**Ding! You have slain a Champion: Grimclaw Dreadbeast - level 27 Prowling Displacer! **

    Kaius gasped, pain flooding back with a vengeance as the last of the Psychopathic Assault tonic left his system. The dregs of his health flooded free, vanishing in moments as it worked to heal the rents in his exterior flesh.

    The Grimclaw was on top of him, pinning him to the ground. He stared at it with wide eyes. What the hells had that been? When he''d read the description of the potion he''d been expecting anger. Some sort of consuming rage that drove him into a fervour.

    There had been no anger. No burning heat of madness. No, the only thing that he had felt had been joy. The beauty of spilled blood, the ecstasy of pain, of destruction levered against those he hated. And how he hated. It had been overwhelming, the sheer disgust and contempt he had felt for the Champion. It had chilled him to his very soul. Freezing out all passions except those that brought ruin to the object of his fascination.

    Yet there had been no madness. No fugue. He''d known it was the tonic, known the entire time. That it was unnatural. Yet he hadn''t cared. Everything that couldn''t be leveraged into the total destruction of his opponent had been discarded.

    A whine shook him from his thoughts. Kaius strained against the heavy meat that pinned him, craning his head to see Porkchop limping towards him on quaking limbs. His friend seemed tense. Cautious.

    "Kaius!" Porkchop''s tone was frantic. "Are you okay? Has the bloodlust left you?"

    Kaius grunted, pushing against the body on top of him as he attempted to wriggle free. "Yeah. Yeah, I''m okay. The tonic wore off. Hells of a fucking tonic though, gods." He cursed.

    Porkchop slumped down to the floor next to him, grunting in pain. "I''m still too weak to pull it off you. Give me a few minutes." He spat out the last revitalisation tonic, the square glass bottle thunking into the earth.

    "I''ll be fine." Kaius heaved, wincing as the cuts on his body were yanked uncomfortably from the movement. A few moments of frantic shuffling and he managed to pull himself free. "See?"

    Moving to stand, Porkchop interrupted him with a growl.

    "Sit. Rest. Rage like that burns you, tires the mind even if your body is left untouched. It is an affliction of the meles. We can ... lose ourselves in the heat of battle. You feel it too. I know it. The rush. This was different. Too brutal. No passion, only hate and cold. You should be wary of that tonic Kaius."

    Kaius sighed at Porkchop words, but relented and returned to sitting. Swiping his tonic from the ground, he slotted it back safely into his potion pouch. Looking at the glassy eyes of the Grimclaw, and his sword that was sunken hilt deep into its chest, he knew his friend was right. Yet the power had saved their life. He would use it again if he had to..

    "I didn''t lose myself, that''s the most disconcerting thing. I was still me. I just only cared about death." He muttered.

    "Just be careful."

    "I will."

    He thought back on the exchange. The sheer power, the control, that the tonic had given him. Never in his mind did he think he would be able to get that level of control over his Health until he had merged Lesser Regeneration. He dove inwards, waiting a few seconds for a burst of Health to spurt from his soul. He grabbed the scrap of the resource. Directing it to the cut in his thigh, urging it to knit skin back together and skin alone.

    It was slow, far slower and less efficient than he had been only minutes before. It still worked. Still restored flesh far faster than he could before. His mind was slower, weaker without the power of the draught. But the knowledge, the capability remained. What if it was repeatable?

    Dangerous indeed.

    Looking over to Porkchop he activated his Sense Mana. A blinding halo lit up. He dialled it back, reducing the impressions of latent mystic force until it returned to diffuse auras. A flick of mental will locked the skill in place.

    He gazed out at their surroundings in awe, the mana was everywhere. Blanketed everything. Trees wreathed in greens and browns. The lights above glistening in silver and gold. He looked left, towards the massive sentinel that dominated the clearing. It shone with a radiant inner light.

    The Depths had always had a savage grace to them, but this was true beauty. Regardless if the tonic had saved their life, it would have been worth it for just this sight alone.

    Porkchop had tried to help him with the skill. As a greater beast he could naturally see mana. Yet the fact that his friend had the power as a birth right meant that he''d never had to learn how to control it, nor was it quite as acute as his own. Porkchop''s advice had been about as helpful as if he had tried to explain how to make seeing in colour less overwhelming.

