The sun dipped low as they approached the Drake's Den—a yawning chasm in the jagged cliffside rumored to house a T-rex–sized reptile with armor-thick hide. Normally, they'd need to be level fifty to even think about it. But with Ben wielded Gwen's laser bracelet and Fred also carried his own nano-bracelet multipurpose tool, they had a fighting chance. That and Gwen having access to a few of her spells—Ben and Fred decided it'd be faster for them to skip parts of the story and head to the Drake's den.
They jogged past scrub oaks and brittle ferns into a tiny desert village where they decided to rest, its thatched huts quiet, overturned barrels dotting the sand like angry footprints. Shadows clung to crooked walls. Gwen stepped up to a collapsed well and peered inside. "No water," she muttered.
Fred scanned the flickering lantern-posts. "No livestock, either. And morale here seems low. I think we should investigate what happened here"
Ben looked around as they walked. "This place looks awful"
An old woman emerged, clutching a lantern. Her eyes were rimmed red. "It's not safe here for children to be wondering about. Our village was struck by Goblins who came in the night—they took our children and left us like this."
Gwen remarked. "Thats so sad. Do you need any help"
"Thats kind of you little one but there's no need for that. Most of us here have already lost our will." she said
Gwen's jaw clenched. "We'll get them back."
Fred shook his head. "Honestly, we should push onward. Don't forget this is just a game."
Ben's fist clenched. "We can just leave those kids." Gwen nodded, eyes fierce.
Fred folded his arms. "They're just game programs. This won't even matter once we get out of here."
Gwen and Ben turned in unison. "Even so... We're going to save them"
Fred's lips curved into an awkward half-smile as the two left for the forest near the village. "Sigh..." He turned on his heel and sprinted after them.
He crashed into a thicket of creosote to find Gwen and Ben surrounded by a ring of snarling goblins—green-skinned thieves with jagged daggers glinting in the dying light. Ben backed into a stump, Gwen holding them off with her mana shield.
Fred's heart thumped. He lined up a shot on a bristling goblin in the rear. Take the shot, his gut urged. He squeezed the trigger. A single plasma bolt roasted the goblin's shoulder, throwing him off balance. The ring wavered.
Torn dust clouds blossomed around the goblin circle as Fred's shot blasted a gap.
Gwen lunged, swinging in an arch of violet light. "Move!" she barked. Ben dashed through the gap, back-pedaling and then flipping a snowball-shaped energy orb at a charging goblin. It exploded in a halo of ice-like shards, pinning three goblins mid-stride.
They scattered, swords wobbling in midair, then crumpled in defeat.
Ben scooped up a handful of gold coins that dropped from the goblins. His eyes widened. "I bet I'll be able to buy a bunch of summo slammers merch once we get back!"
Gwen snorted, wiping sweat from her brow. "Will that even be transferred back?"
Fred looked at the coins. "Why do I feel like I've seen this before."
Ben shrugged, pocketing the loot ind his inventory. "You'll see, soon I'll be drowning in money."
By midday they sighted the goblin settlement—a ramshackle fortress of patched tents and wooden barricades. Goblin horns brayed warning. They needed a plan.
Fred cleared a stone table. "We'll need a three-phase approach:
1) Distraction: I plant low-yield explosive orbs around the perimeter.
2) Extraction: Gwen, you use illusions to guide the hostages out the back gate.
3) Containment: Ben and I cut down reinforcements with ranged fire and heavy strikes.
Then we regroup at the old well outside."
Gwen nodded, brows drawn together. "Delay orbs—low mana cost, big enough to break morale."
Ben rolled his neck. "Got it."
Fred scanned the camp. "Where's Ben?"
A rustling scratch sounded from the inside of a tent. Goblins chattered. Fred sighed. "Change of plans."
He pulled Gwen aside. "Make five delayed-fuse orbs. Low intensity—just enough to crack wood and metal."
Gwen closed her eyes and whispered runes. A stream of violet light coalesced into five spheres no larger than apples. She handed them to Fred.
