51. The Great Forest's Counterattack (1)
Turning toward Wayne, Aelga asked, “Wayne! What kind of trial is unfolding in there?”
“They have to eliminate their most feared enemy and prove their courage.”
“Their most feared enemy?”
“It differs for each dwarf. The one certain thing is that if they can't shake off the fear in their hearts, they'll never pass the trial.”
Ten minutes had passed, but Brock still hadn't emerged.
“Wayne! Can we take the trial too?” asked Ajul, the tree-shaker.
“Ajul! Anyone can attempt the trial. But fail once, and most spend their entire lives without succeeding. Then the path to golem master is closed, and they remain mere dwarf warriors.”
The listening dwarves swallowed dryly.
The odds of a dwarf becoming a golem master were far lower than those of a human mastering Odd and becoming a Gigant pilot. Even if a dwarf learned Odd, they still had to pass this warrior's trial.
In exchange, once they proved their worth as golem masters, they could create additional golem cores anytime with just a magic stone. That's why an exceptional golem master like King Brass could command sixteen Steel Golems at once, and a dwarf great warrior who had once been a king's royal guard could handle up to six.
And if they acquired a unique magic stone like the one for the Thunder Golem Ahri Man, they could even craft special, customized golems based on its properties.
Kwarrrung!
Bang!
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from the Warrior's Corridor, accompanied by a flash of light.
Moments later, Brock staggered out. His body looked exhausted, but his eyes burned with sharp vitality.
'In the end, you've proven your worth!'
Wayne nodded at Brock, who nodded back in response.
“Behold! The first dwarf to inherit the ancestors' legacy has been born!”
At Wayne's shout, the great dwarf warrior Brock raised high the glowing blue magic stone.
“The ancestors' legacy!”
“Dwarves are strong!”
“Valhalla!”
“Waaaaah!”
The dwarves let out wild cheers, and the blacksmiths came rushing over in a herd.
Workshop master Aelga bellowed, “The golem core is complete! To the workshop, quick!”
“Valhalla!”
Aelga and the blacksmiths carefully carried the golem core toward the workshop.
A long, massive conical lump of steel.
Aelga carefully held the golem core and inserted it into the end of the steel mass.
Click!
Sssizzle!
“The heart is in place. Now complete the golem!”
Huge iron chains whirred ceaselessly, and the steel lump slid perfectly into the golem's hollow chest cavity.
“Now! Pound the heart into shape!”
“Valhalla!”
Kwa-bang-bang!
Bang! Bang!
Aelga and the blacksmiths hammered with orichalcum-infused hammers, seamlessly welding the fresh insertion shut.
“What? Why isn't it moving?”
They had followed Wayne's instructions to the letter. The golem core was in, and the finishing touches were done. Yet the golem remained still.
“One final step remains! Now I'll breathe life into the golem.”
Wayne stepped forward with the King's Hammer Yol Das before the Steel Golem's chest. This was the culminating process.
“Brock! Unleash your Odd!”
As Wayne had taught him, Brock directed his Odd toward the Steel Golem. Wayne infused Yol Das with Odd and swung it at the golem's chest.
Kwaang!
“Awaken!”
Flash!
The Steel Golem's eyes snapped open wide.
I have received the great king's call!
The Steel Golem stirred, bowing its head toward Wayne, who still gripped the hammer. It then rose its ten-meter bulk and approached Brock.
I inherit the ancestors' will. You and I are now one!
Brock raised his fist toward the Steel Golem in response.
“Wayne! I can feel the Steel Golem's will!”
Wayne nodded. “Well done! This golem will heed no one's orders but yours, and it'll fight by your side on the battlefield until its heart shatters.”
“Wayne! Thank you!”
As Brock moved, the Steel Golem mirrored him perfectly.
“The warrior's heart beats. I'll take the warrior's trial too!”
“Me too!”
The three dwarves who had trained in Odd under Wayne for a month shouted.
“Good! If you pass, come here!”
The three dwarves charged into the Warrior's Corridor.
“Wayne! Can those young warriors succeed?”
Wayne shrugged at Aelga's question. “I've given them plenty of Odd. What matters is their will.”
An hour later, the three young dwarves came sprinting back to the workshop in battered states—each clutching a gleaming golem core.
“Wayne! We succeeded too!”
“We inherit the ancestors' legacy now!”
“Today is a festival for us dwarves!”
“Valhalla!”
Wayne felt a swell of pride for the young warriors who had conquered their inner demons. Not one, but all three had passed the warrior's trial—an extraordinary feat even in ancient times.
