“And here is your suite,” Hensch said, pushing open the heavy oak door — one of four that lined the hallway down the centre of the top level of the Dusty Stables.

  With Kenva joining them and their newfound wealth, they had decided to upgrade their lodgings. This suite they had picked came with three rooms centred around a common area.

  One was larger, designed for couples or delvers with large beast companions who wouldn’t want to be separated from them. Hensch, of course, had asked if Porkchop wanted his own room. The man had been rather surprised to learn that while Porkchop was a greater beast, the two of them were still bonded, albeit as equals — but once he had learned, he’d more than understood their desire to stay close.

  Hensch gestured through the open doorway, revealing fine furnishings constructed of the same hardwood with masonry accents as the rest of the building. The main common area held a fireplace and mantel, and a large table equally suitable for dining or planning excursions and delves, while couches and chairs were scattered in one corner where one could relax after a hard day’s work. To Kaius’s unaccustomed tastes it verged on noble finery. So fancy it was, he let out a low whistle.

  Hensch seemed almost embarrassed. “I know it’s not much compared to the fine establishments of Baanswell, or the golden jewel of the dukedoms, Ballisandra. Hells, even Grandbrook would have some inns with nicer rooms than this. But, dare I say, these are among the nicest in Deadacre.”

  Kaius just grinned, shaking his head, while Ianmus stepped forward, clapping the innkeep on the shoulder. “Don’t be silly, Hensch. These are wonderful. Besides, Kaius wasn’t being sarcastic — he literally grew up in the woods. These probably are the best rooms he’s ever seen.”

  “They are,” he agreed, almost offhandedly.

  That set a grand smile on Hensch’s face. “Truly? Ah, then I have been given the largest gift, For even if you visit somewhere better in the future — and of that I've no doubt, given your station, you will remember the Dusty Stables always as one of the first quality establishments you stayed in.”

  He certainly would. The Dusty Stables had firmly cemented itself in his mind as a place of comfort and homeliness. The new upgrade in lodgings only furthered that fact. Hells, the fire was already lit, for Depths’ sake. Though, looking closer — like much of the inn’s facilities — it seemed to be runically controlled.

  Kenva peered through the doorway, running her eye over everything.

  “And what does our resident Hiwiann think?” Hensch said with a wink.

  “I’ve seen worse,” Kenva said, looking around with a happy smile on her face. “Much, much worse. Good job, I think this will do nicely — even if I do prefer my rooms to have wheels.”

  Hensch laughed. “Well then. Come, let me show you the rooms.”

  They trailed in, the door wide enough that Porkchop only barely had to shimmy his way through, and filtered into the shared lounge. One by one Hensch showed them the bedrooms. The two slightly smaller ones were identical, each with a bed large enough to comfortably sleep three people, a warded chest for belongings — though in their case useless with their storage rings — and attached washrooms. His and Porkchop’s room came last: one and a half times the size of the rest. The bed was just as large, but there was an addition—an overly plush pile of furs right next to the bed for a beast to sleep. It was large enough that Porkchop would fit comfortably, albeit he might have to curl into a slight ball.

  “This is perfect, Hensch. Thank you,” Kaius said.

  Porkchop agreed, testing the bedding with his paw. “Soft,” he said, running his claws through the furs.

  “I’m glad you like it,” Hensch said.

  “Now, I will leave you to your peace after such a long journey. With the rigours and terrors of the tale you told me, I imagine you will be looking forward to a long rest. My one hope is that you’ll please tell me before you publicly announce your new status and Porkchop’s identity. I would so love to brag about the opportunity to have gotten to know you before your return.”

  Porkchop chuckled, a throaty, deep-bellied sound. “It is good to talk to you, Hensch, finally. Playing the fool was getting rather old, I will admit.”

  “I’m sure it was, my rather large friend. I can only imagine the burden. Now, I will leave you be.”

  Filing back into the common lounge, Hensch waved them good-bye — a sentiment they returned.

  Walking over to his friends, Kaius dropped into a seat, all tension leaving his body. Feeling the padded leather mould to him was like a ten-ton weight lifting from his back. He groaned in pleasure.

  “Gods, this is good,” Kaius said.

  It truly was. Every scrap of tension oozed from him like he’d been worked over by a masseuse. He wasn’t a metropolitan socialite; he didn’t grow squeamish at the idea of a night under the stars, but after several months living hard in the Depths? Even with the aid of their dimensional tent, he had longed for a few creature comforts.

  It seemed his team felt similarly, judging by their silence and the simple grunts he got in response. For a moment, they just sat there quietly, enjoying the relaxation.

  “Gods, I can’t wait to use the washroom. It’s been so long since I’ve cleaned myself with hot water,” Kaius groaned. The thought was almost enough to drag him to his feet so he could shower immediately. Almost. It could wait for a minute — or a hundred.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Kenva, it seemed, didn’t agree with his assessment. “Gods — hot water? Are you sure?”

  “Hensch has it, even in the cheaper rooms,” Porkchop replied. “I’m pretty sure, in every room.”

  “Shattered axles, he’s as good as you say he is. Well, as lovely as this chair is, it’ll feel even better once I’m washed and clean. I’ll be back soon,” Kenva said.

  Pulling herself slowly to her feet, Kenva left the three of them alone, hightailing it to her room.

  With Kenva’s absence, the three of them sat quietly, enjoying the warm heat that radiated from the nearby fire. Soft crackles and pops washed over Kaius, though he assumed the same formation that produced the warming flames must have mimicked the noise of burning timber, as there were definitely no logs to make the sound.

