Taboo Online

Black water ran beneath the ground and connected the remains left by the earlier waves. Thick streams of mud crawled toward the center, swallowing broken branches while roots tore themselves free and twisted into the rising mass.

Luke raised his gaze as the creature took shape.

Two enormous legs formed first. Tangled roots wrapped around them beneath slabs of hardened bark, followed by a broad torso that nearly reached the shelter’s ceiling.

Black rain poured through the damaged barrier and joined the creature. Instead of running down its body, the water sank into the mud and became part of it.

Two thick arms formed from bark, roots, and soil. The golem had no proper head, only a raised mound with a deep hollow in its center where black water churned.

Its first step shook the ground and knocked loose soil from the ceiling.

Luke tightened his grip.

[Mire Golem of Black Rain]

The system showed no level, health bar, or mana bar.

The golem stepped over Luke’s barricade without slowing down. One massive foot crushed the thick branches into the mud as it continued toward the Root Gate.

Luke charged.

Truth Behind Motion offered almost nothing. The golem moved, but Luke sensed no individual intention behind its limbs. One simple command filled its entire body and drove it toward the Root Gate.

He aimed for the nearest leg and drove his spear into the shifting earth. The weapon sank deeply without meeting resistance until the spearhead struck a dense knot of energy.

Luke pushed through it.

The mana knot ruptured, and the golem’s leg collapsed into water and loose soil. Its huge body tilted sideways before crashing down hard enough to shake the shelter.

He pulled the spear free and retreated.

"That’s it?"

The scattered mud began moving.

Roots snapped back into place as black water flowed upward and rebuilt the destroyed leg within seconds. Once whole, the golem stood and resumed its march.

Luke stared at the restored limb.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

His next attack targeted the opposite leg. The spear found another mana knot, and Luke shattered it.

The second leg dissolved, dropping the golem again. Its first leg remained intact long enough to support part of the creature’s weight until the missing limb reformed.

The golem stood and took another step.

Destroying a mana knot killed ordinary Black Rain monsters. This creature had at least two, and each one appeared to help restore the others.

Luke needed to break both before either could recover.

He waited for the golem’s next step. The instant it shifted its weight, Luke rushed the damaged side and destroyed the first knot.

As the leg collapsed, Quickstep carried him to the opposite side.

[Mana: 36/50]

His spear plunged into the other leg, but the first limb had already begun reforming. The blade missed the second knot by a few inches.

A massive hand swept down.

Truth Behind Motion could not read the mud like a living body, but the shifting roots along the golem’s shoulder gave Luke a physical warning. He threw himself aside before the hand slammed into the ground where he had been standing, sending mud and broken roots through the air.

After rolling across one shoulder, Luke regained his footing and checked the golem’s legs. Both were whole again.

"I need to be faster."

Reinforce spread through Luke’s body.

[Mana: 28/50]

The next thrust destroyed the first knot more quickly, allowing him to spin toward the opposite leg without using Quickstep. His spear reached the second knot before the first limb had fully regenerated.

Both legs dissolved.

The golem fell forward, but its torso kept moving after it struck the ground. Its arms sank into the mud and dragged the massive body toward the Root Gate while black water gathered beneath it to rebuild the legs.

"It has more."

Luke drove his spear into the nearest arm. The first thrust passed through mud, the second struck bark, and the third found another knot near the elbow.

He shattered it, but the legs were almost whole again by the time the arm dissolved. Luke had found three knots so far.

Using its remaining arm, the golem pushed itself upright while he retreated and tried to catch his breath.

Lauren’s Unveiled Weakness would have exposed every knot before Luke made the first attack. Without her, he had to discover them through trial and error.

Two were hidden in the legs, and another sat inside the arm. The opposite limb probably contained a fourth, while the torso might hide even more.

The golem took another step, leaving only a few yards between it and the Root Gate.

Luke rushed beneath its reach and attacked the untouched arm. After one failed strike, he adjusted and drove the spear into a dense pulse near the shoulder, destroying a fourth knot.

The damaged limb swung toward him.

Luke ducked and stabbed into the torso, but the spear found nothing. A second thrust scraped across a thick root buried beneath the mud.

The golem raised one knee.

Its body shifted before the foot descended, and Luke slipped away without spending more mana. The impact shook the shelter and sent a long crack across the ceiling.

Luke circled behind the creature and drove the spear into its back. The first two thrusts passed through mud, while the third struck another knot near the center of the torso.

He had found five.

The golem twisted before Luke could escape.

One huge arm slammed into his side and lifted him from the ground. He crashed into a cluster of roots near the wall, pain tearing through his ribs as the spear slipped from one hand.

Reinforce faded while the Mire Golem turned back toward the gate, leaving only one step between it and the sealed roots.

Luke forced himself upright.

All five mana knots had to be destroyed before the first regenerated.

Individual attacks were too slow. Arcane Thrust could shatter a knot immediately, but Luke lacked enough mana to use it five times. Quickstep could move him between targets, though every activation would drain more mana and still cost precious time.