Katai woke to the familiar smell of cooking oats. The hearty aroma, a staple of village life, had greeted him almost every morning for most of his life.

The smell brought with it many memories, happy and disgruntled alike. Waking up to Salah, walking naked through their hut, flashing a cheeky smile when she realised he was awake. Coming back from an overnight training exercise to find Silas burning the last of their supplies on the too-hot fire. Sharing a pot with Hiram as they planned an early morning patrol, bonding over the shared pre-dawn meal as the rest of the Guards slept.

A waft of doughy goodness filled his nose, his eyes crinkling with a sleepy happiness as he rose to wakefulness.

Katai pulled the thick blanket back from his body with a quiet groan, the chill air rushing to cover his bare skin. He didn’t bother grabbing clothes, his hunger overpowering any thoughts of waiting to get dressed first. The thick, creamy oats would warm him more than his threadbare clothing anyway.

“Breakfast smells amazing, love.” He said, his hooded gaze following the back of Salah as she ladled portions out into two bowls, filling one of them with an extra serving.

She didn’t reply, her head bobbing happily as she finished her preparations. Bowls in hand, she turned and held one out to him.

“I hope…you enjoy…your last meal…-crrrk-…my love.” She said, her voice choking on the words.

He looked up, a sliver of confusion showing in his eyes. Salah tilted her head as she waited for Katai to take the offered bowl, a grin painted on her face.

He looked at her, taking in her appearance with a concerned gaze. She was looking a bit pale. In fact, her skin was so pallid, he could swear it had a grey sheen to it. Looking closer, he noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the veins the stood out on her forehead, pulsing visibly as she stared at him.

His eyes widened with horror.

The veins started to bulge, pulling at her pale skin, tears rapidly spreading across her grinning face. Dark crimson blood ran down from the growing cracks, the skin ever so slowly peeling back to reveal greying, dead flesh.

She smiled wide, her mouth opening in a silent cackle as her body broke down in front of him, the grotesque thing spewing blood from rapidly growing wounds. Her eyes however, stared at him accusingly, unblinking even as blood flowed into them.

He awoke with a start, his heart hammering in his chest.

Fucking fuck! Argh, another nightmare. He almost swore out loud. He thought he was past the dreams, but it seemed not. At least it wasn’t every night now.

He took deep breaths, forcing his tired body to sink back into the bedroll. There wasn’t much he could do now other than try to distract himself. Thinking about the dream would just keep him up all night. As difficult as that would be, with that last image stuck in his head. That accusing stare, and the blood… argh. Distractions quickly!

I could do some skill training, I guess? I haven’t tried using the giant bond yet. He shrugged to himself and quickly chose a target. Tonight, his leg would be getting the silent treatment.

He mentally pulled on the bond, concentrating on the link that led away into the distance. A brief flood of power rushed through him and out again, sucked into the skill. Of course, that was followed by the stinging pain from his lacerated leg, but it was duller than usual. The after-effects of using someone else’s vitality, while super brief, left him with a small benefit – he simply felt great. His body, even with the laceration, felt like it was in the prime of its life. Like he was high on life.

It was an addictive feeling. Especially when he was trying to dispel the dark cloud that hovered over his mood after the nightmare.

He examined the bond again, noting how little of the beast’s vitality had gone into that one Lacerate.

Wait– what was that?

He’d felt something in the bond, a fleeting flicker of something. But, what was it?

Again, he felt a disturbance. The slightest change, almost a tickle at the back of his mind, coming from one of his connections.

Silas?

He craned his head to look over at the shadow where Silas lay. He was unmoving. No – there it was. Silas had shifted, his silhouette moving ever so slightly. He must be awake.

What is he doing? It’s the middle of the night.

The first thought Katai had was, perhaps he’d been bitten by some kind of blood-sucking insect? But the lack of swearing, and the repeated tweaking of the bond between the two men had him doubting that explanation.

The next thought he had was far worse. What if Silas was doing the same thing as Katai and cutting himself?

