Chereads / Eclipse of the Magi / Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: The Marrow

Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: The Marrow

The Marrow had a humanoid-like appearance, with wooden skin and hollow eyes. Its legs being like stilts, segmented by two branches at the bottom of the legs to serve as feet, like a bird's talons. Its hands were gnarled and twisted, drill-like fingers as well as an open palm on both of such hands, bark from the trees nearby acting almost akin to armor atop of its plank-like skin. It doesn't have a mouth, nor does it have any proper organs. A Small buzzing was heard when being near it, almost as if it was singing a tune to itself. When it tried to lunge forward and grab the child, attempting to slam him amongst the ground and bury him deep in the earth so as to attack him via the spinal chord, the Child would take notice, card in hand.

As the attack connected, the boy being dragged across the ground, gravel and stone straggling themselves upon the child's face, stabbing deep into his eyes and head, the Marrow would loom itself over to the boy, wanting to see the damages. What it didn't expect was for the boy to flat out explode itself, blowing up the part of the forest it was on, severing it harshly with strong wounds upon its skin. Harvard was merely laughing away, with his cards stored and set up a new pair for whatever attacks they've done. The cards he put back was one where he multiplied his own body, essentially creating a clone, known simply as "Multiply" while another simply planted a large explosion upon the clone so that they would be tricked into exploding themselves. The beast would roar upon both the injuries and the trickery afoot, charging straight through at near blinding speeds, one's which caused the winds to push the oak trees greatly, even severing a few branches and grappled as weapons.

Harvard, card in tow, would cast a spell to eject chains right at the direction where the wooden abomination was approaching, entangling it and its weapons amidst the bark, the chains binding down the creature. The Marrow merely kept pushing onwards, screaming as its body begins to break, holding its gelatinous-like sap as a substitute for blood, hoping the fluidity would allow him to escape the chains and reach him further. "Ahh...I see. Just like that Golem guy, huh? Easy fix then.." The boy stated, grabbing his second card in hand and pointed it towards the monstrous creature. It reeled itself back, flinching as it were, gazing directly at what is in front of it.

It was a spell depicting a strong fire, with imp-like creatures in its sides.

The Spell was casted, blasting down that strong fire in an intense fashion, coating the beast down in its intense heat, its howls reverberating and echoing amidst the forest. The trees being consumed just as much as the Marrow by the fire, as Harvard watches the creature burn down into a cooked cinder. Satisfied, and promptly assuming it was dead, he'd try to reach back to where he found his friend. A twig snapping was what caught his ears, briskly turning around to see the creature somehow being alive still. Harvard would see the Marrow try to break off pieces of itself, digging those pieces in the ground, burrowing and drilling through the earth to find a free spot. Being a problem in the future, Harvard would try to find exactly where those pieces went, though unfortunately couldn't trace them due to the strong smoke being emitted through the forest fire. He made his way out of such ranges, desperately looking around the vicinity for the wood-like monster.

How unlucky he was, when the Monster retaliated without warning.

The very trees that still stand high would animate. New branches grew out from the roots and trunk, shaping into hands to try and grab the Child, attempting to rip him apart. Around 3 trees were done in this manner, 2 from both sides, and the roots growing and extending from below to choke him upon his neck, expecting to tear off his trachea. Having mere moments to act, and realizing the hands that are reaching close, he goes for a risk and casts the same Fire spell upon his own body, fending the hands away in fear of being burnt, whilst Harvard moved swiftly out of range, able to stop, drop, and roll once such a stunt paid off. The roots continued to reach the boy, seemingly without a proper limit at a first glance. The child pays close attention, now that he has a good enough distance to react. Sheathing and spawning another card by his very palms, it would conjure a strong set of winds, a tornado, that pierced the earth, unable to allow anything nearby to hold still. They'd be captured in the winds, imprisoned even, before one extra spell was casted alongside the tornado; Lightning.

Having to use his other hand, Lightning would be casted directly upon the walls, synergizing the two disasters with one another. The boy even had to propel himself up high through such a combination, dangerous as it was, solely because of how this creature is capable of strategizing just as much as anyone else could. His aim was to ensnare the very creature from wherever it was hiding from, before blasting down such strong bolts of lightning directly. Due to the small space through the funnel of the tornado, it even provides an inability to escape or evade without some difficulty. It primarily became dependent of finding the Marrow without a single molecule of missing such a shot. If he did, he would more than likely get himself cornered and wouldn't be able to cast proper spells through his magic, as evident by his breath being hasty and focusing all his efforts upon finding the creature. It was only one shot, and he wasn't intending to miss.

The Tornado would ensnare the tree-like limbs being spread out, ripping the branches asunder and scattering it into mere dust when hit with lightning, igniting the branches and leaving them as nothing more than a mere stain. Next was the very trees themselves, by having the Tornado become powerful enough to dig into the dirt and ignite the roots to make it spread, the digging being enough to split the land somewhat and provided an easy canal from said roots, up towards the trunk as a whole. The place quickly caught fire, and howling was heard once more. Howls of pain. Howls of damage being dealt. Harvard simply heard such sounds, and aimed directly towards that location, breaking it, and burning it down into ash, the lightning being fast enough to shatter such trunks, and powerful enough to split another part of the forests trees in two.

After firing such an uncontrollable attack, the boy would be harshly dropped onto the ground, his body tucked so that he rolls with the land, low enough to not breathe in the very smoke being caused. While hurt, He succeeded. He was able to kill the monster at long last. It was an immense strain upon the boy, even with the sugary goodness provided as energy. Nothing more than short bursts, and while it did the job well, he wishes that same energy was still applicable here. He made his way to the direction of his friend, limping somewhat from the fall. As he traveled however....

SNAP!

A Branch. It was only a second before Harvard turned around and reacted. The beast was still alive.

The Marrow's Body was absolute worse for wear. Its wooden skin being charred, with sap-like substance leaking out, near boiling, from almost every open wound and orifice imaginable. Its eye sockets now attained actual pupils: Dark Blue ones, staring directly into the boy, as it splashed such substance that bleeds out of its body towards his eyes, blinding him, and burning him. Yelps of pain was caused by the child as he was taken aback, desperately trying to wipe away the substance, yet it would be too late. He was vulnerable, as the creature attempted to lunge itself, branches poking out from its arms, ready to skewer the child like a shish-kebab. It was all over...

SHIKK!!!