The new scorpion tries to grab the bear with its pincers, sinking them deep into its side. The creature also thrusts its stinger toward the bear’s back, but being undead, the bear is completely unaffected by the venom. And, apparently, it doesn’t feel pain either.
Despite this, the attack seems to enrage it even more. With a roar that makes the air around it vibrate, the bear twists violently and strikes one of the pincers with its massive claws, breaking the grip and forcing the scorpion to retreat.
The creature lowers its front into a defensive stance, spreading its pincers wide and slowly moving its tail, ready to strike at any moment. The bear, in turn, rises onto its hind legs, its colossal figure casting a menacing shadow across the chamber. Its hollow eyes fix on the scorpion, and another deep roar echoes, a warning to its opponent. Both creatures seem to size each other up, waiting for the right moment to strike.
With one final, devastating blow, the golem finally breaks through the wall and steps into the chamber. Its colossal figure, over five meters tall, moves slowly, but each step causes the ground to tremble and leaves deep imprints in the sand. The red light from its crystal shines even brighter, casting shifting shadows that seem to move with a life of their own. Without hesitation, the golem advances directly toward us, ignoring the remains of the wall it just destroyed. Luckily, it moves slowly.
And what’s happened with the rest of my group in the meantime?
Well, as they told me later, the scorpion Darius was riding remained in a threatening stance, surrounded by the rest of my group—except for me, since I had stepped away. Its pincers snapped open and shut rapidly, and its stinger moved with precision, making it impossible for anyone to get close. However, since the creature had to defend itself, its movements and attempts to dislodge Darius had become less erratic. Darius, without hesitation, seized the opportunity.
Still clinging to its tail, he placed a hand over the wound he had inflicted earlier with his sword. With a shout of effort, he generated a fireball directly inside the joint. The explosion, though small, intensified due to the internal pressure, causing the tail to break. Although it wasn’t completely severed, it hung uselessly, limp. The scorpion, injured and enraged, thrashed violently, finally shaking Darius loose and sending him crashing to the ground.
“Now!” Vincent shouted, leading the attack, moments after the golem broke through.
Damn.
This battle is pure chaos.
I react quickly, following my instincts—yes, the same ones that usually get me into trouble for being too impulsive.
My group, so focused on the scorpion that they seemed to ignore the golem’s pounding and the minor detail that it had just entered the other side of the chamber, also acts quickly in response to the prince’s command. Vincent, who also possesses water magic, uses it to freeze all the legs on one side of the scorpion, creating a thin layer of ice that immobilizes them completely. Alistair, with his mace raised high, begins smashing them one by one with powerful blows, while the rest of the group targets the remaining legs. I join in, sprinting to arrive in time and, in the process, putting some distance between myself and the golem. And the bear with its scorpion? No idea—I’m not even glancing in that direction. I strike at one of the legs. My sword doesn’t leave a mark, but at least I’ll earn some XP for the assist.
The creature, by the way, is entirely focused on Bob and doesn’t react in time to our attacks. Alistair takes advantage of this, methodically destroying its legs.
I think Mary has gone over to Darius to heal the bump on his head from the fall. The floor is made of sand, so it probably wasn’t too serious.
Bob... good old Bob. With quick and precise movements, he positions himself in front of the scorpion, repeatedly striking its face while dodging its pincers and keeping all its aggro on him.
The scorpion, believing Bob to be its greatest threat, doesn’t anticipate our coordinated assault. When all its legs are completely destroyed, it loses balance and collapses onto its side. Alistair, with a determined gesture, summons a wall of fire directly beneath the creature. Flames engulf it quickly, consuming it from below. The intense heat and the crackling of its carapace as it burns fill the air while the creature thrashes in its final desperate movements, completely immobilized and surrounded by fire.
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And since it has no legs, it can’t escape. Clever move by the redhead, right?
For a moment, we’re all elated by the victory. Even I briefly forget about the minor detail of the golem. But it only lasts a moment. The elation quickly fades from the others, and the memory of the golem hits me with a gut-wrenching sense of dread when a massive shadow passes over us.
“The golem!” I shout.
But it’s not the golem—it’s the bear.
The bear, flung through the air along with the scorpion it was fighting, crashes into a nearby column with an impact that shakes the entire chamber. Thankfully, it doesn’t break. I wouldn’t want the pyramid collapsing on my head. The scorpion lands further away from the bear, crashing into the sand.
