The morning sun shone brightly illuminating two figures who had taken temporary residence in their training grounds. Zein took out a set of highly polished daggers as he kept twirling them around as he scanned if there was the presence of imperfections on the blade. The daggers reflected the light from the sun while gaining an ominous black sheen. Zein gave a few experimental swings while switching from form to form as he glided effectively across the training field. His slashes caused dew to ripple off the grass.
Alex watched as Zein performed each strike, his eyes locked on to each form as he took in the scene and ensured it's etched to his memory. Zein delivered a final downward slash, the pressure causing the grass to bend from each other hence keeping them separated. Alex could not resist clapping his hands as he watched the finale of the performance.
"Thank you for the congratulations but now it's your turn," Zein forced the daggers into Alex's hand.
"Am I supposed to do the same forms you performed or I have to be creative," Alex rotated the blades while observing them in confusion.
"Improvisation too is also encouraged," Zein took a few steps away, giving Alex his time to shine.
"Before I continue something is odd as you were never this kind in training even when you made me do ten sets of each workout you had drafted," Alex raised his eyebrow before he furrowed them immediately.
"Don't tell me this is a plot to get me to lower my guard," Alex pointed his index finger at Zein shakily while taking a few steps back causing Zein's eyebrow to twitch as his smile faltered but returned nonetheless.
"Do as you are told, you little brat. Little children should be obedient and listen to their elders and if you don't listen I might see myself making true on that promise," Zein smile grew from pleasant to sinister levels
"Okay but seriously who pissed in your coffee?" Alex moved towards the center of the clearing not while noticing Zein's rapidly twitching eyebrow that showed his urge to strangle Alex despite of him being a child.
Alex felt the blades become slightly heavier when he did the first form causing his body to slightly stumble forwards. He put his strong foot forward to stabilize himself. He let loose a downward vertical slash and felt something become split into half.
"Huh," Alex saw a black apparition of a goblin fall upon his feet.
"I forgot to mention this but I had picked out a mission for us that would serve as your training," Alex's eyes widened upon realizing the dire situation he was in.
Alex saw the black apparition reassemble itself as it materialized into the outside world. Alex delivered another slash using one dagger causing the goblin to find an opening as it rushed at him while brandishing its large wooden club. The club was swung downward meeting the other dagger but Alex was overpowered by the club as it tossed him away from the clearing and directly into a collision course with one of the trees. The collision was inevitable as he groaned once his back met the hard bark of the tree that was doing its best to try and snap Alex's back.
Alex was not given the opportunity to collect his thoughts as a club met his stomach in a quick fashion causing the tree to break thus effectively launching him into another tree. Alex's vision had become hazy as he watched the distorted image of the goblin walk towards him. Its appearance made it seem like a grim reaper moving over to its next soul in order to ferry it to the afterlife. The club raised its club ready to finish its target who was drifting in and out of consciousness. The goblin brought down the club at a fast speed causing a small amount of air pressure to be exerted outwards as an after effect of the strike. The goblins' red orbs widened upon not hearing his attack connect. Its eyes travelled down to where his arm was and saw a stump that was actively leaking green blood causing it to howl in pain.
The goblin looked at where his prey had been located only to find the body missing alongside its severed arm. Its eyes darted immediately to the side and saw Alex holding his severed arm but the goblin knew instinctively that was not Alex once he heard his voice. "I can't believe you are this weak to the point I have to save you from a phantom goblin,"
"Don't be shy, come and attack me," This caused the goblin's eyes to glow with primal fury as it wanted to prove itself superior.
"Here is your arm you can even reattach it," The goblin's severed arm was thrown towards it causing it to smack the goblin on the face which seemed to make it become even more infuriated as evidenced by the multiple growls it let out.
The goblin took the arm and reattached it as it reverted to its intangible form. The goblin dashed forwards as it tried to dodge the daggers that were clearly swung in a precise motion. The goblin decided to strike downwards using his club using his reattached arm causing debris and dust to fly all over. This caused it to blend into the dust while masking its presence.
The goblin released an attack that was aimed for the blind spot as it had a grin as it thought it had caught 'Alex' off guard. The grin started to peel off slowly from its face as its nonexistent eyebrows rose up in confusion as its eyes widened. The dust was cleared to reveal its club had been stopped directly in its tracks by a glowing hand.
"That was an impressive tactic but you got the worst opponent for you," Immediately 'Alex' applied more pressure on the club causing cracks to form and it to eventually shatter.
The goblin instinctively jumped backwards only to fall into the path of fist that launched it towards a tree causing the tree to snap in half leaving a stump of tree. 'Alex' marched menacingly as his red irises glowed and grabbed the goblin by the face but not his whole face was fitting in the hand. This made it even more disadvantageous than having its whole face grabbed as 'Alex' applied a lot of pressure to a small area of contact. It howled in pain as it tried to attack its attacker's hand in order to set itself free from the pain that was assaulting it.
'Alex' threw it, allowing it to recover in mid air as it landed on the ground while trying to rub its sharp nose in pain due to the pressure exerted on it. 'Alex' did not give it a second to continue soothing its pain as he buried a dagger deep into the shoulder of the goblin causing it to let lose a wild punch. Upon sensing the punch 'Alex' dodged easily as it stared at the goblin as if it was below it and nothing it could do would phase him.
"It seems you are nothing without your weapon," This served to infuriate the goblin as it dashed and engaged 'Alex' in hand to hand combat.
"It seems you want to do this mano o mano style, please be my guest," 'Alex said as he tossed away the daggers and started matching the goblin punch for punch.
The goblin went for a right hook which gave 'Alex' an opportunity to lock his arm and toss him over his shoulder causing it to lose its balance. 'Alex' did not wait for it to recover and punched its gut causing it to be blown away towards a tree but it did not reach the tree as 'Alex' joined his arms and delivered a haymaker in midair causing it to be planted on the ground. 'Alex' sat on its torso while he delivered relentless punches towards its head, staining his hand with its green blood. After sometime 'Alex' stopped raining his relentless blows as the ground around him was dyed green and there was no longer a face to punch.
Alex felt himself floating across a void and landed in the throne room of the mysterious being who had been assaulting his dreams for a while. He saw the being this time stand up instead of being seated in his throne.
"Consider this the last time I save you for free," the being said as he swiped down his fist ejecting Alex from that plane of existence.
Alex realized that he was back in the forest and it was as if there was a large-scale battle there. He took note of how his fists were dyed in the same green color his surrounding was dyed in. He tried to get up only for him to wobble and fall.
Zein went towards where he had the clash take place and saw Alex's collapsed form and he examined him and saw his knuckles were dyed in the same color as the ground around them. Zein had only one thought racing across his mind.