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Chapter 590: Roth vs. Ram
🕑 Added 2023-05-19 23:33:05 +0000 UTCPower filled Claygon’s fire-gems, flooding them with searing heat and light. Towering high above the floating golem loomed Ram’s construct, Prime, unleashing a storm of force bolts the size of Claygon’s war-spear.
In mid-flight, the golem braced himself against the onslaught battering his stone body. He did not move. His gaze did not shift. His gems flared.
Three beams of fire magic lanced through the air with hungry crackles.
They raced for Prime’s torso.
“No,” Ram said.
And the force construct dissolved.
Its hulking form shimmered and its left arm shifted and flared, transforming to an enormous half-spherical shield that blocked the trio of beams. Orange flame washed over black force, overrunning its edges with the roar of a waterfall.
The barrage of ballistae ceased.
The audience screamed.
Ram flinched. “Well done, Claygon. Those beams of yours felt like fourth or fifth-tier spells.”
‘Felt,’ Alex thought, analysing the battle. ‘Claygon, he said that he ‘felt’ the power of your gems. Maybe he’s sensing their mana, but he reacted like he actually felt their impact. Makes me wonder if there’s some kind of feedback between him and Prime.’
‘So that means…he might feel…what I do to Prime? Good…that’s a weakness we should know about…’ Claygon unleashed another wave of fire magic while he charged the larger construct.
Alex raised his staff, the aeld’s crystalline blooms shone, pouring haste magic into Claygon. The golem’s flight speed doubled and he shot toward Prime with his war-spear lowered like a knight wielding a lance.
Ram’s eyes narrowed.
He watched the golem race toward his construct as the audience went still, seeming to hold their breaths.
War-spear struck force shield.
Alex could only describe the sound of enchanted metal biting magical force as a cross between a shriek of steel on glass, the grinding of rock, and the cracking of stone.
Ram watched.
Prime was pushed back in the face of Claygon’s power, drawing screams of delight, and thunderous applause from the enthusiastic crowd. The force construct’s spear-shaped legs scraped across the arena floor like nails on an obsidian board.
Behind him, the cage bars inched closer.
One of Ram’s eyes twitched.
And Prime exploded.
“What?” Claygon cried.
The crowd winced, as the force construct ruptured in an amorphous cloud of black force that flowed around Claygon’s spear, hitting the golem in waves of dreadful power. Spectators grabbed their ears to escape the deafening noise of the blow that propelled the stone golem skyward, spinning him through the air like a maple seed, then plunging him to the ground.
He scraped along the arena floor—the metal overlay on his body shedding sparks—until he finally righted himself and soared away.
“Knoooockdooooown!” the announcer cried. “We have our first knockdown and it goes to Prime! A harsh beginning from Harsha Ram!”
The roar of the crowd was thunderous; clapping hands, stomping feet and bellowing voices drowned all else.
But, Alex remained calm, eyes tracking Prime’s mass as it flew around the arena at blurring speeds.
‘Fire-beams, father?’ the golem thought, a current of agitation in his voice.
‘Use all three to cut off his escape points,’ Alex thought. ‘You’re a one golem battery of archers. Cage him in.’
‘Yes…father.’
The light of Claygon’s flaring gems reflected off the steely inlays on his body, flaring to a blinding radiance as three fire beams sliced the air.
Alex watched as the amorphous Prime sped around the beams, flitting through the air with shocking agility considering his massive size…no…no that wasn’t right…
‘It has no mass,’ Alex thought. ‘It’s all force. No inertia to hinder it. Nothing. So, it’s not only fast and nimble, but it can shift direction without pausing. …Claygon, stop firing your central beam.’
‘Yes…father…’
Alex eyed Ram’s construct intently as it weaved through another storm of fire-beams. Prime dodged and darted with decisive, trained efficiency.
The Thameish wizard’s eyes narrowed.
Suspicion grew.
‘It’s not sending any more force bolts at you, Claygon,’ Alex thought. ‘…listen, I want you to aim a firebeam at the arena floor directly in front of Ram.’
‘Are you sure…father?’
“Do it,” Alex said out loud.
Ram’s eyes briefly flicked toward him.
Then Claygon turned a hand and released a beam of fire from his palm, aiming at the floor tiles directly in front of Ram. The audience gasped. A column of flame erupted, flaring against the cage bars.
The professor’s full attention turned back to the fight, his eyes squinting, one hand raised to shield against the intense flames.
‘Now, hit Prime with your central gem!’ Alex thought.
‘Understood…father…’
His fire-gem flared, blasting through the air.
Prime tried to dodge…but, it was a breath too late.
The beam struck the amorphous construct’s flank, knocking it to the bars. Ram’s eyes narrowed.
Prime boiled in the golem’s fire, then pushed itself from the beam and disengaged, streaking for the top of the cage.
‘I don’t think it can split itself,’ Alex said to Claygon. ‘It can change shape, but it seems it can’t split in two.’
