ă€ŠRunebladeă€‹


 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 vige 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 mmed in his chest. How each breath felt like a knife de on his throat.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He just had to get to Father.

    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 momentter 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 hade 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 pped 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 copsed. 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 pped 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.

    Hastur drew Art In Motion, the longsword gleaming as it caught the light. It was a masterwork, a strange de with a section of diamond cutouts through its centre. A de 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 ttered, 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.

    ??? - ??? - Level 157:

    ???, ???, ???

    Hastur grit his teeth. Nomon 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 t. Hard.

    "Maybe once, Hastur. Maybe once. But now? With your ss shattered and your body ruined?" The manughed. "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 stter 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.

    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 ss 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 wereughing 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 ss. 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 secondbined 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 avable to him.

    nting 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 theynded 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 thend 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 regrly; 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 pping 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 scintiting 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 ck closed in.

    Thenˇ­nothing.

    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 ssh, 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 exined 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 dposition. "That exins 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 theck 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 impable timing the System thrust a notification in front of his face,

    **Wee 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 secondyer 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 tongueshing 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 otherponent. There was only one way out of the Depths. You had to y one of the Guardians that defended a portal to the surface and a portal deeper. You could traverseterally. Moving through biomes to find a favourable match up. But you had to kill a Guardian.

    Something no unssed had survived. Ever. Not even on the firstyer.

    Monstrous beyondpare, the Guardians had a far higher level than theyer average, with far more power per level than amon Depths-born. They even had ess to ss 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 ss selection, he should get offered quite the selection of sses. With a ss and a few levels under his belt, it might be enough.

    He would just have to survive the two years until his ss selection. Alone. In the Depths. Fuck.

    "Okay, immediate ns. Set up a safe base of operations. Father said monsters wouldn''te 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 ce 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 asting 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 evene 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 viges that bordered the Sea tipped him their hats in a deference they showed no others.

    "But if he had a re up.." Thest 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

    ss Selection: 1 Year, 49 weeks, 6 days

    Level: N/A

    Race: Human (Dynastic) - +1 free stats per level

    Layer Reached: 2

    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

    ss Skills (0/10):

    N/a

    General Skills (10/10):

    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 10

    Warforged (Unique) -16

    Tracking (Common) - 20

    Sneak (Common)- 20

    Trap Finding (Umon)- 20

    Orienteering (Common)- 20

    Herbalism (Umon)- 20

    Cooking (Common)- 20

    Sense Weakness (Rare)- 15

    Physical Conditioning (Umon)- 13

    As he had expected, his Health was hovering at rock bottom. Thanks to his stats being capped at twenty until he got a ss, 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 simrly 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 ssh zone of any further potential water drops.

    He probably could have hobbled over, but Kaius didn''t want to identally reinjure anything partially healed. He didn''t want to spend any longer than necessary waiting for his health to fill.

    Groaning in difort, Kaius decided to inventory his skills in order to take his mind off his leg. His third legacy skill wasing 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 Umon skills, into Explorer''s Toolkit.

    Normally that would have taken him a few more months. They werebat focused skills. Sense Weakness was self exnatory, 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 urred 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 theponent skills he needed for the rest of his legacy skills.

    Especially the sixth and seventh skills in his legacy. They were vital for the ns he had for his ss. 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 ss. Without that influence, he would need to pick a channelling ss if he wanted ess to magic. Which would mean the sway of his closebat legacy skills on his ss selection would go to waste. No one used channelled magic in melee, it was suicide. He had one shot at a ss that blended magic and de.

    There was no way he was going to let being trapped in the Depthse between him and his goals.

    Besides, if he managed toplete 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 - ss. That would give him just the edge he needed to y 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 feltfortable 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 moremon merges of two to three skills were Rare.

    Yet, despite their power- their frankly insane value- almost no one actively hunted forbinations. 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 unted aplete 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 ss. 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 viges 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, n, 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 exined the origins of his bizarre injuries. The ones that inhibited his abilities to use his active ss skills. That caused him such agonising and debilitating re 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''sˇ­conditionˇ­ had been getting worse over time. His father had done everything he could to stoke his desire to be 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 viges 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 thenter to obtain his ss. 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He just had to get out of the damn Depths first.

    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 ck 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 -pleted 13,289 years, 3 months, 4 days, 19 hours, 8 minutes, and 42 seconds ago**

    **Integration Stage 2 - Pending ˇ­ **

    "Useless." The words were forceful. Bitter. An ancient frustration sending the dancing lights into a swarm of anxious activity.

    "Summary sincest 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 unssed 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.

    "Maybeˇ­ 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 wless 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 ss 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 amissioned 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 de wereparatively minor. Thanks to its superior make and materials he couldfortably cut through leather and bone with ease. Durable, scalpel sharp, and perfectly bnced.

    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 de 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 ce.

    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, exining it to him. They grew through struggle and strife. The strength of your ss offering influenced in much the same manner. There were no shortcuts.

    Even before he unlocked his ess 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 everplete his skill evolutions and cap them at twenty in the measly five years between matriction and ss selection. With a good ss 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 Depthse 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 de into a high guard, flowing smoothly through his stances. Weaving between imaginary enemies as his sword shed 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 ughter 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.

    Walking over to a pool of disced 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.

    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 ces. Common or not, the way it eased his movements, guided him on how to reduce his presence, was a rarefort.

    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. wing their way across the walls like creepers.

    If it had been anywhere else, the effect would have been pleasant. Almostely. 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 wasmon. 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 fifteenthyer.

    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 Umon 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 toeter, once he''d gained his ss. 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 ss 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 ssic.

    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 almostpletely obscure his view. Something darted across, crawling deeper into the nest and out of view.

    Massive, hairy and ck. 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 Ie 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 theme 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 vite 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 ttered against the rock below with a nk. The spider screeched. iling, 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 ck that seemed to bleed up the walls.

    Kaius didn''t stand on ceremony. He lifted his sword, spider still firmly impaled, and mmed it against the rock wall to his side.

    The spider all but exploded.

    **Ding! level 5 Lesser Cave Spider in**

    Kaius frowned when he saw the notification, connecting the dots between the below-average level of the monster, and the steady flow of simr 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 in**

    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 sttered against his chest.

    Still more spiders followed, Kaius fell into a gorge-rising routine of strikes and stomps that sttered 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 iling 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 inmed heat growing from the wound.

    "sted 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 wereing 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 de 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 roomˇ­" 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 preupied 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.

    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 stter, his eyes drawn to the red blood.

    Kaius checked his Health. The interface flickered into his eyeline a secondter, 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.

    Slumping against the wall of the cavern, he heard a ssh. 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 encapsting 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 himself

    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 copsed 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 difort.

    He sped his hands, thanking Ellyntr that he had such a useful skill.

    When he was younger he had oftenined that it was far less shy than the stories he had heard vigers tell. Ten-skill merges were supposed to be shy, 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 difort 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.

    Irreceable 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 imnted deep into his flesh. First one. Later, dozens.

    A single miscement 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.

    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 in 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 tunnelster and he spotted a slow brightening of the light. Emanating from around an uing 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 identally 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 particrly 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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kaius stopped transfixed, his attention drawn away from the space''s immense size to the dense nket 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 dpidated 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 t light draped the underbrush, theck of shadows ying 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. Justst 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.

    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. ss long since shattered, only the rotten remnants of shutters remained to sway in the strange breeze that flowed through the cavern.

    Buildings weremon enough in the Depths. Apparently, as you got deeper it was possible to find entire ruined fortresses, even cities. Rich in artefacts, forgottennguage, 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 de 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. t nes of stone rising abruptly from the earth in a haphazard manner. So different from the orderly rows thaty on the outskirts of frontier viges.

    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 ce, 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 werepletely unaware of theirpatriots. Their patrol was lilting, seemingly without any true vignce. 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 totalck 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, theycked the regenerative vigour of Health. Even if they kepting 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.

    "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 nk 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 silentpared 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 theirck 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.

    "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 de 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 rx 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.

    Butˇ­ 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 onemanded 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 d 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 uracy.

    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 in**

    **Ding! Sense Weakness has reached level 16!**

    Sense Weakness:

    Level 16n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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. ckened orbs burning a hole in his own.

    His stomach dropped.

    Kaius had to fight to keep his grip suitably rxed for swordy. Steeling himself he took a few confident side steps. Holding his ce 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 itscking 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 itspatriots 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 de 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 de 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 difort 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 bnce.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He stepped forwards with a lunge, sword poised tonce 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 nched. He could abort his strike. Attempt to dodge the iing blow. However, the only way he could do that would be to throw himself to the side. Leaving him unbnced and the initiative firmly out of his hands. No time. He had tomit.

    He braced his core, twisting slightly to minimise his profile.

    The blunt edge of the hatchet mmed 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 in**

    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, apanion encased in a pitted breastte 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 swording 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, butˇ­

    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-wieldingpanion 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 de had exposed his gums to the tepid air of the underground de.

    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. Itspanion 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-wieldingpanion 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 bnce would be broken, and not in his favour.

    He had to do something, and fast.

    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 ownbat 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 bnce on the uneven terrain. Another opening. One he knew would be defended by yet another stab from the rearguard undead.

    Kaius''s focus contracted. de spinning to parry the spear thrust that he had seening. Borrowing force from the collision he pivoted his sword into a downward sh, taking the off-bnce undead clean through the neck. Decapitated, its body fell limp.

    **Ding! level 14 Wretched Militiaman in**

    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 shed low. de met desated flesh, shearing through its knee. The undead pitched over. He carried his cut through to whirl into an overhead strike.

    His de buried itself in the undead''s brain pan.

    **Ding! level 12 Wretched Militiaman in**

    **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 mortalbatpared 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 shed 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 swordncing towards the undead''s face.

    Its head turned at thest minute.

    Sparks flew as his de 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 de 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!" Heboured through clenched teeth.

    Soundlessly the undeadshed 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 de.

    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 w at him, his breathing in shallow gasps.

    The undead drew back, only to smash into his de 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 shed 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 de lying in the dirt somewhere behind him. Hastur stood over him with a hand outstretched, its knuckles bloodied. He held his own de 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 de to meet it. Binding it once more.

    The impact shook him to his bones.

    Before his foe could leverage its strength Kaius pivoted his de, turning his block into a parry. The undead, suddenly faced with ack 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 ng.

    It stumbled, suddenly off bnce.

    Kaius nted his feet. Pulling his sword in tight to his chest he shifted his weight onto his back foot. Heshed out with his leading leg into a push kick that unbnced the militiaman..

    The undead fell, helmet nging loudly on a stray gstone.

    Lunging forwards, breath and spittle flew out from between his painfully clenched teeth. His gloved hand slid up the de 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 red 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 in**

    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. Heughed, pain or no. There was something so singr about staring death in the face, seeding, 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''ming for you."

 Chapter 7 : Basecamp

    Kaius slumped onto the wall of the ruined church, sliding down until he sat somewhatfortably. His heart still pounded from the excitement of going toe to toe with a full party of undead.

    Beside himy a pile of poor quality armour. Scavenged from the body of his in 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, arge 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 rtively 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 ayer to happen.

    "Which means I will need to return here even if I go on extended explorations, since finding the exit from thisyer, 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 bemon, if not more difficult.

    He had toe 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 avable. You need to make a n." 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 de. 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.

    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 dissimr to themon 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.

    "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 muscture 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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kaius smiled. "Perfect."

    Reaching over his back Kaius drew his sword with painful slowness. He''d already dulled the shine of his de 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 de 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 hended.

    Kaius dropped into a backwards roll to disperse his momentum,ing 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 boarunched 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 copsed to the floor, limp.

    Kaius watched the creature, tension leaving him as he recognised his sess. 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 de across the boar-thing''s neck, severing the carotids and its remnants of life.

    **Ding! level 14 Dire Boar in**

    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 jubnt grin split his face.

    With this he had secured enough food to well and truly start stockpiling. Though, ncing at the lean muscture 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 de 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 toe and investigate all the blood.

    Kaius tended to a small, but very smoky me at the base of the hearth. Luckily for him, whatever real world ce 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 ce 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 ce with whittled wooden skewers.

    In time he would have himself some jerky. It wouldn''tst anywhere near as long as it would have if he had enough salt avable to properly preserve it, but it should stillst 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 de of its denizens.

    Large the de 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 thest, that was it. No more food.

    Kaius nodded to himself in satisfaction as he secured thest 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 ityered 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 b 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 9 : Fervour & Fury

    Kaius stood on the wide trail beaten through the undergrowth of the subterranean de, watching the two undead that slowly approached with spears levelled at his chest.

    Their weapons had the stout look of boar spears. Leaf shaped des capped by lugs on a stout haft six strides in length. They were weighty, unwieldy things. More meant for nting 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 in 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 bodiescked the smooth flowing bnce 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.

    Itspanion 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 darkugh. Running towards his downed opponent, he ignored how each step sent anothersh 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 in**

    He turned to the remaining undead, advancing towards it. It was actively wing at the ground, dragging its way towards him. Its empty expression infuriated him. The way its ck mouth revealed rotten nubs of teeth and a shrivelled tongue. Its empty eyes betraying a totalck 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 in**

    Kaius let the moment wash over him, his thumping heart and screaming chest doing little to dampen his jubtion at his victory. He was starting to feel like it was actually possible. Surviving the Depths as an unssed.

    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 yed 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 ess.

    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 notoriouslyplex 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 arge 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 sh 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 shed him through the chest. It coulde 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 nted in its owner''s chest helped too.

    New spear in hand he set off following the trail.

    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 rtively surprised to find that the tree growth failed to thin out. The portion of the cavern that he had originally entered had been rtively sparsely popted by nt life. Still enough to qualify as a sort of forest, but the trees were spaced wide apart.

    It had gotten denser as he had prated deeper into the thick of the de, 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 fruitden nts 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 wasfortable, 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''snd 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 apound 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 simr architecture to the church where he had made his home. The same tall tted roofs, with thin slitted windows set high in each wall. Where the church was clearly a ce 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 ce.

    The other two buildings were smaller in scale. One was set close to the entrance, arge 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 avable that sent so many into the Depths'' embrace. Mary 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 ce was crawling with undead.

 Chapter 10 : Kiting

    From his vantage point Kaius was able to make out fifteen undead.

    They milled around the huntingpound 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 ce.

    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 mechanicalck 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 singlebat. 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 y 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 arge 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 hepleted 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.

    Kaiusunched 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 eleration.

    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 singr 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. ck 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 in**

    Vibration shot through his spear and into his arms, stinging the palms of his hands. He was forced to nt 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 theirposition. 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.

    Kaius was already moving, a burn settling into his legs as heunched 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 sh, 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.

    ck 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 de tearing a path through the spear-wielders quad.

    It copsed onto one knee.

    While the knife holding undead was scrambling its way up from the ground, thest 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 de 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 in**

    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 ufortably close, with the rest not far behind. He decided to fall back, unwilling to tangle with such arge 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 stato 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 ofbat.

    Kaius had gotten their measure now. Disgusting creatures they might be, but no real threat. Too clumsy. Too many openings.

    Therge 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 ck blood. Another body crumpling where it stood.

    **Ding! level 16 Undead Logger in**

    Hispatriots 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 t footed undead, returning it to the embrace of true death.

    **Ding! level 14 Undead Huntsman in**

    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 pped an undead holding a machete, who hadmitted 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, amitted 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 woulde. 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 copsing 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 in**

    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 itspatriots foreheads.

    It wasn''t easy, not by a long shot. A quick nce at his resources showed his stamina was getting ufortably 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 nted 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. Itspanion to its right holding a hatchet.

    All three tried to swing as soon as Kaius stopped moving. He thrust,ncing 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 ck 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 hismitted 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 ufortably to his chest due to the sweat of his extended exertion.

    In its fervour, one of the machete-wielders lunged after him, swinging its de in an attempt to gut him where he stood. Kaius pulled his haft in tight and the undead''s machete swung past, leaving it t 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 in**

    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 bnce. The opening did not go unmissed.

    It fell with a weeping hole where its nose used to be.

    **Ding! level 16 Undead Huntsman in**

    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 mming 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 mming 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 ck 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 nted his foot and smiled at the scrambling thing.

    "Fifteen doesn''t seem so bad anymore." He said, eyes cold despite his grin.

    He mmed his spear home, nting its leaf ded 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 ck, 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 augh escaping his lips.

    "Well, best not leave a job unfinished." He said with a shake of his head.

    Standing up straight, he nted 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 umted 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 afortable pace, he set off the way back the way he hade, one eye trained on the tree line for any sign of beasts that may havee 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 ughtered 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.

    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, recing 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 mmed home into its face, the de sinking down to the lugs as the weapon''s weight sent its corpse sprawling.

    **Ding! level 15 Undead Huntsman in**

    Kaius let out a hoot of sess, 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 wed 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 in**

    Pulling his spear free from its skull, Kaius cleaned its point in the soft earth before looking over to the lodge''spound. 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 de 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.

    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 lodgepound.

    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 thepound 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 thepound. It was as stout and imposing as the building itself, built of rough hewn nks reinforced with iron, a simple wooden gravitytch 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 tter of wood and stone. Kaius furrowed his brow, peering into the dark interior of the building. Judging by theck 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 ttened into a tight line as he drank in the interior. Whatever strange intelligence formted 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, desation unable to hide the grizzly evidence of consumption.

    He certainly didn''t miss that some were noticeably smaller than the others.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 wasmon 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 delversing 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 tant 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 ttered against the floor, waiting for some mouring 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 thetch. A final steady breath centred his mind. He flung the door open.

    The interior was shadowy and dark. To his surprise the building waspletely open on the inside. He entered cautiously, spear held at the ready.

    The moment his foot crossed the threshold ensconced torches red 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 elerated.

    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 ck 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, apleteck of body fat revealing every single striation in its muscture, to the point it looked almost yed. At least, the definition that wasn''t marred by its diseased and pockmarked skin.

    Its ck 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 vigers 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 nched 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 w.

    Reaching the centre of thepound, Kaius took a long and slow breath, pushing thences 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, pping the sharpened b 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 b of iron bit deep into the cave floor, stone shards leaving stinging bites as chipped stone showered his face.

    He counterattacked instantly,ncing 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 Championshed 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 te 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 mmed 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 sh. 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 sh that carved a line of weeping ck 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 sh 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 prate the whirling offence to punish the assault.

    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 dting.

    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 vite 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 ss skill. He''d heard of the Guardians that defended the passages through theyers 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 y 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 thest 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 ckened nubs of its teeth. ck blood flowed from the wound, staining its grey flesh and leather apron.

    Kaius looked in shock at thecking 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 morefortable 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 ss 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 de to bare, slicing the giant and scoring a deep cut across its shoulder and chest.

    While his sword might havecked 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 b 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 de 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 tond on the cold stone with a light stter. 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 p 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**n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 p away his thrust, only to roar in frustration as he twirled his de and cut deep into its shoulder. Its de 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,shing out with a cut that ripped another line of hot fire through the thinyer 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 uncontrobly, and Kaius felt his skill start to probe the new location. Continuing to taste the vour 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 Butchershed out with its free hand, trying to ward off his strike. It was sessful, partially at least. Knocked off centre, his de bit deep into its vicle with a spray of rotten ck blood.

    The undead howled, infuriated by the injury. Itshed 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 swordnced 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 de 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 de 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 copsed, arm pping weakly against its chest before dropping to its side. The massive iron cleaver ttered 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 de, allowing the undead''s own strength to carry through the cut. Biting deep into its forearm.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He danced back to disengage, watching the Champion''s fingers on its growx. 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 ck 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 ck blood joined the growing pool covering the stone floor.

    The Butcher was unfazed.

    "Gonna. y. 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,me 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.

    "Just fucking DIE!" Kaius screamed, the exertion making him feel light headed.

    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 13!**

    The notification shed 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 thest vapours of his health dissipated.

    It didn''t make the processfortable. 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 ck 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 handshed out with a speed that could onlye 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 in a Champion: The Hungry Butcher - level 21 Miasmic ughterer! **

    Kaius copsed with a scream, his calf slipping from the undead''s cked 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 apanied by a high pitched whine.

    He copsed 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 apanied 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 ck 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 couldfortably 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 de with him. It slipped free with a wet squelch, ttering 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 copsed 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 copsed 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 havee out on top. The bastard even had a ss! What the fuck was that!? He''d never heard of Champions in his life!

    He''d killed it. Killed something with a ss, something that was supposed to be as close to impossible as you could get, the advantage of stats and skills too high to ovee. 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 nned on that with all of his skills in ce. Even then! Even then he had mostly nned on waiting until he had his own.

    Yet here he was. Broken. Bleeding. But well and truly alive. After facing something with a ss.

    "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 ss 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 n for the unexpected. Or was it a simple coincidence that they lived deep in the forest, weeks'' journey from the closest small frontier viges? 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 beastsing to investigate the blood and noise.

    No, it would need to wait until he was in the rtive 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 eyesnding on the stout stone building that sat to the right of the lodge proper.

    "Loot."

 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 cements. A suspicious mound of disturbed earth, or a gstone not quite flush.

    A necessary skill for those who would delve where they were unwee. Those who sought to survive, and thrive where others dared not to tread. His soul threaded hisprehension into the previous two. However, the link felt iplete. 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 ce. 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,yering 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 sour, a revitalisation. A way for a weary traveller to rest, recharge, and reflect on thest leg of their journey. It tasted of exotic spices, discovered in the furthest reaches. Offort, of experimentation. Something that brought a little bit of home with you on a long expedition.

    The skill snapped in ce, ring 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 seed 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 red with an internal light.

    Kaius couldn''t stop a grin from forming on his face. Just one more and he would be done.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kaius reached out a soul thread to Physical Conditioning, the link of power snapping directly to the skill as if maised. Impressions flooded through him. The burn of exerted muscles. A heart mming 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 ring 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 shy, or asbat driven as many of his other skills would be. Instead it was dependable, something that would support him in the background for many years toe.

    An Explorers Toolkit.

    **Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**

    Kaius''s eyes shed 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, shes 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 elerating to rotate at a speed that caused his mind to ache when he attempted toprehend 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 re 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.

    **Ding! Skill Merged! Explorer''s Toolkit obtained!**

    Immediately he pulled up the description of histest 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 histest 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 itid out so inly.

    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 explicitlyid traps, but also would warn of poisonous nts, or a valley that was particrly susceptible to sh 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 longsting buffs.

    Individually they would becklustre. 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 vouring his ss 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

    ss 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

    ss 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.

    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 de 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 emzoned 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 be 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 toe.

    One of flowing blood and whirling steel.

    He kicked off,unching away from the trunk. As always, he was unable to catch the undead t footed. They simply turned towards him cidly, raising their swords as soon as they detected his approach.

    His own de 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 de 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 in**

    Kaius turned on the remaining soldier, de flicking out to turn the blow that had been heading for his undefended nk. His parry created the opening that he needed to y the undead, but he held himself back. That wasn''t what he was here for.

    He waited, settlingfortably 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. Heshed 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 de 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''monˇ­ 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 de.

    The footman began to hammer his guard, giving up on trying to find a way around his irond defence in favour of simply smashing through it. Every blow struck his sword like a cksmith''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 Avable! Would you like to learn: Block?**

 Chapter 16 : New Tools

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Block (Common)?**

    "Yes!" Kaius thought, epting the notification instantly. With a grunt of fury he dug his feet into the ground, regaining his copsing defence. He flicked his sword, catching the iing blow of the undeads de and turning it away in a textbook parry.

    The footman brought its arming sword once more, mouth hanging open to reveal ckened nubs and sore ridden gums as it swung at him in mindless fury. Kaius was ready, his de 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 de catching the iing assault and drawing it towards the canopy above.

    The ng of shing swords was matched with an unmistakable ring that echoed through his mind.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Parry (Common)?**

    Kaius epted 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 de with razor sharp focus. At thest 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 tter. 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 unbnced 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. Itsck 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, ck blood beginning to seep into the loamy floor. Itshed out with a savage chop.

    Kaius stepped into its guard, raising his fist to m 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 Avable! Would you like to learn: Footwork (Umon)?**

    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 ufortable 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 t off the de 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 de 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 swingsing 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.

    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 pped 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 Avable! 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 swordy 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 desated skin and brittle cartge, 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 onest clumsy sh in. Kaius batted the de 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 in**

    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 tes 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 stered 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.

    Kaius rang out the rag, pink bloody water streaming to soak into the graveyard that surrounded his base camp. He had his thin nket wrapped around his waist in a rudimentary skirt, secured in ce 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 thefort of its slowly smouldering coals.

    Having moved arge hunk of stone in front of the firece as a rudimentary seat, Kaius settled down, staring deep into the flicking mes 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 exining 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 onught 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 Umon 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 ss. 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 inbat. 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

    Umon

    The difference between life and death can be thinner than a hair. The wrong twist, the slightest flinch, a leg slightly out of ce, all can spell your doom. Watch your footing.

    Skill that improves reaction, bodily control, and speed when repositioning duringbat.

    Each level slightly increases capabilities when tactically repositioning.

    A fine addition, Kaius thought. Already he could see the next piece of his inheritanceing 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 s he did not.

    He only had one more skill, and then he could get to nning his next move.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 17 : Snacks of the Unwise

    Kaius sat on his rather ufortable 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 moreponents to add to his list before he could rx.

    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 ept a skill that you didn''t want. Spending so much effort to not think about epting an unwanted skill could potentially generate enough of a mental impulse for it to ur.

    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 thest of his recent gains, Kaius nned on getting Light, Medium, and Heavy Armour Mastery as soon as he could..

    "Though maybe not by hunting through the centre of the de." 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 ce before he went off gvanting and taunting death directly to its face again.

    A circumnavigation of the de 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 hisst few remaining skills he needed.

    Kaius nodded to himself, happy with his rough n, and brought up thest 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 tond 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 andying it out by the fire.

    He was going to put it back on shortly anyway, so he wouldn''t hold himself back from small creatureforts 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 te, 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,rge 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 de. 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 ying a champion it hadpletely slipped his mind. Setting the fruit down in front of him, he reached back into the bag, rummaging for itspatriots. 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 andzy 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.

    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, almostzily.

    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 deplum 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 ˇ­ 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 ˇ­ 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 deplum, 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 simr gusto. After weeks of dried jerky the sulent deplums 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 particrly hefty oxen. Even chewing became a struggle. Kaius could help but let out arge 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 worksˇ­"

    **Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 14!**

    **Ding! You have resisted deplum 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 thest 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 minutester 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 inbat.

    If the worst hade to pass, and he had still not capped the skill as his ss 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 ess to in the depths. A poison that didn''t physically harm the body. That was the original n, up in the forest below. If, in the months preceding his ss, he hadn''t capped the skill naturally they had nned to travel to one of therger frontier cities and enlist the skills of an alchemist.

    "Though,pletely 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 in 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 in water and smoked meat for far too long. Fresh fruit was too much of a temptor.

    With a sigh Kaius adjusted the nket 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 de 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 de from the cavern walls would give him good sight lines, allowing him to spot any more camps simr 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 hisst 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 p 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kaius strode along the thin stretch of grass that existed between the de 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 rtively 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 de until he had at least acquired his next merged skill. It would shore up his defences nicely, and for all the des 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 woulde 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,unching itself towards him with outstretched ws.

    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 ws 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 beastnded 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, ws driving deep into the earth tounch 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 de as it cut deep into the beast''s pad.

    Its other paw hit him with the weight of a fullyden cart. Its ws 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 de 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 tomit 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 sh to the creatures'' nk, it''s dark grey fur staining a darkened red. Incensed, the lion hissed in fury before wheeling towards him once again. A w ridden pawshed 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 w him with its other arm. mming 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!**

    ws 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 Avable! Would you like to learn: Light Armour Mastery (Umon)?**

    The notification wentpletely 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 de point first into the beast''s chest.

    With a yell of pained fury he pulled the de 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 de 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.

    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 waspletely 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 copsed under its weight. Kaius drove his de home with a scream, the movement sending agony sharding out from his ruined shoulder.

    **Ding! level 19 Shadow Stalker in**

    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 ss, 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 manicugh bubbled from his lips as he scrambled at the sp sealing the box tight, ignoring the waves of pain that protested at his movement. Ripping the container open, he fumbled for one of the rectangr vials, smearing blood over their ss 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: Sr 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 andced 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 wouldst 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 undte 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 inhtion 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 ws from his chest, his heartbeat steadied to a measured pace. Slowing the pace of his bleed.

    After nearly ten minutes of quiet contemtion 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 sr 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, cing 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 nched, 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 fatyer. 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 wasˇ­ confronting.

    He searched his mind for a distraction, quickly finding the system notification ring in the background.

    "Well, at least I got something out of that." he muttered to himself.

 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 rtively 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 de, 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 sh him. The dance continued unabated.

    He relied on his footwork, allowing a few more stinging ncing blows that failed to prate 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 ast ncing sh across his stomach, Kaius got the notification he had been waiting for.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Medium Armour Mastery (Umon)?**

    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, swordshing out in a heavy chop. Itsst attempt. Kaius parried the blow, lunging forwards as his sword screeched up the length of his opponent''s de. 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 in**

    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 histest skills description

    Medium Armour Mastery:

    Level 1

    Umon

    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 bnce, 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 be 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 de. It was a notable point of difference from its cousins that he had walked past on his circumnavigation. If he hade 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 des 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 ces 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 de and moved on. If he found nothing else of note in his exploration of the rim, it would be the first ce he returned to when he was ready to move on.

    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 bing 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.

    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 teau? 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 dposed, a few were rtively 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 vigers - that is what bandits did after all. That gave him an avenue to look into.

    The people of the frontier were a ˇ­ 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 constabry 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 vige a few times a year. They''d help him, even if just sharing what they knew.

    ˇ­

    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 de. In the open space it had relentlessly pursued him with aggressive charges, forcing Kaius to rely on a slow umtion of ncing 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 de the clean line of the cavern wall was abruptly disturbed by a pile of rough boulders erupting from the stone, having previously been luded 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 simr size, the hunters lodge on the other side of the de. Where he had faced a Champion. Where he had almost died.

    Unlike the lodge, this opening seemed to prate far deeper as the passage shot away from the de. 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 toe 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 stgmite and stctite 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 ce 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 arge 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 secondyer.

    "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 tant 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 de 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 de ''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, t 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 heid 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 momentter frigid fingers of ice shot up his nerves as he heard a slow, rumbling exhtion from inside the cavern.

    Revealing itself with the noise, Kaius''s gaze instantly trained on the upant 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 thergest of mortal bears that he had seen, the creature was clearly a beast. For one, itsrge size was bolstered by an excessive degree of muscrity. 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 de proper. With a few more skills under his belt, and higher levels, he could return and y 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 gon 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 secondyer, it would be a slight boost. At least it would if he was a normal delver.

    He was an unssed, 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 ssˇ­" 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 ss. 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 unssed who had not secured them for themselves. When he had tried to press further his father had reminded him of their conversation after thest 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 unssed was moot if he secured it for himself.

    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.

    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 asional 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 bnce 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 ckened his grip on his sword, too tight and it would impact his sword y.

    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. Thisˇ­thing was far toorge to be included in their number.

    It was toote to back out now.

    Despite his anxiety, the bear remained slumbering as he approached. Finally his cial 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 de trembling slightly in anticipation, Kaius crept up the bear''s side to approach where its head rested on two te-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 shing silver. The edge of his de cut through the thickened hide with ease, deep red blood spraying as he cut through the chunky muscle that supported its massive head. The de hit the spine of the beast andˇ­.. 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 de 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 ess 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, rapidlying to full wakefulness in the face of an intense assault.

    It spun towards him, snaking one massive limb out to smash him t. 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 mmed its front feet down in an attempt to squash him t. 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 copsed 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''sck 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 wless coat.

    He had to keep the pressure on. Prevent the creature from getting its bearings.

    With a growl of his own, Kaiusunched back into the fray. His first attempt at a stab was batted away, nearly sending his de flinging free of his grip. Moving with the momentum, he stepped into the collision, whirling his de 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 bearshed out for him once more. Unable to escape in time, the bear''s ws skittered across the chain covering his torso, nearly sending him flying as its ws 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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "It just keeps fucking healing!" He yelled in his mind. He''did half a dozen nearly mortal wounds into the beast, yet its seemingly inexhaustible Health had regenerated it from every strike he hadnded. 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 ws 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 ws 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 : Championâ€™s Might

    The Champion''s pawshed out with a skill enhanced swipe, smashing into Kaius''s side as its ws trailed floating embers of light. Far too fast for him to react to, whatever skill the champion had used seemed to maise 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 bearunching 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Hended 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 Avable! 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 mming 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: Sr Revitalisation**

    Kaius discarded the bottle. The ttering sound of reinforced ss 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 shed, the bear''s own momentum and trajectory allowing him to deliver an agonising incision from shoulder to nk.

    **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 bearnded hard, howling in fury. Kaius brought his sword back around for a crushing chop, his de ncing 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 mming 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 ws 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 nk as it passed, but he was off bnce, 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.

    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, inparison 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 ws 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 de 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 m toe to his feet by its side. Before he could follow up on his initial move, the Champion spun towards him with an outstretched paw, ws 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 de with the iing blow. Skill enhanced ws met rune-scribed steel in a shower of sparks. He hauled against the w.

    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 de 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 m, 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 m 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.

    "Waitˇ­," 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. Noˇ­ 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, voiceing 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 shed 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 ws 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 sh, hoping to go low and disable one of its legs. The bear drew close. Kaius sidestepped. The bear''s ws 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 mming 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 ring up like forgotten embers fed fresh wood.

    The bear reared up, mming 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 apromised position.

    Mid roll he pushed against the ground,unching 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 bnce.

    A heavy swipe of ws 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, thatst 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 gging. With each strike hended, 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 extendedbat, 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. Downregting 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 ufortable and painful it became. Skin and fabric merging together into a singr 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 ws leaving a now familiar trail of glimmering light, Kaius reacted the moment it activated its skill - de already moving into position. He dropped into a hanging guard, sword high in front of him as he met the iing blow.

    Once again he levered off the power of the strike, capitalising on the bears gging energy to divert the shing ws 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 andnded a devastating chop against the bear''s shoulder. Savaging the joint to its core. Once again his de nced 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, unexinable by itstest 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 lookedˇ­ drained.

    "It must have emptied its Stamina with thatst 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 itsst 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.

    Itnded on the stone with a heavy thud, front leg buckling under its weight. Kaius darted in,nding another heavy cut on its arm. It copsed. 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 in a Champion: Sunborn Cave Bear - level 24 Verdant Defender! **

    Kaius watched the still body of the in 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 violentbat 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 mdy.

    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. Scintiting geometrics shifted and pulsed over its bark, hanging over the scene of his battle like some ageless observer.

    Arriving at the pond he copsed to his knees, wincing at the impact. Pulling off his stained gloves, he cleaned his de in the water. Methodical as he washed the steel, his hands dipping into the frigid water to pour it across his de''s length. It yed on the soft glimmer emitted from the runes scribed on its de. 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 rxed 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 tomit. Or would you like more resistance training?" Father asked him with a slight grin.

    Kaius nched, rapidly shaking his head.

    "Good. Now, Ykkardian is a rtively simple dialect. Strong, self contained sigils. Large vocabry. I think it could be a good contender for you." Kaius forced himself to stare at the image, regretting ever telling his father his ns for his ss. It was all curving lines, with the odd hard straight line carving through the mess.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Though, it''s got a messy syntax, and is pretty terrible for higher orderworks." 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 forworks, 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 simplyughed 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 ttened into streaks with abination 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, almostunching 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 hisfort.

    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 hisst 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 wee 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 idealˇ­" he thought to himself. With no cksmiths avable, 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 recement. "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 ce. 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 hadin dormant during his battle with the bear.

    It was time to collect his reward.

    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 veryrge 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 nted 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 sshing 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 thempletely 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 mber 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 im 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 thatsted 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. Iparable 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 identally 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 calcted 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 vour 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 dted, the creature pounced. ws 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 growingrger 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 be a raging torrent, vtile 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,ncing 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.

    A great fire, sweeping across an endless in 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 barrennd, baked and ashen. A home of charcoal and scorched bone. The first rains, washing away the ck. New life bursting free, soaking in a graveyard of fertile soil. Breaching the earth, striving, ever striving, to bring green back to thend.

    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 himbusted, 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 hadughed 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 ufortable 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 wing 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 thest trail of vapour entered his well of power, his soul snapped shut. At that very instant Kaius mmed back into full awareness of his body. Once damp clothes were soaked with sweat, fabric sticking to his skin with ufortable intimacy.

    He felt hot, the glowing oak before him swaying in his vision while his heart hammered an ufortable 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 apanied a waiting system notification.

    **Ding! Natural Treasure Consumed!**

    **Ding! Unssed Detected! Scanning for External Interferenceˇ­**

    **Ding! No External Interference Detected! Assisting with Absorptionˇ­**

    **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 ess to natural treasures was restricted to unssed 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 hisst notification. That was ˇ­ impossible.

    He thought back to some of the first lessons he''d had with his father. When he was still too young to travel regrly, 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 beenying on their backs, watching the distant stars.

    He had been young then, young enough that the only thing his system disyed was his name and time until he unlocked partial ess 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 theyy 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 elseˇ­" Father raised an eyebrow in his direction.

    Excitement surged through Kaius, he loved stories. "Really! Would you tell me?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 thend, 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 thingsˇ­"

    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 schrs 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 ufortably 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 mostlymon knowledge! Like the existence of Champions. Not massive discoveries, like the fact that an ancient set of legends were secretly urate, and society atrge 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 unssed in the Depths was all butpletely neutered in their growth, and how its treasures would crumble to dust if passed into his hands.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 unssed earn a natural treasure, but that by doing so they would be observed by the system?

    It would be a ughter.

    Kaius could see it in his mind. Droves inexperienced scions, shunted towards almost certain death just for a simple chance at sess.

    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, rewardˇ­ What would it do if he slew a Guardian without a ss?

    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 de. 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 ss, 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 avable. He''de 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 mmed 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 ˇ­. Hellish. Overwhelming. Not exactly painful, but different.

    "Note to selfˇ­ 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

    ss 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

    ss Skills (0/10):

    N/a

    General Skills (9/10):

    Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 14

    Warforged (Unique) - 19

    Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 4

    Block (Common) - 2

    Parry (Common) - 5

    Footwork (Umon) - 5

    Toughened Physique (Rare) - 5

    Light Armor Mastery (Umon) - 4

    Medium Armor Mastery (Umon) - 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 bncing 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 theing 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.

    ˇ­

    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 de, Kaius made what he thought was good time.

    Without ess 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 deplum ''night''.

    The cavern which held the impressive underground woond was roughly circr as far as he could tell, though it was hard to make any halfway urate measurements with the just-brighter-than-twilight glow doing little to prate the fog of distance.

