(Nivansrywyllian, LuxGlyph)

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"I've never had the opportunity to face a giant, although I've heard of them, and I've planned for it." He admitted. "Not that planning will net me victory should I come to blows with one. I hear they're almost as resilient as trolls, and considerably stronger." He paused, regarding the beast below him.

"Once I made a golem from a small house. It stood nearly two stories tall, and took everything within, including the foundation. It was exhausting. It left a crater in the ground, and it moved quite slowly. It took me nearly an hour to pull the thing together, and it left a crater in the ground that could swallow a team of oxen." Samuel sighed. "I usually don't make golems much larger than this one, but sometimes there is cause for it. As for attacks beyond the physical,"

He said, his gaze holding forward steadily. "I tend to try and eliminate things before they know they're under attack. The element of surprise treats me well. If I can put a bullet through a shaman's head from a shrouded location, out of eyeshot of any pursuers, all the better. If he doesn't know he's dying, he can't very well curse me before he goes. Sometimes my golems get blindsided by the unforseen, or I do, but I can do some quick and dirty conjuring if they fail, and supplement it with more physical attacks. I started carrying grenades after a run in with a nest of vampires about a year ago."
 
"And the IQ of a rotten stump," He grinned, settling his head down in his open hands, braced with his elbows on his knees. He considered the size of such a creature Samuel began to describe. It must have been done in some sort of training attempt, or preparation for some future attack. Trying to pull off such an attempt in the middle of a fight would be insane.

Giants were slow, so perhaps such a creature would be bested by such a large golem, but it made sense that speed and energy would have to be sacrificed for such a difficult endeavor - but what a sight it must have made, stone, wood, glass, metal, all pressed and twisted to create limbs and trunks. He tried to picture such a towering creature when the man shifted to his preference of attack. Speed, surprise, rather than bruit strength.

"That seems a strange contrast for a golemancer capable of such powerful blows, but surprise is indeed advantageous to brute strength. You proved it yesterday, after all, you saved my life by surprising those idiot lackeys." His gaze flicked past Samuel and he shifted again, unwinding his legs to let them hang again to either side of the golem's side, "And they didn't know what hit them, but it won't be like that, where we are going. There were eyes everywhere, in that forest."
 
"No matter how large, and powerful my golems are, I remain what I am. And if I didn't have my golems to call upon, all that I'd be able to rely on is my wit, speed, and unwillingness to step into a fair fight. Maybe some day magic will vanish the way it came. Suddenly, and violently. If that day comes, I don't want to be left groping for a weapon that isn't there." A tension seemed to bleed out of Samuel, as they rode farther from the town. His shoulders relaxed, and his body took on an easy sway to account for the already smooth gait of the golem.

"Surprising those two didn't take much work," He admitted, as they moved on. "The field was in my favor. Heavy fog, plenty of cover, and ample opportunities to make a loose-form golem. I might've been able to take them out without the golems, but demons can be tricky sometimes." The road up ahead ran through a forest that had been very obviously clear-cut to keep anything from approaching the walls of Turley unseen.

After a long pause, the hunter added. "I've got a trick or two up my sleeve for when we get close enough to worry about watchers." He admitted. "You won't need to worry about that though. Once we get within a day's ride, we can pick up the trail, and you can get yourself clear."
 
"That is an interesting way to approach your battles," Edison turned his focus back onto Sam when he notice how the man began to relax, "I knew a man once who had a boastful confidence about him, eager to prove himself in battle. He carried a great sword and boasted of all his won battles." Edison made a thoughtful tut, "his head was crushed by a cyclopes' club." He grinned, "I think he wanted to go out fighting though, so it worked out well for him."

He fell quiet after the men promised Edison's debts would be paid before they drew close to the fortress. He believed the man's words - he was true to them so far, and he expected that to remain, but the whole trip still did not sit well with him. Who knew what was happening in the region now. How long were those creatures going to be held behind those high walls? How long until they spilled out and turned the ground spoiled for miles and miles around?

One of they Turley boys let out a sudden laugh, and their conversational tones washed over him. His eyes turned towards the men and he fell into a thoughtful silence as their small party traveled further and further away from the strong walls of Turley Town.
 
