“A guardian sounds like a problem, but this place has to be what we came here to find,” Stomper affirmed.
“Let us move with haste and find this evidence before Carhein is forced to destroy the guardian.”
“You’ve got to cool it with that, but you have a point. Let’s move quickly. Everyone stay close,” Stomper said as he moved forward.
The group walked at a fast pace down the metal corridor until they entered a large, open space. Steel workbenches that looked like they belonged in a science lab lined the walls. Glass vials filled with different color liquids sat in wooden holders next to a large contraption that he could only picture as an alchemy set.
Wooden casks were stacked under one of the table on the left, and a thick black sludge gathered on the top near a cork. Most concerning of all was the thing that stood in the corner of the room. Inside a large metal frame stood a robot. At least, that’s what Atlas assumed it was. It really looked like a full suit of plate armor except metallic hoses ran down its arms and legs and he could see metal through the gaps in its armor. A large helmet sat on top with a thin visor slit, but it had eagle wings flaring off of each side in a backward sweep.
They all stared at the contraption in silence.
“I hope that’s not the guardian,” Shade said, causing everyone to flinch. The game must’ve thought that was the cue because lights hummed to life on the metal frame and the thick black sludge he noticed on the casks pumped down tubes and entered the main body of the machine.
Guardian Otto activated! Have your identification ready or you will be dispatched.
The two hoses supplying the black liquid popped loose with a hiss and the openings in the armor closed. Its eyes flared with a green light as it walked toward the party.
“Identify yourselves or be executed,” its monotone voice rang out.
“Well, damn. Looks like we get to fight,” Stomper said and charged the machine.
The robot barely moved as the tank charged forward. Stomper brought his shield around in a powerful blow and it smashed into the side of the guardian’s head. A metallic gong rang through the room and the machine remained in the exact same position, its green eyes shining into Stomper’s stunned face.
In one quick motion the guardian punched the shield and Stomper flew ten feet through the air before hitting the ground and sliding to a stop. The shield on his arm bent and battered. With a pained expression, he extricated his arm from the leather straps and held it close to his body.
Atlas looked on in horror at the scene until his attention focused on the health bars. Stomper was in the yellow, flirting with red. Snapping out of his fear, he cast Nurture and immediately followed it with Harmony.
You healed FaceStomper55 for 42 HP with Nurture.
You healed FaceStomper55 for 21 HP with Harmony.
The warrior’s health bar jumped up at the first cast and then gradually started ticking higher. Movement caught his eye, and he watched as Shade and Carhein attempted to engage the metallic monster.
Their blades sparked and hissed as they scratched across the armor but didn’t even scuff the plate. Shade ducked below a swipe from the guardian, but Carhein wasn’t as lucky. He almost dodged the hit, but it clipped him on the shoulder and sent him tumbling to the ground. Rings of his chain mail popped loose and rang across the floor as they bounced.
Atlas shifted focus and cast Harmony on him as well.
You healed Carhein for 21 HP with Harmony.
“We can’t hurt it!” Shade yelled.
“It seems impervious to our weapons of steel. Maybe some magic is in order valiant druid?” Carhein called toward Atlas.
With a nod of agreement, Atlas looked toward the guardian. Its name and level quickly flashed up as he finally took the time to examine it. Otto Hinden, the Shiny Hell Instrument of Torture - Level 25.
Someone definitely had extra time on their hands to name him that. Instead of trying to remember it, Atlas decided he would just call it OH SHIT.
Atlas let instinct take over as he activated Nature’s Wrath. The movements came to him and his body almost completed the spell on its own. Two balls of green power launched forward and punched into the breastplate of the machine. It rocked back two steps in surprise before it turned its gaze on Atlas.
You dealt 34 damage to OH SHIT with Nature’s Wrath.
Atlas chuckled that the system recognized his name for the creature and adapted.
“Did you hurt it?” Stomper asked.
“Yeah. The spell seemed to do full damage.”
“Good. None of my attacks did over one damage,” Stomper told him.
“Same,” both Carhein and Shade said in unison.
OH SHIT headed for Atlas and he began weaving his next spell. Without realizing it, he cast Entangle. The strange part was, he never activated the ability, just cast the spell by memory. The notification proved it.
You dealt 9 damage to OH SHIT with Entangle.
Rejoice! You mastered Entangle.
You can now cast Entangle without fail or backlash. You unlocked the spell Upgraded Entangle. Master it for additional bonuses.
That’s great news. Also meant his spells evolved.
His excitement about mastering the spell lasted only a few more seconds as he heard the ripping of vines. OH SHIT was quickly tearing free of his bindings and trying to move forward. Atlas activated Sunfire and cast the spell. The column of white energy smashed into the contraption and it dropped to a knee under the onslaught.
You dealt 21 damage to OH SHIT with Sunfire.
“I can’t keep this up forever. I don’t have enough mana to kill him by myself,” Atlas told the group, “We need a plan.”
“Anyone else have any hidden magic up their sleeves that they’ve kept quiet?” Shade asked in a sarcastic tone.
“It has to have a weakness. Any ideas?” Atlas asked.
“Machines are usually prone to overheating. Too bad we don’t
