If she just had more Focus, she could throw down a Confounding Mists. It needed about 100 to activate and then more to further redirect her opponents within. What was that? Like 150 Focus? She was just 100 points short. Far more than the single burning of Health at her Hearth could provide.
Maybe if she had more Health left.
If she was just a little stronger. If she had just rationed her Focus better earlier.
If she was more…
But she couldn’t accept that. She refused to lose. Even if it was impossible. She would see Alyx win.
How much more did she need, exactly?
She could get 45 more Focus from her Health. That would bring her up to 102. Technically enough to use Confounding Mists. But she would probably also faint within moments from lack of Focus.
How else could she get Focus? Level ups? She didn’t have a way to force a level-up.
But what about skill milestones? She had six skill experience orbs. Six levels worth of skill experience. Which skills could she bring up to their next milestone?
Confounding Mists (lvl 5) - 4 levels to the First Step
Dodge (Lvl 21) - 6 levels to the Gate
Elemental Manipulation (Lvl 21) - 6 levels to the Gate
Soul Guard (lvl 7) - 2 levels to the First Step
Foraging (lvl 7) - 2 levels to the First Step
Poison Resistance (lvl 3) - 6 levels to the First Step
Herbal Concocting (lvl 4) - 5 levels to the First Step
Trap Detection (lvl 3) - 6 levels to the First Step
Jothi Language Comprehension (lvl 8) - 1 level to the First Step
And which of those did she think might offer Res on their milestone?
Confounding Mists (lvl 5) - 4 levels to the First Step
Elemental Manipulation (Lvl 21) - 6 levels to the Gate
Soul Guard (lvl 7) - 2 levels to the First Step
Poison Resistance (lvl 3) - 6 levels to the First Step
Jothi Language Comprehension (lvl 8) - 1 level to the First Step
Which was most likely?
Elemental Manipulation had given her 1 Res at the First Step. Would it reward the same set of stats? And if so, by how much?
Soul Guard seemed a likely candidate, as souls seemed to be directly related to Focus.
What about Confounding Mist? If nothing else, leveling it might reduce its cost to use.
She eliminated Poison Resistance as an option. If she spent all six gems on one skill, it would be Elemental Manipulation instead.
Finally, there was Jothi Language Comprehension. Cass mostly left it on the list because she didn’t know what stats it would give her when it reached level 9. Res seemed as likely as anything else. But, if she was wrong, upgrading it now would be the least useful option.
That meant her options were really:
- Elemental Manipulation to the Gate or,
- Soul Guard and Confounding Mists to the First Step.
There was too much she didn’t know. Too much she could only speculate on.
But she had to make a choice.
She pulled the gems from her Bag. They dissolved in her hand, sensing her intention.
Confounding Mists has increased to level 6.
Confounding Mists has increased to level 7.
Confounding Mists has increased to level 8.
Confounding Mists has increased to level 9.
Soul Guard has increased to level 8.
Soul Guard has increased to level 9.
Confounding Mists has reached the First Step! Congratulations!
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[Your mastery of this skill has awarded you the following stats:
+ 4 Wll
+ 3 Res
+ 2 Per
+ 2 Vit]
Soul Guard has reached the First Step! Congratulations!
[Your mastery of this skill has awarded you the following stats:
+ 4 Res
+ 3 Frt
+ 2 End
+ 2 Vit]
Seven points of Resolve. That was 63 points of Focus. The power of those stats cascaded through her. Her headache was gone. The ache in her body lessened. Her heart beat stronger in her chest.
It felt like she had been a pond transformed into an ocean.
Stamina: 27/135
Focus: 120/504
Health: 40/129
That had to be enough.
Cass Stormstride Sprinted past Fioreya and the swordswoman. She planted herself in front of the door.
Fioreya forced herself back to her feet. The bindings flexed around her.
Cass held her staff up and willed her skill into being, pulling on the forces of aether she knew waited just beyond the veil.
The mists poured through, surrounding her and Marco and the space before the door.
Focus: 20/504
Cass staggered under the effort. Her head pounded, the headache slamming back into her brain with a vengeance.
But the aether promised it would be well. That this would work.
Fioreya’s binding snapped in an explosion of white light.
Pellen collapsed.
