CHPT 313: Hands on Training, Nature on Slaughter....

[+ 200 EXP]

"One down. One to go." Claude thought as he bounded through the forest, bobbing and weaving his way through the trees while the wooden spike mirrored his movements like the most loyal of partners.

He was closing in on the Alpha. The massive armored PitWolven Monster that stood still as stone in the clearing while it's eyes moved chaotically trying to pin point which of the many sounds was his own.

With every inch he moved closer, the Gnoll looked more panicked until it finally turned tail and attempted to flee on it's two injured legs.

He willed away the chains that enveloped his left arm and reached for the creature.

FWSHH!

A hand of vines rose from the earth and grasped the Gnoll's leg.

His Malevolence Tether was back in a flash as he reached out to grab the creature despite their vast distance apart.

When he felt the snug tightness of the chain connecting to it's target, he let loose. He let out everything, every worry, every instance of anger, fear, guilt. He let the chain lead him and Nature in expelling the threat that had the potential to ruin everything.

One pull and he was bulleting out of the forest towards the Gnoll at blurring speeds, his right hand swiped at the creature's low back.

SWIP!

As he passed, the sounds of flesh tearing fell on his ears from the wooden spike sinking into Monstrous flesh.

Without stopping, he turned and reset the process.

Again.

Again.

Again.

The pack backed away and watched as he zig zagged in and out of sight, bringing with him deadly wooden spikes that streaked, curved and overlapped past occurrences like messy paint strokes on a canvas.

The Gnoll was slowly being locked into place with every line of wood hee wove into it's body with gruesome efficiency.

As the show went on, Wild Magic seeped into his every movement and Gil's naturally flaming Javelins punctured the wood, causing the forest he bounded through after every attack to slowly bind and latch onto his wooden spike, shrouding it in invasive vines and harder bark until the wooden tendril at his side looked more like a Giant's Lance than a simple spike.

Wooden constructs ran through the Gnoll's chest, stomach, legs and arms endlessly. The touch of Wild Magic had vines running along the woods surface to further constrict the creature that was withering away by the second. It only needed one more attack.

No chain came this time. Instead he burst from the trees on his own, the giant spike of the forest moved behind him, letting off a horrifyingly ominous scratching sound as it's immense weight ripped through the forest to reach their target.

FWOO!

BOOM!

He reached the Gnoll soon after and slammed his fist into the untouched portion at the center of it's armored chest. The hit was almost anticlimactic in the way it did nothing and made no sound.

FWWSSHHHH!!

"AAAAACKKK!!!"

The spike made up for that, blowing a hole the size of two of Claude's heads in it's chest.

His connection to Nature released. The wooden network taking place on the field went still. The only beings still moving were him and the Gnoll who couldn't seem to die.

As it barked and thrashed against it's repeatedly punctured body, he found himself scouring the field for his spears.

Didn't take much time to find them, a few feet away from the Gnoll. The creature must've understood what he was doing since it began to fight harder, as if only now it's life depended on it.

The sounds stung his ears painfully. Something he ignored while he crouched and picked up his weapon.

It was broken.

The once beautiful and practical steel spear, wrapped in dark leathers for better grip and ending with a sharp silver gleaming blade was no more. He now held it's two halves in both hands. He wasn't worried, he had an idea. And now was a better time than ever to try it since he was feeling better with his Element than ever before.

In one fluid motion, he flipped one half of the broken spear, the back half, the side with no blade. Aiming the side with more weight down at the earth, he let his connection to Nature return. He could see the roots beneath, binding and forming into something more solid.

Fwshshsh

A smaller wooden tendril rose, climbing towards the broken half of the spear like a human finger reaching to touch a foreign object. Once it reached the weapon, it twisted and coiled around the cold metal, fastening and reinforcing itself until it was snug. Until it was one.

After a few seconds passed, it was done.

CHK!

He broke the line of wood connecting his spear to the earth and held the weapons in front of him.

Dual ShortSpears. Not the best, but the sharpness of the wood that coiled around the other spear would get the job done.

The Gnoll was still roaring and snapping when he found himself facing the creature, unwilling to die, unwilling to fall.

Steam rose from his shoulders as he eyed the creature that threatened to take everything. The anger hung hot on his skin like lava.

But, it was over.

He spun his spears and rose them above his head.

SHLCK!

"ACK!"

With a snarl, he slammed the weapons into the Gnoll's unnerving fiery orange eyes so deep that the blade points came out of the back of it's head.

Before the creature could react, he ripped off a chunk of it's massive shoulder and waved it in the air.

"Come eat!" He yelled before slamming the chunk of meat on the creatures face.

The last thing the Gnoll heard before death were the deafening cries of a Raven joined by the howls of a dozen Wolves.

And yet, there were no human sounds among them. In fact, in death, the Gnoll was beginning to realize, there were no real human smells in the forest at all. None.....

[+550 EXP]