MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

Chapter 113 The Guardian

At the corner of the burnt forest, there was a fearsome creature moving at a fast pace. It was a massive beast with a body made of bones and a pair of glowing green eyes that seemed to burn with an inner fire.

The Forest Guardian was the protector of the forest, and it took its duty very seriously. It was a formidable foe, with sharp claws and teeth that could tear through even the toughest of materials.

But on this day, the skeletal forest guardian was infuriated. Something had disturbed the balance of the forest, and the guardian could sense it. It sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent of the intruders.

Unfortunately all the ashes had blocked its sense of smell...

As it prowled through the forest, the guardian's green eyes narrowed with anger. It could sense the mana of the intruders within the area, and it felt the need to crush them. The skeletal being wasn't sure as to why the forest was decimated, but only two souls apart from him were left alive.

The skeletal forest guardian let out a fierce roar, its bones shaking with the force of the sound. It charged towards the intruders, its claws ready to strike.

"Shit!"

Eli, who had already noticed the guardian beforehand, didn't expect the monster to be so agile and was almost caught off guard.

As the two clashed, Ava watched from the sidelines, her hands crackling with Lightning. She knew that she had to be ready to jump in and lend her support to Eli who was currently having a hard time holding up against the forest guardian.

Eli swung her scythe with all of his might, trying to strike at the guardian's vulnerable, green eyes. But the guardian was too quick and agile, dodging and weaving as it tried to get in close enough to strike with its claws.

Ava's body tensed as the skeletal guardian got closer, lightning dancing beneath her feet. She knew that her lightning spells would be most effective at close range, but she also knew that she had to be careful not to hit Eli with her spells.

As the battle raged on, Ava saw her chance. The guardian had managed to get in close to Eli, and the orc was struggling to defend herself. Ava summoned all of her strength and dashing towards the guardian.

Spurt...

An orb of lightning left her hands and crashed against the monster's head.

It struck the guardian forehead, making it slightly stumble backwards.

Even though lightning did no damage to an undead, Eli saw this as an opportunity and swung her scythe with all of her might, striking the guardian and making its whole body shift to the side.

Roar...

A fear enticing roar echoed through the vicinity covered with ashes. While Ava was far away, not be unaffected by the skill, Eli was not.

"Damn!"

Her legs were wobbly and she couldn't quite control her body the way she wanted.

Whoosh...

She heard something tearing through the air and knew it was the claws of the beast.

Spurt...

Luckily Ava was prepared and used her Lightning Step to grab Eli out of the monster's range.

"Thanks!"

Slapping her cheeks to calm down Eli spoke while Ava just nodded her head.

Even though they spoke in a calm manner the battle was far from over. The guardian let out a fierce roar and shifted its body towards the players, its bones rattling in the quiet vicinity. It charged at Eli again, its claws and teeth bared.

Eli stood her ground and swung his scythe, trying to fend off the guardian's attack. But the guardian was relentless, and it seemed to have an endless supply of energy.

"Little help!?"

Eli hysterically screamed, blocking the claws from almost piercing her abdomen.

Whoosh...

A fireball flew through the air hitting the chest of the guardian. The monster took some damage, but it was miniscule.

Turning its skeletal head towards Ava it growled. Previously it hadn't thought of her as a threat, because lightning couldn't damage it.

Boom...

While the monster was distracted Eli sneaked upon it and struck it with all her might. Unfortunately the beast was like a moving fortress and only stumbled.

Its skull showed no signs of cracking, while its green eyes shone with anger and calmness.

"Divert its attention..."

Ava spoke and prepared to cast multiple spells at the same time.

The Skeletal Forest Guardian lunged towards the orc, its arms outstretched. Eli swung her scythe with all her might, but the Guardian was quick to react and blocked the attack with its own bony hands. Ava used her Lightning Steps to appear behind the Guardian and unleashed a fireball, hitting the creature in the back and causing it to growl in pain.

The Skeletal Forest Guardian was momentarily stunned, and Eli took advantage of the opportunity to deliver the crushing blow. With a mighty swing of her scythe, she sliced through the Guardian's spine, causing it to crumble to the ground in a heap of bones.

Panting and covered in sweat, Ava and Eli stood victorious over the defeated Skeletal Forest Guardian. They were truly a formidable team.

"Well done"

Ava said, clapping Eli on the back.

"Now let's keep moving. The riddl...."

-Rattle! -Rattle!

She didn't have time to finish her sentence, because the forest guardian's bones started levitating and soon the monster was back to its previous shape.

Roar...

Another roar sent chills down the spine, but Eli and Ava were far away not be affected by the skill.

"I should've gone for the head..."

Eli spoke looking at two green orbs shining in the eye lockets.

The Skeletal Forest Guardian let out a deafening roar as it charged towards the two women once again.

Eli swung her scythe with all her might, but the creature's bones were too hard and the scythe barely made a dent in the creature's hand.

Ava, seeing an opportunity, focused all her Mana on a single fireball and launched it towards the creature's green eyes, the only vulnerable spot on its body. The fireball hit its mark and the Skeletal Forest Guardian let out a shriek of pain.

Eli saw her chance and swung her scythe with renewed strength, finally managing to cut through the creature's bones and destroy one of its eyes. Ava shot another fireball at the other eye, but the Skeletal Forest Guardian managed to block it by shifting its whole body to the side.

Growl....

Panting and covered in sweat, Ava and Eli heard a vicious growl leave the monster's throat.

"How can it even growl..."

Eli commented, but soon had to take a dozen steps back, because a pair of claws were aiming to cut her in half.

One of the creature's eyes was destroyed, but the other one was perfectly fine. The monster wouldn't crumble until both of its vulnerable points were destroyed.

Spurt...

Suddenly a girl with white hair appeared above the creature with a fireball levitating above her head.

"Finish it!"

Eli screamed as Ava thrusted her hand with the fireball held within it through the hole at the back of its skull.

Boom...

The explosion echoed and the beast collapsed into a pile of bones. This time it wouldn't be able to reassemble itself making both Eli and Ava fall on their knees.

"Finally..."

Both were exhausted and deprived of Mana. While Ava used most of it using Lightning Step, Eli had to cast a fire skill she bought before fighting grim reaper every time she wanted to damage the undead forest guardian.

Rattle...

A sound of something moving within the bone pile made Eli's and Ava's heads snap towards the direction of the bones.

"What Now!"

Eli was frustrated, she didn't want this kind of fun!

"Keep calm..."

Slightly shifting her head towards her friend Ava spoke, trying to remain open-minded. They didn't even know what was hidden within the pile of bones, it might not be a monster.

Sprout...

In a matter of minutes, a small sapling emerged from the pile of bones, its tiny leaves unfurling towards the sky. Despite its diminutive size, the tree seemed to possess an otherworldly strength, its roots delving deep into the earth and drawing sustenance from the bones that lay beneath it.

As the minutes ticked by, the sapling grew at an alarming rate, its trunk thickening and its branches reaching towards the sky. Despite the harsh conditions of the wasteland, the tree seemed to thrive, its leaves a vibrant shade of green that stood out in stark contrast to the dull, monochromatic landscape.

"What the hell..."

Eli spoke seeing a small sprout grown into a giant tree that was piercing through the clouds like a skyscraper.

'The game's creators do have some crazy imagination...'

She thought while approaching the trunk of the giant tree. Different from the trees from before, this one had vibrant colors.

It looked almost like a normal tree if not for its massive size that could top the biggest man made structures.