Maddy's blade whistled through the air, vibrating with enough kinetic force to cleave through solid iron. She had him. A fraction of a second more, and the silver steel would have severed the Wizard's connection to the forest archive.
But the Wood Wizard did not panic. Even as the explosion from the Golem's remains rocked the clearing, he didn't even raise his arms. He simply shifted his weight, his eyes calm and calculating.
With a flick of his staff, the earth responded instantly: a massive, dense oak tree erupted from the soil directly in front of him, its grain thick and enchanted with reinforced mana.
Thunk.
Maddy's sword buried itself inches deep into the heart of the wood, stopping mere millimeters from the Wizard's sternum. Before she could reclaim her weapon or drive it through, the soil beneath her boots turned liquid, violently surging upward to shove her backward.
