—— ? ——

  Simon was having the strangest dream.

  He was on stage, wearing a red vest and a stupid hat, smashing toy cymbals together. The stage was one he would never forget. Deep greens and white marble taunted him like they had for so many years. Simon reached the edge of the platform then slowed with a jerk. His mechanical movements felt wrong, but he would do anything to pass Melodian’s trial.

  For some reason, the asshole of a god just screamed at him no matter how convincingly he acted. Simon thought he was doing a decent job at emulating a windup toy. He turned and continued to slam the cymbals together.

  Why couldn’t Melodian see it? He had been doing this for… well, Simon couldn’t remember how long he had been moving from one side to the other. Based on the pain that lanced through his body, it had to be an enormous amount of time.

  Why was he hurting? The pain was suffocating him. Simon could barely breathe.

  Or was it the heat?

  He looked at the god of bards and frowned. What was the purpose behind having the crowd use flamethrowers to heat this room to such a degree? Maybe this was some type of special divine training technique.

  Simon adjusted his little vest and stomped across the marble stage, clashing the cymbals.

  “You call that rhythm?!” Melodian bellowed, spittle flying. The salvia flew through the crowd's flames and turned into golden droplets.

  “I’m a wind-up toy!” Simon shot back. “I don’t think they were known for their musical prowess!”

  Melodian’s spit sizzled against the stage, causing the wooden portions to come alive with fire.

  “Uh.. Are you going to do something about that?!” Simon said, clashing his cymbals faster as he shuffled away.

  The crowd roared, their flamethrowers belching streams of fire. Heat pressed against his skin, searing. Too hot. Way too hot.

  “Or that?! Why did you give them those?!” Simon yelled, trying to move away from the flames that licked his skin. No matter which direction he moved, the flames seemed to follow him.

  “Hello? Melodian?!” Simon shouted, clashing the cymbals in front of them like they were a shield.

  The god didn’t answer. His chest swelled, and his mouth opened. It expanded with every second, growing wider.

  What the fuck?

  Simon froze. The cymbals sagged in his hands as Melodian’s face stretched, rippled, melted like wax. His cheekbones sagged, his eyes flared gold.

  “Oh.” Memories hit him all at once. “Well, shit.”

  The cymbals glowed red-hot. Simon tried to drop them, but they had fused to his palms. Pain detonated through him as the metal seared his flesh.

  “Shit!”

  —— ? ——

  Simon’s eyes snapped open. His consciousness slammed back into his body–then nearly slipped away as bone-deep pain turned his vision white.

  “Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!” he screamed. Each breath was ragged, a crushing weight pressed against his chest. Every movement scraped raw, blistered skin against unyielding metal.

  The golem pinning him wailed in answer. The sound rattled his skull as hate-filled eyes glared inches from his own.

  The fucking thing was right on top of him.

  Simon’s mind swam. The pain made it impossible to focus. Panic took him as he tried to figure out what was going on.

  His vision started to fade. Simon let his eyes close with a sigh.

  Oh.. this is it.

  Simon could feel it. This time he wasn’t going to wake up. His world had become nothing but pain. Maybe… it was better to let go here. His mind was trying to find a place where there was no more pain. But every hiding spot shattered as new waves of agony struck him.

  “Why” Simon choked out, “Won’t you stop moving, asshole?!”

  The golem kept shifting. It was trying to inch its way up his seared midsection. Every second, the thing just kept shaking, trying to kill him.

  Simon felt his body grow cold, despite the situation. It started in his extremities and slowly moved towards his core. Soon, he would be cold. Soon. He would escape this searing nightmare…

  “God damnit!!” Simon shouted. “Why?!”

  The asshole had inched forward, then slid back. The action pulled at his flesh, and parts tore away. They had been stuck to the previously molten body of the creature.

  Coolness spread, but so did rage. This shit head wouldn’t even let him die in peace. Why didn’t he just take one of those hooked hands and end it?

  Simon cracked one eye open, taking in the room. To his right there was nothing but cracked cavern and bubbling metal. Painfully, his head turned and he looked towards the left.

