It took more effort than it should have for Matthew to break from the wood and vines that bound him. In fact, the only reason he could break free was one of the dryads cutting a section of the vines in an attempt to tear his flesh.

Matthew leaped away after freeing himself from the binds, nearly being nicked by the wooden claws of a dryad.

As he landed, he placed a palm on the ground as the land around him began to softly glow.

The dryads around him were suddenly impaled as dozens of bright spears erupted from the earth.

Two of the dryads burst into splinters- having been struck point-blank by the spectral spearhead. But the other two had avoided most of the damage. However one still lost an arm.

Matthew felt his chest begin to burn. The two runes on his torso were pulsing, one draining the mana from him as the spears erupted, and the other causing his mana to erupt, sending a surge of pain through his body.

[MP: 45/99 > 15/99]

[HP: 130/245 > 100/245]

Matthew let out a grunt as pain erupted across his chest. "Shit," he rose to his feet, brushing passed the pain. "Can't use skills."

Matthew opened his free hand as a white and gold horn appeared in it. "I can work with that." He said before holding it to his lips and blowing.

The uninjured dryad rushed at Matthew as the spears disappeared, but hardly took more than a few steps before a sword fell from beyond the canopy of leaves above them.

The blade pierced through the dryad's body, causing it to burst into splinters.

Then a familiar golden figure clad in white armor- similar to Matthew's- shot down to the ground.

Then two more blades shot from the heavens, felling the final two dryads. Two more golden figures appeared.

Matthew's eyes scanned over the three warriors of faith he'd summoned as they all turned in unison and marched towards them.

"Three?" Matthew looked to the warriors. Then down to the white armor he was wearing. He remembered the large increase to his faith stat it gave him, cresting it over 60.

Without a word, two of the Warriors of Faith stepped forward and outstretched their hands.

Matthew took half a step back, but the two warriors simply moved closer.

The warriors grasped around the two hex runes across Matthew's chest. Then they pulled. Matthew felt a pull in his chest, as if they were tugging at his lungs.

As the warriors pulled their hands away, the runes broke from their hold on Matthew.

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['Witch Rune' has been removed]

['Relapse Rune' has been removed]

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As the two warriors held the runes within their hands, the light within the sets of armor began to flicker and wane. Before Matthew could say a word their white metal armor began to dent and get crushed into a ball as the light that made up their bodies flickered out. Leaving nothing more than crumbled pieces of armor at Matthew's feet.

Within seconds the balls of metal peeled away into shards of light and faded into the air.

The final warrior stepped forward.

Matthew took a step back and stuck a hand out. "No no, you aren't taking away anything else, I only have so many of you."

The warrior tilted its head to the side like a confused puppy.

Matthew looked down at himself. Wounds littered his body, but there were no more runes to remove from him.

The warrior continued towards him and places a metal hand over Matthew's chest. The light within the warrior's armor began to coil into its palm and flow around Matthew's wounds.

The pain across Matthew's body- which he'd nearly completely tuned out- quickly faded.

[HP: 100/245 > 200/245]

The Warrior's light dimmed. It slumped forward for a moment before the quickly straightening itself and standing at attention before its leader. Even still Matthew could see the fatigue wash over the warrior. But the state of his summoned magic beast wasn't his top priority.

"Do you know where the witch went?" He asked.

The warrior's light brightened slightly as it began to turn and quickly scan the area around them. The warrior raised its arm and pointed within the dense foliage of trees.

"Take me to- woah!" Matthew began before the metal arm of the warrior wrapped around him and shot forward with a flap of its golden wings.

***

"Damnit, what did I say about getting too relaxed. No gate is a 'free paycheck'. Something always happens." Berret insisted as him and the rest of Squad 12- minus Matthew- tracked through the forest.

"Well sorry for being optimistic." Sanri complained.

They had left the sandy beach of the dungeon nearly half an hour ago. They had lost contact with Matthew another half hour before. That seemed to be the only thing Berret had needed to mention for the entire squad to abruptly end their early vacation and gear up.

Tyler scouted around in a wide birth around the squad, making sure to contact Berret every 5 minutes- which he had yet to fail to do so. Nonetheless, there was no sign of Matthew.

"Optimism doesn't matter when another hunter is in danger." Berret retorted.

