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

Kaius snapped his eyes open as his final legacy merge settled into place around his soul. Everything was prepped and ready for his final skill, the nexuses of power orbiting his soul locking into an equidistant formation. A single place remained in their circle, waiting for his last selection.

Father had told him how it would work. When his final skill was chosen it would slot into the remaining empty space. His legacy skills would resonate, amplifying his tenth skill… somehow. He didn’t know much more than that, only that the system did all the heavy lifting. No more battles of will in his future, thank the gods.

That could wait though, he still had to have his conversation with Porkchop, and investigate his latest acquisition.

Grinning in anticipation, Kaius pulled up the waiting description of his latest skill.

Uncanny Dodge:

Level 1

Unique

Roll enough dice, and eventually one of them will phase through the table.

Allows the user to sense portents of doom, and aids them in evading the unavoidable through subtle guidance and twists of fate. Certain effects may impede this skill.

Each level reasonably increases specificity of warnings.

Each level reasonably improves the skills ability to counteract impeding effects.

Each level slightly increases speed, control, reflexes and flexibility when dodging.

Each level minutely lengthens the window of warning prior to the impending danger.

Each level infinitesimally twists probabilities in your favour when dodging.

Each level infinitesimally increases your ability to evade sensed dangers, including otherwise unavoidable attacks.

Merged from: Danger Sense, Dodge

As his eyes roved over the skill, Kaius drank in its effects.

It was good. Far better than he had expected for a merge of only two general skills. While it was mostly a simple baseline improvement on the functionality of both Danger Sense and Dodge, it was its last two effects that grabbed his attention.

As they only grew Infinitesimally, he would most likely only feel their effects subtly while he was capped to level twenty. Yet, even then, he knew that they would inevitably become invaluable as he grew. Anything that twisted the fate of the world was powerful, and Father had said that they inevitably led to truly mind bending twists of coincidence.

His mind wandered, thinking of unlikely circumstances where he was saved by the changing of the wind, or an archmage’s spell destabilising catastrophically. Unfortunately, he would have to wait and see. If it did do anything at so low a level, he doubted it would be anything but the most subtle of influences.

“You gonna share the details, or just keep staring at the bunk?” Porkchop asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Kaius smiled and sat up. “Sorry,” he replied. “Just got caught up in my thoughts. It’s good, better than I expected. Mostly the same, but it’s a fate skill.”

Porkchop cocked an eyebrow. “Really? That’s impressive.”

“I know,” Kaius nodded. “It’s only an infinitesimal influence, so it’s nothing too crazy.”

“For now. Evolve it enough times and that will quickly change.” Porkchop replied.

Kaius grinned. That was the plan. A significant part of the value of legacy skills wasn’t their immediate strength, but what they could grow into as one ascended the tiers. The difference between rarities only widened as you grew in power, so having a strong base was an immense advantage that was incredibly difficult to overcome for those without their own advantages. Not impossible, not by any means, there were plenty of stories of driven commoners catching up to a wastrel of a scion.

However, often effort alone wasn’t enough. If someone with legacy skills was driven, and pushed themselves as hard as they were able, a common born would need some truly mind boggling feats of strength and lucky encounters galore to even hope to bridge the gap.

Even then, it would require someone without merged skills to have a skill list that was not only high in rarity, but also well suited to them. Beyond the simple fact that skills needed to be capped before you tiered up to have any decent chance of evolving, evolutions were impacted by feats and achievements just as much as classes were. A skill might never grow in rarity if you weren’t able to stretch the boundaries of what was possible. Something you could only do if you knew your skills like they were a natural extension of your body.

It was why his final skill was so important to deliberate on. With only ten skills, each one would have a significant influence on his class and development. He needed something that was not only strong, but well suited to him. Something he would use.

Which made Porkchop’s secret skill all the more intriguing.

Porkchop might have been lounging on the stone, half splayed out, but Kaius could see the tension in his shoulders. The way they were bunched. Stiff. He was nervous.

“So, are you ready to talk about your mystery skill?” he asked, keeping his voice calm. He wanted to grab his friend by the shoulders and shake the bloody answer out of him, just sitting there and knowing that Porkchop had something interesting to share had made the last few days torturous. However, Porkchop was like blood, and it was clearly a big deal, so he let it slide.

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Porkchop froze, before he let out a low huff and set his head on his paws. “I suppose I can’t really push it off anymore, can I?”

“Are you kidding me?!” Kaius laughed. “If you tried to do that I’d dangle you by your tail until you squealed.”

“I’d like to see you try.” Porkchop scoffed, but Kaius could see that his joke had done its job. His friend relaxed, letting go of some of his tension.

“It is an … odd thing to talk about. Sort of like your old discomfort with discussing your legacy with me. It’s a birth right of every greater meles that we are taught young, but much time is spent dissuading us from ever using it. No one has in centuries, and the last time didn’t exactly… go well.” Porkchop explained. “Not that that has ever stopped the elves from trying.”

Kaius leaned forward, shocked that whatever it was had led elves to pressure greater beasts. “Elves? I thought they all but deified you guys? What could be so important they would try to pressure a skill out of the Dens?”

