Chapter 279: Ashen
Roots exploded from beneath the leaf-covered ground, their ends sharpened to razored tips, and shot for Arwin’s heart with blinding speed. The Wyrm slammed a huge foot down on the ground before him, shattering the roots and blocking their path off.
Arwin burst into motion. Leaves cracked beneath his feet as he charged toward the Ashleaf Tree, power pumping through his body from the new hand at his side. He bounded over a root that rose up in his path, not even slowing in his charge.
A branch whipped down toward Arwin, razored leaves plummeting toward his head like blades of glass. He didn’t even react. The sky above him darkened and the Wyrm’s feet slammed down on either side of his body as it put its body between him and the attack.
Leaves rang off the huge monster’s scales harmlessly, and the branch struck it with a loud crack a moment later. The Wyrm snarled and staggered, but it didn’t fall. It was more than just a manifestation of a monster in Arwin’s mind.
It was the Wyrm’s Revenge. The manifestation of a shield — and if there was one thing it was good at, it was defense.
A cold smile split across Arwin’s features as the distance between him and the Ashleaf Tree evaporated. He was nearly upon the monster’s trunk. All the pain that had been flooding his body had receded to a dull throb.
His body was his once more. With every step that Arwin took, the Ashleaf Tree lost power and the arm attached to his right shoulder grew stronger. He didn’t even know what it was capable of yet, but the sheer magical energy thrumming within it was enough to nearly make him dizzy.
“That is my power!” the Ashleaf Tree roared, its branches shaking in fury. Roots burst up around the Wyrm, tightening around the monster’s legs and slamming it to the ground, but the tree was far from done.
More roots erupted from the ground before Arwin. He tried to leap over them, but they were too fast. Two wooden spikes slammed into his legs and carved straight through them, pinning him in place. He slammed to a halt, a sharp burst of agony ripping through him.