"Can you guys shut it for 5 seconds." Cereiana spoke. She held her hands together, channeling mana between them. A small translucent form flickered and waved like a slow spectral flame between her hands. In the middle of blot of mana was a hollow face with two eye holes and a frown.

The small phantom spun in the space between her hands before a small wisp of its form pointed off into the trees.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Cereiana nodded in the direction before clasping her hands together, smushing the phantom into wisps of mana with a light poof. "There's a blot of mana coming from that direction."

As the group began to turn in the direction, a form emerged within the forest. They were shouting and running towards them.

Squad 12 readied their weapons before slowly lowering them as the frantic shouts began intelligible. "Thank goodness, he was right! Help, I'm being attacked by magic beasts. Please help me!"

The figure quickly became into view as she neared the group.

She had long green hair that went down to the center of her back. She wore a green and brown mage's robes that were stained in several layers of dirt.. Strung across her waist were several leather satchels as well as a leather book with a faded cover. In her hands was a natural wooden staff with a green gem at its tip. As if someone had just tore a branch from a giant tree. Sweat dripped down her face, presumably from having ran across the forest.

Squad 12 quickly exchanged concerned glances as the new hunter skidded to a halt before them.

She put her hands on her knees as she heaved for breathe. "A- another hunter found me. Mark.. I think. He said," she heaved again. "He said, you could protect me against-" she was abruptly cut off when horrid screeches erupted from within the wood.

A moment later, humanoid beasts made of spindled wood began to emerge from the bark of trees.

Squad 12 began to surround the new hunter- Berret and Sanri in the front.

Valine stepped alongside the hunter. "What's your name? Where is Matthew? The hunter you said you saw." She asked, placing a hand over the hunter's body. A faint blue light fled from Valine's hand and began to heal the minor scrapes and bruises across her body. The mana switched to a light green as the wounds closed and began to seep into her very skin. Valine knit her brows. "Your mana reserves were running on fumes huh?"

The hunter nodded. "The hunter found me just when I was about to get killed by those dryads," she gestured her head to the approaching magic beasts. "He held most of them off and told me to run. But he was surrounded and injured when I lost sight of him."

Valine saw the dew building in the woman's eyes. "It'll be alright. Matthew is..." she faltered slightly. "He's a strong hunter. He'll be alright."

"I hope so."

The wooden claws of one of the dryads slammed against Berret's shield as he knocked the arm aside with such force that a section of the thin strands of wood that made up its shoulder began to crack. A moment after the head of the tank's hammer smashed into the dryad's head, crushing the entire top half of its torso into splinters.

"Why are your attacks so effective?" Sanri complained as he ducked below the swipe of a dryad and cut of its leg at the knee as he spun behind the beast before cutting an X into its back. He took a few steps back as the wood began to regrow and mend the magic beast back together. "I can't do shit."

A bolt of lightning struck the dryad in front of Sanri just as it turned to attack. The wood quickly cracked and burst open as the electricity coursed across its body. The dryad screeched and fell face-first onto the ground, still crackling slightly.

Audri and Sanri's gaze met. "Really?" Sanri complained. "You can one-shot these too." Sanri back-stepped another slash from a wooden monster.

Sanri sheathed his blades before his body shone blue momentarily. He shot forward in a brief blue blur. The dryad ahead of him suddenly found the wood in its chest quickly cave in and half its head crack into splinters. Then another blow hit its shoulder and caused it to detach.

Sanri finally stopped as the blue glow faded. He looked at his newly bloody knuckle as the dryad collapsed. "Fighting these things hurt."

Behind the front lines, Cereiana put out both her hands as two wisps of spectral smoke flew from her palms. The humanoid specters circled around the sides of the group of dryads before flanking one as it began to charge Berret. While the specters had no physical mass, as they touched the wood of the dryads, the wood quickly rotted and cracked as the substance of the ghosts seeped into its body.

Far into the forest, Tyler quickly leaped from branch to branch, tree to tree. A faint green glow coated his legs, dampening his movements. Simultaneously, his eyes glowed, letting him see the faint pulse of mana within living things, at the cost of turning the world into a deep grey. Now, his allies were no more than small specs far behind him.

Then he saw a blip among the trees. A small golden dot quickly weaving around trees, headed trait for him.

