The inky darkness of night descended on the intrepid adventurers while they lay immobile, peering down on the valley that opened up before them. The sight had held them spell-bound, with its sprawl of twisting paths and overgrown hillocks. It wasn’t until the coming of dusk that they set about moving once more.

A flurry of activity resulted in an impromptu campsite, albeit one without a fire. No-one argued with Kenemen when he forbade any flames however, the sight of the forbidding valley enough to silence any complaints before they arose. No-one wanted to attract any night-time attention from down below.

Soon enough, they’d retreated to their bedding, exhausted from another long day of travel. The peace and quiet of the night were broken only by the industrious clicking and buzzing of the local insects and the occasional muffled grunt of pain.

Katai clenched his jaw and activated Lacerate once more. He focused on his arm, visualising the meaty part of it running with blood, before a serrated wound appeared as if by magic. Which, of course, had already happened twice previously. In the dark, he could only imagine what damage he was doing.

The Lacerate skill had become far more convenient and effective with his upgrade to Proficient. It now allowed him to direct where the damage would land. From his painful experiments tonight, it looked like that translated into cutting lacerations in an area around the targeted limb, randomly occurring within a foot of the target. That was certainly an improvement to Katai’s mind. It meant he could target, say the eyes of his opponent, and if he spammed the skill three or four times, it’d likely hit the target right where he wanted. If not, he’d still having an opponent that was bleeding around the eyes, an impediment that was sure to help him in a melee contest.

Another round of Blood manipulation soon followed his self-flagellation. The nightly session was another hour of frustration – he just didn’t understand what he was trying to do. Or what he was meant to get better at. Everything still felt… wrong. He wasn’t getting better at playing with the blood that seeped from his wounds. He wasn’t gaining any kind of mystical knowledge about magic or the Blood element. The only thing he’d really gained was some familiarity with the crimson liquid. At this point he could probably tell the difference between the viscosity of blood and water, which would be incredibly handy in a fight. He snorted deprecatingly.

The only reason he kept working at it was, well, because of convenience. He had to clean the blood off of himself somehow anyway, so might as well try some things.

It was these thoughts that stuck in his head as he drifted off, finally allowing himself and his tired body to rest. It wasn’t until the next day that he was rewarded for his efforts.

“See that platform? The tall one with the pointy rock on the far side.” Kenemen pointed awkwardly from where he lay on the ground. They group lay amongst the jumble of broken earth and rock that signalled the sedge of the valley, right before the descent. They were looking over the edge, assessing their approach and where the Questor wanted to set up a camp.

Finally, a permanent campsite! Katai thought happily. It was the first bit of good news they’d had since entering the Rift.

“I see four platforms that look like that.” Lariss said, her dour monotone unable to completely hide her excitement at exploring the area. In stark contrast to Emilia, who lay quietly and fidgeted nervously with her sleeve; Lariss wanted a challenge – even if it was a life-threatening one. In fact, life-threatening would probably be preferred.

“The one that’s covered in trees and has a cliff on one side.” Kenemen said with a touch of exasperation.

“I see two plat—”

“Enough Lariss. I’ve tolerated your behaviour for now, but you’re starting to push buttons that are best left un-pushed.” Kenemen’s voice was hard as steel, though his face didn’t change in the slightest. Not even turning to look at her. “Just follow me and keep your mouth shut. And do not start kicking things about down there, this is not the time or place.”

Oh look, Kenemen is human. Even he’s not immune to Lariss' charming personality. Katai exchanged an amused glance with Silas. He even caught Yoto with an upturned lip, before the hunter turned away.

A short time later, they were gathered once again at the edge of the valley, waiting at the lip of the descent. This time, they stood with their travel packs on and weapons in hand.

Looking around, Kenemen assessed their readiness with a stern gaze. Finding nothing to fault, he curtly waved Silas forward. They were ready to descend.

Silas gripped his sword tightly, eyes darting around nervously. A moment of hesitation and then down he went, over the edge and into the valley. The rest of the group followed, awkwardly clambering over the rocks that separated the valley from the flower plains.

Well at least things are starting to get a bit more exciting. Katai breathed steadily, straining his senses to the max, both magical and mundane. His eyes scanned the boulders and occasional stunted tree on the steep slope, trying to pierce the shrinking shadows that formed in the morning light.

Every sound was magnified to his heightened senses, excitement and nerves making his heart thump. Each footstep, sinking into the loose earth, was a miniature landslide, centred on his position and spreading out to join the others as they added to it. The scrape of leather, the crunch of dried leaves, the soft grunts of effort – every sound added to the cacophony and mess that was their descent.

Of course, it couldn’t be helped. They were descending as cautiously as they could but it was a steep slope and there was a lot of loose dirt and rocks, and very little foliage to hold it all together. Katai reminded himself that the little sound they were realistically making wouldn’t be heard at all by anything more than a dozen meters away. Not unless it had some supernatural hearing.

