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

Kaius sat on the floor of his room in the Stout oak, a veritable cornucopia of items and artefacts arrayed on the ground before him. Porkchop lay across, staring at them all in dismay.

They’d had a fast paced, but pleasant few days. It had been a rush of meeting with the various elders, stocking up on a variety of traveling essentials. That, and simply spending time with the people that he had not seen in so long.

It was a soothing balm to his soul, giving him the time, space, and peace to work through not only his grief over his father’s passing, but also process the monumental nature of what he had experienced in the previous year.

Of all, it was perhaps Illendra who had helped most. With Hurrin keeping the tavern closed while he stayed, she had had plenty of free time to sit with him and Porkchop. Their discussions had ranged from the simple, to the deep. Everything ranging from what she had been up to since they had last met, to how the crushing weight of his responsibilities weighed on him.

It had been her idea to stay a few days longer than he originally intended. Oh, she gave an excuse, that it would be good for him to share words with Holt before he left, who had sent a missive via bird that he would be returning soon. He knew that it was simply an easy out for him, that she thought he needed some time to just breathe.

As it often turned out, she had been right on the money. He hadn’t realised just how much tension he had been carrying until it started to fade.

Jekkar was another help. The stoic hunter had had his own brushes with death out in the wilds, and he’d been more than happy to swap stories of harrowing moments over a tankard. It helped to remind him that even with all that had happened to him, mortal battles were a fact of life, and that there were many who could empathise with his experiences.

Now though, the time had come for them to leave. The beasts had been growing stronger faster than he had expected, from what he had heard from the village hunters. With the rising mana levels, there was nothing to encourage them to migrate, and they were quickly changing from a simple nuisance to a real threat.

If they waited much longer, they could potentially be out paced. As it stood, the trip to Deadacre was likely to be a good source of levels.

Hence, they were doing an inventory, something that Porkchop seemed to find physically painful.

“Must we, Kaius?” his bond-brother groaned.

“Yep,” he replied, opening his journal. “It’s important we know exactly what we have. Besides, this will only take me a moment.”

His eyes roved over their belongings. Five tonics each of restoratives for their Resources, in glass bottles of a similar design to the ones he had gotten from the Depths. Yanmi’s personal stock. As a dedicated alchemist who was plenty skilled, she’d made them strong, despite only using what meagre reagents could be found locally. Each would restore three-hundred, though he couldn’t drink more than two of any of them in a row. Something to do with how the body absorbed them, and the limitations of mortal brewers, or so Yanmi said.

Much like everything else, he’d been given the lot for free, though he had insisted on offloading his empties on to her. They weren’t worth all that much, and she had far more use of them than him.

He’d also managed to get a full ninety stride length of rope, another five waterskins, and a lot more soap than was strictly necessary. Going so long without proper cleaning in the Depths had been horrid, and Kaius had no desire to repeat the experience any time soon.

Other than that, they had secured a full three weeks worth of rations; Jekkar and Hurrin had busted out the good stuff, ladening him with wellmade and tasty pemmican, salted ham, venison jerky, and a wide array of dried fruits, vegetables and nuts. With his noble’s pantry worth of spices and his fancy depths-wrought pan, they would be eating well.

They’d also managed to pick up Porkchop’s under-armour. Yondar had been kind enough to rig up a few saddle bags that could be detached with ease, one to hide their dimensional bag, the other to hold their tent and a few of their harder wearing supplies like the rope.

The final new acquisition was a thin full length cloak, more for obscuring his eye-catching armour than any need for warmth. The travelling garb his father had given him was more than enough to keep that handled.

Other than that, he did an accounting of their finances. Twenty-four silver and sixteen gold. A sizable sum for everyday living, but one that would not stretch all that far when considering artefacts, consumables, and other delving supplies. Luckily they would be able to sell off Porkchop’s old barding and their brace of blink daggers in Deadacre, which should bolster it healthily.

“Are you done yet?” Porkchop whined. “I want to try on the new under armour.”

Kaius smirked, and finished putting away the last of their gear in their saddlebags. Porkchop had decided to wait until they were ready to leave to put on his newest artefact, but now that the time was drawing near his bond-brother was growing impatient.

