Gilgamesh faced off against the arrogant Training Dummy again and prepared his Balanced Formation. Shifting Sand and Roaming Throne came into form first, though as he summoned his Wooden Totem and placed it on top of the throne as he sat, the Training Dummy took subtle note of it.
The Training Dummy burst forward and Gilgamesh sent the Shifting Sand chakram low at its legs. The Training Dummy easily vaulted over then suddenly raised its shield to block a white bolt of mana. The spell did no damage at all, but it did knock the puppet a few paces back through the air.
Brass crescent blade strikes rained with endless fluidity to spare the Training Dummy not even a moment’s rest, and Gilgamesh bade his Wooden Totem to cast another Magic Missile. It curved around the furious exchange to target its right side, but the Training Dummy merely broke it apart with a slash of its sword.
So Gilgamesh cast upon its shield side. But the Training Dummy shifted its stance seamlessly to clash against the crescent sand blade strikes with its sword and met the bolt of mana with its shield.
Just before the missile landed, the Training Dummy lightened its feet and let the force of the spell knock itself away from the Shifting Sand. In that opening, it burst right for Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh dashed back with his Roaming Throne as he fired Magic Missiles in rapid succession, but the Training Dummy sidestepped them all. He refilled his Roaming Throne with mana to dash in rapid succession with each step, but even that was not enough to escape his wooden foe.
Just as it was about to kill him, the Training Dummy snapped to the side and blocked a rapidly whirling sand chakram to the familiar sparks of mana friction. Gilgamesh distracted it with another Magic Missile to allow his Shifting Sand to change back into a crescent blade and unleash a barrage once again.
“8 magic missiles left.” Gilgamesh counts. “It’s only been half a minute, I still have more than half my mana to replenish the Totem and Throne if needed.”
As Gilgamesh steeled himself to maintain his slight upper hand, the Training Dummy adapted. Suddenly, it started to slice through parts of the thin crescent blade at the same time as it blocked.
“Shifting Sand repairs fast enough to handle it, but this is draining its mana reserves too quickly.” Gilgamesh’s eyes narrowed. “The Training Dummy has 100 Spirit. It can afford to engage in a battle of attrition...”
Since the duel was no longer in his favor, Gilgamesh made his own adjustments. He shifted his golem into a compact spiked ball to limit the damage, and battered the Training Dummy as he cast more magic missiles in support.
In response, the Training Dummy timed the Shifting Sands to bash it away with its shield and raised its arm to throw its sword. Gilgamesh dashed to the side preemptively. That was the only way he would be able to avoid it in time. But the Training Dummy leaned forward with its throw and turned it into a lunge forward instead.
Gilgamesh tried to buy enough time with a Magic Missile, but the feint had done enough. Once again, the black sword impaled his chest and the duel reset.
“This formation is better than before, but still not enough.”
Gilgamesh broke down his Roaming Throne and Wooden Totem, and replaced them with his Dragoon Snake Tail and Sentry Ball. Shifting Sand formed into a spiked buckler and the Sentry Ball positioned itself just behind it, more on the left side of it while he took the right.
The Training Dummy lunged and slashed down on the buckler, but failed to cut to the center of the dense shield. It yanked out its sword and shifted around the buckler to charge at Gilgamesh, just as he expected. Gilgamesh darted to the other side on his serpentine mount, and the Sentry Ball slammed the Training Dummy back.
As he also expected, the Training Dummy guarded with its shield in time, but his strategy had worked. The Training Dummy had been kept at bay.
“My buckler won’t hold up as just a sitting target.” Gilgamesh assessed, and adapted again.
When the next slash came with the Training Dummy’s second charge, Gilgamesh flourished the buckler to block the blade at an angle. It was not an especially accurate parry, but it did manage to deflect some of the swing away. For his efforts, the buckler had taken less damage.
The Training Dummy assessed it for the briefest of moments, then shifted around the buckler with a feint followed by deft footwork again. Only to meet a perfectly timed body slam from the Sentry Ball.
This time, it blocked with the dull gong of Bastion to remain planted where it was and slashed at the Sentry Ball. But Gilgamesh had bought enough time. Its blade clanged off the buckler, a little more accurately than before.
Just like this, Gilgamesh maintained a delicate balance of stalling and defense. The buckler parried and the Sentry Ball delayed. And when neither worked, his Snake Tail was just fast enough to get back to the safety of the formation. Though it strained every bit of his focus.
But there was a fatal flaw. He had nothing to threaten the Training Dummy with, and the wooden savant quickly figured that out. Suddenly, it became extremely aggressive, pressing its attack and doggedly pursuing him like a focused berserker.
Gilgamesh could not withstand the might and aggression of an opponent with superior Attributes and Abilities that fought with almost no regard for itself, and soon the Training Dummy killed him again.
“Close, but still not enough. But… this next formation is the one that matters most of all.”
Gilgamesh withdrew his Sentry Ball and replaced it with his Steel Naga. As the Training Dummy burst forward, so too did his golems.
