There was a thin veil of energy protecting the thick spear of stone, as well as the other impaling implements, from the effect of the Hazegem’s anti-entropic field. This was a tried-and-true method for transporting inanimate items backwards through time without seeing them disappear in the flurry of reversed activity that followed the activation of the gem, when used to perform a long jump. Indeed, without fail, the method worked. What went wrong was not this part of the process.

Albert saw the golem walk backwards towards its idle position in the glade, until it occupied the same space as the stone spear. He knew from experience that until the rewind was done there would be no registered collision, but neither could he move the spear anymore in the time field. The golem inched closer, and closer as the last hour finished rewinding. Albert paused, face frozen. The golem had moved ever so slightly during the time it was apparently sitting still and powered down! This meant that his calculations on the position of its core were—

Just as sound returned to the world, and sensations resumed making sense as the time field dissipated, the sudden rumble of machinery told Albert that his worst fear was coming true. He had missed the golem’s core by a full three inches, instead impaling the stone construct with the spear while the four minor spears of wood all missed their target. He immediately activated the time dilation skill and watched the golem spin up to speed with great haste, invading his ears and his mind with the grating of stone and the rumble of an avalanche. He barely had time to react to an impossibly fast fist homed right at his face and jump backwards, before he could take stock of the situation.

The golem was stuck, but by the looks of the already failing enchantment on the surface of the stone spear it was not going to be still for long. He needed to think of something, and quickly. The Hazegem was out of commission for the next ten hours. He could run, perhaps?

He turned around to inspect his surroundings while his mind screamed at him. He could not run, or the damage the golem was going to do to the valley and especially to Elvenhome would be not rewindable this time. He could not afford to risk it. He dodged another wild strike, this time closer than ever now that the golem was trying to leverage its body with its legs to break free of the binding. Walking backwards, Albert began to throw fireballs at the thing, to assess the damage.

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Not much. Some of the stone in its outer layers was getting heated, but there was no visible change in the way the golem moved.

Cracks spread through the stone spear in slow-motion.

Teleportation? Yes, but teleportation where, and how?

An idea. Other than places he had been personally, teleportation allowed him to jump to places close enough to be clearly visible with line of sight and magic sight. A plan was hatched.

Albert decided to jump out, clearing his mind as quickly as he could, and found that after a couple of seconds of concentration he was indeed somewhere else. There were huge rocks all around, and the remains of his old campfire. There, activating [Strengthening], he lifted the biggest rock he could find, straining his body and back, before closing his eyes again. It was a gamble. But it could work. It was all a matter of using physics.

Albert reappeared in the air above the golem, a full thirty meters up. This was also going to be a proof of concept of what teleportation could and could not do. Immediately upon appearing there, he let go of the boulder and closed his eyes again. He tried to clear his mind, feeling the acceleration of gravity and weightlessness of free-fall on his body. One second passed, five for Albert with [Bullet Time] active, and the image of the teleportation map was not forming. Two (ten) seconds. He could feel the rush of wind.

Three (a full fifteen) seconds and he was gone, teleported back to the ground. But not without maintaining his old momentum. Pain immediately flared in the lower section of his body, followed not five seconds later by a loud crashing sound. The boulder had collided with the golem, it seemed, but the scream of pain called for Albert’s undivided attention. He was sprawled on the ground of the forest, his right foot lodged between a stump and the ground, the ankle twisted at a bad angle.

He tried to pull it free, feeling the ground shake and his pupils dilate. The fear made time pass ever more slowly, but the future felt like a downstream river that was carrying him towards his death. The golem was free of its binding, and very angry. It stomped towards him, fast even with [Bullet Time] still going. Albert looked at his twisted leg, fighting against the pain and the itch of his healing skill. He strained. He strained ever more. He was never going to be quick enough, but he needed to. The golem loomed, casting a long shadow that enveloped everything. The forest was mute, watching in silence and unable to help.