[D'sP] No Turning Back - Chapter 438

Jim and his team stand back behind some bushes with the first lake right in front of them. There are only about sixty kobolds in a camp that is clearly meant for more. The problem was the seven odd-ones-out.

Not that the town hadn’t seen these monsters on the seventeenth floor. They had just all stayed back and retreated before the fight started. This time, though, there wasn’t a retreat. How would the odd kobolds with the belly fight?

Well, the party quickly finds that they at least are better magic users than the regular kobolds. Before this, no one had really had a problem charging up a spell  while hiding. The male elder kobolds noticed within moments of when Ruby began gathering Mana for her spell.

Those mages alerted the lady elders of the interlopers and suddenly the entire camp was up and howling as they charged towards the team. Qi glowed across the female elder kobold elders’ weapons as they directed the charge from the center of the horde. All while the men took up position at the back, spells visibly cycling up.

Then an arrow takes one of the mage elders in the eye.

The kobolds in front don’t notice this, though the Qi using elders can tell something happened. It is just not the time to hesitate and so they simply push the regular kobolds to run faster.

Besides, now that they know of the threat, the next few arrows targeting the back line don’t stand a chance to hit any of the elders. And since neither side has attempted to counter spell the other, there are soon magical constructs flying from both sides.

The mage elders not only cast their own magic, but in doing so, provided guidance for the regular mage kobolds.

Of course, there is a reason Ruby didn’t drop her spell to counter them. As the enemy spells rained down on them, the entire team moved forward, seeming to walk around the barrage. While it might have felt like an area of effect spell going off, it wasn’t truly.

Though of course not everything can be dodged. That is where the second part of their defense came into play. What someone coined as “spell slicing”. Which was technically correct if using a bladed weapon.

Otherwise, you just busted apart the spell in a variety of ways depending on the weapon. All it took was timing, good aim, and the ability to infuse power into your weapon of choice. Of course, reducing it to that makes it sound simple. It isn’t.

Though Jim and the others make it look that way. In particular, the Barrais take the lead, dual wielding daggers to slash down everything in their way. The various spells coming apart at the seams in theatrical fashion.

One summoned boulder bursts apart into butterflies. A conflagration of red fire pops like a soap bubble. A stream of water unravels like a rope into smaller and smaller threads. The daggers face only minor resistance even against the boulder. Their attacks slide through the structure of the spells to cut apart vital nodes holding it all together.

Suffice it to say, when Kelly had discovered that this was possible, it threw the Mage Tower into a tizzy. At least it did until they realized the skill, timing, knowledge, and hand eye coordination needed to do so. That last one especially settled the common mage.

The Barrais made it seem easy, but stats don’t give you countless hours of training. Sure, Kelly theorized that after a certain point, stats can force it. However, that would only work on spells significantly weaker than the person attempting to do so.

Oh sure, knowledge could be a bottleneck, but the scholars in the Mage Tower discounted that as a problem. After all, they could figure it out, why couldn’t others? Whatever the case, Jim’s team is able to advance until the casters are forced to slow down or start hitting their own.

Though with such a smaller group to worry about, this is the perfect time for Ruby to finally release her spell. For once, it isn’t a fire spell. Quite out of character.

While Ruby prefers fire, this situation called for wounds that kept bleeding and so she went for wind. And not just any wind spell, but a fun little number that she had seen a traveling adventurer testing out in the tower. If she was honest, the base construction was currently beyond her or else she would have adapted it to work with her fire ribbons.

The concept seemed simple enough as it was based on the simple wind blade spell. Which was probably what the kobolds thought had been cast at first. Then the wind blades kept coming.

Wind blade after blade soared up over the party, barely visible except for the very edges. Only to slam down among the kobolds, opening cuts galore. All of which began to bleed.

Worse for the kobolds, Ruby didn’t have to drop the spell. As long as she kept channeling Mana, the wind blade barrage would continue. Which quickly changed the elder kobold mages priority as they dropped whatever spell they were working on. They could tell that if they didn’t stop her, Ruby could likely solo the rest of the kobolds.

All while Ruby laughed. “Yes! This is why mages are the army killers!” Then, as she walks the blades across the kobolds, they come across the first of the Qi using elders.

Clang

The wind blade smacks into the elder kobold’s palm and stops.

Ruby, “That’s cheating! That isn’t even spell cutting or anything. The dang kobold is just too tough!”

Jim, “And? We both know your barrage only works because it’s casting the rote version of wind blade. It isn’t even as good as what a new mage can manage on occasion.”

Ruby frowns as she focuses on guiding the wind blades away from the Qi using elders. “You think I don’t know that? The wind blade used has most of the randomness removed. It doesn’t quite have the lowest potential damage, but if the regular wind blade did a d6, then the rote version automatically does 2. Of course, even with the system, reality is still too messy for HP and damage numbers.”

