Before the dust had even settled, I began rattling off the Words to Unclothe the Darkness. Arx had been performing admirably despite the lack of light through a combination of natural gifts and experience, but she would have next to no chance in a melee. Lynnria and I, none at all. We needed our eyes.
And for good measure, I added Efficacy in the Gloom to the mix. It probably would not help much against the wooden juggernaut, but a touch of added accuracy certainly never hurt.
While I was rattling spells off, Arx rolled off of me. Somewhere mid-Efficacy, she grabbed my ankles and jerked me back just in time to miss the golem’s second descending fist. The jostling, combined with the subsequent deluge of stone chips, nearly broke my concentration, but I just managed to complete the incantation.
Once upon a time, the combination would have floored me, but my capacity had improved by leaps and bounds. I no longer felt such basic spells as anything more than a minor hindrance and, now that I had a bit of Energy in my veins, I was able to scramble back and away from the golem with relative ease. My newly discovered font of Life had been quite the godsend—something I still had a great many unprocessed feelings about—but it had done nothing for my wounds.
Now that I could see, I was able to quickly take stock of the situation. The golem was slowly straightening to its full height after its failed surprise attack. Its wooden mask was incapable of expression, but something about its posture spoke to self-satisfaction. If it could have, I had no doubt it would have cackled while twirling a villainous mustache.
Behind it, four separate paths branched out in a sort of double-T intersection—a natural choke-point. It had to have known we would get here eventually. All it had to do was head us off and wait. Unless the ceiling got us first.
Speaking of, that particular hazard had in no way stopped while were… convalescing. I figured we had two—maybe three—minutes at most before it caught up to us again.
Then, the other end of the long corridor was smashed into powder as the multi-ton domino chain passed us by.
Maybe less…
Nervously, I glanced back to the golem, hoping the encroaching structural collapse would break its resolve, but it was unfazed. Running was not its plan. Not this time.
Nor was it keen on waiting out the inevitable.
Arx deftly swayed to one side as another fist parted the air where her head had been. She was quick to return the favor. With a smooth and precise stroke, her scimitar sliced up the automaton’s side right into the pit of its arm before glancing away.
It had been a masterful exchange. Clearly, she had both the Agility and combat experience to go toe-to-toe with the wooden menace, but she lacked the power to seriously injure it. Long before she ever finished chopping away at its carapace, we would be at the mercy of the collapsing maze.
A second arm windmilled through the air, hoping to send her flying with an uppercut, but she somersaulted away not a hair’s breadth ahead of it. The near miss sent my heart into my throat, but my lilim was light on her feet. She would not be caught so easily.
However, now that it had some space, the golem assumed a familiar T-pose.
“Don’t let it start spinning!” I shouted. “Attack!”
“ ‘Snails and tits besides!” she snarled.
Hurriedly, she launched herself into a flying missile-dropkick right into the golem’s exposed chest. The blow had certainly looked impressive, but it did not accomplish much beyond momentarily unbalancing the ligneous man. Still, it was enough to disrupt the powerful move.
“Do something,” she yelled as she leapt to one side, dodging the return volley. “I’m a Scout, not a front-line fighter. I’m not meant for this crap!”
I did not bother arguing. It would just waste time. We both knew she was all we had.
Another series of booming thuds heralded the latest pass of the crumbling maze.
Shit.
For a moment, I cast about, trying to assemble any sort of plan that might turn the tide. Our only real option was escape but, with the maze violently disintegrating behind us, that meant getting past the labyrinth’s guardian. I had little doubt whether Arx could accomplish the feat, however even if my knees had not been jacked up, I would need a sizable opening.
Then my eyes landed on Lynnria. She had collapsed against a wall off to one side and laid… well, not exactly unmoving.
Double shit.
“Come on, girl,” I said urgently, shaking her. “Come on. I didn’t hit you that hard.”
“Ungh~”
I grimaced at the semi-conscious reply. Her arms and legs were curling and twisting seemingly at random while her eyelids fluttered, and her face had gone slack. Either she was in the middle of one hell of an orgasm, or she was having a seizure.
“I guess I did hit you that hard.”
The wall reverberated like a drum as an arm that might as well have been a battering ram smashed into it, pelting us with chips of stone.
“Any time now,” Arx growled urgently. “I can’t exactly hold this thing with just the one sword!”
