B5 C16: The Ring

One of the larger benefits of my enhanced Perception was that I had little trouble following the entirety of the battlefield. In turn, that meant that I tended to keep close track of how the others were doing. Naturally, that tended to be a bit harder when it came to Cal, but for Verin, I tried to know exactly what she was up to at all times.

Thus, the moment the boss sent its incendiary quills on a beeline for Verin, I was already darting towards her.

Unfortunately, in our brief battle, I’d made a number of poor assumptions. First, I’d counted on the boss not having any overly long-range abilities. Based on its bulky body, I’d pegged the giant hedgehog as more of a melee opponent. 

Second, on the off chance it did have projectile attacks, I’d expected they’d be sent my way. With the damage I’d already done to the boss, I was much more likely to draw its aggression than the thus far harmless Verin on the boundaries of the fight. To that end, I’d separated myself a reasonable ways off from Verin. Given our recent fights, I wouldn’t have put it past the boss to have some wide-range flame breath attack, and I had no desire to be standing right in front of Verin if I got targeted with it.

Third, in the unlikely event that the boss had long-range attacks and sent them at Verin, I figured her considerable defenses would handle them. Fourth, failing that, I imagined I could swoop in to save her with some quick Spatial Steps.

Something important that I’d forgotten, however, was that flames were not known for their lack of speed. Slugs aside, fire-based attacks were often explosively quick, and the boss’s quills were no exception. As if packed to the brim with jet fuel, each quill rocketed off from the boss’s back like a missile.

Even so, I tried. Tracking each and every incoming quill, I chained together Spatial Steps, flitting in and out of existence as I weaved between the volley of attacks. The heat licked at my skin, fighting through my frost armor, but I ignored it, pressing on.

To my credit, I nearly made it. Despite having purposefully distanced myself from Verin, despite the quill’s frightening speed, I was only a single Spatial Step away when the quill connected with the first ice wall. Before my next step, it was over, my heart leaping into my throat as the intense flames ripped through Verin’s glacier with ease.

The quill, thankfully dampened and chilled, released the remainder of its payload, filling the air with smoke that mingled with the wafting steam, doing its best to block my sight. Flaring Arcane Vision, I fought through the attack’s obscuring aftermath to home in on Verin, and time seemed to stop as I activated God’s Eye.

Verin’Sylus: Level 18 Advancing Glacier, 110/300hp, 482 Prestige

Alive. And still far from death’s door.

Time resumed as I completed my final Spatial Step, bringing me right up to what remained of Verin’s glacier. Only then did I take in the true extent of her injuries.

Hell. Can we even fix that? Almost the entirety of Verin’s left arm had been blown clear off, and her side hadn’t escaped unscathed, either. Angry red burns covered her shoulder and ribs, and only the cauterizing power of the flames kept her from bleeding out.

Of course we can. It’s fine. It’s entirely okay. Arbor could replace an arm, right? Or Sett had to have a high enough Life Magic skill. Between the two of them, she’d be in tip-top shape in no time.

First, though, I had to make sure she didn’t take any more damage. Not waiting for her to deactivate her skill on her own, I carved through the remnants of her glacier with a fire sword, extracting Verin with as much grace as I could manage. Her glassy stare made it unclear if she was even aware of my presence, but I kept talking to her even as I rapidly cast Heal on her over and over again.

“Hey. I got you. It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re going to fix you right up.” I knew there was probably something better to say, but in the moment, it was all I could come up with.

To my magic’s credit, the healing seemed to be doing her some good, both restoring her health and returning some of her raw, burnt skin to its normal white hue. Notably, my spell did not grow back her arm, confirming that she’d need stronger magic than I had available. Which was fine. For now, stability was all I needed.

Sadly, the boss was not content to let me turn the battlefield into a makeshift hospital, and the rain of explosive quills was unremitting. While I couldn’t take Verin with me while using Spatial Step, my Flash Feet and Jet Step were sufficient to hastily dodge any quill that came near, even if I wasn’t thrilled with having to jostle my shell-shocked patient about.

