Turns out, making it to the Troll Blacksmith with +0 gloves wasn't all that hard. There's always the bow and random wands.
Finished the ascent with one potion of healing left and no food except for a couple of hasty blandfruit which I forgot about all game.
Someone on Discord mentioned how good Aqua Brew is, and damn, it's amazing! I made it twice (16 uses) and ended the game with just a couple left. They have so much utility in so many situations. They're like baby Ethereal Chains sometimes: you can push yourself over 1-tile gaps and push enemies into chasms. Plus they break traps, and put yourself out when on fire.... kind of. I swear in used one right on my head, got pushed away, took several damage, and was still on fire. I had to take a step to put the fire out. They're also really good for putting distance between you and an enemy who's all up in your butt.
Maybe it takes a turn to update the floor, so it's actually aware of itself being water?
I threw it at my feet. Normally, throwing any drinkable potion at your feet immediately puts the fire on you out. Aqua Brew should do the same, and it did in my second test (which I mentioned in another comment days ago). So I don't know what happened the first time.