    "What''re you looking at?" Porkchop asked, cocking his head at him.

    "Sense Mana. Figured out how to use it properly thanks to the tonic. It''s everywhere." Kaius replied absentmindedly, fascinated with his surroundings.

    Porkchop snorted. "Of course it is, we are in the Depths. Even the inner Sea struggles to compare to the density. It is pretty though."

    The pair sat in companionable silence, waiting for their wounds to heal while they rested next to the corpse of their slain foe. Enjoying the moment of peace that followed a hard fought battle.

    Kaius rose first, his bolstered regeneration and comparatively few wounds allowing him to rise quickly. He grabbed his sword, yanking it free from the Champions chest.

    "Back in a moment, gonna go get my pack." Kaius trotted off, approaching the tree where he and Porkchop had originally planned their assault. Slinging his bag back on, he walked back to the site of their victory.

    "So, how''re we doing? Ready to go look for the loot?" Kaius asked with a wide grin.

    Digging through the pile, Kaius managed to find a ring on a discarded arm. The flesh on the finger had been left intact, but had desiccated. Perhaps from the same body as the helmet? Regardless of its origin, Kaius delicately pulled it free from the shrivelled digit. Tossing it towards his other prize, he returned to digging.

    "Nothing. That''s it." He picked up his spoils, wandering over to his friend. "Well, it smells gross here. I suggest we check out what these babies do outside. Maybe somewhere with a soft patch of leaf litter to sit on."

    "Agreed."

    They left the hollow, walking a short distance to get away from the sprawling roots that rose up above their heads at the base of the tree. Kaius plopped himself down, holding his new helmet up to get a better look at it.

    It was a hardy thing. Made of gleaming bronze metal, it had a ridge that ran along its top. Sweeping extrusions ran along where it would sit against his cheek and jaw, and a slip of metal shot down from the brow to protect the nose. Swirling embossed designs of knots covered the entire thing, and when Kaius looked closely he could make out dense lines of runic script etched into the decorative covering.

    He appraised it.

    Kallheim Helm:

    Common - Tier I

    The Cold Home is a ruthless place. Life is cheap, and death is cheaper. It breeds hard men, but even a hard man does not survive an axe to the skull.

    Made from a cold bronze and steel alloy, with a padded beast leather interior. Simple protection, but stout and reliable thanks to its make and materials.

    Depths-wrought Artefact.

    Medium Armour (Helmet)

    Durability I, Impact Negation I, Self Repair I

    He read the notification, turning the helm around in his hands. Nothing exciting, but like it said - you didn''t need something fancy if it still stopped your head getting caved in. He shrugged and slid it on.

    His shaggy hair immediately covered his eyes. Pulling it off with a huff, Kaius threw his head back to get his hair out of the way. He might need to go at it with his knife again soon.

    The helmet went back on, now keeping his hair out of his eyes. It fit perfectly, snug but not tight.

    "Nice." He thought to himself, doing up its clasp to secure it in place.

    A shake of his head confirmed it wasn''t going anywhere.

    "Looks a little silly. Different colour from your scale." Porkchop said, watching him from off to the side.

    Kaius rolled his eyes at his friend. "It will also save my life if someone hits me over the head. I can deal with a little clashing colours." He reached for the ring. "Now if you''ll excuse me, I have something else to look at"

    Plain and made with gleaming silver, it had a ring of runes around its inner edge, while an engraved closed fist graced its exterior.

    Ring of the Dedicated Brawler:

    Common

    Only a coward brings a sword to a fist fight.

    Made from shining argentium, this ring''s enchantments turn the wielder''s hands to iron, allowing them to turn blades and land heavier blows. Slightly enhances Strength.

    Depths-wrought Artefact.

    Accessory (Ring)

    Brawlers Gambit I, Resizing I, Self Repair I

    **Ding! Appraise has reached level 20!**

    Kaius grinned as he saw the notification that trailed shortly after the ring''s description, though he set the thought to the side for the moment. Holding the ring up, Kaius stared at its description pensively. It might work. May as well try.

    "Hey, Porkchop?"