    He doubted that the de was much bigger than a day''s walk, though if he was wrong he did have enough supplies tost 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 bordend 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, d in rough canvas and armed with picks. The clumsy weapons andck 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 diforts 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, d 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 ce cooled his enthusiasm. He stared at the corpse of the Butcher, stillying 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 copsing 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 nched, 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 desated without the presence of puppeteering necromancy. The trail of their corpses looked years old, yet still oddly preserved. More a mummification, than active dposition.

    He left the trail of bodies behind, putting distance between himself and the carnage he had previously wrought.

    ˇ­

    Kaius restrained himself from slipping into a jog, smiling as he saw a slight rise appearing in the distance, the consistent tnd of the cavern slowly drifting up at a gentle curve.

    There was only one ce he had seen that in his entire trip around the de, 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 ofpletionism, he nned 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 heined 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 ake 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 hadmitted to gaining the skills of his dynasty before his ss, 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 mber 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, ying off the light of the pulsing moss to create shifting shadows. Tendrils grasping, undting 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 im 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''ty 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 nts 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 hade from the cave that led to the entrance room.

 Chapter 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 tform 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 tonguish 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 justˇ­stopped.

    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.

    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 withnguishing 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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Oh? A natural treasure while unssed? 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''te 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 ˇ­ 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 umtion, 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 hade 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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, de 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 im on was still thoroughly considered the outskirts, a region of lower mana andparatively 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 hearde 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. ws 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 w 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 amon 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 ck. Its brush with the falls far above had left the hair stered to its body, revealing the rippling muscture that was normally hidden within.

    Kaius knew that if it faced him, he would see that the almost-ck 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 ckened on his de. Almost letting the weapon tter 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 cid 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.

    Was it a child?

    The greater meles, apparently epting 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 conves 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 denˇ­

    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 ck ws designed to tear through earth and stone.

    Just like he had expected, its front was coated in an almost ck red, excluding the few sections of deep orange-red that peaked through the lines on its face. Its legs were trembling, and its nostrils red with disconcerting speed at each panicked breath.

    Kaius went to take another step. The meles barked, a concussive st 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 cate 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 usation.

    "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 st. 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 ce. A cacophony of scents, thin air almost absent of the ever present thrum of roiling mana.

    Of seeing figures, garbed in woven nt material and the skins of their kills, so simr 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 rity. The leading man was anky 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,pared to the numbers that had ambushed him and Father. His father had done some damage.

    But if they were still on the teauˇ­

    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 teau 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 behindˇ­ 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 difort. 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 dpositionyered 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 ck. 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 resemblingnguage. That, or the meles'' sharp mind had been able to pick up on how he structuredmunication, 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 ss 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 arerger than those ˇ­ verminˇ­ 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.

    Kaiusughed. 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 ss. 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 ˇ­ 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 difort at the sight of a grin.

    "I''d love to."

    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, heid 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 de. 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 justˇ­ The Matriarchs warned me off this ce, 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 re of a system notification dragged at his attention.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Empathetic Communication (Umon)?**

    "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?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 de.

    "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 sess before we challenge it." Kaius said reassuringly.

    "As for obstaclesˇ­ I assume your Matriarch was talking about traps. I haven''t seen any yet, but if wee 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 deplum 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 catingly. "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 ttened again.

    "Nope. Though it would be good if you could watch over me when I eat them."

    "Alrightˇ­ 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 de.

    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 apanying 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 newpanion.

    Kaius sat on his cloak, facing the flickering warm of the hearth. The melesid 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.

    d that his newpanion 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 n 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 ss. 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 ess 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 revtion, 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 hisp.

    "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 forpany as he was. Lesser meles, the ck 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 isˇ­strange 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 melesmunication 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.

    Hisugh 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 sh of enthusiasm.

    Kaiusughed. "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 ess 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.

    ording to Porkchop, trading skill knowledge wasmon 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 ofparison." Porkchop said, still struggling to ept his exnation.

    "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 de. I should probably take a nap."

    Porkchop drooped. "Okayˇ­ I will watch while you rest," he said, his voice bordering on despondent.

    Thankful, Kaius reached over to his bag and retrieved the de 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 dy to their spar.

    Laying down his cloak and gettingfortable, Kaius scarfed down the fruits, enjoying their sulent sweetness.

    **Ding! You have been afflicted by deplum Lethargy**

    The heavy weight of wing 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 de 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 arge section of headstones. Porkchop had used his digging ws to uproot the bs of stone, while Kaius heaved them away on aching limbs.

    He''d managed to squeeze into the old breastte 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 yful energy that bled across their link, Kaius didn''t think that Porkchop would mind that all too much.

    "Wrestling!" His newpanion barked.

    "Yeah, yeah, I know. Remember, the idea is for you to try to knock me here," Kaius rapped his knuckle against his breastte. "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 de 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 m back into the ground. ws dug in.

    The meles blurred.

    Something hit him in the chest. Hard. His breastte nged, driving into his sternum with a winding force. Kaius sailed backwards, shoulder catching the dirt. Sending him into an uncontrolled rolling il. His arm caught under him, wrenching at his shoulder terribly as his scabbard flew free of his grip.

    He skidded to a stop, lying t 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 butugh. "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 rified 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 ws 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 w swiped. Kaius moved to parry. The paw swished, diving under his guard. Another ng on his breastte. He stumbled as Porkchop rapped him ''gently'' on the chest with his ws.

    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 thest. ws 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 shed 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 w crashing heavily into his chest together. The blow drove the air from his lungs, sending him reeling back.

    Kaius fell backwards, thick chest te 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!

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Heavy Armour Mastery (Umon)?**

    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.

    "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. Thatst one had surprised him. As best he guessed, the way his armoured jacked was softening the blows he had been taking to his breastte was enough to count.

    "ˇ­More 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kaius dropped his hand to his friend''s shoulder. The duo walked over to the church, where Kaius nted his back against the wall and slid down onto the ground. He ached. The breastte 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, waspletely drained. Exhaustion had well and truly set in. Reaching out to snag a waterskin he had left by the wall earlier, Kaius sshed 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 rxed into the wall and pulled up histest skill.

    Heavy Armour Mastery:

    Level 1

    Umon

    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 newpanion, surprised by the abrupt question.

    "What? Like after we get out of here?" He responded.

    "No. Your ss. You talk about the broad base, not what you wish to use it for." Porkchop exined.

    "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 ss in its element, but he had heard enough stories from his father to know that itsck 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 ipatible. Casters channel. Inscriptionists spent hours - days - working on formations. Worse, focusing on either for his ss would relegate Warforged and his uing skill to a supportive role. A stop gap measure.

    No, he had something else nned. 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 simr 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 ruinouslyplex 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 swordy. 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 watchingˇ­" 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 maniption 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."

    Kaiusughed, 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, yfully shoving Porkchop''s head off him before he asked what was on his mind.

    "And what of you? What do you wish from your ss? Or whatever it is that you beasts get."

    Porkchop shook his head.

    "It''s a little different. Wemune with the ancestral blood. Body changes, skills tied to new form. Not so flexible as a ss, 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 exined.

    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 ss. 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. Bing more than a greater meles is almost impossible for me. Bing 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 y 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 de, 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 de 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. Porkchopnded with a heavy thud, every part of his body practically vibrating with excitement.

    "More wrestling?!"

    Kaiusughed, 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 truebat 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 breastte 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 ws 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 ws into the earth and tore another rent into the ground, stout ws kicking up a cloud of dirt. elerating 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 ws on the ground, Porkchop used the leverage to bring himself up short. A heavy pawshed out,ing down over Kaius''s head. He reacted, mming out with his ''de'' to block the strike, maximising his leverage by catching the blow close to his hands.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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, ws 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 de. Darting to the side before closing in to batter Kaius once again.

    ws ttered on Kaius''s sheath. A hasty block that barely held.

    Porkchop gave him no quarter, mming 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 ck 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 mping 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. Hended 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 ws. A ck 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 semnce 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 m.

    Kaius nched.

    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 ws 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 ws. Trying to get the meles off him. He dropped his left arm, suddenly pushing sideways rather than up.

    With a yelp Porkchop fell to the side,nding 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?"

    Kaiusughed, 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 exined, grabbing Porkchop in a yful 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 copsed to the ground.

    One heavy foot nted 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. ws and teeth popping riveted steel with the ease of tearing paper. Kaius lurched forwards, only to stop fast as a heavy p 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 ws. 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 thoughtˇ­

    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 difort, 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.

    Kaius sat on the floor of the church, legs crossed with his arms heldfortably in hisp. 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 ne. Three shone with tinum auras of vibrancy. All but one smaller than the remaining seven, but no less potent for theircking 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 morous 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 mmed 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, beforeter 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 vour 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. Soplementary. 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 shing, nking 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 ess 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 alreadypleted 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 ce.

    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 thest. The most basic tenant of a living body - adapting under pressure. Where Footwork was mastery of the external world and one''s ce in it, Toughened Physique was the certainty that the only true cause of injury wascking 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 mmy. 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 ring 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 ofpleted skills that orbited his centre would grow and grow, until the focus needed to merge hisst 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 ce, conduit thickening with a sh 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 ncing blows. Barely felt strikes that did little but mar boiled leather. A skill for those quick of de and light of feet.

    Kaius tasted iron in his mouth.

    Just a couple more.

    Another tendril stretched from the congration 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 red, his remaining links to his skills shaking. Threatening toe apart at the seams. If he didn''t do something they would break. He would lose the merge and be hit by a bacsh, unable to try again for weeks.

    Uneptable.

    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 bnce. 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. epting 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 simr to its predecessor, yet with marked differences. It acknowledged the necessity of agility. No armour was invible. 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 bnce. Wasting energy on avoiding a blow better dealt with with a thinyer of chain was as bad asyering on so much metal to leave one immobile. It was always about bnce.

    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. Thest 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, imcable.

    It was a heavy thing. Steel and iron,yered thick. An imprable 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 copse 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 onest 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 thest link into ce, 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 invible 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 momentter it was done.

    **Ding! Skill Merged! Adamant Body obtained!**

    Kaius copsed 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, handsing 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.

    He still felt slow, thoughtsing at a bare trickle.

    It did nothing to prevent his budding tion. Another skill down. Another step closer to his ss, and his attempt at an exit. With Adamant Body in his back pocket he finally feltfortable 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 being 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 unssed.

    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 histest 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 hadpleted 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 aunching 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 ocr one,ying the foundations for his experimentation by revealing the world of mana to him - and so much more. After that, runes and maniption. 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 de. 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

    ss 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: 0n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ss 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 Umon skills subsumed by something far greater than the sum of its parts. Having so much of his recent skills be reliant onbat 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 rity, albeit at a reduced distance.

    A sound scratched at the door, causing Kaius to jolt. Porkchop, done with his ying. Kaius hurried over to the door, undoing thetch. With his intelligence he sometimes forgot that hispanion 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 ispletely 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 epted 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, epting 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.

    Kaius pushed past a fern, feeling the way Explorers Toolkit adjusted his form. The undergrowth seemed to shift around him, nts 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 asrge 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 de.

    "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 de 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 simr camp over a month ago.

    Swords in hand, they strutted around the camp in a mockery of discipline. Their remainingpanion 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 ck 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 amon depths-born it would have no ess to ss skills. That didn''t stop it from channelling through raw maniption 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 arge 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 mentalmunication. 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 hispanions'' 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 ws 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 ws in,unching himself towards the potential mage at a speed that Kaius found almost impossible to track.

    The undead turned to face theing 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 fluffypanion 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 rm even as he followed through with his parry, spinning into a riposte. His de 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 sh. Behind it, itspanions drew closer. Ripping his sword free, Kaius met the blow de to de. He locked the undead''s sword fast, grinning as he felt theck 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 in**

    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 spectacrly as Porkchop sent it sailing to hit a tree with a crunch. Kaius watched as hispanion 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 iing de with a blurring parry, a quick step back took him out of range. He shed, 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 de 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 de point.

    **Ding! level 17 Undead Armsman in**

    He heard a crunch behind him. Kaius jolted, whirling around. Sword at the ready. He found Porkchop standing over the crumpled body of thest 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.

    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 gues 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 pte.

    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 considerter.

    "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 de.

    Kaius and Porkchop pushed deeper into the de. 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 nts 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 t 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 ss.

    Explorers'' Toolkit could do little but ease the worst of the diforts. 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 de was drenched in an ominous half light. Not even the light from the moss covered ceiling far above was able to prate 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 de 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, dted 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 de impossible to dull despite his constant abuse.

    They pushed onwards, the de 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 de started to change. Brambles and ferns started to hide headstones, and each step through crunchy lichen regrly revealed the cold stone of a grave cover.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! 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 himy an open path, scything through the dense knot of thorny nt life that now coated the de floor.

    He could barely make it out, the heavy shadow of the deep de preventing him from seeing more than fifteen or so strides in front of him. gstones 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 exined. "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 gstones to let hispanion pass. Porkchop took point, leading them left down the trail they had found.

    Grumbling at thecking 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 d it wasn''tpletely pitch ck. He needed some light to get offered the right skill.

    "Kaius. Up ahead." Hispanion 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 minuteter 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, shing at the tangled thorns. His sword cut through the first branch.

    The hedge iled. 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 wouldsh 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 hispanion 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 toorge 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 exined;

    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 ss.

    "Porkchop!" He shot forwards, sword at the ready.

    Thorny vinesshed 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 hispanions hide, staining his fur with blood. With every second, the nt wrapped itself tighter around Porkchop.

    He iled, yanking back against the ensnaring grasp of the hedge. It only caused the thorns to work their way deeper.

    Kaius hacked at the nt. Despite their firm grip on hispanion, the wood split easily under his de. 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,shing 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 ws digging into the gstones below.

    Doing his best to defend himself from the nt, Kaius continued to chop at the vines that held his friend stuck fast. Ignoring the searingcerations he received in turn. With a heave, Porkchop finally broke free, spinning around to run back the way they hade.

    Kaius dove after him, pulling back from the iling wooden tentacles that snapped through the air behind him. A look back showed the vines retreating back into the hedge, quickly vanishing to be 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 ayer of fine shes, 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 thest 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 hispanion licking his wounds, the flesh rippling as it sealed thest 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 nched. "That nearly drained you?!" Porkchop was capped like him, until he could go through whatever analogue beast''s had to ss 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 exin 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 nt 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 popte its domain. Neutered them mentally somehow. Made them act ording 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 nheless. The way the Butcher had simply waited in the lodge for him to enter jumped to mind.

    No, it couldn''t be a monster. They would have run into others by now.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 g 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 nt.

    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 momentter. Thorns dragged past each other in a circr motion, slowly retreating back into the bush. The nt 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 toe 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 somethingnded on his back, thick fingers scratched at his neck. More shapesnded 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 de. 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 shed 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 sh, 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 preupation, throwing themselves forwards with arms outstretched. He tried to ward them off with another wide sh of his de, 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 in**

    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 theirpanion, 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 fullymitted 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 de in a finger severing movement,unching itself at him in a fury. Kaius punched the approaching blur. The monkey dropped to the ground. Landing on its half severedpanion.

    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 in**

    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler in**

    Kaius''s eyes strained against the dark. If he could just see.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Low Light Vision (Umon)?**

    "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 sh.

    He caught the first one through the ribs. Twirling his de 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 in**

    Half crippled, the other howler dragged itself along the ground in an attempt to reach him. Its two remainingpanions charged.

    Two quick cuts were all he needed. A final stab for the one on the ground.

    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler in**

    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler in**

    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler in**

    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 gstones. Most were pulped, but a few still twitched, trying to w themselves along the ground even if they were more mush than threat.

    Porkchop was still furiously engaged in battle. Two howlers had managed totch themselves onto his back. Grimy fingers gripping his red and ck 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 de.

    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler in**

    **Ding! level 8 Dead Howler in**

    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 mber up his back and out of reach.

    The pair walked through the carnage, finishing off thest twitching undead in grim silence. Finishing their ck 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 histest skill.

    Low Light Vision:

    Level 1

    Umon

    Pierce the shadows with radiant rity. Unlock the secrets cloaked in the warm embrace of darkness.

    Skill that enables perfect sight in low light levels. Ineffective against pitch-ckness 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 uing legacy skill..

    The nextponent he needed to acquire was the first part of his ns for his ss selection. With his ideas for runes, Mental Visualisation was going to be vital for holding theirplex 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 simr 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 waspetent. 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 ss. 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 unssed into the Depths in an attempt to find Natural Treasuresˇ­ Hundreds would die, at best.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    No, better if he went to one of therger 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.

    Althoughˇ­

    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.

    ˇ­

    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.

    Though that didn''t mean they rushed.

    Not all of the trigger roots were so easy to catch, some barely shifted the gstones 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 red 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 ruinouslyplex. 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 thatced the maze.

    Every time the image copsed in his mind, when he forgot if a path turned left or right, or he couldn''t remember the exact cement 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 Avable! 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 simr 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 twoplex 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 copse, he got the skill he was looking for.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Mental Visualisation (Umon)?**

    Kaius called for them to halt, grinning at his sess. 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 gstones themselves in his imagination. It became almost second nature to keep adding details.

    He pulled up the skill.

    Mental Visualisation:

    Level 1

    Umon

    The mind makes the master.

    Skill that aids in holdingplex mental images in the mind.

    Each level slightly improves memory, attention to detail, andplexity 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 n 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 de. 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.

    ˇ­

    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 2!**

    **Ding! Mental Visualisation has reached level 3!**

    ˇ­

    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.

    "Kaiusˇ­" Porkchop let out a low, warning rumble from behind him. "Another swarm."

    Turning back to his ally with a start, Kaius pulled his de 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 waspletely 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 tond on the path to their front. He readied his guard. They''d only been an issuest 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 gue rats than anything else.

    He hit them like a wall of steel, sword shing in wide arcs that severed limbs. Warforged and his enchanted de were putting in work, the rotting flesh of the monsters barely slowing his vicious meatgrinder of an assault.

    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler in**

    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler in**

    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler in**

    Porkchop waded into the fray. heavy swatting strikes smashed multiple swarmlings t with every blow. A few of the Howlers mbered onto the meles back, capitalising on itsck of reach to rip at fur and sink their teeth in deep.

    Kaius cut them down momentster.

    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler in**

    **Ding! level 7 Dead Howler in**

    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 ced w.

    One howler, severed from vicle 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 cking 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, wing 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 activebat. 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 desated veins. Its greasy grey fur. Everything.

    He reached for his mana.

    The hazy energy was slippery, resistant to his maniptions. He mped 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 ckened 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 vtile 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 Avable! 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 histest skill, not wanting to take the moment of rtive calm for granted. He doubted it wouldst any further than the exit.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    There was no way the Depths would put a nice little pic spot at the centre of somewhere so tantly 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 ovee 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 asionally a merged ocr skill. The kind that revealed greater information than the bare bones insight that Identify and Inspect gave you.

    Unfortunately, his uing ocr 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.

    "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 imprable. Vague shifting shapes danced in the ck, making it impossible for him to make anything out.

    "I can''t. Too far for my skill. What do you see?" He whispered,ying a hand on theforting hilt of his sword.

    Porkchop huffed, standing stock still as he stared into the ckness with ease, locking his steely gaze on figures unseen.

    "Twice as far since thest 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 ryed what he saw.

    Kaius bit his cheek. That didn''t sound great. No matter how much he tried, Porkchop was still gettingfortable 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, tantly 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 de, 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."

    ˇ­.

    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 ce. 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 inminate armour simply brought its greatsword around in another wide swing. Off to his right, Kaius could hear Porkchop engaging the undead''spanions, 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 tes 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 sh of its de 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 in**

    Kaius rushed over to assist Porkchop, his ally struggling against the duo. While he was a ball of fury in battle, he was arge 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 de 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 de away, heunched 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 nt his sword in its face.

    **Ding! level 18 Gravebound Sentinel in**

    **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 in undead with a grunt.

    "Not much more. Few more undead between us."

    Kaius grunted. Supposedly the centre of the graves was dominated by arge 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. Theck 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 wing 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.

    ˇ­

    The pair prowled through the darkened headstones, mowing their way through isted 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 ncing 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!**

    ˇ­

    **Ding! Inspect has reached level 5!**

    ˇ­

    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 ck things. Scenes of ughter 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 re. Whatevery 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 pped Porkchop on the shoulder "Let us show them our mettle."

 Chapter 36 : Loot, and Other Surprises

    Kaius stared at the sarcophagus. Its sculpted golden lid still hovered next to its open interior, disying a robed figure identical to the Tomblord he had just in 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 likeˇ­ 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 exnation. "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 mbering 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,y 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 withrger ovepping tes 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 singlerge 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.

    Kaiusughed, 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 Sr Revitalisation tonics that sat in his potion pouch.

    Beside the tonics, a small handful of silver coinsy 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 aˇ­fruit?

    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," Kaiusughed. "Enjoy." He tossed his friend his share of the spoils, smiling as Porkchop leapt up to snatch it out of the air. A secondter 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 catbs.

    Turning his attention back to his prize, Kaius began the burdensome process of saturating his eyes with mana. It wasn''t exactlyfortable, 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 vtile 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Appraise (Rare)?**

    With a whoop of sess, Kaius used his new skill on the scalemail.

    Serelian Scalemail Cuirass:

    Umon - 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.

    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 Umon 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 ount 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 te, 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 ces that no one could find in a history book. He supposed that it could have been a ce in one of the far offnds 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 ce 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 ce 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 likelymon as well. The de''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 Umon.

    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 thest 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. Theplexwork 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, heid it t across hisp. Eyes tracing the ripples of darkened metal that wove their way through the de''s edge, dancing in the soft light of the ensconced walls.

    A growth item. It wasˇ­ 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 descriptionˇ­ 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 ss 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 leastte 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 asions he had ever seen Father truly move. No, he doubted that whatever curse had beenid on him hadn''t solely affected his ss.

    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 supetive 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 rece 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 isted frontier viges a few times a year he had still heard of some. Yuriel the ck. 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 spection for decades. Yet, Kaius had not heard a peep.

    Too many questions.

    Not enough answers.

 Chapter 37 : Bound

    His hands ran over the de. 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 secondter 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,forting 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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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 onlysted 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 n at his back, any two bit crook would take a shot at him in an attempt to im 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 ck supple leather at the hilts base came undone with ease. Falling away to reveal a glossycquered wooden hilt, deep nurls of swirling wood grain shining pleasingly in the light. The wooden hilt was iid 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 uses, it was a nightmare to use correctly. It was also amazing forplex, 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 de and bind it to his soul he would need to direct his mana there. The process was rtively 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 twoplications, 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 Maniption it would be much more straightforward. s, 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 iy 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 wee 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 ce 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 re, 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. ss 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.

    His skin started to split, drenching the handle of his de 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 iy began to glow, scintiting 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 red. 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 reced with the qualia of another. A second parcel of quintessence shot away, chasing back down his forged highway to flood into his de.

    An instantter 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, apanied 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 hisp.

    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 iy had sh 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 ss (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 de 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 getughed 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, bbergasted.

    "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 tes, 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 Sr 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.

    Sr 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 stimtes 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 yetˇ­ increased aggression? That would be a double edged sword. Still, he was confused, it surely shed 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 de."

    "No." Porkchop said, flicking his ears. "Need to sleep. More adventure can wait till after a nap."

    "That it could." Kaiusughed, 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 catb 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 ttest and smoothest sections of wood.He had a need for them. The next two skills he nned to acquire, Sense Illusion and Sense Mana, were both tricky things.

    Father had had ns for how they could work on them. Kaius remembered theirst trip to Elmhollow, another of the viges they visited on asion. 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 thest 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 ns for his ss. They were also the scripts that he nned to use to forge his next legacy skill after True Sight. ording 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 sses 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 unssed.

    Getting offered a mastery skill for one of the scripts he nned 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 istion. 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 ce, 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 ce, 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 nk.

    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 bnce and unity. Linking chains came next. Jagged, angled things that would connect the emission arrays to the locus of the inscription, an equteral 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 itsted 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 thest line. He was done. Now he only had to see if it worked. The array should, if he had inscribed it with enough uracy, 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 sessful soon enough.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - Gretchen''s Standard (Umon)?**

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Steady Hand (Common)?**

    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 re. ck 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 onplexity, 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 umte damage.

    Eventually the array would copse, 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 unssed 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 tasking easier after having done it so often in thest 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 vtile 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 t 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 Avable! Would you like to learn: Sense Illusion (Rare)?**

    Kaius epted 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 mary 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 t 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.

    **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 hadsted 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 ovee insight blocking effects.

    Kaius nodded to himself. He had known that higher rarities could resist appraisal, but it was good to see it allid 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 de, he''d practically appraised every third g stone. It was boring work, but important. Inspect had skyrocketed inparison, having reached level sixteen thanks to his inspection of the many trees in the de.

    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 thest skill he needed for True Sight.

    He moved on to his most recent skill.

    Sense Illusion:

    Level 11

    Raren/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 ovee insight blocking effects.

    Kaius dismissed the notification. He was d to finally have acquired it. Illusion effects grew moremon as one descended the depths, and it was not unheard of for careless Delvers to fall prey to cloaked traps and camouged 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 t. He''d had to start addingplexity 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 hisfortable 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 wasughing 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 nks. He pulled one free, letting it fall to the ground with a tter.

    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 topletely 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, cing the rudimentary writing implement down onto the wood and began to inscribe his array. Ten minutes, and a handful of corrections,ter 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 sh of colour?

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Sense Mana (Rare)?**

    Letting out a woop, Kaius rxed his hold on the mana in his eyes and epted 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, sshing 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 nkly 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 secondyer.

    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 14!**

    **Ding! Sense Mana has reached level 15!**

    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 p of unexpected thunder. He looked back. An imprable 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!**

    Kaius came too with a splitting headache. Something heavy wasying 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 cks of Porkchop''s coat, and the browns of the tree trunks around him. Yet he could also see vacuous streamers of green clinging to nts, browns rising from the earth, grey flitting through the des 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!"

    "Iˇ­what?" Kaius asked, confused. His eyes widened, memories of what had happened with his arraying rushing back to him.

    "Shit!" He said.

    Looking around, Kaius saw they were somewhere in the de 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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 nket 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 sh 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 sopletely 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 graveyarding 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 st had been shattered, sending fist sized fragments of stone sailing clean across the yard. Those further away had been knocked t, 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 st had caved in the closest wall,rge masonry stones kicked inwards with concussive force. Dust and gravel coated everything. To make matters worse, the already dpidated roof had totally copsed.

    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 imed 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."

    Kaius grunted, pushing with his legs as he helped Porkchop roll away thest discarded piece of masonry that they needed to move to get ess to their supplies. In all honesty, they''d gotten pretty lucky. The st had utterly annihted 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 ufortably.

    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 thest of the buckles on his scalemail.

    "Leave the de 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 de. 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 themforting 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 ss 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 wed 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 almostfortable.

    His armour had already shown its worth, deflecting w and de alike with ease. It dramatically increased the risks he could take inbat, 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 de, 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 be ubiquitous. nketing 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 simrly 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 skillfortably butting up against the cap.

    Kaius pulled up his Status to check the changes.

    Status:

    Name: Kaius

    Dynasty: Unterstern

    Age: 18

    ss 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)n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Stats:

    Endurance - 30

    Vitality - 20

    Strength - 20

    Dexterity - 20

    Intelligence - 12 > 14

    Willpower: - 20

    Stat Points: 0

    ss 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 (Umon) - 0 > 20

    Mental Visualisation (Umon) - 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 ss (0/1)

    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)

    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 ttered 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 kic enchantments tounch 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. Someuding them as hero''s, others the worst of viins. 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 ident.

    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 brutalws. Cruel, if looked at from the lens of man. Yet Porkchop epted 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 thaty 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 exnation. It was simr to how sses worked. Sure, you got a ss evolution in every tier, but if you wanted to climb rarities - increasing the power of your ss qualitatively- it took work. You had to push yourself, the demands on your feats and achievements growing with every rank. It didn''t exin everything though.

    "Wait, so all greater meles are descended from him? How does that work."

    "Not everyone," Porkchop exined. "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 ifˇ­" 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 mighte 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 ssed man and matured beast was a tall order.

    An idea began to percte 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 ss?

    What would that do for the strength of his ss? 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 wee 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 ced 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 t 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 de." 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, wing their way up the almost impossibly tall walls. Great serpentine trunks spearing deep into the grass covered loam below. They wove their way through stctites, 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 syed 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 viges, 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 ufortable. 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 de had done much to put him at ease. The boroughs and trunks had been familiar. At least, familiar enough to provide some semnce of conference.

    But it was blue. Blue wasn''t home. Green was.

    Sure, the trees were the wrong shape. Strange droopy things with toorge 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 therge 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 thatter. If there was one thing he hade 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 momentter his friend burst into motion, sprinting out of the tunnel. He hit the soft earth and grass that coated the cavern floor, blurring ws kicking up clumps of sod.

    "Shit." Kaius thought.

    "Porkchop!" Kaius yelled, running after his friend. "Wait you idiot!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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.

    Kaiusughed.

    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 ck 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 ws. They tapered to a wicked point, each one the length of one of his fingers.

    It was hideous. A naked face of thick leather draped loosely over prominent ridges of bone. Beady eyes rested over a t 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, ws 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 ws. 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, de 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 ws outstretched. He stepped around the blow, letting the ws skitter harmlessly off his scalemail.

    He cut. His longsword opened a long sh 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 shes. The shambler seemed to view his de as the greater threat, crying out in pain and rage as it dug its grip into the ground tounch 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 de. 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 ws 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 Kaiusnded 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 copsed, 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 in**

    Kaius''s chest heaved from the exertion of the fight. Taking a moment to mop his brow, he cleaned his de on the grass before returning it to its sheath.

    "Hells, that thing healed fast!" He eximed.

    He wouldn''t have been surprised if it had been a Champion. They at least had powerful abilities that would exin the increased regeneration. Maybe depths-born had something equivalent to general skills? With how shallow of ayer 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 ˇ­ 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 t 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 prated 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 asion beam of brighter yellow scything through the de floor. A quick inspect let him know that they were called verdantha trees, while the vines above were hangingnterns.

    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 ws. 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 muscr, it was almost as long as the rest of the creature''s body.

    He inspected it.

    Grimw 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 rtive safety of a bulging root, a little ways into the edge of the treeline.

    "This ce 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 Grimw 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 Grimw. "Porkchop, look at the ws. 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 Grimw dug its ws 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 ˇ­something 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 de glinting softly as a beam of yellow swept over them from the hangingnterns above. "Let''s do this."

    Porkchop let out a low rumbling growl, thick digging ws 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 ce 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 Grimw didn''t seem so imposing now. He hoped it would put up a good fight.

    A Father''s Gift rested in his hands, itsfortable weight reassuring him of his sess. He had armour now, had grown his skills at an unimaginable pace. The Depths had thrown its best at him, and he hade 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 de 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 Grimw.

    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Grimw 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 Grimw sprinted to engage.

    A cold calm descended over him. Not yet. He had to wait until the Champion had fullymitted. If he tore in now it would see him, ruining any advantage of surprise. His grip tightened on his de, muscles tensing in anticipation.

    The Grimw dropped its head at thest 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 ck 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 mmed down, diving towards the Champion''s undefended belly.

    Porkchop had always told him that his thick dagger-like ws 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 ws. He was forced back, thickcerations on his chest weeping blood.

    Porkchop only seemed to grow more enraged. He moved. Jaws snapped shut around the Grimw''s shoulder. With a contemptuous heave, Porkchop tossed the champion in Kaius''s direction. It iled through the air, a steady stream of blood from the gaping wound in its stomach sttering 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 Grimw was still entirely focused on Porkchop, scrambling to its feet with ash 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 Grimw 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 ws 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 Grimwunched itself forwards. Burying its stride long horns into Porkchop''s chest. The world hung still. Time pausing for one moment of terrible realisation.

    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 championshed at him with his ws. Leaving weeping rips across his friends face.

    Rage roared through Kaius. He had to do something. Take the pressure off his friend.

    His world copsed, narrowing to just the dripping of Porkchops blood and thest 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 de to bear with as much force as possible. Reacting to the sound the Grimw 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 ws. 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 ofmission for some time. If he didn''t keep the Champion upied, it was all too likely that the beast would turn its attention back to his injured friend.

    The Grimw lunged forwards, trying to swat him with one w lined paw. He snapped his de 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 nk 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 vicle. ws skittered across his scalemail in response. He ripped his sword free, turning to parry another follow up w swipe. The Grimw 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 Grimw''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 ck, 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 couldy down together.

    Keeping his eyes locked on the Grimw''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 ws through the earth with anxious tension.

    He was alert. Watching. That was good. He should heal.

    The Grimw pounced, leaping forwards with ws outstretched. Kaius spun to the side, stepping backwards to avoid the sudden strike. He cut down with his de, 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 de 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 ept 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 Grimw rushed him once again. Itmitted to its assault, harrying him with a flurry of swiping ws. Kaius parried what he could, each one leaving deep cuts on the beast''s ws and arms. Others got through his defence. His Serellian armour protected him from the worst of the wounds, sharpened ws 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 ws.

    **Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 10!**

    He had to do something. If he let the rain of shes continue he would eventually copse 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 w. "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 de 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 bing a trickle.

    Kaius gasped, his chest heaving with the excretion of meeting a high levelled beast toe to toe in physicalbat.

    The bleeding stopped.

    Drawing in a deep breath, the Grimw let out a soul rending cry. Mouth hanging open with finger length fangs on disy.

    Kaius adjusted his grip on his de, 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 Grimw''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 Grimw 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 ws in to spin its whole body away from him. Turning to face the approaching Porkchop. The Grimw''srge whip like tail snapped through the air. He shifted his de, bringing it down to block the iing blow.

    Instincts red. 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 toote. He didn''t have the time.

    The thick bony tail of the Grimw hit him with the force of a boulder in freefall. His arm cracked, de swatted aside with contemptuous ease. The tail hit him in the chest. Without a rigid backing, his scale did nothing. Ribs copsed inwards. Bones crunching like ss.

    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 sh. Agony coursed through him, every finger span of his chest screaming for release. Rapid Adaptationpartmentalised 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 ws 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 muscture 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 inte. 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 ce. The candle light of its burn invisible inparison 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 ce.

    He coughed, thick wads of blood sttering over the ground below. Filling his mouth with the rich taste of iron. Wracking spasms followed the action, agony ring 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 de 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 heid into the Champion with heavy shes of his ws. Each one sent the beast stumbling, weeping furrows of torn flesh left in their wake. The Grimw didn''t take the assault lying down. It danced around with hasty agility. Never staying still long enough for Porkchop tond a disabling or fatal wound.

    Porkchop wasn''t without his own wounds. Whenever the Grimw 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 elerating 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 elerated his healing. His chest physically roiled under his armour, ribs snapping back into ce 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 mmed down an orange tonic, taste of sunshine and vital growth on his lips.

    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Sr 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 vitalponent of his final legacy skill, so he thought that he''d have plenty of time before he had to use it. Stupid.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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, ck and red fur stered tight to his skin. Rents in his flesh  glistening under the swaying lights of thenterns far above. He stood firm in the face of the Champion''s assault. Unyielding.

    In contrast the Grimw 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 grimw 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 shed for its nk.

    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 Grimw disappeared with a pop of disced air, Kaius''s de sailing through empty space as Porkchop mmed heavily into the ground. His friend stumbled forwards with a scream of pain. Jolting at the sound, Kaius looked over.

    Horror flooded him. The Grimw now mounted Porkchop''s back. ws 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 Grimw free. It only made the beast dig its ws in deeper. Kaius nched, seeing the chunks of flesh tear free from Porkchop''s back.

    He had to do something. Now.

    There was still one more Sr 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 Grimw hissed at him. One paw smacked his de away, before raking Porkchop''s back once more. Kaius grit his teeth in fury,unching forwards to thrust his de deep into the champions side.

    Letting out a cry of pain, it leapt off Porkchop''s back. His friend copsed 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 Grimw.

    He kept his gaze locked on the Champion as he reached for his potion pouch, pulling out hisst regeneration potion. "Here. Drink this. Chew the bloody ss 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.

    "dly." 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 Grimw 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 muscture. Reinforcing it, bolstering his power. His mind expanding, sharpening, as the outer world slowed down. Everything became tuned. Focused. All with one goal.

    ughter.

    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. Uneptable. He filtered the input. Dragging it back until only a subtle aura surrounded the physical world. The Grimw 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 Grimw wed at him, aiming for his shoulder. Teeth bared at him as a feral growl shook its way free from its chest.

    Kaius analysed the iing ws. 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. eptable. 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. ws 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 de free. Explorer''s Toolkit twinged. He could finally see. Too clouded before. Too slow. An opening. Useful. He stepped back. Sword swung for the Grimws exposed face. It''d left itself defenceless. Ovemitted. 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 w him again. Going to hit his leg. A necessary sacrifice. He would live. It would die.

    Handspan length ws 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 wed him. The Grimw 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 w 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 de slid along bone, turning into a smooth thrust. It sank deep. The Grimw 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 shed the beast''s neck. A fountain of blood. Pretty. The Grimw''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. shing 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. Itunched 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 Grimw stiffened. Heart shot, nice. Its body still moved, bowling both of them over as its crushing weightnded 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 in a Champion: Grimw Dreadbeast - level 27 Prowling Discer! **

    Kaius gasped, pain flooding back with a vengeance as thest 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 Grimw 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 thest revitalisation tonic, the square ss bottle thunking into the earth.

    "I''ll be fine." Kaius heaved, wincing as the cuts on his body were yanked ufortably 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 ˇ­ 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 ssy eyes of the Grimw, 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 oftent mystic force until it returned to diffuse auras. A flick of mental will locked the skill in ce.

    He gazed out at their surroundings in awe, the mana was everywhere. nketed 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 exin 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 topare to the density. It is pretty though."

    The pair sat inpanionable silence, waiting for their wounds to heal while they rested next to the corpse of their in foe. Enjoying the moment of peace that followed a hard fought battle.

    Kaius rose first, his bolstered regeneration andparatively 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 nned 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 nt 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.

    "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 conves avoid it, other than their most aplished 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 thends beyond the forest first. I''ve often wondered how strange it must be to live without trees."

    Kaiusughed, happy that Porkchop had epted 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 thends beyond the Arboreal Sea, humming pleasingly as Kaius ryed stories he had heard himself from his father, and travellers at the various taverns he''d stayed at in the frontier viges.

    "Like the Drozag Stoneholds. The dwarves have carved entire cities in the mountains beyond thends of the Hiwiann tribes. They say that they cut the tops off mountains, hollowing them out andid 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 somon 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 gons 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.

    ˇ­.

    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 thenterns above. To one side the Grimw had clearly made its nest. Discarded twigs and dry leaf litter having been gathered into arge pile with a depression at the centre. The other side of the space was clearly itsrder. Stripped bonesy 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 re 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 ced 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 desated. 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 ce. 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 sp to secure it in ce.

    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 shing colours." He reached for the ring. "Now if you''ll excuse me, I have something else to look at"

    in 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 des andnd heavier blows. Slightly enhances Strength.

