Delve

Chapter 132: Job

Ascension Work Order

Light the Crack

Constraints

Warnings

The floor of the chasm is an approximately rank-8 zone.

The strength of the Fire Eater is unknown.

Notes

Standard monster processing rules apply.

Reward

Bonus credits for information concerning the Fire Eater at the discretion of the quartermaster

Lyn tapped her finger on the table as she read over the posting once more. The order board was a new development, having been set up the night before. It seemed to have been modeled after how the Guild and the Watch did things, though not quite. In addition to what Lyn would traditionally call a ‘quest,’ there were also posted exchange rates for materials Vanna was interested in acquiring for the company, general orders for watch shifts, status reports, and the like. The posting she held was the most quest-like of the bunch. It was also the first real chance for her to get a serious leg-up on the rest of the company. The flat credit reward was paltry at best, but clearing the chasm of monsters and splitting the Tel eight ways instead of fifty-one, well… That had potential.

Looking up, Lyn nodded to the seven others seated at the table. “Okay, I’m going to go talk to Vanna. Remember, even split, like we agreed.”

Mahria sniffed. “Just go sign us up before anyone else tries to join.”

Lyn smiled, understanding the sentiment. She turned, then walked through the curtain to the company hall.

The room was still a bit of a mess, with half-unpacked sleds and supplies cluttering up the area that was to be their training and meeting space. The order board itself was mounted to a wall, having been moved in here from the tavern when visitors from Vestvall had begun showing up. Some things weren’t for outside eyes, the orders for their crafters in particular. Lyn doubted that it would be possible to hide their existence for long, though she agreed it was at least worth making a token effort.

A dozen-odd archways led off the hall, most with cloth or monster-hide curtains blocking the rooms beyond from view. Her own room was third from the left. She shared it with five others—still far from private, but better than she’d become used to. Only two archways held proper, wooden doors, one leading to the workshop, and the other to the equipment storeroom that doubled as Vanna’s office.

Lyn turned in that direction, seeing that the door was open and that Vanna was in there, seated at a stone desk that was not unlike the tables in the tavern. She was speaking with Samson, who was leaning against one of the dirt walls. Both of them looked up at her approach, and Vanna motioned for her to enter.

“What can I do for you, Lyn?” she asked. “Sorry about the mess. I’m still organizing.”

Lyn held out the work order. “We’d like to do this one.”

Vanna took the offered piece of paper, glancing at it before setting it down in front of her. She sat back in her chair, looking up at Lyn with a calculating expression. “Okay. Who’s we?”

“There are eight of us,” Lyn said. “Me, Fredek, Telen, Corrin, Evonna, Ruce, Mereck, and Mahria.”

“Not Kettel?” Vanna asked, inviting Lyn to sit with a gesture. “I was expecting him to be in here the moment I put that on the board.”

“I believe I saw him leave for the city with Mlem and Clubbs,” Samson said as Lyn took the offered chair. Unlike the desk, the chairs were simple wooden affairs that had been with them all the way from Fel Sadanis.

“Ah,” Vanna said. “He’s going to be pissed when he finds out he missed this.”

“It is probably for the best,” Samson said. “His aim has gotten better, but him and Mahria together in one party would be worse than putting two bulls in one paddock.”

Lyn smiled. Kettel had become obviously infatuated with Mahria, and Mahria was obviously not interested. It didn’t stop him from continually trying to impress her. “So, can we take it then?”

Vanna glanced at Samson. “What do you think?”

“Hmm,” Samson said, looking down at Lyn, still leaning against the wall. “Tell me the level and skillset of each member of the party, as well as what equipment they’ll be using, and what tactics you will employ.”

Lyn shifted to peer up at him, raising an eyebrow. Apart from giving sword lessons, Samson had also become something like the company’s tactics instructor whenever they did group drills. “You don’t already know?”

Samson snorted, then pushed off from the wall and moved to stand next to Vanna’s shoulder. “I’m making sure you do.”

Lyn bristled but stopped herself from saying anything unwise. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Freelord Darr. I know what I’m doing, thank you. “Fine. Everyone is level five, and nobody has a class yet. I’ve got the four skills I need in Staff Combat to unlock Staff Defender, but I’m still working on leveling them to ten.” If the class even exists, she left unsaid, that being a constant worry of hers. She cleared her throat. “I’ve got Gazelle Kata, Weighted Staff, Projectile Deflection, Forceful Sweep, and Intrinsic Strength. My last skill point is uninvested. My stats are mostly in Endurance, Strength, and Vigor. In a party, my place is on the front line. I’ll mostly be using my staff, but I also have my sword as a backup. Just like everyone else, I’ve got my gambeson, monster-hide cap, and Frost Resistance ring.”

