Runeblade

Ferns the size of oaks shaded them with fronds as large as boat sails. With every rustle of the ever-present humid jungle wind, spores drifted free, filling the air with an ochre haze that smelt of must and life.

For most, the constant obstruction would have been a constant hazard — obscuring any number of threats behind billowing clouds. Not for Kaius — Truesight cut right through it, leaving his vision crystal clear. It was odd, in a way — he could still see the spores, they simply hid nothing from his eyes. It was an advantage that Kenva did not share — the ranger was left grumbling at having her senses damped so thoroughly. Admittedly, both of them had saved their party from ambushes more than once. Truesight wouldn't pierce the physical density of undergrowth that swamped them so frequently, and Kenva's Farseer had caught more than one depthsborn lying in wait in a bush.

That said, her soulsight wasn't exactly long range — only a few strides longer than it had been when they first met. A second or two of warning didn't feel like much, even if he did know it was often the difference between victory and tragedy.

It had been three days since they left the safe room, a journey that — while tense — was far from their original experiences in the jungle. A few days of rest had done them good, and allowed them to work on consolidating and understanding their latest skills. Even Kenva. They'd ventured as a group into the room they had slain the worms in, giving her the room she needed for some archery practice.

With their growth in abilities, they'd been able to slay more than a few beasts in the days since. A pleasant gain of a handful more class levels and plenty of skill increases easing that even further.

It was still dangerous. They weren't quite at the stage where they could stroll through the twenty-fifth layer without a care in the world. It had been a stroke of luck that the rootborers had been over-specialised in a way that left them vulnerable to Kaius's strengths, other beasts still represented a deadly threat in any sizeable group.

Still, they were picking off loners and pairs with only temporary wounds and heavily depleted Health pools. They were even able to slay them fast enough to move on before the noise of their battles could bring down more curious and enraged depthsborn on their heads.

Making camp was…more of an issue. Ro hadn't lied when she'd said that safezones would grow more infrequent. Even with an Honour that revealed their existence within two-hundred longstrides, they'd only found one more — a densely knotted hollow bramble the size of a house, with succulent berries growing inside. Most of the time they resorted to hunkering down in the densest patch of undergrowth they could, relying on their tent to hopefully obscure them enough from the senses of the surrounding depthsborn.

It worked, mostly. They only got attacked in the night once! Thankfully, Porkchop had been the one awake at the time, and had been able to leave the tent and hold off the beast long enough for the rest of them to come to his assistance.

They were getting close to the river crossing now — he was absolutely sure of it. Titanic as the spiraling streams that segmented the Godsmaw Jungle were, the sound of their rapids was mostly drowned out the the everpresent noise of jungle life. That, and the impenetrable growth acted as a sound break.

The river had become audible halfway through the morning. A constant roar, howling as an endless torrent cut its way to the bottomless hole at the biome's centre. Kenva was sure she still remembered the exact location of one of the crossings they had discovered. At the very least, she picked their heading unerringly, and his own Toolkit did seem to agree that they were heading in the right direction.

He and Kenva ranged slightly ahead of the rest of their team to forge their path forwards. With both of their searching skills combined, they were vastly more effective than they were alone. That, and it was still incredibly risky for Kenva to venture out alone.

Only two dozen strides behind them, Porkchop stuck close to Ianmus, ready to shove the mage to the ground and defend him with his life.

Pushing past another dense mat of vines that hung from a fern frond overhead, Kaius saw the undergrowth thinning out as they approached yet another enormous jungle tree.

It had grown closer to a number of its cousins, the open spaces around their trunks merging into a long field that could save them plenty of time bushwacking.

Kenva nodded towards the middle tree, diagonally off to their front-right.

"If we cut towards that one, we could save up to an hour — might be worth it if we want to reach the crossing before nightfall."

Kaius started to nod, looking towards the behemoth of a tree — with its craggly bark and wide waxy leaves the size of a village square. It was a cursory look, nothing more — a simple curiosity at yet another example of titanic growth he hadn't seen the like of in the world above.

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He glanced past, scouting the route Kenva had suggested. Even with his full attention devoted to his Truesight he could see no sight of beasts in the open ground. If they were quick, cut close to the trunk, they could cross the half league in as little as a minute.

Explorer's Toolkit twinged, urging him to turn his attention back to the tree. He listened immediately.

Something was wrong with it — a pervasive sense of danger that sunk into his bones. Pouring over the trunk, he searched its surface stride by stride, watching for what had startled his Skill so.

Truesight found it. A particularly deep crack in the bark, with an interior shaded completely from light. His Skill peeled back the darkness to find…nothing. No. There was something wrong — he could feel it, his ocular skill straining against what his eyes demanded was an empty crack.

He blinked.

A shimmer, vague and indistinct. Two. Three. Four. Chimes sounded in the back of his mind as Truesight gained three levels at once. More shapes popped up by the second, a whole swarm of somethings. Whatever natural ability fueled their stealth, it was potent enough to prevent him from seeing exactly what they were — only that they were small and many.

