Neron wiped the sweat from his brow, casting a glance at Lily who was looking quite smug.
The satisfaction in her eyes was undeniable, though he hated to admit that she'd handled herself well.
Too well in fact that he was inclined to think that she had been doing it a while.
They stood amidst the crumbled remains of the Golems, their towering stone bodies now just heaps of rubble.
"Not bad," he said with reluctance. "But don't get cocky. They weren't much in the first place."
Lily tossed her hair over her shoulder, her grin widening. "Oh, I'm not cocky. Just confident. I could do this all day."
"How long have you been doing this for?"
"Not long, I just joined the Guild a few weeks ago. Needed some extra money," she replied with a shrug.
"I see," Neron said cryptically nodding his head.
She waited for him to say something in addition to what he said but he kept mute.
"I wonder if he believes me or he's doubting everything I said," She thought to herself thrown off a bit by his silence.
Neron couldn't help but feel a flicker of irritation. There was something off about her—the way she moved, her reactions.
He wasn't comfortable with pairing up with her if not that he didn't have much of a choice in the first place.
He hated how she was already getting under his skin in the short time they had been together and he couldn't wait to get out of the place.
He wanted to know more about her background though but he knew it wasn't the time or place to question her.
They still had no idea where they were, and the threat of the fairy still loomed over them like a dark cloud.
"We need to keep moving," Neron said, sheathing his sword back into his scabbard as he turned toward the rows of stone pillars.
Lily didn't say anything in response but meekly fell in step beside him.
~FWOOSHHHHHHH!!!~
He launched himself at the nearest golem, his sword slicing through the air swiftly.
The golem swung a massive fist at him, but Neron ducked under it, his blade striking at the creature's leg.
~BOOMMMMMM!!!~
Sparks flew as the sword made contact and the enchanted stone crumbled as it was unable to handle the attack.
Lily, in the meantime had darted toward the second golem, her smaller frame allowing her to move quickly and avoid its slower strikes.
She took note of how Nero had quickly handled his own golem.
"How did you manage to take it out in just one strike?" She shouted out as she danced around her own golem, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Neron shrugged in response as he watched how she was going to handle her own golem.
He hadn't been fully paying attention the other time so he wanted to be sure that he captured everything.
Her daggers were small and he saw that she was aiming for the joints, where the stone was thinnest.
He approved of her thinking and within a short time she was done with her own end.
His suspicion about her skills was further confirmed. She had dealt with five golems in a short time and her sword movements were too fluid for a novice.
She smiled at him when she caught him looking at her.
As she stepped closer to meet him, a sense of dread washed over him.
It wasn't because of her but something he couldn't put a finger on.
Lily seemed to feel it too. "Something feels... wrong," she murmured, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.
Neron nodded and pulled her to his side, his hand tightening on his sword. "It's another test. It has to be."