  As the minutes passed, the quiet let his mind drift back to the battle with Old Yon and his men.

  They’d really done it, hadn’t they? Ten Silvers, slain to the last. It was almost hard to fathom. It was a feat that finally hammered in the ever-growing difference between him and the average delver of a similar level. No one who made it to Silver was weak — making it there in the first place required commitment, tenacity, and power.

  Sure, the average delver might have had an Uncommon class, but Silvers weren’t average. There was no doubt in his mind that most of those men had, at minimum, a Rare class in the first tier. In the second, it was entirely possible some had managed to make it to Unusual, and they’d crushed them utterly.

  They’d been lambs to the slaughter.

  He remembered the sensation of the barely contained volume of mana in his Starfall hymn, ripping through his conduits and inscriptions; the sound of his glyph as raw mana had screamed its way free. The memory of that slice of night sky opening sent shivers down his spine. He’d known tier-two spells were impactful, but that expulsion of violence was beyond even his expectations. Backed by other stats and a Heroic skill, it was terrifying — an area dozens of long strides across, raining stellar ruin until an entire section of the forest reduced to little more than smashed kindling.

  Yet, for all the totality of their success, Kaius was almost disappointed in what they had gained in regard to advancement. Oh, he’d gotten a smattering of levels across his second-tier skills and his class skills that had yet to reach their cap, but what he’d really hoped for was more of his unevolved general Skills crossing into the second tier. Unfortunately, his system guide hadn’t lied when it said that first level was tough. Only Liturgical Bladeform, Primus Ordo had grown, and even then, only to level 201.

  Still, for a singular level of advancement, it was, he had to admit, quite satisfactory. Kaius pulled up the skill’s description.

  Liturgical Bladeform - Primus Ordo:

  Legacy General Skill - Tier II

  Affinity: Arcane, Martial

  Type: Spellblade, Longsword, Glyph-binding, Mastery

  Level 201

  Heroic

  The first order of Vesryn. Speak the language of war, and write your verse with steel and spell. Here, mastery transcends skill; it becomes Ritual.

  Tier I:

  Skill that enhances technical mastery with the cohesive use of longswords and glyph-binding. Improves the lethality of longswords, and the armour piercing capabilities of longswords and hymns

  Tier II:

  Blade skills resonate with your glyphs, empowering spells for a short time after use.

  Increases armour penetration scaling to Slight.

  Each level significantly increases longsword and glyph-binding proficiency.

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

  Each level slightly increases the user’s ability to penetrate mundane and magical defences.

  Evolved from: Warforged

  Originally Merged From: Unarmed mastery; Improvised Weapon Mastery; Throwing Mastery; Dagger Mastery; Axe Mastery; Pole Weapon Mastery; Mace Mastery; Sword Mastery; Archery Mastery

  The change to the skill had come towards the end of the fight, right as he engaged the enemy duellist, a woman with sharp, waspish features. He felt it immediately after layering skills on his blade. He had used Compelled Obsession in an attempt to shatter her focus and create an opening, yet the efficacy of the spell had soared. The locked energy seemed to boil over as his mana and stamina coursed into his blade.

  It was, in his opinion, a fine piece of growth — worthy of the second tier — even if the skill hadn’t levelled further. He was endless in his pursuit of weaving his blade arts and his spells into a cohesive combat style, and this new change would only aid him in that. Plus, more ability to penetrate defences was always welcome.

  Shortly after he dismissed the skill notification, Kenva wandered back into their personal common room. Her hair was still drenched, deepening her auburn to a dark reddish brown.

  “That was bloody fantastic,” she said, slumping back into her chair with a chosen sigh.

  Kaius snorted, smiling. “I bet it was. I’m looking forward to having my own shower later.”

  “What now?” Ianmus asked. “I know we have an awful lot to get through with the Guild — being briefed on the ruins and the beast problem, deciding how we will tackle honours, and being introduced as official Silvers to the Guild Hall. But we have weeks until that happens. Rieker has insisted we rest.”

  Kaius nodded. While it was true that there was a lot to do, none of it was immediately pressing. Ro and the Guildmaster had all but threatened to chain them to a wall if they tried to pile on more work before they were called upon.

  Still, it didn’t mean they were completely directionless.

  “I have a few ideas,” Kaius said. “We still need to do proper accounting of the artifacts we gathered during our delve.”

  “We also still need to show Kenva the city,” Porkchop added

  Kenva nodded.

  That was true, Kaius thought. Hells, he was looking forward to it — both due to his friend’s simple enthusiasm to explore a new place, and because even during their short walk through the city, exhausted as they were, he had sensed something different. The building tension was still there — that slight air of desperation that had grown stronger since the integration changed phases, but it had less of a cutting edge now.

  There was a fire to the people of Deadacre. Something ephemeral he found hard to put into words or even put his finger on. They were pushing themselves, and he wanted to see more of it for himself.

  “Artifacts first, then?” Ianmus asked.

  Kaius nodded. “Not tonight, though. We can do it in the morning. Tonight, we celebrate. We did, after all, just complete our first delve as a team.”

  Though inwardly, Kaius didn’t think they would get up to anything too raucous tonight. The only thing he was looking forward to was a hot shower and a soft mattress. Their more raucous celebrations could wait for the next few days.

  Had my birthday party on saturday--one of my friends brought me 1.3kg of biltong from a south african butcher. I have good friends

  https://discord.gg/NjsqGKHHaY