“Behind you!” screamed Eleanor as a frost bear was charging towards Ferric. Before Ferric could even react Melanie had jumped clear over his head and brought a sword wreathed in flame down on the bear's back. While the bear collapsed from having its spine severed another roared as Sally and Eleanor pelted it with arrows. Otto smashed in the head of the paralyzed bear with his hammer and ducked the claws of another bear.
Unlike normal bears, frost bears are pack animals, which adds to their danger. This particular pack looked to have about fifteen active members, seven of which were now dead, bleeding on the cold ground. Ferric moved to the one that looked like a pincushion and lopped off its arms in quick succession with a Boost Strength getting past the bear's incredible Toughness.
Melanie was attacked by the same bear that tried to claw Otto moments earlier. As strong as its claws were, they weren't able to even scratch Melanie's armor thanks to her class ability strengthening her armor. Melanie used her own Boost Strength and kicked against the bear's leg. It roared in pain as the leg broke and bent backward. While it was distracted by its pain it didn't notice the large form rushing towards it. Belstak rammed into its side in the form of a giant boar, his tusks eviscerating the bear's guts.
The giant boar disappeared, instantly replaced by a large wolf who jumped and landed on the back of the armless bear, biting into its neck to kill it. Before another bear could attack the wolf, it too disappeared and a rooster ran between the bear's legs to escape the attack. Before the bear could chase after the small flightless bird a hammer smacked it in the head, dazing it. A flaming sword of bone chopped through the bear's neck, ending its life.
Another bear made a grazing claw attack on Otto's toad leather armor. “Ack! Why am I the only one here without protection against the cold of their claws?”
Off in the distance Sally yelled, “Hey, we're not protected either!”
Otto looked chagrined and responded, “I apologize, ladies. You two are doing a marvelous job wearing them down, all without the Toughness we enjoy.”
“Hey, Merchant Man, focus!” Melanie yelled as she stabbed into the chest of the bear Otto was fending off with his hammer.
Otto then cast Boost Strength and jumped up bringing his hammer under the bear's jaw on his way up. At the top of his jump he repositioned himself to bring his hammer down on the top of its head on his way back down, caving the skull in and killing it.
Ferric cleaved into the chest of another bear, slicing through its ribs and into its heart while Sally hit an arrow right over the heart of another bear. Immediately after Belstak rammed into it as a boar again, driving the arrow all the way into and through the bear's heart, and breaking its ribs in the process.
Melanie and Otto killed the last remaining bears and Eleanor rushed over with her satchel of potions to make sure everyone was okay. The injuries were only minor, fortunately. Despite Otto's complaints about the bears' cold claws, his Toughness made it just a minor nuisance.
“I think I finally get it,” Ferric said as they began to gather the bodies together.
“Get what?” Melanie asked.
“I get why you and Joe are so much better at combat at your age than we were at the same age,” Ferric responded while gesturing to Otto, Sally, and Eleanor. “We all thought of our combat classes first and our skills as merely vehicles to get us to our professions. Then Joe walks into town and Lester has a genius idea to make him tough enough to survive being a young Mage. Of course, Joe has an absurd advantage over the rest of us, but even still, he adapted that to your training. And now to Kerras as well.”
“And now look at us,” Otto said with a grin.
“Exactly!” Sally agreed.
Eleanor chuckled, “I've felt my age for so long, I never even considered how much better I'd feel if I trained my Vitality up. But now that I have look at me. I'm going around in the dead of winter fighting off a pack of frost bears and winning. I got two Scout levels from this. Two!”
“Nice,” Melanie said. “Did you get anything new from them?”
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Eleanor had her CGS screen up and was reading it with a shocked expression. “I didn't even know this was possible,” she said under her breath.”
“What is it?” Ferric asked.
“I got a new spell, which isn't so unusual, but it costs mana,” Eleanor revealed.
“A Scout spell that costs mana?”
“Exactly!” Eleanor confirmed. “That's what I'm so shocked about.”
Ferric laughed, “I think by now we should all expect that Joe is turning the world upside-down on what is and isn't possible, and it's spreading to the rest of us. So what's your new spell?”
Eleanor shared her spell's description with the rest of the group.
“Joe is going to go crazy if you don't let him learn that from you,” Melanie said after reading it.
