Soul Bound

1              Soul Bound

1.1            Finding her Feet

1.1.5          An Inscrutable Mastermind

1.1.5.15       Bony ass

“Time to get changed for combat” said Tomsk. “Alderney, if you would”

Alderney: “Tomsk, I got you heavy chain, with a full helm and metal plating over the chest and joints. You’ve got the strength to ignore the weight. It has good soak, a boost to CON and regen, and a blessing from Cov that should protect you from the nastier touch-based status effects from low level undead.”

“Bungo, you have high dexterity, so I went with rings sewn onto leather for you. It won’t hamper your movement. Reasonable soak, but the best bit about this one are the runes giving you freedom of movement and protection against both stun and terrify. No matter what happens short of death, you’ll be able to keep going at full speed. Well, ok, I guess charming you, hypnotising you, possessing your mind or turning you to stone would work. Same blessing as for Tomsk.”

“I’ve got the same type of armour, but my runes help with stealth, concealment, surprise attacks and scoring critical hits. I’ve made some dark cloth outerwear that I can put on over it. My blessing from Cov conceals my presence from the undead.”

“Bulgaria, Wellington - for now Tomsk says your main role in combat is going to be boosting Kafana, so I got you matching priest's robes that have a bit of soak, a bit of CON, but mainly boost your mana regeneration. That’s something they use a lot of at the Sanctum, so the level of the mana regen is rather good. Your blessing from Cov repels evil. Basically, as long as you don’t attack anyone directly, they shouldn’t attack you.”

“Kafana - since you’re actually a priest, I was able to get you robes you’re entitled to, rather than just loaners, so they’re a cut above the rest in quality, and I was free to modify and accessorise them with some help from Wellington. Have a look at them. I think you’ll like them.”

Rare Cloth Armour of Cov

+10% spell effect

+10% spell duration

soak 45 damage per hit received

SET BONUS: +20% attunement to the element of order if all 3 items worn

Requires 17 INT

Durability 2000/2000

Rare Cloth Boots of Cov

+10% DEX

+10% dodge

SET BONUS: +20% attunement to the element of order if all 3 items worn

Requires 17 INT

Durability 2000/2000

Rare Cloth Belt of Cov

+50 to CHA

+3 to skill levels

SET BONUS: +20% attunement to the element of order if all 3 items worn

Requires 17 INT

Durability 2000/2000

Alderney: “I think Cov likes you, Kafana.”

Kafana: “I know he does. But this!”

There was only one way to respond. She put them on and set limits on her mana, before starting with a violin intro of "You Raise Me Up", moving over to vocals, and then finally back to violin:

It wasn’t an attempt to cast a spell, just intended as a “thank you for looking after me” to Cov. But apparently Bulgaria and Wellington had decided to use it as practice and tried out their performance skill to enhance her casting as

[One-off divine buff granted to party: +50% to experience gains, for 6 hours]

Tomsk: “Thank you, Cov.”

Alderney: “Yes, thanks Cov. We’ll do our best to look after her.”

Bulgaria: “I have a suspicious feeling there’s plot going on here. But you know what? Let’s roll with it. Thank you Cov.”

Wellington: “Bulgaria, seconded.”

Bungo: “Well, Cov doesn’t like the undead, and we’re here to kick undead bony ass. So let’s go do that.”

Kafana turned on her mage sight. There was a pull from shadow mana, coming from the West. “I think I can detect them directly West of here. Tomsk, you’re in charge of this bit. How do you want to play it?”

Tomsk: “Alderney, when I’m done here go scout and return. Bulgaria, Bungo and I have all been here before, so the shared map should be pretty accurate. Just put red markers by anything you think dangerous. Don’t engage and try not to get spotted.”

Tomsk: “Bungo, You need to get used to your armour and new weapons. Well start each combat by you doing distance attacks and using your gain aggro skill, then trying to kite them in circles.”

Tomsk: “Mages, before combat starts, your group will maintain any buffs with less than 10 minutes to go on their timer, then try to boost Bungo’s aggro, and preferably drain mine. We’re going to be doing as near a continuous series of combats as we can, so the limiting factor will be your mana regen. Try for long lasting efficient buffs, rather than short intense ones. Leave mana in reserve in case we need to run away or get attacked by something wandering around when we’re already in a combat.”

Tomsk: “Once we are down to the last 2 or three in a group, I’m going to try to use a command skill to rally you all into a formation, at which point follow my lead and be prepared to unleash devastation.”

