Chapter 446
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Chapter 446
Ultimately the group decided to break off towards the route where there was a clear sense of treasure. It might be bait, but while Everhearts Tomb absolutely killed many people so far they hadnt heard of anything being impossible to get. If they judged it too risky they could simply pass by. Continuing after the Twin Soul Sect would lead to an encounter they wanted to avoid if possible or simply delay them from reaching their goal.
Before their choice actually mattered, they had to walk across a bridge of stone, the underside of which was white-hot from the magma beneath it. There was no benefit to attempting another method of traversal since anything else would simply be more risky- even if they could technically achieve flight with sufficient energy usage, that energy could be better put to use protecting them. Like from the repeating *Clang* of the hammer and anvil. Sometimes the time between sounds was drawn out over a minute or more, while other times they came in rapid succession. Either way, the sound propagated throughout the entire Smithy.
*Clang*
Timothy took the foremost position, and found that compared to tightly packed tunnels the direct impact of the sound was less focused. In short, he was able to hold his ground with the energy scattering out of the tunnel in front of them into the larger chamber they were passing through. It didnt act entirely in the natural order of things- it gathered together again at the far end and pressed into the tunnel- but he was able to prevent a portion of the force directly coming for their group. It still flowed around his shield in all directions, but the forces mainly canceled out, providing a sort of pressure but no force pushing people in any particular direction, except down into the stone bridge. However, if such a thing could not withstand a little bit of pressure, it would have broken down long before.
Alva was in the rear atop Fuzz, so the majority of the power of the soundwave returned before it reached her- but Fuzz fur was surprisingly good at keeping it away, and his bulk took the majority of the impact. If the sound waves were all they had to deal with, then it would have been simple. Which of course meant it couldnt be. Before even shouting a warning, she began to fire shots into gatherings of energy within the magma. Enemies!
The creatures were indistinct- no, fluid. Much like the magma they dwelled in, their bodies were liquid, but of such a high viscosity they generally held their form. A source of energy within them guided their movements, and Alva knew that such creatures couldnt survive outside of a similar environment. Not that they were in any risk of suddenly being somewhere normal.
Her first arrows went for heads and necks, the upper torso where traditionally vital organs were kept. She was uncertain if these creatures had any, but either way her attacks didnt manage to penetrate deeper than the width of a finger- and any damage was quickly closed as the creatures oozed together. She would need to concentrate on a single point or enemy to have a better hope of damaging them.
As the creatures glooped their way up the edges of the chamber people began to hope that their attacking options were limited, but unfortunately that was not the case. A number of the creatures moved to cut off easy retreats in either direction along the bridge, but some remained at the surface of the burning magma below.
A bubble of energy and something more wormed its way through one of them, taking on a shape vaguely like a tube. No, a cannon. Though the shot didnt come with an explosion like Grants devices, it still accelerated as it moved- a mass of molten stone hotter than anything on Ceretos could survive flying just over Catarinas head. She ducked, but it still managed to catch a strand of her hair on fire despite her defensive energy. More creatures of vague form began to do the same.
Timothy took a page from Varis book- though the energy he used with his shield wasnt quite as solid as her barriers, the effect was more agile. He could redirect the angle of his shield easily enough, so charging forward into a small group and then tilting it to the side shoved several creatures away at once. Any remaining loners were taken care of by Catarina, who also revealed something of the creatures cores as she stripped away their energy.
The fight so far had been fast and frantic to the point they forgot about one thing. When another shockwave of sound echoed through the chamber, they werent ready. Timothys shield was angled the wrong way, but fortunately the force of the sound pushed him the long was across the width of the bridge instead of two steps closer to the other side. He had to stab his sword into it to halt his momentum as Catarina grabbed on, but he didnt go plummeting down.
Spikes happened to have roughened the terrain around her and Fuzz enough that they had better positions to hold onto, and the sound actually helped them by blasting apart the creatures near them. Alva held on as well, though only through the virtues of the saddle and a fistful of fur.
Vari managed to react in time to duck down, curling into a ball. A small dome barrier covered her, anchored to the ground- and she got away unscathed.
Hoyt happened to be in just the wrong spot, right by the edge. The exact way the sound echoed through the chamber pushed him off to the side with a force he couldnt quite resist. He hovered awkwardly over nothing for an instant as gravity began to overtake him. Then he dropped from sight.
Nobody was in such an easy position that they could keep perfect track of what happened with Hoyt via their energy senses, but a moment later Hoyt was back above bridge level- a glowing ball of fire pushing him towards their exit, but also higher into the air. He slammed into the wall above the tunnel, but reoriented himself as he fell, slicing one of the creatures in two.
