“Your surroundings,” Danielle picked up, “can be a stronger weapon than the one in your hand. Monsters rarely spawn in training halls and fighting arenas. In most cases, you will be engaging them in their own environments. While you are watching, I want all of you to pay attention to this particular point, who is using the environment, and how.”

67. This is What it Means to Fight Me

67

This is What it Means to Fight Me

Jason moved comfortably through the marshy woods. His feet didn’t sink into water or mud, and his eyes easily pierced the darkness. Clusters of scraggly trees and other obstacles were no bother; he could vanish into the ample shadows and appear on the far side. Despite being all an illusion, it felt completely real. The hot, heavy air, the tiny insects swarming around him. A small burst of aura projection sent them scattering.

A thick strand of webbing launched itself out of a shadow, striking the spot where Jason had been moments before. It was not the first such miss, as Jason’s eyes could dig out the trap weavers in the darkness. Even if they hit, the webs slid off. They could not adhere either to his essence ability cloak or the armour underneath.

Effect: Resistant to adhesive substances and abilities with adhesive effects.

The woods were filled with trap weavers, leaving behind a maze of sticky threads as they attempted to ensnare Jason. He flashed through the shadows, dagger planting in the head of the giant spider. It dropped to the ground as he continued strolling through the woods.

* * *

In the viewing room, Danielle controlled the perspective of the viewing window with the rod in her hand. She used it to follow Rick and his team’s journey through the dark, marshy woodlands.

* * *

Henry Geller threw out his hand as he chanted a quick spell.

“Fire Bolt.”

Flame launched from Henry’s fingers, missing the fleeting, shadowy figure to burn out as it hit a tree trunk. Hannah’s arrow had come closer, but Jason’s figure was gone before it too stuck harmlessly into a tree.

“Henry?” Rick called out.

“He jumps around too much,” Henry said. “It’s like he’s everywhere.”

Henry wielded magic of wind and fire, and they had been tracking Jason by reading his scent on the air. They had caught glimpses of him, but only seen little more than shapes in the darkness.

The group continued searching the murky, woodland bog. Jonah was their bulwark, but his heavy armour and shield slowed him to a crawl. Rick was their other frontline fighter and he was coping better. His armour wasn’t as heavy and his might essence gave him the strength to plough through the mud. His greatest problem was that his long, heavy sword was hard to swing among the trees.