The silence of the tunnel was broken by the steady dripping of water, the sound amplified by the lack of any other ambient noise. The sounds of the wind, of trees rustling and animals moving about, of birds chirping, all of it was missing.

The tunnel slanted downwards, encouraging a steady trickle of water to flow into the depths. It was a slow journey; the small amounts of water gathering into pools along the uneven path, before eventually dripping down onto the next part of its journey. Over many long years, dirt and rock had washed down from the cave entrance, partially covering some of the cracks and protrusions that ran through the tunnel floor. For an adventurer, this wasn't a bad path to follow. For a Warrior though, it was a minefield of pitfalls and twisted ankles.

The cramped quarters and uneven floor and walls meant unpredictability. An attack was just as likely to hit a jutting rock as it was to hit the enemy. The protrusions rising from the ground and the chunks of random debris scattered about raised the terrain from challenging status to absolutely treacherous.

Very much aware of the challenges they faced, Silas cautiously led the way. The light from his torch pierced the darkness as he shuffled along the cramped path, carefully finding a safe spot for each foot step. He held his sword loosely in one hand, while the other clutched the torch just behind his head, trying to illuminate as much of the tunnel as he could without inadvertently blinding himself. Tramping along behind him, Katai simply followed in his footsteps, lost in his own thoughts.

How do I say it? I can't just blurt out that I have a forbidden class, he thought to himself. Now was the perfect time to ask though, when no-one else was around to overhear. He just had to do it.

“Hey uh, Silas, about my new class...fuck, I just don't know how to say this,” he paused and ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think of a way to give Silas some advance warning, “it's uh, not something the Elders would approve of?”

“Oh? Let me guess... you took up a Courtesan class?” Silas chuckled as he squeezed past a large rock.

Katai didn't respond to his friend’s joke, too intent on his own thoughts. Silas, picking up on the serious mood, responded more thoughtfully.

“You know I don't care what class you have Katai. Even if it’s something a bit dark, like a Rogue or Assassin, I'm not going to go blab to those stuck-up old prunes. They'd be questioning us for months just to satisfy their own curiosity,” said Silas, his tone unusually serious, “especially if you were a Courtesan.” he finished with a grin.

Shaking his head, Katai couldn't help but smile at his irrepressible humour. Silas wasn’t someone that could stay upset or brood for a long time, it just wasn’t in his nature. Unlike the more introspective Katai.

Well I guess there's nothing to do but blurt it out after all, he thought. Taking a deep breath, he managed to speak the words of condemnation.

“Silas, I'm… I'm a Blood Mage.”

Silas froze.

Katai watched his friend closely for a reaction. Silas however, simply stood there looking out into the darkness of the tunnel.

“Did you say Blood Mage? One of the forbidden classes?” His voice squeaked, echoing down the silent tunnel. His face was hidden from Katai, shrouded in darkness as he kept his back to his friend. He didn’t know what to think.

Silas thought back to when he’d found Katai the day before. Clutching Salah’s body, he’d been completely detached from the world around him. Silas had been in shock himself from everything that was going on - the screams and the clash of weapons. The bodies he’d stumbled across, slumped against buildings and on pathways, bloodied and broken. It had been a nightmare.

The thing that stuck out for him though, wasn’t the dead and dying. It was Katai, and the bandit that had attacked them in his home.

After delivering the deathblow, Katai had flown into a rage. He’d killed the man with a single thrust to the head, showing mercy to the brutish thug - but then he’d viciously attacked the body, stabbing it over and over again. Screaming himself hoarse, he hadn’t stopped until Silas dragged him away, having to fight him every step of the way. Absolutely covered in blood, Katai had sobbed into his arms.

It had been a disturbing glimpse into Katai’s emotions and his desire for revenge. Warranted perhaps, but disturbing, seeing his calm and collected friend acting so… savagely.

Silas shook his head at his own thoughts. It wasn’t fair to judge him in such a situation. In his shoes he’d probably have done the same, if not worse. What Katai needed now was support, not judgement. Regardless of his choices and his class, the two of them were practically brothers – he wouldn’t abandon him now.

Filled with a sense of purpose, he breathed deeply and turned to look back at Katai in the narrow tunnel. “Oh, was it a very hard unlock? I’ve always enjoyed the stories of Bur’doc.” he said, voice carefully neutral.