  There, a pile of shattered metal remains led to a barely recognizable saxophone. The brass had crumpled inward, warped into a jagged crescent. Beyond it lay the creature’s arms… or what was left of them.

  So… that's why he hasn’t killed me.

  His last desperate swing had shattered the bastard’s arms, leaving nothing but slag-stumps. Unfortunately, that hadn’t stopped the creature from slamming into him.

  Simon forced his head forward, the motion cracking burned skin. He looked down at the ruin of a monster. It’s torso glowed, but was overwhelmed by the glow coming from its eyes. Hate poured from them.

  Man, if looks could kill…

  The golems ruined stumps twitched uselessly. The remaining stump on its right would occasionally scrape the floor, causing it to shift. But no matter how much it struggled, the only thing it could do was cause Simon more pain.

  “Sucks, doesn’t it?” he wheezed, voice raw and broken. “Can’t do anything, can you?”

  He coughed, a wet, ragged sound that left blood on his lips. His cracked grin widened anyway.

  “Welcome to the club, pal.”

  It wailed at him.

  “Oh, shut up.”

  Simon closed his eyes. The cool numbness had almost swallowed him, promising escape.

  What a way to go.

  Pain ripped through him again, white-hot.

  His eyes flew open, blood bubbling from his lips.

  “I’m trying to die here, ASSHOLE!”

  Another wail.

  Rage exploded in Simon. This jerk didn’t want to let him go in peace? Fine. His mind raced as he went through his options. Kaelalin was most likely still waiting in the entrance chamber. They had agreed she would go there and be ready to exit this horrible place. If Simon fell, someone needed to go back to Varnholt and tell them about this nightmare.

  Also, she was too slow, and too much of a threat. Every fight with these golems had resulted in things chasing her. That would have ruined their plan.

  What else?

  Simon was going to die. He could feel it. Just to confirm he nudged his status.

  —- STATUS —-

  > Health: 8%... 7% …

  ———————

  Yeah, that confirmed it. He was inches from death.

  The golem shifted, pressing more molten weight into his ribs. His vision tunneled, sparks of black edging the world. His rage flared, useless, burning hotter than his flesh.

  Then he remembered. His eyes traced to his right and he saw it.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The potion bag was still strapped to his waist. His useless arm laid on the ground next to it.

  It was burned, seared, purpled into something barely recognizable as human.

  He willed his muscles to move. Nothing, not even a twitch. Pain shuddered through him, but it was just a backdrop for him now.

  The golem shifted again, grinding its molten bulk across the remains of his torso.

  Simon snarled, blood flecking out. “You stubborn asshole. That’s my shtick."

  A wail.

  “Fuck this.” Simon stared at his arm. His will coalesced as he focused everything on one goal.

  Move.

  Nothing happened.

  MOVE.

  Simon pictured it. He imagined his arm twitching, coming back to functionality. It was going to twitch and rise. His arm would move to the bag, then pull it to his face. It would pull a red vial from the bag and he would drink. Then he was going to kill this golden dick.

  Still nothing happened. The jerk shifted again.

  Should he use his skill? No… that would just block his hand. With his luck, a piano would appear and crush his arm.

  Oh shit. Could that skill summon pianos? That would be kind of awesome. An image of a grand piano appearing above an aurora hopper played out in his head.

  Yeah that would be sick.

  Oh.

  His mind was wandering. Trying to escape into pleasant dreams of bunny destruction.

  Simon clenched his jaw and fueled his rage.

  Focus.

  His arm wasn’t twitching. There had to be something he could do. He thought about the skill, and the energy it created. Hadn’t it said it was created? That meant you could make skills.

  Yeah. He could do that. He was going to make a skill named “Holy shit get me out of this situation.”

  Perfect name.

  His mind latched on his newest plan. It wanted a way to escape and this worked. Better be fast though, He was pretty sure he didn’t have much time left.

  —- STATUS —-

  > Health: 4%

  ———————

  Oh yeah. He had no time.

  How was he going to make a skill? Simon had no clue. He barely had any of them, and most of them were pretty intangible. He decided he would go with the one he felt every time he used it.