    Depths-wrought Artefact.

    essory (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 nonmissioned 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 ws. 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 shing 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 ced his paw back on Kaius''sp. To his friend''s credit, the furry lump only flinched a little when he drew his hunting knife. Bringing the edge of the de 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 exined, 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 augh 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 myst skill before we go gvanting off." With everything else already capped for his next legacy skill, Kaius had been growing impatient. The level of Appraise couldn''t havee at a better time.

    "Watch over me?" he asked.

    Porkchop chuffed in eptance, 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 escting mental strain with each sessive legacy skill. The skills were supremelypatible, and there were only two.

    He wove a rope of soul-fire, the stranding 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 sses. Simrities, 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 simr to its cousin, but avaricious. The merchant to the curious researcher before. Simple pottery through to the rarest of legendary des. 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 histest 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 insightn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Each level slightly increases the skills ability to ovee insight blocking effects.

    Merged from: Inspect, Appraise

    It was a simple merge, one thatbined 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 d to have. Tactical insight and an understanding of the effects of their gear was vital.

    Now he had room for hisst 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 hangingnterns 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 Avable! Would you like to learn: Eagle Eye (Rare)?**

    With a snap the hangingntern 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 thenterns glowing interior. As the vine swayed gently in the breeze Kaius watched liquid slosh inside the bubble, roiling and shing 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. uity sharpened to a deadly point. One that felt like it was being rammed into his brain by a particrly pissed off cksmith.

    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 Grimw, he tried to remember how he''d first gotten his grips on Sense Mana. He could always turn the skill off, but it was tantly 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, bing 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 nned to grow used to its full effects as soon as he could.

    He pulled up the notification that was ring in the corner of his mind.

    Eagle Eye:

    Level 1

    Rare

    Clear, focused, and unyielding. Every detail isid 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!"

    Kaiusughed. "Maybe. Though this ce 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.

    ˇ­

    In the end, despite scouring the de 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 des. 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 thest 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 de 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 ce 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 inˇ­. 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 exin 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 exin 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 exined 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 moreplicated 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, butparatively weaker even if they have simr 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 tant they had been hammered to ce while still fresh, and as soon as the logs had dried they''d shrunk. More than one of the amateur supports looked to havepletely 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 oilnterns 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 sessful at disabling the traps, and there''d been one time he''d almost gotten impaled by a spear trap when Porkchop had identally 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 tes, nothing suspended above.

    "Hmm." He thought to himself. Whatever had set of his skill was either supremely well disguised- unlikely at this low of ayer- or it was hiding in in sight.

    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. d 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 wille 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.

    "Noughing." 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 thest 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 simr to the cave-in trap, but more and more frequently they started to be crafted things. Crude, with a savage viciousness, but definitely ced 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 unssed. 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 mmed 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 nowy 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 de.

    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 gue."

    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 me out when a tribe gets toorge?"

    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..warrenˇ­" 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 de away with a ng. 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 in**

    He sneered in disgust as the creature went limp, sliding free from his sword with a wet schlick. It was thest 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 avable. 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 ufortable 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.

    Kaiusughed 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." Kaiusughed. "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 copse at a moment''s notice. One of them did, when he identally 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 tant hole in the floor covered up with splintering bs of wood. The problem came in crossing the pit. It was too wide to jump. While the nks 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 nks 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 somethingˇ­different. 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.

    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."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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, andrge. 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 berge, maybe even asrge 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 tform of carved stone. Off to the side, a narrow staircase was embedded in the cavern wall, offering passage to the floor far below.

    "Impossibleˇ­" Kaius said. Porkchop was silent, simply standing and staring.

    It put the blue grove to shame,rge 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, everyyer 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 ce 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 ssy smooth as every other piece of dwarven construction. They''d carved it. Carved the whole ce 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 ce 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 hey 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 ws in the city. It was dirty. War-torn. Everything was smudged in ayer of grime. The desated bodies of in 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 ce 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 outmon 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 wasden with muscle.

    Halfway up the city there was some sort of open air temple. A square of free standing pirs 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 t 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 nched. 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 sess 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 mmed 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 cksmiths who pounded on his temples had gotten bored and stopped.

    Previously he had only been able to tell the scale of the beast byparing it to the pirs and statues that dotted the ritual za 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 escting 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 evene 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 de 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-te would do much.

    He''d seen it like before, but never sorge. 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 umting. 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 bacsh hit him, driving into his brain like an iron spike in spite of his pain resistance. Kaius let out a cry of pain, mming 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.

    "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 hisst sentence by nipping Kaius in the ear."

    "Ow!" He pped 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.

    Kaiusughed. "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 tond a hit on. I''m sure we''ll be faster than it. Besides, we have over a year until I get my ss 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 pped 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.

    ˇ­

    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 ssy 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 rtively close. If we can help it, I would like to avoid fighting our way through a city''s worth of farnd."

    Huffing in eptance, Porkchop took the opportunity to get onest roll in the dirt. Kaius shook his head at his friends'' antics.

    The pair set off, heading in the direction that Kaius hadst 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 toing up to his mid thigh. Their colours were just as diverse. Browns, greys, and tans were the mostmon 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 t. 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 friendplied 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 woulde 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 distantbouring 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 ryed 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 â€Planâ€™

    Kaiusy t, 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 goblinbourer 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 muchrger than themonbourers 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 ance 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 Dreadw 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 morefortable 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 momentter.

    "I can take the warg, easy. Leather will not protect it from my new ws."

    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 ws 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 itsnce. I think I should bait it into a charge while you lie in wait here, hidden behind the hill. Once it''smitted and summiting the peak, you pounce on the warg." Kaius said, tracing a loose diagram in the dirt.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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.

    At the halfway mark he saw the goblins aura pulse, ring 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 wargunched 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 tes 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 n had worked.

    Porkchop struck.

    With a bellowing challenge, Porkchop leapt for the pair. Thick ws 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 disy 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 ance 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 toe 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 thest 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 ring with light. With unnatural speed and grace the spear shifted, setting itself back on course. Kaius nched. No way to dodge. Didn''t have the footing.

    Gritting his teeth he mmed his de into the spear thrust. Just barely managing to shift it away from his chest. The barbed spearpoint bound his de, 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 muttion.

    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 ws and a low roar.

    Death approached. Kaius dove to the side, ignoring the hot blood that poured from his side.

    Porkchop mmed into the airborne warg, driving it onto the ground, prone. The goblin rider screamed in fury, tumbling free of its saddle. Porkchopid into the warg in a whirlwind of snapping teeth and sharp ws.

    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 ws 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 sybles 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 ws. It still tried to give as good as it got, getting its feet under it tounch 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 fullymitted 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 particrly sessful tackle on Porkchop''s part had sent them rolling down its slope in a blur of ws and teeth.

    He knew his friend woulde 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 yed.

    "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. Itunched 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 de.

    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 de seemed to glide around his defence, somehow warping the path of his de.

    No way to avoid it, not if he wanted to keep up the pressure. He leaned on Adamant Body, twisting at thest moment to protect his vitals. With unnatural luck the longknife found a gap in his armour, sinking into the side of his stomach. Pain red, 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,ying 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 nted 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 sessful. 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 shing. 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 copsed 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 ance 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 de free, Kaius transitioned into a sh. The goblin hissed, slipping under his attack to stab at his chest. Kaius pivoted, pping 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 de kissed his arm. Parting flesh with a light cut. A trickle of red spilled free.

    For the first time, the goblin''s power hadn''t left a grievous wound in its wake. Barely a scratch.

    Kaius''s mind raced. He still didn''t know how to block the skill. It slipped past parries and blocks with ease, finding chinks in his armor where none should be. Yet it seemed that even if it all but guaranteed a wound, he could still lessen the wounds he was destined to take.

    A weakness. Something he could punish.

    He booted the goblin in the chest, interrupting its follow up sh 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 spittlending on Kaius''s cuirass.

    Heaving, the goblin broke their bind. Forcing Kaius''s attack to the side. Aura shed again. Another destined wound. Kaius lunged towards it, forcing the blow to skitter over his shoulder. The knife slipped throughyered steel tes, 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 de into the Champions outstretched arm. The honed edge sliced through flesh before ncing 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 shing 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 shes 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 sh 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 sh. 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 pped the de 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 sh. 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 red 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 umte on the Champion, its defence gging as exhaustion began to set in. Without the bolstering of stamina, the toll of smashing aside the swings of his de 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 ng. 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. Uneptable. No matter, his fun was drawing to a close.

    He stepped forwards, the goblin trying to ward him off with a messy sh 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 b 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 w. For bones to crack underneath his teeth.

    It should have been maddening. It only heightened his lust.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A savage cry tore at his throat. A scything cuting 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 in a Champion: Goblin Outrider - level 25 Irosh 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 de. 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 ughter**

 Chapter 51 : Honour, and Other Rewards

    **Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Born for ughter**

    Kaius stared at the notification, his pain and exhaustionpletely forgotten. Shock paralysed him, he could feel another notification ring 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 in.

    "Kaius? What''s wrong? Are you injured?" Porkchop asked,ing 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 questionsing 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 ughter:

    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 y three Champions unaided before ss 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 marite 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. Hey 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 ss?

    "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 ˇ­ ufortable. At least the ones that aren''t natural growth. I assumed it was the same for sses?" Porkchop asked.

    "Great. Another hole in my education." Kaius grumbled. Despite how much Father had taught him, it has be more and more clear how much had been sacrificed on the altar of preparing him for his legacy skills and ss selection. Though, perhaps it was just another case of the meles'' oral histories remembering what people had forgotten.

    He returned to Born for ughter''s notification. It wasˇ­Massive. The stats alone were an insane boon to an unssed. 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 ss, and the growth to his skill levelling. One would almost guarantee his first ss 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 ss 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 exined to him. Yet very few seeded, 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 eleration 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 ryed what he knew of his new Honour. The information seemed to light a fire under Porkchop, the meles pacing as he digested Kaius''stest 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 unssed. Maybe ten?" He said. "Though before that happens we need to find some favourable matchups for you to y three on your own."

    "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 dpidated and overrun dwarven settlement.

    "Kaius." Porkchop called to him, insistent.

    "What?"

    "The loot." Porkchop deadpanned.

    "Oh." Kaius said, stopping mid stride. "Right."

    ˇ­

    Kaius crouched in front of the cold body of the warg. Porkchop had absolutely mutted 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 ced metal tes, the armour had done little to save the warg.

    Its head thaty a dozen paces away was testament to that.

    Kaius grimaced at the eviscerated corpse, turning his attention back to itsrge saddle bags. After searching the area for any depth''s created artefacts, they''de up short. Even the goblins pike had been a simple item. All they had left were the saddle bags.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 corpsey 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 ayer.

    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 amodate 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 leathernded on top of him, Kaius stared at the artefact.

    It was some sort of ˇ­armour? That much was clear. Thick sections of leather reinforced byminate tes 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 in 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 ss. 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 momentter he pounced on the strange, toorge 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 ites to keeping theirpanions safe in the dangerous conditions of the northern mountains of Vaastivar.

    Made from alchemically treated Ironox leather, reinforced with tes of doped titanium, this barding is designed to offer maximum protection to a variety of beasts withoutpromising 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. Kaiusughed. "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 ce, 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 tes 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 almostplete coverage, and as soon as it was fully buckled in ce 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''sck 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 sses 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 ss selection, it was the only way to exin 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 unssed 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 themˇ­ They might be able to take on the Guardian. Without a ss.

    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 ss up before finding enough. Whatever method Delvers used to explore a biome in weeks, they didn''t have ess 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 aplete 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 certainyer 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 inessible. He was stuck with ayer 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 ceˇ­They 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 unssed. 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 thisyer. 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 ss selection.

    Then this had tond in hisp.

    Not that he wasining. Nor had he exactly nned 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:

    Umon - Tier I

    Most see the runic arts as something to be relegated to the sterility of theboratory, 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 ce.

    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.

    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 fairlymon 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 ced the b of fungus in hisp, holding his stylus like an overrge pen. Despite the strange size and hefty weight, its shaped grips feltfortable 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 ce 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 momentter 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 hisp. 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 copse 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 ce.

    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 immactely smoothed surfaces. Polished gstones 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 wereplex 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 rm perimeter.

    Unfortunately, he doubted he would get any use out of his formations inbat. 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 rm 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 anguage skill, it was incredibly difficult to level without actually disying 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 ss overly much. Though, if he was sessful with his ns, 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 ce. 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

    ss 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

    ss 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 (Umon) - 20

    Mental Visualisation (Umon) - 20

    Sense Illusion (Rare) - 20

    Sense Mana (Rare) - 20

    Identify (Rare) - 0 > 16

    Eagle Eye (Rare) - 0 > 14

    Honours:

    Born for ughter

    Bound Artefacts:

    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword

    Growth Conditions-

    Gain a ss (0/1)

    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)

    Forge a link (0/1)

 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 des 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 dyed 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 itspanions. A whole section of the line copsed. Kaius waded in, A Father''s Gift reaping lives left and right. Caving in skulls and cleaving necks.

    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Skirmisher in**

    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Skirmisher in**

    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Bruiser in**

    "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 narrownes. 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 in**

    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 nced of metal ting. 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, ring in hatred at the archers above. He would being for them soon.

    shing 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 fric 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 sh removed its head. Silencing it forever.

    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Bruiser in**

    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, nting 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,ing 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 nced 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 shes. 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.

    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Archer in**

    The others were driven back, cleaving strikes exposing bone andcerating organs. It wasn''t enough to stop them, their depths-driven conditioning forcing them to fight until the point of death.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 sh of his de slew thest archer that had resorted to engaging him in melee. He cleaved deep into its vicle. Cutting through its heart with Warforged backed steel.

    Reduced to three, the remainders fell quickly. Too slow, isted, and weak to put up a fight.

    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Archer in**

    ˇ­

    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Archer in**

    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 mmed 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 particrlyrge bruiser, at least for a goblin. Release. The projectilended home, haft quivering as it sprouted from the goblins eye.

    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Bruiser in**

    Kaius smiled. He still had it. Archery might have been thest 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 ss after all.

    Firing into the mess of bodies as fast as he could, goblin after goblin dropped under his onught, lowering the pressure on Porkchop who stood sentinel at the stairs peak. He used Identify as often as he could, an onught of ding''s sounding in his mind as the skill levels and kill notifications rolled in.

    **Ding! level 11 Goblin Skirmisher in**

    **Ding! Identify has reached level 18!**

    **Ding! level 12 Goblin Bruiser in**

    ˇ­

    **Ding! Identify has reached level 20!**

    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Scout in**

    Eventually the flood of goblins slowed to a trickle, Kaius dropping thest straggler with an arrow to its head as it mbered 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 mber 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 prated, 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 momentster and it was done, the punctures sealing quickly as his friend''s health went to work.

    "You said a few dozen." Porkchop said usatory.

    "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 t 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 whateverpulsion the Depths hadid 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 n 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 muscr. Toorge. And yet, the shared features andmon simrities 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 cked 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 nks 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 hadin 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 couldfortably reach it with an outstretched hand.

    Exploring the building, Kaius and Porkchop walked through bunk chambers, abandoned offices, and othermon use areas. Each and everyone of them was in perfect condition, like they had been unupied and waiting for years. Bed covers were in perfect order, offices had neat stacks of paper on their desks, andmon 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,rd. 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 globr 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 ofrge runes inscribed around the inside edges of the cab. 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, angr 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 thebat 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 uracy of its constructions. The more time he spent down here, the more its artificiality became burningly obvious.

    "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 shortugh 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 thest of their jerky, his precious pemmican, and some of the more ptable mushrooms he had poached from the fields outside. In their ce he backed his bag, and the pouches integrated into Porkchop''s barding, with as much food as they couldfortably fit.

    Hefting a smi in his hand, Kaius looked between it and his already stuffed back. Mournfully, he ced it back in the cab.

    It was highly likely that most of the buildings in this city were simrly 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?"

    ˇ­.

    Kaius crouched down behind a stone pir, taking his time as he slowly inscribed another rune in the gstones. 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 urate 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 tworge 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 pirs 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 throughbat.

    Besides, if he had to sit around all day working on skills while knowing that a Champion was right there for the ying, 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 morefortable 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 ying Champions in a group. I''d feel a lot morefortable 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 hade loose. Satisfied with his preparations, he stepped out from behind the pir. Drawing A Father''s Gift in a smooth sh of gleaming steel.

    Ahead of them the Guardian prowled through a field of ancient in 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 pped 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 ropeywork 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 sofortably in its hands was positively massive. A thick andcquered 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 p 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 gstone 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 upied 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 ufortable 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 de. It roared, thick spittle sttering 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,shing out with its axe to ward him off. Leaving its nk undefended.

    Porkchop hit the Champion like a charging bull. ws 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, sttering against the stone. Its eyes started to burn. Shifting its grip on its axe, it mmed 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 de slipped free from the Champion''s chest. Mana shed, 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 nched as his friend tried to doge. Toote. Too slow. The axe tore clear through the front of Porkchop''s shoulder, metal squealing as it sundered armoured ting.

    Now facing away from him, Kaius got a look at the damage his friend had done. Deep furrows had torn through the hob''s muscr back. Leaking greenish blood and revealing the bones of its ribs. Already the flesh was writhing. Growing to cover thecerations. Fast too. Faster than he expected.

    Gritting his teeth at his friend''s plight, Kaius pressed the hob as his skill red 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 sh. Moving into a third.

    The Champion howled. Aura shed again. It spun on him, swinging with enhanced speed in an upwards sh. Kaius nched. Too fast. Way too fast. He wasn''t going to be able to dodge, notpletely.

    Gritting his teeth, Kaius mmed his de into the iing axe. Pressing his whole weight into the collision. de 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 sh 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 thisyer would be enough to damage the de. Gritting his teeth in forced eptance, Kaius stepped forwards to meet the Hob. Already preparing its axe for another swing.

    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. de cut through the muscle, ncing 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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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 pped 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 ws 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. Heyered 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 de 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 de 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 g stones.

    The hob heaved on its weapon. It was stuck fast. Kaius''s skill red. 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 de down on the Champion''s thick neck. Chipped or no, the edge of his de was still razor sharp. It sliced through green flesh, a torrent of blood erupting from the wound. Biting into the monster''s spine, andpletely failing to sever its spine.

    Kaius widened his eyes.

    The hobgoblin let out a rabid howl. It mmed 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 de ripping free from the hob''s neck. Its blood flowed thick, sttering 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 cartge 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. Vascture swelled under its skin, pulsing a rapid stato 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 ck-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 itsrgest tusks peeked out from thin lips where previously all had been on disy. 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 itfortably 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 w. 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 de 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. Amitment 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 sh, left a wound that healed almost as fast as he could leave them.

    Even with Porkchopying into the Champion''s undefended nk 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 nned 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 problemy 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 nk of the hobgoblin. Only forced back with the odd wild sh, more to stop his friend from hampering its attempts to y him alive than any true focused assault.

    Kaius pivoted on his front foot, shifting out of the way of a heavy sh of his head. A little too slow, the strike nced 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 ws and greater might.

    Pouncing, the champion leapt at him once more.

    It had to be gging. 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,shing out as his friend sunk his ws 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 simrly invible. It kept pace with them, refusing to go down despite numerous and ever growing wounds.

    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''te 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 mming into the stone next to him. "I''m going to go for his knee! Knock him over when I do and run!"

    "Right!" Porkchop wed the back of the hob''s legs, dancing back as it furiously shed in retaliation.

    Kaius waited for the moment. Eagle Eye tuned to the limit of what he couldfortably handle. Taking everything in. Working in unison with Explorers Toolkit to spot the opening he needed.

    There.

    A diagonal sh. 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 de sideways, forcefully tearing it asunder.

    The leg copsed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Porkchop lurched forwards, mming 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 pir, 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 pir was so close.

    A soft snarl from behind. Kaius lunged forwards, nting his hand against the spire of carved rock. His shoulder yanked in his socket as he used the leverage to spin around the pir at top speed.

    Just barely missing the entrapment formation he had carved into the stone floor. Skidding to a halt, Kaius spun. cing the runic circle between him and the rapidly approaching hob. Porkchop ran forwards, ready to assist.

    It clipped the pir 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 sess, d that their n had worked. He moved. Already able to see the hob straining against its bond, he knew it wouldn''t be long before its prodigious strengthpletely 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 hobpletely 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 de 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 muscture. Carving the flesh open. He hit bone, the Champion''s head almost entirely decapitated. Only held in ce by its spine and the magic of his formation. Green viscera sshed 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 de 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 de 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 mmed the back of the de.

    Driving it home

    The hobgoblin Champion went limp.

    Holding on until thest 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.

    ˇ­.

    **Ding! You have in 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 in, another step closer to his goal. He turned to Porkchop with a grin, pping his friend on the shoulder.

    "All ording to n." He said.

    Porkchop snorted. "Yes, we were definitely nning on you getting gutted."

    Kaius gave an exaggerated humph. "I''ll have you know that was definitely part of the n. 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 tosh 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 Grimw?" 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 te. 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 te being half a finger''s length thick, every corpse weighed as much as an anvil. After finding nothing but burnt out enchanted te 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'' ce 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 fric. 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 arger than average pile of dwarves. All facing outwards like they had died to thest protectingˇ­something. 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. Pnquin 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 simpletch 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 thetch. 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 wereyered in ovepping tes of a bluish steel and stretched all the way over the elbow. They were richly inscribed, chains of runes edging each te and scale, while arger sigil sat centred on a long b 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 te 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 simr material to his Serelian scale. With the garish sh 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, histest find looked like it would blend into his scalemail quite nicely, the heavier tting simr to that on his pauldrons and gorget.

    He used Identify on the artefact.

    Vambraces of Varkhossian Deflection:

    Umon - 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 te and scalemail vambraces made fromyered heliomite and steel alloyed tes, 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 des 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''sbined 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 exined 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 ck 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 Invible Momentum:

    Umon

    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, unsping the chain and wrapping it around his friend''s neck. It fit perfectly, slidingfortably 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 ck to nestle it safely behind the leather and steel te that protected his chest.

    "There you go buddy. This should suit you well. You''ve got a maniption skill right? Try funnelling some of your Mana into the amulet. I think you''ll find its effects quite entertaining."

    Maniption 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 maniption 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 abination of the two, with the runic arts being relegated to more of a craftsman profession.

    A maniption 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 inbat.

    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 nched, 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 arger than normal pile of dwarven te 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, elerating 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 te, 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 ckened jaw. He hadn''t expected it to be quite that effective. Porkchop came skidding to a halt, nting 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 nged as they skittered across the stone ground, tumbling. Limbs ragdolling with enough force to bend te and tear withered joints free.

    "Bloody hells, was that one cracked?" Kaius thought, staring at one chestte 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 befortable as we do it."

    Porkchop nodded.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    A few minutester 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 nextyer 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'' nk.

    Kaius waded into the fray, the cracked de of A Father''s Gift lopping off heads and caving in skulls. The goblins were disoriented. Off bnce. 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 de 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 acklustre 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 gstones 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 morevish with their living arrangements than the austere military and craftingpounds below had suggested. Each house had a high nted roof, immactely 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, iid in gold and silver.

    On the other side, they had found the wide street that he now stood on, regr 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 immactely 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 d they had decided to make the climb before settling in to work on his next skills. Looking through wide, impossibly t, ss 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 de. 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."

    Kaiusughed. 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 hade, 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 vi that was near their entrance to the district, Kaius pushed open the heavy front door. Much like the section below, the houses here were immacte, untouched, and absolutelyden with dust.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The first thing they did was open all the windows, spending a few hours cleaning out the thickyer 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 arge desk, floor to ceiling bookcases lined the walls, while a daybed and a pair of armchairs sat around an unlit firece.

    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, angr lettering that linked discrete works into solid blocks of sigils. Utterly unreadable.

    That was ˇ­ odd. Everyone spoke Common. Sure, there were variations on writing style. Some severe enough to make them barely legible. But it was all the samenguage. How else were you supposed to read the system if you couldn''t speak Common? I mean sure, it was possible for differentnguages 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 constructednguage 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.

    Returning to the firece, 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 ocr skill, one that supposedly focused on truth and revtion. An apparent key-stone of his family''s long history of sessful 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 casualment 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 vour the surrounding void.

    The mutable, shifting defence of Rapid Adaptation.

    The iron scented tang of Warforged, crystalised and constrained by the unssed skill cap of twenty.

    The furtive and alert curiosity of Explorer''s Toolkit.

    The imcable 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 hismand, weaving itself into a tightrope. He dove for the first skill, tasting the impressions of Low Light Vision. It was a fascinating thing, wing at the dark to reveal its secrets. Revelling in thefort 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 im for themselves.

    The cord of radiant illumination snapped in ce. 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 simtion asfortable with rearranging furniture as it was disying 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 rity.

    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 wless beauty. He shut them out. He''d grown since hisst 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 regrity 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 schr. The mind of mania. Of spirits and hidden things. A magical world revealed. The engine of power thaty 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 congration. He could feel them now, wing 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 ce. 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 tesseted pattern that only grew into coherency through the obscuring haze offortable distance. A false coherency. The mountain on the horizon lied, hiding its rocks and bushes. The smooth consistency of a hares coat cackling in sessful deceit, drowning the calls for justice of a thousand thousand individual hairs. Each in turn masking the plea''s of impossibly small building blocks. rity existed in uracy. 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 thest 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. Thest skill snapped into ce.

    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 sh 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 histest 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 exmation 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 exined.

    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 firece of the office.

    "Lemme check." Kaius said, pulling up the description of histest 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 ovee 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 nt 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 inparison. He could see what his father had meant. About this being such a cornerstone of his family''s strength. Most ocr 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 itsponents. He was pretty sure he didn''t need to.

    Refocusing to give Porkchop his full attention, heunched into an exnation 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 ocr 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 ocr skill?" He knew that Porkchop had a fullplement 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 ce. 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 ˇ­forgot? 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 ourrgest 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 ws are strengthened, able to tear more easily through defences. It makes wounds bleed more, and they are harder to heal."

    Kaius nodded. It made sense to him. Even if he did have more skills avable 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 simr, 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 ss up, especially if I use the weapon enough to influence the ss 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, epting Kaius''s exnation withoutment. "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 exined, 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 particr had surprised Kaius. It sounded eerily simr to one of his own legacy skills, yet stronger and more epassing. 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 Grimw 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 unarmedbat. 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 simr 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 Porkchoppletely 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 unkible 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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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 tant fascination with the skill made him a little ufortable. 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 Maniption, which gave him the ability to manually shape crystal mana, or use that mana to gain control of crystals themselves. Like all aspected maniption skills, Kaius knew it still allowed control of unaspected mana, but to a lesser degree.

    It was a mirror to his own uing legacy skill Mana Maniption, though his was far more generalised. It would let him manipte 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 exined 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 Maniption. They were to be the focus of hising 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 ss, especially using them in tandem with his de.

    Porkchop agreed with him. More than happy to have an extended rest from their constant and fric 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 grant 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.

    "Thest 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 cabs 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 wasfortable.

    Yanking open another draw, Kaius let out a whoop of sess 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 viges 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 d 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 iplete 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 pped 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 nning on sitting here for a month and drawing. Won''t you get bored?"  Porkchop asked.

    He''d been grumbling about their nned stay sincetest night, after Kaius had told him more about the skills he was nning on levelling.

    "Oh shush, it''s not like I''m going to stay in herepletely, only leaving to eat and sleep." It wasn''t a lieˇ­mostly. 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 ced 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.

    Kaiusughed at his friend''s antics. The stew he had madest 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 ced 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 wee.

    It was an interesting skill. Belonging to an obscure branch of mastery skills with a distinctly academic vour. 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 rtive 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 ck 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 mmed 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 sses 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 ns for his ss, 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 monstrouslyplex specialities in their own right.

    Combining them would require utilising all five of his empowered scripts to their fullest extent. A skill of aplished 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. Fiveponents, 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 whenpartmentalised runic hymns were burnt in a cast. It was the lynch pin of everything, and had to bear the weight of a monstrouslyplex working. Generalist enough that it could handle a dozen different spells, stable enough that it would hold the overall formation in ce -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 mands 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 forplex workings that required variable activation triggers and things of a simr 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 wasrge, 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. Simrly, it was simplicity itself to ensure the rune wouldn''t draw mana from the atmosphere. Only requiring that he change a few ents. 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 runguage.

    His focus totally honed, the rune of Strength slowly came together on the page. A few minutester 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 shes. 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 sh of light. Kaius cursed, blinking rapidly to clear the after image of the sh hung in his vision.

    Then heughed as Porkchop let out a yelp of rm, 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 Porkchopy 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 sess." Kaius replied with a wide grin, staring at the second notification that hung in his vision.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - Ykkardian (Rare)?**

 Chapter 62 : Runes pt. 2

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! 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 boostpetency, but you had to disy 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 be 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 used.

    "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 vtile 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 epted 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 rtions 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 uracy 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 immting, and was what had caused the destructive detonation that had ruined theirst 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 copse 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 lessˇ­Explosive.

    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. Histest Skill tweaked his movements, giving him the confidence to draw with haste. The curves and shes 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.

    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. shing 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. Sess!

    Kaius cackled, throwing his head back as a full bodiedugh 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 ss.

    Soon. Soon he would be able to cast. He would merge Runic Lexicon, quickly followed by Mana Maniption, 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 viinousugh 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 identally epting a different rune rted skill when he was inevitably offered one.

    Also, maybe he should clean the desk. Two failed runes hadpletely 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 whichnguage 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 rtively straight forward. Making those spells directably and intuitively controble like a real spell? Far harder.

    You needed a dizzyinglyplex 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 tailoredmand 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 avable. 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, overlyplicated, and unnecessarily confusing, even whenpared to other notable offenders. It was also the best bet he had. Thatplexity 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 hepletely 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 tooplex 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 moreplicated 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 ording to Vhaxanish sacred geometry. Half an hour turned out to be an underestimate. A full hourter 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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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 theplex 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 equteral triangle, the other an upside down equteral 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 Avable! 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 mes, scattering ash across the floor.

    He epted the skill in a rush, pulling up its description. Unwilling to let a freak ident 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 sessful 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 uracy 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.

    ˇ­

    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 stillrge enough to prepare food for several dozen people, and had arder 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 wasˇ­ 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 momentarilye 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 ce like this one day. Not filled with goblins I mean."

    "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 ept 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 viges 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 viges 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.

    ˇ­

    Kaius walked back into the office, taking a seat at his desk. It was nice to take a meal break with Porkchop, and he feltfortably full after the curiously spiced goat stew. Now though, he had to get back to working on collecting his skills.

    He''d already sessfully 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 facilitatemunication. Thankfully, it was not an umon problem forrger and moreplex 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 desiredponents.

    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 vitalponent 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, slowlying 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 ipatible. Working off different syntax.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Redipping his pen, Kaius moved into the sharp, angr 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 modte the flow of mana. Adjusting it into a form that would be recognised by the controller of Gretchen''s Standard.

    A few minutester 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 Avable! 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 uracy 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 ratherˇ­rustic upbringing in the Arboreal Sea. He felt like a kid ying 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 terrificallyfy.

    Porkchop had decided to join him again, lounging on a plush carpet that sat in front of a roaring hearth. After dinnerst 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 thest two of his remaining Runic Mastery skills. Neither of them should be too difficult, at least inparison that was the mind numbing exercise in frustration that was Vhaxanish.

    Once he had all five he nned 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 anythingrger or moreplex 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 trante 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 regrity of inscribing with it.

    It was aplex 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 avable 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 wasplex, 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 theplexity came from properly nning 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 rtively quickly. At leastpared 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 ss that heavily incorporated this unique style of magecraft that he was pioneering. Almost everyone who managed to use something novel before ss selection was offered something simr.

    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 ss skills, giving him an organic way to improve upon it through his natural rising through the tiers.

    That was reasonablymon. 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 ss 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 hisst.

    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 hey 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 momentter and the formation overloaded, immting 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 controlponents 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 nned 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 Avable! Would you like to learn: Rune Mastery - High Lothian (Rare)?**

    epting the skill immediately, Kaius pulled up its description.

    Rune Mastery - High Lothian:

    Level 1

    Rare

    Wield thenguage 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 uracy 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 hisst 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 emte the magi, Simeno had used body formations to turn himself into a supreme warrior. Engraving wards, strength boosts, rejuvenation, and other simr enhancements onto his very bones.

    Kaius could only hope that he would have as much sess as the ancient runewright. That his own name would simrlyst 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 ovepping circles, tesseted 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 pagey 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 beatster, and the inherent weakness of the instability reared its head. It immted 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 copsed. Instantlybusting the rest of the page.

    Kaius grinned as another notification started to re in his mind.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! 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 thest he needed for Runic Lexicon.

    Now he just needed to practise. That wouldeter, first he had to check histest 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 uracy 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 rm 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 toy on the floor. For all of three seconds that is. Then he tore off, ws ttering against the polished stone floor as he sprinted for the kitchen.

    "Race you!"

    ˇ­.

    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 ns 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 rm, patently unsuitable for regr 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 lessplexity.

    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 rm 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 fromining 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 theiner in question. Porkchop was waiting at the mouth of the alley. Fully dressed in his barding, the meles was absolutelyden with bulging sacks of goods that they had looted from the other manors.

    "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."

    Kaiusughed. "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. Candbras that he would have expected to be silver were iron, and there was a conspicuousck 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 Maniption. Contested casting is so much fun. Almost as good as wrestling."

    "A week, maybe two. I''m most of the way there, but thest levels are always the slowest," he exined, peering through the windows of manors as they walked past. "I''m nning 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 uing maniption skills. If two people tried to manipte the same mana, they had to contest wills to gain control. The added difficulty would be fantastic for skill growth, and Porkchop waspetitive 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,ughing as he gave Porkchop a friendly shove. He barely moved.

    "C''mon, we''re almost at the manor."

    ˇ­.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 thest several weeks. It was thest on the floor, and if he was lucky thatst 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 hade up with was a hideouslyplex mess. Requiring that he inscribe not just the window frame, but the very ss 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 handˇ­

    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 prenned 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 nning, and a few shattered walls, before he had managed to get a handle on how to modte 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 ce, 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. Thesest 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 theplexity of the noise spells he had been including in the rm wards in the alleys.

    Still, it was finally over. Excitement shot through him, a wide grin splitting his face as he absorbed his sess at taking another step closer to his ss. 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 yfully as heughed.

    "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''splete and utterck 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 ws. We both know you are making the stew. Just let me have this."

    Kaiusughed, 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 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 maniption practice.

    Holding an armful of firewood, Kaius loaded up the hearth. He left it unlit, sitting in such proximity to open me would almost certainly increase the avability of fire mana, something that would only disrupt his practice of his first skill, Air Maniption.

    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 doubleyering 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 maniption skill, any of them, but until then he had to rely on his sight alone.

    "Ready?" Porkchop asked him.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 rxed. Though Kaius noted that he still looked at the gathered air mana with intensity. He couldn''t imagine it was easy. All maniption skills could influence mana, but specialised ones such as Crystal Maniption 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. Circting a thread of mana down his arm and around his hand, bringing it back toplete 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 thinyer 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 umted to something the size of a walnut, he bore down on the small collection of mana he had gathered. Holding it in ce.

    He withdrew his hand from the cloud, a small gleaming orb hovering a few hairs above his palming 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 circting 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 sessful.

    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 Avable! Would you like to learn: Air Maniption (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, muchrger, cloud in ce 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 epted his new skill and brought up its description.

    Air Maniption:

    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.

    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 outˇ­

    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 maniption skill, but Porkchop''s Crystal Maniption 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 toe heavier, eyes held wide as he burned a hole in the cloud of air mana with his gaze.

    It wavered slightly

    **Ding! Air Maniption has reached level 2!**

    **Ding! Air Maniption has reached level 3!**

    **Ding! Air Maniption has reached level 4!**

    The quick session 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 headacheing on with full force as Kaius yanked against his friend''s grip.

    **Ding! Air Maniption has reached level 5!**

    **Ding! Air Maniption 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 imed 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, Kaiusshed 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 Maniption has reached level 7!**

    **Ding! Air Maniption has reached level 8!**

    "Cheater!" Porkchop growled. Kaius merelyughed, 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 Maniption 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 Maniption 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 stoutbatant, 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, maniption skills had a lot of depth to them. Kaius was a novice,pletely 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 Maniption 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 theirpetition.

    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 maniption for casting. He knew that it was difficult to use, and considered impractical inbat 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. wing 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 m 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 Maniption 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.

    Heughed, 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 ced a firm paw on his chest. Again.

    "Okay, okay!" Kaiusughed. "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 maniption 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 Maniption and Water Maniption 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 thest level. Maniption 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 w at Porkchops control. It wasn''t working. His friend''s Crystal Maniption 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 maniption, 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 wasncing his eyes.

    Honing his focus was tough, isting 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 Maniption has reached level 20!**

    Kaiusughed 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 augh, 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 ce. 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 uing merge.

    He understood how Porkchop felt though. At first it had been nice to take a breather, an extended break from the nonstop vignce 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 maniption skills lended themselves particrly well to the vigours ofbat. 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 ughter, 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.

    Then it would be time to practise mixing spells with his swordy. Something he absolutely would be making full use of inbat with Champions.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.

    ˇ­

    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 mes, 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 rx 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 tinum edged legacy skills as hetched 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, iable as it tore the forest from its root. The quiet patience of wind as it wore at a cliff over centuries. Air Maniption was formless, invisible, yet constantly present. Calm, cid, and forgotten, until whipped into a rage. Always unstoppable. The breath of the world.

    The skill connected, his im solidifying with a tinkle of windchimes. His legacy skills reacted to the skill being locked in ce, 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 Maniption firm as his soul space shook. Waiting for the aftershocks to subside, he pushed the call of hispleted skills to the wayside. Focusing on the next skill in line to merge.

    Another resplendent thread shot out under hismand. 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 andfort 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 constantpanion for the creatures that dared to strive to be more. Fire Maniption gave that.

    A wave of embracing warmth flooded his inner space, mingling with the heat of the hearth. Embracing its ce in his growing web. His legacy skills protested, rabid dogs turning to attack their master. Painnced through Kaius''s mind as they shrieked. wing 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 theughter of a bubbling brook, the rage of a tsunami that ttened cities. The undertow, jealousy hoarding secrets as it pulled without warning. In calm, and in fury, water was undeniable. Water Maniption held control and surrender in bnce.

    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 wing grasp of his legacy, holding strong as the resonance buffeted his soul.

    The waves calmed, soothing to a background ripple. It was time for thest skill. Soulfire shot out, Kaius shaking in ce as every muscle in his body tensed. Forcing the thread towards Earth Maniption. 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 maniption skills thrumming with realised potential. He moved quickly, buoyed by the energy of his sess. 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 yful 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 epted the system''s prompting. Watching as it aided him in precipitating histest legacy skill from the clumping dust, forming a new tinum nexus of power in his soul.

