Niles nodded, voice quivering. "The system called it Vesryn Blade Drills."
Pausing for a moment, the boy's next words were the barest whisper — as if uttering them would wake him from a dream. "It's an Unusual."
He looked at Kaius as if he feared a trap would spring shut.
Kaius clicked his tongue. "Drat. I was hoping it might be Unique."
Niles blinked. "What?"
Ianmus snorted.
Kaius ignored him and turned to his friend. "What?"
"Stop torturing the boy. It's plain he thinks he's been knocked on the head and this is some last vision before he goes to meet his ancestors."
"I—" Niles started.
"Oh, shush, Ianmus," Kaius said. "He'll do fine."
He turned back to Niles. "Anyway, it's getting late, and we meant to be back at our inn hours ago. I'll see you around, Niles. Do me a favour: if you know anyone else trying to become a delver and wanting to learn the blade, teach them that skill."
Niles blinked. "Wait… you don't want me to keep it secret?"
Kaius laughed. "If I wanted to keep it secret, I wouldn't have told you in the first place." He summoned a quill, and a slip of parchment from his ring, and scribbled a few notes. "Here. In a couple of days, go to the Guild and tell the receptionist Kaius said to look after you. Just promise you'll keep pushing — and don't forget that steel in your spine."
Kaius turned to his team and tilted his head down the alley. His friends got to their feet, saying their goodbyes to the boy, who still stood there, shocked.
"Oh — one more thing," Kaius said. "Keep what's on that note to yourself for a few weeks. It'll be common knowledge soon enough, but I don't want you in danger if people think you have something valuable. Same with the skill you just learnt, actually. The Guild can help with spreading it — probably best you dont just go shouting it out on the street. I've learned first hand the trouble that can get you into."
As was becoming common, Niles only gave him a slow blink. "Why?" he called after them.
Kaius turned back. "What's the point of being strong if you can't be kind?"
A moment later, they were gone.
As they punched deeper through the warren of alleys, Porkchop turned to him. "What'd you put on that note? I could tell you did something impulsive, but not what."
"I told him how to get Lesser Regeneration and Uncanny Dodge."
Ianmus stumbled. "That's a bit of a risk, don't you think? What if it puts the boy in danger?"
"It won't," Kaius replied. "I've been thinking of sharing them with the Guild and asking them to spread them as wide as they can."
Kenva raised an eyebrow. "You are? That's daring — not worried about the risk of them being used against you?"
Kaius shook his head. He truly wasn't.
After all, it wasn't all that hard to tell he had some kind of evasive and regeneration skill, and evolving both skills had changed them considerably. Plus, with their accrued advantages, he sincerely doubted that others would be able to catch up.
Plus, it was the right thing to do. They were already doing the same with Honours and Aspects. Sure, nominally they were sharing what they knew about those because someone would let their existence slip at some point, and it would garner them some benefits if they did it first. Really, though, one of his biggest motivations was simply to improve people's chances as the integration progressed step by step. People had to push and try, and the more people with the resources to go as far as their willpower allowed — without being hobbled by outside factors — the better.
"Think about it" he said aloud. "They're small, easy skills, but how many more delvers, from Rangers to Skirmishers to Vanguards to Mages, will feel a little more comfortable fighting at their level, or even higher, if they know they can avoid danger and survive it?"
Without that survivability, how many would truly pursue Honours, even if they knew about them from the very start?
Porkchop grunted in agreement. "Hells, how many more people would become delvers in the first place if they knew they could get access to those abilities? Two legacy skills alone are practically guaranteed to get someone an Uncommon class at least, if they put a bit of effort into capping them, and the rest of their skills."
Porkchop paused for a moment, thinking. "I'll need to think of something else I can add. I know a fair few low-merge legacy skills that might be useful, no matter what style of fighting people lean toward."
"It is a fair assessment, one I can stand behind." Kenva said, before frowning a moment later. "Unfortunately, I am oath-bound to share how to acquire my skills only with those who have joined my clan."
"The same for me," Ianmus added with a grunt. "I can't share the skills from Sunspire at all, and the three my father taught me can only be shared with direct relatives. Though I do see the wisdom in legacy skills being more accessible."
Kaius nodded, smiling. He knew it was sudden, and perhaps hasty, but he was glad that his team both understood his reasoning and agreed with him.
"Come on. Let's get back to the Dusty Stables. It's been a long day."