Katai was taken aback. This wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting, far from it. He didn’t really think Silas would make a big deal out of it, they were too close for that. But even for him, this seemed a bit…too relaxed?

“Why do you want to know - you don't want a forbidden class…do you?” His eyes widened, “and besides, Bur’doc was a murderous madman!” Katai sputtered, forgetting his words in shock. “He almost destroyed the Empire with his summoning rituals. And he enslaved thousands before his assassination! It’s meant to be a cautionary tale of what evils can be done by a Blood Mage.”

Silas seemed to relax back into his usual mirthful countenance. “Hah, of course not! That’s crazy talk...” He stared at Katai for a few moments before he gave a sheepish shrug, “Well, ok yes I wouldn’t mind one. They all sound like the most interesting classes though!” he said in a rush, “imagine finding the bones of some huge creature, long dead, and raising it using your dark powers of necromancy? You’d have the most bad-ass pet around.”

He sighed longingly, “It’s just too bad they’re forbidden. Accepting one is practically a death sentence...” His voice trailed off as he realised what he was saying. He looked at Katai with an expression of horrified realisation.

Katai also grew slightly pale at the reminder. He had known what choosing the class meant for his future, but at the time he hadn't really cared. Now that he wasn't so consumed by grief and anger… the decision to take the class seemed idiotic and incredibly short-sighted. I wouldn't have survived that first fight without it though, he thought to himself, or the battle against those wolves. Besides, that’s all in the past now, I just have to live with it.

Shaking himself from his recriminations, he looked up at Silas sombrely, a vulnerability in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“I accepted it to get revenge, you know? I didn’t think about what would happen afterwards, after we killed the bandits. I guess I didn’t care if I lived or died when I took the class.”

Silas assessed his friend in the poor light. He couldn’t make out Katai’s eyes, hidden behind his dark mop of hair, but he could see the determined set to his mouth. He didn’t look upset - he looked resolute.

“I can’t say I’m too surprised after what happened,” Silas began softly, his own expression reflecting his empathy for Katai’s situation, “but now you need to think of what happens after we return to the village. Are you going to turn yourself in, or go into hiding? Or do you think you can keep a low profile and avoid the Questers?”

Katai shrugged helplessly after considering for a while. “I don’t know yet. I… I’ll have to think about it.”

Silas nodded, a ghost of a smile crossing his face. “You know if you do decide to go into hiding, I’ll be right there with you. Apparently, a bit of adventure in the wilderness is good for you.”

Katai snorted, returning the smile with a strained one of his own. He had a lot of thinking to do, but it was a relief to have Silas on his side. The sense of building pressure he'd felt since accepting the class had lessened to a degree. It made a world of difference to have his companionship, he just hoped it wouldn’t endanger his friend. He might have to turn down his offer to come along if he had to flee.

“So, what kind of skills are we talking about then?” Silas spoke, voice calling back over his shoulder as he started walking down the slope once more. The tunnel was gradually widening, the giant crack they’d been following opening up bit by bit as they trudged deeper into the earth.

“Err...well there's three skills available. Bond of Blood allows me to use a bonded persons health to power my skills instead of my own health. The bonded gets increased health regeneration.” said Katai, carefully stepping over a loose rock that Silas had almost tripped over.

Paying more attention to his feet, Silas continued, torch held high above him to better illuminate the path. “Ok, so that sounds like it benefits both parties. Guess you'd need to be a trusting sort though.”

“Yeah, I can't imagine most people wanting to part with their health in the midst of a battle,” said Katai, “though if it was used sparingly, the health regeneration would be a boon for a Warrior.”

The tunnel widened once again, almost to the size of the entrance chamber that currently housed the villagers. The sound of boots crunching on shards of rock and squishing into clumps of dirt were the only sounds they could hear as they cautiously stepped into the wider area in front of them. Shrugging his shoulders as he detected nothing amiss, Silas headed towards the right side of the chamber, while Katai moved to the left.

“Found one,” Katai called out as he came across an opening in the rock wall.

“Me too,” Silas responded a moment later, as he rounded the far side of the cavern. They'd have to choose which tunnel to follow, or go in separate directions.

“Lunch first?” said Silas.

