Chương 45: The Witch-Trial Duel P1

…Shit!" I said just as the ground beneath me tumbled. I bounced up and down, then up again. Unable to keep my footing, I slammed against the ground hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs. The golem towered above me, its fist coming down to crush me. A clash of metal and stone rang through the clearing. Vaelith stood above me, somehow holding the golem back. Her boots dug into the dirt as its enormous arm pressed against her axe. I felt my own strength wane. She was taking my stats.

"Get… movin'…" she said breathlessly. To my right, Sable drew her lyre. She started strumming fast at first, then slower and slower. As she played, the golem's movements matched the rhythm, its once-quick actions dragging beneath the weight of the melody. I stood and jumped out of the way as the golem's momentum, albeit slowed, pushed Vaelith back. Sable was sweating, and I could see her fingers beginning to bleed. A harsh screech tore from her lyre as the song broke, and the golem's fist launched forward.

Vaelith was lifted off the ground and sent rocketing into a tree. Branches snapped as she crashed into the trunk. She dropped her axe, and then the entire tree fell to the side, broken clean in half. Vaelith coughed up blood… but she slowly stood. Just how durable was she? My instincts kicked in as carapace wrapped around my arms. System Carapace Skin… Activated Mana: 45/50… 44… 43… I blocked as the golem swung its fist wide at me.

The carapace encasing my arms took the blow, but I was thrown like a rag doll, sailing a good twenty feet through the air. Before I hit the ground, my entire body became encased in carapace. I rolled across dirt and stone. Bits and pieces of the shell shattered away until I finally lay still, staring up at the sky. I couldn't believe I was still in one piece. Hell, I hadn't even broken a bone. Vaelith faltered nearby, falling to one knee.

Of course—just as she could draw stats from me, she could send them back the other way. She had lent me some of her vitality. It had saved my life. The golem stood tall, reared back with both hands, and prepared to crush me. A sharp strum rang out. The golem's hands stopped as if bound together by something invisible. The monster strained against the spell, stone grinding against stone. It gave me enough time to roll away just before it broke free and smashed the ground where I had been.

As I ran, I aimed my hand forward.

"Wild Firebolt!" Wild Firebolt… Surge—Lucky! The spell knocked me onto my ass as it launched from my palm. It burned blue and was far larger than the first one I had cast. It struck the golem in the chest and exploded. A shockwave ripped through the clearing, flattening grass and scattering loose stones. It would have knocked me down if I hadn't already been on the ground. I couldn't see the monster. It was hidden in smoke—there was a rush of wind, and the fires burning across the ground were suddenly extinguished.

The smoke cleared. There was nothing there." Look out!" Vaelith screamed as she jumped on top of me, grabbed me, and rolled us away. Before I knew it, the golem came crashing down where I had just been. The impact split the road and tore through the surrounding earth. Trees toppled beneath the shockwave, roots ripping free as birds scattered from the canopy in every direction. I activated Carapace Skin across my entire body, but it shattered the moment it appeared. My mana was spent. My body was too.

Dust burned my lungs. Above me, Vaelith still stood, bloody and battered, her clothing ripped and coated in dirt. She held her two-handed axe in both hands… and she was smiling.

"Believe in me, Sable," she asked.

"Lend me your stats." I craned my neck to the side. Sable held her lyre loosely. Something was wrong. Her fingers were bloody, and some were broken, bent at angles that made my stomach turn. Sable stared at Vaelith… and turned her eyes away. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings." … Fuck," Vaelith muttered under her breath. The golem reared back and threw its fist forward. Vaelith prepared herself and swung her axe to intercept it.

Darwin was on her shoulder, willing to face the attack as well as to try to save me—little good that it would do. I felt my stats drain to help Vaelith, but I knew it wouldn't be enough. I closed my eyes and waited. There was a clash… but it wasn't as loud or as painful as I expected. In fact, I was fine. I dared to peek, and what I saw caused my heart to drop. Vaelith stood with her axe buried in the golem's hand. It had stopped short, frozen in place. But that wasn't the only strange thing. It had… purple eyes.

