Six stood at the large sealed door that led to the ley nexus. He double checked his weapons, armor and golems before exhaling softly. He visualized the battle. He would open the door and lead his golems from the front, the metal tip of a wedge of stone. They would crash upon the waiting Kytaligan with a merciless beating, leading to the destruction and dismantling of the lifelike golem.
Skill Increase: Meditation - Initiate - 11
He positioned his golems ever so, Lump on his shoulder and Nibbler behind him, he cast Zephyr’s Embrace and Vital Surge. then opened the door.
It swung smoothly and Six went to close the widening gap but the first step he took sent him flying as the ground beneath him rippled and lifted. He tumbled through the air landing hard amongst the crashing thunder of his stone golems smashing to the ground.
Jumping to his feet Six commanded his golems to rise as the form of Kytaligan stepped forth from the room. The perfect muscular form of the K’gan enchanter crossed the distance to the first stone golem that was righting itself and with three lashing palm chops broke the golem into shards.
He stood there in a pose that mimicked that of a hero, and exuded confidence in tides. The smiling golem spoke in ancient K’gan, “So, it has finally come back to me. Return the ley core and I may let you live, boy. I will need a guide in this new time.”
Six said nothing and charged the construct, thrusting out with the tip of his glaive and moving his golems to flank and surround. Kytaligan parried the blade with the edge of his palm, his flesh barely taking damage with a single droplet of blood appearing. Six pushed forward with his footwork and pressed hard but Kytaligan was trained in combat it seemed.
He unleashed a torrential combo and mid sequence sent out a command to Lump, the little bloodclot undulating before spraying a burst of blood darts at Kytaligan’s eyes. The ebony golem effortlessly knocked away Six’s glaive while lifting a hand to protect his eyes, the condensed blood darts shattering and splashing harmlessly on impact.
Nibbler sent out some rotating crescents of light that impacted on Kytaligan’s side, cutting small slices into the pseudo flesh that comprised the golem. Kytaligan made no reaction but any damage was good.
Six lifted his arms and switched his glaive for his earth maul bringing it down with all his strength, Kytaligan dodged out of the way and right into the freight train fist of Poh Doh, folding him in half and sending him to the ground. Kytaligan began to get up but the beating commenced.
Six moved in and delivered a huge rotating roundhouse to the back of the Kytaligan’s head with his maul. Poh Doh delivered pile driving hammer fist after hammer fist and the stone golem performed simple but powerful straight punches.
It became a rhythmic thing for what seemed like a minute, the rotation of blows creating a clanging percussion. Kytaligan kept calm for it all, attempting to make it to his feet.
There was a frustration to his efforts eventually and the Kytaligan lifted his dented head, his artificed orbs staring into the hollow depression of Six’s stone golem.
Six felt a pressure on his mind, it felt like his attention was being pushed by a wind. He had never felt such before and the new sensation surprised him. Losing control of his stone golem also surprised him, the wind taking the connection with it.
The stone golem rushed its creator and Six had to fall back as the squat muscular form reached out with its stony digits that grasped in violence. Six watched as Kytaligan moved both of his hands and drew multiple arcane sigils in the air, a coffin of stone leapt from the floor and restrained Poh Doh.
Poh Doh opened its slit of a mouth and hissed its primal frustration, its hollow eyes glaring at the hostile enchanter. Six commanded Poh Doh to look away but it was too late. This time though, Six was ready and when the wind came Six leaned into it and fought it, it tested something deep within Six. Something that was not endless.
Six could not retreat any longer, he drew a stone spear and committed to a powerful horizontal swing with his earth maul. The shard of stone erupted from the ground and blasted into the side of the stone golem, shattering into innumerable shards but continuing forth into the more robust stone, punching into his traitorous construct and shifting into the opposite incoming blow.
Both strikes landed simultaneously producing a satisfying crack within the golem. Six followed it up with a Double Strike smashing the golem another time against the counter point, this time blowing through both with an explosion of rubble.
You have killed level 3 Earth Golem. Experience gained 28+(6).
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Still, Six fought the wind. He turned to see Kytaligan’s gaze focused on Poh Doh’s, he just had to hold on until he made it to strike the man. That was, until the small form of Nibbler sailed through the air and silver claws lashed out, slicing through the eye of the ebony golem.
The wind stopped as Kytaligan straightened and regarded Nibbler coldly. She tried to bound away but a few quick steps were all he needed to kick her. Her squeal of pain and an audible crunch echoing throughout the halls.
Six roared in anger as his urge to kill rose. He switched the maul for the wand of mana spear and let loose, a spear of mana made of oddly refracted light materialized before the tip of polished wood and jetted forth with blinding speed.
Simultaneously he drew the arcane movements and screamed the incantations for Stone Spear before double tapping the second and last mana spear.
Kytaligan activated something inside himself, his right pectoral glowing brightly and emitting a rising screech. A dense shield of shining light appeared before the golem, obscuring him completely in an almost blinding light. The mana and stone spears shattered on impact, the refracted faults in reality breaking apart and diffusing into normalcy, the stone eroding itself into dust as it tried to pierce the shield. All three attacks broke like toothpicks on concrete.
