The Path of Ascension 5: A LitRPG Adventure

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Zack nodded. “Yes, most definitely. I was able to get a good read on his fight and”—He brought up and replayed the talisman array Quill had used—“he’s actually utilizing at least five different types of complementary ice-aspected mana, including notes of stillness, slow, draining, cold, and one I couldn’t catch. It’s quite ingenious, honestly, and I’m almost jealous. The layering adds to their power, giving him a greater spell that even punched through Sapphire Shield’s Talent in less than two seconds.”

Allie whistled. “Impressive. I thought all that power came from the array. If not, that’s strong craftsmanship. Inspired even. Any chance he’s doing both?”

He strummed his fingers against the desk. “I considered that possibility. Walking the divide between The Paths is very rarely permitted, but Quill really does check off all the right boxes for it. However, I ruled it out in short order. Dedicated talisman craftsmen on The Path are far too rare. Too notable. The potency of his work would make big waves in a very small pool, and I’d have easily narrowed down his identity already from that alone. No, he’s been keeping his work to himself, which he couldn’t do if he was trying to stay on the crafters’ side of The Path, too. For whatever reason, Quill must have chosen to be a combatant, and just a combatant, on The Path. Arguably an odd choice given his preferred weapon, and especially given a Talent that even lets him copy mana sub-aspects. The potential crafting applications are manifold.”

She smirked, and he knew what was finally coming. “So…Quill has a better version of your Talent?”

He struggled to hold in a sigh. He failed. She knew just as well as he did that was not the case, but if he didn’t refute her now, he’d be mocked about it all day. Probably longer even, given the one time he’d actually tried to wait her out. He’d failed then, too.

“His Talent may be superficially similar to mine, but I am inclined to believe that his is significantly less flexible in combat, as all mana used in real-time was purely neutral. Yes, I am aware that this could very well be a misdirection, particularly considering some additional facts that we’ll go over momentarily. But given his reliance on talismans, I’m more likely to believe that it’s a genuine limitation of some form or another. Perhaps it’s an efficiency penalty, perhaps it simply takes time, but I am skeptical that he would have invested so heavily into pre-prepared spells on a whim. Thus, preparation is his strength. If he is given adequate time to create a counter, I am confident he could manage as much.”

Raising a finger to emphasize his point, he lectured, “However, if taken off-guard by an unexpected tactic, or simply worn down over time, he is unlikely to perform very well. In this tournament, where all potential foes may be studied beforehand? Where the fighting is limited to single isolated encounters? With long breaks in between to restock his talismans? He will do extremely well, but that strength will be something of an illusion, and we should keep that in mind during our final assessment.

“Don’t mistake me, if his Talent is what he claims, he is very strong. This is just an optimal environment for him. Unfairly so. It’s for all the same reasons that he might make a good hitman if he can be less flashy and a little more limited in his attacks. The amount of danger he poses sharply fluctuates based on his ability to either predict or choose his battles. Comparatively, my Talent sacrifices his extra variety for far greater flexibility. While it’s perhaps ironic to say that in this circumstance, it is nonetheless accurate.”

Gesturing to the man’s partner and a particular moment in her fight, he continued, “Now, keeping all that in mind, the melee fighter is substantially more interesting, and makes him all the more curious for pairing up with her. Torch—”

Allie butted in. “Meh, I saw her fight. A melee flamer isn’t that interesting. Curious, sure. And she’s adequate with her spear, much better than the average Tier 10 Pather even. But that’s to be expected. Nothing truly exceptional.”

Zack’s lips twitched upward. His thoughts had been similar until his third breakdown of the fight.

“Perhaps, but watch this maneuver.”

He replayed a moment where Torch twisted in a dodge and, on a burst of flame, glided to the side.

He let the scene continually replay until Allie caught the moment, the tiny irregularity.

“Wait! She was already moving the instant before the expulsion of flame.” His partner paused. “Huh. That’s a good catch. So how did she actually start gliding to the side?”

Zack nodded. That was the real question, after all. “I do not yet know, but I strongly suspect she’s a Muzzled Mask. Ostensibly, she’s acting as though she draws strength from fire, but I believe it could be more general than that, a connection between her spirit and the world around her. Watch this moment where she dodges one of Ruby’s arrows.”

On the screen, Torch was attacked from behind but, without turning her head, she sailed to the side with a perfectly timed jet of flame.

The moment she reacted timed up with when the magic arrow was exactly fourteen feet away from her elbow, which was unnaturally specific enough to imply a Talent at work. And a sphere of total awareness would explain why she chose to fight in melee range when distance would be better for a weak fire Talent.

That was why he thought she was a Muzzled Mask. Pathers who took extreme measures to obscure their abilities, even during the tournament itself, were dubbed such for their harsh, self-imposed restrictions. Their primary goal was to remain as anonymous as possible while placing higher in the tournament remained a distant secondary concern.

“It could be some kind of energy-based perception or precision ability? Plus, whatever trick she’s using to move.” Allie suggested, “Though you’re right, some kind of connection between her and the world around her seems fairly likely. It does also mean Quill is worth another look, too. If his partner’s hiding this much, that means he probably is as well. Then again, it could just be an odd Concept. Maybe how flames flicker or how their heat radiates into the air? Some sort of danger sense coupled with limited flight? It wouldn’t be that strange.”

Zack nodded, and they brainstormed Torch’s potential Talents next to Quill’s. Both agreed that the pair would go far. Even without their Talents, they had hit far above their Tier as shown by their grudge match against the Gems.