Chapter 50: The Forest Men's Leader

Raegar sat on a rocky mountain ledge, gazing down at one of the Forest Men's camps that was nestled in the valley below, after he was done filling up his Aether Pools before launching his attack. The monsters were nowhere in sight, so for now, he waited. There was no need for him to strike until they appeared. Leaning back slightly, he tore off a piece of campfire bread, the warm, crisp crust a slight comfort in this horrifying forest. ''This is the last bit,'' he muttered. ''I need to cook some more.'' Following that, he waited for another hour and the Bigfoot-like monsters started trickling into their camp, carrying monster bodies, causing him to think. 'Looks like they've just gone hunting. Most of them should be tired.' Raegar continued to wait and watch as more of the creatures appeared, causing him to stand up and ready his daggers. Once the sun set, he jumped off the ledge before using Flash Step to appear on a branch. He smiled and did the same thing while approaching a group of two Forest Men standing guard over a lake. When Raegar got close, he sensed they were on the weaker side of Tier Two, which would allow him to kill them. Without wasting time, he leaped down and landed between the two monsters before throwing his daggers into their wide eyes, causing them to drop dead as he vanished into the darkness as more of them appeared. A rage-filled roar erupted from the place where the two dead Forest Men lay. Raegar chuckled before summoning his blades while skidding behind another one and slicing through its ankles. He came to a stop and aimed his hand at the monster before casting a Stormfire Bullet that pierced through the creature's skull, blowing its brains all over the ground as it let out a death gasp. Following that, he fled into the forest as more of its kind rushed over. When they saw its corpse, they let out roars that caused him to chuckle while crouching on a branch, thinking. 'Should I use my speed against them?' Raegar nonchalantly shrugged before he decided to fight them and jumped off the branch. While falling, he summoned two Hydra blades made from earth Aether which he threw toward the monsters. They sliced through the air like homing missiles, aimed directly at the leader, who turned to the whooshing noise. Time seemed to slow as the blades cut through the space between them, the hum of magic vibrating the air. Moments later, they collided with the Forest Man leader, ripping into his defenses. He staggered back, blood seeping from a shallow wound, but his eyes flared with fury as they locked onto him. 'Beginning of Tier Three,' he mused while gripping his daggers. 'This is going to be a hard fight.' Raegar's heart pounded as the leader snarled, clearly enraged. But before the beast could recover. He slashed the air again with a swift motion, sending the blades darting out like two swift serpents, striking down two Forest Men. Their headless bodies dropped to the earth in a lifeless heap, their deaths instant and final, which angered the leader. The massive beast charged toward him while letting out a roar to signal the other monsters. Seconds later, the Forest Man charged forward, its massive fist raised high, ready to hammer down on him with brutal force. But he was quicker and slid between the creature's legs, narrowly dodging the crushing blow. In one smooth motion, he slashed at the monster's ankles with his blades, but the blades only bounced off the thick bone with a sharp ching, as though the creature's very skeleton was forged from stone. Raegar froze for a heartbeat, his heart hammering in his chest. The resistance was unexpected. He had never encountered such resilience before. But there was no time for hesitation. He quickly recovered and sent the Hydra blades flying once more, this time aiming for the leader's ankles. The blades struck again and again, each time with an echoing clang, but they couldn't pierce the monstrous hide. 'This isn't working,' he thought, narrowly dodging another wild swing and feeling the rush of wind as it missed him. His grin widened despite the challenge. This creature was tough, no doubt. But he could see the leader was slowing down. Then, in a blur of motion, the monster's arm whipped around before he could react. A heavy kick slammed into his side. The force sent him flying backward, crashing into the ground with a brutal thud. His vision swam for a moment as the monster rushed in his direction while letting out a vicious roar, causing him to cast an overcharged Lightningfire Blast at it. Raegar's spells forced the monster to block, allowing him to use Flash Step to get out of the way while he controlled the Hydra Brades to strike the Bigfoot-like creature in the face, but it moved just in time. The sharp edges left a slice across its cheek, which just enraged it once again. He quickly moved while covering his daggers in lightning and fire Aether, but controlled it until striking at the monster's calf. It unleashed the combined elements, causing an explosion that brought the beast to its knees, which made him smile. Following that, Raegar used the Hydra Blades to distract the monsters while slashing at its muscles. ''That should slow it down,'' he muttered with an excited smile. Thanks to that, the Forest Man Leader was struggling to stand just as more of its kind rushed out of the underbrush. He chuckled as one rushed in and went to stamp on him, but he spun while slicing through the creature's leg. The sudden attack brought it crashing down, allowing him to stab it through its wide eyes while sending the glowing brown Hydra Blades that decapitated the other Forest Men that tried attack. Raegar felt the strain of maintaining the spell, forcing him to dismiss it before hurling a dagger infused with fire and wind Aether at another Forest Men. The weapon struck true, detonating on impact and reducing the creature's upper half to nothing but mist. Before he could catch his breath, the leader charged in, launching a relentless assault. He evaded most of its attacks, but then a strange aura enveloped the creature. Its strikes grew faster, too fast. He used Flash Step to appear a few meters away from the Bigfoot-like monster, who looked confused before its deep red eyes landed on him. Raegar smiled and created a giant rod made from the ground using earth Aether. While doing this, he felt his pools emptying, but he quickly used wind to send the earth rod into the sky and controlled it using his remaining energy. The Forest Man Leader let out a horrifying roar before charging at him. He aimed his hand at the monster and dropped it down while thinking. 'Fuck, here we go, but I need to get out of it.' Raegar pivoted on his heel and sprinted through the forest with the Bigfoot-like creature hot on his trail. Just as he heard a sharp whistling noise, an earth rod slammed into the beast. A heartbeat later, a massive kinetic explosion erupted, shattering the ground beneath them. The force sent debris flying as the terrain collapsed. He instinctively activated Flash Step to escape, but the shockwave caught him mid-stride, hurling him violently through the air, straight into the side of a mountain. Moments later, Raegar shook his head, disoriented, and pulled himself out of the crater left by his spell, Titanfall. The impact had left a massive dent in the landscape, but the cost was steep. The overuse of his magic had drained him, leaving his legs trembling beneath him, the Aether still rushing out of his body in waves of exhaustion. He shook his head and started looking for a place to rest. 'I need to gather to fill up my pools,' he mushed while approaching a nearby tree. 'My muscles are aching, but Titanfall will be a useful spell in the future.' Raegar carefully climbed to a sturdy branch, his body still aching from the strain. He pulled out a few blankets, wrapping them around himself. As the exhaustion from the battle and overuse of his magic finally caught up to him, his eyelids grew heavy. Within moments, he drifted into a deep, much-needed sleep. The following morning, Raegar woke with a yawn, the weariness still lingering in his bones. He reached for his waterskin, taking a long drink that refreshed him and eased some of the stiffness. ''Now let's grab the loot and make my way back to Theo for the gold coins,'' he muttered while jumping off the tree. Raegar landed with a thud before approaching the crater where the Forest Man Leader was and noticed a beautiful blue glow coming from the bottom. 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