Lorne swung his blade with all his strength, deflecting another swipe from the massive rock elemental's arm. The impact rattled his bones, sending jarring vibrations through his limbs. Still, he pressed forward, aiming a series of strikes at the elemental's joints. His steel bit into the hard stone, but failed to cut deep enough to do serious damage.
Fighting a living mound of solid rock was quite different than battling mindless beasts, or even trained opponents. Every slash and thrust simply glanced off its rocky surface, no matter how skillfully executed. Even with his blade enchanted to increase its edge, he could not find a way past the creature's natural defenses.
Behind him, he could hear the sounds of Deneve and Urien exchanging blows with the second smaller elemental, their weapons clanging uselessly against its rocky armor. Even Urien's massive warhammer did little more than chip away at its hard exterior, dealing superficial damage.
"This isn't working, Commander!" Deneve shouted as she hopped out of the way of an incoming swipe.
"Just keep wearing them down and buy time for the rest of the miners to escape," Lorne ordered, ducking under a massive fist and countering with a quick jab at the elemental's chest.
His blade glanced off the creature's rocky surface, but the force of the strike sent the elemental stumbling back, giving him a few precious moments to breathe.
"Hey, Artificer girl! Got any ideas?" Deneve called out.
Lorne spared a glance over his shoulder to find Viviane standing a few meters away, the Aetherframe armor providing an imposing figure in contrast to Dimitri, who crouched beside her, reloading his crossbow.
"Working on it, ma'am!" Viviane replied, her voice strained. "Just keep them busy for a moment longer. Once we come up with something, I'll signal you."
Deneve rolled her eyes, muttering a few curses under her breath. She glanced at Lorne, meeting his gaze, and smirked. "Looks like we'll have to keep playing keep-away then."
Lorne turned his attention back to his own adversary, just in time to duck under another lumbering attack. He grimaced, steeling himself for another exchange.
From the corner of his eye, Kaela darted around the fray, weaving in and out of the large earthen monster's range with ease, occasionally jabbing her daggers at weak points in an attempt to find any sort of opening.
She was tiring, he realized, noticing how her movements were growing slower with each passing second. Eventually, exhaustion would set in, and fatigue would dull her reactions. And she wouldn't be the only one. They were all tiring, their stamina sapped as they traded blows with the stubborn elementals.
"Come on, you giant pile of pebbles! You gonna fight or what?" Urien taunted, slamming his hammer into the smaller elemental with a mighty swing.
It responded by taking a step backward and letting loose a deafening roar, the force of which sent tremors through the earth. Then, it unleashed a furious barrage of flailing punches and wild kicks, forcing Urien on the defensive.
Deneve swore loudly, calling Urien's name, as she leaped forward to intercept an incoming attack. The two tumbled to the ground, narrowly avoiding getting stomped by the elemental.
"Hey, hey, hey! Watch where you're swinging, ya oaf!" Urien yelled, rolling onto his side and pushing himself upright.
"Then start paying attention, dumbass!" Deneve snapped, jumping to her feet. "We're all risking our hides out here. Don't go dying on us."
Urien laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't dream of it. This is far too fun to miss."
Deneve shook her head and refocused on the task at hand, resuming her offensive tactics.
"Anything yet?" Lorne called out to Viviane and Dimitri as he dodged a sweeping kick from his elemental.
"Patience, Commander," Viviane answered tersely, her focus elsewhere.
"Well, I'm afraid patience won't do us any good in the next few minutes," Lorne retorted, his blade slicing thin gashes in the elemental's thigh.
The elemental roared in fury, launching another wide haymaker. Lorne ducked under the blow, attempting to counter with an upward cut to its abdomen, but the elemental caught his wrist in an iron-like grip.
"Dammit," Lorne swore, struggling to pull free as the creature lifted him off the ground. He dangled precariously in mid-air, kicking his legs futilely as he tried to break the creature's hold.
"Commander!" Kaela shouted, rushing to his aid, her daggers at the ready.
"Don't! Stay back!" Lorne commanded.
She ignored the order, vaulting into the air and driving her daggers into the elemental's wrist, scoring shallow wounds with her weapons. It snarled and released Lorne, flinging him across the clearing.
Lorne gritted his teeth and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being flattened by the elemental's stamping feet as it sought to crush him. He regained his footing, sword held at the ready, and took a few moments to compose himself.
Kaela glanced at him, her expression shifting from anger to concern. "You alright, Commander? Should I call for a medic?"
He shook his head. "No need. I'll manage."
