkchop let out a low, warning rumble from behind him. ¡°Another swarm.¡±


    Turning back to his ally with a start, Kaius pulled his blade free of its sheath. Porkchop was growling up into the tree boroughs far above them. Outside the range of his Low Light Vision, the canopy was completely drenched in heavy shadow. Far too dark for him to make out the small figures of Dead Howlers.


    He just barely made out indistinct shapes dropping from the branches, falling to land on the path to their front. He readied his guard. They¡¯d only been an issue last time because he couldn¡¯t see. It was time for payback.


    He dashed forwards, Porkchop hot on his heels.


    A mass of the monkeys appeared at the edge of his bubble of sight, mangey skin and patchy fur making the undead beasts look closer to half drowned plague rats than anything else.


    He hit them like a wall of steel, sword flashing in wide arcs that severed limbs. Warforged and his enchanted blade were putting in work, the rotting flesh of the monsters barely slowing his vicious meatgrinder of an assault.


    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler slain**


    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler slain**


    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler slain**


    Porkchop waded into the fray. heavy swatting strikes smashed multiple swarmlings flat with every blow. A few of the Howlers clambered onto the meles back, capitalising on its lack of reach to rip at fur and sink their teeth in deep.


    Kaius cut them down moments later.


    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler slain**


    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler slain**


    Before he could even work up the heat of the Bloodsong, the confrontation was done. Mashed and bisected Howlers still twitched, dragging themselves forward with undead perseverance.


    Porkchop still rumbled with fury, walking up to them one by one, crushing their skulls with a single well placed claw.


    One howler, severed from clavicle to opposing hip, was little more than a head and an arm. A shattered rib cage weighed it down, putrescent organs spilling behind it in a sickening trail. Porkchop moved to end it.


    ¡°Wait. I need this one.¡±

 Chapter 34: Inspect

    Kaius stared at the dead howler that was pulling itself along the ground towards him. It gnashed its teeth, jaw clacking with each snap. A wretched thing, just a single arm, half a ribcage, and a head. No Health burned in an attempt to seal its injuries.


    Undead didn¡¯t have any. They also didn¡¯t need it. They just kept going until you destroyed whatever was the locus of their animating magics. In most cases, the head.


    It reached out with its arm, clawing itself just a little bit closer. Kaius cut it off.


    The howler switched to digging its fangs into the stone path, trying to haul itself forwards on the strength of its neck alone. It wasn¡¯t getting anywhere fast.


    ¡°Feels a little distasteful.¡± Porkchop said, scrunching his nose at the creature.


    ¡°Yeah, but it works.¡± He replied. While he might not be the kind of person to take joy in leaving and enemy crippled, it was far safer than attempting to get Inspect in active combat. Besides, it was an undead depths-born, he doubted it felt anything.


    Kaius took a couple of steps back, locking his eyes on the writhing form of the howler. Taking in its details. The way clumpy blood dripped free of desiccated veins. Its greasy grey fur. Everything.


    He reached for his mana.


    The hazy energy was slippery, resistant to his manipulations. He clamped down on it with a will of iron, teasing out a thread. Compared to weaving soulfire during a skill merge, this was easy.


    Mana trickled free, spooling into his body. As it left his centre it tried to disperse, to vanish into his surrounding tissues and dissipate slowly to join the ambient power in the air around him.


    He refused.


    Guiding the mana to his eyes, he slackened his grip on the power that entered the organ. Letting it suffuse the orb, but no further. His eyes started to weep. The build up of magical charge stinging delicate flesh. Vision blurring, he gazed deep into the howlers form. Dissecting it. Analysing.


    A headache started to form, the mental toll of holding the volatile energy in stasis taking its due. This was nothing. He would have to endure far far more once he started working true magic.


    **Ding! Intelligence has reached level 13!*


    Refusing to let the distraction break his focus, Kaius funnelled more mana into his eyes. Saturating his vision. His control was a little finer, a little more deft, than it had been just moments before.


    He felt his grip pushed back, his eyes refusing to absorb more of the mystic energy. They were saturated. With a sigh of relief he dropped his hold on the thread of Mana that left his centre, the thin stream quickly dissipating. The power in his eyes he held steady.


    Seconds ticked over into minutes, Kaius observing the writing form of the Darkhowler.


    Something flickered in his vision.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Inspect (Rare)?**


    ¡°Yes.¡± He thought, slumping as he released his grip on the infused mana in his eyes. He rubbed them, the organs irritated from an infusion of the raw power.


    Dark Howler - Level 7:


    Depths-born, Undead Beast, Swarmling


    ¡°Kill it.¡± He grumbled, trying to blink away the blurring tears that sprung from his eyes.


    He heard a grunt, then a squish.


    ¡°Gross.¡±


    Kaius opened his eyes to see Porkchop trying to scrape foul smelling mush from his paws.


    ¡°Gross indeed, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± he suggested, suppressing a gag. He thought he¡¯d had a strong stomach, but rotting corpses was a bit much, even for him.


    The pair set off. Kaius still thought they were getting close to the end of the maze, Explorer¡¯s Toolkit had started to nudge at him something fierce. While they walked, Kaius pulled up the description of his latest skill, not wanting to take the moment of relative calm for granted. He doubted it would last any further than the exit.


    There was no way the Depths would put a nice little picnic spot at the centre of somewhere so blatantly ominous.


    Inspect:


    Level 1


    Rare


    The eyes are the window to the soul. The soul is a window to something much greater.


    Skill that enables slight insight into the status of system integrated entities. Level disparity and skills can block this insight.


    Each level slightly increases the skills ability to overcome level disparity and insight blocking effects.


    Kaius nodded in satisfaction as he read the skill. Inspect was probably among the most famous known skills there were. As a pair with Appraise, it was one half of the most widely known Legacy skill in existence - Identify. Not every delver had Identify, but any team that didn¡¯t have at least one dedicated scout with the skill, or at the very least Inspect, was considered to be reckless at best. Suicidally idiotic at worst.


    It was just that valuable. Being able to evaluate threats before you engaged them could mean the difference between life and death. Especially in the world above, where beasts and other monsters did not follow the staggered progression of the Depths. It was actually Appraise that eked out the win down below. Insight into the exact functions of the various treasures that could be found in its halls meant quick decisions on what should be stored, used, kept or tossed.


    The very best teams had people with inspect type skills of a higher rarity, or occasionally a merged ocular skill. The kind that revealed greater information than the bare bones insight that Identify and Inspect gave you.


    Unfortunately, his upcoming ocular skill - True Sight - was not one of the skills that gave greater insight. It didn¡¯t bother him, the other benefits it would confer would be more than enough to satisfy him.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Kaius,¡± Porkchop interrupted. ¡°I see it. The end.¡±


    Sharpening his eyes, Kaius tried to peer into the shadowy depths that hovered just outside the sphere of his Low Light Vision. The gloom was intense, almost impenetrable. Vague shifting shapes danced in the black, making it impossible for him to make anything out.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. Too far for my skill. What do you see?¡± He whispered, laying a hand on the comforting hilt of his sword.


    Porkchop huffed, standing stock still as he stared into the blackness with ease, locking his steely gaze on figures unseen.


    ¡°Twice as far since the last bend, there''s an opening in the hedge. Then lots and lots and lots of graves. Some small buildings. Lots of undead, some heavily armoured.¡± Porkchop relayed what he saw.


    Kaius bit his cheek. That didn¡¯t sound great. No matter how much he tried, Porkchop was still getting comfortable with numbers. For him to not even try suggested a significant force. As it stood, he would only be able to see them if they got within forty or so paces of him. Enough he wouldn¡¯t be surrounded, but not great for creating a strategy to take them down methodically.


    He had to trust Porkchop.


    ¡°Can we do it?¡± His voice was firm.


    Porkchop looked at him, blatantly offended. ¡°Of course! We are strong.¡±


    A grin split his face. The Bloodsong started to glimmer deep in his chest. It was risky, but this is what he had intended to do. Push himself. It was the best way to grow. To get strong enough to explore where no one had before, like he¡¯d always wanted to. He¡¯d promised himself he was going to hunt down Champions, so he would.


    He had Rapid Adaptation, to resist and reduce all afflictions, Adamant Body to withstand physical assault, Warforged aiding him to be a master of the blade, his strikes rending flesh with ease, and Explorer¡¯s Toolkit to find where to cut.


    If he didn¡¯t take the leap now, he didn¡¯t deserve the honour of being the final scion of Unterstern.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    ¡­.


    They entered a massive cemetery. Neat rows of stone graves sprawled across the gloom in structured grids. The way the grave-caps and headstones disappeared into the dark at the edge of his vision gave him the sense of an endless place. A void of walking death, and ordered stones. The silence was broken only by furious battle whenever they encountered one of the space''s rabid denizens.


    Kaius let out a yell, parrying a heavy sword swing. A heavily armoured undead in laminate armour simply brought its greatsword around in another wide swing. Off to his right, Kaius could hear Porkchop engaging the undead''s companions, the crash of struck steel and roaring bellows echoing out across the darkened field.


    He thrust at the undead that was pressuring him, his sword grating across thin steel plates with a groan. They buckled slightly under the weight of his stab. The undead stumbled back.


    Kaius took a moment to fire off an Inspect. Now that he had the system supported skill, it didn¡¯t require active control of his Mana.


    Gravebound Sentinel - Level ?:


    ???, ???, ???


    **Ding! Inspect has reached level 2!**


    The sentinel rushed him again, a looping slash of its blade racing towards his waist. Kaius backstepped. A dash brought him inside the undeads guard. Bashing the creature over the helmet with his pommel, Kaius shoved the depths-born to the ground. The creature might have had brute strength on its side, but it was clumsy.


    He finished off his opponent with a quick stab.


    **Ding! level 17 Gravebound Sentinel slain**


    Kaius rushed over to assist Porkchop, his ally struggling against the duo. While he was a ball of fury in battle, he was a large target, and unarmored. Thin cuts marred his flesh, and every time he tried to dive in to deliver a fatal swipe of his paws he was warded off at swordpoint.


    Closing the distance quickly with his sword levelled, Kaius shot off two more Inspect¡¯s.


    Gravebound Sentinel - Level ?:


    ???, ???, ???


    Gravebound Sentinel - Level ?:


    ???, ???, ???


    He caught the first undead unawares, the force of his charge enough for his enhanced blade to punch clean through its armour, taking it through the ribs. His sword slid deeper into rotten flesh. Kaius hit the side of the sentinel hard, knocking him back even as it went stumbling.


    Porkchop took advantage of the distraction. Batting the other undead''s blade away, he launched forwards to crush it downwards with a heavy overhand blow.


    With his own opponent reeling, Kaius was able to make short work of it. Slipping inside its hurried guard to plant his sword in its face.


    **Ding! level 18 Gravebound Sentinel slain**


    **Ding! Low Light Vision has reached level 5!**


    His vision extended a few more paces into the dark, revealing nothing more than graves and the odd squat stone mausoleum. Try as he might, he still couldn¡¯t see anything other than vague shapes beyond the inky border of his skill. Not far enough for him to see their destination.


    ¡°How much farther.¡± Kaius said, ripping his sword free of the slain undead with a grunt.


    ¡°Not much more. Few more undead between us.¡±


    Kaius grunted. Supposedly the centre of the graves was dominated by a large stone tomb, if they were going to find a Champion, it would be there.


    ¡°Do we clear out the graves first? They haven¡¯t been too difficult with both of us working together.¡±


    So far the darkness had been working in their favour. The lack of light hampered the undead''s already questionable senses. Porkchop had been guiding them into picking them off in small groups, never quite too much for them to handle.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t take us too long,¡± Porkchop assented. ¡°And it would stop them clawing our backs like weasels.¡±


    Kaius nodded. He had thought the same thing. He assumed there was a Champion waiting for them in the centre. If it somehow pulled the depths-born in from the graves and they were surrounded, it would be the end of them.


    ¡­


    The pair prowled through the darkened headstones, mowing their way through isolated groups of undead. He knew that alone and without Low Light Vision, even a single one of the sentinels would have pushed him to the brink, let alone the groups of two to four they wandered in. Yet with his skill and Porkchop by his side they disrupted their formations before they could raise an effective defence, surprise and initiative on their sides.


    As they fought, Kaius¡¯s skills slowly improved. Low Light Vision progressively expanded as he continually fought in darkness, lithe footwork and glancing light wounds worked to stress Adamant Body, continual usage grew Inspect, and a constant search for openings pushed Explorers Toolkit.


    **Ding! Low Light Vision has reached level 6!**


    **Ding! Low Light Vision has reached level 7!**


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 4!**


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 8!**


    **Ding! Inspect has reached level 3!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Inspect has reached level 5!**


    ¡­


    They arrived at the tomb. Dark stone filled with dense inscription shot upwards into the shadows above him, vanishing like a spectre. The engravings were black things. Scenes of slaughter and sacrifice, of cruel effigies made for uncaring gods.


    A yawning gate opened in the face of the tomb, unlit stairs leading the way deeper into its gullet. Stakes were driven into the ground leading up to the entrance, impaled skeletons wearing shattered armour adorning the cruel spikes. A fatal procession. A warning.


    Evil air drifted out from the tomb, causing Explorer¡¯s Toolkit to flare. Whatever lay in its foul depths would not be cowed easily.


    Kaius snorted at the grisly sight. Any fear he might have felt at the defiled bodies and ill omens was muted by the fact that he knew they were a creation of the Depths. The Champion would be dangerous. The others had been too. Even if it nearly killed him, he would use the monster as fuel for his ascension.


    ¡°Come,¡± Kaius slapped Porkchop on the shoulder ¡°Let us show them our mettle.¡±

 Chapter 35: Tomblord

    Kaius descended the wide blocky stairs that lead deeper into the mausoleum that had laid at the centre of the glade. Each step was just a little too tall, a little too wide, to walk down comfortably. Their faces were carved in deep reliefs. Yet more scenes of death and slaughter like those that were engraved on the exterior wall.


    Kaius itched to race down the stairs. The rewards that each Champion protected were another potential edge he would have in his inevitable confrontation with the Guardian. Plus, they pushed him. His fights with the bear and the Butcher had been some of the best he had ever had. Both in terms of skill growth, and in how it made his heart race. He could already feel his blood heating up at the thought of what lay at the bottom of this macabre descent into the earth.


    Porkchop padded alongside him, huffing as he eyed the endless rows of coffins recessed into the walls. Stacking high up to the ceiling.


    ¡°This feels wrong.¡± The words coloured with discomfort as they flowed across his connection with his friend.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kaius kept walking down the stairs, trying to make out what he could beyond the limited range of his Low Light Vision. ¡°I don¡¯t like it either. Whole place gives me the creeps.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Porkchop shook his head, having started to pick up on Kaius¡¯s body language. ¡°Not the building. The bodies. Shouldn¡¯t be kept from the earth.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius looked over to Porkchop. ¡°We mostly do that, only the rich are buried in something like this. You do know those stones outside had bodies buried under them, right?¡± Or at least they would if the Depths had put them there. He didn¡¯t know how deep the recreation of environments went.


    Porkchop¡¯s ears flicked back, stopping dead on the stairs.


    ¡°Outside was a field of the dead?!¡± Porkchop asked, mortification spilling across their link.


    Kaius couldn¡¯t help but snort at Porkchop¡¯s surprise. It broke his tension, distracting him from his rising anticipation. He could tell from their link that Porkchop was more creeped out than offended.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me!¡± Porkchop yelled, embarrassed as he ran after him.


    ¡°I thought it was obvious! There were bloody walking corpses everywhere!¡± Kaius said back with a disbelieving shake of his head. He honestly forgot that Porkchop was a greater beast sometimes. That he didn¡¯t have the cultural knowledge he often took for granted.


    ¡°Wait. If those stones are where bodies are, then what about where we were wrestling? At the church?¡± Porkchop eyed him accusatory.


    ¡°I thought you knew!¡± Kaius threw his hands up in defeat. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s not my fault this biome is creepy. We have a Champion to fight.¡± Kaius picked up his pace.


    Porkchop grunted. ¡°It¡¯s still wrong!¡± he said, following after Kaius.


    ¡­


    They reached the bottom of the stairs. A massive iron door barred their passage further into the catacombs. On its front face, a raised engraving of a man being sacrificed on an altar. A cloaked figure loomed over the man, a withered hand plunging deep into his chest.


    Stopping in front of the door, Kaius inspected the engraving before slipping down to take in the heavy bar that held the door shut.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kaius turned to Porkchop. ¡°We need a plan. I¡¯m confident that whatever we find in there we¡¯ll be able to handle, but strolling in like we¡¯re going to the spring fair is just stupid.¡±


    He wanted to just throw open the door and hurl a challenge at the beast that no doubt waited within. But, Bloodsong or no, he wasn¡¯t going to be reckless.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that I should put the pressure on whatever is in there, try to hold its attention.¡± Kaius explained. ¡°I¡¯m a bit more mobile than you, and with a sword I can actually parry and block without getting cut up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to flank?¡± Porkchop asked enthusiastically, clearly getting excited for the battle ahead.


    He gave Porkchop one sharp nod. ¡°What of your Crystal Manipulation? You¡¯ve mentioned you have it, but I haven''t seen you use it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Porkchop tilted his head. ¡°Raw manipulation is slow, especially at a low level and without other skills to support it. Claws are usually better. If you distract them well enough it might work if a physical assault wont work.¡±


    Kaius nodded again, chest expanding as he took a slow breath to ready himself for what was to come. Even if he did find clashing blades invigorating, nobody could completely get rid of all of their pre-battle jitters.


    It was a little¡­loose to be truly considered a plan, but at the very least it gave them clearly defined roles. Without knowing what they would face, it wasn¡¯t as if they could strategize in depth.


    With a grunt, Kaius hauled the lockbar off the door, tossing it to the side to clatter to the ground. He dug in, yanking on the heavy iron gate that slowly creaked open. The open portal revealed a room too far for his Low Light Vision to pierce completely.


    Kaius stepped through, Porkchop close behind.


    Embedded sconces on the wall flashed to light, highlighting the room in a soft orange light. Skill or no, after so long in the dark the illumination was blinding. Kaius threw his hands up, shading his eyes. He heard Porkchop growling in frustration next to him. He must have been similarly affected.


    Eyes adjusting quickly, Kaius returned his hand back to his blade and took his first good look at the room.


    Wide and high ceilinged, it was easily large enough that it must have stretched under a good chunk of the graveyard above. A raised plinth dominated its centre, a large golden sarcophagus glimmered in the firelight on its top. Otherwise, the space was completely empty.


    It was where the Champion would be, it had to.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Kaius gestured to Porkchop, directing him to circle around. They spread out, slowly approaching the grave. As he drew near, Kaius could make out that the sarcophagus was clearly fashioned after the creature that had been set into the doors to the chamber.


    A heavy grind sound started to emanate from the coffin.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Kaius started to run.


    The lid of the sarcophagus slid open, defying gravity as it inched its way out over open air. A figure rose out of its confines. Flat as a board, the black garbed undead floated straight up. Kaius kept running, flicking off an Inspect.


    Tomblord Xerx - Level ?:


    ???, ???, ???


    Definitely the Champion.


    To his left, Kaius saw Porkchop sprinting. Trying to circle around the raising figure.


    After it had reached a few long-strides in height, the Tomblord snapped upright - still stiff, with its hands crossed over its chest. Decrepit eyelids opened to reveal empty orbits.


    They ignited in a green balefire a moment later.


    Kaius¡¯s skin prickled under its gaze.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Tomblord Xerx **The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kaius watched Xerx slide through the air faster than he could run, darting away from both him and Porkchop. The undead''s body stayed ridgid, only tilting slightly in the direction it moved.


    It stopped, halfway across the room. One gnarled hand snapped out from its chest. Hovering unmoving, a ghastly green light started to grow in intensity in the palm of its hand. It was a caster.


    He had nothing to deflect magic.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡± He screamed to his friend, still sprinting towards the Tomblord. ¡°Magic! You try to get its attention!¡±


    Porkchop roared, the sound biting deep into Kaius¡¯s ears as his friend redoubled his pace. Charging the undead.


    Green grew in intensity. They were almost there.


    A green shard appeared, rocketing away from the Tomblord to lance towards Kaius. Far faster than he expected.


    ¡°Shit!¡± He thought, throwing himself to the side. The bolt clipped his shoulder, sizzling his leathers and eating its way into the flesh below. Kaius let out a ragged cry. He could feel his flesh roil and twist. The strange magics grabbing on to him, expending themselves to morph his flesh. Pain screamed out from the site of the wound as skin and fat began to break down.


    Rapid Adaptation reacted, flooding the wound with questing vigour, the skill tasting the flavour of the new mana he had been exposed to.


    He hit the ground roughly, looking up to see the Tomblord glide away from the rapidly approaching form of Porkchop. Reaching the other side of the room, the undead floated higher.


    Firmly out of both of their reach.


    Stopping fast, its hand snapped out towards Porkchop, glowing green once more. It was channelling again.


    Kaius¡¯s stomach sank. If they couldn''t even hit it, how were they supposed to win? They needed to flee.


    ¡°We need to run!¡± Kaius pushed himself to his feet. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do!¡±


    Porkchop roared a challenge at the undead, standing his ground.


    ¡°No! Crystal can do it! Original plan!¡± Fury burned over the link.


    ¡°Fuck! Fine!¡± He sprinted towards the undead. ¡°Look here, you gangrenous bastard!¡± He yelled, trying to grab the Champion''s attention.


    Kaius ripped his hunting knife from his belt, sending it hurling end over end towards the Tomblord. It hit home with a thunk, sinking deep into its stomach with a trickle of black blood.


    The Tomblord¡¯s aim snapped to him, another bolt of vomitous green lacing towards him. Kaius didn¡¯t try to block or parry. While some blades had enchantments to interact directly with raw magic, his did not. He dove, rolling across the ground, wincing as his injured shoulder flared in pain.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has added a new Resistance: Corruption!**


    **Ding! Rapid Adaption has reached level 16!**


    Seeing the notification Kaius felt a flood of relief. At the very least he now had some defence against the Tomblords hostile magics. At his feet once more, Kaius held his blade at the ready, staring at the floating undead.


    It had returned its hand to its chest, staring at him with unvarnished hatred as one lip curled back to reveal blackened teeth.


    Out of the corner of his eye Kaius spied Porkchop doing ¡­ something. He had hunkered down, some sort of glittering dust wafting up from the ground around him.


    Kaius didn''t have time to think about it more. The Tomblord thrust its arm out. This time the acid green energy in its palm seemed to spin, growing larger and larger by the second. He held his ground. Pushing the offensive now would do nothing to help him.


    More space meant more time to react.


    The ball of light grew and grew, until it was twice the size of the undead¡¯s head. With a crackle and a blinding flash of light the orb condensed. With a snap it erupted into a glistening shard that seemed to bend the light that passed over it. More than thrice the size of the previous incantation, the spear of corrupting energy hummed with an ominous buzz.


    Watching Tomblord Xerx tighten their grip on their new spear, Kaius adjusted his grip on his sword. Ready to leap to safety at the first sign of the new spell being launched at him.


    Xerx swished its spear in a flourish. And. Moved.


    The undead shot straight for him. Kaius shifted his grip on his sword, bringing it up high over his head.


    Strafing past him, the undead mage scythed at him with its spell, leaving trails of sparking energy in its wake. He shifted his footing, pivoting to track the Tomblord as it passed. The spike-like point of the spell burned him with aura alone as it sailed closely past his chest.


    Kaius grit his teeth against the violation of feeling his skin morph against his will. Rapid Adaptation reduced some of its influence, but it was nowhere near able to negate it entirely.


    He cut. Enchanted steel cut cleanly through the flowing tail of the Champion¡¯s robe, but only managed to scrape the edge of its hip.


    Xerx stopped fast, spinning in place to rush towards him again. The energy spear flashed through the air. Kaius ducked under the blow, spinning to keep his eyes on his opponent. Past the floating form of the mage, he could see the cloud of shining dust above Porkchop had grown.


    Three times bigger than the meles himself, the glistening fog swirled above him. A moment later the particles stopped, hanging mid air. They started to drift inwards. Condensing. Nucleating.


    ¡°Just a bit more!¡± His friend''s tone was strained.


    Kaius grit his teeth, committing himself to his path. He jumped inwards, assaulting the Tomblord with a slash. Dancing away through the air, Xerx retaliate by sending its energy spear streaking towards him. Trails of light tracing its path.


    Kaius blanched. He threw himself back, trying to avoid the spell. It hit the ground in front of him and detonated. Mutagenic energy erupted from the impact point, washing over his front.


    Kaius screamed. Foul sorcery clawed at him, sinking its teeth in to shift and change the outer layers of his flesh against his will. Boils erupted with fervour, popping to morph into sores. Only for another growth to occur a moment later.


    He snapped his jaw shut, feeling his teeth crack as he forced himself to open his eyes. Rapid Adaptation flooded his system, fighting the corruption even as it cordoned off his agony. And his fear. The first resistances, the first skills, he had ever gained.


    Pain wouldn¡¯t stop him.


    Neither would the Tomblord. The damage from the spell was minor. The way it tore at him was excruciating, but only skin deep. His Health was already burning to fix the damage.


    He could still fight.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaption has reached level 17!**


    He locked his gaze on Xerx and felt hate. The mage hovered there, staring at him a few paces away, staring contemptuously. He dashed in. Sword flashing over and over. The undead glided around the strikes. Retaliating with casual swipes of his claw-like nails, gossamer threads of green trails behind.


    Forcing him into a frantic waltz of sword and sorcery.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 5!**


    Risking a glance towards his friend, Kaius looked past the Champion to see if Porkchop was ready. It was far past the point where they should put this corpse back where it belonged. Porkchop locked eyes with him, expression focused. Over his head a shard of clear crystal the size of Kaius¡¯s leg span. Faster and faster. So quick it''s jagged edges seemed to melt together.


    ¡°Ready!¡±


    Kaius pushed the Tomblord, unable to pin it down with his blade.


    Suddenly it darted back, surging across the room to create distance. For the fourth time it stopped fast, unmoving. Another pool of green began to spark in its palm. It was channelling. It couldn¡¯t move while it was channelling!


    ¡°Now, Porkchop!¡± Kaius was already sprinting for the undead, blade held at the ready.


    Porkchop roared in victory. There was a crack.


    A glistening blur shot across the room.


    Shards erupted from the far stone wall, crystal and masonry both.


    The Tomblord dropped, the lower half of its body falling in a different direction from its torso.


    Organs hit the ground with a splash.


    Kaius arrived.


    Tomblord Xerx lost their head.


    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: Tomblord Xerx - level 23 Vile Corruptor! **


    Kaius threw his head back and let out a yell of victorious agony. Declaring himself the victor as Porkchops of deafening roar joining his own.


    Panting as the thrill of the fight slowly left him, Kaius winced as he felt his skin roiling as his Health restored the damage he had taken from the casters spell.


    Rapid thumps against stone slammed into the ground behind him. Kaius quickly sheathed his blade and turned, yelping in surprise as Porkchop bowled him over in a rush of furry enthusiasm.


    ¡°Kaius! You okay?!¡± Porkchop licked at his face.


    ¡°Yep!¡± Kaius scrunched his face, trying to push Porkchop¡¯s bulk off him. ¡°Stop that! We have loot to grab!¡±


    Porkchop hopped off him, backing up with a cocked head.


    ¡°Loot?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, loot.¡± He said with a grin, hauling himself up. He stalked over to the centre of the room, eyeing the golden sarcophagus that lay open with undisguised avariciousness.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see what we got.¡±

 Chapter 36: Loot, and Other Surprises

    Kaius stared at the sarcophagus. Its sculpted golden lid still hovered next to its open interior, displaying a robed figure identical to the Tomblord he had just slain with Porkchop. After his battle with the Champion he expected his just rewards. Considering the rest of the room was stark and empty, that left only one spot.


    He set off towards the grave, his friend padded alongside him, curious about what Kaius was so excited for.


    ¡°What is loot?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not actually sure if it''s something you¡¯d be interested in.¡± Kaius scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ gear. Clothes, weapons, tonics, and useful items. Though I''m not really sure how it works. For all I know the depths might spawn something for you.¡±


    Porkchop huffed at Kaius¡¯s explanation. ¡°Bah. Tools. Two-legged things. Let me know if there is something to eat.¡±


    Kaius grinned at the response, entirely unsurprised his friend was uninterested in things of that nature. He, on the other hand, could barely stop himself from skipping over.


    As soon as they reached the plinth that the sarcophagus sat on, Kaius enlisted Porkchop¡¯s help in clambering up. Peering into the cavity within, Kaius¡¯s mouth split into a wide grin. Its internals were lined with a silvery metal covered in a dense runic script - one he had not encountered before. That surprised him, considering the extensive tutoring his father had given him on the subject.


    It wasn¡¯t the runes that drew his attention though. There, at the base of the grave, lay a small mound of items covered by a silvery sprawl of scaled metal. He¡¯d struck gold. Not only did the grave hold his treasure, but it had far more of it than he had seen from the other two Champions he had battled.


    Though, he suspected in raw value it still didn¡¯t hold a candle to the Natural Treasure the Sunborn Cave Bear had guarded.


    Reaching into the space, Kaius grabbed hold of the armour and pulled it up to hold out in both hands. The scales cascaded over each other with a series of rustling clinks. In the light, he could see that the gleaming silver of the armour was tinged by a subtle pearlescence. A set of scalemail. Long enough to reach his thigh , well tailored with larger overlapping plates covering his vitals, and with a reinforced gorget and pauldrons. It even had sleeves that cut off just below the elbow, rather than the cheaper variants that left the arms exposed.


    Every single one of its scales was etched with fine runes along the edges, a single large anchor rune at the centre.


    He felt the weight of it in his arms. Sturdy, but not so heavy it would weigh him down once distributed over his body.


    It was a fine addition to his arsenal, a perfect blend of defence and manoeuvrability. He¡¯d always preferred the measured approach of medium armour.


    Grinning in satisfaction, he tossed it down to Porkchop.


    ¡°See! Loot!¡±


    ¡°Not like I can use it!¡± Porkchop grumbled.


    Kaius laughed, turning back to the interior of the sarcophagus. In his focus on his new set of armour, he had entirely missed what had been lying underneath. His joy only grew, the scalemail had been hiding plenty more. Two tonics sat on the silvery floor, liquid a roiling angry red that seemed to be at a constant boil. He¡¯d gotten lucky. They were in bottles the exact same shape to his Solar Revitalisation tonics that sat in his potion pouch.


    Beside the tonics, a small handful of silver coins lay scattered around a strange spiky fruit. A pale green, it wasn¡¯t actually covered in thorns, but the rind itself seemed to contort into devilish peaks. Kaius eyed the fruit with a cocked brow. He couldn¡¯t smell any magic, so it wasn¡¯t a reagent.


    He picked it up, holding it to get a closer look. Even as he turned it round in his hands, he got the sense from Explorer¡¯s Toolkit that it was just a¡­fruit?


    Hearing a squeal from behind him, Kaius turned around to find Porkchop staring at him with an open mouth, drool streaming from his mouth. Landing precariously close to his brand new scale.


    ¡°Woah buddy.¡± Kaius waved at Porkchop to back up. ¡°Away from the shiny armour please. I assume you know what this is?¡± He held the fruit up.


    ¡°Kacha fruit! Very, very rare. Very, very tasty!¡± Porkchop replied, visibly salivating as he fixated on the fruit.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kaius laughed. ¡°Enjoy.¡± He tossed his friend his share of the spoils, smiling as Porkchop leapt up to snatch it out of the air. A second later it was gone.


    ¡°What? Not going to savour it?¡± Kaius teased.


    Porkchop simply moaned in bliss and rolled onto his back. With a shake of his head Kaius turned back to the rest of his spoils. Unbuckling his potion pouch, he slid his newest tonics home, adding the coins to the rearmost slot to join the rest. Another ten depths-silver to his name.


    Kaius hopped off the plinth, grunting as he bent his knees slightly to soften the shock of the chest height drop. Sitting down next to his new armour, he turned his head to Porkchop.


    ¡°Well, since you are enjoying yourself so much, and I have a new set of armour, I¡¯m going to work on getting Appraise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch.¡± Porkchop groaned, rolling on to his stomach to face the entrance to the catacombs.


    Turning his attention back to his prize, Kaius began the burdensome process of saturating his eyes with mana. It wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable, but it was something he would have to grow used to. He¡¯d have to do it for every other skill he needed for True Sight from here on out.


    His head started to ache, eyes watering as the volatile energy he syphoned from his soul saturated the delicate flesh. He stared at the scalemail with the desire- no, the need- to learn more. To peer into the secrets the system kept hidden.


    He got the notification.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Appraise (Rare)?**


    With a whoop of success, Kaius used his new skill on the scalemail.


    Serelian Scalemail Cuirass:


    Uncommon - Tier I


    Knight of Sereli, don your armour. War is at the gates, your duty is at hand. Raise your sword high, your spirit aloft. Know that we are with you. Know that our steel guards you. Our magic infuses you. Trust in your armour, Knight, and it will see you through this darkest eve.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Forged from a Heilomite-Steel alloy, this scalemail armour was standard issue for the mage-breaker knights of Sereli. Designed to be light and mobile even for medium armour, it provides significant physical and arcane protection without unduly hampering movement.


    Depths-wrought Artefact


    Medium Armour (Cuirass)


    Durability II, Magic Resistance I, Self Repair I,


    Kaius grinned as he read the description. An Uncommon item. Unlike skills, items didn¡¯t have a level, just a rarity and tier. At his stage of growth even Common items were a boon. Even before taking into account its enchantments, the armour would be supernaturally tough. Far more durable than the rusted chain that Porkchop had torn off him so easily.


    With Durability II and Magic Resistance I? He would be far safer that he had been before. Though, it wasn¡¯t rigid plate, so he would still have to be careful of powerful blows. Though, it would be more resistant than loose chain.


    The mention of Serelia intrigued him. He¡¯d never heard of a nation with that name before. It was another curiosity of the system, the way it referred to places that no one could find in a history book. He supposed that it could have been a place in one of the far off lands over the seas. People rarely travelled between the continents, the distance too far - the seas too treacherous- for it to be considered worth it. Kaius thought it was just as likely that the place was a simple fiction. A spun off dream of the slumbering intelligence that must control the Depths.


    His eyes slid away from the armour, drifting to the reinforced leather and cloth of his pants. He¡¯d been waiting to see what the statuses of his fathers gifts were for years.


    Appraise pulled up the description of his travelling clothes.


    Hunters Garb:


    Common - Tier I


    The wilds are a rough place ill suited to fine silks and crushed velvet. The well prepared know that the best investment is something that will withstand the rigours of hard leagues and ornery beasts.


    Made from triple stitched canvas and cotton, with thick full grain beast leather covering significant vitals, this set of travelling garb bridges the gap between hard wearing clothes, and sturdy light armour. Thanks to its significant padding, it acts well as a set of under armour.


    Artisan-wrought Artefact.


    Light Armour/Clothing (Full Set)


    Weather Resistance I, Self Clean I, Self Repair I


    **Ding! Appraise has reached level 2!**


    Kaius smiled. The notification held no new information for him, yet it was nice to see it confirmed that his father had seen it worthy to gift him a Common set of clothes. For all the description had mentioned fine silks, the cost of this set would have been far more than even a richly dyed and tailored formal suit, especially with the tricky Self Repair enchantment.


    His sword was next. Kaius had an inkling it was most likely common as well. The blade''s enchantments might have been minor, but there were several of them. Plus, with the materials and quality that it had been forged with, it was surely enough to push the weapon to the border of Uncommon.


    Using Appraise on his most prized possession, Kaius pulled up the status page of his sword.


    A Fathers Gift:


    Common - Tier I


    Forged in the dying days of Unterstern. Quenched in the fading light of prosperity. The final work of a master. Birthright of the last Scion.


    A two-handed longsword, forged from meteoric iron, orichalcum, and deep essence, this sword hides a sliver of morphic Craexia crystal in its hilt. If the right conditions are met, this shard of potential may bloom. The complex network of a binding ritual is hidden under its hilt wrap.


    Artisan-wrought Artefact


    Growth Item


    Bindable


    Longsword


    Honed I, Self Repair I, Durability I, Bloodline Veil V


    Kaius¡¯s mouth fell open in shock, disbelieving of the simple facts in front of his eyes. His gaze tore away from the screen, falling back to the hilt of his sword. Pulling it free of his sheath, he laid it flat across his lap. Eyes tracing the ripples of darkened metal that wove their way through the blade''s edge, dancing in the soft light of the ensconced walls.


    A growth item. It was¡­ hard to believe. There was no way his father had this forged on their trip to Deadacre. His clothes, sure. But not this sword. Father had been cagey about what they were there for, and he never actually received his gifts until they were well and truly back in the forest. At the time he had just thought that it was because his father had wanted the presents to be a surprise. He¡¯d failed on that front, there was no way they would ever take a trip to an actual city unless something major was happening.


    Yet, he¡¯d never seen where Father had gone off to whenever he was left alone to explore the markets and eateries with a pouch full of copper. No, a Growth item was a treasure, one that no smith in bloody Deadacre would have a hundredth of the skill or resources to forge.


    The description¡­ It made it sound as if Father had forged it himself. But that was impossible, wasn¡¯t it? His father had always implied he was an inscriptionist? Though, with his injuries preventing him from using his class skills, he¡¯d never actually seen Father¡¯s chosen profession. He well could have been a runesmith, it wouldn¡¯t be close to the first thing he¡¯d held to his chest.


    Father must have forged it when he was only a babe. Before he was crippled. Before whatever fate that had sundered the Unterstern dynasty had forced him to flee. But for him to be strong enough, skilled enough, to forge a Growth item? They were as rare as dragon teeth! Kaius had only heard of them as rare drops from deep within the Depths, with only a prized few being Artisan-Wrought. Magnum Opuses one and all, the culmination of a body of work for once in a century crafters.


    For Father to be among their number, he would have had to be far stronger than he had let on. At least late in the second tier, if not the third. Far stronger than Kaius had ever seen evidence of. He¡¯d always assumed that Hastur had been roughly at the hundredth level , not triple, or quadruple that. Whatever affliction that had disabled him so thoroughly must have been potent indeed. He remembered the strange frustrated expressions that slipped out on the few occasions he had ever seen Father truly move. No, he doubted that whatever curse had been laid on him hadn¡¯t solely affected his class.


    Father must have been hamstrung, cut off from the full effect of his stats. To be reduced so thoroughly must have eaten at him. Gratitude washed over Kaius. The sacrifices his father must have made in order ensure their safety would have been immense. Who gives a bloody growth item as a birth gift to their son?


    They were truly superlative items. Capable of being bound to a person''s status. The more they were used, the more resources, magic, and materials were funnelled into them, the better they got. It meant never having to replace the gear. Hastur had always told him, as one grew stronger and stronger, finding weapons that wouldn¡¯t shatter at the first blow became almost impossible. Suitable drops were rare and dangerous to pursue, and powerful enough smiths had wait lists decades long. Let alone the cost.


    Such artisans were practically celebrities. Hell, even living in the Sea and only visiting isolated frontier villages a few times a year he had still heard of some. Yuriel the Black. Ironhand of Mount Dyrn.


    Kaius¡¯s focus returned to the description of his sword, chewing on his lip. How could Father be amongst their number?


    If Father had been a grandmaster runesmith, why had he not heard the name of Unterstern whispered anywhere? To have such an artisan assaulted, his dynasty vanquished? There would have been an uproar. It would have been the subject of talk and speculation for decades. Yet, Kaius had not heard a peep.


    Too many questions.


    Not enough answers.

 Chapter 37: Bound

    His hands ran over the blade. A Father¡¯s Gift. A fitting name. A weapon that would be with him always, matching his pace step by step. A strangling wave of emotion surged up through him. Excitement. Gratitude. Grief. His throat quivered, eyelids scrunching shut as they threatened to spill over.


    ¡°Kaius?¡± He heard Porkchop move. A second later a heavy weight settled on his shoulder. ¡°You okay?¡±


    He turned, burying his face deep into the dense fluff of his friend''s neck. Letting his riot of emotions wash through him.


    ¡°Yeah. The sword my father gifted to me just had a little bit more history to it than I thought.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Porkchop said, comforting him with a nuzzle.


    Kaius took a deep breath, swallowing down the hitch in his throat. It was a princely gift, one he did not intend to let go to waist. He leaned back to his sword.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He scratched behind Porkchop¡¯s ear, taking a breath. ¡°I¡¯ve got to bind this thing. It¡¯s frankly idiotic that Father didn¡¯t tell me earlier, walking around with this without that security was monumentally stupid. Even with Bloodline Veil.¡±


    It was an interesting enchantment. One that blocked appraisal of an item unless the person in question was of an intended familial line. Normally, it required a sample of blood from the one an artefact was being made for. In this case, his father simply could have used his own.


    Binding the sword was imperative, he had to do it now. It would link it to his status, letting him know its location on an instinctual level. The connection to his soul would also bolster the enchantments. Not enough to raise them a grade, but each would be more effective. Hopefully enough to prevent the sword¡¯s enchantments from ever being used against him. All else who picked up the sword would find it fighting against their every move, a poor weapon indeed.


    That protection only lasted until death. Without the powerful Appraise block that it held, he would never be able to carry it in public. Without powerful backers and or a clan at his back, any two bit crook would take a shot at him in an attempt to claim the reward of a lifetime.


    Binding it would also give him insight into the conditions needed to reach the next stage in its development.


    He reached for the tightly woven hilt of A Father¡¯s Gift. As if reading his intentions, the small knots in the black supple leather at the hilts base came undone with ease. Falling away to reveal a glossy lacquered wooden hilt, deep nurls of swirling wood grain shining pleasingly in the light. The wooden hilt was inlaid in gold, the yellow lines wrapping and spiralling into one of the densest runic formations he had ever seen.


    He recognised the script. Vhaxanish. One of the handful of candidates for his experiments with body formations and imbuement. Complex, overly lengthy, and with an outright contradictory syntax filled with counter arguments and superseding clauses, it was a nightmare to use correctly. It was also amazing for complex, highly variable effects. Like a soulbinding formation. Or, to link binding sigils to runic hymns that used two different scripts.


    The binding keystone of the formation was a dense knot of twisting and interwoven lines of runes. To interface the blade and bind it to his soul he would need to direct his mana there. The process was relatively simple, but not easy. Much like how he had suffused his eyes with Mana in order to develop Appraise and Inspect, Kaius would need to spin a thread of mana from his centre.


    There were two complications, both of which would make it far more difficult than his earlier - easier - application of internal resource control. First, he would have to make the Mana cross the external barrier of his body to brush up directly against the sigil. Much like the barrier between his soul space and physical space, the jump up in control required was significant. If he had Mana Manipulation it would be much more straightforward. Alas, he did not, and waiting until he did would serve him no benefit.


    The other main difficulty would be in spinning out a thread of soulfire to infuse his Mana pool. Afterall, the sword needed to bind itself to his soul, not to his Mana. The resource would simply be acting as a conduit. Normally, there was no benefit to soul infusion. You only risked opening an easy path to your most vulnerable centre for no appreciable benefit. In this case, that easy path was exactly his goal.


    Kaius took a deep breath. His hand closed around the hilt of his sword, feeling the cool touch of the runic gold inlay standing out from the surrounding glossy wood.


    He closed his eyes, falling into his visualisation of his centre.


    Now that he had Mental Visualisation everything seemed sharper. Less aethereal. More concrete. He reached for his soul, fire writhing out with the lightest touch. It was easier. He hadn¡¯t expected that. An unintended but very welcome side effect of his most recent skill.


    Pulling on the thread, Kaius encouraged it to connect to the nebulous blue cloud of his mana. It didn¡¯t quite snap into place like it had with his skill. He had to focus to keep it flowing there, drifting in the blue gas like some wind caught streamer. He encouraged his soul to flare, a great outpouring of his very essence flowing through his conduit to colour the blue with a radiant ghostly tinge.


    Sweat dripped from his brow. Even with the assistance of Mental Visualisation it was far harder than he expected, the exertion of directly expending some of his soul weighing heavily on every aspect of his being. His head throbbed. Bones ached. Muscles wilted. He¡¯d have to move quickly. He wasn¡¯t quite sure if this was healthy.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 4!**


    His father hadn¡¯t told him of any risks surrounding this niche skill, but he doubted the man had ever seen it used by someone so early. Every other use he knew of for soul infusion, hell even binding an artefact, was almost entirely the purview of the high levelled.


    Binding. Class evolution. Grand rituals. He knew there were more, but those were the only ones Father had deigned to teach him of. The only ones he was likely to make use of himself.


    Levelling strengthened the soul. Without that reinforcement, he might injure himself. Certainly he had never been told of it feeling like his very essence was being depleted.


    He had to hurry.


    Hearing a deep rumble from somewhere behind him, Kaius ignored the distraction and pushed on.


    Reaching for the mana next, he quickly yanked a thread past the outer barrier of his soul space. He traced it through his body, running parallel to nerves and vessels.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 5!**


    He felt so heavy.


    Kaius wasn¡¯t sure if he had the mental focus to keep control of his mana outside of his body. A different tactic was required. Force.


    The resource flooded his hands. Grunting in strain he locked down his skin, forcing his Mana to flood the area. Saturating it like he had done to his eyes.


    Once full, he was forced to bear down on the barrier he had created, mana attempting to push its way free. He didn¡¯t let it. The pressure built. Tingling grew in his hand, quickly rising to feel like stabbing needles in his skin. He bit down on his lip. Tasting iron.


    Just a bit more. He only needed a bit more. Health left his soul, rushing to heal his hand as tiny droplets of blood welled up from his pours. The mana was too much. Breaking down his flesh.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    His skin started to split, drenching the handle of his blade in a slick crimson wash.


    Something bumped him. He growled in frustration. He had to do this.


    Now!


    He released his mental grip, creating a hole in the barrier he had made around his hand. Soul infused mana shot free, hitting the centre of the binding sigil with a deep throng. Gold inlay began to glow, scintillating blue and yellow. A deep thrum pulsed from the runic inscription, shooting through his arm and the tenuous pathway of mana he was only just maintaining.


    The load of the soul-binding array was too much, threatening to overwhelm him and burst the delicate thread of Mana.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 6!**


    Instant relief. He redoubled his focus, bearing his mind down on the vacuous power that provided the spell with a direct route to his soul.


    The connection flared. The sigil on A Father¡¯s Gift burned with heat and light. Kaius¡¯s soul shook as something sampled his essence, stealing some away to be mingled and replaced with the qualia of another. A second parcel of quintessence shot away, chasing back down his forged highway to flood into his blade.


    An instant later he felt a deep thrum resonate through him.


    It was done.


    He sagged in relief. Letting soulfire snap back from his Mana pool, the pathway he had forged through his body dissipating.


    **Ding! A Father¡¯s Gift (Growth Longsword) has been bound!**


    Kaius slumped, he felt like he had run a marathon while testing for a civic exam. Every scrap of him felt wrung out, drained, and used. An all consuming exhaustion.


    Something butted up against his face again. Something cold and wet, accompanied by a high pitched whine. He looked up blearily, finding Porkchop hoving right next to him with a very concerned expression on his face.


    ¡°Oh. Hey, Porkchop. Probably should have warned you.¡± He murmured, weakly patting his friends snout.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± Porkchop nipped him on the ear. ¡°What was that! No killing yourself for loot! Soul is precious!¡±


    Kaius¡¯s mind chugged, struggling to process his friend''s words. His brows furrowed.


    ¡°How did you know I used my soul?¡±


    ¡°Greater beast, I can see power. Which is unimportant, what you did could have killed you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He waved Porkchop off. ¡°I had too. I just need a bit of rest. Besides, it worked. I bound my sword.¡±


    Porkchop huffed, wandering away from him.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Kaius called out. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To get your bag,¡± Porkchop huffed. ¡°You need water.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Kaius called after Porkchop¡¯s retreating form, feeling a little guilty that he had worried him. He turned back to the sword still in his lap.


    His hands still ached, but the bleeding had stopped and his Health was already burning to seal the wound. Though, his slight leak had covered the hilt in a mess of bloody streaks.


    Wadding up his tunic he wiped the blood free, revealing that the gold inlay had flash frozen itself into a yellow gleaming crystalline structure. He admired the swirling lines as he rewove the swords grip covering.


    The new connection that he had forged with the weapon seemed to tug at him, much like when he had a awaiting status notification. He gave it his attention, a new screen popping into existence in front of his eyes.


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Awakening Conditions-


    Gain a class (0/1)


    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)


    Forge a link (0/1)


    Kaius sighed as he read the requirements. They were so vague, though he assumed that ¡®awakening¡¯ was how the blade would grow in strength. At least in rumours and legends, the materials used to fuel an artefact''s growth had an incredible effect on the way it developed.


    He just hoped he would get some kind of indication if a material was suitable. He couldn¡¯t exactly go around to smiths and ask if they had any metals for a growth item. At best he¡¯d get laughed out of the shop, if not abducted wholesale.


    Porkchop came back, the carry loop of his bag securely held in his mouth. His friend dropped his back at his feet with a grumble, before settling back down on his haunches.


    ¡°Wash your blood.¡± Porkchop said, nudging the bag closer to him with one paw. ¡°Then drink¡±


    Kaius gave a slight smile at Porkchops concern. ¡°Alright, though I have a few more things that I need to Appraise before we leave.¡±


    ¡°Right after you nearly cracked your soul?¡± Porkchop asked, flabbergasted.


    ¡°That was just for the sword.¡± he said with a shake of his head. ¡°I won¡¯t need to do that again for a long time.¡±


    Porkchop watched him with suspicion, but settled down to wait.


    Kaius switched his attention to his potion pouch, Appraising the boxy bag.


    **Ding! Appraise has reached level 6!**


    Potion Pouch:


    Depths-wrought item


    A sturdy potion pouch made of treated beast leather affixed to rigid steel plates, designed to protect tonics from hard knocks. Contains space for eight standard sized tonics in squared bottles.


    To his disappointment, the bag was a simple item, not an artefact. It seemed not everything he received from the Champions was guaranteed to be enchanted. Oh well, it still served the purpose it had been made for admirably.


    He flicked the pouch open, turning to his two remaining Solar Revitalisation tonics, and his two new red ones.


    Deciding to appraise the ones he¡¯d had for some time, Kaius pulled free one of the familiar radiant orange tonics.


    Solar Revitalization Tonic:


    Common - Tier I


    At the end of the line, there is only one source of energy. Growth, death, recovery, expenditure. All happens under the watchful warm embrace of the sun.


    A tonic that slightly stimulates the production of Health and Stamina in the soul.


    Depths-brewed potion


    Stamina regeneration I, Health regeneration I


    The description was exactly as he expected, though it was nice to confirm there were no hidden effects that he had missed. Unfortunately, he did confirm that he wasn¡¯t able to reveal the direct numerical effects of his items. Something relegated for higher rarity appraisal skills, he guessed. Kaius slid the orange potion home, and pulled out one of the new roiling red ones.


    Psychopathic Assault Tonic:


    Common


    Some things just need killin¡¯


    A tonic that amplifies aggression, focus and mental resistance. Moderately boosts Strength, with no impact on Stamina.


    Depths-brewed Potion


    Psychokiller I, Strength Boost I


    Kaius eyed the tonic warily. A Moderate boost to Strength was no small gain. With his current cap of twenty, he was nearly half again as strong as he would be without the system''s assistance. Anything that allowed him to push that further was not something he should turn his nose at.


    And yet¡­ increased aggression? That would be a double edged sword. Still, he was confused, it surely clashed with the increased mental resistance. Usually mental resistance was used to ward off the deleterious effects of berserker style boosts at the very least.


    He would have to be very, very careful whenever he tried it. It would no doubt be potent, but if he lost sight of his own sense of safety, it would be worse than useless.


    Slotting the potion back in his pouch, Kaius buckled it closed with a click.


    ¡°Well my friend.¡± Kaius turned to Porkchop. ¡°I think I am done here.¡±


    ¡°Yay! Back home?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kaius nodded. ¡°Though only for a short while. Just long enough to get my next two skills. I¡¯m gonna need to set up a formation for each of them. After that we can go look for some more Champions outside of this glade.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Porkchop said, flicking his ears. ¡°Need to sleep. More adventure can wait till after a nap.¡±


    ¡°That it could.¡± Kaius laughed, pushing himself to his feet. Some rest would be good.


    Taking a second to unbuckle his sword belt, Kaius picked up his new Serelian Scalemail. He slid it on, admiring the way it hugged him perfectly with nary a pinch or a pull.


    The pair set off, striding out of the underground catacomb to make the slow route home out of the lengthy maze above.

 Chapter 38: Inscription

    Kaius crouched over a wide wooden board outside of the church. He¡¯d broken down one of the splintered pews and made a small pile of the flattest and smoothest sections of wood.He had a need for them. The next two skills he planned to acquire, Sense Illusion and Sense Mana, were both tricky things.


    Father had had plans for how they could work on them. Kaius remembered their last trip to Elmhollow, another of the villages they visited on occasion. A caravan had been passing through, and his father had spotted that they had a minor artefact. A trinket really, more of a children''s toy than anything. The small metal orb would cover itself in an illusion of shifting colours. His father had snapped it up, and had kept it buried at the bottom of his bag for the last several months.


    Unfortunately, the orb had been left at their camp when he had been forced to flee, so he would have to make do with what he could himself. Thankfully, he¡¯d more than progressed far enough in his lessons on runes to set up a simple formation that would fuel itself with a mana gathering array. Hence the boards.


    Tracing the sigils in the dirt would be nowhere near precise enough for his needs, and while stone would have held up to the rigours of magic better than scrap wood he had no chisels, nor the time, to engrave any of the headstones.


    A snort drew his attention. Kaius looked up and smiled. Porkchop was lying next to the outer wall of the church, twitching slightly in his sleep. It had taken them hours to work their way out of the maze, and on their journey back they¡¯d been ambushed by a pair of direboars. Thankfully, between his growth, and his friends prodigious strength, they¡¯d had them handled. One of them was currently roasting over the hearth inside now, the delicious scent of roasting meat and rendered fat wafting out of the churches open windows.


    As soon as they had returned, Porkchop had started mumbling about a nap and passed out in seconds. Bloody adorable. He might know that the meles was a terror when he wanted to be, and a nigh mythical creature besides, but he was so damn fluffy.


    Kaius shook his head, returning to his task at hand. He grabbed one of the pieces of charcoal he had scavenged from the hearth before he had started cooking, drawing out smooth swooping lines on one of the boards.


    He was going to use Gretchen''s Standard. One of the simpler scripts, more something used to train apprentices than something true practitioners employed in their craft. That was important. He had no doubt that without a full skill list he would be offered a mastery skill for the work. That meant he had to avoid using any of his five favoured scripts.


    They were the ones he had narrowed down with Father. Each offering a potential use for his plans for his class. They were also the scripts that he planned to use to forge his next legacy skill after True Sight. According to his father, many of his ancestors had gone the route of using runes. Their sixth skill was to thank for that.


    It was unique amongst legacy skills, at least those he had heard of, in that it could be merged from any five runic Mastery¡¯s. Instead, the process of merging required a specific mental intent and image to be held in the mind, making it a far harder process than normal. It would be the lynch pin of his spellcasting formation, and had been for the classes of his father and many others in his dynasty.


    Among other benefits, it drastically eased the enmeshment of multiple differing runic scripts. Something that was normally hellishly difficult. The realm of masters, not the unclassed.


    Getting offered a mastery skill for one of the scripts he planned to use in that merge could be disastrous. It had the potential to make it too difficult for him to reacquire with the limited tools he had at his disposal. He¡¯d have to pick another script, one he was far less familiar with, and one that was far less suited to his eventual intent.


    So he used Gretchen''s Standard.


    Kaius began to visualise the central sigil that he wanted in his mind, hoving over the board with charcoal in hand. While the script might have been designed for use by novices, it was by no means simple in isolation. The central binding rune would be a whorling knot of intersecting lines and angles. He traced the image in his mind, leaning heavily on mental visualisation. He double and triple checked the image that floated in his mind''s eye, making corrections as he saw an angle out of place, or a line slightly too thick.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 7!**


    A headache set in, Kaius struggling to hold the image stable. It snapped into place, finished.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 8!**


    With a steady hand borne from a lifetime of practice, he traced his charcoal over the wood, setting down the sigil into the centre of the plank.


    Next he moved to the emission arrays, three concentric circles connecting to equidistant lines that exited the central knot.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 9!**


    Inside the circles he inscribed lines of balance and unity. Linking chains came next. Jagged, angled things that would connect the emission arrays to the locus of the inscription, an equilateral triangle lined in a hymn of deceit and lies. Each rune of the hymn was dense, tight. Forcing him to shave his charcoal down to a point with every few lines. The minutes ticked by, stamina draining as it forced back strain induced tremors.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 10!**


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 11!**


    More than once he smudged a line, wooden refuse and charcoal making poor materials for the deft work of runic inscription. Biting down frustration he simply reached for a rag, wetting the cloth and wiping away the whole rune. Restarting a line would have left minute discrepancies in thickness, something that would reduce the lifespan of the array.


    It was already a hack job. He¡¯d be lucky if it lasted long enough for him to get his skill. It had to be as perfect as he could make it.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 12!**


    Kaius moved to the final set of runes he needed for the glyph. A shaping array to influence what his sigil actually did. He scribed another line of hymns, this time on the interior of the triangle that surrounded the formation. These would serve to hold the illusion mana in stasis. If he did it well enough, it should project an illusory orb a handspan above the binding rune.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 13!**


    Biting his lip, he traced the last line. He was done. Now he only had to see if it worked. The array should, if he had inscribed it with enough accuracy, pull mana from the air to charge the effect. With the density in the Depths, it should only take fifteen minutes.


    Kaius fell back onto the grass behind him, his hand aching and his head throbbing. It had been a nerve wracking experience. Without his father yelling at him every time he made a mistake, there had been a few times he had second guessed himself. But he was done, and he¡¯d know if he was successful soon enough.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - Gretchen¡¯s Standard (Uncommon)?**


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Steady Hand (Common)?**This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    He dismissed the notification, rejecting the skills.


    While he waited for the sigil to activate, Kaius rested, recovering his mental focus for when he would have to once again suffuse his eyes with mana. As he watched his jury rigged illusion generator, the charcoal lines he had drawn seemed to flare. Black dust sank into the wood, leaving what looked closer to a series of ink lines on paper than a rough sketch.


    He sighed in relief. The mana was flowing through, binding the formation to the material of the board. To save on complexity, something his chosen script was notoriously bad at, he hadn¡¯t put in any control or contingency runes. Once it started generating the illusion, it would keep running until it burned itself out. Random wood was bound to be a poor conductor of mana, and as more flowed through his written circuits it would accumulate damage.


    Eventually the array would collapse, and if he hadn¡¯t gained his skill by then he would need to repeat the process.


    A haze in the air started to rise from his array. Kaius narrowed his eyes. It was a sign of poor efficiency. He¡¯d done a truly shit job if it was bad enough that the rising mana levels were contained poorly enough to be visible to the naked eye. It couldn¡¯t be helped.


    Even at the best of times, with suitable materials and inscription tools, his actual execution of runes was middling. At least, that is what Father was so fond of telling him. Kaius had a sneaking suspicion he did very well for an unclassed with no relevant skills. The fact that the rune held together at all when it was simple rough charcoal on wood was nothing short of a miracle.


    It did, however, mean that the inscription was close to having pulled enough mana to activate. He needed to infuse his eyes now. No way was he wasting whatever precious time he would have with the illusion generator.


    He threaded the mana out from his soul quickly, the task coming easier after having done it so often in the last day. The energy saturated his eyes, held in pace with a firm mental grip. His eyes teared up, caustic mana sending needle fine points spearing into his delicate orbits. Yet the mental strain of holding the volatile resource under pressure had lessened. There was no headache.


    **Ding! Intelligence has reached level 14!*


    A subtle pop echoed out from his inscription. Above it a cream coloured orb snapped into existence, roughly the size of his fist. It seemed as solid and substantial as the wood it floated over. The soft blue light of the cavern washed over it, shading its underside and washing its top in a cerulean hue.


    It worked!


    The orb flickered. Growing insubstantial. Ghostly. No longer affected by the light, losing shade and blue tones - making it look flat and two dimensional.


    ..maybe not perfectly. But it worked! The inconsistent activation might even work in his favour. If it was visibly illusory, even if only for a moment, there was a likely chance of one of two things happening. Either there was a problem with one of his linking runes, and the array was spiking in resistance. Choking the illusion of the necessary mana it needed to sustain itself.


    On the other hand, those same runes could have an entirely different problem. They could be ramping in resistance, and resetting when the flow dropped too low to sustain a continuous throughput. That would mean a smooth ramp in intensity. Perfect for training Sense Illusion.


    He had to hurry.


    Kaius held his mana stable in his eyes, staring at the illusory orb in an effort to find any inconsistency. It¡¯s ghostly flicker aided him, his eyes quickly picking up the slightest ripple barely a moment after it snapped back to physical substantivity.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Sense Illusion (Rare)?**


    Kaius accepted the skill immediately, avoiding taking a look at its description in favour of staring intently at his illusion generator. With his skill acquired, he released his grip on the mana in his eyes, letting it dissipate.


    As soon as the skill formed in his soul space a new set of instincts flooded through him. When the orb flickered, and during the monetary ripple straight after, he got the intuitive sense that it was wrong. Fake. But only then. The rest of the time the orb looked as real and physical as it had since it had first popped into existence.


    He watched. There. Right after the ripple. The colours weren¡¯t quite right. Too.. inconsistent.


    **Ding! Sense Illusion has reached level 2!*


    The linking runes were acting as a variable mana gate. Sheer dumb luck and poor execution had worked in his favour. Kaius grinned.


    Shadows shifted on the orb, just barely inconsistent with the oddly flat lighting from above.


    **Ding! Sense Illusion has reached level 3!*


    This was perfect. He was worried he was going to have to make a dozen of these arrays! If it managed to hold out for the rest of the hour, he just might be able to cap the skill.


    Kaius watched the slowly flickering orb like a hawk, discrepancies and tell tale giveaways growing by the minute.


    <hr>


    **Ding! Sense Illusion has reached level 11!*


    Smoke wafted up from the scrap piece of pew, the hovering illusion of the cream orb winking out of existence. The illusion array burnt itself out.


    Kaius sighed. In the end, it had lasted the full hour, but his estimation of how quickly Sense Illusion would grow had been off. He¡¯d need to make some more formations to cap it off, then he could move on to Sense Mana. Thankfully the array he needed for that skill would be a little simpler. Just a mana condenser and emitter without any shaping formations.


    But first, he had some skills to look at. A shiver of anticipation crawled up his spine. It was always so exciting looking at new skills. He¡¯d grown to crave it. Another slight benefit to his legacy skills, he got to see a whole lot more of them than most.


    He pulled up the description of Appraise.


    Appraise:


    Level 8


    Rare


    Every object has a history, a use, and a story. Know these and their true purpose is revealed.


    Skill that enables slight insight into the status of items and artefacts. Higher rarity and more powerful items are more difficult to appraise. Enchantments and skills can block this insight


    Each level slightly increases the skills ability to overcome insight blocking effects.


    Kaius nodded to himself. He had known that higher rarities could resist appraisal, but it was good to see it all laid out for him.


    He was pleased with his growth. Both Appraise and Inspect were notoriously easy skills to level, as one could simply use them on any non living or living object that they passed by. As he and Porkchop had made their way back from the centre of the glade, he¡¯d practically appraised every third flag stone. It was boring work, but important. Inspect had skyrocketed in comparison, having reached level sixteen thanks to his inspection of the many trees in the glade.


    It was something that would level in the background, but it was important he merged the skills as soon as possible so that he could acquire the last skill he needed for True Sight.


    He moved on to his most recent skill.


    Sense Illusion:


    Level 11


    Rare


    Reality can be obscured. Facts can be hidden. Lies are prevalent. A proper seeker of wisdom observes not the falsity, but the cracks through which the truth shines through.


    Skill that aids the user in seeing the truth behind illusion and mirage effects. Level disparity, skill level, mana investment, and illusion quality can block this insight.


    Each level slightly increases the skills ability to overcome insight blocking effects.


    Kaius dismissed the notification. He was glad to finally have acquired it. Illusion effects grew more common as one descended the depths, and it was not unheard of for careless Delvers to fall prey to cloaked traps and camouflaged ambush predators.


    Looking back to the messy stack of wooden boards he had secured for himself, Kaius forced himself to suppress a groan. He didn¡¯t want to wake Porkchop after all.


    He¡¯d finish levelling Sense Illusion, work on Sense Mana, and then he could rest.

 Chapter 39: Mistakes Were Made

    **Ding! Sense Illusion has reached level 20!*


    Kaius gasped in relief, rubbing his eyes. He¡¯d been staring at floating illusions for hours. Long enough that Porkchop had woken from his nap and was now watching him curiously from the church. His friend had seemed fascinated with the process of scrawling runes and the resulting effects they produced.


    At least, he had the first few times. Kaius sent a contemptuous scowl to the charred pile of boards that had been collecting behind him.


    At first it had been enough to simply make more arrays to generate floating orbs. Eventually that stopped pressuring his skill, and he had to take far more time on the array. Making it, and by extension the illusion, as perfect as possible. On rough wood. With a stick of charcoal.


    It was enough to make him tear his hair out.


    If that wasn¡¯t enough, eventually even a perfect floating orb wasn¡¯t enough. Too simplistic. Too flat. He¡¯d had to start adding complexity to the shaping arrays. Giving the orb variation in colour and texture. Making it respond superficially to touch and movement. Adding better light scattering.


    Tasks that Gretchen''s Standard was not well suited for. By the end he¡¯d had to reinscribe his final array four times. Four! Times!


    Rising from his comfortable seat, Kaius lunged into a deep stretch, working out the kinks he had developed after sitting over hunched for so long. Walking over to Porkchop, he grabbed one of his water skins and slumped down. Leaning heavily into the warm softness of his friend''s side.


    ¡°Going well?¡± Porkchop asked, chest rising in a series of quick chuffs. Bastard was laughing at him.


    He let out an unintelligible grumble.


    ¡°The sooner I never have to think about that stupid script again the better. My hands hurt, my ears hurt, and my brain feels like it is melting out of my ears. So yes, it¡¯s going well.¡± Kaius ranted, before slipping out a grin. ¡°I capped the skill.¡±


    Porkchop simply rumbled, amusement still flowing across their link.


    ¡°I should get back to it,¡± Kaius sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve only got Sense Mana now. The inscriptions for that should be a lot simpler.¡±


    Pulling himself up to his feet, Kaius wandered back to his waiting pile of wooden planks. He pulled one free, letting it fall to the ground with a clatter.


    Taking a seat in front of it he began tracing the lines of his next array. He¡¯d told the truth when he¡¯d mentioned to Porkchop that the array he needed was much simpler. It was also firmly in the wheelhouse of the simplistic arrays that Gretchen¡¯s Standard was designed for.


    Flowing lines, geometric shapes, and whorling passages of runic hymns materialised in his mind¡¯s eye. He held the image, searching for mistakes and imperfections. It was about half the size of the array he had used for Sense Illusion. He¡¯d been able to completely rip out the shaping array, and most of the binding ones too - just the central sigil and some tertiary directing runes remained.


    Stripped down, it was really just a gathering array, a few conduits, an emitter, and the binding.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 18!**


    ¡°Good,¡± Kaius thought to himself. He should be able to finish the skill before he was done as well.


    He sharpened his charcoal with his hunting knife, placing the rudimentary writing implement down onto the wood and began to inscribe his array. Ten minutes, and a handful of corrections, later and he watched the array activate, sinking deep into the wood.


    Focus dived inwards, forcing mana to flood into his eyes.


    He reached saturation just as the formation activated. It was far quicker than his earlier illusion array. Only needing to condense the mana, rather than transform it into a different form.


    Thick hazy air rose up from the array, the mana dense enough to cause physical deformations. Ignoring his rising headache he peered at intently. Trying to reveal its secrets. To see the hidden world of magic that suffused and radiated through all of existence.


    Something sparked. A flash of colour?


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Sense Mana (Rare)?**


    Letting out a woop, Kaius relaxed his hold on the mana in his eyes and accepted the skill.


    Instantly the world was awash in a riot of colours.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 2!**


    A geyser of spiritual energies roared out of his array.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 3!**


    Blues, reds, and every other colour morphing and changing in a violent current that surged upwards, splashing out and down from the cavern ceiling.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 4!**


    So bright it was almost blinding. A primal force of nature.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 5!**


    His array vacuumed at the surrounding energies, syphoning great clouds.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 6!**


    The mana seemed to scream in rage at their confinement, elemental aspects fighting to diffuse themselves. To separate from their opposites.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 7!**


    Forced into close proximity.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 8!**


    The array started to whine.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 9!**


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 10!**


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 11!**


    Kaius screamed at his body to move. He couldn¡¯t. Suck staring blankly at the sheer presence of the mana.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 12!**


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 13!**


    There shouldn¡¯t be so much of it. Should there? Mana was diffuse. Thin. Even if he was in the Depths, he was only on the second layer.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 14!**


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 15!**Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The board rattled.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 16!**


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 17!**


    Something closed over his shoulder. Hard. Digging into his flesh.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 19!**


    He was yanked backwards. His head lolled to the side. The mana was everywhere. So bright. Even looking away from the syphon, it suffused everything. Too much. He couldn¡¯t see.


    Shapes blurred past him, indistinct in the all consuming radiance of a natural force revealed to him in all its primal glory. He scraped along the ground, whatever was dragging him moving faster and faster.


    The array detonated. Noise cut through his fugue like a clap of unexpected thunder. He looked back. An impenetrable wall of mana flooded towards him.


    They weren¡¯t going to make it.


    The shockwave hit.


    His eyes. It was burning his eyes.


    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 20!**


    <hr>


    Kaius came too with a splitting headache. Something heavy was laying on top of him. Something soft, warm, and grumbling in concern. Porkchop.


    ¡°Get off me you big lug!¡± Kaius said, spitting out his friend''s fur and pushing ineffectively at his massive bulk.


    Porkchop rose quickly, bending down to stare at him with concern. Kaius blinked, trying to see where they were. Mana still suffused everything, eddy currents of the mystical force drifting from the wind. It seemed to concentrate around living things, hugging trees and lichen alike with familiarity.


    A headache started to set in. Kaius groaned, rubbing his eyes. When he opened them again the light of the mana was still there. It was visible, but also not. A bizarre double vision. He could see the soft blue light, the dark reds and blacks of Porkchop¡¯s coat, and the browns of the tree trunks around him. Yet he could also see vacuous streamers of green clinging to plants, browns rising from the earth, grey flitting through the glades soft breeze, and a dozen dozen other colours besides.


    It was like being stuck in a thick fogbank, barely able to see more than a few long-strides in any direction.


    ¡°Idiot!¡± Porkchop bopped him on the head with his paw.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Kaius rubbed his head. ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°Blew up church!¡±


    ¡°I¡­what?¡± Kaius asked, confused. His eyes widened, memories of what had happened with his array coming rushing back to him.


    ¡°Shit!¡± He said.


    Looking around, Kaius saw they were somewhere in the glade proper. It seemed Porkchop had pulled him to safety.


    He racked his brain, trying to figure out what the hells had happened. The formation shouldn¡¯t have detonated like that. Even if there was a truly absurd amount of mana in the depths. even if he had made a mistake, at worst the board he had inscribed should have just caught on fire. There was no way it could have handled that much throughput!


    Wait. He¡¯d blown up the church?


    ¡°Porkchop. What happened to the church?¡± He asked frantically, trying to ignore a ghostly double of mana that seemed superimposed on Porkchop¡¯s figure. Most of their gear and supplies had been inside.


    ¡°It fell over!¡± Porkchop yelled, frustration and concern shining across their link.


    ¡°What do you mean it fell over! How bloody big was that explosion!¡±


    ¡°You tell me! You did it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! That absolutely shouldn¡¯t have happened! Fuck, we have to check it out. Most of my gear is still there.¡± He groaned, pushing himself to his feet. Porkchop grumbled, spinning off to walk in what was presumably the directors of the remnants of their base.


    Kaius followed, stumbling as he struggled with his new found sight.


    As they walked through the trees Kaius pulled up the notification for his new skill.


    Sense Mana:


    Level 20


    Rare


    Trace the hidden paths of magic, and reveal the unseen truths of the arcane.


    Skill that reveals the hidden mystic realm. High mana levels can prove blinding.


    Each level slightly increases acuity and tolerance to ambient mana.


    Blinding indeed. He did his best to get a handle on the new skill. Slowly, ever so slowly, the mana withdrew from prominence in his vision.


    Oh, it was still there, but far more muted. Only returning to blanket his sight in colour when he focused his attention on the new sense. Something that caused problems, as it was all too easy to catch a flash of mana out of the corner of his eye and focus his mind on the unexpected detail. Enough to bring the overwhelming wall of mystic fog back in full force.


    By the time they arrived at the church he had mostly gotten a handle on it, but he knew he still needed practice. It could prove fatal if it overwhelmed his sight in the middle of a battle.


    He had not expected the skill to be so impactful. Hell, his father had warned him that at early levels atmospheric mana was barely perceptible. Was the magic of the depths really that dense? It had to be, if it had so completely overwhelmed an array designed for a novice. There was no way he had made a mistake, not with bloody Gretchen¡¯s Standard of all scripts.


    The pair exited the trees, the low wall that surrounded the church and graveyard coming into view. Looking past it Kaius was treated to a sight of total devastation. Where he had been working on his inscriptions, there was now a crater easily three strides deep and thrice as wide. Headstones close to the blast had been shattered, sending fist sized fragments of stone sailing clean across the yard. Those further away had been knocked flat, only those closest to the wall still standing strong.


    The church had gotten the worst of it. He¡¯d only been a few long-strides from it after all. The blast had caved in the closest wall, large masonry stones kicked inwards with concussive force. Dust and gravel coated everything. To make matters worse, the already dilapidated roof had totally collapsed.


    Kaius let out a groan. That was a lot of digging they were going to have to do. He just hoped his new armour was alright. He¡¯d left it on top of his pack.


    Thankfully, he had his sword on him. Even with how close he was to Porkchop, in the center of their claimed camp, he felt naked without it. It was the Depths after all. Who knew what could happen.


    Hells, you never knew when a runic array could explode your house.


    He scowled.


    ¡°Gods dammit.¡± He stalked forwards. ¡°My bad Porkchop, we better get digging.¡±


    ¡°Idiot,¡± Porkchop grunted. ¡°Not forgetting this.¡±


    <hr>


    Kaius grunted, pushing with his legs as he helped Porkchop roll away the last discarded piece of masonry that they needed to move to get access to their supplies. In all honesty, they¡¯d gotten pretty lucky. The blast had utterly annihilated the dire boar they had been roasting over the fire, sending meat mush and hot coals throughout the building. It made for an interesting time picking their way through the building. Half his steps had sizzled the leather of his boots, and the others had squelched uncomfortably.


    Thankfully, when he had been preparing materials for his inscriptions, he had already carted the vast majority of the wooden furniture out of the building. Nothing had caught fire.


    His pack, his armour, and their emergency supplies of jerky had escaped intact. Mostly. One of his water skins had been ruptured. Shredded as a high speed stone shard tore straight through it. Thank god for his fathers insistence on backups.


    ¡°Where next?¡± Porkchop asked as Kaius tightened the last of the buckles on his scalemail.


    ¡°Leave the glade I guess. I don''t fancy camping without solid walls, too much risk of roaming beasts. We could try the hunters lodge, but there are a lot of undead bodies there. It smells foul.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blow up the house next time then.¡± Porkchop teased him.


    ¡°Yeah yeah. I think I''ve got an idea of where we should go though. One of the tunnels out of here looked pretty different. Some sort of mineshaft.¡±


    ¡°Good as any. Hopefully there will be more Champions. The Tomblord was fun.¡± Porkchop said, shaking his body in excitement of a prospective fight.


    Kaius agreed, he¡¯d spent enough time in this glade. As magical as it was, he¡¯d taken out all of the Champions that could be found in it. It was time to go. He was tantalisingly close to unlocking his next legacy skill, and he had yet to find anything that was as good at helping him level his skills than a good fight. Plus, the powerful loot they offered was an edge too useful to ignore.


    And maybe, maybe, if he kept pushing himself he might be able to learn more about what it meant to be Observed.

 Chapter 40: Learning More

    Kaius trudged through a cave of shattered rock and spearing roots, Porkchop following close behind. It was dark, far darker than the grove had been. The cave moss that had provided them comforting light had grown sparse as they pushed deeper into the tunnels, leaving just enough light for him to use Low Light Vision to see by.


    They¡¯d left the grove weeks ago, pushing deep into the many twisting tunnels that had splintered off from the oversized cavern. The mineshaft that had caught Kaius¡¯s attention turned out to be a dead end. All they¡¯d found had been undead miners, rockfall traps, and a small pouch of depths-coin sitting on a plinth at the end. The gold coin had been nice, but it had been annoying to have to turn back so quickly.


    In their downtime, he¡¯d spent some time trying to recreate the inadvertent bomb that had blown up their house. Unfortunately, much to his dismay, all he managed to do was create formations that burned themselves out. It seemed whatever had happened, it had been due to some distortion of his runes thanks to working with charcoal and wood. He¡¯d been expecting that; even with the higher than expected mana density, it should have simply burnt itself out.


    In the end, his inability to recreate it was no great loss. He was leary of relying too heavily on environmental traps and fighting like a runewright. It could overly influence his class options, and prevent him from gaining recognition from the system for more direct forms of confrontation.


    Every now and again would be okay, but it wouldn¡¯t be too long until he could work on his spell casting formation, he could be patient.


    The other tunnels they now explored were far more convoluted. They sprawled through the earth, intersecting and winding through each other in a confusing mess. Roots clawed free from rock walls, the monochromatic sight of his Low Light Vision making them seem closer to the petrified tentacles of some slumbering horror.


    Two or three times an hour, the light would return when a tunnel opened up into a small cavern. Graves dotted the spaces, overgrown with lichens and dense brush. They absolutely crawled with depths-born, always a coinflip if they would be nearly overrun by beasts or undead. Unlike the cavern that held the groves, these spaces in the earth were much smaller. Small enough that engaging one of the dungeon spawn was enough to pull the rest down on their heads.


    The beast caverns at least made for good campsites. Without the putrid smell of undead, and with the beasts providing a convenient food source, they were almost comfortable.


    His armour had already shown its worth, deflecting claw and blade alike with ease. It dramatically increased the risks he could take in combat, now he only had to worry about the slow attrition of his Health as it expended to heal cracked bone and bruised flesh. Not that he was reckless.


    Well. Not anymore.


    A careless brush with a shadewolf had left his arm shattered, his armour doing little to protect him from the raw power of its jaws.


    When they¡¯d first entered the tunnels Kaius had been worried about straying too far from the glade, concerned about their supplies of water. Thankfully the caverns contained a source often enough that they hadn¡¯t had to attempt a retreat for supplies. Whatever intelligence controlled the Great Depths, it seemed to disdain deaths as mundane as thirst and starvation.


    In the tunnels themselves traps had become ubiquitous. Blanketing carpets of poisonous puffballs, ambush predators, rockfall traps and more were scattered through the gloomy corridors. Most were natural hazards, but not all. They promised death to the unwary, slowing their exploration to a crawl.


    At the very least it had been fantastic for Kaius¡¯s skill growth. Low Light Vision had capped itself a few hours ago, his range of vision increasing to a full fifty paces or more - not that he got the most use out of it in the tight confines. He had similarly managed to finish Inspect during one of their cavern skirmishes, now able to reliably identify all of the depths-born they came across. Appraise, Adamant Body, and Explorer¡¯s Toolkit had all seen their own growth, with the first skill comfortably butting up against the cap.


    Kaius pulled up his Status to check the changes.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 18


    Class Selection: 1 Year, 37 weeks, 3 days


    Race: Human (Dynastic) - +1 free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Resources:


    Health - 300/300 (2/min)


    Stamina - 200/200 (2/min)


    Mana - 140/140 (2/min)


    Stats:


    Endurance - 30


    Vitality - 20


    Strength - 20


    Dexterity - 20


    Intelligence - 12 > 14


    Willpower: - 20


    Stat Points: 0


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/a


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 15 > 17


    Warforged (Unique) - 20


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 6 > 10


    Adamant Body (Unique) - 1 > 8


    Low Light Vision (Uncommon) - 0 > 20


    Mental Visualisation (Uncommon) - 0 > 18


    Inspect (Rare) - 0 > 20


    Appraise (Rare) - 0 > 19


    Sense Illusion (Rare) - 0 > 20


    Sense Mana (Rare) - 0 > 20


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Awakening Conditions-


    Gain a class (0/1)


    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Forge a link (0/1)


    Explorer¡¯s Toolkit yanked on his attention, drawing his gaze away from the system screen to focus him on the tunnel wall. Something hung there. A wire, thin enough he would have missed it if he hadn¡¯t already known to look.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Kais said. ¡°Trap.¡±


    Porkchop halted behind him.


    Advancing slowly, Kaius kept a firm hand on the hilt of his sword. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time a ¡®trap¡¯ had turned out to be an ambush predator lying in wait. Scanning the cavern wall that had filled him with unease, Kaius spotted a series of carved square holes recessed into the wall. Positioned at hip height with a small, barely visible, thread cutting across the length of the cavern.


    He drew his sword, cutting through the tripwire in one clean stroke. Sharpened metal capped spikes shot out of the holes with a thunk, speeding past his chest. They clattered against the far wall, enough force behind them to kick up dust as they pulverised stone. The wooden hafts of the spears shattered as the mechanism of the trap continued to try to force them outwards.


    Behind him Porkchop yelped.


    Kaius eyed the trap with a cocked brow. That one was nasty. It was possible they might have failed to pierce his armour, but that was not at all a given considering they had crushed stone. Even then, if he had gotten sandwiched between them and the tunnel wall, he would have shattered a hip at best.


    He appraised the trap. The sooner he could merge Identify the better.


    Spear Trap:


    Depths-wrought Trap


    A trap utilising kinetic enchantments to launch steel tipped spears at terrifying speeds. Single use.


    ¡°We¡¯re good.¡± Kaius said. He moved to the spears, ramming them with his shoulder to break through their cracked hafts. Porkchop moved up behind him, keeping close.


    They fell back into a tense silence, prowling forward through the dark. Kaius thought of his status as Observed. He¡¯d needed to know more. At first he had been worried about talking to Porkchop about it. The myths surrounding those that held the systems interest were shadowy. Some lauding them as hero¡¯s, others the worst of villains. After hearing Porkchop talk about the burrow settlements that the greater meles resided in, he knew they had their own culture. Crimes against nature were punishable by death, even by accident.


    Some of those crimes were arcane to him. Unintended maiming in a spar was fine, but a mistake on the hunt leading to the death of your fellow packmates meant your life was forfeit. They were brutal laws. Cruel, if looked at from the lens of man. Yet Porkchop accepted them without question. It had worried him that being Observed might be some sort of taboo. Like sharing the requirements of a legacy skill without the express permission of one of the Matriarchs.


    Yet the more time they spent together, the more Porkchop started to question the rules of his burrow. Kaius had spoken of his own life, of growing and training under the guidance of his father. He¡¯d mentioned the many, many, times he had disobeyed his father. How ignoring his fathers warnings had so often led him to getting injured. How he had grown from that, quickly learning the wisdom in Hasturs years of experience.


    Porkchop had been appalled. Apparently, ignoring a burrow elder was a quick way to lose his head. Though secretly Kaius did think his friend had been a little bit of a hypocrite. After all, at the first opportunity he had gotten Porkchop had crossed the mountain range that separated the deep Sea. Something he had been explicitly warned off.


    That had been the start of his friend questioning the value of tradition. Oh, often Porkchop still saw the wisdom in it, as did he, but now Kaius could see him questioning. Evaluating if the purpose behind the rule actually served him.


    It made Kaius feel like he could finally ask his friend about being Observed. He had to know, and the Matriarchs seemed to share all sorts of knowledge with their burrows that wider society would consider a closely guarded secret.


    It still made him nervous.


    Chewing on his lip, Kaius fought to suppress the bubbling anxiety that lay heavily in the pit of his stomach.


    ¡°Hey, Porkchop,¡± Kaius said, shoving his uncertainty deep.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± His friend called from behind him.


    ¡°Did the Matriarchs ever tell you any stories about those Observed by the system?¡±


    ¡°Oooh,¡± Porkchop hummed. ¡°Those are my favourite.¡±


    Kaius resisted slumping his shoulders in relief. Barely.


    ¡°Oh?¡± He asked, keeping his tone curious. ¡°Did they say anything about what it means? How it happens?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, a little.¡± Porkchop said. ¡°They are old stories. Though Grandfather was supposed to have been one.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather?!¡± Kaius blurted in surprise. His friend snorted at him.


    ¡°Not like that,¡± Porkchop chortled. ¡° I told you that it¡¯s hard for beasts to change what they are, but not impossible. Some rage against fate, throw themselves at death. If they live, some gain enough achievements to Evolve to a higher form. Grandfather was a lesser meles. Terrorised the forest for years, then became the first greater meles.¡±


    Kaius nodded at his friend''s explanation. It was similar to how classes worked. Sure, you got a class evolution in every tier, but if you wanted to climb rarities - increasing the power of your class qualitatively- it took work. You had to push yourself, the demands on your feats and achievements growing with every rank. It didn¡¯t explain everything though.


    ¡°Wait, so all greater meles are descended from him? How does that work.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone,¡± Porkchop explained. ¡°He forged a great host of burrows. With him at the head, it was much less difficult for others to follow his path.¡±


    ¡°But you were saying he was an Observed?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Porkchop huffed from behind him. ¡°Yes. Great achievement. To earn the notice of the system. Made the path a lot easier, lots of rewards.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s heart thumped. Rewards. He had been unsure if there would be any concrete benefits. He had to know more. It was now or never.


    ¡°What if¡­¡± Kaius said, his voice shaky. ¡°What if I was. Observed, I mean.¡±


    Kaius stopped hearing Porkchops steady footsteps behind him. Turning around he found his friend had stopped dead.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well.¡± Kaius scratched his head. ¡°Before you fell into the depths and I found you, I stumbled across a natural treasure and-¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Porkchop¡¯s mental voice rose, causing Kaius to wince as his head throbbed.


    ¡°-and I ate it. The system said that consuming one made me worthy of observation?¡± Kaius¡¯s voice trailed off as his friend stared at him mutely.


    Porkchop suddenly lurched forwards. Kaius let out an oof as his friend''s heavy head drove into his stomach.


    ¡°Idiot! Should have told me. We have to push harder!¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean? Aren¡¯t we pushing ourselves plenty hard already?¡±


    ¡°Nothing but old stories,¡± Porkchop grumbled. ¡°But being Observed only happens if you do something you shouldn¡¯t be able to. Hard or unlikely, doesn¡¯t matter. Do more, the system rewards you. Don¡¯t know much more, the stories are always vague.¡±


    Porkchop pushed past him, trotting off into the dark of the cavern.


    ¡°Come! More Champions are our best bet!¡±


    Kaius smiled as he raced to catch up to his friend. Excitement or no, he couldn¡¯t let Porkchop take the lead. No point letting him break a leg on a missed trap. He thanked the gods that being an Observed had gone down well. Any fear he felt of his friend treating him any differently had vanished in the sheer excitement Porkchop showed for him.


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel the same. Learning that the system¡¯s attention might come with rewards? It filled him with a fire. Every scrap of growth they could eek out before facing the Guardian was vital. They were meant to be faced with full teams of experienced Delvers. Ones who could cover each other''s backs, and weaknesses. Killing one as a freshly classed man and matured beast was a tall order.


    An idea began to percolate in Kaius¡¯s mind. A reckless one. The height of stupidity if he was honest with himself. Yet the allure it held was undeniable. What if once he had all of his legacy skills, once he had grown his hoard of Champion defended artefacts, he was strong? If they did manage to earn whatever rewards the system deigned to give them, would it be enough? What if they could escape before he got his class?


    What would that do for the strength of his class? What sort of reward would the system give him for doing the impossible?

 Chapter 41: Hanging Lanterns

    Yellow light spilled out from around a bend in the tunnel ahead. It was a welcome reprieve from the washed out drudgery that was Low Light Vision. It also meant a cavern, and he had yet to see one that hadn¡¯t been swarming with depths-born. He placed his hand on A Father¡¯s Gift, feeling the supple leather of its grip.


    ¡°Something¡¯s up ahead.¡± Kaius called back to Porkchop. He got a growl of acknowledgement in response. He knew there was no way his friend had missed the light, but he was the vanguard. Calling out potential threats was his duty, and one that had stopped them from being caught flat footed more than once.


    They crept forward, alert and ready for hostile depths-born to bear down on them at any moment.


    Kaius rounded the bend, stopping fast. His sudden halt caused Porkchop to bump into his back.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Porkchop asked, moving to his right to peer around him.


    ¡°Another glade.¡± Kaius said softly, staring at the sight before him.


    Though much smaller in scale than the one they had left in the prior weeks, it was still a breath taking sight to see so far beneath the earth. The cavern must have been an hour''s walk across, with a ceiling that soared high above. Strange, impossibly thick, vines snaked their way up the edges of the caverns, clawing their way up the almost impossibly tall walls. Great serpentine trunks spearing deep into the grass covered loam below. They wove their way through stalactites, arching over the roof like the streamers he draped over rafters during a solstice celebration.


    Long hanging tendrils hung from the great vines, their emerald lengths drifting in an unfelt breese. Each was tipped by a strange fluid filled sac. Almost like an overripe berry full of juice. The growths were the source of the soft yellow light that drenched the trees below.


    And the trees. They were so green. So blessedly green. Kaius didn¡¯t realise how sick he had gotten of vegetation that glowed blue. Seeing the wash of normality splayed out in front of him brought it rushing back. Green was home. He¡¯d spent his entire life in the Sea.


    Even when he and Father had gone to visit the outlying villages, the trees had always been there. A wall of green and brown barely a stone''s throw from the settlement''s borders. Comforting and secure.


    Before he had trapped himself down here in the depths, his three week trip to Deadacre had been the longest he had been separated from the forest. That had been radically uncomfortable. The rolling grass of the frontier left him feeling so exposed. It was so open. Gods, by the time they got back all he wanted to do was give the nearest trunk a damn hug.


    At least, down here in the depths, he hadn¡¯t had to deal with the sheer openness of the frontier. Hells, the glade had done much to put him at ease. The boroughs and trunks had been familiar. At least, familiar enough to provide some semblance of conference.


    But it was blue. Blue wasn¡¯t home. Green was.


    Sure, the trees were the wrong shape. Strange droopy things with too-large leaves. The Arboreal Sea also didn¡¯t have vines thicker than a century oak with glowing fruits either. But it was green.


    There was also the matter of the absolutely massive trunk that dominated the large copse. The rest of the trees were easily the size of a full grown elm. The specimen at the centre? Easily four times that height, its tallest reaches brushing up against the ends of the glowing tendrils that hung from the roof.


    They¡¯d have to investigate that later. If there was one thing he had come to expect for the depths was that it wasn¡¯t exactly subtle about where the greatest dangers waited. Nor that they guarded the best rewards.


    Porkchop stood next to him, frozen at the sight. A moment later his friend burst into motion, sprinting out of the tunnel. He hit the soft earth and grass that coated the cavern floor, blurring claws kicking up clumps of sod.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Kaius thought.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡± Kaius yelled, running after his friend. ¡°Wait you idiot!¡±


    Porkchop leapt upwards, flying through the air like a heavy stone to hit the grass with a thud. Kaius came to a stop, watching as the exuberant greater beast rolled around on the grass, letting out happy chuffs every few seconds.


    ¡°Grass! Green! I missed green!¡± Porkchop said, shoving his face and head into the ground.


    Kaius laughed.


    A deep growl from the edge of the trees cut him off.


    Kaius moved. Ripping his sword free from its sheath with a fluidity born from months of living under the threat of ambush. Porkchop sprung to his feet. Red and black fur stood on end, making the bear-sized meles look twice his usual size. His friend met the growl with a challenge of his own, a bassy roar echoing from deep within the meles chest.


    Eyes scything across the tree line, Kaius spotted the beast instantly. Cloaked in wiry brown fur, it was a stocky thing. It stood on its rear legs, leaning over to prop itself on long arms. Each limb was tipped by ochre coloured claws. They tapered to a wicked point, each one the length of one of his fingers.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    It was hideous. A naked face of thick leather draped loosely over prominent ridges of bone. Beady eyes rested over a flat nose, recessed deeply beneath its oversized brow.


    Reacting to Porkchop¡¯s roar, the creature hooted. Straightening itself on its rear legs, it smashed its fists into the ground over and over again, claws ripping deep into the earth.


    Kaius shot off an Inspect.


    Cavern Shambler - Level 17:


    Depths-born, Beast


    ¡°Just a beast,¡± Kaius called out to Porkchop. ¡°But be careful of its claws. They look nasty.¡±


    The shambler punched the ground for a final time and roared at them. It charged, throwing its hands into the ground ahead of it and swinging through its arms in a strange lopping gait. Kaius set off at a sprint, blade held at the ready. Porkchop was beside him, rumbling out a steady low growl.


    They met it half way, on the open field of grass that separated the tunnel they had left from the edge of the underground forest. It struck Kaius first. One arm swinging wildly towards him with claws outstretched. He stepped around the blow, letting the claws skitter harmlessly off his scalemail.


    He cut. His longsword opened a long slash down the creature''s side. It roared in agony, blood erupting from its wound. Flesh rippled, sealing the cut closed far faster than Kaius expected.


    Porkchop smashed the shambler aside, interrupting its attempt to maul Kaius. One paw hit it in the ribs with a heavy crack. More followed.


    Kaius pressed the assault, following through with flowing slashes. The shambler seemed to view his blade as the greater threat, crying out in pain and rage as it dug its grip into the ground to launch itself in his direction.


    Its arms rose over its head, descending back down in a viscous hammer blow. Kaius brought his sword up, blocking the swing with the edge of his blade. His defence cut the depths-born to the bone, sword biting deep into its wrists.


    Porkchop lunged forwards, snapping his jaws around the monster''s ankle. He yanked back with beastly strength, flinging the shambler away from Kaius.


    It hit the ground with a tumble. Arresting itself out of its roll with its claws the shambler hauled itself to its feet, charging back in their direction.


    They closed around it, assaulting it from both sides. Whenever the monster turned its focus to one of them, the other dove behind. Assaulting it from the rear and splitting its attention. Every cut that Kaius landed severed flesh and scored bone. Even with the depths-born¡¯s prodigious rate of healing, it wasn''t able to keep up.


    Soon the wounds stopped writhing, failing to close. Blood drenched its hair, and it slowed. Weakened by constant blood loss.


    Eventually it collapsed, growling weakly as it bared its teeth at them. Kaius delivered the killing stroke, separating its head from its body.


    **Ding! level 17 Cavern Shambler slain**


    Kaius¡¯s chest heaved from the exertion of the fight. Taking a moment to mop his brow, he cleaned his blade on the grass before returning it to its sheath.


    ¡°Hells, that thing healed fast!¡± He exclaimed.


    He wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if it had been a Champion. They at least had powerful abilities that would explain the increased regeneration. Maybe depths-born had something equivalent to general skills? With how shallow of a layer they are on it was hard to tell, he doubted whatever skills they had would be extraordinarily powerful. Although, it could just have easily been a natural trait of the beast. He¡¯d seen some lizards regrow their tails, and they hadn¡¯t even been connected to the system.


    ¡°Still died easy.¡± Porkchop snorted derisively.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± He turned to look at his friend. ¡°Though maybe next time we don''t sprint directly into caverns we haven''t had a chance to scout out? I know we haven''t seen grass in a while, but you¡¯ve gotta admit that was stupid.¡±


    Porkchop had the sensibility to look embarrassed, his ears drooping. He perked right back up after Kaius ruffled his head.


    ¡°C¡¯mon. Let''s go check out that tree in the middle. I bet we¡¯ll find a Champion there, and I''ve been itching for a real fight.¡± Kaius said, setting off for the trees


    Porkchop chuffed back at him, keeping pace.


    It was true, he had been getting a bit bored with the normal depths-born. With everything he had gained they no longer felt like the threat they had once been. Sure, he wasn¡¯t any stronger or faster than he was when he first entered the depths, but his skills and equipment had improved by leaps and miles. Undead weren¡¯t so scary when their rusted weapons couldn¡¯t pierce his armour.


    The only trouble they¡¯d had recently had been a sheer numbers issue. Even if they could handily trounce a handful of foes, some of the smaller caverns they passed through had a score or more milling about in a group. Fighting that many all at once was tough. It was also ¡­ boring. More a factor of covering each other and working against getting surrounded than any true test of skills. Not like the Champions.


    They entered the trees. Thick in the trunk, they had soaring canopies made up of quickly thinning branches that drooped towards the ground, weighed down by flat leaves the size of Kaius¡¯s chest. Thick roots snaked out from the base of the trees, dancing through the surface of the earth, their rough exteriors extending out to the edges of the canopy. It made for treacherous footing.


    The canopy shadowed them, yet enough of the light penetrated the thin leaves to give them more than enough to see by. It tinted the light into a pale green, the shifting foliage sending the occasion beam of brighter yellow scything through the glade floor. A quick inspect let him know that they were called verdantha trees, while the vines above were hanging lanterns.


    Their journey wasn¡¯t exactly a peaceful afternoon stroll. It felt like every few minutes another Shambler called out a challenge, leaping out of the trees above to throw themselves towards them with outstretched claws. Thankfully, the beasts seemed to be solitary in nature. The one time two approached them at once they spent almost as much time hissing at each other as they did trying to tear them limb from limb.


    They cut through the obstructions easily.


    Soon they drew close to the central tree. Thanks to the wide canopies of the verdantha¡¯s there was plenty of space between the trunks for them to see their approach.


    The massive tree that lorded over the grove was situated in the middle of a clearing, almost as if the other trees didn¡¯t dare to intrude on its domain. A thick crown of leaves stretched just under the ceiling of the cavern, reaching the edges of the clearing. Amongst squirming roots Kaius spied a hulking figure.


    Though it was hard to tell from the distance, Kaius was almost certain that at the shoulder it was as tall as him. Covered in a thick matt of grey fur, its thick chest held a broad head with two wicked looking horns erupting out to curve upwards. Behind it, a long tail  snaked out. Heavy and muscular, it was almost as long as the rest of the creature''s body.


    He inspected it.


    Grimclaw Dreadbeast - Level 27:


    Champion, Depths-born, Beast, Apex Predator


    Kaius let out a savage grin. They¡¯d found their next target.

 Chapter 42: Pitched Battle

    The Champion prowled around the base of the tree that stood sentinel over the surrounding woods. Despite its thick limbs and stocky chest, it leapt from root to root with lithe agility. Kaius and Porkchop watched the lethal depths-born from behind the relative safety of a bulging root, a little ways into the edge of the treeline.


    ¡°This place is way too open,¡± Kaius whispered. ¡°No way we are going to get the drop on it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We will have to strike with fury and bravery in our hearts.¡±


    ¡°What, just run out and charge it?¡± Kaius grunted, watching the way the Grimclaw moved with sleek grace. ¡°With how bloody big the bastard is, I don''t think my armour will matter all that much. One good hit and it¡¯d just cave my chest in. I¡¯m not so confident at dodging this one, Porkchop, it¡¯s moving around like a chase predator.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Porkchop said with finality. Images flitted across the bond, filling Kaius¡¯s mind. Challenging a worthy opponent, the rare one able to match him in physicality. Winning, bloody, broken, and triumphant. A glorious final roar, shattered body of the challenger lying limp under paw. Porkchop was serious.


    Kaius looked at his friend with a cocked brow, then turned back to look at the distant Grimclaw. ¡°Porkchop, look at the claws. You¡¯ll get cut to ribbons.¡±


    ¡°You forget,¡± Porkchop said with a threatening rumble. ¡°That you are not the only one with a full set of legacy skills. My hide might not be as unbreaking as your new scales, but you will find that I am hard to kill. Wounds that would end you would just slow me down.¡±


    Biting his lip, Kaius continued to watch the champion. It stalked the area of the massive tree, slinking through the shadows to patrol its demesne. Reacting to some unseen motion, the Grimclaw dug its claws into hard roots with buttery ease. Kaius¡¯s breath hitched. Wheeling around with startling ease, it blurred across the clearing. Away from them.


    Gods damned it was fast.


    It snapped up ¡­something in its jaws, before slinking back to the tree trunk with easy grace.


    Kaius shook his head. He needed to get a grip. It was a big bastard, but he¡¯d managed to take out two Champions alone. He¡¯d grown significantly since then, and he had Porkchop as well. Things would be fine.


    He looked over to his friend. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Kaius let out a steadying breath. He drew his sword, the blade glinting softly as a beam of yellow swept over them from the hanging lanterns above. ¡°Let''s do this.¡±


    Porkchop let out a low rumbling growl, thick digging claws sinking into the ground. ¡°After I challenge it, go offside and follow once I have it distracted. You will know when I engage.¡±


    Kaius nodded. He set off, leaving Porkchop behind to move through the trees. He leaned into the stealth aspects of Explorer¡¯s Toolkit, shadows reaching out tenderly to wrap him in their embrace. Once he had gotten far enough, he moved closer to the clearing. Pressing himself close to the trunk at the very edge of the start of the canopy far overhead.


    With his path set, their approach decided, Kaius¡¯s nerves dissipated. In their place a rising anticipation grew. The slow rustle of the surrounding foliage faded. His vision sharpened, heart pumped slow and heavy as a tingle started to grow in the tips of his fingers.


    The Grimclaw didn¡¯t seem so imposing now. He hoped it would put up a good fight.


    A Father¡¯s Gift rested in his hands, its comfortable weight reassuring him of his success. He had armour now, had grown his skills at an unimaginable pace. The Depths had thrown its best at him, and he had come up time and time again. Using the challenges as a stepping stone to higher heights.


    He was born for this. Trained for this.


    He was a warrior.


    A deafening roar echoed across the clearing, soft ambience of the glade shattered by the sheer rage of Porkchop¡¯s battle cry. His friend charged into the open, sprinting over loose earth and twisting roots. His hackles were raised, massive teeth bared at the Grimclaw.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Grimclaw Dreadbeast **


    Kaius watched the Champion turn to Porkchop in shock, whirling with a snarl of its own. It locked eyes on his friend, the very air seeming to hold its breath. Snorting its own challenge, the Grimclaw sprinted to engage.


    A cold calm descended over him. Not yet. He had to wait until the Champion had fully committed. If he tore in now it would see him, ruining any advantage of surprise. His grip tightened on his blade, muscles tensing in anticipation.


    The Grimclaw dropped its head at the last moment, trying to gore Porkchop in their collision. Porkchop went low. They collided with a crash, both beasts snarling as they snapped at each other. Wrapping his thick red and black arms around the Champion, Porkchop reared up.


    Despite easily being thrice Kaius¡¯s size, Porkchop picked up the beast with ease, sending it sprawling backwards with a parting snap of his jaws. His friend slammed down, diving towards the Champion''s undefended belly.


    Porkchop had always told him that his thick dagger-like claws were for digging out burrows. They seemed to eviscerate flesh just as easily.


    The beast howled as Porkchop ripped open its midsection. It kicked out, using its powerful legs to rake Porkchop with its claws. He was forced back, thick lacerations on his chest weeping blood.


    Porkchop only seemed to grow more enraged. He moved. Jaws snapped shut around the Grimclaw''s shoulder. With a contemptuous heave, Porkchop tossed the champion in Kaius¡¯s direction. It flailed through the air, a steady stream of blood from the gaping wound in its stomach splattering against the earth below.


    ¡°That¡¯s my cue,¡± he thought.


    Kaius vaulted over the high tree root he was hiding behind, sprinting out into the open field with his sword held ready.


    The Grimclaw was still entirely focused on Porkchop, scrambling to its feet with a lash of its tail as it howled in fury. Porkchop returned the call with a roar of his own, charging forwards.


    Kaius grit his teeth and sprinted as hard as he could, legs burning as he kicked up loose dirt.


    He was almost there.


    Porkchop reared up, drawing back a paw to deliver a crushing strike. Kaius saw the Grimclaw tense. It lowered his head. Kaius¡¯s eyes widened, knowing what it was about to do. Porkchop was still in the throes of his fury, unknowing or uncaring about the threat of the Champions horns. His friend''s claws descended, ripping a furrow through its front shoulder. Its leg buckled slightly.


    The wound stopped nothing.


    Driving its back legs forcefully into the ground, The Grimclaw launched itself forwards. Burying its stride long horns into Porkchop¡¯s chest. The world hung still. Time pausing for one moment of terrible realisation.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Kaius watched in mute horror as his friend let out a gurgling whine of surprise and pain. The haze of fury left Porkchop¡¯s face. Fear and confusion were left in their wake.


    The Champion tossed its head, savaging the wound. The beast pulled back and Porkchop dropped to all fours. He watched the blood gush from Porkchop¡¯s wound, watering the earth with rich red. Kaius¡¯s heart leapt into his throat. Porkchop cringed, shying away as the champion lashed at him with his claws. Leaving weeping rips across his friends face.


    Rage roared through Kaius. He had to do something. Take the pressure off his friend.


    His world collapsed, narrowing to just the dripping of Porkchops blood and the last few steps he had to make to help.


    The final strides between him and his target vanished in an instant. Kaius brought his sword up high. A roar slipped from his lips, every muscle in his back and arms contracting to bring his blade to bear with as much force as possible. Reacting to the sound the Grimclaw whirled towards him. Even with all its agility it wasn¡¯t fast enough.


    Enchanted steel parted flesh like muslin. Kaius dove to the side, narrowly slipping under a hastily delivered swipe of the Champions claws. Watching Porkchop back up on quivering legs Kaius pressed the beast. He stepped forwards, cutting it across its long snout. It snapped back, trying and failing to catch him with a bite as he danced backwards.


    Kaius¡¯s mind raced. An injury like Porkchop had just received was dire. He¡¯d be out of commission for some time. If he didn¡¯t keep the Champion occupied, it was all too likely that the beast would turn its attention back to his injured friend.


    The Grimclaw lunged forwards, trying to swat him with one claw lined paw. He snapped his blade up with preternatural agility, Adamant Body diffusing the force of the swing enough for him to parry. The razor edge of A Father¡¯s Gift cut deep into the bones of the Champion¡¯s forearms, drawing a hiss of frustration from the beast.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 9!**


    He stared at the Champion''s wounds. The ones on its flank were already healing, and Kaius could no longer see the rip Porkchop had left in its stomach bleeding. It still had Health.


    Kaius lunged forwards, burying his sword deep into the beast''s clavicle. Claws skittered across his scalemail in response. He ripped his sword free, turning to parry another follow up claw swipe. The Grimclaw dropped its head, lunging towards him with the same move that had just grievously wounded his friend. Dancing to the side, fast steps let Kaius slip away. The Grimclaw''s charge sent it sailing past him.


    A draw cut left a weeping slice down the length of the beast''s side.


    The Champion hissed in agony, keeping its distance as it stalked around him. Trying to get an angle. Watching him with black, hateful eyes. Kaius kept his sword point trained on the beast. Slow steps keeping pace with its circling. He made no move to break the stalemate.


    Every moment he allowed it to continue was another that Porkchop healed. They never should have separated. Their strength was in the pressure they could lay down together.


    Keeping his eyes locked on the Grimclaw¡¯s own, Kaius watched his friend out of the corner of his eye. Porkchop¡¯s slow wheezing breaths had faded. Hunkered down against the ground, Porkchop was watching him with a burning intensity, rhythmically raking his claws through the earth with anxious tension.


    He was alert. Watching. That was good. He should heal.


    The Grimclaw pounced, leaping forwards with claws outstretched. Kaius spun to the side, stepping backwards to avoid the sudden strike. He cut down with his blade, punishing the attempt and tearing open the beast''s side once more.


    They went back to circling.


    Blood now thoroughly marred their arena. The whole glade silent except for the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze, and the sounds of boots and paws taking step after steady step. Kaius wracked his brain for a way to approach. At some point the beast was going to realise just how much mass it had on him. If it was willing to accept the threat of his sword, it would be able to bowl him over with ease. Armour or no, he didn¡¯t like his chances if it managed to get him grounded.


    Growling low, the Grimclaw rushed him once again. It committed to its assault, harrying him with a flurry of swiping claws. Kaius parried what he could, each one leaving deep cuts on the beast''s claws and arms. Others got through his defence. His Serellian armour protected him from the worst of the wounds, sharpened claws screeching as they skittered over the polished surface of enchanted heliomite alloy.


    It didn¡¯t stop everything, even with the padding of his armoured jacket underneath the scalemail. The Champion''s blows were heavy, backed by enhanced strength and sheer weight.


    Kaius felt his bones creak under the assault. Each impact leaving sharp aches in their wake, his shoulders and chest bruising under the claws.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 10!**


    He had to do something. If he let the rain of slashes continue he would eventually collapse under the Champions fury. Behind the beast Kaius watched Porkchop surge to his feet with a slight stumble.


    ¡°No!¡± He called, pivoting to deflect another claw. ¡°I¡¯ve got this! Keep healing.¡±


    Porkchop growled in frustration before settling back down. That caught the Champion''s attention, its head snapping backwards to assess the potential threat of the opponent it had already wounded.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened. Now was his chance. He stepped in. Aiming for the beast''s neck, he brought his sword down in a cleave. Flesh parted. His blade sank deep, cutting through the thick muscle that supported the Champion''s oversized head. Blood geysered from the wound, coating Kaius from head to toe in a sticky hot spray of vital fluid.


    A panicked gurgle left its throat. Snapping its head back to him, the beast hastily swatted him in the side. Kaius¡¯s elbow dug painfully into his ribs as he was forced back.


    Rumbling a threat, the Champion crouched low, even as bright arterial blood continued to spurt from the wound on its neck with each beat of its heart. Watching him. Waiting. The spray slowed, eventually becoming a trickle.


    Kaius gasped, his chest heaving with the excretion of meeting a high levelled beast toe to toe in physical combat.


    The bleeding stopped.


    Drawing in a deep breath, the Grimclaw let out a soul rending cry. Mouth hanging open with finger length fangs on display.


    Kaius adjusted his grip on his blade, bringing it over his head into a high-guard. Behind the beast Porkchop surged to his feet, chest whole and hale once more. He met the Champions roar with one of his own, voices mingling in an ear ringing cacophony.


    The Grimclaw''s jaw snapped shut, quickly looking over its shoulder at Porkchop before flicking back towards Kaius. It growled in frustration, tail flicking.


    It was going to move now. It had to. Too much risk of being caught between them. A sharp breath stoked Kaius¡¯s Bloodsong, battle fervour keeping him steady in the face of the Champion.


    Tensing, the Grimclaw made its decision. Scrabbling legs drove it towards Kaius, evidently taking him as the lesser threat. Porkchop surged forwards, chasing to take advantage of the Champions opening.


    Kaius charged forwards with a harsh cry.


    It threw itself to the side, digging claws in to spin its whole body away from him. Turning to face the approaching Porkchop. The Grimclaw''s large whip like tail snapped through the air. He shifted his blade, bringing it down to block the incoming blow.


    Instincts flared. He activated Mana Sense. The clearing was instantly enveloped in a billowing multi-hued fog of mana, obscuring his surroundings. But not the tail. That burned with inner light.


    ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s a skill!¡±


    Kaius tried to throw himself back. Out of range from the empowering ability. His insight into the attack may have only taken a moment. It was a moment too late. He didn¡¯t have the time.


    The thick bony tail of the Grimclaw hit him with the force of a boulder in freefall. His arm cracked, blade swatted aside with contemptuous ease. The tail hit him in the chest. Without a rigid backing, his scale did nothing. Ribs collapsed inwards. Bones crunching like glass.


    Before he could even process the agony, the power of the tail whip lifted him off the ground., flinging him away.


    Hitting the ground with a thud, pain snapped into focus with a flash. Agony coursed through him, every finger span of his chest screaming for release. Rapid Adaptation compartmentalised the pain, shoving it into a corner of his mind.


    Scrambling backwards he pulled himself away from battling giants. Barely aware of the thundering cracks of Porkchop raging against the Champion.


    He had to breathe.


    He sucked in, getting nothing but a wet rattle for his efforts. Lungs filled with blood.


    Burning claws set into his chest. He needed air.


    As if from a distance, he heard something start to roar.

 Chapter 43: Hate

    Kaius gasped. Trying and failing to force his shattered body to take in a breath. Every one sent shuddering spasms through the musculature of his trunk. Each one heightened his agony. Brushed muscles pulling on the shattered remnants of his sternum.


    He couldn¡¯t breathe.


    Trying again, he found his gasp catching in his throat. Lungs refused to inflate. He had to clear the blood.


    Health burned. Flooding free from his soul space to suffuse his chest. Morphic fire settled into torn muscle and broken bone, forcing his shattered body to mould itself back together. He barely noticed the unsettling cracks of his ribs moving back into place. The candle light of its burn invisible in comparison to the all consuming desperation. To. Just. Breathe.


    It was too slow. He had to clear the blood.


    He rolled over, gurgling in raw pain as scale and leather pushed his chest unnaturally inwards. He forced himself up onto his knees, bending over in an attempt to let the blood run free from his throat. It trickled out with agonising slowness.


    Ribs continued snapping into place.


    He coughed, thick wads of blood splattering over the ground below. Filling his mouth with the rich taste of iron. Wracking spasms followed the action, agony flaring as his crushed chest rebelled against the pressure.


    Shoving the pain deep he took a deep, gasping, breath. Finally free of the all consuming desire for air.


    Holding his chest as still as possible, his eyes shot around the battlefield. He¡¯d dropped his sword in the collision, the blade lying in the dust a few paces away. He crawled to it, wincing with every movement. Snatching it up with jealous haste he turned his attention back to the battle. Right as Porkchop let out another ground shaking below.


    His friend was giving as good as he got. Prior wounds forgotten as he laid into the Champion with heavy slashes of his claws. Each one sent the beast stumbling, weeping furrows of torn flesh left in their wake. The Grimclaw didn¡¯t take the assault lying down. It danced around with hasty agility. Never staying still long enough for Porkchop to land a disabling or fatal wound.


    Porkchop wasn¡¯t without his own wounds. Whenever the Grimclaw had the opportunity it would lunge in, nipping at his friend, needle teeth tearing out small chunks.


    Kaius hissed at the sight. He couldn¡¯t waste his time waiting around to heal.


    He dropped inwards, seeing gaseous red flood free of his soul to suffuse ruined flesh. He dived into his soul and yanked at his health pool. Forcibly accelerating the flow of the resource. Icepicks of agony drove into his mind. It was delicate work, not suitable for brute force. Grace would take time. Force did not.


    The additional rush of the healing energy vastly accelerated his healing. His chest physically roiled under his armour, ribs snapping back into place with sickening cracks. It wasn¡¯t a perfect process, haste and mental strain made his grip clumsy, a portion of the excess energy diffusing throughout his body to dissipate away. Wasted.


    He growled. Jerky hands flicked open his potion pouch. He slammed down an orange tonic, taste of sunshine and vital growth on his lips.


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Solar Revitalisation **


    The magically charged fluid absorbed the moment it hit his stomach. Alchemical power flooded through his body, settling into his soul to forcefully increase his regeneration. It might be enough.


    Forcing his Health to surge from his pool, Kaius wished he had practised this technique more. It was a vital component of his final legacy skill, so he thought that he¡¯d have plenty of time before he had to use it. Stupid.


    His sternum healed with a final grinding snap.


    Kaius dropped his focus, letting the flow of his health return to normal. His attention snapped back to reality as he lurched to his feet.


    Porkchop was soaked with blood, black and red fur plastered tight to his skin. Rents in his flesh  glistening under the swaying lights of the lanterns far above. He stood firm in the face of the Champion¡¯s assault. Unyielding.


    In contrast the Grimclaw looked battered. Chunks of its grey coat were missing, slickened with even more blood than the prodigious amount that Porkchop had spilled on the floor below. It moved with a limp, twisting and contorting to avoid blows where it could. Kaius sharpened his eyes, watching it like a hawk.


    Its wounds still healed, but with how heavy the creature''s wounds were the resource was stretched thin. Each additional cut slowed the regeneration, its health unable to keep up with the systemic damage. It¡¯s body was failing it.


    They could win.


    Kaius sprinted into the fray, a cry leaving his lips. The grimclaw leapt back from Porkchop, head twisting to look back at him with surprised panic clear on its face. It had thought him dead. Finished from the use of its skill.


    A fatal mistake.


    Porkchop barged forwards, forcing the beast''s attention back to the fight. It leapt backwards, one leg dragging as it all but stumbled away from the blow. It looked back towards him once more, watching him as he slashed for its flank.


    Muzzle twisted into a snarl. The beast tensed. Kaius readied himself for a counter attack even as Porkchop pressed the distraction and reared up.


    The Grimclaw disappeared with a pop of displaced air, Kaius¡¯s blade sailing through empty space as Porkchop slammed heavily into the ground. His friend stumbled forwards with a scream of pain. Jolting at the sound, Kaius looked over.


    Horror flooded him. The Grimclaw now mounted Porkchop¡¯s back. Claws dug deep into his friend''s back, heavy jaws closing around the back of Porkchop¡¯s neck. Kaius saw the muscles in its jaw and its neck heave. Its mouth started to close. Hair''s breadth by hair''s breadth. It was trying to shatter his friend''s neck.


    Porkchop mewled in pain.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡± He screamed, sprinting over to force the champion from his back. Porkchop tried to struggle to his feet, attempting to shake the Grimclaw free. It only made the beast dig its claws in deeper. Kaius blanched, seeing the chunks of flesh tear free from Porkchop¡¯s back.


    He had to do something. Now.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    There was still one more Solar Revitalisation tonic. If he could get it to Porkchop it might be enough.


    Skidding to a stop by his friend''s side, Kaius hacked at the beast. Adding to the gaping wounds on the Champions back and sides. Momentarily releasing its grip from Porkchop¡¯s neck, the Grimclaw hissed at him. One paw smacked his blade away, before raking Porkchop¡¯s back once more. Kaius grit his teeth in fury, launching forwards to thrust his blade deep into the champions side.


    Letting out a cry of pain, it leapt off Porkchop¡¯s back. His friend collapsed to the ground dazed, blood still pouring from his wounds. Kaius had to do the rest of this himself. He needed an edge.


    ¡°Fucked up. Sorry.¡± The words were weak in Kaius¡¯s mind. Strained.


    ¡°Sush. You¡¯ll be fine. Just rest, I¡¯ve got this.¡± He said, his hand trailing reassuringly over Porkchop¡¯s head as he stepped past his friend. Putting himself between them and the prowling Grimclaw.


    He kept his gaze locked on the Champion as he reached for his potion pouch, pulling out his last regeneration potion. ¡°Here. Drink this. Chew the bloody glass if you have to.¡± he said, tossing it behind him to Porkchop.


    Porkchop let out a weak chuff. ¡°Don¡¯t need it. I told you, I¡¯m tough. Asshole just crushed my neck, I can barely feel anything below my shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Break them, Kaius.¡± Porkchop finished after a moment¡¯s pause, his tone venomous.


    ¡°Gladly.¡± Kaius said coldly. He reached for the next potion in his pouch. One of the boiling red ones. The description had worried him. But he needed strength, and he didn¡¯t see how he could possibly feel any more aggressive than he did already.


    He snapped his potion pouch closed, bringing the tonic slowly to his mouth as the Grimclaw tensed at the movement. It growled, still watching. Still waiting.


    Cork came free with a yank of his teeth. Steaming fluid poured down his mouth, racing to be absorbed by his stomach.


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Psychopathic Assault **


    It tasted of hate. The kind that burned all passion in its wake, leaving nothing but ash. Notes of paradise razed. Of salted earth, and tearing flesh. All consuming violence coated his mouth, knives of primal madness catching in his throat. It was cold. So very very cold.


    All thoughts, all worries left his mind. Energy seeped into his musculature. Reinforcing it, bolstering his power. His mind expanding, sharpening, as the outer world slowed down. Everything became tuned. Focused. All with one goal.


    Slaughter.


    Kaius took a single quick look at his resources.


    Resources:


    Health - 41/300 (2/min +15/min)


    Stamina - 123/200 (2/min +15/min)


    Mana - 140/140 (2/min)


    It was enough.


    He raced forwards, splitting his focus. Mana Sense activated. Billowy arcane fog covered the arena. Unacceptable. He filtered the input. Dragging it back until only a subtle aura surrounded the physical world. The Grimclaw glowed weakly in his sight. Barely standing out against the background. The teleport had drained it. Kaius weighed his options in a blink. Might still have enough for another tail whip. He kept the skill running.


    It twitched at his charge. Readying itself to meet him.


    Another part of his focus slipped into his internal world. An iron grip settled on his Health. Forcing it to stop. Undirected healing was a waste. Not enough fuel. Non vital organs were discarded. As were remaining rents in skin and fat. Muscle and bone were needed to move. To kill. He kept healing those. Bleeding would weaken him. Might stop him from killing. Keep those.


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 19!**


    He arrived.


    The Grimclaw clawed at him, aiming for his shoulder. Teeth bared at him as a feral growl shook its way free from its chest.


    Kaius analysed the incoming claws. They were going to hit him in the shoulder. He had heavy pauldrons. It would most likely break his joint. He could heal that. He didn''t need that arm to thrust. Acceptable. He dipped into a lunge. Point of his sword shot straight for the Champion''s chest. Its eyes started to widen at his reckless assault. Claws raked his armour. Bones splintered. Sword pierced chest. Blood ran free.


    He smiled.


    Health was corralled to his shattered shoulder. Soul pain ignored as he forced it to heal faster. Flooding the joint. Only the joint. No excess wasted. Too inefficient. The second mental process ripped control from the unguided resource. He¡¯d had the anatomy lessons. He could do it himself. Barely a trickle spent. Bone reforged. Much better.


    The Champion lunged towards him, jaws open wide.


    He ripped his blade free. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit twinged. He could finally see. Too clouded before. Too slow. An opening. Useful. He stepped back. Sword swung for the Grimclaws exposed face. It¡¯d left itself defenceless. Overcommitted. That was silly.


    A Fathers Gift sliced through its eye. Clear jelly mixed with blood. Rolled down fur. Beautiful. It was a good sword. A killing gift. The best kind.


    It was trying to claw him again. Going to hit his leg. A necessary sacrifice. He would live. It would die.


    Handspan length claws ripped though his muscle. Blood fell. Snapped muscle fibres writhed. Snaking back to wholeness in moments. Fat and skin stayed torn. Inner workings revealed in exquisite detail.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 11!**


    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 20!**


    There was pain. It didn¡¯t bother him. It was only a feeling. Wouldn¡¯t stop him from killing. That was all that mattered. Sword came down. Cutting deep into the arm that just clawed him. The Grimclaw snarled. He saw bone. He smiled wider. When had he started smiling?


    Need to check resources again.


    Resources:


    Health - 32/300 (2/min +15/min)


    Stamina - 108/200 (2/min +15/min)


    Mana - 140/140 (2/min)


    Good. So much better than when left undirected.


    The beast was trying to claw him again. Predictable. Well positioned for a parry. Maybe he would get to see more bone?


    His sword came up. Catching the swing. Edge of his sword bit deep. He pushed the limb away from him. Stepping around the blow in a single fluid motion. A twist of his wrists. His blade slid along bone, turning into a smooth thrust. It sank deep. The Grimclaw gurgled. Blood foaming from its mouth. That was good. He¡¯d stabbed its lung.


    Warmth started to trickle in. Unfortunate. He was having so much fun. Best to kill it now. If he died he wouldn¡¯t get to have fun like this again.


    Sword came free. The wound didn¡¯t move. Its Health was finished. That was good. More fun if it kept wriggling though. He parried another blow. Riposte slashed the beast''s neck. A fountain of blood. Pretty. The Grimclaw¡¯s eyes were wide. Was it scared? Amusing. Wouldn¡¯t save it.


    More warmth. Things were starting to slow down. Unfortunate.


    Stepping in, he sank his sword into the Champion''s shoulder. The blow severed something, the beast suddenly unable to support its weight. It roared at him, trying to ward him off with batting strikes. He moved. Slashing the passing limb. Just for fun. Another cut to the beasts neck, more blood joining the growing fountain.


    More warmth.


    Had to be a decisive blow. The  Champion dug its back feet into the earth, lowering its head. It launched forwards into a goring charge. Perfect. Kaius stepped to the side and lined up his sword, bracing himself. A horn clipped his arm, tearing a divot. Secondary focus flooded the region with Health working to heal only the most vital elements. The point of his sword bit deep. The Grimclaw stiffened. Heart shot, nice. Its body still moved, bowling both of them over as its crushing weight landed on his chest.


    Kaius watched as the light faded from its eyes, body twitching in its final death throes.


    He tried to smile wider. He couldn¡¯t.

 Chapter 44: Success

    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: Grimclaw Dreadbeast - level 27 Prowling Displacer! **


    Kaius gasped, pain flooding back with a vengeance as the last of the Psychopathic Assault tonic left his system. The dregs of his health flooded free, vanishing in moments as it worked to heal the rents in his exterior flesh.


    The Grimclaw was on top of him, pinning him to the ground. He stared at it with wide eyes. What the hells had that been? When he¡¯d read the description of the potion he¡¯d been expecting anger. Some sort of consuming rage that drove him into a fervour.


    There had been no anger. No burning heat of madness. No, the only thing that he had felt had been joy. The beauty of spilled blood, the ecstasy of pain, of destruction levered against those he hated. And how he hated. It had been overwhelming, the sheer disgust and contempt he had felt for the Champion. It had chilled him to his very soul. Freezing out all passions except those that brought ruin to the object of his fascination.


    Yet there had been no madness. No fugue. He¡¯d known it was the tonic, known the entire time. That it was unnatural. Yet he hadn¡¯t cared. Everything that couldn¡¯t be leveraged into the total destruction of his opponent had been discarded.


    A whine shook him from his thoughts. Kaius strained against the heavy meat that pinned him, craning his head to see Porkchop limping towards him on quaking limbs. His friend seemed tense. Cautious.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± Porkchop¡¯s tone was frantic. ¡°Are you okay? Has the bloodlust left you?¡±


    Kaius grunted, pushing against the body on top of him as he attempted to wriggle free. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, I¡¯m okay. The tonic wore off. Hells of a fucking tonic though, gods.¡± He cursed.


    Porkchop slumped down to the floor next to him, grunting in pain. ¡°I¡¯m still too weak to pull it off you. Give me a few minutes.¡± He spat out the last revitalisation tonic, the square glass bottle thunking into the earth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Kaius heaved, wincing as the cuts on his body were yanked uncomfortably from the movement. A few moments of frantic shuffling and he managed to pull himself free. ¡°See?¡±


    Moving to stand, Porkchop interrupted him with a growl.


    ¡°Sit. Rest. Rage like that burns you, tires the mind even if your body is left untouched. It is an affliction of the meles. We can ¡­ lose ourselves in the heat of battle. You feel it too. I know it. The rush. This was different. Too brutal. No passion, only hate and cold. You should be wary of that tonic Kaius.¡±


    Kaius sighed at Porkchop words, but relented and returned to sitting. Swiping his tonic from the ground, he slotted it back safely into his potion pouch. Looking at the glassy eyes of the Grimclaw, and his sword that was sunken hilt deep into its chest, he knew his friend was right. Yet the power had saved their life. He would use it again if he had to..


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lose myself, that¡¯s the most disconcerting thing. I was still me. I just only cared about death.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Just be careful.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    He thought back on the exchange. The sheer power, the control, that the tonic had given him. Never in his mind did he think he would be able to get that level of control over his Health until he had merged Lesser Regeneration. He dove inwards, waiting a few seconds for a burst of Health to spurt from his soul. He grabbed the scrap of the resource. Directing it to the cut in his thigh, urging it to knit skin back together and skin alone.


    It was slow, far slower and less efficient than he had been only minutes before. It still worked. Still restored flesh far faster than he could before. His mind was slower, weaker without the power of the draught. But the knowledge, the capability remained. What if it was repeatable?


    Dangerous indeed.


    Looking over to Porkchop he activated his Sense Mana. A blinding halo lit up. He dialled it back, reducing the impressions of latent mystic force until it returned to diffuse auras. A flick of mental will locked the skill in place.


    He gazed out at their surroundings in awe, the mana was everywhere. Blanketed everything. Trees wreathed in greens and browns. The lights above glistening in silver and gold. He looked left, towards the massive sentinel that dominated the clearing. It shone with a radiant inner light.


    The Depths had always had a savage grace to them, but this was true beauty. Regardless if the tonic had saved their life, it would have been worth it for just this sight alone.


    Porkchop had tried to help him with the skill. As a greater beast he could naturally see mana. Yet the fact that his friend had the power as a birth right meant that he¡¯d never had to learn how to control it, nor was it quite as acute as his own. Porkchop¡¯s advice had been about as helpful as if he had tried to explain how to make seeing in colour less overwhelming.


    ¡°What¡¯re you looking at?¡± Porkchop asked, cocking his head at him.


    ¡°Sense Mana. Figured out how to use it properly thanks to the tonic. It¡¯s everywhere.¡± Kaius replied absentmindedly, fascinated with his surroundings.


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°Of course it is, we are in the Depths. Even the inner Sea struggles to compare to the density. It is pretty though.¡±


    The pair sat in companionable silence, waiting for their wounds to heal while they rested next to the corpse of their slain foe. Enjoying the moment of peace that followed a hard fought battle.


    Kaius rose first, his bolstered regeneration and comparatively few wounds allowing him to rise quickly. He grabbed his sword, yanking it free from the Champions chest.


    ¡°Back in a moment, gonna go get my pack.¡± Kaius trotted off, approaching the tree where he and Porkchop had originally planned their assault. Slinging his bag back on, he walked back to the site of their victory.


    ¡°So, how''re we doing? Ready to go look for the loot?¡± Kaius asked with a wide grin.


    ¡°You and loot.¡± Porkchop snorted, rising to his feet. His friend was stable, but the movement was still slow. ¡°No running. Still sore.¡±


    Kaius nodded in understanding, and they set off for the base of the tree. As they walked Kaius craned his head up at the massive plant that towered over them. Its trunk was as thick as a house, and each individual branch may as well have been a paved path for how stout they were.


    ¡°Are there tree¡¯s like this in the centre of the Sea? I thought I''d seen some truly big ones by the mountains, but this makes them look like saplings.¡± Kaius asked.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Porkchop replied. ¡°Bigger. The centre is old. Older than even the Matriarchs remember. Having a den in the centre is a great honour, a sign of powerful fathers and Patriarchs. The canopies shade dangerous hunting grounds. Even the elven conclaves avoid it, other than their most accomplished hunters that is.¡±


    Kaius could see it in his mind''s eye. A reflection of the forest he had grown up in, but more. More life. More power. More excitement. Elves too. He¡¯d seen a few, mostly halflings. Full blooded elves so rarely crossed the mountains.


    ¡°Would you take me someday? To see the centre?¡± He asked.


    Porkchop snorted, his ears flicking happily. ¡°Yes. Though only if you show me the lands beyond the forest first. I¡¯ve often wondered how strange it must be to live without trees.¡±


    Kaius laughed, happy that Porkchop had accepted so easily. ¡°We can explore them together. I haven¡¯t left the forest much myself, remember? I¡¯ve wanted to for a long, long time.¡± Kaius paused, thinking back on the stories he had been told. ¡°It¡¯s why I pushed myself so hard you know? Beyond not wanting to waste the gift of my legacy, and the joy that growth brings. I want to see the world, eat strange foods, fight rare monsters and simply see what life has to offer.¡±


    Porkchop listened to him speak of the lands beyond the Arboreal Sea, humming pleasingly as Kaius relayed stories he had heard himself from his father, and travellers at the various taverns he¡¯d stayed at in the frontier villages.


    ¡°Like the Drozag Stoneholds. The dwarves have carved entire cities in the mountains beyond the lands of the Hiwiann tribes. They say that they cut the tops off mountains, hollowing them out and laid great panes of stained mosaics across the openings. Each and every one is supposed to be cut from gems the size of a boulder. I heard it''s so common for travellers to get struck mute by the beauty that they have dedicated healers just for that! Can you imagine?¡±


    ¡°That sounds ridiculous.¡± Porkchop chortled. ¡°Are you sure the man that told you this had not had too much to drink?¡±


    ¡°Well, he had had quite a few flagons of stout. But still! It¡¯s worth investigating for ourselves is it not? Even if only half of it is true, it would still be quite the sight.¡±


    ¡°That it would.¡± Porkchop agreed. His friend grunted, nudging him with his shoulder before gesturing with his nose towards a hollow at the base of the tree''s trunk that had been hiding in the gaps between to massive rising roots. ¡°I think I might have just found your loot.¡±


    Kaius grinned, setting off at a trot.


    ¡°I said no running!¡± Porkchop grumbled, but ran after him all the same.


    ¡­.


    Kaius entered the hollow with Porkchop close behind. The smell of musk and wet fur hit him like a wall. He scrunched his nose. ¡°Gods. What the hells is that?¡±


    ¡°Pheromones. It¡¯s its burrow.¡± Porkchop said, pushing past him.


    Resigning himself to breathing through his mouth, Kaius chased after his friend. ¡°Still smells bloody rank.¡±


    The burrow was dark, fully shaded from the light of the lanterns above. To one side the Grimclaw had clearly made its nest. Discarded twigs and dry leaf litter having been gathered into a large pile with a depression at the centre. The other side of the space was clearly its larder. Stripped bones lay in a wild jumble. The oldest were bleached white, while those near the top still had strips of meat on them.


    Surprisingly, the beast was a clean eater, as other than the stink of its territory Kaius couldn¡¯t catch the faintest whiff of rot.


    Most of the bones were clearly from the shamblers they had fought in the outer forest. Knobbly skulls and too long arm bones giving them away. A glint caught Kaius¡¯s eye. Something in the pit of refuse shone like metal.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to dig.¡± Kaius set, letting out a long resigned groan.


    ¡°Nope. You¡¯re going to have to dig. Your loot after all.¡± Porkchop said, backing away.


    Kaius gave his friend a betrayed glare and stomped towards the bones. He tossed them free, digging for whatever had caught his eye. He unearthed it quickly. A helmet.


    One still attached to a skull, the shattered remnants of his spine dangling free. Kaius pulled it free gingerly, setting it to the side.


    ¡°I wonder, you know. Was this another delver?¡± He asked pensively. ¡°Or is it just another thing that the depths placed here because it made sense to?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. The Depths is strange. I try not to question it.¡±


    ¡°What? No wise wisdom straight from the muzzle of the Matriarchs?¡± he asked, staring at Porkchop in disbelief.


    ¡°That is the wisdom. They are wise enough to know when something is beyond them. To question the Depths is to question the system. You¡¯ll get no answers and drive yourself mad with knowledge-hunger.. Better to just take it at face value.¡±


    ¡°Bah, where¡¯s the fun in that? Meaningless supposition is the only thing we¡¯ve got down here. Not like we can go check a library.¡± He turned back to the pile of bones. ¡°Hold on, I''m going to see if I can find anything else in here.¡±


    Digging through the pile, Kaius managed to find a ring on a discarded arm. The flesh on the finger had been left intact, but had desiccated. Perhaps from the same body as the helmet? Regardless of its origin, Kaius delicately pulled it free from the shrivelled digit. Tossing it towards his other prize, he returned to digging.


    ¡°Nothing. That¡¯s it.¡± He picked up his spoils, wandering over to his friend. ¡°Well, it smells gross here. I suggest we check out what these babies do outside. Maybe somewhere with a soft patch of leaf litter to sit on.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    They left the hollow, walking a short distance to get away from the sprawling roots that rose up above their heads at the base of the tree. Kaius plopped himself down, holding his new helmet up to get a better look at it.


    It was a hardy thing. Made of gleaming bronze metal, it had a ridge that ran along its top. Sweeping extrusions ran along where it would sit against his cheek and jaw, and a slip of metal shot down from the brow to protect the nose. Swirling embossed designs of knots covered the entire thing, and when Kaius looked closely he could make out dense lines of runic script etched into the decorative covering.


    He appraised it.


    Kallheim Helm:


    Common - Tier I


    The Cold Home is a ruthless place. Life is cheap, and death is cheaper. It breeds hard men, but even a hard man does not survive an axe to the skull.


    Made from a cold bronze and steel alloy, with a padded beast leather interior. Simple protection, but stout and reliable thanks to its make and materials.


    Depths-wrought Artefact.


    Medium Armour (Helmet)


    Durability I, Impact Negation I, Self Repair I


    He read the notification, turning the helm around in his hands. Nothing exciting, but like it said - you didn¡¯t need something fancy if it still stopped your head getting caved in. He shrugged and slid it on.


    His shaggy hair immediately covered his eyes. Pulling it off with a huff, Kaius threw his head back to get his hair out of the way. He might need to go at it with his knife again soon.


    The helmet went back on, now keeping his hair out of his eyes. It fit perfectly, snug but not tight.


    ¡°Nice.¡± He thought to himself, doing up its clasp to secure it in place.


    A shake of his head confirmed it wasn¡¯t going anywhere.


    ¡°Looks a little silly. Different colour from your scale.¡± Porkchop said, watching him from off to the side.


    Kaius rolled his eyes at his friend. ¡°It will also save my life if someone hits me over the head. I can deal with a little clashing colours.¡± He reached for the ring. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have something else to look at¡±


    Plain and made with gleaming silver, it had a ring of runes around its inner edge, while an engraved closed fist graced its exterior.


    Ring of the Dedicated Brawler:


    Common


    Only a coward brings a sword to a fist fight.


    Made from shining argentium, this ring¡¯s enchantments turn the wielder''s hands to iron, allowing them to turn blades and land heavier blows. Slightly enhances Strength.


    Depths-wrought Artefact.


    Accessory (Ring)


    Brawlers Gambit I, Resizing I, Self Repair I


    **Ding! Appraise has reached level 20!**


    Kaius grinned as he saw the notification that trailed shortly after the ring''s description, though he set the thought to the side for the moment. Holding the ring up, Kaius stared at its description pensively. It might work. May as well try.


    ¡°Hey, Porkchop?¡±

 Chapter 45: A Lesser Merge

    Kaius rolled the ring around in his hand, staring at the light that bounced off its polished exterior. Resizing.. It was a minor enchantment. Usually used so that artificers wouldn¡¯t have to waste their precious time on measuring clients for non commissioned pieces.


    He honestly had no idea how far the enchantment could be pushed. If it was artisan made he wouldn¡¯t even try, but items from the Depths tended to be a little stronger, and a lot more weird than those made by people. Only the best enchanters would be able to scribe runes as dense and small as the ones that lined the ring, and they certainly wouldn¡¯t put that much effort into a Common item.


    His friend responded to his call, trotting over.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I think I might have found you some loot after all?¡± he said, holding up the shining ring with a grin.


    Porkchop looked at him quizzically. ¡°That thing? What am I supposed to do, tie it to my fur?¡±


    ¡°Just give your paw you dolt.¡± Kaius said, gesturing impatiently with his hand. Porkchop chuffed, putting one of his front paws on Kaius¡¯s knee. It was massive, easily half the size of his torso. ¡°Oof. You¡¯re a heavy bastard, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    He got a throaty growl in response to his jibe. Laughing back at his friend, Kaius brought the ring closer to one of Porkchop¡¯s thick claws. They were frightening things, as long as his hand and built like the curved tip of a pick.


    The ring expanded. Growing in his hands until it would fit loosely around two of his fingers. Kaius grinned, happy that he was right, and slid it down Porkchop¡¯s middle digit. It would be more out of the way there.


    The ring shrunk, tightening to sit snug against the base of Porkchop¡¯s digit. He yelped in surprise, the insignia of a closed fist flashing once.


    Once he got over his initial shock, Porkchop held his paw up curiously, eying the artefact. ¡°What does it do? I feel a little jittery.¡± He asked curiously.


    ¡°The jitters might be from some Strength, though I don''t know the effect personally. It also does something else. Do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Porkchop responded without hesitation.


    ¡°Give me your paw again.¡±


    Porkchop placed his paw back on Kaius¡¯s lap. To his friend''s credit, the furry lump only flinched a little when he drew his hunting knife. Bringing the edge of the blade to Porkchop¡¯s pad, he dragged it across sharply. Porkchop let out a huff of surprise. The honed edge skittered across his friend''s paw, leaving no sign of a mark in its wake.


    Pulling his paw back, Porkchop stared at it with open fascination.


    ¡°I doubt the enchantment is strong enough to deal a heavy blow from an enchanted axe or anything, but I thought maybe you would get less cut up if you could smack away swords without worrying about being cut to ribbons. I¡¯d bet it makes your paws hit way harder too.¡± Kaius explained, watching as his friend turned his paw back and forth.


    ¡°I think we should start looking for the next Champion,¡± Porkchop said. ¡°It is very important we get more loot.¡±


    Kaius let out a laugh from deep in his belly. ¡°I knew I could get you to see it my way! I¡¯ve just got a couple of things I want to do first. Checking those artefacts brought Appraise up to twenty, and I¡¯d like to merge Identify and get my last skill before we go galavanting off.¡± With everything else already capped for his next legacy skill, Kaius had been growing impatient. The level of Appraise couldn''t have come at a better time.


    ¡°Watch over me?¡± he asked.


    Porkchop chuffed in acceptance, and Kaius closed his eyes - dropping into his soul space.


    The glowing bonfire of his soul shone in his mental sight, revealing the skill shards that orbited it. He quickly spotted Appraise and Inspect. He doubted he would have any difficulty with the merge, even with the escalating mental strain with each successive legacy skill. The skills were supremely compatible, and there were only two.


    He wove a rope of soul-fire, the strand coming away with ease. Connecting it to Inspect took moments. An encyclopaedia of sights washed through him. A catalogue of a thousand beasts, and a thousand classes. Similarities, simple categorisations. It wasn¡¯t an indepth look, but even a short entry to a growing book of knowledge had value.


    The choir of his legacy skills screamed for his attention, but before they could get their avaricious hooks in him, he was already moving.


    He drew another thread of soul fire, sending it questing for Appraise. This skill was similar to its cousin, but avaricious. The merchant to the curious researcher before. Simple pottery through to the rarest of legendary blades. All were stripped back, quantified. Appraised.


    A third thread connected the skills. They all but smashed into each other, so eager was their desire for union.


    **Ding! Skill Merged! Identify obtained!**


    Kaius opened his eyes with a smile, bringing up the description of his latest skill.


    Identify:


    Level 1


    Rare


    Even a little knowledge can make a world of difference in the right hands.


    Skill that enables slight insight into all things that fall under the purview of the system. Higher rarities, levels, and power disparities are more difficult to Identify. Enchantments and skills can block this insight


    Each level slightly increases the skills ability to overcome insight blocking effects.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Merged from: Inspect, Appraise


    It was a simple merge, one that combined the effects of both skills with very little in the way of new capabilities. It was also amongst the few that were ¡®only¡¯ Rare, though in his mind that was a fair assessment. It was still very useful, and one he was glad to have. Tactical insight and an understanding of the effects of their gear was vital.


    Now he had room for his last skill. Eagle Eye.


    ¡°All done?¡± Porkchop asked, clearly eager to get moving.


    ¡°Just a minute, big guy, just going to get this skill.¡± Kaius mumbled, training his eyes on one of the hanging lanterns that drifted aimlessly in the slight breeze. It was a far one, situated near where they had entered the cavern. Distant enough that it was barely a smudged glowing pinpoint of light to his eyes.


    He grabbed hold of his Mana, going through the now familiar process of suffusing his eyes with the mystic resource. Stinging irritation brought tears to his eyes, in no way helped by his unblinking focus. He ignored the pain, it had been growing less intense with every infusion. His body growing used to the presence of mana in his flesh.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Eagle Eye (Rare)?**


    With a snap the hanging lantern suddenly focused in his sight. Still just as far, still just as small, but he could see every ripple in the strange fibrous membrane that acted as windows to the lanterns glowing interior. As the vine swayed gently in the breeze Kaius watched liquid slosh inside the bubble, roiling and flashing in the movement.


    A headache started to set in.


    Kaius groaned, attention flicking to Porkchop when his friend made a questioning rumble. He could see every hair in excruciating detail. See the very texture of the follicles. There was no magnification, the increased detail added to all of his field of view. Accuity sharpened to a deadly point. One that felt like it was being rammed into his brain by a particularly pissed off blacksmith.


    He snapped his eyes shut, grumbling.


    ¡°Did you break yourself again?¡± Porkchop asked, amused.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kaius said, rubbing his temples in an attempt to encourage his headache to go away. ¡°It¡¯s Sense Mana all over again. I¡¯m gonna try something.¡±


    Kaius opened his eyes, careful to keep his gaze trained on his knee. He could see the bloody weave of his pants better than if he used a jeweller''s lens. Thinking back to the memories of his final confrontation with the Grimclaw, he tried to remember how he¡¯d first gotten his grips on Sense Mana. He could always turn the skill off, but it was blatantly obvious to him that seeing in higher detail at a greater distance was way too valuable to not at least make an attempt.


    It had felt like choking out a fire, that first time. Reaching out with his mind, Kaius grabbed a firm hold of the skills'' influence, throttling it. His newly enhanced sight lessened, becoming more manageable. He increased his pressure until he no longer felt like throwing up. He nodded in satisfaction, throwing Porkchop a smile.


    The boost was still significant, but he planned to grow used to its full effects as soon as he could.


    He pulled up the notification that was blaring in the corner of his mind.


    Eagle Eye:


    Level 1


    Rare


    Clear, focused, and unyielding. Every detail is laid bare beneath the sweeping of your sight.


    Skill that enhances visual acuity and range.


    Each level moderately increases visual processing capacity.


    Each level slightly increases range and detail of sight.


    Kaius let out a sigh of relief, at the very least the burden would lessen as he increased the skills level.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m all done. Wanna go for a walk and see where all the exits are?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Porkchop said, tapping the ground rhythmically with his feet. ¡°Maybe we will find more loot!¡±


    Kaius laughed. ¡°Maybe. Though this place is a lot smaller than the blue grove, so don''t be disappointed if there is just the one Champion.¡±


    He jumped to his feet, walking with Porkchop towards the tree line at the edge of the clearing.


    ¡­


    In the end, despite scouring the glade from top to bottom, they weren¡¯t able to find another champion. Plenty of howlers to tussle with, another convenient spring, and half a dozen exits, but no more Champions.


    The howlers themselves quickly grew to be an annoyance. Despite their potent regeneration, they were no true threat. Yet they didn¡¯t have the decency to fall quickly to their blades. More than content to exhaust them with a steady stream of rabid attacks.


    Quickly deciding to move on, Kaius and Porkchop pushed through another tunnel. Days passed as they wandered through jagged corridors of solid stone. Even with Low Light Vision Kaius found the darkness oppressive. Seeing in monochrome for so long gave everything a strange washed out quality to it, and he missed the simple vibrancy that colour brought to light. His unease was only worsened by the focus the tunnels demanded of him.


    Filled with traps and ambush predators, Kaius had to stay constantly alert. Sometimes, over an hour would go by without an encounter. Others, he was forced to disarm three traps in a row while a half rotten undead hauled itself out of a shallow grave and attempted to ambush him from behind. In that case, Porkchop had more than proved his worth as a rear guard. A single swipe with his newly enhanced paws had crushed the creature''s head.


    Thankfully, the long passages of dark were broken up every couple of hours by smaller caverns. It was a twisted respite, one that they were forced to wrest from the grip of hungry beasts and restless dead.


    Eventually though, something changed.


    They¡¯d left the last cavern about an hour ago, having made camp there the night before. It had been a good rest spot. The only inhabitants were a couple of rams and a single undead sheppard. An unusually low number of enemies, but the cavern itself had been small. Barely forty paces from edge to edge. A single tree stood proud in the centre, glowing with a familiar blue that had made Kaius think of the glade where he had spent his first months in the depths.


    The sheppard had been disposed of quickly, and they had had a fantastic meal of roast mutton. There¡¯d even been enough to restock their stores of jerky, even with Porkchop¡¯s impressive appetite.


    Now though, they were back on foot, traversing more shadowed tunnels torn through with twisted roots. They turned a corner. The passage abruptly changed. Gone were the roots and raw natural cave walls.


    In their place was a tunnel that had been hacked through stone. Forcefully and brutal, whatever had created the passage had left carved scars etched into the walls. Haphazard logs were propped up as supports. Some were simple rough hewn logs, branches barely even trimmed. Others looked like the supports of more civilised folk, but ancient. Splintered and bowed.


    The line that delineated the two styles was stark. Almost razor thin, and perfectly straight. As if some god had hacked too different tunnels in half and transported them here to be pasted together with deific magic.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Kaius called at once.


    ¡°What do you think it is? Haven''t seen anything like that in¡­. Well ever.¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°No idea. But let''s be careful. So far ¡®different¡¯ may as well mean ¡®dangerous¡¯¡± Kaius replied with a low voice, calmly pulling his sword free from his sheath. He crept forwards.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Porkchop said, following close behind.


    Despite their tension, nothing happened as they approached the sudden change in the tunnels. Peering further, Kaius could see nothing that would warrant halting their approach.


    ¡°Last chance. Want to go back and try a different tunnel?¡± Kaius asked, checking Porkchop for his response.


    ¡°No way. ¡®Different¡¯ is also interesting. I¡¯m sick of these tunnels.¡± Porkchop replied, urging him on.


    Kaius nodded. He stepped over the threshold.


    **Biome Entered: The Great Warren**

 Chapter 46: New Environs

    Kaius stopped fast at the threshold between the root-bound cave and the carved tunnel, staring at the notification that told him he had entered The Great Warren. Porkchop stepped up next to him, also pausing with a low growl as he saw his own version of the notion.


    ¡°Seems we have a decision to make.¡± Kaius said after he had had a moment to digest the information.


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Well.¡± Kaius said, walking to the side of the cave. He rested his back against the wall, looking at Porkchop with his arms crossed. ¡°Do we want to stay where we are? Keep looking for a Guardian?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready for something new,¡± Porkchop said. ¡°There''s only so much of walking through the same bloody caves I can take for weeks on end.¡±


    Kaius frowned. ¡°You have a point. Though, I didn''t expect that it would take us so long to at least find one. Most stories I¡¯ve heard from delvers say that they can usually clear a biome in a couple of weeks or so. Unless they are walking straight there I don''t see how that''s possible. We¡¯ve spent so long just bloody wandering.¡±


    ¡°Known biomes would explain it. If they already know where the Guardian is it wouldn¡¯t take anywhere near as long. We¡¯re basically just exploring at random,¡± Porkchop replied.


    ¡°That would explain at least part of it.¡± Kaius said, reaching up to rub his chin. ¡°But lots of delvers explore passages in the wild. There must be some method.¡±


    Porkchop snorted, mild amusement flowing across their link. ¡°That might be so, but we don''t have any way of following their method. Especially not if it is some sort of two-legged artifice. We¡¯re getting ahead of ourselves. Finding a Guardian can wait, you still have skills to merge, and we both still have a long time until our full induction into the system.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Kaius sighed. ¡°But we can do that, and probably find more Champions, here. The Overgrown Graves are a known quantity, and this next biome is a warren.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Porkchop replied quizzically.


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Kaius said, feeling a little foolish. Of course Porkchop would have no reference for what the biome being a warren meant.


    He stood up off the wall, pacing slightly as he explained what he knew. ¡°Father spent a lot of time discussing biome names with me. They can reveal a lot of what you can expect to find in that section of the Depths. For example Overgrown Graves suggested that there would be undead and probably beasts as well. Its no nowhere near perfect, there''s a lot of room for interpretation, and it gets a lot more complicated at lower levels.¡±


    ¡°So, a Warren would have things that normally live underground?¡± Porkchop asked, tilting his head at Kaius.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°Most likely, but not just that. Things like ¡®warren¡¯, ¡®infestation¡¯, or ¡®siege¡¯ suggest that it¡¯s probably going to be horde enemies. Sort of like a swarm, but across the whole biome. Lots of enemies, but comparatively weaker even if they have similar levels to elsewhere.


    ¡°Still better than here. I¡¯m sick of fighting undead. They taste disgusting which means I have to avoid biting them. It¡¯d be like fighting with one of your arms behind your back.¡± Porkchop¡¯s distaste was almost palpable, the faintest hint of vile rot slipping across their link. Kaius went a little green.


    ¡°The Great Warren it is!¡± He readily agreed. ¡°Let''s be careful though. We still don''t know what sort of depths-born we will find, and there will be new traps as well.¡±


    They set off, Kaius taking the lead as they entered the new region of the dungeon. Kaius took the lead, sword in hand as he scanned their surroundings for any sign of traps.


    The tunnel was clearly manufactured, very unlike the natural caverns they had just left. Whatever had dug them was..inelegant. Like they had been excavated with picks alone, no concern for anything other than breaching further into the bedrock. The supports were haphazard. Uneven, and scattered at seemingly random intervals. Half had clearly been scavenged, and not treated well besides. The carved beams were splintered, and in some cases had been chopped to length in order to fit the tunnels uneven width. Hells, half of them looked like they would fall to pieces at the slightest touch.


    The other supports weren¡¯t much better. Hacked tree trunks, with little to no time spent on curing the raw lumber. It was blatant they had been hammered to place while still fresh, and as soon as the logs had dried they¡¯d shrunk. More than one of the amateur supports looked to have completely given out due to that very reason, though luckily the tunnel itself held stable.


    As they took turn after turn, passing through intersections, the oppressive darkness started to pull back. Whatever had inhabited these tunnels, or the Depths itself, had hung crude oil lanterns on every second or third support. It was weak lighting that draped the tunnels in deep shadow. Luckily, his Low Light Vision was unaffected. Nothing would be able to hide itself in a patch of darkness to ambush them when they passed.


    Ducking under a support beam that had slumped, falling down to his chest height, Kaius felt Explorer¡¯s Toolkit twinge.


    ¡°Wait. There''s a trap.¡± He said, stopping fast.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Porkchop said, halting before he backed up to give Kaius room. They¡¯d figured out that one the hard way. Kaius wasn¡¯t always successful at disabling the traps, and there¡¯d been one time he¡¯d almost gotten impaled by a spear trap when Porkchop had accidentally body blocked him.


    He backed up, searching the area for any sign. His skill nudged him to the beam itself. Looking closer, careful to keep his distance, Kaius failed to spot anything that jumped out to him as wrong. No trip wires, no pressure plates, nothing suspended above.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He thought to himself. Whatever had set of his skill was either supremely well disguised- unlikely at this low of a layer- or it was hiding in plain sight.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Activating Eagle Eye Kaius winced when he was suddenly inundated with visual information. He tampered down on the skill, reducing its effect until he no longer felt like the tunnel was spinning every time he shifted his footing.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 2!**


    He leaned back, taking a closer look at the support beam.


    Ah. There it was. The ceiling above was covered in a spiderweb of hair fine cracks. The supports themselves were barely holding on, a fragile equilibrium held together by tension and pressure. The slightest touch could set it off. Glad he caught that. Health or no, a cave-in would have been disastrous. With no digging equipment, even if they survived there was a high likelihood that they would have been doomed to a slow death of dehydration.


    With exceeding care Kaius ducked under the struts, making sure to avoid brushing up against the fragile beams.


    Kaius eyed the gap, before looking at Porkchop. Luckily there would be plenty of room, as long as his friend crawled on his stomach. The tunnel was plenty wide enough.


    ¡°It¡¯s the struts themselves. I¡¯m pretty sure if you knock them the ceiling will come down, so you¡¯ll probably have to crawl.¡±


    Porkchop huffed, hunkering down to awkwardly drag his bulk across the floor as he grumbled the whole time. It was down right undignified. Kaius suppressed a chuckle with his hand.


    ¡°No laughing.¡± Porkchop growled. ¡°Matriarchs would have my hide if they knew a two legged had seen me scuttle across the bloody floor,¡± he trailed off in a barely heard mutter.


    Kaius grinned at his friend. He knew that Porkchop had meant for him to hear the last part, or it never would have made it across the mental link that all greater beasts used instinctively.


    As they moved deeper into the biome, the traps grew more frequent. Some were similar to the cave-in trap, but more and more frequently they started to be crafted things. Crude, with a savage viciousness, but definitely placed by thinking beings. Log falls, rocks suspended by the roof that swung down at head level, spikes attached to springy lengths of wood and held in tension. Frequent enough that he managed to get another level in Explorer¡¯s Toolkit.


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 11!**


    That surprised him. With how broad the skill was, it no longer received the full experience that Trap Sense once did. It was the problem with most legacy skills. Breadth was useful, and worth the trade off, but they grew slowly unless you went out of your way to engage with all of their aspects.


    No skill was perfect though. Not even a legacy skill, and especially not at the low skill levels of an unclassed. Inevitably, Kaius eventually missed one. They had been walking through the tunnels, having yet to see any sign of the caverns that usually held depths-born.


    The only warning he got was the faintest snap as his foot passed through a wire. Something slammed into the side of his chest, cracking his ribs. He fell to the ground with a gasp, clutching at the wound. Agony spread through him, clouding his mind. Porkchop yelped in surprise.


    His gaze snapped up, looking for unseen enemies. Ready to move. Wound or no.


    All he saw was a rough wooden spike hanging in the middle of the tunnel.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± He said, waving off Porkchop¡¯s concern. Ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs he pushed himself up to his feet. Taking a mental grip on his health he directed it to the wound. Healing it faster. He still had no confidence in using the skill in battle, it took far too much concentration, but it was incredibly useful for situations such as this.


    Peering at the spike he saw that someone had dug a tall and narrow slot in the stone wall of the tunnel. A tension loaded spike trap jutted out from the opening. It¡¯d been hidden behind the profile of one of the struts, causing him to miss it entirely.


    He had less of an excuse for the snapped trip wire that now lay across the ground. A painful reminder that even skills didn¡¯t remove the need for him to focus.


    ¡°We should slow down.¡± Porkchop said, moving in to look at the hidden trap himself.


    ¡°No, it was a careless mistake.¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°Let''s keep moving.¡±


    Porkchop gave him a concerned look, but didn¡¯t press the issue further. They moved on.


    After another quarter hour, and several more traps, the tunnel started to open up. It was a cavern. Just as rough hewn as the passage Kaius looked in from, several trunk-sized logs haphazardly held up the ceiling.


    Kaius ducked to the side of the tunnel, frantically gesturing at Porkchop to do the same. Inside he could see a good dozen or so creatures huddling around a small fire. They were squat green things, maybe as tall as his chest. Covered in rustic leather and spun clothes. Jagged dagger-like ears poked out from their heads, while cruel eyes were set deep into too-sharp features. Each and every one of them held a wicked looking blade.


    They were as foreign to Kaius as anything. He¡¯d never seen anything like them. Identify helped with that.


    Goblin Outcast - Level 15:


    Depths-born, Low Race


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened at the notification. Goblins! That was unexpected. He turned to Porkchop, frantically waving for his friend to move back down the way he came. Porkchop assented in silence, padding away as Kaius followed close behind.


    Once they were at a safe enough distance to not be heard, Kaius called for them to halt.


    ¡°Goblins! Never thought I would see one in my life. Well, not until I went north that is.¡± He said, still excited at the chance to see the creatures. Even if they were notoriously vile things.


    ¡°Goblins? You know what these things are?¡± Porkchop responded curiously.


    ¡°Yeah, sort of like a northern boggart.¡± He said.


    Porkchop made a noise of disgust. ¡°And this pleases you? Boggarts are a plague.¡±


    Kaius rolled his eyes. ¡°No, I know that. So are goblins. It¡¯s just cool to see them after having heard so many stories from my father about them. They were his favourite monster to use whenever I asked for a scary story as a kid. Apparently they live in the northern mountain ranges. Supposed to be a major problem for the Stonehold¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine that if they are like boggarts.¡±


    ¡°Apparently they are worse,¡± Kaius said. ¡°You know how boggarts inevitably flame out when a tribe gets too large?¡±


    Porkchop grunted and gave Kaius a short nod.


    ¡°Yeah, goblins don''t. Imagine a boggart that was half as stupid, knew enough farming to just barely not starve, still bred like locusts, and had a tendency to fall under the banner of the biggest and meanest lump around.¡± Kaius chittered, gesturing wildly with excitement.


    ¡°Kaius. None of that is a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± He scratched his head. ¡°I know that. But it¡¯s still cool to see them! It¡¯s like seeing the Hiwiann bloodstones! Barely anyone travels to the Stoneholds, and if you don''t go there, you don¡¯t see goblins.¡±


    ¡°Kaius. Focus. Do you know anything that will actually help us clear this biome? Or do you just know stories.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Kaius took a moment to think. ¡°Well, they¡¯re not much for building. As you can probably tell by the state of these shafts we¡¯ve been exploring. But they do have a tendency to make use of anything they find. Apparently whenever the dwarves lose one of their deep settlements it gets turned into..a..warren¡­¡± Kaius trailed off.


    ¡°So. What you¡¯re trying to tell me is that there might just be a city of these things down here.¡±


    ¡°....yes?¡± Kaius said after a moment.


    ¡°Great. Still better than undead.¡± Porkchop pushed past him, striding towards the goblin camp with intention. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 47: A City, Lost

    The final goblin came at him with a feral squeal, swinging its rusted machete at him in a sloppy overhand blow. Kaius parried, A Father¡¯s Gift knocking the short depths-born¡¯s blade away with a clang. The goblin was left open. He followed through.


    The point of Kaius¡¯s sword punched right through its face with a spray of green blood.


    **Ding! level 15 Goblin Outcast slain**


    He sneered in disgust as the creature went limp, sliding free from his sword with a wet schlick. It was the last one. The fight had been easy. Coming up to his chest, he had an immense reach advantage on the goblins, even before his longsword was factored in. Though thanks to the tyranny of stats, they were still stronger than him.


    Everything he had fought for months had been stronger than him. It didn¡¯t matter all that much when the only way they had tried to leverage it was clumsy swings and wild swarm tactics. The goblins were about as good with their jagged machetes as he had expected after seeing their ramshackle weapons. Terrible. It had been all too easy to punish amateur swings with fatal repostes.


    Kaius turned to check on his friend, finding Porkchop licking one paw clean of blood. A pile of crushed corpses arrayed around him.


    ¡°Gross.¡± He said, squirming at the sight of his friend happily enjoying goblin blood.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s almost as good as jerky after all the undead.¡±


    Kaius shook his head. ¡°Definitely still gross.¡±


    Porkchop huffed and went back to cleaning himself.


    Shaking his head, Kaius moved towards the cook fire that was at the mining caverns centre. The goblins had been roasting some sort of beast over it. A massive rodent, judging by the head and tail. Frankly, it smelled delicious, especially after months of unsalted jerky and hastily cooked kills.


    He¡¯d had a growing suspicion that the Depths tried to make water and food readily available. Whatever the purpose of the arcane structure, its challenges weren¡¯t meant to include death by starvation or dehydration. Even so, he would have to be an idiot to eat the meat without checking it first. He used Identify.


    Roast Rous:


    Depths-wrought Item


    A Rous that has been inexpertly roasted over an open fire. Partially scorched. At least it¡¯s salted.


    **Ding! Identify has reached level 3!**


    Salt.


    He was already moving. Snatching one of the legs of the roasted beast, he twisted it free with an uncomfortable crack. The fire hissed as stray juice sizzled on the hot coals below. SInking his teeth into the leg, the meat scorched his mouth. He ignored the pain, moaning as salted meat practically melted in his mouth.


    Kaius laughed into his food as Porkchop bolted over at seeing his reaction. His friend ripped his own leg free from the carcass. Savaging it on the cavern floor.


    ¡°It¡¯s not gonna run away.¡±


    ¡°Why.¡± The bone crunched between Porkchop¡¯s jaws. ¡°Is.¡± A chuck of meat came free with a snarl. ¡°This.¡± He snapped it down. ¡°So. GOOD.¡±


    ¡°Salt. Best thing ever discovered.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you been doing this! Your jerky sucks!¡±


    ¡°I would if I could, buddy.¡± Kaius laughed. ¡°We don''t have any. The jerky is pretty shitty, it''s supposed to have salt.¡±


    As he ate, Kaius walked around the rough room that had been carved into the stone. The goblins had set up a number of tents. Crude things of leather and cloth, barely remaining standing as their rickety frames of sticks threatened to collapse at a moment''s notice. One of them did, when he accidentally brushed against it. He did find a barrel of water in one corner of the room. He refilled their water skins before they drank deeply from its reserves.


    They moved on, returning to the dark shafts that criss crossed this biome.


    Almost immediately they ran into more traps. The worst was a pitfall. A jagged pit carved into the floor of the passage, falling deep enough that he couldn¡¯t see its bottom with his Low Light Vision. Ironically, the trap itself was incredibly poorly hidden. A blatant hole in the floor covered up with splintering slabs of wood. The problem came in crossing the pit. It was too wide to jump. While the planks looked sturdy enough that he could edge his way over them if he was slow, Porkchop would have smashed right through them.


    It had taken carefully stacking the planks until they were four thick, and some very careful steps, to get his friend across. Even then, every creak of wood had sent Kaius¡¯s heart leaping into his throat.


    Once they left the pitfall behind, it wasn¡¯t long before they noticed something¡­different. The tunnel ahead opened into what could only be called a corridor. So unlike the haphazard excavation of the goblins, this tunnel was smooth. Clean. Perfectly spaced metal supports holding up the room with geometric perfection.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Every third section between the supports was carved in massive intricate reliefs that stretched from floor to ceiling. The ones he could see depicted stout figures in impressively thick armour, fighting off hordes of strange beasts for which he had no name.


    ¡°This is dwarven.¡± Kaius said, running his hands along the perfectly smooth walls. They weren¡¯t manufactured, it¡¯d been cut directly into the stone with a jeweller''s precision.


    ¡°You sure? It¡¯s the Depths, not like it has to reflect your stories.¡±


    ¡°I know. But this matches up with everything I have ever heard of them. Plus, look at the art, those are definitely dwarves. Wherever this leads, I bet it''s going to take us to at least one Champion.¡± He said with conviction.


    They moved in cautiously. Well lit by yellow-white glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling, the path was as straight as an arrow and up ever so slightly to their left.


    Looking both ways down the path, Kaius saw that the upwards route seemed to open up far, far in the distance. He activated Eagle Eye. There was something there. He couldn¡¯t quite tell what it was, not even with the added acuity of this skill. But there was something. An open space, and large. Though with the distance and angle he could tell little more than that.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 3!**


    They moved. Kaius was careful to keep an eye out for traps, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any. Every so often another butchered entrance was hacked into the perfect stone of the passage, showing where the goblins had added their inferior work.


    Reaching the end, Kaius¡¯s jaw dropped. Shock rooted him to the spot. He¡¯d known the cavern was going to be large, maybe even as large as the original blue grove. He hadn¡¯t expected this.


    The passage breached the wall of a truly immense cavern. They were half way up, exiting onto a thin platform of carved stone. Off to the side, a narrow staircase was embedded in the cavern wall, offering passage to the floor far below.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± Kaius said. Porkchop was silent, simply standing and staring.


    It put the blue grove to shame, large enough to fit the sizable corpse of trees a dozen times over. At least. A city dominated the centre of the open cavern. Stacked like a wedding cake, every layer of the city rose higher than the one before it, growing more and more opulent and intricately carved as they went.


    It seemed to be made from one seamless piece, the entire place apparently carved whole cloth from the bedrock. Fields surrounded its fortress-like walls. A massive suspended crystal illuminating endless regimented fields of mushrooms and other, more exotic, fungus.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes flicked to the walls of the cavern. They were as glassy smooth as every other piece of dwarven construction. They¡¯d carved it. Carved the whole place out of the bedrock, city and all. It was insanity.


    Porkchop broke the silence first.


    ¡°Kaius. I know it will hurt, but you need to use your skill to scout the city for us. If that place is swarming with goblins we need to leave. We¡¯ll be overwhelmed the moment they spot us.¡±


    He tore his eyes away from the vista in front of him, giving Porkchop a nod.


    Moving to the edge of the ledge he lay down on his stomach, facing the city. It was a sheer drop to the cavern floor. One he had no chance of surviving if he fell. With the vertigo he got from Eagle Eye, he didn¡¯t want to risk it.


    Focusing on the city, he amped up his skill, wincing as everything in sight was thrown into sharp relief. Not enough. It was more detailed, but he could still barely make anything out. He pushed the skill to full power, groaning as ice-picks of pain hammered their way into the back of his orbits.


    Pushing through the pain, he swept his eyes over the city.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 4!**


    Immediately he could see the flaws in the city. It was dirty. War-torn. Everything was smudged in a layer of grime. The desiccated bodies of slain armoured dwarves filled the streets, and the stone that wasn¡¯t cracked was worn away.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 5!**


    His eyes burned. Forcing him to blink so that he could continue to scout. The mental load was worse. His mind felt like an overstretched waterskin, every second forcing it closer and closer to bursting.


    From what he was seeing, it was worth it. Porkchop was right, the place was absolutely crawling with feral goblins. Though thanks to his skill he could tell that they were distributed in a decidedly unnatural way.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 6!**


    While he had no way to see into the many buildings, from the squat green figures he could see wandering the streets and lounging on roofs, they seemed to be bunched together. Groups of thirty or so were milling about, going about their day, but there would be streets between them and the next. If they were careful, they should be able to deal with them section by section. Hopefully without causing enough of a ruckus to bring a whole horde down on their heads.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 7!**


    Another notification dinged in his mind. With each one his eyes strained just a little less, his migraine slowly reducing. Barely. He still felt like he was getting smashed over the head with a hammer. Sweeping  his eyes across the city, he looked for signs of Champions. At the end of the day that was what they were here for.


    He found the first likely candidate quickly. The bastard wasn¡¯t even in the city, but in the fungal fields outside. Standing out like a sore thumb, a mounted warrior prowled amongst the spread out common goblins who wandered the rows of crops. Garbed in cruelly spiked leather armour, the goblin sat astride a massive wolf-like creature. It was a Champion, no two ways about it.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 8!**


    The second one was near a massive set of stairs that lead up to the second tier of the city. Lording over some sort of mustering grounds, it stood head and shoulders above the rest of its kind. Of course, being head and shoulders above a goblin probably meant it was only as tall as he was, but the creature¡¯s bare chest was laden with muscle.


    Halfway up the city there was some sort of open air temple. A square of free standing pillars surrounding a wide altar at the centre of a massive pavilion. A goblin stood tall on the raised stone, waving a staff through the air as it led its fellows through some sort of ceremony.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 9!**


    He found nothing else until he reached the top of the pyramidal tiered city. A flat paved courtyard dominated the highest level, surrounded by a low wall with a statue depicting a stout warrior at its centre. Something massive stomped across its surface, dragging a club as big as he was behind it. Kaius blanched. Hulking and hideous, it was a fearsome sight to behold.


    There was no way that was a Champion.


    No, the massive circle of glowing runes carved into the courtyard''s surface gave away its true identity.


    They¡¯d finally found a Guardian.

 Chapter 48: Target Rich Environment

    Lying down on the ledge that overlooked the Depths¡¯ recreation of a lost dwarven city, Kaius focused his gaze on the creature that lounged at its highest heights. He had to know more. Eagle Eye had more to give, but his eyes already felt like he was trying to look through vinegar. The less that was said about his headache, the better.


    It was a Guardian, he knew it. With how little success that they had had searching for the one in the Overgrown Caves it was most likely to be the one they were destined to face. Learning as much as he could about the beast was vital. Even if it would be agonising.


    He further released the grip he had held on Eagle Eye since he had received the skill. The Guardian slammed into full relief. The visual detail felt like a branding iron burning its way into his skull. Kaius choked back a scream, grinding his teeth together with a creak.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 10!**


    The level up brought the faintest hint of relief, like a single one of the thousand blacksmiths who pounded on his temples had gotten bored and stopped.


    Previously he had only been able to tell the scale of the beast by comparing it to the pillars and statues that dotted the ritual plaza at the top of the city. In turn, they were roughly the same height as some of the smaller buildings situated on the previous tier of the city.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 11!**


    The Guardian came up to roughly half of the column''s height. Considering that the ¡®small¡¯ buildings in the richly ornate city quarter below were three stories tall, the Guardian must have been easily thrice Kaius¡¯s height.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 12!**


    An escalating stab of pain caused Kaius to scrunch his eyes closed with a groan.


    ¡°Kaius..your eyes.¡± Porkchop said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kaius wiped at the tears that had been pooling. Pulling his hand back he saw they were streaked in red. He saw every line in his palm. The way the surface tension of his blood pulled it in narrow lines down the minute channels.


    Kaius frowned. ¡°I should have noticed my Health draining..¡± he muttered through the fugue of the mental load of his skill. It had activated, he realised. Even now it was suffusing his eyes, fixing the damage his skill was doing. It was minute, a small enough trickle that he hadn¡¯t noticed it through the tidal wave of visual information he was being inundated with.


    He shook his head, turning back to the Guardian. This was important. If the drain on his Health was this low it wasn¡¯t doing any serious harm, it didn¡¯t even come close to outstripping his regeneration. Pain was just free training for Rapid Adaptation anyway.


    ¡°Maybe you should take a break.¡± Porkchop said, looking at him with concern.


    ¡°No.¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, it''s good training. Give me another minute or two and I''ll tell you what I''ve learned.¡±


    Turning back to the dwarven fortress city, Kaius refocused his gaze on the Guardian. Letting his skill ramp back up to full power. The immediate spike of pressure in his head drawing a wince from him.


    Bound in rippling muscle, the creature''s skin was thick and craggly. Not quite scaled, but it still looked like it would turn a blade as well as any leather armour. Now in full detail, the club it wielded was clearly a rough hewn tree trunk, slightly whittled down to a grip at one end. Crude spikes had been hammered in. It was a savage thing, something that would paste him in a single blow. He doubted even heavy-plate would do much.


    He¡¯d seen it like before, but never so large. Some kind of troll or ogre. His only encounter had been from a distance. When a lesser cousin of the Guardian had wandered down from the mountains that cut off the deep Sea from the rest of the forest. Father had said it must have been starving, as they usually avoided areas of low mana. He still remembered the way his father had dismantled it. Carving it to pieces as it tried to squash him with a boulder that must have weighed as much as an ox. Bloody thing had taken hours to die, even after it had spent its Health.


    Kaius doubted the Guardian would be any different.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 13!**


    Now that he was paying attention, he felt the drain on his Health ramping up with every second he kept his skill at full strength. It had dipped notably with his level up, as had the throbbing ache in his head, but it wasn¡¯t enough to outstrip the damage he was accumulating. He needed to finish up his scouting fast.


    He focused on the Guardian, trying to Identify it. It took a force of will for him to get the skill to work. While the skills description didn¡¯t mention a distance limit, it seemed to have one all the same. Spiking his agony as he stretched the skill.


    With a ding, a notification sprung into his face.


    ??? - Level ?:


    ???, ???, ???


    **Ding! Identify has reached level 4!**


    **Ding! Identify has reached level 5!**


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 14!**


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 18!**


    The backlash hit him, driving into his brain like an iron spike in spite of his pain resistance. Kaius let out a cry of pain, slamming his eyes shut. He tried to tamper Eagle Eye back down to a manageable level, but he struggled to focus through the fugue of his overworked mind. Even with his eyes closed, he could see the trace amounts of light shining through his lids. Highlighting the delicate blood vessels that spiderwebbed through the delicate membrane.


    ¡°Kaius! That¡¯s enough. Turn off the skill.¡± Porkchop growled in concern, nosing at him.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying.¡± Kaius ground out, gritting his teeth.


    He reached out again, strangling his skill. Damping the overwhelming sensations. Slowly, ever so slowly, his vision dimmed. Reducing to a level where he no longer felt like every slight flick of his eyes would make him through up.


    Sighing in relief he pushed himself up, shuffling back from the edge of the ledge.


    ¡°Okay, that didn¡¯t exactly go how I wanted it to, but I learned a lot.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t exactly go how you wanted it to? Kaius, you looked like you had gotten into a staring match with a basilisk. Eyes should not bleed like that.¡± Porkchop said, punctuating his last sentence by nipping Kaius in the ear.¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡± He slapped his friend away. ¡°Stop that! Gruesome or not, I barely lost any health, got the answer to your question, and levelled the skill more in a handful of minutes than I could have otherwise in a week. It was worth it.¡±


    ¡°It better have been!¡± Porkchop said. ¡°What¡¯d you see?¡±


    ¡°Well!¡± Kaius smiled. ¡°There are a fucking lot of goblins.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it? I¡¯ll have your hide if that''s all you saw.¡± Porkchop swatted at him with faux anger.


    Kaius laughed. ¡°Just kidding. There are a bunch, but they¡¯re spread out. Distant enough that we should be able to deal with one group without bringing another down on their heads.¡± Kaius slung his pack off, pulling a waterskin and rag free to dab at his bloodstained face.


    ¡°Oh, and I could see what I''m almost certain were three Champions.¡± He said, shooting Porkchop a grin.


    Porkchop froze, his ears perking up. ¡°Loot?¡±


    ¡°Yeah buddy. Loot. That''s not all. There''s a bloody Guardian, I¡¯m almost sure of it.¡±


    Porkchop stilled, looking at him intently. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Almost certain.¡± Kaius nodded. ¡°Big fucker. Some sort of ogre or troll with a massive club, right at the very top of the city. Probably ridiculously strong and durable, but there are much much worse matchups. Besides, who knows how long it would take us to find another one. This city must be almost all of this biome, others might need us to search for months.¡±


    Porkchop grumbled. ¡°There are also much easier matchups. An ogre, even one that didn¡¯t over level us, is more than strong enough to crush us with a single swing.¡±


    ¡°Better than something too fast for us to land a hit on. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be faster than it. Besides, we have over a year until I get my class and you evolve. At the very least it will be a good back up if we can¡¯t find anything better.¡± he said, mopping at the red that streaked his face.


    ¡°This is true.¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± Kaius clapped his hands. ¡°The first Champion candidate is outside the city. There''s a bunch of fields of mushrooms down there, but most are pretty spread out. The one we¡¯re looking for is riding on some sort of wolf thing. He¡¯s got a spear, but he¡¯s pretty lightly armoured. I think if we can kill the mount he should be pretty easy to deal with. What do you say? Time to get some more loot?¡±


    Porkchop shot to his feet. ¡°Yes! Let''s go already.¡± he said, rushing over to the wide stone steps that were carved into the side of the cavern.


    ¡°Hey! Wait up! And be careful on those stairs, if you slip you¡¯re toast.¡± Kaius said, rushing after his friend.


    ¡­


    The walk down to the mushroom fields had been treacherous. While the stairs were wide and had more than enough space for both of them to walk abreast, they were glassy smooth. Without a railing to protect them from going over the edge, a single misstep would have been enough to do them in. Every time Kaius looked to the left over the yawning drop to the floor below his head swam. He¡¯d never exactly been bad with heights, but walking next to an open drop that steep was enough to set anyone''s teeth on edge.


    Porkchop had it worse, his weight distribution getting the best of him. Fur covered paws got little traction on the polished stone, and every step threatened to send him tumbling to his death. Every long-stride was taken at a snail''s pace, slowing their descent to a crawl.


    As they walked every now and then Kaius would intensify Eagle Eye a little, scanning for the mounted goblin champion. It roamed around the mushroom fields, and a little headache and vertigo was more than worth keeping track of its movements.


    Eventually though, they reached the bottom. As soon as they hit the loamy soil, Porkchop dived forwards. Burying himself snout deep in the damp earth.


    ¡°Ground. Sweet sweet ground.¡± Porkchop all but moaned.


    Kaius himself wasn¡¯t much better, taking a seat next to his friend.


    ¡°I feel you.¡± He muttered, giving Porkchop a scratch. ¡°We should get moving though, the Champion is still relatively close. If we can help it, I would like to avoid fighting our way through a city''s worth of farmland.¡±


    Huffing in acceptance, Porkchop took the opportunity to get one last roll in the dirt. Kaius shook his head at his friends'' antics.


    The pair set off, heading in the direction that Kaius had last seen the mounted goblin.


    The fungal crops were strange things. Set in neat rows were a dizzying array of mushrooms. Most were a motley collection of standard caps, ranging from ankle height all the way to coming up to his mid thigh. Their colours were just as diverse. Browns, greys, and tans were the most common colours, but others were a stark red, or brilliant blue. A rare few did not fit this mould. Strange clusters of ear-like growth, sending out plumes of glittering dust. Striking knots of twisted tendrils, writhing slowly as they passed.


    It was heaven for training Identify. Every third fungus seemed to be something new, pushing his skill to new heights. Unfortunately, eventually his growth tapered off as he ran into less and less unique specimens. Much to Kaius¡¯s disappointment, none of the mushrooms were alchemical reagents. If they had, such a wealth of resources could have provided an extremely valuable source of renewable wealth if they were able to map a path back to the biome from the world above. At the very least, he could have used Explorers Toolkit to flesh out their supplies with some much needed poultices. Thankfully, neither were any of them toxic or poisonous.


    They were farms in truth, filled with a dizzying array of edible varieties. At the very least, they would be eating well while they cleared out the city.


    Despite what it looked like from above, the cavern floor wasn¡¯t perfectly flat. As they traversed across the fields in search of the Champion, they walked up and down gentle rises and dips.


    It was after summiting one such rise, slightly taller than most, that they spotted their quarry.


    Maybe a few hundred strides away, the mounted goblin stalked through the fungal fields. Kaius put his hand up, gesturing for Porkchop to halt. After months of cooperation, his friend complied without hesitation, training his sight to where Kaius was looking.


    Kaius ratcheted up Eagle Eye, bringing the Champion into greater focus. The beast the goblin rode looked like it would come up to his chest. While he¡¯d originally told Porkchop that it looked like a wolf, that was only true in the most twisted and nightmarish sense. Its head was blocky and thick, features twisted with a sick malevolence. Bulky muscle covered its thin frame, almost looking to painfully yank at its joints.


    The goblin wasn¡¯t much better. Sitting high in its saddle, its eyes scythed over the fields. Looking at distant labouring goblins with a cruel sneer on its face. It was garbed in light studded leather and held a long barbed spear. One that looked better designed for maiming than it did striking true killing blows.


    He relayed what he saw to Porkchop, his friend growling low in his chest as he squared off against the far off Champion. Kaius felt it too. The familiar heat in his blood. The way his concerns and fears dampened.


    It was a rush like nothing else. Knowing that the only thing that stood between him and a gruesome end was his skill, timing, and ability.


    He couldn¡¯t wait.

 Chapter 49: Keikaku Means ‘Plan’

    Kaius lay flat, the soft earth of the fungal farms dampening his clothes ever so slightly. Porkchop had hunkered down next to them. He peered over the peak of a soft rise in the fields, staring at the mounted goblin Champion that prowled a couple hundred long-strides away.


    Their walk here had been uneventful. Only the dizzying array of mushrooms, and the odd goblin labourer had interrupted their journey.


    Now he watched the Champion. Tried to learn as much as he could, before he dived head first into fraught confrontation once more. Up close, he got a much better look at the depths-born. Unlike some of the others that he saw in the city, this one was not much larger than the common labourers they had mowed through in the fields. Its spear looked just as mean as it had before, but it was also long. More of a pike or a lance than a weapon meant for duelling.


    Its mount, the cruel wolf looking creature, was smaller than he expected. Viciously muscled it may have been, the creature looked like it would match him shoulder to shoulder. By no means an easy fight, but far smaller than the Dreadclaw had been. Barely taller than Porkchop, though his friend almost certainly had more mass. It was garbed in thick leather barding, armouring its side, back, and chest.


    He used Identify, first on the goblin, and then on its mount.


    Goblin Outrider - Level 25:


    Champion, Depths-born, Cavalry, Low Race


    Warg - Level 22:


    Depths-born, Beast, Mount, Elite


    **Ding! Identify has reached level 16!**


    Kaius gave the skill notification a quick look. Inspecting the massive variety of mushrooms in the fields had been amazing for its growth. He shoved it to the back of his mind, turning his attention back to the Outrider.


    The Champion itself glowed in the sight of his Sense Mana, the aura giving away its empowered might. He¡¯d started to get more comfortable with the skill, more used to the constant ghostly presence of the mystic world. He hoped that this time he would be able to make use of it in the fight. Capitalise on the information it provided much like he had under the influence of the Psychopathic Assault tonic.


    Kaius ducked back down, hiding behind the hill once more as he turned to Porkchop.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Champion alright,¡± he whispered, shuffling away from the rise. ¡°Only the goblin though. Its mount is something called a warg, level twenty-two. It¡¯s a short thing, barely taller than the rest of the goblins. With how long its spear is I think it would be an easy fight if we can knock it from the saddle.


    Porkchop acknowledged him with a flick of his ears, crawling forward on his belly to get his own look at the mounted duo. He shimmied back a moment later.


    ¡°I can take the warg, easy. Leather will not protect it from my new claws.¡±


    Kaius nodded. His friend was right, while Porkchops new ring was most likely designed for a humanoid pugilist, its savagery was amplified in his friend''s hands. His long digging claws had hardened to the point they acted more like sharpened steel daggers, and they had been tearing through leather armoured goblins with ease.


    ¡°Its biggest advantage is mobility, and its ability to use its lance. I think I should bait it into a charge while you lie in wait here, hidden behind the hill. Once it¡¯s committed and summiting the peak, you pounce on the warg.¡± Kaius said, tracing a loose diagram in the dirt.


    Porkchop looked at his drawing, flicking his ears in agreement. ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are.¡± He said, backing up and bracing himself to charge at the slightest provocation.


    Kaius nodded, taking a moment to breathe, stoking the heat that bubbled just below the surface. His heart raced, blood rushing to his extremities. He was ready.


    Jumping to his feet, he drew his sword and stomped to the top of the hill. Stern eyes locked on the champion, boring into them.


    ¡°Hey, short-stuff!¡± He yelled. ¡°Get your ass over here.¡±


    The Champion snapped its gaze over to him, sneering in disgust. The warg it was mounted on snarled, a low crackling rumble rolling across the fields of mushrooms between them.


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right. You and your half drowned rat of a warg!¡± Kaius continued.


    The goblin screamed something indecipherable at him. They must have been quite the mix of obscenities, because even from half a field away, Kaius could see veins bulging on its face. The outrider lowered its spear, training its point towards him.


    A slight kick of its legs and the warg ran, kicking up plumes of dirt. Pulping delicate mushrooms in its furious charge. Gods, it was fast.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Goblin Outrider **


    Kaius suddenly questioned the wisdom of standing directly in front of a Champion¡¯s cavalry charge. He braced himself, bringing his sword up. Ready to block or deflect the goblins spear if he wasn¡¯t fast enough to dodge.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    At the halfway mark he saw the goblins aura pulse, flaring with magical potency.


    ¡°Shit! Porkchop, get ready! It¡¯s using some sort of skills.¡± Kaius said, his eyes widening at the sight.


    ¡°Ready!¡± His friend called silently through their link, avoiding making any sound that could give away his hidden presence.


    Magical energy suffused the goblin¡¯s mount. Despite already moving at a full sprint, it suddenly sped up more. Nearly doubling the speed of its charge.


    It barely took a second for the Outrider to cross the rest of the distance between them. The warg launched itself towards him in a final leap, the savage spear point of its rider trained directly on Kaius¡¯s chest. There was no way he was going to be able to parry the blow. There was too much speed, too much weight behind it. Even if he managed, it would do little to stop him being trampled.


    He dove. The Champion reacted instantly. Shifting its spear to track his movement.


    The barbed point clipped Kaius on the pauldron, sending him spinning through the air. The heavy blow nearly knocking his sword from his hand.. He hit the ground. Hard. A groan slipped free, health rushing to his aching shoulder. Heavy metal plates on the joint had saved it from a fracture, but it still hurt.


    He rolled to his feet, moving to dodge any follow up attempts. Looking back to the outrider, it scowled at him, the momentum of its charge carrying it forward. The impact had rattled the goblin, loosening the grip it held on its warg¡¯s saddle. There would be no more attacks until it was ready to charge once again.


    The Champion and its mount continued over the hill, readying themselves for another pass.


    Kaius returned the goblin¡¯s hateful sneer with a grin of his own. Their plan had worked.


    Porkchop struck.


    With a bellowing challenge, Porkchop leapt for the pair. Thick claws raked the warg¡¯s side as Porkchop lunged for the goblin Champion. The warg stubbled, nearly unseating its rider as it wheeled on the new aggressor. In an impressive display of agility it returned Porkchop¡¯s assault with a swipe of its own, raking him across the chest.


    Roaring at Porkchop, the warg lunged towards his friend''s throat. Trying to take a bite. The outrider yanked on its mount''s reins, pulling itself firmly back into the saddle. It righted the beast with a jab of its serrated knife-like spurs. The warg yelped in agony, jumping away from Porkchop as it ran away.


    The goblin brought its mount back under control, slowly turning for another charge.


    Kaius frowned. They had to try again. If they let the Outrider dictate the pace of engagement it would whittle them down with charges. Besides, Porkchop had almost no defence against a lance thrust. Worse, the goblin had to have another skill. Kaius wanted the Champion dismounted before it had a chance to use it.


    ¡°What now?!¡± Porkchop said, frantic as he scrambled closer to Kaius.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Kaius held his hand up to stop his friend. ¡°Stay behind the hill. We try again.¡±


    ¡°Kaius! It already knows what we¡¯re trying to do!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, it still needs to come off the saddle,¡± he said, voice stony. ¡°Best chance we have is if it can''t see you. It won¡¯t know where you are waiting.¡±


    Porkchop growled, but moved back out of sight of the Champion once more.


    Speeding up from a trot, the outrider began to race towards Kaius once more. His gaze sharpened on the rapidly approaching Champion, surrounding distractions forgotten. No fluctuations in its aura. It wasn¡¯t using a skill this time. Yet.


    The goblin stared at him with undisguised aggression and hate, thin lips peeling back to reveal densely clustered needle-like teeth. It lowered its spear, training it on him.


    Kaius screwed his feet into the earth, finding his grip. Ready to dive at the last moment. He had to time it right. Last time he¡¯d been a second too early. Given the goblin time to adjust. He couldn¡¯t afford another hit.


    Now.


    He threw himself to the side, away from the encroaching barbed spear head that had been rushing towards his chest. The goblins aura pulsed, its spear flaring with light. With unnatural speed and grace the spear shifted, setting itself back on course. Kaius blanched. No way to dodge. Didn¡¯t have the footing.


    Gritting his teeth he slammed his blade into the spear thrust. Just barely managing to shift it away from his chest. The barbed spearpoint bound his blade, ripping it free from his hands and sending it spinning into the dirt. Jagged metal raked the side of his ribs, catching the edge of his scales, tearing through the chain and soft flesh below. Kaius let out a scream at the mutilation.


    The mounted outrider cackled in glee, yanking on its reins. With preternatural agility the warg skidded to a halt, whirling towards Kaius. It pounced. Flying with outstretched claws and a low roar.


    Death approached. Kaius dove to the side, ignoring the hot blood that poured from his side.


    Porkchop slammed into the airborne warg, driving it onto the ground, prone. The goblin rider screamed in fury, tumbling free of its saddle. Porkchop laid into the warg in a whirlwind of snapping teeth and sharp claws.


    Kaius trusted his friend to do his part. He only had eyes for the grounded outrider. Already on its feet, it screamed at its mount. Tried to kick it to its feet, only to jump back hastily when Porkchop¡¯s claws sailed within a finger length of its face. Backing up, it trained its hate on Kaius. Bringing its pike up to hold with both hands.


    It charged.


    Shoving the pain of his savage ribs into a box guarded by Rapid Adaptation, he lunged for his sword. Swiping it off the ground he swept out with a hasty parry, forcing away the goblin¡¯s stab. He¡¯d been right. On the ground the weapon was unwieldy. Hard for the diminutive goblin to control.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine now, you little shit.¡± Kaius grinned at the goblin. It hissed back in response.


    ¡°Drakk! Gruzka roknar, nukk vor Ghal!¡± The outrider spat. The words meant nothing to Kaius, save that their guttural, tortured syllables grated against his ears. Regardless of what the goblin said, it was filled with rage. Every word choked out, mangled by jaws designed more for the tearing of flesh than civilised speech.


    To his right, Kaius could see Porkchop savaging the warg with primal ferocity. Like they had anticipated, the mounts'' leather barding did little to protect it from the cutting fury of Porkchop¡¯s claws. It still tried to give as good as it got, getting its feet under it to launch itself for Porkchop¡¯s throat.


    Kaius slowly backed away from the fighting beasts, drawing the outrider with him.


    The goblin jabbed at him with its spear. They were slow strikes, the goblin poorly suited to controlling the weapon''s obscene length without the height and power of a charge behind it. Kaius smiled. Whatever benefit it had held from its weapons reach was long gone.


    It was on his turf now. He doubted it would be able to keep up.

 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.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    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**

 Chapter 51: Honour, and Other Rewards

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


    Kaius stared at the notification, his pain and exhaustion completely forgotten. Shock paralysed him, he could feel another notification blaring in the corner of his mind. Demanding his attention. He left it there, too absorbed in the one that hung in his vision.


    This must have been what Porkchop was talking about. How the system rewarded those that pushed themselves when under its observations. But why now? The goblin was nowhere near the first Champion he had slain.


    ¡°Kaius? What¡¯s wrong? Are you injured?¡± Porkchop asked, coming forwards to examine him closely. Checking his wounds.


    Kaius shook his head, throwing off the shock. ¡°..I think I found out how the Observed got so much stronger than everyone else.¡± He said quietly.


    Porkchop¡¯s eyes snapped up to meet Kaius¡¯s own. ¡°What?!¡±


    Kaius nodded, telling him about the notification he had received from killing the Champion.


    ¡°What?! How? What does it give you?¡± Porkchop asked, the questions coming so fast they nearly blended into a single word.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, I haven''t checked it.¡± Kaius said, shoving Porkchop away when was nearly bowled over in his friend''s excitement.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t checked it?! What the hells are you waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Gimme a second! I was about to before you started asking questions,¡± he huffed.


    Porkchop snorted in response, but waited patiently all the same. Kaius took a breath to calm his racing heart, and pulled up the final notification waiting for his attention. Like he expected, it was the Honour in question.


    Born for Slaughter:


    Honour


    Rules are made for a reason. Many are to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Some fools disregard those rules. Facing death due to need, want, hubris, and ignorance. Most are crushed under the weight of reality. Those that don¡¯t are forged anew. Shining brighter than those that dared not.


    Awarded to those who slay three Champions unaided before class selection. Provides an Infinitesimal increase to skill levelling speed. +5 all stats.


    Bonus: For being the first in your cohort to achieve this honour skill the levelling bonus is increased to Minute, and the stat bonus is increased to +8 all stats.


    Kaius dropped like a marionette with his strings cut. Power surged through him. Shifting him, forcing him to change. He writhed as every facet of his being was reinforced, mind overwhelmed in totality. There was no pain. It was far far beyond that.


    He felt like he had been snatched up by a god. Broken. Prodded. Moulded into a more pure version of himself. Letting out a choked scream, he felt his body contort. Bones creaking under the force of his convulsions. White ice picks were driven into his mind. Forcible expanding his senses. Speeding up the rate in which he could process information. A slight amount, just under a fifth of his baseline capabilities. All at once it was immobilising.


    The moment seemed to crystallise into amber. Burning its way into his memory. Then it was over. He lay there panting, soaked in his sweat. He peered through bleary eyes to find porkchop staring at him. Barely a finger length from his face.


    ¡°Ouch?¡±


    ¡°Bugger off.¡± Kaius said, pushing his friend away. ¡°Hells that was awful. Even worse than the natural treasure.¡± He shuddered. Was this what everyone went through? When they grew their class?


    ¡°It gave you stats?¡± Porkchop guessed.


    Kaius pushed himself up. ¡°Yeah. It did. How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°Connecting to the ancestral blood stabilises you, eases the transition of growth. Gaining stats without it is supposed to be ¡­ uncomfortable. At least the ones that aren¡¯t natural growth. I assumed it was the same for Classes?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°Great. Another hole in my education.¡± Kaius grumbled. Despite how much Father had taught him, it has become more and more clear how much had been sacrificed on the altar of preparing him for his legacy skills and class selection. Though, perhaps it was just another case of the meles'' oral histories remembering what people had forgotten.


    He returned to Born for Slaughter¡¯s notification. It was¡­Massive. The stats alone were an insane boon to an unclassed. Ultimately though, as he grew that bonus would eventually be reduced to meaninglessness. At higher tiers, the difference in stat growth between rarities would be enough to outweigh that bonus in a single level. No, the true boon was what those stats would mean for his class, and the growth to his skill levelling. One would almost guarantee his first class would be of higher rarity than normal, preserving his lead.


    The other? It was infamous how much effort it took to get skills to the tier cap before class evolution. It was something everyone tried to do, the benefits it gave to skill evolution were well known, even if the specifics had not been explained to him. Yet very few succeeded, and almost no one was persistent enough to hold off on a qualitative surge in power in order to cap them all. This must have been what elevated the Observed to mythical heights. An acceleration of their growth. Boosts that let them climb faster and higher than everyone else, giving them the power to hunt down more Honours.


    ¡°Hells, Kaius, Don¡¯t just sit there dumbstruck. What does it do?¡±


    Kaius quickly relayed what he knew of his new Honour. The information seemed to light a fire under Porkchop, the meles pacing as he digested Kaius¡¯s latest boon.


    ¡°There must be more that we can get before we are inducted into the system proper. The fact that you are the first in our ¡®cohort¡¯ - whatever that means - is valuable information. It would be foolish to leave potential gains on the table.¡± Porkchop said.


    Kaius nodded, he¡¯d been thinking the same thing. ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet that at the very least there must be an Honour for killing more Champions in a group of unclassed. Maybe ten?¡± He said. ¡°Though before that happens we need to find some favourable matchups for you to slay three on your own.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Why?¡± Porkchop asked, cocking his head.


    ¡°I never received one for eating the Natural Treasure. I¡¯m worried the first one will be forfeit if you achieve the feat before the system officially starts observing you.¡± Kaius admitted.


    Porkchop shook his head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so. Finding that fruit was pure luck. Enough luck that it drew you to the system''s notice, but the system has never rewarded luck so directly. Only struggle and triumph. I doubt the fruit would have ever given you an Honour.¡±


    ¡°You could be right. Still this is even more of a reason for us to push hard. These rewards are invaluable, and the only lead we have is that some of them are tied to doing things before our full introduction to the system. That puts us on a time limit.¡± Kaius pushed himself to his feet, enjoying the newfound strength that coursed through his limbs.


    ¡°Come on. There are more Champions in the city.¡± He set off, striding towards the far off walls of the dilapidated and overrun dwarven settlement.


    ¡°Kaius.¡± Porkchop called to him, insistent.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The loot.¡± Porkchop deadpanned.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kaius said, stopping mid stride. ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡­


    Kaius crouched in front of the cold body of the warg. Porkchop had absolutely mutilated the beast. Great divots had been torn from its flesh, revealing shattered bones. It seemed like they had been correct about the effects of Porkchop¡¯s ring. Despite wearing thick leather barding, reinforced with tactically placed metal plates, the armour had done little to save the warg.


    Its head that lay a dozen paces away was testament to that.


    Kaius grimaced at the eviscerated corpse, turning his attention back to its large saddle bags. After searching the area for any depth¡¯s created artefacts, they¡¯d come up short. Even the goblins pike had been a simple item. All they had left were the saddle bags.


    They were small things. More designed to hold a few days rations and a rolled up mat than supplies for an extended journey. If they did contain their well earned artefacts, they would have to be on the small side.


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± Porkchop said. He¡¯d been pacing a little up the hill that the warg¡¯s corpse lay at the base of, too impatient to sit still.


    ¡°Hush. I¡¯m looking now.¡±


    He flicked open the satchel, peering inside. The bag''s interior was shaded in a deep unnatural shadow. Kaius frowned. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit was silent, so it should be safe. He reached inside. Nearly falling forwards when his arm plunged down to the shoulder.


    He ripped his arm free, staring at his hand in wonder. A spatially enhanced container. They existed, but he¡¯d never seen one for himself. Almost all of them were pulled from the Depths, but he¡¯d never heard of one being found at so high a layer.


    Grinning in excitement, he shoved his hand back inside. The container was reward enough itself, but he had to know if there was more. Looking up the hill, he found porkchop still pacing. Huffing as he batted at mushrooms. Best not to tell him just yet, no point dealing with more belly aching about how long he was taking.


    Kaius reached around the expanded space, quickly finding something small and cylindrical. He pulled it free. It was a sharpened spike, textured with dense inscriptions and contoured with a curious grip. He set it to the side, Identify could wait until he knew he had gotten everything. Diving back into the bag he grabbed something else. Tough leather, with some sort of cold metal attached to it.


    He yanked. The bag morphed. Stretching impossibly to accommodate the exit of something far too bulky to fit through the opening. Distorting along some non existent fourth line. Kaius fell back, nausea joining a rising headache at the unnatural sight. He let out an oof as heavy leather landed on top of him, Kaius stared at the artefact.


    It was some sort of ¡­armour? That much was clear. Thick sections of leather reinforced by laminate plates of metal, held together by buckles and straps. There''s no way he could possibly wear it himself, it looked far too odd. He set it aside with a shrug, moving back to check the saddle bag.


    His hand hit the bottom, barely a stride in. He tore the bag open in horror, looking inside with desperation. His worst nightmare came to pass. It was empty, made of simple folded leather. A plain saddle bag.


    ¡°No!¡± He cried in despair.


    ¡°What''s wrong? No loot?¡± Porkchop said, galloping towards him. ¡°Wait, it''s all here? What are you crying about then?¡±


    Kaius kneeled there, white faced. Mourning as his dreams of riches shattered like glass. A spatial artefact! It was right there. He stifled a sob, shoving his pain deep as he turned to shoot Porkchop a smile. ¡°Nothing! Just hoped there would be a bit more.¡±


    Porkchop cocked his head at him. ¡°Liar. Also, weirdo.¡± A moment later he pounced on the strange, too large armour that Kaius had pulled out of the saddlebag. ¡°What¡¯s this? Looks different.¡±


    ¡°Not sure yet. Give me a second.¡± Kaius used Identify on the artefact.


    Deepbeast Light Barding:


    Common - Tier I


    Trained from birth, the dwarven beast-bound scouts are the eyes and ears of the Stoneholds. They prize their mounts higher than their own lives, and cost is no factor when it comes to keeping their companions safe in the dangerous conditions of the northern mountains of Vaastivar.


    Made from alchemically treated Ironox leather, reinforced with plates of doped titanium, this barding is designed to offer maximum protection to a variety of beasts without compromising mobility.


    Depths-wrought Artefact.


    Light Armour (Barding)


    Well Fitted I, Resizing I, Self Repair I


    Kaius smiled at the description. ¡°It¡¯s armour. That you can wear.¡±


    Porkchop went stock still, ears flicking at the news. ¡°I get armour?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Kaius said. Porkchop immediately went into a frenzy, bouncing back and forth in his excitement. Kaius laughed. ¡°Easy, buddy. Calm down, and I''ll help you into it.¡±


    With a clear effort of will, Porkchop went still. Kaius picked up the barding, unbuckling its straps before throwing it over Porkchop¡¯s back. As he buckled it in place, straps seemed to shift to the perfect length, cinching snug, but leaving no excess weight. It fit Porkchop like a glove, conforming perfectly to his body.


    A massive reinforced section of leather draped over Porkchop¡¯s back and shoulders, holding tight to wrap around his sides. His legs were left entirely free, apart from small free flowing sections that hung over his upper limbs. Short enough to stay out of the way while still providing some protection. A strange, almost-gorget, buckled around his neck, flowing into an armoured section that guarded the chest and top of Porkchop¡¯s stomach. Metal plates were affixed all over the armour, adding additional protection to key vitals. It even had a couple of light weight saddle bags that rested on his hips.


    The barding provided almost complete coverage, and as soon as it was fully buckled in place Porkchop sprinted around like a mad man, diving and rolling around the ground.


    ¡°It fits, and it doesn¡¯t slow me down!¡± He said in wonder.


    Kaius smiled in satisfaction. It had always been a fear in the back of his mind. That Porkchop¡¯s lack of protection would do him in some day. That some bastard with a sword would get in a lucky strike and gut his friend. The armour would help. Especially when he sat on the side-lines and had to watch Porkchop fight Champions alone.


    Bending down, Kaius picked up the strange bronze stylus he had pulled from the warg''s saddlebag. He slid it into his pocket.


    ¡°C¡¯mon. Let''s start heading towards the city. It¡¯s a long walk and I want to make some headway before we have to stop to rest.¡± Kaius said, setting off at a walk towards the far off settlements walls.


    Porkchop stopped his gallivanting to pull up next to him. ¡°What about your loot?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check it on the way.¡± He said, tussling Porkchop¡¯s fur.

 Chapter 52: Tools

    Kaius sat on the side of a hill, nestled in amongst the rows of myriad fungus that made up the extensive farms surrounding the underground city. After a few hours of walking, they¡¯d noticed the gargantuan crystal suspended from the ceiling had begun to dim. An artificial ¡®night¡¯ had quickly set on. It was beautiful. A full quarter of the mushrooms in the farms lighting up with soft inner light. A riot of greens, blues, purples, and oranges.


    Taking another bite of a strange grey mushroom that he had picked from the fields, Kaius looked out over the softly pulsing lightshow. A snort made him jump, and he turned over to find Porkchop twitching in his sleep. He smiled.


    Taking the first watch had been his idea. He still felt absolutely wired from receiving his first Honour. No way he was going to be able to sleep now.


    He¡¯d expected some kind of benefit for being observed by the system, yet nothing so drastic. It made sense though. The system was already set up to reward feats. He knew it kept track of people''s triumphs, tailoring offered classes and evolutions to what someone had achieved. He just hadn¡¯t quite expected that something so massive had been forgotten. The other Observed, those from the stories, must have gotten at least a few of them. Even if it was far harder to gain them after class selection, it was the only way to explain the feats attributed to them.


    He fell backwards with a soft thunk, staring at the dark stone far far above.


    They were a tangible goal, something to work towards while he grew his skills. The stats alone would provide him with a notable edge. While not much in the grand scheme of things, the cap at twenty for an unclassed was punishing. Every boost would let him push just that little bit harder, getting him closer to achieving the next Honour. If he got enough of them¡­ They might be able to take on the Guardian. Without a class.


    What sort of Honour would that give?


    They¡¯d need more though, both of them. At least another Honour. He just wasn¡¯t sure what feats the system would need to see for them to get it. There had to be one for defeating more Champions in a group, and maybe higher versions of the one he already had. Ten was likely, if they didn¡¯t get one by then, he doubted it existed. The problem was time. Even if they aimed for getting Porkchop three solo kills, and ten as a group, that was far more than the three he had seen in the city.


    It was entirely possible that they would class up before finding enough. Whatever method Delvers used to explore a biome in weeks, they didn¡¯t have access to it. Even finding this city had taken months, and that was with this being an unusually open biome. They wouldn¡¯t get so lucky with others.


    Kaius took a deep breath, setting out a long sigh. There had to be other feats that the system would reward. He would have expected a capping a complete set of legacy skills to be one, but surely it couldn¡¯t? There had to be others out there with a full set somewhere, right? His father would have told him. He would have.


    ¡°I suppose that I''ll find out one way or the other.¡± He thought to himself.


    The only others that even remotely made sense to him would be Honours for reaching a certain layer of the Depths, and killing something a certain number of levels above him. Both of those had jumped to mind as something that might have happened to the heroes in the stories, if they ever existed. Unfortunately, they were inaccessible. He was stuck with a layer maximum of twenty. Even the strongest Champions would be capped at thirty, and only the Guardian would be higher than that.


    Considering he wanted the Honours to fight the Guardian in the first place¡­They wouldn¡¯t be much help to him even if they did exist.


    He couldn¡¯t just chase after them mindlessly. Even the ones he was half confident in acquiring in time would press them for time. That, or they would be an idiotic risk. Sure, he could see the system rewarding him for surviving an Affliction that was all but guaranteed to kill an unclassed. Even with Rapid Adaptation he had no intention of killing himself on the off chance it might give him some sort of benefit. Let alone the fact that he was unlikely to find something with that sort of power on this layer. Even if it did, it was likely to be a Champion, something that wouldn¡¯t exactly sit pretty while he tried to fight off an infection.


    Kaius groaned, quickly quieting when Porkchop shifted in his sleep. He¡¯d finally felt like he was ahead of his deadline. His skill growth had been explosive, and he was certain he would be able to merge and cap all of his legacy skills before his looming class selection.


    Then this had to land in his lap.


    Not that he was complaining. Nor had he exactly planned on taking it easy, the Depths didn¡¯t do easy. It was just another mystery on an already teetering pile. He had so much to do, both now and when he escaped.


    ¡°Bah, nothing I can do about it now.¡±


    He reached into his pocket, pulling out the bronze stylus that was curiously moulded to his grip. He hadn¡¯t had the chance to Identify it on their walk through the fields. Too absorbed in keeping watch for goblins and mulling over his Honour. It¡¯d make for a good distraction, he thought as he pulled up its description.


    Jurryrigger¡¯s Inscription Stylus:


    Uncommon - Tier I


    Most see the runic arts as something to be relegated to the sterility of the laboratory, or held contained in the illusionary spaces of the mind. Environmental conditions, perfect mediums, and tightly controlled mana density are useful, but they are not the core of the art. A true master knows that quick and dirty always has its place.


    Made from mystic bronze, this stylus is shaped to provide smooth control over the long process of runic inscription. Enchantments allow mana to be channelled through the artefact, allowing clean and stable lines with low mana resistance to be inscribed on a multitude of mundane and poorly prepared surfaces. Less effective with mana dense and alchemically treated materials. Low flow rate.


    Depths-wrought Artefact.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Auxiliary Equipment (Inscription stylus)


    Mana Conduit I, Multi-purpose Inscriber I, Self Repair I


    Kaius bolted upright like he¡¯d been smacked. His head snapped back and forth, looking for something to test the stylus with. His eyes settled on a woody fungus growing just a few steps away. They were fairly common in the fields, and would suit his purposes. He crawled over, cutting off one of the growths with his knife. It was a few fingers thick, and shaped like an odd lopsided bowl. Identify said it was edible, but he hadn¡¯t had the guts to try it yet. What with it being as hard as a rock and all.


    He placed the slab of fungus in his lap, holding his stylus like an over large pen. Despite the strange size and hefty weight, its shaped grips felt comfortable in his hand. Moulding to its contours.


    He¡¯d used an inscription stylus once or twice. Father had a couple. They had, however, been made for his father personally. Using them as a mana conduit to inscribe bottomed out his pool in seconds. That was still enough for him to be familiar with how they worked.


    Kaius reached for the mana in his pool, teasing it free and connecting it to the artefact in his hand. It snapped in place with ease, none of the mental strain present like it was when he infused his eyes. Intuitively he could feel his link with the tool.


    None of his Mana was draining. Yet. A flicker of intent started the process. Sipping daintily at his offered mana, the runes on the side of the stylus began to glow with a dim internal light, working their way down to the tip of the implement. A moment later he felt the drain halt as the mystic bronze was saturated.


    It would drain more as he inscribed. With a low flow rate he would need to go slow. Too fast and he would drain the bronze faster than he could top it off, breaking the connection and forcing the metal to physically scratch the material.


    He brought his hand down, dragging the tip of the stylus against the fungus in his lap. The bronze spike at its tip seemed to almost merge with the material. Phasing into it. He drew. A perfectly straight darkened line was left in his wake. A mana channel. He pushed more of his Mana through the device, slowing the rate at which he drew. the line darkened. More resilient, less resistant to the mystic power that would flow through it in an inscription.


    He pushed deeper. The line widened, allowing a greater flow rate.


    This was perfect. Inscribing was delicate work, and he had been avoiding making use of it due to the danger of collapse when improperly formed. You could inscribe with just about anything that could leave a mark. Hells, he¡¯d done just that when he made the inscriptions to learn Sense Mana and Sense Illusion.


    Those were basic inscriptions. About as simple as one could make and still achieve an effect. Oversized, simplified, and barely more than parlour tricks. One of them had still blown up in his face, wood and charcoal too imprecise to correctly contain the flow of energy. Sure, it had been exacerbated by the abnormal mana density of the depths, but with a proper stylus it never would have happened in the first place.


    The tool he held in his hand was even more useful than a traditional implement. Most inscriptions, even those done with mundane materials, were done on immaculately smoothed surfaces. Polished flagstones and the like. This one seemed to forgo the ability to work with higher grade materials to smooth out the process of working on uneven surfaces and inconsistent densities.


    He could make wards!


    He hadn¡¯t dared to do so yet. They were complex and time expensive things to set up. With only charcoal at his disposal, they were more than likely to blow up in his face than do anything helpful like make an alarm perimeter.


    Unfortunately, he doubted he would get any use out of his formations in combat. There were disposable formations and crafted artefacts, but that was an entire discipline of its own. With how much of a time crunch his training had been, they¡¯d only just had enough spare time to work on the bare necessities needed for body formation work. Basic wards were, well, part of the basics. So he¡¯d learnt those. A lot of other things had fallen by the wayside.


    Still! Basic locking inscriptions and alarm wards were things he knew well enough. They¡¯d be a massive boon for their safety wherever they rested. Plus, now he could practise. He¡¯d been dreading the work he would have to do to merge Runic Lexicon. Nominally a language skill, it was incredibly difficult to level without actually displaying your ability. For something like Common Speech, that meant works of writing or oration. For runes, it meant inscriptions.


    Beyond that, he¡¯d still have to mostly hold off. He didn¡¯t want the skills of a traditional runewright to impact his class overly much. Though, if he was successful with his plans, he expected he would get plenty of use out of the artefact.


    Pulling his new stylus away from the fungus, Kaius smiled at the mess of meaningless lines he had scrawled all over its surface. Meaningless scribbles to simply try out his new toy. He reached over and tucked the stylus away safely in his back. He could set up some sort of basic ward now, but even if his artefact was up to it, Kaius didn¡¯t trust his skills nearly enough to try to inscribe a formation on loose dirt of all things.


    Tomorrow they would reach the city. More battle, more Champions, and more loot waited for him. More than that, he was excited to simply explore the place. He was almost certain it was modelled after a dwarven city. Having never even met a dwarf, he was eager to see how they might live.


    Stories of the Stoneholds had always been his favourite, and now he might get to explore one. Even if it was just a facsimile.


    For now though, he would wait a few more hours before waking Porkchop for his turn at watch. That, and check his status.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 18


    Class Selection: 1 Year, 28 weeks, 4 days


    Race: Human (Dynastic) - +1 free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Resources:


    Health - 380/380 (2.8/min)


    Stamina - 280/280 (2.8/min)


    Mana - 220/220 (2.8/min)


    Stats:


    Endurance - 30 + 8 (38)


    Vitality - 20 + 8 (28)


    Strength - 20 + 8 (28)


    Dexterity - 20 + 8 (28)


    Intelligence - 14 + 8 (22)


    Willpower: - 20 + 8 (28)


    Stat Points: 0


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/a


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 18


    Warforged (Unique) - 20


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 10 > 11


    Adamant Body (Unique) - 8 > 12


    Low Light Vision (Uncommon) - 20


    Mental Visualisation (Uncommon) - 20


    Sense Illusion (Rare) - 20


    Sense Mana (Rare) - 20


    Identify (Rare) - 0 > 16


    Eagle Eye (Rare) - 0 > 14


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Growth Conditions-


    Gain a class (0/1)


    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)


    Forge a link (0/1)

 Chapter 53: Pushing Into The City

    Muscle bound and draped in silk, a figure lounges over an austere stone throne, floating in a void only broken by dancing lights. He smiled. It was a jagged thing, like he had forgotten how congeniality worked. Like he had twisted boredom and frustration into a new shape. Forced them into a box that did not fit.


    ¡°Finally.¡± He savoured the words. Tasting each note on his tongue.


    The boy had done it. He¡¯d found out about Honours. The bait had been set, and his hopes were being realised. With a click of his fingers a mote of light darted out of the swarm, slamming into his forehead. He checked the systems analysis for the thousandth time.


    The boy was perfect. An optimal mix of uncommon strength, stubborn will, revelrous aggression, and sheer avarice for power. He was now destined to face the Guardian while unclassed, the temptation of an Honour would be too strong. Especially as his desire grew with more rewards from the system. The figure had no doubt that Kaius would be getting at least one more Honour before his final confrontation. Anything more would require grit, ingenuity, and more than a little luck.


    And the Greater Meles! Unawoken bloodline too? He couldn¡¯t have planned it better if he tried. What were the chances? As a pair they were all but assured success.


    Finally.


    Finally, he would be one step closer to freedom.


    ¡­.


    Kaius peered up at the monolithic grey stone walls that towered over him. They¡¯d broken camp a few hours before, rushing towards the city. Cutting their way through fungal fields and goblin labourers alike.


    The city''s fortifications were an imposing thing. He¡¯d only seen one other city wall in person, Deadacre¡¯s. That had been maybe thrice his height, and built from chunky blocks of stone held together by mortar. The dwarven city wall made it look positively ramshackle in comparison. Formed as it was from a single contiguous slab of stone. Matched with the abnormally smooth and perfectly proportioned cavern walls, it was like the entire settlement had been carved from bedrock, cave and all.


    Earth magic on a titanic scale, it had to be. He could wrap his head around the Depth¡¯s working such grand thaumaturgy, but if this was modelled after a real place.. How in the hells had they managed it? What sort of level would you need to be to work on that scale? He struggled to imagine even a vaunted third tier classer managing it, even with a dedicated team.


    It wasn¡¯t just the size, but the attention to detail as well.


    Kaius ran his hands over the wall, feeling the perfectly carved reliefs on its surface. He hadn¡¯t been able to see them from a distance. He probably could¡¯ve when he used Eagle Eye at full power, but he¡¯d been focused on goblins and the Guardian then. Not the walls.


    They were so dense. Massive sprawling scenes of battles, forge workshops, and great feats of magic. Nothing was shown in titanic proportions, everything was to scale. At the very least it confirmed that it was a dwarven city, he thought, looking at the carved figure of a stout dwarf in full plate caving in the skull of some monstrosity.


    They walked in the shadow of the walls, circling the base of the tiered city. Heading towards a broken portcullis a good hour''s walk around the city''s edge from their starting point. Though there seemed to be few entrances into the interior, he¡¯d only been able to see one gate on their approach - diminutive in comparison to the walls themselves. A city designed for war.


    ¡°Do all people live in places like this?¡± Porkchop asked, staring at the monolithic stone in fascination.


    ¡°No.¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°Not really. I mean, there might be places of a similar size, and we do use stone, but nothing quite this impressive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so strange. To live all hidden in rock like this. So close together.¡±


    ¡°Surely you must have seen some elven demesnes in the Sea? You mentioned you had met some.¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°A little. It¡¯s not like this though. They grow their burrows from the trees, still connected to nature. More spread out, too.¡± Porkchop answered.


    ¡°That sounds just as strange and wonderful to me.¡± Kaius said, imagining what a house grown from a tree could possibly look like. ¡°I hope I get to see it one day.¡±


    ¡°One day. Once we¡¯ve seen everywhere else first. I only just left.¡± Porkchop reminded him.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Kaius laughed. ¡°It was just an idle thought, plenty for us to explore without retreading ground just yet. Once we escape that is.¡± As he spoke, he scanned the far off tops of the wall. Flaring Eagle Eye momentarily to bring their crenellated battlements into clear view. He¡¯d been checking for goblins every few minutes, but so far he had yet to spy any.


    Yet more evidence that despite its fidelity the Depths did not perfectly reflect the wider world in its biomes. From what he¡¯d heard, if this was a goblin stronghold in truth, they may as well be fighting a two person siege. Even with the level locks, such an assault would have been suicide.


    Something to be grateful for, he supposed.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡­


    They reached the entrance.


    It may have looked small at a distance, it was anything but up close. Towering over them, it had once held a solid steel gate. Once. Now the remnants of the stout barrier were torn and twisted. Burst inwards like so much scrap metal. Cracked and broken, Kaius could see the faint remnants of a grand inscription engraved into the few parts that had fallen outwards from the walls.


    The sight gave Kaius pause, slowing his and Porkchop¡¯s approach. What could have done this? Wrought such destruction? Nothing that he had seen when he had looked through the city with Eagle Eye from above. Not even the mighty Guardian at its peak was powerful enough to tear through what looked to be solid enchanted steel a full long-stride thick.


    ¡°Do you think what ever did that is still inside?¡± Porkchop asked with a nervous grumble.


    ¡°No.¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°I would have seen it. Maybe in the world above some twisted hoard did this, but down here we¡¯re seeing nothing but echoes.¡±


    Despite his conviction, Kaius still found the sight unnerving. A warning that monstrous danger wasn¡¯t the sole domain of the Depths, and that even when he had a class he would be far from all powerful.


    ¡°Wait here for a moment, I¡¯m going to check inside.¡± Kaius said, gesturing for Porkchop to stay hidden in the shadow of the wall.


    He crept forwards, feeling relief when Explorer¡¯s Toolkit started to ease his movement, dampening his impact on the world around him. The skill said it was far less effective in urban environments, but he¡¯d hoped it only counted the actively settled kind. It seemed he was right.


    Shadows lengthening to cloak him in their embrace, Kaius ducked behind a shard of twisted steel that was embedded deep into the earth. Whatever had torn through the gate had cast it to the side, leaving it buried right next to the wall. The perfect cover.


    He peered into the open city.


    A wide open road led into a dense mix of military style barracks and industrial workshops. Much like the walls outside, the buildings were formed from seamless stone. Each was a squat, blocky thing. Ranging from one to two stories, they formed a dense warren of side streets and veiled alleys. Dwarven corpses were strewn everywhere. They were densest right by the blasted open gate, nearly a legion of heavy plated fighters having been left to rot where they fell. Considering the bleached bone he could see peeking out from behind rotted cloth and rusted chain in some of the lighter armoured units, they must have been laying there for quite some time.


    Three scores of goblins lounged in the alleys and prowled the rooftops. They were hard to spot, but ultimately Eagle Eye was more than enough to reveal them in their half hearted hiding spots. Skirmishers with savage looking short swords, Scouts with short-bows, and a few beefier looking Bruisers looking mean with studded clubs. With levels ranging from ten to fourteen Kaius didn¡¯t foresee them having too much of an issue, even with their numbers. The bows could be a problem, but with how sheltered the alleys were, he doubted they would be able to keep an angle on him and Porkchop for more than a few seconds.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 15!**


    He could see open air stairs leading to the varying flat rooftops, most on the side of the buildings facing away from the open thoroughfare. Those would have to be their target. Thankfully, they were all concentrated on the left most buildings. Less chances of being caught out in the open with a cross fire from across the street. Once the archers were dealt with, the other goblins would be simple to deal with when they were forced into the tight confines of the alley.


    Some of the armour still gleamed in the false daylight of the suspended crystal. Mostly the bulky looking plate, clearly designed for high level classers with how thick it had been wrought. There was no way that it would fit him, it would both be too short and too wide for his frame. Still, if it had lasted this long, maybe it would have some value?


    He used Identify.


    Decrepit Dwarven Heavy-plate:


    Depths-wrought item


    Originally made for Stonehold heavy shock troops, this armour has fared terribly with age, its inscriptions wasted and burnt. Thanks to superior alloys and master industry, the steel remains strong.


    **Ding! Identify has reached level 17!**


    Kaius scowled as he read the description. No doubt dwarven steel had a value all on its own, the frontier was about as far as you could get from the northern mountains while still staying in civilised lands. The rarity and curiosity alone would be sure to fatten his purse. Yet steel was heavy and even if they somehow found and brought a cart through the portal when they eventually left, there was no way they would be able to drag it through the wilds that were the Arboreal Sea.


    If it had been enchanted, he would have found a way to make it work. Without that magic, it may as well have been scrap.


    Taking a final look at the goblins, Kaius ducked back behind the shattered shard of steel that he was using as cover. No doubt there would be more of the depths-spawn that he hadn¡¯t been able to spot, but he was confident that they would manage.


    He slunk back to the safety of the wall.


    ¡°So? How¡¯d it look?¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Kaius said, his voice low. ¡°There''s an open board walk after the gate, lots of buildings and narrow alleys. A few dozen goblins, with some archers on the roofs on the left hand side.¡±


    ¡°Archers? How are we supposed to deal with those?¡± Porkchop said, flicking his ears.


    ¡°There''s stairs at the back of the buildings. The alleys are pretty sheltered. I think we push hard and fast for the roof. One of us holds the stairs to deal with any goblins who follow, the other goes after the bowmen.¡± Kaius drew a rough diagram in the soil at the base of the wall, gesturing to a thin strip between buildings that lead to a way up to the tallest building. ¡°What are you more comfortable with? Stairs?¡±


    Porkchop let out a low rumble. ¡°Stairs.¡± He confirmed. ¡°With my paws and my armour, they will find much difficulty in their attempt.¡±


    Kaius gave his friend a nod. He checked himself over, confirming his armour was properly tightened. Thanks to the fact that it has taken them a day to reach the city, his Serelian scale was already fully repaired. Happy with his preparations, he gave Porkchop a nod and drew his blade.


    ¡°Then let''s do this. Full assault. No screaming until they see us.¡±


    ¡°No screaming?¡± Porkchop said, ears drooping in defeat.


    ¡°No. Screaming.¡± Kaius gave his friend a pointed look.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Porkchop pouted.


    They set off at a sprint, ready to take the fight to the goblins.

 Chapter 54: Horde

    Kaius charged through the broken gate, rushing into the wide street that led into the military section of the dwarven city. Goblins let out guttural hisses from the alleys and roofs, reacting quickly to their presence. Porkchop responded in turn, letting out a roar right next to him that rang Kaius¡¯s ear.


    Still sprinting, Kaius led them in the direction of the alley that wrapped around the back of the tallest building by the gates. Three stories tall, he could see an open air staircase on its rear face. The goblin archers at its top scurried to the edge, knocking arrows as they took aim at him. More goblins flooded from the alley, clubs and wicked blades in hand as they rushed to hold back their offence.


    The arrows loosed.


    Kaius spun to the side, the projectiles shattering as they hit the stone where he had just been standing. Another volley. One archer delayed its attack, fumbling as it knocked its arrow. The mistake was enough that it could correct for Kaius¡¯s evasion. He swiped with his sword, parrying the shot.


    Porkchop let out a hiss of fury. Kaius snapped over to check on his friend, finding three shafts sticking out of his back. Shallow, turned aside by the thick leather of his friends barding. All they¡¯d done is piss him off.


    They hit the coalescing goblins at the mouth of the alley like a hammer, shattering their ramshackle formation. One skirmisher tried to leap towards him, knives ready to gut him. Kaius booted the short creature in the chest, knocking it out of the air to barrel into its companions. A whole section of the line collapsed. Kaius waded in, A Father¡¯s Gift reaping lives left and right. Caving in skulls and cleaving necks.


    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Bruiser slain**


    "Grashak kur¡¯drel, zhak boro uk drash!" Kaius heard a goblin call from behind him. His head snapped back, seeing more of the hoard spilling from the opposing narrow lanes. They had to move. Fast. Or risk getting pinned.


    ¡°Porkchop! Rush them! I¡¯ll be right behind!¡± He screamed, gutting another goblin.


    **Ding! level 12 Goblin Scout slain**


    Porkchop let out a feral howl of fury, charging into the mass of bodies. The short and lithe goblins were tossed to the side as porkchop forced his way through the crush. Kaius fell in behind him, moving at a swift jog. Cutting tendons and leaving maiming wounds as he forced the goblins back. Stopping them from getting swarmed.


    Arrows rained down from above, the goblin arches focusing much of their fire on Porkchop. Most got lodged in leather, or glanced of metal plating. More missed entirely, maiming the archers'' allies as crooked shafts buried themselves in wiry green flesh.


    Not all, with every second, another arrow found its mark, cutting deep into his friend''s flesh. Kaius hissed at the sight, glaring in hatred at the archers above. He would be coming for them soon.


    Slashing out with his sword, he forced back the ranks of goblins that had closed around their rear. Now well and truly into the thick of the mob. More were joining them by the second, reinforcements from across the road.


    There were more than he¡¯d initially seen. As much as double, he thought with a scowl. Yet they were falling like threshed wheat. He could feel his increased stats. Aiding him as he smashed aside amateur defences. As he cleaved through bone. He was faster, stronger. Better able to keep up with the frenetic pace of the battle.


    A goblin screamed, clutching its spurting stump as Kaius punished a rushed attack by hacking through its shoulder. A follow up slash removed its head. Silencing it forever.


    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Bruiser slain**


    They reached the shelter of the alleys, the volley of arrows stopping. Archers unable to get an angle through the various awnings that covered the narrow slit between buildings. With a final roar Porkchop smashed a goblin bruiser into the side of a building. It impacted with a sickening crunch, studded club slipping from its cooling fingers.


    Bursting free of the crush, Porkchop raced ahead. Kaius quick on his tail.


    ¡°That way!¡± Kaius yelled, gesturing to the next turn to their right. ¡°Let me up first when we get to the stairs!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Porkchop called. An unlucky skirmisher rounded the corner, going down as Porkchop snapped his jaws around the depths-born¡¯s face. Without breaking stride he shook, snapping the creature''s neck with a crack.


    The stairs were right ahead. Porkchop slowed. Kaius passed him, planting his feet to run up three stairs at a time. It was a precarious thing, just barely wide enough for Porkchop to run up. Without a bannister, it would be hellish for a force to take the roof. Exactly what they needed.


    "Krel¡¯tok rashk, bulg nah drov!" A goblin archer screamed, coming to the edge of the building. Its allies flocked to it, raining arrows down on them. He couldn''t dodge. Far too many to parry, especially at such a close distance. He covered his head with his armoured arms, trusting it would be enough to stop a lucky arrow from taking him in the dome.


    Projectiles plinked off his armour, leaving stinging welts in their wake. A few glanced off his unarmoured forearms, leaving weeping gashes. Only a few more long-strides and he would make it.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 13!**


    Kaius burst onto the roof in a fury. The archers screeched in panicked fury, training their bows on him. He got to work, trusting in Porkchop to hold the stairs.


    Cutting the first arrow out of the air, Kaius advanced. The closest of the rangers dropped their bows, drawing long knives from behind their backs. Hurling hateful words at him. They ran in, knives blurring in clumsy slashes. He parried the first, cutting through its throat with his riposte. A hiss perished on its lips, dark green blood gushing from the rent in its neck.


    It died gasping.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Archer slain**


    The others were driven back, cleaving strikes exposing bone and lacerating organs. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop them, their depths-driven conditioning forcing them to fight until the point of death.


    One of the remaining archers still tried to fire at him. Kaius danced to the side, snatching up a goblin that attempted to stab him despite ropes of intestines hanging from its split belly. He hauled, sending the light creature sailing through the air to crash into the ranger.


    A flash of his blade slew the last archer that had resorted to engaging him in melee. He cleaved deep into its clavicle. Cutting through its heart with Warforged backed steel.


    Reduced to three, the remainders fell quickly. Too slow, isolated, and weak to put up a fight.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Archer slain**


    ¡­


    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Archer slain**


    Porkchop was still roaring from the top of the stairs, embroiled in a meat grinder of feral goblins packed chest to chest. Every few seconds, a goblin screamed, knocked free of the ledge to hit the stone below with a crunch.


    Kaius slammed his sword into his sheath, grabbing one of the archers'' bows and a quiver full of arrows. It was barely a short bow in his hands. Closer to something one would give a child than a true weapon. It would be enough.


    Running to the edge of the roof, Kaius knocked an arrow, training his aim on the thick flood of bobbing heads. He narrowed his eyes at a particularly large bruiser, at least for a goblin. Release. The projectile landed home, haft quivering as it sprouted from the goblins eye.


    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Bruiser slain**


    Kaius smiled. He still had it. Archery might have been the last Skill he had trained for Warforged, but it was a skill he had been honing since he was a child. It might not have been his preferred weapon, but it was a necessity for someone who relied on the hunt to eat. Shame that he had to limit its use, he didn¡¯t want undue influence on his class after all.


    Firing into the mess of bodies as fast as he could, goblin after goblin dropped under his onslaught, lowering the pressure on Porkchop who stood sentinel at the stairs peak. He used Identify as often as he could, an onslaught of ding¡¯s sounding in his mind as the skill levels and kill notifications rolled in.


    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    **Ding! Identify has reached level 18!**


    **Ding! level 12 Goblin Bruiser slain**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Identify has reached level 20!**


    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Scout slain**


    Eventually the flood of goblins slowed to a trickle, Kaius dropping the last straggler with an arrow to its head as it clambered over the corpses that littered the stairs. Dropping his bow he stared at the devastation. Green blood had slickened the stone footholds, a trickling river of green that seeped out from dozens of corpses. Not all were from his arrows. Some of the goblins that Porkchop had knocked off the building had tried to clamber back up with shattered limbs and gushing wounds.


    ¡°Kaius.¡± Porkchop said, tearing his eyes away from the gruesome scene. ¡°Get these fucking arrows out.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Kaius said, rushing over. His friend had started to look a bit like a hedgehog, crude feather shafts standing tall from his barding. Most hadn¡¯t penetrated, but a few lucky strikes had sunk half a handspan into his friend''s flesh, blood weeping from the wounds as his Health was unable to remove the obstructions.


    Porkchop growled with every arrow he yanked out, snapping at the air. A few moments later and it was done, the punctures sealing quickly as his friend''s health went to work.


    ¡°You said a few dozen.¡± Porkchop said accusatory.


    ¡°No.¡± Kaius replied, a cheeky grin on his face. ¡°I said I saw a dozen. There¡¯s a difference.¡±


    ¡°Though.¡± He continued, looking over the impressive pile of bodies. ¡°I will admit that there were more of them than I expected.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky they went down easy.¡± Porkchop huffed, pushing past him to step onto the roof proper.


    Kaius gave his friend a reassuring pat on the hip. ¡°We handled them fine. Now, this building looks to be one of the tallest in this area, I¡¯m going to see If I can spot the Champion. If I remember correctly he should be somewhere that way.¡± Kaius gestured in the rough direction of the next set of city walls.


    They rose higher than even the external battlements at the edge of the city. Built like a stacked cake, the entrance to the next district was via a truly massive set of stairs that cut their way up the next wall. Even without Eagle Eye ramped up to full power, he could make them out from here.


    Kaius walked to the far edge of the roof. Pulling on his skill, his eyes sharpened. Rows of squat and austere barracks and manufactoriums spilled out across the flat ground of the first district. They were blocky things, split by a warren of tight alleys and long and straight roads that all converged on the distant stairs. Every handful or so of blocks, Kaius easily made out milling groups of archers hanging out of the rooftops.


    Ignoring the growing ache in his mind, Kaius focused on drilling the location of the archers into his mind.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 16!**


    He had no doubt that below them they would find more goblins. Thankfully, they were distant enough that whatever compulsion the Depths had laid on the creatures prevented them from reacting to his presence. That was good. With how dense the alleys were, they would be able to advance on the buildings under cover. Their current tactic had worked well, and he saw no reason not to repeat it.


    Using the main thoroughfares would certainly be much faster and less confusing, but they would have no cover, and would quickly get overwhelmed by goblins without a choke point to manage their numbers. Thankfully between Explorer¡¯s Toolkit and Mental Visualisation, he was confident he would be able to plan and remember a route through the confusing mess.


