The Fatal Death Rays

Magic beams streaked menacingly towards Grayson, who instinctively raised his arms in defense and retreated with a quick side step, squinting to shield his eyes from the severe brightness. When he dared to open his eyes again, he found, to his surprise, that he was unscathed. A lustrous shield of water, rippling with light, encased him, diverting the beams and causing them to dissipate into harmless ripples.

Grayson was not alone in this miraculous escape; Morven and Katheren, too, found themselves enveloped in an impenetrable sheath of water just as the beams were about to pierce them.

In the midst of the group stood Seraphine, the mermaid guardian, wielding her staff with commanding grace. From its tip flowed a magic wave that fortified the protective water shields around her companions, warding off the relentless assault of the stone beams.

For what felt like an eternity but lasted only a few minutes, the beams from the monoliths ceased. Fourteen stone sentinels reemerged, brandishing their rock weapons, once again charging toward the group with renewed aggression.

Katheren, acting swiftly, raised her silver pistol and unleashed a volley of bullets towards the stone soldiers. The golems raised their sturdy marble shields, effortlessly deflecting her gunfire. They advanced, their stone swords converging on Katheren with lethal intent.

Morven sprang forward to her defense, his curved saber dancing to deflect the frontal assault of the stone swords. From the side, a streak of silver burst forth, punching a gaping hole through the body of one golem as Grayson surged into the fray, charging through and toppling three stone sentinels onto the ground.

Grayson, springing back to his feet, seized the throat of another golem with his bare hands. With a quick shake and a grimace, he shattered the stone neck, leaving the golem to crumple lifelessly to the ground.

Without hesitation, Grayson yanked his sword from the pierced golem and sliced through the throat of another. He then leapt back to Morven's side, and Katheren, her resolve solidifying, fired again, obliterating another golem. The remaining sentinels vanished from view once more.

The monoliths shone again, this time emitting even thicker beams of concentrated force. Seraphine summoned her spells in desperation, crafting a protective shield around them with amplified intensity as the beams loomed threateningly close.

During the standoff, Morven's gaze flitted between the downed golem with a snapped neck and Grayson, who seemed to have effortlessly crushed the stone. He marveled inwardly at this display of raw power, which was far beyond even his keen blade's capacity.

"What kind of man is he? The tales never mentioned him possessing the strength to crumble stone!" Morven mused, considering Grayson's earlier displays of extraordinary speed and strength.

As Morven pondered, the magic beams abated once more, and the final six stone soldiers emerged from the light. Grayson and Morven stood ready, flanked by Seraphine and Katheren, who brandished their weapons for a counter-assault.

Grayson charged, parrying an oncoming stone sword with his own and narrowly avoiding a shield bash. He reached through the golems' defenses, crushing the throat of another with a fierce glare. Morven observed his every move, and when Grayson crushed a golem's neck, Morven thought he heard an odd growl coming from Grayson's throat.

There was no time for contemplation. Morven dodged a stone sword and maneuvered around the bulky shield, striking the golem's flank. He attempted to seize and crush the golem's neck as Grayson had, but his efforts were in vain against the unyielding stone. He had to leap back, drawing his saber's scabbard, which concealed a sharp metallic spike.

The scabbard's spike and the saber's edge gleamed in the light as they shattered the golem's throat, and the stone head crashed into the snow. Morven spun around to face another assault as bullets and torrents struck the remaining golems.

With Grayson's final slash disintegrating the last golem, the stone soldiers vanished yet again. Realizing another magic assault was imminent, Grayson and Morven rushed to Seraphine, who strained to conjure another shield as the beams intensified beyond all expectation, nearly a meter wide, leaving no gaps in their deadly embrace. The shield wavered under the tremendous force, and beads of sweat cascaded down Seraphine's forehead.

"Grayson, we need a plan, I can't hold on much longer!" Seraphine cried out, her voice trembling, her body struggling to uphold the staff. The shield grew thinner under the relentless beams.

Suddenly, Seraphine's knees buckled, and she fell forward, propping herself up with her staff, unable to stand. The shield cracked, and a blinding surge of light swept towards them.

At that critical moment, the stone walls halted their assault, and the last six stone soldiers reappeared, surging with a vicious intent.

The narrow escape left no room for relief. Grayson helped Seraphine to her feet and instructed Morven and Katheren, "Listen! We must down three golems—three, no more!" before the stone giants could reach them. He pushed Seraphine towards Katheren and turned, shattering one golem's head with a well-placed strike.

Morven followed, his blade felling another, while a third golem closed in on Katheren and Seraphine. Katheren, hearing the heavy steps behind her, spun and fired her pistol, the bullet smashing through the golem's neck.

Before she could register what had happened, another golem lunged from the side, its sword raised high. Katheren, startled, aimed her pistol instinctively and pulled the trigger.

In the split second before her finger pressed down, Grayson's words flashed through her mind. But the bullet was already on its way. It flew toward the fourth golem's throat.

With a light ping, Grayson's silver blade intercepted the bullet's trajectory, and he barrelled into the golem, knocking it to the ground. He didn't continue to attack but instead jumped up, retrieved his fallen sword, and retreated back to Katheren's side.

"You clutzy girl, I doubt you want to turn us all into spectres!" Grayson flicked away the last wisp of smoke from his nearly finished cigar and said to the startled Katheren, "You two stay put and do nothing!"

He turned to face the golems, shouting to Morven, "Let's see our teamwork in action, brother!" Morven dove into the fray, their blades slicing in unison to sever two heads.

When the last golem ceased its advance, dissolving into the light, Morven, Seraphine, and Katheren gasped. Morven yelled, "Katheren, shoot!"

Katheren lifted her pistol and fired, the bullet whistling through where the golem had stood, but it had vanished in a flash.

"Oh no!" Seraphine's cry of despair filled the air as the imminent threat of death rays loomed once again.