The Perfect Jack of All Trades

Elkan had taken care of the first few monsters they saw fairly quickly, Asaya marveling at his skill along with Spike at her side. The beast was a mixture of slime and crystal, layered in different shades of blues and greens as Elkan disintegrated its mismatched body. The crystal melted into a molten goo, sticking to the sides of the nearest stalagmites where the elf had shot it. It added to the deep blue rock, lopsided and uneven as it may be, and Asaya glanced to her side to see the way Spike was ogling him, confused as to whether or not she should be smug about this. But despite her shallow confliction, she had to admit, this felt pretty good. Yet, there was also the fact no one knew she was the one with the power here, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do about that…

“How the hell did you get a bodyguard like him? Is he really your age?” Spike gawked, Asaya internally thinking that no, he most definitely wasn’t. But according to Elkan’s plan or whatever, she couldn’t say that out loud, so she kept silent instead, as it wasn’t too clear why Spike was standing next to her to start with.

Still though, might as well play along with things for the sake of it. After all, any compliment to Elkan was a compliment to her as well, don’t you think? It definitely was. That was how she found the confidence to lift her chin up high and cross her arms, smugness coming to fruition as she bragged openly, “Yeah, I know, right? He’s awesome. Better than you.”

“Well, he’s better than you, too,” Spike huffed, eyeing her from the side in expectation, as if that statement was some sort of bait. And when Asaya refused to take it, merely smiling down at the ground in her satisfaction for being so sneaky with her words, the man continued to prod, relentless in his attempt to get a specific reaction out of her. “Unless you’ve received some super awesome power? Aren’t you going to do something besides watch?” he provoked, staring at Asaya intently as she tried to consider how she should respond.

She had plenty of options here. She could tell him what her special ability was, and probably be revered for it. If she was honest, and told him that she had the power to create from nothing… that all she had to do was write a fantastical tale in a book… and she could pull anything out of it? Even she, despite all her insecurities, saw the immense potential in her power, so of course Spike would too.

When they were kids, he’d never exactly been the person people wanted to bet on, but Asaya knew how hardworking he was, and how much he’d studied different types of magics and how they formed from the soul’s different qualities. Spike had struggled in academic areas, and yet he put so, so much effort into learning everything he could about magic and the way it worked despite that. There’s no way he’d miss the potential behind her.

But there was also a small part of her that resented it. A small, wounded part of herself that wondered why she had to be powerful or filled with potential for him to like or respect her. Spike had adored her as a kid, and yet the moment she fell from the pedestal everyone else had put her on, things had never been the same.

So why… why would she want to put herself back on that throne? Why would she, when she knew that one mistake, one mishap, could lead her to doom? Asaya had always wanted to be acknowledged for who she was, not for what she had to give. So why would she let herself get trapped back in that cycle when, right now, she didn’t have to tell anyone a single thing?

“Hah…” she laughed darkly, turning around to give Spike a twisted smile, not minding the way he frowned at her as she gave a wide shrug. “Even if I do have some cool magical powers, why would I ever tell you? Get wrecked, shrimpy.”

“Huh?! You’re shorter than me!” Spike flared, Asaya purposely mocking him as she raised her chin to the skies.

“Girls are supposed to be short, dumbass. Boys are naturally taller, aren’t they? And yet you’re only a few inches taller than me. I think you need to go back to school, Spike, and learn about how bodies grow again.”

“Argh! I wasn’t even provoking you this time, what’s wrong with you?!” Spike snapped, Asaya snickering at him as she turned away, proud of herself for her witty words, before nearly running headfirst into a mob of a monster.

In this dungeon, everything that died inside it became one, and all of its bodies were joint with one mind. It was known that the deeper you go, the more every little thing became alive. And Asaya had clearly forgotten that at this middle level, the stalagmites weren’t too trustworthy, and as the crystal mob lunged at her, she was almost mesmerized by the small bits of broken bones she could see molded inside it, before large metal spikes burst from the ground, stabbing the entity through its sensitive core as Asaya was dragged backwards by Spike, who looked furious beyond belief.

However, he didn’t have time to say anything to her, not when the cave’s innards had been flared like this, and immediately turned around to be back-to-back with one of his teammates. But Asaya had been somewhat prepared for the cave to get flared up around this time, since they were in the thick of the crystal monster’s territory, and smartly backed away from all the commotion. Elkan could probably handle this on his own, but Spike and the other’s added help would definitely make things end faster.

