Having had a head-start both in terms of casting and of Mana Regen, Mac was still outpacing Varba, though only barely. Varba’s heavy investment in Wisdom would likely pay off in the future, when she became able to cast more. After Fire II, Mac had access to Distant Flame, Hearth, and Thaw, with Fireball on the third tier. Distant Flame and Hearth both led into Ignite, and Thaw grew into Fire Shield. I’d seen most of them already, but Fire Shield was new.
Fire Shield I
Cost: 85 MP
Range: 15 meters
Cast Time: 3 seconds
Duration: 3 minutes
Description: Covers a target’s body with charges of nascent Fire energy. These explode when struck, doing damage over time equivalent to your Fire spell’s damage-over-time component to the wearer and their melee attacker. If not already Ignited, each is Kindled.
Effect: 5 Fire Damage over 3 seconds. 8 charges.
Requirements: Fire III, Thaw II
This spell is learned.
“Wow, Mac, this Fire Shield is something, isn’t it?” I noted in the quiet evening air, earning myself a glare from Varba before she closed her eyes and returned to her meditation. “I can’t figure out how I would use it, only that I’d want to.”
Mac opened her eyes, excited. “I know, right? Seems like something for the tank, but really I think it’s for the caster themselves, since I definitely see Fire Resistance in my future. Maybe if we got Huth'Ga some fire-resistant gear...
I nodded, but she wasn’t done. “Still, where I think it would really shine would be casting it on an enemy at range, or a big enemy with a lot of people wailing on it.” Her eyes glittered with cruel delight. “Imagine a raid group attacking a boss with this on. They might get one or two stacks of Kindled each, but the poor bastard with the Fire Shield on would take 40 extra damage—48 with my current Int! Even at 85 mana, it’s actually my most efficient spell by far. It’s just super risky to use right now.”
She leaned even closer and whispered. “Imagine what Varba would do if even one of the melee caught fire!”
Varba opened one baleful eye. “Varba would shove her wand so far up her Fire mage, the mage would sneeze Mana Regen.” Threat issued, she closed her eyes again.
Faking contrition, but shaking with silent mirth, Mac put her hands up to the sides of her head, pointed outward, and mouthed, Goblin ears!
Once we’d had enough, the guards alerted Huth’Ga. Though the war mother had seemed to be warming toward us, she still activated The Mayor’s Curse before directing the warriors to return us to the cramped cell to sleep. We were too exhausted to complain.
Once morning came though, complain we did. Groans and pained mutterings filled the air around me, and a dull throb permeated my skull, emanating from between my eyes and around into my neck. Mac confirmed—colorfully—that she was experiencing the same thing.
The melee group was faring significantly worse. Varba’s ministrations had closed split lips and soothed bruises and barked shins, but didn’t have any effect on sore muscles. Katz went from head to toe detailing just how sore each individual muscle was, until Slynx called out to him that he should try a heavy club instead of daggers and see how he fared then.
Everyone was tired, both from the previous day’s exertions and from the sub-par sleeping conditions. No one was more bleary-eyed than Varba though, who struggled to pull herself awake when Slynx roused her. She stared listlessly even then.
At the guards’ direction we filed out of our cell and toward the greyed entrance to Marami’s End. I struggled to convince myself that our efforts from the day before would help, but deep down I knew it wasn’t likely to be enough. Our natural attribute progression had stalled, and so even with our spell and weapons practice, our Hit Points, our stamina—pick a stat!—just weren’t going to be up to the task. We needed to level up!
It was clear from her perky attitude that Mac was trying to keep our minds off those thoughts and inspire our confidence. Even though I knew what she was doing, it helped. The others passed between the stone blocks, laughing and joking, bragging to each other about what they might do to a Void Kraken or two. The camaraderie might have stung, but having a shared purpose helped allay my imposter syndrome. Each member was necessary, and as long as I had a legitimate reason to be there, I was secure.
