That was new. None of them had ever heard of such a species.
His silver cloak swayed as he straightened, proudly baring his gleaming torso. "We were warriors. Proud, mighty. Now only a few of us remain. Even our Vows..."
He trailed off again, lost in thought.
"Vows?" Kaedros prompted.
"I’m not talking about that," Gold snapped. "Nice try, human."
Rauk ignored the shift in mood. "You said your father... we’ve met him?"
"Oh, yes," Gold said, smug now. "You met him the day you arrived at Throne of Ruinlight."
"The Keeper?" Taria asked in disbelief.
"Of course." Gold grinned. "That beastly hunk of metal who let you in? He’s my father."
They should’ve known. Both had metal bodies, though the Keeper looked more bestial, hulking and monstrous, while Gold looked like a human made of polished chrome.
"But you don’t resemble him at all," Kaedros observed.
Gold beamed. "My father has already unlocked his fourth form. That’s why."
"Form?" Kaedros echoed.
Gold nodded. "We don’t evolve like humans. Our progression is through transformations, five in total. Each one grants more strength. But to ascend, you must first complete the Vow."
So that was why the Keeper was so powerful. Kaedros frowned to himself. No wonder their duel back then felt like the man was holding back.
"And you?" Kaedros asked. "What form are you?"
"First, obviously." Gold shrugged. "Can’t ascend without doing the Vow."
So he was close to their rank. Likely just beyond them, maybe. But there had been something else, Kaedros had sensed immense power when Gold sat on the throne earlier. It hadn’t come from him, but the throne itself.
"What exactly is the Vow?" Taria asked. She was beginning to understand Gold— a lonely boy trapped in a room, eager to talk when asked the right questions.
To be honest, most of the inhabitants of the castle were like that.
"It’s one of the highest honors among my people," Gold said reverently. "To take the Vow is to embrace our calling."
"Why?" Rauk asked, intrigued. "Do you gain something from it?"
Gold’s laughter echoed across the chamber. "Of course we do! Power, battle, glory! Those who take the Vow fight not only among ourselves, but against other species. The chosen even get to travel the worlds! My father did. He became legend."
Kaedros narrowed his eyes. Gold was dancing around the subject. He wasn’t saying what the Vow truly was, only what came after.
That could wait. First, they needed to understand this room and what Thalso meant by the "Stone."
He cut in, tone firm. "What exactly are we supposed to do here?"
Gold cleared his throat, a grinding rasp like metal scraping metal. "Anyway... you’ll fight my metal golems. If you defeat them, then you’ll fight me." He pointed toward the silver statues arrayed in a circle around the chamber.
"Golems? Aren’t you all Metalpeople?" Taria asked, confused.
"No," Gold said flatly. "They’re golems."
It was true, now that they studied them more closely, the difference was clear. Where Gold’s body had muscular definition beneath polished metal, the statues were rigid and hollow, their design cold and mechanical.
Each golem clutched a long sword nearly as tall as a man, and their eyes burned with an ominous crimson light.
Gold sauntered back to his throne and sat with deliberate grace, resting his chin on one finger and smirking. "Just so you know... the throne channels power from the castle into me. I’ll be testing you properly."
So that’s it, Kaedros thought, eyes narrowing. That explained the oppressive aura he’d sensed from the seat earlier, the castle itself was empowering him.
"So we just have to beat the golems and then you?" Taria spun her spear with confidence. "Easy."
In response, Gold smile widened. A pulse of force spread outward from the throne, flooding into the seven statues. Their eyes flared brighter. With a jerk, the golems came to life.
"Be my guest," Gold said.
The battle exploded into motion.
They realized immediately that the golems weren’t just big, they were monsters. Their swords moved with terrifying ease, swung by arms that could snap bone without effort.
Rauk ducked under a cleaving blow that tore the air apart above him, then lunged in with his sword. The blade struck the golem’s chest, only to bounce off with a screech of metal on metal.
He barely dodged a follow-up strike as another golem joined the first. Gritting his teeth, he cast a spell, infusing his sword with arcane energy. He slashed from a distance, releasing a glowing beam.
The blast hit the golem squarely, staggering it backward into its twin but did no damage.
"Mana and essence won’t work well on them," Gold called helpfully from his throne, lounging like he was watching a play. "Forgot to mention that."
Rauk bit back a curse. Now he says it?
He had no time for frustration the two golems were already closing in again.
Taria wasn’t faring much better. Her spear barely scratched the golems’ metallic hide. Frustrated, she slung it across her back and poured her essence into her fists instead.
Dodging a sweeping slash, she darted forward and slammed her fist into the shoulder of one golem. The force of the impact crumpled the metal, the arm bending with a harsh screech.
But then red light pulsed through the golem’s body and its arm straightened with a clang.
Taria cursed and hesitated for a moment too long.
The second golem struck.
The sword came down in a brutal arc. She twisted mid-dodge, but the blade clipped her ribs and sent her crashing into the wall.
Agony exploded in her side, tearing a scream from her lips.
Essence flickered around her body in ragged shreds. Dazed, she looked down, expecting to see blood. But aside from the searing pain that made her vision swim, she was intact.
"Oh, the weapons are dull," Gold called. "They’re designed to hurt, not kill. Just a bit of fun."
Taria couldn’t even reply. She forced herself upright, groaning. Her core was half-drained, and they hadn’t even dented the enemy.
She reached for her spear again as the two golems lunged toward her.
Then a deafening clang echoed across the chamber.
Kael stood over a crumpled golem. Its head was crushed and half-melted, golden light still licking across Kael’s fist.
As they watched, Kael dodged three more golems. He spun, his hand wreathed in fire, and struck the nearest with a brutal punch.
"The head!" he shouted, evading a sword swing. "That’s their weakness! Hit it hard enough and they’ll drop!"
Then he vanished back into the blur of combat.
Taria grinned, tightening her grip on her spear. She flooded it with thick yellow essence until it shimmered with power.
First Stance: Thrust.
It was a simple technique. Speed above all. Thalso had taught her how to strike twice in the space of a blink.
One of the golems came at her, sword slicing in a horizontal arc. She backpedaled, waited for the blade to passm..
The first thrust dented the golem’s head. The second pierced through it entirely.
All in a breath. In a blink.
There was no time to celebrate, another one was already advancing.
Kaedros was enjoying himself.
Yes, the golems were strong but only if their swords hit you. And they were slow.
He weaved through a trio of attackers, flames dancing along his arms. His control over the fire allowed him to create short bursts of explosive force launching him forward, or adding crushing power to his strikes.
The technique wasn’t perfect yet. He was still working on syncing the blast through his legs and fists simultaneously.
But it worked well enough.
He feinted back, baiting the three golems. One surged ahead of the others.
Kaedros exploded forward, caught its sword arm with both hands, and held it firm. Then he unleashed concentrated fire directly into the joint.
The metal sizzled and cracked.
By the time the other two reached him, Kaedros had already leapt away, dragging a severed longsword in one hand, and the half-melted limb of the golem in the other.