And so it went, until they reached the bottom of the slope and hit a gentler gradient. The deepest level for this part of the valley. Not even close to flat, but from what they’d seen higher up, everything in the valley was on a slope of some kind.

A roar split the air. They froze, their heads turned towards the sound. A frisson of fear swept through the group, as Katai tried to see what could be making such a deep and powerful noise. But after a tense minute, he realised the sound had not come from anywhere nearby – it had come from much further in. It was just that loud.

So there were definitely creatures more dangerous than the juvenile Megasoma, that had to be a confirmed fact now. The problem was, what were they? How dangerous were these creatures, and how large? That thing didn’t sound small at all. The creature he’d spotted from above the valley was too far away to really guess at it’s true size. But it had been as tall as the trees – if those trees were the same as the ones near them, then Katai hoped he’d never have to fight that giant, it’d be twice his size at least.

They waited, their senses straining to pick up any more sounds or movement, until Kenemen decided they’d waited long enough. He signalled them forward. They were safe for now, but how long that would last was anyones guess.

The relatively open ground between the descent and the spaghetti-like mess of the valley floor was crossed quickly. Katai felt far less exposed when they entered one of the gullies. The steep hills on either side cut off their escape route, but it also helped to conceal them. The only way something was going to discover them was if they ran straight into it, or it tracked them from behind. Kenemen, being very aware of this, placed Yoto at the rear of the formation, while he continued to lead the group.

By this time, Katai was growing tired. The iron grip he had on his sword as he held it in front of him was starting to ache and a tendril of pain was starting to worm it’s way forward from the back of his head. He couldn’t stop himself from looking back over his shoulder constantly as they moved forward at a slower pace, sure that there would be something sneaking up behind them.

Seeing Kenemen’s lack of concern though helped to calm him down, if only a little. It was enough to remind him of his Village Guard training. Hold it, don’t grip it, the voice of Hiram came to him, shouting instructions as he swung his blade at a padded training post. Use the fear; let it drive every blow you make, every breath, every step forward and back. But do not let it become your focus. Your focus is the enemy, and what happens if you should fail. He knew what he was about, the old rascal, even if he could be an absolute savage when it came to training.

His breathing slowed. The sword, while still ready for use, was lowered from a combat-ready position to parade-ready, at his waist. Already starting to feel better, he had a proper look at what they were travelling through.

The gully they were in was fairly clear of trees and smaller foliage. It was mostly tufts of short grass, large patches of dirt, and larger boulders that littered their path. On either side, the hills that hemmed them in were bare on their sides, the slopes too steep for most things to grow. Near the top however, there was a cornucopia of light poplar-like trees, tall and spindly ferns, small bushes and a variety of bright fungi that seemed to attach themselves to anything that grew upwards.

The gully, while relatively clear, wasn’t exactly an easy, paved path. It was quite the opposite of the flower plains; with its gentle slopes and clear views. What it reminded him of, was the aftermath of an earthquake.

While exceedingly rare, he remembered a particularly bad quake that happened when he was a young boy. The devastation had been etched into his memory. It was the same here; jagged pieces of earth poking up from the ground where it had been squeezed together with cataclysmic forces. Sunken areas of ground where swathes of earth had caved in, collapsing in completely random spots, leaving great cracks and troughs. He could see rubble laying around the place, mostly boulders and tree trunks, all covered in a layer of moss and lichen. It made him feel like he was walking through a natural disaster. Thankfully, it looked like it happened a long time ago.

A sudden noise grabbed his attention, coming from directly in front of the group. Katai swept the area with all his senses, as another dull crunch came from further ahead, but nothing registered.

They proceeded cautiously, the group on even higher alert than previously. A few more steps and a flicker of red appeared in his Blood Sense.

“Hold on, there’s something up ahead.”

They stopped, while Katai focused on the haze that came from directly in front of them. He looked along the broken trail they were following, his gaze flickering over the depressions in the ground. Nothing to see. But he could definitely sense something there.

The flash of a dark, green-skinned arm was all the warning they had, before a distinctly new type of creature jumped out at them. It had been crouched in a hollow, hiding just under a protruding lip of earth. The creature screeched as it blurred towards them, it’s thin, almost spindly limbs whirling with blistering speed. The only reason Katai managed to block the first attack was because it had to jump up and out of the depression it was in. It moved so quickly, it crossed the gap to the group in an instant.

It’s too fast, he thought desperately, as he struggled to block and Parry the flurry of attacks. It didn’t have a weapon, but it didn’t need one – the ends of its arms were thin and hard enough to form natural blades and they lashed out with incredible speed. Dimly, Katai heard cries ring out as a second creature barrelled into the group from further down the natural corridor.

The smack of dirt exploding into a cloud of dust gave Katai a much-needed breather. He’d been struggling to just react to the sudden onslaught and Emilia’s intervention swayed the initiative back into his favour. He didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the brief lull.

