Chapter 14

Deeds. Right, I forgot.

Upgrading and testing his Skill had occupied him entirely. So much he almost forgot about his Deeds.

“Claim Deeds!” Hakon called out.

At first, nothing happened. He stood in silence for several seconds, waiting for a message or a change to occur, but nothing came. Until the mist returned. It surged toward him from all directions, gathered before Hakon, and coalesced into…something. Two things.

One shape resembled a large, gnarly pole. Possibly a branch or root. One end was wider than the other, but the dense mist concealed as if uncertain whether Hakon would like it or not.

The second shape was much easier to depict. It appeared to be a small figurine. It was the size of Hakon and radiated power that seeped through the mist, dispersing it prematurely. Small spiraling symbols and crude shapes resembling Acidic Beetles were still etched on the weathered wood unraveling before his eyes as the mist faded.

Hakon gasped, his eyes growing wide as he took in the beauty of the hand-sized object resting on the ground before him. He kneeled down, throat tight as he inspected the sacred object that had just manifested. The grains followed the carvings of symbols and creatures like frozen smoke. Faint cracks that ran along its edges fell into his sight, like the weathered wood had survived countless fires and storms. The curse of time.

Bits of bone and bead fragments tied into shallow grooves while fine lines of silvery metal traces its surface, joining the colorful carvings, elevating them. And all guided to the center, circling an image that felt familiar, yet not.

“A Totem.” He breathed out heavily. It was not supposed to be possible, yet it was.

Hakon reached for the Totem, hands trembling. His fingers coiled tenderly around the Totem, half-expecting the Ancestors to fool him. To make fun of him. Yet, they did not.

[Totem has been detected and examined. Acidic Beetle Runeskin has been discovered.]

[Do you wish to bind Acidic Beetle Runeskin?]

His first instinct was to scream ‘Yes’. Alas, the Ancestors did not allow such a thing.

[Warrior’s soul is not ready. Reach the 1st Ascension to bind your first Runeskin.]

The Totem did contain a Runeskin! Hakon swallowed hard. It was an unexpected gain for a Lesser Deed. But considering its condition, it may not be as useful as he thought.

His initial excitement diminished greatly as he inspected the Totem from up close. Nature’s wrath and the curse of time had worn the Totem out.

“The Totem is small, and so is the Runeskin.” He mused, fingers tracing the silvery metal and symbols that circled around the image of the Acidic Beetle’s spit. Or whatever the yellowish mass was supposed to show.

The image was small and not as detailed as the Runeskins of his father and the stronger Barbarians he’d seen fight.

“A Minor Runeskin, at most. Probably Lesser.”

Now that Hakon’s excitement was replaced by reverence for the Ancestors’ gift, but mostly curiosity and deep thoughts, he appraised the Totem from another perspective.

It was made of wood. Wood that contained no Lifeblood.

Mana, He corrected himself before using [Mana Sense].

“It has some mana. Not a lot though.”

The etchings were also not as beautiful. Hakon had seen a few Totems before. How could he not have with a chieftain as father? One way or another, it was not rare for Totems to be the size of a hand. Many powerful Totems were larger, but some of the mightiest Totems were even smaller, their etchings of terrifying detail.

This Totem had none of that. It was small, damaged, and didn’t look all that impressive.

“A Lesser Runeskin.” He grimaced and froze as another message popped up.

[Skill [Inspection] has been learned.]

A laugh filled the vicinity.

“I knew it!” Hakon hollered, “That is the path you have chosen for me, have you not, Ancestors?!”

Studying the corpses had been more than worth it!

Curious, he used the new Skill on the totem.

[Acidic Beetle Totem
Runeskin – Acid Shot(Lesser)]

While better than nothing, it was not his first choice. Many would beg to differ, but a Runeskin’s image carried clues to the powers it grafted on to the body. A glob of beetle spit did not hold a promise of gargantuan power.

“Is Acid Shot as potent as the beetle’s spit in the Fracture or as weak as the ones from outside?” He wondered, unable to hide his curiosity.

Alas, curiosity would not feed him. Even if the Runeskin was as potent as the Fracture’s beetle, it would only be a little useful. Runeskins were permanent, and while legends say Runeskins could be improved, not even the chieftain managed to upgrade his Runeskins. It was only a legend, after all.

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Hakon hadn’t expected the Ancestors to reward him with a Totem, so he should not be disappointed. But how could he not? He was rewarded with a Totem and couldn’t use it. Not if he planned to bind a better Runeskin for his 1st Ascension.

The tribes were not allowed to help young warriors acquire their first Runeskins. Fair trades were acceptable as long as they were acknowledged, but even that was frowned upon in many tribes. Taskur was strict but the chieftain acknowledged that the Ancestors would sometimes fool young warriors with Runeskins that were of little use. Or maybe it was just that the warriors could not comprehend the Ancestors’ will. That they did not want to follow the guidance the Ancestors offered.

Regardless, Acid Shot was not something Hakon desired. Although it would surely help him in the Battle of Generation. He was likely to be the only one with a Runeskin if he bound Acid Shot for his 1st Ascension.

Putting the Totem safely away in his makeshift bag, Hakon turned to the other reward. He already had his suspicions when it coalesced before him, but now that the mist dispersed, he was certain.

A weapon. Or…monster part. Depending on how one looked at it, it could be both.