Aelga and the blacksmiths hurriedly began inserting their golem cores into new golems' hearts.
While waiting, Yond asked, “Ajul, what came out for you in the Warrior's Corridor?”
“A damned Magic Knight from the Estel Kingdom! I fought it to the death and smashed it flat. What about you?”
“A house-sized monkey came for me.”
“Ah! That monkey that kidnapped you as a kid?”
“Yeah. I was scared at first, but in the end, I smashed it.”
“Ooh! Impressive.”
The two young dwarves' eyes turned to Barak, who was shaking violently.
“Barak, what monster came for you?”
Barak wiped cold sweat from his brow and smacked his lips. Then, with great effort, he spoke. “My mother came out!”
“Heavens! Valhalla!”
“Terrifying. How'd you pass the warrior's trial? Your mother Cecil can take down three male warriors!”
Wayne shook his head as he listened. It was odd enough that the world's most fearsome being was one's mother, but these two dwarves accepted it without question. And if he'd beaten her... didn't that mean he'd struck his mother in the trial?
“I figured she'd come. When you guys were taking the trial, I asked my dad about Mother's weakness. He told me she's ticklish. So I tickled her until she surrendered.”
“Ooh! Congratulations!”
“Barak, you're a true Valhalla warrior!”
Wayne tuned out the dwarves' conversation. Young dwarves were far more childish and simple-minded than adult dwarf warriors.
“Wayne! All the golem hearts are in!”
Thankfully, Aelga had finished. Wayne struck the three golems' hearts with the King's Hammer, bringing the number of legacy inheritors to four.
Giiiing!
Clank!
Curtis's urgent voice crackled over the comms.
Nancy's Stormtrooper hurriedly retreated to the front of the outpost.
The monster approaching the outpost's front was the B-rank beast Tagus! With a bird-like beak and head, and a lion-sized, robust body, its massive beak and powerful forelimbs could shred and smash even a Gigant's frame.
One would be no problem for the squad, but three Tagus? That was trouble.
'Damn, we're dancing on the edge of death every day!'
Curtis positioned his priest Gigant on Nancy's left, but even he lacked confidence against three B-rank beasts. A mere priest Gigant would lose limbs if they so much as grazed it—these things were huge and ferocious.
They were surrounded on all sides. Lately, the monster hordes had grown too numerous. Situations like this—two outposts battling separate waves simultaneously—were all too common.
But they had one reliable backup.
Giiiing!
Thud!
Gigants approached from the rear.
They were Gigants from Grint Outpost.
A few months back, Curtis had leverage on Travis and forced him to establish Grint Outpost behind Patton and Lorenne. Travis was its captain and a 2nd-class Gigant pilot.
But Travis had realized Curtis hadn't recovered his Odd and was piloting a priest Gigant, flipping the power dynamic. And now, they needed his help more often.
Someone cut into their channel.
Travis's 2nd-class Gigant turned, revealing an 8-meter blue Gigant and four black Steel Giants charging from behind—dwarves sprinting alongside them.
“Dwarves are strong!”
“We'll take it!”
“Valhalla!”
As Predator and the Steel Golems thundered past Patton Outpost, Nancy, Loren, and Curtis surged forward in sync.
The 2nd-class Gigant Predator roared forward, swinging its massive flail.
Whiiing!
Clang!
“Kueeeek!”
The beast struck in the head crumpled, skidding five meters sideways. Stunned but shaking it off, it tried to rise—only for Predator to bring the flail down again.
Whoosh!
Splat! Thud!
“Kuaak!”
The heavy flail pummeled the beast's torso mercilessly. Blood sprayed, bones caved— it wouldn't rise again. The finishing blow crushed its skull.
Splat!
Wayne turned. 'The dwarves adapt fast.'
The four Steel Golems battered the monster with axes, spears, and hammers; it lay tongue-lolling, done.
'This side's wrapping up too.'
Nancy's spear was embedded in its shoulder, Loren's Gigant pinned its neck, Curtis clung to a hind leg stabbing its thigh—and Nancy's Stormtrooper dove underbelly, unleashing forearm blades.
Slash! Slash-slash-slash!
Six rapid strikes eviscerated it. Guts spilled; it collapsed.
Thud!
“Monster down!”
“The commander's back!”
“Waaaaah!”
Patton Outpost's soldiers cheered wildly.
Wayne scattered red Odd in all directions.
As the two Gigants moved out on Wayne's order, Nancy Oliver's shy voice came through.
Why did their exchange sound like a father talking to his daughter in everyone else's ears?