An overwhelming sense of uncertainty and panic filled his heart as he wondered if he had made the right move. In the distance, he could see the blood staining the ground and a pool of black energy devouring the remains of the dead gremlins. The tendrils of the energy were grotesque and slithered across the battlefield, withering every vegetation it touched.

The dark miasma continued to converge, forming into a grotesque entity at the center. The tendrils slithered and absorbed every lifeform it could feast its eyes on, growing ginormous by the second. The mage then extended its hand, commanding the tendrils to consume the surrounding forest with a more ferocious hunger. Three dark tendrils crawled toward the orc, refusing to let its enemy get away.

Choppy's axe clashed against the encroaching darkness, but the mage retaliated by sending more tendrils to swarm the orc. The tendrils wrapped around the lifeless gremlins, coalescing them into a clump of dark energy that siphoned their life essence to the mage. As the tendrils made contact with Choppy’s skin, his muscles weakened and wilted almost instantly. The blight drained his strength, preying on his dwindling stamina.

It was a battle against time; the outcome hinged on who would last the longest.

Fortunately, with the potion still enhancing his strength, Choppy fought through the debilitating effects. His grip on the axe tightened as he pushed his body to its limits. Since the poison was still at its early stage, he continued to swing his axe against the mage, fighting till his last breath.

"I’m not going to lose to a filthy creature born from putrid stench!" he roared defiantly.

Who would have thought his potions would be the key to turning the battle? Whenever the mage cast a powerful spell, Choppy's axe cleaved through the residual energy, creating a brief respite.

Suddenly, Lionel heard Choppy’s voice cutting through the chaos, followed by a loud burst of shattered energy.

"Do it now, Lionel!" Choppy’s axe hovered in mid-air as the collision of energies reached its peak. The impact created a fracture that split the ground in two, causing trees along the perimeter to shake violently and birds to scatter in panic.

Lionel stood there, panting and sweating, paralyzed by the spectacle of the clash.

"What?" Lionel snapped back to reality as Choppy’s voice echoed in his ears. The [Fireburst Potion] was the last vial he had on his belt. He fumbled to reach it, hoping it was just his imagination. But when his fingers met only an empty pockets, he considered fleeing. Yet, at the same time, he couldn’t abandon his friend. Determined, he planted his feet firmly on the ground and summoned every ounce of courage.

"How am I supposed to turn this around?"

"Wait? A plan? Is Choppy telling me that he has a plan?" Lionel smacked his head. "I can do this," he clenched his fist. "There must be a way to overcome this situation, a plan that would catch the mage off guard and turn the tables in their favor."

"Damn, did he not understand me when I said there's no time for planning? It's all or nothing." Lionel gritted his teeth.

Squinting his eyes, Lionel noticed a fluid dripping from the axe, a reddish substance oozing from its sharp edge. "Since when did he have the time to grab the vial from my belt?"

Suspicious, his mind jogged with anxiety as he thought of the orc's plan, skeptical of its outcome. Was his plan made by a whim or an instinct honed by countless battles?

The image of the orc's axe flailing wildly as the slime dripped from its axe filled his mind. Maybe the slime would stick to these patches and ignite them, giving them an ample chance to win the battle.

Lionel imagined the slime burning through the mage’s clothes, a desperate attempt but potentially effective strategy. Determined, he steeled himself to help Choppy, even if it meant risking his life.

Taking a deep breath, Lionel closed his eyes, focusing intensely. The image of the slime burned vividly in his mind. The world seemed to hold its breath as he felt a sliver of his consciousness merge with the essence of the slime. He saw every detail, every intricate strand of the slime’s form.

Previously, he had coated his weapon with a flammable substance, enhancing its destructive power. However, this time, he was determined to take it a step further, forcing it beyond its limits.

Ingenuity paved the way for those who dared to push the boundaries of nature. To venture are those who seek and glimpse beyond the confines of its heritage. Fire gave way to an era of change, ushering prosperity that invigorated the minds of those who beheld its transformative force.

"I have to." Lionel felt his breath pause for a second. His mind wandered to the memories of the fire that ushered in a new era of change. He could feel his instincts answering his call, waiting for its power to be invoked.

Lionel willed the fiery essence into his mind, envisioning small flames erupting from the slime. The flames surged and swirled with intensity, molten and wild. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he struggled to contain the chaotic flames.

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Without hesitation, Lionel released the unstable elements within the slime. The fluid from the axe began to swell and expand, forming a blazing inferno.

In an instant, a massive burst of flames erupted from the mage's robe. The inferno laid waste to everything in its path, reducing trees to ash and scorching the ground. The air was filled with smoke and the roar of the firestorm.

Lionel leaned against a nearby tree, gasping for breath, his breath ragged and throbbed with extreme exhaustion. The heat was unbearable, as the sweat mingled with the soot on his face. His vision blurred, and he felt the pull of sleep. His vision blurred, and he felt the pull of sleep. But just as he was about to succumb to fatigue, a surge of energy jolted through him. With a clenched fist, he imagined a flame resting in his hand, bidding for its chance.

