Her fingers trembled slightly as she gripped her spear. She wanted to know. Needed to know. Maybe this would be the beginning, of no longer being a deadweight to Kaedros.
"I’m going next!" she said, just as Thalso wanted to speak.
Everyone turned to look at her, and she flushed but held her ground. Let them stare. She didn’t care. She had to know if her pain had been worth it.
Chef snorted but said nothing, her dark eyes glittering with silent interest.
Thalso gave a nod, then turned his gaze back to Rauk.
"You did well," he said. "The shadow blades worked. Even better than I’d hoped."
He hadn’t expected them to survive that long. He’d increased the duration each day as they endured until they’d gone the full seven days. Even he hadn’t thought that was possible.
If shadow blades alone could do this, he thought, what will happen when they swallow the Stones?
He almost couldn’t wait to find out.
Still, he kept his tone flat. "But remember, you won because of your strength, not your skill. You fought purely on instinct."
Rauk shrugged. He knew his swordplay needed work but he’d still won. His first solo battle. And this feeling, the rush, it made something inside him hungry for more.
He wanted to feel it again.
The only thought echoing in his mind was: I want to be powerful.
"So you want to go next?" Chef asked, eyes sharp as she swirled her ever-present bottle. Her gaze didn’t leave Taria. "I originally set the golem’s power to that of a human but it’s clear now you’re stronger than the average one. Let’s fix that."
The remaining two golems shuddered violently as Chef adjusted her spell, infusing them with greater power. One stepped forward, a short sword held loosely in its hand, as if it weighed nothing.
"Fight." Thalso’s voice cracked through the air like a whip.
Taria’s feet tore into the ground as she exploded forward, closing the distance in a blur. But this golem wasn’t like the others. Its left wrist detached mid-swing, flying at her unexpectedly.
She dodged more out of reflex than awareness, eyes wide as the stone wrist sailed past. The distraction worked. The golem surged forward, sword thrusting toward her gut.
Only her sharpened reflexes saved her, she caught the strike with the shaft of her spear. But the strength behind it rattled her. The force nearly sent her flying.
The golem had no face, but if it did, Taria imagined it would be grinning.
It followed with a brutal overhead slash. She caught it, barely, spear held vertical in both hands.
And this time, she fell.
"No, you don’t," she growled.
A flicker of gold sparked in her eyes, whether fear or excitement, even she didn’t know, as she thrust her spear upward from where she lay, gripping it low to extend its reach. The strike surprised the golem, forcing it back.
Taria surged to her feet and backed away, regaining distance. "She made it as strong as me... maybe stronger."
She didn’t hesitate as she charged.
The golem waited calmly. Only when she came into range did it slash down at her head but Taria ducked fluidly, the blade slicing through empty air.
She was already moving.
Her kick hit its chest, lifting the heavy construct off the ground and sending it crashing into a nearby tree. Earth crumbled from its body.
She was on it in a flash, her spear flashing like a storm of steel. She stabbed repeatedly, forcing the golem to defend, never giving it a chance to strike back. A few strikes landed, chipping its armor and gouging out what would have been a cheek, but it still held her back.
From the sidelines, Chef’s brow creased in irritation. "This isn’t good. The first fight was too quick, and I made this one stronger to last longer."
"You can add things," Thalso said calmly, not looking at her.
Up in a tree, Nyra flicked her tail and snorted as Chef adjusted the spell once more.
Taria didn’t notice any of it.
She was frustrated. Her attacks weren’t landing properly. She had it pinned and still, she was losing ground. ’..i have to do something...’
Before she could think, the golem slammed its full weight back against the tree, shoved off, and launched itself straight at her.
She threw herself back, feet digging into the earth as she narrowly avoided a decapitating swing.
But the golem didn’t follow up, it vanished into the woods.
"Damn it!" she snarled and tore off after it.
The undergrowth was cool, but she barely noticed. "Why the trees?" she muttered. "Why hide now?"
The golem had disappeared. Somehow, despite its bulk, it blended into the shadows, magical energy cloaking its presence.
A flicker of shadow to her right.
Taria smiled grimly and crept forward, her feet light on the forest floor. She reached the tree and struck. "Got you!"
Her spear pierced nothing but air. It’s not there!
Leaves rustled above.
The golem had climbed and used a false shadow to lure her. Now, it dropped from the canopy, blade gleaming, strength behind it enough to shatter bone.
Her heart slammed into her ribs. Her instincts roared.
She jumped, backward, spinning mid-air, her spear clutched in both hands.
Her spear connected first.
The blow struck the golem’s head, hammering it down and away from her in an arc of raw momentum.
It hit the ground hard. Its head shattered. Most of its upper body collapsed with it.
The golem didn’t move again.
Taria stood there, chest heaving, her breath sharp and fast.
She stared at her weapon, her voice trembling. "That last move... did I really do that?"
She glanced at her wrist, the mana cuff was still there. It wasn’t active mana.
Yet what she’d felt... it had been natural. Like the weapon belonged to her. Like her body knew what to do before she did.
She tightened her grip.
The spear felt right.
Kaedros was already smirking when she burst from the trees, dragging the ruined golem behind her.
She was panting but her grip was firm, and her eyes sparkled with adrenaline and pride.
"Looks like I’m the only one left," Kaedros said calmly.
"You’ll finish yours faster than we did," Rauk said, his absurdly long sword resting between his legs. It reached his chest like some steel tower.
"Humm," Kaedros muttered, the sound low and unreadable.