(Second Book Complete!) Runeblade: A Delving & Skill Merging LitRPG

**Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Born for Slaughter**

Kaius stared at the notification, his pain and exhaustion completely forgotten. Shock paralysed him, he could feel another notification blaring in the corner of his mind. Demanding his attention. He left it there, too absorbed in the one that hung in his vision.

This must have been what Porkchop was talking about. How the system rewarded those that pushed themselves when under its observations. But why now? The goblin was nowhere near the first Champion he had slain.

“Kaius?What’s wrong? Are you injured?” Porkchop asked, coming forwards to examine him closely. Checking his wounds.

Kaius shook his head, throwing off the shock. “..I think I found out how the Observed got so much stronger than everyone else.” He said quietly.

Porkchop’s eyes snapped up to meet Kaius’s own. “What?!”

Kaius nodded, telling him about the notification he had received from killing the Champion.

“What?! How? What does it give you?” Porkchop asked, the questions coming so fast they nearly blended into a single word.

“I’m not sure yet, I haven’t checked it.” Kaius said, shoving Porkchop away when was nearly bowled over in his friend’s excitement.

“You haven’t checked it?! What the hells are you waiting for?”

“Gimme a second! I was about to before you started asking questions,” he huffed.

Porkchop snorted in response, but waited patiently all the same. Kaius took a breath to calm his racing heart, and pulled up the final notification waiting for his attention. Like he expected, it was the Honour in question.

Born for Slaughter:

Honour

Rules are made for a reason. Many are to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Some fools disregard those rules. Facing death due to need, want, hubris, and ignorance. Most are crushed under the weight of reality. Those that don’t are forged anew. Shining brighter than those that dared not.

Awarded to those who slay three Champions unaided before class selection. Provides an Infinitesimal increase to skill levelling speed. +5 all stats.

Bonus: For being the first in your cohort to achieve this honour skill the levelling bonus is increased to Minute, and the stat bonus is increased to +8 all stats.

Kaius dropped like a marionette with his strings cut. Power surged through him. Shifting him, forcing him to change. He writhed as every facet of his being was reinforced, mind overwhelmed in totality. There was no pain. It was far far beyond that.

He felt like he had been snatched up by a god. Broken. Prodded. Moulded into a more pure version of himself. Letting out a choked scream, he felt his body contort. Bones creaking under the force of his convulsions. White ice picks were driven into his mind. Forcible expanding his senses. Speeding up the rate in which he could process information. A slight amount, just under a fifth of his baseline capabilities. All at once it was immobilising.

The moment seemed to crystallise into amber. Burning its way into his memory. Then it was over. He lay there panting, soaked in his sweat. He peered through bleary eyes to find porkchop staring at him. Barely a finger length from his face.

“Ouch?”

“Bugger off.” Kaius said, pushing his friend away. “Hells that was awful. Even worse than the natural treasure.” He shuddered. Was this what everyone went through? When they grew their class?

“It gave you stats?” Porkchop guessed.

Kaius pushed himself up. “Yeah. It did. How’d you know?”

“Connecting to the ancestral blood stabilises you, eases the transition of growth. Gaining stats without it is supposed to be … uncomfortable. At least the ones that aren’t natural growth. I assumed it was the same for Classes?” Porkchop asked.

“Great. Another hole in my education.” Kaius grumbled. Despite how much Father had taught him, it has become more and more clear how much had been sacrificed on the altar of preparing him for his legacy skills and class selection. Though, perhaps it was just another case of the meles’ oral histories remembering what people had forgotten.

He returned to Born for Slaughter’s notification. It was…Massive. The stats alone were an insane boon to an unclassed. Ultimately though, as he grew that bonus would eventually be reduced to meaninglessness. At higher tiers, the difference in stat growth between rarities would be enough to outweigh that bonus in a single level. No, the true boon was what those stats would mean for his class, and the growth to his skill levelling. One would almost guarantee his first class would be of higher rarity than normal, preserving his lead.

