An Amazon of Limited Means

Day 11

Kitsilan awoke with the sun in her eyes, and wondered if it hadn't been an error when she did for the Claw Vipers yesterday. Or maybe the error had something to with celebrating at Atma's tavern the evening before. A mug of coffee and her mood improved. She got her gear together and headed for the Palace.

To say that Kitsilan was underwhelmed by the decor would be a monumental distortion of her true feelings. Some of what she saw she put to Jerhyn's being young, and on his own, more money than sense, desperately wanting to impress the harem…

"Maybe he's colourblind," she muttered, "in the red-green-blue range." Her headache returned in force as she found the stairs to level 1 of the Harem and decended. Not that level 1 was any great change, but it was smaller and free of monsters.

Level 2 was neither small nor monster-free, however, and Kitsilan had to work at it to sort the Horror Archers and Cold Mage Skeletons from the clashing background. The Blunderbores were a welcome change for her sore eyes.

Without a speck of cold resistance or thawing protection, she relied heavily on Slow Missiles to help her avoid the icicles of the Cold Mages. They didn't do more than sting a bit, but the chilling effect was distressing. Nevertheless, she methodically cleared that level and located the stairs to the next.

Stopping in town to pick up some thawing potions from Lysander, she wandered over to greet Elzix and glanced in his shop. The belt proved to be useless, but the chain gloves turned up as Chance Guards. Kitsilan's attitude spiralled skyward. She was sure her drops would improve. And the boost to her damage rating wasn't unwelcome either.

The stairs led from the Harem to level 1 of the Palace Cellar. Unadorned plaster walls and simple, yet effective placing of barrel stacks cheered Kits immensely. Not even Fire Mage Skeletons, Horror Archers and Dune Beasts could disturb her. Night Razor, fire enchanted Dune Beast, growled and bared his fangs, but she only laughed in his face as she shot him down. His drop was but blue heavy boots, and a few Horror Archers later, she levelled to 20.

Having found a waypoint, she returned to town to pick up the last portion of the three-part skill she'd been working toward.

"It's Guided Arrow," Fara said, "always hits, and goes around corners."

"Sounds like a winner."

"Costs a bit, though. 8 mana per arrow. Real arrows, too, so you'll have to keep up with your quiver."

"Nothing's free. Let's have it."

"Done!"

With that settled, and a bit more strength, dexterity and energy under her belt, Kitsilan headed back to finish off the Cellar.

The rest of that level went fine; Kits tried out her new skill and found it did indeed suck mana at an alarming rate—alarming after Magic Arrow's modest requirements. After some trial and error she figured out its cornering patterns, then returned to Magic Arrow for the rest of the day.

Levels 2 and 3 of the Cellar were a fun run through Blunderbores, Poison Mage Skels, Horror Archers, Dune Beasts and Invaders. Most of the Poison Mages of level 2 were concentrated in the centre section, clustered around Dire Shield the Howler (cold enchanted). Kits had little trouble luring his minions out to the hall, but the Invaders had such an odd approach pattern that she had a great deal of difficulty suckering them into her kill zone. By the time she'd got most of them, Dire Shield finally positioned himself so that she could take him from where she stood.

After that she was an Amazon with a mission. She cleared each room and tarried not on her way to the next. As soon as level 2 was clear, Kitsilan lept down the stairs to level 3 and started over again. She stunned Fire Eye (fire enchanted, extra fast), the Invader boss of level 3, at enough distance to completely avoid his death explosion, and barely paused long enough to pick up his drop.

Quickly clearing the rest of the level, she stepped through the blue portal to the Arcane Sanctuary. She'd intended to call it a day then and there, but some tweaking of curiosity prompted her to poke along the northwest arm, just to see… then to rake in the loot, kill Hell Clan goat boys, take revenge of just one more Ghoul Lord and one more pack of Specters…

Before she knew it, she was luring hangers-on from the Summoner's side, then, emboldened by recent sucesses, she got in his face, disdaining his Iron Maiden curse and Glacial Spikes, and waxed his platform with his own hair oil.

Well, what's a girl to do? She opened his portal to the Canyon of the Magi, stepped through, found the waypoint and went back to the Sanctuary to finish up the NW arm. She's a tidy soul, after all.

Nothing more interesting than Hell Clan Champions, in a rather fetching shade of green, barred her way back to the AS waypoint. Bargaining for a top price on the gnarled staff and grand scepter they dropped, she fended off everyone who wanted a quick word on the importance of finding Tal Rasha's tomb and offing Baal, and so nice the Summoner's dead, dear, though tomorrow will come soon enough…

She shook out her bedroll and thought about it for maybe half a second. Tal Rasha could wait—there's tons of loot in the Arcane Sanctuary, and she'll be cleaning it all up, even if she has to kill the Summoner again.