Shifting Sand barraged the Training Dummy with a flurry of crescent blade strikes to slow its charge, and the Steel Naga struck in the opening. Just as with his initial test, he pulled his Naga’s claws back just before they could clash with the Training Dummy’s sword, and slithered the golem around in a blur to threaten another attack from the opposite side of the sand golem.
Both attacked in perfect unison under Gilgamesh’s direct control, always moving around to attack from a new side with every strike, always forcing the Training Dummy to fight on two fronts without a moment’s rest.
The Training Dummy broke out of the enclosure with a flail of its arms, and burst towards him, but Gilgamesh had already moved. He dashed away twice on his Snake Tail in quick succession and flanked the Training Dummy with his two vanguards before it could try again.
Gilgamesh replenished his Snake Tail to full capacity and turned his attack even more aggressive. Even more ruthless. The Training Dummy feinted his Shifting Sand and bashed it off course just slightly enough to make a move on his Steel Naga.
The black sword left a deep slash as Gilgamesh narrowly avoided his golem's destruction with a timely dodge, and returned both of his golems to the fight at once.
The Training Dummy tried again, but this time only feinted his intention towards the Steel Naga and made a lunge for Gilgamesh once again. And once again, Gilgamesh darted away on his Snake Tail just in time to remake the formation.
But the Training Dummy did not stop. Again and again, it made a break for him without hesitation or rest. Gilgamesh constantly refilled his Snake Tail’s mana capacity as he devoted all his focus otherwise to the attack.
He lured the pursuing Training Dummy in one direction, and struck with a giant whirling sand chakram in the opening. The Training Dummy slid in its stance to block the lethal attack, and in that opening, the Steel Naga struck.
The Training Dummy sidestepped the thrusting palm that would have speared through its torso, but not completely. The naga’s claws grazed its arm and left a small but undeniable mark. A mark that represented Gilgamesh’s progress.
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“I can win.”
Gilgamesh pressed the attack even further with his deepest resolve, then the core of his Snake Tail suddenly shattered. Gilgamesh's thoughts froze as he watched the clay golem instantly crumble away and felt his body start to fall from his elevated perch. He barely caught a wisp of the Training Dummy's decisive charge in the opening, then the duel reset.
"...What happened? Why did its core break? Did it do something...?" Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed as he stared at the Training Dummy ahead.
"No... It could not have been the puppet. I saw nothing through my nor Shifting Sand's perception, and it doesn't have any Abilities that could bypass that. Something must have happened with the core itself? Is the Array flawed? No, I am sure it's perfect. Then, what..."
Gilgamesh had a thought.
He chose to fight the Easy Mode Training Dummy, and brought out his Steel Naga, Wooden Totem, and a Clay Sentry. He ordered the Clay Sentry to morph its hands into shields, then ordered it to defend against the Training Dummy alongside the Steel Naga while he made the Wooden Totem continuously cast Magic Missiles into the distance.
Then, he took out a golem core to siphon mana from and refill the others with his mana as needed. And he waited.
Wooden Totem was the first to crack its core after casting 25 Magic Missiles exactly. Then it broke in the middle of casting the 38th.
Clay Sentry was the next to succumb. The mana cost of using Partial Morphing cracked its core after nearly 8.5 minutes and caused it to break after exactly 12.5 minutes.
Only Steel Naga remained, and Gilgamesh continued to wait patiently. It cracked after 25 minutes of activity in total, and finally broke after 37.5.
Gilgamesh casually brought out Shifting Sand against the charging Training Dummy and ordered it to take the form of a giant hand to keep the puppet at bay while he contemplated.
"No matter their type or amount of mana, they all start to crack after using 2 times their Capacity, and break after 3. Then... does my core also have that limit?" Gilgamesh wondered.
"I've transferred about 1,100 motes of mana so far. That's almost double my Capacity. Is transferring the same as using?"
Gilgamesh forced mana to transfer to the Shifting Sand in erratic spurts since its brass resisted the mana tether. It was an inefficient exchange since much of the mana he gave was lost, but he continued anyway.
Soon, he crossed 1,200 motes, but nothing happened. Gilgamesh swapped his Clay Salamander for a new one to siphon mana from and kept going. Eventually, he reached 1,800 motes and his core cracked.
Gilgamesh grimaced as a sharp pain split across his soul. It was not the nigh-intolerable, nauseating, wrenching agony of Leprosy, but a sickening feeling nonetheless that stung and stabbed from deep within his essence.
But Gilgamesh pushed through it. He forced motes of mana to flow out, for as many to reach the Shifting Sand as they could.
1,900. 2,000. 2,100. 2,200. 2,300. More cracks split over his core, the more mana he gave. 2,400. 2,500. 2,600. 2,700. 2,800. 2,900. At last, Gilgamesh reached 3,000 motes and his core shattered within his chest.
[ Mana Connector has reached lvl. 3 ]
[ You are rewarded 2 Attribute Points. ]
[ Mana Insulation has reached lvl. 3 ]
[ You are rewarded 2 Attribute Points. ]
Gilgamesh stared at the reset Training Dummy. "Transferring my mana is the same as using it. I can use threefold my Capacity until it cracks and fivefold until it breaks..."