    **Ding! Skill Merged! Mana Maniption obtained!**

 Chapter 69 : Race to the Finish

    **Ding! Skill Merged! Mana Maniption obtained!**

    Upon receiving the system notification that he had sessfully merged his next legacy skill, Kaius copsed. 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.

    ws 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 unssed!

    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 hisp, 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 aplished, 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 irreceable, 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, thenguage of greater beasts. A sacred bond of brotherhood, forged in blood and fire. Unbreakable. An oath ofpanionship, a partner in the hunt, a guard on the darkest nights, and a w 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 ring of the notification in his mind, Kaius pulled up the description for histest legacy skill.

    Mana Maniption:

    Level 1

    Unusual

    Raw and unrefined, the seed of the arcane is mutable potential made manifest. Seize it, and shape your destiny.

    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 Maniption, Fire Maniption, Water Maniption, Earth Maniption

    This was it. Thest thing he needed. He was ready.

    Focused on his goal, excitement roared. He was finally ready! His notes! Paper! He needed paper!

    Kaiusunched 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!

    Kaius sat at the opulent hardwood desk in the manors office, over a dozen sheets of paperid out on its broad surface. Each and every one was covered in dense notes, intricatebelled 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 ce, he wouldn''t be able to turn pages.

    "Everything is ready? You have everything?" Porkchop asked from his regr 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 cement, and securing mana in ce. I''ve got my stylus ready. Everything." Now he just had to do it. No big deal.

    "Good luck."

    Kaius nodded andid 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 maniption to lock internal mana flows in ce 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 becking, 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 sh of intent, Kaius started pulling Mana from his pool, suffusing his hand and forearm. With histest skill he had none of his early difficulty, saturating the limb in moments. Holding the density of power in ce with ease.

    **Ding! Mana Maniption 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 Maniption 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 ck 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 iplete pathways. If he let it in now, the rune would copse, ruining his work.

    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 2!**

    A quarter hour of agonising workter 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 ce 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 addedplexity uponplexity 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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    So he went slow. Letting his mana waft in from all angles. Slowly suffusing the sigil.

    **Ding! Mana Maniption has reached level 3!**

    **Ding! Mana Maniption 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 mped down, holding it in ce as it slowly settled.

    **Ding! Mana Maniption has reached level 5!**

    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 5!**

    The sigil snapped into ce, gleaming in his True Sight with mystical radiance. He held it with his mana sense, ensuring that the mana stayed in ce. 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 vtile, 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 nched, torn between his growing pain and the building pressure in his sigil.

    **Ding! Mana Maniption 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. Sttering on his carefully arrayed notes. He spun in his seat, turning away from the desk to spill blood on the floor, groaning as agonynced through his hand.

    Porkchop was on him in a sh. "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 Grimw, 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 fment 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 Avable! Would you like to learn: Fast Healing (Rare)?**

    He grinned. A little earlier than he had expected, but a wee 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 vtile."

    "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.

    ˇ­

    Dabbing at the blood on the desk, Kaius''s eyes roved over histest 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 ident 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 ssh zone.

    Laying his hand back down on its surface he grimaced slightly at the tackiness left behind after his little ident. This time he was extra careful to make sure his arm was perfectlyfortable. He had no intention of letting simple difort 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 vition 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, mping 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 hundredplex 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 prenned the entire working, the grammar was soplex, 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 hourster 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 nted t 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 ck 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 ck from a distance to someone without an ocr 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 ck script started to light up, line by line.

    **Ding! Mana Maniption has reached level 7!**

    Suddenly, his Mana hitˇ­ something. There was a surge. A crack.

    He''d made a mistake. FUCKING Vhaxanish!

    The array destabilised, blowing a hole clean through Kaius''s palm . Agony surged, blood and viscera sttering 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 histest 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 friendughing at his misfortune.

    ˇ­.

    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 overlyplicated 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 thest 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 trantion and connector array was far simpler than Vhaxanish, it was by no means simple. On top of that, every additional working addedplexity. 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 seed 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 toplete his formation.

    This would be hisst 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 reced them twice now, they neversted long. As his spell casting formation grew closer topletion, 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, yer.

    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 funnellingpressed 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 uracy.

    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 ce as he ignored the sting of salty sweat dripping into his eye.

    **Ding! Mana Maniption 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 ss fully included his spell casting formation, there was no guarantee it would directly modify the working with his first ss skill, or even at all. Better to be prepared than forced to redesign as he got ess 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 cement 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 trantion array. Mana flooded through the working with ease, each section of graceful runes lighting up in a sequence. Snapping into ce. 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, unexined by True Sight, and his brain felt like it had been liquified with a particrly violent branding iron.

    **Ding! Mana Maniption has reached level 19!**

    No amount of a break would ease the agony, not when he still had to hold the partiallypleted formation stable. No, now it was a sprint. To finish the working before his will gave out, as had happened in hisst handful of failures.

    Thankfully, Simenoan was a geometric script, relying on sacred shapes to pacify the turbulent energy of his body formation.

    Drawing ovepping triangles and concentric circles directly over his partiallyplete 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,plete, working.

    He finished.

    **Ding! Runic Lexicon has reached level 18!**

    His will was gging, 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 Maniption has reached level 20!**

    A momentter 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 sh 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 seeded. 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 andpletely.

    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, pping 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,unching his chair to the ground with a tter 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 ck too deep, too saturated.

    "Thought you might react like that." Porkchop said, chittering slightly with an animalisticugh. "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 wing at the back of his mind. He pulled them up.

    **Congrattions! You have discovered the Third Pir 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,pletely forgetting the other notifications that tried to vie for his attention. This wasˇ­unexpected. 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 Pir? 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 imed 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 bindingˇ­ 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 thatplemented 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 ss that properly made use of his invention just shot through the roof.

    He leaned forwards, nting 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, thest few wordsing 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 histest award. Besides, he wanted to know for himself. If it was anything like thest 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 Pir, the tower of reason and logic. The realm of those who nned, 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 ovee. 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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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.

    Bonus: For being unssed 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 Pir 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 maniption."

    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 notpare 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 y with than expected. Beyond that, there was also a concern of the kind of influence he wanted to have on his ss.

    He nned 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 ofbat 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 rtive ease.

    First, before he got started inscribing his spell, Kaius pulled up thest of the notifications that were ring 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 shed into existence, hovering in his mind''s eye.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! 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 sess. 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, hisst skill slot after he hadpleted 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 ck. 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 n had been a raging sess. 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 seeded. 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. Inparison 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 ce, 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 ce, forcibly constrained by his glyph as it was anchored into his spell.

    Once fully saturated, the luminance dimmed. Runic inscription returning to a baseline ck.

    Kaius could tell from sensation alone that the spell had reserved nearly a full quarter of his pool. He''d checkter 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 ess 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 ws 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.

    ˇ­

    Kaius loomed in the mouth of an alley. It was a narrow thing, barely two paces across, nked 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 ce, 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 topletely 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 shing 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 apanied 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 gutturalnguage, 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 nked the road.

    They would make perfect targets to test his new spell. Kaius''s gaze drifted down to his arm, admiring the four ck lines of script that weaved their way out from the spokes that served to connect the hymns to the rest of the supporting structure.

    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 itspletion, 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

    ss 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

    ss 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 Maniption (Unusual) - 0 > 20

    Fast Healing (Rare) - 0 > 17

    Stone Blood (Rare) - 0 > 14

    Glyph Bound Hymns:

    Arcane Bolt - 4

    Honours:

    Born for ughterN?v(el)B\\jnn

    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding

    Bound Artefacts:

    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword

    Growth Conditions-

    Gain a ss (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 andplete mage discipline in its own right, he supposed it made sense. Although, he did expect more changes as he got his ss. 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 ss skills.

    It was reasonablymon for mages, especially maniption 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 sessful 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 solidfort 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 Invible 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 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 momentter hot rainfall fell from the ceiling in a torrential downpour, sshing on the nted 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 asions 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 rtively 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 ced 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 ws after a hunt afterall." Porkchop assured him. With the water ttening 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.

    Kaiusughed, 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 thest 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 thisyer of the city, but it looked quite far around the circlepared 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 ofparison were a far off look from a ledge and actually being on the streets."

    Porkchop huffed at his nonmittal 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 singleyer 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."

    Theypsed into silence as the water that rushed over them slowly started to run clear. They had a n, 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.

    ˇ­

    Kaius walked down a paved street, his boots cking 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 alsoforting. A reminder that the destion 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 istion, 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 irregr trips to the viges.

    Thank god he''d met Porkchop. No doubt he would have already lost his witspletely 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 ss -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,zing 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.

    ˇ­

    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 za surrounded on all sides by buildings taller and more opulent than any he had seen so far, with artistic crentions and massive stained ss windows adorning their fronts.

    At the centre of the za was what they had been looking for. Arge 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, rying 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 upied 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 immactely carved statues that wereid in a circle around the za 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 te with a stern expression revealed by an open faced helm.

    "Why?" Porkchop asked, clearly far more interested in whaty beyond the ring of statues.

    "I mean, look at this stuff." Kaius replied, sweeping his hand across the za 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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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 preupied to notice them.

    "You''re still alright to keep the shaman upied 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 preupied. 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 cked 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 therge stone pirs 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 ssh of shattered bone and pulped flesh.

    **Ding! Level 20 Goblin Adherent in**

    For a moment, everything hung frozen. Still. Then the goblin attendant''s body hit the ground with a wet smack.

    **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 ck 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 mming into him and punching into his barding a few heartbeatster.

    The remaining attendants drew their des. 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 Kaiusunched himself faster and faster, eating away at the distance between him and the attendants.

    He hit them at full speed,shing 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 de 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 stato of shing des brought a smile to Kaius''s face as the rush of battle fell over him.

    With each turned de 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 goblinspanion raking its de 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 momentter as ash 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 de. 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 sh 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 de back and forth he deflected a perfectly synchronised flurry of shes 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 de 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 sh of light, the shaman throwing itself to the side in ast ditch effort to avoid the spell. Kaius was already turning away as it squealed in pain, slipping around a sh 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 shes 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 de held high overhead. Kaius swept his sword up, binding the strike in an edge to edge sh. He twisted his wrists, casting the bronze sword to the side as he pirouetted into a whirling cut that shed 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 de 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 nce behind him, seeing Porkchop had jumped on the shaman''s distraction to rake his ws 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 de up to catch one of the crescent bronze des. They shed.

    His arm cracked. Agonyncing 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 sh as it fought a losing battle to keep him whole.

    Rapid Adaptation was already moving, tasting the vour 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 momentter he got the notification he had been waiting for.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! 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 histest 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 histest 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 waspletely 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 sh, 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!**N?v(el)B\\jnn

    One of the attendants slipped in low, bringing its crescent moon de towards him with a hurried sh 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 sh 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 copsed to the ground with a ssh.

    **Ding! Level 20 Goblin Adherent in**

    The final goblin elite was already moving, its curved sword descending towards his own in a heavy sh, 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 de 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 sh to continue unabated, carving through the flesh and bone of the attendant with ease.

    **Ding! Level 20 Goblin Adherent in**

    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 ws and teeth to have noticed that he had in 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 painsh was enough to stop it from falling into Porkchop''s embrace, it had been savaged by ncing blow after ncing 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 ws.

    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 thest 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 hisst 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. Ash 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 de tond 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 yed 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 sh. 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 copse 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 avnche. 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 Adaptationtched 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 secondter 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 ring around it as twoshes 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 anothersh of pain.

    Kaius lurched in, pivoting on his foot to attack the shaman with a heavy chop. Rage twisted its features, ck eyes scrunching as it raised its staff to block. Another building pulse of mana, and a secondter 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 itsst 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 cial 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, ttening the shaman once more. It tried to roll away. Escape. Stomping on its chest with a sickening mush, Porkchop pinned the shaman in ce 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 in 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 t 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 ck 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 amon 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 ufortable"

    "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 hadin 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 thest 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 tost 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 tost 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 annihtedpletely.

    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 tooplicated 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 breastte or sword in gloomy tunnels beneath the surface, after all.

    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 t on the dais with a puff of dust and an ear splitting crash. Kaius stumbled back, nearly tipping off the edge of the raised tform 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 ss, still disturbed from the dropping of the hatch. Another two were a pale purple, almost lc, 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 ck? Knowledge, power, or madness?

    A tonic that stimtes 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 lc 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 inbat, 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 stter them with a single swing of its club.

    If it couldn''t hit them howeverˇ­. 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 thest 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 prettymon 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?

    Sitting on a throne of granite, a man so immacte he looked carved from marble started tough. A thousand motes of light quivering in an inky ck void at the sudden noise.

    "Kaius, my boy. You have no idea."

 Chapter 79 : Surprise!

    Kaius crept alongside the exterior of a regal building that backed up onto the wall that led to the finalyer 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 goblinspared 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 strangeck 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 rm 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 topletely 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 thefort 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 theirzy 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,pletely 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 ess to the open n 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 exin 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 attentionpared 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    His head snapped back when he heard a crash breaking the silence from behind him,ughing as he watched Porkchop go down in a il 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."

    "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 aplicated mechanism. All he could tell was that they linked therge 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 spanter 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 mmed into his head, yanking him backwards to send him falling to the stone floor. As he hit the ground in a tter of metal, something razor sharp kissed his throat. Panic and agony rose as the de tore through his jugr, coating something in a spray of his blood.

    **Ding! You have been afflicted by Paralysis: Assassin''s de**

    He tried to il, 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 de, 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 jugr. 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 pointst 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 wed 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 hey 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 te 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 jugr. 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, mming 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 wasst. His airway sealed and kaius coughed, spraying chunks of blood and stray flesh into the air. It sttered 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, wing 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 ws pulled open his mouth, cold ss 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, reinted. 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 cutscing his muzzle and shoulder.

    "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 thest few minutes of his life. He had had no idea where it hade 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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, pping 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 momentter he backed up, sitting down next to him.

    "But yes, I did." Porkchop looked smug, pleased with his sess. "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 in 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..Rightˇ­ 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.

    ˇ­.

    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 ce 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 thatcency 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 hade 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 werepletely 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 st anything that moved with an Arcane Dart.

    Nothing.

    All there was was a perfectly bored semi-circr tunnel of steel, lit by runic wardlights. It punched deep into the solid foundation of the city, opening up into arge room. They walked forwards, eager to im 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 inplex geometries, linking into a single cohesive formation.

    Kaius stared at it cked 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 thaty 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 ess to after ying the assassin Champion, Kaius crouched down to take a closer look at the rewards. A pair of chausses and a ring thaty 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 momentter and its system description popped into his vision.

    Ring of the Tigers w:

    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 n. 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 unarmedbat.

    Depths-wrought Artefact.

    essory (Ring)

    Ethereal w 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, pping his paw down on Kaius''s hand with enough force to p it out of the way.

    "Sorry." He said sheepishly as Kaius shook his head at him and slipped the ring over one of his ws and onto his finger. "What does it do?"

    "Should project some sort of de from your ws 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 des of mana that coated the front edge of Porkchop''s ws, 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 des 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 identally set off any of the defences in here now, do we?" Kaius said, eying the way Porkchop''s projected des 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 tes 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:

    Umon

    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 g remains high until we are felled to thest. Be strong, knight, and trust in your armour. It may yet see you through till theing 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 lessmon to see setse from Depths'' rewards. Something about the random nature of the rewards made it very umon 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 beenfortable, but they were a poor recement for armour. He had been getting his legs cut up far more often than he liked recently.

    Kaius slipped off his boots before hurriedly buckling on histest 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 ck 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 inbat would be a little more risky."

    Porkchop''s ears perked up. "More wrestling?"

    "Yes, more wrestling." Kaiusughed. "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 ce." He thought to himself grimly.

    ˇ­

    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 ce they had bunkered down for the night after reaching thisyer. Opulent and rich, it provided them no small measure of creatureforts 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 ces they had rested on thisyer.

    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, Kaiustched his attention onto the first skill that would make up his second tost legacy skill. Latching on to his soul he spun out a thread of soulfire, weaving it into a tight golden fment.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 maniption. To be miserly with the essence of life was to risk perishing to an avoidable fate. Fast Healing.

    The skill thrummed, epting 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 tinum garbed legacy skills ratcheted up to new heights. A single skill and he could already feel a migraineing on,ncing 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 sess, and subjecting himself to a little headache was more than eptable.

    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 thework that fed the very foundations of his being. A preciousmodity, to be held tightly, guarded with jealousy. The skill was almost as avaricious as the legacy skills that even now wed at his mind with desperate fingers. It cared not for the attention that hevished 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 epted 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 ckening 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 tinum 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 prate him to his very core. Assaulting his mind, shredding his soul with the purest essence of discontent and vition. His breaths came heavy, physical body reeling as a deep ache settled into his bones.

    The physical difort was the smallest of it, bare aftershockspared 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 thest 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 iplete legacy.

    A gilded 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 schr 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 sovishly, so quickly? What then would protect life, when the next time of desperate need came?

    Kaius gasped,ing 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,shing 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 ce 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 elerating 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 tinum rocking his soul with the pure notes of its birth cries.

    **Ding! Skill Merged! Lesser Regeneration obtained!**

    Histest skill drifted back, joining the chorus that drifted in afortable 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 difort 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 immted. 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 rted 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 rted regeneration.

    Each level moderately decreases bleeding.

    Each level minutely reduces Health costs.

    Each level infinitesimally increases capacity to persist with severelypromised 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 itsponent 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.

    Most delvers weren''t killed with a single overwhelming strike. What got them was the slow umtion of wounds. A grinding death that wore away at theirbat 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 exined 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 hisbat 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 difort was not something he had ever let stop him from working on what needed to be done.

    Thest legacy skill he needed was almost within reach, and he didn''t want to attempt to gain the skills it required inbat. 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 vige.

    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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Ready to take on the Guardian, or die trying.

    ˇ­

    "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 onlysted 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!" Kaiusughed. "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 livebat 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 histest 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 ws ripped down his back, shredding skin and cutting open muscle. His jaw cked 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 ufortable enough with not giving him the opportunity to defend himself, he was not going to make it worse.

    A few momentster 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 ws 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 w raked down his spine, ying open his skin without warning.

    "Fucking hells!"

    "Maybe this isn''t so bad." Porkchopughed.

 Chapter 83 : Portent of Doom

    Another w 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 ws 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 woulde.

    Porkchop was well and truly into the rhythm of the training now. Sometimes his friend''s next strike woulde moments after he had healed, others Porkchop would wait, letting him stew in anticipation for minutes before raking his ws over his back.

    Blood dripped to the floor in a steady cadence, Kaius''s breathing heavy as the droplets sshed 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!**

    Secondster, Porkchop swung for him again. He felt it, a screaming warning in the back of his mind as he braced for the blow. ws connecting, biting into his skin and ripping four parallel furrows through his flesh.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! 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 unssed. 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 w, 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 onlymon 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 1n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 urs. 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 simr. 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.

    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.

    ˇ­

    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 ovep with Adamant Body, it''s only amon skill. Try to be straightforward with it. It''s mostly important that I can see an attacking and avoid it then see through a feint or whatever." Kaius exined.

    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 be a constantpanion 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 evenrger 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 t. Kaius focused, True Sight drinking in every movement. He felt a warning re 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 ws to sail past him. He backed up, creating distance as Porkchop leapt for him once more, a sideways chop of his ws 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 seeing. 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 sh 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 ws. 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 de as a means of active defence.

    A w smashed into his shoulder, bruising the flesh under the heavy tes, sending him stumbling back. Porkchop advanced,unching into a charge. Waiting until thest moment, Kaius pivoted to the side and allowed his friend to sail past him.

    Danger loomed. Kaius reacted.

    At thest moment Porkchop threw out a paw, trying to catch him. He was already gone, leaning back just enough to that hardened ws threw up a shower of sparks as they grated over the scales on his chest.

    A ding sounded in his mind.

    **Ding! General Skill Avable! Would you like to learn: Dodge (Common)?**

    Kaius grinned, distracted. A re of warning in his mind caused him to flinch. Porkchop smashed him in the shoulder, sending him copsing to the ground in a tter 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 be untouchable.

    Enhanced reflexes allow you to avoid oing 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 p 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 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 rtive 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 exined.

    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 ssware, distition 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 strangenguage that differed from Common. He still didn''t get it, how would anyone speak anything other than thenguage of the system?

    Other than the illegible notes, it was covered in diagrams. Most of them were meaningless to him, clearly rted 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 disyed a slow progression of change from man to a twisted pir 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 t.

    "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 thirdyer abomination biome that sat adjacent to the main path down.

    pping 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.

    ˇ­

    As they pushed further into theboratory 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 tes 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 te stretched across the entire floor, wide enough that he wasn''t fully confident that they would be able to jump over it sessfully. 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 te, triggering the payload right in the middle of the group.

    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 b 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 ss sk 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 sk gingerly, Kaius identified it with his True Sight

    Explosive sk:

    Depths-wrought Trap

    An inert trapponent. 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 hade. "The trap should be disabled, but there''s enough juice left on that wire that I don''t want to identally trigger the sk if we leave it too close."

    He ran off, leaving the sk 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 te, the mechanism grinding downward under theirbined 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."

    ˇ­

    Passages started to branch off the hall. Most were simr. 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 arge 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 ofboratory. Great ss tanks were attached to the walls by iron brackets. Stretching all the way to the ceiling, they contained some sort of thick ck 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 p 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 simr 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 theb, 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 nched, 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.

    yed 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 yed horror he yelped in shock and jumped backwards.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kaius pped his head, sighing. Porkchop had almost certainly just given them away. A momentter he heard a strained groan, then a rapid procession of wet ps 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 ˇ­ sticky." Porkchop chittered with embarrassment.

    Kaius snorted. "Well, it''s done now. Hope you''re ready!" He said, charging the door. Twisting thetch he booted it inwards, rushing through with his de held ready.

    The horror was waiting for him, charging towards his position as it knocked aside a table to send ss 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 yed horror for the first time. A full head taller than him, the skinless giant groaned in fury as it smashed aside tablesden with ssware with ease.

    Racing forwards, Kaius kept the tip of his sword trained on the abomination. One arm rose as it reached him. Danger red 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 sh 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 theck 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 itshed out for him once more.

    Kaius weaved around the strikes, punishing its attempts with a flurry of heavy shes that cut deep into its exterior.

    **Ding! Dodge has reached level 2!**

    Porkchop joined the battle, ethereal des erupting from his ws as he carved into the abominations nk.

    The depths-born iled, wailing arms shattering the wood and ss furnishings of theboratory 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 ws 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 st. Kaius smiled as Porkchop didn''t waste the opening, rearing up onto his hind legs to rake his enhanced ws 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 itstest stump as it pitched forwards.

    Kaius lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding getting ttened 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 ssh. A momentter it fell limp.

    **Ding! level 17 yed Horror in**

    His chest heaving with the exertion ofbat, Kaius stared down at the body of their in foe. The way it had persisted after he had removed its head had beenˇ­unnerving. 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 rtively 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 theboratory, 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 thending, out of view of the door they had originally peaked through.

    "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 in foe. "I had two ideas. The obvious one is to keep it rtively simr, but change the spell shaping so that it is more of a de 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 moreplicated, 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 nned on switching out the spell he was using, he would have to burn the rest of his charges of Arcane Dart. Reaching thending that held the library, Kaius leant over the railing and reached for his glyph as he aimed his casting hand at the in body of the yed horror.

    Golden light spilled from his skin as lines of runic hymns dissolved into embers as azure darts mmed 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 disy, Kaius turned to poke his tongue at his friend.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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 thaty between two fullyden 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 manyponents.

    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 momentter, 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 hispleted 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 dy 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 nning. 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 te vambrace. Once his arm was free, Kaius let the armour fall to the ground with a tter 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 be 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 angr runes with exacting rity.

    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 ss 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 pir of magic was without its shorings. 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 wouldin, 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 88 : Respite

    Kaius pushed his way through another door, quickly scanning the room for threats. They''d been traversing through theboratory 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 cabry with three enchanted cooking stoves.

    "Well, I think we found a rest spot." Kaius said, his grip on his de rxing. 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 rtive. Thankfully, it looked like their entrance was the only way into the room, so it would be rtively 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 hade to expect. Three quarters of the rooms they traversed through seemed to have some form of biological horror lying in wait for them. yed horrors were the mostmon, but asionally they had run across another type of abomination. Twisted teratomas, globr 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 yed horrors had been rtively 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 yed 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 ufortably 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, mbering into a bottom bunk, the wood groaning as the frame flexed under his bulk. Kaius chuckled as his friend syed 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 de was leaning on the wall next to him. Within drawing reach, of course.

    Staring up at the bed ts 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 hisst legacy skill.

    His status flickered into view, pulling him away from his thoughts

    Status:

    Name: Kaius

    Dynasty: Unterstern

    Age: 18

    ss 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

    ss Skills (0/10):

    N/a

    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 Maniption (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 ughter

    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding

    Bound Artefacts:

    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword

    Growth Conditions-

    Gain a ss (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 hisst legacy. Hopefully by then some more of his other skills would hit the cap. He could practically taste it now, their uing 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 iprehensible. 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 toplete 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 topare. 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 yed 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.

    ˇ­.

    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 ofboratories, 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 liefortably 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 vited remains and twisted abominations were facsimiles, rather than a real atrocity.

    It did little to soothe his difort with the biome. The abominations were bad enough, but the history of their creation thaty hidden in their surroundings was a bleak one. Much like undead, abominations of flesh and blood needed a temte. An anchor for the mutagenic alchemy and magic to bind itself to. He was under no illusions about what the titr fleshwarper had ''used'' as raw material.

    The fact that it all might have been based on some real ce and time brought him no morefort. 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 sh with a pair of flesh horrors the next room over. He''d burnt all of his spells sting 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 ce, only stopping to rest once they had found anothermunal restroom.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 be routine, and the cold clinical depravities of theboratories 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 yed horror that had upied 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 ws.

    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 upperyer 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 wasrge enough topletely 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 inparison 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 disyed.

    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

    Thetest 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 theboratories 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 undting 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 guessˇ­ 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.

    ˇ­.

    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 w 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 toe 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 ce 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 wasing 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 ce. 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 soˇ­locked 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.

    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 ws dig into the gaps in the stone brick floor, elerating 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 undted. The hundreds of hands on its surface flowed across its body, bloodying as they wed at the rough stone ground in a vile mockery of lotion.

    **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 exhrating 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 ovee. Besides, mming into the beast was only liable to bring him into range of its gnashing maws.

    No, this was a job for his ws.

    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 des of his ws.

    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, asrge as his head.

    The Cystic Failure wailed, a score of mouths opening wide to screech in agony. A momentter 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, wing at the pir of flesh that connected it to the greater whole. His ws cleaved through the meat, blood and alchemical fluid spraying from the wound to stter 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 ws 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 w, 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 momentter 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 innguage 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 dting 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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    He charged.

 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 particrlyrge 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 de 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 de 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 thanyer 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:

    Umon

    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 disys, 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)

    Camouge 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 littleˇ­ 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.

    "Notˇ­exactly?" 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 camougefortable 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."

    Kaiusughed, giving his friend amiserating 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 theb we entered here from." Porkchop said, suddenly a whole lot calmer when afortable ce 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 theboratory 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 ck liquid adjacent to them. Thankfully, they''d managed to kill the room''s resident yed horror rtively 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.

    Leaning on his mana maniption, 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 Maniption 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, tesseting through unmentionable and indescribable spaces that should not be. Icy daggers stabbed into his eyes as the hellish disy 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Touch it.

    TOUCH IT.

    Air disced 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 uprehendingly 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 ce 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 simr, but try as it might to get his eyes to ept 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 exined, 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 p of the tent revealed a surprisingly opulent interior. One was that farrger on the inside,rge 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 mattressyered 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 Kaiusughed 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 theyered 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 ce 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 theirtest toy, giving it plenty of room for whatever happened next.

    "Don''t watch this time." Porkchop warned.

    "Believe me, I was not nning on it." Kaius said as he turned away, reaching for the artefact with his Mana Maniption. He triggered the mechanism, squeezing his eyes shut just to be extra safe.

    There was a little pop of disced 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 ce, 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 ce 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 upant of the room.

    "More horrors." He groaned, drawing his sword.

 Chapter 92 : Unexpected Find

    It took them six hours of pushing through isted rooms of yed 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 ufortable, 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 thest 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 arge 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 copsed onto therge 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 p of heavy canvas that acted as the tent''s entrance.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 mostfortable 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 tes, 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 aboratory, 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 yed horror, but with how much practice they had had against those particr foes, it hadn''tsted long. An explosive needle to the knee, and a few minutes of hacking ughter 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 wasrger, 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.

    "It is." Porkchop replied. "Champion?"

    "Probably." He nodded. It was the most likely thing. Though, it could be some sort ofrgerplex, simr 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 moremon 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 momentster and his mana rushed into the working, locking in ce 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 therger 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 thetch 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, ss 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 ss 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 nk. 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 ss, 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 themon 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 ss, 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,works 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 vascture. The branches were worse, nerve like tendrils wavering at the tip of razor sharp bone spikes, ring 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 othernd above. An exit. The tree of bone was a Guardian.

    He froze. Staring as he pushed Porkchop back, ready to m the door shut and retreat at a moment''s notice. The ss 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 withoutpromising the security of the room. An airlock system, smart. He''d bet a gold coin that whoever had runed up the ss 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 yed horror prowled back and forth behind the ss,pletely 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 tes 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 yed 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 upied one of the sealed enclosures that nked 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 ss 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 ce 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 ss walls of the enclosures failing. Even if the ss 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 nked 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 wereden with notes, diagrams of various specimens and more.

    As they walked past the first bays, Kaius peered through the slightly shimmering enchanted ss. They had definitely originally contained something, that was for sure. Some form of biological horror, akin to the rest of the depths-born that popted the facility judging by the twisted mass of muscle and bone thaty dposing 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 ss. 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 temte.

    They passed more stone rooms walled off by ss, 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 simr to the yed horrors they had fought so often. Only strides taller, twice as muscr, 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 yed 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 ss 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 tes that were firmly attached to the flesh beneath. They ranged from the size of a te, down to little shards of bone asrge 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.

    "Simr 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 thest. What do you think?"

    "I want to check thest 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 tes. 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 w under them and pull them off."

    Kaius shuddered at the image. Porkchop definitely had a certainˇ­viscerality to his fighting style that he could appreciate, but sometimes it got a littleˇ­hands 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 exined.

    Kaius nodded. It was a smart y. 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 w 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 ufortably thin ss.

    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 vascr roots still pulsed to an unseen heart. Beyond that, nothing.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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 ying 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 ufortable, 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 tost 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 muscr 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 des. Theyshed 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 m into the ss wall that separated them from the Champion. It yowled, knife tipped tentacles striking like snakes in a failed attempt to break through the ss. Enchantments pulsed, obscuring their view slightly as an invisible magic barrier shed 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 ss 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 ss 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 ws screeched against the ss 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, inparison to a giant cat with prehensile knives and a tweaking four armed giant, a bear in te 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 de.

    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 difort, 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''te 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 ss hall.

    Time to see if Porkchop would get his first Honour.

 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 ss airlock had been rough, not the least because this fight had been far more brutal than thest 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 ws 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 augh, 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 fric 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!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kaiusughed 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 hade 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 waspletely bare. Other than the corpse of the Champion, that is, and Kaius doubted that their items were hiding in its chest like thest 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 nk drew his attention upwards. A small iron hatch set into the ceiling had swung open a small dark tunnel, something he''d missed. A momentter and something rattled its way down the chute, ttering 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 ying?" 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 carvedcquered wood handle. He identified it.

    Travellers Pan:

    Common - Tier I

    Basic luxuries be so much sweeter in the wild. Don''t look down on the simplefort 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 thest 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.

    "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.

    ˇ­

    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 umted energy vanishing in an instant as he bargained with the cold and unfeeling construct that wrapped itself around the world.

    ˇ­

    "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 hisst 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 rx 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 moreplicated than that." Kaius exined, 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 schr. Or what he thought one might sound like at least, he''d never met a schr 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 yourst skilling along?'' He asked with clearly forced nonchnce.

    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 simr creatures."

    Kaiusughed 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 fleshwarpersboratory, 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 nk.

    The enchantment had done some work, repairing bent tes and torn leather to an immacte state over the couple of hours that they had been rxing 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 thest 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 ss 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 wouldst 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 nk 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''scking 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 ce, the four armed abomination howling at his assault.

    **Ding! You have challenged a Champion: Subject #38949 ''Lover Boy''**

    The giant spun in ce, 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 mbered 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,unching towards the giant with an outstretched paw. He raked his ws 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 disy 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 vicle a momentter.

    The giant was uncaring. Mana pulsed in the creature, forcing Kaius on to high alert. A skill. Momentster 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 thest 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 de as he just barely managed to deflect the overhand punch.

    Porkchop arrived, snarling as heunched himself at the giant from the side. He wed 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 red. A quick jump backwards saved him for an open handed p, only to be caught t 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 ce.

    **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 p.

    He rushed back in, firing another two needles into the leg of the giant. Gore sttered 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.

    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 de nced 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 itunched 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 stted 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, dencing 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 tten 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    **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 des 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 toy 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 sttered 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 inted 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 ss 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, sttering 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!**

    rity 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 red 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 ce by the second as he watched his deadly payload fly.

 Chapter 97: Bossrush pt. 4

    Four arcane needles mmed into the Champion. All but one hit Kaius''s intended target. Kaius grinned from where hey slumped onto the inscribed ss 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 m 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 thest time, the giant copsed, 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 coagted 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 ce, 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 inted 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 wed 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 deted 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 in 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 nkly at the ceiling as his heart rate started to slow. Then heughed. A loudugh, 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 copsed on the floor as he settled down next to him, groaning with difort.

    "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 ny percent bruise.

    "Says you. Pretty sure I saw your brainse out of your ears when you hit the ss." Porkchop snorted, though he quickly winced.

    "Well, that would exin 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 tter as an iron hatch in the corner of the ceiling swung open. Several somethings nged their way down the metal chute, only to hit the stone below with the distinctive ting of unbroken ss. 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.

    "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 almostpletely healed, Kaius felt as though he had been wrung out. Exhausted in a way that simple Stamina wouldn''t fix.

    ˇ­

    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 ss bottles in surprise, shocked that they hadn''t broken after a fifteen stride fall onto solid stone. It seemed whatever ss 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

    Sr Revitalisation Tonic

    Four of the former, and one of theter.

    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.

    ˇ­

    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 Maniption. 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 ess 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 thetter."

    "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 de back before I fought my first Champion. Bloody thing ripped my throat out, and had me convinced I was a goner."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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 mmed into the ss 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 theponents 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 littleboratory 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 ss 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 tter.

    He took ast minute check of his gear, making sure that everything was buckled tight and in ce. Unfortunately, their brawl with the Lover Boy had left both him and Porkchop absolutely covered in gore. Blood soaked scale was not exactlyfortable, 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 ss on the far end. He shuddered, watching the dense mesh of veins writhe across the floor of its enclosure. He was very d that all they would have to fight was an ogre. Much more straightforward inparison.

    They pressed on, quickly approaching the far containment cell that held the feline abomination, Man Eater. Just like thest time, as soon as the cat-like creature saw them it threw itself at the ss wall of its prison, the half dozen of the ded 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 ck of the lock, Kaius felt his tension ratchet higher. Round and round the wheel span, until it mmed 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 m, 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 des 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 tond a full ten strides deeper into the room. It hissed, tentacles fanning out to vibrate in an impressive threat disy.

    Porkchop coughed, blood sttering on the floor.

    What a great fucking start. Kaius watched the cat as his spells impacted the far stone wall, biding his time. A momentter 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 iling tentacles on its back. They were ruthless, and no doubt would be almost impossible to fully parry. They needed toe off.

    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 iled, trying to evade.

    "Can''t dodge in the air, fucker." Kaius thought, grinning widely.

    Most of his shots went wide, but the Champion''s iling led to a full four needles peppering its nk. Then they detonated, and Kaius was treated to a st 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 ded tentacles went haywire, cracking as they split the air with dizzyingly fast whips.

    Doom sang to him.

    He jumped back, narrowly avoiding two boney des 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 tounch 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 unssed 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 umte, 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 umted 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 sh. A Father''s Gift ripped through the air, cutting through two thirds of the tentacles as its point tore towards its face.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    **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 nk before he ripped out a chunk of flesh. It howled, ring mana before a thick ck 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 ckness. 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 des 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 des cut through his spine and remove his head.

    **Ding! Danger Sense has reached level 20!**

    "Now!" He screamed, spinning and firing hisst 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 itmitted, 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 mmed into the stone wall behind it with a sickening crunch of bone, copsing 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 de 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 catplex. Go ahead."

    Kaius grinned. Then he started to hack.

    **Ding! You have in 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 100 Final Merge

    The washroom avable 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 hade 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 diforts.

    Unfortunately, he had to admit that he had perhaps grown a little spoiled after so many months withfortable 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 umted 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, thecking 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 nkets."

    "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 momentter. "I am. Thank you for being patient, it''s a big deal amongst my people. There will be an exnation 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 t as Porkchop gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

    He looked up at the ts of the bunk above him for a moment, before snapping his eyes shut and diving into his soulspace.

    In the ckness 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 matricted 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 ss 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, ss selection was a beast in its own right, and was a simple starting point to the endless fight to w your way up the tiers.

    It was still a firm step into the end of his childhood. With a ss he would be considered a man proper by society atrge. If he''d been in the forest above, still with Father, they would have been nning a celebration by now. No doubt an unnned trip to Three Fields to down many a gon.

    Father wasn''t here though. Yet as much as that burned, as much as he felt the yawning pit wing at his stomach at his absence, he didn''t feel alone. Porkchop wasˇ­family. 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 tinum 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 theirst battle. With his ss 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.

    The first to be watched by the system in aeons.

    The first unssed to survive the depths, to y 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.

    Hetched 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 tinum 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 momentter 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 aplex engine, constantly assessing and processing, has any hope of warning of what might be lurking in the imprable 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 onught of his legacy.

    Then he snapped back, ready and willing to fight. He pushed back, dampening the chorus of tinum 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. wing at his mind, demanding their rightly owed attention.

    Teeth crunched in his mouth, Health ring, 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 thest 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 rtive 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.

    tinum 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 mergemenced.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.

    mming into each other in a violent detonation, both shards of power atomised, dissolving into a gaseous neb of potential. A momentter the system took notice.

    **Ding! Skill Merge Detected! Would you like to proceed?**

    Kaius gasped as thest 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 tinum 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 topletion, 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, hisst legacy skill floating upwards to join its siblings in orbit around his centre.

    In unison, they snapped into ce 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 ne. A spot reserved in their vigil as they waited for thest 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 ce 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 ce remained in their circle, waiting for hisst 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 skillˇ­ 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 histest acquisition.

    Grinning in anticipation, Kaius pulled up the waiting description of histest 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 itsst 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 be 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 n. 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 ovee for those without their own advantages. Not impossible, not by any means, there were plenty of stories of drivenmoners 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, amon 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 sses 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 ss 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 syed 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 thest few days torturous. However, Porkchop was like blood, and it was clearly a big deal, so he let it slide.

