1- Huntress

A Chapter by MantaStyle

A thunderous roar echoed through the forest. The beast from whence the roar came from was having a bout with nature itself as it tore through overgrowth with sheer brute strength and clawed at the trees till they all fell down with a slam. From afar, it was simple to equate the creature to a rabid beast to which its savagery knew no bounds as it attacked the motionless forest, but upon closer inspection the forest wasn’t motionless at all.

On top of the thickest trees sat a lone figure watching the action below. The trees moved in accordance to her gestures. With a stroke of her hand roots burst out, with a flick of her wrist trees rattled and exploded into large splinters. She enjoyed whittling down her prey while in safety. This was the type of arcane supremacy a magus who was a cut above the rest could wield. She wore a sinister black garb and a lowered hood while she merrily swung her barefoot from the ledge.

Her dark atmosphere and immense power was very contrasting to the person in question as she lets out an unfiltered scream as the wyvern sprinted up the redwood she sat on. The vines, the roots, and the smaller trees she had been using as offense up till now were of little to no use once the wyvern felt it was pushed into a corner and began charging her with no regard for its own life.

In response, the girl threw herself back and leapt off where she sat and flew down to the ground. She takes a scroll from her satchel and with a quick incantation, the scroll bursts in embers and from the redwood she sat on a faint aura could be felt. Soon, a constant creak could be heard and with that as it’s only warning, the giant tree split open and seemingly devoured the wyvern.

The wyvern squirmed violently as wood penetrated both scale and flesh. Wooden tendrils crept closer and closer to its vitals but its constant thrashing did not allow the fight to end with ease. For some reason, no amount of damage could be dealt to slow down the beast as it thrashed more and more.

Despite the incredible display of sorcery, her endurance was not bottomless. For every move the tree had made was under her own violation. Every snap of wood was something she had to mend. It was quickly taking a toll on her. Her face paled as her knees started to weaken from exhaustion both mental and physical. She could not win a battle of endurance against a savage. Though she has a plan.

Albeit a clumsily stitched-up plan… but a plan!

From her satchel she takes out a grubby looking scroll�"it was filled with unnecessary markings and smudges. She winces at the scribbles she dared called a ‘working spell’ and quickly had a forming cloud in her.

‘Don’t fail me now, past me’, she whispers as she hesitates to cast the spell inscribed but her will was quickly ironed out as the bloody wyvern was starting to outpace her depleting strength.

With her fingers trembling and sweat pouring down the scrolls. She first creates a water-bubble to float just a few feet above her head. Next, she imbues the scroll with a tremendous amount of mana, but in doing so she gave up all the chances she had in keeping the wyvern at bay. Things were certainly out of hand, but she shrugs her shoulders and whispers to herself - ‘There have been worse.’

The tree quickly came to a halt and with their mana supply cut, they snapped and twisted as regular wood should have. Splinter and blood rained from above and with another deafening roar, the wyvern announces its triumph; though prematurely. The few seconds it took for the beast to escape the overgrowth, was enough for the magus to cast a spell to end their small skirmish.

With about a dozen blue orbs now circling around her, her fingertips now channeling an unspeakable amount of power seemingly being supplemented by the orbs around her. The tips of her robe started to catch fire even her fingertips were starting to burn. Like fresh charcoal thrown in a campfire, her burning was gradual though that did not make it any less excruciating.

Enduring the pain, she holds her knowing it would be over soon enough. Finally, the orbs flicker out of existence for their purpose has been complete. Now, a thin bright ray of light appeared for only but a moment. The blinding flash it made lit up the night sky as if a new day had arrived. The ray struck through the wyvern’s head, penetrating its brain and leaving it dead. Any spectator would’ve been awestruck at the incredible display that had just unfolded.

The bark of trees a meters away from the magus had been torn off. A clean hole the size of an eye was visibly piercing through the wyvern’s skull. Though, she herself could not celebrate her victory as her sight was quickly taken and just as it was about to return, her consciousness faded.

She fell down with a soft thud. Burn marks littered her entire body most especially on her hands. Even her robe had caught on fire and with the caster unconscious it was almost certain that the fire would soon catch on to the rest of her body as the robe covered her entirely.

*plop*

With her consciousness being fully gone, her mana output vanished and the ball of water floating above her head popped drenching her wet. With that, this little magus had come through with her small task for today. Though leaving behind such an awkward scene to gawk at.

A suspiciously dressed girl lying unconscious on the forest floor who’s both been burned and somehow drenched right beside a dead wyvern in the remnants of a battlefield.

It would leave anyone who didn’t know the context to be very confused of what has transpired here. Thankfully, there was one other set of eyes, unbeknownst to the magus who had seen the entire thing unfold.

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