"Come on, come on, come on!" Olivia gritted her teeth and used all her strength. The sword in the ground groaned before it finally popped out. "Yes! Olem, I got another one!"
"Alright, bring it over." Olem nodded.
For the first time since the games had begun, things were looking up for their guild. They practically had this game in the bag. This was because, as it turned out, the three members of Pantheon, Battery, Whisper, and Cinder all had no idea about how to forge a sword or fix it up. This meant they were running around like headless chickens, making the blades far worse rather than fixing them.
Olem, on the other hand, was a pro. Olivia and Ken ran around collecting blades, and then they would bring them to him. He'd hold them in his hand and inspect them before seemingly deciding what the flaw was and quickly fixing it.
He'd sharpen blades that had dulled a bit. Reforge the metal within them to wipe away oxygen bubbles. Fix up the leather straps that were around the handle, or even redo some swords entirely, making them far longer and sturdier.
Pantheon hadn't even gotten a single point yet, while Phoenix Flight had long since crossed the double digits. They basically already won this game.
Olem hummed and took the sword Olivia handed him. It was a silver longsword, with a guard shaped like a wolf's head and a handle that was wrapped in fine black leather. He ran his finger along the blade for a moment before nodding.
"I'll sharpen it."
And that's exactly what Olem did. He made his way over to the grindstone and began to sharpen the blade, smoothing out the dull edges and wiping away years of unuse. In no time at all, he held up the sword, which now gleamed as the light reflected off the blade. Even with her untrained eyes, Olivia could tell it was now far, far sharper, and she was careful not to cut herself with it as Olem handed the blade back to her.
"That's another one down." Olivia placed the sword on a table, where the other fixed blades resided, and their point count went up by one.
"Olem!" Ken ran up, holding a golden greatsword that looked more beautiful than practical. It was way too heavy, lacked a guard, and the blade was likely blunt. "I got another one for you."
Olem took the large sword and turned it over in his hands. "This one should be broken down fully and destroyed. We'll unmake it and use its materials to forge a smaller, working sword. One that is an actual blade and not some ugly wall decoration."
Olem walked over to the forge and got ready to smelt the blade down. Olivia eagerly watched on the sidelines as Ken ran off to go get another blade so they could continue to gain points.
In all honesty, there was no need to try as hard anymore. Even if Pantheon suddenly learned how to forge, they were so far behind they had no hope of catching up, and even the three members knew it, as at some point they just gave up and were now quietly chatting around their forge, seemingly content with losing this round.
"Olem, you're like crazy good at that stuff." Olivia cheered. "How did you learn all of this? I don't think anyone in the guild knows how to smith besides maybe Clause."
"Nah, Clause is good at making clothes and sewing, but he's an ass when it comes to forging," Olem said bluntly. "No one in the guild taught me how to do this. These are years of practice before I became part of the Phoenix Flight guild."
"Yeah? How did you join? What you said earlier made it sound like you grew up in this dungeon?"
"That's because I did." Olem began to hammer away at a blade on the anvil. "Before the Licht-Fulk built this city and created their own royal family, the people here were led by Himvel, the hero. In order to keep the new species safe, he taught them how to make golems. Himvel was a master inventor, and he created many weapons and even helped create the city and these games. Nearly one hundred years ago, he created my brother and me."
"O-One hundred years ago?" Olivia sputtered. "So, you're like crazy old?"
Olem chuckled. "Yes, golems don't age. So long as we have a source of mana, we will be active till the day we are destroyed by an outside force or run out of energy. All of Himvel's creations were able to use Atomic magic, likely because Himvel himself had the same type of magic and would put a piece of himself into his creations, like strands of hair or clipped nails. By some miracle, my brother and I came out better than any other golem. We could think, feel, and even use spells on the same level as a mage. Himvel claims the forge burned extra hot that day, and he put his very soul into us."
"Himvel's like your dad, right?" Olivia smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "He sounds awesome. Is he still around? I know elves can live for a long time."
"Maybe. I honestly don't know."
"Huh? Why not?"
"He went missing shortly after creating my brother and me."
"Oh. I'm sorry?"
