Despite the bravery and camaraderie she had just witnessed, April couldn’t help but return the gre Emma was giving her. She understood the woman was angry for her excmation, but she also had a reason to be peeved. “It’s too dangerous!” She whipped her hand to the side, pointing at the doors. “Leave!” She resolved herself to watch the woman closer from now on.

  Without further indecisiveness, April stepped away from the incoming blow, using the chipped spearhead to strike the side of the scimitar to parry it. The short moment the Golem had to use to reorient itself gave enough time for Emma to escape.

  Then she was dancing away from the menacing attacks once more while the Obsidian form kept charging. The mindless thing swung and chopped and then hacked and then repeated—it was all a cycle.

  In a way, it was incredibly predictable, if dangerous, to engage in any manner. But she had done it already, and this time, she pnned to finish. The only thing she cked was the chance to pnt her legs and unch the attack. She doubted anything else, but her full power blow would do the job, and chipping away at more fingers didn’t feel feasible.

  It took too much time. A bit more and she was sure the pursuers would find them, resulting in more fighting, and, while it hurt to admit, Emma had been right. She did not know what kind of magic these raiders could use. But neither did she know what was hiding under this mountain. It was a lose-lose proposition. All options were shit.

  So, to express her frustration, April released a brief shout, gathering strength in her core. She swung her polearm in an upward motion, axing the Golem’s elbow joint, not achieving much but a momentary respite from the relentless attacks.

  Using the pause she had enforced, April vaulted backward, nding near the pce where the other scimitar was stuck in the wall. Her feet hurt as obsidian shards dug into her soles. She widened her stance regardless, rooting herself in the spot.

  The Obsidian Golem proceeded as expected, bulldozing towards her, promising to turn her into a bloody pulp. It still held the remaining scimitar with both hands, improving the fine control over the assault but also leaving a lot of openings if…

  April exhaled, hyping herself up. She lined up her weapon, menting the fact she was not familiar with how exactly to use it. All of what she had achieved had been purely by instinct and wits. She was sure a more skilled fighter would not have so much trouble with the Golem.

  But it was what it was. There was no way to gain years of training and experience instantly. So, she inhaled and exhaled again, throwing away the pointless thoughts. The quick breaths brought her to peak condition. Energy flowed through her as she ordered her computing unit to help her trace her target—the glowing, crystal eyes mirroring the shine above their heads.

  There was no room for complicated pns or eborate moves. April was simply not skilled enough for that with her current toolset. What she had was the raw will to prevail over any opponent and survive.

  Everything slowed down as her focus became razor sharp. Seeing the scimitar come down, casting a shadow over her, she exerted all of her strength, pivoting her body and thrusting the polearm upwards.

  Their weapons passed each other, April not moving yet despite feeling the air pressure come down on her face. She kept her stance steady, following through with the attack, extending her hand, and sending the long weapon forward.

  Despite the incoming attack, the Golem did not attempt to dodge. It single-mindedly advanced, not even gncing at the attack. Even if it didn’t understand, all of its purpose was put into this one st exchange.

  April’s toes dug into the stone, and she lowered herself slightly, trying not to watch only the scimitar coming for her head. And then—she jumped. Her attack accelerated, and she shook her hand, pushing the spear a little to the side.

  The polearm's axe part impacted the incoming bde at an angle, shifting the Golem’s attack slightly. She grunted, heavy shock travelling through her body. The shaft in her hand began to splinter—only held together by her grip. She felt her body being pushed to the side as the reverberation of the csh made her head spin.

  Yet April did not look away. Her eyes remained locked with the Golem. Their weapons passed each other as her forward motion carried her into the thing's bosom. And at that moment, she moved her hand yet again—just slightly.

  The spearhead trembled, adjusting the path it took, and with a loud, crashing noise, pierced into the Golem’s right eye. With a keen sound, the crystal bead shattered, sending magical sparkles into the air. The Golem’s body jerked, its other eye dimming noticeably. As the energy began seeping out of its body, it slowed down.

  April gasped as her body came to a sudden stop. She hung in the air for just a moment as the shaft splintered completely in her palm, forced to a stop by her own weapon. Then, she felt herself being thrown backwards from the impact.

  Bouncing away from the Golem’s body, she paled, feeling the familiar pressure coming at her from behind. She knew it was the scimitar as the Golem had once more drastically changed the attack trajectory. Her limbs filed helplessly as she tried to reach the ground faster—to find something she could use to avoid the incoming attack.

  There was nothing. April plummeted to the ground, biting her own cheek to weather the incoming pain and hopefully survive. She didn’t look away from her opponent, daring its mindless body to show any signs of glee about its eventual success.

  April held her breath and then—

  She felt something ram into her side and entangle her arms. Her eyes widened as bck hair came into view, glistening in the light and covering the world. She felt warm arms wrap around her as she was pushed away from the Scimitar’s path.

  Once more, April found her comrade's name on her lips. “Emma!?” She turned her head, feeling the scimitar pass, fearing the brave woman would take the attack in her stead.

