A trio of massive golems lumber toward the adventurers. Fortunately, the Team had advanced past the courtyard into a newly discovered area—a group of chambers connected to the base of the godcats’ stronghold. The adventurers use their newfound area to their advantage, using the chambers to find cover and create a plan of attack to fend off the golems. This allowed them to devise a strategy to defeat the golems without confronting them head-on. Lance blasts a hole in one of the walls using a rocket launcher. Natalie and Lance quickly scan the series of rooms. They are directly connected to the keep and so magically strengthened. These chambers afford a much narrower area where all three giants cannot attack at once. After a brief meeting, the team spread out around the rooms, taking advantage of the fallen debris. Upon observing their prey change directions, the monsters follow suit.
The crimson-red monster holding a fiery hammer is the first to be attacked. Matt smirks as he leads the beast to its doom. The confident swordsman grips his claymore tightly in preparation for the upcoming fight. Matt swings his sword with precision, aiming to land the decisive blow to put an end to the monster's reign of terror. The plodding sound of Matt’s boots suddenly ceases as he slides to a stop and turns to face his opponent. He had chosen this location carefully due to its proximity to the central tower. “Now is as good a time as ever to test Natalie’s theory.”
While Matt distracts the first golem, the rest of the team divides the remaining two. By having Matt distract the first golem, the rest of the team can focus on the other two golems, allowing them to take them down one at a time. This strategy gives the team an advantage over the golems, as it reduces the risk of them being overwhelmed. A hyperactive cat repeatedly hits one monster while exploding arrows hit the other. The ploy works. Soon a frustrated brown sword-wielding golem is fruitlessly chasing the blue feline in the opposite direction of its fellow monster. Meanwhile, the agitated yellow archer golem pursues Anna, its sprite counterpart.
Running at full speed while returning fire, the archer does her part to intercept her monstrous counterpart’s arrows. The yellow golem moves slower than Anna and Lance but also has a stronger bow. With each shot, the archer uses her agility and skill to dodge the incoming arrows and shoot at her target with accuracy, all while keeping up a constant pace. She relies on her reflexes and knowledge of the terrain to gain the upper hand. An electric shot flies over Anna’s head. As she navigates the environment, she measures her opponent's speed and reaction time and adjusts her strategy to outmaneuver the attacks. She also takes advantage of her strength in maneuverability, using her agility and quickness to outrun the golem and gain an advantage. By leaping from rock to rock, Anna continues to hold the yellow golem’s attention until Lance and Natalie are ready.
A highly exasperated brown golem crashes through the remains of a wall in a vain attempt to capture a small furry animal. Sunset tries to hold back her laughter as she watches Nolegs buzz around the monster's feet. She watches in awe and amusement as the golem stumbles, flailing its arms and legs, trying to catch the elusive creature. The stings from the blue cat’s sword make things difficult for the earthen monster. It holds a sword and a bulky shield, but they are a hindrance in these circumstances. Nolegs is too quick for the golem and can dodge its clumsy movements. It's nearly impossible for the golem to keep up with the fast and agile movements of Nolegs, especially with its bulky arms and legs. The blue cat's sword is a further impediment, as the golem cannot block the stings and darts that come its way. Sunset drinks in the amusing scene for a moment before beginning her attack. The beast’s comical hopping nullifies any semblance of a fearsome opponent. The dragon signals the Team to begin the counter-offensive with the last creature in place.
