The kodiak’s claws carved deep grooves in the cavern floor as they dug in and ripped shards into the air. Regal stepped forward, the first to face the bear. With his sword raised, he braced himself to intercept the bear’s initial attack.

  The monster reared onto its hind legs and quickly slashed with its front claws. Its right paw came down hard, but Regal caught the blow on his sword. The force of the attack, combined with the weight of the stone beast, drove Regal to his knees. He held firm, keeping his blade intact and preventing the sharp claws from digging into him. The bear opened its mouth and growled sharply while it lunged for Regal’s neck. The bear’s gaping maw was large enough to engulf Regal’s head and upper torso.

  With a burst of telekinesis, Lloyd yanked the bear’s head to the side, causing its bite to miss. It was only a slight adjustment, but Lloyd felt the weight of the attack, his Mana dipped dramatically. The bear would be difficult to manipulate directly. Regal broke free of the bear’s claws and rolled beneath it, positioning himself at its back. Circling the group, Colette kept her focus sharp, ready to heal whoever needed it. As Lloyd prepared his next attack, Milla leapt onto the bear’s back, her claws digging into gaps in its stony hide. Her fangs sought flesh but clanged harmlessly against the stone barricade of the bear’s body. Rushing in, Sheena probed for gaps in the stone where her daggers might strike true.

  The bear spun around, its right claws slashing toward Sheena’s face. With a nudge of telekinesis, Lloyd pushed the bear’s claw higher than it intended, aiding Sheena’s dodge and causing it to miss. Another chunk of his Mana gone. The momentum from bear’s swipe spun it around, bringing it face-to-face with Regal. His blade clanged against the bear’s stone armor, scattering sparks with every strike.

  Lloyd struggled to find his role in the fight. He felt stuck on the defensive. Oddly, the thought comforted him—perhaps his role was simply to keep his friends alive. Is this how Colette feels during fights?

  The bear, its back to Lloyd, stomped its rear left leg into the ground. A fissure ripped through the cavern floor, racing toward Lloyd. The ground split open with a deafening crack. A spike of stone burst upward, faster than he could react. It caught him mid-step, piercing his left forearm and dragging him into the air as it continued to ascend.

  Lloyd’s scream ripped through the cavern, raw and desperate. His vision blurred as searing pain consumed him. Lloyd dropped his staff and clawed at the stalagmite with his free hand, blood slicking his fingers. The sharp edge of the stone cut deeper into his arm with every frantic movement. Finding jagged ground to stand on, Lloyd released the pressure from his impaled left arm. Teeth gritted, he focused his telekinesis. The tendrils of energy wrapped around his impaled arm, lifting it slowly, inch by excruciating inch. The stone tore at his flesh as he wrenched himself free. Finally, with a raw scream, he dropped to the ground, his vision swimming. Blood pooled beneath him, the sharp metallic scent filling his nose.

  He glanced up in time to see the bear’s left claw rake across Regal’s torso. The claw tore through Regal’s shirt but bounced harmlessly off his skin, much like the bear’s stony hide. It was a well-matched fight.

  The bear took a moment to look at Regal before it roared. Its entire body shook as it stepped backward. The stone plates ground loudly as the bear vented its frustration for not drawing blood. It shook itself violently before stomping its rear leg once more. The fissure surged toward Regal, catching him mid-recovery from the previous blow. Regal dodged, the stalagmite piercing the ground far from its intended target.

  Just as Lloyd unsteadily got to his feet, he felt the soothing touch of Colette’s healing magic. He glanced at his arm to find the wound closed. A frown crossed his face as he realized his arm was visible through the torn fabric. That single strike from the bear had destroyed the sleeve of his robes. So much for the extra durability. With a curt nod to Colette, Lloyd refocused on the battle.

  Before he could move toward the bear, the sound of fracturing stone behind him, stopped him in his tracks. He and Colette turned to see the stalagmite that had pierced his arm was now cracking open. A blue glow shone through the cracks, the stone shedding quickly from its glowing core. Lloyd eyed his staff on the ground and willed it into his hand.

  Lloyd found himself face-to-face with a towering six-foot-tall Manarite crystal. The crystal radiated immense power, and his staff pulsed with newfound strength. The large crystal’s power surged briefly before cracks spread across its surface. The crystal’s glowing fragments crumbled, exposing a figure hidden within.

  Lloyd thought the creature bore a vague resemblance to a human. The figure stood upright on two legs with two arms, but its skin, like the bear’s, was covered in stone. It stood still briefly as it stared at Lloyd. The creature’s eyes burned with the same deep red glow as the Corrupted beasts they had battled so often. Before him stood a grotesque, twisted version of a human.

  With a sudden leap, the creature lashed out at Lloyd with a heavy swing. In a swift reaction, Lloyd summoned all his telekinetic strength to slam the creature into the cavern wall. The force of the blow cracked the creature’s right forearm clean off. The severed stony limb clattered to the floor as the creature rose, ready to attack again.