My main concern was those blasted Mana Bleed debuffs. Each stack negated 20 Wisdom’s worth of Mana Regen. With all our regeneration put together, it would only take six stacks to stop our progress—seven to take us out altogether. It would be best to down the krakens at range, but that simply wouldn’t be happening with only two casters. And my bow. I scoffed to myself. I was more likely to shoot myself in the foot than to hit an enemy, even though my Weapon Skills had mirrored the accelerated growth of my Class Skills.
Our gear was still in the dungeon, of course, aside from Luctus’ Augment, which had followed me through respawn. It bore the same “etherbound” quality the cursed rings did—yet another secret I was desperate to learn. Still, there were plenty of replacement Mana Regen items from those Mjorn had passed along. There were also some pieces we were now able to wield, mostly among the melee. Katz got a dagger upgrade, and Slynx ended up with a long-handled battle axe that completed his whole “dwarf” look. In a surprise move, Huth'Ga had gathered an entire set of leather armor for Me’Almah, sized—of course—for an orc woman. She pointed out that she should have done so earlier, and added a new shield and mace to Me’Almah’s equipment as well.
Our first order of business would be to get our old gear back.
While the rest of us added equipment, Varba stared aimlessly into the gray, still waking up. Man, did she need her morning coffee!
Once we were all ready, Hen’Darl swept into the chamber to cast Dark Vision on us. Her hands paused in mid-air as she caught sight of the healer.
“Child, come over here!” she commanded, beckoning impatiently as the goblin shambled within reach. “Ach, I thought so! Foolish girl," she chastised, placing her hand to Varba’s forehead. “There can be no caring for others if you have not cared for yourself first! Your friends would not have wanted this.”
Hen’Darl turned to those assembled. “There will be no battling today, I’m afraid. Our healer has gone and worked herself into a fugue.”
Huth'Ga opened her mouth to speak, but Hen’Darl raised a hand to forestall any complaint. “I’m sorry, Daughter. You know as well as I how much they would accomplish without her. Foolish indeed, but she has bought them time with her foolishness, even if that time is lost to Hearthstead.”
“Your friend will need rest, and time," she informed us. “Let this be a lesson to you all, but especially to you two.” She gestured to Mac and myself. “If you push yourself past your limits—using mana you do not have, casting when you are exhausted—this will be the cost. It is rarely worth paying.”
Shaking her head, she led Varba out of the room.
Huth'Ga stared after her with a grimace of frustration—or was it concern? Either way, she was back to us within moments.
“Very well. Let us see what you lot can do with what time the goblin has bought you.”
Chapter 23
Our breath fogged as we faced the heavy doors. The morning air brought with it a sense of anticipation, of possibilities and potential. We were as ready as we could be, but while everyone else appeared determined, I was terrified. All we needed were Hen’Darl and—
And there she was, with Varba beside her, shuffling into the torchlight looking like death warmed over, but with a set to her mouth that communicated she wasn’t having any of it. Her gaze found Slynx, and softened as he crossed the floor to wrap her in his burly arms. An odd scene, honestly—a dwarf hugging a goblin. I supposed it was the type of thing I’d be getting used to, but at that moment I struggled not to laugh.
She looked tired, and having our healer off her game worried me. Checking her stats, I saw that she was indeed suffering from a debuff.
Ethereal Ex
haustion (21 hrs)
You have driven yourself beyond your endurance, and your body rebels. Mana Regeneration is halved.
Varba caught me looking. “Don’t worry, Zen,” she assured me with a scowl. “I have you to do my regen for me.”
While she was right, it was still concerning. After me, Varba had the best regen by far. Having it halved nearly counted as a Mana Bleed all by itself.
Still, we hadn’t exactly been twiddling our thumbs while waiting for her to recover.
While Mac waited for everyone to accept her invitations into the group, she explained the situation to Varba. She also explained the plan, because there was a plan now, such as it was. Hen’Darl cast Dark Vision and once Mac finished, we turned to once again face Marami’s End.