“Good,” Samson said. “And the others?”

Lyn nodded. “Evonna is planning to be a Defender too, so she’ll be on the front line with me. She’s got a big metal shield and a mace, plus a steel breastplate. Her four skills are Shield Bash, Reinforced Shield, Unyielding Defense, and Fast Block. I don’t know what she’s done with her other points. She can keep up with me just fine in training, so I’d say her stats are more or less like my own.”

Samson motioned for her to go on, so she continued. “Fredek has all the foundation skills out of the Physical Passive tree. That means Strength of Arm, Lifespring, and Rugged Defense. He says that they’re slow to level, and I don’t know if he’s unlocked Physical Synergy or Turtle Skin yet. I do know that he doesn’t have any points invested in anything other than Strength. Apart from wanting the health, he says he plans to take Fortifico if there isn’t a specialized class for passives. He’s got a shield and sword, plus his fists with those stupid metal knuckle things. He’ll also be on the front line, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Samson said. “Any more up front?”

Lyn wiggled a hand. “Kinda? Telen is focusing on daggers, so he has Asp Kata, Lingering Bleed, and Razor Flurry. He’s planning to borrow Hanes’s bow for this, though, so unless our formation breaks apart, he’ll be in the back.”

“I see,” Samson said. “He is still bringing daggers, though, correct?”

Lyn snorted. “Obviously. I think he’s got like six of them strapped all over. Who knows how many more he’s got where I can’t see them.”

“Hmph, so that’s where they all went,” Vanna said. “I was wondering why I couldn’t find one earlier. You tell him that just because he’s building himself like a rogue, it doesn’t mean he needs to act like one. Company steel is to be shared.” She laid her palm flat on a notebook sitting on her desk. “There’s a signout ledger for a reason.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lyn said.

Vanna’s frown became a scowl. “Don’t call me ma’am. It makes me feel old.”

“Sorry,” Lyn said with a shrug. I’m not used to taking orders from a commoner. I don’t know how I should be acting around her.

Vanna sighed, rubbing at her neck. “You tell him he can use them for this mission, but after that, he only gets four. The rest are to be returned, or I’m going to start charging him by the day. If he thinks he needs more, he can convince Tallheart to make him some of his own.”

“I highly doubt he could manage that,” said Samson.

“That’s not my problem,” Vanna said. “Okay, Lyn, please continue. Let’s have the rest. Don’t worry about the stats, just focus on the skills.”

Lyn nodded. “Mereck is our healer. The only active spell he has is Healing Word, though, because of the unlock requirement for Regeneration. If he gets hurt, we’re in trouble—he can’t heal himself, obviously. He’s got a staff for self-defense. He’s actually decent with it, but he’s going to be in the middle of the formation, so if he ever has to use it, something has gone wrong.

“Ruce, pretty much the same story in terms of placement. He’s got a staff, too, though he’s not as good with it as Mereck. As a Diviner, he’ll be using Identify Weakness and Threat Assessment to feed us information about what we’re fighting. I don’t think his other abilities will end up being relevant down there, but who knows. Just those two skills alone are more than enough to earn him a spot in the party.

“Um, backline. Telen, I already mentioned, so that leaves Corrin and Mahria. Corrin went with Earth Manipulation instead of Geoevocation, so he’s got Erode and Earth Affinity in foundation tier, and then Earthmolding and Rockbomb in Tier 1. He doesn’t have Stonemolding yet, and even Earthmolding takes too much mana for him to be using it in combat, so that pretty much leaves Rockbomb. He’ll be using it sparingly to save mana, so he’ll just be whipping rocks at things with his sling most of the time.

“Mahria is our wild card. She’s, well… She’s Mahria. Unlike us, everything she’s got is maxed. She’s got Ice Bolt and Ice Affinity in Ice Evocation, plus Froststorm, obviously, which I still refuse to believe is tier-1. She also has Ice Wall from Defensive Constructs, and Chilling Touch and Blinding Squall from who knows where. I’m not about to dig through my menus to find them. Oh, and Chanting. I doubt she does that for the fun of it. It’s probably from an accolade. She won’t say, but sure as the depths, I can count. Unless she’s lying about being level five—and honestly, why would she?—she’s got at least one. Who knows what other stuff she’s got, thanks to that crazy mother of hers. Anyway, she’ll be using Ice Bolt whenever Ruce spots something weak to Cold, and if we really get into trouble, she’ll drop a Froststorm right on top of us.” Lyn smiled. “We’ve got our rings; the monsters don’t.”

