The golem's lens snapped wide. A second pulse built in the machine’s core, its internal conduits casting sharp lines of blue light beneath cracked plating.

  "Holy hell!" Xander snapped.

  Blake was already in motion. The younger paladin dove sideways, spear braced for balance as the magitech beam lanced forward with a shriek of heat and raw force. The blast tore a line through the rain like a sword through silk, punching into the fog.

  It didn’t hit them. But somewhere out there, something exploded.

  Jo didn't wait for the fallout. She lunged forward, sword flashing through the haze, and drove the golem off-balance with a slash across the torso. The strike didn’t bite deep, but it shifted the construct just enough. Its right foot skidded on the wet pavement as its clawed feet dug in and optics flickered to track her.

  Xander closed the distance.

  The hammerpick rose. Then fell as he built up steam charges to power its ultimate attack.

  One.

  It hit above the hip seam. A shallow strike, more noise than damage, but the weapon drank the force with a hungry pulse.

  He pivoted, shoulder leading, and hit again.

  Two.

  The golem twisted to retaliate, but Blake was there and jabbed low, forcing the construct to readjust. The attack didn’t land, but it gave Xander several seconds.

  Three. Four. Five.

  He called them out like a drumbeat. "Six."

  The hammerpick vibrated in his hand, humming with latent energy. Pale wisps of steam danced along the edges.

  The golem’s claw swept sideways. Xander ducked under it and struck again.

  "Seven."

  "Xander, look out! Left!"

  Jo’s voice cut through the clash. She darted in, slamming her shoulder into the golem’s ribs with enough force to push it sideways. Her sword followed in the same motion, a rising flash of steel that cracked sparks off its plating. The attack opened a weakness in the golem's defenses.

  Xander took it.

  "Eight!" he called.

  The hammerpick struck again, driving into the narrow space beneath the chest plate. The hit landed hard, the venting steam intensifying with every built-up charge.

  Behind them, Zoey’s arrows zipped overhead with a repeated chorus of zip-thwap. One slammed dead into the right optic and blew the lens in a burst of white fire. The golem jerked as if blinded, its remaining eye scrambling to adjust, tracking back and forth with mechanical twitchiness. It planted its claw, trying to pivot, but its footing slid wide across the soaked pavement.

  "Jo, give me…"

  "Go!" she cut back, already moving again. "I’ll get you the opening!"

  "Nine."

  The next hit drove in lower, the head of the hammerpick lighting up like something alive. It wasn’t just venting steam now, it pulsed with each of his heartbeats, drawing power from whatever reservoir this weapon tapped into. The pick hummed as if it were barely containing something inside it.

  The golem turned toward him.

  A single eye, flickering red behind cracked glass.

  It raised its arm as if to deliver an overhead chop to Xander. The claw clenched into a makeshift fist. Neither Xander nor the golem had taken a defensive position for this exchange of attacks. Who came out on top would depend completely on who landed their blow first.

  "Plating’s cracked at the shoulder!" Jo shouted. "Hit the seam!"

  Xander twisted into the last step, body low, momentum forward, and brought the hammerpick down in a brutal arc aimed straight at the compromised shoulder joint.

  The weapon connected, and the hammerpick's ability triggered.

  It wasn’t an explosion in the conventional sense. It was more like the moment a system failed all at once. The shoulder didn’t break, but it ruptured. Bolts sheared off the frame. Plating collapsed inward, buckling under divine force and stored kinetic charge. A burst of light exploded outward in a flared pattern, flattening steam and scattering debris across the lot.

  The entire arm tore free and pinwheeled through the rain before smashing down in the middle of the lot.

  The golem shrieked. Not a vocal sound, but a piercing mechanical wail as servos spun wildly in failing cycles. Sparks vented from its collar and hip as it stumbled, losing all coordination in its movements. It collapsed onto its side, frame jerking uncontrollably.

  Xander stepped in without thinking to deliver the final blow, but Blake was already there. The young paladin reversed his grip mid-motion and drove his spear down into the exposed core where the shoulder had torn free.