The first piece of the plan began the second we stepped inside. Slynx, Me’Almah, and Katz each hurried to one of the three hallways, lugging a good 40-pound stone with them, before falling back to regain their stamina. This part had been Huth'Ga’s inadvertent idea. On hearing our description of the Void Krakens, she had commented on their eyeless nature, and had wondered aloud whether they hunted by smell.
I had a good guess as to how they hunted, since one had taken a nip out of my ethereal form. A plan had begun to fall into place, the second piece of which began once the melee had their stamina back.
Operating exactly as before, Katz moved down the left hallway. That was the direction of our gear, after all. He had to throw a rock to get their attention, but once he had it, he raced the krakens back to us. Me’Almah was ready with the Bind, and Varba had a handle on the Poison, but Mac was loaded like a cannon. The first kraken caught fire mere seconds after coming into sight, and Mac followed up her Ignite with a Fire Shield. At 125 mana, it was a big outlay, but we hoped to make it count. The kraken’s health ticked away, 6 Hit Points over 5 seconds.
Katz and I had been waiting patiently. I with an arrow nocked, and he with a dagger ready to throw. As soon as Fire Shield landed on the kraken, we let loose.
...
Zenzuck’s arrow hits Void Kraken for 5 Piercing Damage!
Fire Shield impact triggers Fire III on Void Kraken for 6 Fire Damage over 3 sec!
Katz’s thrown dagger hits Void Kraken for 3 Piercing Damage!
Fire Shield impact triggers Fire III on Void Kraken for 6 Fire Damage over 3 sec!
Namara’s thrown javelin hits Void Kraken for 4 Piercing Damage!
Fire Shield impact triggers Fire III on Void Kraken for 6 Fire Damage over 3 sec!
...
The intensity of the damage forced a scream from the kraken, and the silence of the dungeon was broken. One scream, two screams, four. The Bind crumbled around its feet, and the kraken continued its mad dash for us. I held my breath. This was the do-or-die moment. The monster dashed closer and closer, beak gnashing and tentacles grasping. Then it was scrambling to a stop and digging its beak into the mana-infused meat we had tied to the stone. As its tentacles swarmed to encase the rock, two more krakens appeared out of the gray of the hallway, four taloned feet clawing against each other for primacy in reaching the meal.
Face set, Mac cast, then cast again, then a third time and a fourth.
It had taken real practice, working out how to cast Flow while simultaneously firing the bow. I’d even had a new Class Skill pop up under Spellcasting called Muscle Memory.
Muscle Memory (???) — Rank 3
Requirements: Static Casting Rank 5, Concentration Rank 9
Spells that can be cast while static can be learned by heart.
If cast while completing another action, chance to complete either action is reduced by 35% (-5% per rank).
Mana cost is 185% (-5% per rank).
We’d considered not bothering with the arrows, since it was so crucial that Mac get the mana, but my Concentration skill had made up the difference during practice.
And so Mac landed spell after spell on the three krakens, though not one dealt direct damage. What followed was more beautiful than words can say.
...
Void Kraken’s claw attack hits Void Kraken for 7 Slashing Damage!
Fire Shield impact triggers Fire III on Void Kraken for 6 Fire Damage over 3 sec!
Void Kraken’s beak attack hits Void Kraken for 5 Piercing Damage!
Fire Shield impact triggers Fire III on Void Kraken for 6 Fire Damage over 3 sec!
...
The damage became astronomical as friendly fire triggered DoTs—damage over time attacks—for both attacker and victim. Mac had estimated Fire Shield might do 48 damage total, but with creatures that attacked whatever stood between them and their food, that damage was doubled. To us it would be forever known as Mac’s “Fire Shield Special.”
Fireballs followed on the heels of the Fire Shields, each targeted at the kraken with the highest Hit Point total, but they were almost unnecessary. Three had been the magic number for maximizing the Fire Shield damage, and before I would have even believed possible, there were three corpses smoking in the dark hallway, one still buried face-first in our meat decoy.