Why though? He wouldn’t know that I’ve been training Blood magic by lacerating myself. Oh… but what if – what if he’s trying to increase his Blood aptitude?

That thought terrified him.

Don’t be a fool Silas. Please.

He didn’t get back to sleep for quite some time after that.

Another week of uneventful delving passed before they came across something new. They’d been avoiding the egg-filled nursery, since they didn’t want to decrease the number of Megasoma being spawned. Plus, the last experience hadn’t exactly endeared anyone to the same thing happening again. What would they do if the locals weren’t scared off by Katai’s “necromantic” skills?

So, they explored other areas of the Rift. Sometimes that meant exploring new sections of the cave system, or finding new cave entrances. At other times they trekked overland, discovering unique, otherworldly plants and several new animal species. They even managed to find two more of the giant Megasoma.

Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone to plan with the first one. It was either very lucky, or a much higher level than the others and Katai’s first strike hadn’t drawn blood. They’d left it alive, but Katai was forced to flee while Kenemen distracted it. The weaker beast was successfully bonded at least, giving him a massively expanded pool of potential Blood magic. He was eager to test out how far he could go now, but was resisting the temptation for now. If he used up all of the Blood from his two bonded behemoths, they could take weeks to recover. He had no idea how fast their recovery speed was and he didn’t want one of them to die just because he wanted to see how many Lacerates he could spam out. Plus, he had a new tactic that was great for levelling his Bond of Blood skill – forcing a bond onto unsuspecting Megasoma before ripping their life force out with a few casts of Lacerate. It was a brutal tactic, but he was literally killing two Megasoma with one move.

The gains he’d made over the past week, especially with the Bond skill, were so much better than he’d expected. Of course, the week had been a constant battle, Katai willingly pushing himself into tough situations to advance his skills and levels. The hard work was finally starting to pay off.

Bond of Blood has reached level 2 (Proficient)…

Bond of Blood has reached level 3 (Proficient)…

Congratulations! You have gained 1 Warrior level…

Your understanding of the skill Battle Cry has increased! Novice > Proficient

Bonus: Movement speed increased by 5%.

Battle Cry has reached level 1 (Proficient)…

Lacerate has reached level 4 (Proficient)…

Congratulations! You have gained 1 Blood Mage level…

Bond of Blood has reached level 4 (Proficient)…

Lacerate has reached level 5 (Proficient)…

Lunge has reached level 9 (Expert)…

Sense Blood has reached level 9 (Proficient)…

Congratulations! You have gained 1 Warrior level…

Parry has reached level 6 (Expert)…

Bond of Blood has reached level 5 (Proficient)…

Congratulations! You have gained 1 Warrior level…

Battle Cry has reached level 2 (Proficient)…

Lacerate has reached level 6 (Proficient)…

Bond of Blood has reached level 6 (Proficient).

Of all the progress he’d made, he was particularly excited by Lunge reaching the pinnacle of Expert.

Only one more level and it’s Mastered! It would be his first skill to reach that point and, in his village, that milestone was always greeted with a feast. Perhaps in other places, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but for their small community it certainly was. Of course, in the Rift they didn’t really have the supplies for a proper celebration, so he hadn’t bothered bringing it up with the others.

Ah well. Battle Cry has a nice little upgrade too. It’s useful enough as it is, so each bonus really is just that – a bonus on top of the main effect. All combined, by the time it gets to Mastery it’ll be a very useful skill, even outside of battle.

The Class levels were nice too, one for Blood Mage and three for Warrior, edging him closer to Warrior Class advancement. Not to mention the insane rate of growth for Bond of Blood. It seemed to level very quickly now that he’d started creating and destroying bonds in fairly quick succession, as well as using the bond for most of his Blood magic. He could also use Lacerate with impunity, now that he didn’t have to worry about Silas’ health, or his own.

Right now, his focus was on gaining that final level for both Lunge and Sense Blood, as they were sitting at level nine. Lacerate and Bond of Blood were coming along nicely enough without him having to do anything other than keep doing what he was doing.

