Ch 26: Champions of the Coliseum

Their reputation as Angelorum Lux on the line, Grey and the others sent to Daemonholm challenge the Coliseum. His training a success, Grey wields an enchantment commanded by none before him.

            Looking around at the crowd, which seemed almost ready to riot, Ace whispered to Mythra, “What are they doing?! Are they trying to get themselves executed?! They can’t seriously be-” Cutting him off, Mythra quietly said, “If you still don’t believe, then just watch.” As she returned her gaze to Grey and the others, Mythra thought, “Grey of the Infinite, eh? It seems he’s finally accepted it.” Suddenly her eyes went wide, and quickly she turned look up into the stands across the field, where she laid eyes on a figure in the shadows. She was unable to make out the features, and before she could do anything the figure quickly made its way to the exit and disappeared. Staring after it, she thought, “I can’t tell who it is, it’s almost like they noticed I’d sensed them. They’re somehow hiding their aura from me completely. Still, I know I sensed a faint trace of Corrupted EDE!” 

The crowd quickly settled down as Xanth stepped in for the announcer and said, “Quiet down.” Shifting his eyes down to Grey and the others, Xanth said, “You’re testing my patience outsiders. If you’re going to keep making such outrageous claims, we may as well play along. Why don’t we give you a challenge worthy of Angelorum Lux?” Unconcerned, Grey said into the horn, “Did you bring us out here to lecture us or what? Bring on the challenges and sit your smart a*s back in your chair!” A look of anger flashed in Xanth’s eyes as he said, “So be it.” Turning to a nearby guard, Xanth said, “Tell the handlers to bring out the golem we captured the other day.” The guard’s eyes widened, but then he responded, “Yes Captain!” As the guard rushed off, Xanth sat back down. Turning to Xanth, Loki said, “What was that about?” Leaning back in his chair, Xanth said, “You want to know whether they are genuine or not? Then let’s put them to the test…”

            The ground of the field began to shake, and suddenly a sliding trap door opened in the center, snow and dirt from the field pouring into the opening. Then rising up on an elevator platform came a gigantic cage, within which was a massive creature the likes of which Grey had never seen. At least three stories tall, it was somewhat humanoid, standing on two legs with two arms hanging by its sides. Its neck however seemed almost nonexistent, making its head seem attached directly to its body. Its body made of what appeared to be hunks of gray stone and metal, its limbs had a muscular, almost bulbous appearance. In its eye sockets could be seen crystalline looking eyes, and jagged stone teeth jutted out from its mouth. It stood hunched over, as though years and years of bearing its own weight had affected its body’s posture. Amy promptly turned pale and stammered, “Th-that… What is that thing?!” 

Richter instead looked at the creature in awe and exclaimed, “A full grown bimaterial golem! I can’t believe there are still living specimens!” Furrowing his brow in concern, Alexander said, “A golem… They can be quite resilient…” Forming his twin blades, Grey slyly said, “Don’t tell me you’re scared?” As Alexander laughed, the announcer called out, “The first challenge is before you! One of the most dangerous creatures ever captured in the mountains around our fair capital, brought in by Captain Xanth Lazrath and the Daemonholm Guard! Let the battle begin! Raise the barriers!” All along the edges of the field a glow appeared and walls of energy formed between the field and the stands. Looking around at the newly formed barriers, Amy said, “Now we’re trapped in here with that thing!” Forming his own sword, Alexander said, “The barriers are there to protect the audience. We are free to surrender at any time if things get dangerous. Though against such a creature, just one wrong move could mean certain death…” Forming his pistol, Richter said, “Do not be fooled by its size, it can move faster than you’d think.” The bars of the cage around the golem began to fall away. Freed, the golem let out a bellowing roar.

