The forest erupted into chaos the moment the Leshen attacked Seb.
It moved with a speed that defied its body, a blur of twisted wood and gnarled bone, its claws scything through the air, Sebastian felt the displaced air brush against his cheek, felt the cold malice of the creature's gaze as it turned to face him, but Sebastian did not retreat. He moved forward, his silver sword flashing in the light, its edge catching the glow of the flames that danced beneath his skin. The blade met the leshen's arm, carving a deep gash through its wooden flesh. The leshen let out a low, guttural sound, it was both pain and rage and the realization that this was not an ordinary foe.
The leshen swung again, its claws raking toward Sebastian's chest with enough force to shatter stone. Sebastian did not dodge. He did not block. He simply let the attack pass through him.
The claws passed through his flame body, leaving no trace, no wound, no mark. His form flickered, his body shifting into a haze of orange and gold, the flames that danced beneath his skin flaring bright enough to cast dancing shadows across the clearing.
The leshen's ancient eyes widened, it had fed on the fears of the villagers, had added their bones to its totem. But this one was different. Its gaze fixed on Sebastian's flame-wreathed form, and for the first time in probably centuries, it felt fear.
Sebastian smiled. "Surprised?"
He moved, his body flowing like water, his sword carving a deep wound across the leshen's midsection. The creature staggered back, its wooden flesh smoking where the silver blade had touched it. It raised its hand, and the ground erupted around Sebastian, roots and vines bursting from the earth, sharp and jagged, aimed at his heart.
Sebastian's body dissolved into flames.
The roots passed through him, leaving nothing but the faint scent of smoke and the crackle of dying embers. He reformed a few feet away, his sword already in motion, his eyes blazing with fire. He struck again, his blade finding the leshen's shoulder, severing a chunk of its wooden arm. The limb hit the ground with a heavy thud, its fingers still twitching.
The leshen tried to retreat. It summoned the shadows, its form beginning to dissolve, to teleport away into the safety of the ancient forest.
Sebastian's hand shot out, a mix of Aard and his fire, a burst of flame erupting from his palm and engulfing the creature before it could complete its escape. The leshen screamed a raw, primal sound that echoed through the forest, shaking the leaves from the trees, sending birds scattering into the sky. Its teleportation was interrupted, its form forced back into solidity, its magic disrupted by the inferno that surrounded it.
"Oh no you don't," Sebastian said, "You're not going anywhere. You've been preying on this village for years. Taking their fear, feeding on their suffering. But your time is over."
The Leshen's eyes burned with fury. It understood now. This witcher could not be harmed by physical attacks. Its claws, its roots, its ancient strength, none of it could touch him. He was something beyond its understanding, something that defied the natural order.
So it changed its tactics.
The ground exploded around Sebastian. Roots erupted from the earth in a dozen places, their tips sharp and deadly, their surfaces pulsing with dark, ancient magic. They moved attempting to surround him, to trap him, to crush him. They were not ordinary roots.
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. He dodged, his body flowing between the roots, his sword carving through them as they came. But there were too many. They were too fast, and they were laced with magic, ancient magic that could hurt him even through his flames.
"The moment he knew I was abnormal and can't be touched," Sebastian muttered, "he started using his magic in his attacks. Clever. Very clever."
He raised his hand, and fire erupted from his first. Not a single stream, a cascade of flames that spread outward in all directions, consuming everything in its path. The roots withered and burned, their dark magic consumed by the inferno. The Leshen staggered back, its wooden body charring.
Sebastian pressed the attack.
He moved like a dancer, his body flowing from one strike to the next, his sword a blur of silver and flame. He was relentless, unstoppable, a force of nature that could not be contained. The leshen tried to summon its magic, tried to summon the forest to its aid, but Sebastian was always faster, always stronger.
The leshen raised its hand, and a wave of dark energy erupted from its hand, a shockwave of pure malevolence that sent Sebastian flying backward. He crashed into a tree, the impact jarring his bones, but he was already rising, already moving.
The leshen tried to retreat. It summoned the shadows, its form beginning to dissolve.
Sebastian's flames erupted again, surrounding the creature, preventing its escape.
Sebastian closed the distance. His sword flashed, and the Leshen's head separated from its body, tumbling to the ground with a heavy thud. The creature's body crumpled, its ancient power fading.
But Sebastian was not finished.
He plunged his sword into the Leshen's chest, his blade piercing its heart. Flames erupted from the blade, spreading through the creature's body, burning it from within. The leshen's form began to dissolve, consumed by the fire that raged within it.
Sebastian stood over the creature, his sword still buried in its heart, his flames still burning. The forest around them was ablaze, the flames spreading outward in a great radius, consuming the ancient trees and the undergrowth and the shadows that had lurked there for centuries.
"Spirit of the old woods, be severed.
Child of root and shadow, be undone.
Creature of the forest, return no more."Sebastian said as he tightened his grip.
"By silver, I sever your flesh.
By flame, I cleanse your roots.
By blood, I deny your return.."
He then pulled his silver sword free. The leshen's body crumbled to ash, its power finally extinguished.
"He won' be able to come back ever after this..." Sebastian said as he stood in the middle of the inferno, his yellow eyes fixed on the ashes of his enemy. His breathing was steady and calm, the fire danced across his skin, wreathing him in a corona of light. "As for this forest... Let it all burn." He muttered as he looked around him.
The fight was over. The curse was broken, and the village of Benek would finally have peace, but at a great cost.
Sebastian turned and walked away, his boots crunching against the ash-covered ground. The flames parted before him, clearing a path through the inferno.
/-\
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