“Yeah, and then let’s head down a tunnel together,” Katai said, knowing his friend would agree. They'd been into a couple of cave systems after they’d gotten their Warrior classes. The older Warriors who went with them spoke of the basic rules for survival; never go alone, don't split up unless you're in a large party, keep double the food and torches you think you'll need. The caving experiences were fun, even when exploring caves that had long been mapped out.

Sitting down together on a slab of dry rock, they faced the two tunnels and opened up their packs. Taking out his rations, Katai continued the conversation. “The second skill is called Rage. It increases your strength and dexterity for a while, but reduces your intelligence, wisdom and health.”

Nodding as he considered the skills, Silas chewed on his slightly stale bread with a thoughtful expression.

“Lastly, the third skill is called Infection Miasma, which adds one or more effects like sleep or nausea, but it only works on touch.”

“Ok, so I guess one of your first skills was that wounding skill you used. What was your other selection?” said Silas.

“Yeah, it costs me health though. I still don't have any mana, like a regular Mage would,” Katai said, speaking around a mouthful of tough, dried meat, “the other skill is an active one that allows me to sense if there's anything nearby that has blood. I think it has to be something alive? Haven’t really had a chance to test it out properly.”

“Whoa! That's an incredible skill - can you sense me right now?” Silas looked at his friend with wide eyes.

Katai nodded and shrugged indifferently. “Yeah I have it active most of the time. It was difficult at first, especially when we made it to the camp near Tolman’s, but it ranked up and now I can sense maybe twenty metres in all directions?”

“What! And you didn't tell me this before we descended into a cave that could be filled with giant flesh-eating slugs? I've been on edge this whole time for nothing…” Silas said, standing up in mock outrage, voice rising now that he knew they were alone.

Katai shook his head. “But we're not safe from the blood-less creatures. What if there were undead down here?” He gesticulated at the darkness surrounding them, smiling slightly at his annoyed friend.

Silas snorted. “Uh-huh, creatures from another forbidden class? I'm sure they're real common in caves around the Golgoth mountains.”

“Well, better to be cautious. There are things that don't have blood, and you never know what might be down here with us.”

Silas didn't reply to that. He let out a sigh and returned to his seat, muttering under his breath about ‘ridiculously cool skills’ and ‘lucky idiots’. After a few minutes of silent eating, he seemed to have a thought.

“Well you can rule out the infection skill, if you still want to focus on being a melee fighter. Rage doesn't sound too bad to be honest, and that blood bond one would boost both of us if you chose it,” he said, his voice nonchalant as he peered into the darkness down one of the tunnels.

Katai's mouth dropped open in shock. He whipped around to face Silas, “What do you mean, both of us? You'd take that risk… that I could use up all your health, just for a boost to your regeneration?”

Nodding almost imperceptibly, Silas shrugged. “Well, yeah sounds pretty good to me. Think about it, we’d be even more powerful together - the unstoppable Warriors of Tiaston! Just like when we were kids, but for real this time.”

He turned slightly to face Katai, his face completely serious. “I know you Katai. You're one of the most reliable people I’ve ever met. I trust you to make the right decision about when to use that skill.” His eyes flickered in the light of the torches, the earnest remark piercing Katai with its sincerity.

“Besides, if you think about it, it’s not that much different from you holding that sword in your hand. You could take my health and my life at any time, just by waiting until my back was turned and then taking a swing. I trust you not to do that either!”

Staring wide-eyed at Silas, Katai felt a bit shocked at how accepting his friend was. Unbelievably, he was willing to put his own life on the line to test out a potentially lethal new skill, from a forbidden class of all things!

Suddenly overwhelmed, Katai looked away, raw emotions welling up to replace his shock. He didn’t deserve such a trusting friend. He didn’t have a real brother, but Silas was as good as one and probably better than most!

He stood and hesitantly stepped towards Silas, who also rose to his feet. They embraced, Katai blinking away tears as Silas roughly slapped him on the back. He was overwhelmed by the trust Silas was showing in him. So far, he'd been barely holding it together since Salah’s death - the help and support from his best friend were probably the main reasons Katai was here and still functioning.

“So, you think I should choose the bond skill then?” Katai said, wiping his watery eyes as they parted from their brief embrace.

