She had simply consumed that small ball of Aether that the Ghosthound had left inside of her It made her surprisingly hot and cold at the same time She was strangely turned on by the prospect of some fraction of him remaining inside of her but cold because what it meant about the Ghosthound and the purity of the Aether that he had inside of him already Where did all that Aether come from
Not only had she increased the rarity of the Skill Set but she had also added a move which was more common but the two combined made it that much more likely to be successful in the future Hell if people knew she possessed this level of Skill Set and if she was a talented teacher Helen could probably create her own Style with a nice amount of success especially in an area like Qtal
But that was for later For now Helen looked around Teliph was wounded but the wispy man was worse and their attacks were growing increasingly sharp and desperate The male spear attendant was still getting beat to shit by the two female twins but it seemed that their attacks were getting shallower and shallower
Or if it wasn’t just Helen’s imagination his created skill was becoming increasingly powerful and sharp the more he was abused He seemed to thrive on it to which Helen felt no small amount of disgust But she supposed she shouldn’t complain that the fool was finally finding some measure of strength for himself Less weight for Teliph and herself to carry
Helen almost unwillingly turned her attention to the fight that was centerstage with Divveltian behind him glaring over at the woman with long sleeves the Ghosthound clashed against the man called Jacktat
Although Divveltian had no trouble smashing Jacktat and his group to the ground it seemed that the Artisan owned by the Merchant Association wasn’t a pushover As Helen watched the air around the man seemed to ripple and Helen paled This was it The strength that could suppress others below the Artisan level Why the categories had more meaning than just honor It was a demarcation
As Helen watched bolts of lightning began to gather and spin around Jacktat’s spear becoming increasingly dense and crystal clear losing the ethereal quality of an image and seeming to become reality
I have no quarrel with you but You do not know your own strength Prepare to die to your own foolishness Jacktat intoned Then he spun his spear lazily for a second and then rushed forward moving so quickly that he seemed to blur
To her surprise the Ghosthound simply stood there then he glanced meaningfully side to side The female twins were brutalizing the male spear attendant but they were far away Teliph and the wispy man were on the opposite side near the stairway down to the cabins
There was much space around them The Ghosthound had nowhere to run to Strangely Helen became strangely relieved Because that was not the face of a man who feared the future
The Ghosthound smiled wickedly raising the huge obsidian monstrosity that he so easily manipulated like a light spear Roots sprung into existence around Jacktat moving incredibly fast whipping up and grasping his limbs holding him still But Jacktat just roared ripping through them
The Ghoshound accelerated forward moving to meet Jacktat who was still wreathed in lightning
Fool Sky Breaker Storm clouds swirled above the two battling individuals and a thick bolt smashed downward hitting the tip of Jacktat’s spear which began to crackle Humming with power Jacktat slashed forward towards the Ghosthound’s figure
But the Ghosthound excelled at handling direct attacks He surged forward in a burst of speed then seemed to melt away like an ice sculpture on a hot beach appearing on the other side of Jacktat’s spear
Jacktat hissed but the spear still bursting with power reversed direction and swept over towards the Ghosthound who was now cutting down towards Jacktat’s forearm Jacktat’s face contorted into a grin
Competing in speed Hehe well huh
And Helen gasped too because the Ghosthound’s spear seemed to teleport forward a short distance and then ripped downwards into Jacktat’s arm cutting to the bone and dislodging that arm’s grip on the spear
You
But by the time Jacktat had recovered the Ghosthound faded backwards creating some distance Jacktat’s eyes bulged but then now seemed to have heavy dark bags under them as if this long fight with the Ghosthound was exceptionally trying
Helen felt a presence to her left and turned to find a pale Teliph Teliph just nodded to the side and Helen looked to see the two female twins on the ground exhausted with the male spear attendant standing above them Looking more like a disheveled pincushion than a person but monologuing enthusiastically about his strength to the depleted women
Rolling her eyes Helen turned back to the Ghosthound and Jacktat A win was a win she supposed It was still fucking cringy that he had the nerve to be so pompous about what was effectively an endurance contest Even if he was shitty with a spear his dedication to punishment was real
Although the Ghosthound had inflicted a serious injury on Jacktat the Artisan’s eyes were not those of a defeated man Instead they were now deathly serious It seemed he was finally starting to realize how this would end if he allowed things to continue as they were right now
This is the greatest outrage of my life Jacktat said quietly and something about the way that he said it made it seem exactly the opposite of that His voice was no longer wild and vicious it was cold and calculating The Ghosthound said nothing simply adjusting his stance and waiting
Did you think this would be enough This level of skill this level of playing Again Jacktat spoke with an exaggerated casual tone But still the Ghosthound remained still waiting One thing Helen knew for sure from overhearing Teliph talk about the Ghosthound during his time in the prison was that there was one thing that the Ghosthound exceeded all others that was in recuperation time He was inexhaustible And although Jacktat’s attitude had become more serious
There was something odd about him About the increasingly dark bags under his eyes and the way his face was growing pale About the way all the small scratches on him had become red and inflamed and some were producing thick yellow pus
The Ghosthound just watched his eyes cool The energy continued to crackle around Jacktat soft lightning jumping from arm to arm skipping over the large chunk missing from his one hand He kept adjusting his grip but he simply wasn’t able manage it with that much of his tendons and muscle mass missing
It would heal eventually but he did not have that sorta time
Growling Jacktat produced a potion Quick as a whip a root ripped upward from the boat expertly smashing the glass to pieces dumping its contents on the ground even as Jacktat saw and tried to move
Slowly a dozen or so more roots twisted up out of the deck to look towards Jacktat in askance The Ghosthound’s eyes were a vicious emerald His face was still but there was something about it It was the look of recognition a wolf gives to a lost sheep
You fucking None of you fucking take me seriously Jacktat raised his spear glaring manically down at the deck
Shal cannot be disturbed below Divveltian said suddenly The Ghosthound’s eyes narrowed Again the roots whipped forward wrapping around Jacktat’s arms but after a second of struggle he ripped through with brute force and brought the spear filled with a crackling energy downward
The Ghosthound materialized before the blow and swung his hug obsidian spear to meet the attack The explosion was accompanied by the crackle of electricity and although most of the energy was dispersed the Ghosthound’s body began to twitch and seize
Gleefully Jacktat jumped forward swinging his spear again To Helen’s surprise she didn’t make it in time but the male spear attendant did That pincushion was there his spear raised defensively
He was summarily smashed into the ground the planks beneath him splintering slightly Not to be outdone a second time before Jacktat could take advantage of the blow Helen was there trembling even as she attacked The weakness was real and pressing but if she could just