As the mud surged inwards, an all-encompassing gurgling sound filled the air, a disquieting precursor to its origin. Even the sound alone felt like it was gunking me up and slowing me down, but in reality, there was a much simpler explanation for my lacking speed.
Wrapped tightly in my arms was Verin’s diminutive frame. While I was fairly fast when I really pushed myself, that was significantly less true while ferrying someone else.
To her credit, Verin seemed to be faring better on this trip than she had on the previous ones, keeping her head on straight as she cast small bursts of frost magic wherever she could. To her discredit, they did absolutely nothing, the mud swallowing up the magic without even slowing.
“Lady Tess! I do not believe we are going to outrun it!” Her ineffectual spellwork continued even as she spoke.
She was right, though. I judged the distances and speeds, and it was a foregone conclusion. A shadow fell over us as the mud neared, only moments away from shutting off our only avenue of escape. I tried to think of any possible plan that would prevent us from dying covered in mud, not coming up with much of worth.
Although, maybe Verin can? I’d have to check.
“Hey Verin.” I was forced to raise my voice as my words were nearly lost to the roar of my rapid Jet Steps. “You can breathe inside your defensive skill, right? Even without air?”
Despite not understanding what I was getting at, she hesitantly responded. “Yes. Why? I am uncertain as to how that would help us presentl-”
Nice. That could work. I glanced down, finding that much of the ground was entirely flooded by now. Focusing on one such area, I shifted Verin in my arms.
“Use your glacier skill, then. I’ll come get you if I don’t die.”
Verin started to demand an explanation, but we were out of time.
Without further fanfare, I hoisted her into my hands.
And threw her with all my might.
A frantic squawking filled my ears, but I had just enough time to confirm that the throw was on target. Flecks of frost began to form on Verin’s skin as she activated her skill. With any luck, in a few seconds, an impenetrable chunk of ice would be safely sinking into the mud. I could only hope that whatever creature we were up against didn’t have any way of harming her through her skill.
Unfortunately, those were all the thoughts I had time for. A moment later, the mud arrived.
Pumping as much mana as I could into my feet, I tried to shoot through it, hoping to escape to the skies.
I failed. Miserably.
The very instant the mud touched my armor, it arrested my motion entirely before yanking me down.
Instantly, the world went black, the deluge of mud swallowing every drop of light as it threw me into its depths. I thrashed against it, but I might as well have been stationary.
Impairment Resistance has reached level 8!
I flooded my light armor with water mana, and the mud’s grip on me lessened, but not nearly enough. Mud, after all, was partly water itself. Layering on some air mana seemed to help, but by now, I was trapped under countless tons of mud. My frenzied exertions only worked to burn up what little air I had left, my lungs starting to protest already.
Breath Control has reached level 17!
What do I have? There had to be something, right? It was at times like these that I sorely missed my Cleansing Shower Gem Pendant and its ability to handle any movement-impairing debuffs. It would have been perfect for cleaning off the mud that was even now threatening to worm its way into my mouth.
Wait. I do have something. Even in the face of death, I wanted to slap myself for not thinking of it sooner. In my defense, I’d been a bit occupied from the very moment I’d woken up.
I tried to pull an object out of my storage, only to receive an error.
Insufficient space. Please clear some room to use Arcane Storage.
I cursed, wondering if it was already too late. Space. I need just a little bit of space.
I shifted the mana in my armor, flooding it with both air and spatial mana. Bit by bit, I added more and more mana with Overload Armor. My mana began to drop precipitously, but it was working, too. My body sent out gale-force winds, pushing back the mud surrounding me, even if only by a hair. Combined with the spatial mana expanding the space around me, it was just barely enough.
Arcane Storage. The very moment I had enough room, I summoned up the one item that had any hopes of saving me: a bucket. Though I didn’t waste the energy to identify it again, God’s Mind recalled its description in perfect detail.
Cleansing Well Water
When imbibed, grants the drinker a temporary resistance to mud magic and physical restrictions. Alternatively, on contact, washes away all traces of dirt and mud. Can only be refilled with well water from the Roc Lord’s domain.
Not wanting my air mana to blow all of the water away, I dismissed my armor enhancements even as I splashed half the bucket onto my face. Opening my mouth wide, I greedily drank up every drop I could. Despite my best efforts, I ended up getting more than just water, trickles of mud running down my throat as well. I coughed and spluttered, allowing even more mud in, but thankfully, it was enough.
You have drank cleansing well water! Mud magic resistance and impairment resistance greatly enhanced.