Which is great, except it’s not really a solution. The wall of flames had closed behind us, locking us into the fight. While I was confident I could keep dodging for however long I needed to, that wouldn’t solve anything. I couldn’t just set Verin off to the side and run back to the boss, either, which put us at an impasse.

Can Cal beat it on her own? A single glance was all I needed to disabuse me of that hope. While her empowered cuts bit deep into the beast’s flesh, judging from the boss’s health, the wounds were mostly cosmetic. Worse yet, Cal’s Apex Shroud wasn’t well suited to the fight at hand. The mana cost of hiding her from the ever-present heat must have been prodigious, and it would only grow worse if she climbed directly onto its back or god-forbid tried to burrow into its body.

Can I give Verin to Cal, then? Doubtful. Maybe if it was the old Infiltrator Cal, I would have considered it, but the Indefatigable Onslaught version lacked the Dexterity to properly dodge all the quills while holding Verin.

“Okay. No biggy. I can do both.” I just needed my hands free, right? No reason I couldn’t protect Verin and fight. “Hey! Hey, Verin. Remember how to do backpack mode?” During a brief lull in the deadly barrage, I shifted her to my back, giving her a piggy-back ride. “You just have to reactivate your glacier like this, and I can carry you.”

I tapped on her remaining arm a few times until some semblance of recognition returned to her face. Rather than complying with my request, however, Verin began to mumble into my ear.

“My ring… My ring is gone. It’s gone. Where is… It’s gone.” Somehow, that felt like the wrong thing to be focusing on right now, but rather than mention her missing limb, Verin droned on and on about her ring, even as explosions went off to our sides.

“Verin! Hey! I’ll get you a new ring. Don’t worry about the ring. Just activate your glacier skill, okay?” Harder than I meant to, I slapped her arm, and though she winced, it seemed to have the desired effect. Frost began to coat her skin, locking her into place. Unlike the past times we’d practiced this setup, it was both awkward and uncomfortable, with her singular cold, rigid arm digging into my neck, but it would have to do.

“Okay. No problem. Just need to dodge and shoot.” I resummoned my bow to my newly freed-up hands, charging up an arrow with frost and water mana. Focusing on the single blackened section of the hedgehog’s back that I’d hit before, I lined up my second shot.

Okay, Tess. Nice and fast. Let’s see how quickly we can finish this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only five arrows later, it was exceptionally clear which side would eventually emerge victorious. What had started as a crater in the boss’s back had quickly morphed into a gaping chasm with inert, charcoal-like skin taking the place of the previous quills and fiery flesh. This was the first major fight since I’d cleared the class trial for Overload Weapon, and the difference showed in the sheer devastation that my fully charged attacks could unleash.

Indeed, it was a testament to both the boss’s incredible vitality and its pseudo-elemental nature that it remained standing, but the writing was on the wall. Without the regenerative abilities of something like the jungle hydra, the massive hedgehog had no way to bounce back.

But it’s still taking too long. By now, the deadly rain of quills had slowed to a trickle, with half of the original ammunition already fired and a good deal of the rest preemptively doused or destroyed by my arrows. Barring some new ability or second phase, I was no longer worried about getting hit, but for Verin’s sake, I wanted the fight to be over already. Her health was holding steady, but I was no doctor. Couldn’t people die from going into shock? I thought so. Could I heal through something like that?

Not helpful. How do I speed this up?

Much to my shock, that mission was quickly taken out of my hands. Before I could charge another arrow, I spotted Cal suddenly appear. Except, rather than materializing in front of the hedgehog’s snout, as she’d been doing thus far, she now placed herself directly within the blackened wound I’d created in the boss’s back.