    Turning his attention back to the open pavilion at the base of the entrance to the next district, Kaius ratcheted Eagle Eye up further, his headache growing into a splitting migraine. It looked to be some sort of mustering ground. Mounds of dwarven corpses littered the area, the high quality steel of their armour glistening in the false sunlight from above.


    He spotted it. Their target. It couldn¡¯t be a goblin. Too muscular. Too¡­large. And yet, the shared features and common similarities meant it must have been. Easily as tall as he was, the shirtless Champion was absolutely strapped with muscle. Ritual scarification turning its chest into a swirling pattern of ropey raised flesh. It prowled the courtyard with curt stops, pacing back and forth, dragging a two handed axe that looked like it could cleave through even a troll''s thick neck, a string of skulls clacked against its waist with every step.


    **Ding! Eagle Eye has reached level 17!**


    Kaius grinned, ignoring the hot spikes of pain that drilled into the back of his eyes. He used Identify on their target, trying to clean what he could.


    Bloodtotem Hobgoblin Lieutenant - Level 26:


    Champion, Depths-born, Berserker, Low Race


    ¡°Found you.¡± Kaius said in a singsong voice.


    The bastard looked tough. He couldn¡¯t wait.

 Chapter 55: Sandwiches?

    After spending a few more minutes to engrave a route through the twisting alleys of the dwarven military district, Kaius reduced the power of his Eagle Eye skill until he no longer felt like a giant was rapping him over his skull. Rubbing at his eyes, he stepped back from the ledge.


    ¡°What¡¯d you see?¡± Porkchop asked, pushing into his side affectionately. Apparently he was feeling less grumpy now that the arrow holes in his back had healed.


    ¡°Found our Champion, he¡¯s way off by the entrance to the next tier of the city. Big bastard.¡± Kaius said, scratching his friend behind the ears while he blinked to clear his eyes. ¡°Plenty more goblins between here and there, looks like we¡¯ll have to go through the alleys. I¡¯ve memorised the route.¡± He continued, tapping his temple.


    ¡°Let me guess. More archers?¡± Porkchop grumbled.


    ¡°That''s why we¡¯re taking the alleys, more cover. You ready to go?¡± Kaius asked, itchy anticipation thrumming up his legs as he thought about the beefy goblin that was awaiting them by the next set of walls.


    ¡°Not yet. Found something. Come look.¡± Porkchop said, leaving his side to wander over to the other edge of the roof.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius asked curiously, hurrying after his friend. A wooden hatch was recessed into the building''s ceiling, a thick steel ring embedded in one side. A way in. He must have missed it, too focused on killing the archers.


    ¡°Let''s take a look then.¡± Kaius crouched down and heaved on the hatch. It was heavy, made of thick planks of hardwood, but it swung open smoothly on well oiled hinges. A set of stairs ran down into a hall. It was austere, though well lit from a number of embedded crystal light fixtures in the walls.


    Kaius took the lead, puffs of dust kicking up with every descending step. The building had lain undisturbed for quite some time, it seemed. Reaching the bottom, Kaius found the hall to be an awkwardly short height. Not enough for him to stoop, but low enough that he could comfortably reach it with an outstretched hand.


    Exploring the building, Kaius and Porkchop walked through bunk chambers, abandoned offices, and other common use areas. Each and everyone of them was in perfect condition, like they had been unoccupied and waiting for years. Bed covers were in perfect order, offices had neat stacks of paper on their desks, and common rooms were neatly arranged. It was an eerie experience, like their very presence was intruding. Quiet. Solemn.


    They drifted into a natural silence, unwilling to disturb the abandoned building more than they had to. Kaius knew it was most likely another oddity of the Depths, just another strange happenstance amongst innumerable others. Yet, he couldn¡¯t shake the unease he felt. Why would the Depths go through the effort to make the streets seem so chaotic, strewn with dwarven corpses and battle scars, but then leave the building interiors in perfect -if abandoned- condition?


    He slowly pushed another door open, peering into the room cautiously. A long wooden bench stretched across the centre of the room. Shelved underneath was a massive and varied collection of pots, pans, and cooking implements. A metal wrack hung above the bench, utensils and knives hanging from hooks.


    Kaius stepped into the room, his unease at the building''s atmosphere forgotten.


    A row of half a dozen ward-stoves lined one wall opposite the bench, enough realestate to cook for a battalion. Which, if this was a barracks like Kaius assumed, made sense.


    ¡°Kaius, over here.¡± Porkchop said. Kaius looked over to find his friend pushing their nose into a wall to ceiling row of cupboards recessed into the stone, sniffing deeply.


    Kaius hurried over, pulling open one of the doors.


    ¡°The Depths provides.¡± He said in wonder.


    The cupboard was absolutely stacked with food. Dried meats, flour, trail rations, lard. Even perishables such as bread, eggs, fruit, and cheese. Impossibly, they all looked fresh. Untouched. Like they had just left the market yesterday, with nary a spot of decay or dust in sight.


    Porkchop all but lunged forward, rushing towards a box of globular dried fruit.


    ¡°Woah.¡± Kaius said, shoving his hand out to stop Porkchop. ¡°Gimme a second to check something.¡±


    Porkchop gave him a huff, staring longingly at the food before backing off.


    Kaius leaned closer. Even leaning heavily on Sense Illusion he felt nothing, the food was really there. Peering at the door frame, he found his answer. A dense line of large runes inscribed around the inside edges of the cabinet. Glowing slightly with a ghostly aura only just visible to his Sense Mana skill.


    ¡°Preservation runes, it must be.¡± He murmured to himself, tracing his fingers along the script. It was an unfamiliar style, angular and blocky, but carrying all the telltale signs of the inscrutable workings of the system. They were supposed to be delicate things, requiring plenty of upkeep to keep functioning. It made absolutely zero sense to him that the combat grade inscriptions of the dwarven armour on the corpses outside had burnt out, but this had not.


    Yet another example of the Depths being selective of the accuracy of its constructions. The more time he spent down here, the more its artificiality became burningly obvious.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Is it safe?¡± Porkchop asked impatiently.


    Kaius rolled his eyes, quickly swiping some bread, cheese, cured meat, and some sort of jarred pickle. ¡°Yes it''s safe.¡±


    He let out a short laugh as he was forced to jump clear of Porkchop¡¯s charge towards the food. He moved over to the bench, making himself a sandwich, smiling as Porkchop massacred fruit, meat, and eggs with equal violence.


    Taking a bite, Kaius couldn¡¯t help but moan. After months of a diet of mostly unsalted meat, the sandwich was nearly enough to make him cry.


    After eating their fill, Kaius abandoned the last of their jerky, his precious pemmican, and some of the more palatable mushrooms he had poached from the fields outside. In their place he backed his bag, and the pouches integrated into Porkchop¡¯s barding, with as much food as they could comfortably fit.


    Hefting a salami in his hand, Kaius looked between it and his already stuffed back. Mournfully, he placed it back in the cabinet.


    It was highly likely that most of the buildings in this city were similarly stoked, but on the off chance they weren''t, Kaius wasn¡¯t going to miss the opportunity to stock up. He hauled his bag back on, giving Porkchop a look.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡­.


    Kaius crouched down behind a stone pillar, taking his time as he slowly inscribed another rune in the flagstones. Gradually linking it to the next in his circle.


    Pushing through the alleys had been slow going, but they¡¯d finally made it. His memory had been far less accurate than he had thought. After the third wrong turn, he¡¯d entirely given up on trying to map the entire path to the Champion. Instead he¡¯d simply used Eagle Eye at every roof that they took back from the goblin archers, mapping a route from group to group. Zigzagging their way across the district.


    Unfortunately, that meant facing far more encampments that they otherwise would have. Luckily their tactic of rushing the stairs and holding them had proven effective, as the worst they suffered was a few broken bones and deep cuts for their troubles. By the time they had pushed halfway through the district, the hanging crystal above had started to dim. While both he and Porkchop could have pushed through the night, they didn¡¯t need to.


    Instead they¡¯d holed up for the night in another barracks. Every group of goblins seemed to be centred around one. Taller than the surrounding buildings, the goblin archers invariably used them to gain a longer sightline of the surrounding area. Not that it seemed to matter much, when they seemed to be all but invisible to the depths-born if they kept a few hundred long-strides away.


    At the very least, the constant use of Eagle Eye for navigation had done wonders. Finally capping the skill at twenty half way through the second leg of their journey. Adamant Body had gotten a slight boost too, thanks to all the arrows he had been enduring.


    They¡¯d arrived not too long after that, popping out from between two large workshops that lined the massive open square at the base of the next district''s walls. Those very same buildings had shadowed a line of short stone pillars that surrounded the open space from his early looks.


    He was hiding behind one now, scrawling a runic formation while Porkchop waited in the shadowed alley. It was a basic thing, maybe a few steps across. A binding formation, but a weak one. Kaius doubted it would manage to hold the Champion for more than a second or two, if that. However, if they were forced to flee, a second or two opening might be enough for them to turn the tides. Worth it for less than an hour''s work. It wasn¡¯t like he was using his mana for anything else, anyway.


    As he worked on the next rune, Kaius thought on his next skill. True Sight. He was ready to merge it now, and it sat in the back of his mind like an itch he couldn''t scratch. He wanted to deal with the Champion first though. His next two skills were the kind he could train holed up in a dwarven house somewhere, whittling away at them over the course of weeks while he rested. There was little about them that could be pushed to grow through combat.


    Besides, if he had to sit around all day working on skills while knowing that a Champion was right there for the slaying, he might just go insane.


    Another swooping line, and the rune was done. Standing up, Kaius took a couple of steps back to admire the rune. He could see it pulling in mana from the atmosphere, channelling it through the lines he had carved into the stone. No way this one was going to blow up, he thought, giving it a nod of satisfaction.


    A wave brought Porkchop padding over.


    ¡°All done. You sure you don¡¯t want to take this one on yourself? It looks like a fairly straight forward physical fighter.¡± Kaius asked. They¡¯d talked about it when they had first arrived at the square, but Porkchop had been adamant they face it together.


    ¡°No.¡± Porkchop said, shaking his head. ¡°Things with weapons are a poor match up, even with my skills and this armour. I would be much more comfortable waiting until we found some beasts. At least I have experience fighting them alone.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re sure. If we can''t find any in time you might have to anyway.¡± Kaius replied sceptically.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, if that happens it''s likely we would have already gotten the Honour for slaying Champions in a group. I¡¯d feel a lot more comfortable with that sort of power boost.¡± Porkchop said, bending down to take a closer look at the inscription. Carefully staying outside of the runic circle. ¡°You sure this will work?¡±


    Kaius nodded. ¡°Not for long though, enough to give us an edge if we need it. Ready to do this?¡±


    Porkchop huffed. Having already stashed his pack, Kaius gave his gear a final once over to make sure nothing had come loose. Satisfied with his preparations, he stepped out from behind the pillar. Drawing A Father¡¯s Gift in a smooth flash of gleaming steel.


    Ahead of them the Guardian prowled through a field of ancient slain dwarves. Waiting for a challenger. They managed to make it a dozen paces before it noticed them.


    The Hobgoblin stopped fast, hefting its weighty axe. It slapped it into its off hand and held it at the ready. Kaius felt his blood heating up as the hob stared at them, trembling in rage. They took another step.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Bloodtotem Hobgoblin Lieutenant**


    The Champion snapped, screaming in fury.


    It Charged.


    Kaius and Porkchop met the bellow with cries of their own. Sprinting into the square to meet it on the field of battle.

 Chapter 56: A Song of Blood and Fire

    Kaius and Porkchop tore across the open square, dancing over the mummified bodies of armoured dwarves as they closed in on the hobgoblin Champion. Their target was quite literally foaming at the mouth, lost in a furor as it charged to meet them. Its axe held high.


    ¡°Split!¡± Kaius called. Porkchop reacted instantly, peeling away from him to approach the Champion from a different angle.


    Watching as their foe started to flick its gaze between them, Kaius screamed a wordless warcry. The hob locked onto him, fanged jaw twisting into a snarl as it redoubled its pace.


    Now that they were closer, Kaius could see that it almost perfectly matched him in height. Unfortunately, it also looked to be double his weight in pure muscle. Ritual scarification covered its chest in a ropey network of twisting scars. The red whorls and loops standing out in stark relief against the monster''s dark green skin.


    The axe that it held so comfortably in its hands was positively massive. A thick and lacquered haft sprouted a double sided axe head easily the size of Kaius¡¯s torso. It definitely had the reach advantage, that could be a problem.


    The battle started like a clap of thunder. Hurling its axe into a heavy overhand, the hob opened with a stone shattering blow. Kaius lurched to the side, getting showered with chips of flagstone as the axe cracked the ground. Despite the obvious power of the champion, Kaius felt in control. Ready for the battle ahead. Returning the assault with a cross cut, he cut deep into its arm and chest.


    He could feel the rush of battle building in his blood. Making his heart thump with a strong rhythm. Growing hot. A few more seconds and Porkchop would arrive. He only had to keep it occupied until then.


    Refusing to take its wound lying down, the hob yanked on its axe. Shifting its whole body into a fast horizontal swing that sailed uncomfortable close to his chest. Narrowly avoided with a hurried backstep.


    Momentum of the swing tugged the hob along with it, the Champion struggling to control the heft of its weapon. Kaius slipped in, marring its chest with another cut of his sword. The monster''s flesh was almost woody, resistant to the biting edge of his blade. It roared, thick spittle splattering on Kaius¡¯s armour. Kicking out with a thick leg, the hob forced him back.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Kaius spotted Porkchop sprinting for the hob. Coming in from its left side. To his joy, the Champion hadn¡¯t noticed yet. Too focused on the object of its rage. Kaius dove for the right, feinting an attack.


    The hob twisted, lashing out with its axe to ward him off. Leaving its flank undefended.


    Porkchop hit the Champion like a charging bull. Claws tore into its green back, renting great strips of flesh free. Unprepared for the collision it stumbled forwards. Its guard dropping.


    Explorers Toolkit twinged. Kaius lunged, thrusting his sword and running the Champion through its chest. Green blood erupted from its throat, splattering against the stone. Its eyes started to burn. Shifting its grip on its axe, it slammed the haft into kaius¡¯s chest like it was a quarterstaff.


    **Ding! Explorers Toolkit has reached level 12!**


    Letting out a cough, Kaius felt the air driven from his lungs. His bones creaking as he was forced back, his blade slipped free from the Champion¡¯s chest. Mana flashed, the head of the hobs axe shimmering red.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡± Kaius tried to shout a warning, his words weak and breathy thanks to his winding. His friend didn¡¯t hear, to focused on tearing into the hob from behind.


    It whirled, axe blurring in speed as it turned on Porkchop. Kaius blanched as his friend tried to doge. Too late. Too slow. The axe tore clear through the front of Porkchop¡¯s shoulder, metal squealing as it sundered armoured plating.


    Now facing away from him, Kaius got a look at the damage his friend had done. Deep furrows had torn through the hob¡¯s muscular back. Leaking greenish blood and revealing the bones of its ribs. Already the flesh was writhing. Growing to cover the lacerations. Fast too. Faster than he expected.


    Gritting his teeth at his friend''s plight, Kaius pressed the hob as his skill flared in his mind. The undefended back of the Champion too tempting of a target to ignore. Rising his sword into an aggressive high guard, Kaius threw himself back into the fray. If it had some sort of healing general skill they had only one option. Hurt it faster than it could recover.


    Kaius tore into the hob¡¯s back with a heavy descending chop. He twisted with the swing, whirling it around to deliver another slash. Moving into a third.


    The Champion howled. Aura flashed again. It spun on him, swinging with enhanced speed in an upwards slash. Kaius blanched. Too fast. Way too fast. He wasn¡¯t going to be able to dodge, not completely.


    Gritting his teeth, Kaius slammed his blade into the incoming axe. Pressing his whole weight into the collision. Blade edges met in a crash of screaming steel. The Champion''s strength was undeniable. Crushing his defence with ease.


    Kaius jumped back, using the pressure of the clash to send himself flying back. The hob¡¯s axe continued unhindered, sailing through the spot he had been standing in an instant earlier. He hit the ground with a stumble. Reeling to get his legs properly underneath him. The hob snarled, taking a step forward. Kaius brought his sword up in front of him, ready to defend. A new nail sized chip disfiguring its edge.


    He stared at the damage to A Father¡¯s Gift in shock. That never happened. He¡¯d been half certain that nothing on this layer would be enough to damage the blade. Gritting his teeth in forced acceptance, Kaius stepped forwards to meet the Hob. Already preparing its axe for another swing. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Ever the stalwart ally, Porkchop refused to let that happen. Snaking forwards, the meles sunk his teeth into the hob¡¯s leg. Taking a chunk out of its hamstring.


    Thick leg buckling, the hob howled in rage. Kaius watched as it smashed its elbow into Porkchop¡¯s face, stunning his friend. Kaius¡¯s stomach dropped as Porkchop stumbled, shaking his head in confusion. The hob didn¡¯t wait to celebrate. Its axe came up.


    Kaius rushed in, cleaving into one of the Champion''s thick arms. Blade cut through the muscle, glancing off the bone. Too reinforced to cut through. It had to have invested heavily in Endurance to be that durable, it was the only thing that made sense to him. Worse, it meant the Champion would have a massive pool of Health.


    Luckily, it was enough.


    The Champions arm went limp, grip slipping from the haft of its axe. Losing control of its swing, gravity rotated the axe¡¯s head. It slapped into Porkchops shoulder with a heavy thwack, sending him stumbling.


    To Kaius¡¯s relief the jolt seemed to startle Porkchop out of his stupor. With a snarl his friend leapt into the fray. His claws carved into the hobgoblin as it tried to put up a defence with only one working hand.


    Refusing to let the moment slip from them, Kaius ramped up the pressure. He layered deep cuts into the Champion, leaning heavily on Explorers Toolkit to target critical muscles. Destabilising the monster.


    Yet despite the ferocity of their assault, they couldn¡¯t do enough. Kaius grit his teeth, watching as the rents in its flesh rippled, sealing back together only seconds after his blade left its skin. He managed to get in a final deep cut, slicing it from shoulder to hip.


    Snatching its axe back up with both hands, the hob whirled on him. Choosing him as the primary threat. It spun its axe in great sweeping strikes. Shifting from blow to blow with a savage grace. Moving with the hefty weight of its axe, constantly in motion.


    Forced back step by step, Kaius parried and blocked what he could. Every time the axe hit his blade he watched more steel chip off from its fine edge. Turning it into a ragged saw. Frustration mounted. As much as they had been able to avoid serious injury, they were doing little to permanently injure the monster. A war of attrition.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 15!**


    Something had to give, and he was painfully aware the Champion still had another skill in reserve.


    Mystic might pulsed in the shadowy afterglow that surrounded the hobgoblin. Its axe ignited. Coming down in a blurring-fast chop.


    Kaius spun to the side, catching a glimpse of Porkchop ramming the Champion from behind. Forcing it off its footing. Making it stumble. The swing continued, almost uncontrolled. It hit the floor with a massive crash, shattering the flag stones.


    The hob heaved on its weapon. It was stuck fast. Kaius¡¯s skill flared. An opportunity.


    Porkchop grabbed the hob by the leg, yanking its feet out from under it. Mauling the limb. It slipped down, just barely keeping its grip on its axe. Neck exposed.


    Kaius brought his sword up. Letting out a roar of victory he brought his blade down on the Champion''s thick neck. Chipped or no, the edge of his blade was still razor sharp. It sliced through green flesh, a torrent of blood erupting from the wound. Biting into the monster''s spine, and completely failing to sever its spine.


    Kaius widened his eyes.


    The hobgoblin let out a rabid howl. It slammed its fist into Kaius¡¯s stomach. Blood filled his mouth, agony surging through his stomach as something ruptured. He only just barely managed to keep his grip on his sword as he went flying back, the blade ripping free from the hob''s neck. Its blood flowed thick, splattering on the ground.


    Kicking out, it booted Porkchop in the face where he was savaging its other leg. Porkchop reeled, his nose leaking blood as delicate bone and cartilage was shattered.


    "Zhrashka morgul, thrak''nu drok!" the hobgoblin cried in fury. Its body suddenly rippled. The hob contorting as every muscle contracted at one. Vasculature swelled under its skin, pulsing a rapid staccato in time with its heart. Its head snapped up to bore its eyes into Kaius¡¯s own. Burning with a vibrant blood red inner light. So different from the black-brown before.


    There was no surge of aura. No pulse of mysticism. No sign of magic at all. Kaius still knew that it was a skill, that he was certain of. One that relied on the might of its body alone.


    The Champion''s face grew focused. Intense. Where previously it had snarled at every second moment of battle, it was now stern. Driven. Only its largest tusks peeked out from thin lips where previously all had been on display. That was not to say the fight had left it. No, Kaius could tell it was the only thing left on its mind.


    It was like looking into a mirror of his experience with the Psychopathic Assault tonic. The hob had only one thing on its mind, all else had been abandoned. Their death and dismemberment.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Kaius cried, the hob leaping to its feet with startling agility. Dashing towards him as it comfortably ripped its axe free with a single hand. ¡°It¡¯s a fucking rage skill!¡±


    The pace of the Champion''s assault doubled, forcing Kaius to devote his entire attention to simply staying alive. He couldn¡¯t risk trying to deflect the Champion''s swings, not anymore. Not with the ease with which it tossed its monstrous weapon around like it was a piece of pine.


    Porkchop jumped in to help him. Tearing chunks from the Champions back with tooth and claw. Yet every time his friend started to do some true damage to the monster it would pulse its aura. Use its skill to spin into a wild storm of steel. Forcing Porkchop back


    The hob refocused on him, snatching at him with its off hand. Kaius was forced to jump away. Lest it get a fatal grip on him.


    Right into the path of its axe.


    Steel scales screamed as the heavy wedge shaped head of the weapon sundered his densely woven scales. Tearing open his chest. Scoring bone. Kaius let out a ragged cry, swinging in desperation. Scoring a deep cut on the hobs axe hand.


    He couldn¡¯t keep up. It was too fast. Too strong.


    He knew that. Yet all he felt was joy. Exaltation at being pushed to the very edge. At a superior opponent drawing out every drop of his skill and talent.


    Twisting around another wild swing, Kaius punished the attempt on his life by sliding his blade between the hob¡¯s ribs. He danced away, the Champion''s frantic follow up cutting a shallow line through his bicep. Just barely nicking him.


    He knew Porkchop must have felt the same. His friend was totally focused. Only broken by a constant low violent growl. A commitment to seeing this through. Conviction to live at the edge.


    They could do this.

 Chapter 57: The Strength of Preparation

    Kaius watched the hobgoblin Champion. Evaluating it even as he was forced to slip around ever more furious swings of its axe. Since activating its body enhancement skill, the hob had grown cold. Focused.


    Whatever the skill was, it was broad, and powerful. It was now strong enough to use its axe one handed, despite the weapon carrying enough steel at its tip to make enough swords for a whole regiment. It was faster too, dashing in with a fury that forced him to focus almost entirely on defence. If that wasn¡¯t enough, the Champion''s already prodigious rate of healing had sped up. Every thrust, every slash, left a wound that healed almost as fast as he could leave them.


    Even with Porkchop laying into the Champion¡¯s undefended flank at every opportunity, the hob¡¯s seemingly limitless vitality was able to keep up with ease.


    Yet the skill had some clear drawbacks to make up for its strengths. Weaknesses that Kaius planned on exploiting. Ones he picked apart further with every passing moment.


    Its furious offence may have grown all the more oppressive, but defence and strategy had been all but forgotten. Wild sweeping swings left openings by the dozens. The problem lay in actually capitalising on them. Even if Explorer¡¯s Weakness screamed at him, highlighting dozens of vulnerable arteries, joints, and ligaments that would help to slow the monster. It was just too fast. Too strong. Without the stats to back up his capability, he had few opportunities to deal a decisive blow.


    He was going to have to bait it.


    That wasn¡¯t all. The skill was clearly influencing the hobs mind. Gone was the fury, the rabid howls of bloodlust. All that was left was a single minded, cold, determination. One that was utterly focused on tearing him asunder. So focused, that its already poor capacity to split its attention between multiple attackers had deteriorated further.


    While he may have had few openings he could act on, Porkchop had dozens. Ripping and tearing into the exposed flank of the hobgoblin. Only forced back with the odd wild slash, more to stop his friend from hampering its attempts to flay him alive than any true focused assault.


    Kaius pivoted on his front foot, shifting out of the way of a heavy slash of his head. A little too slow, the strike glanced off the top of his helm. He stumbled, his vision blurring. Head ringing like a bell. Though, maybe that was just his helmet. A pulse of aura, clearly visible through his skill - impaired vision or no.


    The axe lit up in his eyes, a strange ethereal outline adding definition to his shaking natural sight. He dove, hitting the ground hard. Stone shrapnel doused him


    He heard a roar. Porkchop leaping to his defence. A dark red smudge tearing into smushed green. He shook his head. The daze left him as his head grew hot with expended Health. The hob was trying to drive Porkchop off. Desperate to reach him.


    His friend was having none of it. Tearing into the Champion with savage fury. Paying for it in blood. A massive split graced the sides of Porkchop¡¯s barding. Blood poured forth, spilling onto the stone. It joined the existing green to make a multicoloured slick. A direct hit. How Porkchop hadn¡¯t been cleaved in twain Kaius had no idea.


    Forcing himself to his feat, Kaius let out a battle cry, drawing the attention of the hob once more.


    Porkchop shot him a look. Giving him a once over. After sharing so many battles they were beyond words. His friend simply knew he was ready. Was better suited to bearing the brunt of the Champions fury. Much like Porkchop was their best bet to wear down its resources with his iron hard claws and greater might.


    Pouncing, the champion leapt at him once more.


    It had to be flagging. The skill didn¡¯t make use of mana, otherwise he would be able to see it with his skill. It was running of Stamina, and a skill like that had to have a major cost. Even if the hob was heavily loaded on Strength, it was still only level twenty six. No way it had the resource pool to keep this up for long. Same with its Health. Porkchop had been absolutely tearing into it. Even if its skill stopped them from overwhelming its regeneration, it had to be getting low.


    Yet even with the enhanced acuity of Eagle Eye, Kaius could see no trace of exhaustion on its face. No evidence that its healing was slowing.


    Kaius spun around another swing, grunting as the heavy axe skimmed his heavy pauldrons. Dousing him in a shower of sparks.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 16!**


    He had to watch those. His chest still screamed in agony from where an earlier blow from the champion had scrapped against his ribs. Too much damage and his healing would slow. That would be the beginning of the end for him. Without the focus and fury of Psychopathic Assault, manually directing his health took far too much focus to use in battle.


    He felt confident though. They could do this. He didn¡¯t need the potion. Far better to save it for when it was truly needed. The first had already saved him and Porkchop¡¯s life both, and he only had one left.


    The hob spun on Porkchop again, lashing out as his friend sunk his claws into the Champion''s shoulders. Yanking it back. Giving him a moment to breathe. He dived on the opportunity. Cutting deep into the muscles, adding to the quickly healing wounds his friend had left behind.


    The battle had devolved into a grind. Even with its skill, the Champion was forced to chip away at their resources. Unable to catch them with a fatal blow that would finish them off. They fought together too well, covering each other''s weaknesses, capitalising on openings, and giving eachother time to breathe. To reset and heal.


    Yet the Champions vitality, its staying power, was similarly inviolable. It kept pace with them, refusing to go down despite numerous and ever growing wounds.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It bored him. This was work, not a fight. Where was the fraught desperation? The thrill of cornering your opponent into an unavoidable killing blow?


    He wanted to end it. All they needed was a moment. One that wouldn¡¯t come while the hob¡¯s furious assault continued unabated. Just a single moment.


    He knew where they could get one.


    ¡°Ready to run?¡± He called out, earning another chip on his sword as he narrowly parried another of the champions swing.


    ¡°We¡¯re fleeing?!¡± Porkchop asked, offended.


    ¡°No!¡± He stepped back, axe sailing past. ¡°The formation!¡± He dodged again, axe slamming into the stone next to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to go for his knee! Knock him over when I do and run!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Porkchop clawed the back of the hob¡¯s legs, dancing back as it furiously slashed in retaliation.


    Kaius waited for the moment. Eagle Eye tuned to the limit of what he could comfortably handle. Taking everything in. Working in unison with Explorers Toolkit to spot the opening he needed.


    There.


    A diagonal slash. The weight of its axe forced the hob to step forwards. Bending, opening the front of the joint. Its hands off centre. Unable to force him away.


    Kaius thrust his sword. The point of A Father¡¯s Gift slipping under its knee cap. Savaging the delicate connective tissue of its joint. He ripped his blade sideways, forcefully tearing it asunder.


    The leg collapsed.


    Porkchop lurched forwards, slamming the Champion forwards. Forcing its weight onto its ruined knee. The joint snapped. Leg held on by only a thin strip of tissue on its inner thigh. Even now it was silent. Staring at him intensely.


    Kaius spun, sprinting across the courtyard. Anything else and he would have felt confident to go for the kill right then and there. A severed limb required significant resources to heal, and that was only if it was held to the site of the injury. Unfortunately, Kaius had no doubt that as soon as the hob set its joint. It would be healed in seconds.


    They managed to get halfway across the courtyard before Kaius heard the first roar since the hob had activated its rage. Quickly followed by the sound of thumping footsteps. It was after them.


    Porkchop pulled up next to him, slowing to keep his pace.


    ¡°Go!¡± Kaius yelled. ¡°I¡¯ll bait it into the trap.¡±


    A flicker of assent crossed their bond, Porkchop sprinting ahead. He could hear the hob gaining on him, enhanced body pushing it to terrifying speeds.


    Kaius watched Porkchop sprint past the pillar, skidding to a halt. Ready to tear towards him at the slightest sign the Champion would catch up prematurely. The hob was right behind him now, close enough he could hear its heavy and metered breathing.


    The pillar was so close.


    A soft snarl from behind. Kaius lunged forwards, planting his hand against the spire of carved rock. His shoulder yanked in his socket as he used the leverage to spin around the pillar at top speed.


    Just barely missing the entrapment formation he had carved into the stone floor. Skidding to a halt, Kaius spun. Placing the runic circle between him and the rapidly approaching hob. Porkchop ran forwards, ready to assist.


    It clipped the pillar with its shoulder, stone chips and dust flying free. Shaking itself free, it locked eyes with him. A smile graced its face. Clearly pleased with catching its fleeing prey. With a heft of its axe it stepped forwards.


    Right into the runic circle.


    Mana pulsed in his vision. Plumes of mystic energy rushing through runic pathways to explode out of emission runes. Shaped into hyper dense rope, the energy bound the Champion. Forcing it to freeze solid.


    Kaius let out a whoop of success, glad that their plan had worked. He moved. Already able to see the hob straining against its bond, he knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before its prodigious strength completely sapped the stored well of mana inside of his formation.


    Porkchop reached the hob first, tearing great chunks from its thigh. Removing as much muscle as he could. Ensuring that even if it broke free, it would at the very least be left helpless until it could restore its leg.


    Kaius leapt forwards, thrusting his sword. With the hob completely undefended and standing stock still, it was simplicity itself to thread his sword between the Champion¡¯s ribs and pierce its heart. Kaius sawed his blade back and forth, doing as much damage as he could.


    He was in no way confident that would be enough. The hob was starting to twitch, muscles straining against its bonds. The fact it could move at all meant that the formation was already failing. They had a few more seconds at most.


    He had to finish it now.


    Ripping A Father¡¯s Gift from the Champion¡¯s chest cavity, Kaius hacked at its throat. Blood torrenting as he sawed at the hardened musculature. Carving the flesh open. He hit bone, the Champion''s head almost entirely decapitated. Only held in place by its spine and the magic of his formation. Green viscera splashed over him in a wave of gore.


    Finger length by finger length the Champion started to raise its axe.


    Kaius tore his sword free of its neck, grabbing the blade with his offhand in a half-sword grip. He jammed its point into a gap in the hob¡¯s exposed spine. Ramming himself forwards. Bone crunched, but held. Cursing in frustration, Kaius rammed his shoulder into his sword''s cross guard. Vertebrae cracked, the blade sinking a little deeper.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡±


    His friend''s eyes snapped up, seeing what he was trying to do. Kaius leapt back as Porkchop lunged. Rearing up on his hind legs. With a hiss of fury Porkchop slammed the back of the blade.


    Driving it home


    The hobgoblin Champion went limp.


    Holding on until the last moment, the entrapment formation finally failed. A hiss of mystical fire surging through its circuits rendered it useless.


    The Champion was somehow still alive, the raging orange fire in its eyes burning bright as it dropped to the ground bonelessly. Impossible vitality sealing the wounds on its leg and neck.


    Kaius watched as its body failed to even twitch, the hob snapping at them ineffectively with its thick tusks. With his sword forcefully lodged in its spinal cord, even health did it no good. Unable to reconnect nerves with a steel barrier in the way.


    Stepping forwards, Kaius grabbed the hilt of his sword.


    And started to saw.


    ¡­.


    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: Bloodtotem Hobgoblin Lieutenant - level 26 Blessed By Frenzied Spirits!**

 Chapter 58: New Toys

    The hot rush of victory thrummed through him as the hobgoblins head fell to the ground with a wet thunk. Another Champion slain, another step closer to his goal. He turned to Porkchop with a grin, slapping his friend on the shoulder.


    ¡°All according to plan.¡± He said.


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°Yes, we were definitely planning on you getting gutted.¡±


    Kaius gave an exaggerated humph. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that was definitely part of the plan. How else was I supposed to level Adamant Body?¡±


    Porkchop cocked one furry eyebrow at him, staring directly at the stride long rent in his enchanted scales. ¡°Of course, how could I forget?¡±


    Kaius scowled at his friend''s look. ¡°I never should have taught you that.¡±


    Letting out a mirthful huff, Porkchop shoved him. Drawing a wince as his barely healed wounds twinged.


    ¡°Come on then. I believe we have loot to check. Is its axe an artefact?¡±


    Kaius shrugged, using Identify on the oversized weapon. Thankfully, it was just a simple item, like all of the Champions gear had been so far. With how massive it is, Kaius doubted he could even pick it up. They would have had to lash it to Porkchops back, something that sounded like far more trouble than it was worth.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s hidden in one of the piles of dead dwarves? Like the tree burrow after the Grimclaw?¡± Kaius suggested.


    Porkchop let out a pensive grunt. ¡°Hope not.¡±


    Kaius couldn¡¯t help but agree. The courtyard where they had fought the Hobgoblin was absolutely littered with them. Most of them were shock troops in ultra thick heavy plate. Even if they focused on checking the various squad sized groupings, there were still dozens of them.


    ¡°Well. We better get started.¡± Kaius sighed, staring at the ancient battlefield.


    They worked their way slowly through the mustering ground, shifting through piled bodies of dwarves. It was exhausting work, even with their enhanced strength. With their plate being half a finger''s length thick, every corpse weighed as much as an anvil. After finding nothing but burnt out enchanted plate in the first dozen piles Kaius had had enough.


    ¡°This is ridiculous. We should have started in the middle.¡± He grumbled. Stomping his way to where they had first spotted the hobgoblin. There were a few piles of dwarves there, arrayed in a circle around the hobgoblins'' place of vigil.


    They started shifting bodies. The first group had nothing, nor did the second. They spiralled further out.


    ¡°...Is there no loot?¡± Porkchop asked, concerned.


    ¡°Ridiculous! There has to be.¡± Kaius grew frenetic. Hawling aside armoured bones with increasing haste. Hurrying between patches. They split up, covering more ground.


    Minutes ticked by, his anxious tension ratcheting up. Porkchop let out a hoot of joy.


    ¡°Kaius! Over here, I found it!¡± His friend called, words blurring together into a smudge of meaning as his excitement bled powerfully across their mental link.


    Rushing without pause, Kaius hurried to see what Porkchop had found. He was standing over a larger than average pile of dwarves. All facing outwards like they had died to the last protecting¡­something. He got closer, seeing that Porkchop had hauled away the centremost bodies. Revealing a heavy steel chest embossed in gold. Foreign iconography covered its lid in a raised relief, depicting strange gods and their symbols. Palanquin handles jutted from the chest''s bottom, more than one dwarf still clutching tightly even in death.


    Kaius leapt forwards, grinning widely.


    ¡°Good find.¡± He said. Stepping past his friend to take a closer look.


    It was almost seamless, apart from the distinct evidence of a simple latch holding the lid closed. A lock held it closed, though it seemed time had been far less kind to the mechanism. Rusted and broken, it was barely held on by a hair thin patch of rust. Kaius ran his hands over the seams, checking for any traps. They hadn¡¯t seen any yet, and Explorer¡¯s Toolkit was silent, but it paid to be careful.


    Porkchop whined behind him, growing impatient.


    ¡°Just a second. Want to make sure it''s not gonna blow up in our faces.¡± Kaius said.


    Confident that the chest was safe, he yanked on the padlock, snapping it free from the latch. He flipped open the lid, nearly falling in when Porkchop just about shoved his whole head in there.


    ¡°Loot!¡±


    Kaius smacked at his friend, shoving his head out of the way. ¡°And how am i supposed to tell you what it does if I can¡¯t bloody see it?¡± He asked, exasperated.


    Porkchop let out a huff, pulling back so Kaius could see into the chest.


    Kaius bent over, scanning the chest. Laying at the bottom of the gleaming interior were two artefacts. The first was a set of vambraces. Backed by leather and scalemail, the arm guards were layered in overlapping plates of a bluish steel and stretched all the way over the elbow. They were richly inscribed, chains of runes edging each plate and scale, while a larger sigil sat centred on a long slab of steel that stretched across the exterior of the forearm.


    Kaius pulled it out reverently, feeling the heft and weight. It was lighter than he expected, and looked closer to plate than any kind of mail he had seen, catching the light as it reflected off the polished metal. It was a good find, while his scale stretched down to his elbow, his lower limbs were still left exposed. Every time he fumbled a parry, or slightly misjudged a block, he ended up taking wounds to his forearms. Hopefully now that would change.


    Idley, Kaius noted that they looked like they were made of a similar material to his Serelian scale. With the garish clash in tones between his helmet and chest piece he had been concerned that he would eventually look like he had dressed in an armoursmiths reject pile. Thankfully, his latest find looked like it would blend into his scalemail quite nicely, the heavier platting similar to that on his pauldrons and gorget.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    He used Identify on the artefact.


    Vambraces of Varkhossian Deflection:


    Uncommon - Tier I


    The Mythwroughts of Varkhos say that true valour can only be seen in the might of one''s blows, that survival is secondary to the immortality of a single, perfect, strike. Small wonder then, that their artisans have focused utterly on the art of leveraging fine defence into greater offensive strength.


    Light plate and scalemail vambraces made from layered heliomite and steel alloyed plates, backed with fine scales and padded beast leather. These vambraces are enchanted to absorb a small fraction of the energy of parried and blocked blows. This energy is stored, once at capacity it can be expended to fuel an empowered blow.


    Depths-wrought Artefact.


    Medium Armour (Arm Guards)


    Patient Strike I, Mana Conduit I, Self Repair I


    Kaius grinned as he read the description. It was a fantastic find. His greatest challenge when fighting the Champions was their enhanced strength and durability. Anything that made it a little easier to turn their blades would drastically reduce the amount of injury he sustained. Even better, the ability to channel the syphoned power of their blows into one of his own might just let him stop resorting to wearing them down.


    The hob was a great example, even when they had managed to trap the Champion in a binding formation, it had still taken both his and Porkchop¡¯s combined strength to remove his head. If he had had the power to sheer through bone, the fight would have ended far quicker. More than once there had been openings to take a shot at its head, but he¡¯d been forced to abandon that tactic in favour of fleshier targets.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Porkchop asked in curiosity.


    ¡°Something that should hopefully make a Champion''s bones a whole lot more breakable.¡± Kaius said.


    Setting the vambraces to the side, Kaius explained the effect of its enchantment before reaching back into the chest to pull out the next item.


    It was a pendant. A quail-egg-sized black gem flecked with violet was set inside a thick silver oval lined with dense script. He held it in his hand, a long and thick chain trailing away from the amulet. Running of his hand to sway freely with his every movement. It was an awkward length, perhaps long enough to reach his chest if he wore it around his neck.


    He pulled up its description.


    Amulet of Inviolable Momentum:


    Uncommon


    When born in the fires of violence, one learns to crush their enemies.


    An amulet of fellspar crystal and silver forged by ritual fire under a full moon. Enchanted to store a reservoir of channelled mana. This mana source can be expended to charge forwards with greatly enhanced speed and momentum. While under this effect, the user is partially shielded from collision forces. Effectiveness is dependent on initial weight and speed at activation.


    Depths-wrought Artefact.


    Amulet


    Furious Advance I, Mana Conduit I, Self Repair I


    Kaius looked from the long chain of the amulet to Porkchop¡¯s neck. It should be long enough. He stood, unclasping the chain and wrapping it around his friend''s neck. It fit perfectly, sliding comfortably under the raised lip of reinforced steel that surrounded the neck of Porkchop¡¯s barding. Crouching down, he tucked the amulet away too, having just enough slack to nestle it safely behind the leather and steel plate that protected his chest.


    ¡°There you go buddy. This should suit you well. You¡¯ve got a manipulation skill right? Try funnelling some of your Mana into the amulet. I think you¡¯ll find its effects quite entertaining.¡±


    Manipulation skills were an interesting group. Each one aided the control of a specific type of aspected mana, though equally all allowed a lesser influence on unaspected mana as well. This included the pool of power that all integrated beings held within them. Allowing it to be shaped, transmuted, and wielded with far more skill than the clumsy fumblings he had been using to saturate his eyes.


    It was the basis of shapeless casting. Using raw power, a manipulation skill, and any number of additional modifying and influencing skills to shape mana into casting effects. By far the most flexible of the three standard spheres of magic. It was also painfully slow until someone had the skill levels, stats, and simple experience to shape raw magic at their whim. Even then, it was often still slower and less powerful that channelled spells, the second type of casting that utilised spells. Most mages relied on a combination of the two, with the runic arts being relegated to more of a craftsman profession.


    A manipulation skill also meant that filling the amulet with mana should be a simple task for Porkchop, one that required so little concentration that he should be able to do it in combat.


    Porkchop rolled his eyes at him. ¡°You could just tell me.¡± he murmured. Though he did narrow his brows in momentary concentration as he channelled his Mana into the amulet.


    ¡°Done. I¡¯m going to use it now.¡± Porkchop said with excitement.


    Kaius blanched, throwing up his hands to stop his friend. ¡°Wait!¡±


    Porkchop cocked his head at him. Kaius sighed in relief, disaster narrowly avoided.


    ¡°Hells, Porkchop. You nearly pasted me. If you¡¯re going to use it, go get a run up at one of those piles of corpses first.¡± He said, waving his hand at a larger than normal pile of dwarven plate and bones a short distance away.


    Porkchop nodded, turning and moving into an easy run towards the pile of bodies as Kaius watched in anticipation. Half way there he suddenly surged forwards, accelerating from a jogging pace to something faster than Kaius could sprint. Oddly, Porkchop didn¡¯t seem to actually have quickened his pace at all. His feet still moved at the same easy pace, but each step rocketed him forwards far more than it should have.


    His friend smashed into the pile of fallen soldiers with a cacophonous crash. Despite the sheer bulk of their heavy plate, the bodies of the dwarven soldiers were sent flying away. The collision was so violent that several limbs were knocked free.


    Kaius watched the violent eruption with a slackened jaw. He hadn¡¯t expected it to be quite that effective. Porkchop came skidding to a halt, planting his feet in surprise. Kaius watched his friend turn, staring at the devastation. He paused for a moment, frowning in concentration before suddenly sprinting for another fallen squad.


    If the first collision had sounded like the crack of a gong, this one sounded like a giant¡¯s smithy. Porkchop hitting the pile of thick steel armour with a tortured squeal of metal. Bodies clanged as they skittered across the stone ground, tumbling. Limbs ragdolling with enough force to bend plate and tear withered joints free.


    ¡°Bloody hells, was that one cracked?¡± Kaius thought, staring at one chestplate that had borne the brunt of Porkchop¡¯s charge. He almost felt sorry for the goblins now.


    Porkchop hooted in excitement, racing back to him.


    ¡°That was so much fun!¡± He said, ears flicking. ¡°Expensive though. That drained my mana pool.¡±


    Kaius grinned. ¡°The next Champion won''t even know what hit them.¡±


    Kaius turned, scanning the interior of the reward chest a final time. Swiping up a single golden depths-coin that he had missed. He slipped it into his potion pouch with the rest.


    ¡°Give me a moment to put these on.¡± Kaius said, picking up one of his new vambraces. ¡°Then let''s head up into the next district. I think I remember it looking more residential than this one. We¡¯re going to be holed up for a while as I work on my next legacy skills. We may as well be comfortable as we do it.¡±


    Porkchop nodded.


    A few minutes later and he was done, cinching the final strap on his left arm. Rising to his feet, Kaius strode towards the megalithic staircase at the end of the mustering ground. The entrance to the next layer of the dwarven city.

 Chapter 59: Extravagance and Insight

    Porkchop charged, activating his amulet to crush through the final thrum of goblins that had packed themselves into the tight alley separating the two manors. Depths-born screamed as their bones cracked, the force of Porkchop¡¯s charge crushing them underfoot. Sending them rocketing into allies and richly carved stone alike. Bursting through to the other side of the dense crowd, Porkchop turned and started to tear into the goblins'' flank.


    Kaius waded into the fray, the cracked blade of A Father¡¯s Gift lopping off heads and caving in skulls. The goblins were disoriented. Off balance. It made it disgustingly easy. A bruiser leapt to its feet, crawling out from beneath the shattered body of one of its allies to charge at him. He caught the blow, parrying it. Spinning his blade into an overhand strike that cleaved into its head. Spraying him with blood as it dropped.


    Forced into a dense mob, tangled into a mosh of bodies and beset from both sides, the group of goblins descended into disordered mayhem. Kaius swept through their line like he was harvesting wheat. Each swing leaving more dead bodies in his wake. Some managed to muster a lacklustre defence, trying and failing to assault him with club and knife. They only served to charge his new vambraces as he deftly turned their attacks. Following through with perfectly timed fatal ripostes. Adding to the pile of bodies that littered the alleys.


    The clean up didn''t take much longer after that.


    Joining Porkchop on the street, Kaius stood panting. Staring out over the devastation they had just wrought. Dozens of short green bodies littered the wide and richly decorated street. The perfectly polished flagstones stained with dark green blood. They¡¯d been set upon as soon as they had arrived in this newest section of the city. Barely making it a block before a horde had descended upon them.


    Thankfully, it seemed the dwarves were far more lavish with their living arrangements than the austere military and crafting compounds below had suggested. Each house had a high slanted roof, immaculately tiled in stone. Providing very little viable vantage points for the archers. They¡¯d crushed them first, weak and undefended that they were when confined to the street level.


    It had taken them the better part of an hour to climb the gargantuan staircase that snaked its way up the outer wall of the next district. Long enough that the false sun above had once again begun to dim. Arriving at the top they had been greeted with yet another twisted and shattered metal door. Though it had been far more ornamented than the external gate, inlaid in gold and silver.


    On the other side, they had found the wide street that he now stood on, regular posts topped with wire wrapped crystals providing a soft even lighting to the surrounding opulent houses. They were impressive things. Kaius looked away from the alley, roaming his eyes over the immaculately carved gothic engravings of the manors. They were tall, narrow things. Sharing walls with their neighbours. Tight little alleys leading to streets deeper into the district every dozen or so houses.


    He was glad they had decided to make the climb before settling in to work on his next skills. Looking through wide, impossibly flat, glass windows, he could see each and every interior was decorated with plush furniture, art, and every type of fixture one could want in an abode.


    Much better than hanging out in a barracks for a month or two.


    Kaius wiped his sword, running his fingers over the chipped blade. Already they had started to shrink, filling out by a few hair''s breadths at most as the Self Repair enchantment went to work. Still, much like his scalemail it would most likely take at least a day to repair itself, if not more. Unfortunately, nowhere near as fast as his clothing. It was a simple fact that enhanced metal was harder to regenerate than cloth and leather - even the magically saturated kind.


    Porkchop padded over to him, daintily stepping around pools of blood despite his paws already being absolutely saturated.


    ¡°Ready to check one out?¡± He scratched Porkchop on the head. ¡°I¡¯m dying to get this skill merged.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way, I want to lie on a bed again. I can¡¯t believe how soft they are.¡±


    Kaius laughed. Porkchop was in for a surprise. The thin barrack mattresses they had slept on the previous night barely even met the definition. He had no doubt that with how fancy everything else he could see in the windows of the various manors, the beds they would find would be massive feather stuffed things.


    Though he should probably help Porkchop wash his paws before he ruined a perfectly good bed, he thought, eying the state of his friend''s gore-ridden feat.


    He led them back the way they had come, wanting to pick a manor that didn¡¯t have a pile of corpses right outside. He gave them a day at most before the next couple of streets started to reek, and he didn¡¯t need that sort of distraction when working on his runes.


    Picking a four story narrow villa that was near their entrance to the district, Kaius pushed open the heavy front door. Much like the section below, the houses here were immaculate, untouched, and absolutely laden with dust.


    The first thing they did was open all the windows, spending a few hours cleaning out the thick layer of grime as best they could. It was nowhere near clean. But it was liveable. Taking a moment to ransack the kitchen, Kaius set himself up in a massive study. Dominated by a large desk, floor to ceiling bookcases lined the walls, while a daybed and a pair of armchairs sat around an unlit fireplace.


    Almost immediately Kaius made a beeline for the books. Tearing one open in the hopes of finding some information on the city and its lost inhabitants. Foreign glyphs returned to him. A strange script with blocks, angular lettering that linked discrete works into solid blocks of sigils. Utterly unreadable.


    That was ¡­ odd. Everyone spoke Common. Sure, there were variations on writing style. Some severe enough to make them barely legible. But it was all the same language. How else were you supposed to read the system if you couldn¡¯t speak Common? I mean sure, it was possible for different languages to exist. Runes had dozens of different scripts after all. For everyday use though? Why would you use anything other than the words of the system?


    Maybe it was a cypher. Or some sort of constructed language like hidden societies were supposed to use. Shrugging to himself, he slotted the book back home, reaching for another. More foreign script. The same as the previous book. Odd. Very odd.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Returning to the fireplace, Kaius found Porkchop already napping on the day bed. He smiled, settling into one of the armchairs.


    Closing his eyes he visualised the centre of his being. Tingles spread out in a wave from his spine, raising the hairs on his arms. It was time to merge his next legacy skill. Another step forward on his path. True Sight was finally in hand.


    It was a supreme ocular skill, one that supposedly focused on truth and revelation. An apparent key-stone of his family''s long history of successful delvers if his father was to be believed. One of the few stories Father had told him of their dynasty. Letting it slip with a casual comment when he was teaching him the necessary methods to acquire its base skills.


    He scoured his inner space, seeing his ten general skills orbiting calmly around the burning light of his soul. Four screamed out to him, their essence gushing forth in great waves to flavour the surrounding void.


    The mutable, shifting defence of Rapid Adaptation.


    The iron scented tang of Warforged, crystalised and constrained by the unclassed skill cap of twenty.


    The furtive and alert curiosity of Explorer¡¯s Toolkit.


    The implacable flexibility and staunch rigidity of Adamant Body.


    He turned his mind away from the skill, ignoring their calls for his attention. Their want. Their need to be included in what was to happen next. With each skill their siren song grew. The pull on his willpower strengthening.


    The remaining six were lesser things. Dim and transparent to the sheer hyper-realised power of his legacy skills.


    Soulfire leapt to his command, weaving itself into a tightrope. He dove for the first skill, tasting the impressions of Low Light Vision. It was a fascinating thing, clawing at the dark to reveal its secrets. Revelling in the comfort of an ease of sight beyond even the natural born denizens of the night. Light revealed all, but it was satisfyingly unselective. Piercing the shadow of dark through one''s own ability was much more satisfying. So many secrets for one to claim for themselves.


    The cord of radiant illumination snapped in place. His legacy skills called to him, begging to be next. He moved on. Shifting his focus to his next capped skill.


    T''was the mind of dreamers. Of artists, mathematicians, architects, generals, artisans, mages, explorers and more. A simulation as comfortable with rearranging furniture as it was displaying the impossible whorls of a grandmaster runesmiths sigils. It reeked of cold analysis, loving memories, and curious fascination. Mental Visualisation was a skill that contained multitudes, happy to reflect what he needed in perfect clarity.


    His web of meaning and self grew, another thread of his soul thrumming as it enmeshed with the central power of the skill. His other skills were screaming now. Demanding that he return to them, to their flawless beauty. He shut them out. He¡¯d grown since his last merge. His willpower was stronger, the fire of his soul more fierce. Boosted by the stats he had earned with his Honour.


    His heart thumped with slow regularity as he turned his attention to the next part of True Sight.


    Sense Illusion was the cold pyre of righteous conviction. The unyielding steel of truth. To deny fact was delusion. To twist the definable into false reality was heresy. Corrupting what things are into what they could be, treason. Fanatical certainty bled through the aura of the skill. Burning with a light that cared only for what was.


    He coaxed another luminous thread from his soul, shutting out the wails of his legacy. Sense Illusion drank in the connection, suffusing with his Self.


    Next was a power that shone with the light of a scholar. The mind of mania. Of spirits and hidden things. A magical world revealed. The engine of power that lay beneath the cold life of the material. Amorphous, ever changing, and always waiting. Needing just the right hand to shape and guide. To open the gap and allow the mystical to tear control from the material. This was a skill uninterested in such works. Preferring the joy of a voyeur. One that did not wish to effect change, only to peep at a truth most were blind to. Sense Mana.


    More soulfire wove its way through his innermost conflagration. He could feel them now, clawing at his attention. The strain slowly hammering at his mind. It was still weak. Growing slow enough that he knew he could finish the merge without too much strain. But it was there. The mergers wouldn¡¯t be so easy. Especially not once another voice joined the choir.


    His focus shifted, honing in on a pleading supplicant. It had no will, no power of its own. Only that which let it beg harder, beg louder to its lord. One that simply wished to know. It wasn¡¯t asking much. No great secrets, no exploitable weaknesses. Nothing that its monarch would truly have to ponder. All it wanted was a taste. A mere glimpse of what its lord witnessed through its omnipresent vision. A simple description of the world. A name. A fragment from the book of all things. Please.


    Identify.


    The connection snapped in place. Only a single piece remained. Focus narrowed, the final skill filling his mind.


    The world was a beautiful thing, so full of details. An endlessly tessellated pattern that only grew into coherency through the obscuring haze of comfortable distance. A false coherency. The mountain on the horizon lied, hiding its rocks and bushes. The smooth consistency of a hares coat cackling in successful deceit, drowning the calls for justice of a thousand thousand individual hairs. Each in turn masking the plea¡¯s of impossibly small building blocks. Clarity existed in accuracy. Truth, in precision. Without acuity, neither was possible. Eagle Eye.


    Kaius hauled on his soul. Spinning out soulfire as fast as he could. Hurriedly connecting the last skill to his web before the screams of his other legacy skills could shake his conviction. Moving with surety and purpose he forged his chain from skill to skill. Each nexus of power lighting up like a beacon as they joined a greater whole. Pulsing, howling with furore and anticipation. The last skill snapped into place.


    The web burned, a shock wave of meaning buffeting his soul. Sending ripples through his radiant soul. Buffeting his gaseous resources. Thrumming with power.


    **Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**


    Kaius let go. Allowing the irresistible gravity of meaning to pull his skills into one. Dissolving them. Crushing their essence into a new liquid form. Crystalising into a higher truth.


    A flash of revealing light, and it was done.


    **Ding! Skill Merged! True Sight obtained!**

 Chapter 60: Sharing is Caring

    **Ding! Skill Merged! True Sight obtained!**


    Kaius let out a whoop of joy as his latest legacy skill spun into existence. Crystallising into a new nexus of power that joined itself with his other merged skills to orbit his soul. A grunt from across the room made him snap open his eyes. His exclamation had roused Porkchop, his friend sitting up from the day bed he had been napping on to look at him with curiosity.


    ¡°Sorry bud.¡± Kaius grinned. ¡°Just merged the skill.¡± He explained.


    Porkchop grunted, stretching wide before rolling off the seat with a shake of his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡± Porkchop asked, sitting down on the plush rug that sat in front of the central fireplace of the office.


    ¡°Lemme check.¡± Kaius said, pulling up the description of his latest skill.


    True Sight:


    Level 1


    Unusual


    See to the heart of the matter, harness the burning light that reveals all.


    Skill that reveals the true nature of reality, including the energy that runs beneath it. Potent sources of mana and aura may be blinding.


    Each level reasonably increases mental processing of visual stimuli.


    Each level reasonably improves skills ability to overcome hampering effects.


    Each level moderately increases ability to see mana and aura.


    Each level moderately increases visual and mental acuity.


    Each level moderately increases ability to counteract and resist all natural and magical effects that hinder direct observation, including darkness, illusion, and blinding.


    Merged from: Low Light Vision, Mental Visualisation, Sense Illusion, Sense Mana, Identify, Eagle Eye


    Even without the description, he could tell it was much more integrated that his smattering collection of skills had been before. For one, it was far less intrusive and painful that Sense Mana and Eagle Eye had been. He could see the faint illusory wisps of atmospheric mana suffusing everything, yet it did not drag at his eye. Nor overpower his sight. It was just there. The wood of the desk across the room was brown, subtly textured with woodgrain, and had slightly higher than average densities of nature, earth, and plant mana.


    A new dimension to an existing sense, rather than a new one that vied with it for dominance. Same with his increased acuity. When he looked at Porkchop he could make out each and every individual hair on his friend''s face, but until he really focused it all just faded into the background. Filtered until it was needed.


    Kaius spun his head, looking around the room in wonderment. It was so perfect, so easy in comparison. He could see what his father had meant. About this being such a cornerstone of his family''s strength. Most ocular skills were hard. Burdensome. They sapped at the mind, requiring intense focus and high skill levels to truly make the most of. Worse, they could easily be a distraction. This was different. It felt as natural as if he had been born with it. Sure, it wasn''t perfect, he could tell that if he ramped up the skill to full power it would still be somewhat overwhelming. It was still better, and he knew that as he trained the skill, it would eventually stop being an issue.


    Though, there was one question that burned in his mind. Something he hadn¡¯t expected from the skill, and knew nothing about. What the hells was Aura?


    ¡°Kaius.¡± Porkchop said, chittering in amusement. ¡°Stop staring at daisies.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Kaius said. ¡°Just got a little sucked up into it.¡± He blinked a few times, adjusting to the new constant presence of his skill. He hadn¡¯t tuned it out yet like he had with some of its components. He was pretty sure he didn¡¯t need to.


    Refocusing to give Porkchop his full attention, he launched into an explanation of his new skill. Pausing momentarily when he got to Aura.


    ¡°Do you know what that is?¡± Kaius asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it. My father never mentioned it either, though if he thought it was important he would have.¡±


    ¡°Sort of.¡± Porkchop said, tilting his head back and forth. ¡°It is an oddity. One the matriarchs says appears in lots of merged ocular skills. No one in any of the dens had been able to figure out what it does. Even with some spending a LOT of time looking. Mine has it too.¡±


    Kaius looked at his friend in surprise. ¡°You have an ocular skill?¡± He knew that Porkchop had a full complement of legacy skills, but they¡¯d never really discussed it in depth. Especially not after he had yelled at his friend for telling him he had any in the first place. At first it was out of a sense of propriety. Revealing such information about yourself simply wasn¡¯t done without absolute trust.


    They¡¯d reached such a point months ago in Kaius¡¯s opinion. After so long trapped down here with Porkchop, trusting him with his life day in and day out, trust barely began to describe their bond. He felt like a brother.


    ¡°...do you want to tell me about your skills? I¡¯m happy to tell you mine, both what I have and what I''m aiming for.¡± He said, looking away as he awkwardly scratched his ear.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Porkchop shot up to attention. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for so long. I know you two-legs are weirdly cagey about your skills, but this has been ridiculous. We have been den-mates for months!¡± His friend said, punctuating every word with an excited chitter.


    Kaius smiled. ¡°Yeah. Sorry about that. Is it better if I just sort of ¡­forgot? I¡¯m not really used to talking about it with anyone other than my father, and he has the same general skills.¡±


    ¡°You forgot?!¡± Porkchop snorted. ¡°Of course you did. I¡¯ll go first. We are encouraged to focus our skills on a specific area, especially for our largest legacy skills. I chose to lean into my natural strengths. My first skill, Savage Arsenal, is focused on the weapons I was born with. Improving my fighting. My teeth and claws are strengthened, able to tear more easily through defences. It makes wounds bleed more, and they are harder to heal.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Kaius nodded. It made sense to him. Even if he did have more skills available to him, he likely would have kept his first legacy skill, or picked something like it. Improving your lethality was simply too vital. Maybe someone who sought a different path would feel differently, but to a delver or beast it was a simple choice.


    ¡°Mine second is similar, Warforged. It¡¯s an almost pure mastery skill for any form of weapon, though it does boost the power of my swings a little.¡± He said.


    Porkchop cocked his head, looking at him quizzically. ¡°It affects all weapons equally? Then why do you stick with your sword?¡±


    ¡°Well. For one, it¡¯s just simply better than anything else we have found. Mostly, it''s because focusing on a single weapon will make it far more likely for the skill to evolve in that direction during my class up, especially if I use the weapon enough to influence the class itself. Warforged is good, but unless I made its flexibility the focus of my development, it¡¯s far too broad. Too niche.¡±


    Porkchop flicked his ears, accepting Kaius¡¯s explanation without comment. ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    Their conversation continued. Kaius listened intently as his friend continued to share his legacy skills, sharing his own in turn. Much like Porkchop had explained, his friend''s build was surprisingly focused. Inexorable Vanguard increased his friend''s momentum, made him harder to knock back, and made him a devastating force once he had set his targets on something. Boundless Vigour vastly improved the efficiency and speed of Porkchop¡¯s healing, made it far more effective at purging certain types of toxins, and allowed the wholesale regrowth of lost body parts.


    That one in particular had surprised Kaius. It sounded eerily similar to one of his own legacy skills, yet stronger and more encompassing. It made sense, it was a merger of eight skills, while his Lesser Regeneration was made up of only three.


    Porkchop¡¯s seventh legacy skill was Ironbodied. It seemed a close pair to his own Adamant Body, though far more focused on improving physical resilience, including specific bonuses to resisting impact, and allowing his friend to survive and persist through the kinds of injuries that would otherwise prove fatal. That, he thought, was most likely what had kept his friend alive after the Grimclaw had mauled him so utterly.


    His sixth, Fortress of Pugilism was a straight shooting mastery skill, though this one focused entirely on improving and enhancing all forms of unarmed combat. Slightly different from his first, which was entirely focused on enhancement instead of mastery, but together they were a potent pair.


    Next his friend told him about his skill Spell Resistance. That had made Kaius perk up, yet another skill that was similar to one of his own. In this case Rapid Adaptation. Though this time it was Porkchop¡¯s skill that was the lesser of the two. It aided him in resisting arcane influence across the board. Primarily physical spells, such as being hit by a conjured stone, would still injure him just as easily. Even though Kaius had a long way to go until he acquired resistance to things such as crushing or bleeding, he would get there eventually. Evidently his own skill was unknown to the meles, because Porkchop completely froze when he told him.


    ¡°What!¡± Porkchop barked. ¡°That is ridiculous! If I had known of that skill I would have picked it instantly! It¡¯ll make you practically unkillable once you get the skill high enough!¡±


    Kaius pushed his hair behind his ear, unable to help but feel a little awkward at his friend''s unabashed jealousy. ¡°It is pretty good. Not quite that good though.¡±


    ¡°Still!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just move on.¡± Kaius asked. He was already having difficulty with sharing something he had been sworn to secrecy on, so Porkchops blatant fascination with the skill made him a little uncomfortable. Though, in his friend¡¯s defence, despite his fascination he didn¡¯t even hint at Kaius to tell him how it could be acquired. For that, he was grateful.


    Porkchop looked like he was about to burst from the effort of restraining himself from asking more, but he acquiesced all the same. Changing the subject to share the rest of his skills with Kaius. Crystal Manipulation, which gave him the ability to manually shape crystal mana, or use that mana to gain control of crystals themselves. Like all aspected manipulation skills, Kaius knew it still allowed control of unaspected mana, but to a lesser degree.


    It was a mirror to his own upcoming legacy skill Mana Manipulation, though his was far more generalised. It would let him manipulate unaspected mana with ease, and gave a far lesser degree of influence over the other aspects.


    His friend also shared his final two legacy skills. Primal Senses, which provided a broad boost to his friends sensory capabilities, and Natural Celerity, which empowered his bodily control, surety of footing, and other various forms of agility.


    When it was Kaius¡¯s turn, he explained the final skills he was working towards. Runic Lexicon, which empowered his learning and application of runecraft, especially in regards to the scripts he used to merge the skill, and Mana Manipulation. They were to be the focus of his coming months, and he refused to move on until he had acquired them. With both he would finally be able to work on his body formations, and hopefully practise his casting. He wanted to get in as much as he could in their final run up to fighting the Guardian. It was absolutely vital that using runic spells had a high degree of influence on his class, especially using them in tandem with his blade.


    Porkchop agreed with him. More than happy to have an extended rest from their constant and frenetic pace through the Depths. Beds and cooked food were a luxury entirely foreign to him, though Kaius noted that his friend had quickly picked up an appreciation after they had spent the night in the barracks.


    Kaius took a slow breath. He¡¯d felt like he could feel his father¡¯s gaze burning a hole in him the entire conversation. Aghast at his sheer flagrant honesty about the capabilities of his family''s legacy. Still, it wasn¡¯t like he had gotten nothing in return. Porkchop had been practically falling over himself to tell him about his skills. Plus, it felt good. To finally share. He hadn¡¯t realised it, but keeping the secrets of his dynasty to himself was a heavy burden. Sharing them with a friend made him feel just a little bit lighter. He only had one more left to go, the final skill he would get before choosing his tenth skill on his own.


    ¡°The last one in my legacy is Uncanny Dodge. It¡¯s supposed to make you far better at dodging unseen blows, but I doubt it''s anything too crazy. It¡¯s only a merge of two after all.¡± Kaius finished with a deep breath, looking up only to find Porkchop staring at him with an easy grin on his face.


    ¡°Thank you for sharing that with me. I could tell it was difficult.¡±


    Kaius looked away, hiding his embarrassment as he waved his friend off.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Say, I think I saw some potatoes down in the kitchen.¡± He said, changing the subject. ¡°Have you ever had stew?¡±


    Porkchop cocked his head, looking at him with curiosity. ¡°What is potatoes?¡±


    ¡°How about we go find out.¡± Kaius said with a grin, rising to his feet to head to the richly stocked kitchen on the first floor. Porkchop bounced to his feet and hurried after him.


    Tomorrow he would start his work on Runic Lexicon. For now, the only thing he could keep his mind on was a hot meal, and the room sized feather stuffed mattress he had spotted in the manor¡¯s master bedroom.

 Chapter 61: Runes pt. 1

    Kaius crouched behind the massive desk that dominated the manors office. It was a little awkward to get at the cabinets beneath, as it had clearly been designed for non-humans. The seat was a little too broad, and everything was a good stride closer to the ground than was comfortable.


    Yanking open another draw, Kaius let out a whoop of success as he found an inkwell and a massive stack of loose paper. It was good stuff. Most paper he had used was rough pressed. Thick and grainy, made by one of the craftsmen in the villages that bordered his forest home. These sheets were as smooth as silk, perfectly square, and had a bizarrely even texture. They must have cost a fortune.


    He was glad he found them. Rune mastery skills were almost entirely knowledge based, but application of that knowledge would drastically speed up his rate of levelling. With his stylus he could have spent hours on inscribing things properly, but that would slow him down. Gating his rate of advancement to his pitiful Mana pool. He would end up doing that eventually anyway. It was far more effective than simple drawings on paper, and would be a great help for the inevitable slog as his skills approached their cap.


    Besides, he doubted the paper was alchemically treated. Even if he used inscriptions without mana gathering arrays, the magical weight would be far too much for the mundane material. He would quite literally be burning through his supplies. Using incomplete formations would stop that from happening, but that would slow his skill gain even further.


    Kaius looked up from the cupboard, staring at the veritable archive of books that lined the walls. Somehow he doubted that he would run out any time soon. This house hadn¡¯t been anything special, and if there was this much paper, he had no doubt that he would be able to find more with a little bit of scavenging.


    Grabbing the stack, he rose to his feet and slapped it down on the top of the desk. Porkchop looked over from his spot on the daybed, disturbed by the sound.


    ¡°I can''t believe you are really just planning on sitting here for a month and drawing. Won¡¯t you get bored?¡±  Porkchop asked.


    He¡¯d been grumbling about their planned stay since late last night, after Kaius had told him more about the skills he was planning on levelling.


    ¡°Oh shush, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to stay in here completely, only leaving to eat and sleep.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie¡­mostly. Well, if he was entirely honest that would be exactly what he would do if he thought he could get away with it. Kaius knew he couldn¡¯t though. He was pretty sure Porkchop would riot after the fourth day. The meles was many things, but patient was not one of them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need plenty of this stuff here.¡± Kaius tapped the stack of white paper he had placed on the desk. ¡°Which means we¡¯ll need to do plenty of scavenging. Probably every second or third day. We can explore the district and clear out any nearby groups of goblins while we do so. Is that enough to stop you gnawing your own leg off in boredom?¡± He asked, giving Porkchop a pointed look.


    His friend rolled his eyes, yet another human expression he had picked up. ¡°I¡¯m not that impatient! But yes. That would help.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, I need to focus. If you manage to keep quiet I might even make some more stew tonight. There''s a lot more variations than just beef and potatoes you know.¡±


    Porkchop¡¯s eyes widened. With exacting precision he lowered himself back down onto the daybed without making a single sound. Laying there, perfectly still.


    Kaius laughed at his friend''s antics. The stew he had made last night was a rustic affair, but tasty. Despite the manor having every ingredient he had ever seen in his life, and a good hundred more, he¡¯d stuck to the basics. Something he had gotten Illendra, the barmaid of the Stout Oak and his closest friend, to teach him. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit had put in work, letting him refine simple techniques and ingredients into something he would have been proud to serve to the one who taught him the recipe- though he was still nowhere close to her skill.


    It was also the first time he had had the resources, space, and mental energy to actually cook real food since he had arrived in the Depths. Porkchop had taken to it like a house on fire, ignoring the food¡¯s scalding heat to shove his whole snout into his still steaming portion.


    Kaius knew he had had him then. The perfect bribe. Porkchop had always been a glutton, but even a simple mention of stew was enough to get him to settle down now.


    Turning back to the desk, Kaius sat in its strangle proportioned chair, leaning over. He frowned.  Barely covering his knees, the short height of the desk meant that he had to hunch over. He could already feel the strain on his back, and the odd angle was going to make drawing an absolute nightmare. That wasn¡¯t going to work.


    Standing up, Kaius started to pull thick hardcover tombs from the bookshelves, arranging them into a dozen even piles about a handspan or two high.


    ¡°Help me with this.¡± He called to Porkchop, tilting the desk onto two feet after he placed his scavenged paper on the floor. Porkchop leapt forwards, still eager to secure his promised meal. He shoved the stacks of books under the desk, propping it back higher.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kaius said.


    ¡°I want goat this time. And that strange powder that smelled so good.¡± Porkchop demanded, returning to his seat.


    ¡°You got it, chief.¡± Kaius saluted. Though inwardly he was a little worried. That ¡®powder¡¯ was some sort of spice he had never seen before, so he had no idea what would go well with it.


    Returning to the desk, Kaius put a sheet of paper in front of him, tapping its corner with a dry quill. Time to get to work. Runic Lexicon, here we come.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It was an interesting skill. Belonging to an obscure branch of mastery skills with a distinctly academic flavour. Strangely, it could be formed with any five runic mastery skills, providing general boosts to all runes and more powerful ones to the scripts you used to form it.


    The knowledge that the skill could be made with any script was also something of a new development. Some scion generations back had been something of a cocky moron from the story Father had told him. Insistent that he could find a variant skill with enough theory crafting. Apparently he had nearly been exiled when the family head at the time had found out that he had thrown away half of the Unterstern legacy on a hunch. He¡¯d been elevated to an inheritor when he merged the same skill.


    Though ¡®new¡¯ was relative in this case. His father had said it took a dozen generations of scions offering to risk their legacy to explore the boundaries of the skill. Kaius still remembered staring in slack jawed amazement. He¡¯d been young then, and he knew their dynasty was old, but millennia was something else. He¡¯d tried to ask more, but his father had clammed up as he always did. Waving away his questions by saying the origins of their founding had been lost to time.


    Though Father had shared that it was one of his family''s oldest skills, one that had made many in his dynasty focus on the runic arts. Most scripts had clear advantages over others for specific use cases, so being able to tailor the skill had provided them with a breadth of capabilities. His father had told him that, while it was nowhere near ubiquitous, many in the family had focused their classes on runesmithing, grand formations, disposable artefacts, and a dozen other specialities. Father himself had apparently been a runesmith of some renown.


    Kaius couldn¡¯t wait to add to that history. When he had told Father about his plans for his class, it had lit a fire in his eyes. The passion, intensity, and sheer intellectual curiosity about the possibility had filled his father with energy for months. Those were some of his favourite memories. He had helped him theory craft the whole thing. Honestly, he doubted without Father¡¯s encyclopaedic knowledge of the runic arts that he would ever have gotten further than an idle idea. Body formations and runic spell hymns were monstrously complex specialities in their own right.


    Combining them would require utilising all five of his empowered scripts to their fullest extent. A skill of accomplished journeymen, linking the scripts would be its own challenge. For now, he had to start from the basics. Keystone, linking array, runic hymns, controller, and stabilisation. Five components, five scripts.


    He was starting with the keystone. The thing that would bind the runes to his flesh, holding the core of the array stable even when compartmentalised runic hymns were burnt in a cast. It was the lynch pin of everything, and had to bear the weight of a monstrously complex working. Generalist enough that it could handle a dozen different spells, stable enough that it would hold the overall formation in place -without him having to reinscribe the whole thing every time he cast a spell- and flexible enough to hold a wealth of meaning in a single, central, sigil.


    Ykkardian was the script he and his father had settled on. It suited his needs perfectly. A sigil style of script, where others focused on geometric mandalas or sentence based syntax. It was the same style of runes that adorned his sword, well renowned for its stability, depth of meaning, and simple power when leveraged correctly.


    It was also rather inflexible, ill suited for complex workings that required variable activation triggers and things of a similar nature.


    Like all of his five scripts, he already knew it like the back of his hand. Perhaps not to the extent of a master, but as much as anyone could expect from someone who had had a master tutor them with dedication on its use for years.


    Kaius dipped his quill in his inkpot, leaving it there as he took a moment to decide on the sigil he would draw. He chose Strength.


    He started to draw. Sweeping curves biting into sharp angled lines as the rune started to take shape on the page. His hand was perfectly steady, leaning on his Dexterity to keep his lines even. Making sure that each angle was perfect, each line the right thickness.


    The sigil was large, taking up the whole page as his hand gradually moved from edge to edge, swooping as he drew in a single continuous moment. He reinked his pen, careful to make sure not to mar the rune.


    Ykkardian sigils were almost self contained formations in their own right, only requiring bare little flourishes and simple lines to link them into a greater working. Similarly, it was simplicity itself to ensure the rune wouldn¡¯t draw mana from the atmosphere. Only requiring that he change a few accents. A variation that would require him to manually channel his pool to ignite the glyph.


    It was that stable, self contained nature that would make it so good for use as his keystone. It was also what would make it an absolute nightmare to link to his controller, something that would be made with a very different style of runic language.


    His focus totally honed, the rune of Strength slowly came together on the page. A few minutes later and it was done.


    Kaius grinned at the rune, admiring his handy work. It was a beautiful thing, a whorl of clean lines and sweeping angles, interposed with jagged slashes. It was rather beautiful in his opinion. He¡¯d always loved how Ykkardian was drawn in a single continuous stroke. A line that bent and wove through itself.


    Now it was time for the moment of truth.


    Giving the ink a moment to dry, Kaius  picked up the page and reached for the rune. Focusing for a moment to connect his pool to the working. Tugging at his mana, the paper went ridgid. Stiff.


    Then arcane force tore the mundane material to shreds. A CRACK echoed through the room, quickly followed by a flash of light. Kaius cursed, blinking rapidly to clear the after image of the flash hung in his vision.


    Then he laughed as Porkchop let out a yelp of alarm, quickly followed by a crashing sound as something hit the floor. Shaking his hand, he nursed  his slightly singed fingers. Kaius didn¡¯t get to see it, but it was obvious that the paper must have detonated. He had expected that, but Porkchop clearly hadn¡¯t. Maybe he¡¯d forgotten to mention that. Oops.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 2!**


    The afterimage faded, revealing a shower of ash and embers that floated through the air. Across the room Porkchop lay sprawled on the floor, the day bed knocked prone. His friend was staring at him with indignation.


    ¡°What the fuck was that, Kaius?¡±


    ¡°That, my friend, was a success.¡± Kaius replied with a wide grin, staring at the second notification that hung in his vision.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - Ykkardian (Rare)?**

 Chapter 62: Runes pt. 2

    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - Ykkardian (Rare)?**


    Kaius stared at the system notification that hung in his vision, feeling exceedingly pleased with himself. Getting offered the skill on his first attempt was evidence that all of those evenings spent in mind bending study of runes had been worth it. That his father¡¯s exacting methods and intolerance of mistakes had worked.


    Mastery skills were interesting. They might boost competency, but you had to display some baseline capability before a Skill would be offered to you by the system. It was an especially high bar for the runic arts. Your inscription didn¡¯t have to be perfect, but it did have to work. It took months of practice for that to even start to become a possibility. Even for him, with a grandmaster as his father, it had taken a lot of sweat and tears to get to this point.


    ¡°Kaius. Why the hells did that paper explode.¡± Porkchop asked him, still lying on the floor after the shock of Kaius¡¯s rune¡¯s spontaneous detonation had startled him from his seat.


    Kaius refocused on his friend, scratching his head awkwardly. ¡°Err. The paper couldn¡¯t handle the throughput of the rune?¡± He offered.


    ¡°So you knew this would happen?¡± Porkchop accused.


    ¡°Well. Yes. But-¡±


    Porkchop snorted, interrupting him. ¡°Usually you tell people before something blows up right next to where they are sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I-¡±


    ¡°Will it happen again?¡± Porkchop cut him off again.


    ¡°I mean-¡±


    ¡°Will. You. Keep. Blowing. Up. Paper.¡± Every word flowed across the link slowly, Porkchop making his annoyance clear.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kaius said, feeling a little silly that he had forgotten to warn his friend about the slightly volatile effects of scribing active runes onto mundane materials.


    ¡°I swear to all of your two-legged gods that if you manage to blow up this house as well I will eat your boots.¡± Porkchop pushed himself to his feet, walking out of the study. ¡°I¡¯m going to nap on the bed. Come find me when you¡¯re done blowing stuff up.¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Kaius called after him, feeling a little bad. The feeling passed quickly, his excitement for his new skill returning in full force as he turned his attention back to his notification.


    Kaius accepted his new Ykkardian mastery, and pulled up the description of the skill.


    Rune Mastery - Ykkardian:


    Level 1


    Rare


    Understanding relies on signs and symbols. These relations have weight. Once distilled into their purest form, power is all that remains.


    This skill improves the users ability to create Ykkardian formations, and increases the stability of the formations themselves.


    Each level slightly increases speed and accuracy when inscribing Ykkardian runes.


    Each level slightly increases stability of Ykkardian runes.


    Each level slightly increases memory and learning capacity of Ykkardian runes.


    Kaius focused on the middle effect of the skill, increasing formation stability. It was runic stability that had led to his earlier sheet immolating, and was what had caused the destructive detonation that had ruined their last home.


    It was an interesting trait of runes, many things could affect stability. Mana density, having too much of a single aspect, use of poor materials, mistakes in an inscription itself - all could have the effect of disastrously destabilising a formation. Even if an unstable formation didn¡¯t collapse with as much excitement as his previous experiences, it would still invariably fail at some point.


    Perfect stability was basically a myth. There were too many variables to control for, and all formations eventually failed because of them. Still, skills that boosted that aspect were invaluable. He doubted that it was enough to stop the paper from burning, not at his level, but it might be enough to make it less¡­Explosive.


    Kaius quickly moved to test it, redipping his pen and pulling another sheet from his stack. He kept to the same rune. Drawing out Strength a second time would make it far easier to tell how much the skill impacted the formation''s inevitable failure. Different runes failed differently. He had no doubt that if he used sigils for Decay or Consumption that the paper would have been far more likely to crumble into dust rather than ignite.


    The tip of his quill glided over the page in a single stroke, broken only to collect more ink from his well. He was faster and smoother than he had been only a few minutes before. His latest Skill tweaked his movements, giving him the confidence to draw with haste. The curves and slashes of the sigil seemed to leap out to him, no time being wasted on remembering the exact angle of a line, nor if the stroke that crossed its centre was two and a quarter fingerlengths, or two and an eighth.


    Neither did he feel like his Skill was writing for him. It was all him, just better.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    After a few minutes, he was done. An almost identical copy to his first rune, only differentiated by its slightly cleaner linework, sat in front of him.


    As soon as the ink was dry, Kaius snatched the page off the desk. He held it at arm''s length, shielding his eyes with his other hand. A flicker of intent and he linked the sigil to his mana. The page went ridgid again. Just for a moment. Then it burned. Flashing into a fire as fast as he could blink. Singeing his fingers and showering the hardwood desk with a cloud of glowing ash.


    **Ding! Rune Mastery - Ykkardian has reached level 2!**


    It did not, however, explode. Success!


    Kaius cackled, throwing his head back as a full bodied laugh shook him in his seat. Runes! He was finally working with runes! It had been so long, years of effort to reach this point. And here he was, at the finish line. Finally starting the most important work he had for his class.


    Soon. Soon he would be able to cast. He would merge Runic Lexicon, quickly followed by Mana Manipulation, and then his work would truly start in earnest.


    Deep down he knew he had a lot to do. There were two more legacy skills, plus his final upgraded skill, after that. And he had to cap everything at twenty. No small task. But when he could finally cast? It would all be worth it. Every moment spent training, fighting. All of his arguments with his father. Living in a forest, in hiding.


    It would all be worth it if it led to him pioneering a new runic art. A true mage art, one that would let him fight up close with the power and flexibility of magic at his side.


    ¡°I heard that! Weirdo!¡± Porkchop called, his tone teasing. Kaius snapped his mouth shut, cutting off his villainous laugh with a wince.


    He pushed his embarrassment out of his mind. He had more skills to earn. Experimenting with Ykkardian could wait until he had filled out his skill list. No point risking accidentally accepting a different rune related skill when he was inevitably offered one.


    Also, maybe he should clean the desk. Two failed runes had completely covered its varnished top in ash. If it got into the ink while he was inscribing it could cause a failure. He stood up, cutting free a section from one of the curtains that draped down the sides of the window behind him. Using the scrap to wipe up the dust as best he could.


    Sitting back down, Kaius thought on which language to use next. He could use any of the four, he knew that. He also couldn¡¯t help the fact that it had been burned into him for many many years that his legacy skills had an exact order.


    It felt bloody wrong to just pick willy-nilly.


    Biting his nail, Kaius decided to work outwards from the scripts he would use for his spellcasting body formation. He already had Ykkardian, which would make up the central keystone. Outside of that would be the controller, a dense working that would serve as his link and interface with the overall working. Imprinting spell-like effects into an object with runes was, well- not easy, but relatively straight forward. Making those spells directably and intuitively controllable like a real spell? Far harder.


    You needed a dizzyingly complex array. Something that could handle context with ease. Something capable of handling arguments. Something adaptable.


    After a lot of discussion, he and Father had settled on using the Vhaxani script. For his niche use case, it was perfect. Though from his fathers lessons he had quickly gotten the idea that Vhaxanish was only useful for niche edge cases. Frankly, whoever had discovered or invented it must have been demented.


    Sure, it was technically equally capable at doing just about anything, and it definitely was amazing for creating perfectly tailored command and control arrays. It was also categorically verbose, and its formations and arrays invariably ended up being a dozen or more times longer than any other option available. It was also notorious for being finicky. When working with such a long structure, a single syntax error could throw the whole thing off. Causing weird quirks, or catastrophic stability failures.


    If he was being honest with himself, it was shit. Really shit. Horrible to use, overly complicated, and unnecessarily confusing, even when compared to other notable offenders. It was also the best bet he had. That complexity was needed when he wanted to do something like creating a permanent self sustaining body array, with disposable spell sections, that also linked to his mind and system.


    It was also the sole piece of his spell casting formation that Hastur had insisted he completely design himself. His father had still done all the leg work for the rest, including helping him brainstorm some spell hymns written in High Lothian. The controller itself though was far too complex and important, Father had done it all without asking for his input. Kaius remembered that week.


    His father hunched over his notebook, furiously scribbling. Tearing pages out in frustration, nearly throwing his whole damn book in the fire more than once. Any time Kaius had made so much as a peep, Father had yelled at him to shut up. Only for him to wake, finding his father thrusting a page of what looked like a wheel of minuscule angled letters in his face. Telling him that he had to memorise the entire thing. Perfectly.


    It had taken another three weeks.


    He was grateful to Father- loved him to pieces, but gods damned did that man have high demands on his ability


    Kaius sighed. It was still going to take forever to finish a formation and get the skill. Worse, he had to do it without making any mistakes. Even a basic light formation would take him at least half an hour.


    Gods, he hated Vhaxani. Thank the hells that as soon as he had created his spell formation he could forget the entire damned thing.


    Deciding he may as well just get on with it, Kaius put his pen to the page. Writing out dense swirling letters that coallessed into words thirty to fifty characters long. Each was small enough that he struggled with the necessary precision. Thankfully, one of the only positives of the script was that each individual letter was simplistic. Barely more complicated than those of Common. Even if there were five hundred and twelve of them.


    Kaius kept grumbling to himself, muttering a thousand vile curses against the script''s inventor, as he scribed out a basic runic formation. Word by word the lines of the script spiralled inwards, flowing according to Vhaxanish sacred geometry. Half an hour turned out to be an underestimate. A full hour later Kaius stared at his finished formation.


    Squeezing his fist rhythmically, Kaius restrained himself from crumpling the damnable paper. It had been an exercise in frustration. Not just due to the length, but having to stop every five seconds to double check he had his characters correct, or that his syntax was in order.


    ¡°It¡¯s over now. Just activate the rune. Get the skill.¡± Kaius thought to himself, breathing deeply.


    He reached out to his rune. Intermeshing with it. Connecting to his Ma-


    It wouldn¡¯t connect to his Mana. He¡¯d made a mistake.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Kaius yelled

 Chapter 63: Runes pt. 3

    Kaius held the piece of paper between ink stained fingers, his hands shaking slightly as he stared at the complex mess of a runic sigil that had taken him the better part of an hour to write. It had to work this time. It had to.


    He felt like he was going insane, pouring over the grain sized characters that built up into massive words, in turn whorling into curving lines of script. It wasn¡¯t his hand writing. That was perfect. His first attempt, the one that failed to connect to his mana, had been due to faulty substitutions. Mixing up the seventeenth and eighty-ninth Vhaxanish characters. Easy to do. One was an upside down equilateral triangle, the other an upside down equilateral triangle with a slight flick on its left point.


    Failures two through five had been grammar issues. Basic things, but each one had caused the formation to burst into a shower of sparks the second he pushed mana through it.


    He¡¯d fixed those.


    It had to be right, now. Syntax was fine. Spelling was fine. He¡¯d used the correct characters. The angles and cross over points on the lines of text were perfect.


    Kaius took a shaky breath. Reaching out to the sigil. Mana connected.


    A soft glow lit from the central point of the Vhaxanish formation, a ball of white light emerging to hover over its centre.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - Vhaxanish (Rare)?**


    ¡°Thank the fucking GODS!¡± Kaius cried, throwing his hands up in triumph and letting the formation flutter to the ground. Half way it burst into flames, scattering ash across the floor.


    He accepted the skill in a rush, pulling up its description. Unwilling to let a freak accident force him to spend any more time than was necessary on the utterly miserable script. Being forced to regain it would mean doing at least twice as many successful formations.


    Rune Mastery - Vhaxanish:


    Level 1


    Rare


    Lesser minds do not understand the value of precision.


    This skill improves the users ability to create Vhaxanish formations, and increases the stability of the formations themselves.


    Each level slightly increases speed and accuracy when inscribing Vhaxanish runes.


    Each level slightly increases stability of Vhaxanish runes.


    Each level slightly increases memory and learning capacity of Vhaxanish runes.


    ¡°Oh fuck off.¡± Kaius mumbled, reading the epigraph of the skill. That was ridiculous. Vhaxanish was not precise, it was cumbersome, unwieldy, and other scripts outshone it in almost every single use case imaginable. Thank you very fucking much.


    A noise from the doorway tore him away from his frustration. He looked up, finding Porkchop poking his head into the office.


    ¡°You give up yet?¡± His friend asked. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Kaius said, his voice a little more biting than he intended, still pissed off at his failures.


    ¡°So no food?¡± Porkchop asked, his whole body drooping. He sounded devastated.


    Kaius immediately felt bad. ¡°No! I got it.¡± He said, pushing himself up and away from the desk.


    Porkchop perked up immediately, bounding away from the door. ¡°Race you to the kitchen!¡±


    Laughing, Kaius jumped into a sprint, tearing through the halls after his friend.


    ¡­


    Kaus leaned against one of the massive benches that lined the manor¡¯s kitchen. He assumed it must have been staffed by a good handful of cooks, tucked away as it was at the back of the ground floor. Though smaller than the barrack kitchen, it was still large enough to prepare food for several dozen people, and had a larder stocked to match.


    He worked his way through the bowl of piping hot stew in his hands, wondering about the strange numbing sensation that had spread through his mouth. He had to assume it came from the strange spice that Porkchop had insisted he use. It was¡­ Nice enough, he supposed. A little citrusy. He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about the numbing though, he¡¯d half thought that he¡¯d been poisoned at first, or was having an allergic reaction.


    Porkchop loved it though. Kaius watched his friend momentarily come up for air before shoving his head back into the mixing bowl of food he had given him. It had taken a lot to convince him to wait long enough for it to not burn him.


    ¡°Sho Ghood¡± Porkchop moaned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know why you do that. It¡¯s not like you''re actually using your mouth to talk.¡± Kaius cocked his eye at his friends antics


    ¡°You do it!¡±


    ¡°I do have to use my mouth to talk,¡± he said with a grin.


    Porkchop pulled his head out of his bowl long enough to huff in Kaius¡¯s direction, before diving right back in.


    ¡°I hope we can visit some place like this one day. Not filled with goblins I mean.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°We probably could,¡± Kaius responded. ¡°Maybe not exactly like this, I¡¯m pretty sure this is modelled after a dwarven deepholm. More of a dwarf-only fortress than a proper city. But the Stoneholds themselves accept travellers!¡±


    ¡°It was weird at first, seeing a city. So different from the forest. I can''t even imagine how many people there must have been.¡±


    ¡°Same. I didn¡¯t grow up much different. The frontier villages are nice, but they are terribly small. Only a few hundred people. It¡¯s a bit too remote and rough at the edge of the frontier for most people. I visited Deadacre once, it¡¯s supposed to be a small city but even that was overwhelming.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see them. The villages I mean. You mention them a lot. Do you have any friends there?¡±


    Kaius smiled, thinking about the small hamlets that he and his father used to visit a couple of times a year.


    ¡°A few, mostly in Threefields. It¡¯s where me and my father visited the most. Illendra and her father at the inn, the mayor, a few others. I¡¯m not even really sure if I could call them friends. Friendly, sure, but I only got to see them a few times a year for a couple of days at a time. Just long enough for us to restock.¡±


    ¡°Must have been lonely.¡± Porkchop said. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine growing up without all of my siblings and cousins, the Den was always crowded.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°I had my father, and my days were always full of things to do. Always more training after all. I like people, and meeting them, but unless I know them well, being around a lot of them can be quite exhausting. It¡¯s a big part of why I wanted, want, to be an explorer. Lots of sights to see, people to meet, but never getting too bogged down.¡±


    ¡°Me too. The Den was nice, but it got so boring after a while. Even the forest. After enough time every tree is basically the same as the next. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing more of what''s out there.¡± Porkchop said, wistful emotions bleeding across their link.


    Kaius nodded. He couldn¡¯t wait to be free of this death trap. Admittedly, being down here was fantastic for training, and meeting Porkchop had been a blessing, but he missed the sun. The scent of pine on the wind. The stars hanging in the night.


    That didn¡¯t mean he was going to waste the opportunity. More Champions. More loot. More Honours. More Skills.


    He dug his spoon into his stew, hurrying to get through the rest. He had to keep working on his Runic Lexicon.


    ¡­


    Kaius walked back into the office, taking a seat at his desk. It was nice to take a meal break with Porkchop, and he felt comfortably full after the curiously spiced goat stew. Now though, he had to get back to working on collecting his skills.


    He¡¯d already successfully collected the scripts he needed for his keystone and controlling arrays, now it was time for the script he needed for the linking array.


    It was a vital piece of the overall puzzle. His overall spell formation would be a disparate thing, made up of five different scripts working in tandem. That caused issues. Each style of runes had its own syntax, its own way of integrating separate arrays into an overall formation. He needed something to bind them together. To facilitate communication. Thankfully, it was not an uncommon problem for larger and more complex workings.


    Modern runecraft often relied on utilising the strengths of specific scripts and linking them together. Centuries ago it had been the sole purview of masters and grandmasters, now it was something that any middling apprentice was supposed to understand, at least the theory of it .


    All thanks to the work of the runewright Yosh. He was supposedly the kind of genius that is only seen once a millennium. He solved the problem of linking scripts by inventing a new one whole cloth. Yosh¡¯s Supplementary.


    It was by no means a simple script, but it was far far easier to learn than what was required to integrate separate scripts without it. Where previously one had to be at least master level proficiency in each and every script they wanted to link, the Supplementary allowed that with a mere working understanding of it and the other desired components.


    It had its own drawbacks. It was built for one purpose, and one purpose alone. The Supplementary couldn¡¯t be used for anything else. Often that meant that most did not truely dive deep into learning it until they were well into their journeyman years. Afterall, it wasn¡¯t until then that integrating scripts was really viable or useful.


    He was a little different, as a vital component of his spell array he had needed to learn it immediately. Admittedly his fathers teaching had been entirely focused on its use with his other key four scripts - and Gretchen''s Standard for ease of practice.


    Unfortunately, its sole use as a linking script meant that he would need to use it for that purpose. Thankfully, he already had an idea. A Ykkardian sigil of force, with a little basic shaping with Gretchen¡¯s Standard should be enough for his purposes. Far less painful than trying to merge Vhaxanish at any rate.


    In the centre of his page he wrote out a single twisting and looping line, slowly coming together into the form of a Force sigil. Ykkardian was nice to use as a baseline, its broad functionality responding well to shaping and controlling runes from a variety of forces. If he got his Standard right, the formation should activate for long enough to tear the paper in half. Something that would hopefully disrupt it¡¯s working fast enough that he wouldn¡¯t shower his desk in more ash.


    He moved to his controlling array, quickly scribing the simplified runes of Gretchen''s standard. Both the controller and the keystone had space for basic links, but they were incompatible. Working off different syntax.


    Redipping his pen, Kaius moved into the sharp, angular forms of Yosh¡¯s Supplementary. It was mostly a geometric script. Relying less on characters and sigils, and more on the natural ability of mana pathway geometry to effect the working. He started from the sigil of Force, twisting his line so that sacred geometry would modulate the flow of mana. Adjusting it into a form that would be recognised by the controller of Gretchen¡¯s Standard.


    A few minutes later he was finished. After waiting for the ink to dry, Kaius picked up the sheet. Holding it at arm''s length, he held his breath as he reached out to the formation with his mana, nudging a little through the working.


    The page tore in half. Kaius grinned.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - Yosh¡¯s Supplementary (Rare)?**


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Rune Mastery - Yosh¡¯s Supplementary:


    Level 1


    Rare


    If you cannot make something so easy that a Journeyman could do it, you were never really a Grandmaster.


    This skill improves the users ability to create Yosh¡¯s Supplementary arrays, and increases the stability of the arrays themselves.


    Each level slightly increases speed and accuracy when inscribing Yosh¡¯s Supplementary runes.


    Each level slightly increases stability of Yosh¡¯s Supplementary runes.


    Each level slightly increases memory and learning capacity of Yosh¡¯s Supplementary runes.


    Kaius took in his new skill, happy to have gotten it done on the first try. It really hammered in how awful Vhaxanish was.


    Oh well. Onto the next one. The grind never stops, after all.

 Chapter 64: Runes pt. 4

    Kaius sat at the head of a grand dining table, nine high backed seats lining each side with a long tablecloth embroidered with heraldry draping over its centre. After two full days cooped up in the manors office, he had decided he needed a change of scenery.


    Sitting at the head of the table was weird. An experience far removed from his rather¡­rustic upbringing in the Arboreal Sea. He felt like a kid playing at a noble. The whole thing got another confusing twist to it when everything was just a little too short for him.


    Oh well, at least the chair was terrifically comfy.


    Porkchop had decided to join him again, lounging on a plush carpet that sat in front of a roaring hearth. After dinner last night they had done some more exploring of the multi floored manor, eventually managing to stumble across a treasure trove of wood and coal in some unmarked closet tucked into one of the narrow servant corridors that twisted through the house''s ground floor.


    After a good sleep, and a hearty breakfast of pork and eggs, Kaius was ready to tackle the last two of his remaining Runic Mastery skills. Neither of them should be too difficult, at least in comparison that was the mind numbing exercise in frustration that was Vhaxanish.


    Once he had all five he planned on getting as much initial practice as he could through scribing formations on paper. That would, however, inevitably run out. Nor would he be able to use that for anything larger or more complex than the most basic of workings. Warding the house and surrounding area was bound to get him the rest of the way there, and would give them some extra much needed security besides.


    As it stood, lounging around in a manor at the centre of a Depths constructed city full of goblins wasn¡¯t exactly what he would consider safe. He might have been convinced to leave his armour unadorned inside of the bedroom he had been using, but he still wore his sword buckled at his hip at all times.


    Wards would go a long way to mitigate that anxiety. If it wasn¡¯t for the benefits of levels, he probably would have eschewed practising on paper at all. However, most of the more effective warding he knew, especially those that incorporated his chosen scripts, was only known in theory. He needed every boost he could get if he wanted to translate that into runic arts utilised in practice.


    He twiddled his quill, twirling it between his fingers. Thinking.


    The next script he needed to work on was High Lothian. It was, perhaps, the script that would see the most use in his spell formation, at least in terms of his regularity of inscribing with it.


    It was a complex script, though not quite as bad as Vhaxanish. It was also rather flexible, and was notoriously good at being used to define and shape spell-like effects. That was what he intended to use it for. Runic spell hymns.


    While the rest of his spell formation would be permanent, the hymns themselves would be consumable by nature. His goal was to burn the overall formation to his body and his mana pool, creating an immutable self sustaining formation. However, that was just the ¡®machinery¡¯ that would let him cast spells.


    The spells themselves would be High Lothian inscriptions entirely in their own right. The casting formation would hold them in stasis, drawing on his mana pool to reserve some of his mystic might inside of the spell hymn. Once called upon, the spell would burn, consuming itself in an instant to cast his desired hymn.


    That also meant that he would need to prepare each and every cast of a chosen spell ahead of time, and could only store as many as his mana pool could support. It also meant if he wanted two available casts of a given spell, he would need to inscribe and link that runic hymn to the overall spellcasting formation twice.


    He and his father- mostly Father- had spent weeks trying to find a way around this. It unfortunately looked like it was a hard limitation of his attempted style of mage craft. Every time they tried to make a hymn permanent, it required consciously channelled mana to activate. Completely defeating the point of the exercise.


    No, he needed to cast at the speed of thought, which meant sacrificing staying power in favour of focused instant bursts.


    That fact had made High Lothian the best contender as a script to use for the hymns themselves. Yes it was complex, and yes it was finicky. It was also dense and incredibly flexible. Any spell effect he could think of could be programmed into a High Lothian hymn. Even better, most of the complexity came from properly planning any given hymn, due to the extensive number of characters and contextual grammar of the script. Once memorised, he would be able to inscribe a given spell hymn relatively quickly. At least compared to other scripts which made it easier to create spells, but harder to inscribe them.


    Unfortunately, even if High Lothian was technically capable of spell hymns up to the fifth tier -the highest tier of advancement currently discovered- his spell casting formation was only capable of handling spells up to the first.


    Anything more than that would put undue stress on his body, his father had said. He¡¯d been willing to risk it. Father had not, and without his help the entire exercise was dead in the water.


    It wasn¡¯t the end of the road, not by any means. He was counting on a class that heavily incorporated this unique style of magecraft that he was pioneering. Almost everyone who managed to use something novel before class selection was offered something similar.


    It was highly likely that some of his general skills would evolve to support runic casting, hopefully allowing him to iterate and improve on his design. Even better, there was a chance that his casting formation would be directly integrated into his class skills, giving him an organic way to improve upon it through his natural rising through the tiers. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    That was reasonably common. A runewright might start with a skill that allowed them to directly empower a formation of the first tier, and then when they evolved their class as they passed through the level two hundred barrier -entering the second tier- that skill would usually evolve to include formations of that tier as well.


    In the end, that was all in the future. For now he had to get his High Lothian skill, then he could move on to his last.


    Kaius stopped twirling his quill, dipping the pen in his ink.


    He decided to write out a runic hymn for a Spark, what may as well have been a cantrip. Most runic spell hymns were used in the creation of wands and staves and the like. Implements that allowed a mage to channel mana to create a given spell effect. They were mightily expensive things, and invariably broke after a number of casts. Barely anyone used them, only rich magi who could afford the expense to round out their build, or hold on to a hidden ace.


    The script wound across the page, taking the shape of an arrow. It was the basic structure for evocation effects, ones that he intended to make heavy use of. Dense characters scrawling, Kaius worked fast. Spark was one of a handful of spell effects he had memorised for use in casting. This one needed slight tweaks, as his father had taught him how to modify them for use in his specialised body formation, so he did still have to sit and think every now and then.


    He finished quickly, letting the page sit for a moment to dry before he lay his hand over the page, channelling his mana.


    There was a slight crack as the formation activated. The runes sparked, arcing to the tip of Kaius¡¯s finger. A moment later and the formation overloaded, immolating the page.


    Kaius yanked his hand back, shaking it to distract himself from the jolting sting of the zap.


    ¡°Shit, that smarts!¡±


    Porkchop chuffed, looking over to him in amusement. ¡°Did you mess up again?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Kaius said happily, sticking his tongue out at his friend. ¡°Just ah.. May have forgotten that activating a spark array without any targeting or control components leads to it zapping whatever¡¯s closest.¡±


    Porkchop snorted at him, before settling his head back on his paws. ¡°Good thing you didn¡¯t use that bolt spell like you wanted to then.¡±


    Kaius winced. Originally he¡¯d planned on using Arcane Bolt, the only spell hymn of the first tier that he knew. It was a spell he intended on testing his casting formation with when he finally got to make it. He¡¯d wanted to get some practice in inscribing it, but Porkchop had rightly pointed out that his paper formations were already literally exploding.


    Good thing he¡¯d listened, Kaius thought as he scratched his head. Otherwise he might be nursing a wound that was a lot worse than a little zap.


    Still, undirected or not, the spell hymn had worked. The notification that rang in the corner of his mind attested to that.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - High Lothian (Rare)?**


    Accepting the skill immediately, Kaius pulled up its description.


    Rune Mastery - High Lothian:


    Level 1


    Rare


    Wield the language of the arcane, seal and constrain the mystic with sacred hymns. The power of magi yours to obtain, limited only by time, material, and capability.


    This skill improves the users ability to create High Lothian spell hymns, and increases the stability of the spell hymns themselves.


    Each level slightly increases speed and accuracy when inscribing High Lothian runes.


    Each level slightly increases stability of High Lothian runes.


    Each level slightly increases memory and learning capacity of High Lothian runes.


    Smiling as he read the description, Kaius brushed the ashen remnants of his last formation off of the table. Clearing the space for his continued work. Refusing to take a break to celebrate, he sat back down and grabbed another leaf of paper.


    He was down to his final script. The one he would need for containment and stabilisation arrays. It was another vital part of his spell casting formation, one that was almost ubiquitous in all body formations. Most runic inscriptions relied on consistent geometry, and smooth and uniform materials to maintain their stability.


    Body formations did not, and could not, have the same advantages. By definition the body was a dynamic organism. Surfaces twisted and shifted, distorting the formation. Muscles and blood moved freely. All this and much more were what made body formations so ruinously difficult to create.


    It required a rare type of array worked into the formation for them to function. One that served to preserve and maintain the formation''s overall function. One that projected the formation''s structure into the surrounding mana of the body. Even cut and severed it would allow the formation to function for some time - though inevitably without the physical inscriptions to support it it would begin to fail.


    Simenoan was one such script designed from the ground up to support this type of runic array. Named after the runewright Simeno, who pioneered both it and body formations more than a millennia ago. His father had told him much about the man. Apparently they were kindred spirits. Though, where he sought to use runes to emulate the magi, Simeno had used body formations to turn himself into a supreme warrior. Engraving wards, strength boosts, rejuvenation, and other similar enhancements onto his very bones.


    Kaius could only hope that he would have as much success as the ancient runewright. That his own name would similarly last through the millenia.


    Once again he started by scribing another Ykkardian sigil on the centre of his page, this time returning to Strength. Around it he scribed a Simenoan stabilising array. It was a geometric script, encircling his central sigil in overlapping circles, tessellated triangles, and more.


    ¡°Moment of truth.¡± Kaius thought, finishing the formation with a final flick of his quill.


    He reached for the page, sinking his mana into the formation. The page snapped to rigidity.


    Kaius clenched his fist. Waiting. The page lay there. He reached out, tentatively lifting the formation. The page was as stiff as wood, strong and proud in his hand. Stable.


    A few heart beats later, and the inherent weakness of the instability reared its head. It immolated slowly, starting from the very centre of the Ykkardian sigil. The moment it started to burn into the geometry of his Simenoan array, the stabilising force collapsed. Instantly combusting the rest of the page.


    Kaius grinned as another notification started to blare in his mind.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - Simenoan (Rare)?**

 Chapter 65: Runes pt. 5

    Seeing that the system had offered him the skill he wanted, Kaius smiled. It was the last he needed for Runic Lexicon.


    Now he just needed to practise. That would come later, first he had to check his latest skill.


    Rune Mastery - Simenoan:


    Level 1


    Rare


    Bind chaos, weave stability into the unpredictable. Find calm in disorder and force the mutable to be concrete.


    This skill improves the users ability to create Simenoan stabilising arrays, and increases the stability of the arrays themselves.


    Each level slightly increases speed and accuracy when inscribing Simenoan runes.


    Each level slightly increases stability of Simenoan runes.


    Each level slightly increases memory and learning capacity of Simenoan runes.


    Kaius nodded as he read the description. Nothing about it was a surprise, afterall, it had the same effects as his previous four Rune Mastery skills.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing by your vacant stare that you got the skill?¡± Porkchop asked, having readjusted by the hearth to look at him.


    Dismissing his notification, Kaius focused on his friend. ¡°Yeah, all done for now. Just need to get them to the cap.¡±


    ¡°So we can take a break and go exploring? As much as I love hanging around on beds and eating cooked food, it''s getting a little stale.¡± Porkchop said, lounging by the fire.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Kaius apologised. He knew his friend must be bored. Hells, Kaius would be too if he had no skills to work on. Unfortunately, he needed to get this done. ¡°Can you handle a few more days? I want to churn through the early levels as fast as I can. After that I was thinking I could work on setting up alarm wards and the like around the neighbourhood. Explore and scavenge some of the other manors while we do it?¡±


    Porkchop groaned, slumping dramatically to the floor. ¡°Fiiiiine. But you can wait a few hours, I¡¯m hungry. If I have to sit around doing nothing while you scribble on paper, you can cook for me while you do.¡±


    Kaius smiled. ¡°I suppose I could use a break.¡± He said, stretching before rising from his chair. ¡°C¡¯mon. I wanna show you what a roast is.¡±


    Pretending to be calm about the prospect of an exciting new dish, Porkchop continued to lay on the floor. For all of three seconds that is. Then he tore off, claws clattering against the polished stone floor as he sprinted for the kitchen.


    ¡°Race you!¡±


    ¡­.


    Kaius crouched by the wall of the alley, feeling his mana slowly drain away as he connected another swooping line to a dense nexus of Yosh¡¯s runes that served to interface his central Ykkardian sigil with the rest of the detection formation.


    It was slow work, but satisfying. He and Porkchop had been at it for just over three weeks now, and his constant work had pushed his skills nicely. Each and every single one was closing in on level fifteen. The impact of the skills was noticeable now. Runes and formation plans practically leapt into his mind, and he could scribe them out what felt like twice as fast with half the errors.


    Finishing the detection formation Kaius stood back, surveying his work. Two dense knots of runes had been scribed at chest height on both of the alley walls. A braided line connected the two, crossing the alley proper.


    **Ding! Rune Mastery - Ykkardian has reached level 15!**


    **Ding! Rune Mastery - Vhaxanish has reached level 11!**


    **Ding! Rune Mastery - High Lothian has reached level 14!**


    It was an ugly thing. Inefficient, and cumbersome for a simple alarm, patently unsuitable for regular use. Off of the top of his head he could think of three different scripts that could do the same thing for less mana, less time inscribing, and with less complexity.


    Total jank. But it was jank that utilised all five of his runic scripts that he had mastery skills for, so it was good training.


    He¡¯d keyed it to both himself and Porkchop, so if anything other than them crossed its boundaries it would let off a hellish shriek that should be inaudible to everyone else. Most alarm formations would have some sort of targeting system. One that would prevent a stray mouse from setting them off, either by coding in specific targets, or having an extensive whitelist.


    Trying to do that would have been an absolute nightmare with Vhaxanish, so he simply hadn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d seen anything living down here other than goblins, and they were the whole reason he was warding the alleys near the manor anyway.


    As much as he was pretty sure that the goblins weren¡¯t roaming outside of their little groups, pretty sure was a great way to end up dead in the Depths. No one wanted to wake up to find a goblin rogue gnawing on their throat, after all.


    Exploring the area was also a fantastic way to keep Porkchop from complaining while he worked on his skills. Something that was not to be undervalued, as it turned out that his friend was a massive moaner. If Porkchop was to be believed, gnawing your own leg off was preferable to being bored.


    Happy with his work, Kaius turned to the complainer in question. Porkchop was waiting at the mouth of the alley. Fully dressed in his barding, the meles was absolutely laden with bulging sacks of goods that they had looted from the other manors.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°All done.¡± He said, smiling as Porkchop chuffed in obvious relief. ¡°Want to check out another manor on our way back?¡±


    ¡°Yes please! They have so much strange food! I don¡¯t even know how you remember it all.¡±


    Kaius laughed. ¡°Most of it is weird to me too, it¡¯s just that if you cook enough you kinda get a feel for how things should be used. Besides, I do have Explorer¡¯s Toolkit helping out a bit.¡±


    ¡°Still impressive! I wanna see if we can find more of that strange pork!¡±


    Kaius nodded in agreement. He considered himself a big eater, and Porkchop could down quadruple what he could - easily. Without having to ration themselves like they had before, they had absolutely churned through the supplies that had already been in the manor they now called home. That had pushed them to start raiding the kitchens of surrounding manors for choice goods.


    About a week back they had found a leg of what Kaius was pretty sure was pork. It was heavily salted, but mouth-wateringly savoury. In the end he¡¯d found it worked best when sliced super thin, and the cured meat had quickly grown into one of their favourites. Once they finished it, Porkchop had quickly grown obsessed with finding more.


    Unfortunately, the manors seemed to hold nothing else of value. Candelabras that he would have expected to be silver were iron, and there was a conspicuous lack of anything resembling jewels or ornamentation in the dressing rooms. He supposed the Depths didn¡¯t want them growing too wealthy without a fight.


    No matter, they¡¯d been getting more than enough wealth from the Champions.


    They left the alley, heading towards an unsearched manor that they had marked earlier.


    ¡°How much longer until you are ready to merge? I¡¯m looking forward to helping you with Mana Manipulation. Contested casting is so much fun. Almost as good as wrestling.¡±


    ¡°A week, maybe two. I¡¯m most of the way there, but the last levels are always the slowest,¡± he explained, peering through the windows of manors as they walked past. ¡±I¡¯m planning on warding the windows and doors of our base. Doing some unnecessarily convoluted shielding formations should do the trick.¡±


    Porkchop had been asking him that question every second day since he had suggested that method for levelling his upcoming manipulation skills. If two people tried to manipulate the same mana, they had to contest wills to gain control. The added difficulty would be fantastic for skill growth, and Porkchop was competitive enough that he had jumped on the idea.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to crush you.¡± Porkchop said, nudging him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are, buddy. I¡¯m sure you are.¡± Kaius said, laughing as he gave Porkchop a friendly shove. He barely moved.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯re almost at the manor.¡±


    ¡­.


    Kaius frowned in concentration as he scrawled runes around one of the massive bay windows that dotted the ground floor of the Manor they had been staying in for the last several weeks. It was the last on the floor, and if he was lucky that last he needed to finish off his runic mastery skills in preparation for their merging into Runic Lexicon.


    As he had suspected, the warding formation he had come up with was a hideously complex mess. Requiring that he inscribe not just the window frame, but the very glass itself. Thankfully, with his stylus artefact that he had looted from the warg riding Champion outside of the city, that was not too much of an issue.


    The nightmarish mishmash of scripts on the other hand¡­


    It had, however, been fantastic practice. Not just for his skills, but simply getting the feel for how each of the scripts worked in tandem. Runic Lexicon would improve that, and the fact that he had his spell casting formation preplanned would also be a boon. It still helped to grow his confidence. Jumping straight into what was perhaps the most important formation of his life, and one that could seriously injure him if he made a mistake, would have been entirely foolhardy.


    Taking a steady breath to hone his focus, Kaius connected the final few lines of the formation. He stepped back, watching it like a hawk as he held his breath. He couldn¡¯t see any imperfections, and considering the growth True Sight has seen due to his scrutiny of his recent works, that was saying something.


    The rune sucked in mana from the atmosphere, slowly suffusing the ward. A thin glowing gas syphoning into the collection arrays he had set high up in the frames. It had taken a lot of planning, and a few shattered walls, before he had managed to get a handle on how to modulate its intake in the increased density of mana inside of the Depths.


    Thankfully, he¡¯d had the foresight to practise warding in the alleys first, so their base camp was untouched.


    The mana clicked into place, formation activating. A thin shimmer covered the window, True Sight revealing the protective barrier.


    Notifications streamed into Kaius¡¯s mind.


    **Ding! Intelligence has reached level 17!**


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 8!**


    **Ding! Rune Mastery - Vhaxanish level 20!**


    **Ding! Rune Mastery - Yosh¡¯s Supplementary level 20!**


    **Ding! Rune Mastery - Simenoan has reached level 20!**


    He¡¯d done it. Finished off the skills, all in record time. He was ready to merge. These last three had been stubborn. Ykkardian had been the quickest. He managed to cap the skill before he even started to ward the manor. High Lothian wasn¡¯t far behind, with the complexity of the noise spells he had been including in the alarm wards in the alleys.


    Still, it was finally over. Excitement shot through him, a wide grin splitting his face as he absorbed his success at taking another step closer to his class. His escape.


    Turning with a whoop, Kaius leapt towards where Porkchop was waiting, throwing his arms around his friend and wrestling him to the ground. Growling in faux outrage, Porkchop retaliated, tossing him around with his superior strength, pinning him.


    ¡°I submit!¡± Kaius yelled playfully as he laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s done then?¡± Porkchop asked, looking down at him as he took his paw off his chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s done! I¡¯m ready!¡±


    ¡°Thank the gods! Let¡¯s celebrate!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius asked, giving his friend a questioning look as he pushed himself up off the ground. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Stew! With potatoes!¡± Porkchop said, to Kaius¡¯s complete and utter lack of surprise.


    ¡°And I suppose that you will be making it for me? Since we are celebrating my achievement?¡± Kaius grinned.


    Porkchop went quiet. ¡°Look. I have claws. We both know you are making the stew. Just let me have this.¡±


    Kaius laughed, taking the lead to head towards the kitchen. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m ready for a break anyway. Inscribing that ward made it feel like my brain was melting.¡±


    He did need a break. The constant stress on his mana pool from channelling the resource through his stylus was exhausting. Taxing on the mind in a way that only sleep seemed to fix. Trying to merge the skills now would be idiotic.


    Tomorrow though? He¡¯d be doing it first thing, no matter how much Porkchop begged for breakfast.

 Chapter 66: Runes Finale

    Kaus sat in a comfortably overstuffed armchair, his legs splayed out in front of him thanks to its slightly too short height. He had returned to the office as soon as he had woken, rising with the dawn of the crystal sun that hung high above the Depths-created dwarven city. To his luck, he¡¯d been able to slip out of the bedroom without waking Porkchop. By his measure he had at least an hour until his friend woke, giving him plenty of time to merge Runic Lexicon.


    His chest rose and fell with his slow and measured breaths. The steady cadence helping him to empty his mind and prepare him for the battle of wills ahead. Even with his enhanced mental visualisation capabilities thanks to True Sight, he knew that it would require a devoted effort to ignore the calls of his legacy skills as he went through the merging process.


    Thankfully, with each step on his path, the amount of skills that needed to be merged decreased. He doubted that even with his drive and capped Willpower that he would be able to handle the strain of merging more than five.


    He could do this. It was time.


    His inner world spun into existence, sharp and defined. Where previously entering his soul space felt like puppeting a marionette, now he felt in control. More able to visualise and direct his will. His soul burned with a warm orange fire, lighting up the nebulae of his resources. Pulling the crystal shards of his general skills into its orbit.


    A full half of them glimmered with the platinum shine he had come to expect from legacy skills. A testament to his steadily growing foundation, though only one had buttressed up against the imposed cap on growth that the system imposed on the unclassed.


    The other half glimmered, almost overshadowed by the aura of their superior cousins. Each and everyone bled meaning into the void. Their energies twisting and turning into mind bending geometric shapes. His runic mastery skills.


    At this point, spinning out his initial thread of soulfire was simplicity itself. He took a moment to weave it tighter. Visualising it less like a diffuse rope of fire, and more a wire of metallic gold. Condensing it into a strengthened form. The image weighed on his mind, but he knew the bond would be necessary, would help to anchor his soul more securely to his first skill. Help him to ignore the siren song of his legacy skills, already whispering their obsession into his mind.


    He lunged for his first skill, wrapping it in a gilden net of soulstuff. Ykkardian shrieked of truth. Of philosophy. It condensed the world into its core principles. Leaning on layered meanings to hide profound mysteries in a single sentence. It connected to something higher. Acknowledging that interpretation and context was where true insight was formed.


    The weight of the skill settled heavily on his brow, dragging at his willpower. Kaius grit his teeth, staying focused as his legacy skills shrieked. Screaming for his attention. He moved on, feeling sweat starting to bead on his brow.


    Reaching out to his soul once more, Kaius took the time to spin out another metallic wire of soul-stuff that shined with inner light. A finger length at a time he pulled it from its soul. It was agonisingly slow, every added moment giving his legacy skills more space to resonate, demanding that he connect with them. It was worth it, the extra density of the connection remaining steadfast against their covetous desire.


    He touched the next skill. It was exacting. Uncompromising. There was only one truth, one correct way to interpret the union of the physical and magical. To be inaccurate was to give false commands. How could one expect obeisance from mana when one could not even direct it clearly? Complexity was necessary if one wanted to truly describe the myriad complexities of the heavens.


    Holding his mind steady under the buffeting winds of meaning, Kaius watched as the skill pulsed with light. Connecting to his soul. Tension spiked as the call of his legacy skills redoubled, rising into a hellish squeal that tore at his mind like an icepick. He grit his teeth, the physical pain spreading through his jaw keeping him grounded.


    Another wire of soul condensate shot from his soul, moving with speed as he grew used to condensing his inner self into a stable speed. Wrapping around his next skill, he dove into it. Feeling its depths before his other skills could call to him once again.


    Yosh¡¯s Supplementary was relaxed. Understanding of the confusion and difficulty that could arise when concepts struggled to cross barriers in communication. It was such a foreign concept to Kaius. That truth was not universal. That meaning did not have one description. Yosh had known, and as such so did his skill. It was a mediator. One that heard, understood, and passed on. Twisting the message so that it was received correctly, its core preserved untouched. It did not seek to explain, merely translate.


    The skill connected, a shockwave echoing through Kaius¡¯s innermost self. The three skills he had connected to his soul started to resonate. Singing with joy at a coming union. His legacy skills raged, the metaphysical weight of potential whipping them into new heights of furor. Kaius pushed on, his nails digging into his palm.


    Lashed in golden wire, High Lothian spoke to him. It called to the deft mysteries of magic. The immutable secrets of mage craft. Observed. Understood. Transcribed. Magic might have been a higher force, but it was still bound by laws. Shaped by rules. Will and intent might suffice, but true control came from direction and control, not manipulation. Bound by logic and argument, diffuse power could ignite into so much more.


    Binding to his soul, High Lothian joined the growing chorus. Four rune mastery skills, leashed to his inner fire, began to shake. Quaking with an intensity of desire. Waiting on the cusp of something more. Garbed in platinum luminance, his other skills raged. Avaricious of the attention they did not receive, buffeting Kaius¡¯s soul with their power as they scorned him. It drove his mental agony to new heights.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Yet Kaius was no stranger to pain, to the strain of overburdened will. A hoarse yell slipped free of his throat, breaking the silence of the office. It went unnoticed as his entire being focused inwards, dragging a new connection to his last skill, resisting the pull of platinum shards of power.


    Heat trickled free from his nose. Health torrented from his soulspace.


    The last skill connected. His legacy skills fell blessedly silent, defeated. Impressions tore through his mind.


    Simenoan had no interest in the categorisation and binding of the world. Oh sure, it was valuable, but it was exactly that value that it had interest in. Such a fragile thing. So ridgid, so easily torn out of alignment with deeper truth. A moment of instability was all it took, and  something precious was lost for evermore. Simenoan was a guardian. A protector of the fragile insight that sought to bring order to chaos.


    For a moment all stood still, then there was a pulse of yellow fire. Rocketing out from his soul, burning across links and penetrating the new union of skills. A single crystalline note rose above the hateful shrieking of his legacy skills, resonating.


    Moving quickly, Kaius threaded soul-fire between the skills. Feeling how they fit together. It was an easier link than most. All runic scripts sought to impress order and insight onto the inherent mutable chaos of mana. Sure, they each did so differently, and some were more focused than others, but all stood in service of a common purpose.


    He connected the final lash of gold. Skills slipped together, crashing with violent excitement. In a final conflagration they detonated, forming a nebulae of power, insight, and meaning.


    **Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**


    Kaius accepted the system''s assistance. Feeling its controlled power settle around the diffuse potential of his dissolved skills. Mixing them. Urging them to condense. Under the system¡¯s ministrations, his own will, and the pull of his soul the cloud started to spin. Crystallising into a new form.


    The burgeoning skill hit critical mass, collapsing with a pulse of force, buffeting his soul.


    Another shard of platinum slipped free of his grip, drifting to join its now silent brothers and sisters in orbit around his inner fire.


    **Ding! Skill Merged! Runic Lexicon obtained!**


    Taking a deep breath Kaius relaxed his body, letting his jaw unclench and his hands loosen. He opened his eyes, taking a moment to simply drink in his success. This was a major milestone. Not just representing a crossing of the halfway mark, but one that brought him within a stride of finally being able to work on his casting.


    Jittery excitement bubbled away at the thought. Sure, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Even with Runic Lexicon, Mana Manipulation and having pre-designed his formation, actually imprinting the thing would be enough of a challenge in its own right. At the very least, he would be surprised if by the end of it he hadn¡¯t capped both of those legacy skills.


    Kaius shook off his musings, turning his attention back towards his newest skill. He pulled up its description.


    Runic Lexicon:


    Level 1


    Unusual


    Embody the unity of knowledge. Transcribe order from chaos, bring harmony to the discordant, and power to the inscribed.


    This skill improves the users ability to create runic formations, and increases the stability of the formations themselves. Formations utilising certain languages have their efficacy slightly increased.


    Each level moderately increases speed and accuracy when inscribing runes.


    Each level moderately increases stability of runes.


    Each level moderately increases memory and learning capacity of runes.


    Each level minutely increases the power of formations utilising the Ykkardian, Vhaxanish, Yosh¡¯s Supplementary, High Lothian, and Simenoan runic scripts.


    Merged from: Rune Mastery - Ykkardian, Rune Mastery - Vhaxanish, Rune Mastery - Yosh¡¯s Supplementary, Rune Mastery - High Lothian, Rune Mastery - Simenoan


    Kaius honed in on the final part of the skills description. He had known that it would provide some kind of boost to the scripts that he had used to create it, but a broad boost in power had been beyond his hopes. It raised questions. If his spell casting formation was bound to his body, would it receive continual boosts as he raised the skills level? Or would the skill only affect formations at the moment of their creation.


    He hesitated to lean one way or the other. For normal formations, he was almost certain that they were only impacted at the moment of inscription. Disconnected from his soul, he doubted that his skill would be able to impact them from a distance. Yet, his spellcasting formation would be bound to his body. Linked to his mana, and by extension his inner self. Something that should provide the skill a pathway to continually impact it.


    He hoped so. One of the main drawbacks for his attempt at casting was a lack of general skills that would improve his spells. All magi had those. It seemed he might too, if his suspicions proved correct.


    Kaius heard a chuff from behind him. Jumping a full stride in the air in shock, Kaius spun to find Porkchop standing patiently just inside the office.


    ¡°Hells, Porkchop!¡± He yelled, pushing his sweat sodden hair out of his face as he let out a slow breath. ¡°I thought you were sleeping.¡±


    ¡°I was.¡± Porkchop snorted. ¡°Until you started yelling like you were being stabbed.¡±


    Kaius gave his friend an awkward smile. He did vaguely remember making a bit of noise, though he didn¡¯t think it had been that loud.


    ¡°Sorry. Getting towards the end of my legacy. The call of the already completed skills is getting¡­ a lot.¡± He explained.


    ¡°I know. It only gets worse from here.¡± Porkchop said solemnly. ¡°Now c¡¯mon, let''s go eat breakfast. I can thrash your manipulation skills after we are done.¡±


    Kaius grinned. Breakfast sounded good. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been working on Runic Lexicon, but it must have been a while - he was starving.

 Chapter 67: Mana pt. 1

    After a hearty breakfast of fried eggs, buttered toast, and some seared meat that tasted like a cross between fish and beef, Kaius and Porkchop moved to one of the manors sitting rooms. It was a better fit for their purposes, with a tall ceiling and wide open spaces that provided them more than enough space for their mana manipulation practice.


    Holding an armful of firewood, Kaius loaded up the hearth. He left it unlit, sitting in such proximity to open flame would almost certainly increase the availability of fire mana, something that would only disrupt his practice of his first skill, Air Manipulation.


    He sat cross legged on the plush rug, facing Porkchop who settled down across from him. Devoting more of his attention to True Sight, the world lit up in a wash of colours. He could still see perfectly fine, but a strange double layering of sight revealed the hidden mystic world, covering his surroundings in a mist.


    Most of it was an almost eggshell blue, unaspected mana, while the rest was a smattering of the core aspects- air, fire, earth, and water. There were dozens of other shades and tints flickering in his sight, but they were ephemeral. Their fleeting forms too small, too quick, for him to really get their measure. It would have been easy with a manipulation skill, any of them, but until then he had to rely on his sight alone.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Porkchop asked him.


    Kaius nodded, and watched as Porkchop¡¯s brows furrowed in focus. One ear quivering as eddies started to swirl through the atmospheric mana. Slowly, all other colours were pushed back as air mana was drawn in. Pooling into a cloud. Over time, Kaius watched the cloud grow as Porkchop started to slowly convert unaspected mana.


    Once the cloud of mana had grown to the size of his chest, and had gotten dense enough to stand out amongst the background, Porkchop visibility relaxed. Though Kaius noted that he still looked at the gathered air mana with intensity. He couldn¡¯t imagine it was easy. All manipulation skills could influence mana, but specialised ones such as Crystal Manipulation lost a lot of their flexibility and efficiency when working with other aspects.


    ¡°There. Is that enough?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius nodded, grateful for his friend''s help. He absolutely could get the skills he needed by himself, but it would be much much harder. Without a skill, interacting directly with mana was tough, even without having to sift for trace aspects while ignoring all others.


    He stuck his hand into the cloud, watching as the creamy blue mana swirled in response to his movement. If he hadn¡¯t known better, he would have thought that it was shifting as his arm disturbed the air. It wasn¡¯t, mana didn¡¯t exist on a physical level. Instead, it reacted to his natural mana density, shifting out of the way.


    Reaching into the centre with his will, he drew on his own internal pool. Circulating a thread of mana down his arm and around his hand, bringing it back to complete a loop with his pool. He focused on the mana in the air, letting faint traces of his own pool diffuse through his skin. Saturating the cloud of air mana with traces of that which he had branded as his own.


    If Porkchop wanted to, it would have been simplicity itself for his friend to wipe away the imprinted mana. Instead, Porkchop aided him. Encouraging the air mana to mingle with his own.


    He focused, trying to sense the mana that had left his body. He didn¡¯t need much, just to slip his hold over the thin layer of air mana around his hand. A hair''s breadth, at most.


    It felt like trying to catch a greased hog. Every time he thought he felt a trace of the foreign mana, it slipped through his fingers. Furrowing his brows, Kaius turned all of his senses towards his task.


    There!


    The barest whisper of a feather touch graced the palm of his hand. He leapt on the sensation rabidly. Forcing the iota of power to stabilise. His mana pool poured from his palm, burning itself at a prodigious rate to support his desires.


    After the first, it grew easier, more and more motes coalescing out of the cloud that Porkchop held steady for him. Once it had accumulated to something the size of a walnut, he bore down on the small collection of mana he had gathered. Holding it in place.


    He withdrew his hand from the cloud, a small gleaming orb hovering a few hairs above his palm coming with it.


    That was the easy part.


    Now he had to stop expending his own mana, while still keeping his grip on the aspect.


    Sweat dripped from his brow. With inexorable slowness, Kaius choked off the circulating mana in his arm, the diffusion through his palm stemming.


    The orb of air mana in his hand shook, quivering as it threatened to disperse. Kaius grunted, gritting his teeth as he focused on the orb. Commanding it to stay. To obey his will.


    For once he thanked his experience with withstanding the call of his legacy skills during skill merging. Without that crucible to forge his will, he knew that he would stand far less chance of being successful.


    Finally, the mana emitting from his palm cut out entirely, leaving the aspected ball condensed only through the power of Kaius¡¯s demands.


    The system acknowledged his achievement.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Air Manipulation (Rare)?**


    Kaius gasped, letting out a breath he hadn¡¯t even realised he was holding. He released his mental grip on the orb in his palm, the mana dispersing like smoke in the wind.


    Porkchop still held his own, much larger, cloud in place with a look of concentration on his face. Waiting for him to be ready.


    Knowing that holding a foreign aspect would be at best burdensome, Kaius hurriedly accepted his new skill and brought up its description.


    Air Manipulation:


    Level 1


    Rare


    Feel the breath of the world.


    This skill enables mental control of mana, especially that of the air aspect. Other aspects, and unaspected mana, can be controlled with vastly increased difficulty.


    Each level minutely increases control over air aspected mana.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Each level infinitesimally increases control over mana.


    Kaius nodded as he read the skill, quickly dismissing the notification to focus back on the cloud of air mana that hung in the space between him and Porkchop.


    ¡°Ready for me to kick your ass?¡± Kaius said with a cocky grin, his eyes never leaving the cloud.


    Porkchop snorted, his own focus remaining steady.


    ¡°You wish.¡±


    With his newest skill Kaius could feel the cloud of mana in a way he hadn¡¯t been able to a moment before. It pressed on his mind like a phantom limb. Like he could just reach out¡­


    He grabbed the mana, wrapping his grip around it. Trying to yank it towards himself. The mana resisted his efforts, Porkchop twitching in concentration as he worked to counteract him. Kaius might have had the advantage with the correct manipulation skill, but Porkchop¡¯s Crystal Manipulation was a legacy skill, and higher level to boot.


    Kaius grunted, resisting the urge to snatch out at the mana physically as he bent his whole mind to the task. His breath started to come heavier, eyes held wide as he burned a hole in the cloud of air mana with his gaze.


    It wavered slightly


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 2!**


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 3!**


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 4!**


    The quick succession of dings was joined by a surge in strength, ripping a small section of mana away from Porkchop¡¯s control. Slowly pulling it towards him.


    His friend growled, redoubling his efforts to yank the mana back. Reasserting his control. The thin sliver of mana quivered, a headache coming on with full force as Kaius yanked against his friend''s grip.


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 5!**


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 6!**


    His skill levelled again. The boost in power wasn¡¯t enough. Not only was Porkchop¡¯s skill simply better, the bastard had more Willpower. Being a greater beast had its drawbacks, but the fact that each stat point did more gave Porkchop a clear edge in their mental battle.


    The wisp of gas that Kaius had claimed threatened to rejoin Porkchop¡¯s hoard. He couldn¡¯t let that happen. He¡¯d never hear the end of it.


    Never taking his eyes off the prize, Kaius lashed out, booting Porkchop in the shoulder. His friend let out a yelp. As soon as his friend''s focus slipped he ripped the air mana towards him. All of it. The weight of it causing his ears to ring.


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 7!**


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 8!**


    ¡°Cheater!¡± Porkchop growled. Kaius merely laughed, redoubling his grip on the mana.


    ¡°Set some ground rules next time!¡±


    Out of the corner of his eye he saw Porkchop grumbling, his hackles raising. For a moment Kaius thought he would pounce. Then his friend grew focused, switching back to the cloud of mana.


    A titanic force tore at his mental grip, wrenching the gathered energy back to where it had been. The sudden jar to his mind caused his ears to ring, a thudding ache settling in at the base of his skull.


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 9!**


    **Ding! Intelligence has reached level 18!**


    Another level, more control. He yanked with all of his mental might, just barely slowing the aspected power on its inexorable journey back to Porkchop¡¯s embrace.


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 10!**


    Their battle of wills continued, Kaius desperately trying to wrench control of the ball of air mana away from Porkchop. His levels quickly began to slow, but they didn¡¯t stop. Every few minutes a ding would sound in his mind, bringing with it a finer dexterity and a firmer grip.


    His headache started to fade, though his face still dripped with the sweat of exertion.


    Porkchop was a stout combatant, refusing to give up ground. Every time he got a little better, or they became more evenly matched, he would add something new. Even capped, manipulation skills had a lot of depth to them. Kaius was a novice, completely inexperienced with making use of his newest skill. It was like he had been granted arms for the first time. Instinctually grabbing and pulling might have been easy, but delicate work was not.


    In contrast, Porkchop had been inducted into the system far  younger than he had. He¡¯d had Crystal Manipulation for years. At first it was little tricks. Spinning the gaseous orb so that his mental grip slipped off it. Then he started changing shapes. Weaving the mana into ever shifting ropes.


    The pressure to keep up was immense, one that pushed him to his absolute limits. Every time he started to get a handle on it, Porkchop ramped up. Adding something new into their competition.


    That wasn¡¯t to say it was easy for his friend. Even with all of his focus directed to maintaining his tenuous connection to the air mana, he could hear his friend panting. Laboured breathing gave away how truly difficult the exercise was.


    In the back of his mind, the small part that wasn¡¯t absorbed in his contest for control, Kaius wondered how the hell people ever used raw manipulation for casting. He knew that it was difficult to use, and considered impractical in combat without a lot of levels and multiple supporting skills, but he¡¯d seen Porkchop use it.


    Porkchop had coalesced that crystal shard in their fight against the Tomblord. Sure, it had taken time, but Kaius couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how to use the mana offensively. He was barely able to keep up with a few basic shaping exercises, let alone something like free form casting.


    Still, no matter how challenging it was, it was worth it. The levels rolled in, slowly strengthening his control. The gap between his ability and Porkchop¡¯s closing as the minutes bled into an hour.


    He was so close, just a single level remaining. He went for the final push. He wasn¡¯t going to win, he knew that. Porkchop was too practised, too skilled at controlling mana. A little bit would be enough. Just a scrap of mana wrested away from his friend''s grip.


    Bending his entire will, Kaius let out a hoarse grunt as he focused everything he had on a fist sized chunk of aspected air that floated at the very edge of Porkchop¡¯s locus of control. Letting out a cry, he yanked. Clawing at the shard.


    It broke free, rocketing towards him. Slipping free of Porkchop¡¯s grip, too surprised by his sudden change of tact. Arresting the mana before it could slam into his chest, Kaius shaped the mana into a ball. Marvelling at how easy it felt now that he was uncontested.


    The notification he had been waiting for dinged in his mind.


    **Ding! Air Manipulation has reached level 20!**


    Kaius let his grip on the mana slip, throwing up his hands in victory. ¡°Woooo! I win!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Porkchop spluttered. ¡°You did not win. Sneaking away a scrap of mana for all of five seconds is not winning!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a sore loser just because I have natural talent.¡± Kaius said, smug, as he fell backwards onto the plush rug with his hands behind his head.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± Porkchop half shouted in outrage, leaping for him with a growl.


    He laughed, rolling away from his friend''s lunge. Porkchop snagged him with his paw, dragging him back in to savage him with gentle swats. After a few minutes, Kaius felt as exhausted physically as he did mentally. Going limp as Porkchop placed a firm paw on his chest. Again.


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Kaius laughed. ¡°You win. Let''s get the fire going so we can start on the next one.¡±


    Porkchop huffed, letting him up. Moving over to the hearth, Kaius sparked the fire. If they kept pushing at this rate, he might be able to merge the skill before the day was out. He knew that manipulation skills were easy to train if you had someone to contest your control, but a day? It was ridiculous.


    He couldn¡¯t wait.

 Chapter 68: Mana pt. 2

    Kaius¡¯s eyes bored into the jagged shard of stone that hovered in the air between him and Porkchop. They¡¯d been at it for a couple of days now, and he was finally at the finish line. Fire Manipulation and Water Manipulation had quickly followed his first skill. Getting capped as he waged a war against his friend for dominance over the aspected mana.


    Fast it might have been, it was also draining. Wearing down on his mind. The first day he had managed two skills, but he had been left feeling like a ringed out cloth. The training left him with a splitting headache that no amount of cold water and Health could fix. In the end, it had been a warm meal and a good sleep that had fixed the issue. They¡¯d decided to slow the pace after that. Squeezing skill training into two days instead of three was of no real benefit if it left him insensate after all.


    Kaius yanked on the rock, grunting as he strained against Porkchop¡¯s control of the element. His mana slowly trickled away. They¡¯d decided to up the stakes for the last level. Manipulation skills could affect more than just raw mana. They also offered control of their relevant physical elements. Unfortunately, it came at a cost. Requiring both more focus, and active investment of one''s own mana to effect change to the physical.


    It was ruinously difficult. He could already feel his teeth creaking in his mouth from how hard he was clenching. Trying with every iota of his mind to claw at Porkchops control. It wasn¡¯t working. His friend¡¯s Crystal Manipulation was too close to earth, offering him more control that he had had with the other elements they had been practising with.


    Still, that didn¡¯t mean Kaius intended to give up without a fight. Porkchop had been far too smug with his victories. Rubbing it in Kaius¡¯s face that he couldn¡¯t win, even with a skill matched to the aspect. He¡¯d go down swinging. Porkchop¡¯s wealth of practice might have made him simply better at raw manipulation, but gods dammit no one was going to be able to say that he didn¡¯t at least have gumption.


    Grunting, Kaius tore at the stone. Just barely managing to encourage a few motes of dust to float in his direction. He could feel his mana draining, getting close to bottoming out. Dust wasn¡¯t enough, he needed at least a pebble, nay, a shard. Even a fragment would do.


    Mana gushed forth as he focused his intent on a small jagged edge of the rock, straining with all his might on the section of stone. His headache spiked to new heights, the light through the windows starting to feel as though it was lancing his eyes.


    Honing his focus was tough, isolating the small section of their battleground requiring more from him.


    There was a subtle crack. A sliver of stone, barely a fingernails worth, drifted a few hairsbreadths from the greater whole. Porkchop growled, the shard freezing. Kaius breathed heavy, battling for purchase. He was so close.


    His mana guttered out. The stone shot towards Porkchop, thumping into his chest and causing him to yelp.


    **Ding! Earth Manipulation has reached level 20!**


    Kaius laughed at his friend''s misfortune, wiping at his forehead as he took in air in great, heaving gasps.


    ¡°I win again.¡± Porkchop sniffed imperiously. ¡°It¡¯s like you dont even try.¡±


    Kaius leaned over, snatching a pillow from a nearby arm chair and hurled it at Porkchops face. ¡°Oh shut up.¡±


    Porkchop chuffed in his best attempt at a laugh, the noise sounding more like a rapid fire of breathy grunts.


    Kaius rolled his eyes at his friend¡¯s antics.


    ¡°So, are you going to merge them now? You said it would probably take some time to get your formation in place. I¡¯m already itchy to keep going after the Champions.¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°Soon.¡± Kaius answered. His head still ached something fierce, and with the growing demands of his legacy skills on his willpower he wanted to be in top shape for the upcoming merge.


    He understood how Porkchop felt though. At first it had been nice to take a breather, an extended break from the nonstop vigilance and violence of pushing further into the Depths. At least, as much as break-neck skill training could be. As the weeks had bled together, that feeling of rest had disappeared, leaving restless tension in its wake. They had so much to do, and just a little over a year to do it.


    He knew it was necessary. Taking this break actually sped up their timelines. Neither rune masteries nor manipulation skills lended themselves particularly well to the vigours of combat. It was still hard to feel like they had stagnated. Now that he knew there were Honours on the line. There were only so many champions in this city, and he doubted there would be enough to get Porkchop Born for Slaughter, nor the Honour that they suspected existed for killing the Champions as a group.


    At the very least, he was on the verge of working on spell casting. That excitement was the only thing helping him maintain his focus. Just one more skill and he would be ready.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Then it would be time to practise mixing spells with his swordplay. Something he absolutely would be making full use of in combat with Champions.


    ¡°Give me an hour or two for my headache to clear up, then I''ll do it.¡± Kaius said.


    ¡°Fine, but let''s find something to do until that happens. Sitting here doing nothing is torture.¡± Porkchop said, rising to his feet.


    Porkchop, as always, was a little bit of a drama queen. Kaius rose to his feet all the same, patting his friend on the back and heading out of the sitting room.


    ¡­


    Kaius sat crossed legged in front of the sitting room''s hearth, enjoying the plush rug that covered the floor. As much as he had wanted to think Porkchop was being impatient, he had to admit that taking the time to make a hot meal and do some exploring through the nearby manors had been restful. He felt rejuvenated. Recharged.


    More than ready to merge his next legacy skill.


    Staring into the flickering flames, Kaius let their slow burning licks lull him into a trance. Slowing his breathing. Letting the wavering tendrils of light wash away all of his thoughts.


    Closing his eyes he felt the fires heat upon his skin, pausing for a moment to simply relax and let the tension leave his mind and body.


    He was ready.


    In the darkness of his mind a roaring bonfire ignited. Hanging motionless in a void field, ten glittering shards of power orbiting in its wake. He was practised at it now, tuning out the call of his platinum edged legacy skills as he latched onto his soul. Drawing out a line of gossamer thin gold.


    He raced for the first skill, weaving the wire of his inner self into a dense knot, binding the nexus of power to his soul.


    Impressions washed over him. The care free joy of a southern breeze flying over a mountain top. Warm heat carried on an embracing summers gust. The howling fury of a hurricane, implaccable as it tore the forest from its root. The quiet patience of wind as it wore at a cliff over centuries. Air Manipulation was formless, invisible, yet constantly present. Calm, placid, and forgotten, until whipped into a rage. Always unstoppable. The breath of the world.


    The skill connected, his claim solidifying with a tinkle of windchimes. His legacy skills reacted to the skill being locked in place, resonating with each other to scream discordantly. A wave of displeasure bursting forth to shudder against his forged wire of self and connection.


    Kaius scrunched his eyes and gritted his teeth, keeping his grip on Air Manipulation firm as his soul space shook. Waiting for the aftershocks to subside, he pushed the call of his completed skills to the wayside. Focusing on the next skill in line to merge.


    Another resplendent thread shot out under his command. Lancing to the next skill. Binding it tight.


    Fire burned. A taker of life and bringer of destruction. A force of consumption, a breaker of chains. Yet that was not all that fire held in its depths. New shoots rising from the ash, nourished in the remnants of their ancestors. A rampant consumer, corralled and leashed, turned from destroyer to home maker. The safety and comfort of a well tended hearth. A torch, revealing what was hidden in the dark, warding off the unknown things that lurked in its embrace. Control was the catalyst that turned fire from an embodiment of hate into a constant companion for the creatures that dared to strive to be more. Fire Manipulation gave that.


    A wave of embracing warmth flooded his inner space, mingling with the heat of the hearth. Embracing its place in his growing web. His legacy skills protested, rabid dogs turning to attack their master. Pain lanced through Kaius¡¯s mind as they shrieked. Clawing for a thread of connection for themselves.


    Kaius was steadfast under their assault. Letting the pain wash over him. Something hot ran down his lip, gracing his tongue with the taste of iron. He stayed focused, True Sight helping to keep the light of his soul crystal clear in his mind''s eye.


    Their pull only grew stronger as he wove another thread, connecting it to the next skill.


    Water. Life bringer. A gentle caress that wore down even the stoutest mountains given enough time. The river that fed an ancient valley, a knife that slowly cut the world. It was the laughter of a bubbling brook, the rage of a tsunami that flattened cities. The undertow, jealousy hoarding secrets as it pulled without warning. In calm, and in fury, water was undeniable. Water Manipulation held control and surrender in balance.


    His legacy skills rose to a fever pitch, as if resenting the water for dousing their uncontrolled heat. Kaius braced himself, fortifying himself against the clawing grasp of his legacy, holding strong as the resonance buffeted his soul.


    The waves calmed, soothing to a background ripple. It was time for the last skill. Soulfire shot out, Kaius shaking in place as every muscle in his body tensed. Forcing the thread towards Earth Manipulation. Battling against the mental strain that was the scream of his other skills. He made it.


    Earth was steadfast and unyielding, the bones of the world that brooked no argument. The foundation upon which everything stood, the quiet guardian of the world. A mountain sentinel, standing vigil, silent and proud. Earth was substance. A silent promise of growth and sustenance. The stout wall, standing strong in the face of change. Resistance against all things mutable. Orderly. Proud. It was the anger held locked for aeons, exploding in a cataclysm that reshaped the world. A steady drum beat of gravitas that echoed from the heart.


    With a final cry of dissatisfaction and hunger, Kaius¡¯s legacy skills were silenced by an explosion of resonance. His manipulation skills thrumming with realised potential. He moved quickly, buoyed by the energy of his success. Grabbing his final thread, he linked the skills together. Each bond caused the skills to brighten, to shake in his mental grip.


    It was easy for him to see the thread that tied them together. For all they were natural forces, there was one power, one truth of the world that underpinned them all. There was no playful gust without the shifting power of the mystic. No raging consumption without its avarice. Water flowed because it demanded, and earth stood unyielding because it allowed it. Mana.


    The final bond was forged, and the skills roared in joy. Crashing into one another, dissolving in a riotous collision of meaning and power.


    **Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**


    Kaius accepted the system¡¯s prompting. Watching as it aided him in precipitating his latest legacy skill from the clumping dust, forming a new platinum nexus of power in his soul.


    **Ding! Skill Merged! Mana Manipulation obtained!**

 Chapter 69: Race to the Finish

    **Ding! Skill Merged! Mana Manipulation obtained!**


    Upon receiving the system notification that he had successfully merged his next legacy skill, Kaius collapsed. Falling backwards in relief. He opened his eyes, only to find Porkchop staring at him in curiosity.


    ¡°Is your nose supposed to be bleeding? That never happened to me.¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius sighed, pushing his friend''s head out of his personal space. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s happened pretty much every single time, and I¡¯m not dead yet.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re done though? You¡¯re ready to work on your magic?¡± His friend asked excitedly. It was clear it wasn¡¯t just the prospect of moving on that prompted his energy, though Kaius had no doubt that it was part of it. No, his friend was sincerely happy for him, happy that he had finally reached a goal that he had set his sights on for so long.


    Just like his father would have been.


    He should be here.


    Claws of grief set themselves upon Kaius¡¯s throat, choking off his response. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be his achievement, it was theirs. He never would have reached this point without Hastur, never would have even dared to try to forge a new path. Not without his fathers encouragement. His insistence that it was a worthy goal, something that showed he was a true Unterstern. He threw an arm over his face, stifling a sob.


    ¡°...Kaius? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Porkchop said, nudging him with his wet nose.


    He didn¡¯t respond.


    Now that he was there, at the precipice of one of the defining moments of his life, all he could think of was how much he had lost. He could see it clear as day. Father¡¯s wide smile, celebrating with him as he finally bound the formation to his flesh. Hear his calm advice as he wove mana through his skin, stamping it into position.


    How was he even going to do it without him? Kaius might have the formation memorised, but Father was always supposed to be there, guiding him through the process. Bloody hells, body formations were the providence of masters, not the unclassed!


    Instead poor luck had turned that to ash. His father was gone. It had been far too long. There was no way Father wouldn¡¯t have been able to find the portal. It wasn¡¯t hidden and it wouldn¡¯t have been too hard to track him to the edge of the cliff, to search the bottom of the falls.


    A heavy weight settled on his lap, warm fur enveloping him.


    ¡°I¡¯m here. You¡¯re not alone.¡± Porkchop¡¯s voice was soft. Understanding. Ready to wait as long as he needed.


    Kaius sat up, hands wrapping around his friend as he pulled Porkchop into a hug. Holding him tight.


    After a moment he pulled back, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.


    ¡°Your father?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kaius nodded. ¡°He should be here. Should see me when I finish the formation. Be there to help me do it. But he¡¯s not.¡± He sighed, burying his face in Porkchop¡¯s ruff.


    ¡°I just wish I knew why. He should have had those bandits handedly. Should have been able to find the entrance we fell through, even if it took him a couple of weeks. They had to have been looking for us, but why? Why were we hiding in the forest? Were people looking for us? Did they find us? What happened to our family? Where are our holds?¡± Kaius said, his voice raising as he got more and more incensed.


    ¡°So many FUCKING questions.¡±


    Porkchop flicked his ears back as Kaius all but shouted in his ear.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He mumbled, drawing back out of their embrace.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll find him Kaius. Find out what happened. As soon as we get out of here we can look for him. Try to find records of your family. You¡¯re always saying that people like to write everything down right? We can go to cities, look up the Unterstern name. Then, when we are strong, we can hunt those who once hunted us. Hear their cries as we force their secrets from them. Deny their pleas for mercy as we crush them.¡± Porkchop¡¯s tone grew dark, a promise of violence on his lips.


    Kaius nodded. His friend was right. If they had been searching for his father, and had found them despite living in the Arboreal Sea, they had to be accomplished, renowned for their skills. If his father was gone, he would have his pound of flesh.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kaius said quietly, looking Porkchop in the eyes.


    ¡°You are ridiculous. We are denmates. Brothers. A wound against you is a wound of my own. We will get our justice. You might have lost something irreplaceable, but I am here. I will always be here. This is not a bond of survival. This is -¡± What flowed across their link was not a word, but pure meaning, the language of greater beasts. A sacred bond of brotherhood, forged in blood and fire. Unbreakable. An oath of companionship, a partner in the hunt, a guard on the darkest nights, and a claw bared against those that brought strife.


    Porkchop nudged him before stepping off to sit by his side. ¡±Now stop dilly dallying, we have Champions to kill. I will be here with you when you forge your mark.¡±


    Kaius breathed. Sitting up as he allowed emotion to wash through him. Feeling them, but letting them flow on. His father was gone, but he wasn¡¯t alone. Not anymore. Not ever.


    Reaching for the insistent blaring of the notification in his mind, Kaius pulled up the description for his latest legacy skill.


    Mana Manipulation:


    Level 1


    Unusual


    Raw and unrefined, the seed of the arcane is mutable potential made manifest. Seize it, and shape your destiny.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    This skill enables mental control of pure mana. Aspected mana can be controlled with vastly increased difficulty.


    Each level moderately increases control over mana.


    Each level minutely increases control over aspected mana.


    Merged from: Air Manipulation, Fire Manipulation, Water Manipulation, Earth Manipulation


    This was it. The last thing he needed. He was ready.


    Focused on his goal, excitement roared. He was finally ready! His notes! Paper! He needed paper!


    Kaius launched to his feet, scrambling towards the bedroom where he had left his pack. He stopped, grabbing the door frame out of the sitting room and looked back towards where Porkchop still sat by the hearth.


    ¡°Well? Come on!¡± He raced away, hearing Porkchop chasing after him. A smile graced his lips as he pushed his worry away, focusing on his achievement. He had to finalise the formation, get a reference sketched out. So much to do!


    <hr>


    Kaius sat at the opulent hardwood desk in the manors office, over a dozen sheets of paper laid out on its broad surface. Each and every one was covered in dense notes, intricate labelled diagrams, and blueprints of arrays. It had taken him hours to copy them from his notebook, annotating them with tidbits from his memory as he went. It was worth it, he wanted it all in front of him. When he was actually controlling his mana, forcing runes into place, he wouldn¡¯t be able to turn pages.


    ¡°Everything is ready? You have everything?¡± Porkchop asked from his regular seat on the daybed across the room.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Kaius nodded. He¡¯d triple checked to be sure. ¡°Got the designs for the arrays. Double checked my notes on placement, and securing mana in place. I¡¯ve got my stylus ready. Everything.¡± Now he just had to do it. No big deal.


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Kaius nodded and laid his left arm on the table, palm side down. It was the best choice. While it might have been easier to aim with his right, he used a longsword. He could still use it without his off hand, so it would be much much easier to weave casting into his fighting style. Plus, scribing with his left hand would have been almost impossible.


    He picked up his stylus, thanking the gods he had managed to find one. Theoretically it was possible to do body formations without one, simply using pure mana manipulation to lock internal mana flows in place until they settled. It was, however, several times more difficult. Carving into his astral body with the stylus would hurt, but it would also create channels that encourage his mana to stay put.


    First he would start with the Ykkardian key stone. The Sovereign sigil. Like all Ykkardian sigils it was packed with a wealth of meaning, in this case its ability to control, direct, and order forces fit his needs perfectly. By itself it would be lacking, too ill defined for his needs. That¡¯s where the control array came in. He still had to start with the keystone though. It was the lynchpin. The point where everything else was built from. It had to be as stable as possible, woven tightly to his being.


    With a flash of intent, Kaius started pulling Mana from his pool, suffusing his hand and forearm. With his latest skill he had none of his early difficulty, saturating the limb in moments. Holding the density of power in place with ease.


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 2!**


    The Sovereign sigil would be centred on the back of his hand, positioned so that its base was in line with his wrist. A sharp breath focused his intent. Kaius brought his stylus down onto his skin.


    It burned. Like someone was dragging a scalpel through his soul. Ploughing a furrow through his very being. He stopped, expecting to see blood. To smell burning flesh and see his skin bubble. Nothing, there was just pain. He shoved the sensation away, feeling Rapid Adaptation section off the agony, letting him continue.


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 3!**


    His breath hitched with every stroke, his pace slowed as he fought to keep his hand steady. Slowly the rune came together, a sweeping black knot appearing on his skin. Marks on his flesh revealing the deep channels that were being cut into his metaphysical self. Splitting his concentration, he held the Mana suffused in his arm back. Preventing it from rushing in to fill the incomplete pathways. If he let it in now, the rune would collapse, ruining his work.


    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 2!**


    A quarter hour of agonising work later and he was done, the Sovereign sigil clear and resplendent on his flesh.


    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 4!**


    That was the easy part done, now he had to suffuse his mana into the rune. Holding it in place with his will as he worked on the next array. That was the true difficulty. The drawing was simple, keeping his Mana in runic alignment while he added complexity upon complexity was going to be maddening, he knew.


    Taking a moment to steady himself, Kaius grabbed a hold of the energy in his arm, directing it into the rune, carefully and slowly. If his grip slipped it would rush in uncontrolled, saturating the rune unevenly. Leaving minute imperfections that would impact its stability. Even the barest hint of imperfection would ruin his work.


    So he went slow. Letting his mana waft in from all angles. Slowly suffusing the sigil.


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 3!**


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 4!**


    Then it was done. A thrum of power pulsed through the dense fog of energy in his flesh, like eddies in water. The rune surged, threatening to spill over as its own resonance tried to force its carefully measured flows out of alignment. Kaius clamped down, holding it in place as it slowly settled.


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 5!**


    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 5!**


    The sigil snapped into place, gleaming in his True Sight with mystical radiance. He held it with his mana sense, ensuring that the mana stayed in place. Resisting the pressure as it sought to escape the confines of the furrows he had carved with his stylus.


    Looking away from the keystone, he set his stylus against his flesh once more. Next was the Vhaxanish controller array. A dense scrawl of runic words that would encircle the Sovereign sigil in a dense band. It would serve to link the overall working to his inner self, granting him mental connection just like he would have to a normal spell. Beyond that, it was one part of the binding that would allow mana investiture, letting him keep his runic hymns charged with mana.


    In their initial theories, his father had investigated leaving the High Lothian spells inert, only activating when he pushed Mana into the runic spells. It wouldn¡¯t work. Inevitably, that road led to channelling. A side effect that defeated the entire purpose of the exercise. Instead each hymn would crystallise a portion of his Mana, holding it in reserve to be instantly activated at his choosing. That much crystalised power was volatile, hence the controller and stabilisation arrays. Even then, the hymn was sacrificial. Like an anode, it would burn away as he released its stored potential. Unfortunately, each cast would require its own inscription, but it was the only way to preserve the overall working.


    Kaius channelled mana into his stylus, starting with the first Vhaxanish character that would make up the array. Flesh boiled. He winced, twitching his hand.


    With the twitch, mana roiled. Kaius blanched, torn between his growing pain and the building pressure in his sigil.


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 6!**


    Focus slipped.


    The rune detonated. Flesh shattered. Kaius screamed as blood squirted from the twisted remnants of his hand.

 Chapter 70: Experimentation

    Kaius stared at the blood that rocketed from his hand, spraying down the front of the desk. Splattering on his carefully arrayed notes. He spun in his seat, turning away from the desk to spill blood on the floor, groaning as agony lanced through his hand.


    Porkchop was on him in a flash. ¡°Kaius! What the fuck!¡±


    He grunted. Feeling as his health flooded out to treat the injury. Before it could reach it, he snatched it up in his grip with single minded focus. Ignoring his pain


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 19!**


    This was an opportunity, one that he couldn¡¯t let go to waste.


    Much like he had in his fight with the Grimclaw, Kaius directed the health to the wound manually. Feeling the shattered bone and torn flesh, he diffused the resource, knitting structures back together. Bone was first, the framework for everything that came after. Then came ligaments and connective tissue. He suppressed a heave as he felt as snakes of white filament crawled across bone. Muscles rippled, weaving themselves back over. Then his skin. Pain vanished.


    Taking a deep breath, he clenched his hand into a fist, twiddling his fingers to make sure they all moved right. That was one of the main struggles with manual healing. If you messed up you could inadvertently cripple yourself. Requiring you to reinjure and try again.


    Still, he¡¯d done well enough, and his hopes had been realised.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Fast Healing (Rare)?**


    He grinned. A little earlier than he had expected, but a welcome addition all the same. The first of the skills he needed for Lesser Regeneration.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± He said. Porkchop shot him a look. ¡°What?! I said it was volatile.¡±


    ¡°You might have stressed that you might be blowing up your HAND!¡± Porkchop yelled at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, see?¡± He held up his left hand, twiddling his fingers. ¡°Besides, I got one of my next skills! Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I should go fetch a towel before I ruin any of my notes.¡±


    Leaving Porkchop standing there staring at him in shock, Kaius hurried off to grab something to mop up his blood.


    He really didn¡¯t want to have to copy his notes again.


    ¡­


    Dabbing at the blood on the desk, Kaius¡¯s eyes roved over his latest skills description.


    Fast Healing:


    Level 1


    Rare


    Tis¡¯ but a scratch.


    Increases the flow rate of your Health pool, drastically increasing healing speeds.


    Each level minutely increases the rate at which Health is expended to heal wounds.


    Well, at the very least he would be getting some good use out of it. He doubted that his little accident would be the only one to happen while he worked on his formation, and they were likely to get worse as he managed to get further and further through the process.


    After cleaning up the blood as well as he could, Kaius sat back down at the desk and prepared to jump right back into inscribing his body formation. He pushed his papers back to the far edge of the desk. In all likelihood, there would be more failures, and he wanted his notes outside of the splash zone.


    Laying his hand back down on its surface he grimaced slightly at the tackiness left behind after his little accident. This time he was extra careful to make sure his arm was perfectly comfortable. He had no intention of letting simple discomfort be the reason he failed his inscription.


    Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Kaius swept up his stylus, starting the Sovereign sigil with gusto. Now that he was prepared for the stinging violation of his stylus slicing through his metaphysical flesh, he stayed steady. Whorling loops followed his implement, standing clear to his True Sight.


    Despite his nerves, he refused to rush. It might have been taxing. Exhausting his will as he held the sigil clear in his mind, splitting his focus to hold the saturated mana stable in his arm. It was worth it, this was an exercise in precision, not speed.


    Even with his careful pace, he still finished the sigil far faster than he had the first time. More confident in his abilities, and the way the stylus interacted with his malleable flesh. With careful focus he let mana flood the runic working, clamping down to hold it steady in the confines of the central array.


    After a minute to ensure it had stabilised, that his focus was clear enough to add yet another point of failure to the mix, he moved on.


    Finger-length by finger-length, a dense scrawl of Vhaxanish script began to encircle the central sigil. It was a band maybe half a finger in width, a dozen dozen rings of impossibly small words. Sentences of control, structures of transference. It stretched his dexterity, pushed the limits of his fine motor control. It was by far the densest runic working he had ever done by multiple orders of magnitude.


    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 6!**


    His pace slowed to a crawl. The dense working requiring all of his focus. He didn¡¯t even try to keep the entire thing in his mind, instead returning to look at his notes after every word, each made up of up to a hundred complex runes. Despite his focus, his flow, there was only one thought that stood dominant at the front of his mind.


    He REALLY fucking hated Vhaxanish. It was so painful to use he was of half a mind to categorise it as a form of offensive mind magic. Even having preplanned the entire working, the grammar was so complex, its runes so subtly different, that every stroke of his stylus threatened to ruin the entire working with a single mistake. Because of course Vhaxanish was inflexible to the point that a single error would be more than enough to break the entire array.


    It was a nightmare of a time, having to ensure that he slowed his pace low enough that the channelled drain of his stylus kept pace with his mana pool. He couldn¡¯t allow it to start to eat into the mana he was keeping locked in his hand.


    Somehow he managed. Holding his focus rigid enough to keep his arm saturated, his Sovereign sigil stable, and still scribe the Vhaxanish control array. Nearly a full three hours later he was finished. He sat back, dropping his stylus to the desk with numb fingers to wipe at his sweat sodden forehead. Still making sure to take perfect care not to shift the hand that he had planted flat on the desk.


    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 7!**


    ..


    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 10!**


    He had to admit, despite all its problems Vhaxanish was a pretty script. Sharp and austere, the densely packed circles of runic sentences hung black against his skin. Looking much like an impossibly sharp and defined tattoo. Each ring of runes was small enough that he imagined it would probably look solid black from a distance to someone without an ocular skill.


    Now for the moment of truth.


    He suffused the array with mana, letting the density in his arm rush inwards, controlling it with his will. So far so good. The dense rings of black script started to light up, line by line.


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 7!**


    Suddenly, his Mana hit¡­ something. There was a surge. A crack.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    He¡¯d made a mistake. FUCKING Vhaxanish!


    The array destabilised, blowing a hole clean through Kaius¡¯s palm . Agony surged, blood and viscera splattering through the air.


    ¡°Son of a BITCH!¡± Kaius screamed, yanking his hand away from his precious notes. Cradling it to his chest as health surged to heal the gaping wound. Moving with far more speed than before he had acquired his latest skill.


    **Ding! Fast Healing has reached level 2!**


    Evidently Porkchop was confident that he would be fine, because all he heard was the sharp cackle of his friend laughing at his misfortune.


    ¡­.


    Getting the control array to stabilise ended up taking two full weeks. Two. Weeks. Of frustration, agony, and bloody minded determination to throw himself into the wall he had stumbled into until it broke. If the confusing and overly complicated nature of the script wasn¡¯t enough, he¡¯d discovered a new problem with Vhaxanish. The actual runes were pretty stable.


    Now, that might have sounded like a good thing. For all other scripts it would have been. Unfortunately, Vhaxanish wasn¡¯t other scripts. He could make a single transcription error, use a single wrong character, or make a slight misspelling, and he had no way of knowing. The bloody thing would sit there, perfectly fine looking, until he injected mana into the array.


    Even then, things would seem to go perfectly smoothly, until the rising power density tripped over whatever tiny mistake he made and blew up in his face. Not only did that mean that he had no way to correct, no way to abort before everything went to the hells, it also meant that every attempt failed at the last possible moment. With the array itself taking roughly three hours, and regenerating his health and mana after blowing a hole in himself taking another, he could only get in two or three attempts per day.


    He refused to quit, and eventually he cracked it. Unfortunately, while Yosh¡¯s Supplementary and his translation and connector array was far simpler than Vhaxanish, it was by no means simple. On top of that, every additional working added complexity. Another thing for him to focus on, another mana construct for him to hold in stasis.


    Though inevitably after another week he managed to consistently succeed with that too. A week after that? He was confident at the binding array. Thankfully, the High Lothian runic hymns were not a core part of the central working, and he had all the pieces he needed to complete his formation.


    This would be his last attempt, he would make sure of it.


    Porkchop had left him alone for this one, quickly growing bored of his repeated failures. That was fine, he would need his full concentration.


    He sat at the desk once again. The formerly varnished surface was stained with splotchy brown, blood and viscera leaving its permanent mark on the wood. His notes too were blood stained and red. Even with having replaced them twice now, they never lasted long. As his spell casting formation grew closer to completion, each failure grew more destructive. More explosive.


    There was one upside to the constant injuries he had suffered at the hands of his failures. It was phenomenal training for Fast Healing, and provided him ample opportunity to acquire one of the other skills he needed for Lesser Regeneration.


    Stone Blood:


    Level 14


    Rare


    Exsanguination only works on that which bleeds. Harden your heart and fight on, Slayer.


    This skill automatically constricts severed blood vessels, reducing the amount of vital fluid lost. Enhancing magics reinforce the body, improving the rate at which spent blood is restored.


    Each level minutely decreases bleeding.


    Each level minutely improves blood generation.


    Still, it was messy. Kaius was almost certain that if he checked the ceiling he would be able to find dried specks of blood and flesh. He didn¡¯t, only having the mind to focus on his work.


    He touched the stylus to the back of his hand, steadily scrawling out the Sovereign sigil with practised ease. With each attempt he had grown surer of his work, more confident. That brought with it speed.


    Before he knew it, he was funnelling compressed mana into the runes channels, holding it steady as it saturated.


    **Ding! Intelligence has reached level 20!**


    He switched to Vhaxanish, slowing his pace. The control array was an exercise in patience. Three pages of notes sat close to him, going through the entire array in detail. Previously he had focused on trying to memorise whole words, each a chain of fifty runes at minimum. He¡¯d quickly learned that that was pure hubris on his own part. Now he double checked his work every few runes. Sacrificing speed for precision and accuracy.


    The hours ticked along, Kaius¡¯s mana pool holding steady as he worked in pace with his regeneration. The dense disk of the control array finished. He held his breath, slowly flooding it with mana. Ring by ring it lit up, reaching the centre over the course of a minute. A pulse of light and it was done. Saturated with his power. He bore down on the working, locking it in place as he ignored the sting of salty sweat dripping into his eye.


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 18!**


    After a few minutes'' breather he moved on, starting his work on the linking array. Yosh¡¯s supplementary was a beautiful script, full of graceful curves and flicks. Lines of runes joined the controlling array to the keystone sigil like spokes on a wheel. Once that was done, he moved to the exterior of his Vhaxanish controller. Inscribing pyramidal spikes on the outer edge of the disk, a full two dozen of them. Each triangle was tipped with a line of runes, a connection for a High Lothian runic spell hymn.


    Twenty-four spell slots was far more than he would be able to support at the moment, but he and Hastur had decided it would be smart to future proof. Afterall, even if his class fully included his spell casting formation, there was no guarantee it would directly modify the working with his first class skill, or even at all. Better to be prepared than forced to redesign as he got access to more mana.


    Once he had finished the spell slots, a number of floating Supplementary lines were carved in his skin outside of the overall working, and in the gaps between the spokes of the wheel. Each one he double and triple checked his placement and angles. He had to be sure it was perfect. After he added his Simenoan binding array they would need to connect to the perfect spots, allowing the final stabilising section of the formation to suffuse the overall working.


    After a full hour of work he was done with the translation array. Mana flooded through the working with ease, each section of graceful runes lighting up in a sequence. Snapping into place. He focused, teeth grinding as he held three separate runic arrays in ridgid stasis in his flesh. His head was far beyond aching now. Strange auras surrounded his sight, unexplained by True Sight, and his brain felt like it had been liquified with a particularly violent branding iron.


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 19!**


    No amount of a break would ease the agony, not when he still had to hold the partially completed formation stable. No, now it was a sprint. To finish the working before his will gave out, as had happened in his last handful of failures.


    Thankfully, Simenoan was a geometric script, relying on sacred shapes to pacify the turbulent energy of his body formation.


    Drawing overlapping triangles and concentric circles directly over his partially complete formation, Kaius burned through his mana pool. Forcing his stylus to sweep across his flesh with blinding speed. Years of practice, and the learnings of a dozen failures, kept Kaius¡¯s hand steady as he sprinted to the finish line.


    Lines cut through tiny gaps between runes, connecting perfectly with stray fragments of Yosh¡¯s Supplementary to form a cohesive whole. Linking his formation into one, complete, working.


    He finished.


    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 18!**


    His will was flagging, he could feel it. Kaius had also cut it close. Inscribing the stabilising array so quickly had absolutely torn through his mana reserves. Another minute or two and he would have started to eat into the mana suffusing his arm, ruining his attempt.


    Kaius took a deep breath, slowly exhaling through pursed lips. It was fine, he hadn¡¯t. Now he just needed to suffuse the array and pray it worked.


    The room seemed to sway as he held his mana in a tight grip, slowly allowing it to seep into the Simenoan geometry. Each line started to glow with an even radiance. A good sign, if there was an impediment, Kaius would have expected to see bright or dark spots.


    The array clicked.


    **Ding! Mana Manipulation has reached level 20!**


    A moment later his formation started to pull on his mana. Gently at first, barely a light request to sink its teeth into his resource. He acquiesced, sighing in relief as his headache was cut in half as he dropped all mental hold he had on his working.


    Instantly pale blue energy poured into his spell casting formation. Spiralling into a dense funnel centred on his Sovereign keystone. To his True Sight it looked like an ethereal whirlwind, pulling in not just the final remnants of his own mana, but drinking deeply from the unaspected mana present in the office.


    Kaius grit his teeth as he looked at the sheer volume of energy that was suffusing his spell casting array. It really was do or die now. If the formation failed, if there was some minute imperfection in any one of his four arrays, the failure would be catastrophic.


    At best he would lose his arm. Completely. The kind of wound his Health wouldn¡¯t be able to fully restore. Not without specialised skills. Skills he didn¡¯t have.


    Inexorably his formation packed more and more power into its runes. Slowly tapering its consumption. Kaius held the armrest of his chair in a white knuckled grip, refusing to so much as twitch his left arm lest the worst happen.


    There was a flash of blinding light.


    He felt something click. Deep in his bones. A new connection forged to his soul. Violently piecing his innermost self with a painful stab of intent. He felt it. The formation. Empty, waiting for spell hymns. But present.


    He¡¯d succeeded. He¡¯d cut himself a new path, one that no one had walked before him.


    A flurry of system notifications dinged in his mind.


    The sudden jarring of the systems pull on his attention tipped him over the edge. He was spent. Fully and completely.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped, falling limp onto the desk.


    Sound asleep.

 Chapter 71: Honour in Discovery

    ¡°Kaius~¡± Something whispered in his mind in a singsong voice. Quickly followed by something wet and cold prodding his cheek. Kaius murmured, slapping away the intrusion.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± The voice screamed.


    ¡°I¡¯m awake!¡± He yelled, jolting nearly a full stride into the air as Porkchop startled him awake.


    ¡°Sleep well? I thought I¡¯d let you rest seeing as you had all your limbs. It would have been nice if you¡¯d warned me that you would vacuum up all the atmospheric mana though. I could feel it from the bedroom.¡± Porkchop said, watching him closely from the side of the desk.


    Kaius stared at his friend, bleary eyed, still too groggy to process the words correctly. He was.. In the office? What did Porkchop mean about the mana. He rubbed his eyes, vaguely noticing the dense web of runes that curled around the back of his hand and climbed up half way up his forearm. He stopped, staring at the formation.


    Everything came rushing back. The hours of work, the mana vacuum, the piercing pain in his soul. Kaius stood up, launching his chair to the ground with a clatter in his haste. He¡¯d done it! Finished the formation. Twisting his hand back and forth he marvelled at the clean lines. They were impossibly clear, standing out in stark relief against his pale skin. It was almost like a tattoo, but the contrast was too sharp. The black too deep, too saturated.


    ¡°Thought you might react like that.¡± Porkchop said, chittering slightly with an animalistic laugh. ¡°So, did you get anything? Any relevant skills or anything?¡± His friend asked.


    Kaius whipped his head back to his friend.


    Of course! The notifications. ¡°Uhh, something I think. I haven''t checked yet. Give me a second.¡±


    Now that he had fully risen from the fog of sleep, Kaius could feel the notifications clawing at the back of his mind. He pulled them up.


    **Congratulations! You have discovered the Third Pillar of Magi - Glyph Binding**


    **Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding**


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the notification, completely forgetting the other notifications that tried to vie for his attention. This was¡­unexpected. He¡¯d expected the system to reward him for his feat, at the very least offering him a high rarity skill. An Honour was something he hadn¡¯t dared to consider.


    And the Third Pillar? What did that mean? Were they always meant to find it, had the system just been waiting? Kaius¡¯s head spun at the implications. No one ever claimed to truly know the system, not in its entirety, but he¡¯d thought they¡¯d known it pretty well. That there were no big surprises left.


    Glyph binding¡­ He liked the sound of that.


    It was a shock. To learn that his new formation was apparently as integral to mage craft as channelling and shaping. Kaius thought he was working with jank. A way for him to squeeze out a little magical potential in a way that complemented his sword work. To learn that it was a full fledged path? That it made him an arcanist in his own right? That changed everything. At the very least, the chances of getting a class that properly made use of his invention just shot through the roof.


    He leaned forwards, planting his hands on the tacky surface of the stained desk as he supported the weight of his upper body.


    ¡°Hells, Kaius, at least tell me what it was. You can¡¯t leave me hanging after I''ve been sitting around waiting for the better part of a month for you to finish.¡± Porkchop asked curiously.


    ¡°I..¡± He didn¡¯t even know where to start. ¡°I got an Honour.¡± Kaius trailed off, the last few words coming out as a bare whisper.


    Porkchop¡¯s ears perked up, his senses more than fine enough to pick up his mumbled words. ¡°You WHAT. What does it do? What¡¯s it for? Is it copyable? Tell me exactly!¡±


    ¡°Slow down.¡± He said holding up a hand. ¡°I¡¯ve barely woken up, give me a second for my head to catch up and I''ll check it.¡± Kaius responded.


    Seeing as Porkchop was physically vibrating, Kaius decided to put his friend out of his misery and pulled up the description of his latest award. Besides, he wanted to know for himself. If it was anything like the last one it would be a significant boost. As he pulled it up, one of the system pings that dragged at his attention vanished.


    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding:


    Honour


    The Third Pillar, the tower of reason and logic. The realm of those who planned, who fought with fury and structure. There are those who deride its limitations. The sting of capacity, the pain of binding. Glyph Binders know that with enough knowledge and preparation, any challenge can be overcome. That when one can wield the mystic arts at the speed of thought, few challenges survive long enough for one to end up burnt and spell-less.


    Awarded to the discoverer of the art of runic casting in a given cohort. Provides a Moderate increase to the efficacy of all Glyph Binding skills. +10 Intelligence and Willpower.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Bonus: For being unclassed while achieving this Honour the efficacy bonus to Glyph Binding skills is increased to Reasonable, and the stat bonus is increased to +15 Intelligence and Willpower.


    Kaius blinked, dismissing the notification.


    ¡°Well? What was it for?!¡± Porkchop asked, going as far as to prod him with his paw when he took too long to respond.


    ¡°For being the first person in our ¡®cohort¡¯ to discover the Third Pillar of Magi.¡± Kaius answered, turning to Porkchop. ¡°Apparently this-¡± He raised his arm, showing off the swirling runes and geometrics of his casting formation. ¡°- Is as valid a casting style as channelling or manipulation.¡±


    Porkchop visibly drooped, though Kaius could tell his friend was just being theatrical. ¡°So no chance of me getting it. Drat. Though that''s the second time that an Honour has mentioned a ¡®cohort¡¯. Do you have any idea what it means?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°Though if I had to guess it would be referring to our world. Maybe the heavens and the hells are tracked differently from us?¡± It was the only thing that made sense to him. Everyone knew that the other realms existed, summoning rituals had proven that much at least. What exactly they were, no one could really tell much more. It was said that it was where a man''s soul went when they died, but without any way to actually prove it, it was nothing more than conjecture. No one who had ever tried to cross that veil had returned, at least from what Father had told him.


    ¡°Well, at least the system is gracious enough to not compare you to spirits, I doubt any man or beast would be able to get Honours if that was the yardstick we were measured against.¡± Porkchop mused. ¡°What does it actually do?¡±


    Kaius shot his friend a grin. ¡°Plus fifteen to Intelligence and Willpower with a Reasonable boost to the power of all glyph binding skills.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. We are going to fight some Champions RIGHT NOW. These boosts are ridiculous. I want some for myself. You can¡¯t have all the fun.¡± Porkchop insisted, clearly growing frustrated at their stagnant pace.


    ¡°We will! Don¡¯t worry. I still have to inscribe my actual spells first though.¡± Kaius put his hand up as Porkchop let out a long whine at the prospect of more waiting. ¡°I will of course be doing that right now. The hymns won¡¯t be anywhere near as difficult as the formation. The framework will keep them stable and provide the mana, so I will just have to inscribe them. Then we can leave, okay?¡±


    Porkchop groaned, but nodded and retreated to the day bed. With a huff, he flopped down bonelessly. Wooden framing of the bench groaning under his weight. ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t take a week?¡± Porkchop pleaded.


    ¡°A day tops. I promise.¡± Kaius said, only getting a short huff from his friend in response.


    He sat back down. He himself was fizzing at the idea of getting his spells inscribed, barely able to wait until he would be able to put his casting into practice. He already knew what his first spell would be. It was one that he had workshopped with his father. While High Lothian was flexible enough to cover just about any spell effect he could imagine, Kaius had to factor in his limited mana pool. Though, after his two honours he had more than double to play with than expected. Beyond that, there was also a concern of the kind of influence he wanted to have on his class.


    He planned on being a spellsword, mixing what he now knew to be glyph binding with sword arts. To that end it was vital that he made use of combat focused spells.


    The arcane bolt spell he developed with his father would be perfect. It should reserve somewhere between seventy-five and one hundred and fifty mana, though he wouldn¡¯t know for sure until he had inscribed it for the first time. That meant somewhere between three and six casts before he would have to refresh his inscriptions.


    Like the name suggested, it was a bolt of concentrated unaspected mana. Something that would bring him some much needed ranged flexibility, and would be able to punch through mundane armour with relative ease.


    First, before he got started inscribing his spell, Kaius pulled up the last of the notifications that were blaring in the back of his mind. He had a suspicion of what it might be. Had hope of what it might be. Even if he couldn¡¯t make use of it just right yet, it would confirm all he had been working towards.


    Focusing on it with intention, the notification flashed into existence, hovering in his mind¡¯s eye.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Glyph Binding Mastery (Unusual)?**


    Kaius beamed as he saw the skill that had been offered. It was a shame that he couldn¡¯t take the skill, even if it did represent his greatest success. His legacy skills were too important, the benefits they brought too valuable. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t be gone forever. Even if he dismissed the skill now, he could earn it again. At greatly increased difficulty, sure, but he could do it with enough practice. Besides, his last skill slot after he had completed and capped his legacy skills would get a free evolution. He could take it then, if nothing else came up that suited him better.


    After he rejected the offered skill he looked down to his arm, marvelling at the sharp lines of his glyph. He liked that word. It definitely rolled off the tongue better than ¡®runic spellcasting formation¡¯, that was for damned sure.


    Whatever he called it, it looked strange on his skin. So stark, so black. So radiant in his mana sight, tightly bound power roiling along its curves, surging through runes and geometry. It was just new, he reassured himself. He would get used to it, until one day it would simply be him. Though, even with how much it jumped to his eye, he had to admit it had a certain exotic charm.


    Never thought he would be the one to get a bloody tattoo, yet here he was.


    He just wished his father was here to see it.


    ¡°I hope I get to show you this one day, Father.¡± He sighed. It would be a wonderful way to start a reunion. To regale him with stories of the Depths, much like his father had told him of his own adventures. To introduce Porkchop. To show him that their plan had been a raging success. To share the secrets of Honours. He had so much to tell him.


    He knew that at this point it was unlikely.


    ¡°If I cannot, and you are watching down on me, I hope you can see this. See that we succeeded. See how grateful I am.¡± Kaius thought, sending a prayer to all the great spirits and gods to watch over Father. To guard his life, and if not that, to ensure his peace in death.


    Drying his eyes on his sleeve, Kaius took a deep breath and shoved his longing to the back of his mind.


    He had work to do. First, his spells, then more Champions.

 Chapter 72: The First Spell

    Kaius held his arm steady as he put the finishing touches on his Arcane Bolt hymn. In comparison to the sheer effort that his glyph had taken, the runic spell was simple to hold steady in his mind. Thanks to being directly attached to a supporting structure, all he had to do was draw. No saturating his arm with mana, no holding it steady with his will, just direct and simple inscribing.


    The High Lothian spell was a pretty thing. Connecting to one of the outer spikes of his glyph, arcing to follow the gentle curves of his hand and arm. Shaped vaguely like an arrow that wrapped around his arm, the pure rune work scrawled across his flesh.


    As he finished the final rune he felt the hymn snap into place, closely binding to his supporting glyph. Immediately he felt a pull on his mana. The arcane bolt inscription lit up, glowing as a portion of his mana pool was drained. It was a strange feeling. The mana wasn¡¯t being spent. Instead it was sequestered, locked in place, forcibly constrained by his glyph as it was anchored into his spell.


    Once fully saturated, the luminance dimmed. Runic inscription returning to a baseline black.


    Kaius could tell from sensation alone that the spell had reserved nearly a full quarter of his pool. He¡¯d check later to be sure, once he had recovered from the drain of channelling mana through his stylus. Either way, he was almost certain he¡¯d be able to handle inscribing a full four spells with his current pool. It wasn¡¯t much, but he had high hopes for the spell. Even if he had to reinscribe after every fight, having access to instantly castable magic was a massive strategic advantage.


    Whistling to catch Porkchop¡¯s attention, he waved his friend over.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got the first one done. Once I''ve inscribed a few more shall we suit up and go test them?¡± He asked. Thankfully, with the support of his glyph inscribing the spells was pretty quick. Only taking him ten to fifteen minutes for the entire process.


    Porkchop chuffed, ears perking up at the thought of finally leaving.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get our stuff! You keep inscribing!¡± Porkchop said, nearly bowling over an arm chair as he rushed out of the room, his claws scrambling for purchase on the hard ground.


    Kaius shook his head at his friend''s antics, though secretly he felt much the same. He could feel the tightly wound anticipation in his back and arms. Almost jittery at finally being able to put his work into practice.


    Taking a deep breath he calmed himself. Excited at the prospect of casting he might be, he needed his focus for inscribing. It might have been far simpler than his work on his glyph, but it was still runework. It still required a great deal of patience and a steady hand.


    He snatched up his bronze stylus, channelling his mana into the implement as he started on his next spell.


    ¡­


    Kaius loomed in the mouth of an alley. It was a narrow thing, barely two paces across, flanked on each side by a three story manor. The walls of the building were stark. Solid stone unbroken by adornment or windows. Evidently, whatever folk who had lived in these buildings had no interest in seeing into the narrow service passages that wound through the streets.


    They¡¯d left the safety of their cleared neighbourhood a few hours ago, pushing through the district as they made their way further into the second tier of the dwarven city. Much to Porkchop¡¯s displeasure, they had yet to find any goblins. After spending months in one place, Kaius had had to relent to his friend''s restless desire to explore. They¡¯d wiped out every cluster of depths-born near their base camp weeks ago.


    Fully suited up for war, they had ventured out with all of their gear. Now that he had finished his glyph, Kaius had no intention of returning to their temporary home. Armour was donned, weapons secured, and they had taken everything they might need. Which, as it turned out, did not include much food. Thanks to the Depths unfathomable inclinations, each and every one of the manors they had explored up until this point had had a kitchen with foodstuffs stored under a stasis ward. Other than a few bare essentials in case that changed, they¡¯d decided to completely forgo weighty supplies.


    As they had started to push into the unknown, Kaius felt a familiar heat stoke within him. A hunger for battle. The rush of clashing steel and focus honed to a razor''s edge. The Bloodsong. He could see it in Porkchop too, the way his friends shoulders bunched every few steps, the slight jitteriness in his gate.


    Working on his skills had muted that desire, his excitement at finally working on his glyph overshadowing it. Now, with his goal realised, it was like a dam had broken. A flood of tension and nervous energy welling up deep within him. The fact he had yet to test his Arcane Bolt only heightened his anticipation. He wanted, needed, the rush of his first cast to be accompanied by a symphony of burning muscle, cracking bone, and spilled blood.


    On some level he could acknowledge that his growing bloodlust could be considered a concern. He paid it no mind. This was the Depths. You either learned to love it, or you crumbled and died.


    Thankfully, they had found an outlet for their energy.


    He leaned forwards, looming over Porkchop to peer down the main street. A few blocks ahead the paved road split in two, shooting off at acute angles. A troop of goblins milled around the wide open junction.


    Nearly a full dozen chittered in their strange guttural language, jostling each other and only making a half attempt to keep watch. Beyond them, a few smatterings of archers sat partially concealed in what looked to be a store front, right at the corner of the angled building that sat at the crossroads. A few handful more of the low race lounging at the entrances to the manors that flanked the road.


    They would make perfect targets to test his new spell. Kaius¡¯s gaze drifted down to his arm, admiring the four black lines of script that weaved their way out from the spokes that served to connect the hymns to the rest of the supporting structure.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Inscribing them had been quick work, only growing faster as he had gotten more practice with them. Just under an hour for all four, and he had no doubt as his familiarity with the hymn of Arcane Bolt grew that time would shrink further.


    He could feel them. The roiling energy held in tension just beneath his skin. When the glyph had punctured his soul during its completion, burning itself into the deepest fibres of his being, it had forged a connection. Not only had it given him a mental link to his working -he knew that all he needed to cast now was a simple flicker of intent- it had linked itself to his status.


    He pulled it up to check the changes.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 18


    Class Selection: 1 Year, 13 weeks, 6 days


    Race: Human (Dynastic) - +1 free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Resources:


    Health - 380/380 (2.8/min)


    Stamina - 280/280 (2.8/min)


    Mana - 430/430 (4.3/min)


    Free Mana - 30/30


    Reserved Mana - 400


    Stats:


    Endurance - 30 + 8 (38)


    Vitality - 20 + 8 (28)


    Strength - 20 + 8 (28)


    Dexterity - 20 + 8 (28)


    Intelligence - 14 + 8 (22) > 20 + 23 (43)


    Willpower: - 20 + 8 (28)  > 20 + 23 (43)


    Stat Points: 0


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/a


    General Skills (9/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 17 > 19


    Warforged (Unique) - 20


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 11 > 12


    Adamant Body (Unique) - 12 > 16


    True Sight (Unique) - 0 > 9


    Runic Lexicon (Unusual) - 0 > 18


    Mana Manipulation (Unusual) - 0 > 20


    Fast Healing (Rare) - 0 > 17


    Stone Blood (Rare) - 0 > 14


    Glyph Bound Hymns:


    Arcane Bolt - 4


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter


    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Growth Conditions-


    Gain a class (0/1)


    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)


    Forge a link (0/1)


    Kaius¡¯s eyes roved over the developments to his status. It amazed him to see what a few months of concentrated effort had wrought.


    Thanks to the controlling array in his glyph, he and his father had expected a mental connection to his casting, but in all their preparations they had never dared to anticipate that the system itself would factor it in. It kept track of not only his prepared hymns, but added a line to track his free and reserved mana.


    Though, as Kaius considered that he now knew that glyph binding was a full and complete mage discipline in its own right, he supposed it made sense. Although, he did expect more changes as he got his class. If his glyph was fully wrapped up into it, he expected that the glyph itself would probably be co-opted or even changed by the system. Bringing its capabilities under the purview of his class skills.


    It was reasonably common for mages, especially manipulation magi. Manual workings often got their own section on the status that tracked devised spells.


    Still, his new glyph wasn¡¯t the only change that he could see. The time they had spent holed up at the manor hadn¡¯t been wasted, not by a long shot. Three more legacy skills, two of which were either capped or right on the precipice. Hells, he¡¯d even done enough cooking to squeeze a level out of Explorer¡¯s Toolkit. Though he suspected that it must have already been close, cooking was relevant to a small section of the skill and he doubted it would have provided much experience since he wasn¡¯t using magically charged or self foraged ingredients.


    ¡°Kaius, are you seriously checking your status now? Right before we are about to fight?¡± Porkchop asked, craning his neck to stare at him.


    Kaius hurriedly closed his status, startled out of his pondering.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He said, turning his attention back to the goblins.


    There were a couple of ways they could approach this, the easiest being to draw the goblins into a confrontation in the alleys. It had been their main tactic, and with how successful it had proven to be, Kaius saw no reason to change it.


    ¡°Do you want to bait them in? They seem to get pretty-¡±


    ¡°Wuss.¡± Porkchop interrupted him. Before Kaius could get a single word in edgewise his friend charged out from the safe confines of the alley, an earth shattering roar on his lips.


    His heart thumped as his hand shot out in a failed attempt to hold Porkchop back.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡± Kaius called after his friend, aghast. A dump of adrenaline hit him like a sack of bricks, and his blood starting to sing. He ran, sprinting after his friend.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna have some words after this!¡± He yelled after Porkchop¡¯s sprinting form, who had the cheek to shoot him a look over his shoulder, tongue lolling out. Porkchop then snapped his head forwards to level another roar at the scrambling form of the goblins.


    His scalemail clinking with every hurried step Kaius drew his sword. Feeling the solid comfort of steel in his grip his tension broke, anxiety at his friend''s reckless charge dissolving as a rush of savage delight flooded through him. It had been far too long since he had had some fun.


    Goblins who had previously lounged in the manors entranceways rushed out into the street, joining those that were massing in the junction¡¯s centre. Forming a solid wall of knives and clubs to break Porkchop¡¯s charge. Behind them, archers started to loose arrows. Most focused on Porkchop, but Kaius felt stinging impacts as they pinked off his armour.


    Porkchop drew close.


    The goblins braced.


    Kaius saw the exact moment the goblins'' screaming fury turned into dread as Porkchop activated his Amulet of Inviolable Momentum. Blurring into a leatherbound missile.


    Porkchop hit the assembled formation in a cacophony of guttural screams and splintering bones. The sound was nearly enough to bring tears to his eyes.


    Pandaemonium. He¡¯d missed this. The rush.


    It was time to take some skulls.

 Chapter 73: Destructive Testing

    Porkchop smashed into the clumsy formation of goblins with the force of a landslide. Diminutive green bodies crunched. The line collapsed, the ¡®lucky¡¯ goblins that weren¡¯t completely trampled being sent tumbling to the floor.


    Kaius watched his friend roar, laying into their massed enemies with a fury, his artefact enhanced paws batting aside weapons as he crushed bone with every swing.


    There was no way he was going to let Porkchop have all the fun. Sprinting into the fray Kaius lashed out with A Father¡¯s Gift. Holding his sword in a high grip, he pivoted his hands. Enchanted steel whirled through the air. He cleaved through the neck of a dagger wielding goblin, too preoccupied by Porkchop¡¯s assault to react.


    **Ding! level 12 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    Dark green blood sprayed across Kaius¡¯s face. With his lips twisted into a grin, Kaius was treated to the taste of copper on his tongue. There was no disgust, only joy as he spun and drove the point of his sword through the chest of a goblin Bruiser.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Bruiser slain**


    Now they noticed him. A devil in blued scales. Scything through their numbers like so much wheat, more kill notifications dinging in his mind. They felt..slow. He did too. His latest Honour had provided him with a substantial boost to his Intelligence, speeding up the rate at which he processed the world around him. Tuning his reflexes.


    A full third of the pack turned on him, rallying blades and clubs to cut him down. He didn¡¯t let them. His blade flashed through the air in a silver blur, turning aside their assault. Twisting attacks into openings. He followed through to cut limbs and torsos to the bone.


    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Bruiser slain**


    ¡­


    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    The stone of the junction quickly turned into a sticky mire, streams of blood slickening its surface. None of it was red. Even swamped, the goblins struggled to pierce his scale, ramshackle long knives tinking as they skittered over its surface.


    He moved. Turning as he blurred through the mass of depths-born, doling out death and slaughter. With every parry, every block, he felt a reservoir of energy in his vambraces fill. It was getting close. Another thing he had been looking forward to testing.


    Out of the corner of his eye he saw an arrow lancing for his head. He was already moving, cutting the underpowered missile out of the air with his blade. Releasing his sword with his offhand, Kaius pointed at the offending archer over the head of its fellows that blocked his path.


    Power crackled in his glyph. Right beneath the surface. Watching, waiting for his command.


    He willed it, and it was so.


    Gold light radiated from one of his four runic hymns. It burned without pain, embers of radiant amber wafting from his skin to drift through the air. An instant later he felt his mana surge, expending itself with a snap.


    A bolt of the purest azure materialised, exploding forwards to rocket towards his target. Like a shard of crystal shrapnel it crossed the distance in moments, trailing a mystic haze.


    The shard of power punched straight through the archer''s face. Blowing through to crack the wall of the stone building behind it, coating the ground in a splatter of brain.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Archer slain**


    Kaius felt the thrum of his heart, the hot hunger as he saw the power of his spell. There had been no pause. No moment where he had to hold the spell in his mind, draining his mana into the working. He simply wished it done, and his glyph obliged.


    Snatching up his sword with both hands, Kaius deflected yet another assault from the goblins arrayed against him. A goblin with jagged knives in each hand grew over confident, pushing past the pack. Barely lasting a second before he lanced it through the heart, ripping his blade free of its chest cavity to spill its ropes of severed intestines on the floor.


    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    The foul stench only angered him. Urged him to press on. A wild sweep sent the mob leaping back, and Kaius pushed in, joining Porkchop in the thick of the thrum.


    Sparing a moment to check on his friend''s progress, Kaius found shattered bodies littering the ground in front of his friend. Small of frame, the goblins fared as well as children in the face of Porkchop¡¯s might.


    Porkchop had definitely killed more. That wasn¡¯t good. Kaius would never hear the end of it.


    He redoubled his assault. With a clang he deflected a two handed club held by a particularly beefy specimen - beefy for a goblin that is. It was no taller than his chest.


    As he sent the club sailing to the side, Kaius felt something in his vambraces click. He could feel a new well of power come to his awareness. One that would bolster an attack, empower him to new heights..


    He didn¡¯t keep it waiting long.


    Lunging forwards, Kaius threw his full body weight into a heavy sideways cleave and tapped into the power held in his vambrace.


    Fire roared through his veins. A violent energy bolstering his muscles, his bones creaking under the force of his suddenly empowered swing. A Father¡¯s Gift glowed a shimmering red in his True Sight as his blade rocketed towards the line of goblins.


    The first goblin in the line was wearing scraps of chain. His sword bit into its arm, cleaving through flesh and bone. Continuing through its torso with a sickening crack. Ripped out the other side to cut. And cut. And cut.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Kaius laughed as he severed the goblins, cutting clean through their chests. Exalting in their dying gurgles and the sound of wet meat hitting stone. Four goblins collapsed in a wave of viscera, coating the flagstones below.


    **Ding! level 12 Goblin Rogue slain**


    ¡­


    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    Taking a moment to pause, Kaius revelled in the destruction he had wrought. He¡¯d expected the vambraces to be good, but that was phenomenal. Just a shame that it took so long to charge. He doubted he would get to use it more than once or twice a fight.


    Kaius heard a screech from above. He looked up, finding one suicidal goblin Skirmisher had someone made it onto the roof and launched itself off. Currently on a terminal descent towards him with its knives held out wide.


    He stepped back, gesturing towards its form with his left hand. Golding light burnt once more, and an azure bolt shot out. Punching straight through the goblins chest to continue sailing through the air far above the city before dissipating into nothingness. Kaius frowned. He¡¯d been aiming for the head. A heart shot was no guaranteed kill.


    Thankfully, the splat as the goblin impacted hard stone after a four story drop took care of that.


    To his left Kaius watched Porkchop roar as he slammed down heavily onto a goblin, fully caving in its chest and choking off its squeal in a shower of blood. Only to immediately follow up the attack by smashing another goblin with an arm breaking swipe of his paws.


    ¡°Bet I can kill more, slowpoke.¡± Porkchop taunted.


    Kaius didn¡¯t even deign it with a response, grinning as he redoubled his efforts with renewed ferocity. He booted a goblin in the chest, sending it sprawling as it tripped over the fallen corpse of one of its allies. Stomping forwards Kaius slashed at another goblin. It tried to block. With a knife. It lost its hand for the trouble and started to scream.


    Well that¡¯s annoying. He silenced it with the tip of his sword. A stride of steel ramming through the goblins palette to exit the back of its skull.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    Flicking his wrists, he sent the body careening to the side.


    The fallen goblin scrambled at the ground, hauling itself to its feet. A low sweep removed one of its legs. Arterial spray splashing against the copper scented blood that already pooled on the street. A quick stab ended it.


    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Bruiser slain**


    The goblins were scattered now. Broken and listless. Barely ten left between the two of them. Kaius moved quickly. The entire fight two of the archers had been harassing him. He was sick of it. Two scintillating bolts ended them in a crack of arcane might, the remaining goblins in front of him flinching as he fired straight over their heads  His glyph fell dormant, retreating from his senses as he cast his final spell.


    **Ding! level 15 Goblin Archer slain**


    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Archer slain**


    He charged. Smashing aside the hurried defence of another bruiser. Caving in its twisted nose with a blow from his pommel. A knee to its chest folded it in two, the goblins jaw flapping as it tried and failed to suck in air. Holding his sword in a low stance, he drew his blade across its throat. Vital fluid spilling in a torrent as it dropped its club to claw ineffectively at its neck. It died gurgling.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Bruiser slain**


    He locked his gaze on the final two, seeing Porkchop charge further ahead to deal with the last of the archers. Poor bastard had had a rough go of it, there were enough arrows lodged in his barding to make him look like a hedgehog.


    It was time to clean up.


    Two skirmishers looked at him with trepidation. Flicking between his green stained sword and the small mountain of bodies cooling at his feet. Strange. He hadn¡¯t expected the depths-born to feel fear.


    Whatever it was passed quickly, a haze seeming to fall over the goblins as their faces quickly turned to rage and hate. With a harsh squeal they charged him.


    He stepped forwards, allowing a hooked knife to skitter off his scale as he hip checked the first one. Sending it splashing into a pool of its allies entrails. A quick sweep of his sword deflected the other''s stab. A twist of his wrist was enough to curve his blade, embedding it firmly in the goblins skull.


    **Ding! level 12 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    Wrenching it free with a wet squelch he advanced on the final goblin. With a yell of primal satisfaction he cleaved through its neck. It¡¯s head fell to the ground with a wet thwack.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Skirmisher slain**


    Hearing Porkchop roar, Kaius turned to see his friend bellowing his victory to the air. Standing on his hind legs over the crushed forms of the archers.


    Kaius winced at the state of him. Cleary Porkchop was not happy with their harassment. He¡¯d torn them limb from limb, twisted and mangled arms and legs lying impressively far from the slain archers.


    One of them twitched.


    Fucking Hells.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡± Kaius raised his hand to his mouth to yell at his friend. ¡°Depths-born or not, thats fucked up! Kill them!¡±


    ¡°Boring.¡± Porkchop replied, cutting off his roar.


    Watching his friend thump back to the ground, Kaius winced as Porkchops paws crunched through the chest of one of the goblins. A few more stomps and he finished off the rest of them.


    Kaius hurried over to his friend, eager to get out of the pooling goblin blood that was soaking into his boots. He sheathed his sword, clapping Porkchop over the shoulder as he stepped over the crumpled bodies of the goblin archers.


    ¡°That was fucking awesome! Did you see my spell?¡± Kaius said, still flush with the vigour and excitement of combat.


    ¡°I know! I didn¡¯t expect it to be so strong, look at those cracks!¡± Porkchop replied, gesturing to the spiderwebbed stone of the manor where one of his bolt spells had landed after punching straight through an archer''s skull.


    Kaius stared at the damage in satisfaction. It was far more than he had hoped for. A spell of that power being his to command with less effort than it took him to click his fingers was phenomenal for an unclassed, even if he could only make use of it a few times per fight.


    It would be a trump card that was hard to react to, that no one could expect. Magic took time to cast, and mages didn¡¯t wear armour and charge in with a sword. All he would need was a moment. A second where they thought distance would buy them safety.


    Even if it was what he had been working towards he was surprised at just how easy, just how natural it had felt to weave magic into his combat style. Sure he still needed some practice. It still felt awkward to let go of his sword in battle, and he could use some work to make sure he didn¡¯t unnecessarily pause. Plus, his aim could be better.


    All of that could be fixed. He could already see it. How he would flow through a battle, taking heads as he snapped out with bolts of empowered magic to reap the lives of those out of reach of his sword. As his mana grew -as he gained his class skills- he knew he would only grow in his capabilities.


    Arcane Bolt would be enough for now. It was a perfect first spell to practise with. To bend his class toward combat magic. Once his class selection was over he could start to experiment. Tailoring his inscribed hymns to fit the situation.


    That would come later. Right now, all he wanted was a shower and to clean the goblin guts out of his hair.


    Thankfully, there were a dozen manors with perfectly good water enchantments available.


    In all honesty, despite feeling like he had slept in a charnel pit, Porkchop looked much worse. Kaius leaned over, picking a strip of goblin flesh from his friend''s fur between two fingers before flicking it off to the side.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get cleaned up.¡± Kaius suggested, leading the way to one of the nearby manors that was unmarred from their battle.

 Chapter 74: The Next Champion

    Standing in one of the bathrooms, Kaius activated an enchantment that was set into the wall of an absolutely massive tiled washroom. A moment later hot rainfall fell from the ceiling in a torrential downpour, splashing on the slanted floor to drain out of a grate. It was a clever bit of runework, though he had to admit it had surprised him the first time he had seen it, being far fancier than anything he had seen before. He was used to bathing in rivers, and even on the rare occasions he had stayed in an inn the best he had seen was a bathtub that heated its contents. Even those had still needed to be filled by hand.


    Now though, he had no idea how he would be able to live without the strange hot rain. Thankfully, the enchantments were relatively simple, if written in an unknown script. He¡¯d still copied them down as close as he could. You didn¡¯t need to understand how something worked if you could replicate it close enough after all.


    If he ever had a house he was definitely putting one of them.


    Stripping out of his armour and clothes he stepped into the water, dragging his gear in with him to give it a thorough wash. It would have been terrible for normal items, but thankfully enchanted artefacts were made of sterner stuff.


    Green rivulets stained the water as it ran along the floor. As soon as he had cleaned the muck off his gear, Kaius placed it on the floor outside of the wetroom. Most of it would dry by itself, but the bits that wouldn¡¯t he would towel off once he was done.


    Porkchop, having been patiently waiting for the clutter to be removed, pushed past him to take up a full third of the wetroom.


    ¡°Are you going to reinscribe too?¡± His friend asked, looking at the glyph that wove its way around the back of his hand to creep up his forearm.


    ¡°Yeah, I need to get as much practice in as I can. I know it¡¯s a bit of a drag, but it¡¯s worth it.¡± Kaius said, leaning back to let the water run through his hair, scratching his scalp to dissolve some of the green blood that had started to scab.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s only an hour, and it¡¯s important to sharpen your claws after a hunt afterall.¡± Porkchop assured him. With the water flattening his fur close to his skin, he no longer had the poof to hide his bulk. Each and every inch of his body was covered in bulging muscle.


    It was enough to make a man jealous. Kaius was pretty proud of his physique, a life of hard training and a diet high in hunted game had made him tall and strapping, but beasts were something else entirely.


    ¡°How long do you think it will take until we find that Champion, do you think?¡± Porkchop asked as ineffectively tried to scrub at the blood that had been matted into the fur on his back.


    Kaius laughed, it had to have been the eighth time Porkchop had asked him that since they had left the manor they¡¯d used as a base camp for the last few months.


    ¡°Here. Let me help.¡± Kaius said, walking behind Porkchop to help him cleanse the gore of battle. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, really. There was what looked like an open air temple on this layer of the city, but it looked quite far around the circle compared to where we entered. The goblin I saw definitely looked different enough to be a Champion. We¡¯re heading in the right direction, but it¡¯s hard to tell much more than that. It¡¯s pretty hard to get your bearings when the only two points of comparison were a far off look from a ledge and actually being on the streets.¡±


    Porkchop huffed at his non committal response, but still leaned back into his scratching.


    ¡°Can you tell me what you remember about it at least?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m pretty sure it''s going to be some sort of caster. It looked like it was in a pavilion that had been turned into some sort of goblin ceremony grounds, and it was wearing a big fuck-off headdress and waving around a staff. There were other goblins there too, so we should be ready for it to be a group fight.¡±


    Porkchop¡¯s ears perked up at that. ¡°That¡¯s different. Sound¡¯s fun though.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Kaius nodded. ¡°If a bit risky. I¡¯m also pretty sure there has to be another champion in the next tier. The one before the summit. There¡¯s been one on every single layer so far, including the Guardian at the top, so it would be a bit weird if there wasn¡¯t one -even if I didn¡¯t spot it.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. Every extra Champion we can find here means one less we have to search for when we are done with this biome. The clock¡¯s ticking Kaius. You¡¯re going to finish off your skills either way, but if we want to get our Honours and potentially even go after the Guardian before our full integration we need to push hard.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Kaius sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve got what? Five more to kill before we see if I get an Honour for ten in a group? And then another three for you to get that and the solo Honour. It¡¯ll be tight, but we can do it.¡±


    They lapsed into silence as the water that rushed over them slowly started to run clear. They had a plan, all they needed to do was execute it. Once Kaius was satisfied that they were both clean, he turned off the wet rooms enchantment.


    Once he¡¯d reinscribed and they¡¯d eaten, they would move on. Pushing closer to the Champion of the district.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡­


    Kaius walked down a paved street, his boots clacking on the impossibly smooth wrought stone that made up the dwarven thoroughfare. The more time he and Porkchop spent in the Depths-made facsimile of civilisation, the more the cracks shone through the illusion.


    There were bodies, but only the bodies of soldiers. There was dirt and the weathering of time, but nothing was structurally impacted. There were houses, but no signs of panic or disarray like what one might expect from a city under siege.


    Even the goblins. Especially the goblins. Bunched up, clustered into little groups. Always far enough away from each other that they could engage them in peace. Loitering in streets, in front of houses, but never ransacking them.


    It was eerie, but also comforting. A reminder that the desolation of a lost city was all just a mirage. That people still existed, somewhere up above. He¡¯d thought he was inured to the ennui of isolation, what with living in the wilds. It seems he had underestimated the impact of the small encounters with hunters, and he and his father¡¯s irregular trips to the villages.


    Thank god he¡¯d met Porkchop. No doubt he would have already lost his wits completely if he¡¯d had to do this entirely alone.


    Porkchop was right. They needed to pick up the pace. It was the only way they were going to collect enough Honours to challenge the Guardian before they got a class -the Honour that was bound to exist for that feat was something he was far too greedy to pass up. Beyond that though, he just needed out. He missed the sun. The cool western breeze that rolled in from the far off sea.


    Most of all, he needed to look for his father. He couldn¡¯t do that trapped down here. Every day he was stuck narrowed his chances of them reuniting again. With how long it had been, they were already far too slim.


    They rounded a bend in the road. Far off down the street, Kaius spied small green figures meandering across the thoroughfare, lazing about without a care in the world. Goblins. Only just barely visible with the enhanced acuity of his True Sight.


    Well, it was as good an excuse as any to bring up what he had been thinking.


    Kaius whistled, catching Porkchop¡¯s attention as he halted. His friend shot him a questioning look.


    ¡°I have a proposition to make. Down there-¡± He pointed toward the gang of depths-born, ¡°-are some goblins. I think we should go around them.¡± Kaius held his breath, waiting for Porkchop to protest.


    Instead his friend shot him a knowing look.


    ¡°You want to rush the champions.¡± Porkchop stated.


    ¡°I do.¡± Kaius said bluntly. ¡°We need to be moving faster. Plus, most of these depths-born are no match for us anymore. I¡¯m barely seeing any growth to my skills.¡±


    ¡°Kaius. You had me at ¡®I want to fight more Champion¡¯s, faster¡¯,¡± Porkchop replied, jostling him as he headed to one of the alleys that would take them to an alternative route through the district.


    Kaius sighed in relief, thanking the gods that Porkchop agreed with him, and set off after his friend.


    ¡­


    After making the choice to avoid further encounters with the general riff-raff of the city, their pace had exploded as they crossed the district in record time. They camped in manors as the crystal sun above dimmed, and set out early each morning to walk the dusty and abandoned streets of the residential district.


    Eventually, they found what they were looking for. Far off in the distance Kaius saw the road they walked on lead straight into a massive open space. A handful of streets converged into a crossroads, an open plaza surrounded on all sides by buildings taller and more opulent than any he had seen so far, with artistic crenulations and massive stained glass windows adorning their fronts.


    At the centre of the plaza was what they had been looking for. A large raised pavilion ringed by monolithic columns that supported a vaunted roof of shaped stone. There, at the centre, he saw their target.


    ¡°I see the bastard.¡± Kaius called out.


    In the centre of the pavilion stood a goblin on a raised dais. Withered and decrepit, it was wearing a massive headdress that must have added full strides to its height, made up of bleached bone and glittering metal scraps. It waved a gnarled staff too and fro, directing three adherents with religious fervour as it positively glowed with mystic might.


    Porkchop¡¯s ears perked at his words, swivelling towards him. ¡°It¡¯s a Champion?¡±


    Kaius focused his True Sight.


    Spiritcaller Grikx - Level 24:


    Champion, Depths-born, Magi, Low Race


    Goblin Adherent - Level 20:


    Depths-born, Beast, Minion, Elite, Low Race


    ¡°It is, and a mage to boot. There¡¯s also three minions, all elite like the warg was.¡± Kaius said, relaying his findings.


    Porkchop shot him a look. ¡°A mage? Will you be able to handle it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shaman. Probably an affliction or elemental specialist. Between this-¡± He rapped his cuirass with a knuckle. ¡°-and my resistance skill, it''s going to find me a terrible match up.¡± At least he bloody well hoped it was an affliction specialist. He still had one more healing skill he needed to earn, and he was getting tired of turning down offered skills. Afflictions would be perfect to practise manually increasing the efficiency of his Health.


    Though, the shaman wasn¡¯t the only issue. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the elites. That warg we fought on the outskirts was a piece of work, and there are three this time.¡±


    They¡¯d have to take them out first, and Kaius was under no illusions that that would be easy. Though, if Porkchop could keep the shaman occupied with his Spell Resistance, then Kaius was confident he could handle them. They looked to be normal sized goblins, not hobs, and that meant he had the height advantage.


    The real question was if he saved his spells to deal with the shaman, a well timed bolt could make all the difference against a caster.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kaius said. ¡°Here¡¯s what I think we should do.¡±

 Chapter 75: Shaman

    ¡°I hope real dwarven cities are built like this.¡± Kaius said as he stared at a row of immaculately carved statues that were laid in a circle around the plaza that he had spotted earlier. Each and every one was easily twice his height, and looked like they could have been living figures simply transmuted into a soft brown stone. They depicted a dwarven warrior, garbed in full plate with a stern expression revealed by an open faced helm.


    ¡°Why?¡± Porkchop asked, clearly far more interested in what lay beyond the ring of statues.


    ¡°I mean, look at this stuff.¡± Kaius replied, sweeping his hand across the plaza before waving it generally in the direction of the cavern walls. ¡°It¡¯s master stonework, melded together to look like a single piece. Let alone the bloody cavern, which is clearly not natural, or the crystal sun which looks about as big as a castle. It¡¯s easy to imagine the Depths creating something like this, but I can¡¯t wrap my head around the fact that there might be an original out there made by bloody people. The time -the resources- this would take is mind boggling.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s all very pretty.¡± Porkchop said with a shrug. ¡°But the Champion is right there. Now is not the time to be ogling buildings.¡±


    Porkchop was right, but he also didn¡¯t want to lose sight of the wonder of the Depths. It might have been a charnel pit of monsters and traps, but where else would you see a dwarven city right after exploring a glowing underground forest?


    Kaius sighed. Despite his appreciation for the surroundings, he turned his mind to the task ahead. The goblin shaman seemed to be in the throes of some sort of religious ecstasy, its head raised to the sky while it screamed guttural chants with a fervour, its adherents hanging on to its every word.


    Thankfully, it seemed far too preoccupied to notice them.


    ¡°You¡¯re still alright to keep the shaman occupied while I take care of his minions?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°It makes the most sense. Even with this ring you gave me, three goblins who no doubt have weapons would be hard to deal with. I¡¯ll be fine with my Spell Resistance.¡±


    Kaius nodded. ¡°I think with how distracted they are, we should be able to sneak behind one of those statues. It should get us close enough that I can take out one of the adherents before we even begin.¡±


    ¡°Not the shaman?¡±


    ¡°Too risky.¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°For one, it¡¯s a Champion- so there''s no guarantee a single shot will take it out. It¡¯s also a mage, so I¡¯m worried it might have some way to deal with hostile magic.¡±


    Porkchop grunted, clearly not convinced but he didn¡¯t argue with Kaius either way.


    ¡°Once we¡¯re behind the statue, I¡¯ll get a cast off. That¡¯ll be the signal to charge in, okay? You go for one of the statues closer to the shaman.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Porkchop said, before he slunk off to the other side of the street where he would have a better angle of approach.


    Kaius took a breath to reassure himself, taking another look to make sure the Champion and his flunkies were still preoccupied. Whatever service the shaman was leading, it didn¡¯t look like it was going to end any time soon.


    Dropping into a sprinters stance, Kaius felt his heart thump heavily in his chest. There was absolutely no cover between the road where he currently stood and the statue. Only a hundred long-strides of open pavement. If he made too much noise, or one of the Champions goons simply decided to watch their surroundings, he would be spotted in an instant.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± Kaius thought.


    He kicked off. Sprinting over open pavement, careful to keep his steps as light as possible. With every stride his boots clacked on stone and his scale rattled, the noise driving a spike of anxiety into his ears. He watched the shaman like a hawk for any sign of it hearing his approach. Nothing. Its screeching calls were loud enough to drown out any ambient noise.


    He shuffled to a stop, crouching down behind the raised stone plinth of the statue he had chosen as cover.


    Taking a moment to let his racing heart slow, Kaius looked a few statues over to find Porkchop hunkered down watching him closely. He shot his friend a nod, receiving one in return.


    Drawing his sword slowly so as to avoid making too much noise, Kaius peered over the base of the statue to stare at the attendants. Two of them were covered by the large stone pillars that held up the roof of the pavilion the shaman had taken over, but one stood exposed in a gap.


    A perfect target.


    Kaius thrust out with his left hand, pointing towards the enrobed goblins head with his finger. With a flicker of intent he cast Arcane Bolt. Tightly bound mana roared forth, exploding through the carefully crafted channels of his glyph. One of his four runic hymns on the edge of his glyph burst into golden light, High Lothian characters dissolved in floating embers as the force of the mana fractured the sacrificial spell array.


    A shard of azure shot from his finger, glowing to his mana sight as it rocketed towards the exposed attendant.


    Rune forged magic met goblin flesh and won with ease, rupturing its head in a splash of shattered bone and pulped flesh.


    **Ding! Level 20 Goblin Adherent slain**


    For a moment, everything hung frozen. Still. Then the goblin attendant''s body hit the ground with a wet smack.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    **Ding! You challenged a Champion: Spiritcaller Grikx! **


    Then Porkchop roared. Storming out of his cover to charge directly at the shaman. The goblin Champions chanting stopped, its eyes snapping open as it looked first at the headless body of its attendant leaking green blood on the pavilion floor, and then to the rapidly approaching red and black incarnation of bestial fury that was racing towards it.


    It hissed, thrusting its skull-tipped staff towards Porkchop. A hail of what looked like shards of bone slamming into him and punching into his barding a few heartbeats later.


    The remaining attendants drew their blades. Strange crescent moon things of glistening bronze. Far from the half-broken affair that he had seen on other goblins.


    That was his cue.


    Adrenaline dumped into his system as Kaius kicked his way free of the statue he had been hiding behind, racing towards the attendants with his sword held high and a roar of battle lust on his lips.


    The attendant''s eyes snapped towards him. Good, he had their attention. With each step Kaius launched himself faster and faster, eating away at the distance between him and the attendants.


    He hit them at full speed, lashing out with his sword to catch the left most goblins'' initial assault. He pivoted, shifting his grip to break the bind and deflect another slice from the other. The ringing crashes of steel and bronze rang out across the pavilion as Kaius pushed the goblins with every inch of his skill.


    The two attendants were good, far better swordsmen than anything he had seen from the goblins so far. Worse, they were fast. It was only by leveraging his longer blade and reach that he was able to keep up. Thank the gods they weren¡¯t stronger than him, otherwise he really would have been in trouble. As it was, the rapidfire staccato of clashing blades brought a smile to Kaius¡¯s face as the rush of battle fell over him.


    With each turned blade Kaius felt his vambraces suck in more and more force. It was surprisingly fast, far faster than it had been against the other goblins he had faced so far. Though, with the sickening pace of the attendants assault it didn¡¯t really surprise him.


    Smashing aside a low sweep from one of the attendants, Kaius lunged in with a quick thrust, punishing the attempt as the tip of his sword sank deep into its chest. Before he could follow up with a killing stroke he was forced to leap back, the injured goblins companion raking its blade across his armoured chest in a squeal of tortured metal.


    Kaius winced, a line of dull throbbing crossing the front of his chest along the line of the goblins'' blows. That hurt. The scale might work wonders for protecting him from edged weapons, but it did little for impact.


    **Ding! Fast Healing has reached level 18!**


    Beyond the attendants, Kaius could see that Porkchop was struggling to pin the Shaman down. Every time he would get close, Kaius watched as the goblin mage glowed to his mana sight, only for Porkchop to bellow in agony a moment later as a lash of ethereal energy smacked into him.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 10!**


    ¡°Definitely an affliction specialist! Pain!¡± Porkchop growled.


    ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Kaius yelled back, grunting as one of the attendants slipped past his guard to bash him in the ribs with its curved bronze blade. He kicked out, booting the goblin back before pivoting on his front foot to hammer on the others guard. ¡°Pain won¡¯t kill you!¡±


    ¡°The bone shards its shooting from its staff might! Hurry up!¡±


    Kaius grunted, easier said than done. The two goblin attendants may as well have been a brick wall with how perfectly they covered each other. Whenever he got a flash of insight from Explorer¡¯s Toolkit about a potential opening, they moved, closing the gap. The problem was that they were too bloody fast.


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 13!**


    Flicking his blade back and forth he deflected a perfectly synchronised flurry of slashes from the goblins, giving ground to their assault. With each block Kaius felt his vambrace get closer and closer to full. At the very least, if he really couldn¡¯t find an opening he would be able to force the issue with that.


    Peering over the attendants shoulders, he watched the shaman dive out of the way of Porkchop¡¯s paw, channelling glowing mana into its staff to pelt him with another hail of razor sharp bones.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 11!**


    Individually, they seemed to do little, but Kaius could see that his friend''s face and exposed arms were littered with dozens of shallow cuts. Inconsequential with health, but with each barrage more of Porkchop¡¯s health would burn away to seal the wounds.


    That could be an issue. He had to do something.


    Knocking aside one attendant''s blade he stepped in and rammed the goblin with his shoulder, sending it staggering back. His hand snapped up, lighting up in burning gold as he shot an Arcane Bolt directly at the shaman¡¯s back.


    Its eyes widened with the flash of light, the shaman throwing itself to the side in a last ditch effort to avoid the spell. Kaius was already turning away as it squealed in pain, slipping around a slash as the closest attendant screamed in fury at his assault of their master.


    Kaius punished the missed swing with a pommel strike to the goblins brow, sending it reeling. The act just barely gave him a moment to breathe before both attendants came back at him in a synchronised blur of scything bronze.


    Kaius grit his teeth, hearing Porkchop roar in agony once more.


    He did his best to defend from the attendants assault, blocking and parrying slashes where he could, but even with all his skill he wasn¡¯t able to stop a growing number of heavy smashes of blunt force that sunk deep into the muscle beneath his armour.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 17!**


    One of the attendants rushed in, curved blade held high overhead. Kaius swept his sword up, binding the strike in an edge to edge clash. He twisted his wrists, casting the bronze sword to the side as he pirouetted into a whirling cut that slashed it from shoulder to hip. Blood flooded free from the wound, staining the front of the attendants robe a murky green.


    The other attendant rushed him. Kaius only just managed to bring his sword up into a clumsy block, the goblins bronze blade skittering down his sword-edge to catch on his crossguard. Then he felt his vambraces saturate, a pool of energy entering his awareness.


    Feeling his blood sing with the heat of battle Kaius redoubled his efforts, waiting for his opening.


    Only for a virulent wasting energy to seep into him from behind, punching through his armour to target his bones as the shaman cried in victory. Kaius risked a glance behind him, seeing Porkchop had jumped on the shaman¡¯s distraction to rake his claws along its back.


    The shaman had still hit him with something. He knew it, he could feel it in his teeth, smell it flooding his nose. It tasted of the ravages of time, of the weakness of old men. The attendants cackled in glee, rushing him.


    Grunting in frustration, Kaius flicked his blade up to catch one of the crescent bronze blades. They clashed.


    His arm cracked. Agony lancing up into his shoulder as the pressure of the goblins attack stressed his fractured limb.


    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Skeletal Weakness: Curse of Brittle Bone**

 Chapter 76: Osteogenesis Imperfecta

    Kaius flew backwards, giving ground before the goblin attendants assault. He could feel it, the energy that had seeped into his bones from the spell the shaman had cast on him. Sapping their strength, weakening the very foundation of his body.


    His health flooded out, saturating his arm in itching heat as it fought to seal the crack in his bone. With every blow he blocked and parried yet more cracks joined it. Kaius stepped back just a little too hard to avoid a swipe. A small bone in his foot broke.


    This was untenable. The affliction might not have been enough to straight up crumble his bones, but it had absolutely gutted his defence. Worse, his Health was burning in every clash as it fought a losing battle to keep him whole.


    Rapid Adaptation was already moving, tasting the flavour of the foreign energy as it tried to get its measure. It was slow going though. A novel mana, and a novel effect. Kaius¡¯s resistance wouldn¡¯t kick in for some time.


    No, he needed to stem the drain on his Health, and he knew exactly how to do it.


    Falling back, he gave ground before the attendants, parrying only the attacks that he had no chance of dodging. As he retreated, he split his focus. Wrapping his will around the flood of restorative energy that had coated his bones.


    He coaxed it, guiding it to seal cracks with directed application. Forcibly increasing his efficiency. It was hard at first, his only practice had been under the influence of a Psychopathic Assault tonic. Even if he knew the theory, splitting his focus so utterly in the depths of a sword fight was ruinously difficult.


    The attendants slipped through his guard, hammering his armoured torso. Kaius grit his teeth as his ribs shattered, hot iron flooding his mouth. Still he pressed on. Guiding his Health to regenerate him with growing efficiency.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 18!**


    A moment later he got the notification he had been waiting for.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Efficient Healing (Rare)?**


    Kaius groaned in relief, dropping his hold on his Health to refocus entirely on his battle ahead. Immediately his latest skill went to work, stemming the torrential drain of his resource. Empowering how much his Health could heal.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 2!**


    With his latest skill and Fast Healing, Kaius was just able to suppress the curse that had weakened his bones so badly. Oh, they still cracked, still shot shards of agony through him with every crushing blow that he deflected, but he was healing fast enough to keep up.


    He needed an opening. There weren''t any. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit was completely silent, the attendants too fast, too good at covering each other for him to find one. He would have to make one.


    He pressed the attendants, soul-wrenching cracks shuddering through his arms as he threw his whole weight into a heavy downwards slash, forcing the goblins to block.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 3!**


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 4!**


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 5!**


    One of the attendants slipped in low, bringing its crescent moon blade towards him with a hurried slash to his left leg, rushing to capitalise on his sword being bound up in the defence of its ally. There was a nudge in Kaius¡¯s mind, and awareness. He could block. He didn¡¯t


    Gleaming bronze cut deep into the muscle of his thigh, thick blood welling in the wound. The attendant screeched in victory, joyous at having finally dealt a decisive wound.


    Kaius snapped out with his left hand, grabbing the goblin by the face, feeling its teeth sink deep into the meat of his palm. The pain meant nothing.  The other attendant shoved against his sword, easily pushing his one handed grip back. Kaius grinned savagely.


    Arcane Bolt.


    A flash of gold and azure. Wet flesh exploded from his palm in a cone, coating the pavilion floor in dark green gore. Kaius¡¯s blood sung in his veins as the headless body of the attendant collapsed to the ground with a splash.


    **Ding! Level 20 Goblin Adherent slain**


    The final goblin elite was already moving, its curved sword descending towards his own in a heavy slash, ready to take advantage of his one handed grip.


    Kaius twisted with his whole body, tapping into the well of energy in his vambraces. He felt the cracks spider webbing through the bones of his arm and shoulder as A Father¡¯s Gift exploded into motion, rocketing in an upwards diagonal on a terminal course for the attendant.


    Steel met bronze in a cacophony of destruction, Kaius¡¯s sword shattering the goblins blade in a shower of sparks.


    His arm snapped. Pulverised in the force of the collision.


    The energy empowering his swing cared not for his injuries or his agony, forcing his slash to continue unabated, carving through the flesh and bone of the attendant with ease. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    **Ding! Level 20 Goblin Adherent slain**


    Kaius let out a horse cry as his swing finished, his arm flopping loosely to his side as he just barely managed to keep his grip on his sword. The attendant pitched forwards, organs squelching as they spilled to the floor. The exposed muscle of his thigh writhed, reknitting itself.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 6!**


    Palming his sword to his other hand, Kaius leapt over the fallen goblins bodies, rushing to support Porkchop in his battle against the shaman. It was facing away from him, too focused on avoiding Porkchop¡¯s deadly claws and teeth to have noticed that he had slain its minion¡¯s.


    Thanks to his skills that enhanced his regeneration, he felt the shards of bone in his arm quickly reknit. It mattered little, the shaman¡¯s curse was keeping his skeleton brittle. Every movement sent new fractures cracking through his limbs.


    **Ding! Fast Healing has reached level 19!**


    Rapid Adaptation was moving quickly. Flooding his body to contain and absorb the energy. It wouldn''t be long before he had his resistance, and it could start to fight off the affliction.


    Ahead of him Porkchop roared once more as the Shaman showered him in a hail of razor sharp bone. His friend looked ragged, the constant assaults enough to cut his barding to ribbons and leave his fur matted with blood. Yet the shaman did not look fresh either. While its pain lash was enough to stop it from falling into Porkchop¡¯s embrace, it had been savaged by glancing blow after glancing blow.


    Its robes hung in tatters, stained by a constant slow leak of green blood. Its staff was splintered, battered from desperate attempts to ward off claws.


    Kaius had no doubt that it would fall soon. They could do this.


    Letting go of his sword, Kaius snapped his left hand up to fire off his final Arcane Bolt. There was a crack as stored mana expended itself, embers of gold rising from the disintegrating runic hymn on the back of his hand as an azure shard shot for the back of the shaman.


    At the last second it hissed, diving to the side. The bolt scraped along its ribs, blood spraying free as it cut a furrow through the Champions side.


    Fuck. He¡¯d been hoping to pin it down with his last spell, but it definitely had some way to sense mana. When this was done, he needed to go over his runic hymn. It had punch, sure, but four spells was not enough. Not when he could barely hit the enemies that he needed it most against.


    The shaman hissed, its mana surging for a few seconds as it cast a spell. A lash of mana flung through the air, straight towards him. Reacting on instinct he tried to bring his sword up to parry. It did nothing, the glowing whip phasing through his blade to land on his cuirass. Power surged, his armour attempting to rebuff the assault.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to fully negate the spell.


    Mana punched through his skin, pulsing as it touched his nerves. White agony exploded through him, feeling like he had been flayed and dipped in acid. He stumbled, nearly falling to the ground as his legs locked up, a hoarse cry escaping his throat.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± He coughed, picking himself up to advance closer on the shaman whose stressed eyes rocketed back and forth between him and Porkchop.


    ¡°I told you it hurts!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well. It¡¯s not an affliction, so there''s that.¡± He yelled to his friend, stepping into thrust towards the champion. Slippery as it was, it used its staff to throw itself to the side, narrowly missing being impaled.


    Kaius stepped forwards, readying another slash. The shaman thrust its staff towards Porkchop, hitting him with another shower of darts that forced him to bunker down. With its off hand it thrust towards him, mana pulsing as it hit him with another spell.


    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Skeletal Weakness: Curse of Brittle Bone**


    The damaging energy in his bones redoubled. Kaius tried to lunge forwards and finish it, only for his leg to collapse under him as his bones shattered. With a gasp he fell to his knees as the shaman cackled at his agony.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 7!**


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 8!**


    Porkchop roared. Kaius watched his friend blur, rocketing forwards directly through the densest path of cutting bone. His amulet, Kaius realised. he¡¯d enhanced his charge.


    He hit the shaman with the unstoppable fury of an avalanche. The shaman went down hard, hitting the stone floor in a long slide. Porkchop roared in fury, interposing himself between Kaius and the shaman.


    Kaius felt his health flooding his broken bones, but it wasn¡¯t enough. The affliction had made them so weak that any movement was enough to splinter them again. He needed a resistance.


    He felt it. The very moment Rapid Adaptation latched on to the foreign mana that surged through his system, savaging it like a rabid dog. Locking it down, and slowly eliminating it.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has added a new Resistance: Bone Magic!**


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 20!**


    His resistance against the affliction bolstered, Kaius felt his bones strengthen, Health reknitting them back together. He pushed himself to his feet. Care would have to be taken, they were still weakened, the bone magic still present. Yet it had been lessened enough for him to move.


    To fight.


    Leather creaked as he tightened his grip on his sword. Porkchop¡¯s ear swivelled as he heard him get up. A second later his friend rushed forwards, eager to finish off the injured Champion. Kaius rushed after him, sword held in a close guard with his point trained on the rising shaman.


    The goblin squealed, mana flaring around it as two lashes of condensed pain shot out. Squarely hitting him and Porkchop in the chest. He pushed through the agony, barely losing his footing for a moment as he braced for the surge of liquid fire.


    He pressed on.


    The shaman showered them in razor sharp bone darts. Kaius raised his arm, warding his eyes as bone plinked off his armour and cut into his exposed legs and head.


    There was a blur to his right as Porkchop lunged forwards. The shaman shrieked and the bone darts cut off. Kaius moved quickly, dropping his arm to see the shaman had thrown itself backwards, hitting Porkchop with another lash of pain.


    Kaius lurched in, pivoting on his foot to attack the shaman with a heavy chop. Rage twisted its features, black eyes scrunching as it raised its staff to block. Another building pulse of mana, and a second later it hit him with another whip of magic. Kaius locked up.


    The shaman''s chest was heaving. Bloody and tattered, it looked to be on its last legs. Fast and magically potent it might have been, its mana seemed bottomless with how many spells it had been throwing out. All the mana in the world couldn¡¯t hide the glacial pace at which the wounds on its face healed, nor the way it hissed as he pressed his sword harder into its staff.


    Porkchop charged from behind him, flattening the shaman once more. It tried to roll away. Escape. Stomping on its chest with a sickening mush, Porkchop pinned the shaman in place with one paw as it vomited green blood.


    It was the moment he had been waiting for. A quick sprint brought him in close. He cut.


    The shaman¡¯s head rolled free.


    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: Spiritcaller Grikx - level 24 Bone-totem Shaman! **

 Chapter 77: The Whole Pharmacy

    Kaius stumbled away from the corpse of the goblin Champion, his chest heaving as he slid to ground. He groaned as his hip crunched against the stone with his too rough movement.


    Lowering himself slowly to lie flat on his back, Kaius stared up at the vaulted stone roof of the pavilion as Rapid Adaptation worked to purge the remnants of the shamans mana from his system.


    ¡°Well. That could have gone better.¡± He said.


    Porkchop hunkered down next to him, his barding littered with holes and his red and black fur matted and wet with blood.


    ¡°I think we did pretty well, no potions or tricks this time. Your spell was great!¡± Porkchop said encouragingly.


    ¡°It was alright. I don¡¯t have enough of them,¡± Kaius responded. ¡°I think I''m going to try to trim it down. Like, it¡¯s got a lot of power, but we don¡¯t really need that power. It¡¯s only really useful against Champions, and even then I''m getting the feeling that unless they are big and slow it''s just not really worth the cost. Even if it was half as strong it would be enough to take out a common depths-born, and the whole point of the hymns is that I can switch them out.¡±


    ¡°That would probably be wise. If you had more we might have been able to box the shaman in, or interrupt those bloody spells it had.¡± Porkchop finished with a huff.


    Right, Porkchop had gotten absolutely reamed by that pain whip spell. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, slowly, and checked his friend over.


