#3.34
This arc has been completed, and it ended better than I expected. Get a limited-time 30% discount when you join up for early access. Currently at 9 chapters advance. Capping early access at 10 chapters by the end of the day. Thanks for reading. Keep engaged.
TDBB: Golem Toph 3.34
The thirty-foot stone golem stood completely still for a fraction of a second after the giant green hand clamped onto its wrist.
Through the soles of her bare feet, Toph Beifong analyzed the impact. It wasn't like hitting a brick wall. It wasn't like striking a metal shield. The thing that had just intercepted her construct felt incredibly heavy, but it was also soft. It was a dense, massive weight made of tightly packed roots, wet moss, and thick, fibrous wood. Through the vibration, Toph could tell he wasn't just standing on the ground—he was anchored deep into the soil. He was pulling weight from the earth, but he wasn't using stone to do it.
"Huh," Toph said, her toes digging into the grass to get a better reading. "He’s spongy. But he’s solid."
"We've gotten his attention," Ivy said, her hands still raised as she tried to maintain the green vines woven through the golem's stone joints. "Time to stand down."
"Are you kidding?" Toph's grin widened, her teeth showing through the dirt on her face. "He just caught a thirty-ton fist like it was a fly. I want to see what else he can do. Hold onto your leaves because we’re going a full round!"
Toph slid her right foot back, grinding her heel into the dirt to lock her stance. She snapped her left fist forward in a straight, hard punch.
Up above, the golem copied her. Its free left arm, a massive block of grey granite laced with heavy iron veins, swung downward in a brutal hammer-fist. It was aimed directly at the Swamp Thing's head.
The Swamp Thing didn't try to dodge. He simply raised his other arm. The roots along his forearm twisted and thickened in a split second, forming a dense, wooden shield.
The granite fist smashed into the wooden shield. Shards of rock erupted from the golem's knuckles, raining down into the mud, but the Swamp Thing's arm didn't break. Instead, the roots on his arm began to slide and grow, wrapping tightly around the golem's fist. In less than three seconds, both of the stone titan's arms were completely locked in a massive grapple with the plant giant.
"Oh, we got ourselves a classic wrestle-mania!" Harley screamed from her perch on the golem’s head. She was gripping the stone forehead, her legs swinging wildly in the air as the two massive figures strained against one another. "He’s got the lock! Go for the knees, Rocky! Give him a low blow!"
"Harley, get down from there right now!" Ivy yelled. She tried to cut the flow of energy to the golem’s joints, but Toph’s grip on the stone was too dominant.
"I'm not stopping!" Toph shouted. Her muscles tensed as she felt the immense resistance traveling through the ground. "This guy is actually pushing back. Let’s see how he handles a trip!"
Toph spun on her left heel, executing a low, sweeping kick through the air.
The golem mirrored her, its massive stone leg sweeping in a wide, heavy arc aimed directly at the Swamp Thing’s knees. It was a strike meant to shatter bone, but the moment the stone boot swung, the Swamp Thing simply vanished from Toph's seismic sense.
It wasn't that he jumped. He didn't move away. He literally liquefied, his entire massive body turning into loose leaves and wet soil that collapsed into the grass.
The golem's leg swung through empty air. The sheer momentum of the missed strike threw the giant off balance. It stumbled forward, its heavy arms flailing as it tried to keep from falling.
An instant later, the grass behind the golem's left heel erupted. A massive, thick pillar of compressed wood and roots shot upward, slamming directly into the back of the golem’s knee joint.
The golem buckled. Its massive granite frame tilted backward.
"We are going down!" Harley yelled, letting go of the stone head and performing a perfect triple-flip off the falling giant. She landed lightly on a high tree branch, her mallet resting on her shoulder as she watched. "Nice counter-move, mossy! Ten out of ten!"
Before the golem could crash into the dirt, the Swamp Thing reformed. He rose from the green mist directly beneath the falling titan, catching the stone giant by its iron-veined chest plate. His massive wooden arms bulged as he hoisted the construct completely over his head.
