Muscle bound and draped in silk, a figure lounges over an austere stone throne, floating in a void only broken by dancing lights. He smiled. It was a jagged thing, like he had forgotten how congeniality worked. Like he had twisted boredom and frustration into a new shape. Forced them into a box that did not fit.

    "Finally." He savoured the words. Tasting each note on his tongue.

    The boy had done it. He''d found out about Honours. The bait had been set, and his hopes were being realised. With a click of his fingers a mote of light darted out of the swarm, slamming into his forehead. He checked the systems analysis for the thousandth time.

    The boy was perfect. An optimal mix of uncommon strength, stubborn will, revelrous aggression, and sheer avarice for power. He was now destined to face the Guardian while unclassed, the temptation of an Honour would be too strong. Especially as his desire grew with more rewards from the system. The figure had no doubt that Kaius would be getting at least one more Honour before his final confrontation. Anything more would require grit, ingenuity, and more than a little luck.

    And the Greater Meles! Unawoken bloodline too? He couldn''t have planned it better if he tried. What were the chances? As a pair they were all but assured success.

    Finally.

    Finally, he would be one step closer to freedom.

    ....

    Kaius peered up at the monolithic grey stone walls that towered over him. They''d broken camp a few hours before, rushing towards the city. Cutting their way through fungal fields and goblin labourers alike.

    The city''s fortifications were an imposing thing. He''d only seen one other city wall in person, Deadacre''s. That had been maybe thrice his height, and built from chunky blocks of stone held together by mortar. The dwarven city wall made it look positively ramshackle in comparison. Formed as it was from a single contiguous slab of stone. Matched with the abnormally smooth and perfectly proportioned cavern walls, it was like the entire settlement had been carved from bedrock, cave and all.

    Earth magic on a titanic scale, it had to be. He could wrap his head around the Depth''s working such grand thaumaturgy, but if this was modelled after a real place.. How in the hells had they managed it? What sort of level would you need to be to work on that scale? He struggled to imagine even a vaunted third tier classer managing it, even with a dedicated team.

    It wasn''t just the size, but the attention to detail as well.

    Kaius ran his hands over the wall, feeling the perfectly carved reliefs on its surface. He hadn''t been able to see them from a distance. He probably could''ve when he used Eagle Eye at full power, but he''d been focused on goblins and the Guardian then. Not the walls.

    They were so dense. Massive sprawling scenes of battles, forge workshops, and great feats of magic. Nothing was shown in titanic proportions, everything was to scale. At the very least it confirmed that it was a dwarven city, he thought, looking at the carved figure of a stout dwarf in full plate caving in the skull of some monstrosity.

    They walked in the shadow of the walls, circling the base of the tiered city. Heading towards a broken portcullis a good hour''s walk around the city''s edge from their starting point. Though there seemed to be few entrances into the interior, he''d only been able to see one gate on their approach - diminutive in comparison to the walls themselves. A city designed for war.

    "Do all people live in places like this?" Porkchop asked, staring at the monolithic stone in fascination.

    "No." Kaius shook his head. "Not really. I mean, there might be places of a similar size, and we do use stone, but nothing quite this impressive."

    "That''s so strange. To live all hidden in rock like this. So close together."

    "Surely you must have seen some elven demesnes in the Sea? You mentioned you had met some." Kaius asked.

    "A little. It''s not like this though. They grow their burrows from the trees, still connected to nature. More spread out, too." Porkchop answered.

    He used Identify.

    Decrepit Dwarven Heavy-plate:

    Depths-wrought item

    Originally made for Stonehold heavy shock troops, this armour has fared terribly with age, its inscriptions wasted and burnt. Thanks to superior alloys and master industry, the steel remains strong.

    **Ding! Identify has reached level 17!**

    Kaius scowled as he read the description. No doubt dwarven steel had a value all on its own, the frontier was about as far as you could get from the northern mountains while still staying in civilised lands. The rarity and curiosity alone would be sure to fatten his purse. Yet steel was heavy and even if they somehow found and brought a cart through the portal when they eventually left, there was no way they would be able to drag it through the wilds that were the Arboreal Sea.

    If it had been enchanted, he would have found a way to make it work. Without that magic, it may as well have been scrap.

    Taking a final look at the goblins, Kaius ducked back behind the shattered shard of steel that he was using as cover. No doubt there would be more of the depths-spawn that he hadn''t been able to spot, but he was confident that they would manage.

    He slunk back to the safety of the wall.

    "So? How''d it look?"

    "Good," Kaius said, his voice low. "There''s an open board walk after the gate, lots of buildings and narrow alleys. A few dozen goblins, with some archers on the roofs on the left hand side."

    "Archers? How are we supposed to deal with those?" Porkchop said, flicking his ears.

    "There''s stairs at the back of the buildings. The alleys are pretty sheltered. I think we push hard and fast for the roof. One of us holds the stairs to deal with any goblins who follow, the other goes after the bowmen." Kaius drew a rough diagram in the soil at the base of the wall, gesturing to a thin strip between buildings that lead to a way up to the tallest building. "What are you more comfortable with? Stairs?"

    Porkchop let out a low rumble. "Stairs." He confirmed. "With my paws and my armour, they will find much difficulty in their attempt."

    Kaius gave his friend a nod. He checked himself over, confirming his armour was properly tightened. Thanks to the fact that it has taken them a day to reach the city, his Serelian scale was already fully repaired. Happy with his preparations, he gave Porkchop a nod and drew his blade.

    "Then let''s do this. Full assault. No screaming until they see us."

    "No screaming?" Porkchop said, ears drooping in defeat.

    "No. Screaming." Kaius gave his friend a pointed look.

    "Fine." Porkchop pouted.

    They set off at a sprint, ready to take the fight to the goblins.