Arthur continued to heal Kendra. The ice had melted off her body and turned to water, but she was still cold to the touch as Aria held her. Arthur’s own healing was almost finished. His magic had restored most of the skin from blue to its natural color. He knelt and had both arms in working order. As he worked he kept glancing at Sylvia’s body and so did Aria. Sylvia’s body had stopped bleeding and the last of her ice magic had frozen over the scales causing it to look like Sylvia was sleeping.
Lucas carried Ronny on his back and dropped him next to Arthur. Lucas sighed and sat down in the dirt as he breathed heavily. Arthur switched his healing to Ronny while keeping a warming hand on Kendra.
“What is going on with her? Is she going to be okay?” asked Lucas.
“I don’t know yet. She was frozen for several minutes in the ice. It has frozen over her blood and most other liquid in her body. My spells have improved her condition, but she still needs to warm up naturally and wake up. I can’t force her to do that.”
“I can feel her and connect to her mind in fleeting moments with my magic,” said Aria. “She is in a comatose state. Her mind has shut down in many ways. I’m not sure how to wake her. I would. Have to review some of my more complex mind spells. Thank you for doing what you could though. She should be fine to transport home at least.”
“You’re welcome.”
“What about Ronny?”
“Both his legs are stumps, and I can’t regrow them with the magic I have. Even if we still had the rest of his legs I’m not sure if my magic could reattach them. The dragon’s ice has seeped into his body as well and he has lost a lot of blood. I’ve already sealed his leg wounds. He will need a lot of food and water to replace his lost energy, but he should recover. My main worry however is that clone of me over there.”
He motioned over to the body of Sylvia. Standing near her head was the golem. Its body was frozen had its hands down as if powered off. Arthur still felt a sense of danger and unease from it but less so now that it was not actively expending mana.
“I know that you didn’t know of its existence. Your expressions told me as much, but that thing shouldn’t exist any more than I should.”
“So, you have found out. I am sorry it had to be learned this way,” said Aria looking down in shame
“I know you likely did not have much choice in the matter, but others chose to make this happen.”
“What do you intend to do?” asked Lucas.
“Make things right. People have put me in this situation under false pretenses and I have nearly died. I will make this right.”
Arthur looked over his two patients and made sure that they were okay. Ronny’s healing had sealed his wounds and he was in a deep sleep now. Arthur stopped his healing and stood up. He calmed his mind as he walked to the golem. As he got closer he could feel the core’s mind just barely. Whatever metal control core had been placed around the dungeon was stopping almost everything from leaving it. If his own control had been like a leg band just watching where he was and what he did then this core was like a maximum-security prison not letting anything through except what its warden wanted to let through. Arthur doubted that it still had memories still contained within.
‘Consider this your mercy I am sorry you were forced into this shell. I won’t let them torture you any further, but you will be of great help to me. Your knowledge and mana will help me grow to be as powerful as I need to be.’
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Arthur prepared a spell in his hands. It came much easier than in the past. Pure mana coated his hand and formed claws around his fingers. He stabbed out at the golem’s chest. His hand stopped an inch from it as a barrier formed to stop him. Arthur felt the spell’s magic and it did not feel like it came from the golem. He turned around and looked at Zoe. She held her hand up with magic flowing from her hand to create the barrier.
“Stop Arthur. This battle is over, and this golem is on our side.”
He glared at her and made his intention known. “This thing is not on my side. It is a slave you and I will free it from you and this world.”
Arthur reached out his hand again, but then his back started to burn. He felt the pain rush through him momentarily and he took a knee to the ground. He looked back at Zoe. In her hand was an old device that Sal had once used. The smooth stone in her hand glowed with the same rune on his back. It had awakened him some time ago.
He activated [Chain Lightning] sparks flew from his fingers and towards the stone. Zoe raised a barrier around herself in response and held the stone tighter.
“You don’t want me to destroy it, so you try and shut me down. Well, that isn’t going to happen to me. I won’t lose my memories again just so that I can be your puppet.”
Arthur focused on the control rune attached to his back. He realized now what it did. He had previously brushed over it because it only seemed to connect other runes together. Now however it was trying to reverse the connection and connect her control to the runes on him. With a force of will, he started to erase it. The burning subsided as the rune was replaced with smooth metal.
“Arthur you shouldn’t have done that. I needed that rune in place. You are needed in the gnome kingdom to help us fight off the undead. You don’t understand.”
Behind her the trackers had started bringing up the crates and horses. When they heard the voices they froze up unsure of how the fight would turn out and how to deal with the situation that was escalating. Slowly they began to inch around and look at the results of the battle with their own eyes.
“I think I understand quite well. I don’t doubt that you need a weapon to fight the undead and that they are coming to attack but it also seems quite apparent that you have your solution right here.” He motioned to the golem. “You don’t need me.”
“But we do need you. This creation is only a stopgap. It can’t fight as well as you can and not with the same power.”
“Is that why I lost to her.” He pointed to Sylvia. “She beat me thoroughly because I did not have the same power as this golem. I was only occasionally cutting her with my blade, but one strike of its daggers digs into the skin and drains mana as well. How long have you been planning to make a copy, a replacement, waiting for me to fail?”
“I can promise you that I haven’t been preparing for this long. I hadn’t even considered it before I was instructed to build it here. We needed a plan B and I agreed with them.”
“What would have happened if I succeeded? Killed the dragon myself without your interference. What then?”
“I. I don’t know. That wasn’t something we were worried about because we have had so much to do while waiting for you to arrive for this day.”
“So, you were expecting me to fail? Or else what. Keep your dungeon slave in a box until it can be useful. Maybe send it on a few missions against the undead while I am busy fighting on the front lines with no knowledge that you have a second of my race in your enslavement.” His voice rose as he spoke. In the end, he expended some mana and sighed. “I can no longer trust you Zoe and I want no part of this anymore. Your mortal problems are no longer my problems.”
“Arthur.”
“We can continue to argue but you kept me from myself and now are doing the same to whatever dungeon is trapped on there.” He pointed to the golem again. “If you want to keep doing this then fine. Send your new toy soldier off to your war. I am leaving.”
Arthur looked over the golem and then back at Zoe before turning away. He pulled up the directions to his next destination and started walking. He dropped his sword and released his power on the glove. It dropped to the dirt in a thunk. The orb’s glow faded as well.
“You can keep the stuff and the dungeon. Do not try and follow me.”
Arthur looked over to Lucas and Aria. He saw the words they wanted to say on their faces. They wanted him to stay. He then looked at the two injured people. They both lay unconscious. Aria still held Kendra’s head in her lap. Arthur turned back and focused on his magic. He activated [Control Winds] with a thought and brought himself into the air. He felt the power of his spell had grown since last he had cast it. Lifting himself into the air was something he couldn’t do in the past. He wasn’t sure if they would try and follow him but with flight, he would at least make it harder. Zoe didn’t stop him but watched where he left towards. She looked over at the golem and sighed before giving it new instructions. The golem powered back up to her command and returned to her side.