Fortunately the enemies in the rear were blown away, so Vari was free to make a mad dash with the others towards the exit. Timothy managed to get in position with Hoyt and Catarina to hold the exit for a few moments- and once they were a few dozen meters down the hall the creatures stopped their chase. Fighting in the tighter confines of the actual tunnel was to the advantage of the smaller group, as they only had to watch one angle and the ranged bombardment could no longer reach them.
They carefully moved along, wary of traps as they began to bind their wounds. Burned fur was the least of their worries, but fortunately the battle had been short enough to avoid more serious injuries. Perhaps they might have been able to defeat all of the morphic creatures if they had to, but for no reward but the battle experience it was better to retreat. They had learned what they could and might be able to apply it in future battles, actually killing the creatures was just a chore at that point.
They turned down their chosen tunnel, towards the lure of loot. What they found was either the laziest trap in the world or the most devious. Everheart was there- the aura of his projections unmistakable even as this particular one looked different from the rest they had seen. Large and muscular, bare chested- and bald-headed. Glistening with sweat, and posing. Oh, welcome, Everheart said. Didnt see you there. If you got this far you deserve a reward, I guess. Go ahead and take one each. He waved lazily.
Throughout the room were dozens- no, hundreds of pieces of equipment. Some were stabbed into the walls or ceiling, usually quite close to oozing magma falls. Others were strewn about in a pool of magma below- and some, buried deeper below. Of course those that were the most tantalizing in power were in the hardest to reach places. There were no signs of bodies- but why would there be? Anyone who died would be incinerated. The way certain treasures were placed was highly suspect, though.
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Chapter 446
Ultimately the group decided to break off towards the route where there was a clear sense of treasure. It might be bait, but while Everhearts Tomb absolutely killed many people so far they hadnt heard of anything being impossible to get. If they judged it too risky they could simply pass by. Continuing after the Twin Soul Sect would lead to an encounter they wanted to avoid if possible or simply delay them from reaching their goal.
Before their choice actually mattered, they had to walk across a bridge of stone, the underside of which was white-hot from the magma beneath it. There was no benefit to attempting another method of traversal since anything else would simply be more risky- even if they could technically achieve flight with sufficient energy usage, that energy could be better put to use protecting them. Like from the repeating *Clang* of the hammer and anvil. Sometimes the time between sounds was drawn out over a minute or more, while other times they came in rapid succession. Either way, the sound propagated throughout the entire Smithy.
*Clang*
Timothy took the foremost position, and found that compared to tightly packed tunnels the direct impact of the sound was less focused. In short, he was able to hold his ground with the energy scattering out of the tunnel in front of them into the larger chamber they were passing through. It didnt act entirely in the natural order of things- it gathered together again at the far end and pressed into the tunnel- but he was able to prevent a portion of the force directly coming for their group. It still flowed around his shield in all directions, but the forces mainly canceled out, providing a sort of pressure but no force pushing people in any particular direction, except down into the stone bridge. However, if such a thing could not withstand a little bit of pressure, it would have broken down long before.
Alva was in the rear atop Fuzz, so the majority of the power of the soundwave returned before it reached her- but Fuzz fur was surprisingly good at keeping it away, and his bulk took the majority of the impact. If the sound waves were all they had to deal with, then it would have been simple. Which of course meant it couldnt be. Before even shouting a warning, she began to fire shots into gatherings of energy within the magma. Enemies!
The creatures were indistinct- no, fluid. Much like the magma they dwelled in, their bodies were liquid, but of such a high viscosity they generally held their form. A source of energy within them guided their movements, and Alva knew that such creatures couldnt survive outside of a similar environment. Not that they were in any risk of suddenly being somewhere normal.
Her first arrows went for heads and necks, the upper torso where traditionally vital organs were kept. She was uncertain if these creatures had any, but either way her attacks didnt manage to penetrate deeper than the width of a finger- and any damage was quickly closed as the creatures oozed together. She would need to concentrate on a single point or enemy to have a better hope of damaging them.
As the creatures glooped their way up the edges of the chamber people began to hope that their attacking options were limited, but unfortunately that was not the case. A number of the creatures moved to cut off easy retreats in either direction along the bridge, but some remained at the surface of the burning magma below.
A bubble of energy and something more wormed its way through one of them, taking on a shape vaguely like a tube. No, a cannon. Though the shot didnt come with an explosion like Grants devices, it still accelerated as it moved- a mass of molten stone hotter than anything on Ceretos could survive flying just over Catarinas head. She ducked, but it still managed to catch a strand of her hair on fire despite her defensive energy. More creatures of vague form began to do the same.
