Weaponry & Elements (World Building Fantasy AU)

Kirk Regienald & Jorn Norsemen

The forest of Dwellwood was alive.

Leaves danced in the wind, roots shifted softly beneath the earth, and strange birds sang songs only the trees could understand. Hidden deep in the heart of their home was something valuable—a huge gem known as the Hoop Sphere, has shattered into 8 individual crystals known as the Shattered Hoop Crystals, when combined, said to hold magic strong enough to manifest earthquakes and bend the air around the forest at will.

And someone was trying to get it first!

Gaius and his guild were assigned to retrieve one of the crystals from the forest but Gaius couldn't join in time because of a mission that had been anticipated by the Padaquin family. Nonetheless, he provided his teammates some gear, a map, and a strategy to get the crystal shard flawlessly.

“Are you sure it’s here?” Jorn Norsemen crouched behind a thick bush, gripping his bow with steady hands. His breath made a small cloud in the chilly morning air.

His best friend, Kirk Regienald, stood beside him with his heavy mallet resting across his shoulders. He grinned wide. “Of course I’m sure. Look at this map!” He waved a very wrinkled and slightly torn paper. “It’s definitely not upside down this time.”

Jorn rolled his eyes. “Last time, we found a nest of fire bees instead of a treasure.”

“Yeah, but we also found honey! That counts as treasure.”

The two boys had been friends for a long time, even though they came from different realms—Kirk was from the Eastern Realms and Jorn had moved from the Winter North. Now, they were part of the same guild called the Reckless Reinforcement.

They had heard rumors that another group of neighboring competitors had entered Dwellwood and planned to steal the Shattered Crystals for their own dark purposes. Jorn and Kirk had volunteered to stop them before the forest was hurt.

As they crept forward, Jorn’s eyes glowed with a faint green light. His hand hovered over one of the glowing potions in his waist bag. “There,” he whispered. “Three warriors near the clearing and... the Crystal. Floating in the air.”

Kirk narrowed his eyes. “Let’s go loud.”

Jorn nodded. “Like always.”

WHOOSH! Jorn released a glowing arrow, striking one of the opponents in the shoulder. The arrow released a paralyzing gas on impact. The enemy froze in place, his body stiff like wood.

“Nice shot!” Kirk leapt out from the bushes and swung his mallet high. As it came down, floating pieces of earth clung to the mallet, making it grow larger and heavier mid-swing. The ground shook as it hit, knocking the other two competitors off their feet.

One rolled away and pulled out a curved blade. “You sh*t-heads don’t know what you’re messing with!”

“We know enough,” Jorn said, firing another arrow. This one exploded into a tangle of vines, wrapping around the poacher’s arms.

The last poacher tried to run, but Kirk slammed his mallet into the ground, raising a wall of dirt in front of him. The man skidded to a stop—too late.

Thunk! Jorn’s arrow pinned his sleeve to a tree.

“Now,” Kirk said, wiping sweat from his brow, “we return the Crystal and go home as winners.”

But the forest disagreed.

The Shattered Crystal, floating in midair, began to glow bright orange. The wind stopped. The trees stiffened. A low growl echoed across the clearing.

“Kirk,” Jorn said carefully, “did we touch the Crystal?”

“Nope.”

“Did they touch the Crystal?”

“Maybe?”

Before either could react, the ground cracked open, and a massive creature made of bark and glowing roots rose from the earth.

“Oh... wow,” Kirk said, taking a step back. “It’s like a tree... but very angry.”

The creature raised a limb, ready to strike. Jorn quickly pulled a potion from his bag and threw it at Kirk’s feet. A bright blue mist surrounded him.

“Speed boost!” Jorn shouted.

Kirk’s legs felt lighter. Faster. He charged in a blur, dodging the creature’s slow but powerful swings. He smashed his mallet into its legs, breaking roots and splinters. Jorn stayed back, shooting arrows that lit up the creature’s joints, weakening it.

The two moved in perfect sync—like they could read each other’s minds. When the creature tried to crush Kirk, Jorn threw a healing potion. When Jorn was cornered, Kirk smashed the earth beneath the enemy’s feet.

Finally, with a roaring crack, the creature fell, its wooden body breaking apart into harmless vines.

The forest sighed.

The Shattered Hoop Crystal floated gently down into Jorn’s hands. It pulsed softly, now calm.

“Let’s keep it safe for now,” Jorn said. “We still have to collect 7 more crystals.”

Kirk nodded. “Yeah. But let’s grab something to eat. I'm hungry from all that swinging.”

As they walked back through the trees, laughing and arguing about who did more damage, the sun peeked through the leaves, lighting the path ahead to reveal, Gaius!

"Well done fellow adventurers!" Gaius congratulates them in glee. "Sorry I'm late, again..."

"Gaius! We did it. All by ourselves." Kirk boasts with pride.

"Nicely done my friends. You two certainly make a perfect team. And tomorrow, we shall collect more crystals together."

"By the way, how was the mission with your family?" Jorn asks in curiosity.

"Let's not mention it for now. Let's celebrate at the tavern. Drinks are on me!"