Qing's Quest book 2, Chapter 35: Chip

Qing and the others stood in the hallway, trapped between two golems. There was no way out, except to fight. 

He had three level two spell books, two skill points available, no health potions, but four mana potions. 

“How many golems are in the library?” he asked. 

“Five at least,” Rendal said, voice shaking. 

“Which way to the map room?”

If we can make it there, we can escape into the ocean.

“Back where we came. But we’d have to pass that golem,” Rendal replied. 

“Then that’s where we go,” Qing said. “I’ll distract it, and you run.”

Stone stomping on stone sounded from either side, heading towards. 

Which spells should I take?

From the spiritwarden class, he could take a familiar, but he doubted a small magical creature would turn the tide of this battle. The Healing Breeze would be good, giving a heal over time that could be used on both him and allies. And Entangling Roots was Nature’s Grasp in an area-of-effect format. 

Knut loosed an arrow at the golem in front, but it pinged off its tough skin. Morgana stood frozen. 

“We’ll never make it,” Rendal said.

“You got a better idea?” Qing asked. “Stop wasting time and get ready.” 

Qing closed his eyes, planning while strategizing. He’d have to root the one in front, keeping it at bay as long as possible, until they could get past the one behind. That’s all they needed. Was there anything in the arcanist class toi help? He could get Arcane Ward, but the shield only helped against magic damage, not being squashed between a stone fist and a stone wall. Arcane explosion was tempting, but unlikely to help here. Spell Interrupt and Spell Reflection wouldn’t help against two overpowering melee opponents.

So Qing closed his eyes and reached out to the nature all around them. The stone beneath his feet spoke, slowly. Of where it had come from, how it had been transported, softly rocking, a long journey by boat, before being assembled here. Stone viewed time so differently that it all felt as if it had happened yesterday. They had not settled into a slumber, but were wide awake and anxious. He felt through them for the guardians, easily spotting them. They were so heavy, and they shared a connection with the stony floor. One he could exploit. He cast Nature’s Grasp, and the stones of the floor reached out to hug their cousins.

Qing opened his eyes to see the first golem halted, mid-step, feet glued to the ground as if welded together. It roared like a lion and the sound crashed over the group. Rendal whimpered, and it was all Qing could do not to join him. But he didn’t have time to be scared.

If he could root them both, that might give them time to slip by. He turned to the one behind them, and with a blink, opened shadow’s sight. The colors of the world faded into muted tones as he saw the world as the dead do. There were plenty of ghosts hanging around, and he wondered if there was anywhere in Elrydisan that didn’t have ghosts. He selected five and threw his will against them. He’d expected resistance, but this felt like mentally crushing flies, and they leapt to his command, streaking towards the golem. Ghostly hands reached up from the floor, grasping its legs. But if the golem noticed, it didn’t show, as it walked straight through. Whether because of its resistance to magic, the fact that it had no soul, or being so much higher level, it didn’t matter.

“Damn,” Qing said, releasing Shadowsight. Would bonecaller’s Life Leech even penetrate the golem’s resistance? He’d seen how powerful Corpse Explosion could be, but if there were any corpses to explode, he’d already failed. Plague Touch’s damage dealt over time was tempting, but the reduction in healing wouldn’t apply here. Skeletal Legion…could it help them escape?

Bonecaller Spell: “Skeletal Legion” (Summoning)

Summons a group of skeleton warriors, archers, and mages to fight for the caster. The skeletons persist until destroyed or until their summoning time expires.

Cost: High Mana

Cooldown: High

“Do something!” Morgana said. 

Ghida and Rendal stepped past, standing between him and Morgana and Knut. Qing cast a firebolt aimed at the golem’s face. It didn’t block it, but the spell fizzled into nothing against its skin. 

From the warborn tree, tier one, he could get Battle Shout, increasing attack power, or get Cleave, which hit two enemies at once. Underwhelming. Tier two offered passive attack speed increase, a self-buff for physical damage, or a spinning AOE melee attack. 

“Any ideas?” Qing said as he cast Magic Missiles. Maybe there was a tiny area of vulnerability, like the nape of their neck, where direct damage would kill them. The three round balls struck the golem’s throat, leaving no damage. 

“They are impervious to damage,” Rendal said. 

“That’s not helpful,” Qing said, raising both hands and tightening his core. He pulled on the charge in the air and cast Chain Lightning. With a push of his hand, the air cracked with thunder. This time, the lightning didn’t arc anywhere else, only slamming into the golem and disappearing. But as it slammed into the golem, it halted for a split second, rocked back on its heels. 

The higher tier spells are harder to resist, even with only one skill point invested in them.

As it advanced again, Ghida removed the hands from her ear and stretched an arm past Qing. Wind filled the corridor, tearing at their clothes as it whipped into a storm before flying to slam into the golem…with no apparent effect. 

She followed up with her other arm, and water rose from the floor in a tight wave, rushing forward to crash against the golem, like water on a boulder. 

If she’d had a hundred years to cast that spell over and over, she might erode the bastard.

“Flee infested camel dung!” the Princess cursed, and Rendal’s eyes widened in shock.

The second golem was nearly upon them, but they needed some edge to get by, or it would be suicide. 

There has to be something I can do. They’re controlled by magic. If I penetrate their resistance and siphon their magic, will it shut them down like robots running out of batteries?