And, in case you hadn’t gathered it quite yet, Spike’s power was pretty much in his name. Literally. His magic was spikes. He could make spikes appear out of the ground, from his skin, from the walls he touched… it was a pretty cool ability, and Asaya could imagine why it had developed. Spike didn’t have the best homelife, for reasons she wouldn’t get into, so he’d always been rather defensive and, quote unquote, spikey.

In fact, to make things funnier, Spike wasn’t even his real name, it was just what everybody called him, even before he awakened his power. It was like everyone just intuitively knew. Or maybe he mentally encompassed the nickname so damn much it turned into reality, almost like he’d manifested it. Either way, it was ironic. Stuff like that didn’t usually happen.

But still, all she had to do was back away and watch everyone do their jobs. Valentine also stood beside her, ignoring her for the most part as she observed everyone else’s skills, and for a moment, Asaya thought she was being completely overlooked. Except, after Elkan defeated the largest crystal chunk right as Spike skewered several others, Valentine seemed to lose interest, and turned blood red eyes to milk in Asaya’s view. She seemed almost judgmental, but her expression was calm, and she couldn’t detect any specific emotions in the woman’s voice as Valentine questioned calmly, “Why are you here, Asaya?”

Oh. So she did remember her. She could see it in her eyes. Valentine remembered exactly who she was, and most likely recalled her infamous downfall, as well. Asaya couldn’t help but stare at her, but when she thought about it, the question didn’t bother her all that much. Elkan was out there fighting and taking down the majority of the monsters, getting her the credit she needed to be the sole main contributor to completing this dungeon. When it came down to it, she was doing all she needed to by standing there and making sure the book Elkan had come from remained untouched inside her leather satchel.

“I’m here to clear this dungeon,” she replied smoothly, Valentine’s eyes narrowing at such a response. It sounded much too confident for a person who was powerless, and yet, Asaya’s performance thus far wasn’t showcasing anything except the fact she had no potential. Something wasn’t adding up, and yet Valentine couldn’t place it. And in that case, it would be ignored until she found another clue to add to the puzzle.

But if only everyone could be so easily subdued. Because the moment the fight was over, without missing a beat, Spike retracted all of his sharp metal points that scattered around the floorboard and rushed her, grabbing her by the scruff of her grey tunic as he lifted her ever so slightly, Elkan watching with narrowed eyes when Asaya stumbled, although he did nothing to move forward.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Spike bellowed, jerking her forward before shoving her back, moving to grab hold of her shoulder as he kept pushing her backwards. “Why are you in dungeons when you’re powerless?! You can’t even defend yourself, you’re nothing but deadweight! If I hadn’t been there, that monster would’ve swallowed you whole, do you realize that?! Did you not learn your lesson from last time?! Are you really this intent on dying young?!” he roared, ruby eyes flashing as Asaya glared at him, stumbling backwards as she tried her best to keep her stance steady.

“What I do has nothing to do with you,” she tried to spit out, grabbing onto the hand that was clamped hard around her shoulder, trying her best to pry it off as Spike continued to flare.

“Oh shut it!! Is that what you said to Nemara?!” he demanded, Asaya’s eyes blowing wide at the name she’d been trying oh-so-desperately not to think about. “It’s no wonder she didn’t want to be friends with you anymore! You always rush into danger without thinking about anybody else, or about how your recklessness affects others! And when you get called out, you fucking whole up in your home and never leave it! What, do you wanna be the victim?! Do you want me to feel sorry for you?” he jabbed mercilessly, Asaya’s mind still stumbling around Nemara’s name before she tripped over her own feet, her world spinning as Spike’s words ran through her mind on repeat.

Yeah. That was why Nemara had stopped being friends with her. Asaya’s recklessness had cost her all her remaining relationships. He was right, undoubtedly. But… but this time… this time she wasn’t doing something she couldn’t handle! This time, she wasn’t stepping out of her league to go do something that was impossible for someone like her! This time, she was doing something she had the power and capability of accomplishing all on her own, because she’d developed a power she’d never even heard of before! Nemara might’ve left her after their fight, but that was okay, because now she had Elkan. Now she had the power to create.

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Though, somewhere, creeping up to the surface of her mind… she thought it would’ve been nice if she had been able to keep the friends that were real. Instead of holing up in her house all day, all by herself, barely leaving… but Asaya didn’t think she’d ever tried to make herself the victim. She was just hurting, and everyone was saying something bad about her, and she just… she just shut down.

