Max woke up to the crackling of a fire and the scent of roasting meat. Darkness was all around him, except for the warm, flickering light cast by the campfire. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes, and saw Boorg grilling meat on sticks while Piggy lay curled up and sleeping next to the fire. The forest surrounded them, trees danced gently in the night breeze.

“You awake!” Boorg said with a wide grin, turning the meat over the fire. “Boorg got you out! You sleep long time.”

Max stretched, feeling the aches and bruises from his fight. “Thanks, Boorg. I thought I was done for back there.”

“Boorg strong. Boorg save Max,” Boorg said proudly, puffing his chest.

“You fell off the ceiling and killed the poor guy,” Max laughed. “You are very strong when you can kill someone with your ass.”

Boorg laughed even louder.

Max looked into the fire when he realized. “The books! There was so much knowledge in that dungeon. So many secrets I could have learned. Now it’s all gone.”

Boorg’s grin widened, and he reached into his satchel, pulling out a thick, dusty, old book. “Boorg think of that too. Boorg take book!”

Max’s eyes widened in surprise. “You took a book? From the library?”

Boorg nodded. “Boorg smart. Boorg know Max like books. Boorg take this one. Best one.”

Max took the book from Boorg’s hands and examined it. The cover was worn, but the title was still readable. “Elemental Symbols and Spellcrafts.” Max flipped through the pages, his excitement growing with each one he turned.

“This is incredible Boorg,” Max said. “This book shows all the symbols for every element that Perparos researched in his long life. It explains how to create spells using those symbols. This is exactly what I needed!”

Boorg was shining brighter than the fire. “Boorg happy Max happy. Boorg know book good.”

“How did you know?”

“Biggest book Boorg saw.”

Max couldn’t help but smile. Despite the danger and destroyed orb, somehow something valuable ended up in his hands. “You did great, Boorg. This book is going to help us a lot.”

Boorg handed Max a stick with grilled meat. “Eat, Max. Boorg cook. Piggy sleep. We safe here.”

Max accepted the food and took a bite. “Thanks, for everything. You really saved me back there.”

“Boorg strong. Boorg protect friends,” Boorg said, checking the meat on the fire.

“Tomorrow, we’ll start studying this book,” Max said between bites, holding it up. “We’ll learn everything we can and use it to our advantage.”

Boorg nodded. “Boorg ready. Boorg learn too.”

Max chuckled. “Of course, Boorg. We’ll learn together.”

The fire crackled and the night grew deeper. They had survived the dungeon, even cleared it, faced unimaginable dangers, and come out stronger. With the knowledge in the book, Max was one step closer to his goal.

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The next morning, Max, Boorg, and Piggy continued their journey through the dense forest. Max walked with his nose buried in the book, reading aloud to Boorg, who listened carefully while carrying Piggy on his back. Max found it refreshing that Boorg for once listened, and stopped singing stupid songs.

“Everything has a symbol,” Max read. “In magic, spells are made by connecting these symbols,” Max stopped for a second. “So in a way, it is like chemistry. Each element in chemistry has its own symbol, and by combining them, you create compounds. The same principle applies to magic. By connecting different magical symbols, you create spells. Wow, interesting. So probably there are symbols who work better with each other, and the other way around.”

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Boorg nodded, trying to keep up. “Boorg understand. Like cooking. Different stuff make different meal.”

“And pizza and sugar aren’t a great combo,” Max added.

“Pizza?” Boorg looked confused. Max didn’t pay any attention to that as he continued.

“But most people today just learn the existing spells. They don’t understand the symbols. They just memorize the incantations and gestures. Perparos, that is me, was alive at the time when these spells were being created. He continued researching and creating new spells using these symbols,” Max stopped for a second. “This guy was full of himself. He talked about himself in his own book, praising himself, nice touch.”

Max flipped through the pages, his excitement growing. “This book is huge. He was a genius that must be admitted. It contains all the symbols and their meanings. With some imagination and knowledge, I can create my own spells. The possibilities are endless.”

“Boorg not good with symbols. Boorg smash things,” Boorg scratched his head.

