His eyes frantically searched, and the pit in his stomach intensified. A loud noise boomed through the area as if something incredibly large had crashed into the ground. Several trees fell to the ground behind Hujarin, as he whipped around he noticed a looming shadow.

Panic rose as Hujarin started to flee, the skeletons followed after him. Unable to flee fast enough due to his old injuries, one of the skeletons hoisted him up unceremoniously and they increased their speed. Quickly thinking through his panic he marked the area on the map with a large red cross.

The creature that cast the looming shadow roared and lumbered after them. Trees were obliterated left and right as the beast chased the skeletons. Hujarin draped over the skeleton's shoulder finally got a glimpse of the monster, as its humongous form burst through a layer of trees into the light.

Hujarin gasped as its massive form was revealed. Giant limbs groaned softly as the creature lurched forward. The creature was carried forward powerfully, albeit slowly, on legs made of thick brown branches intertwined with large green vines.

It roared in frustration as its intended prey eluded it, angry that the tiny figures were faster than they appeared to be. The skeletons ran ceaselessly, not having to worry about fatigue. Skeletal limbs empowered by magic they were capable of great speeds, and that is what they did.

Hujarin was bumped, jostled, and bruised with every step. After several hours of fleeing they finally made it out of the forest and hurried toward the village. The beast stopped at the edge of the forest and flared hatefully at Hujarin. With a roar that shook the heavens, the monster harrumphed, and slowly disappeared back into its forest lair.

The skeletons never stopped running until they delivered a trembling Hujarin directly to their Lord. The skeleton knelt down and gently placed Hujarin on the floor, then stood up and telepathically conversed with his master.

My Lord! Some sort of plant monster attempted to ambush us while we were escorting Hujarin on his herb collecting.

A plant monster???

Yes, a giant lumbering beast made of wood, vines, and vegetation.

Well… That’s interesting! You lot stay here and guard Hujarin.

The rest of you surround the village and protect it at all costs. Burwil and Illeorv round up all the goblins and make sure they stay inside the village. Golem meet me at the edge of the forest! Now!

After issuing the commands telepathically, I took off running at breakneck speeds toward the edge of the forest. Shortly thereafter I arrived at the edge of the forest, my tiny chest heaving mightily. After momentarily catching my breath I clambered up the Golems back and sat in my makeshift perch.

Into the woods. We have a beast to slay!

The Golem sped off into the woods as fast as it could. So we hunted, my eyes guardedly searching for signs of the monster, magic ready to be summoned forth at a moment's notice. We followed the destruction of the forest, clear signs of the creatures passing.

After a long trek, we finally stumbled upon what looked to be a cavernous lair. The entrance was shrouded in vast overgrowth, dried blood, and sun-bleached bones strewn haphazardly around.

Hopping out of my perch and climbing down the Golem, I landed on the ground accidentally crunching a portion of bone. With a sickening crunch that made me shudder, I quickly stepped off the bone and looked around.

“Summon Spirits.” I chanted several times.

Five skulls appeared before me wreathed in the emerald glimmer of unholy fire. The five spirits hovered in the air, slowly moving into the cave, followed closely by the Golem with me behind. Senses taut we delved into this beast's lair.

The fiery spirits combatted the darkness, but the darkness encroached upon the light. Hungrily trying to devour it, as if to hide secrets that should remain veiled.

The damp heat of the cave sent shivering sweat down my back, as the acrid stench of the monster's existence assaulted my nostrils. Picking my path carefully I attempted to avoid the monster's leftovers and excrement.

The darkness of the cavern and the essence of unknown magic in the air were wreaking havoc on my senses. I could not accurately predict how far we had traveled or how long we had been descending into the pair of the beast.

Even sound was betraying me, as each step, I took somehow both echoed and made no noise at the same time. It instilled a very odd sensation that added to the disorientation. My vision blurred as the effects compounded, hindering my progress.

My legs trembled as I walked, wobbling with each step. Each breath was suffocating, as the pollution of the beast's magic thickened filling the lair in smog. My frustration was rising rapidly as I fell prey to the insidious smog.

Pushed to my breaking point, I became irate at this bastard of a beast and its sneaky shenanigans. The mind fog dissipated slowly as rage filled me with a sharpened purpose. I’m going to reduce this bitch to ashes!

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A bestial roar erupted from within, completely pulling me out of the haze, as I began to gather an enormous amount of magic around me. The familiar emerald glow of unholy energy enveloped me as the words were ripped from my very soul.

“Summon Spirits!” I bellowed.

Slight fatigue rushed through my body as my mana quickly depleted as countless fiery skulls manifested around me. My normal energy reserves quickly being surpassed and then bolstered by the surrounding beast mana, as my rage-filled summoning went far beyond my limits.

The suffocating effect of the surrounding energy lessened as it fueled my fury. The cavern overflowed with emerald luminescence as an immense amount of fiery skulls occupied the area.

“Endless rage, Unleash! Fueled by my fury! Set fire to the world!” I screamed in righteous anguish.

When those words ripped out of my very soul, the beast's lair brightened as the flames enveloping the Summoned Spirits flared. The temperature rose as the scintillating flames began to ignite the very air around them. The beast's magic polluting the air was quickly consumed, as the flames shot through the smog like wildfire.