But luckily, her current spiraling was cut to an abrupt end when a strong, steady arm caught her around the waist, lifting her back up and onto her feet as Spike ogled at him all over again, shocked that someone so much more powerful than Asaya seemed would’ve stepped in to her defense. And, before the other man had been able to properly close his open mouth, Elkan lifted her up to cradle her in both his arms and extended a fierce kick right into Spike’s stomach, the younger man blanching as he was hit a few yards back, Asaya marveling at the power Elkan had, even at only a fraction of his power. It was sobering. However, she was still stuck frozen in his arms as he approached Spike all over again, the man sputtering on the ground as he tried to lift himself up, barely managing to sit upright as he winced in front of Elkan, before the elf allowed his healing aura to flow into Spike’s bruised stomach, healing him within only a few moments to allow the man to look him in the eye.

“You crossed a line,” Elkan glared, emerald eyes staring daggers into Spike’s frozen form, the man terrified beyond belief at what he was facing. No one moved to protect him, either, and Valentine merely stared from the sidelines, despite being their supposed guardian. Asaya had a feeling she was stronger than the current Elkan and that she could defeat him with ease, but the elf said nothing as she watched Spike quiver, Asaya’s creation staring down at him in contempt. “You’re free to think whatever you want, but keep your insults to yourself. I made sure to heal you properly because you saved Asaya's life earlier, but if you say such careless things even one more time, I won’t hesitate to feed you to the next monster I see,” Elkan glared dangerously, Spike’s peach face paling as white as a sheet as he gave a small nod.

“Err, right. Won’t happen again,” he agreed easily, watching with incredulousness as Elkan carefully set Asaya to the ground, her mind completely clear after watching Spike get sent flying.

If push came to shove, she would definitely stop Spike from getting fed to monsters, because as much as he annoyed her, she didn’t hate him quite that much. But as far as her sense of justice went, letting the guy believe she would definitely let him get eaten was much more entertaining. So she just shot him a wide grin, standing right in front of him as she crossed her arms, smug and entitled in every sense of the words. “Better behave, if you don’t wanna get eaten, loser.”

“...uh, hey, I’m still allowed to respond to that, right?” Spike immediately blurted at Elkan, Asaya giggling behind him as her creation matched her innocent smile.

“I haven’t the slightest clue. Why don’t you try it and find out?”

“Man, you guys are fucking insane,” Spike snapped, shrugging past them both to start leading the group further down into the dungeon, pointedly deciding to ignore them.

In truth, he really didn’t think he could be that mad, because Elkan hadn’t only healed the massive bruise on his stomach he’d received from that one hell of a kick, but also all of his other bruises and injuries, including the gash on his shin from where one of the monsters had bitten him with teeth and jaws made of crystal. In fact, his body felt ten times better than it did before, and some of his energy had been returned. He didn’t even feel the slightest bit exhausted anymore.

Had Elkan meant to do all that? He seemed pretty purposeful, so he didn’t think a guy like that would heal him so expertly by accident. Spike didn’t even know he had healing powers to boot on top of all his offensive magic, so honestly, he was more incredulous than anything. Why was a guy like that hanging around someone like Asaya?

And Spike wasn’t the only one thinking that. As she watched, observing all the candidates that had qualified to be tested for Soul Star Academy, Valentine really only saw potential in Spike. The other four were decent, but Soul Star Academy was the most prestigious school on this half of the continent, so she couldn’t just let anyone in. Spike’s power was simple, but it was versatile and packed quite a punch. He was good at both close range and long range combat, and he still had a lot of room to grow and improve.

And Elkan, despite him not having been a candidate at all, and despite the fact she’d never heard of him or seen him before even once, was the kind of character you saw from Soul Star Academy’s elites. Forget Spike, Elkan had it all. The highly offensive abilities, great defense, the gift of healing, swift combat sense… he was the perfect jack of all trades. So why… why was he so hinged on Asaya? What was so special about that girl?

The deeper they went into the dungeon, Valentine continued to watch both Asaya, Elkan, and his behavior towards her, and over and over again, she watched Elkan protect and shield her. She watched him draw the enemy monster’s attention in the opposite direction so that Asaya was away from the action, and not once did Asaya ever step in and try to take any points for herself. And yet for some reason, despite the woman being unable to pull her weight, Elkan prioritized her above the points themselves. It just didn’t make any sense.

