Inside of a cold dark room, a stone golem was resting with his hands on his knee. Suddenly, the stone golem's eyes flashed red, and a voice appears, reverberated through the room. "Arise my creation! Come and served me", ordered the voice. The stone golem stood up; its body was rumbling. "I will obey!" the golem bowed. Then, its leg move and every time the stone golem took a step, the ground rumble. The stone golem reached the room entrance, using its massive stone hands to open the giant wooden gate.
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Diane strapped the little bunny to her waist, then checking everything on herself before puffing up her cheek, "Okay, I'm ready", she said. "I'm ready too, young lady," said Duncan, strapping his greatsword on his back. Davida looked at Diane, then glanced at Duncan, frowning, "Dun, your hair…." Duncan wryly laughed, "Don't worry, young miss", he touched his greying hair, "My technique can still last until we leave this Trials Ground," Duncan comfortingly said.
"But…." Davida said hesitatingly, but after looking at Duncan's firm face, she nodded. "Di, after you", Davida said. Diane used her vines to open the now inverted metal door. What greeted them was a long corridor with huge and wide stairs spanning to the skies. "Whoa", Diane said with her mouth agape, "Look, little guy, the stairs are so huge!" she held the little bunny forward. "Kyun", the little bunny tilted her head.
Duncan frowned, "Somethings not right with these stairs", he said. Then, he points his finger upwards, "Look!" Davida, Diane and the little bunny turned their head. "We can't see the top," Davida said somberly. Davida and Duncan gulped, "They're trying to waste our strength", Duncan said. Diane just shook her head then smile towards the two, "What's with the gloomy face, guys? It's just stairs, right?" using her staff, Diane pointed downward, then vines emerged from the ground. "We can travel with this" Diane jumped on top of the vines, then vines move Diane up the stairs.
Then, two giant vines emerge in front of Davida and Duncan. "Haha~" Davida laugh weakly before jumping on top of the giant vines. Duncan followed suit then the vines carried them both upwards. When the vines stopped, another one spurted from the ground then proceeds to carry them upwards. "As expected of Di. Her thought process made people wonder sometimes", Davida chuckled. Duncan just smiled as they continued their journey up the stairs. As the group journey upwards, they saw torches lit up every time they passed. "This is just like the hallway before. The owner of this place has a sense for dramatic," commented Diane.
The trio continued to climb the stairs for a long time. Diane panted as fatigue apparent on her face. "Are you alright, Di?" Duncan asked with concern. Before Diane has a chance to answer, Davida extended her hand, "Here, take this" she handed a bottle full of blue liquid to Diane. Diane immediately took it then chugged the blue liquid inside. "Thanks, young miss", Diane said with an elated face.
Diane complexion quickly turned towards the better as they continued to climb the stairs. "The recovery rates in this place is incredible. Mana potion should only recover spent mana in thirty to sixty minutes after drinking, yet in here, it recovered Diane's mana in an instant" Davida rubbed her chin, "What caused this, I wonder…. If we can replicate this outside….." she murmured to herself.
Duncan observed his surroundings. As a guard for Davida, Duncan would always stay on his guard, even when he's resting. Even now, Duncan was still warily looking around. His recovered state made Duncan even more detailed when looking around as his senses were sharper. As they get up, more and more torches light up while the torches downstairs were slowly put down.
Then, the vines suddenly stopped as the group was faced with another giant gate. "Seriously? What's with the giant gate all over the place? First the castle's entrance, then that underground prison and now this? This palace owner really has a taste for big things" the elf lady stomped the ground in frustration. "Urgh, fine, I'll open it", Diane grumbled, raising her staff before another two vines emerged from the ground and opening the giant gate.
As the gate opened up, Davida, Diane and Duncan saw a giant throne, which sat the black silhouette in the middle. "You!" Duncan readied up his weapon. "*Clap, clap, clap*. Congratulation for making it this far", the black silhouette lean backwards to his throne. Davida look around the throne room; her eyes suddenly went wide. "Eru!" Davida shouted. Duncan and Diane followed Davida's sight and found a young man chained up in the ceiling. Duncan's eye blazed with fury, "You! What have you done!?" questioned Duncan as he flared up his aura.
