Monarchs of Above and Below (On Hiatus)

Chapter XXV: Monarch of Witchcraft (2)

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.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

['Witch Rune' has been removed]

['Relapse Rune' has been removed]

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

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.