Chapter 8: Monster

The goblins had been buzzing with excitement all morning. Word had spread of a monster, a nasty one had been lurking in the woods, heading straight for the goblin settlement. Andy, floating nearby, had been hearing the goblins whispering, the hurried steps of goblins grabbing their spears and shields, and the unmistakable sound of panic setting in.

"do we need to fight it? Andy asked, hovering over Lira, who was lounging lazily by a tree, looking at Andy who was concerned.

"Sure, go ahead, and fight it. Show them how it is done, great wisp," Lira said, encouraging him. "you have been training for this moment for a long time. A monster will be nothing."

Andy gives her a deadpan look. "I can't even control the magic well, I don't know how to fight, lira I am a wisp, not a warrior."

"Exactly. You are a wisp. You don't need to fight. You need to outsmart it. Use your magic and let it out of control for some time"

That…was not the comforting advice Andy had been hoping for. The goblins, on the other hand, were not exactly listening to him. They were already charging to the front line with their makeshift weapons blunt rocks, wooden spears, and in one case, a stick that looked suspiciously like a broom. Andy floated over to the group of goblins that were gathering near the edge of their settlement, preparing for a fight.

One goblin, a large burly one with a face like a rock, spotted Andy and rushed over to him. "great wisp! The monster is here! We fight! We must protect the village!" his excitement was so intense that he nearly knocked Andy out in the air.

Andy blinked and then glanced towards the trees, where a massive shadow was slowly making its way through the underbrush. It was big, lumbering, and covered in thick, matted fur. Its eyes glowed with an unsettling red hue, and its class looked the toughest of materials.

Great. A monster.

He floated near the goblin warrior, who held a spear, whose body was shaking with nervousness. "uh, maybe we don't need to fight it? I mean , we don't even know what it…"

"fight!" the goblin cried. "we fight for wisp!"

Andy took a deep breath. Maybe he could get out of this somehow. "okay, listen. We are not fighting it with brute strength, alright? I am going to come up with a plan. Just don't do anything crazy yet."

The goblins, although enthusiastic, didn't look too convinced, as to how they could fight without brute strength. But they reluctantly lowered their weapons and waited. Andy took a moment to think. What would be do? He is a wisp. He doesn't have claws, or strength. If anything, all I have is magic. Maybe I should do what Lira said.

"All alright," Andy said, floating higher into the air to get a better view of the monster. "we are going to get this thing to chase its tail."

Lira's voice came from the sidelines. A little sarcastic "Well, that's a brilliant idea, or not."

Andy ignored her. "If it can't catch us, it can't hurt us, right? And if I make it dizzy, it might just wander off "

With a deep breath, Andy floated forward and concentrated. He tried to gather his mana, focusing on the ambient energy swirling around him. The first few attempts were a disaster, sending a gust of wind that only moved the nearby leaves, but after a few more tries, he felt the same sensation again. A small magical pulse shot out from him, not strong enough to be dangerous, but enough to create a circular vortex of air around the monster's head.

The monster stopped in its tracks, its red eyes narrowed. It shook its head as the wind picked up around it, disorienting it. The creature snorted, swiping at the air, confused and increasingly irritated.

"Alright, here we go," Andy muttered, as he channeled more mana. "come on buddy. Chase it."

He pushed the magic further, making the vortex spin faster, and then just as planned the monster's feet shifted. It started spinning in a circle, its claws slashing at the air as it tried to catch the gusts, but instead, it just kept spinning and stumbling over itself.

"hey, lira, look at that!" Andy called out, pleased with the result. "it is like a dog chasing its tail!"

Lira raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed despite herself. "not bad, for a glowing ball of light. But what's the next move? That thing going to get dizzy and start looking for you."

"Yeah, I figured." Andy's glow flickered as he tried to maintain the vortex. "now, all we need to do is get it stuck."

With a smirk, he focused again, sending a burst of energy to create a narrow twisting path of wind that led straight into a nearby patch of tick vibes. The monster, still caught in its spinning frenzy, stumbles right into it. If tried to move forward, the vibes entangled its legs, trapping it in place.

The goblins, who had been watching with their eyes wide open, erupted into cheers. "victory! Victory for the great wisp!" they cried.

Andy floated down, exhausted but he was puzzled. ' aren't the monster dangerous, but this one didn't even attacked them once' The monster was still trapped, panting and howling in frustration, but there was no danger for now. The goblins rushed forward, telling with excitement.

"Good job, Andy!" lira said, her voice mix of both amusement and genuine praise. "that was clever. You did outsmart it."

Andy let out a sigh of relief. "well, I guess this is the part where I take the credit, huh?" he floated over to the cheering goblins, who were already thinking the monster down with more vines. If wasn't exactly the fight be bad imagined, It was a win.

Andy glanced at the goblins, who were now chanting his name and treating him like some sort of hero. "yeah, well…don't get used to it," he muttered. "J am not exactly cut out for this whole hero thing."

"don't sell yourself short," Lira said with a chuckle. "you might just be the most effective leader I have ever seen without lifting a finger."

Andy rolled his eyes, watching the goblins continue to celebrate. "great. Now I am a hero. Just what I need more."

But deep down, Andy couldn't deny it maybe he wasn't so useless after all, all this wisp leader thing was starting to work out.