Cyclone Golems were a type of golem with the class rank D. When compared to their Class E counterpart, Gravel Golems, Cyclone Golems had more mana, a better ability to manipulate boulders, and the ability to levitate up to two meters above the ground. Cyclone Golem, like all golems, could sense the mana of nearby living things thanks to their sensory core.
This species of golem tended to hibernate for years deep beneath the ground, where nothing could easily reach it, only coming out to feed and then returning to sleep after gaining enough mana to last for years before having to wake up again. To be full, it needed a large amount of mana, which only a few monsters in Etveya could provide, namely monsters of the same class as them, such as Black Ahaz; however, Cyclone Golems would not go to that extent most of the time, preferring to hunt for easier prey that might be roaming around... human mages endowed with an abundance of mana.
The Cyclone Golem's core trembled uncontrollably as it locked onto its primary target; at the same time, the white boulders orbiting around its body began to spin with such force that anyone who dared to attack its shell would be in grave danger. It was not difficult for it to rotate the boulders while making its body levitate due to its high mana level. The Cyclone Golem's true body was completely visible, but that didn't make taking it down, let alone fighting it, any easier.
Gideon stepped back, slowly removing the sword from its sheath. "This thing is completely different from what I remember a golem being," he said, his voice cracking.
"Gideon, sheath your sword... and prepare to flee," Ordy said as he slowly walked back toward Halini, his closed eyes fixed on the Cyclone Golem.
The Cyclone Golem began to move, and its body lit up in bright blue light as its terrifying roar echoed throughout the vast area of the forest, disturbing the entire place and terrifying any nearby living beings. The sound of death reigned supreme, followed by a hail of stones. Some of the boulders floating around the Cyclone Golem hurled themselves as projectiles at its five targets.
Ordy reached out for Halini and expertly placed her on top of his shoulder. "Run!" he yelled before sprinting toward the Intersection Clearing.
Without missing a beat, they all fled, not looking back to the sound of the hail of stones chasing them. Gideon ran alongside Ordy, carrying Halini on his shoulder, while Vien and Mian jumped to the opposite sides and used the trees surrounding them as a route.
The chase had begun, and the Cyclone Golem's eye was fixed on its prey as it flew at such high speeds, while white boulders floated around it, acting as an impenetrable shield. As the Cyclone Golem roared, Mian fired exploding arrows in an attempt to delay the rushing predator while fleeing.
"Loafy, Meteor Shower!" Halini commanded Loafy, who was following them.
Loafy rushed in the opposite direction, her body covered in fire, and bombarded the Cyclone Golem with fireballs, buying them some time. However, the Cyclone Golem had a much wider range than an elemental wisp and immediately countered by smashing Loafy with floating rocks, instantly making Loafy vanish in thin air.
The great fear was creeping back into Gideon's system as he chased his own breath and his eyes wandered through his route looking for any signs of obstacles between trees. He wasn't strong enough to fight it, neither could his party mate, his weapon had no effect, and the Intersection Clearing was still hours away. The Cyclone Golem was relentlessly pursuing them, while their energy was dwindling by the second.
Another roar from the approaching Cyclone Golem made his shoulders twitch. And it occurred to him that it was impossible to outrun it.
"Incoming!" Ordy yelled, referring to the boulders rushing toward them.
"Damn it!" screamed Gideon as he jumped into the cover of the trees to avoid the boulders flying at him. As more boulders rushed at him, he hid in every tree he could find while maintaining his running speed.
At the same time, the Cyclone Golem was being bombarded with exploding arrows and fireballs from Mian, who was traveling through trees, and Halini, who was lying on Ordy's shoulder, facing the behemoth chasing them.
The chase lasted several seconds, and even though Ordy and Gideon had enough strength to last another minute, the Cyclone Golem eventually caught up with them. Rather than throwing another boulder with a longer range but less accuracy, the Cyclone Golem manipulated the stones around it like extended limbs and slammed the boulders toward its target.
Ordy yanked Halini from his shoulder and handed her the sack of Gravel Golem cores before shifting his closed eyes to Gideon, who was running ahead of him. "Gideon!" he screamed before hurling Halini at him before the boulders encircled him.
