The Path of Ascension 2: A LitRPG Adventure

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As he reached for another golem, a massive wolf jumped out from the surrounding foliage, and quickly shredded the monster it grabbed with a violent shake of its head.

Seeing that the beast was on his side, Matt tackled a lunging golem and, after a brief moment where they struggled for dominance, he got its sword arm into an armbar. Using his skill-enhanced strength, Matt was able to get on top of the golem, with its chest into the ground. Keeping the arm bar, he got up to one knee with the other pinning the golem down. He twisted and wrenched the arm as he rose, until his leverage won out against the Tier 6 material.

A screeching sound and the lack of resistance told Matt everything he needed to know. The fact that he was holding a dismembered metal arm was a good indication of his victory, too. The golem was quickly dispatched with some well-placed blows to the chest and core.

Another golem thrust its mana blade along Matt’s back. It skittered off [Cracked Phantom Armor], which was only slightly stressed by the blow.

Still on his knees, Matt tried to stand and fight, but was tackled by a golem from the rear.

With his face buried in the ground and a golem on his back punching him, Matt bucked. That created just enough separation for him to throw his hip over to the other side and get on his back. From there, he punched out at the golem in its mounted position. His vambraces heated and the golem leaned to the side as the structure of its entire upper body collapsed.

The advantage was short lived, as a mana blade cut down on his face from above. This time, [Cracked Phantom Armor] was almost stressed to its breaking point, but it held. The golem on top of him was mangled but kept attacking. Matt gripped its waist and bucked for a second time, planting his feet in the ground, and thrusting his hips into the air. The upward force knocked the golem off balance, giving him enough leverage to pull the golem up and over his head slightly.

The golem broke its fall with its left hand as it flew over. Seeing the opportunity for a counter, Matt hooked that planted arm with his own left arm and hooked his left leg around the golem’s. He bucked his hips into a roll toward his left and, using his free right leg to push off, pulled the golem’s locked limbs toward him. At the same time, Matt struck the golem in the abdomen.

The maneuver sent the golem rolling off him to his left and Matt was able to transition into another arm bar with the golem’s left arm still in his hold. With the golem now on its back and Matt to its side, he got to his feet and lurched up, wrenching the golem’s remaining good arm as he rose.

A pop indicated that he had indeed ripped out the other arm, so Matt scurried to mount the downed golem and finish it with his fists. However, he was shield bashed in the back of the head before he got the chance.

This blow sent him rolling out of the melee, but he quickly sprang back up to his feet. A quick query to his AI showed that his sword was far enough away to not be worth getting.

With two golems charging him, Matt punched and kicked until he had created an opening and was eventually able to take the pair down one at a time.

As he stomped the chest of the last golem, he looked around and saw that the battle was winding down. The few remaining golems were being surrounded and destroyed by the others.

His exhaustion faded with [Endurance] active, as it revitalized his muscles and healed the strains on his body from high MPS usage of [Mage’s Retreat]. After a few minutes of recovery, Matt joined the rest of the party.

“Everyone okay?”

At the nods confirming what their AIs reported, Matt and company moved to the group on the slight hill.

There was a man on the ground with most of his lower left side missing. Matt pulled out a clotting potion, but the woman tending to the next wounded person called out to him. “Don’t waste that potion on him. He’s done for. We need the supplies for those that we can actually help.”

Matt handed over the potion, slightly stunned. He was used to seeing gory messes, as he usually had a hand in them. But this was a fellow human. They were savaged so badly, he agreed that it would be better to help the less injured and move on.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t killed the wannabe bandits on the training world, but that encounter wasn’t a direct result of his failures. This person’s blood was on his hands. This was his fault.

Matt moved to the barely breathing man and asked quietly, “Do you want me to end it?”

The man tried to speak, but when only a burble of blood came out, he shook his head. His mouth tried to form what Matt could only assume was a plea for help.

Not knowing what else to do, Matt held the man’s hand while his breathing faded, until, with a final gasp, he joined the dead.

Matt felt the burst of the essence. It wasn’t directed at him, as he hadn’t killed the man, but he was near. Not wanting anyone else to take advantage, even though he found it unlikely, Matt grabbed the essence and shoved it down into the planet.

The resulting feelings were complex. Matt wanted to rage at the loss, or say that if they had been faster, they could have done something. But he knew it wasn’t true. If they hadn’t taken out the spider golem factory, they would be dealing with much worse. They would have been overrun in hours. A day at most. The reality didn’t stop him from wishing that he could have saved the man somehow.

Closing the man’s eyes with his hand, he stood and saw the woman who was acting as a healer wipe her face with a clean towel.

The woman shook her head and nodded at Matt, “Thanks for sitting with him. I was too busy stabilizing the last one.”

“Thanks for doing what you could. Name’s Matt.”