B3 Chapter 280: Re:Depths, pt. 1

Kaius stumbled as twisted space thrust him across the threshold that separated the world above from the Depths below. First through the breach, he heard the sounds of his team behind him a fraction of a second later.

**Welcome to the Great Depths**

Layer: 25

Biome: Temple-palace of Hyythenal

He blinked away the notification that thrust itself upon his vision with eager insistence.

The room was unlike anything he had seen before. Though, that in and of itself was rather normal for the twisting warrens and shifting biomes of the great dungeon complex that stretched beneath the entirety of his world.

They were in a throne room of some sort, light sandy stone having been used to construct a a massive space. Arriving on some sort of raised dais at one end of the room, Kaius looked directly down a corridor made of carved columns that supported the ceiling far above—his eyes directed naturally to an immense door of stone.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the inscrutable runes of a system formation set into its surface. Their entrance room was sealed—they were safe until they made their exit.

Such a blessing was by no means a sure thing at this deep of a layer, the environments growing far tougher and less forgiving as you moved further down.

Stepping forwards, he swept his gaze across the space—only to wrinkle his nose in displeasure as his sodden trousers suctioned themselves uncomfortably to his leg. He was still utterly drenched from the quick jaunt him and his team had taken in the river that surrounded this delve.

A small price to pay, to escape from the army of beasts that had pursued them, and to make it more difficult for their captors to pick up their tail—if they were tracking them, that is. Conte and Torvin, the second tiers that had been the leaders of their prison, had looked a sorry sight after he had beaten them to the point they had to flee.

Turning his attention back to their surroundings, Kaius poured over the many engravings that covered the stone wall—easily visible, thanks to the many flaming braziers that littered the room. For how richly wrought they looked, he was surprised at the simplicity of their craft. Simple scenes of unknown beings and monsters, chiselled into the soft stone.

The braziers were odd too—only the most impoverished homes made use of simple fire instead of wardstones for lighting, and whatever place this had been modelled off had clearly been used for some sort of important purpose.

Other than the permanence of that which had been wrought in stone, the room was totally empty—though a suspiciously thick layer of dust stretched to the door, as if some carpet had once lain there.

All in all, it was a far nicer welcome to this particular den of horrors than he had received last time. A damp cave filled with the decaying remnants of fish was not exactly the most pleasant place—at least here they could rest and prepare, before facing the worst of what the delve had to offer.

The thought of rest prompted him. Turning back, Kaius gave his team a nod—one and all inspecting the room with much the same curiosity he had—before he analysed the dark circle of runes they had just paced through.

Great Depths Portal: Locked – 10 daysLayer: 25Biome: Temple-palace of Hyythenal (unexplored)

Stark relief relaxed some of the remnant tension in his shoulders. Over a week. That was perfect. More than enough time for them to properly decompress from the discomforts of imprisonment they had endured over the last month—more in Kenva’s case.

It was more than a creature comfort. This delve would be a lethal threat, and ensuring they tackled its challenges with fresh minds and unified purpose would be as important to their survival as taking the time to consolidate their most recent gains.

They needed that time. Not only did he have a spell and formation to chose, he still had to form his Corporus Aspect—the fire of the pillar burning with the heat of yearning within his soulspace.

It would have to wait. Kenva had suggested an oath, and a sharing of tales would be just what they needed to start forging the bonds of trust and understanding that would be vital to their survival in the face of the danger that waited for them.

That, and it would be a strong head start if any of Old Yon’s men did end up trying to follow them. Kaius suspected their flight would not be as clean and dry as he hoped—especially not with two second tiers under the man’s employ having escaped. He knew almost nothing of the crime lord’s capabilities, nor what resources and men he could pull from.

All he knew was that he had some connection, in some form, to the Onyx Temple—and they were a beast with a large reach indeed. His sworn enemies, though they may not know it yet.

Still, at least he could count on their mixed blessing of finding a portal that lead to such an extreme depth. They would be facing unknown and deadly monsters with a level range of two-forty to two-fifty, and the Champions and Guardians would be both higher level and far stronger than the average Depths born.

Dangerous indeed, which would hamper all but the most capable pursuers from following them. Unfortunately, that applied just as much to them. With the extreme level disparity, they would need to take things slowly—isolate and eliminate the denizens of this place in as small a number as possible.

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Thankfully, their own levels were likely to rise at an unprecedented rate. With their Honours, the gap would close quickly, and they would be in a perfect position to firm up their foundations for the first tier—and seek more of the system’s rewards for completing difficult feats.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Kenva did not quite agree with him about their capabilities as a group.

Overcoming her shock at the sudden transition, the aen ranger seemingly remembered her original reticence at entering the delve.

She whirled, pointing her finger at him. “You! What were you thinking, picking a portal like this? Treating a place of such danger so casually that you could laugh? What is wrong with you?” her words were hoarse, and her eyes wide—driven more by uncertainty than simple anger.

He could understand that. In all of the vagaries of their discussions while they were captured, he had never given Kenva a clear description of their strength and abilities. Even if she knew he was strong, he doubted that she could fully comprehend the extent of his strength. Beyond his stats, which she would no doubt underestimate, his—and Porkchop’s—skills were unreasonably strong for their level.