Runeblade: URK, It seems my Forbidden Lifeforce-Burning Technique is no match for you, Rising Stars Algorithm....

Kaius stared at the sarcophagus. Its sculpted golden lid still hovered next to its open interior, displaying a robed figure identical to the Tomblord he had just slain with Porkchop. After his battle with the Champion he expected his just rewards. Considering the rest of the room was stark and empty, that left only one spot.

He set off towards the grave, his friend padded alongside him, curious about what Kaius was so excited for.

“What is loot?” Porkchop asked.

“I’m not actually sure if it's something you’d be interested in.” Kaius scratched his head. “It’s like… gear. Clothes, weapons, tonics, and useful items. Though I'm not really sure how it works. For all I know the depths might spawn something for you.”

Porkchop huffed at Kaius’s explanation. “Bah. Tools. Two-legged things. Let me know if there is something to eat.”

Kaius grinned at the response, entirely unsurprised his friend was uninterested in things of that nature. He, on the other hand, could barely stop himself from skipping over.

As soon as they reached the plinth that the sarcophagus sat on, Kaius enlisted Porkchop’s help in clambering up. Peering into the cavity within, Kaius’s mouth split into a wide grin. Its internals were lined with a silvery metal covered in a dense runic script - one he had not encountered before. That surprised him, considering the extensive tutoring his father had given him on the subject.

It wasn’t the runes that drew his attention though. There, at the base of the grave, lay a small mound of items covered by a silvery sprawl of scaled metal. He’d struck gold. Not only did the grave hold his treasure, but it had far more of it than he had seen from the other two Champions he had battled.

Though, he suspected in raw value it still didn’t hold a candle to the Natural Treasure the Sunborn Cave Bear had guarded.

Reaching into the space, Kaius grabbed hold of the armour and pulled it up to hold out in both hands. The scales cascaded over each other with a series of rustling clinks. In the light, he could see that the gleaming silver of the armour was tinged by a subtle pearlescence. A set of scalemail. Long enough to reach his thigh , well tailored with larger overlapping plates covering his vitals, and with a reinforced gorget and pauldrons. It even had sleeves that cut off just below the elbow, rather than the cheaper variants that left the arms exposed.

Every single one of its scales was etched with fine runes along the edges, a single large anchor rune at the centre.

He felt the weight of it in his arms. Sturdy, but not so heavy it would weigh him down once distributed over his body.

It was a fine addition to his arsenal, a perfect blend of defence and manoeuvrability. He’d always preferred the measured approach of medium armour.

Grinning in satisfaction, he tossed it down to Porkchop.

“See! Loot!”

“Not like I can use it!” Porkchop grumbled.

Kaius laughed, turning back to the interior of the sarcophagus. In his focus on his new set of armour, he had entirely missed what had been lying underneath. His joy only grew, the scalemail had been hiding plenty more. Two tonics sat on the silvery floor, liquid a roiling angry red that seemed to be at a constant boil. He’d gotten lucky. They were in bottles the exact same shape to his Solar Revitalisation tonics that sat in his potion pouch.

Beside the tonics, a small handful of silver coins lay scattered around a strange spiky fruit. A pale green, it wasn’t actually covered in thorns, but the rind itself seemed to contort into devilish peaks. Kaius eyed the fruit with a cocked brow. He couldn’t smell any magic, so it wasn’t a reagent.

He picked it up, holding it to get a closer look. Even as he turned it round in his hands, he got the sense from Explorer’s Toolkit that it was just a…fruit?

Hearing a squeal from behind him, Kaius turned around to find Porkchop staring at him with an open mouth, drool streaming from his mouth. Landing precariously close to his brand new scale.

“Woah buddy.” Kaius waved at Porkchop to back up. “Away from the shiny armour please. I assume you know what this is?” He held the fruit up.

“Kacha fruit! Very, very rare. Very, very tasty!” Porkchop replied, visibly salivating as he fixated on the fruit.

“Alright,” Kaius laughed. “Enjoy.” He tossed his friend his share of the spoils, smiling as Porkchop leapt up to snatch it out of the air. A second later it was gone.

