Chapter 2: The Great Depths

Bubbles swirled around him, colossal forces pulling him from every direction. Water surrounded him on all sides, stabbing with an icy chill. Weighing him down, soaking his travelling clothes. He tried to kick, to force his way upwards. Agonising heat shot through his leg, the limb flapping ineffectively.

It was broken.

He was going to drown.

Fighting to move, he tried to discern which way was up even as he was thrown and twisted around by the currents.

His vision started to tunnel; a deep burning ache settling into his lungs.

I’m going to drown.

Still he struggled, Rapid Adaptation fighting to keep the fear at bay.

The faintest hint of a scintillating glow rose up from the depths, too blue to be the surface, growing brighter as he was forced down by the hammerblow of water from the falls.

It was forgotten in his all-consuming need for air.

The black closed in.

Then…nothing.

He was falling again.

Back hit stone. Hard. His head smacked into the ground with a crack that he felt in his teeth. He heard water hit the ground with a splash, drenching his surroundings. The sharp pain rose him to full wakefulness – a cough and a splutter forced out the water in his lungs, leaving him retching.

Pushing his sopping hair out of his eyes he looked around, shocked at his continued survival. Eyes adjusted to a soft light, far dimmer than the sun he was used to, though still more than enough to see by. He was in a damp cavern, the lighting immediately explained by a thin patchy coating of phosphorescent moss. Roots speared through the light intermittently, bursting through stone and moss alike.

It smelled horrible.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing at the pain in his leg. Ever the useful skill, Rapid Adaptation prevented the pain from paralysing him, but it did not remove it.

Evidently it hadn’t been enough time for his Health to regenerate his wound.

Looking over the cavern floor, Kaius spotted an impressive number of fish carcases in varying states of decomposition. “That explains the smell.”

Eyes widened as he realised he had no idea if his gear had been ripped off him in his fall. Training took over, his hands searching for the presence of his pack and longsword. Both had a variety of minor enchantments, so they would have been undamaged by the water. If they stayed attached to him in the violent turbulence of the waterfall.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt both the hilt of his sword at his waist and the top of his pack peaking over his back.

“Small miracle, that. More importantly though, where in the hells am I?”

He looked to the ceiling where he must have fallen from, confused by the lack of water. Kaius quickly found his answer in the form of a dull circle of runes inscribed in the ceiling. He recognised them from his father’s lessons. He’d had it hammered into him that they were to be avoided at all costs, at least until he was ready.

A portal to the Great Depths. One whose counterpart had ripped him across space to deposit him here.

With impeccable timing the System thrust a notification in front of his face,

**Welcome to the Great Depths.**

Layer: 2

Biome: Overgrown Graves

Kaius groaned as he read the message.

“Fuck. Layer two though. It could be worse.”

Being on the second layer of the dungeon meant he would be facing monsters with an average level range of ten to twenty. Not the worst, certainly within his capabilities if he was slow, meticulous, and incredibly careful.

It wasn’t that that worried him however. It was one of the reasons his father had impressed on him to avoid the Depths if he ever stumbled on an entrance. A tongue-lashing he had received after getting a little too curious about the glowing circles that dotted the forest above.

Firstly that the entrances were one way – and once used would not be usable again for a period of time that could range from a few minutes to months.

Once in, you had no way of knowing how long it would be until you could receive assistance. Which didn’t matter if the portal you fell through was at the base of a fucking waterfall!

The lesson had only one other component. There was only one way out of the Depths. You had to slay one of the Guardians that defended a portal to the surface and a portal deeper. You could traverse laterally. Moving through biomes to find a favourable match up. But you had to kill a Guardian.

Something no unclassed had survived. Ever. Not even on the first layer.

Monstrous beyond compare, the Guardians had a far higher level than the layer average, with far more power per level than a common Depths-born. They even had access to class skills. His father said trying to face them was practically suicide unless you were with a full team of appropriate levelled Delvers.

Kaius slumped backwards onto the damp stone.

“No problem. I’ve just got to make history if I want to survive.” He put his head in his hands.

Still, he was breathing. He had his gear. His training. If he was careful, the danger of the Depths should aid him in acquiring and levelling the skills he needed to create the legacy skills he was aiming for. They were a significant force multiplier, and if he managed all ten before his class selection, he should get offered quite the selection of classes. With a class and a few levels under his belt, it might be enough.

He would just have to survive the two years until his class selection. Alone. In the Depths. Fuck.

“Okay, immediate plans. Set up a safe base of operations. Father said monsters wouldn’t come into entrance rooms, so I’m safe for now. It might take him a few weeks, but he will find this entrance when he deals with the bandits.”

Stuck in place for the foreseeable future, Kaius reverted to his training. His leg still ached from the fall and the arrow wound, but at the least it was no longer broken thanks to the regenerative properties of his Health.

Step one would be assessing his status and how long his recovery would take. Realistically, a few hours at the most. Then, scouting and securing a lasting source of food and water. Based on the biome name he would most likely be facing a mix of undead types and beast types. Or undead beasts, which could cause an issue.

Long term he would just have to sit tight, work on his training, and wait for his father.

“If he even survives the bandits…” the thought came unbidden.

Kaius tried to force the fear out of his mind, leaning on his skill to drive off its paralysing grip on his throat. Hastur, Father, would be fine. He was strong. In all their years of sparring, Kaius had never even come close to besting him. Even now he was a man grown with a Unique weapons skill, Father still trounced him easily. After all, he had the same skill at a far higher level, and had far more stats to boot.

Hells, the hunters in the frontier villages that bordered the Sea tipped him their hats in a deference they showed no others.

“But if he had a flare up..” The last one happened just yesterday. A wracking fit of coughs and muscle spasms that had left him gasping and weak for hours.

Kaius scrunched his eyes shut.

“Status and survival first.” he thought, letting out a slow and steady breath to calm himself.

Status:

Name: Kaius

Dynasty: Unterstern

Age: 18

Class Selection: 1 Year, 49 weeks, 6 days

Level: N/A

Race: Human (Dynastic) – +1 free stats per level

Layer Reached: 2

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Resources:

Health – 0/200 (2/min)

Stamina – 86/190 (2/min)

Mana – 120/120 (2/min)

Stats:

Endurance – 20

Vitality- 20

Strength – 19

Dexterity – 20

Intelligence – 12