He was anticipating a pretty decent addition to Sense Blood when it finally ticked over to the next level. It was a passive skill that he relied upon for pretty much all of their scouting, especially when they were underground. It was incredibly useful, so any bonuses to the skill were sure to have a big impact.

Lunge on the other hand, well it would take some time to get that final level. But when it did, he’d have a choice to make. The only question was, would he get some decent options? Much like normal skill selections, Mastery of a skill did seem to have an element of luck about it. Or at least that’s what the other Warriors said. He’d just have to wait and see.

This tunnel was different, Katai could feel it. The warren of passageways they’d been travelling through for the past couple of hours had all been the same – the same dirt, the same twisting branches, the same flurries of activity as groups of Megasoma passed them by in nearby tunnels.

This one however was steadily rising, and the thick clay they’d been clomping through had changed to the sandier soil of the surface. Most importantly though, there was a distinct lack of scurrying creatures anywhere nearby. Instead there was a single, suspiciously large crimson spot that Katai could detect.

They approached wearily; eyes peeled for anything that Katai’s senses might have missed. Katai led the way himself, happy to take the lead and be the first to enter battle. It meant he’d get the best opportunity to use his skills after all.

Stealthily making his way up the tunnel, Katai realised something very quickly. The tunnel he was in was actually a cave entrance. Ahead of him, a ray of sunlight beamed down, highlighting the foliage that sprouted happily around the entrance. He got a glimpse of the open sky nestled between two nearby peaks before his eyes caught movement below them.

A dark green beast scuttled along a worn path, a spear covered in feathers and colourful beads clutched in one hand. Its mottled skin, splashed with patches of bright orange and luminescent red, gave off a feeling of danger.

Katai recognised it as a Megasoma variant, as he’d come to expect, but not one they’d come across before. It wasn’t as large as one of the behemoths, thankfully, but the colour made him hesitate to just straight up attack the creature. Perhaps because bright colours often signified poison. That, or the fact that it was different from all the others. What made this one special?

A single horn jutted from its forehead, the insectoid's skull long and round, as all the Megasoma seemed to be. Its jaw formed an underbite, but from what Katai had seen they were not filled with teeth. Instead, the edge of its mouth, formed of hardened chitin, was presumably the tool used for tearing through plant material and consuming it. A far cry from humanity, but also somewhat reassuring. They weren’t ‘biters’ as Silas would say.

“I’d be wary of this one,” Kenemen spoke quietly once they’d backed away from the cavern exit. “Those streaks? They could be the mark of a more advanced evolution.”

That wasn’t a big surprise to Katai. But if Kenemen was pointing out danger, then it was likely to be worse than Katai had thought. Perhaps too strong for him to take on, on his own? That’s what he wanted to do – it would give the most benefits and experience if he could take it on by himself. But he had to survive as well, and not get sidelined for days like he did the last time he tried to handle something on his own. He still had scars from the Fire Mage.

“I’ll draw its attention then, see what it’s got. If I’m in danger, Yoto you can start peppering it and Lariss and Silas can step in as well and hassle it from the flanks.”

Kenemen nodded approvingly. Katai looked around at the others, who nodded at him reassuringly. Silas looked nervous, but he gave Katai a nod in any case. Worried for me, he thought. Hopefully, there’d be nothing to worry about.

With the plan set, Katai stepped out of the tunnel. He rushed forward, trying to get as close as he could before the creature noticed him. He only made it a couple of steps however, before it cocked its head and swivelled to face him in a flash of movement.

Heightened senses and very quick movement. Ok, this is going to be interesting.

Shaking those thoughts from his head, he quickly went on the offensive, shouting and then rushing forward once more, a determined frown crossing his face as tried to close the distance. He only made it a couple of steps, even with the boost to his movement from the improved Battle Cry, before the Megasoma decided to make its opening move. Unhurriedly, it lazily waved a hand in his direction.