Tomsk: “Alderney, unless rallied, damage is only your secondary priority. Save your bombs. We have bigger combats later today. Your main priority is making sure we don’t get ambushed, and finding the next target for us each time, so we don’t have long pauses between combats.”

Tomsk: “Kafana, if you would, please sing your initial buffs. I suggest plus to skills, plus to learning, and whatever you think will speed up our average rate of gaining experience.”

Kafana thought a moment. “I want to eat some skill buff food then cast a short intense working buff upon just myself. Then I want to try something to make formations easier between us all, which will hopefully make it easier for me to draw upon Wellington and Bulgaria. I want Wellington to draw rune diagrams for each buff spell as we go, and Bulgaria to use his performance to get into role and emote with as much force as he can into the runes.”

Kafana: “Once that’s set up, then I’ll recast a long duration working buff on the whole party, followed by plus to learning and plus to attack and movement speed. If the maintenance seems low enough after the first combat, I’ll add in long duration buffs to strength, criticals, luck, constitution, or whatever else seems most needed. Sound good?”

Tomsk gave her the nod and she started, after a quick discussion with Wellington and Bulgaria, to explain what runes and emotions she usually used for each buff.

She got a +7 to skill levels, but just a 5 minute duration, so moved quickly on to cast the easiest song she could think of about harmony, hoping the other two could manage to join in.

The second verse of "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" was better than the first, and by the third verse they were keeping in perfect tune with her. She cast it again, this time targeting all six of them, willing Bulgaria (whose voice was better than Wellington’s) to take the lead while she sang harmonies. It worked.

1 minute left. She recast her working buff, going for less general but far longer duration and targeting everybody. She got a +10 to combat skills only, with a 30 minute duration, and took a moment to check her mana. Still plenty left - having the other two share the burden was a massive help. Wellington's runes were far more flowing and evocative than hers, precise to the intended meaning, with no wastage. She got out her violin and cast the learning buff, aiming for the same 30 minute duration. Her level in it had gone up, she could feel the strength of the effect. Now for the speed buff. She did the lyrics once with Bulgaria and Wellington joining in, then a second time with them taking the lead and her using the violin, adding in combat speed visualising a hail of deadly attacks laying waste to the enemy and the party sweeping onwards untroubled and unpausing.

Kafana: “Ok, we’ve got 25 minutes left on the shortest timer. All done on my part..”

Tomsk: {Let’s switch to group chat, see if we can make this routine and flowing.} He added a bit of command voice {Let’s go. Alderney ahead, the rest of us form up on Bungo.}

Off they went; Alderney set red markers on monster groups and a blue line of waypoints showing their optimum approach. Kafana used stealth performance and singing while moving to prep the aggro boost for Bungo on the way. Bungo burst into the scene, threw tetsumari that homed in on eyes and other weak spots with blinding speed then ran them in circles while roaring challenges at them. Tomsk systematically decapitated them with his longsword and rallied them all and Kafana sang a stun while Alderney dropped large rocks and Bulgaria and Wellington threw daggers. Then it was off to the next group that Alderney had scouted while she did a circuit, picked up fallen ammo, and returned it to them in time for the next combat.

A couple of times Kafana paused them for 5 minutes to cast maintenance. The mana usage was low enough that she was able to add extra buffs. Strength and criticals the first time. Mage sight and cats eyes the second, since they had to head down into the sewers, there being no more targets left above ground. Tactics were different in the narrow tunnels, with Bungo having to block and hold them back with his shield rather than kite them, but the holy protection and the levels they’d gained over the last hour meant he only had to use a healing potion a couple of times. Tomsk did a string of criticals once, gaining the aggro, but he dodged behind Bungo and fended them off until Kafana could recast the aggro transfer back onto Bungo.

She became aware that Tomsk was calling a halt.

“Good going guys” he said, back in normal talking. “We’ve just hit level 20 and the monsters down here are no longer great experience. We’ve more than surpassed the criteria for the two quests we had in the graveyard. Let’s take a break, make our way down to the road, and allocate stats. Then we can decide whether to go on to the larger combat, or call it a day here and do something back in the city for the next 3 and a half hours.”

Bulgaria: “Nice tactics, Tomsk. I didn’t receive a single hit. Bungo, great work on your part. My trainer lives out here. Shall we visit her for tea? I’m pretty certain she’s one of those key NPCs that plots get drawn around, so meeting her isn’t a bad idea. Even if she is a high level necromancer who’s probably able to destroy the city if she really wanted to.”