7) Truce? No? Okay...

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Cernunnos drew his fist back, green hair coating his knuckles and callouses dotting the cracked skin. His fist was the size of a cinder block, yet would likely hurt a lot more than one.

Nathan had to think fast. He was under a lot of pressure, and he silently cursed Mother Tree for dropping him here. She had to have known where her own Root lay, she was bloody Mother Tree!

The fist came down, and Nathan had to act fast. He instinctively threw his arms up, a futile attempt to deflect the devastating blow the Earthborn was about to dole on him. There was a tingling sensation in the back of his head, and his forearms bloated.

They grew to the size of a barrel, two huge logs of wood, weighing nothing to Nathan but had to have been a huge burden alone. Cernunnos' fist smashed into the logs, causing splinters and wood chips to go flying through the cave.

Even with his reinforced body, the force the Earthborn's blow caused Nathan's arms to become swollen and aching. He heard a snap, and his left arm flopped uselessly by his side. There was a shard of bone poking out of the skin, crimson against white on his tanned skin.

Cernunnos reared his fist back again, and before he got the chance to attack for a second time, Nathan acted. He stuck out his hand, attempting to coat it in the massive wooden shell, but the nature God slammed his hand down.

"Idiot boy," He spat, his gruff voice echoing in the cavern. "Your mother had centuries of experience, and we were quite even in battle. In what world do you think you have any chance against me?" He laughed, rearing his head back in amusement. That gave Nathan an idea.

Cernunnos had a meaty hand painfully wrapped around Nathan's wrist, leaving his hand unobstructed. He flicked his finger out, a vine growing out silently. It snaked up, slithering around to the back of the God's head and wrapping around the solitary ivory horn.

Cernunnos' cackling abruptly stopped. He radiated fury, the anger so raw it was tangible, coming off of him in waves of heat.

"BOY!" He yelled, the magnitude of the angered Earthborn's voice resonating off of the wall, shattering Nathan's ears. "GET YOUR SLIMY VINE OFF OF MY DAMN HORN!"

Nathan pulled the vine back, which was a lot stronger than it seemed. Nathan had used an unnecessary amount of force. The God was flung back, far enough that he hit the cave wall a few feet away, and hard enough that he left a crack.

Nathan hastily pulled himself up, tripping over himself as his broken arm screamed at him. The bone stabbed his stomach, the rest of his arm unresponsive. He wasn't worried too much about it, as it could heal itself in a few hours, but he needed to get the staff.

If this is the quest I have to finish, I'm pretty sure it can kill this bastard.

Cernunnos bellowed, and punched the ground. A fissure broke open, zigzagging its way rapidly towards Nathan's feet. He ran, before it could interfere with him, and reached for the weapon.

A hand made of shrubbery and loose twigs erupted from the ground, batting Nathan away from the staff. He fell on his broken arm, blinding pain searing through every nerve of his body. His attention was broken, his need for anything of even the most trivial importance smothered over the intense pain he felt.

The fissure Cernunnos had created had stopped short, though it seemed to be working in another way. A bright, red light came from its depths, and a low, haunting sound could be heard from it.

Several tall, pale green figures flew from the crack in the ground, wailing in a chilling symphony. The opaque figures lay there hands on Nathan's body, forcing him to the ground. He was immobilized, and Cernunnos hunkered over to him on all fours. His hairy body overshadowed Nathan's face, and he knew his journey was over before it began.

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