    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?!" Kaiusughed. "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 rxed, letting go of some of his tension.

    "It is an ˇ­ odd thing to talk about. Sort of like your old difort 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 thest time didn''t exactlyˇ­ go well." Porkchop exined. "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 overeagerˇ­ frankly, they are super annoying."

    Kaiusughed, 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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Well, he didn''t do it alone. He had a closepanion, an elf by the name of Orym." Porkchop exined.

    "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 someˇ­ obvious simrities 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 exined. "Their bond, theirpanionship, 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 ved 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 perfectmunion, one that would improve our cooperation and lethality, allow us to feel and hear each other over great distances, andˇ­share 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 ces on groups would not exist for us." Porkchop exined, watching him closely.

    Kaius''s eyes widened. That wasˇ­huge. ss and skill growth slowed down when you worked in a group, even more so if they wererger 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 ck, 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 happenedst time. We used to be a lot more integrated into the conves. 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 stalwartpanion was ˇ­nice. Yet there was still one question that burned in his mind.

    "Why me?" he asked softly. "Like, of course I am interested. We already nned 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 t 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 y a guardian without a ss." 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 predatorymand 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 sses rting 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."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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 exined.

    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 ovee, 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 ss evolution for extended periods of time. With how vital that was to both ss 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 aplete 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 momentter. "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 exined. "Grandfather might have been an Observed, but even the Matriarch''s memories get spotty about that time, he didn''t have aplete 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 bondpanion 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 conves, at some point in my life," he asked.

    "The dens would ept 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 exined, 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 inste 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.

    "Well!" Kaius pped. "A good thing that is a problem for a muchter 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 nket wrapped around his waist was still firmly in ce. He took a seat next to his friend, pping him over the shoulder and scratching between his shoulderdes. "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?!"

    Kaiusughed, 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 unssed 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 ept 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 momentter, Kaius felt it. A subtle pull on his mind, the ever present connection he had with Porkchop mouring 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 willtched 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 fromshing 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 ws broke through, a ragged hole opened what should have been invible. Suddenly he wasˇ­more.

    Kaius''s soul screamed. An ethereal bonfire surging to new heights, golden congration consuming his centre in a desperate autonomic attack on all transgressors.

    It burned. He felt the strange golden mesnce into their mind. Could feel the molten heat dripping to the tips of their ws, 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 copsed and left them crippled. They needed the skill. Now.

    One half still floundered, unused to the rigours of true mentalmunion. 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 eptable, risk was eptable. 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 de was lost in the all consuming pyre thatshed 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 sped arms, anointing the stone below with the ichor of their covenant. Hearts thumped in sync.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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 Avable! Would you like to learn: Soulforged Covenant (Unique)?**

    They epted.

    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 constetions of legacy skills, filling the missing slots,pleting 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 thest 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 be 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 hystericalughter. "Holy shit! We were we, what the fuck! You can feel your ws!? That''s so weird!" he asked, the vivid memory of feeling his own handspan long nails cking 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 thest remnants of dibobtion 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 ultimatelyparable 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 likeing home.

    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!**

    ˇ­

    **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, andter -once we have our ss 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 thatter. 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 mentalmunication, 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 andmunicate with your bondedpanion.

    After dutifully transcribing the description, Kaius read it once more with a cocked brow.

    "Levelling bonus is a bitcklustre 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 finalponent 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 epted 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 nketing his soul. It made him feel small, like a gnat in the face of the burning might of the sun.

    He watched his soul re, burning light reaching new heights, engulfing the nebe 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, utterlyplete, 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 scintiting tinum 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. Imcable. 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 secondter 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 thework. 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 unssed.

    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 deration of supremacy that urred 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 tinum light. The final member of the conve.

    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 cked 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 thest 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 difort 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 bs 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 hade to sudden, prickling, wakefulness.

    Taking a deep breath, Kaius steadied himself.

    His awareness shifted to the incessant ring that had been present ever since he returned to waking. A flurry of system derived chimes that wed at his attention. He didn''t see any reason to deny them.

    **Ding! General Skill Evolved! Soulforged Covenant (Unique) has be 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 Assimtion: Greater Beastblooded!**

    **Ding! Unssed Detected! Assisting with Absorptionˇ­**

    It started in his marrow, a sickening twist in the gentle flesh thaty sheltered in his bones. The fatty tissue started to boil. Kaius writhed, crying out as his voice cracked like dropped ss. It was all epassing, unavoidable, potent, and enduring. Torturous heat that burned within him. Scorching him from the inside out.

    Then it started to spread. Prating 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 cabs, skipping past Porkchop''s mewling form where he underwent his own mutagenic change.

    He could feel that too. Sickening ws, 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 gic 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 rity, changed synapses sensing the breaking of his body with cruel and unmatched acuity.

    His skin toughened. Supple, flexible, but unassable. 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 painsted far longer.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kaiusy gasping, coated to thest hair in a thickyer 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 friendy 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."

    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 mentalmunication, 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 andmunicate with your bondedpanion.

    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 crity 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 andprehension. 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 ess 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."

    Kaiusughed. "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 stockedrders 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 theboratory 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 nket off one of the bunks to mop at his sweat soaked body. The scratchy fabric tugged ufortably 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 nket aside.

    Racial traits were odd things. Incredibly rare, and only sometimes heritable. Dynastic was by far the mostmon, 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 moreˇ­ 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 sses, 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)

    tinum 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 ck as he took in histest trait. Three stats per level was incredible. In the first tier, it was the equivalent of boosting his ss rarity by three whole grades. Sure, the rtive benefit would quickly be outstriped by the scaling of the tiers, but that was a whole ss and two-hundred levels away. Until then, it was an unbelievable advantage.

    And to be able to pass it on tooˇ­

    "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 thest 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 radicallyunched 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

    ss 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

    ss 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 Maniption (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 ughter

    Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding

    Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather

    Bound Artefacts:

    A Fathers Gift - Common Growth Longsword

    Growth Conditions-

    Gain a ss (0/1)

    Acquire suitable materials (0/3)

    Forge a link (0/1)

    He gulped. His status looked nothing like one that an unssed should have. His stats alone were the equivalent of a low level sser, 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 ss selection. It was nearly his birthday, not that it felt all that important with everything else on his te.

    Honestly, he was more concerned about how he would spend thest 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 ˇ­ 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 inted stats. Everything feels way too ˇ­ light." Kaius exined, 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?"

    "No," Kaius said with a shake of his head. "Almost all of them shoulde 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 ce 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 isted 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, in 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 longsting 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.

    ˇ­.

    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 exnation.

    Far faster too.

    They passed throughboratories of gleaming ss 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 nonsensenguage. 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 in 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 ss selection for what felt like the thousandth time that day.

    It had to be any minute now.

    **ss 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."

    Heughed, 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 sses, 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, nching.

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Porkchop chittered, amusement flowing across their link.

    They kept walking.

    In the end, ''close'' was a rtive thing, but eventually they made it back to the first room they had entered theboratory from. A yed horrors corpsey smashed and brutalised amongst the remains of broken tables and alchemical ssware. 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,pressing the structure of the spell so that it prated 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 histest 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 tunnelsmon in the depths that seemed to surround thepound 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 thest 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 bup, 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 asionally stopping by a choice specimen to crudely chop off a chunk and then depositing it in the basket on its back.

    He doubted it wouldst more than an eyeblink in openbat with him. Especially now, after everything. He could feel the power that thrummed through his body. More than just the quantifiable increase from histest 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 tter 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 ckened 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 forcedbour, and the way each thread in its garb was fraying.

    It was a lot, more than he had ever tried to bear inbat 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 de 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 de, 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 hisst legacy skill didn''t even re.

    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 sess. 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 de 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.

    Rolling in and under the cut, the crude machete tinked off his arm guards in a shower of sparks, skittering down the te and scale to cut deeply into the muscle of his shoulder. Kaius felt his arm cken, 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 mmed into his leg, deflecting off his shinbone to leave a p 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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 forfort 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 rity 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 itfortably 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 sh 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 wasfortable 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 mmed 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 nted his foot and drew his sword, smoothly sliding into an overhand sh that caved in its skull.

    It quivered once, every muscle in its body going rigid for a single moment, before it ckened and died.

    **Ding! level 14 Goblin Serf in**

    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 disy 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 difort 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 n? Get shed 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 thest 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 ce 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 jubnt 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 wee, 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, in 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 slimending 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 tond a jaw-shattering haymaker.

    A single stinking and rotden tooth flew free of its mouth. It copsed, 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 pping 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 in**

    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 ce 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 unssed. 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 epted 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 targety in the direction of the peak of the dwarven city.

    Frustration flooded him as he chewed on his reward, heightening his every difort. 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 ity 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.

    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 unssed. 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 exined, 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 rtion to each other. Rather like a more powerful and specific version of histest 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 exined, working to keep his tone from growing sharp. It wasn''t Porkchop''s fault the invaluable ability had appeared sote. "The distance between the Champions is long, and we have no idea howrge my area of detection is. If it''s just arge 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 arge 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 thest 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 thest.

    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 wee 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 particrly 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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.

    ˇ­.

    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 t 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 bnce, 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 t 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''tst much longer than that. With a crunch, he had broken through its skull, nting his hand up to his wrist in grey matter.

    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Serf in**

    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 yourst 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 thest buckle of his cuirass, the cold alloy wrapping him in aforting 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 asrge 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 havee 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 histest 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 simr 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 weighedfortably 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,ncing 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 stato 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 in**

    ˇ­

    **Ding! level 12 Goblin Archer in**

    As they impacted the stone with a sickening ssh, 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. Thecking coordination. The way they jostled, shoved, and wed 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, mming into the horde like an avnche of fury. Bones shattered, and diminutive bodies were tossed to the side in the destructive mayhem of the collision. Then Kaius was there, his de shing between mid-guard, to high, to inside, caving in skulls and taking heads in a fluid dance of destruction.

    Porkchopid into the mob with raking swipes of glowing blue mana des, 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 re 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 de 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.

    Danger pressed from every angle, his mind aching as enhanced sight drank in the depths of his enemies, every muscr 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!**

    ˇ­

    **Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 7!**

    Yet even skill enhanced agility was not enough to avoid the torrent of des 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 nk 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 shing screams of agony paired with roars of goblin fury.

    Still they pressed on.

    ˇ­.

    Bogged down as they were in theparatively tight streets of the residential district, Kaius found himself separated from Porkchop by a six stride thick thrum of goblin bodies. Uncanny Dodge red a warning, but he was too deep in the thicket to move. An axe mmed into his back, poised just right tonce 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 copsed into a messy il 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 sh, his de was infused with a vtile 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 ws. Nothing blurred in his sight, and he took in the richly adorned terraces, their opulent interiorsyered 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 crity as a returned arrow whistled past his face.

    A fraction of a momentter, two booms coated the goblins'' backline in the remains of their ranged support.

    His heart kept his rhythm, pumping a song of ughter 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 forpanions who had fought together for decades.

    It was a glorious thing, and theirbined ughter 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, mming 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 scintiting 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. Kaiustched on to his spell with his Mana Maniption, 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 momentter 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, nting his de in the offending goblin''s head.

    **Ding! Uncanny Dodge has reached level 17!**

    He went back to killing.

    ˇ­

    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 penultimateyer of the city. With how open the pavilions were, it was a hard push.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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 fric 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 wasing 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 ptial estate that rested at the food of the embellished stairs. And quite the estate it was. Kaius had never seen so much stained ss. Nor, for that matter, windows quite sorge. Crentions and spires dotted the roof of the estate, the crystal sun far above throwing teeth like shadows on the surroundings.

    Kaius booted a goblin, thest of the current group, sending it to the ground as its head cracked loudly on the pavement. He stepped forwards, smiling as he nted a stride of steel through its eye.

    **Ding! level 13 Goblin Bruiser in**

    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 fromst time?"

    Kaiusughed. "We can only hope."

 Chapter 109 A Final Moment of Rest, Preparation, and Approach

    Kaius lounged on a settee, made of finelycquered wood that was engraved and embossed with solid gold iy; 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 vigebined, 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 simr 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 disy irked him. Not insomuch in the quality and price of the furnishings, but in the bloody greed of it all. Even with a full n, the ce 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 expensiveforts, but he simply couldn''t fathom the sheer umtion 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 vige 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 syed 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, thefortable expression on his bond-brothers facepletely at odds with fur that was drenched in viscera.

    "Yeah, it wasplete overkill against the regr 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 theyer cap, at least for the first fiveyers. 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.

    "Youing?" 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 howrge the estate was, it would be a considerable search to find one.

    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.

    ˇ­.

    Kaius stood at the base of the monolithic staircase that was cut into the wall of the fortress-city''s finalyer. 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 simrly 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Thest 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 pleted legacies, a handful of honours, and additional racial traits- fighting ayer two Guardian without sses 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 unssed 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 thest.

    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 ws? 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 thatworked through the earth''s depths. Findingˇ­something. 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 sorge it was almost unfathomable.

    As they ascended to meet their destiny, Kaius turned towards Porkchop and went over their final n.

    "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 perfectlyfortable 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 nned on splitting them between them and downing them to thest 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. ying the Guardian as unssed would be a feat worthy of bardsong, and by that measure it would have an incredible influence on the quality and type of his ss, and Porkchop''s bloodline awakening. Approaching it like a traditional runewright would have far too great of a risk of bending his ss in that direction.

    He still thought it would be worth it. Even a Legendary ss 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 iyed 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 ws 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 w at every advantage he could.

 Chapter 110 Its 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 t and open space.

    Great stone tiles asrge as a house paved its surface, while equidistant ridged stone columns surrounded the edges of the constructed teau. 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 te 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 asion he spotted the familiar crook of a magi''s staff, or the scrolls and quill of a schr.

    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 figureˇŞfar more mean and terribleˇŞthat 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-greenplexion. A head toorge, too deformed, to look natural - only held in ce 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 difort 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 ying 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 regrity, nor possessing the aptitude to make it any further than that, at least for themon breeds.

    Yet to defeat an ogre as an unssed? 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 vour. 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 ss.

    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 secondyer. If it had been they would have had to contend with it having a third active skill. Even then, it was a smallfort. 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.

    ˇ­.

    They retreated further down the staircase. Not too far, just enough that they could discuss theing 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 exined, 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 oing 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 be 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.

    "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 exined. It was a quick strategy. Simple and devoid ofplex ns or manoeuvres. Those had be unnecessary. For one,plex ns often went out the window in the heat of battle, and for two, they no longer needed to rigorouslymunicate 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 ced thest tonic in a line. Five square ss bottles, two orange, two lc, 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 Sr 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 lc 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 thest potion. "Lunar wisdom? Sounds suspicious."

    "Tell me about it," he said, picking up the metallic potion and giving it a swirl, before cing 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 exnation, 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 wasˇ­intense. A confusing mash of the prickling power of the raw arcane, voured 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 Sr Revitalisation, tasting of spring growth and the warm embrace of the morning sun. Then the lc 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 fric energy. Like having one too many cups of jappa.

    He downed hisst 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 pte with base notes of secrets long kept, and fortunes long sought.

    **Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Sr 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. Fric 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 thaty 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 contemte 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 difort of standing still.

    "You good?"

    "Yeah," Kaius sighed. "It''s ˇ­ 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 aze 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 ttened teau that made up the summit of the dwarven citadel.

    As soon as their feetnded, 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 pir that encircled the teau in shimmering purple.

    No way out, it was do or die.

    **Ding! You have challenged a Guardian: Siege Ogre!**

    **Ding! Good Luck**N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 112: Itâ€™s All Ogre pt. 3

    Chapter 112: ItˇŻs All Ogre pt. 3

    KaiusˇŻs 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 thatrge should not have been that fast.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    His legs burned, legs pumping with skill enhanced crity 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 ogreˇŻs 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 wasnˇŻt, 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 il 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, ttering 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 ce by a surge of potent energy from <em>Lesser Regeneration</em>, forcing shards of bone to hold in ce as his <em>Health</em> roared free to infuse the site of his injury. Distantly he felt a re 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 <em>Health</em> 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 therger armour tes that encircled his hips half crumpled. It would recover, but it would take time, until then he would have to suffer it digging in ufortably. Thankfully it wouldn''t hamper his movements too much, the ogre''s heavy blow had just barely clipped him, and had nearly torn the te offterally rather than crushing it inwards.

    PorkchopˇŻs 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.

    <strong>Resources:</strong>

    <strong>Health - 334/510 (4.1/min +15/min) </strong>

    <strong>Stamina - 367/410 (4.1/min +15/min)</strong>

    <strong>Mana - 16/560 (5.6/min)</strong>

    <strong>Free Mana - 16/560</strong>

    <strong>Reserved Mana - 0</strong>

    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.

    <strong>**Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Lesser Blooming Rejuvenation**</strong>

    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 sted field of blue, the siege ogre would have sent itself surging off the edge to its death. ŁŇ¨˘??¦Â¦Ąs

    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 hadnˇŻt taken his assault lightly. KaiusˇŻs 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 cartge and silvery ligaments of the ogreˇŻs knee.

    Even if it was stunned, it didnˇŻt 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 iled, spinning to clumsily wave its oversized club in PorkchopˇŻs direction. KaiusˇŻs bond-brother snarled, lunging inwards to slip under the blow.

    The ogre teetered, the weight of its weapon pulling it off bnce. 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 <em>A FatherˇŻs Gift</em> into the joint, sawing at one of the ropey ligaments that held the leg stable. Even with an inscribed de and enhanced strength, it still felt like trying to cut through steel cable.

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    Stepping inwards, Kaius shoved his entire body weight into a thrust, the point of his sword cracking into the back of the ogreˇŻs 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 red in his mind; He dodged back, wincing as his hip twinged during his pivot to avoid a crushing blow to his chest.

    The ogreˇŻs 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 t in a spray of red. Feral with rage, KaiusˇŻs bond brotherunched himself up to plunge blue tinged mana ws 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, shing at the exposed wound on its knee. Despite all his enhanced strength and speed, and the honed edge of his enchanted de, the GuardianˇŻs 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 <em>mmed</em> the club down, trying to squash Kaius t. He barely managed to dance away, the ground quaking as he moved, hampering his footing. Doom red 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 didnˇŻt 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 didnˇŻt pause its attempt on KaiusˇŻs life.

    Leaping upwards, Kaius allowed a low side sweep of the GuardianˇŻs 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 <em>was</em> 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. KaiusˇŻs mind raced. With the reach of the club, both he and Porkchop were in dire danger.

    Doom red. 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 havended.

    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 st expanded. A shard of a gstone 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 nced off the bone and spun off to shatter against the barrier of the arena. It was almost instantaneous, but with <em>True Sight</em> 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 <em>Health</em>.

    Even as he tumbled through the air, his vision didnˇŻt 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 <em>scream</em>.

    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 ogreˇŻs leg, Porkchop had escaped the skill rtively unscathed. After the stone shard had torn through the Guardians ankle, he had capitalised on the moment. Kaius watched as his bond brotherˇŻs stride long ws 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 <emrge</em> 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. t on the ground as it was, the Guardian tried to swat him. He simply raced around. Skirting the edge of its reach. <em>Keeping</em> 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 iling 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.

    <em>A FatherˇŻs Gift</em> came down, biting deep into an achilles that was thicker than his leg.

    The ogre didnˇŻt like <em>that</em>. It iled, 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 de 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: Itâ€™s All Ogre pt. 4

    Chapter 113: ItˇŻs 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 didnˇŻt take the assault without a fight, its massive leg kicking and iling as it tried to shake them off. It wed 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 ws deeper into the GuardianˇŻs joint. Hunger and brutal aggression surged as he felt cartge give slightly before a wet crunch resonated through his paws.

    Letting loose a roar of satisfaction, he drove his other ws 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 ogreˇŻs ankle. Finished with hacking through the thick rope that supported its foot, his bond-brother <em>moved</em>, dancing over the Guardians kicking legs to run past him. Porkchop tracked him, watching in awe as he stepped up at thest moment, perfectly timing aunch off the ogres leg as it hefted its trunk-like leg up, sailing upwards and over Porkchop tond 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; heˇŻd been channelling as much mana as he could into it since itsst use, enough that it was ready once more.

    Muscles thrummed with barely constrained power as <em>weight</em> settled in on his bones, adding to the violence of his might. Porkchop kicked off, racing towards the ogreˇŻs injured knee. It was already a ruined thing. yed and torn muscle stretched upwards, while the knee itself was a crude mass of mangled bone, cartge, 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 ws 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 exhrating, the air rushing through his fur, and the certainty that whatever stood before him would crumple.

    Porkchop impacted the ogreˇŻs 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 wouldnˇŻt 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 <em>moved,</em> ripping his sword free from the ogreˇŻs 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, nting his forged de inbetween the giant depths-bornˇŻs 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 ogreˇŻs 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, PorkchopˇŻs ws 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 de had left only half healed as the GuardianˇŻs <em>Health</em> 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 ws. 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, upying 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 ck-red fur matted and thick with the GuardianˇŻs blood.

    That was too much for the ogre. Howling in fury, it shifted, ignoring his bond-brotherncing it through the vicle 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,tching on to his barding and crushing metal ting 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,nced 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 ws at the thick fingers that pressed into him. Something. <em>Anything</em> that would release him from the agony.

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    ws 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 hisst breath out of him.

    Below him, Porkchop could feel Kaius going mad in frantic rage,ying waste to the ogreˇŻs 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 <em>breathe</em>, as he wed at anything he could get his paws on. Snapping in hate, the ogre lurched backwards, Porkchop just barely getting a glimpse of KaiusˇŻs de nicking the guardian''s throat. His bond-brother stepped in once more, lunging to drive his de 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 tond 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 <em>Health</em> 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 <em>Lesser Regeneration, </em>but he had <em>Boundless Vigour, </em>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 <em>tensed</em>, 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 crity surging through him as he threw himself backwards, narrowly avoiding being squashed beneath the ogreˇŻs bulk.

    The beast hit the ground with a thump, and Kaius dove in. shing silver in the reflected light of the false-sun, his de punched deep into the ogreˇŻs 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 fric flurry of swipes. PorkchopˇŻs heart leapt into his throat, his brotherˇŻs form obscured by the ogres bulk.

    A secondter he breathed a sigh of relief as Kaius fell back, leaping away from the GuardianˇŻs 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 momentter, Kaius ripped a tonic free from his pouch, hurling it through the air. Orange liquid sloshed as the ss 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 ss to release the life giving fluid. ss shards dug into his cheeks and tongue as the warm embrace of a restful sleep slid down his throat.

    <strong>**Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Lesser Blooming Rejuvenation**</strong>

    Alchemy surged through him, rushing to bolster his <em>Health</em> and partially refilling his pool. His body healed, Porkchop spat out the remnant shards of ss and blood. They clinked as they hit the stone. Shifting his attention to his resources, he took in the damage to his pools.

    <strong>Resources:</strong>

    <strong>Health - 484/720 (4.1/min +15/min) </strong>

    <strong>Stamina - 579/720 (4.1/min +15/min)</strong>

    <strong>Mana - 632/720 (5.6/min)</strong>

    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 ws deep into the vulnerable muscle and flesh.

    The ogreˇŻs 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 ws 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 wasing.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Its fist hit the ground with a cacophonous boom, shattering stone as a wave of force rolled out and kicked him in the chest. PorkchopˇŻs ears peaked to a shattering whine, its ttened 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, ws 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 toote.

    The mana released. Stone shattered beneath the ogres bulk, and itunched forwards at blinding speeds.

    Adrenaline spiked through him, PorkchopˇŻs eyes narrowing as he saw oing death as the ogre sailed through the air. He didnˇŻt have the speed, the agility to dodge. Panic tore through his bond, but he heard no cries. No nothing.

    He dug his ws in, spinning before he threw himself towards his oing doom, ttening himself on the ground in the hope that the Guardian would fly over him.

    For a moment he thought he seeded.

    Then the heavy reality of the ogreˇŻs hammerfist crashed into his lower back, shattering him.

    The ogre kept on sailing,nding in a heap a few body lengths behind him. He <em>screamed</em>. Tried to race forwards. To retreat and heal.

    His back legs flopped, dead and numb.

 Chapter 114: Itâ€™s All Ogre Finale

    Chapter 114: ItˇŻs All Ogre Finale

    Kaius downed the healing tonic, feeling the alchemical heat bloom in his stomach as it bolstered his reserves of <em>Health</em>. ss clinked on stone as he tossed the bottle to the side and readied his grip on <em>A FatherˇŻs Gift</em>.

    That blow had nearly been the end of him, snapping bone and sending him to the ground <em>hard</em>. If Porkchop hadnˇŻt dived in to tear away the guardianˇŻs attention, he would have been dead.

    Watching PorkchopˇŻs battle with the Guardian intensely, he felt the burning itch of his <em>Health</em> withdraw as his vicle popped back into ce. Then mana red within the ogre, bursting out to suffuse its flesh in a halo.

    A loud crack echoed across the cityˇŻs 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 p. It climbed to maddening peaks when its mana <em>didnˇŻt fade</em>.

    He was already moving. Sprinting into the fray. The ogre kicked off. He screamed. Porkchop dived. An earth shattering fist smashed his bond-brother t as the Guardian sailed over him.

    Panic wed at his throat as Porkchop struggled against the ground, wing away from the ogre as his back legsy dead and useless. His hips were slumped, spine hanging at wrong angles.

    Even with <em>Health</em> 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, ss clinking as he dropped three quarters of their remaining tonics by him.

    One would be enough. It had to be. It <em>would</em> be.

    He tore another tonic from his belt, the red of war barely contained by the alchemical ss. Uncorking it with his teeth, he downed the tonic.

    <strong>**Ding! You have Imbibed a Tonic: Psychopathic Assault**</strong>

    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 <em>back</em>.

    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 wouldst 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 nted his sword in the ogres neck and <em>ripped</em> 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 KaiusˇŻs 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 ogreshed out again, just barely clipping his lower left arm and hand as he danced away. ?????§°???s?

    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 ce, 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. <em>Health</em> did little withpletely excised extremities. It was no matter, he didnˇŻt need them to y 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 didnˇŻt know why he had been trying to avoid it, who cared about a ss? All that mattered was the savage joy of ughter, and the sweet song of painedmentation.

    He hurled the de, already moving to pull another free. Bnced as it was, it flew straight and true, sinking into the ogreˇŻs 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 <em>embarrassment </em>that he hadnˇŻt done so before.

    The de stayed, lodged firmly in the GuardianˇŻs orbit.

    Its brothers and sisters followed close behind, wet thunks sounding as des buried themselves deep into both of the ogreˇŻs 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 werenˇŻt so tough. It would have been lovely to see what its brains looked like.

    HeˇŻd have to bleed it.

    Like a pig.

    Blindedpletely by his assault, the ogre howled. iling in a wild frenzy of smashing limbs as it ineffectively tried to hunt for him. He giggled at its attempts, the noise heightening the GuardianˇŻs rage as it lunged towards him.

    Skipping to the side, Kaius pivoted on his front foot to twist around a sailing fist. He didnˇŻt 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 sess. The ogre gurled, breath and foamed blood shooting from the rent he had left in its oesophagus.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kaiusughed. He couldnˇŻt help it. So much fun.

    Then there was a maddened roar from behind him, and somethingrge and fuzzy hit the GuardianˇŻs side in a bone-cracking collision. Porkchop tore into its side, ripping through skin and fat to w at its muscle with his talons in a feral frenzy.

    Kaius frowned at the sight, neatly side stepping a stray p as the ogre <em>lurched</em> at the sudden impact. It seemed his fun had bled across the link. That wasnˇŻt all that good. Rage was a part of the music, but it wasnˇŻt the whole dance. That was ˇ­ 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 heˇŻd 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-brotherˇŻs soul in his majesty.

    He <em>ran</em>, whirling into a series of savage overhead sweeps as he worked his de through the widened wound in the ogres neck. Heughed, tasting the ogre''s blood as it iled in an attempt to drive him off.

    It was so much <em>fun</em>.

    Then, as he saw the white shine of bone through the gore that used to be its neck, henced 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 de 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 copsing 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 andst weekˇŻs meal. The smell of victory.

    ˇ°One. two. Three. Four.ˇ± 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 de to hold it in a reverse grip. Raising it high overhead, he mmed it down between the ogreˇŻs 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 tost a little longer, but such was life. The fun things neversted forever. Blood welled up from the wound. That <em>should</em> have been enough to get its aorta, if its anatomy was simr enough, that is.

    Yanking his de 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 de free in a torrent of blood and adjusted his angle. It wouldnˇŻt be long now.

    ˇ­.

    Kaius slumped to his knees as a series of dings sounded in his mind, the cooling flesh of the ogreˇŻs back having a disconcerting amount of give beneath his legs. The psychopathic assault tonic had worn off a minute ago, but heˇŻd forced himself to push on until heˇŻd confirmed the Guardians death.

    Still, he had no intention of resting <em>here</em> of all ces. Forcing through the weighty nket of lethargy that had settled on him, he forced himself to his feet and pulled his de free of the in GuardiansˇŻ flesh.

    Below him, he could feel Porkchop extracting himself from the tunnel he had carved into the ogreˇŻs 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 hended.

    ˇ°HowˇŻre you feeling?ˇ± He asked, turning his attention to where Porkchop was trying ineffectively to scrape the worst of the goop from himself. ˇ°It looked like that psycho tonic bled through our bond.

    <em>ˇ°I expected it, the bleed-through. It happened a littlest time, and that was just with a simple link.ˇ± </em>Porkchop replied.

    ˇ°ThatˇŻs good.ˇ± Kaius sighed in relief. ˇ°Unfortunately I didnˇŻt manage to get away scott free myself, see?ˇ± he held up his hand, wiggling the stumps of his fingers.

    Porkchip chirped in surprise, rushing over to inspect the wound closely. <em>ˇ°Hells, Kaius, thatˇŻs going to mess with your sword y wonˇŻt it? We have healers in the dens, theyˇŻll be able to fix it if two-legs can''t.ˇ± </em>

    Kaius grinned at his friend, amused at how his face had twisted into a caricature of concern.

    ˇ°IˇŻll be alright, itˇŻs just a couple of fingers. ItˇŻll take a little while to get used to, but I shouldnˇŻt be hampered overmuch. And yes, we do have healers, itˇŻll just be expensive and take a while to get on a list. I think Deadacre has at <em>least</em> one with regeneration powers, but we might need to wait until we travel a bit further afield.ˇ± Kaius assured Porkchop, scratching him behind the ear.

    <em>ˇ°If youˇŻre sureˇ­ but if it gets in the way and you can''t find a healer, weˇŻll head to the dens, deal?ˇ±</em> Porkchop suggested.

    Just as he was about to formte a reply, a rolling wave of azure mana washed out from the centre of the teau 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 impossiblyplex runes. Constantly shifting, their luminance glistened on the polished stone of the surrounding statues.

    Their way out. Joy and relief flooded him. TheyˇŻd 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 growingke 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 PorkchopˇŻs attention away from the mesmerising glow of the charged portal. ˇ°Do you want to take a break over there, before we search for our rewards and take the portal?ˇ± 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 <em>vibrate</em>.

    <em>ˇ°LetˇŻs go! I wonder what Honour we got?ˇ±</em> Porkchop said, sshing through the pool of viscera as he ran to the clean centre of the teau.

    Kaiusughed 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 onest look at the massive runic formation at the centre of the t 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 PorkchopˇŻs eyes, giving him a single firm nod before he gave in to the insistence of the system.

    <strong>**Ding! You have in a Guardian: Siege Ogre - level 36 Wallbreaker!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! You have in a Guardian: im personalised reward?**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Major Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Kingyer**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Ruthless Underdog**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Major Feat of Strength performed while Unssed! Processingˇ­**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Results Obtained! Assessment period no longer suitable!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Unlocking ss Selection!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! sses Avable! Undergo ss Selection?**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Phase 1 Integration Objective #7 Achieved!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Processing, Please Waitˇ­**</strong>

    The world shuddered.

 Chapter 115: A Grand & Intoxicating Innocence pt. 1

    Chapter 115: A Grand & Intoxicating Innocence pt. 1

    The world <em>quaked</em>, foundational ts of existence shivering. Kaius felt something deep and central to his being fall silent. For the first time in his life he couldnˇŻt 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 <em>bad</em>. 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.

    ˇ°What is-ˇ± He started to ask.

    Then he slid up-sideways-through the world, distance and space weaving itself into iprehensible knots as an invisible w 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, <em>True Sight</em> 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 couldnˇŻt even <em>scream</em>.

    ˇ­

    Kaius snapped back.

    He was kneeling on nothing. His heart lurched at the yearning ckness, all of his senses rebelling at the impossibility before him. <em>True Sight</em> 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 couldnˇŻt. 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 epassed all, searing out his vision as pure unadulterated <em>power</em> battered him. He didnˇŻt know what the energy was, for it wasnˇŻt mana. Too refined by half, too voured by some imperceptible note. Like an affinity, but different.

    ˇ°Whoops! Sorry about that. ItˇŻs been aeons since I''ve hadpany, let alone the mortal kind.ˇ± 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 andslide.

    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?

    ˇ°Oh, stop that!ˇ± The voice said, quaking his very soul with the depth of its gravelly timbre. ˇ°I wonˇŻt have worship from honoured guests, and I am nothing so base as a half-sentient impression on a manafield,ˇ± the voice said, correcting KaiusˇŻs 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?

    ˇ°An ascendant. If youe sit I might tell you what that means.ˇ± The being exined congenially.

    <em>ˇ°LetˇŻs do what the mysterious entity says, Kaius.ˇ± </em>PorkchopˇŻs 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.  ???ŁÎO????s?

    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 wereˇ­ impossible. Hyper-real, with tightly controlled power shimmering around them.

    Skin like milk, wless and painted on striated muscle. A manˇŻs face, but cut from savage angles and hard features that looked like they could shear through steel with but a nce. 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 rxed, 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.

    ˇ°Please,e sit. You might find an answer to your question,ˇ± the being said, his voice rattling the very foundations of his soul. There was no malice in it, just the simple truth of <em>power</em>.

    Kaius took a deep breath. He could do this, <em>they</em> could do this. Even if it wasnˇŻt a god, the being may as well have been. Yet, it was friendly enough to make their environment hospitable. ncing over at Porkchop, he leant hard on their bond, drawing stoic courage from their connection.

    They could do this. TheyˇŻd just in a Guardian for godsˇŻ sake, he wouldnˇŻt shy away from a simple conversation. Even if just to find out why they were <em>here</em>.

    He rose to his feet, Porkchop doing the same.

    The being pped. With every p of palm and palm, a crack that threatened to sunder worlds echoed out. ˇ°ThatˇŻs what I like to see! ThereˇŻs some of that iron!ˇ± he said.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    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 wasnˇŻt 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 <em>Legendary</em> tier one artefacts would be more effective than tissue paper if he wanted them dead.

    Why were they <em>here</em>? 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.

    ˇ°Well, thatˇŻs an easy one! You both did me a favour, so I wanted to thank you in person.ˇ± The being answered him, lifting the question straight from his mind. ˇ°Conveniently, we have a sliver of a moment while the system updates.ˇ±

    Kaius stilled as the beingˇŻs 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. ˇ°Time is malleable at a certain level. My influence on your world isˇ­heavily restricted, but there was an opportunity as the update processed. I simply stretched it.ˇ± he exined, every word thrumming with might, nearly enough to send Kaius reeling. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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. ˇ°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.ˇ± Ekum said. ˇ°I have been watching you, Kaius, since you fell into the Great Depths, and you, Porkchop, since you joined him.ˇ±

    KaiusˇŻs grip tightened for half a moment, before he forced his hands to rx. 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 irregrities in their drops? The natural treasure? Their sesses? Could he even be the reason that they ended up in that hell-pit in the first ce?

    PorkchopˇŻs mind brushed up against his, concerned. Urging caution. He didnˇŻt need the reminder.

    Ekum turned to look at him, still smiling warmly. ˇ°Yes to the first, no to the rest. Your victories are your own, and it was no machination of mine thatnded you in the challenge. Though, I will admit that it was to my benefit.ˇ± 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 KaiusˇŻs calf.

    ˇ°Ultimately, I am but a caretaker. A supervisor with no real power. As much as I wish it werenˇŻt so, I do not have infinite time to exin. So you will listen, understood?ˇ± Ekum stated, clear in the fact that it was not a request.

    They nodded emphatically.

    ˇ°Good.ˇ± Ekum said. He leaned back, sinking into the plush back of his chair. ˇ°The system as you know it arrived on your world aeons ago. That period of transition is where many of your mythse from. It is also iplete. The introduction is phased to ensure that as much culture and sentient life is preserved as possible. Often, it fails in that endeavour.ˇ± The ascendant paused, giving them a moment to digest his words.

    KaiusˇŻs mind raced. HeˇŻd <em>heard</em> rumours and stories about the arrival of the system. There was enough remnant history that it was somewhatmon knowledge, at least ording to Father. Yet, heˇŻd never heard <em>anything</em> about the system being iplete, 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. ˇ°Good, good. I won''t waste time on your irrelevant questions. Yes, the system is iplete. Moving toter stages requires certainˇ­ 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 <em>thirteen milenia</em>.ˇ± Ekum hissed hisst words, the bitter noise digging ws into KaiusˇŻs chest. He tried not to faint as a hostile frustration threatened to crush him.

    Kaius coughed, tasting blood.

    The ascendant paused. The pressure vanished. ˇ°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 amˇ­ dissatisfied with the continual extension.ˇ± Ekum exined, the barest hint of escaping frustration sending the icy fear of death washing over Kaius.

    He struggled to breathe.

    ˇ°However,ˇ± the ascendant continued, uncaring but not unnoticing. ˇ°Then you two came along! Defeating a guardian solo <em>while</em> still in your assessment period? Even withpleted legacies, and a smattering of <em>Honours</em> that is no small feat. Discovering glyph-binding was a stroke of luck, and the benefit of your fatherˇŻs genius, Kaius, but all the same! Now the second phase is upon us, and Ie to you with five things. My congrattions, a warning, a reward, a proposition, and some advice. Will you listen?ˇ± Ekum asked, staring at them intensely.

    Kaius sat frozen, barely able to move. His vision had started to narrow, but there was <em>nothing</em> 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 ck fled as fresh air continued to circte 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. tinum locks slipped down his head like waves, haloing the ascendants face.

    ˇ°I have already given you my congrattions, so now I will give you a warning.ˇ± Ekum the Pale stared deep into the mes. ˇ°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.ˇ±

    Ekum looked over his shoulder, eyes boring into PorkchopˇŻs for a moment, before flicking to KaiusˇŻs. They held an intensity, a coldness, that could smother worlds.