    ¡°How¡¯re you doing? He got you pretty good.¡±


    Porkchop tilted his head at him. ¡°Me? I¡¯m not the one whose bones sounded like they were made of chalk. That pain spell was just sore, it didn¡¯t actually do any damage, and despite how I might look, those bone shards didn¡¯t leave much more than flesh wounds.¡±


    Kaius cracked a grin. ¡°I¡¯m fine too, just going to take it easy until Rapid Adaptation can purge the affliction. I got the resistance towards the end, but it¡¯s still pretty uncomfortable¡±


    ¡°Well, while you do that I¡¯m going to see if I can find our loot.¡± Porkchop said, rising to his feet with a grunt.


    Kaius watched his friend closely, not quite convinced that he had gotten off as lightly as he had said. The smear of dark red that Porkchop left of the stone beneath where he had lain was really not helping his case.


    After Porkchop had wandered away to poke his way around the pavilion, Kaius turned his attention to the system notification that was pinging away in the back of his mind. He¡¯d gotten the last skill he needed for Lesser Regeneration, and not a moment too soon. The constant fractures had absolutely decimated his healthpool, and he doubted he would have been able to last much longer without slowing it down.


    He pulled up the skills description.


    Efficient Healing:


    Level 8


    Rare


    Life is the constant struggle against decay, stumble and you die. The power of the Blood, the memory of the Heart, learn these mysteries and you will live. For now.


    Enhances the power and efficacy of your Health, increasings its regenerative capacity.


    Each level infinitesimally reduces Health costs.


    It might have been a simple skill, but it was no less useful for it. Paired with his other recent healing skills, it served as a massive increase to his staying power. Even without having merged them into his second to last legacy skills. So much of what had hampered him in fights was both his depressingly small Health cap, and the sluggish rate of his healing. Any serious wound was potentially disabling.


    Though now, perhaps not. Even with only the initial boost of his most recent skills he should be able to recover from broken bones and flesh wounds without having to retreat. Unfortunately, he still had to be careful. He couldn¡¯t recover totally severed limbs, and a heart or head wound would kill him as quickly as anyone else.


    Dipping his attention inwards, he found that the bone magic had been almost entirely purged from his system. He watched it, Rapid Adaptation attacking the foreign energy with a fervour. Corralling and destroying the curse. Over the next few minutes the remnants became scattered, and then inevitably were annihilated completely.


    Sighing in relief, Kaius watched his Health flood through his system, fixing up the final remnants of damage that had been left behind.


    Hopping to his feet, he enjoyed the simple pleasure of feeling the solidity of his footing on the stone floor. No more having to worry about snapping his shin if he moved a little awkwardly.


    Porkchop was in the centre of the pavilion, poking around the raised dais that the shaman had originally stood on to deliver his sermon. His friend looked over as he stood up, his ears perked high in excitement.


    ¡°I think I found it!¡±


    Kaius grinned, matching his friend''s excitement at the prospect of more loot. Other than the simple pleasure of growth, it was definitely his favourite part of a Champion fight. Part of it was that it meant another likely growth in their capabilities, another tool they could leverage in their rush to escape the Depths. The other was that it was wealth. Artefacts were expensive, depths-wrought ones even more so.


    Without fail they had self repair enchantments, something that was often too complicated for artisans to bother imbuing into anything less than a Rare item. For a delver, a weapon that could stand up to the rigours of a Depths dive was worth its weight in gold. There were no smithies to repair a breastplate or sword in gloomy tunnels beneath the surface, after all.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    He marched over, finding Porkchop staring intently at a stone hatch that was set flush into the floor of the dais. With an inset handle, it was no wonder Porkchop hadn¡¯t been able to open it.


    ¡°No fingers, eh?¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and open it, two-legs.¡± Porkchop said with a low rumble.


    With a chuckle Kaius stepped up onto the dais. He squatted over the hatch, wrapping his hands around the hard handle of the hatch. Pushing off with his legs he heaved upwards, veins in his neck popping. There was the grind of stone against stone, the hatch swinging open a hairsbreadth at a time. Kaius grunted, bracing his core as he redoubled his efforts.


    Whoever made this thing had been a little too fine with their tolerances, the bloody trap door looked to be nearly a hand span thick of solid stone. As the lip rose out of the depression Porkchop snaked his paw between his legs, hooking under the hatch to help him haul it upwards.


    It swung fully over, falling flat on the dais with a puff of dust and an ear splitting crash. Kaius stumbled back, nearly tipping off the edge of the raised platform before Porkchop steadied him with a paw.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Kaius said. ¡°Now let''s see what we have here.¡±


    He peered into the square recession that they had opened, finding a perfectly smooth stone opening littered with a collection of small square bottles. Seven of them.


    Four were a gentle red, the liquid inside looking almost velvet as it sloshed gently against the sides of the glass, still disturbed from the dropping of the hatch. Another two were a pale purple, almost lilac, and seemed to be in a constant state of motion as darked motes swirled in its depths. The final tonic glowed with a silver radiance, soft enough that he could only just make out the light thanks to the thick shadows of the container.


    Much like many of the rewards they had received for their efforts, Kaius spotted two gleaming gold disks resting in between the tonics. Depths-coin, two pieces of gold this time. A nice addition to their reserves, not that they would be able to use them until they escaped.


    Porkchop shoved his head past him, letting out a whine when he saw the contents of the container.


    ¡°Just potions?! Where¡¯s my loot?¡± He grumbled.


    ¡°Let me check them first, you never know.¡± Kaius said, peering into the tonics descriptions with True Sight.


    Lesser Blooming Rejuvenation Tonic:


    Common - Tier I


    The fruit of restful sleep, the essence of mending, condensed into a single moment.


    A tonic that restores the well of Health in your soul.


    Depths-brewed potion


    Health Recovery I


    Kaius whistled as he read the description of the four red potions. Healing draughts, something that very well could save their lives if they got in a tough spot. They were supposed to be pretty rare. At least, more rare than tonics that simply boosted one''s natural regeneration. They were a good find.


    He shifted his attention to the glowing silver one.


    Lunar Empowerment Tonic:


    Common - Tier I


    What hides there, out in the black? Knowledge, power, or madness?


    A tonic that stimulates floods the body with lunar wisdom, empowering magic for a short time.


    Depths-brewed potion


    Lunacy I


    Kaius felt uneasy reading its effects. Something that boosted his magic was useful, but after his experience with the Psychopathic Assault tonic, Kaius was weary of anything that looked like it might impact his mental state.


    It might not directly have stated it, but no matter how much he squinted ¡®lunar wisdom¡¯ certainly was suspicious enough that he wanted to be careful.


    Last was the fizzing lilac potion.


    Jack Rabbit Tonic:


    Common - Tier I


    Run fast enough and you might just escape your fate.


    A tonic that boosts movement speed for several minutes.


    Depths-brewed potion


    Rapid Escape I


    Now that Kaius could get behind. Not just for fleeing as the tonic suggested. Speed was an invaluable equaliser in combat, as he had just learnt first hand in his battle against the attendants. These, and potentially the Lunar Empowerment tonic, would be worth saving for the Guardian. The ogre he had spotted at the top of the city was massive, and undoubtedly would be able to splatter them with a single swing of its club.


    If it couldn¡¯t hit them however¡­. Yes, these would be perfect to save for their final confrontation.


    There was only one thing that was bothering him. Kaius decided he should bring it up.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re certainly for both of us. Those ones will instantly recover some of our Health, though I¡¯m not exactly sure by how much. Those two will boost our movement speed for a while, and the last will empower my magic.¡± He said, pointing between the different potions.


    ¡°Why do you sound concerned? That¡¯s great isn''t it?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°Well..¡± Kaius said, thinking. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it''s a little too good? Like have we actually gotten anything that wasn¡¯t well suited for us? I didn¡¯t know about Champions or that they guarded rewards before I got here, so I might be wrong, but everything I have heard has said that Depths rewards are random.¡±


    Porkchop cocked his head at him. ¡°What, like bad? Why would people bother then?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°Not bad. Just i¡¯ve heard that it''s pretty common to get things that don¡¯t suit you. Like if we found an amulet that made you channel spells faster or something. It¡¯d still be worth taking with us, someone else would find it really valuable, but neither of us would really be able to use it.¡±


    Porkchop grunter. ¡°Who cares? It¡¯s not like good loot is harming us. Maybe it''s something to do with you being Observed?¡±


    ¡°...Maybe.¡± Kaius muttered, thinking. It didn¡¯t feel right. ¡°But the Depths are supposed to be impartial, it''s a whole thing. Like it¡¯s this grand trial, I can¡¯t really see it shifting the scales for someone just because they are doing well, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Kaius,¡± Porkchop said, nudging him to grab his attention. He looked over, locking eyes with his friend. ¡°So. What. If it¡¯s something else, it clearly likes us. Stop worrying, and go fetch your pack so we can put stuff away.¡±


    Kaius grunted, but dropped the matter and started to walk towards the street where they had entered. He¡¯d left his pack stashed there. Porkchop was probably right, but he didn¡¯t like it. It didn¡¯t feel like something the Depths would do. It was a mystery, one he didn¡¯t have an answer to.


    Hopefully as when he¡¯d escaped they would learn more. He already intended to look into his family name at a library in one of the nearby major cities; he could investigate this too.


    There was no way he was the first person this had happened to, was it?


    <hr>


    Sitting on a throne of granite, a man so immaculate he looked carved from marble started to laugh. A thousand motes of light quivering in an inky black void at the sudden noise.


    ¡°Kaius, my boy. You have no idea.¡±

 Chapter 78: The Final Layer

    Sitting down on the raised platform where he and Porkchop had discovered the stash of potions, Kaius repacked his bag.


    With a single tonic each of Solar Revitalisation and Psychopathic Assault, the latest haul had brought them to a total of nine tonics. One more than he could hold in his potion pouch. After moving his coin and empties to a slot in his pack, Kaius had to make the tricky choice of which potion to leave outside of easy reach.


    All five of his healing tonics would be staying with him, to do otherwise was stupid. For now he was leaning towards stashing one of the Jack Rabbit tonics. He intended to save both of them for the guardian, but if the situation arose where he had to choose between imbibing a potion and potential death, he was going to make that choice ten out of ten times.


    Satisfied with his choice, Kaius pulled his Jurryrigger''s Stylus as well as his notepad out from his pack, before setting the bag on the ground. Having already removed his vambraces, he was ready to reinscribe. First though, he wanted to try his hand at modifying his Arcane Bolt hymn.


    Like he¡¯d mentioned to Porkchop, he needed something cheaper. Having a spell that could burst a goblins head like a melon available at the flick of his fingers was all well and good, but it was costly. Most of their fights had been slogs, and only having four spells available was hampering him. Plus, the shaman¡¯s bone darts had sparked some inspiration.


    He probably wouldn¡¯t make a spell that fired a spray of them, that would suffer from the same cost problem as Arcane Bolt and would probably be less effective to boot. But if he could scale down the hymn¡­


    He flicked open his notebook, already two thirds full with runic diagrams- carefully neutered so as not to pull in mana, of course.


    His current hymn was made up of a few parts. A section of runes to shape the spell, one to contain and direct his mana, and another to harden it into a penetrating projectile. All made up of hundreds of High Lothian words that looped over themselves until they formed a dense, arrow shaped array.


    Most of the shaping and containment sections were held in the ¡®haft¡¯ of the arrow, if he could just shrink the overall size of the arcane shard, reducing its mana requirements while increasing its density¡­


    Grabbing his pen, Kaius sketched out a test on his page. It looked like it should work. Everything was in alignment, there were no syntax issues.


    The only way to know would be to try.


    Snapping his book closed he shoved it back into his bag before snatching up his stylus. Laying his left hand on his knee he bent over and started to draw, wincing slightly as the mana he channelled through his stylus started to burn into him.


    He moved quickly. Thanks to his modifications, and the overall shrinking of the runic spell form, he actually managed to finish it quicker than normal. With a final flick of his wrist he completed the last rune on his test a mere five minutes later.


    His glyph drank hungrily from his mana pool, flooding his newest spell. A moment later and it clicked into place, sequestering the energy it needed for him to cast the hymn. Kaius let out a sigh of relief. At the very least the spell was stable. Now he just needed to test it.


    He pulled up his resources, curious about how much mana the spell had taken from his reserves.


    Resources:


    Health - 380/380 (2.8/min)


    Stamina - 280/280 (2.8/min)


    Mana - 273/430 (4.3/min)


    Free Mana - 243/400


    Reserved Mana - 30


    Seeing the cost of his adjusted spell, Kaius grinned. Thirty was low enough that he could inscribe fourteen of the damn things! Quite a step up from a measly four. Though, whether it was actually viable to use in combat had yet to be seen. If everything worked to plan, it should be far denser than his original, but would probably have a little less oomph behind it.


    ¡°Heads up. Going to cast something.¡± Kaius said, alerting Porkchop to what he intended. His friend simply grunted in acknowledgement, more interested in meandering around to explore the pavilion.


    Turning back to his task, Kaius looked up and pointed towards the ceiling. A flicker of intent and he watched as his latest hymn lit up gold, runes flaking off into burning embers as a deep blue shard of the arcane popped into existence at the dip of his finger. Maybe a fingerlength and a half long, the spell looked like a faceted sapphire that had been cut to a needle tip.


    Faster than he could blink, the shard rocketed towards the ceiling as it whistled through the air. It hit the roof with a crash, cracking into the stone and showering him in dust.


    Kaius let out a hearty laugh from deep in his belly. That was fantastic! Sure, it had lost a lot of the oomph of Arcane Bolt, but it still looked like it was more than enough to put a depths-born in the ground if he aimed well. He could always inscribe the original if they were going to come up against something that warranted a bit of extra firepower.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Hurriedly, he went back to inscribing more of the spells, not stopping until he had used all of his available mana. Then he had to wait. Pacing back and forth as his pool slowly refilled. Thankfully, on his fourth such break, a welcome ding rang through his mind.


    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 19!**


    Kaius grinned, yet another legacy skill brushing up against the cap. Waiting a few more minutes, he threw himself back into inscribing spells as soon as he had the mana required for another. He opted to leave out the fourteenth cast as it would have only left him with a measly ten in the tanks.


    Using his stylus had gotten easier with practice, and he¡¯d gotten far better at using less mana as he¡¯d gone along, but even then ten mana was a tight squeeze for an inscription.


    Standing up from the dais where he had been seated, Kaius looked at his glyph appreciatively. He¡¯d managed to fill in nearly half of the anchor points with his cheaper spell, one that his status had called Arcane Dart. Nodding to himself, he strapped his vambraces back on and shouldered his pack before heading over to Porkchop.


    As he looked out over the square, he could see where one of the roads that left the plaza wound its way deeper towards the centre of the dwarven metropolis. Another towering rise separated the residential district from the next one up, just barely revealing massive structures somehow even more ornate than the manors surrounding them.


    He could see the stairs. Identical to the ones they had taken up from the military and workshops below, it was recessed deeply into the wall, carving its way through solid stone. They looked to be an hour''s walk at most, further around the donut shaped district.


    He hadn¡¯t done his best to keep track of their progress as they rotated through, but he was pretty sure it had to be damn near close to the opposite side of the city from their original entrance to the district.


    It made sense. Despite the grandiosity, the construction and mountains of mummified dwarven soldiers had made one thing crystal clear, this was as much a fortress as it was a settlement. Having the stairs up to the next district be as staggered as they were would force any and all aggressors to fight through winding streets flanked by houses of solid stone. Kaius could imagine that with enough defenders, the city would be almost impenetrable.


    Almost.


    Evidently it hadn¡¯t been enough. For the umpteenth time, he hoped that the city''s defeat was just the creation of the Depths. That it hadn¡¯t frozen the destruction of a real city in time, and transported it across the world to be just another biome.


    Either way, the stairs were their goal, and they weren¡¯t too far. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what they would find up there. Decrepit and ravaged by war the city may have been, but it was still delightfully exotic and strange to him. The massive buildings above had set his mind racing. Were they the seat of government? A church?


    Kaius had no idea, but he couldn¡¯t wait to find out. Plus, there had to be a Champion out there. It would be too weird to have one on every section of the city except the one right before the Guard.


    He turned away from the sight, whistling to grab Porkchop¡¯s attention.


    ¡°You ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got bored of sniffing rocks about an hour ago.¡± Porkchop said glibly.


    Kaius rolled his eyes and set off, leading the way as they pushed ever deeper into the fallen dwarven metropolis.


    ¡­


    Huffing as he hauled his way up yet another step, he forced himself to avoid looking over the sheer drop to his right. While the stairs were wide and easy to climb, there were a bloody lot of them, and evidently dwarves didn¡¯t believe in safety railings. There was nothing to stop him falling off the edge and plummeting what felt like hundreds of longstrides to his doom below.


    Porkchop was keeping pace with him to his left. At first his friend had been a nonstop stream of grumbling as they ascended the stairs that slowly wrapped their way around the gargantuan pillar of stone that held the next district of the city aloft. As they had climbed, exertion had slowly sapped Porkchops enthusiasm, tapering it off into the odd growl every few minutes.


    Ahead Kaius could see the looming city gates that guarded the way ahead. Much like the last two they had encountered, these were twisted and shattered. Gleaming in silver and gold, massive embossed scenes were mangled into shards of base metal and blasted inwards.


    Reaching the top, Kaius bent over as his chest heaved. Stamina might have let them maintain their pace, but his legs still burned. With a final gasp, Kaius straightened and wiped at his forehead, surveying the new district.


    In comparison to the residential space below, this region of the dwarven city was remarkably open. Massive stately buildings dotted a wide open boulevard, richly engraved stone rising into parapets and peaked roofs.


    It was beautiful, even for the dwarven city the stonework was masterful beyond compare. Engravings of stately dwarves so lifelike he could swear they were breathing, scenes of stone carving and smithing that displayed the mastery of their craft, and dozens more. They coated the exterior of every building he could see. It must have taken years, and the expense! Kaius doubted that anyone but the most skilled amongst their number would have had their work imprinted on the very stone of such an opulent region of the city.


    He still couldn¡¯t tell if it was religious or the centre of the city''s statecraft, though at the very least it had clearly been an extremely exclusive space. The only residential buildings he could see looked like palaces in comparison to the manors below.


    It also wasn¡¯t just dwarven masterpieces that dominated the second highest peak of the city. Kaius could see plenty of goblins too. Scattered around the open pavement, lurking in the shadows and nooks of massive buildings.


    They were much less clumped up here, and they looked notably tougher. More heavily armoured, their weapons looking much less like scavenged scrap.


    Kaius smiled as he looked out over the sight. He loved a new challenge.


    ¡°Ready to go hunting for this Champion?¡± He asked, eager to get moving.


    Porkchop responded with a hungry growl, his eyes boring holes into the distant depths-born.

 Chapter 79: Surprise!

    Kaius crept alongside the exterior of a regal building that backed up onto the wall that led to the final layer of the dwarven city, shadowing himself under a massive balcony of stone. It rose a dozen stories into the air to taper into a collection of spindly spires, with heavily barred windows dotting the walls.


    The exterior of the building was absolutely covered in reliefs, all following the same theme. Coin. Valuable gems locked in a vault, artefacts held securely, and more.


    After spotting it Kaius had immediately diverted their path to investigate. A heavily reinforced building, nestled safely in the city''s seat of government? If that didn¡¯t scream bank, he didn¡¯t know what did.


    They¡¯d made pretty good time. While this upper district was absolutely crawling with goblins compared to the lower levels, they were far more dispersed. No more massive mobs of goblins, they only had to pick them off now and then to clear their pass.


    Of course, they still had to be stealthy about it. Despite the strange lack of perception that depths-born had, Kaius had no doubt that if they simply strolled out in the open they would have a horde on their hands in no time. Thankfully, his new spell had proved to be more than capable of taking out goblins, at least, with a little careful aim.


    More than once they¡¯d been confronted with a goblin blocking their path, with no way to take it out before it could raise an alarm to its far off allies. After wrapping his glyph in cloth to conceal the burning light of his casting, he¡¯d found an Arcane Dart to the back of the head did plenty well at removing those annoyances from their path.


    Their careful pace had slowed them. It was a lot harder to completely avoid the goblins now, even if each encounter was a lot easier. They had made their way from the entrance, hoping from estate to official looking buildings, one after the other. While this district was much smaller than the one below, it was still a city.


    As far as he could tell, this region of the city was a mix of noble estates, religious buildings, and the centre of government. There were no ¡®roads¡¯ per se, instead the entire ring was an open stone boardwalk, dotted with massive buildings seemingly at random.


    They¡¯d ended up camping out in more than one noble¡¯s estate to pass the night. If Porkchop had been ecstatic at the comfort of the manors below, he was utterly dumbfounded at the sheer luxury that nobles lived in. If Kaius was honest with himself, he was too. Of course, he¡¯d heard the stories about foppish nobles and their vices, but it was one thing to hear about it and another entirely to be confronted with a bed the size of most inn rooms.


    Still, their covert exploration of the noble district had had some benefits. He¡¯d manage to squeeze out a couple of levels of Explorer¡¯s Toolkit, and all his reinscribing of his hymns had managed to cap Runic Lexicon.


    Moving to one of the columns that supported the balcony above him, Kaius peered out to look around the front of the building. He sighed in relief. The only goblins he could spot were far off, meandering around far off estates.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said, waving to Porkchop who was still lurking in the shadows of the balcony.


    They rushed forwards, heading towards the bay doors that were recessed into the front of the building. Kaius kept himself hunched, lowering his profile as much as he could while he kept his eyes locked on the goblins he had spotted. Waiting for any sign that they had noticed them.


    Nothing, they kept to their lazy patrol.


    The entrance to the building was just as grand as anything else, thick doors of wood with richly shaped bronze rings were set into a frame of carved stone. Kaius rushed forwards, grabbing the cold bronze and shoving the door open. To his ease it swung inwards on well oiled hinges.


    The interior was thick with dust, completely undisturbed. Having confirmed that the presence of enemies was unlikely, he rushed in without a closer look.


    ¡°Quick! Quick!¡± He said, waving Porkchop in before he closed the door.


    Sighing in relief, Kaius turned back to the building''s interior, taking the chance to look closer now that he wasn¡¯t worried about them being spotted.


    They had entered into some sort of waiting room, a wide open area with numerous benches sitting on a polished floor. Ahead of them a long stone desk prevented further access to the open plan bank. He was sure it was a bank, what with the absolutely massive vault door that was set into the far wall of the building.


    It must have been tunnelled into the stone foundations of the final district that rose far above them. At least that would explain why the bank had been built bordering right up against the interior wall of the ring.


    The roof loomed far above. Despite the size of the building, there was only one floor. Instead massive stone struts crisscrossed the open air, supporting the massive structure. It was impressive, but it did little to hold his attention compared to the jewel that was a potentially full bank vault.


    Kaius grinned as he looked at the steel door that was bigger than he was. Intricate gears covered its surface, connecting to a wheel on its front. Walking forwards, Kaius vaulted over the low desk that barred the way further in, richly carved desks and working areas littering the open room past the desk.


    His head snapped back when he heard a crash breaking the silence from behind him, laughing as he watched Porkchop go down in a flail of limbs as he tumbled off the desk.


    ¡°What?¡± Porkchop said, extracting himself from the desk chair he had knocked to the ground. ¡°The dust was slippery.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Sure it was.¡± Kaius said with a shake of his head. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go check out this vault.¡±


    As he drew closer he could see that it was even bigger than he expected, standing half his height again. Standing in front of it, he rapped his knuckle against the cold metal with a dull thunk. It was thick alright, not that he could have broken through even if dwarves had cheaped out on their metal work. Which they had not, the vault may as well have been forged from pure adamantium.


    Gears dominated its surface in a complicated mechanism. All he could tell was that they linked the large crank at the doors centre with the thick bars that crossed its surface to sink deep into the steel reinforced walls.


    Running his hands over the gears, he felt a slight texture to the metal. One he hadn¡¯t expected, dwarves were known for master-works, and this felt like the pebbling of something that had been cast in sand. He frowned, peering closer with True Sight before his eyes widened in shock. They were runes. Impossibly small. Small enough that they had blurred into nondescript bumps.


    It was an unfamiliar script, but even if it had been Gretchen¡¯s Standard it would have taken him weeks to puzzle out their purpose. He grinned, insanity was what it was, though a beautiful one. He might have decided to take his runework in a drastically different direction, but it was still amazing seeing a work of such a magnitude.


    ¡°Well, let''s hope it''s unlocked. Because there is absolutely no way we are breaking through this.¡± Kaius muttered.


    Porkchop huffed, scratching at the floor in impatience. ¡°Just try the damn thing.¡±


    Giving his friend a shrug, Kaius set his hand on the crank, eying the thin keyhole at its centre.


    He heaved, trying to spin the wheel. For a moment he swelled with joy, his heart racing in shock as it smoothly rotated. Then a finger span later it stuck, hitting a stop with a thrumming thunk.


    Kaius¡¯s shoulders drooped, sighing as he turned back to his friend.


    ¡°Well, it was a long shot anyw-¡±


    **Ding! You challenged a Champion: Knife of the Tribe! **


    Kaius froze.


    ¡°What the fu-!¡±


    Something slammed into his head, yanking him backwards to send him falling to the stone floor. As he hit the ground in a clatter of metal, something razor sharp kissed his throat. Panic and agony rose as the blade tore through his jugular, coating something in a spray of his blood.


    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Paralysis: Assassin''s Blade**


    He tried to flail, knock the small figure off him. He was locked fast, unable to move as it switched his grip, driving its knife into his chest. Over and over. His scale armour barely served to arrest the blade, the Champion¡¯s knife sinking a handspan in between his ribs.


    His Health burned, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough. Life blood poured out from him, drenching his front as he choked on the fluid that pooled in the ragged remnants of his throat.


    **Ding! Stone Blood has reached level 15!**


    Porkchop howled in fury, bursting over to sink his jaws into whatever had savaged him. Dragging it away to ragdoll its diminutive form as he shook his head from side to side. Kaius barely heard it, too focused on the torrent of blood that erupted from his throat, choking him.


    He needed a potion, but Rapid Adaptation was moving too slowly. He¡¯d bleed out before he could get one. The creeping chill of the grave crept in, his extremities numbing as his Health surged in an attempt to slow the bleeding.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 9!**


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 10!**


    The only reason he wasn¡¯t dead yet was Stone Blood, the skill thickening his blood. Even then, it was barely enough to keep him conscious. The Champion had cut his jugular. Fuck.


    **Ding! Fast Healing has reached level 20!**


    **Ding! Stone Blood has reached level 16!**


    He dived inwards, blocking out the sounds of Porkchop¡¯s wild fury. Even if he had skills now he could help them along. He sent his senses flooding through his body, taking in his condition in an instant. Relief flooded through him. His armour had stopped the assassin from reaching his heart. They were still grievous wounds, but the ragged hole in his neck nearly reached his spine.


    **Ding! Stone Blood has reached level 17!**


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 11!**


    The region was a brilliant red to his internal sight, so much of his health flooding the area. Something was wrong, it was healing too slowly. Even slower than before he had gotten his regenerative skills. It had to be another skill. One that Rapid Adaptation was reacting far too slowly to. Thankfully, the skill had still partially resisted the attack, he was still healing, albeit incredibly slowly.


    He had to move fast.


    Snatching up his health in his mental grip, Kaius directed the resource manually. His skills helped, flooding the area and making each point last for more, but it was still a general regeneration. Arteries first. That was what was most important.


    **Ding! Stone Blood has reached level 19!**


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 12!**


    Pushing his Health towards the ropey blood vessels that even now spilled his life force onto the stone below, Kaius nearly screamed as he felt a resistance from the injury. He pressed on, forcing his flesh to reknit. His growing migraine was forgotten, swept aside in his all consuming need to survive.


    It wasn¡¯t enough, he needed more. He had plenty of health, but his flesh simply refused to make use of it, willingly hurrying his descent into the grave. Wild in panic, Kaius clawed at the health that pushed at the rest of the wound on his throat, yanking on his resource pool to drag the energy away from the wounds on his chest.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 13!**


    With a mental scream he shoved at the energy, willing it to focus solely on his torn blood vessels. Slowly, far too slowly, he felt the veins and arteries writhe. Reknitting as torn flesh sealed itself whole.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 14!**


    He could feel it, even with the rapid ascent of his Stone Blood skill he was growing cold, weak. His mind clouded with fog, slowing down with every weakening beat of his heart.


    No. He couldn¡¯t go out like this. He refused.

 Chapter 80: Life Blood

    Kaius felt cold, ever so cold, as he lay in a growing pool of his own blood. He could faintly hear the ongoing cries of his friend¡¯s fury as Porkchop savaged the Champion who had slit his throat and ruined his chest.


    He coughed, a spray of red glugging out of the ragged tear in his neck.


    **Ding! Stone Blood has reached level 20!**


    Shoving his agony and panic to the side he redoubled his grip on his Health, forcing the resource to power through whatever skill the Champion had used to inhibit his healing. He could do this. Enough focus and will and he would get through this.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 15!**


    He could feel it, the energy left over from the attack, slowly weakening. With every push it gave out quicker. Enough time and it would have passed by itself. Time he didn¡¯t have. His only saving grace was the fact that his chest plate had saved him from getting stabbed in the heart. Even with Stone Blood, he doubted he could have survived that.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 16!**


    He clenched his teeth and heaved again, shoving a great wave of restorative energy towards his blood vessels. One by one they made contact, slowly rejoining as they stemmed the tide of his health. Not fast enough. The bloodloss had sapped his strength, leaving him feeling like he had an anvil on his chest as his heart fluttered, trying to keep its beat as his blood pressure fell through the floor.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 17!**


    Again!


    He shoved his health, battling against the energy that coated his wounds. It wavered, poorly suited to counteracting Health that was bolstered by skills and personally directed with his will. As the Champion''s skill shuddered, he slipped through the cracks, dumping Health into his jugular. It snapped forwards like a striking snake, healing itself whole.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 18!**


    The skill that was dampening his healing shuddered back into position, stopping him from moving on to his other vessels. It was failing, quicker than he expected. Kaius had to do it now, he could feel himself fading. It was a race, what would fail first?


    He shoved again, ramming against the barrier that halted his regeneration, screaming in fury as he corralled his health, slamming it into the wound on his throat.


    The sapping magic shattered, health rolled over his throat in a wave.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 19!**


    Something nudged him. He ignored it. If it was the Champion he was dead anyway. He felt the flesh on his neck boil, morphic as it flowed. Resealing itself. Now that there was no skill working against him, his Health burned at a prodigious rate as he encouraged it to move faster. Even as he guided it to efficiency, supported by Efficient Healing, it vanished at an astonishing rate.


    His throat was last. His airway sealed and kaius coughed, spraying chunks of blood and stray flesh into the air. It splattered down on his face, paralysis stopping him from turning his head.


    The wound on his chest was still there, pulsing with agony as more blood pumped from his surface. Without the pressing need of his cut throat, it was his next target. Left alone it could still kill him. Unfortunately in his mad dash to stop his arterial bleed he had burnt through the vast majority of his health pool.


    It might not be enough.


    Whatever had been nudging him moved him again, clawing at something at his waist. Words rang in his mind, but he shoved them to the side.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has added a new Resistance: Paralysis!**


    Kaius gasped, twitching his finger. Even with Rapid Adaptation having gotten the measure of the affliction, it wasn¡¯t an instant process. It would fight off the rest of the paralysis quickly, but the Champion''s skill was too strong for him to fully resist it. The skill had weakened it, sure, but his entire focus was devoted to healing. Wasting the mental energy to try to reach for a potion might just kill him before it could do any good.


    Hard claws pulled open his mouth, cold glass clinking against his teeth. Liquid poured in, running down his throat. The taste of a year of safety and rest, of a flower in full bloom, coating his mouth.


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Lesser Blooming Rejuvenation **


    He gasped, a flood of Health exploding out from his stomach to rush directly towards the wound on his chest. Joining the scattered remnants that he already held in his grip.


    Porkchop must have fed him a potion, the giant lunk. Kaius could kiss him.


    Snatching up the new source of power, Kaius directed the revitalising energy to the wound on his chest. Pierced muscles and organs threaded together. His lung, nicked from the Champion¡¯s assault, reinflated. Kaius took a deep breath, coughing up the blood that had settled into his lung.


    **Ding! Efficient Healing has reached level 20!**


    With the remainder of his health he stitched blood vessels, reweaving his chest into fullness. It wasn¡¯t enough to fully recover from the wound, but it would keep him stable. Alive, while his natural regeneration did the rest.


    His eyes fluttered open to see porkchop leaning over him in concern, spinning in his sight. His friend had clearly not gotten out of his battle with the Champion scott free, dozens of deep cuts lacing his muzzle and shoulder. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Hey.. Did you get ''em.¡± He asked weakly.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± Porkchop said frantically, his concern making him frantic. ¡°I thought I lost you.¡±


    ¡°Need more than a cut throat to kill me.¡± He said with a chuckle, quickly turning to a wince as he disturbed his only partially healed chest.


    Porkchop shot him a look, staring at the ragged punctures in his armour. ¡°You need another potion! I''ll get it!¡±


    ¡°No, no it¡¯s fine.¡± He said, struggling to twitch his fingers in an effort to wave Porkchop off through his slowly weakening paralysis. ¡°I managed to heal everything important, I can wait for the regeneration.¡±


    Porkchop growled at him, but backed away from the potions he had knocked free of Kaius¡¯s potion pouch.


    ¡°What the hells was that! I had no idea where it came from.¡± Kaius asked. Now that he had a moment to process, it was hard to digest the last few minutes of his life. He had had no idea where it had come from, no signs it had been in the building at all. One moment he was trying a vault door, the next some goblin had ripped out his throat and was doing its best effort to do the same to his heart.


    ¡°Assassin. Looked like a goblin, but small and twisted. You didn¡¯t get the kill notification?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Kaius shook his head in response, before he shot Porkchop a blood soaked grin. ¡°Hey, that means it''s your first solo kill right? Only two more!¡±


    ¡°Stupid!¡± Porkchop said, slapping him lightly in the side, just hard enough to draw a gasp of pain. ¡°You nearly died!¡±


    His friend snapped at him, massive jaws closing a handspan from his face. A moment later he backed up, sitting down next to him.


    ¡°But yes, I did.¡± Porkchop looked smug, pleased with his success. ¡°It was too small to fight back properly once I had a hold of it, though whatever skill it used was annoying, these cuts sting.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Kaius muttered. ¡°Thought I would bleed out before I could force my health to work like it should. I think it should fade quickly though, I bet it''s more meant to stop someone healing from a lethal wound than prevent long term recovery. I did however, manage to cap the rest of my healing skills! So that¡¯s nice¡± Kaius tried lifting his head to shoot Porkchop a wide grin, his numb lethargy twisting it into a grimace.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! You should merge before we leave.¡± Porkchop said, before his eyes widened and he jumped up to race over to the slain body of the Champion.


    Kaius watched him in curiosity, wondering why he had run off mid sentence before Porkchop closed his mouth over ..something, before he wrenched it away with a snap.


    Trotting back to him, Porkchop dropped his prize next to him. It hit the stone with a crisp ting, giving away that it was metal. Unfortunately, Kaius was still struggling to move his head, so he couldn¡¯t actually see. Instead deciding to stare at his friend with a cocked eyebrow.


    ¡°Oh..Right¡­ It¡¯s a key!¡± Porkchop said when he finally processed that Kaius was paralysed


    ¡°A key?!¡± Kaius said with excitement. He bet if he could look at it he would find the same quality steelwork that covered the vault door behind him. The Depths were nothing if not consistent.


    ¡°Yeah! Shall we see if it opens it?¡±


    Kaius shot him a look, before flicking his eyes down to his limp body.


    ¡°Oops..? After we¡¯ve recovered, I mean.¡±


    ¡°That would be good, yes.¡± Kaius said with a sigh.


    ¡­.


    Kaius slotted the steel key into the crankshaft, turning it until it let out a satisfying click. The tiny runes that covered the surface of the vault door lit up, glowing with an inner radiance as the visible gears rotated with the heavy grind of metal on metal.


    Bars set into the walls slowly retracted, settling into place with a thunk.


    Kaius grinned, a giddy glee bubbling within him at finally getting to see what was inside. Lying paralysed with the knowledge that the vault was in arms reach had been torture. Thankfully, the paralysis affliction had faded rather quickly. He¡¯d been able to sit up after just a minute, but both he and Porkchop had decided to wait until they were at full fighting strength to check the treasury.


    Afterall, as they had just learned, the Depths were more than happy to surprise you with something deadly. He was more than a little furious with himself for falling for the Champion¡¯s ruse. He knew that complacency meant death in the Depths. Father had drilled it into him over and over again. If you think you¡¯ve found a pattern, don¡¯t trust it.


    Yet after so many Champions being clearly signposted fights, out in the open, he had come to trust that they all would be. It had nearly gotten him killed. He couldn¡¯t let it happen again.


    Sure, they had never been attacked after killing a Champion before, but neither had they been ambushed by one.


    So they waited until the lingering numbness had dissipated and both of their wounds had healed. Porkchop had wanted to wait until their Health pools were completely full, but by the time Kaius had reached the halfway point he couldn''t bear it any longer and had pressed the issue.


    He turned the crack shaft, well oiled metal spinning smoothly. Some interior mechanism inside the door activated, a series of rapid clicks echoing through the hall before there was a loud thunk as the main bolt of the vault slid free.


    Kaius yanked on the crank, Porkchop waiting off to the side, ready to deal with anything that might be waiting inside. Despite how heavy the door was, it swung open with ease, though its momentum meant it moved slowly.


    Shuffling back as the door inched open, he kept himself behind the cover of the stride thick steel as Porkchop burst forwards, rushing into the chamber. Kaius dived after him, pulling his sword free as he raised his hand up. Ready and willing to blast anything that moved with an Arcane Dart.


    Nothing.


    All there was was a perfectly bored semi-circular tunnel of steel, lit by runic wardlights. It punched deep into the solid foundation of the city, opening up into a large room. They walked forwards, eager to claim their prize.


    As they stepped into the open space of the vault, Kaius was awed at the sheer work that went into its construction. Like the tunnel, every surface of the room had been built from metal. He sharpened his eyes, staring at the ceiling above with enhanced acuity to find that the same miniscule runes coated the surface of the steel. They swirled in complex geometries, linking into a single cohesive formation.


    Kaius stared at it slacked jawed. It must have taken years.


    ¡°Loot!¡± Porkchop cried in excitement, dragging Kaius¡¯s attention away from the sublime runework to see his friend bounding towards the centre of the vault.


    Like Kaius had half expected, the vault was almost entirely barren. Utterly empty, except for two pieces that lay on the centre of the floor, haloed in light from the wardlights above.


    One was a ring, gleaming gold. The other, a fine set of scale mail greaves that covered the waist and thighs, ending just below the knee.


    ¡°Loot indeed.¡± Kaius said with a smile, hurrying over to join Porkchop who was leaping over the artefacts in excitement.


    He couldn¡¯t wait to see what they had gotten this time.

 Chapter 81: Armoured pt. 2

    Standing in the vault they had gained access to after slaying the assassin Champion, Kaius crouched down to take a closer look at the rewards. A pair of chausses and a ring that lay in the centre of the inscribed metal floor, haloed by the light of the wardlights set into the ceiling.


    ¡°Well, what do they do?¡± Porkchop asked from beside him, his nervous pawing at the ground giving away his impatience.


    Kaius rolled his eyes. ¡°Give me a moment, I haven¡¯t identified them yet.¡±


    He reached for the ring first. It was a simple band of gold, a ring of dense inscriptions encircling its interior face. He reached for True Sight, peering deeper into the hidden nature of the artefact. A moment later and its system description popped into his vision.


    Ring of the Tigers Claw:


    Common - Tier I


    Embody the tigers fury and tear your foes asunder with the cutting might of your body, this is what it means to be of the clan. Trust in your gifts, and show me what you have learned.


    Made from mana saturated gold, this ring¡¯s enchantments project a honed edge of mana that projects from fists and natural weapons during unarmed combat.


    Depths-wrought Artefact.


    Accessory (Ring)


    Ethereal Claw I, Resizing I, Self Repair I


    Rolling the ring around his hand, Kaius appraised the ring with an appreciative eye. He rose from his crouch, turning to Porkchop with an open palm held out.


    ¡°Paw.¡±


    Porkchop physically vibrated at his words, slapping his paw down on Kaius¡¯s hand with enough force to slap it out of the way.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He said sheepishly as Kaius shook his head at him and slipped the ring over one of his claws and onto his finger. ¡°What does it do?¡±


    ¡°Should project some sort of blade from your claws when you try to scratch something. Why don¡¯t you try it out?¡± He asked, stepping back as Porkchop chittered in excitement and rose onto his hind legs.


    Porkchop swiped the air. As he did so Kaius watched a blue haze trail behind narrow blades of mana that coated the front edge of Porkchop¡¯s claws, extending a few finger lengths further out. He knew he could only see it thanks to True Sight, without some sort of mana sensing ability the blades would be entirely invisible.


    Kaius whistled as Porkchop cackled in glee, following up his tentative swipe with a blurring flurry of raking strikes as the blue mist of unaspected mana settled throughout the room.


    ¡°Careful now, don¡¯t want to accidentally set off any of the defences in here now, do we?¡± Kaius said, eying the way Porkchop¡¯s projected blades narrowly missed scraping the inscribed floor.


    Porkchop gave him a huff, but dropped down to the floor anyway before running over to butt his head into Kaius¡¯s hip.


    ¡°Loot!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Kaius said, scratching him behind the ear. ¡°Let¡¯s see what I got.¡±


    He stepped forwards, bending down to scoop the chausses he had seen off the floor. They were a near identical match to his cuirass, with the same bluish sheet scales coating a backing of beast leather, with heavy plates to defend his groin and thighs.


    Kaius pulled up their description with True Sight, eager to see if they really were of the same make.


    Serelian Scalemail Chausses:


    Uncommon


    Knight of Sereli, the night is dark, this you already know. Our city burns, blood running through our streets while foul sorcery runs rampant. It matters not, you have your duty. Our flag remains high until we are felled to the last. Be strong, knight, and trust in your armour. It may yet see you through till the coming of the dawn.


    Forged from a Heilomite-Steel alloy, this scalemail armour was standard issue for the mage-breaker knights of Sereli. Designed to be light and mobile even for medium armour, it provides significant physical and arcane protection without unduly hampering movement.


    Depths-wrought Artefact


    Medium Armour (Cuisses)


    Durability II, Magic Resistance I, Self Repair I


    He was right! They were of the same make, though it was a shame that they weren¡¯t part of a set. Set items were rare, the purview of master enchanters, and the Depths themselves. They conferred additional bonuses as you wore more and more of the set.


    Though, it was far less common to see sets come from Depths¡¯ rewards. Something about the random nature of the rewards made it very uncommon to receive more than one item from a set, and it was impossible to tell if an artefact was part of a set until you had more than one of them. He¡¯d heard a few rumours of delvers who had discovered their items were part of a set when perusing a merchant''s stock, having to bite their tongue lest they get fleeced once the merchant learned of what he had.


    There were darker rumours too, of delvers crossing in the night and finding that they each had a piece of a set. Those stories often ended in death and blood, though Kaius was of the mind that both were just that. Rumours.


    Still, even if it wasn¡¯t part of a set, his Serelian scale had treated him well. It was a simple defence, but a stout one. Thankfully, it looked like it would fit over his leather reinforced trousers. They might have been comfortable, but they were a poor replacement for armour. He had been getting his legs cut up far more often than he liked recently.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Kaius slipped off his boots before hurriedly buckling on his latest artefact. Like everything else he had gotten from the depths, it fit like a glove.


    ¡°Well? What do you think?¡± He asked Porkchop as he raised his arms and gave a slow spin.


    ¡°Shiny, but hopefully you¡¯ll get stabbed in the legs less.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Kaius said, shooting his friend a grin.


    ¡°What now? That¡¯s pretty much it for this city right? Other than the Guardian?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kaius nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll need to head for a different biome, find some more Champions. If we can, we should keep an eye out for other Guardians too, see if we can find a better matchup. This one is some sort of ogre. It¡¯s bloody huge, I think we could take it, but a single hit would mess us up bad.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss the beds and cooked food.¡± Porkchop said forlornly.


    ¡°Chin up, we¡¯ll stock up before we go and besides, there''s still one more thing for us to do.¡±


    Porkchop cocked his head at him, the soft light from the wardlight above reflecting off his red and black fur.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to merge my next legacy skill, remember?¡± Kaius grinned. ¡°Plus I''m going to need your help getting my next two before we set off. I¡¯ll be fine training them against depths-born, but acquiring them in combat would be a little more risky.¡±


    Porkchop¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°More wrestling?¡±


    ¡°Yes, more wrestling.¡± Kaius laughed. ¡°Now let¡¯s head back to one of those estates to hole up. I¡¯m bloody exhausted and want to be my best for the merge.¡±


    Kaius led the way out of the vault, happy he and Porkchop had found yet more gear to support them on their delve. As they passed through the bank, Kaius eyes the shredded body of the assassin that had brought him so close to the brink. He shuddered as he saw the knife discarded to the side of its twisted and broken limb, turning away as the memory of his lifeblood pumping out of his throat washed over him.


    ¡°A good reminder not to underestimate this place.¡± He thought to himself grimly.


    ¡­


    Kaius took a deep breath, enjoying the view of the city and surrounding cavern that he had from his seat on the balcony of the noble estate they had retreated to. It was nearly five stories off the ground, and sitting on the outer rim of the district it provided a fantastic vantage point from which to look out over the rest of the biome.


    Below him he watched goblins crawl around the city like mites, with a smattering wandering through the fungal fields outside of the city. He felt distant, removed from the constant chaos and ongoing struggle of pushing their way through the infested dwarven city.


    They had left the bank a few days ago, sneaking through the seat of the city''s government to return to this patch of calm. It was their second stay in the estate, it being the first place they had bunkered down for the night after reaching this layer. Opulent and rich, it provided them no small measure of creature comforts while they rested their minds and bodies after their fraught confrontation with the assassin.


    Plus, the fact that the grounds were surrounded by ten stride high stone walls that the goblins had not managed to breach made it a lot more secure than some of the other places they had rested on this layer.


    He¡¯d needed the break. Two Champion fights in a handful of days and a close brush with death had worn on him. Though, in the end it was nothing that some dwarven beer, fine foods, and soft mattresses hadn¡¯t been able to fix.


    Porkchop had enjoyed their break too. Though he seemed utterly determined to grow fat on dwarven delicacies, what with the way he had been eating. It seemed that his friend was not looking forward to going back to unseasoned meat and survival rations after they moved on. Hells, he was still sleeping from their lunch, barely able to move after tearing into a whole beef roast, the glutton.


    Well, at least it gave him a break from the constant yammering. Kaius smiled.


    Another deep breath steadied his mind. He was ready.


    He closed his eyes, turning his attention to the burning light of his soul that dominated his centre.


    Not intending to waste any time, Kaius latched his attention onto the first skill that would make up his second to last legacy skill. Latching on to his soul he spun out a thread of soulfire, weaving it into a tight golden filament.


    His legacy skills started to scream with greed and desire, eager to monopolise his attention. Despite the ear splitting ring in his ears, he managed to tune them out and forge a connection with his first skill. Meaning flowed across the link, foreign sensations and images revealing the core of the skill.


    A flood of red raced through his vision, battering against a spectre of death, forcing it into submission with pure volume. The skill spoke of logistics, how even the most grievous wound could be healed with an overwhelming application of power. It was a simple thing, a solution to a dire problem. Perhaps not the most elegant, but one that would fight with all its strength to keep you alive. It cared not for subtlety, deft control, nor manipulation. To be miserly with the essence of life was to risk perishing to an avoidable fate. Fast Healing.


    The skill thrummed, accepting his connection. Now bound by gold thread, the nexus of power that orbited his inner fire sang with resonance, a crisp tone echoing through his centre. Kaius scrunched his forehead, scowling as the spiteful resistance of his platinum garbed legacy skills ratcheted up to new heights. A single skill and he could already feel a migraine coming on, lancing icicles of agony drilling through his skull.


    It was just pain, only pain. He could manage. There was little he wouldn¡¯t do to ensure his success, and subjecting himself to a little headache was more than acceptable.


    With redoubled focus, Kaius spun a new gossamer thin thread of gold from his soul. He snapped it towards the next skill as fast as he was able, unwilling to endure the torment of his legacy skills for more than he had to.


    Sensations flooded his mind as he connected to Stone Blood. Sweet, red vitality coursing through the network that fed the very foundations of his being. A precious commodity, to be held tightly, guarded with jealousy. The skill was almost as avaricious as the legacy skills that even now clawed at his mind with desperate fingers. It cared not for the attention that he lavished it with, only wanting a promise that he would hold tight to the sweet red nectar that it was so fascinated with.


    Kaius agreed with it easily, afterall, only a mad man wanted to let people ¡®steal¡¯ their blood. As he accepted the skills plea it pulsed with an inner carmine light, buffeting his soul space as it joined Fast Healing in a growing harmony.


    The disturbance aggravated his legacy skills, Kaius suppressing a cry of agony as they tore at him. They were so desperate, needing his touch like a man needed water. It took all of his will power not to cave to their demands. He had to do this. Fingernails cut into his palms as he clenched his fists.


    Holding firm, he withheld the psychic agony that tore through him, waiting for the heightened aggression of his skills to pass. It could have been a moment, or an hour, but eventually their jagged tones softened. Nowhere near enough to stop his pain, but slackening to the point he could push on.


    His chest shuddered as he prepared himself for the final push.


    Just one more skill and he would be able to merge Lesser Regeneration.

 Chapter 82: Font of Vitality

    Kaius held firm under the assault of platinum shards of crystallised power, preparing himself to link to the final nexus he needed to create his next legacy skill. It would be agony, that he was certain of. Every legacy skill he forged added to the difficulty of merging the next, and with seven orbiting his soul the battle of wills had grown dire.


    He exploded into motion. Wrapping his will around his soul he weaved together a tightrope of his central essence, flinging himself through the yawning void of his inner space to rocket towards the final skill.


    Sensing his motion, the discordant screams of his legacy skills rose to new heights. Every tone of their assault seemed to penetrate him to his very core. Assaulting his mind, shredding his soul with the purest essence of discontent and violation. His breaths came heavy, physical body reeling as a deep ache settled into his bones.


    The physical discomfort was the smallest of it, bare aftershocks compared to the titanic blows that rained down on his psyche. Kaius grit his teeth, pressing onwards as he stretched himself towards Efficient Healing.


    He could not lose. Not unless he gave up. Control over the soulspace was a product of will, intent, and desire. Despite the pain, nausea, and overwhelming sensation, Kaius¡¯s intent was pure. He would forge this skill, and the one after, if it was the last thing he did. It was his birthright, his connection to his father, and his life''s work. Nothing would stand in his way, let alone the embittered shards of his own incomplete legacy.


    A gilded net wrapped around his final skill, the shard of power pulsing with light and intent as impressions of its essence were thrust upon him.


    Efficient Healing was a close brother to Fast Healing. The erudite scholar to its brutish simplicity. It held life, continued existence, in the highest esteem. It too recognised the value, the power, of Health. Yet where its brother seeked to flood in abundance, it saw Health as something too precious to waste. Like all things of value it had to be protected, doled out with the highest care. What good was a flood of regeneration if it was spent so lavishly, so quickly? What then would protect life, when the next time of desperate need came?


    Kaius gasped, coming back to himself. His mind felt slow, foggy due to the constant assault on his mind. Even with his focus sapped by his need to maintain his will Kaius could see how the skills fit together, how they could meld into a greater whole. He moved.


    More golden threads shot from the pyre that his skills orbited, lashing across the void to sink into the skills he had connected with. One by one they linked the skills together, connecting the circuit. As the final gleaming wire snapped into place the skills rang like a bell, joining together in a unifying harmony that silenced the angry cries of his other skills.


    The release from the pressure was so sudden that he almost slumped in relief. He didn¡¯t, spine staying firm as he encouraged his skills to slide together, watching as they slid inwards. Crystalline shards crashed into one another in a violent collision, shattering them utterly.


    Atomised, the fractured power dissolved into a cloud of gaseous meaning.


    The system took notice.


    **Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**


    With relief, Kaius surrendered his control to the system, watching as the cloud crunched. It started to spin. Slow at first, but quickly accelerating to dizzying speeds as the system forced the remnants of his skills to coalesce. Tighter.


    Tighter.


    The gas contracted, growing denser by the second.


    A tipping point was reached as a higher intent injected a nucleus of power and intent into the centre. Power crystalised in moments, a new shard of platinum rocking his soul with the pure notes of its birth cries.


    **Ding! Skill Merged! Lesser Regeneration obtained!**


    His latest skill drifted back, joining the chorus that drifted in a comfortable loop around his soul.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes snapped open as he took a shuddering breath. He was drenched in sweat, every muscle in his body aching from the exertion of the merge. Despite his discomfort he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    He was so close. Only one more legacy skill and he would be done, able to move on to his first real choice for his build. He could almost taste it.


    Without standing on ceremony, he pulled up the description for Lesser Regeneration.


    Lesser Regeneration:


    Level 1


    Unusual


    The ancients were true immortals, capable of regenerating from a single drop of blood. That is why they were immolated. Our hated enemy then gathered the ashes, forging their dead scraps with cold iron, twisting their memory into a mockery. You are lesser. Reduced. Even still, a simple stake through the heart is far from enough to return you to the Cold Dark. Just don''t let them cut your head off.


    Drastically enhances regenerative capability, increasing the efficiency and speed of Health related healing. Adaptation to trauma reduces bleeding and allows damaged bodily systems to continue to operate at reduced capacity for a short time.


    Each level moderately increases the speed of Health related regeneration.


    Each level moderately decreases bleeding.


    Each level minutely reduces Health costs.


    Each level infinitesimally increases capacity to persist with severely compromised bodily integrity.


    Merged from: Fast Healing, Stone Blood, Efficient Healing


    It was a good skill, one that would save his life many times over in the future. Father had already told him how its increase to his healing effectiveness would be a step up from its component skills. Letting once grievous injuries seal in moments. Yet it wasn¡¯t that that held his attention, instead it was the fact that the skill would let him press on through wounds.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Most delvers weren¡¯t killed with a single overwhelming strike. What got them was the slow accumulation of wounds. A grinding death that wore away at their combat effectiveness until they were no longer able to defend themselves.


    Lesser Regeneration would work to prevent that, allowing severed muscles to constrict unhindered, broken bones to still support his weight, and more. Hells, if he had had this skill when the assassin Champion had slit his throat the situation would have been far less dire. It would have helped him continue to persist, even with his lifeblood spilling by the moment.


    At higher levels, Father had explained that it would allow you to push through what would otherwise be almost certainly fatal injuries. A crushed heart would keep on working for long enough for Health to heal the wound. An undeniably powerful ability, one that would dramatically increase his combat effectiveness.


    His father had even said that they had confirmed the existence of more powerful versions of the skill. Some in the family had managed to gain them through skill evolutions, empowering the ability to unprecedented capabilities such as the wholesale regeneration of lost limbs and other body parts. Kaius suspected that there must be some way to gain Regeneration or even Greater Regeneration as a legacy skill of five or more merges.


    Father had said many had felt the same, but despite endless generations being on the hunt for such a merger, they had never found one.


    Regardless, with Lesser Regeneration he would have to be far less concerned about his limited health pool. He would now be able to press on through injury, minimise his recovery time, and trust that he would not fall to a slow death by attrition.


    Kaius pushed himself to his feet, grabbing the stone balcony railing to help himself up. His head still ached from the exertion from the merge, but a little discomfort was not something he had ever let stop him from working on what needed to be done.


    The last legacy skill he needed was almost within reach, and he didn¡¯t want to attempt to gain the skills it required in combat. One of them at least. Danger Sense required a fair bit of contrived circumstance to get offered naturally, and it would be far easier to obtain with some external help.


    Though, it did help that Porkchop had been practically bursting at the seams with excitement at the prospect of more sparring.


    Smiling at the image of his friend''s eagerness, Kaius walked back into the opulent bedroom that hosted the balcony. It was one of many. He suspected that the ¡®house¡¯, if it could even be called that, had enough space to host an entire village.


    Thankfully, the overt wealth worked in their favour this time. There was a massive ballroom on the ground floor that had more than enough space for them to spar. Though, before they did that he would have to wake Porkchop from his nap.


    Kaius set off, softly whistling to himself as he strolled through the halls of the estate, admiring the rich tapestries and art that adorned the walls.


    They were in the final stretch now, he could feel it. A few more Champions, a few more Honours, and a few more skills, and they would be ready.


    Ready to take on the Guardian, or die trying.


    ¡­


    ¡°Wait, repeat that. You want me to do what?¡± Porkchop said, staring at him in astonishment from across the expansive ballroom that they had selected for their spar.


    It was a massive thing, easily a few hundred strides in length and half that in width. The floor was open, unadorned apart from some casual seating arrangements at the edges. A perfect space for them to stretch their legs while remaining sheltered from the goblin ridden city outside.


    Porkchop had been grouchy when he had first woken him, though it had only lasted as long as it had taken his friend to realise he was ready to ¡®wrestle¡¯. Though, now that he had actually told him what they needed to do Porkchop had lost most of that enthusiasm.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stand here facing away from you, and you are going to attack me.¡± He said with a grin.


    ¡°Kaius.. You¡¯re not wearing your armour. I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Porkchop said slowly, like Kaius had missed something obvious.


    ¡°That¡¯s the point!¡± Kaius laughed. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get Danger Sense. The attack has to be something I¡¯m unprepared for and has to be, well, dangerous. Don¡¯t worry about injury, I¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll take a break for me to recover in between.¡±


    Porkchop grumbled, clearly unhappy with the prospect of subjecting him to actual, serious, harm. Unfortunately, even if it was a grisly method, it was still far better than the alternatives.


    ¡°Are you sure this is the only way?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°There are safer methods, but they don¡¯t really fit our timetable. Everything else is worse. It has to be a sneak attack, so trying to get it in live combat is insanely dangerous.¡±


    It was unfortunate he hadn¡¯t merged Lesser Regeneration before the assassins ambush, not just because he would have been at far less risk of death. If he had open skill slots the sudden attack would have been perfect for unlocking the skill.


    ¡°Okay. Fine. But help me take this ring off. I am NOT testing it on you.¡± Porkchop huffed.


    ¡°Thanks. Seriously. If I''d still been by myself it could have taken weeks to engineer a scenario to get it safely.¡± Kaius said as he walked up to help Porkchop remove his latest artefact. ¡°Now keep your chin up. I¡¯ve got Dodge next, so we can have a bit more of a normal spar after this.¡±


    Porkchop visibly perked up at his words.


    Kaius stood up, pocketing Porkchop¡¯s ring as he walked back to his starting position and turned around to present his friend his back.


    ¡°Now, just stand behind me and go for it. Remember, I can¡¯t have any warning. It won¡¯t work if I know the attack is co-¡±


    Kaius gasped as claws ripped down his back, shredding skin and cutting open muscle. His jaw clacked shut, nearly biting his tongue as he gritted his teeth against the pain. The agony was immediate, his nerves screaming as they were exposed to the air of the ball room.


    Grunting, Kaius felt his Health engage. The wounds on his back rippled, writhing as his enhanced regeneration reknit tissues. He stayed silent through the burning agony, gritting his teeth. Porkchop was already uncomfortable enough with not giving him the opportunity to defend himself, he was not going to make it worse.


    A few moments later he was healed, though he could feel the air flowing through the rents that Porkchop had torn in his jacket.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 2!**


    ¡°Nothing that time. Give me a second, I¡¯ll take this off.¡± He said, starting to unbuckle his top.


    He barely got a quarter of the way through before Porkchop¡¯s hardened claws bit deep into his back once more. He gasped in surprise as hot blood ran down his back, joining the growing stickiness that coated his skin.


    ¡°Bastard. Great job though. Still nothing.¡± He said, gritting his teeth as his Health moved to seal up the injury.


    Porkchop chittered in amusement. A single claw raked down his spine, flaying open his skin without warning.


    ¡°Fucking hells!¡±


    ¡°Maybe this isn¡¯t so bad.¡± Porkchop laughed.

 Chapter 83: Portent of Doom

    Another claw scythed through the flesh of Kaius¡¯s back as he stifled a cry. They were well into the second day now. Even with the wounds surface level and minor, and with the healing power of  Lesser Regeneration, Porkchop¡¯s constant assault would burn through his health in less than half an hour. With the enforced breaks to let his Health refill, they were lucky if they managed to fit in six training sessions before they had to stop for the night.


    He was sure he almost felt it then. A featherlight touch on his mind right before his friend''s claws had punched into his skin.


    Flesh rippled as the cuts on his back resealed, empowered Health allowing him to recover with unnatural haste. He didn¡¯t bother to tell Porkchop he was ready, it would defeat the purpose by letting him anticipate when the strike would come.


    Porkchop was well and truly into the rhythm of the training now. Sometimes his friend''s next strike would come moments after he had healed, others Porkchop would wait, letting him stew in anticipation for minutes before raking his claws over his back.


    Blood dripped to the floor in a steady cadence, Kaius¡¯s breath coming heavy as the droplets splashed onto the sizable puddle on the floor. Another wet tear echoed through the hall as he was torn open once more. He grit his teeth, the ache in his jaw outshone by the bright agony of his back.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 7!**


    Seconds later, Porkchop swung for him again. He felt it, a screaming warning in the back of his mind as he braced for the blow. Claws connecting, biting into his skin and ripping four parallel furrows through his flesh.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Danger Sense (Unusual)?**


    Seeing the notification that sprung into his vision Kaius leapt forward with a scream of joy.


    ¡°Thank the fucking heavens! I got it!¡± He yelled, wincing as his sudden movement pulled at the still healing wounds on his back.


    Porkchop rushed over to his side, stepping around the bloodstained stone where he had previously been standing.


    ¡°Finally! I was starting to feel a little sick at the end there.¡± Porkchop said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kaius said as he threw his arms around his friend, pulling him into a hug. ¡°I know that must have been difficult, but it truly was the best way.¡±


    ¡°It better have been.¡± Porkchop growled as he nuzzled him. ¡°I hope it was a good skill.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Kaius grinned as he pulled back from the hug. ¡°It¡¯s Unusual.¡±


    Porkchop shot him a surprised look at that. Which he thought was fair. It was possible to get offered unmerged and unevolved general skills of a higher rarity than that, but they were rewarded for truly legendary feats and trials. The sort of things that were far beyond the reach of the vast majority of weak unclassed. Unusual was just about as good as it got for most people, and even then it was an impressive achievement.


    It also meant that the legacy skill he eventually merged it into was going to be Unique, quite the feat for a merger of only two skills.


    ¡°Lucky bastard. Is it really that good?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°Yeah. From what Father said it will make it basically impossible to get ambushed by anything that isn¡¯t significantly stronger than me.¡±


    ¡°Tooth and claw, I wish you had that a few days ago. Would have been nice to have against the assassin.¡± Porkchop said, clearly not over his brush with death at the hands of the Champion.


    ¡°I know,¡± Kaius sighed. ¡°Though that¡¯s life. Anyways, let me check this out and then I¡¯ll go get cleaned and we can have lunch after. Are you up for some proper sparing after that? Dodge is only common so it shouldn¡¯t take long.¡± He asked.


    His friend''s ears perked up. ¡°Yes! Even if you are not fighting back, anything is better than just cutting you over and over again,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°That was a poor excuse for wrestling. We will leave for the next biome in the morning?¡± Porkchop asked, backing up to settle down and wait on the polished stone floor of the ballroom.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking. There was that big tunnel out of the cavern near the base of that ledge we came in from, but we can talk more about that tomorrow.¡± Kaius said, before his eyes unfocused and he brought up the description of his new skill.


    Danger Sense:


    Level 1


    Unusual


    Danger is not an event - it is a process. It begins long before the first blow is struck, in the quiet shifts of fate only the most attuned can feel. To sense danger is to peer into the future, to grasp the threads of possibility and move before they tighten into a noose.


    Minor precognition allows you to feel warnings of future danger an instant before it occurs. Certain effects impede this insight.


    Each level moderately increases specificity of warnings.


    Each level slightly improves the skills ability to pierce effects that shroud danger.


    Each level infinitesimally lengthens the window of warning prior to the impending danger.


    Kaius whistled as he read the skill. He had known what the skill did, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be explicitly precognitive. Those sorts of skills were rare, and he knew without a doubt that the legacy skill he merged from it would be similar. As one grew through the ranks, battle grew so fast, so damaging, that relying on pure senses and reaction to deal with it grew almost impossible.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Almost everyone aimed to get at least one sensing or defensive skill that interacted with fate as they evolved their skills, acquiring one so early was a massive leg up.


    If someone had to evolve their skill four or five times to gain that capability, how much more advanced would his own be when it grew to the same extent?


    ¡°That good?¡± Porkchop asked, interrupting his thoughts.


    ¡°Precognitive.¡± Kaius said.


    Porkchop¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This early? I take it back, peeling you like an overripe fruit was worth it.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Kaius said. ¡°Another little secret Father had been keeping from me, I guess.¡±


    It was still frustrating, knowing there was so much his father hadn¡¯t passed on. Sure, the skills weren¡¯t too bad. He knew what they did in generalities, and they had spent a lot of time on making sure he could acquire them himself. It was the family history that frustrated him. There must have been some reason that he had been kept out of the loop, but now that he had been separated from Father the questions gnawed at him in a way they never had before.


    As soon as he was out he would find out more. He had their name, there would be a record. Somewhere.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go get cleaned up.¡± Kaius said, shaking off his rumination. A good wash and some hot food and he would feel better, he knew it.


    ¡­


    Kaius was right. The hot rainfall that the dwarves seemed to favour to bathe did much to wash away his tension and doubts. By the time he and Porkchop had finished their lunch, he felt back to his old self. Now that they had returned to the ball room, he was ready to press on and get his final skill.


    ¡°So you¡¯re just going to try to dodge?¡± Porkchop asked, watching him as he donned his armour.


    ¡°Yeah. It shouldn¡¯t take long. Even if I''ve turned it down before, and it has decent overlap with Adamant Body, it¡¯s only a common skill. Try to be straightforward with it. It¡¯s mostly important that I can see an attack coming and avoid it then see through a feint or whatever.¡± Kaius explained.


    Kaius kept his sword buckled to his waist, but didn¡¯t draw it. It might have been slightly easier to get the skill if he was unarmed and unarmoured, but he wasn¡¯t sure. Besides, there was something to be said about practising a skill in the same conditions you would use it.


    Striding out to meet Porkchop in the centre of the hall, Kaius settled his mind and felt for the thrum of anticipation that preceded the rush he felt in every battle. The Bloodsong was an ephemeral energy, one that had become a constant companion in the depths. Pushing him to strive for his limits, honing his focus.


    Across from him, he saw his friend do the same. His fur puffing up to make him seem even larger than he already was, failing to conceal the way his friends shoulders rippled and tensed. Porkchop¡¯s snout scrunched into a half snarl.


    Kaius felt a chill down his spine. Friends they might have been, but there was something primally intimidating about squaring off against a greater meles.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Porkchop asked, the excitement in his voice totally at odds with his demeanour.


    ¡°Ready.¡± Kaius grinned.


    Porkchop exploded forwards, crossing strides of polished stone with one paw poised to smash him flat. Kaius focused, True Sight drinking in every movement. He felt a warning blare in his mind, a rapidly approaching doom crushing him from overhead.


    Momentarily distracted by the feeling, Kaius barely managed to pivot on his front foot. Turning to the side to allow Porkchop¡¯s claws to sail past him. He backed up, creating distance as Porkchop leapt for him once more, a sideways chop of his claws aimed at his chest.


    Again, Kaius felt encroaching doom.


    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 2!**


    That would take a while to get used to. He hadn¡¯t quite expected Danger Sense to be so obvious, especially for attacks he could already see coming. The sense was undefined, barely giving him a sense of direction. He guessed the skill would need to be a much higher level before it would tell him anything more defined than that.


    He ducked, slipping under Porkchop¡¯s slash before he stepped forwards to stand by his friend''s shoulder. A warning sounded in his mind. Porkchop whirled, snapping at him with his jaws.


    Dancing back, Kaius shoved the foreign sensation of encroaching danger to the back of his mind. He would have to slowly get used to the skill. Currently it was more distracting than anything else.


    Launching into a flurry of blows, Porkchop did his best to hem him in. His friend¡¯s pace picked up as he slid and leaned around his furious claws. He was only able to hold out for so long before they got too fast for him to fully evade. There was only so much he could do with dodging alone. So much of his fighting style surrounded using his blade as a means of active defence.


    A claw smashed into his shoulder, bruising the flesh under the heavy plates, sending him stumbling back. Porkchop advanced, launching into a charge. Waiting until the last moment, Kaius pivoted to the side and allowed his friend to sail past him.


    Danger loomed. Kaius reacted.


    At the last moment Porkchop threw out a paw, trying to catch him. He was already gone, leaning back just enough to that hardened claws threw up a shower of sparks as they grated over the scales on his chest.


    A ding sounded in his mind.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Dodge (Common)?**


    Kaius grinned, distracted. A blare of warning in his mind caused him to flinch. Porkchop smashed him in the shoulder, sending him collapsing to the ground in a clatter of metal on stone.


    Rolling over with a groan, Kaius shot his friend a wounded look. ¡°Well, I was going to say ¡®I got it!¡¯ but this is on me for being distracted.¡±


    ¡°Whoops..?¡± Porkchop said, staring down at him with amusement.


    Kaius pushed himself up with a sigh. ¡°Yeah, my bad. Didn¡¯t expect to get offered it so quickly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say, I¡¯m barely even warmed up!¡± Porkchop grumbled.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. There¡¯ll be plenty of things to fight when we leave the city.¡± Kaius said, waving his friend off. ¡°Now let me check this.¡±


    He turned his attention to the notification in his mind.


    Dodge:


    Level 1


    Common


    Flow and rhythm. It is present in all things, from art to warfare. Lead the dance and become untouchable.


    Enhanced reflexes allow you to avoid oncoming blows with greater ease.


    Each level slightly increases body control while dodging.


    Each level minutely decreases reaction time to threats.


    Snapping the description shut, Kaius turned to look at the light of the false sun that shone through the windows of the dance hall.


    ¡°Well, that took far less time than I was expecting.¡± He said, looking back to Porkchop. ¡°Do you want to leave now? We should be able to make it most of the way through the residential district if we keep to the routes we have already cleared.¡±


    ¡°May as well.¡± Porkchop agreed.


    ¡°Great!¡± Kaius said with a clap of his hands, pushing himself up off the floor. ¡°Let¡¯s go get our things together then.¡±


    They left the hall, finally ready to make their leave from the city.

 Chapter 84: Towards New Horizons

    Backtracking their way through the city took days. Though thankfully their pace was faster than their ascent, as they no longer had to worry about clearing out goblin depths-born.


    As they walked through the city, Kaius took the time to burn the sights into his mind. Despite the dusty and aged stonework, the weathering of time was not fully able to fade the bones of grandiosity and skill that perfused the city. Even the clusters of slain and armoured dwarves had a sense of wonder to them, taking a secret history of war and strife with them into the grave.


    Even if the whole thing was a construction of the depths, it was a sight that Kaius would never forget. He vowed then, that one day he would see a deephold in person. If a shattered facsimile of the real thing held this much beauty, what would one of the fortress cities be like in person?


    After they left the city through the same front gates they had entered, they pushed on through the fungal fields that lined the outside of the city. It was one thing Kaius was curious about, another failing of the Depths illusion. The city, at least if it was real, would have had supply lines to stock all of those houses with such varied food. Yet he had seen little of the dizzying varieties of fungus that they were growing in the kitchens of the city.


    It could have been intended as emergency supplies in a raid, but if it was the Depths had clearly not bothered to reflect that in its recreation of a successful goblin invasion.


    Either way, they left the edible fungus alone. Before they had left the manor district they had stocked up on as many non-perishables as they could fit in his pack and Porkchop¡¯s saddlebags. That, and salt and spices. There was no way he was going back to unseasoned meat if he didn¡¯t have to.


    Reaching the end of the fungal fields, Kaius looked up at the yawning impossibly smooth wall of the cavern. There, about half way up, he could spy the thin ledge that they had entered in from. He spun around, leaning on his True Sight to let him pierce the veil of distance. More ledges dotted the cavern wall at random intervals. Most were about the same height, but a few were higher or lower.


    Despite that, he made no move to correct their course to one of the other exits, favouring instead the massive tunnel at the base of the cavern towards their front. They drew closer.


    It almost looked like a borehole. A perfect hemisphere cut directly into the bedrock. Shattered defences littered the passage. Broken fortifications and roadblocks were scattered with the remains of slain dwarves in heavy armour.


    As they entered, stepping over the fallen bodies, Kaius looked around the tunnel. Lit up by ward lights, its edges were covered in the now familiar engravings of dwarven art. The main tunnel, he supposed. It must have been the sight of where the ¡®invasion¡¯ had first entered from.


    It stretched dead ahead, well lit and without breaks, for what must have been leagues. Though Kaius could see that there was the odd intersection, with side passages breaking away. Somewhere, far off in the distance, the tunnel seemed to change. It was too great of a distance for him to see with any clarity, even with the enhanced acuity of True Sight. Maybe the end of the biome?


    He hoped it was. They might have been lucky to find a direct highway to their next hunting ground. Half of what made it take so long to cross the depths was the warren-like nature of the tunnels.


    ¡°I wonder how delvers find Champions and Guardians so quickly?¡± He mused aloud.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Porkchop asked. His friend might have been knowledgeable, but apart from some understanding of elven culture he was relatively ignorant to the specifics of the culture of people.


    ¡°Well, delves usually only take a month or so, at least for low layers like this one. I assume they try to clear out as many Champions as they can, as from what i¡¯ve heard almost everyone leaves with loot. I just don¡¯t get how they do it so fast, they must have a way to track them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that is just for delves where the biome is already explored?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kaius said with a shake of his head. ¡°Those are even shorter. They must have something that can track them.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter if we can¡¯t replicate it? If they do we¡¯ll just have to make sure we get a hold of whatever they use before we come back.¡±


    Kaius sighed. ¡°I know, it¡¯s just frustrating. We¡¯re going to spend so much time just looking for the last handful of Champions. Even if they are clustered up like we¡¯ve been seeing, it¡¯s always taken us a couple of weeks at the least to find a sizable cavern.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is. One of the Patriarchs always said that a patient hunter gets the goose.¡±


    ¡°Goose?¡± Kaius asked with disbelief, raising an eyebrow at his friend. ¡°How the hell were you hunting geese?¡±


    ¡°With a lot of time and effort.¡± Porkchop said seriously. Kaius couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°What? They are tasty!¡± Porkchop said, looking at him with mock offence. ¡°Look, what I was trying to say was that we have plenty of time, even if it is frustrating that it might take us a couple of months to track down the last handful, we¡¯ll still be ready to take on a Guardian with plenty of time to spare.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Kaius threw his head back and groaned. ¡°I know, but it¡¯s still annoying. Let¡¯s just hope that we can find them all in one biome, and that we don¡¯t run into anything that¡¯s a bad match up.¡±


    If they ended up running into a poison bog, or somewhere with ephemeral enemies, Kaius would scream. Searching for Champions was bad enough without having to backtrack and avoid entire biomes.


    ¡°Hey, at least you¡¯re getting close to finishing off your legacy skills. Have you thought about your last skill anymore?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius gave his friend a suspicious look. This had to have been the fifth time he had asked that question. If that wasn¡¯t reason enough to suspect his friend had something on his mind, Porkchop had also been dodging his own questions about what his friend had picked for his final skill.


    ¡°Not really, nothing beyond a hope I get something related to my spellcasting that is at least Unusual. Why? It¡¯s only been a few days since the last time you asked.¡± Kaius asked, watching his friend''s face closely.


    Porkchop flinched, quickly shifting his gaze back to the tunnel.


    ¡°I had something I wanted to ask.¡± He said, his voice hesitant. ¡°A skill that I know of, I think it would be good for you. But it has conditions. Implications.¡±


    Now Kaius was really interested. Porkchop knew how important getting a spellcasting skill was to him. It wasn¡¯t completely vital to his plans for his class, but it would turn an overwhelming possibility into a certainty. For Porkchop to offer an alternative it had to be good. The Matriarchs of the greater meles seemed to be a veritable treasure trove of skill knowledge, perhaps the skill his friend wanted to share would require some sort of oath? If it fit him well enough he was more than happy to offer one, that sort of knowledge was valuable.


    ¡°You have my attention.¡± He said, his words measured.


    ¡°Not now.¡± Porkchop said with a shake of his head. ¡°I want to wait until you have merged your last skill. It is powerful, but a burden. Something of a birth-right for every greater meles. Tied to our history. Just promise me you will hear me out?¡± His friend asked.


    Porkchop was nervous. He could see it plain as day. Whatever he wanted to offer was a big deal, that much was clear. Kaius frowned, he hadn¡¯t expected his friend to be so grave. Maybe it was something more serious than an oath? But what?


    ¡°Of course.¡± He said without hesitation. ¡°Porkchop, we¡¯re basically brothers now. By right of blood and fire we are closer than I have ever been to someone other than Father. I¡¯ll hear you out, and even if the price for whatever you offer is more than I am willing to pay, nothing will change. I¡¯ll still want to keep you around even after we leave.¡±


    Porkchop let out a forceful sigh of relief. Clearly this had been on his mind for a while.


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s ¡­ good.¡± His friend said, relieved.


    Kaius slapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Chin up, you won¡¯t scare me off with a question asked in good faith. I promise. Now!¡± He said, clapping his hands. ¡°What about your own last skill? Surely you¡¯ve picked one by now.¡±


    Porkchop stayed silent for a few moments, the dim light of the wardlights above lighting up his black and red fur in a golden glow.


    ¡°I have not.¡± He finally answered. Kaius''s eyes widened in surprise. That was really unexpected. He knew that Porkchop had multiple options he was deciding between, courtesy of tutoring from his Matriarchs, but to have still not picked? After all this time?


    Porkchop looked over to him, seeing his expression. ¡°It¡¯s related to what I want to ask you. Just be patient. Please.¡±


    Kaius saw his friend''s tension, and nodded. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t pry. You can consider my curiosity thoroughly piqued though, I hope you have plenty of explanations hidden away under all that fur.¡± He said, shoving down his burning curiosity to give his friend a reassuring grin.


    He only managed because Porkchop was clearly struggling with whatever he wanted to share. Kaius could wait, even if the mystery loomed large in his mind. What on earth could his friend want to share that could affect both of their final skills? That was linked to a birthright of the greater meles? Stories of Porkchop¡¯s people were common amongst those who lived in and around the Arboreal Sea, yet he had heard of nothing that fit.


    He supposed the elves might know, but they were notoriously insular. Besides, it¡¯s not like he had one on hand, and he wouldn¡¯t want to hear it from anyone other than Porkchop anyways. Not if it was so clearly important.


    Porkchop chuffed in amusement. ¡°There will be plenty of explanations, I promise. It¡¯ll make sense. Just finish up your final merge.¡±


    With that they fell into companionable silence, making their way further and further into the large dwarven tunnel. As they drew closer to the abrupt seam between biomes, Kaius began to see more of the details.


    The large hemisphere of the tunnel abruptly cut off in a solid wall of blank stone, a smaller rectangular opening serving as the entrance to the next region of the Depths. It was some sort of hallway. Artificial much like the dwarven tunnel, though its construction was far less refined. Hewn stone blocks fit together to create a passage similar to what one might expect in a castle, while ensconced orbs of glowing fluid provided a soft yellowish illumination.


    It was barren and austere, the new halls expanse only broken by the odd table that was covered in strange alchemical implements that Kaius had no name for. Very different to the shattered fortifications and strewn armoured bodies that decorated the dwarven passage.


    Reaching the end of the tunnel they came to a stop, staring at the stark demarcation between biomes. Kaius was alert, ready for Explorer¡¯s Toolkit to warn him of traps or anything else. His skill remained blessedly silent. Luckily, the hall was more than wide enough for them to walk side by side, so they would have enough room to properly fight if something did ambush them.


    ¡°Do you want me to do the honours?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°Makes no difference to me.¡± Porkchop replied.


    Kaius gave his friend a shrug and approached the line that separated the biomes. It was stark. Like some god had cut the two tunnels and transposed them through space, only to crudely shove them together with no attempt at smoothing the boundary.


    Taking a deep breath Kaius stepped forwards over the line and into the hall made of stone bricks.


    **Biome Entered: Fleshwarper¡¯s Laboratory**

 Chapter 85: Unnatural Places

    **Biome Entered: Fleshwarper¡¯s Laboratory**


    Kaius winced as he read the alert that appeared in his vision as he crossed into the new biome. While he couldn¡¯t be certain until they started to encounter some of the biomes depths-born, he was almost certain that they would be running into abominations of the fleshy variety.


    He had never fought them himself, they were exceedingly rare to find outside of the Depths. Usually the creation of foul rituals and alchemical mishaps. Either intentionally created as some sort of obscene fighting force, or as a side effect from some practitioner pursuing forbidden knowledge.


    They were supposed to be horrid, twisted creatures, possessing almost unrivalled regenerative capabilities. Gibbering balls of teeth and eyes, twisted golems of flesh, and more. Kaius had no doubt that even if could deal with them with relative ease thanks to their growing strength, there was no way he was getting out of this biome without new nightmares. Luckily, they were almost universally stupid, so Porkchop might be in luck as he doubted any of them would be using weapons.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Porkchop asked, seeing his expression. His friend walked over the line, joining him in the new biome. ¡°Is it the biome?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re going to run into abominations.¡± Kaius explained.


    Porkchop simply cocked his head at him, confused.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see. We¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s not the worst match up for us. Just be prepared for things to get a little gross.¡±


    Having forewarned his friend, Kaius took the lead as they pushed further into the hall. He quickly reached one of the long side tables that he had spotted. Strange glassware, distillation columns, and more tools that he had no name for covered its surface. It was old. Stained from use, the remnants of alchemical experiments that had been left to evaporate. A book had been left open at its centre.


    Leaning over in curiosity, Kaius found that much like the books he had seen in the city it was written in some strange language that differed from Common. He still didn¡¯t get it, how would anyone speak anything other than the language of the system?


    Other than the illegible notes, it was covered in diagrams. Most of them were meaningless to him, clearly related in some form or another to alchemy. As he kept turning pages, the content of the diagrams only got more disturbing. Blueprints for some sort of operation to infuse a person with tonics and only gods know what else. The next few pages displayed a slow progression of change from man to a twisted pillar of weeping flesh and exposed muscle.


    Kaius sighed, picking up the book to show Porkchop what he had found. ¡°Abominations.¡± He said, flicking through pages to show Porkchop various sketches of twisted horrors of flesh and bone.


    ¡°Matriarch''s spite, that¡¯s disgusting! We¡¯re going to have to fight those?¡± Porkchop asked, aghast.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Kaius said grimly.


    ¡°..Are you sure you don¡¯t want to look for another biome?¡± Porkchop said as he turned to look back the way they came.


    ¡°Not really,¡± he mumbled. ¡°But like I said, we¡¯re a surprisingly good match up. Mostly unarmored, probably no magic, and no weapons. Just going to have to keep an eye out for anything weird like acidic vomit.¡±


    ¡°Acidic vomit. You want to fight things that will try to throw up on us?¡± Porkchop said, his voice flat.


    ¡°I mean, it''s better than ghosts?¡± He said, trying to keep upbeat.


    ¡°That is a low fucking bar, Kaius,¡± Porkchop said with a grunt. ¡°But lead the way.¡±


    Kaius groaned. He couldn¡¯t believe they were actually going to do this. Flesh crafted abominations weren¡¯t the most dangerous things in the Depths, not by far, but they certainly were legendary. Almost every delver whispered about encounters with abominations. About how the smell lingered for weeks, and how they saw strangely shifting flesh every time they closed their eyes.


    Hells, he¡¯d heard tavern talk on his visit to Deadacre. That there was a well mapped portal to the depths near the city. One that had only been so thoroughly explored so that people could consistently avoid the third layer abomination biome that sat adjacent to the main path down.


    Slapping the book down on the table, Kaius squared his shoulders and took the lead.


    Hampered vision or no, right now he really wished his helm had a face guard.


    ¡­


    As they pushed further into the laboratory Kaius was entirely unsurprised when they started to run into traps. They were tricky, sophisticated things. Showers of acid that rained from the ceiling, alchemical explosives set below pressure plates on the floor, and other such nastiness.


    Unlike a simple spear trap, Kaius had no confidence in simply safely triggering them from a distance. Who knew what a haze of poisonous gas could do to them if released into the close confines of a stone hall.


    Instead he leaned heavily on Explorer¡¯s Toolkit. When they couldn¡¯t simply skirt around a trap, he disarmed it. Much like he was trying to do currently.


    A wide pressure plate stretched across the entire floor, wide enough that he wasn¡¯t fully confident that they would be able to jump over it successfully. He¡¯d managed to spot it because of a thin silver wire that was embedded into the grout between the masonry of the walls.


    He followed the line of metal, finding that it led to a series of slightly uneven bricks sitting right next to his head. That was nasty. Clearly the trap had been designed to take out groups. The front runner would hit the pressure plate, triggering the payload right in the middle of the group.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    He drew his hunting knife, setting it against the seam of the suspicious stone. Explorer¡¯s toolkit guided his movements, warning him away from the trigger wire. He should, if he was careful, be able to leverage the stone away from the housing of the trap.


    He dug his knife in and wiggled it. Powdery mortar fell away, revealing that the ¡®brick¡¯ was really just a slab a half a finger thick. He pushed down with his knife, catching the stone with a grunt as it fell free. Setting it to the side, Kaius leaned in to get a better look at what he was working with.


    The trap was surprisingly simple. The partially exposed wire he had spotted through the grouting ran into a hollow cavity in the wall, running through the cork of a glass flask of brownish liquid. Staying well clear of the wire, he reached forwards and pulled the cork free, leaving the wire dangling.


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 16!**


    Holding the flask gingerly, Kaius identified it with his True Sight


    Explosive Flask:


    Depths-wrought Trap


    An inert trap component. Requires a spark to ignite.


    Kaius sighed in relief as he read the description, before he looked back to see the remnant drips that still lingered on the exposed section of wire.


    ¡°I think I should put this way back down there.¡± He told Porkchop, gesturing back the way they had come. ¡°The trap should be disabled, but there''s enough juice left on that wire that I don¡¯t want to accidentally trigger the flask if we leave it too close.¡±


    He ran off, leaving the flask on the floor a good two dozen long-strides down the hall before returning to where Porkchop waited.


    ¡°Together?¡± He asked Porkchop.


    His friend nodded. A step forwards took them onto the pressure plate, the mechanism grinding downward under their combined weight. A loud CRACK sounded from behind them. Kaius flinched as a wave of force buffeted him as the remnants of explosive on the wire ignited.


    ¡°Hells! That had some juice.¡± He said, barely able to hear himself over the ringing in his ears.


    Porkchop whined, scratching at his head. ¡°Ouch! Good thing you left the rest of it so far down the hall. We would have been toast.¡±


    ¡°All part of the fun, eh?¡± Kaius said with a grin, his ears itching as a trickle of health healed the damage to his hearing.


    Porkchop rolled his eyes and shoved him forwards.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    ¡­


    Passages started to branch off the hall. Most were similar. Interiors of rough hewn masonry lit by alchemical lights every few paces. Some were different. Large corridors of a finer make with full blown chandeliers dangling on chains.


    They kept to their path. Currently they had little way of knowing if one direction would be better or worse than another. There was something to be said for maintaining an easy exit to the familiar Great Warren if they found this biome wasn¡¯t to their liking.


    After a few more hours of walking the hallway abruptly ended in a door. Thick, and made of well varnished dark brown wood, sheets of iron were riveted to its surface. Towards the top there was a grate, something that should let them peak into the room beyond.


    Kaius stepped up, craning his neck to see through the opening.


    Beyond the door was a large room with high vaulted ceilings of ribbed stone. A mezzanine floor wrapped around the room. Kaius assumed the half floor was some sort of library, what with the bookshelves that lined the walls and the various thick armchairs dotted between them. The ground of the room seemed to be some sort of laboratory. Great glass tanks were attached to the walls by iron brackets. Stretching all the way to the ceiling, they contained some sort of thick black fluid. Almost like treacle.


    Other doors, siblings to the one he was currently looking through, dotted the edge of the room. Though he couldn¡¯t see much from his angle, it didn¡¯t look like they led to more hallways. It seemed they had found the meat of the biome.


    Something moved. A wet slap of something hitting the floor of the room off to the right. Just out of sight from his current angle.


    Kaius held his breath, looking past rows of tables and alchemical implements to try and catch a glimpse.


    He spotted it, sucking in a breadth. It was an abomination alright. Vaguely similar to one of the diagrams he had seen in the book at the entrance to the biome.


    It was a mockery of a man, a full stride taller than he was, and wrapped in grotesquely overwrought muscle. Only muscle. Exposed fibres glistened in the soft alchemical light, weeping and wet as it moved in what must have been constant agony. Beady lidless eyes were set deep into its face, giving it a twisted look of pain and scorn.


    With a breathy groan it took another lumbering step through the lab, exposed flesh hitting the stone with a wet thwack. Kaius stared at the spot its foot had just been in, at the slight pool of secretions that had been left behind.


    Kaius blanched, suppressing a heave. Depths-born or not, it was a twisted fate. One he wouldn¡¯t wish on his worst enemy.


    He focused his True Sight on the monster.


    Flayed Horror - Level 17:


    Depths-born, Abomination (Flesh)


    Confirming the nature of the beast, Kaius stepped back and leaned down to whisper in Porkchop¡¯s ear.


    ¡°There¡¯s an abomination in there, if you wanted to get a look through the door.¡± He said, gesturing to the view port. ¡°This seems like our best bet to start clearing the biome. If it''s anything like most abominations, its head won''t be an instant kill, and it will most likely be able to regenerate lost limbs and the like.¡±


    Porkchop shot him a look of surprise. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem fair.¡±


    Kaius shrugged. Abominations had many faults, but one of the things they did have was insane durability. Thankfully amputation was actually a rather good method of dealing with them, from what Father had said. Fully regenerating a limb took a lot of Health, and with their twisted and broken bodies, few abominations were stable enough to survive long without its bolstering effects.


    Porkchop crept forwards, rearing up on his hind legs to peer through the door. As soon as he caught sight of the flayed horror he yelped in shock and jumped backwards.


    Kaius slapped his head, sighing. Porkchop had almost certainly just given them away. A moment later he heard a strained groan, then a rapid procession of wet slaps that were quickly approaching the door.


    ¡°Nice going, dumbass.¡± Kaius said teasingly as he drew his sword.


    ¡°Sorry! I know you said they were gross, but I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be so ¡­ sticky.¡± Porkchop chittered with embarrassment.


    Kaius snorted. ¡°Well, it''s done now. Hope you¡¯re ready!¡± He said, charging the door. Twisting the latch he booted it inwards, rushing through with his blade held ready.


    The horror was waiting for him, charging towards his position as it knocked aside a table to send glass implements shattering on the ground. With a ripple of exposed muscle, lipless jaws swung open to roar at him, streamers of viscous fluid flying free in great droplets.


    Kaius¡¯s face twisted in disgust.


    Bringing the pommel of his sword in tight to his armpit, he trained its point on the horror. Porkchop roared from behind him and barrelled into the room.


    They charged.

 Chapter 86: Optimisation

    Kaius charged into the room, confronting the full presence of the flayed horror for the first time. A full head taller than him, the skinless giant groaned in fury as it smashed aside tables laden with glassware with ease.


    Racing forwards, Kaius kept the tip of his sword trained on the abomination. One arm rose as it reached him. Danger flared in his mind, prompting him to move. Kaius twisted, a side step taking him out of the path of the horror¡¯s rapidly approaching fist.


    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 3!**


    His returning slash cut deep into the exposed flesh of its arm, scouring its bone. Clear fluid and blood welled up from the wound as the abomination squealed. Refusing to give up his initiative. Kaius reached out with his off hand.


    Golden light spilled out from underneath his gloves as shard after shard of crystallised arcane energy shot towards the monster. Drifting his hands upwards, his spells punched deep into the horror¡¯s flesh, leaving weeping holes in its chest and head.


    The wounds melted like putty, flesh flowing to restore wet muscle to fullness. Kaius frowned at the lack of damage his spells did. Normally, the small crystal dart was perfect to punch through armour and damage critical organs.


    Not so against the horror. With no discernable weak points and unnaturally fast regeneration, the small holes he had left in its body sealed themselves in seconds. The abomination was barely even slowed, gurgling as it lashed out for him once more.


    Kaius weaved around the strikes, punishing its attempts with a flurry of heavy slashes that cut deep into its exterior.


    **Ding! Dodge has reached level 2!**


    Porkchop joined the battle, ethereal blades erupting from his claws as he carved into the abominations flank.


    The depths-born flailed, wailing arms shattering the wood and glass furnishings of the laboratory as it attempted to pin them down. It might have been strong, and they had yet to leave something even remotely resembling a disabling wound, but it was slow. Too slow to catch them.


    Porkchop plunged his claws into the creature''s ribs, prompting it to retaliate with a heavy hammerfisted swing. Kaius stepped in, sweeping his sword up high overhead. He chopped.


    Enchanted steel backed by enhanced strength cleaved through the muscle on its forearm, continuing clean through its bones.


    The monster wailed. Treacle-like blood flowed from the wound, resisting gravity as it started to bud on the end of its severed limb. It was regrowing fast, muscle and bone weaving itself by the second. The horror whipped its other fist towards him.


    He stepped forwards, sword rising to meet the wild swing with another heavy overhand, cleaving through the flesh and bone. The leaking limb hit the ground with a splat. Kaius smiled as Porkchop didn¡¯t waste the opening, rearing up onto his hind legs to rake his enhanced claws down the creatures back.


    Even with its prodigious regeneration, the horror was all but useless without its arms. Kaius hacked at the creature''s legs, the thick limb taking a full three chops to get through the trunks of muscle and bone that supported its weight. It squealed, more thickened vital fluid budding on its latest stump as it pitched forwards.


    Kaius lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding getting flattened by the horror. Now prone, they descended on it with a fury. Porkchop dug deep furrows into the creature''s chest as Kaius moved up to its head, decapitating it with a clean strike.


    **Ding! Dodge has reached level 3!**


    Like he had suspected, the wound was not a fatal one, another regenerative bud sealing its neck. The loss of its mind made the creature go wild, writhing on the floor like a maggot dropped in acid. Kaius moved, hacking at quickly healing stumps to stop the creature from regaining its footing.


    The moment its health ran out was obvious. Whatever mechanism kept its vital fluid contained to the growing buds on its stumps failed, thick blood falling to the ground with a splash. A moment later it fell limp.


    **Ding! level 17 Flayed Horror slain**


    His chest heaving with the exertion of combat, Kaius stared down at the body of their slain foe. The way it had persisted after he had removed its head had been¡­unnerving. Even the undead had the grace to die when you took care of the head, at least the ones they had fought so far.


    Thankfully, despite the unique quirks of fighting flesh horrors, it had been a relatively easy battle.


    ¡°Good warmup, eh?¡± He said, giving Porkchop an easy smile.


    Porkchop scowled at him. ¡°A gross one you mean. Why do they have to be sticky?¡±


    Kaius shrugged.  ¡°It is what it is. Just need to focus on removing bits from them, you had the right idea when you started digging chunks out instead of just scratching it.¡±


    Porkchop wasn¡¯t the only one who would have to adapt their fighting style for the fleshy creatures they would find in this biome, his spells had been useless. A few ideas immediately jumped to mind, both of which would only require a few modifications to the shaping portion of his runic hymn.


    Looking around the laboratory, Kaius spotted a few reading desks nestled in amongst the bookshelves that lined the wall of the mezzanine above. A curving staircase was nestled in the far corner of the room that led up to the landing, out of view of the door they had originally peaked through.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Shall we head up there?¡± Kaius asked, pointing to the stairs. ¡°I want to do a little work on my spells before we push further in, these darts practically tickled that horror.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Porkchop agreed. ¡°I did notice that. What are you thinking?¡±


    Kaius started to walk towards the stairs, away from the growing pool of blood and unknown fluids that leaked from their slain foe. ¡°I had two ideas. The obvious one is to keep it relatively similar, but change the spell shaping so that it is more of a blade than a bolt. Problem with that is that the increased size could cost a lot more mana.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, I could take a crack at condensing the dart further. It would make the mana containment unstable due to the density, a little fiddling with the control runes and I should be able to make it go ¡®pop¡¯ a moment after it hits something.¡± Kaius said, miming an explosion with his hands as he made his way up the staircase.


    ¡°Explosions.¡± Porkchop said quickly, his mind obviously made up.


    ¡°That''s what I was thinking,¡± Kaius said with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s a little more complicated, but it¡¯s definitely the more fun option. Plus, it shouldn¡¯t take any more mana so I could still get a full twelve or so.¡±


    Though, if he planned on switching out the spell he was using, he would have to burn the rest of his charges of Arcane Dart. Reaching the landing that held the library, Kaius leant over the railing and reached for his glyph as he aimed his casting hand at the slain body of the flayed horror.


    Golden light spilled from his skin as lines of runic hymns dissolved into embers as azure darts slammed into the cold flesh of the monster. The spell punched clean through the body to impact the stone below with a crack, sending spouts of fluid and flesh flying free with every impact.


    Hearing Porkchop snort behind him at his gratuitous display, Kaius turned to poke his tongue at his friend.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to park up here for a bit, see if I can workshop this spell.¡± Kaius said, pulling out a chair from the closest reading desk that lay between two fully laden bookshelves.


    Porkchop groaned. ¡°Guess I''ll just wait then.¡±


    ¡°Oh hush,¡± Kaius said with a roll of his eyes. ¡°I won''t be long, we¡¯d be waiting for my Mana to regenerate anyway.¡± Slinging off his pack and taking a seat, Kaius fetched his notepad from his bag.


    In theory, adjusting his spell was simple. All it should require is a condensing of the current spellform, and some additional timed triggers to rupture the mana containment a moment after impact. In practice he had far less knowledge than he would like of High Lothian to be designing a runic hymn with so many components.


    Starting by drafting his current iteration of his spell, Kaius first modified it by doing a simple shaping modification to reduce the size of the bolt, while keeping its overall mana allocation the same.


    After a few minutes of careful scribing, he sat back to appreciate his work. It looked right, but Runic Lexicon nudged him, directing his attention to certain sections of his shaping array. With a start he realised that he needed to bolster the sections of the hymn that contained the mana of the spell. While his end goal was a needle that exploded inside the bodies of his enemies, if he left his containment runes as they were his spell was liable to disintegrate under its own pressure within a second of his casting.


    That wouldn''t do, not at all.


    Bolstering the stability of his spell, Kaius added a new section to the working that would detect the arcane needle impacting with a surface. A few minutes of drafting, and Kaius worked out the specifics of using a timing link between the impact sensing array and the containment runes. Only for his Runic Mastery skill to nudge at his attention a moment later, drawing his attention to a section of the spell hymn where his additions had broken High Lothian syntax. He grumbled at the basic error, pouring over his work as he drew out a new copy on the adjacent page.


    After four revisions he stared at his completed work with satisfaction. It had taken some finangling, it seemed like every time he corrected an error in his work some other section of the formation would be affected subtly by the change. Still, despite the frustrating exercise he should be done.


    Hopefully, if he had done his job right, a few fractions of a second after his spell hit something it should invert the function of his containment runes. Mana held under pressure would be encouraged to expand, rather than hold its current form.


    With how much mana he was holding constrained in a needlelike arcane construct, it should lead to a rather violent dissolution of the spell. Ideally, the delay would make it so the explosive expansion of energy would happen inside his target.


    Taking a deep breath, Kaius dropped his pen and double checked his working. He spotted nothing wrong with his logic or his planning. The only thing left was live testing. Thankfully, his drafting had taken long enough that his Mana had fully regenerated.


    Retrieving his inscription stylus from his pack, Kaius set the implement on the reading desk and went through the annoying process of unbuckling his scale and plate vambrace. Once his arm was free, Kaius let the armour fall to the ground with a clatter as he scooped up his stylus.


    Channelling mana into the implement, Kaius grit his teeth as he set the biting point against his skin and began to inscribe. The sting of morphing flesh and bound mana might have become familiar to him at this point, but it was still a burden that Kaius had to manage as he devoted his focus to imprinting lines of angular runes with exacting clarity.


    His hand stayed steady despite the distracting pain. It would all be so much easier if he didn¡¯t have to inscribe each and every spell. If he did get offered a class there was a pretty good chance he would get offered some sort of way to hasten the process of reinscribing. Even then, it was clear to see that no pillar of magic was without its shortcomings. Glyph binding might have offered him unparalleled flexibility and ease of use, but it traded off seconds of channelling time for minutes and hours of focused inscription.


    Not that he would complain, of course. It was still magic, and slinging spells while he cut his way through enemies was a rush that he doubted would ever grow old.


    His brow furrowed in focus, Kaius finished inscribing the final rune of the hymn. He grinned at the swirling characters that curled around his hand and wrist, connecting to one of the inked spikes of his glyph.


    Now he just had to test it.

 Chapter 87: Explosion!

    Kaius sat at the writing desk in the mezzanine library, staring at the finished inscription of his newest runic hymn. He itched to test it out and saw no reason to wait.


    ¡°Going to test my new spell,¡± He said to Porkchop as he rose from his seat. ¡°fair warning, it might get a little loud.¡±


    Porkchop grumbled and rolled his eyes at him, but made no real move to protest from where he lay at the foot of a bookshelf. Grinning to his friend, Kaius moved over to the bannister and leaned out over the laboratory below.


    He thrust his hand out, aiming towards one of the many tables full of glassware. If everything went to plan his new spell should punch through the first obstacle before detonating a handspan past it. Or in it, in the case of unruly depths-born.


    With a flicker of intent he reached for the tightly secured packet of mana held within his linked glyph. Now familiar golden light spilled from his hand as his reserved mana was unleashed, running through the circuits of his new spell hymn in moments only to burn out the inscription with the force of its throughput.


    A dark blue needle materialised at the tip of his finger, similar in shape to his Arcane Dart but a fraction of the size. It hung in the air for a fraction of a second before it shot forwards, crossing the distance between it and the table he had been aiming at in moments. There was a small thunk as the needle shot clear through the wood with a shower of splinters.


    Kaius held his breath as he witnessed the impact. Hoping, praying, that it would work. A heartbeat later there was a violent boom as his spell detonated. The force of the aggressively expanding mana punched a hole the size of his head clean through the table, sending wooden shrapnel flying through the room. Glass implements shattered, both from the explosion itself and the high velocity shards of wood that had flown free.


    Staring slack jawed at the results of his test, Kaius eventually managed to digest the sheer destruction that he had managed to pack into one tiny needle. Pumping his fist in the air he let out a whoop of success and jumped over to Porkchop to rustle the fur on his friends head.


    ¡°Did you see that! It blew clean through the table!¡± He yelled in excitement as Porkchop growled and snapped at his hands.


    ¡°Yes I did, now stop messing up my fur!¡± Porkchop grumbled, nipping one of his fingers.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Kaius pulled his hand back with a shake and gave his friend an apologetic smile. ¡°But seriously, that was awesome! It should work way better than Arcane Dart against regenerating lumps of meat. Hopefully it should blow holes straight through them. Plus it still only costs thirty mana!¡± He gushed.


    Thankfully Porkchop looked at least somewhat interested. At least once he took an actual good look at the ruined table and shattered glass below. Kaius knew his friend had little interest in actual runework, but everyone loved a good explosion.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get the rest of these inscribed and then we can press on.¡± He said, rushing back to his seat at the small reading desk that sat against the wall.


    Within moments he had his inscription stylus pressed against his flesh once more, moving quickly over his skin as he drew rune after rune with practised ease. With a new weapon to use against the quickly healing monsters that were present in the Fleshwarper¡¯s Laboratory Kaius felt far more at ease about their exploration.


    While common depths-born were no longer any major threat to him, not with his growing collection of artefacts and skills at least, the abomination they had just slain had raised an issue. It took too long to kill. The looming deadline to get their last Honours and slay a Guardian hung like a weight from his neck. While he was confident that they would be able to handle even a full contingent of flayed horrors, if their focus was split he was far less sure in their ability to deal with them in the same manner.


    If they weren¡¯t able to hack off the monster''s limbs and then focus it down, they would be forced to drain their Health the old fashioned way. Such a slog would slow them down drastically. He hoped that with his new spell they would be able to avoid that. If he could remove or cripple limbs from a distance, it should give them the time and space to pick off horrors one by one. Even when faced by a group.


    Kaius took a slow breath, clearing the idle distractions from his mind. That was unimportant right now. His runework needed his full focus, lest he make a mistake and was forced to restart the spell from the beginning.


    ¡­


    Standing by one of the exits from the laboratory they had entered, Kaius did a final check of his gear. He tugged on buckles and fasteners, his scalemail rustling as he ensured it was fully on tight. Reinscribing his spells had taken the better part of an hour, slightly longer than normal as he was still not as familiar with his new hymn. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    By the end of it Porkchop had gotten restless with impatience, and had taken to tearing pages out of the many nonsensical books that lined the walls. Even now his friend lurked behind him, eager to press on into the biome. Kaius suspected that his lack of Honours was starting to get to him. Thankfully Porkchop should at least get his first before they had fully cleared the laboratory of threats. Of the two biomes they had explored they had seen four Champions in each of them, and Kaius had no doubt that they would have missed at least a few in the winding warrens that were the Depths.


    They had decided that Porkchop would have a shot at soloing the Champions they had come across. Kaius didn¡¯t exactly relish the idea of watching his friend get torn to shreds by some empowered fleshy horror, but the fact that he would be waiting on the sidelines and ready to jump in if something went wrong made him feel a little better about it.


    Nodding in satisfaction that his armour was properly fitted he turned his attention back to the door they waited by. Unlike the door that had led them into this laboratory section, this one had no bolthole so they had little idea of what they would find on the other side.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Kaius asked, turning back to Porkchop.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Porkchop nodded. ¡°Though I did want to ask how we are going to keep track of the way back here? We do want to go back to the dwarf city for our Guardian battle right?¡±


    Kaius nodded. Both of them had grown highly familiar with the twisting mess of pathways that the Depths were so fond of. Luckily, the solution was pretty simple.


    ¡°With this.¡± Kaius patted the hunting knife bucked at his hip. ¡°If we carve a symbol on the inside of each door we pass through, we only need to keep taking doors that we have marked to eventually make it back here.¡±


    Porkchop grunted, apparently satisfied with his answer.


    ¡°No promises how long it will take though,¡± Kaius said with a grin. ¡°You know how big these places get.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Porkchop replied with a grumble.


    ¡°Ready then?¡± He asked, setting his hand on the door''s latch.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Kaius took a moment to steel himself before throwing open the door, revealing another room that was similar to the one they were leaving. Though, this one did lack the easy opulence of a mezzanine library. Tables lined the walls, laden with alembics, mortar and pestles, and a dizzying array of alchemical glassware.


    A quartet of massive glass tanks filled with black sludge towered up to the ceiling, this time standing proud in the centre of the room. Below them, bracketed spigots jutted out over four large tubs, each filled with more of the liquid.


    The smell of the room hit him like a wall, stinking of acrid chemicals and the sweet stench of rot. Scrunching his nose, Kaius stepped into the room and drew his sword in a smooth motion, holding it in one hand to keep the other free for casting.


    His eyes open wide as he stayed alert for any threats, taking in the almost clinical set up of the equipment arrayed throughout the room. He relaxed as he saw no trace of any horrors or other abominations. There was a chance one was hiding behind the tanks, but he suspected that it would have come for them at this point. Abominations generally weren¡¯t the smartest of creatures, and the flayed horror had given him no reason to second guess Father¡¯s council.


    ¡°Gods it reeks.¡± Porkchop muttered as he moved in behind him.


    ¡°Must be the black liquid. I wonder what it''s for?¡± Kaius asked as he looked at the thick liquid that slowly bubbled like mud spring in the tubs.


    As soon as the words left his lips a meaty arm burst out of one of the black filled tubs, thickened alchemy clinging to flayed muscle as it grasped the edge and hauled itself upwards. Great globs of the unknown mixture stuck to its flesh as it rose to its full height with a groan, slowly dripping off its body to land back in the tub with a plop.


    Kaius¡¯s arm snapped up as he instantaneously reacted to the threat. He might have falsely thought the room to be clear, but nearly a full year in the Depths had honed his senses to a razor edge. He never fully let down his guard these days.


    Three needles shot from his hand in rapid succession as runic hymns dissolved on his skin in a burst of golden light. Porkchop ran past him, rushing for the depths-born abomination.


    Made of hyperdense unaspected mana, the needles sunk deep into the flesh of the flayed horror''s chest with ease. Half a moment later, the impact trigger he had designed activated, letting loose the barely contained chaos of the unstable working.


    Gouts of disintegrating flesh, splintered bone, and blood erupted from the monster''s torso, the explosions tearing plate-sized holes in its chest. Savage glee surged through him as he saw that the spell had torn clean through the monster, revealing the glass reservoirs of fluid behind it. Though now the iron reinforcement was stained red with splattered meat. His Bloodsong rose.


    The horror gurgled, unnatural regeneration gelling blood around the edges of its wounds, sealing them off as its regeneration worked to restore the missing flesh. Kaius cackled; his plan had worked. With the flesh removed, no longer could it simply seal the wound. Instead it had to drain its Health to fully regenerate the missing flesh.


    That said, even gaping holes in its chest seemed to do little to deter the creature. No matter, he knew what to do. Kaius snapped off a final needle before Porkchop could finish closing the gap and throw off his aim. It sank into the flesh of its leg, just above the knee.


    Another percussive blast echoed out, stoking his blood lust as the eruption of viscera cleanly amputated the monster at the knee. It groaned, falling forwards to topple over the edge of the tub, only just barely catching itself on its hands.


    Porkchop was on it in moments, hardened claws sheathed in mana blades tearing into the exposed muscle of its head and cleaving through the bone below. It writhed, senses ruined.


    Kaius was already moving, settling into a two handed grip on his sword as he sprinted across the room. Skidding to a stop beside the prone form of the horror he started to hack at one flailing arm, severing it after a couple of hard chops.


    It was easy after that. Almost routine. He cut off the limbs and made sure they never fully regenerated, and Porkchop put his digging claws to grizzly work as he gouged out great chunks of flesh and bones from the monster''s torso. It didn¡¯t last long.


    **Ding! level 16 Flayed Horror slain**

 Chapter 88: Respite

    Kaius pushed his way through another door, quickly scanning the room for threats. They¡¯d been traversing through the laboratory for the better part of a day now, and he had grown used to flesh horrors lurking in pools of the treacle like alchemical fluid that was so pervasive in the biome.


    Thankfully, this room was clean. It looked to be some sort of worker dormitory, a narrow room dominated by rows of bunk beds with one end dedicated to a rough kitchen and living area. Roughly hewn wooden tables and chairs arrayed in front of a wall of cabinetry with three enchanted cooking stoves.


    ¡°Well, I think we found a rest spot.¡± Kaius said, his grip on his blade relaxing. Though he didn''t drop his guard fully. While the Depths had been consistent with providing them with food and water, Kaius had no doubt that the ¡®safety¡¯ of the spaces was only relative. Thankfully, it looked like their entrance was the only way into the room, so it would be relatively easy to block the door with one of the many bunk beds.


    ¡°Thank the gods, I was exhausted after the second dozen abominations.¡± Porkchop said with relief.


    Kaius grunted in agreement. This biome had been far higher in its density of depths-born than he had come to expect. Three quarters of the rooms they traversed through seemed to have some form of biological horror lying in wait for them. Flayed horrors were the most common, but occasionally they had run across another type of abomination. Twisted teratomas, globular rolling balls of meat that seemed like an amalgamation of every rejected creation of this hellscape.


    Exposed muscle, hair, eyes and gnashing teeth, all smushed together into a formless whole. If the flayed horrors had been relatively safe, but annoying to kill, the twisted teratomas took that to an extreme. They posed little threat, individually at least. Their mouths of gnashing teeth were undoubtedly deadly, but with the way they lethargically oozed across the floor, Kaius was pretty sure he would need to be asleep for there to be any real risk.


    Unfortunately, their Health and regenerative capacity was even more prodigious than the flayed horrors. It took literally tearing them to shreds to finally overwhelm their healing. Worse, unlike the skinless giants who they had never seen more than three of at once, the teratomas appeared in groups of at least six. It was awful, grinding, and bloody work. Safe work, but it was work. Not a battle.


    Kaius sighed, making his way over to a bunk. The monsters of this biome were disgusting, sticky, and unnecessarily annoying to put down. He only hoped that the higher density of this region meant that they would find some Champions faster than they would otherwise.


    With a grunt Kaius pushed the closest bunk towards the door, barricading the entrance as the wooden feet of the bed scraped against the rough stone floor. Thankfully, with his enhanced strength the task was easy, even if the noise did scrape uncomfortably at his ears.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check my stats and then have a nap, I¡¯ll make some food when I wake up.¡± He said with a yawn. A hard day of travel and back to back fights had taken it out of him.


    ¡°Way ahead of you.¡± Porkchop mumbled, clambering into a bottom bunk, the wood groaning as the frame flexed under his bulk. Kaius chuckled as his friend splayed out, asleep in seconds despite the dubious quality of the bedding.


    Walking to the bunk next to his friend, Kaius dropped his pack and went through the time consuming process of unbuckling his armour. He slid onto the bed as soon as he was finished, making sure his blade was leaning on the wall next to him. Within drawing reach, of course.


    Staring up at the bed slats above him, Kaius pulled up his status. It had been a while since he checked it, and with all the battle he had seen a few gains. Unfortunately, not all that much to his Lesser Regeneration. Some, but not much. While the abominations they had been facing would no doubt do some damage to him if they ever actually hit him, they were too slow. That, and he had long since grown past the point where normal monsters were a true threat. He was quite different from the boy who had almost died clearing out a measly handful of undead from a church, that was for sure.


    Thankfully, all that dodging had done wonders for the skills he needed for his last legacy skill.


    His status flickered into view, pulling him away from his thoughts


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 18


    Class Selection: 1 Year, 4 weeks, 5 days


    Race: Human (Dynastic) - +1 free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Resources:


    Health - 380/380 (2.8/min)


    Stamina - 280/280 (2.8/min)


    Mana - 430/430 (4.3/min)


    Free Mana - 30/30


    Reserved Mana - 400


    Stats:


    Endurance - 30 + 8 (38)


    Vitality - 20 + 8 (28)


    Strength - 20 + 8 (28)


    Dexterity - 20 + 8 (28)


    Intelligence - 20 + 23 (43)


    Willpower: - 20 + 23 (43)


    Stat Points: 0


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/aIf you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 18 > 20


    Warforged (Unique) - 20


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 12 > 17


    Adamant Body (Unique) - 16 > 18


    True Sight (Unique) - 9 > 14


    Runic Lexicon (Unusual) - 18 > 20


    Mana Manipulation (Unusual) - 20


    Lesser Regeneration (Unusual) - 0 > 8


    Danger Sense (Unusual) - 0 > 13


    Dodge (Common) - 0 > 14


    Glyph Bound Hymns:


    Explosive Arcane Needle - Charges: 13


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter


    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Growth Conditions-


    Gain a class (0/1)


    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)


    Forge a link (0/1)


    He was getting close. A Champion fight, maybe two, and he would be ready to merge his last legacy. Hopefully by then some more of his other skills would hit the cap. He could practically taste it now, their upcoming confrontation with the Guardian.


    It burned to sit out of the next couple of champion fights, but he knew he must. Porkchop needed those Honours if he was to stand a true chance in their final battle. He wouldn¡¯t let simple impatience stand in the way of his friend¡¯s survival.


    Besides, it was mind boggling that he even could feel like his pace was slow. He was on track to finish his foundation almost a full year ahead of schedule. That was utterly incomprehensible. While he knew of no other people who had a full set of legacy skills, Father had said that in the long history of their dynasty it had always been a struggle to complete the foundation in time.


    Apparently not everyone managed it, at least not fully capped.


    Kaius couldn¡¯t even imagine the shock, the shame, that he would feel if he was in that position. To waste such a precious gift? Unthinkable.


    He¡¯d asked Porkchop about his own pace of progression of course, but it was tough to compare. As a greater beast his friend had unlocked his system far earlier than him, and he had already merged and capped all of his skills before they met. Kaius thought that the advantages were just a little unfair, as greater beasts lived for a long time.


    Even without the life extension of climbing the tiers, a beast would have plenty of time to work on their skills. There had to be some reason for it, the system rarely played favourites to such an extent.


    He sighed, feeling his fatigue tugging at his eyelids. Tomorrow they would explore further, do more exhausting ¡®battle¡¯, and hopefully get a little closer to their next Champion fight. For now though, he needed to rest.


    Kaius let his eyelids fall shut. He was out in seconds.


    ¡­.


    After a restful sleep and a hot meal, Kaius led the way out of the rest area. They pushed deeper into the biome, crossing through room after room of laboratories, strange experimentation rooms, and other sights. The worst were the cells. Bleak stone rooms with squat cages small enough that no person would be able to stand or lie comfortably in them. Kaius stared at them uneasily, each and every one contained the withered remains of human skeletons, twisted and huddled in twos and threes.


    It was a shocking sight, and not for the first time Kaius had to remind himself it was all a creation of the Depths. That there was no unjust perpetrator behind the cruelty, and that the violated remains and twisted abominations were facsimiles, rather than a real atrocity.


    It did little to soothe his discomfort with the biome. The abominations were bad enough, but the history of their creation that lay hidden in their surroundings was a bleak one. Much like undead, abominations of flesh and blood needed a template. An anchor for the mutagenic alchemy and magic to bind itself to. He was under no illusions about what the titular fleshwarper had ¡®used¡¯ as raw material.


    The fact that it all might have been based on some real place and time brought him no more comfort. It was horrifying to think the depths of depravity some would sink to to practise their ¡®art¡¯.


    After that encounter, Kaius had been all too eager to throw himself into their next clash with a pair of flesh horrors the next room over. He¡¯d burnt all of his spells blasting off the pairs limbs in one quick salvo, hurrying in to help Porkchop hack at their bodies as he shuddered with rage.


    They¡¯d pushed on after that, hacking their way through rooms with a growing fury at the twisted nature of the place, only stopping to rest once they had found another communal restroom.


    By the third day he¡¯d grown numb to the twisted evidence of profane alchemy that littered the biome. By the sixth he was totally inured to it. Hacking at creatures of weeping flesh and twisted form had become routine, and the cold clinical depravities of the laboratories became little more than a distasteful background to their goal.


    Finally though, early into the seventh day of their exploration, they found what they were looking for.


    Kaius had just finished reinscribing the Explosive Arcane Needle that he had expended blowing the leg off of the flayed horror that had occupied the room they had just cleared. He¡¯d settled on it as a favoured tactic. As soon as they lost one of the legs, the horrors invariably fell to the ground and became easy pickings. Finishing his work with a final flourish, Kaius stowed his stylus and readjusted his vambraces.


    ¡°Ready for the next one?¡± He asked, turning towards where Porkchop sat cleaning his claws.


    Receiving a nod in return, Kaius stood up from the table he had been using to reinscribe and moved to the door leading out of the room. He rushed through, sword at the ready.


    He stopped, rooted in the spot as he saw the massive scale of the area the door opened up to. Well lit by a massive alchemical light in the ceiling, the room was easily hundreds of strides long, and half that wide. It was tall too, taller than some of the soaring foyers and halls that he had seen in the upper layer of the dwarven city. So different from the small condensed utilitarian spaces that they had seen so far.


    Oddly enough, the doorway opened up most of the way up the room. A thin stone walkway wrapped around the edges of the space, perhaps only ten or so strides wide. They were on the far left edge, and when Kaius peered over to the right he saw that the centre of the room was dominated by a truly massive pit.


    It was an empty thing, a simple open box recessed into the stone. Completely devoid of ornamentation, it was made of the same simple brick that dominated the architecture of the rest of the facility, though a narrow and steep staircase ran down the edge of the drop across from them.


    It held only one thing. A truly gargantuan twisted teratoma. Even from a good fifty strides above, Kaius could tell that it was large enough to completely engulf him, maybe even Porkchop. A mound of eyes, stray limbs, and random organs smashed into a haphazard blob, it oozed its way across its stone containment. Moving at the speed of a light jog, it was practically lightning fast in comparison to its lesser brethren. Though they only came up to his mid thigh instead of being what looked to be almost a stride taller than him.


    He peered into its status and grinned as he read what was displayed.


    Cystic Failure - Level 28:


    Champion, Depths-born, Abomination (Flesh)


    ¡°What is it?¡± Porkchop asked, trying to peer around him as he inadvertently blocked the doorway.


    ¡°I think we just found your next Champion.¡± Kaius said, stepping aside to reveal the oozing pile of flesh that patrolled the bottom of its enclosure.

 Chapter 89: Solo Brawler

    The latest Champion that they had found on their journey through the Depths ambled at the base of the pit. As far as flesh abominations went, Kaius didn¡¯t see how it could get more grotesque. A misshapen blob of eyes, mouths, hands, and other random body parts smashed together into a drooping ball.


    A bigger, meaner, cousin to the twisted teratomas that they had encountered in the laboratories and research rooms of this biome. As he looked down at it from the high stone gangway set into the pits walls, Kaius thought that it would be a surprisingly good matchup for Porkchop¡¯s second solo fight.


    ¡°Well?¡± He asked Porkchop, who was staring down at the undulating mass of flesh in horror.


    ¡°You want me to fight that alone?¡± Porkchop asked, aghast.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he replied. ¡°It¡¯s a little faster than the normal ones, but it''s still slow and you won''t be the most boxed in.¡± Kaius waved his hand to the wide edges of the pit that contained the Champion, a good hundred strides on its shortest length. ¡°I mean, if the others were anything to go by, it¡¯ll be a slog, but should also be a lot safer than anything else we have seen in the Depths. Just watch out for its skills.¡± He finished with a cheeky smile.


    Porkchop eye¡¯d him warily, before looking back to the Cystic Failure that waited at the bottom of the room. ¡°I guess¡­ You¡¯ll be ready to help if I need it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Kaius said seriously. There was no way he would let his friend fight a Champion without backup, even if it was just an oversized blob. ¡°I¡¯ll wait on those.¡± He said, nodding towards the narrow and steep staircase that descended from one edge of the pit to descend into its depths.


    ¡°Fine. Let''s get this over with.¡± Porkchop sighed.


    ¡­.


    Porkchop grumbled to himself as he made his way carefully down the staircase, hearing the reassuring steps of his found-brother behind him. The vast majority of the time he was vastly pleased with his beastly form. His fur shined and kept him warm, his beast blood surged with strength at every beat of his heart, and with fang and claw he was never unarmed. Stairs were one of the few exceptions. No greater beast in their right mind would ever consider stairs to be a smart invention, even den builders such as himself.


    Trust the two-legs to come up with something so annoying.


    He sniffed the air, tasting the heavy scent of acrid blood, twisted flesh, and vile alchemy. Disgusting, and something that had been ever present since he had entered the biome with Kaius. His brother said he could smell it too, but he knew what the man''s senses were like. Saying it smelt bad was an understatement.


    The scents were as solid as a stone wall, muting and dampening all others. With how much he used his nose, it was like staring into the sun. Even then, he could still pick up the bottom notes of discarded refuse and failing organs held in place by foul magic. It originated from the Champion, the Cystic Failure, as Kaius had called it.


    Watching the way it oozed across the stone, leaving trails of reeking slime in its wake, filled him with disgust.


    At the end of the day, gross or not, Kaius had been right when he said that the Champion was a decent match up for him. At least, as long as its skills weren¡¯t too dangerous. Slow, without much reach, and little defences to speak of, he should be able to simply harry it until it expired from exhausted Health.


    Thankfully his brother would be ready to jump in if anything went wrong.


    He looked back, Kaius smiling at him as they locked eyes. With a chuff he turned his attention back to the stairs. It wouldn¡¯t do to lose his focus and fall before he even got to the battle.


    Not for the first time he gnawed on the decision that was coming up, the choice he would have to make, and the offer he would provide. It was a risk, but one that would be worth it. No matter how much the Matriarchs had warned him and his littermates off ever using the ritual.


    It was his right, as a greater meles, and as a King of the Forest. There was no fear it was the wrong choice. For the first time Porkchop felt home. Not in the depths, the fights were nice, as was the lovely loot, but it was a bleak place. No, he had found a kinship with his brother that he had never expected to find. Not in his den at the very least.


    They were all so¡­locked in the traditions. The meles were the meles, the den was the den, and the hunting grounds were the hunting grounds. No excitement, no desire to see more, to be more. He¡¯d left, ready to seek his own path. Sure, he had grown enough to know now that there was a lot of wisdom in the Matriarch''s words. He could admit that he had been idiotic to attempt to leave the deep forest on his own. But now he had found someone with that same drive, to grow and explore the world.


    Plus, half of the Matriarch¡¯s warnings were that those who walked on two legs were weak. Kaius was strong, far stronger than he had expected, and of good stock. Sure, his strengths might be different, but not everything came down to who had the biggest muscles. There was no chance of his growth being hampered, if anything with the system''s attention his brother was liable to pull him up. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    No, he was making the right choice. He was sure of it.


    He just hoped that Kaius agreed.


    Porkchop reached the bottom of the stairs, checking the rolling ball of meat to find it ambling around the far end of the pit. It hadn¡¯t noticed him yet. That was good.


    He took a final reassuring look at his brother who greeted him with a nod from his vantage point on the stairs. Kaius had his sword ready, and with his arm free to cast. Despite his brother¡¯s earlier joking about Porkchop having to face the Champion alone, he could see the hard lines on Kaius¡¯s face. The way his eyes had sharped, his body held in tension. Ready to move at the slightest moment.


    Kaius¡¯s readiness reassured him.The battle might be his alone, but he would not be without backup.


    Porkchop shook himself, readying his body as he dipped into the steady thrum of ferocity that simmered beneath the surface. No failure would best him.


    He kicked off, feeling his thick claws dig into the gaps in the stone brick floor, accelerating him as he roared his challenge to the Champion.


    The dozen dozen eyes that dotted its twisted surface moved, iris¡¯s swivelling to focus on him in unison. As one, the Champion''s fang-ridden mouths groaned, and its corpulent body rippled as it started to glide towards him as the blob of flesh undulated. The hundreds of hands on its surface flowed across its body, bloodying as they clawed at the rough stone ground in a vile mockery of locomotion.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Cystic Failure **


    Porkchop grinned. The battle was well and truly on now. He refrained from tapping into the well of energy that sat in the amulet around his neck. It was a potent ability, an exhilarating surge of speed, power and momentum. Unfortunately, it was a poor tool for the job.


    Blunt force was all but useless against the abominations of the biome, their Health and healing far too prodigious for simple force to overcome. Besides, slamming into the beast was only liable to bring him into range of its gnashing maws.


    No, this was a job for his claws.


    Feeling the fire in his blood, Porkchop crossed the intervening space between him and the festering mass in moments. He reared up, feeling the way his ring pulled at the mana in the air to spawn azure blades of his claws.


    His paw came down, the sharpened edge of his mana enhanced natural weapons plunging into the soft mass of flesh with ease. He scooped. A great gout of flesh was torn free of the Champion, as large as his head.


    The Cystic Failure wailed, a score of mouths opening wide to screech in agony. A moment later it lunged for him, flesh and tissue distending as a mouth stretched away from the main body to snap at him with its teeth.


    Porkchop smashed the mouth down, clawing at the pillar of flesh that connected it to the greater whole. His claws cleaved through the meat, blood and alchemical fluid spraying from the wound to splatter against his barding. To his great disgust, not all of the liquid was warded off by his armour, the fur on his arms and head getting doused in stinking fluid.


    He growled, tossing the severed mouth to the side.


    The Champion was already healing, leaking fluid congealing over the edges of the chunks it had torn from its flesh. Visibly regenerating before his very eyes. He danced back from another snapping bite, watching more and more eyes and mouths slide over amalgamated flesh of the abomination to congregate towards him.


    Plunging his claws into a cluster of eyes, Porkchop felt the orbs give way as they popped and coated his hand in jelly. He scooped. Another lump of meat fell to the ground.


    The Champion didn¡¯t like that. A heavy screech echoed from its maws, stinging painfully in his sensitive ears. He flicked them back, dampening the noise.


    Before he could rush back in and punish the assault with another gouging claw, the glob of flesh contracted. One mouth opened wide as the entire amalgamation quivered with rhythmic contractions. Deep within the core of the beast, he saw a pulse of virulent green mana surge. A skill.


    ¡°Watch ou-!¡± He heard Kaius start to call out in warning.


    One of the mouths closest to him opened impossibly wide. It heaved. He tried to dodge, throwing his weight to the side. The mouth released a gout of steaming vomit with a final hurl, the chunky liquid coating his shoulder and dripping down his leg. Immediately he was beset by a stench so rank he could feel it scorching the inside of his nose. A moment later his flesh started to sizzle, the noxious liquid bubbling at the surface of his flesh.


    Porkchop danced back, staring at the matted vomit that had soaked into his fur, feeling the slow burn as the acid ate away at him. He knew in moments that it wouldn¡¯t kill him, his Health restoring the damage. The acid was strong, but his body was stronger. If anything, it was the smell.


    Laughter echoed through the pit, a full bodied cackle of mirth that came from the stairs. ¡°Called it!¡± His brother taunted.


    ¡°Shut it!¡± He hissed back, pushing the words along the link he had forged with Kaius. It was still strange, thinking in language rather than raw experience, but he was getting used to it. Growling as he looked down at the sizzling slick of bile that had coated his side, Porkchop narrowed his eyes at the Cystic Failure.


    It jibbered with its many mouths, eyes dilating as if delighted at dousing him with its purged fluid. He hissed, shoving the stinging pain of his wounds to the back of his mind as he delved deep into his growing frustration at the creature.


    Fury welled up inside of him, the vile stench twisting in his guts. Fucking vomit. How dare it! Dare to mar him so! He let the surge of bestial fury wash over him, drowing out all but an overwhelming need to sunder the Champions flesh.


    He charged.

 Chapter 90: Hidden Loot

    Letting out a roar, Porkchop barrelled towards the champion. Its entire existence offended him. The unnatural melding of discordant body parts, the violent smell, the way its eyes slid over its flesh to track him, the chittering smirks. Everything.


    He spotted the mouth that had vomited on him. Despite having slid across the mutagenic body of the Champion, it was given away by the yellow trickle of bile that dribbled from its thin lips. Blades of mana flashed into existence and he drove his claws deep into the flesh surrounding the mouth.


    He fell into a flurry of blows, the thick digging claws of his people well suited to tearing out chunks of flesh with every blow. In moments he had dismantled the mouth, carving an elbow deep pit in the flesh of the abomination.


    It¡¯s core pulsed green again, a mouth leaving a wake in the meat behind it as it rushed across the surface of the monster to aim at his chest. This time he was ready, diving to the side as another compressed stream of partially digested offal and stinking bile sailed past him to splash against the ground of the pit.


    Porkchop rushed back in, suppressing his growing nausea. Swipe after swipe he tore into the Champion, ripping out chunks of its flesh with his claws and mana blades. It tried to resist. Mouths stretching out to snap at him, tendrils of flesh elongating to connect the maws to the greater whole.


    He dismantled it bit by bit, cleaving through exposed flesh to sever the grotesque voids. The mound of meat quickly became pockmarked with the evidence of his assault, red fluid congealing into a sealing gel as the wounds regenerated missing flesh.


    The bottom of the stone hole where he fought the Champion had turned into a charnel pit, stone bricks covered in weeping fluid, scattered chunks of flesh, stray eyes, and spilled bile. Porkchop tuned it all out. Fully focused on dealing with his foe.


    He felt confident, secure in the knowledge that there was little the Champion could do to harm him. The stinging acidic burn of the bile hurt, but it was no real threat. Sure, it might have been a nightmare for any combatant that fought by whittling their opponents down with a thousand nicks. That had never been his style, there was something so visceral about tearing your enemies apart with your own claws. Hearing the gnashing teeth of their despair as you tore them to shreds.


    Another mouth slid across the sagging body of the Cystic Failure, spraying another gout of bile towards him. It seemed to have learned, the mouth gouging its chunky payload as it moved, hurling bile in a wide arc. Disgusting creature. He wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge.


    He didn¡¯t try to.


    Snapping his muzzle shut so he could live his life without the knowledge of what abomination vomit tasted like, Porkchop launched himself forward through the caustic fluid. He grit his teeth as the bile misted his face and back, sizzling as it ate its way through his fur and skin. As soon as he was through, a howl of fury erupted from his throat.


    The offending mouth didn¡¯t last long under the ministrations of his claws.


    Despite removing enough meat to entirely rebuild the Champion, it was still almost entirely whole. A fight of attrition, its regeneration was more than enough to keep up with the pace of his attacks. Worse even than the twisted teratomas, Porkchop could physically feel its flesh fighting him as he burrowed into the beast. Surging and roiling as it regrew at a visible rate.


    Three grasping mouths converged on him, forcing him back from the rent he had gouged into the abominations side.


    Mana pulsed, different this time. It was using its other skill.


    Eyes slid over the corpulent mass, converging to lock their gaze on him. They started to weep, tears of yellow bile floating in front of the Champion to amass into a globe of acid. Porkchop fell deep into the flow of battle, throwing himself to the side in the hope the eyes wouldn¡¯t be able to track him. He snarled as the eyes ripped across the flesh, the spell anchored in front of them.


    He would need to dodge. Trusting that this skill would only be as caustic as the vomit would be the height of stupidity.


    Mana built in the core of the Champion slowly as the orb grew in size, first as big as an apple, then growing larger than his head.


    Porkchop raced back. If he couldn¡¯t evade the skill, he would have to give himself enough room and space to dodge. He¡¯d need it with his bulk.


    Before he could get more than thirty strides away, the Cystic Failure released the growing deluge of its mana. The caustic orb raced forwards, launching from its starting point directly towards him at a breakneck pace.


    He moved.


    Throwing himself to the side, Porkchop kept his eyes locked on the skill. He just made it, the globe of acid missing him by less than a claw length. Even then, the fumes it let off ravaged his barding, metal plates sizzling as they rusted in seconds.


    Seeing the damage that mere proximity had done to his armour, Porkchop blanched. Not so harmless after all.


    No matter, a little danger was expected in a fight. He raced back in, tearing into the Champion with renewed vigour. While his natural mana sight was far less acute than his brother¡¯s True Sight, he could still see the mana in the beast had gutted out. The monster was clearly focused on regeneration and staying power. No matter the natural talents of recovery of its decidedly unnatural body, he knew that the level of healing the monster displayed would be impossible without most of its build devoted to it¡¯s health stats. It had to be out of mana.


    Secure in his faith that he didn¡¯t have to worry about any more skills, Porkchop continued his work of ripping out chunks of the creature''s flesh. It tried to fight back, but with its ungainly form there was little it could do to stop him.


    Death was an inevitability. It was all about persistence now.


    After what felt like an hour of hard work, Porkchop finally got the notification he had been waiting for. Tearing out four eyes with a single swipe, the monster shuddered. The sticky caps of vital fluid that surrounded its wounds released all at once, blood and alchemy pouring from the accumulated wounds. The Cystic Failure sagged, impossible biology trying to sustain its life without the bolstering power of its Health. It couldn¡¯t.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It died.


    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: Cystic Failure - level 28 Caustic Biohorror!**


    As he watched the ball of meat deflate, Porkchop roared his victory to the ceiling, the sound echoing off the hard stone and amplifying his fervour.


    ¡­


    Kaius gnawed on his cheek as he watched his friend battle the Champion. Every near miss he had to hold himself back from launching himself off the stairs and diving into the fray. He knew Porkchop had it, that it was a good match up. Hells, the thing could barely touch him. Despite that, it felt wrong to simply sit back and watch his friend fight alone.


    At the end of the day, his feelings didn¡¯t matter. Porkchop had chosen his path, and it would be cruel of him to stand in the way of his friend¡¯s shot at gaining an Honour. So from his vantage point on the stair he stood, and he watched.


    Despite his restraint, he did admit that he had descended a few steps when he noticed the mana pulsing in the flesh amalgams centre. Though, when he saw the monster let loose an absolute torrent of vomit he had been unable to stifle a laugh at the sheer disgusting ridiculousness of the skill. He had warned Porkchop it was a possibility after all.


    After a few handfuls of nail biting minutes it was done, Porkchop releasing a roar of his triumph as the Champion collapsed into a sagging blob of dead flesh.


    Kaius launched himself off the stairs, dropping a full ten strides to the stone below as he raced to congratulate Porkchop. Joyous laughter spilled from deep in his chest, relief and jubilation unable to be contained. Not that he wanted to contain them.


    Porkchop had done it! Slain another without his assistance. Crossing the distance between them, lithely jumping over pools of blood and bile, Kaius threw his arms around Porkchops neck with a laugh in complete disregard of the stinking detritus that coated his friend''s chest.


    ¡°You did it!¡± He laughed. ¡°I knew you would, even if you did get a little sick on you.¡± He said, wiping one slickened palm on one of the few patches of fur that wasn¡¯t already coated.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Porkchop yelled, yanking his way out of his grip to give him a playful shove.


    ¡°What? Scared of a little mess?¡± He teased.


    Porkchop rolled his eyes. ¡°If your nose was as sharp as mine, you¡¯d understand.¡±


    His friend''s eyes suddenly narrowed, searching around the gore ridden pit that he had had his battle.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have spotted where my loot is, would you?¡±


    Kaius paused. He hadn¡¯t, now that Porkchop mentioned it. With every other Champion they had faced, the loot had been relatively easy to find. Sure, it might have been tucked away in some bolt hole or another, but it was mostly obvious where they should look. Not so in the pit, there was nothing out of place.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Kaius said, stepping back to look around the battlefield. There was nothing, just plain brick and the body of the Champion. A sudden, horrific thought jumped into his mind.


    ¡°Oh please fuck no.¡± He said, his gaze locking onto the grotesque corpse.


    It couldn¡¯t be. It must. Where else would it be hiding? After all, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time they had found things in an abomination. The Champion was clearly some superior form of a twisted teratoma, and they had found out pretty quickly that they must have a tendency to eat random objects. Half of the globular depths-spawn they had slain had had remnants of shattered glassware left in their strange central stomachs. Hells, more than once he had shattered something when he had plunged his sword into the monsters.


    Porkchop followed his gaze, looking at the deflated body of his slain foe.


    ¡°You have to be joking.¡±


    ¡°Remember the glassware?¡± Kaius asked, dread evident softening his voice to a bare whisper.


    ¡°Oh sweet Matriarchs.¡± Porkchop muttered. Suddenly his friend whipped his head towards him. ¡°You do it."


    ¡°Oh, no no no. It¡¯s your kill you do the honours.¡± Kaius insisted.


    ¡°Kaius,¡± Porkchop said plainly, staring him dead in the eyes. ¡°You have a fucking sword. I have claws. I would have to get shoulder deep in its guts. I also saved your life barely more than a month ago. Don¡¯t be a weasel.¡±


    Kaius winced. Harsh words coming from a Greater Meles, Porkchop had made his distaste of the ¡®failed imitations of little meles¡¯ very well known.


    ¡°Fine,¡± He sighed. ¡°But I want it noted that I am kind, magnanimous, and a fantastic friend.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Porkchop said, waving him towards the body with one meaty paw as he grinned. ¡°Hurry up and get our loot, minion.¡±


    Kaius groaned, but drew his sword and stepped up to the stinking corpse of the Cystic Failure. Taking a deep breath -through his mouth of course- to steady himself, Kaius raised his sword high over his head. He paused for a moment, assessing the reality of what he was about to do. A final half hearted scowl towards Porkchop revealed his friend had backed out of the splash zone. He shook his head before turning back to the corpse.


    ¡°This is some gross fucking bullshit, i¡¯ll tell you what.¡± He grumbled to himself.


    With a grunt, he brought his blade down. The razor sharp blade cleaved clean through the boneless flesh of the abomination, opening it like a sack of wine. A deluge of slop, shapeless organs, and chunky bile burst free from the flesh sack. It poured in a wave, washing up around his ankles.


    Kaius gagged, feeling soft chunks slap into the leather of his boots as the fluid started to seep in. He jumped back, leaping out of the puddle to a nearby stretch of dry stone.


    ¡°It¡¯s in my socks!¡± He howled in despair, gagging as he shook unmentionable clumps from his feet.


    ¡°Lucky.¡± Porkchop said, approaching the deluge.


    ¡°How the hell is this lucky!¡± He asked, looking up to find Porkchop peering closely at the sludge that had flowed from the corpse.


    His friend stepped back, revealing a thin strapless satchel that sat in a pool of viscera. Blood beaded on its surface, running free in rivulets to leave the slate grey leather untouched. Even the mess that surrounded it pulled back, leaving the bag in a circle of clean stone.


    ¡°Can you imagine if you did that and there was no loot?¡± Porkchop grinned.

 Chapter 91: Forbidden Insight

    Standing at the base of the stone pit that had been strewn with the gorey evidence of Porkchop¡¯s battle with the Cystic Failure, Kaius stood at the edge of a particularly large pool of viscera and bile.


    The pooling fluid in his boots from cutting open the corpse of the monster had been forgotten, his focus on the artefact that Porkchop had spotted in the mess.


    Kaius grinned as he looked at the grey leather satchel that had flown free from the corpse of the Champion, the bile that had spilled free from the chest of the oversized teratoma giving the artefact a wide berth.


    ¡°Thank the gods it had some kind of cleanliness enchantment, eh?¡± He said, leaning forward to hook the point of his blade through the carry handle of the bag. He moved carefully, not wanting to slip into the puddle as he pulled back from his stretch.


    ¡°Check it up stairs?¡± Kaius asked, looking over to Porkchop. ¡°It stinks down here.¡±


    ¡°Yes please.¡± Porkchop replied, eager to get away from the caustic scent of biowaste, alchemy and bile.


    Taking a moment to clean his blade and return it to its sheath, Kaius led the way up the stairs. Taking the steps two at a time, his eyes kept drifting to the bag he held, finding it difficult to resist simply identifying the artefact that he had found. He didn¡¯t though, it would be unsporting to take a peak without waiting for Porkchop to be ready.


    That said, he did wonder what there was to the artefact. In his heart of hearts he hoped it was a spatial bag, though he knew that even if something was leaning on the scales for them that was highly unlikely. They were rare finds in the Depths, something that even experienced delvers who explored far deeper than layer two would be lucky to get at all. Yet if something was shifting their drops in their favour, what else could it be? He could think of no other artefact in the shape of a bag that would actually prove useful for them.


    Reaching the top of the staircase, Kaius rushed onto the wide stone gangway that lined the edge of the massive pit. He took a seat, patting the ground insistently for Porkchop to join him.


    ¡°Ready to find out what it is?¡± He asked, turning the bag over curiously. Opening it was tempting, but it would ruin the surprise.


    Porkchop grunted, excitement and curiosity flowing over their link. Kaius grinned and focused his True Sight on the item.


    Ixian Self-packing Dimensional Tent:


    Uncommon


    You want the good stuff, eh? I know just the thing. It¡¯s factory made, but one of those fancy ones where every line worker is a skilled artisan. Easy to carry, easy to pitch and repack, and it should keep you warm and hidden while you¡¯re out of the city. Not here! Outside if you want to test it. Nearly ruined my displays, yeesh.


    Made from dimensionally attuned materials, this bag contains a self pitching tent designed to provide a safe harbour out in the wilds. Trigger with mana and stand back. Objects left in the tent are vented out when repacked.


    Depths-wrought Artefact


    Auxiliary Equipment (Tent)


    Camouflage II, Shroud I, Weather Resistance I, Self Repair I, Self Cleaning I


    Kaius stared at the description of the item in confusion, before looking back to the boxy grey leather satchel. He turned it over in his hands, confused. This was their loot? It was a little¡­ odd. He couldn¡¯t exactly see how it would help them at all.


    ¡°Well? Is it one of those fancy dimensional bags?¡± Porkchop asked expectantly, leaning forward to prod him with his nose.


    ¡°Not¡­exactly?¡± Kaius said with a shrug.


    ¡°What the hells is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tent.¡± He replied.


    ¡°A tent?¡± Porkchop asked in disbelief.


    ¡°A tent.¡± Kaius nodded.


    ¡°What the hells good will a tent do for us?¡± Porkchop growled, staring at the bag like it had betrayed him personally.


    ¡°Well, I mean, it¡¯s not exactly ideal. Gods knows I would have preferred something that will actually help us in a fight, but having a camouflage comfortable tent that can pack away like this will actually be pretty handy. Especially when we get out of here and end up travelling cross country.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bloody tent, Kaius,¡± Porkchop growled. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it can turn bloody invisible. I killed that Champion solo and I wanted a trophy. A tent is not a trophy.¡±


    Kaius laughed, giving his friend a commiserating patt on the shoulder. ¡°I know, buddy, but you know this might mean that we never have to sleep without a mattress again right?¡±


    Porkchop stilled at his words, mulling them over. ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be so hasty. A tent isn¡¯t so bad. Should we go test it out? There was a fair bit of open space in the lab we entered here from.¡± Porkchop said, suddenly a whole lot calmer when a comfortable place to sleep was put on the table.


    ¡°Lets.¡± Kaius said with a grin, grabbing the small bag by its carry handle as he pushed himself up to his feet.


    They walked back to the laboratory space that they had entered the Champion arena from. It was a wide open space, a row of desks lining one of the walls, with a strip of tanks full of bubbling black liquid adjacent to them. Thankfully, they¡¯d managed to kill the room''s resident flayed horror relatively quickly when they had first entered, relegating the pool of viscera and strewn flesh to a single corner of the room. It left them plenty of clean stonework to test their tent out on.


    ¡°Might want to stand back a bit, the description mentioned that.¡± He warned Porkchop as he strode purposefully to the centre of the room. Porkchop halted just past the doorway, looking on with curiosity as he set the bag down.Stolen story; please report.


    Leaning on his mana manipulation, he felt the artefact immediately. It had some sort of inscription, waiting for a trigger. He instinctively knew that all it would take was a little touch of mana and it would activate, no channelling or infusion necessary. All the mana it needed was already there. He imagined that it must draw it in from the atmosphere. Something to consider, if it meant that the tent needed to recharge for a while before use.


    Leaving the bag where it sat, he backed away until he stood next to Porkchop. If he didn¡¯t have Mana Manipulation he would have needed to be within touching distance. Something that might have caused issues depending on the severity of the description¡¯s warning.


    He reached out with his skill, triggering the formation on the artefact.


    For a moment nothing happened, then the bag tried to hide. True Sight refused, revealing to him the true workings of the artefact. He leaned closer, curious. For an impossible instant the bag seemed to fracture. Folding across impossible lines, tessellating through unmentionable and indescribable spaces that should not be. Icy daggers stabbed into his eyes as the hellish display continued. He couldn¡¯t look away, a strange cacophony of sounds swirling around him as the rent in space started to sing. They were watching. Waiting for him behind the veil. So friendly.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 15!**


    The bag folded through itself, beckoning as depth phased through height to reveal an impossible volume yawning through and out. It called to him. Touch it.


    Touch it.


    TOUCH IT.


    Air displaced with a pop, and the spell was broken. Kaius fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Was he screaming? What was that noise? He snapped his jaw shut, wiping at his tearing eyes with shaking hands. They came away red.


    Porkchop shoved his head at him, the noise in his skull resolving into a voice. ¡°Kaius! What happened? You started moaning and staring at the tent.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kaius said, looking up at his friend uncomprehendingly before looking back to where he had triggered the bag at the centre of the room. It was gone, lost to the impossible voices who lived behind the thin veil that the artefact had breached. In its place an oddly tall and narrow canvas tent. It was tall enough for him to stand in, but so small he doubted he would fit curled up in a ball. Odd.


    He could tell that it had shifted its form to look closer to some alchemical still or something similar, but try as it might to get his eyes to accept its lies, True Sight pierced the illusion with ease.


    ¡°I uh, saw something.¡± Kaius said quietly, turning his attention back to Porkchop¡¯s concern. ¡°I think True Sight let me see something that I really shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    He took a shuddering breath, trying to purge the impossible images from his mind. ¡°New rule. No using True Sight on dimensional artefacts.¡± He groaned, rubbing his eyes in a vain attempt to ward off his splitting headache. Thankfully, the memory seemed to be quickly fuzzing as his mortal mind failed to digest what it had seen.


    ¡°Maybe we should just leave it behind? What did you see?¡± Porkchop asked, concerned.


    ¡°I literally could not describe it if I tried. I don¡¯t even think I understand it, it keeps slipping away from me. I think it''s fine though, the Depths doesn¡¯t give away cursed artefacts. At least I don¡¯t think it does. Pretty sure I just looked at something I wasn¡¯t supposed to.¡± He explained, grabbing Porkchop¡¯s shoulder to steady himself as he pushed up off the floor.


    ¡°Can you see it? Or does it look like a still to you? I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s selective or if I can only see through it because of my skill.¡± He said, eying the tent¡¯s projected illusion.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s both? I can only see the still, but I can tell it¡¯s a tent somehow. And where the entrance is.¡± Porkchop replied.


    Kaius nodded before he approached. Pushing open the flap of the tent revealed a surprisingly opulent interior. One was that far larger on the inside, large enough that he could lie end to end twice over with room to spare in any direction. Though, the height hadn¡¯t changed much. A massive feather mattress layered with warm looking plush furs dominated one side of the tent, while the other held a small table set up with an enchanted stove. A thick rug covered the entire bottom of the floor, looking soft enough to sleep on.


    Stepping in with Porkchop close behind, Kaius stared around the space in wonder. It was the perfect temperature, the kind where he knew he would feel at ease whether he was naked or fully armoured.


    Porkchop let out a chitter of delight, drawing Kaius¡¯s gaze as he dived on to the mattress. It held up to his abuse, and Kaius laughed as his friend groaned in pleasure as he sunk into the soft bedding.


    ¡°I take it back. This is great.¡±


    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Kaius grinned. ¡°But maybe hold off rolling around on the bed when you¡¯re covered in unmentionable slime?¡± He asked, cocking a brow at the mess his friend was leaving on the layered furs.


    Porkchop gasped in horror, leaping off the bed to stare mournfully at the stains. ¡°I ruined it.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it has self cleaning. But we should get going. Both of us are pretty covered, and nice place to sleep or no, it would be good to find a rest stop to get clean and get some more food before the end of the day.¡± Kaius said, eager to get moving.


    Porkchop groaned. ¡°Thank the Matriarchs. If I managed to taint it with abomination juice I would have never forgiven myself.¡±


    Porkchop sniffed, wincing as he got a nose full of the viscera that coated him. ¡°A wash does sound great.¡±


    Kaius smiled, leading the way out of the strangely expanded tent. Thankfully, whatever horrors he had seen when the artefact had shifted were not present inside the warped space. They backed away from their latest toy, giving it plenty of room for whatever happened next.


    ¡°Don¡¯t watch this time.¡± Porkchop warned.


    ¡°Believe me, I was not planning on it.¡± Kaius said as he turned away, reaching for the artefact with his Mana Manipulation. He triggered the mechanism, squeezing his eyes shut just to be extra safe.


    There was a little pop of displaced air, but nothing else. No calls from beyond, or impossible geometry breaking his understanding of directions.


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Porkchop said.


    Kaius sighed in relief, turning around to find the grey satchel sitting exactly as he had left it. He could tell that whatever reservoir of mana it used to facilitate its unnatural transformation had been drained. It would need to recharge before they could use it again.


    ¡°You want to carry it?¡± Kaius asked, nodding towards the straps and hooks that lined the barding on his hips, designed to secure extra saddlebags and other equipment.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Porkchop said.


    After securing it in place, they exited back to the arena where Porkchop had fought the Cystic Failure. Several other exits lined the stone walkway that surrounded the top of the room, offering them plenty of options to explore further in the hopes of finding a place to rest.


    He opened a door at random, hand glowing gold as he reflexively snapped off an Explosive Arcane Needle into the knee of the skinless occupant of the room.


    ¡°More horrors.¡± He groaned, drawing his sword.

 Chapter 92: Unexpected Find

    It took them six hours of pushing through isolated rooms of flayed horrors and twisted teratomas before they found another rest stop. Hours of bloody work, hacking apart the twisted flesh of depths-born, getting coated in more gore as they progressively grew more and more exhausted. When they finally stumbled into the room of bunks Kaius slumped as he sheathed his sword.


    With leaden arms, he and Porkchop pushed one of the bunks against the door, before making enough space to set up their new dimensional tent. Kaius looked away as he activated the mechanism, seeing no reason to ever tempt fate by staring into an abyss that stared back.


    They crawled to the end of the room, finding a nook with a grated drain. This was no hot rain room like they had had in the dwarven manors. Instead a simple enchanted water source was set into the wall, attached to a spigot that released a steady stream of freezing water. Decidedly uncomfortable, but it was pure, clean, and a decent enough way to wash. Unfortunately, it took him the better part of an hour to work out all the little scraps of flesh and gristle that had gotten worked into the scales of his armour.


    By that time Porkchop had already dozed off on one of the bunks, waiting for his fur to dry before they retreated to their tent. Feeling hungry, Kaius decided against doing the same. Instead he investigated the galley kitchen with its enchanted cupboards, and its simple stovetop. Despite the sheer luxury and expense of having a bloody stasis enchantment for food preservation, the Depths seemed oddly fond of them.


    Much like the last bunk room they had found in this biome, the food was an austere affair. Mostly non-perishable rations. Grains, breads and the like, though there were a few preserves as well. Not quite food worth ransacking, but it served well to stretch the quality stock they had looted from the dwarven estates before they had left the city.


    He decided on a simple dish of pickled vegetables, salted meats, and a large helping of rice that he had found in a bin under the bench.


    Porkchop woke up towards the end of his cooking, ambling over when he served him a portion. They ate in silence, far too exhausted to make casual conversation. As soon as they were done they retreated to their new tent.


    Kaius collapsed onto the large mattress that took up a good quarter of the room of their new abode, groaning as the feather soft bedding cradled him. He was out like a light in seconds.


    Waking the next day feeling well rested and refreshed, Kaius looked around only to find that he was alone in the tent. Porkchop had already left. Rubbing at his bleary eyes, he pulled himself to his feet and pushed his way past the flap of heavy canvas that acted as the tent''s entrance.


    Porkchop lounged on one of the bunks nearby, craning his head to look at him.


    ¡°Morning.¡± He said.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Kaius replied. ¡°I¡¯ll make us some breakfast before we suit up and leave?¡± He asked, tilting his head towards the kitchen.


    ¡°Please.¡± Porkchop responded, clearly still tired as he slumped back down to doze on the bunk. Kaius grinned. His friend was many things, but an ardent enjoyer of mornings he was not.


    He walked over to pull open the cupboards in the kitchen, quickly finding a dozen eggs and some cheese that he had spotted the night before. After a few minutes of prep, he had a full dozen egg omelette sizzling in a frying pan on the stove.


    He got dressed as he waited, though he only put on his travelling clothes and his sword. The armour could wait until they left. It wasn¡¯t exactly the most comfortable attire, even if it was well fitted. By the time he was done, so was the omelette. Slicing it in half and sliding it onto two plates, Kaius left one on a table for himself and walked the other over to Porkchop, setting it down next to his face on the mattress.


    The smell got his friend moving, though he didn¡¯t even bother to sit up before he craned his neck and started gnawing on the eggs and cheese.


    Smiling at Porkchops antics, Kaius returned to his own breakfast and attacked it with gusto. After they finished, he picked through the cupboards one final time. Deciding to take some cheese and fresh bread with them, he wrapped the food in some cloth and stowed it safely in his pack. Thankfully its water repellent enchantments were effective against bloodshed, otherwise most of their stocks would have long since been ruined.


    He suited up, buckling on his scalemail and vambraces, and then they left. Returning to the grinding drudgery of pushing through alchemical workshops and putting down shifting abominations of flesh. As nice as it had been to get clean, it took all of one encounter with a pack of twisted teratomas for them to be inundated in gore once more, souring the mood.


    Yet despite their recent expedition from the bunk room, it only took them a handful of hours to encounter something new. Something different.


    They¡¯d just cleared out a laboratory, gleaming snakes of copper pipes winding themselves into a dense knot of conduits that ran over the ceiling and down the walls to connect into a series of boilers. It was fascinating, and something that Kaius could not make heads or tails of. There¡¯d been a single flayed horror, but with how much practice they had had against those particular foes, it hadn¡¯t lasted long. An explosive needle to the knee, and a few minutes of hacking slaughter and it had been done.


    There was only one exit to the room, excluding where they had entered from of course - marked on its interior face with a scratched cross like all the others they had explored through.


    It was different from the other doors. They came in many styles, some rounded, some squared. Others were reinforced in brass, or with portholes cut at head height. Yet one and all they had been of equivalent size. A standard door, like you might see in an inn or a veritable manor. This one wasn¡¯t.


    No, it was larger, grander, and stouter. A good three strides taller than he was, and twice as broad as any other he had seen, the door was braced by a grid of iron bars. Thick too, like the kind of door you expected to see in a fort. One that could be barred, to keep things out. Or in, he supposed.


    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± He said, nodding towards the object of his attention.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°It is.¡± Porkchop replied. ¡°Champion?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± He nodded. It was the most likely thing. Though, it could be some sort of larger complex, similar to the cavern the city was held in or the original glowing grove where they had first made their home. Probably just a Champion, this biome seemed different. Less spread out, and more condensed. The depths-born were tougher too, and far more common than they had seen elsewhere. Not tough enough to represent a real danger, not when they worked together and had spent nearly a full year locked in back to back mortal confrontations.


    He hoped it was just a Champion. It meant that Porkchop would get his first Honour, and he wouldn¡¯t have to sit out any more fights. Common depths-born didn¡¯t quite cut it anymore, and he missed the rush of pitting himself against a superior foe. Of being the ultimate arbiter of his own survival. Plus, nothing was quite as good for skill levelling as a pitched battle.


    ¡°You should reinscribe. Just in case.¡± Porkchop reminded him.


    He grunted in acknowledgement, taking a seat and removing his vambrace. It was quick work now, after all his practice. Thankfully he had enough free mana that he wouldn¡¯t need to wait for anything to regenerate. A convenience of leaving a little buffer, it meant far less downtime after their fights.


    The stylus bit into his skin, and he started to write strings of runes over his flesh, twisting around the natural curves of his hand and wrist. A few moments later and his mana rushed into the working, locking in place as it reserved itself for his spell.


    He packed away his equipment, refixing his armour before he slung his bag to rest against the wall next to the larger than normal door. If it was going to be a Champion fight, he may as well be ready for it.


    He reached for the door, Porkchop giving him a nod to let him know he was ready.


    Sword drawn, he turned the latch and pushed the door open. It swung silently on well oiled hinges, revealing a gargantuan hall.


    Kaius gaped as he looked at the sheer scale of the room. It must have been hundreds of strides in length, with a ceiling that loomed almost as far overhead. Much like the rest of the biome that they had explored, glass ampoules filled with a glowing amber liquid were suspended from the ceiling, drenching the room in yellowish light. Except these ones were gargantuan. Though it was hard to tell from the distance, each glass orb looked to be bigger than Porkchop, and dozens of them hung from chains as thick as his leg.


    Strange stone bays were set into the wall of the hall, a full ten of them lining each flank. They were boxy, maybe fifty strides wide and deep. Each and every one was sealed off from the hall proper by a single sheet of warded glass, engraved runework shining in his mana sight even from such a distance. Each and every one contained some twisted monstrosity, all of greater size and power than the common monsters they had seen in the facility. Most of them were dead, but not all.


    Yet despite all that, Kaius¡¯s eyes simply slid over the strange menagerie in favour of the main attraction. The far end of the hall ended in a wall of glass, a supersized cousin to the other twenty bays that took up the entire height and width of the hall. Inside was a mockery of a tree. Its trunk made of warped bone, networks sinew wrapping it tight. Veins exploded from ports in the base of the trunk, covering the bottom of the enclosure in a pulsating matt of woven vasculature. The branches were worse, nerve like tendrils wavering at the tip of razor sharp bone spikes, flaring rhythmically as the abominable tree shifted in a non existent wind.


    It absolutely burned with internal fire to his mana sight, magic pulsing through it like blood. Enough power to chill him to his core. He tore his eyes away from the beast, searching the enclosure for what he knew he would find.


    Behind it, on the far wall sat a familiar runic circle. One that he remembered from scouting the dwarven city, from his fateful entrance at the base of a waterfall. A cousin to the circles that littered the forest and every other land above. An exit. The tree of bone was a Guardian.


    He froze. Staring as he pushed Porkchop back, ready to slam the door shut and retreat at a moment''s notice. The glass enclosures looked secure, but he really didn¡¯t want to trust his life with it. Though, from what he had seen, the Depths mostly liked to clearly sign post its challenges.


    ¡°Except when it doesn¡¯t¡± He thought, gnawing on his cheek.


    Though, now that the shock of seeing a Guardian had passed, he could see that there were entrances to each of the enclosures. Double sets of thick steel doors linked by a short hallway, providing an entrance or an exit without compromising the security of the room. An airlock system, smart. He¡¯d bet a gold coin that whoever had runed up the glass had also made it impossible to open both doors at the same time.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s certainly something.¡± He turned back to murmur to Porkchop.


    ¡°Let me look then!¡± Porkchop replied.


    Kaius stepped to the side, watching with amusement as his friend stood rooted to the spot. Much like he had been, Porkchop was immediately captivated by the sight of the bone tree Guardian at the far off end of the hall.


    ¡°Fancy a tangle with that over the ogre?¡± He asked. Mostly in jest, the thing looked monstrous. If it was anything like everything else they had seen in the biome, he wanted absolutely no part in it. Who knows if they would even be able to do enough damage to outstrip its Health regeneration?


    ¡°Yeah, no thanks.¡± Porkchop replied quickly.


    ¡°Thought so,¡± Kaius snorted. ¡°We should probably move on then. Don¡¯t want to tempt fate.¡±


    He started to turn to head back the way they came, they had plenty of other routes to pick without crossing to the other door on the opposite side of the hall.


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Porkchop said, catching him with a paw. ¡°What about the other enclosures?¡±


    Kaius followed his friend¡¯s eyes to where some sort of variant of a flayed horror prowled back and forth behind the glass, completely unaware of them watching it. It was pretty big, a good stride or two taller than the normal ones, and it did have a second set of arms bursting out of its ribs.


    He roamed over the other sealed bays, seeing two more had living specimens. One, some kind of cat thing with tendrils sprouting from its back, the other some kind of bear covered in bone plates that wept pus. Unlikely.


    ¡°Doubt it. Three champions and a Guardian in a single room? We¡¯d have to be luckier than sin.¡± Kaius replied, looking at the contained specimens with scepticism.


    ¡°Just identify one then you idiot.¡± Porkchop jeered, though Kaius could tell he was just teasing.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He said with a roll of his eyes. It would be a waste of time, but a small one.


    He focused on the cousin to the flayed horrors.


    Subject #38949 ¡®Lover Boy¡¯- Level 26:


    Champion, Depths-born, Abomination (Flesh)


    ¡°Well, fuck.¡±

 Chapter 93: On a Silver Platter

    Kaius groaned as he stared at the system notification that had appeared when he had identified the four armed horror that occupied one of the sealed enclosures that flanked the hall. He knew, now that they had confirmation that it was a Champion, that the other two still living specimens most likely were too.


    ¡°I assume that it is, in fact, a Champion?¡± Porkchop asked, smug that he had been right.


    ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± Kaius responded glumly.


    ¡°Great!¡± Porkchop said, starting to push past him to enter the massive hall.


    ¡°Woah woah woah.¡± Kaius said as he hurriedly held his friend back. ¡°Look, there are not only three Champions in there, but a Guardian as well. If that runed glass fails, we are dead.¡±


    Porkchop huffed, but backed off before he risked being spotted by the contained creatures. ¡°And what do you suggest then? We both know we¡¯re going to risk it. Three Champions in the same place is FAR too good of a find to turn our nose up. We could spend months trying to find more!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Kaius sighed. ¡°But at the very least I want to be ready to bail if we get the slightest hint of things going wrong, okay?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Porkchop said. ¡°Lead the way, oh fearless leader.¡±


    Kaius stepped through the door, Porkchop close on his heels as they entered the massive hall that held the strange menagerie. He was tense, sword drawn and ready, and prepared to bolt for the entrance at the slightest hint of the glowing runes that covered the glass walls of the enclosures failing. Even if the glass was a full stride thick, he had no confidence in it being able to hold back a Champion without magical reinforcement. Especially because it looked to his unexpert eye to be simple and mundane, though he could easily be wrong.


    The hall was clearly used as some sort of research station, other than the ten bays that flanked each wall, and the titanic enclosure that held the bone tree at the far end, dozens of observation and experimentation desks were set up.


    Where the rest of the biome had been set up to be clearly experimentally focused, this seemed like it had been used for a different purpose. No alchemical set ups, or dissection tables, or any of the other profane horrors they had seen were present. Instead the tables were laden with notes, diagrams of various specimens and more.


    As they walked past the first bays, Kaius peered through the slightly shimmering enchanted glass. They had definitely originally contained something, that was for sure. Some form of biological horror, akin to the rest of the depths-born that populated the facility judging by the twisted mass of muscle and bone that lay decomposing in the far corner of the fifty stride wide enclosure.


    Thick enchanted steel doors with a simple spindle mechanism barred their entrance to the enclosure. It used an airlock system, two doors separated by a short tunnel of glass. Clearly whoever had invented this facility had taken some precautions against letting these superior specimens escape. Though clearly by the infestation in the rest of the biome they hadn¡¯t done enough, and something had gone wrong by the time the Depths decided to use the space as a template.


    They passed more stone rooms walled off by glass, each and every one having a decaying horror inside. Some were animalistic, others unidentifiable blobs of twisted muscle and bone.


    As they approached the first bay with a still living Champion, Kaius slowed his pace and moved to crouch behind one of the many desks that dotted the inside of the hall. It was the same horror he had first identified. Subject #38949 ¡®Lover Boy¡¯ as the system had called it. At the very least the name confirmed that these creatures had been created, or at least modified, rather than invading from some outside source. Though he did question the sense of humour of the researcher who had given the monstrosity its moniker, some things just weren¡¯t right.


    It was similar to the flayed horrors they had fought so often. Only strides taller, twice as muscular, and toting an additional pair of arms that sprouted rather unnaturally from its ribs. That wasn¡¯t all, now that Kaius had gotten closer he could clearly see that it looked far more coordinated than its lesser cousins. Even as it stood still in the enclosure, facing away from them to look at the stone wall, it twitched. Exposed muscle fibres rippling rhythmically.


    He had no way to know for sure, but he would bet that it was a good deal more lively than the clumsy flayed horrors.


    ¡°How do you feel about that one?¡± Kaius asked, his voice a low whisper so as not to break the suffocating silence that hung throughout the open space.


    ¡°Probably not, It would be tough to deal with if it managed to grapple me.¡± Porkchop replied, watching the Champion closely. ¡°Though it¡¯s not exactly an impossibility, let''s check the others first.¡±


    Kaius nodded, and led the way to the next bay he had remembered holding a living specimen. As a pair they kept low, slipping between the many desks to obscure themselves from the sight of the four armed giant. Afterall, if they could avoid provoking the Champion into testing the glass defences of its prison, the less risk there was that it would escape.


    They reached the next bay. This one held some monstrous ursine creature. A skinless bear, it was covered in innumerable thick bone plates that were firmly attached to the flesh beneath. They ranged from the size of a plate, down to little shards of bone as large as his fingernail, and looked agonising. As the bear slowly prowled its cage, every movement caused its bone armour to yank at the raw flesh beneath, pus weeping from the gaps of its natural defences.


    Kaius focused on the creature, identifying it.


    Subject #13845 ¡®Harlequin¡¯- Level 25:


    Champion, Depths-born, Abomination (Flesh), Beast


    ¡°Well?¡± Porkchop asked, looking at him expectantly.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Similar number system to the first, but this time with the name ¡®Harlequin¡¯, though I have no idea what that would refer to.¡± He mumbled. ¡°It¡¯s level twenty-five, so a little lower than the last. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I want to check the last one, but I''m feeling pretty good about this one. It¡¯s clearly some sort of bear and I have a lot of experience with those. The Patriarchs like to get the cubs to deal with them when they get a little ornery around breeding season. The lower level ones, at least.¡± Porkchop replied.


    ¡°Not worried about the armour?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Porkchop shook his head. ¡°Look at those plates. There''s massive gaps between them and I¡¯m not sure how firmly it''s actually attached to its flesh? I think I might be able to get a claw under them and pull them off.¡±


    Kaius shuddered at the image. Porkchop definitely had a certain¡­viscerality to his fighting style that he could appreciate, but sometimes it got a little¡­hands on for his taste.


    ¡°True, what about the regeneration though?¡±


    Porkchop wiggled his head side to side. ¡°It¡¯s a problem, but it''s also going to be a problem with all of them. I¡¯m hoping, with its clear defensive bent, that it leans heavily in that direction. I¡¯m less concerned with how long it will take to kill, and more how easily it will be able to kill ME.¡± Porkchop explained.


    Kaius nodded. It was a smart play. Every battle against the abominations had been a slog, so he could definitely see the value in extending the fight a bit if it meant going up against a match up that had less offensive capability.


    They moved further through the hall. Every step they took closer to the bone tree horror at farr end of the room causing more and more icy dread to claw its way up Kaius¡¯s spine. It was terrifying, knowing that all that separated him from a confrontation with the terminal challenge of the depths was a few hundred strides of open space and a wall made of uncomfortably thin glass.


    Yet despite his misgivings, the odd creature had not reacted to them in the slightest. The nerve fronts at the tips of its branches still swayed in a nonexistent breeze, and its vascular roots still pulsed to an unseen heart. Beyond that, nothing.


    He shoved the anxiety deep, focusing on bringing them closer to the final Champion. By this point it was all but a certainty that the Depths was playing this room above board. That they would have to physically enter the enclosures to challenge the monsters within, otherwise they would have already triggered the first two Champions as they had drawn close to them.


    It was still uncomfortable, having a bloody Guardian looming so close put his teeth on edge. Even a tree. Especially a tree made of bone and flesh. He couldn¡¯t even imagine what sort of abilities it must have, how threatening it must be to have been selected as a Guardian despite being immobile.


    Forcing his ruminations away, he focused on their next target. It was in the third to last enclosure, less than two-hundred strides from the Guardian. Some sort of twisted cat, just a little shorter than his chest at the shoulder paced back and forth in its cell, frustration evident in its movements.


    Unlike the other abominations they had seen, this one actually had skin. It almost looked normal, apart from being so muscular that its hide looked ready to split, distorting its features in a grotesque way. That, and the half dozen ropey tendrils of muscle and sinew that erupted from its spine in a cluster just behind its shoulder blades. They lashed the air, writhing with independent curiosity, the boney knives that topped each one whistling as they cut the air.


    Subject #41893 ¡®Man Eater¡¯- Level 27:


    Champion, Depths-born, Abomination (Flesh), Beast


    ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the one for you.¡± Kaius whispered.


    The beast''s ears twitched, and it suddenly pounced, clearing a good thirty strides to slam into the glass wall that separated them from the Champion. It yowled, knife tipped tentacles striking like snakes in a failed attempt to break through the glass. Enchantments pulsed, obscuring their view slightly as an invisible magic barrier flashed into existence.


    Kaius¡¯s heart leapt into his throat as he all but threw himself behind the cover of a nearby desk, ready to run.


    Nothing happened, the glass held firm.


    ¡°Got a bit of a fright there, did you?¡± Porkchop said, chuckling at him.


    ¡°I was worried it might escape? How were you not?¡± Kaius asked, astonished at his friend''s nerves.


    ¡°You saw a cat that pissed off and you DIDN¡¯T expect it to throw itself at us, even with a stride of inscribed glass in the way?¡± Porkchop asked, genuinely perplexed.


    Kaius grumbled, but returned to watch the champion with what remained of his dignity. Sometimes he forgot that as a beast himself, Porkchop had what sometimes seemed like a preternatural ability to read other creatures'' intent.


    The Man Eater hissed, swiping at them ineffectively as its claws screeched against the glass barrier.


    ¡°Not this one then?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°Gods no, did you see how fast it was? That ones going to be a struggle, even for the two of us, let me tell you.¡± Porkchop responded with an emphatic shake of his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m going for the bear.¡±


    Kaius sighed in relief. For a moment with how calm Porkchop had been to the cat''s attack, he had been worried that he would want to fight that one. Honestly, in comparison to a giant cat with prehensile knives and a tweaking four armed giant, a bear in plate armour didn¡¯t seem so bad.


    He might have developed a little bit of healthy respect for the beasts after one had crushed his shoulder in the glade.


    They crept their way back down the hall, returning to the Harlequin and stopping just outside its enclosure. The bear had clearly seen them, but despite its pacing this abomination seemed to understand the futility of attack. It simply kept one eye on them as it walked back and forth through its enclosure.


    Kaius stared at it with discomfort, unhappy he wouldn¡¯t be able to help his friend with his challenge.


    ¡°How do you want to do this?¡± Kaius asked, tearing his eyes away from the pus ridden abomination to look at Porkchop.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll need you to do the doors. So you wait in the little hallway bit?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius nodded. He was going to suggest that if Porkchop hadn¡¯t. Staying in the enclosure himself ran too much risk of getting involved in the fight, what with how small the area was, however there was no way in all the hells that he would be caught dead waiting outside. If something went wrong it would take him far too much time to help.


    Walking forward, Kaius set his hands on the spindle that kept the thick runed steel doors locked tight. They were impressive things, half a stride thick and built like a vault door. While it didn¡¯t come anywhere close to the master work that was the dwarven vault they had seen, it still looked more than rugged enough.


    He spun the wheel, bolts retracting with a satisfying thunk, before heaving it open.


    ¡°After you.¡± He said, waving Porkchop into the short glass hall.


    Time to see if Porkchop would get his first Honour.

 Chapter 94: Bossrush pt. 1

    Porkchop waited beside his brother who was turning the wheel to open the last door of the airlock. He kept his eyes pinned on the bear that prowled through the empty space. It was watching their every move, but had yet to try anything.


    It didn¡¯t even bother to wait for them to exit, nor try to ambush them when they would be hampered by the confines of the airlock. Porkchop understood. It was a bear, even if it had been twisted into a mockery of nature by unkind two legged magic. Bears might be lesser beasts, but they were proud ones. He had yet to meet one that wasn¡¯t sure it was the toughest thing around, and no doubt this bone plated monstrosity felt the same.


    He couldn¡¯t wait. Hopefully this Champion would be a better fight than that gross Cystic Failure, even if it did leak pus and blood he doubted it could be as bad as a creature that had weaponised its own vomit.


    The bolts that held the final door locked slid open with a thunk. His brother heaved on the door, swinging it open and stepping to the side to let him through.


    ¡°Good luck.¡± Kaius said, watching him with concern.


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t need it, and I''ll be fine.¡± He said as he walked past, fully focused on his opponent.


    The ¡®Harlequin¡¯ as Kaius had called it, had stopped. Waiting for him patiently at the other side of the room, staring at him with cold intent in its eyes.


    Behind him the door slid closed with a clunk of steel on enchanted glass. Kaius hadn¡¯t locked it, though he had asked his brother too, just in case the bear tried to get at him. Kaius was strong, but fighting an armoured bear in a corridor that left little room to manoeuvre would be a fraught thing.


    Porkchop pushed the thought from his mind, feeling the heat of challenge roar through his blood as he took in the Champion. It looked diseased. Even with its armoured plates he could see weeping inflamed flesh in the gaps. Hopefully this one actually had a good fight in it. It¡¯d been too long since he had had a good brawl.


    Digging his claws into the stone brick below he bellowed his challenge. A roar ripped from his throat, deafening as it echoed through the enclosed space.


    The bear responded in kind, letting out its own roar as it kicked off and raced towards him.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Subject #13845 ¡®Harlequin¡¯**


    Porkchop let out a feral grin as the Champion barrelled towards him. It wanted to play it that way? He was happy to oblige.


    He tapped into the well of energy in his amulet, feeling the power surge through him. It was a weight, an engine of destruction, an undeniable need to move. So he did.


    He kicked off, shattering a brick beneath his feet. He could feel his artefact bolstering him, like he weighed a dozen times more than he did, urging him to press forward and smash all who would stand in his way.


    Bone plating crunched as he hit the Champion full in the chest, the bear losing out in the opening salvo. It whined, skittering backwards across the cold ground as his enhanced momentum forced it back. Porkchop wasn¡¯t done. Not by a long shot. He leapt forwards, claws igniting blue as he plunged his mana blades into the beast''s chest, taking advantage of the protective plates being shattered in his charge.


    The Champion snarled, smashing him in the shoulder with a paw strike of its own. It was strong, but its claws were thin and spindly in comparison to his, skittering off the metal plating of his barding. He still felt his bones creak under the strain of the blow, and the burning itch of his healing settled into the ruptured flesh of his shoulder.


    Snarling in fury, Porkchop snapped at the beast. Grabbing it by the neck he crushed, feeling its bone plates groan under the force of his bite. The Champion didn¡¯t like that, not one bit. Growling in fury, it hammered him with clawing blows to his back. Most were deflected by his armour, but not all. Pain slammed into him, washed away quickly by his all consuming joy at finally getting a proper fight.


    Blood welled up from the scratches, his body screaming under the Champions assault. He ignored it in favour of biting harder, choking off the Champions growl as it started to gurgle. He struck out with his paws, driving his claws into its chest again and again. Its regeneration was impressive, but not as fast as the blob he had fought a few days ago had been. As long as he kept up the pressure he could stop its armour from healing.


    Mana pulsed, and his jaws were suddenly forced apart. Porkchop leapt backwards. Even with his hot blood, he knew better than to stay in a grapple while an enemy used an unknown skill. To his surprise, the bear had been transformed into a solid statue of bone. Every armour plate on its body had sealed. It could still move, thanks to the magic of the system, but it was slow.


    With a grin he threw himself forwards, launching into a flurry of smashing blows as he capitalised on the bear''s inability to defend himself. Yet despite clawing at its head and shoulders again and again, he was able to do little to the beast. Even with his claws hardened to steel and reinforced with blades of mana, his swipes left little more than thin scratches on the bone exterior of the abomination.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    It seemed the skill had hardened its armour as well.


    He narrowed his eyes, watching as the divot in its chest where he had clawed at its meat started to fill out under the boney exterior.


    That could be a problem. With its enhanced regeneration, it could just retreat behind its armour to give itself a chance to heal. He growled, looking for solutions. Yet trying as he might to shatter the bear''s defence, the seamless bone layer that covered it was impenetrable.


    He kept the pressure up. A skill like this had to be a significant drain on its mana, and it would have to drop it some time.


    A moment later he was proven right, as soon as the abomination had recovered the wound in its chest it dropped its skill. Bone separated into discrete plates again.


    Porkchop threw himself forwards, smashing the champion with another clawing swipe before he barged it with its shoulder, throwing it off balance. The beast didn¡¯t take the assault lying down, punishing his aggression with a snap of its jaws. It managed to catch him by the ruff of his neck, getting a mouthful of fat and hide.


    Porkchop yanked back, feeling his flesh give way. A worthwhile trade to free himself. Hot blood poured out from the wound as he dived forward, smashing away a paw strike and driving his claws into a gap in the armour plates on its chest.


    If it could seal its armour, he would just need to get rid of it.


    He dug under the bone, yanking back to pull off the thickened plate like a scab. Strings of flesh came away with it, revealing a section of inflamed and weeping meat beneath. Porkchop bellowed in triumph even as the Champion howled in fury.


    He felt his shoulder crack as the bear reared up to hammer him again. Porkchop allowed it to happen, taking the opportunity to strip more bone from its chest before its impressive regeneration could do the same once more.


    Mana enhanced claws dug deep into the gap he had made, cracking through its ribs as he scooped out a paw sized hunk of meat. The bear howled, dropping to all fours as it reflexively sealed its armour. Except for on its chest. With no plates for its skill to influence, it was left with a gaping hole in its armour.


    Porkchop roared, tearing at the chink in the beasts armour with abandon, ripping deeper and deeper into the beasts flesh.


    It realised its error in moments, forcing him back with a snap of its oversized jaws. Porkchop smashed it over the head, forcing it back as he took a crushing blow to the ribs to gain an opening. Lunging forwards he ripped another chunk of the Champions armour off of its flesh, taking a hunk of muscle along with it.


    The Champion growled, pushing the offensive in an effort to regain ground. Its arm suddenly writhed, Porkchop¡¯s eyes narrowed at the motion as he saw no change in the monsters internal mana. Rearing up on its hind legs, the abomination howled as its arm inflated, muscle expanding beneath the armour plates that coated the limb.


    A chill shot down his spine, and Porkchop threw himself to the side in an effort to avoid the empowered blow. The Champion came down hard, its paw whipping through the air to smash into his side. Porkchop felt his ribs crunch, several of them splintering under the force of the blow.


    He coughed, tasting blood as something ruptured. Gritting his teeth he pushed through the disabling agony. He could feel his Health, and knew the toughness of his body. This was not nearly enough to slow him down.


    He threw himself forwards, raking his claws and mana blades through the just barely regenerating armour of its chest, shattering the thin layer of bone before he hooked his claws under a plate at the edge of the wound and tore it free.


    His blades had dug deep into the chest of the bear, crunching through its sternum. The Champion gurgled, blood pouring from its mouth as he tore into its organs. Reflexively it retreated into its armour, sealing itself into a carapace of bone. Cutting off its ability to attack.


    Unfortunately for it, it had left a gaping hole in its defence. The missing plates on its sternum revealing a ragged hole into its chest.


    Porkchop roared in victory. It had made a mistake. Its last.


    He plunged his arm into the hole up to his shoulder, pushing his claws deep into its chest cavity. Organs were crushed as he started to dig.


    The Champion realised its folly as he scooped out an armful of innards, dropping its skill and desperately trying to force him back with a flurry of crushing blows. He ignored them, ignored the tearing of his flesh and the cracking of his bones. A greater meles would never fall first, let alone one with the sort of enhancing skills that he had.


    With a furious growl, he plunged his claws into the wound again and again. The Champion sunk its teeth into his shoulder, only to release a moment later as it vomited a torrent of blood as he tore through its lungs and heart.


    Despite its monstrous vitality and healing capacity, it could not hold up to having its vitals shredded to such an extent. Porkchop felt the Champion start to sag, weighing him down as an endless torrent of acrid alchemically tainted blood washed over him.


    He didn¡¯t let up. It would only be giving it time to heal. With every scoop he burrowed deeper, tearing arteries and shredding organs. Roaring in victorious delight as the creature slowly expired.


    A final scoop and it collapsed, too weak to fight on.


    Porkchop snarled, peeling a bone plate from the top of its head. Revealing the gleaming bone of its skull beneath.


    He reared up, drawing his paw up high.


    Then he came down, claws aimed directly at the Champion''s skull. There was a crunch as mana reinforced claws punched through the bone, eviscerating the meat beneath.


    Even the infamous vitality of an abomination couldn¡¯t handle having its chest hollowed out and its brain smushed. With a final rattling gasp, the Champion fell completely limp.


    Porkchop roared his victory to the air as a series of system notifications dinged in his mind.


    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: Subject #13845 ¡®Harlequin¡¯ - level 25 Carapaced Bruiser!**


    **Achievement Noted - You Are Being Observed**


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

 Chapter 95: Bossrush pt. 2

    Kaius looked on in awe as his friend crushed the skull of the bear abomination. Watching Porkchop¡¯s battle from within the glass airlock had been rough, not the least because this fight had been far more brutal than the last one. More than once he had had to hold himself back from ripping open the thick steel door and leaping to Porkchop¡¯s defence.


    All that tension left the instant Porkchop had plunged his claws into the Champions chest and secured the victory, joy and excitement rushing in its wake to fill him with a decidedly more pleasant vigour. Letting lose a laugh, Kaius ripped open the door and sprinted into the arena.


    ¡°You did it!¡± He yelled, thrusting both of his hands in the air. It had not been an easy battle, Porkchop¡¯s armour had great rents torn through it, and he was still bloody from the many crushing wounds he had weathered in his frenetic assault. ¡°Got the absolute piss beat out of you, but you did it!¡±


    Porkchop matched his energy, bouncing around in excitement. ¡°I got it! The same one as you!¡±


    Kaius laughed in joy, throwing his arm around his friend and mussing up the fur on his head. ¡°Never doubted it for a second.¡± He said, inwardly deciding against letting his friend know how close he had come to rushing to his assistance. That blow he had taken to his ribs from the Champion¡¯s second skill had been nasty.


    ¡°So, what does it do? Any bonus for being the second?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately not.¡± Porkchop shook his head. ¡°Though the plus five to all and the bonus to skill levelling is still more than worth it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice right?¡± Kaius smiled. All of your stats being raised by a quarter was a good feeling. Though in Porkchop¡¯s case it might not be that much, he still wasn¡¯t entirely sure how a greater beast''s bonuses to stats worked.


    Porkchop chittered in agreement, before he suddenly started looking around the room with a sharp look in his eye.


    ¡°Wondering where our loot is.¡± Porkchop answered, clearly noticing the curious look he had been giving him.


    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, before promptly joining the search.


    Unfortunately, the room was completely bare. Other than the corpse of the Champion, that is, and Kaius doubted that their items were hiding in its chest like the last one. Porkchop would have already found them when he was scooping out the things innards. Whoever had designed this facility had taken the harsh cells to a clinical extreme. He couldn¡¯t even make out a slight divot in the stone to act as a resting spot for the specimens.


    A clank drew his attention upwards. A small iron hatch set into the ceiling had swung open a small dark tunnel, something he¡¯d missed. A moment later and something rattled its way down the chute, clattering to the ground.


    ¡°Please tell me that is not a pan.¡± Porkchop groaned.


    Kaius winced. ¡°It¡¯s not a pan?¡± he tried unconvincingly. It was definitely a pan. There was another rattle. Porkchop¡¯s head snapped up, expectantly tracking the rapidly approaching noise, only for his face to fall when a coin pouch hit the ground next to their first piece of equipment.


    ¡°This is bullshit.¡± Porkchop growled, staring at their loot.


    ¡°It might be a Pan of Slaying?¡± Kaius said halfheartedly.


    Porkchop snorted, padding over to the drops. ¡°Fat chance.¡± He said. ¡°Go on then, tell us what we got.¡±


    Kaius sighed, but focused on the pan anyway. At the very least it looked like a lovely pan, made of shiny copper with a long handle sheathed with a carved lacquered wood handle. He identified it.


    Travellers Pan:


    Common - Tier I


    Basic luxuries become so much sweeter in the wild. Don¡¯t look down on the simple comfort of a hot meal when the night is long, the rain harsh, and the fire won''t start.


    Delicately wrought, this pan is capable of cooking food while the exterior stays cool to the touch, while imparting food with a greater ability to satiate hunger.


    Depths-wrought Artefact


    Auxiliary Equipment (Pan)


    Self Repair 1, Camping Cookout 1,


    ¡°Yep,¡± Kaius sighed. ¡°Just a pan.¡±


    He groaned, walking away from the pan with a huff. The second time in a row that they had received loot that was decidedly more useless than the usual fair.


    ¡°What¡¯s changed?¡± He grumbled. ¡°I just don''t understand why we stopped getting the good stuff now, of all times?¡±


    ¡°Who knows, maybe we annoyed the Depths?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°But how?¡± Kaius said, pacing. ¡°We haven¡¯t done anything different.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we got too strong? The Depths is trying to push as lower? Everything else in the system rewards challenge, and the last few haven''t exactly brought us as close to the brink as the Champions did when we first faced them. Or maybe it just doesn¡¯t like greater beasts.¡± Porkchop finished with a mutter.


    ¡°Surely not.¡± Kaius said aghast. The system was supposed to be uniformly unbiased and meritocratic, the idea that it would favour people over beasts was almost heretical. Treat them differently, sure, but not favour one over the other. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll find out soon anyway, not like we need to wait long for our next fight.¡± Porkchop said. ¡°Either way, we should drop this junk off by our bags,¡± he finished, nudging the pan with his paw.


    Kaius sighed, but walked over to fetch the artefact and coin anyways. They made their way out, Kaius taking a second to count their new wealth, finding the pouch held six gold pieces. Not a bad find, though he still would have preferred something a little more helpful in their current predicament.


    ¡­


    A figure lounging on a throne of granite rolled his eyes as he watched a far off predicament.


    ¡°Ungrateful brats, If only you knew how much you had already cost me,¡± he muttered, lights fluttering through the void at the noise. ¡°Doubt you would point your nose up at your rewards if you saw what most people found.¡±


    With their growing skills, and a few Honours under their belts, he felt confident that they had enough to make it out. No point wasting Psi if he didn¡¯t have to. Still, the fact that they had found a dense biome had moved up the time table. It wouldn¡¯t be long now, perhaps he should fudge things again. Just a little.


    He sighed, decades worth of accumulated energy vanishing in an instant as he bargained with the cold and unfeeling construct that wrapped itself around the world.


    ¡­


    ¡°Look, all I''m saying is that a pan isn¡¯t so bad. Being able to cook anywhere is surprisingly helpful. Remember how often we just ate cold rations in the forest?¡± Kaius said, arguing his point as they waited around just outside the hall for Porkchop to finish recuperating from his last fight. It was probably fine for them to hang out near the enclosures; he felt a lot more confident that the remaining Champions and Guardian were well and truly locked in their cages.


    On the other hand, who could relax with a bloody Guardian looming over them? Much easier just to wait by their bags.


    ¡°It¡¯s a PAN, Kaius! There¡¯s no way someone actually looked at that and thought it would be helpful to us right here, right now. We¡¯ve either just been incredibly lucky, or there was something fudging things and they''ve stopped.¡± Porkchop retorted.


    They¡¯d been circling around the argument for ages now, arguing back and forth. Kaius didn¡¯t really think that the pan was tailored. Not like the gear they had been getting up until recently at least. Porkchop was just a little too easy to work up when it came to his precious loot.


    He grinned.


    Porkchop squinted at him. ¡°You¡¯ve been fucking with me, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Mostly,¡± he said, shuffling back with a yelp when Porkchop swatted at him with a paw. ¡°However I do think that it''s not that bad of a find. It¡¯s still useful to us, and an artefact is still an artefact. We could still sell it for a bunch, if we really wanted to, when we get out.¡±


    Not that he wanted to, who didn¡¯t want a magic pan? Even if he would have much preferred a spatial bag or some kind of defensive artefact, he wasn¡¯t going to turn down a new toy. It just took him a bit to get over his disappointment is all.


    ¡°What good is money anyway? Never understood the two-legs obsession for shiny things.¡± Porkchop muttered.


    ¡°For trade, you dunce. You have something they want, they have something you want, you swap and use coins to represent any difference in value. Basically. It¡¯s a lot more complicated than that.¡± Kaius explained, kicking himself for not realising that Porkchop would have no frame of reference for fucking money. Not like the dens had banks kicking around the inner Sea.


    ¡°Oh! Why didn¡¯t you say so?¡± Porkchop said, perking up.


    ¡°One of those things you assume everyone knows I guess.¡± Kaius said, scratching the back of his head, before he paused and gave Porkchop a curious look. ¡°Wait a minute, how does that make sense to you? Isn¡¯t the whole thing that greater beasts are all free and uninhibited from the trappings of civilisation?¡± he finished, waving his hands to mimic a pontificating scholar. Or what he thought one might sound like at least, he¡¯d never met a scholar after all.


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°Maybe if I was a wyrm-blooded, or some other solitary creature. We live in dens, Kaius. The Matriarchs trade all the time, like knowledge and hunting ground and stuff, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh right.¡± He said leaning back onto his hands.


    They fell into a restful silence for a moment before Porkchop shifted his weight and looked back towards him.


    ¡°How¡¯s your last skill coming along?¡¯ He asked with clearly forced nonchalance.


    Kaius raised his brow. ¡°What an entirely innocent and not loaded question.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°Good, I¡¯d be surprised if I don¡¯t cap the skills at some point in these next two fights. They get used far too often in tough fights not to. Still holding that skill you wanted to ask me about close to your chest?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Thanks for being patient.¡± Porkchop muttered quietly.


    ¡°No worries.¡± he replied, before quickly changing the subject when he saw that Porkchop was still feeling a little off about holding on to his secret. He was curious, but not enough to put the pressure on, he could wait. ¡°Hey, which Champion do you feel like fighting next?¡±


    Porkchop perked up. ¡°Maybe the Lover Boy? At least we¡¯ve gotten some practice with similar creatures.¡±


    Kaius laughed at the name. He still felt like it was a ridiculous thing to call a four armed skinless giant, but he supposed that even in a twisted recreation of a fleshwarpers laboratory, there was humour to be found.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just call it the giant. Same tactic as the others? Try to blow a leg off?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yeah, though maybe more than one cast. It probably has enough Endurance to make it a fair bit tougher on top of the added health.¡±


    Kaius nodded. It shouldn¡¯t take more than two, though he¡¯d be ready with a third just in case. He didn¡¯t want to blow all of his charges in case something went wrong. It always did when it came to the Champions.


    Porkchop turned to peer over his shoulder. ¡°Well, I¡¯m all topped off, and I think my armour is done repairing, do you want to check it for me?¡± He said, standing to present Kaius with his flank.


    The enchantment had done some work, repairing bent plates and torn leather to an immaculate state over the couple of hours that they had been relaxing on the cold stone. It was still stained with blood, of course, but it was battle ready.


    ¡°Looks good to me.¡± Kaius said, pushing himself to his feet. ¡°Shall we just do it now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m bored. Let¡¯s go kill something.¡± Porkchop said, shaking himself to warm himself up.


    ¡°Say no more.¡± Kaius replied with a savage grin, leading the way back into the hall.


    After watching Porkchop have all the fun for the last two fights, he¡¯d been itching for something that would really get the blood pumping. He just hoped the giant would put up a good fight.

 Chapter 96: Bossrush pt. 3

    Stepping aside so that Porkchop could join him in the airlock that led to the giant''s enclosure, Kaius pulled closed the first steel door and locked it tight. As he¡¯d originally suspected, the second door wouldn¡¯t open if the other was left open. A precaution on letting any specimens escape, he presumed.


    He turned, looking through the enchanted glass tunnel to focus on their target. It still stood in the far corner of the room, twitching as it stared at the wall. Odd behaviour, even for a depths-born, but he doubted that it would last once they entered.


    He rolled his shoulders, loosening himself up, before he drew his sword and moved over to the next steel door.


    ¡°Ready?¡± He asked, looking at Porkchop, who gave him a short nod in return.


    He took a breath, hopping up and down on the spot to get his blood pumping. The tension of pre-battle started to flow away as his heart started to race, his Bloodsong igniting in full force. Reaching for the spindle that held the door closed, he spun the wheel. With every click and clank of the geared mechanism he grew hotter and hotter.


    With a thud the wheel stopped. The door was fully unlocked. He set his shoulder and heaved, heavy steel swinging open soundlessly on oiled hinges. They charged into the room, starting their confrontation in earnest. Eager to capitalise on the giant¡¯s lacking focus while they could.


    Two deep blue needles shot from his raised hand, racing across the room to sink deep into the back of the Champions knee with a spray of blood. It broke whatever spell held the giant in place, the four armed abomination howling at his assault.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Subject #38949 ¡®Lover Boy¡¯**


    The giant spun in place, entirely unhindered by the tiny wounds he had left in its leg. Kaius¡¯s eyes widened, the damned thing was fast. Its eyes snapped from him to Porkchop, before deciding that the charging greater beast was the more immediate threat.


    It only managed to a single lunging step before the arcane payload he had left in its knee detonated, sending its lower limb spinning away in a shower of gristle and gore. Entirely unphased by the grievous wound, the Champion ripped its eyes away from Porkchop to focus on him as it threw itself forward with a howl of fury.


    Landing on its four arms it clambered across the ground, crawling towards him fast enough to match him at a full sprint.


    The heat of battle already well and truly stoked within him, Kaius only grinned. Good. This one seemed like it would be a proper slog. Gripping his sword in both hands, he fell fully into his Bloodsong and raced forwards to meet it.


    Porkchop pivoted, launching towards the giant with an outstretched paw. He raked his claws along its ribs, though it only hissed in fury and redoubled its charge towards Kaius. Huffing in frustration, Porkchop wheeled around and chased after it.


    Kaius snapped off another arcane needle, aiming to take off one of its arms. In a surprising display of reaction speed and agility, the giant duked to the side. His spell was faster still. The needle sunk deep into its chest, shredded flesh blowing out of its clavicle a moment later.


    The giant was uncaring. Mana pulsed in the creature, forcing Kaius on to high alert. A skill. Moments later there was a gush of roiling flesh that surged through the wounds he had given it, nondescript red goop flooding the hole in its chest and trailing from its leg like a whip. Another moment and it was healed, returning to its feet in the space of a single stride.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened. The cost of the skill on the creature''s Health must have been ruinous, but if they couldn¡¯t cripple the beast then this was going to get rough.


    The giant arrived. All four of its limbs smashing towards him in a storm of rapid fire haymakers. Doom came at him from every angle, Danger Sense pushed to its limits as it tried to keep track of the flurry of blows. Kaius grit his teeth and moved. He slipped around two punches, the slightest steps and twists letting him avoid the blows by hairsbreadths.


    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 14!**


    **Ding! Dodge has reached level 15!**


    A third came from above. He nearly missed it, so focused on dodging that only the last minute warning of his skill saved him from being pasted. No time to dodge. He pivoted to the side, biting deep into the giant''s forearm with his blade as he just barely managed to deflect the overhand punch.


    Porkchop arrived, snarling as he launched himself at the giant from the side. He clawed at its ribs, tearing into its chest before the fourth arm smashed him back with a crunch of cracked bone.


    ¡°Careful!¡± He called to his friend, stabbing deep into its leg as he stepped around another wild blow. The giant roared, and doom flared. A quick jump backwards saved him for an open handed slap, only to be caught flat footed as the skinless abomination kicked out.


    Kaius cried out in agony as the kick caught him full in the chest. Bones snapped with a sickening crack, ribs forced deep into his chest as he was sent stumbling backwards. He coughed, blood flooding his mouth.


    Health going to work, Kaius felt a sickening burning itch followed by a droning series of pops as his ribs snapped back into place.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 19!**


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 9!**


    He scowled, burning a hole in the giant with his gaze as he watched it spin to deal with Porkchop, who had returned to harass the Champion once more. The bastard was smart. It had forced him right where it wanted him with that slap.


    He rushed back in, firing another two needles into the leg of the giant. Gore splattered his face as the spells detonated, severing the creature''s leg once more. Mid-battle as it was, the giant was far less capable of dealing with the sudden wound, pitching over and hitting the ground hard. Right in front of him.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Porkchop descended on the Champion immediately. Tearing into its good leg with abandon in an attempt to further hamper its mobility. The giant scowled, trying to boot Porkchop as he shredded its hamstring.


    Explorer¡¯s Toolkit twinged, shunting Kaius¡¯s attention towards one of its arms that had gotten pinned behind the giant''s back. He didn¡¯t waste the moment. He brought A Father¡¯s Gift  high overhead as he stepped in. Then he chopped.


    Exposed muscle parted with ease under the force of his full bodied swing, though his blade glanced off its bone. He ripped his sword free, pivoting into a whirl of alternating cuts as he attacked the limb.


    The giant roared in fury, rolling into a backhand that forced him to dodge.


    **Ding! Dodge has reached level 16!**


    He slipped back in, leaving cut after cut in the Champion¡¯s flesh. It had forgotten Porkchop now, flying into a rage as it launched itself up onto its knees and tried to crush him with a series of pounding blows. It was faster than him, but with the moment of warning of Danger Sense he managed to stay one step ahead of the creature, slipping through the storm of heavy fisted blows that thundered and splatted against the stone floor around him.


    **Ding! Dodge has reached level 17!**


    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 15!**


    Every now and then he caught an opening, blade lancing out to puncture the giant''s flesh whenever he could, holding its attention while Porkchop continued to harry the Champion from behind. Eventually it had had enough, Mana pulsing briefly as more grisled flesh burst from the giant''s wounds to heal them instantly.


    Kaius swore, narrowly avoiding another punch as the giant rose back to its full height.


    ¡°It¡¯s gotta be out soon, right?!¡± Porkchop yelled in frustration.


    Kaius didn¡¯t respond, too busy trying to survive the Champion¡¯s ardent attempts to flatten him. Forcing him back with three simultaneous smashes, the giant followed up with a ruinously fast backhand. Kaius barely had the time to realise it had cornered him before the oversized hand was a stride from his chest. He brought up his sword in shock, blocking the blow. One of his forearms gave out, snapping under the ruinous strength of the Champion as he was sent skidding back. Stumbling from the sudden force of the blow, Kaius just barely managed to get his feet under him before he toppled over.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 10!**


    Groaning from the pain of his shattered arm, Kaius waited for his own regeneration to kick in as Porkchop snarled and plunged blades of mana into the giant¡¯s back in an effort to give him time to heal.


    If there was one saving grace, it was that the energy of the blow had significantly charged his vambraces. Unfortunately, it was still only half full. At the pace the fight was going, one of them would be dead before he got the chance to use it. Oh well, at the very least he¡¯d get to use it in the next fight.


    The giant turned, clobbering Porkchop with a hammerfist, before its attention focused on him once more. It descended on him with a fury, pushing his skills to the limit as he was forced to dodge over and over again. Too fast, and too strong, and with his arm still broken, there was little he could do to punish the assault.


    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 16!**


    Something had to give.


    ¡°Get its attention!¡± He yelled to Porkchop, diving out of the way of a grasping hand that tried to snatch him up.


    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 17!**


    Porkchop roared, sinking his teeth into the meat of the giant''s leg and tore out a weeping hunk of mutated flesh. The giant¡¯s exposed maw twisted into a mockery of a scowl, turning to deal with the most present threat.


    He felt the snap of his bones realigning. Not healed, at least not fully, but enough that he could hold his sword properly once more. As the giant howled and began to lay into Porkchop with bone cracking punches, golden light spilled out of Kaius¡¯s hand as he cast.


    Four needles shot out, each one sinking into the Champions shoulders. Or near enough to count, he hoped.


    Explosions rocked the enclosure as his spells detonated, ripping its arms free of its torso in an explosion of gore that splattered from floor to ceiling.


    ¡°Take that you big bastard!¡± Kaius yelled with glee as he rushed in with a swing of his sword, cutting a deep line into its back that almost instantly clotted with the now familiar regenerative tissue they had seen in all abominations. He held himself back from using any more of his spells, he only had four left, and there was no way to know if the giant could still use its regenerative skill.


    As it screamed in maddened agony mana started to rage inside of the giant, flooding out from its core to settle deep within its tissues. It started to steam, muscles creaking as they inflated to twice their size. Doom screamed in his mind. He tried to move.The giant blurred, its leg scything out into a heel kick that crashed into his shoulder before he could react. Shattering his arm, shoulder, and ribs and sending him flying back.


    Kaius smashed into the glass wall of the enclosure, gasping as his head whipped backwards and cracked into the wall. He slid down to the floor with a weak groan, vaguely aware of a distant roaring as his mind swam. He lifted his head up, barely able to make out the ongoing battle through the haze of his tunnelled vision, agony coursing through his body with every slight twitch.


    He coughed, splattering his front with blood. Seemed like scalemail did just about fuck all against brute force. Letting out a chuckle, he whimpered as the motion made his shattered ribs cut into his chest.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 11!**


    Gods his head hurt. He focused on the burn of his Health, the way the all consuming itch sank into his flesh. It didn¡¯t remove the pain, far from it. Thankfully, it was at least distracting, pulling his mind back from the mess of mangled flesh and twisted nerve endings.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 12!**


    Clarity returned to his mind as his healing pushed back his concussion. The fight! He snapped his head up to see Porkchop bloody, bruised, but not broken. His friend was giving the three armed giant absolute hell, shrugging off smashing fists that would have left him shattered and broken. That had broken him. He chuckled again, biting off the wince as his ribs grated with the movement.


    Wait. Three arms? A jolt of energy shot through him as he realised that the giant had used its healing skill and failed to fully recover. It was on the ropes! He had to do something, now.


    Four more casts of his Explosive Arcane Needle. It would have to be enough. He lifted his hand, only to bite off a scream as the shattered limb flopped. Right, that had been where the giant had hit him. Well, it wasn¡¯t like him to let a little thing like multiple broken bones stop him.


    Kaius took a sharp breath and braced himself for what he was about to do. He reached over, snatching his ruined arm by the wrist, gurgling through clenched teeth at the pressure he put on the fractures. Vision tunnelling as he yanked upwards, he aimed his hand towards the giant. Thankfully his hand was uninjured, so he could still point.


    Golden light flared as he cast all four of his remaining spells, his index finger flicking between points on the giant''s body.


    Kaius slumped back, more of his bones snapping back into place by the second as he watched his deadly payload fly.

 Chapter 97: Bossrush pt. 4

    Four arcane needles slammed into the Champion. All but one hit Kaius¡¯s intended target. Kaius grinned from where he lay slumped onto the inscribed glass that made up one wall of the enclosure. Two of its shoulders, and one in a knee, though he had missed the final arm, the remaining needle flying past the giant to slam into the stone brick behind it.


    Not bad for a guy with a broken arm.


    Concussive booms rang out, the Champion roaring in agony as its limbs were blown clear of its body. Just like the last time, the giant collapsed, it''s only remaining limbs a single arm and leg on its left side. Kaius watched red blood pour from the wounds, running into the channels between the stone brick floor. This time no regenerative force coagulated on the wounds, the Champions lifeblood pumping out like a pressurised hose.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 13!**


    Porkchop wasted no time and raced in, snarling in non stop fury as he started to tear into the giants defenceless right side. It swung at him, trying in futility to force him back with wild blows with its remaining arm.


    Kaius felt his ribs and shoulder snap back into place, with a quick look at his resources he knew he could risk it. Another good hit would fuck him up bad, but it would be survivable. A worthwhile risk if it let them take out the Champion before its Health regeneration started to seal its wounds.


    Resources:


    Health - 89/380 (2.8/min)


    Stamina - 168/280 (2.8/min)


    Mana - 39/430 (4.3/min)


    Free Mana - 39/430


    Reserved Mana - 0


    He jumped to his feet, wincing as his body protested. While his bones were no longer broken, he was definitely not fully healed. It didn¡¯t stop him as he raced in and started to hack at the giant''s neck.


    If previously it had been hard to cut into, now it felt like trying to chop wood. Whatever buffing skill it had used had made it tough, the inflated and steaming muscles separating strand by strand as he chopped.


    As he cut into the beast, the giant''s screams of fury turned into a soft gurgle as he reached its throat. It clawed at the ground, leaving a trail of red in its wake as it slowly crawled to try and get him in reach. Porkchop raced behind it, snatching its ankle in his jaws and yanking it back.


    It was cathartic, to just cut and cut and cut as his blood ran hot with fury. Every blow sprayed him with pressurised blood, the vile liquid staining his lips with alchemical taint. He smiled, and cut.


    Eventually the Champion could hold its skill no longer, shrivelling as it deflated when the light of Mana in its body gutted out. He cut again. This time his sword bit deep.


    Two more strokes took off its head.


    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: Subject #38949 ¡®Lover Boy¡¯ - level 26 Flesh Hulk!**


    Kaius stumbled back from the corpse as soon as he got the notification signifying their victory. He sat down heavily, flopping on to his back to stare blankly at the ceiling as his heart rate started to slow. Then he laughed. A loud laugh, the kind that came from deep in the belly and couldn¡¯t be contained, no matter how much it stung his still tender ribs.


    Gods that had been a good fight. He¡¯d missed that, hadn¡¯t had one like that in weeks. Even the goblin shaman hadn¡¯t been an all out brawl like this had been. Not that that had been a bad fight, but there was something special about getting fucked up by something bigger and stronger than you and still cinching the win.


    Porkchop limped over, his lip torn and leaking blood, with one eye nearly swollen shut. His friend all but collapsed on the floor as he settled down next to him, groaning with discomfort.


    ¡°Got you good, eh?¡± Kaius asked, taking in the state of Porkchop¡¯s injuries. As much of a tank that he might have been, Lover Boy had been a big fucking bastard and had left Porkchop looking like he was ninety percent bruise.


    ¡°Says you. Pretty sure I saw your brains come out of your ears when you hit the glass.¡± Porkchop snorted, though he quickly winced.


    ¡°Well, that would explain why I couldn¡¯t think for shit for a moment there,¡± Kaius chuckled. ¡°Gods, that was fun.¡±


    ¡°I think there''s something wrong with you.¡± Porkchop said, only half joking.


    Kaius rolled his head, taking in his battered friend for a moment. ¡°What, and you don''t like a good fight?¡± He asked. ¡°But probably. I don¡¯t really care though. Not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Course I do.¡± Porkchop snorted. ¡°But that¡¯s pretty normal for a greater beast. You¡¯re just some guy.¡± He teased.


    Kaius rolled his eyes. ¡°¡®Just some guy¡¯, he says.¡±


    Before he could offer up a witty retort, there was a clatter as an iron hatch in the corner of the ceiling swung open. Several somethings clanged their way down the metal chute, only to hit the stone below with the distinctive ting of unbroken glass. Kaius craned his head up, trying to catch sight of what they had received for their victory.


    Unfortunately, the limp body of the skinless giant was in the way, obscuring his view.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Wanna go look?¡± Kaius asked, looking back to Porkchop.


    ¡°Maybe in a bit,¡± Porkchop groaned. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little sore for some reason.¡±


    ¡°In a bit does sound good.¡± Kaius agreed, returning to look at the ceiling. Even if his Lesser Regeneration meant that he was already almost completely healed, Kaius felt as though he had been wrung out. Exhausted in a way that simple Stamina wouldn¡¯t fix.


    ¡­


    Once some of the life returned to him, Kaius groaned and pushed himself to his feet to check on their loot. Hoping and praying that this time they actually got something useful. Porkchop kept resting. Though he was definitely the tougher of the two of them, his recovery skill was wrapped up into a wider legacy skill than Kaius¡¯s. He¡¯d have to wait a wee while longer before his wounds had fully healed.


    Rolling his shoulders to work out some of the kinks, Kaius saw that the shoot had delivered them a handful of potions. He stared at the square glass bottles in surprise, shocked that they hadn¡¯t broken after a fifteen stride fall onto solid stone. It seemed whatever glass the depths made the bottles from was made from strong stuff.


    That, or the depths themselves had protected them during their fall. Either or.


    He walked over, avoiding puddles of blood and viscera as he crossed the stone brick floor. Crouching down, he gathered the bottles. They were familiar, and a quick identify told him what he had expected.


    Lesser Blooming Rejuvenation Tonic


    Solar Revitalisation Tonic


    Four of the former, and one of the later.


    He raised his eyes at the haul. ¡°Hey Porkchop!¡± He said, rattling a few of the bottles over head. ¡°Think our mysterious benefactor is back. More healing potions.¡±


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°How convenient it happened as soon as you joined the fight. I am now firmly in the camp of either they or the Depths just hates beasts.¡±


    ¡°How about we give it one more fight before we start getting all despondent, aye?¡± Kaius said with a grin, returning to take a seat by Porkchop¡¯s side.  ¡°Besides, even if it is that, it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t been benefiting. Having two of these revitalisation tonics means that we can both take one before we fight the Guardian.¡± He shook the orange tonic.


    ¡°That is true.¡± Porkchop chuffed, before he pushed himself to his feet with a groan. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m healed enough to walk. We¡¯ve both got at least a couple of hours until our resources are full, and then you¡¯ll need to reinscribe. May as well test out that stupid pan and have a hot meal.¡±


    Kaius grinned. He¡¯d been hoping Porkchop would say that.


    ¡°I am feeling pretty peckish..¡± He thought as his stomach gurgled at the thought of food.


    ¡­


    It turned out that the pan was awesome. Once he had activated it, he discovered that the Depths had imprinted the device with an ingenious set of controls that let him intuitively control the pan''s heat with a little bit of Mana Manipulation. That, and it was so slick that he was pretty sure that it would be impossible to get food to stick to it.


    He¡¯d ended up making a couple of massive toasted sandwiches of cheese, egg, and salted ham. Though he did give porkchop an extra half dozen thick cut slices of meat, a sandwich wasn¡¯t exactly the most filling thing for a beast three or more times his weight.


    ¡°Why are you so good at this? Didn¡¯t you live in a forest?¡± Porkchop said, moaning through the sandwich.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that good, nothing like a dedicated cook at least.¡± Kaius relied, chewing through a bite of his own as he leaned up against a stone wall near his bag. ¡°But yeah, Cooking is one of the skills I needed for Explorer¡¯s Toolkit.¡±


    He swallowed, thinking on how to respond more fully. ¡°It was actually a bit more than that. Mostly cooking was, is, my only real hobby. It meant an hour or two a day where I could just mess around and have fun. Father didn¡¯t really care about what food tasted like, only that it was edible, so as long as I didn¡¯t waste anything I had a lot of freedom¡± He continued.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be all of it. You know how to use way too many things that you would have had almost no access to.¡± Porkchop prodded.


    Kaius smiled. ¡°That obvious, eh? Well, there was this barmaid in Three Fields, daughter of the innkeeper Hurrin. Illendra was her name. She was a handful or so years older than me, but was just near damn the only woman even close to my own age, so of course I was smitten. She never really thought of me that way, though she was plenty friendly. Treated me closer to a cousin, or little brother. I figured out pretty quick that offering to help out in the kitchen whenever we stayed in the Stout Oak was a damn good way to spend a lot of time around her. Father let us stay for a whole week once, because of how fast my skill was levelling¡± He chuckled as he reminisced.


    ¡°¡®Was smitten¡¯? Not anymore?¡± Porkchop asked, cocking his head.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Kaius nodded. ¡°All feels pretty distant after everything that¡¯s happened. What about you? Any girls with pretty fur that you were fond of?¡± He asked, changing the subject before he started to linger on his fathers fate.


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°Dens are family units, so no. The age you¡¯re old enough to meet other dens is the same age you¡¯re allowed to go wandering. I chose the latter.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Kaius said through another bite of his sandwich.


    ¡°How¡¯re you feeling about the next one?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°What? The cat?¡± Kaius asked. ¡°A little nervous. Not because I don¡¯t think we can handle it. Just had a moment with a cat in the glade back before I fought my first Champion. Bloody thing ripped my throat out, and had me convinced I was a goner.¡±


    Porkchop looked at him with concern. ¡°You going to be alright?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± He said, waving his friend off. ¡°Just the sort of thing I¡¯ll feel better about once I smear that nightmare kitty''s brains on the floor.¡±


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°Spoken like one of the Patriarchs.¡±


    He grinned. It wasn¡¯t entirely bluster. Ever since that damned cat had slammed into the glass wall of its enclosure he¡¯d been eager to put it in the ground. Damned thing had nearly given him a heart attack. Plus, he should finish capping off the components of his final legacy skill in the fight. A culmination of years of work, it was tempting to storm in there right now.


    Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t finished regenerating his Mana, nor reinscribed his spells. That, and he had food to eat.

 Chapter 98: Bossrush pt. 5

    After they finished their food, Kaius moved on to reinscribing his runic hymns as he sat by their bags in the little laboratory adjacent to the grand hall that held the menagerie of abominations. He decided to stick with thirteen casts of Explosive Arcane Dart. It was the best fit for the ridiculous regeneration of the abominations of this biome. He was curious if fire would work as well, or better, but unfortunately while his runic training had been intensive, it had also been equally focused.


    His grasp of High Lothian was good enough to do simple modifications to the shaping of Arcane Bolt, but inventing entirely new spells was a bit out of his wheelhouse. He could only hope his class would provide some solution to that. Either through a knowledge skill, or an alternative method of learning new hymns.


    Without Father, he would need to pay for runic tutoring. Not only would that be ruinously expensive, but finding someone who was skilled with both High Lothian, niche spell arrays, and formation design would be hard. Let alone the fact that anyone with that sort of skill set would have approximately zero desire to take on some unknown apprentice. Sure, they probably would if he spilled the secrets of glyph binding. Unfortunately, now that he had gotten an Honour for discovering the art, he had no doubt that there would be others. Training an established runewright in its use as a trade from hymns would be as good as handing away Honours on a silver platter.


    He took a last minute check of his gear, making sure that everything was buckled tight and in place. Unfortunately, their brawl with the Lover Boy had left both him and Porkchop absolutely covered in gore. Blood soaked scale was not exactly comfortable, but there was no way he intended to back track to a rest stop before they had dealt with the final Champion.


    He shook his head, clearing his thoughts so that he could focus on the battle ahead.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Porkchop replied.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s do this then.¡± Kaius said with a nod.


    They set off, reentering the hall to be greeted by the still intimidating presence of the Guardian tree of flesh and bone that sat behind a warded wall of glass on the far end. He shuddered, watching the dense mesh of veins writhe across the floor of its enclosure. He was very glad that all they would have to fight was an ogre. Much more straightforward in comparison.


    They pressed on, quickly approaching the far containment cell that held the feline abomination, Man Eater. Just like the last time, as soon as the cat-like creature saw them it threw itself at the glass wall of its prison, the half dozen of the bladed tentacles that sprouted from its back striking at the barrier like a scorpion''s tail.


    Gods it was fast.


    ¡°Getting in there is going to be a bitch.¡± Kaius murmured, watching the way the Champion prowled at the edge of its enclosure, tracking them. ¡°It¡¯s going to be gunning for us as soon as the door opens.¡±


    A low growl rumbled in Porkchop¡¯s chest. ¡°It can try. I¡¯ll force it back. Give you some room to hit it with a few needles.¡± He suggested.


    Kaius nodded, and stepped forwards to open the first door of the airlock. He could feel the Man Eater watching him, holding itself still as malice bubbled just beneath the surface. ¡°Fucking cats.¡± Kaius murmured.


    He yanked open the door, ushering Porkchop inside as he closed the door behind them. Shutting them in the airlock.


    The Champion had moved, stalking forwards to wait a few paces away from the entrance to the enclosure.


    ¡°Be fucking ready, Porkchop. Those tentacles look vicious.¡± Kaius said, his heart rate rising in tandem with his aggression.


    Porkchop simply growled, bracing himself by the door.


    He drew his sword, leaning over his friend to spin the wheel that held the steel door locked. He leaned back, letting momentum and well oiled mechanisms slowly retracted the bolt.


    With every clack of the lock, Kaius felt his tension ratchet higher. Round and round the wheel span, until it slammed home with a thunk of finality.


    Porkchop roared, throwing his weight into the door, forcing it open. The Man Eater yowled, pouncing towards his friend. They met with a slam, Porkchop using his heavier weight and stocky build to push the creature back. It wasn¡¯t easy, the bone tipped sinews that burst from its back striking like vipers as they plunged their dagger-like blades into Porkchop¡¯s back again and again.


    Kaius was already moving, barreling out of snapping off two arcane needles as he ran out of the airlock. The Man Eater reacted, noticing his assault instantly as it leapt back, flying through the air to land a full ten strides deeper into the room. It hissed, tentacles fanning out to vibrate in an impressive threat display.


    Porkchop coughed, blood splattering on the floor.


    What a great fucking start. Kaius watched the cat as his spells impacted the far stone wall, biding his time. A moment later they detonated, showering the room with shrapnel. The Champion jolted, head whipping back to investigate the source of the noise.


    It was the moment he was waiting for.


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 18!**


    Gesturing towards the Champion, golden light spilled out from underneath his vambrace as he shot off another needle. It saw the light, leaping out of the way of his assault. This time staying focused through the sound of his spell exploding behind it.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He called out. ¡°It¡¯s too fast. We need to corner it.¡±


    ¡°Then help me press the damn thing!¡± Porkchop said, rushing towards the abomination.


    Kaius growled and chased after him, sword held in a flexible mid-guard. He eyed the flailing tentacles on its back. They were ruthless, and no doubt would be almost impossible to fully parry. They needed to come off.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The Champion hissed, slowly backing away from them. Retreating into the corner. Then it flickered, blurring for a moment in a surge of mana, only for two ghostly clones to appear next to it.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 16!**


    As soon as Porkchop started to rapidly look between the ghostly copies in frustration, Kaius realised that he had seen through its deception. Something that it had no way of knowing.


    ¡°It''s on the left, but pretend it''s on the right!¡± He called, his voice shaking as he faked a frantic tone. ¡°I¡¯m going to bait it!¡±


    Porkchop immediately focused on the right most illusion of the Champion, raising his hackles and letting out a deep growl as he slowly approached. Kaius raised his hand, aiming for the same fake, letting a faint tremor shudder through the limb.


    Like all cats, it reacted predictably. Faced with a choice between a pissed off greater beast, and a man that looked like it was quaking in its boots? It chose to take out the weakest link.


    All three howled, the beasts illusory doubles racing towards Porkchop, while the real Man Eater pounced.


    Kaius grinned. ¡°Gotcha.¡± he said with vicious glee, pivoting on his lead foot as soon as it left the ground. Burning motes poured out of his hand as he unloaded spell after spell towards the beast. It was moving too fast to aim carefully, so he substituted with volume, firing all but one of his remaining needles towards it.


    It flailed, trying to evade.


    ¡°Can¡¯t dodge in the air, fucker.¡± Kaius thought, grinning widely.


    Most of his shots went wide, but the Champion¡¯s flailing led to a full four needles peppering its flank. Then they detonated, and Kaius was treated to a blast of pulped muscle and blood as ragged holes were torn through the beast. Not enough to put it down, not with how tough it was as an abomination. But enough to slow it.


    Porkchop was already on a collision course, spinning to assist as soon as the Man Eater had pounced. The advanced as one, boxing the Champion in as it hit a patch of its own viscera and stumbled on uneven footing, its grievous injuries impairing its dexterity.


    With a hiss its bladed tentacles went haywire, cracking as they split the air with dizzyingly fast whips.


    Doom sang to him.


    He jumped back, narrowly avoiding two boney blades that had tried to eviscerate his neck.


    **Ding! Dodge has reached level 18!**


    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 18!**


    More followed. Kaius fell into a rhythm, pivoting and twirling as he danced around the writhing assault. Whenever he could, he counterattacked the tentacles, cutting clean through the thin ropes of muscle and sinew. It did little good, whatever regenerative ability the Man Eater had it was focused heavily on its natural weapons. Every tentacle he cleaved through regrew in moments, sprouting a new bone dagger at its tip to attack him one more.


    Then it split again. Kaius saw through the ruse, but it used Porkchops momentary confusion to launch itself at Kaius. After seeing through its illusion once, it had firmly identified him as the greater threat.


    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 19!**


    He fell back, protecting his neck and face as he did his best to dodge and edge parry the attacks. He was good, but no unclassed was ¡®seamlessly defend from six prehensile knives¡¯ good. Bone spurs smashed into his scale again and again, squirming as they tried to work their way through the gaps in his armour.


    **Ding! Dodge has reached level 19!**


    Nicks started to accumulate, bone spurs stabbing at the slightest gap in his defence. The pain built. Individually the wounds were nothing. Together, they were maddening. Thankfully he was at no risk of death by a thousand cuts, Lesser Regeneration keeping pace with his growing wounds.


    Then, as he deflected a tentacle that had stabbed towards his eyes, he felt his vambraces click as they accumulated enough energy.


    Kaius roared, allowing a bone spur to worm its way through the gap between his cuirass and cuisses as he stepped in towards the Champion with a wild horizontal slash. A Father¡¯s Gift ripped through the air, cutting through two thirds of the tentacles as its point tore towards its face.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 14!**


    The Man Eater leapt back, avoiding the blow. Straight into the waiting maw of Porkchop. His friend¡¯s fangs sank into the beast''s flank before he ripped out a chunk of flesh. It howled, flaring mana before a thick black fogg suddenly covered the enclosure.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 17!**


    ¡°Shit, Kaius, I can¡¯t see!¡± Porkchop called, whipping his head back and forth.


    Kaius did the same, though he had instantly noticed that he was able to pierce the gloom with the help of his skill. Not perfectly, but enough that he could see the Man Eater retreat into the blackness. It prowled, slowing to move silently as it began to circle behind him. He smiled, perfect.


    ¡°I see it.¡± He said, letting a shake enter his voice. ¡°Get closer to me, I wanna see if it falls for the same trick twice.¡±


    Porkchop moved over, and Kaius spun to keep the Champion in the corner of his vision. Never letting his eyes linger on its stalking form. One by one tentacles sprouted from the lesion on its back, flicking through the air with deadly intent.


    ¡°It¡¯s letting its blades regrow. Be ready.¡± Kaius said, faking a quiver.


    He kept turning, spinning his head to look ¡®blindly¡¯ through the fog, taking his eyes off it. Just for a moment. His throat constricted as he felt six phantom blades cut through his spine and remove his head.


    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 20!**


    ¡°Now!¡± He screamed, spinning and firing his last remaining needle towards the charging cat. His spell punched into the side of its chest, the cat wailing as the following explosion mangled its leg. Then it committed, leaping towards him with its tentacles poised to strike. Kaius leapt back, narrowly avoiding being skewered as all six bone spurs shattered the stone where he had just been standing.


    **Ding! Dodge has reached level 20!**


    Then Porkchop activated his amulet, hitting the Champion like a raging bull. The Man Eater slammed into the stone wall behind it with a sickening crunch of bone, collapsing to the ground as Porkchop dived onto it.


    ¡°Pin it!¡± Kaius cried, racing forwards.


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m trying to do?!¡± Porkchop snarled, ignoring the striking tentacles that plunged into him  with a fury.


    Kaius sprinted up, raising his sword high. Then he cut, tapping into the well of power in his vambraces. His blade rocketed, cleaving through flesh and bone with ease as he bisected the Champion at the shoulder.


    The darkness vanished, and still the Champion fought on. Organs gushed from its severed chest cavity as it wiggled the nubs of its arms, craning its neck as in an attempt to sink its fangs into Porkchop.


    Kaius stood over the moving corpse, staring at it with cold eyes. Despite everything, vital fluid had congealed around its wounds, flesh bubbling as it started to regenerate from the wound. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.


    ¡°You want the kill?¡± He growled, hand tightening on his sword.


    Porkchop snorted, backing away from the back half of the Champion. ¡°You¡¯re the one with the cat complex. Go ahead.¡±


    Kaius grinned. Then he started to hack.


    **Ding! You have slain a Champion: Subject #41893 ¡®Man Eater¡¯ - level 27 Night Stalker!**


    **Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather**

 Chapter 99: Unexpected, But More Than Welcome

    Kaius stood rooted to the spot, looming over the shattered remnants of the cat-like abomination he had just slain. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the system notification that he had just received. Another Honour.


    ¡°Did you get that too?¡± Porkchop asked, his voice quiet as it crossed their link.


    ¡°...Yeah.¡± Kaius replied, breaking the silence in the room.


    Then it all hit at once. Excitement raced through him, shooting like lightning through his spine as he let out a loud laugh. He sheathed his sword, spinning around and tackling Porkchop, who chittered in joy and wriggled out of his grip to pin him to the ground.


    ¡°We did it!¡± Kaius said, panting as he gave up on trying to push Porkchop off his ribs. Thank the gods they had finished healing, or he would be hurting.


    ¡°We did!¡± Porkchop replied. ¡°But I thought it would be ten? That was only nine right?¡±


    Kaius laughed again, unable and unwilling to suppress his sheer joy. ¡°We just guessed! But get off now, you¡¯re so fat I can barely breathe.¡±


    Porkchop snorted, but shuffled off of him.


    Kaius pushed himself up into a sitting position. ¡°I¡¯m gonna check it.¡± He said, before pulling up the description of his latest gain, as Porkchop did the same.


    Birds of a Blood-Soaked Feather:


    Honour


    Some souls blaze with a light that refuses to dim, yet most are consumed by their own fury. Those who endure rise from the ashes, tempered by trials few could withstand. Once in a lifetime such kindred spirits unite and ignite an unstoppable inferno. Rip and tear, together.


    Awarded to those in a group of four or less who slay nine Champions unaided before class selection. Provides a Minute increase to Depths rewards. +5 all stats.


    Bonus: For being the first in your cohort to achieve this honour reward bonus is increased to Slight, and stat bonus is increased to +8 all stats.


    Kaius grinned when he saw the stat bonus. Another eight to all stats was fantastic. He could already feel the boost coursing through him. Making him tougher, faster, and think quicker. Beyond just the boost to his baseline capabilities, the increase to his Intelligence especially meant that he would be able to squeeze in another two or three charges of his Explosive Arcane Needle. A fine thing indeed, now that they were on a collision course with a Guardian.


    Though he did wonder if the boost from the Honours differed in some way to the boost he had gotten from the natural treasure.


    When he had put all those free points into his Endurance, it had felt like he had been dipped in acid as every structure of his body was reforged. The bonuses from his Honours had been different. More..external, some guiding force bolstering and strengthening him. Not that he was complaining, or even really knew if one was better than the other. Though he did wonder how the stat increases he would eventually get from his class would go.


    Then there was the bonus to loot. In his opinion, not quite as good as the skill levelling bonus he had gotten for killing champions solo, but definitely a nice find. He hoped that it made the drops they received a little more valuable, or rarer, rather than just increasing them in quantity. Porkchop, he knew, would be unbelievably happy with it though. In fact, any second now-


    ¡°LOOT!¡± Porkchop yelled in excitement.


    Kaius laughed.


    ¡°Thought you might like that. Think it¡¯ll work on what we¡¯re about to get, since we¡¯d already killed the Champion?¡± He asked.


    Porkchop looked at him, shocked, before his head whipped over to the iron chute set into the far corner of the roof, waiting expectantly.


    Kaius shook his head at his friend¡¯s antics. With how much the bastard liked loot, he was in for a shock the first time he saw a delver¡¯s market. Thank the gods that greater meles weren¡¯t all that known outside of the small communities that lived on the Arboreal Sea¡¯s rim. He¡¯d get fleeced by the first merchant to realise he could talk. Even as it was, Kaius was going to have to keep a tight grip on their purse strings when they left.


    As they waited for their reward to drop through the chute, Kaius¡¯s thoughts returned to the Honours they had rediscovered in their time in the Depths, and the myths he had heard about those observed by the system.


    He doubted they knew all there was to know about the rewards. In the stories, the Observed were powerful. Far more powerful than you would expect for a few dozen bonus stats, not when that was only a handful or two of levels worth. He supposed that it could be explained if the Honours had allowed their holders to get more power classes than otherwise possible, but that felt a little¡­Simplistic.


    No, he had no doubt that there was some other benefit. One that was withheld from them while they lacked a class, like so much of the system''s functionality.


    Without a doubt it would be powerful, he couldn¡¯t wait to find out what it was.


    There was a clank as the iron hatch of the chute swung open. Porkchop was already on his feet and moving before whatever they had earned started to rattle its way down the opening in the ceiling. A few moments later what looked to be a flap of leather fell free of the hatch, hitting the ground with a clatter. It was quickly followed by the distinctive jingle of a coin pouch, landing next to it with a thud.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Kaius looked on in curiosity. Some kind of belt, maybe?


    Porkchop leaned over, investigating the artefact. A moment later he groaned. ¡°Another dud.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius asked, cocking his brow as he got to his feet and walked over.


    It wasn¡¯t a belt, but a bandolier, with a thickened section of strapping designed to comfortably and securely rest over one shoulder even over armour. On its front was a wide section of leather with three sheathed knives. They looked hiltless, with a flattened, larger-than-normal tang. Throwing knives, he realised with a smile.


    He reached down, scooping up the bandolier. ¡°Not a dud, though it''s not the best fit either.¡±


    Porkchop looked at him in curiosity. ¡°Why would you use knives when you have a sword?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Throwing knives.I¡¯m pretty good with them, thanks to Warforged. They¡¯re a bit redundant with my spells, but I''ll take any tool we can use against the Guardian.¡± Kaius explained. ¡°Though I¡¯d probably sell them after that. Depending on the enchantments they could sell for quite a bit to the right person. Give me a moment and I¡¯ll check them.¡±


    He focused on the artefact, bringing up its description.


    Blink Knife Bandolier:


    Common - Tier I


    Blink and you¡¯ll miss it. Your death, that is.


    Made from alchemically treated steel, a shard of chusite crystal is embedded in the body of each blade and paired to a twin recessed in its sheath. This allows these armour penetrating knives to return to their sheath shortly after impact.


    Depths-wrought Artefact.


    Throwing Knives


    Returning I, Hardened Edge I, Self Repair I


    Kaius let out a slow whistle as he saw what enchantments the knives had. Returning was good, and meant that when they eventually sold the artefact they would most likely make a pretty penny. It was one of those effects that was doable for artisans to make themselves, but not really simple or economical to add to anything other than gear of a high rarity or tier.


    It was also just plain useful. For anyone who even occasionally made use of thrown weapons, having to retrieve them led to a natural attrition as they were lost in the chaos of battle. Especially in the depths. Which meant for those delvers who had neither the funds nor the means to purchase an Unusual hand crafted item, which was most of them, they¡¯d hopefully be willing to buy his new knives at a steep markup.


    ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°Watch.¡± Kaius replied. He pulled one of the knives from the bandolier, flipping it up and snatching it mid air to grab its tang in a pinched grip. Then with a snapping flick he hurled the knife towards the corpse of the champion. It sailed cleanly through the air with nary a wobble to sink deep into the dead Champion¡¯s flesh.


    Porkchop followed his movements, staring at the blade that was embedded in the dead Man Eater¡¯s flank.


    ¡°And?¡± he asked.


    Kaius simply nodded towards the knife. Porkchop sighed, but kept looking. A moment later there was a slight pop, and the knife was gone. Porkchop jumped, looking at him in confusion.


    ¡°Returning, see?¡± He said, waving the once more full bandolier.


    ¡°Huh, neat.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kaius chuckled. ¡°It''s nice to have, for now. Not like a knife will be able to do much to an ogre, even if it will give me a ranged option when I¡¯m out of spells. I¡¯m mostly looking forward to getting some poor rogue to pay out the nose for them.¡±


    Slinging the bandolier over his shoulder, Kaius grimaced as he felt his blood sodden clothes squelch under his armour. Worse, only half of it was his, and the abomination fluids that had soaked him to the bone absolutely reeked.


    Their back to back Champion fights might have been a godsend for his skill development and lead to the acquisition of more Honours, but it had also left the pair of them more sullied and grimey than he ever had been before.


    Though that did remind him. He¡¯d managed to cap both Dodge and Danger Sense over the course of his last two fights. Despite his experience, he still couldn¡¯t believe how good a life and death fight was for growth. With this last merge, he would have finished his entire legacy more than a year ahead of schedule. Sure, he still had to finish capping all the skills, but that would come quickly once he focused more on them individually.


    Plus, he would finally get to find out what his friend would propose for his last skill, he couldn¡¯t wait. It would have to be something juicy if he was being so cagey about it.


    ¡°Back to the rest stop?¡± Kaius asked, jutting his chin towards the door at the far end of the hall where they had stashed their packs. ¡°I need to get clean. And merge my last skill.¡± He finished with a grin.


    Porkchop¡¯s head snapped towards him. ¡°You finished them?!¡± He asked excitedly.


    ¡°I did.¡± Kaius replied, still smiling.


    They let themselves out of the glass walled enclosure, closing the thick steel door of the airlock behind them. Kaius took one last look at the Guardian at the end of the hall. It was an option, but one that was far less predictable than something straight forward like an ogre. He turned away, exiting the hall and fetching his pack.


