Chapter 18:
The sky above Rootwake remained dark, but the crimson hue of the Red Moon had faded. For now, the barrier still held. But the creeping fog was changing. Evolving.
Leo sat in the guild barracks, hunched over a simple wooden desk. The guildmaster had yet to return from the upper district, and Captain Drelas was organizing squads across the lower roots. Tarra stood silently by the doorway, always alert, her eyes glowing faintly beneath her hooded cloak.
He stepped out into the open courtyard behind the Rootwake Guildhall. Soldiers and adventurers rushed in every direction. Defensive glyphs were being etched into tree roots. Fog alarms lined the edges of walkways. Tarra remained beside him.
Drelas appeared from the stairwell, armor half-donned. "Makjin. Your constructs. You summoned that walking fortress again?"
Leo nodded. "Granek. He's in the pocket. I'll bring him out when the front line thins."
Drelas grimaced. "Good. Because we're about to get swarmed."
From below the lowest hanging roots, a tremor spread through the stone pathways. The mist surged like a tide.
> [World Event: Fog Surge – Phase II] A fog-born creature has breached the lower root boundary. Threat Level: High.
The barrier shimmered.
Then it broke.
From the fog erupted dozens of Foglings — lean, twitching things of flesh and smog. But they weren't alone.
Behind them emerged a new creature. Seven feet tall. Its form hunched and twisted. Horns spiraled out of its skull like broken tree roots. Its limbs were uneven — one a jagged blade of bone, the other a too-long arm dragging itself forward. It hissed. Its eyes were hollow.
> [Unknown Entity – Cult Experiment – Fog-Touched Brute] This abomination is artificially born of the fog using unstable vessels. It exudes corruption. Origin: Unknown.
Drelas drew his blade. "All units — hold formation!"
Leo raised a hand. "Granek. Deploy."
A burst of light cracked the ground as Granek materialized — ten feet of stone and crystal, rising like an ancient statue given purpose. He marched forward.
Tarra leapt from the upper ledge, blades flashing. In one elegant sweep, she cleaved through two Foglings and landed beside Leo.
"Protect the ward anchor," she said.
Granek slammed his fist into the brute. The sound was like a cathedral bell cracking. The brute staggered — then laughed.
It swiped at Granek. Bone met stone. Sparks flew. The brute hissed again, its corrupted flesh leaking thick vapor.
Leo aimed his Aetherpulse Rifle and fired. Blue energy lanced through the beast's shoulder. It shrieked.
Tarra drove her blade into its exposed core from the side. "Now!"
"Stone Lock!" Leo shouted.
Granek's foot crashed into the ground. Runes flared. The brute froze, its body pinned by spiraling earth.
> Enemy restrained.
Drelas and his squad moved in, driving enchanted spears into its limbs. Finally, the brute fell, its corpse hissing as it dissolved into fog.
> [Enemy Defeated] XP Gained: 850
The fog retreated… for now.
---
Back at the guild barracks, Leo sat quietly in the corner of a dim-lit room, his breathing finally slowing. Tarra stood sentinel as always.
Leo opened his status window.
---
[Leo Makjin]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Golem-Mancer]
[Level: 10]
[Title: Golem Maker]
[HP: 230/230]
[MP: 170/170]
Stats:
Strength: 10
Agility: 11
Intelligence: 30
Vitality: 23
Luck: ?
Skill Points Available: 0
Status Points Available: 0
Skills:
• Survival Instinct
• Golem Crafting (MAX)
• Golem's Dimensional Pocket (Lv.1) [Slot: 2]
• Summon Golem (Lv.3)
• Golem Enhancement (Lv.1)
• Golem Repair (Lv.1)
• Artifact Making (Lv.1)
• Enchantment (Lv.1)
• Repairing Artifacts (Lv.1)
Subsystems:
• Golem Architect Subsystem (Partially Unlocked)
> Skill Upgraded: Summon Golem (Lv.3)
New Feature Unlocked: Sigil Imprint — allows pre-defined commands to be etched directly into summoned constructs.
---
Far beneath the surface, in a forgotten crypt deep under the eastern marshes, a circle of dark-robed figures stood around a brazier of green flame. One cultist bowed deeply, addressing a shadowy presence across the stone platform.
"The boy," the cultist rasped. "He summoned something massive. A creature of stone and crystal. Controlled."
A pause. Then a cold voice responded from the gloom, dispassionate and curious. "And the other?"
"It moved beside him. Cloaked. Swift. It struck with precision and resisted the fog's influence."
Silence settled like a shroud.
Then: "Mark him. Observe for now. If he proves interesting, escalate the report."
The flames flared.