Chapter 92: Half-Naked Birdman and the Gang in Golem Paradise
It is the past, a grave marker, a scar, a remnant. That a civilization of the Age of Divinity existed in the distant past has been proven by the ruins discovered and the items excavated. And among those, the place most famous for unearthing items from the Age of Divinity is undoubtedly here: the Road of Past Glories.
What once happened to the civilization of the Age of Divinity? Why was most of that civilization's knowledge lost, scattered, destroyed? The answer remains unknown. But a vague hint becomes unavoidably clear the moment you set foot in this area.
Sunraku: "Sigh... Well, ain't this another fantastical sight divorced from reality..."
I tilt my head up and let out an involuntary sigh of wonder. Covering the entire area like a domed ceiling is an artificial spine and ribcage so colossal that even the word "giant" feels inadequate. It's clearly not from a living creature. Though dimly lit, since this game doesn't prioritize realism above all else, I can see well enough. That spine and those ribs—large enough to swallow a mid-sized town with room to spare—are unmistakably made of metal, assembled as a tool.
The fact that there was a need to build something like this, and that Legacy Weapons are excavated from this area even though it's completely wrecked... I don't know why the Age of Divinity civilization fell, but at least one thing is clear: they were fighting "something." Whether that something was a Unique Monster, or this game's final boss... Personally, I'd rather it not be a Unique Monster. I don't fancy my chances against an opponent that required building some gigantic "thing" like this.
Sunraku: "The suspicious one is 'Bahamut'... No, this isn't the time for speculation."
My thoughts derailing is a bad habit. Though it's not unpleasant—it just means there's a lot to think about. Still, analyzing the area itself is important. This place was probably originally a factory or something. After all, the arms of the golem approaching us, having noticed our presence, are industrial-looking burners.
Sunraku: "Deluxe King Medjed, disengage!"
I swap my headgear to the Staring Bird Mask. At the same time, Emul—who was plastered to my head—Bilac—clinging to my back—and Arameese—cradled in my arms—all separate from me. The golem swings its burner like a flaming sword. But as is the fate of giant-type monsters, its speed and precision are utterly dead in exchange for high power.
Sunraku: "If I had to say, the active hitbox is a bit longer than I expected..."
And it's probably as tough and durable as it looks. Now then, how much does my current firepower actually do against it...? Just as I ready the Marsh Dagger [Revised II]—
An unnaturally sharp wind grazes my cheek.
Sunraku: "? What th—"
Arameese: "Hahahahaha! O wandering iron giant of the Age of Divinity, I, Arameese, shall draw the curtain on thy long wandering!"
Huh? Wait, hold on—
Arameese: "[Sworvant: Solo — Primal Slash]!"
The slash effect flies right past me on a trajectory that would've been a direct hit if I'd been one step further to the side. The culprit, Arameese, was a good five meters away from the burner golem by my eye—yet the attack's terrifying speed, from inception to impact, demonstrates its power by reducing the burner golem to blasted scrap.
Arameese: "Hehehe... O maiden, and you fellows too, rest easy! As long as I, Arameese—the 'Wild Wind'—am here, no foe shall stand as an obstac—gouboof!?"
Bilac: "Ya moron! Ya freakin' moron! Don't go usin' anti-dragon-scale techniques just to take down a single work golem! This... ngh... IDIOT!"
Anti-dragon-scale, she says. Lady, that could've wiped out the entire left half of my body. Naturally, the golem blown to smithereens yielded no drop items. Actually, even if there had been a drop item, that attack just now seems to have lost it.
Sunraku: "Ah... yeah... Arameese, I hate to ask, but hold back on the big finisher spam."
Arameese: "E-Even for you, a hammer is a bit mu—afun! ...U-Understood..."
A sledgehammer—not a mere fist—comes crashing down on Arameese's skull. He clutches his head in agony but accepts my words.
Bilac: "I was plannin' to come here sooner or later anyway, so I'd looked into this place a fair bit."
Sunraku: "I see."
Bilac: "For one thing, in this place, golems just spawn like crazy. Two types of 'em."
Sunraku: "Uh-huh."
Bilac: "First type: golems from the Age of Divinity. Those guys are sluggish overall, but sturdy in exchange. They've been movin' since the Age of Divinity, and it shows."
Sunraku: "I see."
Bilac: "And the second type: golems born from the materials... around here. These ones are fragile, but ya never know what they'll do."
Sunraku: "You've done your homework. But you know..."
