God's Garden - I've Got Skills

As the first flames erupted between the Brimfire Boar and the Ignifur, engulfing the clearing in the forest in a brilliant display of light and heat, the sub-body helped Norvin tap into his Archivist's Aegis ability. The shift was instantaneous. Instead of feeling confined within his own body, he now surveyed the chaos from above, observing himself as if he were a playable character in a video game.

The positioning of the fire beasts became clear—their flames clashed and crackled as they charged at each other, heedless of the shadows closing in on Norvin.

"Alright, time to kick it up a notch!" Norvin thought.

With each command from his mind, the sub-body interpreted his intentions. He leapt backward, dodging the Umbrantiss creature's sharpened scythe as it swung at him. The movement was fluid, almost effortless; he felt completely in control.

"Let's give that bug something to think about!" Norvin shouted, spinning mid-air to deliver a sharp kick. He landed it nimbly, finding perfect alignment with his target.

The kick connected with the mantis, sending it skittering back, its claws scraping against the ground in an attempt to regain its balance. Norvin smirked; the feeling of power surged through him.

'Becoming Kamen Rider Ghost was a good choice.'

'Yeah, it was. You are also handling the perspective change pretty well... I think you can take a bigger mental load. Think about a song or tune to get you fired up, kid! It will help you out even more!'

'Okaaay... Hmm, how about "Battle Cry" by Imagine Dragons?'

In response, the sub-body made Norvin's body give an armored thumbs-up. He could 'feel' a certain ability inside of himself becoming active.

Norvin thought about hovering in the air, and as soon as he did, he was able to watch his own body do just that. The black coat he had on started rippling from the wind conjured up by the wolves and the massive thunderbird that was above him now.

The bird was on top of him anyway... the 'Gale Howlers' were far beneath him.

"Holy shit, this is too cool..." Norvin was starting to feel amped up; this was a surreal feeling. He felt his skin start to tingle as a piano began to play in the surrounding area, everywhere all at once.

"Oooooooooo ah ooooooo."

A voice started harmonizing with the melody.

It was a strange thing to feel like this while having eyes on the outside of his body—a truly 'out-of-body' experience.

Glancing around, he saw the thunder-type bird creating an imposing figure, with crackling energy enveloping its wings, joining the fray. It was circling higher, preparing to unleash a thunderbolt. Nearby, the wolf-like creatures, their eyes sparkling like small storms, prowled and howled, ready to strike. With each swing of their tails, they produced gusts of air headed Norvin's way.

"Focus!" Norvin reminded himself, strategizing rapidly. He shifted his perspective, zooming in on the bird. With a flick of concentration, he commanded himself to fly towards the 'Stormchaser.' The Gale Howlers suddenly didn't feel like a big deal.

"...Just one more time before I go, I'll let you know, that all this time I've been afraid, wouldn't let it show..."

He flew upwards, launching himself through the air as the thunderbird issued a fierce caw, unleashing a wave of energy toward him. But with the advantage of his Archivist's Aegis, Norvin ducked and rolled mid-air, avoiding the jagged bolt of lightning by a hair's breadth.

"...Stars are only visible in darkness, fear is ever-changing and evolving. And I, I've been poisoned inside. But I, I feel so alive..."

He could also see the dirt and debris carried by the gusts of wind that the Howlers were firing off at him; they were even easier to dodge than the lightning bolts. The bolts themselves moved insanely fast, but not as quickly as natural lightning.

"Nice try, featherbrain!" he called, twisting in the air to land gracefully on one of the archways of a now-closed portal below. Oblivious in their fiery duel, the two fire types didn't see the shadow lurking towards them on the ground while they shot bright bursts of hot energy at each other.

As the beasts continued to battle, the sound of crackling flames competing with thunderous roars echoed around him. Norvin shifted his attention between the two fronts, preparing to orchestrate his next move, fully embracing the chaotic dance of combat.

The song playing all around was still loud enough to be heard over the chaos.

"...Nobody can save me now. King is crowned, it's do or die. Nobody can save me now. The only sound is the battle cry, is the battle cry, is the battle cry! Nobody can save me now, it's do or die..."

As it ramped up, Norvin kept feeling stronger, faster, and more capable. He was more confident. He looked towards the Gale Howlers from his perspective in the sky and signaled the sub-body to launch him at them. The sub-body positioned his Ghost form so that one hand was hanging onto the arch, alongside both of his feet. His body looked like it was more or less upside down.

'Let's go invisible.' Norvin decided to use one of Ghost's abilities, aside from the flight. From his third-person perspective, he could still see his own body; it just seemed slightly translucent. All of the other beasts lost track of Norvin's orange and black form completely.

One of the Gale Howlers was suddenly sent flying towards the Stormchaser. It bounced off of the large bird of prey's head, making the bird falter for a moment.

