The thick fog slowly faded, drifting away until the massive Rock Golem stood fully in our view. Its glowing eyes locked onto us as it slowly advanced, each step shaking the ground.
I swallowed.
"What are we going to do now?" I said, gripping my weapon. "I don't think the three of us can beat this thing."
Emilia's mist around us thinned and faded into the air. Above, Julian's owls continued circling, scanning every angle.
Julian pressed two fingers against his chin, staring at the golem from head to toe.
"It has to have a weak spot," he said, tracing a small circle in the air toward the golem observing its body.
"We need to get closer," Emilia replied, tightening her hold on her pristine quill. She took a step forward.
Julian nodded once, then raised his orb.
"You two move in. Look for anything strange," he said, pointing at us before tapping his chest. "I'll back you up."
He broke into a run.
Emilia and I followed.
The ground shook with every step of the golem. Emilia rushed left toward its arm, and I sprinted to the right, dust kicking up under our feet.
The golem lifted one massive hand and reached for us.
I slid sideways, barely avoiding its rocky fingers, while Emilia rolled forward and came up on one knee. We both pushed off the ground and rushed straight for its arms.
Emilia moved quickly along the other side.
We reached its shoulders, then climbed toward the neck. I scanned the area, running my hand across cracked stone.
Nothing.
No strange area or core. Just solid rock.
The golem's hand rose again. Emilia waved sharply at me, two quick motions toward the ground.
I nodded and leapt away. She followed right after, mist bursting beneath her feet as she dropped. We landed near Julian, skidding across the ground.
Julian stepped toward us, eyes searching our faces.
"Anything?"
Emilia shook her head.
Julian exhaled slowly, then straightened.
"Alright," he said, rolling his shoulders and extending his orb forward, the crystal glowing brighter between his palms. "I guess I'll have to use this."
"Omniscient Lens!"
Julian's orb glowed brightly, then projected an image of the golem, slowly zooming in on its massive body until its eyes were highlighted.
"So his eyes are his weakness," Julian said, smirking and tapping the side of his orb.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Emilia said, narrowing her eyes at me and stepping forward.
We moved in.
"Swan Dance: Moonlit Step!"
Emilia vanished in a swirl of mist, then reappeared on the golem's massive arm. She flicked her wrist and smirked playfully at me, her hair and mist feathers drifting behind her.
Above us, Julian's owls circled steadily, glowing faintly as they hovered, keeping watch.
Emilia blinked from step to step along the golem's arm, leaving trails of shimmering mist as she moved, until she reached its shoulder.
"Showoff," I muttered with a grin, then charged, leaping onto the golem's arm.
I slid my spear along the rocky surface, using it to propel myself forward. Each strike landed as I ran across its arm.
[-30]
[-30]
[-30]
"Fiery Dash!"
I ignited a trail of flames beneath my feet, dashing forward as heat licked the golem's stones.
[-40]
[-5]
[-5]
[-5]
[-5]
The damage was low since the golem had a trait that made its body durable.
I reached its shoulders just as Emilia delivered precise pokes to its glowing eyes.
"Arghhh!"
The golem roared, a deafening sound of fury, stumbling slightly as light spilled from its cracked, wounded eyes.
I saw Julian channeling something huge—his orb glowing brighter and brighter as a strong light built up inside it.
"Emilia!" I shouted, waving my hand to catch her attention. She turned toward me, then followed my gaze to Julian.
We dropped low and ran toward Julian's side.
Julian lifted the orb high, and a large star of pure energy emerged from it. It hovered briefly, then shot toward the golem's head, blinking lightly at first, then rapidly, until it exploded on impact in a dazzling flash.
The critical hit slammed into the golem, and our combined attacks reduced its HP to half.
‹ Rock Golem ›
HP: 325/650
The golem groaned, the sound deep and grinding, and its massive body began to change—just like the Hornet Queen we had fought. Enemies evolved when their HP fell below half.
Rocks jutted out from its body, forming massive armor around its frame. Its fists slammed into the ground with tremendous force.
We leapt backward, dirt and debris flying from the impact, our instincts screaming that more danger was coming.
The golem scooped up enormous boulders in both hands.
"Did it just move… faster?" Emilia said, narrowing her eyes.
Four boulders shot toward us. We braced ourselves and leapt—dodging the first one separately.
I noticed Julian gritting his teeth. The remaining three boulders bore down on us. He flicked his hand toward the three owls.
They shot forward, crashing into the boulders.
I froze for a moment, shocked, but there was no time to hesitate. The owls exploded into light, forming violet psychic domes around each of us.
The boulders slammed into the domes, and though the damage was absorbed, we stumbled backward from the force.
"We had no choice but to sacrifice the owls," Julian said, frustration etched across his face. "The skill creates a protective dome when the owls die."
"Thank you," I shouted.
"I had nine stacks of that skill," Julian continued, shaking his head. "Now I only have seven left—I need to think carefully about when to use it."
"Use it only when we're on the verge of danger," Emilia said, spinning her quill lightly between her fingers.
"We still have a long way to go, and a lot of monsters to face," I added, scanning the forest. "Make sure to save it for the right moment."
The massive golem charged toward us again, each stomp shaking the ground faster than before.
"Its movements are speeding up… we need to be careful," I said, stepping back and scanning the ground.
"What do we do now?" Emilia asked, crouching slightly, her quill held ready in her hand.
"Any strong ranged skills? Or magic-type attacks?" Julian said, tilting his head as his eyes tracked the golem's every move.
"I have one," I said, tightening my grip on my spear and taking a deep breath.
"We release our skills together!" Emilia said, spinning her quill lightly between her fingers as light swirled around her hands.
"Lunar Lance!"
"Solar Beam!"
"Starfall Cataclysm!"
We combined our attacks—the two straight-line strikes flying side by side, forming a miniature ray of sun and moon. Light flashed along the path, shimmering as it raced toward the golem, while the large star from Starfall Cataclysm spun and spiraled around the combined light.
The energy surged toward the boss monster but we froze, shocked by its next move.
By the time the magic reached the golem, it had lifted a massive boulder, deflecting our combined strike.