I gave a parting wave to the two remaining players on the other side. They shook their fists again.
Then we passed through into darkness and the door closed behind us.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The rocky tunnel changed to set blocks of stone within a few paces after we walked through the door. Instead of torches, odd rocks glowed along the walls which brightly lit our way.
“This is no longer the mine,” I said. We had moved into a new area.
Soon, we heard a low rumbling sound from further up the passageway. As we moved closer, it became much louder.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” said Mudhoof. “Better not have anything do with ore carts.”
It became hotter and the air thick with the heat. My vision wavered, occasionally.
When we reached the end of the passageway, it terminated at a ledge. A short distance below was a wide river of lava that churned past. On the opposite side of the river was another ledge leading to a passageway. The distance was too far to jump.
“Anyone up for a swim?” I asked. The heat was incredible, and I turned my simulation suit’s settings to its lowest level.
“Perhaps we missed a side tunnel, or a secret door?” Feign said. The ice mage was sweating profusely.
“Can you float across on your magic carpet of ice?” I asked.
Feign shook his head. “Too hot in here. It will evaporate to nothing the moment I create it. I’m afraid none of my magic will be effective with this heat.”
“Maybe we can…” I said and stopped when someone stepped out of the passageway behind us.
A tall, humanoid being now stood blocking the tunnel, and we turned to confront it.
The being was almost taller than Mudhoof, and its frame was wiry. It did not appear to wear any clothes or armor. Its skin looked like a black crust of cracked rock. A prominent brow beetled over a set of yellow, glowing eyes. Since I’d encountered this type of being before the game identified it for me. A Rock Golem.
“Well, you wanted a fight,” I said to Mudhoof as I held up my bow.
“This one will be easy,” the minotaur grinned. “It’s just a bunch of rocks, and I like crushing rocks.”
Mudhoof hollered a war cry, lowered his steel tipped horns and charged.
The Rock Golem did nothing to get out Mudhoof’s way, seeming to watch him with curiosity.
Mudhoof slammed into the Golem. But instead of a shock-wave with the impact, his long horns sunk straight into the Golem’s chest. With his horns buried up to their full length, Mudhoof’s head now rested against the Golem. The creature barely flinched from the attack.
“I’m stuck!” Mudhoof shouted. The Golem raised a long, rocky arm and struck downward.
I moved, bow held up and summoned regular arrows. As I changed my angle, I fired rapidly at the thing’s pitted yellow eyes.
The first few arrows bounced off the creature’s rocky skin with no effect. It reached up again, this time with both arms and struck down on the exposed back of Mudhoof. The Minotaur was pushing against the Golem’s stomach, desperate to dislodge his horns.
“I’m at half health! What the FILTERED?” Mudhoof said.
I fired again, and this time the arrow found its mark and lodged in one of the Golem’s eyes. Instead of reacting in pain, the thing seemed to be curious about the arrow sticking out of its head. It grabbed and pulled the arrow out.
Feign moved quickly behind it. His dagger glistened with a magical glow in his hand and he stabbed forward with all his might.
The blade sunk into a crack in its skin and the monster bellowed with pain. Its arm snapped back and struck the mage, sending him flying hard against the rock wall to crumple in a heap.
My next arrow found its mark again, then the next. Two arrows were buried in its eyes and, with the pain of the dagger wound, the thing flailed.
This was enough to help Mudhoof dislodge himself from the Golem and stagger back. Angered, and maybe a little embarrassed, the minotaur unhooked his ax from his back. With a leap up in the air he swung downward with all his might.
The ax hit the Golem in the head and cleaved down its middle. The creature had been cut right in half with one great blow of the uber ax. The two halves of the Golem split apart and collapsed to the ground with an arrow still protruding from each eye.
“Okay, now that was a first,” said Mudhoof with a surprised chuckle.
I went to Feign’s side who was still slumped against the wall. “Are you okay?”
The ice mage blinked. “Yes, I think so. Knocked the wind out of me.” He paused and I could tell he was looking at the icons on his view screen. “Seems I took a good whack of damage there. Down to two-thirds health. I cast an enhanced damage spell on my dagger which it didn’t take kindly to.”
“Here take this,” I said as I removed a healing-salve from my inventory. “Won’t make much of a difference but every little bit helps.”
I gave one to Mudhoof as well who grunted this thanks.
“We still need to cross this nonsense,” I said as I stood at the ledge and looked down. The lava bubbled and heaved. Occasionally, a large clump of rock would float by. Some were big enough to sit or stand on. But what would be the use in that if you were going to eventually sink?
I gaged the distance to the other ledge and had an idea. “Okay, I may have a way but you guys aren’t going to like it.”
“Better perform this miracle quick,” Mudhoof said. “Looks like he had friends.”
From the tunnel behind us could be made out several figures. As they past the wall lights it was obvious we were about to get into even more trouble. Rock Golems. Lots of them. They trundled toward us.
“Oh, dear,” said Feign, backing up to the ledge.
Again, I summoned a special arrow. When I pulled it out and set it in my bow a thick rope was attached to it. The rope coiled back into the quiver.
“Oh, no,” Mudhoof said. “You expecting us to go all cat-burglar now?”
“Got a better idea?” I said, and fired. The arrow arched across the lava river and lodge deeply into the rock over the ledge on the other side. The rope extended the entire way.
I turned and fired another similar arrow into the rock wall next to me, at a slightly higher angle. The rope magically fused together and now formed a single strand rope bridge that spanned the river.
The Rock Golems moved through the tunnel at a plodding pace, but they were much closer now. We had no time left.
To Feign, I said, “Start shuffling across! Now!”
With a fearful glance down the ice mage grabbed onto the rope and pulled himself up, wrapping his ankles around it. “I am very glad none of this is real!” he said, then shuffled hand over hand down the rope.
Mudhoof swung his ax, and a long crack shot out along the ground. It met the first Golem coming out of the tunnel and the knock-back sent it staggering into the others. But this would only serve to slow them down.
I fired normal arrows rapid-fire at the clustered horde, but none managed to hit an eye. They all bounced off their rocky skin.
“You’re next, Vee!” Mudhoof said. He stood with his legs braced apart and the ax poised over a shoulder waiting for his knock-back ability to recharge.
I looked to see Feign reach the other ledge and ease off the rope. He waved.
“No can do, big guy,” I said, still firing arrows. “The rope will disappear the moment I cross over. You gotta use it before me.”
“FILTERED!” Mudhoof said. “Sometimes this game really FILTEREDes me off!” And with that he struck down again. This time several Golems were cast backwards with the impact.
The minotaur spun around and placed the ax on his back. “You be right behind me!” He said, and I nodded. This was going to be close.