Skill Hunter -Kill Monsters, Acquire Skills, Ascend to the Highest Rank!

The second castle wasn't far, when he was running at the top of his speed. He didn't bother activating Lightning Dash, but it didn't matter. Now that he was Rank 3, his ordinary speed already cut the distance between the two castles down to almost nothing. He reached the castle's gates before the castle even finished pushing up out of the ground. The towers shook and stone ground as it rumbled into the sky. Standing at its foot, Ike watched it rise. He had to admit, it was impressive.

No, not just this—the entire trial. Every part of the trial involved magic far beyond his understanding. There wasn't a piece of it so far that wasn't incredibly impressive. He didn't know where he'd start getting the kind of skills that would let him set something like this up, let alone know how to accomplish anything that was going on around him. Is it even possible to do something like this with skills? It must be, but I can't imagine how. I guess if you started with a skill like Wizard's Tower, something that allows you to control a large area, then progressed into further area manipulation skills? He thought for a second, then shook his head. Those powers still seemed far beyond him. Even if Shopkeep was one Rank over him, there was a huge gulf between him. He could fight up to Rank 4s, but he couldn't command the same overwhelming power that Rank 4s could.

I wonder if that's the difference between Rank 3s and Rank 4s? The ability to truly influence the world around them. He looked at his hands, then closed them. Maybe he was thinking of this wrong. He could manipulate vast regions of the sky with Storm Caller and Storm Clad working at full strength. He couldn't influence the land, but then, that wasn't his strength. His strength was the sky, and if he considered that, then he already could influence the world around him.

That sensation he'd had in the middle of the fight for Shopkeep's place, the sensation of being on the brink of some greater understanding, came back to him. He narrowed his eyes. What was it? What was it about this, that—

The castle jolted to a halt. Broken out of his thoughts, Ike looked up. A huge iron door loomed over him, big and impressive. He stepped forward and drew back his fist. Just knocking wouldn't be enough, but that was okay. He had plenty of tools at his—

The door flew open before he could launch his punch. "Whoa there, big boy. I haven't even gotten started. Let's hold a truce for a little longer, huh?"

Ike lowered his fist. "I was just knocking. Hello, Scar."

She looked at him, then shook her head, chuckling. "If it wasn't me, you would've been attacked. What were you thinking?"

"Well… that wouldn't be so bad," Ike said thoughtfully. Especially if it was Rufus. That man needed to be punched. His face begged for it.

Scar leaned against the entryway. "So? What'd you rush all the way over to little old me for?"

"An alliance," Ike said.

"Oh?"

Ike gestured. "This trial, it isn't about tearing each other down. It's about surviving. From what I can understand, there will be monsters of some kind in this area which attack all of us. If we attack one another, then one castle takes the full brunt of the attack. But if all the castles remain standing…"

"Each one takes one-fourth of the damage, and if someone's getting hammered, we can shift to help them out. Huh. I see where your head is at." Scar nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" Ike asked, startled.

"Sure, why not? I lose nothing from allying with you for a little while. Even if nothing happens and there are no monsters, we still get the benefit of allying with one another against the other two. It's a good deal for both of us, but especially me, since you're in the number one slot right now. Honestly, I should be the one begging you for an alliance."

"Oh," Ike said. He rubbed the back of his head. "I thought it would be harder to convince you."

"Heh. Nah. I'm a practical woman. Vi and Rufus might be hard sells, but I know a bargain when I see one." She offered her hand.

Ike hesitated. He somehow felt he was losing something, but couldn't puzzle out what. I wanted this. I'm just having second guesses because it's too easy, but that's not a bad thing. In fact, it's a good thing that she and I are so much on the same mental page. He clasped her hand firmly and gave it a shake. "Good to have you on board."

"Thanks for having me."

Ike nodded. "Well, uh, I'll see you around, then."

"Right. We've both got to figure out our own castles, right?"

He nodded again. "When the next castle rises, I plan on allying with them, too, if possible. I want us all united against the threat to come."

"But when the time comes, remember your good buddy Scar said yes first, got it?" Scar said, thumping him on the shoulder.

Ike laughed. "Sure, sure." It didn't hurt to have a closer ally. If the other two turned him away, or provisionally accepted the alliance without committing to it, then at least he and Scar could fall back on one another. It was like him and Wisp, where he was in a party with Mag, but he only fully trusted Wisp. He trusted Scar far less, for now, but if she was really so eager to ally with him, and she proved her worth, he didn't mind favoring her over Vi and Rufus. To be honest, he already favored her over Rufus. But then again, he favored everyone over Rufus.

"Ah, that's right. Before I go—what are your strengths?" Ike asked.

"Strengths?" Scar raised her brows.

Hesitant, huh? To be expected. I haven't extended anything but goodwill, so how can I expect her to offer information on herself? Ike nodded. "My strength is… well, raw power. Me and my teammates are good at raw power. We also have skills that lean toward control of the skies and trapping the earth."

He'd never thought of it before, but honestly, the three of them had good synergy. Wisp could lay down webs to slow and entangle enemies on the ground and in the trees. He could ensnare people in the air with storms, through summoning lightning and wind, and fight powerfully one-on-one. Mag flew, and could fight enemies in the air or swoop down on enemies entangled in Wisp's web. Putting it all together, he could engage whoever broke out of Wisp's webs, while Wisp and Mag could tag-team to finish off those entangled. They made a good team.

Scar smiled. "Not afraid you might reveal too much?"

"If I was afraid of you, I wouldn't have offered an alliance," Ike said, crossing his arms.

She laughed. "I thought so from the beginning, but you and I have a lot in common. I respect that, you know? I respect it."

Scar gestured over her shoulder, at the castle. "I had foreknowledge of the structure of these trials, thanks to my clan's research, and I brought a team who excels at siege defense. They should be able to hold the castle, while I do whatever is necessary. Consider me a lone fighter, but a powerful one. I have particular skill at wide-area spells—skills that hit a large area for splash damage, but don't do severe damage to any one person or monster."

Ike considered for a moment. "Fire?"

"Many of them are, yes."

"Hmm. We can work with that. You might want to stay away from me, though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Ike said. He didn't want to give away too much, in case she decided to backstab him after all. Besides, she'd understand what he meant as soon as he started fighting. There was no advantage to telling her he was a storm-user, only disadvantages.

She nodded. "Understood. I have a castle to build up, if that's all?"

"Then, I'll leave you to it." With a last wave, he walked away.

On his back, Shawn perked up. "She seems like a good person."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She has her own reasons for holding back, but I don't think she'll betray you if you don't betray her first."

"I have no intention of betraying her, so that should be easy."

Shawn laughed. "That's right. You're a pretty straightforward guy, aren't you?"

"Sometimes." Ike shrugged. "To my friends, anyways."

"That's a good way to be."

Once more, the ground began to rumble. Ike grabbed the nearest tree and scrambled to its peak, looking around. The third castle rose into the sky.

"Off we go." Releasing the tree, Ike dropped. The second his feet hit the ground, he sprinted toward the next castle.