  A pulse of golden light surged down the shaft of the spear, striking deep into the internal workings of the golem. It shuddered once and then went limp.

  Xander didn’t watch it fall. He was already turning.

  The hammerpick still buzzed faintly in his grip, its glow dulled, discharging heat into the wet air. His pulse hadn’t caught up yet. Every muscle in his arm screamed from the final blow. But across the lot, the fight wasn’t over.

  Kane was still locked in place, trading blows with the other golem.

  The last golem’s bulk pressed against him, claws hammering his shield at relentless intervals. The fighter had been pushed nearly to the base of a collapsed trailer, one foot braced on rusted steel, the other digging furrows into broken pavement. Every strike forced Kane back another inch.

  "Everyone, push in!" Xander called. "Now!"

  Blake broke first into motion, not even waiting for acknowledgment. He sprinted across the slick lot toward Kane, his spear gripped tight, mouth set in a tight line. Zoey stayed at her vantage point and twisted slightly, already sending arrow after arrow at the remaining golem. Her next arrow struck the golem high in the shoulder and stuck. The next hit lower, into the hip, and buried itself deeper. The machine staggered as the servos began to hitch mid-motion.

  Jo stayed tight on Xander’s right.

  He crossed into the golem’s blind spot, spear back in hand. The switch from hammerpick to primary weapon felt like the better choice as the golem had several exposed pieces in its armor. Delivering a penetrating attack empowered with Judgement Strike would hopefully help end the fight quickly.

  The construct didn’t turn to face Kane's reinforcements. It was too slow now, movements jerky, coordination barely above what would would expect from a toddler learning to walk. Its claw slammed down again on Kane’s shield, and this time the impact split a section of its upper claw loose. Kane shifted his weight and forced the construct’s arm outward in one brutal shove, creating just enough space.

  Blake drove his spear into the rear joint of the golem’s knee.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The machine stumbled.

  Jo delivered a brutal blow. Lightning arced from her blade as she cut across the golem’s back in two rapid slashes. One at the lower spine. The next across the opposite leg. Blue-white sparks trailed behind her movements, flashes of light echoing across the wet asphalt.

  It stumbled again.

  Zoey’s third shot hit the golem directly in what passed for its face. Frost quickly covered both of the golem's optics before the lenses cracked.

  Xander moved in, finding his opening as the blinded golem swung its arms around at random. He drove the spear up under the chassis, just behind the plating near the right hip. The point punched through the gap in the armor and twisted. Steam hissed from the joint as Judgement Strike sent a bolt of holy energy surging deep into the construct's internals. The golem staggered to the right, its center of gravity now skewed across multiple failing limbs.

  Kane dropped his shield and took up his sword two-handed. His blade swept low, taking the left leg at the rear joint.

  Jo mirrored the attack and struck the right with a sharp upward thrust.

  The golem buckled.

  It dropped to one knee, servos whining in protest as metal ground against torn stabilizers. The rain soaked its chassis, now half-collapsed and leaning forward like a dying engine.

  Xander drove his spear in just beneath the collar, punching deep into the exposed neck assembly where armor had peeled away. A rush of sparks burst outward in a spray of orange and blue. The construct’s torso sagged forward and its lights dimmed.

  For a moment, the only movement was the rain splashing off the asphalt. Then the machine slumped fully to the ground, dead weight collapsing with a crash against the pavement. The flickering light behind its broken lens faded and then went opaque.

  It didn’t rise again.

  Zoey dropped from her perch on the wrecked SUV, boots slapping the pavement. Jo stepped back from the wreckage, breathing hard, sword still faintly arcing lightning. Blake held his stance for another second, then eased upright.

  Xander turned toward Kane. "You good?"

  "Not sure how much longer I could have held out, but I'm good."

  Ford arrived just behind them, staff aglow as he scanned the group. "Bruises. Strained wrist. Cuts. Nothing worse than that."

