Peter shakes his head. This is the second time today that he had to consider what to share. For what was supposed to be a simple quest things have gotten oh so complicated. He sighs and watches the group wrap up the fight.

Courtney never does get her drain spell up and running. She just has to focus too much on spot healing and never gets the amount of Mana saved up that she wants. Still, that doesn’t mean she is doing a bad job at it. While drain isn’t happening, she is still adding a lot to the fight.

Rosha on the other hand is having a grand time. With the additional methods to attack under her belt, the cats are being thrown around at an unprecedented rate. Before, she had focused most of her attacks on battling similar sized opponents and it is amazing how just a few tips on fighting smaller foes has helped.

Jason is Jason. Even though it tends to be subverted on occasion, fantasy tends to have bigger meaning more powerful. He was under no such delusion and had trained in fighting multiple sizes of enemies. With just the few tips from Peter, he was able to adjust to fighting the swarm cats. And honestly, most of his troubles came from not having experience with feet based auras.

Peter claps his hands to draw their attention away from the fleeing cats. “Okay, your teamwork is coming together alright. I have one more thing to guide you guys on at the moment. Jason. Yeah, you’re fine. It’s you other two that I have guidance for. Jason, Mr. all arounder over there has cornered the market on defense tactics.”

“There are innumerable methods to defend against attacks, from the most general to the most specific. For this though, we will talk in broad strokes. Jason has reduction and avoidance covered. This is important because of said broad strokes. Against the swarms and honestly any enemy that likes to go the route of death by a thousand cuts. His other defense is avoidance, you know, being a dodge tank. This means when a giant tries to flatten him like a pancake with a literal tree he can just get out of the way.”

“Courtney, you aren’t too bad on this front because you technically cover the same two parts. You have that shadow thing to avoid damage and your barkskin spell to reduce it. However both of them are temp buffs. You are one dispel away from being basically defenseless. Yes I know you all have armor but that is the base level stuff. Unless it has a special defense effect, I am not counting it. Everyone has armor or some armor analog that can afford it unless they are stupid or a traveller doing something stupid on purpose.”

“Rosha, you kind of suck on this matter. Rangers do tend toward being dodgy fellows, badumtisch. You haven’t really focused on it, so are mediocre at best. I don’t really want to compare you with Jason because he breaks the curve, but even compared to others at the same stage of development, you aren’t doing too hot. Your only real defense is when Courtney buffs you. If there is ever a fight that you end up alone for, well, yeah.”

“Now, I am not going to tell either of you how to fix this. What I am going to say is that like Jason you should try for two forms of defense, one of which is passive. I won’t leave you completely hung out to dry though. And by that I mean I will go over a few other forms of defense because neither of you can likely develop a skill to toughen your skin up like Jason has.”

“Let me lay it out. You already know reduction and avoidance. Besides that off the top of my head there is absorption, transference, and parrying. Absorption is based on being able to just take it. Transference is to transfer the damage you take to something else. And of course parrying is a more active defense of countering the attack itself. These are not the only types and you can be sure there is a mix of these and other defenses making for a near infinite amount of options.”

“For instance, absorption can be just taking the hit because you have a lot of hp. Having some form of ablative shield. There are even some monsters that can literally absorb certain types of damage as a source of food. Suffice it to say whatever you come up with will be interesting and only grow stranger as you gain in power.”

“Now let’s move out. No talking about defense, though. Don’t worry, I don’t expect the same level of teamwork as you figure it out. You both have special characteristics that need you to think it about it and figure it out on your own terms. Of course if we were in a big town with a plethora of trainers I would point you towards someone to start you on this road. Hell, I could step in and help Rosha, but I want to see what you both come up with on your own. Over the next few fights, I don’t plan to interrupt. Only once we get to the next waystation will I go over what you have managed.”

Courtney frowns, “How much farther until the bamboo city?”

Peter laughs, “Look over there.” And he points off into the distance, just a smidge to the left of the road. “Right there you should be able to barely see the purple bamboo. Can you see it?”

The three all strain their eyes and Rosha is the first to spot it, followed by Jason. Courtney doesn’t manage to spot it at all.

Peter shrugs, “Now it looks quite far away, doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t. It isn’t Purple Bamboo of Illusion and Tribulation for nothing. I’m actually surprised two of you can see it at all. Anyway, most people below the fifth break can only see any of the bamboo once you are within a day’s travel. Basically, at the end of tomorrow we should reach the city. You’re lucky the System is holding my feet to the coals on this or I would have run ahead. It has been years since I last saw my husband. I’m so lucky he understands my need to wander, just like I can understand his desire to stay in one place. That’s part of why my privacy shell is so important. He personally retrieved the shell for it! I can barely stay in one place for a year and he went and got something that even with our level of strength still took him five years.” And Peter sighs as he looks off in the bamboo's direction, which is oh so visible to him and calling his name.