A bolt of fire appeared, the size of his chest and heading straight towards him. Without thinking he dived sideways and the flame splashed against the side of the mountain that he’d just exited. He got up, memories of his last bout with fire fresh in his mind, already moving before the flames had died down – but another bolt was on its way. He dived again, feeling the heat against his back as the flames brushed past him.

Well this is worryingly familiar. It was just like when he battled the bandit Fire Mage. Always on the back-foot, struggling to avoid the flames until he was able to get close enough to strike. Even then, the Mage had a skill that blew up in his face, right as he killed the man. He was determined that this fight would end differently.

He dived again, narrowly avoiding another splash of fire. They were getting closer – was the Megasoma learning to predict his movements?

He risked a quick glance back at the tunnel entrance. Where the hell is everyone!? This is definitely an ‘in mortal danger’ situation! I could use some help right about now.

What he saw just confused him. Lariss of all people, standing proudly with one arm outstretched and a look of utter focus on her face, without a weapon in sight.

Where’s Yoto and Silas, or Kenemen?

“I could really use some help!” He yelled, as another fireball headed straight for him. There’d be no dodging this one in time.

Inexplicably, the fireball started to curve away from him, arcing slightly up, enough that it was aiming for his face rather than his waist. Seeing his chance, Katai collapsed to the ground, ducking under the flaming ball as it flew overhead.

Was… was that Lariss?

He couldn’t think of any other reason and her weird stance was definitely giving off some Mage vibes. But surely, she hadn’t unlocked a Fire Mage Class without telling anyone?

Katai rolled to his feet to see the Megasoma gesticulating angrily at Lariss. Instead of shooting another fireball at him, the creature launched one at her, clearly irritated at her interference.

Again, the fireball arced away from where it had been heading, nudged off course just enough that it spattered against the lip of the tunnel entrance. Tendrils of flame licked down towards Lariss, but she ignored them, seemingly unfazed by the fire.

Realising his opportunity, Katai scrambled to his feet and ran towards the Megasoma. It had realised the danger of ignoring him however, turning to meet him once more. Fire exploded at his feet, flinging him back against the rocky ground.

No fireball that time? Must be another skill. No time to react to that one.

Gritting his teeth, Katai lurched back to his feet, his back and legs aching. However, he was surprised to find that nothing was caught on fire from the quick blast. Was Lariss smothering the flames somehow or was the creature's skill mostly a blast?

He watched for a moment, waiting for the fire-slinging creature to turn back to Lariss again, before dashing forward. This time, he pre-empted the Megasoma and quickly cast Lacerate as soon as he was in range. The creature flinched, screeching wildly at the unexpected pain, but quickly recovered and flung its hand towards Katai. It was just a fraction too late.

He’d already activated Lunge, speeding up his movement speed for the half meter he needed to pierce the creature's hardened flesh, the blade entering its chest before scraping against bone.

It wasn’t enough to kill it, not even close, but it was definitely distracting.

Flames exploded from its hand, shooting wildly into the sky as it spasmed away from his blade.

He tugged on his sword, pulling it out of the thrashing creature before activating his least-used skill while it was distracted. Bash crashed into its skull, mercifully knocking it unconscious.

Phew, what a monster! These Megasoma sure have a crazy amount of variety.

A few breaths later, he started casting, drawing on the Bond he’d forced onto the immobilised creature.

Lacerate after lacerate he cast in quick succession, feeling the power move through him and into the skill in an almost orgasmic cycle of pleasure. After half a dozen Lacerates, the familiar kill notification appeared – more likely expiring from the wound he’d inflicted with his blade, rather than his Blood magic.

Bash has reached level 4 (Proficient).

You have defeated Megasoma - Fieron (level 26).

Congratulations! You have gained 1 Blood Mage level.

He breathed a sigh of relief, his body suddenly aching as it let him know about all the scrapes and bumps he’d inflicted on it during the tumultuous battle. The leaping and rolling and that blast of fire had certainly left their mark.

“So what did we learn today?” The Questor called out as he exited the tunnel, calmly assessing the damage around the entrance.

Katai suppressed the surge of anger that rose up at the sight of the smug-looking man. He hadn’t helped at all and he could very well have died! Shaking his head angrily, he forced his thoughts back to the battle and what it reminded him of – his first battle with a Mage, at Waycrest.

He’d come closer to death in that battle than he’d ever been, and it was with someone that had a lower tier Class. Though, to be fair, that Fire Mage was probably a runaway nobleman’s son and would’ve had some of the best training available.

Both here and back then, the Mage battles had seen him spending the majority of his time dodging and avoiding being hit, more than anything else. He’d struggled to get close enough to do anything effective and he didn’t have a ranged attack. Lacerate was technically ranged, but that range was restricted to a spear-length, so it was really a melee attack.

“I’m lacking in range and fire-power. At least when I’m dealing with a Mage I am.”

Kenemen nodded. “Correct, but you’re also somewhat lacking in movement and defence. Your high vitality would certainly let you tank a hit or two, but the pain and physical reaction to getting hit means you’d probably get hit multiple times before being able to recover from the first strike.” He explained, as the others trooped out.

“Both my Classes are close-combat related Classes though. How do I fix that? I’ll be ripped apart if I ever have to face two Mages, or even a couple of Archers.” Katai said, feeling a bit depressed at his exposed weaknesses. Up until now, he felt like he’d been doing pretty well. If anything, with the addition of his Bonded, he felt like he’d grown a lot stronger.

“Well, experimentation and training your Blood skills is one thing you need to keep doing. When you hit level twenty-five, hopefully you’ll get something that’ll help, maybe a longer-range skill, or better protection. You’re sorely lacking in a defensive skill. Usually you get something defensive in your first skills for a Mage Class, like a barrier of some kind. That’s probably more likely than a long-range skill now that I think about it, since Blood Mage describes itself as a close-quarter Class.”

“—Hey Kenemen! Come take a look at this.” Silas called out before Katai could reply.

The two of them strode over to Silas, Katai still pondering what the Questor had said. What if I don’t get a skill that I want at level twenty-five? There are no more until level fifty... Unless I can advance my Warrior Class to something that can fill those gaps?

Katai shook the thoughts from his head. Something to dwell on later, he decided. He turned his attention to Silas, who was staring down at a slab of suspiciously flat stone that lay half-buried in the ground.

“My Appraise skill says this comes from the ‘ruins of Ash’Tokoth’.” He breathed, wonder gleaming in his eyes. “Do you think this came from another Rift, or another world?”

Katai studied the stone dubiously. It certainly looked man-made – or more appropriately, alien-made – with crude figures carved into the flat rock. Stick figures appeared to herd smaller shapes, weapons clear in the hands of the chasing ones. The smaller shapes were obviously Megasoma, the jutting horns and squat bodies too similar to be anything else, which made Katai think.

What if there were intelligent Megasoma that had made this? It wasn’t impossible that one or more of the creatures could have evolved into a Class with enough intelligence to allow for basic language and communication such as this.

“Hmm, possibly.” The Questor frowned at the slab for a moment before shrugging. “While this is an interesting bit of local history, it’s not really important. You’ve got a few minutes Silas, don’t waste them.”

Silas looked at Katai, his eyes still bright. Katai could just tell what the other man was thinking. What if we could explore another world! Katai quirked an eyebrow and shook his head, but couldn’t stop a small smile from appearing at Silas’ fervour. They’d taken a big enough risk jumping into this one, what were the chances they’d find another Rift gate out of here, let alone find the other side was hospitable to humans? Katai had found enough adventure in this Rift, he didn’t need to go looking for more. Besides, he knew he couldn’t really escape from Kenemen.

Silas sighed and looked back down at the stone, a look of intense scrutiny appearing as he started wiping away the accumulated dirt and grime from the slab. He’d only need a few minutes to memorise the giant tablet, but there were a bunch of broken pieces scattered around the hillside that he wanted to get through before Kenemen ordered them back into the caves.

This was the perfect opportunity for him to level his new skills.

A wizened hand stretched out in the dark, slowly gesturing towards a small, glittering pool. The pool lit up, casting light throughout the dark cave, the first light in many years to pierce the darkness in this particular cave, deep under the surface. A wrinkled figure, skin a dark shade of green, leaned over the pool, its eyes glistening in the reflected light.

Within the pool, several beings could be seen, talking and gesturing at a wall that was filled with carvings. It could see glints of weapons, armour and something else – a haze of red seemed to follow one of them, visible even through the scrying pool.

The wrinkled old creature blinked.

A throaty grunt rumbled from its chest. In the shadows, a number of creatures scurried off, intent on their new orders. The creature gestured once more, a simple flick of a gnarled hand and the pool returned to darkness.

The figure sank back down and closed its eyes, content to rest for however many decades it was until the next worthy outsider arrived.

The trip back to camp was a long and boring affair. They were all used to the dangers of the caves by now and kept up a quiet chatter. Lariss in particular was questioned about her part in the bout, and for once she seemed to be in a giving mood, instead of the usual snarkiness. She described to them the exercises Kenemen had been getting her to do to unlock her Fire aptitude, her voice a mix of wonder and pride. It was a weird situation for Katai – Lariss being friendly and open. He didn’t really know how to respond to her sudden enthusiasm. Judging from Silas’s silence, he was also struggling with the change.

“So, I’ve already unlocked an Uncommon Class, but it’s a hybrid utility Class called Igniter, which Kenemen says is because my training is very specific at the moment to get my points up.” She said in a rush, as they climbed the steep hill leading to their camp. “I’m going to hold out for a proper Mage Class, but that’s going to take a lot more aptitude than I have now. Will be worth it though in the end, even if I do miss out on some experience.”

They reached the earthen wall and Emilia widened the entrance. Since she’d levelled her skills quite a bit, she’d taken to completely closing the entrance, which only took a few minutes now. As the others watched, the dirt sloughed off the wall, falling to the ground and then slowly moving to the sides of the path, eventually forming a pair of solid abutments on either side of the newly re-created entrance.

Kenemen strode in, checking for anything that might have gotten in while they were out. The others followed less warily, heaving their gear onto the ground around the empty fire-pit. Emilia dropped alongside her gear with a tired groan, taking a short break while the others started on their nightly tasks.

Katai and Silas both headed to the small strand of trees, perking up at the thought of a hot fire and a cooked meal after their long day. Yoto was already preparing the meat he kept tightly wrapped in an oilskin bag.

As soon as the pair of Warriors stepped away from the others, a crackle of light sparked into existence, temporarily blinding the men. Katai hurriedly blinked away the white spots in his vision as he whipped his sword from its sheath.

A creature appeared, only meters away. It was unmistakably powerful. He could feel a dangerous aura being generated from its presence, much like when the Questor entered his battle trance.

The dark green skin, angular horn on its forehead, and plates of hardened skin made it clear they were looking at yet another Megasoma variant, one they’d never seen before. And it had not registered in Katai’s Blood Sense. Not until it appeared anyway.

Did this thing just teleport here?

It was the only explanation that made sense. The blue rings that adorned its chest certainly made it clear that this creature was some kind of advanced evolution, but that skill… that was the stuff of legends. Had they been underestimating the Megasoma this entire time?

Katai could hear swearing and the clatter of weapons being drawn from behind him, but the creature had not moved from where it appeared. It seemed to be staring at Katai, completely unfazed by their hostility.

“What the hell – is that an egg?” Silas muttered beside him; his eyes trained on the intruder.

Katai quickly confirmed that, yes, the white ball tucked under the creature’s arm was a large egg. Unlike the Megasoma eggs they’d found in the breeding chamber however, this one wasn’t speckled with green and seemed to be about half the size of those giant eggs. This one was perfectly white and probably about four times the size of a normal chicken’s egg.

A few moments passed in a tense standoff as the powerful creature stood there, examining him with a flicker of its eyes. It huffed with a hint of resignation and reached up to gently clutch the egg. Without taking its eyes from his, it lowered itself, carefully placing the egg down on a fur-lined blanket that it had taken from its shoulder.