    ¡°Hey, since we still have so much time left, do you think we would be able to get any more Honours for killing Champions?¡± Porkchop asked as they walked through the various laboratories and experimentation rooms of the biome. Thankfully, they were back tracking, so other than the distasteful sight of dismantled corpses that littered the rooms, they didn¡¯t have to worry about fighting any more depths-born.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Kaius said. ¡°I¡¯m no scholar, so I don''t know for sure, but three alone and nine as a group feels like a pattern. The next one, if there even are higher tiers, might be nine alone and twenty-seven as a group.¡± He continued, opening one of the doors that he had scratched a cross into the back of. ¡°It took us damn near a year to find twelve between us, at best we would need to find another twelve, which even if we managed it would be cutting it tight. Besides, I don''t know about you, but I miss the sun and the trees. I¡¯m ready to get out of here and start looking for Father.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Porkchop sighed. ¡°It just sucks to leave it as a mystery.¡±


    Kaius shrugged. That was life, he wouldn¡¯t let it eat away at him. Even after they classed up he knew there had to be more Honours. They¡¯d find them.


    ¡°Just because we¡¯re leaving doesn¡¯t mean we will stop pushing. Even after we find out what happened with those bandits, there will be opportunities for us to grow strong.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice to crack some skulls for what they did to us.¡± Porkchop said darkly.


    ¡°Yes, it would, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Kaius agreed, his voice hard.


    They kept moving, retracing their steps to one of the small places of respite that were scattered through the depths.

 Chapter 100: Final Merge

    The washroom available in the austere bunk rooms that dotted the biome were distinctly unpleasant. A narrow cubicle tucked around the corner from the kitchen, it was a far cry from the warm rainfall he had come to appreciate in the dwarven manors.


    For one, it was freezing. Kaius had thought he would never be caught dead shying away from a cold wash. Afterall, a lifetime of using frigid mountain streams to get clean had the effect of hardening one against such base discomforts.


    Unfortunately, he had to admit that he had perhaps grown a little spoiled after so many months with comfortable amenities. He shivered at the icy water cascaded over his head, muscles locking up as they tensed against the chill.


    He cleaned himself quickly under the spigot that jutted roughly out of the wall, before removing the gore that had accumulated on his armour. Thankfully, getting dry was much less fraught. Each of the twenty odd bunks in the rest stop were equipped with thick woollen quilts. It almost felt wrong to leave perfectly good bedding sodden and wadded on the floor, but it would all be reset anyway once the biome was left in peace for enough time.


    Returning to the bunkroom proper, Kaius saw Porkchop had taken to lying on the brick floor near the kitchen. He was still damp, the lacking room meaning they had to wash one at a time.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing there?¡±¡± Kaius asked with a raised brow.


    ¡°Waiting to dry,¡± he responded, flicking his ears. ¡°Wet fur feels horrible on the blankets.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Kaius said with a shrug, taking a seat on one of the nearest bunks. ¡°You feeling up to chatting about your mystery skill after I¡¯ve merged Uncanny Dodge?¡±


    Porkchop paused for a moment, digesting his words, before he responded a moment later. ¡°I am. Thank you for being patient, it¡¯s a big deal amongst my people. There will be an explanation to go along with it, I promise.¡±


    Kaius grinned, feeling relieved. His curiosity had been all but eating away at him, but far more than that he had been a little concerned by how cagey Porkchop had been about it. With how open his friend usually was, it would have to be a great secret for him to have held these cards so close to his chest. Even if he had still let slip that something was up.


    ¡°Well, in that case, I better get on with it,¡± he said, pivoting to lie flat as Porkchop gave him a nod of acknowledgement.


    He looked up at the slats of the bunk above him for a moment, before snapping his eyes shut and diving into his soulspace.


    In the blackness of his inner sight, his soul lit up like a bonfire. He couldn¡¯t quite believe it was already happening, merging his final legacy skill. It had required almost four years of constant training, wounds by the dozen, and boundless mountains of effort to reach this point. More, really. A culmination of his entire life to this point.


    Afterall, it wasn¡¯t like everything had been fun and games before he had matriculated into the system. No, he was a legacy scion. Everything had been bent towards ensuring that he would be able to merge all of his skills in the short five years before his class selection.


    And now he was here. It was almost enough to leave him feeling a little directionless if he was honest. It was only a passing feeling though. He wouldn¡¯t be done, not by a long shot. He still had to decide on his final skill, cap everything, and then escape the Depths. Even then he wouldn¡¯t be done, class selection was a beast in its own right, and was a simple starting point to the endless fight to claw your way up the tiers.


    It was still a firm step into the end of his childhood. With a class he would be considered a man proper by society at large. If he¡¯d been in the forest above, still with Father, they would have been planning a celebration by now. No doubt an unplanned trip to Three Fields to down many a flagon.


    Father wasn¡¯t here though. Yet as much as that burned, as much as he felt the yawning pit clawing at his stomach at his absence, he didn¡¯t feel alone. Porkchop was¡­family. While that didn¡¯t blunt his grief, it did give him the resolute faith that no matter what happened in the future, there would be a brother at his side to back him up. A fat one, who was far too hairy, but a brother all the same.


    Kaius drank in his soul-space. The fiery light that jetted from his centre of being, illuminating the foggy clouds of his resources, glimmering on the platinum shards of his eight legacy skills that circled in a messy orbit.


    With only two skills remaining, the sheer weight of the call of his legacy skills was going to be devastating. It would also be their last battle. With his class they would be bound to him in their totality, linked to a grander, more fundamental working.


    In his mind''s eye he could see them waiting, watching, as they prepared for their final confrontation. He would give them no inch, no quarter. No matter what vile whispers and painful shrieks they might call out to him with.


    His will was forged iron, tempered in a crucible that would have killed all others in his position. His power, his might, his sheer bloodyminded dogged determination, was unique amongst the higher races. This, he knew for sure. This, he had confirmed to him by the system itself.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The first to be watched by the system in aeons.


    The first unclassed to survive the depths, to slay Champions by the handful.


    And soon, the first to tear down a Guardian from their throne and reascend to the world above.


    This was a trial that every scion of his dynasty had faced. No challenge so base would stymy him. Not here, and not now.


    He latched onto his soul, wrapping his intent around the wisps of meaning and actualisation that emanated from his centre. Then he began to weave, a great braided cable that glowed with inner light spun out of the fire of his soul.


    As soon as he started the process, his legacy skills shrieked. In unison eight platinum shards of power thrummed, quaking with intensity as pure avarice exploded through his soul-space. Kaius grunted, gritting his teeth as the force of their call shot through him in a wave of agony.


    He pushed the pain to the side, crawling forwards finger-length by finger-length to reach towards his first skill. Every stride, every hairsbreadth, was a titanic confrontation of wills. The screaming choir of his legacy fought back every step of the way, attacking him with a symphony of discordance.


    Hot blood started to drip from his nose, coating his lips with the fresh taste of iron. He pushed on.


    With a howl of determination he snatched up Danger Sense, weaving a cage of soul around the shard. A moment later and his legacy skills were drowned out in a tidal wave of impressions that flooded through him from the bound shard.


    There was so much more to danger than pure sensory awareness. The true essence of safety came in prediction. Sight and sound could be hidden from, twisted, tricked, and avoided. Only a complex engine, constantly assessing and processing, has any hope of warning of what might be lurking in the impenetrable darkness. Even then, organs fail. Insight was what was truly required. An impossible veil pulled back, revealing not what is, but what would be. A portent of doom so powerful that it ripples backwards through time. Imperceptible to all but the most cautious. A Danger Sense.


    Kaius gasped as the visions ended as abruptly as they started, returning him to the sonic wall that was the wailing of his legacy skills. For a moment he almost lost his grip on the shard he had wrapped in his soul, caught unprepared, reeling as the wires of gold quaked in the onslaught of his legacy.


    Then he snapped back, ready and willing to fight. He pushed back, dampening the chorus of platinum as he impressed his will on his skills. This was his domain. Their power was his own. They quieted, just a touch.


    Refusing to let the brief reprieve go to waste, he dove back to his soul and started to weave once more. With another cable of self in hand, his legacy redoubled their assault. Clawing at his mind, demanding their rightly owed attention.


    Teeth crunched in his mouth, Health flaring, as he pushed on. The resistance of his skills was the highest it had ever been, but he only had to contend with them for a moment longer. He could do this. Just one more.


    He snatched out, wrapping soulfire around the last skill. Another wave of meaning washed over him.


    Dodge was a simple thing, like most Common skills. It cared not for how danger was discovered, only in the earnest effort to avoid it. A simple lean, or the twist of a foot, was often enough. Not always, other times more drastic measures had to be taken. A dive to the ground, a turn that strained joints, or a step off a cliff. So often it wasn¡¯t awareness that saved lives, but simple speed and control. ¡®Unavoidable¡¯ was, at its core, a relative term. Dodge sought to make it meaningless. All the insight in the world meant nothing without the capability to back it up.


    Returning to himself, Kaius was beset on all sides by the mental assault of his legacy. In such a mutable space as his soul, where intent had substance, it quickly turned physical. Razor sharp shockwaves shot at him from all sides, wearing away at his willpower. Somehow, they knew that this was it. That there was one move left on the board. So they spoke, unwilling to hold their peace.


    Moving as fast as he was able, Kaius withstood the storm and wove a final thread of intent. It wrapped around his wrist like a living thing, eager to abide by his wishes. Then he moved, pressing on all of his authority as the rightful ruler of his centre to shoot towards the two skills he had bound. Tethered to his soul, they orbited in carefully controlled lockstep.


    Then it was done. He forged the chain between them, and it was over.


    Platinum shards fell subservient in an instant, recognising their loss and his rightful superiority. A moment stretched as simple, blessed, silence washed over him. Then the final merge commenced.


    The two skills rocketed together, held fast in his shared understanding of their essence. Protectors, one ephemeral, one physical. Together they would be so much more.


    Slamming into each other in a violent detonation, both shards of power atomised, dissolving into a gaseous nebula of potential. A moment later the system took notice.


    **Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**


    Kaius gasped as the last vestiges of mental strain left him, the system taking over the process of reforging a skill anew.


    The glittering dust that hung in orbit around his soul began to swirl, gradually condensing as a new platinum shard started to nucleate.


    Where once his other legacy skills had screamed in avarice, now they sung with joy. A cleansing, pure note that washed through his soul. A call to completion, an ancient cycle so close to ascension.


    Then the process finished.


    **Ding! Skill Merged! Uncanny Dodge obtained!**


    He felt the overwhelming might of the system retract from his soul, his last legacy skill floating upwards to join its siblings in orbit around his centre.


    In unison, they snapped into place perfectly in line with the very centre of his fire of self. Unmoving, equidistant, and perfectly centred. All except for a single gap in the plane. A spot reserved in their vigil as they waited for the last peace of the puzzle.


    As one, unified and ready to uplift his final skill.

 Chapter 101: A Secret, Shared

    Kaius snapped his eyes open as his final legacy merge settled into place around his soul. Everything was prepped and ready for his final skill, the nexuses of power orbiting his soul locking into an equidistant formation. A single place remained in their circle, waiting for his last selection.


    Father had told him how it would work. When his final skill was chosen it would slot into the remaining empty space. His legacy skills would resonate, amplifying his tenth skill¡­ somehow. He didn¡¯t know much more than that, only that the system did all the heavy lifting. No more battles of will in his future, thank the gods.


    That could wait though, he still had to have his conversation with Porkchop, and investigate his latest acquisition.


    Grinning in anticipation, Kaius pulled up the waiting description of his latest skill.


    Uncanny Dodge:


    Level 1


    Unique


    Roll enough dice, and eventually one of them will phase through the table.


    Allows the user to sense portents of doom, and aids them in evading the unavoidable through subtle guidance and twists of fate. Certain effects may impede this skill.


    Each level reasonably increases specificity of warnings.


    Each level reasonably improves the skills ability to counteract impeding effects.


    Each level slightly increases speed, control, reflexes and flexibility when dodging.


    Each level minutely lengthens the window of warning prior to the impending danger.


    Each level infinitesimally twists probabilities in your favour when dodging.


    Each level infinitesimally increases your ability to evade sensed dangers, including otherwise unavoidable attacks.


    Merged from: Danger Sense, Dodge


    As his eyes roved over the skill, Kaius drank in its effects.


    It was good. Far better than he had expected for a merge of only two general skills. While it was mostly a simple baseline improvement on the functionality of both Danger Sense and Dodge, it was its last two effects that grabbed his attention.


    As they only grew Infinitesimally, he would most likely only feel their effects subtly while he was capped to level twenty. Yet, even then, he knew that they would inevitably become invaluable as he grew. Anything that twisted the fate of the world was powerful, and Father had said that they inevitably led to truly mind bending twists of coincidence.


    His mind wandered, thinking of unlikely circumstances where he was saved by the changing of the wind, or an archmage''s spell destabilising catastrophically. Unfortunately, he would have to wait and see. If it did do anything at so low a level, he doubted it would be anything but the most subtle of influences.


    ¡°You gonna share the details, or just keep staring at the bunk?¡± Porkchop asked, interrupting his thoughts.


    Kaius smiled and sat up. ¡°Sorry,¡± he replied. ¡°Just got caught up in my thoughts. It¡¯s good, better than I expected. Mostly the same, but it¡¯s a fate skill.¡±


    Porkchop cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Really? That¡¯s impressive.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Kaius nodded. ¡°It''s only an infinitesimal influence, so it''s nothing too crazy.¡±


    ¡°For now. Evolve it enough times and that will quickly change.¡± Porkchop replied.


    Kaius grinned. That was the plan. A significant part of the value of legacy skills wasn¡¯t their immediate strength, but what they could grow into as one ascended the tiers. The difference between rarities only widened as you grew in power, so having a strong base was an immense advantage that was incredibly difficult to overcome for those without their own advantages. Not impossible, not by any means, there were plenty of stories of driven commoners catching up to a wastrel of a scion.


    However, often effort alone wasn¡¯t enough. If someone with legacy skills was driven, and pushed themselves as hard as they were able, a common born would need some truly mind boggling feats of strength and lucky encounters galore to even hope to bridge the gap.


    Even then, it would require someone without merged skills to have a skill list that was not only high in rarity, but also well suited to them. Beyond the simple fact that skills needed to be capped before you tiered up to have any decent chance of evolving, evolutions were impacted by feats and achievements just as much as classes were. A skill might never grow in rarity if you weren¡¯t able to stretch the boundaries of what was possible. Something you could only do if you knew your skills like they were a natural extension of your body.


    It was why his final skill was so important to deliberate on. With only ten skills, each one would have a significant influence on his class and development. He needed something that was not only strong, but well suited to him. Something he would use.


    Which made Porkchop¡¯s secret skill all the more intriguing.


    Porkchop might have been lounging on the stone, half splayed out, but Kaius could see the tension in his shoulders. The way they were bunched. Stiff. He was nervous.


    ¡°So, are you ready to talk about your mystery skill?¡± he asked, keeping his voice calm. He wanted to grab his friend by the shoulders and shake the bloody answer out of him, just sitting there and knowing that Porkchop had something interesting to share had made the last few days torturous. However, Porkchop was like blood, and it was clearly a big deal, so he let it slide.Stolen novel; please report.


    Porkchop froze, before he let out a low huff and set his head on his paws. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t really push it off anymore, can I?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± Kaius laughed. ¡°If you tried to do that I''d dangle you by your tail until you squealed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.¡± Porkchop scoffed, but Kaius could see that his joke had done its job. His friend relaxed, letting go of some of his tension.


    ¡°It is an ¡­ odd thing to talk about. Sort of like your old discomfort with discussing your legacy with me. It¡¯s a birth right of every greater meles that we are taught young, but much time is spent dissuading us from ever using it. No one has in centuries, and the last time didn¡¯t exactly¡­ go well.¡± Porkchop explained. ¡°Not that that has ever stopped the elves from trying.¡±


    Kaius leaned forward, shocked that whatever it was had led elves to pressure greater beasts. ¡°Elves? I thought they all but deified you guys? What could be so important they would try to pressure a skill out of the Dens?¡±


    Porkchop snapped up to look at him in surprise, before snorting in amusement. ¡°No, not like that. They¡¯re perfectly polite and respectful. Just a little overeager¡­ frankly, they are super annoying.¡±


    Kaius laughed, struggling to imagine the famed haughty elves ever lowering themselves to annoying deference. ¡°Now that I have got to see,¡± he said, chuckling. ¡°What would have them that worked up though? What even is this skill?¡±


    Porkchop paused, thinking. ¡°I think it would be easier if I gave you some of the history first. You wouldn¡¯t mind?¡± he asked, looking at Kaius closely.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Kaius shook his head.


    Bobbing his head in gratitude, Porkchop settled back down. ¡°Well, you know how I told you about the Grandfather? How he was a little meles? And was Observed?¡±


    Kaius nodded.


    ¡°Well, he didn¡¯t do it alone. He had a close companion, an elf by the name of Orym.¡± Porkchop explained.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he one of their ancestor-heroes?¡± Kaius asked, cocking his brow.


    ¡°The one and the same.¡± Porkchop confirmed. ¡°They were inseparable. Both were watched by the system, and went through many trials together, delved deep in the Depths, and secured the Sea from threats. Supposedly they were ambushed by some form of beast tide. Forced to work together to survive the chaos while trapped in a dead end cave, constantly besieged. They forged an unbreakable bond in that hell.¡±


    Kaius kept his face calm, but inwardly his mind was racing. He could see some¡­ obvious similarities to their current predicament.


    Porkchop watched him closely. ¡°I see you have noticed the parallels. It is not directly relevant to the skill, but it is to why I am discussing it.¡± he explained. ¡°Their bond, their companionship, was noticed by the system, and it manifested a skill. A rite, a ritual, and a binding. One that raised them both to new heights, forged an unbreakable link between the two. It is why, even today, the elves hold us in such esteem, and why we tolerate their endless pestering.¡±


    Kaius physically recoiled at Porkchops words, nearly falling off the bed as he jerked backwards. ¡°A binding skill?! Like beastmasters and tamers use? I would never! How could you even suggest that I lesser you like that?¡± he half-shouted, standing up.


    Porkchop flicked his ears at the noise, but merely snorted. ¡°No, not like that. Never like that. Though, your reaction does quash any lingering doubts I might have had. Now sit back down and listen.¡±


    Kaius froze, taking a seat on the bunk slowly. If it wasn¡¯t a binding skill, the type that shackled and slaved a beast to a person''s will, what was it?


    Once he had returned to his seat, Porkchop continued. ¡°It is a binding skill, but one between equals. One that would tie us together permanently, forging a link between our souls. A perfect communion, one that would improve our cooperation and lethality, allow us to feel and hear each other over great distances, and¡­share our growth.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°What do you mean?¡± he said slowly.


    ¡°Experience, feats of strength, everything the system tracks would be amalgamated and split between us equally. What¡¯s more, the malus for experience gain that the system places on groups would not exist for us.¡± Porkchop explained, watching him closely.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened. That was¡­huge. Class and skill growth slowed down when you worked in a group, even more so if they were larger than three individuals, and slowed down again above five. Even if you tackled challenges that were at the edge of what was possible, you would see less gains than if you undertook a lesser but equivalent risk alone. It would mean that if they pushed each other, their growth would be explosive, far exceeding what would be possible otherwise.


    Yet if one of them was to slack, it would be crippling, forcing their partner to put in twice the effort for half the result.


    ¡°That¡¯s why none of you use it isn¡¯t it? Too much risk of kneecapping your growth if you bond with the wrong person.¡± Kaius said, almost whispering.


    Porkchop nodded. ¡°It¡¯s what happened last time. We used to be a lot more integrated into the conclaves. A cub and an elven child were close friends, and performed the rite in secret. The elf was middling at best with only a couple of legacy skills, and worse, the cub broke his legacy by taking the skill. The elf grew strong, strong for them at least. The cub never grew past the third tier. We stopped living so close to the elves after that.¡±


    Kaius winced. That would do it, especially if the meles had broken his legacy in the process. Despite that, he was very interested, both with the bond, and with the effects it would have on his growth. He already saw Porkchop as family, and knowing that he would always have a stalwart companion was ¡­nice. Yet there was still one question that burned in his mind.


    ¡°Why me?¡± he asked softly. ¡°Like, of course I am interested. We already planned on sticking together once we escape, and you¡¯re already family, but what if I slow you down? You¡¯re a greater beast, destined to reach tiers that people can only dream of.¡±


    Porkchop gave him a flat look. ¡°Gods, I wonder why I am not worried about being ¡®slowed down¡¯ by the first Observed in milenia. The person who helped me reach the same heights. The person who has pioneered a whole new branch of spell casting, and the person who pushes themselves harder than anyone I have ever seen? The same person that will inevitably be the first one ever to slay a guardian without a class.¡± Porkchop¡¯s words were pointed, direct. ¡°Kaius, at this stage I''m more worried that I will slow you down.¡±


    Kaius leaned back, scratching his head. ¡°Well, when you put it like that.¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Porkchop snorted before looking back at him with a rare intensity. ¡°So you are interested then?¡±


    Kaius nodded, wearing his conviction on his sleeve. ¡°I am, though I obviously have a few more questions.¡±


    ¡°Then ask.¡± Porkchop replied seriously, though the slow swoops of his tail on the floor gave away his happiness.


    Kaius grinned, leaning closer. ¡°Well-¡±

 Chapter 102: History and Choice

    Kaius leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he thought about what he wanted to ask Porkchop. The fact that his friend¡¯s secret skill was a binding one was a shock. The fact that it wasn¡¯t one of the predatory command and control types even more so. He was incredibly interested, and had already made his mind up. Sure, it would mean that he would have no dedicated glyph-binding skill, but having literally pioneered the art he would be delusional to think that he wouldn¡¯t get offered classes relating to it. Especially since he had a rune skill, which more than likely would evolve in that direction as he progressed.


    An unbreakable link that would let them fight as one, and came with significant experience advantages was too good to pass up. He just had a few more questions.


    ¡°Will it affect skill growth?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Porkchop shook his head. ¡°And for that you should be thankful.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius said with a tilt of his head.


    ¡°If our powerful bodies and strengthened resources are a greater beasts boon, then our slower rate of skill growth is our bane. It is not something we spread widely.¡± Porkchop explained.


    His eyes widened, staring at his friend in surprise. That was unexpected, but also made a cruel sort of sense to Kaius. The system was fair in its dealings, rewarding those with the luck, strength, knowledge, and resolve to push themselves to new heights. He¡¯d also thought it a little odd at the sheer unrivalled advantages all greater beasts had. Long life and overwhelming might were hard to overcome, but if it came at the cost of slower skill growth it would make it much harder for a beast to ascend tiers with capped skills - at least without putting off the class evolution for extended periods of time. With how vital that was to both class and skill development, it was a significant issue.


    ¡°Well, that makes me feel a little better about all those extra years you got to work on your skills.¡± Kaius said with a shake of his head.


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°Without those, no greater beast would ever be able to finish a legacy. I am something of an anomaly for having finished mine so early, and that was only because I found the dens so boring that all I did was practice.¡±


    Kaius grinned. That was a feeling he could empathise with, what with his own childhood of training in the outer reaches of the Sea. Though, as he thought more about what it meant that Porkchop had a slower rate of skill levelling, a frown of worry crossed his face.


    ¡°What about this bond skill, will you have any difficulty with capping it before we fight the Guardian? We¡¯ll need every edge we can get.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that slow, Kaius.¡± Porkchop snorted. ¡°It¡¯s more of an issue for the massive amount of skills over the course of a complete legacy. Besides, the bond levels a little differently than most others, with everything we have been through I will be very surprised if we don¡¯t cap it immediately. After that, it will grow naturally as we fight and explore together.¡±


    That was a relief. He wouldn¡¯t have minded waiting, but having the skill capped would mean they would be able to evolve it immediately.


    ¡°And what of when it evolves?¡± Kaius asked. ¡°What changes? Or was what you were talking about the evolved option.¡± He could understand if it was, that sort of experience share was far more than he expected from an unmerged base general skill.


    Porkchop grew quiet, before he softly answered his question a moment later. ¡°I don¡¯t know. No one has taken the skill as the capstone to a legacy before.¡±


    Kaius stared at his friend in surprise. ¡°What? How?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an old skill, Kaius,¡± Porkchop explained. ¡°Grandfather might have been an Observed, but even the Matriarch''s memories get spotty about that time, he didn¡¯t have a complete legacy. There were a handful of others that have made use of them, and each and every one was during his living reign, before the dens had acquired a full set. After every one of those ended with a meles¡¯ growth getting crippled due to their bond companion being unable to keep up, no one has touched the thing until that cub. The same one who broke his legacy.¡±


    Kaius leaned back, whistling in surprise. ¡°So we¡¯d be going in blind then.


    ¡°We would.¡± Porkchop nodded.


    Kaius paused, digesting the information. There was some risk. Any skill that involved a bond of that intensity could directly influence his personality, but the chance was small. Besides, he trusted Porkchop with his life, if he was willing to gamble, who was he to say no? He wasn¡¯t the kind of person to turn down a skill that was even stronger that expected just because of a few unknowns.


    ¡°And what of the dens, and the elves? I know we aren¡¯t in any rush to visit the inner Sea, but I would still like to go there, and visit the conclaves, at some point in my life,¡± he asked.


    ¡°The dens would accept it for what it is, though they may think me foolish if we have not yet proven our ability to grow together. Hopefully by the time we return that will have long since been confirmed.¡± Porkchop explained, stretching out on the cold stone of the kitchen floor. ¡°The elves are different. Most will think you blessed and honourable due to gaining my ¡®favour¡¯.¡± Porkchop rolled his eyes. ¡°Unfortunately, some will be more difficult. Either canonising you, or thinking you an undeserving heretic. A good deal of personal might will insulate you from both extremes.¡±


    Kaius chewed his lip. Another good reason to put off an exploration of the depths of his forest home. Elves were skilled, long lived, and capricious. He had no desire to find himself at odds with a warband unless he had the power to put things to bed. Permanently if need be.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Well!¡± Kaius clapped. ¡°A good thing that is a problem for a much later day, then.¡±


    He leaned forwards, locking eyes with the deep red and gold orbs of his friend. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±


    Porkchop slumped, drooping to the ground in relief. ¡°Thank the gods.¡±


    Kaius grinned and stood up, making sure the woollen blanket wrapped around his waist was still firmly in place. He took a seat next to his friend, clapping him over the shoulder and scratching between his shoulderblades. ¡°I appreciate the trust in sharing this with me; I understand it is something the Dens would not want shared.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Porkchop said, leaning into his touch. ¡°I was worried you wouldn¡¯t be interested. Can you imagine how embarrassing that would have been?!¡±


    Kaius laughed, deep and bellowing. ¡°Of course I am interested, you dolt, I would be dead a dozen times over without you. Who else would I want at my side when I inevitably do something stupid like trying to fight a dragon? Besides, the skill sounds strong.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Porkchop agreed. ¡°At least it supposedly was what helped Grandfather and Orym stabilise the sea. Unsurprising, considering it is a Unique skill at baseline.¡±


    ¡°Unique?!¡± Kaius looked at Porkchop in shock. ¡°Hells, you should have just skipped all the kerfuffle and mentioned that we had a shot at a Heroic skill when it evolved!¡± he said, barely stopping between words in his excitement.


    The only other Heroic skill he had heard of an unclassed possessing was his own Rapid Adaptation and Porkchop¡¯s Savage Arsenal, and they were legacy skills made up of a full ten merges. They were also build defining in their power. Another skill like that would make them a truly potent force to be reckoned with indeed.


    ¡°How are we doing this?¡± Kaius asked eagerly.


    ¡°You want to do it now?¡± Porkchop asked, slightly surprised. ¡°I would have thought you needed to think on it more.¡±


    Kaius snorted. ¡°Hells no, you¡¯re already stuck with me for life my friend, may as well make it official. Besides, it might evolve into a bloody Heroic skill!¡±


    Porkchop chittered happily, rolling up to sit on his haunches. ¡°Okay! I guess we¡¯re doing this.¡±


    Kaius grinned.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually not all that difficult. I need to deepen the mental connection between us until it forges a link between our soul-spaces. Then we need to open it. Apparently its easy, on a technical level, but it¡¯s supposed to feel like you¡¯re letting someone hold a primed spell to your head.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s about trust, then.¡± Kaius said.


    Porkchop bobbed his head, sending a fleeting impression of agreement across their link. ¡°The skill won¡¯t actually take unless both of us accept it, so you can back out at any time until then.¡±


    ¡°I already said I''m in, Porkchop, let''s do this.¡± Kaius said, giving his friend a confident grin.


    Porkchop nodded, and then frowned in concentration.


    A moment later, Kaius felt it. A subtle pull on his mind, the ever present connection he had with Porkchop clamouring for his attention. He knew immediately, though not how, that if he assented the thin tether that let him understand Porkchop would start to widen, growing the link between them. That he would be vulnerable to influence and control in that state. Far less used to the powers of the mind than a greater beast who was born with them, lowering his innate mental defences would put him at risk.


    He dropped them immediately.


    This was Porkchop afterall, he trusted him with his life.


    His heart lurched, the entire room spinning as a primal will latched onto his mind, widening their connection. Something sank into the edges of his soulspace, foreign shards of power piercing the veil, grabbing his innermost self in an iron grip.


    Kaius gasped. He knew then, that if he wanted to, Porkchop could start to shred. Everything inside of him screamed in warning. An instinct, like the desire to flinch away from a knife held to your throat, surged. Adrenaline coursed through his system, urging him to fight, or die. He grit his teeth, holding himself back from lashing out.


    ¡°You holding up okay?¡± Porkchop asked, concerned, as his voice echoed with booming force to buffet his centre.


    Kaius winced. He felt Porkchop cringe.


    ¡°Whoops, sorry. Not used to this yet.¡± Porkchop said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll live, not exactly pleasant though.¡± Kaius grunted.


    Amusement trickled through the growing conduit between them. ¡°That¡¯s good, because this is about to get a whole lot worse for both of us.¡±


    Kaius furrowed his brow. ¡°What do you me-?¡±


    The iron hard shards of will that Porkchop had set into the edges of his soul-space started to rip, tearing at the very boundaries of his being. It didn¡¯t hurt, not in the sense of a stab wound, or a broken bone.


    It was the agony of having his most intimate defences torn from him. The utter surety of a total loss of control, a crushing of his will, and a total dissolution of the most basal boundary he¡¯d had since he was a babe.


    The claws broke through, a ragged hole opened what should have been inviolable. Suddenly he was¡­more.


    Kaius¡¯s soul screamed. An ethereal bonfire surging to new heights, golden conflagration consuming his centre in a desperate autonomic attack on all transgressors.


    It burned. He felt the strange golden flames lance into their mind. Could feel the molten heat dripping to the tips of their claws, scouring their fur in an inferno of uncontrolled fear.


    They nearly gave up, but they had to. To stop now would leave them shattered, separated, with ragged holes in their souls that would slowly bleed them dry of all that made them, them. First it would be a searing agony, slowly stretching from their chests until it reached the tips of their fingers. Then their hopes, their dreams would fade. Then their minds. Until, eventually, their bodies gave in.


    They were past the point of no return, they had forged the link, now they just had to stabilise it.

 Chapter 103: The Oaths That Bind Us

    Feeling the searing heat emanating from their soul, they knew they had to work quickly. Stabilise the link, before it collapsed and left them crippled. They needed the skill. Now.


    One half still floundered, unused to the rigours of true mental communion. The other knew what to do. They trusted, and they acted.


    It was time for the bloodrite.


    They knew, even now, that they could back out. Even splitting their minds, they knew they wouldn¡¯t. Pain was acceptable, risk was acceptable. They would be forged anew, and rise above, or they would die.


    Opening their eyes, they were treated to a mind spinning duplicated sight of their bodies. One stout, red, furred, and strong. The other tall, pale, lithe, and strong. They moved slowly, mortal flesh struggling to cope with the sensation that flowed across their link.


    Their human body drew their hunting knife with a shaking hand. Their meles body raised their paw to their mouth. Diverting a modicum of effort, they suppressed their Health.


    The sting of tooth and blade was lost in the all consuming pyre that lashed across their link. Heartblood sprayed. With their Endurance they would survive for a short while, but the oath had to be forged so that they could heal.


    They clasped arms, anointing the stone below with the ichor of their covenant. Hearts thumped in sync.


    ¡°We are one, by the rites of strife and adversity, the pact of the hunt, and the oath of fire and blood.


    Be it searing sun, or frozen moon, we will endure.


    Our blood is our bond, unbroken in the face of storm and starfall.


    We are the fangs in the night, and the heartbeat of the dawn.


    Forged in blood and pain, we rise. Unity will be our sword, and loyalty our shield.


    Witnessed by fate, and seen by the Arbitrator, let it be known.


    We are one.¡± They spoke, voices thrumming with the potency of an ancient pact revitalised once more.


    The system noticed, and a familiar ding sounded in their minds.


    **Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Soulforged Covenant (Unique)?**


    They accepted.


    The might of the system thrummed. Two seeds of power, the realisation of their shared might, substantiated in orbit around their souls. The new shard joined the procession of their constellations of legacy skills, filling the missing slots, completing the preparation for their final ascension.


    Their skills thrummed with anticipation, vibrating with barely concealed power as they waited for the final skill to be ready.


    Then Soulforged Covenant activated. Power surged, torrenting from the skill to suffuse the ragged holes in their souls. Soulstuff melted, channelling and bleeding across the yawning chasm that was their link. Then it started to contract. Finger-length by finger-length, the tunnel of meaning and connection shrunk, pulling their souls into alignment.


    As they drew together, the tears in the border of their centres widened. They gasped, feeling the last remaining shreds of difference dissolve. They writhed, the dissolution of ego as much agony as it was ecstasy.


    Souls united, the bubbles of their soul¡¯s dominions intersecting, woven together with arcane might and a harmonious thrum of unity that burst free from their souls.


    Then a pearlescent shimmer burst into existence, sealing the bridge. It wasn¡¯t a total severance, for that had become an impossibility with a shared centre. Yet, it was enough to delineate. They became he, and Kaius returned to himself.


    ¡°By the fucking gods, what the fuck was that!¡± He called out, reeling backwards to slump into the bunk behind him as a rapidfire ping of dings screamed through his mind.


    Porkchop groaned on the floor. ¡°They said it would be bad-weird, but I didn''t expect that.¡±


    Kaius shot him a wild look, before he burst into hysterical laughter. ¡°Holy shit! We were we, what the fuck! You can feel your claws!? That¡¯s so weird!¡± he asked, the vivid memory of feeling his own handspan long nails clacking on the stone floor.


    Snapping up, Porkchop stared at him in bewilderment. ¡°That¡¯s what you took from this? Not the fact that, oh, I don¡¯t know, we apparently share a soul-space now?¡±


    Kaius giggled. ¡°I think I should be surprised that you didn¡¯t know that would happen, but I already know that because we knew that wasn¡¯t going to happen. This is so fucking weird.¡±


    He shook his head, trying to shake off the last remnants of discombobulation from having his entire sense of self dissolve. It didn¡¯t work very well. Porkchop also felt the same, he could feel it. Far more intimately than their previous surface level link.


    Previously it had been odd, but ultimately comparable to speech. Now, it was like he had a yawning window into the mind of his brother. Could feel his emotions, wants and intentions. It should have been overwhelming, but it wasn¡¯t. He just knew him, like he knew himself. Like Porkchop now knew him. He thought he would feel exposed. Vulnerable. He wasn¡¯t, it felt like coming home.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Plus, he could feel Porkchop. Feel their distance, like he knew how far his hand was from his face. Sense the way he lounged on the stone, the weight of his body. A strange proprioception that extended through the bridge of their souls, bringing awareness with it.


    ¡°This is too fucking weird,¡± Kaius said with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m checking my notifications.¡±


    Porkchop grunted in agreement, too frazzled to go through the effort of putting his thoughts into words.


    Still unused to feeling his friend so clearly, Kaius tuned it out and pulled his notifications.


    **Ding! Soulforged Covenant has reached level 2!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Soulforged Covenant has reached level 20!**


    Kaius looked on at the notification in shock, almost finding it impossible to believe that it had already capped.


    ¡°I already told you,¡± Porkchop said, answering his unasked question. ¡°It levels based on our connection, and later -once we have our class and bloodline- based on simple cooperation. We¡¯ve effectively been levelling it since we met.¡±


    Kaius shook his head, still surprised at the strength of their connection. He decided to try something.


    ¡°Like this?¡± He asked, pushing the words through his mind towards the omnipresent barrier that he could feel separating them.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Porkchop replied with warm encouragement. ¡°Though we will have to work on beast-speak. You should be able to do it now, and it would be useful in battle.¡±


    ¡°Beast-speak? Like when we first met?¡± Kaius asked.


    Porkchop nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a lesser form of our merge, a sharing of pure experience. A lot quicker and more precise. Anyway, we can do that later. Let''s keep going through these notifications. Can you write it down? We¡¯re probably going to be able to evolve the skill immediately, and I want to be able to share it with the Dens when we eventually return. It¡¯s our history, and the cub was too bitter to ever share.¡±


    Kaius nodded, fetching his half full notebook from his pack before he returned to take a seat. Then, with his pen ready, he pulled up the skill.


    Soulforged Covenant:


    Level 20


    Unique


    Two souls, one centre. A sacred pact between man and beast, unbroken forevermore.


    Skill that creates a bond of equals, merging your soul-space with that of a willing greater beast. Allows perfect mental communication, proprioception, and a sense of their location within a certain distance. Experience, achievements, and feats are shared equally between both parties. In certain situations and when favourable, both parties are treated as a single entity in the eyes of the system.


    Each level moderately increases the distance at which you can sense and communicate with your bonded companion.


    After dutifully transcribing the description, Kaius read it once more with a cocked brow.


    ¡°Levelling bonus is a bit lacklustre for a Unique, isn¡¯t it?¡± He said, looking at Porkchop quizzically.


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°If shared experience and preferential treatment as a single entity isn¡¯t enough for you, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±


    Kaius grinned. ¡°Oh please, I¡¯ve seen the way you get about loot. You¡¯re just as greedy as I am.¡± He set his notebook to the side, satisfied that the ink had dried properly, then leaned forwards to rest his elbows on his knees. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll just have to hope for something good from our evolution, won''t we?¡±


    Porkchop stiffened, barely noticeable previously, but now Kaius could feel his friend¡¯s mind practically screaming in excited anticipation of what they would receive. He understood it perfectly. A skill like this was a rare find, and to find out that they would be the first to evolve it as the final component of their legacies in the history of the Dens? Anyone who wasn¡¯t would have to be a fool.


    He turned his attention to the final notification that burned at the front of his mind, bringing it up with a flick of intent.


    **Ding! 10th Skill Capped!**


    **Ding! Completed Legacy Detected!**


    **Ding! Initiate Special Skill Evolution - Soulforged Covenant?**


    Looking up, Kaius locked eyes with Porkchop, receiving a slight nod in return. Taking a deep breath, he accepted the system''s prompt as he felt Porkchop do the same.


    He dropped into his soul-space as he felt the system descend, the undeniable power of the omnipresent force blanketing his soul. It made him feel small, like a gnat in the face of the burning might of the sun.


    He watched his soul flare, burning light reaching new heights, engulfing the nebulae that were his resource pools to brush up against the locked points of his equidistant skills.


    Right by him, he could feel -see- Porkchop¡¯s soul doing the same.


    His legacy skills started to SCREAM. Not hatefully, not with the avaricious violence that they belted out during each and every one of his skill mergers. Instead it was pure, a note of harmonised, utterly complete, joy. One of purpose fulfilled, of destiny made manifest.


    It washed over him, the hairs on the back of his neck rising as they sang to a new crescendo. Thrumming, shifting with a scintillating platinum light. Where previously they looked like shards of the purest crystal hued with a metallic shine, now they looked liquid. Amorphous.


    The system reached out. Implacable. Inexorable.


    Ten chains of his purest essence were ripped free from his soul, entirely outside of his control. They plunged into his skills, all of them. A second later he was awash in their power. A storm of might and fury that threatened to drown him in its potency.


    A typhoon only made worse by his exposure to Porkchop¡¯s own. While he may not have felt it as keenly as his own experience, it was there, yanking at him.


    Once more the system stepped in, bolstering him in the face of concepts made manifest. Then it began to weave. Chains of light, meaning, and understanding shot between the skills, before linking them in a great decagramic web.


    With his soul -the totality of all that he contained- as the conduit, the firestorm of power rushed through the network. Sacred geometry magnified and refined the power, directing it to suffuse Soulforged Covenant.


    It was more than the skill could bear. Great ripples shot through the liquid crystal, threatening to disperse the conceptual nexus into a fine mist. Constrained by the system until it boiled, the pressure grew more explosive by the second as it railed against the forced limits of an unclassed.


    The system refused. Forcing the skill to maintain its shape as it packed more and more power into its tight confines.


    Kaius knew an agony that he had never known before. Every facet of his being felt wrung out. Drained of all vitality as all that he was was scoured by an unrelenting forceful torrent of pure arcane might far beyond what his mortal form could tolerate.


    His body, his mind, his very soul began to break down. Fraying at the seams.


    Again the system refused. Forcing him to bear witness to its majesty.


    Soulforged Covenant could take no more. Even boiling with forcefully contained power, there was only so much the skills structure could take. It shattered.


    The system swept up the refuse, forcing more current through his soul, whirling it into a raging typhoon that sucked at the surrounding power of the ritual. Kaius started to scream, eyes locked on the declaration of supremacy that occurred before him.


    With deft will, sheer gaseous meaning was condensed, suffused with the purity of essence contained in his legacy skills. There, in the eye of the maelstrom, a new skill began to germinate.


    One shining with the purest platinum light. The final member of the conclave.


    It grew, and with a snap it was over. His centre returned to stillness, his ten skills locked in equidistant orbit around his soul, slowly dimming to its normal radiance.


    The system withdrew.


    A ding sounded in his mind.


    Kaius blacked out.

 Chapter 104: Evolution

    Kaius came to with a groan, every inch of his body aching like he had been trampled by a dozen draught horses. Everything about the last hour was hazy, as if he had witnessed it in a drunken haze. From a distance, at that.


    He pushed himself up, shaking his head as his bleary eyes struggled to take in the utilitarian kitchen that sat in front of him. Porkchop wasn¡¯t much better, groaning in discomfort as he shifted up off the brick floor.


    It was strange. He could still feel him. Porkchop, that is. The way he sat. Held himself. The weight of his body on the warmed slabs of stone beneath him. It should have been mind bending, but it wasn¡¯t. Distinctly different from his sense of his own being, it was more like a new limb. A new awareness that dominated his mind, like a leaden arm that had come to sudden, prickling, wakefulness.


    Taking a deep breath, Kaius steadied himself.


    His awareness shifted to the incessant blaring that had been present ever since he returned to waking. A flurry of system derived chimes that clawed at his attention. He didn¡¯t see any reason to deny them.


    **Ding! General Skill Evolved! Soulforged Covenant (Unique) has become Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic)!**


    Kaius grinned as he read the system notification. They¡¯d done it. They¡¯d actually gotten another Heroic skill. It was an impossible achievement, one that almost seemed outside of the realm of possibility. Sure, maybe nothing quite so extreme as the existence of Honours, but he would have to be an entitled wastrel to not recognise its value.


    Feeling Porkchop finish digesting his own, as one they turned their attention back to their next notifications.


    **Ding! Racial Trait Obtained! Prepare For Assimilation: Greater Beastblooded!**


    **Ding! Unclassed Detected! Assisting with Absorption¡­**


    It started in his marrow, a sickening twist in the gentle flesh that lay sheltered in his bones. The fatty tissue started to boil. Kaius writhed, crying out as his voice cracked like dropped glass. It was all encompassing, unavoidable, potent, and enduring. Torturous heat that burned within him. Scorching him from the inside out.


    Then it started to spread. Penetrating his bones, the basal support of his body shattered in a series of sickening cracks as the foreign force changed him from within. Uncaring in its iron cruelty.


    Kaius threw his head back, gasping. Wide eyes roved the room, sliding over bunks and kitchen cabinets, skipping past Porkchop¡¯s mewling form where he underwent his own mutagenic change.


    He could feel that too. Sickening claws, picking and prodding at the very weave of his friend''s mind. An inversion of his own torture. It heightened his madness, giving him no corner to escape to. The two processes reflected through their link, amplifying the symphony of madness and loss of control.


    From the bones it spread to the muscles. All of a sudden he went limp, unable to twitch despite every fabric of his soul telling he had to move. To flee the source of his torment. He could not, not when it came from within. Not when it changed him inexorably, the mutation as total as it was slow.


    Fibres unravelled, breaking down into a primordial ooze, before substantiating whole-cloth once more, rewoven into a tighter, denser, structure.


    Then it got to his blood.


    And from his blood, to everywhere.


    Highways of mind-breaking pain flooded his body with potent acid. Organs dissolved, skin sloughed, and thought was forgotten. All he could do was gurgle. Swept away in a current of power and might that cared not for his mortal concerns and wants, only what He. Must. Be.


    From the scattered ashes, from the sludge of genetic excess and discarded weakness, he was born anew.


    Potent marrow wrapped in gleaming crystalline bones. His ribs thickened, shifting beneath his skin as they shrunk the gaps to shield vulnerable organs beneath. Cross-woven muscles stretched between them, explosive power held tight in the stout cables, anchored with ligamenture that thrummed with tension.


    His heart pumped with furious intensity, each pulse sending more and more change through his body.


    Nerves seared with the bright fury of the sun, scorching him with their overwhelming might. A storm that delivered the pain of his total consumption in perfect clarity, changed synapses sensing the breaking of his body with cruel and unmatched acuity.


    His skin toughened. Supple, flexible, but unassailable. A barrier that protected all within.


    Time blurred, meaningless in the face of dissolution, leaving him floating on a sea of agony and metamorphosis.


    Yet it seemed even eternity had an end. Slowly the force that had suffused his body left him, guiding the mutagenic energy back to the confines of his final skill, sealing it inside the shard of power that orbited his soul. The system withdrew once more, yet the pain lasted far longer.


    Kaius lay gasping, coated to the last hair in a thick layer of liquid, unsure if it was sweat, blood, or some organic refuse expelled by the transformation. Every hairsbreadth of his body felt wrung out, twisted and beaten.


    With a groan, he lolled his head to the side, finding that Porkchop hadn¡¯t fared much better. His friend lay on his stomach, paws pressed tight to his head as he covered his eyes and ears. Kaius knew that it was a desperate attempt to dampen his senses, feeling the overwhelming headache that threatened to rupture his friends skull from within.


    He swallowed, tongue getting stuck to the roof of his bone dry mouth.


    ¡°What the fuck was that,¡± he croaked.


    ¡°Quieter please,¡± Porkchop whined. ¡°Racial trait, be thankful that we got the system''s assistance. That sort of change can easily kill you if you don¡¯t have the stats to persevere.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Kaius breathed shallowly, overwhelmed by the sensation of air on his damp skin. Everything felt too much. Too extreme.


    ¡°But we both have the Dynastic trait,¡± he said in a small voice.


    ¡°Born with it. Doesn¡¯t count. Plus it only affects bonus stats, not changing us directly like whatever we got was. Though, it might also have been the skill. I¡¯m not sure.¡± Porkchop groaned, slowly sliding his paws to look at him directly. His eyes were bloodshot. ¡°You look like shit.¡±


    Kaius snorted, as he looked at Porkchop¡¯s sweat streaked face. He looked strung out, like he¡¯d been up for days.


    ¡°Speak for yourself. I assume you didn¡¯t get Greater Beastblooded?¡± he asked.


    Porkchop shook his head, grumbling as Kaius felt his friend¡¯s headache spike through their link. ¡°No, I got Enlightened Mind. It seems we might have gifted each other some of our natural advantages, thanks to the skill.¡±


    Kaius raised his brows. ¡°Skill first?¡±


    Porkchop chuffed in agreement, and Kaius flickered his awareness to the waiting description of their evolved skill.


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus:


    Level 20


    Heroic


    Blood calls to blood, soul shines to soul. A bond is forged, and strength and wisdom is shared.


    Skill that creates a bond of equals, linking your body and soul to a willing greater beast. Allows perfect mental communication, proprioception, and a sense of their location within a certain distance. Experience, achievements, and feats are shared equally between both parties. In certain situations and when favourable, both parties are treated as a single entity in the eyes of the system. Bolstered by the blood and marrow of the greater meles, your body is continually reforged and reinforced.


    Grants the Racial Trait ¡®Greater Beastblooded¡¯


    Each level significantly increases the distance at which you can sense and communicate with your bonded companion.


    Each level minutely increases the potency of your body''s baseline, empowering you physically and mentally. This change is permanent.


    Kaius stared at the skill in awe, amazed at its strength. A skill that increased the power of his stats, all of his stats, was unbelievable. Even with only Minute scaling, it would bolster him to unimaginable heights as he grew, granting him the famed potency and power of greater beasts.


    His head snapped up, turning to stare at Porkchop, though he winced as he moved with far more alacrity than he was used to and kinked his neck. His friend looked much the same, except for his eyes. Previously they had been a deep amber, now they were flecked with green. His green.


    ¡°I assume you just got something as ridiculous as I did?¡± He asked, absentmindedly rubbing the nape of his neck.


    ¡°Probably. I just got a Minute boost to skill levelling and comprehension. Your eyes have bits of yellow in them now.¡± Porkchop whispered in a small voice.


    Hi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really? Well you got my green.¡± he said, nodding towards his friend ¡°I got a physical empowerment, same scaling.¡± Kaius leaned forwards, rubbing his eyes, ¡°So I just got access to the main benefit of greater beasts, and you the same with the higher races?¡± he asked, incredulous.


    ¡°It would seem so.¡±


    He looked up, staring his friend dead in the face, and started to grin. ¡°We¡¯re going to be absolute terrors, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I certainly wouldn¡¯t want to fight us,¡± Porkchop chuffed. ¡°That ogre is as good as dead meat.¡±


    Kaius laughed. ¡°Hells, I sure fucking hope so. Though I¡¯m still going to need a good bit of time to cap the rest of my skills before we do that, so we¡¯ll have to take our time heading back. Plus, I wouldn¡¯t mind a week or two extended rest in one of those dwarven estates on the upper tier of the city. Those kitchens were to die for,¡± he salivated, thinking of the stocked larders full of goods that he had never dreamed of being able to afford, let alone feast on to his heart''s content. Much better than the austere fare that they had found in the laboratory kitchens, that was for damned sure.


    Kaius stood up with a groan, wavering slightly as his body responded just a little too quickly with more strength than he was used to. ¡°Going to need to get used to this, as well,¡± he mumbled, pulling another woollen blanket off one of the bunks to mop at his sweat soaked body. The scratchy fabric tugged uncomfortably at his skin, felt far more acutely than normal.


    Thankfully, despite his worries, there was no gore, so he didn¡¯t need another shower. With how sensitive his skin felt, he might actually die if he had to douse himself in the frigid torrent that served as a rain-room.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna check out the new trait, then I''ll make us some more food before we rest,¡± he said, tossing the soiled blanket aside.


    Racial traits were odd things. Incredibly rare, and only sometimes heritable. Dynastic was by far the most common, one awarded to those that merged three or more legacy skills, one of which had to be made of four skills. It was heritable, but the second generation had to meet the same requirements if they wanted to pass it on themselves. Considering the nature of legacy Dynasties, Kaius sincerely doubted that it happened often. Other than tragedy, or a forgotten misbegotten child, all but the most selfish and idiotic passed down their legacy skills. Though, for those who had joined a more organisational dynasty such as the Mystral colleges, even descendants would have to meet the requirements to join. Albeit with more¡­ flexible entry requirements.


    Still, despite everything he never expected to get another one so soon. Usually if someone got any at all, it was from high tier classes, or lucky encounters in the deep reaches of the Depths. Getting one now was invaluable, though he had yet to see how it would scale.


    With that on his mind, he pulled up the description of both Greater Beastblooded, and Dynastic


    Greater Beastblooded:


    Racial Trait - Heritable


    Marrow of might, and spine of steel.


    Tempered and reborn with the vital essence of a greater meles, you contain a shred of their inexorable might.


    +1 Endurance, Strength, and Willpower per Level.


    Dynastic:


    Racial Trait - Heritable (Conditional)


    Platinum purity burns with capricious light, be thankful.


    Your soul has been washed in the light of multiple legacy skills, fueling your growth.


    +1 Free Stats per Level.


    Kaius¡¯s jaw went slack as he took in his latest trait. Three stats per level was incredible. In the first tier, it was the equivalent of boosting his class rarity by three whole grades. Sure, the relative benefit would quickly be outstriped by the scaling of the tiers, but that was a whole class and two-hundred levels away. Until then, it was an unbelievable advantage.


    And to be able to pass it on too¡­


    ¡°Is yours heritable too?¡± he asked in a small voice. ¡°Without conditions?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Porkchop all but whispered.


    Kaius sat dumbfounded, staring at the screen that hung in his vision. No matter what happened in the future, the weight of being the last scion of Unterstern had just gotten that much heavier.

 Chapter 105: Celebrations

    Kaius chewed his lip. The Depths had been explosive for his growth, but even for him, the gains he had made over the day had radically launched him to a few strides from the finish line. One Honour, one legacy skill, one special evolution, and one racial trait.


    It was almost too much, it felt unreal. Like something he heard about in bard tales, not the sort of thing he would ever actually live through.


    He needed to check his status. Needed to make sure it was actually there, that he wasn¡¯t just dreaming, or bleeding out after a bad hit from a Champion.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 18


    Class Selection: 1 Year, 2 days


    Race: Human (Dynastic, Greater Beastblooded) - +1 Wil, Str, End, and free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Resources:


    Health - 460/460 (3.6/min)


    Stamina - 360/360 (3.6/min)


    Mana - 510/510 (5.1/min)


    Free Mana - 510/510


    Reserved Mana - 0


    Stats:


    Endurance - 30 + 16 (46)


    Vitality - 20 + 16 (36)


    Strength - 20 + 16 (36)


    Dexterity - 20 + 16 (36)


    Intelligence - 20 + 31 (51)


    Willpower: - 20 + 31 (51)


    Stat Points: 0


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/a


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 20


    Warforged (Unique) - 20


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 17 > 18


    Adamant Body (Unique) - 18 > 19


    True Sight (Unique) - 14 > 17


    Runic Lexicon (Unusual) - 20


    Mana Manipulation (Unusual) - 20


    Lesser Regeneration (Unusual) - 8 > 14


    Uncanny Dodge (Unique) - 0 > 1


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 0 > 20


    Glyph Bound Hymns:


    N/A


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter


    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding


    Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Growth Conditions-


    Gain a class (0/1)


    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)


    Forge a link (0/1)


    He gulped. His status looked nothing like one that an unclassed should have. His stats alone were the equivalent of a low level classer, with half of them more than double what they should have been.


    Though, one thing did stand out to him. It was only a few days until he ticked down to a year until his class selection. It was nearly his birthday, not that it felt all that important with everything else on his plate.


    Honestly, he was more concerned about how he would spend the last year of his proving period. Against all odds, he was a slither from being fully capped in all respects. After that, there would be nothing left to do but ¡­ wait.


    He shuddered, after a lifetime spent in the pursual of his goal, the idea of being forced to wait to continue his work, to fuel his progress, made his skin crawl. Oh well, he was sure they would figure something out. Afterall, it wasn¡¯t like they would be sitting idle, and enjoying fine wine and silks like some sort of noble.


    As soon as they were out of here, they were hunting for Father. No two ways about it.


    Blinking his status closed, he looked to Porkchop.


    ¡°This is bloody ridiculous,¡± he said.


    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Porkchop replied. ¡°How are you going? How far are you from the peak?¡±


    ¡°Not far, not far at all. Just a hair more than thirty skill levels, most of them from Uncanny Dodge. Other than that, I¡¯ll need some practice getting used to these reinforced and inflated stats. Everything feels way too ¡­ light.¡± Kaius explained, swinging his arms experimentally and feeling the way they responded to his intent in a snap.


    Porkchop grinned. The human expression twisted his face, almost sinisterly as it revealed dagger-like teeth. ¡°That¡¯s good. It won''t be long then, till we fight the Guardian. Anything that you think might be an issue to train on our trip back?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°No,¡± Kaius said with a shake of his head. ¡°Almost all of them should come together with enough fights. True Vision might be an issue, but I think that working on getting used to the full acuity of its effects should be more than enough to get it over the finish line. Especially if I can do it in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Where do you want to do it? Here?¡±


    Kaius scoffed at the question. ¡°Gods no, this place can burn in the hells. I¡¯ve had enough of flesh abominations for two lifetimes. I reckon we high tail it back to the fungal fields. Those isolated serfs will be perfect for most of my skills, and if anything starts to taper off we¡¯ll just push back into the city and get into some fights on our way up.¡±


    He groaned, pushing himself up off the floor and walking over to the kitchen.


    ¡°I think with a bit of food and a nap, I should be good to go. What do you think?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°Yes please,¡± Porkchop chittered, plain hunger sinking through their link.


    Kaius shot his friend a grin, and started to look through the cupboards. He was pretty sure they still had a little salt-packed bacon from the dwarven city, and since they were about to head back there he had no reason not to pull out all the stops. If he was being generous, he could even justify it as training for Explorer¡¯s Toolkit.


    It was, but really he just wanted some bacon. Plus, they still had some more of the long lasting mushrooms from the fields, and he knew just what he could do with both of those. Hearth pies, supposedly a Hiwiann recipe from what Illendra¡¯s father - Hurrin - had said, though given how the trader-folk picked up any stragglers they could, that was about as specific as saying it was from the Vaastivar continent.


    Finding a bowl, some flour, and some yeast, he hurried off to the spigot they had used to wash and collected some water. Moving with sure confidence, he started to make a rough dough. Once it was ready, he could wrap it around some sauteed bacon and mushrooms, before pan frying the stuffed dough. Peasant fare, but delicious.


    His mouth was already watering at the thought of it.


    ¡­.


    They set out the next day, leaving the dorm room behind as they back tracked their way through the Fleshwarper¡¯s Laboratory. Thanks to the fact that Kaius had taken the time to mark each door they went through, their path back was a lot less fraught than their initial explanation.


    Far faster too.


    They passed through laboratories of gleaming glass and vile sludge, specimen cells full of tanks of mutagen and cages that held the bones of failed experiments. There were research rooms too. Small libraries, filled with notes and books. Much like the dwarven city they were filled with some sort of nonsense language. A different one, but still unintelligible. Kaius suspected that the Depths must not have wanted to waste resources developing coherent thought in Common. That, or it wasn¡¯t intelligent enough to, and the books were nothing more than the twisted reflection of a dreaming god.


    Strangely, even with multiple days having passed, the corpses of the abominations they had slain hadn¡¯t started to smell. Whatever alchemy and sorcery had been used in the monster''s creation, it had tainted the flesh so thoroughly that not even rot wished to touch it.


    When they grew tired, they sought another dorm room. They were frequent enough. Each day they passed by at least a pair, so thankfully it was never more than another hour or so¡¯s walk to the next one when fatigue started to set in.


    The exit was drawing close. Kaius could feel it in his bones, the navigational bent of Explorer¡¯s Toolkit allowing him to draw on a thousand half forgotten memories of individual rooms to keep track of their progress.


    As they walked, Kaius looked at the count down towards his class selection for what felt like the thousandth time that day.


    It had to be any minute now.


    **Class Selection: 1 Year**


    The counter ticked over.


    ¡°Happy birthday to me,¡± he said softly.


    Porkchop looked over sharply as he stepped over the cold corpse of a twisted teratoma.


    ¡°Your birthday? Already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kaius smiled. ¡°Though before you ask we¡¯re not doing any celebrating until we get the hell out of the Depths. That is, if the meles even celebrate birthdays?¡± he asked, curious. Sometimes the meles felt like any other race, at others they were utterly alien. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised no matter Porkchop¡¯s answer. Well, that might have been going a bit far, he¡¯d heard some pretty off the wall answers from Porkchop before about life in the Dens.


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°Of course we do. You pick what you want to eat, and others will hunt it or find it for you. It¡¯s basically the only time I got to eat Katcha fruit.¡±


    ¡°The thing we found in the Tomblord¡¯s loot?¡± Kaius asked with an arched brow.


    Porkchop chuffed in confirmation. ¡°Anyway, waiting till we are out sounds like a good idea. Mine will be in a few weeks as well. What would you want to do.¡±


    They reached the end of the room, and Kaius opened the thick wooden door to the next.


    Kaius hummed, thinking. ¡°Honestly? After all this shit? I¡¯d love for nothing more than to sit by the fire at the Stout Oak and drink enough tankards of ale that I can no longer walk. It might not actually be possible with Rapid Adaptation, but I''m sure as hells going to try my best,¡± he answered. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I want more stew, and you will make it for me, as is tradition. A whole barrel full.¡± Porkchop said with firm conviction.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve certainly got the stomach for it. Say, I just have to get it for you right? Not actually make it myself?¡±


    Porkchop turned to him, giving him a look. ¡°Kaius, I don¡¯t think you will be able to find an unattended barrel of stew.¡±


    He laughed, pushing his way through the next marked door. This room was another library, and thankfully held no stinking alchemy or abomination corpses. From memory, it would only be a score or two more rooms until they were out.


    ¡°I know, but the stuff at the Stout Oak is better than what I can make. Illendra and the rest have actual hospitality-focused classes, not just a general skill. With the amount of depths-coin we have, we could almost certainly get you enough to swim in.¡±


    Porkchop paused for a moment, thinking. ¡°That will do. Enough stew to swim in, it is.¡±


    ¡°Wait a second, I wasn¡¯t actually serious,¡± Kaius said, blanching.


    ¡°It will be my birthday.¡± Porkchop said with faux-seriousness.


    Sighing defeatedly, Kaius slumped his shoulders. ¡°Fine. But not all at once, I''ll keep buying you stew until you get sick of it.¡±


    ¡°Though I have a feeling I''m going to regret saying that,¡± Kaius muttered to himself.


    Porkchop chittered, amusement flowing across their link.


    They kept walking.


    In the end, ¡®close¡¯ was a relative thing, but eventually they made it back to the first room they had entered the laboratory from. A flayed horrors corpse lay smashed and brutalised amongst the remains of broken tables and alchemical glassware. Above it, the same mezzanine library where he had tweaked his spell to better suit the regeneration of the inhabitants of the biome.


    He smiled at the memory, compressing the structure of the spell so that it penetrated deep and ruptured explosively was only a small stroke of genius, but it was his own. That made it all the more precious. Work done purely by his own hands, without the aid of Father.


    With how effective it had proven against the abominations, he saw no reason to swap the spell out. Without a doubt, it would be less effective against armoured opponents, at least those wearing anything heavier than leather and chain. If the spell was unable to pierce through armour, much of its potency would be lost.


    Thankfully, their ultimate target was all but naked, from what he could remember. With his latest gainst to his Intelligence he could hold a full seventeen, though in reality with the mana cost of using his stylus, sixteen was his true limit. It would still be a significant force multiplier against the lightly armoured goblins, though he might need to switch it out for the ogre.


    Tearing his eyes away from the seat where he had first crafted the spell, Kaius swung open the door that led to the standard tunnels common in the depths that seemed to surround the compound they had been exploring.


    He peered down the hallway, releasing his hold on True Sight just enough to peel back the mists of distance. It was a straight shot, and he was almost sure he could see the far off end of the biome.


    ¡°Almost there,¡± he muttered, anticipation thrumming through him at the thought of capping the last of his legacy skills.

 Chapter 106: Training

    Barely more than a few hundred long-strides into the fungal fields that surrounded the dwarven city, Kaius spotten his first goblin. It was a good way off, far enough that it wouldn¡¯t notice them unless they actively tried to get its attention.


    It was an ugly, wretched thing. Dressed in little more than rotting cotton and scavenged burlap, it looked even more twisted and malnourished than the standard hordelings that lurked in the city proper.


    Holding a bare sheet of metal, roughly hacked and sharpened into the shape of a machete, it prowled through the fields, inspecting the dizzying array of fungi before occasionally stopping by a choice specimen to crudely chop off a chunk and then depositing it in the basket on its back.


    He doubted it would last more than an eyeblink in open combat with him. Especially now, after everything. He could feel the power that thrummed through his body. More than just the quantifiable increase from his latest Honour, his new beast blood ran hot with the violent joy of the hunt. Strengthening him, even as it enticed his Bloodsong.


    A perfect opponent to train his Lesser Regeneration. Unlike the rest of his skills, it required him to actually get hurt, which meant the most effective thing to do would be to at least remove his cuirass.


    In the city, that would be far too risky. With the goblins congregating in gangs, he would have no way of controlling the chaotic melee. A duel with an inferior opponent was far, far better.


    He stopped, Porkchop pulling up beside him as he felt his intentions through their bond.


    ¡°This the one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kaius nodded, undoing the buckles of his armour. He pulled it free, allowing the weighty scale to drop to the earth with a clatter of metal on metal. Then he removed his reinforced jacket. While it was thin enough that it wouldn¡¯t hamper his efforts, he saw no reason to get it bloody and torn.


    The jacket joined the cuirass. ¡°Stay here and watch my stuff, would you?¡± Kaius said, stepping forwards.


    Porkchop chuffed, and Kaius felt his friend settle down next to his gear. ¡°Put on a good show!¡± he called from behind him.


    Kaius simply shook his head and smiled, keeping his eyes locked on the half-starved form of the working goblin serf. He focused his True Sight, bringing up the depths-born¡¯s status.


    Goblin Serf - Level 14:


    Depths-born, Low Race


    He whistled, a piercing and pure note cutting through the air. The goblin¡¯s head snapped towards him, a vicious snarl revealing chipped and blackened teeth as it let out a guttural growl. Slinging the basket off its back, and spilling its cargo of fungi as it did so, the depths-born scampered towards him.


    Kaius¡¯s heart thumped, a wry smile crossing his face as the cool air of the cavern brushed against his skin, heightening his senses and juxtaposing the rushing heat that coursed through his veins.


    This was going to be fun.


    With a flicker of intent, he cranked True Vision higher, boosting his acuity until his head began to throb. Immediately the goblin was thrown into a stark relief. Even half a field away, he could see the years of dirt that had been worked into its skin, the hard calluses and ropey scars from a life of forced labour, and the way each thread in its garb was fraying.


    It was a lot, more than he had ever tried to bear in combat before. He needed to do it. If he never pushed his limits to the skill, it would only ever be a useful scouting tool. A waste of its full potential.


    He started to jog, arms pumping. A Father¡¯s Gift stayed firmly nestled in its sheath, using his blade would defeat the purpose of what he wanted to do. Afterall, you couldn¡¯t get stabbed if you parried, and he wasn¡¯t trying to kill the depths-born. At least, not yet.


    They met in the middle, the goblin throwing itself forward with a howl and a thrust. Kaius watched the blade, his mind racing as his eyes drank in every detail they could. It was slow, almost like the depths-born were moving underwater.


    Dodging would have been simplicity itself. Hell, the danger sense of his last legacy skill didn¡¯t even flare.


    He stepped in, pivoting slightly, pulling his torso just to the left.


    The shard of rusted iron that the goblin used as a machete sunk into the left of his abdomen, a handspan above his hip. Kaius grunted, observing the stride of metal that had impaled him with clinical detachment. It was cold, if only just for a moment before the wound started to burn.


    A confused expression briefly crossed the goblin¡¯s face, as if it was surprised at its success. Kaius suspected it was too used to failure in all aspects of its mockery of a life. Then the power of the Depths reasserted itself over its creation, the creature''s face twisting with rage as it yanked its blade free.


    Kaius grunted, the rusted and pitted metal catching torturously on the edges of his split flesh. Thick blood welled up from the wound, trickling free with unnatural slowness. His Health ignited, rushing to the ragged tear in his flesh to reknit him back to wholeness.


    It itched terribly.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 15!**


    Screaming a war cry, the goblin rushed in once more, turning into a wild and uncontrolled swing that it put the full weight of its body behind. Kaius brought his hands up, using his vambrace to protect his face. His helmet could deal with the rest.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Rolling in and under the cut, the crude machete tinked off his arm guards in a shower of sparks, skittering down the plate and scale to cut deeply into the muscle of his shoulder. Kaius felt his arm slacken, drooping slightly as the damaged muscle struggled to hold up the weight.


    The goblin howled in glee. The sight of his blood seemed to have incensed the beast into a manic frenzy. Nearly foaming at the mouth, it drew back and flew into another horizontal chop towards his belly.


    Kaius stepped back, bringing his leg up into a pugilists guard. The machete slammed into his leg, deflecting off his shinbone to leave a flap of meat hanging free. Kaius grit his teeth through the pain, pushing through it with ease. Compared to having his chest caved in by a Champion, this was nothing.


    More Health rushed in, skin, muscle, and fat wriggling as they sealed themselves shut with nauseating agility.


    It was probably enough for now, taking any more wounds before he had healed risked leaving him weak enough that he would struggle to defend. Not that he thought he would be in real danger, but it would be bloody embarrassing if Porkchop saw that. He¡¯d never hear the end of it.


    He snapped out with his wounded leg, cool air stinging the exposed interior as he booted the rabid goblin full in the chest. With his newly empowered strength, and the goblins small and withered body, he sent the beast flying back to fall into a twisted tangle of limbs.


    It pulled itself up off the dirt quickly, howling in rage to rush back towards him. It didn¡¯t matter, with how fast he regenerated now, the simple fleshwounds he had let it inflict were already most of the way sealed by the time it made it halfway back to him.


    Throwing itself into a heavy overhead chop, Kaius stepped back and let the tip of the machete skitter along the length of his sternum, enhanced reflexes and razor sharp empowered vision giving him the confidence to leave the goblin just enough reach to sunder his flesh without giving it the leverage to bite into his bone.


    They fell into a pattern. Kaius would bob and weave, always positioned just right for the goblin serf to cut him just deep enough to stress his health. It never hit anything vital, never anything more than a deep cut to the muscle. If it ever looked just a little too close for comfort to an artery, organ, or other major structure, he would smash the blow aside with a lightning fast parry with his vambraces.


    Once it had gotten a small handful of good gashes in, he would smash it back with a kick, a grab and throw, or a simple stunning punch to the temple. Then he would heal, allowing his Lesser Regeneration to grow, little by little.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 16!**


    It wasn¡¯t the only skill to grow. With the mind-aching acuity of his vision, the constant monitoring of the goblin did wonders for his use of True Sight. By now he could barely tell that he had had it activated so high. At least in terms of skill fatigue. The sharpness with which he could see every clogged pore on the serf¡¯s face was more than enough to remind him of the newfound clarity of his vision. Still, he had a while to go. Even with his increased mental stats and a growing skill level, it was strenuous to process so much information at once.


    He would need more practice before he could use it comfortably in a real pitched battle.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 18!**


    Unfortunately, all good things came to an end, and even with the efficiency of his healing due to his skill, it was ultimately a finite resource. Another slash kissed his ribs, and Kaius took the moment to look at his Resources.


    Resources:


    Health - 72/460 (3.6/min)


    Stamina - 314/360 (3.6/min)


    Mana - 510/510 (5.1/min)


    Free Mana - 30/30


    Reserved Mana - 480


    It was low, as low as he was comfortable letting it get. Any more would be an unnecessary risk, especially when there was an effectively endless supply of willing goblin serfs in the fungal fields that would be more than happy to whale on him.


    Twisting on his front foot, Kaius pivoted and slammed his heel into the goblins ribs. Air rushed from its lungs in a ragged gasp as he sent it to the ground like a sack of bricks. In a single fluid motion he planted his foot and drew his sword, smoothly sliding into an overhand slash that caved in its skull.


    It quivered once, every muscle in its body going rigid for a single moment, before it slackened and died.


    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Serf slain**


    Kaius¡¯s chest heaved, the focus and fury of the Bloodsong slowly withdrawing from him. In its wake, the aches and agonies of dozens of healed cuts and stabs washed over him, weighing him down with a mental fatigue. He groaned, sheathing his sword before he looked down to take in the blood drenched state of his torso.


    Without any nearby rest stops, he would need to wait until they got back to the city to properly wash. Until then, he¡¯d have to make do with a damp cloth.


    ¡°Gods dammit,¡± he sighed, arms dropping in defeat as he made his way back to where Porkchop was watching over his armour and bags. With every step his boots squelched, saturated from the blood of a dozen would-be mortal wounds.


    Amusement shone loud and clear through their link, Porkchop chuffing in amusement at the display he had put on.


    ¡°You know, for someone who loves spilling so much blood, you really seem to hate having it on you,¡± Porkchop teased.


    Kaius rolled his eyes. ¡°Just because I love a good fight, doesn¡¯t mean that I''m an actual psychopath. Besides, I have no idea how you can tolerate it getting in your fur, doesn¡¯t it stick?¡± he asked, bending down to pick up his pack.


    He didn¡¯t bother putting on his shirt or cuirass though, he¡¯d just have to take it off again for the next goblin. It wasn¡¯t like there was anything really dangerous out in the fungal fields, anyway.


    Then, as he reached for a waterskin to wash off his blood, he realised that if he used it now he would run out before they got to the city. He sighed, slumping in defeat and slung on his pack instead. A little discomfort was worth capping the skill. Even if he could feel his pants sticking to his legs.


    He started walking up the next rise.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Porkchop said, responding to his question as he fell in behind him. ¡°At least it''s only blood. Undead and abomination goop is an entirely different story.¡±


    Kaius chuckled. That was a more than fair assessment, in his opinion. He had a fraction of Porkchop¡¯s sense of smell, and even for him the ichor of battle against those depths-born was on the verge of intolerable.


    ¡°So is this your master plan? Get slashed up like a cut of meat until you level Lesser Regeneration?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± he admitted. ¡°Though I''m trying to get used to using True Sight to its full capacity, so I might be able to squeeze a few levels out of that. And maybe the last level of Adamant Body. I doubt i¡¯ll get anything out of Uncanny Dodge unfortunately, that would require actually avoiding attacks.¡±


    ¡°What of when we get to the city then?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius turned back to his friend and gave him a wild grin.


    ¡°How do you feel about a frontal assault?¡±

 Chapter 107: Unexpected Gains

    Kaius slid his feet through the loamy soil, twisting in place to allow the goblin serf¡¯s adze to dig into the meat of his thigh. He took the wound with little more than a stoic grunt, even as the ice cold metal tinked against his femur. The depths-born ripped its weapon free with a sickeningly jubilant cry.


    That pissed him off.


    He stepped in, cutting off its foul glee with a knee to the gut, then smashed it down to the ground with a backhand coated in scale. It went down hissing, scrambling drunkenly before its Health could clear its concussion.


    The muscle in his thigh writhed, quicker than it had only a few days prior. The sensation still sickened him, the unnatural animation of his flesh only worsened by the speed of his healing. He still preferred it to no healing at all.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 19!**


    Kaius grinned as he read the notification. It was more than welcome, after days spent slowly rotating through the farms that surrounded the dwarven city. He hated training like this. It was so much less satisfying, less visceral, than the burn and heat of a true battle.


    Sure, it still got the heart pumping, and it was effective, but his blood barely simmered. There was no manic song that coursed through his veins, revitalising his body and mind.


    It was boring, plain and simple.


    The goblin threw itself to its feet in a howl of fury, lunging forward with a short grip on the haft of its weapon. Spittle flew free of its mouth, sticky slime landing on Kaius¡¯s chest. He growled. Blood was one thing, but that was just fucking gross.


    His hand snapped out, grabbing its adze in an open palm. The chipped edge sank into his flesh, cracking the bones in his hand. He ignored the hot flood of blood that pumped from the gash, twisting with his hips to land a jaw-shattering haymaker.


    A single stinking and rot-laden tooth flew free of its mouth. It collapsed, squealing.


    Then, something unexpected happened.


    **Ding! Moderate Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Persistent Survivor**


    Kaius blinked as the notification came into view, then he moved.


    A quick step in brought him towards the goblin, who frantically waved its adze in a wild attempt to gut him. Contemptuously slapping the blow aside, he ripped his hunting knife out of the sheath on his hip, burying it point first into the depths-borns eye.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Serf slain**


    Ripping his knife free, he did his best to wipe it clean on one of the few cleanish sections of his pants, before he returned it to its place on his hip.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? I felt you get excited, then you killed it. Did you cap the skill?¡± Porkchop asked in curiosity as he strode over.


    Kaius gave his friend a wide grin. ¡°Honour,¡± he answered simply.


    Porkchop froze, staring at him in shock before a riot of excitement and anticipation flooded over their bond-deepened connection. ¡°WHAT! What is it?!¡± he asked in a flood of impressions that boarded the line between words and beast-speech.


    Kaius understood the sentiment, receiving another Honour so soon was beyond what he had expected. Even getting another one at all was a surprise. He had absolutely no clue what it was for, and he strongly doubted it had anything to do with fighting goblin serfs of all things.


    ¡°Not sure yet, I¡¯ll check now. Hopefully it''s also one that you can get. Though it seems to be a little different from the rest, only a Moderate feat instead of Significant.¡± he responded, hurrying to pull up the description.


    Persistent Survivor:


    Minor Honour


    Whether through wit and cunning, or strength and domination, even the most deadly environments can be thrived within.


    Awarded to those who survive in the Great Depths for a consecutive year while unclassed. Allows a vague sense of the direction of the nearest Depths Guardian. +3 all stats.


    Bonus: For being the first in your cohort to achieve this honour, navigational sense also provides a direction to the nearest Depths Champion in a moderate radius, and the stat bonus is increased to +5 all stats.


    As soon as Kaius accepted the honour, a new awareness entered his mind. It didn''t tug at his attention, not like Uncanny Dodge or Explorer¡¯s Toolkit. Instead he simply knew that his target lay in the direction of the peak of the dwarven city.


    Frustration flooded him as he chewed on his reward, heightening his every discomfort. The itch of blood drenched fabric on his skin, the lingering crawl of his Health sealing his wounds, the ache of having to wait to assault their final challenge when it lay right there.


    He scowled, kicking a clod of dirt to burn some of it off. The clump sailed through the air to hit the nearby hillside with a puff of soil.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Porkchop looked up at him, confusion flowing across their bond. ¡°What could you have possibly gotten to annoy you so much?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It''s for surviving down here a year as an unclassed. I got plus five, you would get plus three. The annoying thing is that I can now sense where the Guardian is in the biome. Only a vague sense of direction really. That, and the first bonus lets me feel Champions much the same, in a smaller radius.¡± Kaius explained, chewing on his words.


    ¡°What, that''s amazing right?!¡±


    ¡°I mean yeah, but I can¡¯t help but think about the fact that if we¡¯d gotten this earlier, we might have had the time to push for more Champions and see if we could unlock more Honours.¡± Kaius said ruefully as he collected his pack and armour.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, I still have another level to go.¡± he said, taking the lead as he strode through the fields.


    He felt Porkchop scamper after him, the strength of their bond letting him know exactly where they were in relation to each other. Rather like a more powerful and specific version of his latest Honour. His frown deepened, the clumping of soil on his soaked boots tugging at his attention where previously it had sailed clean under his notice.


    ¡°Who''s to say we still can''t? We have a year right?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°Because,¡± Kaius explained, working to keep his tone from growing sharp. It wasn¡¯t Porkchop¡¯s fault the invaluable ability had appeared so late. ¡°The distance between the Champions is long, and we have no idea how large my area of detection is. If it''s just a large zone like this, a year still wouldn¡¯t be enough time if we have to still spend so much time wandering in the thin passages between biomes.¡±


    It was a large reason, but it wasn¡¯t the biggest, nor the most important. He sighed, feeling the ache of loss that resonated within him. That had done so for the last year, almost to the second. ¡°I also can¡¯t stay here any longer, Porkchop. Every second we spend is another that lowers my chances of ever seeing Father alive again. Or worse, even finding out what happened to him.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°Pursuing Champions while I was still working on my skills was fine, it would have been stupid to attempt the Guardian without being as strong as we could. But now that my growth is about to be locked, I can¡¯t gamble on a maybe. We have to get out. I have to know.¡± he finished, clenching his jaw as a dozen potentials for Father¡¯s fate entered his mind, each more horrid than the last.


    Warm empathy flowed into him, soothing his painful burden as a fuzzy head nudged him on the hip, the blood that coated him smearing into Porkchop¡¯s fur. ¡°Then we leave. This is still good Kaius, more stats just increases our chances. Besides, it means we¡¯ll be a little less directionless the next time we come to the Depths.¡±


    Kaius dropped his hand to Porkchop¡¯s head, giving him a scratch as they started to hike up the next rise in the fields. ¡°I know you¡¯re right, it''s still just a little biting.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe go punch something about it,¡± Porkchop suggested. Then he nudged him, gesturing off to their left where a ragged goblin toiled over a row of fungus.¡°Look, there''s a serf. You can wait the extra five minutes it will take us to find another one to blow off some steam.¡±


    Kaius watched the figure, with his True Sight it was easy to see the way it twisted and hunched in on itself as it hacked at a particularly woody mushroom with a crude machete. Maybe Porkchop was right, letting himself get beat on was always frustrating, and stretching his legs always made him feel better.


    He dropped his bag and armour to the ground. ¡°Yeah, alright. Mind watching this for me? I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± he said, striding towards the depths-spawn. He didn¡¯t draw his sword. It wouldn''t exactly be the most sporting thing, and he wasn¡¯t exactly going to work up a sweat if he killed it in the opening exchange.


    No, for this his fists would do. A rapid heat caressed his spine, stoked by the fires of his anger. His frustration at an uncaring world that would


    ¡°Have fun!¡± Porkchop called encouragingly from behind him.


    Kaius breathed in, inhaling the earthy scents of the fields as his heart started to quicken. His blood hummed, barely a single note, but it was just enough to bring a smile to his face.


    ¡­.


    Caving in the skull of a goblin with only his fists did much to alleviate Kaius of his stress and angst. Thanks to its Health, the depths-born ended up being quite the punching bag, returning to its feet as he smashed it flat time and time again.


    With every punch he split the skin on his knuckles, every blow resounding with the crack of bone against bone. The slight pain of the impacts were forgotten, quickly washed away in a rising song of heat, fury, and frustration. It couldn¡¯t touch him, openings visible all through its shoddy guard and amateur assaults. Every second Explorer¡¯s Toolkit drew more and more to his awareness. How he could disable it, break its limbs, trip it up, shove it off balance, or simply cave in its throat with a simple straight punch.


    He ignored the openings, selective of those only the most basic. Those that would let him feel the satisfying crack of chipped teeth and bruised flesh against his fists.


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 19!**


    By the twelfth punch he was growling, by the eighteenth he was insensate, tension shooting through his jaws as he clenched his teeth, his entire world view narrowing until it was just him and a metallic smelling target painted in red and green.


    It was catharsis embodied.


    Smashing the goblin flat once more, he kicked its machete free of its grip and mounted it. He rained down blow after blow, the goblins rage-filled cries slowly transitioning to a wet gurgle as he shattered its long nose and caved in its jaw. It didn¡¯t last much longer than that. With a crunch, he had broken through its skull, planting his hand up to his wrist in grey matter.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Serf slain**


    Then he stood once more, his chest heaving as he stared down at the shattered remnants of the abused depths-born, its brain dripping from his fingers in hot globs that left traces of fatty slickness on his skin. The iron stench of its blood mixed with the spore-filled must of the fields, a bouquet that urged him on to greater acts of rage.


    He backed up, his heart cooling as the Bloodsong slowly left him.


    Turning away from the destruction he had wrought, Kaius let out a long sigh. He still ached with worry and uncertainty at his Father¡¯s fate. He wasn¡¯t sure how much that had helped, and it rankled how easily he had indulged meaningless cruelty.


    Porkchop waited for him at the top of the rise, standing over his gear.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I feel after that,¡± he said.


    ¡°I know, but at least you are calmer. Let¡¯s get your last level for your healing skill, and then we can push on to the city.¡± Porkchop replied.


    Kaius looked over to his left, taking in the titanic stacked walls of the dwarven citadel. Even from such a distance, he could make out the sharp engravings that covered the darkened stone. He smiled as he did so, watching the shattered gate that they had originally passed through so many months ago.


    Their next trip through the city would be far different from their first one. No more scurrying through the alleys. It would be a hard fight, but a fun one. Besides, he¡¯d been looking forward to practising fighting together with Porkchop since they had gotten their bond skill.

 Chapter 108: Montage or: Eye of the Meles

    Kaius did up the last buckle of his cuirass, the cold alloy wrapping him in a comforting protective weight. They¡¯d stopped by the gate to the city, the shattered and twisted steel blown inwards to reveal a familiar arterial road lined with austere and blocky buildings. Rows of barracks and smithies, the military industrial backbone of the fortress.


    The walls of the fortress city loomed over him, draping both he and Porkchop in a deep cloak of shadow as its bulk hid them from the crystal sun suspended over the centre of the city.


    Hidden behind a shard of stride-thick steel as large as a barn door, his skill sharpened eyes slid over the dozens of bodies of dwarven heavy shock troops, wrapped in enough metal to arm a whole warband. Instead, it was the teeming masses of goblins that caroused in the street, and lounged in the shadowy alleys, that held his attention.


    The biome had reset in their absence.


    Thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately, the Champions had not. They would have come across the mounted goblin Outrider in their blitz through the fungal fields if they had.


    He held up his left hand, seeing the High Lothian lines of his runic hymns peaking through the gaps in his armour. With his latest increase to Intelligence he had been able to inscribe a full eighteen charges of his spell. A weighty payload, considering each one promised death to all but a Champion.


    Tightening his grip until his knuckles went white, he felt his newly enhanced strength, the way his hardened flesh resisted the pressure. Even the sensation of pressure was heightened.


    Beast-blooded. Kaius still didn¡¯t understand the full depths of his transformation. He would soon.


    Dropping his arm back to his side he drew A Father¡¯s Gift.


    ¡°You ready?¡± Kaius asked, keeping his eyes locked on the goblins just inside the gate.


    Porkchop let out a soft, rumbling growl, anticipation and primal aggression flooding through their link.


    Kaius smiled at that, feeling his heart start to thrum with the drums of war. He drank deep from the river of their bond, falling into its embrace. Porkchop did the same, a well of insight and understanding flooding between them.


    On some level it was similar to the raw dissolution of self that he experienced when they had forged the skill. Yet if that was a raging forest fire that threatened to consume him from within, this was the warmth of shared brotherhood found around the campfire that held back the dark.


    The lines between them blurred. He could feel the dirt beneath Porkchop¡¯s pads, the way the tepid wind of the cavern ruffled his fur, how his thick barding weighed comfortably across his back and shoulders. When Porkchop took a step forwards, he knew the motion as if he had done it himself. The weight and speed of it, the direction and motion. The intention.


    Yet still, he remained himself. There was no gestalt, no dissolution of self. Simple awareness and understanding, heightened to a level that only those who shared a centre might understand.


    They charged forwards, a cry of delight and a promise of violence on his lips. To his side, his brother roared a challenge, daring the goblins to meet them on the field of their doom.


    The goblins paused, staring at them almost incredulously. Frozen in shock, even if just for a moment.


    Racing through the gate, they made no move to head for the alley. This was a battle of might and fury, not of tactics and insight. Kaius¡¯s left arm snapped up, flicking towards the goblin archers that lined the roof of the tallest building to their left. The barracks they had first explored.


    One after another, azure darts snapped into existence, lancing through the air to punch through the flimsy leathers of the archers and settling deep in their chests. Before he had taken three more steps, a staccato of wet booms echoed through the city. Ribs distended before rupturing totally, goblin flesh and organ meat fountaining from gaping holes that had been blown in the archers torsos.


    One by one, they fell from the roof. Hitting the ground dead.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Archer slain**


    ¡­


    **Ding! level 12 Goblin Archer slain**


    As they impacted the stone with a sickening splash, the spell that enthralled the mob of goblins on the street was broken. They howled, racing towards them in a tide of green bearing all manner of crude clubs, machetes, hatchets and more. Tributaries streamed from the alleys, merging with the greater wave to bolster their assault.


    True Sight sharpened, and he drank in their ranks. He could see it. The lacking coordination. The way they jostled, shoved, and clawed their way forwards. The weak points in the lines. The cracks in the bulwark.


    This was no regiment. It was a rabble.


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 20!**


    Porkchop saw through his eyes, and understood.


    Kaius lept forwards even as Porkchop activated his amulet, slamming into the horde like an avalanche of fury. Bones shattered, and diminutive bodies were tossed to the side in the destructive mayhem of the collision. Then Kaius was there, his blade flashing between mid-guard, to high, to inside, caving in skulls and taking heads in a fluid dance of destruction.


    Porkchop laid into the mob with raking swipes of glowing blue mana blades, splitting skin and tattered armour with equal ease.


    Despite their fury, strength, and speed, the goblins were almost innumerable. They pushed on, the tide of green surrounding them from all sides as they fought their way into the centre of the group.


    Kaius felt doom flare from behind him, seeing through his brother''s eyes as half a dozen knives and clubs raced for his back. He moved, twisting with unnatural speed and stability, lurching away from the crushing strikes.


    **Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 2!**


    Bending backwards at the hips, a heavy hobnailed club sailed over his chest. Kaius flowed with his movement, whirling his blade in a horizontal blur of silver that rent the life from three of the goblins who pressed him. They were a drop in the ocean, more depths-born stepping forward from the thrum of bodies to assault him once more.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Danger pressed from every angle, his mind aching as enhanced sight drank in the depths of his enemies, every muscular twitch and shift of their eyes belying their intentions. Adamant Body worked with Uncanny Dodge to keep him whole, sliding through a blitz of steel with an unnatural quickness and dexterity.


    **Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 3!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 7!**


    Yet even skill enhanced agility was not enough to avoid the torrent of blades and bludgeons. When his dodging failed, it was his armour that saw him through the day, micromovements and smooth adjustments sending the goblins inferior weaponry skittering off his enchanted scalemail.


    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 20!**


    With intimate efficiency he flowed around Porkchop, protecting their flank from being overwhelmed. When the depths-born rallied, amassing into a heaving mob to overwhelm him, his brother was already there, his superior weight and size the rock upon which the wave broke.


    The air grew dense with the iron tang of blood and the pungent stench of split innards. Both of them were drenched in brackish green, and their ears rang with the dissonance of clashing screams of agony paired with roars of goblin fury.


    Still they pressed on.


    ¡­.


    Bogged down as they were in the comparatively tight streets of the residential district, Kaius found himself separated from Porkchop by a six stride thick thrum of goblin bodies. Uncanny Dodge flared a warning, but he was too deep in the thicket to move. An axe slammed into his back, poised just right to lance his kidney. It slipped off his armour in a shower of spikes, yet still the force of the blow was enough to bruise him deeply.


    The wound was washed away in moments, no match for the torrential power of his Health.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 20!**


    Growling in frustration, Kaius booted the goblin bruiser that was in his face, sending the depths-born crashing back into the greater mass of the crowd. Their numbers collapsed into a messy flail of limbs. Porkchop pounced on the money, roaring in fury as he crushed the downed goblins with heavy stomps.


    Kaius whirled, tapping into his bracer that had long since been saturated. Pirouetting into a wide horizontal slash, his blade was infused with a volatile and forcefull energy. Honed and enchanted steel bit into a goblin skirmisher''s waist, the one who had attempted to stab him, and bisected it cleanly.


    The force of his empowered blow was nowhere near expended. Green blood and long-stride upon long-stride of intestines spilled upon the smoothly paved street in a tide of gore.


    As he spun, his eyes sharpened, heightening the dull throbbing in his head as True Sight clutched at all visual detail with covetous claws. Nothing blurred in his sight, and he took in the richly adorned terraces, their opulent interiors layered in dust, and the scores of goblins that surrounded them.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 20!**


    Two archers.


    His hand shot out, golden embers falling from the back of his hand as explosive darts shot over the heads of the horde that pressed him. Ice blue shards sank into wiry flesh. One of the archers gargled and loosed the missile it held at full draw. A warning screamed in his mind, and he drifted to the side with alacrity as a returned arrow whistled past his face.


    A fraction of a moment later, two booms coated the goblins'' backline in the remains of their ranged support.


    His heart kept his rhythm, pumping a song of slaughter through his veins. The world closed in, his sharpened eyes focused only on the chaotic flow of a river of corpses-yet-to-be. Turning once again, he drove his pommel into the back of the head of a bruiser that had been slightly too focused on Porkchop. Bone crunched, and he was by his brother''s side once more.


    They sped up, Porkchop the anvil to his hammer. They corralled the goblins into dense masses of hate, and then crushed them. Leaving discarded limbs and cooling bodies in their wake.


    Kaius grinned, feeling the spray of blood on his exposed teeth.


    At first their bond had been almost distracting, his new sense of Porkchop¡¯s location and actions too foreign to work into his fighting style effectively. Yet now, as they tore their way through the infested city, that had changed. They moved seamlessly, supporting each other''s weaknesses and capitalising on created openings with an efficiency usually reserved for companions who had fought together for decades.


    It was a glorious thing, and their combined slaughter made his blood run hot with savage glee.


    A skirmisher charged him. Porkchop lunged, shoulder barging it and sending the goblin reeling as it lost its footing. Kiaus was ready, slamming the pommel of his sword into the top of its skull, caving in the bone.


    Explorer¡¯s Toolkit twinged, alerting him to yet another archer that rushed to the edge of an alley, arrow already nocked. His hand snapped out in a second, gold and blue scintillating over the thrum of goblin bodies as his Explosive Arcane Bolt snapped over their heads.


    The archer''s eyes widened, and it threw itself to the side in a desperate attempt to dodge. Kaius latched on to his spell with his Mana Manipulation, gritting his teeth as he shredded through the remnants of his free mana to curve the projectile. It sank deep into the archer''s chest with a spray of green blood. A moment later it detonated, covering the alley in entrails and gore.


    Doom screamed as he focused on his spell, his attention getting ripped back to the melee as a bruiser tried to smash in his knee. He slid around the attack with unnatural flexibility, planting his blade in the offending goblin¡¯s head.


    **Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 17!**


    He went back to killing.


    ¡­


    They were in the final stretch now, tall buildings of statecraft and opulent noble estates loomed over them as they pushed their way through the penultimate layer of the city. With how open the pavilions were, it was a hard push.


    Goblins swarmed them from all sides. They might have been lesser in number than the districts below, but without streets and alleys to funnel their numbers, it was far harder to stop themselves from being overwhelmed. It took everything he had to dance through the mass, dealing death with every movement.


    **Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 20!**


    The frenetic battle pushed Kaius to the limit. Every second he warred with the goblins, the more his heart sang, and the more he grew used to fighting as a unit, the more he got used to using his skills as a cohesive gestalt of death.


    Their journey was coming to an end however, they¡¯d arrived at the wide stairs that were cut into the final wall of the city. Spiralling their way around the richly carved buttress, they ascended to the site of their destiny. The Guardian. The fight where they would escape, or die.


    Not yet though, first they had to clear the area surrounding a palatial estate that rested at the food of the embellished stairs. And quite the estate it was. Kaius had never seen so much stained glass. Nor, for that matter, windows quite so large. Crenulations and spires dotted the roof of the estate, the crystal sun far above throwing teeth like shadows on the surroundings.


    Kaius booted a goblin, the last of the current group, sending it to the ground as its head cracked loudly on the pavement. He stepped forwards, smiling as he planted a stride of steel through its eye.


    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Bruiser slain**


    He¡¯d capped his skills; finished his legacy. With that, their ascension through the city was over. They could rest, prepare, and wait for Porkchop to get his final Honour.


    He sighed, feeling the raging tempest that was the Bloodsong melt from his body, leaving fatigue in its wake.


    ¡°Well then,¡± he said, turning to Porkchop who was already licking one paw clean. ¡°Shall we see what they have to eat?¡±


    Porkchop¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°More of that ham stuff from last time?¡±


    Kaius laughed. ¡°We can only hope.¡±

 Chapter 109: A Final Moment of Rest, Preparation, and Approach

    Kaius lounged on a settee, made of finely lacquered wood that was engraved and embossed with solid gold inlay; it was long enough for him to lie at full extension. It was also probably more expensive than the entirety of everything in Three Fields village combined, with cloudy padding that seemed to cradle him from every direction. Blood, green and red both, seeped from his armour to soak into masterfully woven depictions of smithing and craftsmanship, permanently staining the brightly coloured threads.


    In any other situation he might have felt mortified. Even if it was the Depths, ruining something that was clearly more expensive that he could fathom was not exactly something he relished. This was, however, one of over a dozen seats of similar quality in the sitting room, the fifth such sitting room they had found. On the first floor. That they had only explored a bare third of.


    Artificial creation or not, seeing such extravagance on display irked him. Not insomuch in the quality and price of the furnishings, but in the bloody greed of it all. Even with a full clan, the place would feel empty.


    It was a simple, needless, waste in his mind. After growing up in the Arboreal Sea, he could appreciate the desire for expensive comforts, but he simply couldn''t fathom the sheer accumulation of excess. Life was simple on the frontier, you used what you had, to the greatest extent possible. But you didn¡¯t waste it. Nor horde it.


    Even if he ever grew as rich as one must be to own such an estate, he truly couldn''t imagine ever owning one. It was opulence to the point of impracticality. What use was a dozen kitchens if you had to walk what felt like a league to eat?


    No, he¡¯d much prefer something small and cosy. A couple of seats that cost as much as a village would be more than enough for him.


    He sighed, wriggling himself deeper into the embrace of the settee, before he rolled to the side and looked to where Porkchop was splayed out on his back on one of his own.


    ¡°How long until you get Persistent Survivor?¡± Kaius asked.


    Porkchop twisted his head, hanging it over the side of his seat to meet his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been what, a week since you got yours? Not much longer, maybe one or two more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not too bad,¡± Kaius said as he willingly slid sideways and kicked his blood soaked legs onto the settee to lie on his side. ¡°What do we do to fill the time?¡±


    ¡°More food,¡± Porkchop responded immediately.


    Kaius smiled, snorting a touch in amusement. ¡°Besides that. We¡¯re about to head into the biggest fight of our lives, so while a rest is important for us to be in peak condition, I don''t want to get even a little soft.¡±


    Groaning at his response, Porkchop rolled over to look at him more directly. ¡°Easy, we spend a few hours every day getting used to our bond in more brawls, and then we eat like kings when we get back. You could also always work on your spells, do you have any changes you want to make?¡±


    Humming in thought, Kaius considered his hymns. Honestly, he was barely passable at High Lothian, all things considered. He might be able to tweak the spell some more, but he definitely couldn¡¯t forge new spells whole cloth like his father could.


    Which was a damn shame; some sort of fire or acid hymn would have been extremely useful against the ogre.


    ¡°I think I should probably stick to my original Arcane Bolt, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± Kaius said after a moment''s consideration.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Porkchop asked, tilting his head quizzically. It made Kaius smile a little, the comfortable expression on his bond-brothers face completely at odds with fur that was drenched in viscera.


    ¡°Yeah, it was complete overkill against the regular depths-born, and even most Champions. With how expensive it was, it was a really bad option.¡± Kaius replied, thinking back on his first uses of his glyph where his spell had punched clean through a goblin only to carry on and crack the reinforced stone of a manor across the street. ¡°The Guardian, on the other hand, is supposed to be up to twice the layer cap, at least for the first five layers. It could be level forty, and it''s a big motherfucker at that. I want the spell power to do some real damage, even if just to disable a joint.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d know,¡± Porkchop said with a shrug. ¡°You¡¯re the spellcaster after all.¡±


    Porkchop rolled off of his plush and richly embroidered seat, drawing Kaius¡¯s eyes away from the fresco set into the ceiling of a warrior crushing an insectile beast with a warhammer. Where Porkchop had been lying, a smear of green and red was permanently soaked into the soft fabrics.


    ¡°Come on then, as fun as it is to wreck these couches, the blood in my fur and barding is starting to dry.¡± Porkchop said, shaking his body and sending half-congealed droplets of blood and shredded goblin meat showering across the room.


    Kaius recoiled, twisting his head away, but not fast enough to stop a droplet of congealed blood from flying into his mouth.


    He retched, spitting out the irontasting globule that tainted his mouth. ¡°Fucking gross!¡± he yelled, jumping out of the seat. ¡°That¡¯s it, we¡¯re getting clean.¡±


    He strode out the room, stopping at the wide bay doors that opened up into a long hall lined with paintings and side tables covered in a dizzying array of ornaments. Looking back to Porkchop, he found his bond-brother shooting him a cheeky grin.


    ¡°You coming?¡± He asked, rolling his eyes at Porkchop''s antics, who promptly shot after him.


    Unfortunately, getting clean wouldn¡¯t be an immediate thing. They had yet to find one of the wet-rooms that the dwarves liked to use to bathe, and with how large the estate was, it would be a considerable search to find one.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    In the end, much to Kaius¡¯s distaste, it took them the better part of a half hour of walking through halls and peaking through doors before they found one.


    ¡­.


    Kaius stood at the base of the monolithic staircase that was cut into the wall of the fortress-city¡¯s final layer. At its peak he would find his destiny, the goal he and Porkchop had been working towards for over a year now.


    They¡¯d ended up staying in the estate for nearly two weeks. Most of that had simply been waiting for Porkchop to get his own Persistent Survivor Honour. There was one surprise there. Porkchop had gained the same First bonus that he had. It seemed that their bond skill stretched to Honours bonuses, a significant boon for their future growth, especially if it worked similarly for Solo requirements.


    Still, even once they had had that in hand, they¡¯d taken a few more days.Time to train, to get used to their new bond and awareness of each other.


    Time to train, to get used to their new bond and awareness of each other.


    Time to drink and feast like they were dead men. Which they might well be.


    The last few days had taken on a strange air, as manic as it was sombre. They both knew that what they were about to attempt was insanity. Even with all their advantages -completed legacies, a handful of honours, and additional racial traits- fighting a layer two Guardian without classes was bordering on suicidal.


    Not that it would stop them, not now. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time they had done the impossible. No one else who had ended up in the Depths as an unclassed had made it as far as they had, and he knew that they would persevere. They had to, Father¡¯s fate could depend on it.


    It wouldn¡¯t be the first time he had spat in death¡¯s face, and it wouldn¡¯t be the last.


    He was fully suited up, wrapped in Serelian scale and the rest of his armour, five charges of Arcane Bolt primed and ready, and his pack was slung on his back. He turned to look at Porkchop, who in anticipation of their fight was scratching at the stone pavement that led to the stairs that wound their way up the wall.


    ¡°You ready?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Ready to throw myself at death? My only chance of living being the strength of my body and the power of my claws? When have I not been.¡± Porkchop responded, barely restrained violence thrumming across their bond.


    Kaius grinned. He could feel it too. The Bloodsong. The sweet taste of battle that all career delvers felt in some capacity. It resonated in his bones, pulsing with fiery intensity with every beat of his heart.


    ¡°Let''s do it then.¡± he said, taking the first step.


    They started to climb, passing engraving after engraving, each one showing what looked to be a historical moment for the city. Dwarves exploring the deep darkness of caves that networked through the earth''s depths. Finding¡­something. Some sort of crystal. News being returned to the surface, and a greater team returning. A cavern being widened, and a town being founded.


    It was a fascinating thing to watch, and probably his favourite part of the dwarven city. Each one of the city''s walls seemed to have their own story, told in the art of masters on a scale so large it was almost unfathomable.


    As they ascended to meet their destiny, Kaius turned towards Porkchop and went over their final plan.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got the seven rejuvenation tonics and the rage tonic in my pouch, you still think you¡¯ll be okay to catch one if I need to toss it to you?¡± he asked.


    Porkchop rolled his eyes. ¡°Kaius, we practised throwing around that damned bottle for days, I''m positive it will be fine.¡±


    Kaius grunted. He still wasn¡¯t perfectly comfortable with holding onto their entire supply of the valuable healing elixirs, but they had very little other option. Porkchop had no hands, and there was sweet fuck all they could do about that little anatomical detail. At least for now. He had heard of artefacts that allowed you to imbibe a tonic from an internal reservoir, but whatever potential presence that had been influencing their depths rewards hadn¡¯t deigned to grant them one.


    The other potions wouldn¡¯t be an issue. They planned on splitting them between them and downing them to the last drop before they entered the arena. It would be harsh, and the sheer amount of magical energy from so many brews would no doubt be hard on their bodies. It was still better than going without, especially when facing what would no doubt be a foe that could kill them in a single solid hit.


    It was about the height of what they could do to influence the fight in their favour. He¡¯d wanted to see if they could inscribe some sort of binding formation like they had with the hobgoblin champion, but Porkchop had refused. Vehemently.


    Too much of a risk, he¡¯d said. Slaying the Guardian as unclassed would be a feat worthy of bardsong, and by that measure it would have an incredible influence on the quality and type of his class, and Porkchop¡¯s bloodline awakening. Approaching it like a traditional runewright would have far too great of a risk of bending his class in that direction.


    He still thought it would be worth it. Even a Legendary class wouldn¡¯t be worth it if it led to one of their deaths.


    Still, he had acquiesced in the end. He knew if he tried Porkchop would just ruin the formation before he could finish it anyway. At least, that¡¯s what he had promised.


    After what felt like an age of leg-burning climbing, they reached the peak. Much like every other district entrance, this one was barred by a shattered metal door of titanic proportions. It was even more ostentatious than the inlayed gate at the start of the noble district below, made of what looked to be solid silver studded in green and yellow gems, some great force had torn much of the metal like tissue.


    Shards of the precious material were scattered across the final stairs, and for a good forty strides through the portal.


    Kaius dropped his pack, slinging it up against the wall so that there was no chance of the everpresent cavern wind blowing it off the sheer drop to his right.


    He pressed himself close to the stone, dropping into a crouch as he felt Explorer¡¯s Toolkit wrap him in its embrace. ¡°Stay here, i¡¯m just going to take a quick peek before we get started.¡± he whispered, Porkchop giving him a curt nod in response.


    Heart thumping away in his chest, Kaius felt his mouth creep up at the edges. He felt the icy claws of stress and dread sinking into his spine, the cold chill of fear that rested on his shoulders and settled in his chest - prickling his skin. Yet more than that, he felt alive. The heat of his singing blood kept the gloom at bay, leaving only a thrumming anticipation in its wake.


    This was it. The final battle. The one he had bled and screamed for, pushing himself harder than anyone had before to scrape and claw at every advantage he could.

 Chapter 110: It’s All Ogre pt 1.

    Leaning forwards, Kaius peered around the shattered jewel-encrusted gate that led to the final district of the dwarven city. Like a mountain with its top shorn clean off, the pinnacle of the dwarven city was a flat and open space.


    Great stone tiles as large as a house paved its surface, while equidistant ridged stone columns surrounded the edges of the constructed plateau. Nothing linked them, the edge of the rise a simple sheer drop to the administrative district far below.


    Masterful dwarven construction it might have been, but the stout engineers clearly had no mind for safety.


    Dozens of statues dotted the space, each one twice his own height and an artist''s magnum opus in their own right. Stone flowed as if cloth, shone as if polished plate armour, and damn near breathed as if it was living. Each depicted what must have been some dwarven paragon, bastions of their society immortalised in regal sculpture. As was to be expected, most were warriors and artisans, plying the tools of their trades. Yet not all, on more than one occasion he spotted the familiar crook of a magi¡¯s staff, or the scrolls and quill of a scholar.


    However, despite the sublime creations that put even the masterpieces of the lower city to shame, it was not the dwarf-craft that held his attention. Instead it was another figure¡ªfar more mean and terrible¡ªthat prowled through the garden of carved stone.


    Hulking.


    Brutish.


    Bestial.


    It must have been an easy eighteen strides tall to his six and a half. Its skin was more callus than flesh, grey warts and knobbled lumps marring its off-green complexion. A head too large, too deformed, to look natural - only held in place by an equally grotesque neck. One so short that its chin almost merged with its chest.


    A heavy, jutting brow shielded its pinhole eyes from the radiance of the false sun above. Despite that significant cover, the ogre still winced in discomfort every time it faced in the false-sun¡¯s direction.


    Kaius gulped, staring at their fated challenge with apprehension. It was fucking huge. Big enough that it made the statues look to scale. Still, despite its prodigious size, he couldn¡¯t deny the way his heart raced at the thought of slaying such a giant. It would be a feat for the ages.


    Not that ogres were traditionally such a great threat, at least for the elites of the frontier. Too stupid by half to ever make it to the second tier with any regularity, nor possessing the aptitude to make it any further than that, at least for the common breeds.


    Yet to defeat an ogre as an unclassed? One empowered to the status of Guardian? That was more than worth an epithet. Kaius Ogresbane. He rolled the words around his tongue, tasting their flavour. He found he liked it. The way it made his heart race, sent his blood surging with the potent spice of risk and deadly battle. It would make a fine capstone for his preparations for his class.


    Besides, there was no way that something as base as an ogre would stand between him and Father. He would not let a simple fight, no matter how deadly, stop them from reuniting, even if only to perform his final respects.


    Thankfully, whatever outfitting the goblin horde had done for the brute, it hadn¡¯t extended beyond giving the thing a sheet sized leather loincloth and a crude club fashioned from an entire tree trunk.


    He focused his True Sight on the creature, drinking in its status.


    Siege Ogre - Level 36:


    Guardian, Depths-born, Vanguard, Low Race


    At the very least the bastard wasn¡¯t level forty, the cap for a Guardian of the second layer. If it had been they would have had to contend with it having a third active skill. Even then, it was a small comfort. A single solid smack from its club would be enough to pulp either one of them.


    Kaius pulled back, slinking down the stairs to where Porkchop waited.


    ¡­.


    They retreated further down the staircase. Not too far, just enough that they could discuss the coming conflict without worrying of the ogre overhearing them.


    ¡°So? What did you think?¡± Porkchop asked, the emotions flowing across their bond making it obvious he was eager for their battle to start in earnest.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to ground it somehow, the thing looks to be almost thrice my bloody height!¡± Kaius explained, looking up from his pack where he was rifling through it to pull out their potions one by one.


    ¡°Any major dangers?¡±


    ¡°Below level forty, so only two skills. It¡¯s club is going to be a problem though. It looked cumbersome, but it''s the size of a small tree. Any good hit will paste either one of us.¡± he said, pulling out a fizzing orange regeneration tonic to set it down beside the silvery one that would boost his magic.


    ¡°You want to take point then? You¡¯re better at dodging those sorts of things than me.¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius gave his bond-brother a nod. It was true, even if Porkchop was faster than him in a straight sprint, there was the simple fact that standing upright made it easier to leap away from oncoming blows. That, and Uncanny Dodge would be a powerful equaliser when it came to avoiding the ogre.


    A few weeks ago he would have been less confident, before he had received Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus and become Beastblooded. Now, his body thrummed with physical might, and his mind drank in detail faster than ever before. It was hard to quantify, especially because the growth had been even across the board, but he felt significantly more powerful than before. The interference of stats made it all the more confusing, but it was noticeably potent. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try for a headshot as an opener. I don¡¯t think it will actually work, but the potential rewards of crippling it from the get go are too good to pass up. Otherwise I''ll unload the rest into one of its knees. Hampering its mobility should be our focus. It¡¯ll be too difficult to wear it down if we never get a shot at its vitals.¡± Kaius explained. It was a quick strategy. Simple and devoid of complex plans or manoeuvres. Those had become unnecessary. For one, complex plans often went out the window in the heat of battle, and for two, they no longer needed to rigorously communicate their goals and intentions.


    With how they had been falling into sync in each battle, the other would simply know.


    Porkchop looked down to where Kaius placed the last tonic in a line. Five square glass bottles, two orange, two lilac, and one silver.


    ¡°Remind me about those again? I haven''t really paid much attention to our potion stocks since you have been taking care of them.¡± Porkchop asked, leaning forward to sniff the potent alchemical concoctions.


    ¡°Two Solar Revitalisation tonics, which will boost our health and stamina regen by about fifteen for more than twice that many minutes,¡± he swept his hand over the fizzing orange bottles, the ones that tasted of floral sunshine, then to the two lilac potions, ¡°two Jack Rabbit tonics, which will boost our speed by an unknown amount for ¡®several¡¯ minutes, and a tonic of Lunar Empowerment, which will give me some sort of lunar wisdom and boost my magic.¡±


    Kaius smiled as Porkchop cocked an eye at the last potion. ¡°Lunar wisdom? Sounds suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± he said, picking up the metallic potion and giving it a swirl, before placing it back with the other. ¡°Unfortunately we need every advantage we can get. I will, however, be saving Psychopathic Assault for an emergency. It''s strong, but if we can''t kill it before it wears off, then the weakness will almost certainly kill me.¡±


    Porkchop nodded, satisfied with his explanation, before he looked up and met Kaius¡¯s eyes. They were hard. Determined.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Porkchop asked, conviction and bloodlust seeping across their bond.


    Kaius took a deep breath, feeling the effervescent tension that clung to his spine. Only overshadowed by the racing anticipation in his heart and the song of violence that coursed through his blood. He smiled. ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Good, then help me drink these tonics and let us get this done.¡±


    Kaius nodded and scooped up both a Revitalisation and Jack Rabbit tonic, before quickly uncorking them and upending them into Porkchop¡¯s waiting mouth. As the alchemically charged fluids hit his bond brothers tongue, a riot of sensation seeped through their bond. Even muted, it was¡­intense. A confusing mash of the prickling power of the raw arcane, flavoured with the blurring of the wind and the warmth of the sun.


    Tossing the empty bottles into his pack, Kaius scooped up his own potions and started to imbibe them one by one. First came the slow inexorable vitality of Solar Revitalisation, tasting of spring growth and the warm embrace of the morning sun. Then the lilac Jack Rabbit tonic hit his tongue, washing it away in a furious rush of the acidic burn of worked muscles, and the pounding tempo of the chase.


    Kaius paused, the Lunar Empowerment tonic half way to his mouth. Where the potions mixed in his stomach he could feel the arcane energies mixing. While it wasn¡¯t so contentious as to cause ill effects, he could feel the mana radiating off of the mixture in waves, filling him with a frenetic energy. Like having one too many cups of jappa.


    He downed his last potion. Metallic silver coated his mouth, heavy, cloying, and velvety smooth. It clung to his throat with the desperate embrace of an abandoned lover, overwhelming his palate with base notes of secrets long kept, and fortunes long sought.


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Solar Revitalisation**


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Jack Rabbit**


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Lunar Empowerment**


    Power thrummed, surging through him as the alchemical mixtures absorbed into his body with arcane swiftness, more condensed conceptual potency suspended in mana than a true fluid.


    A soothing heat welled up from his soul space, his Health and Stamina regeneration bolstered, small wisps of energy dissipating into the ether as his full resource pools were unable to capture their power. Frenetic tension set deep into his muscles and bones, reinforcing them for explosive movement. He shifted on his feet, feeling the way his body reacted, the way his reflexes kept up with his empowered motion.


    Then his mind expanded, and the ever present glow of mana in his vision became more. Where once it had been simple colours that lay beneath the world, now it became a painting of truth. An insight into the hidden nature of things. There were secrets hidden there, just out of reach. Too veiled to know and understand, but through the power of his tonic they were brought to the forefront. Revealed in just enough definition to barely taste the shape of them.


    He felt the resonance in his mana, the way it was tainted by his thought and conceptions. Even locked down as it was, it could be more. Lunar wisdom guided his hands, impressions of hardness, flight, and violent collision seeping into the ridgid runic structures that held his mana bound.


    There was so much more he could do, if he had just a little time to contemplate on the hidden world that had been revealed. It took all of Kaius¡¯s will to rent his mind away from the temptation, to focus on the task at hand.


    Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to centre himself, and then opened them once more once he had steeled himself. Porkchop was watching him, twitching slightly with the discomfort of standing still.


    ¡°You good?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kaius sighed. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ heady. I¡¯ve got a handle on it now, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    They ascended the stairs once more, the shuddering thumps of the Guardian¡¯s heavy steps on the stone above setting Kaius¡¯s heart ablaze with their aggressive tempo. Pausing just for a moment at the shattered gates, they shared a final look before they stepped through the portal and onto the flattened plateau that made up the summit of the dwarven citadel.


    As soon as their feet landed, the grim visage of the Guardian snapped over to them. Warned of their presence by some unknown insight.


    It howled. Deep, bassy, and full of rage.


    Behind them a barrier snapped into existence, sealing off the gate and linking each pillar that encircled the plateau in shimmering purple.


    No way out, it was do or die.


    **Ding! You have challenged a Guardian: Siege Ogre!**


    **Ding! Good Luck**

 Chapter 111: It’s All Ogre pt.2

    The ogre opened its tusk-ridden mouth wide and bellowed a cacophonous challenge. It stood in the middle of the carved plateau that made up the summit of the dwarven city, surrounded on all sides by a garden of lovingly carved statues.


    Shimmering blue walls had sealed in the summit, linking the many columns that lined its edge. Kaius ignored the surprise barrier; it was always going to be do or die, a lack of escape meant nothing.


    Like a physical wave, the roar echoed through the massive cavern, punching deep into Kaius¡¯s chest. He was already sprinting forwards. The ogre heaved on its massive iron wrapped club, shattering one of the many statues that surrounded it with a contemptuous swing. Thanks to the Jack Rabbit tonic that he had imbibed, every touch of foot against stone sent him sailing through the air as he rapidly closed the distance - wind whistling past his ears.


    Even though he was still at least a good hundred odd long-strides from his target, shrapnel from the shattered statue showered him, plinking off of his cuirass and helmet. A testament to the Siege Ogre¡¯s power.


    As he ran, Porkchop peeled away from him, moving through the questionable cover of the widely spaced sculptures to flank the Guardian. If there was to be any hope of it working, Kaius knew he had to hold the ogre¡¯s attention.


    Half the distance between them disappeared in an instant, his full sprint eating away at the gap. He gestured towards the ogre with his off hand, aiming for one of its sunken and beady eyes as his hand glittered with the detritus of burnt runes. An azure shard, nearly as big as one of his forearms, crackled with magical potency as it substantiated and then shot forwards. The runic hymn screamed through the air, calling out in violence and hate as its empowered form sparked with arcane discharge, Lunar Wisdom at work.


    His heart thumped, a breath catching in his throat as he watched the spell with focused intensity. Howling in fury at his assault, the ogre lifted one torso sized hand to shield its face.


    The azure shard slammed into its palm, shattering bones and tearing a ragged hole through its flesh. A small one. As it ruptured through the other side of its hand, it disintegrated, showering the ogre''s face in scintillating shards that gouged into its skin.


    A bassy scream of pain and fury echoed out, stinging Kaius in the ears. Dark green blood poured from the wound he had left in its free hand, coating its face in gore as it swatted at the lingering arcane embers that had settled on its face after the dissolution of his spell.


    With his enhanced acuity he saw the exact moment it closed its eyes. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit screamed.


    An opening.


    He thrust out his left hand, aiming for its knee. There was no way he was leaving this to chance. He¡¯d watched his spells eviscerate champions, and even empowered the most violent weapon in his arsenal had done far less to its palm. In moments golden rain fell from his hand as Kaius unleashed a salvo of Arcane Bolts, four crystalline missiles screaming through the air to punch into the joint.


    A terrible crack sounded out across the plateau as his bolts slammed home with preternatural accuracy. The ogre cried out once more. It tried to move, tried to get out of the way, but the speed of his pre-prepared casting left almost no gap between his attacks.


    Cartilage, bone, and flesh exploded out the back of the ogre''s leg, coating a statue of an enrobed magi behind it in gore.


    The Guardian stumbled, but it didn¡¯t fall.


    His blood froze. The ogre roared.


    Lashing out in fury, it whipped its club into another statue, sending chunks of stone flying towards him. Kaius tracked them with his eyes, sliding to the side and bending at his hips as Uncanny Dodge pinged him with a half dozen warnings. Blurring with speed, Kaius danced through the deadly granite rain, growling in frustration as a shower of lesser shards left light cuts on his exposed face.


    Stepping towards him, the ogre stumbled on its ruined leg, barely able to put any weight on its partially shattered joint. It started to limp towards him. Slowly.


    Kaius let out a sigh of relief. At the very least its injured leg had massively hampered its mobility. He would have much preferred if it was completely disabled of course, without any remaining spells he had to commit to melee, and a downed ogre was one much less capable of squashing him like a bug.


    He could feel Porkchop lying in wait behind the Guardian, ready and waiting for him to begin his assault. They moved as one, racing forwards to challenge their opponent.


    Thrumming through his veins with violent intensity, his blood started to sing as the ogre focused on him with a scowl.


    Nothing could compare to this, the sheer rush of staring death in the face and daring it to try harder. There was always something bigger, something more vicious, and something more deadly waiting over the next horizon. Kaius wasn¡¯t going to stop until every last one fell before him, and he stood at the summit.


    Joy bled across his link with Porkchop, a visceral synchronicity of shared violent delights resonating between them. Kaius grinned, feral and bloodthirsty. He¡¯d always known his bond-brother was a kindred spirit, but it was something else entirely to feel it.


    The ogre howled, muscles in its arm and chest rippled under warted and calloused skin as it smashed its club towards him in a great sideways swipe. Multiple skills twinged, all at once. True Vision mapped the path of the club perfectly, while Explorer¡¯s Toolkit and Uncanny Dodge worked in unison to evaluate exactly where and how he was threatened, even as the later joined with Adamant Body to help him move.


    Kaius lept upwards, flicking his legs up and out of the path of the hunk of banded wood that was as thick as his shin was long. He leaned back into his vault, feeling the air whistle through the scales of his armour as the club sailed underneath him, missing him by barely a hair as it skitter-crashed its way across the reinforced dwarven stone.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Feet touched the ground; he dashed in.


    In a moment he stood before the ogre, pivoting his wrists to send A Father¡¯s Gift into a blurring arc of a high cut. The point of his blade bit into the Guardians leathery skin, tearing its way through the base of the creature''s belly. Blood spilled free, but no entrails. No viscera. Even with masterwork steel and masterwrought enchantments, he still struggled to pierce the armour-like hide and thick blubber thanks to his poor angle and leverage, only just barely nicking the muscle.


    The ogre roared, swiping down at him with its free hand and mana pulsed deep in the core of its chest.


    Its first skill.


    His senses tuned in, and Kaius danced back with skill-enhanced dexterity, out of the path of the blow. The ogres palm hit the ground in a clap of thunder, spraying dust and spilled green blood. Stone crashed, a wave of force emanating out from the blow and ringing him like a bell. Kaius gasped, whatever skill the Siege Ogre used punching clean through his warded armour to brutalise the soft flesh of his innards. A cough preceded the thick taste of iron coating his tongue.


    Health roared free from his pool, staunching a dozen screaming wounds that coated his damaged internals. Spitting blood to clear his airway, Kaius wasted no time, launching himself into a deep lunge to plant a stride of steel into the already injured palm of the Guardian. His blade point punctured into the side of the hole his spell had left, avoiding its armoured skin as he did his best to sever the rope-like ligaments that ran along its bones.


    It was like trying to cut through a steel chain.


    Releasing a grunt that sounded closer to the boom of a landslide, the ogre whipped its hand back, forcing Kaius to disengage as it tried to swat him once more. A grimace crossed its grossly distended jaw as it forced its injured leg to bear its weight and heaved its banded club into a wild smash.


    Kaius was already moving, a premonition of danger surging through his nervous system like a wildfire, priming his body for action. Deep in a lunge as he was, he forced all of his system enhanced strength into his front leg, quads burning as Stamina was consumed to fuel his superhuman movement. He launched up, and out, the club sailing underneath him once more.


    That was when he felt Porkchop strike. Tapping into the well of power in the amulet suspended around his neck, Kaius¡¯s bond-brother charged forwards with weighty primal fury. Azure talons, extensions of his own iron-hard digging claws, thrust out - ready and willing to tear into the flesh of the giant.


    Porkchop hit the back of the ogres leg like an avalanche, stride long implements of death plunging deep into its ruined leg, widening the already viscous wound.


    As strong and monstrous as it was, nothing took a magically enhanced charge from a King of the Forest with ease. Kaius¡¯s lips slipped into a rictus grin as the Guardian bellowed in surprised agony, its leg giving out beneath it.


    It fell to the ground on its injured knee, the joint crunching as the impact kicked up dust. The ground quaked.


    His access blocked to the wound, Porkchop tore into the creature''s hamstrings with gusto, using the full weight of his body to drive his claws deep into the sensitive muscle.


    Dazed as it was by the sudden, blindsiding assault, Kaius felt the opening. Its arms had dropped to arrest its fall. His hand blurred to the bandolier at his chest and he ripped a blink-knife free. Hurling the knife at the Guardians face, it spun end over end.


    Calloused hide, even that as thick as the ogre¡¯s, was no match for the armour penetrating enchantment of the thrown weapon. It flinched, then reeled as the needle fine point of the knife sank into the corner of its eye.


    Kaius hissed in displeasure. He¡¯d missed. While the wound had certainly pained his foe, a wound to the tear duct wasn¡¯t going to blind it. A moment later there was a pop of displaced air as the knife reappeared in his bandolier, dripping with green blood.


    Pained and beset from all sides, the ogre screamed in frustrated fury. It balled it''s free hand into a fist, swiping it behind him in a hammering blow. Kaius¡¯s breath caught in his throat. Porkchop tried to move. He was just a hair too slow, the weighty blow clipping his shoulder as he pulled back.


    Giant strength was more than enough to send Kaius¡¯s bond brother flying back, the pain of a cracked shoulder bleeding through their link. Porkchop withstood the blow with a stoic snarl, shoving the agony down deep as bestial vigour and platinum skill allowed him to push on. Digging his claws into the stone for traction, he threw himself back into the fight.


    His fear replaced by righteous fury, Kaius raced back in. Two more blink knives shot towards the ogre''s face. It was ready for them this time, bringing its free hand back around to its front to ward off the stinging projectiles.


    Enchanted knives sunk into its forearms. Against its bulk, they may have as well been gnat bites.


    Great hissing gusts of ill contained dimwitted hatred whistled out between the tusks of the ogre. It raised its club, planting the weapon tip first on the ground with a crack of stone. Muscles as big as he was contracted on its leading leg. It rose.


    Kaius darted in, spinning around a contemptuous slap to try for an arterial strike at its groin. His blade sunk in, nearly a stride of steel releasing a tide of blood from its flesh. Porkchop wasn¡¯t going to be out done, lunging forwards to sink his teeth into the back of the creature''s calf.


    They barely did anything.


    It was too large. Too thick. Too mighty.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes flicked to the wounds on its knee, drinking in the injured joints state in seconds. They were still enormous. Even with the regenerative panacea of Health, the injuries were simply too big to heal quickly. Unfortunately, even if a wound of that size would mean his own end, it was a light wound to the Guardian.


    It swiped at him again, still rising from its half-kneel. Kaius twisted, lashing out at the passing forearm that was thicker than his waist, his blade cutting lightly into the meat. The ogre growled, lashing out again.


    Despite his harrying, the Guardian rose once more to its full height, barely worse for wear. It hefted its club, causing him to tense, only for it to slam it down tipfirst once more, shattering one of the gargantuan flagstones that paved the plateau.


    Its head tipped back. Its warted chest expanded as it sucked in air, leaving itself open. Kaius blurred, taking the opportunity to fall into a vicious stream of slashes, widening the wounds on its knee.


    They needed it disabled.


    Paying them no mind, the ogre let loose an ear piercing roar. Mana streamed from its centre, coalescing and suffusing its flesh. Kaius noted it instantly. It was channelling.


    Screaming a warning through his bond for Porkchop to pull back, he launched away from the ogre, creating distance. Whatever its second skill was, he wanted time to react.


    A stride. A handful. Then a few dozen.


    Its mana pulsed. The Guardian snapped its head towards him, cruel beady eyes shining with malevolence.


    Doom screamed.


    It took a step. The ground cratered. A multi-ton, wall-breaking missile shot towards him as if launched out of a trebuchet.

 Chapter 112: It’s All Ogre pt. 3

    Kaius¡¯s heart caught in his throat as the Siege Ogre flew across the open space between them. There might have been a stone statue between them, but the Guardian cared little, it may as well have been made of straw for all that it slowed it. Stone shattered into dust.


    Every quaking step may as well have taken it another league forward. Something that large should not have been that fast.


    His legs burned, legs pumping with skill enhanced alacrity as he pushed off, sprinting to the side. Dread shot down his spine, it was too fast.


    It was going to hit him.


    Crying out in desperation, he threw himself away from the ogre¡¯s thundering advance, clear of its stomping legs. It swung its iron banded club. Airborne as he was, Kaius could do little other than to hope and pray his dodge had been enough. It wasn¡¯t, the club sailed towards him.


    Bones shattered as the crudely shaped trunk clipped his hip, sending him into a chaotic spiral as he skittered across the ground in a flail of limbs. Everything shrunk to a pinpoint, pain suppressed in the shock of the sudden wound. As if from a distance, he watched his sword fly free from his grasp, clattering against paved stone as it spun away.


    The world blurred as he tumbled, his head ringing as his helmet thwacked heavily into the ground.


    Skidding to a stop by a jagged shard of stone the size of his leg, Kaius groaned. His left leg was twisted, waves of mind bending agony rolling over him. It was just barely held in place by a surge of potent energy from Lesser Regeneration, forcing shards of bone to hold in place as his Health roared free to infuse the site of his injury. Distantly he felt a blare of panic and rage race across his bond.


    Gritting his teeth, Kaius pushed himself to his feet and bit back a howl as his forcibly held together hip barely withstood his weight. His Health acted fast, remoulding pulped flesh and realigning bone as his skin rippled under his armour.


    Unfortunately his cuisses had held up less well, one of the larger armour plates that encircled his hips half crumpled. It would recover, but it would take time, until then he would have to suffer it digging in uncomfortably. Thankfully it wouldn''t hamper his movements too much, the ogre''s heavy blow had just barely clipped him, and had nearly torn the plate off laterally rather than crushing it inwards.


    Porkchop¡¯s howl of bloodlust tore through his pain-addled mind. Without looking, he knew that Porkchop was uninjured, only fury flowed through their bond. For now. Trusting that his leg would hold up to the strain, he forced down the agony of his quickly healing hip and ran for his sword. Resting against the base of a nearby statue of a dwarven warlord, it took him precious seconds to close the distance.


    As he ran, he checked his resources.


    Resources:


    Health - 334/510 (4.1/min +15/min)


    Stamina - 367/410 (4.1/min +15/min)


    Mana - 16/560 (5.6/min)


    Free Mana - 16/560


    Reserved Mana - 0


    He growled as he took in the damage that the Ogre had done to him. Dropping a hand to his waist, he quickly withdrew one of their precious healing draughts.


    Ripping the cork free with his teeth, he barely managed to avoid spilling any of the precious liquor as he poured it down his throat. It tasted of old wounds, clean linen, and the respite of a healer''s care.


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Lesser Blooming Rejuvenation**


    Another howl echoed out across the peak of the dwarven city, this time closely followed by a frustrated groan. Scooping his sword up, Kaius spun and trained his wild eyes on the Siege ogre. It was slumped over by the system enforced barrier that had closed around their confrontation. Kaius growled in frustration. Without that blasted field of blue, the siege ogre would have sent itself surging off the edge to its death.


    Still, whether from the collision itself, or from some deleterious effect of its skill, it was dazed. Unfortunately, it was quickly rising.


    He ran.


    Porkchop hadn¡¯t taken his assault lightly. Kaius¡¯s bond-brother had charged in after the Guardian, and was now tearing strips of thick muscle from the back of its leg, still focused on disabling the limb. Even from a good forty strides away, Kaius could see the milky white cartilage and silvery ligaments of the ogre¡¯s knee.


    Even if it was stunned, it didn¡¯t mean that the ogre was no longer a threat. Shaking its head to throw off its confusion, it groaned in frustrated agony as Porkchop tore another strip of woody flesh away from its joint. It flailed, spinning to clumsily wave its oversized club in Porkchop¡¯s direction. Kaius¡¯s bond-brother snarled, lunging inwards to slip under the blow.


    The ogre teetered, the weight of its weapon pulling it off balance. Then with a heavy thud, it got its good leg under it.


    Before it could rise, Kaius skidded to a stop by its injured knee. He plunged A Father¡¯s Gift into the joint, sawing at one of the ropey ligaments that held the leg stable. Even with an inscribed blade and enhanced strength, it still felt like trying to cut through steel cable.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Stepping inwards, Kaius shoved his entire body weight into a thrust, the point of his sword cracking into the back of the ogre¡¯s knee cap as he punched through the joint. The ogre howled, the agony of the puncture enough to fully rouse it. Kaius just barely managed to rip his sword free, drawing its edge against vulnerable ligaments, before it hauled itself upwards.


    With a slow, thundering step, it turned on them and swung towards Kaius with its club. Danger flared in his mind; He dodged back, wincing as his hip twinged during his pivot to avoid a crushing blow to his chest.


    The ogre¡¯s injured leg half buckled, unable to fully support the forces involved in swinging its oversized weapon. Snarling in fury, it whirled the weapon up over its head before it brought it down in a heavy smash, this time switching to target Porkchop.


    Porkchop raced in, howling in agony as his long tail was smashed flat in a spray of red. Feral with rage, Kaius¡¯s bond brother launched himself up to plunge blue tinged mana claws into its groin.


    It flinched, nearly dropping its club as it swatted at Porkchop, forcing him back with the threat of a heavy hammer fist.


    Kaius darted in, slashing at the exposed wound on its knee. Despite all his enhanced strength and speed, and the honed edge of his enchanted blade, the Guardian¡¯s tissues resisted his cut.


    Shuddering in anger, the ogre let out a low growl and heaved on its club. Almost feverish in its incensed fury, its face scrunched, oversized tusks punching up past its lips as it clenched its jaw. It snatched up its club in both hands, hefting it over its head with deceptive ease.


    It slammed the club down, trying to squash Kaius flat. He barely managed to dance away, the ground quaking as he moved, hampering his footing. Doom flared once more, and it brought its club up and down again, obsessed with ending the buzzing threat. Punishment for being so incessant on taking out its leg, Kaius supposed as he pushed his full focus into avoiding the flurry.


    Porkchop didn¡¯t let the moment go to waste, slipping in behind the ogre as it was focused on Kaius. He snarled, hammering the Guardian.


    The ogre snapped its jaws, and kicked back, trying to force Porkchop off of it. Even with that attempt, it still didn¡¯t pause its attempt on Kaius¡¯s life.


    Leaping upwards, Kaius allowed a low side sweep of the Guardian¡¯s club to sail underneath him. As soon as his feet touched the ground he dashed in, moving into a high stab to puncture the already closing wound on its palm.


    Despite the thrilling rush of battle, the heady joy of the Bloodsong, Kaius knew that they had barely wounded the creature. Barely slowed it. It was too tough; he could see its wounds closing. Slowly, sure, there was only so much flesh that health could heal at once, but it was closing.


    Mana pulsed in the ogres chest once more, flowing down its arm to settle in its hands and club. The shockwave skill, it had to be. Kaius¡¯s mind raced. With the reach of the club, both he and Porkchop were in dire danger.


    Doom flared. He made his choice.


    Kaius lunged in, feinting another stab at its injured leg. So used to his focus on its wounds, the Guardian reacted immediately, spinning its club around to shove it point first towards where he would have landed.


    He never arrived, digging his heels in and kicking off the hard stone to throw himself to the side.


    The club hit the ground. Stone shattered. The blast expanded. A shard of a flagstone the size of his head spalled off the ground, screaming through the air to scythe through the edge of the Guardians ankle with ease, just barely missing Porkchop as it glanced off the bone and spun off to shatter against the barrier of the arena. It was almost instantaneous, but with True Sight he just barely caught it. Then the pressure wave hit him, sending him spinning back once more.


    It was only marginally better than getting kicked by a horse, rattling his bones and the soft organs in his chest. His ears whined, a stinging pitch that drilled into the brain.


    Then it was gone, swept aside in a rapid burn of Health.


    Even as he tumbled through the air, his vision didn¡¯t blur, giving him a nauseating spinning view of the entire top of the city as his mind struggled to process the rapid change in perspective. A dull thud echoed through the base of his skull.


    Distantly, he heard the ogre scream.


    He hit the ground, tumbling once over his shoulder before he got his feet under him and dropped one hand to the ground. Sliding back, he came to a slow stop, his sword held out to his left.


    A savage grin split his face, his eyes locked on the ongoing battle. Shielded as he had been by the bulk of the ogre¡¯s leg, Porkchop had escaped the skill relatively unscathed. After the stone shard had torn through the Guardians ankle, he had capitalised on the moment. Kaius watched as his bond brother¡¯s stride long claws burst into brilliant blue, extending them another half a stride, before he plunged them into the crippled ankle up to the base.


    The ogre howled, falling as its leg finally gave out. As tough as it was, it was simply too large to support its own weight with both its ankle and knee savaged.


    The moment was here.


    Kaius raced in, feeling the steady stream of effervescent alchemical power that flooded out from his stomach, surging through his system to support key muscles as he moved faster than he ever had before. His foot touched the ground for a fraction of a moment, before he kicked off with the full power of his enhanced body to sail through the air at what should have been blinding speeds.


    He was there. Flat on the ground as it was, the Guardian tried to swat him. He simply raced around. Skirting the edge of its reach. Keeping it grounded was the only important thing.


    Porkchop had switched to tearing into its knee. Kaius knew that it was to stay safe from its flailing leg, the Guardian kicking out in an ineffectual attempt to shake them off. Kaius raced to its ankle, hopping over a blind kick. His sword swept up overhead as he moved into a high guard.


    A Father¡¯s Gift came down, biting deep into an achilles that was thicker than his leg.


    The ogre didn¡¯t like that. It flailed, strips of warty skin weeping greenish grey blood that smeared on the stone below, stinking of iron and unwashed skin. Darting back from another blind kick, Kaius slipped in behind the limb and brought his blade down on the ligament once more.


    Cutting just a little bit deeper.


    Soon he would be through, and the battle could start in earnest.

 Chapter 113: It’s All Ogre pt. 4

    Porkchop watched through the corner of his eye as his bond-brother tore into the achilles of the ogre, working to further disable it. The Guardian didn¡¯t take the assault without a fight, its massive leg kicking and flailing as it tried to shake them off. It clawed at the ground with its massive hands, Pushing itself up in an effort to sit up and gain some measure of defence against them.


    The heat of bloodlust rushed through him. Porkchop growled, punching his claws deeper into the Guardian¡¯s joint. Hunger and brutal aggression surged as he felt cartilage give slightly before a wet crunch resonated through his paws.


    Letting loose a roar of satisfaction, he drove his other claws into the joint, digging in and savaging the knee as best he could. Chunks of flesh rained free, the air growing heavy with the delectable scent of iron-rich blood.


    He lunged in, sinking his fangs into the hardened muscle of its hamstring, feeling them give before the power of his honed bite. Pulling back, his neck strained as he tore free a strip of flesh, tossing it to the side as the acrid tang of its green vital fluid coated his tongue.


    To his right, Kaius pulled back from the ogre¡¯s ankle. Finished with hacking through the thick rope that supported its foot, his bond-brother moved, dancing over the Guardians kicking legs to run past him. Porkchop tracked him, watching in awe as he stepped up at the last moment, perfectly timing a launch off the ogres leg as it hefted its trunk-like leg up, sailing upwards and over Porkchop to land on the Guardians back.


    As he watched Kaius plunge his sword into the ogres back, Porkchop refused to be outdone. He felt for his amulet. Magical potency thrummed within it; he¡¯d been channelling as much mana as he could into it since its last use, enough that it was ready once more.


    Muscles thrummed with barely constrained power as weight settled in on his bones, adding to the violence of his might. Porkchop kicked off, racing towards the ogre¡¯s injured knee. It was already a ruined thing. Flayed and torn muscle stretched upwards, while the knee itself was a crude mass of mangled bone, cartilage, and ligamenture. More held together by hope and unnatural perseverance than any structural integrity, he knew that it was his greatest chance of permanently hampering the ogre.


    His claws dug in, biting into the dwarven-worked stone. The potent magics of his artefact bolstered him, empowering him with a barely contained force. It was exhilarating, the air rushing through his fur, and the certainty that whatever stood before him would crumple.


    Porkchop impacted the ogre¡¯s knee with a crack, the joint giving way in a snap of bone, its ropey ligaments pulling the knee apart under their immense tension. Primal joy welled within him as the Guardians leg bent inwards, permanently ruined. They wouldn¡¯t give it the time to heal.


    His snout curling, he turned immediately to tear another strip out of its leg. The ogre''s flesh was bitter and rich, coating his tongue with vital green.


    If its howls had been loud before, now the ogres cry was deafening. It started to push itself up, raising onto its hand and good knee. Porkchop watched as Kaius moved, ripping his sword free from the ogre¡¯s back as he kicked himself off the Guardian, pirouetting through the air to bleed off his momentum in a fast roll. His bond-brother raced out, spinning on his front foot to advance once more, planting his forged blade inbetween the giant depths-born¡¯s ribs, before rocking it back and forth to widen the wound.


    The ancestor-blood raged within him, a steady thump sounding in his ears as he quivered, ready and raging to test the ogre¡¯s might. He was a King of the Forest, and he would not be outdone by a two-legged.


    An opening, its stomach within reach.


    Pouncing forward, Porkchop¡¯s claws burst into a brilliant azure as he tore into the stomach of the beast. Kaius had kindly left its skin torn open for him, the wound his blade had left only half healed as the Guardian¡¯s Health struggled to keep up with the size and number of its wounds.


    He tore at the flesh, digging through fat and viscera to tear at the thick wall of abdominal muscles that protected its organs. Blood fell in waves, great globs of flesh shredded beneath his claws. Shaped to cut through earth and stone in the creation of his burrows, muscle parted like water beneath their steely strength.


    Through their connection, he felt Kaius move to assault the Guardian from the front, occupying its attention with the stinging kiss of his sword as he danced around a swarm of hamfisted smashes that quaked the ground with every impact.


    Another rope of muscle pinged, fibres snapping as he plunged through the weave, reaching desperately for the wet snakes of entrails that they hid from him. He was soaked now, barding drenched and his black-red fur matted and thick with the Guardian¡¯s blood.


    That was too much for the ogre. Howling in fury, it shifted, ignoring his bond-brother lancing it through the clavicle as it bent over and reached towards him with unsettling speed.


    Porkchop tried to race back, but tall as it was he was left with almost no room to manoeuvre beneath its bulk.


    One massive hand settled over his side, latching on to his barding and crushing metal plating into his side. Porkchop gasped, his bones creaking. Even with the strength of his skills and the power of his body, it was nothing to the Guardians titanic might.


    Agony, hot and wet, lanced into him as ribs snapped and were driven deep into his chest. His breath rattled free, his mouth filling with iron-tanged foam. Still the ogre squeezed, squishing its hand with crushing might as it let out a baleful roar and dragged him free.


    He snarled, twisting as he tried to sink his fangs into its wrist, scrambled with his rear claws at the thick fingers that pressed into him. Something. Anything that would release him from the agony.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Claws dug in to hardened stone, and still he was dragged free.


    Heaving its massive muscles, the ogre pulled him out from under its chest, fingers weeping as streams of blood poured from the wounds he had left in its hand. It hoisted him upwards, bringing him up to stare at him with pinprick eyes filled with hate. Foetid breath, hot and damp with decay, washed over him, stinking of old wounds and rotten flesh. Forgotten quickly as it tightened its grip, crushing his last breath out of him.


    Below him, Porkchop could feel Kaius going mad in frantic rage, laying waste to the ogre¡¯s chest and the remaining arm that still kept it grounded. The guardian winced, lips curling as its gaze flicked to his bond brother, frustration evident on its face.


    Porkchop mewled, desperate to just breathe, as he clawed at anything he could get his paws on. Snapping in hate, the ogre lurched backwards, Porkchop just barely getting a glimpse of Kaius¡¯s blade nicking the guardian''s throat. His bond-brother stepped in once more, lunging to drive his blade deep into its flesh.


    The ogre gave Porkchop a final look of contempt, before it tossed his shattered body to the side. He sailed through the air, fighting against the agony of punctured lungs and shattered ribs as he twisted to land on his feet. Force jolted through his legs, his nerves lighting up with a fury as the weight of his body pulled on his ruined torso.


    Gurgling, he retched, red blood spilling out of his mouth as his Health burned like wildfire, sealing internal wounds and shifting his bones back into alignment. Muscle warped, reknitting and bracing itself as his ribs sealed themselves. Kaius might have had his Lesser Regeneration, but he had Boundless Vigour, an eight merge skill. Not even a missing limb would put him down for good.


    A deep growl echoed through his chest as he spun, ready to dive back in. He might not have been healed fully, but it was enough to fight. No meles, not even lesser, would let something as minor as pain stand in their way.


    Focusing on the fight, he watched as the ogre tensed, its good leg and both hands digging into the ground as it hurled its considerable bulk into a dive, arms sweeping out in an attempt to pin his bond-brother. Kaius was already moving, a strange alacrity surging through him as he threw himself backwards, narrowly avoiding being squashed beneath the ogre¡¯s bulk.


    The beast hit the ground with a thump, and Kaius dove in. Flashing silver in the reflected light of the false-sun, his blade punched deep into the ogre¡¯s eye, ramming in before it stuck fast against the back of the orbit.


    Porkchop forced his aching body to move, advancing to support his bond-brother. The ogre howled, swatting at Kaius with a frenetic flurry of swipes. Porkchop¡¯s heart leapt into his throat, his brother¡¯s form obscured by the ogres bulk.


    A second later he breathed a sigh of relief as Kaius fell back, leaping away from the Guardian¡¯s deadly swipes. Racing away from the ogre, Kaius turned and locked eyes with him, intention flowing bright and clear through their bond.


    Porkchop readied himself.


    A moment later, Kaius ripped a tonic free from his pouch, hurling it through the air. Orange liquid sloshed as the glass bottle caught the light of the suspended crystal above, glinting. Ignoring the spike of pain in his chest, Porkchop lunged, snapping up the bottle with his jaws.


    He bit down, biting through the reinforced glass to release the life giving fluid. Glass shards dug into his cheeks and tongue as the warm embrace of a restful sleep slid down his throat.


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Lesser Blooming Rejuvenation**


    Alchemy surged through him, rushing to bolster his Health and partially refilling his pool. His body healed, Porkchop spat out the remnant shards of glass and blood. They clinked as they hit the stone. Shifting his attention to his resources, he took in the damage to his pools.


    Resources:


    Health - 484/720 (4.1/min +15/min)


    Stamina - 579/720 (4.1/min +15/min)


    Mana - 632/720 (5.6/min)


    Feral anticipation flooded him. It was more than enough to see him through.


    Snapping back to the fight, he surged forwards, racing over the ground. Kaius had reengaged the ogre, who bellowed in rage as his bond-brother danced through a myriad of crushing strikes. Howling with hatred, it lunged forwards, sweeping its arm to catch him in a wide swipe.


    His heart skipped a beat as Kaius blurred back, only to get caught by the tips of the ogres fingers. Even that small brush was enough to dent in his flexible scale, sending him spinning across the ground in a tangle of limbs and crashing steel.


    Roaring in fright and fury, Porkchop threw himself at the Guardian as it raised up, ready and prepared to end Kaius with the finality of a crushing hammer fist. Lunging inside the ogres guard, he drove his paw into its armpit, burying his arcane enhanced claws deep into the vulnerable muscle and flesh.


    The ogre¡¯s gaze snapped towards him, twisted in rage. One beady eye focused on him shining with hate, its twin nothing more than a ragged mess of bleeding flesh and leaking jelly. Even then, Porkchop could see the signs of the wound closing. The ogre still had plenty of health.


    Snarling, he raked his claws down through its arm, tearing as much of the muscle as he could. The barest hint of a glow emanated from the ogre, suffusing it in a slight coloured tint. Porkchop started. Mana.


    Abandoning finishing Kaius off, the ogre swiped at him, driving him back. Porkchop threw himself away from the blow. He knew what was coming.


    Its fist hit the ground with a cacophonous boom, shattering stone as a wave of force rolled out and kicked him in the chest. Porkchop¡¯s ears peaked to a shattering whine, its flattened on his head as  shards of pain stabbed into his mind. Then everything went quiet.


    Mana still burned in the ogres chest. He raced back, claws biting against stone as his legs burned with the heat of desperation. Whipping his head over his shoulder, he saw the Guardian locked on him, raised up on its hands and good leg. Braced like he had seen Kaius do for a sprint.


    He was too late.


    The mana released. Stone shattered beneath the ogres bulk, and it launched forwards at blinding speeds.


    Adrenaline spiked through him, Porkchop¡¯s eyes narrowing as he saw oncoming death as the ogre sailed through the air. He didn¡¯t have the speed, the agility to dodge. Panic tore through his bond, but he heard no cries. No nothing.


    He dug his claws in, spinning before he threw himself towards his oncoming doom, flattening himself on the ground in the hope that the Guardian would fly over him.


    For a moment he thought he succeeded.


    Then the heavy reality of the ogre¡¯s hammerfist crashed into his lower back, shattering him.


    The ogre kept on sailing, landing in a heap a few body lengths behind him. He screamed. Tried to race forwards. To retreat and heal.


    His back legs flopped, dead and numb.

 Chapter 114: It’s All Ogre Finale

    Kaius downed the healing tonic, feeling the alchemical heat bloom in his stomach as it bolstered his reserves of Health. Glass clinked on stone as he tossed the bottle to the side and readied his grip on A Father¡¯s Gift.


    That blow had nearly been the end of him, snapping bone and sending him to the ground hard. If Porkchop hadn¡¯t dived in to tear away the guardian¡¯s attention, he would have been dead.


    Watching Porkchop¡¯s battle with the Guardian intensely, he felt the burning itch of his Health withdraw as his clavicle popped back into place. Then mana flared within the ogre, bursting out to suffuse its flesh in a halo.


    A loud crack echoed across the city¡¯s summit as the ogres palm hit paved stone, releasing a crushing wave of dust. Icy dread raced down his spine as Porkchop narrowly avoided the explosive slap. It climbed to maddening peaks when its mana didn¡¯t fade.


    He was already moving. Sprinting into the fray. The ogre kicked off. He screamed. Porkchop dived. An earth shattering fist smashed his bond-brother flat as the Guardian sailed over him.


    Panic clawed at his throat as Porkchop struggled against the ground, clawing away from the ogre as his back legs lay dead and useless. His hips were slumped, spine hanging at wrong angles.


    Even with Health it was a brutal injury to heal.


    Alchemical speed fueled him as he moved like the wind. Rage and fear flooded his blood, rising into a song that bordered on madness. Three small vials were pulled free. He raced to his brother, glass clinking as he dropped three quarters of their remaining tonics by him.


    One would be enough. It had to be.


    It would be.


    He tore another tonic from his belt, the red of war barely contained by the alchemical glass. Uncorking it with his teeth, he downed the tonic.


    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Psychopathic Assault**


    The ash of spilled blood and scorched bone filled his mouth, swirling with the hoarfrost of a mass grave kissed by the rising moon that followed war. He swallowed. Alchemical madness tore at his throat, maws built from the teeth of innocents sinking into his flesh.


    Reality sharpened. Focus narrowed until there was only the bleeding, half-broken body of a superior foe.


    Joy spilled out from his chest, seeping from the marrow of his bones to fill him with radiant energy. He was back.


    The ogre shook its head, stumbling as it tried to stand on its shattered leg. It was still dazed. That would help. He raced in, enjoying the way that enhanced stats and alchemy let him almost fly. Silver blurred through the air, parting thickened hide to reveal the beautiful green that yearned to be free.


    His cheeks ached from the strain of his smile. He paid it no mind, only hoping that his toy would last long enough to satisfy him.


    Howling at his assault, the ogre swiped at him. Kaius jumped, kicking off its forearm. Sailing through the air, he planted his sword in the ogres neck and ripped down, using the full weight of his body to cut his way through the Guardians enhanced flesh. Blood fountained, gurgling like a brook as a slick pool formed on the smooth stone of their arena.


    A great cough fought its way free of the ogres chest, a spray of blood fighting its way past its tusks to mist Kaius¡¯s face. He giggled, enjoying the slick heat of it caressing his skin. Tongue running over his lips, he tasted the coppery tang as he leapt back, avoiding an enraged retaliatory strike. Scowling, the ogre lashed out again, just barely clipping his lower left arm and hand as he danced away.


    His forearm snapped like a twig, bone bursting free from his wrist with a wet tear. Two of his fingers were torn free, the pinky and ring. Kaius clucked his tongue, calmly sheathing his sword as he side stepped around another blow. Using his thumb, he jammed his bone back into place, feeling muscle and meat writhe as they tried to seal around his digit.


    The bone healed. He pulled his digit free, drawing his sword once more.


    Not much he could do about the fingers. Health did little with completely excised extremities. It was no matter, he didn¡¯t need them to play and the flesh had already sealed.


    Reaching for his chest with his off hand, Kaius ripped a blink-knife free from his bandolier with his remaining fingers. He didn¡¯t know why he had been trying to avoid it, who cared about a class? All that mattered was the savage joy of slaughter, and the sweet song of pained lamentation.


    He hurled the blade, already moving to pull another free. Balanced as it was, it flew straight and true, sinking into the ogre¡¯s remaining eye in a squirt of clear jelly. The knife tried to jump back. He seized his mana, flooding the artefact to suppress the enchantment with his intent. So simple, so easy. It was a down right embarrassment that he hadn¡¯t done so before.


    The blade stayed, lodged firmly in the Guardian¡¯s orbit.


    Its brothers and sisters followed close behind, wet thunks sounding as blades buried themselves deep into both of the ogre¡¯s sockets. Kaius grinned. There was no way it would be able to heal when sharpened steel tore at its regenerating flesh.


    If only its bones weren¡¯t so tough. It would have been lovely to see what its brains looked like.


    He¡¯d have to bleed it.


    Like a pig.


    Blinded completely by his assault, the ogre howled. Flailing in a wild frenzy of smashing limbs as it ineffectively tried to hunt for him. He giggled at its attempts, the noise heightening the Guardian¡¯s rage as it lunged towards him.


    Skipping to the side, Kaius pivoted on his front foot to twist around a sailing fist. He didn¡¯t punish the blow, instead dancing inwards on silent feet to stop below its head.


    He thrust. Enchanted steel scythed through the open wound on its neck, cutting deeper into the ruined flesh. What was a torrent became a flood, dousing him in the sticky joys of his success. The ogre gurled, breath and foamed blood shooting from the rent he had left in its oesophagus.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Kaius laughed. He couldn¡¯t help it. So much fun.


    Then there was a maddened roar from behind him, and something large and fuzzy hit the Guardian¡¯s side in a bone-cracking collision. Porkchop tore into its side, ripping through skin and fat to claw at its muscle with his talons in a feral frenzy.


    Kaius frowned at the sight, neatly side stepping a stray slap as the ogre lurched at the sudden impact. It seemed his fun had bled across the link. That wasn¡¯t all that good. Rage was a part of the music, but it wasn¡¯t the whole dance. That was ¡­ not good. Anger simmered.


    At least the potions he had left seemed to have done their job, his bond-brother was a tougher nut to crack than he¡¯d given him credit for.


    Better to end it quickly. He could already feel his delicious tonic waning, and he had little interest in burning his bond-brother¡¯s soul in his majesty.


    He ran, whirling into a series of savage overhead sweeps as he worked his blade through the widened wound in the ogres neck. He laughed, tasting the ogre''s blood as it flailed in an attempt to drive him off.


    It was so much fun.


    Then, as he saw the white shine of bone through the gore that used to be its neck, he lanced his sword into the wide gap between vertebrae. Thick and stout as they were, there was plenty of space to slip through.


    A moment was all it took, his green stained blade feeling the slightest resistance before it cut through a rope of nerves.


    The ogre went limp.


    Kaius smiled, wide and happy, as he stepped out of the way of its collapsing bulk. He gave its jaw a happy kick. The ogre snarled, snapping ineffectively as its lifeblood pumped free, its breath billowing ineffectively from the rent in its neck as it tried to scream.


    Leaping onto its back, Kaius took a moment to check on Porkchop. He smiled and tutted when he saw his brother waist deep in the guardians entrails, tearing out flesh and viscera by the handful. Breathing deep, he savoured the scent of spilled blood and last week¡¯s meal. The smell of victory.


    ¡°One. two. Three. Four.¡± He counted out its ribs in a singsong voice, walking along its back.


    He stopped, feeling the cold grasp of his joy slowly pulling away from his fingertips. He frowned, spinning his blade to hold it in a reverse grip. Raising it high overhead, he slammed it down between the ogre¡¯s ribs, throwing his whole weight behind it to sink it to the hilt.


    Then he started to rock it back and forth.


    It would have been nice for the party to last a little longer, but such was life. The fun things never lasted forever. Blood welled up from the wound. That should have been enough to get its aorta, if its anatomy was similar enough, that is.


    Yanking his blade free, he moved down a rib, taking a second to steady his angle before he plunged his sword into the ogres flesh once more.


    He sawed, working through the tough hide as he did his best to tear through the walls of its heart. Straining his ears, he could just barely hear that its head was starting to slow in its wild gnashing.


    Grinning, he pulled his blade free in a torrent of blood and adjusted his angle. It wouldn¡¯t be long now.


    ¡­.


    Kaius slumped to his knees as a series of dings sounded in his mind, the cooling flesh of the ogre¡¯s back having a disconcerting amount of give beneath his legs. The psychopathic assault tonic had worn off a minute ago, but he¡¯d forced himself to push on until he¡¯d confirmed the Guardians death.


    Still, he had no intention of resting here of all places. Forcing through the weighty blanket of lethargy that had settled on him, he forced himself to his feet and pulled his blade free of the slain Guardians¡¯ flesh.


    Below him, he could feel Porkchop extracting himself from the tunnel he had carved into the ogre¡¯s stomach, and the disgusting way unmentionable viscera had coated every inch of his bond-brother.


    Walking to the edge of the ogre, Kaius leapt down to the ground, stumbling slightly as he landed.


    ¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡± He asked, turning his attention to where Porkchop was trying ineffectively to scrape the worst of the goop from himself. ¡°It looked like that psycho tonic bled through our bond.


    ¡°I expected it, the bleed-through. It happened a little last time, and that was just with a simple link.¡± Porkchop replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Kaius sighed in relief. ¡°Unfortunately I didn¡¯t manage to get away scott free myself, see?¡± he held up his hand, wiggling the stumps of his fingers.


    Porkchip chirped in surprise, rushing over to inspect the wound closely. ¡°Hells, Kaius, that¡¯s going to mess with your sword play won¡¯t it? We have healers in the dens, they¡¯ll be able to fix it if two-legs can''t.¡±


    Kaius grinned at his friend, amused at how his face had twisted into a caricature of concern.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be alright, it¡¯s just a couple of fingers. It¡¯ll take a little while to get used to, but I shouldn¡¯t be hampered overmuch. And yes, we do have healers, it¡¯ll just be expensive and take a while to get on a list. I think Deadacre has at least one with regeneration powers, but we might need to wait until we travel a bit further afield.¡± Kaius assured Porkchop, scratching him behind the ear.


    ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­ but if it gets in the way and you can''t find a healer, we¡¯ll head to the dens, deal?¡± Porkchop suggested.


    Just as he was about to formulate a reply, a rolling wave of azure mana washed out from the centre of the plateau with blinding intensity. Dense enough that he could feel a slight prickle on his skin.


    Kaius gasped, whipping his head to search for the source of the disturbance as soon as the nearly blinding light had passed. There, at the centre, was a circle of impossibly complex runes. Constantly shifting, their luminance glistened on the polished stone of the surrounding statues.


    Their way out. Joy and relief flooded him. They¡¯d done it. Actually and truly done the impossible.


    He stood there for what felt like an age, looking at the blinding light of their freedom. Rooted to the spot.


    Then the buzz of unread notifications grew louder, shaking him from his revere. No doubt they had earned something of significance for their feat. He looked down, seeing the growing lake of greenish blood that was seeping from the Guardian, then he looked up to the clean statues and floor by the portal.


    Kaius cleared his throat, tearing Porkchop¡¯s attention away from the mesmerising glow of the charged portal. ¡°Do you want to take a break over there, before we search for our rewards and take the portal?¡± he asked, pointing to where he had been looking.


    Excitement and anticipation flooded across their bond, matching and heightening his own. A wide grin slid across his face as he watched Porkchop positively vibrate.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! I wonder what Honour we got?¡± Porkchop said, splashing through the pool of viscera as he ran to the clean centre of the plateau.


    Kaius laughed as he shot after him. He wondered the same thing, because there was no question about it. There was no way they would not have gotten one.


    Reaching the middle, Kaius took one last look at the massive runic formation at the centre of the flat stone before he settled in to sit at the foot of a statue of what must have been a dwarven painter holding a brush and canvas.


    He met Porkchop¡¯s eyes, giving him a single firm nod before he gave in to the insistence of the system.


    **Ding! You have slain a Guardian: Siege Ogre - level 36 Wallbreaker!**


    **Ding! You have slain a Guardian: Claim personalised reward?**


    **Ding! Major Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Kingslayer**


    **Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Ruthless Underdog**


    **Ding! Major Feat of Strength performed while Unclassed! Processing¡­**


    **Ding! Results Obtained! Assessment period no longer suitable!**


    **Ding! Unlocking Class Selection!**


    **Ding! Classes Available! Undergo Class Selection?**


    **Ding! Phase 1 Integration Objective #7 Achieved!**


    **Ding! Processing, Please Wait¡­**


    The world shuddered.

 Chapter 115: A Grand & Intoxicating Innocence pt. 1

    The world quaked, foundational tenets of existence shivering. Kaius felt something deep and central to his being fall silent. For the first time in his life he couldn¡¯t feel the omnipresent connection to the system, revealed to him only by its absence.


    He gasped, heart skipping a beat as adrenaline dumped into him. He had no idea what was happening, but if it was enough to break his connection to the system it was bad. Locking eyes with Porkchop, he found the panicked confusion he felt thrumming inside of himself resonating through their bond. His bond-brother had been cut off as well.


    ¡°What is-¡± He started to ask.


    Then he slid up-sideways-through the world, distance and space weaving itself into incomprehensible knots as an invisible claw of ancient power settled over him, yanking him away from the site of his victory.


    A single moment, stretched into an unbroken loop. An eternity of being everywhere and nowhere.


    Eyes wide, True Sight revealed impossible secrets to him. Revealing more than his mortal mind could fathom. The way it all fit together, the mutable fragility of the world. Warmth fell from his eyes, a searing fire covering the orbs. It was too much. He couldn¡¯t even scream.


    ¡­


    Kaius snapped back.


    He was kneeling on nothing. His heart lurched at the yearning blackness, all of his senses rebelling at the impossibility before him. True Sight told him it was real.


    Porkchop was next to him. He could feel it. Feel the same panicked confusion welling up within his brother. He wanted to twist his head, to look and ask if he was okay. He couldn¡¯t. An overwhelming presence suffocated him, weighing on every hairsbreadth of his body, heavier than a mountain. It held him still, scrutinised him. Screamed his insignificance.


    A blinding radiance encompassed all, searing out his vision as pure unadulterated power battered him. He didn¡¯t know what the energy was, for it wasn¡¯t mana. Too refined by half, too flavoured by some imperceptible note. Like an affinity, but different.


    ¡°Whoops! Sorry about that. It¡¯s been aeons since I''ve had company, let alone the mortal kind.¡± A voice boomed. Kaius knew that all the presence would need to do was wish them gone, and they would be obliterated.


    There was a fingersnap, louder than a landslide.


    The light vanished, and stone materialised beneath his knees. Smoothly carved blocks, each perfectly even and square, formed a masonry floor. The pressure vanished. Kaius moved as quickly as he could, pressing his forehead to the ground in total prostration. He felt Porkchop do the same. What hope did they have in the face of divine might? What else could one do in the presence of a god?


    ¡°Oh, stop that!¡± The voice said, quaking his very soul with the depth of its gravelly timbre. ¡°I won¡¯t have worship from honoured guests, and I am nothing so base as a half-sentient impression on a manafield,¡± the voice said, correcting Kaius¡¯s unspoken assumption.


    His heart fluttered. It could read his mind. Of course it could. But if it was not a god, then what, and what did it want with them?


    ¡°An ascendant. If you come sit I might tell you what that means.¡± The being explained congenially.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do what the mysterious entity says, Kaius.¡± Porkchop¡¯s voice flowed over their bond, resolute despite the undertone of panic.


    Kaius took a shuddering breath, before he mustered his will and raised his head. He was in a room, simple and bare. In front of him were two chairs and a daybed centred around a roaring hearth. There was no door, and no windows.


    The daybed and one of the chairs faced the remaining seat. On it, a figure lounged. Kaius stared at them with open shock and fascination. They were¡­ impossible. Hyper-real, with tightly controlled power shimmering around them.


    Skin like milk, flawless and painted on striated muscle. A man¡¯s face, but cut from savage angles and hard features that looked like they could shear through steel with but a glance. A robe of purest white was draped over it, flowing over its form with such liquid ease that no feature was obscured from sight. The being was casual and relaxed, one leg crossed as it watched him with clear amusement. Three heads taller than him, the being dwarfed him at what must have been nearing eight-and-a-half strides tall.


    What else could it be but a god.


    ¡°Please, come sit. You might find an answer to your question,¡± the being said, his voice rattling the very foundations of his soul. There was no malice in it, just the simple truth of power.


    Kaius took a deep breath. He could do this, they could do this. Even if it wasn¡¯t a god, the being may as well have been. Yet, it was friendly enough to make their environment hospitable. Glancing over at Porkchop, he leant hard on their bond, drawing stoic courage from their connection.


    They could do this. They¡¯d just slain a Guardian for gods¡¯ sake, he wouldn¡¯t shy away from a simple conversation. Even if just to find out why they were here.


    He rose to his feet, Porkchop doing the same.


    The being clapped. With every slap of palm and palm, a crack that threatened to sunder worlds echoed out. ¡°That¡¯s what I like to see! There¡¯s some of that iron!¡± he said. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Kaius approached cautiously, taking a seat in the plush leather arm chair. It was soft, the weight of his body sinking into the cushion. The soft touch of delicate hide against his skin was what finally made him realise that he wasn¡¯t wearing his armour, nor was Porkchop wearing his barding. His chest rose evenly, even if keeping his breathing smooth took all of his willpower to avoid it catching in his throat.


    With the clear power of the being in front of him, Kaius doubted that even Legendary tier one artefacts would be more effective than tissue paper if he wanted them dead.


    Why were they here? What did it want? He could feel that Porkchop had his own guarded curiosity. Neither of them were stupid enough to be so presumptuous as to ask.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s an easy one! You both did me a favour, so I wanted to thank you in person.¡± The being answered him, lifting the question straight from his mind. ¡°Conveniently, we have a sliver of a moment while the system updates.¡±


    Kaius stilled as the being¡¯s words washed over him, his grip tightening slightly on the plus brown leather armrests. What did it mean, a sliver of a moment?


    The being grinned, revealing almost pearlescent teeth and slightly too long canines. ¡°Time is malleable at a certain level. My influence on your world is¡­heavily restricted, but there was an opportunity as the update processed. I simply stretched it.¡± he explained, every word thrumming with might, nearly enough to send Kaius reeling.


    He might have meant them no harm, and had perfect control, but he was so far beyond them that his very presence was nigh-overwhelming.


    The being shifted in his seat. ¡°Now, time for introductions. I am, as I said, an ascender. Tasked with supervising your world''s integration, after I fell on the wrong side of a little territory dispute. You may call me Ekum the Pale.¡± Ekum said. ¡°I have been watching you, Kaius, since you fell into the Great Depths, and you, Porkchop, since you joined him.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s grip tightened for half a moment, before he forced his hands to relax. There was no doubt in his mind that Ekum had noticed. The roaring fire felt hotter than ever before, a thin sheen of sweat beading on his brow. That too, he assumed, Ekum noticed.


    If the ascendant had been watching them, then was he who was behind the strange irregularities in their drops? The natural treasure? Their successes? Could he even be the reason that they ended up in that hell-pit in the first place?


    Porkchop¡¯s mind brushed up against his, concerned. Urging caution. He didn¡¯t need the reminder.


    Ekum turned to look at him, still smiling warmly. ¡°Yes to the first, no to the rest. Your victories are your own, and it was no machination of mine that landed you in the challenge. Though, I will admit that it was to my benefit.¡± The ascendant leaned forwards, propping himself up on his knees. His burning white robes slipped down his arms, revealing forearms wrapped with enough hard muscle that they were as thick as Kaius¡¯s calf.


    ¡°Ultimately, I am but a caretaker. A supervisor with no real power. As much as I wish it weren¡¯t so, I do not have infinite time to explain. So you will listen, understood?¡± Ekum stated, clear in the fact that it was not a request.


    They nodded emphatically.


    ¡°Good.¡± Ekum said. He leaned back, sinking into the plush back of his chair. ¡°The system as you know it arrived on your world aeons ago. That period of transition is where many of your myths come from. It is also incomplete. The introduction is phased to ensure that as much culture and sentient life is preserved as possible. Often, it fails in that endeavour.¡± The ascendant paused, giving them a moment to digest his words.


    Kaius¡¯s mind raced. He¡¯d heard rumours and stories about the arrival of the system. There was enough remnant history that it was somewhat common knowledge, at least according to Father. Yet, he¡¯d never heard anything about the system being incomplete, what did that mean? And other worlds? Did he mean the higher realms?


    The ascendant nodded to himself, as if pleased that Kaius was following along. ¡°Good, good. I won''t waste time on your irrelevant questions. Yes, the system is incomplete. Moving to later stages requires certain¡­ triggers, to ensure a proper stage of development. Normally, in most cases this might take a century or two at most. One way, or the other. In yours? It has taken over thirteen milenia.¡± Ekum hissed his last words, the bitter noise digging claws into Kaius¡¯s chest. He tried not to faint as a hostile frustration threatened to crush him.


    Kaius coughed, tasting blood.


    The ascendant paused. The pressure vanished. ¡°My apologies. You see, I have been trapped here, alone, since the initial arrival of the system. It was to be a minor punishment. Half a millenia, maybe one and a half, of toil before I was released from my bond. I am¡­ dissatisfied with the continual extension.¡± Ekum explained, the barest hint of escaping frustration sending the icy fear of death washing over Kaius.


    He struggled to breathe.


    ¡°However,¡± the ascendant continued, uncaring but not unnoticing. ¡°Then you two came along! Defeating a guardian solo while still in your assessment period? Even with completed legacies, and a smattering of Honours that is no small feat. Discovering glyph-binding was a stroke of luck, and the benefit of your father¡¯s genius, Kaius, but all the same! Now the second phase is upon us, and I come to you with five things. My congratulations, a warning, a reward, a proposition, and some advice. Will you listen?¡± Ekum asked, staring at them intensely.


    Kaius sat frozen, barely able to move. His vision had started to narrow, but there was nothing he could do. Not in the demesne of something so far above him. He could only obey.


    Ekum the Pale smirked, and twitched his finger towards them. Air rushed into his lungs, though he moved no more than he had a moment ago. The encroaching black fled as fresh air continued to circulate through his airway. Kaius nearly slumped in relief. The ascendant rose, walking over to the hearth, gripping the mantle to lean over its glowing interior. Platinum locks slipped down his head like waves, haloing the ascendants face.


    ¡°I have already given you my congratulations, so now I will give you a warning.¡± Ekum the Pale stared deep into the flames. ¡°Integration is a fraught process. Each step injects chaos into the world, bringing with it death and fire. With how long it has been since the first stage, it will be worse for you in some ways, and better in others. In all scenarios, it is inevitable. The other stages must be reached, or your world will die.¡±


    Ekum looked over his shoulder, eyes boring into Porkchop¡¯s for a moment, before flicking to Kaius¡¯s. They held an intensity, a coldness, that could smother worlds.


    ¡°In your success, you may have doomed the world.¡± he stated, ancient apathy dominating his features. ¡°I will be honest, I care little either way, both will mean my freedom. That brings us to your reward.¡± The ascendant looked back to the flames, releasing Kaius from his grasp. ¡°Knowledge, that with your success here, you have the chance to tip the balance in your favour. Knowledge, that you cannot rely on the high tiered. Everyone past the first tier is already crystallised; they will be unable to reach for the advancement that comes with the second stage.¡±


    Through the gaps in the silver curtain of metallic locks, Kaius saw the god-like being smirk.


    ¡°What will you do, I wonder? Will the two of you fall, and doom your world? Or will you rise ascendant?¡±

 Chapter 116: A Grand & Intoxicating Innocence Finale

    Kaius sat frozen, locked in the chair. His heart pounded in his chest, every thump straining to push blood through his system, like his vital fluid had turned to treacle. He longed to turn his head, to check on Porkchop. He felt his bolstering support flowing through the bond, and sent his own across in turn.


    He dared not reach out with anything resembling real speech. Not here. Not in the presence of divinity.


    Could it possibly be true? That he had potentially doomed everything? He¡¯d merely strived for success, merely strained to reach the rewards that the system had offered. How could it deliver so cruel a punishment?


    Ekum chuckled, flippant in his disregard of his dread and fear.. ¡°It is only a punishment if you fail, my boy. Show me that steel that you¡¯ve held for the last year. You¡¯re better than this. I might only care for my freedom, but it would certainly be more¡­ pleasant if it was your success that led to my release, instead of your failure. I get a little golden star on my record if your world survives. Hence, a proposition.¡± The ascendant paused, the room falling silent except for the slow constant crackle of logs aflame.


    ¡°Bear the weight of your crown and burn the world in your ambition, for it will be lost if you do not. Do not let up, do not relax, and do not slow down. Forge a power base, cultivate allies, and destroy your enemies. Temper your strength, and plumb the mysteries of power. Above all else, delve. Delve as deep as you can, as fast as you can. If you do this, I will give you guidance. Enough to ensure you have a goal, a place to direct your struggle.¡±


    Ekum the Pale stood up, his full height looming over them both. The ascendant turned, leaning back on the hearth¡¯s mantle.


    ¡°Which leads me to the last. A piece of advice. Master your aspects and reach the fiftieth layer before you rise to the third tier. I recommend a lot of killing, a lot of soul-searching, and delving as high above your level as you can manage.¡± The ascendant said, a thin half smile barely visible on his lips.


    Kaius stayed rooted to the spot, trying and failing to digest Ekum¡¯s words. Reaching the fiftieth layer before the third tier would mean facing creatures up to a hundred levels higher than him, at best. Let alone the Champions or Guardians. Did the ascendant wish him death? And the third tier? On what time frame did he expect him to become a powerhouse of humanity?


    And what the fuck was an aspect?


    Ekum laughed. The very essence of the world quaked.


    ¡°Third tier? Powerhouse? That¡¯s not even true on this backwater shithole.¡± He chuckled, throaty and deep, as he wiped tears from his eyes. ¡°Oh, that is too good. No. I do not suggest suicide. Both of you are Observed, you are not cut from the same cloth as the unwashed masses. More than that, you¡¯ve achieved a Major Honour in your assessment period, ushering in the second stage! Have some bloody faith in yourselves!¡± Ekum¡¯s tone grew flinty, threatening to stop his heart with toxic intent alone. ¡°This will be the work of decades, but this does not mean you have time to slack. And no, I will not explain what an Aspect is. The whole point of them is self-discovery, and the update will cover the bare essentials. ¡±


    Ekum the pale waved towards them contemptuously. ¡°We¡¯re done here. Follow my advice and we will see each other again soon enough.¡±


    Shock fired down Kaius¡¯s spine, arcing through his limbs like branching lightning. What did he mea-


    A hand of adamant will set its grip upon him, and he slid above-through-towards the world.


    ¡­


    Kaius slammed back into his body. For a moment, all he could do was reel, then as the finely carved dwarven statues surrounding him continued to twist and sway he bent over and hurled. The leftover remnants of that morning''s breakfast splashed against the pavestones, his throat constricting painfully as he slumped his weight onto his arms.


    Porkchop moaned off to his left, his brother¡¯s splitting headache seeping across their bond to aggravate Kaius¡¯s discomfort further.


    Shuffling away from the pool of sick, Kaius scooted until his back rested against the cool stone plinth of the statue they had rested beneath, before their rude abduction. His head sank back, resting on the uncomfortable edge as he stared blankly off into the distance, eyes hollow and haggard. Processing what they had just been through.


    He cared not what Ekum the Pale had said, the being was a god. No two ways about it. It was the only valid descriptor. Even if he was somehow beyond gods, or whatever he had meant by being an ¡®ascendant¡¯, from the perspective of a mere mortal, it made little difference.


    Never had he been so totally trounced, so totally sure that his continued existence occurred only at the whims and behest of another. Having the sanctity of his mind violated so casually was the smallest thing that weighed on him. The entire time he had felt the weight of looming death. A doom that screamed at him from all angles, as his skills lay barren and silent, abandoning him in his time of need.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± He whispered, tensing his fist in a half hearted attempt to rouse some fire and indignation within him. His blood stayed as cold as ice. What use was anger in the face of a god? It was like raging against the wind or the mountain. Useless.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Yet it was the content of Ekum the Pale¡¯s words that worried him the most. What could he have possibly meant, that he might have just consigned his world to ash? Did the heavens and hells care so little?


    There was a shuffle from beside him as Porkchop pulled himself over to him. Kaius turned, looking at the haggard look on his brother''s face and feeling the uncertainty and anxiety that washed across their joined souls in waves. A reflection of him.


    ¡°What did he and the system mean by the second phase, Porkchop?¡± Kaius asked weakly.


    Porkchop slumped. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never heard of it, or about the ¡®integration¡¯. The start of the system is as opaque to the Matriarchs as it is to everyone else.¡±


    ¡°He made it sound like we would find out for ourselves soon enough.¡± Kaius whispered, eyes unfocused as he stared aimlessly forward. ¡°What are we supposed to do? All I wanted to do was escape and find Father.¡±


    Porkchop grunted and shook his head, before he sat up, his spine straight. ¡°We will do what we have done for the last year, Kaius. We will fight. Strive towards our goals with everything we have. So what if the world is at risk? What does that mean to us? That we might die? We¡¯ve been staring death in the face for over a year! Look, Kaius!¡±


    Resolute strength flowed across their bond, waves of conviction, surety, and faith washing over him. It warmed the frigid claws of ice around his heart, stoking the fire of his blood. Porkchop caught his eyes, before he jutted his snout back behind him. ¡°I said look!¡±


    Kaius twisted. He saw the remnants of a great battle. Shattered statues, pulverised into rubble and dust. Smears of red and pools of green dotted fractured flagstones, one particularly large one surrounding an oversized iron-braced club. There, at the end of the trail of destruction, lay the ragged and torn body of the Siege Ogre, submerged in an ocean of its own viscera. Entrails spilled from a hole in its side, and its head had twisted to reveal a neck so cut that he could see down its throat. A Guardian of the Great Depths, brought low by the actions of two unclassed.


    ¡°Look at it! That is who we are! Killer. Climber. Delver. That is what you are. So what if the world is at risk. I saw the notification, I heard Ekum the Pale, it was destined. Ordained. If there is to be a coming calamity, I would face it with fire in my heart and flesh in my claws. Not frozen, fearful of the consequences and implications of a secret yet to be revealed.¡± Porkchop thundered, the words rattling deep into the fire of Kaius¡¯s soul.


    His bond-brother was right, this wasn¡¯t like him. He breathed in, collecting his worries, his fears, and his uncertainties. Then he breathed out, and released them. They didn¡¯t leave, such was the way of the mind, but no longer did he clutch them to his chest where they could worm their way into his heart.


    ¡°Thank you, Porkchop,¡± he said, turning to wrap his arms around his brother''s neck, ignoring the unmentionable muck that was matted into his fur. Kaius sighed, before he shifted back.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no use worrying until we know more. At the very least, Ekum left us with actionable goals. Complete our aspects and reach the fiftieth layer before crossing into the third tier. Though I know nothing about the former, and the latter is years off, it gives us a target. I just hope that if everything is destined to go to shit, we¡¯ll have time to seek after Father.¡± Kaius frowned as he thought over potential futures, at the very least, they had a lead there too.


    It took a special kind of wound to leave a scar that Health couldn¡¯t heal. A man with a mark like that on his face would be memorable indeed. There would be someone who would know more.


    Porkchop headbutted him gently, smearing gore on his face. Kaius gagged, shoving his bond-brother away from him.


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡± Porkchop chittered. ¡°We¡¯ll find him. Besides, things will be far less fraught this time around. We unlocked our class and bloodline early, remember?¡±


    Kaius started, what with the onslaught of notifications, and the visit from a divine entity, it had completely slipped his mind. He grinned. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯ll definitely help. Though, we might have to wait to do that. The system still feels¡­distant.¡±


    He could still feel it, its omnipresence blanketing his entire being, but it was less responsive. Part of him wanted to pull up his status, to check his latest Honours and see the long awaited words that he had been anticipating his entire life. He didn¡¯t though, if he tried and the system didn¡¯t respond it would be all too much.


    Luckily he didn¡¯t have to wait long. They sat against the base of the statue for a minute, calm confidence slowly returning as he savoured the achievement of a year''s worth of work.


    Then the world thrummed once more, unleashed potential washing through Kaius like a wave. To his True Sight the omnipresent mana in the depths roiled, falling into a frenzied current. Kaius flinched, staring at the mana in shock, his hand snapping to his blade as he sought the cold reassurance of steel.


    The system spoke.


    **Ding! Global Announcement: An Integrated Individual has Performed a Major feat of Strength in their Assessment Period! Integration Phase 1 Objective #7 Achieved!**


    **Ding! Integration Phase 2 Initiated!**


    **Integration Phase 2 comes with a number of significant changes to the local biosphere, the Great Depths, and the System!**


    **Mana density will rise and equalise over the next (1 Local Year), leading to less segregation of non-sapient System Integrated lifeforms!**


    **All sentient but non-sapient lifeforms will now become integrated at their birth, and will finish their assessment period at full maturity!**


    **Tyrants have been created and unleashed! Challenge these powerful unshackled System-born, if you dare.**


    **Rare Crucible Grounds have opened in the Great Depths. Seek them out and attempt their challenges to obtain potent rewards, if you dare.**


    **The Aspect Triumvirate has been unlocked! Similar to the Legacy Skills of the first Phase, Aspects are an optional advancement path. Enshrine your pillars of self, and develop them in the crucible of Soul and Skill. It is highly recommended that all aspects are fully developed before reaching the Second Tier, and fully tempered before the Third. Due to soul-crystallisation, Aspects are unavailable to those who have already ascended past the First Tier.**


    **Integration Phase 3 will commence when one of several objectives are met. Good Luck.**

 Chapter 117: Aspects & Honours

    Kaius drank in the stream of notifications. They were unlike any other communication from the system he had experienced before. They demanded his attention, soaked in layered meaning and context, refusing to allow him to misconstrue their words.


    Mana would rise, and the low density regions that had sheltered the vast majority of settlements would be no more. Nowhere would be safe. Especially not when beasts ruled the lands.


    Of Tyrants and Crucible Grounds the system said nothing more than what was explained over text. It was clear that it considered preparation in the absence of insight part of the challenge.


    The aspects, however¡­ Those were made viscerally clear as the claws of the highest power brushed aside his resistance and defences to punch into his soulspace. Kaius gasped, falling inwards.


    In the dark and empty space that occupied his centre his soul lit up the dark with golden fire. Ten platinum shards sat locked in orbit, with three coloured clouds occupying the space between. Beside him, through the thin barrier that kept them separate, he could see Porkchop¡¯s soul, feel his bond-brother¡¯s presence as they weathered the ministrations of the system.


    Power flooded him, guided by ancient will and nigh-abominable intent. It was like nothing he had seen before. Not in the glowing potential of Mana, the robust fortitude of Stamina, or the virile persistence of Health. Something else, primal and tightly constrained. It almost felt like standing before Ekum the Pale, but untainted by opinion and personality.


    Streamers of glistening energy phased straight through the barrier at the edges of his soul, coalescing above his soul, splitting into a trio of roiling orbs. Gasseus and shining like burning copper, they grew and grew, until they dominated his internal sight. Hanging over his very essence of being like an executioner''s sword.


    Then the streamers started to slow, before stopping completely. The system acted, a mountain of pressure bearing down on Kaius¡¯s mind. He cried out, trying to pull back out of his soul-space. The fire of his soul flickered, barely withstanding the monumental forces that it was swept up in.


    Agony, deep and all consuming, radiated through every facet of Kaius¡¯s body. It had no origin, no end. It just was. He gasped, breath fluttering as he braced himself against the assault. Whatever was happening, there was no escape. He could only endure.


    The copper balls of gas swirled, slowly compressed under the forceful ministrations of the system. Shaping them, twisting them to its liking. They collapsed, shrinking to a tenth of their former size, diffuse power condensing into a slick looking fluid.


    Waves of energy rolled off the liquid, washing over him, heightening his discomfort. Kaius grit his teeth, a crack shuddering through his jaw as he ground them together. A thin stream of red left his pool of Health, flying free to treat the injury.


    Uncaring of his ordeal, the system continued its work. The orbs of copper liquid distended, morphing and stretching. Slowly they took shape. Three floating pillars, capped with claw-like sconces emerged from a cocoon of potential. Ancient power flexed. The pillars crystalised.


    Soul-fire guttered, a blast of pure energy rocketing out from the completed pillars. Kaius watched the slow moving wave approach, his eyes wide. It punched into his mind, spiking his agony until he could keep his mouth shut not longer. He cried out.


    And was booted from his soul.


    **Ding! Aspect foundations forged!**


    **Ding! Complete your Pillars to begin refinement! Find your Truths.**


    Kaius gasped, the cold grip of the system retracting as he sat limp against the cold stone of a dwarven statue. Whatever the system had done, whatever aspects were, it had required a level of energy and power he had never seen before. While it had had the grace to prevent him from being injured, even just the sheer presence of that unknown energy had been agonising.


    Whipping his head over to check on Porkchop, he found his brother groaning as he slowly pushed himself up off the floor.


    ¡°Well, that was unpleasant. Nothing like a good few kicks in the teeth to reward us for doing the impossible.¡± Porkchop complained, shaking his head to clear off his fugue.


    Kaius let out a bubbling laugh, unable to help the reaction to Porkchop¡¯s nonchalance after repeated encounters with powers beyond them. Even if it did spike his headache, it felt good. His shoulders shook as he worked off the tension, before he wiped his eyes and had a last chuckle.


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to think about it. Whatever these Aspects are, I am curious about what they will actually do. Both Ekum and the announcement made them sound like they were the next step after a legacy?¡± Kaius questioned.


    ¡°Who knows. I just hope that it is not so impossible to finish as a full legacy set is in isolation. We have until the end of the second tier at the very least. It must be obscure and difficult if it is considered a challenge to finish them in the time it would take us to cross the four-hundred barrier.¡± Porkchop replied. ¡°Either way, I expect it will be something that we might have to work on in isolation. If everyone in the first tier had these unlocked, there will be a mad scramble to explore and understand them. I doubt it will be widely shared. From what you have told me people are not exactly prone to handing out potential advantages.¡±


    Kaius snorted. That was an understatement. If Aspects were anything like legacy skills, let alone a completed legacy, Dynasties would be holding on to every scrap of information they could glean with an iron grip. Wars had started over legacies, and if someone was suspected of holding knowledge¡­ Well, many people saw only slightly less value in preventing an enemy from obtaining an advantage than gaining one for themselves.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a fucking bloodbath. Great.¡± Kaius groaned, pushing his mop of hair out of his face. ¡°Hopefully things will be so much of a shit show that we will be able to avoid suspicion. A greater beast and a human working together is one thing, but both of us are Observed with Honours, and have a full legacy to boot. If someone even suspects that we know more about what¡¯s going on, we are fucked.¡±


    Porkchop grunted. ¡°I understand that we will need to keep our advantages close to our chest, but I will not go around pretending to be spineless prey. That will only lead to others trying to capitalise on our weakness.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, you misunderstand me.¡± Kaius grinned. ¡°We need backing; if we¡¯re going to get it we will need to show we are strong. If anything, I think we should try to poorly hide that you are a greater beast, and that we have a bond. It is a small enough secret that it will get us attention, and people will assume we gained good classes through that skill. The fact it requires mutual agreement and trust will make it far less valuable to the powers that be.¡±


    ¡°And what would you use this attention for?¡± Porkchop asked, cocking his head.


    ¡°We join the Delver¡¯s Guild. Once we have found my father and dealt with whatever chaos is no doubt waiting for us at Three Field¡¯s, at least. There¡¯s a branch at Deadacre. They¡¯re a power unto themselves, and if we can secure their backing it will open many doors for us, and protect us from the gaze of Dynasties.¡± Kaius said, resolute. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    It was a path he had always intended to take. As they rose through the ranks they would be able to access the Guild¡¯s archives and more. A path to strength, and one of the better chances he had to find out what happened to his family. If Father was gone, that would be more important than ever. He was not one to forget a blood debt.


    More than that, Father had let slip that at the higher ranks, the Guild made regular use of the services of Hiwiann caravaneers and their bloodstones. Behind a binding oath, information flowed much more freely. If there was any place that would research and discover how Aspects worked, it would be there.


    With his direction for the future set, Kaius returned his attention to more pressing issues. The rest of their rewards, and the looming presence of his available Class selection. He shivered, tingling awe shooting up his spine. He still couldn¡¯t believe he had unlocked it a year early. Still, despite his manic desire, he held back. The Honours were more important, as each one might have an influence on his class, and he wanted to understand each fully before he made any life altering decisions.


    ¡°Honours first, and then our Class?¡± He asked, sending Porkchop an excited grin.


    Porkchop quivered, anticipation obvious. ¡°Finally! I was about to be worried you would want to wait until we got back to the Sea!¡±


    Kaius laughed, and then pulled up the description of his latest rewards.


    Kingslayer:


    Major Honour


    A challenge only exists to be beaten, but some are designed with others in mind. Steeped in might and ambition, some disregard all warnings to attempt what they should not. Most die, others rise ascendant.


    Awarded to those who slay a Guardian while Unclassed. Personalised Guardian Rewards are Moderately more tailored. +10 all stats.


    Bonus: For being the first in your cohort to achieve this honour reward bonus is increased to Significant, and stat bonus is increased to +15 all stats.


    Kaius gasped as a flood of power rushed over his body, the deluge of new stats left him shivering as every facet of his capabilities was improved at once. He could only be glad that for whatever arcane reason, the changes wrought by bonus stats were far less disorienting than a change to his base. Even lesser in magnitude, the change his bondskill had worked on his body had been far harder to adjust to.


    The non-stat benefit was good too. He¡¯d not heard that Guardian rewards were personalised until he had seen it for himself, but anything that led to the system being more favourable with their rewards was a good thing. While it wasn¡¯t certain, there was a high likelihood that the sorts of rewards the system offered were far more potent compared to those they had seen for defeating Champions.


    Shaking off his daze, he moved to the next. He was curious about what it could be. He¡¯d expected an Honour for his defeat of the Guardian, but to receive a second was something else entirely.


    Ruthless Underdog:


    Honour


    The difference between bravery and fatalistic disregard is capability.


    Awarded to those who slay an enemy 35 levels or more above them while Unclassed. Provides a Minute increase to all experience earned when fighting above your level. +5 all stats.


    Bonus: For being the first in your cohort to achieve this honour reward bonus is increased to Slight, and stat bonus is increased to +8 all stats.


    Another pulse of change ran through him, leaving him invigorated. Receiving so many stats back to back left him fizzing, the hair on his arms raising as electric vigour coursed down to his fingertips.


    He smiled as he read the effect. No doubt, with the added power of his Honours and the likely high rarity of his class, he would be far better positioned to punch above his weight class than most others.


    Generally, it was considered something of a fool''s strategy. It was great for increasing the growth of your skills, and for accumulating the sorts of feats and achievements needed to push skills and classes up a rarity when they crossed tier boundaries. Yet most who tried it died. He was confident that wouldn¡¯t be the case for him and Porkchop. Not when they had already done so without a class.


    Smile widening into a grin, Kaius pulled up his status sheet to review it for the last time as an unclassed.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 19


    Class Selection: Available!


    Race: Human (Dynastic, Greater Beastblooded) - +1 Wil, Str, End, and free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Resources:


    Health - 298/740 (6.4/min)


    Stamina - 264/640 (6.4/min)


    Mana - 187/790 (7.9/min)


    Free Mana - 187/790


    Reserved Mana - 0


    Stats:


    Endurance - 30 + 44 (74)


    Vitality - 20 + 44 (64)


    Strength - 20 + 44 (64)


    Dexterity - 20 + 44 (64)


    Intelligence - 20 + 59 (79)


    Willpower: - 20 + 59 (79)


    Stat Points: 0


    Aspects:


    Pillar Corporus - N/A


    Pillar Mentis - N/A


    Pillar Animus - N/A


    Class Skills (0/10):


    N/a


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 20


    Warforged (Unique) - 20


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 18 > 20


    Adamant Body (Unique) - 19 > 20


    True Sight (Unique) - 17 > 20


    Runic Lexicon (Unusual) - 20


    Mana Manipulation (Unusual) - 20


    Lesser Regeneration (Unusual) - 14 > 20


    Uncanny Dodge (Unique) - 1 > 20


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 20


    Glyph Bound Hymns:


    N/A


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter


    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding


    Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather


    Persistent Survivor (Minor)


    Kingslayer (Major)


    Ruthless Underdog


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Father¡¯s Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Growth Conditions-


    Gain a class (0/1)


    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)


    Forge a link (0/1)


    Honestly and truly, his status sheet was ridiculous. His stats alone were almost inhuman, more than three times higher than an unclassed should be - nearly four times in the case of his mental stats. Even just having three additional sections - discounting Aspects - for Honours, his hymns, and A Father¡¯s Gift, beggared belief.


    He had to be amongst the most powerful unclassed to ever exist. Pride and satisfaction thrummed through his chest, his heart pumping to the tune of his successes. Hiding the thin current of venomous grief that simmered within him.


    Despite everything, it felt like a hollow crown. If only Father were here to see, then it would have been truly perfect.


    Kaius grunted, scrunching his eyes to clear the slight blur. He knew Porkchop had noticed, but other than a warm flow of support through their bond, he didn¡¯t make a big deal of it. Kaius appreciated that.


    He took a steadying breath and refocused on his status. Right at the top, his class selection called for him, screaming for his attention.


    ¡°Me first?¡± Kaius asked, turning to Porkchop. Class selection was supposed to be¡­ disabling. Not dangerous, but you were left insensate for what could be hours. Porkchop nodded to him, and Kaius steeled himself.


    No longer would he be restrained and hampered by the limitations imposed upon him by the system. It was time for him to join the climb up the tiers.


    It was time to pick his class.


    A flicker of intent was all it took.


    Everything went black.

 Chapter 118: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 1

    Kaius gasped, sitting bolt upright like he had been hit by lightning. He whirled his head around, disoriented and confused. A moment ago he had been sitting on the summit of the dwarven city, confirming his class selection. Now, he was¡­somewhere.


    Craning his head back and forth, he gasped as he realised that he was in the Sea. It was unmistakable. The rich scent of earth and pine, the cold wind that rolled off the mountains, and the everpresent warmth of the sun. Jaw slack, he looked up.


    Far above him, a green canopy rustled. Branches shifted and swayed in the breeze, sun streaming through the leaves as odd bars of illumination shone through the gaps. Through those, he saw an unmistakable blue.


    It was gorgeous.


    He sat there, rooted in place, simply drinking in the environs. Letting the soft sounds of wind, trees, and nature suffuse him. Drinking in the warmth of the sun, he realised just how much he had felt confined in the restrictive environments of the Depths. Even with caverns larger than most cities, and underground groves, it was a poor substitute for the world at large.


    ¡°Gorgeous isn¡¯t it? I can see why it was chosen for you.¡± An oddly familiar voice said from behind him.


    Kaius started, whipping around as his hand dropped for his sword. His open palm slapped a hip covered in soft cotton. Wherever he was, his armour and blade hadn¡¯t come with him.


    Standing behind him was a cowled figure, leaning up against the trunk of a tree. His robe was a deep mottled green, made of a thick woollen weave that did much to obscure all identifying details in its depths.


    Kaius launched to his feet, backing up as he raised his arms, ready for a fight. He might not have his weapons, but that didn¡¯t mean he was helpless.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Kaius called out, his tone hard. ¡°And how did I get here?¡±


    The figure stayed lounging against the base of an oak tree, unperturbed by his readiness for violence. He chuckled softly.


    ¡°I am your guide,¡± they said simply. ¡°And this? This is your class selection.¡±


    The words rushed through Kaius, shock radiating down his spine. He¡¯d known little of what to expect for class selection, only that he would have to pick between a number of options. He¡¯d expected many things, but being plopped down in the Sea with a mysterious figure was not one of them.


    He eyed the cowled man warily, his arms slowly lowering to his sides. ¡°Guide? What do you mean?¡±


    The cowled man lifted his arms up, causing Kaius to raise his fists once more.


    ¡°Woah there,¡± The man said, raising a placating hand. ¡°Just taking off my hood.¡±


    Their hands continued upwards, gripping the thick fabric of the cowl that obscured their face. They pulled it back slowly, revealing a thick mop of brown hair streaked in grey. A scarred, strong nose jutted out from rugged features marred by the slightest wrinkles. Piercing eyes magnetised his own. Green, with flecks of gold.


    Kaius froze.


    ¡°Before you ask, no, I am not you from the future.¡± Kaius the Elder said with a wry smile. ¡°I am a construct of the system. Your guide, your choosing grounds, are shaped by the system to be in a context you can understand, and feel at ease with.¡±


    Kaius the Elder gave Kaius a long look. ¡°Relatively at ease, that is.¡±


    He simply stared agog at the venerable version of himself, still leaning against the tree.


    Kaius the Elder gave him a wry smile. One he had seen before in still water. ¡°Look, I get that it''s weird, but it''s a lot better than when you just got plopped in a white space with a list of options. Much more likely you pick something suitable. I have your knowledge, but also I have just about everything the system knows locked up here.¡± The system construct tapped his temple with one finger.


    ¡°I can¡¯t share most of it, but I can advise. Are you with me so far?¡± They asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.


    Kaius gave a slow nod, coming to terms with the fact that he was talking to an aged clone in his childhood home. Now that he knew it was all a creation of the system, it did much to put him at ease. What was something like this in the face of a power that had reshaped his world?


    ¡°Good!¡± Kaius the Elder clapped, standing up straight from the tree and walking towards him. ¡°Now, we have a little ground to cover. You¡¯ve been a busy fucking bee, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Kaius looked at the construct in surprise.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m based on you, you swear all the time.¡± Kaius the Elder said.


    ¡°I mean, yeah¡­but isn¡¯t it a little undignified for an emissary of the system.¡±


    The construct waved him off. ¡°Maybe if this was some grand proclamation, but I am only here to help guide you, and to do that effectively you need to feel at ease. The second I swore you just got a whole lot less tense, didn¡¯t you?¡± They gave him a cheeky grin.


    Kaius frowned, rolling his attention across his mental state. His guide was¡­right. He was feeling less guarded.


    ¡°See? Told ya.¡± The construct clapped him on the shoulder, before they walked past him deeper into the forest. Kaius hurried to follow.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯ve got some really good options here, and a whole bloody lot of them. That''s what you get for being the first unclassed to get Honours in your cohort, and some really bloody good ones at that. Now, are you interested in seeing anything not tied to glyph-binding? I promise you there are some really good options in that camp.¡± Kaius the Elder said, waggling his eyebrows in a ridiculous attempt at convincing him.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Kaius laughed, striding forwards to keep pace with his strangely aged reflection. ¡°No, and make sure to narrow it to classes that make the best use of my general skills, and involve swordplay.¡± He said resolutely. Mixing magic and blade had been his goal since he was a child. There was no way he was ever going to give it up, not even if the gods themselves descended and offered him an Epic class.


    ¡°Are you sure? That will reduce your available options by more than you could ever imagine.¡± Kaius the Elder said, fixing him with a deadly serious look. ¡°Think about it. Some of your feats are¡­ immense. Even with discovering glyph-binding for your cohort, most of your skills and combat style lends itself towards direct confrontation. You have some strong achievements in that vein too. It goes the same with pure glyph-binding. It is powerful magic, one never before seen, and you will miss some of the deepest depths of it without a focused class.¡±


    Kaius paused, considering the construct¡¯s words as he stepped over a particularly thick root that snaked its way through the leaf litter that crunched with his every step.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked.


    Kaius the elder sighed in relief. ¡°Good, you¡¯re not an idiot.¡±


    The construct took the lead once more as they weaved through the dense life of the Sea. Kaius the Elder was silent, though Kaius thought that was more to give him time to collect his thoughts than any need on the construct''s end to ponder its words. Birds chirped softly in the distance, bringing a light smile to his face. Even if this place was fake, a simple mirage woven by the system to placate him, it knew its stuff. He felt more relaxed by the second.


    The construct broke the silence. ¡°Generalists suffer in some fashion, always. Even when the positives handedly out weigh them, you must consider the drawbacks. Glyph-binding is one of the few routes, and the most complete, though which one can utilise the arcane in close combat. Yet, splitting your focus like that has downsides. It is highly likely that the grandest workings will be out of reach, and it is even more likely that most of your spells will come from divine insight from the system, and you will have less of the base required to customise and derive new ones as needed. This is one of glyph-bindings greatest strengths, and you will be sacrificing it to use a sword.¡±


    Kaius the Elder turned his head, watching him closely as they led their way forwards with confidence. ¡°You won''t be sacrificing power, and you are still likely to develop a number of spells per skill and tier through the system¡¯s aid- far more than most magi on your planet. Yet, this is still a sacrifice. I know you think you might be able to do it yourself anyway, you won''t. Not for a long, long time.¡±


    Kaius bristled, staring at the construct. ¡°How could I not? I already have a glyph, see?¡± He raised his arm, showing off the runic construct that wrapped around the back of his hand and wrist.


    The construct shook its head gently. ¡°Kaius, I say this with confidence. Your father was perhaps the most dedicated, successful, and down right genius runewright of his generation. One of the best, ever. That-¡± Kaius the Elder jutted one finger at his glyph. ¡°Is a hodge podge piece of shit. Not because your father is bad at what he does, but because glyph-binding is thoroughly divergent from other runic arts, and requires different sacred forms. Your father might have been able to do it with the reference, but you do not have a hundredth of his knowledge. His genius and dedication, maybe, but not his knowledge nor the backing and resources to gain it quickly. Without a dedicated class, you will not be freeform designing your own spells. Not for a long time.¡±


    Kaius paused, digesting the construct¡¯s words. At first he had felt disgruntled at his aged reflection¡¯s disparagement of Father¡¯s work, but as he sat and thought on it, he realised the construct had to be right. If, by the system¡¯s own metric, Father had barely been able to patch something together that half worked, then he had no hope in the hells of devising new spells.


    It was a sacrifice, one he couldn''t ignore.


    Kaius chewed his lip. ¡°Would I be locked into specific spells, if I went that route?¡±


    Kaius the Elder tilted his head back and forth. ¡°In a sense. It differs by class, and each spell you select will be set in stone, but there is a lot more flexibility than you are probably imagining. At the very least, you will get multiple choices to select from. At best, you will eventually build up a sizable repertoire of examples and references to tweak of your own accord.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s ears pricked up at the construct¡¯s closing words. Accruing hymns that he could learn from on his own time¡­ That was more like it. Plus, it hadn¡¯t said he would never be able to design them unassisted, only that it was a long way¡¯s off¡­


    ¡°Do it.¡± He said, his spine straightening like steel. ¡°Cull the pure glyph-binding classes.¡±


    Kaius the elder looked at him, green and gold eye¡¯s twinkling. ¡°Good choice, kid. Now, let''s talk about rarity. You¡¯ve got quite the selection, do you want to trim any of the lower ranks?¡±


    Kaius hummed. It made sense. He was sure he had done well. Unusual classes for sure, and perhaps if he was lucky a handful of Unique ones. That said, it seemed like a bad idea to ignore the Rare classes just because they were lower. Rarity was incredibly significant, but it wasn¡¯t everything, he might miss something perfectly suited to him.


    ¡°Cull everything below Rare.¡± he said, resolute.


    Kaius the Elder only grinned at him and gestured upwards with his thumb. Kaius gapped at the construct. It wanted him to go higher?


    He took a deep breath, steadying himself. While his mind rebelled at the idea, he trusted that the construct was there to guide him to a well suited choice. He¡¯d never heard of anyone having something bad happen during class selection. Even if people avoided talking about the experience, that was the sort of thing that would get out.


    ¡°Cull everything below Unusual.¡± He said, chewing on the words.


    Kaius the Elder¡¯s smile widened until it was almost manic, and the construct pointed up again. He froze, staring at them in sheer disbelief. It wanted more? That was ridiculous, how many Unique options could he possibly have to make it worthwhile to ignore an Unusual class? This was his first selection! He¡¯d never even heard of anyone getting a Unique class so early, only in bardsong. It was only his legacy and Honours that gave him the confidence to even get one.


    Slowing to a stop, kaius placed one hand on a nearby trunk, feeling the reassuring grit of its bark. Unclenching his jaw, he worked the words out of his mouth. ¡°Cull everything below Unique,¡± he said in a small voice, looking intently at the construct.


    Kaius the Elder looked at him with feral intensity, green and gold eyes burning with ambition. He pointed upwards again.


    ¡°Come on kid, let¡¯s see if you¡¯ve got some balls.¡±

 Chapter 119: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 2

    Kaius stared at the aged clone across from him in bald faced shock. It wanted him to do what?! It couldn¡¯t seriously be asking him to cull all classes lower than Heroic could it? That was utter insanity. While the rarity of your starting class was not the be all and end all, having a higher rarity class did drastically increase your chances of pursuing the sort of feats that were required to evolve them further as you developed through the tiers.


    Heroic¡­ That would mean eleven stats per level, and class skills of a minimum of fucking Unusual! That was the main reason starting off with a class higher than Rare was considered so much of a boost over the lower ones, you removed your chance of getting offered Common skills.


    It couldn¡¯t be right. Surely. He gulped, dry tongue catching in his mouth, like he had been chewing on cotton.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± He whispered.


    Kaius the Elder showed him his teeth. ¡°Try me.¡±


    He breathed out long and slow, his ears ringing as the ground started to pull away from him. Shooting out one hand, he caught a tree and leaned bodily into it. ¡°That¡¯s it right? I can¡¯t have possibly gotten anything higher than Heroic, can I?¡±


    The construct laughed. ¡°Unfortunately not. It''s not even possible to get higher than Heroic for your first or second class. That said, you have done well enough that you have a couple to pick from. We both know that anything else isn¡¯t worth your time. Though, if you wish, I would be happy to go through them with you.¡±


    Kaius narrowed his eyes. ¡°How many Unique classes do I have available that fit the criteria?¡±


    The construct''s green-gold eyes bore into his own. ¡°Thirty-Seven.¡±


    His knees gave out, and he was forced to clutch the tree tight before he could straighten himself. ¡°And Heroic?¡± he asked in a small voice.


    ¡°Three.¡±


    Kaius shuddered, taking in a deep breath. ¡°What about without any criteria?¡±


    ¡°Seventeen.¡± the construct replied, slow and serious.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Kaius whispered. That was¡­ too much. Far too much. His aged clone had the right of it. No matter how unnatural it felt, he had to cull.


    Swallowing again, Kaius forced the words out. ¡°Cull everything that isn¡¯t a class focused on swordplay and glyph-binding, and is of a rarity lower than Heroic.¡±


    Kaius the Elder gave him a deep and satisfied smile, his grey streaked hair shining in haloed light that filtered through the canopy above. ¡°Good shit.¡± Then the construct spun, striding off into the forest. ¡°Follow.¡± he said, turning back for just a moment to focus a proud look on him.


    Kaius gulped, hurrying after the Elder. They weaved through the undergrowth, working their way over densely knotted roots through tangled brambles. For anyone else, it would have been a treacherous hike through hellish terrain.


    For Kaius it felt like being welcomed home. He danced through the underbrush, easily keeping pace with the construct, who themselves walked through the Sea like they had been born in it.


    Eventually they stopped, a grand clearing opening up before them. Lush grasses drenched in sunlight covered the open space, a riot of wildflowers washing the green in sprays of purple, yellow, and red.


    There, at the centre of the meadow, a trio of venerable ash trees stood. Each was massive, larger than anything he had seen in the outskirts of the Sea before. Heavy and aged limbs sprouted from their trunks, layered in calloused bark.


    ¡°Almost there, let''s head to the trees.¡± Kaius the Elder said, striding into the waist high grass. Kaius hurried after the construct, watching the trio of trunks with curiosity. It was obvious they would have something to do with his class options, but for the life of him he couldn¡¯t figure out what.


    The construct ahead of him kept a leisurely pace, apparently in no rush to cross the open field.


    ¡°So, before we get to your selections, there¡¯s a few things you should know. Context about classes, and other such things. First, you won¡¯t be able to talk about your experience here to people who have not gone through the selection themselves, except in the broadest sense.¡± The Elder said without looking back.


    ¡°Wait what? Why not?¡± Kaius asked, confused. While that might have explained why despite his begging Father had not once slip what class selection was actually like, he still struggled to understand the reasoning. Why on earth would the system want to give them less ability to prepare for the most important moment of their lives?


    ¡°To prevent influence. In aeons past there was something of a problem with impressionable youngsters trying to emulate ¡®perfect¡¯ builds. It invariably led to substandard performance.¡± Kaius the Elder responded. ¡°Considering that I am here, you have all the advice you need. On that topic, I need to make you aware of certain aspects of the selection.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Such as?¡± Kaius asked curiously.


    ¡°Classes unlock a few additional facets of the system. Namely skill Affinity and Type. All skills have them, and most classes will provide a bonus to Type. Only some will provide a broader bonus to Affinity. It is a good thing to pay attention to. You should also be aware that once you gain your class, your Honours will gain a small percentage bonus to your stats. Finally, there will be skill resonance, which is incredibly important during your first class. It will show which general skills are able to align with your class, and the stronger the resonance, the more likely that that skill will evolve to align. This chance is greater when the skills are capped, which is why it is so important. Though it is worth noting that if a skill is already closely aligned to the class, it will likely have a weaker chance of evolving¡ªalthough a direct progression is always possible.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s mind raced. It was a lot of information, and he was thankful it had been shared openly. The part about the Honours did not surprise him, frankly their stat boost had always seemed a little lacklustre for something that was the stuff of myth. A percentage boost was different, that would scale with him as he grew, giving him a permanent edge. As for the types, affinities, and resonance, he supposed he would have to wait to see what his potential options were before he could really contextualise it. He just had one question.


    ¡°What of class skills? Is capping them just as important? I¡¯ll get my final class skill only twenty levels before I tier up, right? That seems like a bit of a squeeze.¡± Kaius asked, brushing aside a particularly stubborn bush that blocked his path.


    The construct chuckled. ¡°No, thankfully not. In the second tier, the levels you would have gained a skill is instead the level where it evolves to the next tier. You¡¯ll want to reach the tier cap for that skill by then to maximise the options available.¡±


    Kaius sighed in relief. That was much more manageable.


    They reached the trio of ash trees, each one looming far overhead, shading them with their wide and low canopies. Taking a single step forwards, Kaius crossed an invisible line. The air took on a strange, charged quality, haze settling across his vision. He could taste it. The magic. Pure distilled potential radiating off the trunks, wafting promises of power, responsibility, and purpose. He gasped, arcane force tingling as it flooded his lungs.


    ¡°Quite something isn¡¯t it? Thankfully you culled quite a few options, otherwise we would have had to wait quite a while for you to acclimate. That, and it would have taken days for you to deliberate.¡± The construct teased, hitting him with an easy smile. The same one that crossed his face whenever he bullied Porkchop.


    Seeing his own face, weathered and venerable, was still weird. Still, the comment did its job. Kaius shook off his fugue, breathing slowly as he adjusted to the weight of the moment. His final action as a boy, his first decision as a man.


    ¡°Come along then! Your first option awaits.¡± The construct beckoned to him, waving at him to follow as it circled around the first trunk.


    As they reached the side that reached the centre, the tree¡¯s bark pulled back, revealing a rich and intricate carving set deep in the wood. It seemed to pulse, shifting with vivid lifelike motion before his very eyes.


    It depicted¡­him. Shirtless, covered in light wounds that writhed, sealing themselves closed in moments. Kaius knew he was heavily muscled, even as tall as he was, he¡¯d always had a thick physique, one that had only bulked up further in his time in the Depths. The carving took it to another level. He looked like he could bend an iron bar in his hands.


    The carved depiction held a longsword in both of its hands, focused and intent on some far off foe. Every inch of its exposed skin was covered in thick, angular, runes. They burned, bolstering the carving with powerful magics.


    More than anything, he could feel the feral ferocity that rolled off the carving in waves. Promising a future of blight and slaughter, one where all who stood before him fell, crushed and dismembered. Yet there was wisdom and intelligence there. Even devoted to the hot rush of war, it was one that understood the world for what it was. A trial, where one should live their life to the fullest extent.


    Staring agog at the carving, Kaius looked over to his guide in confusion.


    ¡°Just focus on it. A status page will pop up.¡± The construct explained patiently.


    Kaius frowned, but did as was suggested. He focused on the eyes of the carving, feeling them drill into him. A system description flickered into view:


    Warsworn Rune-Acolyte:


    Class - Tier I


    Heroic


    Relevant Feats:


    Has slain at least 4000 foes of at least level 15 while unclassed. Has slain at least three Champions in single combat while unclassed. Has slain at least 100 foes with glyph-binding while Unclassed. Has slain a foe of at least level 30 while unclassed. Has obtained at least three Honours while unclassed. Has a complete set of legacy skills. Has capped all base stats at 20. Has a weapon mastery skill of at least Unique rarity. Has a self healing skill of at least Unusual rarity. Has a rune mastery skill of at least Unusual rarity. Has survived multiple mortal wounds. Has fallen to fury in battle. Has disregarded injury with fatalistic regularity.


    The Temple of Ish¡¯tar is a desolate place. Penitents and would-be Acolytes must make pilgrimage through deserts of bone and lakes of fire. Even when they arrive at the steps of the monastery, the adherents of divine combat are not so easily impressed. Only if they survive the trial of blades will they have the opportunity to attempt being anointed with sacred glyphs of healing and fury.


    The lowest of the adherents of Ish¡¯tar, the Warsworn Rune-Acolyte is a being of anger and fury. Focusing on savagery and persistence in battle, they are adept close-quarters combatants. Differences abound between Acolytes, but they have one commonality. A sacred glyph of rage is burnt into their flesh during initiation, subsidiary workings empowering them with persistent spell effects when they tap into its vigour.


    All Body Reinforcement, Self Healing, and Self Enhancement type skills are improved by 60%


    Stats:


    +3 Vitality, + 3 Strength, +2 Intelligence, +1 Endurance, +1 Will, +1 Free Stats per level


    Skill Resonance:


    Warforged - Moderate


    Adamant Body - Strong


    Runic Lexicon - Strong


    Mana Manipulation - Moderate


    Lesser Regeneration - Strong


    Kaius gulped.

 Chapter 120: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 3 or: Mount Thor

    Kaius took in the status of his first option. It was easy to see why he had been offered it. Warsworn Rune-Acolyte looked to be a brutal class. He could see it suiting him well, something that would lean into the rush of battle. The sheer savage joy of throwing yourself in harm''s way to claim victory.


    It also¡­alarmed him. There were several aspects he was unsure of. While it made use of glyph-binding, it seemed that it would be bent to more passive effects and general enhancements. He¡¯d dreamed of the dance of slung spells and swung swords since he was a boy, discarding that now - even for a Heroic class - rankled.


    That, and the idea of a glyph of rage worried him, especially when he saw that at least some of why he had been offered the skill was succumbing to the power of the Psychopathic Assault tonic. While it had been a powerful tool, the idea of making it central to his build made him uneasy. Plus¡­ with his new bond with Porkchop, he wasn¡¯t sure how it would affect his brother.


    During the fight with the guardian, his tonic induced cold analytical rage had bled through their link, infecting Porkchop with insensate fury. There was a risk that a class like this could do the same, and even as powerful as it was, it wasn¡¯t worth that risk.


    He could only hope the others would be more suitable. He pulled his attention away from the class, the description flickering out of existence to reveal the detailed wooden carving of himself as a Rune-Acolyte. Looking back to his class-guide, he found the aged and scarred clone watching him intently.


    ¡°So? What do you think? It¡¯s a strong option, one that has the capability to make you an unkillable terror in combat.¡± Kaius the Elder asked.


    Kaius frowned, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The style of glyph-binding doesn¡¯t really align with what I wanted. If it was just that, I would probably still consider it, but the rage aspect worries me. Especially if there is a chance it might hurt Porkchop. This isn¡¯t the one.¡±


    The construct paused, giving him a calculating look. ¡°Are you sure? It suits you. The sort of feats required for a Heroic class means that it''s almost impossible to achieve one without it being closely aligned to some aspect of who you are. Think, can you really say that you are worried about rage if you indulge in it so often?¡±


    Kaius blanched. He thought back on the goblin he had taken out his worry and frustration on. The way his blood had run hot with cruelty. Even the Bloodsong. While it was mostly a pure joy and excitement for the livelihood of battle, that wasn¡¯t all it was. There was a simmering anger there. The visceral catharsis of funnelling all of his tension into bone-breaking blows and close brushes with his own mortality.


    Yet¡­ He did not enjoy that aspect, and he wasn¡¯t proud of surrendering to his own cruel impulses. He found no shame in enjoying a fight, but surrendering to hate was something else entirely. Even if he could not deny it was a part of him, that did not mean he needed to venerate or enshrine that aspect of himself.


    Especially not by doing something as impactful as selecting a class centred around fury.


    Kaius steeled his spine. Meeting the construct''s firm gaze, he nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    His aged clone smiled wide. ¡°Then let us check your next offering, I¡¯m sure you will find it a fascinating option.¡±


    The construct spun on its heels, wading through the long grass towards the next Ash tree. Kaius hurried after him.


    Approaching the trunk, the tree shimmered, revealing yet another carving.


    Once again, it depicted him. While he still had his impressive physique, it was not enriched to the point of incredulity like the last carving. Cowled in a heavy cloak, and garbed in thick leathers, swirling runic tattoos covered every inch of his exposed hands and fingers. That wasn¡¯t all, clean lines crept like vines past the neck of his armour, clambering up his neck and face to spiral around his eyes, temples, and ears.


    Crouched leaning out from behind some ruined brick wall, the carving showed him focusing intensely, curiosity and avarice clear in his gaze, with a blade held at the ready in his inscribed hands.


    Kaius grinned as his eyes roved over the carving. That was more like it! Nothing ominous, nothing that suggested sacrificing his sense of self, and a clear representation of blade and spell.


    He tore his eyes away, meeting his guide''s gaze. The construct smiled encouragingly, nodding his head back to the carving. ¡°Go on.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s heart thumped in anticipation. He dove straight in.


    Glyph-bound Seeker:


    Class - Tier I


    Heroic


    Relevant Feats:


    Has slain at least three Champions in single combat while unclassed. Has slain at least 100 foes with glyph-binding while Unclassed. Has survived in the Great Depths for at least a year while unclassed. Has obtained at least three Honours while unclassed. Has a complete set of legacy skills. Has capped all base stats at 20. Has a survival skill of at least Heroic rarity. Has a perception skill of at least Unique rarity. Has a rune mastery skill of at least Unusual rarity. Has at least one Heroic skill. Has pioneered glyph-binding. Has lived the majority of their life in unsettled places. Has explored untouched regions of the Great Depths. Has exhibited curiosity of the nature of the Great Depths. Has repeatedly put themselves in harm''s way to broaden their knowledge.


    There is one constant in the shining sun of the world above, and the hallowed halls of the Great Depths below; mysteries lie waiting. The Seekers of the Way are a dispersed lot, spread in ones and twos as they hunt for the secrets of what was, and what will be. All in their cult may induct another, if they prove they have what it takes to survive. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Newly enlightened, the Glyph-bound Seeker is empowered by a broad variety of abilities. Such breadth is needed to survive where others dare not tread. Master generalists, Glyphs provide a utilitarian base to their abilities, while a scattered focus on observation, survival, and exploration allows them to adapt to any situation. They are adept and wily combatants, always with a solution at hand when faced with an unexpected challenge.


    All Insight, Survival, and Glyph-Binding type skills are Improved by 60%


    Stats:


    +3 Intelligence, + 2 Willpower, +1 Endurance, +1 Vitality, +1 Dexterity, +3 Free Stats per level


    Skill Resonance:


    Rapid Adaptation - Strong


    Warforged - Weak


    Explorer¡¯s Toolkit - Strong


    True Sight - Strong


    Runic Lexicon - Strong


    Mana Manipulation - Moderate


    Kaius read and reread the description of the class, struggling to contain his disappointment. While nominally it aligned with his desires, it was clear that it did so only in the broadest sense.


    There was no focus on combat, beyond a throw away line at the end. His only melee skill with resonance was Warforged, and that was weak. Looking through the skills description, it was clear that a Seeker was far more interested in exploration and search for hidden mysteries.


    It did appeal to him, and he understood why it had been offered. The last year had been nothing but exploring and uncovering mysteries, and he had loved every moment of it. Discovering glyph-binding, the nature of observed, and scouring the secrets of the Depths had been awe inspiring.


    And yet¡­. he was torn.


    Glyph-bound Seeker had potential, but it seemed like its glyphs would have a utilitarian bent to them. That was good, and he knew well how things like that could be used to advantage in battle, but it didn¡¯t sound like that was their intended purpose.


    It was still a Heroic, so it would undoubtedly be powerful, but he could only hope that his last choice would be more to what he was looking for. Something that enshrined his drive, no, his need to improve. Something that lent itself totally to mastery over the battlefield, and striving to reach the ever moving pinnacle.


    If he couldn¡¯t find it there? The Unique classes were always waiting.


    He tore himself away from the status screen, looking back to his guide. ¡°Let¡¯s check the next one.¡±


    ¡°Let us talk first,¡± Kaius the Elder said with a smile. ¡°It is a very good option, one that hits all of your wants and needs, even if it might not focus on them as much as you might like. I think being a Seeker would suit you well. Isn¡¯t that what you always sought, on those long moonless nights where you would watch the stars? To explore the heights and depths of the world, clawing at all it had to offer until you were satisfied?¡±


    Kaius frowned. The construct was¡­not wrong. He had felt that way, he still did. Hells, even in the last year, he had never felt so free, even with a heart full of tragedy and his own looming mortality vying for his attention. Yet¡­ that had never been what he wanted to define him.


    ¡°I want to explore, yes, but I have never wanted to be an explorer. Regardless of what I pick, the world will always be waiting. Even if it is more difficult to seize its mysteries, that only makes the reward sweeter. No, I don¡¯t think this is the one for me. Perhaps if the last option is as bad as the first, but I cannot decide until I have seen it.¡± Kaius said, resolute.


    The construct said nothing, only giving him a half smile before they turned and led him to the final tree.


    Kaius¡¯s heart thumped with every step, as the air grew even more charged. After his initial acclimation it had tingled over his skin, active with whispered futures. Now it roared, thick currents of destiny washing over him. His hairs raised, cold tingles rippling out from his spine.


    The final tree was¡­ different. Not in any way he could pick out with his eye, but he could feel it. Feel its regal bearing, the sheer weight of it. Thick air sat heavy in his chest, forcing him to work his lungs like bellows.


    They stepped under its canopy, and its bark shimmered.


    The construct waved him forward as the final carving was revealed, gesturing at him to get closer.


    Kaius¡¯s breathing spiked, a thin whine sounding in his ears as he approached.


    He saw himself.


    Clad in a full set of scale with his helmet held under one arm, runic whorls bound him tightly. They wrapped his hands, spiralled out from his temples, and crept around the back of his neck. Each location was¡­different, the runes showing minute discrepancies to his trained eye. They were close siblings, but not identical.


    Thrust imperiously into the air, his sword arm gripped a blade - one he knew well. A Father¡¯s Gift; he¡¯d recognise the delicate twisted fillgere on its crossguard and pommel anywhere. Even then, his sword had been changed too. Its blade blazed with runic might, yet more strange runes wrapping every inch of its steel. Waves of volatile magic burst from its edge, carved with such fine detail he could almost see the air shimmering under its potency.


    With sharp eyes, he stared out from the wood, gaze locked on something off in the distance. Regally focused, as the slightest frown of intensity graced his lips.


    It was everything Kaius had dreamed of and more.


    For there was more. The sculpted destiny did not only depict him.


    There, clad in dense plate barding, with a magnificent glyph shining through the fur on his chest, was Porkchop. His brother bore him like a mount, enlarged and empowered. Yet it was clear that it was not a position of subservience, this Kaius knew. He could feel it, the bond and trust between them shone as bright as the sun.


    As one they charged forwards, seeming to leap free of the ash tree¡¯s trunk as they raced across a field laden with the ruins of a forgotten age, evidence of glorious victory left in their wake.


    Kaius remembered to breathe, a gulping gasp filling his chest with air heavy with potent and ancient magics.


    ¡°Take a closer look, I think you¡¯ll like this one.¡± The construct said with pleased self assurance, startling Kaius out of his reverie.


    He took a steadying breath and peered closer.


    A status page flickered into view.

 Chapter 121: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 4

    Enraptured by the sight of a potential future, Kaius focused intensely on the words that appeared before him as he focused on the carving embedded into the trunk of the last ash.


    Runeblade Initiate:


    Class - Tier I


    Heroic


    Relevant Feats:


    Has slain at least 4000 foes of at least level 15 while unclassed. Has slain at least three Champions in single combat while unclassed. Has slain at least nine Champions while cooperating with a greater beast while unclassed. Has slain at least 300 foes with glyph-binding while Unclassed. Has slain a Guardian while unclassed. Has pioneered glyph-binding. Has a complete set of Legacy skills. Has capped all base stats at 20. Has broken the unclassed cap on at least one base stat. Has obtained at least 4 Honours. Has obtained at least 1 Major Honour as an Unclassed. Has a weapon mastery skill of at least Unique Rarity. Has an evasion skill of at least Unique rarity. Has a rune mastery skill of at least Unusual rarity. Has formed a bond of equals with a greater beast of at least Heroic rarity. Has at least one other Heroic skill. Has bound a sword type Growth weapon. Has actively pursued both martial and runic supremacy. Has experienced Aura.


    The Runeblades are the militant branch of the Vesryn Order. One and all, they are knights errant, on an eternal quest to strive towards martial and arcane perfection. It is a harsh existence, unforgiving; to become an Initiate is to sacrifice all to the life of the glyph and blade. Astride their life-bonded companions and with their soul-bound blades in hand, they seek the gaze of death, for it is only by staring back unflinching that a Runeblade''s true might can be forged.


    Even an initiate of the Vesryn Order¡¯s Runeblades is a lethal opponent. Their bound blades and companions give them an edge, but it is their utter focus on martial and arcane perfection that makes them indomitable for their tier. Multiple glyphs adorn their bodies, each tuned to maximise a specific aspect of combat-casting. Sword-arts and other esoteric abilities leave little weaknesses to exploit, and their broad span of combat hymns allow them to prepare for any eventuality. When they arrive ready for war, their rune-drenched skin is seen as a promise of violence that brings succour to their allies and terror to their enemies.


    All Arcane and Martial affinity skills are improved by 30%


    All Spellsword, Evasive, and Glyph-Binding type skills are improved by 60%


    Stats:


    +3 Intelligence, +2 Endurance, +2 Strength, + 2 Dexterity, +1 Vitality, +1 Willpower per level


    Skill Resonance:


    Warforged - Strong


    Adamant Body - Strong


    Runic Lexicon - Strong


    Mana Manipulation - Strong


    Uncanny Dodge - Moderate


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus - Weak


    Kaius drank in the status of his future class.


    This was it, he could feel it in his bones. It was perfect.


    Years of blood, sweat, and tears. A lifetime of sacrifice, on his part and Father¡¯s. A year in the depths, throwing himself at battle after battle, fighting off the looming ghost of his own demise with fraught fury. The broken bones and ruptured organs. The loss. Everything. This made it all worth it.


    He knew now that when he reunited with Father - in this life or gods forbid, the next - he could meet him with shining eyes and pride in his heart. That he could tell him, honestly and truly, that he had achieved everything they had set out for, and so much more.


    The class was everything. The pursuit of perfection, the focus on spell and sword, enshrining his values and his bonds. He could not have dreamt of a better class for him.


    Kaius grinned, wide and true. ¡°Bear witness Father, a new dawn rises on Unterstern today,¡± he thought, sending his words into the aether.


    ¡°This is the one,¡± he said as he turned to his class guide, the words reverberating through the mystic air that clouded the shaded reaches of the final ash tree.


    ¡°Like I said, I thought you might like it.¡± Kaius the Elder replied, giving him an easy grin. ¡°Are you sure you do not want to discuss it? Your choice will be final, and more than any other, the first class you choose will impact the direction of your life forever more.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s green and gold eyes sharped, and he straightened his spine. ¡°There is no need. It has everything I wanted. A focus on the blade and the glyph, and it enshrines my bond,¡± he paused as he realised that he did have one thing on his mind. ¡°I did have one question though. Why is the resonance with Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus weak? With everything the class stated, I would have thought that it would have been strong.¡±


    His class guide nodded, clearly pleased that even if his mind was made up, he was not rushing through things.


    ¡°That is an easy question to answer. It does align with the class, almost perfectly. There is very little room for it to be brought closer into alignment. That, and as a Heroic skill, it is almost impossible for it to improve in rarity while you are in the first and second tiers.¡± Kaius the Elder explained.


    He nodded, accepting the answer. ¡°What now then? I have made my selection, what should I expect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked. You will go through the class up process, which from what I am aware is rather¡­riveting. Once the system has melded the framework with your soul, any of your general skills which successfully resonate will evolve. After that? It will be time for me to help you select your first Class skill, and it will be time for you to return to the world of the living.¡± The construct shot him an easy grin. ¡°Then I''ll just be waiting until the next time you class up for us to meet again.¡±


    Kaius frowned, pondering his aged clone''s words. ¡°What do you mean waiting? Where do you go during all that time? Are you just stuck here in this forest?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    His class guide chuckled. ¡°No. I don¡¯t exist, not like that at least. It is more like I am a tiny little extrusion of the system''s attention, giving weight, context, and familiarity. You do not have to worry about me getting bored, though it is nice of you to consider it.¡±


    His eyes widened. He¡¯d assumed his class guide would be some lesser spirit, or some other intelligence employed by the system, not a divine fragment of its own power. That was.. Unnerving.


    Kaius the Elder¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°And that is why that information is not often volunteered, too unsettling for most folks. Not you though; you just take everything in stride. Don¡¯t you, Kaius?¡±


    Kaius gulped.


    ¡°Before you ask, no, I cannot tell you about the integration or anything else that isn¡¯t directly relevant to picking your class.¡± The system said, preempting his next question. ¡°Now, are you ready to pick?¡±


    Taking a slow breath to steady his nerves - two brushes with the divine in a single day was a bit much, even for him - Kaius nodded resolutely.


    The deific entity wrapped in a suit made of his own reflection returned a deeply satisfied smile. ¡°Good.¡±


    A notification flickered into view, pulling at Kaius¡¯s attention with undeniable and inexorable might.


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate Class Available, would you like to proceed? This choice is pivotal and irrevocable.**


    Victory and anticipation thrummed through him.


    He accepted.


    ¡­


    Kaius fell into his soul space. The environs were familiar; his soul burned with golden light, surrounded by his gaseous resource pools and the orbiting platinum dexagrammic formation of his legacy skills. The pillars of his aspects hung above his soul, resplendent and waiting for something, though he knew not what.


    Something was different though. The thin barrier that separated his soul space from Porkchop¡¯s had been thickened, bolstered by the system until it was opaque. He could still sense his brother, but it was if they were separated by an unfathomable distance.


    Considering how little he knew of how class selection worked, he might well be. His spirit could have been drawn from his body for all he could tell.


    He paused, looking around in confusion. Then, the undeniable might of the system descended on him. The same strange power that it had used to forge his aspects was injected into his core once more.


    Kaius braced, waiting for the pain. It never came. Rather than using its power to alter him like it had before, the system started to weave.


    The power it wielded was still just as foreign and obscure to him as it was before. He only knew it was potent, far more potent than even Mana.


    Gossamer thin threads, shimmering with pearlescence, started to flow through his soul. They dove inwards, whirling in a torrent that completely obscured his soul from his sight. Threads snapped into place, turning from agile and flexible to rigid under the systems ministrations.


    There was a method to this madness. Kaius recognised the fundamentals of sacred geometry, in angles and lines that tapped into the very base of reality. Altering truth to their whims. He gasped.


    It was a formation. One of mind breaking complexity.


    He tried to follow the system¡¯s work, a slow and steady thud pulsing through his head as he desperately tracked a million million threads. It was too much.


    Individually, each one was almost invisible. The ratios and design of the working too in-depth, too detailed.


    His mind quaked; he was forced to slacken his focus. It was awe inspiring, a work of impossible detail.


    A cage slowly began to come together, sigilistic emblems locked in place in a lattice of binding wires. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that even with a million years he would never be able to come up with a work as grand. As detailed.


    Each sigil, beautiful in their complexity and each totally unique, served as the vertex to a hexagrammic shell. Wires of unknown power shot to the centre of each hole in the net, coalescing and amplifying. Forming thousands of roaring conflagrations, each one condensing a titan¡¯s worth of power.


    Trepidation welled within him. Seeing so much raw mystic energy compressed right next to his soul gnawed at him, even with his faith in the might and control of the system.


    He bit his lip.


    His skills started to sing. A hymn of longing and want.


    Not all of them, only some resonated with the charged potential that echoed from the system-wrought formation in waves.


    Warforged, Adamant Body, Runic Lexicon, Mana Manipulation, Uncanny dodge, and Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus.


    The roaring maelstroms contained by hexagonal arrays continued to swell, and the song of his skills heightened as the waves of power amplified further.


    One stuttered, their pure note wavering for a moment before it slowly dimmed and fell silent. Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus. Kaius could tell what happened, even if he had no power over the system''s actions, he was still in the boundary of his own soul, and he felt all of the workings impacts clearly.


    As he had been warned, the skill was too aligned, too perfect. Even with the might of his class, his bond skill had little room to grow. At least within the confines of his tier. He could only hope that the others would persevere.


    Then, a few moments later, one skill fell off key. Its resonance faltered as its tuneless note was overwhelmed in a rush of mystic might. Uncanny Dodge had been unable to come in line with what his class required.


    Kaius winced. It was a powerful skill, and an evolution would have brought it to Heroic. Yet now, all that was left were skills that chimed with undeniable purity, aligned tightly with the growing eminations from his nascent class.


    Pure intent and mystic might built further, just barely kept within the bounds of the system¡¯s arrays. He watched the formation with baited breath. Whatever happened, it would happen soon.


    His skills rose to a crescendo, singing out in joy for their coming change.


    A thousand thousand incandescent wells of energy imploded, condensing down to monodimensional points in the centre of each six pointed star. Lances of pearlescent light shot free from the base of each nexus. The arrays that made up the web of his class lensed the beams, focusing and amplifying them before they plunged deep into his soul.


    His pyre of self roared in primal satisfaction, igniting to new potent heights.


    A shockwave of charged power roared out. Focused by his class construct, the wave was amplified.


    Kaius gaped at the shimmering wall that tore away from the working that caged his soul. It washed over his soul-space and his four resonating legacy skills screamed with satisfaction, before they shattered.


    The system bore down on their ashes, infusing them with the remnant power of his class formation before it forged them anew.