It only lasted for a moment as the implant burned through itself quickly, leaving the right side of Kytaligan’s chest a blackened mess.
The fight paused for a moment as Kytaligan took in the sight of his marred flesh. “Look at what you made me do. You will have to pay to fix this.”
Six peppered Kytaligan with Ember Sparks as the golem rushed forward, so fast, it was all Six could do to hold him at bay. Even the flames broke ineffectually upon the body of the golem crafter.
Kytaligan was close and there was no space for ranged attacks, Six pulled out his maul and created space with brutal swings but Kytaligan moved with trained steps and avoided any bludgeons that Six sent his way.
The tempo increased as the distance decreased and Six threw out a crosscheck to make space but Kytaligan reached up and deftly grabbed the haft, pulling Six closer.
Six tried to let go but wasn’t fast enough, rather he was drawn into the vice-like embrace of the nude K’gan.
Six was passable at unarmed combat but Kytaligan was a trained noble, at the very least into apprentice rank, combined with his superior stats it was barely a challenge to wrap Six up in a fancy face to face bearhug. Six felt safe in his breastplate until Kytaligan began squeezing, for a moment nothing happened, then the metal began to buckle.
Six spat in Kytaligan’s face and lashed out with a weak headbutt.
The Golemgineer’s smirk pitied Six.
Six let go with another headbutt, and another. Kytaligan laughed and Six’s armor crumpled like a tin can, biting into his ribcage. Every exhalation allowed more and more constriction.
Shit.
Kytaligan leaned forward and gently kissed Six’s neck.
Six screamed in terrible pain, a wail of unfathomable anguish.
His neck burned icy cold and he fought to control his nausea.
One prompt of many like it made it through to his attention.
You have lost 1 point of constitution.
That was bad, but Poh Doh had arrived.
The bloodwood stone golem had a blob of stone in its hands and on Six’s command it placed the stone on one of Kytaligan’s feet. The stone melded to the floor and essentially glued Kytaligan to the floor.
Kytaligan lifted his head from Six’s neck, ceasing the loss of constitution. He tried to move but could not, so he turned back to finish the job.
Right into a headbutt from Six that did absolutely nothing.
Still, the right hook from Poh Doh did something. The earth golem pistoned its fist into the back of Kytaligan and sent Kytaligan whipping face first to the floor. Six went flying and starfished on the floor only to struggle to his feet and order Poh Doh to restrain. He retrieved his dropped maul and stalked over to the struggling Kytaligan.
It seemed as though the punch from Poh Doh had broken something within the Kytaligan golem. Kytaligan only had the use of one arm with the other hanging limply at his side, yet even when half prone and restricted to one arm, he was still able to challenge Poh Doh’s own strength.
Six shuffled over and checked his distance before winding up and unleashing the most violent axe swing he could muster. He aimed it right at Kytaligan’s good shoulder and activated his Double Strike and his Ring of Triple Strike bringing forth a barrage of four hammer blows in the blink of an eye. One strike even bloomed with the green energies of earth further increasing the destruction.
Kytaligan cried out not in pain, his artificed body proofed against such weakness, but in frustration. His remaining arm had failed and his slight defiance collapsed.
Poh Doh obeyed Six’s metal commands, stepping on the face of Kytaligan and wrenching off the weakened arm in a viscous tear.
Six took his time breaking the rest of the construct's joints until Kytaligan was but a torso. He looked human, except for his innards, like a magitech T-100.
All through this the crafter pleaded and begged. He cursed the gods that his imprisonment would lead to such ignominy. He raged at Six. Then once more pleaded.
“I would serve you.”
“No. You would not.”
“How would you know?”
“I learned your book, I learned more than just the techniques you left. I learned about you. You, would not serve me. You are better than that.”
The golem smiled in pride for but a brief moment. “You do not know that.”
“I believe it. That is enough.” Six laid his hand upon the torso and activated his perk, Deconstruct Enchantment.
Attempt failed.
Nothing happened but a nervous chuckle from Kytaligan. Six had to wait ten minutes for the cooldown to elapse so he sat down to meditate.
Kytaligan continued to plead but the words were like droplets of rain, uncomfortable but inconsequential.
Once the cooldown elapsed Six touched the golem and channeled his perk again.
A pulse of mana radiated out from Six and throughout the broken golem before rebounding and returning back into Six. The torso tensed before the thing relaxed and its flesh melted away. With the warm return of mana came knowledge as well.
You have destroyed level 21 Weakened Simulacrum Golem. Experience gained 1389+(347).
Deconstruction Successful!
Technique learned: Create Soul Core
Skill Increase: Maces - Initiate - 4
Skill Increase: Athletics - Initiate - 6
Skill Increase: Elemental Magic - Initiate - 5
Skill Increase: Heavy Armor - Initiate - 21
Skill Increase: Mindfulness - Initiate - 6
Skill Increase: Meditation - Initiate - 12
It was quiet within the chamber. The only sound was that of Six breathing.
He rushed to Nibbler.