A loud crash drew his attention. The second elemental had just punted Urien into a nearby cliffside, smashing the warrior into the rock wall with a sickening crunch. Urien slid to the ground, his body limp, as his hammer skittered across the dirt.
"Shit," Kaela hissed, sprinting over to assist.
Lorne glanced at the two Artificers. Dimitri was wrapping some cartridges around the Aetherframe's pickaxe. But why?
With Kaela now preoccupied with the elemental Lorne had been fighting, the third and largest elemental had resumed its slow but unstoppable advance. It thundered towards Viviane and Dimitri as they made their preparations.
"Hurry up!" Lorne urged. "You two have about ten seconds to try something! I'm not sure how much longer we can hold them back!"
"Almost finished," Dimitri replied, tightening the final bolt in place. "Done! Viviane...Allez-y!"
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Viviane pivoted, the Aetherframe's enhanced servos propelling her forward with great speed. In her hand, she held the modified pickaxe, the broad flat 'axe' blade now fitted with cartridges from the explosive runic charges Dimitri had hastily cobbled together.
It wasn't an elegant solution, but in her opinion, simplicity was often the best.
The largest elemental loomed overhead, its shadow casting a dark pall over Viviane as she sprinted. As its foot rose, she poured more mana into the Aetherframe's power core, adding another burst of speed to her step.
The Aetherframe accelerated with incredible force as she changed her trajectory, veering sharply to the right before leaping up from the ground, carried aloft by an almost magical rush of wind.
She raised the pickaxe high, gathering all her strength to deliver a powerful overhand strike to the elemental's crystal core, the flat-bladed part of the weapon serving as a battering ram, rather than a cutting edge.
The Aetherframe's servos whined as she drove the improvised bludgeon forward with all the power the Aetherframe could muster. The runic cores detonated with a tremendous force, rocking the Aetherframe violently and sending Viviane careening past the elemental's shoulders, tumbling wildly through the air.
The shockwave rippled outward, sending chunks of debris and grit spraying in every direction.
Viviane sailed through the air, arcing through the sky with her arms and legs flailing, the Aetherframe's gears and springs whirring as it tried to stabilize itself. The world spun wildly before her, and for a moment, she thought she might pass out from vertigo.
But she managed to hold on, staying conscious, and bracing herself as the ground rushed up to meet her.
A jarring impact rattled through her entire body, accompanied by the deafening groan of metal and stone. Pain flared from her lower back as the Aetherframe absorbed most of the fall but still left her injured. She blinked the haze from her eyes and shook off the stars obscuring her vision, forcing herself to remain alert.
Rolling onto her side, Viviane looked up to find the large elemental's body crumbling into rubble, collapsing into a heap of broken bits of earth and crystal. Its crystalline core fractured into a dozen pieces, scattered among the dust and debris. The air shook, trembling, as the energy dissipated from the fragments, leaving nothing but a lifeless, inert pile of stones.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"It...worked..." Viviane gasped, pushing herself upright and ignoring the painful protests of her body. "Dimitri, you beautiful mad genius, you did it!"
"Nice work!" Dimitri cheered through the communicator. "Now, go get the other ones."
With the largest threat neutralized, she turned her attention back to the smaller elemental. The Aetherframe whirred and groaned in protest, its damaged frame emitting a series of unpleasant popping and grinding noises as she forced it back on its feet.
To her dismay, she saw that Lorne, Deneve, and Kaela were having a much tougher time against the other elementals, their combined attacks failing to stall them.
With no time to lose, she launched herself towards the first elemental, sprinting to close the distance as swiftly as possible. The Aetherframe's frame protested with every step, but Viviane pushed all complaints to the back of her mind and focused on her target.
The elemental swiveled to face her, raising both of its massive, rocky forearms to block her path as if it were trying to form a shield of sorts. Viviane weaved left, and then right, darting from side to side as the creature struggled to keep track of her movements.
After several more twists and turns, she reached the elemental's flank and punched upwards, slamming the Aetherframe's fist into the crystal core on its head. The strike landed true, cracking the crystal. The Aetherframe shuddered, the strain of the collision ripping several plates on its arm apart.
But before Viviane could deliver a follow-up attack, a large stone hand swung at her from the side. She raised her guard in time to block the blow, but the force of the impact still sent her tumbling several meters. The Aetherframe groaned, its left arm falling limp and refusing to respond to her commands.
The other elemental had joined the fray. It was now two-on-one.
Viviane staggered to her feet, trying to clear her head. The Aetherframe's damage readouts appeared, projected onto the visor, but she quickly dismissed them, focusing her attention back to the immediate fight.
Both elementals were now advancing towards her, their rocky bodies undulating with each step.
