The Colossus towered in the room, one half built of copper, the other covered in broken parts, a machine designed to destroy. There was no way to block the flying debris, no way to escape its attacks. Metal banged and echoed, walls trembled and creaked, pieces shot everywhere.

  Rytha crept along the edge of the floor, trying to stay quick. She was smaller, but faster, smarter. At least she believed so. She needed to be, or she was finished. Keep shifting, sliding, vanishing, stay clear and find a chance. Most important, don’t get hit. Avoiding hits came first.

  The Colossus flung a spear without warning, copper flashing in the dark. Rytha slipped into her shadow and popped out on the other side of the room, but the spear still nicked her arm and struck her ribs, knocking her off balance. So much for avoiding hits.

  A wave, and not a slow one, spread toward her. She jumped back, heart pounding. She slipped on the floor, almost fell face-first, caught herself just in time, and rolled aside as the giant’s metal arm slammed down, copper splashing where she had been a moment before. The shadowpriest scrambled to her feet and spotted the sludge creeping toward her again. She slid away from it, raised her hands, and formed bars of shadow that pushed her upward.

  The dark cage lifted her above the spreading liquid like a platform rising from the ground. The thick ooze should have slowed down, stopped moving, but it kept flowing like nothing changed. Still, if one plan doesn’t work, you try another. Rytha gritted her teeth and forced the cage higher. The bars shook under the strain, holding just long enough.

  It smashed down with that heavy arm and glanced off, missing her, slamming into the floor and sending shards flying. "Tch!"

  The Colossus's hammer-like limb swung low, caught her side, and knocked her backward, forcing the air from her lungs before she could gasp. The creature had already shifted, raising another arm, metal twisted into a giant club.

  Rytha jumped aside, rolled across the cracked ground, and felt the rush of air as the massive limb swept past. It smashed into the spot she'd just left, shattered the stone floor, and sent debris flying in every direction. The hit could've flattened her. No time to stall.

  Rytha crouched, dragged shadows into her palm, and shaped them into a blade, her mind racing for a plan. The mechanical behemoth twisted toward her and swung again. She slashed upward, cutting through its arm. No blood poured out—just half-formed copies spilling from the wound, scrambling to get away.

  Behind her, debris clattered as loose metal scraped along the ground. The scattered machines around her rattled and shifted, dragged toward the Colossus with steady pulls. The creature stepped forward, slow and steady, and Rytha edged back, chest tight.

  “Of course it can,” she muttered. But how to break through—it wasn’t clear. Her pulse pounded with dread and focus. Her fingers twitched, nerves on edge, every part of her body tense. Her mouth moved with quiet words, pointless advice muttered to herself. Think, think, think.

  Around the edges of the chamber, remnants of the battle trembled under the monster’s pull. Shattered walls groaned as loose panels wrenched free, spinning into the magnetic field forming around the creature. Dust and debris swirled through the air, making it hard to see. The floor shook with each step the Colossus took, forcing Rytha to adjust her stance as the terrain buckled beneath her.

  Her eyes darted to the surrounding wreckage. The torn cables. The twisted metal. All of it moved with the Copper titan, orbiting it like a protective barrier. Getting close will be a nightmare, she thought. Her breath came faster. Every move she made, every step forward, was answered with the Colossus countering her position, the spinning debris shielding its core.

  The space between them seemed to shrink and stretch at the same time, the tension so thick it felt like the air might snap. Rytha teeth ground together. The world seemed to sway, every motion measured, every heartbeat loud in her ears. Even with Vess and Pez watching, they might as well not exist—just her, the Colossus, and the fight.

  And almost always, so far, the one pushing forward was Rytha. Normally quick and light, she now seemed heavier, her skin shifting to metallic shades as she drew in energy from the room.

  The change felt strange even to her—something that went beyond her usual abilities. Dark spheres formed in her hands, pulling shadows from every corner until they hovered around her like dark planets.

  This wasn't just a trick. It was something more, something that sent a chill down her spine even as she controlled it. Each orb spun with weight and purpose, the power in them humming through her bones.

  Rytha locked her muscles tight and stepped toward the Colossus, energy pulsing around her. The creature adjusted, raising an arm to block, metal twisting into a spinning shield. But the first orb shot forward and carved out a perfect hole in its side, erasing everything it touched. She didn’t hesitate. Another orb followed, slicing through the metal goliath’s arm and leaving a void where metal had been.

  The creature reeled back, but the shadowpriest pressed on. Her eyes locked onto her target, face set and steady. Every breath came sharp, every movement precise. The gravity of the room—the fight—pressed in on her, but she didn’t slow. Not now. Not when she was this close.

  “Yes!” hissed Rytha, her party shouting in shock. The next attack slammed into the Colossus’s shifting body, leaving a glowing red gash and sending molten metal splattering across the floor. The last strike dug into its core, sending pieces flying and forcing it to stagger.

  Her breath caught as the heat rolled over her. The titan swelled, pulling copper from the walls, its frame stretching, reshaping, burning brighter. The heat pulsed outward, forcing her to step back, her skin prickling with pain. Then she noticed it.

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  The air near the creature rippled like waves, distorting everything around it. She moved, but her form flickered, her steps thrown off by the shifting light. All she could think about was whether she could still fight, whether she could still land a hit. She clenched her jaw, fists tight, bracing herself to keep steady against the growing heat.

  She reached for her shadows as the Colossus pulled its massive form upright. The light burst out, flooding the room, wiping away every dark corner just as her foot slid back, just as its arm whipped forward and sent her crashing into the wall. Rytha pushed herself up, instantly regretting her split-second hesitation.

  Her gaze darted around the chamber, searching for anything to use, but everyone’s attention stayed locked on the fight. The move now seemed like a small, reckless attempt that wouldn’t change anything. Except for getting her trapped, of course. She knew what happened when you slipped up in a fight like this—there were no second chances.