In an attempt to cast a surprise ‘Wyvern Slash’ attack on the golem, the dragon teleports, but the golem’s powerful shield blocks it. The dragon had hoped that by teleporting to a position behind the golem, it would be able to take advantage of the golem’s blind spot and deliver the strike. However, the golem’s powerful buffer prevents the dragon from getting close enough to strike. Upon spotting the dragon, the golem completely ignores Nolegs and focuses all of its energy on Sunset. Dodging all of the earthen monster’s attacks is complicated by the room’s small dimensions. However, Sunset cleverly uses the tower’s fortified outer wall to her advantage. Many of the golem’s sword attacks strike the back wall instead of the dragon mage’s shield. After several passes, the monster’s earthen weapon becomes duller and less effective. Sunset takes a chance to strike back by creating a water dragon to circumvent the earth’s shield. After the water dragon soaks the monster in liquid, dragon fire thrashes the muddy golem. With a weakened golem, Sunset takes the opportunity to launch a two-pronged attack, combining her magic with that of her water dragon to defeat the monster finally. Steam pours out of the creature, causing it to dry up and become rigid like a statue. After being disabled, the dragon punches the golem, shattering it. Sunset is pleased with the results when cracks appear throughout the room.
Nolegs is back on Sunset’s shoulder, “meowing” to celebrate their win. They had worked together as a team, determined to defy the odds and succeed, and now their diligent work had paid off. They were relieved to learn that the monster would not reform after a quick diagnostic spell. Their victory was even sweeter knowing that their efforts had been successful and the beast would not return again.
The dragon feels vibrations through the floor emanating from other chambers. A sign her friends are still fighting.
“All right, let's go,” Sunset declares to her blue friend. “The others may need some help. Or, in Matt’s case, an audience.”
Nolegs nods, and the pair move to rejoin the others. After they exit the room, an inky shadow leaches out of the golem’s remnants. Curious, Nolegs pauses and looks back. He can feel something strange emanating from the golem's remains, but he resists the urge to investigate, choosing instead to help his friends.
Anna dodges another lightning bolt thanks to her outstanding evasion skills. Her diversionary attacks keep the monster occupied while her mage partner sneaks out of the room. Anna's lightning-fast reflexes give her an edge in battle. Her ability to anticipate the enemy's movements allows her to dodge each strike. At the same time, her diversionary attacks keep the monster distracted long enough for her mage partner to make their escape. The previous battle had left piles of debris everywhere. One particular metallic pile was of interest to Natalie. With her new cloud-weaving spell, the mage pushes the bits and pieces into a pile. Then she starts a fresh enchantment.
“Wow, this is similar to the trials with Mighty Oak, the forest guardian but faster.” Anna muses. The trials she had been through for Mighty Oak took months, but the current process she was putting herself through took much less time. She was pleasantly surprised at how quickly she could get things done. The yellow monster’s power was electricity, but fortunately for her, it took time to charge up in-between assaults so the archer could predict and escape them. Two short beeps from a communicator signal Anna that phase one of their plan is complete. It is not too soon for the tired girl. As she starts phase two, the green-haired archer is glad of Sunset’s protection spell. So far, the yellow golem has been attempting to hit her with its bow after unsuccessfully using it more conventionally. Now Anna is slowing down just enough so the monster can use its weapon.
One more round of ammunition hits the fire golem with barely any physical effect. This does not seem to bother Lance as he reloads while Matt takes over. This is because the fire golem is composed of a supernatural flame, making it immune to physical damage from bullets. The bullets, however, serve another purpose than to distract. The golem's temperature increases to compensate for the pair's constant attacks. Most of the fire attacks did not directly affect the armored gunner. However, the heat radiating from the monster creates water vapor that quickly turns the room into a sauna.
Despite his thick armor, the room's intense heat quickly becomes unbearable for Lance. After muttering several colorful profanities, Lance charges once more. Matt and the gunner share a common goal: destroy the monster's club.
Matt wipes sweat from his brow. This monster is proving to be tricky. In order to limit the much larger creature's weapons, the swordsman intended to use the reduced space. The limited space meant that the golem could not use its full range of weapons and abilities, putting Matt in an advantageous position. However, the golem was able to overcome this obstacle by knocking down a wall and creating more space. Also, after every use, the club got hotter and hotter. It was now white hot. The heat emanating from the club is unbearable, so Matt has to resort to attacking from a distance.
Matt is in a positive mood despite the high temperature. In attempting to strike Lance and himself, the monster hit the main tower several times at full power. Matt's grin widens as he takes a step back, realizing he managed to dodge the intense heat and take advantage of the situation. Now cracks are forming in the stone.
