Red light shone from inside Jerrick, some of it siphoning off in a trail to be absorbed by Asano’s hand. As this was happening, Jerrick charged forward. It didn’t match the pace of his charge special attack, but was still fast for someone wrapped in that much metal. As he moved, Jerrick waved an arm, sending a wave of metal spikes ahead of him. Asano shielded his body with his cloak, but let out a grunt as most of the spikes punched through.

Jerrick conjured a huge metal pole with a spiked metal sphere on the end, an oversized morning star. He swung it down like a hammer and Asano danced back lightly from the crude swing, the sphere digging into the ground. He cast another spell.

“Suffer the cost of your transgressions.”

Jerrick let out a painful yell as he let go of his weapon and staggered before righting himself. Dean couldn’t see the results of the spell under the armour, but he’d never actually heard Jerrick make a sound of pain before. Jerrick walked back to where his weapon was half-buried in the earth and yanked it out. Holding it horizontally, in spite of what must have been enormous weight, the sphere shot towards Asano, trailing a chain that linked it to the pole in Jerrick’s hands.

The sphere shot through Asano’s cloak, but he was no longer in it. Rising up behind Jerrick from his own shadow, Asano jabbed his ornate dagger into a gap at the bottom of Jerrick’s thick breastplate. Jerrick whirled around, but the unarmoured Asano was much lighter. Almost comically, he moved to stay behind the spinning Jerrick’s back. Jerrick stopped and Asano dropped through his shadow, vanishing just as myriad spikes shot out of Jerrick’s armour.

While he was keeping an eye on the fight, Dean had taken a sack of salt from his dimensional bag and was pouring out a circle on the grass. Clementson saw what he was doing and tried to interfere, but Dean’s forearm grew large, hairy and clawed, grabbing Clementson by the throat. He lifted Clementson into the air.

“I may not be the adventurer they are,” Dean said, “but that doesn’t mean I’ll let the likes of you treat me like I’m nothing.”

Dean tossed Clementson to the ground, where he scrambled away on all fours before getting to his feet at a safe distance.

“Mercer will make you pay for this,” Clementson said, all but spitting his words at Dean. Dean looked at Asano, dancing around Jerrick. Other than the two noblemen who followed Mercer around, all Mercer’s lackeys were terrified of Jerrick, Dean included. He squared his shoulders, held up his hand and snapped his fingers.