“What happened to the other one?” I shouted over my shoulder as I none-too-gently shook Lynnria.
“How would I—?!” Mid-sentence, she was forced to duck nearly to the floor to avoid the ship’s mast swinging at her head. “The last I remember having it was before we got hit by that flood dragon.”
“Is that what that was?”
The golem’s second arm traced an arc through the air as it attempted to flatten her with an overhead chop, and she had to grunt with the effort it took to contort her body out of the way.
“Ahnbe’s tits, man! Focus!” she yelled.
“Right.”
She needed some firepower, and I had a buff for that. I had been holding back on it because of its cost, hoping I could put what Life I had regained toward more healing. But unless I made the sacrifice…
The distant rumbling again rose in pitch, peaking momentarily as it demolished yet another section of the hallway in its wake. A third of the corridor was now in rubble.
No more time for debate.
The Words to Detonating Sap Varnish came quickly enough, but I had yet to practice the spell to the point where casting it felt natural. I had simply lacked the free time and resources to justify the expenditure. So of course, my tongue twisted itself into knots almost immediately.
Then Lynnria’s hand gripped my tunic and jerked me into her waiting lips.
“Three above!” she gasped once I finally wrestled myself free. “That was the single most amazing experience of my entire life! I can’t believe you’ve been able to do that this entire time, and you never once mentioned—”
Her train of thought was abruptly cut short by the clutch of my fingers on her jaw and the subsequent yank of her head toward the fight. I figured it would be quicker than explaining.
“Well… whistle my dick,” she said shortly.
Seleroan
Hey folks!
I've got merch! That's right, about a month ago, I hired an artist to do some character portraits, and I figured, 'What better way to use them, than letting you guys buy your favorite girl. As a mug!'
Yeah... what can I say? I like coffee.
Anyway, here's the store:
https://the-quest-of-words-merch.printify.me/products
Currently, it only ships to the US. Can't seem to figure out why. Nothing on the webpage mentions that. But that's how it is. If I can figure out a way around it, I'll let you know.
For those of you outside the US, I also still have the Patreon available. And you gain access to the most up-to-date chapters.
Come on down! We'd love to see you.
Before the dust had even settled, I began rattling off the Words to Unclothe the Darkness. Arx had been performing admirably despite the lack of light through a combination of natural gifts and experience, but she would have next to no chance in a melee. Lynnria and I, none at all. We needed our eyes.
And for good measure, I added Efficacy in the Gloom to the mix. It probably would not help much against the wooden juggernaut, but a touch of added accuracy certainly never hurt.
While I was rattling spells off, Arx rolled off of me. Somewhere mid-Efficacy, she grabbed my ankles and jerked me back just in time to miss the golem’s second descending fist. The jostling, combined with the subsequent deluge of stone chips, nearly broke my concentration, but I just managed to complete the incantation.
Once upon a time, the combination would have floored me, but my capacity had improved by leaps and bounds. I no longer felt such basic spells as anything more than a minor hindrance and, now that I had a bit of Energy in my veins, I was able to scramble back and away from the golem with relative ease. My newly discovered font of Life had been quite the godsend—something I still had a great many unprocessed feelings about—but it had done nothing for my wounds.
Now that I could see, I was able to quickly take stock of the situation. The golem was slowly straightening to its full height after its failed surprise attack. Its wooden mask was incapable of expression, but something about its posture spoke to self-satisfaction. If it could have, I had no doubt it would have cackled while twirling a villainous mustache.
Behind it, four separate paths branched out in a sort of double-T intersection—a natural choke-point. It had to have known we would get here eventually. All it had to do was head us off and wait. Unless the ceiling got us first.
Speaking of, that particular hazard had in no way stopped while were… convalescing. I figured we had two—maybe three—minutes at most before it caught up to us again.
Then, the other end of the long corridor was smashed into powder as the multi-ton domino chain passed us by.
Maybe less…
Nervously, I glanced back to the golem, hoping the encroaching structural collapse would break its resolve, but it was unfazed. Running was not its plan. Not this time.
Nor was it keen on waiting out the inevitable.
Arx deftly swayed to one side as another fist parted the air where her head had been. She was quick to return the favor. With a smooth and precise stroke, her scimitar sliced up the automaton’s side right into the pit of its arm before glancing away.
