A few moments before.

After glancing at the rock in his hand, then at the blob. Tus quickly thought, ‘This monster seems immune to physical attacks and neutralizes fire very easily using those blue flames. There is probably a limit to it somewhere. If there is one, then as I am now, I can’t utilize it, and if I did, it would also probably regenerate very quickly by using the darkness as a source. However, if I think along these lines, then the weakness of this thing could be very obvious, while also making it extremely easy to take down… Oh, there should actually be two…’

Tus waited for the blob to shoot out another tentacle. When it did, he acted as before, except he breathed out a single line of fire with using barely any effort. It hit with the same effect as gasoline fumes meeting a spark. The tentacle split in half, with one end moving to its body, as the other disintegrated.

“That move of yours to bring the fire to yourself is too stupid. You should completely amputate the lost limb instead.” Tus said under his breath as he brought his right arm behind his back and willed his second heart. His internal energy moved through the pores on his palm and poured out. It conglomerated and spun, becoming solid. After three seconds, a stone with some unintentional rough edges was made.

When the blob moved one of its blue fires to prevent the regular fire from spreading, Tus using speed limit of his body, threw the stone. It seemed to glide like a bird in the air when it hit the blue fire that was moved to the surface of the blobs membrane. The rock penetrated the blob and hit that blue fire.

The result was catastrophic for the poor avatar. The blue fire scattered and extinguished without a sound. The fire that initiated from Tus quickly spread over its body and consumed that dark energy like wolves eating their prey. With the fire on its main body, the avatar couldn’t isolate or detach the affected region fast enough, because of a limit the owner placed on it to make it more ‘fair’ to Tus.

The natural response for the blob was to use the two other blue fires to deal with the problem. Tus was one step ahead. He grabbed a couple of stones off of the ground and threw them at those blue fire, extinguishing them one by one.

The wailing voices that hung around the blob became sonorous as it suddenly grew several tentacles covered in flames. It intended to use them to beat Tus in a last ditch effort, but due to the limitation placed on it, its originally low level resistance to flames became lower. The belligerent tentacles turned to fading ashes.

It spoke for the last time, “I was this weak?! Brat, I’ll be reformed into another avatar. Just wait and I’ll show you that I’m tougher than this.”

Tus looked at the disappearing blob and said in response, “This daddy, oops, I mean this Rolon is probably older than you brat.”

‘Do I really look that young? Or is it actually older than me?’ Tus touched his transformed face, startling himself for a moment as he forgot that he was disguised. ‘I don’t think they told me how to take this off. I can’t believe that it only lasted that long! Definitely not long enough to even pick my teeth.’

Immediately after the fight with the blob, the web, along with the smoke in the distance were also gone. Leaving a tranquil, star filled sky.

Tus suddenly had an idea.

…………

“White Gloves, Grey Skin, what’s for dinner?” Tus casually asked.

The three of them were almost on their way back to the inn when Tus finally came to a decision to create new names for anyone he sees.

Gargoyle didn’t mind too much as he was already nicknamed with something that became his actual name.

Worill was eccentric to begin with, so he didn’t mind either, and he said while still critically analyzing Tus’s state, “Probably something good.”

“White Gloves, it is important to be more specific. Though this will create a goal for you to improve. Also, for the last time I’m fine. That thing didn’t touch me and was actually no biggie to take down.” Tus disappointedly said.

Hearing the words, ‘no biggie to take down,’ Worill’s left hand twitched.

“You know who that avatar belongs to, right?” Tus abruptly stopped and turned, “That blob knew my made up name from a few days ago, and shouldn’t know it unless it followed us, which is unlikely considering where we came from, and who you are. What I do know due from studying minions and such to strengthen myself before entering Oblivion, avatars are usually much weaker than their controllers. This particular one was so weak, but I felt that it was under several restrictions.

“If their goal was to kill or capture me, then that would’ve been done fairly easily. They more likely had that avatar test me in some matter and they knew where to look, knew my identity. According to my instinct and the way you have been acting, you and in collusion, your master are working whoever that was for some purpose.”

“I think I have a general idea of who was behind this, but I’ll ask anyway. Who was behind that avatar?” Tus’s words made Worill start sweating.

‘Is he becoming smarter? Why is he being so direct?’ Worill thought to himself.

“It was my Lord’s right hand man, Lyzland Furnerm, titled the Embodiment of Em.” Worill said truthfully, “You are right about everything. Milady knew in advance what my Lord was going to do. That was either brand you or sell you to the alliance. She moved first and contacted Furnerm a few times. To talk and to set up a location, which ended up being that marauder base. We did it for your sake.”

Tus was quiet for a moment before asking, “If your Lord knew about my identity and that I was heading here, did he know from Yarla telling him, or from his own sources?”

“There is nothing to worry about.” Worill immediately rejected Tus’s conjecture of ‘there is someone else who knows where I am other than your family.’ “Yarla talked to Furnerm and came to the conclusion that no one besides my Lord knows where you are.”

Tus thought with a headache, ‘If their family, or regime, is screwed up, it could be the father manipulating the daughter to get me to come willingly. Or if someone else really does know where I am, then that lord would probably try getting me in his possession as soon as possible. Do I really have to look for a way to escape again? So frustrating!’