Standing at the base of the stone pit that had been strewn with the gorey evidence of Porkchop''s battle with the Cystic Failure, Kaius stood at the edge of a particularly large pool of viscera and bile.

    The pooling fluid in his boots from cutting open the corpse of the monster had been forgotten, his focus on the artefact that Porkchop had spotted in the mess.

    Kaius grinned as he looked at the grey leather satchel that had flown free from the corpse of the Champion, the bile that had spilled free from the chest of the oversized teratoma giving the artefact a wide berth.

    "Thank the gods it had some kind of cleanliness enchantment, eh?" He said, leaning forward to hook the point of his blade through the carry handle of the bag. He moved carefully, not wanting to slip into the puddle as he pulled back from his stretch.

    "Check it up stairs?" Kaius asked, looking over to Porkchop. "It stinks down here."

    "Yes please." Porkchop replied, eager to get away from the caustic scent of biowaste, alchemy and bile.

    Taking a moment to clean his blade and return it to its sheath, Kaius led the way up the stairs. Taking the steps two at a time, his eyes kept drifting to the bag he held, finding it difficult to resist simply identifying the artefact that he had found. He didn''t though, it would be unsporting to take a peak without waiting for Porkchop to be ready.

    That said, he did wonder what there was to the artefact. In his heart of hearts he hoped it was a spatial bag, though he knew that even if something was leaning on the scales for them that was highly unlikely. They were rare finds in the Depths, something that even experienced delvers who explored far deeper than layer two would be lucky to get at all. Yet if something was shifting their drops in their favour, what else could it be? He could think of no other artefact in the shape of a bag that would actually prove useful for them.

    Reaching the top of the staircase, Kaius rushed onto the wide stone gangway that lined the edge of the massive pit. He took a seat, patting the ground insistently for Porkchop to join him.

    "Ready to find out what it is?" He asked, turning the bag over curiously. Opening it was tempting, but it would ruin the surprise.

    Porkchop grunted, excitement and curiosity flowing over their link. Kaius grinned and focused his True Sight on the item.

    Ixian Self-packing Dimensional Tent:

    Uncommon

    You want the good stuff, eh? I know just the thing. It''s factory made, but one of those fancy ones where every line worker is a skilled artisan. Easy to carry, easy to pitch and repack, and it should keep you warm and hidden while you''re out of the city. Not here! Outside if you want to test it. Nearly ruined my displays, yeesh.

    Made from dimensionally attuned materials, this bag contains a self pitching tent designed to provide a safe harbour out in the wilds. Trigger with mana and stand back. Objects left in the tent are vented out when repacked.

    Depths-wrought Artefact

    Auxiliary Equipment (Tent)

    Camouflage II, Shroud I, Weather Resistance I, Self Repair I, Self Cleaning I

    Kaius stared at the description of the item in confusion, before looking back to the boxy grey leather satchel. He turned it over in his hands, confused. This was their loot? It was a little... odd. He couldn''t exactly see how it would help them at all.

    "Well? Is it one of those fancy dimensional bags?" Porkchop asked expectantly, leaning forward to prod him with his nose.

    "Not...exactly?" Kaius said with a shrug.

    "What the hells is that supposed to mean?"

    "It''s a tent." He replied.

    "Maybe we should just leave it behind? What did you see?" Porkchop asked, concerned.

    "I literally could not describe it if I tried. I don''t even think I understand it, it keeps slipping away from me. I think it''s fine though, the Depths doesn''t give away cursed artefacts. At least I don''t think it does. Pretty sure I just looked at something I wasn''t supposed to." He explained, grabbing Porkchop''s shoulder to steady himself as he pushed up off the floor.

    "Can you see it? Or does it look like a still to you? I''m not sure if it''s selective or if I can only see through it because of my skill." He said, eying the tent''s projected illusion.

    "I think it''s both? I can only see the still, but I can tell it''s a tent somehow. And where the entrance is." Porkchop replied.

    Kaius nodded before he approached. Pushing open the flap of the tent revealed a surprisingly opulent interior. One was that far larger on the inside, large enough that he could lie end to end twice over with room to spare in any direction. Though, the height hadn''t changed much. A massive feather mattress layered with warm looking plush furs dominated one side of the tent, while the other held a small table set up with an enchanted stove. A thick rug covered the entire bottom of the floor, looking soft enough to sleep on.

    Stepping in with Porkchop close behind, Kaius stared around the space in wonder. It was the perfect temperature, the kind where he knew he would feel at ease whether he was naked or fully armoured.

    Porkchop let out a chitter of delight, drawing Kaius''s gaze as he dived on to the mattress. It held up to his abuse, and Kaius laughed as his friend groaned in pleasure as he sunk into the soft bedding.

    "I take it back. This is great."

    "Looks like it," Kaius grinned. "But maybe hold off rolling around on the bed when you''re covered in unmentionable slime?" He asked, cocking a brow at the mess his friend was leaving on the layered furs.

    Porkchop gasped in horror, leaping off the bed to stare mournfully at the stains. "I ruined it."

    "Nah, it has self cleaning. But we should get going. Both of us are pretty covered, and nice place to sleep or no, it would be good to find a rest stop to get clean and get some more food before the end of the day." Kaius said, eager to get moving.

    Porkchop groaned. "Thank the Matriarchs. If I managed to taint it with abomination juice I would have never forgiven myself."

    Porkchop sniffed, wincing as he got a nose full of the viscera that coated him. "A wash does sound great."

    Kaius smiled, leading the way out of the strangely expanded tent. Thankfully, whatever horrors he had seen when the artefact had shifted were not present inside the warped space. They backed away from their latest toy, giving it plenty of room for whatever happened next.

    "Don''t watch this time." Porkchop warned.

    "Believe me, I was not planning on it." Kaius said as he turned away, reaching for the artefact with his Mana Manipulation. He triggered the mechanism, squeezing his eyes shut just to be extra safe.

    There was a little pop of displaced air, but nothing else. No calls from beyond, or impossible geometry breaking his understanding of directions.

    "It''s over." Porkchop said.

    Kaius sighed in relief, turning around to find the grey satchel sitting exactly as he had left it. He could tell that whatever reservoir of mana it used to facilitate its unnatural transformation had been drained. It would need to recharge before they could use it again.

    "You want to carry it?" Kaius asked, nodding towards the straps and hooks that lined the barding on his hips, designed to secure extra saddlebags and other equipment.

    "Sure," Porkchop said.

    After securing it in place, they exited back to the arena where Porkchop had fought the Cystic Failure. Several other exits lined the stone walkway that surrounded the top of the room, offering them plenty of options to explore further in the hopes of finding a place to rest.

    He opened a door at random, hand glowing gold as he reflexively snapped off an Explosive Arcane Needle into the knee of the skinless occupant of the room.

    "More horrors." He groaned, drawing his sword.