“No doubt about it, he’s a master of the brick arts,” Laffer says with a straight face, not a single crease to be had, “No wonder he was able to fend off against all my attacks and even cause heavy thorns damage,”

No way. You jest.

I have such a thought, but looking at the lone man who stands amidst the corpses of his friends, his straight stature and unbending nature can only remind me of one thing. A brick wall. One that won't falter even under the pressure of an enemy battering nor bend in the face of a tempestuous storm.

Although the other guys are strong, the death branch of the dark arts only focuses on one thing and that is death. It is for killing and not destroying. So try as we might, we aren’t able to break down the brick wall in front of us. However, that line of thinking ignores one certain factor…

“Isn’t this guy alive?”

“I believe so, yes,”

“Then why don’t you try to curse him?”

Really, surely these guys had thought of it earlier than I had, and well, Lacer most certainly did, though his reply was… shocking.

“I have tried, comrade,” He says, wiping his bloodied mouth, “But he has managed to hone his body to become one with the brick. A feasible tactic which puts him in a certain undeath state, where he is neither dead nor alive. He is simply brick,”

This is a jest right?

"It is not, comrade,"

Oh my lord. Are we at a stalemate with a brick master? Wasn’t Lacer’s curse magick supposed to be overpowered?

“So, got any ideas?” Laffer asks.

“How about I shoot him?”

“Eh, sounds good,”

So saying, I cock and load a bolt with shaky hands. I aim, and although my hands are unsteady, I still shouldn’t miss at this distance. I was a deadeye after all.

Enchanted with wind essence the bolt speeds at the stationary figure.

*Plink!*

“AH-OUch!” What the hell!!?

I feel a sharp pain in my gut, like I was just shanked there. Or rather like I was just shot with an enchanted crossbow bolt.

I drop my crossbow as I lean against the wall.

I have to say, I didn’t know brick arts were a thing, but I don’t how anyone could look down on these bastards. Just from what I heard these guys are basically unkillable, on top of causing thorns damage on their attackers — ranged as well as melee—, meaning that they will always be at a stalemate against their opponents. Though I guess, stalemates aren’t exactly what most would consider a victory, however, a brick arts master could certainly play a superb supportive role.

I’m about to ask for help, however, my body suddenly warms up, like the essence in my body is dancing, suddenly revitalised. The pain quickly fades as my exhaustion is washed away and I can stand on my own.

It's abrupt, something out of left field, like I suddenly kicked a stumbling block and now, bam! I feel like rejoicing as I feel my essence flow through me, stronger and more potent than before.

What happened? Did the new guy heal me again?

“Yesn’t, you ranked up. Felicitations comrade,” Lacer congratulates me, dropping a surprising piece of news on me.

That-that was anticlimactic. Are you telling me, that after shooting a brick user and suffering thorns damage, I then ranked up?

“Actually, it should be because you got shot through the foot twice, got healed, stood up, then suffered thorns damage, in that precise order,”

That isn’t how people usually rank up though… How come I ranked up through such random conditions? Was getting shot through the foot really a catalyst for my rank up? Are my bottlenecks actually that arbitrary?

However, whilst I was in deep rumination, the brick user interrupts me.

“Come and fight me, you cowards!” He yells, unfortifying himself and slamming his shield down, causing a layer of dust and debris to sweep off the ground.

He stands tall, like an impregnable fortress, made of the hardiest bricks one could find. Frankly, I’m quite intimidated. Those faint of heart would most certainly have shat themselves in his presence.

And people said that mastering brick essence was daft, what a load of rubbish.

“Hey, Lily, why don’t you shoot some magic at him?”

“Hah? You want me to die?!” She stomps her foot, “You think I didn’t see what happened to you?!”

Tsk, what a disobedient child. I’m sure her magic could shred him, but I guess she would also shred herself. Although it usually isn’t a good idea to have an argument during a fight, the guy hasn’t even taken a single step in our direction, just standing there… Menacingly!

“Hm, that is because he cannot move unless he were to disable his arts,” Lacer explains, “For to harness the power of brick, he must become brick. And like brick, he cannot move,”

Okay, I’m starting to see the drawbacks to this art.

So basically, he can’t fight us, and we can’t fight him. If this isn’t the definition of a stalemate then I don’t know what is.

“So any ideas?” I shoot not really expecting much, which is why when I receive an answer I’m all the more surprised.

“Heh, Jeffrey, I’ll show you something cool,” Wills says, “It’s something I like to call a power move,”

“A power move?”

Is it some kind of secret art? I’m puzzled. “Please explain,”

“Watch and learn buddy,”

Giving me a thumbs up, Wills throws an ampoule at the unwavering bastion in front of us. And without a word, the bastion endures the hit, the glass shattering soaking him in a solution that hisses and bubbles on his armour.

Yeah, it didn’t look that impressive…

The effect is subpar to say the least, apart from stripping the surface of his armour, he is very well intact though Wills on the other hand…

“Argh! AHHHh!”

He wasn’t doing too hot. Hmm? You thought thorns weren't supposed to work through such a medium? Guess not.

“His thorns mastery is higher than expected,” Lacer comments.

And y’know, seeing this scene, it gets me thinking, I've heard that a single dark arts cultist is said to be capable of taking on a platoon of soldiers unscathed, and well, the rumour is a bit exaggerated but the point still gets across. Heretics are strong. To the point that the weakest of their combatants is of the Silver Strength rank, and even then that wasn’t an inaccurate measure of their combat capability.

Although, the Silver rank would count as the backbone of any knight order, elite guard, unit or what hath thee, they were the weakest ranked in the heretic cult, barely classed as combatants. Above that would be Steel Will, which is what most of the heretics are ranked as, and at this rank, the power they possess is not what makes them scary. But rather the way in which they operate.

At the Steel rank, the heretics have an extremely limited sense of pain, alongside a further comprehension of the dark arts meaning that they can fight for longer, and with the dark arts that I've witnessed, as long as they keep killing, they can keep fighting, which is I suppose what makes them scary.

And these such people were getting beat up by an individual a whole rank lower than them, who can’t even actively deal damage.

Surely I’m tripping. I’m tripping, right?

Please tell me I’m tripping.