“Hey!” yelled the overheated gunner, “That shillelagh is giving this beasty too much of an edge.”
“Agreed!” shouts Matt.
A notification alert from their communication devices caused the swordsman and gunner to pause. The two teammates look at each other and grin. This is the moment they have been waiting for. They both knew this was their chance and they were ready to take on the challenge.
Being the fastest, Matt charges first. A quick scrape of the swordsman's foot makes the monster turn away from the gunner. Even though the monster's wound heals almost immediately, Lance can swap out his weapon for a long-range grenade launcher during this pause. Matt skillfully activates a unique enchantment on his boots. The “fly-paper” spell allows the swordsman to run up walls.
“Woo-hoo! Fire party!” Yells Matt as he sprints up the wall and across the ceiling. With a flourish, Matt leaps off the wall and lands on the other side, laughing in delight at the success of his spell.
The swordsman’s antics are not amusing to the monster. Teammates can feel the energy emanating from the golem as he charges up the fire club. Matt retreats behind a fallen wall to escape the high temperatures. The swordsman’s earth magic is at its limit, but he is determined to take down this foe.
Matt can barely call out, “Hey, Spark-head!” without gasping. The golem’s energy is so powerful that it can be felt in the air. Matt can feel the heat radiating from the golem, and it’s so intense that it’s almost impossible for him to speak. The sheer force of the energy makes him sweat profusely. Even the enchanted sword handle is becoming slippery.
Returning to face the intense heat of the golem, Matt focuses all his remaining strength on moving as quickly as he can. Running up the walls for a second time is exhausting, but the effect is soon rewarded. The fire golem attempts to strike him with its club but smashes the ceiling instead. The blow is too great for even the enchanted structure and it falls on top of the monster.
Returning to face the intense heat of the golem, Matt focuses all his remaining strength on moving as quickly as he can. Running up the walls for a second time is exhausting, but the effect is soon rewarded. Fire golem attempts to strike him with its club, but instead smashes the ceiling. Even the enchanted structure cannot withstand the blow, and it collapses on top of the monster.
A sigh of relief escapes the duo at the sight of the pile of boulders and chunks of ice blanketing their fiery opponent. Due to the large hole in the roof, the overheated air has been able to escape, making the room much cooler. In the midst of the monster's imprisonment under several tons of rocks, Lance uses a nitrogen ball to neutralize the troublesome club.
Still too tired to move, Matt lies on Lance's inflatable crash pad. The air escaping through the hole in the roof helps to create a vacuum effect, drawing in cooler air from outside. This helps to reduce the temperature in the room and makes it more comfortable. Despite his tiredness, the swordsman forces himself to drink a mana recovery potion mixed with water. Lance updates the rest of the team on their progress.
Despite his tiredness, the swordsman forces himself to drink a mana recovery potion mixed with water. Raising the cup to his lips, Matt takes a sip of the cool mana potion. With the restorative effects of the potion beginning to take hold, he starts to feel more alert and refreshed. Replenished with energy, Matt rises to his feet and focuses his energy on the task ahead.
Matt recovers not a moment too soon. The rocks on top of the golem are starting to steam. Matt is determined to take on the challenge and uses his newly found energy to do it. He knows he must act quickly, as the golem is about to break free. Concentrating on his holy blade, a large magic circle appears over the trapped monster.
It doesn't take long for a fiery arm to tear through the pile. Clawing its way out of the debris, the red golem is trying to escape. An enflamed head roars at the adventurers before noticing a bright flash overhead. For the second time, piles of debris overwhelm the creature. This time countless pieces of metal statues rain down to meet the fiery creature. The monster's heat soon melts the objects into one solid mass, effectively sealing the threat. The adventurers watch in awe as the fiery creature is consumed by molten metal, its roar of defiance fading away.
