Porkchop huddled near the fire. It was exactly like any of the others they had set throughout their travels: a small pit with low-burning coals, slowly extinguishing themselves as the night stretched on. Even their tent was there, nestled beside a bush whose tangled branches and leaves blended seamlessly with those around it.
His guide sat across from him, her dark fur glistening in the flickering firelight. Once again, the system had taken the form of one of his Matriarchs. She was so large that he felt barely bigger than a kit before her, even now that he stood six strides high at the shoulder and was wrapped in heavy muscle. At her full size, the matriarch was twice that height — a veritable behemoth, larger than many of the Guardians he had fought.
It was exactly how he remembered his true elders in the dens, though they rarely grew to their full size except when on the hunt. The low-burning fire between them threw off outsized shadows, morphing into shapes cast by meles that did not exist. They were legion, circling him and his guide on every side, stretching almost as far as he could see. Hazy and indistinct, yet he could tell each one held a potential future — by their shape and by the impossible familiarity shadows should never have held.
“Are you sure of your choice?” his Matriarch asked, a rumble echoing through her chest as their minds touched. “You had far more options this time, and they all fit you well too.”
That much was true. It had been a riot of impressions: staunch, heavy bruisers, every one of them. One in particular had called to him, fitting his role within the team. A few others had tempted him, surprising in their variance, but his mind was already made.
“I am, Matriarch,” Porkchop replied, dipping his head. “The Orichalcum Beastknight is a good fit. Few others placed armour so centrally, and none combined dual affinities — crystal and metal, fitting together as one.”
He shifted, jade claws digging into the soft soil beneath him. Orange light bent and wavered through their semi-translucent surface. An idle thought crossed his mind — this might be the last time he would see that green sheen. His people changed when their bloodline evolved; odd as it might have been for his companions, it was normal to him. Besides, humans, elves, and the other two-legs changed as they grew too, though never so starkly or so suddenly.
It didn’t make him uneasy; if anything, he was excited. Who would not want to grow larger and stronger? Besides, Kaius was already too comfortable with his newfound ability to pick him up. Another ton or five might finally put an end to that indignity — or at least hold it off until his next evolution.
Still, one main question gnawed at him: the nature of his class. As the thought flicked across his mind, the matriarch’s ears perked. She raised her head and fixed him with bright grey eyes.
“The bloodline,” Porkchop said slowly. “It was of a vanguard, not a bastion. Almost all of them were, that worries me. I need to be able to defend my friends — I like defending them. If I can no longer hold the front, we will become far less effective.”
His guide bobbed her head in acknowledgement before settling back down, resting her chin on paws nearly two strides wide.
“That is an easy one to explain. Both vanguards and bastions are combatants whose focus is on inviolable defence and unyielding toughness. The difference lies in approach. A bastion is reactive, holding the centre of a formation where they can best intercept attacks and weather the storm.”
Porkchop cocked his head. That didn’t sound like him at all.
“And vanguards?”
“Their place is at the front,” his guide replied, grounding her words with iron surety. “There is a common misconception that bastions are defence while vanguards are offence. Battle is not so simple to categorise. Many vanguards defend those behind them — but not by intercepting. Instead, they rely on indomitable physiques to shrug off wounds and make themselves the threat their enemies cannot ignore. To reach the people they guard, their foes must first put them down.”
A shiver ran through Porkchop, as if an icy wind had blown over him. That sounded right — correct and true, exactly the kind of comrade he had always tried to be.
His guide chuffed, shaking her head so that tufts of fur rippled across her ruff. “You are right. This is something you already do. Hence why so many of your bloodline options were vanguards.”
Her words only solidified his decision. Orichalcum Beastknight was perfect. Yet despite the looming shadow of an armour-bound beast to his left, he knew he needed to ask about cycling — and how it would affect his advancement. Kaius had confirmed it was important, but had not been able to share in what way. Likely it would differ for a greater beast.
