Safety

"Onyx Ice!"

A wave of black ice licked out, fractalizing in jagged shards as it raced to consume the boar and Razor Teeth. their bodies were encased in thick, black ice that poured cold vapor into the hot and humid air.

"Glorious Impact!"

A glowing javelin impacted in the midst of the frozen foes. A brief silence was followed by a glorious explosion that shattered the ice and, subsequently, the enemies trapped within. Bits of their bodies were scattered in the wind caused by the attack.

The air cleared soon, and Daren came casually sauntering in. "Well, I'd say that was a disaster," He proclaimed with a shake of his head.

"You can thank Zale for saving your life," he said, jabbing a thumb back towards the van.

"Get yourselves healed up, collect whatever materials are left, and get back to the van," he ordered.

The team collapsed with relief and sudden exhaustion. When they returned with their haul, they received a long lecture from Daren about their performance and lack of focus. They then thanked Zale for his assistance and filed into the vehicle. "Thanks for the help saving them. A lot easier to take them down when they're immobilized."

"It's no problem. I wanted to test myself too. Onyx Ice might have been a bit overkill, but better to be safe," Zale replied with a shrug before climbing into the passenger's seat.

Daren started the van off down the old dirt road carved over years of patrolling. "Say, have you ever felt tired after using your blessings over and over in a dungeon?" Zale asked Daren.

Daren thought about it for a moment. "Strange question, but no, I guess not. Why do you ask?"

"Was worried, but my blessings aren't affected at all by my physical condition. I don't feel any worse even after using a tier 3 blessing," he said with a shrug and a mental note.

Daren scratched his beard. "Hmm, now that you mention it, I've never heard anything about how much we can use our blessings. Then again, I've never really thought about it either. Very like you to ask that kind of question, though. You can probably find stuff online about it, and if not, Elvash is bound to have some kind of info."

"You're right. I'll look into it later."

Daren caught himself beginning to glance sideways at Zale's body. "Well," he started, "I guess it might be useful with your condition. I'll help you out any way I can, though. Just say the word."

He gave a toothy grin and a thumbs up. Zale smiled back and punched Daren lightly on his plated pauldron, regretting it immediately. "'Preciate it."