He dropped into a crouch, dashing forward. The first goblin guard barely saw him slip between crates before he pressed an orb under a barrel. Click. He vanished into shadows, adrenaline sluicing through him. One by one, he staged each orb at strategic chokepoints—barricades, watchtowers, tents—before sliding back to the front lines, chest heaving.
Meanwhile, Ben sprinted through camp lanes, plasma pistol blazing. Goblins recoiled at the sizzling arc of fire; each shot cracked bone and drove them back. He vaulted over a blazing brazier, landing in a crouch, gutting two goblins with a sweeping spinning kick.
His mask of focus, heart pounding in sync with each trigger pull.
Behind him, Fred's orbs detonated in seismic ripples: wood splintering, tents ripping, goblins scrambling in panic as metal fence posts flew like javelins.
Gwen leapt onto a low wall, eyes glowing. A mist of pink gas poured from the tip, swirling around several cages of trembling children. As the haze settled, she invoked Lux Invictus, casting a radiant shield around the hostages. Bars melted; wheels unlocked. The kids tumbled out, blinking, as Gwen guided them toward safety.
A dozen children running free across the dust to the western gate, laughter trembling down the line of freed villagers.
But the camp was far from pacified. Goblins poured out from every hut, brandishing iron-mailed spear-fists. Fred and Ben backed against a tangle of broken crates—there were more enemies than before, bigger brutes with spiked clubs.
Fred's voice cracked. "Ben—what were you thinking?"
Ben coughed. "I saw a goblin with a glowing Omnitrix symbol on his belt buckle—thought it might be a playable token."
Fred's eyes narrowed. "Where?"
Ben pointed to a sturdy wooden hut at the center, its door bound with chains. "There."
Fred signaled Gwen to hold the line with a mana barricade. She nodded as she led the charge.
He spun to Ben. "Form up—stealth." But their battered cloaks betrayed them. A goblin archer loosed a bolt that shredded Fred's shield and punched a hole in the wall behind them. Gwen jabbed a finger at the sky. "Now!"
A crackling arc of invisibility flowed from her fingertips, wrapping the trio in a shimmering veil. They glided to the hut's entrance, unseen.
Ben, Fred, and Gwen barreled inside, slamming the door shut.
Inside, they stumbled into a cramped chamber, walls lined with crystal vials and glowing tokens pinned to cloth banners. A single pedestal held a Heatblast Omnitrix token—emerald green sigil glowing like embers.
Fred's voice was breathless. "There it is."
Ben lunged, snatching the token from its stand. The crystal sank into his palm, glowing bright green.
"Finally!" he screamed, slamming the token against his heart. A geyser of flame roared to life around him. Heat blasted through the hut, setting walls alight in a roaring inferno.
Flames licked the timber roofs, pillars glowing orange as Ben, now Heatblast, soared through the broken rafters, arms ablaze with searing jets of fire.
"It's time to turn up the heat!"
He swept a hand, blasting a pillar of vaporized rock that toppled the doorframe. Outside, the camp erupted in chaos as goblins scattered, tents ignited, armor melted away.
Ben hovered at the hut's threshold, flames spiraling around him. "Next time—don't kidnap kids!"
Flames danced across the goblin settlement like a living thing. Gwen and Fred backed away to safety as the inferno consumed the camp. Ben's eye's sparked ashe saw the bunch of coins that dropped.
Gwen exhaled, voice tight. "That was…alarming."
Fred patted Ben's arm. "Well atleast we know how we'll get back now as long as we can find the Upgrade icon we'll be able to leave this place."
Meanwhile, in a darkened tower miles away, a hooded figure leaned over a crystal ball swirling with azure light. He stroked his chin and let out a soft, amused chuckle. "Fascinating," he murmured, eyes reflecting the dancing flames. "I've just found something…most interesting."
And with that, the orb's surface rippled, visions of three young heroes etched in crimson fire celebrating their recent win.
Also, if you enjoy my writing and want to support me, consider subscribing to my Patreon: [patreon.com/Writing_when_bored].