"Oh, him?" the black silhouette glanced upwards with his arms resting on his chest, "I caught him earlier. And I thought, why not leave him hanging here for a present to you all?" he said mockingly. While the black silhouette was rambling on, Diane acted fast. Her vines already flew up the skies, trying to reach the young man.
However, as soon as the vines got closer, the vines were grabbed by a giant stone hand. After grabbing the vines, the giant stone golem landed on the ground. With a boom, the stone golem caused a big crater on the ground, while the impact caused Davida, Diane and Duncan to fall down. Duncan immediately got up, "Are you okay, you two?" Duncan asked while he gripped his greatsword tightly in his hand. "We're okay", Davida said, dusting her clothes then gripping her staff before forming the usual group formation.
The black silhouette looked down on Davida and the others, "Well, if you want him, please defeat the stone golem first", he sneered. Then, the black silhouette extended his hand, pointing it to the trio, "Destroy them!" the black silhouette ordered. The stone golem's eyes flashed red, "Affirmative", the stone golem said, taking an aggressive stance towards the party. "Engage!"
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The stone golem roar, its fists held together before pressing down towards Duncan and the others. "Watch out!" Duncan shouted; the trio jumped away, dodging the stone golem attack. The stone golem managed to do its objective, though, which was to separate the trio from doing their formation. "Young miss, Di, formation!" Duncan barked, trying to get back into formation. Davida and Diane nodded, but the stone golem caught on to what they were going to do.
The stone golem used its feet, sweeping the ground, disturbing Duncan and the others. "Damnit", Duncan cursed, brandishing his greatsword and slamming it on the stone golem's feet. The stone golem felt nothing then easily swatted Duncan away. *Boom* Duncan flew backwards, his body caved into the wall. "Duncan!" Diane shouted before she's forced to defend herself from the stone golem attack. Davida cast her spell, and a giant fireball hit the stone golem by the legs, nearly tumbling it down. Although Davida's spell did not manage to do what she wanted to do, it managed to distract the giant stone golem so that Diane can recover.
"Urgh!" Duncan grunted; he pulled himself up from the rubbles, flaring his aura up then engaging towards the stone golem. Duncan jumped, brandishing his greatsword at the giant stone golem's head. Before Duncan managed to hit, the giant stone golem raised its right arm up, blocking Duncan's strike. At the same time, Diane put her staff downwards, a green magic circle appears then vines emerged from inside the magic circle. The vines tied down the stone golem's leg then Davida's giant fireball once again hit the stone golem, this time right on its torso.
The stone golem stumbled out of balance but managed to keep its feet. "Roar!" the stone golem tried breaking free out of Diane's vines, but its movement was disturbed by Duncan. Duncan used his massive strength to push the stone golem using the flat side of his greatsword. "Great Fireball Barrage!" Davida followed up by chanting her spell, then a lot of huge fireballs materialized above Davida's head. Davida points her staff towards the giant stone golem, hitting it right at its chest.
Even with that, the stone golem held on as a bright yellow hue surrounds him. Duncan senses tingle, "Watch out, everyone!" he barked. Davida and Diane quickly cast a barrier among themselves while Duncan used his aura to strengthen himself. The area around the stone golem exploded with a bang, erasing Diane's vines alongside Davida's fireballs. The shockwave from the explosion sends the trio flying; however, Diane's vines managed to catch them on time, preventing them from hitting the wall.
"Pant, pant, pant", Duncan used his greatsword to prop himself up. Looking at the giant stone golem, Duncan couldn't help but admire it, "How strong…." He said with blood dripping from his mouth. Duncan then turned his head around; Davida and Diane were still lying on the floor, unconscious. Duncan smiled wryly, "I guess it's up to me…." Duncan dragged his greatsword with him. He stared at the stone golem, his greatsword ready, "Come and get it!"