  He looked at Kane. "You need a rest."

  "I’ll rest later."

  "No, I think Ford is right. We could all use a break. Let's take thirty and then figure out our next move," Xander said.

  The parking lot looked like a war zone. Shattered floor tiles, gouged asphalt, and broken furniture covered the ground. Bits of armor plating and twisted cables were scattered across the field. The front of the building wasn’t a wall anymore. Only a torn edge of concrete remained where the second golem had punched through. Part of the wrecked car it had thrown was still jammed into the frame, half-crushed and smoking. Rain hammered everything, pooling in the low spots.

  Jo hadn’t sheathed her sword.

  She stared at the destroyed entrance with a frown, jaw tight.

  "Does anyone else get the feeling that there is a dungeon nearby?"

  "What?" Xander asked.

  "Think about it. We always run into some bigger encounter outside of dungeons. Blake, do those things normally move in pairs?"

  "Now that you mention it, no. Don't take my word as proof, but I've only seen them one at a time." Blake responded.

  "You might be right, but don't forget. The ogres were a tough encounter, and there was no dungeon there." Xander said. "Don't get me wrong, I think we're in the right spot. I'm just not sure what we're dealing with here."

  Xander let the conversation drop. Jo kept the frown on her face as she pulled out a pair of binoculars and surveyed the rest of the facility. The rain must have been killing her visibility, but he didn’t say anything. He’d seen her get in moods like this before and had learned it was better to let her work through it on her own.

  He didn’t think she was wrong either. Maybe there was a dungeon nearby. Maybe not. But one thing was certain, something was going on.

  Putting the thought aside for a moment, Xander checked his notifications

  +10 Bushcraft | Congratulations. You remember how to boil water without dying. The Simulation has reviewed your backlogged survival experience and retroactively decided you're not completely helpless in the woods. About time.

  +2 Mace Combat | Blunt force applied successfully. Target integrity compromised. Please continue smashing.

  +1 Light Armor | You move a little better in gear that barely counts as protection. Progress is progress. Unconventional choice for a Crusader, but hey mobility matters when you’re outnumbered.

  The combat gains weren't a surprise, but the bushcraft skill was. He wasn't sure exactly what he had done to get the Simulation to recognize his bushcraft skills, but it was a nice little bonus to his day.

  Closing the notification window, he opened his character sheet.

  Name: Xander Kell

  Class: Lightbringer Crusader

  Level: 13

  Health: 420/420

  Mana: 140/140

  Stats

  Strength: 11

  Dexterity: 14 (+10)

  Intelligence: 7

  Constitution: 10

  Charisma: 5

  Abilities

  Taunt Disarm

  Cat’s Grace

  Cat’s Sight

  Spectral Sight

  Radiant Smite

  Radiant Aegis

  Crusader’s Verdict

  Judgemental Strike

  Light Heal

  Moderate Heal

  Sanctify Banner of Conviction (Passive Aura)

  Skills

  Spear Combat: 21

  Mace Combat: 21

  Knife Combat: 1

  Thrown Spear: 1

  First Aid: 12

  Analyze: 1

  Light Armor: 27

  Leadership: 18

  Meditation: 6

  Divine Forge Master: 15

  Bushcraft: 10

  Everything looked about the same. Since he hadn’t gained a level, there wasn’t much change in the details.

  Banner of Conviction, though. That one was bothering him. He had noticed no obvious effect during the golem fight. Did that mean the golems weren’t part of the quest? Or was the skill just useless?

  He was starting to wonder if it was all a placebo.

  "Door," Jo whispered.

  Xander glanced up from his character sheet. She still had the binoculars pressed to her face, eyes narrowed toward the far end of the property.

  "Where?" he asked, pulling his own binoculars out.

  She lowered the binoculars just enough to nod past the main silos. "Overflow barn. One of the side doors is swinging. Too far to see anyone, but it’s been opening and closing on the same rhythm since I spotted it."

  "Could be where our missing scouts went. Could be bait."