Timothy took a page from Varis book- though the energy he used with his shield wasnt quite as solid as her barriers, the effect was more agile. He could redirect the angle of his shield easily enough, so charging forward into a small group and then tilting it to the side shoved several creatures away at once. Any remaining loners were taken care of by Catarina, who also revealed something of the creatures cores as she stripped away their energy.
The fight so far had been fast and frantic to the point they forgot about one thing. When another shockwave of sound echoed through the chamber, they werent ready. Timothys shield was angled the wrong way, but fortunately the force of the sound pushed him the long was across the width of the bridge instead of two steps closer to the other side. He had to stab his sword into it to halt his momentum as Catarina grabbed on, but he didnt go plummeting down.
Spikes happened to have roughened the terrain around her and Fuzz enough that they had better positions to hold onto, and the sound actually helped them by blasting apart the creatures near them. Alva held on as well, though only through the virtues of the saddle and a fistful of fur.
Vari managed to react in time to duck down, curling into a ball. A small dome barrier covered her, anchored to the ground- and she got away unscathed.
Hoyt happened to be in just the wrong spot, right by the edge. The exact way the sound echoed through the chamber pushed him off to the side with a force he couldnt quite resist. He hovered awkwardly over nothing for an instant as gravity began to overtake him. Then he dropped from sight.
Nobody was in such an easy position that they could keep perfect track of what happened with Hoyt via their energy senses, but a moment later Hoyt was back above bridge level- a glowing ball of fire pushing him towards their exit, but also higher into the air. He slammed into the wall above the tunnel, but reoriented himself as he fell, slicing one of the creatures in two.
Fortunately the enemies in the rear were blown away, so Vari was free to make a mad dash with the others towards the exit. Timothy managed to get in position with Hoyt and Catarina to hold the exit for a few moments- and once they were a few dozen meters down the hall the creatures stopped their chase. Fighting in the tighter confines of the actual tunnel was to the advantage of the smaller group, as they only had to watch one angle and the ranged bombardment could no longer reach them.
They carefully moved along, wary of traps as they began to bind their wounds. Burned fur was the least of their worries, but fortunately the battle had been short enough to avoid more serious injuries. Perhaps they might have been able to defeat all of the morphic creatures if they had to, but for no reward but the battle experience it was better to retreat. They had learned what they could and might be able to apply it in future battles, actually killing the creatures was just a chore at that point.
They turned down their chosen tunnel, towards the lure of loot. What they found was either the laziest trap in the world or the most devious. Everheart was there- the aura of his projections unmistakable even as this particular one looked different from the rest they had seen. Large and muscular, bare chested- and bald-headed. Glistening with sweat, and posing. Oh, welcome, Everheart said. Didnt see you there. If you got this far you deserve a reward, I guess. Go ahead and take one each. He waved lazily.
Throughout the room were dozens- no, hundreds of pieces of equipment. Some were stabbed into the walls or ceiling, usually quite close to oozing magma falls. Others were strewn about in a pool of magma below- and some, buried deeper below. Of course those that were the most tantalizing in power were in the hardest to reach places. There were no signs of bodies- but why would there be? Anyone who died would be incinerated. The way certain treasures were placed was highly suspect, though.
Chapter 446Ultimately the group decided to break off towards the route where there was a clear sense of treasure. It might be bait, but while Everhearts Tomb absolutely killed many people so far they hadnt heard of anything being impossible to get. If they judged it too risky they could simply pass by. Continuing after the Twin Soul Sect would lead to an encounter they wanted to avoid if possible or simply delay them from reaching their goal.Before their choice actually mattered, they had to walk across a bridge of stone, the underside of which was white-hot from the magma beneath it. There was no benefit to attempting another method of traversal since anything else would simply be more risky- even if they could technically achieve flight with sufficient energy usage, that energy could be better put to use protecting them. Like from the repeating *Clang* of the hammer and anvil. Sometimes the time between sounds was drawn out over a minute or more, while other times they came in rapid succession. Either way, the sound propagated throughout the entire Smithy.