The ground trembled violently as the creature's arm began its descent, the force of its movement sending waves of dust and debris flying into the air. Kale’s heart pounded in his chest, but somewhere in the chaos, a wild, absurd thought flickered through his mind.

  "So… that thing looks pretty titanic," he said. He looked over at Rika, who stood ready with her warhammer in hand, her eyes locked on the monstrous creature.

  "You’re a titanbreaker, right?" Kale asked.

  Rika’s eyes flicked toward him, a brief flash of her usual bravado returning. "Damn right I am. Guess it’s time to live up to the name."

  The creature’s arm crashed down with a loud roar. Rika charged forward and the ground buckled under her feet, but she didn’t slow, her eyes filled with a fierce determination.

  Kale watched as Rika sprinted toward the towering behemoth without a second thought.

  She planted her feet firmly, hefting Hammer of the Hiwani off her back with a single motion. The hammer’s runes glowed, its power pulsing in her hands. She squared her shoulders, eyes locked on the titanic creature before her.

  With a roar, she charged forward, her warhammer swinging through the air as she aimed for the monster’s massive leg. The ground shook with every step, but Rika didn’t falter. She was a titanbreaker, and she would show them exactly what that meant.

  Kale watched as Rika rushed into the fight, then turned to Liliana, who hovered beside him as she assessed the situation.

  "What can we do?" Kale asked.

  Liliana didn’t look at him, her eyes still fixed on the towering golem. "I don’t think there’s much we can do."

  "What do you mean?"

  "It’s simply too big. We’re not strong enough yet. Even Rika… she’s powerful, but against something of this scale?" She shook her head. "We’re outmatched."

  "So we just let Rika fight it alone?" he asked, his voice edged with frustration.

  Liliana’s eyes flicked toward him briefly. "For now, yes. But don’t mistake that for inaction. We learn, we watch, and we survive."

  Kale’s jaw clenched, but he nodded. As much as he wanted to rush into the fight, he trusted Liliana’s judgment. They weren’t ready for this, not yet. But that didn’t mean he was going to sit back and do nothing.

  Rika’s warhammer glowed with fierce power as she charged forward. She swung it in a wide arc, the weapon humming with energy as she brought it down with all her strength. "Mountain Cleaver!" she roared, the impact striking the titan’s leg with a stone-breaking force.

  The creature’s massive stone leg shattered under the blow, crumbling into chunks of rock and sending the titan stumbling backward. It let out a deafening roar; its balance lost as it teetered on the remaining leg.

  Rika didn’t stop to celebrate. Her eyes narrowed as the stone leg began to shift and reform, the shattered rock knitting itself back together in a matter of moments. The titan stood tall once more, its limb fully restored, towering over them as though nothing had happened.

  Kale’s heart sank. "It’s regenerating."

  Rika leapt forward, her eyes blazing with determination. "Heaven’s Pillar!" she shouted, slamming Hammer of the Hiwani into the ground with all her might. The earth responded to her call, rumbling beneath her feet as a massive spike of rock erupted from the ground, blasting upward with brutal force.

  The stone spike burst through the golem’s head with a deafening crack, shattering it instantly. The headless body of the monster stumbled backward, its enormous weight sending shockwaves through the ground as it collapsed.

  Kale felt a surge of hope. "She did it!" he said as the creature lay still, its head obliterated.

  But the moment was short-lived. The fallen titan’s body began to twitch. Slowly, its head, shattered only moments before, began to reform, the rock shifting and regenerating just as it had with the leg. Within seconds, the creature’s head had fully regrown, and it started to rise again.

  "Impossible," Kale said in disbelief.

  Liliana’s eyes flashed with sudden realization. "No! Someone’s controlling it! This thing isn’t just a creature, it’s a construct. We have to find whoever is controlling it before Rika gets tired!"

  The golem lumbered back to its feet, its glowing eyes locking onto Rika once more. The ground trembled beneath its steps.

  "You check the forest! I’ll take the cliffs!" Liliana yelled as she shot into the air, ascending the towering cliffs surrounding them.

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  Kale watched her go, but there was no time to hesitate. He darted toward the dense forest at the base of the cliffs, eyes scanning the shadows and trees that loomed ahead. The ground still shook beneath him, and in the distance, the sound of Rika’s warhammer slamming against stone echoed through the valley, a reminder that time was running out.

  He pushed through the underbrush, his senses on high alert. Whoever was controlling the golem had to be nearby. He leapt over fallen branches, ducking under low-hanging limbs, his mind racing as fast as his feet. The forest felt like it was closing in around him, every shadow a potential threat, every sound a reminder of Rika’s battle against the titan.

  A deep roar echoed from behind him, followed by the sound of stone against metal, and he knew Rika was still fighting the golem, buying them time with every swing of her warhammer. But how much longer could she hold it off?

  Kale pushed further into the forest, darting between trees. His mind was focused. There had to be someone, somewhere, hiding in the shadows, pulling the strings of the stone behemoth. The further he went, the more desperate he became, his eyes scanning for any sign of movement.

  ***

  Liliana shot up the cliffs with lightning speed, her eyes locking onto a trio of stone mages sitting in a circle, their hands raised toward a glowing ritual drawn into the earth between them. The bright green light pulsed, the magic crackling in the air. The moment she spotted them, their heads snapped up in unison. These were not Xeroth cultists.

