It was at times like these that Lindle realized the more subtle differences to life that gaining levels caused. Not that there was anything subtle about scaling a 200-foot tall cliff, but the difference in mindset he was still adapting to became clear when everyone had only paused for a few moments before they had started chiming in with different methods they could use to get up the cliff. Even Thalia and Humphrey, who still found the thought of falling as nerve-wracking as Lindle did, put forth some ideas. Though maybe they were less bothered after they had all safely fallen down the first time. Still, not seeming to think that maybe they should pick a different way as a first reaction, like he did, surprised him.
Sure, Lindle had climbed cliffs before, even before he had gained his class. Though it had been at Madam Holly’s insistence during their Milestone Rite. But none of the cliffs he had scaled then were nearly that tall in a single go. But then again, Lindle did have levels now. Twelve of them, plus a technique that specifically made him better at climbing. And a few other tricks that could be handy here.
When the Migration occurred every few years, Glacerhine picked routes that everyone could travel, including the unleveled children. Thinking about it, it was possible that a good percentage of the adults in the village could make that cliff, even those with crafting classes, as long as theirs came with a decent amount of Str. The need to work around the comparatively more frail children was the main limitation of their village. Perhaps it was the same in places like Soarstrum. It had only been a few months since he was part of that limitation, but now he wasn’t, and he’d only continue to change further from what he had been capable of for most of his life. The way he would approach even everyday tasks would change on a fundamental level.
It was a strange feeling, but it was one he’d have to get used to as he continued to gain levels. So, he shook it off and started offering ideas of his own. That was how Lindle found himself climbing up the cliff with his friends floating behind him. They were connected by two vines, provided by Notwick, wrapped around their waists to him. With [Primeval Climber] active, Lindle easily kept his grip on the ice and rock, steadily making his way upward.
Just by raw stats alone, Lindle and his friends wouldn’t have been able to make it to the top, but they didn’t want to just rely on the older adventurer’s help. So, aside from Dorothe keeping [Feather Fall] ready to catch anyone if they fell, they would use their own techniques and spells instead. Lindle probably would have been able to carry his friends via the vines connecting them as they climbed. He had been able to climb with Madam Holly on his back before, and while Artificer didn’t provide a lot in terms of Str, the stat was still 18 now compared to the 5 it had been back then. He and his friends could easily lift each other off the ground. Well, maybe Thalia would have a little trouble lifting Lindle. Stats didn’t make people heavier, unless they used Con to mimic being heavier, but that wasn’t a trick any of them had learned yet. Lindle was just so much larger than Thalia that lifting him would probably unbalance her.
Still, it was an unnecessary risk. So, Lindle instead used a spell he hadn’t cast in a while, [Levitate]. He couldn’t use it to float himself to the top, the spell only worked up to a certain height off the ground on the caster, and there was a range limit for how far he could levitate his friends while he stood on the ground, but if Lindle climbed and dragged his friends along while they were weightless, they handily sidestepped those limitations.
Alongside them, the Nine-tails had selected their method based on what would be cheapest in terms of resources, which had them employ a similar method to Lindle’s group. Rosato was climbing manually, though he was driving his hands into the rock in order to get a stable grip, and on his back was what looked like a suspiciously well-used rope harness he had pulled out of his pack. Connected to it dangled Chip and Dorothea, who used cheap wind spells to keep them from brushing against the cliff face. The only one who looked happy about the situation was Dorothea, meanwhile, the look on Chip’s face made Lindle want to ask the halfling if he wanted Lindle to cast [Levitate] on him too, but maintaining a third casting would strain the limits of his MP pool. So, he kept his mouth shut to avoid attracting Chip’s ire.
Theodore, meanwhile, when Dorothea had asked him if he wanted her to add a third rope to the harness, had silently turned around and started walking up the side of the cliff at a 90-degree angle. When both groups reached the top half an hour later, he was sitting on the edge eating some of his rations.
After some stretches, they set off on the route Theodore had picked out. The undead pack had been roaming for at least two days. So, by the time they started picking up on the increased miasma levels in the area indicative of a leak, the moon was dim in the sky. They had less than an hour until nightfall. So, they set up the beginnings of camp, but they’d deal with the miasma before sleeping. Not even Thalia wanted to spend several hours exposed to miasma this thick.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
However, issues cropped up once they had found the necrotic wellspring, a shallow cave in the side of a hill with large cracks in the rocks where the pressure build-up of miasma had burst, clouds of necrotic energy filling the air. Not an issue with the wellspring itself, but in their group, as two people disagreed about how exactly to go about dealing with said source.
