B3 Chapter 298: Rematch, finale

**Ding! level 245 Ruinbringer – Waiting Death slain – Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!**

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**Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached level 120 > 124!**

**+3 End, Str, & Int, +2 Dex, Wil, +1 Vit, Free – from Class & Racial Traits!**

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**Ding! Class skill available for selection!**

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The chimes finally came. Kaius yanked his blade free from the carcass of the ruinbringer, a steady stream of ichor falling as the flat of his blade ground against the hardened and abrasive edge of the hole in its carapace.

Pending skill increase notifications and his waiting class skill were left where they were, an awareness at the back of his mind he would have time for later.

Plunging his sword into the desert sand, he bent over and just allowed himself to breathe, feeling his body recover swiftly as his stamina revitalised aching muscles and soothed his lungs. Around him, he could hear his team groaning out their own complaints at their fatigue.

He grinned at the sand, enjoying the soft glow of victory. Another skill, and their second victory in the Depths, this one coming with less injury than last time. Porkchop had been beat to the hells and back, and the scorpion had managed to break more than a few of his ribs when it had body slammed him with desperate fury — not to mention the ragged holes its spines had left in his chest and stomach — but they’d managed to halve their close brushes with death!

Once they’d removed its pincers and tails, the scorpion had been limited to blind fury and clumsy swings of its locked up claws.

Still, it was a heavily armored second tier beast and he wasn’t bent over with sweat on his brow for nothing. Looking up, he eyed the oozing piles of liquid and organs that spread free of the dozens of seeping holes in the scorpion’s carcass; some of them as large as his head. The beast just hadn’t wanted to go down. Hells, he’d seen undead in better states by the time it died.

It was like fighting the drake all over again.

The next time he saw Ro he’d need to thank her for her warning that monsters wouldn’t stay so easy to kill at higher levels. While he hadn’t quite expected it to be this severe, without it he would have likely taken risks to secure a ‘killing’ blow — something that easily could have left him maimed when it didn’t work.

Their performance gave him confidence. While they were nowhere near ready to fight entire legions of monsters, this fight had proven that they could work together to pick apart and eliminate a stronger enemy.

It was a cohesion that would only grow, and with a few more levels under their belt he couldn’t wait to see what they could accomplish — how deep they could push in pursuit of greater strength.

That was for the future though. He had a skill to pick.

Straightening up, Kaius lay a hand on his pommel and saw the satisfied smiles on his teammate’s faces. Even Kenva, who had previously been more than a little wary of the dangers of the twenty-fifth layer.

“Alright folks, great job — love the improvements, we’ve gone from two partial disembowelments to one!” he said with a grin and clapped, drawing eyerolls from his team.

Clapping Porkchop on the back, he nodded towards the shimmering dome that Kenva and Ianmus stood under. His War Haven. Regardless of their gains, leaving before they had recovered their spent resources would be a fool’s choice, and the barrier would give them at least some protection while they rested.

“How’s your chest?” he asked, eying the bloodsoaked holes in his brother’s under armour.

Porkchop chuffed, shaking his head. “Fine — it’s all healed now. I had plenty of time to recover after you filled it full of Nails.”

“Better than risking one of the squishies.” he gave Porkchop a wink.

“True. Still a little boring though.”

Shaking his head with a smile, he caught Kenva giving him an odd look.

“Do they always do that? Just walk around silently making faces at each other?” she said to Ianmus, blatantly loud enough for Kaius to hear.

“All the time. It makes Kaius look more than a little mad when he’s walking around Deadacre.” Ianmus locked eyes with him and grinned.

Kaius paused. He didn’t really do that, did he? It wasn’t like people went around staring at him for laughing at ghosts only he could see. Feeling a heat rising on his cheeks, he heard his backline laugh goodnaturedly and gave them a half grin.

Stepping into his War Haven felt like tepid water running down the back of his neck as the barrier rippled to let him pass effortlessly.

“Alright, did either of you get your next skill?”

Both Ianmus and Kenva shook their heads. A shame — it would have been fantastic if they could each unlock something new. Still, it wouldn’t be long before the gap between them started to equalise. Another scorpion, maybe two at most. Definitely before they moved to the next biome at least.

Kaius gave them a nod, unceremoniously plopping himself down onto the sand. It stung his palms with its heat, but it was a pleasant burn after such an extended bout of swordplay.

“I suppose it’ll just be me and Porkchop then — give me a moment to check how my skills have progressed, and I’ll see what I’ve been offered,” he said, before turning his attention to the gentle tugging of his notifications.

His skill increases almost jumped into his vision, like they’d been under pressure after building up since he’d last checked.

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**Ding! Class Skill Notifications Consolidated!**

**Latent Glyph of Drakthar has reached level 139 > 141!**

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**Initiates Glyphic Bladerite has reached level 110 > 113!**

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**Latent Glyph of Aelina has reached level 125!**

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**Mystic’s Rend has reached level 88 > 93!**

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**Latent Glyph of Vyrthane has reached level 2 > 5!**

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**Sigil of Vesryn’s Pact has reached level 5!**

**General Skill Notifications Consolidated!**

**Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo has reached level 146 > 147!**

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**Explorer’s Toolkit has reached level 108 > 109!**

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**Resonance Amplification has reached level 100 > 104!**

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**Uncanny Dodge has reached level 134 > 138!**

Seeing the growth of his abilities laid out so plainly brought a simple smile of satisfaction to his face. Nearly half of his general skills had already been capped, and he was progressing nicely with the vast majority of others.