She looked up at the sky, poking her tongue into her cheek as she thought. Hmm. Looks like it might snow.

After a moment, she looked back down to meet Vanna’s gaze and shrugged. “That’s it.”

Vanna clicked her tongue. “Not good enough.”

Lyn froze. “What?” Her surprise quickly flashed to anger. “You’re not letting us go? After I talked through all that?”

Vanna didn’t answer, getting to her feet and then crouching to rummage within one of the numerous crates behind her.

Samson frowned. “It seemed like a reasonably strong team to me,” he said.

“Here,” Vanna said, tossing a sack onto the desk. It landed with a clatter, the contents obviously metallic from the sound. “Split those up between you. You can give them back when you’re done. If you lose any of them, it won’t be me you’ll answer to; it will be Tallheart.”

Wait, are those… Lyn grabbed the sack, then upended it, spilling the contents out onto the table. Frost Resistance rings, made of pale blue steel and featureless except for the symbol of Ascension that was etched into the metal. Dozens of them.

“Depths,” Lyn said, looking at the single ring on her own finger. I didn’t know we had that many.

A clink of glass brought her head back up, and she saw Vanna placing a wooden rack of potion bottles on the table. They were mostly red, which meant health in Ascension, though there were a few green ones mixed in.

“One each,” Vanna said, then turned to dig through the crates again. She placed a second rack of potions on the table in short order, these mostly green. A third rack followed, primarily blue. “And one stamina for each fighter, and one mana for each mage. I’d give you more, but that’s all we can spare.”

Lyn couldn’t hide her smile. “So, we can go then?”

“Obviously,” Vanna said, sorting through the potions on the table and transferring some of them back into the crate where they’d come from. “I want you to return any you don’t use, but I’m not charging you. If I find out somebody refused to use a potion when they needed it, I’ll put them on midnight-watch for a month.” She tossed a rolled piece of parchment onto the desk. “Here. Message scroll. In case of an emergency.”

Lyn lurched to her feet, snatching up the valuable artifact before it rolled off the edge of the table. Depths!

There was a clang as Vanna dropped a helmet onto the table, then another, and another. “Steel skullcaps for the front line. Tallheart made them a few days ago, but we haven’t put the padding in yet. Figure it out.” She grunted, lifting aside yet another crate. “Samson, move. You’re in the way.”

Smiling, Samson stepped aside. Vanna set the crate down with a thump, then made her way to the back of the room, returning with a pair of spears. She thrust them at Lyn, who quickly got to her feet to take them.

“Have Ruce and Mereck use these,” Vanna said. “Even if they’re in the middle, they can poke at stuff. I don’t care if they’re better with the staff. They won’t have room to use one in the center of a formation, but with these, they can at least do something other than standing around watching the rest of you fight.”

Lyn began inspecting one of the weapons as Vanna continued digging through crates. The spear shaft was made of hard oak and perfectly straight. Ascension’s symbol had been burned into the wood near where it met the spearhead, which bore its own copy of the insignia. The spearhead was Tallheart’s work, clearly, while the shaft was likely Shena’s, though the quality was better than Lyn had thought the fledgling Woodsmith capable of. I know she was getting better, but… Gods, this might actually be better than my own staff. Did she somehow find wood this good, or did she MAKE it? She shook her head. “Since when do we have spears like this? Mine broke ages ago, and you told me you didn’t have any more.”

“I was planning on teaching everyone army tactics, so I asked Vanna to have some new ones made,” Samson said.

“Army tactics?” Lyn asked. “You mean like the Empire uses?”

Samson shook his head. “No. That’s different. We might get there eventually, but we don’t have enough awakened yet. How much do you know about Rellagia?”

Lyn blinked. “The continent?”

Samson nodded. “Yes. When I was a child, I lost myself reading accounts of the wars between its various kingdoms. It’s fascinating, really. The monarchies don’t tolerate awakened in general, but especially not in war. It would lead to escalation, you see, and then devastation like what happened here before the DKE became the DKE. Instead, they’ve come up with formations that multiply the effectiveness of their unawakened soldiers. I believe something like a shield wall would work well for us, particularly as we get more recruits from Vestvall. The spears are a part of that.”