“All done.” he said, rising to his feet and hefting a bag with each arm. “Let’s go get you suited up.”

Porkchop was on his feet in moments, barely avoiding scoring the hardwood floors with his razor sharp claws.

Kaius laughed at his brother’s enthusiasm, and made his way out of the room.

…

Standing out in the shining sun, Kaius heaved his bond-brother’s new armour onto his back. It was a weighty thing, made of impressively cut thick leather that had been merged into a seamless whole.

Diamond style cross stitches layered the thing, adding to its properties, yet through clever craftsmanship it settled over Porkchop’s back like a second skin. The same slate grey as mountain stone, Kaius thought it actually looked quite dashing on Porkchop. Though, with how clear it was that it was padding, he did look a little like a half suited knight.

Behind them sat the stalls of the Stout Oak’s stables, though they’d opted to get Porkchop suited on the small courtyard in front of them. Wide as they were, with plenty of polished oak steps and ledges, it would have made the job far easier to use them. Kaius had decided against it, stabling Porkchop like a common beast of burden felt…demeaning, even if the meles himself didn’t see an issue with it.

Porkchop rose up to his full height, giving Kaius access to the straps and buckles that would secure the armour in place. All things considered, it was a fine peace, and Yondar had managed to stretch far more out of his raw materials than Kaius had expected.

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Though, that said, the man was an artisan in the middle of the first tier, if he hadn’t been able to do so much with a well suited material like the hide of a late tier Stone Charger it would have been a little surprising.

Still, analysing the artefact for the first time had been a little bit of a shock.

Thinking of the moment, he pulled up the status once more as he threaded another strap though its buckle and cinched it comfortably tight.

Dampening Padded Barding:

Rare - Tier I

Brought low by proficient hunters, the hide of an errant Stone Charger languished unused, waiting for the perfect form. Now serving as the regalia of one of strong blood, its destiny has been realised.

Made from specially treated Stone Charger leather, quadruple stitched and multilayered, this barding has a thin padded spine section to cushion a rider with minimal increase in profile, and has quick release buckles for saddlebags. Using the natural properties of the materials, this barding is maximised to absorb blunt force impacts, though it can weather a blade with reasonable effectiveness.

Artisan-wrought Artefact.

Padded Beast Under-armour

Durability III, Impact Negation III, Self Cleaning I

Kaius shook his head as he looked at the description of the artefact. Rare, one of their first, and one that would have been incredibly expensive if he had had to pay for the materials and craftsmanship.

The Durability and Impact Negation effects were sizable, and would go far to providing Porkchop additional protection from blunt force and attacks that slipped past his armour plates. That, and the latter should hopefully make for a far more comfortable ride than the measly double layering of leather that served as a saddle suggested.

What was more surprising to him was that Yondar had managed to work Self Cleaning into the mix. Kaius knew the man had said it was possible, but it was still an impressive feat that must have required significant investment of skill.

The barding basically already looked like it had been enchanted, though he knew that Yondar would have squeezed the materials close to their limit with his work. It was likely that the armour wouldn’t be able to support much more when they eventually got it inscribed. Hopefully it was enough for Self Repair.

“Kaius, a man’s coming. Big guy, wearing chain, looks tough.” Porkchop warned, watching the street.

Kaius rolled back onto his heels and rose from his crouch. “That would be Holt. Right on time, as always,” he replied, turning to give the approaching figure a smile and a wave.

Holt gave him a nod, continuing his steady approach. He was an imposing man, nearly as tall as Kaius and built like a wiry mountain lion. Garbed in leather and chain, he had his arming sword at his side. Kaius was pretty sure he had never seen that blade out of the head of the constabulary’s reach.

“Kaius, good to see you, lad.” Holt said, reaching out to clasp Kaius’s hand and pulling him into a firm hug. “Finally got blooded, aye?”

He shot the warrior a wiry grin. Of all those in the village, Holt was the most directly combat capable, and easily the strongest. Probably in his last sprint to the second tier, if Kaius had to guess.

“That I did, though if I had the choice it would have been under different circumstances.”

Holt nodded solemnly. “Of course, it was rat-faced luck, what happened to ye and your da, but such is the will of the Lady.” Clapping him on the shoulder, the warrior turned towards his bond-brother. “And this must be ye friend, Porkchop. Shit name for a killer.”

