As they walked, an elven tree home materialized from the dense forest ahead. The elf gestured towards it. “This is it. Take a seat wherever you want,” he offered, opening the door with an air of practiced hospitality.

Inside, the home was typical of an elven dwelling—shelves lined with books and trinkets, a neatly made bed, and a dining table with chairs that looked well-used. Despite the cozy setting, Elron couldn’t shake the tension in his gut, and he could tell Sylra was equally uneasy. Still, they took their seats at the table, trying to appear calm.

The elf sat at the head of the table, leaning back in his chair as if to show he was at ease. “I’m no threat to you, the town, or anyone,” he assured, attempting to put them at ease.

“Mr—” Elron began, but the elf held up his hand, stopping him.

“Sunbark, Kael Sunbark. Yours?” Kael introduced himself, his voice carrying an air of authority.

Elron hesitated, feeling the sweat bead on his forehead. He hadn’t thought of a last name for himself and stammered, “El-ric, uh—” His words stumbled as he tried to come up with something.

Kael sighed, lowering his head in apparent regret. “It’s okay, I’m sorry for asking. I should have known better than to ask about a half-elf’s origins. Please, forgive me. It’s been a stressful month for me,” he said.

Sylra’s frustration simmered just beneath the surface, and she struggled to keep it in check. “Why are you running around with murderous kobolds?!” she demanded, her voice rising in anger.

“Woah now,” Kael said, raising his hands as if to calm them. “I’m not your enemy, even though it may look like it. I am—or was—the Bridgewoods enchanter.” His calm demeanor remained, though a hint of regret colored his words.

Elron crossed his arms, tapping his finger on his bicep, curiosity piqued. “What changed?” he asked cautiously.

Kael leaned forward slightly, as if to share a secret. “Ah, you see… I was out and about, and they captured me. Their savage group threw me in a cage, stowed me in their dungeon, nearly starved me, prodded me with their spears, you know, the works. Little did they know though, I was learning their language and convinced them that I could lead them to glory,” he explained, speaking as though recounting a casual tale.

Elron and Sylra exchanged bewildered glances at each other before they both burst into laughter. The tension that had filled the room dissipated in an instant.

“You’re a kooky one, aren’t ya, ha!” Sylra said, slapping her knee as she laughed uncontrollably.

As the laughter died down, Elron’s expression shifted. He leaned in, clasping his hands and clearing his throat. “Eh, mhm.”

Kael looked up, the grin still lingering. “Yes, Elric?”

“About the kobolds," Elron said, his voice carrying a newfound intensity. "I want to kill them all. Will you help make this happen?” There was a dark, unsettling gleam in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

Kael's grin widened in response. “You beat me to the goal of this conversation. I need help seeking my revenge on these fuzzy bastards.”

Elron briefly glanced at the now unamused Sylra before turning back to Kael. “Great, we're in agreement. Now, how would you like to go about it?”

The group then spent a couple of hours discussing their strategy to annihilate an entire tribe of kobolds in one swoop. Kael was very thorough in his thoughts and explanations. Elron picked apart Kael’s initial tactics, making solid suggestions that helped craft a better plan than the original. Sylra, however, questioned the two every which way, leaving both of them wondering what they were thinking in the first place. In the end, they all came up with a sound battle plan.

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"Bark! Buark! Bark! Bar-ah-ark! Bar-r-ah-ak!"

Deep in a forest clearing near Bridgewoods, two elves stood in the center of dozens of kobolds. Kael stood atop a rock, wildly throwing his hands in the air and preaching in the kobold tongue. He captivated the audience of small dog-like creatures; all eyes were on Kael, except for two.

Each time the crowd chanted back in response to Kael's enthusiasm, a kobold went missing from the outside of the crowd. One by one, the crowd’s numbers slowly dwindled. Yet, that was short-lived. It wasn’t long until a kobold yelped and pointed to a cloaked woman dragging one of their slain friends into the brush.

Kael, noticing the jig was up, quickly casted, “Sleep.” A dozen kobolds closest to him dropped into a deep slumber. At the same time, Elron imbued his sword with flames and began swirling through the crowd. The confusion was overwhelming, yet the kobolds surprisingly didn’t flee since they still had their enemies significantly outnumbered.

“Fuck!” Kael cried out as a spear was suddenly shoved through his calf.

Elron leaped over to him, skewering the offending kobold. The creature's flesh was like paper when his blade was set aflame, so much so that the chest of his foe slid down to the hilt, forcing Elron to kick the body from his blade.

“T-ah, thanks,” Kael gasped, his voice strained as he casted Shield on himself.

With his new partner encased in a hard, fluid-like bubble of magic, Elron turned his attention back to the fray. Despite his poor training and limited knowledge of sword work, he leaned on his minor blade mastery. Outside of not cutting himself, the class ability intuitively assisted him in his swings. He could feel it guiding him.

He swung his bastard sword wildly with both hands, and the fiery blade caused the kobolds to move back in fear. Every time they did, it gave him an opening to charge one of them and secure a kill. He repeated this over and over, and the kobolds never seemed to catch on. His class abilities were really coming to fruition.

Kobolds bursted into flames, screaming, running around in panic with missing limbs. Some had their heads instantly explode from the ocaiational mana bolt, causing brain matter and gore to splatter onto their comrades. All of this chaos began to spread panic, and some fled from the clearing and back into the forest. Yet, the screams from those who fled could be heard in the distance, deep within the woods.

Exhausted, Elron sank his sword into the dirt and leaned heavily against it.

You have leveled up.

Plus one attribute point.

You have gained Weapon Bond.

Select one new class ability:

* Boom Blade

* Shock Grasp

* Shield

* Earth Shot

* Wind Blade

With his body teetering on the edge of collapse, Elron nearly felt relieved as he found himself in the trance that came with leveling up. His mind questioned what Weapon Bond meant, and the words materialized in his head immediately afterwards.

Weapon Bond allows one to materialize their weapon instantly to their hand upon finishing the Weapon Bonding ritual.

‘Well, that’ll be useful, but what about those other three options?’

Boom Blade applies knockback to your weapon.

Shock Grasp allows one to shock their foe with a touch.

Shield conjures a shell of protective mana around the target.

The three new options each held unique promise, sparking Elron's curiosity and igniting his imagination with countless possibilities. Despite the explanations offered by the world, he still found himself wrestling with questions about how each might unfold in the ever-shifting maze of future battles and challenges.

The level up also provided him with a another attribute point, which he promptly threw into strength once again. He was offered the other elemental types of Flare. After mulling over their utility for what felt like hours, Elron decided to chose Shield.

He staggered to his feet, eyes wide as he felt a surge of power invigorate him. A smile spread across his face.

Elron then looked down at his hand, clenching his fist. “Hm, it seems that I really am capable of some things,” he muttered to himself.

Sylra marched out of the forest with a ring of ears in her hand. “You two look fucked. Let’s head back to town.”

“What about the ears?” Elron asked, collapsing down to one knee in pain.

"Neither of you will live to collect anything if we don’t head back now," she said firmly, her words edged with concern. Elron’s vision now began to blur, the world fading into a murky haze.