For the entire time, it was like this. Elkan got the most points by far, and with him teamed up with Spike, the dungeon boss wasn’t a big threat. Spike did well, but as she’d predicted, Elkan was the one who achieved most of the damage feats and was the one who struck the defeating blow. And whenever anyone got gravely injured, he was there to heal them, as if it had never happened. He really was the perfect teammate, and Valentine was currently invested in trying to figure out how his magic worked without being told.

It looked like he had the power to manipulate life energy. That was what Elkan’s green balls of fizzing light were made up of, the life energy that naturally lived in each crevice of the world. And when he was done manipulating, it just went back into nature’s grasp, making it a very balanced power. It used what nature had, but it never took. And with his control over the energy, it allowed him to control living bodies, which were packed full of and made with life energy. Given more training and experience, Valentine believed Elkan could be an unstoppable force, who would have full power and control over all life forms around him.

It was truly a terrifying ability, and part of Valentine’s job was finding these potentially dangerous people and recruiting them. Partially so that they could properly shine in a field made for them to succeed, but also so they could be kept an eye on. Elkan was someone she couldn’t let slip away, no matter what. If her superiors learned that she let someone like him make the slip, she’d be in serious trouble. It was already concerning enough that he was already twenty-one and no one had heard of him or tried to recruit him by this point… watching him, it was clear he’d had his power for a long time, as it was obvious he knew how to use it and that he and his magic were no strangers. So just how had he kept under the radar for so long? And how did Asaya factor into this?

There were too many questions without any answers. And, as they approached the exit to the dungeon, she stopped her party and turned to her possible recruits, meeting them all in the eye to show a sense of respect, no matter what their strengths were. “As you know, when we leave this dungeon, all of us will be attributed our accomplishments of what we did while inside. This will determine who passed and who didn’t. Does everyone understand?” she clarified, the small group nodding and mumbling out agreements as she gestured to the cave’s entrance. “Alright, then let’s go one at a time. You first,” she gestured to the weakest boy, saving the strongest for last.

One by one they went, and most of the boys and girls only gained small achievements, with small number counts of how many monsters they’d taken out. Only when it was Spike’s turn did things really get impressive, his ruby red eyes gleaming with pride when he was given a B Rank accomplishment for being the main support to Elkan’s rapid attacks. He might not have accomplished the most damage overall, but he’d taken out his fair share of smaller monsters and had been a great support, so Valentine knew he was guaranteed to get into the course for Soul Star Academy.

But that only left two more… Elkan and Asaya. She watched, carefully, as Elkan passed through the dungeon’s exit, and everyone held their breath as they waited for his massive stream of accomplishments to come coursing through. He’d undoubtedly done the most in this dungeon, and everyone knew he would’ve gotten even more impressive accomplishments if he’d been able to solo the dungeon like he’d been planning in the beginning.

Except… the moment he passed through, nothing happened. Not a single accomplishment.

Valentine’s eyes widened in pure disbelief as she stared at him, none of the glowing golden glory sparkling around him, as dungeons often do when someone makes a grand achievement. She almost didn’t know how to respond, not believing what she was seeing as Elkan outstretched his hand to Asaya, smiling confident and sure as the crowd turned to her.

“Come forward, my lady. Let’s see what you did.”

“Ah… alright,” Asaya mumbled, nearly hopping outside of the dungeon on nimble legs as she ran right into Elkan, before accomplishment after accomplishment exploded over her head and into their minds, golden sparks flaring all around them as Spike gaped, not believing his eyes.

You soloed half of the dungeon! A Rank Accomplishment!

You accomplished the most damage in your party! A Rank Accomplishment!

You landed the final blow on the dungeon boss! A Rank Accomplishment!

You killed over three hundred monsters! B+ Rank Accomplishment!

You kept your party healed and protected! B Rank Accomplishment!

You’ve leveled up!

You’ve leveled up!

You’ve leveled up!

Valentine couldn’t believe her eyes as she stared at Asaya’s stunned face, her fair expression flushed out in shock as the accomplishments flurried around her in a fog. Elkan didn’t seem surprised in the slightest, but she barely had time to note that as her and the kids all stared.

In all of her time working as a recruiter, Valentine had never once come across a situation like this. How was it possible… that Asaya had received all of the accomplishments Elkan should’ve gotten? Just what kind of power did she have? What…

Who in the world was she?