The other? It was infamous how much effort it took to get skills to the tier cap before class evolution. It was something everyone tried to do, the benefits it gave to skill evolution were well known, even if the specifics had not been explained to him. Yet very few succeeded, and almost no one was persistent enough to hold off on a qualitative surge in power in order to cap them all. This must have been what elevated the Observed to mythical heights. An acceleration of their growth. Boosts that let them climb faster and higher than everyone else, giving them the power to hunt down more Honours.

“Hells, Kaius, Don’t just sit there dumbstruck. What does it do?”

Kaius quickly relayed what he knew of his new Honour. The information seemed to light a fire under Porkchop, the meles pacing as he digested Kaius’s latest boon.

“There must be more that we can get before we are inducted into the system proper. The fact that you are the first in our ‘cohort’ - whatever that means - is valuable information. It would be foolish to leave potential gains on the table.” Porkchop said.

Kaius nodded, he’d been thinking the same thing. “I’m willing to bet that at the very least there must be an Honour for killing more Champions in a group of unclassed. Maybe ten?” He said. “Though before that happens we need to find some favourable matchups for you to slay three on your own.”

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

“Why?” Porkchop asked, cocking his head.

“I never received one for eating the Natural Treasure. I’m worried the first one will be forfeit if you achieve the feat before the system officially starts observing you.” Kaius admitted.

Porkchop shook his head. “No. I don’t think so. Finding that fruit was pure luck. Enough luck that it drew you to the system’s notice, but the system has never rewarded luck so directly. Only struggle and triumph. I doubt the fruit would have ever given you an Honour.”

“You could be right. Still this is even more of a reason for us to push hard. These rewards are invaluable, and the only lead we have is that some of them are tied to doing things before our full introduction to the system. That puts us on a time limit.” Kaius pushed himself to his feet, enjoying the newfound strength that coursed through his limbs.

“Come on. There are more Champions in the city.” He set off, striding towards the far off walls of the dilapidated and overrun dwarven settlement.

“Kaius.” Porkchop called to him, insistent.

“What?”

“The loot.” Porkchop deadpanned.

“Oh.” Kaius said, stopping mid stride. “Right.”

…

Kaius crouched in front of the cold body of the warg. Porkchop had absolutely mutilated the beast. Great divots had been torn from its flesh, revealing shattered bones. It seemed like they had been correct about the effects of Porkchop’s ring. Despite wearing thick leather barding, reinforced with tactically placed metal plates, the armour had done little to save the warg.

Its head that lay a dozen paces away was testament to that.

Kaius grimaced at the eviscerated corpse, turning his attention back to its large saddle bags. After searching the area for any depth’s created artefacts, they’d come up short. Even the goblins pike had been a simple item. All they had left were the saddle bags.

They were small things. More designed to hold a few days rations and a rolled up mat than supplies for an extended journey. If they did contain their well earned artefacts, they would have to be on the small side.

“Hurry up!” Porkchop said. He’d been pacing a little up the hill that the warg’s corpse lay at the base of, too impatient to sit still.

“Hush. I’m looking now.”

He flicked open the satchel, peering inside. The bag’s interior was shaded in a deep unnatural shadow. Kaius frowned. Explorer’s Toolkit was silent, so it should be safe. He reached inside. Nearly falling forwards when his arm plunged down to the shoulder.

He ripped his arm free, staring at his hand in wonder. A spatially enhanced container. They existed, but he’d never seen one for himself. Almost all of them were pulled from the Depths, but he’d never heard of one being found at so high a layer.

Grinning in excitement, he shoved his hand back inside. The container was reward enough itself, but he had to know if there was more. Looking up the hill, he found porkchop still pacing. Huffing as he batted at mushrooms. Best not to tell him just yet, no point dealing with more belly aching about how long he was taking.

Kaius reached around the expanded space, quickly finding something small and cylindrical. He pulled it free. It was a sharpened spike, textured with dense inscriptions and contoured with a curious grip. He set it to the side, Identify could wait until he knew he had gotten everything. Diving back into the bag he grabbed something else. Tough leather, with some sort of cold metal attached to it.