"Don't be." Olem shook his head and let out a tired sigh. "It is no one's fault. Himvel was a tired elf. Tired of building this kingdom, which has become so ugly. Tired of his creations never being good enough. Tired of keeping rules in check. Tired of being the last of his kind. Tired of being tired. He lived so long, so lonely; it's honestly a miracle it took him this long to snap. My brother and I were his final creations, and then he vanished. Never to be seen again."
Olivia patted him gently on the shoulder. "You can say it's fine and still be sad. You cared for him, right? He was your dad after all."
"Perhaps. I cared for my brother far more, and in some ways I blame Himvel for what happened to Bolem."
"W-What happened to Bolem?"
"Unlike me, Bolem wasn't able to move on. He blamed himself for the disappearance of our father. Said that it was because we weren't good enough. Bolem vowed to find him and eventually discovered a possible clue as to his whereabouts. He learned the existence of the Underworld."
"U-Underworld?" Olivia squeaked and jumped slightly. "L-Like hell? The hell? The one Haru created to seal all the demons away?"
"No. This Underworld shares the same name and was likely named after the real one for a reason, but they're different," Olem explained. "I don't know a lot about the Underworld, but what I do know is that it is a dead land hidden away from this dungeon. No life is able to survive there, and it's a wasteland. Once you enter, there is no way to leave. You become trapped, stuck in a never-ending sea of hellish cold and frost, slowly whittled away. I-I begged Bolem not to go, but he didn't listen. He said that if Himvel was indeed down there, then he had to find him. So, Bolem left. I don't know how, but just like Himvel, he vanished, never to be seen again."
Olivia bowed her head. "I'm so sorry that happened, Olem."
"Don't be." Olem shook his head. "Unlike other golems, my brother and I have free will. We can think, laugh, and enjoy life to its fullest. He made his choice, just as I made mine." If he could smile, Olem would have. "The Licht-Fulk are stuck in this dungeon thanks to a barrier that surrounds it, but since my brother and I were created by Himvel, we share his core, and as such, we can leave freely. It wasn't even that long ago that I met Captain Laerton Eman, and she offered me a spot on her guild. Just as Bolem, I too vanished in a way. I thought that perhaps I would learn Himvel was somewhere out there in the real world yet no one knew of his name nor did they ever see any elf. He's most likely still within this dungeon, out there somewhere."
"Are you ever going to try to look for him?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. He did what he wanted to, and I plan to keep doing what I want to do."
Olivia gave him another smile. "I'm glad you joined the Phoenix Flight guild, Olem. You're a cool dude. It makes me happy that I know you."
"Hmm. I guess I can say the same is true for you." Olem held up a newly crafted blade, gaining another point. "My time in this guild has been interesting."
For a moment, he couldn't help but think of the past. He had met Laerton Eman only a few years ago. She had just become the Captain of the Phoenix Flight guild, and it was her first time entering the Enforcer Games dungeon.
He had been placed on guard duty, tasked by the royal family to ensure nothing went wrong during the games. Of course, since Laerton was involved, plenty of things went wrong. Namely, her drinking way too much. The queen sent him out to defeat her and show that such arrogance wouldn't be allowed.
He lost. Badly.
It wasn't his first time fighting a mage; many other Knights, Spell Swords, Martial Cultivators, and Sovereign Philosophers had challenged him to a duel before. They even nearly destroyed him, for they never respected a golem like him. It was just Laerton who offered him a hand back up after she knocked him down. To her, she didn't see an unfeeling monster; she saw a thinking and feeling being.
'That was quite the battle. You're pretty strong. Why waste your days protecting a dungeon that is rarely open? My guild needs strong fighters. Help me keep them safe. Or don't. Honestly, just do whatever you want.'
Do whatever you want…
Whatever you want.
What did he want?
And, just like that, he ended up taking Laerton on her offer, and he officially became a member of the Phoenix Flight guild. Because the thing he wanted most of all, the thing he craved more than anything else, was to be seen as a real person. He didn't want to be some mindless golem. He wanted to be Olem, son of Himvel, brother of Bolem.
He wanted to live.
"Olem?"
"Hmm?" Olem glanced at Olivia. "Yes?"
"Um, you dented the sword."
