Stone Golems

BOOM!

The lead golem's fist crashed into Gerald's shield with a sound like a thunderclap. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the stone floor, cracking the polished black surface. Gerald's boots skidded backward three feet despite his planted stance, his armor groaning under the force.

"Hold!" he roared, bracing his shield against the next blow.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!

Arrows hissed through the air, slamming into the glowing runes on the golem’s chest. Sparks flew with every hit, but instead of dimming, the symbols pulsed brighter, feeding on the attacks.

Helena thrust her staff forward. "Flame Burst!"

A sphere of fire erupted against the lead golem's torso, engulfing it in orange and red flames. For a moment, the corridor blazed with heat and light, then—

The golem walked through it like nothing had happened. Stone didn't burn.

CRASH!.

The second golem struck from the side, hammering into the shield line. The B-rank tank beside Gerald crumpled, blood flying from his mouth as his shield buckled inward.

"Healer!" someone shouted.

Aria was already moving, her staff glowing as she channeled healing energy toward the wounded tank. But she couldn't reach him, the golems were pressing forward, forcing everyone back.

Adrian's archer fired three arrows in rapid succession, each one splitting mid-flight to become a dozen projectiles. They struck the third golem's face, targeting the runes around its eyes.

CRACK!

One rune shattered, its green light flickering out. The golem stumbled slightly, its movements becoming less coordinated.

“The runes!” Adrian yelled. “Target the runes!”

Before anyone could respond, the damaged golem slammed both arms into the corridor walls. 

BOOM! BOOM!

The entire structure shook. Chunks of stone rained down from the ceiling, forcing everyone to scatter or raise shields to avoid being crushed. The formation dissolved into chaos as adventurers dove for cover.

I rolled as a slab crashed where I’d been standing. Dust filled the air, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.

[Evasion!]

My perception sharpened just in time to catch movement through the dust cloud. 

A golem's fist swept horizontally through the space where our formation had been, missing me by inches as I dropped flat.

Wrath was already in motion, his claws extended as he leaped at the nearest golem's arm.

[Slash!]

His attack raked across the stone surface, drawing sparks but leaving only shallow scratches. "These things are too damn hard!"

WHAM!

The golem backhanded Wrath like swatting a fly. His translucent form went flying, crashing through two adventurers before slamming into the wall.

From the shadows, Jay’s daggers flashed, shattering runes on another golem’s back. But the creature spun with inhuman speed, its arm sweeping wide.

Jay tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough.

CRUNCH!

The impact sent him tumbling across the corridor. He hit the ground hard and didn't get up immediately.

"Jay!" Gerald roared, but he couldn't break formation, the lead golem was hammering his shield with relentless blows that were slowly driving him backward.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each strike hit harder than the last, and I could see cracks spreading across Gerald's shield. The metal was beginning to fail.

Helena tried another spell. "Ice Lance!"

The spear of frozen water shot forward, only to shatter uselessly against stone.

The fifth golem's massive fists came down like hammers from the sky.

CRASH!

The floor exploded in a spray of black stone and dust. The shockwave rippled outward, catching Adrian's mage before she could finish her incantation, lifting her body off the ground and slammed into the corridor wall with a sickening crack. Her staff clattered away, spinning across the fractured floor.

We were losing ground fast.

The tanks were barely holding. Blood ran freely from wounds that the healers couldn't reach.

I activated my skills in rapid succession.

[Dash!]

I blurred forward toward the second golem, Wrath already moving beside me with his claws extended.

"Rei!" I shouted. "Use Shade Dart on their eyes! Blind them!"

"But I can't—" Rei started to protest.

"NOW!"

Rei's translucent form flickered with panic, but it obeyed. 

[Shade Dart!] 

Dark projectiles shot from its hands toward the nearest golem's glowing rune-eyes. The shadows didn't damage the stone, but they created brief moments of visual confusion as darkness splashed across the creature's face.

The golem's next swing went wide, missing its target by several feet.

Wrath took advantage of the opening.

 [Reckless Charge!] 

He slammed into the golem's leg joint where two pieces of stone met, his claws finding the seam and tearing at the connection.

I followed up.

[Quick Strike!]

My blade finding the same weak point Wrath had exposed. 

CRACK!

The golem's leg buckled slightly, its movements becoming less stable.

But we'd drawn its attention. The massive stone hand swung toward us with crushing force.

[Evasion!]

Time slowed as my perception sharpened. I could see the trajectory, the angle of impact. I rolled under the attack, feeling wind from its passage ruffle my hair.

Across the chaotic battlefield, Aria was kneeling beside a fallen adventurer, her hands glowing with healing magic. 

Her face was pale, sweat running down her temples, but she maintained her focus even as the sounds of combat raged around her. 

The fourth golem turned toward her position. 

'No.'

The creature raised its foot, preparing to crush both of them like insects.