            Charging forward at Grey and the others, the golem brought its massive fist down in a crushing strike. As the others moved aside, Alexander pulling Amy to safety, Grey leaped up onto the golems fist and ran up its arm as he said, “Void Energy, Level 2!” Powered up with Void Energy, Grey quickly fired energy spheres of light from one of his blades into the creature’s chest. Turning its head to look at him, the golem swung its other hand down at him as though to swat a fly, but leaping up between its fingers, Grey touched down on its other arm. As he ran along it, he thought, “Time to test this out!” Eazel’s words rang through his mind as he thought back to the training he had done. “This incantation is one Amanus developed on his own, though he never used it. It uses the power enhancing effects of both darkness and light, combined into an element of its own. It is far superior to the Light Edge enchantment you’ve been using. Amanus realized that he lacked the strong darkness within himself that it would require. Having darkness within oneself is not a sin. Everyone possesses it in some capacity. Darkness is merely the other side of the coin, the counterpart of light itself. What you do with it is what defines whether it is bad or good. You have a strong darkness within yourself, born from the pain of your past. Accept it for what it is, for it is merely another part of your heart. It is only once you accept this truth that you can make use of the True Edge…” 

Leaping at the golem’s face, Grey chanted, “Ego Voco Vos, Verus Acies!” Silver runes ran across Grey’s blades, and a radiant silver energy enveloped them. Also, the twin swords began to change, the hilt turning black and white, and its gems began to glow red. Feeling the immense strength of the unknown element coursing through him, Grey drove his new blades deep into the golem’s crystalline eyes, and the golem let out an agonized roar. Channeling EDE into the blades, the power of an unknown element blew apart the upper area of the golem’s face, and Grey quickly flipped backwards off of it as the creature raised its hands and clutched its face. Landing, Grey quickly rushed out of its range and over to the where the others were regrouping, Alexander kneeling by Amy, who sat on the ground with a scraped knee, and Richter standing next to them with his prismatic crystal barriers out. Concerned, Grey said, “Amy, are you ok?” Amy nodded as Alexander said, “It's just a scratch, she’ll be alright.” Glancing away from Amy to look at Grey’s swords, Alexander said, “I can only assume that is the True Edge enchantment. It’s one thing to invoke it, but to actually control it…” With an urgent tone, Richter said, “Yes, it’s very impressive whatever it is, but this isn’t over! Golems don’t die as easily from such injuries! In fact, it seems to have only enraged it further!”

            Roaring loudly, the golem began flailing aimlessly. Watching from his seat, Xanth thought to himself, “It’s slightly impressive he actually managed to harm it. However it will take more than that to stop such a creature…” Having jumped out of her seat, to Ace’s embarrassment Mythra loudly cheered, “Come on, you can do it! It’s blind now, get in there and knock its block off guys!” As Grey and the others fell back to evade more of the golem’s blind, earthshaking swings, Grey said, “Richter, you know stuff about monsters right? How exactly do you kill this thing?!” Thinking quickly, Richter replied, “The universal weak spot for a golem is the heart. It’s commonly somewhere in the upper torso near the spine. You won’t get to it from the front. It’s protected by thick layers of dense material, a sort of overkill version of the human ribcage. You’ve already damaged the golem’s eyes, composed of mysterious, incredibly dense crystal which is the hardest part of its body. You might be able to cut through its back and into its heart with your swords.” Suddenly, Alexander said, “Amy, barrier!” Just as Amy raised her barrier around them, the golem let out a reverberating roar that tore through the ground around them as a sonic blast. As Amy breathed a sigh of relief, Alexander said, “How did it aim that so perfectly in such a state?” In a matter of fact voice, Richter replied, “Many golems are sensitive to vibrations in the ground and air.” Getting the picture, Amy said, “So whenever we do things that create vibrations like walking and making noise…” Grinning as he formulated a plan, Grey said, “It’ll sense us! I think I’ve got an idea!”

            Summoning Reaper, Amy raised her barrier around herself as Grey directed. As Alexander rushed to the golem’s right side, Richter rushed to the left of the creature, and Grey headed straight at it as Reaper and one of Richter’s prismatic crystal barriers followed behind him. Sensing their movement, the golem hesitated for a moment as to which it should attack, and then swung its fist down at Alexander. Rolling aside, Alexander came out on his feet safely, and quickly Richter formed small prismatic spheres and hurled them at the golem as he shouted, “Hey! Over here!” The prismatic spheres exploded on the golem’s body, not damaging it much but quickly drawing its attention. As it brought its other arm down at Richter, he evaded as well, and Alexander quickly chanted, “Pluvia Eversio, Vultus Glacies!” As arrows of ice buffeted the golem in the face, it shifted its attention back to Alexander. Before it could attack, Richter, now riding his one of his prismatic barriers through the air like a surfboard, unleashed a hail of crystal bullets. Then Reaper stopped in front of the golem and gathered EDE, swinging its bladed arms and unleashing dark energy waves at the golem as Grey slipped between the its legs while it was distracted. 

