[D'sP] A Layer Of Mud Vs A Wall Of Mud - Chapter 411

Jim looks around at his team, “So, we’re back here again. Better equipped for the challenge, but still what I’d consider under equipped, all things considered. Anyone have a last-minute discovery to ease our passage?”

Kelly snorts, “My last-minute stuff was all used up on the water.”

Jeremy nods, “If you wanted us to figure something new out, that should have been the goal before coming back and not just some new duds.”

Jim rolls his eyes, “I’ll take that as a no. Kelly and Kellinger, get us buffed up and then we’ll find out if our gear upgrades are good enough to handle the heat or if we’ll have to get out of the kitchen.”

Jay shrugs and starts walking towards the ashen valley, with the others soon taking up position around them. The wolfkin could just feel there was some sort of inside joke, but wanted to simply get started. Good thing they obliged and soon the group saw their first ashen bull.

Though said bull also saw them at the same time and after snorting out some cinders, it bellowed. This wasn’t quite the signal to aggro the entire valley, but it did pull in a trio of cattle just a smidge further in. Jim smiles at this, “Not enough to form a stampede! We can test our gear out in relative safety.”

Jay stands strong, front and center, as the group’s main tank while Jeremy and Tess flank him. This splits the charging cattle, forcing them to go separate ways as Jay’s braces poleaxe manages to stop the front bull dead in its tracks.

One cattle ends up forced towards Jeremy. He isn’t able to stop the charging cow like Jay, but a flurry of dagger slashes causes his target to veer even further to the side, completely avoiding the group.

To the other side, Tess faces two monsters coming her way. Though even more than Jay, her spear techniques can tank them. And she isn’t even alone. Kellinger’s quickly laid snare spell curls up around the outermost animal and tries to wrestle it to the ground.

That alone would not have worked, except Jim also got an arrow snuck into the situation and connected with the front knee of the beast away from the rest of the herd. This sudden weakness is more than enough to allow the snare spell to do its job. Then things get toasty.

All four of the cattle are angered to the point of spitting fire and they raise up a small cloud of cinders. Though even the smallest of cinders is full of hostile magic that attacks the party and their gear with a gusto. The people are fine with their double buffed status, but this wasn’t news.

More of interest was how the armor handled it. Which was decently. Sure, if you look closely enough, the edges have been darkened if not quite scorched. Besides that, though, things were fine. Even the weakest point of their armor, the straps, are fine.

Jim frowns, “At least our armor looks fine on the surface. Well, our other equipment is singed again. We’ll have to upgrade at least our backpacks. Maybe figure out some sort of weather proofing alchemical treatment or some such. I don’t just want it to survive a fire, but being dunked in water and whatever else gets thrown at them.”

Kelly frowns, “let me take a quick look at the armor. I’ve got a spell for magnification of sorts.”

Jim shrugs, “Give it a go. No harm in trying.”

Kelly nods and summons up a small disc of water. She holds it over the straps on Tess’s armor, adjusting the disc like a lense. “Hmm, physically fine. Let me try from the magical side of things.” And the disc gains a slight glow.

Kelly frowns after a bit more observation. “Seems the edges have had the magic pushed back. Though even now, it seems to be expanding back into the barren bits. I’m guessing we managed to make it at least partially fire resistant, but since the magic isn’t from enchanting, it isn’t anchored.

“I’d guess that properly enchanted masterwork armor would fully resist the fire until the magic fails. This has a more gradual failure state. Which will lead to them failing much earlier as the gear degrades each time the magic is pushed back.”

Kellinger nods, “That makes sense. After all, the big thing about masterworks is the fact you can enchant them. There must be something with making a masterwork which allows the connection with magic to be stabilized, solidified.”

Kelly, “True. What if the whole idea of a masterwork being perfect is because it needs to be perfect from a certain perspective as it gives the item a deeper meaning on a conceptual level? That deeper meaning being the hook on which magic becomes attached.”

Kellinger, “We’ll have to test this idea. Though it would explain why dungeon loot all counts as being masterworks. The loot is spawned such that magic can naturally connect to it. I wonder if a powerful enough magic user could turn regular items into pseudo-masterworks. Well, dungeon masterworks, I guess would be the correct term.”

Jim interrupts, “This is interesting, but we have some cattle to kill. We haven’t even seen the end of this floor yet. Let’s get a move on!”

The two magic users shrug at each other and the party continues deeper into the ashen valley. This isn’t easy, but the valley itself is narrow enough that they never face too many ashen cattle at once. Though with Kelly keeping an eye on their armor, the group does end up taking many more breaks than they would prefer. On the other hand, they would prefer too many breaks to let the magic return to their armor over said armor breaking.

Jay groaned as they once again stood around for a couple minutes for their armor to recover. “We really need to get properly enchanted armor or figure out some sort of solution.”

Kellinger, “We’re working on it, but simply lack the masterworks to get it done. I’m looking into alternate options and I might be onto something. After all, our gear has magic in it and that stuff isn’t leaking out.