    **Ding! Class Forged! Runeblade Initiate obtained!**


    **Ding! General Skill Evolved! Warforged (Unique) has become Liturgical Bladeform - Primus Ordo (Heroic)!**


    **Ding! General Skill Evolved! Adamant Body (Unique) has become Tempered by Dissonance (Heroic)!**


    **Ding! General Skill Evolved! Runic Lexicon (Unusual) has become Tonal Weaving (Unique)!**


    **Ding! General Skill Evolved! Mana Manipulation (Unusual) has become Resonance Amplification (Unique)!**

 Chapter 122: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 5

    Kaius rose from his soul-space with a gasp, his eyes snapping open to take in the dense ash canopy above. Warm sunlight filtered through the green leaves, comforting him with memories of home. He was still in his class selection.


    He¡¯d been told to expect that, but after all he experienced, it was hard to avoid feeling surprised.


    His class construct, the system sheathed in an aged and scarred clone of himself, leaned over him with warm eyes and a soft smile.


    Despite the notifications for his new skills tugging at his mind, Kaius gave the system his full attention. One did not ignore the highest of divines.


    ¡°Pretty intense isn¡¯t it? I know I said we had more to do, and we do, but I''m not going to be so cruel as to stop you from checking out what you have gained. You almost look constipated.¡± The ancient intelligence teased.


    Kaius blanched, struggling to marry the coarse humour with a lifetime of veneration.


    His class construct just gave him a cheeky grin. ¡°Based off you, remember? Don¡¯t go getting all up-tight about your own humour now. Seriously though, check your skills, you look like you¡¯re about to pass out.¡±


    Kaius paused, and then gave the construct a nod, indulging in his rampant curiosity over his gains without even bothering to sit up.


    Liturgical Bladeform - Primus Ordo:


    General Skill - Tier I


    Affinity: Arcane, Martial


    Type: Spellblade, Longsword, Glyph-binding, Mastery


    Level 20


    Heroic


    The first order of Vesryn. Speak the language of war, and write your verse with steel and spell. Here, mastery transcends skill; it becomes Ritual.


    Skill that enhances technical mastery with the Vesryn orders Liturgical Bladeform style, a cohesive use of longswords and glyph-binding. Improves the lethality of longswords, and the armour piercing capabilities of longswords and hymns


    Each level significantly increases longsword and glyph-binding proficiency.


    Each level moderately increases speed, control, and power of strikes - both mundane and magical.


    Each level minutely increases the ability to penetrate mundane and magical defences.


    Evolved from: Warforged


    Kaius grinned as he drank in the description of the evolved form of Warforged. Not for the first time, he thanked his blessings that he had been born into the legacy he had. Warforged was an ¡­ unoptimised skill, but it had served its purpose perfectly. With its power spread so thin between mastery of so many styles, Warforged failed to really shine in any given one.


    Yet, it was only a base skill. It meant that none of his ancestors were locked into a specific style or weapon at birth, able to choose what fit them best. Father had said that most in the history of their Dynasty managed to evolve it by the first or second class selection. When they did, they almost invariably were granted something that let them excel.


    The truth of those words stared him straight in the face now.


    He had lost his ability to make use of any weapon, but he had gained much, much more. Already he could feel its effects rushing through him. When he tried to remember the feel of a perfectly aimed bowshot, or a graceful parry with a knife, it slipped away like a dream.


    It wasn¡¯t that bad, he had still used and practised with dozens of weapons since he was a boy. All he had lost was the nudging and insight granted by the system, the ones that stretched his capabilities to superhuman heights.


    In their place, he could feel a burgeoning style taking place, one that wove a dance of arcane steel. He couldn¡¯t feel it completely, that would take practice and time to familiarise himself with his newly found instincts and implicit knowledge.


    That wasn¡¯t all. Even if all he had gained was a sword and hymn focused style with better scaling, he would have been happy. But for the skill to increase his ability to overwhelm armour and protection? That was invaluable, especially as he knew that he and Porkchop would need to punch upwards if they were to meet the significant demands of Ekum the Pale.


    Invigorated by Liturgical Bladeform, Kaius moved on to the next skill.


    Tempered by Dissonance:


    General Skill - Tier I


    Affinity: Martial, Destruction


    Type: Body Reinforcement, Armament Reinforcement, Evasion


    Level 20


    Heroic


    Harmony brings fullness, dissonance threatens dissolution. Unwoven like fabric, you are reduced to base threads and tempered in chaos, pain, and undiluted malice. Recomposed, you persevere, undaunted by the many terrors of the world. Garbed in new cloth, you advance unbroken. Wise to the ways of destruction, you evade what you can, and endure what you cannot.


    Skill that increases the effectiveness of all forms of tactical movement, bodily resistance to injury, the integrity of defensive armaments and self-cast runic hymns. General encumbrance of Medium and Light Armour is reduced.


    Each level reasonably increases speed, power, and control of tactical movements.


    Each level moderately increases integrity of worn defensive armaments, and effectiveness of self-cast defensive runic hymns.


    Each level moderately increases manoeuvrability of worn Light and Medium defensive armaments, and moderately decreases their weight.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Each level moderately increases the effects of Endurance on bodily integrity.


    Evolved from: Adamant Body


    Reading the words, he knew then that without a doubt he had picked the right class. One perfectly suited to him.


    General skills evolved to align with your current class, but so far everything almost seemed to be perfectly tailored to him. If it wasn¡¯t for his surety in the systems might, and the sanctity of undergoing class selection without influence, he would suspect that Ekum had nudged things in his favour once more.


    Tempered by Dissonance had lost almost nothing of note. While he would no longer receive the skills benefits when wearing heavy armour, he had no intention of ever using it. He preferred a lighter, more agile approach to combat. Even if he did have a tendency to get hit in the chest, he would be far worse off in restrictive full-plate.


    In its stead, his restrictions on physical defences and reactive movements had disappeared.


    It was a fine skill. He pulled up the next one, eager to see what had become of Runic Lexicon.


    Tonal Weaving:


    General Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Arcane


    Type: Glyph-binding, Runic, Meditation, Mastery


    Level 20


    Unique


    Inscribe the resonance of wisdom upon the flesh, become a living tapestry of arcane harmony. With each rune and hymn, carve order from chaos, uniting body and soul with the potent iconography of the Vesryn Order.


    This skill improves the users ability to inscribe the glyphs and runic hymns of the Vesryn Order. Enables direct inscription of the body through meditation and mana control.


    Each level significantly increases speed and accuracy when inscribing Vesryn runes.


    Each level significantly increases the stability of Vesryn runes.


    Each level moderately increases memory and understanding of known Vesryn glyphs and runic hymns.


    Each level slightly reduces required focus and time to directly inscribe the body.


    Evolved from: Runic Lexicon


    Kaius frowned as he took in Tonal Weaving''s changes to its previous iteration. No longer did it boost his direct capability and learning ability of runic scripts. Instead it seemed to boost the understanding of Vesryn runes he had already learnt.


    Without that, he would be forced to learn the new scripts without the system''s aid and without a dedicated teacher. It was possible, but it would be the work of a lifetime.


    Yet, it wasn¡¯t without its benefits. His ability to inscribe and handle the new runes seemed to have been greatly increased. The ability to directly inscribe himself through mana control was...interesting. He would have to test it out for himself, but if it worked as suggested, then with enough skill levels it might drastically reduce the time he had to spend refreshing his hymns.


    That would grow rather important as his total mana capacity skyrocketed with his class levels.


    He dismissed the notification, looking up to his class guide. ¡°No knowledge component?¡± he asked.


    The aged clone shook his head slightly. ¡°Unfortunately not, I did mention that hybrid classes come with drawbacks. However, it will help you fully understand the components of the runic hymns you receive from your class skills. From there, it is just a matter of exploration, extrapolation, and testing. I wouldn¡¯t expect to reverse engineer glyphic scripts quickly though.¡±


    Kaius paused, but gave his guide a sharp nod. At the very least he had gotten confirmation that it was possible. Besides, even with a knowledge skill, it would have still been a gargantuan undertaking without any learning resources or tutors. The kind of work better suited to cloistered scholars than a warrior like himself.


    He just hoped that the speed and convenience of direct inscription would be enough to offset the loss.


    The final skill notification tugged at his mind, and Kaius dove straight in.


    Resonance Amplification:


    General Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Arcane


    Type: Glyph-binding, Metamagic, Manipulation


    Level 20


    Unique


    Attune yourself to the primal song, the thumping heart that runs beneath the world. Impart a note of destructive purity to your hymns, reverberations shattering all that would bar your path to perfection.


    Resonance with internal mana empowers offensive runic hymns with penetrating vibration. Enhances mental control of internal mana. External mana may be controlled with significantly increased difficulty.


    Each level significantly increases control over internal mana.


    Each level slightly increases the potency of imbued resonance.


    Each level minutely increases control over external mana.


    Evolved from: Mana Manipulation


    Kaius¡¯s heart thumped as a grin split his face. Metamagic. He¡¯d had hopes, but without a base skill of that nature, he had gotten lucky indeed with this evolution. Even if the difficulty of external mana control had increased, he¡¯d found that that particular skill was far less useful for him than a standard caster.


    Once his hymns were set, there was little he could do to influence them to the extent a manipulation or sorcerous caster could. Instead, he found internal mana control to be far more advantageous with how it assisted his inscription.


    Even that single trade would have brought the skill better into alignment with his needs, but for it to develop a metamagic component as well? That was true fortune. Imbuing his combat spells with reverberation would increase their effectiveness at no additional cost, and he could think of a number of cases where it could prove extremely advantageous, like against heavily armoured opponents.


    Pleased with his gains, Kaius dismissed the notification and pushed himself off of the soft ground of the forest. Dirt and loose leaf litter clung to his back, until he brushed them free and rose to his feet.


    ¡°What now? You mentioned something about us still having something to do before I¡¯m finished?¡± Kaius asked, turning to his guide.


    His guide crinkled his eyes, small crows-feet appearing at their corners. ¡°Indeed we do. It¡¯s time for you to pick your first skill, and depending on your choice, your first spell.¡±


    Anticipation welled up within him, a bubbling energy that made him feel light and energetic. His first class skill¡­ It was finally here. Unlike general skills, they almost ubiquitously had some sort of active component, and were the largest part of why classers were so capable.


    Though, he had half suspected that he would make the choice outside of this selection place.


    ¡°Will I always come back here when I unlock more?¡± He asked, tilting his head at Kaius the Elder.


    ¡°No, just for the skill that comes with the class evolution itself. For your later spells, you will enter something similar, you do need to be taught them after-all, but not here. Somewhere less sacred, but still dear to your heart.¡± The guide explained, before he waved at Kaius to follow as he turned and strode off into the meadow that surrounded the trio of ash trees that had revealed to him his class options.


    Kaius jolted, and strode after his guide, pushing through dense grasses and walking around wildflowers. They were too pretty to damage with casual disregard.


    ¡°We¡¯re going somewhere else?¡± He asked, hurrying to match the clone''s pace.


    ¡°Of course. A new skill carries a whole lot less weight in your heart than your class. It would be inappropriate to make the selection here. I still think you¡¯ll enjoy the process though, you have quite the options.¡± His guide said, looking back over their shoulder to shoot him a wink before they picked up their pace.


    ¡°Hey! Wait up!¡± Kaius replied, starting to jog.

 Chapter 123: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 6

    After leaving the meadow that held the site of his class selection, Kaius and his guide had fallen into an easy silence. He appreciated that. As they walked through the giant old growth forest, working their way through the undergrowth, he started to feel at home.


    It had been far, far, too long since he had been in the Sea, been graced by the radiant warmth of the sun, smelt the rich earth and vegetal notes of wood and leaves on the air, heard the chirping of birds, and the rustling of true wind as it passed through the canopy above.


    Even the wooded sections of the Depths were a poor substitute for such concentrated life. He only hoped that whatever changes the second phase would bring, that it would leave this aura of serenity untouched. More than anything else, that would cut at him if he was the reason for its disruption.


    Beyond a doubt, this was the break that he had craved, needed, after so long in the depths. Even here in mind only, he felt the tension of a year of war slowly leave him and a renewed vigour and determination take its place.


    Only now did his success start to feel real. They had done it, slain a Guardian and obtained their classes. Sure, the future held perils, but the most immediate mountain had been summited. With their success, and the knowledge and experience he now carried with him, Kaius felt far more steady about the looming range on the horizon.


    The forest parted once more, revealing a small break in the trees where a rocky slope hampered their ability to take root. Kaius came to a shuddering stop. He recognised this place.


    There, at the base of the slope, lay a number of cracked boulders. Four in total, by chance or fate each had split cleanly through the middle to reveal a clean and flat space. Just off to the side lay a burnt out campfire, scattered with loose dirt and cleared of leaves.


    It was the sight of where he had first truly dived into the possibility of glyph-binding. Where Father had expounded on the mysteries of the runic arts in depth, and spent his evenings muttering as he sketched theories on one of the split boulders. It had been an enrapturing time. Then, more than any other, his father had been driven - focused totally and utterly on something other than Kaius¡¯s direct training.


    It had been fascinating, seeing his father attack the stone with sticks of charcoal like he was trying to slay a dragon, diagram after diagram materialising before being wiped clean once more.


    It had humanised him, let him see Father as more than a harsh taskmaster and stalwart protector. Yet it had highlighted the cracks, and shone a revealing light on all they must have lost. It had revealed glimpses of the man Father must have been. A driven, passionate, and viciously intelligent man who latched on problems like the jaws of a greater beast, wringing them for all the secrets and solutions he could.


    It had been when he realised that Father was drowning.


    How could you solve the destruction of your dynasty? Your own loss of power, that only dwindled by the day, and a son you needed to nurture and train without the resources you needed to do so?


    It had become clear then, in those halcyon days, why Father had such demands on his attention and effort. Ensuring he could survive without him was Father¡¯s final act. The final problem he had to solve.


    Kaius loved him for it.


    Letting out a slow, shuddering, breath, Kaius turned to his class guide. ¡°Here?¡± he asked, his tone half accusatory.


    ¡°Here.¡± his guide replied with a nod. ¡°There is power in symbolism. Come along now.¡±


    Kaius steeled himself. He took a long, final look at the camp he had lived in for months before he followed after his guide, approaching the split boulders. As they drew closer, he realised that three of them were not as he remembered them being. They were set in a neat line, exposed faces unshadowed by their missing halves.


    One seemed to be some sort of sword technique diagram. It was similar - no, identical - in style to the ones that Father had sketched in the dirt with a stick when he was being taught the components of Warforged. It was different though, this was no simple style guide. Waves of roaring energy rolled off the blade. When the sketched figure struck his opponent, that energy tore at their flesh. A true class skill, rather than the mostly passive effects of his general set. The diagrams were vague, barely showing him what the skill did, let alone how.


    The next had a singular massive glyph scrawled across its surface. Pointy and jagged, it was made of hard lines and acute angles. As he approached, it seemed to almost shift with his perspective, its form mutagenic and transient. It seemed there would be no stealing hidden insights from skills he didn¡¯t plan to select.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Kaius caught sight of his aged clone smirking. Of course it could read his thoughts. No matter, it was an incarnation of the systems might after all. He turned his attention to the final boulder.


    The last was another technique diagram, though this one was clearly designed for glyph binding. A runebound figure cast a bolt of magic, a runic hymn burning away from their outstretched hand. It did the same with its other hand, two bolts appearing while only one charge was burnt.


    That caught his eye. The potential to double the output of his limited runic hymns would do much to shore up the weaknesses of glyph-binding. Not that he intended to make his choice of only a first impression. Now that he had a class, with a monumental plus-three to Intelligence every level, the limits of his mana pool would dwindle rapidly. Even gated as he was by being limited in the amount of hymns he could inscribe at once, he doubted that many things would live long enough to threaten him after he had gotten through twenty-four Arcane Bolts.


    He was also immensely curious about the glyph. They were supposed to be a major centrepiece of his class, afterall.


    ¡°Shall we start with the last one then? It certainly seems to have caught your eye.¡± His class guide said with more than a little mirth, shaking him from his revere.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kaius returned his guide''s smile. ¡°Caught that did you? I suppose you don¡¯t miss much.¡± he replied.


    ¡°Not really, no. Go on then.¡± His guide ushered him forwards.


    Kaius approached the stone covered in a glyph-binding technique diagram. The air grew heavy as he walked forwards. Not as potent and charged with destiny as his class selections, not by half, but it was still enough for the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.


    The charcoal diagram shimmered, and a description of the skill quickly dominated his view.


    Hyperius Choralcasting:


    Class Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Arcane, Mirror


    Type: Glyph-binding, Metamagic


    Selection Available!


    Unique


    Master Hyperius was known for his placid demeanour and destructive might. Where others preferred variety and flexibility, he preferred to take the simplest of arcane shards and then proliferate them until they were a storm that blotted out the sun. His contributions to the Order mean that he is interred in the Tomb. Do you think you will be able to do the same, Initiate?


    This skill allows the user to alter a runic hymn inscription to duplicate the spell when activated for 90% added base mana reserved.


    Every 10 levels the user may increase the spell duplication by 1 for an additional 90% base added to the reserved mana required per hymn.


    Kaius pondered the first skill.


    It was good, that was without a doubt. Even with the nigh instant casting of glyph-binding compared to normal spells, there was still some level of delay caused by his own ability to will a hymn to activate. It was a non-issue at the moment, when the most he had done was send a volley of less than a dozen spells at once.


    However, when his pool improved, and he could potentially inscribe a full two dozen Arcane Bolts or more, it would be a significant improvement to his firepower.


    Either way, it was a solid option to have available, though he wouldn¡¯t know how it shored up until he checked the rest.


    He looked away from the skills description, down to the line to where the next boulder waited. The glyph.


    That was what he was most curious about. From what his guide had said, his current glyph was¡­ jank. What''s more, if he kept it he would be limited to the spell-hymns he had already devised, or whatever other slight alterations he could make to Arcane Bolt, until he found himself a tutor in High Lothian.


    If the glyph served to be an improvement to his own, and provided some way for him to gain spells like his guide had said, then it was almost certain it would be the one he picked.


    Which is why he would save it for last. He knew if he saw it now, it would taint his impressions of whatever the sword technique was on the final boulder.


    Leaving the first skill behind, he walked past the boulder with the glyphic inscription and approached the one at the end of the line.


    ¡°Oh? Not going to check in order? How unexpected.¡± his guide said teasingly, giving him a wink.


    Kaius suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the construct. While it may have looked like a venerable copy of himself, it was impossible to forget that it was a direct agent of the system. One did not snark the highest of gods.


    ¡°Just trying to save the best for last.¡± He mumbled, arriving at the stone that held the sword technique. Stepping forwards, he focused his attention until a status screen flickered into view.


    Disruptive Cut:


    Class Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Martial, Sound


    Type: Longsword, Antimagic, Strike


    Available!


    Unusual


    Some Runeblades specialise, tuning themselves to a specific kind of prey. Amongst these rare figures, it is the howling blades of the mage-hunters that are most feared by all of an arcane bent.


    This skill allows the user to infuse their blade with disruptive vigour at the cost of 100 Stamina, temporarily destabilising channelled mana in their targets.


    Each level reasonably raises the difficulty of preventing or counteracting this destabilisation.


    Each level moderately increases the length of time that the disruption persists.


    Each level minutely increases the chance of interrupted channelled mana causing a damaging backlash.


    This one intrigued him. While he was heavily disinclined to take it, it still revealed some secrets about this nebulous Vesryn Order that dominated the history of his class. He had chosen the path he had to be flexible, not to focus on a single type of enemy, even one as ubiquitous and dangerous as mana users.


    In isolation, it would be a strong pick, even with being a lower rarity than Choralcasting. Yet he doubted it would operate in isolation. He decided to satisfy his curiosity. Afterall, what good was a guide if you did not ask them to show you the way?


    ¡°These skills. Will they influence what I am offered later? Both later skills and class evolutions?¡± he asked, turning away from the boulder to address the system construct.


    ¡°Good catch, and good question,¡± they responded, giving him a nod. ¡°Yes to influencing later classes. The skills you pick, and how you use them, both directly influence class evolutions, and often impact the types of feats that you complete. As for later skills? Yes, but to a lesser degree. Ultimately, it is the class itself that has the most influence, and it would take several skills with the same broad focus to completely shift everything you are offered.¡±


    Kaius nodded along to his guide''s explanation, chewing the inside of his cheek. ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t think this one''s for me. Not for my first skill, at least. Is it able to be offered again?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It could, but it is much more likely to be something different, whether subtly or radically.¡± his guide replied, shifting their weight on one foot. It stood out to Kaius, he doubted it was unconscious. There was no way that the system itself was a slave to things as base as simple discomfort. Still, it humanised his guide. Which he supposed was the point, it had said that it had taken that form to put him at ease after all.


    The specifics of skills impacts on his future choices aside, Kaius still had one main question. Where this class had come from. He¡¯d had a suspicion building for a while, after reading epigraph after epigraph. One that had only grown as he saw the references made to a supposedly powerful Order of glyph-binders, when he was supposedly the first of his ¡®cohort¡¯. Whatever that meant.


    ¡°The Vesryn Order, they''re not from around here are they? They can¡¯t be.¡± he asked, cautious curiosity tinting his words.


    His class guide gave him another one of its wide smiles. ¡°Clever. You¡¯d be surprised how few people ask that. Everyone is usually too caught up in the hullabaloo of their shiny new class.¡±


    Kaius paused. That wasn¡¯t much of an answer, though the fact he had been commended for asking it confirmed they were not in his mind. He supposed that they could be from the higher realms, but they sounded all too ¡­ mortal for that to make sense to him. ¡°Where are they from then?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say. Not yet at least. Keep on climbing like you have and you¡¯ll figure it out for yourself quick enough though.¡± Giving him an apologetic shrug, his class guide nodded towards his last skill option. ¡°You should check that out. Something tells me you¡¯ll be quite pleased with it.¡±


    Kaius turned back to the final boulder.


    The shifting, aggressive angles of the glyph on its face seemed to tug at him. Drawing him forwards.


    He complied willingly.

 Chapter 124: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 7

    The final split boulder was a large thing. He recognised it, a perfect duplicate of another further across the base of the slope. The same one Father had used to teach him runes.


    The shifting glyph on the boulder''s face made Father¡¯s master runework look like a child''s drawing. It was jagged and aggressive, impossibly crisp lines cutting through stone, before they cracked into hard points and ran back through themselves.


    He found it almost impossible to focus on a single aspect of the shifting rune, his eyes tugged from point to point. Every time he roved back over a spot, its entire geometry had shifted, rolling back over itself to present him with a new face.


    And yet, he did not ever see the thing actually move. It was simply different every time he focused. Still, he could work out some aspects of its construction, even if in the broadest of senses. It was similar to his own glyph, in the way a barn cat was similar to a lion. A central nexus of violent shards, or crackling spokes, or twisting knots. A controller, shifting faster than he could focus on it. Swooping lines that wove themselves into a binding, before shattering like glass.


    He swallowed thickly, a vein on his temple throbbing as the mutable design made his head start to ache. It didn¡¯t take long for him to give up studying much more of the formation.


    Taking a deep breath, he stepped forwards, revealing the description of his final potential skill.


    Latent Glyph of Drakthar:


    Class Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Arcane, Martial


    Type: Glyph-binding, Runic, Spellcasting


    Selection Available!


    Heroic


    The ¡®Glyph of Scouring,¡¯ Drakthar is etched for aggression and dominance in battle. Its hymns unleash raw, directed energy in bursts of screaming magic. Of all Vesryn glyphs, it is the most warlike, as such Initiates have its latent form inscribed on their hands and wrists to make it easier to direct - and less likely to bite something important.


    This skill allows the user to inscribe Vesryn evocation spell-hymns to be activated at will, limited only by the availability of mana to reserve into the working, and sufficient space on the body. Creates a hymnbook on the user''s status if one is not already present. Paired on both hands, each glyph can cast hymns inscribed on their counterpart.


    Each level moderately increases the power, range, afflictions, and area of effect of spell-hymns cast through the glyph.


    Each level slightly decreases the physical size of inscribed spell-hymns.


    Every 100 levels the user may learn another runic hymn of the relevant tier to add to their hymnbook.


    Spell-hymns Known:


    Tier I-


    Selection Available!


    Air hissed between Kaius¡¯s clenched teeth as he took in the nature of what would be the first skill of his class. There was no doubt in his mind.


    Drakthar. He rolled the word across his tongue, feeling its hard points and sharp edges. It was a good name. A fitting one. Something that a warrior-king would name his weapon.


    It was perfect. A source of new spells, his charged hymns limited only by his mana pool, and an increase of power that scaled with his level. He could think of nothing better. Plus, to his core he burned to grasp as much of glyph-binding as he could.


    While he wanted to make use of his blade just as much, he had had a lifetime of training with the weapon, and he did not need a class skill to cleave in someone''s skull. Not so with glyph-binding.


    He still had his original glyph, sure, but the system itself had said it was not much better than a poor imitator. The creation of a genius no doubt, but it was a sling to his class¡¯s trebuchet. He wanted, needed, to see the difference in their power. He would just need to get rid of his old one first.


    Dismissing the description of the skill, Kaius looked down to his hand. Clean runework sprawled over the back of his hand, wrapping around the sides to creep over the edges of his palm, butted up on the base of his fingers - including the two missing ones - and sprawling up his wrist.


    The work of a genius, but still a jury-rigged connection of five highly disparate scripts, all working in concert to force a result far outside of their intended use cases. Body formations might have already been a thing, but they were simplistic compared to his glyph. Simple passive effects of reinforcement, made to bind to flesh through runic advancements.


    Yet still, at its core it was a proof of concept. Nothing made that more clear than the shifting lines of the glyph behind him. It would still be invaluable. All mystic arts started from humble beginnings, and if he could find himself an ally in a scholar it would serve as an excellent starting point for plumbing the fundamentals of the Third Pillar. It was often far easier to start from humble basics than it was to work back from the creation of potentially millennia of development.


    It still had to go. Nothing of true value would be lost. He still had his notebook, containing every scrap of knowledge his father could impart on his development of the glyph, and Kaius¡¯s own personal notes on his experiences during its construction.


    He reached for the glyph with his mana, feeling his internal control react with far more depth, power, and grace than ever before. Resonance Amplification at work.


    Mana thrummed through the glyph, forging a tightly bound connection with his deepest centre. He could see it, how it connected to him. Kept itself stable. Dozens of threads of the circulating resource invigorated the working like blood vessels, pumping it through the clean lines of the glyph before returning it to him untouched.


    It would be simple to rip the threads apart. It would also likely blow his hand off. Enhanced with his latest skills, and the acuity of capped True Sight, he could see why it had failed so violently during his failed inscribings. Breaking the thin and delicate connections that held the glyph stable would send the mana into a discordant rampage. Amplified by the sacred geometry and linguistic power of runes, it would roil. Boiling over until it overwhelmed the glyph''s natural stability in a violent detonation.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Thankfully, with the new depth of his internal mana control, he could feel which threads fed the glyph mana, and which ones syphoned it away. Every scrap of theory he had learned said that cutting the threads that fed the working would allow it to safely drain off its energy, eventually collapsing when it no longer had the throughput to bind itself to him.


    He started to cut.


    Gossamer thin vessels pinged as he snapped the conduits of mana one by one. There had to be thousands, but he exercised patience. He had no interest in blowing off his hand. Not when he had already lost a couple of fingers. Health could do a lot, but the complete removal of body parts was still out of reach. For now.


    One by one he cut the vessels, each leading to a slight fluctuating wave in the mana within his body and glyph. All at once it would have been too much, but as it was the disruption was so small it entirely abated in the moment it took him to move to the next connection.


    Minutes passed, and then it was done.


    Devoid of the lifeblood it needed, the final gift that Father had given him dissolved. It burned with the light of accomplishment and sacrifice, golden flakes of ash falling from his skin as it burned away like so many hymns had in the past.


    ¡°I see you have made your choice then.¡± his guide said solemnly, respectful of the moment.


    Kaius breathed, taking a moment to watch the scattered remnants of his glyph disperse on the clean forest wind. It was fitting for the Sea to be their final resting place, even if it was only a recreation.


    ¡°I have.¡± he responded.


    ¡°Good. A glyph is a strong first choice. They are, after all, central to the Runeblade class. Once you have picked it, I will lead you elsewhere for you to choose your first spell. After that, it will be time for you to leave.¡± Kaius¡¯s guide watched him closely, silver-streaked brown hair rustling in the gentle breeze that rolled through the Sea.


    ¡°Will you be here for my next class?¡± Kaius asked. He¡¯d grown comfortable being around the construct, even if it was weird to talk to something wearing his own body like a suit.


    ¡°Yes, though perhaps not in this form, nor necessarily in this space. Class selection is always designed to put you in the head space where you can best make a choice, without undue external considerations affecting your mindset. For most, that is a place of comfort, and as you grow, that may change.¡± the construct explained.


    Kaius nodded, though inwardly he doubted that he would ever find somewhere that felt as familiar and relaxing as the Sea. It was¡­pure, in a way that many other places were not. Sure, there were still dangers, but when you lived there your whole life, they were no worse than the risks of any other place.


    Turning back to the glyph scrawled boulder, Kaius felt the system react to his intent and offer him a new notification.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar Class Skill Available, would you like to proceed? This choice is pivotal and irrevocable.**


    Kaius accepted.


    Power thrummed, surging through his soul. Gasping at the electric energy that coursed through him, Kaius dropped into his soul space.


    The class mesh that surrounded his soul pulsed; waves of power streaming out from the impossibly fine points that linked to his soul. Guided by the system''s grand working, the power was corralled, woven into a dense ball.


    He could taste the flavour of that energy. Aggressive, domineering. Calling out in joy for the glory of battle, and the effervescent thrill that accompanied the expulsion of energy.


    Shining with an aura of gold, the threads of intent that linked the latent skill to his class compressed the ball of formless potential, shaping it bit by bit into a shard of power. It was crystalline, much like his general skills, and gleamed with the rich red of war banners and spilled blood, shimmering with the incandescence of honourable death.


    Unlike his legacy skills, the coalescing shard did not take on a platinum glow. Golden light emanated from the working.


    With a final shattering crunch, his skill was forged as a pulsing wave of anticipation burst free from the nexus, washing over every inch of his being.


    His latest power floated away from his soul. It settled equidistant between the pillars of his aspects and the locked orbits of his legacy skills. With satisfied vigour, it started to rotate around the pyre of his soul, orbiting around the plane that split his soul top to bottom.


    Formed and settled, it began its work in earnest.


    Kaius started, feeling mana fly free from his pool. Snapping his eyes open, he flew from his soulspace and rejoined the world of the waking. Lifting his hands before his eyes, he leaned heavily on True Sight, ignoring the absence of two fingers in favour of focusing on the streams of mana that split and divided under his skin.  Both of his hands were affected, glowing like a bonfire to his sight with the weight of mana that suffused them.


    Woven under the intent of his skill, the mana took on new form, binding itself to his flesh according to higher mysteries and sacred geometries, leaving lines of white hot fire as the caustic arcane seared his nerves. Kaius winced.


    It stung. Like fuck.


    Still, he could bear the discomfort. Burning crimson light branded itself onto his skin, the glyph taking shape. It was cohesive, dense, and immeasurably more complex than anything he would have been able to inscribe himself, let alone design.


    He struggled to even identify what it did, but he could at least tell that there were different segments to the formation. If he couldn¡¯t do even that he would have been a poor excuse for a runewright¡¯s son. A central array, shaped like splayed out shards of metal, was surrounded by a densely woven mesh of hexagrams, each vertice cutting the central array in twain as they crossed his flesh with eye watering fire. Jagged runes that whispered of power and the thrill of spilt blood scrawled around each line, somehow dipping through his flesh to wrap the glyph in a three dimensional matrix. It was mind bogglingly complex, and something that was only possible due to the formation being bound to his body and soul.


    He gulped, suddenly realising that developing his own expertise on his glyphs was going to be a lot harder than he thought if they were three dimensional. The complexity and permutations alone¡­ balancing mana flows along a flat plane was bad enough.


    A final circle of runes flared into being, encircling the central formation at equidistant points. Each was as large as a fingerprint, and a thin line of runes linked each one into a decagram.


    His mana surged, totally under the thrall of Drakthar, before his whole being¡­clicked. Shuddering in place. The burning lines of his glyph dimmed, leaving clean black elegance in their place that drenched the back of his hands and climbed up and around his wrists.


    Clenching his fists, Kaius took in their shape. He ¡­ liked it. The brutal edges and whispered promises of violence. That said, he was going to need to buy some gloves if he wanted to avoid questions. It wouldn¡¯t take long for people to start wondering what a fresh tier one was doing with body formations of unknown design.


    He grinned. He couldn¡¯t wait to test them out, but first he would need to get his first spell.


    ¡°Ready to move on?¡± His class guide asked, giving him a small smile.


    ¡°Born ready.¡± Kaius replied with a grin.

 Chapter 125: Long Awaited Destiny Finale

    Still cloaked in a cowl dyed the colours of the forest, Kaius¡¯s class guide had led him away from the split boulders that had held his class skill options. It was time for him to learn his first hymn for his new Drakthar rune.


    His excitement made him impatient, and it was an exercise in will to match his guide''s comfortable pace through the forest.


    Thankfully that faded somewhat as they walked, the warm breeze and sunlight working in concert with the soft noises of insects and chirping birds lulling him to a state of relaxation. Slowly, he started to enjoy their walk.


    It would end soon, and he knew it would be a long time until he crossed through till the second tier and returned here once more. He may as well enjoy it, even if the real thing was waiting for him when Porkchop finished his own advancement.


    By the time they reached their destination he was almost disappointed that their walk had been cut short, though that faded quickly as his excitement returned in full force when he saw where they had arrived.


    The dense wall of trunks that surrounded them on all sides gradually began to thin. Through their reaches he could see they were arriving at another opening in the forest, though this one was heavily shaded.


    It was easy to see why. A gargantuan elm dominated the centre of the clearing, its wide canopy and flat leaves shading all beneath it. Soaking up the sun with avarice, it allowed none of the life giving light to nourish any potential competitors.


    Kaius gaped up at it in awe, pausing momentarily to drink in the sight. While he had seen some truly impressive specimens in the Sea, he had never seen one quite so majestic. It was enough to rival the tree that had housed the Grimclaw.


    Yet even with its prodigious size, that only held his attention for a few moments. Taking in its trunk that was thick enough to encapsulate two of him lying end to end, he spotted something¡­out of place.


    A door. Recessed into the thick and cracked bark of the elm. It was an elegantly carved, richly red mullions surrounding pale cream panels, with a trim of yet more red. A heavy brass handle was set into it, carved into the shape of creeping vines.


    It was the kind of thing he would have expected to see in a rich noble estate in Deadacre, or one of the vaunted houses of learning that the wealthy and well connected sent their scions to.


    It had absolutely no place being in a forest, but he supposed this wasn¡¯t really the Sea. He hurried on, chasing after his guide who had not broken step and was heading straight for the out of place portal.


    ¡°A door?¡± He asked, breathing slightly heavy as he slowed to a fast walk beside the construct. ¡°Doesn¡¯t exactly fit the scenery.¡±


    Kaius the Elder chucked, bringing one hand up to his scarred mouth. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. The advancement space is for the selection of your class, and your first skill of the tier. Not your spells, that has its own environment. There¡¯s a little bit of leeway due to the innate connection, but it still means we need a little bit of change of location. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s quite seamless.¡±


    Kaius hadn¡¯t been, having full faith in the system''s capabilities. People were transported by it every day when they delved the Depths, and he hadn¡¯t heard one story of it causing any issues. Hells, even though he only had the vaguest memories of his own entrance, that only proved his point. If it were something major, he would have remembered.


    Arriving at the door, his guide set one aged hand on the brass handle. Barely even breaking stride, the construct swung the door open and stepped through, pausing just through the precipice to hold the door for him and usher him through. ¡°After you.¡±


    Kaius bobbed his head in gratitude and stepped through the door, his eyes roving over the newly revealed space. It was¡­ a study. Dwarven in construction, much like the study where he had first worked on his ruins in the city where his body still lay unconscious.


    Stone and wooden construction was masterfully married in an exhibition of artisanal skill. A richly carved hearth covered the entirety of one wall, and an already roaring fire warmed the space immensely. The other three were dominated by floor to ceiling bookshelves, each one bursting at the seams with innumerable books of all shapes and sizes, one and all leatherbound and dyed in a myriad of colours.


    It should have been dark, considering the lack of windows, but masterfully bracketed wardlights jutted free from the pillars of the book shelves, and another hung from a chandelier in the centre of the room, bathing the space with a soft yellowish glow.


    Kaius grinned as he saw the desk. It was functionally identical to the one where he had first done his experimentation, except this time it had been scaled up slightly to properly fit one of his height. That was a nice touch, even in the villages he often found furniture a little too small for him, considering he was half a stride taller than what most would consider to be a tall man.


    ¡°Take a seat.¡± His guide said, closing the door behind them with a thunk. Kaius hurried over to the desk, pulling out the plush seat and reclining into it with a groan.


    He leaned back, enjoying the way the masterful carpentry and upholstery cradled him, and looked to his guide for direction.


    ¡°This will be mostly similar each time you come in here. While I am here this time, you will have another construct to help you through future selections. They do not have the same complete connection with the overmind that I do, so they will have less to draw from. To you, the difference will be indistinguishable, and they will still be able to offer you the full range of assistance in choosing an adequate spell. The difference still needs to be mentioned though. By the high tiers, even if it is not an impediment, it is noticeable. A few rare individuals believed we had been hiding secrets maliciously when they noticed, so it is mentioned up front now.¡± his guide explained, walking through the room and trailing his finger along the spines of various books. Every now and then, he stopped, pondering on a book before making some decision to unknown metrics, continuing on or plucking it from the shelves.


    ¡°What do you mean, a difference? I assume by overmind you mean the system?¡± Kaius asked as his guide approached the desk and sat five books down on the polished wooden top.


    ¡°Just so. I have the leeway to answer many questions within boundaries, much like right now, in explaining how the constructs operate. At high tiers, there are many mysteries that become evident, ones that I am able to share once asked or it is deemed important. The construct used for spell selection does not have this leeway, and while it will be more than capable of having an idle chat, most of what it will be able to share will be directly or tangentially related to what you need to make your selection.¡± Kaius the Elder explained, picking up books and laying them in front of him.


    ¡°Now, spells are similar to classes in that you are not able to view every option potentially available like a class. The selection has been narrowed to those useful to you. Why don''t you take a look?¡± His guide said, waving his hand over the titleless books.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Kaius sat up, snapping forwards as his chair moved with him. With barely constrained avarice he snatched up the first title. As soon as he held the book in his hand a system description popped into view.


    Hyperius¡¯s Shard Swarm:


    Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)


    Affinity: Arcane


    Glyph: Drakthar


    50 Mana


    Selection Available!


    This Hymn summons 12 high velocity condensed shards of pure mana that invariably seek your target until they impact an obstacle or travel more than 50 long-strides. Unable to target beyond specific individuals. Possess Reasonable general armour piercing capabilities


    Kaius devoured the description of the hymn, eyes wide in delight. Talk about a first pick, it was almost exactly like a better version of his own shards. That in and of itself was almost enough for him to pick it on the spot, but he was nowhere near that foolish.


    Biting back his questions, he reached for the next book, and then the next, reading through the varied abilities he had been offered.


    Embered Orb:


    Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)


    Affinity: Fire


    Glyph: Drakthar


    70 Mana


    Selection Available!


    This Hymn summons a dense orb of superheated embers that may be hurled at enemies. Detonates on impact. Scattered embers adhere to surfaces and continue to burn for some time.


    ¡­


    Traxan¡¯s Lance:


    Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)


    Affinity: Light


    Glyph: Drakthar


    100 Mana


    Selection Available!


    This Hymn summons a piercing beam of light that nigh instantaneously hits a target within 100 long-strides. Pinpoint accurate, and possesses Moderate magical armour piercing capabilities.


    ¡­


    Stormlash:


    Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)


    Affinity: Lightning, Storm


    Glyph: Drakthar


    120 Mana


    Selection Available!


    This Hymn summons a crackling lash of lightning that may be used to strike at a target within 20 long strides, chaining to another two foes within 5 long-strides. The lash persists for 3 seconds and possesses Reasonable stunning abilities.


    ¡­


    Chotnik¡¯s Sickness:


    Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)


    Affinity: Poison, Toxin


    Glyph: Drakthar


    60 Mana


    Selection Available!


    This Hymn summons a diffuse cloud of virulent spores that causes others to suffer a damaging Infliction that causes Significant disorientation.


    Finishing with the last spell, Kaius arrayed the books in front of him. Now that he had seen them all, he could see that the coloured covers must have at least moderately aligned with the affinity of each spell. Considering the dizzying array of shades that blanketed the titles still on the shelves, there were a lot of potential options.


    A blue so pale it was almost white for crystal, a brilliant orange-red for fire, mottled shades of virulent green for poison and toxin, brilliant white for light, and a riotous storm of electric blue and steel blue for lightning and storm.


    That wasn¡¯t the only thing he had noticed. ¡°No rarity?¡± Kaius asked, tilting his head quizzically at his guide.


    The construct shook their head. ¡°No, they are intrinsically linked to their parent skill. All are of that tier, though plenty of variation still exists within it.¡±


    ¡°So my choice is genuinely just down to the generality of its use case then. I can¡¯t go too specialised for my first.¡± He mused, mostly to himself.


    ¡°If that is what you wish.¡± His guide responded.


    Tapping his fingers on the desk, Kaius took the time to think for a moment. ¡°Chotnik¡¯s Sickness, when it says others does it literally mean anyone other than me who is within the cloud?¡±


    His guide smiled. ¡°It does, though it is worth mentioning that that can work in your favour if you encounter an entity that can shield themselves from targeted spells. The same can be said of Embered Orb, but I noticed you seem far less uncomfortable with that.¡±


    Kaius considered both spells. Chotnik¡¯s was right out. Considering he had a soul-bonded companion, going with a spell that would indiscriminately affect Porkchop was monumentally stupid. After a bit more thinking, he decided to discard Embered as well. He fully intended to be in the thick of things for the rest of his life, and a spell that exploded with burning shrapnel would only be useful in situations where neither he nor Porkchop could effectively engage.


    That just left Shard Swarm, Lance, and Stormlash. All three were Incredibly appealing.


    Swarm sounded helpful, as the lack of need to aim would allow him to fire and forget, and if each shard held even half of the potency of his own Arcane Shard spell they would be incredibly lethal. The fact he was unlikely to miss and they seemed to be good at dealing with armoured foes was another major benefit, let alone the fact that they were both already familiar and had a comparatively low cost compared to the other two.


    For Lance it was the fact that it instantaneously struck his target that had caught his eye, as well as its accuracy. If the spell had punch, that meant that he would both have an option at range, and that any person he targeted would be unable to muster a defence against his hymn.


    Stormlash¡­ was just cool. Holding lightning in his hands and using that to scorch, electrocute, and immobilise his enemies? Who wouldn¡¯t want that. Plus, more than anything else it fit his dream of using spellcraft and blades as a cohesive whole. He could easily imagine how he could use the spell to tear through unprepared enemies, delivering fatal strikes while they were stunned.


    Now he just needed to make a decision. Kaius leaned back, kicking his legs up on the desk while he drummed his fingers against his wooden armrest in a staccato fashion. After a moment of pondering, he stopped his drumming. He¡¯d made his choice.


    ¡°Do you need any help to decide?¡± His guide asked congenially.


    ¡°No,¡± Kaius said with a shake of his head. ¡°I know what I''m going to pick.¡±


    Scarred and venerable, his guide gave him a wide and proud smile that reached his gold flecked green eyes. ¡°In that case, it has been a pleasure meeting you, Kaius. You¡¯ll wake up as soon as you have picked your spell. Until next time!¡± The construct straightened, turning away from the desk before they looked back over their shoulder. ¡°When you leave, do be a dear and let Porkchop know I am looking forward to meeting him? Due to your soulbond, he is not bound by your restriction with other people in their testing period.¡±


    Kaius nodded. ¡°Thank you, and I will.¡±


    Giving him a nod, his guide took a step away from the desk and vanished, leaving Kaius alone in the office to make his choice.


    As soon as his guide left, he focused on his choice.


    Stormlash.

 Chapter 126: Shared Tale & Status

    The first thing Kaius noticed was the thick layer of semi-dried gore that was sticking to his skin and gumming up the fine joints of his scalemail. The second was the smell, the foetid stench of stale battle.


    He groaned, eyes opening as he sat up. He was back on the plateau, leaning up on the same stone plinth that he had sat next to before selecting his class.


    Porkchop lurched up beside him, whirling towards him to butt him with his head. ¡°Kaius! You¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Hey buddy,¡± he said, ruffling the fur of Porkchop¡¯s head. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    Porkchop chuffed, leaning into his touch. ¡°An hour, maybe two. Not too long. Now what happened?! Tell me everything!¡±


    Kaius grinned at his bond-brother¡¯s enthusiasm. He understood, after so long of having the mysteries of class selection hidden from him, he would be eager to learn more from someone who had just gone through the experience.


    ¡°Well, for one, I found out that there is a great reason why it is only spoken of in generalities. The system prevents discussion of it with those who have not gone through the process.¡± He held up his hand as Porkchop started to whine, his eyes unconsciously drawn towards the new lines of his glyph peeking around his armour. ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished. Lucky for us, you don¡¯t count due to our soul-bond, for reasons I don¡¯t quite understand.¡±


    Porkchop visibly vibrated for a second, before he seemed to force himself to still and tilted his head. ¡°Well, if you can tell me then tell me!¡±


    Kaius shook his head, a small smile on his face. ¡°Well, it''s supposed to be quite different for everyone, and I''m not sure of the differences for a greater beast since you have a bloodline instead of a class, but it was quite the experience. I was in the Sea, with a guide. It was¡­very ceremonial. Apparently it brings you to a place you will feel at ease, and your guide is in the form of someone that you would trust and pay attention to.¡± he finished.


    ¡°Okay¡­ that¡¯s not quite what I was expecting. There were no trials, no challenges?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°The guide helped me narrow down my class choices, and then led me to a place where I could review them. Once I picked, several of my general skills evolved, and then I got to pick a class skill from a choice of three. After that, due to my class skill choice I got to pick a runic hymn. That was interesting. Once I had chosen the spell, the guide left, but I had to go through a strange training where the system granted me knowledge and had me practise until I could create the hymn without its assistance.¡± Kaius explained.


    ¡°Anything else that you think might help?¡± Porkchop asked, clearly eager to pry as much information as he could out of him.


    Kaius hummed, looking upwards to the cavern ceiling far above, thinking back on his experience. ¡°Not directly, I don¡¯t think. Just trust your guide, and listen to their advice. We did really well.¡± Something jumped to his mind. ¡°Oh! We were right about the Honours, they get some sort of scaling upgrade when you have a class. I haven¡¯t checked exactly what yet though.¡±


    Porkchop sat up. ¡°Really? That¡¯s fantastic! I was worried that they would only be a small boost. Enough of that though, did you get it? What you wanted?¡± his bond brother asked.


    Kaius¡¯s cheeks ached with the force of his smile. ¡°I did, and so much more.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t hold me in suspense!¡±


    ¡°Seventeen Heroic class offerings, though I only looked through the glyph-binding ones. One was perfect, nigh the limit of what could be obtained for the first tier. Warforged, Adamant Body, Runic Lexicon, and Mana Manipulation all evolved, going up a tier, and my first class skill was a glyph that grants me two hymns every tier, of the same rarity of the skill - also Heroic.¡± Kaius rattled off his gains, inwardly deeply satisfied at the way Porkchop went stock still, his ears perking up as he stared at him in shock.


    Barely a moment later, Porkchop surged into motion, tackling him to the ground in an excited flurry of blurring swats and affectionate nuzzles. ¡°A Heroic class?! And three more skills? That¡¯s amazing Kaius!¡±


    He laughed, shoving his bond-brother off of him. ¡°I know! I expect you will get much the same.¡± he said, sitting back to lean against the plinth once more.


    ¡°You have to tell me EVERYTHING, every description. Leave nothing out.¡± Porkchop insisted.


    Kaius smiled, and launched into a description of his new changes.


    ¡­.


    Kaius glanced over at the prone form of his brother, sprawled out on the hard stone next to him. He looked to be in a deep sleep, but Kaius knew from what Porkchop had told him that he would be utterly unresponsive until he returned from his selection. His brother had also said that if something weird happens, he shouldn¡¯t be worried. Which was worrying in and of itself. Bloody idiot had refused to explain though, nor why he had insisted on removing his barding, prefering to keep it a ¡®surprise¡¯.


    Despite having managed to remove the worst of the muck while Kaius was gone, most of Porkchop¡¯s fur was still plastered to his heavily muscled frame. Despite that, he still looked bloody adorable curled up in a ball.


    Shaking his head affectionately, Kaius turned back to his task at hand. Working the caked and stiff buckles of his vambraces to bare his arms. After their discussion, Porkchop had dived straight into his selection, and Kaius intended to use the time to familiarise himself with Tonal Weaving and his new method of inscribing his hymns.


    He¡¯d had some practice with his new spell in the mental space the system had created to teach it to him, but he knew that until he had put that into practice with his real body, he would continue to feel uncertain about the process.


    It was, afterall, ruinously complex. As soon as he had tried to form the hymn for the first time, he had immediately realised how much of a boon Tonal Weaving was going to be. His newest spell¡­ made full use of the medium of his body. Dipping into his flesh and winding itself around his mana flows. It was an order of magnitude more difficult than standard arrays from a practical perspective, let alone the scholastic complexity of developing them wholesale.


    If he¡¯d had to use his Jurryrigger¡¯s Inscription Stylus he would have been fucked.


    Clawing at the last buckle, he managed to dislodge a dried clump of viscera that had had it stuck fast, and freed his arm. Sighing, he leaned back and worked on the other. Thankfully it was a bit less messy.


    As he worked, he pulled up his updated status, marvelling at the changes.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 19 This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Race: Human (Dynastic, Greater Beastblooded) - +1 Wil, Str, End, and free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Class: Runeblade Initiate - + 3 Int, + 2 End, + 2 Str, +2 Dex, +1 Vit, +1 Wil per level


    Level: 1


    Resources:


    Health - 930/930 (7.9/min)


    Stamina - 810/810 (8.0/min)


    Mana - 1060/1060 (10.5/min)


    Free Mana - 1006/1006


    Reserved Mana - 0


    Stats:


    Endurance - 33 + 44 + 22% (93)


    Vitality - 21 + 44 + 22% (79)


    Strength - 23 + 44 + 22% (81)


    Dexterity - 22 + 44 + 22% (80)


    Intelligence - 23 + 59 + 30% (106)


    Willpower: - 22 + 59 + 30% (105)


    Stat Points: 1


    Aspects:


    Pillar Corporus: N/A


    Pillar Mentis: N/A


    Pillar Animus: N/A


    Class Skills (1/10):


    Latent Glyph of Drakthar (Heroic) - 1


    A/N: one off affinity/type shown for old skills in [brackets]


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 20 [A: Life, Chaos. T: Resistance, Survival, Defence]


    Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo (Heroic) - 20


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 18 > 20 [A: Nature, Primal. T: Survival, Insight, Stealth, Body Enhancement]


    Tempered by Dissonance (Heroic) - 19 > 20


    True Sight (Unique) - 17 > 20 [A: Arcane, Revelation. T: Perception, Insight, Body Enhancement]


    Tonal Weaving (Unique) - 20


    Resonance Amplification (Unique) - 20


    Lesser Regeneration (Unusual) - 14 > 20 [A: Life, Blood. T: Healing, Body Enhancement]


    Uncanny Dodge (Unique) - 1 > 20 [A: Fate, Martial. T: Insight, Precognition, Body Enhancement, Evasion.]


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 20 [A: Soul, Primal. T: Bond, Body Enhancement]


    Hymnbook:


    Glyph of Drakthar-


    Stormlash (Tier I - 120 mana)


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter


    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding


    Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather


    Persistent Survivor (Minor)


    Kingslayer (Major)


    Ruthless Underdog


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Growth Conditions-


    Gain a class (1/1)


    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)


    Forge a link (0/1)


    Kaius stared at his status in awe. If he had thought his growth explosive before he had gained his class, it was down right absurd now. Between the scaling growth of his Honours and the absurd number of stats that he received for his Heroic class, he was gaining over fourteen stats per level, though the system rounded down to the nearest whole number.


    That was over double what a Common class would receive. Given time, he would be nigh unstoppable to those of comparable level to him, and the distance would only grow as he rose through the tiers.


    Though, he did note that the system seemed to round the scaling stats of his Honours down to the nearest whole number. Something he didn¡¯t quite understand the vagaries of, but there were many things like that. Still, he was strong.


    A hard smile split his face. This kind of strength would be what he needed to have his revenge on the bandits that had forced him to the Depths, if his father had not already done so. Anger burned within him, tinged by old grief. He knew, knew, that something must have happened to Father. It had been a year, he would have found the entrance of the falls months ago, even if he had had to rest and recover after a fraught battle.


    If he had been captured, Kaius would be coming for him. With the strength of his new class he should rise explosively through the early levels, gaining the power needed to safely track down the bandit¡¯s forces.


    Gritting his teeth, Kaius turned his mind away from the simmering anger in his chest. That would be for the future, now he had a skill to practice.


    In the end, he had decided to pick Stormlash, despite its high mana cost. It was a powerful spell, and one that he would find easy to enmesh into his fighting style. His hope was that the lash would extend his reach, allowing him to create openings for both himself and Porkchop¡ªwhile building on the foundation created by Liturgical Bladeform to create a seamless style of steel and spell.


    Storm spells were well renowned for the searing burns they left behind, and the massive damage they did internally. Without significant magical protection, it would be a hard hymn to defend from indeed. With sixty-five strides - twenty long-strides - of range, he would have more than enough range for most of his engagements, especially since that distance would grow as Drakthar levelled.


    Thankfully, with the significant growth of his Intelligence he could already make use of eight inscriptions, something that he should be able to add to every third or fourth level. It would be a long time until he received his next spell, if he didn¡¯t get offered more glyphs that is, but he hoped that Drakthar would level quickly under heavy use.


    Reminded of his plan, Kaius spent his free point on his intelligence. Later he planned to use them to shore up his Vitality, but for these early levels he planned to maximise his mana pool. At least until it outstripped his regeneration so much that it became cumbersome to refill.


    Sitting up from the plinth, Kaius crossed his legs and let his hands fall limply to his lap. He closed his eyes, though this time he didn¡¯t delve deeply into his internal soul-space. Instead, he reached for one of his newly evolved skills, Tonal Weaving.


    Newly found instincts settled over him, the skill working in tandem with True Sight and Resonance Amplification as he painted the image of his runic formation in his mind''s eye.


    It was an interesting thing, long tendrils of runic script writhing and rolling over themselves, each one made up from jagged characters¡ªeach utterly more complex than the weavings he had made from High Lothian. Holding the image in his mind, he started to pull on his internal mana flows, connecting them to the waiting support of his Drakthar glyph.


    They held stable, coalescing near the wrist and palm of his left hand. He pushed the image of the inscription onto the mana, willing it to respond to his desires, to mould to the shape that had been burned into his mind at the system''s instruction.


    Controlled by Resonance Amplification the mana leapt to his will, precipitating into a new shape. It was a slow process, even driven by two skills and supported by the visualisation capabilities of a third, it was still an action that he only knew in theory. Tiny mistakes were corrected, constrictions in his mana flow smoothed.


    The minutes ticked over.


    Sweat began to bead at his brow, the processes of weaving mana directly into runes while holding a separate image in his mind taxing even with his enhanced stats. Still, he made progress.


    Correcting the last few characters, the runes snapped into place, locking down a portion of his pool that he had been using to weave.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 21!**


    **Ding! Tonal Weaving has reached level 21!**


    **Ding! Resonance Amplification has reached level 21!**


    Kaius gasped in relief, opening his eyes to stare down at his hands. New lines of black sprouted from the glyph on his hand, wrapping sinuously around the base of his thumb before curling in on themselves to trace the curve of his wrist.


    Holding his hand up to inspect the runic hymn from all sides, Kaius grinned. It was actually quite pretty, all things considered. At first he had thought having black markings on his skin would be jarring, but as time had gone on he had come to appreciate how they drew the eye to their geometric perfection.


    Smiling in satisfaction, he dropped his hands back to his lap and closed his eyes once more. Kaius was hopeful that he could squeeze at least another level out of the skill, it was still slower than his previous work with a stylus. Irritatingly so.


    He breathed, centering himself and bringing the image of the inscription back to the forefront of his mind.


    One down, seven to go.

 Chapter 127: Destiny Redux pt.1

    Porkchop groaned, stretching as he felt the cold stone of the dwarven city disappear from beneath his paws, replaced in an instant with the familiar grit of hard packed dirt. If not for Kaius¡¯s warning of what to expect, the sudden transition would have no doubt startled him. As it was, he took the moment to feel the simple comfort of earth once more.


    He breathed in deep, smelling the deep scents of moss, moisture, and¡­ home. Porkchop froze, nose twitching as he sampled the scents on the air. There was no mistaking it, this place reeked of the dens.


    Flooded by safe familiarity, he opened his eyes, finding himself in a dense excavated burrow. Every wall was reinforced by skill manipulated stone, patterned in dozens of different whorls and shapes. The mark of the crafters who had shaped this home. The ceiling towered over him, large enough that the warren like network could easily support the size of some of his larger brethren. Considering the growth spurt that came with awakening the bloodline was only the first, that was large indeed.


    His ears perked, tail gently swishing back and forth with joy. While he might have left, it had nothing to do with him not liking the dens. Even if the Matriarchs were stuffy, it was still a place of warmth and happy memories in his mind.


    Porkchop spun in place, taking in the entirety of the burrow. Half way through his turn he stopped, rooted to the spot. There, across the burrow, stood an immense beast. Over twice his height, with a coat of speckled grey.


    A Matriarch.


    Their form was familiar, burnt into his mind after many a scolding when he had been young. Brooks-no-argument had been his primary tutor, and they had clashed often over his ¡®reckless and impulsive¡¯ pursuit of growth. Even knowing that the Matriarch was merely the system in the guise of his teacher''s flesh, he couldn¡¯t help his reaction.


    Porkchop lowered himself, baring his throat in the proper gesture of respect.


    ¡°Hello, child,¡± the construct said as she looked down on him in amusement. ¡°There is no need for such honorifics. You already know who I am and why I am here.¡±


    He stayed silent. A lifetime of discipline was a hard mountain to climb, pre-warned or not.


    ¡°You may speak freely in my presence, child.¡± His class guide said, sighing heavily at his obeisance.


    Porkchop dropped his chin, rising to his feet. ¡°Hello! It is nice to meet you. I would like to reduce my bloodline choices to Heroics that are focused on persistence in battle, please!¡± he said hurriedly, the words blurring together as he tried to slam his intent through beast-speak as fast as possible.


    Across from him, his guide chuckled, her chest rising and falling with mirth. ¡°A decisive one, aren''t you? I must make you aware that this will reduce your options to a paltry two, though if you feel neither are suitable, I would be happy to show you the other three that you have earned.¡±


    Porkchop chuffed, pleased that he had done enough to earn a Heroic. He would have been lying if he said that he had known for certainty that one would be waiting for him. After all, even if Kaius had managed to earn seventeen, most of his brother''s honours were Firsts in comparison to his own, and he had the feat of inventing glyph-binding.


    All''s well that ends well. More than the extra power, he had mostly been worried about the embarrassment. If he had had to settle for a Unique class, Kaius would have never let him hear the end of it.


    ¡°Two is plenty! I am sure that either one will fit me nicely,¡± he said, resolute in his decision. He was a meles, and should be an insurmountable wall in battle. It was getting ridiculous how often Kaius needed to save him.


    No, he intended to be the anchor of their pairing, drawing the ire of their enemies with crushing fury and primal might. That would leave Kaius to do what he did best, killing things with excessive prejudice. To do that he needed to be tough, hard. Two options was more than enough.


    The Matriarch dipped her head at him. ¡°Then it shall be so.¡± Rising to her feet, his class guide walked off at a slow comfortable pace, heading into the warren of tunnels that lead away from the burrow he had started in. ¡°Come along.¡±


    Excitement surged through him, his ears perking. It took considerable will to calmly follow the Matriarch instead of shooting off after her like a startled wildcat.


    He couldn¡¯t wait for Kaius to see how big he would get.


    ¡­


    The Matriarch led him through another twisting tunnel, skill compacted earth shot through with carvings of strong prey, and idyllic vistas of the sights of the deep Sea. One in particular stood out to him, the sun rising over a lake. The water had been rendered in glimmering blue crystal, while dark green cultivated moss showed massive lilies drifting on its surface. He knew that spot. One of the few places he had gotten to see outside of the dens when he was just a kit.


    He gnawed at his cheek as they walked, looking away from the art of his people as he focused his thoughts on his selection. The first bloodline had been a bad fit. One focused on brutality and mindless rage. It nominally fit his needs, what with its focus on regenerative vitality and defensive abilities, but they were split more fully with direct aggression than he was comfortable with.


    Of course, he needed some level of direct combat ability, but he wanted much of his classes focus to be on bolstering his body and his defences. The physical might of his body, bolstered by general and class skills, would be more than enough for him. Especially with Kaius backing him up.


    They turned a corner in the tunnel, the passage widening into another cavernous burrow. Much like the last bloodline they had evaluated, the centre of the cavern was coated heavily in the scavenged moss of a sleeping pit.


    At its centre lay a truly impressive specimen of a young Forest King. Nearly half his height again, it was bulging with stout muscles that were covered in a fur of such deep green that it bordered on black. It was almost similar to the patterning on his own coat, the youngling sign, but without the stripes. Instead around the ruff of its neck its coat was a deep milky white, contrasting the blackish green..


    He knew it to be a potential future, the figure a representation of who he might become when he finally awakened his blood.


    They approached, and Porkchop realised with a start that the meles¡¯ digging claws were¡­ crystalline. Deep green, just barely translucent, razor sharp, and wickedly curved - they made his own claws look like the soft digits of a two-legged in comparison.


    ¡°And here is your other choice, child. Remember, we can always check options with a different focus, or Unique ones, if you find it an unsuitable fit,¡± the Matriarch said, coming to a slow stop a few dozen strides from the sleeping figure.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Thank you, Matriarch, but I can only wish that this is the one.¡± Porkchop replied, before approaching.


    Waves of potent aggression and stalwart surety rolled off of the beast, washing over him. The air reeked of power, stinging and singing his delicate nose. Suppressing the urge to rub his snout, he continued his advance, only stopping when a system notification flickered into view.


    Warden of Sacred Jade:


    Bloodline - Tier I


    Heroic


    Relevant Feats:


    Has slain at least 4000 foes of at least level 15 while unclassed. Has slain at least three Champions in single combat while unclassed. Has slain at least nine Champions while cooperating with an ally while unclassed. Has slain a Guardian while unclassed. Has survived multiple highly lethal wounds. Has a complete set of Legacy skills. Has capped all base stats at 20. Has obtained at least 4 Honours. Has obtained at least 1 Major Honour as an Unclassed. Has a defensive mastery skill of at least Unique Rarity. Has a body reinforcement skill of at least Unusual rarity. Has a natural weapon enhancement skill of at least Heroic rarity. Has Crystal Manipulation. Has repeatedly stood in harm''s way to occupy enemy attention. Has withstood significant assault in the defence of another on multiple occasions. Is a greater beast.


    When subject to the heat of battle, and the pressure of responsibility, most crack. Those blessed by sacred jade do not, instead weathering tribulation to emerge reborn. Implacable and unstoppable, they are garbed in finest green, purity tainted only by the remnant folly of those who would stand in their path.


    The Warden of Sacred Jade is an ancient and venerable bloodline. Arising throughout history in those greater beasts who favour implacable fortitude above all else, its wielders are stalwart and persistent combatants as at home under siege as they are at rest. Possessing bodies of primal might and resilience, they call on their element with regularity to disrupt physical and magical assault both. Outlasting all, they always have the last blow.


    All Crystal and Primal affinity skills are improved by 30%


    All Defensive, Body Enhancement, Body Reinforcement and Natural Attack type skills are improved by 60%


    Stats:


    +4 Endurance, +3 Vitality, +2 Strength, + 1 Dexterity, +1 free stats per level


    Skill Resonance:


    Inexorable Vanguard - Strong


    Primal Vitality - Moderate


    Iron Bodied - Strong


    Fortress of Pugilism - Strong


    Crystal Manipulation - Strong


    Porkchop drank in the description of the bloodline, fur gradually rising as a prickly wave of awe and exhilaration rolled down his spine.


    This was it, what he had hoped for. This is who he would be.


    ¡­


    Porkchop stretched and rose to his feet, staggering slightly as he struggled to contend with the sudden changes in proportion. System notifications dinged away in his mind, tugging at his attention in an attempt to get him to evaluate his newly evolved general skills.


    He burned to pull them open immediately, but he knew that it would be rude. Even if his guide was the system, they were still shaped like a Matriarch, and one did not treat them with disrespect. Not if you wanted to keep all your skin, that is.


    Looking over to the form of his teacher, Porkchop struggled to reconcile the fact that he now came up comfortably to her chest height, disoriented by the sudden change in his stature.


    ¡°Congratulations, young one. You are no longer a child.¡± She said warmly, her eyes softening.


    Porkchop chuffed, shaking himself to work off some of his energy. He¡¯d finally done it! Awakened the ancestral blood, and became truly independent in the eyes of the Dens. If he was back home, he¡¯d be able to join hunts now. Not that that held much interest to him, exploring and more fraught battles was far more fun.


    ¡°Check your skills, young one. You look ready to burst.¡± Brooks-no-argument told him, characteristically firm in her direction.


    Porkchop bobbed his head gratefully. He¡¯d gotten four! Two of which became Heroic! He couldn¡¯t wait to tell Kaius, it was as much as his brother had gotten. Attention drifting inwards, he pulled up the skills.


    Shattering Storm:


    General Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Martial, Crystal


    Type: Body Enhancement, Body Reinforcement


    Level 20


    Heroic


    You see that flash of green? That fucking roar? You run. Nothing else, you just run. You run far, you run fast, and you hope that whatever pissed off the Warden satiates its fury before it catches you.


    This skill increases the user''s resistance to opposing force, making them harder to move, and harder to stop. Crushing force infuses the users attacks, shattering armour and bypassing defences. Movement impeding effects are less effective.


    Each level significantly increases inertia when acted upon by an external force.


    Each level moderately increases power infused into attacks.


    Each level moderately increases armour penetration of attacks.


    Each level slightly increases the difficulty of restraining the user''s movement.


    Evolved from: Inexorable Vanguard


    ¡­


    Jade Bones, Earthen Blood:


    General Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Life, Crystal


    Type: Body Reinforcement, Defensive


    Level 20


    Unique


    Sacred purity rises inviolate, untouchable by corruption. Dense and unshakeable, when all else is dust, Jade remains.


    This skill reforges the user''s body, hardening it like sacred jade and making them capable of bearing the weight of the world.


    Each level reasonably increases the user¡¯s capability of persisting through significant injury


    Each level reasonably increases the user¡¯s bodily integrity, making them harder to injure.


    Each level moderately increases ability to withstand increased weight and pressure.


    Each level minutely reduces the time required to remove an affliction


    Evolved from: Iron Bodied


    ¡­


    Landslide of Fang and Talon:


    General Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Martial, Primal


    Type: Natural Weapon Enhancement, Mastery, Meta Enhancement


    Level 20


    Heroic


    Rock falls, everyone dies.


    This skill improves the users mastery of heavy armour and natural weapons, focusing on a style of inexorable assault. Increases the impact of natural weapons, and empowers skills that enhance natural weapons.


    Each level significantly increases mastery of natural weapons and heavy armour.


    Each level moderately increases the effect of natural weapon enhancements.


    Each level moderately increases the force transfer of natural weapons.


    Evolved from: Fortress of Pugilism


    ¡­


    Sacred Empowerment:


    General Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Crystal (Sacred Jade)


    Type: Meta Enhancement, Manipulation


    Level 20


    Unique


    Above all else, Sacred Jade bolsters all that it touches, purifying them and bringing them into closer alignment.


    This skill imbues all crystal affinity skills with the strength of Sacred Jade, empowering them with enhanced toughness and purification of hostile magics. Allows minor control of Crystal aligned mana.


    Each level significantly increases the resistance of Sacred Jade manifestations to physical and magical effects.


    Each level slightly increases control over Crystal mana.


    Evolved from: Crystal Manipulation


    Porkchop drank in the changes to his skills, his chest rumbling with deep satisfaction. Each one was a measurable increase to his capabilities, and the fact that his brawling skill had evolved to include armour only heightened his interest in what came next. He¡¯d definitely made the right pick for his bloodline.


    ¡°I am gladdened to see you are satisfied with what you have received. Come along, young one, it is time for your final choice.¡± the Matriarch said, intruding on his thoughts as she turned around and led the way out of the burrow.


    Porkchop followed along dutifully, giddy at the thought of what class skills he might be offered.

 Chapter 128: Destiny Redux Finale

    Porkchop left the den, following closely behind the Matriarch as she led the way through the deep forest. It was identical to how he remembered it. Tree trunks, thick enough that it would take a dozen of him lying end to end to match their thickness, were spread wide with their canopies shading all that lay beneath.


    The air was charged with magic, each little shift in the warm breeze bringing with it the electrifying scent of the arcane. When a particularly potent wave passed through, the ferns that sprouted like the lesser trees he had seen over the mountains curled their fronts, trying to absorb as much of the arcane wind as they could.


    It was pleasant, and full of life. Yet it held some differences. For one, there was no ever present feeling of danger. No cub left the den without an adult to watch over them, not until they were right on the cusp of their choosing and had the size necessary to fight off the odd low levelled threat that was present at the edges of the mountains.


    Here, on the grounds of his choosing, there was no risk. No fear of a toothy horror of the second tier wandering in from the depths of the sea. Sure, it had almost never happened at his den. It was his family''s raising den. Right at the edge of the high mana zone, it was leagues safer than the inner reaches of the forest.


    The Matriarch pushed through the undergrowth, clearing him a path. Then, as soon as he was through, she let the thick bushes snap back into place and stepped aside to reveal three clear pools of water, a single fish swimming in their depths.


    All were green, though one was the deep emerald of fathomless waters, another the bright lime of new shoots, and the other a rich verdant shade that shone of powerful vitality.


    ¡°Your skills, young one. Approach and they will be revealed to you. Choose carefully, because once decided there will be no reconsiderations.¡± his guide said firmly, prodding him forwards.


    Porkchop approached the pools one by one, each revealing a potential option for his first class skill.


    Celadon Aegis:


    Class Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Crystal, Martial


    Type: Defence (Armour), Summoning, Equipment


    Selection Available!


    Heroic


    Bound by sacred pacts of stone and primal spirit, the Warden of Sacred Jade is wrapped in an adamantine carapace. An unyielding bastion in the face of assault, the Warden is a living barrier that stands between its allies and harm.


    This skill summons barding on the user, made of heavy plates of sacred jade that are highly resistant to both physical and magical damage. This requires a channelled cost of 500 mana, and an upkeep cost of 5 mana per minute. Broken jade plates regenerate when additional mana is channelled into the skill, or when the skill is refreshed.


    Every level reasonably increases armour plate durability and density.


    Every level reasonably reduces armour weight


    Every level slightly reduces the cost to regenerate broken armour.


    Every 50 levels increases the barding¡¯s coverage.


    ¡­


    Crystal Fang Barrage:


    Class Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Crystal, Earth


    Type: Ranged, Offence (Magic)


    Selection Available!


    Unusual


    From within the earth, ancient fangs rise to strike down all who oppose. Few withstand the bite of jade.


    This skill summons a pair of crystal fangs that hover over the user, launching towards an enemy within 30 strides. Requires 100 mana.


    Every level reasonably increases the size, velocity and sharpness of the fangs.


    Every level moderately increases the armour penetrating capabilities of the fangs.


    Every 10 levels increases the number of fangs by 1.


    ¡­


    Verdant Reprisal:


    Class Skill- Tier I


    Affinity: Crystal, Arcane


    Type: Area of Effect, Reactive, Defence(Aura)


    Selection Available!


    Heroic


    Strike if you wish, but understand this: jade does not shatter; it endures, absorbing every blow until it reaches a breaking point. And when it does, it will answer each strike in kind, with roots that run deep and thorns that never relent.


    At an ongoing cost of 50 stamina per minute, the user creates a zone around themselves that absorbs a portion of damage, and stores that as arcane energy. Once saturated the user may dispel the aura, causing a shockwave of energy infused with jade shards around them that is proportional to damage absorbed.


    Every level reasonably increases maximum possible stored energy.


    Every level minutely increases the conversion rate of energy.


    Every level minutely increases the range of the shockwave.


    A/N: Retconning mysterious Aura that we haven''t seen yet to Essence, as aura is way too useful of a descriptor and type of abilities


    Porkchop immediately discarded Crystal Fang Barrage. The entire reason he had picked the class he had was to turn himself into a bulwark that could withstand the hells themselves. He wanted to be in the thick of things, shrugging off blows like they were nothing. A magical attack was the opposite of that. Even if it had fit, it was the only option that was not Heroic.


    His other two options were far harder to pick between. The Aura looked fantastic, and he could not deny that there was a primal satisfaction in the idea of soaking up enemy fury and unleashing it in turn.


    Still, while in any other case it might have been a perfect choice, it was a stiff competition. Armour, that was something he had come to appreciate. His barding might have been light, and mostly leather, but even then it had saved him from many a wound at the hands of common depths-born.


    It was only against Champions, and the Guardian, that its defence proved lacklustre. Yet, garbed in heavy plates of jade? Supported by a skill that would grow with him? That had an appeal in a league of its own.


    He could see it now, covered from snout to tail in a suit of crystal that made dwarven heavy-plate look thin and fragile, its weight bolstering his own as he charged into battle, crushing all before him as spell and blade were both turned aside. Drawing all attention to himself as his brother tore into their flank, their enemies unable to stand up to their combined might.


    Verdant Reprisal was fantastic, and he sincerely wished he would see it again. It would pair beautifully with Celadon Aegis, but the latter skill was far more in line for what he envisaged for his bloodline. Besides, the added weight of the armour would pair beautifully with a number of his skills.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°You have made your choice.¡± his guide observed, looking at him evenly.


    ¡°I have.¡± Porkchop said, bowing his head. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Matriarch.¡±


    ¡°It is my duty.¡± she replied, lowering her hair by the barest hairsbreadth. ¡°It is always a pleasure to guide someone with such a firm conviction in who they seek to be. I will leave you now. Once you have chosen your skill you will remain here until the transformation of your body is complete, then you will return to the land of the waking.¡±


    Porkchop watched in respectful silence as his guide padded off into the depths of the forest, disappearing into the dense undergrowth. Then she was gone, and he was alone with the soft whisper of summer wind and the murmuring of a forest full of life.


    Wandering over to the pool that contained Celadon Aegis, he acted on instinct and lunged inwards. Snatching the bright green fish out of the water, he gulped it down, enjoying the rich taste of impenetrable fortitude that coated his tongue.


    The skill settled in, forged by his bloodline construct before its nexus of power crystalised in his soul-space and moved to orbit his soul, perpendicular to the orbit of his legacy skills.


    A patch of sunlight shone through the canopy overhead, alighting on a small grouping of clover. Porkchop ambled over and sat to rest. He decided to pull up his status while he waited for his transformation to finish; it wasn¡¯t like there was anything else to do.


    Without even thinking about it, he added his spare point to Endurance. He wanted as much health as he could get, so he would mostly split them between that and Vitality, although he did plan on using them occasionally to bolster his other weaker stats.


    Status:


    Name: Porkchop (He-who-does-not-listen-and-lacks-wisdom)


    Dynasty: Den of Moonless Nights


    Age: 19


    Race: Greater Meles (Dynastic, Enlightened Mind) - +1 Dex, Int, Wil, and free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Bloodline: Warden of Sacred Jade - +4 End, +3 Vit, +2 Str,  +1 Dex, +1 free stats per level


    Level: 1


    Resources:


    Health - 1680/1680 (15.8/min)


    Stamina - 1560/1560 (15.6/min)


    Mana - 1540/1540 (15.4/min)


    Stats:


    Endurance - 27 + 43 + 21% (84)


    Vitality - 23 + 43 + 21% (79)


    Strength - 22 + 43 + 21% (78)


    Dexterity - 22 + 43 + 21% (78)


    Intelligence - 21 + 43 + 21% (77)


    Willpower: - 21 + 43 + 21% (77)


    Stat Points: 0


    Aspects:


    Pillar Corporus: N/A


    Pillar Mentis: N/A


    Pillar Animus: N/A


    Class Skills (1/10):


    Celadon Aegis (Heroic) - 1


    General Skills (10/10):


    Savage Arsenal (Heroic) - 20


    Shattering Storm (Heroic) - 20


    Primal Vitality (Unique) - 20


    Jade Bones, Earthen Blood (Unique) - 20


    Landslide of Fang and Talon (Heroic)- 20


    Spell Resistance (Unusual)- 20


    Sacred Empowerment (Unique)- 20


    Primal Senses (Unusual) - 20


    Natural Celerity (Unusual) - 20


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 20


    (A/N- adding a (Bonus) tag to appropriate Honours)


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter


    Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather (Bonus)


    Persistent Survivor (Minor) (Bonus)


    Kingslayer (Major) (Bonus)


    Ruthless Underdog (Bonus)


    ¡­


    Kaius shook his head, sending a spray of tainted water in every which direction. By the time he had finished inscribing his spells, Porkchop was still lying insensate on the flagstones, in the grip of choosing his first bloodline.


    At first he¡¯d simply waited, but then the grime and muck that coated him head to toe had grown too much, the sensation of gritty and caked cloth sticking to his skin was maddening. So he¡¯d retrieved his pack from where he had stashed it on the stairs. Thankfully they had planned for this somewhat, and all of their water skins were full to the bursting.


    He¡¯d stripped down to his underclothes, with the self cleaning enchantments on his Hunter¡¯s Garb it would have been a waste of water to clean it himself. His armour, especially the fine and intricate scales of his Serelian mail, was a different story.


    Kaius scrubbed the blood and viscera from himself, before working out as much of the gunk from his armour as he could. Then he left it to dry, making sure to save at least some water for Porkchop. They¡¯d always planned on a short jaunt down to the manor below to get clean and secure some travelling rations, but it would have been rude to not save at least a modicum for his bond-brother to clean off the worst spots of gore that matted his fur.


    Walking back to the statue, he leaned against the plinth and stared at the glowing blue circle of system runes that dominated the dead centre of the plateau. The portal. Their exit back to the Sea.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes drank in their significance. It felt¡­surreal, to be so close and simply wait. Sure, it made sense. This biome was cleared, and the way would remain open until they took the portal. With how defenceless they were during their class selection, it would have been idiocy to enter an unknown region of the Sea without access to their class and bloodline.


    Still, it felt odd. To wait. To simply watch the circle, knowing that the efforts of the last year had paid off, and he had gained more than he ever thought he would. To know that once he returned to the Sea, once he started the rest of his life in earnest, he would be joining a world forever changed.


    Shifted, morphed, and forced to undergo a time of struggle, trial, and strife. All because of him. He had changed the world, that was undeniable.


    Yet despite the simple fact of the matter, it was hard to reconcile. He may have been a lost scion, with a full legacy set, and a greater beast for a brother. There may have been more mysteries than certainties in his history and family line. Those very facts might have been worthy of bardsong in and of themselves. Yet¡­ he struggled to come to terms with the second phase of the integration, with the challenges laid at his feet by Ekum the Pale.


    Everything else he had accomplished was personal at its core, the result of his efforts, luck, and lineage primarily affecting him, and what he personally chose to act upon. The next phase was different. An uncontrolled and unintended result of his efforts, that would affect millions.


    He bit his cheek, the weight of responsibility weighing on him like lead. It was foreign, and a burden that he would not have chosen for himself. Yet it was his to bear all the same. A calamity of his own creation, if not of his design.


    Staring at the portal back to the world he once knew so well, Kaius steeled his heart. At the end of the day, it was still his responsibility. It was also one that he had been assured would come with benefits.


    The best chance for the world, Ekum had said. That meant something, and even if the world had done little for him, he did not intend to let his actions harm the little folk that he felt kinship with.


    The people he held dear of Three Fields, the folks of the other frontier villages, and the beggars that he had spoken with in Deadacre - unknowing that such a thing was not done - that had told him their stories. Even the hunters and wayfarers that he had shared rare fires and meals with in the Sea. For them, if no one else, he would not shy from the fate that had been thrust upon him.


    Plus, if he was entirely honest with himself, something with the name of Tyrant had to be a fucking good fight.


    He knew deep down that languishing peacetime was not the life for him. He craved the certainty of steel, the rush of hot blood, the sweet vigour of food and fine wine, the ever present vitality of a life lived on the edge. Some would call him foolhardy, cocksure, brash, and perhaps even arrogant to the extent of idiocy. To them, he would agree, and would continue earnestly, unchanging in his ways.


    Burden or no, he had been called to fight, to strive, and to win.


    Kaius felt himself grin, his teeth bared at the world. He had many goals for the immediate future. Finding the lost history of Unterstern and learning why he had heard no mention of his dynasty¡¯s name when all suggested he should have, discovering the fate of his father, and pursuing the goals laid on him by a god-in-the-flesh. All of those needed one thing, power.


    He¡¯d learnt one thing from the last year. He responded well to the threat of death. At least the end of the world meant that he wouldn¡¯t need to seek it out for himself.


    Standing there, dripping from the remnants of his cleanse, he was startled from his introspection as a hair raising crack emanated from the prone form of his bond-brother.


    Kaius¡¯s head whipped over in shock.


    Porkchop began to writhe, his flesh boiling and shifting as bones splintered.


    Then, he started to grow.

 Chapter 129: Packing for a Trip

    Kaius lurched towards his brother, laying his hands on the dense and gore drenched fur that coated the meles¡¯ thick muscle-bound form. He felt his brother''s physique straining, fibres snapping as they pulled away from bones that shattered of their own violation.


    Panic surged through him, his heart racing as he watched Porkchop undergo some sort of metamorphic change, more akin to something he would have expected to see in the Fleshwarper¡¯s Laboratory than a natural process.


    Porkchop¡¯s head snapped back as his thick neck contracted uncontrollably, feature¡¯s warping as the bone and cartilage of his face snapped in a dozen splintering crunches. His features shifted, expanding as muscle and skin tore, and new flesh arose to take its place.


    Before Kaius¡¯s very eyes, his coat began to shift. It stayed the same tinted black, but the red morphed, shifting to a green so deep it was almost the colour of scorched slate, only showing its inner hue under the shine of the false sun above. A ring of milky white sprouted from his neck, dripping down to the top of his chest and running along a section of his spine as the ruff of his neck lengthened- turning into a half-mane.


    He realised what was happening and took a step back, crossing his arms in annoyance.


    ¡°Porkchop, you fucking asshole. You could¡¯ve mentioned that awakening your bloodline came with a side dose of body horror.¡± Kaius muttered.


    His bond-brother did not respond, insensate as his jaw dislocated with a stomach churning crackle-pop and the bone shattered and grew. At least it was obvious now why he¡¯d wanted his barding removed. Depths-wrought enchantments were generally more flexible than artisan made ones, but everything had its limit. Who knew if its resizing enchantment would have stood up to the growth. Then Porkchop¡¯s claws fell off.


    Kaius shuddered, watching the strings of tissue that tied the daggers that once capped his brother''s digits snap as new talons grew in their place. They were¡­stone-like. A slightly translucent forest green, it looked to be some sort of crystal that had been honed to an edge so sharp it seemed like it would cut him with a bare look.


    Cocking an eyebrow, he looked on in interest. Now that he knew Porkchop¡¯s life was not at risk, there was a certain morbid fascination in watching his bond-brother¡¯s body dismantle and then rebuild itself, and by holy fuck was he getting big.


    He¡¯d already been a living weapon before, roughly bear sized and tall enough to come up to the bottom of Kaius¡¯s chest. It looked like he would be taller than him at the shoulder now, at the very least. Though, it was hard to tell with how oddly proportioned he was, what being mid-evolution and all.


    That wasn¡¯t all, if his brother had been built like a strongman raised on a diet of whole cattle before, now it looked as though his muscles had muscles.


    That was¡­moderately terrifying. There was a reason greater beasts were so feared. Considering how strong his brother would be due to his sheer physicality, the improvement from his stats would be all the more impressive.


    Shaking his head in amazement, Kaius stepped back and waited for his brother to return to him.


    ¡­


    Kaius watched Porkchop stretch, his face still a little pale from watching his brother¡¯s body crack and morph as he settled into a new, empowered, form.


    Rolling his shoulders, Porkchop ambled up to his feet, though he stumbled a little on legs that looked to be much longer and more powerful than he was used to. Kaius whistled as he took in his brother¡¯s new height.


    ¡°Fuck me, you¡¯re huge.¡± he said, mouth agape as he looked up at Porkchop¡¯s green shrouded face.


    Porkchop¡¯s ears twitched, and his head snapped towards him. He moved, bounding over to Kaius and smothering him in a wall of blood streaked fur.


    Kaius laughed, wrapping his arms around his brother and heaving in an attempt to leverage his newly enhanced Strength to muscle Porkchop to the ground. He was about as successful as he would have been trying to uproot a fully grown oak.


    Porkchop batted him back with casual ease, sending him stumbling to the side before he started to rear up in excitement.


    ¡°Kaius! I did it too! Got a Heroic!¡± Porkchop said, exhilaration and pride streaming across their bond.


    ¡°Really! That¡¯s great! What did you get?¡± Kaius asked excitedly, slipping under and away from Porkchop¡¯s descending paws. ¡°And be careful of those claws, they look sharp.¡± he chastised, staring at the spots where they had dug into the solid stone floor.


    ¡°Whoops, sorry.¡± Porkchop replied bashfully, settling down onto his haunches.


    It still left the meles clearing his height easily, which felt¡­ odd. Porkchop had never exactly been small, even at his old height he was taller on his hind legs, but being trounced when his brother was sitting was something else entirely.


    Not that it made him uncomfortable. With how often Porkchop ended up getting walloped due to his rather¡­direct fighting style, he needed all the physical advantages he could get. Kaius sincerely hoped that whatever his brother had gained from his bloodline would be enough to avoid a repeat of what had happened with the Guardian. Seeing him shattered and broken as he tried to crawl away from the siege ogre had been one of the most terrifying things he had ever experienced.


    Evidently his old worry seeped through their link, as he was treated to a cold nose the size of his palm smushing into his forehead.


    ¡°No worrying! The ancestral blood didn¡¯t just make me bigger, the magic of the transformation will have increased my baseline even more than what simple size would do. Besides, one of us needs to draw our enemies ire, and you are much more suited to dealing out damage quickly. I picked the Warden of Sacred Jade with that in mind.¡± Porkchop explained.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius said, reaching up to scratch Porkchop behind his ear. His brother reacted as he always had, leaning into his touch. It gladdened him, physical change or no, he was still the same old Porkchop. ¡°Going for the path of the bastion, then?¡±


    It did make sense. Porkchop¡¯s legacy skills were well bent towards drawing attention and persisting through the fire of battle. Yet he would have had to get something good. While all bastions relied on appropriate skills and tough bodies, without fail they lended themselves towards heavy armour and impenetrable defences. Things that would prevent wounds. Even if all you took was light cuts, standing as the anchor of a battle would mean that eventually enough of them would accumulate to do you in.


    ¡°If you¡¯re doing that we¡¯re going to have to invest in some heavier barding. Full plate at least, if not heavy-plate. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find someone in Deadacre who could do it, but we¡¯ll probably need to commission it, and it won''t be cheap. Thank the gods we¡¯ve got a few artefacts we can part with, I think we should be able to cover it with the blink daggers.¡± Kaius said, already planning how he could support Porkchop to the best of his ability. They were a team, and with how little equipment Porkchop generally needed he would have to be a complete miser not to splash out on something good for something so central.


    ¡°Self Repair and Durability at the very least, though I might need to sell off the helm to make that happen, I could do with some simple steel for a while.¡± he muttered, scratching at his chin.


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t! I got a good pick for my first bloodline skill, see?¡± Porkchop interrupted him, before he backed up a few paces.


    Kaius cocked his head in interest. ¡°Oh?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Watch!¡± Porkchop said with a grin.


    Mana flared within his brother¡¯s chest, building to a crescendo over a handful of seconds as Porkchop focused with intensity. Whatever skill he had gained, it was taking a lot of mana for a skill in the first tier.


    The accumulated power peaked, glowing with the shimmering colour of crystal affinity, though strangely tainted by a shining green. It rushed forth, exploding from his brother''s body in a forceful wave to settle heavily against his fur.


    Kaius¡¯s jaw dropped.


    Wherever the mana touched, thick slabs of heavy jade were left in their place. Bound to each other by oddly delicate chains of the same material, they formed an impressive suit of barding. Heavy-plate barding, though it looked oddly incomplete.


    Almost rough cut, the angled plates of jade conformed to Porkchop¡¯s body. A gorget and chestplate covered his front and neck, while more overlapping plates stretched up his neck and down the top of his spine. A skullcap of barely transparent greenstone was affixed to his head, while a stout nose-guard stretched down his snout.


    More sections hung from the spine armour, draping over his ribs and forming into short half-pauldrons that left his legs free and mobile.


    As the armour popped into existence, Porkchop let out a soft grunt as he adjusted to the added weight and bulk of his summoned armour.


    ¡°I¡­What?¡± Kaius said, shocked. When Porkchop had said that bloodlines were similar to classes, he had expected the skills to be a little more aligned to primal and beastly flavours. Something that summoned armour was nowhere near the top of his list of what he had been expecting. ¡°Is this¡­normal?¡±


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°What, for a beast to get skills that let them use and create two-legged things like plate? No, absolutely not. As far as I can tell, our bond might be having some influence on our options.¡±


    ¡°But that is besides the point! Look at this! Much better than leather and piddly metal.¡± Porkchop said excitedly, craning his neck to take in his new skill produced defences. ¡°It¡¯s called Celadon Aegis.¡±


    Kaius grinned, with this he felt much better about leaving Porkchop to push the assault while he mopped up. It was a nigh on perfect combo. One agile, one stout, and both capable of dishing out significant offensive power, they would be terrors.


    Though he did wish that the armour covered a bit more. The jade plates had plenty of gaps, and left Porkchop¡¯s limbs and flank relatively undefended, like a beastly version of a breastplate and helm.


    ¡°What¡¯s its scaling like? Anything other than basic improvements?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Breakpoints, like your glyph. Though a little better at every fifty levels. Improves the armour''s coverage.¡± Porkchop said, dismissing the skill. The armour plates dissolved like smoke, dissipating into glowing mana that dispersed into the surrounding air. ¡°What about you, have you had a chance to test Stormlash yet?¡±


    Kaius smiled. ¡°No, I thought I would wait until you got back. Practically the hardest thing I''ve done.¡±


    ¡°Well, what are you waiting for! Let¡¯s see!¡± Porkchop replied, his ears twitching in excitement as he launched to his feet.


    Kaius grinned, and turned off to the side, facing towards a nearby cluster of statues. They would serve as good a target as any.


    Dropping his hand to his side, he felt for the inscriptions that spiralled out from his Drakthar glyph. They pulsed in his mind with barely constrained potency, ready and willing to leap to his call.


    The barest brush of will was all it took. Chained mana was unleashed, surging through runic circuits in moments. Pure arcane was shifted, changed, and reforged, unleashing with crackling might.


    One jagged line of script that wrapped his thumb and crept around his wrist smouldered with orange light, dissolving in a shower of sparks as the spell hymn was burnt.


    Stormlash activated, a peal of thunder booming as a thick rope of crackling plasma appeared in his hand. He could feel its electrifying might charging the surrounding air, the hairs on the back of his arm rising.


    It lashed like a living thing. Potent, aggressive, vindictive.


    He moved on instinct, guided by the thrumming intent of his spell. With the barest flick of his wrist, bound lightning snapped towards the statue with a crack and a blinding flash of light. It lashed around the statue''s throat, before two more cracks echoed out in quick succession and the spell jumped to two more in a chain.


    Electric blue lightning mana surged as stone hissed and scorched, Stormlash writhing as arcing beams of purple lanced off the bolt to strike at the statues. Reverberations shook the statue, cracking stone in a shower of dust. Resonance Amplification at work, no doubt.


    Then it was over, the lightning disappearing with as much suddenness as it had been formed.


    Kaus gaped at the result of his spell, staring at cracked and scorched stone, at the molten details on the statues neck where Stormlash had produced enough virulent heat to soften stone. The reverberation had been potent too, finger length cracks running down the chest of the statue. Hells, even the light. He was sure that without Truesight the lightning would have been bright enough to leave burnt-in afterimages floating in his vision. Though, he did expect that would be of limited utility in battle as he grew in levels. Simple mundane effects like that would have little effect on someone with significant Endurance.


    But the sheer power. For a moment there, before he had cast, he could feel it. The constrained might of a storm, held in the palm of his hand. That was¡­ too much. Far more than what should have been possible from a simple tier one spell. If this was the power of a Heroic class and skill, what would happen when he rose through the tiers? What if he managed to increase its rarity?


    Then, before he could muster his senses, Porkchop tackled him from the side - driving him to the floor.


    ¡°Kaius! That was fucking awesome!¡± He said, nuzzling him affectionately and managing to smear him with cold blood once more.


    He couldn¡¯t help but laugh, though he did shove Porkchop off so that he could get to his feet, ¡°I just held a fucking lightning bolt, what the fuck!¡±


    Kaius wiped off the worst of the gore, before frowning at the smudge of green on his hand. ¡°That said, we need to get cleaned up. No way in hell am I going back into the Sea so¡­sticky. That, and see if your fat ass will still fit into your barding.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Porkchop replied, indignant.


    Kaius simply laughed and went to collect their things.


    ¡°Come on! Fast job¡¯s a good one.¡±


    ¡­


    In the end, returning to the manor to resupply and get cleaned up took them barely more than an hour. With how close they were to leaving the Depths, neither he nor Porkchop were keen on wasting any time before their return to the forest.


    Damp and clean, they hurried to redress. To both their delights, Porkchop still fit his barding, and a quick test proved that it still worked with his Aegis. Somewhat at least, apparently it chafed terribly. Unfortunately, with their designs on the plunder held in the kitchens, they had need of it if they wanted to carry out as many artisanal spices and foodstuffs as they could carry. The spices especially. With how expensive and exotic most were, Kaius knew that there would be many that he would most likely never get the chance to try again.


    Given how light they were, and how far they stretched, he planned on getting everything.


    That said, they did decide it would be for the best to sell off the light barding at the soonest opportunity. They could replace it with something more designed for utility. Some simple padded leather to cover the gaps in Porkchop¡¯s Aegis, and saddlebags for their gear.


    After storming the kitchen with the rabid fury of a full troop of pillaging raiders, they returned to the mountaintop weighed down heavily with their spoils. No matter what happened next, they would be eating like kings for a week at least. Though, probably not much longer if Porkchop¡¯s appetite had increased to match his new size.


    Skirting around pools of blood, they approached their target. The glowing circle of runes that dominated the plateaus centre. They shone with crackling potency, pulsing as they grew closer.


    Kaius stared at them with open fascination, still struggling to truly believe that they had actually made it. That they were finally here, finally leaving.


    They stopped at the edge, both of them staring at the threshold. All it would take was a single step, and yet both of them felt the heavy weight of the moment, its primacy and dominance.


    Kaius looked to his left, a grin slipping out when he realised he had automatically looked at Porkchop¡¯s chest, where his head would have once been. He tilted his head up, finding his brother already watching him with green-flecked-gold eyes.


    ¡°Together?¡± He asked, raising his hand to place it on Porkchop¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Together, no matter what.¡±


    They stepped forwards, crossing the threshold, ready to take on the world as men grown.


    **Ding! Portal Entered!**


    **Descend?****Exit?**


    **Personalised Guardian Loot will be provided on selection of either option.**

 End of Book 1 - Chapter 130: The Prodigal Son Returns

    One moment Kaius was standing at the peak of a dwarven citadel deep below the earth, then the world shifted, blurring for a few mind-bending fractions of a second as he was torn along an impossible axis. Something moved within those depths, something large and curious, something that inspired a primal terror within him. Then he was snatched away.


    His stomach lurched, and he stumbled forwards, kicking up a pile of loose leaf litter. For a moment he reeled, struggling to process the experience of translocation, before he shoved it to the back of his mind when Porkchop let out an excited chitter. Having dived nose first into the soft earth of the forest, his brother was currently enraptured with rubbing every handspan of his surface along the ground.


    ¡°Dirt! Normal dirt, with dead leaves and insects!¡± Porkchop moaned, digging his crystalline claws into the ground.


    Kaius smiled at his bond-brother, before he craned his neck and stared at their surroundings in awe.


    They were back in the Arboreal Sea.


    Blessedly normal trees sprouted up around them in an unbroken tide that stretched as far as he could see, while brush and grasses poked up in the small gaps in the canopy, drinking in the warm summer sun. Kaius stepped forwards, into one of the beams of light, and soaked up its soft embracing heat.


    It had been so long since he had felt the sun. To be graced with a summer¡¯s noon upon their exit was fortuitous indeed.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, and just felt the thrumming life around him. The rustle of a tepid breeze passing through the trees, the subtle buzz of innumerable insects flying through the air, the chirping of birds, the scent of discarded leaves slowly decaying into mulch.


    It was all so pure. So different from the cold mechanical Depths. It had been easy, at times, to gloss over the gaps in its illusion of life. The odd behaviour of the depths-born, the utter absence of lesser forms of life, and a dozen other things. That difference was blinding now that he had returned from his trial.


    Spinning in place, he looked back to the portal that they had passed through. It was a pillar of stone, a rough natural block with a circle of the systems immutable and shifting runes on its front face. Where once they would have glowed blue, now they were dull. Spent, until enough time had passed for them to recharge - at least if someone wanted to use it as an entrance that is.


    That wasn¡¯t all, at the base of the stone lay two pristine artefacts, nestled on top of the pile of leaves that had accumulated against the portal due to the wind. One was a softly gleaming crystal. Black like obsidian, a dull pulsing orange welled up from its deepest reaches, just barely visible in the daylight.


    The other was a metal box. Thin, rectangular, and oddly curved on one side, it had a number of straps and attachment points, but nowhere obvious to carry it like a bag. Weirder still, it didn¡¯t seem to have any kind of opening or latch.


    Kaius¡¯s heart quickened. He tapped into True Sight.


    Spent Forgeheart:


    Unique - Tier I


    The drained heart of a warengine, even valued treasure is sometimes discarded.


    A valued crystal, glimmering with the remnants of esoteric life, abandoned after the majority of its power was spent. A valuable material for forged alloys, its affinities make it a prized option for supporting the growth of newborn metallic soulbound artefacts.


    Material (Life, Crystal).


    ¡­


    Merchant¡¯s Reinforced Dimensional Saddlebag:


    Unique - Tier I


    What¡¯s this for? Fragile high-value goods and smuggling, mostly. Sometimes both.


    A solid reinforced box of potent arcane infused titanium, its interior is lined with spatially aligned alloys, and engraved with a dense runic formation. Allows access to a small dimensional bubble, approximately the size of a large chest, that may be used to store non-living and non-spatially-enchanted objects.


    Depths-wrought Artefact.


    Auxiliary Equipment (Dimensional Bag)


    Durability II, Dimensional Container I, Self Repair I


    Kaius was already moving.


    ¡°Oh holy fuck, Porkchop!¡± He yelled, diving for the box before he scooped it up and held it in his hands. Despite its solid metal construction, it was deceptively light, even if it felt incredibly sturdy.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Porkchop asked, concerned as he ran over to his side.


    ¡°We got one! We actually got one!¡± Kaius stumbled over his words, a wide sweeping grin on his face.


    ¡°Got what?¡± Porkchop said, shoving his head past his shoulder to peer at the Merchant¡¯s Saddlebag.


    ¡°A spatial artefact! It''s small, but we should be able to fit everything in here! See?¡± He swung off his pack, holding it close to the artefact as he funnelled the slightest brush of mana against it.


    There was a soft pop, and his bag vanished. Kaius could feel it inside the artefact, an intuitive sense of everything it contained, though it vanished when he stopped interacting with it with his mana.


    Porkchop jumped back, shocked at his bag''s disappearing act. ¡°Holy shit!¡±


    ¡°I know! Do you have any idea how expensive these are? We¡¯re gonna have to hide it in one of your saddlebags!¡± Kaius spun, shaking Porkchop by his jowls.


    His brother shook him off. ¡°Quick! Put the rest of our stuff in it, I wanna see if it all fits!¡±


    Porkchop hunkered down, and Kaius ran to his side like a giddy child, picking at knots with hurried fingers as he pulled down the rough bags they had managed to convert into clunky saddlebags from things scavenged from the dwarven city. Kaius funnelled their food supplies, extra water, and his precious spices into their new container, immensely pleased when he saw it was still just barely over half full.


    Saving one of their rough stitched bags, they shoved the dimensional container into it, tearing a few holes so that they could secure it to Porkchop¡¯s barding from within. It looked suspicious as hell, but it would do until they made it to one of the villages and they could commission a leather cover, and a proper set of under-armour for Porkchop.


    Kaius stepped back, pleased with his handiwork.


    ¡°What of the other thing? That crystal?¡± Porkchop asked, looking past him to where the Forgeheart lay forgotten on a pile of leaves.


    At his brother¡¯s prompting, Kaius felt his joy surge once more. ¡°It¡¯s one of the materials I need for my sword,¡± he said happily. ¡°Though I''m not sure what to do with it.¡±


    He walked over, picking up the glassy stone. It was warm to the touch, like a stone that had been left to bake in the sun. He drew his blade a handspan, and tried touching the material to his weapon. Nothing happened, though he did feel attraction between the two when he attempted to pull the stone back. Then he tried the handle, where the bonding formation lay hidden underneath its wrap. Still nothing. Kaius frowned.


    ¡°We might need to stash it for later. Maybe I need a smith, or to ¡®forge a link¡¯, whatever that means. Hopefully it''s the latter, I don¡¯t exactly want to go around telling everyone what I have.¡±


    Porkchop nuzzled him. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out. Either way, we got some good rewards. Why don¡¯t you pack it into the Merchant¡¯s Saddlebag to keep it safe?¡±


    Nodding at his friend''s suggestion, Kaius stowed it away. At the end of the day, even securing it in the first place had gone a long way to solving one issue he had wondered about. Perhaps, with a few more Guardians, he could obtain the rest of the rare materials he needed.


    With their loot secured, Porkchop had quickly returned to enjoying the simple pleasure of their return to the Sea, kicking up clumps of dead leaves as he sunk his heavy digging claws into the earth below. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Kaius smiled, before he turned back to the portal. Before he had been distracted by their rewards, he¡¯d been meaning to check something he had heard about.


    He focused his True Sight on the system''s formation.


    Great Depths Portal: Locked - 3 daysLayer: 2Biome: The Great Warren (explored)


    Kaius nodded in satisfaction, he had heard that most analysis type skills would give some insight into the access ways to the Depths that dotted the land, but it was good to get confirmation.


    Dropping down, Kaius flopped down to the ground and leaned back heavily onto his hands. He simply stared at the forest around him, still struggling to process that they had actually done it. Even after more than a year in the Depths, it had been a constant push to the finish, a constant threat that hung over his head.


    It was one thing to know that you had achieved your goal, another to be presented with the reality of success. Unbidden, a soft giggle escaped his lips, breaking the soft silence that surrounded them.


    In the trees above, a small sparrow took flight, flittering between the trees as it watched him with open curiosity. Kaius looked back, a half smile on his face. Other than meeting Porkchop, it was the first time that something moving hadn¡¯t tried to kill him in far too long.


    ¡°Kaius. You should analyse the bird.¡± Porkchop said cautiously.


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± He asked, still watching the creature as it flitted to a branch and settled down to face him.


    ¡°We¡¯re not in danger, but remember what the system said about phase two? With integrating animals?¡± Porkchop reminded him.


    His eyes widened, and he immediately directed his skill towards the sparrow.


    Common Sparrow - Level 1:


    Beast


    Kaius hissed, sucking in air through his teeth.


    ¡°I take it''s a beast then?¡± Porkchop asked, having shifted to watch the bird with curiosity.


    ¡°Yeah, it is. This is going to change¡­ a lot. I hope the villages will be ready.¡± Kaius replied, a knot of worry forming in his stomach.


    Porkchop rumbled. ¡°Things will become more fraught, especially as mana levels rise. I will not lie, it will be tough, but they will have a chance. At the very least beasts will still follow their instincts and natural inclinations, they are not like depths-born.¡± he said with confidence.


    Kaius looked at his brother sceptically. ¡°Are you sure? Just about every beast I have ever run into on this side of the mountains has been territorial, and most were actively aggressive.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the mana. Here, only the species and individuals who possess that bent will have a far greater chance of accruing the feats needed for the system to take notice. Over the mountains, where the mana is greater, it is far easier for a common animal to become a beast. You see the meek just as often as the tyrannical. Besides, until the mana levels grow, they won''t be able to grow truly strong.¡± Porkchop explained, trying to subdue his worry.


    ¡°That¡¯s only going to take a year.¡± Kaius said, his mouth tightening into a line.


    With the mention of the system''s upcoming changes, he peered deep into the mana that flowed through the world around him. Unlike the depths, it was a barest tint on the surroundings. A subtle glow, or the odd mote of light, tinted the colours of their aspect. As could be expected from a forest, light, nature, earth, and life dominated, though there were dozens of others too - many he could not put a name to.


    Very different from the overwhelming deluge that occupied the Depths, requiring him to focus to bring the mana into full relief, rather than pull back from his skill to stop the arcane brightness from overwhelming him.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 22!**


    He could physically see it, the slow inexorable change being wrought by the changing of phase. It was minute, but he could see more and more mana welling up from¡­somewhere. The increasing mana density would wreak havoc on many. Even if what Porkchop said was true, and most beasts would stay true to their nature, there were still more than enough out there to turn the wilds into a slaughterhouse for the unwary. Especially if they grew in strength with the rising mana.


    Trade would slow or stop, and people would be isolated and cut off from each other, unless they fought back hard. Which, he realised, might have been the system''s intention.


    It seemed like an impossible ordeal. Even if he maintained his meteoric growth, and climbed higher than any had before, how was a man and beast supposed to stand against an entire world? There was no one foe, no one target. Not like the Guardian. Just a nebulous goal. Get strong, and all would come together.


    People would die by the thousands, and there was little he could do to prevent it. Especially if, by what Ekum the Pale implied, that the only true way out was through the heart of the fire. Progressing the integration stage by stage, and weathering the resulting storm. Hoping that if he could force himself to grow fast enough, he would not end up too badly burned.


    It rankled. Let alone that he still had no idea what Tyrants and Crucible Grounds were. More deathtraps no doubt, there to force people to excel or die.


    ¡°Kaius, you¡¯re spiralling.¡± Porkchop butted in, picking himself up off the ground to approach him.


    He craned his neck up, by the gods he still wasn¡¯t used to how big Porkchop had gotten. ¡°I know, but what are we to do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We do what we have always done. Break it down into chunks. The integration and the chaos it will bring is our Guardian, we need to find our Champions first.¡± Porkchop said, taking a seat next to him before he wrapped one massive arm around Kaius and yanked him closer.


    Kaius groaned, but leant against his brother all the same. ¡°Okay, short term goals. We need to find out where we are. Travel through the Depths is supposed to get weird compared to the world above. I know the forest well enough to at least get us moving in the general direction of Three Fields once we know where we are.¡±


    ¡°You still think that¡¯s our best shot? If they live next to the Sea they are likely to recognise what I am.¡± Porkchop asked cautiously.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°I know them, and they consider me one of their own. They wouldn¡¯t sell us out, sticking together is how you survive on the frontier. Powerful beasts might be uncommon, but they are not completely absent, and a boggart swarm could be the end of anyone without backup. Besides, it¡¯s our best shot at finding some information about the bandits that pursued us, and what happened to Father.¡±


    ¡°You think they would know? What if the bandits simply fled after they were unable to acquire what they sought.¡±


    ¡°That might be so, but if Father had been injured, he would have headed for the village to recover, and if those bandits had stuck around, they would have made a name for themselves.¡± Kaius replied. ¡°Besides, the people there¡­some of them are basically family. I must see them, even if just to let them know I live and do what I can to prepare them for the coming chaos.


    ¡°Then Three Fields it is. I think I have an idea of how we could help, but I¡¯ll save it for the journey.¡± Porkchop agreed, bumping him on the top of his head. ¡°How long will it take us to get there?¡±


    ¡°Not too long, if we¡¯re still near where we entered. A week at most, depending on how fast we can travel.¡± Kaius explained. The plateau that they had fallen from was something of a geographical oddity, it stretched from the base of the mountains that blocked off the Deep Sea, but in many places it stretched deep into the outskirts, much like where he and Father had made camp.


    ¡°I may have a solution for that¡­¡± Porkchop said, after a moment¡¯s pause.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius replied, craning his head to look up at his brother.


    ¡°It is something of a taboo amongst greater beasts, but I could¡­ Give you a lift?¡± Porkchop suggested hesitantly.


    Kaius grinned. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bring it up, but it would be convenient. I also had something to mention. My class definitely aligns with our bond in some form, and the carving I saw showed me riding you into battle. I¡¯m not sure how viable that actually is, nor what sorts of skills I might be offered in that vein, but I did want to check in with you before they started popping up.¡±


    A deep rumble echoed in Porkchop¡¯s chest, gratitude and gratefulness flowing across their bond. ¡°Take them if they are good, we¡¯re already going to give the Matriarch¡¯s a conniption with our bond, we may as well make it really slap them in the face.¡±


    Kaius snorted. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s wise?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not, but hopefully by the time we go back we will be strong enough for it to not matter.¡± Porkchop said with a grin. ¡°Well, with that settled, do we still plan on heading to Deadacre next?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like I mentioned, the Delving guild is our best bet for securing backing and power, and it''s the best spot for us to plan our next move. We can also start to think about finding allies and potential teammates, but I''m not sure if a provincial backwater will have anyone who can keep up with us.¡± Kaius said, familiar determination steeling his spine as their plans grew more concrete. ¡°Regardless of what we find out about Father, we will need power and information if we want to find the bandits, and the man with the scar. Deadacre is our best bet for both.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± Porkchop rose to his full height, his physique towering over him. ¡°Shall we try to find out where we are? North should bring us closer to the mountains.¡±


    Kaius grinned and leapt to his feet. ¡°You sure about this? It¡¯s not weird?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little weird, but i¡¯m sure.¡± Porkchop replied, crouching low. ¡°Jump up!¡±


    Letting out a whoop, Kaius grabbed the leather straps of Porkchop¡¯s barding and hauled himself upwards. With his enhanced strength, it was easy for him to swing up and onto Porkchop¡¯s back, even despite his brother¡¯s height. The barding was a little uncomfortable, and their armour plates clanged together awkwardly, but that was washed away in Kaius¡¯s sheer excitement.


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    Porkchop dug his claws into the ground and launched in the rough direction of the mountains that they had divined from the position of the sun.


    Kaius let loose a peal of laughter, barely staying seated as Porkchop¡¯s powerful strides tore through the forest, heavy claws used to gain enough traction to weave around tree trunks.


    It was fucking good to be back.

 Interlude 2: Visions of Normalcy

    Some time in the near past¡­


    Ianmus shifted his grip on his staff. Though its surface was smooth and comfortable to hold, it was still a little knobbly, and after so much walking those little aches grew tiresome if he didnt adjust every now and then.


    He looked back, seeing the great wall of short mountains that sealed of Mystral¡¯s peninsula from the rest of Vaastivar. If he squinted he could just make out the narrow gap between mountains that he had passed through.


    The Arcanist¡¯s pass, the only way to access the city state overland. He was glad to leave Mystral behind, now that he had graduated. Oh, he would be back. Mystral was and always would be his home. However, it was his time to make his fortune. No true scholar relied solely on dusty stacks to expand their understanding of the world.


    Besides, lacking an academician type class, such an approach would offer him little in the way of power or growth. No, it was better to leave. To see the sights of the world, to delve the Depths outside of the stuffy stable passageways that the colleges had built themselves around.


    He wanted adventure, and he had the perfect first stop in mind.


    Selenar, the braggart and gossipmonger, might have been a dreadful pain but he did have his uses. Apparently, according to some of his international and politically inclined classmates, the Greenseed Dukedoms were gearing up for another sanctioned war. That was, what? The third one in two decades?


    Ianmus shook his head at the nation''s preposterous politics, silver locks catching the breeze.


    Ridiculous as the Dukedoms might be, it represented opportunity. Their wars were much closer to sabre rattling and peacocking than any true confrontation of blood and steel. Far too regimented, with strict controls and regulations on numbers, locations, dates, and other such minutia. Hells, they had dedicated mid battle meal breaks for gods¡¯ sakes.


    The most important thing, in Iasmus¡¯s opinion, was that all combatants were required to be linked to a grand ritual. One that would transport you to triage the instant your health got too low.


    Oh sure, people died, but it was as safe as mortal combat could be. If he could get into the under forty bracket, it would do wonders for his skill growth.


    So he had taken his graduate¡¯s staff and ring, packed up his belongings, and walked. He could have taken a caravan, but where was the fun in that? He wanted to see the world! To go off the beaten path, to scream ¡®here is Ianmus, look upon him and wonder!¡¯.


    It was just unfortunate his feet hurt. He hadn''t quite expected overland travel to be quite so tiresome.


    Maybe he should have taken a caravan after all? Well, he was here now, may as well make the most of it.


    Ianmus continued walking, his steady steps and sturdy leather boots taking him across the slow rolling hills and meadows that made up the expanse of the lowlands he intended to cross. Rocky outcroppings dotted the landscape, shooting up through the earth like great stone saplings. It broke up the visual monotony, though it did mean he had to rely on his staff to help him when he was forced to scramble over them.


    The journey was meditative in a way he hadn''t expected. Every moment he had spent in Sunspire had been devoted to study, practical exercises, and relentless self driven training. As a scholarship student he had to stay at the top if he wanted to continue receiving the priceless training that the college offered. The fact that being in the advanced classes offered merged skills of all things was reason enough on his own.


    No, he had refused to fail out after a year or two like most pity enrolments. If the school had been tailored to students who had received a lifetime of tutorship before initiation, so be it. Life wasn¡¯t fair. When he had to work three hours for every two bit lordlings one, he had done it. When he had to stay up late reading up on obscure nonsensical etiquette to avoid offending a pretentious professor, he had done it. When he had to bleed in the training halls, push himself harder and further than all of his so-called peers, he had done it.


    In return? He got a better start than he could have ever dreamed of. And now he was free.


    For the first time in years he felt like he could breathe easy. Nothing looming over him. Just the next hill to climb, and the next horizon to cross.


    An awful screech yanked Ianmus from his musings, quickly followed by a panicked bleat. It sounded like the noise came from just over the next hill. He eyed the hill with distaste, the prospect of running long-strides up a grassy incline not his usual idea of fun.


    He hiked up his robe with one hand anyway, taking off at a run. Immediately his legs began to burn, sudden exertion causing the muscles to protest. Sure, he had done his fair share of combat training, but he was a mage damnit, he wasn''t built for it - even with Stamina bolstering his reserves.


    Another panicked bleat carried over the hill, followed by an unnerving cackle.


    He finally crested the hill, his breath coming heavy in his chest. Even as he bent over to rest his weight on his staff he eyed his surroundings, looking for the source of the loud interruption to his walk. The hill he had just climbed was taller than most, giving him a good clean view of the area.


    Rocky hills covered in swaying grass and protruding granite continued on into the distance, though far off to the left he could see an impressionistic green smudge that stretched across the horizon. Most likely the start of the Arboreal Sea.


    It was what was happening below him that caught his attention. A goat yanked on a crude rope snare in terror, one of its rear legs caught up tight in the hunting trap. Its flank was coated in blood, even from halfway up the hill Ianmus could see great rents in its flesh, leaking red all over the grass below.


    In front of it, looking up in his direction, was a squat grey thing covered in a thick matt of wiry thin fur. Wrinkled and twisted, greasy thin strips of mottled hair hung down from a squashed skull to lay limply over rough clothing made from rotting rawhide. Black beady eyes, wide set and too lopsided to be anything other than the result of some god¡¯s mistake, stared up at him.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The creature hissed, revealing pointed teeth. It tried to menace at him, waving a bloody and crude stone knife in his direction.


    A boggart. Disgusting creatures. Bred like vermin, and were too cruel and stupid for their own good.


    If he chased it off it would simply fetch its tribe and try to ambush him while he slept. Not that he would let the vicious little pest survive. They had a habit of settling into an area before hunting it barren. The little idiots didn''t even try to move on when that happened, preferring to descend into cannibalism - too cowardly to think of roaming so far from their home nest.


    If he was closer to town, he would be duty bound to return and report the sighting. Out in the wilds though, he would have to be satisfied with culling this one and putting a few leagues between him and the rest.


    He drove his staff into the ground and stood up straight. The sunstone orb at its tip began to glow as he channelled his mana through the staff and back into Sunbeam, the instrument speeding up the flow of his mana.


    The boggard hissed again, before its brute aggression won out over its cowardly instincts and it began to lop up the hill towards him.


    A moment later he felt the drain on his mana peter out, his spell clicking into place in his mind forcing him to hold it under tension, lest it go off undirected.


    He released the spell.


    A beam of glowing light snapped into existence, connecting the tip of his staff to a point on the boggarts forehead, before winking out moments later. The monster collapsed bonelessly, the sizzling hole his spell had left in its wake leaking fluid.


    **Ding! level 3 Boggart slain**


    Ianmus smiled at the kill notification before his gaze flicked to the goat, its pained bleating redoubling at the frightful flash of light.


    ¡°Oh you poor thing, let me see if I can fix you up.¡± He said softly, beginning to walk down the hill.


    ¡­.


    ¡°Kenva! Get over here!¡± The voice of the caravan master echoed out over the tawny grasses of the steppe to the patch of shrubbery that she was crouched behind. Kenva huffed, annoyance washing over her as the voice of the caravan master caused the little leapers to startle, sending them bounding off into their burrows.


    Cute little things, she¡¯d always loved them.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming Bistot!¡± She called back over her shoulder. She picked up her bow from where she had lain it down next to her and rose to trot back in the direction of the slowly moving caravan. It sprawled out far to her left and right, a great chain of brightly coloured carriages pulled by teams of lystrodonts. Each and every one was crafted almost entirely out of wood - an impressive expense in the arid steppes.


    She thought the lystrodonts were far prettier in all honesty, in an admittedly ugly sort of way. Bigger than a northern ox, they were heavily muscled creatures with stout tails. Thick brown skin, covered in sparse bristles, covered the beasts while two large tusks poked free of their strangely squashed looking heads. Some people found them intimidating, but she knew the big teeth were just to root around for tubers and grubs. She¡¯d never met one that didn¡¯t love a good scratch.


    ¡°Kenva!¡± Bistot called warningly again, drawing her attention away from the magnificent beasts.


    She redoubled her pace, her feet slapping rhythmically against the tough dirt, already hardening in the late ¡®spring¡¯ heat. She skidded to a stop in front of the caravan master, her breath still coming easy despite the half frantic run.


    ¡°I don''t know how many times I have to tell you girl, don''t go running off to stare at bugs without asking someone first!¡± Bestot said with a huff, looking down towards her with his arms crossed.


    He was a large man, and his bright red and gleaming silver outfit did little to detract from his wild black beard and towering countenance.


    ¡°Yes, Uncle Bestot¡­¡± Kenva grumbled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®Uncle¡¯ me. You¡¯re on your Path now, that means it doesn''t matter that you¡¯re a Zhdan and it doesn¡¯t matter that I''m one too.¡± His chastisement continued unabated.


    ¡°But I was right there! I was just watching some little leapers!¡± Kenva protested.


    Bestots eyes softened, his brow unfurling.


    ¡°Kenva..¡± He sighed. ¡°Look, this is the toughest part, alright? I know it''s hard to adjust, to not have the leeway you are so used to. You¡¯ll see though, being free of family obligations is a blessing.¡± He crouched down, seeing her eye to eye. ¡°Everyone from a dynastic clan goes through it, at least here in the tribes.¡±


    Her eyes drifted down, staring at the yellowing grass and compacted earth as the caravans slowly rolled past the trio.


    ¡°I know¡­ I just wish I could be out there already.¡±


    Bestot clapped a steadying hand on her shoulder. ¡°Aye, I understand. The steppes might be home, and the Hiwiann my people, but there are broader horizons than this sea of yellow. Why do you think I founded this trading caravan after my own path?¡±


    Kenva nodded in agreement with her uncle. She loved the steppes, her clan, her tribe, and her people. Never tied down, always moving free. Yet even the visits to the temple cities on the solstices and equinoxes weren''t enough to dampen the growing feelings of monotony of just seeing more endless grass.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be at the frontier soon enough, you¡¯ll see.¡± Bestot said softly. ¡°Just do me a favour alright? Try to keep your little excursions to when we make camp and try to let someone know first. If you do, I''ll see if I can call in a favour to get you paired up with one of our forward scouts, at least every now and then.¡±


    Kenva¡¯s eyes brightened. The forward scouts sometimes ranged days ahead of the caravan, switching out regularly to bring back news of the path ahead, and any potential dangers.


    ¡°Really!?¡± She said with excitement.


    ¡°But that''s it, okay? I¡¯ve already gotten some odd looks by letting you travel with the caravan as a worker at this low of a level, it¡¯s pretty blindingly obvious I only did it so you could save your weaning gild for the frontier. Even then, we¡¯re all gonna have to pretend it''s because of your Farsight again, alright?¡±


    Kenva nodded hurriedly.


    ¡°Alright, good. Because if I do anything more I''m gonna start getting hard questions about unnecessary favouritism, and I would like to avoid an uncomfortable chat with the elders when I next meet with the tribe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you uncle Bestot!¡± Kenva said softly, throwing her arms around her Uncle''s broad shoulders.


    Bestot chuckled, holding her in a brief hug before setting her back on her feet.


    ¡°This is the start of your real life, you¡¯ll see. Now go take over for Ostovir, put that skill of yours to good use.¡± He said, pointing off towards one of the larger carriages, a raised platform built into its already tall roof.


    Kenva groaned, but ran off to take over for the lookout dutifully. Once more Kenva was grateful for Farseer. It wasn¡¯t her only merged skill, but it was her clan''s greatest treasure, a merge of ten ocular skills that made them some of the best scouts, archers, and trackers in the United Tribes.


    A valuable enough skill that her uncle had had enough of an excuse to pretend she was a valuable enough worker that she didn''t have to pay for passage. Something she hoped would one day be true, she wanted to be known as the greatest bearer the clan had ever seen, known across Vaastivar for being able to spot a raindrop from thirty leagues away.


    Though, she supposed up north she would probably get enough attention simply flaunting the skill. She¡¯d heard strange tales of powerful merged skills being kept under wraps up there. She didn''t quite understand it, it wasn¡¯t as if she could tell anyone how to get the bloody thing. Everyone in the tribes had to swear on one of the bloodstones not to share clan secrets without explicit uncoerced approval from the head- surely they had something similar?


    The scouting carriage drew near, and Kenva was drawn from her thoughts. She ran up to the bright blue ladder that was built into the side of the yellow outer wall - a garish combination in her opinion- and hopped to hook her leg onto the first rung.


    ¡°Hey Ostovir! I¡¯m here to take over!¡±

 B2 Chapter 131: The Return pt. 1

    Kaius craned upwards, squeezing Porkchop with his knees  so that he could rise to his full height. From his vantage point astride his brother¡¯s back, he was just able to see through the gap in the trees ahead. There, perhaps a half dozen leagues to the north, he could make out the thin line of the cliffs that he had fallen from.


    Beyond them, way off in the distance, were the high peaks that separated them from the true extent of the Sea, and all the magical potency that was supposed to lie beyond them. He knew their shapes well, like the spines of some great sleeping drake. There were few viable passages through the mountains, deep valleys that cut through their reaches. Each one was a waymarker, a widely visible point from which to navigate.


    One of them was far off to his right. He knew where they were. The falls would be an hour or two¡¯s walk to their right, and far back the way they had come, and more than a little east, would be Three Fields, settled in a nook between two hills right at the edge of the Sea.


    He could have made that trip by himself as an unclassed. Now, with a clean image of the Sea held in his mind''s eye, Explorer¡¯s Toolkit exploded with possibilities. Paths they could take to avoid the ranges of any potentially ornery newly-awakened wolves or boars, ways through which they could follow the land, hastening their journey.


    In seconds he knew the exact route they should take, one that would minimise delays. As soon as he made his choice, his skill started tugging at him, helping him to orient according to the mental map he had built. It wouldn¡¯t be perfect, not with it being built on now-old memories and gut instinct, but it would be good enough.


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 22!**


    Good, another level. His second in the hour since they had left the portal. He hoped, as they tracked through the forest, he would be able to get at least a few more in the couple of days it would take to reach the village.


    He sat down on his brother¡¯s back, tapping Porkchop on the side. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Porkchop turned, and tore off into the forest, following the sense of direction that he pushed along their bond. Kaius leaned forwards, clutching at a stray strap of Porkchop¡¯s barding with his off hand. Even missing a few fingers, he had more than enough Strength to keep a firm grip. His sword hand rested on his hilt, ready to draw at a moment''s notice. While they had yet to encounter anything larger than birds, he wanted to be ready. Especially if they came across a deer; gods, he missed venison.


    Trees blurred past them, Porkchop hurtling through the forest at a breakneck pace. It was only with his heightened Dexterity and Intelligence that his brother was able to stop them from hurtling into a painful collision.


    It wouldn¡¯t be long now. He would have his answers.


    ¡­.


    Cham yawned, leaning heavily on his spear as he rolled his shoulders. He could feel his sweat pooling under his leathers, soaking through his tunic and saturating his armour.


    Scowling for what felt like the fifteenth time in the last hour, he wished that he hadn¡¯t been the one stuck with midday watch.


    Sure, the announcement had been a surprise, and all the wildlife becoming beasts was definitely not a small issue, but so far the highest he had seen had been a damn crow, and it was only level three.


    Personally, he thought it was a little bit overkill, but Jekkar and Hurin had insisted on a round the clock watch. When your boss and the man who sold you drink told you to do something, you listened.


    If only he had thought about the damn sun. He would have brought a few poles and a sheet to make a shade if he had. Next time.


    Shading his eyes with his hands, Cham leaned over the village palisade and scanned the treeline. His eyes roved over the many oaks, elms, and maples that made up the impenetrable reaches of the Arboreal Sea. Shrouded in shadow, he leaned on his Keen Eyes to pick through the darkness, looking for any sign of larger movement.


    He almost hoped that some dire-bear would assault the village, at the very least it would bring a little excitement with it. Plus, with Jekkar having called off any hunts for at least the next few days it would probably be the only source of experience he would get for a while.


    A roar shook the forest, followed quickly by the panicked squawk of a whole flock taking flight from the canopy.


    Cham froze, staring at the forest in disbelief.


    He heard it before he saw it, something crashing through the underbrush, something large close on its tail. He gulped, hoping to the gods it was just a fresh-born beast on the hunt. That he could handle, with two class skills under his belt and more than half the way to his third, a few piddly beasts below level ten would be nothing to him.


    Unfortunately, new beasts weren¡¯t the only ones who lived in the forest. He suddenly regretted his earlier wish for a dire-bear to shake up his day.


    He tightened his grip on his spear, holding on to the palisade with the other, ready to vault over the side and defend the village at the slightest hint he would be needed.


    ¡°See anything?¡± a sudden and familiar voice said from behind him.


    Cham nearly jumped out of his skin. ¡°Rotting roots! Stop doing that, Jekkar! You¡¯re gonna end up killing me.¡±


    ¡°Just keepin¡¯ you sharp, lad,¡± Jekkar said, clapping him on the shoulder as he stepped forwards to join him at the raised wall of spiked logs. ¡°Now, you see anything? I came as fast as I could.¡±


    Cham noticed he already had his bow, though how he¡¯d managed to string it and get here in the handful of seconds since the roar, he didn¡¯t know. ¡°Nothing yet,¡± he shook his head. ¡°I think it¡¯s a chase. Though, I haven''t seen anything more than a rustle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely a chase, I can hear them from here. The one doing the hunting might be earth or metal aligned though, I can hear it clanking.¡± Jekkar muttered, stringing an arrow as he watched the treeline like a hawk.


    Cham paled. Fresh beasts like these ones wouldn¡¯t develop anything like that until they had a couple skills under their belt, both general and whatever they had that was equivalent to a class. Whatever it was would have to be old. Maybe it was a direbear.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Another roar rang out, closer this time. Far closer.


    He spotted movement a moment later, underbrush shaking as something sprinted parallel to the treeline. He tracked it, knuckles whitening on his spear¡¯s haft.


    It spooked, duking sideways. Towards them.


    ¡°Ah fuck.¡± Cham muttered. Hopefully whatever was on the hunt would take its prey and leave.


    ¡°Hush. I¡¯m listening, something¡¯s off.¡± Jekkar replied, still completely focused on the tree line. He had his bow up and ready now, prepared to draw at the slightest provocation.


    A tan blur burst through the dense brush, leaping over a thicket of brambles in a panicked rush. A stag, sprinting at full tilt. He could see its eyes, the way they rolled around in its sockets. The way it almost foamed at the mouth, its blood pulsing through its thick neck. Cham knew it was exhausted, and the chase had not been kind to it. An Inspect confirmed what he already knew.


    Red Deer - Level 3:


    Beast


    Whatever pursued was close on its tail. He raised his spear, catching Jekkar hoist his bow from the corner of his eye. This wasn¡¯t anywhere near the first time they had had to deal with a pissed off beast, and it wouldn¡¯t be the last. They were ready.


    Moments later, a mountain of muscle tore straight through the bramble, racing off at an angle to charge at its prey, blessedly away from the village. It was¡­immense. Large enough that it would be able to scrape the top of the palisade with ease if it stood on its hind legs.


    Greenish-black fur coated the beast, though a ruff of white capped its neck. He¡¯d recognise that shape anywhere. It had been drilled into him as a boy. Those sharp golden eyes, the powerful body and squat legs, the wedge shaped head.


    He froze, nearly pitching forwards as he forgot where he was. It was a fucking Forest King.


    Inspect snapped off.


    Greater Meles - Level 2:


    Greater Beast, Bastion


    It tore across the ground, gaining on the deer quickly now that it was out in the open. By the fucking gods it was fast. He¡¯d heard of the might of the Kings of the Forest, but to do that at the second level? It was unthinkable.


    Then Cham¡¯s eyes caught up to him, and he realised that wasn¡¯t all. The meles was wearing armour. Toughened leather reinforced by plates of steel. It would have been unbelievably foreign to him, if it wasn¡¯t for the rider on the greater beast''s back. A fucking giant by the looks of it, he¡¯d only met one person with a height like that, and they¡¯d been sadly lost for over a year.


    Sword drawn, he was draped in the hodgepodge collection of artefacts that was the telltale sign of a delver. Bluish scalemail guarded his chest, while similar vambraces of a separately distinctive style covered his arms, and a bronze helm securely capped his head. Cham watched as the rider thrust his longsword in the air and bellowed a war cry, so razor focused on their prey that they seemed to not even notice them.


    He forgot to breathe.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± Jekkar whispered from beside him, lowering his bow but keeping an arrow knocked.


    That shook him from his shocked haze, and he fired off another Inspect.


    Human - Level 2:


    Higher Race, Spellsword


    What the fuck was a spellsword? And how could someone have dared to ride a meles?


    Before he could gather his thoughts further, the panicked deer caught a glimpse of the mounted duo behind it and juked to the left. Towards the Sea. Cham grit his teeth, feeling the haft of his spear grow slick with sweat. Hopefully it would pull the Forest King and its rider away from their village.


    The meles dug its green claws into the earth, trying to alter its trajectory. Despite its impressive speed, its bulk worked against it. The deer started to gain ground once more. Cham watched in frozen shock as the meles¡¯ rider showed a feral scowl and lept from its back.


    Rising like some imperious avenger, with the sun shining off his scales, the delver thrust his hand out and seized the might of the gods. A dense, violent, orange glow erupted from his hand, before a bolt straight from the Stormlord¡¯s own armoury cracked into existence. Bound in the delver''s grip like it was a common rider¡¯s lash.


    Arcane lightning cracked forwards, the deer wheezing as crackling plasma wrapped itself around its throat. Its whole body seized, hide sizzling as it hit the ground like a sack of rocks. At the speed it was running, it wasn''t a pretty thing, and it tumbled over itself as one spindly leg snapped and bone erupted from its flesh.


    Seconds later, and the lash of lightning disappeared, leaving a faint shimmer in Cham¡¯s vision. The delver was already running for the beast, his rune-scribed blade pumped victoriously in the air. His beastly companion beat him to the chase, sprinting past him to sink its massive jaws around the limp stag''s neck.


    There was a savage yank, followed by a crack that echoed out across the plains. The deer flopped.


    The delver let out a whoop, thrusting his fist in the air as he sheathed his sword. Cham felt a little bit of his tension slacken its grip on his heart when he did that. Maybe it was just some adventurous scion who didn¡¯t realise they were close to a village. Though that still did nothing to explain the greater meles.


    ¡°Fuck yeah, Porkchop! Venison!¡± The delver hooted, sprinting over to his companion. It was a young voice, but gravelly and hard. Well suited to the imposing air that draped over them like a cloak. ¡°Though, we both know it was dead before you got there.¡±


    Did¡­did he just call the meles Porkchop? The fucking gall!


    ¡°That voice..¡± Rekkar croaked out. Cham whipped his head over, finding his boss frozen with doubt clear on his face. Like he¡¯d seen a ghost.


    ¡°You recognise them?¡± he asked. Rekkar had the sharpest ears of them all, so it had to be something, he¡¯d seen the man pick up a rabbit in its burrow from nearly half a league away.


    Rekkar simply shook his head, his words stolen from him. Cham looked back to the duo that were still a few hundred strides from the walls.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna eat good tonight.¡± The delver said, audible despite the distance. The meles looked up from the stag. Past its rider.


    Green-flecked-gold eyes locked onto his own, thrumming with primal might.


    Cham gulped.


    A moment later the delver turned without saying a word, following its companions eyes to his own. They froze for a moment, then raised their hands slowly, undoing the clasp of their helm before they lifted it off. Bronze slid upwards, a dense mop of dark brown locks spilling forth. The delver¡¯s features were hard, angular. Like they had been cut from granite, and tempered in strife. Piercing gold-flecked-green eyes burned into his own.


    The helmet came off.


    Cham froze, shock and disbelief warring deep within him.


    Was that fucking Kaius?


    ¡°Spirits protect us, it is him.¡± Jekkar whispered from his side, his precious bow slipping from his hand to clatter to the floor of the palisade. He moved a moment later, blurring in Cham¡¯s sight as he vaulted over the palisade, hitting the ground at a dead sprint.


    It was Kaius.


    Oh fuck.


    He had to tell Hurin and Illendra, they had to be ready. He turned tail and sprinted for the stairs, spear left forgotten against the wall.

 B2 Chapter 132: The Return pt. 2

    **Ding! level 3 Red Deer slain - Experience Gained!**


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 3!**


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


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 4!**


    Satisfaction thrummed through Kaius¡¯s blood at the quenching of his Bloodsong, the deer flopping as Porkchop snapped its neck between his jaws, crushing the base of its skull.


    A bit overkill, considering the deer had dropped dead with a single Stormlash, but he understood the need to burn off the thrilling heat of the hunt.


    Thanks to the bond between them, he was treated to the visceral sensation of his bond-brother¡¯s teeth plunging through its bones. It was a quick end, and a valiant one, for the prey that had given them such a good pursuit. Without substantial reserves of health, it expired instantly as its body had been overloaded by reverberating storm mana.


    The fact that he had garnered a level in both his class and his glyph only sweetened his pleasure.


    It had been a fun few days, showing Porkchop a different side of the Sea than he was used to. Apparently the forest on this side of the mountains was almost serene compared to what he considered the norm, and they had made good time following game trails as they zigzagged their way to the edge of its reaches.


    Even with the awakening of beasts, they had faced few difficulties. Most things got one look at Porkchop and fled for their lives. Though, there had been a boar that had tried to test their mettle. Given how stubborn the brutes were, that wasn¡¯t all that surprising - though it had fed them well, and had given them their first levels.


    He¡¯d managed to eke out a level or two in most of his skills over their journey, relishing that he was no longer strained under the enforced caps of an unclassed. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit and Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus had seen the most growth by far. Only those that needed him to truly test himself in battle still languished at twenty.


    Still, it was nice to take down the stag. He missed venison, and going a year without his favoured meat had driven him into a slight frenzy at seeing a lone deer traipsing at the edge of the forest.


    It had been a bloody wily thing. Even with all of Porkchop¡¯s might and speed, he was severely hampered in the forest. Unable to turn on a hair, the deer had kept a constant lead on them as it danced between the trees. Making a break for the plains had been its final mistake.


    A nice way to cap off their journey, now that they should only be a league or two from Three Fields.


    ¡°Great takedown, we¡¯re gonna eat good tonight.¡± he said, grinning at his bond-brother.


    Porkchop dropped the carcass of the deer, looking up and over Kaius¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Kaius, I think you might have gotten a little lost.¡±


    His face twisted in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked, turning around. Then, he froze.


    Before him, barely over a few hundred strides away, were the familiar walls of Three Fields. Carved from stout logs felled from the nearby forest, they were spiked and stretched thrice his height into the air. A massive reinforced gate was nestled into their face, though it was the first time he could ever remember it being closed.


    Even if the shut barrier blocked his view further into the town, he would recognise it anywhere. The way it was nestled between a crook of hills, a subtle slope leading up to the fortifications, earthworks protecting the town further.


    How the hells did he miss that. They¡¯d been a little focused on the deer but that was some truly spectacular unobservance on his part.


    Then, with skill enhanced acuity, he saw two figures on the battlements watching him closely, one with a bow held at the ready. Cham and Rekkar, he realised, picking out their distinctive features. Like most in this region, they were amber skinned, with pale blonde and sandy brown hair respectively.


    Jekkar tensed. Kaius realised with a start that he was still wearing his helm. Even with both of them being hunters, and having sensory skills, neither would be able to recognise him.


    ¡°No sudden moves, Porkchop. I know them, but I need to take off my helm.¡± He murmured, keeping his voice low, so as not to startle Jekkar. The man was the head hunter of Three Fields, and a known deadeye. He wanted to avoid an arrow to the eye if he could.


    Porkchop let out a low rumble, but stayed dutifully still.


    Keeping his hands visible, Kaius raised them to his head and slowly took off his helm.


    Things happened very quickly after that.


    He saw the bow slip from Jekkar¡¯s hand, the older hunter vaulting over the side of the palisade to hit the ground running, while Cham tore off towards the village. Behind him, Porkchop let out a warning growl at Jekkar¡¯s rapid approach. The man slowed, if only just. He was still a hunter well into the first tier, and had the speed to match.


    Kaius dropped his helm, taking off towards the known face, sending assurance and safety along his bond. He laughed, throwing his arms wide as Jekkar tore across the open field and slammed into him at full pace, wrapping his ribs in a crushing embrace.


    ¡°Kaius, ye fuckin¡¯ idiot, we thought ye dead!¡± he bellowed into his chest. Kaius laughed, returning the hug. It was fucking good to see him.


    Jekkar had been one of the handful of village folks he¡¯d seen the most of, Father foisting him onto the man for basic wilderness survival and hunting training when he was going to be busy doing gods knows what for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.


    ¡°It¡¯s bloody good to see you, Jekkar. You have no idea how much.¡± he replied, doing his best attempt to crush the man with his hug. It was like trying to find the give in an iron pole.


    The hunter pulled back, still gripping him like he was afraid he would vanish, and looked up with shock and wonder plain on his face. Then Jekkar squeezed a little, prodding at his chest. ¡°Not a fuckin¡¯ bean pole are ya now, lad? What the fuck you been eatin¡¯? Entire herds? No wonder you were so focused on that deer!¡±


    Kaius laughed, slapping the hunter¡¯s hand away. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, a really long one, and hopefully one that you and the other elders can fill some gaps in for me. I¡¯d love to share it over an ale, if you think Hurin would have us?¡±


    Jekkar froze, just barely for a moment, but after so long in the Depths Kaius didn¡¯t miss it. They knew something. A tiny seed of dread sprouted in his belly.


    ¡°I..yeah, of course lad. Yer always welcome, though as you might expect things are a little tense, what with the sudden shift with the system.¡± the hunter replied, stammering slightly.


    Kaius nodded and smiled. ¡°I might have a little more information on that than most, if you¡¯re willing to wait.¡±


    Jekkar looked at him sharply, searching his features for a sign of¡­something. Whatever he found, it didn¡¯t leave him wanting. ¡°Aye, you¡¯re clearly a man now. Can see it right in yer status. Though how you managed that a year early, I do not know. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t remember yer birthday, my boy. Must have been some year.¡±


    Kaius grinned. ¡°You have no idea. Though how much I can share depends on if you and the others are still as generous with secrets as a dragon is with gold.¡±


    Jekkar spluttered, taking mock-offence at the simple thought of being loose of lip.


    Before the old hunter could formulate a response, Kaius felt Porkchop approach from behind him, simple friendly curiosity emanating across their bond.


    Freezing suddenly, Jekkar looked past Kaius to stare at Porkchop, an expression halfway between fear and reverence on his face.


    ¡°Ah. I assume this be yer friend, Kaius?¡± the hunter asked cautiously.


    ¡°Hello! My name is Porkchop!¡± Porkchop said warmly, shoving his head over Kaius¡¯s shoulder to give Jekkar a sniff.


    Jekkar froze, staring at Porkchop in disbelief, before he looked back at Kaius.


    ¡°Now, Kaius. Lad. Please do not tell me you named a King of the Forest Porkchop of all things.¡± the old hunter said slowly.


    Kaius grinned. He¡¯d expected something like this. For all who lived near the Sea, greater meles were nigh on mythical creatures, and the subject of story and legend.


    ¡°I might have.¡± Kaius responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little bit of a reach.¡± Porkchop snorted. ¡°What greater beasts use instead of names doesn¡¯t exactly¡­translate, so Kaius suggested it as a joke. I decided to keep it, as it will make my enemies underestimate me!¡±


    Jekkar craned his neck up at the mountain of muscle that towered over him. ¡°Ah. Yes. A valid battle tactic.¡± he said haltingly, clearly doing his best to give deference.


    Shaking his head, Kaius turned around and gave Porkchop a scratch behind the ears. ¡°Don¡¯t bully them too much, you big oaf.¡± he said softly, before turning back to Jekkar, who was still staring at the two of them, more than a little bug eyed.


    ¡°How about that ale, old man? Think it''s been enough time for Cham to send word of my coming?¡± he asked.


    The hunter shook himself. ¡°Aye! Aye, sorry Kaius. Just didn¡¯t expect to see you again, not so changed, and not after¡­everything.¡±


    Kaius looked at the hunter sharply. That was¡­telling. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect me? So you know of the bandits then.¡±


    Jekkar paused, before he started to slump. ¡°Aye, we do. It might be best if we wait for that ale, eh boy? You know I''ve never been the best with¡­¡± he waved his hands around, gesturing at the general air of it all. ¡°This.¡±


    The little sprout of dread in Kaius¡¯s stomach grew just a little more. Jekkar had always been a blunt and to the point man, for him to avoid the topic meant that it was something that even he knew would need a little tact. That meant nothing good.


    ¡°Perhaps we best get on to that beer then.¡± Kaius said softly as Porkchop rested the comforting weight of his head on his shoulder.


    Jekkar nodded. ¡°Need any help with the deer?¡± he replied, changing the subject to more immediate matters.


    Kaius took the distraction from the heavy weight of unspoked tales with gratitude. ¡°Nah, Porkchop can carry it. Right?¡±


    Porkchop nodded. ¡°Just throw it on my back.¡± he said, settling down to make it less of an acrobatic task.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Jekkar jumped to assistance, helping Kaius toss it over Porkchop¡¯s shoulders, before they set off at an easy pace to the village gates.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it butchered after we reach the inn?¡± Jekkar asked. ¡°I assume you¡¯ll be staying there, just ¡®bout the only place with doors big enough for yer companion to get inside. I can bring it back later, let Hurin and Illendra cook it up nice.¡±


    ¡°What, not gonna take your cut this time?¡± Kaius teased.


    Jekkar barked out a laugh. ¡°Ye get this one freebie, lad. Just this once. Don¡¯t tell anyone though.¡±


    Kaius smiled. ¡°On the gods.¡±


    As they walked, Kaius snapped his head towards the gate as it started to creak open. It seemed Cham had managed to rouse some sort of response.


    The thick oaken gate swung open slowly, revealing a small crowd. Jekkar waved, giving assurance that everything was fine. There weren¡¯t too many people, barely a handful, and he recognised every single one. One and all stood stock still, frozen at the sight of him, or perhaps the sight of Porkchop.


    Hurin, the innkeeper. Yanmi, the mayor. Eilish, the head of the artisans. Saldar, the elder of the farmers. Illendra.


    Kaius froze as he saw her face, memories washing over him. Of the times spent in warm conversation, of her yammering about her latest culinary creation. Of his yearning. It was ¡­ gone now, a realisation that settled on his heart with melancholy. She was still absolutely gorgeous, with her piercing turquoise eyes, flaxen hair, and soft features, but it was simple beauty now.


    Too much had changed.


    Still, he ached to run to her. Few had given him such comfort, and fewer still had treated him with the warmth that she had. Even non reciprocating of his affections, she had still treated him with friendship and kindness.


    At some point he¡¯d stopped moving, he realised. Staring at her. With all of his enhanced acuity, he watched the very moment when she realised it was truly him, tears welling up in her eyes.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± Illendra screamed, nearly tripping over her pale yellow dress and apron as she sprinted away from the group that still stood at the threshold to the village.


    Jekkar looked back, and saw him frozen a dozen paces behind him. He gave Kaius a grin, and stepped off to the side.


    He barely noticed, still frozen as he watched the rapidly approaching streak of yellow cloth and blonde hair.


    Porkchop shoved him forwards. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude.¡±


    Stumbling was enough to shake him from his fugue.


    He ran, sweeping his oldest friend off her feet and wrapping her in a desperate hug as he spun her through the air.


    ¡°Illendra...¡±


    B2 Chapter 133: The Return pt. 3


    Kaius spun his old friend through the air, smiling in joy as he set her down on her feet. She didn¡¯t let go.


    Illendra clutched him like her grip was the only thing keeping him present. She buried her face into his armoured chest, uncaring about the jagged edges that must have dug their way into her skin.


    ¡°Where have you been, Kaius? I thought I lost you.¡± Illendra asked, her voice small and quivering.


    A sad smile crossed his face, and he leaned down to embrace her fully, burying his face in her hair. She smelled of warm bread and spices. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, and a fraught one. I lived though, and I am here, my friend.¡±


    After taking a few more moments to enjoy their reunion, he pulled back. He knew no one in the village would judge them guilty of impropriety, they had been friends as long as he could remember, and no one would hold a since-past childhood crush against him. Not with how tight knit the communities were on the frontier. Still, they would have time for a proper catch up in the coming days. He had introductions to make.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got someone I would like you to meet.¡± Kaius said, giving her a last squeeze before he turned to the side to give Illendra a full view of Porkchop, who was looking on with naked curiosity. He kept his arm around her shoulder.


    Porkchop leaned in, crouching down to avoid looming over Illendra. Considering that she was just over a full stride shorter than he was, his bond-brother ended up nearly lying on his belly to see her eye to eye.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Porkchop greeted her warmly. ¡°Kaius told me a lot about you. He said you make really good stew.¡±


    Illendra froze, staring at Porkchop in shock. ¡°Kaius...¡± she stammered. ¡°I dinnae know if I¡¯m losing my marbles, but did a Forest King just ask me about my stew?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°He did, he¡¯s grown very fond of my own and I wasn¡¯t about to hide where I learnt it from. His name¡¯s Porkchop.¡±


    Illendra whipped her head back towards him, her eyes narrowing. Kaius paled.


    ¡°Now Kaius, I know you dinnae name a Forest King something that daft.¡± she said, stepping towards him with her hands on her hips.


    Kaius chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. ¡°Well¡­ I mostly suggested it as a joke, Porkchop was the one who decided to keep it.¡±


    Uncanny Dodge flickered as her hand raced out with deceptive swiftness, he ignored the warning as she slapped him upside the head. ¡°Idjit! Swear on the gods, you learnt no respect in that forest. Don¡¯t go trying to foist off the blame onto the bloody greater meles!¡±


    Kaius simply smiled awkwardly as Illendra turned back to Porkchop and bowed in a single fluid motion. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet ye, Porkchop. I hope this idjit hasn¡¯t been giving you much trouble.¡±


    Chuckling throatily, Porkchop bobbed his head at her in turn. ¡°I can see why you like this one, she¡¯s feisty.¡± he said to Kaius privately, before he addressed them both. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, too. Kaius is my bond-brother, so don¡¯t be too harsh on him.¡±


    Illendra turned back to him with a cocked brow. ¡°I know not even you would do something like subjugate a Forest King, so I am going to hold my tongue for now.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡± Porkchop confirmed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a part of that long story I mentioned.¡± Kaius said with a sad smile.


    Illendra¡¯s face softened. ¡°I think we¡¯re both going to have hard stories to tell, the kind that are best left for a round table and a few beers. Do you want the elders to hear? They¡¯ll throw a tissy, but I think I can get them to leave off.¡±


    Kaius shook his head. ¡°No, they should be here for it. I have questions that I hope they can answer, and I trust them to not pry too deeply into my secrets.¡±


    ¡°Then we best go meet them, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± Porkchop interjected.


    Illendra jumped a little, clearly still unused to having a greater beast talk. Kaius clapped her on the shoulder reassuringly. ¡°Come on, it''s been too long.¡±


    Starting their approach, Kaius got a good look at the inside of Three Fields for the first time in over a year. Home to nearly five-hundred souls, it was perhaps better described as a small town. A rough cobble boulevard led deep into the village, though roughly constructed barricades were arrayed behind the gate in varying stages of completion.


    A defence against inevitable breaches, he assumed. At least they were taking it seriously.


    Beyond those, a motley collection of buildings. Almost universally they were sturdy things constructed of old-growth wood, a staple building material so close to the Sea. There was some stone, accessible thanks to the quarries set into some nearby hills, but it was mostly reserved for common buildings and where it was needed most. The hall, inn, and smithy, as well as for foundations.


    As they crossed the distance to the village gate, Kaius flicked between the elders of the village, taking in their mixed reactions to his return.


    Holt was missing, the head of the constabulary. That jumped out to him immediately, though with the increased threat to the village with the beast awakening, it was highly likely that the gruff man had gone to coordinate with the other settlements along the Sea¡¯s rim.


    Increased mana density and an overabundance of beasts were no laughing matters. They were low level for now, but in the coming months and years it would take hard men and strong classers to keep the people safe. That was exactly the sort of man Holt was.


    Jekkar had joined the elders. During his reunion with Illendra, and was looking as unreadable as normal, save for a strange mix of barely noticeable apprehension and relief at his return.


    Hurrin, Illendra¡¯s father, watched him closely. His sheer unbridled joy at his return was palpable in the small half-smile that was mostly hidden by his sandy beard, and the slight creasing at the corners of his eyes. He could see respect there too, as his eyes roved over his artefacts.


    Yanmi. First among equals. The mayor¡¯s flinty gaze bore into his own, evaluating him. She was wily, hard, and fair. More than once as a child she¡¯d nearly had his hide, but he knew she was something of Father¡¯s confidant. He¡¯d seen them talking more than enough for that to be the case. Still, he could see her mind running. Calculating. If Cham had seen him use his glyph, then Yanmi knew too, and would already be working through a dozen assumptions and deductions from that scrap of information.


    Eillish, still wearing her thick leather apron that had been scorched by a thousand forged nails, axe-heads, and occasionally swords. She stared in his direction like a hawk, but not at him. Even more than Hurrin, she drank in his gear with appreciation. Kaius grinned at that. Of all the village elders, Eilish cared the least for the daily going-ons of the village. Thankfully, she had a brilliant mind for logistics, for without them there would be no materials for her workshop, or her fellow artisans.


    She was a consummate crafter, and between her and her leather-working husband they produced some of the finest artisan-wrought artefacts in the region. Kaius knew he needed to have a chat with her; replacing Porkchop¡¯s barding with an under-armour set designed to work with his bloodline skill was directly in their wheelhouse. He could always get it enchanted in Deadacre when they had the time and funds.


    Saldar was the last, his spindly form - though still shorter than him - loomed behind his contemporaries as he watched Kaius with a slight, but sharp, frown. Saldar was no fan of his. Ever since he¡¯d ruined half a field of new growth by wacking at the sprouts with sticks, dreaming of swords and beasts, the crotchety old farmer had branded him as a troublemaker to be treated with suspicion. In his defence, he had been a boy raised at the edge of town, and later in the woods. He¡¯d been a bit of an inconsiderate moron until Saldar had sorted him out.


    Even with Saldar¡¯s low opinion of him, Kaius knew he could trust the old man when push came to shove. Out on the frontier, you were either community members, distant neighbours, or distrusted outsiders. The other villages treated him neighbourly, like any other resident of a different community that lived on the Sea¡¯s fringe. Three Fields though, they¡¯d claimed him, even if he¡¯d never got to visit quite as much as he would have liked. After all, he¡¯d lived here as a young boy, before he was old enough to live on the move.


    Above all else, Saldar was a stickler for propriety, and he would be caught dead before he shared secrets with a neighbour, let alone an outsider.


    Kaius halted at the threshold to the village, Porkchop slowing with him. Illendra gave him a last squeeze on the arm before she ran over to her father, stepping behind him to give him the deference he was due in the current moment.


    The elders stepped forwards, Yanmi taking the lead.


    She met his eyes, giving him a nod and a small smile before she turned to Porkchop and bowed. ¡°It is an honour, Forest King, to have you at our village. We are at your disposal.¡± she said, keeping her head low while she waited for his response.


    Porkchop paused for a moment. ¡°Kaius, this is getting weird. Why do they keep bowing. They¡¯re acting like elves.¡±


    Kaius suppressed a laugh, before he subvocalised his response. It wasn¡¯t needed for Porkchop to understand him, but even with all the time he had to get used to their bond, he was still just getting used to beast-speak.


    ¡°Just say thank you and be polite, maybe make it known we have some sort of connection. Everyone near the Sea basically thinks of the meles as local spirits. Once we get further away people will just think you another beast, though I''m not sure if that will be better.¡± Kaius suggested.


    Yanmi stayed prostrated, waiting patiently.


    Porkchop bobbed his head, slipping into as close to an officious tone that Kaius had ever heard from him. ¡°Please, I am unused to ceremony. I am here because my sworn brother had need to return after our long¡­journey. For both answers and familiar faces.¡±


    Ever the diplomat, Yanmi took the answer in stride, even if half of her colleagues snapped their gaze between him and Porkchop at his brother¡¯s mention of fraternal bonds.


    ¡°As you say, Forest King.¡± Yanmi responded, before she straightened and focused on Kaius. ¡°We have much to discuss, it seems. We have grim tidings, and by the sounds of your miraculous seizing of a class, your garb, and your companion, you have much the tale to tell as well.¡±


    ¡°I do, though there would be many holes to preserve that which I would keep to myself.¡± Kaius said, confirming Yanmi¡¯s assumption.


    ¡°Then we best get to the Stout Oak. It¡¯ll be empty by the time we arrive. Only one question remains, Kaius. You have been missing long, and the nature of our tale begs us to request one decision from you.¡± Yanimi was serious. Official in her bearing and words. Kaius had seen it before. In quick glimpses and overheard tales. Grim tidings indeed.


    The sprout of dread set root, worming its way around his bones.


    ¡°I would hear it.¡± he ground out, even as Porkchop pressed into his back with one leg, providing his support.


    Yanmi nodded. ¡°Would you have us speak first, or is your tale so burning you must share it above all else?¡±


    The weight of the moment hung heavy, time seeming to pause with the looming weight and finality of a swaying hangman''s noose.


    Kaius swallowed, his throat tacky and dry. ¡°I would speak first.¡± he whispered. Anything to keep the doom at bay for a moment longer. That, and what he had to share could be time sensitive for the village to survive the coming calamity


    The short and imperious woman stepped forwards, laying a gentle hand on his arm and smiling at him like he was one of her own. ¡°Then let us be off, Kaius. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve had a long journey, and ale is what is needed for this kind of talk. Come.¡±


    Yanmi turned, and as a group they entered Three Fields - picturesque and blanketed in the shining midsummer sun.. His first visit in nigh on a year and a half.


    He only wished it didn¡¯t feel like a funeral procession.

 B2 Chapter 133: The Return pt. 3

    Kaius spun his old friend through the air, smiling in joy as he set her down on her feet. She didn¡¯t let go.


    Illendra clutched him like her grip was the only thing keeping him present. She buried her face into his armoured chest, uncaring about the jagged edges that must have dug their way into her skin.


    ¡°Where have you been, Kaius? I thought I lost you.¡± Illendra asked, her voice small and quivering.


    A sad smile crossed his face, and he leaned down to embrace her fully, burying his face in her hair. She smelled of warm bread and spices. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, and a fraught one. I lived though, and I am here, my friend.¡±


    After taking a few more moments to enjoy their reunion, he pulled back. He knew no one in the village would judge them guilty of impropriety, they had been friends as long as he could remember, and no one would hold a since-past childhood crush against him. Not with how tight knit the communities were on the frontier. Still, they would have time for a proper catch up in the coming days. He had introductions to make.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got someone I would like you to meet.¡± Kaius said, giving her a last squeeze before he turned to the side to give Illendra a full view of Porkchop, who was looking on with naked curiosity. He kept his arm around her shoulder.


    Porkchop leaned in, crouching down to avoid looming over Illendra. Considering that she was just over a full stride shorter than he was, his bond-brother ended up nearly lying on his belly to see her eye to eye.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Porkchop greeted her warmly. ¡°Kaius told me a lot about you. He said you make really good stew.¡±


    Illendra froze, staring at Porkchop in shock. ¡°Kaius...¡± she stammered. ¡°I dinnae know if I¡¯m losing my marbles, but did a Forest King just ask me about my stew?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°He did, he¡¯s grown very fond of my own and I wasn¡¯t about to hide where I learnt it from. His name¡¯s Porkchop.¡±


    Illendra whipped her head back towards him, her eyes narrowing. Kaius paled.


    ¡°Now Kaius, I know you dinnae name a Forest King something that daft.¡± she said, stepping towards him with her hands on her hips.


    Kaius chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. ¡°Well¡­ I mostly suggested it as a joke, Porkchop was the one who decided to keep it.¡±


    Uncanny Dodge flickered as her hand raced out with deceptive swiftness, he ignored the warning as she slapped him upside the head. ¡°Idjit! Swear on the gods, you learnt no respect in that forest. Don¡¯t go trying to foist off the blame onto the bloody greater meles!¡±


    Kaius simply smiled awkwardly as Illendra turned back to Porkchop and bowed in a single fluid motion. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet ye, Porkchop. I hope this idjit hasn¡¯t been giving you much trouble.¡±


    Chuckling throatily, Porkchop bobbed his head at her in turn. ¡°I can see why you like this one, she¡¯s feisty.¡± he said to Kaius privately, before he addressed them both. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, too. Kaius is my bond-brother, so don¡¯t be too harsh on him.¡±


    Illendra turned back to him with a cocked brow. ¡°I know not even you would do something like subjugate a Forest King, so I am going to hold my tongue for now.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡± Porkchop confirmed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a part of that long story I mentioned.¡± Kaius said with a sad smile.


    Illendra¡¯s face softened. ¡°I think we¡¯re both going to have hard stories to tell, the kind that are best left for a round table and a few beers. Do you want the elders to hear? They¡¯ll throw a tissy, but I think I can get them to leave off.¡±


    Kaius shook his head. ¡°No, they should be here for it. I have questions that I hope they can answer, and I trust them to not pry too deeply into my secrets.¡±


    ¡°Then we best go meet them, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± Porkchop interjected.


    Illendra jumped a little, clearly still unused to having a greater beast talk. Kaius clapped her on the shoulder reassuringly. ¡°Come on, it''s been too long.¡±


    Starting their approach, Kaius got a good look at the inside of Three Fields for the first time in over a year. Home to nearly five-hundred souls, it was perhaps better described as a small town. A rough cobble boulevard led deep into the village, though roughly constructed barricades were arrayed behind the gate in varying stages of completion.


    A defence against inevitable breaches, he assumed. At least they were taking it seriously.


    Beyond those, a motley collection of buildings. Almost universally they were sturdy things constructed of old-growth wood, a staple building material so close to the Sea. There was some stone, accessible thanks to the quarries set into some nearby hills, but it was mostly reserved for common buildings and where it was needed most. The hall, inn, and smithy, as well as for foundations.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    As they crossed the distance to the village gate, Kaius flicked between the elders of the village, taking in their mixed reactions to his return.


    Holt was missing, the head of the constabulary. That jumped out to him immediately, though with the increased threat to the village with the beast awakening, it was highly likely that the gruff man had gone to coordinate with the other settlements along the Sea¡¯s rim.


    Increased mana density and an overabundance of beasts were no laughing matters. They were low level for now, but in the coming months and years it would take hard men and strong classers to keep the people safe. That was exactly the sort of man Holt was.


    Jekkar had joined the elders. During his reunion with Illendra, and was looking as unreadable as normal, save for a strange mix of barely noticeable apprehension and relief at his return.


    Hurrin, Illendra¡¯s father, watched him closely. His sheer unbridled joy at his return was palpable in the small half-smile that was mostly hidden by his sandy beard, and the slight creasing at the corners of his eyes. He could see respect there too, as his eyes roved over his artefacts.


    Yanmi. First among equals. The mayor¡¯s flinty gaze bore into his own, evaluating him. She was wily, hard, and fair. More than once as a child she¡¯d nearly had his hide, but he knew she was something of Father¡¯s confidant. He¡¯d seen them talking more than enough for that to be the case. Still, he could see her mind running. Calculating. If Cham had seen him use his glyph, then Yanmi knew too, and would already be working through a dozen assumptions and deductions from that scrap of information.


    Eillish, still wearing her thick leather apron that had been scorched by a thousand forged nails, axe-heads, and occasionally swords. She stared in his direction like a hawk, but not at him. Even more than Hurrin, she drank in his gear with appreciation. Kaius grinned at that. Of all the village elders, Eilish cared the least for the daily going-ons of the village. Thankfully, she had a brilliant mind for logistics, for without them there would be no materials for her workshop, or her fellow artisans.


    She was a consummate crafter, and between her and her leather-working husband they produced some of the finest artisan-wrought artefacts in the region. Kaius knew he needed to have a chat with her; replacing Porkchop¡¯s barding with an under-armour set designed to work with his bloodline skill was directly in their wheelhouse. He could always get it enchanted in Deadacre when they had the time and funds.


    Saldar was the last, his spindly form - though still shorter than him - loomed behind his contemporaries as he watched Kaius with a slight, but sharp, frown. Saldar was no fan of his. Ever since he¡¯d ruined half a field of new growth by wacking at the sprouts with sticks, dreaming of swords and beasts, the crotchety old farmer had branded him as a troublemaker to be treated with suspicion. In his defence, he had been a boy raised at the edge of town, and later in the woods. He¡¯d been a bit of an inconsiderate moron until Saldar had sorted him out.


    Even with Saldar¡¯s low opinion of him, Kaius knew he could trust the old man when push came to shove. Out on the frontier, you were either community members, distant neighbours, or distrusted outsiders. The other villages treated him neighbourly, like any other resident of a different community that lived on the Sea¡¯s fringe. Three Fields though, they¡¯d claimed him, even if he¡¯d never got to visit quite as much as he would have liked. After all, he¡¯d lived here as a young boy, before he was old enough to live on the move.


    Above all else, Saldar was a stickler for propriety, and he would be caught dead before he shared secrets with a neighbour, let alone an outsider.


    Kaius halted at the threshold to the village, Porkchop slowing with him. Illendra gave him a last squeeze on the arm before she ran over to her father, stepping behind him to give him the deference he was due in the current moment.


    The elders stepped forwards, Yanmi taking the lead.


    She met his eyes, giving him a nod and a small smile before she turned to Porkchop and bowed. ¡°It is an honour, Forest King, to have you at our village. We are at your disposal.¡± she said, keeping her head low while she waited for his response.


    Porkchop paused for a moment. ¡°Kaius, this is getting weird. Why do they keep bowing. They¡¯re acting like elves.¡±


    Kaius suppressed a laugh, before he subvocalised his response. It wasn¡¯t needed for Porkchop to understand him, but even with all the time he had to get used to their bond, he was still just getting used to beast-speak.


    ¡°Just say thank you and be polite, maybe make it known we have some sort of connection. Everyone near the Sea basically thinks of the meles as local spirits. Once we get further away people will just think you another beast, though I''m not sure if that will be better.¡± Kaius suggested.


    Yanmi stayed prostrated, waiting patiently.


    Porkchop bobbed his head, slipping into as close to an officious tone that Kaius had ever heard from him. ¡°Please, I am unused to ceremony. I am here because my sworn brother had need to return after our long¡­journey. For both answers and familiar faces.¡±


    Ever the diplomat, Yanmi took the answer in stride, even if half of her colleagues snapped their gaze between him and Porkchop at his brother¡¯s mention of fraternal bonds.


    ¡°As you say, Forest King.¡± Yanmi responded, before she straightened and focused on Kaius. ¡°We have much to discuss, it seems. We have grim tidings, and by the sounds of your miraculous seizing of a class, your garb, and your companion, you have much the tale to tell as well.¡±


    ¡°I do, though there would be many holes to preserve that which I would keep to myself.¡± Kaius said, confirming Yanmi¡¯s assumption.


    ¡°Then we best get to the Stout Oak. It¡¯ll be empty by the time we arrive. Only one question remains, Kaius. You have been missing long, and the nature of our tale begs us to request one decision from you.¡± Yanimi was serious. Official in her bearing and words. Kaius had seen it before. In quick glimpses and overheard tales. Grim tidings indeed.


    The sprout of dread set root, worming its way around his bones.


    ¡°I would hear it.¡± he ground out, even as Porkchop pressed into his back with one leg, providing his support.


    Yanmi nodded. ¡°Would you have us speak first, or is your tale so burning you must share it above all else?¡±


    The weight of the moment hung heavy, time seeming to pause with the looming weight and finality of a swaying hangman''s noose.


    Kaius swallowed, his throat tacky and dry. ¡°I would speak first.¡± he whispered. Anything to keep the doom at bay for a moment longer. That, and what he had to share could be time sensitive for the village to survive the coming calamity


    The short and imperious woman stepped forwards, laying a gentle hand on his arm and smiling at him like he was one of her own. ¡°Then let us be off, Kaius. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve had a long journey, and ale is what is needed for this kind of talk. Come.¡±


    Yanmi turned, and as a group they entered Three Fields - picturesque and blanketed in the shining midsummer sun.. His first visit in nigh on a year and a half.


    He only wished it didn¡¯t feel like a funeral procession.

 B2 Chapter 134: The Return pt. 4

    Kaius stiffened slightly as he walked through the open door of the Stout Oak, though he did not break stride. He had a lot of memories in this place.


    Of the leather wrapped benches and tables, nestled in cosy nooks that were recessed into one of the tavern¡¯s walls. The tables buffed to a high shine, reflecting the candles that sat above despite being discoloured from many a spilled drink. He remembered falling asleep under one as a boy, lulled by the soft murmur of a busy tavern and the warmth of a good fire and a full belly.


    Of the hearth that dominated the far wall across from him, its wide mantle covered in a dozen trinkets and trophies, and a large deer skull mounted above it. Many bards had sung there, dancing and playing in front of the crackling flames for the delight of a crowd.


    Of the bar to his right, with its sweeping bench and a trio of handpulled taps that served whatever concoctions Hurrin had brewed in the months prior. His first sip of beer, he remembered its malty and bitter taste, Hurrin and Father laughing at the face he pulled.


    Of the many tables that dotted the wide open space, filled to the brim with locals and visiting wanderers alike. They were empty now, the fire dead, and the place quiet.


    ¡°Fetch the pints and get the stew hot, will ye lass?¡± Hurrin said, looking to his daughter.


    Illendra nodded and rushed off ahead, flying around the bar to rush into the kitchen. Thankfully, the Stout Oak had had their stew going for years, and he knew that Illendra would have topped it off this morning, so she would only need to bring it up from a low simmer. She¡¯d be back soon.


    Hurrin jutted his chin towards one of the larger tables that sat towards the centre of the room, exposed and open. Kaius had normally seen it used for games of cards or dice, but it seemed it would be the site of their discussion.


    As a group they walked over, Porkchop hunching down slightly to fit through the double doors. They¡¯d already stopped by the hunters lodge, depositing the deer on their way to the tavern.


    Kaius took his seat, Porkchop settling in next to him as the elders of Three Fields took their own.


    ¡°Sorry we don¡¯t have anything suitable for yourself, Porkchop.¡± Eilish said, addressing his bond-brother. Porkchop had gotten sick of being called a ¡®Forest King¡¯ on the fourth go of it on their walk over and had insisted that they call him by name. ¡°We were not expecting anyone of your¡­ lineage to ever visit our humble village. I would be happy to fetch you a hide or a rug, if you would like something. The workshops are close by.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you, I''m used to stone and soil, so this is fine.¡± Porkchop replied politely.


    The elder of the artisans nodded, waiting patiently for Illendra as the soft hiss of ale hitting tankards continued. A few moments later, his old friend returned, seven tankards and a low bowl expertly balanced on a serving tray. She moved around the table depositing drinks, including one for Porkchop, before she finally gave him his.


    ¡°Imperial stout. Pretty strong, but I remember that''s not really an issue for you.¡± she whispered, before rushing over to take her seat by her father¡¯s side. Kaius smiled at her. Strong and dark had always been his preference for beer. Through some arcane interaction, Rapid Adaptation had bolstered his tolerance to drink, and his father had warned him that he would need the help of brewers with high skill levels to feel any effects far before most classers Vitality reached the point that common brews stopped working. Even suppressing a skill couldn¡¯t remove its effects completely, at least not at higher levels.


    ¡°What¡¯s this, Kaius?¡± Porkchop asked him quietly, sniffing his bowl full of amber foamy liquid that was set at his edge of the table. Even sitting on the floor, he still reached it easily.


    He smiled. ¡°Beer, expect it to be a little bready and kind of bitter. It might make you feel a little warm and ¡­ relaxed, for lack of a better term, but I expect it won''t have much effect on you with your constitution. Give it a try though.¡± Kaius whispered back, receiving a glimmer of curiosity in turn.


    Turning his attention back to the elders, he found them waiting patiently. He sighed, taking a long drink from his tankard. The rich notes of a good stout flooded his palate, and he groaned in appreciation.


    ¡°A year without your drop is a year too long, Hurrin. This is a good batch.¡± he said appreciatively, his tankard clacking as he returned it to the table.


    The stocky tavernkeep grinned at him. ¡°Of course it is, I bloody well brewed it, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Saldar was the first to break the tense dance they were doing, cutting through the fluff and pleasantries with all of his familiar grump.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± he waved. ¡°You make good beer, we all know this.¡± Saldar leaned forwards, fixing him with a stare, though one more tinged with guarded curiosity than suspicion. ¡°Now, boy. Why don¡¯t you tell us what trouble you¡¯ve gotten into this time.¡±


    Kaius sighed, feeling Porkchop lean ever so slightly into him for support. He took another long drink from his tankard, draining it dry. Before Illendra could rise to refill it for him, he stood and walked over to the bar, leaning over the bend to work the spigot and refill his stout.


    ¡°I assume you won''t mind if there are some rather blatant holes in the tale? Even if I''m sure half of you could guess at my secrets, I''d rather leave them unsaid.¡±


    Jekkar scoffed. ¡°Old coots like us know how it is, Kaius. Besides, bonds of community or not, it''s safer if we can say with true honesty that we don¡¯t know what you¡¯re hiding.¡±


    Kaius nodded, and returned to his seat with a full drink in hand. ¡°Well. You know that after our last visit, me and Father were planning on shifting spots once more?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Yanmi said, her voice uncharacteristically soft.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Well, we ended up pushing onto the plateau. We shifted camps as we do, but after a few months we ended up settling by the falls. You should know the ones, Jekkar. To the north east, you can catch the sun glinting off them in the mornings from a couple of the rocky outcroppings not far from here.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± the old hunter nodded. ¡°Never been there me-self, but I know a few veterans of the Sea from the other villages who have.¡±


    Kaius nodded, a knot of anger and grief twisting in his stomach. He took another deep gulp from his stout, the soft building warmth of it helping to steel his nerves even if he felt Rapid Adaptation working to purge its effects. He pushed the skill down, willing it to settle and let the drop do its work. He could always relax his hold if he got too sloppy.


    ¡°We made camp near the top of the falls. Had been there barely a pair of days, not nearly enough to get a full and proper lay of the land. That morning I''d gone north, veering away from the river to do a bit of scouting, maybe find some forage for dinner. I ended up seeing a troupe of men on one of the higher ridge lines. Not far as the crow flies, but perhaps a league between us by ground. As soon as they saw me they gave chase.¡± Kaius said, jaw clenching as he chewed his way through every word.


    The elders'' reactions were mixed, but telling. Jekkar scowled, looking away as his jaw muscles bulged. Yanmi and Saldar frowned, stern and displeased. Hurrin looked at him with worry and sympathy. Even Eilish, normally stoic and practical, had covered her hand with her mouth, looking at him with a pained expression.


    Not one of them looked surprised.


    Kaius soldiered on. ¡°I took flight, running back to Father as fast as I could. By the time I made it, I barely had a minute or two¡¯s lead. Father made me flee again, barely taking the time to hand me my pack before he forced me away, holding me to an old promise if this was ever to happen. He stayed behind to guard my retreat.¡±


    Another drink emptied his tankard. He refilled it at the bar, grabbing a second tankard while he was at it. No point interrupting himself every five seconds. Not one of the elders gave it a second look.


    ¡°It was the last time I saw him. Evidently there were too many for him to fully hold off, because a bare few minutes later I had a half dozen archers on my tail. At least, it felt like that many, I never got a clean look.¡±


    Illendra was openly crying now, silent tears spilling down her face as she listened to his tale with horror plain on her face.


    Kaius took a slow breath. It was hard, to speak of that day, but it was something that brought with it a level of closure that he hadn¡¯t expected. ¡°In the panic of the chase, I stopped paying attention to the surroundings. Those bandits, they could have killed me if they wanted. They didn¡¯t. I realised too late that they had herded me to the edge of the river, trapping me between its currents, the cliffs, and themselves.¡± he continued.


    His audience were hanging off his words now. Even Porkchop was listening intently, though he had heard the story before.


    ¡°I made the only choice I had. I threw myself off the falls.¡± he had to force the last words out, reliving the overwhelming terror of the situation, the heady feelings of cowardice that had perfused him at leaving his father behind.


    ¡°What?! How do you live, lad?!¡± Jekkar yelled, slamming the table, before he winced as every set of eyes snapped to him.


    ¡°What do you mean, Jekkar?¡± Saldar asked. ¡°There''s dozens of bloody falls in those woods, for a lad like him I can¡¯t imagine he¡¯d get anything more than a little roughed up.¡±


    Jekkar shook his head. ¡°Not those ones. That plateau has to be a good hundred-and-fifty strides in the air, and the falls are massive. He¡¯d have broken a leg at least, and would have been caught in the undertow.¡±


    ¡°I was. Leg was snapped clean through, and my health completely drained.¡± Kaius explained, drawing a soft gasp from Illendra. ¡°The undertow had me fully, I nearly drowned.¡±


    ¡°Then how are you sitting here, lad.¡± Hurrin asked, fully enraptured in his story.


    Kaius grunted, Taking a deep pull of his stout. ¡°There was a Depths portal at the bed of the falls, undertow sucked me right through.¡±


    He was met with silence, every single listener watching him intensely.


    ¡°Impossible.¡± Saldar half spat, planting his hands on the table to rise from his seat. ¡°You mean to tell us you survived the Depths? That¡¯s a fucking death sentence for an unclassed.¡±


    Porkchop growled, a throaty bass that rattled the very table, sending ripples through their drinks. Handspan fangs bared, his bond-brother¡¯s eyes drilled into Saldar. ¡°You will not accuse my bonded brother of falsehood. Especially not for something I have witnessed myself, or would you also accuse me as well?¡±


    Saldar paled, freezing.


    Yanmi pulled the man back into his seat, eyes narrowed at the old farmer. ¡°We would do no such thing, Porkchop. Saldar was simply taken aback by shock. Weren¡¯t you, Saldar?¡±


    ¡°..Yes, yes I was.¡± he stammered. ¡°I apologise for interrupting.¡±


    Kaius nodded, taking the time to have another sip of his stout. He could feel it working now. Strong as it was, the heady brew was doing well at cutting through his Vitality. He still had full control of his faculties, but at least he felt a little¡­looser.


    ¡°I take no offence. If I heard it I would question it too, but regardless it happened. The second layer too.¡± Kaius said.


    Jekkar winced at that, with a combat class, he knew best of everyone here the exact dangers that the Depths posed. Though, he noticed that neither him nor Hurrin or Yanmi had acted surprised. They knew something. His seed of dread rattled.


    ¡°I only survived those early days due to things I would not speak of. Not yet. What is important is that after I managed to kill two Champions, I had the sheer blind luck to be rewarded with a Natural Treasure.¡±


    Everyone at the table froze, though Jekkar in particular had been staring at him intently even before the mention of the fruit.


    ¡°Truly?¡± Eilish whispered.


    ¡°True as rain.¡± Kaius nodded. ¡°What I am about to share, I only share because I consider this my home, and this and some later knowledge may be vital in ensuring that it remains a place for me to return to. This must not leave this room, clear?¡± He met the eyes of each of his listeners in turn, only moving on when he had gotten a nod, all a mixture of solemn, resolute, and curious.


    Kaius grunted, finishing his tankard. Sharing would be a risk, but Porkchop had been wearing off on him. The desperate claws that most people sank into their secrets were foolish. If they hadn¡¯t, they might have already passed whatever trials the system had left for them, or at least be far better prepared.


    While he couldn¡¯t see himself living in Three Fields, it was still where he had been raised before he was old enough to survive the Sea. It was home, and he wouldn¡¯t see it potentially destroyed by his own paranoia.


    Kaius steeled himself. ¡°After eating the fruit, I became Observed.¡±


    There was a moment of silence. Then the room erupted into chaos.

 B2 Chapter 135: The Return pt. 5

    As soon as Kaius mentioned that he had become Observed by the system for consuming a Natural Treasure, the table erupted.


    Each and every one started talking over each other, their responses ranging drastically. Sandor merely scoffed, rolling his eyes, while Eillish, Hurrin and Yanmi jumped to their feet, hammering him with questions. Illendra sat quietly, her jaw slack as she stared at him in shock.


    Jekkar, on the other hand, howled with laughter, swinging back on his chair as he belted out his shock and mirth. After a few moments he rocked back forwards, the front legs of his chair smacking back to the floor with a loud crack.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± he boomed, cutting through the commotion. The other elders paused, looking at him. ¡°Now I den know about ye, but I¡¯ve never known young Kaius to be a liar, have ye?¡± he said in his thick frontier drawl, levelling his gaze at his colleagues.


    ¡°Thought not. Look, I¡¯ve analysed the lad. He has a damned class, and we all ken he¡¯s not yet hit his second decade. If anything, him bein a bloody myth makes more sense, not less. Let¡¯s hear the lad out, he¡¯s earnt that much trust at least.¡± Jekkar said.


    Kaius breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you, Jekkar.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t long after that that I met Porkchop. I was still in a large cavern just off the entrance room, undergoing a circumnavigation when I stumbled across him having fallen through the same portal I had. The same bandits had tried to chase him down, though lost him when he threw himself in the river. From what Porkchop saw, there were far fewer of them than had chased me.¡± he continued with his story.


    His audience hissed, galled and mortified that even the lowest of society would dare to hunt a greater meles. Saldar especially looked apoplectic, his jaw flapping as he tried to get words out.


    Eilish beat him to the punch. ¡°Those bloody bastards. If everything else they¡¯ve done wasn¡¯t enough.¡±


    Yanmi shot her a sharp look. ¡°Hush, Eilish. Now is not the time.¡±


    The head of the artisans grit her teeth, but nodded.


    ¡°What then lad? A few extra stats shouldn¡¯t have been enough for you to escape, not against a Guardian.¡± Hurrin asked.


    Kaius nodded, taking another drink to wet his throat. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been. That was only part of it. After meeting Porkchop, I learnt that the meles have oral histories of the Observed, that their power came from rewards granted by the system for performing great feats. We tore our way through our biome, and moved onto the next. It was there that I discovered what that was.¡±


    He paused, allowing the moment to hang in the air. The elders leaned in.


    ¡°After I killed my third Champion solo, I received something called an Honour. It came with bonus stats, and a small passive boost with no scaling, though both were improved due to being the first to perform that particular feat as an unclassed. Not long after I got one for being the first to ¡®discover¡¯ glyph-binding. Let me show you.¡± Kaius took a moment to undo one of his vambraces, the elders watching him in shocked silence.


    Letting the scale armour fall to the table with a clank, he presented his hand, showing off his Drakthar glyph, and the attached runic hymns. His audience leaned in in interest.


    ¡°Lad, is this how you could cast without needing to channel? I thought I saw that when you took down that deer.¡± Jekkar said with interest as his eyes traced the runic symbols burnt into his flesh.


    ¡°It is, though this one is from my class. It¡¯s something Father had worked on, using his knowledge to come up with a prototype. According to my class guide, it was pretty jank compared to this, but being the first was enough to get me some great options.¡±


    ¡°And you got another one of these Honours for discovering this?¡± Yanmi asked.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°I only share because you mentioned that my class identifier is Spellsword. I think that is more to do with - well - my focus on both sword and casting. It¡¯s going to be a lot harder to hide than I expected. I was hoping I would just get Sorcerer or Skirmisher, but such is life.. We chased Honours after that, and got Porkchop his share too. After a year it was just barely enough for us to take on the Guardian.¡±


    Illendra¡¯s jaw finally snapped shut at that. ¡°You fought a Guardian? Do you have a death wish?¡± she accused, her voice growing shrill with concerned anger.


    Kaius smiled sadly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to wait another year to find out what happened to Father, Illendra.¡±


    His words took the winds out of her sails, and she paled. ¡°Of¡­of course.¡±


    Giving her a small nod, he returned to his explanation. ¡°It is what happened from there that causes me to share a secret like Honours. It is my killing of the Guardian that set off the second phase.¡±


    He was met with shocked silence, but he pushed on either way.


    ¡°I learned from the system itself that this is just the beginning. Someone will either achieve the requirements for more phases to progress, or we will inevitably be overwhelmed and perish.¡± Kaius finished, waiting for a reaction.


    Yanmi collected herself, and focused on him intensely. ¡°You are sure.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I am.¡± he nodded solemnly.


    ¡°What of the Tyrants? The Crucibles? The Aspects?¡± Yanmi followed up with.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Though, the aspects are why I have shared about Honours. It was suggested to me that I hold off from crossing into the third tier before I complete them. It is my bet that I will garner more Honours for doing so.¡± Kaius explained.


    He leaned forwards and fixed the elders of Three Fields with a potent stare, his expression deadly serious. ¡°I would not see somewhere I consider home destroyed, and my people slain due to the consequences of my own actions. The new phases will come with opportunities for Honours and power. Everyone here is in the first stage, and you all have aspects for it. I need you to seize the day, things will only get worse from here. I plan on completing my Aspects, and when I do I will send word of how. You must persevere.¡±


    Hurrin let out an explosive breath, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. ¡°Fuck.¡± He returned forwards, slapping his palm on the table. ¡°Lad. You intend to pursue these phases? Yer barely in your first tier!¡±


    Beside him, Porkchop sat up, looming over the table. ¡°Kaius was the first Observed in millennia, and the pioneer of a new art. I am the second, and a greater meles. If not us, then who?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t bloody know, but yer gonna get yerself killed!¡± Hurrin yelled.


    Kaius frowned. He needed them to understand. If they didn¡¯t push they would all perish. It might take years, but he trusted the words of a god. If they couldn¡¯t progress the integration, they were all doomed.


    ¡°Hurrin, I must. The wheel is in motion, it can¡¯t be stopped. You need to bandy for support from the other villages. Unite and share resources, something that I assume Holt is already working on. If there are more Honours available, there will be some that I am able to share, eventually. Those will bolster you, and the more people searching for them, and the more we can share information, the better all of our chances will be. Please.¡±


    Saldar spoke up. ¡°How, Kaius? You¡¯ve lived training since you were a lad. Our best are hunters and guards, not consummate warriors. If Honours require the kind of feats you mentioned, we¡¯ll die trying to pursue them.¡±


    Kaius looked over to Porkchop, who nodded at him reassuringly. ¡°Do it. I know it feels wrong, but this perverse obsession with secrets is the only thing that makes sense for why we stagnated for so long. I can understand for strangers, for when it could be used against you, but not for them.¡±


    Kaius grit his teeth and nodded. They¡¯d discussed it for days on their journey through the Sea. It went against every bone in his body. It felt like betrayal, for all he was meant to be, for all he had been raised for. No matter how much it made sense.


    Thinking of Three Fields overrun with beasts, blood in the streets and familiar faces staring at him with glassy eyes, was enough for him to know he must. Above all, the secrecy sickened him. Without the perverse desire to hoard knowledge, without a culture that killed for secrets, everyone would be better off. He and his father would have never been separated.


    He couldn¡¯t change that. Not yet, and not alone. But he could make a start. Some small difference. A little shove, that might one day be nurtured into a landslide.


    Porkchop leaned, giving him access to the bag that hit their Merchant¡¯s Saddlebag. A little mana was enough. Pulling free a sheet of paper, he gripped it so tightly he was afraid it would tear.


    Leaning back into his seat, he stared at the words on the page, before he looked up at the elders solemnly.


    ¡°I give you this out of trust, and the hope that you will use this to empower our people as best you can. While I now wish I could spread this far, for now it cannot leave Three Fields. Use it to bring the other villages under your banner, not as tyrants, but uniters. Use it to survive.¡± he said, his voice lowering into a bare whisper by the end.


    Placing the page on the table, he stared at the words. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit, Ironbodied, Mana Manipulation, Lesser Regeneration, Natural Celerity, Identify. Two of his own, two of Porkchop¡¯s, and two ¡®known¡¯ legacy skills. None were those that would immediately identify him, and none were those that could be used against him. He just hoped it would be enough.


    He pushed it forwards.


    Yanmi picked it up, frowning in confusion. Kaius watched her realise what he had just passed over, her eyebrows raising, before her jaw dropped in shock and her eyes opened wide. Her colleagues leaned in, each reacting the same.


    ¡°Kaius. Lad. We can¡¯t. This is¡­¡± Jekkar trailed off.


    ¡°Enough to found a Dynasty, I know.¡± He replied.


    ¡°I misjudged you boy.¡± Saldar said, looking up from the page to fix him with a calculating look.


    ¡°This¡­this might change things. You said you want us to unite the villages? Would you have us join your dynasty?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°We must remain separate. The name of my dynasty has the attention of an unknown party. No, I would have you nurse successors and defenders. Spread the skills to all who can be trusted to not spread them to outsiders, until you are strong enough to be beyond reproach. Use it to unite the villages into a single city state, to leverage into Delvers, and to seize Honours. A single bastion is far more likely to survive the coming tide than seven isolated villages with a smattering of hunters and guards.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± EIlish asked. ¡°With what you have told us, we could do all that anyway. This is¡­ too much, Kaius.¡±


    ¡°Because I want you to fucking live! I want to know, while I pursue the pinnacle, while I throw myself at death, while I search for vengeance, and while I try to push through these gods¡¯ cursed phases, that I have done what I can to ensure I have somewhere to return to! That I have done what I can to preserve the lives of those few who I actually know and care for!¡± Kaius yelled, slamming his fist on the table.


    ¡°So what? Yer gonna go hunting down Tyrants? Searching for cold blooded killers? What''s next? Ye gonna Delve ten layers above yer level? Yer gonna fuckin get yerself killed!¡± Hurrin yelled, his face twisting with anguished worry. ¡°I can¡¯t bloody lose you too!¡±


    ¡°Pa!¡± Illendra yelled, smacking his thick shoulder as she stared at him aghast.


    The small seed of dread in his stomach exploded with growth, blooming into familiar grief.


    Kaius sighed, leaning back as he stared towards the ceiling and closed his eyes. Porkchop let out a comforting murmur, pressing into him. He¡¯d been expecting it, what else would they all dance around so delicately?


    ¡°So he¡¯s dead then.¡±

 B2 Chapter 136: The Return Finale

    Kaius slumped, leaning bodily against Porkchop as a wave of grief washed over him. He felt boneless, sapped of all energy.


    Yet, it was almost a relief. To know. He¡¯d suspected for so long, dreaded and ruminated on the ¡®if¡¯s and ¡®maybe¡¯s of it that to finally have it confirmed was like dropping a weight that he had held since falling from that cliff so long ago.


    He took a breath, half surprised that his eyes remained so dry. He supposed he had been grieving for some time. Father always would have found him if he could have.


    Porkchop bent down, resting his head on top of his own. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Kaius.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked the silent room, reaching up to scratch Porkchop behind the ear as he enjoyed his bond-brother¡¯s support.


    Illendra broke, tears welling up in her eyes. She flew from her seat, circling the table to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Kaius let her, though he struggled to find any true comfort in it. Not in the same way he found with his bonded at least. Everything felt a little too¡­ numb.


    Hurrin took a ragged breath, slumping down onto the table to rest his weight on his elbows.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry lad, truly. That was not how I wanted ye to find out.¡± Hurrin¡¯s voice was heavy, his head slumped forwards to obscure his face.


    The others weren¡¯t much better, each looking at him with their own mix of sadness, sympathy, and the toll of their own loss.


    Hurrin looked across the table, meeting Saldar and Eilish¡¯s eyes. They both nodded, standing from their seats.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be back, boy. You¡¯ve done much for the community today, and I shan''t forget it.¡± Saldar said, respect clear in his face. ¡°But this conversation is not for our ears, so we will be taking our leave.¡±


    The two turned and left. Eilish paused at the door to the stout oak, looking back to Kaius. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Kaius, truly. I just wish it was under better circumstances.¡±


    The heavy oak door thudded as it shut behind her, Hurrin jolting slightly at the sound.


    Kaius watched them curiously.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t here when¡­Hastur passed.¡± Hurrin said, answering his unspoken question. ¡°He trusted us with some things that were for your ears only.¡±


    Kaius nodded, breathing heavily. He had to grit his teeth to stop it catching in his throat.


    Hurrin turned to Jekkar, addressing the veteran hunter. ¡°Do you want to tell the tale? You were the one who found him.¡±


    Jekkar gave a small shake of his head. ¡°No, no. I¡¯m not right for this. Too short of words, you should.¡±


    The tavernkeep took an unsteady breath, before he drank deeply from his tankard and nodded. ¡°Aye, you always have been a shit storyteller.¡±


    Kaius snorted; he couldn¡¯t help it. Hurrin was right, Jekkar was crap at telling tales. He could have hunted a phoenix and the best you¡¯d get out of him was that he¡¯d managed to nail a pretty bird in flight.


    He drank deep from his cup. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Hurrin sighed. ¡°Aye lad. It was just over a year ago.¡±


    ¡­.


    Wiping down the counter, Hurrin listened to one of the local farmer boys try to chat up his daughter. Well, failed to was more like. He was pretty sure the lad was one more bad joke from getting a full tankard to the face.


    He chuckled to himself, wiping up a spill.


    A loud crack cut through the soft murmur in the inn. It was near lunch, so there were still a few stragglers finishing up their midday meals, but no true hustle and bustle to cover up the noise of his door being kicked in.


    He snapped his head up, eyes widening in shock.


    Jekkar struggled his way in, a mountain of a man draped over his shoulder. His stomach dropped. Hastur.


    Garbed in thick leathers that were utterly drenched in blood, his old friend''s face was twisted up in what looked like agony, his jaw clenched so tight he was surprised the old wardog¡¯s teeth hadn¡¯t bloody shattered.


    ¡°EVERYBODY OUT!¡± Jekkar bellowed, startling the clientele out of their daze. The sounds of a dozen scraping chairs filled the room as they rushed to the head hunter¡¯s command. No one had any desire to ignore one of the strongest in the village, none the least if they were carrying someone injured.


    Hurrin was already moving. ¡°Illendra!¡± he yelled, snapping his daughter out of her shocked stare. She looked to him, fear and uncertainty on her face. ¡°Get Yanmi here! Then go tell Holt he needs to get his boys on the wall and be ready for trouble.¡±


    Illendra just kept standing there, rooted to the spot as she stared at him. ¡°Now, lass!¡± Hurrin clapped his hands, jolting his daughter into action.


    She sprinted out from behind the bar, dashing past Jekkar who was already hauling Hastur into a padded bench so that his friend could lay flat.


    Hurrin burst into motion, snatching his medkit from under the bar. It was a shite thing, barely a few bandages and swabs to mop up the rowdy boys who¡¯d get into a weekend brawl before they had any decent Health.


    Not nearly enough for whatever was wrong with Hastur, not if his Health wasn¡¯t enough. The man was as tough as iron.


    He just hoped that Yanmi would get here quick enough.


    Charging across the room, knocking chairs aside in his haste, Hurrin dropped to his knees and started pulling out bandages. A bloody hand clapped on his wrist.


    ¡°Save it, old friend. It¡¯s not my blood.¡± Hastur choked out, focusing on him with steely eyes. They were bloodshot, so red it made the green of his irises stand out like shining emeralds.


    ¡°I..What? What¡¯s wrong with ye then?¡± Hurrin asked his old mate, as Jekkar worked to strip him from his chest armour.


    ¡°Just the past¡­¡± every muscle in Hastur¡¯s body tensed at once, a desperate pained cry forcing its way past his clenched teeth as his head was thrown back. A moment later, the fit ended, and his friend slumped back to the bench, panting. ¡°Catching up to me.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Hurrin rushed to Jekkar¡¯s assistance, working bloodsoaked buckles to strip Hastur out of his light armour. It was drenched in blood, with dozens of rents covering its every surface. He shoved his finger through one, feeling its clean edge. Too clean to be a beast. He looked at Jekkar questioningly.


    The old hunter nodded. ¡°Blades.¡±


    ¡°Fucking bounty hunter. Lead a troop of bandits right down on our heads. Thought we were safe. That it had been long enough. Turns out the bastard found a lead in Deadacre, someone telling tales of an interesting looking blade with diamond cutouts, I knew that visit was a stupid risk.¡± Hastur hissed, his neck bulging with stress.


    Hurrin grit his teeth. Bandits were no good, especially not if they could put Hastur in this state. He¡¯d seen the man demolish beasts with nothing more than his general skills.


    They yanked the armour off of Hastur, baring his chest. His skin was whole and unblemished, showing only thick muscle and flawless skin drenched in blood.


    ¡°Ye have no wounds, man. What¡¯s going on with ye? Poison?¡± Jekkar questioned, staring at Hastur with panicked confusion.


    Hastur chuckled throatily, before he started to cough. ¡°After a fashion. Like I said, history is catching up with me. There''s nothing to be done. It¡¯s already far too late.¡±


    Before Hurrin could demand a response, the door to the tavern smashed open, and Yanmi sprinted into the room, hefting a bag nearly as big as she was.


    She took a single look at Hastur before it slipped from her fingers, crashing to the floor as the tonic bottles inside clanked. She walked over in a daze. ¡°Oh no, no, no. Hastur, you didn¡¯t! You knew this would happen!¡±


    ¡°I had to!¡± Hastur forced out. ¡°It was the only way to give the boy a chance¡­¡±


    ¡°Will somebody tell me what the fuck is going on!¡± Hurrin bellowed, demanding an explanation.


    The room fell into silence, broken only by Hastur¡¯s laboured breathing.


    ¡°He¡¯s dying, and there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± Yanmi choked, her face twisted by frustration and grief.


    ¡°But why? Yer fuckin uninjured man!¡± Hurrin keened, staring at his old friend with wild eyes.


    ¡°Soul-rend.¡± Hastur coughed. ¡°A part of my past that you all have so respectfully ignored. Only Yanmi knew, and only because I couldn¡¯t hide it from her skills. It shredded my soul utterly, destroyed my class, and completely fucked my general skills.¡±


    Hastur gasped, wracked by another fit as his eyes rolled back into his head. Yanmi rushed over and all three held him in the bench as he thrashed. Hastur slumped, panting. It was longer than last time, whatever it was was getting worse.


    ¡°I managed to survive thanks to a skill, but despite looking, I couldn¡¯t find a way to heal the damage. With my soul so injured, my class was broken. No levelling, no nothing.¡± Hastur forced out.


    ¡°And using any of your class skills would put so much stress on your soul that it would break the fragile balance.¡± Yanmi whispered, finishing it for him.


    Hurrin slumped, looking at his friend in despair. Hastur fixed him with a driven gaze, half mad with mania and conviction.


    ¡°I need you to listen to me, old friend.¡± Hastur gasped, before he looked to the others. ¡°All of you. I fought off the bandits, slew two bloody dozen of them, but some slipped past me, chased after the boy. I tracked him after I sent the survivors fleeing like rats, while I still had most of my strength. He went over the falls.¡±


    ¡°Falls?¡± Jekkar asked.


    ¡°Unimportant. If the boy survives, he¡¯s not coming back anywhere near there.¡± Hastur groaned. ¡°Best I can tell, he fell into the Depths. There was a portal at the base.¡±


    Yanmi staggered, leaning on the wall for support. ¡°So he¡¯s dead then.¡±


    Hastur gave her a feral grin, his teeth stained red. Whatever was happening internally to his old mate, it was happening fast. ¡°Don¡¯t count him out. Boy¡¯s twice as mean and thrice as much of a rabid dog as I was at his age. No silver spoon in his bloody mouth, I made sure of that. If anyone can do it, he can.¡±


    He could see it, the maniacal devotion and faith in the father¡¯s face. Hurrin shook his head sadly. The boy was gone, even as tough as he was, no one survived the Depths without a class.


    ¡°It''s for the best either way. If he didn¡¯t fall in, he¡¯s dead. I wasn¡¯t able to kill the tracker, he¡¯d find the boy just fine. This way he¡¯ll think him dead as sure as you are. When I go, he¡¯ll come sniffing and think our line ended. No more me, no more loose ends.¡±


    ¡°And what? You expect us to let your killer, Kaius¡¯s killer, to just waltz in here and see your body?¡± Jekkar demanded, staring at Hastur in angered disbelief.


    ¡°I do!¡± Hastur bellowed. ¡°It¡¯s the boy''s best chance of survival. You must let the tracker live. Let alone that he¡¯s in the one-fifties and still has a few men with him, he must take word of mine and the boy''s death. If my boy survives, it¡¯s the best chance he has to live freely¡­ It''s the last thing I can do for him.¡±


    Hastur coughed, a gout of blood spraying from his mouth. Clamping his jaw shut with a grimace, he turned his head to the side and spat out the remainder. ¡°You need to give the bounty hunter my sword.¡± Hastur said, his voice soft.


    ¡°What? If Kaius survives, it''s his by right!¡± Yanmi spluttered.


    ¡°It''s the only way. He¡¯s going to need proof that I''m dead, some token to appease his employer, and without the blade he won¡¯t leave. Between that, and proof of my death, he¡¯ll leave you be. He¡¯s a consummate professional.¡± Hastur spat his last few words.


    ¡°Ye can¡¯t die, Hastur. Who am I supposed to brood with if ye never come visit?¡± Jekkar whispered.


    ¡°What are we supposed to tell ye lad?¡± Hurrin questioned desperately. ¡°Even if by some miracle he survives, how are we supposed to tell him we let some ratfaced bastard steal ye dang blade?¡±


    Hastur gasped. ¡°Tell him what I have told you. Tell him I died valiantly, and he has made me proud, and done me right. Tell him he needs to let sleeping dogs lie, and that if he wants to live freely he needs to give the Onyx Temple a wide fucking berth, because that is almost certainly where the bounty hunter came from.¡±


    Hurrin blanched. The Onyx Temple? What kind of crazy shit had Hastur been caught up in? No wonder he lived like a fucking hermit!


    Hastur continued, uncaring of his friend''s response to his words, his eyes unfocused and glassy. ¡°Tell him that until he thinks he could beat the fucking Hero Josun in a gods¡¯ damned fist fight, he needs to stay on Vaastivar.¡±


    Hastur coughed, before he started to seize, even more violently than the last time. Hurrin held him steady, sharing worried and grief stricken glances with his fellow elders.


    ¡­


    ¡°He¡­Your da didn¡¯t last much longer than that, lad.¡± Hurrin said, choking through his words. ¡°The fits kept coming quicker, and harder, and he got less and less lucid. Couldn¡¯t get anything else out of him.¡±


    Kaius buried his hand in Porkchop¡¯s fur, gripping his shoulder for support as anger thrummed through him. It burned, directionless and without a readily available target. The bastard took Father¡¯s sword?


    He took a deep breath. ¡°So he took Art in Motion and just left? Did he defile my Father¡¯s body?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Yanmi blurted. ¡°No. Even he was not so depraved. We kept your father under cold-wake, as should be done if a burial cannot be immediately held. The bounty hunter arrived a week or so later. He looked on the verge of madness when he learnt of Hastur¡¯s passing, but he just took the sword and left. We buried him after that, as one of our own.¡±


    ¡°It was fuckin¡¯ hard not to shoot the bastard when his back was turned, I¡¯ll tell ye that.¡± Jekkar grumbled, guilt and anger twisting his face.


    Kaius gave the old hunter an appreciative nod. Somehow, he managed to hold himself together.


    ¡°I have questions, but I need to see him first. Where did you have him buried?¡± Kaius choked out.


    ¡°Of course, lad. We put him to rest under the old oak tree, the one just past the fields where he¡¯d teach you all secret-like on yer visits. Guess the secrecy makes a bit more sense now.¡± Hurrin mumbled.


    Kaius nodded, and stood. ¡°I¡¯d like to go alone, with Porkchop. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    The remaining elders nodded, and he left the Stout Oak, leaning heavily on Porkchop for support.

 B2 Chapter 137: Grief

    It was a picturesque spot, his fathers final resting place.


    Maybe a twenty minute walk from Three Fields, along one of the dirt trails that wound their way through the farms that flanked the village.


    There was a hill there, one of many that graced the rolling grasslands and meadows of the frontier. It rose above the rest, but it was gentle. An easy walk over soft grass that wound its way through the many boulders that dotted the hill¡¯s face.


    A tree was at its peak. A venerable oak, tall, stout, and thick of limb. He knew the tree well, having visited it many-a-time in the past.


    The hill was isolated and private, but provided enough open sightlines of the surrounding area that it was almost impossible to approach without getting spotted.


    It was where his father used to take him for a few hours each day on their varying trips to the village. While in recent years, ever since he had unlocked the use of his general skills, their visits had grown more infrequent, when he had been younger they¡¯d often visited once a month or so.


    His lessons wouldn¡¯t stop just for a simple trip into town, so every morning he had been carted out to the hill with the lonely tree, and he had listened and learned and trained as Father had taught him yet another intricacy of survival, or sword fighting, or any other facet he would need to acquire his skills.


    Before then, he¡¯d lived here. Young enough that it was only hazy memories, but most of them were by this tree.


    Kaius kneeled in front of the gnarled oak, staring at the stone slab that now jutted out from the soil under its canopy. It was simple, but lovingly carved from the local stone. A rough block, stout enough to weather the indifference of time.


    Thick letters were carved deeply into its surface, equally as enduring.


    ¡®Hastur. A father, survivor, and one of our own. Died as he lived, valiant and fearless.¡¯


    Kaius stared at the words, a panicky clawing sob stabbing its way out of his chest as fat tears burned their way down his cheeks.


    He kneeled, and stared, as reality collapsed around him.


    It wasn¡¯t fair. Wasn¡¯t right. He¡¯d done everything. Survived the impossible, seized victory from certain death, and attained forgotten power. Hells, he¡¯d met with a god. Yet still, it mattered not. Father was dead and there was nothing he could do.


    The deep, crushing, weight of it all settled on him like a stone, making him fight for every breath.


    Porkchop let out a low, soothing rumble to his right, his bond-brother laying down next to him and providing what comfort he could. A rasping gasp left his throat, and Kaius threw his arms around his brother''s neck, weeping openly.


    ¡°How could this be right, Porkchop? How could the gods take him from me, even after we have done their bidding. Where is the supposed fairness of the scales of fate? The good fortune to the victors? How could I have earned this, after everything we have done?¡± he begged, desperate for an answer.


    Porkchop let out another rumble, leaning deeply into him. ¡°Death is a cruel master, Kaius. One that strikes down newborn babes and Patriarchs with the same uncaring swipe of its claws. There need not be sense to it, it simply is.¡± his bond-brother crooned, acknowledging the senseless pain of it all.


    Kaius sobbed, choking through a hiccup. ¡°I knew¡­ I knew the chances weren¡¯t good. Not after the first few months. I¡¯d hoped that Father had simply needed time to recover before he could come after me, but when he never returned¡­ I knew, deep down. Still, I hoped. Hoped that we would stride into Three Fields, valiant and victorious. That Father would be waiting, pride, fury, and relief on his face. That he would embrace me, overwhelmed by my unexpected return, and that he would question me. That I could introduce you to him.¡± he murmured, his face buried into the snow white scruff that surrounded his brother''s neck.


    He squeezed tighter, fighting back the torrent of grief that beset him from all sides.


    ¡°It¡¯s just so cruel.¡± Kaius whispered. ¡°How am I supposed to live? To continue, knowing that he is gone.¡±


    He pulled back, staring Porkchop in the eyes with a desperate expression. It was a genuine question. How in the hells could he push on, knowing that Father wouldn¡¯t be there at the end of his journey?


    Porkchop¡¯s gold-flecked-green eyes softened. ¡°You need time, Kaius. The loss will always bite, but not always so keenly. In days and weeks and months, the crushing weight fades. The sadness retreats. Eventually, you will be able to remember the fond times, and cherish them, without them crushing you.¡±


    More thick tears welled up, blurring his vision, only for something warm and wet to slide across his face. Kaius froze.


    ¡°Did you just lick me?¡± he asked, deeply confused. Porkchop had never done that.


    Porkchop chuffed. ¡°I had to do something to snap you out of the spiral. It worked, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kaius laughed, deep and with all of his chest, until his mirth bordered on mania.


    He hugged Porkchop once more, absentmindedly noticing the way the stumps of his fingers caught on his brother''s fur. ¡°Thank you. I just don¡¯t see a way out, a way to not feel so¡­defeated.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Like I said, it comes with time. There was a member of my den, a distant cousin, though as close as I had ever gotten to anyone before you. He taught me many things, and was a kindred spirit. I loved him, still do. One day, he went out on the hunt, pursuing some beast. He never returned. I still remember the day, how it felt like my heart would stop beating from the sheer agonising lethargy of the pain. How it felt like I had a gaping wound that would never heal. It did, eventually.¡± Porkchop said softly.


    Kaius paused. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I never knew.¡±


    ¡°Because I never said. With the fate of your father unknown, it would have been a cruel story to share. I tell it now because I want you to know that I did heal, and the sun shone bright once more. It just took time.¡± Porkchop pressed, waves of reassurance and support crossing their bond.


    Kaius turned, looking at his father¡¯s headstone. The sun shone through the canopy above, alighting the stone with a soft and warm glow.


    How could he? When Father¡¯s killer was still at large. When Art in Motion had been stolen. When his history had been stripped from him, and the sworn enemies of his dynasty celebrated without his knowledge of their identities.


    Hot rage welled up. Primed with the fuel of his grief, it ignited like a pyre. How could he rest when he had a blood debt.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find that rat-bastard.¡± Kaius growled.


    Porkchop chuckled throatily, a hard edge hidden within. ¡°Not the take away I was going for, but it¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°Him, the Onyx Temple, the people who destroyed my dynasty and hired the bounty hunter. They have to pay.¡± Kaius clenched his fist, feeling the power of his reforged body as the tension made his knuckles go white. Even if it took years of careful investigation and planning, he would have his satisfaction.


    ¡°And I will help you. We are sworn brothers, your pain is my pain, your oaths are my oaths.¡± Porkchop said solemnly, fixing him with a serious stare.


    ¡°Then let us swear. To having our vengeance.¡± Kaius whispered.


    ¡°To our vengeance.¡± Porkchop echoed him, sealing the pact.


    As their whispered words drifted under the burroughs of the oak tree, something small thrummed within Kaius¡¯s soul. A single pillar, echoing his call ever so slightly. The sensation went unnoticed, washed away in the emotional tide of the moment.


    ¡°Thank you, it feels less like an insurmountable cliff, knowing that you will be by my side.¡± Kaius whispered, genuine gratitude plain in his voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Kaius. We are bonded, we live as one, and die as one. I do want to know though, what of the Onyx Temple? They must be a fearsome beast to have rattled your elders so.¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius winced. Learning that he would be going up against them had certainly put into perspective the magnitude of the task ahead of him.


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­something of a guild. Mostly only whispered about in tavern talk. Shadows in the night, the antagonists of every good story. They¡¯re supposed to be a league of criminals, anything profitable that flies against society and law is their bread and butter. Theft, smuggling, assassination, trafficking. No job too low, or too soulless. I genuinely thought they were a myth, and I don¡¯t even know how to go about finding them, let alone getting the information we need out of them.¡± Kaius explained.


    If they were to go against the Onyx Temple, it meant that getting backing had become all the more important. That, and growing strong. There was no way some shadowy organisation like that had managed to persist under the noses of nobility and law without some serious power and resources.


    Plus, who knew how much truth there was to the stories of their origins. Apparently, they had once been a shadowy sect of worshipers of Gyl, the god of shadows and dishonest dealings. He had no idea how much truth there was to that, but if they did have a history of a cult, then there was the chance that they still had a religious powerbase. That would be a risk, it would be far harder to extract information or concessions from a devout cultist than a simple rogue.


    ¡°Then we will need to be cautious, not the least because whoever lies behind them, those that destroyed your dynasty, might be even more resourceful if they are from beyond the continent as Hurrin suggested.¡± Porkchop said.


    Kaius nodded. Travelling across the oceans was almost unheard of, and entirely the domain of the powerful or exceedingly rich. The open seas were full of legions of terrifying abyssal creatures that could crush a ship as easily as turning a hand was to him. For a group, or entity, to extend their reach to Vaastivar from across the ocean? They would need to be powerful and resourceful in equal measure.


    ¡°At least it''s a direction, something to look into. Before I had nothing to go off, knowing that Unterstern most likely comes from across the sea gives me a lot to work with, even if knowledge of the lands beyond the shore are scant and rare.¡± Kaius mused.


    ¡°So our plans remain unchanged?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius nodded. It would be a search that would take them all across Vaastivar, chasing shadows and hunting men unseen, but two things remained constant. They would need power, and they would need backing.


    ¡°We need to get to Deadacre. Joining the delving guild there is our best bet to grow our strength, and to start making a name for ourselves. We will need that influence if we are to truly stand a chance of finding anything about the Onyx Temple. Deadacre is likely too small, but it is rumoured they host hidden markets, perhaps if we grow strong and rich enough, we will be able to get ourselves an invitation.¡± Kaius said.


    Porkchop nodded. ¡°That, and the guild is probably our best bet for finding others who have the potential to keep up with us. I remember what Ekum said, we still need to find ourselves some allies.¡±


    Kaius raised his brow. ¡°In Deadacre? Unlikely, but I suppose we¡¯ll need to keep an eye out.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already a rock solid frontline, so all we really need are some competent supportive style classers. If they are trustworthy, and good enough, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to help them close the gap, and secure a few Honours. No doubt we¡¯ll discover more and be able to guide them.¡± Porkchop suggested.


    It could work, now that he thought about it. If he and Porkchop were the primary front line threats, any team members they found would be far less at risk than they would be otherwise. That said, Kaius still thought that it would be unlikely. They would still need to be delvers of a rare calibre, and Deadacre was a bit of a provincial backwater.


    Kaius looked at his bond-brother. Thank the gods he had him, because without Porkchop he would be drowning. As it was, it was only the simmering anger and his brother¡¯s support that gave him the energy to keep moving.


    He only hoped that he wasn¡¯t forcing Porkchop to give up too much in his quest for vengeance.


    Kaius turned back to his fathers grave stone, watching it with silent intensity as he leaned a little further into Porkchop¡¯s shoulder.

 B2 Chapter 138: Planning for the Future

    They sat there, on that lonely hill that held Father¡¯s final rest, until the sun started to go down.


    It was cathartic in many ways, even if it was painful. He¡¯d been given a certainty in Father¡¯s passing, where previously there had only been likelihoods. While that certainty did not bring him peace, nor did it release him from the burden of grief, there was a weight of the unknown that had been removed from him.


    He had sat there and talked for hours, sharing anything and everything that came to mind with his bond-brother. Anecdotes of his life with Father, one unstable and constantly moving, but one that had its own joys. Of seeing far more of the Sea than most ever did, of training, of stories, and of shared meals and passed down insights.


    Eventually though, the time came where they had to make their leave. He would be back, before they left on their long journey, but before then there was time that needed to be spent amongst the living. Devising a plan for Three Fields to survive the coming shift in danger, securing them for the long term, catching up with old friends and allies, and preparing for their trip to Deadacre.


    They made their way down the hillside, Kaius riding his brother¡¯s back as they picked their way through the boulders that studded the grass.


    As they walked, he thought of their earlier conversation, the way the shape and direction of their future had come together so quickly. Porkchop was a stalwart companion, and had not hesitated to take up his blood debt as his own. Yet, he did not want that to entirely flavour their relationship.


    There might have been a level of necessity in their pursuit of power, and a level of need to pursue his father¡¯s killer and the destroyers of his dynasty, but that did not mean that the path there needed to be fixed.


    Porkchop was his own person with his own goals, and Kaius would not leave them by the wayside.


    ¡°Are you sure it''s okay? Our path through the frontier lands, and our trip to Deadacre? Is there not anything you wanted to do when you crossed the mountains?¡± Kaius asked suddenly, breaking the silence of the golden hour.


    Porkchop chuffed, the sudden rise and fall of his chest nearly unseating Kaius. ¡°This is what I wanted to do. I wanted to explore beyond the sea, grow strong, and see sights unseen. I wanted to live on the move, and go where other greater beasts did not. Kaius, the only two-legged city that a meles could ever hope to see normally are the elven conclaves, and no one wants to deal with their incessant prattling so we all avoid it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Kaius replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. I¡¯m practically getting a grand tour of places I would have no hope of seeing myself. As long as we don¡¯t end up settling down for good for years to come, I will be happy.¡± Porkchop insisted.


    Kaius snorted, staring out over the rows of fields that grew all manner of mid-summer crops, all remarkably large and robust thanks to the might of class and general skills. He couldn¡¯t see himself setting down roots for a long time, and not just because he had too many threads pulling him in multiple directions.


    He felt the call of adventure just as strongly. Vaastivar, let alone the world, was full of known delights and unknown mysteries. With ruins, a dozen different peoples, and many a wild place to explore, he couldn¡¯t ever see himself not wanting to lay his eyes on as many of them as he could.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have to worry about that. Three Fields is just about the closest to a home that I have, and I''ve never even once considered moving here permanently. Life moves just a little too¡­slow.¡± Kaius replied, watching the small trails of smoke that rose over the next hill. Evidence of the sleepy village that was nestled behind it. ¡°But please, if something comes up that you want to do, tell me. I would not dictate our every move.¡±


    Acceptance and assurance flowed across their bond, and Kaius let the silence continue. He looked forward to getting back to the Stout Oak, there were plans to lay, and much to discuss. Thankfully, Hurrin had told him that he would keep the place closed for the next few days to give him some privacy.


    The villagers might have been respectful, but they still gawked at him and Porkchop all the same. It got a little awkward after a while.


    ¡­


    Thankfully, Cham had been manning the gate again, so it had been easy to get entry back into the town proper. It was a pleasant short walk through the village through the fading light of the afternoon, many a familiar face giving him a respectful nod, before they turned to gawk at him and Porkchop as soon as they thought he couldn¡¯t see.


    It was a funny experience. Most of the people he knew well in Threefields could be counted on two hands, with maybe a third and fourth for people he knew enough to chat with, such as Cham. Most of that second group being the members of the hunter¡¯s lodge, who he saw more than most when they ran across each other in the Sea.


    That said, Three Fields was a small place, and it was few the people he did not at least know their names, and fewer still that he did not recognise.


    Arriving at the Stout Oak, Kaius dismounted and led the way in, wincing slightly at the discomfort of sitting astride Porkchop¡¯s armoured barding. Hopefully, before they left, they would be able to replace it with something a bit more fit for purpose and compatible with his bond-brother¡¯s armour skill.


    Pushing open the tavern door, he was quickly treated to a blonde missile streaking its way across the room.


    Illendra smashed into his chest, nearly driving the air from his lungs as she wrapped her arms around him.


    ¡°Kaius! I¡¯m so sorry. I hope you¡¯re okay.¡± she whispered, squeezing him tighter.


    Grinning as he patted her back, Kaius returned her hug before he released his old friend. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Not great, but okay. I knew something like this was likely when he didn¡¯t come for me, it was just painful to have my fears confirmed.¡±


    Illendra looked up at him, searching his face for any hint of a lie. He didn''t know what she found there, but she nodded a few moments later. ¡°If you¡¯re sure. Come take a seat, Pa is off grabbing the other elders, so I¡¯ll fetch you two a beer and some food. Stout again?¡±


    Kaius grinned and shook his head, unsurprised that Hurrin knew he was coming. News travelled fast in Threefields. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Something a bit lighter this time please, just an ale.¡± he responded.


    Illendra nodded. ¡°And for you?¡± she said, asking Porkchop.


    ¡°Just some stew¡­ I''m not sure if I particularly like beer.¡± Porkchop admitted.


    Illendra smiled, before she stifled a laugh with her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t let Pa here you say that, he¡¯ll be crushed.¡±


    Kaius smiled and took a seat. Illendra joined the two of them at the table a moment later, bringing their drinks and food. They sat there, chatting for what felt like the better part of an hour before the elders showed up, catching up for lost time. No doubt Hurrin had taken his time fetching his colleagues, giving them a moment to just¡­talk.


    It was nice to hear what his friend had been up to. Apparently she¡¯d found a lad, some hunter from the next village over. It was still early days yet, but she seemed fond of him. That, at least, put a bit of warmth in his chest. He might have been jealous once, but those days were long past. Now he was just happy a friend had found a bit of joy, and it was someone who could hopefully keep her safe in the coming uncertainty.


    The door to the tavern swung open once more, and the five heads of the village entered. Each gave him an appraising look, their faces filled with a mixture of sympathy, respect, and determination.


    The room fell silent as they took their seats, though Illendra ran to grab them drinks. It was a heavy quiet, neither him nor the elders quite sure where to start.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have served you with such news right on your victorious return, Kaius.¡± Yanmi finally said, starting their talk as was her duty as the mouth of the village.


    Kaius gave her a sad smile. ¡°Like I told Illendra, I already half expected it. Though, even prepared, no man wants to hear of their father¡¯s passing.¡±


    The elders nodded.


    ¡°Too right, lad. Too right. I lost me own young, so I know the sting of it.¡± Jekkar said in his customary curt voice, commiserating in his own uniquely gruff way. Kaius tilted his head to the man, acknowledging the gesture.


    ¡°It galls me to do this, but we have plans to make, and it¡¯s plain as day that young Kaius won¡¯t be sticking around for all that long.¡± Saldar said, looking genuinely pained to be the first to break the respectful space they held for his grief.


    Beside him, Porkchop settled into his meal as he sent amusement across their bond. ¡°That one¡¯s nearly as stuffy as a Matriarch.¡±


    Kaius managed to suppress his smile at the quip. Just.


    ¡°That we do, and I appreciate the gesture, but Saldar is right. We have much to discuss, and I would be on the road within a few days at most.¡± he said, breaking the news of his quick visit.


    If they waited too long in the town, then the rising level of mana and growing strength of the now-ubiquitous beasts could be a significant barrier to a speedy journey.


    ¡°So soon?¡± Eilish asked, surprised.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°Enough time to resupply, and hopefully replace Porkchop¡¯s barding.¡±


    The elder¡¯s looked at Porkchop curiously, clearly uncertain of why they would want to swap out depths-wrought armour.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gained an armour skill, one that is incompatible. Something that is closer to under-armour, and can let Kaius sit on my back without steel jabbing him would be much more preferable.¡± Porkchop explained.


    ¡°In that case, I should be able to help. Come see me first thing in the morning, and I¡¯ll try rush it through by the evening. No charge, after what you¡¯ve given us I think we can all agree we¡¯re so far in your debt that I don''t ever hope to repay it.¡± Eilish said, eyeballing Porkchop¡¯s barding. Clearly the master-craftswoman already had some ideas, but was saving them for a more dedicated discussion.


    ¡°Speaking of debts, these skills are a ¡­ lot. I would hear what you have planned for us.¡± Yanmi broached carefully. He understood, it was a heavy gift, and one that in this world would usually come with strings of adamant attached.


    ¡°I want you to form yourselves into a regional powerhouse. Leverage them to consolidate the other villages here, preferably quickly while you still have the time to expand the walls. Share them with everyone. At least those that can be trusted not to blab with outsiders.¡± Kaius said.


    The elders stared at him in shock. Kaius expected that. It wasn¡¯t everyday that someone pressed for Legacy skills to be spread rather than jealousy hoarded.


    ¡°Everyone? Are you sure, lad?¡± Hurrin whispered.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°They¡¯re all defensive in nature, and it¡¯ll be the best thing for solidifying the hold of Three Fields over the surrounding region. It¡¯ll take years for the potential to be realised, but it¡¯ll hopefully ensure that Three Fields survives and hopefully thrives in the coming days. My only hope is that you¡¯ll keep them secret for the next few months, to make it less obvious that they came from me.¡±


    Yanmi nodded. ¡°That could work¡­ We could each pretend we had one of them each, and decided to pool them together to help the community. It would buy us the leeway and trust needed to grow the town.¡±


    ¡°What I want to know is why now? What made you give away so many advantages?¡± Saldar asked, staring at him intensely.


    Kaius chuckled. If only the man knew that he still had six more where that came from, and Porkchop seven.


    ¡°They are a fraction, but most importantly it is because of the revelations I experienced in the Depths. The meles do not hoard legacies, instead sharing them freely. Their dens are all the stronger for it. It is also my belief that the main reason we have been caught flat footed by the second phase is that we never gained the strength to trigger it. If we had, this all would have been over much earlier, and the average person would be far better prepared to weather the storm. There¡¯s a good chance that others have legacy skills in the villages, my hope is that you will be able to tempt them into sharing.¡° Kaius explained.


    Even if it still felt wrong to share a secret that had been beaten into him, he knew that there was wisdom in the way of Porkchop¡¯s people. Beasts and Tyrants would be far less of a threat if the average person had a smattering of legacy skills and an Uncommon or even Rare class.


    ¡°Most importantly, I believe that the Aspects will be as much if not more impactful than legacy skills, and I intend to be one of the frontrunners. Once I have secured Honours for being the first, I will send word on their function to further bolster you.¡±


    Jekkar cocked an eyebrow at him at that. ¡°Mighty sure of ye self there, lad. How can ye be certain that you will be the first?¡±


    Kaius grinned, letting a little of the song that had ignited within him in his time in the Depths shine through.


    ¡°I can quite confidently say that no other first tier has the advantages that me and Porkchop have, nor the experience or sheer bloody minded drive. We will find them, and we will make use of them, even if we only beat second best by a handful of months.¡± he assured.


    Saldar frowned, still unconvinced. ¡°But what would you have of us? All you have given are hopes for the future, there has been no word of payment.¡±


    Kaius grinned at the man. ¡°Simple. A harness for Porkchop, supplies for my journey, and a fortress full of strong and capable allied delvers should I have need of them. I would not call the good folk of the frontier to war, but I do not know what the future holds. If strength in numbers is required, or a bastion is needed, I would prefer it to be strong allies of my own people.¡±


    The elders paused, digesting his words. One by one they nodded, even Saldar, before Yanmi met his gaze once more.


    ¡°That, I think, is more than fair.¡± the village head rose to her feet, reaching out to him with a hand. Kaius clasped it.


    The fiery woman smiled at him. ¡°Though if our yet to be named Dynasty is to be an ally of yours, Kaius, I would know your name.¡±


    Kaius grinned, letting the question hang for a pregnant moment. ¡°Kaius of Unterstern, pleased to make your acquaintance, Yanmi of Dynasty-yet-to-be-founded.¡±

 B2 Chapter 139: Preparing to Leave

    After sealing his compact with the elders of Three Fields, the atmosphere had turned raucous and celebratory. Beer flowed like water, and the deer that he and Porkchop had slain earlier in the day was brought out for a great roast.


    Normally, that would have been excessive for a group of seven, but with their eighth being a greater meles, it was only just enough. Kaius thanked his blessings that whatever magic supported a greater beasts frame allowed them to function on smaller amounts of food than their size would suggest, otherwise they would be in a far worse state when preparing their travel rations.


    He even managed to get drunk, though his pleasant buzz got more and more difficult to maintain as his control on Rapid Adaptation slipped. At least he managed to squeeze two levels out of the skill as a consolation prize, Hurrin¡¯s stout was strong stuff.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 21!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 22!**


    While there was the temptation to decide on the name of their soon-to-be dynasty, the elders decided rightfully to wait for their missing member, Holt, before they made any decisions. That went double for actually planning the gargantuan task of enticing the other villages to join their banner, or how they would entice others to come forward with any potentially hidden legacy skills.


    That sat just fine with Kaius. He needed allies, and a base of power, but he had no interest in running a full blown dynasty, not yet at least. Having those decisions made in his absence would be far better for creating a level of separation between them and Unterstern.


    Eventually though, the night grew long, and he and Porkchop were led upstairs to the rooms of the inn. Luckily, the largest room had a set of double doors, so Porkchop was still able to squeeze in.


    He never ended up making it to the bed, instead curling up on the bearskin rug that lay in front of a smouldering fire alongside his brother. With Porkchop¡¯s growth spurt, they would have just broken the damn thing anyway.


    Sleep took him in moments.


    ¡­


    The sun shone bright, nary a cloud in the sky as Kaius crossed Three Fields. He still felt a little groggy after the night before, though mostly from mild sleep deprivation. His resistance skill might have been unfortunately effective against beer, but it was equally so against hangovers.


    Porkchop padded alongside him, his coat on full display. They¡¯d freed him from his barding for what would hopefully be the last time, and had stowed it in their dimensional bag. Kaius had taken to stashing the thing in his emptied pack, which he wore. No way was he leaving something that valuable behind, even if he did know practically the entire town.


    Walking down stone paved streets, Kaius gave friendly nods to those he passed and recognised, making a beeline to the rhythmic hammer blows that echoed from the workshops a few blocks away. They might have been set at the very edge of the town, but the place was small enough that the sounds of smithing carried far.


    ¡°What are you hoping that Eilish will be able to do when making me my under-armour? Wont it be missing enchantments?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius smiled. His bond-brother¡¯s only exposure to artefacts were from the masterworks that the system had spawned, and he had very little knowledge of the more mundane creations that a skilled crafter could create.


    ¡°They will, but a good artisan can still create artefacts without them. They lean more on the innate properties of the materials, and their own skills to draw out the full effectiveness of the items. Though, enchantments are more flexible, and it will definitely be worth our while to take whatever we get to an inscriptionist in Deadacre.¡± he explained as they crossed the street, rounding on a half dozen workshops.


    Eilish, and her husband Yondar, shared the most grand. Equal parts leatherworking shop and smithy, it dominated the street. Unlike most buildings in town, it was built entirely from stone. No one wanted their house and shop going up in flames due to a forge mishap.


    ¡°We will still be able to get it enchanted?¡± Porkchop asked as they approached the building, surprised.


    ¡°Oh, yes. it''s not quite as efficient as having the inscription worked into the very creation of the artefact, but the people with the skills to do that are few and far between. Now come on, we¡¯re here.¡± Kaius replied, pushing open the heavy oak door that led into the reception of the workshop.


    Eilish was waiting for him with her partner, Yondar, at her side; the pair standing behind a counter that stretched across a good half of the room.


    ¡°Kaius! Right on time.¡± the head of the Three Fields¡¯ artisans said warmly.


    ¡°Good to see you, lad; it warms the heart to see you well.¡± Yondar said, smiling at him.


    Kaius returned the man''s grin. He¡¯d always liked Yondar. Though he didn¡¯t know the man all that well, he¡¯d always been kind and friendly.


    ¡°Yondar, good to see you. I hear that your wife has volunteered your services?¡± Kaius said, as Eilish rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°That she has. A worthy trade for the gift you have given us; let alone the honour of crafting a piece for a Forest King.¡± he said, dipping his head respectfully to Porkchop. ¡°Now, you said that you needed some sort of ¡­ under-armour? It would be good to see what I will be working with.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let the man himself do the talking.¡± Kaius said, ushering Porkchop forwards.


    His bond-brother towered in the shop, but he took a respectful seat in front of the counter.


    ¡°Hello! It is nice to meet you.¡± Porkchop said to Yondar.


    The man smiled, though Kaius could see that he was still a little unsettled at having a massive meles sitting in his place of work.


    ¡°Nice to meet you too! Now, how can I help?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a bloodline skill that creates a heavy plate armour around my body. I was hoping for something tough that can help to absorb impact, but still stand up to a light bit of abuse if I''m caught out before I can summon my plate. It would also be perfect if it has a way for us to secure some cargo on my flank, and potentially some extra padding on my spine with some sort of loop for Kaius to hold onto during a charge.¡± Porkchop explained, visibly getting more excited as he went through their ideas.


    Yondar dutifully took notes, sketching out ideas as he mused on what was possible. The man eyed his bond-brother intently, noting down measurements that he could tell purely by sight.


    ¡°That does sound doable, though would you be able to show me the armour?¡± Yondar asked.


    ¡°Sure! Is here fine?¡± Porkchop asked.


    As soon as Yondar nodded, Kaius watched mana start to glow within his bond-brother as he channelled his skill. A scant few seconds later there was a pop of displaced air as heavy overlapping plates of thick jade appeared around Porkchop, the floorboards creaking under his new weight.


    The armour was still just as fearsome as it was the first time he had seen it, covering his bond-brother¡¯s front section in an imposing defence. Sure, there were still gaps between the armour, and it didn¡¯t fully seal him in like a normal suit of heavy-plate, but that would change as the skill levelled.


    Yondar leaned in, clearly fascinated by the armour. ¡°Remarkable. The weight alone must be quite something, no doubt it would be useless without your impressive might. Though, I can see why you would like some under-armour. Tell me, will it encompass more as you level?¡±


    Porkchop nodded.


    The leatherworker immediately scribbled more notes. ¡°Perfect. Originally I was considering some sort of variation of a Hiwiann lightweight saddle, but even that will be too high profile if the armour ever stretches down your spine. Sorry, Kaius,¡± Yondar shot him a small smile. ¡°Best you¡¯re going to get is some extra padded leather and a few loops for your hand and feet holds.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°That''s more than alright. What of the saddle bags?¡±


    The artisan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do something similar, make it so you can tear or cut them free without damaging the bags themselves, though from what I know of armour skills you might already be in need of a replacement before it reaches Porkchop¡¯s flank.¡±


    Placing his notebook on the counter, Yondar drilled out a staccato rhythm on the polished wood with his fingers. ¡°Now, I have everything we need. I assume you will be getting it inscribed at Deadacre? You have the coin for Self Repair?¡±


    Kaius nodded. It would be a significant cost, but they should be able to cover it with ease if they sold off Porkchop¡¯s old barding and their blink knives.


    ¡°Fantastic, that makes everything a lot easier. It¡¯ll probably be the only enchantment the under-armour will be able to support, though you might be able to swing Well Fitted or Self Cleaning as well depending on which one I''m able to work into the armour, but if you go that route I have the perfect material.¡± The artisan shot him a knowing grin. ¡°Something I am sure you will appreciate.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°One moment.¡± Yondar said, before he hurried away from the counter and dipped into a back room.


    Eilish rolled her eyes at her husband¡¯s antics as a muffled curse slipped out of the open door. ¡°Always caught up in his ideas, that one.¡± she muttered.


    Yondar returned a moment later, carrying a bolt of leather nearly as big as he was. It was thick stuff, nearly a thumb width, and looked as supple as anything Kaius had ever seen. Almost too supple, for something that would be armour.


    The artisan set the leather down on the wide bench with a huff. ¡°Kaius, you remember that Stone Charger your da brought down a few years back?¡±


    Kaius looked at the man in shock, nodding slowly. It had been a fearsome beast, bigger than Porkchop was. It had crossed the mountains from the deep Sea one spring for some unknown reason. Terrifying things they were, though thankfully rare. They had a propensity to charge through anything that pissed them off, which was everything.


    His father had promptly returned him to Three Fields in Hurrin¡¯s care before setting off on its trail with Jekkar, returning victorious a week later.


    Yondar smiled at him. ¡°I bought the hide off him and Jekkar, and have been saving it for the right project. A bit of a waste to dilute its potential by splitting it up, so I''ve been sitting on it. It¡¯s downright perfect for this use. Softer than you could imagine, but with remarkable shock absorbing qualities and durable as a titan.¡±


    Kaius merely swallowed and nodded in gratitude. It would be nice to have something else of his father¡¯s to bring with him on his travels. Porkchop, on the other hand, stared at the leather with open glee, before he leaned in and gave it a sniff.


    ¡°Oh! One of these. I¡¯ve never seen one in person, they live too close to the mountains, but some of my denmates have said they are down right infuriating to put down.¡± Porkchop said.


    Yondar chuckled. ¡°That would line up with Jekkar¡¯s incessant prattling about the hunt, yes. Anyway! I should be able to have this ready by morning the day after tomorrow with EIlish¡¯s help. I¡¯m sure you have much more preparations to do for your journey today. And no asking about payment, you¡¯ve done enough for us. Think of it as a gift.¡±


    Kaius looked at the wisened leatherworker in appreciation. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I am. Now shoo! I have to start immediately if I¡¯m to have any hope of getting this done in time. Go bother Yanmi about some potions or something.¡± Yondar said, ushering them out of the shop. Kaius allowed himself to be pulled along by the man''s energy, entering out into the shining sun once more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to check in with Jekkar for rations!¡± Eilish called out, before her husband waved a final goodbye and shut the door to their shared workshop.


    Kaius smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°Are all people so weird? That was weird right?¡± Porkchop asked, looking back towards the shop before looking at Kaius.


    He laughed. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a little eccentric, but he means well. Now come on, we¡¯ve got a few more places to visit.¡±


    As a pair they set off into Three Fields. Potions and rations, then they should be good. After that, it would be a simple matter of enjoying some well earned rest and relaxation, before he readied himself to say his goodbyes.

 B2 Chapter 140: Departure

    Kaius sat on the floor of his room in the Stout oak, a veritable cornucopia of items and artefacts arrayed on the ground before him. Porkchop lay across, staring at them all in dismay.


