B4 Chapter 425: Return to Deadacre, pt. 3

Sitting with his eyes closed, Kaius frowned as he did his best to shove all distractions from his mind.

He’d left breakfast a little earlier than the rest, heading back to their rooms to make an attempt at cycling. It wasn’t the first time he’d done it since exiting the crucible — not by a long shot — but it was the first since his fight with Old Yon and his men; since he’d learned more about his father’s killer.

While he hadn’t felt much of the deep resonance that Xenanra had said would precede valuable opportunities to cycle, it felt important. The kind of thing impactful enough that it should have made some difference.

The soft crackle of the fire and the gentle, muffled hubbub of the common room below faded from his awareness as he focused fully on his soul space. Leveraging the grasp that authority had given him over his aura and his internal world, Kaius willed the trio of fires of his aspects to flare. They brightened quickly, merging into a singular pyre that stretched between them. Essence moved to his command, cycling through each of his pillars before drifting down to merge with his body and soul.

Yet, just like every other time, the difference was minuscule. Oh, he could feel it — the way his essence suffused him, his Animus, Mentis, and Corporus moulding them from the inside out. His aspects drank at his essence hungrily, parched as they were. Yet his generation was still low.

According to the system, his refinement was still of a wooden grade, and the progress he had made in the weeks since leaving the crucible made him feel like it might take years to reach the end of refinement. Hells, he had yet to even hit any of the bottlenecks that would come as his refinement moved through each stage.

At the very least, each aspect seemed to progress in lockstep. No longer did they act like individuals, but as a unified whole — a triad representation of his deepest self. Through his focus, he heard the deep, bassy sounds of heavyset footsteps approaching — Porkchop ascending the stairs. With his bulk, even the mild sound-dampening inscriptions in Hensch’s rooms weren’t enough to fully block it out. Sighing, Kaius relaxed his authority, allowing the fires of his aspects to simmer down to comparative embers. He turned as the rest of his team opened the door to their private common room, still laughing over a shared joke.

“Gods, did you see that fox? I swear it thought you were going to eat it,” Kenva said, smiling as she shook her head.

Porkchop only snorted. “It is understandable. It’s a Deep Oak Fox. They’re native to the Sea. No doubt it has many an instinct telling it to steer clear of my kind.”

Kaius cocked an eyebrow. He hoped Porkchop hadn’t been terrorising any poor sod’s bonded beast. “And what trouble have you gotten up to in the short half-hour I’ve left the three of you alone?”

“I didn’t do anything, I promise,” Porkchop said, crossing the room to settle down next to the flames.

“He actually didn’t, this time,” Ianmus said, when Kaius gave his brother a disbelieving look. “We were just finishing our breakfast when some delvers new to the city wandered in — Mystral, judging from the accent I heard. One of them was some sort of ranger or survivalist with a bonded companion, a Deep Oak Fox, as Porkchop said. It was happy as could be. Ran in like it damn near owned the place. Started trying to tug at Yan’s tail and everything.”

That didn’t surprise him. While he wasn’t familiar with that particular type of fox-beast, he knew the mundane type well, and they were tricksters at the best of times. “What happened then?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Kenva said. “The damn thing just looked over and saw Porkchop, yelped like it’d seen the spectre of death itself, and then spent the rest of its time hidden inside its master’s cloak.”

“I hope the ranger didn’t mind,” Kaius replied. It would have been unfortunate to make a bad impression on fellow delvers they’d be sharing the Dusty Stables with, even if only in the short term.

“Oh, he was fine,” Porkchop said, sly mirth sliding across their bond.

Kaius groaned. There was no way that little encounter had been as simple as a fox getting a fright. “What happened?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Porkchop replied. “It’s not my fault the man recognised what I was.”

Ianmus nodded. “Honestly, it’s a miracle you slipped under the radar as long as you did. Anyone familiar enough with the Arboreal Sea to bond with a Deep Oak Fox would recognise a Meles.”

Kaius frowned. While it was true that it was mostly dumb luck that let them slip under the radar, those who braved the depths of his childhood home were few and far between, and those familiar enough with the Greater Meles to recognise one on sight were rarer still. “There was no trouble, I hope?” Kaius asked.

“None at all,” Porkchop replied. “He was a little deferential, but I told him it wasn’t quite public knowledge yet — though if he was sticking around, there’d be a Guild announcement soon enough.”

“How did your attempt at cycling go?” Kenva asked. Lounging in one of the overstuffed chairs, she kicked her legs up over the armrest and gave him an inquisitive look.

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As much as he would have loved to tell them it was impactful, it would have been a lie. “About as well as most of our other attempts,” he said. “A little bit of progress, but nothing major.”