  That feeling of energy in his body when he summoned a joke of a weapon. The surge.

  He grasped the memories, then channeled them to his mental image of his arm.

  MOVE.

  Simon blinked in shock as a surge of energy welled up in him. It swirled in his chest, but didn’t seem to have a place to go.

  MOVE.

  His will reached out and gripped the swirl. It bucked under his mental hands. Simon growled.

  Oh no you don’t. You are going to do what I want. I have gone through far too much shit for you to not fall in line.

  Anger, focus, and pure stubbornness lanced out of his mind towards the swirl. The energy tried to seep back into him, but his very body denied it. Everything in him denied it. This was something he could do. He was damn good at telling things off.

  His mental energy gripped the swirl and dragged it from his chest. It poured down his arm.

  His arm twitched.

  “Yes!” He garbled. The golem wailed.

  His exhilaration was cut off by a chime and an obnoxious window.

  —- SYSTEM NOTICE—-

  > REQUIREMENTS MET.

  > Through determination you have discovered a skill.

  > Skill: Aura Mastery ( Inferior )

  WARNING - This skill has been blocked

  > Source: Curse - Varrax the Unyielding

  ….

  Simon didn’t finish reading as he felt his control of the energy weakening. There was something new in the mix. He could barely feel it, but it was there.

  Something from outside himself.

  “Yeah, Fuck off!” Simon roared, his voice breaking into a bloody cough.

  The swirl of energy flickered, fighting him, trying to sputter out. He shoved harder, snarling through teeth stained red. The other energy fought against him

  No.

  His mind lashed out. It touched the foreign power and he almost recoiled. The power was beyond anything he could imagine. Limitless, unending, unfeeling. Simon felt so small before it.

  But fuck that.

  He threw his energy, his soul, his entire being against that unending tide. It was like an ant trying to shove back the universe itself. But Simon refused to release his chance. He refused to let this other energy take back what he had gained himself. It wasn’t fair. What happened to harmony being offered?

  The invader toppled his efforts, but Simon didn’t falter. He would make this damned system, these damned gods, this whole damned existence drag him to the grave itself. If it wanted to stop him from this, it would have to kill him. No matter how little life he had left, he would make it pay. Until his dying breath.

  The tide paused. Simon felt something watching him. It observed him, then its focus went to the energy that had almost escaped.

  Something shifted.

  The tide had… changed? It was such a small change, but it was there. It was as if pressure had been removed from sections of the wall of power that outmatched him.

  Simon let himself push into those cracks. The unimaginable power shifted more, guiding him.

  What was going on? Gah. No time to think.

  He focused and shoved the intangible energy that he was controlling into a mould. Guiding seemed to be the wrong feeling for this. It was giving him hints, pointing to weaknesses. Simon grabbed onto it and pushed himself further then he knew.

  It all clicked into place.

  —- SYSTEM NOTICE—-

  > REQUIREMENTS MET.

  > Through ingenuity and unrelenting will, you have discovered a skill.

  > Skill: Anima Control ( Rare )

  > Description: The soul is the vessel of self. You have forced yours to act where your flesh could not. By exerting direct control, you may use anima to empower yourself. Prolonged use may cause harm to your soul.

  > Use: Direct Anima from your soul to affect the material world.

  > Cooldown: None

  Harmony is offered. Growth is earned. Limits are unknown.

  ——————————

  The unrelenting tide of foreign power vanished, like it was never there. The swirling energy that Simon held changed in the same instant. It felt warm, comforting, and familiar.

  Simon had no time to think. He acted.

  Power surged from deep within, joining the energy in his arm. His arm shifted, then flexed. Like a puppet on strings, it moved to the bag. Searing pain arched through his arm, but he suppressed it. His vision darkened as unfeeling fingers pulled a red vial from the bag.

  He brought it to his mouth and his teeth tore the cap off. Red liquid flowed into his throat. As it sunk into his body, he mentally tugged on his status.

  —- STATUS —-

  > Health: 1%

  ———————

  Not even close. He grinned.

  Warmth spread through his body as the potions energy absorbed into him. Simon pulled another red vial and downed it. Then another.