Samuel, for his part, was just as happy to let the silence stretch as he was to hold conversation with the fellow riding behind him. It wasn't that he found the conversation tiresome, only that he appreciated the scenery of the ride as much as he did the companionship.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

When the way station appeared in the distance, it was through the branches of thinning trees. It looked to be a low stone tower, some three stories high. It looked to predate the world before the fall, built more for strategic advantage than either housing, or industry. It was fairly spartan, in make, though some of the hunters and freelancers that had come through had left odds and ends to make it somewhat more livable. A relatively new door that looked as if it had been stolen from some local penitentiary had been fixed in place as a temporary portal, along with a slipshod wood frame.

A warm orange glow shone from the second story window, suggesting other wanderers taking residence inside. One of the Turleys let out a whoop of jubilation as it came into view, and kicked his mount into a gallop. Two of the others joined him, although the eldest of the Turleys kept pace along with Samuel.

"We'll have some hot food tonight when we rest. Maybe some tea." He said, a small smile flitting across his usually solemn features. "We can do some experimenting, if you'd like."
 
The journey that day was dull and uneventful, to say the least, which was of great relief to every one in the party, Edison included. The weather was pleasant, though a chilly wind dominated the morning, rolling in from the north and reminding everyone that winter was coming.

They didn't stop for lunch, rather they ate small bits of ration as they traveled, refilling the water canteens at a river before they crossed.

The boys of Turley kept the mood light with their going ons, challenging each other to more outlandish stories - stories that they all seemed to have heard several times before, but they were new to Edison and they kept him semi entertained.

They were decent hunters as well, despite their boastings, and knew how to keep an eye out - well, Edison figured, they would have to be to have survived so long in their chosen profession.

He interrupted Sam at various points, bringing up further questions to the dynamics of his magic and talents with his weapons, or his knowledge of the surrounding areas. They were few and far between, though, and for the most part he kept his mouth shut and focused on observing.

He had fallen into a contemplative mood late in the day, and had actually jumped in start when one of the Turley's suddenly let out a cry. He turned towards the man, then spread out his range of vision, finding out exactly why they were suddenly so excited. It seemed they had arrived. He knew these small little waypoints. Fortified positions on main roads, waylays for rest and protections. Most of them weren't as well protected as this one, though.

"Ah.." He said at last, when Sam spoke up in front of him, "Grand news. We might have some decent luck yet. Perhaps a clearing? I would hate to knock over these ill trees.
 
"There should be enough clearance between the waystation and the forest to conduct your experiments." Assured the hunter. "If there isn't, I know a place relatively nearby that will allow for secluded practice. We'll relocate if the sun gets too low in the sky, and if the experiments are too noisy. The Turleys will need their rest, and we don't want to keep anybody else using the station awake if we can help it."

Upon arrival at the low stone tower, the younger Turleys were nowhere to be seen. Their boisterous voices however, could be heard from above. Rather than letting the golem dissipate, Samuel dismounted as one might from a horse. "Edison and I are going to train some," He addressed the eldest of the Turleys.

"We may head away from the walls. Send up a gout of flame to call us. One for trouble, two for dinner."

The eldest Turley nodded, and gave Samuel a toothy grin. "Don't let the beasties catch you unaware, Brandt. Get on. It'll be about two hours before food's on anyhow. We won't leave you hungry."
 
Edison grinned a bit at the man's concern, "wouldn't want to keep anyone up, of course." He smiled, and turned his attention to the large building as they came to it. It did indeed seem like there were more than just them there, other hunters, or possible traders attempting to brave the roads to sell their wares.

Sam climbed off the large golem, but Edison remained settled atop the beast s he watched Sam explain their intent to the remaining Turley. The thought of a warm meal made his stomach tighten. Not quite hungry yet, but appealing to a man still recovering from weeks of near starvation.

He could put the thought of food away for now, because now he could test out this golem first hand. He slid off its back and quickly trekked away and towards the middle of the open area, "Alright, I want it to attack me." He said as he turned around to face the golem.
 
Sam gave Tommen one of his rare grins, as Edison dismounted. The ginger fellow disappeared inside the tower quickly at Edison's request, unwilling to be standing next to a magical test-zone. Sam for his part, settled against the wall, and ratcheted the bolt on his rifle five times to clear the weapon of munitions, pocketing the unspent shells. He leaned the weapon against the tower, and sat beside it.