    ˇ°In your sess, you may have doomed the world.ˇ± he stated, ancient apathy dominating his features. ˇ°I will be honest, I care little either way, both will mean my freedom. That brings us to your reward.ˇ± The ascendant looked back to the mes, releasing Kaius from his grasp. ˇ°Knowledge, that with your sess here, you have the chance to tip the bnce 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 thates with the second stage.ˇ±

    Through the gaps in the silver curtain of metallic locks, Kaius saw the god-like being smirk.

    ˇ°What will you do, I wonder? Will the two of you fall, and doom your world? Or will you rise ascendant?ˇ±

 Chapter 116: A Grand & Intoxicating Innocence Finale

    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? HeˇŻd merely strived for sess, 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.. ˇ°It is only a punishment if you fail, my boy. Show me that steel that youˇŻve held for thest year. YouˇŻre better than this. I might only care for my freedom, but it would certainly be moreˇ­ pleasant if it was your sess 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.ˇ± The ascendant paused, the room falling silent except for the slow constant crackle of logs ame.

    ˇ°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 rx, 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 ce to direct your struggle.ˇ±

    Ekum the Pale stood up, his full height looming over them both. The ascendant turned, leaning back on the hearthˇŻs mantle.

    ˇ°Which leads me to thest. A piece of advice. Master your aspects and reach the fiftiethyer before you rise to the third tier. I rmend a lot of killing, a lot of soul-searching, and delving as high above your level as you can manage.ˇ± The ascendant said, a thin half smile barely visible on his lips.

    Kaius stayed rooted to the spot, trying and failing to digest EkumˇŻs words. Reaching the fiftiethyer before the third tier would mean facing creatures up to a hundred levels higher than him, at <em>best</em>. 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 be a powerhouse of humanity?

    And what the fuck was an aspect?Ekumughed. The very essence of the world quaked.

    ˇ°Third tier? Powerhouse? ThatˇŻs not even true on this backwater shithole.ˇ± He chuckled, throaty and deep, as he wiped tears from his eyes. ˇ°Oh, that is too good. No. I do not suggest suicide. Both of you are <em>Observed</em>, you are not cut from the same cloth as the unwashed masses. More than that, youˇŻve achieved a <em>Major Honour</em> in your assessment period, ushering in the second stage! Have some bloody faith in yourselves!ˇ± EkumˇŻs tone grew flinty, threatening to stop his heart with toxic intent alone. ˇ°This will be the work of decades, but this does not mean you have time to ck. And no, I will not exin what an Aspect is. The whole point of them is self-discovery, and the update will cover the bare essentials. ˇ±

    Ekum the pale waved towards them contemptuously. ˇ°WeˇŻre done here. Follow my advice and we will see each other again soon enough.ˇ±

    Shock fired down KaiusˇŻs 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.

    ˇ­

    Kaius mmed 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 sshed against the pavestones, his throat constricting painfully as he slumped his weight onto his arms.

    Porkchop moaned off to his left, his brotherˇŻs splitting headache seeping across their bond to aggravate KaiusˇŻs difort 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 ufortable edge as he stared nkly 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 ˇ®ascendantˇŻ, 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 urred only at the whims and behest of another. Having the sanctity of his mind vited so casually was the smallest thing that weighed on him. The entire time he had felt the weight of looming death. A doom that <em>screamed</em> at him from all angles, as his skillsy barren and silent, abandoning him in his time of need.

    ˇ°Fuck.ˇ± 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.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Yet it was the <em>content</em> of Ekum the PaleˇŻs 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.

    ˇ°What did he and the system mean by the second phase, Porkchop?ˇ± Kaius asked weakly.

    Porkchop slumped. <em>ˇ°I donˇŻt know, IˇŻve never heard of it, or about the ˇ®integrationˇŻ. The start of the system is as opaque to the Matriarchs as it is to everyone else.ˇ±</em>

    ˇ°He made it sound like we would find out for ourselves soon enough.ˇ± Kaius whispered, eyes unfocused as he stared aimlessly forward. ˇ°What are we supposed to do? All I wanted to do was escape and find Father.ˇ±

    Porkchop grunted and shook his head, before he sat up, his spine straight. <em>ˇ°We will do what we have done for thest 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? WeˇŻve been staring death in the face for over a year! Look, Kaius!ˇ± </em>

    Resolute strength flowed across their bond, waves of conviction, surety, and faith washing over him. It warmed the frigid ws of ice around his heart, stoking the fire of his blood. Porkchop caught his eyes, before he jutted his snout back behind him. <em>ˇ°I said look!ˇ±</em>

    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 gstones, one particrlyrge one surrounding an oversized iron-braced club. There, at the end of the trail of destruction,y 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 unssed.

    <em>ˇ°Look at it! That is who we are! Killer. Climber. Delver. That is what </em><em>you</em><em> 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 aing cmity, I would face it with fire in my heart and flesh in my ws. Not frozen, fearful of the consequences and implications of a secret yet to be revealed.ˇ±</em> Porkchop thundered, the words rattling deep into the fire of KaiusˇŻs soul.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    His bond-brother was right, this wasnˇŻt like him. He breathed in, collecting his worries, his fears, and his uncertainties. Then he breathed out, and released them. They didnˇŻt 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.

    ˇ°Thank you, Porkchop,ˇ± 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.

    ˇ°YouˇŻre right. ThereˇŻs no use worrying until we know more. At the very least, Ekum left us with actionable goals. Complete our aspects and reach the fiftiethyer before crossing into the third tier. Though I know nothing about the former, and thetter is years off, it gives us a target. I just hope that if everything is destined to go to shit, weˇŻll have time to seek after Father.ˇ± 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 <em>Health</em> couldnˇŻt 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.

    <em>ˇ°ThatˇŻs more like it,ˇ±</em> Porkchop chittered. <em>ˇ°WeˇŻll find him. Besides, things will be far less fraught this time around. We unlocked our ss and bloodline early, remember?ˇ±</em>

    Kaius started, what with the onught of notifications, and the visit from a divine entity, it hadpletely slipped his mind. He grinned. ˇ°Oh yeah, thatˇŻll definitely help. Though, we might have to wait to do that. The system still feelsˇ­distant.ˇ±

    He could still <em>feel</em> it, its omnipresence nketing his entire being, but it was less responsive. Part of him wanted to pull up his status, to check histest <em>Honours</em> and see the long awaited words that he had been anticipating his entire life. He didnˇŻt though, if he tried and the system didnˇŻt respond it would be all too much.

    Luckily he didnˇŻt 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 <em>True Sight</em> the omnipresent mana in the depths <em>roiled</em>, falling into a frenzied current. Kaius flinched, staring at the mana in shock, his hand snapping to his de as he sought the cold reassurance of steel.

    The system spoke.

    <strong>**Ding! Global Announcement: An Integrated Individual has Performed a Major feat of Strength in their Assessment Period! Integration Phase 1 Objective #7 Achieved!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Integration Phase 2 Initiated!**</strong>

    <strong>**Integration Phase 2es with a number of significant changes to the local biosphere, the Great Depths, and the System!**</strong>

    <strong>**Mana density will rise and equalise over the next (1 Local Year), leading to less segregation of non-sapient System Integrated lifeforms!**</strong>

    <strong>**All sentient but non-sapient lifeforms will now be integrated at their birth, and will finish their assessment period at full maturity!**</strong>

    <strong>**Tyrants have been created and unleashed! Challenge these powerful unshackled System-born, if you dare.**</strong>

    <strong>**Rare Crucible Grounds have opened in the Great Depths. Seek them out and attempt their challenges to obtain potent rewards, if you dare.**</strong>

    <strong>**The Aspect Triumvirate has been unlocked! Simr to the Legacy Skills of the first Phase, Aspects are an optional advancement path. Enshrine your pirs of self, and develop them in the crucible of Soul and Skill. It is highly rmended that all aspects are fully developed before reaching the Second Tier, and fully tempered before the Third. Due to soul-crystallisation, Aspects are unavable to those who have already ascended past the First Tier.**</strong>

    <strong>**Integration Phase 3 willmence when one of several objectives are met. Good Luck.**</strong>

 Chapter 118: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 1

    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 ss selection. Now, he wasˇ­somewhere.

    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 ck, 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 ce, 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 <em>much</em> he had felt confined in the restrictive environments of the Depths. Even with cavernsrger than most cities, and underground groves, it was a poor substitute for the world atrge.

    ˇ°Gorgeous isnˇŻt it? I can see why it was chosen for you.ˇ± An oddly familiar voice said from behind him.

    Kaius started, whipping around as his hand dropped for his sword. His open palm pped a hip covered in soft cotton. Wherever he was, his armour and de hadnˇŻte 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.

    Kaiusunched to his feet, backing up as he raised his arms, ready for a fight. He might not have his weapons, but that didnˇŻt mean he was helpless. ˇ°Who are you?ˇ± Kaius called out, his tone hard. ˇ°And how did I get here?ˇ±

    The figure stayed lounging against the base of an oak tree, unperturbed by his readiness for violence. He chuckled softly.

    ˇ°I am your guide,ˇ± they said simply. ˇ°And this? This is your ss selection.ˇ±

    The words rushed through Kaius, shock radiating down his spine. HeˇŻd known little of what to expect for ss selection, only that he would have to pick between a number of options. HeˇŻd 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. ˇ°Guide? What do you mean?ˇ±

    The cowled man lifted his arms up, causing Kaius to raise his fists once more.

    ˇ°Woah there,ˇ± The man said, raising a cating hand. ˇ°Just taking off my hood.ˇ±

    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 maised his own. Green, with flecks of gold.

    Kaius froze.

    ˇ°Before you ask, no, I am not you from the future.ˇ± Kaius the Elder said with a wry smile. ˇ°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.ˇ±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Kaius the Elder gave Kaius a long look. ˇ°Rtively at ease, that is.ˇ±

    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. ˇ°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.ˇ± The system construct tapped his temple with one finger. ???¦­??????

    ˇ°I canˇŻt share most of it, but I can advise. Are you with me so far?ˇ± They asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

    Kaius gave a slow nod,ing 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?

    ˇ°Good!ˇ± Kaius the Elder pped, standing up straight from the tree and walking towards him. ˇ°Now, we have a little ground to cover. YouˇŻve been a busy fucking bee, havenˇŻt you?ˇ±

    Kaius looked at the construct in surprise.

    ˇ°What? IˇŻm based on you, you swear all the time.ˇ± Kaius the Elder said.

    ˇ°I mean, yeahˇ­but isnˇŻt it a little undignified for an emissary of the system.ˇ±

    The construct waved him off. ˇ°Maybe if this was some grand promation, 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, didnˇŻt you?ˇ± They gave him a cheeky grin.

    Kaius frowned, rolling his attention across his mental state. His guide wasˇ­right. He was feeling less guarded.

    ˇ°See? Told ya.ˇ± The construct pped him on the shoulder, before they walked past him deeper into the forest. Kaius hurried to follow.

    ˇ°Now, youˇŻve got some really good options here, and a whole bloody lot of them. That''s what you get for being the first unssed to get <em>Honours</em> 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 <em>really</em> good options in that camp.ˇ± Kaius the Elder said, waggling his eyebrows in a ridiculous attempt at convincing him.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Kaiusughed, striding forwards to keep pace with his strangely aged reflection. ˇ°No, and make sure to narrow it to sses that make the best use of my general skills, and involve swordy.ˇ± He said resolutely. Mixing magic and de 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 <em>Epic</em> ss.

    ˇ°Are you sure? That will reduce your avable options by more than you could ever imagine.ˇ± Kaius the Elder said, fixing him with a deadly serious look. ˇ°Think about it. Some of your feats areˇ­ immense. Even with discovering glyph-binding for your cohort, most of your skills andbat style lends itself towards direct confrontation. You have some <em>strong </em>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 ss.ˇ±

    Kaius paused, considering the constructˇŻs words as he stepped over a particrly thick root that snaked its way through the leaf litter that crunched with his every step.

    ˇ°What do you mean?ˇ± he asked.

    Kaius the elder sighed in relief. ˇ°Good, youˇŻre not an idiot.ˇ±

    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 ce was fake, a simple mirage woven by the system to cate him, it knew its stuff. He felt more rxed by the second.

    The construct broke the silence. ˇ°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 mostplete, though which one can utilise the arcane in closebat. 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 wille 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.ˇ±

    Kaius the Elder turned his head, watching him closely as they led their way forwards with confidence. ˇ°You won''t be sacrificing power, and you are still likely to develop a number of spells per skill and tier through the systemˇŻs aid- far more than most magi on your. 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.ˇ±

    Kaius bristled, staring at the construct. ˇ°How could I not? I already have a glyph, see?ˇ± 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. ˇ°Kaius, I say this with confidence. Your father was perhaps the most dedicated, sessful, and down right genius runewright of his generation. One of the best, ever. <em>That-ˇ±</em> Kaius the Elder jutted one finger at his glyph. ˇ°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 ss, you will not be freeform designing your own spells. Not for a long time.ˇ±

    Kaius paused, digesting the constructˇŻs words. At first he had felt disgruntled at his aged reflectionˇŻs disparagement of FatherˇŻs work, but as he sat and thought on it, he realised the construct had to be right. If, by the systemˇŻs own metric, <em>Father</em> 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. ˇ°Would I be locked into specific spells, if I went that route?ˇ±

    Kaius the Elder tilted his head back and forth. ˇ°In a sense. It differs by ss, 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 ord.ˇ±

    KaiusˇŻs ears pricked up at the constructˇŻs closing words. ruing hymns that he could learn from on his own timeˇ­ That was more like it. Plus, it hadnˇŻt said he would <em>never</em> be able to design them unassisted, only that it was a long wayˇŻs offˇ­

    ˇ°Do it.ˇ± He said, his spine straightening like steel. ˇ°Cull the pure glyph-binding sses.ˇ±

    Kaius the elder looked at him, green and gold eyeˇŻs twinkling. ˇ°Good choice, kid. Now, let''s talk about rarity. YouˇŻve got quite the selection, do you want to trim any of the lower ranks?ˇ±

    Kaius hummed. It made sense. He was sure he had done well. <em>Unusual </em>sses for sure, and perhaps if he was lucky a handful of <em>Unique</em> ones. That said, it seemed like a bad idea to ignore the <em>Rare</em> sses just because they were lower. Rarity was incredibly significant, but it wasnˇŻt <em>everything</em>, he might miss something perfectly suited to him.

    ˇ°Cull everything below <em>Rare</em>.ˇ± 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. HeˇŻd never heard of <em>anyone</em> having something bad happen during ss selection. Even if people avoided talking about the experience, that was the sort of thing that would get out.

    ˇ°Cull everything below <em>Unusual</em>.ˇ± He said, chewing on the words.

    Kaius the ElderˇŻs smile widened until it was almost manic, and the construct pointed up again. He froze, staring at them in sheer disbelief. It wanted <em>more</em>? That was ridiculous, how many <em>Unique </em>options could he possibly have to make it worthwhile to ignore an <em>Unusual </em>ss? This was his first selection! HeˇŻd never even heard of anyone getting a <em>Unique</em> ss so early, only in bardsong. It was only his legacy and <em>Honours</em> that gave him the confidence to even get <em>one.</em>

    Slowing to a stop, kaius ced one hand on a nearby trunk, feeling the reassuring grit of its bark. Unclenching his jaw, he worked the words out of his mouth. ˇ°Cull everything below <em>Unique</em>,ˇ± 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.

    ˇ°Come on kid, letˇŻs see if youˇŻve got some balls.ˇ±

 Chapter 119: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 2

    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 <em>what</em>?! It couldnˇŻt seriously be asking him to cull all sses lower than <em>Heroic</em> could it? That was utter insanity. While the rarity of your starting ss was not the be all and end all, having a higher rarity ss did drastically increase your chances of pursuing the sort of feats that were required to evolve them further as you developed through the tiers.

    <em>Heroic</em>ˇ­ That would mean eleven stats per level, and ss skills of a minimum of fucking <em>Unusual</em>! That was the main reason starting off with a ss higher than <em>Rare </em>was considered so much of a boost over the lower ones, you removed your chance of getting offered <em>Common</em> skills.

    It couldnˇŻt be right. Surely. He gulped, dry tongue catching in his mouth, like he had been chewing on cotton.

    ˇ°You canˇŻt be serious.ˇ± He whispered.

    Kaius the Elder showed him his teeth. ˇ°Try me.ˇ±

    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. ˇ°ThatˇŻs it right? I canˇŻt have possibly gotten anything higher than <em>Heroic</em>, can I?ˇ±

    The constructughed. ˇ°Unfortunately not. It''s not even <em>possible</em> to get higher than <em>Heroic</em> for your first or second ss. That said, you have done well enough that you have a couple to pick from. We both know that anything else isnˇŻt worth your time. Though, if you wish, I would be happy to go through them with you.ˇ±

    Kaius narrowed his eyes. ˇ°How many <em>Unique </em>sses do I have avable that fit the criteria?ˇ±

    The construct''s green-gold eyes bore into his own. ˇ°Thirty-Seven.ˇ±His knees gave out, and he was forced to clutch the tree tight before he could straighten himself. ˇ°And <em>Heroic?ˇ±</em> he asked in a small voice.

    ˇ°Three.ˇ±

    Kaius shuddered, taking in a deep breath. ˇ°What about without any criteria?ˇ±

    ˇ°Seventeen.ˇ± the construct replied, slow and serious.

    ˇ°Fuck.ˇ± Kaius whispered. That wasˇ­ 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. ˇ°Cull everything that isnˇŻt a ss focused on swordy and glyph-binding, and is of a rarity lower than <em>Heroic</em>.ˇ±

    Kaius the Elder gave him a deep and satisfied smile, his grey streaked hair shining in haloed light that filtered through the canopy above. ˇ°Good shit.ˇ± Then the construct spun, striding off into the forest. ˇ°Follow.ˇ± 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 weed 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,rger than anything he had seen in the outskirts of the Sea before. Heavy and aged limbs sprouted from their trunks,yered in calloused bark.

    ˇ°Almost there, let''s head to the trees.ˇ± 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 <em>something</em> to do with his ss options, but for the life of him he couldnˇŻt figure out <em>what</em>.

    The construct ahead of him kept a leisurely pace, apparently in no rush to cross the open field.

    ˇ°So, before we get to your selections, thereˇŻs a few things you should know. Context about sses, and other such things. First, you wonˇŻt be able to talk about your experience here to people who have not gone through the selection themselves, except in the broadest sense.ˇ± The Elder said without looking back.

    ˇ°Wait what? Why not?ˇ± Kaius asked, confused. While that might have exined why despite his begging Father had not once slip what ss selection was actually <em>like</em>, he still struggled to understand the reasoning. Why on earth would the system want to give them<em> less</em> ability to prepare for the most important moment of their lives?

    ˇ°To prevent influence. In aeons past there was something of a problem with impressionable youngsters trying to emte ˇ®perfectˇŻ builds. It invariably led to substandard performance.ˇ± Kaius the Elder responded. ˇ°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.ˇ±

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    ˇ°Such as?ˇ± Kaius asked curiously.

    ˇ°sses unlock a few additional facets of the system. Namely skill <em>Affinity </em>and <em>Type</em>. All skills have them, and most sses will provide a bonus to Type. Only some will provide a broader bonus to <em>Affinity</em>. It is a good thing to pay attention to. You should also be aware that once you gain your ss, your <em>Honours</em> will gain a small percentage bonus to your stats. Finally, there will be skill resonance, which is <em>incredibly</em> important during your first ss. It will show which general skills are able to align with your ss, 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 ss, it will likely have a weaker chance of evolvingˇŞalthough a direct progression is always possible.ˇ±

    KaiusˇŻs mind raced. It was a lot of information, and he was thankful it had been shared openly. The part about the <em>Honours</em> did not surprise him, frankly their stat boost had always seemed a littlecklustre 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.

    ˇ°What of ss skills? Is capping them just as important? IˇŻll get my final ss skill only twenty levels before I tier up, right? That seems like a bit of a squeeze.ˇ± Kaius asked, brushing aside a particrly stubborn bush that blocked his path.

    The construct chuckled. ˇ°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. YouˇŻll want to reach the tier cap for that skill by then to maximise the options avable.ˇ±

    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.

    ˇ°Quite something isnˇŻt it? Thankfully you culled quite a few options, otherwise we would have had to wait quite a while for you to limate. That, and it would have taken <em>days</em> for you to deliberate.ˇ± 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, thement 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.

    ˇ°Come along then! Your first option awaits.ˇ± 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 treeˇŻs 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 depictedˇ­him. Shirtless, covered in light wounds that writhed, sealing themselves closed in moments. Kaius knew he was heavily muscled, even as tall as he was, heˇŻd 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, angr, runes. They <em>burned</em>, bolstering the carving with powerful magics.

    More than anything, he could <em>feel</em> the feral ferocity that rolled off the carving in waves. Promising a future of blight and ughter, 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.

    ˇ°Just focus on it. A status page will pop up.ˇ± The construct exined 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:n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    <strong>Warsworn Rune-Acolyte:</strong>

    <strong>ss - Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Heroic</strong>

    <strong>Relevant Feats:</strong>

    <strong>Has in at least 4000 foes of at least level 15 while unssed. Has in at least three Champions in singlebat while unssed. Has in at least 100 foes with glyph-binding while Unssed. Has in a foe of at least level 30 while unssed. Has obtained at least three </strong><strong><em>Honours</em></strong><strong> while unssed. Has aplete set of legacy skills. Has capped all base stats at 20. Has a weapon mastery skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unique</em></strong><strong> rarity. Has a self healing skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unusual</em></strong><strong> rarity. Has a rune mastery skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unusual</em></strong><strong> rarity. Has survived multiple mortal wounds. Has fallen to fury in battle. Has disregarded injury with fatalistic regrity.</strong>

    <strong>The Temple of IshˇŻtar is a deste ce. Penitents and would-be Acolytes must make pilgrimage through deserts of bone andkes of fire. Even when they arrive at the steps of the monastery, the adherents of divinebat are not so easily impressed. Only if they survive the trial of des will they have the opportunity to attempt being anointed with sacred glyphs of healing and fury.</strong>

    <strong>The lowest of the adherents of IshˇŻtar, the Warsworn Rune-Acolyte is a being of anger and fury. Focusing on savagery and persistence in battle, they are adept close-quartersbatants. Differences abound between Acolytes, but they have onemonality. 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.</strong>

    <strong>All </strong><strong><em>Body Reinforcement</em></strong><strong>, </strong><strong><em>Self Healing</em></strong><strong>, and </strong><strong><em>Self Enhancement</em></strong><strong> type skills are improved by 60%</strong>

    <strong>Stats:</strong>

    <strong> +3 Vitality, + 3 Strength, +2 Intelligence, +1 Endurance, +1 Will, +1 Free Stats per level</strong>

    <strong>Skill Resonance:</strong>

    <strong>Warforged - Moderate</strong>

    <strong>Adamant Body - Strong</strong>

    <strong>Runic Lexicon - Strong</strong>

    <strong>Mana Maniption - Moderate</strong>

    <strong>Lesser Regeneration - Strong</strong>

    Kaius gulped.

 Chapter 120: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 3 or: Mount Thor

    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. <em>Warsworn Rune-Acolyte</em> looked to be a brutal ss. He could see it suiting him well, something that would lean into the <em>rush</em> of battle. The sheer savage joy of throwing yourself in harm''s way to im victory.

    It alsoˇ­rmed 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. HeˇŻd dreamed of the dance of slung spells and swung swords since he was a boy, discarding that now - even for a <em>Heroic </em>ss - 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 sumbing to the power of the <em>Psychopathic Assault </em>tonic. While it had been a powerful tool, the idea of making it central to his build made him uneasy. Plusˇ­ with his new bond with Porkchop, he wasnˇŻt 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 ss like this could do the same, and even as powerful as it was, it wasnˇŻt worth that risk.

    He could only hope the others would be more suitable. He pulled his attention away from the ss, the description flickering out of existence to reveal the detailed wooden carving of himself as a <em>Rune-Acolyte</em>. Looking back to his ss-guide, he found the aged and scarred clone watching him intently.

    ˇ°So? What do you think? ItˇŻs a strong option, one that has the capability to make you an unkible terror inbat.ˇ± Kaius the Elder asked.

    Kaius frowned, shaking his head. ˇ°I donˇŻt think so. The style of glyph-binding doesnˇŻt 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 isnˇŻt the one.ˇ±

    The construct paused, giving him a calcting look. ˇ°Are you sure? It suits you. The sort of feats required for a <em>Heroic</em> ss means that it''s almost impossible to achieve one without it being closely aligned to some aspect of who you are. Think, can you <em>really</em> say that you are worried about rage if you indulge in it so often?ˇ±

    Kaius nched. 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 wasnˇŻt 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.Yetˇ­ He did not enjoy that aspect, and he wasnˇŻt 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 ss centred around fury.

    Kaius steeled his spine. Meeting the construct''s firm gaze, he nodded. ˇ°IˇŻm sure.ˇ±

    His aged clone smiled wide. ˇ°Then let us check your next offering, IˇŻm sure you will find it a fascinating option.ˇ±

    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 thest carving. Cowled in a heavy cloak, and garbed in thick leathers, swirling runic tattoos covered every inch of his exposed hands and fingers. That wasnˇŻt all, clean lines crept like vines past the neck of his armour, mbering 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 de 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 de and spell.

    He tore his eyes away, meeting his guide''s gaze. The construct smiled encouragingly, nodding his head back to the carving. ˇ°Go on.ˇ±

    KaiusˇŻs heart thumped in anticipation. He dove straight in.

    <strong>Glyph-bound Seeker:</strong>

    <strong>ss - Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Heroic</strong>

    <strong>Relevant Feats:</strong>

    <strong>Has in at least three Champions in singlebat while unssed. Has in at least 100 foes with glyph-binding while Unssed. Has survived in the Great Depths for at least a year while unssed. Has obtained at least three </strong><strong><em>Honours</em></strong><strong> while unssed. Has aplete set of legacy skills. Has capped all base stats at 20. Has a survival skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Heroic</em></strong><strong> rarity. Has a perception skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unique</em></strong><strong> rarity. Has a rune mastery skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unusual</em></strong><strong> rarity. Has at least one </strong><strong><em>Heroic</em></strong><strong> skill. Has pioneered glyph-binding. Has lived the majority of their life in unsettled ces. 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. </strong>

    <strong>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. </strong>

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    <strong>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 wilybatants, always with a solution at hand when faced with an unexpected challenge.</strong>

    <strong>All </strong><strong><em>Insight</em></strong><strong>, </strong><strong><em>Survival</em></strong><strong>, and </strong><strong><em>Glyph-Binding </em></strong><strong>type skills are Improved by 60%</strong>

    <strong>Stats:</strong>

    <strong> +3 Intelligence, + 2 Willpower, +1 Endurance, +1 Vitality, +1 Dexterity, +3 Free Stats per level</strong>

    <strong>Skill Resonance:</strong>

    <strong>Rapid Adaptation - Strong </strong>

    <strong>Warforged - Weak </strong>

    <strong>ExplorerˇŻs Toolkit - Strong</strong>

    <strong>True Sight - Strong </strong>

    <strong>Runic Lexicon - Strong </strong>

    <strong>Mana Maniption - Moderate </strong>

    Kaius read and reread the description of the ss, 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 onbat, beyond a throw away line at the end. His only melee skill with resonance was <em>Warforged</em>, and that was <em>weak</em>. Looking through the skills description, it was clear that a Seeker was far more interested in exploration and search for hidden mysteries.

    It <em>did</em> appeal to him, and he understood why it had been offered. Thest year had been nothing <em>but</em> 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 yetˇ­. he was torn.

    Glyph-bound Seeker had <em>potential</em>, 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 didnˇŻt <em>sound</em> like that was their intended purpose.

    It was still a <em>Heroic</em>, so it would undoubtedly be powerful, but he could only hope that hisst choice would be more to what he was looking for. Something that enshrined his drive, no, his <em>need</em> to improve. Something that lent itself totally to mastery over the battlefield, and striving to reach the ever moving pinnacle.

    If he couldnˇŻt find it there? The <em>Unique</em> sses were always waiting.

    He tore himself away from the status screen, looking back to his guide. ˇ°LetˇŻs check the next one.ˇ±

    ˇ°Let us talk first,ˇ± Kaius the Elder said with a smile. ˇ°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. IsnˇŻt 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, wing at all it had to offer until you were satisfied?ˇ±

    Kaius frowned. The construct wasˇ­not wrong. He <em>had</em> felt that way, he still did. Hells, even in thest year, he had never felt so <em>free</em>, even with a heart full of tragedy and his own looming mortality vying for his attention. Yetˇ­ that had never been what he wanted to define him.

    ˇ°I want to explore, yes, but I have <em>never</em> 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 donˇŻt think this is the one for me. Perhaps if thest option is as bad as the first, but I cannot decide until I have seen it.ˇ± Kaius said, resolute.

    The construct said nothing, only giving him a half smile before they turned and led him to the final tree.

    KaiusˇŻs heart thumped with every step, as the air grew even more charged. After his initial limation 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 wasˇ­ different. Not in any way he could pick out with his eye, but he could <em>feel </em>it. Feel its regal bearing, the sheer <em>weight</em> 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.

    KaiusˇŻs breathing spiked, a thin whine sounding in his ears as he approached.

    He saw himself.

    d 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 wasˇ­different, 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 de - one he knew well. <em>A FatherˇŻs Gift</em>; heˇŻd recognise the delicate twisted fillgere on its crossguard and pommel anywhere. Even then, his sword had been changed too. Its de <em>zed</em> with runic might, yet more strange runes wrapping every inch of its steel. Waves of vtile magic <em>burst</em> 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, d in dense te barding, with a magnificent glyph shining through the fur on his chest, was Porkchop. His brother bore him like a mount, erged and empowered. Yet it was clear that it was not a position of subservience, this Kaius<em> knew</em>. 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 treeˇŻs trunk as they raced across a fieldden 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.

    ˇ°Take a closer look, I think youˇŻll like this one.ˇ± The construct said with pleased self assurance, startling Kaius out of his reverie.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He took a steadying breath and peered closer.

    A status page flickered into view.

 Chapter 121: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 4

    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 thest ash.

    <strong>Runede Initiate:</strong>

    <strong>ss - Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Heroic</strong>

    <strong>Relevant Feats:</strong>

    <strong>Has in at least 4000 foes of at least level 15 while unssed. Has in at least three Champions in singlebat while unssed. Has in at least nine Champions while cooperating with a greater beast while unssed. Has in at least 300 foes with glyph-binding while Unssed. Has in a Guardian while unssed. Has pioneered glyph-binding. Has aplete set of Legacy skills. Has capped all base stats at 20. Has broken the unssed cap on at least one base stat. Has obtained at least 4 </strong><strong><em>Honours</em></strong><strong>. Has obtained at least 1 Major </strong><strong><em>Honour</em></strong><strong> as an Unssed. Has a weapon mastery skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unique </em></strong><strong>Rarity. Has an evasion skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unique </em></strong><strong>rarity. Has a rune mastery skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unusual</em></strong><strong> rarity. Has formed a bond of equals with a greater beast of at least </strong><strong><em>Heroic</em></strong><strong> rarity. Has at least one other </strong><strong><em>Heroic</em></strong><strong> skill. Has bound a sword type Growth weapon. Has actively pursued both martial and runic supremacy. Has experienced Aura. </strong>

    <strong>The Runedes 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 be an Initiate is to sacrifice all to the life of the glyph and de. Astride their life-bondedpanions and with their soul-bound des in hand, they seek the gaze of death, for it is only by staring back unflinching that a Runede''s true might can be forged.</strong>

    <strong>Even an initiate of the Vesryn OrderˇŻs Runedes is a lethal opponent. Their bound des andpanions 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 ofbat-casting. Sword-arts and other esoteric abilities leave little weaknesses to exploit, and their broad span ofbat 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 sour to their allies and terror to their enemies.</strong>

    <strong>All </strong><strong><em>Arcane </em></strong><strong>and </strong><strong><em>Martial</em></strong><strong> affinity skills are improved by 30%</strong><strong>All </strong><strong><em>Spellsword, Evasive</em></strong><strong>, and </strong><strong><em>Glyph-Binding</em></strong><strong> type skills are improved by 60%</strong>

    <strong>Stats:</strong>

    <strong> +3 Intelligence, +2 Endurance, +2 Strength, + 2 Dexterity, +1 Vitality, +1 Willpower per level</strong>

    <strong>Skill Resonance:</strong>

    <strong>Warforged - Strong</strong>

    <strong>Adamant Body - Strong</strong>

    <strong>Runic Lexicon - Strong</strong>

    <strong>Mana Maniption - Strong</strong>

    <strong>Uncanny Dodge - Moderate</strong>

    <strong>Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus - Weak</strong>

    Kaius drank in the status of his future ss.

    This was it, he could feel it in his <em>bones</em>. It was perfect.

    Years of blood, sweat, and tears. A lifetime of sacrifice, on his part and FatherˇŻs. 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 ss was <em>everything</em>. The pursuit of perfection, the focus on spell and sword, enshrining his values and his bonds. He could not have dreamt of a better ss for him.

    Kaius grinned, wide and true. <em>ˇ°Bear witness Father, a new dawn rises on Unterstern today,ˇ± </em>he thought, sending his words into the aether.

    ˇ°This is the one,ˇ± he said as he turned to his ss guide, the words reverberating through the mystic air that clouded the shaded reaches of the final ash tree.

    ˇ°Like I said, I thought you might like it.ˇ± Kaius the Elder replied, giving him an easy grin. ˇ°Are you sure you do not want to discuss it? Your choice will be final, and more than any other, the first ss you choose will impact the direction of your life forever more.ˇ±

    KaiusˇŻs green and gold eyes sharped, and he straightened his spine. ˇ°There is no need. It has everything I wanted. A focus on the de and the glyph, and it enshrines my bond,ˇ± he paused as he realised that he did have one thing on his mind. ˇ°I did have one question though. Why is the resonance with <em>Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus</em> weak? With everything the ss stated, I would have thought that it would have been strong.ˇ±

    His ss guide nodded, clearly pleased that even if his mind was made up, he was not rushing through things.

    ˇ°That is an easy question to answer. It <em>does</em> align with the ss, 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.ˇ± Kaius the Elder exined.

    He nodded, epting the answer. ˇ°What now then? I have made my selection, what should I expect.ˇ±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ˇ°IˇŻm d you asked. You will go through the ss up process, which from what I am aware is ratherˇ­riveting. Once the system has melded the framework with your soul, any of your general skills which sessfully resonate will evolve. After that? It will be time for me to help you select your first ss skill, and it will be time for you to return to the world of the living.ˇ± The construct shot him an easy grin. ˇ°Then I''ll just be waiting until the next time you ss up for us to meet again.ˇ±

    Kaius frowned, pondering his aged clone''s words. ˇ°What do you mean waiting? Where do you go during all that time? Are you just stuck here in this forest?ˇ±

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    His ss guide chuckled. ˇ°No. I donˇŻt 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.ˇ±

    His eyes widened. HeˇŻd assumed his ss 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 ElderˇŻs eyes twinkled. ˇ°And that is why that information is not often volunteered, too unsettling for most folks. Not you though; you just take everything in stride. DonˇŻt you, Kaius?ˇ±

    Kaius gulped.

    ˇ°Before you ask, no, I cannot tell you about the integration or anything else that isnˇŻt directly relevant to picking your ss.ˇ± The system said, preempting his next question. ˇ°Now, are you ready to pick?ˇ±

    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. ˇ°Good.ˇ±

    A notification flickered into view, pulling at KaiusˇŻs attention with undeniable and inexorable might.

    <strong>**Ding! </strong><strong><em>Runede Initiate</em></strong><strong> ss Avable, would you like to proceed? This choice is pivotal and irrevocable.</strong><strong><em>**</em></strong>

    Victory and anticipation thrummed through him.

    He epted.

    ˇ­

    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 tinum dexagrammic formation of his legacy skills. The pirs 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 PorkchopˇŻs 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 ss 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 <em>weave</em>.

    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 <em>Mana</em>.

    Gossamer thin threads, shimmering with pearlescence, started to flow through his soul. They dove inwards, whirling in a torrent thatpletely obscured his soul from his sight. Threads snapped into ce, 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 breakingplexity.

    He tried to follow the systemˇŻs 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 cken his focus. It was awe inspiring, a work of impossible detail.

    A cage slowly began toe together, sigilistic emblems locked in ce in attice of binding wires. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that even with a million years he would <em>never</em> be able toe up with a work as grand. As detailed.

    Each sigil, beautiful in theirplexity 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, coalescing and amplifying. Forming thousands of roaring congrations, each one condensing a titanˇŻs worth of power.

    Trepidation welled within him. Seeing so much raw mystic energypressed <em>right next to his soul</em> 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.

    <em>Warforged, Adamant Body, Runic Lexicon, Mana Maniption, Uncanny dodge, </em>and <em>Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus</em>.

    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. <em>Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus</em>. 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 ss, 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 momentster, one skill fell off key. Its resonance faltered as its tuneless note was overwhelmed in a rush of mystic might. <em>Uncanny Dodge</em> had been unable toe in line with what his ss required.

    Kaius winced. It was a powerful skill, and an evolution would have brought it to <em>Heroic</em>. Yet now, all that was left were skills that chimed with undeniable purity, aligned tightly with the growing eminations from his nascent ss.

    Pure intent and mystic might built further, just barely kept within the bounds of the systemˇŻs 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 theiring 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 ss lensed the beams, focusing and amplifying them before they plunged deep into his soul.

    His pyre of self <em>roared</em> in primal satisfaction, igniting to new potent heights.

    A shockwave of charged power roared out. Focused by his ss 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 <em>screamed </em>with satisfaction, before they shattered.

    The system bore down on their ashes, infusing them with the remnant power of his ss formation before it forged them anew.

    <strong>**Ding! ss Forged! Runede Initiate obtained!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! General Skill Evolved! Warforged (Unique) has be Liturgical deform - Primus Ordo (Heroic)!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! General Skill Evolved! Adamant Body (Unique) has be Tempered by Dissonance (Heroic)!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! General Skill Evolved! Runic Lexicon (Unusual) has be Tonal Weaving (Unique)!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! General Skill Evolved! Mana Maniption (Unusual) has be Resonance Amplification (Unique)!**</strong>

 Chapter 123: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 6

    Chapter 123: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 6

    After leaving the meadow that held the site of his ss 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 <em>home</em>.

    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 <em>life</em>. 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, <em>needed</em>, 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 ce.

    Only now did his sess start to feel <em>real</em>. They had done it, in a Guardian and obtained their sses. Sure, the future held perils, but the most immediate mountain had been summited. With their sess, 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 ce.

    There, at the base of the slope,y a number of cracked boulders. Four in total, by chance or fate each had split cleanly through the middle to reveal a clean and t space. Just off to the sidey 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 <em>driven</em> - focused totally and utterly on something other than KaiusˇŻs direct training.

    It had been fascinating, seeing his father attack the stone with sticks of charcoal like he was trying to y 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 whotched 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 be clear then, in those halcyon days, why Father had such demands on his attention and effort. Ensuring he could survive without him was FatherˇŻs final act. The final problem he had to solve.