"ARIA!" I screamed, already running.

She looked up, her sky-blue eyes going wide with horror as she saw death descending.

[Dash!]

I burned through my mana, closing the distance in a blur of motion. My hand shot out and grabbed Aria's collar, yanking her backward with all my strength.

BOOM!

The golem's foot came down where she'd been kneeling. The stone floor shattered under the impact, sending fragments flying in all directions.

Aria tumbled across the ground, gasping for breath. 

She was alive.

But the adventurer she'd been healing wasn't as lucky. The golem's foot had caught him directly, and—

I looked away.

Aria stared at the crushed body, her face draining of all color. Her staff fell from nerveless fingers, and for a moment she just sat there, frozen in shock.

"Get up!" I shouted at her, pulling her to her feet. "You can't help him now! Move!"

She blinked. Then something in her expression hardened, and she grabbed her staff with shaking hands.

"I'm okay," she said, though her voice cracked. "I'm okay. Keep fighting."

But I could see her eyes, another weight added to whatever burdens healers already carried.

The golems kept advancing, and we kept falling back.

'We're all fucking going to die in this corridor.'

An adventurer from the B-rank party tried to flank the third golem, his sword aimed at a cluster of runes on its side. The blade connected, sparks flying, but—

WHAM!

The golem's backhand caught him mid-strike, lifting him off his feet and sending him crashing into the corridor wall. He slid down, leaving a red smear on the black stone.

"Keep moving!" the B-rank leader screamed, her twin swords deflecting a blow that would have crushed her skull. The impact jarred her arms so badly one blade slipped from her grip. "Don't let them corner us!"

But the corridor offered nowhere to go. We were being herded like cattle toward slaughter.

Helena unleashed another spell, desperation making her voice crack. "Lightning Chain!"

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

Electricity arced between two golems, searing across their stone bodies. For a moment, their movements stuttered, then the runes pulsed brighter and they kept coming.

"Magic's not working!" she gasped, stumbling backward. "Nothing's working!"

I caught movement from the corner of my eye, Adrian grabbing one of his own party members and shoving the woman directly into a golem's path. The creature's fist came down, and Adrian used those precious seconds to reposition himself behind his tank.

'Bastard.'

But I couldn't focus on that. My gaze locked with the second golem.

[Dash!]

I blurred forward, my blade finding a crack Wrath had opened earlier. Steel bit deep into the stone joint.

CRACK!

Its leg buckled, and the golem's stomp went off-balance.

Wrath was everywhere at once, his translucent form darting between the golems' legs, finding weak points, creating openings. But even he was taking damage, each impact draining his energy faster than it could regenerate.

[Twin Cut!]

His claws raked across a rune cluster on the lead golem's back. Two runes shattered, their green light dying.

BOOM!

The golem spun, its arm sweeping in a devastating arc. Wrath tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough.

Wrath Energy: 15/110

He hit the ground hard, his form flickering like a dying flame.

"Get up!" I shouted, parrying a blow from another golem with my blade. The impact sent vibrations up my arms that made my bones ache. "We need you!"

Wrath struggled to his feet. His bloodshot eyes blazed with fury.

[Reckless Charge!]

He threw himself at the nearest golem one more time, claws extended, determined to take at least one of these bastards down before he pass out—

WHAM!

Another hit, slamming him into a stone pillar.

"Wrath!" Rei screamed from where it was still launching shadow darts at golem eyes. "No!"

The lead golem blocked my path. Its massive fist came down like a hammer.

[Evasion!]

I rolled sideways, feeling the shockwave as stone met stone behind me. My mana was running low. My body was screaming. We couldn't keep this up much longer.

Wrath tried to stand one more time, his form barely visible now. His energy was almost gone. One more hit and he'd be forced into dormancy, leaving us without our best fighter.

Wrath Energy: 1/110

The fourth golem raised its foot, preparing to crush him while he was helpless.

'No. Not like this.'

But then—

[DING!]

A notification flashed in front of my vision.

[JOB UPGRADE AVAILABLE!]
Echo 2 has met evolution requirements for class advancement
Accept? Y/N

I didn't hesitate. 'Yes!'

The notification dissolved, and Wrath's barely-visible form suddenly erupted in crimson light.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Energy surged through him like lightning through a conduit. 

His translucent body solidified. The bloodshot eyes blazed brighter, burning with an inner fire.

His form shifted—muscles became more defined, claws lengthened and sharpened, and strange red markings appeared across his arms and chest like war paint made of living flame.

Echo 1: Wrath
Class: Berserker

The golem's foot came down.

But...

Wrath caught it.

His clawed hands gripped the massive stone foot, and with a roar that shook the corridor, he stopped the crushing blow mid-descent.

Wrath's lips curved in a savage grin, revealing teeth that looked sharper than before. "My turn. Now."