He yanked. The bag morphed. Stretching impossibly to accommodate the exit of something far too bulky to fit through the opening. Distorting along some non existent fourth line. Kaius fell back, nausea joining a rising headache at the unnatural sight. He let out an oof as heavy leather landed on top of him, Kaius stared at the artefact.

It was some sort of …armour? That much was clear. Thick sections of leather reinforced by laminate plates of metal, held together by buckles and straps. There’s no way he could possibly wear it himself, it looked far too odd. He set it aside with a shrug, moving back to check the saddle bag.

His hand hit the bottom, barely a stride in. He tore the bag open in horror, looking inside with desperation. His worst nightmare came to pass. It was empty, made of simple folded leather. A plain saddle bag.

“No!” He cried in despair.

“What’s wrong? No loot?” Porkchop said, galloping towards him. “Wait, it’s all here? What are you crying about then?”

Kaius kneeled there, white faced. Mourning as his dreams of riches shattered like glass. A spatial artefact! It was right there. He stifled a sob, shoving his pain deep as he turned to shoot Porkchop a smile. “Nothing! Just hoped there would be a bit more.”

Porkchop cocked his head at him. “Liar. Also, weirdo.” A moment later he pounced on the strange, too large armour that Kaius had pulled out of the saddlebag. “What’s this? Looks different.”

“Not sure yet. Give me a second.” Kaius used Identify on the artefact.

Deepbeast Light Barding:

Common - Tier I

Trained from birth, the dwarven beast-bound scouts are the eyes and ears of the Stoneholds. They prize their mounts higher than their own lives, and cost is no factor when it comes to keeping their companions safe in the dangerous conditions of the northern mountains of Vaastivar.

Made from alchemically treated Ironox leather, reinforced with plates of doped titanium, this barding is designed to offer maximum protection to a variety of beasts without compromising mobility.

Depths-wrought Artefact.

Light Armour (Barding)

Well Fitted I, Resizing I, Self Repair I

Kaius smiled at the description. “It’s armour. That you can wear.”

Porkchop went stock still, ears flicking at the news. “I get armour?”

“Yep!” Kaius said. Porkchop immediately went into a frenzy, bouncing back and forth in his excitement. Kaius laughed. “Easy, buddy. Calm down, and I’ll help you into it.”

With a clear effort of will, Porkchop went still. Kaius picked up the barding, unbuckling its straps before throwing it over Porkchop’s back. As he buckled it in place, straps seemed to shift to the perfect length, cinching snug, but leaving no excess weight. It fit Porkchop like a glove, conforming perfectly to his body.

A massive reinforced section of leather draped over Porkchop’s back and shoulders, holding tight to wrap around his sides. His legs were left entirely free, apart from small free flowing sections that hung over his upper limbs. Short enough to stay out of the way while still providing some protection. A strange, almost-gorget, buckled around his neck, flowing into an armoured section that guarded the chest and top of Porkchop’s stomach. Metal plates were affixed all over the armour, adding additional protection to key vitals. It even had a couple of light weight saddle bags that rested on his hips.

The barding provided almost complete coverage, and as soon as it was fully buckled in place Porkchop sprinted around like a mad man, diving and rolling around the ground.

“It fits, and it doesn’t slow me down!” He said in wonder.

Kaius smiled in satisfaction. It had always been a fear in the back of his mind. That Porkchop’s lack of protection would do him in some day. That some bastard with a sword would get in a lucky strike and gut his friend. The armour would help. Especially when he sat on the side-lines and had to watch Porkchop fight Champions alone.

Bending down, Kaius picked up the strange bronze stylus he had pulled from the warg’s saddlebag. He slid it into his pocket.

“C’mon. Let’s start heading towards the city. It’s a long walk and I want to make some headway before we have to stop to rest.” Kaius said, setting off at a walk towards the far off settlements walls.

Porkchop stopped his gallivanting to pull up next to him. “What about your loot?”

“I’ll check it on the way.” He said, tussling Porkchop’s fur.