I glance sideways at Emul, firing Magic Edge rapid-fire with tears in her eyes, and Arameese, who had his finisher restriction lifted almost immediately and is now swinging his sword with roaring laughter. Meanwhile, I shout as I kick away a monster—a potato-like thing with just legs attached, but the size of a watermelon, something you'd have to call a "Ball Golem."
Sunraku: "Tell me that kind of info beforehand!"
Bilac: "Wouldn't have changed the outcome anyway!"
Sunraku: "It's about mental preparedness!"
Emul: "Pyaah! Reinforcements... wa!?"
The Ball Golem I just kicked away collides with another one at its landing point... and detonates. The explosion then chains to its surroundings.
Sunraku: "That's an eight-combo."
Bilac: "Bad news. Nine more just joined."
Sunraku: "So we're in the black after all, that bastard!"
In my line of sight, a golem—which, depending on how you look at it, could almost be a face with a wide-open mouth—is mass-producing Ball Golems with no sign of running out. I can't help but curse. Damn it, it's got a face like a poorly made clay figurine, but the AI is pretty smart. While the highest-level Arameese and the ranged-attacker Emul are being pinned down by more Ball Golems than they can handle, I survey the swarm of Ball Golems closing in on me.
Sunraku: "...Alright, I see a route! Bilac, grab on!"
Bilac: "Got it!"
Using Bilac's leap onto my back as the starting gun, I charge forward. The sheer numbers of the Ball Golems are certainly a threat, but it seems they can't fully seal all four of us. Unlike Emul and Arameese, who are facing a literal carpet bombing that's practically burying the ground, the swarm coming toward me has "holes" where the ground is still visible.
Sunraku: "What was that clay stuff called again... Right, C4. Triggered by magic instead of a fuse, I guess?"
A clay-like explosive that shows up in most military-themed games. I can't say it's exactly that, but the Ball Golem's properties are probably pretty close. A suicide-bomber-type monster—extremely troublesome both in combat and for item farming—gets both numbers and high-performance AI. It's a pretty nasty monster, but frustratingly, its high performance also highlights the countermeasure.
Sunraku: "The moment they sealed off the ranged attacker, not just the highest-level one, they basically read their own weakness aloud!"
I activate Six-Fold Jump. The Cannonball Golem has high judgment but doesn't use "traps." It prioritized sealing Arameese—the greatest threat—and Emul, who could potentially slaughter them from a distance. Because of that, it neglected to deal with Bilac and me, who only have close-range weapons. With Bilac on my back, I leap, using the gaps between the oncoming Ball Golems as stepping stones to jump through the sea of bombs.
Sunraku: "You're up, striker!"
Bilac: "A golem's weak point is... always the core! Material Destroy!"
I could have attacked too, but Bilac has a skill with an anti-materiel bonus, meaning she can take down a golem in one hit. So I focus on being the carrier. From what I've heard, whether it's a Divinity-era-made core reactor or a modern-made core, a golem's core is usually in the center of its body. So, just like with the Humming Lich, a rising blow from directly below—straight upward. The sledgehammer slams into the underside of the wide-open upper jaw of the ball-spitting golem.
Bilac: "A satisfying hit! Critical!"
Sunraku: "...? Oh crap, everyone fall back!!"
Bilac: "Oryowa!"
The ball-spitting golem shudders as if its head just erupted, shattered at the crown. Its unnatural stop, then its shaking, rattling behavior—it gives me a bad feeling. I grab Bilac by the scruff of the neck and haul her up, kicking aside the unnaturally frozen Ball Golems as we flee the area. Emul and Arameese also put distance between themselves and it. Then—a thunderous roar.
Sunraku: "Well, if the golem that spits them out is a suicide bomber, of course the main body's a suicide bomber too..."
Bilac: "Somethin's fallin' over here."
Sunraku: "Whoa."
From within the blast smoke, which begins to clear after a few seconds, something flies toward us—probably launched by the explosion. I catch it. Seems to be an item. A clay figurine in the shape of an extremely simplified human...
Sunraku: "It's a haniwa."
Bilac: "What's with this dopey face?"
Emul: "But... it's kinda cute... wa?"
I put it in my inventory and check the item description.
Blasting Earth Idol: A small-scale offshoot of itself, rarely produced by naturally occurring golems. An idol produced by a Cannonball Golem. Applying a strong impact will cause a small-scale explosion. When the dance of the Blasting Earth Idol reaches its climax, fire springs forth from within the earth.
Sunraku: "A grenade, huh..."
If I'd fumbled that catch, I'd be dead. Yikes.