The next day, a heated discussion of tactics to fight the golem broke out. Each member of the group put forward his own ideas, sometimes arguing to the point of hoarseness. Michael, after listening attentively to everyone, finally summed it up:
- Here's our plan. Helen distracts the golem, and Zenaris and Goliath try to damage the base of the golem. If they fail, we retreat and think further.
Helen was the first to step forward, waving her arms boldly and shouting loud, defiant words to attract the stone giant's attention. The golem's eye flashed with scarlet light, and he strode toward her with heavy steps. Helen, without waiting for it to approach, ran swiftly around the hall, setting its direction of travel. Her long hair fluttered as she ran, and her breathing grew heavier and heavier.
Zenaris and Goliath followed the golem, but remained at a safe distance. At one point, Zenaris took a risky step: with the agility of a predator, he jumped onto the golem, attaching a rope to a ledge on its massive leg. Goliath grasped the rope and tried to climb up, but every jerk of the golem interfered - the rope shook every now and then, and the giant leg shook the ground. After several failed attempts, Goliath made it to the top, and the two fighters began to furiously attack the leg joint.
Zenaris attacked forcefully with his sword, leaving deep scratches, but it wasn't enough. Goliath swung his massive kanabo, leaving only dents in the stone. The heavy blows rumbled throughout the hall like thunder. But the golem kept pacing behind Helen, its scarlet eye moving closer and closer to her frail figure.
- Go away, I'll distract him! - Zenaris shouted, jumping off the golem.
He darted in the opposite direction, drawing the giant's attention. It switched to a new target like a machine and chased after the leader of the group. Zenaris was faster than he looked at first glance. His movements were sure and crisp, though his breathing was getting heavy. He knew that if he slowed down, the end would be imminent.
The golem's leg, meanwhile, began to crack under Goliath's attacks. Suddenly there was a deafening crunch - the hinge could not bear the weight of the giant. The Golem collapsed to the ground, and a low, prolonged rumble, like the moaning of a wounded beast, swept through the hall. Goliath jumped off the falling golem and, to my surprise, landed on his feet, avoiding serious injury. Then came the tremors, and the ground beneath my feet shook and cracked. The hall began to collapse. Clouds of dust rose to the ceiling, obscuring everything around them. An ominous scarlet light shone through the dust, the golem's eye, and a huge silhouette emerged from the dust veil, a golem that had lost its leg and was crawling toward the exit, trying to reach us. Zenaris appeared ahead.
Even though Goliath was ahead, Zenaris got to the door first, when they both got there we slammed the door shut.
- A small victory," Michael muttered, shaking off his hands.
Cracks appeared in the transitional room we had retreated to, but fortunately it was intact. Roland, still reeling from the shock, sat huddled in a corner. He didn't even come out to watch the fight. Apparently, the sight of the golem had finally broken his spirit.
- Hey!" Helen shouted irritably. - Isn't it your job to watch the monsters and write about them in the bestiary? Cluttering up here like a little kid! Shame on you!
Roland shuddered and calmed down a little, but still remained sitting in the corner, either out of shame or fear. We, on the other hand, inspired by our small victory, celebrated the occasion with the scanty remnants of provisions. The hope of salvation seemed to flare up again in our hearts.
...
Two weeks had passed. Golem continued to fight despite the losses. We had taken away its second leg, but its arms were still a threat. Every encounter became a game of survival: deceive, distract, attack, but don't get hit. Zenaris began to look exhausted, as if the constant running around the hall had exhausted him to the limit.
By the time the supplies were almost exhausted, the mood in the group was on the verge of despair. Goliath, trying to boost morale, said:
- I think I'm about to break one joint on my arm. Just a little more and it's gonna fall.
Our fighters went out into the hall. This time the golem was trickier. It slept right by the door, its huge eye a few meters away from us. As soon as Zenaris and Goliath appeared in the hall, it woke up and attacked. The impact came right next to the door, littering the passageway with debris.
- We have to dig out the rubble! - Michael commanded.
We worked quickly, removing the rocks one by one until we reached the huge rubble that held the others. Michael attached a rope, and the rest of the group struggled to push the block away, clearing a passage.
I stepped out and saw Zenaris running away from the golem and Goliath chasing after him, trying to secure the rope with the hook. Suddenly, however, the golem struck the floor with a powerful blow, and the ground beneath Zenaris fell through. Helen cried out and rushed toward him. I tried to stop her, but didn't have time, and finally ran after her.
- Stop, it's dangerous! - I shouted after her.