“Huh,” Lyn said, looking back at the spear in her hand.

“There,” Vanna said, dropping a quiver of arrows to the desk, which she’d continued to pile with supplies while Samson had been speaking. She dusted off her hands, then planted them on her hips and looked at Lyn. “Take all of this, then get some torches and whatever else you need from the other storeroom. And be careful. Nobody is allowed to get themselves killed, you hear me?”

Lyn looked down at the mountain of gear, then back up at Vanna. She smiled. “How am I supposed to carry all of this out of here?”

Vanna snorted. “You have a team, don’t you? Oh, I forgot to ask. Who’s in command? Please tell me it isn’t Mahria.”

Lyn shrugged. “We hadn’t really discussed it.”

“Then it’s you,” Vanna said. “If Mahria doesn’t like it, tough. Don’t let her push you around. She might have more experience as an adventurer, but she’s…”

“Mahria,” Lyn said, smiling. “What else is there to say?”

“She is getting better,” Samson said diplomatically.

Vanna snapped her fingers. “Oh, Lyn, since you’re here. I need you to write a posting about your staff class for the board. I’m going to start paying you per-student based on their progress, so make it convincing, yeah? Come and see me once you’re back, and we’ll talk details.”

Lyn blinked, then grinned. “I’ll do that.” I guess this quest won’t be the only way for me to get ahead, after all.

Mahria jiggled her foot impatiently, listening to the others prattle on about the types of monsters that they were likely to encounter. They weren’t wrong to show caution, but at some point, it simply became excessive. They were prepared—overprepared, even, now that Vanna had loaded them down with what seemed like half the weapons the company possessed.

Holding up her hand, Mahria inspected the three Frost Resistance rings that festooned her fingers, then she looked through them in the direction of their creator. Tallheart was playing with Ava. The little girl had gotten ahold of his hammer and was giggling and running in zigzags. Tallheart lumbered after her, seemingly unable to keep up with her rapid changes in direction. It was all an act, naturally. Even Ava was doubtless aware that Tallheart could have caught her with little trouble, had he wished to do so.

Just as Mahria was considering joining the two of them in their game, perhaps to play an evil witch intent on stealing the magical blacksmithing tool, a touch on her shoulder brought her attention back to her surroundings.

“Mahria, are you with us?” Fredek asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

“That depends,” she replied, pushing his hand away. “Are we finally ready to go?”

Fredek snorted, sitting back. “We are.”

Lyn—who’d somehow become the leader of their little party—got to her feet. She looked down at Mahria and sighed. “Please, just stick to the plan, will you?”

Mahria rolled her eyes, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “The plan. Right.”

Lyn scowled at her, and Mahria paused, noticing that there appeared to be genuine anger behind the expression. It was hard to remember that they were all so new at this. She raised her hands and made a placating gesture. “Sorry.” She paused. “Really. I know my role, and I’ll do it. I’m just saying that no matter how good the plan is, something will always go wrong. You have to be ready for the unexpected.”

Lyn seemed to accept this, offering Mahria her hand. “Just take it seriously, okay?”

Mahria nodded, allowing her to pull her to her feet. “I will.”

She actually liked Lyn, despite how often they seemed to end up at odds. It was just hard to respect the woman’s judgment concerning adventuring when she’d only been at it for a month. Still, the young noblewoman was…driven.

After taking a moment to adjust her robe, Mahria swept on her Ascension cloak and scooped up her staff from where it was leaning against the table. Unlike Lyn’s, hers was intended for casting, not thumping bandits over the head—though it was perfectly capable in that regard. The white-painted wood concealed an enchanted core that helped guide her magic, improving her aim somewhat and allowing her to wear rings without the risk of interference.

She needed the thing more than she liked to admit. Without it, her accuracy was almost as bad as Kettel’s, though in her case, the underlying reason was more than just a lack of experience. The various boosts to her magic from both equipment and accolades made things a bit unstable, but such was the cost of power.

