Akio sat cross-legged on the floor of their small inn room, a thick, ancient book resting on his lap. His eyes scanned the pages intently, absorbing the intricate details of the spells described within. The room was dimly lit by a small lantern, and the soft sound of paper rustling filled the quiet space.
"Ren," Akio called out without looking up, his voice filled with excitement. "You have to check this out."
Ren, who had been pacing by the window, turned around, curious. "What did you find?"
Akio tapped the page with his finger, grinning. "This book talks about a way to solidify magic into physical weapons. It's called Magic Blade Formation. We could create blades, spears-anything really, all from our magic."
Ren raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You mean like turning magic into a sword?"
"Exactly," Akio replied, flipping through the pages. "It's not just a regular magic attack. It's like... weaponizing pure energy. If we master this, we could fight up close without relying on normal weapons."
Ren crossed the room in a few quick strides, peering over Akio's shoulder. The idea of forming a weapon out of his lightning was exhilarating. "Let's try it."
The two of them moved to the clearing outside the inn, eager to put this new discovery into practice. Akio stood with his feet planted firmly, closing his eyes as he concentrated. Fire magic surged through his body, and slowly, a blade began to form over his right hand. It flickered at first, like a flame struggling to stay lit, but then it solidified into a sharp, crimson blade, glowing with heat.
"Hand blade," Akio whispered, admiring his creation. He swung it through the air, and the blade sliced through the wind with ease.
Ren watched with wide eyes, impressed. He focused his own energy, feeling the familiar hum of lightning coil within him. A spark danced along his arm as he extended his hand, and with a concentrated effort, a blade of crackling electricity formed from his palm. The air around it buzzed with energy, lighting up the night with flashes of blue.
"This is insane," Ren said, his voice filled with awe as he examined the glowing lightning blade. "We're literally holding our magic in our hands."
They spent the next hour practicing their newfound technique, swinging their magic blades and testing their durability. The potential of this ability excited them, knowing that they were unlocking a whole new level of combat proficiency.
The next day, Ren and Akio made their way to the guild hall, energized by their recent training. They scanned the mission board, looking for something that would give them a chance to test out their new abilities. Their eyes landed on a D-rank mission:
Mission: Eliminate 20 Nearby Goblins
Description: A group of goblins has been spotted near the eastern woods. They've been harassing travelers and burning small camps. Eliminate them and bring back proof of their defeat.
"Sounds like a good challenge," Ren said, pulling the request from the board.
Akio nodded, eager to get started. "Let's do it."
They accepted the mission and set off toward the eastern woods. The road was quiet as they walked, the forest on either side dense with trees and undergrowth. Ren kept his senses sharp, scanning the area for any signs of movement.
As they neared the heart of the woods, a flicker of orange caught Ren's eye. He stopped in his tracks, pointing ahead. "Do you see that?"
Akio squinted. "A fire?"
Without a word, they sprinted toward the source of the flames. As they approached, the smell of smoke filled the air, and they could see the flicker of a campfire burning in a small clearing. But something felt off. The atmosphere was tense, and a strange, guttural laughter echoed through the trees.
Just as Ren opened his mouth to speak, an arrow shot out from the shadows, whistling through the air. Ren barely managed to dodge it, the arrow grazing his cheek as it embedded itself in a tree behind him.
"Ambush!" Ren shouted, his heart racing.
From the shadows of the trees, goblins began to emerge. Their beady eyes glinted with malice, and their ugly, twisted faces were lit up by the fire's glow. They grinned wickedly, their sharp teeth bared as they laughed in unison-a cruel, mocking sound.
The goblins were small but vicious, each armed with crude weapons-bows, rusty swords, and jagged spears. There were at least a dozen of them, circling around Ren and Akio, cutting off any route of escape.
One of the goblins, larger than the others, stepped forward, brandishing a club. He spoke in a guttural language that neither Ren nor Akio could understand, but the meaning was clear: they were in trouble.
Akio clenched his fists, fire flickering around his knuckles. "Looks like we've got no choice."
Ren nodded, electricity crackling around his body. "Let's show them what we've learned."
As the goblins charged, Ren and Akio moved in sync. Akio summoned his fire, his hand blade igniting in a burst of crimson flames as he slashed through the first goblin that came too close. The creature screamed as the flames consumed it, its body turning to ash in an instant.
Meanwhile, Ren darted forward, his speed enhanced by his lightning aura. He dodged a spear thrust from one of the goblins, countering with a swift strike from his lightning-infused blade. The electricity surged through the goblin's body, causing it to convulse before it collapsed, lifeless.
But more goblins were coming, their cruel laughter echoing in the air as they swarmed the two boys. Arrows flew through the air, and Ren had to leap aside to avoid being skewered by a volley of them. Akio responded by launching a series of Flame Bullets, the fiery projectiles slamming into the goblins and sending them scattering in panic.
One particularly agile goblin leaped at Ren, a dagger raised high. Ren reacted instinctively, summoning his Lightning Fist. With a single punch, he sent the goblin flying backward, the electricity surging through its body and leaving it twitching on the ground.
"These things are relentless!" Akio shouted, slashing through another goblin with his hand blade. "How many are there?"
Ren didn't have time to answer as another arrow flew past his head, missing him by inches. They were being pushed back, the sheer number of goblins overwhelming them. But Ren's eyes narrowed in determination. They had come too far to be defeated now.
As another goblin lunged at him, Ren spotted a small pebble on the ground. In a split-second decision, he bent down, grabbed it, and charged it with lightning magic. The pebble glowed with crackling energy as he hurled it at the goblin. The small stone pierced through the creature's chest, killing it instantly.
Akio saw this and grinned, flames dancing in his eyes. "Nice shot!"
The battle raged on for what felt like hours, but eventually, the goblins began to thin out. One by one, they fell to Ren and Akio's magic-infused attacks. When the dust finally settled, the clearing was littered with the bodies of goblins, their twisted forms lying in the dirt.
Panting, Ren and Akio stood amidst the carnage, their bodies aching from the fight. They had killed nearly all of the goblins, but there were still a few left.
"We've got 87," Ren said, counting the bodies. "Just a few more to go."
With grim determination, they hunted down the remaining goblins, making quick work of them. By the end of the day, they had slain more than the 20 as required by the mission.
Exhausted but victorious, they gathered the goblins' bodies and made their way back to the guild. As they walked, Ren glanced at Akio, a tired smile on his face. "I think we're getting better."
Akio nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Yeah. But we've still got a long way to go."
When they finally arrived at the guild and handed over the proof of their kills, they were rewarded with five copper coins. It wasn't much, but the sense of accomplishment was worth more than the money.
As they left the guild, Ren clenched his fist, feeling the crackle of lightning still coursing through him. The goblin hunt had been tough, but it had pushed them to their limits-and shown them just how much they were capable of.