As the creature tried to blink away the dirt, swirling its arms blindly in a bid to keep him at bay, he activated two of his most useful skills. His cry washed over the group, energising them, before he activated Lacerate several times in quick succession.

The creature cried out in surprised pain, but didn’t let up, still swinging its arms. Timing his attack, Katai activated Parry once more and then quickly followed up with a Lunge. The creature, while undoubtedly related to the Juvenile Megasoma, didn’t have the constitution or thick carapace of the smaller Rift creature. Katai’s sword pierced through the thin body, almost carving the creature in two, its torso thin and fragile.

You have defeated Megasoma – Gyas (level 28).

Congratulations! You have gained 1 Warrior level.

Parry has reached level 4.

He breathed heavily as he dragged his sword back out, looking up to see Silas and Lariss dispatch the other creature in a similar way. All at once, the battle was over, the ambush defeated in less than a minute of furious, heart-pumping battle. His head spun a little as he gulped down air, slumping to one knee for a quick rest. The shock and adrenalin gradually drained from him, quickly replaced with curiosity.

The creatures were much smaller in death. The long limbs and torso that made them at least three times the height of the juvenile Megasoma, had seemed to shrink – or maybe it was just the rictus of death, curling their limbs into a knot of inhuman configuration.

Other than their thickness and length of limb, they bore plenty of similarities to the juveniles. The dark green skin, thick skull and small nub of horn in the middle of their foreheads. If they’d also had the thick carapace-like skin that the juveniles did, they’d have been a much tougher kill.

Yoto lifted one of the arms, peering closely at the almost transparent length of hardened skin – or maybe chitin? – which seemed to grow along the forearms of both creatures. It was super thin, but apparently also quite sharp. Yoto tested it with a piece of ripped cloth which was cut straight though without any real effort. He looked up as Katai and Emilia joined him.

“These were a lot tougher than the juveniles.” Yoto said speculatively. If Katai were to guess, it looked like Yoto was quite impressed by them. He spoke with a measured tone, looking down at the creature with a level of respect that Katai had only seen when the man looked at the Questor, or their Captain, Hiram. Katai frowned with concern, keeping his thoughts to himself. Did Yoto seriously rate these creatures on the same level as the strongest Warriors any of them knew?

“Well, it looks like this Rift has some potential after all!” A smiling Kenemen strolled over to them.

Did he just stand there and watch us almost get slaughtered? Katai was furious for a moment, before his analytical side kicked in, calming him before he said something stupid. He probably wanted to assess how we reacted before he jumped in. Maybe he would have saved us if we were in serious trouble? Even in his private thoughts, Katai found it hard to convince himself. He’d felt in very serious danger against the beast. If Emilia hadn’t distracted the creature, he wasn’t confident he’d have held up against the surprise attack. Speaking of which, he turned to the young woman.

“Thank you,” he said, his gaze serious. Emilia flushed red, and nodded at him stiffly before looking away. She might have saved his life, but obviously that didn’t mean things had changed between them. Katai shrugged to himself, unsurprised and turned to Kenemen with some of his own questions.

“You mean, we’re going to have to fight more of these?” Katai had a sinking feeling in his gut.

“Yes, of course. Fighting these would be about the same as facing an Uncommon-tier Warrior, so they’ll be perfect.” The man replied, almost jovially, unconcerned with the apprehensive silence that had descended. “Hopefully we can find some low Rare-tier as well.”

The silence stretched out.

“So, they’re a full Class tier higher than us and you want to train against them?” Lariss’ usual scornful voice had turned incredulous. “Sorry, a higher tier than most of us.” She looked at Silas, a hint of something indiscernible gleaming in her eyes. Katai couldn’t decide if it was fear or excitement.

Silas and Lariss were the only two in the group with a single Common Class, which theoretically made them them weakest. Katai could see why she might be fearful, or apprehensive – he was apprehensive, and he had a Rare Class.

“There’s no way we’re not unlocking a super combat Class Silas!” She said, hopping from foot to foot with excitement, Silas smiling reluctantly, his own eyes gleaming.

Ok, so not fear then. Why was he not surprised?

Katai's Status

Katai D’Castro

Warrior – level 33 (+1)

Blood Mage – level 19

Skills - Warrior

Lunge (Expert) – level 7

Parry (Expert) – level 4 (+1)

Bash (Proficient) – level 3

Battle Cry (Novice) – level 5

Traits - Warrior

Relentless

Skills - Blood Mage

Sense Blood (Proficient) – level 4

Lacerate (Proficient) – Level 1

Bond of Blood (Novice) – Level 4

Traits - Blood Mage

Internal Blood Savant

Bleeding Edge

Attributes

Strength: 18

Dexterity: 19

Constitution: 29

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 16

Charisma: 17

Magical Aptitude

Blood (Life): 62%

Water: 9%

Resistances

Blood (Life): 62%

Void: 31%

Spirit: -16%

Wither (Life): -16%