The heavily-laden party headed for the gates, dodging between the tables, many of which were filled with townsfolk who’d come out to visit the camp for one reason or another. It was almost eleventh bell now, and there were a surprising number of them. Some were seeking healing for bumps and bruises, others were coming to trade, and a few wished to hire adventurers for various inane tasks. As they walked, Mahria chuckled, overhearing one fellow trying to convince Carten to come clear rats out of his basement—Dire Rats, granted, but honestly.Who walks for an hour to hire an adventurer for a job they could do themselves with a stick?

Upon leaving the camp, they turned east and followed the wall until they reached the crack, then walked beside the mounded gravel, heading south. They soon left the area where the snow had been cleared, continuing until they reached the southernmost point. There was a small, narrow section here that hooked off to the west. Nearby, three wooden stakes had been driven into the ground, each anchoring a coiled rope. Mahria set down her staff and the shovel she’d been forced to carry, then carefully climbed the mound of gravel, stopping once she could see the bottom of the chasm. She smiled in response to what she saw waiting for them.

This should be fun.

“Anything dangerous?” Fredek asked.

“No, not before the bend,” Mahria said, kneeling and creeping slightly closer to get a better view. The gravel shifted beneath her, so she quickly stopped. She could see well enough. “Getting a foothold shouldn’t be that challenging. There’s a cartload of Slimes, a level six Deepcat, and a small pack of Sepulcher Ants.” She counted quickly. “Six of them that I can see, all level four.” Her eyes widened, and she pulled her head back quickly. The jagged spine that had been hurtling toward her face sailed over her head, arcing through the air to land soundlessly in the snow. Mahria laughed as the others reached for their weapons. “And a Quillbear. Level eight.”

“Hold on, let me see,” Ruce said, shrugging out of his pack and moving up beside her. He peeked over the edge, and his eyes flashed with magic twice, each time in a slightly different shade of blue. “The Quillbear is weak to Heat and to Mental,” he said. “Its quills are dangerous. Poison, I think. Its level is making it hard for me to get a clear reading.” He flinched back from the edge, and moments later, there was a clatter of another quill impacting the lip of the chasm.

“I could have told you that,” Mahria said, smiling. “They aren’t that bad, as long as you don’t try to use one for a pillow. Weak for their level, really. They can only shoot one quill at a time, and it’s easy to see when they’re going to do it. My advice? Don’t get hit. Happened to me once. That shit burns like getting stung by an entire hive of bees all in one spot.”

“What about the Deepcat?” Lyn asked. “Is it dangerous too?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mahria said, waving her hand. “You find them everywhere underground. They’re stealth hunters. Fast, but not a problem if you know they’re coming.”

Lyn frowned, looking at Ruce. “Can you verify that, please?”

Mahria rolled her eyes. Come on. Give me a little credit.

Ruce poked his head out, his eyes flashing as he used his skills once more. He pulled back more quickly this time, Mahria noted. He nodded to her. “No particular weakness. No magical attacks. It’s like you said.”

“You see?” Mahria said, turning to Lyn. “Come on, this is going to be easy.”

“Don’t forget about the Sepulcher Ants,” Corrin said. “I hate those things. Nothing with that many legs should be allowed to get that big. Remember the pack of them we ran into a few weeks back?” He shuddered.

“Ah, they look meaner than they are,” Fredek said, setting down his pack. “They’re just overgrown bugs. Nothing to be afraid of.” He cracked his knuckles. “Mahria’s right. We can handle this.”

Mahria smiled at him. Finally, someone with a backbone. I was half expecting Ruce to do a threat assessment on the damn Slimes. Rain has infected everyone, I swear.

“Fine,” Lyn said after a moment. “The mission is still a go. Everyone who brought a shovel, get to work clearing away this gravel in case we need to come back up in a hurry.”

Mahria grunted her assent, returning to where she’d dropped her shovel and stomping on the blade to kick the handle up into her hands. She joined Corrin and Mereck, helping them push the gravel over the side. The Sepulcher Ants chittered up at them in outrage at the rain of stones, while the Deepcat and the Quillbear remained silent—as did the Slimes, obviously.

She glanced at Corrin as they worked. It’s a pity he doesn’t have the mana to just deal with this.Actually, wait… Does Earthmolding work on gravel, or would he need Stonemolding for that? It’s kind of a gray area. I suppose Rock Push would do it, but that’s in Geoevocation.

“That’s good enough,” Lyn said before Mahria had a chance to ask Corrin about it. “Don’t wear yourselves out.”

“Aye,” Mereck said, tossing aside his shovel. Mahria did the same, kicking at a few remaining pebbles and sending them tumbling over the edge before stepping away.