Toph's jaw dropped. Through her feet, she felt the incredible shifting of weight as the Swamp Thing lifted the entire mass of rock as if it were a bundle of twigs.
"Holy crap," Toph whispered. "He's actually lifting the whole thing."
With a low, rocky grunt that vibrated through the entire clearing, the Swamp Thing slammed the golem face-first into the ground.
The impact shattered the golem’s granite chest plates. The emerald core Ivy had built inside cracked, the green light flaring once before dying out. The roots holding the limbs together withered instantly, turning to dry ash. The titan was reduced to a heap of broken stone and dirt.
The fight was over.
The Swamp Thing stood over the ruins, his red, glowing eyes turning toward the three women.
Ivy stood her ground, though her hands were still shaking from the sudden loss of the connection. Harley remained on her branch, swinging her legs and chewing on a piece of leftover pork. Toph stood in her stance, her feet still taking rapid readings of the ground around the giant.
The Swamp Thing took a heavy step forward.
"Now what?" Toph muttered, looking at Ivy.
"Poison... Ivy..." the giant said. "Why... do you... harm... the Green?"
Ivy took a step forward, raising her hands. "I wasn't trying to harm it, Swamp Thing. We needed your attention. The local area is too clogged with static for you to hear us. We had to make some noise."
The Swamp Thing’s head tilted. "You are... an avatar... of the Green. You exist... to defend it. Not to... tear down... the trees."
"Wait a minute," Toph interrupted, pointing a dirty finger at Ivy. "You're an avatar too? That would explain a lot, but I'm starting to think 'avatar' means something completely different in this world."
The Swamp Thing didn't look at Toph. His eyes remained fixed on Ivy. "You could... have spoken... to the roots. I would... have answered. This... was unnecessary."
"I tried!" Ivy shot back, her voice rising in frustration. "But you weren't listening! Something is rotting the very heart of these woods. It’s an infection from the Grey, and it’s spreading fast. You’re so focused on the global balance that you didn't even notice the rot growing right under your feet!"
The Swamp Thing went entirely still. The rustling of the leaves overhead stopped.
For a long, tense moment, the giant didn't move. Toph watched him through her feet, noticing that the constant, shifting vibration of his body had suddenly ceased. He was listening. He was sending his consciousness deep into the earth, tracing the roots of the forest.
A low, heavy shudder rippled through his frame.
"Solomon... Grundy..." the Swamp Thing said, his voice dropping into a dark, hollow register. "The curse... of Slaughter Swamp. The Grey... has taken... his sorrow. They... are building... a grave."
"Yeah! A giant, super-smelly grave with a bubbling black soup-pot!" Harley cheered, sliding down from her branch and landing next to Toph. "He’s making a whole army of zombie deer, vegie! We almost got turned into garden mulch ourselves. If it wasn't for my spectacular escape act, we'd be singing his stupid poems right now!"
The Swamp Thing’s red eyes flared. "The balance... must be... maintained. The Rot... cannot... take this valley."
The giant’s physical form began to soften. The moss on his shoulders melted, and the roots of his legs sank back into the soil.
"I must... stop him," his voice echoed, fading as his body dissolved completely into the ground.
Within seconds, the giant was gone. The clearing was empty, save for the shattered ruins of the golem.
Toph stood there, her hands on her hips, staring at the empty patch of grass.
"He just leaves?!" Toph yelled, stamping her foot in frustration. "We built a giant rock monster to get his attention, and now he’s just going to go steal the fight without us?!"
"We need to help him," Ivy said, already walking toward the ridge. "The underbrush is thin in the rot and without the Green, Swamp Thing will be in grave danger."
Harley followed, balancing her mallet on her shoulders.
Toph remained still, head tilted towards the direction of the rot.
"Toph?" Ivy called out from up ahead. "We need to hurry."
"Go on ahead without me," Toph said firmly. "The ground there made my feet get stupid. I'm not fighting blind again."
"She looks serious," Harley whispered, leaning to Ivy. "What do you think she's planning?"
"Just don't take too long," Ivy shouted to Toph. "We will need you."
Both Ivy and Harley turned and sprinted towards the rot while Toph sunk her feet into the ground.