The adventurers have no time to celebrate and quickly escape the room. Taking one last look, they make a dash for the exit, knowing they were lucky to survive this day. Lance ducks through a hole in the adjoining room into the relative safety of a courtyard. Matt follows closely behind but is having trouble running. The gunner turns to help his friend only to be grabbed by a pair of red claws.
Cracks are appearing in the room and Anna can feel everything around her shaking. She realizes how critical her role is to the team's plans to defeat these monsters. Anna is determined to stop the lightning golem. Using her woodland instincts, the green-haired girl has been running the yellow monster in circles. When she perceives the fissures in the floor filling up with a thick liquid, she carefully maneuvers the golem to that area. It is finally time to act.
As the giant takes the bait from the team's well-planned deception, her emotions are a mix of relief and terror. A back-flip helps the archer avoid the latest arrow attack. Then on the far wall, a magic circle appears. Anna is surprised the wall is still standing but attributes it to the building's powerful protection spell.
A flash bolt fired into the monster's eyes ensures the creature will follow her. Anna glances back to make sure the golem charges the arrow to full power before attempting to hit her. The target wall is already bulging out due to the weight from the opposite side so scaling it to reach the circle is an easy matter. She knows that the golem is capable of charging the arrow with enough force to shatter the wall, allowing access to the other side. She trusts the golem to fulfill its purpose and jumps into the circle.
A teleportation circle drops the last member into a makeshift foxhole to rejoin the others. Recognizing the potential danger of the situation, Anna instinctively acts to protect herself. From previous experiences, Anna needs to move quickly to avoid unforeseen repercussions. In preparation, the archer squatted down.
Inside the shelter, two mages are busy casting a barrier spell. Sunset has changed into her other form. They acknowledge Anna with a nod. Upon looking nearby, the archer confirms that the rest of the team is safe. She feels a weight on her back, indicating her feline friend is returning to the pouch. She scratches Nolegs' ears. An argument between two people in the corner upends the seriousness of the situation. Anna mentally takes a step back and surveys the scene before her - mages chanting, her friend returning to her side, and a heated disagreement in the corner. She takes a deep breath, ready to face the challenge ahead.
Before Anna can process the scene, a loud explosion violently shakes the area. As the team waits impatiently for the dust to settle, the archer mulls over the plan in her head. With her heart pounding and adrenaline rushing, Anna knew this was the moment of truth - the moment when she would find out if this idea would succeed. The archer prepared her bow while bracing herself for the unexpected. However, the chaos had already allowed two shadows to move away.
Natalie and Sunset had studied the complex protection spells on these buildings. They had come to the conclusion that removing the enchantments would cost a tremendous amount of time and resources. The team could afford neither option as they needed to reach the godcats' tower quickly. By using the monsters' power, the team should be able to weaken the spells around the main tower keep. In due course, the enchantments would weaken to the point that mages would be able to break them down. This would theoretically allow them access to the fortress.
The team had split up the three golems in order to use their power against the godcats’ formidable protection-shield spell. As Natalie had hypothesized the strongest spells resided in the stronghold. As an alternative to using all their power against the stronghold's defenses, the three golems could be broken up and their power directed against it. Sunset and Nolegs used the earth golem to weaken the ground underneath one side of the stronghold, while the other two monsters were pitted against each other.
A group of diagnoses spells in the form of spheres left the trench ahead of the team. After the spells reported the monsters were destroyed, the friends let out a collective sigh of relief - the monsters could no longer regenerate.
With the golems neutralized, Natalie, Sunset, Nolegs and Anna are now free to leave the safety of the trench and assess the damage. A commotion, however, causes them to stop at the edge of the shelter. As they approach, they notice that Lance and Matt are fighting over a ripped-up crash pad. Lance wants to throw away the item, while Matt prefers to keep it.
Anna places her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. Only Matt would want to keep such an item for his “things that help out in fights, disputes, and cooking” collection. The swordsman is undoubtedly eccentric, hyperactive, and sometimes downright silly, but his plans are genius. He has this knack for coming up with creative solutions to any problem, and his courage and determination always see him through. He is the type of person who, no matter the situation, can make the best of it and have a good time.