Silas slapped him gently on the shoulder and nodded. “I think it's the best one of the three,” he said, voice gruff, “and the rank-ups are probably going to boost those effects and let you bond more than just me. It's a win-win for you and your party. Rage would be good, but it has a few detrimental effects. Less health means you have less Blood Magic and the name of the skill makes it sound like you might get a bit out of control.”

He left unsaid the memory of Katai’s last couple of battles, where he’d completely lost it. And that was without a skill messing with his intelligence and wisdom.

Katai considered briefly before nodding in agreement. “Ok, yeah that does make sense.”

He sat and brought up the skills list once again.

New Skill: Bond of Blood (Novice) – Level 1.

After seeing the confirmation message, he opened his eyes and looked over at Silas.

“Well I guess we can try it out now? I won't be using you to power any skills until we can test it out safely though.”

Silas nodded, expression showing he was thoroughly unconcerned. Katai took a breath, anxiously watching Silas as he selected the skill and targeted his friend.

Nothing happened.

Throwing a confused look at Silas, he looked over the skill description. He was sure he was activating it correctly.

“Maybe we need to exchange blood to form the bond?” said Silas.

Katai slapped his forehead. “Oh of course! Good idea.”

He brought out his eating knife and made a small cut on the back of his hand. A few drops of blood welled up but they rapidly dried and closed over the small wound. Katai frowned at the wound and then shrugged, smiling crookedly at Silas. “Well that's a bit annoying. Too much regeneration.”

Cutting into his arm to make a deeper wound, he quickly pressed the seeping blood against the hand offered by Silas. Activating the skill once again, Katai felt something tug at his core, a gentle pull that travelled up his spine.

He could feel the connection deepen, solidifying into a visible strand of power that travelled the length of his body. It exited at his chest, reaching towards Silas, before fading from view.

Looking down at his chest, he could see a ball of energy pulsing in his chest, emitting a weak light that spread outwards through the rest of the barely-visible bond. It was a gently pulsing, roiling ball of blood, that constantly shifted as he watched. He could feel the beat of his heart matching those pulses.

It was an interesting feeling this skill gave him, almost surreal in how vivid the connection was between the two men.

He opened his eyes slowly and looked over at Silas. “Can you see the connection?”

Silas shook his head. “It's a strange feeling, but that's about it.” He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them with a smile. “My health regeneration went up by almost a quarter!”

They grinned at each other, one of them happy to gain a boost to their capabilities, the other relieved to have helped his friend instead of hurting him. The moment lasted until Katai remembered what they were there to do.

“Better keep going then. We need to make sure it’s clear down here.”

Time passed and they grew less excited as nothing new appeared. They passed by several more caverns, some larger even than the ones the villagers inhabited above. They also passed several more intersections, each time selecting the leftmost tunnel to continue their journey.

“Should we go explore some of the other branches now? I think we've gone deep enough,” said Katai. His companion agreed, so they reluctantly backtracked up the tunnel, the gentle slope little more exertion for them than descending had been.

As they explored each branch and backtracked to each junction, the two men grew less impressed with their adventure. They had set out with the expectation that they’d run into something that would give them some excitement, perhaps fighting some cave-dwelling creatures or coming across a crystal deposit. So far however, it had been thoroughly boring. The lack of life in the tunnels was almost eerie, especially to Katai’s senses – he would have expected to sense some bats or spiders or something, even if they didn’t see them in the dark.

Still, they had a duty to clear the tunnels, ensuring there was nothing down there that could crawl up in the middle of the night.

They were on their sixth tunnel when Katai noticed it.

“Silas, I can sense something,” he said, in a quiet, low-pitched voice, “right on the edge of my senses, something's below us!”

Silas looked back, a sudden interest gleaming in his eyes. He nodded, reluctant to make any noise when there was something relatively close by.

They continued forward, this time with a lot more enthusiasm. Each step was taken extra carefully, noise kept to a minimum. Their breathing sounded loud to their ears and each clank or scrape caused identical grimaces to appear on their faces. They were cautious and wary, but also looking forward to the only bit of excitement they’d found in the long hours they’d been down in the depths.

The tunnel continued, curving and twisting as it spiralled slowly down. As they descended, the damp air grew colder, the chill seeping into their bodies. The slow trickle of water turned to mist, collecting on their skin and clothes, leaving them slick with moisture and shivering. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for either man, but the prospect of something alive down there drew them on.

