Huebert strolled ahead of them, his usual swagger even more relaxed than usual, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket as he led them down a maze of back alleys. Valmet, Steven, and Melody trailed behind, exchanging uneasy glances as they tried to keep up.

Finally, they emerged at the edge of an old scrapyard, its twisted metal towers and rusted machinery looming like strange monuments under the gray sky. The smell of oil and old iron hung thick in the air, and broken-down cars and machinery lay in piles that stretched as far as the eye could see.

“This is your training ground?” Melody asked, nose wrinkling in disgust. “What kind of place is this?”

Huebert stretched, his arms reaching high over his head as if he hadn’t heard her. “Home away from home,” he said lazily, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. “Now, let’s get this over with.”

Steven frowned, looking around. “But… what exactly are we supposed to be doing here?”

Huebert rolled his eyes, looking every bit the annoyed teacher. “You’re here to learn to survive, kids. You want to play heroes? This is where you start.” He snapped his fingers, and a faint shimmer of magic flickered in the air around him. “Go on, spread out. Your new friends are hiding somewhere in this lovely junkyard.”

Valmet shot him a skeptical look. “Friends?”

“Gremlins,” Huebert explained, his tone almost bored. “Nasty little things. They’ll be lurking in all sorts of nooks and crannies. You’ll have to find them—and, well, deal with them.” He raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Don’t worry, they’re not that tough… if you’re not completely useless.”

He plopped himself down on a rusty car hood, reclining like he was settling in for a lazy afternoon nap. “Don’t take too long, now,” he called, his voice trailing off as he pulled his hat down over his eyes. “I’ll be right here… supervising.”

Valmet scowled, glancing at the others. “Well, you heard him. Let’s spread out and see if we can find anything.”

With a mix of determination and apprehension, the three of them ventured into the scrapyard, each glancing warily around, knowing they were being watched—not just by Huebert, but by the gremlins lurking somewhere within the heaps of metal and debris.

As they ventured deeper into the scrapyard, the eerie silence around them was broken by strange cackling sounds. Small shadows darted between the piles of rusted metal, too quick for them to catch a clear glimpse. Valmet’s patience was already wearing thin, her eyes narrowing as she caught sight of a twisted little creature peeking out from behind an old tire.

“There!” she hissed, motioning for Steven and Melody to close in on it. The creature—a gremlin with bulging yellow eyes and sharp teeth—grinned wickedly before ducking out of sight, its laughter echoing through the maze of junk.

Valmet lunged toward the spot where it had been, only to slip on a piece of scrap metal, landing hard on her knees. Another gremlin popped up on the other side of the pile, sticking its tongue out and blowing a loud raspberry before disappearing again. Steven, meanwhile, tried to charge at one that scurried across a rusted car hood, but he tripped over a stray pipe, sending himself sprawling face-first into a pile of old tires.

Melody, watching the chaos unfold around her, threw her hands up in frustration. “This is pointless! These things are everywhere, and they’re just messing with us!”

As if in response, a third gremlin hopped out from a hiding place behind a stack of hubcaps, pelting her with small rocks before darting back into the shadows with a gleeful cackle. Melody yelped and batted at the air, trying to swat it away, but it vanished before she could even get close.

Valmet clenched her fists, her jaw tight with frustration. “Alright, that’s it. I’m done letting these things make fools of us.” She kicked a piece of scrap metal, but the gremlins only laughed louder, their taunts ringing out from all sides.

After watching them flounder for a few more moments, Huebert finally lifted his hat, sighing dramatically. “Well, well,” he drawled, sliding off his perch. “I thought you three were supposed to be smart, but apparently, I overestimated you.” He strolled over, casting an amused glance at each of them before raising his hand. “Alright, children, gather ’round.”

They approached him, still nursing bruises and battered egos, and he gave each of them a pitying smile. “Looks like you need a little extra help,” he said, snapping his fingers.

In a flash of light, three weapons appeared before them, floating midair. For Valmet, a sleek dagger with an engraved hilt; for Steven, a short sword that seemed sturdy but manageable; and for Melody, a set of throwing stars with curved edges, glinting with a faint magic aura.

“These are your level-one training weapons,” Huebert explained with exaggerated patience. “They’re simple, but they’ll help you get a feel for things.”

Melody raised an eyebrow, eyeing her throwing stars with mild distaste. “And how exactly is this supposed to help?”

Huebert sighed, rolling his eyes. “Think, my dear. Gremlins are small, sneaky, and unpredictable. If you want to catch them, you’ll need to think like one.” He smirked, crossing his arms. “Be patient, be clever, and for once, try not to trip over your own feet.”

He gave them a small shove back toward the scrapyard, his lazy smirk barely hiding his amusement. “Let’s see if you can manage that.”

Armed with their new magic weapons, the group scattered, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. Valmet held her dagger with a determined grip, while Melody tested the weight of her throwing stars, squinting as she tried to aim at one of the darting shadows. Steven hefted his short sword, looking equal parts nervous and eager.

“Alright,” Valmet muttered, scanning the area. “We’ve got the weapons. This should be easy now.”

But as they ventured deeper into the scrapyard, things quickly descended into chaos again.

Valmet attempted to sneak up on a gremlin hiding behind a pile of rusty pipes. She lunged, dagger raised, but the creature sidestepped with ease, her swing hitting empty air. The gremlin cackled and darted away, disappearing into another heap of junk. Melody threw one of her stars with a frustrated huff, only to watch it bounce off a piece of metal and clatter uselessly to the ground.