It had been a masterful exchange. Clearly, she had both the Agility and combat experience to go toe-to-toe with the wooden menace, but she lacked the power to seriously injure it. Long before she ever finished chopping away at its carapace, we would be at the mercy of the collapsing maze.
A second arm windmilled through the air, hoping to send her flying with an uppercut, but she somersaulted away not a hair’s breadth ahead of it. The near miss sent my heart into my throat, but my lilim was light on her feet. She would not be caught so easily.
However, now that it had some space, the golem assumed a familiar T-pose.
“Don’t let it start spinning!” I shouted. “Attack!”
“ ‘Snails and tits besides!” she snarled.
Hurriedly, she launched herself into a flying missile-dropkick right into the golem’s exposed chest. The blow had certainly looked impressive, but it did not accomplish much beyond momentarily unbalancing the ligneous man. Still, it was enough to disrupt the powerful move.
“Do something,” she yelled as she leapt to one side, dodging the return volley. “I’m a Scout, not a front-line fighter. I’m not meant for this crap!”
I did not bother arguing. It would just waste time. We both knew she was all we had.
Another series of booming thuds heralded the latest pass of the crumbling maze.
Shit.
For a moment, I cast about, trying to assemble any sort of plan that might turn the tide. Our only real option was escape but, with the maze violently disintegrating behind us, that meant getting past the labyrinth’s guardian. I had little doubt whether Arx could accomplish the feat, however even if my knees had not been jacked up, I would need a sizable opening.
Then my eyes landed on Lynnria. She had collapsed against a wall off to one side and laid… well, not exactly unmoving.
Double shit.
“Come on, girl,” I said urgently, shaking her. “Come on. I didn’t hit you that hard.”
“Ungh~”
I grimaced at the semi-conscious reply. Her arms and legs were curling and twisting seemingly at random while her eyelids fluttered, and her face had gone slack. Either she was in the middle of one hell of an orgasm, or she was having a seizure.
“I guess I did hit you that hard.”
The wall reverberated like a drum as an arm that might as well have been a battering ram smashed into it, pelting us with chips of stone.
“Any time now,” Arx growled urgently. “I can’t exactly hold this thing with just the one sword!”
“What happened to the other one?” I shouted over my shoulder as I none-too-gently shook Lynnria.
“How would I—?!” Mid-sentence, she was forced to duck nearly to the floor to avoid the ship’s mast swinging at her head. “The last I remember having it was before we got hit by that flood dragon.”
“Is that what that was?”
The golem’s second arm traced an arc through the air as it attempted to flatten her with an overhead chop, and she had to grunt with the effort it took to contort her body out of the way.
“Ahnbe’s tits, man! Focus!” she yelled.
“Right.”
She needed some firepower, and I had a buff for that. I had been holding back on it because of its cost, hoping I could put what Life I had regained toward more healing. But unless I made the sacrifice…
The distant rumbling again rose in pitch, peaking momentarily as it demolished yet another section of the hallway in its wake. A third of the corridor was now in rubble.
No more time for debate.
The Words to Detonating Sap Varnish came quickly enough, but I had yet to practice the spell to the point where casting it felt natural. I had simply lacked the free time and resources to justify the expenditure. So of course, my tongue twisted itself into knots almost immediately.
Then Lynnria’s hand gripped my tunic and jerked me into her waiting lips.
“Three above!” she gasped once I finally wrestled myself free. “That was the single most amazing experience of my entire life! I can’t believe you’ve been able to do that this entire time, and you never once mentioned—”
Her train of thought was abruptly cut short by the clutch of my fingers on her jaw and the subsequent yank of her head toward the fight. I figured it would be quicker than explaining.
“Well… whistle my dick,” she said shortly.
Seleroan
Hey folks!
I've got merch! That's right, about a month ago, I hired an artist to do some character portraits, and I figured, 'What better way to use them, than letting you guys buy your favorite girl. As a mug!'
Yeah... what can I say? I like coffee.
Anyway, here's the store:
https://the-quest-of-words-merch.printify.me/products
Currently, it only ships to the US. Can't seem to figure out why. Nothing on the webpage mentions that. But that's how it is. If I can figure out a way around it, I'll let you know.
For those of you outside the US, I also still have the Patreon available. And you gain access to the most up-to-date chapters.
Come on down! We'd love to see you.
