Killian sighed deeply before telling Asher, "The truth was, I was around the area before you were defeated by that beast. I saw it speak to you. I found it strange at first, but I believe it sensed something in you. What that may be, I don't know. I just know most creatures would not do that, they're almost mindless beasts until you get farther up the scale of their power."
Asher understood what he meant by that. The goblins and hobgoblins back in Imperia were almost unthinking beasts. The dragonkin on the other hand, it displayed martial skill and almost a desire to communicate. On top of that, it had actually planned out multiple attacks.
The dragonkin had to be more powerful than it had let on. Asher would have been defeated almost effortlessly once the creature had decided to take the fight seriously. He shuddered at the thought of Killian not showing up.
Asher stared at the tall warrior. He had almost jet black hair, cut short along with deep set dark brown eyes. He had a trimmed beard that hugged close to his chiseled jawline. This was the first time he really got a good look at Killian.
Killian spoke up, "I can't team up with you myself, but there's someone else who can. Someone you and I both know, Asher." Leah walked into the room and Asher almost felt excited to see his old partner again.
She sheepishly stated, "I made it," to Asher. He resisted the urge to smile and simply nodded instead. "Ready to get to work?" Asher asked her.
"Absolutely," Leah replied.
Killian's voice filled the room. "As I said before, I cannot work with any of you directly other than special jobs, as I am ranked above all of you. If there is a joint effort on a particularly powerful creature, we may be able to do something. Until then, all of you work hard and strive to reach my level."
With that said, Killian left the room, allowing Asher, Leah and Willow to discuss their next moves.
Asher saw Leah and Willow eyeing each other up and he could feel the tension in the air. He cleared his throat loudly and stated, "Now that there's three of us, that opens up new jobs for us. We may be capable of taking on a snow drake, but we may want to prep for that a good bit before we attempt a job that serious."
Willow replied, "I agree," before Leah could say anything. Asher didn't miss the irritated side eye that Leah gave Willow. Asher sighed deeply before continuing, "I would say that our best bet is going after the ice elementals in the area. They're fairly easy to take down and a decent payout at the same time." Asher had decided he would tell Leah about his power of domination later, after he had done a few jobs and caught up with her on how she had gotten to his rank once again. Even though it had been weeks, Asher had guessed it would take her longer to reach his level than it had. There had to be more to it.
He had decided he would ask her in private later on. Likely in the same sitting that he told her about his power. The name of his ability puzzled him slightly. It was called domination, but all he did was absorb power. Was there more to it? He shook his head and said, "We have work to do. Let's get moving."
The other two followed behind him. He felt as though Willow was going to be a great asset to him and Leah. He didn't know how long that would last, however as Leah seemed somewhat aggressive towards the other woman.
He knew it would eventually come to him having to snap at the two of them at some point. He just didn't know when that would be. He already couldn't stand the tension. Considering they were doing a dangerous job, he couldn't afford for the two of them to be at each other's throats every time he turned around.
They took a job for a group of ice elementals per his request and proceeded to deal with them. It wasn't a hard fight between the three seasoned guild members, but Asher did discover something as he killed one of the elementals. He once again felt the freezing cold sensation as he destroyed one of the elementals. He had a theory it was his ice powers improving, but he had no way to really test it out. His blade seemed to glow ever so slightly brighter when he activated his ice powers, but beyond that he didn't know. It could have very well been a figment of his imagination.
It went on like that for a few days. Asher tested his theory after killing several elementals and deduced that his ice powers had gotten stronger. His blade glowed a cold and bright blue upon using his ability. He had discovered another trick he could perform that he figured would come in handy. He could project frost from his hands.
Leah and Willow were both amazed at Asher's incredible progression in strength and powers. There seemed to be no end to his growth. Eventually they took another job for the lizardmen who had showed up once more. Asher had informed Killian to be on standby just in case. "It might be the dragonkin again. I want you around, but if it seems as though I can handle it, don't interfere. I've got a score to settle with that thing," Asher seethed to Killian. The big man nodded and remarked, "I will allow you to do what you must if it comes down to it."