As hot as the area must have been, it was doubtlessly cooled down from the icy water from my repeated attacks, which seemed to be just enough for Cal to stand there without overwhelming her Heat Resistance. Before I could think to ask what she was doing, her sword was already biting into the blackened skin.

Rather than turning invisible once more to charge up a new attack, Cal kept on, slamming her blade into the wound I’d made, deepening it by the second. Bit by bit, she hacked into the boss as if felling a tree, both burrowing into it and slowly bisecting it. In under a minute, she was completely out of view, having descended enough into the beast’s body that she was entirely obscured by its bulk.

Naturally, the boss was not thrilled with this development, and it wildly thrashed about, crying out while sending its quills on haphazard trajectories. Spotting me as the only visible target remaining, it charged forth to barrel me over. While I was ready to play cat and mouse, there was no need. With each second, God’s Eye confirmed that the great beast’s health was plummeting precipitously, and by the time it neared me, its strength had already left it.

With a loud boom, the creature crashed to the ground, its fire slowly petering out until only the dim glow of cinders remained.

You have defeated a Colossal Flame-formed Hedgehog!

Having witnessed Cal’s relentless fury, I was nearly at a loss for words until she appeared before me, evidently having escaped from the boss’s interior already. Burns littered her body from head to toe, but rather than try to heal them, she rushed over, homing in on Verin.

“How is she? Is she okay? Shit, her arm. Here, let me cast some spells.” Not even waiting for me to respond, Cal began to cast, her hands glowing with light mana as she rotated through a number of regeneration spells. 

With my Understanding, I could detect a few spells for numbing pain as well. As much as the rogue-turned-warrior didn’t enjoy acting as a healer, her time as a faux Priestess of Light had forced her to learn a myriad of light spells, which she put to good use. None were overly strong, nor could they restore a lost limb, but every bit helped.

“There. That should help with the shock and the pain from the burns. I think she actually fell asleep, which is good for now. Try to let her sleep it off.” The intense, frantic energy was a side of Cal I hadn’t seen before, but I could only appreciate it as she took charge of the situation.

Even if the worst of the danger was already over, though, I cursed. Tal’Ket’s disk is still on cooldown. If we wanted to return to Sett or Arbor, we’d need to do it by foot.

Seeming to read my mind, Cal shooed me away. “Go. You’re faster than me. Just leave the summoning disk with me and I’ll catch up later.”

Clearly not sensing the mood, the dungeon chose that exact moment to reward us for our pyrrhic victory, a large red chest popping into existence right in front of us. Not quite in the mood to examine our rewards, I threw the entire chest into my storage while also taking out Tal’ket’s summoning disk.

I tossed it to Cal while also casting Heal, this time to help deal with her burns, but as she caught the disk, she waved me off. “I’ll heal my own burns. If you’re fast enough, she might have an arm by the time she wakes up. Go do that instead.”

 Unused to seeing Cal so serious, I could only accept her dismissal. With Verin’s sleeping form still wrapped around me, I took off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Several days later, I sat next to one four-limbed noble as she peacefully slept in her own bed.

The trek here had been arduous, but ultimately, I’d made good time. With the fire region cleared, I was no longer worried about the dungeon punishing me for flying over it. As such, the large spiral that had taken us days to cross was a minor blip on my journey as I soared through the air with Verin.

From there, the defeated spatial region was blissfully short, and while I started to feel the call of sleep by the time I reached the graveyard, I pushed through to make it to the forest. 

I’d been more than a bit worried that Arbor wouldn’t be able to help, and the pensive frown he unleashed upon waking up did nothing to settle my fears. An off-handed comment that “he wasn’t all that familiar with human biology” was not a point in his favor either. 

Thankfully, his spells were more than up to the task, and after breaking Verin out of her shell, I was able to watch the incredibly unnerving sight of an arm slowly growing back, bone and all. While I couldn’t speak to the internal elements, the arm itself looked passably normal. If it looked a bit paler than it should have, then that blended in well with the rest of Verin’s porcelain skin. 