He tightened his fist and dropped into a combat stance, casting Mana Siphon. A mental tube shot forth from his forehead, and he willed the tip into a diamond-hard edge, spinning like a drill, and willing it to go faster than a speeding arrow. It crashed against the golem’s resistance like a snowball striking a riot shield. The tip disintegrated, and the spell faded. Pain flared through Qing’s mind and he staggered back, legs wobbling as if made of uncooked pasta.

Ghida grasped his arm, holding him up with surprising strength. He ignored the headache, forcing himself to focus. They needed an out.

If I develop as a templar, I could take Aegis.

Templar Spell: “Aegis” (Shield)

 A temporary shield that absorbs a limited amount of damage for the caster or an ally.

Cost: Low mana

Cooldown: Low

He straightened, shaking his head, one hand on the cool wall. 

Shield health…

“Ghida. Does shield spells pull from a different pool than health, not affecting the use of potions and heals?”

“Yes. Do you have any?”

“Not yet, but…” 

With Radiant Burst I could damage enemies and heal allies, but how powerful is the damage? Guardian’s Resolve gives resistance to crowd control, and Purifying Touch removes a single negative effect or debuff from an ally. 

“What’s going on in there?” a voice called past the first golem. “Is that you, Tariq?” 

“Tariq is dead,” Rendal said, voice high. “You’ve got to call off the golems! They’ve got sun brain, killing librarians left and right.” 

“We can’t,” the reply came back.

“Why not?” Rendal shouted. 

Qing looked at the princess. “If spells don’t work, maybe brawn will.” He felt Nature’s Grasp weaken and break, and the first golem ripped its feet free with a crack.

“I’ll buff you with Earth Armour,” she replied, raising her hands. 

“No,” Qing said. “Keep it ready for fleeing in case the golem strikes someone.”

“Why can’t you call off the golems?” Rendal asked again, and something in his voice made Qing look up. 

“Tariq, he…” the one outside called, hesitantly. “He had the control chip on him.”

“Buff me,” Rendal said, grasping the princess’ arms. “Now!” 

She did, casting Earth Armour, and a layer of stone appeared on Rendal’s skin. He turned and sprinted towards the second golem, the one that had been chasing them. 

“Shit,” Qing said. Even with the buff, the librarian would never survive a hit. So he opened the spell book and selected Aegis. Golden stars flew in like a whirlwind, filling the void in a flash, and the skill unlocked. He squeezed his eyes shut as warmth flooded through him from above, quick but comforting. Not like a levelling up, but like a rush of sunlight. With a gasp, the knowledge zapped into his mind, clear as if he’d always known it. 

He gritted his teeth and pointed his arm at Rendal, invoking protection from above. A faint resistance appeared, but he pushed through it. He needed Rendal to live, so he could save Cleo, and stop the Devil from returning. He had complete faith in the righteousness of what he did. 

Rendal screamed as he sprinted at the golem. It reached a massive hand towards him, and he threw himself alongside the wall. As the golem swiped its arm at the librarian, a golden outline appeared, shimmering around him, an inch from his skin. Ghida screamed as the stony hand smacked into Rendal. The barrier held, for a second, before breaking into a million golden pieces, and Rendal slammed into the wall before tumbling to a halt. Blood ran from one ear, and the white bone of his shoulder poked through his broken skin.

But he lay on the other side of the golem.

Qing pulled down more light energy and cast Divine Light on Rendal. 

The librarian bounced up, and without so much as a glance behind, he set off at a sprint, shouting, “Don’t die!”

“I hope he’s not just running away,” Knut said, loosing another arrow to ping off the first golem. 

Qing chuckled and lifted his axe. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

“You see how fast it was?” Morgana said. “it’ll knock our damn heads off if we try to pass!”

Qing nodded. If the sandals were off cooldown, he could make it past, probably. Though he wouldn’t leave the others. 

Which left only one choice. Melee combat.

But he still had one point. 

With Ghida’s comment on bonecaller magic and ease of casting in the Gilded Hold fresh in mind, and as easy as casting Grasp of the Dead had been, Qing selected Skeletal Legion. 

Motes of darkness, blacker than the night sky, flew in from the edges of the skill tree, filling the icon, mixing with the bone-white background. It flashed, and as it did, ancient knowledge hit Qing, fast and hard, seeping in through his eyes. Like staring a blizzard in the face, his eyes chilled in their sockets. He exhaled sharply, and his breath frosted.

“Help!” Morgana said, and her whip cracked through the air. It wrapped around the first golem’s feet, and if it had been a normal monster, it would have collapsed, legs bleeding. But the golem stepped forward, and the whip unfurled to crack into the wall, leaving a deep mark.

Will this work when there are no fresh corpses?

Qing activated Shadowsight. Dozens of spirits filled the corridor. Palm open, Qing swiped a hand in front of himself, as if grabbing a handful of straws. Ancient energies clashed against his will, and the surrounding air thickened, carrying a multitude of whispers. The dead challenged his authority, but he would not budge. Like a general calling his troops to battle, he cast Skeletal Legion, and power poured from him like water from a faucet. The spell completed, and he staggered, a hollow feeling inside. 

He hadn’t felt this low on mana since the battle for Shadowgrove.

Seven skeletons materialised from the air, fading in from the realm of the dead. Four carrier melee weapons, two bows, and one a staff. With a flicker of attention, Qing commanded them to charge the first golem. One by one, they streamed past Knut and Morgana, who shouted in fear.

“Same side,” Qing said, forcing the words out.

They’d never win, but they would slow it down. 

It would have to do. 

He popped a mana potion and charged the golem in front.