  "We’ve got a problem, guys! I think the bear is spawning Corrupted humans!” Lloyd shouted.

  Before Lloyd could turn to face the bear, he felt someone move to his side. Sheena darted past Lloyd, charging straight at the new combatant. Her strikes were faster than the golem’s movements, but just as ineffective as they had been against the bear.

  "Oh, fuck!" Regal shouted, his voice ringing out in alarm.

  Lloyd turned just in time to see his brother’s right leg covered in shredded fabric. From his vantage point, Lloyd saw no blood but knew that each hit sapped Regal’s Mana. The familiar pang of fear and frustration shot through Lloyd as he raced toward the bear. The bear stomped once more, sending out a random fissure as Lloyd closed in. The sound of splintering stone filled the air as the stalagmite Lloyd passed began to join the fray. Within moments, the bear would gain three allies in the battle. That was one enemy per fighter in Lloyd’s group. Those were terrible odds. Lloyd knew that he needed to help end the fight as quickly as possible.

  When no suitable projectile was in sight, Lloyd made the impulsive decision to use himself. He gripped his staff, which now pulsed with power from the surrounding fragments of Manarite. He then enveloped himself in telekinetic energy. The memory of him defending against the cobra’s attack rushed to the forefront of his mind. Lloyd visualized his telekinetic energy forming a protective cocoon around him.

  Taking the risk, Lloyd hurled himself from the ground straight at the bear’s torso. The bear turned toward its attacker, but failed to react in time. Lloyd collided with the bear, sending them both crashing into the wall. The entire cavern trembled from the force of the collision, sending vibrations through Lloyd. Several pieces of rock tumbled from above, striking the floor with sharp, echoing impacts.

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  Lloyd was sure his telekinetic cushioning had worked, given that he wasn’t shattered into pieces. Of course, that didn’t stop it from hurting like hell. His shoulder felt completely dislocated, and he struggled to keep hold of his staff. Moments later, he felt himself being dragged backward and looked up to see his brother pulling him.

  The bear was collapsed against the cavern wall, its massive body heaving with labored breaths. Its violet eyes dimmed, before it shut its eyelids. For a moment, silence filled the cavern, broken only by the rasp of its ragged breathing. Lloyd watched it warily, his staff raised, but the beast remained still. Its energy was depleted—at least for now.

  Lloyd felt the soothing warmth of Colette’s healing magic repairing his shattered bones.

  “Why the hell did you do that? Couldn’t you have just thrown the bear into the wall?” Regal asked, looking down at his currently healing brother.

  “I can only manage my powers effectively on a willing target. I’m running on fumes and couldn’t handle the bear head-on,” Lloyd replied.

  A harsh creak of stone from behind silenced their exchange instantly. The trio turned to witness the final two stalagmites shatter, exposing the humanoid forms they contained. Sheena continued chipping away at the first golem while the newly emerged pair targeted Regal and Lloyd. Standing between all three golems, Milla’s body ignited into a fiery blaze. Lloyd recalled Sheena mentioning that Milla could only use this ability sparingly due to its heavy Mana cost.

  “Milla’s heat might weaken them! Back her up!” Sheena shouted.

  With a fiery leap, Milla clamped onto the throat of a stony beast as it grabbed at her flaming coat. The creature opened its mouth as if to yell. Instead, the monster emitted a harsh grinding of stone and a gurgling sound like boulders plunging into a cavernous well.

  Milla sank her fangs into the beast while enduring its blows to her flank. Her body cooked the beast, and the surface of the stone, once rigid and unyielding, began to shimmer under the intense heat. The stone glowed with a deep red hue as a faint crackling sound emerged. The enemy’s body softened, drooping under Milla’s weight. Tiny droplets of liquefied mineral formed, sliding down the sides like fiery tears, sizzling as they hit the ground.

  A second beast joined the fray, moving to shield its craggy companion. Lloyd grabbed a Mana potion from his bag, drained it in one swift motion, and then used his telekinesis to pin the golems in place. Regal hacked and thrust at the enemy in Milla’s grip until it crumbled into a heap of rubble. Milla hit the ground and swiftly tore into the other enemy held by Lloyd’s telekinesis, ripping it apart piece by piece. Regal stepped in to dismantle this enemy as well, just as they had with the first, when Colette’s shout pierced the air.

  “Look out!” Colette shouted from behind Lloyd.

  Before Lloyd could react, hands slammed into his back, followed by the sharp crack of ribs and the loss of breath. The force hurled his body into one of the central pillars of the cavern. The impact against the pillar sent fresh cracks through his already battered bones. Glancing to his side, he realized he wasn’t alone. Colette lay slumped beside him, blood trickling from the back of her head, her right arm hanging uselessly.

  “Heal yourself first,” Lloyd murmured, his voice barely audible.

  His words came out weak and strained, his lungs burning and aching with each shallow breath. A crushing pressure squeezed Lloyd’s lungs, and his probing hand confirmed that his ribs were grotesquely misaligned and broken.

