Rise of the Living Forge

Chapter 152: Arrogance

By the time Olive finished her training and headed out of the arena to check on the others, the moon hung high in the sky and the tavern’s common room was empty. It wasn’t a surprise. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d made it back before they’d gone to bed.

That was fine. They had a big day ahead of them tomorrow. Rest was important. Olive trudged up the stairs and returned to her room, flopping into bed and not even bothering to change her clothes. The next day was only a few hours away, and she’d just be getting them dirty again anyway.

Every second counted. She needed what rest she could still wring from the night before the sun reared its head once more. Tomorrow, they would complete the new dungeon that had risen up near the city — and then the Grim Shadows would finally carve their names onto the annals of the kingdom’s records and be acknowledged by the Secret Eye.

Just one dungeon.

***

The day started off well and the first three quarters of the dungeon fell before the Grim Shadows like wheat to a scythe. They cleared out the early rooms without so much as slowing. Even the first purple torch room went by without a single incident.

Olive didn’t let her guard down. She monitored her magical energy closely, using as little as possible. The others weren’t quite as restrained with their power, but that was half of what was allowing them to progress so smoothly.

They started to slow as they pressed deeper into the dungeon, but nothing arose to give them any proper challenge. Before any of them knew it, they’d arrived at a large hall leading into an open amphitheater. Purple torches flickered from the walls to illuminate empty stands and a sandy pit below.

“That’s creepy,” Jason muttered as they peered into the room. “Looks kind of similar to the training grounds, doesn’t it?”

“It’s just an arena,” Bea said with a shake of her head. She adjusted her grip on the staff in her hands, pointing the shimmering blue stone at its top toward the center of the room. “And this is definitely the last room of the dungeon.”

“One last fight,” Damien said from Jason’s side. He examined his reflection in the blade of a polished dagger and grinned. “And I don’t care what room this is. Let’s clean it up and go get our reward. The money’s just one last creature away.”

“Don’t get cocky,” Olive said. “We haven’t won yet.”

“Olive is right,” Jason said. He drew in a deep breath and it out slowly. “Focus in. No mistakes. Don’t hold anything back. We all know our roles, and we still don’t know what’s waiting for us. We can relax once this thing is dead.”

The others all nodded. A moment of silence passed as everyone looked out into the arena before them. Then Jason tapped his sword against the ground and started forward. “Come on. Let’s handle this and get back before the hour is up. I’m starving.”

They piled in behind him and descended the stairs, heading toward the arena in the center of the dungeon. Olive kept her ears peeled for any signs of an attack. Her eyes scoured the stands and wove into the shadows in search of something hiding within them, but her senses were worthless.

She found nothing.

“Where’s the baddie?” Damien whispered. “I’m not picking anything up.”

“Might only show up when we reach the sand,” Jason muttered back.

They drew up to the end of the arena and dropped the last few feet to the sandy ground as a group. Still, nothing happened — but now that they were on the ground, Olive caught sight of something that had been hidden from them before. Behind them, rising up at an angle in the sand, was a large iron grate.

“I think I found where the monster’s coming from,” Olive said.

“You might be right,” Jason said. “Take up positions, everyone.”

They spread out quickly. Bea and Damien both moved to stand at the far side of the arena and left Olive and Jason to take up the front. The repositioning didn’t come a moment too soon. A rumble shook the ground and the iron grates pulled back.

Olive and Jason both took a step back as sand danced around their feet. The rumbling grew louder and it was joined by a droning hum. Olive’s hand tightened around the hilt of her sword as she fought to keep her breathing under control.

This is it.

A silver form rose from the depths and the humming reached its peak. The ground shuddered as a humanoid hand slammed down on it. Olive’s eyes went wide as a metal man pulled itself out of the hole and rose to its feet, standing well over three times her height.

[Steelwind Golem – Journeyman 7]

“Just journeyman seven,” Jason said with a bark of laughter. “For a final room monster, this is no trouble at all. Ready up, everyone. Follow my orders.”

