The battle for the Silverwood had begun. The Iron Hand's dark mages were chanting. Their evil magic hit the elven barrier again and again. The barrier was cracking. Soon, it would break. The elven warriors were brave, but they were also scared.
Ren stood on the high balcony and looked down at the battle. He was calm. He turned to the elven leaders.
"Your archers are shooting at their shields. That is a waste of arrows," he said. His voice was not loud, but everyone listened. "Tell your archers to aim for the dark mages. Tell your warriors to make a strong wall at the gate. Do not let anyone through."
The elves were surprised by his smart, simple commands. They immediately followed his orders.
Ren then turned to his friends. "Elara, your home is being attacked. Use your life magic. Make the forest fight with us. Lyra, you are the strongest knight here. Go to the gate and lead the warriors. Do not let anyone pass."
The girls nodded. They trusted him completely. They ran off to do their jobs.
Now, Ren was alone on the balcony. He looked down at the whole enemy army. He was one boy against thousands of men.
"Okay," he said to himself. "Time to show them why it's a bad idea to interrupt my studies."
First, he used his summon skill. But he did not just summon Buzz. His power had grown. [Skill Evolved: [Summon Wasp Swarm]]!
A giant, silver doorway opened in the sky above him. From it flew not one wasp, but a hundred. A giant, buzzing cloud of Glimmerwasp Drones filled the air. The enemy army looked up in horror.
Ren pointed his finger at the enemy. "Attack their mages," he commanded.
The wasp swarm shot down like a black river. They fell upon the dark mages. The mages screamed as they were stung again and again. Their magic shields disappeared. The elven archers now had clear shots. The battle started to turn.
The leader of the Iron Hand Guild, a big man in black plate armor called Baron Volkov, saw Ren standing alone. He was very angry. "Kill that boy!" he roared. He charged forward, his giant sword ready to kill.
Ren watched the Baron come closer. He did not even draw his sword. He just waited.
When the Baron was close, Ren held up one hand. He used his Conceptualization talent. But he did not use it on his own gear. He used it on the Baron's armor.
[Target: Masterwork Plate Armor]. [Idea Detected: [Hardness]]. [Action: Negate Idea.]
Baron Volkov was wearing the best armor money could buy. It was supposed to be as hard as a mountain. But as Ren used his power, the idea of 'hardness' was pulled from the armor. The strong steel suddenly became as soft as wet paper.
The Baron did not know what had happened. He swung his sword at Ren. Ren did not dodge. He just held up one finger.
Tink.
His finger tapped the Baron's soft breastplate. The armor caved in completely. The Baron was thrown backwards, the air knocked out of his lungs. He lay on the ground, defeated by a single finger flick.
The whole army stopped fighting. Their mages were dead. Their leader was defeated by a boy with one finger. They had lost all hope. One by one, they dropped their weapons and surrendered.
Ren stood on the balcony, looking down at the defeated army. The entire city of elves had seen what he did. They were not just scared or respectful anymore. They were in complete awe. They had seen the power of a god.
Ren floated down to the ground. He walked to the captured Baron Volkov.
"Now," Ren said with a cold, easy smile. "Let's have a little talk about your bad business practices."