Battle with the Golem

 Rokki lunges forward and claws like a tiger, but his sharp claws fail to pierce the mana-crystal body. "Stronger than stone...!" Rokki growls. At that moment Kail and Talion leap in from both sides, swinging their swords. But with a single strike their blades shatter, sparks scattering. "No! The swords won't go through!" Talion retreats. The Golem raises its hand to crush them, but Rokki intervenes, pushing the two of them out of the way and saving them. The giant fist slams the stone floor, the ground shaking as if from an earthquake. Moris, Lukas, and Darion open fire from the rear with firearms. The sounds of SIG WCX automatics, a sniper, even pistols reverberate through the cave, deafening. But... the bullets that hit the Golem's body only scatter as sparks. "Not even a scratch!" Darion says, frowning. The distraction plan Rokki attacks quickly, circling the Golem. Although his claws don't penetrate, his swift movements draw the Golem's attention. But Moris grows anxious: "Rokki won't last long. I need to come up with something..." As he says this he takes a small drone from his pack and launches it into the air. The drone flies around the Golem, beginning to scan. The giant strikes again. With one blow it shatters the drone to pieces. 

 But... it was enough. Moris opens his tablet and examines the data coming from the drone. On the screen the Golem's image appears; the central area of its chest is glowing brightly. "This... is the core! But getting to it won't be easy." Team coordination Moris raises his voice: "I need Rokki! Elves, draw the Golem's attention to yourselves!" The elves pause for a moment. Facing a huge stone monster... it's practically a death sentence. But Lukas is the first to say: "We're listening. Tell us, Moris!" Darion leaps forward, spraying bullets with his automatic. "Hey, idiot! Over here!" he yells. The Golem turns its attention to Darion. As it strides forward, a sniper round whistles and hits the Golem's head. "Hey, fool! Learn to watch your back!" Lukas taunts. As the Golem angrily rushes toward him, Darion fires again from behind. "There — dance with us!" Kail and Talion, though their swords have broken, leap and strike from different directions with boldness, then dodge away. 

  "Let's mock this giant!" Kail cries. "Still under our control!" Talion says. Thus the Golem, bewildered, strikes all around, not knowing whom to attack. Moris and Rokki's final move Moris pulls a large, long bazooka from his pack and loads it with a specially made round. "I made this devastating round for enemies with very tough armor. Time to test it..." Moris to Rokki: "Stand behind me. Brace me. The weapon's recoil is extremely strong." Rokki silently supports Moris's back and plants his feet on the rock. After loading the bazooka with a special piercing shell, Moris sights along the launcher and aims at the glowing core. Moris draws breath: "This moment will decide our victory..." Darion's ear At that moment Darion's automatic clicks and stops. "No! I'm out of ammo!" He tries to retreat, but trips on a mana crystal and falls. The Golem notices him and prepares to lift its foot and crush him. "No! Darion!" Kail cries. "Stoppp!" Lukas fires his sniper, but to no avail. "It's ignoring us — it's going to crush Darion!" Talion says, panicking. Darion closes his eyes, ready for death. Time slows down Suddenly time around seems to slow. 

  The sounds in the cave mute. All eyes fix on the Golem's foot and the fallen Darion. Moris breathes heavily: "Guys... well done!" he says in a low voice. At that moment the bazooka fires. The scene moves in slow motion: the shell flies through the air. As Moris is flung backward by the recoil, Rokki catches him with his back. The Golem's eye flashes, and just as its foot is about to land on Darion... the shell pierces the Golem's core. It passes through to the far side and bursts the cave wall apart. The Golem's downfall The Golem's core is shattered. The Golem's body trembles, its light fading as if extinguished. It collapses with a thud, about to crush Darion. "No!" Talion cries. At that moment Kail grabs Darion by the hand, yanking him free, and they both roll away together. The Golem collapses with a roar. The cave reverberates; dust rises into the air. After the victory the group stands in stunned silence. 

  Everyone breathes heavily and lowers their weapons. Darion stands and says: "Am... I alive?" unbelieving. Kail laughs: "We're all alive. It's thanks to your bravery." Moris sets the bazooka down and wipes his sweat. "This... is our first big victory." Rokki comes to him and rests his head on his shoulder. Lukas looks into the cave: "And now look... our effort wasn't in vain." Before them thousands of mana crystals glitter. What grade would you give the chapter After the victory gathering In the depths of the cave a large fire burns. The glittering mana crystals mix with the pink glow of the flames, turning the cavern into something like a fairy tale. Exhausted but victorious, the group's rest begins. Rokki lies down comfortably, breathing softly. The others sit in a circle and begin to take out their rations. 

   The smell of roasted meat spreads through the cave, giving strength to tired hearts. Kail raises a wooden cup and laughs aloud: "Alright, friends, first let's admit something. Darion, you owe me! If it weren't for me, you'd be under a pile of rubble right now!" Darion coughs and answers immediately: "Did I ask you to save me? No! I would have saved myself. Why should I owe you?" "Ah, you would've saved yourself, would you?" Talion laughs. "One of your legs was about to be under the Golem's stone foot. Only an amazing magician or... or our Kail could save you from there!" Everyone bursts into laughter.

   Darion waves his hand: "Alright, alright, brag as much as you want! But if one of you gets into trouble tomorrow, I'll just sit and watch and say: 'Save yourselves!'" Kail clinks his cup: "Then it's a deal! But you still owe me, Darion!" Conversation turns to weapons Laughter subsides and Lukas turns to Moris. His face is full of curiosity and amazement. "Teacher... that weapon of yours... what was it? We couldn't hurt the Golem with swords or bullets. But the one shot you made... astonishing!" Moris pauses slightly and drags the bazooka from beside him. He sets it on his knee and runs his fingers over the metal body. "This is my invention. Made for enemies with especially tough armor. Ordinary bullets don't damage them, but this shell... it penetrates at high speed." The elves' eyes widen. Kail says in wonder: "But you fired it alone... it looked like it would've thrown you backward. How did you hold on?" Moris smiles and puts his hand on Rokki's neck: "You may have noticed... the recoil of this weapon is too great. 

If Rokki hadn't been there as a brace, I might have been injured myself." Rokki growls and shakes his head. In his eyes there is a calm light that seems to say: "It's only my duty." Talion laughs: "So the village's new hero turned out to be the Levian tiger? We've been calling him Lukas..." Kail squints: "Yes-yes! So an old tale will spread that 'Levian the tiger toppled the Golem'!" Lukas jumps up: "Wait, wait! If you all start saying that, tomorrow no one in the village will consider me a hero! If you don't calm down, I'll blow your brains out with my sniper!" His angry face looks even funnier. The others burst into laughter. Warm atmosphere In the firelight their laughter rings out, and the cave, once a place of dread, has become a friendly, cozy den. Darion bites into his meat: "Truly... if any of you had been missing, we probably wouldn't be alive today. We saved each other.

 " Kail pats him on the shoulder: "So you owe me, then!" Laughter erupts again. Moris watches them all in silence. One thought fills his heart: "This group... is more precious than my greatest invention."