  “Tch!” Rytha twisted away from the tendrils, shifted to her right as one lashed past her face, rolled to her left as another whipped at her again, and skidded, nearly losing her footing. Any one of those could have pinned her for good.

  She watched the light pulse again and her face hardened as she stepped aside from another of the Colossus’s massive strikes, already pulling darkness into her hands. The shadows flowed smoothly over her skin, covering her as she absorbed the light itself, turning pitch black from head to toe.

  “The darkness technique again?” Vess’s amber eyes narrowed beneath her silver-white braid as she gripped her bow tighter. “Last time you used that, you couldn’t see straight for three days.”

  Rytha pulled air into her lungs and lifted her arms, preparing for one final move. The Colossus's gaze shifted toward her now darkened form. It tilted its head just as the last flickers of light vanished, swallowed by the growing darkness.

  Her body vanished into the black, leaving only her eyes, glowing with stolen light. The giant swung blindly, metal limbs crashing into empty air, smashing into the wall, sending debris across the chamber.

  Rytha stood still as the room darkened completely. Her chest tightened with the effort, her head pounding from the strain. She blinked hard, holding her focus—and stopped moving.

  If I die fighting a glorified scrap heap for Thadan’s furniture store, I swear I’ll haunt him for eternity.

  The Colossus shifted in place, sensors scanning the black void, and rotated its head slowly. It reached out toward the empty space, turned left, then right, and stopped. The darkness stayed solid, swallowing sound and light alike. The spinning metal plates along its arms adjusted, clicking into place, while the air grew thick with tension.

  Then movement flickered—a blur too fast to track—cutting through the darkness. The creature's body shuddered as a section of its side vanished, torn away by something unseen. Its systems recalculated, arms sweeping through empty space. Another flash—sharp and quick—stripped away part of its shoulder, sending fragments scattering.

  Silence followed. Then more movement, everywhere at once, like whispers pressing in from every side. Its sensors glitched, readings scrambled. The earth crumbled under its feet as something carved another piece free. The Colossus tried to react, tried to lock onto a target—but there was nothing to see. Just darkness. Moving. Cutting. Closer.

  It showed no hint of slowing, even with its body torn and sections missing. Chunks of copper and shattered machinery littered the ground, but it stood tall, unwavering. There wasn't so much as a flicker of panic in its shifting form. Not so much as a pause in its pulsing core, which glowed brighter with each passing second.

  Rytha felt the burden of combat crushing down on her again—her muscles burned, lungs tight, legs aching—but her focus held. She understood now how prey felt when trapped, heart pounding, every instinct screaming to run.

  She could've pulled back. Could've turned, walked away, and left the fight behind. But instead, she chose this. Say one thing for Rytha—say she never backs down, even when logic says she should.

  The Colossus's face rearranged into a jagged grin, metal grinding as it reformed its features.

  “Try,” it said, voice low and distorted, echoing through the chamber like a challenge carved in stone.

  The glow in its core flared, heat rolling off in waves that blurred the air between them, but the Cobalt-ranked adventurer didn’t flinch. Her hands tightened into fists, jaw set. She wasn’t done yet. Not by a long shot.

  And then it happened.

  Rytha needed to pee as she stood in the center of the cavernous space. Always needed to pee after fights like this. Her skin was shifting back to normal, patches of shadow fading slow enough to itch. The torn cloak still hung over her shoulder, covering the scratches across her shirt. Her gloves were stained from the fight, fingertips dark with grime.

  The freed mimics huddled in front of her, seven in total, bodies quivering, eyes darting. One was bigger than the rest—thicker limbs, tougher shell—its weight shifting like it still wanted to fight. Looked like it'd sell well, if she was right. Felt like a lucky kind of haul, assuming her instincts held true. There were a dozen things that could’ve gone wrong since the battle started. But there wasn’t time for regrets. Count them up, check for damage, and move on. That was the plan.

  The chamber walls creaked, heat still lingering in the air as she wiped sweat from her brow. Her gaze settled on the biggest mimic.

  “You’ll do,” she said. “What’s that?” She frowned as she reached into the monster’s core. “Caught it lodged in there.”

  The shadowpriest pulled out a small crystal that glowed faintly in her palm. She glanced at the mimics, still huddled together, twitching but too weak to run.

  “Rytha, don’t touch that crystal,” Vess said. “Something with that much power inside a Colossus is definitely cursed.”

  “Stay put,” she added, slipping the crystal into her pocket. No point in making a fuss about it now. Her eyes shifted back to the dungeon walls, heat still radiating from the earlier fight. “Figures there’d be something extra,” she said under her breath.

  The crystal pulsed once, deliberate in its rhythm like a heartbeat underwater. She ignored it, focusing on tying up the largest mimic. “You’ll fetch a good price,” she muttered.

  Her hands moved fast, securing the ropes, tightening knots. The mimic shuddered but didn’t resist. The air smelled of metal and ash. She stood, wiped her hands on her pants, and glanced at the pocket where the crystal rested.

  No time to think about it now.

  “Seven mimics for the price of one Colossus? Not bad, though that big one’s gonna be hell to transport through the narrow passages.”

  Vess surveyed the collection of quivering mimics, her brow furrowing. “You’re not seriously planning to drag all of these back to the city, are you? We’ve already got two huge ones in the cart.”

  “And spatial storage is nearly maxed out,” Pez added, wiping grime from his beard. “Those tunnels back are tight enough without hauling extra cargo.”

  “Leave the thovenite—it’s worthless compared to what Thadan needs. He wants mimics. I’ll give him every single one we can carry.”

  Turning away, she left the chamber behind, the glow still flickering faintly under her jacket.