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A misshapen club of an arm crashed down on the spot Luna had been standing just a moment before, cracking the earth. Her ear twitched and she threw herself into a back handspring just as the other creature swung one of its arms, this one sharp as a sword, nearly cleaving her in half. [color=lightblue]”The hell are these things?”[/color] she muttered as the pair began to advance on her again. [color=lightblue][i]Is this that Clay guy’s power? He’s gotta be close, then![/i][/color] she thought, but a quick glance around showed her that the only people nearby were the two henchmen she had knocked out, the workers having taken the chance to run off.

Her attention was brought back to the golems as they sped toward her, surprisingly fast for their twelve-foot frames. The one with the club arm swung downward again and Luna sidestepped, then watched in surprise as the second one melted into the first, rather than step around it to get to her. She punched the flat side of the second’s sword arm, deflecting its downward slice. Her ear twitched again as the first’s club arm morphed and shot a spike out toward her. She dodged it, but just barely, wincing as the spike grazed her side.

Luna jumped back to put some distance between herself and the constructs, holding her side as the pair separated again. [color=lightblue]”Alright, you assholes are getting annoying,”[/color] she growled as electricity began to spark from her body. Rather than let them close in again, Luna dashed forward as her cloak fell from her shoulders. She jumped over a swing from the bladed golem and lashed out with a kick in midair, connecting solidly with the lump that jutted out from its shoulders, which she guessed could be considered a head.

Her leg sank into the soft, malleable clay, then stopped. [color=lightblue]”Shit!”[/color] she exclaimed as the lump suddenly extended into a long tendril. It lifted her into the air, then slammed her to the ground, hard enough to knock the wind from her lungs. She laid there, stunned as she watched the club-armed golem approach. It raised its arm and she closed her eyes as she braced herself for a sudden end to her journey.

[color=lightblue][i]I’m sorry, Sol…[/i][/color]

“Hey, you bastards, over here!”

She opened her eyes just in time to see the club-armed golem get hit by a jar filled with some kind of liquid, the stench of it potent enough to Luna’s sharp nose to make her eyes water. She covered her mouth and nose as the golem’s raised arm suddenly fell to the ground, the clay having crumbled almost like soil. A second jar crashed against the clay tendril that had trapped her leg and she watched as the same thing happened. Before she could react, she felt someone grabbing her by the wrist. “What’re you waiting for? Stand the hell up before they can put themselves back together!”

Luna looked up to see a man with dark, disheveled hair, his face criss-crossed with scars, pulling her to her feet with his left arm. Where his right should be, there was nothing but an empty sleeve folded up to his shoulder and sewn closed. She scrambled to her feet and followed the man as he ran through the vineyard. [color=lightblue]”Who are–”[/color]

“There’ll be time for that later, Princess!” the man interrupted, his grip on her wrist ironclad as he pulled her after him. “We’ll talk more once I get you somewhere he can’t see us!”

Questions swam in Luna’s head, but she held her tongue as she and the stranger entered the town. They zigged and zagged, sped through back alleys and side-streets as they took a circuitous route through the town. Eventually, they came to the wooden door of an old, run-down building. The man walked up to the gate and knocked on it three times, paused, then gave four more taps, each one spaced out seemingly at random. A moment passed in silence, then Luna’s ears picked up the sound of a lock disengaging just before the door opened into darkness. The man, without pausing, walked into the building and disappeared into the darkness. Luna hesitated, then followed him, unsure of what to expect on the inside.