Porkchop snapped up to look at him in surprise, before snorting in amusement. “No, not like that. They’re perfectly polite and respectful. Just a little overeager… frankly, they are super annoying.”

Kaius laughed, struggling to imagine the famed haughty elves ever lowering themselves to annoying deference. “Now that I have got to see,” he said, chuckling. “What would have them that worked up though? What even is this skill?”

Porkchop paused, thinking. “I think it would be easier if I gave you some of the history first. You wouldn’t mind?” he asked, looking at Kaius closely.

“Not at all,” Kaius shook his head.

Bobbing his head in gratitude, Porkchop settled back down. “Well, you know how I told you about the Grandfather? How he was a little meles? And was Observed?”

Kaius nodded.

“Well, he didn’t do it alone. He had a close companion, an elf by the name of Orym.” Porkchop explained.

“Isn’t he one of their ancestor-heroes?” Kaius asked, cocking his brow.

“The one and the same.” Porkchop confirmed. “They were inseparable. Both were watched by the system, and went through many trials together, delved deep in the Depths, and secured the Sea from threats. Supposedly they were ambushed by some form of beast tide. Forced to work together to survive the chaos while trapped in a dead end cave, constantly besieged. They forged an unbreakable bond in that hell.”

Kaius kept his face calm, but inwardly his mind was racing. He could see some… obvious similarities to their current predicament.

Porkchop watched him closely. “I see you have noticed the parallels. It is not directly relevant to the skill, but it is to why I am discussing it.” he explained. “Their bond, their companionship, was noticed by the system, and it manifested a skill. A rite, a ritual, and a binding. One that raised them both to new heights, forged an unbreakable link between the two. It is why, even today, the elves hold us in such esteem, and why we tolerate their endless pestering.”

Kaius physically recoiled at Porkchops words, nearly falling off the bed as he jerked backwards. “A binding skill?! Like beastmasters and tamers use? I would never! How could you even suggest that I lesser you like that?” he half-shouted, standing up.

Porkchop flicked his ears at the noise, but merely snorted. “No, not like that. Never like that. Though, your reaction does quash any lingering doubts I might have had. Now sit back down and listen.”

Kaius froze, taking a seat on the bunk slowly. If it wasn’t a binding skill, the type that shackled and slaved a beast to a person’s will, what was it?

Once he had returned to his seat, Porkchop continued. “It is a binding skill, but one between equals. One that would tie us together permanently, forging a link between our souls. A perfect communion, one that would improve our cooperation and lethality, allow us to feel and hear each other over great distances, and…share our growth.”

Kaius’s eyes sharpened. “What do you mean?” he said slowly.

“Experience, feats of strength, everything the system tracks would be amalgamated and split between us equally. What’s more, the malus for experience gain that the system places on groups would not exist for us.” Porkchop explained, watching him closely.

Kaius’s eyes widened. That was…huge. Class and skill growth slowed down when you worked in a group, even more so if they were larger than three individuals, and slowed down again above five. Even if you tackled challenges that were at the edge of what was possible, you would see less gains than if you undertook a lesser but equivalent risk alone. It would mean that if they pushed each other, their growth would be explosive, far exceeding what would be possible otherwise.

Yet if one of them was to slack, it would be crippling, forcing their partner to put in twice the effort for half the result.

“That’s why none of you use it isn’t it? Too much risk of kneecapping your growth if you bond with the wrong person.” Kaius said, almost whispering.

Porkchop nodded. “It’s what happened last time. We used to be a lot more integrated into the conclaves. A cub and an elven child were close friends, and performed the rite in secret. The elf was middling at best with only a couple of legacy skills, and worse, the cub broke his legacy by taking the skill. The elf grew strong, strong for them at least. The cub never grew past the third tier. We stopped living so close to the elves after that.”

Kaius winced. That would do it, especially if the meles had broken his legacy in the process. Despite that, he was very interested, both with the bond, and with the effects it would have on his growth. He already saw Porkchop as family, and knowing that he would always have a stalwart companion was …nice. Yet there was still one question that burned in his mind.

“Why me?” he asked softly. “Like, of course I am interested. We already planned on sticking together once we escape, and you’re already family, but what if I slow you down? You’re a greater beast, destined to reach tiers that people can only dream of.”

Porkchop gave him a flat look. “Gods, I wonder why I am not worried about being ‘slowed down’ by the first Observed in milenia. The person who helped me reach the same heights. The person who has pioneered a whole new branch of spell casting, and the person who pushes themselves harder than anyone I have ever seen? The same person that will inevitably be the first one ever to slay a guardian without a class.” Porkchop’s words were pointed, direct. “Kaius, at this stage I’m more worried that I will slow you down.”

Kaius leaned back, scratching his head. “Well, when you put it like that.”

Rolling his eyes, Porkchop snorted before looking back at him with a rare intensity. “So you are interested then?”

Kaius nodded, wearing his conviction on his sleeve. “I am, though I obviously have a few more questions.”

“Then ask.” Porkchop replied seriously, though the slow swoops of his tail on the floor gave away his happiness.

Kaius grinned, leaning closer. “Well-”