I need to find an open area to test my Fire-coat. Don’t want to burn anyone here by accident, the newly named Treant thought. He scouted the area using his roots. Finding a suitable area, a small opening between the trees, he prepared himself to cast the spell.

  Fire coat!

  The fire enveloped him. He could feel the heat, but it wasn’t overbearing. It was pleasant, like a sunny summer's day. The aura-like fire covering him was small. I think I can do better than this.

  He concentrated on the fire itself. How it was coming out of his body. The crackling sounds it was making. How it connected inside his core. It’s not just a simple fire, is it? It's an extension of my body. It's part of me. The thought brought a smile to his wooden lips.

  In this single moment that he realized this fact, Oberon was happy. True happiness, something he was devoid of since Agatha’s death.

  He looked up, seeing the rising sun.

  “This is how you feel every day? I think I can grow used to it,” he laughed.

  Concentrating, he connected again to his fire. He didn’t even need to activate his Fire-Shaping skill to manipulate the fire. It was natural for the Treant.

  The fire aura grew, getting hotter and hotter with every passing second. It was thrilling, but it was also tiresome. As the fire grew, he felt himself becoming weaker. It grew tenfold when he finally stopped.

  As he sat down to catch a breath, he began to think. I can greatly increase its strength doing this, but it doesn’t last very long, does it? It also makes me very vulnerable after using it. I can’t rely on this. He pondered his options.

  Now let’s try doing another thing. He used his Fire-Shaping skill to modify the flame. Last time I did this, I created the Fire Coat spell. Oberon tried to create the shape of the swords the soldiers he had fought were using, but the fire became fickle, weak. This won’t work, I can’t make fire become solid, he thought for a moment, or can I?

  Oberon gathered all the fire in his body into a single point in his hand. He tried to make it smaller, more concentrated. Dense. The result was something that looked like a small sun.

  Incredible. That was his thoughts before the ball exploded on his face.

  The explosion pushed him back quite a bit.

  Ok, no more playing with fire, he thought, as he got himself up. His mossy beard smelled of burnt hair.

  He opened his skills tab after doing a quick recovery.

  Nothing new, huh? I wonder what’s the requirements to create or learn a new spell like I did last time. There’s a certain trigger to it? I managed to create the Fire Coat while I was fighting. I'll need to test later.

  He didn’t need to wait very long.

  The treant heard a rumbling noise coming out of the corner of the forest, and he turned to look.

  Oberon saw a gigantic creature looking at him from the other side of the clearing, near the trees. It must've heard the explosion!

  Analyze!

  “Hey buddy, let’s calm down. I’m sorry I disturbed you with that sound,” he spoke, trying to calm the beast, but the Boarcupine was having none of it.

  The animal was snorting a white smoke while putting its great white tusks on the ground, preparing to attack.

  Oberon activated his fire fists.

  The Boarcupine charged straight at him. It was fast.

  The treant waited.

  The beast was getting closer.

  He could smell its stench. Almost there.

  At the last second, Oberon did a sidestep and grabbed the creature with both hands and, using the beast's own momentum and all the strength he could muster, threw the Boarcupine on the ground. The beast didn’t waste any moment, growing its quills and making them pierce the Treant wooden body. Oberon retreated.

  I can’t get too close or those quills will be the end of me. I need to attack from a safe distance, but how?

  The Boarcupine didn’t let him finish his thought as it charged again, almost body slamming the Treant.

  Think, Oberon, think! He thought as he dodged another attack.

  That’s it!

  He began to make the same concentrated fire ball he had done earlier, but this time he didn’t hold it in his hands, blowing himself up, but instead, threw the ball at the Boarcupine as it was charging again to strike him.

  He missed, the ball landed instead of hitting the beast, landed near it, exploding in the process. It seemed to have worked either way, as the blast startled the Boarcupine, making it tumble and fall as it was charging. Oberon used this opportunity to throw another explosive fireball at the fallen beast. He didn’t miss this time.