"As you wish," Sam said. Rather than turning around like a normal beast, the stone of the golem shifted. One moment, it's head was facing the entry to the towers, and it's flank was turned toward Edison, and the next it was pointed at him.

It didn't jump as legged creatures jumped, but rather launched itself low across the ground. Legs became short and wide, like those of some belly-dragging lizards, cutting it's profile down to a scant two feet tall, with a rounded back that looked reminiscent of a tortoise. Rather than attacking with tooth or claw on it's approach however, it spun. A thick lash made of stone swept towards the freelancer's chest, although it was clear that Samuel was restraining the golem from use of lethal force. It would hurt if it landed, none the less.
 
"Excellent," Edison grinned as the golem began to shift and move, no longer was it the easy moving mount, but now it played the role of hunter, rushing across the ground on low legs, protecting its underbelly as it slithered forward. Edison watched it's approach, bracing himself as it grew close, though he made no move for his weapons, or to escape it's line of attack.

It spun, quick and aimed, the formed weapon directed right for his chest - but Edison was far from vulnerable. Two feet from his chest the lash made contact with an invisible force. The sudden impact was enough to clap out a sharp clapping sound and the air rippled outward from the stone, as if it were a rock ducked into water.

The air cleared of the distortion seconds later and then Edison pushed. The golem was forced back and it's feet dug tracks into the earth as it was slid back several yard by the invisible force of Edison's magic.

He straightened again, eyes on Sam. "Again, harder. You won't break me." He called, a hand waving over his head.
 
Rather than responding, Samuel simply loosened his grip on the restrictions he'd put on the golem. Still no tearing edges, or snapping jaws. Little flecks of stone had flown free during the impact, but nowhere near enough to compromise the size or structure of the creature.

The creature spun again, farther out this time. The thick stone lash flashed out again, before the farthest section of the stone broke off, providing a still-solid projectile made up of some forty pounds of fractured gravestone travelling at breakneck speeds.

That wasn't the extent of the beast's attack however. It's head and shoulders formed into something of a shovel shape, and it charged in right after it's stone, eating ground at a surprising rate. Samuel had seen opponents use shields before, and this particular attack had proven useful against the ones that were keyed to the caster as a focal point.

Rather than plunging it's head at Edison's center-mass, the golem angled it's plow-like fore section low, scraping along the ground, as if it intended to pick the blind magus right up and toss him into the air like so many loads of snow. Samuel -it seemed- was experimenting with Edison just the same as Edison was experimenting with his golems.
 
Edison dropped his arms as the golem began to move again, his focus returned to the battle at hand as it circled around, preparing for its next move. Like a whip it struck again, further away now and Edison grinned at the cleverness of it's attack as it sent a part of itself flying like a sling shot stone.

Edison focused on the stone preparing his shields, and nearly missed the golem thundering towards him, behind the distraction that was his first attack. Perhaps it might have worked, if it weren't for his weighted stomps on the ground sending vibrations through the compact earth.

Edison's focus returned to the stone as it crashed into his shields. The impact briefly revealed the shape of his shield - no longer the flat surface, now it had formed a point, right in the center of the impacting stone. The force split it in half and sent both pieces hurdling to either side of Edison to go crashing into the sparse forest.

The next hurdle came barreling forward and Edison's shields wouldn't stop the shovel motion so close to the ground, but really, they wouldn't have to. He pushed off the ground mere seconds before the stone would have pressed at his feet. He sprung high into the air, fueled by wind and force. He raised his hands high over his head, clasped them together and brought them down like a mighty hammer, his magic followed his motions and a great force pounded down onto the golem's back.

Edison dropped back down to the ground seconds later, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he watched the creature for his next move.
 
The hammer-blow landed on the creature's semi-domed back. Rather than catching the blow on it's domed back however, the golem's form collapsed under the unseen pressure. Or rather, it appeared to. Instead of an explosion of stone and earth that might have been the usual result of such a blow, the golem's form turned amorphous pooling into a semicircular bubble, that rippled around the blow, absorbing the impact. There was still some crackling of shattered stone, but the blob of stone rippled. And then it split.

