90. The Path to Bronze

Jason opens with shadowed hit‑and‑run attacks, inflicting bleeding and vulnerabilities as Beth’s team crashes into disoriented Ustei. Beth holds her bronze-ranker back until an Ustei captain charges. Hudson counters on a moving stone platform, combining shield, hammer, and floating shards while the team layers chains, harpoons, and Beth’s cutting water spell to bring the captain down.

The adventurers surge up the sand barge’s ramps amid chaotic melees. Jason roams independently, using teleportation, Ruin, and Colin’s leeches to load enemies with afflictions, then triggers punition for sudden kills or refuels with feast of absolution. Teams with tight formations fare best; others suffer in the cramped decks as bronze-rank captains hold stairwells.

Ernest calls a coordinated push to the next deck. Jason spots a struggling team that spent silver coins for a brief power surge; he alerts Ernest and joins Humphrey’s group to extract them. Humphrey smashes through attackers while Jason unleashes Colin again, stabilizing the weakened team as their healer works on a fallen bronze-rank leader.

Above, the silver-ranked expedition leader carves through the Ustei leadership and defeats the tribe’s silver-rank chief, forcing surrender that cascades down the decks. Post-battle, the adventurers confront imprisoned women, children, and slaves. During meditation, Jason endures a harsh surge as his Blood abilities reach Iron 1, granting his first Power attribute increase and formally beginning his path toward bronze.