Tyler blinked a few times; deactivating his skill so he could more clearly see the world around him instead of shades of grey. The blot of gold disappeared. Replaced by an even stranger sight.

An armored magic beast glowing with radiant light quickly shot between trees with surprising agility for its size. But that wasn't all, in its grasp, being carried like a child, was Matthew, lightly bloodied and worn.

Tyler quickly unsheathed both his daggers, ready to fight the magic beast who had stolen his friend.

Then he heard Matthew shouting as the glowing warrior sped towards him with no sign of stopping.

"Wait, warrior. Stop. Bring me-" suddenly the golden beast angled its wings to catch the wind before tossing Matthew towards Tyler.

Tyler's eyes widened as Matthew slammed into him, sending them both tumbling off the branches to the forest floor below.

The warrior made of light quickly met them at the bottom.

Tyler quickly shot up and readied his daggers as Matthew got up beside him. He began to step forward when Matthew grabbed his shoulder.

"What are you-" Tyler was cut off.

"Where are the others?" Matthew asked, forcefully turning Tyler to face him.

"They are with that woman you saved. But you're weak I'll take care of-" he began to turn to face the warrior but Matthew's grasp held firm as he spoke again.

"It's mine," Tyler opened his mouth. "Long story, just point me where they are."

Tyler's eyes shown green for a moment as he scanned the area and pointed through the thicket of trees.

Matthew turned to the armored warrior of light, who had yet to move from standing at attention. "Warrior, take us to them, now," he turned to Tyler. "Hold on."

"What for-" he got no further when a metal arm wrapped around his waist and he was shot from the ground being carried by the now flying armored warrior.

Berret made splinters of two more dryads as he smashed one with his hammer and another with his shield. He could feel himself getting weaker with fatigue. His swings were slower, his hits- while brutal, didn't strike as deep as they first had. He even could slowly feel his vision begin to blur slightly at the periphery. Like the land itself was sapping his strength.

"How many more are coming?" Cereiana shouted as she sent out another specter which promptly hurled itself at a dryad and exploded, rotting away the body of the dryad.

Valine kept her hands on Susie, feeding her ever depleting mana supply. "Did you get affected by some sort of mana poison? Your mana keeps seeping away."

The hunter nodded. "A miniboss of the area can use hexes. It's affected me and that friend of yours with one. It continuously seeps away our mana."

"I can't do this much longer." She asked, trying to push more mana into the weary hunter. She was beginning to run dry herself, her mana was nearly at a third of its maximum capacity. "I'm nearly out of mana."

Susie shook her head. "It's alright, there shouldn't be too many more-"

Suddenly a shout broke through the fighting. "Get away from her now!"

All heads turned to the sound.

Matthew dropped from the warrior of light carrying him before rearing his spear back and throwing it into the center of his squad.

The dryads surrounding the party screeched before crumbling.

Valine, Cereiana, and Audri quickly backed away as large roots erupted around Susie.

The spear struck the outer layer of the wooden barrier before its head exploded, blowing a hole in the shell.

Matthew saw the two glowing green eyes of Susain glaring at him before hell broke loose.

Several large sharp branches exploded outwards erratically from the cracked shell, impaling through trees like sharp chains.

Matthew leaped to the side as a large branch planted into the base of a tree behind him.

Berret deflected another branch with his shield, though he slid several feet across the dirt as a result.

Sanri leaped above a branch to stand atop it as it hurled towards him.

Audri dove to the side as a branch shot above her head, cutting a part of her hair.

Valine quickly ducked next to the wooden shell as a a branch shot past her chest.

Tyler was suddenly dropped to the floor as a branch shot between him and the warrior.

Cereiana's eyes widened as her body went cold. A spindle of wood pierced her chest, through her lungs and heart before planting its bloody tip into a tree. The cries of her name fell a on deaf ears as her body fell to the floor.

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[Quest: Monarch of Witchcraft]

[Rank: B-]

[Objective: You have encountered the vessel of the Monarch of Witchcraft who may one day threaten the world. End this threat before they can grow too powerful.]

[Rewards: Random B-rank item]

[Bonus Objective: Evacuate all allies]

[Bonus Reward: Varies based on number of allies extracted]

[Allies extracted: 0/6]

***

[Allies extracted: 0/6 > 0/5]

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