Lyn gestured. “Everyone, take off your packs and get ready. Fredek, Evonna, help me with the ropes.”

“How are we doing this?” Mahria asked as the others moved to obey. She peeked back over the edge, conscious of the Quillbear. It was staring in their direction, its spiked fur making it look more like an overgrown porcupine than the creature it was actually named after. She pulled her head back with a smirk before it took a shot at her. “It’s about twenty meters to the bottom. I could drop a Froststorm down there. It’s in range.”

“That’s one option,” Lyn said, pulling a small stone from a pouch. “The plan is to try this first, though. You’d know that if you’d been paying attention earlier.”

“What is it?” Mahria asked, ignoring the jab. It was a fair point, after all. She motioned for Lyn to give her the stone, but instead of handing it over, Lyn merely tilted it so she could see the rune etched into its surface.

Mahria frowned. Isn’t that one supposed to be…sound? A Messenger Stone? But why is there only one rune, and where in the hells did she get it?

“Romer calls it a cricket rock,” Lyn said. “He’s been working on the design for weeks. I know you’ve heard him running tests.”

Mahria blinked, realizing her error. Not a Messenger Stone. Just a rock with a basic rune etched into it. She smiled. “So, he’s been working on sound runes, huh? That’s what all that screeching was. I doubt it will work, though.” She pointed toward the edge. “They’ve already spotted us. A little bit of noise might trick those Slimes, but isn’t going to fool the Quillbear.”

“It doesn’t have to,” Telen said, a note of strain in his voice as he struggled to string his bow. Just from looking at the thing, it was clearly not something intended for an unawakened to use. It was almost the size of a longbow, and yet it had the back and then forward sweeping shape characteristic of a recurve.

Mahria frowned. I need to start paying more attention to what the crafters are doing, I think.

“I’ll deal with the Quillbear,” Telen said with a smirk, drawing a razor-tipped broadhead from the quiver on his left hip. He set the arrow to the bow and held it horizontally, taking a wide stance near the edge. “Ready.”

“Okay, I’m throwing it,” Lyn said. “Mahria, remember what we talked about. Stick to the plan. Don’t waste mana.”

Mahria forced herself to simply nod, though the patronizing tone Lyn had taken rankled a bit. Lyn looked surprised by the lack of protest, and Mahria had to turn away quickly to hide her smile. See? I can play along. When I want to.

Once everyone was set, Lyn counted down on her fingers, then whipped her arm forward, hurling the stone with considerable force. It arced high, then dipped below the lip of the chasm, bouncing off the far wall and ricocheting around the bend before plummeting out of sight.

Mahria tilted her head. Wait, how will it activate with just—

A shrill chirp echoed out of the chasm. It was devastatingly loud and, thankfully, equally brief.

Oh. Mahria smiled. I guess that works. Why worry about how to activate the rune properly? Just overcharge it so much that it goes off when it breaks.

Moving up to the edge, she looked down and saw that all but one of the ants were headed away, chasing the sound. They rounded the bend as she watched, a slow procession of slimes oozing after them. Telen’s bowstring thrummed, and she shifted her gaze to watch his arrow find a new home in the Quillbear’s leg. The monster gave a deep grunt and shuffled back, leaving a smear of crimson on the stone, though its health bar barely budged.

“Go!” Lyn shouted, flinging herself over the edge. She caught one of the ropes with a gloved hand and let it slide through her grip to slow her fall, clutching her staff in the other. Evonna and Fredek followed her, imitating her technique, though they had to keep their weapons undrawn on account of their shields. About five meters from the ground, Lyn kicked free of the wall, dodging a spine that had been headed straight for her. It clattered off the stones harmlessly as she spun through the air, staff leading the way. The metal-capped tip slammed into the lone Sepulcher Ant that had remained, splattering the creature’s head like an overripe melon. She landed in a roll, coming back to her feet and whipping her staff around, though there was nothing in range for it to hit.

Mahria found herself grinning. Okay, that was actually kinda impressive.

Evonna and Fredek reached the ground, and the pair of them drew their weapons and moved to stand next to Lyn. Three of the Sepulcher Ants that had gone to investigate the noise suddenly thundered back around the bend, the commotion drawing them back just as surely as they’d been lured away.

“There,” Ruce said, laying a hand on Mahria’s shoulder and pointing urgently. “Something new.” His eyes flashed blue. “It’s dangerous.”