    Kaius loved him for it.

    Letting out a slow, shuddering, breath, Kaius turned to his ss guide. ˇ°Here?ˇ± he asked, his tone half usatory.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ˇ°Here.ˇ± his guide replied with a nod. ˇ°There is power in symbolism. Come along now.ˇ±

    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 simr - no, <em>identical -</em> in style to the ones that Father had sketched in the dirt with a stick when he was being taught theponents of <em>Warforged</em>. It was different though, this was no simple style guide. Waves of roaring energy rolled off the de. When the sketched figure struck his opponent, that energy tore at their flesh. A true ss skill, rather than the mostly passive effects of his general set. The diagrams were vague, barely showing him what the skill <em>did</em>, let alone how.

    The next had a singr 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 didnˇŻt n 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. ?§Ń¦­o??¨¨?

    Thest 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.

    <em>That</em> 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 ss, with a monumental plus-three to <em>Intelligence</em> 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 <em>Arcane Bolts</em>.

    He was also <em>immensely</em> curious about the glyph. They were supposed to be a major centrepiece of his ss, afterall.

    ˇ°Shall we start with thest one then? It certainly seems to have caught your eye.ˇ± His ss guide said with more than a little mirth, shaking him from his revere.

    This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Kaius returned his guide''s smile. ˇ°Caught that did you? I suppose you donˇŻt miss much.ˇ± he replied.

    ˇ°Not really, no. Go on then.ˇ± 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 ss 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.

    <strong>Hyperius Choralcasting:</strong>

    <strong>ss Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Arcane, Mirror</strong>

    <strong>Type: Glyph-binding, Metamagic</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>Unique</strong>

    <strong>Master Hyperius was known for his cid 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?</strong>

    <strong>This skill allows the user to alter a runic hymn inscription to duplicate the spell when activated for 90% added base mana reserved.</strong>

    <strong>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.</strong>

    Kaius pondered the first skill.

    It was <em>good</em>, that was without a doubt. Even with the nigh instant casting of glyph-bindingpared to normal spells, there was still some level of dy 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 <em>Arcane Bolts</em> or more, it would be a significant improvement to his firepower.

    Either way, it was a solid option to have avable, though he wouldnˇŻt 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 wasˇ­ 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 <em>Arcane Bolt</em>, until he found himself a tutor in <em>High Lothian</em>.

    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 forst. 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.

    ˇ°Oh? Not going to check in order? How unexpected.ˇ± 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.

    ˇ°Just trying to save the best forst.ˇ± He mumbled, arriving at the stone that held the sword technique. Stepping forwards, he focused his attention until a status screen flickered into view.

    <strong>Disruptive Cut:</strong>

    <strong>ss Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Martial, Sound</strong>

    <strong>Type: Longsword, Antimagic, Strike</strong>

    <strong>Avable!</strong>

    <strong>Unusual</strong>

    <strong>Some Runedes specialise, tuning themselves to a specific kind of prey. Amongst these rare figures, it is the howling des of the mage-hunters that are most feared by all of an arcane bent.</strong>

    <strong>This skill allows the user to infuse their de with disruptive vigour at the cost of 100 Stamina, temporarily destabilising channelled mana in their targets.</strong>

    <strong>Each level reasonably raises the difficulty of preventing or counteracting this destabilisation.</strong>

    <strong>Each level moderately increases the length of time that the disruption persists.</strong>

    <strong>Each level minutely increases the chance of interrupted channelled mana causing a damaging bacsh.</strong>

    This one intrigued him. While he was <em>heavily</em> disinclined to take it, it still revealed some secrets about this nebulous Vesryn Order that dominated the history of his ss. He had chosen the path he had to be <em>flexible</em>, not to focus on a single type of enemy, even one as ubiquitous and dangerous as mana users.

    In istion, it would be a strong pick, even with being a lower rarity than <em>Choralcasting</em>. Yet he doubted it would operate in istion. He decided to satisfy his curiosity. Afterall, what good was a guide if you did not ask them to show you the way?

    ˇ°These skills. Will they influence what I am offeredter? Bothter skills and ss evolutions?ˇ± he asked, turning away from the boulder to address the system construct.

    ˇ°Good catch, and good question,ˇ± they responded, giving him a nod. ˇ°Yes to influencingter sses. The skills you pick, and how you use them, both directly influence ss evolutions, and often impact the types of feats that youplete. As forter skills? Yes, but to a lesser degree. Ultimately, it is the ss itself that has the most influence, and it would take several skills with the same broad focus topletely shift <em>everything</em> you are offered.ˇ±

    Kaius nodded along to his guide''s exnation, chewing the inside of his cheek. ˇ°In that case, I donˇŻt think this one''s for me. Not for my first skill, at least. Is it able to be offered again?ˇ± he asked.

    ˇ°It could, but it is much more likely to be something different, whether subtly or radically.ˇ± 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 ve to things as base as simple difort. 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 ss hade from. HeˇŻd 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 ˇ®cohortˇŻ. Whatever that meant.

    ˇ°The Vesryn Order, they''re not from around here are they? They canˇŻt be.ˇ± he asked, cautious curiosity tinting his words.

    His ss guide gave him another one of its wide smiles. ˇ°Clever. YouˇŻd be surprised how few people ask that. Everyone is usually too caught up in the hubaloo of their shiny new ss.ˇ±

    Kaius paused. That wasnˇŻt much of an answer, though the fact he had beenmended for asking it confirmed they were not in his mind. He supposed that they <em>could</em> be from the higher realms, but they sounded all too ˇ­ mortal for that to make sense to him. ˇ°Where are they from then?ˇ±

    ˇ°CanˇŻt say. Not yet at least. Keep on climbing like you have and youˇŻll figure it out for yourself quick enough though.ˇ± Giving him an apologetic shrug, his ss guide nodded towards hisst skill option. ˇ°You should check that out. Something tells me youˇŻll be quite pleased with it.ˇ±

    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.

    Heplied willingly.

 Chapter 124: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 7

    Chapter 124: Long Awaited Destiny pt. 7

    The final split boulder was arge 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 FatherˇŻs 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 <em>move</em>. 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 simr to his own glyph, in the way a barn cat was simr 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 ss.

    He swallowed thickly, a vein on his temple throbbing as the mutable design made his head start to ache. It didnˇŻt 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.

    <strong>Latent Glyph of Drakthar:</strong>

    <strong>ss Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Arcane, Martial</strong><strong>Type: Glyph-binding, Runic, Spellcasting</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>Heroic</strong>

    <strong>The ˇ®Glyph of Scouring,ˇŻ 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 itstent form inscribed on their hands and wrists to make it easier to direct - and less likely to bite something important.</strong>

    <strong>This skill allows the user to inscribe Vesryn evocation spell-hymns to be activated at will, limited only by the avability 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.</strong>

    <strong>Each level moderately increases the power, range, afflictions, and area of effect of spell-hymns cast through the glyph.</strong>

    <strong>Each level slightly decreases the physical size of inscribed spell-hymns.</strong>

    <strong>Every 100 levels the user may learn another runic hymn of the relevant tier to add to their hymnbook.</strong>

    <strong>Spell-hymns Known:</strong>

    <strong>Tier I-</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    Air hissed between KaiusˇŻs clenched teeth as he took in the nature of what would be the first skill of his ss. 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 <em>perfect</em>. 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 <em>burned</em> to grasp as much of glyph-binding as he could.

    While he wanted to make use of his de just as much, he had had a <em>lifetime</em> of training with the weapon, and he did not need a ss 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 ssˇŻs trebuchet. He wanted, <em>needed</em>, 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 simplisticpared 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 schr it would serve as an excellent starting point for plumbing the fundamentals of the Third Pir. 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 KaiusˇŻs 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. <em>Resonance Amplification</em> 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 circting 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 histest skills, and the acuity of capped <em>True Sight</em>, 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.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Thankfully, with the new depth of his internal mana control, he could <em>feel</em> 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 copsing 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. <em>Health</em> could do a lot, but the <emplete</em> 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 aplishment and sacrifice, golden kes of ash falling from his skin as it burned away like so many hymns had in the past.

    ˇ°I see you have made your choice then.ˇ± 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 ce, even if it was only a recreation.

    ˇ°I have.ˇ± he responded.

    ˇ°Good. A glyph is a strong first choice. They are, after all, central to the <em>Runede </em>ss. 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.ˇ± KaiusˇŻs guide watched him closely, silver-streaked brown hair rustling in the gentle breeze that rolled through the Sea.

    ˇ°Will you be here for my next ss?ˇ± Kaius asked. HeˇŻd grownfortable being around the construct, even if it was weird to talk to something wearing his own body like a suit.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ˇ°Yes, though perhaps not in this form, nor necessarily in this space. ss 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 ce offort, and as you grow, that may change.ˇ± the construct exined.

    Kaius nodded, though inwardly he doubted that he would ever find somewhere that felt as familiar and rxing as the Sea. It wasˇ­pure, in a way that many other ces 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 ce.

    Turning back to the glyph scrawled boulder, Kaius felt the system react to his intent and offer him a new notification.

    <strong>**Ding! </strong><strong><em>Latent Glyph of Drakthar</em></strong><strong> ss Skill Avable, would you like to proceed? This choice is pivotal and irrevocable.</strong><strong><em>**</em></strong>

    Kaius epted.

    Power thrummed, surging through his soul. Gasping at the electric energy that coursed through him, Kaius dropped into his soul space.

    The ss mesh that surrounded his soul <em>pulsed</em>; 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 vour of that energy. Aggressive, domineering. Calling out in joy for the glory of battle, and the effervescent thrill that apanied the expulsion of energy.

    Shining with an aura of gold, the threads of intent that linked thetent skill to his sspressed 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 tinum 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.

    Histest power floated away from his soul. It settled equidistant between the pirs 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 ne 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 <em>True Sight</em>, 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 ording 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 difort. Burning crimson light branded itself onto his skin, the glyph taking shape. It was cohesive, dense, and immeasurably moreplex than anything he would have been able to inscribe himself, let alone design.

    He struggled to even identify what it <em>did</em>, but he could at least tell that there were different segments to the formation. If he couldnˇŻt do even that he would have been a poor excuse for a runewrightˇŻs son. A central array, shaped like syed 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 <em>around</em> each line, somehow dipping through his flesh to wrap the glyph in a three dimensional matrix. It was mind bogglinglyplex, and something that was <em>only</em> 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 <em>lot</em> harder than he thought if they were three dimensional. Theplexity and permutations aloneˇ­ bncing mana flows along a t ne was bad enough.

    A final circle of runes red into being, encircling the central formation at equidistant points. Each was asrge as a fingerprint, and a thin line of runes linked each one into a decagram.

    His mana surged, totally under the thrall of <em>Drakthar</em>, before his whole beingˇ­clicked. Shuddering in ce. The burning lines of his glyph dimmed, leaving clean ck elegance in their ce that drenched the back of his hands and climbed up and around his wrists.

    Clenching his fists, Kaius took in their shape. He ˇ­ 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 wouldnˇŻt take long for people to start wondering what a fresh tier one was doing with body formations of unknown design.

    He grinned. He couldnˇŻt wait to test them out, but first he would need to get his first spell.

    ˇ°Ready to move on?ˇ± His ss guide asked, giving him a small smile.

    ˇ°Born ready.ˇ± Kaius replied with a grin.

 Chapter 125: Long Awaited Destiny Finale

    Chapter 125: Long Awaited Destiny Finale

    Still cloaked in a cowl dyed the colours of the forest, KaiusˇŻs ss guide had led him away from the split boulders that had held his ss 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''sfortable 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 rxation. 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 t leaves shading all beneath it. Soaking up the sun with avarice, it allowed none of the life giving light to nourish any potentialpetitors.

    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 Grimw.

    Yet even with its prodigious size, that only held his attention for a few moments. Taking in its trunk that was thick enough to encapste two of him lying end to end, he spotted somethingˇ­out of ce.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 ce being in a forest, but he supposed this wasnˇŻt really the Sea. He hurried on, chasing after his guide who had not broken step and was heading straight for the out of ce portal.

    ˇ°A door?ˇ± He asked, breathing slightly heavy as he slowed to a fast walk beside the construct. ˇ°DoesnˇŻt exactly fit the scenery.ˇ±

    Kaius the Elder chucked, bringing one hand up to his scarred mouth. ˇ°No, it doesnˇŻt. The advancement space is for the selection of your ss, and your first skill of the tier. Not your spells, that has its own environment. ThereˇŻs a little bit of leeway due to the innate connection, but it still means we need a little bit of change of location. DonˇŻt worry, itˇŻs quite seamless.ˇ±

    Kaius hadnˇŻt been, having full faith in the system''s capabilities. People were transported by it every day when they delved the Depths, and he hadnˇŻt 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. ˇ°After you.ˇ±

    Kaius bobbed his head in gratitude and stepped through the door, his eyes roving over the newly revealed space. It wasˇ­ a study. Dwarven in construction, much like the study where he had first worked on his ruins in the city where his body stilly 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 <em>should</em> have been dark, considering theck of windows, but masterfully bracketed wardlights jutted free from the pirs 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 viges 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.

    ˇ°Take a seat.ˇ± 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.

    ˇ°This will be <em>mostly</em> simr each time youe in here. While I am here this time, you will have another construct to help you through future selections. They do not have the sameplete 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.ˇ± his guide exined, 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.

    ˇ°What do you mean, a difference? I assume by overmind you mean the system?ˇ± Kaius asked as his guide approached the desk and sat five books down on the polished wooden top.

    ˇ°Just so. I have the leeway to answer many questions within boundaries, much like right now, in exining how the constructs operate. At high tiers, there are many mysteries that be 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 rted to what you need to make your selection.ˇ± Kaius the Elder exined, picking up books andying them in front of him.

    ˇ°Now, spells are simr to sses in that you are not able to view every option potentially avable like a ss. The selection has been narrowed to those useful to you. Why don''t you take a look?ˇ± His guide said, waving his hand over the titleless books.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    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.

    <strong>HyperiusˇŻs Shard Swarm:</strong>

    <strong>Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Arcane</strong>

    <strong>Glyph: Drakthar</strong>

    <strong>50 Mana</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>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</strong>

    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.

    <strong>Embered Orb:</strong>

    <strong>Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Fire</strong>

    <strong>Glyph: Drakthar</strong>

    <strong>70 Mana</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>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.</strong>

    <strong>ˇ­</strong>

    <strong>TraxanˇŻs Lance:</strong>

    <strong>Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Light</strong>

    <strong>Glyph: Drakthar</strong>

    <strong>100 Mana</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>This Hymn summons a piercing beam of light that nigh instantaneously hits a target within 100 long-strides. Pinpoint urate, and possesses Moderate magical armour piercing capabilities.</strong>

    <strong>ˇ­</strong>

    <strong>Storsh:</strong>

    <strong>Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Lightning, Storm</strong>

    <strong>Glyph: Drakthar</strong>

    <strong>120 Mana</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>This Hymn summons a cracklingsh of lightning that may be used to strike at a target within 20 long strides, chaining to another two foes within 5 long-strides. Thesh persists for 3 seconds and possesses Reasonable stunning abilities.</strong>

    <strong>ˇ­</strong>

    <strong>ChotnikˇŻs Sickness:</strong>

    <strong>Runic Hymn - Tier I (Evocation)</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Poison, Toxin</strong>

    <strong>Glyph: Drakthar</strong>

    <strong>60 Mana</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>This Hymn summons a diffuse cloud of virulent spores that causes others to suffer a damaging Infliction that causes Significant disorientation.</strong>

    Finishing with thest 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 nketed the titles still on the shelves, there were a <em>lot</em> 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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    That wasnˇŻt the only thing he had noticed. ˇ°No rarity?ˇ± Kaius asked, tilting his head quizzically at his guide.

    The construct shook their head. ˇ°No, they are intrinsically linked to their parent skill. All are of that tier, though plenty of variation still exists within it.ˇ±

    ˇ°So my choice is genuinely just down to the generality of its use case then. I canˇŻt go too specialised for my first.ˇ± He mused, mostly to himself.

    ˇ°If that is what you wish.ˇ± His guide responded.

    Tapping his fingers on the desk, Kaius took the time to think for a moment. ˇ°<em>ChotnikˇŻs Sickness</em>, when it says others does it literally mean anyone other than me who is within the cloud?ˇ±

    His guide smiled. ˇ°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 <em>Embered Orb</em>, but I noticed you seem far less ufortable with that.ˇ±

    Kaius considered both spells. <em>ChotnikˇŻs</em> was right out. Considering he had a soul-bondedpanion, going with a spell that would indiscriminately affect Porkchop was monumentally stupid. After a bit more thinking, he decided to discard <em>Embered</em> 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 <em>Shard Swarm, Lance, </em>and <em>Storsh</em>. All three were <em>Incredibly</em> appealing.

    <em>Swarm</em> sounded helpful, as theck of need to aim would allow him to fire and forget, and if each shard held even half of the potency of his own <em>Arcane Shard</em> 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 aparatively low costpared to the other two.

    For <em>Lance</em> it was the fact that it <em>instantaneously </em>struck his target that had caught his eye, as well as its uracy. 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.

    <em>Storshˇ­</em> was just cool. Holding lightning in his hands and using that to scorch, electrocute, and immobilise his enemies? Who wouldnˇŻt want that. Plus, more than anything else it fit his dream of using spellcraft and des 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 stato fashion. After a moment of pondering, he stopped his drumming. HeˇŻd made his choice.

    ˇ°Do you need any help to decide?ˇ± His guide asked congenially.

    ˇ°No,ˇ± Kaius said with a shake of his head. ˇ°I know what I''m going to pick.ˇ±

    Scarred and venerable, his guide gave him a wide and proud smile that reached his gold flecked green eyes. ˇ°In that case, it has been a pleasure meeting you, Kaius. YouˇŻll wake up as soon as you have picked your spell. Until next time!ˇ± The construct straightened, turning away from the desk before they looked back over their shoulder. ˇ°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.ˇ±

    Kaius nodded. ˇ°Thank <em>you</em>, and I will.ˇ±

    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.

    <em>Storsh.</em>

 Chapter 126: Shared Tale & Status

    Chapter 126: Shared Tale & Status

    The first thing Kaius noticed was the thickyer 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 teau, leaning up on the same stone plinth that he had sat next to before selecting his ss.

    Porkchop lurched up beside him, whirling towards him to butt him with his head. <em>ˇ°Kaius! YouˇŻre back!</em>ˇ±

    ˇ°Hey buddy,ˇ± he said, ruffling the fur of PorkchopˇŻs head. ˇ°How long was I out?ˇ±

    Porkchop chuffed, leaning into his touch. <em>ˇ°An hour, maybe two. Not too long. Now what happened?! Tell me everything!ˇ±</em>

    Kaius grinned at his bond-brotherˇŻs enthusiasm. He understood, after so long of having the mysteries of ss selection hidden from him, he would be eager to learn more from someone who had just gone through the experience.

    ˇ°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.ˇ± 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. ˇ°I wasnˇŻt finished. Lucky for us, you donˇŻt count due to our soul-bond, for reasons I donˇŻt quite understand.ˇ±

    Porkchop visibly vibrated for a second, before he seemed to force himself to still and tilted his head. <em>ˇ°Well, if you can tell me then tell me!ˇ±</em>

    Kaius shook his head, a small smile on his face. ˇ°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 ss, but it was quite the experience. I was in the Sea, with a guide. It wasˇ­very ceremonial. Apparently it brings you to a ce you will feel at ease, and your guide is in the form of someone that you would trust and pay attention to.ˇ± he finished.<em>ˇ°Okayˇ­ thatˇŻs not quite what I was expecting. There were no trials, no challenges?ˇ±</em>

    ˇ°No,ˇ± Kaius shook his head. ˇ°The guide helped me narrow down my ss choices, and then led me to a ce where I could review them. Once I picked, several of my general skills evolved, and then I got to pick a ss skill from a choice of three. After that, due to my ss skill choice I got to pick a runic hymn. <em>That</em> 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.ˇ± Kaius exined.

    <em>ˇ°Anything else that you think might help?ˇ±</em> 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. ˇ°Not directly, I donˇŻt think. Just trust your guide, and listen to their advice. We did <em>really</em> well.ˇ± Something jumped to his mind. ˇ°Oh! We were right about the <em>Honours</em>, they get some sort of scaling upgrade when you have a ss. I havenˇŻt checked exactly what yet though.ˇ±

    Porkchop sat up. <em>ˇ°Really? ThatˇŻs fantastic! I was worried that they would only be a small boost. Enough of that though, did you get it? What you wanted?ˇ± </em>his bond brother asked.

    KaiusˇŻs cheeks ached with the force of his smile. ˇ°I did, and so much more.ˇ±

    <em>ˇ°Well, donˇŻt hold me in suspense!ˇ±</em>

    ˇ°Seventeen <em>Heroic </em>ss 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. <em>Warforged</em>, <em>Adamant Body</em>, <em>Runic Lexicon</em>, and <em>Mana Maniption </em>all evolved, going up a tier, and my first ss skill was a glyph that grants me two hymns every tier, of the same rarity of the skill - also <em>Heroic</em>.ˇ± Kaius rattled off his gains, inwardly <em>deeply</em> satisfied at the way Porkchop went stock still, his ears perking up as he stared at him in shock.

    Barely a momentter, Porkchop surged into motion, tackling him to the ground in an excited flurry of blurring swats and affectionate nuzzles. ˇ°A Heroic ss?! And three more skills? ThatˇŻs amazing Kaius!ˇ± ?ŁÁ??§°B¦Ą?

    Heughed, shoving his bond-brother off of him. ˇ°I know! I expect you will get much the same.ˇ± he said, sitting back to lean against the plinth once more.

    <em>ˇ°You have to tell me EVERYTHING, every description. Leave nothing out.ˇ± </em>Porkchop insisted.

    Kaius smiled, andunched into a description of his new changes.

    ˇ­.

    Kaius nced 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 <em>also</em> said that if something weird happens, he shouldnˇŻt be worried. Which was worrying in and of itself. Bloody idiot had refused to exin though, nor why he had insisted on removing his barding, prefering to keep it a ˇ®surpriseˇŻ.

    Despite having managed to remove the worst of the muck while Kaius was gone, most of PorkchopˇŻs fur was still stered 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 <em>Tonal Weaving</em> and his new method of inscribing his hymns.

    HeˇŻd 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 <em>real</em> body, he would continue to feel uncertain about the process.

    It was, afterall, ruinouslyplex. As soon as he had tried to form the hymn for the first time, he had immediately realised how much of a boon <em>Tonal Weaving</em> was going to be. His newest spellˇ­ 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 schsticplexity of developing them wholesale.

    If heˇŻd had to use his <em>JurryriggerˇŻs Inscription Stylus</em> he would have been fucked.

    wing at thest 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.

    <strong>Status:</strong>

    <strong>Name: Kaius </strong>

    <strong>Dynasty: Unterstern</strong>

    <strong>Age: 19 </strong>

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    <strong>Race: Human (Dynastic, Greater Beastblooded) - +1 Wil, Str, End, and free stats per level</strong>

    <strong>Layer Reached: 2</strong>

    <strong>ss: Runede Initiate - + 3 Int, + 2 End, + 2 Str, +2 Dex, +1 Vit, +1 Wil per level</strong>

    <strong>Level: 1</strong>

    <strong>Resources:</strong>

    <strong>Health - 930/930 (7.9/min)</strong>

    <strong>Stamina - 810/810 (8.0/min)</strong>

    <strong>Mana - 1060/1060 (10.5/min)</strong>

    <strong>Free Mana - 1006/1006</strong>

    <strong>Reserved Mana - 0</strong>

    <strong>Stats:</strong>

    <strong>Endurance - 33 + 44 + 22% (93)</strong>

    <strong>Vitality - 21 + 44 + 22% (79) </strong>

    <strong>Strength - 23 + 44 + 22% (81) </strong>

    <strong>Dexterity - 22 + 44 + 22% (80) </strong>

    <strong>Intelligence - 23 + 59 + 30% (106)</strong>

    <strong>Willpower: - 22 + 59 + 30% (105)</strong>

    <strong>Stat Points: 1</strong>

    <strong>Aspects:</strong>

    <strong>Pir Corporus: N/A</strong>

    <strong>Pir Mentis: N/A</strong>

    <strong>Pir Animus: N/A</strong>

    <strong>ss Skills (1/10):</strong>

    <strong>Latent Glyph of Drakthar (Heroic) - 1</strong>

    <strong><em>A/N: one off affinity/type shown for old skills in [brackets]</em></strong>

    <strong>General Skills (10/10):</strong>n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    <strong>Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 20 </strong><strong>[A: Life, Chaos. T: Resistance, Survival, Defence]</strong>

    <strong><em>Liturgical deform: Primus Ordo (Heroic)</em></strong><strong> - 20</strong>

    <strong>Explorers Toolkit (Unusual) - 18 > 20 </strong><strong>[A: Nature, Primal. T: Survival, Insight, Stealth, Body Enhancement]</strong>

    <strong><em>Tempered by Dissonance (Heroic)</em></strong><strong> - 19 > 20</strong>

    <strong>True Sight (Unique) - 17 > 20 [</strong><strong>A: Arcane, Revtion. T: Perception, Insight, Body Enhancement</strong><strong>]</strong>

    <strong><em>Tonal Weaving (Unique)</em></strong><strong> - 20</strong>

    <strong><em>Resonance Amplification (Unique) </em></strong><strong>- 20</strong>

    <strong>Lesser Regeneration (Unusual) - 14 > 20 [</strong><strong>A: Life, Blood. T: Healing, Body Enhancement</strong><strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Uncanny Dodge (Unique) - 1 > 20 [</strong><strong>A: Fate, Martial. T: Insight, Precognition, Body Enhancement, Evasion.</strong><strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 20 [</strong><strong>A: Soul, Primal. T: Bond, Body Enhancement</strong><strong>] </strong>

    <strong>Hymnbook:</strong>

    <strong>Glyph of Drakthar-</strong>

    <strong><em>Storsh (Tier I - 120 mana)</em></strong>

    <strong>Honours:</strong>

    <strong>Born for ughter</strong>

    <strong>Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding</strong>

    <strong>Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather</strong>

    <strong>Persistent Survivor (Minor)</strong>

    <strong>Kingyer (Major)</strong>

    <strong>Ruthless Underdog</strong>

    <strong>Bound Artefacts:</strong>

    <strong><em>A Fathers Gift - </em></strong><strong>Common Growth Longsword</strong>

    <strong><em>Growth Conditions</em></strong><strong>-</strong>

    <strong>Gain a ss (1/1)</strong>

    <strong>Acquire suitable materials (0/3)</strong>

    <strong>Forge a link (0/1)</strong>

    Kaius stared at his status in awe. If he had thought his growth explosive before he had gained his ss, it was down right absurd now. Between the scaling growth of his <em>Honours</em> and the absurd number of stats that he received for his <em>Heroic</em> ss, he was gaining over <em>fourteen </em>stats per level, though the system rounded down to the nearest whole number.

    That was over double what a <em>Common</em> ss would receive. Given time, he would be nigh unstoppable to those ofparable 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 <em>Honours</em> down to the nearest whole number. Something he didnˇŻt quite understand the vagaries of, but there were many things like that. Still, he was <em>strong</em>.

    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, <em>knew</em>, that something must have happened to Father. It had been a year, he would have found the entrance of the falls <em>months</em> ago, even if he had had to rest and recover after a fraught battle.

    If he had been captured, Kaius would being for him. With the strength of his new ss he should rise explosively through the early levels, gaining the power needed to safely track down the banditˇŻs 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 <em>Storsh</em>, 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 thesh would extend his reach, allowing him to create openings for both himself and PorkchopˇŞwhile building on the foundation created by <em>Liturgical deform</em> 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 <em>Drakthar</em> levelled.

    Thankfully, with the significant growth of his <em>Intelligence</em> 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 didnˇŻt get offered more glyphs that is, but he hoped that <em>Drakthar</em> would level quickly under heavy use.

    Reminded of his n, Kaius spent his free point on his intelligence. Later he nned to use them to shore up his <em>Vitality</em>, but for these early levels he nned 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 hisp. He closed his eyes, though this time he didnˇŻt delve deeply into his internal soul-space. Instead, he reached for one of his newly evolved skills, <em>Tonal Weaving</em>.

    Newly found instincts settled over him, the skill working in tandem with <em>True Sight</em> and <em>Resonance Amplification</em> 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 charactersˇŞeach utterly moreplex 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 <em>Drakthar</em> 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 <em>Resonance Amplification</em> 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 thest few characters, the runes <em>snapped</em> into ce, locking down a portion of his pool that he had been using to weave.

    <strong>**Ding! True Sight has reached level 21!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Tonal Weaving has reached level 21!**</strong>

    <strong>**Ding! Resonance Amplification has reached level 21!**</strong>

    Kaius gasped in relief, opening his eyes to stare down at his hands. New lines of ck 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 ck markings on his skin would be jarring, but as time had gone on he hade to appreciate how they drew the eye to their geometric perfection.

    Smiling in satisfaction, he dropped his hands back to hisp and closed his eyes once more. Kaius was hopeful that he could squeeze at least another level out of the skill, it was still <em>slower</em> 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

    Chapter 127: Destiny Redux pt.1

    Porkchop groaned, stretching as he felt the cold stone of the dwarven city disappear from beneath his paws, reced in an instant with the familiar grit of hard packed dirt. If not for KaiusˇŻs warning of what to expect, the sudden transition would have no doubt startled him. As it was, he took the moment to feel the simplefort of <em>earth</em> once more.

    He breathed in deep, smelling the deep scents of moss, moisture, andˇ­ <em>home</em>. Porkchop froze, nose twitching as he sampled the scents on the air. There was no mistaking it, this ce <em>reeked</em> of the dens.

    Flooded by safe familiarity, he opened his eyes, finding himself in a dense excavated burrow. Every wall was reinforced by skill manipted stone, patterned in dozens of different whorls and shapes. The mark of the crafters who had shaped this home. The ceiling towered over him,rge enough that the warren likework could easily support the size of some of hisrger brethren. Considering the growth spurt that came with awakening the bloodline was only the first, that wasrge 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 <em>liking</em> the dens. Even if the Matriarchs were stuffy, it was still a ce of warmth and happy memories in his mind.

    Porkchop spun in ce, 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. <em>Brooks-no-argument</em> had been his primary tutor, and they had shed often over his ˇ®reckless and impulsiveˇŻ pursuit of growth. Even knowing that the Matriarch was merely the system in the guise of his teacher''s flesh, he couldnˇŻt help his reaction.

    Porkchop lowered himself, baring his throat in the proper gesture of respect.

    <em>ˇ°Hello, child,ˇ±</em> the construct said as she looked down on him in amusement. <em>ˇ°There is no need for such honorifics. You already know who I am and why I am here.ˇ±</em>He stayed silent. A lifetime of discipline was a hard mountain to climb, pre-warned or not.

    <em>ˇ°You may speak freely in my presence, child.ˇ±</em> His ss guide said, sighing heavily at his obeisance.

    Porkchop dropped his chin, rising to his feet. <em>ˇ°Hello! It is nice to meet you. I would like to reduce my bloodline choices to </em><em>Heroics</em><em> that are focused on persistence in battle, please!ˇ±</em> he said hurriedly, the words blurring together as he tried to m his intent through beast-speak as fast as possible.

    Across from him, his guide chuckled, her chest rising and falling with mirth. <em>ˇ°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.ˇ±</em>

    Porkchop chuffed, pleased that he had done enough to earn a <em>Heroic</em>. 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 <em>Firsts</em> inparison to his own, <em>and</em> 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 <em>Unique</em> ss, Kaius would have never let him hear the end of it.

    <em>ˇ°Two is plenty! I am sure that either one will fit me nicely,ˇ±</em> 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, <em>hard</em>. Two options was more than enough.

    The Matriarch dipped her head at him. ˇ°Then it shall be so.ˇ± Rising to her feet, his ss guide walked off at a slowfortable pace, heading into the warren of tunnels that lead away from the burrow he had started in. ˇ°Come along.ˇ± ?§Ń????¦Ą??

    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 couldnˇŻt wait for Kaius to see how big he would get.

    ˇ­

    The Matriarch led him through another twisting tunnel, skillpacted earth shot through with carvings of strong prey, and idyllic vistas of the sights of the deep Sea. One in particr stood out to him, the sun rising over ake. 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 ces 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 wasfortable with.

    Of course, he needed <em>some</em> level of directbat ability, but he wanted much of his sses focus to be on bolstering his body and his defences. The physical might of his body, bolstered by general and ss 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 thest bloodline they had evaluated, the centre of the cavern was coated heavily in the scavenged moss of a sleeping pit.

    At its centrey 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 ck. It was almost simr 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 ckish green..

    He knew it to be a potential future, the figure a representation of who he might be when he finally awakened his blood.

    They approached, and Porkchop realised with a start that the melesˇŻ digging ws wereˇ­ crystalline. Deep green, just barely translucent, razor sharp, and wickedly curved - they made his own ws look like the soft digits of a two-legged inparison.

    <em>ˇ°And here is your other choice, child. Remember, we can always check options with a different focus, or </em><em>Unique</em><em> ones, if you find it an unsuitable fit,ˇ±</em> the Matriarch said,ing to a slow stop a few dozen strides from the sleeping figure.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    <em>ˇ°Thank you, Matriarch, but I can only wish that this is the one.ˇ± </em>Porkchop replied, before approaching.

    Waves of potent aggression and stalwart surety rolled off of the beast, washing over him. The air <em>reeked</em> 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.

    <strong>Warden of Sacred Jade:</strong>

    <strong>Bloodline - Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Heroic</strong>

    <strong>Relevant Feats:</strong>

    <strong>Has in at least 4000 foes of at least level 15 while unssed. Has in at least three Champions in singlebat while unssed. Has in at least nine Champions while cooperating with an ally while unssed. Has in a Guardian while unssed. Has survived multiple highly lethal wounds. Has aplete set of Legacy skills. Has capped all base stats at 20. Has obtained at least 4 </strong><strong><em>Honours</em></strong><strong>. Has obtained at least 1 Major </strong><strong><em>Honour</em></strong><strong> as an Unssed. Has a defensive mastery skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unique </em></strong><strong>Rarity. Has a body reinforcement skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Unusual </em></strong><strong>rarity. Has a natural weapon enhancement skill of at least </strong><strong><em>Heroic</em></strong><strong> rarity. Has </strong><strong><em>Crystal Maniption</em></strong><strong>. Has repeatedly stood in harm''s way to upy enemy attention. Has withstood significant assault in the defence of another on multiple asions. Is a greater beast. </strong>

    <strong>When subject to the heat of battle, and the pressure of responsibility, most crack. Those blessed by sacred jade do not, instead weathering tribtion to emerge reborn. Imcable and unstoppable, they are garbed in finest green, purity tainted only by the remnant folly of those who would stand in their path.</strong>

    <strong>The Warden of Sacred Jade is an ancient and venerable bloodline. Arising throughout history in those greater beasts who favour imcable fortitude above all else, its wielders are stalwart and persistentbatants as at home under siege as they are at rest. Possessing bodies of primal might and resilience, they call on their element with regrity to disrupt physical and magical assault both. Ousting all, they always have thest blow.</strong>

    <strong>All </strong><strong><em>Crystal </em></strong><strong>and </strong><strong><em>Primal </em></strong><strong>affinity skills are improved by 30%</strong>

    <strong>All </strong><strong><em>Defensive, Body Enhancement</em></strong><strong>, </strong><strong><em>Body Reinforcement</em></strong><strong> and </strong><strong><em>Natural Attack</em></strong><strong> type skills are improved by 60%</strong>

    <strong>Stats:</strong>

    <strong> +4 Endurance, +3 Vitality, +2 Strength, + 1 Dexterity, +1 free stats per level</strong>

    <strong>Skill Resonance:</strong>

    <strong>Inexorable Vanguard - Strong</strong>

    <strong>Primal Vitality - Moderate</strong>

    <strong>Iron Bodied - Strong</strong>

    <strong>Fortress of Pugilism - Strong</strong>

    <strong>Crystal Maniption - Strong</strong>

    Porkchop drank in the description of the bloodline, fur gradually rising as a prickly wave of awe and exhration rolled down his spine.

    This was it, what he had hoped for. This is who he would be.

    ˇ­

    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 <em>burned</em> to pull them open immediately, but he knew that it would be rude. Even if his guide <em>was</em> 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 upfortably to her chest height, disoriented by the sudden change in his stature.

    <em>ˇ°Congrattions, young one. You are no longer a child.ˇ±</em> She said warmly, her eyes softening.

    Porkchop chuffed, shaking himself to work off some of his energy. HeˇŻd finally done it! Awakened the ancestral blood, and became <em>truly</em> independent in the eyes of the Dens. If he was back home, heˇŻd be able to join hunts now. Not that that held much interest to him, exploring and more fraught battles was far more fun.

    <em>ˇ°Check your skills, young one. You look ready to burst.ˇ±</em><em>Brooks-no-argument</em> told him, characteristically firm in her direction.

    Porkchop bobbed his head gratefully. HeˇŻd gotten four! Two of which became Heroic! He couldnˇŻt wait to tell Kaius, it was as much as his brother had gotten. Attention drifting inwards, he pulled up the skills.

    <strong>Shattering Storm:</strong>

    <strong>General Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Martial, Crystal</strong>

    <strong>Type: Body Enhancement, Body Reinforcement</strong>

    <strong>Level 20</strong>

    <strong>Heroic</strong>

    <strong>You see that sh 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.</strong>

    <strong>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.</strong>

    <strong>Each level significantly increases inertia when acted upon by an external force.</strong>

    <strong>Each level moderately increases power infused into attacks.</strong>

    <strong>Each level moderately increases armour pration of attacks.</strong>

    <strong>Each level slightly increases the difficulty of restraining the user''s movement.</strong>

    <strong>Evolved from: Inexorable Vanguard</strong>

    <strong>ˇ­</strong>

    <strong>Jade Bones, Earthen Blood:</strong>

    <strong>General Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Life, Crystal</strong>

    <strong>Type: Body Reinforcement, Defensive</strong>

    <strong>Level 20</strong>

    <strong>Unique</strong>

    <strong>Sacred purity rises invite, untouchable by corruption. Dense and unshakeable, when all else is dust, Jade remains.</strong>

    <strong>This skill reforges the user''s body, hardening it like sacred jade and making them capable of bearing the weight of the world.</strong>

    <strong>Each level reasonably increases the userˇŻs capability of persisting through significant injury</strong>

    <strong>Each level reasonably increases the userˇŻs bodily integrity, making them harder to injure.</strong>

    <strong>Each level moderately increases ability to withstand increased weight and pressure.</strong>

    <strong>Each level minutely reduces the time required to remove an affliction</strong>

    <strong>Evolved from: Iron Bodied</strong>

    <strong>ˇ­</strong>

    <strong>Landslide of Fang and Talon:</strong>

    <strong>General Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Martial, Primal</strong>

    <strong>Type: Natural Weapon Enhancement, Mastery, Meta Enhancement</strong>

    <strong>Level 20</strong>

    <strong>Heroic</strong>

    <strong>Rock falls, everyone dies.</strong>

    <strong>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.</strong>

    <strong>Each level significantly increases mastery of natural weapons and heavy armour.</strong>

    <strong>Each level moderately increases the effect of natural weapon enhancements.</strong>

    <strong>Each level moderately increases the force transfer of natural weapons.</strong>

    <strong>Evolved from: Fortress of Pugilism</strong>

    <strong>ˇ­</strong>

    <strong>Sacred Empowerment:</strong>

    <strong>General Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Crystal (Sacred Jade)</strong>

    <strong>Type: Meta Enhancement, Maniption</strong>

    <strong>Level 20</strong>

    <strong>Unique</strong>

    <strong>Above all else, Sacred Jade bolsters all that it touches, purifying them and bringing them into closer alignment.</strong>

    <strong>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.</strong>

    <strong>Each level significantly increases the resistance of Sacred Jade manifestations to physical and magical effects.</strong>

    <strong>Each level slightly increases control over Crystal mana.</strong>

    <strong>Evolved from: Crystal Maniption</strong>

    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 <em>armour</em> only heightened his interest in what came next. HeˇŻd definitely made the right pick for his bloodline.

