Chapter 504: The Part That Knows How to Quit (1/2)

Princesses Vesper and Liara were in a room with Trenchant Moore and Liara’s teammates, Jana and Ledev.

“Let’s start with you, Ledev,” Liara said. “What is your assessment of Asano?”

“He’s capable enough. Guild-level, and strong alone. His aura is… formidable. He excels in solitary action but would be harder to incorporate into a team. His methods are unconventional, for an affliction user.”

Trenchant Moore tossed the folder containing Jason’s file onto the table.

“This assessment is wrong,” he said. “It lists Asano as an affliction-using generalist. He’s a specialist.”

“You consider him focused enough to be considered an affliction specialist?” Vesper asked.

“He’s not an affliction specialist,” Trenchant said. “Not as that term is commonly used. What is now called an affliction specialist used to be known as an affliction mage or affliction spellcaster. This is the commonly known approach of standing behind a wall of allies or summons and blanketing the enemy with afflictions from a safe distance.”

“That isn't anything like what Asano does,” Jana said. “We saw him go through several encounters and while he does use familiars, it’s never to put them between himself and the enemy.”

“He’s an affliction skirmisher,” Trenchant said. “Hit and run tactics, high mobility, high efficiency. It’s a specialisation that rarely appears and those that have it tend to die early, so it's one you don’t often see. Affliction skirmishers have a low margin of error and their survival is all about how well they expand that margin.”

“How do they compare to traditional affliction specialists?” Vesper asked. “Are they better? Worse?”

“Like every specialisation, it's a matter of circumstance. The right tool for the job. Since the job is usually standing there and killing a bunch of monsters, I’d judge Skirmisher to be the less useful specialisation. Affliction spellcasters employ much safer strategies and, unless someone takes them out, are obnoxiously effective. They need a team built around them, but they’re worth building around. You keep a good affliction spellcaster safe and it doesn’t matter what or how much you’re up against. They’ll take it down eventually. The lead-in time hurts but their efficiency and overall damage output is unparalleled.”

“The skirmisher can’t match that?”

“Partially, yes, but they need a broader array of powers, which leaves them with shortfalls. This is why Asano was pegged as a generalist. The biggest weaknesses of a skirmisher are being less effective against large numbers and the need to get in close. That is a high-risk proposition when you aren’t quickly dropping targets like an assassination specialist. That’s the low margin of error I mentioned.”

“There have to be advantages,” Jana said.

“Of course,” Trenchant said. “When what you need are skirmish tactics, a skirmisher is obviously better. A caster is better in standing fights, but not every enemy is so accommodating. Also, solitary hard targets. In the higher ranks, any monster that spawns alone is a significant threat. An affliction caster’s team needs to stand their ground, but dragon or garuda will take them apart before the afflictions do their job.”

There were nods around the table. Rimaros adventurer culture was centred on specialist teams and they all knew the results of sending the wrong team against the wrong threat.

“An affliction skirmisher is fine – and perhaps even best – operating alone,” Trenchant continued. “They can work in teams but are a bad fit for conventional ones and are a bad choice to build a team around. They do best in misfit groups that focus on versatility; the exact opposite of the team-building ethos in Rimaros.”

“Then, their main advantage is survivability?” Vesper asked.

“Yes, although it’s not just about the kind of powers they have. Mentality is key. Affliction skirmishers are used to balancing on a sharp edge, so when things go wrong, they know how to handle it. Everyone at this table knows what to do if you find yourself up against a traditional affliction specialist.”

“You get past the team and hit them,” Ledev said. “Then they’re done.”

“Exactly,” Trenchant agreed. “You know what I'd do if I was up against an affliction skirmisher? I'd run like the goddess of Pain was chasing me. I wouldn't stand and fight unless I had a full team with me and, even then, I'd want a damn good reason. It's common knowledge that you have to kill an affliction specialist before they dose you or you'll die even after you kill them. Skirmishers don't die easy.”

“So, in short,” Vesper said, “they're evil bastards.”

“Yes,” Trenchant chuckled. “If you ask me which affliction specialty is more useful, I'll pick caster every time. It's low-skill, which means reliable. Just churn through your abilities in the right order and don't go further forward than the guy with the shield. Affliction skirmishers are like evasion-type defenders. It's all about judgement, skill and margins of error, and if they get it wrong, they die. The ones that make it into the higher rank are very, very hard to kill.”

“I believe that,” Ledev said. “I do not like Asano. I don’t like his arrogance and I don’t like his disrespect. But when they made that man, they forgot the part that knows how to quit. We watched him in a fight he couldn’t win. A fight we set him up for, so they knew his powers and they were ready, but he never stopped struggling. Not for a single moment. It wasn't just blind stubbornness, either. He looked for every edge, seized every advantage that would keep him alive for even a moment longer. I have to respect that kind of determination and resolve. If he fixed his attitude, he could be a fine adventurer.”

“A lot of things have tried to kill Jason Asano,” Liara said. “You can see it in the way he fights. In his aura and his scars.”

“You’ve seen his fully unleashed aura?” Trenchant asked.

“We saw him disable someone just with his aura,” Jana said. “It wasn’t just shock from aura suppression, either. It was like some kind of soul attack. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

“I know the phenomenon you’re describing,” Trenchant said. “Have any of you worked with Amos Pensinata?”

They all shook their heads, although they had all heard of the prominent gold-ranker.

“He’s also suffered soul damage, and he can do things with his aura that other people can’t.”

“Like what?” vesper asked.

“If there’s nothing in Asano’s file about it, I’m not going to say,” Trenchant said. “It’s not my place to tell you other people’s secrets. All this holds true to what I know about affliction skirmishers, though. Traditional training methods hurt them more than help. I’ve only seen a couple of great affliction skirmishers, and that was a long time ago. Both of them fought their way up from humble beginnings, with not much more training than a few months mentored under another adventurer.”

He tapped the file in front of him on the desk.

“That’s what Asano had. Some bronze-rank adventurers showing him the ropes before he got plunged into deep water.”

“In your assessment, then,” Vesper said, “Asano can handle some high-profile contracts?”

“With respect, your highness, you’ve held a politician’s meeting to assess an adventurer. If you want to know if he can handle a contract, give him one. And I’d recommend that you take one or two yourself. There’s a monster surge on and I think you could use the perspective.”

On his way to the Adventure Society campus to see Liara, Jason accidentally opened a portal to the market district teleportation square, instead of the one on campus.

“Oops. Still, I need a few minutes before my portal is available again. I guess I’ll have to go check out the local cheeses.”

“I am uncertain of who that statement is directed at, Mr Asano,” Shade’s voice came from Jason’s shadow. “You know that you are lying, I certainly don’t believe you and even if anyone else were paying attention, I very much doubt they would care.”

“Someone’s cranky today.”