Alyra drew her energy inward, gathering it in the center of her chest chakra.

  The creature of metal spheres loomed between her and Derek. A solid wall of steel and shadow blocking the passage through the tunnels beneath the Citadel.

  If she wanted to get through, she had to commit everything.

  A Level Two Fulcrum Strike. Her best shot. Or rather, the best she could manage. The one she’d barely pulled off in front of Varom, and even then, luck might’ve done most of the work.

  Water dripped from the cavern’s ceiling, echoing softly through the wide, dark chamber. The only light came from the pale flame flickering in Faela’s palm, its glow dancing across the wet rock and the glinting spheres that made up the creature’s massive frame.

  It didn’t move. Didn’t strike. As long as they stayed still, the thing seemed content to watch.

  Fine by her. That meant she had time to gather her strength. No promises it would work, but standing there waiting wasn’t an option.

  The creature tilted its metallic head, joints clicking. Its voice rasped like grinding iron, yet the words rang disturbingly clear. “I detect an energy spike in your heart Node.”

  Alyra’s jaw tightened. Node? What was that supposed to mean? Was it sensing the energy she’d built up inside her?

  Her pulse thudded in her chest. Whatever the thing had detected, it hadn’t realized what she was about to do. Its tone stayed calm, almost… curious.

  Good.

  All she had to do was keep the focus steady. Ignore the voice. Hold the power, then strike.

  The being raised one of its massive limbs, the metal joints creaking. “If you continue, you will create major imbalance in your vibrations. Concentrating all in one area is not healthy. I strongly suggest you stop right away.”

  Alyra clenched her jaw. Vibrations. It had to mean chakra energy, just using strange words for it. The thing clearly had no idea that imbalance was the entire point of a Fulcrum Strike. Dumping all the excess energy in one blast was how balance was restored, and hopefully how she’d turn that wall of scrap into slag.

  The Death energy inside her stayed still this time. Cold, inert, like a pool of shadow refusing to stir. Maybe Faela had been right. Against something without flesh or life, Death was as useless as Life.

  Faela’s steps scraped over the wet stone. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

  Alyra didn’t answer. She pressed her fists together over her heart, muscles trembling as the heat built beneath her skin. The power churned, eager to burst free, but she forced it to stay centered. Certainty didn’t matter. There was no other choice.

  The metal being dropped to one knee, the sound of straining gears echoing through the cavern. “It appears you have serious vibration problem. I help now.”

  A long arm reached toward her, the motion smooth yet wrong, too fluid for something made of steel.

  Alyra flinched back. The flow inside her shattered, scattering through her chest like shards of light.

  “No need to fear. I repair you. Soon you have no more imbalance in your Nodes.” The thing stood again, each step ringing through the cavern like a hammer on an anvil.

  Her breath caught. Whatever that thing was, it wasn’t acting like any golem she’d ever seen.

  She slid one foot back, steadying herself, hands raised. The momentary break had scattered her focus, but she could rebuild it. One breath. One pulse. Draw it in. Center.

  The energy reached its limit.

  The metallic creature stretched its arm toward her again.

  Alyra jumped back once more, but this time her focus didn’t break. The energy was seconds away from bursting.

  The golem advanced again, both arms reaching for her.

  With a roll, Alyra dove under them and sprang up with a burst of strength, ending up right in front of the creature.

  Perfect position.

  She drew in a sharp breath. As she exhaled, both fists came down on the golem’s leg.

  Power burst from her chest like a river breaking its banks, racing down her arms until it exploded from her fists on impact. A blinding flash tore through the cavern, bright as lightning cutting across a stormy night.

  Textbook execution.

  Alyra held still, chest tight, eyes locked on the thing in front of her.

  The golem bent, inspecting the dented spot where her blow had landed. “There. Excess vibrations discharged. Your Nodes are balanced now.”

  It straightened with a low groan of metal and turned away, its heavy steps echoing through the chamber as it walked back to its original place.

  Alyra blinked. That was it.

  Her strongest strike hadn’t even made the thing flinch. The shock rippled through her arms, settling like a weight in her stomach. How powerful did it have to be to absorb that kind of blow without so much as a reaction? And why wasn’t it attacking her? Not that she’d complain. Something like that could’ve killed her in an instant.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Faela’s hand landed on her shoulder, light but firm. “You tried. That thing is beyond what we can handle.”

  Alyra’s fists tightened until her knuckles cracked. Damn it. She’d been so close. Derek was somewhere past that metal freak—maybe fighting, maybe dying—and Faela could’ve helped him. Why had everything gone wrong so fast? Why did he have to leave that night?

  Beyond the guardian, the tunnel stretched into darkness. No telling how far it went, or what waited at the other end.

  A sharp sound cut through the silence, metallic bursts like the weapons Derek used. Then came the crashes, the screams. Distant, muffled, but human.