“What about the…bolts it shoots?” Claygon asked, continuing to fire beams at the flying construct.
‘I think it needs the ballistae on its shoulders for that, but that’s a good point… If it can’t split in two…then it’s probably not shooting pieces of itself out of those ballistas: it must be forming the bolts as it fires them. But where are they coming from? It doesn’t have an internal power source or magical items embedded in it, so the power has to come from… look out!’
Prime abruptly dove at Claygon, transforming into long, thick chains of black force. The chains wrapped him like a snake constricting a helpless mouse. Each chain tightened, coiling around the golem’s arms.
‘Claygon!’ Alex thought. ‘You should—’
‘I…have this…father.’
The golem flexed against the chains even as they went taut around his stone and metal limbs. The restraints shuddered, struggling to contain the powerful golem, but they might as well have been lengths of twine trying to tie down a charging bull.
Another scream of stone and metal on congealed force rang out.
A link shattered.
The crowd cheered.
Claygon seized the black chains as they ruptured, tossing them to the arena floor.
They landed in tatters.
Alex glanced at the judges as they marked their score cards. One by one, each one held up a score.
“It’s an orthodox one, but we have a knockdown!” the announcer shouted. “Bringing the score to 9-9! This is one heck of a riveting match, gentlefolk! Wouldn’t you agree?”
The spectators went wild.
“I must say, Claygon, you are definitely stronger than you were last year,” Ram said. “I studied your matches extensively, and saw that you struggled against Vesuvius’ power, which led me to design those chains to match and exceed his force. I knew they would hold him up well against him, yet, you were able to shatter them with ease. Commendable.”
“Father…built me well,” Claygon said, watching Prime return to his original form.
“And you learned well, too buddy.” Alex was smiling as he complimented his golem.
“Well, shall we see if such learning and construction can hold back the force of progress?” Ram asked.
His eyes narrowed again.
Alex took note of the reaction as Prime leapt, coming at Claygon with impossible speed. It bore down on the stone golem with its four front legs, each thrusting like a javelin. The flurry came too fast for him to dodge out of the way; so he parried, blocking the assault with his war-spear and forearms.
Force magic screamed against metal and stone, casting sparks with every blow. The smaller stone construct braced himself in mid-air. Prime brought its fists to bear, increasing its devastating strikes, adding to the ferocious assault.
Still, Claygon remained unmoved, unflinching.
Prime added its scythe-tipped tail to the offensive, slashing at the golem’s trunk. Every impact was like a wall collapsing, but Claygon still did not move. Suddenly, Prime cocked an arm back.
The fist swelled to twice its size.
And drove into Claygon’s guard.
The golem flew at least a dozen feet before catching himself and diving back into the fray. He defended with his war-spear and all four arms, not giving an inch, circling the larger construct, looking for an opening in its flurry of blows.
Alex monitored Claygon as he fought.
He saw other fighters in the way the golem moved; his guards, cuts, thrusts and parries were a part of Theresa, Thundar, and Grimloch’s fighting styles: the three warriors closest to the golem.
As he dodged and weaved around the much faster construct’s blows, Alex could see hints of the dance he’d learned from Fan-Dor and Gel-Dor, the dance he’d taught Claygon.
Meanwhile, Prime’s movements…were erratic.
Pride swelled inside him.
Some of its attacks were like a trained warrior’s, while others seemed like the flailings of something wild, something lacking finesse. As the audience chanted for more, Alex noted patterns in the force construct’s attacks.
‘When it uses its legs and tail, it moves sloppily, with little control, like it has no training, yet when it uses its fists, it looks coordinated and well-trained…still… there’s something off.’ Alex scrutinised their opponent’s arms further. ‘Attacks with its legs and tail look like how something cornered would react: wild, desperate, untrained.’
The Thameish wizard kept watching Prime. ‘I’m missing something…’
As he considered Ram’s construct, he poured greater force armour over Claygon with his staff.
Ram chuckled. “I’m surprised you can cast greater force armour, Mr. Roth. It seems you were capable of a lot more than you showed in my class, perhaps you should have stuck with my classes. Imagine how much more you could have learned.”
“I prefer the alchemical solution.” Alex waved the aeld staff above his head, it flared with pride.
“Foolish, young wizard,” Ram said, punctuating his point with another immense blow from Prime that drove Claygon back. Increasingly, Prime’s attacks were slipping through the slower construct’s guard. “Reliance on outside tools: weapons, potions, staffs, golems…will spell your end. Where I am from, we learn to fight with our bodies first.”
His eyes did not leave the clash between Claygon and Prime.
The larger construct smashed the golem with a tremendous right hook that sent him spinning into the cage bars.
‘Prime’s getting faster,’ Alex told Claygon. ‘I think he’s getting stronger too.’
‘I am learning…how he fights…he favours one side…’ Claygon thought.