  "Either way," she said, "it’s better than standing in a parking lot full of puddles."

  Kane pushed off the wrecked bumper he’d been using as a seat and rolled out his shoulder. "Long as it’s not another surprise golem, I’ll take it."

  Ford checked his staff as he stood. "You’re going to take it either way."

  They regrouped quickly. No one said much. The adrenaline had burned off, but none of them had relaxed. Xander knew the feeling well. You finished the fight, but your body kept waiting for the next threat to step out of the rain.

  The administration building was wrecked. The golems had flattened the entrance, torn out half the lobby, and knocked enough structural supports loose no one wanted to risk going back inside. If there had been records, signs, or anything worth salvaging, it was buried under broken concrete and twisted steel.

  So they moved.

  The rain had softened to a light drizzle, and the sky above was a uniform gray, low and heavy. Jo took point without asking. Xander kept close behind her, while the rest of the group spread out. They checked each vehicle as they passed. It was a quick check to pop the door, sweep the interior, and move on.

  The third one still had someone inside.

  The body was slumped over the steering wheel, arms stiff, skin pale and drawn tight across the cheekbones. It wasn't a fresh body. Bones pushed sharply against the skin as if they had been mummified in place. Whoever they’d been, they hadn’t moved in weeks.

  Xander closed the door and kept walking.

  They passed two more corpses in the next few minutes. One inside a grain hauler, wedged under the console like they’d tried to hide. Another in a shipping trailer, curled against the far wall with a rusted pry bar still clutched in one hand.

  Xander checked each of them for gear, driver licenses, or identifying marks. None of them were the missing scouts. Each wore the scrap remains of civilian clothing, making them most likely people who hadn't survived long after the initial Simulation reboot.

  "This doesn't make a lot of sense," Jo said. "We've got two dead scouts, two barely functioning constructs, but everything else is almost normal. It's like this place is trying extremely hard to be unnoticeable."

  Xander didn’t answer. She wasn’t wrong. The whole place felt… off. It was almost as if someone had sanitized it. Like someone had removed all the context and left only the pieces they wanted seen.

  The barn came into view ahead.

  It was big, blocky, and set at the back edge of a gravel access road. Plain sheet metal siding, a high roof, and a wide double door half-open on one side. The right door swung back and forth in the wind, just as Jo had described. A long chain hung from the latch, bouncing lightly with each movement.

  "Scouts could have gone inside," Kane said.

  "Or long gone," Zoey added. "Or underground."

  Blake moved to the right. "I’ll take point."

  "No," Xander said. "We'll go in together."

  They stacked up loosely at the doorway. Xander gave a quick nod. Jo kicked the swinging door wide, and they moved in as one.

  Inside, the barn was silent… and empty.

  There were no signs of the standard equipment a grain barn would have had. The structure wasn't new, but was in good shape. That meant it hadn't been decommissioned, and to leave this much storage space empty in the middle of the corn belt made no business sense.

  The interior was completely empty. Clean walls, floor, and plenty of open space.

  It looked like one that had never held anything at all.

  Jo stepped in slowly, blade still drawn. She turned in place, studying the corners.

  "This is wrong," she said. "This is all wrong."

  "If the scouts came in here, there should have been some sign," Ford said. "There isn't even any dirt tracked in."

  "They either didn't come in here, or this place has been cleaned as well." Zoey said.

  At the wall to the right of the double doors, something caught Xander’s eye.

  It was an old metal sign. The colors were faded to a muted blue and off-white. In the center sat a plain shield backed by a twelve-pointed star. Where an animal might’ve sat on top of the shield was instead a closed eye, etched in the same faded ink. A brass ring framed the whole thing like a government seal that went out of its way to be as unnoticeable as possible.

  Above the emblem, block letters read:

  ACCESS RESTRICTED

  Beneath it, in a smaller font, was another line:

  OFFICE OF NATIONAL SYSTEMS MAINTENANCE

  Xander stepped toward it.

  Something clicked under his boot. Loud.