"Alright, BladeEdgeLord," I said, a playful glint in my eye, "let's see if your blade is as sharp as your mouth."
He scoffed, a confident smirk plastered on his face. "You'll regret that, newbie. Rogues are all about speed and precision.
Mages are just slow-moving targets." He lunged, his dagger a blur aimed at my chest.
My past life flashed before my eyes – the countless times I'd been caught off guard by a speedy Rogue.
But this wasn't my past life. This was now. And I had foreknowledge.
I sidestepped, a move so fluid it surprised even me. BladeEdgeLord's dagger whizzed past my ear, missing by a hair. He stumbled slightly, clearly not expecting me to move so quickly.
"Whoa! Max, watch out!" Lily shrieked, her hands clapped over her mouth. Foxy, meanwhile, let out a series of excited, high-pitched barks, as if cheering me on. He was practically bouncing on his tiny paws.
AxeMaster99 and his group, who had gathered to watch the impromptu duel, murmured amongst themselves. "Did you see that? The kid's got moves!" BlessedHands whispered.
BladeEdgeLord recovered quickly, spinning around for another attack. "Just a lucky dodge, kid! You won't get away with that again!"
"Oh, I think I will," I replied, a smirk playing on my lips. "You know, for a 'BladeEdgeLord,' you're surprisingly… predictable. It's like watching a really angry, slightly off-balance ballet dancer."
His face flushed crimson. "Why, you little—!" He lunged again, a flurry of rapid stabs.
I danced back, weaving between his attacks with an ease that would have been impossible for my past-life Warrior self. My Mage body felt light, agile. I wasn't just dodging; I was evading.
"Look at him go!" Lily cheered, now jumping up and down. "Go, Max, go!" Foxy barked in agreement, doing a little victory spin.
"He's just running away!" one of BladeEdgeLord's cronies, a bulky Warrior named 'TankyTim,' sneered from the sidelines. "Typical Mage! All talk, no fight!"
"Yeah, just a flashy newbie!" another, a scrawny Archer, chimed in. "Can't even stand his ground!"
I ignored them. Let them talk. They had no idea who they were dealing with. This wasn't about proving myself to them; it was about teaching BladeEdgeLord a lesson and showing Lily what a true Mage could do.
As BladeEdgeLord lunged for the fifth time, I saw my opening. He was overextending, his balance slightly off.
"Alright, BladeEdgeLord," I said, a mischievous glint in my eye. "Time for your shocking revelation!"
Before he could react, I unleashed a Mana Bolt. It wasn't meant to do heavy damage, just to disrupt. It struck him squarely in the shoulder, making him grunt and stumble.
"What was that, a tickle?" he scoffed, but he was off balance.
"Now for the main event!" I declared, my hand already crackling with raw, electric power. Lily gasped, recognizing the familiar build-up.
ZAP...!
A blinding, ear-splitting bolt of pure, concentrated lightning erupted from my fingertips. It streaked across the short distance, a brilliant blue-white line against the misty backdrop of the Whispering Woods.
BladeEdgeLord's eyes widened in horror, his confident smirk vanishing, replaced by pure, unadulterated terror.
The Lightning Bolt slammed into him with the force of a small explosion. He didn't just fall; he flew backward, landing with a pathetic thud against a gnarled tree trunk.
Smoke curled from his armor, and his hair stood on end, giving him a rather comical, electrified look. He lay there, twitching slightly, his health bar rapidly plummeting into the red.
The clearing fell silent. AxeMaster99, ShadowStalker, and BlessedHands stared, their jaws on the virtual ground. TankyTim and the Archer looked like they'd just seen a ghost. Or, more accurately, a newbie Mage turn into a lightning god.
Lily, however, let out a triumphant cheer that probably startled every squirrel in the vicinity. "YES! MAX! YOU TOTALLY ZAPPED HIM! HE LOOKS like a burnt marshmallow!"
Foxy, not to be outdone, began doing a frantic, happy dance around my feet, barking excitedly as if he'd personally delivered the final blow.
I walked over to the twitching BladeEdgeLord, who was slowly trying to push himself up, groaning. His fancy gear was singed, and his arrogant smirk was gone, replaced by a look of utter defeat.
I leaned down, a casual, almost bored expression on my face. "You know, for a 'BladeEdgeLord,' you really should invest in some lightning-proof armor. Or maybe, just maybe, learn some manners."
He just glared, unable to form a coherent reply.
I straightened up, turning to face the stunned onlookers. My gaze swept over TankyTim and the Archer, who suddenly looked very interested in their virtual shoes.
"So," I said, my voice calm, but with a hint of steel that made them flinch, "any other 'flashy newbies' you want to insult? Or perhaps you've all learned your lesson about underestimating a Mage?"
Silence. The only sound was Lily's continued triumphant giggles and Foxy's happy yips.
I looked at BladeEdgeLord one last time, who was now slowly, painfully, retreating, probably to find a Healer or a very large bucket of ice.
I turned back to Lily, a wide, victorious grin spreading across my face. "Hahaha! You know me now!"
Lily giggled, then threw her arms around me in a virtual hug. "You were amazing, Max! The best lightning wizard ever! You totally showed them!"
AxeMaster99, ShadowStalker, and BlessedHands finally snapped out of their stupor and approached us.
"Dude… that was insane," AxeMaster99 said, his eyes still wide. "Where did you get that spell? I've never seen a newbie cast anything like it."
"Yeah, that was some serious power," ShadowStalker added, his usual stoic expression replaced by one of genuine awe. "You're not just 'lucky,' are you?"
I just shrugged, a mysterious smile on my face. "Let's just say I have a unique way of acquiring skills. And a very good teacher." I winked at Lily, who beamed.
"Well, thanks again for the help with the troll, and for… that," BlessedHands said, gesturing vaguely at the smoking spot where BladeEdgeLord had been. "We owe you one."
"No problem," I replied. "Just trying to keep the peace. And make sure no one gets bullied in my Whispering Woods."
AxeMaster99 chuckled. "Your Whispering Woods, huh? I like it. You got a name, Mage?"
"Max," I said. "And this is Lily. And this little furball is Foxy." Foxy barked proudly, wagging his tail.
"Max, Lily, Foxy," AxeMaster99 repeated. "Good to know. We're AxeMaster99, ShadowStalker, and BlessedHands. If you ever need backup, give us a shout."
"Will do," I said, a genuine smile on my face. Making allies. This was a good start. In my past life, I'd been a lone wolf, too focused on my own survival. This time, things would be different.
As AxeMaster99 and his group headed off, still muttering about my lightning spell, Lily bounced excitedly beside me. "So, what's next, Max? More lightning? More zapping? Maybe we can find a bigger rock to blow up!"
"Patience, Lily," I said, though her enthusiasm was infectious. My gaze drifted towards the direction Foxy had been leading us earlier, the "Faint Scent of Corruption" still lingering in the air. The fight with BladeEdgeLord had been a fun diversion, a chance to flex my new powers. But the real mission still lay ahead.
"We have a quest item, remember?" I reminded her, pulling the "Faint Scent of Corruption" into view. It pulsed faintly, almost imperceptibly, but the feeling of unease it brought was very real. "This 'Faint Scent of Corruption' feels like it's leading us somewhere specific. Somewhere… important."
Foxy, as if understanding, let out a soft whine and nudged my leg, then trotted a few steps in a particular direction, looking back at us expectantly. He was definitely leading us.
"He's pointing the way!" Lily exclaimed. "He's like a furry, magical compass!"
"Looks like it," I agreed, a sense of anticipation building within me.