The dull thud of the crash and the partial collapse of the column make us all turn toward the golem.
Because it was the golem.
All eyes focus on the gigantic humanoid creature as it slowly advances toward us. At its feet, the shattered bodies of three other giant scorpions make it clear that it had eliminated those creatures with overwhelming ease. The red glow of the crystal in its chest flickers intensely.
“What do we do now?” Alistair asks, his voice a mix of worry and frustration.
Vincent briefly considers retreating to the main passage but quickly dismisses the idea. I imagine he knows that with the golem chasing us, it would only be a matter of time before it caught up. Either that, or it would demolish the entire pyramid in its frenzy, trying to carve a path through the passage it couldn't fit through to attack us.
The golem, seemingly aware of our defensive formation, raises one of its massive arms in our direction. Its movement is slow but deliberate. The arm moving makes no sound, but it is undoubtedly imposing and threatening.
“Take cover!” Vincent shouts, pointing toward the columns and any other place that could offer shelter.
The group scatters quickly, seeking refuge behind the columns and nearby debris as the golem keeps its arm extended, aiming at us with unnerving precision. Before we can react, the crystal in its chest glows brightly, and hundreds of stone spikes shoot toward us. The impact of the spikes against the columns and walls fills the air with dust and shards of rock, reducing visibility as we struggle to stay safe.
I dash toward a pile of nearby debris and leap behind it just in time to avoid a spike that crashes to the ground a few meters away. My breathing is ragged, and as I adjust my position for better cover, I glance upward for a moment. And then I see it.
High above, clinging to the ceiling like part of the structure itself, a colossal scorpion stares at me with its many eyes gleaming in the dim light. It’s larger than anything we’ve faced so far, and on its back, several more giant scorpions seem to be waiting for their turn to descend. My heart stops for an instant. I’m frozen with panic, barely able to move as I watch it, its legs firmly anchored to the ceiling and its pincers moving slowly, as if calculating the perfect moment to strike.
Mary, who is nearby, screams loudly:
“Something’s coming!”
Her voice alerts all of us. Darius, hiding behind a fragment of a column, curses under his breath:
“What the hell else can go wrong today?”
Vincent, crouching behind another piece of cover, scans the area quickly, looking for whatever Mary is warning us about. His face hardens when he sees one of the creatures on the giant scorpion’s back starting to detach, falling with a heavy thud onto the chamber floor. The beast immediately rises, moving its pincers rapidly, and fixes its gaze on us.
As we shelter behind columns and debris, a movement on the right side of the chamber catches my attention. From an opening to another room, a dark cloud begins to expand rapidly, as though consuming everything in its path. My gaze shifts back to the golem, which halts its barrage of stone spikes and resumes its slow but heavy advance toward us.
I decide to take a risk. With a determined gesture, I use my earth magic to try and shatter one of its legs into countless fragments. However, a system notification appears in front of me:
Magical Resistance to Attack: Insufficient Skill Level.
Frustrated, I watch as the golem continues its relentless advance. I would try again, just in case, if it weren’t for the fact that I have really spent the mana point.
Then, from the doorway shrouded in the dark cloud, a sinister figure emerges. It's as if the will that wanted us dead suddenly condensed and began to enter the room.
It’s a lich—a skeletal mage cloaked in tattered black robes, its skull crowned with eerie blue flames that flicker ominously.
The lich doesn’t hesitate. As soon as it sees us, it begins channeling its magic. Its stance and movements remind me of Ronan, but the energy emanating from it is entirely different—darker, more malevolent. I bet this is the one responsible for sending those mummies after us.
“Don’t let it summon anything!” Mary shouts, raising her staff.
image [https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OyqGvjwcmkRcpdsS-4tUhRrFhdZjaK1GPlMfw5WLMRQCRVh51MI9hsG7ieMaJyGG-8-wPwzq9xOsEfpAtSXVBv8WMw9ZJ8xEvkiIQ-P8cN3Sfy4MY0XpY5PvT9NgZ9vWurgnCJhEC7FdWrOiJ_TIblFOaoRavqAVXQ70IGf8O9MeKKChuqB6HRBovKA/s1024/A_dark_and_intimidating_lich_as_described_in_a_fan.jpg]