THE ELEMENTALS Beginning of a New Era

🌿 The Journey

They walked for hours under a shifting canopy of green and gold. The path curled beside a slow river whose surface reflected the sky in fragments. The jungle was beautiful, but quiet. Calm, but alert — as if it were watching them.

After nearly five hours of travel, they stopped beneath a thick, wide tree and set up camp.

Harsha opened his bag and pulled out one of his three storage cards. With a sharp shake, ingredients and utensils packed in compact boxes materialized beside him.

Zubo looked impressed.

They gathered wood, set up a small fire, and began cooking their meal.

> "You've got some skills," Harsha said between bites.

Zubo smirked.

> "Of course I do. I'm a goblin. And we goblins love money. Which reminds me — from now on, I'll be charging you for everything. Don't get too comfortable with my kindness."

He leaned back with a mischievous glint in his eye.

> "I've been very generous with you so far. You should consider yourself lucky."

Harsha laughed, shaking his head.

> "Fine. Do as you please, you greedy thug."

---

💬 Hidden Lore

Once the fire had dimmed to soft embers, Zubo leaned in with a more serious tone.

> "After this jungle ends, we'll enter a different forest. Not the Sacred Forest yet, but close. That's where the creatures carry special stones — one-time-use stones that can be used in battle. That's where Yug gathered most of his gear."

He paused, then raised his hand slowly, palm open.

Harsha arched an eyebrow.

> "What now? Do I owe you something?"

Zubo grinned.

> "Yes. A silver coin."

Harsha blinked. "I don't remember borrowing one."

> "You didn't. But I just gave you valuable information. And every time I help, I expect payment."

Harsha groaned.

> "Haaaan?! I never asked for advice!"

Zubo turned away with a pout.

> "Zara was right… You don't even pay your debts. Fine. I'll stop helping. You can just wander into the Sacred Forest alone."

Grumbling, Harsha flicked a silver coin into his hand.

> "Your whole family's full of thugs…"

---

🐾 The Gem Hunt Begins

They continued their journey into the Common Jungle, where strange glowing creatures roamed freely.

Harsha spotted a white rabbit-like creature with a shining gem embedded in its forehead. He readied himself to strike.

But Zubo raised a hand, blocking him.

> "Don't. If you kill them, the stone disappears. You get nothing."

Harsha paused, confused.

> "Then what do we do?"

Zubo held out his hand again.

Sighing, Harsha handed over another silver coin.

> "Alright, teach me, oh mighty forest thug."

Zubo grinned and pulled out a strange tube — a blow stick, hollow from the inside, carved from polished dark bamboo. He loaded a small dart at the front.

> "This is how goblins hunt quietly. It doesn't kill — just stuns. Only a few know how to use it properly."

He held the stick to his mouth and took a deep breath.

> Wsshh! — the dart shot forward like a whisper and struck the creature's head.

The rabbit froze, stunned — not harmed.

Zubo walked over calmly, took out a thin silver rod from his pack, and tapped the glowing gem gently.

> Click.

A red, glowing explosive stone popped out as the creature hopped away, unharmed.

> "See? We get the stone without killing."

Harsha's eyes widened.

> "You just... pulled it out like that?"

Zubo held up the gem proudly.

> "This? This is how Yug started his legend. He was the first to discover the one-time stone trick — when he was only eight. Before that, no one knew how to extract these without destroying them."

He lowered the stone into Harsha's hand and added,

> "Now everyone knows how to extract them — thanks to Yug. But very few use them efficiently. There's still a lot we don't understand."

He sat back, glancing at the jungle canopy above.

> "It's only been two years since Yug discovered them. Researchers in the Goblinel Realm have tried turning them into deadly weapons, but the single-use nature ruined their plans. They eventually gave up… now their focus has shifted to rarer stones with repeat power."

Harsha stared at the glowing gem again, its surface pulsing softly. The idea of power — and limitation — danced on the edge of his thoughts.

> "A weapon that works only once. But what if you knew the perfect moment to use it?"

The jungle shimmered like a treasure vault wrapped in leaves. Every rustle in the undergrowth could be a creature with a glowing stone — or something worse. Zubo walked ahead, crouched low, reading the forest like a well-worn map. Burnt leaves, gem dust, claw marks — he pointed out each with pride.

Harsha followed, cautious and curious… and noticeably low on silver coins.

---

🛡️ The Shield Stone

Their first challenge came in the form of a metallic beetle-like beast, its silver shell gleaming in the sun. A bright, shield-shaped gem pulsed on its back.

> "Shield Stone," Zubo whispered. "You can't dart it. Thick hide. It needs brute force."

Zubo raised his hand silently.

Harsha groaned, "I swear, one day your knowledge will leave me homeless."

He cracked his knuckles and charged.

One flying tackle, two bruised elbows, and a crushed patch of grass later — Harsha had the beetle pinned.

Zubo casually walked up, tapped the gem with a tiny hammer — crack! — and popped the stone loose.

