Where the Molten Phoenix's lair was a vast expanse, the Brimstone Golem's was a cramped bedrock cell. Its walls were craggy and bleak. The ground was shattered, run over with cracks. Wisps of smoke curled out, lit red by a magma glow.
It looked like a prison for a demon.
The boss itself lay dormant at its center, a pile of rocks scribed over with glowing purple runes like some unholy shrine. Smoke drifted out from its joints. Zane checked it out as they got close.
๐น๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐ (๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฃ)
๐ผ๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐
๐ฝ๐๐ค๐ฅ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ (๐ธ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐) [โ๐๐ฃ๐]
โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ฅ๐ ๐๐-๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ค. ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ค, ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ค ๐ค๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ง๐๐ค ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. โ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐.
๐น๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐น๐ ๐๐ช (โ๐๐ค๐ค๐๐ง๐) [๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐]
๐ฝ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ช ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ช๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ ๐๐, ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐๐ค๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐ช๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ธ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐ช ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐-๐๐๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค, ๐๐ค๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ช ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฅ๐.
The Golem's weaknesses were the joints.
He felt a stab of disappointment. That's it?
"What's the plan?" said Avery.
"I'm going to punch it," he said.
"You'll what now?"
He was already striding into the lair. "Don't interfere."
It rose to meet him, red eyes flickering on, and bellowed.
He supposed it was time to test his theoryโthat he could make any fight fun if he handicapped himself enough. Fuck it.
He put up his fists. Let's go.
The Golem raised fists of its own, three times the size of Zane's, probably a hell of a lot heavier too. They burst into blinding streams of crackling flame.
Then it charged him.
He charged it back. In fights his mind always ran on tacticsโhow to sneak this shot through, how to get that skill to land where he wanted, how to trick the enemy. He shut that part of his brain up, grinned, and just threw.
His fist crunched against its face. His hand erupted in pain, but he was pretty sure it hadn't broken. He was pleased to see he'd blasted off a chunk where its nose had been.
Then it ripped him in the belly, and all the air went out of him. Its other hook slapped off the head, turned him nearly all the way around. He stumbled away. It marched after him, and he licked his bloodied lips. Okay. I see you.
This time, it came straight for his head, swung like a batter, and he ducked, smashing an elbow into its chin. It staggered back, and he ripped it once, twice to its midsection, blasting square holes in the black stone. It let out a metallic screech. It reached out to grab him, and he cracked it in the face. It stumbled over itself; he pivoted, ripped it up the middle, pivoted again, and served it an uppercut that nearly took its head off.
At almost the same time, something struck the side of his head. He went down. He heard Avery yell something. The world spun before his bleary eyes; he felt very wobbly, unsteady, and he stumbled back, trying to get his bearings as the boss lumbered toward him. Somehow it must've whacked him when he wasn't looking.
๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐! โ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐%
He hadn't even seen what hit himโit had to be that Skill. He loved it. This thing was putting up a fight! He lunged for it again, cracked it once, twice, thrice, felt its fist crunch into his ribs, spun with it, and his elbow took off the last of its mouth. It blasted him up the nose and broke it instantlyโhe heard it crack in three places. He slugged it back and shot off a chunk of its arm. He couldn't tell what its health was, but he figured they were pretty even.
They sloughed on in this brutal back and forth. It struck and broke him, and he struck and broke it back. Back and forth and back untilโ
๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐! โ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐%
This might go down to the wire.
To his annoyance, though, the golem seemed more durable than he was. When it broke his arm, he couldn't punch anymore. When he broke its arm, it kept clobbering like usual. It seemed unfair. The fight started to turn.
He slugged it. Then he was on the ground again, spitting out blood, spitting out teeth, a huge white noise roar in his ears. He groaned. It must've snuck that Skill through again.
๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐! โ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐%
He scrambled up, and it clocked him in the eye so hard he nearly went down again.
"I swear to fucking God, Zaneโ" Avery was saying.
He grinned. She was right. Enough playing around. He'd had his fun. They were getting to the point where there was a chance he might lose this thing, which would be an incredibly stupid way to go. He figured this was a good line to draw.
When it came at him again, he had an idea. He wound his fist all the way back.
It swung for him. He dodged, turned, and brushed off an old trick he hadn't used in ages.
A blinding crescent swept through the air.
Titan's Fist!
He caught it near the chinโor where its chin had been before he'd blasted it off. The point where its head met its neck. All the force of his essence, all the force of his body, poured into that point.
The golem's head blasted off, hit the ceiling, cracked back against the ground, and bounced once, twice, thrice, four times, before rolling at last to a halt.
The body fell limp to its knees.
๐๐๐ ๐น๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐!
๐ป๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐: ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ โ๐๐๐๐๐ค (๐ป) ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐
Avery looked nonplussed as he walked back.
"I don't believe it," she said. "You went fistfighting with a literal chunk of rock. And won."
"Mm."
"That's the most you thing I've ever heard."
***
He took some time to heal before they left. A couple of hours, soaking in essence, and he was pretty much patched up. They started making their way up the long, winding trek to daylight.
After a long climb, they broke out into the open again. The sunlight was a revelation. Avery hummed cheerfully.
"So tell me about this settlement of yours," she said. "I want to know what my new home's like."
He wasn't sure where to start. "It's called the Luminous Faction. It's led by Reinaโshe's a very competent lady. She runs the place. I'm justโฆthere." He paused. She was the one who made the hierarchy and took care of the day-to-day. He was a little fuzzy on how to describe it all, to be honest. "There's lots of people there. Maybe a thousand by now? We've got a solid army, lots of Level 20s, a few 30s. There's lots ofโฆ forest."
