‘Of course, you are not that easy to bait,’ Rick frowned.

Instead of charging in after his provocation, Dale kept his distance, wary of Rick’s glowing staff. He had quickly retreated back towards the other end of the expansive building floor.

‘It can’t be helped,’ he realized. His eyes on Dale, he bent his back and with large strides, charged.

Simultaneously just as he made a move, Dale shifted away from his position as well, cautiously keeping himself beyond the range of the radiating staff.

As he neared in, Dale stopped running away and instead took a quick step forward.

Noticing the opportunity, Rick leapt into the air and swung the staff at Dale’s torso. The air whistled by as he swung the staff around, charging in.

“Wow” Dale exclaimed as he was caught off guard.

The swing of the attack was aimed right at the moment when he had taken a step forward, making it impossible for him to step back.

But Dale was even quicker. He bent his knees immediately just as the staff swooped over his head, harmlessly.

“You are fast,” Rick complimented. At the same breath, he quickly retreated back, keeping an eye on Dale’s every movement.

‘Was that a coincidence?’ Dale recalled back to the moment of the attack. But he immediately knew. He realized it was not a coincidence!

“You almost got me there,” Dale replied back. “It was this close.”

He ran his hand through his frilly hair.

“What?” Dale said irritated.

He brought his hand to his face and realized that a clump of his hair had just come off!

“But it didn’t even touch me. How hot is that thing?” he was surprised. “Time for round two, Kir”

Saying so, Dale bent his knee and lowered his back, before breaking into a sprint,

“Don’t be in such a hurry,” Rick retorted back.

He arched his back and without losing a moment’s time, he quickly swung the staff, aimed at Dale’s chest.

“Using the same attack twice?” Dale scoffed, refusing to back down for a second time!

As the staff came whistling towards him, Dale did not back down to duck the blow. Instead, he brought his bare hands up in a flash to where the staff was aimed.

“Shield of Achilles” Dale enunciated.

Suddenly, a beautiful white ornate round shield appeared materialized in Dale’s hands out of nowhere, blocking the staff just in time.

“Aaah” Rick grunted as the white round shield blocked the staff, sending a jolt down his arm.

Both of them were less than five feet away from each other now.

With the shield in his hand, Dale stopped his charge. He put down the shield with a bang, leaving a dent on the concrete floor with cracks running wide.

“How heavy is that thing!” Rick could not help but ask looking at the floor.

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Dale smiled without responding. He closed his eyes for a second and the next moment, the shield disappeared.

‘That was a portal?’ Rick wondered. ‘Is he-‘

His thought process was cut short. With the shield weighing him down gone, Dale started moving in again, bare-fisted.

This time around, he, without a second thought stabbed the staff at Dale.

Dale saw the stab coming and easily sidestepped it, but right at that moment, the staff took a turn and came swinging back towards Dale’s head.

‘Damn it’ Dale raised his arm out by his face in a hurry. There was no time for anything else. He braced himself ready to protect himself as best he could from incoming blow.

And then it came, the burning staff hit Dale’s bare arm.

"Huh!” Dale said.

The blow left him more confused than anything else. Contrary to the searing pain he was expecting, what hit more akin to someone was tossing over grilled chicken at him.

“It’s an ambush!” Dale immediately realized, opening his eyes.

‘I shouldn’t have used the shield back then,’ he jumped back while simultaneously lowering his back and raising his hands before him, protecting his vitals as best he could.

But no attack came.

“What’s going on?” Dale wondered.

A moment later he peeked out to see that Kir was still standing in his place as before, motionless.

“What happened?” Dale looked over at the motionlessly standing Rick.

“Sorry,” Rick scratched his head embarrassed, “my staff is gone”.

Rick showed his empty hands.

It only took a moment to understand what must have happened.

“You don’t say,” Dale said as he saw the burnt up remains of the staff. “What did you think was going to happen if you use fire on wood?”

“Haha” Rick laughed awkwardly.

“The real question is how the staff survived for so long,” Dale shook his head disappointed.

“I had a sudden stroke of motivation yesterday. I guess I did not really think it through,” he chuckled.”

“I figured. But it was a good move,” Dale said.

“Thank you.”

“You should try a steel rod or something. It’s basically a staff anyway. Or maybe a police baton” Dale said.

“No, that won’t work either Steel will expand under the heat. Then it will become soft,” Rick shook his head.

“I was thinking, maybe there is a new material that has been formed after the Heaven's Dictate. I will figure it out later,” he added.

“I will keep my eye out,” Dale said with a nod of his head.

“More importantly, why did you want to fight me?" he asked.

“That.” Dale took a second. “I was making sure that the person that I am working with isn’t a coward.”

Rick wasn’t impressed by Dale’s candour. “I walked into that Bank and got you out, remember?”

“I don't know why you are upset. You should be happy, you passed,” Dale said with a straight-face. He changed the subject and said “I have to give it to you when the staff suddenly started glowing, it really took me by surprise,”

It was no point continuing the fight anyway. Rick’s staff was already destroyed and besides, Dale already had his answer.

“There are about eighty of them there,” Dale said, tossing his bag over. “Have fun!”

“Eighty!” Rick asked in surprise. “How did you get eighty Beast cores in ten days?”

“Are you crazy? Of course, I did not get all of the eighty beast cores in ten days,” Dale scoffed. “Do you have any idea how strong spirit beasts are? This is all the spirit beast cores I have collected since that god-awful day the world went to shit."

“Aah.” he voiced. He opened the backpack and took a peek inside. “Why didn’t you throw it away? Almost everyone thinks they are just useless pebbles anyway.”

“You never know what might become useful,” Dale replied. “So why would I throw them away.”

“Here take this,” Rick said handing him over a Golem core along with the Golem Controlling Ghostvine leaf. “It’s air golem.”

“Do I eat it?” Dale asked with a straight face.

“No no! No, you don’t eat it” he stopped Dale in a hurry. “Here let me show you how it works.”

He took the golem from Dale’s and explained how the golem can be used. He then explained how the Golem Controlling Ghostvine leaf was used as well.

“Not bad, I have a few ideas I can use the Peagle golem for. Especially its beak,” Dale said “Try making a golem that can carry people. That would be really useful.”

“I will make you a better one when we have more time. Do you have any element core you prefer?” Rick said returning the golem core back.

“Earth element,” Dale replied, “Something with a good defence if you can”

Rick nodded politely at Dale’s response.

“You are a mage too right?” Rick asked.

“Why do you think so?” Dale asked sitting with his back rested on the pillar

”Well you know of the elements and you know, the way the shield appeared out of nowhere, I thought maybe you are a space elemental mage,” Rick said hopefully.

“I am not a Mage, I am an Elemental Warrior,” Dale replied.

“Elemental Warrior? You are not a space elemental then?” Rick asked.

”No,” Dale replied.

Disappointment washed over Rick's face when he heard the reply. 'It doesn’t change anything anyway.'

“So, what’s an Elemental Warrior?” he asked, forcing a smile on his face.