An Amazon of Limited Means

Day 27

Kitsilan restrung her snowy socketed leeching bow over coffee. The efficiency of the 'players 4' chant was a revelation to her. Prior to this, she'd had to make do with whatever experience she could glean from working an area at most twice, then she'd have to move on and take her chances. As time went on, she'd felt this to be working against her. Now, though…

"Kitsilan!"

Kitsilan tucked her bow away and looked over her shoulder. "Hi, Anya! Want some coffee?"

"I do not want coffee. Listen—"

"Hey, are those the claws Larzuk was making for you?"

"Um, yes, they are. Kitsi—"

"Gosh, they sure are nice. He must've spent days on them."

"Nevermind the claws! What are you going to do about Nihlathak?"

Kyle looked up from the fire and frowned. "What do you mean, 'nevermind the claws'? Larzuk put a lot of effort into those."

Anya closed her eyes and counted to twenty-six before opening them again. "Nihlathak is still holding the relic that will get you, Hero, into the Worldstone Keep. If you fool around too long here, Baal will get it. Why aren't you going after him?"

Kitsilan shrugged. "Listen, Anya—whatever Nihlathak's holding, and for whatever purpose, will either be there or not be there for us when we get to wherever he is. And we will do whatever we have to do. And whatever must be, will be."

"Que sera, sera," Kyle added.

Anya's claw hand twitched in response to this exhibition of fatheadedness, but at that moment a shadow moved across the sun, saving Kitsilan's nose from incipient first degree burning. Kits looked up. "Hey, there, Larzuk! Want some coffee? Anya was just saying about how… where'd she go?"

Kyle shrugged her shoulders and passed over a steaming mug to the smith.

Larzuk took a long draught, oblivious to the coffee's heat, and sighed. "She hates me, Kitsilan."

"No, no—she just has a lot on her mind, what with Nihlathak and the relic or whatever it is."

"Will be, will be," sang Kyle, softly.

"Would you stop that?!"

"Sorry, boss."

Larzuk broke in, "Kitsilan, do you really think there's a chance for me?"

"If not for you, old buddy," Kitsilan replied, "then I don't know who for. And that's the truth."

"I dunno. Oh, well, I better get back to the forge. Thanks for the coffee. You two are really sweet, you know?"

"Oh, hey, we're your pals, aren't we, Kyle?"

"Sure, boss. Pals all the way," Kyle replied, putting the coffee things away. "See you around, Larzuk!"

The sun came out again as the massive form of the Harrogath smith stumped off. "Boss, we need to blow this town, get in a bit of exercise, know what I'm saying?"

"I do, indeed. We'll start with Eldritch and Shenk, just to warm up, and then see where we are."

Kitsilan chanted as Malah had taught her ("players 4") and cast her Valkyrie. Careful not to look directly at the blinding form of her Personal Heavenly Companion, she stepped onto the waypoint and twinkled them all to the Frigid Highlands. Eldritch and his gang were in their usual spot, and when the dust settled, his drop was its usual insignificance. Of more importance, Kyle levelled to 37 in the fight.

Shenk was next on their list, and his drop even less interesting, though the conduct of the battle once again highlighted the Valk's usefulness. Kits and Kyle stood off in relative safety while the Valkyrie, singing battle hymns and shouting paens to half-remembered deities, incited the bulk of Shenk's minions to attack her directly. Several catapults and many vaguely menacing monsters later, Kitsilan levelled to 38.

She opted to continue clearing the Foothills rather than advance her skills or personal stats. She and Kyle found nothing of note to oppose their march toward the town gates. The high point of the area was when an expiring Enslaved tossed out a unique shield as his corpse hit the ground.

"Bverrit Keep?" Kyle queried, nudging it with her toe. "Nice shield."

Kits tossed it in her pack. "Sure is."

"Check out the fire resistance on it."

"Shut up, Kyle."

Kitsilan had been using Guided Arrow more and more, until it was almost half of her arsenal. Its damage was not up to that of Magic Arrow, but the way it Pierced and swept back for another hit on its target was simply awesome.

After selling what they could ("What do you want to do with that shield, Kits?" "I'm thinking!") they waypointed to the Crystalline Passage. Kyle levelled to 38 herself in short order, as they punctured Moon Lords and Frozen Creepers and those flying gnat women with the weirdly ineffectual curse. They found the entry to the Glacial Trail and hurtled down. Kitsilan, pondering the experience versus difficulty ratio as she levelled to 39, suddenly stopped in her tracks and chanted "players 6!" (without the exclamation point).

The greater life of the monsters made itself apparent almost right away, but with the Valk to tank for them, Kitsilan and Kyle breezed through the ordeals of the Glacial Trail. Bonesaw Breaker and his crew held them off of the gold chest only a moment, and Kyle levelled to 39 in her turn very soon after.

None of the subsequent drops equalled Bverrit Keep, though Kits' finding of Cathan's Seal was of some minor interest. Having a fair amount of life steal already, she wasn't keen to swap out a resistance ring for it, but she kept it anyway. Such things become useful at odd times, and sometimes crucially so.

They cleared the Glacial Trail and popped into the Drifter Canyon for a look-see. Every flying gnat harpy lady was a champion, it seemed, and great white wookies surrounded the Valk and made her head spin. Still, the area was a doddle for them. Emerging, they sprinted to the entry for the Frozen River and Kits levelled to 40 before they'd passed out of sight of its mouth.

"Three levels," she said, as Kyle measured out cocoa that evening. "Just think what we can accomplish tomorrow if we just do it all again! We might manage to pull ahead of the learning curve."

"So, what are you gonna do with that shield, eh, Kits?"

"Oh, I dunno. Malah was on about an 'ethernet LAN' chant, says I could give it away that way, and maybe someone in my family could use it."

"Hm."

"Or I could just sell it."

"Mm."

"And use the proceeds to hire a barb merc."

"The future's not ours to see…"

"Oh, shut up."

"More cocoa?"

"Yeah, thanks."