CAW!

The large bird looked angry that it had been struck. The Gale Howler had not yet recovered. Norvin had the sub-body grab it by its tail, using a psychic power-enhanced throw to send it rocketing into the bird. The Stormchaser couldn't see Norvin currently and hadn't figured out what had happened. It didn't give the Howler a chance to lower itself to the ground using the strong air gusts it created. It cut it in half with one chomp of its beak.

Blood rained down towards the rest of the pack for a moment until the giant lightning-infused bird decided to roast the two halves with its electrical attack.

The original downpour of red splashed on the pack, as well as Norvin's invisible form.

"Ah crap!" Norvin could see his outline become revealed, right in the middle of the now terrified pack. They all turned towards him and growled. The Stormchaser also noticed him, and it was extra angry. The feathery menace figured out what had happened somewhat.

In that instant, the pack lunged, a whirlwind of teeth and sharp claws. Norvin could see their intricate movements unfold like a choreographed dance of death. He thought about moving, and his body sidestepped to the left as the closest Gale Howler shot forward, its mouth wide open as it lunged for his throat.

With a swift motion, he spun and delivered a solid kick to the creature's chest, sending it tumbling backwards into more of the other Howlers, bowling them over. "Not today, ass!" Norvin shouted, fueled by the adrenaline coursing through him as well as the music that was still playing all around.

As part of the pack reeled, he took this opportunity to charge straight up at the Stormchaser, which had just unleashed another vengeance-fueled thunderbolt in his direction. He thought about grabbing two pack members before he took off.

Norvin's body grabbed the two closest to him by their throats as he dodged the next incoming attack.

Being able to see the whole fight unfold from a third-person perspective was a huge advantage for him; he could see the entire battlefield, making it easy for him to dodge the bolts and incoming claws and fangs.

As he rushed up towards the Stormchaser, it opened its wings wide. Dark clouds gathered around it, and with a flap, it unleashed multiple small bolts toward him; the power of its larger attack was broken down into many smaller bolts.

'Ah crap...'

Norvin could see from his viewpoint that he wouldn't be able to avoid the area the downpour of light took up.

He decided to try and get as close to the outside of the blast as he could, holding both Gale Howlers in front of him like a shield.

BOOM!

The many bolts of tiny lightning connected with the Gale Howlers Norvin was using to block the sudden shotgun-like elemental attack the bird unleashed.

He observed the Howlers receiving numerous small burns repeatedly before him, becoming not just scorched by the attack but also repeatedly electrocuted. Norvin began to experience an intense tingling sensation, very similar to having touched his tongue to the terminals of a five-volt battery—the type with both posts on top. It was a sensation he remembered distinctly from his childhood, and what he felt now was strikingly similar.

'...That's it?'

The sub-body answered him quickly. 'You have a decent amount of elemental resistance, kid; these small bolts won't hurt you too badly, especially since they're just being transferred through these animals into you secondhand. Try not to get hit by the big attacks, though.'

'No kidding. So you're saying don't take a giant bolt of lightning head-on?'

'Exactly; it would be... oh, that's sarcasm.'

'You got it... what else can this body do?'

'...Lots of things. Like I said, I'll explain things to you after we get out of this and away from the clearing. Did you notice what's happening down below?'

Norvin was slowly floating through the air; time seemed to crawl while he and the sub-body conversed mentally. His vision was still in the third person, due to his 'Archivist's Aegis' being active. He expanded his perspective and noticed that the stray bolts from the last attack were just starting to pepper the ground.

Nearly all of the Gale Howlers had been wiped out; only three had managed to not be struck. The metas composed of fire attributes had been blasting each other. It sort of looked like a beam struggle or energy clash from a Shonen anime. Both of them stopped abruptly and leaped backward as the stray bolts approached them.

The giant shadow that had been waiting to ambush them wasn't as lucky. The Umbrantiss had given up on Norvin after receiving his powerful kick earlier. It was lurking near the feuding Ignifur and Brimfire Boar.

The shadowy bug had decided to try and pick off easier prey. It was so intent on stalking a new potential meal that it hadn't noticed the dozens of small light spears falling towards it.

Screeeeech!

The shadow, struck repeatedly, reverted to its corporeal form, only to be engulfed by intense flames from both sides. Neither the monkey nor the pig welcomed the intruder into their fray. Both were extremely clever. They had recognized the intentions of this rival predator.

It stood in place, looking extra crispy while smoke rolled off its body. The Ignifur leapt towards the blackened statue that used to be the mighty Umbrantiss and started chewing on it immediately. The Brimfire Boar trotted over as well and started eating from the other side. Both beasts growled at each other while they munched on the toasted creature.

'That leaves just the thunder chicken.' Norvin turned his attention away from the barbequed meal the two were enjoying and back towards the Stormchaser.