We'd been able to wash our clothes once we got back. We even had enough money to buy another pair, although our money would run out at some point. We had at least two hundred left. Better start actually working.
"Tomorrow, no messing around. We can go to the beginners camp on the weekends but we won't make it without working." I said.
"Well maybe not for you, but that pure magic has really strengthened me as a mage."
"I'm glad to hear it, now I just gotta find a trick like that for me."
I jumped onto the hotel bed, and laid softly against its scratchy sheets. The next morning we wasted no time getting down, grabbing a small bite to eat, and heading off for the quest board. Going for one we were allowed to take this time.
"Goblins coming out of a small dungeon?" I waved the paper in front of Stella.
"Sure."
I walked up to the table with the quest paper. The clerk went to pull out registration papers before he checked our ranks. He stamped the quest and handed it back to us.
"Let's go."
I smiled and skipped towards the door. We had to pay to drive there, taking more money out of our slowly dwindling pockets. The car ride wasn't too terribly long. As we drove out of the city we passed multiple dungeons that could have been the one we were going for. Greenish grey bricked holes in the ground with people outside talking. Once we got to ours it looked the exact same. We thanked the driver, and got out of the car.
"So let's just look around."
A forest was beside the small hole along with a few houses down the block. We walked towards the houses which were empty.
"Can't be that weak of goblins if they got people running." Stella explained.
"Yeah, normal people should be able to deal with them. There's gotta be another reason for them running right?"
"Um, it can't be that dangerous for us. They wouldn't be as low of a rank if it was hard."
We started walking towards the forest, stepping around the hole. The forest almost instantly became dense with trees. I heard a twig snap followed by silence. I slowed my pace, stuck close to Stella, and pushed my horns back from my head.
Another twig snapped, then another, then behind us- I turned using one of the new skills I got from enhancer to strengthen my muscles. I grabbed the small green rat in my hands before it hit Stella. Its body fought me, the small dagger in its hand plunged its way for my wrist. I chucked it into the ground, the strength of that toss far outside what I was trying to. Because of the enhancement, its body stopped moving, and it popped into magic.
The dagger stayed there on the ground. It looked like a shard of metal loosely fit into a helt of a thick stick. It was incredibly flimsy just looking at it. More goblins were on their way for us. They all had small knives that gleamed brightly. Stella shot one with a spear. I picked up the first goblin's dagger and kept close to Stella. The knives matched each other for durability, as both mine and the goblin's that jumped for me weapons cracked. Another one jumped on me from the right. Its skin melted as Stella's shield blocked it.
My enhancement ended, but the next goblin that plunged for me missed and I was able to slash at it. The goblin vanished, leaving behind magic. The dagger broke and only pieces were left in my hand. I pulled Stella closer to me as I reached for the other knife. More jump on top of us, Stella's shield burned their hands and they let go of their weapons.
Defenseless they started to run, I hurled their weapons at them. Stella and I followed after the rest of them. They got about thirty feet before the last one went down.
"Whoooha! That's the first of our missions down."
Me and Stella slapped each other's hands. The goblins dropped more than just their weapons. Small pieces of food, metal, and potions laid on the ground.
"Oh, do they normally have food? I thought they didn't need to eat anything but magic?"
"Maybe they liked the taste of it? The real question is how do they have so much stuff on them?" Stella scratched her head confused.
"I don't know but maybe we can trade this in for something?"
I toss some of the small bits of metal into the air. Before it hit my hand, more goblins jumped down on us.
Stella's shield was behind on timing and one's knife slashed towards me. I pulled back enough that the knife barely nicked me.
"Uhh, I might get some disease from that."
I scoffed putting a small bit of magic into the strength enhancement. My arm jolted forward like a car engine, stabbing the falling goblin. It hung on the blade and I threw the knife at another two goblins charging Stella. One went down, but the other kept running.
Stella staff that was held by her side swung up and crashed on the goblin three feet away from her. It stunned the goblin and I was on it now. It had its back open and soon it dropped to magic like the rest.
More rustling from the forest was closing in on us.
"Holy, how many are there!" I screamed.
My magic was low enough that it wasn't looking likely I'd last if I needed to keep up the enhancements. Some of the goblins drank the potions and flung themselves towards us. Elements hung on their blades. Dodging one of the slashes and pulling Stella behind me I screamed
"Stella! Is there magic in those potions?"
Her eyes squinted. "Yes!"
With her confirmation I poured all my magic into the enhancement. The headache hit me. I ducked a slash and grabbed a potion from off the ground. When I drank it the headache disappeared. I tossed one up at Stella and ran for the first goblin.
I was too close for the goblin to swing at me with its size. An aura of weightlessness surrounded my hand. I switched the weight at the last second adding mass into the punch. It flew back a couple of feet and I went for its knife.
A flaming spear grazed past my head when I looked up I saw the floating magic of a goblin hanging over my head.
"Thanks!" I screamed, running back to Stella to be on her defense.
After a minute of both us and the goblins downing endless potions I was down to the last goblin.
"That's the last one." Stella panted. "For sure right?"
"Yeah, can I try something?" Before she gave me confirmation I added a lick of fire to the dagger. The flame held. "Ohhh, could it be?"
The goblin didn't respond obviously, its flaming dagger leaving its hand and spinning like a missile towards me. Stella's shield out paced them this time, and the dagger fell harmlessly on the ground. The flame gave up on the blade.
"That was neat, no?"
I threw my dagger at it. The fire of the dagger went cleanly through the magic of the monster. Wow, I didn't miss it.
"Heo, you didn't melt the dagger!"
"Yeah, I think it might be the metal."
I looked around the forest where we fought. Shattered daggers laid across the ground with glass from magic potions.
"Unfortunately I kinda used all of these here."
"Maybe we can make something out of the shards?"
"Yeah if we had a backpack. We will never be able to hold all these shards."
I went around and compiled what was left of the loot. Four potions, two full daggers, and small metals everywhere. Well let's pick up the potions for sure and carry as much of the metal pieces we can.
"I thought you said we can't hold all of these pieces?" I walked over to Stella and pointed my finger at her head. "What?"
"This." I grabbed her hat and flipped it over.
"M-my pirate hat?" Stella cried.
"Don't worry you won't be the only one losing something from this."
I grabbed my horns and formed a small bowl at the top of my head. Expectantly, Stella bursted out laughing and pointing at my head.