[IC] A Hero Tale {Complete}

[Necrophage]

There was certainly something off about all this. Oz tapped Jenso on the shoulder. "Hey, so.. if they are attacking hundreds of places at once then they're low on man power here right?" He looked around for any sources of observation, cameras, magic-sources, whatever. Oz had this obscure feeling like there was something watching them. "I don't do the whole subtlety thing that well but it kind of feels like we might be falling into the plan of whoever's master here. Why have me imprisoned in a golem in that room.. FULL of golems and have none of them active." He glared ahead. "I think we're being funneled in this direction on purpose. Either we ruin their plan by shifting directions first or we follow through and hope they don't overpower us." Oz grinned devilishly. "And by shifting direction, I mean to go straight up." He peered up at the tightly shifting gears and menagerie of stone work floating above.

[Jensoman]

Jenso looked up at the spinning gears above them, and back at Oz. "Yeah...they may be low on manpower right now, you raise a good point. I'm not sure if going up is a good idea, though. There are a lot of spinning gears that might hit us...but I guess we could just trash the place too." Jenso said. He shrugged casually. "Well...either way, they'll try to kill us. We could try to destroy some gears and try to get their attention, but I think the main energy source of this Citadel would be in the center where we're going too. If we start destroying things, we might just draw the attention of guards and make it harder on ourselves." Jenso muttered.

"So...how did you run into Zelriane, anyway?" Jenso asked Oz, after a short pause.

[Necrophage]

Oz nodded in response to Jenso's side of the conversation. "I guess it would be a wasted effort. Alright, we'll keep going."
The other question Oz answered as they continued down the corridor. "Zelriane is a sore spot for me. He happened upon my town looking for a book. The book in question was a keepsake of our village leader's daughter, Angela. I regret that day that I didn't simply take the damned book and give it to the demon." There was pained expression on Oz's face but he quickly hid it and smiled back at Jenso. "Angela was stubborn and no one realized who they were dealing with. Joshua Kario, our village leader was killed. Many others were severely wounded but I was able to save the town through raw tenacity. That and the uncharacteristic mercy of Zelriane. He rolled his eyes at the thought. "Though of course now that I think on it I believe he was getting his kicks with me and didn't act out of mercy. It was right before I found myself waking up here in a claustrophobic golem that I fought Zel again."
Oz shook his head absently. "I'd say it were a mistake to chase him but I had to. Everything in me called for it. He had tracked down Angela who'd been on the run since the incident in Kario. He held on to a long pause. The wind in the corridor whistled. "Zel had caught her, tortured her and preserved her just long enough to die in my arms." Oz's frustration started to come out in his voice. "And despite all that, all I was able to do was land some glancing hits on the bastard! I trapped him, outsmarted him. I pulled out all the stops!"
The color had drained out of his face and he was speaking softly now. "I wish I could have done more. Zel is thousands of years ahead of me. All I wound up being in the end was a punching bag."
Oz finally looked up again, being drawn back to the present. "That brings me here." He said calmly.

[Jensoman]

Jenso listened to Oz's words and frowned. "My condolences man...yeah, the order of Chaos seem to like wandering around and destroying towns whenever they want too. Prisma killed everyone in my village as well, and technically killed me too." Jenso said, and he began to whisper for a moment.

"Nexus revived me. He's another member from the Order of Chaos, a good guy. He has blue eyes and wears blue clothing. The rest of the Order of Chaos don't seem to be aware of what he has done, and I'd like to keep it that way. He was the one who ordered Prisma to attack my village in the first place, but...he knew that Prisma would have come to my town eventually either way. If he hadn't, I would have still been in my hometown, Arcadia, and still would have been killed without any of the abilities that I've learned now. And the majority of the people in the world would have died by that time by another one of the Order of Chaos's schemes. I managed to stop that, though." He explained to Oz, and he began to talk normally again.

"I ended up taking down all kinds of evils on my journey to help people, while trying to track Prisma and the rest of the Order of Chaos down. I finally managed to kill him, but...it looks like he's back. That, or that other golem that I'd encountered before is possessing him."

[Necrophage]

Jenso and his whole village dead? How was it he was still here? This Nexus must be powerful indeed. "Did you see you anything? You know, on the other side after you died?" Oz asked.

