B2 Chapter 171: The First Job pt 2.

Flicking his eyes back to the hulking brute of an arachnid that lay nestled in the crown of an oak, Kaius pondered their assault. The garish white and yellow of its carapace took on a new meaning now that he had seen its description. Danger.

A welcome one, that could springboard their growth if they approached this battle right, but one that would also take care in how they handled the fight. This would be as fierce as fighting the Champions had been, he could feel it. That same prickling intensity of heightened awareness was present, the sensation of every facet of his being coming alive, zapping him with tiny jolts, right down to his bones.

Veiled Assassin Spider- Level 81:

Beast, Ambusher, Elite

Level eighty-one was an extreme jump, but he thought they could manage. At least, he and Porkchop could. Between their heroic classes and Honours, they were gaining an average of fourteen stats per level, let alone their flat bonuses. While he didn’t know exactly what being an Elite meant for their opponent—other than the few elites they had faced in the Depths being stronger than their levels had implied, much like the Champions and Guardian—he had to assume that it did not have a massive edge on them as far as pure statistics went.

Skills too, while it almost certainly had them handedly trounced on the basis of levels, he and Porkchop without a doubt held the advantage in quality.

Their resident mage on the other hand… Ianmus was fucked if they let the spider reach him.

It was worth the risk. While there was no guarantee of there being an Honour waiting for them if they won, Kaius thought the chances were pretty good. He already had an Honour for slaying an enemy thirty five levels above him as an unclassed, and as far as he knew no one in the first tier fought things that far above them, not even with a large team. Such a gap, against an elite, in what the system would consider a team of two? Before they’d even reached level fifty? That was exactly the sort of feat of strength that he could see the system rewarding.

That honour was vital, not just for growing his own personal might, but to bind Ianmus closer to his cause.

Kaius’s mind raced, trying to figure out how he could get Ianmus to commit to the assault. With the way both he and Porkchop were staring at him expectantly, waiting for his response, he knew he only had a couple of moments before suspicions started.

“I need you to back me on this. No questions, just follow my lead.” Kaius pushed through his link with Porkchop. Without waiting for his brother’s response, he turned to Ianmus.

“We must do this. I cannot explain, not right now, but this fight just became far more valuable to us, you included.” Kaius said, an intense fire illuminating the gold-flecked-green of his eyes.

Ianmus grunted, biting his lip as he struggled against the lethargic chill of dread that washed over him. “How bad is it?” he whispered.

“Eighty-one, elite.” Kaius said calmly, his full attention on his ally. He watched the wave of horror wash over the man’s features, before he visibly bore down on the gut reaction, suppressing his fear with a will honed by the rigours of battle and study.

Ianmus paused, taking a slow breath to collect himself. “Kaius. If anyone else dared to suggest they wanted to fight an elite as a team of three I would think them foolish. If they wanted to do the same thing while outlevelled close to three times over, I would think them certifiably insane.” the half-elf turned to the third member of their little group. “What of you, Porkchop. Have you succumbed to insanity as well? I would not think of one of the meles to take such a foolish gambit.”

Porkchop snorted. “Then you do not know my people well, elfling. Regardless, I know what my brother intends, and it is a worthy risk. Not to mention it is a risk that is far less fraught than you realise.”

Stepping forwards, Kaius clasped Ianmus on the shoulder, willing his certainty and confidence to flow into the man, for him to absorb some of the boundless hunger that he felt building within him by the second. “Please, Ianmus. Trust me. This is not some delusion of invulnerability sung into existence by my lust for battle. I will not pretend I do not feel it, the hunger to throw myself at such a great beast, but it is not why.”

Ianmus met his gaze, searching his face for an answer. “Then what, Kaius? Because from here it is the only reasonable explanation.”

As Ianmus spoke, his voice grew more incensed, words blurring together with a pleading vigour as he tried to make Kaius see reason. “It’s a bloody elite! A stronger baseline than its common brethren, charged with unnatural amounts of mana by accident or right of birth. Better skills, more power, and worse, a better bloodline, which means more stats on top of everything else. How. Could. You. Possibly. Win.” drawing close, Ianmus punctuated every word with a jabbing finger that rattled Kaius’s scale male with every impact.

A flutter of annoyance welled within Kaius. That was enough of that, frustration and fear was no reason to be rude. When Ianmus tried to poke him again he twitched. That was all it took, with the growing influence of his bond skill, his reforged beast blood, and over a hundred points of dexterity, his hand all but portalled to grab Ianmus’s own.

Ianmus stopped, stock still as he looked at Kaius’s hand in shock. His jaw hung open.

Kaius held his allies hand steady for a moment, before he slackened his grip and snapped his hand back to his side faster than he knew Ianmus would be able to track. The mage blinked, slowly. Staring at him dumbfounded, Ianmus looked to his outstretched finger, then to Kaius’s hand, then back again.

“How?” Ianmus finally whispered. “You shouldn’t be able to move like that. It’s not possible. You shouldn’t have the stats, or the base to reach that speed, let alone control it.”

Before he could answer the man, Porkchop stepped in. “Not impossible, just with methods forgotten and recently discovered both. You say you have seen our hidden strength. Ianmus, you have misunderstood us. We have been holding back. Perhaps not to the extent of hiding everything, but you have not seen us truly pressed.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Pausing to digest his brother’s words, Ianmus let out a heavy breath and rested his forehead on his staff, staring at the hard packed dirt of the road beneath them. A moment later he looked back up, right into Kaius’s eyes.

“Can you promise this is not some crazed delusion? That there is a good, logical and concrete reason to pursue this reckless madness?” Ianmus pleaded, watching him closely. “Can you promise that we will not end up dead?”

“There is a reason. A good one, other than the sheer amount of levels we will be rewarded with for success. A more obscure reward, by no means guaranteed, but one that seems to fit the general sorts of criteria that I have seen for others. It is worth the risk of death.” Kaius replied, the stalwart iron of his conviction and certainty reverberating through his voice.

Looking back at the assassin spider, he watched it shift in its nest, uncaring of their halted steps. It was confident, he could tell. Utterly convinced that people of their nominal power would be unable to pierce its illusion. Waiting patiently for its next meal to come.

Ianmus continued to stare at him, searching his face for answers as he leaned heavily on the bonds of trust they had started to forge in the weeks they had spent together on the road. Kaius knew he was asking much, but this was the life he had promised himself he would live. Companions were needed, that much was true, but only if they could prove they could keep up.

He met the half-elf’s gaze, watching him with equal intensity. Now was the moment. Where Ianmus would prove he had the mettle and gumption to willingly fall to the insanity, the heat, of the Song. Would he willingly dive into the crucible that would eventually see him reforged? Would he prove that he had what it took to climb towards the peak, even if it required crawling on shattered limbs and wading through agony?

Or would he cower and break?