As everyone continued to distract the golem, Grey leaped onto the prismatic barrier Richter had sent with him and it carried him up to its back. Leaping from the prismatic barrier, Grey thrust his swords into the creature’s back, and quickly the golem roared in pain. Struggling to hold on as the golem turned about, Grey thought, “Damn, looks like I didn’t get it! I’ll have to-” The golem began reaching around at him, and looking around for the floating prism barrier, Grey pulled his blades free and leaped back onto it before the golem could grasp him. Yet sensing his movement, the golem swung around and struck with a powerful and precise blow, and the others looked on anxiously as Grey sailed across the field. Just as he was about to crash into the energy barrier, Grey flipped in the air and touched against the wall of energy with his feet. Charging his legs with EDE enhanced by his Void Charge, Grey pushed off and shot back through the air towards the golem like a bullet. Gathering all the power he could muster into his swords, the blades leaving streaks of an otherworldly light in his wake, Grey reached the golem and struck with twin horizontal strikes at where the heart was supposed to be, slicing it and the golem itself in two as he unleashed the power within his weapons. To the disbelief of the spectators, the mighty golem fell.

            Staring in absolute fury at the remains of the defeated golem, Xanth muttered, “I won’t accept this…” Then Loki stood and walked over to the announcer, and taking the horn he looked down at Grey and the others. Alexander, Richter, and Amy all stood around Grey praising him, but they quickly turned their attention to the noble’s viewing seats as Loki said through the horn, “We have our victors! Angelorum Lux!” As the crowd around him burst into a standing ovation, Ace looked down at Grey and the others, absolutely stunned. Continuing to stare, after a moment he said, “They’re really… You guys really are Angelorum Lux?!” Expecting an answer from Mythra, when she didn’t say anything he turned to look at her, only to find she was gone. As he wondered where she’d gone, he caught a glimpse of her in the corner of his eye as she made her way across the field towards Grey and the others, and quickly he turned and exclaimed, “What the hell is she doing?!” 

Down on the field, Mythra called out, “Guys!” The others turned to her in surprise, and Alexander said, “What are you doing here?” With a serious expression, Mythra said, “It’s a long story, save it for later. Amy, have you had any bad feelings recently? You know, like premonitions?” Shaking her head, Amy replied, “Nothing besides the obvious…” A guard rushed over suddenly, saying, “No spectators on the field!” Turning to the approaching guard, Richter said, “She’s with us.” The guard stopped and started to say, “B-but-” With a glare, Mythra shouted at him, “Are you deaf?! Get lost!” Mythra glared after the guard as he rushed off. Letting his blades evaporate, Grey said, “Mythra, what’s going on? You’re acting stranger than usual…” A vein throbbed on Mythra’s forehead as she shouted, “WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!” Just then, Xanth’s voice called from the horn, saying, “I will not lie. I’m impressed. However, that was only one challenge…”

            The crowd muttered amongst themselves as up in the noble’s viewing seats the guards were ushering Loki, somewhat forcefully, back to his seat. Picking up their horn, Alexander said, “I believe your Lord has already deemed our claim genuine, which I believe would clear any charges against us. Or do you, the Captain of the Guard, intend to defy him?” Narrowing his eyes as he stared down at Alexander, Xanth replied, “It is not my place to question our Lord, but it is my place to protect him. I am still not satisfied by your little display.” Leaping into the air, Xanth sailed over the stands to land on the field. Staring at Alexander coldly, Xanth said, “In respect for the power and courage shown by this so called He of the Infinite, I will remove one of your challenges. However…” Gathering a mass of EDE, Xanth formed it into a black trident with jagged looking prongs as he announced, “Should you desire victory and the right to meet with the Lord of the Demonfolk, your final challenge will be a one on one battle with me!” Alexander smiled to himself and thought, “He’s a horrible liar. It’s me he wants…” Stepping forward, Alexander said, “Very well. If we cannot reach an understanding, there’s only one way to settle this.” Suddenly stepping in front of Alexander, Richter said, “He’s nothing but a waste of your time Alexander. I’ll handle it.”