The golem glanced back down at the blade, which was starting to bend over the anvil from how hard he pressed it down. "Oh. It seems I have. Whoops."
"You totally spaced out, huh?"
"Indeed."
"Were you thinking of something good?"
"I was."
"Nice." Olivia glanced back toward Ken, who was already bringing a new sword over. "I'm glad. Finally. We got to win one."
"Let's try to win the others." Olem nodded. "I think that would be good."
"Can we even make a comeback like that? There are only three games left, and they're at five points?"
"I guess we'll see."
"Yeah. I guess we will."
***
"What's wrong with him?" Davi asked, entering Mel's home. Sera and Mel were already gathered around one of the misplaced beds, where Max now resided.
"He's weak." Mel placed her ear to Max's chest, listening for a heartbeat. "Really weak. His body heat almost faded, and his life force was rapidly draining. The fight with those royal guards likely didn't help either. How in Haru's name could this have happened?"
"The enchantment Myth put on him faded." Sera winced.
"What enchantment?" Susie demanded. She and Davi rushed right over, leaving Himvel behind, after Max collapsed. Sera had been the one to bring him back here, and his condition wasn't good. Max was almost completely blue, and his fingers and toes were swollen and looked a little black. Frostbite was claiming him. "Why is he freezing? He can use his mana to warm himself up. I get it isn't the best, but still. He hadn't used any mana since we got here for some reason?"
Sera ran her fingers through the unconscious Max's hair and let out a heavy sigh. "I-I don't know if I should say. It's personal when it comes to Max."
"He doesn't have mana, does he?" Davi asked bluntly, causing Sera to flinch. "He never uses spells; he never cloaks his body in mana or uses it to boost himself, and he's been slowly freezing to death since we got here. All he would have to do is cloak himself in mana, and he'd be fine, but he hasn't done that at all. Either he's suicidal, or he can't do it. Max doesn't have the ability to use mana, does he?"
Susie's mouth hung open, and she glanced back at Max in shock. "W-What? That doesn't make any sense. Everyone has mana! He must have it."
Davi shook his head. "No. People are all born with Cores within them, and those Cores do draw in mana, so you would think everyone does have mana, but it's more accurate to say everyone should, because not everyone does."
"What, you mean like, some cores can't draw in mana?"
Davi shook his head again. "My mother told me about it, and to be honest, I didn't really believe her, but if Max really doesn't have mana, then I guess what she said was true."
"W-What did she say?"
"A person's core can be removed." Davi's words caused Mel, Sera, and Susie to all shudder. A core was akin to a soul. The idea of it being removed… It was horrifying and should have been impossible. "I don't know how it's done, but my mom once said that beings with Soul Magic or Haru's magic type could affect cores themselves, sort of like how Tori was able to shift her light core into a fire core. A person can have their entire core or sections of it ripped out of them, but that was an ancient thing that I doubt is around anymore. Or at least I did doubt, but looking at Max, I'm guessing something like that happened to him."
Sera's face was a little green, and she looked like she was about to throw up. "I-I never really asked him about it." She admitted in a quiet voice. "I don't know if he simply lost it or if he never had it, but you're right. Max doesn't have a core, and without a core, he isn't able to properly draw in and store mana. His soul lacks a true inner world. He's a being who simply can not tap into mana at all. He lacks that ability entirely."
"H-How did someone without mana make it onto the Arcane Knights?" Susie demanded.
"With a lot of hard work." Sera sighed. "I know that since we've gotten here, he and I seem useless. To be honest, that's because I'm useless. I suck, to put it bluntly, but Max? Believe me, he's the real deal. He's a great fighter, but that doesn't mean much when you're put into a place like this. Captain Myth put a powerful enchantment on him since Max couldn't produce his own mana heat. The enchantment was what allowed him to move and live in this cursed dungeon, but once we appeared in the Underworld, the enchantment faded. Max has been fighting off absolute zero with his raw body and strength."
"Damn." Davi sounded a bit impressed. "Even I couldn't do that." His body had frozen almost instantly, and that was with Clause's jacket. He had to keep his mana active to avoid dying, yet without any mana at all, Max was not only surviving but even fighting. Such a thing should have been impossible, yet through sheer will and a desire to keep going, Max survived. "If he stays here, will he be okay?" Davi gestured to the room they were all in. "It produces heat, right?"
