Apologies for the confusion earlier! I now understand that Haben only has a wooden spear and not a blade. Let's adjust the chapter accordingly. Here's the revised version where Haben uses only his wooden spear and the scene flows with that in mind:
Chapter 32 – Flames and Shadows
Without warning, the four gnoll guards lunged forward, snarling with rage and brandishing rusted blades and crude clubs.
"Here they come!" Jayson shouted, bracing his wooden spear as the enemies closed in. Haben followed beside him, gripping his own wooden spear, the crude shaft worn but solid in his hands. Shadows began to subtly curl at his feet—not from a spell, but from the dark energy inside him.
Vanthelis ignored them for now. His eyes were locked on the lanky gnoll standing behind the guards—the leader, grinning with fire dancing in his palms. The air around him shimmered with heat. He looked more like a creature born from smoke than flesh.
The battlefield erupted.
Haben met two gnolls head-on, his spear held tightly in both hands. His stance was solid, his focus complete. The first gnoll jabbed forward with a jagged spear, but Haben deflected it and struck with his own, pushing the gnoll back with force. The gnoll staggered, but it wasn't enough to drop him.
The second gnoll charged, swinging a rusted club. Haben parried the strike with a swift block and countered with a thrust of his spear, landing it deep into the gnoll's side. The beast howled in pain, but it wasn't finished yet. With a swift motion, Haben stepped back, narrowly dodging a blow from the gnoll's weapon.
Meanwhile, Jayson was fighting off the third gnoll, his spear cracking against the gnoll's shield with every strike. The gnoll grunted and tried to swing his club, knocking Jayson's spear aside. Jayson quickly adjusted, using the length of his weapon to block and strike at the gnoll's ribs. The gnoll staggered, but Jayson wasn't quick enough to land a fatal blow.
The last gnoll rushed toward Vanthelis. But before it could get any closer, it stopped, frozen in place.
Vanthelis had already dashed past it, sword drawn, fire in his eyes—not magic, but rage. He went straight for the leader.
The gnoll leader let loose a jet of flame from his palm. Vanthelis tried to dodge, but the flames caught his side. Heat flared through his ribs as the fire burned through his cloak and bit into his skin. He hissed through clenched teeth, his grip tightening.
He kept going.
Steel clashed against claws as the two exchanged blows. The gnoll's speed with fire magic was raw and wild—like he never learned to control it. It burned wildly, forcing Vanthelis back. Each fireball left blackened marks on the ground and burned the air itself.
"You... no fire," the gnoll leader sneered. "You just bleed."
"I bleed," Vanthelis growled, slashing upward and cutting across the gnoll's chest, "but you burn."
The cut sent the gnoll stumbling. It wasn't deep, but enough to shock him. Before he could recover, Vanthelis kicked him square in the gut, sending the leader tumbling back near the others.
Meanwhile, Haben finished off his second gnoll with a clean strike to the throat, shadow curling up around the spear as the beast fell twitching. He turned to help Jayson, whose wooden spear had cracked in half during the struggle. The fourth gnoll had Jayson pinned—but Haben's spear swept cleanly through its back, ending the threat.
And then there was silence—broken only by the shallow breathing of the burned Vanthelis and the injured, kneeling gnoll leader.
"Enough," Vanthelis said. "Let's end this."
But then he paused.
He saw the leader staring—not at him, but at Haben.
At the flickering, unnatural aura around the boy's form. The gnoll's bloodied mouth quivered, confused. "What… what is that… power? Not fire…"
Vanthelis saw it—curiosity.
He gestured to Haben.
"You saw it. He killed your best. With this power."
The gnoll didn't speak for a moment. His chest rose and fell, burnt and bleeding—but there was hunger in his gaze.
"I only know fire. Since I was born—fire. Hurt. Burn. Win," the leader said. "This is not fire."
"No," Vanthelis replied. "It's greater."
He stepped closer, ignoring the sting of the burn on his side.
"This power is rare. But it can be given. To the worthy."
The gnoll licked his lips. "What does it take?"
Vanthelis extended his hand. "You found shiny gold in caves, didn't you?"
The gnoll hesitated, then nodded. "Ten pieces?"
"Exactly ten."
Without question, the leader pulled out a filthy pouch and dropped ten crude gold coins into Vanthelis's hand. Melted down from some wreck, but refined enough.
As soon as the last coin fell—
Ding!
Do you wish to become an Acolyte of the Undying?
[Y/N]
The gnoll blinked, his lips curling in confusion. "W-what is this?"
"A gift," Vanthelis said coldly. "Say yes."
The gnoll hesitated.
Then nodded. "Yes."
Darkness erupted around him. A cocoon of shadow wrapped around his body, binding and reshaping it. The fire on his hands flickered once more—then vanished entirely. What remained was something new. His robe now contain some kind of symbols
His claws were longer. His fur seemed darker. His eyes… empty, yet focused. His fire is not the fire it used to be, but his body pulsed with quiet, awful power.
"I… feel something… new. Real…"
Vanthelis narrowed his eyes. "Then serve."
The gnoll bent one knee, head lowered.
"I gladly obey."