Max laughed. “That’s okay, Boorg. I’ll handle the symbols. You handle the smashing. Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking about creating a new spell. Something to torture my enemies and leave them screaming in pain.”

Boorg’s eyes widened. “Max want torture spell?”

“Yes,” Max said. “But I can’t figure it out. I’ve been trying to combine different symbols, but nothing seems right.”

Boorg nodded, not fully understanding but acting like he did. “Boorg help if can.”

Max continued reading and experimenting with the symbols in his mind as they walked. He tried different combinations, but none seemed to work, it was more difficult than he thought at first. Frustrated, he paused and looked around, trying to find inspiration.

“Think, Max,” he muttered to himself. “What can cause excruciating pain, and leave someone screaming?”

Suddenly, an idea struck him, a grin spreading across his face.

Boorg looked puzzled. “What?”

Max quickly returned to the book, searching for the symbols that represented pain, heat, and removal. He found the symbols for fire and pain, which were simple enough, and then a symbol for separation. Combining these symbols in his mind, he visualized the spell and chanted the incantation.

“∷ᒷᒲ𝙹⍊ᒷ ⍑ᔑ╎∷!” he incanted, focusing his energy.

A small, fiery spark appeared in his hand, followed by a sensation of intense pain. He kept his eyes closed, maintaining his concentration. The spark flared and then disappeared, leaving a faint, burning sensation on his skin.

“It works,” Max said, grinning. “It actually works. Boorg, I did it! I created my very first spell!”

Boorg clapped his hands together, causing the ground to shake slightly. “Max smart. Max make new spell.”

“Let’s call it… Hmmm… Brazilian Agony,” Max said with a dark chuckle. “This will leave our enemies screaming in pain.”

Boorg, still confused, nodded. “Max and Boorg strong. Max make spells. Boorg smash enemies. But can you show to Boorg what spell is? Boorg want to see.”

“If I show you, it might be painful even for you.”

“Hmmm… Won’t kill Boorg, show to Boorg.”

Max hesitated for a moment. “Alright, but just a small demonstration,” he said, conjuring a small spark of the Brazilian Agony spell in his hand. “This spell is meant to cause a burning sensation combined with intense pain, ripping the hair out.”

Boorg watched intensely, his eyes wide with curiosity. Max approached Boorg to cast the spell on his arm. Max turned his hand over to place it on Boorg’s hand, but then like a projectile, it went straight to Boorg’s crotch.

Max’s eyes widened in horror as the spell made contact. Boorg’s reaction was immediate. He let out a high-pitched, agonized scream that echoed through the forest, clutching his groin and falling to the ground, his face covered in pain. The sigh of his hair falling between his trousers and the tears welling in his eyes was almost too much for Max to handle.

“Oink!” Piggy fell off Boorg’s back, angry because they interrupted her sleep.

“Oh no, Boorg! I’m so sorry!” Max rushed to his friend’s side.

Boorg groaned, his eyes watering. “Max… not nice… pain…”

“I am so sorry, I wanted to cast it on your hand.”

Boorg sat up and looked at Max. “Boorg… understand. Magic tricky. But Boorg not want repeat. Max scary mage.”

“I’ll make sure this never happens again!”

Boorg managed a small smile, though it was clear he was still in great pain. “Max learn from mistake. Boorg learn too. Next time, Boorg not ask for magic test.”

Max chuckled weakly. “Definitely. Let’s not try anything too risky anymore.”

As the sun climbed higher, Max and Boorg continued their journey, with Piggy still snoozing on Boorg’s back. Max kept the book close, it was enough testing for one day. However, with this book, Max could become very powerful by creating his spells.

By evening, they set up camp for the night. Max and Boorg shared a nice, warm meal, Piggy joining in on the feast. The forest around them was peaceful, Boorg looked much better now. “Sorry once again for that earlier in the morning, Boorg,” Max said, he felt bad.

Boorg grinned, raising his cup. “No problem! Boorg good now!”

They clinked their cups together, the fire crackling warmly beside them, and the promise of new adventures just around the corner.