Two blobs about half the size of the original flowed away from one another. One took the form of a small stone ape, all long arms and broad shoulders. It took the lead, charging at the kinetomancer first. The other half had begun elongate, and now looked closer to a python than any mammal. It slithered after the waist-high stone ape in the grass, as if in an effort to hide it's motion.

The cannonball of stone that Edison had split in two moments before was also still active, although to a much lesser degree. Each of the halves pooled on the ground, before re-forming into a pair of small stone canines, no taller than a grown man's knee each. They stalked closer to Edison's rear quickly, and quietly.

Samuel for his part, was staring intensely into the middle-distance, not quite focusing on any aspect of the fight. It might be assumed that the whole of his attention was on his golems, and their senses of perception such as they were. Even so, his hand rested casually on the hilt of the bayonet, tucked behind his belt.
 
Edison's gaze flickered between the two broken blobs, they tore themselves apart after distributing his blow, now he was against two. He watched them reform, noting the time it took for them to completely reform, both independent in shape and function. Edison briefly pushed his attention towards Sam, but the man looked calm and composed. They were just getting started.

So far he had been on the defensive, reacting to the two previous attacks, but this time he was going on the offensive. His focus zeroed in on the ape like creature, attention flickering over its long broad arms before he took aim. With a flick of his wrist he shot out three sharp force disks, strong and powerful like his shields, but thin and sharp like a dangerous, spinning saw blade. He aimed them on three separate spots of the golem body. Neck, shoulder, and stomach, seeking out weaknesses on the creatures body, seeking the force of impact that might break it apart.
 
The topmost disc of air missed entirely as the ape hunched, and turned sidelong to meet the attack with it's shoulder. The limb swelled, growing thick, while the torso grew thin and frail in an effort to deflect the oncoming attack. The gesture was enough to tell that an attack was coming, but the force was invisible to Samuel and his golems.

The second disc dug a furrow into the ape's shoulder maybe five inches deep, sending a spray of sharp stone onto the field. It then careened off to the beast's left, redirected by the stern resistance. The third disc had the greatest effect, catching the limb just above the elbow. It sheared through the narrowness at the joint, and dug thoroughly into the now-fragile trunk of the ape. With a great deal of the force spent on breaking through the reinforced arm however, it lacked the power to cut the golem in half. More stone spilled from the golem, littering the ground.

The severed section of the arm itself didn't re-form, instead falling to pieces on the ground. To make up for the wounds, the ape shifted quickly into a blob, and then re-formed into a narrower beast, reminiscent of a hunting cat. This one was much quicker than the ape it turned out, as it picked up speed on approach.

The snake was still following in the wake of the first golem, staying low and out of line-of-sight to the best of it's ability, using the feline as cover to reach it's prey.

The two small stone hounds that had been approaching Edison behind finally came into range, and each launched itself at the back of one of the kinetomancer's knees. Still no claws or jaws for attacking. Their apparent job was to bring Edison down for the other golems.

A smile was growing on Sam's face. Not a cocksure grin of confidence, or an easy smile of amusement, but one of satisfaction. A challenge. Edison was a capable sort of fellow, and one Sam wouldn't mind running with. It was only a pity that he'd be leaving before they got to the action.
 
Edison watched as the creature turned the bulk of its mass into an impromptu shield against his attacks, changing its shape quickly instead of attempting to dodge the unseen attack. The first went over its head, and Edison flicked his fingers, dissipating the force blade before it found something to damage and it made a popping sound only a yard away from its missed target.

The next two made contact, the first digging into the arm, the second driving completely through. Edison raised his arms in the air and whooped his victory as the creature once again reformed, ts form allowing for much more speed.

Now he was facing two, but they weren't the only stone creatures on the field now, where they? The two hounds might have taken him by surprise if he had relied on his eyes, and if he had not spoken to Sam about his love of ambush and surprise. As it was, though, he was quite aware of Sam's favored form of attack and his magic provided him a dome of vision, and he could see all around him up down, all around, and only the underground was without constant scrutiny.
Thus, the moment the two hounds broke through the tree line, Edison spun around. His hands, and magic, stretched out to them, wrapping around them much like his shields might wrap around himself. Instead of defense, though, they were used to capture, and they had little choice but to follow as Edison whipped them off the ground and around, aiming them towards the speedy cat almost upon him.
 