    They¡¯d had a fast paced, but pleasant few days. It had been a rush of meeting with the various elders, stocking up on a variety of traveling essentials. That, and simply spending time with the people that he had not seen in so long.


    It was a soothing balm to his soul, giving him the time, space, and peace to work through not only his grief over his father¡¯s passing, but also process the monumental nature of what he had experienced in the previous year.


    Of all, it was perhaps Illendra who had helped most. With Hurrin keeping the tavern closed while he stayed, she had had plenty of free time to sit with him and Porkchop. Their discussions had ranged from the simple, to the deep. Everything ranging from what she had been up to since they had last met, to how the crushing weight of his responsibilities weighed on him.


    It had been her idea to stay a few days longer than he originally intended. Oh, she gave an excuse, that it would be good for him to share words with Holt before he left, who had sent a missive via bird that he would be returning soon. He knew that it was simply an easy out for him, that she thought he needed some time to just breathe.


    As it often turned out, she had been right on the money. He hadn¡¯t realised just how much tension he had been carrying until it started to fade.


    Jekkar was another help. The stoic hunter had had his own brushes with death out in the wilds, and he¡¯d been more than happy to swap stories of harrowing moments over a tankard. It helped to remind him that even with all that had happened to him, mortal battles were a fact of life, and that there were many who could empathise with his experiences.


    Now though, the time had come for them to leave. The beasts had been growing stronger faster than he had expected, from what he had heard from the village hunters. With the rising mana levels, there was nothing to encourage them to migrate, and they were quickly changing from a simple nuisance to a real threat.


    If they waited much longer, they could potentially be out paced. As it stood, the trip to Deadacre was likely to be a good source of levels.


    Hence, they were doing an inventory, something that Porkchop seemed to find physically painful.


    ¡°Must we, Kaius?¡± his bond-brother groaned.


    ¡°Yep,¡± he replied, opening his journal. ¡°It¡¯s important we know exactly what we have. Besides, this will only take me a moment.¡±


    His eyes roved over their belongings. Five tonics each of restoratives for their Resources, in glass bottles of a similar design to the ones he had gotten from the Depths. Yanmi¡¯s personal stock. As a dedicated alchemist who was plenty skilled, she¡¯d made them strong, despite only using what meagre reagents could be found locally. Each would restore three-hundred, though he couldn¡¯t drink more than two of any of them in a row. Something to do with how the body absorbed them, and the limitations of mortal brewers, or so Yanmi said.


    Much like everything else, he¡¯d been given the lot for free, though he had insisted on offloading his empties on to her. They weren¡¯t worth all that much, and she had far more use of them than him.


    He¡¯d also managed to get a full ninety stride length of rope, another five waterskins, and a lot more soap than was strictly necessary. Going so long without proper cleaning in the Depths had been horrid, and Kaius had no desire to repeat the experience any time soon.


    Other than that, they had secured a full three weeks worth of rations; Jekkar and Hurrin had busted out the good stuff, ladening him with wellmade and tasty pemmican, salted ham, venison jerky, and a wide array of dried fruits, vegetables and nuts. With his noble¡¯s pantry worth of spices and his fancy depths-wrought pan, they would be eating well.


    They¡¯d also managed to pick up Porkchop¡¯s under-armour. Yondar had been kind enough to rig up a few saddle bags that could be detached with ease, one to hide their dimensional bag, the other to hold their tent and a few of their harder wearing supplies like the rope.


    The final new acquisition was a thin full length cloak, more for obscuring his eye-catching armour than any need for warmth. The travelling garb his father had given him was more than enough to keep that handled.


    Other than that, he did an accounting of their finances. Twenty-four silver and sixteen gold. A sizable sum for everyday living, but one that would not stretch all that far when considering artefacts, consumables, and other delving supplies. Luckily they would be able to sell off Porkchop¡¯s old barding and their brace of blink daggers in Deadacre, which should bolster it healthily.


    ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Porkchop whined. ¡°I want to try on the new under armour.¡±


    Kaius smirked, and finished putting away the last of their gear in their saddlebags. Porkchop had decided to wait until they were ready to leave to put on his newest artefact, but now that the time was drawing near his bond-brother was growing impatient.


    ¡°All done.¡± he said, rising to his feet and hefting a bag with each arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go get you suited up.¡±


    Porkchop was on his feet in moments, barely avoiding scoring the hardwood floors with his razor sharp claws.


    Kaius laughed at his brother¡¯s enthusiasm, and made his way out of the room.


    ¡­


    Standing out in the shining sun, Kaius heaved his bond-brother¡¯s new armour onto his back. It was a weighty thing, made of impressively cut thick leather that had been merged into a seamless whole.


    Diamond style cross stitches layered the thing, adding to its properties, yet through clever craftsmanship it settled over Porkchop¡¯s back like a second skin. The same slate grey as mountain stone, Kaius thought it actually looked quite dashing on Porkchop. Though, with how clear it was that it was padding, he did look a little like a half suited knight.


    Behind them sat the stalls of the Stout Oak¡¯s stables, though they¡¯d opted to get Porkchop suited on the small courtyard in front of them. Wide as they were, with plenty of polished oak steps and ledges, it would have made the job far easier to use them. Kaius had decided against it, stabling Porkchop like a common beast of burden felt¡­demeaning, even if the meles himself didn¡¯t see an issue with it.


    Porkchop rose up to his full height, giving Kaius access to the straps and buckles that would secure the armour in place. All things considered, it was a fine peace, and Yondar had managed to stretch far more out of his raw materials than Kaius had expected.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Though, that said, the man was an artisan in the middle of the first tier, if he hadn¡¯t been able to do so much with a well suited material like the hide of a late tier Stone Charger it would have been a little surprising.


    Still, analysing the artefact for the first time had been a little bit of a shock.


    Thinking of the moment, he pulled up the status once more as he threaded another strap though its buckle and cinched it comfortably tight.


    Dampening Padded Barding:


    Rare - Tier I


    Brought low by proficient hunters, the hide of an errant Stone Charger languished unused, waiting for the perfect form. Now serving as the regalia of one of strong blood, its destiny has been realised.


    Made from specially treated Stone Charger leather, quadruple stitched and multilayered, this barding has a thin padded spine section to cushion a rider with minimal increase in profile, and has quick release buckles for saddlebags. Using the natural properties of the materials, this barding is maximised to absorb blunt force impacts, though it can weather a blade with reasonable effectiveness.


    Artisan-wrought Artefact.


    Padded Beast Under-armour


    Durability III, Impact Negation III, Self Cleaning I


    Kaius shook his head as he looked at the description of the artefact. Rare, one of their first, and one that would have been incredibly expensive if he had had to pay for the materials and craftsmanship.


    The Durability and Impact Negation effects were sizable, and would go far to providing Porkchop additional protection from blunt force and attacks that slipped past his armour plates. That, and the latter should hopefully make for a far more comfortable ride than the measly double layering of leather that served as a saddle suggested.


    What was more surprising to him was that Yondar had managed to work Self Cleaning into the mix. Kaius knew the man had said it was possible, but it was still an impressive feat that must have required significant investment of skill.


    The barding basically already looked like it had been enchanted, though he knew that Yondar would have squeezed the materials close to their limit with his work. It was likely that the armour wouldn¡¯t be able to support much more when they eventually got it inscribed. Hopefully it was enough for Self Repair.


    ¡°Kaius, a man¡¯s coming. Big guy, wearing chain, looks tough.¡± Porkchop warned, watching the street.


    Kaius rolled back onto his heels and rose from his crouch. ¡°That would be Holt. Right on time, as always,¡± he replied, turning to give the approaching figure a smile and a wave.


    Holt gave him a nod, continuing his steady approach. He was an imposing man, nearly as tall as Kaius and built like a wiry mountain lion. Garbed in leather and chain, he had his arming sword at his side. Kaius was pretty sure he had never seen that blade out of the head of the constabulary''s reach.


    ¡°Kaius, good to see you, lad.¡± Holt said, reaching out to clasp Kaius¡¯s hand and pulling him into a firm hug. ¡°Finally got blooded, aye?¡±


    He shot the warrior a wiry grin. Of all those in the village, Holt was the most directly combat capable, and easily the strongest. Probably in his last sprint to the second tier, if Kaius had to guess.


    ¡°That I did, though if I had the choice it would have been under different circumstances.¡±


    Holt nodded solemnly. ¡°Of course, it was rat-faced luck, what happened to ye and your da, but such is the will of the Lady.¡± Clapping him on the shoulder, the warrior turned towards his bond-brother. ¡°And this must be ye friend, Porkchop. Shit name for a killer.¡±


    Porkchop chuffed. ¡°The responses have made it more than worth it, trust me.¡±


    ¡°No doubt, no doubt.¡± Holt said respectfully, before he turned his attention back to Kaius. ¡°Just came to give you my thanks, lad; me and Jekkar have been in fits tryna figure out a way to get through the coming danger. Ye really saved my hide there. It¡¯s a plan fit for a madman, but it''s one that I think might just work.¡±


    Kaius nodded. ¡°Just trying to make sure I have somewhere to come back to.¡±


    ¡°And you will, I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡± Holt said, shooting him a wide grin. ¡°Listen, I''m not one to hold up a man on a mission, so I''ll wait with the others by the gate. Just wanted to chat personally for a second, let you know I''ve got some of my own¡­advantages¡­that I''ll be throwing in the pot. Some of the others do too, nothing quite as good or expansive as what you passed us, but something. Don¡¯t let it be said we never went all in when you fronted up first, ye hear?¡±


    Kaius sighed in relief. ¡°That¡¯s good to know, I was worried that it wouldn¡¯t be enough. Every bit extra should help pull people to the banner.¡±


    Holt clapped him on the shoulder once more, before he squeezed with reassuring strength. ¡°It will lad, I¡¯ll make sure of it. You just make sure to survive and pass on word of what you learn about everything else, and I''ll turn this place into an iron fortress by the time you next pass through.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Holt, I mean it.¡± Kaius responded with gratitude.


    ¡°Nonsense, boy. Now I best leave you to it, I¡¯ll see you by the gate.¡± the warrior said, taking his leave.


    Kaius watched the man leave, feeling a little more sure of Three Fields¡¯ safety. He wasn¡¯t sure of Holt¡¯s exact level, but if he had his own Legacy skills then he would be a powerful combatant. To know that he would be pitching in to teach those skills to the wider community was even more gratifying.


    Shaking his head, Kaius returned to securing Porkchop¡¯s barding. It was the last thing to do before they left and chased the horizon.


    ¡­


    They left as soon as Kaius finished. Swinging into his ¡®saddle¡¯, he found the new padded barding to be impossibly more comfortable than Porkchop¡¯s old garb. It even had some simple loops for him to put his feet into and for him to grab. Nothing that would get in the way of his bond-brother¡¯s skill, or interfere in battle, but enough to give him some measure of secure seating.


    They walked down the main pavilion of Three Field¡¯s, heading towards the gate. As they left, Kaius took a long, last, look at the town. It was a slow moving place, full of hardy people who liked the rough and tumble freedom of the frontier. His people.


    It was sad to leave them, but he never intended on keeping his world so confined as the outskirts of the Arboreal Sea and the surrounding villages. It was time to go.


    Nodding at a few familiar faces as they left, Kaius spied the gate. It was already open, Illendra and the gathered elders waiting for them. He smiled, glad to see the people he knew best were there to see him off.


    ¡°Please be safe, Kaius. I wish you would stay, but I know you never could, even without your responsibilities.¡± Illendra said as he drew close.


    Kaius slid from his saddle, dropping to the ground to give her a hug. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± he assured her. ¡°This place is still dear to me.¡±


    ¡°You better,¡± Illendra muttered, scowling at him as she wiped her eyes. ¡°I need to go get the tavern ready, now that someone isn¡¯t hogging it. I just know there''s going to be a rush tonight.¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± Kaius said, giving her a final hug. ¡°Thanks for seeing me off.¡±


    She nodded, giving him a last smile before she left. Kaius turned to the elders, before being pulled into a sequence of clasped hands, clapped shoulders, and tight hugs. Each and every one of them had words for him. Of assurance, of trust, and of promise that they wouldn¡¯t squander his gifts.


    The sun shone down on them with illuminating warmth, in what he hoped was a good omen for his journey.


    One by one the elders left, until only Jekkar remained. He was, afterall, on watch.


    ¡°Be safe, lad, and don¡¯t forget to send word if and when you can.¡± the old hunter said, giving him a last slap on the back.


    Kaius grinned at the man, before he hauled himself back into his saddle. Porkchop chuffed in excitement and started to walk out the open gates.


    A low squeaking groan cut across the fields of the frontier as they slowly closed behind him.


    He was ready.


    A new adventure waited, one that no doubt held danger, mystery, and the promise of growth.


    They set off, following a rough trail through the grasslands, over rolling hills.


    Towards Deadacre.

 B2 Chapter 141: Roadside Encounter

    Astride Porkchop¡¯s back, Kaius took in the rolling hills of the frontier. It was a gorgeous environment, shining with bright green grasses that stretched as far as the eye could see. Rocky outcroppings broke up the landscape, jutting out of the earth every which way.


    Most were small, but some were larger than houses. Thankfully, the stone features were relatively spread apart, so it was still an easy walk over the gentle rises as they picked their way through the jutting stone.


    Other than that, there was plenty of dense brush that grew in wide patches, providing shelter for small animals and grazing locations for larger ones. Or beasts, Kaius supposed. It was odd to think about, but there really weren''t any normal animals left.


    Thankfully, in the day and a half since leaving Three Fields they had yet to encounter anything that had tried to give them a go. That said, it was only a matter of time. The average level of things seemed to be rising dramatically with the increase in mana. Already it was rare to see something under level ten.


    Mostly though, it had been birds and small beasts that had been more than happy to give them a wide berth, though they had seen a deer-like plains-runner underneath one of the rare trees that dotted the landscape. The thing had threatened them with a false charge, but when they kept moving it had let them be.


    Honestly, at this point Kaius wished that something would try to take a bite out of them. If only so that they could start gaining some levels before things got really feisty.


    Shifting in his saddle, Porkchop groaned dramatically beneath him.


    ¡°What the hells have you been eating, fatty? You feel like you weigh more than an oak log.¡± Porkchop moaned, faking a stumble.


    Kaius rolled his eyes. Porkchop¡¯s armour had to be three times his weight, and he¡¯d seen Porkchop shoulder it like it was nothing.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. How¡¯re you finding being out of the Sea? Is the wider world all you thought it would be?¡± he asked, making some simple conversation to pass the time.


    ¡°Honestly? It''s bloody weird how open this space is. There''s just nothing but rocks and grass as far as the eye can see. Every time we get to the top of one of these hills it feels like the sky is looming over me, like the ground is going to fall away.¡± Porkchop murmured, the slightest unease coming through their bond.


    Kaius nodded. He knew the feeling, apparently it was common for those that grew up in and around the Sea, though thankfully it was far less prominent than the last time he had crossed the frontier.


    ¡°Father told me it was normal on my first trip, for those that are used to closer confines at least. It should pass, just you being unused to being able to see so far or something. I¡¯m still not sure if I like being this exposed, but I got over the worst of it in a week or so.¡± he reassured, sharing what he knew of the strange phenomena.


    ¡°That¡¯s something, at least.¡±


    They lapsed into silence, continuing on their journey. At their current clip, they would likely see the walls of Deadacre by the time a few weeks had passed. They could push faster, but that would leave Porkchop drained; no need to exhaust the poor bastard when he was already kind enough to lug him around.


    He went back to scanning the passing rock formations, as he had gotten into the habit of. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit incessantly nudged him if he went without for longer than a few minutes, urging him to survey the many vantage spots where creatures could lurk unnoticed.


    He scanned the hillside, leaning on the acuity of True Sight to see far farther than he otherwise could have. Both skills had seen some good growth from his constant vigilance, which made him all the happier to adhere to the instincts of his skill. Every single level brought with it a little splash of joy, as unused as he was to no longer being constrained by the caps of an unclassed.


    Peering into the shadows that lurked between the jutting spires of grey stone, he expected to find nothing like he had the last several dozen times he had scouted their surroundings.


    Stone, stone, grass, stone, bush, stone, fur, grass, bush, stone.


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 29!**


    His mind caught up to his eyes, and he came to a screeching halt as his skill blared an insistent warning to him. Fur? His eyes whipped back to a crack between two boulders, his angle obscuring a decent look into the pathway between them.


    Nothing.


    Yet he knew what he saw, and knew to trust the warning instincts that thrummed within him. Despite the potential danger, a wide grin split his mouth.


    Finally.


    ¡°Don¡¯t react, but we have something stalking us along the hill line far to our left. I only caught a glimpse of it, but it was definitely something and its setting off the hazard sense of Explorer¡¯s Toolkit something fierce.¡± Kaius said in an even voice, maintaining a slow back and forth of the ridgeline for a few moments before he returned his eyes to the front like he had found nothing.


    ¡°Really?! Thank the bloody Matriarchs, we haven''t had a good fight in over a week.¡± Porkchop exclaimed, a hungry glee radiating across their bond.


    Kaius felt that hungry desire waken his own Song, igniting a glimmering ember in his heart.


    ¡°Hopefully they¡¯re tough enough, it¡¯d be good to work up a good sweat,¡± he agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving, see if we can bait them into a committed attack.¡±


    Porkchop grunted, and kept pushing forward. Though Kaius did notice his bond-brother¡¯s ears twitching with every shift of the wind, alert for changes.


    His every sense was in tune with his environment, yet whatever was tracking them was as silent as a ghost. If he hadn¡¯t caught that single glimpse by chance, he would have had no idea they had something on their tail.


    Even tense as they were, they rose over their hill and began their descent with nary a peep from their pursuer. It was only half way up the next rise, mostly devoid of obscuring stones, that Kaius heard a baying call of hunger.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Snapping his head to the noise, Kaius got his first good glimpse of their pursuer. Or, more accurately, pursuers. Five large grey figures left the hidden safety of the rocky formations a good few hundred strides away. Each was large, almost wolf-like, though with blockier heads and jutting fangs that he could see even from such a distance.


    One though, one was massive. Whereas its lesser companions would have reached just higher than his waist, the leader of the small pack came up to Kaius¡¯s chest easily.


    They waited at the edge of the stone, snarling and snapping as they glared at him with feral hunger.


    Porkchop met their calls with a chesty growl of his own, the noise rolling across the gentle hillside like shattering stone, his chest reverberating beneath Kaius¡¯s legs.


    Eyes twinkling in anticipation, Kaius swung himself out of his saddle and landed solidly on the ground with a thump. He drew his sword, a smile beginning to tweak at his lips. Heart quickening, he felt the familiar thrum of the Bloodsong start its tune, filling him with a dearly missed fervour.


    ¡°Go on then.¡± he said to Porkchop.


    His brother rolled his eyes, but dutifully swiped at him with an easily dodged but very heavy blow. Kaius blocked, feeling his companion¡¯s might as jade claws sparked off his steel. Shuddering under the weight of the strike, he held his ground. Energy siphoned, charging his vambraces just a little.


    Honestly, once it had occurred to them that they could prepare a cleaving strike before a fight, he¡¯d felt like a total moron. Such was life.


    The clang of stone and steel startled the sneering beasts into action, and the pack shot forwards with a deluge of chittering whines.


    Porkchop glowed with hidden mana, heavy plates of sacred jade covering him seconds later. Kaius marveled at the sight, the stout armour resting perfectly over his new barding. He looked fearsome. Strong.


    Flicking back to the rapidly approaching pack, he analyzed the group.


    Longfang Hunter- Level 14:


    Beast, Skirmisher


    ¡­


    Longfang Hunter- Level 17:


    Beast, Skirmisher


    Longfang Pack-Lord- Level 32:


    Beast, Leader, Bruiser


    ¡°Fourteen to seventeen, big one¡¯s thirty-two.¡± Kaius snapped off.


    ¡°Guess it''s time to put our choices to the test.¡± Porkchop replied with dark anticipation colouring his voice.


    Kaius grinned, readying his stance. It felt¡­off, with his missing fingers, but he had gotten used to the injury. Hopefully it wouldn¡¯t be too long until he could get them healed; despite his skill, he had a little less leverage and control without them.


    Still, it would be enough to kill.


    Thirty would be tough for any normal classer at their level, but it was time to put his class to the test, to see the true might of a Runeblade.


    The longfangs raced down the grassy hillside, and up the next to meet them.


    A hundred strides.


    Ninety.


    He dropped his offhand to his side, adjusting to a one handed grip guided by Liturgical Bladeform.


    Seventy-five.


    Porkchop howled, digging in his claws as he readied to charge.


    Sixty.


    Stormlash.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 5!**


    A bolt of pure arcing plasma materialised in his hand with a cracking boom, shining with barely restrained might as a shower of red embers scattered from his glyph. The Pack-lord at the head of the troop balked, trying to slow.


    Kaius let out a laugh of sheer joy. It was far too late for that.


    Focusing his intent on the oversized beast, he snapped his arm towards it. The contained fury of the storm crashed through the air faster than he could process, wrapping around the beast in a shattering crack that echoed across the hills.


    The lead beast seized, blood erupting from its mouth as his spell seemed to fuzz with reverberating intensity. Its legs locked up. A mountain of meat hit the ground in a flail of limbs, two of its lessers joining it as his spell arced to fry their smaller forms.


    They were tougher than they looked. He¡¯d just nailed them with enough storm mana that any lesser creature would be dead.


    Porkchop activated his amulet, transitioning from a deadstop to a landslide of blurring green with all the unleashed intensity of a snapping bowstring.


    Kaius was already moving, closing in on their prey. Another Stormlash whipped out, searing the remaining two longfangs that tried to scramble out of the way of his brother''s charge.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 6!**


    His spell was¡­potent. There was no other way to describe it. The crackling whip of controlled lightning slammed into his prey like the hammer of god. Choked screams forced their way out of their throats as their flesh fried, every muscle and nerve searing as it was overwhelmed with paralysing might.


    Then the resonance that thrummed in his mana bridged the gap, crashing through the longfangs¡¯ bodies to eviscerate their delicate organs, shredding blood vessels and cracking bone. Far more power than should be held in the hands of a piddling level three, but thus was the inequitable favour of the system.


    Porkchop¡¯s armour bound form crashed into the still stunned body of the Pack-lord, trampling it beneath razor sharp claws of jade. With his enhanced weight and momentum, he cracked its chest, ribs bursting free of its flesh.


    Then he swiped, daggers of jade flaying its side, even as its Health roared free to seal the wounds.


    The first two hunters rose to their feet, attempting to harass Porkchop from the sides. Their snarling snaps did nothing but clink painfully off the heavy green stone that layered the front half of his body. Roaring with a furious challenge, Kaius¡¯s bond-brother kept their pack leader pinned with one paw, claws sinking into its chest, as he forced them back with an aggressive swipe.


    Kaius arrived at the shivering forms of the last two hunters, just barely rising from the daze left in the wake of his Stormlash, fur scorched and flesh weak. Three-quarters dead from the might of his spell.


    Setting both hands on his blade, he rose into an aggressive highguard, A Father¡¯s Gift held overhead. Bolstered by the blood of greater beasts, and empowered by Honour, his body thrummed with primal might.


    He swung, carving his way through the throat of his first victim. Carotid exposed, hot red vital fluid sprayed through the air. It splattered against his face, staining his face red


    **Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 21!**.


    Kaius tasted the iron tang of a life well lived and rejoiced.


    Nothing beat a good fight.


    Pivoting through his hips, he brought his blade to bear once more. A second blow and the heavy head of the hunter fell to the earth, its heart still beating, pumping its vitality to nourish the green grass below.


    **Ding! level 15 Longfang Hunter slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 4!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 5!**


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


    His own blood sang at the sight, and he advanced.


    There was more killing to be done.

 B2 Chapter 142: Routed

    Kaius dashed towards the second hunter that had tried to harass him, bliss and satisfaction pulsing with every beat of his heart.


    Even with the regenerative power of its Health and the power of its beastly body, the longfang was in a bad way. Scorched fur revealed boiled flesh, the arcing power of his spell ravaging its frame.


    As bad as it looked, Kaius knew it would be worse on the inside. The power of lightning and storm was well known for the vicious internal damage it left in its wake, to say nothing of the shattering resonance of his metamagic.


    The hunter whined, snapping at him as he leapt over the ground, lunging in a last ditch attempt to put him on the back foot.


    Kaius met the assault with a thrust of his own, enchanted steel guided by skill and dextrous power to lance directly into the wolven creature''s eye socket. He barely felt a crunch as his blade cut punched through bone.


    The hunter stiffened, empowered vitality forcing it to persist despite its certainty of death. Kaius stepped up out of his lunge, levering his sword up to eviscerate the fatty meat held within.


    **Ding! level 15 Longfang Hunter slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**


    Grinning at the ease of his victory, he yanked his sword free with a casual flick of his wrists. Previously he would have never dared to aim for such a small target, too much risk of leaving an opening, too easy to defend.


    Now though, with his enhanced stats, empowered body, and the thrumming rush of uncapped skills, it was like he was a horse released from the carriage. Unburdened.


    Free.


    The Pack-lord howled beneath his bond-brother¡¯s feet, bucking as its paws scrambled in the dirt, desperate to release itself from its prison. Porkchop growled, pushing down harder with a splintering crack of bone.


    Before he could bring his other paw around for a murder-stroke, the other remaining longfangs dashed in in a panic. Battered, bruised, and bleeding from internal wounds, they rushed in all the same.


    One dived, going for the small section of Porkchop¡¯s throat that was left unarmored by his gorget. Kaius felt his bond brother move.


    He knew Porkchop¡¯s intention as well as his own.


    Momentarily lifting up from the pack-lord, Porkchop slammed his paw into the hunter¡¯s side. Jade claws punctured its flesh as if it were an overripe peach, spilling its juices as the beast was sent airborne.


    Right towards Kaius.


    Howling in fear, trailing a stream of lifeblood, the beast flailed. Kaius set his stance, bracing with his back foot.


    He swung.


    Kaius let out a hefty roar, pivoting with the full weight of his body. As A Fathers Gift hit the beast, he felt it buck in his hands, trying to lever out of his grip. He snarled, knuckles going white as his missing fingers made themselves known once more.


    Leveraging all his enhanced strength he kept a hold of his blade, pivoting his full weight through his hips to bisect the hunter at the waist. Entrails spilled, and the green grass of the frontier was painted in bright carmine.


    The hunter¡¯s jaw flapped soundlessly, severed lungs unable to give it breath. Pivoting through the movement, Kaius put it out of its misery, planting his blade through its skull.


    **Ding! level 17 Longfang Hunter slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 6!**


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


    A half a moment later, he felt Porkchop plunge his claws into the skull of the Pack-lord, ending the would-be threat.


    **Ding! level 32 Longfang Pack-lord slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 7!**


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


    ¡­


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 10!**


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


    **Ding! Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus has reached level 31!**.


    Power thrummed through him from his class, bolstering every facet of his being.


    Totally focused, Kaius spun to the final hunter. He raced towards it, blade held to the side, as the blood of the beast''s pack ran off his armour in rivulets.


    It was too much for the longfang; letting out a wail of wounded terror it turned and sprinted for the hills, a sudden burst of speed taking it out of the range of Kaius¡¯s spell.


    Coming to a skidding stop, Kaius watched the retreating form of the beast in shock. It just¡­left?


    He frowned, blade held loosely at his side.


    ¡°I honestly forgot they could do that.¡± Porkchop said, looking up from his victory to stare at the retreating beast with befuddled disappointment.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Kaius groaned, raking his shaggy hair out of his face as he realised what had just happened. They weren''t in the Depths anymore. Normal beasts didn¡¯t have the unshakeable bloodlust and iron morale of depths-born.


    ¡°Bit of a lacklustre end to it all; it¡¯s like dessert just decided to take its leave.¡± he muttered, bloodsong fading slowly with an unfulfilled twang.


    It had been a fight, but he wasn''t sure if it was a good one. Where was the risk of death? They¡¯d just utterly crushed something most of the way to the same level as the bloody Guardian that had nearly cost them their lives.


    ¡°Pff, don¡¯t be so grouchy.¡± Porkchop said, reading him like a book as he extracted his claws from his target''s skull and stepped off its corpse. A moment later his summoned armour disappeared in a flash of mana.¡°It¡¯s no wonder we tore through them. Even the Pack-lord would have fallen before us a month ago, and now we have the stats and power of our class and bloodline.¡±


    He knew his brother was right, but it didn¡¯t mean he had to like it. ¡°That thing must have been a beast from before the change to have that level, I''m just worried about what we will have to do to get a good fight now. It¡¯s not like powerful beasts grow on trees, you know.¡± he muttered.


    Porkchop rolled his eyes. ¡°Kaius, for one, it didn''t have the enhanced power of a Champion or Guardian. Two, it was an overgrown dog, something bigger would have been much more difficult. Three, I give it a month or two before the mana levels reach a point where you won''t be able to throw a stone without hitting something level forty or above. Potentially significantly higher, depending on how bad it gets. I know stories from my people from the far north, where the second tier is common.¡±


    Kaius looked at his companion in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not on the time frames, but eventually, yes.¡± Porkchop confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s like that in the inner Sea. Yes, there is a lot of variation, but the floor will rise. Common beasts and the lower races do ¡­ something with mana. It makes them grow without the battle we require. And it will happen quickly, if Ekam is to be believed.¡±


    Kaius winced. That wouldn¡¯t be good. Sure, he was entirely positive that he personally would love it, but excluding the dwarven holds and the elven conclaves, almost everywhere was built on a foundation of relative safety. At least, in the small section of Vaastivar he knew of. Sure, you would want capable guards to ward off monsters, but anything truly dangerous was a rare oddity. Something that had yet to migrate to a region of more comfortable mana density, or had wandered out of such a region for reasons unknown.


    If level forty became the average for everything then trade and travel would all but grind to a halt, and the simple necessities such as farming would become monumentally more dangerous.


    The second tier¡­ He didn¡¯t even want to think about it. That would mean all but the end for the higher races.


    Porkchop¡¯s eyes softened, seeing his worry. He crossed the distance between them to lay his heavy head on his shoulder. Kaius couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at how his bond-brother now had to stoop instead of crane to do so.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Kaius, we¡¯ll figure something out. Look, either way, we absolutely crushed a group of beasts that would have had us fighting for our lives a few weeks ago, and we reached level ten! Whatever happens, we are far ahead of the curve, and if we keep punching above our weight we will only get rewarded further.¡± Porkchop said, reminding him of their successes.


    His brother was right, their gains from what ultimately ended up being a small battle were immense. If this is what was waiting for them if they kept fighting up levels, they were practically destined to be powerhouses.


    It would be risky, but they had far more leeway than most. The average delver only had an Uncommon class, with a rare competent few having a Rare in the first tier. No doubt there were those hidden powerhouses that had earned an Unusual, but a Unique? A Heroic? He¡¯d seen the requirements for his class, he simply did not see how anyone could come close.


    With their lower stats and less potent skills, fighting upwards was a death sentence, the same went for fighting with anything less than a full team. All it took was one bad match up, one opponent with a power set that countered your own, and you were dead.


    He and Porkchop didn¡¯t have those issues, at least, not to the same extent. With the scaling bonus of their Honours and the stat growth of a Heroic class, they were almost certainly stronger than the pack-lord.


    ¡°I suppose if we get desperate, we can always return to the Depths. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find a portal to a sufficiently deep layer.¡± Kaius mused. Circling around Porkchop, he grabbed one of their waterskins from their dimensional pack, as well as a soap and rag, before he started to clean himself from the gore of battle.


    Porkchop nodded. ¡°Exactly, we¡¯ll have power in spades for our goals. Though, if we are going to seek out threats that are an actual challenge, it will make it that much harder to find a good back line to support us. We don''t want to end up with a situation where a single monster makes it past us, killing our team.¡±


    Quickly finishing his wipedown of his face and armour, Kaius set about wiping the worst spots from Porkchop¡¯s new barding. Self Cleaning would take care of it, but cleaning off the globs of viscera that had gotten wedged between his bond-brothers heavy-plate and his under-armour would speed up the process massively.


    ¡°I have some thoughts on that,¡± Kaius said as he picked at a clump of bloody hide that had gotten worked into the leather. ¡°I think the main thing is finding someone we work well with, is trustworthy enough that we don''t need to worry about our¡­blatantly obvious secrets.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡± Porkchop asked, lifting one leg to give Kaius better access to a splatter that coated his chest.


    ¡°Our strength, as well as glyph-binding and the fact you¡¯re a greater beast. Other than that, I think if we can find a person or two who have at least a Rare class and a smattering of legacy skills, I think we¡¯ll be able to force feed them enough achievements that they will fly up the ranks with their next class advancement.¡± Kaius explained, retreating from under Porkchop¡¯s bulk.


    Rinsing the cloth, Kaius wrung it free of pinkish water before he deposited it back with the rest of their supplies. He¡¯d only used a little water, but even if streams were common in the grasslands, it was best to conserve. Who knew what could happen, and they could both live with a little travel grime.


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Porkchop said, before he jutted his chin at the slain bodies of the beasts that had attempted to ambush them. ¡°Shall we take some of those for lunch?¡±


    Eying the corpses of the longfangs, Kaius winced at the waste of meat. Unlike the Depths, beasts above wouldn¡¯t just reset. He was in no way opposed to culling a whole herd if he had to, especially to feed his growth, but it still rankled to leave anything to waste.


    Consoling himself that he was at least leaving a meal to scavengers, Kaius drew his hunting knife and set about roughly butchering a mostly untouched haunch of the pack-lord. Predator meat was a little gamey, but he hoped its potent vitality would be worth the taste. Besides, he had a larder of spices to use.


    He stood, hoisting his choice cut. ¡°Set up over the next hill? It¡¯s down wind.¡± he asked.


    His bond-brother nodded, and they set off.

 B2 Chapter 143: A Stranger In Need

    Heavily spiced meat cut into thick strips sizzled as Kaius dropped it into his lard-greased Traveller¡¯s Pan, the heady aroma of cumin filling the air. It was one of the few spices he did know from his stock, and a powerful enough one that it should do plenty to cover the overly gamey taste of the Pack-lord.


    Leaving the site of their battle, they crossed the next hill before hunkering down to take a break in the shade of two jutting rock formations, sheltered from the wind and summer sun. While it might have been far too early to call it a day, there was something to be said for a hot meal after a heart pumping battle.


    Porkchop lay across from him, hunkered down on all fours, his nose twitching at the smell of their cooking food.


    ¡°Smells good.¡± Porkchop said.¡±You¡¯re going to ruin raw food for me, I¡¯ll be one of those fire aligned affinity weirdos who cook all their food. Laughing stock of the dens, I tell you.¡±


    Kaius snickered, using a spoon to move the meat around in the pan. ¡°I bet you¡¯d think it¡¯d be worth it.¡±


    ¡°No doubt, spices work surprisingly well, even if they do smell strong.¡± Porkchop replied, crinkling his nose as a change in the wind blew the cooking fumes in his face.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you. I don¡¯t know all that much about two-legged hunting teams, what should we be looking for in a backline?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius paused, thinking on the question. There were plenty of supportive options they could look for, but considering how hard and fast he and Porkchop tended to fight, it narrowed the selection quite a bit.


    ¡°Some kind of supportive caster is a must, preferably one with healing capabilities.¡± Kaius replied, holding up his left hand to wiggle the stumps of his fingers. ¡°Plus if they have some sort of battlefield control, or supportive enhancements, that would be good too. Something that will aid us without requiring too much intervention on our part.¡±


    Porkchop snorted at his display, drawing a smile from him. It irked him to have lost the fingers, though he knew that to have left the Depths with such a small injury could only be seen as good luck.


    It still messed with his swordplay, and he found himself noticing the missing digits with surprising regularity. He hadn¡¯t realised how much fine dexterity and manipulation came from his ring and pinky until he lost them.


    Still, it was solvable, albeit expensive and often involving long wait lists. A magi with regeneration capabilities would be a massive boon, and potentially life saving if one of them ever lost something more important than a few fingers.


    Other than that¡­


    ¡°I think some sort of scout or hunter would be good. Someone who can provide us with some ranged support, and maybe help us scout terrain. I¡¯m good with my general skills, but if we can find someone even halfway comparable with a dedicated class, they will outstrip me pretty quickly.¡± Kaius said, thinking about the times that it would have helped to have an archer. The Tomblord, or when he¡¯d had to blow most of his runic hymns on taking down goblin rangers in the dwarven citadel.


    ¡°Though, that said, someone with capability to shape the battlefield in our favour would also be very useful. A trapper, affliction specialist, hells - even an alchemist focused on poisons or gasses, something like that.¡± Kaius continued, wondering on the many ways they could fill out their composition. Regardless of who it was, and what they did, they would need to be inordinately capable and be able to assist them without coming under fire from the strong foes they intended to face.


    ¡°What of a rune specialist? What you did with those formations was pretty handy, even if we didn¡¯t use them much.¡± Porkchop asked him, tilting his head in curiosity.


    Kaius winced. ¡°I thought about it, but I think there''s too much risk of them getting far too interested in glyph binding. I do plan on sharing, but not until I''m solidly a few tiers ahead of everyone else, I have no plans on handing any potential advancement Honours away on a silver platter.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, I hadn¡¯t considered that.¡± Porkchop grunted.


    They lapsed into silence as the rich smell of seared meat filled the air. Kaius salivated, staring at the meal.


    A few minutes later and it was done. They devoured their meal in seconds, both of them ignoring the searing heat of the food with their enhanced stats. Finished with the pan, Kaius packed away his tools, and took his seat once more.


    They set off, still heading south.


    ¡­


    As the leagues of rolling grass and proud spires of stone disappeared beneath their feet, the sun began to dip below the horizon.


    With their dimensional tent, setting camp was a much less fraught prospect than it had any right being. Pitching it in a shadowed alcove between two boulders, their tent hid itself behind the illusion of a pile of rocks, while providing them with far more comfort than Kaius was used to when camping in the wilds.


    Hells, it felt more like the sort of sleeping arrangements some pampered noble would have in a manicured garden of a ¡®forest¡¯ on their estate. Between the rich furs, soft bedding, and even temperature, he¡¯d had worse sleeps in bloody Three Fields.


    Either way, with its illusionary protection, no beast nor monster of any kind bothered them during their nightly rest.


    The following days passed much the same, as dawns turned to dusks with only a minor change in their surroundings. The gentle hills of the frontier would flatten into a plain eventually but until then they were treated to a rather monotonous environment by Kaius¡¯s standards, without the excitement of the roving herds of grazers that lived on the grasslands.


    After a life lived in the Arboreal Sea, and all the myriad sights kept within it, there were only so many cool looking big rocks he could stare at before he felt his eyes glazing over. Still, he wasn¡¯t the one walking, so it was his job to keep watch. Which he did, even if it was horrendously boring.


    Thankfully, they did have some moments of excitement to break up their journey. They were ¡®ambushed¡¯ by small packs of longfang hunters as much as twice a day, though these ones had lacked a Pack-lord at the helm.


    Invariably they crushed the instigators, and invariably the beasts fled as soon as they had killed half their number. Often, it ended up being more, just because of how easy it was. Barely enough to work up a sweat and get the blood singing, but it beat staring at yet another grassy knoll.


    Even if the Longfang Hunters had a skill, it seemed to just be some kind of Stamina based speed boost. He hadn¡¯t actually seen them use it to do anything other than pursue them, or flee as Kaius and Porkchop tore their packmates asunder.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Kaius couldn¡¯t complain too much though, it did bring in more levels, even if that meant each fight got even easier than the last. Both of them managed to reach level twelve, they found that the bonus experience for besting something of a higher level stopped when they were within five levels of each other. With most longfangs being below sixteen, their pace had slowed to a crawl.


    If they wanted to grow quickly, they would need to actually challenge themselves. If they could find one that is.


    His skills had grown too, almost everything had gained a few levels, with the exception of Rapid Adaptation and Lesser Regeneration. Unfortunately those didn¡¯t grow if you didn¡¯t get hurt, and none of the beast attacks had been anywhere near fraught enough for that to happen.


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus in particular had risen dramatically. Even outside of combat, it felt like it would tick over after the slightest thing. A benefit of their strong connection, he supposed.


    As Porkchop made his way down yet another hillside, Kaius brought up his status to conceptualise his gains.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 19


    Race: Human (Dynastic, Greater Beastblooded) - +1 Wil, Str, End, and free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Class: Runeblade Initiate - +3 Int, +2 End, +2 Str, +2 Dex, +1 Vit, +1 Wil per level


    Level: 12


    Resources:


    Health - 1310/1310 (9.2/min)


    Stamina - 1220/1220 (10.7/min)


    Mana - 1650/1650 (13.3/min)


    Free Mana - 90/90


    Reserved Mana - 1560


    Stats:


    Endurance - 66 + 44 + 22% (131)


    Vitality - 32 + 44 + 22% (92)


    Strength - 56 + 44 + 22% (122)


    Dexterity - 44 + 44 + 22% (107)


    Intelligence - 68 + 59 + 30% (165)


    Willpower: - 44 + 59 + 30% (133)


    Stat Points: 0


    Aspects:


    Pillar Corporus: N/A


    Pillar Mentis: N/A


    Pillar Animus: N/A


    Class Skills (1/10):


    Latent Glyph of Drakthar (Heroic) - 1 > 9


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 20 > 22


    Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo (Heroic) - 20 > 23


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 20 > 30


    Tempered by Dissonance (Heroic) - 20 > 22


    True Sight (Unique) - 20 > 27


    Tonal Weaving (Unique) - 20 > 24


    Resonance Amplification (Unique) - 20 > 23


    Lesser Regeneration (Unusual) - 20


    Uncanny Dodge (Unique) - 20 > 23


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 20 > 36


    Hymnbook:


    Glyph of Drakthar-


    Stormlash (Tier I - 120 mana)


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter


    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding


    Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather


    Persistent Survivor (Minor)


    Kingslayer (Major)


    Ruthless Underdog


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Father¡¯s Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Growth Conditions-


    Gain a class (1/1)


    Acquire suitable materials (1/3)


    Forge a link (0/1)


    Kaius shook his head, gaining his class really had been like getting uncaged. He hadn¡¯t realised how much he had chafed under the restrictions until they were gone.


    In only a matter of weeks, he had seen nearly the same level of stat growth that he had after acquiring a full handful of not-seen-in-millenia Honours, one of which had required killing a bloody guardian.


    On many levels it gratified him to finally be rewarded for all his hard work, but he couldn¡¯t help but wince as he thought of what level he would be by now if he had had a class before he fell into the Depths. Though, if that had happened he wouldn¡¯t be nearly as strong.


    Without a Heroic class, his new racial trait, and his Honours, he would be far worse off. Literally hundreds of stats weaker, even if he had managed to somehow secure an Unusual or Unique class.


    Though, even with all that said, he would have preferred a slightly different distribution in his stats. A bit more Dexterity perhaps, or a touch of Willpower. He¡¯d start investing his free points into them soon, but for now he was committed to growing his mana pool as much as possible. With his limitations on glyphic casting, it was vital that he could store as many runic hymns as possible.


    He knew Porkchop was doing something similar, splitting them between his Endurance and Vitality to keep them growing in lock step during these early levels.


    Just as they reached the base of the hill that they were crossing, and were about to start their ascent on the next, a distant series of clacking chirps startled Kaius from his musings.


    Eyes snapping forwards, he growled in frustration as the rise to their front obscured his vision, only for a snapping beam of light to pierce the horizon from off in the distance, fading as it reached a few hundred strides into the air.


    Another snap followed a few seconds later, though this time no light beam appeared in the sky. Kaius¡¯s heart quickened.


    A skill, it had to be.


    Porkchop was already moving, lurching forwards with such rapid acceleration that Kaius¡¯s grip whitened on the leather loop that served as his handhold in the saddle.


    Jade claws punched deep into the earth, giving his bond-brother all the traction he needed to race up the delicate earth, despite his weight. More chirps, another crack of light. Whatever it was couldn¡¯t be far, even as close as the far base of the very hill they were summiting.


    Porkchop reached the summit, skidding to a halt, and Kaius saw.


    Below them, in a flat field between their current vantage point and the next hill, someone was running. Dressed in robes with a light pack on their back, they sprinted for all their life, pursuers close behind.


    A pack of beasts, sixteen strong. Kaius had no name for them, his only reference was that they looked like demented chickens. If chickens had the neck of a goose, long legs, were the size of a man, and their beak was built like an axe head.


    The figure nearly stumbled, though Kaius had no idea why, it was an open plain. Even if they were dressed poorly for the wilds.


    A moment later they turned, a cracking beam of light searing straight into the chest of one of the chasing birds. Their hood dropped, revealing a lithe and pale man with piercing blue eyes.


    The beast lurched, a hole burnt through its ribs, before it let loose a squark of rage, and raced forwards to join its companions.


    With a start Kaius realised the man was outnumbered and out armed. With no backup, the mage would die as soon as the beasts caught him.


    The moment hung, horror dawning upon him.


    No. He refused.


    ¡°Go!¡± he screamed, ripping his blade from his sheath as Porkchop charged.

 B2 Chapter 144: A Really Bad Day

    Ianmus was having a really bad day. He knew he should have turned back when the system had updated, or at least headed to one of the semi-maintained roads that connected Mystral with the rest of the continent.


    In his defence, the idea of seeing all of the variant evolutions when animals were shifted to beasts sounded fascinating, and he hadn¡¯t quite expected things to go this badly.


    Which they had, hence his slapdash sprint for survival.


    A raucous cacophony of squawks and chirps sounded from behind him. Ianmus grit his teeth, fighting against the burn in his lungs as he forced his legs to move, to hurl him forwards with every shred of energy he had.


    He¡¯d thought a jaunt through the wild would be exploratory! The kind of thing that a true adventure was made of. Why, he might even have had some glimmer of insight into these strange new Aspects that the system had woven into existence above his soul.


    In his defence, as soon as he had realised just how quickly he was getting out of his depth with the rapid leveling of beasts, he had adjusted his course, trying to cut towards Deadacre. A piddly, hodunk, backwater of a city it might have been, but it had walls. Which sounded really, really fucking good right now.


    **Ding! Magister¡¯s Dash has reached level 33!**.


    The ding of his movement skill levelling brought him a little relief, allowing him to squeeze just that much more speed out. Every good Magi had one, but he was proud of managing to be offered a lauded Unusual purely due to his own practice and efforts. Most of his non-legacy skills were like that.


    Too bad it wasn¡¯t helping.


    Another quick look over his shoulder showed that his pursuers had gained on him, thick taloned limbs dashing lightly over the grass.


    Of course he ran into a bloody flock of terror birds right as he decided to head to safety.


    He¡¯d only managed to Identify two of them, but both of them were level nineteen. That had been when the fear set in, that crippling cold fluid that washed down his spine, sapping his strength.


    He stood no chance, not as a level twenty magi with no front line. All of the combat casting practice in the world wouldn¡¯t help in that scenario.


    He started to channel, weaving his mana and pushing it into his Sunbeam skill. He stumbled, losing track of his footing as he focused on keeping his mana stable and steady. Gasping at the lurch, Iamus just barely managed to keep his stride.


    It still let the birds gain on him.


    The sunstone that capped his staff shone with brilliance as his skill clicked into place, fully charged and ready. Turning mid sprint, he aimed his staff at the front runner, firing off a lance of pale yellow light.


    Without checking the result, he looked to the front and kept sprinting. The bird squealed in pain and rage, but there was no sign of a deathknell. No kill notification.


    Dread and regret clawed at him. He¡¯d been such an idiot. Valedictorian of the Sunspire, as a scholarship student no less, and he¡¯d still failed to heed the system''s warnings.


    He knew, knew, that he only had a handful or so more shots of Sunbeam left. Against one, maybe two, terror birds? Possible. Not against a flock though. He was doomed. Doomed to a fate of being run down and eaten alive. What a fucking travesty.


    A roar echoed through the valley. One filled to the brim with bloodlust and a loudly announced promise of violent death. It chilled Ianmus to his bones, raising the hair on his neck in the way that only a superior threat could.


    Gasping involuntarily, he forced himself to keep running. Hoping, praying, that whatever fell fortune had found him this time had decided that the terror birds would be more entertaining company.


    Behind him, he heard a flurry of skidding steps as his pursuers squawked in outrage, wheeling around to advance on a new greater threat.


    Ianmus suppressed his sigh of relief. Whatever the reason, whatever it was, he couldn¡¯t waste the opportunity. He wouldn¡¯t stop running until he was safe in deadacre, sat in front of a fire with a glass of rich red in one hand, and a good book in the other.


    Then he heard the war cry.


    It resonated with a deep bass, like the voice of a general leading an army into battle. It promised death, and thrummed with a glee that was impossible to miss.


    It was a person¡¯s voice.


    Ianmus¡¯s gait faltered, his head snapping over to the source of the sound in shock. He slowed, then stopped.


    He stood there, jaw slack, as he watched an absolutely magnificent beast, garbed in leather and some kind of green stone armour, tearing down the hill side. A man was astride its back, draped in gleaming steel scales, with a longsword held victoriously aloft.


    The terror birds had fully rounded on his saviours, tearing across the open ground to meet them at the base of the hill.


    Struggling to process what he was watching, Ianmus saw the armoured beast beneath the man let out another bellow and accelerate. Heading straight for them. It wasn¡¯t slowing. Whatever it was, it intended to trample the flock. Thick crystalline claws dug into the earth, powerful muscles engaging to keep the pair on target.


    Wait. Those claws. That body plan. Could it possibly be? No, he had to be mistaken. Ianmus rejected the notion utterly, there was no way that one of them would be seen outside the Arboreal Sea, let alone armoured and carrying a man. Obscured as it was by armour, and charging at a full clip, it was hard for him to be sure of anything.


    Then a bolt of lightning snapped into existence, grasped firmly in the rider''s hand. Ianmus stared at the raging torrent in disbelief. He had to be dreaming, that was it. Or the birds had already caught him and were tearing into his entrails as blood loss made him delusional.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Because that man hadn¡¯t channeled. Which was impossible. Spells needed to be channeled. Some might be quick, but they all needed to be channeled. No one could just summon lightning bolts instantly. What the fuck!


    Uncaring of his disbelief, the rider hurled the bolt, cracking it like a bullwhip towards the leaders of the flock. The spell raged with such intensity it was blinding, both to his mana sense and to his eyes. Ropes of writhing plasma coiled around the leader as it shrieked in agony. Boiling blood spurted from its mouth and eyes, as more arcs cracked from the main bolt to bind two more terror birds.


    They succumbed just as quickly, collapsing to the ground, dead.


    Iamus gulped. Maybe¡­maybe it was a high level delver? It would explain the speed of his casting.


    The stone armoured beast crushed the flock beneath his bulk, shattering bone and severing flesh as the mount lashed out with claws the length of shortswords. Then the rider leapt, lashing out with another bolt of lightning to smite more terror birds, even as he pirouetted through the air to land daintily on his feet.


    The scale armoured rider dashed in, eviscerating another member of the flock with a masterful stroke of their blade, diving into the thick of the melee with a grace that belied mastery.


    A magi cum blademaster, he really had seen everything.


    Then the rider turned towards him. ¡°Run you fool!¡± he screamed, before pivoting around a desperate hammer peck to fly back into battle.


    How the hell had he dodged that, he wasn¡¯t even looking!


    A moment later he processed the man''s words. It struck a war up inside him, he longed to run to safety. And yet¡­that fight. It looked glorious!


    I mean, he was a magi, it wasn¡¯t like he would go diving into the thick of things¡­ And he had been looking for a good way to test his latest spell that he¡¯d learnt a few days ago. Sundrenched Strength would surely make their job a little easier, even if they did have it well in hand¡­


    Ianmus made his mind up and sprinted across the hill, circling behind his new front line. Let no one say that he, Ianmus, valedictorian of Sunspire, was a coward.


    ¡­


    Kaius felt the power of two consecutive level ups flow through him. Terror Birds, the system had called them. He didn¡¯t find them all that scary.


    Porkchop had shattered their formation, stone and fury breaking bones like twigs as every lash of his claws ripped through feathered flesh. Kaius kept up just fine. His first two casts of Stormlash had killed six of them outright, potent lightning and storm mana frying the beasts from the inside out as his metamagic ruined their internals.


    Blood sprayed as he tore through the vestigial wing of one of the avians, biting deep into its chest beneath. The beast howled in fury, rearing back to slam its strange axe-like beak towards him in a vicious peck.


    Doom swirled, multiple skills working to plot out the exact path of the attack. He slid to the side, drawing his razor sharp sword across the bird''s neck. Hot vitality fountained, feeding the earth.


    As he spun, he caught sight of the robed man running across the hill, angling behind them. Kaius rolled his eyes, that is not what he had meant when he told the man to flee.


    Returning his focus to the battle, he whirled his sword around into a full weighted swing, cleaving the head from the terror bird that already accosted him.


    **Ding! level 18 Terror Bird Pursuer slain - Experience Gained!**


    Kaius frowned at the notification. To close in level for a bonus, which he¡¯d come to realise had to be very significant if the stark difference in leveling pace was anything to go by.


    More notifications dinged in his mind as Porkchop eviscerated two more. Then, out of nowhere, Kaius was beset by heat. A nourishing one, that brought with it the smell of sweat and worked muscles, the power of labour under the hard sun.


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


    It felt hot, rich, and potent. Vitalising. New power flooded his limbs and he dropped his head back and laughed. He took it back, the magi was alright in his book.


    Two terror birds swooped in to capitalise on his momentary distraction. Lurching back to focus, Kaius fended one off with a swipe of his sword. The other was too fast, slamming its axe-like beak down towards him. Too late to dodge, he shifted, sliding his feat so that the headbut landed on the heavy layered armour of his pauldrons.


    The terror bird''s head snapped to the side with a chirp of fury, heavy head clacking against metal as its strike was deflected. Bones creaked, but did not crack. By the gods was it strong. The feathered freaks might have been feeble, but they packed a mean punch.


    **Ding! Tempered by Dissonance has reached level 23!**.


    Uncaring of his wounds, Kaius slammed into the avian, forcing it back. Seizing his blade in a half-sword grip he plunged its point into the bird''s eye, dropping it like a rock.


    **Ding! level 17 Terror Bird Pursuer slain - Experience Gained!**


    Still no level. Kaius growled in frustration.


    The other bird, the one he had fended off, attempted to claw him with its massive talons, only for a snapping beam of radiance to lance its face. It pulled back with a screech, a scorched hole burned into its flesh.


    Kaius didn¡¯t let the moment go to waste. He stepped in, hacking at the distracted monster''s neck. It went down not long after.


    **Ding! level 16 Terror Bird Pursuer slain - Experience Gained!**


    With barely more than a handful left, the terror birds looked scattered and fragile. Broken. Porkchop snapped another up in his jaws, closing his bite around its neck. A viscous heave tore the head free, blood gouting through the air.


    The rest of the flock flinched.


    Kaius grinned. Time to mop up.


    Condensed electric fury snapped into existence, his third Stormlash whipping out to boil the blood of two more terror birds. Unfortunately, the remnant beasts were too spread out for him to catch a third.


    Muscles seized as current and resonance tore through the delicate organs of the pair. One of their eyeballs burst, smoking feathers blanketing the region with the scent of scorched flesh and smouldering keratin.


    The crackling thrum vanished as his spell winked out of existence, two more smoking corpses joining the pile.


    **Ding! level 17 Terror Bird Pursuer slain - Experience Gained!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! level 19 Terror Bird Pursuer slain - Experience Gained!**


    Still no more level. Just how big was that bonus?!


    Their spirits shattered, and the remaining terror birds broke, sprinting back the way they had come as they screeched in despair. Porkchop let out a bellowing roar of victory, rearing up on his hind legs as he announced his might.


    Feeling the rabid song in his blood start to ebb, Kaius grinned. It was still too quick and too easy for his liking, but it was still better than endless walking.


    Still, the potent energy of the magi¡¯s enhancement still coursed through him. Kaius walked over to his bond-brother, who had already dismissed his thick plated armour, and clapped him over the shoulder.


    ¡°Come on, let''s go say hello.¡± he whispered, before turning to find the robed mage standing a little ways up the hill, leaning heavily on his staff as his chest rose and fell with slow intensity. Poor guy must have been run half ragged during the chase.


    Porkchop grunted, but stuck to his side, curiosity at the new figure drifting across their bond. Kaius grinned at the man, trying to keep his body language relaxed and friendly.


    ¡°Hey! Nice to meet you!¡± Kaius yelled, raising his arm over his head with a wave.

 B2 Chapter 145: Introductions

    Standing in a field of cooling corpses, Kaius gave the strange mage a friendly wave. He was still a good ways off, up the hill and far away from the front lines.


    Even if the man hadn¡¯t fled when he suggested, he¡¯d done his best, and had moved exactly where a backline caster was supposed to be. Evidently, despite his difficulties, he¡¯d been well trained, as evident by casting spells under hampered pursuit and moving to support as soon as he was able.


    All the more curious that he was out here alone and underleveled, despite it being a couple of weeks since the phase shift.


    The mage slumped at his friendly gesture, some of the stiff tension leaving him. He approached, drawing closer to the site of their victory. Behind him, he felt Porkchop fall in behind him, though he knew his brother intended to stay silent. No need to completely give the game away, even if it was almost certain the mage had noticed something off with the spells he was casting.


    Kaius could only hope he was a reasonable man, and that they need not resort to harsh measures to ensure his silence.


    The mage drew his head back, revealing his features. They confirmed his lineage as an elven halfling at the very least. He was slightly taller than even Kaius, but of a lithe and willowy build. Not thin and spindly by any means, but noticeably different from his own broad frame.


    Long platinum hair framed his face like unwoven silk, contrasting piercing blue eyes. The fact he was a half-elf was even more of an oddity than his presence in the wilds. With how insular elves were, halflings were rare.


    Kaius could only hope the man hadn¡¯t had too rough of a go at it. Father had told him of the fate of most halflings. Nigh on ostracised by full elves, they stood out like sore thumbs due to their height and fae features in human society. While they might not be as exaggerated as a full elf, Kaius could see the man''s sharp ears pointing through his hair.


    Most, he¡¯d heard, caught the brunt of wider society''s distaste for what was seen as elvish narcissism, treating them with scorn and distrust.


    Still, evidently the man had done well for himself. Elves were a curious race, their bodies possessing an uncommon vitality and quickened minds that leant to long lived lives of inventive craft, magic, and scholarship. When crossed with the natural stubborn willfulness of humans, it provided a strong base for stats to build upon, a good foundation for the academic and mystic arts.


    The light mage stopped a good twenty strides away, pausing as he rapidly looked between himself and Porkchop, apprehension on his face.


    ¡°Thank you for the rescue, kind traveller, I am the one known as Ianmus, a solar mage and graduate of the Sunspire of Mystral.¡± the half-elf said, introducing himself with a stiff bow.


    A mage of Mystral, that explained much, but also raised more questions. At the very least, it explained Ianmus¡¯s capability; the magi of the college spires were universally renowned for their talents. Yet, they were nearly as insular as the elves, preferring to lock themselves away in the study of the arcane rather than do much else. What on earth was a recent graduate doing here?


    Still, there was no need to be rude.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Ianmus. I am Kaius, warrior of the frontier, and this is my companion, Porkchop. I¡¯m happy to have helped, no way I was about to let you fall afoul of beasts in times like these. Though, I must ask, what is a graduate doing out here anyway?¡± Kaius questioned.


    Ianmus paused, an abashed look crossing his face as he scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Well¡­ I have somewhat of a preference for novel findings and field research, unlike many of my colleagues. Unfortunately, most novel findings are found in rather¡­unpleasant places, so I was making a trek to the Greenseed Dukedoms, in hopes of joining one of their ceremonial wars. It would have been fantastic for skill levelling.¡± Ianmus replied, smiling to himself rather ruefully.


    Kaius looked at the solar mage in surprise. He hadn¡¯t realised the Dukedoms were having another war, especially now of all times. Though, he knew little about them beyond that they were mostly pomp and circumstance, at least according to the scoffing derision of the frontier folk.


    ¡°And you thought now was the time to travel overland? As a mage alone?¡± Kaius asked, struggling to keep the disbelief out of his voice. Perhaps he¡¯d given the graduate too much credit, such a move was unbelievably stupid. Normal magi, at least at low levels, were fucked in a direct confrontation, exactly like what had happened to the man.


    ¡°Ah. That. I left two weeks before the transition, when the worst I expected to cross was the odd boggart, or perhaps an irontusk that could be avoided. By the time the shift hit, I was already far from the main roads, so I adjusted my course to Deadacre. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t lucky enough to avoid trouble on the way.¡± Ianmus said, wincing at his misfortune. However, Kaius did note that the mage kept looking over to Porkchop with increasing regularity.


    Still, Kaius had his sympathies for the man. He only hoped that there weren¡¯t too many suffering the same fate, it burned to think how many unprepared travellers had lost their lives due to his own inadvertent actions.


    Responsibility pressed upon him. He was, if not intentionally, the reason Ianmus had nearly died. It would only be right to see him to his destination, especially since it was the same as his own.


    ¡°Then you have a second stroke of luck, Ianmus of Sunspire. I am also heading to Deadacre, so I would be happy to accompany you on your journey.¡± Kaius offered, though he didn¡¯t have the man''s full attention.


    ¡°Thank you, I don¡¯t know if I would make it without your assistance¡­¡± the mage said, trailing off as he gave up pretense to stare at Porkchop with an open mix of disbelief, shock, and mild horror.


    Kaius bit his cheek, suppressing his urge to curse. He knew. Of course he knew. A wave of prickling frustration at his own lacking thought rushed through him. Greater meles might be obscure and poorly known outside of the communities that boarded the sea, and the conclaves within, but an academy trained half-elf was exactly the sort of person who would recognise one.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Immediately he reached out through his bond. He might not like using the silent speech it allowed, but he could do it just fine, and the situation warranted it.


    ¡°He knows. I know we planned on slipping glyph-binding and your nature out at some point, but it''s still too early.¡± Kaius said, apprehension gnawing at him.


    ¡°Just talk to the man, Kaius. We have time to get his measure, and need not make any hasty decisions. It is no fault of his own, remember?¡± Porkchop replied, still calm as he met the half-elf¡¯s gaze with poorly disguised amusement. To him, at least. Kaius had no idea how good other people were at interpreting his brother''s expressions.


    Kaius breathed, slowing his thumping heart. It was true, and something that he had already intended on. It was just that glyph-binding would be far easier to wave off as a simple facet of an interesting class or meta-magic if the man did not know he was travelling with a greater beast.


    Still, it was the right thing to do. He drifted to memories of his Father¡¯s words of wisdom, shared when he had first began to feel the weight of holding the secret of a legacy.


    ¡­


    They sat at a campfire, resting after a painful and exhausting day of training his Poison Resistance. At the very least, the strange brews his father fed him, as many and varied as they were, did little more than inspire fugue, or itchy rashes. Nothing truly dangerous.


    Father stirred the cooking pot with a whittled stick, staring at the bubbling stew like it would cook faster if he just thought hard enough. Yet, that held little of Kaius¡¯s attention, as he stared into the flames.


    He¡¯d started to feel a weight. Of fear and unease. He was old enough now, to question their circumstances. The burden of their legacy was a heavy one, and one that had clearly brought them ruin before. What would he do, if someone found out?


    ¡°What is it, boy? you got that look you get when you¡¯re thinking too hard.¡± Father said gruffly.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do if someone discovers our secrets? Must it come to violence?¡± he asked, his voice small as flickering orange danced in front of his eyes.


    Father sighed, the sound backed by the weight of years. ¡°Sometimes, but hopefully rarely. It depends on who finds out, and what the secret is.¡± Father said, not looking up from his impatient prodding of their dinner.


    ¡°A member of decent folk, stumbling across something small by happenstance? That is no great thing. You simply become friends, or welcome allies at the least. You make it so they would never dream of revealing your secrets. If they are pressed to the point they must tell, you already cocked something up, fierce enough that people are on your tail anyway.¡± Father muttered.


    The words assuaged his worries, blanketing some of his deepest fears. He didn¡¯t want to be a killer, not like that. Still¡­


    ¡°What if they are not of a good sort, and they learn something large?¡± he asked.


    Father frowned, different from the ones that he saw when he made a mistake in training. It was harder. Jaded.


    ¡°Those, my boy. Those you kill.¡± Father said, his tone pitiless.


    ¡­.


    Kaius breathed, letting the memory wash over him. It still stung, to think of Father. Of his passing. But the man''s wisdom had yet to fail him, and he was nothing if not filial.


    He just hoped that Ianmus was a good sort, and proved as such over the coming weeks.


    Perhaps realising the obviousness of his blatant stare at Porkchop, Ianmus¡¯s face snapped back to his own.


    ¡°...Would it really be alright for me to accompany you?¡± the mage half whispered, near fear crossing his features.


    Kaius forced a grin on his face, before he moved his hands so that his open palms were shown to the man, and well away from his belted blade.


    ¡°Guess it was a bit much to hope to fly under the radar around a half-elf academic, eh?¡± he joked, keeping his tone light and even. He hoped the fact that both he and Porkchop were drenched in beast blood didn¡¯t ruin the impression.


    ¡°I don''t know what you mean?¡± Ianmus attempted, tense, like he might bolt at any moment.


    Kaius watched the mage''s wide eyes trace the black script that curved around his hand and traced his wrist.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright friend. It¡¯s no great secret. One that we certainly hope to keep under wraps for now, but one we understand will come to light eventually. We¡¯re just looking to build a little strength and backing first. I am sure you would understand, as a mage of Mystral. As long as you hold no designs on us, you will find no trouble here.¡± Kaius said, trying to comfort the mage.


    It seemed to work to middling effectiveness. On one hand, Ianmus relaxed ever so slightly, at least sure he wasn¡¯t in imminent danger. On the other, the mage still watched him with suspicion, and was clearly ready to bolt.


    ¡°Forgive me if I find it hard to believe that a man with mysterious magic and a greater meles for a companion, with far more strength than they should have, would not want to silence observers.¡± Ianmus replied.


    Kaius chuckled. ¡°There''s a story for everything, and you might find ours interesting. Besides, I would have left you to die if I was that kind of man.¡± he assured. ¡°What say you to a lunch, at the very least? Maybe half a league closer to Deadacre, so we don¡¯t have beasts coming to investigate the kills?¡±


    Ianmus paused, watching him intently as he searched for any sign of deceit. Evidently he found none.


    ¡°A lunch, at the least. I haven''t eaten well in weeks.¡± Ianmus replied.


    Kaius grinned. ¡°Well, that is one problem I can solve for certain. Let me dress one of these birds and we can be on our way.¡±


    Kaius turned, making his way to one of the decapitated terror birds that had so helpfully already drained its corpse of blood. Drawing his hunting knife, he did a quick job of gutting the beast, leaving him with a person¡¯s weight of meat and hide.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, mage. I hope you are less annoying than your full blooded relatives.¡± Kaius heard his bond-brother say, speaking to Ianmus behind him.


    Ianmus spluttered, clearly not prepared for Porkchop¡¯s meagre tolerance for elvish pestering.


    ¡°I¡­am? At least I hope I am less foppish and haughty. I know the myths and customs, but I grew up in Mystral. My father left when I was young.¡± Ianmus replied, his voice growing bitter as he spoke of his heritage. Kaius was unsurprised, knowing what he did about the lives of most half-elves.


    ¡°Thank the Matriarchs. There¡¯s only so much flattery I can handle, and I have yet to meet a full elf who doesn¡¯t far overestimates the limit.¡± Porkchop grumbled.


    Kaius smiled, and finished up his rough butchery. It was a hack job, but enough for now.


    He hefted the carcass with ease, the weight of it light to his enhanced strength as he draped it over his shoulder. After a lifetime of hard living, Kaius felt entirely unperturbed by the remnant trickles of blood that left the beast and coated his armour. It wasn¡¯t like he wasn¡¯t drenched anyway.


    Walking over to his bond-brother, he put his foot through one of the leather loops of his ¡®saddle¡¯ before he grabbed the barding and hauled himself up onto his brother''s back, terror bird carcass and all.


    ¡°Well then, shall we be off?¡± he asked, shooting Ianmus a grin.

 B2 Chapter 146: An Explanation

    Ianmus sat on a rounded stone, his hands propped on his knees as he watched the delver-scion work. Kaius, he had said his name was. After the human and his beastly companion had finished the flock, he¡¯d offered a chance to talk.


    It was hard not to feel like their short walk through the afternoon sun had been a walk to the gallows. After all, he knew too much.


    No matter what Kaius had said, his strange magics and his relationship with the meles - Porkchop, as ridiculous and nigh-heretical as the name was - was a secret that needed to be kept hidden. Even with all of the delver¡¯s power, he was still low level. Impossibly low level, for the strength he had leveraged. Another secret, though one that he could only feel out the faintest edges of.


    Yet, he still lived. He hadn¡¯t been cut down where he stood, no matter how prudent a course of action it would have been.


    So he sat, and watched as the man took his hunting knife to the carcass of the terror bird, dismantling it with practiced ease. Oh, he still struggled with some bits. It was clear that he had never butchered such a beast before, what with the way he struggled with their tough connective tissue and odd musculature. Still, every roadblock the man hit, he worked his way through it in moments.


    Whatever he was, Kaius was no foppish noble¡¯s son. That was abundantly clear. The blind disinterest in the trail-dust that coated him head to toe, his rugged and raw appearance, and his blatant disinterest in mortal concerns such as pain.


    He¡¯d seen that hit Kaius had taken on the shoulder, no mere level sixteen should have weathered that bonecrushing slam, armour or no. Even if he did have the strength to persevere without shattered bones, the man had smiled at the wound. Like it tickled.


    The sheer affinity to violence chilled Ianmus, filling his veins like an icy mountain stream. So at odds with the calm and friendly demeanour he now showed. Bloodsong, no doubt, and strongly felt. Despite everything, he could feel his latent curiosity piquing.


    He¡¯d been privy to the studies, on how it was some confluence of mana effecting a latent trait in the blood. It heightened aggression, the senses, increased risk-taking, and sent the mind alight with visceral joy. He himself felt it - far more than the average scholar - but far less than some, and far less than the man crouched across from him.


    It had been an interesting study, though one confounded by privacy concerns. How the strength of Bloodsong correlated to the strength and development of one''s level and classes. No conclusion had been found on whether it was just the Song driving people to lives where they burned bright or burnt out, or if there was some direct relationship.


    If the latter was true, at least it would give him some sane reason for the man''s power.


    Level fourteen. Madness.


    Watching Kaius set aside another stack of meat, the man pulled a pan from his saddlebags as well as a pouch of what he assumed to be seasonings, still utterly focused on his task. His companion shifted to give him better access to their belongings on his haunch. Either they were so perfectly in tune that such an action was automatic, or they spoke through beast-speak. He didn¡¯t know which was more imposing, because even the latter meant that they were close enough for Kaius to have learnt the famously mind-bending ¡®language¡¯.


    The pan was another indicator of wealth and status, along with the blatant artefacts that draped him and his companion.


    That, or they had been on an extended journey into the Depths. And were only level fourteen. Madness.


    How was he not dead? It wasn¡¯t like he could run or fight, not with their supremacy.


    Not that he would dare to share the secrets of a greater meles. His father might have been a scoundrel and a wastrel, a coward of a man who had left him and his mother to rot when he was a boy, but he had passed on a partial legacy and opened his path to the academies. He knew the histories, had been taught the Quiet Ways. He was proud of his heritage, if not his lineage.


    No, he would be sharing no secrets of the meles. Though, to see one of their insular folk garbed in armour and letting a human ride him was a shock he doubted he would forget.


    Questions upon questions, ones he wouldn¡¯t be getting an answer to.


    Ianmus watched Kaius shift out of his crouch, sitting heavily on the grass with a generously seasoned slab of meat in one hand. As Kaius grabbed the pan, he watched a faint trickle of mana leave the man, activating the artefact. Moments later the steak was dropped in, sizzling loudly.


    ¡°So, I know you saw my magic. I have no doubt that as a mage you spotted something a little odd with it, didn¡¯t you?¡± Kaius asked, looking up from the slowly cooking meal as he fixed Ianmus with a half smile.


    Ianmus paused, returning the young delver¡¯s smile with a weak one of his own. He¡¯d hoped that Kaius wouldn¡¯t have noticed his awareness, but of course he had. He still couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it.


    It wasn¡¯t a simple metamagic, not even one of inordinate power. There were skills that could reduce channeling and focus requirements, but nothing he could think of that would reduce it to imperceptible levels. Beyond that, he would still have seen some trace of the man directing his mana. There hadn¡¯t been any. One moment, nothing. The next, a flash of arcane brilliance and Kaius had been holding a writhing bolt of storm mana. It flew in the face of everything he had learned.


    He gave Kaius a still nod.


    ¡°Good man, being honest. Look, that is another thing that will get out eventually, but I would have kept under wraps for now. However, since you have already seen it, I would make use of a skill. I¡¯d appreciate it if you kept what you saw to yourself.¡± Kaius said with a look, one mirrored by his beastly companion.


    What exactly was he playing at? Revealing more secrets. ¡°Of course.¡± Ianmus replied, keeping his face as even as he was able to.


    The delver gave him a nod, before he flipped the slow cooking meat in front of him and settled back. Crossing his legs he closed his eyes and started to breathe, slow and even.


    Right in front of his eyes the mana field went wild to Ianmus¡¯s vision. Arcane energy roared into action within the delver¡¯s body, almost as if he was channeling a spell. Then, with what must have been a titanic application of will, the mana began to twist, weaving itself into an ever more defined shape.


    It was¡­impossible. And slow, the process taking minutes for a clarity in design to become visible to even his sharpened mana senses. Sure, it was heavily obscured within the safety of the delver¡¯s body, but he saw enough.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    What he did see sparked an inferno of curiosity within Ianmus, setting his heart fluttering with the sweet Song of desire. A secret, grand and unknown. A natural mystery, begging to be shattered and cracked open, to reveal the meat of truth within.


    Right before his eyes, the delver twisted his mana into runes. Foreign ones, class supplied no doubt, but ones of unimaginable complexity. For one, they were three dimensional, and for two, he had forged them out of nothing but will.


    True fascination gripped him as more and more mana was pumped into the workings. Then it snapped into place, anchored into the man¡¯s arm. He watched it stabilise, held in stasis, prepared and ready to be used at the delver¡¯s slightest behest.


    He realised with a shock that there were nine duplicates already woven around the mans wrist in a dense knot. Each and every one must have been a spell.


    Without pause, he watched Kaius with a slack jaw as the delver dived straight into the next one, recreating another spell. The same spell.


    Ianmus leaned in. He needed to learn more. Runework had never been his forte, but this? This was something else. Surely Kaius would need help plumbing the mysteries of this art? Consummate warrior and apparent genius he might have been, the man was clearly no scholar, the application had all the signs of system given insight. Too¡­rigid. Too¡­rote. Plus, his class tag. Spellsword. A hybrid, one he would have said was impossible a few days prior, but a hybrid all the same.


    Surely the man would need help to plumb its depths. Just barely a tenth into his first class, there was still plenty of time to pivot.


    Surely.


    ¡­.


    Kaius breathed, feeling the sting of his last Stormlash hymn snap into place. He could feel it, curling around his hand to twine around the stumps of his two missing fingers. Gloves would be important; it seemed the more spells he added, the more they stretched out from his glyph.


    With his newly enhanced mana pool, he¡¯d been able to fit a full fourteen casts this time. Much more than he had used in any given engagement at this point. He expected when he fought something truly challenging to him, he¡¯d wish he had more.


    Still, something curious had started to occur as he added more hymns to his inscription. The sharp runes of his Drakthar hymns had started to overlap, branching off from one another like the arcing bolt of lightning that the hymn summoned. Convenient, as he had been worried that he would run out of space to imbue himself with spells if they had not.


    He opened his eyes, flicking over to where Porkchop watched their new companion with amusement plain on his furred face.


    ¡°Did it work?¡± Kaius subvocalized.


    ¡°Oh yeah, the elfling is hooked. You would have thought you were pulling artefacts out of thin air with how much he was staring.¡± Porkchop replied humorously.


    Kaius suppressed a smile. ¡°Good. Still want to go with the backstory? Let the bond slip?¡±


    Agreement flooded their bond. ¡°I do. The man¡¯s been looking at me like flowers sprout from the ground as I walk, exactly like an elf. If we dangled our bond, he¡¯d keep silent, I''m almost certain.¡±


    That was good. Their secrets needed protecting, but he hadn¡¯t lied when he said he would prefer to keep the man alive, a few dangling carrots should be enough. The man was a researcher after all.


    Kaius turned back to Ianmus, giving him a grin as he saw the magi looking at him with naked curiosity.


    ¡°So, you must be wondering why a man is traveling with a meles.¡± he said, breaking the silence.


    Ianmus jolted, startled out of his haze. ¡°I¡­Yes. I didn¡¯t expect to ever even meet one of the Kings of the Forest, let alone traveling so closely with a man.¡± he stammered.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°Six months back, shortly before my class selection, I was travelling through the foothills with a caravan, en route to meet with my uncle. We got hit by a full blown boggart swarm.¡± he paused, allowing Ianmus to process his worlds. The half-elf had leaned in, listening closely.


    ¡°They overwhelmed us, and I was forced to flee. Nearly got me, forcing me to take a Depths portal. Thank the gods that it was only the first layer. I hunkered down, staying near the entrance while I subsisted on beast meat and water from a nearby stream.¡± Kaius continued, leaning over to flip their meal once more, revealing the browned surface of one side of the hunk of meat.


    Ianmus hissed. ¡°The Depths? How did you survive?¡±


    ¡°Extremely carefully, and with help.¡± Kaius replied. ¡°Porkchop here,¡± he clapped his bond-brother on the shoulder. ¡°Fell afoul of the same swarm, and by sheer dumb luck took the same portal that I did. Both of us were close to class selection, and capable. Managed to work our way through the biome, locating a few Champions that we skirted around, and found the Guardian. Thankfully, our selections were only a few weeks apart. Once we had our class and bloodline, we cut down some Champions to gain a few levels, then took on the Guardian.¡±


    Ianmus¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°And you stayed together after?¡±


    Porkchop leaned in. ¡°Tell me, elfling, what do you know of the stories of your people?¡± he asked, causing the magi to whip his head to his bond-brother in shock.


    ¡°I¡­I know them all, was raised to the Quiet Ways.¡± he stammered, clearly not expecting to be addressed.


    Kaius raised his eyebrows at that. ¡®Quiet Ways¡¯. He¡¯d have to ask Porkchop about them later, some sort of elvish tradition, no doubt.


    Porkchop grinned, revealing his teeth. Ianmus paled.


    ¡°Then you will know of the Trial of Unity. The story of Grandfather and Orrin.¡± Porkchop said.


    Somehow, Ianmus paled even further, looking more like a day old corpse than a man. His eyes flicked between Porkchop and Kaius, over and over.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± he whispered.


    ¡°We grew close in those dark depths, elfling. Tell me, is it so strange for bonded companions to travel together? For my brother to show me the lands I wondered on for so long?¡± Porkchop spoke imperiously, with far more force than Kaius had heard him use before. It seemed, whatever the histories his people had with the elves, there was a clear hierarchy that Porkchop knew well.


    Ianmus froze. A moment later he clenched his fist and slammed it into his heart, before he bowed - as much as he could from his seated position at least. ¡°I will uphold the rite of Silence.¡± the half-elf said sincerely, his tone solemn.


    Well, it seemed that Porkchop had been right, the mage had been easy to sway. The blatant veneration on his face was clear. No matter the struggles he had faced as a half cast, his elven parentage still ran strong.


    The mage straightened, looking at him with new found respect. Kaius grinned, now was the time to cinch it.


    Unbuckling his vambrace, he let the heavy scale armour fall to the grass with a clank. Baring his arm, he twisted it, to show off the jagged runes that wrapped around his lower forearm and fingers as arcing lines of script splayed out from his central glyph. He watched Ianmus hone in on his hand, staring at his formation with curiosity.


    ¡°This is what''s behind the oddity of my magic. A third Way.¡± he said.


    The mage''s eyes snapped to his own. ¡°Truly?¡±


    Kaius nodded. ¡°The life''s work of my mother, put into practice. She passed just over a year ago, hence the trip to extended family. I plan on keeping it to myself, for now. No point putting myself at risk. Yet it will also be impossible to keep secret for any impressive length of time. You spotted the oddity of my casting immediately. My hope is that I can secure enough power and backing for myself and Porkchop before those secrets escape.¡±


    Ianmus leaned in. ¡°And what of when it does? You must have some sort of hybrid class, correct? No foundational knowledge skills?¡±


    ¡°Aaaaand you have him.¡± Porkchop snorted.


    He grinned, showing the half-elf his teeth. ¡°Well, then I''ll need the assistance of someone I trust to help me develop it into a full Art.¡±


    Ianmus froze, want and desire plain on his face. ¡°Well¡­as an academy trained magi, I would be happy to assist when the time is right. It would only be fair to give something back to my saviour, afterall.¡±


    Kaius laughed, clapping his hands in delight. No doubt the half-elf knew it was a bid for his silence, but it had worked all the same - and he did have need of an academic.


    ¡°Good! Then let us eat. We still have enough daylight to get a few leagues closer to Deadacre. Hopefully there will be another good fight before we get there.¡± he said, deactivating his artefact pan and fetching a knife to cut slices from the now finished slab of meat that sat at its centre.

 B2 Chapter 147: Welcome Challenge

    With a new companion in tow, they crossed the frontier. As they crossed the rolling, rock-studded, hills that made up the lowlands of the distant mountains, Kaius found that the terror birds had become¡­something of a local nuisance.


    While they were rare before, whatever change had occurred during the second phase had caused them to proliferate like wildfire. Some local animal, catalysed by their awakenings, no doubt.


    Regardless of the reason, they were a plague, and one that accosted them in packs multiple times per day. At the very least, it kept their supplies rich with their hearty meat. That, and they were as much of a distraction from the monotony of overland travel as Kaius could hope for.


    Yet, even with all the constant battle, their leveling slowed to a crawl. Now close to the bird''s own level, they received no bonus experience, and what they did receive was reduced and split with their new mage companion. Even after what felt like a dozen or more packs, they¡¯d only managed to grow to level seventeen. Thankfully, their skills were less impacted, and Kaius had seen a smattering of growth across the board. Especially for his Latent Glyph of Drakthar, which still lagged behind the others, which had grown to level fifteen. Even Lesser Regeneration had grown some. Weak they might have been, the birds packed a hard punch, and with their swarming tactics it was inevitable that he accumulated enough cracked bones and bruises to push the skill higher.


    As slow as it felt, Kaius knew that three levels in as many days was still a meteoric pace. Most grew far slower than that, taking on battles infrequently, and only fighting that which they were sure of surviving. With the overwhelming amount of beasts that now roamed the wilds, it was highly likely that this would become the new norm. For those who adapted, at least.


    Unfortunately their pace would be impossible to maintain forever, even if they were to fight often against appropriately tough foes. As you grew through the tiers, leveling slowed to a crawl, and finding monsters to fight became harder and harder. Outside of the depths, at least. It was strange, after everything, Kaius expected he would want to avoid that hells damned place for the rest of his life.


    Now, he couldn¡¯t help but miss it. The consistent challenge. The stakes. Somehow, despite the world slowly ending around him, he found himself growing bored.


    It didn¡¯t help that Porkchop had been growing increasingly more annoyed with how easily they had dealt with challenges. It had gotten so bad, Kaius had taken to guiding them around the groups of the birds he could spot.


    Him? Avoiding a fight? A travesty.


    Thankfully, they¡¯d been treated to at least one moment where a large pack of terror birds had descended on a herd of strange horse-like beasts, only to fall to a bone cracking storm of hooves as the entire group had charged them at once. That had been a sight to see. Kaius smiled at the memory of their confused squawks turning to squeals of terror as the birds had realised themselves out matched.


    Eventually though, they left the lowlands, and entered the grasslands proper. Hills flattened, becoming more irregular, with shallower gradients, as their surroundings became dominated by lush grasses and shrubs that flourished in the moisture provided by regular small streams that wormed their way through the frontier.


    Every now and then, a small copse of trees jutted out from the landscape, shaded burroughs visible from leagues away - as long as there were no hills to block the view, that is. Those same trees provided shelter and rest for all manner of animals that made their life on the grasslands. Even transformed to beasts, the surroundings still had a sort of natural serenity to them.


    Even if it was still far more open that Kaius was entirely comfortable with.


    Thankfully, the nuisance of the terror birds lessened, replaced instead by all manner of grazing creatures, broken up by the odd pack of hunting beasts. Those steered well clear of them, happy to focus on more familiar prey.


    He could only hope that they would come across a proper fight sometime soon; all this calm was making him restless.


    Kaius looked over to Ianmus, the half-elf mage busy scanning the horizon for more threats as they walked up a slow and gentle incline. Even if the man knew that he had the skills to pick up on any ambush attempts, it seemed that Ianmus¡¯s brush with his own mortality had left its mark. While Kaius wouldn¡¯t exactly call him skittish, he definitely had an air of discomfort about him.


    Though, even with only a few days having passed, it seemed the trauma of nearly getting run down by a pack of overgrown chickens was starting to fade.


    They hadn¡¯t exactly gotten close, but they had talked. The man had some interesting insights into the nature of the phase change. Apparently, while it was almost certain that the rising mana levels and proliferation of beasts would lead to the wilds becoming all but certain death to anyone who wasn¡¯t a seasoned and strong combatant, or under the guard by such types, it wouldn¡¯t lead to everything leveling endlessly until civilisation succumbed to an endless wave of high tier beasts.


    Something to do with ¡®natural variation in racial strength and bloodline purity¡¯ as Ianmus had put it. Or, much more simply, beasts could only grow so much before they started to stall, dependent on their species and bloodline. Some rare few would leap the dragon¡¯s gate to evolve further in a new form, but nowhere near most. It was something he had known of in vague terms, but it was nice to see someone confident that it would still apply in these desperate times.


    Kaius still wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the man. He was competent, that was certain. Perhaps not in the same league as he and Porkchop, but that would be an unreasonable expectation. Still, he had skills, aptitude, and a razor sharp mind. Those Sunbeams of his were viciously potent - sure, they left small wounds that were easy to heal, but the man was still low level.


    Along with his strengthening buff that invigorated and toughened the half-elf¡¯s allies, he had proven himself useful. If that wasn¡¯t enough, the man kept a cool head in battle, and had managed to pull off a raw casted healing spell using his solar affinity. Not quite as fast as a dedicated spell, but it had considerably boosted Porkchop¡¯s Health regeneration after he had gotten mobbed by a dozen terror birds.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    On the other hand, it still felt odd that the man knew his secrets. Sure, it was only the ones that were inevitable to get out, and nothing truly dangerous like his class rarity, Honours, legacy skills, or the fact that they had started the second phase, but it still felt strange for someone who was close to a stranger to know something that could become a vulnerability.


    Ianmus was personable though, Kaius had to give him that. Once the magi had gotten over his understandable apprehension about their intentions, he had been more than happy to prattle about a dozen different implications of glyph-binding. How he only wished he could be around to see the faces on some of his old teachers when it eventually became common knowledge. Apparently there were whole schools of thought surrounding the place of magic and spellcasting in the wider system that would be thrown into disarray.


    That, and the man was sure that there would be insights that could be used for free casting - sacred geometry was already used in more complex weavings of raw mana, though it did not make use of runes in truth.


    Kaius didn¡¯t quite understand the thrill the man got from that, but it was an interesting conversation to have nonetheless - at least the uses of sacred geometry were, the academic side was a little dull. If Ianmus didn¡¯t immediately high-tail it to the Greenseed Dukedoms after they arrived in Deadacre, he was almost of the mind to strike up a lasting friendship with the man. The half-elf clearly knew much more than him about magical theory, and having an academic already privy to his magic to bounce ideas off would be mighty convenient.


    They reached the top of the rise, and immediately Kaius noticed something¡­interesting. Little more than a brownish fuzzy blob at the bottom of the hill and a little ways across the flat grasslands. Still¡­it looked large, and he knew of only one such creature that made its home in this part of the frontier that was so prodigious.


    He honed in with Truesight, his vision sharpening.


    The monster came into view, one he recognised instantly. Legs as thick as his chest, tapering down to shining metallic cloven hooves. A body, built like a bulls, but as thick as a barge and with a jagged ridge of knobbly vertebrae that pushed up against its skin and draped in a thick, matted, brown coat. A heavy head, currently bent down to tear apart a bush in a single morsel, leaf and wood ground into a pulp between molars close to the size of his fist. Two silvery tusks angled out of its mouth, tapering to a fine point and perfectly situated to smash and gore whatever fell afoul of its territorial anger.


    An Irontusk, the undisputed kings of the grasslands surrounding Deadacre.


    They were beasts that bred true far before the phase shift, and thankfully solitary and rare. Most were placid when left alone, mostly thanks to their poor eyesight - get close enough for one to spot you, and they were liable to crush you into a paste.


    Most importantly, they were huge. Easily half as big again as Porkchop was with his evolved form.


    They were also strong. Kaius grinned, identifying the beast.


    Irontusk Vagrant- Level 49:


    Beast, Brawler


    Finally. What he had been waiting for.


    His heart quickened, senses sharpening as the soft wind sent a tingle shooting across his skin. A longing want of violence began to croon, soft whispers of glory alighting in his mind.


    Porkchop stiffened, feeling his desire. ¡°Where?¡± he asked, because there was no question of what. Not after their bond, not after so long sharing in the delight of vigorous battle.


    ¡°Irontusk, down there. Level forty-nine. You seen one before?¡± Kaius replied, leaning forwards to point so that Porkchop could see.


    Ianmus started at his words.


    ¡°An Irontusk? That¡¯s a high level for this area, though perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be surprised with the way things have been going.¡± he said, shading his eyes from the sun as he peered in the beast''s direction. ¡°I think if we circle around that copse over there, we should be able to avoid it.¡± Ianmus finished, gesturing to a small circle of trees far off to their right. Away from the Irontusk.


    As one, he and his bond-brother turned. Kaius¡¯s brow furrowed as he looked at the magi with naked confusion on his face.


    Ianmus kept walking for a moment, adjusting his course before his head whipped over to meet his gaze as the magi realised that they hadn¡¯t changed direction to match. He returned their look, expression quizzical, before understanding dawned.


    The mage looked back to the irontusk, before returning to meet his eyes. ¡°No. You can¡¯t be serious!¡± he asked, jaw flapping open.


    ¡°Why would we not? That¡¯s the first proper bloody fight we¡¯ve seen in days?¡± Kaius asked, blinking in genuine confusion.


    Ianmus spluttered. ¡°It¡¯s level forty-nine? And the size of a small cottage?¡± he tried.


    Porkchop tilted his head. ¡°Exactly?¡±


    ¡°You¡­might die?¡± Ianmus pleaded.


    ¡°That''s how fighting works?¡± Kaius responded.


    Smacking himself on the forehead, Ianmus groaned, before he pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°In what realm do you have a chance against a level forty-nine? You have to be pulling some kind of joke here.¡± the magi asked, on the verge of pleading with them.


    Kaius didn¡¯t get it. That was roughly the same level gap they had had with the Guardian, and this was a common beast and they had classes now. Well, that was a bit of a lie, he did suppose that Ianmus knew none of that. It was still fun messing with him, just a bit.


    ¡°...This one? It¡¯ll be tough, but that''s the sort of fight that could push us to our second skill in one fell swoop!¡± Porkchop attempted to explain, following his lead.


    Ianmus looked between the two of them, his eyes wide with disbelieving horror. ¡°By the gods you¡¯re actually serious. Are the two of you insane?! I know you are strong, and must have good classes, but this is plain idiocy.¡±


    Kaius frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    Ianmus started to talk, but he cut the man off with a raise of his hand.


    ¡°Look, if I don¡¯t fight something more challenging than a drunk toddler, I''m going to go insane with boredom. Irontusks are tough, and hit hard, but they are pretty slow, and have shit senses. I promise you, we will be fine, it¡¯s not like you need to join if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Kaius said, his tone resolute. Teasing or not, he was serious about needing a good fight.


    Ianmus huffed, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Can you swear that this is not some bravado fueled cockup that will get us all killed? Are you genuinely sure you can take down something that far above you?¡±


    Kaius smiled. ¡°Without a scratch? Absolutely not. Without losing any more fingers? Absolutely.¡±


    The half-elf groaned. ¡°You¡¯re going to do this no matter what perfectly rational reason I give to avoid the damn thing, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Both he and Porkchop replied in unison. No way were either of them going to skip out on a fight that juicy.


    Ianmus rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll try to keep it blinded.¡±


    Kaius grinned, feeling the heat of his blood pulsing with wild abandon in his veins.


    ¡°Fantastic.¡±

 B2 Chapter 148: Testing Gains Pt. 1

    Kaius stood in his saddle, absorbing the shock of Porkchop¡¯s bounding leaps by crouching slightly with every impact.


    His eyes were trained firmly on the irontusk, watching and waiting for the moment it would notice them with its dulled senses. Explosive anticipation thrummed within him, every single one of his muscles held in delicious tension. He could taste it. The blood that would soon be in the air.


    Porkchop charged silently, though Kaius could feel he yearned to release his bloodlust with a cracking roar and a snarl of gnashing teeth.


    After having decided on their course of action, they had set off for their target. It was painful at first, the irontusk too far for them to race into an immediate charge, and Ianmus too slow for them to even jog.


    Instead he¡¯d watched it lumber across the grasslands, lowering its head to tear through foliage as it ate its fill. After so many stories of their strength and fortitude, he was eager to test his blade against them. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, they were little but gnats against the true powers of the world, but the irontusks were one of the greatest ¡®threats¡¯ on the plains.


    Stout of frame, even meagre levels were enough to give them crushing power, and it wasn¡¯t like the average traveller of the frontier was a high levelled delver.


    After descending the hill, Kaius had dismounted for a moment, his brother aiding him with charging his vambraces. While the energy would bleed quickly, he hoped that by the time they were thrust into glorious battle it would only take a single block, or maybe two, for him to tap into the artifact''s stored devastation.


    That had been a fun one to explain to their half-elven solar mage, though the man understood as soon as they had. They¡¯d left him a little behind. Close enough the battle would still be in range of his spells, but more than far enough that he would be well clear of any wayward blows.


    Ahead of him, the irontusk tensed, its massive head twitching as its small eyes locked on their rapidly approaching forms. Gods, it was big, easily as massive as the Siege Ogre had been, though far less tall. A stout neck as thick as Porkchop¡¯s waist held up its head just fine, even with the impressive weight of its curved metal tusks weighing it down.


    Kaius focused, bringing up its status once more.


    Irontusk Vagrant - Level 49:


    Beast, Brawler


    Singing joy harmonised with the resonance in his blood and mana, filling him with fervent energy as a wicked twinkle alighted in his eyes. Below him, a deep rumble started in Porkchop¡¯s belly, the start of a rattling growl.


    The irontusk shook itself, bucking its head in a challenge as it worked up its fury with a pair of stomps that shuddered the very ground. It bellowed, a deep bassy call that shook the plains and sent birds flying to the sky in fright.


    Kaius howled, his voice tearing at his throat as he relished in the sight of a challenge. A true foe that would test his mettle once more. It had been too long, too many days without the sweet succour of pouring sweat and leaden limbs. Too long since he had felt bones break and blood spill. His own, or his enemies, it mattered not. Only that he was tested. Only that he could prove himself the victor, champion by right of arms.


    Primal aggression and the simple heated fury of challenged supremacy flooded his bond, his brother¡¯s own Song alighting in unison with his own. Porkchop¡¯s roar was a thing of beauty, drowning his surroundings in a ringing crack that one felt in the heart.


    **Ding! Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus has reached level 38!**.


    The irontusk charged, thick muscle rippling beneath its shaggy brown coat as it lowered its head. It reached speed quickly, no matter its size and weight, simple power overcame all restrictions.


    Feeling his pulse spike, Kaius leaned in as his brother kept his course. No challenge so simple, so direct, would sway their path. He had faith.


    In their might. In Porkchop¡¯s armour. In their stalwart fearlessness.


    Then the vigour and warmth of the sun sunk into them, suffusing them both with unrivalled potency. Infusing them with an energy that only heightened his need to tear into the titan that dared stand in their path.


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


    He unsheathed his sword.


    The irontusk drew close.


    Kaius launched himself from the saddle, kicking off his brother''s back to launch a full ten strides into the air. Porkchop raced forward unhindered, teeth bared as he tapped into his amulet.


    Time seemed to hang. A beam of light snapped out from behind him, searing its way through one of the irontusk¡¯s eyes in a bubble of fluid with needle tip precision.


    Ianmus, the cheeky dog. He¡¯d stolen first blood.


    The irontusk howled, lowering its head further, even as Porkchop blurred, racing towards the mighty beast with total lack of concern.


    Kaius tapped into one of the wells of power that was bound resolutely in the maleficent glyph that adorned his hand. It fizzed, boiling with eagerness as they waited for his command. Baleful light showered from his hand in a burst of embers, a bolt of the Stormlord¡¯s finest crackling with hateful vigour as it snatched up its barely contained power.


    Thunder boomed as Kaius whipped his lash towards the irontusk, the searing might of his spell tearing across the air to wrap the beast in arcing lightning. Its coat vaporised in the path of his spell, potent electrical energy scorching the beast from the inside out. Reverberation followed, blood bursting from the burns he had left in its flesh.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 16!**.


    An enraged cry escaped its throat as the irontusk stumbled. It was too big, too powerful, for his spell to have immobilised it. Yet, at the pace they moved, a stumble was enough. It righted itself, but its charge was broken, and the correction came too little too late.


    Porkchop leapt, his heavily armoured form crashing into the irontusk¡¯s shoulder like a falling oak. Its bones cracked under his brother''s enhanced momentum, the thick slabs of jade that covered Porkchop lending him the inescapable might of a landslide.


    Kaius touched the ground, racing in.


    Tearing into the beast with crystalline claws, Porkchop ravaged the beast¡¯s shoulder and chest, his green armour quickly slicked with bright carmine. No longer were they weak. No longer were they hampered by the barriers that all unclassed suffered from. No, his brother''s strength was a glorious thing as he shredded flesh and scored bone. Hide rumoured to be as hard as mundane chainmail was nothing before sacred jade.


    The irontusk shook itself out of its haze with a cry of fury, only for another Sunbeam to scour its way across the plains to burn its way through the delicate flesh of its nose. It flinched, whipping its head to the side as its glinting grey tusks smashed into Porkchop¡¯s side with a clang.


    Snarling in fury, Porkchop met force with force, throwing himself into the attack as he kept the pressure on. The irontusk bucked, trying to bring the needlepoint ends of its tusks to bare.


    Kaius was having none of that. Blue and orange light alighted the plains once more as he summoned a Stormlash. The beast shuddered as he raced in, breaking its concentration with pain and convulsions both.


    Both hands gripped A Father¡¯s Gift once more, and Kaius swung as he planted his weight on his back foot and pivoted. Steel blurred, and he felt the renowned toughness of the irontusks for himself. Even with an enchanted blade honed to perfection, backed by the might and muscle of a Heroic class, it still felt like trying to carve through wood.


    Still, even high Endurance and natural constitution was not enough to resist his onslaught, not with his new Strength. Flesh parted beneath his slice, rivulets of red soaking the beast''s thick fur as he tore into its leg.


    **Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 26!**.


    The irontusk roared and potency thrummed through the air. Another beam snapped, scouring its face.


    It merely shook its head, rearing up before it slammed its legs home into the hardened ground of the plains.


    Shuddering quakes shook the ground, Kaius¡¯s stomach dropping as he relied on all of his enhanced speed and dexterity to keep his feet beneath him.


    **Ding! Tempered By Dissonance has reached level 26!**.


    A skill, and one that he had seen no evidence of, no tell tale shine of channelled mana. A stamina ability, one he had no way of sensing.


    Off balance as they were, the irontusk capitalised on the opening. Seeing his brother as the greater threat, the behemoth turned and gouged his brother with his tusks. A cry left Kaius¡¯s lips as he watched razor point tusks punch clean through a gap in his brother''s jade armour, blood welling from the wound as cushioned under-armour was sundered.


    Then another beam hit, scorching a pulsing highway of blood that thrummed in the irontusk¡¯s thick neck. Blood squirted, backed by the pressure of its titanic heart, vitality nurturing the rich soil beneath them.


    Ianmus, perfectly timed to distract it.


    Porkchop howled in fury, ripping himself from the beast''s tusks as he spun - undeterred by his wounds - and gouged the irontusk¡¯s face for its impudence.


    Kaius grinned, planting one foot solidly to kick off the still quaking ground. Launching to the beast''s side, he pivoted on his front foot and twisted his hips to drive his blade home into its chest with every scrap of power he had available. Forceful enough that he slid back through the dirt as the hilt of his sword pressed against its thick hide.


    Lifting its head to the sky, the irontusk bellowed. The sound was baleful, penetrating deep into his chest. Kaius danced back, ripping his blade free as it wheeled on him, shaking its head in insensate frustration and rage.


    Mana glowed in its chest.


    He retreated, creating the distance he needed to react to the oncoming skill as Uncanny Dodge blared a warning in his mind. Another bolt of lightning crackled in his fist, lashing the bubbled and blackened flesh of the beast once more as he attempted to disrupt the working.


    **Ding! Resonance Amplification has reached level 26!**.


    As tough as it was, it maintained its hold on its ability, paralysing storm mana causing little more than a momentary spasm. It seemed that the dazing strike of his spells was not guaranteed to be consistent - frustrating, considering its usefulness.


    Thankfully, his brother was beset by far less compunction. Diving into the fray, Porkchop lashed out with green claws, gouts of flesh torn from the beast''s side to reveal the thick wall of its ribs.


    Ignoring Porkchop¡¯s attempts, the irontusk continued to channel. A moment later, mana flashed, pulsing with steely brilliance as it flooded its tusks.


    It dipped its head, points of its curved tusks catching on the dirt. Earth soared through the air as it bucked, showering the surroundings in dust and arcane brilliance.


    Two thin metal blades materialised, racing through the air as they spun end over end on a terminal path towards him. A second skill.


    A terrible scream of churned air followed their arc; gods they were fast.


    Glee coursed through Kaius, even as he slipped to the side, dodging one with skill enhanced agility. He raised his blade, ready for its twin.


    He¡¯d missed this. The simple rush.


    Planting his foot as he stepped as far out of the path of the attack, he rolled his shoulders and slammed his blade into it hard. An unearthly screech filled the air as he smashed his blade into the whirling projectile. Even tensed and ready for the collision, Kaius felt every joint in his body creak, bones jolting from the sheer force of the impact.


    His grip stayed steady, even missing two fingers, it would take more than a simple skill to overwhelm him.


    Sparks showered him like a spring storm, an echoing crack accompanying the spinning blade as he redirected it, sending it careening off to the side. A subtle click pulsed as a small fraction of the collision was drained and collected.


    **Ding! Tempered By Dissonance has reached level 27!**.


    His Vharcossian Vambraces. Full once more.


    Smashing his brother aside, the beast turned its head to look at him with what could only be described as shock. Kaius grinned, bearing his aggression plain on his face. It hadn¡¯t expected him to survive that.


    He could smell it. The growing uncertainty.


    Once lord over all on the plains, the irontusk was no longer sure of its own victory.


    Kaius intended to show it how right it was.

 B2 Chapter 149: Testing Gains Finale.

    The irontusk taking its eyes off his brother to stare at him with wariness proved to be folly. Insistent on keeping as much of the beast''s attention on him as possible, Porkchop plunged his claws into the irontusk¡¯s shoulder, tearing a chunk out of its hide.


    A loud rumbling cry echoed across the plains as it screamed in pain and frustration, whipping its head to batter his brother with its tusks, forcing Porkchop back. Unfortunately for it, his brother¡¯s armor protected him from the majority of the blow - new stone charger leather padding absorbing the impact handedly.


    Ceaseless in his rampage, Porkchop lunged back in, knife-like claws leaving parallel lines weeping red in their wake as he dragged them across its face.


    Then another Sunbeam scoured its eye, recently regenerated flesh boiling once more as concentrated light popped the delicate organ. The irontusk screamed, shaking back and forth as it sought to drive Porkchop back.


    Despite the constant harassment, Kaius knew in his bones that it had identified him as the true threat.


    Pushing through its agony, its remaining eye swiveled back to him again, black and beady. The motion was constant - forced to pick between the mountainous beast in its face, and the ever present threat of his lightning.


    It was a tragic sight, scorched, torn, and soaked in its own blood. Blackened and bubbled flesh made all the more grotesque by the writhing power of its health that raced to seal its wounds. Still it stood strong, ready to meet their challenge.


    A mountain of weight heaved, the irontusk¡¯s musculature rippling as it lurched towards him. Kaius readied himself, the scent of future danger filling the air as he waited for the creature''s coming move.


    Its first foot smacked the ground. Doom screamed, and the ground shook, bucking underneath his feet like a raging bull. Kaius blanched, struggling to keep his footing.


    It didn¡¯t stop him tapping into his glyph. Baleful orange showered the ground in burning light as two spell-hymns burned in quick succession.


    Thunder drowned out the irontusk¡¯s constant call, lightning lashing the beast once, then twice - as fast as he could move through the motion.


    The irontusk stayed steady, somehow unaffected by the shifting ground. Nor did it do much more than twitch in the face of his magical storm, even if he was sure that he had wrought havoc on its delicate internals.


    It dropped its head, levelling its tusks, and bucked.


    The metallic ivory of its natural weapons transmuted into spikes of true iron in an instant, lengthening into lethal spears.


    The beast''s tusks glinted in the sun as they lanced towards him. A third skill, right on the back of its ability that shook the earth - and another where he had seen no accompanying flare of mana.


    Kaius tried to dig his feet in, to twist his body and dive to the side. The ground dropped away, leaving him flailing.


    Backed by insensate fury and primal strength, the beast''s right tusk hit him in his armoured stomach. Enchanted scale screeched with fury. Steel gave way before iron, buckling.


    Lancing fire exploded through him, followed quickly by the creeping cold of shock as blood gushed from the ravaged channel of flesh and organs.


    Agony bloomed.


    Rapid Adaptation reacted quickly to the stenching presence of iron-aspected power, rejecting its presence and flaring with power as it sought to rebuff the assault.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has added a new Resistance: Iron Magic!**


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 23!**.


    ¡­


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 25!**.


    ¡°Thank the gods,¡± he thought, shoving the pain down as he kicked back to unimpale himself.


    Another resistance to aspected abilities, one that would toughen him against all such wounds in the future. The effect was slight beyond measure right now, but in the future it would grow into a significant boon.


    That was for later, though. Right now he still had a tooth in his gut.


    The irontusk heaved, ripping its head upwards before more than half a stride of its tusk had retracted from his chest.


    Kaius tried to gasp, failing as the wound left him floundering, unable to pull in air.


    The hook of the creature''s malevolent tooth snatched his rib. The bone held, and he left the ground as he was sent ragdolling through the air.


    Kaius whipped his head around as he tumbled, vision sharpening as he tracked his trajectory, every sight available to him in crystal clarity.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 30!**


    He watched his brother howl, incessant rage flooding the bond as he hit the undefended side of the irontusk in a windmill of tearing claws and slicing teeth. Kaius kept spinning, taking in the look of horror on Ianmus¡¯s face, so far from the front lines of the battle. Their latest companion had already reacted, a cloud of Solar magic condensing around his head as the man worked the raw potential of the energy.


    Health bloomed, igniting like a match in a grain mill as restorative energy tore through him. Flesh writhed, sealing blood vessels and reknitting skin and muscle alike. Between his growing Vitality and his Lesser Regeneration, the blow was little more than a flesh wound.


    He could have survived it half a year ago. Now, it would barely slow him.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 23!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 24!**


    The ground approached. Kaius kicked, gasping as he took another sweet breath and forced his body to twist.


    Landing in a crouch, he charged the irontusk, already fully focused on the ceaseless assault his brother laid against it. He watched its wounds, the way they writhed, sealing themselves.


    They had ravaged the beast continuously, and while it was still slowly flagging, it was regenerating enough that it was in no way weakened.


    He arrived, whirling his blade overhead to bring it down with his full body weight. A Father¡¯s Gift cut deep into its thigh, splitting hide and muscle alike. Spinning away from the cut, Kaius unleashed another Stormlash, quickly binding its chest before he jumped back from a retaliatory twitching stomp.


    Acrid and foul, the stench of melted flesh and burned hair filled the air.


    The irontusk bellowed, goring his brother with a rapid buck of its head as its curved teeth transmuted and lengthened once more. Between the two prongs of their assault, it was growing desperate.


    One tusk glanced off the thick jade plating on Porkchop¡¯s chest, but another found purchase, punching through the gaps in his armour.


    Porkchop coughed, blood foaming as the beast''s tusk punctured a lung.


    It didn¡¯t stop his brother in the slightest.


    He wrenched himself off of the tusk without a moment''s hesitation, ignoring the gush of his lifeblood soaking into the dirt and filling the air with the scent of iron. With his powerful healing skill, the bleed was already stemming. Diving back in, Porkchop plunged his claws into the beast¡¯s muzzle as it struggled to respond with its skill still in effect - the added length making its natural weapons cumbersome and unwieldy.


    Claws of green crystal were stained red in moments. Porkchop ripped, tearing the beast''s nose half free.


    Kaius didn¡¯t let the moment go to waste, flying into a flurry of blows as he hacked and hacked at the widening wound on the giant''s leg. He might have barely come half way up its thigh, but he had learnt one thing against the Guardian.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    A bigger beast was just a bigger target.


    Two more Stormlashes were interwoven into the sweeping blurs of his blade, Liturgical Bladeform guiding him through the rhythm of weaving his magic into his fighting style. The rhythm of steel and spell was coming to him, and while it was still a new dance, it was becoming more natural by the minute.


    Chopping once more, he felt his blade bite bone. Feral delight split his face as the leg collapsed, muscle too severed to fully support its weight.


    Squealing in panic, the irontusk flew into a fury. Relentless in its retaliation, it hammered Porkchop with the sides of its tusks before twisting as much as it was able to force him back.


    Kaius ducked, slipping under the arm-thick bar of greyish ivory that threatened to crush his ribs. It whistled overhead, wind blowing with its passing.


    Then, summer light bloomed, filling him and Porkchop both with the shining vitality of the sun.


    **Ding! You have been Healed - Solar Manipulation!**


    His health shot up. Not instantly, but a rise more prodigious than anything he could manage with the simple tonics they had used in the depths.


    Still, it had been a lengthy spell to cast - much had happened in the time since Ianmus had started to channel. The weakness of free casting, but its flexibility was proven in how Ianmus was able to adjust it to heal them both on the fly.


    Gasping at the radiant warmth that suffused him, Kaius twisted, and thrust. The point of his sword punched deep into the irontusk¡¯s neck that loomed above him. Blood spouted, coating his face in the sticky scent of victory.


    Squealing in fear and agony, the irontusk mustered its energy as mana flared in its chest once more. Kaius backed off, grass blurring beneath his feet as he retreated. A glance at his resources told him all he needed to know.


    Resources:


    Health - 1348/1520 (9.2/min)


    Stamina - 929/1220 (12.7/min)


    Mana - 776/1910 (13.3/min)


    Free Mana - 56/390


    Reserved Mana - 720


    Whatever came next, he could weather it.


    Yet it didn¡¯t turn to him. Thrashing its head back and forth, it smashed its tusks into Porkchop again and again, hammering his brother as it gathered mana. Kaius¡¯s eyes widened.


    Air cracked as brilliant light snapped into existence, scorching a line through the irontusk¡¯s throat, Ianmus¡¯s own attempt to ward off the coming attack. For a moment, there was nothing but a hole, the wound cauterised by the superheated light of the spell - then the sheer volume of blood overwhelmed the barrier of cooked meat, and blood gushed from the wound.


    The irontusk flinched. Every wound, no matter how small, brought it inexorably closer to the precipice of death. It was already uncomfortably close


    Porkchop growled, punishing the assault with lashing claws. Kaius dashed back in, driving his blade into the beast''s chest.


    A shuddering rattle echoed in its throat, and its blocky head dropped as mana surged. It kicked its head back, two spinning blades of iron slamming directly into Porkchop¡¯s chest and shoulder.


    Both hit jade. Crystal cracked, bleeding the force of the skill. One blade shattered, flinging razor shards out in an explosion of shrapnel, dowsing Porkchop in a dozen small cuts. The other wedged itself through his brother''s armour, stuck fast in his chest plate. A handspan of blade punched into his chest.


    The might of thunder heeded his call as he tapped into another Stormlash, crackling potency mirroring his growing rage. He drowned in the song now, the rhythmic tempo of his heart heightening his focus, amplified by the stinging pain and heady joy of battle that flooded across his bond.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 17!**


    Lightning descended like the hammer of a god, binding the beast''s neck to bubble its flesh and ravage its internals. Reverberant frequencies rushed through its body, every wound widening as blood vessels burst in an explosion of gore.


    More glowing orange embers poured from his hand, showering the grass beneath him as he ripped at more of his runic hymns - now was the time to end this fight, before Porkchop withstood more grievous wounds so that he didn¡¯t have to.


    Three more bolts joined the first, its body seizing as he fried it from the inside out as the acrid scent of burnt hair married with the bitter stench of over-seared meat. Victory would be his.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 18!**


    **Ding! Resonance Amplification has reached level 27!**


    Another cut on its chest was all he managed before it returned from its stunned haze, and bore down on him as the originator of its agony.


    Crying out, the irontusk threw its head sideways, an iron bar of a tooth careening straight for him. It was all he could do to grab his blade in both hands and throw his full weight into the inevitable collision.


    Enhanced steel cut deep into the iron-laced ivory, binding. It mattered little. Backed by a mountain of weight and a titan¡¯s strength, it was all he could do to hold onto his blade as it jumped in his hand. His offhand slipped, missing fingers weakening his grip before he went skidding backwards. Every muscle in his back and arms burned with strain as he forced himself to stay standing.


    **Ding! Tempered by Dissonance has reached level 28!**


    Kaius gave ground, trying to let the beast bring as little of its size and strength to bear in a direct contest of arms. It mattered nought. The irontusk took a step, then another, hammering his guard with repeated smashes.


    Yet, despite the terrifying onslaught, Kaius could do nothing but grin. It was flagging - weakening by the moment. At the start of the fight he would have stood no chance in the face of its mauling strikes - no chance of blocking its heavy blows. The fact he stood blade in hand, deflecting its strikes, said everything.


    A Sunbeam cracked through the air, burrowing into the beast''s eye once again. The beast ignored the wound, pushing on. It pulled back for another heave. Kaius moved, yanking on A Father¡¯s Gift to free his blade from the bind, twisting his wrists to lever it out.


    The irontusk bucked its head, lancing its tusks towards him. Empowered by Uncanny Dodge and Tempered By Dissonance, he dove under the lethal blow, pushing off the ground with his hand to spin into a roll with blurring speed as he contorted himself out of the way of a furious stomp.


    **Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 26!**


    Launching to his feet, he raced to his brother. Knowledge and intent streamed across their bond. Ignoring the blade still wedged into his chest, Porkchop let out a baleful growl and stretched out a paw.


    Kaius stepped up onto the offered limb and kicked off, his brother heaving to send him sailing through the air.


    He twisted, seeing the irontusk quickly turning to search for him. It didn¡¯t look up.


    Landing on its back, Kaius used the full momentum of his descent to drive his sword in between the ribs of its back, piercing the Lord of the Plain¡¯s lung. The stinging kick of the impact only heightened the visceral rush that coursed up his spine.


    It tried to buck, with its leg shattered and its life streaming from a dozen rents in its flesh, the irontusk¡¯s resistance was a pathetic thing.


    Oh gods, he had missed this. The smell of iron on the air, sticky blood coating his skin, the thumping of his heart, and the sheer certainty that he was alive. Effort alone would see them through this, effort alone would make them the victor.


    Undefeated ruler of the plains it may have been, but the irontusk had met its match. To it, they were the hardest challenge it had faced, having grown fat on green leaves and knowledge that nothing else met its size or level. To him, it was another step on his path to supremacy, and little else.


    A gasping wheeze rattled from its throat, bloody foam erupting from its mouth. He kicked off, ripping his blade free to land lightly on the ground.


    Then Porkchop dove in, tearing a chunk out of its throat. Blood fountained, drenching his brother for the few moments before the flow started to stem.


    Explorer¡¯s Toolkit twinged. An opening. One that could end the battle here and now.


    Kaius sprinted, pommel held tucked into the pit of his arm.


    Even with its flesh writhing as wounds were sealed, even with its monumental Endurance and stout body, the beast could not keep up with the overwhelming damage they were laying against it. Blood streamed from a dozen pits in its chest, torn free by digging claws stained a deep red.


    Boiled and seared flesh wept, belying a dozen more serious internal wounds.


    It was flagging. Kaius could taste its death on the wind, the subtle potency of victory. It would be theirs.


    Reacting on skill enhanced instinct, he readjusted his grip on his sword, holding it in his dominant. He approached his target. Kicking off the ground, he flew into a spin. Thrusting out his left hand, he tapped into the stored violence of his glyph.


    Lightning cocooned him, before cracking out to bind the irontusk once more. Blurring steel quickly followed, a flashing arc of silver poised directly to cut into its neck.


    He activated his vambrace. Kept charged by being forced to constantly defend from the beast¡¯s onslaught, he¡¯d been saving it for the right moment.


    Stored power took over. Fuelled by the might of dozens of blows, the fine edge of his blade hit the top of the irontusk¡¯s neck like a headsman''s axe. Hardened flesh parted like wheat, bone splintering like deadwood, and blood poured like raging falls.


    When the might of his enchantment was spent - exhausted in the effort of breaking the creature''s toughened spine - his weight took over. Honed steel severed the thick corded bundle hidden within its spine, and carved through half a stride of flesh beneath.


    Spine severed, it collapsed, head flopping to the side on a half a neck of unanchored flesh and gristle.


    The winds of death rattled from its exposed throat, a final exhalation as its vitality anointed him in the sweet red of victory.


    His feet touched the ground.


    **Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 27!**


    **Ding! level 49 Irontusk Vagrant slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 18!**


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


    ¡­


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 22!**


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


    **Ding! Class skill available for selection!**


    Kaius howled his victory to the air, his brother¡¯s roar mirroring his own.

 B2 Chapter 150: Acquisitions

    Kaius hooted in delight as he saw the notification that his next class skill was available for selection. It amplified the rush, the slowly retreating joy that he always felt as he proved himself the superior fighter and was rewarded for it.


    Unfortunately, he¡¯d have to wait a little before he checked what options he had available. There were more important things to deal with first. Like the blade that was still stuck in Porkchop¡¯s chest. A volatile construction of system-borne magic, it would fade with time - but it still had to hurt like hell.


    He turned, eyes sliding over the shredded and torn ground coated in the lifeblood of the irontusk to focus on Porkchop limping towards him. His jade armour vanished in a puff of aspected mana, revealing the handspan of iron that protruded roughly from his brother¡¯s chest. Red blood ran down its edge in slow rivulets, dripping from its point.


    ¡°Shit, buddy, that must hurt.¡± he winced in sympathy, racing to Porkchop¡¯s side.


    ¡°No? You think? I thought that was ticklish.¡± Porkchop deadpanned, his breathing shallow so as not to disturb the blade.


    Kaius rolled his eyes, slapping both palms on either flat edge of the hiltless weapon as he planted one foot on Porkchop¡¯s chest. He heaved back.


    Porkchop groaned as the blade came out slowly, blood momentarily gushing before his Health could heal the wound. Pulling it free was harder than Kaius expected, it must have gotten lodged in his brother¡¯s ribs.


    ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s much better.¡± Porkchop said with plain relief, rubbing the rent in his under-armour with one paw.


    Kaius saw the holes. Both from the skill, and the ragged circular punch that had been taken out due to getting gored by the irontusk. Without self-repair, they would stay until they were able to get the artefact inscribed with that enchantment, or took it to a leatherworking artisan with the right skills.


    Thankfully, due to some reason unknown to him, even if they added the enchantment after the damage, it would still repair. To a point; they¡¯d have to be careful on the rest of their trip.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve got your fancy armour now, but you should still at least try to avoid hits.¡± Kaius reproached. He hadn¡¯t missed that Porkchop had practically thrown himself at every blow he could.


    Porkchop had the sense to look abashed. ¡°I mean¡­ I guess, but its the only way I''m going to get my skill up.¡±


    Kaius shook his head. It was a reason, he supposed.


    He looked at the slain Irontusk, its head half removed. Somehow, it looked almost bigger than when it was living. Even limp and cooling, splayed out on the ground, it still had the height advantage on him. He almost couldn¡¯t believe they¡¯d really done it.


    ¡°You know, this is kind of the first fight where I¡¯m realising how much we¡¯ve grown. Sure, we decimated everything on our way here, but those fights all felt like something we could have managed while we were still in the depths. Even if only just.¡± Porkchop said, wandering over to his side.


    ¡°I know what you mean. If I''m honest, it still felt too easy.¡± Kaius murmured. It was one thing to know that they were far above their contemporaries, between his bondskill enhancing his base, his racial trait, Heroic class, and Honours. It was entirely another to slay a beast more than twice his level with relative ease, one that outweighed him a dozen times over at least.


    Still, the feat had brought its own rewards, even if it still felt weird that there would be no artefacts waiting for them after such a magnificent fight.


    ¡°I assume that you¡¯re ready to pick your next skill?¡± he asked, turning back to Porkchop.


    ¡°I am,¡± Porkchop replied. ¡°But perhaps we should deal with Ianmus first, he looks a little frantic.¡± his brother nodded behind him.


    Kaius turned, before letting out a chuckle as he saw the half-elf solar mage tearing his way across the plains, practically skipping in his haste as the saddle bags they had left with him thumped against his back. His eyes were wide, expression twisted as it was caught somewhere between shock and excitement.


    Seeing them looking, Ianmus thrust his staff in the air and let out a whoop of delight, running faster. A moment later he skidded to a halt in front of them, practically fizzing with delight.


    ¡°Holy gods, that was incredible! I have never seen anything like it! A beast twice out level¡­and you just fought it! I thought you would whittle it down, relying on your superior agility to hamper it as you slowly bled it of health, but nope! You just went right at its face! That was so fucking stupid, I love it!¡± The mage said, practically tripping over his words as they blurred together like he was physically incapable of keeping them in.


    ¡°Do you always fight like that?¡± Ianmus asked, taking a moment to breathe. ¡°I got two bloody levels, all the way to level twenty-nine! Just like that!¡±


    Kaius laughed, joined by his brother¡¯s throaty chuckle. ¡°Pretty much, though usually we¡¯re a bit more careful than that. We got a little¡­lost in the thrill of it, after so long without a good fight.¡±


    Ianmus nodded emphatically. ¡°I can see why, even halfway across the field I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest, and the heat! Never have I felt the Song so keenly.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll make a Delver of you yet.¡± Porkchop chuffed.


    Kaius smiled, before he crouched down and cleaned his blade on the grass at his feet, streaks of red smearing over the glossy green. A bit odd, considering he was soaked to the bone in blood, but he didn¡¯t want to gunk up his sheath.


    ¡°What about the two of you, did you reach your goal?¡± Ianmus asked.


    Kaius returned to his feet as he smoothly sheathed his sword. ¡°We did, shot all the way to twenty-two.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°And you haven¡¯t picked yet? What are you waiting for?¡± Ianmus asked, puzzled.


    Kaius snorted, as if the man hadn¡¯t sprinted towards them like an entire duchy was on his tail. ¡°Felt like it was better to wait for you to get here. Besides, I wanted to ask, this choosing won¡¯t take us back to the class selection space will it?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering the same thing actually, my guide mentioned that it was only for certain skills, but I was a little too caught up in the whole event to dig deeper.¡± Porkchop said, mirroring his interest.


    Ianmus looked at them surprised. Though, in some ways that made sense. The man was an academy mage, the opportunity to grill the system for as much information as he could had probably been as exciting as getting his class was.


    ¡°Most won''t, not unless it is a skill that requires some level of hands-on practice to learn safely. Usually that relates to spell skills, I assume it is similar for you Kaius?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°I thought so, it''s often the case for less research aligned magi classes. While you won¡¯t fall insensate, most skills will come with a system insight into their function. Depending on the complexity it will leave you quite distracted.¡±


    Kaius nodded, thankful for the explanation. He shot Porkchop a questioning gaze, even if they had just defeated the biggest beast around, it was still good practice to take turns. While he somewhat trusted Ianmus, he was far less confident in the man''s ability to defend them in the low likelihood they were ambushed.


    Porkchop nodded. ¡°You first, I don¡¯t mind waiting a few more minutes. Let me know if you need help working through anything.¡±


    Kaius gave his brother a smile of thanks, before he took a seat on the plush grass below. It might have still reeked of spilled blood, but they were far enough from the irontusk he was at no risk of sitting in a puddle


    ¡°In that case¡­¡±


    He pulled up the waiting notification.


    **Ding! Class skill available for selection!**


    Three skill screens popped into view, showing him the next step on his path.


    Echo Slash:


    Class Skill - Tier I


    Affinity: Martial, Mirror


    Type: Longsword, Technique, Strike


    Selection Available!


    Unique


    Blurring speed breeds echoes, breathe life into them and see your foes sundered.


    This skill allows the user to spend 200 stamina to create a blade echo that mirrors an attack, multiplying offensive capability.


    Each level reasonably raises the power of blade echoes.


    Each level moderately increases speed of both the initial strike and resultant blade echoes.


    Every 20 levels, increase blade echoes by 1.


    ¡­


    Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite:


    Class Skill - Tier I


    Affinity: Arcane, Martial


    Type: Glyph-binding, Runic, Armament Enhancement, Longsword


    Selection Available!


    Unique


    Glyphic mastery, bent to solidify the first and most primal bond, that between a man and his weapon. Feed the link, enshrine your blade in your centre, and let the truth of Vesryn bloom.


    This skill links the user with their bonded blade, passively increasing the potency of the weapon''s enchantments, as well as active abilities that directly interface with their weapon. This link allows the user to sense their blade from a distance. Due to a strengthened bond with the soul, enchantments can be drastically empowered for the cost of 100 stamina for a short period of time.


    Enables the user to reinforce their bonded weapon with relevant materials, effects of reinforcement vary depending on materials used.


    Each level reasonably increases the strength of active and passive empowerment of enchantments.


    Each level reasonably increases passive empowerment of abilities that utilise the bonded weapon.


    Each level slightly increases the time of active empowerment.


    ¡­


    Flowing Fortress:


    Class Skill - Tier I


    Affinity: Martial, Force


    Type: Longsword, Technique, Retributive, Defence


    Selection Available!


    Unique


    The man did nothing but block until they all dropped dead! I¡¯m tellin¡¯ ya, I ain¡¯t going anywhere near him.


    This skill allows the user to spend 100 stamina when blocking or parrying to create a cutting crescent of intangible force that slices at their foe, proportional in power to the defended attack.


    Each level significantly increases the strength of summoned force blades.


    Every 50 levels, increase the size of summoned force blades.


    Kaius whistled appreciatively, drinking in their effects. While it smarted that none of the skills were Heroic, he was at least pleased that neither were any Unusual. Unfortunately, it meant his decision would need to be made on merit, rather than relying on the simple supremacy of rarity.


    An attacking skill, a retributive defence, and something¡­stranger.


    Hard choices indeed.


    ¡°Well? What are your options?¡± Porkchop asked, almost as eager and curious as he was.


    Kaius subvocalized their descriptions. While he had no compunctions of sharing his build with Porkchop, he did not intend to do the same with Ianmus. The man was pleasant, and helpful, but one did not share the deep specifics of their status without a certain level of unshakeable trust.


    ¡°Hmmm. I like the sound of Echo Slash; past the first tier that will turn into a LOT of attacks.¡± Porkchop said.


    ¡°I know, but we can also expect it to get more costly as it rises through the tiers. Besides, there''s something about the Bladerite that calls to me. It''s the link I need with my sword to start its growth, even if we only have one material right now.¡± Kaius reasoned. He¡¯d been waiting for something like this, though he suspected that most blade related skills would eventually develop a linking capability as they rose through the tiers, especially as one accrued feats regarding the use of a growth weapon.


    Yet, why risk it, why wait, when he could start right now?


    ¡°Really? The active seems a little¡­ lacklustre. So your blade will get a bit sharper, so what?¡± Porkchop replied with apprehension.


    Kaius grinned, still staring at the description. ¡°That¡¯s only for now. Just think, not only will the skill gain more effects in later tiers, it will also scale with the development of A Father¡¯s Gift. I think it''s the right choice.¡±


    ¡°I still think Echo Slash sounds way cooler.¡± Porkchop mumbled.


    ¡°That may be so, but I still think this will be far better in the long term.¡± Kaius chuckled. ¡°Keep an eye out, I¡¯m going to pick.¡±


    He focused on his choice.


    **Ding! Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite Class Skill Available, would you like to proceed? This choice is pivotal and irrevocable.**

 B2 Chapter 151: Emblem

    Kaius gasped as he chose Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite, the system''s formless power slipping into the confines of his soul space. His soul shone resplendent in his mind''s eye, even while his physical ones stayed open, drinking in the green fields of the plains.


    With deific ease, the power that reigned above all weaved a new skill shard out of golden light. A second crystal, orbiting the fires of his soul in lockstep with his first.


    It was just as aggressive - as prone to battle - as Drakthar, but there were differences. Where his first skill revelled in the heart pumping brutality of the fight, his newest skill was¡­different. Controlled.


    It enshrined the honour and mastery that could only be seen in a contest between two equals, one where the very prize was life. It venerated the bond between man and blade. Without man, the blade was aimless. Without blade, the man was defenceless. Together they wrought art, whirling steel painting the canvas of the world with blood and victory.


    The system bore down, and his skill finalised. As it did, Kaius¡¯s mind throbbed. Information streamed into him, temples pulsing as the system forced knowledge upon him.


    With it came understanding. He knew then what the skill represented, that he had made the right choice. This was just simply the beginning. The foundations of a partnership that would see him through until he reached the pinnacle, or breathed his last.


    Two glyphs, one on the palm of his hand and one on the blade of his sword. Wrought from soulfire, they would be inured against mundane destruction. Burnt into the very fundamentals of their being, they would be inexorably linked, permanently deepening the soul bond that already existed.


    It would not be easy. The glyphs that now shone in his mind were complex, and densely wrought. He would need time to weave them, hours at least.  Thankfully, mana would be used as a vehicle, so he would still be able to use Tonal Weaving.


    In trade, the Bladerite was more potent than he would have thought. Overcharging the enchantments on A Father¡¯s Gift looked like it would be effective indeed, even if it currently only had minor sharpness enchantments. Its true capabilities would come to bear as his sword grew, just as he had hoped.


    Letting out a slow breath, Kaius mopped at the sweat on his brow before he looked over to Porkchop, who was watching him with curiosity.


    ¡°Well? What¡¯s it like?¡± his brother asked.


    Kaius chuckled slightly. ¡°I made the right choice, but I will need to forge the glyphs that will bind me to the blade myself. I can do it - the system was thorough - but the work will be delicate to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Delicate as in ¡®blow your hand up¡¯ delicate?¡± Porkchop asked, narrowing his eyes accusatively.


    Kaius laughed. ¡°No, not from what I can tell. The glyphs that I have been receiving seem remarkably more stable than my original working. They just dissipate, from what I can tell. Still, I will likely need a few hours. I¡¯ll do it when we set up camp for the evening.¡±


    Porkchop nodded, before requesting that he watch over him while he surveyed his own choices. Watching his brother focus on his notifications, Kaius stretched and pushed himself to his feet.


    Rolling his shoulder, he turned. Ianmus was waiting, patiently standing to the side while he finished his work.


    ¡°Sorry about that, I appreciate that right after a battle isn¡¯t the most convenient time for us to pick our skills.¡± he said, scratching his head before grimacing at the blood that matted his hair.


    Ianmus stifled a laugh at his reaction, politely saying nothing of his gorey state. ¡°Think nothing of it. Skill selection is an exciting time, and I would not be one to stand in the way of development.¡± the half-elf paused, before looking at him curiously. ¡°Did you get anything good?¡±


    Kaius nodded emphatically, his satisfaction plain on his face. ¡°Oh yes, though somewhat annoyingly it will need a bit of setup first. I¡¯ll have to work on it when we make camp.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an odd thing, this style you have discovered. I haven¡¯t seen anything quite like it. Normally only artisan classes have some sort of set up beforehand.¡± Ianmus asked with interest.


    ¡°Ehh, it¡¯s not too different from what a free caster has to deal with, just front loaded.¡± Kaius waved the man off, before turning as his brother chuffed.


    He found Porkchop staring at him excitedly, his claws digging deep into the soft soil at his feet.


    ¡°Need any help? Or did you find something you want.¡± Kaius asked.


    Porkchop shook his head. ¡°I already picked. An offensive and control ability.¡± he explained.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius replied, switching to talking through their bond. ¡°What was it?¡±


    ¡°Prismatic Shardwall, A Unique just like yours. It summons a jagged wall of crystal that I can then slam towards me, or away from me. A stamina skill too, which is rare for something like this.¡± Porkchop replied, his ears flicking with excitement.


    ¡°Towards you? How does that help?¡± Kaius asked with a frown.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    His brother grinned at him in response. ¡°What will happen when there is a monster between the wall and me?¡±


    Eyes widening in shock, Kaius¡¯s mind raced. Oh, that was devilish. With Porkchop being all but a steel barrier himself, the skill would crush them. Especially depending on how fast it moved. He could see how careful use of the skill would be useful indeed, especially if used to pull enemies around the battlefield, or draw them in, leaving them off balance and vulnerable.


    A clap startled him out of his thoughts. Kaius turned to find Ianmus watching both of them expectantly. ¡°Right. Since you are both done, should we head to that stream over there by that copse?¡± the magi said, pointing over to a small grouping of trees that were nestled at the base of a short rise a good quarter-league off to their right.


    Kaius stared quizzically in the direction Ianmus pointed, his eyebrows scrunched. He¡¯d seen the trees, but had completely missed the stream. Maybe the magi was mistaken? He would have noticed with True Sight.


    Ianmus rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, there is a stream. Unlike the two of you I wasn¡¯t staring at the irontusk like it knew the solution to the Izmak theorem the entire walk over. Now come on, you both reek.¡± he said, answering Kaius¡¯s unspoken question, before starting to walk in the direction of the copse.


    Porkchop snorted, lumbering to his feet with a chuckle before he set off after their companion. ¡°He¡¯s got us there. We did get a little¡­fixated, probably something we should work on. A wash does sound good though. I hate feeling sticky.¡±


    Kaius shrugged to himself. Maybe he had missed the stream. That was embarrassing. Only a little though, it was hard for him to feel anything other than pleased at their victory now that he had another skill to try out. As soon as they washed and got a few leagues closer to Deadacre that is, no point burning daylight when he could get it set up when they made camp. Besides, Ianmus was right. He could do with a little less blood gumming up the joints of his armour.


    Paling a little at the thick scent of stale blood and sweat, Kaius recoiled from the stench emanating from his armour. He did reek.


    Jogging after his traveling companions, Kaius raced forwards to the pair who were  now strolling beside each other.


    ¡­


    Staring into the low flames of their campfire, Kaius watched the way each tongue flicked back and forth.


    Porkchop rested behind Kaius, head nestled on his paws as his warm bulk supported his brother¡¯s back.


    Their companion, Ianmus, had fallen asleep a good half an hour or so ago. Practically as soon as they had eaten.


    It had quickly become clear that the academian mage was quite the stranger to hard travel. Oh, he hid it well, pushing through with nary a grimace or complaint. It was still obvious to him. His whole life had been hard travel, and it was easy to pick up on the little nuances.


    The way the man winced as he took off his boots at the end of the day, even if Health and Stamina would easily deal with such mundane maladies. The way he watched his cooking with naked avarice, as if he was still unable to believe such creature comforts were truly available. Mostly though, it was the way that Ianmus fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit his bedroll.


    He knew the man was combat trained, that much was clear, but there was something wearying about cross country travel that went deeper than stats and resources. It ground down at you, polished your resolve. It led to the kind of sleep that was difficult to wake from, to the point that he and Porkchop had taken to spending extra long on breakfasts just to give the man an extra hour.


    That, and it was hard to turn down an excuse for a fried breakfast. Especially when they had a spatial bloody bag that kept them full of fresh supplies. No doubt Ianmus had noticed something odd, but the man was wise enough to not question the source of fresh cheese and eggs.


    Still, Ianmus¡¯s heavy sleep was a nice benefit right now. It meant he could work on his latest glyph in peace. It was surprising to find out that they extended beyond anchoring spell-hymns to the body, but he supposed he shouldn¡¯t be too shocked. Free casting and sorcery both had niche skills and effects that fell under their ¡®umbrella¡¯ so it made sense that the third pillar had the same.


    Kaius leaned back into his brother, staring at the stars above. It gladdened him, to see the same twinkling lights above him as he did in the sea. A little slice of home, that would be with him no matter where he traveled. Regardless if it was in an open field, or a city overflowing with too many people by half, there would always be a familiar sky waiting for him when the sun dipped over the horizon.


    He sighed.


    ¡°Musing again?¡± Porkchop asked, leaning into him with a soft rumble.


    Kaius smiled, still watching the stars above. ¡°Only a little. It¡¯s just odd, to think that what me and my father spent years on only ended up scratching the surface of an entire art. There¡¯s so much to learn, and even what I receive from the system I barely understand on a true level. More like I am copying them by rote, you know?¡±


    Porkchop nosed him affectionately. ¡°Isn¡¯t that exciting? It means there is more to conquer, and more to discover. Even if you don¡¯t understand the basic principles right now, it doesn¡¯t mean you never will. You have a skill that will help, you just need to study them. That, and perhaps get some help from someone else who wishes to learn more.¡± his brother finished, looking pointedly at Ianmus.


    Kaius smiled. ¡°Maybe, it''s a little early to jump to that right now. Perhaps if the man doesn¡¯t run off to the Dukedoms as soon as we get to Deadacre, and there are deeper bonds of true friendship between us, if that ever happens. Still, you are right on the studying front. I¡¯ll need to start that when we get some more permanent accommodations in the city. For now though, I should get these glyphs made.¡±


    Acceptance flowed across their bond as Porkchop switched his attention to keeping watch. Smiling at his brother in thanks, Kaius reached down next to him for where his sword lay waiting.


    Drawing the blade, he watched the flickering orange light of the fire glimmer on its surface, before he lay it flat across his lap.


    It was a beautiful gift, one he had treasured even before he knew of its true value. A shimmering steel blade, waves of darker grey playing across the metal revealing the quality of the artifice that had gone into its creation. Four runes alighted the centre of its length, nestled neatly in the furrow, while its sturdy crossguard and handle was decorated with intricately wrought filigree of life-like flowered vines that he had no name for.


    He would be adding to the work, emblazoning a glyph at the base of the blade, similar to where one might find a maker''s mark.


    The skill was an interesting one. While it was a complete glyph, and the system had ingrained him with all the instruction he needed to complete the formation flawlessly, it was almost incomplete. The very act of linking his blade to his body and soul would¡­change it. Or something similar, he wasn¡¯t quite certain, only that the final shape of the glyph would be personalised.


    An emblem, representing his very person.


    Kaius couldn¡¯t wait to see what it looked like.

 B2 Chapter 152: Emblem finale

    Kaius laid his hands on the flat of the blade, feeling the cold chill of the inscribed steel. Breathing deep, he emptied his mind, allowing himself to come to a slow calm.


    In tune with his senses, he felt the world.


    Chill steel, the weight of his armour pressing on the familiar softness of his travelling clothes. The sturdy support of his brother against his back, the caressing warmth of a summer¡¯s night wind, the low crackle-pop of the fire, the grit of the dirt worming its way between his pants and boots. All of it.


    One by one, he noted the distractions, and one by one he let them free to drift across his mind.


    He centred himself, and his heart slowed.


    Ready as he ever would be, Kaius let his eyes fall shut and he drifted into his internal world. Fresh from his experience earlier in the day, immortalised like it had been carved from adamant by the system¡¯s will, the shape of his latest glyph came to mind.


    Both ends of the link were identical, but he knew that he had to start with the one on his body. It was an anchor, and the waypoint his sword would use to connect to him more fully. The conduit through which it would bind itself to his ascension, empowered in lockstep with his own growth.


    Soul-bonded items were rare things, only whispered about in rumours and legends, but he knew more now. The system had granted context along with its glyph. Material infusion might have been the way A Father¡¯s Gift would increase in rarity, enabled by his glyph to improve both its enchantments and its construction, but it was the link itself that would lead to more fundamental growth.


    Once bound, truly bound, on a level far more fundamental than the base connection they already had, it would climb through the tiers of power in unison with him. Evolving to new heights in conjunction with his class.


    Thank the gods he had gotten the skill so early, he would have hated to think of the loss if he had waited for some other skill to evolve a linking functionality.


    Another slow breath quelled the musings in his mind, and he focussed on bringing the shape of the Bladerite to the forefront.


    Much like Drakthar it was imposing in its complexity, a three dimensional knot of sacred geometry and half understood formations. Unlike his first glyph, its shape and essence was far less brutal.


    Where Drakthar was all sharp points and cutting edges, the Bladerite was flowing movement made of smooth curves. It drew the eye to its angles, sweeping the gaze with increasing speed before it would bank into a hairpin turn, morphing into acute lines that would cut across the whole working.


    If he was honest with himself, he understood sweet fuck-all of how it worked, beyond being able to vaguely identify four separate arrays. One in the centre, with three others overlapping and subsuming it.


    Still, it was a gorgeous piece of runic work, one that called to mind the flowing grace of swordwork, and the beauty that could be seen in an immaculately executed sequence of moves. Speed in consistency and measured control.


    Thankfully, he did not need to understand the fundamentals of how the glyph worked to trust that it would. The system was many things, but it was not deceitful. That, and he knew he would have the skill¡¯s own aide in its construction.


    Sharpening his mind''s eye, he pulled the glyph into focus, until it hovered in the black with as much clarity as if it had been lovingly sculpted from silver wire. Still, with how mind-bendingly complex the working was, it was easy for individual parts of the image to fall out of focus, blurring as he lost track of the individual details in the mash of geometry.


    Slowly, patiently, he retrained his mind on the problem areas. Sharpening the image over and over, until the glyph held steady in his mind. For anything else, it would have been agonising having to rework the same sections again and again.


    Thankfully, the Bladerite was a thing of sublime beauty, and he had no problem spending time lavishing every hairsbreadth of its length with his attention.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 31!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 33!**


    Finally, he was ready. Kaius started to weave.


    With the new grasp that Tonal Weaving gave him over his internal mana supplies, it was easy for him to grip his mana pool, threading a string of power out into his body. Infusing that power with the essence of his soul was far more complex. His skill helped somewhat, as did his experience with soul-fire during the merging of his legacy skills, but it was not perfect.


    Kaius stayed calm, taking his time. There was no scream, no psychic dissonance to power through. Just him, his image, and his will. He could do this.


    Radiant power suffused his mana as a branch of soulfire connected to his pool. He continued his work, worming a thin thread of mana down his arm, to gather it in the palm of his right hand.


    Hairsbreadth by agonising hairsbreadth, he wove the thread around his natural mana pathways, snapping it into place as he formed his Bladerite. Sweat beaded on his brow, his forehead furrowing in concentration. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The glyph came together. It was an interesting thing. Even with its beauty, and his own lacking comprehension, it was easy for him to see it was¡­incomplete. Too much empty space, odd lines that ended nowhere, and linking sentences of runes that failed to connect.


    With a final gasp, he wove the last line, and the first half of his Bladerite snapped into place. Linked to his soul, it pulsed with energy, searing his palm with a blinding heat.


    **Ding! Tonal Weaving has reached level 27!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Tonal Weaving has reached level 29!**


    Groaning as softly as he could, Kaius bit his lip until he tasted blood in an effort to stifle a scream that would wake Ianmus. It would have been fantastic if he could have hidden away in their tent, but they¡¯d decided to keep that in reserve. Afterall, an unknown ability to shelter in plain sight was no small advantage.


    Something cold and wet prodded his cheek. Porkchop, checking in on him in concern.


    ¡°You okay? That felt like it hurt.¡± his brother asked, soft green-flecked-gold eyes glistening in the firelight.


    Kaius breathed. ¡°Yeah. Stung like a bitch, but I expected that. The first bit¡¯s done.¡± he replied, lifting his palm to inspect his work. New black markings stretched across his palm from edge to edge.


    Unlike the full work that he had pictured in his mind''s eye, the new inscription on his skin was flattened, missing details. Still beautiful, but the full depths of its magnitude hidden in his flesh and mana.


    Waggling his fingers to reassure himself the pain was gone, he lay his palm flat over his blade. Right where its twin was destined to sit.


    Diving back into his work, he pushed his awareness of his brother''s attention out of his mind. Thankfully, despite the pain, he had managed to keep his grip on the soul infused mana thread that sat in his arm.


    Without the need to repeat that step, he searched his inner space for his existing connection to A Father¡¯s Gift. It was a subtle and small thing, guided by the greatly reduced version of their link that had been forged by a simple enchantment.


    Yet, despite its fragile weakness, it was still a binding. Still a present force he could quest for. He knew himself intimately, and it came to him quickly, the hardened edges and flexible rigidity of his sword drifting across his senses like a forgotten limb. A curious sensation, to have such an awareness of a sword.


    Somehow, despite the alien nature of the link, it still felt familiar. Somehow, he knew that he had been leaning on it for a long time, pulling on the bond in the heat of battle to align himself with a true awareness of the location and space of his blade, a proprioception that heightened his blade-arts.


    Still, regardless of how he had felt and used his bond with the blade subconsciously in the past, he had never felt it as keenly as he had in this moment.


    It was time.


    Grabbing hold of the mana thread with his will, he threaded it across his connection with A Father¡¯s Gift. Without the infusion of his soul it would have been impossible, or so the knowledge gifted to him by the system said.


    Even with the link it was difficult, fighting him every step of the way


    He mustered his will; gritting his teeth as he held onto the thread of power that threatened to dissolve into ash at any moment. Somehow, someway, it held. Exiting his body, his mana moved through some¡­fourth space he had no name for. Almost similar to when he had appeared before Ekum the Pale.


    The impossible geometry of it all was nearly enough to make him lose his grip, but he held, turning his mind away from the left-down-acrosswards direction his mana moved.


    Then, it hit his blade. The sacred purity of steel cradled his power, holding it steady as his sword assisted him like the stalwart companion it was.


    With the essence of his very being enshrined in his blade, he could feel¡­something. A nascent seed, waiting. Ready to bloom, if just given sun, water, and time. Understanding rose within him. The Bladerite would nurture this seed, and their tied ascension would nourish it, but what it would really need was familiarity and the vital water of his enemies to sprout in truth.


    A smile tugged at his lips, joy welling within him despite his focus. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what it would become.


    Another breath steadied him, and bit by bit he wove a twinned glyph on his blade, matching the one on his palm.


    It was smaller, just large enough to cover the fuller of his blade starting a thumbwidth above its hilt. That only made weaving the glyph all the more complex, every twisting curve and fine line requiring an even defter touch than what he had done on his palm.


    Worse, the internal structure of his blade was far different from the flesh of his body and the natural whorls of the mana that suffused him. Oh, it conducted and held his thread of power just fine, but the specifics were radically different. Where he expected to have to force the thread, it flowed with the utmost ease, forcing him to reign in his will before he overshot a line or ruined an angle. Where he expected his mana to conduct, it stuttered, forcing him to bear down with the entirety of his being to keep the formation stable when he encountered surprising resistance.


    His progress slowed to a crawl, but bit by bit the Bladerite came together.


    Until finally it was done.


    The glyph on his blade snapped into place. Kaius barely had a moment to breathe before his soul bloomed, the fires of self raging into a torrent. Power surged, widening the tenuous link he held with his blade.


    A Father¡¯s Gift came into new focus; he became as aware of it as he was of his own hand. Though he heard no mundane sound, his blade seemed to cry with the most primal of delights. Such was its exuberance that he half expected it to quake in joy and bounce off his legs.


    As power suffused both of his glyphs, they started to change. Morphing. No longer an abstract representation of the link between man and blade, they became a sigil. One that represented his union. Sacred fire burned his flesh, lines warping as they shifted with impunity.


    His throat spasmed, tendons raging against his skin as he clenched his jaw in a desperate attempt to stop a scream. Air hissed out, noise drowned in the thudding rush of blood in his ears.


    Then, as fast as it started, it was over.


    A wave of weakness washed over him, and Kaius fell limp, flopping against the sturdy warmth of his brother¡¯s side. Porkchop curled around him, holding him steady, but saying nothing. Lolling his head back, Kaius stared upwards at the twinkling tapestry of the night sky.


    Unbound once more from the iron claws of his will, an idle thought drifted across his mind as he took in their milky radiance. It was beautiful to be under the stars once more.


    As his breathing slowed he brought his hand up, taking in the new shape of the Bladerite glyph. His personal sigil.


    A blade, hanging beneath a sun. Ready to cut.

 B2 Chapter 153: Absorption

    Kaius breathed deep, clenching his fist and concealing the new sigil that was splayed across his palm. Sitting up from his brother''s side, he grasped A Father¡¯s Gift by the hilt and lifted it up. Firelight danced across its surface, shimmering like oil across the waves of darkened metal that were impressed into the steel.


    It was a strange sense, the one he had of his blade. Almost similar to his bond with Porkchop, but different in nature. Afterall, his blade was no living thing. Still, he could feel the link empowering the blade. If it had been sharp and durable before, now he could tell it would be sharp enough to shave with.


    Reaching out with a finger he brushed it against the edge. A feather touch, barely a whisper, but still enough that a thin line of red welled for a moment before his healing wiped away the small cut.


    If it was stronger now, what would happen when he actively used the skill and flooded his connection with empowering Stamina? Unfortunately, his testing would have to wait. No reason to wake Ianmus by hacking at logs.


    Prodding at the link with his will, he felt something else. An eagre readiness to grow, one that hungered for more. An instinct was there, how he could feed his blade and encourage its development. The Spent Forgeheart!


    Kaius¡¯s eyes whipped over to the saddlebags. Restraining himself was an effort of will, but he slowly lay his blade on the grass in front of him, before he crawled towards their belongings.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Porkchop asked, looking up from the fire to watch him with curiosity.


    ¡°Grabbing that material we got from the Guardian. I want to see if A Father¡¯s Gift can absorb it now that there is a link.¡± Kaius pushed along their bond as he reached their bags. Sneaking a hand under the flap, he connected with the spatial box held within, withdrawing his prize.


    A fist sized rock appeared in his hand, glossy and covered in jagged edges. It was warm, like it had been resting a few strides from an open fire. As he pulled it out, the strange glass hunk lit up his surroundings.


    It was a soft light, almost invisible in the day, but under the cover of the stars it glowed with the fadinging luminance of a guttering candle.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes flicked over to Ianmus. Seeing the elf still deep in his slumber he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back to his blade.


    ¡°What if using it wakes him?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius shrugged. In the end, it would be better if the elf figured out a new secret than to have the nature of his weapon revealed while they stayed in Deadacre. After everything, the magi was likely to at least acquiesce if they said it was something they didn¡¯t want to share. If the process did let off some signal, an overzealous artificer or mage might not be so generous.


    Sitting in front of his sword once more, a keening desire started to emanate from the link he now felt with the blade. A want for the hunk of glass he held in his hand. No, something baser than a want, something without emotion or assigned value.


    Acting on instinct, Kaius pressed the Spent Forgeheart to the sigil that now adorned the flat of his blade just above its hilt.


    **Ding! Material appropriate for A Father¡¯s Gift detected! Facilitate absorption?**


    The words of the system rung clear, revealing themselves to him in his mind''s eye. He accepted the prompt.


    Immediately the pull on the Forgeheart intensified. Yanking itself from his grasp, it sealed itself to his sigil with a soft tink. Kaius looked up, gladdened to see the noise hadn¡¯t roused Ianmus.


    Snapping back to his blade, he watched the soft glowing obsidian start to melt. Fine drips of glossy black emitted a soft orange light, sinking into the shallow engravings of the glyph beneath it. There was no mana, no pulse of light, and no clap of thunder. Just the slow drip of glass, and the ravenous hunger that pulsed from his sword in waves.


    Fully liquified, the Forgeheart started to flow like treacle, shimmering its way up the fuller that marked its centre. Glossy black covered runes and steel alike, sealing itself tightly to the metal in a thin film.


    Desire intensified, and the soft rhythmic pulse of orange from within the glass started to increase its tempo, flashing faster and faster. Then the suction started, and before his very eyes Kaius watched his blade drink the fluid.


    Solid steel absorbed molten glass with agonising slowness as he watched on enraptured.


    Just as his blade had almost fully absorbed the Forgeheart, liquid black began to bleed from the edge of his sword. Collecting like morning dew, at first there were only a few droplets, but as more were excreted they merged together to form an unbroken coat that stretched just barely less than a fingertip into the body of the blade.


    That wasn¡¯t all. Glossy black welled up from his pommel too, morphing with pulsing change as the filgreed block of steel formed a disc of black on both sides of its coin-like figure.


    The thin layer of black that covered the fuller, edge, and pommel of his sword let out a low hiss and started to boil. Kaius jumped, half expecting a searing heat to burn his legs where the sword lay flat, only for nothing of the sort to happen.


    He looked over to his brother with wild eyes, only to find Porkchop staring at the blade with the same impassioned intensity that he had been.


    Minute by minute, the black boiled away, absorbed fully by his sword.


    What was left in its place filled him with awe. Everywhere the liquid Forgeheart had touched had been transformed, wave patterned steel transfigured into a solid black crystal. The edges tapered to a point so fine he could see through the material, barely able to make out the subtle jagged edge his blade now had. Almost like it had been knapped.


    Yet there was none of the jagged lack of refinement of a primitive tool. Where the edge transitioned into the body of the blade, as well as the fuller and orb of black crystal that sat embedded in his pommel, it was perfectly smooth - like a polished and rounded gem. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Light gleamed off the surface, shining resplendent in the soft light of the fire. He lifted the blade up to get a better look, and suppressed a gasp as the firelight shone through his fuller in a smokey grey.


    It revealed his glyph, and the runic enchantments. They soaked up the light, shining suspended in glass with the same pulsing orange light that had once lived within the Spent Forgeheart.


    With the transformation complete, Kaius felt only a faint whisper of ¡­fullness come across his link with his weapon. It seemed even if another material was already in his possession, he would have had to wait for the changes to settle before adding more.


    Similarly, he could simply tell that the blade had improved. Sharper, tougher, and more penetrating. Yet, there was a glimmer that this was but a hint of potential barely revealed, that the changes were only skin deep. Most of the energy seemed to have been squirrelled away, saved for some greater purpose. Only when he had provided the rest of what it needed would its transformation be complete.


    The familiar ding of a system notification sounded in his mind.


    ¡°Well. That was more dramatic than I expected.¡± Porkchop said plainly, still watching his sword in curiosity.


    Kaius snickered, doing his best to keep quiet. ¡°You can say that again. I¡¯ve got to check some notifications.¡± he replied, and then opened the waiting communication from the system.


    **Ding! Growth Weapon - A Father¡¯s Gift has absorbed Spent Forgeheart! Absorb two more suitable materials to complete the upgrade!**


    Kaius frowned as he read the notification that told him exactly nothing other than what had been blatantly obvious. Hopefully whatever changes had been wrought would be visible on the blade''s description.


    Channeling his True Sight, he focused on his sword.


    A Father¡¯s Gift:


    Common - Tier I


    Forged in the dying days of Unterstern. Quenched in the fading light of prosperity. The final work of a master. Birthright of the last Scion.


    A two-handed longsword, forged from meteoric iron, orichalum, and Deep Essence, this sword hides a sliver of morphic Craexia crystal in its hilt. If the right conditions are met, this shard of potential may bloom. The complex network of a binding ritual is hidden under its hilt wrap. A core of crystal formed from a Spent Forgeheart now threads the blade, honing its edge even further.


    Artisan-wrought Artefact


    Growth Item


    Materials needed for advancement: 2


    Bound & Linked


    Longsword


    Honed II, Self Repair I, Durability II, Bloodline Veil V


    Kaius pondered the description, surprised to see such minimal changes despite the rather drastic difference in his blade''s appearance. He hoped that whatever changes his sword¡¯s eventual transformation would bring would be significant. As it stood, the blade was only a Common. Apprehension gnawed at him as he thought of his rate of growth. He was loathe to think of it, but unless he could acquire more materials quickly there would come a point where he would outstrip its usefulness.


    Thankfully, beyond the simple effects listed on the description, A Father¡¯s Gift was durable as hell. If all it took was a few more Guardians, he was sure it would hold up well enough.


    There was something odd about growth weapons, that was for sure. It already had been butting up on the limits of what he knew to be possible for a Common item, and it was almost inconceivable for it to still be that rarity with another rank of Honed and Durability both.


    Unfortunately, there was no expert on growth weapons around. Even if there was, he didn''t have the power to keep his blade protected. Kaius sighed, leaning back into Porkchop as he sheathed his blade and rested it on the ground beside him.


    ¡°Anything big?¡± Porkchop asked him with curiosity.


    ¡°An extra rank to a couple of basic enchantments, but there''s something odd about it. The blade seems¡­tougher than it was, and it feels like most of the energy from the material was stored for later. Which makes sense, but I just wish the whole thing was less opaque.¡± Kaius grumbled, reaching over to scratch Porkchop behind the ear as he stared into the fire.


    More annoying was that with the visible change, they would have to avoid any decent fights until they reached the city. Otherwise it would be too obvious to Ianmus that something was off about his sword.


    He paused, thinking of the coming days. Thankfully, after all their travel, they were getting remarkably close to Deadacre. As best he could tell, from his memories and the prompting of Explorer¡¯s Toolkit, they were at most a few days off from their destination.


    He expected to find the city changed. With the awakening of beasts and the growing danger of the wilds, plenty of people would be flocking to the city. It was no metropolis by any means, but it had solid walls and was the biggest population centre of the region. All sorts of surrounding villages and farmers must have fled to its perceived safety.


    That meant guards, ones that most likely had some sort of identify skill. Nothing that would reveal anything damaging, but almost certainly one that would show his class tag, and that Porkchop was a greater beast.


    A troubling problem. While a simple class tag would be easy enough to explain away, after all there were plenty of lesser known class types that it would only be obviously off to someone with significant learning on the subject, Porkchop would be much more of an issue.


    ¡°We need to think of some way to get you into the city.¡± Kaius said, after explaining their problem.


    While he might have been comfortable with revealing Porkchop¡¯s nature within Three Fields, elsewhere was a different matter. Greater beasts rarely interacted with higher races, and those that did were usually mature and powerful. Porkchop¡¯s nature would bring far more attention than they were ready for until they had the power to defend themselves.


    Porkchop fell silent, musing on the issue before he looked over to the sleeping form of their resident mage.


    ¡°Are there items that would hide that effectively? That I am a greater beast?¡± He asked after a moment.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°There should be from what I''ve heard, at least if that is all we try to hide. They would be expensive though, and we would need to get into the city first before we could get access to one. That, and I doubt anything we could get here would be useful against the higher level defenders of larger cities.¡±


    Pausing for a moment in thought, Porkchop eventually turned and looked at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t I wait an hour or two out from the city with Ianmus? Then you could go in and collect what we need. With our bond, we should surely still be able to at least send impressions from such a distance.¡±


    Kaius thought on the idea, scratching his chin. It wasn¡¯t bad. Even if he was loath to leave Porkchop behind, it wasn¡¯t like they had any other solution.


    ¡°I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask, though let''s leave it till we are walking tomorrow.¡± Kaius replied, before a yawn snuck up on him and his creeping fatigue made its presence known. ¡°Anyway, it''s late. We should sleep.¡±


    Porkchop rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± he replied, though he put his head down onto his paws all the same.


    Smiling at his brother¡¯s antics, Kaius pulled over his travel blanket and draped it over himself, before he lay down next to Porkchop. With the soothing warmth of the fire on one side, and the steady rise and fall of his brother''s chest on the other, he was out in seconds.

 B2 Chapter 154: Mask

    Waking early the next morning with the rising sun, Kaius had set about breaking the fast of their little troupe with a hearty meal of fried potatoes and bacon. Despite everything that had happened, he could see the appeal that artisan classes held to many. In another life, being a cook might have been his calling, what with how gratified he felt when he saw the looks of appreciation on his party member¡¯s faces as they ate their breakfast.


    They set off shortly after, making their way further towards Deadacre. At first, Kaius was worried that Ianmus would notice the quail egg-sized gem that sat in the pommel of his blade. With his sharp eyes, he was sure the man would notice the difference. Yet, if he had, Ianmus gave no sign.


    That, at least, was something.


    They walked across rolling fields, skirting around shallow hills and fording thin streams as the sun beamed down on them from above. It was a warm heat, filled with the brilliance of the mid-summer sun. Thankfully, there were just enough clouds to prevent it from growing stifling, while few enough in number that it could in no way be called gloomy.


    More than once they diverted their way around the occasional copse of trees that studded the plains and served as shelter to the wild¡¯s primal denizens, or redirected when they spotted some herd of beasts. Ianmus gave them odd looks for that. Understandable after so many days of them throwing themselves into fights at the first opportunity.


    Yet, even if it was mildly suspicious, it was far easier to explain away than waving around a crystalline sword that had been plain metal the night before.


    Sitting astride Porkchop¡¯s back, Kaius looked over to their half-elf companion. The man kept pace with them comfortably. For all he seemed unused to the rigours of long-distance travel, the man was no slouch.


    He just hoped that he wouldn¡¯t be in too much of a rush to sequester himself inside the safety of a city''s walls.


    ¡°Just get it over with and ask him, Kaius.¡± Porkchop said with a soft snort, startling him.


    Kaius rolled his eyes. He hadn¡¯t been hemming and hawing that much, it was just a big ask. Still, his brother had the right of it. There was no point waiting.


    ¡°Ianmus,¡± he called out, causing the mage to look in his direction with a questioning look on his face. ¡°I have a request, if you are amenable to it.¡±


    The man cocked his brow at him. ¡°Oh, and what would my mighty saviour like to ask of this humble academic.¡± Ianmus teased, after so many days in each other''s company he¡¯d begun to relax, revealing a subtle and quick wit.


    Kaius chuckled, before he quickly explained their problem - how having Porkchop revealed as a greater beast would cause a hullabaloo they would rather avoid.


    ¡°Which is why I was hoping you would be willing to stay with Porkchop an hour or two outside of the city, while I go see if I can purchase an artefact that will shift his status.¡± he finished, watching the half-elf¡¯s face closely for any sign of dissatisfaction.


    Instead, he found something unexpected. Plain confusion.


    ¡°Why would you need an artefact? I would have thought that the two of you would be able to Mask well enough without one''s assistance to at least get into the city. I mean sure, if the guards have reason to peer deeply, you might need one, but I don¡¯t see why they would take that much of an interest.¡± Ianmus said, clearly puzzled at his question.


    Kaius too, found that he was growing confused. Masking? What was that? And how in the world would they be able to hide their status without an artefact or skill?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Masking? I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± he replied.


    Ianmus¡¯s eyes widened in realisation. ¡°Of course! You two met when you were unclassed! My apologies, I would have brought it up early if it had occurred to me.¡± he responded, bobbing his head politely. Kaius gestured for him to continue.


    ¡°Masking directly involves interacting with your class or bloodline construct, so it is one of those things that is annoyingly difficult to share with unclassed due to the restrictions around the selection process. Most don¡¯t bother trying to teach it until after someone has reached class advancement.¡± Ianmus finished, pausing for him to digest his words.


    Kaius groaned, rubbing his eyelids in frustration. Of course, another lesson that he missed due to circumstances. He just hoped that it wasn¡¯t some great secret, and Ianmus would be able to share it.


    Porkchop beat him to the punch.


    ¡°What is it, and will it help us get into Deadacre without giving away what we are?¡± his brother asked.


    Ianmus nodded emphatically, before he launched into an explanation of the ability. ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s down right perfect, and no great secret either. Not well known amongst common folk, but almost everyone who comes from a learned or well off background knows of it, and can use it to varying levels of proficiency. I¡¯ve heard that the Guild teaches it to their members once they have proven themselves and risen out of Copper rank too.¡±


    Kaius nodded, gripping the loop of leather attached to Porkchop¡¯s under-armour a little tighter as his brother stepped into a particularly large pothole hidden in the grass.


    If the guild gave it out at Bronze rank, then it was no great secret indeed. Leaving copper only took confirming that you have delved the fourth layer, or by reaching level sixty and doing enough high-copper tasks, and that was if they were being overcautious.


    ¡°What does it do, then?¡± he asked.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°It¡¯s a way to fight off identification skills through a clever exercise of masking your soul in your will. It will let you feel probes - basic ones, at least - and either attempt to rebuff them or attempt to deceive them. Blocking is easier, but then you give the game away, and are faced with far more scrutiny. Deception requires more focus and willpower to pull off upfront, but in this scenario will save you from far more suspicion.¡± Ianmus explained, going through the function of the skill.


    Kaius frowned. If it was so easy, so fundamental, then surely people must be constantly using it, right? Such a thing would grant a huge tactical advantage in direct duals and conflicts with other people. He voiced his question.


    ¡°Ahh, at higher levels maybe, but it is an exhausting skill, and one that takes time and persistence to grow skilled with. That is actually what most artefacts and system Skills do, empower your own ability to Mask and often allow it to be done passively to some extent. That, and with its demands on your focus, you¡¯ll find it''s about as wise as a sorcerer trying to channel and fight at the same time.¡± Ianmus explained with a little grin.


    As they delved more into the topic, Kaius learned that there was much one could do to improve their Mask, and that as one grew more proficient in the technique it was possible for it to become an almost automatic thing. Held in place constantly, but only requiring active investiture of Will when someone tested your defences.


    Supposedly, when he first started, it would take constant focus to keep the barrier in place. It got easier with levels and stats, but so did it get easier for people with high leveled skills and classes, with high rarity analyze skills to pierce your defence. He suspected that he would have an easier time than most with developing a barrier, if Ianmus decided to teach them, of course. Afterall, he had far more Intelligence and Willpower than could be expected for someone of his level. That in and of itself would aid him. Afterall, who would expect deception from someone so weak?


    ¡°Will they be able to tell if I rebuff them?¡± he asked.


    Ianmus shook his head. ¡°No, not without skills or artefacts, though it can be rather obvious if they receive less information than they should. That is why providing false information is often far more beneficial, even if it is far more taxing to do so. Now follow my directions, it is surprisingly simple, though the depths to the technique are vast.¡±


    Kaius grinned as he and his brother listened to the mage with rapt curiosity.


    Under expert direction, he dipped into his soulspace, wrapping the entirety of his soul in a thin weave of his Will. It was tricky at first, requiring him to spread his focus and intent in an even sheet. Just getting that first bit stable took him nearly an hour to get a hang of.


    Yet even as the sun moved across the sky, and they traversed leagues of open green fields, Ianmus was a patient teacher, and a talented one. Though that was no great surprise considering the man¡¯s background.


    Once the beginnings of his mask was in place, Kaius found it only moderately difficult to hold it steady, though his constant awareness of the Will-construct was a non-stop tug at the back of his mind. Like consciously holding his hand in a position not quite painful, but uncomfortable enough that he found it impossible to ignore. Apparently that strain would grow as someone tested his defenses.


    ¡°Good, now that you both have that, I want you to impress on the Mask the information you desire to change. Just know that the further from the truth it is, the harder it will be to hide. For you, Porkchop, pretending to be a simple beast and changing your race should not be too difficult. However, you might have a little more difficulty, Kaius. Make sure you pick a class signifier that is similar to what you are. As much as you are able to at least.¡± Ianmus explained, looking at him with a moderately apologetic expression.


    He waved the man off, thinking of what he wanted to masquerade as. After a moment, he decided on Body Enhancer. They were a niche collection of classes, reliant on buffing skills and abilities to supplement their front-line capabilities. He only knew of them because his father had said that some body-formation classes fell under that umbrella. Rare enough that his odd abilities wouldn¡¯t raise too many questions, and one that would let him explain away the growing prevalence of the runic markings on his skin.


    He took what he knew of the class signifier and impressed it upon the shell of his will. It was the tricky bit, and the main reason the skill wasn¡¯t shared with those without a class. Spinning a thin thread of his Will, he linked it to his class before doing the same with a thread of soulfire.


    An intimate sense of his status became available to him, one more qualitative than the simple screens he had available normally. It was an overwhelming deluge of information, one he had to filter before he could keep it defended - or modify what was read by someone trying to analyse him.


    After half an hour or so of muffled curses as he tried and failed to get it to take, he felt his intention suffuse the Mask. He was ready.


    Looking towards Ianmus, he gave the man a nod.


    A thin questing probe prodded his centre, brushing up against his barrier. He knew then, instinctively, that he could flex his will and fight off the attempt to glean his secrets. Instead, he followed Ianmus¡¯s earlier instructions. Allowing the probe through the mask, but impressing his own limited deception onto the searching skill.


    Tension throbbed behind his ears, the task more taxing than he had expected. Still, he managed, and a moment later the probe withdrew, taking his false class signifier with it.


    He gasped, releasing the breath he didn¡¯t even realise he was holding as the strain on his will dissipated. A moment later Ianmus started to clap.


    ¡°Great job, Kaius. It takes a rare Will to succeed on your first attempt, let alone after a short few hours of lessons. Great job.¡± The half-elf addressed him with a satisfied nod, before he turned to his brother. ¡°Porkchop, you¡¯ve almost got it. It¡¯s no great surprise it''s harder for you, as a caster Kaius will have more of the relevant stats, though eventually sheer levels and the growing strength of your soul will give you enough of an edge to do it with ease. At least, if you are not challenged by someone more capable, that is.¡±


    Kaius grinned, happy to hear he had done what was needed. Ianmus returned it. ¡°Body Enhancer was a good choice, I see why you picked it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the closest I could think of that would explain away the most.¡± Kaius explained, before his sheer need to get at least a moderate acumen in Masking before their arrival at Deadacre prodded him to continue his work. ¡°Would you feel up to practicing this for the last couple of days of our trip? It would be a weight off my back to know Porkchop will be far less at risk.¡± he asked.


    ¡°Gladly,¡± Ianmus replied. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have some way to repay the two of you for saving my life.¡±


    Breathing a sigh of relief, Kaius redoubled his efforts on infusing his Mask. During their short discussion, his hold on the shaped will had grown tenuous. His attention drifted as the Mask started to waver and dissipate. He frowned, wondering how anyone ever got to the point of doing this in their sleep.


    Spending time to tighten the working, Kaius looked to Ianmus for comment. A moment later, another probe prodded the barrier around his class and soul. He grunted, brow furrowing as he strained to push across the falsified information. It might have been a hair easier, but it was hard to tell.


    Hopefully, by the time they arrived at Deadacre, he would at least be able to keep it up without looking like he was straining in an attempt to lift an entire ox.

 B2 Chapter 155: Skill Testing & Arrival

    After spending the rest of the day working with Ianmus and Porkchop on Masking, Kaius had gotten better at the strange focus-intensive skill. Somewhat. It was still ruinously fatiguing to falsify his class identifier, though that had gotten a little easier as he grew more familiar with the method.


    Instead, most of his gains had come from hiding just how much effort it was taking him to deceive an analysis skill. Afterall, there was no point in hiding something if the person in question was staring at him making an expression like he was actively straining against a heavy load.


    Porkchop had gotten better too, potentially even faster than he had. Though, Kaius liked to think that was mostly because of him joining in. With his high Will, it was significantly harder to ward off his probes, but that increased difficulty had honed his brother¡¯s skills.


    Eventually though, they had to make camp for the eve. Once again, Ianmus had been out quickly, leaving him and Porkchop alone, sitting around their fire.


    With a grunt, Kaius pushed himself to his feet, moving slowly so that his armour didn¡¯t clank loudly. Looking up from where he was lying, his brother gave him an inquisitive look.


    ¡°Going back to that tree?¡± Porkchop asked. They¡¯d passed one of the rare few that stood alone outside of the odd copses that littered the area about a quarter hour before making camp.


    ¡°Yeah, just want to see what difference the new skill makes. Getting itchy from hiding the change to the sword from Ianmus.¡± Kaius replied with a nod.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep watch. Don¡¯t be too long though.¡± Porkchop replied, before he settled back down. Kaius gave his brother a nod and set off, palming the hilt of his blade as he rubbed the new gem in its pommel with his thumb, feeling its glossy smoothness.


    Once he was out of eyeshot of their camp, he drew his blade, admiring its new form in the greyscale of True Sight. It was a beautiful thing, the crystal fuller and edge elevating the sword from fine craftsmanship to something that looked like a proper artefact. Something worthy of being a growth item.


    Still, what he was most interested in was the effect its change and his new skill would have had on its capabilities. Both the upgrade, and the scaling boost to his enchantments would pair nicely with the effects of Liturgical Bladeform and he was reluctant to wait until a battle to understand his new abilities.


    Stepping through the long grasses, Kaius eventually spotted his target. The darkvision provided by his ocular skill had expanded with his levels, letting him see his surroundings in perfect clarity.


    Out of the earth a stout hardwood rose, surrounded by a canopy of branches that shrouded the tree from waist height up. He¡¯d taken note of it earlier due to the thickness of its limbs, some of the lower ones being even thicker than his thigh. Perfect to test out how well he could cut.


    Striding forwards, he stepped under the burroughs, stopping a few paces from one of the branches.


    He took his stance.


    One foot forwards, the other just behind him and slightly angled. He held A Father¡¯s Gift in the mid-guard, hilt close to his waist with the blade angled up and away from him. It was still as perfectly balanced and weighted as it had always been.


    A slow breath escaped as Kaius relaxed, readying himself. Then he inhaled, sharp and fast.


    His blade snapped up, hips pivoting to the right as the crystalline edge of his sword melded into the shadows. Then he cut, leveraging his weight and power into the swing.


    Hardwood chips flew as the edge of his sword bit into the branch with a soft thwack. With perfect edge alignment, his blade sunk in deep, powered by his stats and an arcane blade empowered by two different skills.


    Thrumming reverberations shuddered up his sword, stinging his palms as it stuck fast, unable to penetrate further. Kaius grinned, that had been the first thing he had been worried about.


    Swords needed to be flexible, to give before opposing forces lest they shatter. Crystal was sharp as sin and tough as the hells, but flexible was not what it was known for. Mundane crystals at least, whatever had infused his sword seemed to have much the same properties of metal, flexing perfectly fine as he had hit the hard target.


    Taking his hand off the hilt, Kaius left his sword hanging out of the branch as he inspected his work.


    Buried cleanly in the wood, the edge of his sword was wedged a good handspan into the branch. A soft whistle escaped his lips, satisfaction buoying him at his efforts.


    A sword was a fantastic weapon, but it was a terrible tool for hewing through wood, especially against the grain. To make it so far was impressive.


    He stepped away, and gripped the soft leather of his hilt before giving his sword a yank.


    The sword held firm, pulling him forward with the force of his motion. Kaius frowned, tugging the hilt a bit more.


    Nothing.


    It was stuck fast.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake.¡± he groaned, crouching under the hilt to heave upwards. Wood squealed, and bit by bit his blade was levered free. Grunting as it finally escaped its bind, Kaius snatched it back into his hands.


    That was the other problem, without the wedge of an axe, a blade was far more likely to get stuck.


    In the end, it was worth it.  Eyeing the thick branch, he reset himself.


    Then he reached for the Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite. Stamina flooded from his pool in an instantaneous wave, flooding his connection to the sword with empowering force.


    At once, the glyph on his palm and its twin embedded in the crystal of his fuller lit up with ghostly white light, quickly joined by the Ykkardian inscriptions further up the blade''s length. A Father¡¯s Gift thrumbed, empowered and ready.


    Once more, he cut.


    **Ding! Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 2!**


    This time, there were no splinters, and the thunk of his blade edge biting into the branch was as soft as the wind.


    Then his sword shuddered in his hands, stinging them with reverberating force once more. He hadn¡¯t cut through. Kaius frowned, a little disappointed. Leaning forwards, he inspected his work.


    It was only with True Sight that he could see the incision, so clean was the severing. A full hand and a half his sword had bitten in, before coming to a stop halfway through the branch.


    That was¡­pretty good!


    Not quite the devastation he had been hoping for, but the skill was only level two, and he had cut a fair bit deeper. At the end of the day, his skill would be making his blade sharper and tougher, neither of which would overly impact the fact that a sword was a shit woodcutting tool. Even roughly three times as strong as his considerable base abilities, it just wasn¡¯t what the weapon was designed for.


    Working at the hilt of his sword, he slowly wiggled it free of its bind. He knew that the true potential of the skill would come when he was able to upgrade A Father¡¯s Gift. Mature growth items were legendary for the breadth and power of their effects, and being able to empower them further was no small boon. Let alone whatever additional abilities the skill would gain as it moved into the second tier.


    Coming loose with a small pop, Kaius rotated his blade to look at its edge. Nary a nick or a chip was present. He grinned, satisfaction warming his chest despite the cool night air, before he sheathed the blade.


    Striding away from the tree, Kaius made his way back to camp. With his curiosity satisfied, he¡¯d finally be able to sleep. Given how much practice of his Mask he planned on doing before reaching Deadacre, he needed every scrap of it he could get.


    ¡­


    The first sign that they were getting close to Deadacre appeared early one morning. They¡¯d set off an hour earlier, cresting a low hill in the rising light of the sun.


    As the hillside fell away they were greeted with a sight that caused disquiet to settle in his stomach, souring his breakfast. Cattle, a whole herd of them. They still milled together, just as placid as they might have been a few months in the past, but they were changed.


    Larger, more muscular, with exaggerated horns that graced their heads. Still, they were easily recognisable as livestock. Their splotchy cream hides were all marked with a streak of red dye on their flank, though some had a deep green. Different farmers stock, he figured.


    It meant that they were growing close to Deadacre. It also meant that farms had been abandoned. That was¡­understandable. Even if they kept their demeanours, it was only a matter of time before ranching beasts lead to tragedy. The farmers of the frontier had neither the experience, set up, or levels to manage such a thing safely.


    He only hoped that the cattle had been left to roam free while their owners set off for safer housing, and not that the body of some poor sap was left twisted and broken in some abandoned field.


    Beside him, Ianmus winced as he also caught sight of the roaming beasts.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good. If they¡¯re free, the jobs of the rest just got a whole lot harder.¡± the half-elf muttered.


    Kaius nodded. He wouldn¡¯t want to be the poor sap defending a field of wheat from a curious and hungry herd of cattle-beasts, that was for sure. If Deadacre wanted to feed themselves, the farms would need defending. Even with the small amount of space a good classer needed to grow food, it would still be a growing burden on resources.


    ¡°Come on, let''s keep moving.¡± Kaius said softly, watching the herd.


    They walked down the rise, moving to their right to skirt around the beasts, who looked at them with wary curiosity. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t spook. A hundred beasts of that size was a tall ask, even for him.


    Hopefully Deadacre would still be standing when they arrived.


    ¡­.


    Over the next two days they walked, encountering a second herd as they did so.


    Bit by bit, the untamed grasslands disappeared. At first it was a single farm. A small fenced off field, with an attached cottage.


    Said fence had been shattered at some point, and the door to the dwelling clattered as it swung free in the wind. They¡¯d been growing radishes at some point. Half of those were uprooted now, eaten by wandering beasts.


    Kaius only hoped that the owners had fled, and that the house was empty. They didn¡¯t stop to check.


    Soon that singular farm became commonplace, more and more fields filling their surroundings until everything became one continuous swath of fences and fields. Not all were abandoned. Some had clearly bandied together, splitting the labour of growing and guarding. That, at least, was gratifying.


    It meant the city was likely still standing, and siege-rationing was unlikely.


    They did give the farms a wide berth though, grizzled farmers mean mugging them from a quarter league away as they watched them pass with distrustful expressions.


    Initially, it was maybe one farm in twenty that was occupied and defended. The further they travelled, the more common it became. One in ten, then five, then two. While these inner farms had guards, it was far less zealous and vigilant than their outlying cousins more at risk of attack. Hells, some of them even waved as they paced, which lit a warm glow in his belly.


    The farms grew denser too, eventually the wild paths of untamed land that they followed shrinking until there was a bare hundred paces between fenced off land. It wasn¡¯t long after that when they saw it.


    Stone, rising on the horizon. Rough, blocky, and wide. Perhaps even haphazard, if one was to be uncharitable.


    Walls.


    Lit up by the afternoon sun, Kaius felt the itch of anticipation set in as he looked at the sight, while a fizzing curiosity that buoyed Porkchop¡¯s spirit flooded through their bond.


    ¡°Thank the gods,¡± Ianmus sighed.


    They¡¯d made it to Deadacre.

 B2 Chapter 156: Deadacre pt. 1

    The grass started to die about a league from Deadacre. First it grew pallid and limp, a few tough patches holding on desperately to life while they eked out a meagre existence in rock hard cracked dirt.


    It took maybe fifteen paces before even that was gone. A stark demarcation, one that encircled the whole city. No one knew what caused it, the eerie desolation that just sat in the middle of the frontier. A perfect circle, where the ground was flat, hard, and nothing living grew.


    Oh, there were plenty of legends. That it had been the sight of some duel between high-tier delvers during the shattering of an empire. That it had been cursed by the gods, and all who lived there had their fortune sapped from them. That a dragon had descended, the might of their breath so powerful that the land still cowered from its potency.


    Kaius doubted any of them were the truth, but regardless, nothing grew in the league from Deadacre¡¯s walls. Something quite fortunate, from a defensive perspective at least. Nowhere for beasts or armies to hide, and a clean and even sightline for the city''s watchers.


    Shading his eyes from the sun, Kaius stared at the city. It had been locked down; that much was clear. Scouts roamed the top of the walls, far more than he remembered there being on his last trip, and nothing entered or exited the western gate around the left hand side of the wall.


    The east though? A train of people snaked out, easily a hundred or more. With the acuity of his skill enhanced eyes, Kaius made out all manner of people.


    Huddled and weary families, carrying their meagre belongings that they had been able to take with them. Mercenaries and delvers, heavily armoured with impatient expressions on their faces - as if waiting with the common rabble pained them. A few farmers, eying the others suspiciously as they huddled around carts full of produce. Merchants, with their caravans and guards, each pulled by beasts trained from birth or bonded to their drivers.


    At least, he assumed. Even trained animals were a bit of a risk to keep around if they transitioned to a beast, at least without relevant skills to handle them.


    Kaius could even see the telltale potent shine of the brightly coloured Hiwiann. A travelling convoy, making camp just past the people waiting for entrance to the city. Painted in saturated reds, yellows, blues, and every other colour under the sun they looked like they had been assaulted by a field of wildflowers - and the flowers had won.


    Standing out against the dusty brown of the ground, and the faded grey of the city wall, they yanked at his attention, drawing the eye. A valid tactic for the travelling traders, and a definite boon for the city that they had arrived at this time. With more than two dozen massive carriages, their convoy outnumbered the line waiting for entrance significantly.


    He didn¡¯t miss their vigilance, nor the number of guards they had. No sane bandit attacked the Hiwiann, how seriously they treated blood debts was legendary. Unfortunately, Kaius doubted that rogue beasts had such compunctions.


    By the walls, more than a dozen guards watched the line. Far more than normal, but understandable in the current circumstances. One by one they would wave groups forward, talking with them for a few moments before waving them into the city.


    One turned to look in his direction, before nudging another guard to his left and pointing in his direction. An ocular skill, Kaius realised. Potentially even Eagle Eye.


    Locking eyes with the man, he waved. The guard gave him a nod, before waving to the back of the line. He acknowledged the guard with a thumbs up, who promptly lost interest in them, turning back to the deluge of people hoping to get entrance to the city.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Kaius said. ¡°Let¡¯s circle around and join the line.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s strange to see so many people. I mean, I knew to expect it, but the city is far bigger than I thought it would be. How do so many people bear to live so close?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Ianmus chuckled. ¡°If you think this is big, just wait till you see a proper metropolis like Mystral, or some of the cities in the Dukedoms.¡±


    Kaius leaned forwards, ruffling Porkchop¡¯s head. Ianmus had the right of it. Even if it was the largest place he had ever been, and he fully agreed with his brother, he knew there were many, many cities larger than Deadacre. The place housed roughly twenty thousand, practically a hamlet compared to others.


    That was the frontier though, most preferred a less rough and tumble lifestyle than what was found out here.


    ¡°I¡¯m more surprised by the amount of people waiting to get into the city. It¡¯s been weeks, I would have thought the people who would shelter behind walls would have already arrived. It must be getting bad.¡± Kaius said, watching the slow moving line that they were gradually growing closer to.


    ¡°Really?¡± Ianmus asked, looking at him with surprise. ¡°I honestly thought there would be more.¡±


    Kaius smiled. ¡°Most people who live on the frontier are as tough as an ox and thrice as stubborn. Honestly, the people from Deadacre and Grandbrook to the north-east have a bit of a reputation for being soft.¡± he explained. It was mostly ribbing, but when there were only two major ¡®cities¡¯ in the frontier, the people who braved the more wild parts in remote communities often took the risks as a point of pride. He doubted any of them would make the trek lightly. Not unless something truly bad happened.


    Ianmus looked at him in disbelief. ¡°Deadacre. Soft.¡± he said, shaking his head at the thought of it.


    Kaius let out a low chuckle, though it was half forced. ¡°Maybe not soft, but definitely more luxurious than a village of a few hundred out in the middle of nowhere. The locals must have already made it into the walls, if they aren''t defending their farms. These ones have to be from further afield, it must be bad out there for them to come so far.¡±


    As they crossed the hardbaked ground, they grew close to the line. Hard eyes watched him, eying up his gear, and staring at Porkchop with suspicion. Weary fathers, hardened guards, and curious delvers. Kaius let it wash over him, his back straight.


    ¡°Gods, they¡¯re looking at me like I''m a half second from eating them.¡± Porkchop grumbled as Kaius caught him side-eying a particularly wary caravan guard who was resting his hand on the head of an axe belted at his waist.


    ¡°Pay them no mind. It¡¯s understandable, all things considered. Most will have it far rougher than we do. Besides, we¡¯re still a good half mile from them and you¡¯re pretty huge. I¡¯d be worried too.¡± Kaius replied, already having turned his focus to Ianmus.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The elf had grown quiet, more than usual, with a pensive air hanging over his head. Whatever it was, he was sure the man would share it soon enough.


    ¡°Thank you, both of you, for getting me here in one piece.¡± Ianmus finally said, breaking the silence. ¡°Are you sure there is nothing I can do to reward you?¡±


    Kauis smiled to himself. So that was it. ¡°You already have, my friend. Your oath, and teaching us of Masking is more than enough. I know we will most likely go our separate ways, but in the future I would be happy to travel with you again once more.¡±


    A measure of tension left Ianmus¡¯s shoulders, and his forehead unfurrowed just a little. ¡°...I¡¯d like that, if fate wills it. You¡¯re an interesting pair, and I get the feeling that you are not done with your discoveries or excitement. I¡¯ll leave it there though, we¡¯re almost to the back of the line, the two of you should Mask yourselves.¡±


    Kaius nodded at the magi¡¯s words, shrouding his class and soul in a thin sheet of Will. After days of practice, holding the barrier steady required little focus. Little more than a subtle awareness of it tugged at his mind, something he could keep going for hours if he must. Though, having it directly tested was still arduous in its own right.


    Thankfully, analysis skills were not ubiquitous, and peering into someone''s status was highly rude without cause. That social nicety made far more sense to him, now that he knew it was possible to sense those probes.


    Joining the back of the line, a large woodsman watched them warily. A bit shorter than Kaius, but impressively even more muscular. Even with his blatant strength, and a hewing axe on his back, the man looked stressed. Travel worn, with matted hair and an unkept beard.


    His family was with him, a wife in a stained and torn dress, her eyes bagged and bloodshot. Behind her, a child, just barely peeking out from behind her mother¡¯s skirts as she stared at Porkchop with wild eyes.


    Kaius nodded at the man calmly, hopefully assuring him he was just here to wait the same as him.


    He had far greater concerns than a suspicion of a man and his family. Namely, successfully lying to the guards at the gate. He could only hope they would be successful.


    Kaius couldn¡¯t help but feel a bubbling pit of anxiety open up in his stomach at the thought of it.


    ¡­


    As the line slowly shuffled forwards, Kaius noticed many in the queue turning back to look at him every few moments. Some were curious, but more looked nervous. Verging on scared.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna dismount, might make us stand out a little less.¡± Kaius said, using his bond to talk silently to his brother.


    ¡°I doubt it will work, but be my guest, you¡¯re heavy.¡± Porkchop grumbled.


    Kaius slipped from the saddle with a chuckle, landing on the ground with a clank of rattling scales. Ahead of them the gruff looking woodsman looked back, watching him closely before switching to Porkchop and narrowing his eyes with suspicion.


    He didn¡¯t look frightened, at least. Considering the man had arms thicker than most people''s legs, Kaius had doubted the man was a stranger to a scuffle. Especially if he made his trade in the wilds, it was inevitable to come up against dangerous wildlife.


    ¡°Yer mount ain¡¯t gonna be an issue, is he?¡± the woodsman asked curtly, meeting his eyes.


    Kaius reached up and pulled off his helmet, before tucking it under his arm. Honestly, he should have taken it off earlier. No wonder he¡¯d been getting some looks.


    He gave the man a smile. Even if the woodsman was verging on leering at him, it was an understandable question given the circumstances. Especially considering Porkchop made a bear look quaint.


    ¡°This guy¡¯s a big softy,¡± Kaius said, reaching up to scratch his brother behind the ear. Porkchop played the part perfectly, leaning in and letting out a soft and happy rumble. ¡°Aren¡¯t ya, Porkchop?¡±


    That got the reaction he had been hoping for, as the woodsman stared up at Porkchop in disbelief.


    ¡°Some sense for names ye got.¡± he muttered. ¡°He trained then?¡±


    Kaius laughed. ¡°I hear that a lot, and in a sense. We¡¯ve got a bond skill, found him when he was young and had gotten separated from the rest of his pack.¡± he lied, falling back on a story that was similar enough to the truth that it would be easy to keep straight.


    The woodsman gave him an appraising look. Now that they were talking, the man seemed to calm down some. More curious than wary. ¡°A bond skill, eh? Impressive. Some southern beast then? I saw you came from that way. Any news from out there?¡±


    That, at least, was a far less fraught line of questioning, but one he would need to keep consistent all the same. After discussing with Ianmus and Porkchop on their way over, they¡¯d settled on having left from one of the other villages by the sea. At the least, it meant that he knew the area and culture enough to answer any odd questions people might have.


    ¡°Came from Gloomhollow. Picked up that one on the way over, after he got swamped by some beasts.¡± Kaius replied, tilting his head in Ianmus¡¯s direction. The half-elf gave an awkward wave.


    The village was the biggest of the settlements at the Sea''s fringe, large enough that it was plausible for people to have missed him, and was one of the furthest from Three Fields. Unfortunately, it was also one of the greatest at risk from the shift in phases, being situated inside the sea, in a spit of clear land that had been expanded into the forest.


    The woodsman¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Gloomhollow? No wonder ye look like a tough bastard. No idea how you can stand being so close to the Sea, what with how often things come down from those mountains. Bet its a right shitshow now.¡±


    Kaius grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not quite so bad, but yeah, it definitely breeds a certain character.¡±


    ¡°What ye doing out here then? Woulda thought they¡¯d need every fighter they could get their hands on.¡± The woodsman asked.


    Kaius shot the man a smile, trying to squeeze as much cocky young confidence into it that he could manage. ¡°Here to join the Guild. Was always the plan, and I¡¯m not about to let the end of the world get in the way of that.¡±


    Barking out a laugh, the woodsman slapped his leg. ¡°Good man. Gods know we¡¯re gonna need more Delvers now, things have really gone to shit out there. Some nasty stuff has started popping up all over the place.¡± as he talked, the woodsman''s tone grew severe. Tense. ¡°It¡¯s bad. I ain¡¯t no knee-quaking coward, but some of the shit that started hitting our hamlet was too much. Worried that if I didn¡¯t get us out then, it¡¯d be me daughter¡¯s life at risk.¡±


    Kaius winced in sympathy. Not every frontier community was as well defended as Three Fields, especially not the smaller remote ones. Most of them didn¡¯t even have walls, especially when they were further from more dangerous locales like the Sea.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I''m here for. Not shy about getting into a fight that others can''t handle for themselves.¡± he said, doing his best to offer reassurance.


    ¡°Aye¡­Aye. Good on ye man, we need that these days. People are dying. I¡­Most of the people in this line without fancy guards and carriages have lost someone. Good to know someone¡¯s up for looking out for them, eh?¡± the woodsman¡¯s voice quavered, his jaw rippling as he clenched back emotion. ¡°Excuse me, I should check on my daughter.¡± he finished, turning away suddenly as he strode over to his child and swept her up into a tight hug.


    Kaius let out a heavy breath. He¡¯d known that it wouldn¡¯t be pretty, but it was something else entirely to be confronted with the sheer bleak depression of those who had lost almost everything. A glimmer of guilt shimmered in his chest, before he quashed it, lest it ignite into something more severe.


    He¡¯d do what he could to help people, especially since¡ªwith the Guild¡ªthat would come with levels and coin, but he couldn¡¯t accept responsibility for every tragedy. That way led to madness.


    Hopefully the city proper would have a less terminal ambiance.


    If he could get the guards to let him in, that is.

 B2 Chapter 157: Deadacre pt. 2

    Despite the sheer volume of people lining up outside of the city gates, the queue moved surprisingly quickly. It seemed that Deadacre had developed a well built mechanism for efficiently dealing with the dispossessed and weary travellers that had begun to flock to the safety of their walls.


    With more than a dozen guards at the gates, they waved groups forward two at a time, quickly working through discussions while other defenders kept watch for any beasts crossing the hard packed dirt that surrounded the city.


    Still, even quicker than expected, they ended up waiting hours.


    Thank the gods that he and Porkchop had gotten adept enough at holding their Mask that having it passively in place was no longer an overly burdensome drain on their mental energy. If they¡¯d arrived even a few days earlier, he¡¯d have had a splitting headache after holding it in place for so long.


    Taking a step to the side of the line, Kaius leveraged his height to peer over the crowd, craning his neck to look through the open gates to the city.


    Just like he remembered, the entrance through the walls led to an open square, where a handful of large cobbled streets split off to wind their way through the city.


    The main roads, an arterial flow of people and goods that vitalised the settlement.


    While it wasn¡¯t so bad that the streets were packed chest to chest, they were busier than he remembered. Thankfully, the city seemed at least somewhat prepared. Large marquees had been set up by the city walls, guards directing the most bedraggled and shaken of the petitioners in their direction.


    Temporary housing, for the most desperate.


    Others were directed elsewhere. Those looking well off, or at least not destitute were left to find their own lodgings, while merchants and farmers laden with goods were waved down one road that Kaius remembered leading to the city''s central square.


    ¡°How¡¯s it looking?¡± Ianmus asked as he stepped back in line with Porkchop and the mage.


    ¡°Surprisingly well organised. It looks like we should be left to our own devices if we have the resources to sustain ourselves.¡± Kaius murmured, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the people ahead of and behind them - a few more stragglers had joined the queue, though most looked to be locals making a quick trip.


    Porkchop snorted, though it was soft enough that it wouldn¡¯t heighten the tension of their fellow travellers. ¡°Thank the Matriarchs, I was worried we would be swamped. This is not exactly how I imagined my first visit to a human city going.¡±


    Kaius smiled, while Ianmus chuckled.


    ¡°I do have to agree. Hopefully, if things are still this organised, it should mean joining a convoy to the Dukedoms won¡¯t be too difficult.¡± Ianmus muttered.


    Kaius nodded, though he inwardly doubted it would be that easy. Even if the caravans were still traveling, the demand to get to the patrolled roads, siege proof cities, and armies of the Dukedoms would be high. No doubt the price for passage had soared.


    The line kept moving, and they shuffled ever closer to the gates. Much like the walls themselves, they were rough, but overbuilt and tough. Made up of wooden beams nearly half a stride thick, reinforced heavily with thick iron plating, it was controlled by some hidden winch system in the walls and joined by a raised portcullis that was ready to drop at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Eventually, they made it to the front. As they¡¯d waved people forward, Kaius had watched almost every single guard frown at Porkchop. Even with his brother masquerading as a simple beast, bonds in general were rare, and combat capable companions even more so. He doubted they¡¯d seen them often, and given the circumstances, he couldn¡¯t fault their suspicion. Especially since they were hiding something, even if it was not something that would put the inhabitants of the city at risk.


    Dressed in chain, with dark gray tabards displaying the insignia of the city - a dead tree, dyed in white - each and every one looked ready for trouble. Swords were belted on, and each held a halberd. Archers looked on from the top of the wall, doing double duty watching the crowd and keeping an eye out for beasts.


    ¡°You there, with the wife and child. Over to the left.¡± The lead guard called, waving the woodsman in front of them forwards. Standing at the head of the line, he had been directing the crowd to his available colleagues.


    The muscular man looked back, giving Kaius a slight nod before he ushered his daughter forward.


    Stepping up with Porkchop and Ianmus in tow, Kaius watched the guard calmly, keeping a firm grip on his mask. The man watched him closely in turn, regularly looking at Porkchop behind him, as if deciding what to do with them.


    Kaius shifted his weight on his feet, wondering what would happen. The moment stretched, an awkward pause in what had otherwise been a smooth operation up until this point.


    Right before he was about to ask the guardsman where he should go, another ran up, bending over to whisper in his ear. He nodded, thanking the man, before looking back to Kaius.


    ¡°Go talk to the sergeant, Delver. He¡¯ll be able to make the call on your companion.¡± the guard told him with a frown, pointing to another uniformed man standing off to the right by the base of the walls, watching the proceedings.


    He was dressed much the same as the others, though a single red star adorned his tabard on his left breast.


    Kaius gave the guard a sharp nod, seeing no reason not to comply. Belligerence would only harm their prospects, afterall.


    Looking back to his companions he jutted his head over towards the sergeant, and they set off, leaving behind a waiting gaggle of petitioners.


    The head guard watched their approach with stern eyes. Not exactly suspicious, or distrustful, but certainly an expression that clearly told where he stood. He was the authority here, and that was to be respected.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Stopping a few paces from the man, Kaius gave the man a polite nod. Inwardly, his guts were curdling. No doubt Porkchop, and potentially him as well, would be identified as they entered the city. A low level guardsman was one thing, but a grizzled veteran sergeant was far more likely to have skill levels and stats under his belt that could present an issue to their Mask.


    He felt none of that tension from his bond. Porkchop was calm, and ready.


    ¡°Sergeant.¡± Kaius said.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± the guard officer replied, eyes roving over him before he switched his attention to Ianmus. ¡°Academy brat, I presume?¡± he asked the mage.


    Ianmus stiffened, but stepped forward smoothly all the same. ¡°Yes sir, graduated recently,¡± he replied.


    The gruff sergeant hummed, tilting his head at Ianmus with a slight narrowing of his eyes. ¡°Recent indeed, if you haven¡¯t hit your forties yet. What¡¯re you doing here?¡± he asked.


    Kaius swallowed. He knew it was almost a certainty that they would be analysed, but now that the test was here it set his heart thumping.


    Ianmus chuckled. It was a half strangled thing, filled with the harsh humour of the gallows.


    ¡°Graduated a few months back, thought I would do a bit of overland travel to the Dukedoms, gain a little experience before I investigated rumours about them potentially having another ¡®war¡¯.¡± he explained, shuffling on the dusty earth. ¡°Change hit once I was halfway between here and the mountains, that one saved me from getting torn to shreds by a flock of terror birds. I¡¯m hoping to join a convoy to finish the last leg of my journey.¡±


    The guard sergeant''s stern expression broke a little as he winced. ¡°You and half the city, lad. Hope you¡¯re ready for some stiff competition. And terror birds? Haven¡¯t heard of those.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re new,¡± Kaius spoke up, the sergeant''s attention snapping to him. ¡°Mostly confined to the stone hills towards the Sea. For now, at least. Bloody mean things, like a long necked chicken the size of a man, but as fast as a horse with a tendency to smash things with their axe shaped beaks.¡±


    ¡°I see. One of my boys did say you had come from the south, but I''m surprised to hear you¡¯ve come so far. Delver.¡± the sergeant said. A moment later he felt an intrusion on his Mask as the guardsman attempted to analyse him with a skill.


    Immediately a hot spike of pain started to drive into the back of his head, his Will surging as he leveraged every scrap of his being to focus on taking on the roll of a Body Enhancer. A moment later it was over, the probe retreating.


    Kaius bit back a sigh of relief, hoping that he looked as natural and easy as he had a few moments prior.


    ¡°Especially for a level twenty-two. That¡¯s a lot of gear you¡¯ve got for that level, and it''s odd for you to travel with all this going on, don¡¯t you think? The Sea¡¯s too close for you to have left before the change. Especially with a mount.¡± the sergeant said with an unnaturally even voice, staring at him with flinty eyes.


    Kaius swallowed.


    ¡°Came to join the Guild, sir. Me and Porkchop delved the first layer just after class selection, my family left me a few artefacts, and the delve got me the rest.¡± Kaius explained, hoping the sergeant would buy his story.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± the sergeant hummed, watching Porkchop closely. ¡°Big bastard, isn¡¯t he? I suppose that with a warbeast that would be possible. He registered?¡±


    Kaius fought the urge to groan. He hadn¡¯t known that was a thing. Thankfully, that meant he wouldn¡¯t need to lie about it.


    ¡°I did it.¡± Porkchop said, his voice strained, before he fell silent once more.


    That, at least, was something.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was a thing, sir. Lived outside of Gloomhollow.¡± he explained, genuine chagrin resonating in his words.


    ¡°Every trained beast comes registered, lad. You raise him yourself, or something?¡± the sergeant replied with a deepening frown, unimpressed by his response. ¡°Letting in a beast like that trained by some kid out in the middle of nowhere is a risk, boy. What happens if he reacts poorly to the crowds?¡±


    Kaius winced at the sergeant''s harsh accusation.


    ¡°No sir, I found him when I was young. Had gotten separated from his ma or something. He was a bloody cute fluffy thing back then, so I couldn¡¯t leave him, even if he was a beast. Ended up getting a bond as one of my general skills.¡± he hurried to explain, a genuine note of desperation in his voice.


    The sergeant''s expression shifted, piercing grey eyes stabbing deep into his own as a contemplative frown graced the guardsman¡¯s face. He leaned back onto the wall behind him, scratching his chin.


    ¡°A bond skill¡­That would certainly do it. Unregistered though, that could cause a shit-fest if it got out.¡± the man mumbled to himself. A moment later he stood up, looking at Kaius once again.


    ¡°You¡¯re here to join the Guild, you said?¡± the sergeant asked.


    Kaius nodded quickly.


    ¡°Good. We¡¯ve got hunting requests falling out of our arse right now, and a young Delver competent enough to delve just after class selection is someone we could use. Especially one mounted on a warbeast, you¡¯d be able to range further than most.¡± the sergeant said.


    Excitement welled as Kaius listened to the man, an electrifying energy that raced down his spine and spread through his limbs. There was no way he would bother with such a speech if he wasn¡¯t going to let them in.


    ¡°There¡¯s one problem though, we need your beast registered. Far too much potential for a hullabaloo if it gets out I let an unregistered warbeast into the city. However¡­you¡¯re willing to swear under a truthstone that you have a bond skill?¡±


    the sergeant searched his face.


    Kaius nodded emphatically. Truthstones were tightly controlled bits of runework, but he knew the guild made use of them. It was almost perfect. If it was confirmed that he had a bond skill before Porkchop¡¯s nature as a greater beast got out, it would take even more heat off of them.


    ¡°Alright, here''s the deal. I¡¯ll let you in if you immediately go to the guild and sign up. They¡¯ll be able to register your beast if you can attest to your skill under oath. I¡¯m not sure how busy they are, but once you¡¯re done - whether that¡¯s this afternoon or some time tomorrow - come straight here and tell one of my boys that you¡¯re here to show your registration. Deal?¡± The sergeant asked, thrusting his hand out to him.


    ¡°Deal.¡± Kaius said as he clasped the guardsman''s hand and shook. A moment later the sergeant''s grip tightened, and he pulled him close.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, boy. Straight there, and then back here. I can¡¯t have an unregistered beast in the city for long. Not right now. Remember, it won¡¯t be hard to track down the man with a giant fucking bear-thing inside the city.¡± His voice was low, but firm, as he stared Kaius dead in the eye.


    Kaius nodded. The sergeant stepped backwards and clapped him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Good lad. Now stop hogging my time and get in the gates.¡± he dismissed them with a wave, turning to nod at a few guards who were watching at the gate.


    Suppressing a sigh, Kaius met Ianmus¡¯ and Porkchop¡¯s eyes, who both looked as relieved as he felt. Without a word, he led the way, passing vigilant guards as he walked under the shadow of the wall to enter Deadacre.


    They¡¯d made it. Now he just needed to point Ianmus in the right direction and get himself registered.

 B2 Chapter 158: Deadacre pt. 3

    As Kaius crossed through the gates to Deadacre, the sounds of the city washed over him. The heavy background buzz of chatter and thumping boots, the clack of carts rolling over uneven cobble, and the odd cutting bark of a laugh or crying babe.


    Overwhelming, sure, but also full of the vitality of life. Something pleasantly different after so long with little company in his surroundings.


    Brown canvas tents lined the square that the gates opened to, stacked up tight to the wall with barely walkable alleys separating their fabric walls. Emergency housing. Several guards wandered the open space, directing people where they needed to go, or helping one of the more desperate into the waiting arms of those that were getting people settled in the tents.


    A guard in chain whistled, waving them over¡ªa woman with sandy hair cropped short and piercing blue eyes.


    ¡°You boys alright? I doubt you need shelter here, given your dress, but I thought I''d check and see if you knew where you were headin¡¯.¡± the guard asked.


    ¡°Ahh, we¡¯ll be fine, thank you. I¡¯ve been here before, so I know my way well enough around.¡± Kaius said, thanking the woman, who nodded and waved them on.


    Kaius set off for one of the main streets that exited the square, companions in tow. Masonry buildings lined the streets, three stories tall and made from the same rustic rough-cut stone as the rest of the city. Looming over the streets, they made navigation tough if you didn¡¯t know your way around with how they blocked sight of any landmarks. Especially since the layout of the streets looked like someone had traced a tangled length of yarn onto a city plan and called it a day.


    ¡°Well, we made it through the gate with little issue, though that Sergeant was a tough bastard to hide from.¡± Porkchop said.


    Ianmus chuckled. ¡°When he called us over I was totally convinced we¡¯d been had. Thank the gods it was just a registration issue.¡±


    Kaius groaned. Such a small thing, but it had nearly done them in. If his and Porkchop¡¯s stats weren¡¯t so artificially inflated, they would have been toast, for sure.


    ¡°The main thing is we¡¯re in the clear now.¡± Kaius said, before he turned to Ianmus. ¡°I know this is your first time here, so I can show you to the road that leads directly to the caravaneer¡¯s office by the far gate. It¡¯ll be a bit of a trek, but it''s a straight shot.¡±


    The half-elf smiled at him. ¡°Thank you, and thanks again for making sure I made it here in one piece.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all. Only what any decent folk would do. Listen, if you¡¯re stuck here for a bit while you wait for an empty slot, feel free to stop by if you see me around the guild house. It¡¯d be nice to see a familiar face.¡± Kaius replied, waving off Ianmus¡¯s thanks.


    ¡°It would, plus it would be nice to have someone else to talk to. It¡¯s going to suck pretending to be an unthinking beast.¡± Porkchop grumbled.


    Ianmus nodded with a smile, but he had enough sense not to directly address his brother in a crowded square.


    While the square was packed, it parted before them with ease. Understandable, all things considered. Ianmus was wearing the classic attire of a magi, while he was fully suited in armour with a giant of a beast at his back. Most people, regular people, weren¡¯t the type to get in the way of obvious monster killers.


    Exiting the square, the heady smell of smoke, dust, and sweat washed over him. It wasn''t strong, per se, but it was pervasive. With his senses sharpened since his last trip, he did his best to ignore the odour, though inwardly he missed the fresh air found outside of settlements.


    He¡¯d spent too long in the wilds to enjoy city life overmuch.


    The road they followed wound its way through the city, dozens of side streets and alleys splitting off to tangle their way through the thickets of stone buildings. Eventually, they reached a fork.


    ¡°This is it.¡± Kaius said as he came to a halt, turning to Ianmus. ¡°Follow that road to the end and you¡¯ll reach the other gate. No turns onto another street or anything, just straight there.¡±


    Ianmus paused, giving him a slight nod. ¡°Well, I suppose this is the end of our little soiree. I guess this is goodbye.¡±


    Kaius gave the man a warm smile before clapping him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. If the fates will it I am sure we will run into each other again soon. Chances are we¡¯ll end up in the Dukedoms soon enough, where are you planning on heading?¡±


    ¡°Satrinsale. They¡¯ve got some entrances to the Depths that are well aligned with my affinities, and with all that''s going on I want as much strength as I can get. I¡¯ll probably join the Guild when I¡¯m there.¡± Ianmus replied, smiling ruefully. ¡°I don¡¯t want a repeat of what happened with those terror birds.¡±


    Kaius nodded. In all likelihood, they probably would meet the man again. Satrinsale was one of the larger cities in the Dukedoms, and would have a large Guildhall indeed, let alone libraries. A good place for him to do a little digging on his family, and the goings on of the world outside of Vaastivar.


    ¡°Well, we might see you there then! Just leave a message for us at the Guild when you get there.¡± he replied.


    ¡°I will. It would be nice to see a familiar face.¡± Ianmus smiled. He scratched at the back of his head absentmindedly for a moment, before he offered his hand. ¡°Well, goodbye, I suppose.¡±


    Kaius returned the shake, giving the man a wide grin. ¡°See you soon.¡±


    Ianmus nodded, before he turned and left with a wave. Kaius watched the tall half-elf go, his silver hair standing out head and shoulder above the rest of the crowd.


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    ¡°Be safe, elfling!¡± Porkchop called after him. Ianmus turned, shooting his brother a smile, before he kept walking.


    ¡°Well then, I suppose we best be off.¡± Kaius said, once Ianmus had rounded a bend in the road. He nodded towards the other branch of the intersection. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s just down here.¡±


    ¡­


    The stares were getting old.


    He didn¡¯t like the way people ogled. Sure, he was tall, heavily armed and had a beast taller than he was at his side, but you would think that most people would have some sense of propriety. They did in Three Fields, at least.


    Here every third person craned their neck to keep staring at him as he passed. It wore at his mood, and made the general press of the crowd even more irritating than it had been at first.


    Still, walking through the city was an eye opening experience. Other than inns being far more full than normal, you¡¯d think that nothing was amiss with the outside world. No one seemed¡­ready. They were just going about their days, in their dyed cottons, shopping and working.


    He didn¡¯t understand it. How they could live their lives while beasts were growing stronger by the day. Sure, most people didn¡¯t have a combat class, but they could still grow stronger with levels, or work towards some way to empower those who could.


    Thankfully, as they drew closer to the district dedicated to the Delver¡¯s guild, things got much better. Fewer folks, and those that were present were far more used to the sight of artefacts and arms. Here, almost everything catered to the rich, both monetarily and in personal strength. Taverns with brews that could knock out a horse with a drop, alchemists with vials full of vibrant swirling colours in their windows, and all manner of artisans ladened the streets.


    Blacksmiths hammered, and leatherworkers sewed, creating wares only to pass them on to waiting runewrights, finishing the craft to sell at a premium. At least here there was a sense of urgency, a resolute tone of seriousness that pervaded the general air of the place.


    Here were the fighters, and those that supplied them. Here were those that understood what was at stake.


    Few common citizens lived here, and the ones that did were either local delvers or the proprietors of the establishments who served them and their travelling cousins.


    It was the enchanters and general hawkers of artifice that caught his attention the most. They had loot to sell, and there were plenty of artefacts that could come in handy for them in their future delves and work for the Guild. That, and they still needed to get Porkchop¡¯s armour enchanted with Self-Repair.


    ¡°Where are we going to stay, Kaius? Half of these doors I can¡¯t even squeeze through.¡± Porkchop asked, looking at the buildings they passed with concern.


    Patting his brother on the shoulder, Kaius met the question with a soft chuckle. ¡°There will be inns near the Guild that are suitable for people with bond skills. They¡¯re uncommon, but not THAT rare. We might need to pay out the nose for it, but we¡¯ll find a place that fits you. Worst comes to worst, we¡¯ll find a place with some stables and we can both sleep there.¡±


    Porkchop grunted, unconvinced, but let the matter lie. It wasn¡¯t like there was any better option.


    A short while later, they turned the bend and the guildhall came into sight. Regal and tall, it stood a good two stories higher than the surrounding three story terraced buildings that were common in Deadacre. Polished smooth stone blocks formed its stout walls, a quality rarely seen otherwise, while wide widows revealed a warmly lit wooden interior.


    Dozens of tables littered the space, while a wide counter stretched across two walls. One side served drinks and food to the waiting delvers, while the other had a receptionist with a queue in front of her.


    A guild worker, where one could accept missions and deal with other matters relevant to membership. That was who he would have to talk to.


    Joy and anticipation thrummed through him as he took in the enduring strength of the building, as he looked at the thick and polished oak door - a sigil of a crossed sword and stave engraved on its front.


    A moment that had been a long time coming. A dream of his that had finally arrived. A destiny he had sought and strived for.


    Becoming a delver. A duty, and a promise - of riches, power, and responsibility.


    One he was happy to make.


    It wasn¡¯t just the hall itself that held him enraptured, but the clientele as well. The place was packed. Full of all sorts of peoples, each and every one suited up and ready for war. Men in full plate, with tower shields, great swords, and other heavy armaments sat at tables next to lithe individuals in leathers, blades belted everywhere from their chest to their arms. Magi in robes chatting with archers in light mottled clothes, and every other combination and combat style imaginable.


    The variety was staggering, no one person looking alike in their chosen methods of defence and attack. That is, with one exception. Telltale scriptwork covered almost everything he could see, both inscrutable system runes and man-made creations alike.


    A springing bounce entered his step as he picked up his pace, tugging Porkchop forward.


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯re here!¡± Kaius said, hurrying towards the door.


    Porkchop grunted, but followed closely. ¡°Just remember to keep your Mask up.¡± he warned.


    Rolling his eyes in response, Kaius wove his way around the small amount of foot traffic before coming to a stop at the stone steps that lead to the entrance. He paused for a moment, savouring the significance of his first steps towards his future.


    Every legend, every good story, and every bardsong started in a guild hall. They were where strength was built, and reputations were earned. It was here that he and Porkchop would be able to make a name for themselves. Where they would be able to build an unassailable reputation. It would be here that he would be able to start his quest to discover the secrets of Aspects, and gather the backing needed to start looking into his father¡¯s killer.


    Something nudged him in the back, forcing him to take the first step. Kaius turned, finding Porkchop right behind him, watching him.


    ¡°Walk tall, Kaius. You deserve to be here.¡± Porkchop encouraged, nosing him on the shoulder to encourage him forward. Taking a breath, he nodded and strode towards the door.


    Gripping the brass handle, he braced himself. Preparing his Mask. Throwing his chest out and plastering a confident smile on his face he opened the massive door wide and strode into the foyer, Porkchop close behind.


    Silence washed over the room as what felt like half of the delvers present turned to look at him. A moment later a dozen different analysis skills hit his Mask. They were light things, almost polite. Like they weren¡¯t seeking the truth, just what he was willing to give.


    They still smacked him upside the head like a sledgehammer with numbers alone. Muscles bulged as his jaw clenched tight, a forced wince hissing out from between his teeth as he clutched his head.


    Distantly, he heard someone laugh. ¡°Fresh meat! Every fucking time, never gets old.¡±

 B2 Chapter 159: Deadacre pt. 4

    Kaius let out a low groan, bent over with his head throbbing like he¡¯d just been smacked upside the head with a blacksmith¡¯s hammer. As soon as the pressure of a dozen different analyse skills pressing his Mask faded, so too did the pain and discomfort.


    Raw indignation flooded him, mirrored by the tempered anger that flowed across his bond, revealing his brother¡¯s own thoughts on the welcome they had received.


    Rising to his full height, Kaius took in the milling delver¡¯s with a furrowed brow, biting his cheek to stop himself from demanding to know what right the offenders had had to test him like that. His restraint was only made more difficult by the fact that the other guild members had stopped paying attention to him in the slightest, each and every one returning to their conversations like nothing had happened.


    ¡°What the hells was that, Kaius?¡± Porkchop asked as he mean-mugged the crowds of armed men who sat around tables and bandied stories like they were cards. They paid Porkchop little mind, his distaste drawing little more than a glance.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we just got hazed.¡± Kaius sighed in defeat. ¡°It¡¯s common enough, but I would have thought the Guild of all places would be better than that. Seen it happen enough with tradesmen, putting the new guy in their place.¡±


    Much to his surprise, his words seem to calm Porkchop immensely. ¡°Oh. They were just asserting their position. That makes sense.¡±


    As Kaius struggled not to cock a surprised brow at his brother, a figure rose from a seat near the middle of the tabled section. A man of middling height, with dark eyes and hair, dressed in heavily reinforced leather, with shortswords belted at his waist and a brace of throwing knives across his chest. Smiling at them awkwardly, but friendly enough, he made his way over as Kaius watched on with moderate distrust.


    A final clincher, to let him know where he stood, perhaps?


    The man came to a stop a half dozen paces from them, scratching the back of his head.


    ¡°Sorry about that, just a bit of ribbing from the established folk. It wasn¡¯t you specifically, they do that to everyone who walks in here with that shiny eye¡¯d look of awe.¡± the man explained, waving at the crowd behind him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just pointless bullying though, and no one was actually pushing your Mask. It¡¯s mostly a way to test if someone has one in the first place. They would have suppressed their analysis skills so that it was all bark, no bite.¡± the man gave him half smile.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened, he hadn¡¯t even realised that ¡®testing¡¯ someone''s mask was something you could do. Was there a way to tell he was lying about his status?


    The man caught his surprised expression and hurried to elaborate. ¡°Not like that, anyone who wanders in here looking like that is inevitably pretty fresh. Half a room of experienced delvers smacking their Mask is invariably enough to get a response. If there isn''t one, someone always pulls them aside and makes sure they know how to Mask in the future, it¡¯s an important part of growing your strength, you can glean a surprising amount even with a basic identify. Saves people having to wait until bronze.¡±


    The delver paused, giving him an evaluating look. ¡°Honestly, the fact you didn¡¯t pass out means you¡¯re a tough one. Good job. The name¡¯s Vangus. Just wanted to come over and let you know what''s up, and see if you needed any help.¡± he finished, offering his hand.


    Kaius gripped him back. ¡°Well, it''s nice to get at least one polite introduction I suppose. Why go through all that effort, anyway? It¡¯s a bit extreme just to see if someone can Mask.¡± he asked.


    A slight wince crossed Vangus¡¯s face at Kaius¡¯s words, but it was a small thing, and fleeting.


    ¡°It¡¯s not. A lot of people¡­they get ideas about the guild. Build up an image in their head about it being this serene place of pure meritocracy, where everyone is buoyed by honour and strength of arm.¡± he explained.


    Kaius frowned. That was¡­what the guild was, wasn¡¯t it? Their neutrality was legendary, and it was impossible to rise through the ranks without integrity and strength.


    Seeing his expression, Vangus raised his arms placatingly. ¡°Woah, I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s not those things, but ya have to keep in mind everyone¡¯s only a person, right? Walking into a trade like this all misty eyed and as green as a new shoot universally ends up with someone being just a little too easy to take advantage of. Usually it''s small, a bad leader who prioritises their own safety over the team, or a merchant who gives you a bad price, or something like that. Not everyone thinks that membership is immediately deserving of respect.¡±


    ¡°So what, you just give the newbies a proverbial slap upside the head as they walk in the door to keep them on their toes?¡± Kaius asked, looking at the man sceptically. To Kaius¡¯s left, Porkchop chuffed, backing him up with just enough gormless sincerity that it seemed as though he was a simple beast reacting to feelings across their bond.


    Vangus watched Porkchop warily for half of a moment, before his deep brown eyes flicked back to Kaius.


    ¡°I¡­yeah, pretty much. Someone always gives the follow up though, thought I¡¯d do it this time as you look tough. Not often you see someone walk in here with a bonded companion and a compliment of artefacts at your level. Look, the vast majority of delvers are alright, a few are the skin-off-their-backs types, and even fewer are gutless bastards. But the last do exist, so it¡¯s on us as a group to stop the new guys from getting into a sticky situation.¡± Vangus said, giving him an imploring look.


    Kaius sighed. In the end, even if it did sting to get slapped around like that, it was only a momentary headache, and he could see the reason in getting the new guys to pay attention quickly.


    ¡°I suppose if I''d just been told I probably would have brushed it off as an overblown problem.¡± Kaius replied.


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    The delver gave him a beaming smile, flashing him with pearly white teeth. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it! Listen, I assume you¡¯re here to sign up?¡±


    Kaius nodded.


    ¡°Fantastic, we need all the help we can get. Low level problems are exploding all over the region, and the tasks that need an Iron guilder are only barely less frequent. We need fresh blood, there''s too much to do.¡± Vangus turned, gesturing to the short line that led to the receptionist''s desk. ¡°Go chat with Ro¡ªyou¡¯re lucky she¡¯s on the counter, she¡¯d got pull. There''s nothing major, just a truth stone interview to see if you intend to follow the rules, but she¡¯ll be able to make it happen quicker than most.¡±


    Kaius looked past him to watch the lithe blonde woman behind the desk, currently animatedly talking to a bare chested man who was nearly as hairy as Porkchop, before he looked back and gave Vangus a nod.


    The delver smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Good luck, new guy. These are some trying times, keep your wits about you.¡±


    Vangus turned, returning to the tabled section of the guild hall where two of what Kaius assumed were his team members were waiting for him, a man garbed in chain with a round shield and mace laying on the floor, and a willowy woman in leathers with an unstrung bow propped up against the table. The pair rose a tankard as Vangus approached, toasting him with something unintelligible.


    Taking a shallow breath, Kaius shared a look with Porkchop. ¡°Well, that was an explanation at least. Why weren''t you affected as much as me, by the way?¡±


    Porkchop chuffed. ¡°I only got hit by one or two. Like Vangus said, I don¡¯t think they were really all that interested in actually breaking our Mask.¡±


    Kaius slumped his shoulders, fully giving in to the fact that it might just have been reasonable after all.


    ¡°Come on, let''s go join the line.¡± he said through their bond, turning around to make his way to the guild desk.


    It seemed like in their deliberations, the hairy bare-chested man had finished his discussions, walking away from the counter with a wide smile on his face and a bag of coin gripped tightly in his hand to a raucous round of applause from a table of similarly under-dressed folks. The receptionist, on the other hand, watched the man go with a slight frown on her face.


    ¡°Bloody bruisers, too much muscle and not enough brains.¡± the receptionist muttered, just loud enough for him to hear, before she smiled at the next in line.


    This interaction seemed to go much quicker. The man was some sort of skirmisher, a light footed front-line fighter. He slapped a bronze looking medallion on the counter and said he had a task to turn in. The receptionist smiled at him warmly, before scanning the medallion with something hidden out of view, then handed it back. The skirmisher gave her a quick nod, then scooped up his insignia and strutted away.


    Then it was his turn.


    ¡°New guy right? Always rough the first time, but don¡¯t worry, most of these guys would get down and dirty in a bar fight for a fellow guildy. The fact you didn¡¯t shit yourself and crack your skull on the floor bought you a lot more good will than you think.¡± the receptionist said.


    Kaius blinked. He hadn¡¯t expected that from the face of the Guild in Deadacre. He took a step closer, and noticed that while she was wearing a tan blouse, she wore trousers instead of a dress, and had a sheathed bastard-sword leaning against the desk. A fellow delver, then. That made the foul mouth a little more understandable.


    ¡°Um, hi. Vangus said your name is Ro?¡± he said once he had collected his wits. ¡°Names Kaius.¡±


    Ro smiled. ¡°Drorome, actually.¡± the first ar rolled off her tongue like a purring cat. ¡°Most can¡¯t nail the first syllable so I go by Ro.¡±


    Kaius smiled, he knew that naming style, and could hear the faint remnants of a familiar accent. He¡¯d met a few of them in the rare Hiwiann caravans that made it to the Sea; Father had told him of their origin when he¡¯d been puzzled by the strange way they said ars. ¡°Far south Hiwiann, right, Drorome?¡± he replied, doing his best to emulate the pronunciation.


    The woman cackled, slapping her hand down on the desk with a loud slap. ¡°That¡¯s fucking terrible, call me Ro. But yes, good picking! You a travelled one then?¡± she asked.


    Kaius shook his head. ¡°Nah. Father was, but I asked him after I heard the accent for the first time. I¡¯m from further north.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that explains it. Heard the wildstock up there breeds tough ones, but what the hells are they feeding ya for you to have gotten so big?¡± Ro asked, giving him a teasing smirk.


    ¡°I¡­uh, hunted game?¡± Kaius stammered.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re too precious, definitely a village boy.¡± she chuckled. ¡°Now, business. I assume you want to sign up?¡±


    Nodding as fast as he could to change the subject, Kaius readily agreed.


    Smiling just a little at his haste, Ro turned around and yelled further back into the more official sections of the Guild, a L-shaped room that curved out of sight, filled with desks.


    ¡°Hey, Jun! Get out here and take over; I''m gonna do an interview!¡± She yelled, before bending down to swipe two medallions from a drawstring bag at her waist, one wooden, and one brushed copper. A muffled response came from further back.


    ¡°I¡¯m already going!¡± she yelled again, before she leapt up and grabbed her sword, circling around the desk. ¡°Come on, it''s just through here.¡±


    Ro led the way, taking an impressively large door set to the left and in line with the counter. It opened into a hall, lit by wardlights, that wormed its way through the building, with more large doors opening on its left hand face. The hall was impressively large itself, with more than enough room for Porkchop to follow them.


    ¡°What''s with the size?¡± Kaius asked after a few seconds, looking around curiously.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Ro asked, looking back at him. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s less useful here, but all Halls are built to the same specifications. Need em big enough for the various giant folk and other bigger races, and it''s not that uncommon for people to have bonded to a big warbeast like you did.¡± she explained as they walked, before slowing to a stop by a door that looked no different from the four others they had passed just like it.


    ¡°Come on in.¡± Ro said, pushing the door open with a casual display of strength. It swung inwards on silent hinges.


    Inside was an austere stone room, devoid of any windows with a looping script that had been carved into the ceiling. While he didn¡¯t know the specific script, it seemed relatively similar to High Lothian, at least in terms of the geometry it used - the runes were quite different. Still, it was enough for him to be half sure that it was some sort of silencing array, which would track for an interview room.


    At the centre of the room lay a wide table, each wide side having a single high-backed chair. The middle of the table had a runescribed crystal, formations delicately engraved into the flat facets of the gem and filled in with copper wire. A truth stone, a working of renowned complexity, one he could make neither heads nor tails of.


    Ro strode into the room, taking a seat at the table, before she slapped the wooden top.


    ¡°Well then, how about we have that chat.¡±

 B2 Chapter 160: Deadacre pt. 5

    Sitting at the table with the truthstone in a room enchanted with silence, Ro¡ªthe Guild receptionist¡ªsmiled at him and waved at the other chair.


    ¡°Chop chop, we don¡¯t have all day.¡± she teased.


    Kaius sighed and walked over to the offered chair, Porkchop following to lay at his feet. Though, with his new size, Porkchop could still easily peer over the table''s edge. Which he did, playing the part of a placid warbeast.


    ¡°So, it''s really just an interview? Will there be any intrusive questions.¡± Kaius asked, curious about the process. He¡¯d always heard tales of brutal sparring matches with Guild officials to earn the right to join, and increase in rank.


    ¡°Ehhhh,¡± Ro answered, tilting her hand back and forth in the air. ¡°Kinda. Most people do have to take a test, but most don¡¯t walk in here missing two fingers, with a dozen little scars on their face from preintegration. Most definitely don¡¯t have a warbeast that looks right out of a Duke¡¯s menagerie, nor do they take a dozen analyze skills straight to their Mask and then keep on their feet, and they absolutely do not walk in here draped in the exact sort of hodge-podge collection of artefacts that a proper Delver would have.¡± she explained, shooting him a look like he had been a little bit of an idiot.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Kaius said. He¡¯d definitely already given the game away, at least a little.


    ¡°Yes. Ah. Hence why I rushed your ass into this silence room, so that we can have a little chat and get you some protection.¡± Ro replied. ¡°Not that you¡¯ll find all that much trouble in Deadacre, but still, rumours do what rumours do. Spread.¡±


    Kaius frowned, he hadn¡¯t even really stopped to consider that, but he did have to say it made a certain kind of sense. Maybe if he¡¯d been level forty or fifty, but a level twenty? That made him stand out. Almost certainly not enough for anyone to reasonably suspect any of his more dangerous secrets, but enough that he would be a person of at least passing interest.


    Ro leaned forwards, setting her elbows on the table. ¡°So, before we jump to the whole interview thing, I thought I would ask you a few questions. Nothing personal, nothing dangerous, just a few generalities. What do you think?¡±


    Porkchop grumbled, shoving his huge head on his lap and forcing his nose under Kauis¡¯s hand, perfectly hiding him as a talented, but nervous youngster whose bond jumped to provide reassurance.


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re good.¡± Kaius said, scratching his brother behind the ears.


    ¡°Best at lying to the Matriarchs in the whole Den, and don¡¯t you forget it.¡± Porkchop replief, leaning into his touch.


    Kaius let a touch of a quiver slip into his breath. ¡°I reserve the right to refuse to answer.¡±


    Ro smiled. ¡°Of course, of course. Now, what are you doing here? Why the Guild, and why Deadacre?¡±


    ¡°I really am from the north, lived near the Sea my whole life. Deadacre was the closest settlement I knew of with a guildhouse. As for why? Backing, and a place to grow in strength until I''m less of a minnow in a wide, wide ocean.¡± Kaius explained, pausing every few moments to choose his words.


    Ro nodded, tapping the table. ¡°Vague, but you can''t expect much else in a world with secrets like ours.¡± she smacked the table with her fist, the bang loud enough that Kaius nearly jumped out of his seat. ¡°Well, that''s good enough for me.¡±


    ¡°I¡­what?¡± Kaius asked. He¡¯d been expecting some kind of interrogation, some kind of pressure to obtain leverage. Not a single question, with a weak answer.


    Ro gave him a flat look. ¡°Boy, I''m the manager of a branch of the Delver¡¯s guild. Sure, Deadacre is a remote hole in the dirt, but there are standards. People get shipped in, out, move all around doing my kind of work.¡±


    Ro was the manager of this branch? That was surprising to Kaius, only the branch master and vice master would have seniority over her. He was about to ask why she was spending her valuable time on him, when she cut him off with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°Shush. Like I was saying, I''ve been around the block. You reek of a dispossessed scion. Too strong, too sure, too trained, and too fucking green.¡± Ro continued.


    Kaius froze, his heart skipping a beat as soon as she said the word ¡®scion¡¯. Porkchop lifted his head and fixed her with a flat stare, his hackles raising.


    The manager of the guild was entirely unflustered by the display, fixing his brother with a cold stare that screamed of barely restrained violence. In a blurring display of speed and control, she swept her bastard-sword faster than the speed of thought from where it rested against the table, levelling it directly in line with Porkchop¡¯s eye. Idly, as the electrical storm of processing the sudden change worked its way to his brain, Kaius noted that it was still sheathed.


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    ¡°And don¡¯t even get me started about you, Porkchop. A fucking greater beast? In my guild house? and you didn¡¯t expect me to notice? We¡¯re barely a month¡¯s walk from the Sea!¡± Ro said, her voice frustrated to the point of verging on anger.


    She flicked her eyes back to him, hammering him to his chair with a will of steel. ¡°Too. Fucking. Green. So yes, I wanted to know why the fuck you are here, and yes, the fact you need backing tells me everything I need to know. You¡¯re stuck in the Sea without a tent, and need help. Probably also want to stab some bastard of a usurper or three, have a handful legacy skills you are holding onto for dear life¡ªmaybe more if you managed to befriend a fucking greater meles¡ªand probably genuinely do need as much backing as you can get. That sounds about right?¡± she stared at him challengingly.


    Kaius sat rooted to the spot, his mouth flapping ineffectively for a moment, before he slumped in defeat. He was about to answer before his brother beat him to the punch.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s about right. Is any of it going to be a problem?¡± Porkchop asked, giving up all pretenses.


    Letting out an explosive breath of air, Ro rocked back in her seat, her blade seeming to instantly shift back to leaning against the table as she put her arms behind her head.


    ¡°Thank the fucking gods you play the part of a gormless twit well enough, but it pissed me off to see you do it. No, none of it will be a problem. Scions are a copper a score in the guild, everyone¡¯s running from something, and this is something of a safe haven for those who want out of the madness¡­ Never managed to meet one quite as eye-catching or as fresh as you though.¡±


    Kaius groaned, leaning forwards as he put his arms on the table to take his weight. ¡°Does anyone else know? That Porkchop is a greater beast? We knew it would get out eventually, but we wanted to build up some strength and renown first.¡±


    Grinning at them both, Ro kicked her feet up, each heel clacking loudly as it smacked the wooden table top. ¡°No, despite everything you both have good Masks, and most wouldn¡¯t recognise a greater beast from a type so secretive, even if a few rumours do stretch all the way here. You should, however, recognise that most people like me are paid to know those sorts of things.¡±


    ¡°Now,¡± Ro continued. ¡°I will say this once, and say this simply. I don¡¯t give a shit about any of that unless you make it my problem. So don¡¯t and we will have no issue. The real and frank matter is that everyone who makes it out of Iron rank to transition to Steel has secrets, and Steel ranks are the true run of the mill workforce of the Guild. Everything lower than that is just¡­prospecting. You, unless you are some gibbering idiot, are probably going to make it there, if my instincts don¡¯t fail me.¡±


    Kicking her feet off the desk, Ro rocked forwards on her seat to aggressively slam her elbows down on the table. ¡°That means that I have another tool I can use to stop this utter shit show of a phase shift from tearing this city to shreds. So no, you don¡¯t have to take a combat test, and I''ll even throw in a few artefacts on lien that you can pay off with a couple missions, to boost your Mask. When you¡¯re ready to go a little more ¡®public¡¯ about being a special little boy, I¡¯ll help it go well. That¡¯s the only special treatment you get though. In return, you do your fucking hardest to be a model member, deal?¡±


    Kaius breathed, digesting her words. He could¡­accept that. Hells, this was probably the best case scenario. This is what he wanted, after all. Backing, and most backing came with a hell of a lot more strings attached then ¡®run around killing monsters and getting paid for it.¡¯


    ¡°Deal,¡± he said with a nod.


    ¡°Thank fuck, you¡¯re not a total moron. Put your hand on the stone and channel some mana into it.¡± Ro replied, gesturing to the truth-stone set into the table.


    Kaius did so, the glassy gem feeling icy to the touch. His mana connected to the working, and it locked a thin stream of the energy in place. A strange sensation of fingers ghosting over his soulspace tickled through his centre, though he did not know how it worked.