Jim pauses for a moment as a glow without color coats the arrow he has drawn. Wind blades continue to fall and the elders work to save and guide their minions. Jim’s eyes flick up before his fingers release the string.

The only sound is of the string. The arrow cuts through the air, silent and unnoticed. Last moment, one elder kobold glances over and sees the arrow, but too late. It sinks deep into an elders throat, cutting vital blood vessels.

Jim smiles, “Got one.

“Anyway, you probably could have figured out a fire barrage if you used the rote fire dart spell.”

Through teeth clenched only partly from having to maintain the barrage, Ruby responded, “But that would defeat the point. I hate to admit it, but for a fight that needs a barrage, fire darts aren’t the way. Well, barring the weakness and resistance of the target. Magic fire does too good a job of burning things and leaves the wound cauterized.”

Jim is about to respond when at the back of the kobolds, two of the mage elders fall over, their throats slit. The Barrais clearly at work. Jim closes his mouth, quick draws an arrow, and fires. Down goes the last mage elder. “Jay! Push! Ruby, be ready to clear!”

Jay pulls his shield back to his chest and then thrusts forward, knocking a gaggle of normal kobolds flying. His poleaxe swipes out right after and pushes the monsters even further back.

Ruby pulls back her stream of wind blades and sweeps it over the kobold front line.

Jim yells, “Charge! Take out the last leaders!” And begins to rapidly fire his arrows to further clear the way forward.

Jay takes advantage of this to push forward until he reaches the remaining elders. Except he doesn’t stop when he reaches them, bulling through their position. One, two, three steps and he 180°s to face them down, poleaxe poised to attack.

The elders pull back their Qi and focus it towards him. This was the wrong choice as while Jay does slam his poleaxe into them, he’s the bait. And Jim? Jim begins to silently take them out as the horde of kobolds lose cohesion, their leaders rapidly dying.

That, or Ruby’s continued web blade barrage was more than enough to disrupt things at this point. Likely both. Either way, the area around this lake is soon cleaned up after the elder kobolds are dead.

A bit of time passes as the team loots the camp.

Jim looks around, “They’re making their own gear, where’s the mines at?”

Jeremy shrugs, “Nowhere nearby.”

Jim purses his mouth, “Hmm, they probably have a mithril deposit on this floor. One of the strange mages looked to have a mithril wand.”

Ruby nodded, “That one summoning boulders. Good thing you two”, and she gestures at the Barrais, “managed to spell cut them. Size of a spell doesn’t always matter, but a giant boulder clearly means something.”

Jim sighs, “And we’ll probably face more mages equipped with them. Do we need to retreat?”

Doctor shakes his head, “I’ve barely had to heal so far. I say we push on.” And the others agree with him.

Doctor, “Though we should probably rest here. We just rested recently, but even if that fight wasn’t too intense, we used quite a few skills. Especially the barrage. Channeling seems to have a negative effect on Mana regen in the short term. Got to let your body rest after the strain.”

So on Doctor’s orders, the group settled down once again. Though only for a couple of hours. What was becoming known as a short rest after some game terminology. The purpose of it is more about letting people recover to their peak ability when it comes to channeling Mana, Qi, or other powers that require a break.

Then they were once again forging their way through a trap infested forest.

Jim frowned, “There are fewer traps or we’re missing more traps.”

Susan shrugs, “Less traps. If there were traps we weren’t detecting? We’d be detecting them the hard way.”

Jim sighs, “And yet we’re still going to end up taking most of the day to get wherever is next.”

Susan, “Well, most of our time was taken up with actually looking for things and fighting kobolds in the first place. Not going to go all that much faster.”

And she isn’t wrong, though neither is Jim. They do finally get close to the second lake, only for it to be in time for a long rest. Though instead of heading all the way back to the wall where they had camped, the party only backtracked to the first lake.

While there were still the rare group of kobolds sneaking around, that didn’t matter, as the lake itself provided safety. Not only was it something to have to their back, but the area around the lake was clear of trees and so easier to keep an eye on.

Then it was back down their path. Though once Jim gets a look at the second lake, he gestures for them to retreat. Once far enough away, he turns to them, “Did anyone else notice?”

Susan frowns, “Notice what?”

Jeremy, “There is another lake, but except for there being twice or more kobolds, it’s the same as the last.”

Jim shakes his head, “It is the same as something, but not the last lake. This floor is the last floor with the land and sea flipped. Well, not ‘sea’ as it isn’t salt, but you get what I mean.”

Ruby raises an eyebrow, “Are you sure?”

Jim nods, “I recognize the shoreline. I don’t blame anyone for not noticing, but just think about the size of the lakes compared to the size of the first two islands in 16. I guess we should wait for the third lake to confirm things, but if I’m right?

“That means we have this lake and then three more to clear. Knowing that, do we want to turn around? This could take more days than even our worst estimates.”

In the end, though, no one wanted to turn back.

Tired Of Traps - Chapter 437

The Final Push - Chapter 439