Although Samuel didn't have the same sort of depth of knowledge of the immediate area that Edison had, he was intimately connected with each of his golems. That connection was shared with his golems. The nimble feline's advance slowed, but rather than evasion, it leaped to catch the stone projectile in the chest. The second caught it square in the face. Instead of bludgeoning the feline however, the balls that were the little stone hound loosened, and joined with the stone cat seamlessly, thickening it's shoulders and head respectively.

The snake -by virtue of Samuel's awareness- absorbed the failed stealth attack by it's canine-shaped counterparts, and changed it's own approach. It's head became a swirling, ridged drill, and it dove into the earth behind the stone cat. Down it dug, moving through the earth at only a slightly reduced speed, it's body becoming one long drill.

It sped towards the kinetomancer beneath the earth, using Sam's eyes to guide it towards it's target. The ground beneath Edison's boots began to furrow, as the stone snake burrowed closer to the surface, preparing to emerge once again.
 
What Edison was expecting was a collision, hard and rough, but it quickly became clear that he had made a mistake when the golems simply poured into each other seamless like flowing water, "Well fuck me -" He laughed, knowing he just made a mistake. The feline grew, and now circled close - but that wasn't the one he was worried about.

His head turned directly towards the snake as it shifted, and then dove into the ground. Edison briefly felt the vibrations before it became too deep to detect at all. Hs head turned towards Sam, but the man gave nothing away, so Edison turned his attention back to the cat, his hand stretched out, shooting off a row of three force disks, and he paid very close attention to his feet, feeling for any vibration, looking for any place the worm might jump out of the ground.

When he thought he felt something, he leaped back several yards, and fired into the ground - but the earth dulled his magic, and it couldn't penetrate more than an inch or so, the attack was useless. He huffed out, and looked around again, feeling the ground under his feet.
 
The golems were taking their cues from Samuel again, who was continuing to learn from the battle. The feline was being more cautious, dancing around and between the incoming attacks to the best of it's abilities. Now and again, it's movements would be just a little too slow, or in the wrong direction, and a cleaver of force would shear a line in it's stone body, sending stone chips flying, but it avoided any dismemberment. It was just keeping the pressure on.

The snake however dove deeper once again, when it's target relocated, and swam beneath the earth as explosions of dirt and rock showered the area when Edison threw force into the ground. The snake kept right on moving however. Rather than circling the man this time, the stone snake cut a line directly upwards, and slightly behind Edison. It would strike him firmly in the small of the back if he didn't move, but -once again- Samuel had blunted the thing's weapons, so as not to badly injure his partner.

Sam's smile had grown bigger. He was enjoying himself thoroughly.
 
It was turning into a dance, and Sam was learning all the right moves. The snake disappeared again and now the cat had returned to its job as a distraction. It fluttered around him, stalking him, and rushing closer when Edison's attention flickered away. Edison was forced to spend his energy swiping at the swift moving golem. The discs were easy to throw around and he sent them slicing through the air, shearing across the golem or stripping trees and brush.

Edison knew exactly what it was doing now, and it was brilliant. Sam really didn't like proper, brute force fights. He crouched down, feeling for those stubbornly absent vibrations, his head up and towards the cat. When the creature hazard closer Edison's shields came up, front, back, and sides, he surrounded the pestering cat - and then he compressed. Each side pressing into the golem until the cat shape couldn't be sustained. He would -

The snake arrived at the most inconvenient time. Edison felt the vibration - he saw the breach of the snake from the ground - but the snake's strike was swift and true. It was brilliant, and Edison was glad that he had prepared, because even if Sam was pulling his punches it still would have hurt like a bitch.

As it was, the snake impact his force shield only inches from the soft flesh of his back. The force of the impact made Edison stumble and trip forward, dropping his trap around the cat when his focus went to catching himself. His hands pressed into the ground and he immediately pushed. The layer of shields around him suddenly ballooned outward, expanding from his central point - throwing the stone golems, and any and all loose debris flying out and away from him. The bubble expanded almost the entire circumference of the clearing before it popped into nothing. Edison rolled onto his back, and flopped his arms and legs out. Out of breath and exhilarated, he laughed.
 
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