The air was charged with electricity as the goblins erupted in panic, their shrieks mingling with the crackle of flames spreading from the goblins that Kaelem had initially hit. He felt adrenaline surging through his body, drowning out everything else as he focused on the goblin charging toward him.

With a single swipe of his blade, he cleaved the goblin in two, splitting it in half as it burst into blue flames. Without time to react, the goblin's face froze as it fell apart.

Selkor, the wizened mentor, stepped into action. He raised his hands and summoned a pale blue spell circle, creating a shimmering barrier. "I'll hold the goblins back; your fight is with their leader!" he shouted, his voice steady but commanding.

Kaelem nodded, swallowing hard as he marched forward. The hobgoblin moved to the center of the camp to get a better view of the situation - a hulking figure clad in ill-fitting armor that was clearly too small for its large, muscular body. It towered over the other goblins, eyes narrowed and full of malice as it stared at Kaelem.

A twisted grin formed on its face as it assessed the situation, seeing the older wizard secluding his minions so that it could fight the younger one. A sacrificial offering, the hobgoblin thought in its arrogance. It let out a guttural roar in a language Kaelem didn't understand, filled with a roughness that grated against his brain like sandpaper.

The burning blade pressed a familiar warmth against Kaelem's body as he adjusted his grip on the hilt. The blade gleamed with blue flames, holding the weight of his determination. This was his fight, his trial. And he wouldn't back down, even if his opponent was some inhuman goblin chieftain.

Kaelem marched toward the hobgoblin, the goblins around him swarming toward Selkor, unable to get near him due to the barrier his mentor had created. He continued to move forward through the goblins, feeling the ground shake beneath his feet. Selkor had unleashed a torrent of ice, capturing the goblins and keeping them at bay. Wisps of energy flew past Kaelem's head as Selkor began to thin the horde.

Taking advantage of Selkor's magic, Kaelem darted forward, picking up his pace as he approached the hobgoblin. It locked eyes with him, raising its brutish club, ready to swing down toward the young mage. Kaelem leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the swing that could have ended him in an instant. The club smashed down on the ground, spitting out mud and debris.

Kaelem seized the moment, channeling his magic as he thrust the blade forward toward the hobgoblin.

The hobgoblin spun just in time, raising the heavy club to meet Kaelem's blade. The impact sent a shockwave through his arm, but he pressed on regardless, twisting the blade to slice across the chief's armor and leaving scorch marks on the metal chestplate. The hobgoblin growled in fury as embers from the blade spat at him, its eyes now blazing with rage as it yelled out its frustrations.

Selkor was visibly occupied with the tide of goblins rushing at him, some managing to break through the ice while others came at him with sheer tenacity, despite feeling the frost in their feet. He continued to throw bolts of magic at the goblins, showcasing his elegance as he felled them with grace.

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Meanwhile, the chief growled in anger, filling the air with rage. Using its superior physique, the hobgoblin began to swipe at Kaelem, abandoning its heavy club in favor of a rage-filled onslaught of claws.

Caught off guard by the sudden change, Kaelem felt something shift within him as he desperately tried to avoid being hit. He could feel the pressure and chaos of his magic bubbling beneath the surface, the runes on his bracer flaring as he momentarily became distracted. The blade dissipated into the air like mist.

Reaching for the power he sensed in his subconscious, the world around him blurred as the hobgoblin charged. Kaelem resorted to instinct, raising his hands and leaping backward to avoid the assault. The power he had grasped reacted, and the whispers he first heard when his magic awoke filled his head. It was a language he couldn't understand, but it held the same malice and distaste the hobgoblin had used.

Oily black tendrils erupted from his arms, slithering through the air and piercing the hobgoblin's chest as if its armor were made of paper. The chief flashed a look of surprise and uncertainty, spitting blood onto the floor, no longer flailing its claws toward Kaelem. The tendrils retracted back into Kaelem's body, who was equally confused.

But now wasn't the time to question it. He took advantage of the situation, drawing another circle between himself and the chief. 'Fire and a ball,' he thought to himself, drawing the runes into the air with his magic. He pushed his power into the circle and conjured a large ball of fire, sending it straight into the hobgoblin's chest wound.

He poured everything he could reliably muster into the spell without it becoming unstable. The flames flickered brighter as they consumed the chief's chest cavity, setting its body ablaze and causing it to howl in agony. The ball of fire pressed into its lungs, pushing deeper into the hobgoblin.

The final surge of the spell unleashed the flames, engulfing the hobgoblin as it combusted in a brilliant flash of light that filled the area, drowning out all sound. As the flames died down, the chief was kneeling on the floor, defeated, its chest glowing as its body burned from the inside.

The world around Kaelem returned to normal as Selkor dealt with the other goblins, rushing toward Kaelem in astonishment. "You did it, boy! That was a masterful display!"

Kaelem stood in awe, unsure of what had just happened. His heart was still racing. "I… I didn't know I could do that," he murmured, the excitement of his achievement yet to hit him.

Selkor smiled proudly, patting his apprentice on the shoulder. "You managed to hold your own against a formidable foe. Your potential is greater than you realize." He was clearly impressed, a duel with a hobgoblin something only seasoned adventurers would have attempted.

As Kaelem stood there, brushing himself off, he nodded, realizing that he had taken a significant step in his proficiency. He had faced his fears and defeated an elite enemy, but that power… He didn't understand where it had come from or what it was.

As darkness loomed in the depths of the dungeon, he turned to face Selkor, hesitant to mention the power he had just experienced. Everything in his body told him it came from a dark place, and based on his time with Selkor so far, he didn't think the wizard would take to it kindly.

Instead, he forced a smile, burying the fear of his newfound power. He could worry about that tomorrow, now was the time to celebrate his accomplishment. Having cleared the dungeon of the main threat, they headed back to the entrance, intending to return to the inn for a good night's rest. Kaelem could feel his body growing heavier with fatigue as he failed to recall the last time he had slept.