Duration: 5 minutes
All at once, the mud’s grip on me loosened, until it felt like I was swimming through regular water.
That wasn’t all, either. Everywhere the water splashed, the mud was obliterated.
Not just thinned or diluted. Utterly and completely destroyed, entire arm-fulls of the substance disappearing in a flash. As if capable of feeling pain, the nearby mud physically recoiled.
Already, however, I’d used up half the bucket’s contents. I hastily threw it back into my storage in case I needed more water later, but for now, I was set. My enhanced proprioception was just barely enough to orient myself, and I shot upwards through the mud, swimming for all I was worth. My Strength let me tear up great lengths in a single stride, and only moments later, I broke the surface.
With a great gasping breath, I inhaled. No longer at risk of drowning, I proceeded to hack up the mud which had wormed its ways into my lungs.
I half expected some new avenue of attack -- spears of mud, or dehydrating the mud around me to trap me in solid earth -- but no such attack arrived. As best I could tell, whatever was fighting us was a one-trick pony, making me safe for the time being.
With that being said, what was attacking us? I attempted to use God’s Eye on the mud around me, but I got nothing of value in response. Evidently, the surrounding sludge wasn’t part of its body.
Unfortunately, that left me with few options. Eventually, my well water would wear off, putting me back to square one. I had to end this fight before then.
There has to be something to fight, right? I switched through my vision variants, not expecting to find much. It came as some shock, then, when one of my mana types immediately yielded results.
Vitality Sight. Only a few meters in, there was a sphere which lit up green. For a moment, I thought it might be Verin, but a quick check with Frost Vision showed that the area wasn’t cold in the least bit.
Even if that’s it, though, what am I supposed to do about it? Swim right up to it and hope for the best? Mud resistance notwithstanding, I had no illusions that I’d be a faster swimmer than it, and the mud would blunt most of my blows regardless. My only real hope was the cleansing well water, but I didn’t have much to spare.
Maybe…
An inkling of plan formed in my mind, and without any better alternatives, I sprang into action.
First step. Get out of the mud.
In a weird way, this was the most tricky part of the whole thing. There was nothing to pull myself up by, and my Waterwalking only worked if my feet were above water. It was only thanks to my Acrobatics skill that I succeeded, sticking my feet out of the mud and doing an awkward spin to pull myself out. The very moment I was out, I jetted away, flying into the sky.
Not to run, of course. Even if Verin somehow survived without me, there was no guarantee the mud wouldn’t just follow me once I landed.
No, instead I tried something a bit stranger. First, I took the well water back out of my storage. After that, I summoned up my physical bow and arrow, grabbing a singular arrow from my quiver and throwing it into the bucket. I let it soak in the water even as I treaded air, alternating between Jet Step and Featherfoot to keep myself aloft.
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When at last I deemed the arrow to be liberally doused, I nocked it and began to funnel water mana into the arrow.
Down and down my mana sank, but I didn’t stop. If this didn’t work, I wasn’t sure what other option I would have. I let the water mana flow from my core until it felt as if I was trying to dam a raging river.
With careful aim, I fired.
Archery has reached level 16!
Practically teleporting, the arrow cut through the air, reaching the massive ball of mud in a blink. I floated there with bated breath, afraid that the attack would stop there.
If anything, though, it exceeded my wildest expectations.
Unimpeded by the sludge barring its way, the arrow sped through the muck, scrubbing it out of existence. Whether from the well water or the sheer amount of mana I’d placed into the arrow, the mud gave the attack a wide berth.
Until finally, the arrow stopped.
You have struck ??? for 120 damage!
A great rumbling came from the impact site, even as all the mud below me began to move.
I readied myself, expecting some sort of counterattack, but the truth was something different entirely: Thus far contained tightly into its massive ball, the mud began to flow outwards, falling apart.
It lost control. It let go of the mud. Not certain I would get another opportunity like this, I dismissed Mana Feet, letting myself fall through the air. At the same time, I kept up Vitality Sight to pinpoint the enemy’s location. Having momentarily cleared the mud between us, I finally saw what we were fighting.
If somewhat disappointingly bland, it was, in a way, predictable. The body of our foe was a simple sphere of highly condensed mud, dark and almost solid. It was no larger than a yoga ball, its appearance entirely belying its deadliness. Before it could sink back into the rapidly forming mudslide, I managed to identify it.
