Chapter 99: Unexpected, But More Than Welcome

Kaius stood rooted to the spot, looming over the shattered remnants of the cat-like abomination he had just slain. He couldn’t take his eyes off the system notification that he had just received. Another Honour.

“Did you get that too?” Porkchop asked, his voice quiet as it crossed their link.

“…Yeah.” Kaius replied, breaking the silence in the room.

Then it all hit at once. Excitement raced through him, shooting like lightning through his spine as he let out a loud laugh. He sheathed his sword, spinning around and tackling Porkchop, who chittered in joy and wriggled out of his grip to pin him to the ground.

“We did it!” Kaius said, panting as he gave up on trying to push Porkchop off his ribs. Thank the gods they had finished healing, or he would be hurting.

“We did!” Porkchop replied. “But I thought it would be ten? That was only nine right?”

Kaius laughed again, unable and unwilling to suppress his sheer joy. “We just guessed! But get off now, you’re so fat I can barely breathe.”

Porkchop snorted, but shuffled off of him.

Kaius pushed himself up into a sitting position. “I’m gonna check it.” He said, before pulling up the description of his latest gain, as Porkchop did the same.

Birds of a Blood-Soaked Feather:

Honour

Some souls blaze with a light that refuses to dim, yet most are consumed by their own fury. Those who endure rise from the ashes, tempered by trials few could withstand. Once in a lifetime such kindred spirits unite and ignite an unstoppable inferno. Rip and tear, together.

Awarded to those in a group of four or less who slay nine Champions unaided before class selection. Provides a Minute increase to Depths rewards. +5 all stats.

Bonus: For being the first in your cohort to achieve this honour reward bonus is increased to Slight, and stat bonus is increased to +8 all stats.

Kaius grinned when he saw the stat bonus. Another eight to all stats was fantastic. He could already feel the boost coursing through him. Making him tougher, faster, and think quicker. Beyond just the boost to his baseline capabilities, the increase to his Intelligence especially meant that he would be able to squeeze in another two or three charges of his Explosive Arcane Needle. A fine thing indeed, now that they were on a collision course with a Guardian.

Though he did wonder if the boost from the Honours differed in some way to the boost he had gotten from the natural treasure.

When he had put all those free points into his Endurance, it had felt like he had been dipped in acid as every structure of his body was reforged. The bonuses from his Honours had been different. More..external, some guiding force bolstering and strengthening him. Not that he was complaining, or even really knew if one was better than the other. Though he did wonder how the stat increases he would eventually get from his class would go.

Then there was the bonus to loot. In his opinion, not quite as good as the skill levelling bonus he had gotten for killing champions solo, but definitely a nice find. He hoped that it made the drops they received a little more valuable, or rarer, rather than just increasing them in quantity. Porkchop, he knew, would be unbelievably happy with it though. In fact, any second now-

“LOOT!” Porkchop yelled in excitement.

Kaius laughed.

“Thought you might like that. Think it’ll work on what we’re about to get, since we’d already killed the Champion?” He asked.

Porkchop looked at him, shocked, before his head whipped over to the iron chute set into the far corner of the roof, waiting expectantly.

Kaius shook his head at his friend’s antics. With how much the bastard liked loot, he was in for a shock the first time he saw a delver’s market. Thank the gods that greater meles weren’t all that known outside of the small communities that lived on the Arboreal Sea’s rim. He’d get fleeced by the first merchant to realise he could talk. Even as it was, Kaius was going to have to keep a tight grip on their purse strings when they left.

As they waited for their reward to drop through the chute, Kaius’s thoughts returned to the Honours they had rediscovered in their time in the Depths, and the myths he had heard about those observed by the system.

He doubted they knew all there was to know about the rewards. In the stories, the Observed were powerful. Far more powerful than you would expect for a few dozen bonus stats, not when that was only a handful or two of levels worth. He supposed that it could be explained if the Honours had allowed their holders to get more power classes than otherwise possible, but that felt a little…Simplistic.

No, he had no doubt that there was some other benefit. One that was withheld from them while they lacked a class, like so much of the system’s functionality.

Without a doubt it would be powerful, he couldn’t wait to find out what it was.

There was a clank as the iron hatch of the chute swung open. Porkchop was already on his feet and moving before whatever they had earned started to rattle its way down the opening in the ceiling. A few moments later what looked to be a flap of leather fell free of the hatch, hitting the ground with a clatter. It was quickly followed by the distinctive jingle of a coin pouch, landing next to it with a thud.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Kaius looked on in curiosity. Some kind of belt, maybe?

Porkchop leaned over, investigating the artefact. A moment later he groaned. “Another dud.”

“Oh?” Kaius asked, cocking his brow as he got to his feet and walked over.

It wasn’t a belt, but a bandolier, with a thickened section of strapping designed to comfortably and securely rest over one shoulder even over armour. On its front was a wide section of leather with three sheathed knives. They looked hiltless, with a flattened, larger-than-normal tang. Throwing knives, he realised with a smile.

He reached down, scooping up the bandolier. “Not a dud, though it’s not the best fit either.”

Porkchop looked at him in curiosity. “Why would you use knives when you have a sword?” He asked.