    Ro looked at him. ¡°Great. Do you accept the Guild taking a five percent fee of contract rewards, taking a minimum of one contract every year, swearing off acts of banditry, crimes against rational peoples, and cold blooded murder?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kaius answered; the clear gem beneath his hand glowed blue in response.


    Ro smiled at that, a small thing. ¡°Fantastic. Do you agree to never defraud the guild on contracts or other matters, to never pretend to represent your opinions as representative of the guilds own, and to never impersonate the station or likeliness of a Guild official?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± once more the stone glowed with a clean blue light.


    ¡°Do you plan to join the guild to sow chaos in its ranks, leveraging your membership to create discord, or otherwise destabilise the guild as a whole?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Do you intend to cause other guild members undue harm without cause, if doing so may materially benefit you or otherwise?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the lowest layer of the Depths you have delved?¡±


    ¡°The second.¡±


    ¡°Good fucking job, you fucking madman. That means I can bump you to Copper, no lousy Wood rank for you.¡± Ro replied, fixing him with a grin. ¡°Now, last one. Do you have a bond skill, and can you ensure your companion will not attack other enlightened peoples without provocation?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± More blue light.


    ¡°A clean sweep, nice job. Catch.¡± Ro flicked something through the air towards him, the object blurring in metallic orange.


    Kaius lurched, lifting his hand up just in time for something cold and hard to slap into his palm with a stinging thwack. He turned it around, finding a copper medallion much like the bronze one he had seen the hairy chested man outside use. On one side, the embossed logo of a dead tree, the sigil of Deadacre. On the other, the symbol of the guild, a crossed sword and staff.


    Staring at the emblem in astonishment, Kaius looked up from it to meet Ro¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Just like that.¡± she grinned back.

 B2 Chapter 161: Deadacre pt. 6

    Still sitting in the silence room where he had undergone his interview, Kaius stared at the copper emblem in his hand, before looking back to Ro with a slight frown on his face.


    ¡°How does it work? I know the emblems are supposed to be representative of our identity and allow us free passage into all kingdoms who hold the Guild, but how?¡± he asked. The freedoms permitted by Guild membership were legendary, and he knew many were tied to the little hunk of copper he now held in his hands, but little else.


    Ro smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s enchanted. It¡¯s basic, just a stripped down binding ritual and Self Repair, though at higher ranks we start to reinforce them to stand up to the¡­vigour that most high tiered experience. Channel some mana into it, then use an analysis skill if you have one.¡±


    Kaius nodded, looking down to the large copper medallion. He closed his fist around it, enjoying the cold of the metal. This was just the start, from here he would push until he was a force that could no longer be denied.


    As much as it burned him, investigating the Onyx Temple would have to wait. They were legendary in their reach and capability, and sticking his nose into their business before he hit the second tier was just asking to end up locked away in some forgotten cell to be tortured for his secrets.


    He¡¯d gained backing, and a path to power today. That support might be tenuous as it stood, but as he gained strength and respect, that would change. It was possible, as risky as it was, that having some of his more obvious secrets ferreted out by Ro would be to his benefit. It made him one to keep an eye on, a potential future asset. He could leverage that.


    ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Chop chop!¡± Ro said with a clap of her hands, startling him out of the moment.


    He shook his head, he was getting sentimental. Giving Ro an abashed half smile, Kaius pulled on his mana, threading it into the minor artefact he held in his grip. Pushing it outside of his body was¡­easier than it had been in the past, if he was honest with himself, but it was still leagues behind the deft control and flowing speed he had when he manipulated the energy within the confines of his body.


    A moment later he felt a slight pop as his mana breached the emblem, then a slight tug on his soul. The emblem hung off his centre like a lead fishing weight, if only for a moment before the connection broke once more. A minor binding formation indeed, the process had little in common with the adamant chains that bound him to Porkchop and A Father¡¯s Gift.


    Uncurling his fingers to reveal gleaming brushed metal, Kaius used True Sight on the artefact.


    Copper Guild Emblem:


    Common - Tier I


    Copper, for those who are just showing their worth.


    Made from pure copper wrapped around a core of inscribed steel, this artefact freely confirms the identity of the one who wields as long as they touch the emblem with their skin while it is analyzed.


    Owner - Confirmed:


    Kaius - Copper Delver¡¯s guild member


    Registered Bonds:


    Porkchop - Warbeast


    Registered Accolades:


    N/A


    Artisan-wrought Artefact.


    Auxiliary (Emblem)


    Self Repair I, Guild Bond


    Kaius dismissed the notification. ¡°So I just have to hold it while someone uses an analysis skill and it will work?¡±


    Nodding her head, Ro¡¯s hair swished past her shoulders, forcing her to brush it back.


    ¡°Exactly, it will say ¡®Owner Unconfirmed¡¯ otherwise. It¡¯s basic, but it works. For now, as a Copper it will give you proof of identity for you and Porkchop, but once you reach Bronze, you will be able to open an account with us, to keep your funds safe and access them from any city with a Guildhouse.¡±


    Kaius nodded in appreciation. The Guild had fallen into the banking industry early. After all, Delver¡¯s tended to travel far, travel often, and accumulate significant wealth. He could understand leaving access until the Bronze tier, as it had to be an expensive system to run, however they did it.


    Ro sighed, stretching her arms over head before she stood up from her seat. She met his eyes once more once she was standing.


    ¡°Listen, as a Copper you¡¯ll be able to take on jobs rated up to level sixty. Your type tends to grow strong, quick, so I''m sure you¡¯ll chafe under that soon enough. Your quickest route to bronze will be ten jobs rated from fifty to your cap. However, even with a warbeast, you¡¯ll only be able to take jobs rated for a team of two, which will substantially hamper your prospects with how overrun the entire region is. My advice is you find someone you can trust and work with long term, the three to five bracket is much more flexible.¡± she said, calmly explaining his position.


    Kaius frowned. Another team member? And only level sixty? They¡¯d just handedly taken down an Irontusk barely a week ago, and with their size and natural strength they were a threat rated far higher than their nominative level.


    Ro smirked, pink lips parting to reveal the tips of her canines. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s bullshit, but that''s why I told you I wouldn¡¯t be bending any more rules. Listen, most of the jobs we are taking now are escalating in threat by the time we can reach them. A few mid-thirty jobs, maybe a week or two''s travel from Deadacre? Why, I''d be down right surprised if they didn¡¯t hit a threat level in the forties by the time you reached them.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s mind raced. That could work. Sure, Ro was still drastically underestimating him, and it would mean more time in the wilds, but honestly he preferred that to the constant hustle and bustle of the city.


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    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± he replied, giving Ro a thankful nod.


    The manager of the Guild fixed him with a stare. ¡°I¡¯m only telling you that because I assume you have a good handle on your own capabilities. Don¡¯t go and chase something before you¡¯re ready. I need Iron and Steel, not dead greenhorns and another fucking write up, you hear?¡± Ro demanded, steely eyes drilling into his own as the hand that wasn¡¯t holding her sword rested on her hip.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear.¡± Ro said, giving him a firm nod. ¡°Now, I really suggest you find someone to work with. I wasn¡¯t joking when I said we don¡¯t have much work that will suit you for a team of two. Also, I suggest heading back to the gate now, they sent a runner to let me know that you were coming.¡±


    Kaius nodded once more. Ro smiled, and with a few parting words on where he could find an inn by the name of the Dusty Stables¡ªallegedly something of a favourite amongst delvers with unusual bonded companions¡ªthe manager of the delver''s guild swept out of the room to see to her duties. The door clicked shut, leaving them alone, and Kaius simply sat and digested the last few moments.


    ¡°Well. That was eventful. Promising first experience with the Guild, though, she¡¯s no nonsense, but also helpful. Kinda like a Matriarch.¡± Porkchop said.


    Kaius shook his head and chuckled at his brother''s words. ¡°If that living whirlwind reminded you of the Matriarchs, I can see why you left. But you¡¯re right, that went about as well as we could have hoped, given the circumstances.¡±


    His brother let out a throaty chuckle, though he didn¡¯t deny the words.


    ¡°What now?¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius sighed and pushed himself out of the seat. ¡°Now we go and get your registration confirmed with the guards by the gate. No need to make any more trouble. After that, probably find our inn. It''s late enough that the artisans will be setting up shop by the time we get back, and I''d like to do a little inventory of what we want to flog off, and what we want to buy.¡±


    Grunting at his answer, Porkchop rose to his feet, towering over him. ¡°And what of a third party member? No one will be able to keep up with us, so we¡¯ll have to settle for someone who won''t get in our way. Also, I''m not sure if you¡¯ve noticed, but basically anyone we bring with us will immediately notice our strength, and your magic.¡±


    Kaius groaned. He didn¡¯t need reminding. That sort of trust was in short supply. ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll check the board and see if the situation is as dire as it looked to be. If it is¡­we might need to hunt down Ianmus, hope that he¡¯s been unable to secure passage.¡±


    ¡°It seems he inherited the elves'' uncanny ability to miraculously get involved in every event that involves the meles. Astounding.¡± Porkchop grumbled, before letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°He¡¯s not so bad. His ears just irritate me.¡±


    Kaius laughed. ¡°Better that than not being able to take the good contracts. Now come on, let¡¯s visit our old friend the lieutenant.¡±


    They set off, making their way out of the room. As they crossed the Guild common room, Kaius caught the sight of Vangus giving him a half wave. He looked over, to find the sneak tapping a bronze emblem while raising his eyebrows questioningly.


    Grinning in response, Kaius flashed his copper, and got a wide smile in return.


    Waving the man goodbye they left the hall, entering the streets of Deadacre.


    ¡­.


    The sun was slowly setting on the streets of the city as he and Porkchop made their way through the winding stone arteries that crisscrossed the settlement. It was a warm afternoon, amber and pink light splashing across the sky like spilled paint, and lighting up cobbled roads in a warmth that brought with it a comforting drowsiness.


    Kaius hummed softly as he walked next to his brother, directing them towards the delver¡¯s quarter. While Explorer¡¯s Toolkit was far less assistance in the city, he¡¯d always had a good sense of direction, and remembering which turns to take was far easier than navigating through endless forest or the winding caves of the depths.


    In the end, checking in with the guards by the gate had been a simple matter. They¡¯d been waved down as soon as they arrived, one of the rank and file jogging up to them. The guardsman had been young, but confident. Once he¡¯d analyzed their emblem and confirmed Porkchop¡¯s registration, he¡¯d waved them off at once, returning to helping with the milling crowds of refugees that were taking shelter in the temporary tents by the gate.


    The slow thrum of the crowds thinned around them as people hastened home or to the various public houses that lined its many streets. It was interesting, watching the city wind down. A different life, one that he could never quite wrap his head around.


    Sure, it was nice enough to spend a few weeks, or even a month or two, in the city. Afterall, it was a riot of places to explore and things to see. Yet, he couldn¡¯t see himself ever living here. Surely the narrow streets, the tight packed confines, and the crowds had to eventually drive people mad?


    On the other hand, all that concentrated life gave the air a certain¡­energy. Though, right now it was far different that he remembered from a few years back. Then, it had been almost exuberant. Joyful. Now it was tense, and stressed. Like an overdrawn bow, ready to snap.


    He shook his head. The sooner they could pick up a job and get out of here, the better.


    Another few turns took them into the Delver¡¯s district, with its wider streets, nice buildings, and dozens of different shops catered to the needs of the city''s fighters. Those were all shuttered now, though Kaius did make note of one inscriptionist with a sign of an embellished glyph engraved on a wooden shield. They had a few suits of armour in their windows. Covered in clean runework, he could make out Ykkardian sigils blended with something unfamiliar through the use of Yosh. Someone skilled and, judging by one leather set, the experience to work on Porkchop¡¯s new barding. They¡¯d have to check it out tomorrow. Though, perhaps when they went to check out the mission board, they¡¯d be able to get some recommendations.


    Turning another corner, he spied the Guildhouse still filled with raucous activity. He¡¯d heard they never closed, but it was good to confirm it for himself.


    ¡°You two-legs really do like beer, don¡¯t you?¡± Porkchop asked, eying the loud talking figures that downed tankards like it was water in a desert.


    ¡°Can¡¯t deny that,¡± Kaius laughed, before he pointed down another side road. ¡°Come on, the Dusty Stables is supposed to be over there.¡±


    A few more turns and they found it. Kaius was certain.


    Twice as wide as the average building, and an extra story tall, the Dusty Stables stood out in stark relief from its surroundings. Its ground floor was quite literally stables, built into the stone foundations of the building. Most were empty, but at least a third held all manner of strange mounts. Stout legged flightless birds, similar to the beasts who had accosted Ianmus. Strange horse like creatures, and a dozen other varieties of furred beast. One even had a massive lizard.


    Stairs lead up the side of the building, wide enough that he and Porkchop could walk two abreast, leading directly to a landing that held a massive front door.


    Its windows shone with the soft orange of flickering fire, mingling with the steady glow of wardlights tuned to the same colour. It looked¡­inviting. Kaius felt the weary weight of travel set on his shoulders, burdening him with lethargy.


    ¡°Come on, I want some food and a soft bed.¡± he said, hurrying his way forwards with Porkchop in tow.

 B2 Chapter 162: Deadacre pt. 7

    The stairs leading to the entrance to the Dusty Stables were wide things that tracked up the side of the building, shading the various pens that were set into the building at street level.


    A sign hung over their rise, showing off not just the name of the establishment and its insignia¡ªa crisp painting of a weather-worn stable¡ªbut that also stated that all trained and bonded beasts were welcome inside. As long as they were polite, that is.


    ¡°Well, I suppose we should make our entrance. Though, let me grab something from our bags first.¡± he said to Porkchop, before approaching his side and pulling a coin purse from within their dimensional bag.


    Sliding their earnings into a spare slot in his potion pouch, Kaius ascended the stairs and entered the tavern.


    It smelled¡­clean and homely - of saddlesoap, clean fur, and well oiled wood. Scents that made him feel more relaxed, far more than any other place in the city at least. He smiled, taking in the interior as Porkchop craned over his shoulder to look in himself.


    The space was wide, with a long bar stretching two thirds the length of the room directly across from him. Behind it, a long cabinet of liqueurs was set off just to the side of an entrance to a bustling open kitchen, four men hustling as they cooked and prepared all manner of foods, some of which were decidedly odd. Like the one who was dicing fruit, only to toss it in a bowl of freshly cut grass.


    Kaius cocked his eyebrow at the sight.


    Perhaps even more befuddling than that was the general furnishings of the establishment. It had the usual trappings: tables, chairs, booths, and padded benches. There were also other, stranger things. Wide, boxy stools set at knee height that were almost big enough for him to lie on, as well as odd backless daybeds scattered around the place.


    The purpose for the strange furniture was readily explained by the absolutely massive cat that lounged on one such platform, curled up in front of the roaring fire that dominated the wall to his right.


    Hearing their entrance, the cat''s ears perked up. Lifting its head from its slumber, it focused on him, but only for a moment before it locked its eyes on Porkchop behind him. Pupils dilated, ears flicking up quickly before the cat gave a large stretch and slunk to its feet.


    He tensed, only for Porkchop to butt him in the back of the head with his nose.


    ¡°He¡¯s friendly.¡± his brother assured.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Kaius asked with a frown, watching the cat silently pad across the room towards them.


    ¡°Honestly, Kaius, I know you¡¯re a little traumatised from the last two cats, but the thing¡¯s fucking purring. Pull yourself together.¡± Porkchop chuckled.


    Looking back at his brother in surprise, Kaius whipped back to the cat and actually listened. Porkchop was right, a deep rumbling resonance was coming from its chest, deep enough that he more felt than heard it. Sighing in relief, Kaius forced his apprehension down. Porkchop was right, he was being ridiculous, and it was likely he could handle the cat if anything happened anyway.


    Afterall, he doubted an innkeeper did much delving, and even if non-combat classers could level from working in line with their class, it was mighty slow unless you were some world-leading expert.


    Without the slightest care in the world the cat, tall enough to meet his waist, slid right around him to wind its way around Porkchop¡¯s legs. His brother bent his head down to give the cat a curious sniff, who promptly smushed his face with its own. Much to Porkchop¡¯s surprise, judging by the way his ears suddenly flicked.


    Kaius chuckled, before a booming laugh drew his attention back to the bar. One of the men who had been in the kitchen, rather tall with dark features, had drifted behind the counter. He was watching Porkchop¡¯s interaction with the cat with an easy smile, resting his weight on the bar.


    ¡°Not often Yong takes such an interest in someone, especially not one so much bigger than him.¡± the man said with a deep and gravelly voice that filled the room. At his words, Yong¡¯s ears perked up, and the cat trotted across the room to join him by the bar.


    ¡°Ay, I don¡¯t have any treats for ya, you big fatty.¡± the innkeeper said affectionately, rubbing Yong¡¯s head as the cat yowled pleadingly. The man''s will didn¡¯t last long, as he flicked a scrap of¡­something out over the counter. Yong chased after it in a mad scramble.


    ¡°Ahhh, can never stay stern with him for long. Name¡¯s Hensch, by the way, owner and proprietor of the Dusty Stables.¡± Hensch gave a small bow.


    Kaius smiled at the sight, while at first he had been worried about how accommodating an inn could truly be for a creature of Porkchop¡¯s size, those worries had fled as he watched the man¡¯s interactions with Yong.


    ¡°Kaius, and the big lug behind me is Porkchop. Ro pointed me here, said you¡¯re probably my best bet for lodgings.¡± he said, introducing himself.


    Hensch chuckled, lightly slapping the countertop. ¡°Met Ro, did ya? She¡¯s a feisty one, but she¡¯s not wrong. Not many places in this city that would be happy to deal with a warbeast of that big boy¡¯s size, bonded or not.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you know he was bonded?¡± Kaius asked, tilting his head slightly.


    ¡°Well, for one, you¡¯re a mite evocative with your body language.¡± Hench pinched his fingers, exaggerating the motion with a squint of his eyes. ¡°Bit of a give away with bond skills, the link goes both ways after all. For two, I haven¡¯t heard a peep from any of the other customers about an ornery warbeast around town. No way in hells some bear-thing straight from the hells would be so calm if it couldn¡¯t tap directly into your mindstate to know everything was at ease. That, and Porkchop there''s got none of the rigid restraint you see from trained beasts, and ye didn¡¯t leave him in the stables.¡± Hensch explained, ticking the points of his fingers one by one.


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    Kaius chuckled, reaching up to scratch Porkchop behind the ears. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got me there, we¡¯re here to get settled. For a week at least, I''m going to be going on a lot of out of town journeys for the Guild.¡±


    ¡°Figured, what with Ro¡¯s recommendation and all.¡± Hensch nodded. ¡°You want him to stay in your room? It¡¯s no trouble, but I''ll have to give ya one of the bigger ones which are a little pricier. Depths-silver a night. Comes with feed for ya bonded, in whatever way he needs. If ya end up rushing off, I¡¯ll just credit ye the remaining nights.¡±


    Kaius blinked at the price. One silver would have been enough to house him for a month in Three Fields, though he supposed for an inn that catered to delvers with beast companions, it made sense. After all, silver was cheap when a single delve could pull enough artefacts to drown you in the stuff.


    ¡°Put us down for a week for now, though no doubt we¡¯ll be here regularly for the next while.¡± Kaius said, crossing the room as he pulled the required coinage from his purse. It was a moderate dent in their loose silver, but he suspected between selling off some artefacts and taking jobs for the guild, it would be a negligible expense.


    ¡°Thank ye kindly.¡± Hensch said with a nod. ¡°You¡¯ll meet the other patrons tomorrow, I imagine, most have already retired, and a few are still out on business. Now, what¡¯s your boy eat?¡±


    Kaius coughed. ¡°Erm. Human food, mostly, as long as it''s rich in meat and vegetables. Spices are fine, as long as they are not too pungent.¡± he finished. After so long cooking with the dwarven spices they¡¯d found that anything too hot or intense had a tendency to leave Porkchop a sneezing, drooling mess.


    Hensch laughed, slapping his thigh with mirth. ¡°Shoulda known you¡¯d coddle the beastie, what with a name like Porkchop,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s fine lad, I can work with that. Give me a chance to wash me hands and I''ll show you to your room.¡±


    Hurrying into the kitchen to direct his workers for a moment, Hensch washed up and quickly returned, swiping a key from under the counter.


    He led them up the wide stairs, which didn¡¯t even creak under Porkchop¡¯s weight. Kaius was impressed, especially when he noticed discrete lines of what must have been a reinforcing formation scribed into the wood under the lip of each step.


    Walking up two flights, Hensch led them to the end of a wide wooden corridor, decorated in intricate panelling that was beautifully carved with scenes of nature. Kaius didn¡¯t miss that a solid two-thirds of the scenes involved cats, the man¡¯s loyalties well displayed. It seemed that even if he charged an extravagant price, those earnings had been well reinvested into the Dusty Stables.


    Stopping at a door at the end of the hall, the innkeep unlocked it, before passing him back the key. The door was a broad thing, easily half his height again and twice the width of a normal door. More than large enough for Porkchop to enter.


    ¡°Well, here ya go. I¡¯ll knock later and leave some food outside your door. I know how you delver types like your privacy after a long time on the road.¡± Hensch said with a wink, before he sauntered off down the hall, humming a little tune to himself.


    Entering the room was a wondrous thing. Well equipped with a wide and low bed, a desk and chair, wardrobe, and a fireplace with rug, it was more than large enough for him and Porkchop to just exist without feeling cramped. Somehow, the fire was already lit, though Kaius quickly spotted an explanation as he saw a control glyph on the mantelpiece.


    An inscribed fire, extravagant, but not unappreciated.


    Porkchop dived for the rug, settling onto its plush surface with a groan as he rolled onto his back to soak up the heat. It seemed the whole building had been built to the same specs as the stairs, because Kaius caught nary a creak from the floorboards as his brother did so.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got a place to stay. Shall we decide on what to sell and our plans for tomorrow before we go to bed?¡± Kaius said, sliding onto the carpet next to Porkchop.


    Porkchop groaned, but rolled onto his front. ¡°What are you thinking of getting rid of, anyways? Old barding, and blink-knives, but is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Those, plus maybe my helmet if we don¡¯t get enough for what we need. It¡¯s a bit mediocre, and pretty heavy, so we might find something a bit better. Armour is a keep for now, though I imagine my vambraces will quickly become less useful as we level up. Even against the irontusk I noticed it wasn¡¯t as useful as it was against the others, I barely made it through even with my full weight behind the swing.¡± Kaius said, leaning back on his hands as he stared into the fire. It was odd, seeing the flickering tongues emanating directly from inscribed stone.


    ¡°That makes sense. What of purchases? Will we have enough to replace them with something better?¡±


    Slumping his head back, Kaius hummed as he thought about it. There were a few things they could use, some far cheaper than others. At the very least they had to get Porkchop¡¯s barding inscribed with self-repair. It was strong enough that going without was a total waste, especially because it would be far more costly to keep getting it repaired at leatherworkers in the long run.


    ¡°Barding is the priority, otherwise I think some form of refilling water source would be up there in terms of our needs. They¡¯re popular, and cheap for artefacts, and it would mean far more security as we roamed the wilds and the Depths both. I don¡¯t want to burn through all of our coin, so I think it might be best to save until we can source a suitable armour set for me. The Serellian scale hasn¡¯t been holding up all that well, for all its magic resistance is useful.¡± Kaius said after considering the issue. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯ll need?¡±


    Porkchop paused, his head cocking slightly as he thought on the question. ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡± he said finally.


    ¡°Well, in that case, the only other things we have to do tomorrow is check out the Guild¡¯s mission board and hope that the situation isn¡¯t as dire for missions rated for a team of two as Ro made it sound. If it is¡­I guess we pay a visit to the caravaneers association and see if Ianmus has departed?¡± Kaius said. While he was not so selfish as to hope that the half-elf¡¯s plans had been totally derailed, it would serve as an easy solution to the problem of their team size.


    While he did not match up to them in strength, Ianmus was capable, and kept a cool head in combat. Plus, he was a solar mage, which was an affinity well renowned for its split between restorative effects, scorching spells, and healing abilities. A perfect backline for them.


    Especially as he suspected the man to have a Rare class. If the man truly was valedictorian, he had most likely gained a handful of legacy skills, and might have had one or two more besides. That, plus the effort it would have taken to achieve that standing in the first place, was likely enough to do that much at least.


    He could only hope that if they were in need of his assistance, Ianmus would be both available and amenable to delving work.

 B2 Chapter 163: Deadacre pt. 8

    Kaius let out a sigh of satisfaction, patting his stomach as he walked down the street with Porkchop at his side. He¡¯d decided that Hensch must be a mage, because it was only by actual magic that the food could be that good.


    Literally, in the case of how invigorating the morning meal had been. It had been a grand affair, of eggs, toast, seared ham, and a dozen charred vegetables he had no name for. Delicious, all in all, and would have been well worth the cost of admission even without the sudden energy that had welled within him afterwards.


    He¡¯d asked the man about it, but all he had gotten in return was a sly grin as Hensch had tapped the side of his nose. Trade secrets or some such. High level skills, no doubt. Especially considering it had been made with only mundane ingredients. He hoped that one day Explorer¡¯s Toolkit would let him do something similar, but he doubted he would ever be able to do anything as impactful until he was far higher level than the man.


    Renting a room at the Dusty Stables had been a good decision. Hells, Hensch had even sent someone to fetch him a pair of gloves when he¡¯d asked, not so much as blinking at the odd request. Afterall, without his vambraces his glyphs would be on full display, something that best remained hidden for now.


    They were heading to the Guild. Their first stop of the day. Originally, they were going to head straight to the inscriptionist he had spotted the previous evening, but then Porkchop had pointed out that it was probably wise to get advice from Ro, or perhaps Vangus, on which places were best.


    That, and the Guild was closer. They¡¯d end up there anyway, so it made sense to check the mission board first thing.


    They still got stares as they walked through the streets, though this time they were fewer in number and more curious than wary. For one, he had left behind his armour, in favour of going about his day in his trusty set of travelling clothes. The other major factor was that they were in the Delver¡¯s quarter, and seeing an armed man going about his business with a titanic warbeast at his side was far less of an occasion for the folks who lived and worked here.


    Rounding a corner, the Guild came into view. It was still just as majestic as the first time he had seen it, looming high on a t-shaped intersection, declaring its dominance and institutional vigour. A glimmer of giddy butterflies fluttered their way around his stomach as he stared at the emblem of a crossed stave and sword, his hand fiddling with the copper emblem in his pocket.


    ¡°What¡¯s got you so joyous?¡± Porkchop asked, picking up on his mood through their bond.


    ¡°Just still feels strange finally making it here. I might have gained and lost much, and my route was far different than I imagined, but I''m here all the same. A delver, after years of dreaming about it.¡± Kaius murmured wistfully, an easy going smile tugging at his lips.


    Porkchop chuffed, drawing a few eyes from passers by. ¡°I sort of understand, I¡¯ve wondered on the nature of the lands of your people for a long time too. The more I stay here, the more strange things come to mind about the way you live. It¡¯s confusing, but exciting and adventurous.¡±


    Kaius clapped his brother on the back. ¡°Well, here¡¯s to fulfilling our dreams, I suppose. Let us hope the trend continues.¡± he said through their bond as they approached the front door of the building.


    It swung open with ease, revealing a common room far less rambunctious than it had been the previous day. Delver¡¯s clustered around the mission board, while a decently long line snaked away from the counter, each petitioner holding a thin slip of cream coloured card in their hands.


    Business was the name of the game this early in the morning, it seemed.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go wait over by those seats, we might tug on some tails if I take up a quarter of the room by the board.¡± Porkchop said, turning towards an out of the way booth that was set up on the edge of the common area.


    Kaius slapped his brother on the shoulder. ¡°Good plan.¡±


    Walking towards the board, he made his way through the crowds, patiently waiting for the others who had arrived first to take their picks. Once a space was free he leapt into it, surveying the offerings available.


    Hundreds of strips of paper were pinned to the thing, covering it completely across its thirty stride length.


    The mission board had been separated into horizontal segments, each rimmed with a different material, creating a section of space perhaps two long-strides wide, by one and a half tall. Wood, then copper, bronze, iron, and steel.


    Kaius frowned as he looked at the distribution of the request. They were¡­telling of the state of things. The wooden section on the far left had a bare few handfuls of slips scattered across its cork surface, while the copper one he stood in front of had dozens. To his right, at the bronze, the section had so many missions available that not a scrap of its cork surface could be seen.


    That was the busiest section by far, a steady stream of people entering the Guild, wandering over to it to gather slips in twos and threes, before registering the mission at the front desk and leaving again.


    It made some sense, afterall Bronzes were the most numerous in the guild. While those who fully devoted themselves to delving quickly rose to Iron, or even Steel, he¡¯d heard there were plenty of those who joined the guild for a touch of occasional excitement, supplementary income, or a myriad of other reasons. Those types were large in number, but usually only worked as a delver once a season or less.


    It seemed that the change wrought by the shift in phases had lit a fire under them, rousing people from complacency, judging by the folks he saw wandering in.


    Still, the sheer number of missions was worrying. Bronze was for folks who could deal with threats in the sixty to one-hundred level range, and it commonly represented the point where most people without combat classes couldn¡¯t handle something on their own - even significantly over levelled.


    There was something worse though, while far fewer than even the Copper jobs, there were Iron ranked missions on the board. Those were supposed to be¡­rare. At least in the frontier and the Dukedoms. Niggling worry seeped through his stomach, a thrumming tension rising as he realised that as much as it might be nice, they needed to keep pushing. The rising tide of mana waited for no one, and he didn¡¯t want to be left behind.


    He could only thank the gods that the Steel board sat empty. For now.


    Sighing at the state of things, Kaius leaned closer to the Copper requests. He leafed through the pages, reading the descriptions of missions in and around the region under the purview of this guild branch. A frown slowly grew on his face.


    Cavern lurkers picking off miners in a quarry, level forty threat, team of three or more. Eirholm under assault by a pack of unknown beasts, assumed level fifty threat, team of five or more. Boggart swarm harrying passage between Broadfield and Whetendale, level forty-five threat, team of five or more.


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    With increasing frustration, he flipped through the missions, only finding something that he and Porkchop would be able to take every ten or so. Each and everyone was categorically unsuitable.


    Help needed wrangling escaped beast cattle, level twenty-five threat, team of two plus. Hunting hound turned on owners, level twenty threat, team of two plus. Lake geese preventing access of fishermen, level twenty¡­


    Kaius looked on in disgust. It seemed they would have to hope that Ianmus was still in the city after all.


    To make matters worse, he¡¯d found more than one mission that he thought would suit him and Porkchop perfectly well, if only they could take him. A singular giant spider at the edge of what was suitable for Copper, with suspected illusion abilities when stationary, team of fucking three plus.


    Grinding his teeth for a moment, Kaius forced his shoulders to relax as he took a long sigh.


    ¡°Thought I¡¯d find you here,¡± a familiar voice said from behind him. ¡°I can explain why there¡¯s nothing for you, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Kaius turned to find Ro standing behind him, a knowing smile on her face. The surrounding delvers gave her plenty of space, their deference clear.


    Honestly, he could probably imagine why. For most, delving was extremely dangerous without a balanced team of three to five. An institution like the Guild, especially one that was notorious for drawing in overconfident youngsters, would have to dissuade their members from elaborate suicide.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it''s to stop the vast majority who would be picking up jobs they really shouldn¡¯t¡± he sighed.


    Ro grinned, and nodded. ¡°Yep. Most missions are structured under the assumption that you will have found a team by the time you are out of early Copper. So, you have anyone in mind, or do you want me to introduce you to some folks who might fit?¡±


    ¡°I might. The mage I arrived in town with, he was trying to catch a caravan to the Dukedoms, but with the way of things he might have been delayed.¡± Kaius explained.


    Ro nodded. ¡°Understandable. Honestly, unless he¡¯s fucking loaded, he¡¯s probably still holed up at the association. Everyone and their grandmother wants to be behind the walls of a Greenseed city right now. I¡¯d hurry though, never know what might happen.¡±


    Well, that was something at least. He¡¯d known it would be busy, but he knew that of anyone Ro would be best positioned to know the truth of it. Still, while he had her here, Kaius figured he might as well ask after an appropriate inscriptionist.


    ¡°I''ll get it done before lunch,¡± he promised. ¡°While I have you, do you know where I could offload a few spare artefacts, and get a Self Repair job done?¡±


    ¡°Busy man.¡± Ro said with a smile. ¡°But yes, go to the Artifice and Arms, just a few blocks down the left, and then a block to the right. Jin¡¯s a trustworthy sort, he¡¯ll treat you right.¡±


    Kaius nodded, committing the simple directions to memory.


    ¡°Anyways, I have to get back to work. Just wanted to check in on my latest member. Don¡¯t die, Kaius, we need all hands right now.¡± Ro said, before she turned heel and walked through the crowd, leaving him to his business.


    Well, at least the trip hadn¡¯t been a total failure, and now they could get some more preparations done.


    Kaius pushed his way through the gaggle that still flowed too and from the mission board, informing Porkchop of his findings on his way to the door.


    Next stop, enchantments.


    ¡­


    The door to Artifice and Arms jingled as he pushed it open. At first he thought it was a bell, though a moment later he spotted a small inscription on the door jam. Finely wrought and delicate, it was an impressive display of miniaturisation even if the formation itself was simple.


    Porkchop waited for him outside, calmly sitting outside one of the shop''s bay windows. Kaius nabbed the saddle bag from his brother, slinging it over his shoulder as he entered the place. If there was anywhere there was little risk of backlash due to it being discovered, it was to a fellow inscriptionist. Any artificer who got a reputation for sharing secrets of their customers'' gear would be a pariah in minutes.


    The shop itself was a fascinating thing, with shelves covered in an impressive array of artefacts. A counter dominated the far wall, the man behind it smiling at him.


    ¡°Welcome to Artifice and Arms! Name¡¯s Jin, what can I do for you?" the owner of the shop welcomed him. He was a short man. Slight and wiry, dressed in clean linens that draped off his thin frame.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Jin. Name¡¯s Kaius, Ro recommended I visit you for a little work, and to potentially offload a couple of artifacts.¡± Kaius said cordially, approaching the counter.


    ¡°Well, any friend of Ro¡¯s is a friend of mine. Let¡¯s get the commission out of the way first, what do you need done?¡± Jin asked, looking at his bag in curiosity.


    ¡°Mind if I use up a bit of the bench?¡± he asked.


    Jin backed up, and waved at him to go ahead. It was a testament to the man''s professionalism that he didn¡¯t even blink as Kaius pulled out Porkchop¡¯s under-armour from their spatial container. Instead the man leaned forwards, inspecting the barding he¡¯d produced.


    ¡°Stone charger hide? That¡¯s good stuff. New too.¡± Jin looked up. ¡°Whoever made this knew their trade well. I assume you want Self Repair?¡±


    Kaius nodded, it wasn¡¯t a hard guess.


    ¡°Well, good news is there is plenty of space, bad news is it''s just about the only thing it will bear before it''s fully saturated. When do you need it?¡± Jin asked.


    ¡°Preferably sooner than a week. I want to get back out in the field.¡± Kaius said, giving Jin an awkward smile. He knew it was a fast turn around for this sort of work. Self Repair was a far more complicated inscription than most, regardless of its ubiquitous nature of depths-wrought artefacts.


    Jin tutted, drumming his fingers on his counter in a rolling beat. ¡°I could do it, but I''ll have to add my rush charge, ten percent, which would bring the total to one-fifty depths-gold. That good by you?¡± the man looked at him questioningly, searching his face for any sign of shock and horror.


    Kaius smiled at the sight of it. Father had told him many stories of people being horrified at the true cost of inscriptions. Enchanting, the kind of formation that was bound into artefacts, required an extreme level of precision over basic formations, and often needed valuable reagents in the use of the binding.


    ¡°Depends if I have equal in trade, and hopefully you can throw in a water producing artefact.¡± Kaius said as he pulled out his brace of blink-knives and Porkchops old set of barding.


    Jin blinked, peering close at both items. He nodded appreciatively at the barding, but clucked his tongue in pleased surprise at the throwing knives. A moment later he looked up and gave Kaius a contemplative look.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a Guild account yet, do you?¡± he said after a moment.


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡± Kaius responded, his brow furrowing.


    Jin shook his head. ¡°Not exactly. Look, I¡¯ll take the barding for seventy. It¡¯s niche, but with Well Fitted it¡¯ll be an easy sell to the right folks. However, those blink knives are going to sell like hotcakes. Returning? On a full brace of knives? It ups the value considerably compared to six individual blades.¡±


    Kaius blinked, he¡¯d known returning was expensive, but he hadn¡¯t realised having them as a single set was such a factor.


    Jin nodded knowingly. ¡°Oh yes, it does. Look, with how much those knives will fetch me, I''ll be able to do the work on your barding overnight, throw in a self refilling waterskin, and fifty depths-gold in gold and silver for the knives. I recommend banking as much of the one-twenty as you can when you get an account, even if you do have a spatial artefact.¡±


    Kaius nodded. It made sense, especially if he could get access to the money in any well developed city. ¡°Deal.¡±


    ¡°Fantastic!¡± Jin swiped his hand over the table, revealing neat stacks of yellow and silver coinage, a large leather waterskin with runic stitching, and the existence of the man''s own spatial artifact. Each metal pillar was ten coins high, letting Kaius count the total in moments. The exact amount to the silver.


    Kaius nodded to the man with a smile, shoveling handfuls of coin into his saddlebag where he quickly deposited it into the Merchant¡¯s Saddlebag.


    ¡°Well, pleasure doing business with you, Jin. I¡¯ll see you in a few days.¡± Kaius said, offering the man his hand.


    Jin shook it, and wished him well, before Kaius took his leave to rejoin with Porkchop outside the shop.


    Now they just needed to see if they could hunt down Ianmus. Hopefully he hadn¡¯t left yet.

 B2 Chapter 164: Deadacre pt. 9

    Leaving the artificer¡¯s shop Kaius made his way through Deadacre with Porkchop glued close to his side. It was interesting to watch how the general populace of the wider city¡¯s reaction to them had changed now that they were not fully suited up in their armour.


    He supposed even if his travelling clothes were reinforced with thick leather, they were much closer to standard hunting gear than true protective armaments. Regardless, while plenty of people still openly stared at them, it was with far more curiosity than wariness now.


    Internally, Kaius thought that it was Porkchop doing the heavy lifting. Without his barding on display, his coat was revealed in all its gleaming density. He caught sight of more than one child step towards his brother with wide eyes full of delight, only to be snatched back by aghast parents a moment later. More than a few women too.


    ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± Porkchop asked, as he watched a young lady stare at his brother with open want.


    Kaius martialed a straight face. ¡°I¡¯ve just watched about fifteen people in the last few blocks who looked like they¡¯d sell their left leg if it meant they got a chance to pet you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Porkchop asked, looking over the moving crowds with curiosity. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Your fur.¡± he explained, still struggling not to laugh like a mad man in the middle of the street.


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense. It is very healthy.¡± Porkchop said plainly, though Kaius could feel the wave of satisfaction emanating across their bond. It was nearly enough to make him crack.


    Shaking his head, he led them onwards, snaking their way towards the caravaneer¡¯s association. They kept to the main streets, the wide arterial pathways that were flooded with carts and foot traffic, even if it was a more winding route. Undoubtedly the smaller roads would be more direct, but even if he knew the basics of the city, he was in no way as familiar with navigating its labyrinth as a local.


    Turning a corner, Kaius spotted someone familiar looming head and shoulders out of the crowd, platinum hair shining like a beacon in the summer sun.


    Kaius elbowed his brother lightly. ¡°I think that¡¯s Ianmus! He didn¡¯t manage to get a caravan after all, or at least not yet.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope he¡¯s not just waiting for passage then.¡± Porkchop replied.


    A moment later, Ianmus spotted them from down the street. He raised his hand in a friendly wave, making his way through the thrum of bodies to approach them as his pack thumped against his back.


    ¡°I think we might be in luck. He looks a little too hurried for a simple hello.¡± Kaius mused, smiling as he led the way down the street.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± Ianmus called as soon as he was within normal speaking distance. ¡°I was just coming to ask after you.¡± The magi gave Porkchop a subtle nod of acknowledgement.


    Stepping in, he gave the man a clap on the back. ¡°Ianmus, it¡¯s good to see you. How goes securing your passage to the Dukedoms?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We thought you might have left already.¡± Porkchop added.


    A pained smile crossed Ianmus¡¯s face, the mage stepping off to the side of the street to less impede the flow of traffic.


    ¡°Not¡­great. The association was flooded, and caravans were completely booked for months. They doubled the guard positions on each one, but I didn¡¯t have the levels to secure a working trip.¡± he explained.


    Kaius schooled his expression, trying to keep the victorious joy that flooded his chest from showing on his face.


    ¡°Ahhh, that¡¯s a shame. I was worried that might happen.¡± Kaius said with a sympathetic shake of his head. ¡°How about I treat you to lunch? I actually have something I wanted to ask you about, and we passed an eatery earlier that looked pleasant enough.¡±


    Ianmus¡¯s face brightened, even as he had to rapidly press himself against the stone wall of the building they stood under to avoid a sudden rush of people.


    ¡°That sounds great, actually. I had something I wanted to ask you as well. Where did you have in mind?¡± the magi asked, schooling his expression quickly into a remarkable mask of calm and friendly interest.


    That piqued his interest. Afterall, he¡¯d gotten the measure of the man on their journey together, and he didn¡¯t seem the type that would beg after coin.


    ¡°A place back in the delver¡¯s quarter.¡± he pointed over his shoulder. ¡°Not too far from here, shall we?¡± he asked, keeping his thoughts to himself. He¡¯d find out either way soon enough.


    ¡°Let¡¯s!¡± Ianmus said, falling into step with him as they turned to make their way back down the street.


    A groan of relief slipped from Porkchop¡¯s mouth, startling a few nearby residents, though they quickly calmed when Porkchop showed complete disinterest in them. His brother¡¯s gaze was razor focused on their path ahead.


    ¡°Thank the Matriarchs, I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡­.


    Seated at an exterior table at the edge of the eatery''s space so that Porkchop could join them, Kaius smiled at the waiter who handed him an earthen plate with a heaping sandwich on top of it. He¡¯d spotted someone eating one on their way from the artificer, and the heaping pile of meat, relish, and salad had been more than enough to clinch the deal for him.


    He¡¯d even managed to get them to give Porkchop one of his own, though he got the feeling it was an only moderately unusual request considering where the eatery was located.


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    The waiter smiled back, the faintest hint of pink spreading across her pale cheeks before she hurried back into the store.


    Taking a quick bite of his meal, Kaius chased it with a sip of his beer before he turned his attention back to Ianmus.


    ¡°So, look, I thought I would just cut to the chase.¡± Ianmus said cautiously, taking a break from his own sandwich. ¡°Ever since we separated a couple of days ago, I haven¡¯t been able to get that fight with the irontusk out of my head, and the thought just kept churning when I found out I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave Deadacre for some time.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s stomach sank. The man was rattled, he had to be. Of course he would be, how could he have been so stupid? No sane man wanted to fight something twice his level and twenty times his size. No way the man would join him now.


    ¡°It was too much?¡± he asked after giving himself a moment to get a handle on his disappointment.


    ¡°No,¡± Ianmus said with thrumming fire, leaning closer and putting his hands on the table. ¡°It was¡­exhilarating. The rush! The growth! I studied the Song much in the colleges, but I always thought that I was one of the many who only felt it lightly. But now? I feel useless, restless at the very idea of rushing off to the Dukedoms and wasting away behind reinforced walls.¡± he continued, his voice taking on a desperate, almost pleading, quality.


    Kaius sat back, shocked at the turn of events. Even Porkchop, as focused as he was on slicing his sandwich into manageable chunks with his claws, looked up.


    Ianmus¡¯s eyes flicked between the two of him, his eyes widening slightly with a hint of desperation. He held his hands up placatingly.


    ¡°Listen. I know I am weaker, that I won¡¯t face the same danger as the two of you, and that you are probably reasonably worried about me slowing you down. However, I¡¯m a great back line, probably one of the best you¡¯ll find amongst our own level. Even amongst interspire competitions, I came first in all my year group, and with solar affinity I''m well positioned for restorative and invigorating magics, let alone that I have decent free casting capabilities.¡± The words spilled out of Ianmus¡¯s mouth in a torrent, a blur of justifications that continued without pause.


    Then Kaius raised his hands, and he trailed off with a paling of his cheeks.


    ¡°I imagine your next words would be that we can already trust you?¡± Kaius asked, raising one brow.


    Ianmus gave him a short nod, a small frown gracing his face.


    ¡°Yeah, we were on our way to ask you to join us.¡± Porkchop said, beating him to the punch in saving the half-elf from his distress.


    Ianmus¡¯s transformation was miraculous, his face nigh-on becoming radiant as his spine straightened. ¡°You were? Truly?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Kaius answered. ¡°But, and this is relatively significant, only if it is a long term thing.¡±


    It was something that he and Porkchop had decided on the night before. Traveling with the man was one thing, but actually working together? It wouldn¡¯t take a sharp mind like Ianmus¡¯s long to pick apart more of their secrets, including potentially dangerous ones. With a long term partnership, however, it was likely that the man would inevitably end up bound by the same chains that held him.


    Honours, for one. Even if he had to bludgeon the man into it, it would all but enforce Ianmus¡¯s silence on his own strength. Without a doubt they would find more, especially if they kept punching upwards. That, and the first tier was only the start of a very long road. If Ianmus accrued his own feats, the mans lacking strength would soon become less of an issue. That said, his and Porkchop¡¯s leads were probably far too great for that gap to ever close fully, even if it mattered less with Ianmus being part of the back line.


    Though, he would still keep the existence of Honours a secret until that point. That, and everything else.


    Ianmus watched him closely, eyes narrowed with wary curiosity. ¡°Why? Not that I am particularly against that requirement, unless our relationship completely breaks down.¡±


    ¡°Secrets, some of which you will inevitably be burdened with yourself.¡± he said with a shrug.


    Ianmus paused for a moment. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Looking up from his sandwich, Porkchop tilted his head at the magi. ¡°That was fast, no questions at all?¡±


    Kaius nodded in agreement. ¡°I expected¡­a little more suspicion than that, if i am honest.¡±


    ¡°I can use my brain, Kaius.¡± he said, leaning forwards before his tone lowered conspiratorially. ¡°You are too strong, you have secrets other than the ones I have pieced together, and I will eat my boot if those two things are not linked.¡±


    The magi took a breath, leaning back before his voice returned to normal volume.


    ¡°Look. I have thought on this thoroughly for two days. Already things are breaking down, and we are only just reaching a month since the phase change. It''s only getting worse from here. If I don''t do something now, if I keep my head firmly in the sand, then I will be left behind. I need this.¡± he finished.


    Kaius nodded, he could respect that, and frankly having reached that position was only a testament to the fact that Ianmus was no fool. The simple volume of people moving through the Guild in the last few days said that it was one that many were coming to.


    ¡°Great, though I have one last thing I must share before you commit yourself to this course.¡± Kaius said. He leaned forwards, Ianmus joining him as his voice lowered. ¡°I have a blood debt that must be paid. Not now, far too dangerous. But once I am in the second tier, I mean to begin my investigations. It will mean tangling with a group of both power and influence, and if you join, you will almost certainly end up caught up in it.¡±


    Ianmus¡¯s lips pursed as he thought on it. ¡°I assume this is one of the secrets?¡±


    Kaius nodded.


    ¡°How significant is the debt?¡± he asked, searching Kaius¡¯s face.


    ¡°The most severe.¡± Kaius replied, voice flat.


    ¡°I see. And would you assist me with my own endeavours, even if they became as¡­complex?¡± Ianmus asked in response.


    ¡°I would.¡±


    ¡°Then I will assist, if I am able. I think you will find that widespread chaos has a tendency to reveal light on many hidden things, and leave many cracks to disappear into.¡± the magi replied, watching him closely.


    Kaius breathed a sigh of relief, genuinely pleased that the half-elf had agreed to his terms. He offered the man his hand. ¡°To a team.¡±


    ¡°To a team.¡± Ianmus replied, shaking his hand firmly.


    Kaius smiled warmly at his newest ally, Porkchop echoing his sentiment with a throaty chuff.


    ¡°Let us finish our meal, and then we¡¯ll need to get you signed up at the guild. I might be able to get you in with just an interview.¡±


    Receiving a nod from the mage, Kaius picked up his sandwich and dove in for another large bite. Salty meat and tart relish flooded his mouth. Delicious.

 B2 Chapter 165: Deadacre Finale

    Getting Ianmus a membership to the guild had been even easier than Kaius had thought it would be.


    When they¡¯d entered the guild hall, he¡¯d spotted Ro flitting around in the workers section behind the counter, directing people to and fro. Leaning on the powers of his height, he¡¯d managed to wave her down and introduce her to his prospective team member.


    Thankfully, they didn¡¯t have to deal with Ianmus getting hazed. It seemed being chaperoned by a known member was enough to stave off that uncomfortable fate.


    At first, upon hearing that he wanted to get Ianmus in with just an interview, she¡¯d looked ready to seize him by the neck and throttle him, even if it meant jumping for it. That is, until Ianmus mentioned he was this year''s valedictorian of Sunspire. As soon as she¡¯d heard that she¡¯d grabbed the half-elf by the wrist and yanked him to the silence room without another word.


    Kaius had expected more interest from the other delvers in the hall, but one and all they averted their eyes. Their reasons became a lot more clear when Porkchop let slip that he¡¯d overheard Ro had something of a reputation for short temper when they ¡®meddled in business that wasn¡¯t their own¡¯, and apparently they weren¡¯t the first newcomers on the up-and-up that the manager had greased a few wheels for.


    It was possible that some of the established delvers were..put off by the special treatment, but Kaius assumed that most would be waiting for the results he put forth. After all, power justified much, and a meagre bending of the rules was more than understandable to secure talent. Especially when the flood of extermination requests was considered.


    While Ianmus was gone Kaius visited the mission board, smiling excitedly as the request he had spotted in the morning was still there. Snatching it up, he met Porkchop at a secluded table in the corner of the room to wait for their third.


    It didn¡¯t take all that long, Ianmus returning only a bare quarter hour later. With his lanky frame that stretched even taller than his own, it only took a moment of craning before the half-elf spotted Porkchop¡¯s bulk and hurried over. Behind him, Ro poked her head out, before giving him an exaggerated thumbs up.


    Kaius chuckled, shaking his head at the sight.


    Ianmus slid into the remaining seat with a grin, slapping a wooden medallion on the table. ¡°Wood was the best she could do, considering the circumstances, but she said once we¡¯ve done a copper over a threat level of thirty she¡¯ll be able to bump me straight up.¡±


    ¡°Well done, the questions weren¡¯t too difficult, other than the standard oath? My own was reasonably quick.¡± Kaius asked.


    Ianmus nodded. ¡°I assume she caught you guys out the second you stepped foot in here? The woman is as shrewd as a devil plying contracts.¡±


    Kaius chuckled, leaning back into his chair as he dropped his hand to pat Porkchop on the shoulder. ¡°She did. Gave us a talking to. A very energised one.¡±


    Ianmus smiled, hand momentarily retreating to his pocket, before he returned it to the surface and passed over two simple steel bands. ¡°The first minute or two was spent grilling me about if I was a spire graduate, what my rank was, and things of the like. The remainder was a straight up interrogation about how we met, if I had designs on you, if I was a spy, how genuine I planned for our cooperation to be, and what my ultimate goals were.¡±


    ¡°I just about thought she¡¯d transmogrified into a manticore with how viscous she was.¡± the mage finished with a shake of his head. ¡°She said those were for you two, that she got them finished overnight. She wanted you to know it would be a hundred depths-gold all up, and she¡¯ll dock half your cut until it''s paid off. I told her yours would be two thirds, for obvious reasons.¡±


    Kaius nodded gratefully, inspecting the rings. They were simple looking things, and a quick use of True Sight told him they were identical.


    Ring of Minor Deception:


    Uncommon - Tier I


    Some things are best not shared.


    A ring of unadorned alchemically infused steel. Assists the wearer in shrouding up to two singular aspects of their status, and passively holds their Mask in place. Active testing of the Mask still burdens Will. When worn, this artefact becomes more difficult to analyze.


    Artisan-wrought Artefact


    Accessory - Ring


    Limited Mask Reinforcement II, Resizing I, Inspect Resistance I


    He nodded at the description, surreptitiously sliding one over his finger while he pocketed the other. Assisting Porkchop with his copy would draw far too much attention, even if they were sitting in a secluded corner.


    He felt it activate, a strange power settling over his Mask - bolstering it. He quickly pulled his will back, sighing in relief as it stayed in place. Intuitively, he directed the ring to focus more fully on his class identifier, and his class rarity. He doubted anyone would have the kind of skill needed to see that, but it was still better safe than sorry.


    ¡°A reasonable price, for the security they will bring.¡± Kaius said, thanking Ianmus with a nod.


    Now that Ianmus had his membership, they could get to the real meat of the reason that he had brought them here. Securing their first contract. Kaius rubbed his hands together with glee. No doubt his companions would hate it¡ªhells, he hated it himself¡ªbut the match up was too good to ignore.


    Pulling out his slip of card, Kaius read its contents once more.


    ¡­


    Threat level: Assumed Fifty


    Location: Wooded road between Intshire and Holburrough, forty leagues south-east-east of Deadacre.


    Description: Horse-sized spider beast, ambushing travellers on the road through hidden webs. Illusion and affliction abilities. Last confirmed sighting, two weeks post phase shift. No confirmed level¡ªdescriptions in line with a threat of fifty.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Reward: Fifty depths-gold.


    Known abilities: Trapped webs, motionless cloaking¡ªmore unknown.


    ¡­


    It was a good match up for their team. As it was an affliction specialist, he would hold a distinctive advantage against the beast in direct combat, and similarly it would find it far more difficult to trap him in its illusions than others.


    That, and solar magic was anathema to illusion, and ambush predators tended to be far worse off when they did not have the element of surprise.


    There was still the fact that it was a horse sized spider, no doubt a significant reason that the job had languished unchosen for so long. Disgusting, but it would be good to work off some of his final grievances for the swarm that had given him his welcome to the Depths.


    The only thing that irked him was the pay. So soon after his payout from his artefacts, it felt like a small sum. That said, he knew it was a false perspective. Fifty gold was almost certainly enough to survive off for a year or more, it was only the outrageous cost of artefacts and delver economies that made it seem like a small sum.


    Placing the slip on the table, he pushed it over to Ianmus and Porkchop. Surprisingly, his brother could read common just as well as he could, though he supposed that greater beasts had to understand the system just as much as anyone else.


    A moment later Ianmus pulled away sharply, while Porkchop whipped his head towards him with a puff of surprise.


    Kaius smiled, a wicked thing full of malicious glee.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Ianmus pleaded.


    ¡°Kaius, it¡¯s a spider the size of a horse, think of the legs!¡± Porkchop said, backing the mage up.


    Their pleas fell upon his ears like the sweetest of songs, stoking his schadenfreude.


    ¡°Not even just that, no confirmed level? From two weeks ago, plus the week it will take us to get there? For all we know it could be over level sixty-five by the time we engage!¡±


    Kaius nodded, feigning a focused look on his face. While he didn¡¯t want them to flounder for too long, it was very funny watching them protest. Letting their complaints hang for a few more moments, he eventually dropped the act, waving their protests off.


    ¡°Listen, I understand. Yes, spiders are gross, and yes, it''s potentially a high level, but we are a great match up.¡± he explained, leaning forwards.


    ¡°It¡¯s an ambush predator, a species weak to direct attacks, it''s weak to your affinity Ianmus, and I have the skills to see through its illusions long before we get caught in its web. Porkchop too, will be able to lean on my senses, even if only slightly. Inflictions are also far less risky for me and Porkchop than most.¡± Kaius finished, fixing both Ianmus and his brother with a serious stare.


    ¡°But it''s gross!¡± Porkchop whined.


    ¡°Think of the levels!¡±


    Porkchop let out a low groan of defeat, and slumped lower to the floor. ¡°Fine, but you¡¯re cleaning the ichor out of my fur.¡± he mumbled.


    Ianmus cleared his throat, drawing both of their attention. ¡°I am most concerned about the levels. This is¡­ a significant threat, are you sure you can do this? I have seen you in action myself, but seriously, this is a lot.¡±


    Kaius nodded. He was confident. No doubt it would be tough, and he and Porkchop would probably get a nasty bite or three, but when hadn¡¯t that happened?


    ¡°I am, both Porkchop and myself have gained significant strength with our second class skills. It will be tough, but this is also our best bet to grow fast. I know how foolhardy punching upwards is for most, but trust me, we will be wasting our capabilities if we do not.¡± he said seriously.


    Ianmus sighed, resting his forehead on his hands.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually agreeing to this.¡± he muttered to himself. The half-elf pushed his hair back and sat up. ¡°Fine, but try not to lose a limb? There''s only two healers in this city who can regenerate¡ªat least from what I can remember¡ªand I doubt any of us have the coin to skip the wait list.¡±


    Fizzing exhilaration flooded his chest, his blood warming at the thought of their upcoming battle. A day or two more and they could be off. Deadacre was nice and all, and he loved the Dusty Stables, but he longed for the freedom of the wilds once more.


    ¡°Great! I¡¯ll get us registered, and then we can head over to where me and Porkchop are staying to do some planning in a more private space.¡± Kaius said, standing up from his chair. ¡°If you don''t have an inn already, I¡¯d heavily recommend it. A little expensive, but I''m not sure how much of the silver a night is because of this lug.¡±


    Slapping his hand heavily on Porkchop¡¯s head, Kaius deftly wove around his brother''s playful nip to scratch him behind the ears.


    Ianmus agreed quickly. The inn was apparently still within what he could afford, and he was of the opinion that staying across town would do little but hamper their preparations for their upcoming excursion.


    Excusing himself from the table, Kaius approached the front counter, which thankfully was blessedly free of a line by the time he arrived. It seemed early afternoon was something of a slow period. Too late for the driven and organised, and too early for the lackadaisical.


    Spotting him approaching, Ro waved off a young attendant that Kaius had yet to see before. The man was moderately strapped, and seemed to have unfortunately chosen clothes a size too small. He gave Kaius a polite, if awkward, smile as he left, making room for Ro.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you found that one.¡± Ro opened with, nodding towards Ianmus. ¡°Solar mage, half-elf, and a spire elite. Down right fortuitous.¡±


    Kaius readily agreed with her. ¡°It¡¯s certainly convenient, that¡¯s for sure. Either way, I want to take this job.¡±


    He slid the mission slip across the counter. Ro read it in a glance, frowning at it.


    ¡°You''re sure?¡± she asked sternly, though she didn¡¯t push him to pick another. ¡°You¡¯re not overextending yourself?¡±


    ¡°No. As a team composition we counter it pretty handedly, and I have a solid handle on mine and Porkchop¡¯s limits.¡± he said with a shake of his head.


    Ro sighed, rubbing her forehead for a few seconds. ¡°Fine. But if you die, I''ll resurrect you myself just to kill you again.¡± she answered finally, eyes boring into his own with fierce intensity.


    She thrust out her hand imperiously, gesturing for him to pass something over.


    ¡°Your medallion, greenhorn.¡± she said with a roll of her eyes when he stared quizzically at the offered limb.


    Heat flushed his cheeks at the faux pas, the burn deepening further when Ro gave him a wide grin at his expression. Passing over his medallion, Ro used it to record his selected mission on some sort of stone block that sat just to the left of her desk. Covered in script, it was so far beyond his depths of runic knowledge he couldn¡¯t even identify the individual arrays that made it work.


    A second later she returned, passing both slip and medallion back to him.


    ¡°All done, your medallion will record the kill. go get ¡®em, greenhorn.¡± she said, before turning to whistle at the poorly dressed attendant at the rear of the building, jutting her thumb back at the desk as she walked off.


    Kaius shrugged to himself and returned to his team. At this point he had given up on trying to explain Ro¡¯s antics, the woman was eccentric in the extreme.


    Stopping at their table, Kaius collected Porkchop and Ianmus and they filed their way out of the Guild. Now all they had to do was plan their route, collect the supplies they needed, and strategise.


    Idly, as they walked the short distance to the Dusty Stables, Kaius wondered what grilled spider legs would taste like.

 B2 Chapter 166: Commute pt. 1

    The next few days were a flurry of activity. Right after leaving the guild they returned to the Dusty Stables for a quick visit, getting Ianmus set up in a far smaller room on the same floor he was in. Ianmus, the lucky bastard, only had to pay three copper a night for the pleasure, thanks to both the smaller room, and he wasn¡¯t paying to feed the equivalent of four men.


    Once Ianmus was settled, they¡¯d returned to the common area down below. Nodding to the few other proprietors of the place, they retreated to a secluded nook tucked into one corner of the room to discuss their plans.


    Less direct strategy for how they could manage this job, that would come the next day when they visited the maps that the Guild had to plan their route. Instead, they discussed how they could most effectively support each other in the long run, and how they expected their capabilities to develop as they filled out their class skills.


    Ianmus listened with rapt attention as Porkchop shared his own dreams of being a heavily armed bastion, and how he¡¯d developed a defensive battlefield control ability. He got even more enthused when Kaius, in a show of trust, shared more about his glyphs. How he¡¯d gain spells twice per tier for each one, and while he didn¡¯t know how many he would get, he was confident he would receive more as his class developed further.


    Then, leaning on a minor work of deception, Kaius explained his second skill. How it had forged a connection with his blade, changing its form with glyphic magic and allowing him to empower its enchantments. Drawing A Father¡¯s Gift just a hair, he showed off its new crystalline fuller and edge, and Ianmus leaned in, his eyes glinting with enraptured fascination.


    While there was no way he would be able to hide a growth weapon forever, Kaius hoped that it would be enough to ward off suspicion until he could ram Ianmus face first into a few of his own Honours. When that happened, there would be far less risk¡ªeven if it was already meagre with the man''s elvish respect for the meles.


    Ianmus himself held nothing back, explaining that he had several ¡®potent¡¯ metamagic and casting abilities. Neither he nor Porkchop questioned that, even if they both knew what he meant by that little hint.


    His class was a useful one, especially in their team composition. Focused primarily on supportive and restorative magics mostly through sorcerous casting, though the man had the manipulation and meta-magic to both raw cast and shape his system granted spells. In all likelihood, he would only receive a handful of directly damaging spells. Fortunately, Ianmus¡¯s free casting capability meant he was more than capable of devastating finishers if given ample time and safety to focus. With the penetrative searing power of solar magic, and the range it provided, it would complement their team nicely. Afterall, he and Porkchop were more than enough for most confrontations, especially if they had a dedicated mage supporting them.


    Not only that, according to Ianmus, solar casters had one of the few affinities that was all but guaranteed to develop true regenerative spells that could restore lost flesh. While they might take far longer than a life or nature mage, they also had the benefit that their spells often interfaced incredibly well with regenerative general skills - something that Kaius had shared he would likely develop and Porkchop already had.


    Sharing that, at least, made Ianmus far more comfortable with their current mission. Potent self-healing skills made their wanton disregard for their own bodily integrity at least understandable, even if it still wasn¡¯t quite sane.


    Retiring for the night, they¡¯d reconvened in the morning to return to the Guild. There they asked one of the attendants for directions to the maps¡ªthis time someone Kaius didn¡¯t recognise, rather than a well timed Ro swooping in to direct them. The woman had an uncanny sense for situations she would actually be useful for, he swore. Perhaps it was a skill?


    Entering the map room, only a few doors before the silence room where they had both been interviewed, they nodded to a fellow team of delvers who were planning a mission of their own. It was a wondrous space, geographical data of the entire region plastered on wall sized maps that covered every edge of the room with astounding accuracy and detail. Kaius even spotted a tiny dot nestled near the Sea labeled Three Fields.


    Their mission would take them a fair distance to the east and south. It was more grasslands for the most part, though towards their destination it shifted into the Hanset Woods. He¡¯d heard of them, though he¡¯d never visited. Supposedly, they resembled the Sea in the same way a shack resembled a castle.


    In either case, the prospect of being amongst the trees once more was pleasing, warming him to his belly. Porkchop also notably perked up when he realised they would be travelling to more familiar environs.


    Both he and Ianmus recorded notes and took sketches of their route. Even with a skill with a slight navigational bent, the more information he gave himself to work with, the better he would do at bringing them to their destination. None of them wanted to give their target even a single extra day to grow stronger before they fought, let alone that every hour it lived was another hour an unknowing traveller might end up dead.


    After that, they left as a group, before splitting up to gather necessary supplies and their final things before departure early on the morrow. The first place they stopped was Artifice and Arms to pick up Porkchop¡¯s newly inscribed barding. Jin had done a wondrous job, showing off the circular formation he had marked into the underside of the armour, just between Porkchop¡¯s shoulder blades.


    The black markings were dense, and had seeped deeply into the very conceptual fabric of the artefact. Even if the working itself was destroyed, the item would still repair itself¡ªand the formation¡ªjust fine. Kaius found it fascinating, unable to help but draw parallels between the physical nature of body formations and glyphs, and the permanent infusions of the enchanter''s art.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Thanking the man profusely, Kaius helped Porkchop armour up, before he secured the saddlebag they had loosely slung over his brother¡¯s haunch back where it belonged.


    Next was a short trip to the markets, where he collected all manner of preserved and fresh food to shore up their supplies. While they still had plenty left from the Dwarven city, and no doubt fresh meat would be in healthy supply thanks to the flood of aggressive beasts, they were now cooking for three, and he didn¡¯t want them to be on a ration diet.


    After all, if you were doing killing work, it was always best to be well fed. As the self-selected cook of their team, that responsibility fell on him.


    By the time the sun began to dim, drifting over the horizon, they returned back to the Dusty Stables to share their evening meal with Ianmus, who had done his best to suit himself up with attire more suitable for travelling. In his case, that meant keeping his robe¡ªwhich was an artefact¡ªbut splashing out on a far better pair of boots. After his first experience with overland travel, the half-elf had come to appreciate the subtle luxuries a good boot could provide.


    Retiring early, Kaius lay next to Porkchop with his eyes wide open, fizzing with excitement for the coming dawn. Tomorrow they would be off, to chase power, and remove a threat. Good and honest work that brought him closer to his goals, what more could he want?


    Eventually sleep claimed him, the slow breaths of his brother lulling him into a dreamless slumber.


    ¡­.


    Leaving the eastern gate, Kaius and his team kept pace with a small merchant¡¯s caravan that was making their way in the same direction. While they weren¡¯t official crew, neither the merchant nor his guards saw any trouble in having two delvers and a warbeast keep abreast with them for the first few days of their journey.


    After all, it was simply more manpower to both scare off ornery beasts, and deal with them if they attacked.


    It did slow them somewhat, but as they were leaving the hard packed trail that led out of Deadacre in a mere two days time, it would only save them a handful of hours all up.


    The merchant himself was a reclusive sort, preferring the security and safety of his reinforced carriage that sat between two more carrying goods. It was impressive, perhaps not opulent, but clearly expensive. Wooden framed, with hard steel plating reinforcing every inch of its surface. Instead of windows, shuttered metal slats that could be locked tight from the inside were set into each side of the wagon, allowing a full range of vision with relative safety. If the ridiculous level of over engineering wasn¡¯t enough, Kaius spied the tell tale sign of inscriptions curling around the edges of many of the plates. Some sort of defensive inscription, no doubt.


    It must have weighed tons, and only by the might of the lizard-like trained beasts that hauled it was it able to move at all. Though, they weren¡¯t the most spry of things, and inwardly Kaius wondered if the merchant would have been ultimately safer with a mode of transportation that moved faster than a strolling walk.


    In contrast to their employer, a few of the guards were very chatty. At least, they were by the second day of their shared journey. At first they¡¯d just eyed them warily, Porkchop most especially.


    ¡°Oi, biggun! Up on the beast! Where¡¯re ye headed, eh?¡± a great lug of a man asked, calling out to Kaius from his position a good ten strides to the left of the front goods wagon.


    Kaius gave the man a friendly smile, glad that the stoic silence was fading. Even for him, who liked the peace and quiet, it was simply¡­odd to travel without at least a chat.


    ¡°Hanset Woods, taking a high copper contract on an illusion focused spider that''s been ambushing travelers.¡± he explained, watching the man wince in sympathy.


    Clearly, the man had as much distaste for oversized bugs as anyone else. A healthy response, in Kaius¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Bloody nasty, illusions are¡ª¡¯specially fer somethin¡¯ like a spider. Ye reckon ye¡¯ll be alright? Names Greth, seein¡¯ as we¡¯re talkin¡¯ now.¡± the guard responded, meting out introductions and commiserations both.


    Ianmus, as starved for conversation as the man had become, jumped in. ¡°We should be fine, a tough fight for sure, but between our affinities and skill sets we have quite the advantage on the beast.¡±


    Looking at his companion with an exaggerated expression of shock, Greth raised his eyebrows so they nearly brushed the top of his forehead. ¡°Well, well! The learn-ed one speaks, does he?¡±


    Kaius clenched his teeth, jaw straining to keep his face straight as Ianmus scowled at the friendly jab. Greth might have been a well travelled for a working man¡ªjudging by his odd accent at least¡ªbut it seemed he was just as comfortable teasing his ¡®betters¡¯ as anyone Kaius had met.


    ¡°But seriously, that be good. Whereabouts in those woods, then? We¡¯ll be circlin¡¯ back that way after our circuit. This change be good for levels, but I¡¯ll not pretend we have the experience or steel fer somethin¡¯ like that.¡± Greth said, a hint of worry spreading across his features, though the grizzled guard hid it well.


    Kaius nodded, it was understandable. Even for caravan guards, a profession that required a combat class, they¡¯d never had the strength and power of true delvers. Usually those without the pull of the Song, they¡¯d rarely had the need or desire to constantly seek battle until recently¡ªnor did they often have anything more than a Common class.


    Plus, they rarely had many levels. Before the change, it was rare that people on the road would see more than an attack or two per month on a long journey, and they would be weak and desperate things splitting experience between most of the caravan.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know exactly, but it''s the wooded road between Intshire and Holsborrough.¡± he answered the man, happy to share what they knew.


    ¡°Closer to Intshire then. Aye, that stretch¡¯s only wooded on the last third. Holsborough¡¯s a wee further outside of Hanset Woods. That¡¯s where we¡¯re bound on our way back.¡± Greth let out a heavy sigh of relief, before catching himself. ¡°Not that I¡¯m doubtin¡¯ ye could handle it, mind.¡±


    Kaius shook his head and chuckled. ¡°No harm, my good man. Only decent sense to be cautious in these days. Say, if you know Holsborough, mind telling me any places that do a good meal and a better drop? It¡¯d be nice to wet my throat after some hard tracks cross country.¡±


    Whatever self consciousness the Greth had felt at his tactless response, it was quickly replaced by a vibrant excitement that straightened his spine and filled him with energy.


    ¡°Oh aye! By far the best seen in all me travels. It¡¯s called--¡± Grenth started, only to be cut off with the sonorously baleful note of a horn.


    ¡°Eye¡¯s up lads, we got incoming!¡± the leader of the guards screamed from the front of the caravan, equal parts invigorated and focused.

 B2 Chapter 167: Commute pt. 2

    Kaius drew his blade in a moment, smokey crystal edges catching the light. His eyes snapped to the source of the voice, seeing the lead caravan guard staring off to the right of the caravan.


    What had caught the man''s attention was immediately evident. Some twisted entity, more gnarled ball of flailing roots than any creature of flesh and blood. It had to be a thousand strides off, yanking itself forwards with flailing spears of bramble.


    While beasts and the lower races were by far the most common threat people would face, they were not the only ones.


    The abominations and undead he had faced in the Depths were the perfect example of that. This one was not quite as malign as those twisted mockeries, but it was still dangerous. Most likely some kind of spirit, or elemental. Usually they were seen in areas of high mana density, and even then, only occasionally.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that the phase shift had reached the point that such creatures would appear in settled lands with more frequency.


    Mana surged to his side, plates of jade clacking against each other as Porkchop¡¯s barding popped into existence. Behind them, Ianmus was already channeling a free-casted spell, raw manipulation spinning mana into a working with impressive dexterity.


    ¡°Remember, brother, no spells.¡± Porkchop warned as he let loose a roaring cry of challenge, two of the lizard-like creatures who pulled the nearby merchant''s carriage hissing nervously.


    ¡°I know,¡± Kaius replied, rushing forwards at his brother¡¯s side to join the lead defenders. Each was at least level forty, and they watched them with interest as they rushed forwards. As guards, they most likely had Common classes, and there was an assumption of strength of those who possessed the madness to willingly throw themselves at the clutches of death as a chosen vocation.


    The ball of flailing roots drew closer as they reached the front of the pack, eerily silent except for the thwack of spiked wood digging into the soil. Most of the guards had crossbows and bows, waiting to fire until it drew in range.


    Kaius focused on the creature with True Sight.


    Bramble Ball - Level 32:


    Least Spirit, Skirmisher


    Light melee, a good opponent for the two of them, and low level to boot. At least, once his and Porkchop¡¯s true strength was taken into account.


    Snapping his head over to the lead guard, he whistled to catch his attention. ¡°How good¡¯s your men¡¯s aim? And anyone got any decent concussive or severing skills?¡±


    The man gave him an appraising look, the barest hint of a frown crossing his face as Kaius felt a glimmer of a probe against his Mask.


    ¡°You sure yer up for it, lad?¡± the man quickly asked, returning to watching the approaching spirit.


    Kaius grinned, a hot flush creeping up the back of his neck. ¡°Oh yes, sure as a taxman skims.¡±


    The caravan guard looked back to him, watching him for the barest moment before giving a nod. ¡°Gial, Rosh, cover him. Delver, yer mage-man looks like he¡¯s channelling enough mana to shit himself. You create the opening, he sears it dead, ye hear? Listen for me yell and get the fuck out of the way when you hear it.¡±


    Kaius looked back to Ianmus walking towards them, an intense look of concentration on his face as more and more solar mana streamed towards him, bound to his will. Kaius whistled softly to himself. Whatever Ianmus was doing, it had to have punch.


    Giving the lead caravan guard a nod, he slapped his brother on the shoulder before seizing a saddle loop in his hand and leaping onto Porkchop¡¯s back.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Porkchop needed no other encouragement. Releasing a roar that kicked Kaius in the chest, his brother¡¯s claws dug into the earth and muscles rippled as he accelerated in moments.


    The sudden impulse rocked Kaius back, forcing him to crouch low and hold onto his leather loop for dear life. Exhilaration surged at the sudden acceleration, a joyful whoop sliding free from his mouth.


    They charged across the open ground as he held his sword high. It was a perfect time for them to practice something they had been discussing. Against a foe well within their capabilities, with plenty of support, it was the best opportunity.


    Mounted combat.


    Utterly uncaring of their challenge, the bramble ball rolled on, thorny vines whipping with independent frenzy as they speared into the earth to drag it forwards. Only one indication told him it had recognised their threat, the monster adjusting its course to intercept them.


    Sprays of dirt exploding with every bound, Porkchop¡¯s explosive strength brought them to speeds that left the wind whistling in Kaius¡¯s ears and his stomach lurching.


    His blade held ready, Kaius held the spirit in his eye with a focused intensity that bordered on maddened fixation. He could already feel it, envisioning its strange wooden flesh parting before his blade, the sting of his blade''s grip bucking in his hand as he battled against the might of his blow.


    ¡°Bring us past it.¡± he said to his brother. A useless gesture, for one who knew his intentions utterly. More born of habit, than necessity.


    Porkchop merely growled, accelerating.


    Lashing vines whipped through the air towards them, Kaius ignored the threat and tapped into his Bladeright, stamina fueling his soul-bound blade as orange fire ignited the runes in its fuller from within.


    He swung.


    A Father¡¯s Gift blurred through the air, its transparent edge fading like smoke on the wind. Finely knapped edges cut through wooden flesh like the vines had been made from silk, warding off the spirits attack with pure offence.


    Undeterred by the severed vines that flew free, he bit deep into the meat of the bramble ball''s body. Sharpness enhanced to the extreme, there was little of the biting impact he expected.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    **Ding! Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 3!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 4!**


    Then they were gone, Porkchop¡¯s pace and speed bringing them past the spirit in half a moment.


    Kaius whipped his head back, trying to see the damage he had left. Vines writhed, sprouting anew from within the creature''s depths to seal the ragged hole he had left in its body, sticky sap leaking free.


    The two guards behind him loosed their projectiles. Clearly enhanced by skills, they screamed through the air with a shrill whistle. Each one punched into the spirit with the force of a hammer blow, gouts of woody plant matter exploding forth.


    That, at least, seemed to send the bramble ball into a frenzy. Thorny vines whipped through the air like the lashing tendrils of some forgotten underwater horror in eerie silence.


    Nor did it lose its focus on them. Snaking limbs punched deep into the earth, hauling it forwards with the low rumble of shredded earth. It tore up the ground beneath it, chunks of macerated grass and debris flying backwards.


    Plunging his claws into the ground Porkchop hauled against the force of his own mass, forcing them into a tight turn. Kaius leaned in, crouched low to maintain his footing in the saddle as he worked in perfect concert with Porkchop¡¯s movement.


    **Ding! Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus has reached level 39!**


    As soon as they got in range the bramble ball attacked. Empowering itself with some sort of skill, its vines lengthened to the extreme, slashing them with thrice the speed it had the first time.


    Kaius ignored the lashing limbs. Wood or no, its thorns cut like iron, raking over his armour and Porkchop¡¯s jade plate with a torturous squeal. He grit his teeth against the impact, the heavy weight of the blow resounding through his chest with a stinging fury.


    Tapping into his Bladerite, his sword glowed with internal fire once more.


    He slashed, leaning off the saddle, supported only by his offhand grip on a loop of leather and the strength of his legs. Another great rent opened in the flesh of the spirit.


    Porkchop hurtled on, wheeling for another charge as two more arrows punched deep into the already closing wound.


    Beginning to feel the rhythm of the battle, Kaius revelled in the heat that coursed through his blood. He felt¡­invincible, power beyond anything he had experienced in his hand. Every blow, every swing, was backed by thrice the power he had barely a year ago.


    The bramble was helpless before them. Wily and aggressive, its snaking vines would have been incredibly dangerous up close, but it could do little against their strafing assault. For every pass they made it barely had half a second to thrash them with its vines.


    Yet, at the speed of their charges, it had no hope of landing more than the faintest of glancing wounds.


    Three more passes he used his Bladerite, and three more times he mete out punishment for the spirits'' audacity at attacking them. With every pass, the two guards who had been assigned to assist him worked with a well oiled synchronicity. They capitalised on the wounds he left, making them all the more potent with the concussive force of their shots.


    **Ding! Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 5!**


    For the fourth pass, he ignored his skill, wanting a comparison to see how effective it truly was. The difference was¡­ hard to tell. The wounds he left in the spirit were just as dire, but, without his enchantments, empowered living wood was no longer so easy to cut through. His blade bucked, nearly wrenched from his hand before heightened reflexes kicked in and he was able to clutch his weapon with a startled burst of strength.


    Despite the rhythmic thumping of Porkchop¡¯s gait, and the heavy bellows of his breath, Kaius didn¡¯t miss the small hoot that left his brother¡¯s mouth, nor the flood of amusement that crossed their bond.


    Of course, trust in Porkchop to find the time to focus on his fuck ups in the middle of a fight. Dismissing the flush of warmth on his cheeks as the invigoration that came with the Song, Kaius refocused on their opponent.


    With a body as alien as its own, it was hard for him to tell how injured the bramble ball really was. Sure, it was absolutely covered in sticky sap, the glistening fluid lousy with the splintered remnants of its own severed limbs. On the other hand, it had not slowed, and it seemed no matter how many vines they cut there were more waiting to sprout.


    ¡°Another pass, it¡¯s got to be at the end of its tether.¡± Kaius demanded, focused intensity colouring his words with the fervent need to see his opponent crushed utterly.


    Porkchop growled in response, delighted agreement rushing across their bond soundlessly.


    They raced in.


    Ready and waiting for them, the bramble ball surged. Suddenly another three dozen thorned vines erupted from its chaotic body. It had to be a skill, stamina of some sort judging by the fact he saw no tell tale sign of mana


    The air was flooded with a staccato boom of thunder, each and every vine cracking like a bullwhip as they launched towards Porkchop with synchronous violence.


    His stomach lurched at the sight of the oncoming storm. Blade glowing with internal light, he slashed through two handfuls of vines, but there were more than twice that number waiting. Each one snaked around Porkchop, binding him tight as thorns dug deep into flesh and barding alike.


    Howling in pain, Kaius felt his brother buck against the skill. To be restrained was to be cowed, and he had never seen Porkchop cowed.


    Speed and mass in his favour, Porkchop doubled down. Kaius braced himself, feeling his brother¡¯s intention as he tapped into his amulet. Suddenly their speed doubled as Porkchop adjusted, heading straight for the meat of the monster.


    Evidently, it hadn¡¯t anticipated that they would decide against another strafing run. It had braced to pull them back, not push them away, and now with multiple tons of muscle and bone descending on it there was no recourse left.


    It tried to yank itself to the side. Kaius smiled as he saw that, with its commitment to its assault, it was left with too few tentacles to move with any haste.


    Twisted plant-life pulped as Porkchop smashed the spirit with the unstoppable might of a runaway carriage. Sap sprayed through the air, splattering heavily on Kaius¡¯s armour.


    Then the bramble born went airborne, flying up and out as a dozen splintered and snapped vines writhed through the air with furious intensity.


    ¡°NOW!¡± the leader of the guards screamed.


    Two arrows slammed into the arcing bramble ball. Whatever skills those guards had used, it was a different one from the previous. Both arrows detonated, vines exploding out of the knotted mass, carving a deep crater into its animated almost-flesh.


    Whiteness dominated his vision. The air howled in desperation, sundered as a beam as wide as his fist crackled into existence with a primal scream. Kaius watched in shocked fascination, the might of Ianmus¡¯s preparations making themselves known with the finality of a delivered promise of destruction.


    The heat of it. Kaius could feel it from three dozen strides away, searing his hair and scorching an afterimage of divine desolation onto his eyes.


    The bramble ball didn¡¯t stand a chance. The spell hit it dead on and continued unhindered. Immolated from the inside out, Kaius could barely see it fall to the ground limp, so blinding was his ally¡¯s attack.


    **Ding! level 32 Bramble Ball - Lashing Shambler slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength! Experience reduced due to significant group size.**


    Whipping his head over to the caravan, Kaius was treated to the sight of a dozen guards cheering at their victory. At their front, two guards dripping with sweat, and one Ianmus - his face so pale that Kaius was surprised the man was even standing.


    ¡°Damn, elf-boy¡¯s hits like an irontusk.¡± Porkchop said slowly.


    ¡°Even if he¡¯s about as hasty as a particularly energised snail.¡± he continued, unable to help himself from slipping in a friendly jab.


    It was all Kaius could do to nod in agreement, still shocked at the violence that had been hiding within their reedy academic.

 B2 Chapter 168: Commute pt. 3

    Blinking rapidly to clear the blinding afterimage that cut across his vision like a streak of white paint, Kaius looked back to where the corpse of the bramble ball had fallen. No longer hidden by the overwhelming brilliance of Ianmus¡¯s working, he got a good look at the destruction his friend¡¯s skill had wrought.


    It had been burnt out utterly, scorched black and burned from the searing power of the sun. The hole in its centre was as large as his head, and growing larger as flickering flames slowly consumed the green growth of the bundle of vines.


    Shaking his head in amazement, Kaius slid from his saddle and sheathed his sword.


    Astounding. He¡¯d heard tales of how mages, especially those with free casting abilities, were at their most dangerous with ample companions to give them the time they needed to prepare. It was common knowledge, with enough focus and time it was possible to leverage immense quantities of mana into a single cataclysmic work.


    Still, seeing that devastation meted out by a single man? Who had yet to secure his third class skill? It sent chills of awe down his spine.


    It was almost enough to make him reconsider his path. Almost.


    With Porkchop at his side he strolled his way to the cluster of guards, who celebrated with cheers and shoulder claps. His eyes found his way to Ianmus, leaning heavily on his staff and as pale as a sheet. Sweat dripped from his every pore, the mage¡¯s chest labouring to draw in vital air as he recovered from his exertion.


    No, while it was frightening and impressive, he still preferred his path. He didn¡¯t miss that the spell had taken everything from his companion. A powerful boon for their party, certainly, but one that left the half-elf defenseless and totally reliant on the capabilities of his allies.


    Kaius could never; he much preferred the rush of blood and the singing of blades scything through the air, his body pushed to the limit as he dealt arcane death and steely ruin with equal measure.


    Noticing his approach, Ianmus gave him a weak smile. The motion proved too much for the man, his chest heaving as he buckled over and retched. Frowning at the sight, Kaius hurried forwards.


    ¡°Ianmus! Are you alright?¡± he asked, worry gripping him by the neck.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be alright, lad.¡± the voice of the guard leader came from the pack near the caravan. ¡°Just a bit of mana-burn, too much arcane too fast, ain''t that right mageling?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Ianmus gasped. ¡°You¡¯re rather learned for a guard.¡± he grumbled, getting his stomach under control before he heaved himself upwards.


    Kaius still watched him closely, frowning in concern. Quivering with most of his weight on his staff, his ally looked ready to just about keel over dead. He sidled closer, ready to catch his friend if he truly did pass out.


    The leader of the guards only laughed. ¡°Work the caravan routes for a living and you see enough mages; ain¡¯t the first time I''ve seen mana-burn¡ªand it won¡¯t be the last. Though, I will say that most lose their breakfast, yer got some iron in ya.¡± the guardsman tilted his head in respect, before he switched his focus to Kaius.


    ¡°And ye, that was some fierce fighting, lad. Name¡¯s Umesh. You and yer beast really tore that thing a new one, I hope it didn¡¯t get you bad?¡± The man asked, his eyes drifting over Kaius¡¯s armour, taking in the streaks of blood that cut through the trickles of sap that coated him.


    ¡°Kaius.¡± he said, sharing his own name. While they had nominally been travelling next to the caravan, they¡¯d kept a respectful distance, and this was the first that he¡¯d had the opportunity to introduce himself. ¡°Nothing more than scratches. It would have been a different story if we stood in place for long enough to get properly entangled.¡± he responded, rolling his shoulders uncomfortably at the thought of being bound by the bramble balls macerating tendrils.


    ¡°But ye weren¡¯t, and ye didn¡¯t.¡± Unesh replied, giving him a knowing nod. ¡°Can¡¯t get caught up on pasts that never happened. Listen, my job ain¡¯t over just cause we had one good scrap, but ye two should stop by my spot when we stop for the evening. Happy to share a little o¡¯ my stash of grog for the stars of the show.¡±


    Kaius grinned. A drink would be nice, and¡ªeven if they never saw the men from this caravan again¡ªit was always pleasant to talk and swap stories. There was something sacred about sharing a fire with a stranger, friends for a night before parting ways forever more. He and Father had done it more than once in the Sea, something of an unspoken culture for the loner types who hunted its reaches.


    He gave the man a nod, before he threw his hand under Ianmus¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Alright, let''s get back to our spot.¡± he said, helping his friend steady himself.


    ¡°I can walk myself, you know.¡± Ianmus mumbled.


    Kaius let out a snort, and didn¡¯t budge. ¡°I just watched you struggle to keep your lunch down for the better part of a minute, I think you¡¯re lying.¡±


    Ianmus grumbled, but didn¡¯t protest again.


    Walking away from the front of the caravan, Kaius heard Umesh giving his men a debrief on the fight, telling them more about the creature they had faced, and its various weaknesses. Interestingly, it seemed that most spirit creatures had some sort of nexus within their body that was far harder for them to heal.


    He groaned as he heard that. Spirits were rare enough that unless you wandered the frontier endlessly you were liable to never see one in your life. Evidently, Father had slacked on explaining more esoteric threats in favour of likely ones, as that was a nugget of information that would have been drastically helpful to know before he fought one.


    Ianmus must have known though, given the man had eviscerated the core of the creature with pinpoint precision.


    By the time they were a couple of carriage lengths from the front, Kaius heard Umesh give a sharp whistle.


    ¡°We¡¯re good to go, boss!¡± he yelled loudly to the unseen merchant, who had remained hidden away in his mobile fortress.


    Moments later the lizard beasts that drove the wagons gave a hiss, and heaved forwards, their train moving across the frontier once more.


    As they walked back to their position flanking the middle of the caravan, Kaius switched his attention back to Ianmus. He was steadier on his feet, though he still looked far more pallid and clammy than Kaius was comfortable with.


    ¡°You sure you¡¯re fine? I haven¡¯t heard much about mana-burn, or whatever has got you this twisted up.¡± he murmured, keeping his voice low enough that the various attendants of the caravan wouldn¡¯t overhear him.


    Ianmus looked at him in shock. ¡°You don¡¯t know? You¡¯re a bloody caster.¡± he hissed.


    Kaius shook his head. He truly didn¡¯t, not even once in his conversations with his father on the potential effects of their experimental glyph had it come up. Though, perhaps due to Father¡¯s background, that wasn¡¯t too much of a surprise.


    ¡°Is it a thing for runewrights?¡± Kaius asked.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Ianmus shook his head, before he winced at the sudden movement and clutched his scalp. ¡°No, they work over far too long of a time frame. It¡¯s a consequence of channelling too much of your mana pool at once. Stresses the soul, and abrades your mana circuits. It''s not really dangerous, not unless you¡¯re a complete idiot, but it leaves you fatigued, ill, and nauseous in a way that health cannot solve.¡±


    That sounded¡­bad, especially considering the fact his own mana consumption was instantaneous.


    ¡°Well, this whole thing came from a runewright, so maybe it slipped my mother¡¯s mind.¡± Kaius said, still leaning on the small bits of secrecy he had. Ianmus knew he was keeping them, so he wasn¡¯t over worried about lying to his friend.


    Ianmus frowned, a low harumph escaping. ¡°Still reckless, though it¡¯s odd you¡¯ve never felt it before. I would have thought it would be an issue, given¡­everything.¡±


    Nodding at the man''s words, Kaius continued to support them while they walked. In the end, figuring out why would have to wait. They were leaving the caravan the next day, and a discussion on his magic could wait until then. Too much chance of keen ears listening to their talks to do it in the current moment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk more about it later, when we have more privacy. How long will you be incapacitated for? It better not be days.¡± Kaius said, eying his friend.


    ¡°No, nothing like that. Perhaps an hour, it eases as my pool naturally refills. Just don¡¯t try to alleviate it with restoration tonics, they just end up stressing your circuits more.¡± Ianmus explained with a weak chuckle, the kind that belied personal experience.


    Kaius shook his head. In the end, regardless of the temporary cost, Ianmus had shown that he had a devastating ace up his sleeves. If he could do this now, with a bare ten minutes of preparation, what would he be able to do in the second tier, or the third?


    Deciding to offer the half-elf a slot on their team was feeling like a smarter decision by the day.


    ¡­.


    After their encounter with the bramble ball, Kaius found the guards had become far more friendly and willing to chat with their group. By the time their evening with Umesh had rolled around, they¡¯d been inundated with a dozen well meaning questions on their histories and upcoming mission.


    It was nice¡­for the first hour. While he liked people, and didn¡¯t mind crowds overmuch in a general sense, Kaius was still distinctly unused to having so many people so interested in making conversation. It quickly became fatiguing, and by afternoon the next day when they left the road to cut more directly overland towards their destination he was sighing in relief.


    That said, he still said his goodbyes. Individually the guards had all been fine people, and had good stories to boot, there had just been a few too many of them at once for his temperament.


    As soon as they were out of earshot and eyesight, Porkchop let out a groan and shook himself vigorously. ¡°By the matriarchs, pretending to be stupid is fucking exhausting.¡± he grumbled.


    Kaius laughed, and even Ianmus, for all of his differences to the meles, cracked a wide smile.


    ¡°You did great, buddy, seriously.¡± he replied, scratching his brother behind the ear.


    He got a snort in response. ¡°Thanks for your faith in my ability to be a moron.¡±


    Setting off at a brisk pace, they cut their way across the countryside. At first, it was little more than the familiar lush grasses broken up by the occasional tree or bush, but as they pushed further and further east the trees started to get thicker, small copses and clusters appearing every league or two.


    Not anywhere near enough to be a forest, but certainly far closer to Kaius¡¯s preferred environment than bloody empty fields.


    They even had a moment of excitement when a troupe of mole-things burst from the earth and set upon them in a swarm of excited chitters, each swipe of their long claws spraying them with shards of hardened stone.


    Not enough to truly blood them, not with their growing strength, but it was enough to push him over the edge of level twenty-three, and net him a level of Drakthar and Uncanny Dodge both.


    As the sun dipped over the horizon, they made camp beneath a drooping willow tree, finding some shelter from the low wind by its draping canopy.


    Sitting by a flickering fire of scavenged deadwood and leaning bodily into his brother''s dozing side, Kaius looked over to Ianmus. ¡°So, now that we¡¯re alone. This mana-burn thing. Any idea why it hasn¡¯t affected me?¡±


    Ianmus sighed, tapping his hand against his knee. ¡°Honestly? Not a clue, I don¡¯t have the barest theoretical understanding of how your magic works. You willing to share?¡±


    Staring into the fire, Kaius thought about it. While there was some risk, it was minimal when you considered everything else Ianmus already knew. Hells, no doubt the simple fact that runic spellcasting was possible and somehow tied to body formations would probably be enough for a master to tinker with, even if it would take them months to make any real headway. Still, he already had his class, and with its requirements he didn¡¯t see anyone catching up to him any time soon.


    ¡°We started with a complex binding formation that networked itself closely to the body''s mana flows. That''s the backbone. The spells are separate, each similar to the spell-forms inscribed on artefacts with active effects.¡± Kaius explained, casually sketching out diagrams in the dirt.


    Ianmus leaned in to get a better look.


    ¡°Spellforms are inherently unstable without a stabilising structure, in this case the glyph. But, there''s a problem.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re stably linked, you need to channel to use them?¡± Ianmus interjected animatedly.


    ¡°Got it in one. Instead, if you tweak them a little, you can effectively pre-channel the spell, forcing the spell-form to hold its potential and lock away a section of your pool. Though, the trade off is it takes far longer.¡± he continued, weaving tight little whorls of mana inside a vague approximation of a Lothian array.


    ¡°But that¡­ surely that would make it even less stable?¡± Ianmus asked incredulously, staring at his drawings with fascination plain on his face.


    He nodded. It did, and his father had gotten stuck on that part for months. Drawing in the ground, Kaius sketched a little channel between his fake glyph and him, before drawing a bunch of lines tying them together. ¡°Extra stabilising arrays, and a ruinously complex control mechanism to hold onto the mana with an iron grip helps with that part. It''s surprisingly stable. Until, that is, you nudge the working with a little will.¡±


    He cut though the edge of the spell array, fully connecting it to the glyph through the channel.


    ¡°-and all of that unstable mana is forced through the working in an instant, purely due to its own directed collapse and the natural nature of mana.¡± Ianmus finished for him, dawning understanding glowing like a fire in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s brilliant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad someone else understands, because I swear that every time he talks about it, it''s as understandable to me as watching a boar try to fly.¡± Porkchop snorted, watching on with interest.


    Kaius grinned, it was true. He¡¯d tried to tell Porkchop about it at first, but his brother had no patience for the finer intricacies of runecraft and magic.


    Ianmus looked back to the sketch, tapping his fingers on his chin. ¡°Well, if this holds true for your newer, more complex glyphs, I don¡¯t actually think you can get mana-burn. Or, at the very least, you are far more resistant to it than most.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius replied, tilting his head at the mage. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s pretty simple isn''t it? You¡¯re not actually carrying the load of that spell on your circuits, it''s all done ahead of time. That much unstable mana would give you mild mana-burn every single time you cast if it did, so at the very least your glyphs acting like conduits must be bearing a significant portion of the load.¡± Ianmus explained.


    Kaius sighed in relief, slumping back into the warm wall of fur behind him. ¡°Thank the gods, I was worried I would have to steer clear of any high cost spells in the future.¡±


    ¡°We both know you wouldn¡¯t even if you did get mana-burn.¡± Ianmus laughed, followed quickly by Porkchop¡¯s own rumbling chuckles.


    ¡°He¡¯s got you there.¡±


    Kaius rolled his eyes, but took the teasing on the chin. Afterall, they weren¡¯t really wrong.


    With his worries answered, their conversation moved to more light hearted topics, and Kaius busied himself with cooking their evening meal.


    In all likelihood, they would reach the expected range of their target by noon the day after tomorrow, and would likely run into more beasts as they entered Hanset Woods even earlier than that. For now though, Kaius simply enjoyed a little easy conversation amongst even easier company.

 B2 Chapter 169: Commute, Finale

    Crossing open fields that were gradually shifting into light woods, Kaius walked with his team. His eyes roved over the various clusters of trees that dominated the flat horizon, searching their depths for any sign of beasts that might challenge them.


    While there were plenty of them about, it seemed there weren¡¯t all that many of a large enough size to truly want to tussle with their group. Something that would no doubt change as they grew in strength. Beast bloodlines were odd things, and as more variants appeared, he had no doubt that even a common crow could become a threat.


    While he would normally travel mounted for the speed advantage, with Ianmus there was really no point, and it felt more than a little rude to subject Porkchop to his weight for no reason.


    Still, as the day had passed them, Kaius had been unable to get the conversation he and Ianmus had the previous night out of his head. There was so little that he knew of the glyphs that he had received from his class, and with all the excitement he¡¯d yet to take the opportunity to really study them.


    While he no longer possessed a true knowledge skill, Tonal Weaving did increase his comprehension of the glyphs and hymns granted to him by the system. With the addition of his Bladerite, he finally had another point of comparison.


    With how quiet this leg of their trip was being, his curiosity gnawed at him. It settled on his mind like an itch, sucking at his focus. Every few moments he caught himself staring at nothing, thinking on the structure of his glyphs.


    He sighed. Until he gave in and actually checked how much he was able to glean from comparing his two skills, he would be a useless scout. As it was, he was liable to miss something right in front of his face.


    ¡°Mind if I hop on? I want to meditate on my glyphs a little.¡± he asked, tapping Porkchop on the shoulder to grab his attention.


    ¡°Finally.¡± his brother snorted. ¡°You really don¡¯t need to put that much pressure on yourself to keep watch. I¡¯m here too, you know, and it''s not like you¡¯ll be insensate if you¡¯re just sitting there with your eyes closed.¡±


    Rolling his eyes at his brother¡¯s jab, Kaius grabbed one of the leather straps on Porkchop¡¯s barding and leapt into his saddle. Leaning forwards, he ruffled his brother¡¯s fur before settling back and getting comfortable. Honestly, with the impact absorption of the stone charger leather, it cradled him better than almost anything else he¡¯d sat on.


    Closing his eyes, Kaius brought his glyphs to the forefront of his mind''s eye, tuning out the idle chatter that had started between Porkchop and Ianmus.


    Mustering his will, he drew on everything he had learned¡ªall of the sacred geometry and runic mystery of Drakthar, Stormlash, and Bladerite coming to mind at once. A dull ache throbbed at the back of his skull; the task a precarious thing that was only possible thanks to the Vesryn formations having been burnt into his mind by the will of the system.


    At first, it was almost impossible to keep them all in focus. His mind would drift, focusing on one working to sharpen its edges, only for the others to become hazy and unfocused. Forcing himself to relax, Kaius took a slow breath and allowed himself to let go of the desire to clutch any single aspect of the workings, filling in the details piece by piece.


    His effort was not in vain. Minute by minute, all three workings grew increasingly clear in his mind.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 36!**


    **Ding! Tonal Weaving has reached level 30!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Tonal Weaving has reached level 31!**


    Eventually all of them burned in his mind, as crisp as if he had spent hours lavishly rendering them on parchment. Now the true work could begin.


    Mentally distancing himself from the workings, he rotated them in his mind, viewing them from every angle. That was the true problem with the inscrutable Vesryn magic; they were three dimensional. He couldn¡¯t just write them down. Honestly, without the skill and power to render them in the real with raw manipulation abilities, or mundane carving, he truly had no idea how someone would even go about learning the damn things.


    Thank the gods he could visualise them.


    Watching them closely, Kaius started to compare, attempting to find any sources of similarity. On a superficial level, there were none. At least, that''s what he thought at first. The runes that made up each one were different in nature, though there were commonalities.


    He suspected that rather than being wrought from the same runic language, Vesryn might have been made up of a small collection. Though, far different from his original glyph, they seemed to share the same base level principles. It was the little things, the same symmetry in sacred geometry, and extremely similar cadences to the lines of runes.


    He had no idea what any of it did, but he could spot the similarities. A common root. It was most stark with Stormlash and Drakthar, which made sense considering that one relied on the other to function. They both had the same aggressive bent¡ªexaggerated flicks, acute angles, and slashing lines. Yet neither were utterly alien when compared to the Bladerite, all of them seemed to follow a similar grammar structure, and he could even spy a couple of common characters shared between all of them, though more were present in his spell glyph and hymn.


    Kaius hummed, a small frown of surprise crossing his mouth. That was¡­unexpected, and utterly unlike any other runic language he knew of. Sure, all runes had similar principles, but each language was its own thing, and he had never heard of runes being shared across different scripts. It flew completely in the face of what he knew of sacred geometry. Each rune affected mana in a specific way, combining with others to make an effect. If, at the end of the day, they were interoperable, wouldn¡¯t that make them all part of the same language after all?


    But why the extreme stylistic disparity? If it was a language, it was one with far more depth and nuance than he was used to.


    What''s more, he could see other similarities between Drakthar and his Bladerite that weren¡¯t shared with Stormlash. Comparable clusters and arrays of unknown function, but with a broadly similar shape and placement within the overall working.


    ¡­Strange, but curious. Regardless, it was far too complex for him to work through now, not with how few examples he had. Hopefully there would be more glyphs in the future, and as Tonal Weaving grew he would be far better positioned to tease out their secrets.


    Releasing the images with a sigh, Kaius felt the throb at the back of his head dissipate as he stopped pulling his mind in three different directions.


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    Rather than open his eyes, he decided to take the opportunity to think more on aspects. After all, Ekum the Pale had said it would take combat and meditation, and who was he to ignore the advice of a god?


    They were related to personal truths; that much had been made clear by both Ekum and the system itself. Yet¡­he knew little of what sort of truth they might be.


    What did he know about himself, truly and deeply?


    Pausing, Kaius thought back on the life he had lived, and the path of hardship he had walked. Comfort and predictable security went right out the door, they were pleasant things, but not something he held overly dear. Hells, every time he¡¯d come close to them, he¡¯d started to get itchy within days.


    No, he much preferred the excitement of the unknown, and the guttural rush that came from pushing up against external pressure and challenges. It was the struggle that he truly loved, the clawing fight to work his way just another hair closer to his goals. That exhilarating thrill to race to the finish, besting all who would contest him.


    Victory, and satisfaction.


    Something deep within him thrummed. Just. Barely even a quiver really, but he felt it all the same.


    His heart thumped, kicking like a mule in his chest as he dived into his soulspace, the rising pillars of his aspects before him in an instant. They were¡­still. Unmoving. Irritation welled, frustrated energy bucking against his calm focus.


    Suppressing the desire to snap his eyes open and jump to the ground in frustration, Kaius slowly worked through his previous thoughts. There had been something¡ªno way he had imagined it.


    Struggle and success was a thread he could follow. It was something he¡¯d known about himself early, that once he had chosen a path for himself, his mind closed on it like a vice, and little would dissuade him from reaching it.


    Another pulse. Watching from within his soul-space, Kaius saw his soul¡­quiver. Barely even a ripple, but it was movement all the same. Simultaneously, one of his pillars¡ªthe one he innately knew to be Mentis¡ªreacted with the barest hint of an attractive force.


    Desperately, Kaius dived into his memories, offering up proof of his assertions. Fighting through the depths, throwing himself against ¡®unbeatable¡¯ odds, suffering through his resistance training, and devoting every hour he could to finishing his legacy.


    It wasn''t enough. Ephemeral as the breeze, the pulsing connection between his Mentis and his soul gutted out before anything more occurred. The thread was gone.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Kaius thought to himself, balling his fists until his nails bit painfully into his palms.


    He took a deep breath, balling up the aimless negativity, before letting it go with his exhale. Frustration was meaningless. What mattered was that he had felt something¡ªa truth that had resonated within him.


    It was a thread, and one he could follow. Though, perhaps not right now. Filled with bundled tension, he longed to stretch his legs. No doubt there was some element of epiphany and revelation to the aspects, and those couldn¡¯t be forced. Like Ekum had said, it would take time and meditation to understand.


    Opening his eyes, Kaius found himself confronted with Porkchop craning his head to look at him with curiosity, Ianmus doing the same.


    ¡°What?¡± Kaius asked, patting himself down to make sure that nothing embarrassing had happened while he was distracted.


    ¡°You were muttering.¡± Ianmus offered.


    ¡°And cursing a lot.¡± Porkchop finished.


    Pushing his hair out of his face, Kaius sighed. ¡°Sorry, just got a little frustrated. Started with a headache from visualising my glyphs, and then got worse when I tried meditating on ¡®truths¡¯.¡± he explained, curling his raised fingers as he finished his final word.


    Ianmus groaned in commiseration. ¡°I know what you mean. I¡¯ve been meditating on them almost every night since we got the global notification, but I have yet to make any headway. Not even a glimmer of a feeling to let me know i''m moving in the right direction.¡±


    Letting out a cough, Kaius scratched his head. Knowing that he had felt something when an academic like Ianmus hadn¡¯t was both gratifying, and a little awkward. In all honesty, he could admit it was petulant to get frustrated in the face of progress, even if it was small.


    ¡°Well. That¡¯s the thing. I felt something. Barely anything, but something.¡± Kaius said softly, as if it would soften the blow. It didn¡¯t.


    Porkchop and Ianmus narrowed their eyes at him in unison, though neither slowed their pace across the open grasslands.


    ¡°Details, please.¡± Porkchop said slowly, craning his neck to fix him with an intense one-eyed stare.


    ¡°Yes, Kaius. Tell us how you managed to stumble across a lead to the greatest mystery of our generation in a half hour of meditation.¡± Ianmus said, shaking his head. ¡°I swear to the gods, prodigies are something else.¡±


    Kaius rolled his eyes at the melodrama. Clearly, the two were jealous of the ironclad proof of his genius.


    Theatrics aside, he was happy to share. Porkchop was his brother, and, much like Honours, figuring out Aspects would bind Ianmus to their pact of secrecy. That, and he was an intelligent man who would no doubt be of great aid to figuring out their secrets.


    ¡°Well, it was honestly rather simple. I was thinking about things I thought were fundamental pillars of who I was as a person. I ended up thinking about how much I crave struggle and a lofty goal to strive towards, and how I can often be single minded in my pursuit of them.¡± Kaius explained.


    ¡°And that was enough to figure out an Aspect?¡± Porkchop asked with incredulous disbelief.


    Kaius shook his head vigorously. ¡°No, of course not. It was barely a glimmer of a reaction, I tried to follow it, take the thread deeper, but it slipped away from me. Must have been off the mark somehow.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, I¡¯m far more interested in what that reaction was. Was it just a feeling?¡± Ianmus asked, searching his face as if the secrets he was looking for were hiding just beneath his skin.


    ¡°At first, it was just a feeling that disappeared quickly, but, when I repeated it again inside my soulspace, I saw my soul¡­flicker for lack of a better term. The lightest of pulses within its depths that rippled across its surface. Mentis reacted, pulling on my soul-fire by just a hair. I wasn¡¯t able to get much more than that, it slipped away from me quickly. Hence the frustration.¡± Kaius explained, still feeling irritated that he hadn¡¯t been able to gain anything more concrete.


    Ianmus nodded, his brow furrowing in thought.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not all that much, but at least we have confirmation it¡¯s to do with our understanding of ourselves.¡± Porkchop suggested, watching dutifully ahead.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that¡¯s the only thing we learned.¡± Ianmus murmured. ¡°The bond you two share, it links your souls like other bond skills, correct?¡±


    Kaius nodded, while there were many differences between his and Porkchop¡¯s bond of equals, and a traditional bond skill, that much was at least true.


    ¡°Then why was Porkchop not able to feel the pulse in your soul?¡± Ianmus asked, curious.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened. Ianmus was right, he and Porkchop were bound so totally that simple surface level emotion flooded their connection with ease. Their actual souls shone brightly to each others senses, and something so integral to their being like a shift in that fire should have been immediately obvious.


    ¡°Can you think of why?¡± Kaius asked.


    Ianmus shrugged, giving him an apologetic look. ¡°I honestly have no idea. It could be that whatever you touched on was so subtle it slipped Porkchop¡¯s notice, or it could be that whatever processes involve the Aspects are so personal it is occluded from him. Either way, it''s a clue.¡±


    Kaius sighed. Great, another floating thread with little of substance to use to unravel the ensnared knot of unknowns. He resigned himself to let the mystery lie, for now at least. He was too worked up to do anymore today.


    Frustrating or no, it was still a lead. Far more than most people had. He resolved himself to meditating on the topic with far more regularity than he had been. Leaving the discovery of aspects to chance was something he had no interest in.


    After all, it was almost certain the first one there would get an Honour for their efforts, and the longer he could keep the secret of those from escaping into the wider world, the less he would have to worry about competition.


    Shaking his head, Kaius cleared his mind of tantalising secrets and slid from the saddle. Ultimately, it was a future problem and a future goal. Right now he was hunting a spider, and they had planning to do.

 B2 Chapter 170: The First Job pt. 1

    In the day and a half since his minor revelation on his Mentis aspect, Kaius was completely unsuccessful in exploring the strange reaction further. In the handful of times he¡¯d meditated, he¡¯d only managed to get a similar reaction once more, the others leading to nothing but frustration. Though even that was fading as he resigned himself to the discovery of his Aspects being an inscrutable and lengthy process.


    His days, at least, were far more exciting. The light covering of trees slowly grew denser, slowly enclosing the ever shrinking patches of open grasses until they were little more than clear meadows scattered through a light forest.


    It was an interesting experience. In some ways it was familiar, a lesser cousin to the Sea. Trees as far as the eyes could see, and the familiar smell of wood, rotting leaves, and abundant life.


    In others, it was utterly alien. While this might have been a wood, it was a far cry from what Kaius considered to be the real thing, and even further from the deep reaches that Porkchop had called his home. Here, even the grandest and most venerable oak was a pale reflection of the specimens he considered typical. Their tallest just barely matching the average growth of the endless mat of life that covered the north-western reaches of Vaastivar.


    It was still nice to be back in the comforting embrace of a forest again, though; even if this one left so much blue sky visible through its thin canopy that he may as well have been in an open field. That was the main difference, Kaius decided.


    The story behind how the Arboreal Sea had gotten its name was a rather simple one, and one that had delighted him as a child. The trees were so large, so densely packed, that when you looked up all you saw was a sea of green¡ªthat, and the undergrowth was so dense in some parts that looking down was yet more endless green.


    Still, even if the Hanset Woods were small and insignificant in comparison to his home, they were still dense enough that navigating required some active focus. Kaius took the lead for the group, relying on Explorer¡¯s Toolkit to keep them on a steady heading, and to steer them clear of any potential ambushes.


    It had already done so. Five times. Once was a simple mundane beehive, though one of impressive scale. He¡¯d steered them around that, though he¡¯d had to be rather forceful when Porkchop had gotten fixated on the prospect of ¡®free honey, literally just sitting there¡¯. Unfortunately for his brother, neither he nor Ianmus had Porkchop¡¯s thick hide, and were in no mood for warding off a swarm of stinging insects.


    The others had been genuine ambushes. First, a bear, then a bloody warg of all things, then another bear, and two separate packs of wolves. Ridiculous, but also fun. All but the bears had been lower level than them, so he¡¯d only been able to squeeze a handful of skill levels and a single level for his class.


    Still, it got the blood pumping, and the bear meat was good for a stew, what with the plentiful seasonal berries they had been gorging themselves on.


    Eventually, the sun still rising on its arc through the sky, Kaius spotted what he had been looking for. A gap in the trees, sun shining brilliantly on a strip of land that had been clear cut. Easily a hundred-fifty strides wide, felled stumps littered the gap¡ªonly torn free to make way for a wide packed dirt road that had been scattered with gravel. The road between Intshire and Holsbourrough, if his navigation had steered them right.


    Hurrying forwards, Kaius reached the edge of the treeline and poked his head out. Leaning on True Sight, he peered far in either direction, searching for threats¡ªand any sign of their wayward giant spider.


    The coast was clear, the road entirely empty apart from a single deer sprinting across the gap between the trees, a solid quarter league to his right. Turning back, he gave his waiting companions a confident nod.


    ¡°Thank the gods, it¡¯s so good to be able to see more than a dozen strides in front of me.¡± Ianmus sighed.


    ¡°You¡¯re weird, for an elf.¡± Porkchop replied, cocking his head at Ianmus.


    ¡°Half-elf remember, and no matter where my father is from, I¡¯m a city boy through and through.¡± Ianmus replied with a grumble.


    Kaius chuckled at the man''s discomfort. While he was right that there was no reason people of elvish descent had to like forests, it was still a little bizarre that Ianmus seemed so actively disconcerted by the close press of the forest proper.


    While the rest of their trio continued to bicker good naturedly, Kaius went to Porkchop¡¯s side and retrieved his notebook.


    He flicked through the pages, mentally tallying their overland route and cross referencing it with his notes of the guild maps and recognisable features that he had used as way points. No doubt they were a couple of leagues off in either direction, but he¡¯d chosen this stretch of road to cover for that variability.


    Either way, their target should just be a handful of leagues to their right, along the road. As many as ten, and as little as two. With their walking speed significantly faster than an unenhanced man could ever manage, they would undoubtedly reach the spider by the afternoon at the latest.


    Nodding to himself he stowed his notes and clapped, drawing both of his companions attention.


    ¡°This way.¡± he said, leading his group to the road.


    ¡°Alright, this stretch of road is straight enough that I¡¯ll be able to see a good league any given moment. We should be able to spot the spider plenty easy, since the mission briefing mentioned that everyone who had survived an encounter with it was ambushed on the road itself.¡± Kaius said, discussing their plan.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure that you¡¯ll be able to spot it with your illusion piercing skill?¡± Ianmus asked, double checking that he was confident.


    Kaius nodded. From what they¡¯d heard, the spider mostly relied on staying still to make full use of its illusions. If whatever skill it was using was not powerful enough to manage anything better than a blur while using it, then it shouldn''t be that powerful of a skill. Unless its skill level was significantly higher than expected, he should have no problems.


    ¡°Our main goal will be to get it to attack us. It¡¯s an ambush predator that makes use of webs. Confronting it in its nest is probably the worst thing we could possibly do.¡± Kaius explained, before he turned his full attention to Ianmus. ¡°What¡¯s the range on that beam attack that you used against the bramble ball, and how accurate are you with it?¡±


    Ianmus thought for a moment. ¡°If you want me to cast afterwards, it¡¯ll have to be about half as much mana. About a league, if my mental maths is right. As for accuracy?¡± Ianmus gave him an easy and confident grin. ¡°I went to Sunspire; target shooting is one of the primary ways the student body is made to compete with each other. I won, always. Give me somewhere to point, and I¡¯ll hit it.¡±


    Kaius nodded. That was more than enough for him. ¡°Once I''ve spotted the spider, you open with that, and we¡¯ll draw it in. Or, if it runs, track it down before it can regenerate its pool. After your spell, just focus on enhancing me and Porkchop, and taking out its eyes if you get the chance.


    Ianmus nodded at his words, and he turned his attention to Porkchop.


    ¡°Our job is to give it a warm welcome. We focus on the legs, try to remove as much mobility as we can. It¡¯s supposed to be a quick bastard, so the faster we do that the safer we will be. As soon as it draws close, you use your new skill and yank it towards you. I¡¯ll keep it fried with Stormlash while you take out as many as you can.¡± Kaius explained.


    Porkchop nodded. ¡°What of after, when the battle is in full swing?¡±


    Kaius shrugged. They¡¯d fought together enough at this point that he was confident they could handle it. He¡¯d always been of the opinion that too complicated of a plan of attack just slowed people down, and could cause issues if people waited too long to abandon it if it was no longer viable. Fundamental roles worked far better.


    ¡°You hold its attention and hit it hard, I harass and smash it in its dangly bits, Ianmus heals us and zaps it in the eyes, nice and simple.¡±


    ¡°And if it goes after me?¡± Ianmus asked, a mild frown on his face.


    Kaius nodded. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely, as we¡¯ll be very in its face, and the immediate threat. Porkchop, if it does, use your new skill. Everyone happy with that?¡±


    Receiving nods in return, Kaius took the lead once more as they walked down the road, his eyes focusing with trained intensity as he kept watch for the slightest hint of something being out of place.


    ¡­.


    His head throbbing from the intensity of his extended use of True Sight, Kaius finally spotted what he had been waiting for.


    There, maybe three-hundred long-strides down the road, a faint waver crossing the body of the road. He halted, throwing a hand out to get his companions to do the same. Wordlessly he focused, ignoring the eye-watering spike of pain that accompanied the action.


    Whatever it was, it was faint. Barely visible, a shimmer in the air like heat rising off sunbaked rocks. True Sight protested, his brow furrowed.


    The shimmer intensified. He grit his teeth, willing his skill to reveal the truth of what was there.


    It shattered the illusory shimmer.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 37!**


    Threads glowing with mana popped into his vision, so thin that they would have been invisible without True Sight. Glistening in the midday sun, they stretched across the road by the hundreds.


    A glistening carpet woven at waist height, threaded between the trunks and stretching more than a hundred strides down the road.


    It didn¡¯t look like a trap. Not really. The threads were too thin, and far too far appart to hold anything of significant size. Kaius knew that spiders didn¡¯t just use webs as a sticky trap, they were also sensors. Strings to let the beast know when something passed.


    He whipped his eyes to the forest''s edges, searching for his opponent.


    It tried to hide, masking itself in the same magic that had hidden its snare. It didn¡¯t work¡ªhe had the measure of the ability now¡ªand it shattered like glass before the power of his legacy skill.


    It was a hideous thing, mottled white and bile yellow, covered in a dense carpet of finger-length hairy bristles. Lurking in the crown of a tree, it watched them with eight glistening eyes the colour of ruby wine. Too many legs for any sane man to be comfortable held up its impressive bulk, distributing its weight between eight different branches.


    Let alone the fangs, as big as his forearm with venom actively dripping to pool in the boroughs of the trunk beneath it.


    What¡¯s more, breaking the spider''s magic revealed the totality of the destruction it had wrought. Shattered waggons littered the tree line, lines of carved earth showing where they had been crudely dragged from the road. Easily a dozen of them, if not more. There were no bodies, no remains. No doubt consumed by the spider.


    The lost souls who had fallen beneath its fangs would have their succour, he would make sure of it.


    ¡°I see it.¡± Kaius murmured, keeping his stance relaxed as he looked away from the beast. No need to give the game away just yet.


    ¡°How big is it? Is it really the size of a horse?¡± Porkchop asked, morbid curiosity flooding their link.


    Kaius chuckled. Perhaps a draught-horse, but it was far larger than the average gelding, that was for sure.


    ¡°Please tell me it''s as big as a horse, I don¡¯t like the sound of that laugh.¡± Ianmus said, blanching the thought.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it big-horse sized.¡± He relented, though it was a little funny how much it bothered them. He hated spiders as much as the next person, but they were going to smash the damn thing. What better way to work through the discomfort?


    ¡°Level and tags?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°Checking now.¡±


    He flicked his eyes back to the spider, bringing up its system information.


    Veiled Assassin Spider- Level 81:


    Beast, Ambusher, Elite


    Kaius bared his fangs, the system''s words brewing a storm of competition deep within his belly.


    Now wasn¡¯t that interesting. Maybe fifty levels higher would be enough for another Honour?

 B2 Chapter 171: The First Job pt 2.

    Flicking his eyes back to the hulking brute of an arachnid that lay nestled in the crown of an oak, Kaius pondered their assault. The garish white and yellow of its carapace took on a new meaning now that he had seen its description. Danger.


    A welcome one, that could springboard their growth if they approached this battle right, but one that would also take care in how they handled the fight. This would be as fierce as fighting the Champions had been, he could feel it. That same prickling intensity of heightened awareness was present, the sensation of every facet of his being coming alive, zapping him with tiny jolts, right down to his bones.


    Veiled Assassin Spider- Level 81:


    Beast, Ambusher, Elite


    Level eighty-one was an extreme jump, but he thought they could manage. At least, he and Porkchop could. Between their heroic classes and Honours, they were gaining an average of fourteen stats per level, let alone their flat bonuses. While he didn¡¯t know exactly what being an Elite meant for their opponent¡ªother than the few elites they had faced in the Depths being stronger than their levels had implied, much like the Champions and Guardian¡ªhe had to assume that it did not have a massive edge on them as far as pure statistics went.


    Skills too, while it almost certainly had them handedly trounced on the basis of levels, he and Porkchop without a doubt held the advantage in quality.


    Their resident mage on the other hand¡­ Ianmus was fucked if they let the spider reach him.


    It was worth the risk. While there was no guarantee of there being an Honour waiting for them if they won, Kaius thought the chances were pretty good. He already had an Honour for slaying an enemy thirty five levels above him as an unclassed, and as far as he knew no one in the first tier fought things that far above them, not even with a large team. Such a gap, against an elite, in what the system would consider a team of two? Before they¡¯d even reached level fifty? That was exactly the sort of feat of strength that he could see the system rewarding.


    That honour was vital, not just for growing his own personal might, but to bind Ianmus closer to his cause.


    Kaius¡¯s mind raced, trying to figure out how he could get Ianmus to commit to the assault. With the way both he and Porkchop were staring at him expectantly, waiting for his response, he knew he only had a couple of moments before suspicions started.


    ¡°I need you to back me on this. No questions, just follow my lead.¡± Kaius pushed through his link with Porkchop. Without waiting for his brother¡¯s response, he turned to Ianmus.


    ¡°We must do this. I cannot explain, not right now, but this fight just became far more valuable to us, you included.¡± Kaius said, an intense fire illuminating the gold-flecked-green of his eyes.


    Ianmus grunted, biting his lip as he struggled against the lethargic chill of dread that washed over him. ¡°How bad is it?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Eighty-one, elite.¡± Kaius said calmly, his full attention on his ally. He watched the wave of horror wash over the man''s features, before he visibly bore down on the gut reaction, suppressing his fear with a will honed by the rigours of battle and study.


    Ianmus paused, taking a slow breath to collect himself. ¡°Kaius. If anyone else dared to suggest they wanted to fight an elite as a team of three I would think them foolish. If they wanted to do the same thing while outlevelled close to three times over, I would think them certifiably insane.¡± the half-elf turned to the third member of their little group. ¡°What of you, Porkchop. Have you succumbed to insanity as well? I would not think of one of the meles to take such a foolish gambit.¡±


    Porkchop snorted. ¡°Then you do not know my people well, elfling. Regardless, I know what my brother intends, and it is a worthy risk. Not to mention it is a risk that is far less fraught than you realise.¡±


    Stepping forwards, Kaius clasped Ianmus on the shoulder, willing his certainty and confidence to flow into the man, for him to absorb some of the boundless hunger that he felt building within him by the second. ¡°Please, Ianmus. Trust me. This is not some delusion of invulnerability sung into existence by my lust for battle. I will not pretend I do not feel it, the hunger to throw myself at such a great beast, but it is not why.¡±


    Ianmus met his gaze, searching his face for an answer. ¡°Then what, Kaius? Because from here it is the only reasonable explanation.¡±


    As Ianmus spoke, his voice grew more incensed, words blurring together with a pleading vigour as he tried to make Kaius see reason. ¡°It¡¯s a bloody elite! A stronger baseline than its common brethren, charged with unnatural amounts of mana by accident or right of birth. Better skills, more power, and worse, a better bloodline, which means more stats on top of everything else. How. Could. You. Possibly. Win.¡± drawing close, Ianmus punctuated every word with a jabbing finger that rattled Kaius¡¯s scale male with every impact.


    A flutter of annoyance welled within Kaius. That was enough of that, frustration and fear was no reason to be rude. When Ianmus tried to poke him again he twitched. That was all it took, with the growing influence of his bond skill, his reforged beast blood, and over a hundred points of dexterity, his hand all but portalled to grab Ianmus¡¯s own.


    Ianmus stopped, stock still as he looked at Kaius¡¯s hand in shock. His jaw hung open.


    Kaius held his allies hand steady for a moment, before he slackened his grip and snapped his hand back to his side faster than he knew Ianmus would be able to track. The mage blinked, slowly. Staring at him dumbfounded, Ianmus looked to his outstretched finger, then to Kaius¡¯s hand, then back again.


    ¡°How?¡± Ianmus finally whispered. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be able to move like that. It¡¯s not possible. You shouldn¡¯t have the stats, or the base to reach that speed, let alone control it.¡±


    Before he could answer the man, Porkchop stepped in. ¡°Not impossible, just with methods forgotten and recently discovered both. You say you have seen our hidden strength. Ianmus, you have misunderstood us. We have been holding back. Perhaps not to the extent of hiding everything, but you have not seen us truly pressed.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Pausing to digest his brother¡¯s words, Ianmus let out a heavy breath and rested his forehead on his staff, staring at the hard packed dirt of the road beneath them. A moment later he looked back up, right into Kaius¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Can you promise this is not some crazed delusion? That there is a good, logical and concrete reason to pursue this reckless madness?¡± Ianmus pleaded, watching him closely. ¡°Can you promise that we will not end up dead?¡±


    ¡°There is a reason. A good one, other than the sheer amount of levels we will be rewarded with for success. A more obscure reward, by no means guaranteed, but one that seems to fit the general sorts of criteria that I have seen for others. It is worth the risk of death.¡± Kaius replied, the stalwart iron of his conviction and certainty reverberating through his voice.


    Looking back at the assassin spider, he watched it shift in its nest, uncaring of their halted steps. It was confident, he could tell. Utterly convinced that people of their nominal power would be unable to pierce its illusion. Waiting patiently for its next meal to come.


    Ianmus continued to stare at him, searching his face for answers as he leaned heavily on the bonds of trust they had started to forge in the weeks they had spent together on the road. Kaius knew he was asking much, but this was the life he had promised himself he would live. Companions were needed, that much was true, but only if they could prove they could keep up.


    He met the half-elf¡¯s gaze, watching him with equal intensity. Now was the moment. Where Ianmus would prove he had the mettle and gumption to willingly fall to the insanity, the heat, of the Song. Would he willingly dive into the crucible that would eventually see him reforged? Would he prove that he had what it took to climb towards the peak, even if it required crawling on shattered limbs and wading through agony?


    Or would he cower and break?


    Something passed through Ianmus¡¯s face. A flicker of resignation, part surrender and part rising exhilaration. A twitch of his brow. A straightening of his shoulders and spine. It told Kaius all he needed to know. The man was in.


    ¡°If I am committing myself to suicide, I would know of this reward if we survive this, regardless if we receive it or not.¡± Ianmus said, a growing ember of courage and manic energy thrumming through his words. The Song, building within him.


    Kaius nodded. The man had earned that much. Any companion of his that would willingly attempt feats such as this was worthy of consideration and trust. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°It is good to have you with us, truly. You will have proven yourself with this fight, elfing. Let it be a glorious one.¡± Porkchop jumped in, sharing his respect.


    Ianmus sighed, and leaned heavily on his staff. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we are actually going to do this.¡± he muttered to himself, before looking up to them once more. ¡°Has our strategy changed?¡±


    Kaius shook his head. Even with the unexpected strength and levels of the spider, their original plan was still their best bet. A searing bolt of solar magic to draw it away from its domain, while he and Porkchop hammered it as hard as they could.


    ¡°You free cast a beam like you used on that bramble ball, then focus on supporting me and Porkchop from a safe distance. Take out eyes and the like if you can, but your first priority will be keeping us strong and hale while attracting as little attention as possible.¡± Kaius explained.


    Ianmus nodded, becoming focused and confident once more as the shock of their opponents strength wore off. ¡°Where do I need to hit?¡±


    Moving behind the man, Kaius pointed directly to where the spider was hunkered down. Calmly and with authority, he directed Ianmus¡¯s attention to the tree it had made its home.


    ¡°See that cluster of four branches? One of them splitting into three? Where they meet, two strides above. Can you make the shot?¡±


    Ianmus snorted at his words, as if the idea of him being unable to hit such a target was as ridiculous a proposition as not being able to tie his own shoes. ¡°I already told you, I¡¯m the best shot of my year. I could hit a needle at that range.¡±


    Nodding in satisfaction, Kaius withdrew two of his mana restorative tonics, as well as one of his health ones, and passed them over to Ianmus. ¡°Take these, they¡¯ll restore three-hundred each. You can only take two though, after that toxicity will set in.¡±


    Ianmus nodded, before he focused his eyes on the exact location where Kaius had told him the spider was lying in wait. A moment later his eyelids fluttered, and Kaius watched the half-elfs lips move with unspoken words as colossal quantities of solar mana began to stream from the mage.


    Under the man''s will, it drew yet more from their surroundings, a typhoon of power that vortexed. Golden and resplendent, it split into dozens of streamers, raw mana woven into a complex geometry of power.


    Kaius watched on in interest. While free casting was mostly about will and intent, he had known that the best among them borrowed from the slightest of principles found in the runic arts to pack even more intent and power into their spells. It was glorious to finally see it in action.


    Still, it was easy to see the problems with free casting. Powerful and incredibly flexible it might have been, it was also the most lengthy and focus heavy of the mystic arts. Ianmus would be at this for a while.


    Turning to Porkchop, Kaius gave his bond-brother a nod. It was time for them to ready themselves.


    With a flash of mana, Porkchop was garbed in thick plates of jade. He led their way forwards, careful to stay out of Ianmus¡¯s line of sight with the waiting spider. They stopped a good hundred strides down the road. Still more than far enough that the assassin spider opted to wait for them patiently, but close enough that they would be able to do battle without worrying about their mage being caught in the crossfire.


    As a crescendo of solar might built behind him, Kaius felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise at the mystical charge that built in the air. It caressed his skin, whispering scorching violence and swift retribution.


    It was almost too much, layering on his itching anticipation for the fight ahead. His heart pounded, blood singing with an intensity he hadn¡¯t felt in months. Here he was, ready to dance on the knife''s edge, and he had to wait? It was nigh on unjust.


    Judging by the way a low growl resonated in his brother¡¯s chest, and his claws rhythmically punctured the earth, Porkchop felt much the same.


    A few swipes of his brother''s claws deflected off his blade and charged his vambraces, their enhanced power enough to quickly fill its reservoir. Only a small benefit now, but not one he intended to leave at the wayside for a pivotal battle.


    Agonising minutes passed in tense silence, before the faintest of breathy words were carried on the wind from behind him.


    ¡°Ready¡­¡± Ianmus said, strain and exhaustion evident.


    ¡°Go.¡± Kaius replied, cutting the air with his hand to signal their attack.


    A beam of pure white, as thick as his wrist, punched into existence. It burned the very air, resounding with the tortured squeal and thunderclap of the breath of the world being vaporised in an instant.


    There was no traversal of space, it was simply a line of power writ into existence. One that connected Ianmus¡¯s outstretched arm to the scoured yellow and white carapace of the assassin spider.


    Chitin burst and Ichor roiled. It was a good shot, punching straight through one of its front limbs to pierce through its thorax. Off yellow and brown goo was superheated, ejected from the wound with bone cracking force to coat the crown of its tree-home in boiling viscera. It¡¯s leg fell free to crash softly into the leaf litter below, even as the holes in its carapace boiled themselves shut.


    The assassin spider squealed in chittering rage and moved.


    Skittering down the tree trunk, its illusion dissolved, and it charged straight for them.


    Kaius grinned.

 B2 Chapter 172: The First Job pt. 3

    Driven by its rudimentary instincts, the massive assassin spider dropped its illusion and pounced forward. It hit the road at a dead sprint, seven remaining legs moving with mechanical precision as it tried to remove the threat that had injured it so.


    With the spider revealed, Porkchop stared at the approaching beast with disgust.


    ¡°Mother of Matriarchs, it¡¯s fucking hideous!¡± he growled, claws digging deep into the earth as he readied himself to meet its charge.


    Laughing at his brother''s reaction to the manic scramble of the assassin spider, Kaius risked a quick look back to check on Ianmus. The mage was bent over, panting, but seemed far more stable than he had been after his use of his free cast beam against the bramble ball.


    Their plan for him to hold some mana in reserve had worked. That was good, they¡¯d need his assistance for the coming battle.


    Ianmus downed one of the mana potions that he had given him, grimacing at the taste. A moment later he took a deep breath and met Kaius¡¯s eyes, giving him a nod.


    Returning the gesture, Kaius flourished his blade and refocused on the oncoming threat. Even down one leg, the assassin spider was fast, having closed enough of the distance that he could hear the mad chitter of its fangs clacking together.


    ¡°Ready?¡± he asked, keeping his left hand free to cast.


    ¡°Ready.¡± Porkchop confirmed, bracing himself even more as powerful muscles rippled while he locked his claws into the earth.


    The moment arrived.


    As the assassin spider got within fifty strides of their formation, Kaius watched his brother tense, and felt his will shift through their bond as he activated his skill. A wave of rippling vitality coursed through Porkchop as he slammed his front claws deeper into the earth.


    In that same moment, a wall of raw jade erupted behind the sprinting assassin spider. Jagged and imposing, it glimmered in the shining sun as it shattered the earth in its passage. The slab of crystal¡ªa full head taller than Kaius and half that again wide¡ªrocketed through the earth, shedding a trail of cracked stone and pluming dust in its passing as it moved to Porkchop¡¯s will.


    Right towards the back of the pony-sized spider.


    Kaius watched the very moment it realised something was approaching. It hissed in surprise, trying to lurch to the left. Yet, for all of its speed, the beast was too slow to dodge. Hardened crystal met empowered chitin with a crack, and the assassin spider fell into an uncontrolled stumble.


    That was his cue.


    Kaius tapped into the roiling power stored in his glyph, the thin whine of arcing lightning joined with the acrid bite of ozone and searing light.


    Kicking off, Kaius dashed to the right of his brother and whipped his Stormlash towards the hissing tangle of chitinous legs and dripping fangs.


    Lightning arced through the air, following the guidance of Kaius¡¯s will to bind itself to the approaching spider. Thunder cracked the sky. Its deafening thump kicked him in the chest and set his heart aflutter with the rush of glorious battle.


    Fine hairs on the creature''s body burned in the path of his arcane might, electrical mana and potent reverberations wreaking havoc its internals. Vital fluid steamed from the gaps in the spider''s carapace, squealing like a teapot.


    It seized.


    Just barely¡ªwith its levels and power Stormlash wasn¡¯t quite enough to completely incapacitate it. It was enough. Already struggling to keep its many legs beneath it as Porkchop¡¯s Prismatic Shardwall forced it forwards, it collapsed. His brother¡¯s skill did the rest.


    His brother tapped into his amulet and charged. In a single instant, Porkchop went from a standstill to an explosive advance as he hauled on his deep grip of the earth. A boulder of flesh and jade smashed into the spider, squeezing it between Porkchop¡¯s assault and his immovable Shardwall.


    Chitin cracked, oozing ichor. Despite the titanic forces involved, the assassin spider reacted instantly. Letting out a chitter, it lunged for Porkchop with fangs that oozed a viscous fluid. Kaius watched his brother roll his shoulders smoothly, the bite clacking against a hard plate of jade before Porkchop snapped his head to sink his jaws around the nearest available spider leg.


    There was a sickening crack, and Porkchop brawled on. With furor and primal potency he occupied the spider''s attention, weathering spearing stabs from its leg and poisonous bites. Most ricocheted off his brother¡¯s armour.


    But not all.


    For every five blows that Porkchop shifted, taking on his heavy plate, another slipped past his defence. His under-armour did much to blunt the concussive force, but it was only of middling help against the assassin spider''s needle-like tips of its legs. After-all, it was padding designed to absorb shock rather than deflect a piercing point. Thankfully, he¡¯d been able to avoid any bites. The spider¡¯s fangs dripped with venom, and Porkchop had taken more than one stabbing strike of its legs in order to deflect a bite with a stone armour plate.


    While his brother held the spider occupied, Kaius did not wait idle. Another searing flash blanketed the woods as he summoned another Stormlash; cooking the monstrous spider from within, and stunning it for just barely a fraction of a moment.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 21!**


    Enough time for Porkchop to react to another biting strike, poison glistening on the surface of his armour.


    Nor was Ianmus resting on his laurels, even if he had more than earned a moment of respite due to the potency of his overwhelming first-strike.


    Kaius kicked off the ground, his surroundings blurring with his sudden acceleration. He felt the invigorating rush of Ianmus¡¯s skill settling over him like a mantle.


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


    Solar majesty ignited the furnace within, fueling even greater feats of physicality. Kaius raced on, moving into a position known to him only through the free flow of Porkchop¡¯s intent that streamed across their bond.


    Porkchop roared, smashing the spider to the side with a terrible swipe of his claws. Empowered by mana and hardened even further, chitin crunched, and the assassin spider lurched to the side. Without a moment of hesitation, he smoothly punched a blurring claw into the earth. Jade erupted from the ground with a deafening boom, cracking the spider in its mandibles.


    Squealing through the earth, the Prismatic Shardwall slammed bodily into the spider, shunting it back.


    Right into Kaius¡¯s waiting arms.


    It was a symphony of violence. Planting his lead foot, he pirouetted, leading with his off hand. Lightning burst into existence with the might of nature¡¯s scorn, lashing the monstrosity.


    A Father¡¯s Gift trailed close behind, burning with internal fire as his Bladerite ignited the runes held within its glassy fuller. Driving his weight though a pivot of his hips, he slashed.


    The empowered edge of his blade met the chitin of the Elite assassin spider. Common or not, his was a bound weapon¡ªempowered by a Unique skill¡ªand would not be denied. Ichor sprayed like a fountain as one of the spider''s limbs was split nearly in twain, coating his shining scales in ochre treacle.


    **Ding! Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 8!**


    **Ding! Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 9!**


    **Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 29!**


    Kaius wasn¡¯t done, not by a long shot. He rolled through the momentum of his swing, transferring his weight as he braced with legs of oak and a core of steel.


    His three-fingered hand swung up towards the spider, nearly brushing the ground. A crackling bolt extended and bent through the air, directed by his will to lash the spider¡¯s thorax. More ichor steamed from the rents in the spider¡¯s armour, internals roiling against the power of his magic.


    Slapping his off-hand back on his blade, he reversed his carried through swing. There was no leverage, no smooth economy of motion. He didn¡¯t need it. Brute force and his vambrace of Varkhossian Deflection was more than enough.


    Tapping into his vambraces filled him with the stored power of a meles¡¯ casual fury, and his blade ripped back through the leg he had half shattered, severing it cleanly and carrying through to score its thorax heavily.


    **Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 30!**


    Quickly shaking off its fugue from the sheer intensity of their combined assault, the assassin spider squealed. It was a shrill sound, one that communicated the sheer hatred it felt at their assault despite its alien nature.


    Remaining needle-like legs dug into the ground, and the spider lunged with mandibles outstretched. Right for Kaius.


    He dove, but there was no need, for his brother was already there. Porkchop tackled the spider, only for its fangs to finally find purchase between his armoured plates. Hollow daggers quivered, and viscous fluid pumped deep into his brother¡¯s body.


    The poison did nothing to stop his brother¡¯s charge, nor his prodigious weight that he brought to bear with deft ease. The assassin spider was knocked back, stumbling as it was forced to give ground.


    Porkchop still howled, pain clawing its way free of his throat as the venom coursed through his veins. Seizing from the affliction, Porkchop¡¯s right front leg gave way and he stumbled, giving their monstrous foe a prime shot as his poorly defended flank.


    Heart quickening as a chill dread shot down his spine, Kaius leapt to his brother¡¯s defence with a cry on his lips.


    He moved, covering ground like he never had before.


    **Ding! Tempered by Dissonance has reached level 30!**


    Light beams snapped overhead, Ianmus reacting as fast as he could. The duo of searing lances each devastated one of the spider''s eyes. Unfortunately, it was far less hampered than a normal beast would have been, six more remaining to watch them with calculating disdain.


    One leg speared forwards, sinking deep into Porkchop¡¯s less armoured flank. Thick crimson welled from the wound, staining leather under-armour and chitin alike. The assassin spider reared back, mandibles wavering with glee as it prepared to lunge.


    Another two Stormlashs gave it pause, overloading its nervous system for a bare moment and cooking it from within.


    It was all the time Kaius needed. Arriving at the beast with blade held in a low-guard, he swung upwards and pivoted into a stab. Right into its poorly armoured abdomen.


    Runes shone with the fire of his Bladerite, and he ripped his sword to the left.


    A great rent opened in the fleshy sack of the spider''s rear, brown goo flowing forth in a deluge. The spider squealed, doom flaring within him as two of its spear-like legs rose off the ground to harry him with a pair of stabs. Silver and grey blurred, his blade smashing aside one leg as he spun around the other.


    **Ding! Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 10!**


    **Ding! Tempered by Dissonance has reached level 37!**


    Doom flared once more. The spider turned to face him, Porkchop mewling as its leg that pierced him shifted within his body.


    Heart thundering in his chest, Kaius kicked off the ground, moving to create distance as he tried to ward off the coming attack with another Stormlash, whipping the bolt overhead to strike the spider directly on its face.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 22!**


    Uncaring of the oncoming attack, nor the bolt of light that popped another of its eyes, the assassin spider remained totally focused on him. Sacks normally hidden behind its mandible swelled to the size of a waterskin. A skill, Kaius realised. A moment too late.


    The sacs collapsed in on themselves, and a gout of viscous fluid squirted from each of its fangs in a high pressure stream.


    Squirting streams of venom covered the distance separating him from the spider in an instant. Crossing the air, the viscous fluid became a thick spray, far too wide for him to dodge effectively.


    Kaius did the only thing he could do. He turned, scrunching his eyes shut and snapping his mouth closed.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. The venom covered him utterly, worming its way through the gaps in his armour to saturate his padded clothing beneath. As soon as it touched his skin a stinging burn ignited, feverish welts covering his body as his back boiled.


    Moments later he felt the venom sink in, seeping into his body with supernatural swiftness.


    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Venom: Wracking Weakness**


    Muscles wasted beneath its onslaught, contracting uncontrollably as the venom started to dissolve the very structures of his body.


    Gasping at the sudden agony of it all, Kaius¡¯s head snapped up as his back seized, much like his brother¡¯s had. It felt like leaden weights had been attached to his limbs, the assassin spider''s skill attacking his musculature.


    ¡°Kaius!¡± he heard Ianmus call, panicked.


    Doom flared, and he forced himself to move, diving to the side just before a spear tipped leg lanced right through where he had been standing a moment before. With every second he could feel Rapid Adaptation working. Not only had it lessened the immediate effects of the venom, it burned it from his system. A purging inquisition that raged through his body, hunting down unwanted outsiders with extreme prejudice.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 26!**


    Oh, he was slowed, and the acid like tendrils of venom were agony, but he wasn¡¯t out of the fight yet.


    ¡°Heal Porkchop when he¡¯s free!¡± Kaius called back, sparing their backline no more of his attention.


    Flashing steel smashed aside a flurry of probing spikes, before he smote the spider with Stormlash once more. Each and every one of the spells seemed to be affecting the spider more as storm mana and penetrating vibrations were directed through its armoured carapace, destroying it from within.


    It seized.


    Enough time for Porkchop to finally react. His brother cared not for the pain, nor the deleterious effects of the venom coursing through his system. Pushing himself to his feet, Porkchop forced the spider¡¯s leg deeper into his body.


    It punched through. Its off-white spearpoint dripped with his blood as it erupted from his stomach. Roaring a challenge, Porkchop snapped his head up to grab the leg that had him pinned in his jaws.


    Right by the joint. It creaked, then he smashed it with jade claws. It shattered.


    Kaius was already moving, fighting through the forced sedation and damage to his internals. The venom had already stalled, slowly being forced back as his health kept the damage at bay.


    Another Stormlash kept the spider pinned, making it squeal as it backed away from him. Three launching strides carried him through the air. Landing at his brother¡¯s side he kicked backwards off his shoulder, grabbing hold of the shattered spider''s limb that still speared Porkchop through his torso.


    In a single smooth motion he wrenched it free, tossing it to the side. He landed next to his brother, both hands on his blade.


    Moments later the revitalising energy of the sun surrounded Porkchop with a golden aura, sinking into his body. The sopping wound in his torso sealed itself quickly¡ªhis regeneration skill doing its work. He rolled his shoulders with a low growl, staring down the spider.


    Kaius watched it closely as it chittered, lunging forwards only to skitter back a moment later. It was poorly and battleworn, the remnants of its torn limbs wiggling ineffectively with the movement. Barely healed wounds covered its body, sticky ichor and burnt hair making it even more of an offensive sight to his eyes than it had been at the start.


    The weakness. He could smell it. Another obstacle destined to fall beneath his ceaseless march.


    Somewhere deep within him a pillar began to keen.

 B2 Chapter 173: The First Job, Finale

    The assassin spider watched them from a wary distance, lurching back and forth on its five remaining legs. Ichor coated it utterly, newly fused chitin and scorched ash showing the remnants of their assault. Stubbed limbs wiggled with a furor, the beast still instinctively trying to use them in unison with its remaining limbs.


    Glistening compound eyes stared at them with malevolence. Watching.


    Waiting.


    The moment stretched as they evaluated each other, watching for a moment of distraction or weakness.


    Kaius knew that it wasn¡¯t over, not by a long shot. With all its low-born intelligence and base instinct, this was a killer. An apex predator. Shadow drenched rogue or not, it would not take their challenge lying down.


    He didn¡¯t want it to.


    Oh, they were battered and bruised. Venom still coursed through his veins, sapping at his energy and destroying him from within. Blood still poured from the hole their enemy had torn straight through his brother, pooling on the hard packed dirt like liquid ruby.


    It only heightened his delight. His conviction.


    His adamant-bound certainty that they would win. That this was merely another step on his journey. Wounds that would have killed them with a certainty mere months ago now barely slowed them, their endurance enabling them to persevere even as their skill empowered health boiled to seal their wounds.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 27!**


    The spider was tough, and strong. But it wasn¡¯t enough to stop him. Eventually, nothing would be. His destiny lay at the pinnacle.


    Every broken bone, pint of blood, and stride of rent flesh was in service of that. A slow and painful climb, but one that never stopped, and never retreated.


    The spider was an obstacle. Its destiny was to be consumed, refined, and used to lay a block on his foundation that would one day tower to the heavens.


    Every wound, every drop of blood spilled, only refined him. Made him sharper, tougher, and more enduring. If need be, he would hammer on the barriers to his ascension with mangled stumps until they shattered and then use the bloodsoaked shards to pave his way forward.


    Mentis called out in delight, and he knew it to be truth.


    The resonance inflamed the Blood Song within him, drowning out the feverish battle of Rapid Adaptation and the venom within him. It met the resonance in a symphony, backed by the staccato percussion of his pounding heart and the heavy rush of his lungs pulling at the iron-scented air with jealousy.


    A lesser man might have pulled back from the rush of pure vital focus and joy that came from the Song. He did not, and nor did his brother.


    Porkchop¡¯s own song thrummed across their bond. The vibrant fuel of battle surging within him. The need to feel chitin crushed beneath his claws, ichor spraying to coat him wholesale. There was a depth of primal violence there, directed and constrained by a mind that bent raw aggression towards his own ends.


    A bloody, satisfied grin split his face. Pondering upon the cry of his pillar could wait, now it was time to focus on the coming bloodshed.


    The moment ended as the assassin spider broke first, and their battle restarted in earnest.


    A chittering cry roiled from deep within the spider, sounding like the grinding crush of rocks being rubbed together. Ominous, and filled with fury.


    Sacs beneath its mandibles swelled once more as it reared back, quickly followed by two streams of venom that sprayed out in a thick cone.


    Porkchop was ready, as soon as their opponent had so much as twitched, he was already plunging his claws downwards, stamina flooding his body.


    A wall of jade erupted, spat venom splashing harmlessly over its pure surface. The wall rocketed out, pressuring the spider.


    Kaius raced in as light beams split the sky once more, Ianmus having repositioned to land his shots perfectly¡ªsearing the still open wounds in the creature''s carapace to slow its healing. Rounding the wall, he caught sight of it once more as it lurched sideways to dodge Porkchop¡¯s sudden attack.


    Starting slightly, he saw it¡­twist, blurring slightly as mana started to glow from within. His eyes ached for a moment and his head throbbed, but only that, and the spider appeared clear once more in his vision.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 38!**


    ¡°Kaius! It split in three!¡± Porkchop called, frustrated rumbles echoing across the road.


    An illusion, he realised. One that hadn¡¯t affected him. ¡°I see it.¡± he responded, a feral glee welling up within him.


    The assassin spider charged, sure in its obfuscation. Utterly certain in its primitive mind that he had fallen under its spell, it made no attempt at discretion, racing directly for him with its fangs writhing through the air.


    Kaius raced in uncaring. At the final moment, right when the spider was poised to skewer him through the chest, he moved.


    The air screamed as it was torn by the speed of his slashes, blurring blade smashing aside the thrust with ease. He stepped in, lightning streaming from his hand, scouring his opponent from within. Bending at the waist to slip past a lunging bite, he tapped into his Bladerite, sword lighting with internal fire.


    A smooth step to the side, and he returned to a two-handed grip as he snapped into a high guard and hacked at the spider''s grotesque face.


    It lurched, just barely managing to move one foreleg into the way of his assault, chitin crunched as he cut his way halfway through.


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    Squeels resounded, furious and pained.


    Thrashing, the spider fell into a barely controlled storm of stabbing limbs and gnashing bites. The wound on its leg bubbled, healing enough to take its weight¡ªthough he still saw the chinks in its armour.


    Kaius¡¯s heart quickened, black and grey blurring through the air as he hammered blows aside, leveraging all of his skill and strength to transfer his weight and momentum into a tight dance of parries.


    Step by step he was forced back.


    **Ding! Tempered by Dissonance has reached level 38!**.


    Each blow carried the weight of a mountain, his blade ringing like a struck bell as his opponent hammered his guard. With every peel, his blade jumped in his hand from the force of the collisions, forcing him to tighten his grip. Not for the first time, he cursed the siege ogre for taking his fingers.


    Worse, he couldn¡¯t block everything. It was his single sword against a flurry of stabbing limbs and a hungry maw. Kaius saved himself from the worst, but for every three attacks he turned away, one found him out of position. He was too slow.


    Steel-hard chitin punched through his armour effortlessly, lances of agony blooming as they tore through his flesh, lacerating his muscles as if they were softly woven cloth. Burning health did what it could, his flesh roiling as it worked to heal the grievous wounds, but he was flagging. Slowed as he was by the remnants of the venom, the wounds only worsened his ability to keep up.


    At least the pain was nothing, not with how familiar he was with its touch.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 26!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 28!**


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 28!**


    Burbling laughter welled up from his throat as he smashed aside yet another stabbing limb, before just barely slipping away from a venom soaked bite. A dozen weeping wounds soaked the cloth and leather of his travelling clothes, a creeping warmth of sticky lifeblood binding them tight to his skin.


    He was utterly outmatched. If he let go of his blade for even a single second, the next blow would send his sword spinning from his grip, he could just barely hold on even as it was. His only saving grace was that the furious assault had charged his vambraces once more.


    Without his magic, he couldn¡¯t keep the pressure up, letting the monstrously powerful beast bring its inflated physicality to bear against him. With so much pressure on him, he couldn¡¯t even safely empower an attack.


    Alone, he would die.


    But he wasn¡¯t alone.


    A wall of jade slammed into the spider''s side, yanking it to the left. Porkchop dove on the assassin spider, stride long claws punching deep into its poorly defended abdomen. Ichor and guts fountained, staining jade a sickly yellow.


    ¡°Took you long enough!¡± he pushed through the bond with his brother, sighing in relief as his empowered healing finally had the time to start properly sealing the wounds he had accumulated while keeping the spider occupied.


    ¡°Not my fault! The illusions still hurt somehow, I thought it was the real one!¡± Porkchop replied, even as he threw himself bodily into an oncoming bite, the spider''s fangs screeching as they failed to find purchase on his armour.


    Another jade wall erupted, slamming into its undercarriage with a crack. The spider jumped, and Porkchop punished the moment of weakness with a savage swipe of his claws.


    Looking back to Ianmus, Kaius found the man racing in a circle, a panicked look of determination on his face.


    ¡°Take the hit! It¡¯s an illusion!¡± he screamed, before turning his focus back to the real threat. It would hurt, but Ianmus had proven himself no pushover, and a few of his solar beams would be enough to destabilise the working.


    Racing in, Kaius took note of his resources. A third of his health left, nearly the same for stamina, and eight charges of Stormlash left. Plenty.


    He sensed it, stronger than any other time he had in this battle. An opening. A weakness.


    He heaved on his sword, rolling his shoulders into a heavy overhand chop. A snarl clawed its way free of his chest as he tapped into his Bladerite. Cleaving the spiderleg he had damaged earlier, steel crushed the wicked limb, severing it cleanly.


    **Ding! Explorer¡¯s Toolkit has reached level 36!**


    Destabilised by the sudden loss of a fourth limb, the spider teetered.


    Smelling weakness, Porkchop launched himself at the beast as light beams seared the spider¡¯s carapace every few moments. The forceful tackle took the beast to the ground, and Kaius saw his moment.


    Leaping over a flailing limb, he rounded on its face as his blade swept up into a high-guard. As it rose, he tapped into his Bladerite once more and dropped his off hand from his grip. Blue light flashed as he bound its head in crackling storm mana, a woven cage of magic that boiled ichor and charred chitin.


    Left stunned and immobile, the spider sat insensate as he gripped his blade with both hands and tapped into the stored vambrace.


    The executioner''s blade fell.


    Chitin split, severing one mandible completely. Neural tissue and sticky fluid fell forth.


    It seized, limbs flailing as deep within its primitive mind the creature sought to outrun its fate. Somehow, despite cutting halfway through its head, the spider still lived.


    Kaius¡¯s mind raced, and he found a solution.


    ¡°The legs.¡± he said coldly through his bond, backing up.


    Porkchop felt his intent and launched himself at the nearest stabbing limb, taking a flailing strike on the shoulder as he bit down hard.


    Lowering his sword, Kaius raised his hand. Thunder shuddered through the woods as another of the weapons of the Stormlord appeared in a shower of baleful orange sparks.


    Sealing the spider''s fate, he lashed the beast, wracking convulsions overcoming it. Another leg was torn free, Porkchop savaging its writhing form.


    He waited. Just enough time for the convulsions to subside, for its health to just start to be able to seal its wounds.


    Another peal of thunder. Another flash of condemning blue light.


    Then another.


    Another.


    The hammering blows of the storm and fury continued until all of his runic charges were spent, and all that was left before him was the limbless quivering body of a shattered and broken creature.


    Approaching slowly, he watched it. The way its remaining red compound eyes reflected the light, watching him in turn. Even now it was filled with hateful aggression, one remaining mandible striking ineffectively as it desperately tried to attack him.


    Another step and its venom sacs swelled, emptying impotently on the road in front of it. Noxious venom pooled, welling up in its mouth parts.


    It was time.


    Porkchop eviscerated its abdomen, claws raking through the soft sack with a sucking squelch. At the same time, Kaius plunged his blade into its head. Each one resounded with a heavy crunch, ichor welling with a wet slop. Three stabs it took, until he finally heard the dings he had been waiting for.


    **Ding! level 81 Veiled Assassin Spider - Cloaked Trapper slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**


    **Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Ruthless Underdog II**


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 25!**


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


    ¡­


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 39!**


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

 B2 Chapter 174: Camaraderie pt. 1

    Power rushed through every facet of his body; the sudden jump in levels bringing with it a heady rush that rolled over him in a wave. Pausing for a moment, he let himself feel the changes, adjusting to the palpable increase in strength.


    There was none of the pain, discomfort, or disorientation that he had felt as an unclassed. Supported by the structure of his class, the transition was seamless as his soul adjusted naturally.


    He shook the fugue off, and turned his attention back to the spider. His sword still stood proud in its thorax.


    Kaius pulled his blade free from the limbless body of the spider, ochre coloured ichor sticking to its surface like treacle as it squelched. As he did, he felt the Blood Song fade, leaving behind a familiar calm satisfaction in its wake.


    His pillar Mentis fell silent along with it, the resonance fading. Passing disappointment welled up within him at that, but it was only a momentary thing. He knew, somehow, that the insights that had come with battle were not meant to enshrine the pillar in truth. They were a seed. To be contemplated and nurtured in quiet pondering, just like Ekum had said.


    There would be plenty of time in the future to think on his insight.


    Flicking his wrist to clear the worst of the muck, he bent down to wipe the rest free on a clean section of the spider''s hairy exterior, before he rose and slid it home in its sheath.


    Porkchop approached him, jade plate armour vanishing off his body with a subtle pop. His thick leather under-armour was soaked with blood and vital fluid, slowly closing holes dotting its surface.


    It didn¡¯t stop Porkchop from rubbing his head against his.


    ¡°Gross!¡± he cried, shoving his brother off of him as Porkchop¡¯s sodden fur stuck to his cheek and caused the hairs on his neck to stand on end.


    Snickering at the move, Porkchop backed off. ¡°Come on, Ianmus looks like he¡¯s about to pass out.¡± he pushed across their bond, before turning to walk in the direction of their resident mage.


    Kaius looked back, ignoring the way his scale armour gummed up with all the ichor in its joints.


    Ianmus was standing there, pale and leaning heavily on his staff. His eyes were glassy, staring into the mid-space as his jaw flapped soundlessly.


    Smiling at the sight of his friend''s shock, he jogged after his brother, quickly catching up. He knew that feeling, the sense that the entire world had crumbled around you. The heavy weight of the impossibility that you were now part of history.


    ¡°Well, at least we know for sure that he got the honour too.¡± he pushed along their bond.


    Porkchop chortled next to him, shaking his head in amusement. ¡°Well, for all we know he got hit by some of that poison and is slowly dissolving from the inside out.¡±


    Smiling at the joke, he still smacked Porkchop on the shoulder for the poor taste.


    Approaching quickly, they came to a slow stop a few strides from the mage. Still frozen, he stared into space. No doubt trying to digest the system notification in front of him.


    Kaius cleared his throat. ¡°So. Job done?¡± he said slowly, unsure of how else to break the tension of the moment.


    Ianmus blinked, eyes clearing before his head lurched towards his own. Red rimmed wild eyes bored into his own, filled with exaltation, confusion, and a little madness.


    ¡°Kaius..I¡­What?¡± he stammered.


    Kaius just gave him an easy grin. ¡°Told you we could do it.¡± he replied.


    Blinking slowly for what must have been the tenth time, Ianmus shook his head and looked at him with slowly widening eyes.


    ¡°You knew.¡± he stated, words wooden and jaw slackening.


    ¡°We knew.¡± Porkchop replied.


    ¡°Mostly, not if this would actually get us one. But in the general sense, yes, we knew.¡± Kaius continued.


    Standing rooted to the spot, Ianmus seemed to freeze as he processed the information. Kaius waited patiently. He knew there would be questions, and many of them, but it would take time for the half-elf to digest what had just happened. He himself had sat stunned for what must have been most of an hour after he had eaten that fruit.


    Suddenly Ianmus lurched into motion, racing towards them as a manic laugh slipped from his lips. Throwing a lanky arm around each of their necks he pulled them into a strong hug, uncaring of the gore and ichor that coated both of them.


    ¡°You demented bastards! You knew! You already knew! That¡¯s how you¡¯re so strong. Any dynasty that knew of this must have a potent legacy; you¡¯ve got to have an Unusual¡ªno, Unique class!¡± he howled, embracing them before he pulled back. ¡°I haven''t even had the chance to check what it does, but it must be!¡±


    Kaius smiled at the man. They really had him now. Had bound him to their cause in truth. He could hear it. The fervent need for more, the burning desire to strive forwards.


    Friends besides, he and Porkchop were the best place that Ianmus would be able to find an opportunity to do that.


    ¡°I must know more, please. This is the kind of discovery that makes the life of a scholar like myself.¡± Ianmus continued, calming as the shock of the moment slowly passed.


    Kaius clapped the man on the shoulder. ¡°And you will have it. With a shared secret of this magnitude, how could I not trust you? I just have to ask you one thing.¡±


    Refined features hardened as Ianmus¡¯s eyes steeled with conviction. ¡°Anything.¡± he said with a nod.


    ¡°With all of our strength, we came close to death here. Not the closest me and Porkchop have ever gotten, but close. The path we walk requires that level of risk, and we are happy to lay our lives down to reach the summit. Are you?¡± he asked. It was a serious question. An existence of throwing yourself against death to eke out every scrap of power was one he and his brother had committed themselves to fully, but it was one that was unbearable for most.


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    Not everyone found joy in battle like they did, nor did they find the same meaning in a life lived to the fullest. Not in the same sense, at least.


    Ianmus laughed, long and loud. Manic and impassioned, he threw his head back as his sweat streaked platinum locks hung limply from his head.


    ¡°Kaius, my friend. You could tell me you intended to break the accords and lead a campaign to conquer Vaastivar and I would still follow you to the bitter end.¡± he stepped forwards, laying a firm grip on his shoulder.


    ¡°You,¡± he looked at Porkchop. ¡°Both of you. You have made me Observed. Have shown me hidden secrets, and brought me nose first to wisdom thought lost. Revealed the secret to the greatest mystery of our age. I am a seeker of knowledge. You have brought me the wealth of an empire.¡±


    ¡°And the risk of death?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°What of it?¡± Ianmus said, waving a hand through the air dismissively. ¡°I feel the Blood Song stronger day by day. I was never one to sequester in a tower with his tomes like some of my contemporaries, but I have changed. The only thing I could think during that battle, even when I thought the spider had slipped past you and my death was at hand, was how alive I felt.¡± A wild gleam entered the half-elf¡¯s eyes, furor empowering his words with a conviction that told Kaius everything. ¡°How good the rush felt, and how much sweeter my next morsel would be if I lived to see another day.¡±


    A compatriot in truth then, one who understood the finer things in life.


    ¡°Then let us check our Honour, as a team. Once we harvest what we can from the spider, we can get off the road. Porkchop and I have been keeping an artifact in reserve that will give us plenty of privacy for a longer discussion.¡± Kaius replied.


    His companions nodded, and as one they pulled up the description of their latest reward.


    Ruthless Underdog II:


    Honour


    Doing the impossible once is dumb luck. Doing it twice? Now, that is competence.


    Awarded to those who slay an enemy 50 levels or more above them while under level 100 in a group of three or less. Provides a Minute increase to all experience earned when fighting above your level. +5 all stats. +3% all stats.


    Kaius grinned as he read the words that hung in his vision. There were chains of Honours, to have that confirmed gladdened him. Unfortunately, it did mean that he and Porkchop had probably lost out on the follow up Honours for slaying Champions while unclassed, but ultimately it was a small loss. With this, he had confirmed that there were plenty still up for grabs.


    Similarly, they had not received a bonus for this one. It seemed that the ancient Observers of yore were at least capable of achieving the same feat that they just had, something that didn¡¯t surprise him. Legendary were their feats of strength, afterall. That too spoke to the likelihood of there being more Honours to achieve. It would take more than a handful of them to earn the stories that were ascribed to their actions.


    ¡°What do you think, Porkchop? Seventy-five levels higher before level one-fifty?¡± he asked, thinking on what they might possibly need to achieve to earn the next one.


    Porkchop tilted his head back and forth. ¡°That, or one-hundred before two-hundred.¡±


    Kaius winced. While he was confident that they would be able to do it, they might have to find a few more Honours before they did so. Afterall, they would need to slay something in a tier above them, a daunting feat, even for them.


    Startled from his reverie, Ianmus looked over to them. ¡°You speak of this so casually. Like we haven''t just gotten five stats to everything and a scaling attribute bonus!¡± he shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s nearly three whole levels, most of them going to stats I am in dire need of.¡±


    ¡°So you do have a Rare class.¡± Kaius grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t appreciate and savour it, it¡¯s just that it grows a little more routine after a handful of them.¡±


    Ianmus froze. Kaius could physically see the mage¡¯s mind racing as he digested the information. Beside him, his brother snickered.


    ¡°This¡­was not just a dynasty secret that you saw an opportunity to capitalise on, was it?¡± he asked haltingly.


    ¡°Well, my dynasty was plenty powerful, and we do have good classes, but no. We found this for ourselves.¡± Kaius replied.


    ¡°I¡ªno. You said you had somewhere better to talk. My questions can wait.¡± Ianmus said, visibly restraining himself from delving deeper into the topic. ¡°You said you wanted to salvage some of the spider?¡±


    Kaius nodded. ¡°Though, I think first me and Porkchop will clean up a bit.¡± he waved down at his body, caked with the drying viscera of battle.


    Apologising profusely from holding them up from cleansing themselves, Ianmus waved them on. Giving the man a small smile, he and Porkchop made their way over to the side of the road where they had ditched their saddlebags shortly after spotting the spider.


    It would have been the tragedy of the century if they had not, and that had led to their spatial artefact being destroyed.


    Retrieving their massive self-filling waterskin, a bar of soap, and some rags, Kaius went about cleaning himself and his brother as best he could, going so far as to strip out of his armour and wash clean his travelling clothes.


    Feeling reborn, albeit sodden, they rejoined Ianmus and made their way to the corpse of the spider with their saddle bag firmly reattached to Porkchop¡¯s flank.


    The first thing he did was retrieve a leg, making sure to pick one that hadn¡¯t gotten misted with venom. Large as it was, he hacked at it until he held only a single segment as long as his thigh. Thankfully, their storage would keep it fresh, and due to its strange magics it only cared about absolute volume rather than efficient packing.


    Next, he moved to the body of their slain foe. Crouching before it, he sampled the air, leaning heavily on Explorer¡¯s Toolkit as his eyes roved over its shattered body.


    His gut twinged as he landed on the creature''s mandibles, both the one still attached, and the one he had cut free. At the same time, he could taste the scent of alchemical reagents on the breeze. An acrid bite coming from the creature''s venom, cloying his mouth with the scent of wasting sickness and infirmity.


    Fetching the first mandible, Kaius sighed in relief as he found the venom sac at its base untouched. Moving to its head next, he drew his hunting knife and hammered it into the tough joints that held them in place. Each one was like cutting into wood, far more sturdy than one would expect from flesh and blood, but he managed eventually.


    Returning with his prize, Ianmus watched him curiously. ¡°The fangs?¡±


    ¡°Probably some alchemical thing.¡± Porkchop responded for him. ¡°Kaius has an even better nose for it than me.¡± he finished, moving to Kaius¡¯s side to give him access to their storage.


    ¡°Ah, good thinking. A reagent from something of this strength will go for good gold, poison especially in days like this.¡± Ianmus nodded, understanding the worth of such an item.


    Having finished stowing their poor excuse for loot, Kaius turned to his group and clapped his hands.


    ¡°Right, shall we go set up the tent?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Wait, we have a tent?¡± Ianmus asked, giving an aghast look.


    ¡°Come along!¡± Kaius replied, turning to stride into the treeline.


    ¡°Kaius! Why have we been sleeping in the dirt if there is a tent!¡± Ianmus cried, racing after him with his hands thrown to the air in exasperation, while Porkchop chuffed in amusement at the mage¡¯s indignation.

 B2 Chapter 175: Camaraderie pt. 2

    As a group they left the hard packed road that cut its way through the sun-drenched Hanset Woods. Cutting across the berm, they made their way through the trees. Stout and healthy things, a mixture of oaks, ash, and many others that spread a wide canopy.


    Light underbrush crunched underfoot as Kaius took the lead, plunging deep enough that they could no longer be seen from the road. As he looked around his surroundings, Kaius couldn¡¯t help but feel strangely out of place. For all this place was nominally similar to the Sea, it was too¡­loose. They were nearly a hundred strides into the tree line and he could still clearly see the road. Breaks in the canopy were common, and the underbrush had none of the hearty vitality of the brush that rose as tall as he was that he was used to.


    Eventually finding a decent dip in the ground, Kaius waved Porkchop over and unfastened their Dimensional Tent. Setting the storage bag in a small hollow surrounded by bushes, he activated the artefact with his mana before promptly scrunching his eyes shut and shielding them with his arm for good measure.


    No need to subject himself to interdimensional truths beyond mortal comprehension. Not today, and hopefully never again.


    As the tent materialised with a subtle pop, Kaius heard Ianmus jump next to him.


    ¡°What the hells is tha¡ªhang on, why are you covering your eyes?¡± Ianmus started, before addressing him with plain confusion.


    Groaning in resignation, he opened his eyes once more.


    ¡°Ocular skill. First time he opened it he got a little spooked by what he saw.¡± Porkchop explained with a snicker.


    Taking a last look at the thin leather tent, vaguely making out the impression of another bush nestled amongst its cousins, Kaius turned to Ianmus and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s dimensional, and has an illusion cloak. Some sort of janky spatial effect didn¡¯t react well with me when I saw it, I recommend against looking if you ever are able to.¡±


    He stepped forwards, opening the tent¡¯s flap to reveal the larger, rather homely space within.


    ¡°Now come on, we can talk inside.¡±


    Porkchop led the way, diving into their space to nestle himself on the wide cushioned mattress covered in furs. Their mage, on the other hand, stared at the interior in shock as he numbly made his way in.


    Stepping in after the man, Kaius let the flap fall closed and took a seat on the spacious floor. Ianmus was still standing in the centre of the space, turning slowly as he took in the interior with wide eyes.


    ¡°Why would you hide something so useful?¡± Ianmus asked absentmindedly. ¡°I can think of a dozen times being able to hide in plain sight would have saved us plenty of trouble on our journey. Let alone the comfort.¡±


    Kaius grunted, reaching over to Porkchop to retrieve their traveler''s pan, the chunk of spider leg, and as many cooking supplies as he thought he would need.


    Keeping the tent a secret had been a tactical choice, if Ianmus had ever proved himself untrustworthy, an unknown ability to hide in plain sight would have been invaluable.


    He told the mage as much as he went about cracking open the spider leg on a flat chopping board. The meat inside was delicate. Almost reminiscent of the rare crawfish he and Father would catch in the streams that networked the Sea.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t meant as a slight,¡± he assured. ¡°We just wanted a gold piece tucked in our boot for if everything went to shit. Bit pointless now you¡¯re bound by a similar secret.¡±


    Frowning down at him, Ianmus looked displeased at his reasoning. He could understand, it was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.


    Eventually though, the mage sighed in acceptance and took his seat across from him.


    They sat there in silence for a moment as he diced and spiced the spider meat. The questions would come soon, he was sure of it - but he didn¡¯t want to press the issue.


    If only he had some butter¡ªif the spider was like crawfish it would have been perfect. Unfortunately, lard would have to do.


    Ianmus sat with his elbows on his knees, head propped up by his hands as a scrunched expression of intense concentration stood frozen on his face. A moment later he sat up slowly and looked between them.


    ¡°I assume much of what you have told me was a falsity born out of necessity?¡± he asked.


    Kaius bobbed his head, while Porkchop took the moment to respond.


    ¡°In a sense. Downplayed, details twisted and changed, and certain things omitted, but the broad strokes were there.¡±


    Ianmus strummed his fingers against the canvas floor of the tent.


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t your first Honour, was it?¡± he asked, watching them intently.


    ¡°My seventh, Porkchop¡¯s sixth.¡± Kaius confirmed, looking up from his work to meet the half-elf¡¯s eyes.


    They widened in shock, a thin hiss escaping his clenched teeth. ¡°So many? No wonder you are so strong. What¡¯s the one Porkchop couldn¡¯t get?¡±


    Smirking slightly, Kaius raised his dominant hand, showing off the glyph that embossed his palm. ¡°First one to discover glyph-binding. That¡¯s not all, there¡¯s bonuses too. Ones we¡¯ve found are being the first in our ¡®cohort¡¯--whatever that means¡ªas well as achieving one unclassed, and sometimes doing something solo. Though the last one gets murky; some honours are exclusively for doing certain feats solo.¡±


    Rocking backwards at his reveal, Ianmus stared at him mutely for a drawn out moment.


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    ¡°Unclassed¡­?¡± he finally forced out, slowly looking between them. As soon as he finished the word he trailed off, falling silent as he gathered his thoughts.


    ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Ianmus said slowly, chewing on his lip. ¡°The phase shift.¡±


    Kaius nodded slowly, methodically finishing his prep for their meal before he activated the Traveller¡¯s Pan in front of him. Thankfully, it stayed cool on its exterior, so he could use it directly on the canvas.


    ¡°It was. Though it was unintentional; we were just trying to survive.¡± he replied, voice softening to a whisper as he thought back on the year of constantly living on the edge. The stress and tension that each day would be their last. It had honed him, and he had loved it, but there was still a weight to the experience.


    A level of respect demanded that could not be denied.


    ¡°I¡­how?¡± Ianmus asked, curiosity and disbelief warring in his voice.


    At the very least there was no anger in it. No hatred or accusation. That had been what worried Kaius the most.


    ¡°A year trapped in the second layer of the Depths. As unclassed no less.¡± Porkchop explained, shuffling closer on the fur layered mattress that enveloped him. As large as he had grown, there would be only just enough room for them to share the space. ¡°One of the things Kaius forgot to mention is that there are also Minor and Major honours. We got a minor one for surviving a year in the Depths unclassed, and a Major for slaying a guardian. The latter was what kicked off the change, and gave us access to our classes.¡±


    Ianmus whipped his head over to Porkchop, staring at him intently. ¡°A whole year? How?¡±


    He looked back to Kaius, then started looking between him and his brother rapidly.


    ¡°Your legacy.¡± he stated, settling on Porkchop once more. ¡°You helped Kaius complete his own? I know completed legacies are common amongst the meles.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kaius said with a shake of his head. ¡°I already had my own. But you are correct, they are how we survived, and eventually thrived. Once we found out about Honours, we pushed as hard as we could.¡±


    Ianmus stared at him incredulously. ¡°That¡­There have been no higher race dynasties with a complete legacy since the Eternal Empire. Not publicly at least.¡± his almond eyes searched Kaius¡¯s face. ¡°Who are you, Kaius? Why would you be so far from your people? Why are you not with them now? And why on all the gods hold dear would you attempt a Guardian?¡±


    The deep weight of his grief revealed itself to Kaius once more, settling upon him like a leaden mantle. Weighing him down with the magnitude of his loss, and his responsibility to hold the perpetrators to account.


    He breathed, feeling the emotion and letting it pass as his eyes drifted closed. When he opened them once more, he saw the contrition and concern in Ianmus¡¯s face and smiled at him wearily.


    ¡°That...is a long story, but one I think we perhaps have time for.¡± he said slowly.


    ¡°It started when I was young, living in the Sea with my Father¡­¡±


    ¡­.


    Kaius told his tale, and he told it well, using his preoccupation with their lunch as an excuse to distract himself whenever it got too much. Porkchop would jump in then, filling in the gaps whenever he no longer had the stamina to continue.


    They held nothing back, not at this point. His life in the forest, his lack of knowledge about his background. The flight from the tracker, and his meeting with Porkchop. Their battles and their plights, and the Honours they had earned on their journey.


    He spoke of the weight of desperation during that year. His need to know of his father¡¯s fate, and the dire tidings he returned to - learning that it was the Onyx Temple who were ultimately responsible.


    Ianmus was a good listener. He had sat there enraptured in his tale, asking questions when appropriate, and giving the right amount of shocked gasps, cosmirations, and congratulations where needed. All in all, it made for a great bonding activity for their team. Far better than he had ever hoped it would go, at least.


    They even shared their builds, and the existence of their additional racial traits and Heroic classes. That had fascinated Ianmus. He¡¯d begged them to trawl through their old notifications, a boring and focus intensive experience, so that he could learn of their requirements. Something about building a ¡®framework¡¯ to understand class requirements better.


    Ianmus too had shared his own. He did have a Rare class. Novitiate Solar Theurge, a class that encompassed both sorcery and free casting¡ªand one that could easily bend in either direction further down the path.


    He had his own legacy skills¡ªfive from the college, and two from his father. Most were merges of three to five, though one was seven. His other skills were nothing to sniff at either: three Unusual skills that he had acquired through dedicated shedding of blood and sweat. A good foundation¡ªone they would be able to build upon handedly as they acquired more Honours in preparation for the second tier.


    In all honesty, he was surprised Ianmus hadn¡¯t gotten an Unusual class. If he had to guess, the sheltered nature of collegiate training had offset much of the effect his large number of legacy and high rarity skills would have had. Still, that was in some ways good news¡ªwith the feats they were acquiring, and the Honour he had gained, Kaius would be surprised if he didn¡¯t completely skip a rarity and jump to at least Unique in the second tier.


    Kaius finished his tale at the same time he finished cooking their lunch. Switching the pan off, a warm and spicy scent filled their tent. It smelt good, but odd. Remarkably similar to crawfish in the end, but without the tang of seafood that he was used to.


    ¡°And that¡¯s it.¡± he said, pushing the pan away as he fetched some bowls.


    ¡°Amazing, and terrible for you to have experienced such.¡± Ianmus said with a shake of his head. Then his eyes blazed, impassioned and fierce. ¡°The Onyx Temple are the worst of blackguards, and I would be more than happy to assist you in your blood debt.¡±


    Kaius nodded his head in gratitude.


    ¡°I only request one thing.¡± Ianmus followed up.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kaius asked, tilting his head at the man. He doubted he was trying to leverage something out of him, but he was curious about what he wanted.


    ¡°Take me with you to the end, and I will bleed as much as I have to to keep up. These Honours¡­Ekum, and the phases. It¡¯s a mystery on a never before seen scale. So much could be found, and so much progress could be made. Let alone your magic, the scale and significance of it.¡± Ianmus said with fervour. ¡°If I let this slip by I would never be able to sleep again.¡±


    Kaius grinned, and his brother chuffed with joy.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°We need you just as much; a god himself said so.¡± Porkchop quipped.


    ¡°Good¡­good¡ªI am thankful.¡± Ianmus said with a bow of his head. ¡°Now, bonded as a team in truth, I wish to ask for your thoughts on my next available skill. That fight pushed me to level forty-one.¡±


    Kaius waved him off. ¡°None of that. First, we eat. We can all delve into our statuses after lunch.¡±


    Ladling the fried spider into bowls, he passed them out amongst his team, a budding warmth growing within him as he watched their latest member¡ªboth in deed and spirit¡ªaccept his cooking with a thankful smile. With no more secrets, and with Ianmus having taken the first step to supremacy, he hoped they would be able to keep their bond for years to come.

 B2 Chapter 176: Camaraderie, Finale.

    Sitting within the tent, Kaius enjoyed the lard fried spider.


    Tender and juicy, it practically melted in his mouth, and carried the mild herbs and spices he had used beautifully. All in all, definitely as delicious as he had hoped it would be.


    What¡¯s more, with every bite he felt a gentle and warm energy coursing free from the meal, seeping from his stomach to swaddle him like a warm blanket. He didn¡¯t see any major effects in his status, or anything of the like, but it satisfied him on some deep level.


    Every wave of the vitalising energy washed away his fatigue and exhaustion from the recent battle, revitalising the mind and soothing the weariness of his body and soul. It sat heavy in his stomach, satiating him far faster than he expected from a meal of its size.


    A happy smile crossed his face. He¡¯d always wanted to try high-level beast meat, but it was supposed to be unsafe for those without a class. With Explorer¡¯s Toolkit stretching its worth as much as it could with its meagre levels, he had finally gotten a taste of the empowered foodstuffs that the high-tiered thrived on.


    Savouring another bite, his mind turned to more important matters. With the entire team having fallen to silence as they ate, it was the perfect time to survey his status for the first time in a number of weeks.


    He was pretty sure Porkchop was already looking at his own, what with the way his half-lidded eyes stared into the mid-space.


    Though, it could have just been the food.


    Giving his brother a smile, he pulled up his system information.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 19


    Race: Human (Dynastic, Greater Beastblooded) - +1 Wil, Str, End, and free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Class: Runeblade Initiate - +3 Int, +2 End, +2 Str, +2 Dex, +1 Vit, +1 Wil per level


    Level: 39


    Resources:


    Health - 1837/2450 (13.5/min)


    Stamina - 1920/2320 (18.3/min)


    Mana - 1650/3190 (21.5/min)


    Free Mana - 1650/3190


    Reserved Mana - 0


    Stats:


    Endurance - 144 + 49 + 25% (245)


    Vitality - 58 + 49 + 25% (135)


    Strength - 134 + 49 + 25% (232)


    Dexterity - 96 + 49 + 25% (183)


    Intelligence - 172 + 63 + 33% (319)


    Willpower: - 96 + 63 + 33% (215)


    Stat Points: 0


    Aspects:


    Pillar Corporus: N/A


    Pillar Mentis: N/A


    Pillar Animus: N/A


    Class Skills (2/10):


    Latent Glyph of Drakthar (Heroic) - 9 > 22


    Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite (Unique) - 0 > 10


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 22 > 28


    Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo (Heroic) - 23 > 30


    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 30 > 36


    Tempered by Dissonance (Heroic) - 22 > 31


    True Sight (Unique) - 27 > 38


    Tonal Weaving (Unique) - 24 > 31


    Resonance Amplification (Unique) - 23 > 27


    Lesser Regeneration (Unusual) - 20 > 28


    Uncanny Dodge (Unique) - 23 > 29


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 36 > 40


    Hymnbook:


    Glyph of Drakthar-


    Stormlash (Tier I - 120 mana)


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter (Bonus)


    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding (Bonus)


    Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather (Bonus)


    Persistent Survivor (Minor) (Bonus)


    Kingslayer (Major) (Bonus)


    Ruthless Underdog (Bonus)


    Ruthless Underdog II


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Growth Conditions-


    Gain a class (1/1)


    Absorb suitable materials (1/3)


    Forge a link (1/1)


    A sigh of satisfaction slipped free, though whether it was from his gains or from the fried spider, he didn¡¯t know.


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    With a single battle, they had leapfrogged the rising curve. Now the standard beasts of the plains would certainly pose no threat to them, though that was in some ways bittersweet. If they kept this growth up, it would become a significant challenge to find suitable foes to sharpen themselves on.


    Well, that wasn¡¯t quite true. He was sure the guild would have plenty of recorded entrances to the Depths of a sufficient layer - however, if he would have access to ones deep enough was an entirely different story.


    Hopefully with this mission they would prove themselves capable of bronze, and if not, with only one more. Those were the real threats, both the kind he could grow off of, and the kind that threatened the surrounding region the most. Even Iron, with all the might of the beasts that made up its ranks, were rare enough that they surely could not match up to the devastation that was the overflowing Bronze board. At least until the beasts grew further, that is.


    Shaking off his musings, Kaius turned his attention to his companions. Both seemed to be done with their own checks of their gains.


    ¡°Satisfied?¡± he asked the group.


    ¡°Extremely.¡±


    ¡°I concur.¡± Ianmus agreed with a nod.


    Kaius grinned, glad that Ianmus in particular was in good spirits at their success against the spider. It was a stark thing, your first brush with the impossible¡ªbut the man had handled it as well as the best of them.


    ¡°Ianmus,¡± he asked. ¡°You mentioned you have your next skill available, did you want to share what you were thinking?¡±


    The mage brightened at his words, exuberance sliding across his face.


    ¡°Yes, yes! I have a couple of options¡ªall rare, thank the fates. I am partial to all of them, it just depends how I can best fit into the team.¡±


    Kaius waved at the man to continue.


    ¡°There''s a direct healing spell¡ªone hundred health for the same mana, but the health and range scales slightly, which could prove significant over time, and the relatively low mana cost means a quick channeling time, especially as my wisdom improves.¡± Ianmus explained heartily.


    ¡°On the other hand, I also have a meta magic that would let me double the effectiveness of a spell for double the mana cost, but the increase scales minutely. This, in particular, would be brilliant for my free casting. Eventually it would let me get far more punch for an attack or restorative than the increased cost, reducing the chances of mana burn.¡± he continued.


    Kaius hummed under his breath. Even if these were just the first two, they were both equally valuable. Healing, the quick kind in particular, was of extreme use in the sorts of battles that they were destined to face, and could literally be the difference between life and death.


    On the other hand, Ianmus had proven that his alpha strikes were potent indeed, capable of severely wounding even the assassin spider when he had none of his and Porkchop¡¯s advantages. Sure, it took ten minutes of channeling, but in the right situation it was a game changer. Especially if he and Porkchop could take the heat, Ianmus could potentially even make use of his free casting ability in combat.


    Still, he had three options. ¡°And the final?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°Perhaps my least favourite, even if still tempting under other circumstances. A variant beam attack, one focused on a blinding affliction.¡± Ianmus answered.


    Scratching his chin, Kaius thought he agreed with the man. It was too niche, especially in comparison to the previous two skills.


    ¡°I suppose my main question is whether you are leaning towards free casting or sorcery?¡± Porkchop interjected.


    Kaius nodded. It was a significant point. At some point, for optimal effectiveness, Ianmus would need to lean one way or the other. Not entirely, some level of both abilities was always useful for a mage, but indecisiveness was rarely helpful where the system was concerned.


    Pausing to think on the question, Ianmus looked up deep in thought.


    ¡°I think, if you had asked me a few months ago, I would have said sorcery. The time cost of free casting is too extreme for most; a single mistake from your front line and you are dead.¡± he looked down, meeting their eyes. ¡°Now though, with you two? I think the potential power and flexibility of free casting is too useful and potent to set aside. I saw the way you handled that spider. Elite and sixty levels your senior, and it still never had a moment where it could ignore you.¡±


    Kaius turned, meeting his brother''s eyes for a knowing look before he smiled back at Ianmus.


    ¡°Then you have your answer¡ªbesides, solar free casting is fantastic at healing anyway, isn¡¯t it?¡± he said with an easy grin.


    Ianmus returned it, nodding emphatically. ¡°It is, significantly so. A potent blend of regeneration, recovery, and restorative. I have the education to do it too. I agree, I¡¯ll pick Hypercharged Spell.¡±


    A moment later, the lanky half-elf¡¯s eyes closed, and he made his choice.


    Kaius leaned in, grabbing their plates and pan, before popping his head out of the tent to rinse them off with their water skin. By the time he had returned, Ianmus¡¯s awareness had returned from his selection, the man looking as pleased as an overfed pig.


    ¡°Right!¡± Kaius said with a clap. ¡°Lunch is over, we¡¯ve made our gains, and we have a long journey ahead of us. I suggest we get the grizzly work over and done with and survey the damage the spider left, and then make our way to Holsborough before returning to the Guild.¡±


    Ianmus winced at his words, while Porkchop groaned.


    ¡°That was a lot of wreckage, Kaius; it might be gruesome.¡± Porkchop said.


    He nodded grimly back. ¡°I know, but it is the right thing to do. That, and salvage rights. Some of those looked like merchant caravans. Besides, I doubt there will be much in the way of remains. Spiders are¡­thorough.¡±


    Going a little pale, Ianmus looked away. ¡°I suppose we must.¡±


    Taking the lead, Kaius stepped out of the tent, before collapsing it with his eyes closed as soon as his compatriots had exited. Securing it to his brother¡¯s back, he led their way back through the woods towards the road.


    It would be grim work, but if they could bring word to Holsborough of any identified caravans, they would be able to do the rest. At the very least, they could send more thorough investigators now that the road was clear.


    ¡­


    Bleak sights passed before his eyes as they picked through the remains of the assassin spider''s nest. The dense web that crossed the road was now little more than thin silk. Still tough and sticky, but easily clearable without the infusion of one of the spider''s skills.


    They¡¯d found shattered wagons galore, but, like Kaius had expected, no sight of any bodies. No doubt there were bones somewhere, hidden in some dark hole in the ranges that the monstrosity had claimed as its territory.


    Kaius didn¡¯t have the time or the inclination to go searching for them. As much as his heart bled for the senseless loss of life, they were already gone. His time was better spent elsewhere. They could leave that job for the locals, now that the threat was gone.


    Instead, they searched the wagons. Most were weeks old, dating back before the notice had gone out of something picking off travellers. A few were more recent. Poor bastards who hadn¡¯t paid attention to the comings and goings, or were too cocksure and confident to listen.


    There was little of value. Most were mundane goods. Cloths, finely tanned leathers, pottery, and foodstuffs. Practical things.


    With how broken the wagons were, the wares had been fully exposed to the elements, and the delicates had been shattered. The rest had rotted, or worn beyond the point of being worth salvaging. To them at least, no doubt some enterprising townsman would have a field day picking through what they considered trash.


    There was, however, one thing that was worth their time.


    ¡°You two, over here!¡± Porkchop called with excitement, over by a particularly heavy set carriage that had been reinforced with iron banding. The wood had been shattered, and no amount of mundane metal had stopped the spider from prying off the roof.


    Kaius shared a glance with Ianmus, who was idly kicking planks aside as he inspected a more common wagon. As one they raced to his brother''s side.


    Approaching quickly, he found his brother crouched over a small lockbox, a good ten strides from the wagon. Half embedded in the dirt, and covered in leaf litter, it must have been knocked free in the confrontation.


    Or dropped in a merchant¡¯s desperate flight, Kaius thought to himself grimly.


    He crouched down as Porkchop levered it out with a single claw. It was a small thing, maybe a hand-and-a-half long and a hand wide, with a thick padlock keeping it sealed shut. Kaius grinned as he saw it. A money box, no two ways about it.


    ¡°Want me to melt it open?¡± Ianmus asked, a gleaming eye on their find. ¡°It might take a while, but I could do it.¡±


    Kaius shook his head, setting the box on a patch of hardened dirt as he rose to his full height. ¡°Nah, this is much easier.¡±


    Raising his foot to his chest, he leaned on the full might of his increased strength as he drove down in a vicious full-bodied stomp.


    Wood splintered with a terrible crack, but the box held firm.


    It shattered on the second stomp. Whoever the merchant was, he hadn¡¯t invested in an enchanted lockbox.


    As the box collapsed, glittering rounds of silver and copper spilled forth¡ªdozens and dozens of them.


    Kaius met his team''s gaze, his own wide grin mirrored on their own faces.


    ¡°Drinks on me at Holsborough?¡±

 B2 Chapter 177: Journey to Holsborough

    Leaving the wreckage and ruin that was the spider''s nest behind, Kaius and his party made their way down the road to Holsborough, slowly trekking towards the edge of the Hanset Woods. Two days of travel, hunkering down in their dimensional tent in the evenings, with at least another one until they hit the edge of the swathe of lightly packed trees. Then it would be a day of crossing the plains.


    Intshire was closer by at least half, but the township lay further away from Deadacre. It would have been fastest for them to have simply cut back the way they had come, but none of them felt it would be right to leave without at least giving word on one end that the assassin spider had been slain, and the worst of the road¡¯s threats cleared.


    Plus, he was sure that whatever salvage the locals would find would be a significant boon in the current times. While it was of no use to the likes of them, there were plenty of goods that would still be serviceable, if weather-beaten.


    The lockbox though, that they could use. After accounting for their finds, they had another sixty-eight silver and ninety-seven copper to their name. A paltry sum, compared to the earnings they would get from this mission, but it was convenient all the same. A single gold was a large sum of money to most people, and having a weighty supply of lesser coingage would certainly help with paying their way through common taverns and the like.


    As the sun shone down on the widespread green around them, Kaius watched their surroundings closely. The way the breeze shifted the canopies and caressed the heavy brush beneath. The song of birds, and the low level buzz of insects. A background song that could be hiding danger.


    Not that he was particularly worried. While he was certain threats even more dangerous than the spider were appearing with alarming regularity, the realm was a large place, and they would have to be unlucky indeed to stumble across one so close to the range of another.


    Still, as it stood, he was the closest thing they had to a scout, so he planned on doing his job diligently.


    His vigilance was rewarded shortly after, Explorer¡¯s Toolkit nudging his attention to a flashing blur a good two hundred strides into the trees.


    Tilting his head, Kaius focused on the flash, clarity coming to him quickly. A trio of wolves, skulking from tree to tree. Mangey and thin, they looked starved. Desperate.


    His heart beat stayed steady, without the barest whisper of vitalising glee that came with the Blood Song. They were¡­weak. Focusing on one who was peering around a wide oak, he pulled up its status.


    Forest Wolf - Level 21:


    Beast, Skirmisher


    Sighing, he slipped from his brother¡¯s back and palmed the hilt of his sword.


    Ianmus and Porkchop looked at him in confusion.


    ¡°Nothing bad. Just some desperate wolves.¡± he explained without turning back, waving off any questions before they were asked.


    Striding off the road, he approached the tree line.


    His blatant, unthreatening approach was too much for the small pack. As one they bayed, charging from their cover as they raced towards him with foaming muzzles.


    Out in the open, they looked less decrepit than he had thought. Still obviously hungry, but not generally underfed, nor did they look wasted to the point of weakness. Their grey pelts still even had a sheen, without a mat in sight.


    Poor bastards. They¡¯d just skipped one too many meals, enough hunger to force them into a confrontation they had no idea would be their end.


    Slowing to a stop, he let them approach. His sword was still in its sheath, and his hands rested comfortably at his side.


    The sheer nonchalance sent the wolves into a frenzy, their pace redoubling. Each one sent plumes of dirt spraying behind itself, as they wove between the trunks at a pace only possible after a full life hunting through the reaches of the woods.


    Slavering snarls slipped from their muzzles, brown eyes focused on him with furious intensity.


    It was almost admirable.


    Then they came into range.


    Kaius swept his hand out towards casually, a baleful shower of orange sparks hanging in a trail behind it. Blue-white cracked, throwing the surrounding trees into stark relief as a writhing bolt of lightning appeared in his hand before arcing towards the lead wolf.


    It impacted with finality, two lesser streams of potent magic splitting off to the other two wolves.


    Each and every one seized, muscles clenching with every scrap of strength they could muster.


    Tumbling into a ragged pile of meat, the wolves collapsed dead and smoking.


    **Ding! level 21 Forest Wolf - Able Hunter slain - Experience Gained! Reduced Experience for slaying a foe of Insignificant Strength!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! level 22 Forest Wolf - Able Hunter slain - Experience Gained! Reduced Experience for slaying a foe of Insignificant Strength!**


    Watching their prone forms twitch with the remnants of his magic, Kaius sighed and made his way back to his companions. Disappointing, but surprisingly common.


    They¡¯d suffered two more attacks from a variety of beasts, either those desperate, or so territorial they would willingly throw themselves at death. Fortunately, most things in the woods had some instinctive understanding of their strength, and had steered well clear.


    Still, a proper fight would have been nice. Even if it wasn¡¯t as fraught as the spider, it still would have been good to see some more significant gains than the bare smattering of three skill levels he had seen since then.


    Ianmus shook his head at him, a wry smile on his face. ¡°You look like you just got sentenced to six months of hard labour.¡± he teased.


    That set Porkchop off, his brother chortling at Ianmus¡¯s joke. ¡°He does! Like he had to dig the next den tunnel!¡±


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    Scowling at his companions, Kaius quickened his stride to rejoin them. ¡°I can¡¯t help it! That wasn¡¯t even a fight! I could do a dozen of those and not see a single skill level, let alone a class one.¡±


    ¡°Chin up, man, you at least had that insight into your Aspects¡ªwhy don¡¯t you do some more pondering now that a few days have passed and see if you can share anything else?¡± Ianmus asked.


    Kaius sighed, he was right. He had shared his revelation on the truths he had brushed upon in their fight during their first day. They¡¯d all been fizzing with excitement at the prospect of delving more into the secrets of the latest addition to the system. Both Ianmus and Porkchop had felt a little resonance - Porkchop with Corporus, and Ianmus with Mentis - but both had been lesser things, equivalent to the slight vibrations he had felt previously.


    The resonance, the insight into his motivation and mentality, had been different. More primal and central to his being. He knew it was the start of a path, one that would lead him to the prize. Unfortunately, it was frustratingly elusive.


    As much as he wanted it to come quickly and easily, every time he had meditated on the concept of weathering all in his advance towards his goals, he¡¯d gotten nothing.


    Nothing, except for the sense that something was a little off, and that he needed time to digest the experience before more could be done.


    Shrugging in resignation, Kaius jumped onto his brother''s back and settled into the saddle. Closing his eyes, he started to meditate.


    Dominance and fearlessness in his pursuit of his goals. The need and drive to push ever onwards. The breaking of barriers. Inexorable pursuit of perfection.


    He tried a dozen phrases and mantras, pondering how they fit into the mentality with which he approached everything.


    The answer he came to was frustrating. They all did, but only in the general sense. As he watched his Pillar Mentis in his mind''s eye, he got nothing but the sense he was just a little off. A little wrong, by a hair.


    Whatever the pillar wanted, the only thing he could tell is that it wasn¡¯t some outside philosophy that he could mould to himself¡ªsome quip or phrase that he could use to describe himself. No, it was some sort of primordial truth, he could feel it in his bones.


    Unfortunately, today did not seem to be the day where he would find it.


    Opening his eyes, he sighed. ¡°Nothing, again. I think I''ll just leave it; wait until we¡¯re settled back in Deadacre when I''m less wound up.¡±


    Walking beside him, Ianmus nodded in understanding. ¡°I think that would make sense. Back at the Academies, whenever I was faced with a particularly troublesome question or mystery, I always found quiet contemplation of my understanding of the problem helped the best. Usually, after a few days of that, I¡¯d just be walking the grounds before the solution would just jump to mind seemingly out of nowhere.¡±


    Kaius nodded in agreement. Contemplation of what he already knew about himself, he could do that. Not now though, he still felt restless about turning in and collecting their next mission.


    That, and the hell they would have to pay when Ro found out just what level the spider had been.


    Groaning at the thought, Kaius pushed the fiery woman out of his mind and went back to surveying their surroundings.


    Only another day or two to Holsborough.


    ¡­


    Kaius¡¯s prediction had been nearly bang on.


    After another day of endless green and chittering birds, the Hanset Woods had gradually begun to thin. Snaking ever onwards, the rough packed road they followed led them across streams, through meadows and clearings, until eventually the trees grew so thin that ¡®woods¡¯ no longer fit.


    By the next morning, they had returned to the plains proper¡ªthough one much more lush than the surroundings of Deadacre.


    Grass sprouted to the waist, dotted with a dizzying variety of wildflowers that were spotted through the fields like sprays from a flicked painter¡¯s brush. It was, in all honesty, beautiful. The air was rife with floral scents, and buzzing bees and nectar drinking birds flitted to and fro, the latter resting every few minutes in the many trees that provided shelter from the heat of the scorching late summer sun.


    It was a peaceful journey. Even though they saw many beasts - all manner of grazers, and the odd predator that preyed upon them, nothing that Kaius had seen eclipsed the thirtieth level, and none had the lack of sense to attempt an attack on their persons.


    As they travelled, discussions were bandied about to fill the time. His favourite had been their talks of their homes.


    Ianmus had spoke of the famous city of Mystral. Coastal home of magic and spires. Apparently, the rumor that its walls were plated in glistening crystal had a nugget of truth to them.


    A small nugget, admittedly. They were made of some sort of local stone, a kind of granite that had been naturally infused with mana, making the small crystals within grow large and refract the light with startling brilliance when the sun hit it just right.


    It also made it tougher than sin, and the perfect material for building fortifications, even if it was twice as heavy as the mortal equivalent.


    Of the spires, Ianmus had mostly spoken of his own. The Sunspire, one of hundreds within the city. A premier amongst premiers, it was one of the Twenty-Four, an academy that was far larger than most of the towers within Mystral.


    Ianmus spoke of it fondly, the knowledge to be found there, and the architectural beauty. Of his fellow students, he had less kind things to say. At least, those of more noble birth who were apparently a veritable nightmare to get along with. They didn¡¯t appreciate being shown up by a common-born, let alone a half-elf, and had made Ianmus¡¯s life rather burdensome before his talent had proven too great to be denied.


    Porkchop spoke of the dens, and the magical sights that could be seen within the deep Sea. Trees so tall and thick that each of them could lie end on end, and still only be half the width of their trunk. Carnivorous plants, and the titanic booms of powerful beasts warring in the night.


    He also spoke of the life of his people. The works of art they wrought on the walls and surroundings of their dens. The great split between those that thought true beauty lay in the pure abstraction of visual art reduced to pure form, designed to draw a specific impression, and those who lovingly rendered scenes of the Sea - some lifelike, and others in representation of the impressions of the moment.


    It was bizarrely foreign to him, the idea that a troupe of greater beasts could nearly come to blows over who was the best artist in the family.


    Ianmus in particular had found that fascinating, and had been most curious about where Porkchop fell on the spectrum. To the man''s disappointment, his brother had only snorted, saying half the reason he wanted to explore was because he found the whole thing moderately ridiculous. Both styles had their merits, and he was firmly in the half of the family who preferred to wander and hunt than spend their days locked underground working on some ¡®masterpiece¡¯.


    Though, he did let slip that one of his favourites was a scene of titanic lilies floating on a lake.


    He himself had shared his life on the hunt, and the differences that the outskirts of the Sea had from the interior. The vistas he had seen, and the nights of contemplation as Father taught him the constellations of the sky.


    Both of his companions had watched him cautiously at first, as if the stories so intertwined with his father would bring him anguish. He was a little surprised they hadn¡¯t.


    Oh, it ached, but it was overshone by the happiness he found in those memories¡ªOf sharing his brightest days with his newest friends and family.


    Eventually though, the conversation died as a smudge crested the horizon. Focusing heavily, Kaius brought the image into focus. A town, walled in heavily reinforced logs, with a dozen men at the gate.


    Holsborough.


    At the sight of their destination, a surprising amount of apprehension filled him. More than a few of the spider''s victims would have hailed from here, and they would be the ones who would have to bring news of its death, and share the details of what they found.


    It was the right thing to do, but it would be a painful conversation all the same.

 B2 Chapter 178: Pride

    The smudge on the horizon that was Holsborrough revealed itself to be a small town, stoutly defended with a thick wall of trunks and earthworks.


    As they approached, Kaius was the first to see that their entrance to the city had been shut, a full squad of guards watching the gate. Much like the defenders of Deadacre, they were garbed mostly in chain and leathers, with the stout hafts of their polearms standing tall above them. Astute and vigilant, the guards spotted them quickly.


    Kaius waved his hand, calling for them to slow their approach.


    Clearly, the men were watching for something, and if it wasn¡¯t a fear of the spider that had plagued this very road only a twenty or so leagues away, he would eat his left boot. Sure, the beast did not seem to be the type to roam far, but he doubted the lord of this settlement would have much interest in taking chances with everything that had been occurring.


    ¡°Guess it¡¯s back to pretending to be stupid, again.¡± Porkchop groaned as they walked to meet the guards.


    Kaius patted his brother¡¯s back in sympathy. He knew that Porkchop didn¡¯t care overmuch, and that his brother found plenty of amusement in watching the comings and goings as an observer, but it didn¡¯t mean it was an ideal state of affairs.


    ¡°Chin up, It won¡¯t be too long until we can go about our business openly. The second tier should be safe enough, and at this rate it won''t take us long at all.¡± Kaius replied, raising his hand to give the hardened faces of the guards a friendly wave.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ianmus nodded. ¡°While your current course of action is wise, greater beasts acting in long term cooperation with the higher races is not unheard of - at least historically.¡±


    Kaius gave the half-elf an interested look. He hadn¡¯t heard of that before. Stories of greater beasts saving wayward travellers on a whim, sure, but not long term cooperation.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell us about them some time. Though, for now I should deal with these guards.¡± Kaius said, before he picked up his pace and approached ahead of his companions.


    The guards waited for him stiffly. As soon as they came within speaking distance, the lead man threw up his hand.


    ¡°Halt, delvers. This gate is currently closed until we can confirm the destruction of the spider beast in the woods.¡± The man said. His tone was stern, and hard, but through his enhanced vision he could see the slight sheen of sweat on the man''s face. He was nervous, though judging by the confident looks he gave them, it was far more about the beast than it was them.


    Kaius pulled his badge from his belt, the brushed metal shining in the sun. ¡°Then you¡¯re in luck, we diverted our route to Deadacre to let the town know that the assassin spider is dead.¡±


    The guards froze, backs straightening as they looked at him with a mixture of relief, and disbelief.


    ¡°Truly?¡± one asked from where he stood at the back of the pack, before a quick elbow from one of his colleagues shut him up.


    The lead guardsman looked at the offender with narrowed eyes, before he gave Kaius an appraising look. ¡°Regardless of his lack of decorum, I would have to agree with him, do you have any proof? While we¡¯ve had no confirmations of its level, the report we received from the Guild placed it at a higher level than our own. I won¡¯t risk good folks'' lives on a rumour.¡±


    Kaius nodded. He understood. Most of the reason they had done this diversion was to give the local communities a heads up rather than lump on additional weeks of waiting for their mission to be confirmed and word to be sent back. That, and it was a good place to rest for an afternoon before they were on their way.


    Moving to their bags, he withdrew one of the arm sized mandibles of the spider.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be handing this off for a detailed analysis, with its potential alchemical value, but if any of your men here have an appraisal skill, they are welcome to take a look.¡± Kaius replied, displaying their trophy to the waiting guards.


    ¡°That would work.¡± The guard leader replied, before he nodded to one of his men.


    Young and mousey, the man nearly missed that he had been called upon, until his superior cleared his throat and fixed the guard with a glare.


    ¡°R..right! Sorry!¡± The guard replied, taking a few steps out of the throng of bodies to get a clear look at the mandible and fang in Kaius¡¯s arms.


    A second later he hissed, eyes going wide. ¡°Boss! I think they really did it! Says it¡¯s a fang and venom sac from an assassin spider that made use of illusion powers!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sergeant, idiot. But thank you, back in with the others.¡± the guard leader replied, waving at the man to rejoin the rest of the squad.


    Kaius nodded at the words, stowing their prize, before he went to meet the sergeant who had approached them. Stepping up, he clasped the man''s hand firmly.


    ¡°This is the best news I¡¯ve had all year. I don¡¯t know how you did it, and I don¡¯t care - thank you, having that trade route down was making life tough for folks here, let alone everyone who was lost.¡± the sergeant said, a wide grin splitting his weathered face.


    ¡°Just getting paid, sergeant.¡± Kaius said with a slight shake of his head.


    ¡°But you ain¡¯t getting paid to go out of your way to let us know as soon as you could, for that you have my thanks.¡± the guard leader replied. ¡°Tell me¡­those that it took, was there any sign of them?¡±


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    Kaius winced, thinking of the shattered ruins of caravans they had had a cursory pick through.


    Seeing his expression, the guardsman¡¯s mouth hardened into a thin line. ¡°I see. I¡¯d held out for some slim hope that it was one of those spider types that hoarded their food, but I suppose it was not to be.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure. The only things we saw were shattered wagons lumped in the tree line. No bodies, or remains. The chances are slim though. It didn¡¯t seem the type, in my uneducated opinion.¡± Kaius replied grimly.


    The sergeant sighed, head bowing under the weight of lost souls. ¡°A shame, damn shame. Knew some good men who worked those routes.¡± shaking his head, the sergeant¡¯s dutiful mask took over once more and his eyes focused with steely intensity.


    ¡°Listen man, I know you know how tough things are out here. Without the trade between here and Intshire, we¡¯ve been flagging. Worse, merchant¡¯s from Deadacre ways have been steering clear too - without their main route through these parts, they just haven¡¯t bothered.¡± the sergeant shook his head, spitting to the side with venom at his mention of the risk avoidance of the traders.


    ¡°The goods, are they salvageable?¡± he said, cutting to the chase.


    Kaius tilted his head. While most had been useless to them, there had been plenty that would have been great for the town. Hides, ores, and other sturdy goods had survived the exposure, even if some had been damaged slightly.


    ¡°Somewhat. Not much of interest to us, so I can¡¯t comment in any depth because we didn¡¯t look too thoroughly. Food¡¯s gone, obviously, but I saw at least some leathers, pottery, and ores that survived. There was plenty more we passed over after seeing it wasn¡¯t anything worth our while to salvage.¡± Kaius explained.


    The sergeant nodded slowly. ¡°I can work with that. We¡¯ll need to search the wreckage for the remains anyway. That many in one place, I don¡¯t want to deal with undead on top of everything else, as unlikely as it might be.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t thought of that. Large concentrations of people dying in one place could be dangerous, especially if it was the lamentable kind of violent death those people had suffered.


    Normally natural undead were only an issue in higher mana zones, and even then, only rarely. Unfortunately, with the changes in mana levels that had accompanied the phase shift, the Frontier might no longer be safe from that particular issue.


    Thankfully, most natural undead were unlikely to become a plague. It would be faen luck indeed for one to be ¡®born¡¯ that could spread their contagion, or control its lesser kin.


    Turning back to his men, the sergeant whistled at one to the rear. A tall and dark haired man weathered by the years, he looked grizzled and - judging by the way his gaze instantly snapped to the sergeant - experienced.


    ¡°Erthin, go tell the Captain that the spider¡¯s dead, and let him know I think we need a search and recovery squad.¡± the sergeant said.


    Erthin simply gave the head guardsman a single nod, and jogged for the smaller door set to the side of the gate, rushing off as ordered.


    ¡°Thank you for this, truly. I¡¯d be happy to let you into the city, but I¡¯d be a fool not to share that you¡¯ll have difficulty stabling your beast as things are.¡± the sergeant said, giving Kaius a nod.


    Nodding back, Kaius accepted the man''s words easily. They¡¯d been expecting it, especially once they¡¯d actually started to make plans for their journey back to Deadacre. Rarely did smaller towns such as this have facilities for creatures like Porkchop - afterall, there was little market for it when most such bonded beasts would be only stopping through on their way to Deadacre.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we planned to just stop for lunch - the day¡¯s still young after all.¡± he explained. ¡°Say, a merchant¡¯s guard we shared the road with said the Plucked Hen was the best place to stop by - just wanted to see what a local thought.¡±


    The sergeant snorted, shaking his head. ¡°Maybe if you wanted to get swindled. Nice enough beer, but stupidly overpriced. Not surprised a traveller told you that - they¡¯re the main marks. Try the Three Barrels just down the road - they¡¯ve got outside seating too, for your bonded.¡± he finished, nodding his head towards Porkchop.


    Then the sergeant nodded to his men, who hurried about the laborious effort of unbarring the main gate and winching it open.


    Saying their goodbyes to the guards, Kaius and his companions made their way into Holsborough. It was a nice enough place - clean, with tall wooden houses with steep arched roofs.


    The commotion of the opening gate had drawn plenty of interest from the locals, who stopped to watch them as they passed. While it hadn¡¯t been anywhere near long enough for word of their deed to spread, it seemed that two delvers and a warbeast entering town from the direction of a beast that had led to the gates being barred was enough to tip people off.


    From there the whispers had spread faster than they moved down the street as people dashed off to tell others of the news.


    Before he knew it, people were gathering in twos and threes, lurking in doorways and on corners to watch them pass.


    Respect and admiration was plain on the faces of those that stared at them when they passed, conversations lowering as people talked in hush whispers. No doubt half of it was to do with their levels -or rather, the surprising lack of them- but Kaius caught just as many snippets of people giving their quiet thanks.


    It was¡­odd. Kaius wasn¡¯t the most used to people at the best of times, and having such open focus on him was more than a little uncomfortable. A lifetime in the Sea had given him many advantages, but comfort in a crowd was not one of them.


    And yet¡­at the same time, he felt an unexpected level of pride thrumming through his chest. He walked down the street with his back straight and his chin high, a warm ember of accomplishment buoying him through the experience.


    They might have chosen this mission because the spider was likely to be of a high level, and was a good enough match up he had confidence in their success - but seeing the relief? The smiles and nods as they walked past?


    It felt good. Really good.


    ¡°We made a real difference here.¡± he murmured, turning his head slightly to watch a child who hung halfway out a window as they passed under the building.


    Ianmus nodded. ¡°We did, and we should take pride in that. There is more to delving than just the pursuit of power. I think, with the heights we plan to strive for, this is perhaps just a taste of the impact we could have.¡±


    ¡°It is the duty and burden of the strong. The weakest members of the pack rely on you to succeed in your hunt, lest the whole den suffer.¡± Porkchop replied, accepting the attention they received as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


    Smiling to himself, Kaius found a little more energy entering his stride despite their long journey. He couldn¡¯t wait for their celebratory beer, he already knew that it would be the best he ever tasted - regardless if the captain was good with his suggestion or not.


    He only hoped that their reception at the guild would be as good. Somehow, he doubted it.


    The thought of telling Ro the spider¡¯s true level was enough to send a thread of ice shooting through his veins.


    That woman was scary.

 B2 Chapter 179: Mistakes, pt. 1

    Kaius stood in front of the heavy oak door to the Guild with a heavy seed of dread burning away in his stomach.


    He was not looking forward to this conversation.


    Judging by the slight pallor on Ianmus¡¯s face, and the way the Porkchop¡¯s ears kept flicking nervously every few seconds, neither were his companions.


    They¡¯d arrived back in Deadacre after another few days of travel. Thanks to the flat plains between there and Holsborrough, the road had been an almost dead shot back to the city, which had sped up their travel considerably.


    It had been a decidedly dull section of their trip, with only a few handfuls of beasts desperate or foolhardy enough to attack them¡ªone of them being another bramble ball. Barely enough to work up a sweat, and certainly not enough of a challenge to do more than remind Kaius how much he enjoyed a proper fight.


    Still, he and Porkchop had managed to eke out another few skill levels..


    That had only made the problem worse though¡ªnow that he sat right at the precipice to his next class skill, he was desperate to get back out there and seize it. Still, they had a job to do, and the best place to find a good fight was right in the building in front of him.


    Sighing to himself, Kaius pushed the door open, feeling the carving of a crossed staff and sword beneath his palm.


    A wall of noise hit him like a punch, a roaring common room greeting him. Delvers streamed to and fro, collecting jobs, using the guilds various facilities, and above all else getting hammered at the bar.


    The sheer exuberance of the energy was enough to buoy his spirits just a tad, and Kaius stepped in with a slight smile on his face.


    Making their way through the throng of people¡ªwho parted rather easily between Porkchop¡¯s bulk and he and Ianmus¡¯s imposing height¡ªKaius made his way to the service desk with his companions in tow.


    Ro wasn¡¯t working the counter¡ªanother assistant that he had never met before had that duty¡ªbut he could see her flitting back and forth in the far reaches of the office as she attended to one duty or another.


    As he moved to join the line, the woman caught sight of them, and gave them a smile and a wave. Barely half a moment passed before her smile became pained, and Kaius physically saw a vein start to throb in her forehead.


    She must have analysed them, even if he hadn¡¯t felt even a faint brush against his Mask.


    ¡°Uh oh.¡± Porkchop said, with all the resigned doom of someone staring up at an executioner beside the block.


    Ro¡¯s eyes narrowed, and she jabbed a finger at them before pointing to the entrance of the hall where the silence room lay.


    A deep sigh escaped him as he let his shoulders slump.


    ¡°Surely she won''t be that mad, would she?¡± Ianmus said hopefully - his tone giving away that he in no way believed his own words.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go.¡± Kaius replied, leading the way to the interview room.


    He watched Ro hurriedly jam things into a cupboard with a little more force than necessary and slowly walk to meet them, a storm glowing in her eyes.


    As Kaius passed, a broad shouldered man in plate clapped him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Lad, I don¡¯t know what you did, but good luck.¡± he said, looking at him in pity.


    Kaius only groaned in response, which got him an amused chuckle.


    Reaching the door to the silence room, they came to a slow stop and waited for their destiny¡ªtheir own silence weighing on them like a blacksmith¡¯s anvil.


    Ro stomped up to them with a furious scowl. Reaching the door, she worked its locking enchantments with a deft flick of mana, before slamming the door open.


    ¡°In.¡± she said, pointing inside.


    Kaius nodded stiffly, moving quickly as he could to sit at the interview table. Ianmus joined him at one of the other chairs, while Porkchop moved to his side and sat on the floor.


    Ro slammed the door shut and stalked over to the head of the table. She slapped her palms down on its surface with a mighty thwack, the massive carved hardwood jumping with the force of the blow.


    ¡°Which one of you dumb fucks wants to explain how you managed to nearly double your level in a single mission?¡± she asked with a low voice, furious eyes scanning across their own.


    Kaius took the leap - he was the de facto team leader, and it was his responsibility. Let alone that he had half of the reason they had attempted such a difficult fight.


    ¡°The spider was a higher level than expected.¡± he said, keeping his tone calm in an attempt to placate the guild manager.


    He didn¡¯t feel calm. Inwardly, he was terrified. Ro was furious, and he now knew for absolute certain that she was strong. Potent power washed off her in waves, throwing her fury and frustration at them with a palpable weight.


    ¡°Higher level than expected?¡± Ro¡¯s voice rose. ¡°What the fuck kind of carefully curated understatement is that? Do you think I am a moron? Do you think I don¡¯t know what kind of fight it would take for you to jump seventeen levels in the case of a single mission? You promised me you would only act according to your abilities!¡± She ranted, each word punctuated by a physical flare in her mana that hit him like a brick, causing his eyes to water.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°It was a calculated risk. I was confident in our abilities.¡± Kaius said cautiously, trying his best to stand his ground in the face of Ro¡¯s momentous disapproval.


    ¡°Calculated Risk?! Do you even hear yourself.¡± she seethed. ¡°You are going to put your hand on that truth-crystal and tell me exactly what that spider was, how many there were, and if you managed to clear the nest right fucking now, or, gods help me, I will ban you from the guild faster than you can blink.¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± she said with a blurring clap that left his ears ringing.


    Kaius blanched and slapped his hand on the crystal set into the table. Threading his mana into the delicate runework, he activated the working.


    ¡°It was a single Veiled Assassin Spider. It was nesting in the trees by the road, trapping travellers. Two of its skills were directly related to that, and it used two more in our battle. One to split into three illusory copies, and one to spit venom.¡± he hurried to explain.


    ¡°Level and tags?¡± Ro ground out, her patience clearly waning.


    Kaius gulped, feeling his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth like parchment. ¡°Eighty-one. Ambusher and Elite.¡±


    The stone shone true, revealing his sincerity.


    Ro froze, staring at the crystal beneath his hand. All of the ephemeral pressure that had weighed on them since she had closed the door vanished in an instant.


    ¡°I¡­what?¡± she said slowly, frowning at the crystal as if she suspected it was broken.


    ¡°That makes no sense. I thought you¡¯d found a group and had jumped in without a proper extermination team. A single spider? Truly?¡± she said, staring at them in plain confusion.


    Kaius nodded.


    ¡°You¡­you should be dead. No, someone helped you. Higher level too. But if they did you wouldn¡¯t have gotten that many levels. This makes no sense.¡± Ro muttered, brow furrowing as she processed their achievement.


    Finally she looked up, staring at them in shock, before her face morphed into concern.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fucking idiot.¡± she said with a sigh, before sinking into her chair like the weight of the world had settled onto her.


    Propping her head up with one hand, she rubbed her brow. ¡°Such a fucking idiot.¡±


    Now it was his turn to be frustrated. What right did she have to denigrate them for their success? Sure, it was only possible because of achievements and advantages so extreme she would never guess, but their victory should be celebrated.


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡± Ro said with a raise of her hand. ¡°Think.¡±


    She leaned forwards, fixing them with a level stare. ¡°What, exactly, did you think was going to happen? That jump in levels is going to be obvious. Whatever cursed reason you have to hide in the skirts of the guild, you aren''t safe yet. Even if you can punch that far above your level for some gods¡¯ forsaken reason, if whoever you are running from finds out you¡¯re here, you are fucked unless you can defend yourselves.¡±


    ¡°This sort of shit spreads, Kaius! This isn¡¯t some hot up and comer shit, this is something from a bard¡¯s tale! A single lick of this hits the common room and all of Deadacre will know of it by nightfall, and all of the Frontier by the end of the month!¡± Ro yelled, slamming her fist on the table.


    Kaius paused, looking sideways to see his companions'' faces mirroring the same dawning horror he now felt.


    He hadn¡¯t considered that.


    ¡°And now, because you are a fucking moron, we are going to have to loop in the guildmaster in order to keep this secret! Let alone the amount of fucking paperwork I¡¯m going to have to do passing you missions under the table to get you to the second tier as fast as possible.¡± with every word Ro rose further out of her seat, until she stood over them ranting.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± She shouted, throwing her arms up and pacing back and forth. ¡°I fucking hate paperwork, you assholes!¡±


    Kaius reeled back under the sudden shift in the conversation. Paperwork? Rushing them to the second tier? What on earth was Ro on about?


    Whatever it was, it sounded good. While the guild manager was still frustrated, it was much closer to annoyance now than genuine anger directed towards them. Still, he understood her distaste¡ªsome of his least favourite memories were his father making him write treatises on various topics, though thankfully those lessons had been rare due to their limited supplies of paper.


    Still¡­in hindsight, Ro had a point. While he had rushed into the mission with a burning urge to grow strong as fast as possible, now that it had been pointed out he realised he had been shortsighted to think achievements like that wouldn¡¯t make waves. He should have realised that a sudden jump in levels like they had gotten would catch people''s attention.


    Kaius struggled to regret it though. It had earnt them another Honour, and Ianmus¡¯s first¡ªtruly binding him to their cause. That, and it had meant that they had secured more help from Ro, and had potentially opened an inroads into developing a relationship with the local guildmaster.


    That was massive. They were invariably powerful, and carried a significant amount of political pull. Exactly the kind of backing he would need. If it meant that they would need to rush up the ranks to secure their help, all the better in his mind.


    Ro narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t notice that grin, dumbass.¡±


    The half smile on his face slid into one in truth. ¡°Sorry, Ro. Not that I am opposed to taking on more difficult missions, but is it really so dire?¡±


    The guild manager sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. ¡°Yes, it really is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you managed this, but I can guess. Some psychotic story involving meeting a greater beast young, far too many legacy skills than I care to think about, and some obscenely strong class. And now you¡¯re dragging this poor asshat-¡± she jutted one finger at Ianmus, who winced ¡°-by the scruff of his neck in the hopes that his next tier evolution will help him close the gap.¡±


    ¡°The quicker we can get you to the second tier, and Silver rank with it, the quicker you¡¯ll be covered by the full might of the Guilds protections. That¡¯s the start of the inner ranks, and more tightly controlled oaths¡ªnothing subservient, but enough that attacking you would incite retaliation. Let alone any personal power you can bring to bear.¡± Ro explained.


    ¡°And why are you going so far to support us if it brings such risk and such personal trouble?¡± Ianmus asked, leaning forward with a cautious expression on his face.


    Ro sighed, leaning back. ¡°Simple, you¡¯ve just proven yourself invaluable. Shit like this? It¡¯s what Platinum¡¯s are made of. I have this nagging feeling in the back of my skull that we will need another Silver in Deadacre before the year is out, especially one who is as strong as you three might end up. More warriors I can stand side by side with and trust to hold my back. If I pull through on this? You owe me big.¡±


    Benefits and security. That justification, at least, made full sense to him. He would have been far more suspicious if the woman had pretended it was simply out of worry and concern.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it. What¡¯s our next move?¡± Kaius asked, leaning in.


    ¡°Now? You fuck off. The amount of shit you¡¯ve heaped on my lap is ridiculous. Tomorrow? You come in and exchange your medallions for Bronze, you meet the Guildmaster, and we discuss the best way to nurture you into something truly wondrous.¡± Ro replied.


    A deadly serious expression settled on Ro¡¯s face as she looked at him with fire in her eyes.


    ¡°There will be some uncomfortable questions, and I expect the Guildmaster will need to leave his reservations at the door. Expect to fight him, he likes hands on knowledge, and we will need to know your true capabilities if we are to do this properly. I can attest that we will be able to secure our silence to your satisfaction. Okay?¡±


    Kaius¡¯s stomach roiled, but he nodded. This was moving faster than he had hoped, but he could only pray that it would work out to his advantage.


    ¡°Good,¡± Ro said with a sigh of relief. ¡°Now get the fuck out of here and get a beer or something, I have work to do.¡±

 B2 Chapter 180: Mistakes, pt. 2

    Returning to the Dusty Stables was like returning home.


    Hensch had welcomed them with open arms, celebrating their victorious return with a pair of ales on the house. It was more than welcome, after a couple weeks of constant overland travel, the gesture was enough to solidify the choice to stay at this inn.


    The few other delvers in the common room nodded their heads, raising their drinks in toast before returning to their own conversations. Few in number, there were only four teams that Kaius could see, and each and every one had some form of beast with them. Most small, but one had a large wolf-like beast that looked at Porkchop in confusion and interest - tongue lolling out of its mouth.


    It seemed, regardless of its popularity amongst those delvers with companions, the Dusty Stables was rarely packed to the rafters. Another thing that explained the price, Kaius supposed.


    At least it meant that their old rooms were still available, and thanks to the money they still had on the books they were still cleared for the better part of a week''s stay.


    After an evening of downing their cups and telling anyone who would listen about their heroic fight against the ¡®terror of Hanset¡¯¡ªthough they did make sure to downplay its strength¡ªthey had retired to their rooms for the evening. Sleeping on a proper bed was pure luxury after the life he had lived, and, despite an anxious gnawing in his stomach about the prospect of meeting the Guildmaster the next day, Kaius slept like a baby.


    ¡­.


    Crossing the common room with a pair of teas, Kaius slipped into the secluded back booth that was nestled in a tucked out of the way corner.


    Ianmus and Porkchop were waiting for him. The former cradled his head in his hands, a pallid colour on his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand? Shouldn¡¯t your Health and Vitality have dealt with the beer? And why would you drink that stuff anyway if you feel like this the next day?¡± Kaius caught the end of his brother asking the half-elf.


    Ianmus groaned, rubbing his face and reaching for the cup of tea that Kaius offered him with a gratified smile on his face.


    ¡°It does, the remnants of the alcohol at least. The problem is that it doesn¡¯t do much for the dehydration or lack of sleep we got last night.¡± Ianmus explained, blowing on his cup. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after some water and food.¡±


    Kaius nodded, it was a common thing that most young men learnt. Everyone had heard of someone who had gained their first point of vitality from the celebrations that followed being inducted into the system.


    ¡°Hensch is bringing us some cold cuts and bread soon, so don¡¯t worry.¡± he said, stomach gurgling at the thought of food.


    ¡°Thank the Matriarchs, I¡¯m starving.¡±


    Ianmus took a slow sip of his tea, eyes closing in appreciation, before he turned his attention back to Kaius. ¡°How long do we have until we are supposed to meet with Ro?¡±


    ¡°The seventh bell after dawn toll, so we have just over two hours,¡± he explained. The manager of the guild had told them to return to the Guild just after lunch, she¡¯d be waiting to take them to the Guildmaster.


    ¡°I¡¯m still nervous about this; everything you guys have said makes it sound like he¡¯s the equivalent of a Patriarch.¡± Porkchop muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely incorrect.¡± Ianmus admitted. ¡°For places like this, the guildmaster is usually amongst the most premier of local powers. Both political and personal, it¡¯s a big deal for us to be meeting them. I just wish we knew what to expect.¡±


    ¡°I doubt its foul play, but I do have reservations about exactly what they will want us to share. Our general strength, capabilities, and pace of advancement I can understand, but I hope they are not so foolish as to expect us to share everything.¡± Kaius replied with a frown on his face. Even if they were the guild, he wasn¡¯t about to go blabbing about Honours, or his part in the phase shift. Especially not after he had received that warning immediately on entering.


    ¡°I think the effects of our bond skill will help cover some of the impossibilities - especially the racial trait. Remember, the description of the skill was never recorded - we can pretend it evolved with our classes.¡± Porkchop suggested.


    Ianmus nodded. ¡°He has the right of it. The guild is old. I have no doubt in their long and occasionally sordid history, there have been similar occasions to this - though perhaps nothing quite so extreme.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, Ro said that the guildmaster will likely want us to wrestle with him. Isn¡¯t that exciting? It¡¯s been so long since I''ve crossed claws and knew I would lose.¡± Porkchop¡¯s voice grew energetic as he mentioned their likely upcoming spar.


    Kaius snorted a little. Trust Porkchop to focus on perhaps the least risky part of their afternoon. Though, he did admit, the prospect of crossing blades with a Guildmaster did cause his heart to beat a little harder. They were legendary, even if he knew little about this one in particular.


    ¡°Do you know anything about him?¡± he asked, locking eyes with Ianmus.


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    The half-elf cocked his brow in surprise. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯ve never heard of Rieker, The Wardog of Deadacre? I¡¯ve heard tales of his exploits in the Depths all the way in Mystral!¡±


    Kaius gave Ianmus a flat look. ¡°Grew up in the Sea, remember?¡±


    Ianmus coughed, having the sense to look a little embarrassed. ¡°Right, right, of course. Apologies.¡± he cleared his throat. ¡°Well, he¡¯s late into the second tier - at least that is what is rumoured. In his hayday he was known for delving religiously, never taking more than a day or two to offload supplies and sell off artefacts before diving into another. He came to fame for taking down some second tier beast that had wandered out of the north, threatening some small city on the coast north of the dukedoms.¡±


    Kaius looked at him in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s someone like that doing here then? Why¡¯d he stop?¡±


    ¡°No one really knows,¡± Ianmus said with a shrug. ¡°He took over from the previous guildmaster about five years ago. I¡¯ve heard rumours, from it being a temporary break, a favour to a senior guild official, or even that a secret entrance to a deep layer of the Depths was discovered and this was an easy cover for him to monopolise it.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, the man is a legend, and a renowned lover of battle. Honestly, I think that the two of you may get on well with him.¡± he finished.


    Kaius paused. If this Rieker lived up to the life that Ianmus had mentioned, then he could be a powerful ally, and no doubt would have plenty of lived experience to draw on for advice on how they could ascend as fast as possible.


    That, and if he really did want to test them personally, they had an opportunity to impress the man.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to take the fight seriously then.¡± Kaius said with a final nod.


    ¡­


    Kaius stepped into the guild with his companions in tow, fully dressed for war.


    Ro was already waiting for them, standing off to the side of the hall that led deeper into the building. She leaned on the wall with her arms crossed, a stern expression dissuading anyone from bothering her.


    As soon as they entered, she met their eyes and waved them over.


    ¡°At least you had the sense to not be late, or unprepared.¡± she said tersely, looking them up and down with a note of approval in her voice. ¡°Now come on, I don¡¯t want to keep Guildmaster Rieker waiting, he¡¯s a busy man.¡±


    Without waiting for their response, Ro stalked down the hall.


    Hurrying after her, she led them through a maze-like blend of corridors and stairwells before they stepped into an open foyer on the fifth floor. It was richly decorated, with a thick woven rug of gargantuan proportions that covered the floor.


    Elegant chairs lined each side of the room, while its far end was dominated by an unmanned desk and a truly titanic door.


    Given how many stairs they had walked up, they had to be on the top floor of the building, and judging by the lack of other passageways or exits, it seemed it had been reserved for the guildmaster¡¯s sole use.


    Calm and confident, Ro led them towards the door. Made of richly stained oak embossed in silver, it towered over Kaius. It seemed to emanate pressure¡ªlike only those worthy would be able to so much as knock.


    Their resident guild manager seemed entirely unaffected. Coming to a slow stop, she raised her hand to a massive knocker wrought out of solid silver and gave it a single solid rap on the wood.


    A moment passed, oppressive silence following the knock, before a bassy voice that demanded respect answered her call.


    ¡°Come in, Ro.¡±


    The words were¡­calm¡ªeven toned, verging on polite.


    Kaius just managed to catch what looked like a mild unwinding of tension in Ro¡¯s shoulders before she swung the massive door open with casual ease, and ushered them inside.


    Breath hitching with momentary nervousness, Kaius stepped in.


    Inside was an office, just as richly¡ªif sparsely¡ªdecorated as the room outside. The far wall was dominated by bookshelves, though there was a space where a comparatively unadorned door led further into what Kaius assumed was the guildmaster¡¯s personal quarters.


    Another carpet covered the floor, leading to a large hearth to his left. Trinkets covered its mantle. Scraps of armour, strange rocks that glowed with internal brilliance, and the shattered remnants of weapons. Trophies from prior battles and delves.


    Above, a massive skull of some unnamed beast dominated the wall. It was enormous, nearly as tall as he was, with arm-length fangs jutting out of a wide jaw.


    Kaius barely glanced at it for a second, too enraptured by what lay at the other end of the room.


    There, sat behind a sturdily carved oaken desk twice as long as he was tall, was a man.


    He was tall¡ªthough not excessively so, perhaps a head and a half shorter than he was. If he¡¯d had any thoughts of that lessening the impact and respect the man commanded, that was wiped away by the guildmaster¡¯s presence.


    He dripped power. Sweated a promise of violence and retribution. Calm grey eyes watched him evenly, a hidden fire lighting them from within.


    Rieker was¡­imposing. Even physically, he looked like he had been carved from a hardwood burl¡ªbroad of shoulder, thick, and strong. Kaius had no doubt that even if they both had all of the system¡¯s enhancements stripped from them, that the man would give him a run for his money in raw physicality, height difference or no.


    ¡°Ah, our newest members. Heard you¡¯ve been giving dear old Ro a little bit of a headache, eh?¡± Rieker said, his voice filling the room with the shuddering timbre of a spilled bucket of gravel. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat.¡±


    Rieker waved to the four chairs in front of his desk. It was clear that it wasn¡¯t a request.


    Gulping, Kaius walked forwards, and quickly noted that he had missed one of the chairs that had a padded mat placed on the ground next to it, perfectly sized for Porkchop to sit.


    Taking the chair, his brother sat on his left while Ianmus took the spot on his right.


    Ro opted to pick up her chair, shifting it behind the desk to take her position at Rieker¡¯s right.


    ¡°Now, Ro told me about you three just as soon as you arrived. A greater beast masquerading as a bonded beast is strange, but I¡¯ve seen stranger.¡± Rieker said calmly to his brother, before his focus switched to him. ¡°We thought you just another wayward scion. It seems we were wrong.¡±


    ¡°A scion, a valedictorian, and a greater beast walk into the guild¡ªthen a few weeks later they kill an elite beast over thrice their level. That¡¯s not something you see everyday. Or ever, really.¡± Rieker continued, watching them with focused intensity.


    ¡°Makes it worth having a little chat, don¡¯t you think?¡±

 B2 Chapter 181: Mistakes, pt. 3

    Sitting across from the guildmaster of Deadacre, Kaius felt the weight of the man''s gaze. It settled on his shoulders like lead¡ªpeeled him apart like a butchered rabbit.


    Rieker¡¯s curiosity was¡­palpable.


    ¡°What would you like to know?¡± Kaius said cautiously, taking the lead.


    Rieker drummed his fingers on the top of his desk, each impact cracking loudly through the room.


    ¡°Not the how, before you get too worried. That would be improper for someone in my position, and I doubt that anything you did was repeatable.¡± the guildmaster started, meeting his eyes. ¡°I also don¡¯t care about the why. As Ro has already told you, scions seeking shelter within the guild is no new thing.¡±


    Leaning forwards, Rieker put his elbows on the desk. ¡°No, what I am most interested in is how far we can push you. How far can you go? How high is too high before you break?¡±


    Impassioned as he was, a gleaming fire alighted in the guildmaster¡¯s eyes, revealing a madness that let him climb to the upper reaches of power seen within the human kingdoms.


