Chapter 89

I was breathing hard by the time the stone golem finally fell. Sweat dripped down my brow, and my vision wavered. The creature itself hadn’t been a huge threat. It was slow, cumbersome, and less agile than anything I’d fought before. However, I had learned rather quickly that those factors in and of themselves, didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous.

The limbs, all of which were connected magically at their joints, didn’t move like normal limbs did. They could attack from a variety of angles, twisting and turning, able to attack from every possible angle, and some that I’d never have expected. Additionally, the creature had an impressive sense of balance. Its movements were slow, its steps heavy, but with a single leg planted, there was no moving the creature. No tripping it, no forcing it off balance. And with its ability to rotate and move as it did, there weren’t blind spots or safe zones to seek moments of reprieve from.

Which meant the battle had to consist of me constantly dashing in, striking the creature, and then hastily retreating backwards out of its attack range, until another opening appeared. Crouched low as I was, and attacking a target that was half my height, also put additional strain on my body, and made the whole battle an extremely tiring, unnecessarily difficult one, all things considered.

My arms dropped to my sides as the creature finally tumbled apart before me. It’s chest had been covered in over a dozen slashes, along with deeper marks from where I’d smashed Fang into the creature on a few occasions, to try and increase my damage to its tough exterior. It had taken nearly twenty attacks to fell the creature. I’d begun to worry as I fought it, despair filling me at the futile feeling of fighting the creature. I was stabbing and slashing and chopping at stone. Daggers were not the weapon for the task. A hammer, or pick axe, would have been much preferred. Honestly any weapon with a good crushing capability would likely have served a better purpose.

Still, by the time it was done, I’d learned what I’d been hoping. I knew just how tough the creatures were, but also, that my daggers could kill them. As for my weapons, they were still in almost pristine shape. Fang’s tip looked slightly damaged, though I wasn’t sure if that was my eyes playing tricks on me, or if the weapon had chipped slightly during the fight. Claw’s blade, on the other hand, was only slightly dulled. Nothing a few passes on a wet stone wouldn’t be able to fix. I’d not enjoyed putting my weapons through such a beating, but having finished the battle, felt more confidence in the weapons themselves.

I made a mental note to visit Echo after we finished everything today, including my research trip, to see if there were any special care techniques I should use on the weapons. Part of me didn’t want to, worried he may judge me for the treatment of my blades. However, I knew if there was anyone, I should get advice from, in regards to caring properly for them after a hard day in the Tower, it would be the man who made them for me. And, considering they had the Tower’s own magic flowing through them, there was a part of me that hoped, at least a little, that they would magically fix themselves once we left. After all, our Climber’s Regalia instantly repaired itself, so it wasn’t that far of a stretch to hope the same applied to weapons crafted from Tower materials.

All of those things were problems for a later time though. I sheathed my weapons and took a heavy breath. As I reached the pile of stones, the remnants of the foe I’d just slain, I reached out and touched the greyish white material. Mentally I willed the Tower’s magic to work, and the entire pile disappeared, instantly appearing in my mental inventory. I opened it, noting as I did that Lyn and Nyle were making their way over to me. Three golems down, twenty to go.

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“Let’s see what we’ve got here.” I whispered to no one in particular, as I looked over the remains in my inventory. Surely for creatures as difficult to kill as these golems were, there had to be something special about them. Some unique material they could drop? Some special loot only they could provide? Or maybe they were just durable monsters gathered here as a threat to miners? Wyll had mentioned this area was one of the main mining areas on the floor. Maybe the Lesser Stone Golems were just meant to act as mine guards. And if that was the case, miners, armed with picks and stone breaking items, would have no problem handling these creatures.

I skimmed the items nonetheless, my eyes widening slightly as I did. I had Golem Stone and Golem dust, just like Lyn and Nyle had mentioned. But there was also one other item in my inventory that they hadn’t mentioned. A Lesser Stone Golem Core. The item, as I focused on it, appeared to be a fist sized crystal, completely spherical. It seemed to glow slightly as the image of it appeared in my mind, like a brilliant quartz with the Tower’s own light flickering within. There was no further information on the item itself, but still, the fact it existed was enough for me. The fact it was just stone and dust we got from these golems, made the upcoming task of killing another twenty, a little less painful. It also got me excited. If they could drop cores, what else was there? How many different items, how many different types of loot, could these monsters give us?

With a thought I closed out of my inventory as Nyle and Lyn reached me. It was clear by the way they looked at me, that I was smiling something fierce. And, my friends, weren’t ones to miss my obvious display of excitement.

“I’m guessing it dropped some interesting loot?” Nyle asked with a growing smile. “Or you’re delirious from that fight.”

“It was quite the show you put on for us,” Lyn cut in, “pretty nimble dance moves. Flint’s going to be proud of your dodging skills.”

I ignored Lyn’s quip and nodded in affirmation to Nyle. “Got something called a Stone Golem Core. No idea what it is or what its for, but at the very least, its more than just stones and dust.”

“And that’s good enough to get your loot focused mind excited?” Nyle asked with a chuckle. “You are, at the very least, consistent in your obsession. I doubt these creatures will give you any new gear,” Nyle added, “though, I’m wondering if their materials could be crafted into something useful for us.”

“Exactly,” I said, taking hold of Nyle’s attention. He’d given me an in, and I wasn’t going to let him out. “Think of it. We’re trying to get geared up for the Den Mother anyways. So, if we can make anything useful for that fight from these materials, that makes these golems a little more than just essence for us. And, considering how tough the stupid things are,” I shrugged, though I could feel my smile stretching my cheeks, “that possibility makes this whole endeavor even more worth it.”

“We still have to kill twenty of them,” Lyn piped in, “not to be a downer or anything, but that’s not seeming like an easy, or cheap, task if we have to waste potions and a ton of arrows to take them out.”

Her words didn’t cause my smile to falter. Instead, it grew even larger as I looked at her.

“I, have an idea that I think you’ll enjoy for that bit.” I said, already playing out the tactic in my mind. The golem’s movements while I fought it, had confirmed at the very least the likelihood that my plan would work. And, considering the terrain, and how spread out the monsters were, it wasn’t going to be difficult to pull off.

“You said that already,” Lyn said, looking from Nyle back to me, “but you didn’t elaborate. What’s this plan of yours? And, are you positive it’s going to work?”

“Positive? Not really,” I admitted with a shrug, though I refused to be deterred. “However, after fighting them, and after everything I’ve seen, I’m pretty sure it will work. And if it doesn’t,” I put my sweaty palms on the hilts of Claw and Fang, “I’ve a second plan already confirmed to work.”

Lyn looked at me, her own smile spreading to match my own. She laughed, the sound a light, musical tone, before she spoke. “If Nyle and I get to sit back and watch you work yourself to near death, I don’t think either of us will complain.”

“I would rather not have to do that,” I admitted. “So, here’s what I’ve been thinking.”