The explosion of blue and golden magic was devastating. The thick, rusted iron pipes of the leg bent violently inward. The heavy metal snapped perfectly in half. The dead, gray flesh holding the joint together completely disintegrated into smoke. The fifteen-foot monster lost its support. It let out a loud, grinding groan as it collapsed. The giant machine fell forward. It crashed incredibly hard onto the black stone floor. The impact shook the entire ancient temple. A massive cloud of gray dust and black oil flew into the air. The Jailer lay on its stomach. It was missing an arm. It was missing a leg. Its black glass faceplate was completely shattered. In the center of its chest, the heavy iron birdcage rested against the floor. The bright green light of the trapped, screaming human souls pulsed frantically. Frank hovered over the fallen giant. His Phantom Limb glowed brightly, casting long, sharp shadows across the broken metal body. Elara stood right beside him, her chest heav

Before the city fell, Jaron had been a carpenter. He had helped carry Frank’s stretcher earlier when Garrick tried to start a mutiny. Jaron was coughing very hard. He held his hands over his mouth. "It hurts," Jaron mumbled to himself. But then, his coughing changed. It stopped being a dry, choking hack. It turned into a wet, deep, tearing sound. It sounded like thick fluid was bubbling inside his throat. Jaron fell to his knees. He grabbed his own chest. A sudden, terrifying heat exploded inside his veins. It did not feel like a normal fever. It felt like boiling oil was pumping through his body. "Help!" Jaron cried out. But his voice sounded wrong. It was deeper. It echoed with a strange, metallic vibration. A few feet away, Kael heard the cry. The broad-shouldered man was holding little Lily in his arms, trying to shield her face from the purple gas with his large hands. "Jaron?" Kael called out into the purple fog. "Is that you? Stay where you are! I am coming!"Kael carefu

Three figures stepped out of the shadows. They were human-shaped, but they were no longer human. Their clothes were torn to shreds. Their skin was pale and stretched tight over bulging, glowing golden muscles. Thick, dark veins of black root pulsed on their necks. Their eyes were solid, burning, unblinking gold. One of them was Corin, the mutineer. His back was covered in a heavy shell of jagged dark stone. His hands ended in long, sharp bone spikes. The other two were men Elara did not know well. But they had been refugees just two minutes ago. Now, their mouths hung wide open, revealing jagged, sharp iron teeth. Thick, boiling green acid dripped from their chins, sizzling as it hit the floor. They saw Elara. They smelled the royal blood dripping from the bandage on her hand. The three mutated monsters let out a synchronized, terrifying, mechanical screech. Elara took a step back

[ CRITICAL WARNING! ] the red text flashed blindingly bright in his mind. [ THE GOLDEN ENERGY IS HIGHLY TOXIC. ][ IF YOU CHANNEL THE POISON INTO YOUR CORE, IT WILL OVERWRITE YOUR SYSTEM. ][ YOUR CORRUPTION LEVEL WILL SKYROCKET. ][ YOU WILL LOSE YOUR MIND. ]"I don't care about my mind!" Frank roared. "I only care about her! DO IT!"[ OVERRIDE ACCEPTED. ]Frank threw his head back and let out a raw, tearing scream of absolute, unendurable agony. The pain was a billion times worse than his broken bones. It felt like someone had poured boiling lead directly into his heart. The glowing golden poison in his veins was violently sucked out of his bloodstream. It rushed straight into the empty blue Echo Core in the center of his chest. The moment the dark, evil magic hit the System’s engine, it ignited. A massive, terrifying explosion of light erupted from Frank’s severed left s

[CORRUPTION LEVEL: 65%] Every time Frank used the golden magic, the poison sank deeper into his soul. It was eating away at his humanity. It was making the violence easier. It was making the killing feel good. The two iron-toothed men lunged at his legs. Frank hovered slightly higher. He brought his heavy leather boots down, stomping forcefully on the head of the first man. The impact crushed the man’s skull against the hard stone floor, shattering the spinning iron teeth into a hundred pieces. The second man bit down hard on Frank’s broken right leg. The green acid sizzled against the heavy steel splint Elara had built. Frank grabbed the man by his dirty, torn shirt with his magical arm. He lifted the monster completely off the ground. Frank stared at the man’s face. It was a face he recognized. It was a man who had thanked him earlier in the dark tunnel. Frank’s human