    ¡°I need¡ªthe guild needs¡ªSteel and Silver, not Copper and Bronze, that has become only more apparent with this change of the system. You, in your uncautious idiocy, have revealed yourselves to be worthy of investment.¡± he finished.


    Kaius paused, turning to meet his companion¡¯s eyes. They looked back at him with trust. That he would lead them right, and that they would stand behind his decision.


    ¡°What, exactly, do you mean?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That is rather simple. Until you reach the end of the first tier, or preferably the second, you are too vulnerable to being picked off by your enemies. That, you know. What you may not have considered is that dynasties who would prefer to eliminate a rising threat when it is still in the cradle are a dime a dozen. You, Kaius, are in grave danger. Porkchop too, due to the simple value of his knowledge of legacy skills, and Ianmus is as well by simple association.¡± Rieker explained.


    Kaius winced. He¡¯d hoped that the general threat of the powerful would have been ameliorated by his membership to the Guild, but it seemed he had been naive.


    Ro sighed from her seat beside the guild master. ¡°Your growth has proven to be extreme, Kaius. Many would risk the guild''s ire to remove a simple Copper or Bronze with your potential. It would be easy to manufacture justification, or to hide involvement all together, with your current level of power.¡±


    ¡°What do we do, then?¡± Kaius asked. If their own lack of prudence had put them in danger, they needed a solution, and the guild¡¯s assistance in their growth was too beneficial to deny.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to artificially lower your rank and downplay your accomplishments, while feeding you appropriate contracts on the side¡ªuntil you reach High Steel at the very least. Ro can run interference on any rumours that are already spreading.¡± Rieker said, commanding the room. ¡°You¡¯ll also have my personal assistance with selecting missions that are right on the cusp of what you can handle, as well as with skill training to make up for the time you will lose by levelling so quickly¡±


    Kaius froze. He hadn¡¯t expected that Rieker would be so willing to get personally involved. A test of their abilities, sure, but training from someone in the second tier? That was something money couldn¡¯t buy. There had to be a catch.


    ¡°That¡­is a significant offer,¡± he replied slowly. ¡°What would you need in return for it?¡±


    Rieker grinned, revealing canines that came to overly lengthy points. It was an aggressive thing, full of glee.


    ¡°First, I will need to know what I am working with¡ªthe rough details of your build, your stat gain per level, that sort of thing.¡± he started, before holding up a hand as Kaius frowned. ¡°Do not worry, I am in possession of a shard of one of the Bloodstones¡ªa gift after a significant favour for a Hiwiann Clanmaster. I am willing to make a binding oath to take what I learn to the grave, to never make an attempt on your life¡ªexcept in self defence¡ª and never use what I learn against you. No one else will know.¡±


    A Bloodstone? That was the first time he had heard of anyone outside of the trader-people having one. That¡­could actually work. With the potent natural magics that linked it back to the original spire, it would be a binding oath in truth¡ªwithout any of the risks or flaws that came with using one of those vanishingly rare few that held an oath-making skill.


    Still, it was the sort of decision he could not make alone. Even if he was willing to give up his own secrets, those of his party were not his to share.


    ¡°Is that agreeable to the two of you?¡± he asked his team.


    ¡°It is.¡± Porkchop readily agreed, though he was the most likely to find the term acceptable, given the culture of his people. Kaius turned to Ianmus, who nodded quickly - as if wary of speaking in Rieker¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Then with my team''s agreement, I can accept that term. However, you said it was the first?¡± Kaius asked, watching the guildmaster closely.


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    Rieker nodded. ¡°The other you will perhaps find more contentious, but it is perhaps the most important. First, let me give you some background.¡±


    The guildmaster stood from his chair, his hands resting behind his back as he paced back and forth behind his desk. ¡°Everyone is focused on these fucking beasts. The number, the quality, the rising levels. It is a mask to the true threat, people. These¡­aspects have been denied to me, to most everyone with any real power on this continent.¡±


    He stopped behind his chair, turning to face him. ¡°That is dangerous. A new, unassailable, advantage that I would bet my life is as important as legacy skills. New powers will rise, emboldened by the chaos, bringing with them terror and bloodshed. You need only look to the histories of the empire to know what will come.¡±


    Kaius caught Ianmus nodding out of the corner of his eye.


    ¡°Worse¡­these ¡®Tyrants¡¯. I expect them to be a threat designed to challenge those with Aspects, not those without. This worries me. It worries my colleagues and my betters. The guild has not survived so long, become so ubiquitous across Vaastivar and beyond, by letting changes catch us on the back foot.¡± Rieker continued, his eyes boring into Kaius¡¯s own.


    ¡°We are doing all we can to identify those with the most promise, nurture them, and share our findings. I would have all of you join this program¡ªyou will gain access to all of our findings, and you will share your own. You will also agree to take up arms in defence of the guild, given we are attacked without provocation. I will need an oath on this.¡± the guildmaster said with finality, before he turned to nod at Ro who also stood. ¡°We will give you a few minutes to discuss¡ªbut know that this is the price of our assistance.¡±


    The pair filed out of the room, leaving the team in stunned silence. They sat there for a few moments, simply digesting the sheer weight of Rieker¡¯s presence. How the very air felt lighter with his absence.


    ¡°Well, I was right, he is like a Patriarch.¡± Porkchop said, breaking the silence.


    Kaius snorted and shook his head. ¡°Seriously though, that¡¯s a big ask, what do you two think?¡±


    ¡°The defence oath is fine, it¡¯s well known to be a requirement of higher tiers of membership. It¡¯s only in the case of underhanded trickery and unprovoked assault that it will bind us, not true allegiance to a banner. All we would be doing is agreeing to it a few years early.¡± Ianmus explained.


    That, at least, was something. Binding oaths were not something to take likely, but if it was only a defensive oath, and a common one at that, then it was far less risky. Still, the program to share findings about Aspects¡­ That was something else.


    ¡°And the Aspect program? There could be Honours on the line¡ªdo we really want to risk losing that opportunity?¡± Kaius asked in a soft voice, quieting himself to avoid the potential of being overheard.


    ¡°Kaius, you are already on the precipice of your first, and both me and Ianmus have already felt a glimmer from one of our own pillars. With all of our advantages, do you really think that anyone else has a chance of catching up?¡± Porkchop asked, incredulous at the thought that they wouldn¡¯t be the first.


    Ianmus nodded along with his brother¡¯s words. ¡°I agree¡ªbesides, it sounds like this program is already happening. I think if we forgo access to what others have learned, we risk being left behind by the collective.¡±


    That¡­made sense, actually. In the end, it all came down to faith. Did he have the faith in his own capabilities, and those of his team, that they would be more capable than the others the guild had found.


    Kaius snorted to himself. Of course he did. Afterall, had any of those nameless rising stars ushered in a new era? Found themselves Observed? He doubted it.


    ¡°Then it''s decided,¡± he said, getting nods of conviction in return. ¡°Though I will want acceptance that we will be able to share our own discoveries with Aspects with whomever we please.¡±


    Rising to his seat, he walked to the door that led out of the study and opened it, finding Rieker and Ro waiting patiently in the chairs that lined the foyer.


    The guildmaster looked up at his appearance, giving him a once over. ¡°Made up your mind, kid?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± Kaius said, his tone resolute.


    Rieker shot up to his feet, a wide grin on his face. ¡°Fantastic!¡± he said with a clap of his hands. ¡°This is going to be so much fun.¡±


    The guildmaster swept into the office, gesturing at him to take his seat before he took his place behind the desk. Ro didn¡¯t join them, saying that she would find them later, once she had found them a mission.


    Reaching into a drawer, the guildmaster drew out an ornate box that was lacquered in a dark stain, with gems and gold embedded in its motifs. Unlatching it, he drew out a small shard of stone.


    It was a brilliant red, the colour of arterial blood, and strangely textured. Almost like the pumice he sometimes saw floating down mountain streams - though far more dense.


    A Bloodstone, the first he had seen.


    Kaius cleared his throat, drawing the guildmaster¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Before we begin, we want assurance that we will be able to share our findings about Aspects with others at our leisure. Porkchop has his Den to consider, and I have taken steps to start building my own allies. That, and all of us are likely to have our own future families to consider.¡± Kaius said, slow and careful. He didn¡¯t want to offend someone as powerful as Reiker.


    The guildmaster waved him off dismissively. ¡°Yes, yes. That will be fine, as long as you are not solely sharing guild secrets¡ªwhatever you discover yourselves is your own secret to share as you please.¡±


    ¡°First, I will take my oath.¡± Rieker said, drawing a thin blade from his waist and setting it on the table. ¡°Then you will take yours. After that, we battle in my private armory, and then we can discuss the specifics of your team''s power.¡±


    Kaius frowned, looking at the man confused. ¡°You want to fight us before we tell you our builds and power growth?¡±


    Rieker laughed, bending backwards over his chair as he held his belly. ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s far more fun that way.¡± he said, looking back at them with a distinctively familiar hunger in his eyes.

 B2 Chapter 182: Mistakes, pt. 4

    Having told them of his plans for them, Rieker placed his Bloodstone shard on the centre of the table with almost reverent care.


    ¡°Now, to get the formalities out of the way, I¡¯ll go first.¡± he said, grabbing his knife off the desk.


    It was short, less than a handspan in length, but to Kaius it had all the tells of a masterwork. Fine hammer patterns flanking the spine of the blade, with a dense scrawl of script on the flat of the knife. Rieker was swift, drawing its honed edge over his thumb.


    Red blood welled.


    ¡°They¡¯re deceptively simple to use, the Bloodstones.¡± Rieker explained. ¡°A little soul infused mana in your blood -¡±


    He pressed his thumb to the shard of stone, which drank it in like parched soil. As it did so, the bloody glow within pulsed with growing intensity. ¡°-and then you speak the words of your oath.¡±


    Rieker paused for just a moment, letting more of his blood seep into the strange natural artefact.


    ¡°I, Rieker, swear that I shall take any knowledge you all share with me today and in the future, as it pertains to your secrets, statuses, and history, to my grave without being spread¡ªunless given your express consent in the absence of manipulation. I swear to never attempt to cut your life short, through action or subterfuge, unless in self defence.¡± the guildmaster whispered.


    The shard of Bloodstone reacted, flaring in red light. Something within it pulsed. Not mana, but some other kind of energy Kaius could just barely sense. As the wave washed over him, he knew that the man''s oath had been binding.


    Rieker sighed in relief as his oath took, leaning back in his chair as he mopped at his glistening forehead. ¡°Glad that''s over¡ªgives me the willies every time I have to do it.¡±


    ¡°Is it painful?¡± Porkchop asked, cocking his head at the man.


    ¡°No,¡± Rieker shook his head. ¡°But it feels like someones tickling your soul¡ªrather uncomfortable, all things considered.¡±


    Kaius looked at the Bloodstone with curiosity, but when he tried to analyse the strange object the system refused to share. It seemed that whatever it was, it was too high of a tier for him to peer into its secrets with his current strength.


    Ultimately, it didn¡¯t matter. The Bloodstones were legendary, and tightly controlled as the sacred heritage of the Hiwiann. However Rieker had gotten ahold of one, it had to be quite the story.


    With his own oath complete, the guildmaster led them through the ones he wanted them to make. Like Ianmus had said it would be, the oath was rather loose in what it required of them. An oath to defend the guild in moments of need, and to keep the secrets they learned to themselves¡ªboth those from the aspects program, and any other secrets that were shared with them due to their membership.


    Even the defensive pact was generous in its terms. It only required them to defend the guild to the best of their reasonable ability¡ªno fighting to the death, or sacrificing all other obligations.


    As soon as they were done with it, Rieker carefully picked up the stone shard, and deposited it into the velvet lined box that had originally housed it. A moment later, the box vanished - most likely into the spatial storage that a guildmaster would be certain to have.


    ¡°Right! Now that that¡¯s done, come with me. It¡¯s time to head to my sparring grounds.¡± Rieker said with a clap, commanding their attention as he stood from his seat.


    They followed him dutifully as he led them through the unadorned door that barred their entrance deeper into the guildmaster¡¯s quarters.


    Kaius felt his heart lurch as they stepped through. It wasn¡¯t every day that you got to see how someone of Rieker¡¯s stature lived.


    Unfortunately, they only got to see a bare thirty strides of hallway adorned by the trophies of past battles¡ªeverything from scraps of scale to stuffed heads mounted on the wall¡ªbefore he took them through another door and into a steep spiral staircase.


    Walking down, Kaius was surprised to see no landings, and no exits. They just kept walking down, and down, and down. With nothing but plain cobble and a wardlight every quarter turn, it was incredibly difficult to tell how far they had walked.


    Only that it was far deeper than the ground floor of the guildhall, the minutes bleeding as the monotonous descent continued.


    Some time later, they reached the bottom. An empty foyer, showing only an inscribed steel door that was barred tight.


    Rieker stopped before it, turning to them.


    ¡°Through here is the guildmaster¡¯s practice hall. Every guild has one, and they are universally built to withstand the rigours of a high tier-three battle. Do not worry about going all out¡ªwe¡¯re deep beneath the city right now, and no one will notice a thing.¡± the guildmaster explained, laying his hand on the thick slab of steel masquerading as a door.


    They nodded. It made sense to Kaius, even if he had never taken the time to think through the specifics of catering to a high tiered person''s practice requirements. Afterall, people in Riekers position needed to grow their skills as much as anyone, and his job meant that he couldn¡¯t well just up and leave for an extended delve without significant notice and planning.


    After all, it would be all too easy for someone to notice his absence and capitalise on it - even if just politically.


    Rieker pulled out his own guild emblem. It was solid gold, and far more ornate than his own - though, Kaius had little clue if that was the case for all Gold members, or if the extra embellishment was due to his position.


    As Rieker pressed the emblem against the door, Kaius heard the deep groaning rattle of locks disengaging, and saw the flare of unknowable inscriptions activating.


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    With a final thunk, the steel slab popped open, revealing an empty well of blackness.


    A moment later wardlights engaged, and the training hall was revealed.


    Kaius took in the sight with wide eyes, hearing Ianmus gasp behind him. The place was immense. Easily fifteen-hundred strides in depth and width, with a ceiling that loomed far overhead.


    Titanic wardlights decorated the roof, illuminating the monolithic stone slabs that had been used in the room''s construction. Made of some off blue rock, each one looked like it had a year''s worth of inscribing work carved into their surfaces.


    ¡°It¡¯s rather impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rieker said, stepping into the hall with his arms out swept. ¡°Welcome to my abode! I like it much more than the stuffy old office upstairs, at least.¡±


    As they filed into the hall, Kaius noticed two things. The first was that there was a rather conspicuous metal box sitting at the far end of the room covered in cloth. Though it was hard to judge the size of it due to the distances and scale involved, it was easily twice his height on every edge.


    The second was that the wall behind him was absolutely covered in an armoury¡¯s worth of arms and armour. Each and every one looked like it was something that would cost a noble¡¯s estate¡ªthe kind of weapons forged for use by someone who would shatter mortal weapons with a swing.


    Strolling to the wall, Rieker pulled down a one-handed warhammer. It was an odd thing, with a head the size of a brick¡ªwithout his obvious strength, it would have been unbalanced and useless.


    In the guildmaster¡¯s hands, it may as well have been made from wood. The warhammer blurred in his hands as he spun through a stream of stances and swings.


    ¡°Good enough.¡± Rieker said with a nod of satisfaction, before he returned to them.


    ¡°Now, before we have our little tussle, I want to see you in action,¡± he explained. ¡°To do that, you¡¯re going to need to fight something of an appropriate level. I do not qualify. Luckily, I had a little time last night after Ro informed me of your little overachievement.¡±


    Rieker waved his hammer towards the cloth covered box at the far end of the room. A great gale howled from its tip, whipping winds launching across the open space. Cloth flapped, and a deep, angry growl echoed out from beneath its cover.


    A moment later the wind grew too much, and the cloth was ripped free. What Kaius had thought a box was revealed to be a cage, and within it a beast.


    Hunchbacked and heavily muscled, a hound-like creature prowled within. Deep red, the colour of burning coals, with a row of bristles down its spine, it stared at their little group with frustrated rage as it paced back and forth along the edge of its cage.


    Kaius didn¡¯t miss the small puffs of smoke that left its nostrils with every breath.


    ¡°That, at least from what I heard of your previous mission, should challenge you nicely.¡± Rieker said with a wild smile. ¡°I look forward to seeing how the three of you perform.¡±


    Kaius frowned at the guildmaster, while both Porkchop and Ianmus stared at him in naked shock.


    Flicking back to the beast in the cage, Kaius analysed it. While he wasn¡¯t opposed to a live fight¡ªafter all, it would likely get him his next class skill if it was a real challenge¡ªhe still wanted to see what they were working with.


    Infernus Hound - Level 87:


    Beast, Brawler


    Eyes widening in shock, Kaius read the description of the beast twice over. Level eighty-seven? How the hells had the guildmaster managed to find it? Let alone smuggle it back into the city and into the guild with no one being the wiser? In a single night no less.


    Still, as he dismissed the notification and locked eyes with the snarling hound, Kaius felt himself starting to grin.


    He¡¯d been worried that it would take them weeks to get access to their next good fight, and here was some lovely guild official serving him one on a silver platter. How could he say no?


    ¡°Hah!¡± Rieker laughed. Kaius looked over to find the man watching him closely, an unhidden grin plastered on his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I like to see! A bit of fire, a bit of zeal!¡± the guildmaster continued.


    ¡°How did you manage it?¡± Kaius asked in genuine curiosity. ¡°Smuggling a level eighty-seven into a city is no small feat.¡±


    Ianmus whipped over to him, brows raised in shock as he flicked between Kaius and the infernus hound.


    Rieker ignored the startled mage¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Oh, a little of this, and a little of that.¡± he replied with an amused twinkle in his eye. ¡°Reaching the blasted thing was the most annoying bit, but it''s not the first time I''ve picked up something special to see how a team acts in the field.¡±


    Kaius nodded, though he did wish that the guildmaster would be a little more open about it. In the end, he could understand why he was not. Afterall, any back channels that Rieker held into the city would have to be politically¡­delicate. Not the sort of thing any seasoned figure of his stature would share with a greenhorn like himself.


    ¡°Well, we can do it. The spider was only a little lower level, and it was an Elite.¡± Kaius said with confidence. He knew his team¡ªthey could handle this.


    ¡°Well¡ªsaid spider was an illusion based ambusher out of its element, but yes. I was hoping for something a bit tougher, but it was the best I could do on short notice.¡± Rieker replied, scratching the back of his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s more than okay! I thought I would have to wait weeks for my next class skill!¡± Porkchop said, kneading the stone ground with his claws. Clearly, Kaius¡¯s bond brother was growing restless.


    Rieker grinned back at the meles, before he addressed them as a group.


    ¡°Now for the disclaimers. This is still a training exercise, so I will not let anyone die¡ªhowever¡ªyou best fight like you might, as I wont be stepping in for anything short of it.¡± he said, fixing them with a stern stare.


    The sheer presence he commanded was enough to straighten Kaius¡¯s spine as he listened to the guildmaster¡¯s words intently.


    ¡°I need to see how you actually battle, not what you do in a controlled spar against someone of far greater strength.¡± he continued. ¡°So hold nothing back. No stratagem, no skill, and no ability. I have already given you my oath, so if you can handedly put it into the ground - do so.¡±


    The guildmaster watched them closely, scanning their determined faces, until he apparently found enough in their expressions to satisfy him.


    Nodding to himself, Rieker stepped to the side, giving them an uninterrupted view of the infernus hound.


    ¡°Good luck!¡± he said, clicking his fingers.


    The cage that held their challenge opened.

 B2 Chapter 183: Mistakes, pt. 5

    As Kaius watched the gate to the cage slam open, and the infernus hound step free of its prison, he felt a familiar tingle start in his fingers. His breath quickened, vitalising his body with the sweet air of the training hall as he prepared himself to do battle.


    His blade was in hand a moment later. There had been no conscious decision, he just had a need for it, and his body moved.


    The infernus hound padded out onto the stone, moving cautiously. As if unsure of the fact it had really been released.


    It was a moment of calm, one he would not waste.


    Kaius ripped open his resource panel, assessing what he had available.


    Resources:


    Health - 2450/2450 (13.5/min)


    Stamina - 2320/2320 (18.3/min)


    Mana - 3170/3190 (21.5/min)


    Free Mana - 70/70


    Reserved Mana - 3120


    A lot¡ªhe had a lot available. Thousands of each resource, and twenty-six casts of Stormlash. If they didn¡¯t give Rieker a good showing, it would be fucking shameful.


    Ignoring the ever watchful gaze of the guildmaster, standing off to the side with his arms crossed, Kaius assumed command.


    ¡°Ianmus. Alpha strike, try to take out one of its legs when you have an opening. Porkchop, with me. Keeping it away from Ianmus is your priority.¡± he snapped off orders, striding forwards with purpose.


    His companions nodded. Mana streamed around Ianmus, moving far more vigorously than it ever had in the past. The mage¡¯s third skill, it had to be.


    At the upswell of magical energy, the infernus hound¡¯s head snapped to them. Its hackles rose, and a gravelly call of anger resonated from deep within its chest. Orange glowed from within its throat, the previous thin streams of smoke replaced by gouting jets of flame as the beast readied itself to charge.


    ¡°Ready yourselves.¡± Kaius said softly, settling into his stance as he continued his advance. ¡°It¡¯s coming.¡±


    The hound charged, a baying promise of violence on its lips.


    ¡­.


    Rieker watched the greenhorns with interest as they squared off against the pup he¡¯d found in the outlands the night before.


    It had been an interesting night. Ro, with all her usual energy and fire, had burst in¡ªswearing so much that he¡¯d thought they were under attack.


    Nope, she¡¯d just found a once in a century genius, and some wayward greater beast, who¡¯d somehow done the impossible.


    At first he¡¯d brushed her off. Afterall, he¡¯d seen many so called ¡®geniuses¡¯ - all of them had fallen beneath his hammer in the end.


    Then she¡¯d told him that they¡¯d killed a level eighty, while they were in their twenties. That had caught his attention. That was definitely not something you saw every day. Or at all. Ever, really.


    At the very least, he could see why they pushed so hard.


    That leader of theirs especially¡ªKaius¡ªhe had the hunger. Beyond a drive or a want, he needed strength. Oozed that desperate clawing grasp as he latched on to everything that would bring him another step towards the peak.


    The greater beast too, though that was much less of a surprise. No doubt the meles had a full legacy, and he must have shared at least some of his knowledge with the boy. Almost certainly an interesting story.


    Not that he cared. It wouldn¡¯t be long before whatever brought them here was ancient history.


    He cared if they had what it took to reach Adamant.


    Leaning against the wall, he watched Kaius bark out his commands. Decent awareness. Decisive. Simple, but effective.


    The boy raced forwards, the meles at his side as they charged towards the pup.


    Judging by the way the infernus hound¡¯s chest was swelling, they were about to get a face full of fire. How would they deal with that?


    Right on cue an enormous gout of orange flames burst from the hound¡¯s throat, a searing wave that barrelled directly towards the racing pair.


    Rieker watched with interest as Porkchop plunged his claws into the ground. A wall of jade erupted a moment later, blocking the attack. Flames hit its surface, gouting upwards and to the sides as it was diverted.


    With unspoken, and flawless, communication he watched the boy race forwards, hidden in the shadow of the wall as it rocketed towards the source of the flames. Right as it was about to slam into the hound, it noticed the walls approach and cut off its flames with a yelping snap of its jaws¡ªleaping to the side to avoid being sent sprawling.


    Had the boy learned beast-speak? Another oddity.


    Whatever the reason for their coordination, it seemed to him that the hound¡¯s desperate dodge was exactly the moment that Kaius had been waiting for. The boy dived free of the shadow of the jade and¡­dropped his offhand from his blade?


    Perhaps he would get to see what this whole ¡®spellsword¡¯ thing was about. As cute as the boy¡¯s Mask had been, it didn¡¯t stand a chance against the likes of him¡ªsomething Ro was already hard at work finding a way to correct.


    After all, he wasn¡¯t about to waste his hard work and investment on these kids if the passing curiosity of a powerhouse was enough to see them vanish into some dark cell.


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    Violent orange sprayed from the boy¡¯s hand in a shower of glittering sparks, halting Rieker¡¯s thoughts dead in their tracks. Narrowing his eyes in interest, he watched as an impossibly dense bolt of storm and lightning mana condensed in Kaius¡¯s hand.


    Shock jolted down his back at the spell, raising the hair on the back of his neck.


    No channeling, no nothing.


    With a fiery light in his eyes, Rieker watched the boy bind the beast¡ªshuddering reverberations and electrical potency frying the hound from the inside out.


    Stunned with minor convulsions and pain, the hound froze.


    Barely for a moment, but enough for the boy to act.


    Rieker found his cheeks starting to ache from the force of his smile as Kaius ran in to plunge his blade deep into its chest, undaunted by a beast twice his size and level. Before the hound could rouse itself from its stupor, the boy hammered it with another lash¡ªleaping back from a pained swipe of the beast¡¯s claws.


    Now, wasn¡¯t that interesting? He¡¯d been around the block, and he knew for certain that whatever the boy had used, it was new.


    Then Porkchop hit the distracted beast like a brick wall - smashing it back with the bulk of his summoned stone armour.


    Too strong. Too fast. The pair of them. It was ridiculous. Insane. Impossible.


    He loved it.


    Even a Unique class couldn¡¯t explain this, and that was what he had suspected. Heroic maybe?


    Unlikely, even a new style of magic and a completed legacy wouldn¡¯t be enough¡ªat least he didn¡¯t think.


    But that still wouldn¡¯t explain what he was seeing. These greenhorns were fighting like they were seasoned Silver. At least in terms of raw physicality¡ªtheir skills were dogshit and he could smell that lack of experience that only hard lessons could bring. He¡¯d fix that.


    Harassed as it was, the infernus hound tapped into one of its skills. It flashed through the air¡ªthough it may as well have been swimming through treacle to Rieker¡ªand appeared at Porkchop¡¯s side before he could react.


    Mana flashed, and the hound raked the air, three arcs of condensed fire flying free. They slammed into the meles flank, filling the air with the reeking stench of immolated fur and melted flesh.


    The greater beast¡­didn¡¯t give a flying fuck. It just pushed straight through the pain, plunging its claws into the similar sized hounds chest. Kaius wasn¡¯t far behind, sword glowing with soul-infused stamina as he flew into a blurring kata of heavy slashes interspersed with the cracking flash of lightning.


    That sword skill was interesting indeed. Few skills made use of a connection to the soul, but the chances of the boy having a linking skill already were so low he could handidly discard it. Whatever it was, it was decent enough¡ªno doubt it would grow all the more terrifying as Kaius grew through the tiers. A link, at some point, was almost a given.


    His mastery skill was similarly good. The style was rigid¡ªobviously new and skill imposed¡ªbut it was a good skill. Fluid, adaptable, and fast. He¡¯d seen it a million times before. Too many beasts, not enough skilled opponents. It¡¯d get him killed before he got too deep in the Depths¡ªtoo many lower-races and other sapient tool users amongst the depths-born that would exploit the fuck out of his wooden rigidity.


    He could beat it out of him.


    Gods, to think he thought he was worried they would disappoint him.


    Deep within his belly, Rieker started to laugh. A booming thing that filled the room with his mirth.


    Where the fuck did these monsters come from? Who the fuck did he blow in a past life to find some seeds like this?


    They were green. Raw as fuck. More rock than ore.


    But he would shatter them. Melt them down. Turn them into weapons.


    In all honesty, they already were.


    He watched as the hound howled in fury, incensate from the nonstop assault that had been leveraged against it. Another flame-breath was coming¡ªRieker could smell it. The beast wanted space, and that was how it was used to getting it.


    Fire bloomed, hosing the two greenhorns. Porkchop reacted quickly, diverting the flames away from him.


    Kaius¡­the strange giant from the south did something that surprised him.


    He tried to dodge, but the hound was too close, and too fast. Even with all of his impossible speed, it wasn¡¯t enough.


    And then he tripped.


    Tripped!


    Who the fuck can fight like that and trips?


    Too coincidental. Too perfectly timed to save him from a serious case of immolation. It reeked of a fate ability. Yet another impossibility about him.


    I mean, for fuck¡¯s sake, he¡¯d fought his arse off for years to earn a Unique tier two class, and he¡¯d only gotten one at level two-sixty-one! And his wasn¡¯t even evasive!


    Pure bullshit.


    Rieker shook his head, not even attempting to hide his manic grin as the boy ignored the flesh on his back melting off his body in favour of rolling to his feet and punishing the hound¡¯s audacity with another impossible bolt of lightning.


    Nor did he miss that Kaius had a smile to match his own. Manic. Lusty. Wanting. A man after his own heart, it seemed. Someone who appreciated the finer things in life.


    The jade that had shielded Porkchop shot forwards under the meles direction, slamming the hound bodily towards Kaius¡ªwho wasted not a moment capitalising on the weakness.


    His strange crystal sword glowed with inner fire once more, stabbing deep into the hound¡¯s neck. Blood foamed from its muzzle with a whine, eyes wild.


    Narrowing his eyes at the sword, Rieker tried to puzzle through what was off about it. It wasn¡¯t a simple Common longsword, that was for sure¡ªbut whatever shielding enchantment it had was potent. The strange soul skill wasn¡¯t enough to explain everything.


    Despite his curiosity, he was no smith, and had no way to puzzle through its secrets with eyesight alone.


    The battle raged on, the roars of bloodlust and splashing viscera warming Rieker¡¯s heart. Flashes of blue lit up the room, broken only by the flickering orange as more fire spewed from the infernus hound.


    They were really pressuring it now¡ªthe beast was drawing on more and more of its repertoire. Hosing breaths of flame, blades of fire shooting from its claws, bursts of blurring speed, and now a flame infused charge¡ªone that Porkchop withstood with calm focus as he accepted scorching burns to plunge his crystal claws into the beast''s chest.


    Fantastic focus and vigour, with no fear of injury. Whatever those boys had been up to in recent months, it had been violent indeed. Most new classers took years to get over their rather natural fear of injury.


    Rieker¡¯s eyes flicked to their backline, the half-elf watching the battle with enraptured attention. That in and of itself was impressive, considering the storm of solar mana that raged over his head, bound to the man''s iron hard will as he wove his spell.


    An all in attack¡ªa risky play for most, but understandable considering the strength of the frontline. After all, it was his only viable way of keeping up, for now at least.


    While Ianmus in no way held up to the might of his companions, he was still impressive. From a normal perspective at least. Skilled¡ªin the way that came with studious practice¡ªand focused. Two important traits for a mage. With the two lunatics dragging him upwards by his scruff, he¡¯d go far.


    Good thing he wasn¡¯t being dragged. He could see that same desire in the half-elf¡¯s eye, hear the man''s heart pounding in his chest. He wanted this. Just as much as the others. Even totally reliant on them to survive, he had faith.


    A good batch. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what terrors he could turn them into.

 B2 Chapter 184: Mistakes, finale.

    Kaius drank in the battlefield, every fibre of his being in tune with the moment.


    The infernus hound was battered, its coat reduced to a raw patchy mass of oozing flesh and blackened skin thanks to his spells¡ªit¡¯s clear resistance to fire no help against the power of Storm. Rents had been torn open in its hide from blade and claw alike, revealing glistening strands of muscle that bulged and tensed with every move.


    Yet its health was burning¡ªthe cuts slowly sealing with supernatural vigour. That, and the beast was far tougher than others they had faced. Despite its wounds, despite the ragged state of its body, it fought on unhindered.


    He could only count his blessings that it had no additional regeneration abilities. The healing was slow, and they were steadily wearing it down.


    Porkchop mauled the hound, falling into a controlled assault. There were no wild, unthinking lashes of his claws. Instead his brother moved with intention. He rolled and flowed with the flow of the battle, always moving just right to take as much of a blow as he could on his heavy plate.


    Every opening was punished, snapping jaws smashed shut and clawing limbs batted away as he plunged his own thick natural weapons into the infurnus hound¡¯s delicate flesh.


    The beast was barely keeping up. Kaius felt it as his Toolkit thrummed, an opening they could capitalise on.


    And as he knew, his brother knew too¡ªthe strength of their bond rendering communication pointless.


    A deafening crack echoed off the hard stone walls as he raked the beast''s form with another Stormlash. Surprised as it was, there was no moment for it to brace.


    **Ding! Resonance Amplification has reached level 30!**


    Whining in agony, smoke rose from its body as he savaged its internals.


    With a great heave, Porkchop lunged in with supernatural weight behind his steps. Colliding with bone shuddering force, the hound was shoved to the side, unsteady and stumbling.


    Already in position, Kaius swept A Father¡¯s Gift into a high-guard. He slashed with everything he had, back engaging as he pivoted through his hips.


    Careening through the air, his blade burned with the inner fire of his Bladerite, before its jagged crystalline edge cut deep into the muscles and structure of its knee.


    Growling in fury, the hound snapped at him with finger-length teeth.


    Transferring his weight to his front foot, Kaius twirled his blade with a twist of his wrists. Honed steel slammed into the beast¡¯s muzzle, slamming it away and scouring bone.


    Another flash of burning lightning scoured its flesh, giving him the time he needed to dance back.


    Before he could move back into rengage, a burning beam of light appeared within a handspan of his chest. It lanced across the room, stinging his eyes with its luminance before the spell wrought havoc and terror on the infernus hound.


    Potent and charged with minutes of channelling, the beam of solar energy lanced straight into the leg he had just injured.


    Kaius should have been blinded by the brilliance, but with his True Sight at work, he watched flesh immolate and dissolve, ligaments sear, and bones blacken.


    **Ding! True Sight has reached level 39!**


    A terrible wound, the worst they had wrought in their battle by far, but far less injurious than he had been expecting. Infused with flaming magic, the beast seemed to have some sort of resistance to the blinding heat.


    Regardless, the beast was hobbled, its leg falling limp as every structure in its lower thigh boiled and burned.


    The beast whined, lunging away from the beam, before the spell finally winked out.


    A potent attack. One that had almost gotten him.


    ¡°Cutting it a little close, don¡¯t you think!¡± Kaius called back to the mage without looking, already racing forward in unison with his brother to press their advantage.


    ¡°Best shot in Sunspire!¡± Ianmus yelled back, his breathing laborious.


    Whatever the drain he had felt, the mage was obviously not ready to take his leave of the battle. Before Kaius had made even three more steps, a familiar bloom of invigoration grew within him.


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


    Porkchop reached the infernus hound first, a rolling growl reverberating in his barrel chest as a jade wall slammed into the beast from behind, shunting it directly into the reach of his claws.


    The hound lurched, tapping into a skill as it blurred back out of reach. Far less agile than before, even with the added speed it was a stumbling run with one of its legs almost completely hobbled.


    Fixing them with a furious snarl, mana bloomed within the beast''s chest. With the increased acuity of his mana sight with his growing levels, Kaius knew that it was something different.


    Something that needed to be channeled.


    Uncanny Dodge screamed a warning.


    ¡°Wall!¡± he yelled to his brother, sprinting to his side.


    The sense of danger grew.


    Skidding to his brother''s side, he hunkered down behind Porkchop¡¯s flank as a wall of jade erupted in front of them.


    Not a moment too soon.


    The hound detonated.


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    With the beast as the epicentre, an explosion of fire bloomed. As the potent magic hit Porkchop¡¯s Shardwall, the jade rocked back, cracking with the force of the collision.


    Even saving them from the worst of the blast, fire washed over it in a spilling wave¡ªdraping over them in a cloak of pain and bubbling flesh.


    Kaius held his breath as agony assaulted him from every angle. His clothes smouldered, and the metal of his armour grew to searing heats. Even with the magic resistance of his Serellian Scale, he was barely protected.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 29!**


    **Ding! Tempered by Dissonance has reached level 32!**


    Health tore through his system¡ªspreading itself thin to regenerate burnt flesh. It only served to keep his agony fresh, nerves constantly regenerating to be tortured anew.


    In the end, it was Rapid Adaptation that let him persevere. Fire was one of the oldest of his affinities, and with the surging power of his skill battling against the pervasive aspected magic, the infernus hound¡¯s flames struggled to penetrate more than skin deep.


    And yet, the fires didn¡¯t end, the hound continuing to channel as his health burned precipitously. It was committed, burning every last scrap of its mana in an attempt to take them out.


    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 30!**


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 30!**


    Porkchop didn¡¯t have the same advantages. Oh, his brother weathered the storm with sheer grit, toughness, and health, but it was wearing him down far faster.


    The fires gutted out, and with the storm of fire gone, Porkchop¡¯s injuries were revealed in their full gorey details.


    Green jade was scorched black, and the leather padding beneath was completely ragged and scorched. His brother''s fur had almost entirely burnt free, his entire body left one weeping exposed sore.


    Fighting against the agony, Porkchop pushed himself off the ground. Empowered by his healing skill, his skin rippled, sealing itself whole as a thin blackish fuzz erupted from his pores.


    Kaius¡¯s own skill went to work, healing his own injuries at a pace that was only moderately slower.


    The warmth of the sun graced their flesh, soothing their injuries and bolstering their reserves of health as the spell Ianmus must have been preparing enveloped him and Porkchop.


    **Ding! You have been Healed - Solar Manipulation!**


    His body still hurt, still cried in protest with every movement, but pain had always been easy to shove to the back of his mind. He focused on their target.


    Across the hall, the infernus hound lay waiting. Exhausted and spent, it watched them cautiously as its chest heaved. Taking a single cautious step towards them, it growled from deep within its chest.


    Kaius didn¡¯t miss the quiver in its legs. Nor the way its eyes seemed to be glazed.


    Mana burn, he realised.


    They had to end this now, before it recovered.


    He pushed himself to his feet, working through the pain as he forced himself to take step after shaking step. As skin and flesh healed, his steps grew steadier¡ªhis grip on his blade, stronger.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 31!**


    Soon he was running, a ragged battlecry on his lips.


    Porkchop arrived first, a storm of flashing green claws and hammering walls of jade.


    Kaius wasn¡¯t far behind, falling into a blur of carving steel and flashing lightning.


    The infernus hound tried to fight back¡ªto capitalise on the injuries that it had wrought¡ªbut it was useless.


    Snapping bites and savage claws were beaten back with tight pivoting parries and nimble dodges, punished in turn with scorching storm and a blade empowered with stamina and soul.


    Slowly, the hound collapsed before them. With a lame leg, and two opponents of similar physical strength, there was little it could do.


    Its wounds grew numerous, bone and muscle alike exposed to the air as they carved into its flesh with claw, blade, and spell. Even Ianmus took part in the final execution, finger width beams of light piercing deep into open wounds.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 26!**


    Where once its wounds writhed with vitality, now the beast¡¯s wounds healed at a crawl, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of injuries.


    Inevitably, it gutted out completely.


    The infernus hound collapsed, its monstrous strength finally giving out.


    There was no pause, no moment of ceremony. As soon as it fell, they were already moving. Sweeping his blade up, it flared with internal fire before he brought it down on the beast''s neck in a heavy chop.


    Porkchop didn¡¯t let him do all the work. He plunged his claws down into the hound¡¯s skull with the full weight of his prodigious bulk.


    Blood sprayed, and bone crunched.


    The battle was won.


    **Ding! level 87 Infernus Hound - Smouldering Mauler slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 40!**


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


    ¡­


    **Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached class level 48!**


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


    **Ding! Class skill available for selection!**


    Kaius stood over the cooling body of the infernus hound, pounding heart slowing with every passing second.


    As power rushed through him with the stack of levels he had just gained, he felt his class direct the growth¡ªaiding him in rapidly adjusting to the changes. Far more smooth of an experience than it had been without a class.


    Despite the sting of his almost-healed burns, a wide grin slipped across Kaius¡¯s face.


    That had been a good fight. That last desperate attack had been a deadly thing. If it wasn¡¯t for his and his brother¡¯s potent defensive skills and powerful healing, they would have been toast for sure. That, and Ianmus had topped off their health right when they needed it most.


    And as a reward? His next class skill, ready to be claimed. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what they were.


    Loud claps interrupted his train of thought, drawing his attention over to Rieker. The guildmaster was smiling at them widely, cutting through the post-battle haze with every slow and lazy slap of his palms.


    ¡°Bravo, great showing!¡± he called loudly, waving them over.


    Kaius sheathed his sword, and made his way over with Porkchop. Neither of them rushed, not with the stinging burn of their remnant wounds, or the weariness of exertion leaning on them.


    Rieker waited patiently, still leaning against the same wall he had been when they first started their fight.


    ¡°You know, I had high hopes for the three of you, but you managed to kill that pup even more decisively than I expected.¡± Rieker said once they had all gathered before him.


    Kaius grinned at the man¡¯s praise. Though he had always known that they would impress him¡ªafter all, it would be pretty embarrassing if they couldn¡¯t¡ªit meant a better chance of gaining benefits if Rieker thought they were worth investing in.


    ¡°Listen¡ªI want to wait until you¡¯re fully sharp for our spar, that means at least a couple of hours. Why don¡¯t you look through the skills you¡¯ve earned, and have a chat as a team, while I go and fetch us some lunch?¡± Rieker asked. A moment later he waved his hands, and three chairs and a plush rug appeared on the stone floor surrounding a low table.


    They were plush things, padded and upholstered in rich fabrics. Kaius stared at the seats longingly, but was loath to rest his bloodsoaked and sootstained body on such rich pieces.


    ¡°Gods, the looks on your faces.¡± Rieker snorted. ¡°Sit, I can get them cleaned.¡±


    Nearly collapsing in relief, Kaius dragged himself into the chair.


    Rieker smiled down at them, still standing. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in half an hour¡ªmake your choices then. It¡¯ll be far more exciting if you have a few surprises for me when we fight.¡±


    With that, the guildmaster swept off, leaving through the heavy steel door as he made his way back to his chambers with a casual haste only possible to the powerful.


    Kaius groaned as soon as the man left, melting into his chair for a moment, before he met his team members'' eyes.


    ¡°Me first?¡± he asked.

 B2 Chapter 185: The Third Skill

    Kaius looked at Porkchop with desperate eyes, trying and failing to suppress his eager desire to rip open his notifications and dive into his next skill selection.


    It was only fair to ask¡ªafter he had picked first last time, and as a coherent team it would be important to get their input on the skills he was offered, even if he had the final say.


    Porkchop held his gaze for a moment, stern and unyielding. Slumping his shoulders with a sigh, Kaius relented. It was rather greedy for him to try for twice in a row.


    ¡°Just messing with you, go ahead.¡± Porkchop said with a snort, nearly shoving him off his seat with a playful bat of his paws.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Kaius asked, unable to hide the gleeful smile that spread across his face.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Porkchop nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t get as antsy about this as you do. Besides, I¡¯m really curious about what you got offered.¡±


    Without standing on ceremony, he seized the lifeline he had been given and threw himself fully into his notifications.


    **Ding! Class skill available for selection!**


    Latent Glyph of Aelina:


    Class Skill - Tier I


    Affinity: Arcane, Martial


    Type: Glyph-binding, Runic, Spellcasting


    Selection Available!


    Heroic


    The ¡®Glyph of Transference¡¯, Aelina is the source of the Runeblade¡¯s legendary ability to appear as soon as they are called upon. Its hymns are at once the logistical backbone of Vesryn, and a source of unrivaled battlefield mobility. Ephemeral and swift, it is bound to the feet, where the centring touch of the earth can remind initiates that the present is ever fleeting¡ªand time is not a resource to be squandered.


    This skill allows the user to inscribe Vesryn translocation and motility spell-hymns to be activated at will, limited only by the availability of mana to reserve into the working, and sufficient space on the body. Creates a hymnbook on the user''s status if one is not already present. Multiples of the same glyph can cast hymns inscribed on their counterpart.


    Each level moderately increases the power, range, and area of effect of spell-hymns cast through the glyph.


    Each level slightly decreases the physical size of inscribed spell-hymns.


    Every 100 levels the user may learn another runic hymn of the relevant tier to add to their hymnbook.


    Spell-hymns Known:


    Tier I -


    Selection Available!


    ¡­


    Latent Glyph of Tsi¡¯ria:


    Class Skill - Tier I


    Affinity: Arcane, Corruption


    Type: Glyph-binding, Runic, Spellcasting


    Selection Available!


    Heroic


    The ¡®Glyph of Withering¡¯, Tsi¡¯ria is the unrelenting siege that devours all resistance. Some foes are too mighty¡ªor too wily¡ªto be dealt with direct force alone. Tsi¡¯ria, and the insidious creep of its mighty afflictions, grind away at such enemies until they are but dust in the wind. Tsi¡¯ria is inscribed on the sclera, so that all may know the risks of drawing Vesryn eyes.


    This skill allows the user to inscribe Vesryn affliction and curse spell-hymns to be activated at will, limited only by the availability of mana to reserve into the working, and sufficient space on the body. Creates a hymnbook on the user''s status if one is not already present. Multiples of the same glyph can cast hymns inscribed on their counterpart.


    Each level moderately increases the power, range, and area of effect of spell-hymns cast through the glyph.


    Each level slightly decreases the physical size of inscribed spell-hymns.


    Every 100 levels the user may learn another runic hymn of the relevant tier to add to their hymnbook.


    Spell-hymns Known:


    Tier -


    Selection Available!


    ¡­


    Mystic Persistence:


    Class Skill - Tier I


    Affinity: Arcane


    Type: Glyph-binding, Metamagic


    Selection Available!


    Unique


    Sometimes you just need a bit of extra kick. Solar light that vaporises from the inside out, a burst of healing that continues to trickle in, flickering incorporeality after a blink¡ªthat kind of thing. It¡¯s saved me more than once, sure as the hells.


    This skill allows the user to alter a runic hymn inscription to have additional over-time effects for 5 seconds, for 20% added base mana reserved.


    Every level reasonably increases the potency of the over-time effect.


    Every 20 levels the additional over-time effect extends for an additional 1 second.


    Kaius couldn¡¯t contain his gasp as he processed the fact that he had not one, but two different glyphs available¡ªspell casting ones at that.


    He¡¯d always thought that the chance was pretty good he would get offered more, afterall it was a central function of the class, but there had been a niggling doubt that the rest would align closer to his Bladerite in function. Single purpose speciality things, with far less of the breadth of capability offered by Drakthar.


    That worry was blown aside as easily as sand in the wind. If there had been just one, it would have been possible that the glyphs would be an infrequent and rare thing, but two? The chances of that would be incredibly unlikely.


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    He knew that he would pick one¡ªwhile Mystic Persistence was good, it just simply didn¡¯t have the same level of utility¡ªbut which?


    Thank the gods he had his team with him to work through it, he¡¯d have sat there ruminating on the decision for hours if he was left to handle it alone.


    ¡°Well, what did you get?¡± Ianmus asked, curiosity naked on his face.


    ¡°Yeah, you wouldn¡¯t gasp like that if it wasn¡¯t good.¡± Porkchop agreed with a nod.


    Shaking his thoughts from his head, Kaius minimised the selection screen.


    ¡°Two glyphs,¡± he said quietly, almost reverent. ¡°One focused on translocation and mobility spells¡ªthough I don¡¯t know exactly what that means, other than it likely being movement related¡ªand the other focuses on afflictions and curse magic. Aelina and Tsi¡¯ria¡±


    Porkchop''s eyes widened in surprise, while Ianmus rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°Well, at the very least I can confirm Aelina will be movement focused.¡± Ianmus said confidently. ¡°Translocation magics are all about travelling to or away from a specific spot or level of existence. Teleportation, incorporeality, target based movement, and other such things.¡±


    Kaius grinned as soon as he heard the word ¡®teleportation¡¯. It was the pinnacle of movement magics, and one that every would-be caster hoped to one day achieve. Who wouldn¡¯t want to skip weeks of overland travel with a simple snap of their fingers.


    Of course, he doubted he would get it as a tier one spell. Teleportation was rare, practically unheard of for those outside of the third tier unless they had a specialist spatial mage class. It was somewhat more accessible through the use of ruinously complicated formations, but only the exceedingly wealthy had access to them with any level of regularity.


    ¡°And mobility?¡± Kaius asked, eager to learn more about the other style of magic Aelina offered.


    ¡°Simple, they are spells that more directly empower your own movement and grant abilities that would otherwise be impossible. Think sprinting four times as fast and leaving a burning trail of fire in your wake.¡± Ianmus replied.


    Kaius nodded, another useful addition.


    Thankfully, he knew of both curses and afflictions, so he needed no assistance there. Curses in particular were nasty things. Speciality afflictions that were often far more long lasting, esoteric, and insidious than simple afflictions that would eventually resolve themselves on their own.


    Honestly, the idea of curse magic made him uncomfortable. Curse mages¡ªand affliction ones, for that matter¡ªhad something of a¡­reputation for being of unsavoury character. If anything, that was an understatement. Curse mages were closer to reviled in truth. It was hard to be a welcome and upstanding member of the community if you could damn someone to a year of mild bad luck without the slightest hint of it being due to a curse.


    At least, until someone went looking for it.


    Getting offered the skill in the first place was a little worrying. While the class would influence the selection, your own actions did too. It made him think; was he the one holding nefarious designs in his heart, or was the mysterious Vesryn order less noble than they seemed at first glance?


    ¡°I have to be honest, I am far more interested in Aelina. I hate the idea of curse magic. It feels¡­ignoble.¡± Kaius finally said. ¡°But, we are a team, and if there is a genuine case for it being more useful, I will seriously consider it.¡±


    Even if he really didn¡¯t want to. The idea of feeling the burning pain of inscription on his eyeballs made him want to crawl out of his skin.


    Ianmus looked at him with surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you to be superstitious. Curse magic is a branch like any other, and like all tools it is capable of misuse, but it is not inherently evil¡ªno matter what people say.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Kaius said with a wince. ¡°Still, it just doesn¡¯t feel like me. I like to be in the meat of a fight, and knowing that I won due to my own strength, ingenuity, and ability. While it would be easy to argue that it''s no different to Stormlash¡¯s stun, I just don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t take it. A movement focused glyph fits your needs perfectly, and is exactly what we need as a team.¡± Porkchop replied, prodding him in the chest.


    To his surprise, Ianmus also gave a firm nod of agreement.


    ¡°Porkchop is right. Currently, you are our roaming offense. The biggest threat to you, and to the team as a whole, is the difficulty you currently have in being right where you need to be.¡± the half-elf said.


    Kaius frowned. He wasn¡¯t sure if he agreed with that. Afterall, he had been doing just fine so far.


    Ianmus caught his expression and sighed. ¡°Kaius, think of the fight we just had, and the aura of flame that the infernus hound summoned. If you had the right translocation spell, you might have been able to move directly into position to attack the beast, or have been able to pull you and Porkchop out of danger.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right¡ªyou¡¯re strong, and hit harder than a stampeding herd, but more angles to attack from and more avenues to avoid injury will only make you all the more lethal.¡± Porkchop said, flooding their bond with an assurance that his competence was not in question.


    When his brother put it like that, it was hard to argue. He knew that he would only start with a single spell, but when he had multiple? He could imagine himself stepping on the air to attack a giant beast from above, or slipping through shadows to strike unaware.


    Plus, who could resist the temptation of a potential teleportation spell in the future?


    ¡°Aelina it is.¡± Kaius replied with conviction, and chose his third skill.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Aelina Class Skill Available, would you like to proceed? This choice is pivotal and irrevocable.**


    As soon as he confirmed his choice, the now familiar omnipotent grasp of the system settled on his soul.


    Power roared through his inner centre, weaving a new golden shard to join the nexuses of power that orbited the golden conflagration of his soul. As the skill crystalised, the system turned its attention to his mind.


    Knowledge and understanding was crammed into his head with the subtlety of a dwarvish greathammer backed by a full-bodied swing.


    Gut wrenching aches resounded in his head as his brain felt like it swelled to thrice its size¡ªthreatening to spill out of his ears.


    With that pain came an image. A delicate glyph. Long, graceful, and full of tight spirals, Aelina was immediately obvious as a cousin of Drakthar. Much of the core of the working was the same.


    Oh, it was drawn differently. Softer, with thinner lines, and a number of individual runes that made up the arrays were different, but the similarities were plain as day. Even his drastically lacking familiarity with Vesryn glyphic runes wasn¡¯t enough to stop him from noticing them.


    Outside of that core binding though, it was vastly different. With the knowledge of its structure came an understanding of how it meshed to his body. Far greater in size than Drakthar, the extremities of the glyph looked like ripples on a pond¡ªor the delicate whorls of a spinning dust devil.


    With the core of the formation formed on his heel, the rest would loop outward, encapsulating the rest of his sole and wrapping up onto the instep of his foot.


    He knew this for a certainty, and his mind ached all the more for it.


    The system didn¡¯t wait for him to stop processing the experience before it made it so in truth. Grabbing an inviolable grip on his mana, the system weaved the glyph with deft expertise.


    Each line¡ªeach loop in his skin and natural mana flows¡ª left a stinging kiss in its wake. A parting gift that ensured he remembered that every power had its cost.


    Finally the system was done, and Kaius collapsed into the back of his chair with a gasp of relief.


    As soon as he had processed the experience, Kaius bent over in a scramble and unlaced a boot as quickly as he was able to.


    Letting the heavy reinforced leather fall to the stone floor with a clatter, he ripped off his wool socks and stared at what was waiting for him.


    Another black glyph, delicately weaving its way across the soles of his feat.


    ¡°Pretty!¡±

 B2 Chapter 186: The Second Spell

    Kaius shook his head at Porkchop¡¯s antics, though he couldn¡¯t help but agree that his latest glyph¡ªAelina¡ªwas rather graceful in its design.


    As soon as the system retreated and left him with a new mark on his flesh, and knowledge in his mind, he felt the familiar ding of a system notification.


    No doubt it was his waiting spell-hymns. From what his class guide had said, it would involve some level of hands-on guidance from a system construct¡ªsimilar to the space he had arrived in to select his class.


    Still, he was unsure of how it worked. Would he make the choice there? Or beforehand? If he jumped in right now and it was the former, he would lose all of his ability to discuss their thoughts on what could benefit them as a team.


    Thankfully, the problem was easily solved by simply asking. From what Ianmus had told him, the way he learnt spells wasn¡¯t uncommon amongst sorcerers, and Kaius was all but certain the man would know the answer.


    ¡°Oh, yes! I hadn¡¯t realised that you didn¡¯t know.¡± Ianmus nodded enthusiastically at his question. ¡°It can vary, as the system has a tendency to personalise itself to an individuals needs, but generally you can expect to make the selection much like you did with your class skill¡ªoften it is only when someone is in danger, or they have an extreme predilection to lengthy decision making, that they go to the system space for their actual choice.¡±


    That was a relief. Sharing his options would not just help him to more clearly work through his choices and direction, but would help him uncover the secrets of his class. Skills built on skills, so every spell choice he made would inevitably have some level of effect on the kind of options he would receive in the future.


    With someone as knowledgeable as Ianmus on hand, he could hopefully get some insight on what their long term effects might be. After all, if there was a good spell for individual one off utility, but it led to him receiving more and more options of a similar bent, he wasn¡¯t likely to pick it.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s dive right in.¡± he said, bringing up the waiting notification as he bent down to put his boot back on¡ªno point in giving Rieker even the smallest advantage by letting him see the glyph when he returned.


    **Ding! Spell-hymn available for selection!**


    Yellia¡¯s Slip Step:


    Runic Hymn - Tier I (Translocation)


    Affinity: Space, Dimension


    Glyph: Aelina


    80 Mana


    Selection Available!


    This Hymn partially submerges the user in slip space for 10 steps, lengthening distance travelled and intermittently rendering them incorporeal.


    ¡­


    Galewind Dash:


    Runic Hymn - Tier I (Mobility)


    Affinity: Air, Storm


    Glyph: Aelina


    60 Mana


    Selection Available!


    This Hymn summons a howling tailwind that drastically increases movement speed and seeks to disrupt incoming attacks.


    ¡­


    Ingrid¡¯s Localised Downness:


    Runic Hymn - Tier I (Translocation)


    Affinity: Gravity


    Glyph: Aelina


    50 Mana


    Selection Available!


    This Hymn temporarily reorients the effect of gravity on the user to be directly beneath their centre at all times for 1 minute.


    ¡­


    Defensive Transference:


    Runic Hymn - Tier I (Mobility)


    Affinity: Kinetic, Martial


    Glyph: Aelina


    200 Mana


    Selection Available!


    This Hymn infuses the body with an energy field that will absorb and store 70% of the force of the next attack weathered¡ªup to a certain limit. This stored energy may be used to empower a single step at 300% efficiency.


    Reading each of the spell¡¯s descriptions, Kaius leaned back into his chair bodily and crossed one leg over his knee.


    It was a wide array of exactly the skills he was hoping for, though while all were movement related it was plain to see that they all had a clear bent to either defense or utility.


    Slip Step and Defensive Transference were the most immediately interesting to him. Both would serve something he distinctly lacked¡ªactive defense and evasion.


    The former seemed like it would be fantastic for unblockable and unavoidable attacks, especially as his glyph levelled. Afterall, he had no doubt that both the amount of steps he would take, and the amount of time he would spend incorporeal, would grow. That, and increasing the distance he could cover in a step would no doubt be disorienting as all hell for his opponents.


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    On the other hand, Defensive Transference seemed¡­potent. A massive reduction to incoming blows, combined with a way to explosively create or close distance? The only major downside was its comparatively extreme cost¡ªthough even that would grow far less of a hindrance as he continued to level.


    Kaius turned to his team members, taking the time to run them through his options, and his thoughts on the spells. Running his hands through his hair, he asked their opinions. With how torn he was between both spells, he hoped there was something that would make it a clear cut decision.


    ¡°Slip Step, without question!¡± Ianmus was surprisingly vehement with his response, clenching the armrests of his chair in a white knuckle grip as he half rose from his seat.


    A moment later, the half-elf coughed as he realised that both Kaius and Porkchop were staring at him with half tilted heads.


    Slowly lowering himself back into the chair, he cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry. But you said it was a space and dimension affinity? Truly?¡±


    Kaius nodded. He knew that they were generally good affinities for certain types of spellwork¡ªand he would have to be an idiot not to see how that fit into movement spells¡ªbut with the relatively modest capabilities of Slip Step he hadn¡¯t realised that it was such a big deal.


    Ianmus smiled, his eyes practically sparkling. ¡°Unbelievable. I know the strength of your class, but you clearly don¡¯t understand how rare it is to see something of that affinity in the first tier, let alone so early.¡±


    ¡°Spit it out! Why is it special?¡± Porkchop interjected with a snort, getting a teasing roll of the eyes from Kaius in return.


    Though, he did admit that he was also curious¡ªhe had always assumed they were uncommon because of the rumoured complexity of the spells that involved them, rather than an inherent trait of the affinities themselves.


    ¡°I was about to!¡± Ianmus defended himself. ¡°Like I was saying, those affinities are esoteric ¡ªsimilar to void, aether, time, and others¡ªthose are incredibly rare in the second tier, and only get slightly more common as you rise up.¡±


    The half-elf paused, gathering his thoughts. ¡°Both Space and Dimension are considered some of the best affinities for translocation and mobility spells that exist. If you continue to pick them, you have a solid chance of evolving your overall glyph skill to specialise in them later¡ªthat is your best chance to get some sort of instantaneous movement skill far before you would otherwise.¡±


    Kaius rolled his hand through the air, encouraging the half-elf to continue.


    Ianmus grinned, clearly more than happy to expound on the minutiae of mana theory to an eager and willing audience.


    ¡°From what we know thanks to historic records, and contemporary examples, true translocation spells¡ªteleportation, skip jumps, portals, relative substitutions, elemental drifts, and the like¡ªstart to appear at the second tier for Space and Dimension. Other closely aligned affinities such as liminality, void, time, and light start to get such abilities in the third¡ªand as far as we know affinities of a generally ephemeral nature such as air, storm, fire, and shadow start to appear in the fourth. At least, so we believe from the little we have been able to gather from history and watching the elves, dwarves, and others who live in high mana regions.¡± Ianmus explained, the pace of his speech growing faster as he fell into the rhythm of his thoughts.


    Kaius raised an eyebrow when his companion mentioned knowledge of the fourth tier¡ªeven if it was only vague. He hadn¡¯t heard of any public facing fourth tiers in the human settled central regions, and as far as he knew that had been the case since the calamity that was the shattering of the empire.


    Though it wouldn¡¯t surprise him if there was more than one old monster who kept growing in secret. He knew one thing for certain, there were either none, or there were multiple keeping each other in check.


    With the tendency of dynasties to dominate, if one man had such an advantage, they would move brutally and endlessly to wipe out all potential threats to their lineage¡ªand secure as many legacies as they could.


    ¡°What of more physical affinities? Like crystal, or wood?¡± Kaius asked, noting that they had been left out of Ianmus¡¯s explanation.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Ianmus said with a shrug. ¡°The Eternal Emperor was the strongest in Vaastivarian history at an estimated tier five or six, and he was a time affinity skirmisher¡ªhe¡¯d had a translocation ability since the third tier. That said, it¡¯s a little beside the point. I think the potential benefits of Slip Step¡¯s affinities make it a clear winner, and I think that if you get offered another spell with the same affinities when your skill reaches level one-hundred you should take it, even if it is subpar compared to the rest. If you do that, I would be shocked if you don¡¯t get a skip or blink ability in the second tier¡ªeven if the skill doesn¡¯t evolve to specialise.¡±


    Kaius nodded along to the man¡¯s words. A blink ability would be worth it; he¡¯d take two useless Common spells if it was enough to make it a certainty. The sheer tactical usefulness of such an ability was too much to ignore.


    Though, a blink was not the only thing he would be pleased to get out of such a tendency towards an affinity. Evidently he wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°What of longer ranged spells? Like a gate?¡± Porkchop asked their resident expert.


    ¡°A gate? Unlikely.¡± Ianmus replied with a shake of his head. ¡°Gates and portals are high tier spells, and ones that often require lengthy channeling time at that. There''s a reason runic ones are so rare and tightly controlled. I¡¯m not all that sure that they align with glyph-binding very well¡ªif it did ever appear it would have a truly momentous mana cost, not the best when it will tie up your mana until you use it.¡±


    A good point, in Kaius¡¯s opinion. As much as he adored glyph-binding¡ªthe skill was everything he had ever wanted it to be¡ªnothing under the purview of the system was without checks, balances, and drawbacks.


    For him, spells of occasional use and a high cost were far less useful than they would be to free-casters and sorcerers. Having too much of his mana pool reserved would severely limit his overall effectiveness, and even if he could technically simply wait to inscribe the spell until it was needed, it was still far less usable than it was for other mages.


    After all, inscribing took far longer than channelling an equivalent spell¡ªthe whole benefit was that he could do it ahead of time.


    Still, if he got the option of a portal or planar gate, he would take it in a heartbeat. Hopefully he wouldn¡¯t need to though.


    ¡°What about teleportation?¡± Kaius asked.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Ianmus replied, scrunching his face with uncertainty. ¡°Tier three is much more likely¡ªstill, the more spells you take of those affinities, the more likely it is to happen.


    ¡°Oh gods, yes.¡± his brother turned to him. ¡°Kaius, take the spell. The quicker we can stop walking everywhere, the better. And by we, I mean me¡ªcarrying you is fine, but walking sucks.¡± Porkchop said, immediately jumping onto the wagon.


    Kaius laughed and made his decision right then and there. It had been down to the knife¡¯s edge anyways, but who would pass up an opportunity to teleport in the future? Besides, Slip Step was a good skill in its own right.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good enough for me!¡±


    ¡­.


    One moment he was deep beneath the earth in a stone hall, draped in bloodsoaked armour and sitting on finely upholstered furniture. The next, he was clothed in simple cotton, standing before a familiar hearth inside of the office where he had learnt his first class skill.


    ¡°Hello, Kaius, it is good to see you again so soon.¡± A warm voice said from behind him, weathered and mellowed by age.


    His voice.

 B2 Chapter 187: Predictions

    Kaius came to with a groan, shaking his head to clear out the fugue that clouded his mind.


    The process of learning Slip Step had been almost identical to that of Stormlash. The system¡¯s agent had appeared, greeting him briefly before leaving him to his work until he needed someone to talk through a particularly troublesome issue with his learning.


    After that, the system had impressed a knowledge of his new spell-hymn upon him. If it had just been that, it wouldn¡¯t have been too bad - it was similar to how he learned his class skills after all.


    Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t just like that. Unlike his glyphs, where the system did the heavy lifting of binding them to his body, Kaius had to reinscribe his spells himself.


    With their twisting three dimensional nature, it was a hellish task¡ªnot one he could lean on theoretical knowledge alone to bridge the gap. Especially since the system only granted him knowledge of its shape¡ªnot the process of actually weaving it.


    Instead, he was left in that room¡ªwith access to a seemingly unlimited well of mana to draw on¡ªto weave the spell himself. The system hadn¡¯t been satisfied until he could do it flawlessly every single time. It had taken hours.


    The one saving grace is that he had somehow been insulated from the devastating effects of a destabilised array. With how often he¡¯d failed, no doubt he would have blown one of his feet off without the system''s protection.


    Looking around the room, Kaius saw that the training hall was unchanged. Rieker was still gone, his armour was still tacky and bloodied, and his teammates still sat there¡ªcuriously watching him.


    ¡°How long was I out?¡± Kaius asked, clearing his throat as he realised how dry his mouth was.


    ¡°Only a few minutes.¡± his brother responded.


    Ianmus nodded. ¡°I assume it was much longer for you? I have read that the system can use time dilation for spell-learning skills.¡±


    Kaius grunted in response, giving the half-elf a quick nod. ¡°Yeah, took bloody hours. I was only allowed out once I could get through the whole process without failure.¡±


    Both Ianmus and Porkchop winced in sympathy.


    ¡°My condolences¡ªbut I suspect it is better than the alternative where we live in a world where the system''s gifts can lead to bodily injury due to lacking understanding.¡±


    He supposed that was true. Still, even if it was a relatively draining and annoying experience to go through, it wasn¡¯t enough to quell the small bubble of fizzing excitement within his chest.


    Aelina. His second glyph! And one that broadened his spell casting to more than just brute strength.


    Kaius had always loved magic for its strength, but it was its versatility and the options it gave that had really drawn him in. It was nice to finally be taking some steps in that direction.


    Through his bond, Kaius felt his brother mirroring his own excitement¡ªthough it was clear that most of it was directed to his own upcoming skill selection.


    Looking over, he saw that Porkchop was barely restraining himself, muscles tensing in thick furred legs as the meles forced himself to sit still.


    Kaius let out a wide smile. ¡°Go on then, check what you got.¡± he told his brother warmly.


    Chuffing in excitement, Porkchop¡¯s eyes immediately unfocused as he dived into his notifications. Then his ears perked up, and he refocused on his team.


    ¡°There¡¯s some really good stuff here!¡± he said, straightening up. ¡°First one¡¯s Bulwark¡¯s Challenge. It''s a roar that will focus the attention and aggression of our enemies on me, while infecting them with some sort of rage that weakens them and makes them sloppy.¡±


    Listening with interest, Kaius thought on the skill. It certainly sounded useful. Porkchop was their Bastion, and any skill that allowed them to take more of the heat from their squishier team members was a valuable part in any composition¡ªespecially if it had affliction-like effects as well.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s Splintered Punishment. It does sound good, but I''m not sure if it''s as good as the others¡ªboth the first and last skill are Heroic. It¡¯ll make the next hit on my armour send out an explosive spray of shards at my attacker. I have been wanting an offensive skill, but I''m not sure if one that requires me to get hit first is a good fit.¡± Porkchop continued.


    ¡°And the last?¡± Kaius asked. While an offensive skill did sound good, and retributive skills had their place in a build like Porkchop¡¯s, he had to agree that it sounded like it didn¡¯t match up as nicely.


    ¡°Intercede the Faithful. I¡¯m honestly thinking about picking this one. It will let me rapidly put myself in front of an opponent''s attack within a certain distance¡ªregardless of who it is aimed at. It¡¯ll also summon a shield of crystal to help me withstand it.¡± Porkchop finished, watching them curiously to hear their thoughts.


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    Kaius leaned back, scratching his chin as he thought about the skills. That last one¡­it sounded very handy. It would let Porkchop survive bigger hits, but most importantly it would give him a better method of supporting the team. As their Bastion, one of Porkchop¡¯s jobs was to ensure the safety of their backline¡ªif something got past them, this skill could just help them keep Ianmus alive.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Kaius asked his brother.


    Porkchop shuffled for a moment, before he shared his thoughts. They ended up being remarkably similar to Kaius¡¯s own, the meles leaning towards the final skill as one that would best let him support the rest of the team¡ªtaking hits that others could not survive.


    ¡°I actually strongly disagree.¡± Ianmus said, speaking up for the first time. His words were quiet and polite, but still filled with conviction all the same.


    Both Kaius and Porkchop turned to look at the mage with surprise. Afterall, he was the one whose safety would be most improved with the selection of the third skill.


    ¡°Oh? Why is that?¡± Porkchop asked with genuine curiosity, tilting his head.


    ¡°Because I think it is a mistake to make long term decisions based on short term inadequacies.¡± Ianmus replied.


    Confusion welled up inside of Kaius as his brow furrowed. What did the man mean by that? Sure, the largest part of the danger Ianmus currently faced was his lack of relative strength compared to his and Porkchop¡¯s own¡ªsomething that would quickly change as the man gathered more Honours and evolved his class to a higher rarity in the second tier¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean the skill was without value.


    Even if they were all equally powerful, something that would let Porkchop weather something that would take one of them out of the fight was a distinct advantage that was hard to ignore¡ªhis brother was the toughest of them by a league.


    ¡°Let me explain.¡± the half-elf continued when he saw their faces. ¡°Currently, as the back line, I am rather isolated and alone with you two in the front, and I am weak enough that a single monster making it past you will leave me with little ways of defending myself. I assume this is the major impetus with selecting a skill that will lead to you being able to take hits for me?¡± Ianmus asked, looking at Porkchop.


    ¡°I mean¡­yeah. The sort of things we have to fight to see the gains we want would squash you like a bug¡ªno offence.¡± Porkchop replied.


    Nodding at his brother''s words, Kaius couldn¡¯t help but agree. Sure, it might change in the future, but what happened when they went on a delve? They might be facing individual tough monsters at the moment, but even with all of their capability he and Porkchop couldn¡¯t be everywhere.


    A full squad of depths-born? Some would inevitably slip past¡ªthen Ianmus would be dead.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Listen¡ªthe first skill is going to do much better at that in the long run. If the monsters are all attacking you, then I am safe.¡± Ianmus explained. ¡°More than that¡­have the two of you thought about our team composition in the long term?¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡± Kaius asked. ¡°We know there is room for more, but there¡¯s that whole small issue of finding people who can actually add value without holding us back¡ªat least until they get a few Honours and tier ups.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. And there is the whole trust issue thing in the first place. While it may be hard, it will not be impossible¡ªand we currently have a glaring hole.¡± Ianmus leaned forwards, clasping his hands as his voice thrummed with conviction.


    ¡°We do?¡± Porkchop questioned. ¡°I know someone who can help control the battlefield, or something like a scout would be helpful¡ªbut to call it a hole? I¡¯m not so sure.¡±


    ¡°Control, no. Between me and Kaius we have that covered, or at least we will. Currently we have a mobile skirmisher type, a bastion, and a support-slash-finisher. A great foundation¡ªbut we need someone else on the backline. Preferably someone who can focus on battlefield awareness, keeping me safe, and taking out high-value targets that neither of you can easily reach while dealing with the meat of the threat.¡± Ianmus explained.


    Understanding dawned on Kaius. ¡°If we find someone like that, you¡¯ll be safer, and we¡¯ll all be far better off if Porkchop can direct the brunt of attention to himself¡ªallowing me and the hypothetical teammate to run roughshod over any especially dangerous targets.¡±


    Ianmus nodded. ¡°Exactly. Besides¡ªattention management is a core part of being a Bastion, and this is a far better version of it than most get.¡±


    Finding himself agreeing with the mage, Kaius turned to his brother. At the end of the day, it was Porkchop¡¯s skill, and his decision on what would best fit his build.


    Porkchop was clearly thinking about it, his head bowed with his brows scrunched as he pondered the argument.


    ¡°I think¡­I agree. Though I think it is foolish to base everything on the off chance that we will find another member for our party, Bulwark¡¯s Challenge is actually potentially better for keeping the two of you safe. It might not let me take an attack that would otherwise ruin you, but if everything is focused on me, there is far less chance of one of those ever happening in the first place.¡± Porkchop said, before his eyes closed and he made his decision.


    A moment later his eyes popped back open, and the meles chuffed in joy. ¡°Oh this is going to be so much fun to use¡ªI can already tell.¡±


    Cocking his brow questioningly, Kaius wandered what his brother meant.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see¡ªlet¡¯s save our new skills for Rieker. Give him a little surprise.¡± Porkchop said with a gleeful smile when he saw Kaius¡¯s expression.


    At the mention of the fearsome guildmaster, Kaius¡¯s mind drifted to their upcoming spar. He wondered what it would be like.


    Obviously, Rieker was supremely skilled and experienced¡ªand had the same love of battle that drove most delvers¡ªbut with them being so far beneath the man he couldn¡¯t see them being treated with anything other than kid gloves.


    ¡°I wonder how it''s going to go down.¡± Kaius murmured. ¡°I expect he¡¯ll probably just bat us around a bit while he breaks down every little mistake we make and rubs our nose in it.¡±


    Ianmus laughed at his comment, deep and throatily. ¡°Really? He¡¯s definitely going to make it a show of force. Cut us down a notch, show us no matter how strong we are for our level, some things are too insurmountable to beat.¡± the half-elf said, his eyes glistening with inner fire. ¡°I think he¡¯s the type that will want to show us the peaks that exist to inspire us to climb higher.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re both right.¡± Porkchop interjected, drawing both of their eyes. ¡°The man is a Patriarch through and through. He will crush us utterly¡ªcapitalise on any inadequacy we dare to show in his presence¡ªand then when we are battered and bleeding, crushed utterly, he will lecture us on our mistakes and show us the path to improvement.¡±


    Before Kaius could respond, Porkchop¡¯s ears flicked, and he looked towards the closed metal door that led out of the sparring hall.


    ¡°Speaking of, he¡¯s here.¡±

 B2 Chapter 188: Looking Forward

    Kaius sat around a table laden with the most delicious food he had tasted in his life. His armour was damp, soaking the cotton and leathers of his traveling clothes beneath. Thankfully, it was also blessedly clean.


    Picking up the dainty silver fork in front of him, Kaius cut through the hunk of roast duck in front of him. It was¡­divine. He had no other words for it¡ªperfectly cooked and spiced, juicy, with crispy skin.


    It was far and away the most refined meal he had ever had¡ªthe poultry being paired with delicately charred vegetables and a sweet citrusy sauce.


    Taking another bite, he felt the meat all but dissolve in his mouth and struggled to bite back a moan. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop Rieker from meeting his eyes and giving him an easy grin.


    Kaius smiled back, but didn¡¯t stand on propriety as he shoveled another mouthful in.


    The meal had been a long affair, starting with breads and jams, then some sort of spiced scorched beef skewers, and now the duck. Whenever he thought it was about to be over, Rieker just pulled more unimaginable acts of gastronomy out of his storage artifact.


    The guild master had been plain in his intentions. He wanted them fresh¡ªwhich meant time to rest, ready themselves, and top off their resources.


    Rieker had even gone so far as to supply buckets of water, clothes, and soap¡ªgiving him and Porkchop the chance to properly clean themselves of the filthy remnants of their battle with the infernus hound. Thankfully, it seemed the guild master was in no great rush. When Kaius had informed him that he would need extra time once his mana had fully regenerated to prepare his spells, Rieker had only waved him off. Though, there had been a shine of curiosity in the man''s eyes.


    Evidently not enough to press him on the specifics¡ªbut Kaius got the sense that was mostly because he wanted them to have an edge in their upcoming confrontation, and the guildmaster seemed to have a propensity for trying to figure things out for himself.


    No doubt the man had some sort of mana sight¡ªmost people got it at some point from their general skills, at least if they had some sort of sensory one, which was almost all delvers. With that he¡¯d be able to see much of the process anyway.


    The conversation so far had been rather casual, discussions of their fight with the spider and the hound, what they thought they did well and similar. Kaius didn¡¯t expect that to last too much longer.


    Afterall, even if Rieker did want to save some suspense for their massively unequal spar there were far too many things of import to discuss as it regarded their plans for the coming months.


    ¡°So.¡± Rieker said, looking between him and Porkchop as he broke the silence. As he spoke the guildmaster placed his cutlery back down on the table with immaculate and refined precision. ¡°I know that Ro already sourced a couple of Masking artefacts for the two of you, but they are not going to cut it, and Ianmus needs one as well.¡±


    ¡°Sounds expensive.¡± Porkchop cut straight to the point, leaning on the advantage of his mental speech to continue to chew through some duck.


    A booming laugh filled the hall as Rieker leaned back in his chair. ¡°Normally, it would be. Luckily for all of you, as members of a special guild initiative¡ªwhich this whole Aspect thing firmly counts as¡ªyou get plenty of advantages that others do not.¡±


    ¡°So we all get them for free?¡± Ianmus asked hopefully.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Rieker said simply. ¡°It¡¯s necessary. If we¡¯re going to be getting you to do appropriate levelled missions in an effort to level you as quickly as possible, we¡¯re going to need to hide some of the changes in your status. It¡¯ll be too obvious something¡¯s up if you¡¯re shooting up in level every time you leave on what should be a routine hunting mission.¡±


    ¡°Now, we¡¯ll call the debt on the old artefacts even, but these new ones will remain property of the guild. They¡¯re going to be too valuable to just straight up give them to you. Once you¡¯re strong enough that hiding your strength is pointless, you¡¯ll need to give them back.¡± the guildmaster continued.


    Kaius nodded at the man''s words. He could accept that¡ªafter all, they were getting them for free, and it sounded like they would have free and exclusive use of them until they were no longer needed. He just hoped it wouldn¡¯t take long. Artefacts of the kind of calibre that had those sorts of stipulations were expensive, hard to make, and lengthy to procure.


    Guts twisting at the thought of having to wait weeks to get back in the field, Kaius couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Rieker said, grinning at his expression. ¡°Ro¡¯s working on my orders; she¡¯s using the guildhall''s link network with head office to requisition some¡ªthey should be here in a couple of days at worst.¡±


    To his right, Kaius saw Ianmus¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. ¡°That quick?¡±


    ¡°What? You think you guys are the first we¡¯ve needed to nurture in secrecy?¡± Rieker responded with a shrug. ¡°You might be the most ridiculous, but the guild has a stock of potent masking artefacts on hand for all sorts of uses.¡±


    That was¡­suspicious. Kaius doubted that their use case would be the primary thing they were given out for. It seemed even the honourable Delver''s Guild had some level of cloak and dagger to it¡ªthough he shouldn¡¯t be totally surprised given the warning he had received on his first step through the threshold.


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    Still, they were benefiting, and he wasn¡¯t one to bite the hand that was feeding him. It was mostly the missions he was curious about. While there were plenty of beast hunts available at the moment, before the shift they were by far the minority of tasks that delvers took.


    Most were sanctioned delves looking for specific monster parts, reagents, and more from within the depths. Hells, even just delving without a specific job was common¡ªand encouraged by the guild. Thanks to the accords, the guild managed all delves within a city¡¯s domain of control, and oversaw taxing the income drawn from it¡ªto be split between them and the local powers.


    ¡°Why not delves? It¡¯s easily the most expedient way to get us up in level if you can get us into a delve over the tenth layer.¡± he asked, the question itching at him too much to keep to himself.


    Rieker winced. ¡°I would if I could, lad, but Depths entrances are linked to mana levels in some way¡ªfinding something deeper than layer ten is hard in the central regions. The phase change might have started increasing the mana, but it hasn¡¯t changed the entrances. Yet.¡±


    That was surprising. He hadn¡¯t realised there was a relationship between mana density and how common deep entrances were. It did make some level of sense¡ªeverything in the system was geared towards pushing people higher. With deeper entrances being in higher mana density zones, it would encourage the powerful to push further out and claim those zones for themselves.


    It also explained why the elves and dwarves were so much more powerful than humans¡ªat least on average. They wouldn¡¯t need to spend months or years pushing deeper into the Depths just to get access to an appropriate biome to level in.


    That said, Kaius didn¡¯t miss the way that Rieker had said that the entrances hadn¡¯t changed. Much like the guildmaster, he suspected that it would happen eventually¡ªwhether it was once the mana zones stabilised at their new higher baseline, or in a future phase.


    If entrances to the depths changed, and lower layer ones became less common, it would put even greater stress on the cities. Without ready access to low level beasts or depths-born, it would be far harder for the weak to grow. Especially since the rising danger of the wilds would discourage people from ranging further to find something suitable.


    Still, even if deeper entrances were still rare, he doubted the guild didn¡¯t know of at least one that they could use.


    ¡°There¡¯s truly none?¡± Ianmus asked, mirroring his thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. They¡¯re used too often and too closely monitored¡ªit¡¯d be impossible to hide.¡± Rieker explained, before he paused to have another bite of duck. ¡°Thankfully, it''s only temporary. Once you have the strength to delve the twenty-second layer, I know of a rarely used entrance in the surrounding area. The plan would be for you to keep pushing down until you hit the second tier¡ªonce you¡¯re there, there will be much less need for secrecy.¡±


    ¡°So we hunt beasts until then. Makes sense.¡± Porkchop said with a bob of his head, before he returned to viciously attacking his food.


    ¡°You will, and I already have a few missions in mind that could be a good fit¡ªthough I will withhold making any decisions until I have tested you for myself, and you have shared some of your growth patterns with me.¡± Rieker said with a nod.


    Kaius grinned. That wasn¡¯t so bad, especially if the guildmaster held up to his promise of helping them with skill training. It wouldn¡¯t take all that long for them to reach the point of being ready for another delve, maybe a few months¡ªmost of which would be spent traveling.


    That, and doing missions meant gold, so even if they were missing out on the bounty of a true delve, it wasn¡¯t like they would be destitute. Rieker had already told them that due to the increased level of the spider, their reward had been increased to a full one-fifty gold. Nearly enough for a decent artefact.


    Their other missions would likely be similar. Kaius suspected that the man would be picking missions that were much the same¡ªnominally within an understandable range, but ones that were likely to have grown into a greater threat.


    Afterall, it was the easiest way to avoid convoluted cover-ups that could blow up in their face.


    Unfortunately, they were going to be in dire need of gear upgrades, and soon. Common and uncommon artefacts just weren''t enough to bridge the gap at the levels they were fighting at.


    Kaius could only hope that the assistance they had managed to gather would extend to helping them on that front too.


    ¡­


    Despite their plan being laid out, it seemed the guildmaster wasn¡¯t done. After pausing for a moment to allow them to get through more of their meal, the man softly cleared his throat, catching the attention of Kaius and his companions.


    ¡°No doubt by the time you leave, you¡¯ll be stronger than me¡ªat least as far as raw strength goes. There will be plenty more for you to do, but you won¡¯t find it in Deadacre. I¡¯ll grease a few palms to introduce you to a few people who could help path your way to Wight¡¯s End.¡± Rieker continued.


    Kaius looked at the man sharply, seeing Ianmus do much the same. Wight¡¯s End? Even he¡¯d heard of it. A city deep in the southern mountains, as much dwarven as it was manish, it was supposed to be the place for elite delvers to gather¡ªand also the seat of the guild''s power on Vaastivar.


    It was also dangerous, right on the border of a high mana zone. If you weren¡¯t in the second tier, you had to travel there via a heavily defended dwarven deep road.


    Riker cocked his brows at them. ¡°What? You think you¡¯re getting inducted into a secret guild initiative¡ªand have some of the highest potential I''ve ever seen¡ªand you think I wouldn¡¯t get you to the head office? It would be a waste not to.¡±


    Kaius found himself grinning, though he did his best to suppress the hardened edge to it. Sure, it was a legendary city, and no doubt easily one of the best places for them to go if they wanted to grow truly strong, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing.


    Oh no. Afterall, it wasn¡¯t just the Guild that was supposed to make their home there. While he¡¯d only heard rumours, there were plenty enough of the city having an underbelly. Strange night markets, grey-market auctions, contraband, and murder-for-hire.


    The Onyx Temple¡ªhe was sure of it. With the guild supporting his growth, they would have to know something about his enemies. He would just have to prove himself¡ªmake him and his team so strong and valuable that they would have to share what they knew.


    And when they did, he would strike.

 B2 Chapter 189: Stupid Prizes, pt. 1

    Kaius stood in the training hall. It reeked with the scent of iron, the cold corpse of the infernus hound still laying where it had been slain.


    His team was with him, Porkchop standing by his side with his armour already summoned, while Ianmus loomed behind them¡ªhis staff gripped firmly.


    Across the hall was Rieker. He looked¡­casual. At complete ease in a way that was radically divergent from the tense anticipation that made Kaius flex his grip on his sword, the leather wrapping squeaking.


    Garbed in only the high quality cottons he had been wearing to eat, the only thing that gave away his violent intent was the oddly balanced warhammer he held in an easy grip.


    Forcing his muscles to loosen, Kaius rolled his shoulders.


    He took a slow breath, readying himself for the coming battle. For the first time since his spars with Father, he knew he would lose. The only question was how long they would last, and if they could make the guildmaster sweat for it.


    Thankfully, the guildmaster had been kind enough to step out of the silence-enchanted hall to give them a few minutes to come up with a battleplan. All in all, it was similar to how they normally fought¡ªwith one main exception.


    They would be fighting defensively.


    Ianmus wasn¡¯t even going to try for an alpha strike. Their opponent was a man, not a mindless beast, and no doubt he would focus on Ianmus if given the slightest opportunity. It was basic battle tactics.


    A mage was too dangerous, too versatile, to be left alone. Especially since they were so vulnerable if you could close the distance.


    Instead, the half-elf would focus on blinding Rieker as much as he was able, and on keeping his frontline hale and hearty.


    Porkchop had his own role to play. Making sure that their opponent never got the opening he would be looking for. Unfortunately, his new skill was unlikely to work on Rieker to any great effect, his vastly inflated level compared to their own would confer too much innate resistance to anything they could throw at him¡ªlet alone the raw Willpower that the man surely had.


    As for himself, Kaius would be their harasser, using both of his spells to keep the pressure on. With his added spell, he now had to make choices on his loadout¡ªbalance his reserved mana based on what he expected to need.


    Honestly, it was probably for the best. It was rare indeed when he had had the opportunity to burn all of his inscriptions in a single fight.


    For this one, he¡¯d decided to give himself a decent chance to lean on his latest spell, though he¡¯d still leant primarily on his only damaging spell. Ten charges of Slip Step, and twenty-two of Stormlash.


    It wouldn¡¯t be enough¡ªnot against the Wardog of Deadacre.


    Even if he was going to lose, it didn¡¯t stop a smile from creeping its way across his face. There was no fear, for Rieker wouldn¡¯t kill them. Instead, all Kaius felt was the rising heat of the challenge. The thrill of staring up an insurmountable mountain¡ªof knowing that he wouldn¡¯t give up, even in the face of certain defeat.


    Afterall, even if they were destined to lose today, weakness was temporary. All he needed was time and battle, and one day he would surpass the second tier.


    Kaius knew it in his bones.


    Taking a quick glance to his team to check in on them, he got a pair of swift nods in return. They were prepared for what was to come.


    ¡°Ready!¡± he called to the looming danger wrapped in a man''s skin.


    Rieker grinned. A wide thing, revealing far too many teeth. Even from nearly a hundred long-strides away, Kaius could see the way he looked at them with what could only be described as hunger.


    He presented the man his side, right leg forward with his blade held out at an angle. A duelist''s stance that minimised his profile and kept his off hand free for casting.


    Nominally, it was a poor choice for a longsword¡ªbut with all of his enhanced strength A Father¡¯s Gift may as well have been as light as a feather. More, he felt the instincts from his spellblade mastery skill nudge him to shift his stance a little wider, giving him the range of motion to pivot through his hips and lean more heavily into the slashes that such a stout weapon encouraged.


    His aggressive stance seemed to only buoy the guildmaster¡¯s good mood. He didn¡¯t move to follow, still standing relaxed¡ªalmost slouching.


    ¡°Ready.¡± Rieker said back, his voice projecting through the space with a deep baritone.


    Kaius braced.


    Rieker lunged.


    It was a simple movement. Economic, easy, and smooth. Almost slow.


    A piercing crack echoed as the man''s foot hit the floor, launching him towards Kaius and his party at breakneck speeds.


    Then, he was simply there. Right in their face.


    Still, as fast as the guildmaster may have been, they were no strangers to fighting against creatures that had them utterly physically outmatched.


    Kaius lurched forwards, thrusting towards Rieker¡¯s chest with a full weighted stab, his blade racing forwards in a blur of grey and black. It glowed with internal fire, empowered by his Bladerite. Light crackled in his off hand as he summoned a Stormlash in preparation for a follow up, showering the ground behind him in orange light.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    As he moved, Porkchop punched the ground with his claws, a wall of jade erupting between them and the guildmaster. Ostensibly, it blocked Kaius¡¯s path of attack, but he was under no illusions that Rieker would be caught off guard.


    Kaius heard the slap of a boot on stone, before Rieker simply sailed clean over the slab of jade that raced towards him. Adjusting the angle of his blade, Kaius aimed to run the man through.


    A casual open-handed slap was enough to wrench his sword away. Eyes widening, he stumbled as he tightened his grip on his hilt, the force of the parry leaving his hand stinging and numb.


    His follow up came quickly, offhand lashing out to bind Rieker with another streamer of crackling lightning.


    Plasma arced, crossing the space between them in half a moment. Only to discharge impotently on stone as Rieker¡­disappeared.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 27!**


    The barest rustle of fabric behind him was all the warning he got. Kaius¡¯s eyes hardened. He planted his weight on his back foot to pivot into a vicious glowing cut as he brought his offhand back onto his hilt.


    **Ding! Initiate¡¯s Bladerite has reached level 16!**


    Rieker was right there, ready for him with his warhammer held in a choked grip. Waiting with an easy grin on his face. The man dipped, bobbing underneath his sweeping blade. A moment later he twitched his head, pulling it to the side to narrowly dodge one of Ianmus¡¯s snapping Sunbeams.


    Kaius grit his teeth, bringing his pommel down in a heavy smash¡ªaiming to crack the guildmaster¡¯s skull.


    It was useless; the man was as slippery as an eel. Even flowing through a flurry of cuts and stabs, interweaving Stomlashes with his strikes, it was like fighting the air. Every time he thought he was bound to land a hit, the man would adjust by the barest of a hair''s breadth, allowing his sword to sail past harmlessly.


    No matter how much he watched the man, sought openings and weaknesses, he found nothing. Explorer¡¯s Toolkit was silent¡ªexcept for the constant scream of danger it blurted at Rieker¡¯s every movement.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 28!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 29!**


    **Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 33!**


    ¡­


    **Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 35!**


    ¡°Decent reactions, and plenty aggressive, but it¡¯s all meaningless if you can''t even hit me.¡± Rieker taunted, his grin enough to drive a hot flush of infuriation up Kaius¡¯s neck.


    A shattering cry that promised doom and slaughter echoed through the hall as Porkchop unleashed his latest skill, trying to force the guildmaster¡¯s attention on him.


    Rieker looked away from Kaius, assessing the threat. He and Ianmus reacted instantly, yellow and blue light flashing as they both tried to capitalise on the man''s distraction.


    It was useless. Rieker flashed in faster than he could track, appearing inside his guard. Planting a solid palm on his chest, the guildmaster shoved.


    It was like getting kicked by a mule. Kaius gasped as the air was driven from his chest, the force of the blow enough to send him skidding back across the stone. It was all he could do to keep his feet underneath him.


    **Ding! Tempered by Dissonance has reached level 33!**


    ¡°Nice try, and a good response to a ¡®distracted¡¯ opponent. Unfortunately, all the cohesive teamwork in the world means nothing in the face of Strength.¡±


    Rieker locked eyes with him, eyes glinting dangerously. His grip on his warhammer loosened, his grip sliding down to the base of the haft.


    Ice shot through Kaius¡¯s veins.


    This was going to hurt.


    Porkchop saw it at the same time he did¡ªthe growing anticipation on Rieker¡¯s face. The man had been toying with them, assessing their movements. It seemed he had seen enough.


    Unleashing another Bulwark¡¯s Challenge that filled the hall with his terrible roar, Porkchop tapped into the mana he had stored in his amulet and shot towards the guildmaster. As he moved, Kaius caught a flash of yellow from Ianmus¡¯s staff, before his brother was wrapped in the bolstering power of the sun.


    Rieker looked over to the rapidly approaching ball of primal fury and smiled. A simple step sent the man flying backwards, creating enough distance for Porkchop to lose steam. It didn¡¯t dissuade his brother, who flew into a storm of raking claws and gnashing teeth.


    He did as well as Kaius had done, grasping nothing but air.


    ¡°All that fury, all that power. It means nothing if there is no thought backing it.¡± Rieker whispered, the words cutting through the howling din of the battle.


    Kaius tried to support, racing in to hack at the agile warrior, but even with the two of them laying into the man, it was of no use¡ªthey couldn¡¯t bloody hit him. Rieker wasn¡¯t even moving fast. It was easy to keep track of him, most of the time at least¡ªhells, Kaius was sure that he was moving slower than they were. It was like he knew where they were going to move, like he was leading them on a dance.


    Then Rieker attacked.


    Porkchop fell first.


    ¡°You throw yourself at me, expecting your sheer size and presence to be enough to force my attention. You savage, and you bite, and you claw¡ª but there is no deftness. No attempt to create openings. You don¡¯t even try to force me to dance to your tune, to try and leave me vulnerable to your allies.¡± Rieker said with ease, like he was making conversation over dinner. There was no malice, no cruelty, and no hostility¡ªjust a casual sharing of facts.


    ¡°You expect your armour to keep you safe.¡± the guildmaster stepped in, slipping around a Sunbeam, rolling under a heavy clawed swipe, and slapping away a thrust of Kaius¡¯s sword to appear inside of Porkchop¡¯s guard.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Rieker¡¯s hammer hit Porkchop¡¯s jade breastplate with the weight of a mountain. It wasn¡¯t a hard swing¡ªat least, it didn¡¯t look like it¡ªand the armour was some of the thickest on Porkchop¡¯s body.


    It didn¡¯t matter in the slightest.


    A shattering crash resounded through the hall, like bricks being dropped onto stone from a great height. Porkchop¡¯s chest caved in, blood fountaining from his mouth in a desperate gurgle.


    ¡°Porkchop!¡± Ianmus called, a glow surrounding him in a warm halo as he started to shape a healing spell.


    Kaius¡¯s heart leapt into his throat. He knew the wound was unlikely to kill his brother, not with his current Endurance, and his sheer toughness, but it was a grievous injury all the same.


    Unable to help himself, a desperate cry of rage slipped between his lips and the agony spreading across their bond sparked a raging heat in his chest. He raced in. He had to catch the man, move faster than he could, force him off guard. Something.


    His newest spell was his only choice.


    Reaching out with his will to the swirling inscription that wrapped around his foot, Kaius watched the guildmaster draw a dagger from his belt.


    Looming over his brother¡¯s collapsed form, Rieker plunged the blade down between Porkchop¡¯s shoulder blades.


    Right into his spine.

 B2 Chapter 190: Stupid Prizes, Pt. 2

    Kaius watched in shock as the guildmaster stabbed his brother between the shoulderblades, the dagger severing Porkchop¡¯s spine.


    Porkchop went limp, legs splaying out. With his chest still shattered from the guildmaster¡¯s casual swing, he did little more let out a soft wheeze of foaming blood.


    ¡°Remember this moment of weakness. Remember that intentionality is your greatest weapon, and your stoutest shield. Not fury and system granted skill.¡± Rieker stepped back, leaving the blade planted.


    Kaius¡¯s heart thumped, and he cast his spell¡ªSlip Step. Pale blue motes streamed from the soles of his feet, and he felt himself plunge through the skin of the world.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Aelina has reached level 2!**


    The heavy grip of reality slackened as the grey stone and red blood faded to muted hues. Kaius could tell he was only a half step into some unknown realm, but even with a hair''s breadth of separation, the immutable laws of distance bound him tightly no longer.


    Hidden secrets whispered from the edges of his vision, tugging on his focus as Truesight revealed what was not and what should not be.


    Kaius focused his mind¡ªpushing the shifting half shapes to the background as he turned his full attention to his target.


    It was unstable. With every movement, he felt his very being flicker¡ªsliding back and forth like he was transferring his weight between his feet.


    ¡°Oh? Space? That¡¯s interesting.¡± Rieker said, turning to him while a burst of sunlight settled on the stricken form of Porkchop behind him.


    It wasn¡¯t enough¡ªwith the blade still lodged in Porkchop¡¯s back he was unable to rid himself of his paralysis.


    Lightning crackled into existence as Kaius summoned another Stormlash, and took a step.


    The world contracted.


    His foot touched the ground three times closer to his target than it should have taken him. Rieker didn¡¯t care, the same easy smile on his face igniting a fire within Kaius¡¯s chest.


    Too casual, too carefree. It was pissing him off.


    Hurling the power of the storm at the man who may as well have been made of adamant, Kaius pulled on his power again and again as he stood in one spot.


    Rieker simply side stepped, slipped, and dodged with blurring speed, each and every one of Kaius¡¯s lashes missing him utterly.


    He grit his teeth, and tapped into his Bladerite before lunging into a thrust. A blow that should have crossed six strides stabbed through eighteen, rushing straight for Rieker¡¯s neck.


    A twitch took the guildmaster away from the path of his blade. Then he swiped with an open palm.


    Eyes wide as his heart thumped with the might of his song, Kaius leapt back again and again. Space shrunk with every step, his being flickering into the inbetween space as he moved.


    It was no use; Rieker kept pace easily.


    Right as Kaius¡¯s foot touched the ground, Rieker swept out an open palm, grabbing his wrist. Somehow perfectly timing the rate of his flickers to hold onto mortal flesh.


    Powerless to resist, he was yanked forwards, until he stood chest to chest with the guildmaster.


    ¡°You forget yourself, Kaius. You do not fight alone.¡± Rieker whispered to him, almost crooning.


    Then he was careening through the air, arms windmilling as he tried to control his flailing.


    Landing on the cold stone of the floor, Kaius¡¯s breath was forced out of his chest.


    He looked up in horror to see Rieker rounding on Ianmus.


    ¡°And you, you¡¯re just weak. That might change in the future, but you would do best to avoid drawing attention to yourself until that day comes.¡±


    Ianmus tried to flee, yet even with all of his grace and swiftness¡ªeven with the potency of his Magister¡¯s Dash¡ªit mattered little.


    Rieker arrived at his side in a quick burst of speed, and stomped.


    A strangled scream escaped Ianmus¡¯s lips as his leg shattered, the sickly white of his shin rupturing through his flesh with a wet tear. ¡°Remember this pain, mage, for it is what your frontline faces constantly. It is what you will inevitably face in true battle, and if you cannot persevere¡ªcontinue to fight¡ªyou will die.¡±


    Kaius leapt to his feet, the world twisting to assist his movement as he watched Ianmus start to channel as he lurched back from the guildmaster.


    A single step brought him closer, and his magic fizzled out. Without hesitation Kaius burned another charge, slipping back into the half-space between worlds. He raced across the ground, sword and spell at the ready, and the strides vanished beneath his flickering feet.


    Ten steps took him halfway there, and he cast Slip Step for the third time. Another ten brought him into range, and thunder boomed deep within the earth. Lightning crackled, howling with fury as it cut through the air.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Aelina has reached level 3!**


    Rieker kicked off the ground, dodging the lash without even looking back. The leather soles of his shoes squealed in protest as he screeched to a halt by Ianmus.


    A single stomp cracked one of the inscribed flagstones, landing a finger-length from the mages head.


    ¡°Dead.¡±


    Ianmus slumped in defeat, releasing his hold on his mana.


    Kaius¡¯s heart leapt into his throat as the guildmaster finished decimating his team with brutal efficiency.


    Wardog indeed.


    Keeping his distance, Kaius burnt through the rest of his Stormlash inscriptions¡ªall fourteen of them¡ªone after the other in a blurring stream of cracking thunder and howling light. No matter his tricks, feints, and quick succession spells, it was useless.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 30!**


    The guild master was too fast.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    As soon as he was empty, he gripped his sword with both hands and settled into an inside-right guard, the pommel of his blade pulled in close to the armpit.


    Still a foot into the strange half-space of his spell, he charged.


    Appearing before Rieker in three steps, he hacked at the man, gritting his teeth as his sword was slapped away. He stepped, circling as he hammered the guildmaster¡¯s impenetrable guard, feinting and probing for openings.


    **Ding! Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 36!**


    ¡°You¡¯re an interesting one, Kaius. Skilled beyond your years, blooded against monsters, wielding magics I have no name for, and too strong by half. It¡¯s still not enough.¡± Rieker said, smashing his blade to the side so hard that it peeled out a pure note.


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough. Not against the machinations of men.¡± he crouched, letting Kaius¡¯s thrust sail past his ear as he punched.


    For the first time in the fight, Kaius flickered at just the right time, the blow sailing clean through him as he fell into the space between worlds.


    **Ding! Latent Glyph of Aelina has reached level 4!**


    Rieker just calmly pulled back, smashing aside his retaliation and hammering him again as soon as he reappeared.


    The blow hit Kaius in the stomach, radiating agony through his abdomen and forcefully voiding his lungs. Bile surged into his mouth, bitterness tainting it with an acidic burn.


    ¡°The powerful will watch you. Finding the things you hold dear. Ferret out your weaknesses.¡±


    Nearly chest to chest, Kaius tried to force the man back with a crushing pommel strike to his collarbone, refreshing Slip Step as he did.


    Rieker simply weathered the blow like it was rain.


    ¡°And once your weaknesses are known, they will tear you down from the base up. Bait you into a fervent rage, until you make a mistake that reveals you.¡±


    Rieker headbutted him. His nose shattered, head rocking back. Blood ran down the back of his throat, accompanying the eye watering sting.


    Hissing in agony, Kaius ignored the taste of iron as he tongued a loose tooth.


    The fire of his frustration started to boil.


    Kaius attacked, flowing into a storm of tight swooping lashes and aggressive thrusts as he used every trick he could to try to maneuver the guildmaster into an assaultable position.


    **Ding! Tempered By Dissonance has reached level 34!**


    None of them touched the guild master.


    ¡°Then, once you have been provoked. They will strike.¡±


    Rieker swung.


    The head of the hammer struck his blade right above the hilt. Metal and crystal cracked in a tortured scream, bucking in his hand with potent reverberations.


    Strong enough that he lost his grip with his off hand, three fingers not enough to keep hold of the ringing blade.


    Rieker slapped the blade to the side with an empty palm, leaving Kaius undefended.


    ¡°After that? You die.¡±


    Uncanny Dodge and Explorer¡¯s Toolkit both screamed of the danger he was in.


    Kaius tried to leap back. He was too slow, even with his new spell.


    A blurring streak hit him on his left wrist.


    Bone shattered.


    Flesh tore.


    His hand flew free.


    Kaius gasped, falling backwards onto the floor as he stared at the spurting remnants of his wrist. Every pump of his heart sent thickly congealed blood oozing from the wound. His hand spasmed, uncontrollable twitches wracking the limb.


    Except, that was impossible.


    It was gone. Ruined.


    Lesser Regeneration worked against him, sealing the wound shut in moments.


    **Ding! Lesser Regeneration has reached level 32!**


    Now it would only return with the aid of a potent healer. One they had no access to, not without significantly more wealth and political pull, or were willing to wait months.


    He was crippled.


    Ruined.


    Kaius looked up to find the guildmaster looming over him. He shrank back, feeling real fear for the first time. If the man was willing to maim him, perhaps the bout had been more serious than he realised.


    ¡°Remember this fear, Kaius. Your brazen overconfidence nearly got you all killed this week.¡± Rieker said, staring at him with fury on his face. ¡°You are the leader, and steering your team right is your responsibility.¡±


    Rieker crouched, lowering himself until they saw eye to eye.


    ¡°Get away from him!¡± Porkchop roared, unable to do anything more than watch on.


    Rieker ignored him, just like he ignored Ianmus who struggled his way to a seated position and fired a beam of light at the guildmaster.


    The spell landed, doing little more than scorching the skin on Rieker¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Kicking up the kind of fuss you did with that spider was moronic. It revealed your hand, and forced mine. The only way someone like you lives is with power, or secrecy. Now you have neither.¡±


    Kaius whipped his sword up, point wavering as he held it to the man¡¯s eye.


    Rieker didn¡¯t so much as flinch.


    ¡°You could still die, you know. Ro, for all her competency, is not a miracle worker. If she can¡¯t cover up the trail the three of you left a league wide¡ªif someone stumbles across the remnants of her work and gets curious¡ªyou could be vanished into some cell before the month is out, waiting for the next Onyx Temple mindmage to strip you down for every iota of knowledge you have.¡± the guildmaster said calmly, pushing aside his sword with the tip of one finger.


    Kaius sagged, realising that the guildmaster was not after his life.


    ¡°Because mark my words, someone will notice. Without a doubt.¡± Rieker continued, fixing Kaius with a stare that left horror creeping up his neck.


    Rieker was right. How could he have been so stupid? They should have taken the easy jobs¡ªlevelled a little slower, or at least taken missions that had enough travel time they could have explained their gains as a result of numerous beasts.


    ¡°I see you understand now. That¡¯s good. Remember that fear.¡± the guildmaster said, watching him closely. ¡°The only question now is if Ro has bought us enough time for you to get strong enough to kill anyone who comes after you.¡±


    Reaching out to him, Rieker pulled a potion from his spatial storage. A square bottle¡ªcapped in gold with elegant swirls marking its surface¡ªheld a tonic of vibrant white, shimmering and effervescent.


    ¡°Now drink. No pupil of mine will walk around missing fingers.¡±


    Letting his sword drop to the floor with a clatter, Kaius reached for the bottle with a shaking hand. The man couldn¡¯t possibly have given him a true regeneration potion, could he?


    Rieker stood, and left him staring at the bottle. A moment later he heard Ianmus yelp, and turned to see the mage cradling his own tonic to his chest. It was different from his own¡ªred, and far more plain.


    Behind him, Porkchop growled throatily.


    ¡°Quiet you¡ªI know you¡¯ve seen your Patriarchs do worse. The boy will get you all killed if I baby him.¡± he heard Rieker respond.


    Whipping his head over, Kaius caught the man pulling his dagger free from his brother¡¯s spine¡ªwhere he promptly wiped it clean on his brother''s fur before sheathing it once more.


    ¡°Still an asshole.¡± Porkchop grumbled. ¡°Where¡¯s my potion?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get one.¡± Rieker grinned. ¡°You don¡¯t need it, and there''s no point skipping the skill training.¡±


    Kaius narrowed his eyes at the man, before Porkchop mentally poked him across their bond.


    ¡°Drink your potion, idiot.¡± Porkchop said privately, while he huffed at the guildmaster.


    Rolling his eyes¡ªthe vigilance of battle slowly leaving him¡ªKaius eyed the milky liquid once more. If it was a potion of true regeneration, the kind that could regrow lost limbs, then he had just been handed a treasure worth many times its weight in gold.


    He had to know.


    True Sight brought up its description.


    Flesh Regrowth Tonic:


    Rare - Tier II


    You could put an egg back together with this thing.


    A complex tonic brewed from reagents rich in Life and Blood aspects, massively restoring health and slowly regenerating missing body parts over an extended period of time.


    Artisan-brewed potion


    Health Restoration V, True Regeneration I


    The bottle nearly slipped from his fingers as he stared at the description in shock.


    Tier two?

 B2 Chapter 191: Ignition

    The ghosts of Kaius¡¯s fingers spasmed.


    Grunting at the discomfort, he scratched at the stump of his limb. It was a smooth nubbin, muscles and skin slowly distending as his flesh morphed and grew. Disgusting, in all honesty. Though, no matter how much his skin crawled at the sight of his morphing flesh, he knew it would bring back his hand¡ªand his missing fingers with it.


    What disturbed him more was the unblemished skin that came with the regrowth. His glyph was gone.


    That galled. It also heightened his nerves, a tight little ball that had been building in his stomach. Rieker would have had no way of knowing, but he had never inscribed one of the Vesryn glyphs by himself.


    They were convoluted, three dimensional, and ruinously complex. The prospect of weaving one around his mana flows without the system''s assistance was terrifying¡ªmade him feel the icy breath of dread on the back of his neck.


    Still, he knew it was for the best. The strong delvers? The kinds who rose to the peak of what people knew to be possible? They lost limbs. Not often, but it happened. Especially in those who held down the front line like he did.


    Usually it wasn¡¯t too much of a problem. Even if they didn¡¯t have a healer capable of some form of regeneration on their team, they would have the wealth and connections to see one of the rare few healers who plied such a skill publicly.


    To learn to weave a new glyph now, meant that he wouldn¡¯t have to experiment if it happened in the field.


    It still sucked. Losing his hand sucked. Losing sucked¡ªmore than he thought it would.


    Sighing, Kaius leaned his head back against the hard wood of his headrest, staring at the vaulted ceiling far above.


    After Rieker had dressed them down, he¡¯d ushered them back to the table, before leaving once more to fetch what he called ¡®the good stuff¡¯. Said he¡¯d be back soon.


    No doubt he was just giving them space to decompress after he¡¯d smeared them across the floor in a minute flat. Thank the hells that Rieker had, because only the gods knew that he needed it.


    With his mind drifting to their ¡®spar¡¯, Kaius was unable to stop himself from ruminating. Not even the sharp spiking pain of his tooth goring the inside of his cheek was enough to snap him out of it, not with his pain resistance and healing.


    As much as it burned for them to get destroyed, to have his flaws so systematically revealed, it was worse that he knew that the guildmaster was right.


    He¡¯d been reckless. That might get them killed, and there was little he could do about it at this point.


    Picking the spider as their first mission? Stupid. He could see it now¡ªthough he felt like punching the wall until his other hand was a smeared mess that it had taken it being rubbed in his face to realise.


    They should have taken it slow¡ªor at the very least planned a cover story and more circuitous route back.


    Porkchop and Ianmus, they might have agreed with him, but it was his duty to be the voice of reason. He¡¯d taken the mantle of party leader, and failed to respect it.


    He¡¯d failed his team.


    Too drunk on freedom and the allure of power. The oldest sin¡ªthe one that killed more delvers than anything else. He¡¯d thought himself immune, untouchable thanks to his strength.


    Stupid.


    Relative strength meant nothing when you were still helpless to those with power and experience both. The strongest chick in the henhouse was still helpless to the weakest fox.


    His gaze turning back to the stump of his hand, Kaius watched the rhythm pulse in time with his hand¡ªgrowing just a little bit more with each undulation. Supposedly it would take a few weeks, not that it made it any less miraculous.


    It was a strange thing, to be beaten and broken. It made you realise things. Revealed truths.


    Clawing his way up the mountain, step by bloody step? Advancing on all obstacles and beating on them with shattered fists? That wasn¡¯t his truth.


    It was a truth. But it wasn¡¯t his.


    Too incomplete, too¡­juvenile. There was something more there¡ªhe knew it, even as his aspect lay silent and still within him.


    If victory at all costs had been his pillar, this experience would have shattered it. It was the truth of the fool, the deluded, and the egoistic. It was the dream of a boy.


    He had too many responsibilities to be a boy.


    Even if he would never let go of the thrill of the fight, or stop taking risks¡ªfor those things were as much immutable truths about himself as his stubbornness¡ªhe needed more. Enough tribulation had washed through his life that he was more.


    That fight? Rieker¡¯s total annihilation? It had been necessary¡ªbrutal and eye opening.


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    Kaius sighed, letting his eyes feel closed as he felt the weight of consequence settle on his chest. He had a long way to go, and he¡¯d just had to go and give them a deadline.


    Hurling them at the closest deadly challenge and hoping for the best? Hoping they could use the pressure of the experience to grow? It would kill him and Porkchop eventually, and Ianmus would undoubtedly die far far sooner. All it would take is a single slip up for a beast or a man to get past them, and the mage would be dead.


    He couldn¡¯t allow that. Ianmus had made his choice, and they had made theirs, but that didn¡¯t mean he needed to be stupid about it.


    But if his truth wasn¡¯t that of mindless determination, what was it?


    What did he want? Truly want?


    To find his father¡¯s killer, and bring him his due? Of course.


    To seek the lost histories of Unterstern, and justice for the destruction of a family he never met? Most certainly.


    To rise victorious over the changing phases, securing his home and lands? Most definitely.


    To see the world, and explore its secrets like he had always dreamed of? Of course!


    Yet¡­those were desires¡ªnot truths¡ªand they were all big problems. The kind that needed strength to be solved.


    Power. It always came back to power in the end. Everyone wanted it, and few had it. He¡¯d thought he¡¯d been on a sure fire path, after all, he¡¯d seized far more than most already. Yet¡­he¡¯d still been going about it all the wrong way.


    Kaius needed to grow. In the deftness of his mind. In the way he approached challenges. The ability to throw himself at death was good, but it needed to be tempered by wisdom. By the will to do whatever was necessary to see him and his team to the next dawn.


    If he wanted to see the peak, it was necessary. He needed experience, and today had shown him he had precious little of it.


    Challenges would come, and he would face them staunchly. He would batter at them until his bones broke and the ground was stained red with his blood¡ªbut only if he had to. Afterall, even loss was valuable. It was experience. The knowledge and understanding he could glean from such things would help him to avoid or surpass any similar challenge in the future.


    Fighting wasn¡¯t everything, no matter how strange it felt to say that. He wanted life. A good life.


    Battle¡ªthe thrill of the challenge, the scent of blood in the air, the sweet sting of exertion, and the wild screams of mayhem¡ªwas a part of that. But it wasn¡¯t everything. The smell of fresh grass or a seared steak, the sweet taste of wine and the laughter of good company, the warmth of the fire and the restful caress of a spring night¡¯s breeze. Those were important too. He would lose them if all he sought was mindless fury.


    And yet, even as his mind went round and round and round Kaius knew that they were hollow truths. They were part of something, but they were details and shades, not the full painting.


    What. Did. He. Want.


    Kaius sat with the thought, allowing the darkness behind his closed eyelids to wash over him. Memories shifted through his mind. Nights with Porkchop, Ianmus, and Father. Spent around fires, with full bellies and happy smiles. The scenery changed, the background changed, but the feeling he got didn¡¯t.


    He wanted¡­a place to call his own. Somewhere that was just for him, and for those he called his own.


    But he couldn¡¯t have it. It was stolen from him once, and then again, by those who would still hound him. It was out of reach until the damn integration finished. And it would always be fragile unless he had the strength to defend it from those who would covet it.


    He didn¡¯t even think it was a place. After all, he could never see himself settling down in one place¡ªhe¡¯d grown up even more uprooted than the damn Hiwiann, they at least had their ancestral clan grounds and temple cities.


    But the belonging? The kind he had found with Porkchop and Ianmus? That he would kill for, hone himself for, hunt, and grow for. But to defend that sacred space, he needed more than strength. He needed ability. Strength, tempered by the wisdom of a thousand campaigns¡ªvictories and defeat alike. If it took reaching the very pinnacle to secure it¡ªif it took singlehandedly besting the integration, shattering the Onyx Temple, and destroying the mysterious threats behind them that had razed his dynasty, he would do it.


    Life was no battle, it was a war¡ªand he would campaign for his desires.


    Kaius gasped as Mentis, the very pillar he had been brushing up against for weeks, started to howl in visceral joy and satisfaction.


    Lightning arced up his spine, forcing him bolt upright in moments and drawing the curious and concerned eyes of his companions. He saw nothing, wide eyes too enraptured by the sights in his soul-space.


    Once silent, still, and desolate, a single pillar of his triumvirate exploded into activity. Shudders echoed down its monolithic form as his soul pulsed with ever growing burning intensity.


    A keening want reverberated from the pillar, desperately reaching for his soulfire as the golden flames began to bulge, reaching for the Mentis.


    Far below, circling his soul, his legacy skills heard the call and joined the chorus with pure platinum voices of their own.


    Cringing for a moment, Kaius¡¯s stomach dropped as he braced himself for the avarice he thought long behind him.


    Only for it to never come.


    The song of his legacy skills softened, falling into harmony with the want of Mentis. They bolstered its call, eagerly supporting the pillar as his soul roiled with renewed energy and might.


    His heart thumped in his chest as he realised with finality that this might be happening now. Now. With Rieker planning to return at any moment.


    He could feel the weight in his soul building to a crescendo¡ªthe shell of his class pulsing in tune with his soul and aspects, serenaded by his legacy.


    Why, of all the gods were good, did it have to be now. He might have planned to share with the guild, but he didn¡¯t want to lose out until he had discovered if his team would be able to follow his lead. Secure honours.


    Then his soul flared, and without his aid a solid rope of soulfire connected to the waiting sconce atop Mentis.


    It ignited, gold flickering to a blinding white flame that nestled itself upon the pillar. The strange stone-like exterior shook as a blast wave rocketed out¡ªshaking the formless space within.


    It held firm, and everything stabilised.


    Yet somehow, Kaius knew the transformation was incomplete. Waiting.


    **Ding! Pillar of Self Discovered, Mentis Ignited. Would you like to initiate Aspect Formation?**

 B2 Chapter 192: Lessons

    **Ding! Pillar of Self Discovered, Mentis Ignited. Would you like to initiate Aspect Formation?**


    The system dinged in his mind, waiting for his command. With the instinctual knowledge that came with all of the systems communication, he knew he could wait.


    Suppressing the urge to sigh in relief, Kaius dismissed the notification. It sat at the corner of his mind, weighing on his attention.


    To his chagrin, he found it did nothing for the riotous want of the pillar in his soul. Its need to be complete. A soft warbling keen resonated within him, slowly growing in intensity.


    After the sheer onslaught that was the process of merging his legacy skills, it was easy to ignore. Yet, Kaius knew that would change. It would grow until he was forced to complete the aspect.


    Whether that would take a minute, an hour, or a day, he had no idea.


    Ianmus and Porkchop still watched him closely, their faces mirroring concern and confusion.


    Just as he was about to explain, just as joy and excitement started to bubble within him, the door to the hall opened with a clang.


    They all nearly jumped a long-stride in the air as Rieker strode back in, the man watching them with a cocked brow.


    ¡°Hells, I know I literally wiped the floor with you, but you shouldn''t be that jumpy.¡± the guildmaster muttered, quickly approaching as he balanced carrying three small cuts and a shallow bowl.


    They smiled, though Kaius caught his brother watching him out of the corner of his eye.


    ¡°What was that, Kaius? I felt¡­something.¡± Porkchop asked through their bond, returning his eyes to their ¡®host¡¯.


    ¡°Later.¡±


    Rieker looked almost bashful as he sat down in front of them¡ªsomething Kaius had never expected to associate with a man of such presence. Still, it was what it was, and the guildmaster gave them a small smile as he pushed over a small cup to each of them.


    Porkchop sneezed at his first sniff, looking back to Rieker curiously. At his brother¡¯s reaction, Kaius peered into the porcelain vessel, finding some sort of liquor inside.


    It was thick, and a few moments later he got a heavy punch of herbs and spirits.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kaius asked, picking up the drink to swirl it.


    ¡°Dwarven balsam¡­¡± Ianmus answered first, staring at the drink in wonder. ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible to get outside of their stoneholds¡­¡±


    Rieker only smirked. ¡°Not if you know the right people. Got another crate just a few weeks ago. That¡¯s neither here nor there, though. Drink¡­Slowly!¡± Rieker cautioned as Porkchop went to down the lot at once.


    Smiling at his brother¡¯s antics, Kaius took a sip. It burned, hot and sweet, with a heavy vegetal note that lingered on the tongue. Odd, almost medicinal, but surprisingly delicious.


    Ianmus also seemed to enjoy it, a small smile crossing his previously wooden face as he leaned back on his chair. Porkchop¡­wasn¡¯t so convinced. His face was stiff as the liquor burned, though he stared at Kaius furiously not to give away he didn¡¯t appreciate what he could tell was a precious gift.


    Kaius bit his lip, though he noted that the corner of Rieker¡¯s mouth had twitched at Porkchop¡¯s reaction.


    Finally, the guildmaster sighed.


    ¡°I hope you all learned a valuable lesson today. You are strong, but you are strong for your level.¡± Rieker said, breaking the silence. As one, they lowered their cups, giving the man their attention.


    ¡°I destroyed you today, and the differences in tiers only get more tyrannical as you grow. Worse, I am of only middling strength for human lands. Powerful for a backwater like this, but I am not one of the true elites of the central territories.¡± he continued.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes widened. That seemed¡­hard to believe. He knew the man had to be high in the second tier, and with a good class to boot from what Rieker had implied. Sure, there were supposed to be some rare few in the third tier, but the guildmaster couldn¡¯t be too far behind them, could he?


    Rieker met his eyes, giving him a firm nod. ¡°I¡¯m serious. And that¡¯s not even counting the terrors in the high mana societies. Against the elves, dwarves, and further off folks? I am nothing. You? You are less than nothing. The potential is there, but that doesn¡¯t matter if you die trying to reach it.¡±


    The guildmaster''s eyes bore into their own, his gaze flicking from person to person. ¡°I hope you internalise the lesson I taught you today.


    Kaius froze for a moment, before he gave a firm nod. ¡°I¡ªwe¡ªhave. I was reckless, and because of that we are in danger.¡±


    He received a firm nod in return, though Rieker looked equally relieved and guilty at his admission.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the hand, but I had to make sure you learnt your lesson. A couple of days with it recovering will hopefully drill into you what can be lost when you are careless.¡± Rieker said to Kaius, before he addressed them as a group.


    ¡°Now! Onto the things I have learned. Beyond just raw stats, you all have great skills. That includes you Ianmus.¡±


    The mage smiled at the guildmaster¡¯s words, though the conversation quickly moved on.


    ¡°However¡ªyou have far too much room to improve, especially because of how quickly you are going to level in the coming months. It will be tough to get your skills to keep pace.¡±


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    Rieker turned towards Porkchop, starting with him first. ¡°You, young meles, have the workings of a fighting style¡ªa true and defined one, with your natural might and heavy armour¡ªbut it is painfully clear you are both not used to fighting with intention, and you have zero basis for understanding how to fight with armour.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair¡ªI don¡¯t really know anyone else amongst my people who use it. Plenty just alter their fur, but it feels different.¡± Porkchop replied.


    ¡°It is,¡± Rieker agreed. ¡°But it also has the potential to be far stronger, even if it is more difficult. You¡¯re also too aggressive. Forcing enemies to come to you, and in doing so giving your roaming fighter more openings, and reducing the burden on Ianmus, is your aim. Taking hits well, and learning to force opponents to move to where you want them should be your goal.¡±


    Porkchop took on the guildmaster¡¯s criticisms stoically, and to Kaius¡¯s surprise, he couldn¡¯t feel even a hint of indignation through their bond.


    Next Rieker turned to their half-elf mage. ¡°You, Ianmus, are far too still and reactionary. You need to be moving. This is not a collegiate mage duel, this is battle. I know you can cast and move, I saw you do it there at the end. If you¡¯re not always keeping Porkchop between you and the enemy, you are out of position. That, and you¡¯re wasting mana.¡±


    Ianmus nearly jumped out of his seat at the man''s final words. ¡°What?! I would never!¡±


    The guildmaster held up his hand, calling for his silence. Ianmus lowered himself back down, frustrated confusion plain on his face.


    ¡°You are. Most of your potshots are basically pinpricks, especially because of how high above your level you are punching. Am I right in assuming you wish to move to pure free-casting magic?¡± Rieker asked.


    Ianmus nodded, platinum locks sweeping over his face.


    ¡°Then you need to start channeling your sorcery, before empowering it and holding it ready with free cast mana manipulation. It will be a total bitch to do, but it will mean you can wait for the right weak point and target it fully. It will also increase your chances of evolving the skill towards being a meta-magic or focus.¡±


    ¡°More importantly,¡± Rieker continued. ¡°You should be focusing on healing far more often. Keeping Porkchop and Kaius hale and hearty will almost always be a better use of mana than a light beam that blinds their opponents for a second. Unless there is a decisive moment to turn the tide¡ªheal.¡±


    Ianmus mulled over Rieker¡¯s words, wincing as he heard his mistakes, before he finally nodded.


    Then it was Kaius¡¯s turn. Rieker watched him closely, pausing as if he needed time to think on how to phrase his words correctly.


    ¡°Kaius¡­you are a tricky one. Much of my wisdom is hard to apply with the strange hybrid path you have developed. Yet, what I can say is that you are suffering from a lack of decisive focus.¡± Rieker started, fixing him in place with a look that carried the weight of years upon its brow.


    ¡°You are at once too aggressive, and too reactive. You draw fire, when you should wait for an opening. You rush to Porkchop¡¯s defence, when you should trust in his survival. Both of which make it harder for him to do his duty and hold attention.


    The guildmaster paused for a moment. ¡°It is getting you injured when you do not need to be, putting further strain on your healer''s focus and resources. You need to be mobile.¡± Rieker tapped the table, emphasising his point with a calloused finger. ¡°You should be ready to fall back and support any one of your team at the slightest moment, and be capitalising on every opportunity to hammer anyone who shows you their flank to attack Porkchop.¡±


    Kaius grunted, but he did have to agree. Even if accepting his failures tasted like ash. While he had been doing most of what the guildmaster had said, he would admit that he was unused to Porkchop¡¯s rapidly growing perseverance. His brother had his chest cracked open like an egg, and had still been more than able to keep going until he was forcibly paralysed.


    While he was no wet blanket, Porkchop had the Endurance and Vitality to spare, let alone a doubled health pool and a healing skill that was even more potent than his own. Still, it was hard to suppress the instincts that had kept both of them alive down in the dark tunnels of the Depths.


    Rieker flicked his eyes between both him and Porkchop. ¡°Also, the fact that the two of you haven¡¯t been training your healing skills is a travesty. It¡¯s blindingly obvious they are low level¡ªthe fact that the two of you haven¡¯t started sparing disrobed is a travesty.¡±


    Kaius cocked an eyebrow at the man¡ªstruggling to marry the stonerought seriousness of the guild masters tone with the fact he had just told him to fight naked.


    ¡°Why on earth would they fight naked?¡± Ianmus asked, frowning with a confusion that made him look far less of the intellect he was.


    Rieker rolled his eyes. ¡°The whole point is to spill blood and heal¡ªno point wasting good clothes.¡±


    ¡°Plus¡­nothing better for a warrior''s spirit than the fear of a stray blade to the tackle.¡± the guildmaster grinned, steeley eyes twinkling with mirth.


    The Wardog¡¯s joke hit Kaius like a brick, focused as he was on Rieker acting seriously in his capacity as guildmaster.


    It broke the tension, a deep laugh welling up from his belly, shaking loose the pricking claws of his regret and self-directed frustration.


    Humour aside, he could see the value of it¡ªat least fighting in his small clothes¡ªhe had been rather lacklustre in his efforts to train a skill that was nominally easy, if unpleasant, to grow. Same with Rapid Adaptation¡ªif they were going to do this right, he should be trying to gather as many resistances as he could before he needed them.


    The guildmaster had offered to train him, so hopefully he would have some ideas.


    Rieker shook his head, still smiling. ¡°Now, I have a plan. It is simple in essence¡ªI will find you suitable jobs. Tough ones that will challenge you, but hopefully not increase your levels so quickly that we are unable to mask your strength.¡±


    Kaius nodded along, his team doing the same.


    ¡°To that end, each of your ¡®main¡¯ jobs will be far from the city, and we¡¯ll give you several easier ones on the trip there. With the rising levels, you should be able to blame your growth on an average difficulty increase across all of them. You¡¯ll seem strong and capable, but not so much as to be dangerous.¡± Rieker continued. ¡°When you¡¯re not on a job, you¡¯ll be here. Training your asses off¡ªwith me and potentially a few chosen instructors who will be sworn in if they are needed¡ªso that your skills aren''t left behind.¡±


    Kaius grinned. Now that was what he was talking about. While the idea of external instructors worried him, if they were tied to the guild and bound by the very same oath as the guildmaster, he couldn¡¯t see it causing an issue.


    Then Rieker stopped, watching them all closely. It was a heavy moment, his grave eyes making it feel like Kaius was standing before a precipice.


    ¡°However, to do any of that, I need to know what I''m working with. Your stat growth, the shape of your class and skills¡ªand preferably their rarity¡ªas well as the direction you are aiming to build towards. No information on legacies, or anything of that sort of nature, but I do need information.¡±


    Kaius¡¯s mouth went bone dry. A leap of faith¡ªone that could lead to salvation. Yet no jump into the unknown was without misgivings, and the information Rieker requested was amongst those only shared with those closest to you. Bond by oath or not, it was hard to ignore a lifelong culture of secrecy.


    ¡°So, who wants to go first!¡± Rieker clapped, the sharp crack nearly jolting Kaius¡¯s bones from his skin.

 B2 Chapter 193: Partial Truths

    The cushioned back of Kaius¡¯s chair felt extra plush as Rieker stared at him and his brother with a slack jaw, clearly struggling to reassemble his worldview and failing.


    ¡°Seventeen attribute points?! That is quite literally unbelievable¡ªhow?¡± Rieker stammered out, forcing Kaius to bite his tongue lest his amusement cross over into abject rudeness.


    It had been a long conversation¡ªone that had lasted for over an hour at least.


    The first thing Rieker had wanted to know had been about his glyph-binding, and the strange magics that let him hide his channeling while casting spells. It was a fun little misconception to burst, the guildmaster staring at him with wide eyes when he shared that there was in fact no channeling.


    He¡¯d all but demanded to know more after that, and Kaius was more than happy to oblige. After all, it was nice to have the significance of his discovery verified. One day he would share it with the world, when his position was secured, but until then the satisfaction of people''s reactions was mostly withheld from him.


    If the guildmaster had been surprised to find that the skill lacked channeling, he¡¯d been even more shocked to learn it was technically a variant of runecraft¡ªand was centred on pre-preparing spells with runic incantations bound into his flesh.


    Rieker had immediately seen the value in the style of magic¡ªeven if it wasn¡¯t his area of expertise, Kaius himself had exemplified its potential to support close quarters combat.


    Though, it had been funny watching the exact moment when the guildmaster had realised he would never be able to breathe a word of the momentous discovery to anyone else for the rest of his life. His hard features had twisted, turning an impressive shade of purplish red as he stared at Kaius with wild desperation.


    It was only when Kaius had shared that he intended to share his discoveries¡ªonce he was strong enough for it to no longer be a risk to him¡ªthat the guild master had let out a sigh of relief. It was, in Rieker¡¯s opinion, a skill set that would be utterly invaluable to most delving teams¡ªsomething that would keep them alive as the world grew more and more dangerous, and would allow them to specifically prepare for known threats.


    Kaius agreed with the man. He¡¯d never intended to keep the entire art to himself¡ªseeing it flourish and spread would be a grand achievement that would bring its own kind of immortality. That, and he intended to do something similar himself when he had enough spells. If Vesryn runes were researched on a wide scale, it was undoubtable that spells would be discovered, and he saw no reason he could not use them for himself.


    Still, if glyph-binding had shocked Rieker, the knowledge of his and Porkchop¡¯s build damn near killed him.


    Rieker still stared at them, as if he physically was unable to process their stat growth. ¡°Seventeen? You¡¯re sure.¡± he asked.


    As if somehow Kaius wouldn¡¯t know his own status.


    ¡°Very. I know you said you didn¡¯t need to know this, but Porkchop and myself have Unique classes, more than one additional racial trait, and a skill that directly enhances our physicality.¡± Kaius confirmed.


    It was a lie, of course, but even with an oath the complete truth was dangerous. He was nowhere near ready to reveal the truth of Honours and a Heroic class would raise far too many questions. He would have said his class was Unusual, but it would be unbelievable with his stat growth.


    His explanation didn¡¯t help the guildmaster at all. Kaius wasn¡¯t even sure if the man was breathing, his chest as still as a rock.


    Eventually Rieker closed his eyes and breathed out slow.


    ¡°Hells, kid. That¡¯s enough to make a man question his own abilities. How are the two of you so tightly bound in levels and growth though? I assumed that Porkchop shared some skills with you. After all, the cooperation of the greater meles¡¯ dens is their most famous attribute. I also assume that whatever he passed on was enough to complete a legacy¡ª I refuse to believe you could be this strong without one¡ªbut I don¡¯t understand this.¡±


    That was another little misunderstanding that Kaius would let lie. If the man wanted to offer up a reasonable explanation for him having a completed legacy all on his own, Kaius would let him have it.


    Him having his own completed legacy would raise far too many questions¡ªpotentially even more than if he let slip about the existence of Honours.


    ¡°That is true, but you have made an error. When we told Ro that I was Kaius¡¯s bonded companion, we weren¡¯t lying.¡± Porkchop interjected.


    Rieker¡¯s eyes snapped back and forth between him and Porkchop. ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± he said flatly.


    ¡°No,¡± Kaius shook his head. ¡°We both got trapped in the depths over a year before our class selection. We grew¡­close. It was our bond skill that gave us the biggest edge, and still does. A lucky encounter with a natural treasure got us our first racial trait, but our bond skill gave us another, larger one.¡±


    ¡°A natural treasure too? Next you¡¯re going to tell me the sky rained gold and the Glowing One turned up to shit on your doorstep at the moment of your birth.¡± Rieker scoffed, before he shook his head.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you, boy? Bonding a greater beast? A Unique class? Multiple racial traits? Surviving the Depths? You¡¯d think you walked straight out of a legend!¡±


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    ¡°If only he knew how ridiculous it truly was.¡± Porkchop silently pushed through their bond, forcing Kaius to bite back a smile.


    It was no surprise that Rieker was struggling to digest their abilities; it had to be world shaking to learn that such a thing was possible. Still, Porkchop was right, if even the doctored half-truths they had come up with garnered this level of reaction, then they had made the right call deciding to play it safe.


    Any more and the guildmaster might have just straight up disbelieved them. That, and while he wouldn¡¯t have been able to share, there would have been nothing stopping Rieker rushing off in an attempt to secure his own Honours, potentially robbing them of First bonuses.


    Chewing his lip, the guildmaster finally spoke once more. ¡°I have many things I want to ask, but I wont. It would both be improper, and potentially dangerous for either me, or you. Instead, I will only ask what I must.¡±


    Kaius returned Rieker¡¯s firm look, giving him a stiff nod. He could still feel the pulsing yearn of his Aspect waiting for his attention. It was easy enough to hold back for now, but the sooner this conversation was over with, the better.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Rieker replied, looking genuinely relieved that he agreed to the questioning. ¡°First, I must know¡ªIs there anyone looking for you? With this sort of talent, it would be easy to requisition a portal to hide you away somewhere secure, but if not then Deadacre is a good place to slide under the noses of the powerful.


    Ianmus and Porkchop both looked to him quickly, almost urging him onwards. Through his bond with his brother, he could tell what they most likely thought. A perfect chance to secure some assistance against the Temple.


    Kaius paused, choosing his words carefully. ¡°Yes, and no.¡±


    Tilting his head questioningly, Rieker watched him closely.


    ¡°My dynasty was wiped out, forcing me and my father into hiding, though I know nothing of any details beyond that. An agent of the Onyx Temple¡ªa roguish man with dark hair and a ropey scar across his face¡ªtracked us down with a troupe of bandits. My father ended up dead, and I ended up in the Depths.¡± Kaius clenched his fist, impotent frustration speeding his heart and sapping the strength from his muscles. ¡°As far as I know, they think me dead, and I''m unsure if the man with the scar would recognise me¡ªhe only saw my face for a brief few moments.¡±


    Pausing at the words, the guildmaster rubbed his chin.


    ¡°Onyx Temple eh. If he was a skilled hunter-killer, he likely would recognise you, but the reach of the Temple is wide, and there are many operatives. I think staying put would be the best option. Deadacre has a minute presence at best, and I doubt anyone sent to hunt the two of you would stick around for long.¡±


    He breathed a sigh of relief, glad he wouldn¡¯t have to upend his life to rush into hidden training. While he may trust the guild, he didn¡¯t want his entire life dictated by them for the short term¡ªeven if he would do it if necessary.


    ¡°Yes, if anything, moving you could draw more eyes. Deadacre is best¡ªin the end this is just a more concrete example of the very thing we are trying to avoid. Just¡­if you want revenge, hold off on pursuing it until I am done with you. Promise me that, and I''ll put feelers out through my contracts for a tracker with a facial scar¡ªdeal?¡± Rieker asked, looking at him with genuine concern.


    Kaius stared at him in shock. He hadn¡¯t thought that the guildmaster would go so far as to personally assist them in finding their quarry. At best, he thought the man might give them a lead or two to somewhere where they could make contact with the organisation and start their own search.


    ¡°Deal.¡± he replied, nodding hurriedly.


    The guildmaster gave him a short grin, before he sighed and rested his elbows on the table as he rubbed his brow. In that moment more than any other, Kaius saw the weight of the man''s years. The burden of command, and the price of power cutting furrows deep into his skin.


    The man held it well, but he held it all the same.


    ¡°Your¡­strengths. Your growth. It will make this both easier and harder.¡± Rieker eventually muttered.


    ¡°Why? I¡¯ve battled with these two for weeks, I struggle to see how their power won''t let them rise with titanic swiftness.¡± Ianmus asked, breaking the silence of the guildmaster¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the problem. They will¡ªyou won¡¯t.¡± Rieker replied, fixing their mage with what would have been a glare on anyone else¡ªfor the guildmaster it was almost friendly. ¡°Every level, every battle, they will outstrip you more and more¡ªuntil at least the second tier, where you will be able to close the gap somewhat with a class evolution. Unless you¡¯re hiding some way to scale your growth up your ass, I don¡¯t see how you can viably keep up.¡±


    Kaius met Porkchop¡¯s eyes, an unspoken question flooding across his bond. A want for reassurance.


    He didn¡¯t want to reveal Honours, but it sounded like Rieker was leaning towards cutting Ianmus out. That wouldn¡¯t do¡ªnot after the bonds they had forged in battle, and especially not after sharing their secrets with the man.


    Porkchop gave him a slight nod, green-flecked-gold eyes resolute.


    ¡°We are.¡± Kaius said to the guild master. ¡°I won¡¯t share its details. It¡¯s unpredictable, hard to acquire, and dangerous, but it will provide all of us strength. I doubt Ianmus will ever fully catch up, but he will most likely get a good class evolution, and will close some of the distance between us.¡±


    Rieker groaned, brown hair streaked with white wisdom draped off his face as he stared at the ceiling.


    ¡°More impossibilities. Just great.¡±


    Sitting back up, Rieker shook his head at them slowly, though Kaius still caught the slight grin on his face.


    ¡°Regardless, that solves one problem¡ªslightly¡ªbut there is still the issue that we will need to be careful about ramping up the difficulty of your missions. The rising level of beasts will make things somewhat easier, but it will still take time to locate appropriate challenges¡ªespecially since I want you to gain no more than a single class skill per mission. Any more than that and you risk not having enough time to integrate it into your kit.¡±


    Kaius nodded, and he could see his party''s faces mirroring his own agreement with looks of focused intensity. Even if it took the guildmaster time to find them missions, if they were gaining roughly twenty levels per task, that was still explosive growth.


    ¡°And of our skill levels?¡± Kaius asked.


    Rieker smiled wider than he had since their bout. A ruthless grin that showed far too many teeth.


    ¡°Training. Ruthless training¡ªwith heavy sparing, direction from myself and anyone appropriate I can pull away. I have a few people in mind, but they will take time to bring in. I¡¯ll need to use the guild¡¯s gate. Expect them to arrive some time after your next mission.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard, painful, and tough. But I''ll make you strong, boys, you can count on that.¡± Rieker continued, nodding to himself. ¡°We¡¯ll start tomorrow, bright and early. Ro will meet you at the counter at the second bell. Until then, I expect you to go back to your inn and celebrate¡ªRo has already deposited your pay to your account.¡±


    Kaius raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°Tomorrow?¡± he said, raising his stump that still pulsed with a burning itch. ¡°Won¡¯t this be a bit of an issue.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you needed a hand to train healing and resistances.¡± Rieker replied, his eyes wild with a familiar mania. A love of strength in all its forms¡ªand a total disregard for discomfort and pain.


    Kaius bared his teeth right back, his heart thumping as tingling anticipation shot down his neck.


    The man was right¡ªhe didn¡¯t.

 B2 Chapter 194: Revelations, pt. 1

    Reclining deep into the overstuffed armchair next to the fireplace in his room, Kaius did his best to tune out the desperate keening of his ignited aspect.


    After their discussion with Rieker had finished, the man had escorted them out of his training hall and quarters. At first Kaius had been worried that they would need the guildmaster¡¯s timetable to be completely free every time they were to train, but he¡¯d let them know there were other ways there¡ªRo would show them tomorrow.


    Even if Rieker had insisted on them celebrating, they¡¯d done nothing of the sort. Immediately upon returning to the Dusty Stables, Kaius had ignored the inviting warmth and tuned out the welcoming hiss of ale hitting tankards in favour of retreating to his room, Porkchop and Ianmus in tow. He¡¯d even gone so far as to decline Hensch¡¯s offer of bringing dinner to his rooms.


    After all, who knew how long his Aspect would take.


    Now he sat and readied himself, Porkchop and Ianmus leaning in with wide eyes from their seats on the ground and opposite armchair respectively.


    Taking a breath, Kaius gave his team a nod and gave in to the keening of the burning pillar above his soul.


    **Ding! Pillar of Self Discovered, Mentis Ignited. Would you like to initiate Aspect Formation?**


    He accepted the systems waiting prompt, and dropped into his soul-space.


    Now that he was no longer hiding from the change, Kaius got his first good look at the burning flame above the pillar¡ªtasted the racing energy that flowed from it in waves.


    Potent, sharp, and wise. It was...strange, like his mind was racing at a million miles a minute just from the light and heat it gave off.


    A simple flicker of will connected him to the construct more fully. Kaius saw his truth. Saw what the light of the burning pyre had seen revealed within him.


    Desire to grow, and strive, and survive. To face trial and tribulation willingly. To learn from the experiences, and draw upon his history to pave his next step, to see him through the next danger. What he wanted was ephemeral and changeable¡ªit wasn¡¯t Truth.


    How he got there? How he approached barriers and obstacles? How he worked to grow and learn and change? That was Truth.


    Visions flooded his mind.


    A soldier¡ªaged, bloody, and tall¡ªstood shoulder to shoulder with ten-thousand others, facing down an iron and flesh wall across a field littered with the fallen. Enemies and allies alike were shuffling, hiding their discomfort and fear in small movements.


    The soldier stood tall, unphased. He¡¯d already seen it all.


    Kaius could see it in his eyes. A want, a need, a desire. It threw the soldier back into battle again and again¡ªthrough heroic victories and crushing losses. Yet still¡ªthey stood tall, every battle leaving them a little older, a little wiser, and a little more scarred.


    Yet still, the soldier was unphased¡ªtrusting in his mind, and his blade.


    The sword drew him in. It was plain. Simple honed and oiled steel, scratched and brushed by the ministrations of a thousand failed challengers.


    The blade held memories. The blood, essence, and reminders of a thousand battles. Chipped it might have been, simplistic and unadorned it might have been, but it remembered. The stabs. The parries and feints. The cuts. The false-charges. The openings. The maneuvers. The guards. The formations. The guard-breakers. The sieges. The hikes. The camps. The drills. The orders. The plans. The failures.


    The victories.


    Every scratch, chip, and scar was a treatise on war.


    The blade remembered, and it guided the way.


    Kaius snapped back to himself, reeling within his soulspace.


    The fugue left from the vision was heavy, blanketing his mind like a roux. It shaded his perception in his soul-space, making his vision blurry and indistinct.


    But even through that haze, the burning light of his aspect was visible. Radiant and full of splendour, it burst with light. Growing more and more intense, until all he could see was a burning yellow that reeked of wisdom.


    From deep within himself, the power of Mentis rose. Claws closed around his mind, plunging deep as they rearranged his thoughts, shifted lobes, and metamorphosed his cognition. Twisting them, reinforcing the connections and easing the flow of sensation.


    His thoughts expanded. A second stream burst into existence. Not a full duplicate, but where once he was limited to a single thread, now two focused on his changing mind.


    It was violating, exposing, and revealing. The crux of who he was, how he thought, reinforced and infused with power.


    Yet despite the vulnerability, he found himself at ease. It wasn¡¯t the forced change of corruption, nor a destroying fire that left ashes in its wake. Potent, yes. Overwhelming, definitely. But it felt¡­right.


    Like he had taken a step to being more whole.


    Slowly, the light of Mentis dimmed, leaving fullness in its wake.


    **Ding! Mentis Aspect Founded - The Veteran¡¯s Edge**


    **Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Trailblazer II**


    Kaius gasped, his eyes snapping open. The light of the room flooded in, bringing with it the faces of his team watching him closely with eyes that reflected the gentle flicks of the hearthflame.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    There was no moment of confusion, no split second of disorientation like he normally experienced¡ªhe was simply there.


    ¡°Fucking hells, this is bizzare.¡± he said, shaking his head.


    ¡°What was it like? The bond got all¡­wishy washy for a while there.¡± Porkchop asked.


    Kaius gripped his knee, idly noting the supple texture while he thought on his next words.


    ¡°Strange¡­ There were visions, similar to the impression you get from skill merging, but far far more in depth and immersive, and far more personal.¡± Kaius paused, gathering his words as Ianmus leaned in closely¡ªobviously eager to learn as much about the experience as he could. ¡°Once the Aspect ignited¡­it did something to my mind. Some generalised boost¡ªI keep expecting it to be overwhelming, how fast everything is coming in. But it isn¡¯t¡ªwhich is almost disorienting in its own right.¡±


    With every word he spoke, thoughts flitted across his mind like a flock of migrating starlings, creating connections and making inferences that would have otherwise been out of reach. It was different from the reinforcement of stats¡ªthat he could tell immediately.


    More¡­qualitative.


    Everything seemed to be broader. Rather than just thinking faster, he was comfortably holding a conversation while assessing the changes that had been wrought on him. The second thread wasn¡¯t as good¡ªslow, ponderous, and lackadaisical¡ªbut it was there.


    ¡°Colours seem deeper, my thoughts more fluid, and I¡¯m pretty sure that I''m thinking about two things at once.¡± Kaius continued, frowning as he adjusted to having an entire second stream of consciousness, even one throttled, slow, and lacking in spoken awareness.


    ¡°Fascinating.¡± Ianmus replied, watching him with a hungry avarice. ¡°That is definitely not something that occurs with Intelligence, even at drastically high levels. What of the general base, has your speed of thought increased?¡±


    Kaius nodded. It had, though to what extent he found it hard to say¡ªit was noticeable, but he had no way to tell if he could sense it because of the other changes. He¡¯d know more soon, the changes to his thoughts had made the buzz of his waiting notifications into a piercing drone.


    ¡°I¡¯m checking it now¡ªand the Honour that came with it.¡± he replied, shooting his team a sly grin.


    He heard them suck in a breath, and before they could heave him back into more questions, he pulled up his notifications.


    Honour first¡ªif only because it would be the fastest to digest and explain.


    Trailblazer II:


    Honour


    Pillars of the self, enshrining fundamental truths. Soon to be reforged in a platinum crucible so that they may support the foundation of all that will come.


    Awarded to the first five to found an Aspect in a given cohort. Provides a Moderate decrease to the difficulty of the discovery and development of Aspects. +5 all stats, +3% all stats.


    Bonus: For being the first in your cohort to achieve this Honour the stat bonus is increased to +8 all stats, +4% all stats and receive an Aspect Informational Package


    ¡­or apparently not. What the fuck was an Informational Package?!


    His newly enlightened mind raced, trawling its way through his memories and plucking threads of the knowledge he held on the system and its functions.


    It had to be. That fucking bastard.


    Kaius growled, head throbbing with the sudden intensity of his hatred of someone long dead. Frustration that he couldn¡¯t kill them himself quickly weaving its way into a tapestry of scorching heat that left a flush on his face.


    Yet it did not cloud him¡ªhe still thought clearly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡± Porkchop asked, scooching forwards in concern. ¡°What could have incensed you so?¡±


    Kaius chewed on his words¡ªstewing on the sudden unexpected intensity of his emotions. ¡°The Honour¡­ It¡¯s a sequential one¡ªone awarded to the first five to found an Aspect.¡±


    ¡°Why would that frustrate you?¡± Ianmus asked. ¡°Were you not the first?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Kaius said with a sharp shake of his head. ¡°It¡¯s the first bonus¡ªit comes with a system-granted information package on Aspects.¡±


    The warmth of the fire became sweltering, pooling under his shirt and inflaming his disgust.


    ¡°Think¡ªthe Aspects followed on from Legacy skills. There is no doubt in my mind that the first Honour went to the first to found a Legacy. If they received information from the system on how to discover merged skills, they never shared.¡±


    His team looked at him in shock¡ªboth at the notoriously opaque workings of the system being shared, and at the potential former existence of information on Legacy skills.


    A deep look of despondence crossed Ianmus¡¯s face, the mage mourning the loss of knowledge.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be true. It can¡¯t. The loss¡­Where would we be now if that had been known?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Probably well past the integration.¡± Porkchop spat, his disgust mirroring Kaius¡¯s own. Of all of their members, he was the most at odds with the pervasive secrecy that oozed from every layer of society¡ªhis own had no such compunctions about sharing.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Kaius nodded stiffly, before he sighed and turned away from the potential tragedy. To his surprise, the raging flood of distaste retreated quickly¡ªvanishing once he had decided it was no longer time to indulge.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check my Aspect, if I dive straight into the information package I¡¯ll go mad.¡± he said, getting understanding nods from his team.


    He pulled up the description of his latest discovery¡ªhis Pillar Mentis.


    The Veteran¡¯s Edge:


    Pillar Mentis - Seed Stage


    The Veteran holds wants that have no place on the battlefield, its Edge does not. Slayer, and drawer of blood. Giver and taker of life. The Veteran¡¯s Edge has seen a thousand campaigns¡ªvictories and defeats both. It has been honed, oiled, shattered, reforged, imbued, lost, found, and reclaimed. Kings, Tyrants, and the meek alike have fallen before it, as it has before them. It does not seek rest, nor solace, for that is not where its purpose lies. It does not desire victory and conquest, because such things are ephemeral and short-lived. There is only the urge to temper and quench in viscera¡ªto grow and learn and cut. There is only the faint hope that maybe, once the campaign is done and the sun sets on the field of battle¡ªwhen the Veteran has achieved their goal¡ªit might be laid down at rest. Not forgotten and dull, never that, but instead left remembered and ready for when the next dawn breaks on war once more. Afterall, there is always something else worth killing for.


    As an aspect of Mentis, The Veteran¡¯s Edge reforges the mind with the wisdom of a thousand battles. The Veteran does not survive through strength of arm, but through wit, will, and control.


    Mental Reinforcement: Glass Mind


    The Pillar Mentis reinforces the mind, purifying it into glass. Improves multi-tasking and meta-cognitive abilities.


    Seed: Campaigner¡¯s Reasoning


    Imbued with the wisdom of a thousand battles, remember what happened before.


    Greatly improves your Glass Mind¡¯s memory of previous combat related experiences, insights, lessons, and tactics. Automatic recall and synthesis of information is improved to facilitate a path to victory.

 B2 Chapter 195: Revelations, Finale

    Kaius stared at the description of The Veteran¡¯s Blade¡ªhis Mentis Aspect¡ªin shock.


    It was huge¡ªand far more involved than any skill or honour description he had seen. Suddenly, he was extremely glad that he still had an informational package to read, because he had very little context of what any of it meant.


    He could, at least, assume that his new second stream of thought was due to the Glass Mind that had come with the aspect. It was the only place that made any mention of multi-tasking.


    As for his Seed, the Campaigner¡¯s Reasoning, he still had yet to notice any direct implications of the change. From the wording, it was combat focused, and sounded like it would be an extreme help.


    Half of what won a battle was knowledge that was so deeply ingrained that you could act upon it instinctively¡ªthe best way to defeat a guard, where to stand, weaknesses, and more. If this change really helped him process that better, if it really gave him a better mind for battle, he was pleased with his change indeed.


    Though, he decided to reserve his full judgement of the change until he had seen it in use. Hopefully he would be able to puzzle it out during their upcoming training with Rieker. Whatever it was, and however it had changed him, it was far more subtle than the lesser mind that his aspect had spawned.


    Less noticeable than even his rapidly increasing Intelligence, he sincerely hoped that it was an indication of how integrated the change was, rather than its scope. For something that was supposed to be a continuation of Legacy skills, he hoped that it would be just as impactful.


    Beyond the description, Kaius found his eyes repeatedly returning to the Aspects epigraph. It spoke to him on a deep level¡ªresonated with his understanding of himself and his goals, though in a way he found hard to describe.


    At a first glance, he had thought that it was referring to a sword¡ªthe Veteran¡¯s Edge, that is. What else would hunger for blood, keep a man safe, and be reforged? But on a second read, he wasn¡¯t so sure.


    The more Kaius thought about it, the more certain he became that it was the Veteran¡¯s mind. His mentality, focus, and drive. Drinking in all varied experiences, and plotting its way forward. Lighting the way, and securing a path that would see the veteran home¡ªhale and hearty¡ªwhen the battle was done. Regardless if it was won or lost.


    It was a way he wanted to live. At the end of the day, his goal wasn¡¯t to win any given fight. It was grander, and far further off than that. If he wanted to gain the power he needed to secure him and his from the machinations of those that would do them harm, he needed to accept that defeat would happen.


    He needed to keep his eyes on the peak, and use every barrier and stumble as a learning experience, to better surpass them when they were next faced.


    Kaius smiled, pleased that he had received something that fit him so well¡ªthe Campaigner¡¯s Reasoning was perfectly suited to help him grow from his experiences after all¡ªand dismissed the notification.


    He found his team waiting, leaning close towards him as they sat with straight backs and sharp eyes.


    Covering his mouth at their intense focus, Kaius shared what he had learned¡ªincluding the mysteries that he hoped his waiting notification would solve.


    Ianmus leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg as he stared into the fire¡ªpondering Kaius¡¯s explanation of the Veteran¡¯s Edge with a slow rhythmic drum of fingertips on the carved wooden hand rest.


    ¡°I agree that the information package will likely clear up any misconceptions that we have.¡± the half-elf started. ¡°At least, we can hope. With how jealousy the system guards its secrets, I would not be surprised if it withholds the full story. Honour reward, or no.¡±


    ¡°Surely this strange parallel mind is generalisable though? It mentions that it is from Mentis itself.¡± Porkchop replied, turning to face Ianmus.


    ¡°It¡¯s likely.¡± Ianmus said, shifting in his seat. ¡°But we cannot know for sure. The way I see it, there are three options. Either all Mentis Aspects come with this ¡®Glass Mind¡¯, or there is a pool of possible changes it chooses between¡ªsimilar to the Seed but less personalised. It¡¯s even possible that the parallel thoughts are entirely unique, like the Seed, and the only non-specialised boost is a general improvement in cognition. After all, these Aspects seem highly personalised compared to anything else we have seen so far.¡±


    Kaius wasn¡¯t sure about that last one. Sure, it was true that The Veteran¡¯s Edge seemed almost tailor made for him, but he thought it was just as likely that the system simply had a pool of them to draw from that was too large to fathom.


    People didn¡¯t differ that much, and he could easily imagine there being others that were just as suited to this aspect as he was.


    Plus, if the Glass Mind wasn¡¯t a more generic benefit, he would have expected it to be more¡­tonally consistent with The Veteran¡¯s Edge. As it was, he suspected that Ianmus¡¯s first two guesses would be far closer to the truth than anything else.


    ¡°Well then, should I check the information package? It might illuminate a few things.¡± Kaius replied, itching to dive into it. After all, most of what society knew of the system''s functions was due to generations of research.


    The system itself informing people of its capabilities had to be a first. Or, perhaps it was a second.


    His face flushed with bitter outrage as he remembered the fact that someone might have received something similar for Legacy skills, and decided to keep the information to themselves.


    ¡°Please do!¡± Ianmus said, knocking him out of his contemplation. The mage¡¯s hands were scrunched tight, whitening with the force of his suppressed excitement. ¡°This sort of discovery is what scholars dream of¡ªit seems that my hope that following you would lead to interesting discoveries is already paying off.¡±


    Kaius snorted at his teammate¡¯s antics, but dutifully pulled up his waiting notification all the same.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    **Ding! Informational Package Available! Access?**


    Informational Package - Aspects:


    For being the first in your cohort to develop an aspect, you receive information on their function, purpose, and development. Share this insight, or monopolise it, as you please.


    The founding of the Aspect¡¯s Triumvirate is the second step of the Path, following that of the Legacy. Where the Legacy emphasises the power of community and knowledge, the Aspect Triumvirate enshrines the potency of personal understanding and experience.


    Each Aspect empowers and changes the focus of their domain¡ªMind, Body, and Soul¡ªon a level far deeper than simple skills. The process of founding and refining them is an intense personal metamorphosis, one that prepares and strengthens the self for the coming rigours of the Path. All aspects carry a baseline level of refinement to their domain, but every Truth is singular and will confer a Seed that provides unique benefits.


    As you further walk the Path, these Seeds will be nurtured.


    Founded on personal Truths, Aspects are inherently revelatory. These self-discoveries are often first revealed in moments of intense crisis, clarity, or stress. Like many things under the system, intense battle with beings of notable level or strength disparity is particularly conducive to producing these revelations.


    Once touched upon, introspection, meditation, and externally induced trance-like states can be utilised to delve into them more deeply. As personal understanding grows, so does the ease of future discoveries.


    For Mentis, this Truth is the waystone of mentality, drive, conviction, and motivation. Understand the core thread that links these facets of the mind, and the Aspect is revealed.


    Ignite Pillar Corporus and Pillar Animus to reveal the nature of their Truths.


    Ignite all three Pillars to reveal a hint of the third Step of the Path¡ªAspect Refinement.


    Be warned, it is possible to force an Aspect Ignition with a poorly fitting truth¡ªdoing so has potentially disastrous consequences for the Path unless steps are taken to correct this issue during refinement.


    While he was reading, Kaius saw Ianmus rush out of his seat. The mage hurried to his bag, retrieving a notebook and quill, ready and waiting to transcribe their discoveries.


    Kaius turned his attention back to his notification. Glee welled within him, growing more dense and forceful with every line he read, until a wide smile split his face.


    It was tainted with a bitterness that came with his realisation that he was likely right¡ªthat if someone had earned something similar for Legacy skills, they had never shared. The information here¡­it was too complete. Too fleshed out, with little insights, and more.


    It even gave hints on how to discover and find Aspects, even if Corporus and Animus were more vague. Whatever it had been, it must have come with some level of direction on how to find valid skill merges.


    That, he knew for sure, had never been shared. If it had, it had been locked away in some family vault and guarded jealousy, and eventually been lost to time. For if any living dynasty had that knowledge, they would have already seized control of Vaastivar¡ªformed a second Empire.


    Still, even those distasteful thoughts quickly fell to the back of his mind as both of his mental processes focused on the implications of the knowledge.


    Finishing his first pass, he turned his focus to Ianmus. ¡°Ready to transcribe?¡±


    Ianmus snapped his head up and down, so forceful that Kaius was almost certain it would have fallen off if he nodded any harder. Even Porkchop, normally disdainful of academic specificities, was sitting rooted to the spot¡ªfocused on him with his full attention.


    Clearing his throat, Kaius brought the notification into view once more, and read it out loud¡ªslow and clear, but also soft enough that it wouldn¡¯t be overheard.


    Ianmus¡¯s handwriting was neat and blindingly fast, easily keeping pace. As soon as Kaius was done reading, he placed the leaf down on the floor where it could dry without running.


    Leaning back, Ianmus ran his fingers through his hair¡ªsilver locks shimmering in the light of the fire.


    ¡°Hells.¡± the mage whispered, his eyes glassy and unfocused.


    ¡°There¡¯s so much¡­and it definitely reads like it¡¯s a continuation of a previous package.¡± Porkchop said, matching Ianmus¡¯s disconcertion. ¡°Why would it keep it so limited? Give it only to a single person.¡±


    While he¡¯d been reading, Kaius had been turning that very thought over in his mind. There was only one explanation that made sense to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a test,¡± he said, voice heavy. His words caught his teammates'' attention, two pairs of eyes focusing on his own.


    Ianmus seemed to understand his point immediately, forehead scrunching as he let out a low groan. Porkchop, however, only tilted his head¡ªprompting Kaius to explain further.


    ¡°Think about it. Everything in this integration process seems to be driving towards developing powerful individuals. It said it itself¡ªthe Legacy is a test of community and knowledge. One, it seems, that only your people have passed as was intended¡ªas far as we know, at least.¡±


    Ianmus nodded in agreement. ¡°It makes a strange kind of sense¡ªif we assume that the purpose of the assessment period is to reward the growth of those most capable, having knowledge of Legacy skills spread widely would be a far better foundation to discover powerhouses. After all, even if anyone could get access to a complete legacy, it would only be the most driven and dedicated that would ever complete one.¡±


    Humming low in his throat, Porkchop pondered their words.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. Most meles don¡¯t finish their legacies¡ªI was a bit strange for how much I focused on my skills. I suppose it''s different for peoples who have the weight of expectation and scarcity on their shoulders¡ªbut when everyone has it, it''s like expecting to see those without legacies working until they only have Unusual and Unique skills.¡± Porkchop replied.


    ¡°But if the system is trying to cultivate powerhouses, or even just find people capable of walking this ¡®Path¡¯, why wouldn¡¯t it share this knowledge as widely as possible?¡± he continued, questioning the system¡¯s reasoning.


    Kaius sighed, rubbing his head. ¡°I think the system might be aiming for that, but I think the integration is testing something else. How well suited a society is for producing the strong. This¡­feels exactly in line with that. When someone is given an advantage, do they share it? Make it easier for others to follow in their footsteps? After all, from Ekum¡¯s words it sounds like the integration is as much capable of being completed by successive generations and by a single powerhouse.¡±


    ¡°I agree¡ªfor all we know, the system would find societies where third tiers are as common as grass more valuable than one that produced someone of the hypothesised seventh tier.¡± Ianmus said, nodding along with Kaius¡¯s words.


    Kaius sighed, slumping back into his chair. The revelations and changes brought by the Aspects were intense, but thankfully he had been one to secure these findings.


    It would give Ianmus and Porkchop the edge they needed to secure their own Aspects and version of the Honour. The knowledge that entrancement could be used to hasten their discovery alone was invaluable.


    After that though¡­he would spread this. He had to. Even if he hadn¡¯t agreed to help the guild, it was far too valuable to society as a whole¡ªand if they did it right it would be difficult to trace back to them.


    Three Fields would be first. Jekkar was still in the first tier, and Holt might still be too¡ªwith them now being well defined allies, the town¡¯s security would be far more assured if they gained the Honour. It would be a race against time though.


    No doubt there were other geniuses out there, either with the guild or other dynasties and institutions, that were coming close to their own discoveries. The information would definitely enable them to garner their own aspects, but whether that would win the race was up to luck and their own abilities.


    Especially because he couldn¡¯t justify giving them too much of a lead. If it got out that Three Fields had that kind of knowledge, and no one else did, they would have powerhouses descending on them in an instant.


    He was only glad he had found companions that would agree with his plan¡ªboth saw knowledge as a treasure to be shared.


    Like he¡¯d told them earlier¡ªwhat good was being a trailblazer if no one could follow the path you created?

 B2 Chapter 196: Training, pt. 1

    Kaius leapt to the side, feeling the tepid air of the training hall caress his skin as he desperately sped away from Porkchop¡¯s claws.


    It was their first day sparring, and Rieker had him strip down to his small clothes to fight his brother. No skills, no spells. Just raw ability as they tried to tear each other to shreds.


    Neither of them were shy about it¡ªPorkchop had immediately set upon him in a furious tumble of teeth and claws. With his left hand reduced to a slowly healing nubbin, Kaius felt himself at a distinct disadvantage. Even if he had the strength to use A Father¡¯s Gift one-handed, it didn¡¯t mean the sword was perfect for it.


    Still, blood had soaked Porkchop¡¯s fur in half a dozen places¡ªevidence that he could still lay down the hurt even disarmed.


    Not to say that he got away scott free. Facing down the mountain of meat that was his brother, Kaius finally got an inkling of the primal terror that their enemies must have felt in their final moments.


    Even without armour, it was hard to hold your ground against an apex-predator more than thrice your size bearing down on you. It was enough to make a man break out into a cold sweat.


    As he moved, half his mind reacted, while the other half analysed the approaching jade claws. They were going to hit him, no doubt about that. Even with the advanced warning and boosted speed from Uncanny Dodge, and his improved footwork from Tempered By Dissonance, Porkchop was like lightning given form.


    Knowing escape was impossible, he warded off Porkchop¡¯s follow through with a rapid jab of his blade¡ªtilting his shoulder to keep the deadly weapons from his core.


    Razor sharp jade punctured his flesh like it was butter, just barely glancing off the bones off his upper arm. Muscle flayed, flapping free in a bright spray of blood, dousing his body in what felt like its fifteenth coat of the visceral paint. As the slab of meat flopped open, Kaius caught the glinting white of his bone out of the corner of his eye.


    It was cracked.


    He grunted, shunting off the blinding white flare of agony as Rapid Adaptation pulsed, muting the pain.


    Health went to work, flooding from the pool in his soul space to douse the site of the injury. Individual muscle fibres writhed like snakes, and his shoulder started to seal itself shut¡ªthickened blood welling at the edges of the wound like water in an overfull cup.


    Porkchop was already moving, lunging in with a bite. Kaius was ready for him.


    They¡¯d already choked off the bond from both ends, allowing nothing but vague emotional impressions through¡ªneither of them were interested in cheating. Unfortunately for his brother, it wasn¡¯t enough.


    As soon as their spar had started, Kaius found the full extent of The Veteran¡¯s Edge revealed to him. The secondary process in his mind had latched onto Porkchop like a bloodhound, analysing his every move to compare to his knowledge of his brother¡¯s fighting style.


    Within moments he could almost predict his brother¡¯s every action¡ªit wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was enough.


    Kaius leapt back and slashed, carving through Porkchop¡¯s snout and peeling back a lip to reveal jagged teeth.


    ¡°Uh oh,¡± he thought to himself, staring at the wound. Neither of them were supposed to be going for the head, but in his focus he¡¯d reacted instinctively.


    His brother howled, genuine anger flooding their narrowed bond as Porkchop raced in with renewed vigour.


    Blanching at the sudden¡ªadmittedly well deserved¡ªaggression, Kaius reacted as best he could.


    He caught the next swipe on his blade, opening Porkchop¡¯s wrist. The third crushed his guard, carving through his thigh from hip to knee¡ªopening it like a sliced bun.


    Porkchop skidded to a halt as he fell to one knee with a gasp, deep red gushing from a severed artery to pool on the stone.


    ¡°That¡¯s for going for the nose, dick.¡±


    He simply groaned back, holding his leg together to make the job easier for Lesser Regeneration. A burst of healing hit them both a moment later. Ianmus, standing on the sidelines next to the guildmaster.


    Rieker had tasked him with holding healing skills at the ready¡ªit was good skill training for the mage, and let him and Porkchop keep gutting each other for far longer than they would otherwise.


    After a minute of lying in his own blood, Kaius got back to his feet and dove back in. Both of them had already levelled their healing skills a couple of times, but there was still plenty of time for more.


    ¡­


    Sitting cross legged on the floor of the hall, Kaius grumbled as the cold stone leeched the heat from his legs. He cradled a glass bottle, one of several that Rieker had procured for him to use over the coming week. From the looks that Ianmus had given them, he knew that most of them were rare.


    He sighed, uncorking the bottle with his teeth. It opened with a squeak. While his hand had mostly finished healing, it wasn¡¯t fully complete.


    When Rieker had said it would be slow, he wasn¡¯t lying. After five days of being torn to shreds by his brother, and tearing him up in turn, his palm had only just finished regenerating.


    His fingers, on the other hand, were still little more than wiggling stumps.


    Sighing at the noxious blue-white fluid inside the vial, Kaius analysed it with his True Sight for what felt like the fifth time.


    Frozen Blood Oil:


    Uncommon - Tier I


    Affinity: Ice


    Turns out having ice in your veins is rather deadly.


    A long-acting oil that spreads freezing ice through wounds, hampering the flesh and bursting soft tissues


    Depths-brewed Weapon Oil


    Creeping Hoarfrost II


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Was he really going to do this? Injure himself purely to grow his skills?


    Yes, yes he was.


    Kaius drew his knife.


    The thick oil oozed from the neck of the potion bottle, beading on the rim like molasses. Wafting notes of the cold night of winter, and the slow burning heat of hypothermic exposure wrinkled his nose as a slow stream of toxin slid free.


    As soon as it touched his knife, the viscosity changed, seeping to cover the full extent of the blade. It was oddly adhering, holding tight to the surface of the metal in a thin film without dripping or running.


    Finishing his pour, Kaius capped the bottle and set it to the side. A quick flip readjusted his grip. Now holding the knife downwards, he held it over his thigh¡ªstaring at his own pale flesh.


    ¡°Just get it over with, you big baby!¡± Porkchop called through their bond with a snort, grunting as a crash of white light seared his chest when Ianmus unleashed a Sunbeam at him. Rieker had them pulling double duty, training Porkchop''s Magic Resistance and Ianmus¡¯s sorcery.


    Kaius rolled his eyes at his brother¡¯s antics and took a deep breath to steady himself.


    Honestly, he didn¡¯t know why he had this mental block. He¡¯d suffered far worse injuries without even blinking, but there was just something about self-inflicted injuries that the mind rebelled against. Some instinct that held him back from plunging the knife down into his leg.


    There was nothing for it.


    He closed his eyes.


    And plunged the knife down.


    *Ding! You have been afflicted by Ice: Creeping Hoarfrost*


    Cold steel pierced his flesh, diving deep into the muscle beneath. Pain flared, though it was a small thing. Easily suppressed by Rapid Adaptation.


    In the back of his mind, he noted the surprising resistance his skin had put up to the blade. Razor sharp, and made of good steel, it had never had any issues of the sort before. It was a piddly thing, and not his second or even third choice of attack, but it had saved him in the past. Perhaps it was time to replace it¡ªhe could always hold on to it as a keepsake; after all, it had been a gift from Father.


    Opening his eyes, he looked down to see the knife sunk to the hilt, a full two handspan and a half of blade deep. He left it there, feeling the numbing agony of the weapon oil attack his flesh.


    Frost grew from the edge of his wound, bluing and brittle skin visible even through the hot red that ran in rivulets from the injury.


    Counting out ten breaths, he sat there waiting. His resistance skill was slow to react to the novel affliction¡ªit pulsed, rushing to the site of the injury, and tasted the flavour of the magic that was slowly creeping its way up his limb.


    Health burned, healing the damage that the hoarfrost left in his tissues. With the dense power of the weapon oil, it mostly served to keep his agony fresh¡ªrejuvenating tissues refrozen to the point of bursting in an endless cycle.


    Gritting his teeth, Kaius yanked his knife free in a spray of blood. The wound sealed in seconds, leaving toxic oil trapped deep in his flesh.


    Now he just had to wait for Rapid Adaptation to do its thing.


    A ding sounded in his mind, the first of many levels.


    ¡­..


    Kaius curled his fingers, staring at them in moderate wonder as he held them up to the light that streamed from the wardlights high above in the training hall¡¯s ceiling. Finally, after weeks of wanting to crawl out of his skin at the sensation of his flesh undulating and stretching, his hand was healed. Waking up in the morning to a fresh set of fingers had been a delight¡ªthe last few days had been especially frustrating.


    With mostly healed fingers, he¡¯d been returning to base instincts¡ªtrying to use the limb for daily tasks, only to suddenly fail when the missing tips of his digits would suddenly make themselves known.


    Unfortunately¡ªor perhaps fortunately¡ªthe full regeneration of his hand meant that he could no longer put off working on reinscribing his Drakthar glyph. He could have started a few days ago, but he had kept finding excuses to put it off.


    More resistances to get, and more sparing to do with Porkchop. Now though, the weapon oils were exhausted¡ªfor now, Rieker said he would work on sourcing more while they were off on their next mission¡ªand he had nothing holding him back.


    Clenching his fist, Kaius felt the tension and pressure shoot through his palm and up his arm, mirroring the heavy demon that sat on his chest. Vesryn glyphs were¡­intensely complicated.


    His original glyph of his father¡¯s design was a child¡¯s drawing in comparison, and he¡¯d mangled himself trying to inscribe that.


    Sure, his mental stats and level were far higher than they were back then, and he now had dedicated skills that would help¡ªlet alone his new Aspect¡ªbut it didn¡¯t make it any less intimidating.


    He¡¯d already walked with Ianmus and Porkchop to the guild. While it would have been more comfortable at the Stables, it was too risky to his brother¡¯s cover to let Porkchop arrive without his bonded partner. That, and in the likely event he cocked something up, it would be nice to have a healer immediately on hand.


    A brief look confirmed that Ianmus and Porkchop were deep in their own training. Ianmus had spent the last week working on using his solar manipulation to affect his sorcery skills¡ªhis beam attack and physical buff. It looked to be grueling work, even now the man¡¯s face was scrunched and sweat streamed off his brow.


    A beam snapped out¡ªscorching Porkchop who watched his fur and flesh burn with stoic interest. Unlike his original attacks, it hung in the air, continuing to scour flesh and blacken bone.


    It was fascinating to watch¡ªthe flexibility that a traditional mage had on changing even rigid System-granted sorcery to suit their needs. So unlike his own glyph-binding. It was also a distraction, he realised, shaking his head and turning his focus inwards.


    As his eyes closed, the almost-circulatory structures of his mana conduits came into the view of his mind''s eye.


    He focused on his hand, bringing up his long-since memorised image of his glyph.


    Taking it slow would be his path to success¡ªhe knew the theory, he knew the glyph, he just had to put it into practice. Easier said than done, unfortunately.


    He infused his mana-pool with a thread of his soul, and started to draw out a thin stream of mana that he pushed to his limb. To Kaius¡¯s surprise, it was far easier than he had anticipated.


    Not simply due to his increased Willpower, nor his drastically improved skills, but because of the ease he had in holding everything clear in his mind. By far the hardest part of inscribing his spells and glyphs had always been the strain of splitting his attention. The glyph itself, his infused mana, and the structure of the weave all had demands on his focus.


    With his Aspect, and the Glass Mind that came with it, everything became far easier.


    Unfortunately it made the glyph itself no less complex. His teeth clenched, grinding against his trepidation.


    With nothing else for it, he decided to dive in.


    Grasping a hold of his mana he weaved a complex knot. Each finger width dove and wound through his flesh, binding themselves recursively to the natural mana pathways that threaded his body.


    It was slow going, barely a finger-width a minute. Thankfully, holding the structure stable was¡ªwell, not easy, but manageable.


    Still, progress was made, and the closest he ever came to failure was the occasional ding of a skill level shaking him from his focused fugue.


    Now more than ever he realised that the person who had originally designed this glyphic language was a genius. Against all his expectations, the structure was remarkably unreactive¡ªeven unfinished, it wanted to bind to his flesh, and each of his momentary slip-ups lead to little more than a waver in the tight whorls and loops of mana.


    That said, his head still throbbed, and his clothes were still soaked with sweat.


    After what felt like an hour he finished the first array, feeling it snap in place. Mana pulsed, flaring its connection to his soul and settled in¡ªbinding itself in place. Kaius¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in surprise at the unexpected development.


    He hoped it meant he could take a break¡ªit was the first of nine that he had identified, and it had taken him the better part of an hour to complete.


    Slowly, trepidatiously, he withdrew his grip on the mana.


    A cooling rush of relief flooded him as the orphaned array stayed in place.


    It was stable.

 B2 Chapter 197: Training, Finale

    Kaius held his sword in a mid-guard, a neutral stance that allowed an easy flow into a variety of attacks and alternate stances. The lights of the training hall were as harsh as they always had been, but after nearly four weeks of spending almost every waking hour down here he was well used to it.


    Sort of. It was still glaring if he got careless and looked directly towards them¡ªTruesight might have kept his vision clear, but it didn¡¯t make the experience comfortable.


    Nearly a whole month, working himself to the bone in an effort to shore up their lacking skills before their explosive rise in levels continued once more¡ªfor a time. Even with the bonus experience from punching so far above their level, it would slow down eventually.


    It had been more than worth it. Every moment of exertion and agony. Every drop of sweat and blood. Every vile toxin and vicious affliction. He¡¯d seen more growth in the last few weeks than he had thought possible.


    Yet not even the fizzing energy of progress could buoy the weight on his shoulders. This time they had spent was not without cost.


    Every day that they trained was a day that the beasts grew stronger. Nearly four months post phase-shift and things were getting bad. The streets were grim¡ªtense and quiet. For a while more refugees and asylum seekers had arrived.


    At first they flooded the plaza where he and his team had entered the city, but eventually there was too little space. Now, practically every square in the city had a ramshackle collection of canvas dwellings housing the beaten and dispossessed.


    It had been far worse when the steady flow of heavy eyes and bent spines had slowed to a trickle. Now it was rare to see anyone outside the city walls¡ªonly fools, delvers, and heavily armed caravans dared to brave the wilds.


    He hoped it was because people had found other refuges, and ways to persevere. That only the weak and incapable had been forced to flee.


    It was possible¡ªthe farmers were managing, somehow. Kaius swore that every time he saw one they were leaping up in levels¡ªand their eyes were just a little harder. He hadn¡¯t seen it yet, but he¡¯d heard rumours in the guild hall that more than a few of the more desperate had tried to raid the wagons laden with food.


    Apparently most of them were lucky to only lose a few fingers for their efforts.


    He found it hard to blame the farmers. They were putting themselves at dire risk¡ªeven with the way they had banded together¡ªin order to feed the city.


    Especially since few people were truly starving. With the amount of beasts around, meat was plentiful, and, like most cities, Deadacre had been built around a shallow depths biome that could provide an emergency food source.


    Layer three, with mostly beasts¡ªit was doing much to serve the city. Unfortunately, it had a middling length week-long reset period; it was a massive operation to get food out. They¡¯d been rotating teams of heavily vetted Iron delvers and high level guards, equipped with borrowed spatial artefacts of significant capacity. Their power meant a speedy clear, and a shorter wait to begin the reset timer, but it meant that those clearing it were seeing few benefits for their trouble.


    The destitution and overall bleakness of it rubbed him raw. Made being in the city for so long even more painful than it already was. He longed for the free fields and open blue of the wilds¡ªthe excitement and adventure of a cross-country hike, suitably sprinkled with heart pounding fights.


    Soon.


    Soon.


    Rieker had a mission for them¡ªhe and Ro were just setting up a route and clearing up the official side of things. When Ro had gotten mad at the amount of paperwork they had created for her, Kaius had thought she¡¯d been playing it up.


    Judging by the hours she seemed to spend filling out forms and signing them in triplicate, getting some authorisation or another to hide their records and obscure the missions they were taking, she hadn¡¯t been. It seemed past a certain level the guild really hated special dispensations without a very good reason.


    Still, despite everything, there were only a few short days left.


    They wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    Rieker stood across from him, casual in his cotton slacks and linen shirt. The man was totally at ease, and utterly unworried for his safety. Hells, if not for holding the same warhammer that had taken his hand, Kaius would have thought the man was ready for dinner.


    More sparring¡ªthough this time he was allowed his skills and spells. Thankfully, Kaius had also been allowed to wear his armour, if only to better the rate at which Tempered By Dissonance would level.


    These fights were to better his Lesser Regeneration.


    The real focus was his sword-work, and how he could push his burgeoning style to more seamlessly integrate his spells.


    They¡¯d already been at it for a few days, and the results spoke for themselves. Rieker moved fast, and hit hard, but not so powerfully that he was unable to keep up or defend. That is, until he made a mistake, and the guildmaster would punish it like lightning.


    Nothing serious, nothing that would take him out of the fight. Just a broken bone or two.


    Broken bones still hurt.


    His fingers rolled over the tacky leather of his sword¡¯s grip, settling to a more comfortable position.


    A frustrating experience, but one that The Veteran¡¯s Edge had taken to like water. Rieker might catch him out with a trick once¡ªeven twice¡ªbut he learned his lesson, and from that moment on, any feint or tell was as visible to him as the sun.


    He simply knew¡ªand with each bout, his library of understanding grew. With his Glass Mind scouring his memories, his swordplay had risen by leaps and bounds.


    How to step, when to strike, when to cast, and when to slip through the skin of the world.


    Even grizzled old Rieker had been impressed¡ªthough he was only rewarded with harder blows and more stringent standards.


    Kaius breathed.


    ¡°Ready!¡± he shouted, his words carrying across the hall.


    ¡°Ready,¡± the guildmaster¡¯s soft words carried clean through the hall, audible despite the lack of projection behind them.


    Kaius raced in.


    The guildmaster flew to meet him, hammer held high.


    ¡­..


    Kaius groaned, splayed out over his brother''s back as he stared up at the wooden ceiling of their room in the Dusty Stables. The soft orange tones of a deep sunset streamed through the high windows¡ªcoating the room in dulcet tones that urged him to fall asleep right this minute.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    They¡¯d finished their last day of Rieker¡¯s hellish training. Finally.


    The man was a devil¡ªno, a demon king. He¡¯d held nothing back in correcting their ¡®inadequacies¡¯, saying only that it was disgraceful and disgusting that people of their talent would have skill levels so low every time they so much as sighed.


    Utterly ridiculous, honestly. It wasn¡¯t like any of them had slacked off, not even for a moment.


    As soon as the day was done¡ªanother one of brutal sparring with the guildmaster himself¡ªthey had rushed from the hall, all but sprinting to the closest thing they had to a home in Deadacre.


    Hensch, the beautiful man, had taken one look at them and banished them to their rooms. It hadn¡¯t taken much to convince them, and the fact that the innkeep had promised to bring dinner to their rooms, and wake them if he had too, had only made the offer all the sweeter.


    Even Yong¡ªthe gregarious cat-beast that was Hensch¡¯s bonded¡ªhad left them alone. Impressive, considering his overly-gregarious nature and utter fascination with Porkchop.


    Now, even after hours of lying around practically insensate, none of them could muster up the energy to move.


    Kaius craned his neck up, catching Ianmus¡¯s eye.


    The man was sprawled in one of the armchairs by the fire, uncharacteristically slouched with one leg flung over the armrest. Considering Ianmus was more the type to smooth out his robe before he so much as sat down, he must have been as exhausted as Kaius felt.


    ¡°Hell of a month, eh?¡± Kaius quipped, giving his teammate a smile.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ianmus said, slowly rolling his head to look over at him. His eyes were heavy. Unfocused. ¡°Oh, yeah. Reminds me of second year¡ªthey had us do a survival course where we weren''t allowed to sleep for the whole week. Just about drove me mad.¡±


    ¡°I feel like my bones are going to fall out¡­¡± Porkchop groaned, his chest vibrating underneath Kaius¡¯s back.


    Kaius laughed. It was a strange thing, the fatigue that came with pushing yourself to the limits. Stamina did much, soothing aching muscles and invigorating the body, but it couldn¡¯t do everything.


    With enough training, it got to a point where the body just¡­had enough. When all that could really help you recover was a good day or two at rest, full of good food and wine.


    He didn¡¯t understand the specifics of it¡ªwhen he¡¯d asked yesterday Ianmus had mumbled something unintelligible about the ¡®complicated interplay of mind, body, and soul¡¯. Just about the only thing he had understood was that any significant expenditure of a resource that was chronic over multiple days and weeks could cause the issue.


    Unfortunate, considering all of them had been spending all three like water for the entirety of their brief stint of intensive training.


    Thankfully, Ianmus had clarified that the issue got less and less significant as one¡¯s stats grew. It made sense, after all, he¡¯d felt similar burn-out in the Depths after far less intensive stints.


    A glance told him that Ianmus had returned to his doze, and the rhythmic motions of his brother¡¯s chest told him that Porkchop had drifted off as well.


    As much as Kaius wished he could join him, he couldn¡¯t, not yet. Even if the soft afternoon sun on his face did feel like getting serenaded by an angel.


    He needed to check his gains. With the frantic pace of his levelling, Kaius had forced himself to put off checking them throughout the month. With the regularity of the dings that had come, he knew they would be significant.


    After all, even if Rieker had paid special attention to Rapid Adaptation and Lesser Regeneration, every single one of his skills had been pushed to their limits. Intense, exhausting, and stressful¡ªbut oh so worth it.


    His mana skills especially had seen surprising growth¡ªas much of a pain in the ass as it had been to reinscribe his Drakthar glyph, the complicated nature of the working had done wonders for his skill levels. Even if it had taken three straight days to complete.


    Let alone the additional resistances he had gained¡ªthose alone were worth the pain and discomfort of self-injury. That, and Rieker had done his best to procure multiple sources for him to gain a defence against some relatively common affinities that he had thought Kaius was likely to encounter.


    He¡¯d been especially insistent on Kaius adapting to the affinities that he and his team mates used¡ªapparently the old man had seen one too many cases of friendly fire in his life.


    Stifling a yawn, Kaius dived into his status¡ªpulling up the changes to Rapid Adaptation as well.


    Status:


    Name: Kaius


    Dynasty: Unterstern


    Age: 19


    Race: Human (Dynastic, Greater Beastblooded) - +1 End, Str, Wil, and free stats per level


    Layer Reached: 2


    Class: Runeblade Initiate - +3 Int, +2 End, +2 Str, +2 Dex, +1 Vit, +1 Wil per level


    Level: 48


    Resources:


    Health - 2970/2970 (16.1/min)


    Stamina - 2850/2850 (22.3/min)


    Mana - 3870/3870 (26.8/min)


    Free Mana - 3870/3870


    Reserved Mana - 0


    Stats:


    Endurance - 174 + 57 + 29% (297)


    Vitality - 68 + 57 + 29% (161)


    Strength - 164 + 57 + 29% (285)


    Dexterity - 116 + 57 + 29% (223)


    Intelligence - 212 + 71 + 37% (387)


    Willpower: - 116 + 71 + 37% (268)


    Stat Points: 0


    Aspects:


    Pillar Corporus: N/A


    Pillar Mentis: The Veteran¡¯s Edge


    <ul>


    <li>Reinforcement: Glass Mind</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Seed: Campaigner¡¯s Reason</li>


    </ul>


    Pillar Animus: N/A


    Class Skills (3/10):


    Latent Glyph of Drakthar (Heroic) - 22 > 43


    Initiate¡¯s Glyphic Bladerite (Unique) - 10 > 26


    Latent Glyph of Aelina (Heroic) - 0 > 15


    General Skills (10/10):


    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 28 > 69


    Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo (Heroic) - 30 > 47


    Explorer¡¯s Toolkit (Unusual) - 36 > 39


    Tempered by Dissonance (Heroic) - 31 > 45


    True Sight (Unique) - 38 > 39


    Tonal Weaving (Unique) - 31 > 49


    Resonance Amplification (Unique) - 27 > 38


    Lesser Regeneration (Unusual) - 28 > 60


    Uncanny Dodge (Unique) - 29 > 37


    Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 40 > 48


    Hymnbook:


    Glyph of Drakthar -


    Stormlash (Tier I - 120 mana)


    Glyph of Aelina -


    Yellia¡¯s Slip Step (Tier I - 80 mana)


    Honours:


    Born for Slaughter (Bonus)


    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding (Bonus)


    Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather (Bonus)


    Persistent Survivor (Minor) (Bonus)


    Kingslayer (Major) (Bonus)


    Ruthless Underdog (Bonus)


    Ruthless Underdog II


    Trailblazer II (Bonus)


    Bound Artefacts:


    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword


    Growth Conditions-


    Gain a class (1/1)


    Absorb suitable materials (1/3)


    Forge a link (1/1)


    ¡­


    Rapid Adaptation:


    Level 69


    Heroic


    Resistances: Pain, Fear, Poison, Disease, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Void, Aether, Venom, Corruption, Bone, Paralysis, Ice, Magma, Light, Wood, Crystal, Electric


    Kaius shook his head at the monumental gains.


    Regardless of the progress¡ªof the worsening state of the integration¡ªit had been well worth it to delay. Their safety was better assured, and if they had pushed ahead unheeded, it was likely that their skills would lag.


    While they could simply wait at the threshold to the second tier while they capped their skills, it was far better for their overall effectiveness in battle if they took the time to keep their skills appropriately levelled.


    With his review done, Kaius stopped fighting against the steady yank of his exhaustion, allowing himself to drift off as the purple and orange hues of the sunset warmed his face.


    Tomorrow they would start their next mission¡ªhe couldn¡¯t wait.

 B2 Chapter 198: Second Mission, Pt. 1

    Kaius looked around the room.


    They were back on the top floor of the guild¡ªone that was totally reserved for the guildmaster¡¯s roof. However, rather than return to his personal office for this conversation, they had exited the stairs and taken a door just off the foyer before his quarters.


    Ro had led the way with confidence, having met them in the common room of the guild just as they had entered. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t draw too much attention. The guild had many trainers, and it wasn¡¯t all that odd for Ro to take an interest in promising youngsters¡ªso most just assumed she had taken on that mantle.


    Not even the most conspiratorial would assume that they had been training with the guildmaster daily.


    After a short walk past tapestries and paintings, Ro had opened a door¡ªleading to some sort of meeting room.


    Rieker was already waiting, sitting on one side of a large rectangular hardwood table. A luxurious thing, etched in filigree, blooming flowers, and fantastical birds in flight. High backed chairs surrounded it on all edges, enough for five people to sit across each long edge.


    The wall behind the guildmaster were austere, much like all the others. That said, they were still clearly expensive. Wood panelling¡ªa deep brown with rosy undertones¡ªflanked the bottom third, while the upper section before the sculpted ceiling was papered with some sort of rich red.


    Simple, but beautiful. Even the wardlights let off a soft yellow glow that filled the room with a gentle ambiance.


    Kaius¡¯s eyes skimmed past the large windows that adorned the wall past the head of the table, revealing a high view of Deadacre. Also pretty, but ultimately not what he was here for.


    Today was when they would learn of their next contract¡ªand the finalised details of Rieker¡¯s plan to rush them to the Steel ranks¡ªor potentially further, to the second tier.


    ¡°Come, come, take a seat.¡± the guildmaster said, waving them towards the seats across from him.


    They filed in¡ªKaius pulling out a chair so that Porkchop could sit next to him. Ro circled around the table, taking her position at Rieker¡¯s right.


    ¡°First, some ¡®gifts¡¯. Ro?¡± Rieker said, turning to the guild manager.


    Drorome nodded, reaching into her doublet to pull out two familiar medallions, and three small charms that looked like beads of woven wire. The former were guild tokens¡ªmuch like their own copper ones, but bronze instead. Ro pushed them forwards.


    ¡°These are for your new rank¡ªcongratulations, you made Bronze.¡± Ro¡¯s voice was flat and insincere, though Kaius knew that for all the woman was acting stoney, she did have a genuine fondness for them. ¡°I hope you appreciate the two days of forms it took to get you this after a single mission.¡±


    On the back of her withering stare, she smiled¡ªface flicking quickly to a bright warmth. ¡°It¡¯s a genuine achievement, and as much as I have been grumbling about the extra work, it¡¯s a well deserved reward. With the overleveled nature of the assassin spider, you earned a bonus¡ªone-twenty gold. I took the liberty of splitting it between your accounts in the division that Ianmus requested.¡±


    ¡°Bronze is where the guild truly begins to invest in its members¡ªgiving access to our banking through the use of your medallions. In cities with a guildhall, most establishments catering to delvers can draw on it directly, but you can always withdraw coin at any hall.¡± Rieker interjected. ¡°Most importantly in our case, it clears you for missions up to level one-hundred.¡±


    Kaius nodded. He¡¯d known of both, but it was good to confirm they had earned it all the same. Thankfully, by the time they had outgrown threats on that scale, they had both Rieker and Ro to smooth their advancement to Iron¡ªthey¡¯d already said they would do as much.


    Apparently, the ranks weren¡¯t so much a direct declaration of the levels of a given team¡ªinstead, they were designed to show off the caliber of threats they could face. Most people did not fight above their level¡ªcertainly no one went to the extremes that he and his team did¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t entirely unheard of for elite teams to enter a new rank ten to twenty levels early.


    ¡°These, on the other hand.¡± Ro tapped the rings. ¡°Are not a reward. They are a loan. Rieker had to request them personally from the head office¡ªpulling strings to do so¡ªand they are exceptionally valuable.¡±


    ¡°Our new masking artifacts? Ianmus is getting one too?¡± Porkchop asked.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ro nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t just need to hide your class identifiers, or that you are a greater beast¡ªwe need a total mask, something that will obscure you completely against analysis from anyone under the third tier.¡±


    Kaius ogled the plain rings that looked like they were made out of simple steel, finding it hard to believe they could be so potent. Masking them utterly from someone at the peak of the second tier? He was no expert in the skill, but from what Ianmus had said, that was a steep ask.


    It also made his mind drift to what Rieker had said so long ago, that even high in the second he considered himself only a middling power. It went against everything he knew. From everything he had been taught, third tiers were as rare as dragon¡¯s teeth¡ªbut Rieker made it sound like they were almost common.


    ¡°I see you recognise your value.¡± Rieker said with a nod. ¡°Indeed¡ªI can confirm that these were hard for me to acquire, even with a career''s worth of connections to draw upon. I would have liked to get something that would have hidden you from a third tier. Unfortunately, I do not have the wealth, pull, or favours to get something like that.¡±


    ¡°Plus, it is of dubious value.¡± Ro interjected. ¡°The chances of a third tier¡ªone with an analysis skill, mind¡ª coming to Deadacre of all places is vanishingly small, and if you catch their eye¡ªyou¡¯re already fucked. Someone in the first standing up to their analysis would be just as damning as them seeing it in the first place. We hope, by the time you brush against such lofty shoulders, you will more than be capable of handling your own Mask.¡±


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    Kaius caught Ianmus staring at the rings, an intense look of contemplation furrowing his brow. Finally, he looked up to their superiors.


    ¡°What tier and rarity are these? From what I know about enchantment theory¡ªwhat you¡¯re saying it can do is impossible for something less than a second tier artefact. Well, unless they are named items.¡±


    Ro and Rieker grinned, matching smiles that were all teeth.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡¯re Unusual second-tier artefacts¡ªtook me a month to secure them. At significant personal cost, mind you.¡± Rieker replied.


    Kaius blinked, his mind reeling. First the regeneration tonic, now these rings? Just how rich was Rieker!? They had to be thousands of gold! At least!


    Rolling her eyes, Ro slapped the guildmaster on the shoulder¡ªit was a telling display of familiarity, one that was enough to ground Kaius from his shock at the expense of the artefacts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell fibs.¡± she admonished him, before turning back to him. ¡°He requisitioned them. They were¡ªand remain¡ªguild property. Thankfully, promising youngsters like you that need a little secrecy is exactly why the guild produces them. They¡¯re a loan¡ªuntil you reach the point where you can Mask yourself just as well as these can.¡±


    She slid the rings over. ¡°Pass me back your old ones. I¡¯m taking them back and clearing your debt, they can just go straight back to the armory. You also won¡¯t be able to analyse them until you put them on.¡±


    Kaius nodded, scooping up the cold band of metal. Turning it over in his hand, it really did just look like a simple loop of solid steel¡ªwith no signs of inscription to be seen. Obviously they had been made by a master, whether it was an artisan or a runesmith, they¡¯d done immensely well to hide the nature of the artefact.


    Sliding it on to his finger, he peered at it with True Sight.


    Ring of Jealous Secrets:


    Unusual - Tier II


    Some things are best not shared.


    A ring of inscribed mithril inlaid with tier two mind-aspected amethyst, and coated in a fine layer of steel. Fully blocks inspection of the wearer with an adamant defence, and passively holds their Mask in place. Active testing of the Mask still burdens Will, but this strain is greatly lessened. Mask is preserved even if the wielder falls unconscious. This artefact is drastically difficult to analyse, and is enchanted to encourage disinterest in its presence when worn.


    Artisan-wrought Artefact.


    Accessory - Ring


    Adamant Mask II, Resizing I, Inspect Resistance VI, Self Repair III, Durability II, Cloak of Disinterest IV


    Kaius gaped at the artefact¡ªmarvelling at the number and quality of enchantments that had been packed into the ring. His first piece of tier two equipment, a significant milestone if he had ever heard of one.


    Sure, it wasn¡¯t technically his, and it would do little to materially benefit him in battle¡ªbut it was still a significant gesture. No matter how much Rieker downplayed it, and no matter how much Ro said it was guild property, there was no way these would have been easy to acquire. Especially since they were barely a quarter of the way through the first tier.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± he said, bowing his head to his superiors.


    He might have had an independent streak a mile long, and still have a few reservations about Rieker¡¯s and Ro¡¯s true gains from helping them¡ªbut there was no denying they were pulling out all the stops.


    Feeling the nudging curiosity coming through his bond, Kaius relayed the artifact''s functions to Porkchop. His brother¡¯s eyes widened, sniffing the ring in curiosity, before he got Kaius to help him with replacing his own.


    Ianmus, on the other hand, was still rooted in shock¡ªsitting in his chair with his hand held in front of his face, staring at the ring like he expected it to vanish at any moment.


    ¡°Now!¡± Rieker clapped, jolting all of them out of the revere. ¡°With that done we have a mission to discuss.¡±


    That caught Kaius¡¯s attention, his heart thumping at the thought of finally getting out of the city once more.


    ¡°We had a scout come through a couple of weeks ago¡ªa refugee from a small hamlet closer to the coast. An old soldier¡ªhad enough levels to make it out there, but had fled with his village to keep them safe. Tough bastard managed to keep all fifty of them alive, charting them a course around the worst of the beasts. Don¡¯t think he slept a wink for the whole trip.¡± Ro started.


    Rieker pulled a roll of paper from his spatial artefact, and passed it over. Ro unravelled it on the table, revealing a map of Deadacre and the surrounding regions. She pointed to a spot deep in the hill country to the south east.


    ¡°They passed through this spot a good three or four weeks back¡ªpretty early into their journey. The scout had been doing his nightly rounds, and stumbled into something serious.¡±


    Kaius leaned in, looking at where she was pointing. He didn¡¯t know too much about the kind of dangers that could be found over there¡ªand even if he did, they had likely changed since the phase-shift.


    ¡°What¡¯d he find?¡± Ianmus asked curiously. ¡°I can¡¯t remember there being anything of note in the Dramsal hills¡ªonly a few boggarts and the like.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Rieker said, his word cutting through Ianmus¡¯s question like a knife. ¡°He found a boggart warren.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they just pests? I haven¡¯t heard of anyone having much trouble with them in the past.¡± Porkchop tilted his head, looking at the guildmaster in confusion.


    ¡°Not any more.¡± Ro¡¯s voice was grim. ¡°He said he found hundreds. Most in the late fifties to sixties¡ªbut you can count on their elites and leaders being higher. A plague of that size alone is a threat to the entire region. If they aren¡¯t stamped out, they¡¯ll just keep growing and growing and growing. Eventually, even Deadacre might be at risk.¡±


    Kaius stared at the guild manager with wide eyes. That serious? ¡°Why in the hells would you send us then?¡±


    ¡°Because, lad, a plague of this size is a job for me. Ro brought this right to my desk. With a volume of enemies like this, and of a decent level, it will be enough to get you to your next class skill. Most importantly though, facing so many enemies will stress your abilities, and your team work. Your skills will benefit vastly.¡± Rieker explained.


    Then the guildmaster rooted him to the spot with steely eyes. ¡°However, this is important. The boggarts must be slain, and I am taking a risk leaving this in your hands. They¡¯re unlikely to run, but if you don¡¯t catch all of the leaders, they¡¯ll just keep breeding until we have another swarm on our hands in a few months. If you fuck it up, we¡¯ll have to clean up your mess. ¡°


    ¡°I hope I don¡¯t have to say that if that happens, I will be very disappointed. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    Riekers words were teasing, but they had a hard edge to them. He genuinely expected them to slaughter this threat. No doubt, if they failed, their next training sessions would be even more tortuous than the last.


    Kaius swallowed, a lump catching in his throat.

 B2 Chapter 199: Second Mission, Pt 2

    Pausing as he met the guildmasters¡¯ eyes, Kaius considered the responsibility that had been offered. Taking out a boggart swarm of once in a century''s strength? That was vital, and the fact that they had been offered the task showed a level of trust he didn¡¯t expect to receive so early.


    ¡°Given the risks, and the importance of this task, we won''t force you to take it on.¡± Ro said, drawing Kaius¡¯s attention away from Rieker. ¡°Take a few minutes to think it through¡ªwe have backups, but this is a genuine opportunity if you can seize it. Similarly, if you do decide to accept, you should prepare thoroughly¡ªit¡¯s a little more complex than what you did with the spider.¡±


    Kaius looked to his team, searching their faces for any indication of their preferences.


    Porkchop, as always, looked thrilled at the idea of any form of challenge¡ªso he was a shoe in. Ianmus however, looked concerned, with a slight frown marring his angular features.


    He caught the man¡¯s eye. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Ianmus paused, contemplative for a few moments, before he shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s up to you, I trust your judgement. A swarm of that size is dangerous, but I am less concerned for our safety¡ªthe two of you can handle it. I do have one question though.¡±


    ¡°How are we allowed to do this? This can¡¯t be a Bronze rated task.¡± Ianmus asked, his attention turning to the two guild administrators on the opposite side of the table.


    One of Ro¡¯s eyes scrunched as she grimaced¡ªher awareness of the non-standard nature of their mission obvious. Rieker only grinned.


    ¡°Technically, since the scout only saw enemies under level seventy¡ªand he only saw a few dozen at any one given time¡ªit¡¯s within the bounds of what a Bronze can handle.¡± Rieker said, his voice carrying through the room. ¡°Though I will admit that it is stretching the definition just a little. Traditionally anything that can potentially escalate to disastrous levels is given priority to delvers who have a certainty of success¡ªthough I have plenty of leeway in how that applies.¡±


    Ianmus mulled the words over, before he turned back to Kaius. ¡°I¡¯m satisfied¡ªit¡¯s up to you.¡±


    Nodding to his teammate, Kaius leaned over to look closer at the map that Ro had placed on the table¡ªconsidering the boggart swarm that they were tasked with culling.


    The group itself should be easy to navigate to. Deep in the dense and rocky hills that lay east and south of Deadacre¡ªabout two weeks walk if he was reading the map right. It would likely be a relatively easy journey. Flat land, with few stopping points other than a few smaller villages that they could stop by for supplies.


    If they were still inhabited, that is. Kaius frowned¡ªthe fact that the scout had moved past them, going straight to Deadacre, was telling. Though, it was possible they just simply didn¡¯t have the infrastructure or supplies to handle the influx of hopefuls.


    No doubt the boggarts were holed up in some cave, as their kind was wont to do. While he knew relatively little of that region, he had heard that there were some pretty extensive systems that networked the hills and bedrock beneath.


    He didn¡¯t deny it was an exhilarating opportunity, but it had its risks.


    Boggarts of the level that they had described were rare, and were usually the result of some small tribe of the buggers being left undiscovered in a particularly dangerous region. However, swarms were slightly more common.


    As one of the lower races, boggarts formed complex communities that could grow and scale. Unfortunately, like all others of their cursed nature, they seemed to be inherently destructive and parasitic.


    They festered, eating regions barren until they either starved themselves out or formed conquesting warbands, descending on surrounding territories to pillage and eat and slave.


    Normally, it was a rare issue¡ªlacking the faculties of the higher races and greater beasts, they had little of either¡¯s raw power and ingenuity. Hells, they couldn¡¯t even speak Common, which Kaius assumed meant that they had some lower form of the system like beasts.


    Even when they did form hosts, most of the time their environment couldn¡¯t support large numbers, and they stabilised in small tribal groups¡ªvicious and bloodthirsty, but low level and weak. It was only when a rare shaman or warchief appeared¡ªpulling various tribes under their banner¡ªthat they would form a host and raid in search of the resources they needed to grow their numbers, increasing in levels all the while.


    Kaius sincerely hoped that this tribe, numbering in the hundreds, was some result of the increased number of beasts allowing them to grow fat and numerous, and not the result of one of their number becoming a chieftain.


    Warchiefs, and the various other types of boggarts that rode at the head of swarms, were universally powerful. A cut above their more common brethren, both in stature and the might of their system-granted abilities, from what he had heard. If even the common rabble beat him in level¡­one of them would be potent indeed.


    On the other hand, Kaius could see Rieker¡¯s wisdom in them taking this mission on.


    First, the guildmaster was correct in that it would be a fantastic whetstone to hone the edge of their skills against. More than that though, it would give them valuable practice against thinking enemies.


    Boggarts might have a base and simple intelligence, but they were conniving and cunning. Learning how to manage opposing tactics, ambushes, and the like, now instead of against a superior force of men could save their life. Plus, ever since gaining his Veteran¡¯s Edge, he had taken a new shine to the breadth of value that varied experience held.


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    In his spars against Porkchop and Rieker he had realised that his knowledge of war was fragmented and relatively untested. No matter how much his mind pulled on his past experiences to seek a path to victory, it mattered little when almost all of them were against rabid depths-born and simple beasts.


    Plus, he didn''t need an Aspect to know that they had yet to adapt their team tactics against large volumes of enemies. Learning to manoeuvre and dismantle a numerically superior force would be vital before they returned to the depths¡ªespecially considering Ianmus¡¯s relative vulnerability to being caught out alone.


    All in all, he thought it would be worth it.


    Besides, surely a mission of this import would have a commensurate reward?


    ¡°What¡¯s the pay?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re talking! Should have been the first bloody question out of your mouth.¡± Rieker said, walloping the table hard enough for it to jump. As the table crashed back to the ground, the guild master winced as Ro stared daggers at him.


    ¡°Rieker! If I have to fill out a requisition form again for another table, I am going to hand off your precious liquor to the closest booze-hound I can find that looks like he drinks rotten apples for a living!¡± Ro yelled at the man, swatting him on the arm.


    It seemed even the guildmaster himself wasn¡¯t immune to her fire¡ªRo clearly had no compunctions about denying Rieker the respect his station was ¡®due¡¯.


    Kaius bit the inside of his cheek, hiding his amusement.


    Rieker, at the very least, had the good sense to look abashed. ¡°Sorry, Ro.¡±


    Sniffing, and giving him a swift nod at his minor contrition, Ro turned her attention back to them.


    ¡°The reward is considerable. A full platinum piece¡ªone-thousand gold to split between you¡ª¡± she explained.


    Kaius¡¯s eyebrows shot up, and he heard his teammates gasp in surprise. That was a lot of money¡ªeven enough to start securing a couple of pieces of Rare- gear for him and his team, potentially even more.


    Ro continued on, uncaring of their reactions. ¡°¡ªhowever, we have a suggestion. Rieker can explain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple really,¡± Rieker said, taking over from his guild manager. ¡°You all are in desperate need of some better gear. Unfortunately, coin rewards for guild work are relatively controlled¡ªthe guidelines are set by the head office, and we have very little ability to shift them. Not by much, at least.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sensing there¡¯s a ¡®but¡¯ coming.¡± Porkchop grunted, sitting up taller on the carpeted floor to watch the guildmaster closer.


    Rieker nodded. ¡°There is, but it''s the good kind.¡±


    Drumming his fingers on the table, the guildmaster searched for his words. ¡°The guild has an Armoury system. It¡¯s the same place we got those Masking artefacts from. Any member can forgo their mission rewards in place of receiving an artefact¡ªchosen by us, in most cases.¡±


    Kaius nodded¡ªhe could see where the guildmaster was going with that. Artefacts were¡­difficult to concretely price, beyond certain generalities. If they could receive it as a reward¡­Kaius decided to voice his assumption.


    ¡°I imagine if we take that option, you will have far greater leeway in what we are rewarded with?¡± he asked.


    Both Ro and Rieker nodded.


    ¡°We have a few things in mind, actually.¡± Ro explained, clearly more in her element as the change of pace to logistical concerns made her perk up. While she might have hated paperwork, it was becoming more and more clear that she was a fantastic administrator.


    ¡°Though, some of them you might have to forfeit your rewards from more than one mission to be able to afford.¡± she rose her hand as Ianmus opened his mouth. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯ll be getting an impossibly good price, but there are limits to how far we can bend things¡ªeven for the Armoury.¡±


    Kaius sat up straighter. He did have to admit, the idea of fresh gear was an appealing one. While his rewards from the Depths had been invaluable in keeping him alive, most of them were of little assistance against the monsters they currently faced. Hells, his armour had barely been holding up against Champions¡ªand even if they were empowered compared to even Elites, it wasn¡¯t enough to make them compare to something like the infernus hound.


    It might even be possible to leverage the rewards for materials to upgrade his blade. It was holding up better than most, despite nominally being Common, but the sooner he could improve it the better. He knew little of growth artefacts, but almost all stories agreed on one thing¡ªthe first step in their development was the most impactful. A sort of awakening.


    It was a risk. Telling Ro and the guildmaster that he had a growth weapon would be as impactful as telling them they had Honours¡ªonly slightly less uncertain than letting slip that he and Porkchop were behind the phase shift.


    His mind raced¡ªface staying still as Ro and Rieker went through a laundry list of gear improvements that they could make. A new staff for Ianmus¡ªfollowed by some decently protective robes. Rings galore for Porkchop, to better increase his damage output and maneuverability. Armour for him, a full set this time¡ªsomething that Ro emphasised would be better off saving for.


    Unfortunately, the guild administrators were also adamant he replace his blade¡ªand soon. A Common weapon was a poor tool at their level of strength, in their eyes.


    The idea rankled¡ªrelinquishing his pay in return for a weapon he would never use. Yet the idea of revealing the existence of his sword¡ªFather¡¯s most precious gift¡ªmade his stomach twist. At the very least, it would need Ro to be looped into the same oath that the guildmaster had made.


    His mind torn, Kaius reached for his bond¡ªseeking out Porkchop¡¯s advice.


    ¡°Just do it,¡± Porkchop replied upon hearing him out. ¡°The worst that can happen is she has to leave the room¡ªit¡¯s too big of an opportunity to miss out on, and they already know much. Besides, I think it is good for us if she is oathbound anyway, and this is a good excuse to get that done.¡±


    The tense indecision that was balled up in his chest eased at his brother''s words. Steeling himself, Kaius waited for his moment while Ianmus nodded along to Rieker¡¯s insistence that he needed an ioun stone. He''d never heard of them, but judging by the way the conversation was going, it seemed to be some sort of artifact that would act as a store of mana for Ianmus to tap upon when needed.


    Finally, their words petered off, and he sensed his moment.


    Time to find out if he could squeeze the guild for help in upgrading A Father¡¯s Gift.

 B2 Chapter 200: Second Mission, pt. 3

    Mid-morning sun streamed in from the windows of the fifth floor meeting room, blanketing the richly stained wooden table where Kaius and his team were discussing their upcoming rewards for their next mission.


    Kaius cleared his throat at a lull in the conversation, drawing the room''s attention. Sharing the nature of his sword was inherently risky, but if he could secure an oath from Ro, he would be far more comfortable.


    ¡°Rieker, Ro, I have a question for you.¡± Kaius said


    ¡°Oh, what''s on your mind?¡± Ro asked, looking at him with curiosity, the rest of the table''s eyes turning with her to train on him as he interrupted. ¡°It''s not like you to interrupt, did you have a request?¡±


    ¡°In a sense, though it''s only tangentially related to the topic at hand¡± Kaius replied, still feeling a little nervous.


    His response only seemed to pique Rieker and Ro¡¯s curiosity all the more; the pair of experienced gilded administrators looking at him with curiosity.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Rieker responded, encouraging him to continue.


    Kaius paused for a moment, gathering his nerves. ¡°It relates to our gear¡ªanother secret, and a rather large one. Unfortunately, it is one I have realised will become rather suspicious with the extent of your involvement in our current training. Hiding it would be¡­inconvenient and wasteful.¡±


    That got their attention, Ro in particular narrowing her eyes as she watched him closely.


    ¡°There¡¯s just one thing,¡± Kaius continued. ¡°If possible, I would like Ro to take an oath similar to the one you did, guildmaster.¡±


    Rieker immediately winced, cringing away from his request¡ªeven Ianmus stared at him in horror. Curiously, Ro herself didn¡¯t seem too surprised by his request, the corner of her eyes crinkling as her lips tweaked upwards.


    ¡°Kaius! You can¡¯t just ask that!¡± Ianmus all but yelled, aghast.


    He looked to his teammate in confusion, brow furrowing. Why not? It seemed like a pretty reasonable thing to do?


    Ianmus sighed, running his hands through his hair as he took in Kaius¡¯s expression. ¡°You can¡¯t just ask a Hiwiann to take an oath, especially not on one of the blood stones¡ªthey¡¯re sacred! There¡¯s all sorts of protocols that have to be followed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind him¡ªwe all know the idiot grew up in the middle of nowhere, he didn¡¯t know what he was asking. Besides, I''m no puritan.¡± Ro assured the mage, before shooting Kaius a smile. ¡°He¡¯s right though. If you were anyone else, I would be apoplectic¡ªbe thankful you¡¯ve already proven you¡¯re an idiot of the highest degree.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t realise it was a taboo.¡± Kaius replied, bowing his head respectfully. He didn¡¯t feel truly bad, after all, he considered their security more important than cultural practice¡ªbut if he had known he might have reworded his request. ¡°Thank you for being gracious, but this is important¡ªI might have to share with Rieker privately.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t take the oath, greenhorn. Just that you had been rude.¡± Ro grinned.


    The guildmaster turned to the manager of his branch, one eyebrow raised in surprise. ¡°Really, Ro? You decide to pick up a new binding now, of all times?¡±


    ¡°What can I say? The boy is interesting¡ªI¡¯ll go get the stone.¡± Ro replied, pushing her way out of her seat and leaving the room before any more words could be voiced.


    The room lay silent while she was gone¡ªKaius and Porkchop struggling to understand the hubbub around the oath, and Ianmus and Rieker astounded by the ease at which Ro had agreed.


    Ro swept back into the room, setting the ornate box that held the shard of the bloodstones down on the table. ¡°Now, so you do not make this mistake again¡ªand end up getting thrown out of a caravan or worse¡ªthere are two main things to abide by when you want to make an oath with a Hiwiann.¡±


    Kaius leaned in. Even if he didn¡¯t fully understand the custom or importance, it clearly existed. Given that he was likely to end up traveling all over Vaastivar, learning how to not piss off the trader-peoples who supplied half the continent with goods seemed like a wise choice.


    ¡°First, never ask. You can state it, if you make yourself the sole focus¡ª¡¯I would be willing to make an oath on this¡¯ is acceptable.¡±


    Nodding along, he filed the information away. He still thought the custom strange, but if he could work around it¡ªit would do.


    ¡°Second, always be prepared to bargain. A Hiwiann will never make a one-sided oath, even with death on the line.¡± Ro gave him a predatory smile, the points of her teeth glinting in the wardlights and raising the hair on the back of his neck. ¡°With that in mind, here¡¯s the deal. I swear on this, and you swear to give me three days of your full effort on one or multiple tasks of my choosing¡ªas long as they are not a risk to your life.¡±


    Kaius cocked his head. When the guild manager had given him that smile, he¡¯d been expecting something egregious¡ªshe clearly knew he wanted something, so she had him over the barrel. A few days'' work was¡­ not very much, in his eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­uncharacteristically kind of you, Ro.¡± Rieker said, watching the woman like she¡¯d grown three heads.


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    ¡°Hah! Kid¡¯s going to be Platinum before the decade¡¯s out¡ªor I''ll eat my boot. You best believe I¡¯ll be banking those favours.¡± Ro said, letting out a bark of laughter at the guildmaster¡¯s words.


    Rieker nodded, looking immediately more comfortable. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±


    Kaius looked between them in confusion, before looking at Ro in surprise as he processed what she was saying. From what he knew of the ranks of the guild, they went up every hundred levels after you hit the second tier, so Platinum would have to be the first half of the third tier.


    First, the fact that Ro was confident he would make it there so quickly was flattering¡ªfrom what he knew the geniuses who even made it to third tier usually took decades. Second, it seemed¡­reasonable? Sure, he¡¯d be stronger, but it was only for three days.


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    Ro cackled, rubbing her hands together in glee, before she slid the box over to him. ¡°Person who suggests it goes first!¡±


    Ianmus¡¯s subtle nod to him let him know it was likely another custom, so Kaius held back his pride and unlatched the box, pulling free the shard of pulsing red rock. Relieving himself of a drop of blood with the aid of his trusty hunting knife, Kaius made his oath.


    Swearing to aid Ro with three full days of effort¡ªas long as it wasn¡¯t a risk to his life¡ªKaius felt his soul pulse as a faint and ephemeral connection linked him to something greater. An oath, set in stone.


    As soon as the last words left his lips, Ro cackled, wringing her hands as if she had just gotten away with robbing a bank. ¡°Fuck, I love a good mark.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, am I missing something? I understand she wants to wait until I¡¯m strong, but she¡¯s acting like I just signed away my first born.¡± Kaius directed his words to Rieker, desperately hoping that the guildmaster would explain the oddities in Ro¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Three days of effort from a third tier is not usually something that money can buy¡ªRo¡¯s just gambling you¡¯ll make it there, though it seems to be a pretty safe bet.¡± Rieker replied.


    Kaius tilted his head at the woman, before shrugging as he put it to the back of his mind. Potential future value or no, it was still just three days of work. He didn¡¯t see how that matched up to someone swearing to keep his secrets and never act against him. Though, he supposed the best deals were the ones where both parties walked away thinking they had won.


    Gently taking the bloodstone back from him, Ro went through with her own oath¡ªidentical to the one that Rieker had made a month ago. She smiled as she did so, like it didn¡¯t feel like cold water was poured over her soul. Kaius sighed with relief as soon as she was done¡ªwith his security confirmed, he could see about the guild helping with A Father¡¯s Gift.


    ¡°Ro, I¡¯ll loop you in later. Come to my office the night before your rest-day. It¡¯ll be a long one, and I expect we¡¯ll be quite drunk by the time we¡¯re finished.¡± Rieker nodded to his second. ¡°Now, Kaius, what did you think was so important you had to loop Ro into the oath.¡±


    Nodding to the guildmaster, he unsheathed his blade, laying it flat across the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s about A Father¡¯s Gift¡­¡±


    ¡­.


    Walking out of the guild, Kaius still felt the afterglow of the satisfaction from seeing Ro and Rieker¡¯s shocked reactions to learning his sword was a growth weapon. They¡¯d simply sat frozen, not doing anything other than blinking. It¡¯d taken clapping to snap them out of it, and even then they had little to say for minutes.


    Good thing he¡¯d decided against sharing that Father had made it, any more surprises and he was pretty sure that their hearts would have given out.


    He¡¯d gotten them to agree to see if they could help upgrade the sword in the end¡ªthough apparently it would be a bit more trouble than simply picking a good sword. Apparently, the guild had strict rules on who could know the contents of their artifact stores¡ªfor operational security reasons, according to the guildmaster. Moreover, there were also rules against removing items from the vault''s protection without due cause, ones that even Rieker was bound to.


    Troublesome, as it meant that they couldn¡¯t simply ferry him materials until one resonated, and he couldn¡¯t go in to show them which ones¡ªif any¡ªdid. In the end, Ro had come up with a rather convoluted method, and he¡¯d had to agree.


    A binding formation¡ªone that would cut him off from all of his senses. They¡¯d cart his insensate body in, and he¡¯d rely on his bond with A Father¡¯s Gift to see if anything was resonating. Porkchop would wait elsewhere in the guild with a communication artefact, and he would tell his brother if something did, at which point Porkchop would be able to tell the guild administrators that there had been a resonance and how strong it was.


    Once they¡¯d been catalogued, they¡¯d cart his body out, free him, and let him know if he could have his prize now, or if he would have to bank more rewards.


    Convoluted and ridiculous in his opinion, but if that is what it took to get his blade upgraded he¡¯d do it. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t entirely sure if they had to¡ªwhile they had never personally encountered such a case, it was likely the guild had dealt with bound weapon wielders before¡ªthey¡¯d see if there were any official rulings that would make their lives easier.


    Unfortunately, the same ridiculous rules that made it necessary also meant they couldn¡¯t do it now. He had to wait until they could reward him.


    Shaking his head at the memory, Kaius made his way back to the Stables with his team.


    The rest of the day would be dedicated to preparation. Taking on a boggart swarm was no easy task¡ªit could take weeks, and there was likely to be a distinct lack of anything edible once their business was underway with how voracious the buggers were.


    Beyond food supplies, Ianmus had raised that it would be smart to pack mana restoratives, and potentially antidotes for disease and poison. If they were ambushed when Ianmus was out, he¡¯d be almost entirely defenceless. Same went for the antidotes¡ªIanmus could burn out an infection, but if he was afflicted while low on mana, it was better to save the resource for defence.


    That wasn¡¯t all; Ro had offloaded three other jobs for them to tackle on the way there. They would be trivial for their strength, but, given how rapidly the state of things was changing, that might not stay the case for long.


    His Glass Mind was already racing¡ªpouring over his memories to plan the most effective route it could based on his understanding of the region. Aspect in full force, it planned for the campaign ahead.


    Looking around the street, he noticed a man in a plush purple cloak almost running into his house, a sack of what sounded like jars held in a white knuckle grip.


    It seemed that the air of desperation had finally begun to claw its way into even the wealthy in the Delver¡¯s district. It was¡­sickly and heavy, seeing the weight that people carried as they walked the streets. Reminded him of the fragility of what had once seemed ironclad.


    Gods, he couldn¡¯t wait to get out of here.

 Interlude 3: Rumours

    Jorn coughed weakly, trying to clear the thick wad of mucous that seemed to be choking him alive. Leaning one hand against the greasy stone wall of the alley, he doubled over¡ªhis head spinning as a ka-thunk rocked his chest. His heart skipping another beat, it had to be.


    They were getting closer together.


    He needed more shard.


    It¡­it would be his soon. Even with the fucking beasts ruining the supply lines¡ªeven the thickest smuggler was a fucking rat, and too few were braving the wilds¡ªGrave-eye would have some.


    He always did. He was desperate enough that the prices would be worth it.


    Besides, this time he wouldn¡¯t owe the demon-spawn shit. He had info.


    Everyone knew that Grave-eye liked info. Sure, he was a ruthlessly conniving bastard who would look best dressed in six strides of soil¡ªa veritable plague on the city¡ªbut the man had shard.


    Or at least, Jorn was almost certain he did. How could he not? Grave-eye had his fingers in every single pie in the city. Sure, he was a smaller player, but he was smart, had connections. Everyone knew him. Everyone liked him¡ªor at least, thought he was useful.


    It was honestly impressive how he¡¯d managed to leverage a web of favours, deals, and alliances to keep himself safe in the middle of his enclave.


    He had to have shard.


    Just thinking about it was enough to get that metallic tingle on the back of his tongue, his mouth puckering at the very thought of it. That porcelain bite¡ªshining a soft, impossible, grey. The sour taste of joy and acceptance.


    The bitter fucking abscense of it.


    Another thud rolled through him. Jorn crouched down, hugging his knees as he waited for the wave to pass.


    He just¡­just had to get to Grave-eye. Even a flake would last him for a week¡ªhells, a month!


    Feeling himself grin at the thought of the poison, Jorn felt sick to his stomach. A delver, shivering in an alley as he dreamed of his next fix. Gods, he was gutless. Such a fucking bastard. A two-bit delver who was pathetic enough to get hooked on fucking shard¡ªover a wench of all things!


    But¡­it wasn¡¯t all his fault. Cass had tricked him¡ªtold him it was just a bit of fun. Told him that she¡¯d taken it for once or twice a year since she¡¯d been a woman, without a hint of a craving. Liar. Then she¡¯d died, and there was no fucking way he was dealing with that sober.


    He¡¯d lost Hosh in a delve three months later, and Talla the very next time he¡¯d dared to step foot in those demon-spawned Depths after that.


    Who could blame a man for grief?


    Besides, it was the last time.


    Jorn coughed, and the wad finally came free. Spluttering to the point of retching, he spat the slimy gristle onto the piss-streaked stone, and came up for a breath of sweet air¡ªat least as close as you could get to it on this side of Deadacre.


    With air, came clarity. Gods, what was he doing? He was a rat, a sellout¡ªa fucking snake.


    He should turn back. This was a step too low, even for a bastard like him. He could tell Ro¡ªhe¡¯d never spoken to her, but he¡¯d heard she was reasonable. Oh, she¡¯d chuck him in a cell until he was good and dry, but she wouldn¡¯t give him the boot.


    She might if he went through with tonight.


    There were a lot of opportunities out there now, for someone like him. Even a shit Scout with an Uncommon class could make something of themselves these days¡ªplenty of things to grow strong against. Plus, the boys had been talking about pushing up through Bronze¡ªmaking their way to Iron. There¡¯d be good coin with that, enough to get him to the Dukedoms. Like he¡¯d always wanted.


    Ma would have wanted it too. Even if he could never visit her again, she¡¯d want that for him.


    He wouldn¡¯t even have to delve. No more losing people to Guardians¡ªjust scoping out beasts, and running if it was too hard. He could do that, couldn¡¯t he?


    Just as he pushed against the alley wall, the damp grime feeling like shards of glass on his too-sensitive skin, his chest was rocked by another shuddering thump. Pain exploded, shooting down his arm and clawing its way up his neck.


    No. No, he couldn¡¯t. He¡¯d die. He needed to taper¡ªtoo much of a shock to the system to do it cold, not with how long he¡¯d been on the poison.


    But¡­but to taper he needed shard.


    Fuck.


    It was his life, or theirs. Hells, it wasn¡¯t even their life! Just a few rumours really¡ªstuff anyone could find out if they were watching closely.


    Jorn gasped as a burning hot flush roared up his back, nearly heaving again as his nose ran down the back of his throat.


    There was no choice. He had to see Grave-eye.


    ¡­.


    Grave-eye leaned back in his chair, the leather-lined recliner tilted back on an angle as he rested his boots on his desk. Ironwood desk, the top lined with suede made from a venomous cantel beast¡ªonly found in the eighth layer of a delve right in this very city.


    Took a beating like nothing else, and it didn¡¯t stain. A large bonus, in his line of work.


    ¡°Gorm, bring me a brandy.¡± he called to his hound who waited by the door to his office with a snap of his fingers. The brute grunted, but moved to obey, bowing his head to avoid the chandelier. Bloody ogre of a man¡ªbut keeping even a giant-blooded around had its uses.


    He narrowed his eyes at the man''s slouch, the slow, lackadaisical, pace of his walk to the liquor cabinet by his bookcase¡ªthat one had been engraved by elves of all things. Any slower, and he¡¯d have the man found in a gutter. Already would have, if the half-brained dimwit wasn¡¯t so annoyingly loyal.


    ¡°Oh, and fetch me my copy of ¡®The Secret Lives of Antidevian Mistresses¡¯ as well.¡± Grave-eye added with a wave of his hand as Gorm opened the liquor cabinet with a shocking lack of care¡ªdidn¡¯t the moron know that the joiner who¡¯d made that was dead, and elvish, it was a rare piece!


    Gorm shuddered to a stop, his hands frozen halfway through opening the crystal decanter that held his brandy. A Mystral vintage¡ªthe best brandy came from the best wine, after all.


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    ¡°Yer¡­.what?¡± Gorm asked, staring at him with a complete lack of deference.


    Grave-eye scowled, throwing his hands up in the air. ¡°A book, you blithering fool! Right there! The red spine¡ªimperial octavo, with the deckled edges and marbled boards.¡±


    Gorm just stopped, staring at the bookcase as his eyes roved right over his book like the utter brainless lout he was.


    ¡°Right there, you fool! Second shelf from the top, five in from the right. Or do I need to teach you how to count, as well!¡± Grave-eye yelled, staring at his hound in disbelief. Utterly ridiculous. He¡¯d have buried Gorm in a fucking latrine by now¡ªif he hadn¡¯t pocketed every bribe he¡¯d been offered and then immediately turned it over with a list of who¡¯d tried.


    After a shocking display of mental agility, Gorm managed to find the book after his third set of directions, and brought him both his drink and his reading material.


    Finally he could relax.


    ¡­.


    He¡¯d only just gotten to his favourite chapter¡ª¡¯Seventy Silks for Sixteen Balls¡¯¡ªwhen he was rudely interrupted by someone hammering on his front door. They were heavy hits, carrying that desperate quality he had gotten so used to, and carried up the stairs to his study with inordinate ease.


    Grave-eye sighed, his temple throbbing as he kicked his feet off the plush leather topper of his desk.


    ¡°Gorm, go see who that is. If they don¡¯t have a good reason to be here, kill them¡­and break a few bones first for interrupting my book.¡± he said, dismissing his hound with a wave of his hand.


    Swirling his brandy, Grave-eye took another sip of the amber liquid. It burned smooth, leaving the very same note of peaches and rock-melon on the back of his tongue that made the source vineyard so famous.


    A few moments passed, and he heard his hound open his door for a moment, then close it again. He didn¡¯t hear Gorm¡¯s passage otherwise¡ªthe imbecile was terrifyingly quiet. He¡¯d considered getting him fit with a bell, just to stop the amount of times he¡¯d turned around to find the twit looming behind him like a statue¡ªby the gods he had the brains of one.


    His hound re-entered, stopping by the door and doing little else. Not entirely outside of the ordinary, to be honest.


    ¡°Well? Who was it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Jorn.¡± Gorm replied.


    ¡°And I am supposed to know who the fuck that is how?¡± Grave-eye narrowed his eyes at his hound.


    ¡°Bronze delver, shard addict, Scout, last bought a full scrap from Fos nine weeks ago¡ªnothing since.¡± Gorm replied, his voice the same low drone it always was.


    He clucked his tongue. Now he remembered. A filthy gutter-rat of an addict, for sure¡ªbut the man had given him a few tasty morsels in the past. Hopefully, for his sake, he¡¯d brought some today.


    ¡°Well, what did he want? Or is he lying dead in my lobby¡ªbecause I thought I told you to stop leaving bodies there, it¡¯ll stain the marble.¡±


    Gorm shrugged. ¡°Said he¡¯s got something good, wants to trade it for some Shard. Wants five scrap of it.¡±


    Five scrap? That was enough to keep even the most seasoned shard-vein juiced to their eyeballs for months. Let alone it was a clean three-thousand gold, alchemical products weren¡¯t cheap, afterall. It had to be something good¡ªor the man was lying.


    Grave-eye paused, thinking on it more. In all likelihood the shard-vein was simply desperate, not that that was any great risk. He could deal with a bronze delver alone, let alone one strung out on shard of all things¡ªGorm would shatter him like the fine china he¡¯d been forced to stop buying.


    ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Go fetch the gutter-rat!¡± Dead-eye dismissed his hound with a sniff, topping up his brandy from the decanter on his desk.


    A moment later, and Jorn crossed the silence wards he¡¯d had embedded in his walls¡ªthe low droning splutter of a shard-vein in deep withdrawal filling the halls of his home. Grave-eye scowled in disgust.


    The bastard better have something good, or he was a dead little rat.


    A single set of shuddering steps advanced up his stairs, walking over his finely woven and richly dyed rugs¡ªno doubt tracking in all manner of disgusting filth¡ªbefore they stopped outside of his office.


    Gorm opened the door, shoving the shard-vein in. The rat stumbled, barely arresting himself before he slammed into his desk. Lucky, if he¡¯d spilled even a single drop of his brandy, he wouldn¡¯t even have waited to hear out the rat¡¯s inevitably lying squeeks.


    ¡°Jorn.¡± Grave-eye said, dragging the rat''s eyes to his own. ¡°You have five seconds to start telling me why you interrupted my book before my hound starts breaking your fingers.¡±


    The rat¡¯s eyes widened, though they stayed pinpricks despite the light of the ward-lights. Fucking shard-veins, disgusting creatures.


    ¡°Yes Grave-eye, sorry Grave-eye. I¡­I came because I saw something you might be interested in, want to trade it for some shard. Tryna get off it you see, thought a big batch to help wean would be smart.¡± the rat yammered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear what helps you sleep at night, you fool! What did you see?¡± Grave-eye growled, boring holes in the rat.


    Jorn gulped, his throat quivering around some obstruction.


    ¡°Well, I was on a mission, out Intshire ways, near the woods out there¡­¡±


    ¡­.


    Grave-eye¡¯s mind raced as he listened to Jorn''s tale. Now this! This was something he could use.


    Interesting. Very interesting indeed. This was worth a whole lot more than a few scraps. Now¡­how to profit.


    Well, he had one thing left to do.


    ¡°Well, Jorn, this was a pleasant surprise indeed. Thank you for bringing this to my attention¡ªthough, pray tell, have you shared this with anyone else? This kind of info is most valuable when it is only in my hands.¡± he smiled at the shard-vein, even if it sickened him.


    The rat¡¯s eyes widened, no doubt surprised by his stunning display of grace. ¡°N¡­no, Grave-eye¡ªI swear to the gods!¡± the rat managed to somehow grow even more pallid and sweaty.


    ¡°No gods in this house, on the truth-stone if you please.¡± Grave-eye replied, tilting his head to the fine piece of runework that he had embedded into the top left of his desk.


    The shard-vein nodded hurriedly, though his eyes rolled at the motion, swaying as if he was going to pass out. Still, he was obedient enough¡ªfor a rat¡ªand placed his hand on the stone. ¡°I swear that I have told my story to no one except you, Grave-eye.¡±


    To Grave-eye¡¯s delight, the stone shone green. A secret that was his alone, how splendid!


    ¡°Fantastic job, Jorn! You¡¯ve done me a great service, I think one worthy of ten scraps, how does that sound?¡± Grave-eye forced himself to be sweet, even if it sickened him.


    Like the simple minded beast it was, the rat''s entire countenance morphed at the mention of even more shard than it had been expecting. Its face brightened, eyes becoming wide and bright as a smile of genuine happiness spread across his face.


    ¡°Oh thank you, Lord Grave-eye, you are too kind!¡± it spoke, falling to its knees as it clasped its hands.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Rewards to the faithful and all.¡± he replied, waving off its protestrations. ¡°Gorm, fetch the man his gift.¡±


    Gorm opened the cabinet behind him, before stepping forward.


    The rat looked up, a wide smile on his face as he looked at the hound.


    The hound buried a knife in the rat''s face, blood spurting over his woven rostian rug.


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, Gorm! How many times have I told you to bludgeon them if they are on the carpets! Are you trying your hand at being a colourist?¡± Grave-eye cried, staring at the spreading pool that was soaking into the dense orange weave of his rug.


    ¡°Why are you standing there, you fool! You think because you remembered what ¡®gift¡¯ means that you¡¯ve done a good job? Get it off my bloody carpet!¡±


    Gorm grunted, bending down before he hoisted the body over his shoulder. The idiot that he was, he left a trail of blood his entire way out of the office.


    Grave-eye sighed, turning away from the mess¡ªthank the gods he knew a cleansing spell. Swirling his brandy as he stared into the hearth behind his desk, he thought on what he had just learned.


    A smile grew on his face.


    He¡¯d need to confirm it for himself, of course. Keep an eye on things. But if it turned out to be correct? This could be the score of a lifetime.


    Oh yes, this could turn into quite the profitable endeavour.