    <em>ˇ°I am ddened to see you are satisfied with what you have received. Come along, young one, it is time for your final choice.ˇ±</em> the Matriarch said, intruding on his thoughts as she turned around and led the way out of the burrow.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Porkchop followed along dutifully, giddy at the thought of what ss skills he might be offered.

 Chapter 128: Destiny Redux Finale

    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 thaty 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 particrly 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 <em>his</em> 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 ce 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.

    <em>ˇ°Your skills, young one. Approach and they will be revealed to you. Choose carefully, because once decided there will be no reconsiderations.ˇ± </em>his guide said firmly, prodding him forwards.

    Porkchop approached the pools one by one, each revealing a potential option for his first ss skill.

    <strong>Cdon Aegis:</strong><strong>ss Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Crystal, Martial</strong>

    <strong>Type: Defence (Armour), Summoning, Equipment</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>Heroic</strong>

    <strong>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.</strong>

    <strong>This skill summons barding on the user, made of heavy tes 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 tes regenerate when additional mana is channelled into the skill, or when the skill is refreshed.</strong>

    <strong>Every level reasonably increases armour te durability and density.</strong>

    <strong>Every level reasonably reduces armour weight</strong>

    <strong>Every level slightly reduces the cost to regenerate broken armour.</strong>

    <strong>Every 50 levels increases the bardingˇŻs coverage.</strong>

    <strong>ˇ­</strong>

    <strong>Crystal Fang Barrage:</strong>

    <strong>ss Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Crystal, Earth</strong>

    <strong>Type: Ranged, Offence (Magic)</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>Unusual</strong>

    <strong>From within the earth, ancient fangs rise to strike down all who oppose. Few withstand the bite of jade.</strong>

    <strong>This skill summons a pair of crystal fangs that hover over the user,unching towards an enemy within 30 strides. Requires 100 mana.</strong>

    <strong>Every level reasonably increases the size, velocity and sharpness of the fangs.</strong>

    <strong>Every level moderately increases the armour prating capabilities of the fangs.</strong>

    <strong>Every 10 levels increases the number of fangs by 1.</strong>

    <strong>ˇ­</strong>

    <strong>Verdant Reprisal:</strong>

    <strong>ss Skill- Tier I</strong>

    <strong>Affinity: Crystal, Arcane</strong>

    <strong>Type: Area of Effect, Reactive, Defence(Aura)</strong>

    <strong>Selection Avable!</strong>

    <strong>Heroic</strong>

    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. ???ŁÎ?¦˘¨§?

    <strong>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.</strong>

    <strong>Every level reasonably increases maximum possible stored energy.</strong>

    <strong>Every level minutely increases the conversion rate of energy.</strong>

    <strong>Every level minutely increases the range of the shockwave.</strong>

    <strong>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</strong>

    Porkchop immediately discarded <em>Crystal Fang Barrage</em>. The entire reason he had picked the ss 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 <em>Heroic</em>.

    His other two options were far harder to pick between. The <em>Aura</em> 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 stiffpetition. <em>Armour</em>, that was something he hade 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 ofmon depths-born.

    It was only against Champions, and the Guardian, that its defence provedcklustre. Yet, garbed in heavy tes 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-te look thin and fragile, its weight bolstering his own as he charged into battle, crushing all before him as spell and de were both turned aside. Drawing all attention to himself as his brother tore into their nk, their enemies unable to stand up to theirbined might.

    <em>Verdant Reprisal </em>was <em>fantastic</em>, and he sincerely wished he would see it again. It would pair beautifully with <em>Cdon Aegis</em>, but thetter 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.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the vition.

    <em>ˇ°You have made your choice.ˇ±</em> his guide observed, looking at him evenly.

    <em>ˇ°I have.ˇ±</em> Porkchop said, bowing his head. <em>ˇ°Thank you for your guidance, Matriarch.ˇ±</em>

    <em>ˇ°It is my duty.ˇ± </em>she replied, lowering her hair by the barest hairsbreadth. <em>ˇ°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 isplete, then you will return to thend of the waking.ˇ±</em>

    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 <em>Cdon Aegis</em>, 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 imprable 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, perpendicr 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 wasnˇŻt like there was anything else to do.

    Without even thinking about it, he added his spare point to <em>Endurance</em>. He wanted as much health as he could get, so he would mostly split them between that and<em> Vitality</em>, although he did n on using them asionally to bolster his other weaker stats.

    <strong>Status:</strong>

    <strong>Name: Porkchop (He-who-does-not-listen-andcks-wisdom)</strong>N?v(el)B\\jnn

    <strong>Dynasty: Den of Moonless Nights</strong>

    <strong>Age: 19 </strong>

    <strong>Race: Greater Meles (Dynastic, Enlightened Mind) - +1 Dex, Int, Wil, and free stats per level</strong>

    <strong>Layer Reached: 2</strong>

    <strong>Bloodline: Warden of Sacred Jade - +4 End, +3 Vit, +2 Str, +1 Dex, +1 free stats per level</strong>

    <strong>Level: 1</strong>

    <strong>Resources:</strong>

    <strong>Health - 1680/1680 (15.8/min)</strong>

    <strong>Stamina - 1560/1560 (15.6/min)</strong>

    <strong>Mana - 1540/1540 (15.4/min)</strong>

    <strong>Stats:</strong>

    <strong>Endurance - 27 + 43 + 21% (84)</strong>

    <strong>Vitality - 23 + 43 + 21% (79) </strong>

    <strong>Strength - 22 + 43 + 21% (78) </strong>

    <strong>Dexterity - 22 + 43 + 21% (78) </strong>

    <strong>Intelligence - 21 + 43 + 21% (77)</strong>

    <strong>Willpower: - 21 + 43 + 21% (77)</strong>

    <strong>Stat Points: 0</strong>

    <strong>Aspects:</strong>

    <strong>Pir Corporus: N/A</strong>

    <strong>Pir Mentis: N/A</strong>

    <strong>Pir Animus: N/A</strong>

    <strong>ss Skills (1/10):</strong>

    <strong>Cdon Aegis (Heroic) - 1</strong>

    <strong>General Skills (10/10):</strong>

    <strong>Savage Arsenal (Heroic) - 20</strong>

    <strong><em>Shattering Storm (Heroic)</em></strong><strong> - 20</strong>

    <strong>Primal Vitality (Unique) - 20</strong>

    <strong><em>Jade Bones, Earthen Blood (Unique)</em></strong><strong> - 20</strong>

    <strong><em>Landslide of Fang and Talon (Heroic)</em></strong><strong>- 20</strong>

    <strong>Spell Resistance (Unusual)- 20</strong>

    <strong><em>Sacred Empowerment </em></strong><strong>(Unique)- 20</strong>

    <strong>Primal Senses (Unusual) - 20</strong>

    <strong>Natural Celerity (Unusual) - 20</strong>

    <strong>Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 20</strong>

    <strong>(A/N- adding a (Bonus) tag to appropriate Honours)</strong>

    <strong>Honours:</strong>

    <strong>Born for ughter </strong>

    <strong>Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather (Bonus)</strong>

    <strong>Persistent Survivor (Minor) (Bonus)</strong>

    <strong>Kingyer (Major) (Bonus)</strong>

    <strong>Ruthless Underdog (Bonus)</strong>

    ˇ­

    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 gstones, in the grip of choosing his first bloodline.

    At first heˇŻd 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 heˇŻd retrieved his pack from where he had stashed it on the stairs. Thankfully they had nned for this somewhat, and all of their water skins were full to the bursting.

    HeˇŻd stripped down to his underclothes, with the self cleaning enchantments on his <em>HunterˇŻs Garb </em>it would have been a waste of water to clean it himself. His armour, especially the fine and intricate scales of his <em>Serelian</em> 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 <em>some</em> water for Porkchop. TheyˇŻd always nned 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 teau. The portal. Their exit back to the Sea.

    KaiusˇŻs eyes drank in their significance. It feltˇ­surreal, to be so close and simply <em>wait</em>. 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 ss selection, it would have been idiocy to enter an unknown region of the Sea without ess to their ss and bloodline.

    Still, it felt odd. To wait. To simply watch the circle, knowing that the efforts of thest 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 <em>him</em>. 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. Yetˇ­ he struggled toe to terms with the second phase of the integration, with the challengesid at his feet by Ekum the Pale.

    Everything else he had aplished 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 <em>millions.</em>

    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 cmity 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 woulde 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 viges, 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 <em>fucking</em> good fight.

    He knew deep down thatnguishing 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 <em>vitality</em> 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 dynastyˇŻs name when all suggested he should have, discovering the fate of his father, and pursuing the goalsid on him by a god-in-the-flesh. All of those needed one thing, <em>power</em>.

    HeˇŻd learnt one thing from thest year. He responded well to the threat of death. At least the end of the world meant that he wouldnˇŻt 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 <em>crack</em> emanated from the prone form of his bond-brother.

    KaiusˇŻs head whipped over in shock.

    Porkchop began to <em>writhe,</em> his flesh boiling and shifting as bones splintered.

    Then, he started to grow.

 Chapter 129: Packing for a Trip

    Chapter 129: Packing for a Trip

    Kaius <em>lurched</em> towards his brother,ying his hands on the dense and gore drenched fur that coated the melesˇŻ thick muscle-bound form. He felt his brother''s physique straining, fibres snapping as they pulled away from bones that shattered of their own vition.

    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 <em>FleshwarperˇŻs Laboratory</em> than a natural process.

    PorkchopˇŻs head snapped back as his thick neck contracted uncontrobly, featureˇŻs warping as the bone and cartge 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 ce.

    Before KaiusˇŻs very eyes, his coat began to shift. It stayed the same tinted ck, but the red morphed, shifting to a green so deep it was almost the colour of scorched te, 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.

    ˇ°Porkchop, you fucking asshole. You couldˇŻve mentioned that awakening your bloodline came with a side dose of body horror.ˇ± 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 heˇŻd 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 PorkchopˇŻs ws 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 ce. They wereˇ­stone-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 PorkchopˇŻs life was not at risk, there was a certain morbid fascination in watching his bond-brotherˇŻs body dismantle and then rebuild itself, and by holy <em>fuck</em> was he getting big.HeˇŻd already been a living weapon before, roughly bear sized and tall enough toe up to the bottom of KaiusˇŻs chest. It looked like he would be taller than him at the <em>shoulder</em> now, at the very least. Though, it was hard to tell with how oddly proportioned he was, what being mid-evolution and all.

    That wasnˇŻt all, if his brother had been built like a strongman raised on a diet of whole cattle before, now it looked as though his <em>muscles</em> had muscles.

    That wasˇ­moderately 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.

    ˇ­

    Kaius watched Porkchop stretch, his face still a little pale from watching his brotherˇŻs 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 brotherˇŻs new height.

    ˇ°Fuck me, youˇŻre <em>huge</em>.ˇ± he said, mouth agape as he looked <em>up</em> at PorkchopˇŻs green shrouded face.

    PorkchopˇŻs ears twitched, and his head snapped towards him. He <em>moved</em>, bounding over to Kaius and smothering him in a wall of blood streaked fur.

    Kaiusughed, wrapping his arms around his brother and heaving in an attempt to leverage his newly enhanced <em>Strength</em> to muscle Porkchop to the ground. He was about as sessful 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.

    <em>ˇ°Kaius! I did it too! Got a </em><em>Heroic</em><em>!ˇ±</em> Porkchop said, exhration and pride streaming across their bond.

    ˇ°Really! ThatˇŻs great! What did you get?ˇ± Kaius asked excitedly, slipping under and away from PorkchopˇŻs descending paws. ˇ°And be careful of those ws, they look <em>sharp</em>.ˇ± he chastised, staring at the spots where they had dug into the solid stone floor.

    <em>ˇ°Whoops, sorry.ˇ±</em> Porkchop replied bashfully, settling down onto his haunches.

    It still left the meles clearing his height easily, which feltˇ­ odd. Porkchop had never exactly been <em>small</em>, even at his old height he was taller on his hind legs, but being trounced when his brother was <em>sitting</em> was something else entirely.

    Not that it made him ufortable. With how often Porkchop ended up getting walloped due to his ratherˇ­<em>direct</em> 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.

    ˇ°No worrying! The ancestral blood didnˇŻt 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.ˇ± Porkchop exined. ??????§§??

    ˇ°Oh?ˇ± Kaius said, reaching up to scratch Porkchop behind his ear. His brother reacted as he always had, leaning into his touch. It ddened him, physical change or no, he was still the same old Porkchop. ˇ°Going for the path of the bastion, then?ˇ±

    It <em>did</em> make sense. PorkchopˇŻs legacy skills were well bent towards drawing attention and persisting through the fire of battle. Yet he would have had to get something <em>good</em>. While all bastions relied on appropriate skills and tough bodies, without fail they lended themselves towards heavy armour and imprable defences. Things that would <em>prevent</em> wounds. Even if all you took was light cuts, standing as the anchor of a battle would mean that eventually enough of them would umte to do you in.

    ˇ°If youˇŻre doing that weˇŻre going to have to invest in some heavier barding. Full te at least, if not heavy-te. IˇŻm sure weˇŻll find <em>someone</em> in Deadacre who could do it, but weˇŻll probably need tomission it, and it won''t be cheap. Thank the gods weˇŻve got a few artefacts we can part with, I think we should be able to cover it with the blink daggers.ˇ± Kaius said, already nning how he could support Porkchop to the best of his ability. They were a team, and with how little equipment Porkchop <em>generally</em> needed he would have to be aplete miser not to ssh out on something good for something so central.

    ˇ°<em>Self Repair</em> and <em>Durability</em> 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.ˇ± he muttered, scratching at his chin.

    <em>ˇ°No, we donˇŻt! I got a good pick for my first bloodline skill, see?ˇ± </em>Porkchop interrupted him, before he backed up a few paces.

    Kaius cocked his head in interest. ˇ°Oh?ˇ±

    Uwfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    <em>ˇ°Watch!ˇ±</em> Porkchop said with a grin.

    Mana red within his brotherˇŻs chest, building to a crescendo over a handful of seconds as Porkchop focused with intensity. Whatever skill he had gained, it was taking a <em>lot</em> of mana for a skill in the first tier.

    The umted 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.

    KaiusˇŻs jaw dropped.

    Wherever the mana touched, thick bs of heavy jade were left in their ce. Bound to each other by oddly delicate chains of the same material, they formed an impressive suit of barding. <em>Heavy-te</em> barding, though it looked oddly iplete.

    Almost rough cut, the angled tes of jade conformed to PorkchopˇŻs body. A gorget and chestte covered his front and neck, while more ovepping tes 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.

    ˇ°Iˇ­What?ˇ± Kaius said, shocked. When Porkchop had said that bloodlines were simr to sses, he had expected the skills to be a little more aligned to primal and beastly vours. Something that summoned <em>armour</em> was nowhere near the top of his list of what he had been expecting. ˇ°Is thisˇ­normal?ˇ±

    Porkchop snorted. <em>ˇ°What, for a beast to get skills that let them use and create two-legged things like te? No, absolutely not. As far as I can tell, our bond might be having some influence on our options.ˇ±</em>

    <em>ˇ°But that is besides the point! Look at this! Much better than leather and piddly metal</em>.ˇ± Porkchop said excitedly, craning his neck to take in his new skill produced defences. <em>ˇ°ItˇŻs called </em><em>Cdon Aegis</em>.ˇ±

    Kaius grinned, with this he felt <em>much</em> better about leaving Porkchop to push the assault while he mopped up. It was a nigh on perfectbo. One agile, one stout, and both capable of dishing out significant offensive power, they would be <em>terrors</em>.

    Though he <em>did</em> wish that the armour covered a bit more. The jade tes had plenty of gaps, and left PorkchopˇŻs limbs and nk rtively undefended, like a beastly version of a breastte and helm.

    ˇ°WhatˇŻs its scaling like? Anything other than basic improvements?ˇ± He asked.

    <em>ˇ°Breakpoints, like your glyph. Though a little better at every fifty levels. Improves the armour''s coverage.ˇ± </em>Porkchop said, dismissing the skill. The armour tes dissolved like smoke, dissipating into glowing mana that dispersed into the surrounding air. <em>ˇ°What about you, have you had a chance to test Storsh yet?ˇ±</em>

    Kaius smiled. ˇ°No, I thought I would wait until you got back. Practically the hardest thing I''ve done.ˇ±

    <em>ˇ°Well, what are you waiting for! LetˇŻs see!ˇ±</em> Porkchop replied, his ears twitching in excitement as heunched 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 <em>Drakthar</em> 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, <em>surging</em> 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.

    <em>Storsh</em> activated, a peal of thunder <em>booming</em> as a thick rope of crackling sma appeared in his hand. He could feel its electrifying might charging the surrounding air, the hairs on the back of his arm rising.

    Itshed like a living thing. Potent, aggressive, <em>vindictive.</em>

    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 sh of light. Itshed around the statue''s throat, before two more cracks echoed out in quick session and the spell jumped to two more in a chain.

    Electric blue lightning mana surged as stone hissed and scorched, <em>Storsh</em> writhing as arcing beams of purplenced off the bolt to strike at the statues. Reverberations shook the statue, cracking stone in a shower of dust. <em>Resonance Amplification </em>at work, no doubt.

    Then it was over, the lightning disappearing with as much suddenness as it had been formed. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Kaus gaped at the result of his spell, staring at cracked and scorched stone, at the molten details on the statues neck where <em>Storsh</em> had produced enough virulent heat to soften <em>stone</em>. The reverberation had been potent too, finger length cracks running down the chest of the statue. Hells, even the <em>light</em>. He was sure that without <em>Truesight</em> 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 <em>Endurance</em>.

    But the sheer <em>power</em>. For a moment there, before he had cast, he could <em>feel</em> it. The constrained might of a storm, held in the palm of his hand. That wasˇ­ too much. Far more than what should have been possible from a simple tier one spell. If this was the power of a <em>Heroic</em> ss 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.

    <em>ˇ°Kaius! That was fucking awesome!ˇ±</em> He said, nuzzling him affectionately and managing to smear him with cold blood once more.

    He couldnˇŻt help butugh, though he did shove Porkchop off so that he could get to his feet, ˇ°I just held a fucking lightning bolt, what the fuck!ˇ±

    Kaius wiped off the worst of the gore, before frowning at the smudge of green on his hand. ˇ°That said, we need to get cleaned up. No way in hell am I going back into the Sea soˇ­sticky. That, and see if your fat ass will still fit into your barding.ˇ±

    <em>ˇ°Hey!ˇ±</em> Porkchop replied, indignant.

    Kaius simplyughed and went to collect their things.

    ˇ°Come on! Fast jobˇŻs a good one.ˇ±

    ˇ­

    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 <em>Aegis</em>. 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 nned on getting <em>everything</em>.

    That said, they did decide it would be for the best to sell off the light barding at the soonest opportunity. They could rece it with something more designed for utility. Some simple padded leather to cover the gaps in PorkchopˇŻs <em>Aegis</em>, and saddlebags for their gear.

    After storming the kitchen with the rabid fury of a full troop of piging 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 <em>least</em>. Though, probably not much longer if PorkchopˇŻs 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 teaus centre. They shone with crackling potency, pulsing as they grew closer.

    Kaius stared at them with open fascination, still struggling to <em>truly</em> 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 PorkchopˇŻs chest, where his head would have once been. He tilted his head up, finding his brother already watching him with green-flecked-gold eyes.

    ˇ°Together?ˇ± He asked, raising his hand to ce it on PorkchopˇŻs shoulder.

    <em>ˇ°Together, no matter what.ˇ±</em>

    They stepped forwards, crossing the threshold, ready to take on the world as men grown.

    <strong>**Ding! Portal Entered!**</strong>

    <strong>**Descend?**</strong><strong>**Exit?**</strong>

    <strong>**Personalised Guardian Loot will be provided on selection of either option.**</strong>

 End of Book 1. Chapter 130: The Prodigal Son Returns

    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 <em>shifted</em>, blurring for a few mind-bending fractions of a second as he was torn along an impossible axis. <em>Something</em> moved within those depths, somethingrge 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.

    <em>ˇ°Dirt! Normal dirt, with dead leaves and insects!ˇ±</em> Porkchop moaned, digging his crystalline ws 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 <em>long</em> since he had felt the sun. To be graced with a summerˇŻs noon upon their exit was fortuitous indeed.

    He closed his eyes for a moment, and just <em>felt</em> 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 <em>pure</em>. 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 <em>blinding</em> now that he had returned from his trial. Spinning in ce, he looked back to the portal that they had passed through. It was a pir 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 wasnˇŻt all, at the base of the stoney two pristine artefacts, nestled on top of the pile of leaves that had umted against the portal due to the wind. One was a softly gleaming crystal. ck 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, rectangr, 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 didnˇŻt seem to have any kind of opening ortch.

    KaiusˇŻs heart quickened. He tapped into <em>True Sight</em>.

    <strong>Spent Forgeheart:</strong>

    <strong>Unique - Tier I</strong>

    <strong>The drained heart of a warengine, even valued treasure is sometimes discarded.</strong>

    <strong>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.</strong>

    <strong>Material (Life, Crystal).</strong>

    <strong>ˇ­</strong>

    <strong>MerchantˇŻs Reinforced Dimensional Saddlebag:</strong>

    <strong>Unique - Tier I</strong>

    <strong>WhatˇŻs this for? Fragile high-value goods and smuggling, mostly. Sometimes both. </strong>

    <strong>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 ess to a small dimensional bubble, approximately the size of arge chest, that may be used to store non-living and non-spatially-enchanted objects.</strong>

    <strong>Depths-wrought Artefact.</strong>

    <strong>Auxiliary Equipment (Dimensional Bag)</strong>

    <strong>Durability II, Dimensional Container I, Self Repair I</strong>

    Kaius was already moving.

    ˇ°Oh holy fuck, Porkchop!ˇ± 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. ???????¨¨?

    <em>ˇ°What is it?ˇ±</em> Porkchop asked, concerned as he ran over to his side.

    ˇ°We got one! We actually got one!ˇ± Kaius stumbled over his words, a wide sweeping grin on his face.

    <em>ˇ°Got what?ˇ± </em>Porkchop said, shoving his head past his shoulder to peer at the <em>MerchantˇŻs Saddlebag</em>.

    ˇ°A spatial artefact! It''s small, but we should be able to fit everything in here! See?ˇ± 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 <em>feel</em> 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. <em>ˇ°Holy shit!ˇ±</em>

    ˇ°I know! Do you have any idea how expensive these are? WeˇŻre gonna have to hide it in one of your saddlebags!ˇ± Kaius spun, shaking Porkchop by his jowls.

    His brother shook him off. <em>ˇ°Quick! Put the rest of our stuff in it, I wanna see if it all fits!ˇ±</em>

    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 PorkchopˇŻs barding from within. It looked suspicious as hell, but it would do until they made it to one of the viges and they couldmission a leather cover, and a proper set of under-armour for Porkchop.

    Kaius stepped back, pleased with his handiwork.

    <em>ˇ°What of the other thing? That crystal?ˇ±</em> Porkchop asked, looking past him to where the <em>Forgeheart</em>y forgotten on a pile of leaves.

    At his brotherˇŻs prompting, Kaius felt his joy surge once more. ˇ°ItˇŻs one of the materials I need for my sword,ˇ± he said happily. ˇ°Though I''m not sure what to do with it.ˇ±

    He walked over, picking up the ssy stone. It was warm to the touch, like a stone that had been left to bake in the sun. He drew his de 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 formationy hidden underneath its wrap. Still nothing. Kaius frowned.

    ˇ°We might need to stash it forter. Maybe I need a smith, or to ˇ®forge a linkˇŻ, whatever that means. Hopefully it''s thetter, I donˇŻt exactly want to go around telling everyone what I have.ˇ±

    Porkchop nuzzled him. <em>ˇ°WeˇŻll figure it out. Either way, we got some good rewards. Why donˇŻt you pack it into the </em><em>MerchantˇŻs Saddlebag</em><em> to keep it safe?ˇ± </em>

    Nodding at his friend''s suggestion, Kaius stowed it away. At the end of the day, even securing it in the first ce 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 ws into the earth below.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    Kaius smiled, before he turned back to the portal. Before he had been distracted by their rewards, heˇŻd been meaning to check something he had heard about.

    He focused his <em>True Sight</em> on the system''s formation.

    <strong>Great Depths Portal: Locked - 3 days</strong><strong>Layer: 2</strong><strong>Biome: The Great Warren (explored)</strong>

    Kaius nodded in satisfaction, he had heard that most analysis type skills would give some insight into the ess ways to the Depths that dotted thend, 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 <em>actually</em> 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 <em>know</em> that you had achieved your goal, another to be presented with the reality of sess. 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 hadnˇŻt tried to kill him in far too long.

    <em>ˇ°Kaius. You should analyse the bird.ˇ±</em> Porkchop said cautiously.

    ˇ°Huh? Why?ˇ± He asked, still watching the creature as it flitted to a branch and settled down to face him.

    <em>ˇ°WeˇŻre not in danger, but remember what the system said about phase two? With integrating animals?ˇ±</em> Porkchop reminded him.

    His eyes widened, and he immediately directed his skill towards the sparrow.

    <strong>Common Sparrow - Level 1:</strong>

    <strong>Beast</strong>

    Kaius hissed, sucking in air through his teeth.

    <em>ˇ°I take it''s a beast then?ˇ±</em> Porkchop asked, having shifted to watch the bird with curiosity.

    ˇ°Yeah, it is. This is going to changeˇ­ a lot. I hope the viges will be ready.ˇ± Kaius replied, a knot of worry forming in his stomach.

    Porkchop rumbled. <em>ˇ°Things will be 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.ˇ± </em>he said with confidence.

    Kaius looked at his brother sceptically. ˇ°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.ˇ±

    <em>ˇ°ItˇŻs because of the mana. Here, only the species and individuals who possess that bent will have a far greater chance of ruing the feats needed for the system to take notice. Over the mountains, where the mana is greater, it is far easier for amon animal to be 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.ˇ± </em>Porkchop exined, trying to subdue his worry.

    ˇ°ThatˇŻs only going to take a year.ˇ± Kaius said, his mouth tightening into a line.

    With the mention of the system''s uing 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 upied 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.

    <strong>**Ding! True Sight has reached level 22!**</strong>

    He could physically see it, the slow inexorable change being wrought by the changing of phase. It was minute, but he could <em>see</em> more and more mana welling up fromˇ­somewhere. 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 ughterhouse for the unwary. Especially if they grew in strength with the rising mana.

    Trade would slow or stop, and people would be isted and cut off from each other, unless they fought back <em>hard</em>. 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 <em>Guardian</em>. Just a nebulous goal. Get strong, and all woulde 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.

    <em>ˇ°Kaius, youˇŻre spiralling.ˇ±</em> Porkchop butted in, picking himself up off the ground to approach him.

    He craned his neck up, by the gods he still wasnˇŻt used to how big Porkchop had gotten. ˇ°I know, but what are we to do?ˇ± he asked.

    <em>ˇ°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.ˇ±</em> 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. ˇ°Okay, short term goals. We need to find out where we are. Travel through the Depths is supposed to get <em>weird</em>pared 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.ˇ±

    <em>ˇ°You still think thatˇŻs our best shot? If they live next to the Sea they are likely to recognise what I am.</em>ˇ± Porkchop asked cautiously.

    Kaius nodded. ˇ°I know them, and they consider me one of their own. They wouldnˇŻt sell us out, sticking together is how you survive on the frontier. Powerful beasts might be <em>umon</em>, but they are notpletely absent, and a boggart swarm could be the end of anyone without backup. Besides, itˇŻs our best shot at finding some information about the bandits that pursued us, and what happened to Father.ˇ±

    <em>ˇ°You think they would know? What if the bandits simply fled after they were unable to acquire what they sought</em>.ˇ±N?v(el)B\\jnn

    ˇ°That might be so, but if Father had been injured, he would have headed for the vige to recover, and if those bandits had stuck around, they would have made a name for themselves.ˇ± Kaius replied. ˇ°Besides, the people thereˇ­some 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 theing chaos.

    <em>ˇ°Then Three Fields it is. I think I have an idea of how we could help, but IˇŻll save it for the journey.ˇ±</em> Porkchop agreed, bumping him on the top of his head. <em>ˇ°How long will it take us to get there?ˇ±</em>

    ˇ°Not too long, if weˇŻre still near where we entered. A week at most, depending on how fast we can travel.ˇ± Kaius exined. The teau 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 ces it stretched deep into the outskirts, much like where he and Father had made camp.

    <em>ˇ°I may have a solution for thatˇ­ˇ±</em> Porkchop said, after a momentˇŻs pause.

    ˇ°Oh?ˇ± Kaius replied, craning his head to look up at his brother.

    <em>ˇ°It is something of a taboo amongst greater beasts, but I couldˇ­ Give you a lift?ˇ±</em> Porkchop suggested hesitantly.

    Kaius grinned. ˇ°I didnˇŻt want to bring it up, but it <em>would </em>be convenient. I also had something to mention. My ss definitely aligns with our bond in some form, and the carving I saw showed me riding you into battle. IˇŻm not sure how viable that actually is, nor what sorts of skills I might be offered in that vein, but I <em>did</em> want to check in with you before they started popping up.ˇ±

    A deep rumble echoed in PorkchopˇŻs chest, gratitude and gratefulness flowing across their bond. <em>ˇ°Take them if they are good, weˇŻre already going to give the MatriarchˇŻs a conniption with our bond, we may as well make it </em><em>really</em><em> p them in the face.ˇ±</em>

    Kaius snorted. ˇ°Are you sure thatˇŻs wise?ˇ±

    <em>ˇ°Absolutely not, but hopefully by the time we go back we will be strong enough for it to not matter.</em>ˇ± Porkchop said with a grin. <em>ˇ°Well, with that settled, do we still n on heading to Deadacre next?ˇ±</em>

    ˇ°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 n 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.ˇ± Kaius said, familiar determination steeling his spine as their ns grew more concrete. ˇ°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.ˇ±

    <em>ˇ°Well then,ˇ± </em>Porkchop rose to his full height, his physique towering over him. <em>ˇ°Shall we try to find out where we are? North should bring us closer to the mountains.ˇ±</em>

    Kaius grinned and leapt to his feet. ˇ°You sure about this? ItˇŻs not weird?ˇ± he asked.

    <em>ˇ°ItˇŻs a little weird, but iˇŻm sure.ˇ±</em> Porkchop replied, crouching low. <em>ˇ°Jump up!ˇ±</em>

    Letting out a whoop, Kaius grabbed the leather straps of PorkchopˇŻs barding and hauled himself upwards. With his enhanced strength, it was easy for him to swing up and onto PorkchopˇŻs back, even despite his brotherˇŻs height. The barding was a little ufortable, and their armour tes nged together awkwardly, but that was washed away in KaiusˇŻs sheer excitement.

    <em>ˇ°Hold on!ˇ±</em>

    Porkchop dug his ws into the ground and <emunched</em> in the rough direction of the mountains that they had divined from the position of the sun.

    Kaius let loose a peal ofughter, barely staying seated as PorkchopˇŻs powerful strides tore through the forest, heavy ws used to gain enough traction to weave around tree trunks.

    It was fucking <em>good</em> to be back.

 Interlude 2: Visions of Normalcy

    Interlude 2: Visions of Normalcy

    <em>Some time in the near pastˇ­</em>

    Ianmus shifted his grip on his staff. Though its surface was smooth andfortable 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 MystralˇŻs penins from the rest of Vaastivar. If he squinted he could <em>just</em> make out the narrow gap between mountains that he had passed through.

    The ArcanistˇŻs pass, the only way to ess the city state ovend. He was d 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 <em>true</em> schr relied solely on dusty stacks to expand their understanding of the world.

    Besides,cking an academician type ss, 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 <em>adventure</em>, and he had the perfect first stop in mind.

    Selenar, the braggart and gossipmonger, might have been a dreadful pain but he <em>did</em> have his uses. Apparently, ording to some of his international and politically inclined ssmates, 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 regtions on numbers, locations, dates, and other such minutia. Hells, they had dedicated mid battle <em>meal breaks</em> for godsˇŻ sakes.The most important thing, in IasmusˇŻs opinion, was that allbatants were required to be linked to a grand ritual. One that would transport you to triage the <em>instant</em> your health got too low.

    Oh sure, people died, but it was as safe as mortalbat could be. If he could get into the under forty bracket, it would do <em>wonders </em>for his skill growth.

    So he had taken his graduateˇŻs 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 ˇ®here is Ianmus, look upon him and wonder!ˇŻ.

    It was just unfortunate his feet hurt. He hadn''t quite expected ovend travel to be quite so <em>tiresome</em>.

    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 londs he intended to cross. Rocky outcroppings dotted thendscape, 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 schrship 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 sses offered <em>merged skills</em> 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 wasnˇŻt fair. When he had to work three hours for every two bit lordlings one, he had done it. When he had to stay upte reading up on obscure nonsensical etiquette to avoid offending a pretentious professor, he had done it. When he had to <em>bleed</em> 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 <em>years</em> 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 ofbat training, but he was a <em>mage </em>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 breathing 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 nk 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 toy limply over rough clothing made from rotting rawhide. ck beady eyes, wide set and too lopsided to be anything other than the result of some godˇŻs mistake, stared up at him.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. 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 <em>Sunbeam</em>, 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 momentter he felt the drain on his mana peter out, his spell clicking into ce 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 momentster. The monster copsed bonelessly, the sizzling hole his spell had left in its wake leaking fluid.

    <strong>**Ding! level 3 Boggart in**</strong>

    Ianmus smiled at the kill notification before his gaze flicked to the goat, its pained bleating redoubling at the frightful sh of light.

    ˇ°Oh you poor thing, let me see if I can fix you up.ˇ± He said softly, beginning to walk down the hill.

    ˇ­.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    ˇ°Kenva! Get over here!ˇ± 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, sheˇŻd always loved them.

    ˇ°IˇŻming Bistot!ˇ± She called back over her shoulder. She picked up her bow from where she hadin 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 tworge 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. SheˇŻd never met one that didnˇŻt love a good scratch.

    ˇ°Kenva!ˇ± Bistot called warningly again, drawing her attention away from the magnificent beasts.

    She redoubled her pace, her feet pping rhythmically against the tough dirt, already hardening in thete ˇ®springˇŻ heat. She skidded to a stop in front of the caravan master, her breath stilling easy despite the half frantic run.

    ˇ°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!ˇ± Bestot said with a huff, looking down towards her with his arms crossed.

    He was arge man, and his bright red and gleaming silver outfit did little to detract from his wild ck beard and towering countenance.

    ˇ°Yes, Uncle Bestotˇ­ˇ± Kenva grumbled.

    ˇ°DonˇŻt you ˇ®UncleˇŻ me. YouˇŻre on your Path now, that means it doesn''t matter that youˇŻre a Zhdan and it doesnˇŻt matter that I''m one too.ˇ± His chastisement continued unabated.

    ˇ°But I was right there! I was just watching some little leapers!ˇ± Kenva protested.

    Bestots eyes softened, his brow unfurling.

    ˇ°Kenva..ˇ± He sighed. ˇ°Look, this is the toughest part, alright? I know it''s hard to adjust, to not have the leeway you are so used to. YouˇŻll see though, being free of family obligations is a blessing.ˇ± He crouched down, seeing her eye to eye. ˇ°Everyone from a dynastic n goes through it, at least here in the tribes.ˇ±

    Her eyes drifted down, staring at the yellowing grass andpacted earth as the caravans slowly rolled past the trio.

    ˇ°I knowˇ­ I just wish I could be out there already.ˇ±

    Bestot pped a steadying hand on her shoulder. ˇ°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?ˇ±

    Kenva nodded in agreement with her uncle. She loved the steppes, her n, 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 <em>grass</em>.

    ˇ°WeˇŻll be at the frontier soon enough, youˇŻll see.ˇ± Bestot said softly. ˇ°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.ˇ±

    KenvaˇŻs eyes brightened. The forward scouts sometimes ranged <em>days</em> ahead of the caravan, switching out regrly to bring back news of the path ahead, and any potential dangers.

    ˇ°Really!?ˇ± She said with excitement.

    ˇ°But that''s <em>it</em>, okay? IˇŻve already gotten some odd looks by letting you travel with the caravan as a worker at this low of a level, itˇŻs pretty blindingly obvious I only did it so you could save your weaning gild for the frontier. Even then, weˇŻre all gonna have to pretend it''s because of your <em>Farsight</em> again, alright?ˇ±

    Kenva nodded hurriedly.

    ˇ°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 ufortable chat with the elders when I next meet with the tribe.ˇ±

    ˇ°Thank you uncle Bestot!ˇ± 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.

    ˇ°This is the start of your real life, youˇŻll see. Now go take over for Ostovir, put that skill of yours to good use.ˇ± He said, pointing off towards one of therger carriages, a raised tform built into its already tall roof.

    Kenva groaned, but ran off to take over for the lookout dutifully. Once more Kenva was grateful for <em>Farseer</em>. It wasnˇŻt her only merged skill, but it was her n''s greatest treasure, a merge of ten ocr 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 n 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 unting the skill. SheˇŻd heard strange tales of powerful merged skills being kept under wraps up there. She didn''t quite understand it, it wasnˇŻt 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 n secrets without explicit uncoerced approval from the head- surely they had something simr?

    The scouting carriage drew near, and Kenva was drawn from her thoughts. She ran up to the bright bluedder that was built into the side of the yellow outer wall - a garishbination in her opinion- and hopped to hook her leg onto the first rung.

    ˇ°Hey Ostovir! IˇŻm here to take over!ˇ±

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