As he ascended the stairs, he found himself undersized compared to the structure of the temple; doors towered like arches and normal furniture stood head-and-shoulders above him.

It was a frightening discovery, as it spoke of the size of whoever occupied the abode; everything felt as if it was built around giants, too large even for the Outriders he’d seen previously.

As he was walking down the corridor of the nature-built temple, a low grumble echoed through the halls.

“–” He stayed silent.

It didn’t sound immediately close, but it was on the same floor. Whatever it was, the groan alone made the floor subtly vibrate beneath his feet.

Sounds like a big one..is it the “chief”? He thought.

Venturing further, he kept his staff in front of him while the azure and emerald sphere hovered above his shoulders, watching his blind spots for him.

It was eerily quiet once more as sweat trickled down his cheek; there were a few doors along the corridor, though they only led into rooms filled with miscellaneous luxuries that only seemed valuable to barbarians like the Outriders; skull necklaces, rock decorations, and weapons that looked looted from others.

As he kept his eyes forward, he stared at the tall, orange-wooden door that stood at the end of the corridor.

..That door down there..It’s where that noise came from, he thought.

Getting closer to the door, he could feel breaths emitting from the other side; it was like the vibration of an almighty engine sitting beyond the threshold, yet it was unmistakably the breathing of a flesh-and-blood entity.

He stopped in front of the door, gulping as he looked up; it loomed over him like the gateway to hell–standing multiple times his height as the enigmatic breathing continued behind it._.

Here goes..He prepared himself.

As he held his staff up, he didn’t opt to knock or even open the door normally–instead going all-in as he unleashed a propulsion of fierce wind, blowing the door open in an instant–FWOOM.

Slammed open, the door revealed the chamber that was hidden to his eyes; it was vast, but occupied by a single entity that made his blood freeze in his veins:

It was a half-man half-bear like the Outriders, except more bear than man; it had the face of a man but the body of a bear, covered in thick, silver fur.

The being seemed primordial; moss had grown on their fur and vines had stretched onto the throne and limbs of the entity as overgrowth reached into the old chamber.

What is that..? He thought.

“–” Heavy breaths exuded from it.

What was most shocking was its size; the bear-man was larger than any creature he’d seen–it sat on a throne-turned-bed of twigs, though even while sitting, it was the size of a small house. The entity was dressed in verdant garbs, wearing a crown of thorns on its head; he could tell by one look–this was the “chief.”

“..Human..” The massive demi-human bellowed, “..A human visits my chambers..?”

“That’s right..Tell me: where’s my companion at?” He asked, raising his staff.

As he threatened the colossal demi-human with his mystical staff, all that followed was a low, ground-vibrating laugh from the entity. It looked down at the young human with its beady, black eyes, slowly beginning to lift itself from its throne.

Looks like I stumbled right into the “final boss” lair. Just my luck, he thought.

“I am Chief Omana of the Outriders. I’ve consumed hundreds of humans. I’ve consumed hundreds of my kin. I’ve lived hundreds of years,” the Chief bellowed, “Who are you, who has not lived but a fraction of my time?”

“–!” His eyes widened.

What caught him by surprise was the weapon that the Outrider Chief reached for: not a sword or ax, but a gargantuan staff of intertwined, moss-laden wood, fit for the size of the towering demi-human.

He’s a mage..?! He realized.

“What puny spells will you fling at me, human child?” The Chief laughed low, standing over ten times his height.

The aura that exuded from the silver-furred, man-eating chief made him freeze up as he felt a pressure unlike any other; this was without a doubt the most imposing threat he’d come across, the only exception being the hero-rank swordsman.

Rubert, Oswell..those two don’t come close to this. I can sense it as a mage; the density of mana oozing from this guy..It’s thick and ancient..I didn’t expect something like this. Should I retreat? Look for others for help? He thought.

“Labyrinth of The Jungle,” the chief cast.

As the idea of a tactical retreat crossed his mind, it was quickly eroded as with a simple wave of the chief’s staff, the chamber was sealed off by thick, densely-overlapped roots and stone.

“–!” He looked around frantically.

Chief Omana laughed low as the silver beard that dropped down to his abdomen swayed, “..I do not let my prey escape. Especially those that have wandered into the spider’s nest on their own, so foolishly; so brazenly.”

The colossal demi-human before him was realms different from the others he’d encountered; an archaic wisdom was held by the chief, unlike the savage, barbaric mindsets of the other Outriders.

“Go ahead,” the chief said, standing tall, “I’ll grant you the first move.”

“–” He stood there silently with caution.

The chief seemed to recognize the hesitance and suspicion of the amethyst-eyed boy as he grumbled, opening his arms, “This is no trick. Out of respect for your bravery to barge into my domain, as a child no less, I’ll allow you the chance to strike first.”

It still felt like nothing short of a trap, but he planned on taking the initiative anyway as he slammed his staff down.

“Undine! Sylph!” He yelled out.

Commanding the two lesser spirits that protected him signaled the spherical elements to glow, with the azure spirit rippling as it manifested a beam of highly-pressurized water that shot straight towards the chief.

Utilizing the wind spirit, he launched himself upward to change his position.

“I see,” Chief Omana said, “That’s how you’ll use it, then.”

As the stream of water neared the chief, a quick incantation left his ancient lips, “Nature’s Gift.”

The spell invoked petals to coalesce into an unborn flower, shielding the massive chief from the beam of aqua as it absorbed the liquid into its unblossomed form.

A flower? He thought.

He landed on a towering bookshelf, watching carefully towards the massive, stagnant flower that hovered in the air.

As the water attack came to an end, the flower began to unravel itself, following the next words from the elder of the Outriders: “Nature’s Gift: Blossom.”

The simple command unveiled the spectacle within the sealed flower; bright-blue petals swayed as the core of the plant, a golden orb filled with sparkling orbs, shot seeds out, aiming them towards the boy.

“–!” His eyes widened.historical

With the velocity of the sparkling seeds, he had to evade with a blast of air that pushed him to the left, though one of the bullets of nature managed to pierce his right forearm.

“Gh!” He winced.

Though he managed to dodge all except one of the seed bullets, the chief seemed to halt his attack, simply watching him with his onyx eyes while the giant, malicious flower was still hovering in the air.

What is this..? He’s not attacking further? He questioned.

As he rolled up his sleeve to check his arm, he was alarmed to find what looked like roots spreading beneath his skin like veins.

“Ngh!” He gritted his teeth.

The roots that sprouted within the flesh of his forearm gripped onto his muscles, tangling with his flesh as it seemed to be siphoning something from his body.

What the hell..?! This hurts! What’s this doing to me?! He thought.

In the face of unknown magecraft, he began panicking as the pain only heightened with his loose mind.

“A young mind like yours; though you may be gifted with natural talent, you’re woefully lacking in experience,” the chief told him.

As sweat left his pores in a panic, he clenched his arm, watching the roots press against his skin as the entry wound was closed off by the verdant plant. He could feel a certain substance leaving his body, but it took him a moment to realize as sweat dripped from his chin.

Glancing over at the plant, he realized it was growing bigger, sprouting a dozen limbs of thorny vines as it seemed to pulsate each time his forearm pulsates from the invasive roots.

Mana, he realized.

Before he could decide on what his best move was, the spray of projectile seeds resumed as he was forced to run along the bookshelves that encircled the chamber.

“Ghh..!” He breathed heavily, holding his arm and staff as he sprinted.

It’s that flower..! If I can destroy it, then maybe the roots will go away..! It should-! Magic might be powerful, but it’s balanced! It’s not all-powerful like this! He thought.