- - - - -
The remaining trip to Telknock took about 3 hours after Joe opened a Backtrack portal for the first group to the area near the frost bears. As it was early in the day, it was far chillier than the trip before. Joe gained 2 levels in Cold Tolerance before he got to Telknock. He also again gained a level each in Speed Boost, Cold Snap, and Levitation.
Levitation (Level 15). This spell allows the caster to mentally move up to fifteen non-living objects each up to one-half the weight the caster can lift physically. The maximum distance an object can be controlled is up to half a meter for every point of Intelligence. Alternatively up to 15 living targets can be targeted, with an additional mana cost paid for each one. Each target cannot weigh more than the maximum weight allowed by the spell normally. Creatures targeted can resist the spell, with their Wisdom opposed by the caster's Intelligence.
Mana Cost: 10 mana per minute
After he got more specific directions to the area the ice weasels inhabited and got much closer to it, Joe returned to Rust's Edge to gather the rest of the townspeople.
“Okay, everyone. I've got to stay here to watch the town with Gymmie, so this will all be on you. I believe in you all. I've seen the advances you've made and I know you can do it. You all have Healing Potions made by Eleanor, correct?” Several heads nodded in affirmation. “Good, then you're as prepared as you need to be. The rest is up to you.”
With that Joe opened a Backtrack portal to the area they would be searching for ice weasels in and the group of mostly Scouts filed through. Joe finally got another level in Backtrack for the effort.
Kerras carried a personal heater, as he was the only one who could possibly unlock Cold Tolerance out in this weather, but everyone was dressed warmly. Jack took the lead with his two-handed axe already brought out. It took another 20 minutes to actually find the ice weasels from where Joe dropped them off. As soon as they did, though, chaos fell upon the group.
Six ice weasels emerged from holes around the area and three of them shot icicles towards the group. Jack shattered one on the head of his axe, Teril dodged one aimed at him that flew off into the air, and Tess made a vine appear and destroy the third one. At the same time Ferrite threw a knife at one weasel instantly killing it. Kerras Launched a rock at another, but missed. Malcolm, meanwhile ran up to another and stabbed it twice in quick succession. Lastly Lester used a slingshot to fire a metal ball at another which was left dazed.
Kerras Launched another rock, this time at the dazed one and killed it. Ferrite threw her Shocking Strikes knife at the one Kerras missed the first time. Teril had his own dagger and went to stab another weasel. Tess snapped a vine at the remaining weasel, killing the last of the first batch, but they all knew many more lived in this area based on the reports, as well as historical observations of ice weasels.
Kerras pulled out a handful of large stones from a satchel and made them all start moving around him with Minor Levitation. More icicles started coming in their direction and Kerras intercepted three of them with his stones. One got through and stabbed Jack, but he ignored it and started running towards the newly emerged weasels. Teril and Malcolm joined him while Ferrite recalled her thrown knives and moved to better see the new weasels.
- - - - -
Four dozen ice weasels in total lay dead in the snowy terrain. Tess finished healing the last of the wounds the party had acquired in the ambushes from the icy monsters while they all took a breather.
“Well, that went better than I thought it would,” said Teril. “I haven't tried to fight anything in such a long time. I never really considered how much my Smelting had improved my Toughness. One of the weasels tried to bite me but couldn't even break my skin.”
“I know what you mean,” chimed in Lester. “My slingshot attacks count as Ranged Weapons so they improve Agility, but I had to be careful not to pull back too hard on the pouch, otherwise I'll break it after all the Strength I picked up through Mining. The increased Strength I can use does make them hit a lot harder, though.”
Tess looked expectantly at Kerras, “Well, did you get any levels in your Mage class?”
Kerras smiled before replying, “I'm now level 3. I now have that Sense Manachlorians ability that Joe said I would need before unlocking Meditation.”
“That's great,” Ferrite said. “Any good spells from your levels?”
“I picked up the Healing Touch spell that Tess and Joe have, because why not? It's always good to have more healing available if combat is possible. I also have a new one that fits with the rest of my whole motif: Stone Shape.”
Lester piped up with, “I can't believe we have not one, but two combat capable Mages in our town. Soon we're going to be invincible.”
“Hey now, don't get all cocky. We don't know what the future holds,” cautioned Jack. “Now, let's gather these corpses and go collect our bounty in Telknock.”