“Like turning a fire monster into a lightning rod by dumping metal over it in order to destroy another golem with its own electricity.” Anna mused. "It was a perilous solution, but it worked."
The argument ended when Sunset, still in her red form, picked them both up in her claws and threatened to teleport them somewhere unpleasant. Natalie backed her friend up and cast a shrinking spell on the ripped fabric. With a firm look in her eyes, Natalie declared that the argument was now over. She crossed her arms and waited for her friend's response, expecting compliance.
Matt picks up the shrunken cloth and gives everyone a pouted look. Matt seemed to understand the finality of Natalie's gesture. He knew that if he argued any further, it would be futile. Thus, he reluctantly accepted the outcome and moved to put the shrunken cloth away without further ado. However it missed his pocket and dropped to the ground.
It is quickly picked up by Lance. "There's ye yanky..." The gunner throws his arm around his friend's shoulder. With a nod, Lance smiles and assures him, "Don't worry, ye'll make sure to get some more." Matt grins. The two fist pump and become friends again.
A series of explosions severely damaged the outer buildings, so the team cautiously moved. Black soot covers the ground, and a long crack runs up the central tower's side. The team is aware of the danger of the unstable structure and the risk of further explosions. As a result, they move cautiously and try to avoid sudden movements that could cause parts of the tower to collapse. They are also conscious of the structural integrity of the building and therefore try to avoid any sudden, jerky movements that could cause the already weakened structure to collapse.
Carefully hovering over a large crater that marks the spot of the exploding golems, Sunset scouts the ruins for danger. Taking her time, Sunset carefully surveys the area, looking for any possible signs of trouble or instability. Finding nothing, she returns to the others.
Anna greets Sunset with a puzzled look. The dragon is just as perplexed as she is. After so much destruction, there is no sign of the godcats. Anna and the dragon, exhausted from the fight and wary of the cat’s still-unknown fate, make their way to a damaged but stable building for shelter as the sun set and the air grew colder. They looked around once more before heading inside for protection.
Inside the building, the two girls see hot food has already been prepared. Nolegs has found some firestone among the rubble that can easily kindle a flame. Lance motions them to sit on a long piece of stone with a familiar cloth over it. As it turns out, it is the torn crash pad Matt was obsessed with before. Upon sitting down, Anna realizes this waterproof material is ideal for covering the cold rock. Likewise, her companion, who was not expecting this to happen, is equally surprised now that these stones are now comfortable seats thanks to the semi-inflated pad. Enjoying the newfound comfort, both girls look up to Matt in gratitude, appreciating his thoughtfulness in providing them with a cushion.
Natalie walks over to the fire looking tired after casting several early warning and protection spells. She knew that while the spells might not be enough, it was all she could do for now. She handed Sunset her mana restoration pouch back once she had sat down. The mage sighed with relief, knowing that she had done all she could to prepare for the coming danger.
Sunset nods in reply. While the dragon is replacing the pouch back on her belt, Anna notices a metallic amulet slip out of it. With swift movement, Sunset picks up the charm and quickly slips it back into her pouch. Her expression indicates that there is more to this object than meets the eye. Just before the archer can inquire about the mystery item, a plate of food is waved under her nose. Though Sunset's actions indicated that the amulet was of importance, Anna chose to set it aside and focus on the more pressing matter of satisfying her hunger.
After her meal, the archer notices Lance gazing at the reports coming from his communicator. She walks over for a situation update. The gunner senses Anna next question.
“So?” asks Anna reservedly.
“Sorry, still the same.” Replies Lance with regret.
“That sniper tank has been offline for a while. So does that mean no help at all from Queen Sabrina and Captain Eldaro?” says Anna. “It would have been helpful against those monsters.”
“Don’t ye worry…?” Adds the gunner confidently. “You be sure this problem is getting worked on. Such a powerful tank would not fail without a reason.”
