Runeblade: You shall not pass, Wanderer!

Kaius sat on his rather uncomfortable seat in front of the hearth, enjoying the radiating warmth that slowly dried him from his earlier clean. His skill list had been growing nicely, though he still had two more components to add to his list before he could relax.

It was always impressed upon him that the first thing he should do after merging a skill was collect the requirements for his next one as fast as possible. Technically the system wouldn’t add a skill to your list without asking. However, in practice it was unfortunately possible to accept a skill that you didn't want. Spending so much effort to not think about accepting an unwanted skill could potentially generate enough of a mental impulse for it to occur.

That was not something he was interested in letting happen. Even if it was just a folk myth, there was no reason to risk it when all it cost to avoid was a slight inconvenience.

With that in mind, once he had gone over the last of his recent gains, Kaius planned on getting Light, Medium, and Heavy Armour Mastery as soon as he could..

“Though maybe not by hunting through the centre of the glade.” He thought to himself.

He hadn't missed that as soon as he had pressed towards the centre he had seen undead that were stronger than the others he had fought, and better equipped too. He was still a little nervous of running into something like the Butcher again, after all. Better to wait until he had all the pieces in place before he went off galavanting and taunting death directly to its face again.

A circumnavigation of the glade would be better. Open sightlines would allow him to pass by any obvious encampments, thanks to the seemingly poor senses of the undead. Running into any stray beasts wouldn’t be an issue - if anything it might help with gaining his last few remaining skills he needed.

Kaius nodded to himself, happy with his rough plan, and brought up the last of his most recent skills.

Toughened Physique:

Level 1

Rare

Sometimes you are forced to take a hit. Those of weak will, flinch, allowing the attacker to land where they may. Others lean into the blow, a heart strike skittering across hardened ribs. Flesh is given, but death is avoided.

Skill that increases the body's resistance to injury, and increases speed and control when the user is unable to avoid injury, aiding them in receiving the injury to nonfatal locations.

Each level slightly increases the chance to divert attacks to non-fatal areas.

Each level minutely increases the effectiveness of Endurance to bodily integrity.

Kaius grinned as he read the description of the skill. This was something that would make an immediate difference, even if a small one at first. The boost to endurance was significant, but would be of little utility until he was much higher level - at which point he would have merged this skill anyway. However, the instinct to divert unavoidable blows to turn them into minor wounds was huge.

Especially because, if he was correct on the wording of the skill, it would still work while wearing armour.

Standing with a smile Kaius stood up and retrieved his pack, as well as the slightly rusted chain shirt that he had scavenged from one of the undead guards that had originally surrounded the church.

He returned to his seat, facing away from the fire to dry his still damp back. Fumbling with the buckle, he eventually opened his bag before pulling out his folded reinforced tunic and laying it out by the fire.

He was going to put it back on shortly anyway, so he wouldn't hold himself back from small creature comforts like pleasantly warmed clothes. He then moved to the chain shirt, folding it up as best he could. It was big enough to fit over his tunic, and he needed it for Medium Armour Mastery.

He wouldn’t be able to wear it straight away. First he needed Light Armour Mastery, his jacket should be enough for that. Unfortunately the final skill he needed for Adamant Body was Heavy Armour Mastery. He’d scavenged a breast plate, but it would be too unwieldy to take with him.

There was no way in hell he was going to wear the heavy chest armour on his trip either. Taking it off would be too slow, and if he was ambushed with it on he was likely to get offered the skill and be forced to turn it down. It’d make reacquiring it difficult, the system more unforgiving when you had already rejected its gifts once.

Unfortunately, even just bringing the chainmail would be a challenge. It didn't fold quite as easily as canvas and leather. Kaius cocked his eye at the sizable lump of metal.

“Now how am I going to make you fit.” he muttered.

The weight wasn't much of an issue, at most it would be a stone and a half. It was his pack that was the issue. It was a big bag, large enough for him to carry all he needed for an ongoing journey. He still needed to empty it a bit first.

Kaius reached into the bag. The first thing he decided to leave behind was his bulky medical kit. While it was a vital resource, he ultimately still had his natural health regeneration. Plus, he thought that in a true bind he could always gamble on one of the potions he had gotten for defeating the Butcher. Next was a redundant waterskin. While he was definitely bringing it with him, he could always string it to his belt.