As he stared at the flame resting on his hand, its warm glow seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat. He could feel the energy of the flame syncing with his thoughts, becoming an extension of his will. It was as if the fire was waiting for his command, ready to unleash its fury at a moment’s notice.

Lionel lifted his hand high, aiming it towards the remnants of the mage's dark magic that still lingered in the air. With a determined thrust, he released the fire, sending it roaring through the sky in a concentrated stream of intense heat.

The inferno reached through the smoky haze, its bright flames piercing through the dark miasma. The concentrated stream of heat struck the heart of the mage's dark magic, igniting a brilliant explosion that lit up the forest in a blinding flash.

"BURN-BABY-BURN!" Lionel shouted, as smile of triumph spread across his lips. Satisfied, he let the fatigue slowly drift him into a gentle sleep, embracing the sweet bitterness of exhaustion.

The flames surged with unstoppable force, consuming the remaining traces of the mage’s twisted magic and incinerating the corrupted energy that had plagued the battlefield. Trees cracked and splintered as the intense heat spread, turning them to ash and reducing the ground to smoldering cinders. Amid the inferno, the gremlin mage stood in shock and rage at its defeat. The mage flung its wand desperately, unable to believe that a mage of its caliber had been outsmarted by a mere kid. As the realization sank in, its face contorted with incredulity and fury.

Unwilling to accept its end, the mage flailed its arms in a panic, clinging to its last remnants of mana and fighting desperately to extinguish the fire with its feeble magic. Unfortunately, the flames were already beyond its control, it was but a meaningless futile struggle against an unstoppable force.

"No, no, don't bring me to the nether." The gremlin mage shouted. "My flower, my last reward to gain my deserved power, my sweet nectar, my sweet flower." In its last moment, the gremlin's sharp claws grazed its skin, cursing at his damnation. "Damn you all!"

“A heretic...” A dark, gloomy voice emerged from behind the mage, its obscured figure shrouded in fog.

The voice was coarse and unsettling, revealing an entity far more powerful than the mage had ever anticipated. Choppy tusk glimmered in response, sensing a presence of a far greater force lurking within the mage.

"How amusing."

***

The smell of charred flesh and gravel wafted through his nostrils. The vitality of once lushed land was now buried in fire, its cries heard but in a crumb of water. Its sorrow left unseen, only to be buried under the ash.

The rain fell and clashed against the flames. Lionel could feel the droplets of water soaking into his clothes while the fire reached and comforted him. There was something about the elements meddling with each other. In that moment, he understood the whims of nature and the fragile balance between life and destruction.

"Life," Lionel said with a clogged breath. The smoke was still in his lungs.

The wind continued to carry him to a distant place, the breeze gliding against his face. A familiar pulse throbbed below his chest. It felt foreign yet strangely reassuring. He strained his eyes as he saw Choppy's back carrying him in haste. In a silent glance, gratitude seeped into his heart, relieved he had someone he could rely on.

This was his first time fighting alongside someone who had been so close to death. He wondered if every warrior who had fought for their life dealt with such intensity. Lionel stayed on his back for a while, smiling and enjoying the company as Choppy carried him onward.

"If you are going to plan ahead, do it before you are going to jump into a pit of fire," Lionel said, wrapping his hands around choppy.

Seeing Lionel waking up from the fatigue, Choppy laughed as he thought of the battle earlier. "It's a plan for you, but it's more than just a plan. It's an instinct. Besides, you are thinking too highly of me. I'm an orc, and our kind only answers with a fist."

Lionel shot him a stern look. “I thought you were a shaman of a tribe. Aren’t the keepers supposed to be wise?”

“Digging straight to the point, are you?” Choppy grunted.

“So you’re one of them,” Lionel’s smile widened as he thought of his father. “The special kind.”

Lionel tapped Choppy’s shoulder, signaling him to set him down. “That’s a relief, but also worrying…”

“And why are you taller than usual?” Lionel asked, craning his neck to look up at Choppy’s unusual height. “Did you eat something to grow like that?”

When Choppy set him down gently, his expression turned to concern. Lionel’s face flushed a deep blue as he struggled to keep his balance.

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest on my back?” Choppy asked.

“No,” Lionel shook his head. “I know you can’t maintain that enchantment for long.”

Choppy looked surprised. “How do you know it’s an enchantment and not just a physical change?”

Lionel thoughtfully stroked his chin. “I’m not sure, but my dad taught me a lot about transmutation. Any fundamental alteration should result in a noticeable shift in structure.”

“I also observed various transformations earlier, like slimes,” Lionel continued in a dull tone. “It’s strange. I don’t fully understand how enchantments work.”

Lionel clicked his tongue in frustration. “I noticed you’re expending the same amount of energy as before.”

“Stop overcomplicating things,” Choppy roared. “You sound like one of those cave dwellers who live their whole lives clueless about their surroundings.”

“Oh, that sounds just like my dad!” Lionel’s eyes lit up with excitement, his enthusiasm returning. “Do they poop? Or do they smell like rotten vegetables in the morning?”

“Wait, wait! I know,” he continued with renewed vigor. “They all have one thing in common—ladies avoid them!”

Choppy grimaced, feeling a twinge of sympathy for Lionel’s father, struggling to imagine how his child could view him in such a light.