Of course, the healing was enough to send Arbor back to bed for another month, but no part of me begrudged Cal for that. An arm was more than a fair trade for a few groceries.

After that, the real worry was that, through all my time carrying her and her limb regrowth, Verin hadn’t stirred a single time. Arbor assured me that her body looked perfectly healthy, though, and God’s Eye confirmed her health pool was full once more.

It’s probably just been taxing on her body. Before I started doomsaying and looking for mental -- or gods forbid, soul-deep -- damage, I’d wait for her to wake up naturally.

To that end, I’d changed her out of her previous outfit which had largely been burnt to scraps, replacing it with one of my many bland attempts at leveling Clothworking before tucking her into bed. Since then, I’d fed her a bit of broth, and after a much-needed nap of my own, I’d been sitting by her bedside while getting some woodcarving done.

When Verin finally did wake up, I likely realized it before even she did. My Perception had long since reached the point where I could hear heartbeats when the rest of the room was silent, and I immediately noticed both the change in her heart rate and her breathing. Storing away my latest carving, I waited patiently as she came to, slowly at first, before jerking up.

Not registering me in the slightest, Verin whipped her head towards her arm. On spotting it, hearty and whole once more, she sank back into the bed with a great bellowing sigh.

“A dream… Just a dream.” Before I could disabuse her of that notion, she jerked up once more, somehow more violently than the first time. Frantically flexing her barren fingers, the convalescent noble cried out. “The ring!”

Only then did Verin seem to notice me, and rather than asking me about the boss battle, she remained hyperfocused on her jewelry and the lack thereof.

“Lady Tess! Did my ring survive? Did you find it? It was a mithril band, ringed with blue gemstones. Do you have it?” Quickly proving that Arbor had done a good job of rewiring her nerves, Verin made use of her newly healed arm to grab me by the shoulders, sinking her fingers into me.

Despite mithril’s high melting point, I could say with some level of certainty that whatever jewelry she’d been wearing was gone for good. Even in the heat of the moment -- no pun intended -- my Perception nearly guaranteed that I would have spotted her ring had it simply fallen to the ground. Much like her glacier and her bones, her ring hadn’t survived the sheer heat and force of the quill.

Even without a verbal response, Verin could glean the answer from my face, and she released me to slump back into bed.

“I… see. Lady Tess. Thank you. Saving me must have been quite an ordeal. Forgive me, I fear I lack the energy to properly express my gratitude at the moment. I believe I need… some time alone.” Thus said, the noble dismissed the rest of the world from her considerations, her gaze growing distant.

Clearly, there was something I didn’t understand going on, but I could respect her need for some time to herself. With a quick assurance that I’d be back later with some food and that she could talk to me if she needed anything, I let her be. Hopefully, she’d feel a bit better once she had some calories in her, and if not, I could talk to her after she’d had some time to process everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With Verin needing her alone time and Cal yet to return, I found myself once again left to my own devices. While I had little trouble finding things to do given my steadily expanding list of hobbies, my mind kept going back to Verin’s obsession with her ring.

Was it a sentimental issue? A family heirloom? Or had it been an enchanted item?

I was leaning towards the prior, as I figured I would have known by now if she had some mythical trinket empowering her.

If it’s an emotional thing, would it even help if I got her a new ring? The odds felt low, but I could at least try, couldn’t I?

I started to head through the tall grass of the prairie, heading to my forge to work out some form of replacement for her. Before I arrived, however, I recalled the chest still sitting in my storage. I’d been meaning to open it with the others, but wasn’t the dungeon pretty good at personalizing the rewards it gave us? Considering Verin had her ring melted down, maybe the dungeon had been kind enough to replace it?

It was a thin hope, and I knew it, but a thin hope was better than no hope at all.

Pulling the fiery red chest from my storage, I thrust it open to see what we’d earned.