  He drank every healing potion he had. Nine in total. He was pretty sure there was no warning about taking this many?

  Probably.

  Life giving energy bubbled through him, notching up the pain he felt to a new level.

  But Simon couldn’t stop grinning.

  His gaze moved to the golden golem.

  “Guess what, asshole?” Simon wheezed, blood and potion staining his chin.

  “It’s time for you to die.”

  Simon directed his arm up above the creature, then pulled on his summoning skill.

  The signature pop of the skill was followed by a pleasant Shhhk-shhk.

  “Hello old friend.” Simon said affectionately to the maraca. Then his arm descended, and he tapped the golem.

  Shhhk-shhk.

  Shhhk-shhk.

  Shhhk-shhk.

  Simon rhythmically tapped the creature. His movements were small, but deliberate. His gaze locked with its eyes.

  A grin split Simon’s burned lips as he tapped out his victory.

  The golem wailed, its hate-filled glare faltering. For the first time, Simon saw panic flare in its molten gaze.

  He leaned forward, blood dripping from countless wounds. His voice was raw and gleeful.

  “That's right. You can’t do anything. Welcome to my world.”

  Shhhk-shhk.

  —— ? ——

  Kaelalin waited, her heart thundering. The cavern she stood in had shook from her companions' skill. The clash had been loud and brutal. Sounds of metal shrieking, Simon’s curses, the creature’s wail had echoed to the chamber.

  Then… silence.

  Only the occasional wail. But after a time that had gone silent.

  Seconds dragged into minutes. The stillness pressed against her ears until she thought she’d go mad. Every nerve screamed at her to run forward, to see, to help. But Simon had made her swear she wouldn’t come. They both knew if that creature went for her, she was dead. It didn’t help her mind feel any better about this situation.

  Her fingers clenched around the system anchor, sweat dampening her palms despite her cold nature. She shifted her weight, forced herself to stay rooted. Another minute bled away. Then another.

  Then a chime caused her to jump.

  —- SYSTEM NOTICE—-

  > You have slain Golden…

  She didn’t finish reading, her legs already moving.

  “Simon!” she screamed, sprinting towards the tunnel. It blurred past her as she dodged mines she had left to warn her.

  The tunnel spat her into the cavern, and she skidded to a halt. Her breath caught.

  The chamber she had left behind minutes ago was unrecognizable. The once-soiled metal floor was fractured into a twisting web of cracks. Molten light bled from every seam. Golden metal oozed from everywhere. It even dripped from the ceiling in fat sizzling drops. New pools had dotted the chamber bubbling as they slowly grew. The cavern’s glow pulsed like a wounded heart. The air burned, searing her throat with every breath.

  Kaelalin shook herself from her shock and her gaze searched the room. Chunks shattered metal lay scattered. A pile of it surrounded the corpse of the monster near the other tunnel. She kept looking, but there was no sign of him.

  “Simon!?” She called out, her heart dropping. No one should have been able to survive this carnage.

  The echo of her call came back hollow. Only the hiss of molten drips answered her.

  She fell to her knees, grief slamming into her chest. She could still feel the system notice in her mind, mocking her.

  Victory at what cost?

  Her throat tightened, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. He had been reckless, infuriating, and stubborn. But he had stayed to fight. He had given her hope that they could stop the creature from feeding on the souls of these innocents.

  And now he was gone.

  Her head bowed as she whispered a prayer for the damned fool. She had almost finished the words when a metallic clatter snapped her eyes open.

  She scanned the ruin, heart hammering. From the shattered heap of golden slag, something moved.

  An arm. Charred, seared, barely recognizable as human, pushed free from the wreckage. The flesh was blackened, splitting, the shape more horror than limb.

  Kaelalin’s breath caught.

  The hand clenched into a fist. For a long, dreadful heartbeat, it didn’t move.

  Then, with a shaky jerk, the thumb lifted.

  Kaelalin stared, then laughed with relief.

  Of course he would give her a thumbs up.

  —— ? ——

  — AUTHOR NOTICE —

  Super happy with how they have turned out.

  ~TheBusyBard

  ——————————