“The benefits of advancement,” he asked. “From what Xenanra and Kaius said, cycling improves a process that already occurs. Is it different for me?”
“Of course. Beasts — especially greater beasts — undergo a more thorough change. Bloodline evolution, fuelled by quintessence, is absorbed more readily into your body and mind. That is a part of the reason for the drastic improvements in their base capabilities each tier — but that natural groove diverts power away from the soul. A relative imbalance.”
Porkchop cocked his head. Could that be the source of the difficulties with insight that greater beasts were known for?
“Right again — though it is only one factor of several. I try to correct it as best I can, but it is no sure thing. Your aspects help, instinctively balancing the transfusion. With cycling, you can push it further — eliminating some of the natural gap you’ve already closed through your bond and your Soul Soap.”
“How do I do it?” Porkchop asked.
“You simply have to cycle. I will guide you through the rest.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
He nodded, steeling himself, then rose to his feet and lumbered toward the looming shadow. It was massive — eight strides at the shoulder compared to his six. It was wrapped in heavy plate, more refined and articulated than his current overlapping slabs of jade. In its shadowy depths he glimpsed a metallic glint.
Porkchop pressed his nose into its centre and welcomed the power in.
…
Reclining on the opposite side of the camp blanket, Kaius chewed through a salty hunk of jerky as he eyed his brother warily. It would happen any moment now. He could feel it in his bones, a latent pressure palpable even through their sealed bond.
“I hope he won’t take too much longer, this waiting is doing my head in,” Kenva whispered, clearly impatient for her own selection.
Kaius smirked. They weren’t ready.
A bare dozen heartbeats later, a sickening crack silenced the quiet night. Every muscle in Porkchop’s body convulsed at once. Bones snapped like twigs, bursting through muscle as blood soaked his fur. Joints popped; flesh boiled, straining against skin before ripping open. Growths forced their way out like cancers, sloughing into puddles beneath him. One by one, jade claws and teeth fell, their sharp weight sinking into the mud.
“What in the gods’ rotten fuck?” Kenva screamed.
Kaius chuckled, tugging another strip of jerky from his lap. “Good thing I told Porkchop to move off our blanket first.”
“How the fuck are you eating right now, Kaius?” Ianmus demanded.
He shrugged. “What? It’s gross, sure, but this sort of thing stops being nauseating after you’ve seen your own entrails a couple hundred times.”
His friends stared at him with a mix of disgust and resignation, before they returned to watching Porkchop bubble and boil with horrified fascination.
Kaius only wondered how big his brother was going to get.
….
**Ding! Bloodline Reforged! Orichalchum Beastknight obtained!**
**Ding! General Skill Evolved! Boundless Vigour (Unique) has become Lesser Physique of the Deathless (Heroic)!**
**Ding! General Skill Evolved! Jade Bones, Earthen Blood (Unique) has become
Tempered and Unbroken (Heroic)!**
**Ding! General Skill Evolved! Sacred Empowerment (Unique) has become Orichalchum Infusion (Heroic)!**
**Ding! General Skill Evolved! Spell Resistance (Unusual) has become Greater Spell Resistance (Unique)!**
**Ding! General Skill Evolved! Natural Celerity (Unusual) has become Primal Swiftness (Unique)!**
Porkchop stretched, rising to his feet. Power rippled through him, and the new weight held him solidly against the earth. He shook himself, raising his paws to study them curiously. His pads were as black as ever, but his fur was nearly twice as thick, sprouting into great tufts like the mountain beasts hunters sometimes spoke of.
His claws were no longer green but a steely slate grey, streaked with crystalline orange. When he clacked them together, they rang with a thin, peeling note only he could hear.
Wobbling a little to adjust to his new proportions, Porkchop reared up and spun to his matriarch, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. His guide only shook her head, amused.
“Time to check out your first class evolution, then?” she asked.
“Yes, please.”