The golem drew two massive swords from its sides and held them out at its sides. Dim red lights lit within its eyes and the humming coming from its body raised in pitch. Faint lines of crimson energy arced down its blades and hissed with power.

Jason charged forward. The automaton swung at him and he dropped to his knees, sliding beneath the blow. His sword ignited with lightning and he slammed it into the golem’s shin with a cry.

A loud crack split the air as the energy poured into the metal monster, leaving a scar across its shin but failing to do any lasting damage. Jason shot to his feet and threw himself forward, narrowly avoiding a blade that plunged through the air where he’d been standing.

“Now, Olive!” Jason yelled.

Olive sprinted up to take advantage of the golem’s distraction. She set her stance and swung her blade with both hands, drawing on her magical energy to activate [Tenfold Blade].

Her sword carved through the air — and slammed to a halt as the golem’s blade intercepted hers. She stumbled as a powerful vibration raced down her arms and into her body, threatening to rip her sword straight from her hands.

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The golem is stronger than my [Tenfold Blade]?

Olive skipped back to avoid the monster’s counterattack, then raised her sword once more. “Be careful! It’s a lot stronger than it looks. It must have Titles or good Achievements. It stopped my attack.”

“Have you considered hitting it harder?” Damien asked. An arrow streaked through the air above Olive’s head and struck the golem in the skull. It rung off and spun to the side, the motes of green magic that had been encircling its head fading harmlessly. “Well, shit. We can’t poison it, in case you were wondering.”

“It’s a goddamn golem,” Jason yelled. “Of course we can’t poison it. Olive, back me up. You cover my side and I’ll go for a blow to see if I can weaken it with my magic.”

He ran around the golem, keeping out of the range of its large swords, and came to a stop beside her. They nodded at each other, then sprinted forward as one. It was a strategy they’d employed on more than a few opponents before — one that Olive had gotten so used to that she probably could have done it with her eyes closed. It was certainly nothing new.

Until it was.

Challenge: [Master thy Sword] has been activated.

Restrictions have been placed. Defeat [Steelwind Golem – Journeyman 7] to complete this phase of the Challenge.

It felt like a ton of rocks had slammed down on Olive’s back. She stumbled, tripping over her own feet and falling to her knees in the sand as the breath was knocked from her lungs.

The golem swung its sword at Jason, who only managed to notice that Olive wasn’t at his side an instant before the blade was upon him. He hurled himself to the side, but it wasn’t fast enough to completely avoid the attack.

Blood splattered across the sand as the tip of the golem’s sword dug into his back and ripped through it.

“What are you doing?” Damien screamed. “Get up!”

Olive’s chest couldn’t draw enough air to form words. Bands of invisible energy had wrapped around her entire body like a constricting snake, but she managed to force herself to her feet.

Her eyes flicked to Jason and the compression magnified a hundred-fold, nearly choking the life out of her on the spot. Olive wheezed and forced herself to turn back to the golem, which was advancing toward both of them.

The bonds holding her down lessened. They were still there, but she could move again — just as long as her attention was on the monster. Olive was dimly aware of Bea sprinting past her and running up to Jason, glowing light swirling around her hands to heal him, but she couldn’t risk looking in their direction.

Seriously? Why now, during the final fight of the dungeon? How is that fair?

The golem reared back. Olive stumble-ran forward. Bea needed time to heal Jason, and if both of them went down, the rest of them were done for.

She brought her sword around to meet the wall of metal hurtling toward her, activating [Tenfold Blade]. It felt like her body was moving through sludge, but she managed to bring her sword to bear.

A wall of force slammed into her body and launched her backward. Olive flew across the sand and slammed into the wall. Her sword flew from her hand as the breath was driven from her lungs for the second time that minute.

Her body locked up as she risked a glance at the others. Bea had pulled Jason back to his feet and his wound had healed, but they were both standing directly in the golem’s path. Damien fired several arrows into the monster’s head, but they all rang off harmlessly.

His abilities were deadly against opponents with flesh, but they were quite useless here. Olive grabbed her sword and focused fully on the golem as she drove herself to run forward. It took every scrap of her attention to keep from tripping again.