‘Right,’ Alex thought.
“Professor, weapons and tools are what let us sapient beings elevate ourselves above the beasts,” Alex said. “What’s a mortal without tools and weapons? Lacking, that’s what they are.”
“Our fingers can become arrows. The arms, iron. The feet, spears.” Ram growled as Claygon slipped a fist through Prime’s guard, knocking the force construct a few dozen feet back before it hit the bars—to the roar of the audience—then darted back into the fray. “Force magic can become any weapon, and you always have your spells as long as you have your tongue. As long as you’re not dead, you have a body you can fight with if you’ve trained it. Weapons and other things, can be—”
Prime abruptly turned into chains again, wrapping around Claygon’s war-spear.
“—taken away.”
The chains suddenly jerked with immense force.
The war-spear tugged…but Claygon held tight, keeping it firmly in his grip.
“No…Prime,” the golem said. “This is mine…”
Ram’s eyebrows rose. “You truly are a mighty force. Those chains of force would bind a dragon, you do realise that? At least, the average dragon of a certain age. From my calculations, I can tell you that last year, Prime would have held Claygon long enough to achieve the pin. My compliments to both of you.”
He tipped his head at Alex, though his eyes did not leave the fight. “It’s regrettable: if you had tried as hard with force magic as you obviously did when building your golem, you would likely be quite the master of the discipline by now. You really should have applied yourself better, Mr Roth.”
Alex frowned. “Everyone has their talents. And everyone has their limits.”
“Hmph.” Ram grunted. “Limits are meant to be shattered, through intellect, force and willpower. Case in point.”
Prime suddenly rushed Claygon, charging into the smaller golem like bull trying to break through a sagging fence. The golem was being pushed back by the force, but swung his war-spear at the same time.
The weapon hit the force construct, its form crumpled but—before Prime could be catapulted away—it warped into a wave of force, blasting Claygon.
This time, the golem was ready. He raked it with fire-beams, planting his war-spear into the ground to steady himself, as it poured over him.
Ram frowned, then his face changed, taking on a self-satisfied smile.
Prime’s form distorted further, wrapping around Claygon like a shroud.
It constricted.
But, Alex wasn’t watching Prime and Claygon.
His attention was on Ram. ‘I think I’m starting to figure out your weaknesses.’
###
Author's Note
Hello twenty-three cool fools, almighty chosen, wise sages, and mighty champions! Thank you for your support!
I designed Prime based on the Astral Construct psionic power from 3.5.
I don't know if it exists in 5e, but yeah that's where it came from! Cya tomorrow!
Comments
Orion1024
One weakness I can see is the fact that Ram needs line of sight to properly control Prime. Just block his LoS with a firewall or cloud dust, then proceed to pummel Prime like a puppet with its strings cut off
Justus Saucedo
Ram is the one of the best teachers. He doesn't know about the mark. He just thinks Alex isn't applying himself, and he doesn't want to spread he has the mark yet. So we have a professor who sees a talented student. A proven talented student not being top of his class. I'd be annoyed too.
Brotato
Alex should be throwing some shade here. "I bet I'd be a great force magician if only I had a halfway decent teacher"
mant06
By the way isn't Ram showing an attitude common in many progression fantasies where tools are of often portrayed closer to crutches instead of help that allows one to triumph against overwhelming odds (or power difference). Does anyone else get the feeling that Ram did not study transformation magic that much?
Monadologist
Unless that is intrinsic to his feedback mechanism from the force construct. It seems like he's stuck controlling it much more directly, if the loss of focus when the controller was distracted / partially blinded by the gems heating the ground/air in front of him is anything to go by.
Dexel
Forceful personality, haha
mant06
Ram might be a victim of over specialization combined with a forceful personality and personal philosophy that was not properly chalenged. I.e he really could have used a course like Baelin's.
mant06
Nice to see the malleability of force magic and the utilization of ooze like form. Also showing Ram's personality as a possible reason on why he did not give Prime any weapons or armor though suitable ones could have made it much more efficient.
Erik Bekke
Wait....is professor ram actually severus snape?
Timothy G Richards
right? "You weren't good at my specific academic field, I will now humiliate you publicly to prove that a teacher can be just as good as their first year student"
Lola
Everything Ram says makes me want to roll my eyes in disgust.
inkaral
This is supposed to be a duel by proxy. This spell construct Ram is using… isn’t “exactly” by proxy though… I’ll have to hear Alex’s reasonings and explanation of what he thinks though.
BelligerentGnu
*sigh* Back then, you were just understandably mistaken, Ram. Now you're a prick.
Kaizen Androck
If you wanna cliff your victims this hard, you might as well become an instructor to the instructors at Guantanamo. They've nothing on you.
Vara Lawraga
This fight is just so symbolic and so good. I freakin love it
Shelbo
Oh. The spell construct can only do things that the caster can. It’s basically a copy that can change its form
