After readying themselves to put the plan into action, Bruce and everyone else noticed that it had been a while since they had seen monsters. Most likely, the Stone Golem was a creature that might kill even other monsters if they were too close. So, the area was more or less safe.
"Approach the monster slowly," Bruce said. "Remember, for the monster to receive as much damage as possible, you can't let yourself be noticed."
"All right…" Chris said and then took a deep breath. "I'm going."
Diane looked like she had many things to say, but she endured it in order not to make her little brother even more nervous. However, when she made sure that Chris was away enough not to hear them, she glared at Bruce.
"If something happens to him…" Diane said.
"Don't worry," Bruce shrugged. "If something happens to your brother, something will happen to us as well. Unless the first part of the plan is completed without fail, I don't see us being able to defeat such a monster. So, if something happens to him, you can bet we will also suffer the same destiny."
Obviously, those words didn't make Diane feel any better. If anything, Bruce's calm demeanor only made her angrier. That was fine; the stone golem wasn't an enemy that could use the anger of its targets against them; it was probably the other way around. So, Bruce didn't mind letting Diane get even angrier.
Some minutes had passed since Bruce and the others had found the Stone Golem, but the creature still didn't move from that spot. It was weird; Bruce had thought that the monster destroyed that building because it could sense the presence of several survivors, so it would make sense for it to continue its rampage. After all, Bruce was pretty sure that there were some survivors in the nearby buildings. That being said, it was Saturday night. When the creatures arrived, it was dinner time, so it made sense that many died without losing resistance.
Chris managed to walk two hundred meters without any problem. Although he was crouching, he managed to cover half of the distance quite fast. However, Bruce decided to act with prudence. Someone else's life was on the line, so he couldn't take any chances.
"Go to the other side of the road," Bruce said. "If something happens, attack the hydrants on your side. I will do the same here."
Diane didn't say anything to that. For a change, Bruce was being prudent. If something unexpected happens, Chris won't have any time to attack the hydrants or even lure the monster toward them. So, it would be their job to make them explode and slow down the beast. Fortunately, things proceeded quite well. The beast didn't move a single inch, not even when Chris was one hundred meters away from it. It almost looked like the monster was sleeping while standing or had run out of juice.
The fourth hydrant was fifty meters away from the Stone Golem, so Chris had to approach a little more. Weirdly enough, Bruce saw himself watching everything while sweating cold; he had planned all that without putting much thought into the safety of the bait. Now that everything was happening, he couldn't help but feel worried. Even if Chris and Diane weren't his friends, only knowing them for less than one hour, Bruce didn't want to be responsible for their deaths.
Somehow, Chris managed to walk those fifty meters without being noticed, but the very moment he stopped at the side of the hydrant, the Stone Golem moved. That was weird, Chris had stopped many times along the way, so it didn't make sense that the beast only noticed him at that moment. Still, there was no point in wondering about that. It wouldn't change anything, after all. The Stone Golem began to move toward Chris slowly as if it was some badass boss, and at the same rhythm, Chris took several steps back, but then he stopped when he recalled that no matter what, he had to make the beast destroy the hydrants.
The creature was five meters tall, so it took a while before it could gain speed, but once it did, it could cover ground rather fast. The steps were slow, but they were large enough to cover for its speed. In the blink of an eye, the monster caught Chris, and fortunately, his actions had paid off; the beast had hit the hydrant, and a lot of water gushed and drenched the beast. The monster slowed down a little bit, and then Chris used that chance to run like hell.
"It worked!" Diane said with a smile on her face.
Bruce, on the other hand, didn't celebrate. The monster didn't flinch, not even for two seconds; a massive jet of water only stopped the monster for two seconds. The beast began to chase Chris again while knocking down everything on its way. Be it cars or power poles. As Bruce expected, when the power poles fell, they began to electrocute the monster, but since the creature wasn't that drenched, it didn't slow down, not even a little bit.
"Attack the hydrants!" Bruce shouted. "Now!"
Diane almost had a heart attack when she heard that; she couldn't understand why Bruce changed his plan, but given that the beast was slowly catching to Chris, it was necessary. Chris could run almost nine meters per second, yet that juggernaut of a monster was almost upon him.
Bruce and Dine shot their Fireballs, and since they had been concentrating for the past minutes, their attacks flew in a straight line and hit the hydrants. Massive jets of water began to flow on the road. Knowing that he couldn't let himself be hit by them, Chris began to run in parallel to the buildings and escaped the water. The monster was too big to have the same success, so half of its body got hit by the water while its legs were being completely drenched by the current. When the next power poles fell, Bruce finally saw the beast slowing down a little bit. Not only that, Bruce could see some sparks coming from the monster's body. Even though he didn't have total confidence in his plan, it looked like everything was going well.
Thanks to Bruce and Diane, Chris had gained enough time to attack the last hydrant, and when he did it, the beast, who was already being electrocuted, slowed down even more thanks to the jets of water. He used that chance and returned to his allies' side.
"You have done well," Bruce said and then equipped his sword and shield. "Rest here and watch our surroundings. We can't tell what might happen once that beast falls."
Chris nodded several times, and while he was breathing hard, he gave them the sign to wait a little bit. He wanted to say something, but unfortunately, Bruce and Diane couldn't wait; the monster was already upon them. However, it didn't take long for Bruce and Diane to see what Chris wanted to tell them.
Stone Golem – Lv 05
HP: 45/155
MP: 33/33
SP: 125/125
Even Bruce was left speechless when he saw that. Still, it was too late to give up or change his mind. Bruce knew from the very beginning that things might take a turn for the worse at some point. So, he didn't have any other choice but to charge.
"Die! Or I will kill you!" Bruce shouted.