Gilgamesh did not like the idea of cracking his core, and he liked the idea of it breaking even less. While he still knew little about the nature of a Living Golem, he was sure that would mean his certain death.
"Is there a way to fix a core that is cracked, [ Serpent of False Mysteries ]?" He asked.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] says she won't tell you.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] wants to watch the Trials.
"You already gave me more advice since then." Gilgamesh pointed out.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] stands her ground.
"...I can't rely on her this time. I'll have to figure this out myself."
As he thought that, Gilgamesh had another idea. He left the Sparring Ring and moved mana between his golems until his core cracked.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] panics.
But Gilgamesh immediately entered the Sparring Ring again to kill the Easy Mode Training Dummy and promptly left. When he emerged back in the sandy Training Grounds, his core was healed as he expected.
"I have no limit here..." Gilgamesh's eyes deepened.
First, Gilgamesh chose to fight again, and this time he tested his Shifting Sand's limits. Rather than the inefficient transfer through his Mana Tethers, he chose to use one of his Low Grade golems to stall the Training Dummy, while he deactivated Shifting Sand and filled its core.
He had just enough mana to give it more than 3,000 motes, and a crack split across its core. "Same as my limits." Gilgamesh killed the Training Dummy and left the Sparring Ring once again.
He took out a gemstone and began to carve at once. First, he crafted a spare Steel Naga. If the first naga came close to its limits, he could simply replace it with another. Then, he crafted a new Roaming Throne and Snake Tail with higher Spirit, since he cannot switch his mounts as easily as his vanguards.
[ Roaming Throne - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 10
Agility - 80
Vitality - 10
Perception - 0
Force - 0
Spirit - 25
Control - 25
Willpower - 0
Feature: Rush (bronze)
Material: Wood (inferior)
Mana Capacity: 250/250
Consumption: 4 motes per minute
Recovery: 4 motes per minute
[ Snake Tail - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 10
Agility - 95
Vitality - 10
Perception - 0
Force - 0
Spirit - 10
Control - 25
Willpower - 0
Features: Rush (bronze)
Material: Clay (inferior)
Mana Capacity: 100/100
Consumption: 4 motes per minute
Recovery: 0.1 motes per minute
With his new golems in hand, Gilgamesh headed back into the Sparring Ring and chose to fight the Hard Mode Training Dummy.
Gilgamesh waged a fierce battle against the skilled puppet. He strained his golems to their limits and himself to his own even more. Cracks spread across his core, but his focus only dove deeper into the fight.
His Steel Naga scratched its wooden body just slightly, and then just slightly again. Mana rapidly drained from his core, but he did not care. He only sought the next step down the path. A third strike almost landed, but his core shattered and the match reset before he realized.
[ Master Golem Core has reached level 5. ]
[ You are rewarded 5 Attribute Points. ]
Gilgamesh’s eyes narrowed. “Victory was possible this time. If I had more mana. If I had stronger golems… No. It is also my inadequate skill.”
Gilgamesh could not deny his experience in these sparring duels. The Training Dummy outmatched him not only in Attributes and Ability, but also prowess in combat.
“These golems are my weapons, my tools. A tool cannot reach its full potential in the hands of an incompetent wielder. I cannot tolerate such a crucial flaw. I must learn how to better wield my golems.”
[ Spirit: 61 -> 70 ]
[ Gilgamesh - Hero (Iron Rank) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 2
Agility - 7
Vitality - 10
Perception - 30
Force - 3
Spirit - 70
Control - 45
Willpower - 14
Traits:
Incomplete Stigmata (???), Master Golem Core lvl. 5 (silver), Passive Meditator lvl. 3 (bronze), Golem Peerer lvl. 3 (bronze), Mana Insulation lvl. 3 (bronze), Mana Connector lvl. 3 (bronze),
Material: Clay (inferior)
Mana Capacity: 700/700
Unalloted Attribute Points: 0
Gilgamesh readied his attack formation again with refocused resolve. His goal was no longer victory, but improvement to the extent that victory would become certain.
---
Gilgamesh left the sparring ring without a word, and without a shred of frustration. He had fought twenty times in a row and attained victory in none of them. But he was getting closer.
“My mastery is improving, and my formations are as optimal as I can achieve with what I have.” Gilgamesh swapped his Shifting Sand for a Low Grade Stone Ape to train his Golem Peerer Trait, and withdrew a gemstone from his spatial bag. “I will have victory in time. For now, I should use the opportunity this Trial grants to hone my skill in Runeforging and craft as many golems as I can for the Trials to come."
“Nephew.”
Gilgamesh turned to the sudden but calm voice he recognized and found a familiar face. A man twice his age, light of complexion with rough orange hair and a thick goatee to match.
The man was the older brother of his mother, and the only person in the clan who had not treated him with disdain. He was also the one who bore the divine name Shamash, the mentor who would guide the prophesied hero on the Great Journey.
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