The Golems that had cornered Mog finally realized what had happened to their other two companions. Their faceless heads turned towards me and Skip, and half of them broke off the assault to come after us. Powerful lumbering footsteps through the ruins sent bricks falling to the ground all along their path. They then absorbed it into their bodies, using the rubble to swell even larger. Mog took the moment of distraction to thrust his column weapon through the chest of one of the Golems that continued to circle him. His aim was dead on, and a red-hot stone the size of my head came popping out the other side in a shower of dirt and dust. Mog charged through the Golems and smashed it, spraying black goo in a five meter radius. Three down.

I reached out once again and felt the tingling, white-hot energy of the Ruby course through my veins and out my fingers. The same red lightning that the Ruby had used to protect Lirk came shooting out, straight at the heart of the Golem. It burned through the layers of stone and down to the heart of the it, causing the heart at the center of its chest to explode too. The black goo, what I assume was the leftovers of Amcerlizar's blood enchantment, came seeping out through the hole for just a moment. Then the rest of it crumbled into a pile of ashes that were quickly scattered by a strong gust coming in from the ocean.

"Winston, this is incredible!" Skip said from behind me. "It wasn't attacking you, and you could still use the lightning!"

She had no idea. Using plain old destruction magic was only the start of it.

The three golems came charging forward, not the least bit intimidated by the fact that I had turned their comrade into a pile of dust. I took a deep breath and dragged a powerful wave from the bottom of the sea and sent it flying above my and Skip's head, only to come crashing down on the approaching Golems. I followed that up with a powerful gust of wind that churned the water into a tornado, tearing the magical bonds between their stones. The water receded back into the sea, leaving chunks of golem swimming about in the mud, trying their best to form their bodies again. I'd never even taken elemental manipulation in the Academy, and yet here I was able to bring a tsunami down on my foes like a master! The Ruby was more powerful than I ever could have imagined. 

One of the Golems managed to get to its feet, though its arms were still growing from the shoulders. I directed another blast of lightning at it, so powerful that nearly every stone in its body turned white-hot, causing the entire thing to explode in a spray of sparks and burning magma. Skip let out an exultant cheer and thumped me heartily on the back.

Mog tried to limp toward us, but whatever happened to his leg was hurting too bad to make it, and he had to lean against an old stone tower for support. Even from a distance I could see searing pain in his watery eyes, and purplish blood dripping from a dozen wounds in his greyish skin. The three Golems surrounding him moved to close in, swords at the ready.

"HEY," I shouted towards the Golems. Their faceless heads turned in unison. "You really thought this would be enough to stop me?" I gestured over my shoulder to the vaguely human-shaped form of the Golem that I'd turned to glass. "Come on, give me a real challenge!" Just for good measure, I levitated the largest stone I could find nearby and slammed it into the chest of the closest one. The blow knocked it back at least ten meters, then the dirt from the Golem's chest absorbed the stone, making the creature even larger.

The three remaining Golems around Mog decided that he wasn't such a big threat after all, and lumbered through the broken walls between us to join their two remaining companions. Good. Even with the five of them together, they didn't stand a chance. I was more powerful than ever. I was more powerful than Amcerlizar! As soon as I dispatched those lumps, I'd be coming after him. And then I'd eat his soul.  

The five Golems circled, then charged forward at once. I sent the closest one flying, straight up into the sky. Normally levitation spells are so limited that they're practically useless; it takes a huge amount of effort to even lift a person into the air. But I barely even had to exert any effort to launch six tons of earth straight through the clouds. Now there were four. What spell should I play with next?

Not to be outdone, Skip decided to join in on the fight too. She scrambled up a Golem's arm and began hacking away at thick stones surrounding its chest. It began to dance around, arms flailing, trying to throw her off. It succeeded while I was busy turning another Golem into ash, and Skip went flying. Even over the din of the battle and the pounding footsteps of the Golem, I heard the 'crack' when her head smacked into the wall. 

"SKIP!" As the Golem swung its sword at her for a killing blow, I turned the creature's body into crystal-clear ice, leaving just the burning red stone heart in its chest that almost immediately began to melt its way through the torso. I rushed to her side, giving the remaining Golems a chance to regroup. I had some more spells I wanted to test anyway. "Are you all right, Skip?" Across the field, the Golem that I'd launched into the air came tumbling back down and created an enormous crater in the field when it landed. 

She blinked and rubbed her hand through her tight curls; her fingers came away covered in red. "I'm OK," she muttered. She tried to stand up, but couldn't seem to get her balance and slumped back against the brick. "Just help me up." I gave her a hand, and she managed to take five or six tottering steps before dropping to her knees in the grass. 

"Here, come rest," I told her. I helped her hobble over to the foot of the glassed golem so that she could take a seat. It sparkled overhead, one hand forever reaching out to attack. "Let me take care of the rest of them." She had done enough for me already. Behind us, the Golem's heart managed to melt through the ice and dropped to the ground, where I promptly destroyed it for good before it could gather enough dirt to rebuild itself. "Just rest," I told her. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

The three Golems left in the field approached, and I decided to try a magma transformation. I'd seen some of the students at the Academy practicing it one time. They were the oldest, most powerful students... and they'd barely be able to make a little fiery fissure. It was always one of the greatest feats of Necromancers and wizards in all the old legends. Let's see what this puppy could really do. I held out both hands and felt the very earth beneath my feet rumble and groan and roar. On my chest, the Ruby felt like it was an ember in the heart of a bonfire, but the heat somehow didn't hurt me at all. Just before the Golems got within striking distance, the ground opened up beneath them, and all  of them tumbled into a deep, fiery pit that singed my eyebrows off. The Golems fell into the lava and tried to doggy paddle for just a second, then sank into the depths and melted away. 

Finally, silence. All the Golems were defeated. We'd destroyed most of the ruins in the process, but they weren't in great shape to begin with. "You did it!" Skip cheered. She tried to get to her feet again, but winced in pain and sat back down on the glass Golem's foot.

"DID IT!" Mog concurred, licking his wounds with his big, sandpapery tongue.

I turned back to the massive (and growing!) pit of lava and sealed it up again, causing the ground to groan and vibrate. For just a second, I was worried that maybe I'd gone too far. Maybe the whole place would fall into the sea. Some of the stone walls that had managed to survive the battle so far came tumbling down.... and I heard the faint tinkle of shattering glass. 

"Winsto....!" Skip didn't even get to finish her cry. I whirled around, already knowing what I'd find. 

The Golem had broken free. The heart, I realized too late. My inferno had turned its skin to glass, but deep inside, it was still alive. Waiting to break out. Half of its skin was still standing, like a translucent greenish statue. But the rest had shattered, releasing what was left of the Golem, and its hand had reformed into a long, wicked sword. And now, that sword was sticking straight through the middle of Skip's chest, dripping red with blood. 

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