*Clang*Timothy took the foremost position, and found that compared to tightly packed tunnels the direct impact of the sound was less focused. In short, he was able to hold his ground with the energy scattering out of the tunnel in front of them into the larger chamber they were passing through. It didnt act entirely in the natural order of things- it gathered together again at the far end and pressed into the tunnel- but he was able to prevent a portion of the force directly coming for their group. It still flowed around his shield in all directions, but the forces mainly canceled out, providing a sort of pressure but no force pushing people in any particular direction, except down into the stone bridge. However, if such a thing could not withstand a little bit of pressure, it would have broken down long before.Alva was in the rear atop Fuzz, so the majority of the power of the soundwave returned before it reached her- but Fuzz fur was surprisingly good at keeping it away, and his bulk took the majority of the impact. If the sound waves were all they had to deal with, then it would have been simple. Which of course meant it couldnt be. Before even shouting a warning, she began to fire shots into gatherings of energy within the magma. Enemies!The creatures were indistinct- no, fluid. Much like the magma they dwelled in, their bodies were liquid, but of such a high viscosity they generally held their form. A source of energy within them guided their movements, and Alva knew that such creatures couldnt survive outside of a similar environment. Not that they were in any risk of suddenly being somewhere normal.Her first arrows went for heads and necks, the upper torso where traditionally vital organs were kept. She was uncertain if these creatures had any, but either way her attacks didnt manage to penetrate deeper than the width of a finger- and any damage was quickly closed as the creatures oozed together. She would need to concentrate on a single point or enemy to have a better hope of damaging them.As the creatures glooped their way up the edges of the chamber people began to hope that their attacking options were limited, but unfortunately that was not the case. A number of the creatures moved to cut off easy retreats in either direction along the bridge, but some remained at the surface of the burning magma below.A bubble of energy and something more wormed its way through one of them, taking on a shape vaguely like a tube. No, a cannon. Though the shot didnt come with an explosion like Grants devices, it still accelerated as it moved- a mass of molten stone hotter than anything on Ceretos could survive flying just over Catarinas head. She ducked, but it still managed to catch a strand of her hair on fire despite her defensive energy. More creatures of vague form began to do the same.Timothy took a page from Varis book- though the energy he used with his shield wasnt quite as solid as her barriers, the effect was more agile. He could redirect the angle of his shield easily enough, so charging forward into a small group and then tilting it to the side shoved several creatures away at once. Any remaining loners were taken care of by Catarina, who also revealed something of the creatures cores as she stripped away their energy.The fight so far had been fast and frantic to the point they forgot about one thing. When another shockwave of sound echoed through the chamber, they werent ready. Timothys shield was angled the wrong way, but fortunately the force of the sound pushed him the long was across the width of the bridge instead of two steps closer to the other side. He had to stab his sword into it to halt his momentum as Catarina grabbed on, but he didnt go plummeting down.Spikes happened to have roughened the terrain around her and Fuzz enough that they had better positions to hold onto, and the sound actually helped them by blasting apart the creatures near them. Alva held on as well, though only through the virtues of the saddle and a fistful of fur.Vari managed to react in time to duck down, curling into a ball. A small dome barrier covered her, anchored to the ground- and she got away unscathed.Hoyt happened to be in just the wrong spot, right by the edge. The exact way the sound echoed through the chamber pushed him off to the side with a force he couldnt quite resist. He hovered awkwardly over nothing for an instant as gravity began to overtake him. Then he dropped from sight.Nobody was in such an easy position that they could keep perfect track of what happened with Hoyt via their energy senses, but a moment later Hoyt was back above bridge level- a glowing ball of fire pushing him towards their exit, but also higher into the air. He slammed into the wall above the tunnel, but reoriented himself as he fell, slicing one of the creatures in two. Fortunately the enemies in the rear were blown away, so Vari was free to make a mad dash with the others towards the exit. Timothy managed to get in position with Hoyt and Catarina to hold the exit for a few moments- and once they were a few dozen meters down the hall the creatures stopped their chase. Fighting in the tighter confines of the actual tunnel was to the advantage of the smaller group, as they only had to watch one angle and the ranged bombardment could no longer reach them.They carefully moved along, wary of traps as they began to bind their wounds. Burned fur was the least of their worries, but fortunately the battle had been short enough to avoid more serious injuries. Perhaps they might have been able to defeat all of the morphic creatures if they had to, but for no reward but the battle experience it was better to retreat. They had learned what they could and might be able to apply it in future battles, actually killing the creatures was just a chore at that point.They turned down their chosen tunnel, towards the lure of loot. What they found was either the laziest trap in the world or the most devious. Everheart was there- the aura of his projections unmistakable even as this particular one looked different from the rest they had seen. Large and muscular, bare chested- and bald-headed. Glistening with sweat, and posing. Oh, welcome, Everheart said. Didnt see you there. If you got this far you deserve a reward, I guess. Go ahead and take one each. He waved lazily.Throughout the room were dozens- no, hundreds of pieces of equipment. Some were stabbed into the walls or ceiling, usually quite close to oozing magma falls. Others were strewn about in a pool of magma below- and some, buried deeper below. Of course those that were the most tantalizing in power were in the hardest to reach places. There were no signs of bodies- but why would there be? Anyone who died would be incinerated. The way certain treasures were placed was highly suspect, though.