…
The weight of his new armour should have been crushing, heavier even than his jade plate had been — but it wasn’t. Not nearly as much.
Celadon Aegis had evolved into Beastknight’s Hide. Much like the name of his class, his armour was now wrought of raw orichalcum — an ore as much crystal as metal; as hard as pure mithril and denser than granite. His armour had become massive overlapping plates, joined with intricate articulation that gave him full coverage with far fewer weak points than before. Where mobility was required, the plates reticulated, sliding seamlessly across each other to leave no gap in his carapace.
Yet for all its bulk, the development of a tier-two evolution meant his movements were barely impeded, the weight drastically reduced.
He chuffed, incredibly pleased. He had achieved much, and been rewarded in kind. Truly, he would be a terror in battle now.
Bobbing his head in thanks to his guide, Porkchop pulled up his status — his last thing to do before rejoining his friends.
Status:
Name: Porkchop (He-who-does-not-listen-and-lacks-wisdom)
Dynasty: Den of Moonless Nights
Age: 20
Race: Greater Meles (Dynastic, Enlightened Mind) - +1 Dex, Int, Wil, and free stats per level
Layer Reached: 29
Bloodline: Orichalchum Beastknight - +7 Con, +4 Vit, +5 Str, +2 Dex, +4 free stats per level
Tier: 2
Level: 201
Resources:
Health - 39140/39140 (373.4/min)
Stamina - 18860/18860 (188.2/min)
Mana - 11980/11980 (119.8/min)
Stats:
Endurance - 1957 (957 + 149 + 77%)
Vitality - 1867 (906 + 149 + 77%)
Strength - 943 (424 + 134 + 69%)
Dexterity - 941 (423 + 134 + 69%)
Intelligence - 559 (221 + 134 + 69%)
Willpower: - 559 (221 + 134 + 69%)
Stat Points: 5
Aspects:
Pillar Corporus: The Indomitable Mantle
- Reinforcement: Titan’s Marrow
- Seed: Only Those Who Bleed May Command
Pillar Mentis: The General’s Foresight
- Reinforcement: Glass Mind
- Seed: Pierce the Fog
Pillar Animus: The Obstinate Questor
- Reinforcement: Purity of Self
- Seed: Freedom to the Unfettered
Refinement Stage:
Untempered
Class Skills (10/10):
Beastknight’s Hide (Heroic) - 201
Prismatic Shardwall (Unique) - 200
Bulwark’s Challenge (Heroic) - 200
The Warden’s Maw (Heroic) - 200
Intercede the Weak (Unique) - 174
Jadecrash (Unique) - 187
Totem of the Glade (Heroic) - 143
Breaker of Men (Unique) - 100
The Stone that Weathered Time (Heroic) - 73
Gladespirit (Heroic) - 65
General Skills (10/10):
Savage Arsenal (Heroic) - 200
Shattering Storm (Heroic) - 200
Lesser Physique of the Deathless (Heroic) - 201
Tempered and Unbroken (Heroic) - 201
Landslide of Fang and Talon (Heroic) - 200
Greater Spell Resistance (Unique) - 201
Orichalchum Infusion (Heroic) - 201
Primal Senses (Unusual) - 200
Primal Swiftness (Unique) - 201
Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 200
Honours:
Born for Slaughter (Bonus)
Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather (Bonus)
Persistent Survivor (Minor) (Bonus)
Kingslayer (Major) (Bonus)
Ruthless Underdog (Bonus)
Ruthless Underdog II
Trailblazer II (Bonus)
Hordebreaker
Ruthless Underdog III (Bonus)
Persistent Survivor IV (Minor) (Bonus)
Paragon (Major) (Bonus)
Daring Challenger (Minor)
Triarch (Bonus)
The Wheel Turns
Paver of Ways (Bonus)
Hordebreaker II
Massacre II
When Killers Meet
The Mighty Stand Alone
Undying II (Bonus)
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