She was unexpectedly fast. It was scary to imagine how fast the golem could be if it could easily keep up with her. At the same time, the monster had switched to Goliath, and now he had to get away. Helen, by getting too close, caught the golem's attention, and it rushed in our direction. It would have been suicidal to keep chasing her. She tried to go around the monster, hoping to get away.
I made the selfish choice to stop. I couldn't afford to risk it for her. If she chose to die with Zenaris, that's her choice.
Hiding behind a patch of floor, I watched the scene. Soon a silhouette appeared on the huge block. It was Zenaris! I screamed with all my might:
- He's alive! Go away!
I didn't know if my words had gotten through to her. I didn't know if my words had gotten through to her.
The scene unfolding before me was tragic. The golem caught up to Helen and crushed her with its massive arm. With my magical vision, I caught the look on Zenaris' face as he watched her die. First shock, then bitterness and sadness. But then his face contorted in a way I had never seen. The man who had always remained firm, kind, and proactive was suddenly filled with rage and hatred. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and the aura of mana around him began to surge.
Zenaris transformed into something completely different. The golem rushed towards him, probably because of the powerful mana flow. But Zenaris was already waiting for him. His sword gleamed, shattering the hinge of the golem's arm. The power of the attack was such that it felt as if the very air itself was crackling. I noticed that the point of the sword was broken. Could he really have done that with just a sliver of blade?
The golem's arm fell off, and it howled in pain again. But the golem's suffering paled in comparison to Zenaris' agony. And then it hit me! Last time we fought that giant on the previous floor, its eye had gone out after it died. "Maybe we should hit it there?" - ran through my head. I took in a lungful of air and shouted with all my might:
- Eyes!
But my cry was drowned out by the roar of destruction. I made a desperate attempt to reach Zenaris: I filled my larynx, vocal cords, and lungs with mana. With all my remaining strength, I screamed again:
- EY-E-E-E-E!
This time the scream was so powerful that my ears rang. But the scream was followed by a sharp pain in my throat, a burning, unbearable sensation. I clutched at my neck, keeping my eyes on Zenaris. And from the look on his face, I knew he'd heard! The leader's gaze regained determination, and he gripped his sword tighter. In the blink of an eye, Zenaris jumped straight into the golem's eye socket and was out of sight. I couldn't see what was happening, but suddenly there was a new rumble, even more deafening than before.
The walls shuddered, the vibration traveling through my body, echoing in the frantic pounding of my heart.
The golem collapsed. His gigantic body flattened on the ground. Victory! A long-awaited, long-suffering victory. Before I knew it, Michael and Roland were there. We rushed toward Zenaris. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Goliath was also rushing in the same direction. We ran up to the defeated titan and saw the hero of our raid emerge from his eye socket. Zenaris' sword was broken at the hilt. He looked bitterly at the fragment of the blade, threw it aside, and it was lost under a pile of stones.
Everyone wanted to congratulate Zenaris, but everyone remembered Helen. No one doubted that there were tender feelings between them. We silently patted him on the shoulder, expressing our condolences. There was silence on the battlefield for the first time since the long battle.
But the silence was broken by strange sounds coming from underground. As we listened, we heard a faint female voice. Zenaris became alarmed and went to the sound. He began to rake through the rubble of the floor. Huge chunks of stone flew apart under his onslaught. Just then, a woman's hand appeared. Zenaris grabbed her and pulled her out from under the rubble... Helen! Wounded and bruised. She fell exhaustedly into Zenaris' arms, and he burst into tears.
- How did you survive? - Zenaris asked, amazed to the core.
- At the last moment...I jumped into the crack...and managed to get out," Helen answered in a weak voice.
Incredible luck! She fell into a crevasse formed during the earthquake and not only survived, but managed to get out. I was overwhelmed by what had happened during that day. But suddenly the earth shook again. One of the walls slowly lowered, revealing a passage. We were frightened at first, but when we saw the passage, we rejoiced.
Zenaris took Helen in his arms. We wanted to go back for the things we had left in the transition room, but a wall blocked the passage leading there. With no choice left, we headed for the exit. We walked down the passage and found ourselves in a small but ornate hall. In the center of the hall on a pedestal were huge gloves. Roland warned:
- It's an artifact. Take it, but handle it with care. Most importantly, don't put it on or use it.
Goliath took the gloves. The whole group found a ladder leading upward, and we began to climb. The way up seemed endless, for we were very deep underground. Finally, we reached a massive door. As I opened it, I was blinded by the bright white light. When my eyes adjusted, I saw the ground covered with a white blanket. It was snowing. While we were in the dungeon, winter had begun on the surface. We were finally free.