  She saw Emma’s eyes squeezed shut, the woman’s face pressed against her shoulder. The Golem’s mighty attack sailed past them both as they flew to the side. She moved her arm, grabbing Emma in return, feeling the ground approach.

  April twisted herself, pulling the other woman on top of herself, and hugged her tighter, covering Emma with her limbs.

  And then, they crashed into the ground. April’s HUD reported no damage, besides some exhaustion and more bruises. She kept holding Emma as they rolled away from the stalling Golem.

  At one point, she realised she was holding Emma too tightly and rexed as they slowly came to a stop. She sighed, gncing at the Golem as it ceased all movement—its arms still extended after them, holding the scimitar threateningly.

  “We survived.” April felt relief filling her body as she rexed, coming to a complete halt with Emma under her. “That was…” She wanted to say ‘dumb’ to chastise the less durable woman for her reckless behaviour, but as she met the green eyes peering into her soul, she found her tongue frozen.

  With their naked bodies pressed so close together, April could feel Emma’s heartbeat. She felt the sweat and suddenly was very aware of her companion's pleasantly sweet aroma. One of her legs had slipped between Emma’s and…

  Emma shifted and frowned, finding herself stuck. “You are heavy.” She tried to push the rger girl off of her.

  “Oh,” April blinked, trying not to think about Emma’s palms pushing against her body. “Right.” She pulled her arms from beneath the woman’s and jumped to her feet, awkwardly coughing and looking at the motionless enemy. “Um…”

  “That hurt.” Emma wasn’t nearly as quick. She groaned, sitting up and looking at her trembling hand. “I might need a minute.” She muttered.

  Feeling ashamed of her stray thoughts, April chose to study the room. She listened for any additional sounds, knowing they didn’t have time. But Emma needed a moment to calm down, and—to be frank—so did she.

  So, she walked closer to the Golem while watching the entrances into the room for any newcomers. She stepped past the remains of the polearm before veering to the side where the scimitar was stuck in the wall.

  Curious, April put her hand on the overly rge weapon, wondering if she could ‘equip’ it. But her HUD remained unresponsive. Only when she put her hand on the scimitar’s handle and tried to pull the bde out was there an update to her information.

  [Stat requirements not met]

  April baulked at the line. She tried to pull again, finally admitting she wouldn’t be wielding this impressive weapon. “Do I need more strength?”

  While the attempt had failed, it at least gave her some information about the changes her personal computing unit had gone through. But the main question remained—where had these changes come from in the first pce?

  Shaking her head, April headed for the Golem, wishing she had shoes. The constant stings from the shambles poking her feet were another reason for them to leave. She passed the extended hands, then stopped in front of the golem and studied the spearhead stuck in the thing's eye. The axe part had snapped off, leaving something she hoped could be used as a dagger.

  Checking the readings, she reassured herself the Golem would not move. Whatever energy it had remained in its left eye, inert and unable to fuel the rge frame. She lightly jumped, grabbed the spearhead, and pulled it out of the eye socket, covering herself in the crystal dust in the process.

  The faint hope of regaining the slight boost to her stats vanished when she checked the HUD.

  Equipped:

  Head—[NONE]

  Neck—[NONE]

  Torso—[NONE]

  Left arm—[NONE]

  Right arm—[Spearhead (broken)]

  Left leg—[NONE]

  Right leg—[NONE]

  “Figures,” she still held onto the piece of sharpened metal with the bent tip. It was better than having nothing at all. She could at least leave a gnarly wound by ramming it hard enough into someone's body. Better than doing it with her fingers. More feasible, too.

  Gncing at the Golem’s remaining blue crystal eye, she headed back towards Emma, finding the woman still sitting on the ground, staring at nothing. She looked lost and…

  April stretched her cheek with the spearhead, reminding herself of their circumstances. She was fine… Mostly. But she also had gone through something like this once before. And she was very good at lying to herself when she wanted to. So she was fine. Really.

  But they couldn’t remain here. After pointlessly hesitating, she kneeled before the sombre girl. “Emma… We have to go.”

  The bck-haired woman shook before looking at April. Emma looked lost before her face hardened. “Yes… Go. We should.”

  But it was clear Emma had trouble getting up. Physically, the woman was fine, but April could tell her companion had fought off a panic attack. She didn’t hesitate any longer, scooping up the woman in her arms—the pce where Emma had spent mostly in this world.

  “I will carry you,” April announced, heading deeper into the corridors. She was unsure of what awaited ahead—likely more danger. But she knew they couldn’t stay.

  Emma listlessly resisted, her heart clearly not being in it. “... I can walk on my own…” she tried to reassure her.

  Not that April listened. “I will help. That’s the… That’s the least I can do for you… That was very stupid of you, by the way.” She was rambling. “But, I mean… Thank you, Emma. Thank you for risking your life.” She paused. “Twice. Thank you for risking your life twice for me.”

  The woman looked taken aback, the darkness failing to conceal the expression because of April’s eye. Emma shifted a little in her arms before looking away, not responding. They did, however, seem closer now.

  Enkiari