Steven, meanwhile, was attempting to use his sword as a shield, waving it wildly every time he saw movement. At one point, he swung so hard that he stumbled backward, narrowly missing a broken-down washing machine. A gremlin took advantage of his distraction, darting up and pulling at his hair before darting away with a loud cackle.

Huebert watched from the sidelines, arms crossed, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Unbelievable,” he muttered. “In my day, children would be level five magic users by now. This… is just sad.”

As Valmet let out a string of curses, nearly tripping over a broken bumper, Huebert finally intervened. With a snap of his fingers, he motioned her over. “Alright, I can’t watch this anymore. Come here, Valmet.”

Valmet stomped over, her face flushed with frustration. “What?”

Huebert sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Clearly, I’ve overestimated you. So I’m going to teach you something that might help—if you can handle it.”

Valmet bristled. “I can handle anything you throw at me.”

He raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, but shrugged. “We’ll see.” He held up his hand, making a small, intricate gesture in the air. “This is a spell called Hold. It’s a level three spell, meaning it’s a bit advanced for you, but if you can manage it, you’ll be able to immobilize one of those annoying little gremlins from a distance. It’ll make things easier for the others to strike.”

Valmet nodded, focused, her eyes following his hand’s movements as he demonstrated the incantation. “Like this?”

“Good,” he said, adjusting her fingers slightly. “Now focus on one of them and channel your energy. It’ll take a lot of mana, so don’t overdo it.”

Valmet took a deep breath, spotting a gremlin lurking near a pile of old gears. She whispered the incantation, feeling a strange pull as her mana surged forward. The gremlin froze in place, its limbs stiffening as the spell took hold.

Melody raised her throwing star, but before she could throw, Steven’s face scrunched up in guilt. “Wait!” he called, lowering his sword. “I mean… are we sure we have to kill it? It’s just a little creature…”

Valmet’s face was already paling from the mana drain. “Steven, I can’t… hold this… forever…”

Steven hesitated, looking torn. But in that brief pause, the gremlin broke free from the spell, launching itself directly at Steven and landing on his face, claws outstretched.

“Aaaah!” Steven yelped, stumbling back as he tried to pry it off, its tiny claws tangled in his hair. “Get it off! Get it off!”

He stumbled around the scrapyard, the gremlin cackling gleefully as it clung to his head. “Melody! Kill it!” he shouted, desperation lacing his voice.

Melody rolled her eyes, raising her throwing star with a bored expression. “Hold still, Steven,” she called, lining up her shot.

But Steven’s panic only made him flail more, creating a chaotic scene as he ducked and dodged, the gremlin clinging tighter with every movement.

Steven continued stumbling around, trying to shake the gremlin off, its claws tangled in his hair as it let out a delighted cackle. He tried to pry it off with his hands, but every tug only seemed to make it cling harder, its sharp little teeth flashing as it leaned down, swiping at his face.

“Hold still, Steven!” Melody yelled, aiming her throwing star, but Steven, in full panic mode, kept ducking and weaving, completely oblivious to her words.

“Just get it off already!” he shouted, his voice muffled as the gremlin clawed at his face. His desperate attempts to shake it off only made the situation worse, sending him spinning around the scrapyard in a whirlwind of flailing limbs and flying hair.

Huebert sighed, watching with a mixture of pity and disdain. “Unbelievable,” he muttered, crossing his arms as he strolled over to them. With a casual flick of his wrist, he cast a low-level spell, and the gremlin flew backward, knocked off Steven’s head and landing with a loud thump on a pile of scrap metal.

The creature glared up at them, dazed but still defiant, hissing as it tried to get back up. Huebert gave it a bored look before turning his attention to the group, his expression one of barely concealed annoyance.

“This is embarrassing,” he drawled, shaking his head. “I give you a basic weapon, a simple spell, and what do you do? Flail around like a bunch of toddlers. Do you three even understand what it means to fight?”

Valmet, still panting from the effort of casting the Hold spell, glared at him. “We’re trying, Huebert! This is our first time dealing with… with anything like this.”

Huebert rolled his eyes. “Then maybe it’s time you stop thinking of these as little nuisances and start thinking of them as threats. You’re playing right into their hands—gremlins live to create chaos. If you want to beat them, you need to stay calm and think like one. Observe. Wait for the moment they let their guard down, then strike.”

Steven, still catching his breath from his close encounter, looked at him, wide-eyed. “But… they’re just so fast. How are we supposed to keep up?”

Huebert gave him a dry look. “By using your brains, Steven. Something I know you all have, buried somewhere under all that panic.” He turned to Valmet, a glimmer of something sharper in his gaze. “And you—if you’re going to use spells, you’d better work on building your stamina. Mana doesn’t last forever.”

Valmet nodded, the hint of a competitive spark returning to her eyes. She glanced back at the scrapyard, determined. “Alright. Let’s give this another shot.”

Huebert stepped back, his expression satisfied but still amused. “Good. Now try again, but this time… try to act like you’re not at a birthday party playing whack-a-mole.”

The group gathered themselves, each of them exchanging determined looks. This time, they would have to work together—and maybe, just maybe, they’d find a way to take down the gremlins without sending each other into complete chaos.