Summoned familiars occupied parts of their summoner when not manifested. Colin occupied Jason’s blood, Shade his shadow and Gordon his aura. Clive’s familiar, Onslow, became a magical tattoo on Clive’s abdomen that he could tap into for elemental power.

Clive, like Jason, favoured practical combat robes, with his lighter colour preferences that made him a Jedi to Jason’s Sith. Onslow’s tattoo lit up, visible through the robes, transforming into energy that passed harmlessly through the fabric. The energy gathered together, manifesting into Onslow’s familiar rune tortoise shape, his legs dangling as he floated in the air.

Onslow’s shell expanded, detaching from Onslow himself who became an adorable, child-sized humanoid tortoise. The sides of the enlarging shell were largely open, the gaps filled with a wind magic barrier. Sophie moved the team members she was holding aloft with her flight power inside, the two wind powers gently stirring the air as they came together without impeding one another.

The members of the team with self-propelled flight made their way in as well. They joined the others as they observed the humungous dust cloud, still some distance away. Like Onslow, the cloud was charged with elemental energy, but where his powers were in balance, the cloud had specific affinities.

Sensations of fire, earth, ash and magma pushed against the team’s perceptions as they moved closer to the giant mushroom cloud. It increasingly loomed over them, dust and ash choking the air. It stung their eyes and left the air tasting smoky, bitter and dead.

They could see tall, angelic silhouettes moving through the murk. Some were making their way out of the cloud, moving to intercept teams of adventurers approaching through the air and across the ground. The terrain below was rough, the rainforest having been flattened for kilometres by the explosion that created the cloud.

Onslow approached the cloud at a steady but cautious speed as Clive used his Enact Ritual power to draw ritual circles made of golden light on the floor and ceiling. Belinda observed him, her eyes darting over the glowing diagrams.

“These aren’t the usual protections you employ to protect Onslow,” she said.

“No,” Clive said, not pausing his work. “These are rituals for channelling elemental energy. They should be able to absorb at least some of any elemental power that comes our way, feeding it to Onslow. That will help recharge his elemental powers and reduce my need to feed him extra mana, all while offering additional protection. It’s not as effective against physical attacks, but I have a feeling that we’re heading into a firestorm.”

The figures started emerging through the dust and ash enough that they could make them out. As expected, they were messengers, but unlike the ones they were familiar with. Clearly altered by elemental energies, they unleashed elemental attacks at the approaching adventurers. This did not yet include Jason and his companions, but many teams had rushed ahead with more speed than caution. Cones of fire, stone spears, streams of magma and clouds of ash were sent at the adventurers.

The messengers were noticeably different from their unaltered counterparts, the elemental influence on their bodies extremely evident. The group observed four subtypes, each conforming to one of the four power types of elemental attack being tossed around. The messengers were all naked, sexless and androgynous, like the dolls of children, stripped of clothes.

Two of the messenger variants were more visually spectacular than the others. Those throwing out fire also had flames rising from their heads instead of hair. The feathers of their wings alternated between glistening red metal and ruby-like crystal, fire playing across them. Their skin was black and fire shrouded their hands and feet. The ones throwing out magma had skin that was not just black but featured the hard gloss of obsidian. Their wings were obsidian shards outlined by magma, matching the glow of their eyes.

Farrah looked at the magma variants as they clashed with adventurers.

“They’re stealing my whole motif,” she complained.

“Perhaps if you hadn’t given up adventuring to start a business they would have been more respectful,” Rufus suggested.

“Coming from a guy who gave up adventuring to become a teacher,” she shot back.

“I’m in Jason’s team now, aren’t I? Anyway, it’s an allowable diversion for me. My family runs a school.”

Jason took a tray of liquor shots from his inventory and floated them to the group members using his aura.

“Oh, come on,” Rufus complained. “I don’t think this is the situation for drinking games.”

“Oh, it’s not just time for drinking,” Jason said after the team downed their shoots and he collected the glasses. He put away the tray and took out a cube the size of a basketball with concentric rings engraved on each side. “It’s time to rock.”

“Rock?” Clive asked, peering at the cube. “Is that some kind of earth element device?”

“No, it’s an arse-kicking device,” Jason said. He took a recording crystal from his inventory and fitted it into a small slot of the cube. He threw it out of Onslow's shell and it started to rise slowly into the air, blasting out noise. The magic enchanted into it projected the sound all across the battlefield.

“What is that noise?” Humphrey yelled.

“Metallica,” Farrah said through voice chat. “Heavier that I’d normally go for, but if you’re fighting flame-spewing angels from the bowels of the earth, it’s not really a Juice Newton situation.”

“What kind of juice?” Rufus asked. “I don’t think anyone should go to Jason’s planet. I makes them turn strange.”

Jason and Farrah flashed grins at each other and leapt from Onslow’s protective shell, shadows taking the form of black flying motorcycles under them and hauling away through the air. Jason’s shadow cloak trailed behind him and Farrah conjured her fire wings that did the same.