[Jensoman]

Jenso shook his head. "I'm sorry if this, uh...conflicts with your beliefs, but...All I saw was nothing. Just void. It's dark emptyness that starts to crush your Ki and devours it." Jenso explained to Oz. "I was killed by Yzeira, their leader, who wears red clothing later on, and that's when I encountered it. I didn't see anything the first time around. I was extremely lucky though...I doubt I'll get a third chance. I'm not sure if I'd be able to be revived if my body was destroyed." He said.

"Me and my friend Jeff have started up a guild to fight the Order of Chaos and any threats the world faces. We're going to the Tower of Chaos eventually to finish them once and for all. We could use your help..." Jenso said.

"Don't give up just because Zelriane beat you. A wise old man once told me...A loss isn't a loss unless you let it consume you."

[Necrophage]

"Hey, Jenso. Thanks for that." Oz kept thinking about what Jenso had said and he finally piped up a comment. "You said nothing happened the first time you glimpsed death but the second it was like some kind of void tried to consume what was left. It doesn't crush my hopes of something else beyond but it brings to question; Was this Yzeira doing something to you before you were brought back again? He's the leader of this organization, who knows what he could do? After all, this Nexus had power enough over life to bring you back." He beamed brightly. "Look at it as wishful thinking. It could be like a tunnel through a mountain. Dark at first until you finally see the gleams of light from the other side. You never know how much there is on the other side until you've gone too far to come back." Oz leaned in and spoke aloud. "Just don't test that theory. Looks like the world still needs you on this side, eh?"

[tex]

"As much as the world might need a golden-garbed Buffoon mucking about," A familiar voice echoed from down one of the many directions spreading out from the intersection that Oz and Jenso paused at, "I don't think anyone has much of a choice on the matter of his living, I'm afraid."

A tall humanoid golem stomped into view, almost as if he faded out of the gears that spun at the edge of the pathways. He solidified immediately, standing at least 11 feet tall with his towering presence.

"Ah- Except for me, I suppose." he said, raising his right hand in a casual gesture, and revealing a golden sphere embedded in its palm.

The newcomer was cloaked in a subtle mist that sparkled, as if it were laced with floating crystal shards, too small to dignify as anything more than specks of light. His eyes were green, and whirled like small galaxies, shining a bright white at their center. He had no facial signification other than a chiseled chin, with no mouth or nose, and several armor-like joints that were connected by a thick miasma, parting each section of his body by about 1 inch. Was this one of the defensive golems left behind after the global assault?

No, it couldn't be. He was far too well spoken. Too malicious. He was unlike the mindless drones Jenso had encountered earlier. The figure's eyes didn't blink, but his voice had a familiar feel to it. Jenso had heard it before.

[Jensoman]

Jenso looked up at the golem's face and got in a combat stance. He smirked. "Yep, you're not Prisma. You don't sound crazy enough." Jenso taunted, as he overlooked his foe. He took note of the golden sphere in his palm. Did he also have four cores like the other golems had? "You're the golem that possessed my father before, aren't you?" He asked, clenching his fists. He was unsure how strong his new body was, but he certainly seemed more dangerous this time around.

[Necrophage]

Oz immediately raised his hand into the air, pointing his palm at the golem. "I'm getting real sick of listening to monologues. Not to mention yours was awful! Guess I'll test the waters for ya Jenso." He didn't wait for any speech or response, he just launched a pulse of kinetic force at the stone villain. The hand stayed in the air after firing off the energy. Oz would wait and watch what happened, prepared to counter a reprisal.

[tex]

The golem's carved chest pulsed momentarily, moving as if he'd just received a punch, but he brushed it off, flicking a few specks of dust from his body's surface. He looked at Oz.

"Hardly a monologue, much less an introduction- If even comparable," The golem muttered to himself, lowering a pair of purple eyelids to express disdain. He looked at Jenso and sighed audibly. "Brilliant deduction, Yellow boy. Did you rack your little brain as hard as you could possibly manage to come up with it? If so, bravo! I underestimated your intellect!" He taunted, clapping his hands lightly. It seemed he did not have a second orb in his left hand, and there were no other cores embedded in any parts of his body. "I hereby anoint you the rank of..." He paused for a moment and blinked before snapping his fingers. "Rodent!" The golem stifled a slow chuckle and cleared his throat, despite the lack thereof.