I can't deal with two of them at once. Not while I'm in this state...
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Lorne winced as he rolled onto his back, biting back a string of expletives that threatened to spill from his lips. A throbbing ache emanated from his chest where he'd been hurled by the rock elemental, and he knew that he likely suffered a few cracked ribs, if not worse.
But he couldn't focus on that now.
Kaela came running over, her face stained with dirt and blood. "Are you okay, Commander?"
He nodded weakly and stood back up, picking up his sword from where he dropped it earlier.
"How are things?" he asked.
"Urien's out cold," Kaela reported, gesturing towards where the mercenary lay unmoving atop the pile of rubble from when the large elemental collapsed.
"And Deneve's still holding her own against the other one, but she's about at her limit."
An explosion echoed across the quarry, followed by a booming rumbling that reverberated through the air. Turning to see the source of the explosion, Lorne spotted the towering form of the Aetherframe standing amidst the cloud of dust.
The large earth elemental had been dealt with. Now they only had to handle the two smaller ones, and this last fight should finally be over. They were smaller, but each was still larger than the Aetherframe.
Viviane charged at one of the remaining elementals, engaging it in melee with its fists. Though it seemed like she had the upper hand, her Aetherframe's chassis was visibly damaged from the previous clash, and Lorne doubted she'd be able to pull off another victory with it.
That became even more apparent as the other elemental joined the fight, catching her unaware and nearly flooring her with a well-aimed swing.
Lorne wanted to join the fray. If he and Kaela joined the fight now, perhaps they could help tip the scales in Viviane's favor and finish the remaining two elementals off for good. But as soon as Lorne took a step forward, pain shot through his ribcage, and he staggered.
Kaela caught him by the shoulder. "Commander, you're in no shape to fight. Let me—"
The elementals lurched towards Viviane, their hands outstretched, but before they could reach her, a blinding flash of lightning struck the earth, knocking both elementals back.
From the crater where the lightning had struck, a figure emerged. Her crimson hair billowed behind her like a wild mane, and her ruby-colored eyes shone with an electric energy.
Lorne recognized her face immediately.
Serrandyl.
The Leonine Beastkin strode forward. A swirling vortex of lightning crackled around her gauntleted fists as she flexed her claws. Over the skies, thick black clouds gathered, churning ominously in the sky.
Suddenly, Serrandyl darted forward, her movements a blur. She struck the nearest elemental, unleashing a flurry of crackling punches that sent shocks of lightning coursing through its rocky frame. The creature reeled back, staggering from the brutal assault.
Another bolt of lightning split the sky, striking the second elemental. The force of the blast knocked it off balance, and Serrandyl wasted no time in pressing the advantage. She pummeled the elemental with a barrage of strikes, sending sparks and arcs of energy cascading off its rocky exterior.
Pieces of granite and crystal chipped away from the elemental's body with each blow, leaving behind gaping holes and cracks in its stony shell. Serrandyl was relentless, unloading a never-ending barrage of lightning-quick strikes with all the ferocity of a thunderstorm, the storm above mirroring her rage.
The elementals tried to mount a counterattack, but Serrandyl easily evaded their clumsy swings. Blasts of lightning shot out from her hands, piercing the elementals with each bolt and further hampering the creatures' attempts to defend themselves.
With each strike, Serrandyl grew more frenzied, her punches coming faster and harder as the elementals fell more and more to pieces. The elementals began to wilt under the constant assault, their rocky frames pockmarked with scorch marks and fissures.
Lorne stared in awe at the Beastkin's sheer brutality, her feral grin gleaming with pure elation at the violence. After a particularly nasty punch to the elemental's gut, Serrandyl ripped out the creature's core, crushing the mineral in her gauntleted fist and pulverizing it to dust.
One elemental remained, its form already on the verge of collapse. The beast's arm was gone, its core half-cracked, and its body full of deep fissures and scorch marks.
Serrandyl approached the elemental with confident strides, a crackle of electricity dancing across her form. The air trembled as she moved, and a flash of lightning streaked through the air. The stormy skies above matched her aura, and she bared her fangs in a predatory smile as she stalked the battered elemental.
The air tingled with static, the hairs on Lorne's neck prickling from the pressure of her presence.
Serrandyl circled the elemental, her tail lashing side to side in anticipation. Without warning, she pounced, a blur of red and white. Her claws tore into the elemental's face, the force of her charge leaving a deep imprint of its rocky head in the soil.
As the elemental thrashed in a futile struggle, Serrandyl tore into its remains. Pieces of granite and crystal flew into the air, shattered by the Beastkin's frenzied blows. Within moments, the elemental ceased its struggles, its form reduced to a lifeless pile of rubble.