  “Derek!” Alyra’s voice echoed off the walls. Something was happening down there. She couldn’t just stand here.

  She darted forward, but the golem swung an arm across the passage, blocking her way. “Repairs in progress. Interruption not permitted.”

  “What repairs?!” The words tore from her throat. “They’re fighting down there!”

  “Fighting aberrations is part of repair process. Everything proceeds according to specifications.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Her pulse pounded in her ears. The thing’s tone didn’t change, its face an unmoving mask of spheres.

  She didn’t have time for this pile of metal nonsense. Alyra spun toward Faela. “Get ready to run like you’ve never run before.”

  Faela froze—eyes wide, mouth slightly open—but managed a quick nod.

  Another round of explosions thundered down the corridor, dust drifting from the ceiling.

  “Something’s happening over there,” Alyra said. “And we need to help. If you still want to save Derek, follow me.”

  Faela started to answer, but Alyra was already moving.

  “Follow me!” she yelled, sprinting straight at the towering golem, veering for its left flank.

  The creature slammed one of its massive limbs down where she’d been heading. The ground split under the impact, shards of stone flying past her boots, but Alyra was already airborne. She caught the metal arm mid-swing, muscles straining as she locked both hands and legs around it.

  The golem jerked upright, trying to shake her off. Alyra used the momentum, pulling herself up along the shifting plates until she reached its shoulder. The spheres that made up its body gave her just enough grip to climb over the top and drop to the other side.

  The giant turned, movements stiff and delayed, trying to track her.

  Faela slipped past in that same instant, black cloak flashing, fast as a shadow cutting through light.

  “This is irregular,” the golem droned. “Cease movement immediately.”

  But they were already gone.

  The tunnel swallowed them in damp darkness, the walls rushing past Alyra’s ears like the roar of wind through a cave.

  Behind them, the creature’s footsteps boomed, slow, thunderous, each one shaking the ground like a drumbeat from the depths.

  “Run!” Alyra’s voice echoed through the passage as she sprinted after Faela, lungs burning, boots splashing through shallow puddles.

  Metal thunder chased her down, closer with every step.

  Faela didn’t need the order. The cultist was already ahead, silent and swift, her movement slicing through the dark, her speed whipping Alyra’s hair back.

  Alyra clenched her jaw and forced her legs to keep moving, every muscle screaming, her heartbeat pounding in rhythm with the golem’s steps.

  The tunnel tightened around them. The thumping behind began to fade. The creature was slowing down for some reason.

  Didn’t matter. Once they found Derek, it would catch up. She could only hope he’d be able to deal with it.

  There wasn’t a better plan anyway.

  Flashes lit the darkness ahead. Bright bursts followed by the roar of explosions. The sound grew louder, closer with every second.

  Her heart hammered. The NOVA was still back at the entrance… Derek didn’t have his armor. A knot formed in her throat. If even one of those blasts had hit him, all this running would’ve been for nothing.

  Something moved up ahead. A figure, running straight toward them. A staff gleamed in his hand, topped with a glowing stone that swung wildly as he moved, scattering fractured light across the cave walls.

  Alyra braced herself, ready for another enemy.

  But the man sprinted past them without even looking their way.

  He wore a padded vest, tool pouches clattering against his legs as he ran. The staff with the glowing stone was ornate—far too intricate to belong to a villager. Whoever he was, he mattered.

  Another explosion snapped her focus forward.

  What she saw next stopped her cold.

  Dozens of metal spheres—identical to the ones that made up the creature behind them—swarmed across the floor like a flood of insects. They converged on a narrow opening ahead, the mouth of a tunnel descending deeper underground.

  Guarding it stood a hulking figure of stone and earth, crude and uneven, more a mass of raw material than flesh.

  The metal swarm fell upon it in a frenzy, sprouting blades from their bodies. One sphere latched onto the creature’s chest and stabbed deep, but the rocky being ripped it free and hurled it aside like a toy. Another struck its leg. It tore that one off too, slammed it to the ground, and crushed it underfoot. The sphere’s shell twisted with a metallic scream before falling silent.

  Above the chaos, two metal creatures zipped through the air. They were Derek’s golems. They moved with mechanical precision, weaving and darting as they unleashed bursts of fire and lightning that tore the swarm apart in showers of molten sparks. Every strike hit with purpose, perfectly timed and protective.

  They were defending the tunnel and whatever was inside.

  And the realization hit her like a punch.

  Not what was inside.

  Who.

  Derek!

  Alyra froze, eyes wide.

  Faela stopped beside her, panting. “What’s happening?”

  Alyra pointed toward the narrow gap. “I think Derek’s in there.”

  The cultist stared at the chaos, speechless. “But why… what—” The words stumbled and died on her lips.