The more she focused on her blade, the more the restrictions faded. The golem swung and Olive threw herself forward, activating [Tenfold Blade] and bringing her sword down on the larger weapon with a resounding clang.

Her feet skidded through the sand, then stopped. She’d halted the blow — but the golem had another sword. Bea yelped as Jason shoved her back. Olive didn’t have time to check if they were safe. She dropped to the ground and the second blow passed over her head.

When she raised her head, Jason was at the monster’s feet again. He brought his sword plunging down into its knee and released a torrent of electricity into it. The golem let out a rumbling scream and pulled back from Olive, aiming to cut Jason down with both of its weapons. Jason didn’t have time to get out of the golem’s reach.

“Get the left one!” Jason yelled, spinning in the other direction. Olive forced herself to her feet, but turning her attention from the golem to protecting Jason felt like it had halved her movement.

The first sword fell and Jason deflected it, falling to one knee with a pained grunt from the force of the strike. The second one followed after it, but Olive was nowhere near close enough to stop it.

“She’s not going to make it!” Damien yelled. Jason spun, cursing as he tried to bring his sword to bear.

The golem’s blade slammed into his and launched it from his hands, breaking his wrist in the process. It spun through the air and embedded itself in the sand on the other side of the arena.

“Healing!” Jason yelled. “Olive, what in the Nine Underlands are you doing? Stop freezing up and fucking help me!”

“I’m trying!” Olive yelled back. “I’m being repressed by something!”

A wave of energy washed over Olive’s back.

“I removed any negative affects on you,” Bea called as Jason hurried back to her.

Olive tried to turn toward them, but it was impossible. Her body flat out refused her mind’s requests.

“No you haven’t!”

“It’s only a Journeyman 7,” Damien said. “You aren’t being repressed. Bea’s skill would have cleansed it. Watch out!”

The golem swung both of its blades at Olive. Something about the movement felt… off. Telegraphed, as if Olive had seen what it was going to do before it did it.

She threw herself forward, passing clean between the blades, and hit the ground in a roll. Olive came to her feet and swung her blade at the monster’s leg, digging deep into its armor with [Tenfold Blade].

What was that?

Jason dashed up beside Olive, his sword in his hands once again. He drove his blade into the monster’s knee beside hers, finishing the job and severing it at the joint. The golem groaned and pitched forward, catching itself by driving a sword into the ground.

“Keep attacking!” Jason yelled. “It’s an opening! I see its core!”

The world seemed to slow again. Motion turned to a fuzzy blur as Olive caught the monster turning one of its swords around and bringing it toward Jason’s unsuspecting neck — but the moment of distraction slammed into her like a tornado, ripping her from the heightened state and driving into her stomach like a physical blow.

Her call of warning came out as a wheeze. Jason didn’t turn. Even if she couldn’t see its path, she knew where the monster’s sword was going. Olive threw herself away from the golem and toward Jason.

The pressure bearing down on her magnified by a hundredfold. She brought her sword up, but her magical energy felt like a distant dream. Her mind reached out to it, but nothing responded.

Olive braced herself, but it wasn’t enough. Mere swordwork was nowhere near enough to keep the massive weapon at bay. The golem’s sword slammed into hers and continued onward as if nothing was there, driving straight through her upper right arm and severing it.

Unsated, the blade found its home square in the center of Jason’s back. He lurched, driving his own sword up into the Golem’s chest. It pierced straight into the core, shattering it.

The golem pitched to the side and crashed to the sand, but Olive barely even noticed. She clutched the stump of her arm as blood poured from it in a thick river. Pain wrapped around her mind in a smothering blanket and she fell to her knees.

Bea sprinted past Olive, dropping to her knees at Jason’s side and pouring healing energy into his body. Olive didn’t pick up any movement. Thick clouds fogged over her vision and she swayed, her head spinning furiously.

Her fingers fumbled as she tried to stem the flow of blood. It was pointless. The flow was just coming too fast. She could hear her heart pumping in her ears and distant yelling. Then she pitched forward, falling face first to the sand, and heard nothing.