Mahria smiled, recognizing the monster that had followed the ants around the corner. “And weak to cold.”

It was a Flaming Hare. The rabbit-like creature wasn’t on fire at the moment, though Mahria knew from experience that it was capable of both setting itself alight and throwing what basically amounted to Firebolts with kicks of its hind feet. She raised her staff, pointing the tip toward the hopping monster.

Ice Bolt

A shard of jagged ice crystallized at the tip of her staff, then shot toward the monster, leaving a trail of frost in its wake. It was almost an impossible shot, given the distance, but she didn’t need to hit the thing directly. The projectile crashed into the stones nearby, then shattered, pelting the rabbit monster with the shrapnel. Mahria smiled as she saw its health drop by a quarter, even from the indirect hit. What are you doing here in the middle of winter, little bun? Don’t you know it’s cold outside? She stopped herself from launching another bolt. The rabbit monster was retreating, which was enough for now. She’d have been more than happy to just stay up here and pelt the monsters below with magic, but she knew she’d run out of mana long before the mission was complete.

While she’d been preoccupied with the Flaming Hare, Lyn, Fredek, and Evonna had killed all of the Sepulcher Ants, the low-level monsters unable to stand up to their weapons and skills. They were presently fending off the Deepcat, which seemed to be presenting them with more of a challenge. The agile monster kept pouncing at them and darting out of the way before they could strike back. The Quillbear, meanwhile, was still essentially unharmed. At level eight, it was going to take more than a few arrows to put it down. It launched a spine at Lyn as Mahria watched, but she swatted the projectile out of the air with a whirl of her staff. The fluidity of the motion suggested that a skill was guiding the weapon. The monster roared in frustration and launched yet another spine, this one at Fredek. He ducked, and it hit his metal skullcap and bounced away.

The Deepcat’s next lunge was met by a perfectly-timed Shield Bash from Evonna, knocking off a third of its health and sending it flying. It twisted in midair so its paws landed against the chasm wall, then launched itself diagonally back the other way. It kicked off the far wall, sending itself streaking straight toward Fredek, teeth bared. Caught flat-footed by the unexpected angle of attack, Fredek punched out with the hilt of his sword, landing a devastating jab right between the monster’s eyes. Its health bar dropped by another third, and it collapsed to the ground, dazed. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Evonna stepped forward and staved in its skull with a brutal chop from her mace.

“Humph,” Mahria said, walking toward one of the ropes. They’re actually doing okay.

“Wait,” Mereck said, catching her by the elbow. “Don’t go until they finish off the Quillbear. It will spike you on the way down.”

Mahria was about to open her mouth to argue that her robe was more than enough to stop such a weak attack, but she thought better of it. She’d said she’d fill her role, and she’d actually meant it. There’s no need to rush things. She tightened her grip on her staff, wondering whether it would be worth taking a shot at the Quillbear or if that would get her in trouble. She glanced at Ruce. “Are Quillbears resistant to Cold?”

Ruce shook his head. “All I know is that they aren’t weak to it.”

“Damn,” Mahria said. She raised her staff, spotting the Flaming Hare hopping back around the bend. It was on fire, now. She launched another Ice Bolt, then clicked her tongue as the creature sprung back out of the way with a puff of flame. “At least I have one thing to shoot at,” she muttered. She leaned over the edge, then shouted down to those below. “Hurry up and kill that Quillbear! It’s hard to hit anything from up here.”

“Working on it!” Fredek shouted back, advancing in line with the others.

Mahria sighed, then looked around, recalling her father’s instructions about not getting so focused that you ignored your surroundings. It was only thanks to this that she noticed the pack of Snow Sprites gliding toward them. Huh. Would you look at that? I guess they were drawn in by the commotion.

Stepping back from the edge, Mahria raised her staff, then hesitated. Snow Sprites were fodder monsters, level two, looking basically like large, jagged snowflakes. They were only dangerous if they got close to you, and the pack was still some distance away. The trouble with them was that they were incredibly resistant to cold, to the point that she’d need more than one shot to kill one. There were enough of them to make dealing with them herself an annoying waste of mana and effort.

Mahria smiled, poking Corrin in the back of his head with her staff.

“Ah!” he yelled, having been entirely focused on the battle below. Mahria pointed, and his eyes widened as he saw the approaching pack of monsters.