  Alyra’s fists tightened. She had no idea what the hell was going on, but those things were attacking Derek, and she wasn’t about to stand by and watch. She broke into a sprint toward the smaller golem.

  Metal spheres rained from the ceiling and burst from the walls around her. Some brushed her legs, cold and sharp, trying to latch onto her ankles, but she kicked them off and kept running.

  For now, most of them ignored her. They were too busy swarming toward the tunnel entrance.

  Alyra fixed her gaze on the gap ahead. She had to reach Derek, see him alive, and find a way to help.

  The small golem dropped into her path, stubby arms spread wide.

  Was it trying to stop her?

  She planted both hands on its head, pushed off, and vaulted clean over it.

  The little creature turned, reaching after her with a clumsy hand, but two spheres leapt at it before it could follow. It went right back to fighting.

  Alyra slipped through the opening, her heart hammering.

  The tunnel beyond was almost pitch-black. A burst of sparks lit the narrow space for a heartbeat, casting jagged shadows along the walls.

  Someone was there. His face was metal, no nose, no mouth, only a thin slit where eyes should have been.

  Alyra raised her guard. “What are you? And where’s Derek?”

  The being turned its head toward her. In one hand, it held a pointed tool, the same one that had just spat out those sparks. Maybe some kind of weapon.

  Then it straightened and lifted its metal faceplate.

  Wait… that wasn’t its face. It was a mask. And underneath—

  “Hey,” Derek said. His face was streaked with soot. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Derek!” Alyra’s voice broke out of her chest. “You’re alive!”

  He frowned. “Yeah, more or less. And I’ve got work to finish. How did you even get down here?” He blinked, disbelief flashing across his soot-stained features. “You made it through the Citadel, found this tunnel, and got past all the metal things going berserk outside? How did you pull that off?”

  “They helped me!” Alyra rushed toward him. “Listen, I brought someone who can help you.”

  His eyes lit up. “Oh yeah? You found someone who can fix this mess? Great, bring them over.”

  She shook her head. “No. Not that kind of help. Someone who can remove the Death energy from you. So you won’t die. Or at least, that’s what she says.”

  “Ah…” His shoulders dropped a little, the light in his eyes dimming.

  Alyra frowned. “What, you don’t care about living?”

  Now that she thought about it, he didn’t even look worried that she’d nearly died trying to reach him.

  He scratched his head. “Not so much lately. Still, I appreciate the thought. Maybe we’ll talk about it later, okay?”

  He pulled the metal mask back down over his face and went right back to working on… whatever it was he was fixing.

  Alyra glanced at the panel in the wall. Strange red and white lights flickered inside it. “What are you doing?”

  “Fixing it. Thought that was obvious.”

  “Yes, but why? What’s it for?”

  He shrugged. “Not a clue. But the tall guy outside said he won’t let me through unless I fix the malfunction first.”

  Tall guy? She guessed he meant the metal being that had tried to stop her. “Then why are those metal creatures attacking?”

  “Who knows? The moment I started working on this panel, they activated. Guess they don’t agree with tall guy about the whole ‘repair’ thing.” He nodded toward the exit. “How’re they doing out there?”

  “Pretty well. Your bots are tearing through the metal things easily.”

  Derek grimaced. “Yeah, I bet. They’re a little too enthusiastic. If they don’t calm down, they’ll burn through their plasma reserves.” He tapped the side of his glasses. “On the bright side, they’ve leveled up twice already. Iron Three.” A crooked grin tugged at his lips. “Didn’t even know they could level up. Fine by me, if I can push them high enough, they’ll be useful as hell.”

  He lowered the metal mask again, leaned toward the panel, and touched it with his tool. Another spray of sparks burst toward the ceiling.

  Alyra flinched back. “And what am I supposed to do?”

  Derek paused and lifted the visor again. “If I don’t fix this glitch, they’ll just keep coming. And now that you’re here, they’ll go for you too. So do yourself a favor, find a nice corner and stay out of the way while I finish up. I’ve got a feeling that if it weren’t for this Death energy running through me, I’d probably be freaking out about your safety right now.” He gave a small shrug. “At least, I think I would.”

  Alyra’s hands tightened into fists. “No. Your golem out there needs help.”

  “Who, Chuck?” Derek smirked and shook his head. “That paperweight wannabe’s tougher than he looks.” He waved a hand dismissively. “He’ll be fine.”

  A dull thud echoed from the corridor, followed by something rolling across the floor. It stopped near Alyra’s boots.

  A rock. A heavy one.

  She crouched and, with a grunt of effort, lifted it. Two tiny holes stared back at her from the middle of the stone.

  Derek stepped closer and glanced at the rock. “Oh… crap,” he muttered.

  Alyra blinked. “What?”

  “I think you’re holding Chuck’s head.”