Gideon turned around, and when he saw Halini flying toward him, screaming in terror, he jumped, raised his hands, and caught Halini in the air. However, the force applied to Gideon caused him and Halini to fall to the ground, effectively stopping their momentum.
But that was the least of their worries.
The sound of rocks crashing together caused them to immediately stand up and rush to the source of the sound.
"Ordy!" screamed Gideon as he dashed toward where Ordy was supposed to be standing.
The Golem roared but was quickly stopped by a hail of exploding arrows as Mian emerged from hiding and directly bombarded the golem, completely disregarding her own safety, which the golem blocked with its boulders. Mian's eyes were filled with fear as she repeatedly pulled arrows from her back and fired in a consistent and rapid manner as she searched for Ordy, who was hidden beneath massive boulders.
Loafy joined the fight and unleashed a hail of fireballs, directly targeting the golem's shell.
The Cyclone Golem flinched for a split second as a result of the unexpected retaliation, and then an agile silhouette appeared right next to its shell, a dagger slicing its way toward the real body. However, before Vien could reach the golem's weak point, a boulder smashed into her stomach, causing her to fly out and crash into a tree trunk. As she landed, she coughed and groaned in response to the intense pain in her stomach, rendering her immobile for a brief moment, which was more than enough for the Cyclone Golem to launch another attack.
Four massive boulders flew toward her, each with enough force to cause great harm, leaving her with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
"Vien!" screamed Gideon as he dashed toward Vien's location, raising his hand.
Vien quickly vanished from the spot where she was lying and reappeared right next to Gideon. Mian and Halini diverted the Cyclone Golem's attention by firing more destructive barrages, causing the golem to focus on them, particularly Halini.
The pile of rocks between them, however, trembled before the Cyclone Golem could get close to Halini. Ordy screamed as he pushed the boulders that surrounded him away. He raised his sword and shield, preventing the golem from approaching its primary target. "Those small stones can't crush me; throw something much bigger and you might have a chance!"
"Ordy," Mian said with relief in her voice. She tried to approach Ordy, but she was stopped when he made a gesture.
"Don't come any closer," Ordy said solemnly in his baritone voice.
Despite being stunned for a brief moment, Mian nodded and returned to where she should be, hiding in the trees.
Ordy's gaze was drawn to Gideon and Vien. "You just saved our Vien, My lad," he said, raising his thumb.
"I can still fight," Vien said as she walked away from them, joining Mian and Halini in their attempt to stop the golem.
Another wave of boulders slammed into Ordy. Ordy raised his shield to protect himself from the incoming boulders.
Gideon rushed next to Ordy after the enemy's stone attack, looking for anything he could do. "I'm glad to see you're okay."
Ordy laughed, but his laugh was tinged with pain, unlike his usual laughter. "Don't worry, My lad, even if it has the ability to kill us, this thing needs us alive in order to suck our life forces."
"That didn't make it sound any better—" Gideon's words were cut short as his gaze darted to Ordy's legs. "Ordy," he said, his voice shaking.
Ordy responded by putting his index finger to his lips and smiling broadly. Both of his thighs were bleeding, and he could no longer walk or fight properly. There was no way he could flee.
Ordy paused for a few seconds before smiling brightly. "Don't be concerned, I— everything is fine."
Gideon's eyes were only filled with despair. As he wandered his eyes, he realized Mian's arrows were almost out, Halini was the main target, the golem could easily push Vien back, Ordy could no longer move, and the painful reality that Gideon was not strong enough to change the situation they were in.
No one would come to help.
It was a losing game.
It had only been a matter of time.
Unlike his previous battles, fleeing was not an option in this one. Any of his newfound friends could be killed with one wrong move.
Gideon walked back slowly, his gaze fixed on the battle in front of him, the explosions, fireballs, boulders chasing after Vien, and Ordy defying the attacks coming his way while enduring excruciating pain in his legs. Gideon's eyes shivered as the gravity of the situation dawned on him.
"Think... Gideon. Use your stupid brain," he said to himself, his gaze wandering around the area. He scrutinized every angle, movement, and pause. Ignoring escape as an option, he focused all of his attention on defeating the seemingly invincible foe in front of him. He tilted his head slowly, his lifeless eyes shivering at the same rate as his thoughts. He exhaled and shook his head for a few seconds before returning to the battlefield.
"Listen up, I've got a plan!"