Anna nods in agreement.
Several leagues away, an advanced ship and its crew are going through drills. Queen Sabrina and Captain Eldaro have been in non-stop conferences since the incident with their most advanced tank. Several nervous engineers are also in attendance.
“Eldaro,” protests Sabrina. “I still feel the heroes should have been told the truth about why the tank is offline.”
“Are we going through this again?” replies the Captain with annoyance. “They need all the assistance and hope they can get on that mountain. It cannot seem like we are abandoning then when they need support the most.”
“But…” Protests the Queen.
“Sabrina…” Continues Eldaro. “Right now those brave adventures are risking their lives to save us all. Do you REALLY want then to know why one of our most advanced long range weapons is out of commission?” The captain gives the present engineers a hard look.
“But. Ssssir. The RS52B tank is the vvvvery latest in cutting edge design at a cost of 5 billion gold. It was custom equipped to handle multiple terrains, conditions, and a variety of external assaults. We designed it to be resilience to wide range of problems. It’s truly unique...” Stutters one of engineers.
Eldaro slams his fist on to the table “UNIQUE!!! Oh, it’s unique all right… That useless pile of bolts soooo unique… we don’t have any spare parts.”
“Bbbbut… How were we supposed to anticipate this… problem…?” Replied the engineer.
Captain Eldaro placed his hand over head in an attempt to ward off his headache. He slowly sat back in his chair to contemplate the next best move. They had one of the most advanced, powerful, overly expensive units in existence sitting idle due to an overly excited clerk dumping a whole pot of coffee on the main control panel.
There are many advantages to being a godcat, however tonight Diana is quietly cursing having so many powers. One of them is enhanced senses. Her overly sensitive hearing makes it hard to sleep when the human-lings are now so close. After listening to such wonderful music before, the cat could not relax. The godcat rolled over in her bed, trying to resist the urge to dance along to the melody.
Finally, the white cat drifted off to sleep. However, she was soon awaken due to the rising humidity in her chamber. Ameila groaned at the inconvenience and moved towards the nearby window for some relief.
A shrill scream violently shoves the other cat sister Diana out of her dreams. The black feline tumbles on to the floor for a few moments before remembering she could levitate. She swiftly flies to her sibling’s room only see black smoke coming out of it.
“SISTER!” cries Amelia in panic. “Where are you?”
The answer comes rushing out of the smoke filled room in the form of a soot covered cat.
“Are you all right sister?” asks Amelia.
“No I’m not alright!” Screams the other cat with such force it shakes the tower. “I’M… ALL DIRTY!!” The pair of cats is instantly teleported to the stronghold’s bath. While Amelia swiftly fills the tub, Diana is running maniacally around the chamber grabbing paw-fuls of scented cleansers.
“Eh, Sister? What about that smoke and those expositions?” Inquires Amelia.
“Not now. Less talking more filling. More hot water, it’s so cold in here."
“Cold?”
A light snow was falling around the base of the tower. With the unexpected lull, the team is catching some much needed rest. They are all exhausted, however Anna and Nolegs find just enough strength to venture out for some additional firewood. Despite her warm coat the archer suddenly feels cold. An icy wind is starting to blow across the area. Suddenly Nolegs hissing a warning. A sudden terror grips the archer and with all of her speed she runs back to the shelter.
Snow is falling around the tower's base. With the unexpected lull, the team can get some much-needed rest. They are all exhausted; however, Anna and Nolegs find enough strength to venture out for some additional firewood. Despite her warm clothing, the archer is feeling cold. An icy wind is starting to blow across the area. Suddenly Nolegs hisses a warning. The archer quickly feels terror grip her, and she runs back to the shelter with all her strength. Her voice barely louder than a whisper, she manages to get out.
“There’s something out there.”
Thought Sunset could be suffering from solastalgia instead of nostalgia.
As opposed to nostalgia--the melancholia or homesickness experienced by individuals when separated from a loved home--solastalgia is the distress that is produced by an environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment.