“Warning! Intruders detected... Executing physical elimination!”
The Ancient Gnomish issued from deep within the massive mechanical creation, muffled yet carrying a sharp, metallic bite.
“A War Golem!”
Emily’s screech nearly shattered Rosie’s eardrums.
Without wasting time on an explanation, the halfling grabbed Rosie and turned to bolt.
The moment Emily tugged on her, Rosie had already spun around and surged toward the corridor they had come from.
“Executing physical elimination!”
The amber crystal on the War Golem's head suddenly flared with a glaring, blood-red light.
The crimson light condensed on the crystal's surface for less than a breath before violently firing a finger-thick beam of deep red.
Catching the flash in her peripheral vision while sprinting, Rosie didn't think twice. She wrapped her arms around Emily and dove sideways.
The beam passed right through where she had been standing a fraction of a second ago, plunging straight into the stone wall ahead.
There was no explosion.
No shower of stone debris.
A fist-sized hole melted directly into the wall's surface, its edges glowing with a glass-like sheen as dark red molten stone dripped slowly downward.
Rosie slammed into the ground, pinning Emily, who let out a muffled groan.
She looked up at the melting hole still spewing wisps of white smoke, her face turning deathly pale.
Scrambling to her feet without bothering to pick up her fallen short spear, she grabbed Emily by the collar and hauled her straight up.
Then she slammed her foot onto the stone floor and charged toward the corridor exit.
A second beam of red light struck the edge of the corridor right behind Rosie, melting another crimson hole into the wall.
She sprinted out of the corridor in one burst, dashed through the foyer, squeezed through the gap in the stone door, and spun around, slamming her fists onto the mechanism beside the heavy slab.
The massive stone door let out a heavy, grinding friction sound before slowly sliding shut, sealing tight.
The scalp-numbing metallic footsteps were finally cut off on the other side of the stone wall.
Rosie leaned against the wall beside the stone door, gasping heavily for air as her chest heaved violently.
Emily slumped to the ground, her face completely drained of color.
It took a long moment for the halfling to catch her breath before she suddenly let out a wail. “Ah! The orb light is still inside!”
Panting, Rosie glanced sideways at her. “What on earth is that thing? Why is it so terrifyingly strong?”
Emily was about to answer when an unsettling sound echoed from behind them.
First came a faint sizzle, like something searing stone.
Rosie whipped around.
The center of the thick, grayish-white stone door began to turn red.
A halo of dark red light radiated outward from the middle of the door panel, as if someone on the other side was continuously heating the exact same spot with plasma.
Fine cracks spread across the stone door's surface, dark red light seeping through the fissures. Molten stone dripped down the door panel with a continuous sizzle.
Then, a sharp voice cut through from behind the door, penetrating the melting stone.
“Warning! Intruders damaging corporate property again. Engaging annihilation mode!”
“Holy crap, again?!”
Rosie turned and bolted.
Behind her, Emily's short little legs pumped so fast they blurred into a streak.
A deafening crash exploded from behind.
The War Golem shoved aside the stone door, half of which had melted away, and stepped through the collapsed frame.
Its head turned slowly, the amber crystal lighting up as it locked onto the two figures running through the mushroom forest in the distance.
“Annihilate!”
Just then, a dense buzzing noise echoed from above the mushroom forest.
The giant bees resting atop the mushroom caps had been startled by the massive commotion.
They took flight above the mushroom forest, circled twice in midair, locked onto the massive metallic target on the ground, and swooped down.
The War Golem raised its head, its amber crystal targeting the airborne threats closing in at high speed.
Red light flashed rapidly.
With every flash, a giant bee burst into a fireball in midair. Molten chitin and burning wing fragments rained down upon the mushroom forest like fiery droplets.
In mere moments, every giant bee that had charged in plummeted as a ball of fire. The air filled with the pungent reek of scorched flesh and burning fat.
Hiding behind the massive stalk of a mushroom, the two runaways watched the scene unfold with total clarity.
Rosie's throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.
She turned to look at Emily, who was staring right back at her.
The War Golem swept its gaze along the edge of the mushroom forest, seemingly reacquiring the positions of the two intruders.
Then, it raised its right arm. A thick plume of flame erupted from the muzzle, sweeping across the mushroom forest ahead.
Vast swathes of mushrooms withered and melted under the intense heat, releasing a pungent, acrid odor.
“It—it's clearing the area...” Emily stammered.
Rosie didn't hesitate for another second. Snatching Emily up, she sprinted toward the cliff for all she was worth.
Bounding up the stone steps, Emily threw herself onto the platform, pried open the cover panel as fast as her hands could move, and slammed down hard on the equilateral triangle switch.
Click.
A crisp mechanical sound echoed from deep within the platform.
Blue light surged from the stone surface, far faster than last time.
Just as the blue light enveloped both of their bodies, the War Golem's heavy metallic footsteps thundered onto the steps.
Its head turned, amber crystal aiming directly at the platform.
But the blue light had already reached peak brightness.
In the next instant, the blue light flashed intensely.
Rosie's vision was swallowed by a soft blue glow.
All sound vanished in a flash.
Then, the blue light dissolved.
Her feet planted back onto solid ground.
Before her was the familiar cavern—the grayish-white stone pedestal, the crumbling ruins, and the beam of wintry daylight streaming down through the ceiling fissure.
The air was cold and crisp, carrying the unmistakable scent of the surface world.
They were back.
Rosie stood on the platform, lowering her head in silence for a good long moment.
“That thing shouldn't be able to come up, right? After all, it doesn't have fingers to press the switch,” she joked.
Emily lay flat on her back on the ground, gasping for air.
“Hahaha, you're really something, Rosie. Emily was scared to death!”
She stared up at the fissure in the cavern ceiling, watching the pale gray shaft of daylight. Only after a long while did she sit up, her face still pale with residual terror.
“That's a terrifying war machine built by ancient gnomes. Once, a dwarven city excavated a gnome ruin underground and accidentally activated a War Golem. Half of the city's lower level was destroyed, and the dwarves paid a gruesome price before finally destroying it.”
Rosie grinned wryly. “Ha! Guess we got lucky then...”
Emily's expression didn't lighten much. “But that War Golem is activated now. It'll guard that ruin forever.”
She paused for a moment, then shook her head.
“Emily needs to hurry back to the Explorers Association headquarters in Forge Citadel as soon as possible. The association's archives might have information on the Gnome Archsage. As for that War Golem... that's something the association will have to negotiate with the Norman royal family.”
Rosie didn't offer much opinion after listening.
She had no interest in the internal workings of the Explorers Association, nor did she care what the War Golem did next.
She just wanted to upgrade her gear, save up some money, and figure out where to go next.
Emily re-disguised the platform teleportation mechanism, and the two stepped out of the cavern.
It was already evening outside.
The snow had stopped, leaving a blanket of white over the ground.
Standing at the cave entrance, Emily dug into her pouch and pulled out two gold coins.
“Thanks to you this time, otherwise Emily might have been stuck in that ruin forever.”
She pressed the gold coins into Rosie's hand and rubbed her palms together sheepishly.
“Emily doesn't have much money on her right now, so take these two gold coins as a token of gratitude. Once the Greenstone family strikes it rich... wait, no, once Emily's research yields results, I'll definitely give you a much bigger reward!”
The gold coins felt heavy, glowing with a warm, soft sheen. One side was stamped with a crown, and the back featured a sheaf of wheat.
These were standard gold coins of the Kingdom of Norman, each worth one hundred silver coins.
“If you still want to go on more adventures later, Rosie, you can come find me at the Explorers Association in Forge Citadel. Just tell anyone at the association you're looking for Emily Greenstone, and they'll know.”
Rosie nodded. “Got it. I'll keep that in mind.”
Emily grinned, put two fingers to her mouth, and blew a sharp, loud whistle toward the woods.
The whistle echoed far into the distance.
A few seconds later, hurried footsteps sounded from deep within the forest.
A giant bird burst out from the shadows of the trees.
It stood taller than Rosie, with a long, slender neck covered in deep blue feathers and a pair of long, powerful legs.
“This is Emily's strider companion, Bluefeather.”
Emily walked over and patted the bird's leg. The bird lowered its head and gently nuzzled her hair with its beak.
“Don't be fooled by how tall he is—he's actually a total coward.”
The strider seemed slightly offended by the “total coward” comment, letting out a soft coo before crouching down.
Emily patted it with a chuckle, climbed up, and settled into a custom saddle on the strider's back, adjusting her position.
“Forge Citadel, Explorers Association! Don't forget!”
She waved at Rosie, instantly returning to her noisy, energetic halfling self.
Then the strider took long strides, sprinting through the lightly snow-covered forest.
Its pace was wide and steady, reaching high speeds in an instant.
Standing at the cave entrance, Rosie watched Emily ride off until the tiny black dot completely disappeared at the end of the forest before looking back.
She looked down at the two gold coins in her palm, tucked them into her pouch, turned around, and walked toward the village.
By the time she returned to the village, the old village chief was standing near the wooden fence at the entrance, chatting with a few villagers.
Seeing Rosie approaching from across the field, he hurried over to meet her.
“Young lady! You're finally back!”
He eyed her up and down, visibly relieved to see her limbs intact and her spirits high.
“Those goblins...”
“They fled,” Rosie said. “I cleared out their nest, killed a few, and the rest ran off. They shouldn't dare come back anytime soon.”
She didn't mention the gnome ruin, as there was no need to.
The old village chief nodded repeatedly. “Good that they ran! Those damned little green-skins... Wait here, young lady, I'll go fetch your reward right away!”
He hurried back into the village and returned shortly after holding a bulging cloth coin bag, handing it to Rosie with both hands.
“The thirty silver coins as promised, not a single one missing. Feel free to count them.”
Rosie took the bag, weighed it in her hand without counting it on the spot, and slipped it into her backpack.
“There's still some stolen grain left in the goblin nest. You can go retrieve it,” she added.
The village chief shook his head repeatedly, saying it wasn't worth entering the Cave of the Dead for a bit of grain.
He then thanked her profusely, insisting that Rosie stay in the village for dinner before leaving.
Rosie had originally intended to hit the road immediately, but seeing the sun sinking westward, continuing her journey meant traveling in the dark again soon.
After thinking it over, she accepted the chief's offer.
That night, she stayed in a vacant house in the village.
The village chief brought over hot soup, black bread, and a small dish of salted meat.
After eating, Rosie lay down on the hard wooden bed.
She slept deeply that night, dreamlessly.
Early the next morning, Rosie woke up in the morning light.
She shouldered her backpack, fastened the straps of her leather cuirass, and checked over her gear.
Thanking the village chief, she walked out of the village.
The air was cold and crisp, and the thin snow on the fields shimmered with a pale gold light under the rising sun.
In the distant treetops, a few early-rising birds chirped cheerfully.
Rosie set off, stepping forward along the dirt road.
Her figure gradually grew smaller in the thin morning mist of winter until she finally vanished around the bend in the road.
Rate on N.U.