  Without moving, Colette’s body glowed yellow. Her wounds closed as her right arm began to move. She reached into her own pack, grabbed a Mana potion and drank it. Still writhing in agony, Lloyd watched as the bear became consumed by rage. The bear leapt and stomped with violent force, sending jagged fissures racing across the room. Lloyd counted seven stalagmites forming ominously around the room. By the time Colette began healing him, the outer stony shells of the stalagmites had already peeled away to reveal Manarite cores.

  “One Mana potion—that’s all I’ve got left,” Colette muttered, her magic flooding Lloyd’s body with warmth.

  This time, the healing process was agonizingly slow, a clear sign of Lloyd’s extensive injuries and the strain on Colette’s powers. The bear slumped onto its hind legs and laid back against the cavern wall, its breaths coming in ragged heaves. The bear must be spent. Lloyd clung onto that hope like a lifeline. Lloyd’s gaze shifted from the bear to his friends, who were still locked in battle.

  Regal and Milla were now alongside Sheena. They were steadily dismantling the last human golem. Progress was slow, especially with Milla no longer ablaze. Dismantling the stony foe became an enormous challenge once again. Lloyd turned to the left and watched as cracks spread across all seven Manarite crystals. As the seven humanoid figures broke free, Lloyd’s eyes went wide with alarm. Their sunken red eyes glowed menacingly against their stony forms, but the true horror came when they all turned to Lloyd and Colette, grinning eerily. With effort, Lloyd stood and positioned himself protectively in front of Colette.

  The group of golems split—four barreled toward Lloyd and Colette, and the remaining three advanced on Regal’s group. Lloyd’s mind raced desperately, searching for a way to turn the fight in their favor. Although his Mana was in a decent spot, he knew that managing four attackers at once with telekinesis would rapidly exhaust him. His mind flashed to the moment he had hurled himself into the bear. As the attackers closed in, Lloyd focused on recreating the sensation of his earlier maneuver. The feeling of cocooning his body in energy to absorb the blow. Backing into the column with Colette, Lloyd reached back with his left hand to shield her. He felt her pressed between him and the stone. Lloyd extended his staff-bearing hand and he willed his telekinesis to form a barrier. The tendrils wove themselves around his body and he forced the energy outward. Protect.

  The enemies released their grinding growls as they closed the gap, only a few feet away now. The Manarite in Lloyd’s staff glowed brightly. Lloyd felt the air around him, each particle a thing for his tendrils to grasp onto. He imagined them connecting and becoming impenetrable. A thin bubble of energy leaped off his skin, surrounding him and Colette. The bubble’s blue glow resembled the town’s shield, but Lloyd felt his energy draining rapidly to sustain it. The golems reached the edge of the bubble, their fists slamming and shaking the glowing blue shell with every hit.

  “Potion!” Lloyd yelled, as the golems repeatedly pummeled his shield.

  Colette frantically dug into Lloyd’s pack and quickly pulled out a bottle. She uncorked it and handed it to Lloyd. He grabbed it with his free hand and drank deeply, rapidly feeling a resurgence of energy. His brief reprieve vanished under the unyielding pressure of their assaults on the barrier. With just one Mana potion left, Lloyd knew he couldn’t hold out for long.

  Nearly completely surrounded by enemies, Lloyd attempted to steal brief glances through gaps in the flailing arms of the golems. He saw his friends were now only fighting two towering golems, one lay in fragments on the ground. Their strikes barely scratched the golems, especially with Milla likely drained of Mana.

  Lloyd furrowed his brow in concentration as he struggled to hold back the relentless blows. As his control faltered, the shimmering blue force field began to contract. Though not completely depleted, his Mana was slipping away at an alarming rate. The thought crossed his mind again—they needed to end this fight now.

  Lloyd’s attention snapped to movement on his left, just past the golems’ pounding fists. The bear rose on all fours, its massive shoulders swaying violently. Fragments of the bear’s stony exterior broke free and hovered in the air around it. The bear’s violet eyes locked onto Lloyd as the floating stones sharpened into deadly points and hurtled directly at his defenses. The telekinetic bubble absorbed the strikes, but every impact reverberated painfully through Lloyd’s body. Every cushioned blow drained a portion of his dwindling Mana reserves.

  Lloyd felt a tapping on his shoulder, it was Colette handing him the remaining potion. Before he could retrieve it, his barrier flickered out, and a shard slipped through the gap. With a sickening crunch, the shard struck Lloyd’s thigh, breaking the bone on contact. Crying out in pain, Lloyd’s eyes darted toward his brother, who was still engaged in his own fight. Regal’s gaze met Lloyd’s, and though they were far apart, Lloyd silently conveyed his regret for not being strong enough.

  With his mana gone and his mind clouded, he yearned for the simplicity of wielding his swords again. The four golems lifted their stony fists high, aiming their combined force at Lloyd.