He realized he was doing a horrible job actually describing the place. "โฆ You'll see when you get there."
"I meant likeโare there beds? You know, running water and stuff?"
"โฆ yes. We're not animals."
"Oh good! I was worried. No offense. I thought you were the leader at first, so I kind of imagined it was a bunch of cavemen hitting each other with sticks." She grinned at him.
He decided to ignore that. "You can join the scouting corps if you like. Or the warriors."
"Woah, woah! Hold on there. I'm not doing any of that. I just want a place to stayโI'll do my own thing, help out here and there, y'know?"
They were passing through a grove of ash trees, walking through a barren valley.
"I'm bad with authority," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Iโwait."
She stilled. "Something feels weird."
"Whatโ"
"Shhh!"
He stood there, looking at her, watching her face change. At first, she seemed baffled. Then her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open a little. And the color started draining out of her face.
"Oh," she whispered. "Oh no."
"What?"
"Oh, that's... That's a lot. How hadn't I heard them?! Ohโthey were waiting, they had to be. They knew."
One moment there was nothing.
Then his mini-map was ringed with white dots.
Dots pouring in fastโthere must have been hundreds.
He turned and saw them cresting the hills behind him. He turned again, and there they were, all round. "It's Marcus, has to be," she said. Her voice was getting shaky. "That's a division's worth!"
Instantly, Zane drew his axes. "Stay close," he said. Just as they started pouring down the hill, he threw up a Cycloneโfirst revolutionโ
He hissed, stumbling back. It was like he'd been struck by a lightning bolt, straight in his heart. For a second he couldn't think. The Skill was brokenโthe axes flopped away.
He looked up and saw the person who shot him. A lanky, sharp-eyed, hawk-nosed man clad in an iron gray uniform. He held a huge blue bow strung up with a flickering white string. It buzzed with electricity.
๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ (โ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐)
๐ผ๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐
โ๐๐๐ค๐ค: ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐
The archer smirked at him. Already the man was drawing a second arrow.
Zane almost said 'get behind me' but the enemy was there too. They had them surrounded. Just like that. They were mostly in the Level 40s. Small, but with this many of themโฆ
And at their fore, five men sauntered up, all clad in brutal gray. The archer was one of them. Another was a thickly bearded, middle-aged man as big as Zane was. A greatsword as big as he was lay slung over his shoulder.
โ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ โ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ ๐ (โ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐)
๐ผ๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐
โ๐๐๐ค๐ค: ๐๐๐ฃ ๐น๐๐๐๐
There was a squat, bald, broad-shouldered one, shield in one hand, cudgel in another.
๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ค (โ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐)
๐ผ๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐
โ๐๐๐ค๐ค: ๐ผ๐๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ฆ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐
A red-headed man with black gloves and cruel, mirthful eyes.
๐๐ ๐๐ช ๐ฝ๐ ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฃ (โ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐)
๐ผ๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐
โ๐๐๐ค๐ค: ๐ป๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ช
Then the man at the front, the smallest of them with the biggest pin. He reminded Zane of a sewer rat.
๐พ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ช โ๐๐๐ช (โ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐)
๐ผ๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐
โ๐๐๐ค๐ค: โ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ
Clay cackled. "Savage Sage! Zane Walker! Fancy meeting you here. We were just looking for you. You've been a very bad boy."
He licked his lips. "You've made my boss very, very angry. What was that you said? 'I hope they bring someone stronger next time?'"
How had they heard that?
"Well?!" Clay swept his arms across the hundreds of soldiers pinning them in. "What do you think? Strong enough for you?"
He laughed a wheezing laugh. Nobody else did.
Zane tried to reckon the odds. He was strong now, true, but how strong? A Level 55, a 61, a 64, a 67, and the 71โฆ like three Brimstone Golems, and a creature far stronger than that Phoenix bossโฆ all coordinated as a team.
And they were surrounded by grunts. There was nowhere to go.
Not good.
It seemed Avery had come to the same conclusion. She was staring at him, wide-eyed. "We have to get out of here," she said. "Weโhrrng!" She fell to the ground, spasming.
That archer had shot her so fast neither of them could react. That arrowโฆ it was laden with Minor Laws, Laws of Lightning.
Avery was still shaking, seemingly on the verge of blacking out.
"I was speaking," said Clay, lips pursed. "Didn't your parents teach you manners?"
"I," breathed Zane. He was trembling. "Am going to kill you." He didn't say it to Clay. He said it to the archer.
"What a coincidence!" said Clay, grinning deep-yellow teeth. "I'd very much like to do the same to you. You should know, by the wayโ" He ripped open buttons near his chest and showed a glowing yellow crystal there. "The boss is watching. So let's put on a good show for him, eh? You've really pissed him off! He doesn't just want you dead. He wants to see you squeal."
Strangely hearing that calmed Zane down. He was still furious, but not because of what Clay saidโhe couldn't care less less how much they needled him. He was furious they dared touch Avery. He'd been on the verge of lunging after them. Then Clay opened his mouth, and Zane realized that was exactly what they wanted.
His blood was hot with rage; his mind was cold with rage. He had to think. That archer was drawing another arrow. He had to clear out all these grunts, had to whittle down the pack, but he had no time to set up his greatest weapon. And worse, it was Avery lying here, almost catatonic. If he went after themโฆ what would happen to her?
โฆHad they caught him?