Porkchop chuffed. “The responses have made it more than worth it, trust me.”

“No doubt, no doubt.” Holt said respectfully, before he turned his attention back to Kaius. “Just came to give you my thanks, lad; me and Jekkar have been in fits tryna figure out a way to get through the coming danger. Ye really saved my hide there. It’s a plan fit for a madman, but it’s one that I think might just work.”

Kaius nodded. “Just trying to make sure I have somewhere to come back to.”

“And you will, I’ll make sure of it.” Holt said, shooting him a wide grin. “Listen, I’m not one to hold up a man on a mission, so I’ll wait with the others by the gate. Just wanted to chat personally for a second, let you know I’ve got some of my own…advantages…that I’ll be throwing in the pot. Some of the others do too, nothing quite as good or expansive as what you passed us, but something. Don’t let it be said we never went all in when you fronted up first, ye hear?”

Kaius sighed in relief. “That’s good to know, I was worried that it wouldn’t be enough. Every bit extra should help pull people to the banner.”

Holt clapped him on the shoulder once more, before he squeezed with reassuring strength. “It will lad, I’ll make sure of it. You just make sure to survive and pass on word of what you learn about everything else, and I’ll turn this place into an iron fortress by the time you next pass through.”

“Thanks, Holt, I mean it.” Kaius responded with gratitude.

“Nonsense, boy. Now I best leave you to it, I’ll see you by the gate.” the warrior said, taking his leave.

Kaius watched the man leave, feeling a little more sure of Three Fields’ safety. He wasn’t sure of Holt’s exact level, but if he had his own Legacy skills then he would be a powerful combatant. To know that he would be pitching in to teach those skills to the wider community was even more gratifying.

Shaking his head, Kaius returned to securing Porkchop’s barding. It was the last thing to do before they left and chased the horizon.

…

They left as soon as Kaius finished. Swinging into his ‘saddle’, he found the new padded barding to be impossibly more comfortable than Porkchop’s old garb. It even had some simple loops for him to put his feet into and for him to grab. Nothing that would get in the way of his bond-brother’s skill, or interfere in battle, but enough to give him some measure of secure seating.

They walked down the main pavilion of Three Field’s, heading towards the gate. As they left, Kaius took a long, last, look at the town. It was a slow moving place, full of hardy people who liked the rough and tumble freedom of the frontier. His people.

It was sad to leave them, but he never intended on keeping his world so confined as the outskirts of the Arboreal Sea and the surrounding villages. It was time to go.

Nodding at a few familiar faces as they left, Kaius spied the gate. It was already open, Illendra and the gathered elders waiting for them. He smiled, glad to see the people he knew best were there to see him off.

“Please be safe, Kaius. I wish you would stay, but I know you never could, even without your responsibilities.” Illendra said as he drew close.

Kaius slid from his saddle, dropping to the ground to give her a hug. “I’ll be back.” he assured her. “This place is still dear to me.”

“You better,” Illendra muttered, scowling at him as she wiped her eyes. “I need to go get the tavern ready, now that someone isn’t hogging it. I just know there’s going to be a rush tonight.”

“Go,” Kaius said, giving her a final hug. “Thanks for seeing me off.”

She nodded, giving him a last smile before she left. Kaius turned to the elders, before being pulled into a sequence of clasped hands, clapped shoulders, and tight hugs. Each and every one of them had words for him. Of assurance, of trust, and of promise that they wouldn’t squander his gifts.

The sun shone down on them with illuminating warmth, in what he hoped was a good omen for his journey.

One by one the elders left, until only Jekkar remained. He was, afterall, on watch.

“Be safe, lad, and don’t forget to send word if and when you can.” the old hunter said, giving him a last slap on the back.

Kaius grinned at the man, before he hauled himself back into his saddle. Porkchop chuffed in excitement and started to walk out the open gates.

A low squeaking groan cut across the fields of the frontier as they slowly closed behind him.

He was ready.

A new adventure waited, one that no doubt held danger, mystery, and the promise of growth.

They set off, following a rough trail through the grasslands, over rolling hills.

Towards Deadacre.