Closer and closer they crept, until Katai felt that they were only meters away. Ahead of them the tunnel dipped and fell away, the space in front of them opening up into a cavern large enough that their torches didn’t light the far walls. The two Warriors stepped up to the edge, and looked down into the hollow.

Below them, a creature ambled along a ledge, illuminated in a faint blue light. The creature was small compared to them, reaching their hip height, with thin spindly arms and legs, and a vaguely humanoid form. The top of the creature ended the comparison, it's hairless head and two bulbous eyes made it appear distinctly insect-like. The closest comparison Katai could make was a long, green beetle that stood upright on its hind legs. It even looked like it had a hard exoskeleton instead of skin.

The creature seemed to sense their presence a moment after they spotted it. Its head swivelled around, body unmoving, in an unnatural display of flexibility. It shrieked a piercing cry and raised it's thin, stick-like arms as it rushed towards them.

The two Warriors looked at one another incredulously, taken aback by the creature’s appearance. They knew of many beasts and wild animals, but the only cave-dwellers they'd come across were small mammals, easily taken care of. This creature was far removed from anything they'd seen before.

It leapt at the slope before them, arms flailing as it tried to find a handhold in the steep rock. The beetle-like body bounced against the steep slope, before crashing painfully back down. The two men looked at each other once again, this time with more amusement than anything.

“Well it's not smart. Let’s hope it's tough?” said Silas, his tone sardonic.

“Don't hope it's tough - what if there's a legion of these beetle things down here just waiting to break out?” Katai couldn't quite maintain his serious tone, smirking as he finished.

“Ok, let's get serious. Jump down and double-team it?”

Silas grinned with excitement as he agreed. It might not be an impressive opponent, but at least they got something to fight after all that trudging. A small reward for hours of work.

Katai leapt to the base of the slope, landing near the creature as it got back to its feet. Silas landed next to Katai, his jump a little less graceful, stumbling as he landed. They pointed their swords defensively towards the creature, waiting for it to strike out at them, confident in their abilities. It didn't take long.

The creature let out another piercing cry and charged at the two, leading the way with its arms outstretched. The sight almost made Katai double-take, the poor creature obviously not understanding that its bare arms would fare poorly against their cold steel. The creature also seemed to be lacking in the tactical department, not deviating in the slightest from its initial charge towards Katai.

Katai waited until the creature was in range before activating his Parry skill, his blade sweeping the bony arms away, the skill providing an excellent defence against such attacks. He followed up with a slash that bounced off the hard exoskeleton, failing to leave even a minor scratch. Silas meanwhile, had taken the time to move around the two, placing him right behind the creature’s exposed back. He followed Katai's ineffective blow with a piercing attack of his own, putting all of his weight behind the thrust. The blow penetrated the creature’s mid-section, almost splitting the hard carapace in two.

The body fell lifelessly to the ground.

You have defeated Megasoma - Juvenile (level 21).

“Huh, they have a pretty tough shell.” Katai said, lowering his sword. A green substance oozed from the creature, pooling beneath its body.

“Eurgh, green blood.” said Silas, trying to wipe his blade clean of the sticky substance.

Katai examined the strange creature. Poking it with his blade, the exoskeleton sounded hollow and seemed quite firm to the touch. Its eyes bore no eyelids and they bulged from their sockets, poking out of the smooth head instead of sitting within, as a human’s would. It also had a very dark, greenish tinge to its skin, with a faint blue light that reflected off the creature.

“Wait, that’s not its skin colour.” Katai murmured to himself, intrigued. Realising it was another light, he raised his torch and looked out over the cavern, looking for the source.

This cavern was undoubtedly the largest they'd come across. The walls hardly curved as they disappeared into the darkness to either side of the tunnel they'd come from. The floor of the chamber extended away from them into the unseen… only to reappear in the distance, illuminated by the faint blue glow.

An open gash of light ran through the air, hovering above the rocky floor. It pulsed a faint blue, almost mesmerizing the two men as they stared slack-jawed at the tear in space. Wide enough to fit a person, and about three times taller than either man, it displayed a completely different vista from the dark cave they currently stood in, filled with an abundance of plants.

“It can't be… is that, a rift?”

The two men looked at each other, faces clearly expressing their feelings. Katai looked concerned, the potential danger of a rift so close to their refuge foremost in his mind. Silas however couldn’t have looked more excited.