Stuck in place

Using her own abilities did allow Mallory to step outside of her comfort zone and to better learn how to use them as a part of a team.

Too many people got that strong that they became front line fighters that led the charge and left the cleanup to the rest.

There were often times when someone had greatly outgrown their team which had caused them to take on their challenges solo without worrying about those that had supported them in the past.

Many types of people could encounter different challenges once their own abilities had greatly surpassed those around them.

Those loyal enough to the group would stick around them and help them rise to greater heights but it was not the case for everyone.

There were those that abandoned their group for another that they believed would suit their interests better or they would recklessly keep moving forward towards their goal not worrying about the danger they were dragging their companions into.

The gap between herself and others was starting to widen the more she protected others from harm by herself or with the talismans she had created.

It meant that she could create talismans and reap the benefits of those beneath her if she had wished to do so without ever having to experience danger but that would only dull her fighting instincts and put herself in danger one day.

Her own fate was always uncertain and there would always be new dangers that would find themselves coming her way no matter how she chose to evade them and hide herself away.

It was better to face them all head on so that she could gain opportunities from them and improve herself before an even greater danger came her way.

Even if those around her were much weaker than her and the gap was widening, they still had a great use for being targets to protect and to further her own growth and experience.

Depending on how each person developed in the future, they would be able to provide her some support in areas that she could not cover.

Their growth may have been slower than her but that did not rule them out completely.

Everyone had their own role to play in each scenario and she had to do the same.

Her role was an Apotropaic so that was what she would do until the others were able to find their own role once they had survived through many dangers.

If she forgot what her role was and started acting on her own or abandoned those close to her then she would be a failure as an Apotropaic.

Her senses were becoming more in tune with her surroundings and a small smile appeared on her face as the rush of Excelia had been gained.

Her sharp teeth were revealed as she smiled wider and her gaze had sharpened towards the distance where there were locations that danger was coming from.

The protective barrier was being maintained while her spear was dancing around her body before colliding with the arrows that had slipped past the barrier.

The arrows had stopped coming from above and had started to be more targeted towards the locations that had shown more success.

They were mainly aimed in a straight line so there was mostly herself that had been in the way of Hiiro and Tia to block them so she could not move from her current position.

Mallory was pinned down and it was becoming more obvious that she had to make some adjustments to her tactics soon if she was to overcome the crisis.

There would always be those that were moving to a more advantageous position and would soon strike from there.

There was a limit to how much stamina and magic power she had even if she had reached level two.

The patterns of the timing and locations that had been used had started to become more unpredictable as the enemy had started to learn from their mistakes and improved.

Mallory kept her spear moving as she continued to cut through the arrows flying towards her. 'Hah.. one slight movement from here and these two would be an easy target. I got to trust in my team though..'

Swaine had retreated once she had put up her barrier and Nia had ran off on her own too so Mallory had to put her faith in their abilities.

Everything depended on how long she could hold out against them and if the two others would be able to turn the tables in her favour.

The arrows that had flown in her direction were many so there would be some kind of limit to how many they had in their supplies.

Once that had run out of arrows, they would be forced into a melee confrontation rather than attacking from further away where it was safer and they had cover to hide behind.

She believed in Swaine's luck that would help him get over the danger that he was facing and she believed in the new recruit that was Nia who was more experienced and capable than a lot of adventurers.

If they did fail in some way then there were always the talismans that could be used to protect them and to further ensure their victory so Mallory did not have to worry too much about other things.

Her full attention was on protecting those around her while her trust was placed on the others to solve the problem.