Then, inspecting it, he added:

> "Same strategy works for mirage. If it's armored or illusion— bash or slash it. Dart won't work."

Zubo raised his hand again.

Harsha clutched his chest.

> "Combo knowledge, combo pricing?! What are you — a magical vending machine?!"

---

🌫️ Mirage Mayhem

Just ahead, the jungle shimmered again. But this time, something… wrong.

A tall, fog-like beast stood between the trees — shifting forms with every blink. Now a tree. Now a monkey. Now a goblin. Then… it turned into Zubo.

Harsha's eyes flared.

> "It copied you? Oh, I'm punching that thing back into vapor!"

He leapt mid-air, cocking his fist.

> "TAKE THIS, YOU BUDGET-ZUBO!!"

BZZZAAAAANK!!

Zubo blasted his mini loudspeaker with both hands — face ghost-white.

Harsha's punch stopped inches from Zubo's nose. The force blew back Zubo's hood and scattered leaves in a ring.

> "I WAS DEAD! I saw goblin heaven! There was a toll gate!"

Harsha blinked.

> "I thought it was a beast—"

> "IT WAS A MIRAGE STONE! You muscle head idiot think before you strike. You should sense its movement then knock it unconscious.

Just then, a small glowing lizard darted by, giggling (probably), and disappeared.

> "And there goes the gem," Zubo sighed.

Zubo turned with his signature move — hand raised.

Harsha stared.

> "YOU NEARLY DIED AND STILL WANT COINS?!"

> "Trauma charges extra."

---

🧲 Graviton Trouble

The bushes parted to reveal a monkey-like creature with two glowing green lumps on its arms.

Zubo squinted.

> "Graviton Pull Stone. You need to slice off a limb — carefully."

Hand up.

Harsha muttered,

> "At this point, I should just put you on a monthly subscription."

Zubo smirked.

> "Same method is for Elemental Beasts. Tough hide, brute strength. The only twist is — these throw rocks at your face."

The monkey shrieked and hurled stones with magnetic bursts. Harsha dodged, rolled, and slashed one arm clean. The creature ran, leaving the humming stone behind.

Zubo retrieved it with reverence.

> "We only take what we must."

Harsha nodded.

> "And you take what I mustn't."

---

🌊 Elemental Encounter

As golden twilight settled, a fox-like creature with shimmering blue fur stepped into view.

Zubo's eyes widened.

> "Water-type Elemental Stone. Rare. Appears near dusk only."

His hand floated up again.

Harsha growled,

> "Do you practice this pose every morning?"

They worked flawlessly — Zubo baited it with sweet fruit while Harsha circled behind and clipped its tail. The fox vanished into the trees, leaving a glowing blue stone behind.

Zubo handed it to Harsha with exaggerated reverence.

> "Sixty seconds of water magic. Very rare."

Then added:

> "Same family as Mirage Stones. Needs precision or distraction. Brute force? Wastes the gem."

Harsha squinted.

> "So:

"For White and red stone beasts—paralysis darts.

For mirage and shield stone beasts—brute strength . But if it's a gravitational or elemental beast with two stones… I have to cut off the part holding one. Only then will it run. If it feels threatened, it goes feral."

He turned slightly, glancing at Zubo for approval.

Zubo grinned.

> "You're learning."

---

🔥 Campfire and Coin Counting

That night, they camped beneath a massive root, firelight flickering against their collected stones:

🔘 Trap Core Stone

🛡 Shield Stone

🧠 Mirage Stone (missed)

🌊 Elemental (Water) Stone

🧲 Graviton Pull Stone

💥 Explosive Stone

Harsha slumped on a leaf mat, emptying his pouch.

> "One… two… three… and a coin that smells like beetle."

He exhaled.

> "I've been robbed by beasts… and financially drained by my pint-sized professor."

Zubo chewed a roasted nut, unbothered.

> "And I'm just getting started."

Harsha groaned.

> "At this rate, I'll go broke before I see a single blue gem."

He glanced at the sky.

> "Tell me, Zubo… does being poor build character?"

Zubo replied without missing a beat.

> "Nope. But it buys excellent company."

They both laughed.

---

Zubo stood and stretched, a proud look in his eyes.

> "Forty-seven stones in one day. We're well-prepared."

He looked toward the deeper jungle.

> "Yug always says, The real warrior is the one who's ready before the battle begins."

Harsha squinted.

> "Zubo…"

Zubo raised his finger.

> "One coin. Motivational wisdom."

> "I'm not paying for pirated Yug quotes."

> "Then two coins. One for refusal, one for defamation."

Harsha shot up and bolted.

> "I'M DONE PAYING YOU!!"

Zubo chased after him, coin pouch swinging.

> "WISDOM COMES AT A PRICE!!"

Their laughter echoed through the trees —

A rhythm of mischief, lessons, and unlikely friendship.

Before the real danger began.

NEXT CHAPTER 18 INTO THE SACRED FOREST OF SHADOW