He blinked, shaking his head to clear the throb that had started in the back of his mind.

"No can do, there's a swarm in the trunk — no clear read on numbers, but at least as many on the rootborers. We circle right — give them a wide berth."

Kenva scowled, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the trunk.

"Really? Goat's piss, they slipped right past me. We're not going to make it to the crossing until tomorrow then."

He shrugged. It was what it was — they were on a time limit, but only for reaching the end of the first tier. The Godsmaw had proven a suitable hunting ground, he didn't mind too much if it took them an extra day or two to reach the next biome.

They retreated back into the undergrowth, waving at Ianmus and Porkchop to follow as they circled around the clearing.

Kaius glanced at Kenva out of the corner of his eye. He'd started to get a handle on the ranger, get a feel for what made her tick, but they hadn't had too many opportunities to learn more about each other. Even when they made camp, there was the constant shadow of danger — they'd gotten none of the easy traveling and long days at the Stables that he'd had with the rest of the team.

It would have been all too easy to focus on their immediate circumstances, but he worried that doing so would flavour their relationship as overly professional. The best, most successful, and longest lasting delving teams were made of friends — and he hoped that Kenva would join them for the long haul.

She was capable and driven, just like the rest of them — but more importantly, she was just down right enjoyable company. Witty and acerbic, in a way that counterbalanced Ianmus's dry humour, and him and Porkchop's boisterousness.

Returning his focus to their surroundings, he decided that if he wanted to strengthen their bond as friends, he may as well start now.

"You mentioned something before — that you were drawn to the wild places of the world, and that exploring where others hadn't was what had pushed you to become strong. Why?"

Kenva glanced at him, but quickly went back to her vigilance.

"Bit of a bloody broad question, that." She paused, her lips pursed. "I suppose in some ways it is part of my heritage. I come from the far south-west of the Altier Steppe, where it starts to transition into alpine forest and the foothills of the western Drozag ranges. Often, the strongest in my clan end up as vagrants, travelling the continent as they please. I grew up on their stories, imagined myself in their shoes for as long as I can remember."

Kaius grinned, cutting his way through a particularly thick patch of reeds to open their way forward. He could understand that — he himself had grown up on the seemingly endless stories and legends that Father had remembered. That, and the many stories the people of Threefields had of the Deep Sea. They were mostly myths — few were foolish enough to ever attempt such an expedition — but they'd hung in his mind all the same.

"Mostly, it was the stories of the impossibilities found deep in the ranges that made me most curious. Floating peaks. Waterfalls that ran backwards. Living spirits of crystal and fire. It fascinated me — but not as much as the jungle beyond them. No one ever said anything about it, other than it was even more dangerous — more full of mana — than even the peaks where the dwarves made their home. I wanted to be the first — to bring back a book of creatures, vistas and ruins that had lain empty and untouched for millennia. I just need to be strong enough first."

Kaius smiled, "I get it. I feel much the same about the Deep Sea, and the home of the meles and elves. Everyone talks about it, but other than seventh-hand tales from someone who met someone who met someone, who met an elf, no one knows for sure. I'd like to see it for myself someday."

Turning to give him a look, Kenva cocked her brow. "Really? I would have thought you would have long since done so, considering who you are bonded with.

He shook his head and smiled ruefully. Gods, he wished.

"Unfortunately, mine and Porkchop's soul-bond could prove…contentious amongst the meles and elves. Until I'm confident going toe to toe with a centuries old Patriarch, I'll be steering clear. Regardless, there are plenty of other places to visit beforehand — the Drozag ranges and the dwarf citadels, for one. Or Empire ruins — I've always been curious about those, thanks to my rune-knowledge. They were said to have developed their runic arts to an impossible degree — I'd love to see it for myself."

"Now that's something I can agree with!" Kenva's voice was wistful, her eyes distant. "There's something about crumbling ruins filled with bound spirits, deadly formations, and constructs that inspires a certain glee — especially with all that was lost during the shattering."

Kaius nodded emphatically. The Eternal Emperor was supposed to have been one of the last known surviving Observed before he disappeared and his empire crumbled — their ruins were filled with valuable knowledge and artefacts free for the taking. At least, for those that could survive their dangers, which were deadly indeed.

"You ever wonder what kicked off the shattering in the first place?" Kenva asked.

Kaius shrugged, "Noble bullshit, in all likelihood."

His friend let out a quiet chuckle. "Now isn't that the tru—"

Her words cut off as she snapped her head over to look past him, peering through a gap in a tangle of brambles. Kaius turned to see what she had found.

A beast, perhaps fifty long-strides away. It was reptilian, but disgustingly insectile. A long body like a snake, but with wide and armoured body sections each sporting a pair of legs ending in a viscous spike of bone. It lazed in a rare patch of sunlight, dozing as it soaked in the sun.

Kaius grinned. A solo hunter, by the looks of it.

Perfect.