The decoy worked so well, in fact, that the fourth Void Kraken that had responded was still latched onto the decoy for the right hallway, occupied with its feast. Varba let loose with her Poison spell, and I almost pitied the poor, stupid beast as its life drained away one point at a time.
Of course, any pity I might have had was curtailed when the kraken reared its head and staggered erect.
Sure enough, the mana I had woven around the meat had all been consumed—nearly a thousand mana in under a minute! It had taken me almost half an hour to rig the thing! We wouldn’t be able to down these suckers leisurely or our two remaining lures wouldn’t last.
A few arrows, a dagger, and two casts from Mac put the monster down for good, and then it was time to reclaim our gear! While Katz scouted to see whether the way was truly clear, Slynx groused about not getting to hit anything with his axe. Me’Almah just waited stoically.
Katz returned minutes later to report that both rooms down the left hall were clear, and in spite of all the noise we had made earlier, we all crept back to the room on the left. Looting our bodies was not pleasant, and I was appalled at what the krakens had done to my robes, but I was glad to have the stat boosts back, minimal as they were.
And speaking of stats, we’d just downed 4 krakens!
You have slain a Void Kraken — Level 11 for 174 (base 330) Experience Points!
You have slain a Void Kraken — Level 12 for 206 (base 360) Experience Points!
Congratulations—you have reached Level 6!
You have 3 Attribute Points to allocate.
Me’Almah has reached Level 6!
Slynx has reached Level 6!
Varba has reached Level 6!
Namara has reached Level 6!
Katz has reached Level 6!
You have slain a Void Kraken — Level 11 for 158 (base 330) Experience Points!
Congratulations—you have reached Level 7!
You have 6 Attribute Points to allocate.
Me’Almah has reached Level 7!
Slynx has reached Level 7!
Varba has reached Level 7!
Namara has reached Level 7!
Katz has reached Level 7!
You have slain a Void Kraken — Level 14 for 240 (base 420) Experience Points!
That was the one bonus to being so low level: enemies gave more experience! It was almost worth getting torn apart two days prior. Oh wait—no it wasn’t.
Relief flooded through me as I watched stats grow around me. In an off moment the day before, Katz had discovered that the UI was incredibly customizable, with the ability to overlay just about whatever you could wish for onto your view. We had all taken the chance to experiment, and I had ended up configuring mine to display mana bars prominently when I was looking at a player, and to warn me if anyone in the party was getting low. Each player’s main attribute and Mana Regen were also prominent, and it would be impossible to
miss a debuff ever again. If it was a stat you had access to, you could have it within view at all times.
“Varb, you’re not taking more Wisdom?” Mac asked, when the stat didn’t budge.
“If I’m ever going to be a competent healer, I’m going to need both Wisdom and Int," she pointed out. “If Slow Heal is ever going to count for anything, it’s going to need to be stronger, not just longer. Better to let Zen do my regen for me, for now.”
I was constantly impressed by the group’s skill. I had played enough MMO’s to know how rare it is to have even minimally skilled players in your group, and that once you found a group you meshed with, you didn’t give it up lightly. A small spark of hope flickered in my chest as well. If Varba was choosing stats based on having me around… I didn’t look too closely at the feeling. Having someone in the group who couldn’t contribute to the damage output—heck, even Varba was able to do that—simply wasn’t going to fly long-term. Once we’d gotten ourselves out of this mess, any debt Mac might have had to me would be paid. They’d go off together to do whatever they had been planning, and I’d… well, I’d figure out something to do, but at least I would only be responsible to myself.
We took time after distributing stat points to fortify the room. The table we had used before was worse for the wear, with deep grooves carved into the surface where kraken claws had sought for purchase, but was serviceable nonetheless, as were some smaller round tables and chairs. Slynx and Katz rigged them so they could be rolled into place at a moment’s notice to block the door.
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