“Shit!” Mereck swore, also looking in that direction. He stumbled back from the edge and dove for his spear. Ruce, too, let out a panicked shout and went for a weapon. Telen glanced at the oncoming pack of Snow Sprites, but a roar from the Quillbear made him focus his attention back on the battle below. Mahria gestured to Corrin. “This is all you, bub. I don’t think I need to tell you they’re weak to blast damage, do I?”

The alarm faded from Corrin’s face, and he grinned as he reached into a pocket, removing a perfectly round stone slightly smaller than a hen’s egg. He cupped it in his hand, and orange light spread across its surface, making it look like it had been filled with magma and was about to crack apart from the heat. He quickly lobbed it underhand at the monsters, and the moment it struck the lead snowflake, it exploded with a flash of light and sound. The Snow Sprites, which had been rather tightly packed, didn’t stand a chance. Several of them were blown apart completely, and the survivors came out of it significantly worse for wear. The monsters’ crystalline bodies were spiderwebbed with cracks, and they were drifting drunkenly away from the site of the blast.

Corrin removed another stone from his pouch. Instead of using Rockbomb again, he slipped it into his sling, then whipped it up to speed and let fly with a crack of snapping leather. The rock sailed straight through one of the wounded monsters, shattering it like glass.

“Nice,” Mahria said, patting him on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it.”

She walked back to the edge and looked down to see the three fighters circling around the Quillbear. Its health was down to half, and as she watched, Fredek stepped in and punched the thing right in the short ribs where it lacked any quills for protection. He’d discarded his sword and shield for some reason, but he had equipped his spiked knuckles, making the blow unquestionably effective. Even from this distance, Mahria could spot dozens of puncture wounds covering the monster’s side.

The Quillbear roared and tried to whirl to face him, but it instead caught the metal-capped tip of Lyn’s staff in the side of its jaw. It stumbled, leaving itself wide open. Evonna’s Shield Bash knocked it to the ground, and Lyn capitalized on its fall, slamming her staff onto its skull with both hands. This didn’t kill it, but the following merciless pummeling from staff, fists, and mace surely did. Telen, meanwhile, was sniping at Slimes. The stupid creatures kept oozing around the bend, only to find his arrows waiting for them.

“Mahria, get down here!” Lyn shouted, waving her arm over her head, then pointing toward the procession of blobby monsters. “Seal it off!”

Waving back, Mahria tossed her staff over the edge—the fall wouldn’t hurt it—and then jumped after it. She caught the rope as she fell, letting it slide through her hands and feeling her skin heat with the friction of the coarse fibers.Screw gloves. Thank you, Force Resistance.Reaching the bottom, she picked up her staff, then walked calmly toward the gory scene of the battle, chanting softly under her breath.

“Ice Wall, Ice Wall, Icy, Icy, Ice Wall. This is my chant for Ice Wall. It summons a wall of ice, which is why it’s called Ice Wall. Chanting is stupid, and I can say whatever I want, so there.”

With the final word, she planted the butt of her staff on the ground, shaping the magic with her thoughts as the spell took hold. She felt a chill spread through the wood beneath her fingers, her staff vibrating with the force of the magic it was being asked to contain. She normally avoided casting Ice Wall through the implement for fear of damaging it, but she needed the precision this time. Using the spell in tight spaces was tricky.

With a blast of displaced air, ice shot up from the floor of the chasm, perfectly forming itself into a barrier extending from wall to wall and reaching perhaps half a meter above her head. It was mostly clear, allowing them to see through it to the other side, though jagged imperfections remained as evidence that she still hadn’t tamed the magic perfectly.

Mahria smiled, spinning her staff over her head showily as she turned on her heel. She fought back a laugh, seeing the panting melee fighters painted in blood and gore, none of it their own. This is why you should have decided to become mages. She grinned at them. “See? Nice and easy. Anyone need a five-minute break? Maybe a wet towel?”

“Ha ha,” Lyn said, pointing at the ropes. “Go help bring down the supplies.”

Mahria laughed, deciding to leave her teasing there. “On it,” she said, spinning away to do as instructed.

“Mahria,” Lyn said again.

Mahria stopped, then looked over her shoulder.

Lyn nodded to her. “Thanks.”

She raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

“For sticking to the plan,” Lyn said, running a hand through her bloody hair.

Mahria snorted. “I said I would, didn’t I?” She turned away once more, headed for the ropes, smiling to herself. “Let me get you that towel. It looks like you really need it.”

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