“What? Not going to savour it?” Kaius teased.

Porkchop simply moaned in bliss and rolled onto his back. With a shake of his head Kaius turned back to the rest of his spoils. Unbuckling his potion pouch, he slid his newest tonics home, adding the coins to the rearmost slot to join the rest. Another ten depths-silver to his name.

Kaius hopped off the plinth, grunting as he bent his knees slightly to soften the shock of the chest height drop. Sitting down next to his new armour, he turned his head to Porkchop.

“Well, since you are enjoying yourself so much, and I have a new set of armour, I’m going to work on getting Appraise.”

“I’ll keep watch.” Porkchop groaned, rolling on to his stomach to face the entrance to the catacombs.

Turning his attention back to his prize, Kaius began the burdensome process of saturating his eyes with mana. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was something he would have to grow used to. He’d have to do it for every other skill he needed for True Sight from here on out.

His head started to ache, eyes watering as the volatile energy he syphoned from his soul saturated the delicate flesh. He stared at the scalemail with the desire- no, the need- to learn more. To peer into the secrets the system kept hidden.

He got the notification.

**Ding! General Skill Available! Would you like to learn: Appraise (Uncommon)?**

With a whoop of success, Kaius used his new skill on the scalemail.

Serelian Scalemail Cuirass:

Uncommon - Tier I

Knight of Sereli, don your armour. War is at the gates, your duty is at hand. Raise your sword high, your spirit aloft. Know that we are with you. Know that our steel guards you. Our magic infuses you. Trust in your armour, Knight, and it will see you through this darkest eve.

Forged from a Heilomite-Steel alloy, this scalemail armour was standard issue for the mage-breaker knights of Sereli. Designed to be light and mobile even for medium armour, it provides significant physical and arcane protection without unduly hampering movement.

Depths-wrought Artefact

Medium Armour (Cuirass)

Durability II, Magic Resistance I, Self Repair I,

Kaius grinned as he read the description. An Uncommon item. Unlike skills, items didn’t have a level, just a rarity and tier. At his stage of growth even Common items were a boon. Even before taking into account its enchantments, the armour would be supernaturally tough. Far more durable than the rusted chain that Porkchop had torn off him so easily.

With Durability II and Magic Resistance I? He would be far safer that he had been before. Though, it wasn’t rigid plate, so he would still have to be careful of powerful blows. Though, it would be more resistant than loose chain.

The mention of Serelia intrigued him. He’d never heard of a nation with that name before. It was another curiosity of the system, the way it referred to places that no one could find in a history book. He supposed that it could have been a place in one of the far off lands over the seas. People rarely travelled between the continents, the distance too far - the seas too treacherous- for it to be considered worth it. Kaius thought it was just as likely that the place was a simple fiction. A spun off dream of the slumbering intelligence that must control the Depths.

His eyes slid away from the armour, drifting to the reinforced leather and cloth of his pants. He’d been waiting to see what the statuses of his fathers gifts were for years.

Appraise pulled up the description of his travelling clothes.

Hunters Garb:

Common - Tier I

The wilds are a rough place ill suited to fine silks and crushed velvet. The well prepared know that the best investment is something that will withstand the rigours of hard leagues and ornery beasts.

Made from triple stitched canvas and cotton, with thick full grain beast leather covering significant vitals, this set of travelling garb bridges the gap between hard wearing clothes, and sturdy light armour. Thanks to its significant padding, it acts well as a set of under armour.

Artisan-wrought Artefact.

Light Armour/Clothing (Full Set)

Weather Resistance I, Self Clean I, Self Repair I

**Ding! Appraise has reached level 2!**

Kaius smiled. The notification held no new information for him, yet it was nice to see it confirmed that his father had seen it worthy to gift him a Common set of clothes. For all the description had mentioned fine silks, the cost of this set would have been far more than even a richly dyed and tailored formal suit, especially with the tricky Self Repair enchantment.

His sword was next. Kaius had an inkling it was most likely common as well. The blade's enchantments might have been minor, but there were several of them. Plus, with the materials and quality that it had been forged with, it was surely enough to push the weapon to the border of Uncommon.