  “Why?” Liliana shouted at them.

  One of the mages sneered, his hand glowing with energy. With a sharp gesture, he used his magic to wrench a massive chunk of stone from the ground, sending it hurtling toward her with incredible speed. The other two rose to their feet, their hands crackling with power as they prepared to strike.

  Liliana didn’t flinch. “Fine,” she said, her eyes narrowing. Activating Blood Form, her body dissolved into a swirling crimson mist. The boulder passed harmlessly through her, splattering with blood as it shot past, leaving her untouched.

  “A filthy blood mage,” one of the stone mages snarled, his face contorting with disgust as he began channeling another spell.

  Liliana’s lips twisted into a cold smile. “Let’s see how filthy I can get.” She cast Essence Drain, snapping her focus to the mage in the back. His eyes bulged in horror as blood began streaming from his ears and nose, rushing toward her.

  Another mage thrust his hands forward, unleashing a barrage of rocks that blasted toward her like missiles. The third mage raised his hands, channeling glowing sigils into the air. Liliana pulled tendrils of blood from the wounded mage, twisting them into a writhing crimson shield. The rocks slammed into the barrier with a wet, splattering sound.

  The mage in the back collapsed to his knees, his body convulsing as blood now poured from his eyes and mouth in thick streams. A garbled sound escaped his throat, his trembling hands clawing at the ground as his strength faded.

  Liliana's blood tendrils lashed outward, striking the channeling mage and breaking his focus. His sigils shattered into sparks, his concentration lost as he stumbled back.

  The second mage growled, lifting both arms to summon another wave of rocks, but Liliana was faster. She sent the remaining blood streaking toward him, wrapping around his arms like chains. He screamed as the crimson restraints tightened.

  "It ends now," Liliana said as she tore him apart, his body ripping at the seams in a gruesome burst of gore. Blood exploded outward in a crimson storm, painting the ground in vivid streaks.

  The blood swirled up, shaping into razor-sharp shards that hovered around her like a halo of death. Liliana turned to the remaining mages. “Goodbye,” she said as she sent the blood shards flying toward them. The projectiles sliced through them at the same time, and they crumpled to the ground in unison, their lives extinguished before they could even react.

  For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, in the distance, Liliana heard the unmistakable sound of the giant golem collapsing, the ground quaking with its fall.

  Hovering above the lifeless bodies of the mages, Liliana’s eyes glowed as the blood flowed toward her. "Valtharion, I offer this blood in your name. May it strengthen us both."

  ***

  Far below, Kale heard the thunderous crash of the golem’s fall. Liliana had done it. She had found the summoners and ended them. He turned and made his way back to Rika, the echoes of the battle still ringing in his ears.

  ***

  As the dust settled and the sounds of the golem’s collapse were long gone, Rika let out a hearty laugh, turning to Liliana with a mock look of disappointment. "Come on, Lili! I had him on the ropes! A few more seconds, and I'd have had him!"

  Liliana’s expression was as impassive as ever, but Kale could swear he saw the faintest glimmer of amusement in her eyes. "Of course you did," she said dryly.

  Kale turned to Liliana. "Xeroth?"

  Liliana shook her head. "No, not Xeroth."

  "Then who?"

  “They didn’t say,” she replied. “Too busy dying. Though they did manage to call me filthy. Can you believe that?”

  Kale couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. "They called you filthy? That’s just asking to die."

  "Clearly, they didn’t get the memo," Liliana said.

  Rika leaned on her warhammer. "I gotta say, you guys are terrible at making friends."

  "Hey now," Kale said. "You’re just as bad as us."

  Rika put her hands on her hips. “I beg your pardon! People love me!”

  “Name one,” Liliana said.

  “Well, there’s Kale!”

  Kale shrugged. “I’m contractually obligated to be here.”

  Liliana smiled. “And I’m only here because of some Wyrd nonsense. Try again.”

  Rika threw up her hands dramatically. “Fine, you two don’t count. But I’d like to point out that neither of you has killed me yet, so clearly, I’m doing something right.”

  Kale chuckled. “Low bar, Rika. Very low bar.”

  “Maybe that’s why people like her. She keeps expectations manageable,” Liliana said.

  Rika grinned. “See, I’m the most likable one here.”

  Liliana laughed. “If by likable you mean loud, then yes. Absolutely.”

  Rika shook her head. “How many times do I have to tell you? Loud’s what gets results!”

  “I’m not sure letting every enemy in a ten-mile radius know exactly where we are is a good strategy,” Liliana said.

  Rika crossed her arms, feigning offense. “Subtlety is overrated. When you hit something hard enough, it doesn’t matter if they heard you coming.”

  “Yeah, but if they hear you coming, they bring friends,” Kale said.

  Rika grinned. “Exactly! Then I get to smash more things. Sounds like a win to me.”

  “Very friendly of you,” Kale said.

  Rika shrugged, feigning innocence. “Hey, I’m just trying to make the world a better place—one pancaked bad guy at a time.”

  “Ah yes, the diplomatic approach. ‘Smash first, ask questions never,’” Liliana said.

  “Worked pretty well so far,” Rika said, twirling her hammer.

  Kale shook his head. “Alright, alright, let’s move on. We have a world to save.“

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