The Infinite Story Volume 1

31. No ability like hers

"What are the others doing?" Jay asked, scanning the area.

"Where is Blue?" Nagget asked back, clearly distracted.

"I guess he went to find a way to get into the barrier without destroying the crystals," Jay replied, pulling a face and sticking out his tongue. "Anyway, seems like that girl is dead."

"Of course, you can tell," Lukas added, noting the lifeless form nearby.

"Yeah, but the bigger problem right now is Jasha," Jay continued. "These creatures of the Prestige need purging, and I really, really want to interrupt other people's fights."

"Yeah, whatever," Nagget muttered dismissively.

"So, what do we do now?" Lukas asked, looking between Jay and Nagget.

"Who's fighting who?" Jay asked as he looked around.

"Johan was fighting this electric guy," Nagget explained, flustrated.

"Aha, understood," Jay responded. "Weeeell, I guess I'll just look around and see what I can do."

"Okay," Lukas said as he started flying upwards, surveying the battlefield from above.

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Camilo stood on the wall, the sudden appearance of the new presence and the weight of the information... Lumine's death had shifted the odds against them.

"So, who are you again?" Jay queried, breaking the tense silence.

Camilo slowly turned, his gaze locking onto Jay. "This must be him," he muttered under his breath, facing the overwhelming aura of the newcomer. "Such formidable presence! I didn't sense any magic emanating from him, and he managed to sneak up behind me unnoticed," Camilo thought to himself.

"The better question would be, who are you?" Camilo instantly asked.

"Yeah, well, I'm just a wanderer," Jay replied casually. "I go around town, doing good deeds, especially for the children. They get very annoying, wouldn't you agree?"

Camilo swiftly activating his ability, seizing Jay's leg from afar and pulling him closer with surprising force.

"Huh?" Jay exclaimed, caught off guard by the sudden movement.

But just as Camilo prepared to strike, Jay vanished into thin air, leaving Camilo momentarily baffled by his unexpected disappearance.

"Where did he go?!" Camilo demanded, his movements frozen in place as he strained to locate Jay, only to hear a faint whisper from behind.

"How did you do that?" Camilo spun around, swinging his arm toward Jay, but Jay had already slipped behind him once more. "That's Mar's ability!" said Jay as he dodged another hit from Camilo. 

"Oh shiit!" Jay exclaimed with excitement, doing a complete 180 with his feet up in the air and head pointed downward—as he hurled a big pile of skullk at Camilo.

Camilo was sent backwards but because it was a weak attack from Jay he regained his footing.

"I think I've got it now," Camilo said confidently as he readied himself.

"Huh?" Jay stood upright, already back on his feet. "What do you mean?" Jay said confused.

"Its my ability, it allows me to replicate someone else's ability," Camilo explained. "It grants me the knowledge to understand it with just the smallest bit of information I feed it."

"Ahh, I see," Jay nodded. "So you were able to replicate Mar's ability just by observing and sensing how it works?!"

"I suppose that's one way of putting it!" Camilo replied with a sadisfied voice.

"You have this very powerful ability indeed" Jay pasued. "But do you think it would be enough?" Jay questioned.

"Enough for what?" Camilo asked with irritation in his voice. Attacking Jay again but he just dodged it at ease.

"To defeat us," Jay stated suddenly appearing behind Camilo and gripping his shoulder. "Just take a look around and consider."

Camilo's mind flashed with memories of the recent events  that had taken place. "All these casualties just to take down a group of fucking, I dont know?" Jay muttered.

Camilo gulped, feeling overwhelmed.

"And who else have you fought?" Jay started guessing." A?" Jay smirked. "Amantii?" Jay taunted him.

"The girl?" Camilo thought to himself, his curiosity piqued despite his annoyance.

"Yeeeah, she usually wields a spear about as tall as me...," Camilos eyes opened in shock. Jay noticed that and he knew what to do next.

Jay's ability allows him to find the truth therefore even the slightest reaction from someone, allows him to find if it was a truth or a lie. He grinned confidently. "You can't replicate her ability!" he asserted with a smile. "You don't understand it!!! 

Come on, think, what could her ability be!" Jay was amused and started walking around.

"Well she has used portals the most and her spear. She throws it and it somehow reappears in her hand. It seems that these people only have one ability they can use besides reinforcing their body with magic, but what's hers? Im feeding my ability the information I have but its not enough!"

Time felt like it had stopped. Camilo was lost in thought, while Jay looked at him with amusement.

"Do you want to know?" Jay said.

Camilo looked down, ashamed. "I cant figure it out! Why?!"

Jay smiled and went up to his ear and started explaining it.

"...so that's it?!" Camilo thought to himself, processing the revelation of Amantii's ability. "That's her ability?!"

He glanced at Jay. "I don't need it."

"Huh?" Jay looked confused. "Oh, come on, use it at least once. I really want to see!"

Camilo took a step back, nervous. "All I need..." he exhaled deeply. "...is your ability!"

As soon as Jay heard that, he burst into laughter. "AHAHA, oh, you've got to be kidding me," he chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. 

But his mood quickly turned serious. "I want to see you try."

Camilo started walking back sweating in fear of the sudden change of demeanor. "After feeding the information that he can create mass to my ability, it gave me a whole explanation on how it works," Camilo thought excitedly. "The ability of 'Skullk,' how wonderful! With this, I surely must win!" With determination, he activated the ability, only to find himself suddenly bleeding profusely from everywhere. "Wh-what's this?!"

Jay smiled.

"What did you do to me?!" Camilo shouted in disbelief.

"You did it to yourself," Jay said, booping Camilo on the nose and preparing to deliver a powerful kick. But before he could, Camilo was abruptly pushed away by another presence.

"He's mine Jay," Mar declared as he appeared.

A portal opened, and Amantii walked through. She started looking around and noticed Jay "Oh, you're here too."

"Yes," Jay acknowledged, brushing off the interruption. "Anyways..."