"You are correct, I am he. Though I don't consider myself a golem, despite this... Humble body," he said, gesturing to his lower half. His legs were actually impossible to see past the dark veil that surrounded him, making it look as if he levitated in place. "I am the Golem Origin Deity, actually. The creator of the golems. But that's such a troublesome title. You may call me... GeeOhDee." Geode announced.

[Jensoman]

Jenso got in a combat stance, and took note of Oz's strike. It didn't seem to do much, but he was certain that Oz wasn't being serious yet. He ignored most of the ramblings Geode did, only acknowledging the announcement of his name. "So are you working for Prisma, or is this whole thing your doing? If it's the latter, why are all the golems shouting his name instead of yours? If you wanted to bait me here by having the golems shout Prisma's name, it didn't change anything in the end. I would have come to kick your ass either way!" Jenso said to Geode, as he coated his fists in a layer of Ki. He launched a flame ball from the palm from his left hand at the core in Geode's right hand. He doubted that it would hit, but at the very least it might draw Geode's attention away from Oz. "...Especially since I already kicked your ass the first time and nearly crushed you while you were still inside the amulets." He taunted, smirking widely at his foe.

He began to whisper to Oz while remaining focused on Geode. "Don't underestimate him, his new body seems strong. Oh, and...the golems are capable of launching powerful laser beams known as Arcano Ultima. It was also an attack Prisma could use. Either try to take them down before they can do it, or try to avoid it. Don't try to overpower it, it's immensely powerful. It's litterally the ultimate arcane attack, like the name suggests." He said.

[Necrophage]

For a golem this thing was pretty damn wordy. Oz ignored it and stepped slowly away as Jenso took attention. He nodded back to Jenso and replied in a hushed tone. "Keep him off me. I'm going to try something he can't shrug off." There was a reason Oz was beaten by Zelriane. His power was naturally better against enemies that weren't speedsters.

Once he had a generous gap from the fighting, he started calling on the runes in his mind.

[tex]

"Correction," Geode interjected, allowing Jenso's fireball to harmlessly strike his right hand. The core glowed momentarily and then returned to normal. "You defeated your blood relative." Geode lowered his hand and rubbed it against his chest. "You have not defeated me, and you never will. Still, as much as I would like to sit here and play, I have far more important things to attend to. I'll let the exterminators take care of you." Geode turned around and began walking away, raising his hand and snapping his fingers.

Several golems, similar to the two that fought Jenso earlier, began to charge at them from all four paths. There were at least 20 in total, 5 coming from each side, and they were all aiming their hands at the two intruders, charging their individual weapons one after another. Geode paused before fully retreating, turning to face Jenso as he towered over his soldiers.

"I'd love to sit here rambling on and on about this Prisma you speak of, but as I've already stated, I'm needed elsewhere, rodent boy."

[Necrophage]

Oz gritted his teeth together. Such a short meeting left him with frustration. Good thing there were plenty of these things to pulverize! He recalled what Jenso mentioned about the golems having beam attacks. It wouldn't be ideal to try and block something like that. It might be possible that he could but it would be a waste of energy regardless to try to block that heavy an attack, especially with the volume of adversaries. "Change of plans Jenso! It's time to make some rubble." There's no point in revealing his big strike to minions. So he called on an old classic. Oz raised his palm over the ground, a circle of arcane symbols whirled around as a rod of violet, pulsating energy lifted out into his grasp. "Alright, watch your feet pal!" He warned as he leapt into the air. With a pulse of energy the rod formed its own hammerhead which he brought down straight into the ground to make his own shockwave. Something to keep those golems from beaming them right off the bat.

[Jensoman]

Jenso stomped his left foot on the ground and hopped into the air as Oz told him, taking note of what he was doing. He crossed his arms as he did, and uncrossed them quickly. "Omega overheat!" He muttered, as white flames surrounded his body and his pupils changed into white flames. They did not appear to hurt Oz who was nearby, though. He grabbed Oz with his arm as a burst of white flames erupted from his feet, launching him and Oz through one of the corridors, the one in front of them to hopefully give the golems on the left and right sides difficulity to aim at them.

