Then the voice from the hall boomed once again, congratulations you passed the first choice, others who came before you either died from the first test or the second. Hope couldn't help but frown so there were others before them who wanted to reach the human citadel, but came through this ancient building. Then the voice resumed, you see those stone statue over there, give of them will come to life and al three of you will fight them..... I'm Not generous uhh? Hope swallowed, now he'd hate statues, summoning his sword, Nefer did the same will Massa was ready to cast any spell. Then suddenly five statue moved at once, they turned towards them their eyes glowing red.... Although the statue were on the rank corrupted fiend, they couldn't be overlooked that easily, they were taller than them so they'd need to at least reach their position to deliver a strike. He looked at Massa, she was quite lucky atleast she could fire long ranged attacks..... Hope cranked he's neck. Then suddenly with a burst if speed the five statue came upon them at once, their speed was surprisingly great, hope had thought maybe they'd be clumsy for their height, crap! Hope dodged as one of the statue brought down a spear, he lunged forward, he body shooting if the ground as he tried delivering a strike, but the statue dodged easily as it retaliated with a counter, hope was mid air, so dogding was almost not an option, he could only block..... The spear meet his swords the force sending crashing down and rolling like a ragged doll, he smashed against a wall, coughing blood, before he had time to retaliated or rest another came swinging a war hammer towards him, he rolled to the side as the hamer crashed on the wall above him, standing up he sprinted away giving himself some space, he tried blending into the darkness, but the darkness here kept rejecting him.... That's when he realized that the darkness here wasn't true darkness, it was shadow.... He remembered back in his room at the hospital when he tried to merge with a chair's shadow but he was rejected. Oh crap he cursed, looking at his sword, it was already cracked.
Hope coughed again, blood flecking his lips as he leaned against the cold, jagged wall. His ribs screamed in protest, the force of that strike having rattled his insides like a drum beaten too hard. Dust fell from above, and he could still feel the tremor of the war hammer's impact reverberating through the stone. His sword trembled in his grip, not from fear—but from the spiderweb crack that now ran along its edge.
Shit.
His thoughts scrambled. The statues—they weren't just corrupted fiends. They were constructs designed to kill efficiently. Swift, intelligent, with precise strikes and brutal strength. They weren't mindless like some lesser creatures he'd read about. They adapted. They read movements. And worst of all, they fought as a unit.
Across the room, the others weren't faring much better.
Nefer was a blur of poise and elegance, her white armor now smudged with ash and scratches. She danced around the two statues that had singled her out, her sword a glowing arc of silver under the flickering crimson light of their eyes. Her breath was steady, but her movements had become tighter, more cautious—less like a duelist and more like a predator picking her battles. She wasn't invincible—just smart. Every step she took was measured. Every strike delivered to the weak joints between the statues' armor-like skin. Her agility saved her more than her armor did.
Massa, meanwhile, was weaving sigils mid-air, her hands blazing with arcane light. She focused on support and suppression, sending bursts of kinetic energy to stagger her pursuers. One of the statues chasing her was now limping slightly, its leg scorched black from one of her earlier spells. But even as she struck, she was being forced back—each spell taking a toll. Her breathing was ragged, and sweat poured down her brow, her eyes flicking in panic between the approaching threat and her spellcasting.
Hope cursed under his breath. If Nefer and Massa were already being pushed… he had even less room for error.
"Hopeless!" Nefer called, narrowly dodging a swing from a statue. She delivered a fast, clean slash across the statue's arm joint, severing part of its mechanism. "Regroup!"
"I'm trying!" he spat, rolling forward just as another spear grazed his back. The pain flared, but it wasn't deep—superficial, for now.
He threw a handful of dust into the eyes of the spear-wielding statue—not that it would blind it, but it did obscure the motion of his next swing. He darted low, twisting his torso and bringing his sword in a reverse grip slash across its ankle joint. Sparks flew. The construct stumbled slightly, giving him space.
But not time.
The war hammer statue came in from the side like a runaway boulder. Hope had no choice—he pivoted sharply and hurled himself toward Nefer's position, his cracked sword raised, body screaming from exertion.
"Back-to-back!" he shouted.
Nefer shifted smoothly, falling in beside him. "Your blade's cracking," she observed flatly.
"So's my ribcage," he replied. "Let's call it even."
One of the statues lunged at Massa, but she finally unleashed a charged sigil. A searing bolt of energy lanced through the air and hit it squarely in the chest. It staggered, sparks and molten shards bursting from its core—but it wasn't down. Still, it bought her enough time to retreat toward them.
"Three against five isn't fair," Massa panted. "Not with these odds."
Nefer's eyes narrowed. "Then we change the odds."
Hope's mind spun. He couldn't rely on shadows here, and his sword wouldn't last much longer. But the statues had patterns—they were strong, but predictable. And they still had physical limitations. Balance, joints, field of vision.
"I have an idea," he said breathlessly. "These things are top-heavy. Hit them from low angles—knees, ankles, base of the spine. They're not invincible."
Nefer nodded. "Sweep and sever. Old training."
Hope turned to Massa. "Can you bind one—briefly?"
"I can try," she muttered, already sketching glowing sigils in the air.
As the nearest statue lunged again, Hope ducked low and slid between its legs, slashing hard at the back of its knees. The blade groaned in protest but didn't shatter. The statue stumbled, momentarily exposed. Nefer was already there, spinning into a downward slash that severed its leg at the joint. It collapsed in a heap, twitching violently.
"Nice!" Hope called out, adrenaline giving him a fleeting burst of confidence.
But another statue grabbed his arm before he could move. The grip was vice-like, crushing. He grit his teeth, feeling the bones in his forearm begin to bend—
"GET DOWN!" Massa screamed.
A wave of concussive force slammed into the statue, knocking it backward and sending Hope flying as well. He hit the ground hard, groaning—but free.
His sword now had a second crack.
He rolled to his feet. "Massa—good timing!"
"Try not to get grabbed again," she snapped.
The three of them regrouped, breath heaving. Only one statue was fully down. The others were still pressing.
"We need a finisher," Nefer said. "One that ends this."
Hope's eyes flicked across the room, then narrowed on the weakened statue Massa had hit earlier.
"There," he pointed. "That one's almost gone."
"I'll distract," Nefer offered. "You two end it."
"Are you sure?"
"I've danced with similar foes"
Hope couldn't help but smile..... If she said she danced with similar foes then he too had done the same except he didn't know how to dance
She sprinted off, drawing two statues away with her blinding speed and precise footwork. Hope and Massa charged the limping construct. Hope slashed its side again, drawing a crack. Massa raised her hands, whispering something under her breath—and a glowing symbol surged into the statue's chest.
Crack—
BOOM.
The statue exploded into fragments.
That made two down.
But they were panting. Bloody. Exhausted. And three more constructs still remained.