As Kaius pulled the water skin from his bag, something rolled free with a soft thunk. Peering in in curiosity Kaius spied one of the strange purple fruits he had found in the glade. Pulling it out of the bag, he tossed it in the air, appreciating its solid weight as it impacted his palm with a satisfying thwack.

“I’d forgotten about these.” He thought to himself. In all the excitement of clearing an undead encampment and slaying a champion it had completely slipped his mind. Setting the fruit down in front of him, he reached back into the bag, rummaging for its compatriots. Four more of the almost fist sized orbs joined the first one.

They certainly didn't look dangerous. A thick, almost scaley exterior showed a virulent purple through the cracks. Kaius tore at one with his hand, a light and almost bready flesh bleeding a soft violet juice as it revealed a cluster of slimy seeds at its centre.

He sniffed.

It smelled sweet - Almost like an apple, but more floral with a strong robust earthy undercurrent.

Explorers' Toolkit tickled at the back of his mind. Pulsing a low and lazy warning about the fruit. Kaius eyed the fruit with suspicion. Normally, at least with Herbalism, a truly dangerous fruit or berry almost screamed out at you.

He licked at a thin trail of juice that had rolled down his arm, an indescribable sweetness radiating across his tongue. Explorers Toolkit pulsed another warning, almost lazily.

Kaius decided to risk it.

He bit into the soft interior of the fruit, a trail of sticky juice streaming down his jaw. As the soft delicate flesh of the fruit hit his tongue his eyes widened. It was delicious. Like jellied stone fruit. Like a summer orchard in full bloom. It -

**Ding! You have been afflicted by Gladeplum Lethargy**

His jaw half distended, half way through his next bite, Kaius stopped dead. He sent his focus inwards, surveilling his inner realm.

The poison seemed to be doing … nothing?

He pulled up his resources.

Resources:

Health - 11/200 (2/min)

Stamina - 84/200 (2/min)

Mana - 120/120 (2/min)

His health ticked up before his eyes. Whatever the poison was doing, it wasn't damaging his body at all. Even something as indirect as slowing his breathing would expend the resource in an effort to fight it off. His stamina, however, was dropping prodigiously.

That was … fine?

His attention turned to the surge of Rapid Adaptation, already racing to contain the strange poison of the fruit. It seemed to have it well in hand.

Kaius had a stupid idea, a grin spilling across his purple stained face.

He took another massive bite of the gladeplum, moaning as its floral and sweet juices rolled across his tongue. Barely chewing, he swallowed the bite and took another. And another.

Quickly all that was left of the fruit was a pile of slimy seeds. He snatched up another, devouring it with similar gusto. After weeks of dried jerky the succulent gladeplums may as well have been godly ambrosia for how their sweetness enveloped his mouth.

After a few minutes he moved to the next one. The growing well of mild toxin built up in his stomach, slowly overwhelming the containment that Rapid Adaptation had created. His stamina bottomed out, and by his third fruit his eyes began to droop.

By the fourth every limb felt like it was weighed down by a particularly hefty oxen. Even chewing became a struggle. Kaius could help but let out a large yawn.

Slumping off his seat, he sprawled out in front of the hearth, the fire warmed stone feeling as soft as a fleece filled pillow.

As his eyes drooped closed Kaius’s thoughts wandered.

“I hope this works…”

**Ding! Rapid Adaptation has reached level 14!**

**Ding! You have resisted Gladeplum Lethargy**

Kaius groaned, rising to wakefulness with agonising slowness. His eyelids felt like they had been cast from lead, his whole body did really. Forced to squint, he blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear the indistinct blur that coated his vision.

He lifted his head, straining against the weakness that held him stuck to the floor. Slowly, control of his body returned to him as his skill eliminated the last remnants of the poison that had incapacitated him. He shook his head to clear the drowsiness, clicking his tongue against the bone dry roof of his mouth.

“Need water” the thought was basic, primal, but his remaining lethargy wasn't exactly conducive to higher thought.

A few minutes later he stood, empty water skin in hand, and rubbed at his eyes.

“Well, it worked.” He thought with a grin. It was a massive find. The biggest struggle with Rapid Adaptation was that most methods of levelling it by their very nature carried a deadly risk. Especially since most things capable of afflicting him also had a vested interest in turning him into a corpse through significantly more active efforts. It was far too dangerous to infect himself with unknown afflictions in combat.