The cavern grew inhospitable as the surrounding air was consumed as fuel for the raging fires of my unholy anger. The area was illuminated at a shocking pace as the haze of beast magic continued to be incinerated.

Shortly thereafter the shroud was lifted as the cavern lit up like an open plain in the middle of the day. A shadowy figure partially hidden by shrubbery stared at me in confusion and disbelief.

A bestial screech pierced the air as the agitated beast charged out of its hiding place. The beast mumbled out some words in a grating wooden voice that I had no way of comprehending. I soon found out the creature was chanting, once the words stopped the plant creature began to swell at incredible speed. In a matter of seconds, the beast had doubled in size, towering over my short frame as its size nearly rivaled my Golems.

The creature locked its eerie gaze onto me as it screeched and rushed toward me. With a smirk and a quick mental command, my Golem barreled toward the beast as he raised his gargantuan metal fist. The hefty fist launched a heavy haymaker straight into the side of the creature's face.

The hit landed with a thunderous crunching sound as the beast soared through the air. The beast thudded into the cavern wall and tumbled to the floor. The beast roared in pain as it scrambled back onto its roots, wooden chunks falling off its partially ruined face.

Holy shit the Golem really packs a wallop!

The creature shuddered with pain, and bellowed out its frustration and anger, before charging at the thing that caused it such agony. The Golem braced itself and planted its feet in preparation, massive arms at the ready, waiting to meet the charge head-on.

The massive titans clashed head-on, hands entwined, grappling as wrestlers would have in my old world. Back and forth they struggled, neither gaining any ground.

The creature rumbled with joy as it gained a slight advantage and exploited it. Wooden limbs creaked as vine-like tendons stretched taut, pushing the Golem off balance. Letting go of one of the Golem's arms the creature grabbed the Golem's midsection and lifted the Golem into the air body groaning with the strain of lifting such a heavy being.

Holding the Golem aloft the creature's arms whipped back and then snapped forward, releasing its hold on the Golem, the Golem sailed through the air at great speed into the cavern wall.

The Golem crashed into the wall with a loud bang as the wall shattered. Broken stone rained down around the Golem as it struggled to extricate itself from the wall. A bestial roar ripped itself free from the depths of my soul, as a mental command reverberated through the link between Master and Minions.

Annihilate!

Rage boiled through my veins as I stood witness to the damage inflicted upon my first friend in this world. My hands started to shake as I angrily chanted the words to activate a spell.

“Decay!” I roared.

Emerald energy flooded into my body as a black mist began to form in my palms. Thrusting my hands toward the beast that had ignited my rage, the black mist billowed out of my palms engulfing the creature. The creature roared in pain as the effects of decay set in.

The essence of decay spread over the creature like a plague, slowly dissolving the beast's wooden flesh. The beast flailed wildly attempting to scrape off the offending substance. As the creature wailed, hunched over in agony, its malevolent glare locked onto me. An otherworldly howl erupted from the creature’s maw, as it charged toward me on slowly dissolving limbs.

The beast took a single step before an innumerable horde of summoned Spirits swarmed over it. The unholy fire surrounding the spirits consumed the dissolving essence of the Chlorofiend’s flesh ravenously. The fire rapidly spread to engulf the entirety of the Chlorofiend, with small explosions when it consumed a particularly large pocket of the disgusting goop that was the creature’s melting flesh. Interesting! This interaction is very similar to dousing a fire with gasoline.

Vines blackened, turning to ash as they fell. The Chlorofiend yowled in pain while its wooden carapace turned to glowing coals. The flames continued to burn away at the beast as it struggled to reach me, every step a constant agony.

Bits of charred wood fell from the creature with every movement. The flaming spirits continued to bombard the Chlorofiend, leaving dents in their wake as ash and embers filled the air with each strike.

A roar filled with pain, anger, and a deep hatred for the being who caused it such suffering, echoed through the cavern. Several of the spirits crashed into the monster's legs disintegrating its shins. The Chlorofiend’s eyes locked onto mine as it collapsed to the ground.

Growling defiantly the Chlorofiend continued on its path to me by maddeningly clawing toward me. Roars of rage swiftly became cries of pain, as the spirits pummeled the Chlorofiend back into oblivion.

The Chlorofiend let loose a guttural whimper as the reality of its defeat reared its ugly head. All fight left its body and the gleam fled from his gaze. Its mouth agape in a silent wail of agony, it watched pathetically as the Golem lumbered over to its mangled body.

With a smile and a metallic sheen in the Golem's eyes, it raised its massive leg and viciously stomped the Chlorofiend’s head. With a sickening squelching noise the Golem had sent the beast to its eternal slumber.

The loot showered out of the Chlorofiend’s corpse, raining down around me haphazardly. Collecting the spoils of my victory I tossed them into my spatial storage, deciding to look through them later. After storing all the drops I unceremoniously slumped down in exhaustion.

Battle-charged adrenaline dissipating and the surge of mana overdrive had taken its toll on me both physically and mentally. The Golem stomped over, footsteps vibrating the earth, and gently picked me up with a worried look plastered on his face.