~~~
The Stone Warden's massive fist crashed down where Rudy had been standing a heartbeat before, pulverizing the ground into a crater of shattered stone.
Rudy rolled hard to the right, stumbling to get into proper form as he dodged another attack.
"Holy shit, that's a big fucking rock!" Jin cursed, backpedaling fifteen meters from the towering construct.
His hands trembled slightly as he tightened his grip on Iron Howl, adrenaline flooding his system like liquid fire.
This is it. Real combat. No do-overs, no respawns, just death if we fuck this up.
"Jin! A little help here would be nice!" Rudy shouted, barely dodging another blow.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm thinking!" Jin forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to channel that calm he'd always admired in the main characters who actually knew what they were doing.
"Just give me a second to—"
Appraisal. Come on, show me something useful. Anything.
The familiar blue screen flickered to life in his vision:
o__________________________________________o
[GUARDIAN DETECTED: STONE WARDEN]
[CLASS: CONSTRUCT]
[LEVEL: ORDER I ]
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: FAILED APPRAISAL LEVEL NOT HIGH ENOUGH]
[WEAKNESSES: ANALYZING... FAILED APPRAISAL LEVEL NOT HIGH ENOUGH]
o__________________________________________o
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jin muttered, dodging as a chunk of rock the warden threw at him.
"What are you mumbling about over there?!" Rudy's voice cracked with strain as he continued his deadly dance with the construct. Despite the terror in his voice, his movements were fluid, instinctive—years of training with his father finally paying off.
"Nothing! Just—" Jin raised Iron Howl with both hands, trying to steady his aim. "How am I supposed to damage this thing with standard rounds? I've got only fifty armor-piercing bullets…"
Think, Jin. You've read about constructs like this a hundred times. They're tough, but they have to have vulnerabilities. Nothing's completely invincible, right? Right?
"Should I use enhancement sorcery? Pump all my remaining essence into one charged shot?" Jin continued his nervous rambling, more to himself than to Rudy. "No, no, that's stupid. Save the big guns for when we really need them. This is supposed to be practice, remember?"
"Jin!" Rudy's voice rose to near-panic levels. "Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast! I can't keep this up forever!"
"Right, sorry!" Jin snapped back to focus. "I thought you could handle one measly construct!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets struck with sharp, metallic cracks, each impact sending cascades of sparks from the Warden's chest.
"This thing hits like a fucking freight train!" Rudy shot back, grinning despite their dire circumstances. "But thanks for the vote of confidence!"
The construct staggered slightly under the impacts but showed no real damage—only scorch marks where the enchanted rounds had kissed ancient stone.
"Shit, yeah, the ordinary bullets aren't doing jack," Jin muttered, diving behind a fallen pillar as the Warden's attention turned to him. "I need weak spots. There have to be weak spots..."
The Warden's head swiveled toward Jin.
"FLESH BURNS. BONE BREAKS. STONE ENDURES."
"Yeah, well, stone chips," Jin muttered, diving behind a tree as the construct's other fist hammered down, missing him by inches.
Come on, remember. Constructs They're animated by magic, which means...
Rudy seized the opening, his longsword flashing in a two-handed overhead strike aimed at the Warden's knee joint. The Wensin blade bit deep into the stone with a sound like thunder, runes flaring angry red along the wound.
"Wait, the runes!" Jin shouted, pieces clicking together in his mind. "Rudy, the glowing parts! Hit the—"
The Stone Warden bellowed—a sound like mountains cracking under tectonic pressure—and backhanded Rudy with casual, devastating violence.
"Rudy!" Jin's heart stopped as he watched his friend fly through the air, hitting the maze wall hard enough to shake centuries-old dust from the ancient stones. "Fuck, that looked like it hurt..."
But Rudy was already pushing himself to his feet, sword still gripped tight in his hands. Blood ran from his nose, but his purple eyes still burned with determination.
"His Colossus Mantle," Jin breathed, relief flooding through him. "He can actually tank hits that would turn me into paste. Good thing I brought him along…"
"The runes!" Jin shouted as Rudy steadied himself. "Hit the glowing parts! They're the power conduits!"
How did I miss something so obvious? The runes are clustered at the joints for a reason. That's Magic Systems 101!
"On it!" Rudy called back.
"I'll try to aggro it!" Jin replied, backpedaling as the Stone Warden advanced toward him with ground-shaking steps.
Okay, time to test out the rest of the sorceries. Hope I remember the incantations correctly...
Jin felt his essence stir in response to his desperate need, words forming on his lips as he reached for the magic he'd read time and time again.
« O Soil that bears the weight of all… let your strength falter where I command! »
The earth beneath the Warden's left foot sagged with a wet, sucking sound, stone floor turning to pliant muck in an instant. The construct's stance broke, its massive body lurching as balance betrayed it.
"Nice, that actually worked!" Jin couldn't hide his excitement despite their life-or-death situation. "Go! Rudy! Now!"
"AHAAAAAA!!!" Rudy lunged forward with a battle cry, driving the point of his longsword directly into the cluster of runes at the Warden's left elbow.
This time, the blade sank deeper, and several runes cracked with sounds like breaking glass.
The Stone Warden's roar shook the very air, and it swung its damaged arm in a wide arc that caught Rudy across the ribs. But the blow lacked its previous crushing force—the damaged joint moved sluggishly, fighting against its own weight.
"It's working!" Jin circled around to the construct's blind side, noting how it moved. "The damaged knee made it favor its right leg, and that elbow joint is sparking like a busted circuit!"
"Yeah, I noticed!" Rudy wiped blood from his split lip but never took his eyes off the construct. "What's the plan, genius?"
"Keep hitting the joints! I'll try to keep it off balance."
"Just keep doing those magic tricks!"
"No promises!" Jin replied. "Magic is taxing as hell, and I'm not exactly built for sustained combat! But hey, at least we're not dead yet!"
Despite their desperate circumstances, Jin found himself grinning. There was something exhilarating about putting theory and his endless procrastination of being an awakened being into practice.
The Stone Warden pulled its foot free from the softened ground with a sound like wet concrete tearing, then pivoted toward Jin with renewed but clumsy purpose.
It's moving differently now. Less fluid, more unpredictable. Damaged systems make it harder to predict, but also create more openings.
Jin raised Iron Howl again, this time aiming carefully for the cluster of runes around the construct's right shoulder. He let just a sliver of his essence slip into the gun, feeling the weapon's enchantments respond.
Come on, Iron Howl. Don't let me down now.
The bullet struck with explosive force, blowing a fist-sized hole through the Warden's right arm.
"Yes! Direct hit!" Jin pumped his fist in the air. "Rudy, while it's confused!"
"Already moving!" Rudy was inside the construct's reach before it could react, the longsword carving through the air in a vicious upward slash. The blade caught the Warden's right wrist, where dense runes glowed like captured fire.
The sword sheared through stone and magic alike, and the construct's hand separated from its arm in a shower of sparks and fragments.
"Holy shit, you actually cut its hand off!" Jin stared in amazement. "That was badass!"
But his celebration was cut short as the Stone Warden's remaining hand grabbed Rudy by the shoulder, lifting him off his feet like he weighed nothing.
"FLESH. BREAKS."
"Oh fuck no!" Terror shot through Jin like ice water. "Not happening! Not on my watch!"
Time stretched as Jin reached deeper into his essence reserves, pulling everything he had left into one desperate sorcery. His hand thrust out, words tearing from his throat:
« O Breath of the World… let your force burst forth from my hand! »
BOOM.
The air rippled visibly, concentrated pressure detonating from his palm like an invisible explosion. The force slammed into the construct's arm with enough power to crack stone.
ZZZHHHUMM
The Warden's grip faltered, mechanical fingers losing their crushing hold.
"Made it," Jin gasped, exhaustion suddenly hitting him like a truck. "Just barely, but I made it."
Rudy dropped to the ground in a messy roll, coming up with his sword ready despite the purple bruises already forming on his shoulder.
"Thanks!" Rudy called out, grinning through the pain. "Could've used it before!"
"Next time!" Jin replied, though he could feel his essence reserves running dangerously low. "Besides, look at our friend here."
The Stone Warden stood motionless for a moment, as if processing the extensive damage to its systems. When it moved again, it was with jerky, uncoordinated motions like a machine running on failing power.
"IMPOSSIBLE," it rumbled, but its voice had lost some of its crushing authority. "STONE. ENDURES."
"Not today, Rocky," Jin said grimly, raising his gun with hands that shook slightly from essence depletion. "Rudy, one more time. Go for the head—finish this thing."
"You better provide cover, magic man," Rudy said, but his familiar grin was back, purple eyes blazing with excitement.
"Would I ever let you down?" Jin shot back with mock offense. "Just... maybe don't expect any more fancy spells. I'm running on fumes here."
"Then leave it to me," Rudy said with absolute confidence. "You've done enough showing off for one day."
Jin's remaining standard bullets peppered the runes around the Warden's neck and head, disrupting its targeting systems while Rudy used his superior agility and the construct's damaged state to stay just outside its diminished reach.
The Stone Warden made one final, desperate grab for Rudy, but its damaged systems betrayed it. The movement was too slow, too predictable, and Rudy stepped inside its guard like he was dancing.
The Wensin longsword punched through the central rune cluster at the base of the construct's skull.
Light died in the Stone Warden's eyes, and it toppled backward with a crash that shook the entire entrance chamber, sending dust raining from the ceiling.
For a moment, neither of them moved, both breathing hard and staring at the fallen guardian.
o__________________________________________o
[GUARDIAN] STONE WARDEN DEFEATED.
ENTRY INTO THE LABYRINTH OF SHIFTING STONES IS NOW OPEN.
o__________________________________________o
"Well," Rudy said eventually, lowering his sword and wiping blood from his face, "that was absolutely terrifying."
"Heh"
"And exhilarating," Jin added with a shaky laugh, holstering Iron Howl with hands that still trembled from adrenaline crash. "You should see it from my perspective. I thought it was going to crush your head like a grape there for a second."
"It tried," Rudy rolled his shoulder, wincing. "Good thing you've got that force magic. What was that anyway? Did you suddenly become some kind of battle mage after those visions? Because I'm incredibly jealous right now."
Jin grinned, some of his usual cockiness returning. "Keep being jealous. It's not like I can dodge building-sized fists and fight stone constructs head-on like a certain someone I know."
"Fair point," Rudy conceded. "But seriously, what was that magic? I've never seen anything like it."
"Basic sorcery," Jin explained, his natural tendency to lecture kicking in. "It's the only type of magic I can actually use reliably right now. They're incredibly restrictive in what they do and how they work—you have to use specific incantations, and they drain essence like crazy."
"That was still incredibly cool," Rudy said, genuine admiration in his voice. "And remember, we're still ORDER 0. I haven't heard of anyone capable of external manifestation at our level."
Jin's grin widened into something almost smug. "Hmm, what was that? Oh my, seems like you can actually give compliments sometimes."
Rudy threw a half-hearted punch at Jin, who dodged easily. "Take the praise, you bastard! You're so fucking annoying!"
"Learned from the best!" Jin laughed, dodging another swipe.
"You little—"
Jin was still chuckling as he sat down heavily against a chunk of fallen masonry. His body needed rest after that fight, and the essence depletion was making him feel like he'd run a marathon.
Rudy joined him after a moment, both of them looking at the slowly dissolving remains of the Stone Warden. "Rest?"
"Rest," Jin nodded, closing his eyes.
~~~
"You know, Rudy?" Jin said after they'd caught their breath. "I should be able to teach you a few sorceries as well. The basics, anyway."
"Really? Thanks, bro! I forgive you for all the times you've been a know-it-all smart-ass," Rudy said with mock gratitude.
Jin couldn't resist the opportunity. His smirk turned positively devious.
"Yeah, but with your Learning skill still at the bottom of the novice spectrum, I have no idea if any of it would actually penetrate that thick skull of yours."
"You son of a—"
Jin waved dismissively, laughing as he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to examine the fallen Stone Warden. His Appraisal skill activated automatically, though the construct's form was already beginning to dissolve.
"Come on," Jin said, gesturing toward the now-unguarded entrance to the labyrinth. "The real test is just beginning. That was just the bouncer checking our credentials."
Rudy fell into step beside him, sword still drawn but held casually. "You know what? That fight felt good in a weird way. Dad never let me fight for my life actually on the line, during training. I feel scared and excited at the same time... like I'm finally doing what I was meant to do."
"Damn battle junkie," Jin muttered under his breath, shaking his head in fond exasperation.
"Hmm? You say something, Jin?" Rudy asked with suspicious innocence.
"Nope, nothing at all," Jin replied with equally fake innocence. "Just admiring your healthy relationship with mortal peril. Now come on, let's enter this maze of fun and educational experiences, shall we?"
"You know, for someone who used to be so cautious, you're taking this pretty well," Rudy observed.
Jin paused at the entrance, looking back at his friend with a thoughtful expression.
"You know what? Maybe it's because I finally feel like I'm doing something that matters. Something real." He grinned. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
"Don't," Rudy said immediately. "Don't ever say that. That's like begging the universe to prove you wrong."
"Too late!" Jin called cheerfully as he stepped into the labyrinth. "Come on, Rudy. Time to see what other fun surprises this place has in store for us."
Behind them, the entrance sealed itself with a grinding sound of stone on stone, trapping them inside the shifting maze.
Something flickered quietly…
o__________________________________________o
[DUNGEON ENTRANCE: THE LABYRINTH OF SHIFTING STONES]
[HAZARD LEVEL: WARNING!!!! ???? #@$$#@#]
[ENTRY CONDITIONS: NONE]
[GUARDIAN STATUS: DEFEATED]
[ARCHITECTURAL NOTES: WALLS RECONFIGURE EVERY 47 MINUTES | MAGICAL TRAP DENSITY: HIGH | RECOMMENDED PARTY SIZE: 3-4 MEMBERS]
o__________________________________________o
~~~