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As for the battle itself, Dozer had to acknowledge that it was indeed a unique one. Over the course of his very long life, he’d never been involved in one quite like this.

The utter chaos that Kallmakk brought to the field meant that different people could obtain the brunt of its pursuit at different times. It would fixate on Gohvis, then on Morgunov, then on Sanko, and so on and so forth. Dozer had yet to get a turn himself, but if this stalemate continued for much longer, then it was probably only a matter of time.

And with each shift of the feldeath’s primary attention, there came with it virtually no warning. Nor did the timing seem particularly predictable, either. Sometimes, Kallmakk would change targets within minutes. Other times, it might take hours.

The result of this madness was that the battle had carried them all the way to the western coast of Ardora.

And beyond it, even.

Gone were the Gettira Plains and the Jaskadan Forest. Which was quite irritating for him, since he still had business left undone there. Instead, they were replaced by the vast and unbelievably turbulent expanse of the Luthic Ocean.

They fought on the open water, amid raging waves as tall as skyscrapers. The sky darkened regularly, sometimes even completely. Such was the Nightspinner’s power. More than once, Dozer had gotten tossed around by pitch black waters. Even his soul senses were of little use, much of the time. Ardor permeated everything, rolling just as chaotically as the waves themselves.

And the storm. Their fighting had kicked up a hurricane, and it, too, had been following them since the coast, as if it had also developed a mind of its own.

More likely, it was just a natural consequence of atmospheric disturbance. Storms were a common result when servants of this level clashed, even on land. The ocean just seemed to amplify it.

For his part, the water wasn’t such a problem, really. Disorienting, sure. Annoying, of course. But whenever he needed to reestablish himself and get his bearings back, Dozer could do so with ease. The ocean waters around him would break with explosive force, creating a becalmed pocket of air the size of a city block--or even bigger, if he preferred.

That was the sphere of influence at work. The conquering of the environment, using nothing but the strength of one’s soul. The others could all do it, too. Even some of the underlings could pull it off, Dozer had noticed.