Mel gave a hesitant nod. "It will help. We're hooked up to the sun, but it's still cold. He'll need to stay under a lot of warm blankets and have healing magic used on him. Does anyone have any healing spells?" An awkward silence filled the room. "I'll take that as a no." Mel sighed and slowly lifted the blanket, sliding under it next to Max.
"W-What are you doing!" Susie demanded as Mel began to snuggle the man.
"Body heat."
"W-What?"
"We can warm him up by all snuggling under the blanket."
"I'm not doing that." Susie shook her head. "No way!"
"I'll do it." Sera sighed. "The bed can only hold three people anyway. Plus, he's my guildmate." She also climbed into the bed.
Davi rubbed his chin and hummed. "So, he almost freezes to death and gets to sleep in a bed with two women? Damn, is Max the MC?"
"What?"
"Nothing." Davi took a seat in a nearby chair. His armor was already gone, and he opened his robes up and grabbed a cloth, pressing it into his bleeding side. "The plan hasn't changed too much. If anything, we have more of a reason to beat Himvel now. Max needs to get back to the city so Myth can use that spell on him. I'll go beat Himvel after I rest up a bit."
"I'll come with you." Susie nodded. "His royal guards will probably be healed up by now. I can take them out while you fight him."
"I feel so useless," Sera sighed. "If Ash were here instead of me, you two would have an actual teammate."
"It's cool. You're good on support." Davi gave her a thumbs-up. Then he turned to look at Mel. "By the way, where did High go?"
Mel bit her lip. "I don't know. He and the princess both just left."
"Really? Damn. I think he took my sword by mistake." Davi sighed. "Ah, well, I still have some claymores; I can use those until I recover Storymaker."
"Oh, he did want me to give you something." Mel perked up and reached into her jacket pocket. "Before he and Princess Ever left, he told me to specifically give you this once you lost to Himvel."
"I didn't lose; that was a draw at best." Davi held his hand out, and then his eyes widened slightly when Mel dropped four small monster cores into his palm. "These were the dire wolves, right?"
"Yeah." Mel nodded. "He said you'd be able to use them?"
"Oh, I get it." Davi nodded and handed one to Susie and Sera. "Max has no core, so I'll hold onto his." He stuffed one of them in his pocket and held the last one in his hand, inspecting it. It was small and looked like a tiny white marble.
Susie also looked hers over. "So, what do we do with these-"
"Bottoms up." Davi tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it. The effect was instant. Blood gushed out of his ears, nose, and eyes, squirting out in waves of red, and he dropped off his chair and crashed back-first to the floor. The three women all screamed as he began to violently shake and foam at the mouth. It took all his willpower not to black out, and Davi groaned when the effect started to die down. "Oh yeah, that's the good stuff."
"Fuck that." Susie dropped hers. "I am not eating that!"
"More for me then." Davi wiped the blood from his face and then vomited. "Ugh. God. I forgot how bad that experience was."
"W-What was the point of that?" Sera yelled.
"What? You've had cultivator pills before; I imagine it's like that."
"Pills do not do that!"
"Really? Huh." Davi hummed, and the pain started to fade. "Well, you should still eat it. Ragna told me it causes your core to swell and grow. You get a bit stronger."
"T-That sounds dangerous?" Susie hissed. "Are you crazy? Wait. Of course you're crazy…"
"Seriously, it helps." Davi stood back up on wobbling legs. "It makes you a lot stronger. If you two want to have better odds in the fight with Himvel, I'd recommend it. I won't lie, it will hurt, but the growth is worth it."
Sera looked at the small orb and slowly got out of bed. With a loud sigh, she popped it into her mouth. Susie watched in horror as the small girl collapsed and began to rapidly bleed out of several holes.
"I'm still not taking it." She shook her head and tossed the orb back to Davi. "I'm satisfied with my strength. I'll grow stronger in a better way."
"If you're sure."
"I am."
"Okay," Davi pocketed her core next to the spare he had. "I'll find a use for it."
"You guys are insane." Mel sighed.
"Yep." Davi nodded. "Now, let's figure out how we're going to beat Himvel."