Serrandyl stood among the remains of her foe, breathing heavily, her form wreathed in crackling energy. Thunder boomed, heralding the dissipating of the unnatural storm above, as if the sky was satisfied with the carnage that had transpired below.
"Commander," Deneve whispered. "What in the abyss was that?"
"I...don't know," Lorne replied.
He truly didn't. It was as if Serrandyl was a primordial force of nature, embodied by the tempest that had manifested within the quarry. Her power seemed to rival a god's apostle or even a powerful spirit.
After a few moments, Serrandyl composed herself, brushing stray hair from her face. "Oh, please don't stare. You're embarrassing me," she said with a playful wink, before walking over to join them.
"We appreciate the help," Lorne greeted her.
"No worries. Ebonheim sent me. She sensed that something was going on here." Serrandyl surveyed the area. "Seems I got here just in time."
"Seems like it. I doubt we'd still be alive without you. So again, we owe you one," Lorne said, giving a slight bow.
"We should check on Urien," Kaela spoke up, interrupting their conversation. She darted over to Urien, who was still lying on the ground, unconscious.
Deneve joined them, leaning against the wreckage of the now-useless mining equipment, nursing her wounds and looking thoroughly exhausted. She frowned, staring at the Beastkin intently.
"Hey," Deneve said after a long pause, giving Serrandyl an awkward nod. "You were holding back a lot when we sparred that one time, weren't ya?"
Serrandyl smiled sheepishly, scratching her cheek. "Ah, sorry about that. I figured the matches would end pretty quick otherwise."
Deneve grunted. "Of course."
"What matters is we're safe for now. Let's regroup, lick our wounds, and see if there are any casualties," Lorne sighed.
The Aetherframe limped its way over, and its chassis opened with a hiss as Viviane clambered out, stumbling a bit and groaning with a noticeable grimace on her face. She waved in acknowledgment, flashing a pained smile. "Good to see we're all still kicking."
Lorne gave a faint nod in return, turning his gaze towards the destroyed remains of the elementals, still scattered around the quarry. "Hopefully we don't stumble upon anymore of those things, at least not anytime soon."
Kaela agreed. "That would be nice."
Dimitri ambled over, joining the group. "We'll need to enlist the help of druids or Arcanists to detect them before we do anything else, lest we run into them again."
"We can just ask Ebonheim to check," Serrandyl offered. "She can probably sense them, anyway."
Lorne pondered for a moment before replying, "No need. The goddess already has enough to worry about without us constantly bothering her for favors. We shouldn't rely on her too much."
Serrandyl shrugged, seemingly indifferent. "Alright, then."
As they spoke, a quiet moan interrupted their discussion.
Urien coughed, stirring awake and slowly rising from the rubble. He blinked his eyes dazedly, rubbing his forehead, and glanced around in confusion. "Did we win?"
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Ebonheim watched silently from the edge of the quarry as Serrandyl approached, the Beastkin's tail swaying gently from side to side with each step.
"See? Told you I'd take care of it," Serrandyl said, grinning. She brushed a strand of hair from her face, clearly pleased with herself.
"I'm glad everything turned out alright." Ebonheim sighed with relief, turning back to the remnants of the destroyed elementals. "I'll have to check the area for any other dangers or issues before I can send the miners back."
"Probably a good idea, especially if these things keep showing up in unexpected places," Serrandyl noted. "Want me to stick around until the coast is clear?"
"No, I can handle the rest from here."
Serrandyl shrugged. "Okay, but they mentioned that they didn't want to worry you or rely on you too much. You might have to convince them otherwise."
Ebonheim sighed. "They value their independence, and I respect that. But they are my people, so I can't help but worry. Still, I understand that they need their space, so I won't impose too much."
Serrandyl regarded her carefully for a moment before speaking. "If you say so. Anyways, if we're done here, can you drop me back at the village?" Her tail swished eagerly, clearly excited by the prospect of going through the Arboreal Stride again.
Ebonheim chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Fine. Get on my back."
When the Akashic System had alerted her of a disturbance at the quarry, Ebonheim intended to check on her people herself, but Serrandyl had been close by and asked to tag along, claiming that she had nothing better to do.
In the end, Serrandyl ended up handling everything.
With a mischievous glint in her eye, Serrandyl scrambled onto Ebonheim's back, wrapping her legs and arms around her like a backpack.
"Ready~!" Serrandyl declared in a sing-song tone.
"Ugh...you're heavy," Ebonheim complained.
Serrandyl stuck her tongue out playfully. "Rude!"