If the worst had come to pass, and he had still not capped the skill as his class selection closed in, he would have been forced to take drastic measures. He was no masochist, but pain would have served to level the skill in a controlled manner, as gruesome as it was.

The plums represented another avenue, something that he thought he would never get access to in the depths. A poison that didn’t physically harm the body. That was the original plan, up in the forest below. If, in the months preceding his class, he hadn't capped the skill naturally they had planned to travel to one of the larger frontier cities and enlist the skills of an alchemist.

“Though, completely disabling myself for who knows how long is not exactly what I would consider ‘safe’.” Kaius thought, looking at the ageing barred door that secured the church.

The plums were too useful, too plentiful, and too plain delicious to ignore, but next time he would have to make some preparations to ensure his safety. Quietly, with more than a little abashment, Kaius admitted he might have been a little hasty.

In his defence he didn't think that they would have quite so potent of an effect. Plus, he had been living off a diet of plain water and smoked meat for far too long. Fresh fruit was too much of a temptor.

With a sigh Kaius adjusted the blanket he was using as a skirt, before unbarring the church door to check on his pants and boots that he had left outside to let his cleaning enchantments work their magic. Pulling the clothing off the headstone they were draped over, he inspected them before nodding in satisfaction at their reasonable level of cleanliness.

A few minutes of getting changed and he was all suited up, pack rearranged to fit his scavenged chain shirt. He only had a few more skills to gain, and he still had more scouting to do. Pushing deeper into the glade was an option, but he hadn't missed that as soon as he had made tracks for the centre he had quickly ran into stronger and better geared undead.

If that was an indicator of growing danger, he wanted no part in it. At least, not yet. On the other hand, the thin clear strip that separated the glade from the cavern walls would give him good sight lines, allowing him to spot any more camps similar to the hunters lodge from a distance far enough to avoid significant danger.

Scouting out the various exits tangling deeper into the biome was something he would need to do anyway, so a circumnavigation served as good a goal as any in his opinion. He decided to bring his empty water skins with him. It had been a few days since his last trek to the stream, and he was down to a single one, half empty at that.

Rolled tight he managed to squeeze them under the flap of his pack.

“May as well start where I came in. It’s close to home and as recognisable a spot as any.” He mumbled, leaving the church and vaulting over the small stone wall that surrounded its boundaries.

Kaius strode along the thin stretch of grass that existed between the glade proper and the walls of the immense cavern that held the glowing forest deep beneath the earth. He kept close to the tree line, happy to let the canopy and endless wall of trunks break up his figure as his feet ate up the distance beneath his feet.

He’d been walking for some time now, moving counterclockwise from his start, and already he had passed a couple of exits from the immense space. Much like the tunnel he had entered from, these passageways were relatively small. Maybe big enough for three men to walk abreast, they were covered in rooty vines. Barely lit by the luminescent moss that was omnipresent in this biome of the Depths, they quickly turned off, barring him from deeper insights into their destination.

He had simply noted them, and moved on. He’d already decided that he wasn't going to leave the glade until he had at least acquired his next merged skill. It would shore up his defences nicely, and for all the glades danger it was still far better than ambush-ridden passageways that were no doubt covered in traps.

Fighting was always more fraught in confined spaces, and he had no intention of taking unnecessary risks. Not when he still had another two years stuck with almost no chance of rescue. Somehow he doubted that some high level delving team would just so happen to take a swim at the bottom of a remote waterfall deep in the foothills of the mountains that sealed off his home from the rest of the Arboreal Sea.

Soon he would come across the spring that breached the wall of the cavern, supplying the small stream that he had been using as a water source. He was pretty sure he could already see it, the distinct spray of water refracting the soft light of the cavern as it erupted from the stone.

He hoped he would find something there to fight, if he didn't before. His hunting clothes weren't quite light armour, but they were pretty bloody close with all the leather reinforcement that covered the almost-jacket that was built over his tunic. It should be enough for his needs at least.

The ground continued to fall away beneath the measured pace of his strides, the spray of spring water getting ever closer.

The faintest hint of rustling undergrowth was the only warning Kaius got before a grey blur streaked towards him through the undergrowth