Framework of the Frontier, Sain Artwell [read me a book .TXT] 📗

features and cracked limbs. Green trails of worts clung to stone beneath the streams and long watery beards of moss hung low from the cliffs. In its shade rested the lake. Its vast submerged chambers were now pastures of rivergrass. Tendrils of algae clung to the half submerged walls, the pillars, and the decorative pavilions. Shiny scaled isopods, big fat mollusks, and long spiny crustaceans roamed the sunken halls in quick bursts of movement, giving chase to schools of tiny iridescent shrimp.

It was beautiful and full of life. Vibrant and decidedly not poisoned life.

When William was about to ask the two miarii girls about it, Ember whisper shouted, “On your left, fifty feet from here, a golem.”

Hunched, it sat on the slippery boulders of the shore. Withered greenery covered it from head to its submerged knees, which were furry with the thick coat of algae. Its pink eye-orb pulsed in erratic flickers of faint light.

“It’s the siren’s work,” Rajza said, her voice irritated and wary.

William glanced at Ember. “Any idea what’s happened to it?”

She activated her magic. “I can’t make out the details from here. The golem doesn’t look like it’s under a spell. I think it is broken. But be careful, being broken doesn’t make it safe. Although… Well, if you can take it down, this could be a good chance.”

It was a golden opportunity.

They had back-up and the golem was already stunned. The only problem was the siren.

William eyed the lake warily, weighing their options. “Regardless of how we tackle the siren herself, it’d be dangerous to leave the golem unchecked. Let’s make sure it won’t spring up on us mid-fight.”

“Sounds good to us,” said Nevija. The others, more or less, murmured in agreement.

As they shuffled closer, the golem continued to sit still roughly eleven feet from the treeline.

“Alright, any of you have magic to help me crack stone?” William looked through the kitties. The girls shook their heads.

Rajza looked thoughtful, shitting through various items returned to him, until he picked what looked like a plate sized spiraling coil attached to a make-shift handle. “We use this to flash-freeze pockets of water and break doors in the dungeons. But I warn you, it’s fragile. If this breaks here, I swear, you’ll pray to gods you hadn’t dragged me along.”

“Alright, you handle it. I’ll try to chip a crack on its neck and pour my waterskin on it. Be ready.”

“What shall the rest of us do?” Nevija asked. Behind her, Raia pulled out a small vial and dipped a dart in something black before slipping it into a blowgun. “We’re not exactly stonecutters.”

“Keep an eye out for the siren.” William shrugged off his backpack. With a warhammer and waterskin in his hands he took a step out of the bushes. “Rajza.”

“Yes, yes. Right behind you.” Rajza hissed.

“Thanks. I’ll be trusting you.”

“Then you’re as foolish as you’re green to the Frontier. You’re lucky I was the old Ranger’s deputy. Any other delver would’ve stabbed you in the back.”

“Oh?” William paused, almost thought of a reply, but returned to the task at hand. He snuck forward, tip-toeing from boulder to brick, holding in his breath all the way until right behind the golem as he anticipated the golem’s head to snap around at him. Licking his lips, he cast the blessing of strength and put his whole body into a two-hand swing aimed at the curving slope of the golem’s neck.

Metal clinked stone with a spark. The hit reverberated in William’s bones. A sizeable chip fell off the golem and left a huge crack, but its eye rotated to face William and flashed with arcane intelligence.

“Back off!” Rajza shouted.

William saw the swing coming, but could not avoid the wide tree trunk-like arm on such slippery ground. God shield me from—

Pain.

The swing caught him mid-chant, hurling him through the air. He heard Ember’s frantic voice before the cold splash of water silenced the world.

Beneath him swam alien creatures the size of cats. William felt a tug of alien disgust and a growing sense of fear for the others above water. Adrenaline kicked. He re-emerged to see Rajza stepping away from the golem’s swipes.

The miarii shouted at William, “Get your ass over here quick! Pour the water on!”

“Will, are you okay?” Ember’s eyes were wide with worry.

“I’m fine.” William swam towards the golem. “Keep it busy Rajza.”

Now that he had a second to look at it, the golem’s movements seemed unnatural. It paused erratically mid-motion and its body twitched as if there were tumors attempting to break out through the stone.

Climbing up the shore, William put his hammer into his belt and uncorked his waterskin. He waited for a step, looking for the perfect opportunity.

Rajza hissed at him when a swing of a stone arm nearly flattened him. “Hurry the fuck up!”

William repeated the blessing of strength and jumped. He landed on the golem’s shoulders and poured water in. The eye rotated inside its stone head to stare right at him, but it did not strike him. Instead, intricate patterns of light flickered within the crystal eye. The air began to smell of ozone.

“Run It’s shooting magic!” Ember shouted.

In a panicked scramble, William dove back into the lake. Through the lens of a disturbed surface, William saw a beam of bright pink energy firing from the golem’s eye. Resurfacing, he saw the beam had decapitated one of the waterfall statues. A cow sized stone head rolled into the lake with a huge splosh.

Rajza scaled the golem and brought his arcane gadget to its neck. Arctic whiteness exploded in a puff of mist. The miarii hopped back as the golem tilted.

Stone cracked. Its head fell off, though the eye continued to move. The cracked stone grew into tiny leg-tendrils. William was back ashore by then to hack them