Fragment of Din’Ket: Level 30, 880/1000hp
When the lord of earth usurped her brother and ascended to the skies, her great mass was too much for her stolen feathers to bear. Forced to shed the bulk of her body, Din’Ket sent fragments of her form to the surface. There, they mindlessly cover the landscape, attacking anything that dares contest their supremacy. Lying in wait, they long to rejoin Din’Ket’s main body should she ever return to the surface.
It appeared we had not entirely escaped the horrifying bird by fleeing through the clouds. On the other hand, I would gladly take a muddy yoga ball over a flying monstrosity any day of the week.
The ground rapidly approached, but not quite fast enough for my liking. My mana was almost entirely empty at this point, but I still had enough for one or two more Jet Steps. Afraid that the fragment would regain its senses, I plummeted downwards until I was directly above it.
Not enough mana to kill it. I could try throwing the rest of the well water at it, but if that didn’t work, then I’d be as good as dead.
As I tried to figure out a good way to end the fight, the mud level finally lowered enough to reveal something strange: Off to the side, a large mound of earth stood still, cracked and frozen even as the mud flowed around it.
Verin.
Even if I was out of mana, she was bound to have plenty. Only, I didn’t have the time to chip through the frozen shell she’d surrounded herself with.
Well, there’s one way, I guess. The idea initially felt comical, but with my stats and my weapon levels, I was mostly confident I could pull it off.
The mud around the fragment started to stir, signaling that I was out of time. Taking only the briefest moment to slow myself with Featherfoot, I closed in on the sphere, summoning up a long spear.
Then, before it could connect with the surrounding mud, I wedged my spear beneath it.
And yanked it upwards.
Much like its originator, Din’ket’s fragment left the earth to soar into the air. This, however, was only the first step in the process. With one final Jet Step, I flew up beside it, swapping my spear out for my trusty warhammer.
Please don’t miss. Putting every level in Hammers and every drop of my spatial reasoning to use, I determined where exactly I needed to hit and then slammed my weapon forward.
The condensed mud shot off like a bullet, and I sighed with relief as I traced its trajectory. A loud THUNK soon resonated through the entire region as its body slammed into my target.
Frozen earth cracked and shattered, revealing an icy core within. And beneath that, one frightened and bewildered noble took in the scene before her. A single crack ran through her defensive glacier, but as hoped, she was otherwise unharmed.
Despite likely having suffered from a near heart attack, Verin reacted instantly. A hint of frost appeared on the fragment’s surface, courtesy of her class skills. Even then, I had no delusions that she would be enough on her own.
Almost entirely out of mana, I landed and raced towards the two of them, throwing all of my mana regeneration into Waterwalking to avoid sinking into the morass of mud lying between us.
It was good I did, too, as the fragment chose that moment to jump away from Verin, nearly escaping back into its element. The head of my hammer arrived just in time, ramming it back towards Verin.
Fragment of Din’Ket: 740/1000hp
Even as it was in the air, in one fluid motion, I summoned the Cleansing Well Water one last time, throwing the rest of the water into the air to let it rain down. As a few drops hit the fragment, they hissed and sizzled, burning through its earthen flesh and shaving off its health. That, however, was secondary to the main effect. In a wide circle, all traces of mud vanished, leaving the fragment entirely without access to its element.
At long last, I could sense the end was in sight. The fragment bolted to the side, hoping to escape its containment zone, but its Dexterity clearly wasn’t its strong suit. My hammer ensured that there was nowhere to run, even as another bit of frost bit into it. Hoping to speed the process up, I used whatever mana I regenerated on enhancing my weapon with frost.
Fragment of Din’Ket: 547/1000hp
Over and over again, the fragment tried to escape. Over and over again, it failed. Despite its high level, it seemed to lack any direct attacks or skills without access to a supply of mud. Caught between a hammer and a glacier, there was nowhere to run.
Fragment of Din’Ket: 215/1000hp
The slow effects finally took their toll, and what had begun as a frantic game of whack a mole soon turned into a sluggish, impotent affair. Another few casts of Glaciate and Clinging Permafrost, and its entire body stuck fast to the ground, unable to even roll an inch.
Fragment of Din’Ket: 80/1000hp
Without any real flesh that could get frostbite or hypothermia, it sat in that state for a while, its health not going down. Happy to fix that, I waited a moment for my mana to regenerate before stepping right up to the frozen ball of dirt.
I hefted my hammer, sinking all of my mana into it until it hummed, seeming to warp the very air around it.
In one clean motion, I brought it down.
Brittle from the frost, the fragment shattered apart.
You have defeated a Fragment of Din’Ket!