Where Jenso stomped his left foot earlier, a white flame wave erupted which was aimed to plow through the corridor behind them and was aimed to knock the golems right off the bridge. As they flew towards the group of golems in front at great speeds, he hoped they would be momentarily stunned by Oz's strike. He threw Oz over the group to allow him free movement and to get some distance between himself and Jenso, as he kicked at a golem in the center of the group. "FLAMEBURST KICK!!" He shouted, as a large explosion of white flames erupted from his foot from where he struck, and didn't seem to harm him. It was intended to blow all the golems from this group up, or send them flying off the bridge.

[tex]

The groups of golems shook in place, losing their footing as the bridge below them began to crack and crumble. Oz's strike managed to completely unhinge the intersection, disconnecting it from the four walkways, and causing it to slowly sink from its bindings.

Jenso's flame wave found itself negated as the struck the edge of one of the bridge platforms, not affecting the golems behind him. The golems on either side took a moment to regain their composure, and fired at Jenso and Oz while they were airborne, all in unison. The lasers flew through the air, narrowly missing. But where Geode stood, the golems had a perfect chance to hit Jenso directly as he landed. One of the bots were immediately dispatched by Jenso's kick, tearing it to shreds, but the other four turned and fired at Jenso, point-blank.

The golems on the opposite side of the bridge aimed carefully as well, waiting for an opening to fire their five lasers as well.

Geode drifted away into nothingness, fading into the gears while the exchange was occurring.

[Necrophage]

Oz took careful consideration of what was happening, his adrenaline was pumping and it was like everything had slowed down. There were a lot of ranged attackers and he didn't like it. They were aiming at what they viewed as the biggest threat. That same threat was his ticket to surviving this mess. Hope he doesn't take this this wrong way, Oz thought to himself. He hooked the hammer around Jenso's waist, pulled him closer with it and then proceeded to swing him away from the golems to a safer distance.

They needed cover from the ranged attacks or they'd get screwed and fighting these things regardless was dangerous if they didn't have a better idea of how to counter them. Speed would be the best option but right now they needed to fly because this was only a small group out of the many they'd seen earlier. Oz whipped that same hammer around and in a pulse of energy the hammerhead formed into a speartip. He jumped back and threw it into the mess of cogs and gearwork overhead. "Jenso, keep moving! I don't think this will end well."

[Jensoman]

Jenso nodded at Oz, as Pij emerged from his chest. Jenso hoped that he managed to avoid the lasers that were fired at him from point blank just now due to Oz's swing, and realised what he attempted to do with his spear.

Pij moved around the front group of golems in a semi- circle, and launched a flurry of super heated, condensed phoenix feathers at their backs while they were focused on Jenso, aiming to pierce straight through their cores from behind. Jenso launched a white whip at them at the same time. It moved like a snake, aimed to wrap around the golem's hands that were close to him. It would pull them together with extreme force, hopefully holding them in place for Pij's attack to hit. The phoenix herself made sure to stay a safe distance away, however. A burst of flames erupted from his feet in order to launch himself further away over the pathway in front, and further away from Oz's spear.

[tex]

Oz's spear tore through the mechanical junctures above him, unhinging gears and snapping stone columns in half. In moments, every last gear around them grind to a halt, and the very bridge that they stood on shook violently. It fell a few inches and paused, shaking the golems nearby. Pij flanked around easily, but the small area that allowed free flight made it easy for the golems from afar to strike her, aiming to knock the bird right out of thin air immediately after she dispatched the golems near Jenso and Oz, evaporating her physical form and sending the phoenix back to Jenso's body. Moments after the exchange, gears and rocks fell from above continuously, like a waterfall of parts, sealing the golems from Jenso and Oz. But a new problem arose.

The bridge was now falling to pieces, threatening to drop both of them into the ocean below.

Geode watched from afar, monitoring the two using his sphere to look through the cores of the other golems. As the collapsed happened, he chuckled and moved across the large circular room at the center of the citadel.

"Excellent. Maybe the elementals weren't such a mistake after all.."

---

~ End Of Chapter 124 ~