A Big Problem, Part II

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I thought back to the moment Milton attacked the golem with his “Mercurial Storm” spell, something shimmering a deep crimson within the monster’s chest cavity. I hadn’t the faintest idea what it might be. I was no mage, but Milton happened to be a very talented one, and a smart fellow besides.

That was reason enough for me to mention it to him.

“Dear me, how could I not realize it before??” Milton scoffed at his own shortsightedness, palming his face with his hand and flipping his blonde hair to the side. “So, that’s the trick…”

“What’s up?”

“Creating a summon of this size and strength would take an absurd amount of mana, an impossible amount for most. Even a talented caster might find themselves hard-pressed to maintain it for long, but augmentation is a known—albeit rare—shortcut, and likely our culprit.”

“Augmentation?”

“Extending the limits of one’s own arcane ability by external means. Inscribing a magical instrument, such as a wand or staff, with a dark inner focus. A forbidden, and dangerous, art.” Milton explained. “That jewel-like object you saw near the core of the golem is a byproduct of that hex, and destroying it might just be the quickest way forward.”

Come to think of it, it kind of reminds me of the jewel on the chest piece of Alpha’s armor. Surely it’s not a coincidence?

“Richter scale: Six-point-zero! Earth spear!”

While we identified the golem’s weakness, Zero kept the thing at bay momentarily, but I could tell he was beginning to wear down after facing it one-on-one for roughly a minute, trading blows. He was adept at using his sword for offense, but I also noticed him mitigating damage by using the flat of his blade as a shield of sorts. It was little wonder why the thing was cracked though…

“So, what’s the plan, boss?”

“First, tell me, Ren. Since the battle began, did the golem ever once try to attack you? Better put, has it acknowledged your existence at all?” Milton asked a really strange question, which caused me to think deeply for a moment.

In doing so, I realized something.

“No, now that you mention it…”

Other than a few area of effect attacks that were intended for the entire party, the golem focused almost exclusively on Milton and Zero despite my being right in the mix as well. It even swiped at Shion once, but she was nimble enough to dodge.

“Ren, dear boy, I’m absolutely certain of it now. You are our key to our victory.”

“Uhhhh, come again?”

“The artifact you now possess, the Ashen Fang, I mentioned before that it shrouds the user from magical detection, masking their power from even the most discerning arcane eye.” Milton mused. “However, another trait that I can now confirm the dagger has, is that it makes you entirely invisible to creatures born from mana as well.”

“Seriously? Then that means…”

I could walk right up to it if I wanted to. Big if there, though, with it stomping around like crazy, but…

“Guys, a little help… if you could…” Zero was being driven backwards as he desperately tried to hold the beast’s attention.

“I will attack the golem once more, when its core is revealed, charge in and strike at its heart with the dagger before it can regenerate.” Milton directed in plain terms. “It won’t even sense you, so you’ll have a direct path to the heart.”

“Makes sense.”

“However… As a being of pure heat, it will be scathing inside, and you may feel extreme pain. You may think as though you could pass out any moment, or die, but… you will heal. Such is your gift, and your curse, dear boy. Do you understand?”

“I… understand.”

I couldn’t afford to shy away now.

“However, I will not force you if—“

“—Let’s do it.” I declared to Milton’s surprise. “Shion whispered something, that she’d leave this all to me. If I back out now, her trust in me would be misplaced. And I ain’t making a fool out of anyone who believes in me!”

“Then I’ll do my part as well, rest assured…” Milton nodded proudly. “Now, Zero, switch places!”

“Phew!” Zero heaved a sigh of relief as he hopped back a few times to catch his breath beside me, Milton taking his place at the front.

“As soon as I give the signal, give Ren a boost!” Milton called back. “I only pray this works the first time…”

“You got it, Guildmaster!” Zero agreed before whispering to me. “You heard him, Partner. I hope you know what he’s talking about, because I was a little preoccupied during the planning phase if you catch my drift…”

“Okay, I’ll get a running start, use the flat of your sword to send me flying, you hear?” Zero looked a little confused, so I thought how best to explain it to my American friend with a little sports metaphor. “It’s game one of the 2024 World Series. It’s the tenth inning, bases are loaded. Right? You’re Freddie, and I’m the base—“

“—Say no more, I’ve got you loud and clear!”

“—ball…”

I sure hope you do, man!

Zero staged himself a few paces ahead of me as I gripped the dagger until my knuckles turned white, preparing myself for what came next. It wasn’t going to feel good, for me or the golem if things turned out the way they were meant to. The monster faced down the Guildmaster with a low growl, still wary of his abilities, that’s when Milton began his chant.

“God of storms, grant your faithful servant the power to rend this foul creature asunder…” The wind picked up as I started running. I saw Milton cast a sidelong glance at me to confirm that I was on the move, and he continued his chant. “…placate the fires of creation with an almighty gale. Mercurial Storm!”

Milton’s attack ripped into the fire golem again, causing it to hiss and roar in pain and defiance. Molten rock crumbled to the ground, and that’s when I saw the familiar shimmer of its core once again. Ruby red, it beckoned me to extinguish it. I was more than prepared to oblige.

“Now, dear boy!”

Don’t mess this up, Ren! This might be our only shot…

I leapt onto the flat of Zero’s sword and felt it turn so that the blade was pointing vertically. However, before I could slide off, the momentum was suddenly carrying me forward at great speed.

“Off—you—GO!” Zero launched me off his sword like a certain first baseman, watching me fly towards the golem with his hand resting above his brow.

“Take this, you big bastard!”

I torpedoed towards the unwitting creature as the heat began to envelop my senses, preparing my dagger, and hoping it would strike true. It regenerated fast, I’ll give it all the credit it’s due, but I got there just a bit faster.

“AGH—!” My skin sizzled, agonizingly, as I fed the dagger into the chest of the golem, its fiery hide regrowing around my arm. Feeling the point of my blade hit something solid, I gave it one final push with my free hand, teeth clenched. “ORRRRRAAAAA!”

“Partner!!!” Zero called out in a panic.

I heard a crunch, and then a crackling sound followed.

I’m… falling?

The fire golem grew farther away as the street grew closer. My shoulder was freed from the chest of the monster, but my arm was not quite as lucky, as I saw it still lodged deep with the golem’s—now-healed—wound. There was no blood, but I dared not look at my cauterized stump, lest I fall into a deep state of shock before I hit the ground.

“Damn it…” I winced, thinking I’d failed. However…

“Look!” Milton exclaimed, pointing up at our foe.

The turtle-like creature stepped back, probably bewildered at first by the phantom attack that had befallen it. However, freed from my dagger that was still lodged inside the golem, and my camouflage, it glared at me—its killer—falling through the air like a leaf caught in the breeze.

It had lost, the prideful beast knew it too by the way it looked at me. To witness such an expression reminded me that any creature, sentient or wild, fought in order to survive. I couldn’t blame it for its nature, much less its pride, I know I would feel the same. Letting out a final death cry, the fire golem turned to dust, ending the battle in our victory.

Milton caught me before I could hit cement, my dagger clattering to the ground somewhere behind us.

“Ren, dear boy, you did it!”

“Yeehaw! That was badass, Partner!”

Heh… That WAS pretty badass, wasn’t it?

My healing factor had already kicked into gear, going to work on fixing my ruined arm. However, the sensation was simply too much to bear without any pain killers, and the uncertainty of whether it could successfully regrow appendages gripped me with anxiety.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, seeing the two triumphant faces of my companions hover over me. The catharsis of victory was reward enough on its own, however, a third face joined them just as I drifted off into a deep sleep, her voice echoing.

“Well done, Ren-kun.”