The cloud of text kept growing, spreading down until Jason was completely obscured. Finally, the sizzling stopped. They couldn’t see the heavy book anymore, but they heard it hit the ground with a thud. The cloud of golden text started darting about like a swarm of angry bees. Within it, they could hear Jason grunting in pain.

“Hold on,” Rufus called out. “Try and last out the whole thing.”

“Is he alright?” Jory asked.

“Using a skill book is strenuous,” Farrah explained. “The more it's trying to teach you, the greater the strain.”

“People often pass out while using them,” Rufus said, “but the information isn’t passed on as well once they’re unconscious. It takes them longer to consolidate what they’ve learned afterwards.”

The cloud shrank over time until they could once again see Jason. He was staggering in place, arms out to keep balance. They watched the golden text diving into his body.

“You’re doing good!” Gary cheered him on.

“Hold on as best you can,” Rufus encouraged.

Finally the last of the text sank into Jason, leaving him standing unsteadily, but still upright. He took in a sharp breath.

“Whoa,” he croaked.

“Still standing,” Rufus said. “You’ve done well.”

“How do you feel?” Farrah asked.

Jason stood up straight, eyes gleaming in triumph.

“I know kung fueeeaaauuugh…”

Vomit spewed out of him and he fell to his knees, coughing up more before toppling onto his side, unconscious.

“Is he alright?” Jory asked.

“For Jason,” Gary said, “this is actually pretty good.”

* * *

In the fighting pits of the Fortress, two women squared off inside a steel cage. The first was Sophie Wexler, the Nightingale. The other was called the Queen of Thorns, for the thorny whip manifested by her power. It had length enough that no part of the cage was safe, and being a power rather than a weapon, the Queen had devilish control over it. Sophie was cut and bloody from numerous wounds, but the weakness of the whip was its inability to deal critical damage. So long as it failed to ensnare an enemy, it couldn’t deal a finishing blow.

Sophie’s ability was speed. Not only was she fast, but she could run up walls or even over water. She was boxed in by the cage, but she pushed her reflexes to the limit to avoid being entangled. She had suffered lashes, but the whip had never managed to tie her down.

Sophie ran up the side of the cage as the whip lashed under her, flipping off and into a kick, but her opponent jumped back out of reach. Having missed the kick, Sophie landed off-balance. Seeing her chance, the Queen flung the whip quickly, wrapping it around Sophie’s forearm. Grinning triumph at Sophie, she only found resolution on her enemy’s face. Too late, she realised she’d been baited.