Asher led his group towards the village that was once again inhabited by lizardmen. It was a slaughter as Asher moved at incredible speed. Leah and Willow could hardly keep up, Asher was moving as quickly as a dog and he seemed to just be picking up more speed as he dropped more enemies.
Once the last of the lizardmen had fallen, Asher eyed a creature shuffling towards them from the distance. There was no speaking from the thing this time. The brown scaled monster crouched down before unfurling it's wings and launching at Asher like a missile.
Asher readied himself with his sword already glowing a bright blue color. As soon as the dragonkin came close, he slashed down and drove the beast into the ice covered ground, but not before it had hit Asher's Minotaur leather cuirass and cracked it along its length. The monster drove a channel with its body along the ground.
It tried to belch flame at Asher who responded with throwing a blizzard back at it. The frost won the battle in the end and the dragonkin felt ice building up on it. It stopped producing flames and dove behind cover to break the ice off it's scales. Asher didn't give it even a moment to breathe as he sped around the corner and slashed at it.
The dragonkin seemed baffled. He was so much more powerful than last time, it was a stark contrast to how their last battle had gone. It was barely blocking each strike. Asher swung with every ounce of strength he had and snapped the beast's spear in half. A red line appeared across its chest and it fell to one knee. The creature looked up at Asher with defiance and began to laugh.
Asher had no idea what was going on until he saw the beast turning from the brown color it once was, to a deep red. He wasn't about to chance it and he swung as hard as he could across its neck. The beast's head rolled to the ground and it began to revert back to its original brown color. Asher felt a rush of heat and strength all at once.
When it was all over, Leah and Willow had come out of hiding as he had told them the same as he had done with Killian. He had suspicions the dragonkin was going to be around and he didn't want anyone in the way. He also didn't want anyone taking the kill from him.
After that, they all headed back to the guild. Asher was less worried about the money anymore and more so about the jobs themselves. They afforded him power to keep moving forward.
After they collected their payout, Asher asked Leah to come to his room. They slipped away without Willow noticing. As soon as they entered the room, Asher began to get nervous. He stuttered a bit as he told Leah, "I have something to tell you."
She replied, "I know. You don't have to explain."
Asher knew where her head was going right away and said, "No, you don't understand, I have something important to tell you."
Leah sighed and said, "I don't feel the same way, Asher."
Asher yelled at her in frustration, "Would you shut up a minute and listen? This isn't a confession! I mean, it is, but not that kind, I don't feel that way towards you!"
Leah was wide eyed and her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "I thought you were going to confess feelings towards me," she stated.
Asher growled, "No. If you'll let me explain, I have something to tell you. Something you can't tell anyone else, no matter what. I don't know exactly what has been happening to me since we met, but I have a power."
"Well that's obvious," Leah replied.
Asher sighed, "You don't understand. I take strength from the monsters I kill. I took the ice power from the elementals. I absorb raw strength from every creature I slay. I had asked around about it and the best I have heard is that it is the power of domination. I don't know what it means or truly what it is, but it's powerful. I don't know how far I can go with this power, but it has made me a powerful warrior, capable of turning the fight around on that dragonkin. It almost killed me in our last encounter."
Leah nodded. "So that's how you passed me in rank. That's also why you were never tired after missions. Why did you wait so long to tell me?"
Asher shrugged. "I don't know honestly. I didn't trust you at first, but I need an ally I can truly trust. Do I have that in you? After all we have been through?"
Leah replied, "Absolutely. You can rely on me. I will always be by your side, I consider you a friend. I can't say that about many people, Asher."
Asher felt a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach upon hearing that. He hadn't really considered her a friend until she had mentioned it herself. He had never truly been one to make friends, especially considering everyone he usually associates himself with died shortly after the fact. He still had one question for Leah though. It had been bugging him the entire time she had been working with him again. "How did you catch up to me in rank again?"