“Why are you riding off on vehicles?” Neil asked through voice chat. “You can both fly.”

“Because it’s more metal,” Jason said.

“Shade made those vehicles out of shadow-stuff,” Neil said. “There isn't any metal.”

“I was thinking that perhaps we should devise a plan before rushing off,” Humphrey suggested. Taika, one of the few people that towered over Humphrey, put a meat slab hand on his shoulder.

“The music’s playing, bro. Time to rock and roll.”

Taika also leapt from the safety of Onslow’s shell. He transformed into a giant golden bird and rocketed after Jason and Farrah, swiftly gaining on them.

“This is music?” Humphrey asked. “The guy just asked if he was evil, then said that he was!”

“I like it,” Sophie said, then kissed him gently on the cheek. “See you out there.”

In a blur, she was also gone.

“Does no one see the value in making a plan?” Humphrey asked. Rufus put a hand on Humphrey’s shoulder, just like Taika had.

“Plans are great,” Rufus told him. “But sometimes there’s a giant explosion and you just have to go out and fight. Take it from a guy who failed as a team leader: it’s not always about having a clever plan. Sometimes it’s about getting out of your own way and trusting your amazing teammates to be amazing.”

Humphrey sighed.

“Alright,” he said. “Onslow, speed us up if you please.”

Onslow accelerated the pace of his shell, propelling it closer to the dust cloud.

“I still say this isn’t music,” Humphrey muttered.

***

“What is that noise?” Korinne asked. “Is it some kind of sound attack?”

“I think it's music,” Zara said.

“If someone is using a song essence aura to produce that,” Korinne said, “I'm worried about the state of their mind.”

“I believe it is Jason Asano,” Orin offered. “I have heard this sound when I met with my uncle in the training room in Asano's vehicle.”

“Why is he projecting it now?” Korinne asked.

“I don't know,” Zara said, “but I think I like it. It makes me want to hit things.”

“Good,” Korinne said. “We've got no shortage of things to hit.”

***

The other two elemental messenger variants didn’t have flames for hair or parts of their bodies glowing magma, but they were no less a departure from the messengers the group had seen in the past. Those with an affinity to ash retained the shape of normal messengers but were entirely white-grey as if coated in chalk. Ash swirled around them and they fired off rough white orbs that exploded into clouds of obscuring ash and burning cinders. The last variant had affinities for earth and metal, looking like mosaic statues made from shards of stone and different coloured metals.

Jason and Farrah were the vanguard as they headed for the cloud, now close enough to cover the sky. They did not remain in the lead, however, with Taika and Sophie blazing past them as more messengers emerged from the cloud to meet them. Taika, in the form of a giant golden eagle, was the first to strike, crashing into one of the metal and earth messengers.

Ability: [Momentous Charge] (Swift)

Special attack (movement, combination). Cost: High mana and stamina. Cooldown: Four minutes. Current rank: Silver 0 (01%). Effect (iron): Charge attack. Rapidly gain [Momentum] during the charge. Can culminate in a non-combination special attack. Effect (bronze): Can cover extreme distances and move through the air. The speed of the charge escalates over the duration of the charge. Effect (silver): The damage from [Momentum] is enhanced by your speed at the moment the attack lands. [Momentum] (boon, magic, stacking): When making an attack, all instances are consumed to inflict resonating-force damage. Multiple instances can be accumulated and instances are lost quickly while not moving.

Taika’s first battle as a silver-ranker had been an awkward fight in the corridors of Jason’s cloud palace. It was a situation that did not allow Taika to fully express his power set that excelled with wide open spaces and the chance to make long, charging attacks. His Momentous Charge had been accumulating power from the moment he had left Onslow’s shell, unleashing it as he struck. He didn’t peck with his eagle’s beak or claw with his talons, instead ramming his head into the messenger, maximising the raw physical impact. Chunks of stone and fragments of metal burst off it like a sculpture struck by a cannon.

Ability: [Unstoppable Strike] (Swift)

Special attack (movement). Cost: Moderate mana and stamina. Cooldown: One minute. Current rank: Silver 0 (01%). Effect (iron): Melee attack. If any instances of [Momentum] are triggered by the attack, they deal an amount of disruptive-force equal to the resonating-force damage. Effect (bronze): When combined with a movement-combination special attack, the physical momentum of that attack is extremely hard to impede. Physical barriers and constraints are struck with resonating-force damage. Magical barriers and constraints are struck with disruptive-force damage. Resistances to any effect that impedes motion are significantly increased for the duration of the combination attack. Effect (silver): The cooldown of this ability is reset when using a movement-combination special attack, allowing this ability to be combined with that attack.

The combination of powers, used under optimal conditions, made a wreck of Taika’s target. Even so, no silver-rank being was easy to kill and the elemental powers of earth and metal reinforced the messenger all the more.