I flopped to the ground, expecting that to be the end of it. In actuality, however, there was something else: A great surge of mana. Fearing an attack, I pushed myself back up, but in the end, I needn’t have worried. Following the mana, my gaze fell upon a green disk at Verin’s side.
As her glacier split open to allow her exit, once more, I identified the gem we’d been lugging around all this time.
Sullied Aerial Gem: 100/100 charged
Seeming to notice the same thing I had, Verin lifted the disk in front of her face.
“Lady Tess. While I make a strong effort to reserve judgment, I cannot say that I’ve been a fan of the surface thus far.” She tossed the disk to me, which I caught with ease. “In light of recent events, what do you say we return to the sky?”
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If watching the rise of a new floating island had been breathtaking from the sky, then it was double so from the ground, and perhaps triply so while standing on the island in question. As soon as we supplied our charged gem to the obelisk, a great rumbling began, threatening to deafen us even as it vibrated through our bodies.
And then, motion. Slowly, we began to rise. As soon as the last of the earth ripped itself from the ground, the all-encompassing noise abruptly cut off, replaced only with the sound of wind as an unfathomable amount of air was shoved to the side.
Sturdy root systems, untouched for untold years, tore apart under the unyielding force. Clumps of loose dirt crumbled off from the island’s sides, tumbling down to the ground below. Throughout it all, Verin and I stood close to the island’s edge, transfixed.
If our impromptu skydiving had been breathtaking in its own way, then our slow ascent was perhaps even more so. Gradually, the mud-filled lands we’d tirelessly battled through grew smaller and smaller, the trees shrinking down until they looked like blades of grass. The entire time, the clouds drew ever nearer.
Unable to handle the sheer beauty of what we were witnessing, Verin clutched at her stomach.
“Lady Tess. I believe I will wait… over there. Please do not feel obligated to check on me for the next few minutes.” Having said her piece, she rushed off. Maybe to get a better view from a different angle? I wasn’t sure.
Regardless, in short order, the tips of the island’s trees finally poked into the clouds. Moments later, my vision went white as my head joined them.
You have entered the Cleansing Cloud Cover!
Once again, I underwent the cleaning process, and this time, the island joined me. All the mud that had hitched a ride with us rapidly dissolved under the effects of the spellwork, leaving our weathered surroundings in a pristine state.
Then, at last, the clouds broke. For a brief moment, while the land below us was still obscured, it looked as though we were walking on air. On we rose, until the island found its proper resting place. With a grand sense of weight and finality, its ascent came to a halt.
Not wanting to be stranded in the air, we’d been careful to lift up the island closest to the one we’d fallen off of. A new wind bridge quickly formed, linking us up to the rest of the floating network.
Evidently still having something to take care of, Verin took a few more minutes before making a reappearance. For whatever reason, she looked a touch more pale than usual, too. Maybe the air? Air was supposed to be thinner the higher you went, right? I was sure she’d be fine once she adjusted, though.
“That was certainly… an experience,” was all she said in way of explanation. “If we have collected ourselves, however, I believe our first order of business should be reconvening with the wayward Lady Calilah.”
As if waiting for that exact moment, one regal figure popped right out of thin air before us.
“Hey guys. Miss me?”
----------------------------------------
It didn’t take long for Cal to catch us up on what she’d been up to and vice versa. For her part, that had mostly been twiddling her thumbs and training. Once she’d seen the massive island rising into the sky, she rushed over, and that was that.
With the gang back together, things continued much as they had before our unfortunate fall, with the singular exception that I stopped trying to find any new feathers. The items’ effects were solid, but they weren’t worth tangling with Din’Ket again. On a few occasions, we also came across new wells with their own buckets and supplies of Cleansing Well Water. While I wasn’t planning on going beneath the clouds again, I stocked up just in case.
It was two days later when something finally changed.
Unfortunately, it was hard to tell exactly what that something was. Well into the distance, the up-till-now pristine air grew murky and hazy. The effect was the most pronounced in one area, a tall cylinder of almost complete brown air. Whatever lay behind it, it was impossible to say.
I had a sneaking suspicion that the cause of the phenomenon wasn’t as cryptic, though. If the roc lord could summon entire blankets of clouds, then I had little doubt that the earth lord could manage a bit of dirty air. Whatever it was protecting was likely something Din’Ket didn’t want us to reach, though whether that was some sort of treasure stash or a nest, I couldn’t say.
As each new island brought us closer and closer to the foul air, though, I grew fairly certain we were about to find out.
And with any luck, whatever we found would help us finally complete this region.