Fioreya charged into Cass’s mists. They wrapped around the noblewoman, her breaths coming faster as she realized she couldn’t see. As she realized it was worse than that.
Her swordswoman barreled in after, her scream of rage lost to the mists as she struggled to find her way to the door.
The archer hung back, unwilling to sacrifice his sight for a chance at finding his way through.
Marco trembled at her side. “That you?”
Cass leaned up to his ear, knowing full well that true sound was lost to everyone within the mists, barely transmitting more than a few inches before dissipating into nothing. “Yes. Walk back with me, take Pellen, join Alyx.”
He nodded, but there was no hiding how he was unnerved. Cass took his hand and guided him to Pellen. He lifted the little mage from the ground and carried her to the doors with Cass’s guidance.
“Are you going to be okay here?” he asked.
“Yes,” Cass said. “Just go. Help Alyx.”
He nodded, and the doors closed behind him, leaving just Cass and the remains of Fioreya’s team.
Fioreya powered through the mist, walking with a projected confidence.
A confidence Cass could see through.
Space twisted within the fog, drawing her in a large circle. If she could have seen through the mists, she might have seen how she had gotten within touching distance of the doors, instead, she walked in an endless circle.
Focus: 12/504
The swordswoman raged, turning wildly and running in random directions. Every step was accompanied by screams and taunts, all aimed at a Cass she could not see or hear.
Meanwhile, Fioreya sprinted ‘forward’ at an endless pace. She required continuous adjustment of her trajectory to keep her within the mists.
She should spit them out of the aether. But then they might regroup and come up with a counter together. No. Better to keep them separate. Better to keep them trying in vain.
Focus: 6/504
But Cass couldn’t hold this much longer.
Her head swam. The aether cradling her was the only reason she hadn’t already collapsed.
But she had a little more to give.
She could still do more.
Her Hearth flared as another bundle of Health was added to the fire.
Focus: 51/504
Health: 10/129
The archer inched closer.
No. Please stay where you were, she begged him silently. The space covered in aether was only so big. Keeping Fioreya and her swordswoman apart was hard enough.
He stepped in, his steps slow and purposeful.
Cass nudged the space around him. He walked straight on anyway.
His eyes glowed in the aether. A skill. Something to prevent him from becoming lost?
Focus: 43/504
No. That wasn’t fair. This was her space. Only she should be able to navigate it.
She drew a Tempest Blade to her staff and slipped into Stealth. She slunk around him.
She swung, aiming for the small of his back.
At the last second, he twisted around to face her. He avoided her staff with impossible grace while lashing out in retaliation with a dagger. It went straight into her guts.
Cass stumbled back into the aether. In four steps, his eyes unfocused on her, though they kept scanning the mist for more.
His Perception or his skill was too good. She couldn’t ambush him and she didn’t have the resources to fight him in a straight fight.
She could, potentially, throw ranged attacks, but she wanted to minimize how much she disturbed the Confounding Mists. If she accidentally blew them away, she did not have the Focus to replace it or stop Fioreya in any other way.
It was fine. Even if he got across, Marco could handle him. She just needed to hold the other two.
That would be enough.
She could do it.
How long had she been at this?
Had Alyx won yet?
Did she have a big enough lead? Or had Cass burned herself out for nothing?
Salos? Cass called over their bond. They were probably close enough. He might hear her.
Cass? Salos’s voice echoed back. It was far away. It was faint.
She was so tired.
Is it over yet? Cass asked.
Focus: 24/504
Are you still there by yourself? Salos asked.
Maybe? Cass replied.
Why?
Has Alyx got her thing yet? Cass asked in return.
Focus: 19/504
Yeah! Sure, just, stop! Salos said.
Oh good, Cass whispered back. She’d done it. They’d won.
The tension dropped from her body. Her skill sputtered out, the aether still hanging loosely around her and dispersing.
In a handful of heartbeats, it had cleared enough to see through. Well, cleared enough for Fioreya and her people to see.
The noblewoman stared at Cass.
Cass stared back. She couldn’t think of a time she’d felt this tired. There were probably more words for it. Better words. She couldn’t think of them right now.
“You can go through now,” Cass said weakly, just as her legs gave out beneath her.
Stamina: 42/135
Focus: 19/504
Health: 10/129