After adjusting the egg so that it sat cocooned comfortably in the blanket, it stepped back, still eyeing Katai. Without saying a word, it bowed its head fractionally for a brief second. With that reluctant gesture completed, a sharp pop heralded its disappearance, followed by a flash of blue and white light.

The egg remained, nestled in its fur blanket.

“What the hell was that!?” Silas said, shocked at the casual intrusion into their safe haven. Nothing had ever come into camp before and they’d never even heard of a Rift creature being able to teleport. In fact, Katai had only heard legends about the ability to move instantly and most of those were centred around high-level movement skills, not true teleportation.

“I have no idea.” Katai said, though he had a nagging suspicion. Over the past week, since he’d started initiating bonds with Megasoma and draining them of their life, half of the groups they’d come across had tried to flee just from sighting him. In fact, every single one of them had tried to escape once he drained the first creature, the sight of their lifeless brethren apparently terrifying them. They were starting to learn about his skills. He was gaining a reputation.

Was this a peace offering?

Katai walked closer to the egg, his sword at the ready. His Blood Sense was giving him the tingles.

The red haze wasn’t particularly big, but it seemed dense. As he stared at it, he noticed two things. One was that the egg wasn’t completely white after all – there was a single golden point right at its peak. The other was the gentle pulsing of the baby inside.

It reached out into the world, the surging life force growing swiftly outwards with its tendrils of deep red, before slowly shrinking back into its shell, as if exhausted from the action.

This reminds me – that breeding chamber we found. The eggs were all laid out in groups and they were linked somehow, with pulses of some shared power moving from one end of the chamber to the other. It must be related to their incubation period. They certainly don’t have this effect when they’re hatched! Or at least not anything visible to my Sense.

“Want me to add that to dinner?” The soft voice of Yoto interrupted his train of thought.

“No way! It could hatch into our own little pet Megasoma.” Emilia piped up, outraged at the thought. If Katai recalled correctly, she hadn’t been a fan of killing the juvenile Megasoma either.

Silas spoke up before Katai could reply. “I agree with Emilia, as much as I’d love some fresh food. Appraise is telling me there’s more to this than a simple Megasoma egg. It’s coming up as an Unhatched Royal - Female.”

A royal? And they just left it here with us?! Katai was more confused than ever hearing that.

“Looks like they left it to you Katai.” Silas said, his voice hopeful. Without even looking at him Katai knew what his friend wanted.

Unfortunately, Katai’s fate was sealed when Kenemen spoke, regardless of his lack of paternal instincts.

“Indeed. If anything, it could be another source for your Blood magic. Take care of it and we’ll see what hatches.”

Katai groaned half-heartedly. He was not ready to be a dad.

Katai's Status:

Katai D’Castro

1st Class: Warrior – level 38 (+3)

2nd Class: Blood Mage – level 22 (+2)

Skills - Warrior

Lunge (Expert) – level 9 (+1)

Parry (Expert) – level 6 (+1)

Bash (Proficient) – level 4 (+1)

Battle Cry (Proficient) – level 2 (+2)

Skills - Blood Mage

Sense Blood (Proficient) – level 9 (+1)

Lacerate (Proficient) – Level 6 (+3)

Bond of Blood (Proficient) – Level 6 (+5)

Attributes

Strength: 20 (+1)

Dexterity: 19

Constitution: 31

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 16

Charisma: 17

Magical Aptitude

Blood (Life): 65%

Water: 9%

Resistances

Blood (Life): 65%

Void: 31%

Spirit: -16%

Wither (Life): -16%

Traits

Internal Blood Savant:

Health regeneration increased by 400%.

Bleeding damage received reduced by 50%.

Poison damage received reduced by 50%.

Immune to all external healing magic and potion effects.

Bleeding Edge:

Attacks that cause bleeding, increase damage and length of effect by 50%.

Relentless:

Increase total stamina and stamina regeneration by 40%.