Using Appraise on his most prized possession, Kaius pulled up the status page of his sword.

A Fathers Gift:

Common - Tier I

Forged in the dying days of Unterstern. Quenched in the fading light of prosperity. The final work of a master. Birthright of the last Scion.

A two-handed longsword, forged from meteoric iron, orichalcum, and deep essence, this sword hides a sliver of morphic Craexia crystal in its hilt. If the right conditions are met, this shard of potential may bloom. The complex network of a binding ritual is hidden under its hilt wrap.

Artisan-wrought Artefact

Growth Item

Bindable

Longsword

Honed I, Self Repair I, Durability I, Bloodline Veil V

Kaius’s mouth fell open in shock, disbelieving of the simple facts in front of his eyes. His gaze tore away from the screen, falling back to the hilt of his sword. Pulling it free of his sheath, he laid it flat across his lap. Eyes tracing the ripples of darkened metal that wove their way through the blade's edge, dancing in the soft light of the ensconced walls.

A growth item. It was… hard to believe. There was no way his father had this forged on their trip to Deadacre. His clothes, sure. But not this sword. Father had been cagey about what they were there for, and he never actually received his gifts until they were well and truly back in the forest. At the time he had just thought that it was because his father had wanted the presents to be a surprise. He’d failed on that front, there was no way they would ever take a trip to an actual city unless something major was happening.

Yet, he’d never seen where Father had gone off to whenever he was left alone to explore the markets and eateries with a pouch full of copper. No, a Growth item was a treasure, one that no smith in bloody Deadacre would have a hundredth of the skill or resources to forge.

The description… It made it sound as if Father had forged it himself. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? His father had always implied he was an inscriptionist? Though, with his injuries preventing him from using his class skills, he’d never actually seen Father’s chosen profession. He well could have been a runesmith, it wouldn’t be close to the first thing he’d held to his chest.

Father must have forged it when he was only a babe. Before he was crippled. Before whatever fate that had sundered the Unterstern dynasty had forced him to flee. But for him to be strong enough, skilled enough, to forge a Growth item? They were as rare as dragon teeth! Kaius had only heard of them as rare drops from deep within the Depths, with only a prized few being Artisan-Wrought. Magnum Opuses one and all, the culmination of a body of work for once in a century crafters.

For Father to be among their number, he would have had to be far stronger than he had let on. At least late in the second tier, if not the third. Far stronger than Kaius had ever seen evidence of. He’d always assumed that Hastur had been roughly at the hundredth level , not triple, or quadruple that. Whatever affliction that had disabled him so thoroughly must have been potent indeed. He remembered the strange frustrated expressions that slipped out on the few occasions he had ever seen Father truly move. No, he doubted that whatever curse had been laid on him hadn’t solely affected his class.

Father must have been hamstrung, cut off from the full effect of his stats. To be reduced so thoroughly must have eaten at him. Gratitude washed over Kaius. The sacrifices his father must have made in order ensure their safety would have been immense. Who gives a bloody growth item as a birth gift to their son?

They were truly superlative items. Capable of being bound to a person's status. The more they were used, the more resources, magic, and materials were funnelled into them, the better they got. It meant never having to replace the gear. Hastur had always told him, as one grew stronger and stronger, finding weapons that wouldn’t shatter at the first blow became almost impossible. Suitable drops were rare and dangerous to pursue, and powerful enough smiths had wait lists decades long. Let alone the cost.

Such artisans were practically celebrities. Hell, even living in the Sea and only visiting isolated frontier villages a few times a year he had still heard of some. Yuriel the Black. Ironhand of Mount Dyrn.

Kaius’s focus returned to the description of his sword, chewing on his lip. How could Father be amongst their number?

If Father had been a grandmaster runesmith, why had he not heard the name of Unterstern whispered anywhere? To have such an artisan assaulted, his dynasty vanquished? There would have been an uproar. It would have been the subject of talk and speculation for decades. Yet, Kaius had not heard a peep.

Too many questions.

Not enough answers.