Thalia crossed her arms. “This isn’t our first time purifying a wellspring, I know what I’m doing.”
Chip matched her, looking up at her with a frown. “I know that, but this one is much larger than average. I know this is your circle’s territory, but I don’t feel comfortable with your usual methods of allowing the miasma to slowly be converted into life energy. What if the pressure builds up and leaks somewhere else? It’s better to purify it all at once.”
“But that’ll waste all the energy that could have gone toward allowing the area to heal.” She gestured to the dead trees surrounding them. “It’ll take years for the effects of the miasma to be undone that way. Besides, I’ve done our circle’s ritual on a larger wellspring before too.”
The rest of them were, intelligently, only silently watching the two of them go back and forth. Lindle held Notwick in his hands, idly clearing the hedgehogs' back of snow and dust that had gotten into their leaves.
Humphrey, however, apparently having gotten bored enough that it outweighed his desire to not get dragged into the argument, looked at the cave. “I don’t have any spells for detecting magic stuff directly, but those fumes look bigger than the last one we plugged.”
Thalia turned on him with a scowl. “Hey! Whose side are you on?”
Humphrey shrugged while Thalia gave him the stink eye. Lindle activated his Ethos sense and scanned the necrotic wellspring. The undeath-aligned Ethos there did seem heavier than the Ethos he had encountered on their first quest.
Thalia clearly saw it too, but she didn’t seem perturbed. “Either way, this isn’t outside of what I can handle. I’ve gotten more experience with necromancy and with Lindle’s artifacts, a third-tier ritual would be enough.”
Chip grimaced at the necromancy line, looking like he wanted to protest, but it was obvious he didn’t want to insult Thalia either. Neither side seemed like they were going to back down, and the argument was making Lindle curious, so he spoke up. “Why are you so uncomfortable around necromancy anyway? There are some disturbing parts of it, but in general, it doesn’t seem that much worse than any other type of magic.”
Chip looked at him, surprised. “You don’t… well, yes, it makes sense. Priests are restricted from preaching too much outside of certain topics in Glacerhine unless asked directly, so you just know that the Polar church attempts to eliminate any source of miasma and undead where we can find them, even manmade sources, but not why.” A contemplative look came over his face. “I apologize. I assumed you were just throwing it in my face despite my beliefs.”
Thalia’s expression softened. “I mean… I did know people from Soarstrum didn’t like necromancy. So, I guess I was still sorta doing that.”
“Not just Soarians,” Chip responded with a chuckle. “I know none of you follow any Polarian gods, but our faith extends far beyond just Soarstrum. You’ll find that most nations, both on and off the continent, share that sentiment. Aside from just the obvious negatives of necrotic energy, wild undead, and the health issues it causes, which can both be managed, being exposed to necrotic energy, and even worse, gaining a class that aligns itself to it, such as a necromancer, puts your soul in opposition to our connection to the gods. Holy energy and necrotic energy repel each other, and I cannot say I am a fan of the idea of my connection to Hestia weakening.”
Lindle’s eyebrows rose. It was well known that the magic that the Polar gods granted to their followers was even more efficient than fire when it came to destroying the undead, but Lindle hadn’t ever actually wondered why that was the case. He found his curiosity growing even more. The eleven Polar gods had been a minor interest for Lindle growing up, if only because they were an outside force when he hadn’t felt much connection to everyone around him, but their presence in Glacerhine had always been far away. That interest faded once he began training in earnest to earn feats for an alchemist class. Perhaps he should reignite that interest, he definitely wanted to know what holy ethos would be like to work with.
Chip continued. “As immortal beings, the gods are the antithesis of death itself, and its presence in the world reduces their ability to guide us.” The cleric made a swift one-handed gesture over his chest, and as Lindle looked at Chip with his Ethos sense active, he saw a small shift in how Chip’s personal Ethos moved. The pillar of energy climbing into the sky outside the range of Lindle’s senses thickened for a moment before returning to normal. “I understand that this isn’t something that negatively affects you personally, but I cannot help but feel some distress when I see you wield it so casually.”
Thalia shuffled in place for a few seconds before sighing. “I understand. I still maintain that I can take care of this myself, but how about this? Would it be possible for you to underpower your purification spell? If you can eliminate around half the miasma, there should still be enough energy left over for the area to recover, and it’ll be much easier to manage.”
Chip smiled. “I believe I can do that. Perhaps something like this?” The cleric launched into an explanation for a ritual, most of it flying over Lindle’s head, but Thalia seemed to get the gist of it, nodding in interest before making some suggestions.
Lindle looked to everyone else before shrugging, all of them leaving the two to their devices as they spread out to watch for more undead and keep the area safe.
