Though I’m not the only one who got new stuff.
[How about it, Tiny? Feeling comfortable?]
[Hmmmm,] he ponders as he continues to poke, prod, and scratch at the straps that hold the new armoured plates to his body. After a few moments, he shrugs.
[Can’t be that bad,] I tell him, [you managed to keep the full set on before, and this isn’t even close to being as restrictive.]
[Hrrn,] he grunts.
[You think so? I think you’ll get a ton of use out of it. Getting cut less is a good thing, no matter how you slice it.]
He rolls his shoulders and huffs.
[Invidia is not your personal heal battery,] I scold him. [It’s not his job to exclusively follow you around and stop you from getting killed. He had to do that in the past because you weren’t smart enough to stay safe and you had almost no protective measures in place. With your bones being as tough as they are now, I feel a lot better about you not getting carved to pieces, but you still have to worry about blood loss, muscle tears, and a million other things that can pull you down during a fight. You need to learn to defend yourself better, and this armour can help with that.]
He’s silent for a bit, pondering, before he nods a little sullenly.
[I’m not saying don’t be aggressive,] I say, exasperated. [Just maybe block once in a while, alright?]
[When do you think I might be given equipment, master?]
[Honestly, Crinis, I think we need to work out what would be the best way for you to wear it. Right now, you’re more or less whatever shape you want to be.]
[I could manifest some limbs permanently. That would be trivial.]
[I suppose so… Alright then, next time we run into Smithant, I’ll get her onto it. I’m sure she can think of some enchantments that would be relevant to you. Goodness knows what they might be, but hey, I’m sure they exist.]
[Maybe something that enhances my shadow affinity?]
[That’d work.]
It takes a while to reach the tunnels, and once we do, we plunge right in. It’s hunting time, and there’s a lot that we need to get done. I need Levels and Biomass, as does Tiny, Crinis, Invidia, and most importantly, Brilliant.
“Can I fight yet?” the hatchling asks.
“Absolutely not,” I laugh at her. “Do you have any idea where we are? This is the third stratum! If we were on the FIRST, you’d still be pathetically weak. Down here, you might as well be a gentle breeze compared to what we’re fighting. You’ll need to be tier five, at least, before you can even contribute, and even then, magic only. If you get close enough to a demon to bite it, you’re basically already dead.”
“Damn.” She kicks at the ground in frustration.
“Look, your time will come soon enough. Stuff your face with this Biomass, keep amassing experience, and before you know it, you’ll be evolving and ready to go. Now come on, we don’t have that much free time before the assault, we need to get busy.”
So saying, we plunge farther into the tunnels, seeking out the juicy prey we didn’t manage to get to yet. It’s also handily filling in my tunnel map as we explore new regions of the passages. We’re careful not to get too low, though. Whatever is going on deeper in the third, I sure as heck do not want to be kicking that hornet nest before we are good and ready. I know my limits, and I think I’ve made enough trouble lately.
4. The Bear Market
[It’s so damn hot!] Sarah complained.
[Of course it is,] Granin snorted, [it’s the third stratum. Place is nothing but ash and lava.]
[You might be fine,] the giant bear grumbled, [but I’m covered in fur. If I was a rock person like you, maybe it wouldn’t bother me so much.]
The old shaper harrumphed.
[For starters, I am not a rock person, I am a goglari who has bonded with a true skin, a layer of ore that covers and melds with my natural skin. And I think you’ll find that mental toughness, rather than heat resistance, is responsible for my tolerance.]
Torrina rolled her eyes and joined in the conversation.
[Actually, our true skin does provide a huge increase to our ability to endure extreme temperatures. It’s one of the reasons the goglari were so successful expanding to the third stratum in the centuries after the Cataclysm.]
The giant bear fired a glare at the leader of the triad, who did his best to ignore the threat of being stared at by a truly vicious tier six Asura Bear. Particularly one equipped in the way she was.
[The armour probably isn’t helping the situation,] Corun observed helpfully. [I know I’d be hot under all that.]
It was true that the padding and weight of the armour, nearly two tons of it, were doing little to improve the situation. As if being a furred animal wasn’t enough, she had layers of cloth and steel covering her to the point she felt as if she were sweating literal buckets every second.
[I need to hydrate,] she gasped.
[I think you need an enchantment to help manage the heat issue,] Torrina observed.
[That’s a valid point, actually,] Granin observed. [Usually, first stratum monsters are a little more resistant to the environmental changes as they descend through the layers, but I think this is something of a special case. Sarah is much better built to tolerate the cold than she is the heat. If Smithant is still about down here, we should approach her to make those adjustments.]
[I’d really appreciate it,] Sarah said.
The four of them looked out from the platform on which they stood, taking in the absurd view of the wide-open space that extended in all directions as far as their eyes could see. The harsh glow of lava burned into their eyes and the taste of ash lingered on their tongues, making their welcome to this place an altogether unpleasant one.
[I hate this place,] Granin grumped, [it’s put me in a bad mood. Sorry if I come across as dismissive, Sarah. I’m just grouchy.]
[That’s alright,] she sympathised. [I’m much the same as you.]
Torrina could only shake her head at the two of them as she glanced over the side of the platform.
“I don’t know how you do that,” Corun shuddered. “I’d get vertigo.”
[We should be down in another five minutes or so,] Torrina informed the group. [Pretty quick trip, all things considered.]
[It’s impressive the Colony managed to get this lift system in place so fast,] Sarah said, looking up at the massive rope system that connected them to the ceiling so far above.
[There’s a lot of things that impress me about the Colony, but their ability to get stuff built is starting to become just a normal expectation from my point of view,] Granin shrugged. [How many times do they need to pull off the impossible before I just start to expect it from them?]
A short time later, the platform finally touched down into the city and they were able to unpin and open the gate, allowing the heat-affected bear to stroll out and then slump onto the ground.
[Alright, I’m here, take it off now.]
It took nearly ten minutes for the trio to unbuckle all the straps of Sarah’s gear, by which time the platform had already ascended halfway back to the roof.
[Oh, thank goodness,] Sarah groaned. [That is so much better.]
[You didn’t have to come down here,] Torrina reminded her. [This was your choice.]
The big bear rolled her shoulders uncomfortably.
[It just doesn’t feel right, sitting up there, enjoying the benefits of the Colony’s achievements without contributing anything. They work so hard whilst I sit around and what? Play with the grubs? It’s not right,] Sarah repeated herself as she pushed her body back onto its feet.