Taika did not stick around to finish the job, despite the messenger’s condition. While he shared Humphrey’s qualities of power, mobility and strength, their roles were similar but not the same. Humphrey was a brawler, using speed, power and toughness to make life hard for his enemies. His ability to keep up with enemies and sustain brutal levels of attack power made him an unrelenting opponent that often secured kills for the team. Taika was an initiator, using overwhelming speed and incredible burst damage to put enemies on the back foot. He was heavy cavalry, except giant and a bird.

Taika didn’t have Humphrey’s sustained damage, so he roared off in another charge attack as Humphrey teleported in to finish the severely damaged messenger. This new charge attack did not accelerate over time until it rivalled Sophie's pace, but it still let him move faster than anyone but her.

Ability: [Speed and Power] (Swift)

Special attack (movement, combination). Cost: Low mana and stamina. Cooldown: None. Current rank: Silver 0 (02%). Effect (iron): Melee attack. Gains an instance of the [Relentless Attack] boon. Effect (bronze): When instances of [Relentless Attack] are consumed, gain that many instances of [Momentum]. Effect (silver): May be used as a charge attack by increasing the mana and stamina cost to moderate, granting additional speed for the duration of the attack. Speed increase enhances flight more than ground speed. When combined with a non-combination special attack, a number of instances of [Relentless Attack] are immediately generated based on the damage dealt. Using this ability multiple times in succession progressively increases the mana and stamina cost. [Relentless Attack] (boon, magic, stacking): Consume all instances of this boon to reduce the cooldown of a special attack. The cooldown reduction has an increased effect on movement special attacks. [Momentum] (boon, magic, stacking): When making an attack, all instances are consumed to inflict resonating-force damage. Multiple instances can be accumulated and instances are lost quickly while not moving.

Taika's first charge attack had landed him amongst the enemy, so there were plenty around as he made his second. This gave him the chance to use an aspect of his shape-changing power as he flew to the next target, gathering air around his wings and shooting it off in bolts of compressed air. The damage was far from exceptional but the bolts exploded on impact, sending messengers scattering. As a result, they had trouble forming up to meet the team following in Taika's wake.

Ability: [Block Out the Sun] (Wing)

Special ability (shape-change). Cost: High mana and stamina. Cooldown: Four minutes. Current rank: Silver 0 (00%). Effect (iron): Bird form with high speed. Effect (bronze): Giant bird form with high speed. Effect (silver): Gather wind energy while moving. That wind can be used to make compressed air attacks. These attacks do not interrupt any movement special attacks in progress.

Taika’s Unstoppable Strike power had its cooldown reset by being combined with his first charge ability, making it available to combine with his second. Taika struck the next earth-type messenger like a missile, smashing off chunks. The second charge power also generated the Relentless Attack buff, which Taika immediately consumed to reset the first charge power. As combining Unstoppable Strike again had let it reset its own cooldown, Taika once more launched the combination of charge power and special attack at the next target.

By this time, the team had engaged with the messengers that Taika’s opening moves had placed firmly on the defensive. Sophie was barely visible flickering between the messengers at a pace that made even Taika look slow. Where Humphrey was following up on Taika’s big hits, she was following up on his air bursts, keeping the messengers from achieving any group cohesion.

The team, by comparison, were falling into easy synergies. Humphrey finished off the earth-type defenders Taika had already hammered, exposing the less-sturdy fire, magma and ash types. The fire and magma types output the most destructiveness, largely countered by Neil's timely shields and Farrah intercepting attacks. Farrah didn't just block the flames and magma but absorbed them, refilling the mana spent on costly attacks.

Farrah’s blasted her Lava Cannon and Obsidian Shard Storm abilities at the ash-type messengers who were trying to impede the team with clouds of ash and burning cinders. These were being quickly dispersed by Sophie’s wind, Farrah’s flames and Belinda, copying and locking the messenger’s powers from the safety of Onslow’s shell.

Rufus, despite the inability to fly, was harassing the fire and magma messengers in the backline. Clive opened a portal for him and from there he used the messengers themselves as platforms, showing off the agility he had been trained in from birth. His short-distance teleport powers, Flash Step and Flash of Moonlight, allowed him to move from foe to foe, leaving behind savage sword wounds before moving on.

With his flashy sun powers, Rufus was the light to Jason's shadow, both men moving from enemy to enemy. Already, butterflies glowing orange and blue were emerging from several messengers, seeking out more victims upon which to spread afflictions.

“See?” Rufus asked Humphrey through voice chat as the group dominated the messengers. “Sometimes you just have to trust the ability of your team.”

“I still say this ‘music’ isn’t necessary,” Humphrey grumbled as Gary dropped past him, legs wrapped around a messenger. The huge leonid, covered in heavy armour was plunging through the sky, hammering the messenger with a short-handled mallet.

“Did anyone tell Gary he can’t fly?” Neil asked, watching from Onslow’s shell. “I think he’s hitting it in time with the beat.”