BXBX NOVEL Chapter 559 558: Ascent
Some of the Golems around us were no longer made from only stone, but instead covered in thin sheets of metal or comprised of large chunks of ore that empowered them even more, making them slower but far stronger and even more durable.
This time, Nirinia and Jahi led the way as they spearheaded our efforts to reach the ramp, with Anput bringing up the rear and protecting Leone and I as we cast spells from the center of the group, aiding the Demoness and Djinn in front of us as best we could while also preserving our mana as efficiently as we could too.
The beating of the heart was louder now that we were inside the magma chamber, thrumming through the air and rattling our bones slightly as we began our ascent up the volcano, hordes of Golems made from rock and metal blocking our path towards the heart of this island.
My ice hindered the Golem's movements even more, turning them into glorified training dummies for the two warriors in front of handle however they pleased, while Leone melted through the stone and either incapacitated them or outright killed them with her precise spells.
The duality of our attacks made it hard for the Golems to try and prepare to defend themselves, not knowing if a blade or a spell was coming at them next as we switched targets on a whim, synchronizing together wordlessly as we went from Golem to Golem.
Behind us, Anput warily watched the path that led back down into the magma chamber as we climbed higher, before turning and observing the two warriors at the front as they cut down whatever stood in our way.
Despite being so young, both Anput and Jahi showed large amounts of restraint as they did only what they needed to get us from point a to point b, not bothering with any heroics or trying to do anything unnecessary, making me more than relieved that they were so mature mentally in situations like this.
If I had to assume, it was likely the constant battles and the teachings of both the Marquess and the Sultana that made them so reliable on these ventures of ours, and I was more than thrilled that they weren't conceited young prodigies assuming that the world had nothing capable of harming them.
Those thoughts left my mind as we continued onwards, the myriad Golems in front of us stomping away from the crystals that they were resting by and readying themselves for battle, their weapon like hands crashing or slicing towards us as they began to go on the offensive.
Jahi raised a shield of Light Mana in front of her and blocked the attacks, while Nirinia deflected with her buckler before lunging forwards, her golden Dadao cleaving through the rock and shattering the Golem in front of her.
Raising my hands, I summoned a lance and hurled it into the air, destroying the boulder that had been hurled towards us before sending another lance towards the one who threw it, skewering them to the Golem behind them.
Leone's compressed sphere of flames melted away my ice before bursting inside the Golem's wounds, eviscerating them from the inside out.
Our ascent was a laborious journey through a bog of powerful Golems, the sheer amount of them bringing Anput from the rear to join the other two at the front so that they wouldn't overextend themselves against what felt like a walking wall of earth and metal.
Leone and I shared our mana potions as we rationed out what we had by utilizing basic spells, while the others rotated out occasionally to gulp down a stamina potion before returning to the fray, the constant fighting putting us all on edge.
We slowly made our way higher and higher up the volcano's vent, nearing the beautiful blue sky and inching ever closer to the pulsating heart that lay somewhere above us, the vibrations in the air growing stronger as we climbed higher.
What had started as a barely noticeable tingling inside our bones had become something that rattled our teeth as we got closer, our ears popping and bodies shaking as we continued onwards, all while the Golems changed from primarily earth to primarily metal, the chunks of ore or sheets of metal giving them nearly double the defensive capabilities then their weaker counterparts.
The drumming of the heart was unnerving as we fought, and for Anput and I were had to flatten our ears against our heads before continuing on, the sound getting too loud for our sensitive hearing to bear.
A dull headache took over, but I kept going even as the pain began to mount slowly, pushing through it and eventually finding myself at the top of the volcano, the Golems all dead after what felt like days of climbing.
The path curved sharply to the side, hiding the heart behind the bend and whatever lay in wait to protect it, which prompted Jahi to turn back and wipe the sweat from her brow, gesturing for us to take a quick break and regain some of our energy as we prepared to finish this.
I summoned a large sphere of cool water for everyone to drink from and use to splash their faces, ridding ourselves of some of the grime and rehydrating as we stood at the peak of this volcano.
Taking deep breaths and focusing on the feeling of the mana inside my body, I began to ignore the dull ache as I waited for the others to signal that we were going in, pulling in what I could from the atmosphere and replenishing my Core naturally as we prepared for whatever awaited us around this bend.