“Sure, it isn’t as stable as we’d prefer, but what if the magic wasn’t in the gear that was being damaged? I’m thinking of something like an undershirt that projects fire resistance. Not only would it protect the outer layer, but would also likely keep you cool.

“Well, not cool, but rather makes you resist the build up of heat. Would be useful, though I must admit I would prefer magical AC for my armor. You know, instead of only being resistant to the heat and cold. Mostly because you can then stack those resistances on top.

“After all, if you’re fine with high temps, having something that also keeps the temp down would work together. Though this is guesswork.”

Jay, “So uh, that’s cool and all. Interesting turn of phrase that, given our current location. But are we good to handle all of”, and he gestures towards the open caldera full of ashes and cattle, “that.”

Kelly shrugs, “It should all last. Whether we’ll have to turn back afterwards is up in the air. However, given the number of cattle down there, we should be able to get enough leather to at least armor you up and maybe Tess and Jeremy. After all, it is you guys that get most of the fire.

“Though one at least you have armor that will hold up to the fire? Farming more ashen cattle leather will be so much easier. We’ll just have to be careful while doing so as to not aggro too many at once.”

Jim nods, “That does seem like the most likely way we’ll have to handle this. Though I’ve got to ask”, and he turns to face Kelly, “Is it possible to get a fire shield spell that’s more of a wall instead of personal?

“Don’t get me wrong, I like not burning. However, it seems that against a directed fire breath attack, a simple wall should suffice and keep our gear safe.”

Kelly shrugs, “That is completely possible and we have been working on it. The barrier is that such spells are not a low level affair. Buffs work the way they do by piggybacking on a person’s form.

“The best comparison would be the difference between covering something in a thin layer of mud and trying to make a wall of mud. Both are possible, but one requires a lot more resources and more steps such as turning the mud into bricks or at least drying it enough to support itself.”

Jay, “So you’re saying that if you were more skilled, you could make a wall for relatively cheap?”

Kelly laughs, “Oh sure, but at that point my buffs would have gotten even cheaper or so much more effective. Wall spells are a replacement for buffs. They provide different benefits.”

Jim, “And we can go over such things when it is an option. Jay, let’s head left first. There are bigger groups, but they’re spread out more so I’m hoping they don’t aggro extras. The other side is just too close together for comfort.”

Jay nods and takes the lead once again. With a confident stride, he heads towards the closest group on the left with Jeremy and Tess backing him up. Behind them, Jim readies his bow while Kelly and Kellinger prepare spells.

Their group makes a wedge that onces again splits the herd of cattle that charge at them. Though this time it is three to a side and they don’t manage to knock them all down.

Kellinger is able to dodge out of the way of the third cow on her side that managed to leak. Kelly in turn changes targets to that cow as an assist. Though this does leave Jay surrounded by three cattle, the one he stopped and one to each side that couldn’t keep going.

Then the cattle all breath fire, filling the area once again with cinders. The first few times, this might have been by chance, but this confirms it for the group. Ashen cattle’s primary strategy must be to charge down their target and breathe fire in them, either once as surrounded as they can manage or in what is likely the preferred manner. That of doing it in passing as a full stampede tramples the enemy in tandem.

For small groups, though, a stampede wasn’t in the cards, which meant their danger to the team wasn’t there anymore. Jim couldn’t help but shake his head, “They’re a bit of a one-trick pony sort of monster.”

Jay, “Most monsters are right now. Most people are as well. If you don’t realize that, maybe you need to hang out in the guild’s training hall. Most martial types have a weapon and no powers. While most magic users, and it is mostly just magic users, have two spells. Three if they’re talented or lucky.

“Even the teams that have made it past the second boss aren’t much better. Their martial sorts will have an active skill or three and their mages are up to five spells. Then you have us. Everyone here is using multiple powers. Kelly is coming up with new spells on the regular. We have a healer! And Tess isn’t one of the clerical sorts!”

Jim frowns, “But they must have at least psionics? We’ve done our best to spread it around since being able to use it at all blocks out so much nonsense.”

Jay shrugs, “Sure, any of the teams that have actually moved here will have had the training. But that’s a lot different from actually using it. And that doesn’t count the teams which only stay here for a week or less on their visits.”

Jim sighs, “At least the locals will be resistant to passive nonsense.”

Kelly, “Uh, I wouldn’t say resistant.”

Jim looks over, “It gives them notice and allows them a chance to resist. What else would you call it?”

Kelly shrugs, “That would be like saying you’ve become resistant to an illusion because you touched it and could tell it wasn’t real. The basic ability to use psionics simply gives them more of a chance to notice when such a power is being used on them. 

“Combined with the fact that everyone is about the same level of strength and how passive powers, by their very nature have less oomph than active? Well, they’ll all notice someone with a passive effect for now. I bet if one of us had specialized in a passive psionic aura, we’d still be able to whammy them without being noticed.”

Go Chop A Tree - Chapter 410

Sustained Fire - Chapter 412