"Why do you disturb this place of pow—wait, don't I know you lot?" the golem asked, its mouth unmoving. The golem slowly moved into a neutral position. It sat and struck the ground, sending dust and small rocks jumping into the air.

"Ah, yes… the minotaur. You two were with my long-lost beloved. So… where is she? Where is Sable?" I recovered enough to point toward Sable, who stood behind the golem. The golem's head swiveled all the way around without its body moving.

"Ah… there you are. Couldn't stay away, could you?"

"I could ask you the same," Sable replied.

"Three places of power nearby. One would think that you too might be near. Are you?" A small chuckle came from the golem, although its mouth still did not move.

"And what if I am? Do you still hold harmful intent in your heart? Do you still wish to see me dead?"

"No," Sable said, feigning breathless capitulation. She stepped forward and reached out, only to realize that some of her fingers were still gnarled. There was a gasp from the golem.

"You're hurt."

"What do you expect, Ysra?" Sable replied.

"When you set a golem out to stop folk from messing with these ancient ruins, people are likely to get hurt."

"It's just a small golem—" Ysra went silent as she assessed the creature. The golem stood, and its head floated around its own body before settling back onto its shoulders.

"Ah… it seems to have grown a bit. This place of power was stronger than I thought." Sable sucked in air as she held one hand with the other. While both looked damaged, one was far worse than the other.

"Come now, Sable… surely after eighty years, you've been able to master your lyre." Sable growled low and dark.

"Testy, testy," Ysra mused.

"You know, I think I've come up with a brilliant idea. Do you want to hear it?"

"Sure…" Sable replied, her voice full of anger and sarcasm.

"I can't think of anything I'd like more." Ysra ignored it as she said, "You see those flat stones? Witches used to duel upon those very stones for—""We know," Sable cut her off.

"Get to the bloody point."

"The stones, while in a duel, you cannot be killed. When the duel starts and ends, they also heal the duelists. So… if you wish to be cured, simply stand upon the stones and duel."

"Duel who?"

"That's the fun part," Ysra replied.

"If all of you agree to duel, then I will grant the winner a favor—if I am able to provide it. A small boon. A glimpse into their future. A retelling of their past… perhaps the location of a great and beautiful witch." Sable's eyes lit up. She turned to us.

"Would you?" she asked simply. I wasn't so sure, but Vaelith's face lit up like a kid on Christmas.

"Finally!" she said.

"I've wanted to know who was strongest since I met you lot, but I didn't want to accidentally kill you. I'm not so good at holding back." Vaelith practically ran to one of the stones, climbed up its ten-foot side, and hopped up and down on top, waving us over." Ugh…" I replied.

"This is going to hurt. So if I win… somehow… you want me to ask where Ysra is, I presume?" Sable nodded.

"Yes… but you won't win."

"Lovely," I replied. I craned my head toward Darwin, who stood on my shoulder.

"You hear that? Ask where Ysra is located if you win."

"Or do I ask where I come from?" Darwin replied.

"Or perhaps what I am?" I suddenly missed the simpler Darwin. He had been far more agreeable before.

"Let's go, then." Over at the stones, I picked one opposite Vaelith. Sable chose one between us, and Darwin jumped from one to another until the four of us had formed a square. Ysra, still controlling the golem, made her way to the middle and sat. The earth shifted around the creature, but the standing stones did not move. She began chanting something I couldn't recognize, and suddenly, the stones began to glow beneath our feet.

"The rules are simple," she said.

"Last one standing wins. You lose by being incapacitated or by falling off the stones. Ready?" I swallowed hard, seeing the eagerness in everyone else's eyes. Truthfully, I didn't really want to fight. I considered jumping off as soon as the duel began… but a small amount of pride and ego kept my feet planted. Ysra glanced at each of us, the golem's head spinning without any regard for where its shoulders or body faced. Each of my companions nodded until she reached me. I steadied my breathing and nodded.

The golem raised one hand high and dropped it—" Begin!"