Concrete Citadel

THE CONCRETE CITADEL

LOCATION - DESCRIPTION - FEATURES

THE UNDERGROUND - DRAEGER - LORE

LOCATION

The Concrete Citadel sits amidst the many buildings of downtown Durem, deep within the heart of the city. It stands nearly twice as tall as every building around it, singling it out by towering over the other structures.

DESCRIPTION

Standing twelve stories tall at its highest, the Concrete Citadel towers over the buildings that surround it; some of which being only two or three stories, the tallest being only seven. Still a far cry from many of the skyscrapers that rise to the heavens in other parts of the city, the Citadel still makes itself a memorable mark on the city skyline.

The upper levels of the Citadel are littered with intricate stonework and carvings. Statues the like of which can be found nowhere else on Gaia, and a host of stone gargoyles perched from every corner; as if the building itself were a nesting ground for the winged carvings.

The lower levels contrast even more starkly with the surroundings. The base of the Citadel is nestled in so tightly against the surrounding buildings that there is hardly any space between them at all. The entire structure seems to have poured in to fit exactly between the buildings surrounding it. On the lower floors there are no more gargoyle statues decorating the walls, nor are there any carvings or statues set around the edges. There is only one; the bust of a muscular figure set above the front stairs, arms stretched wide under an archway like Atlas holding up the world.

However... there are no doors or windows on the Concrete Citadel. The building stands like a great obelisk in the city with no openings to the outside world and no way to see what it holds inside.

FEATURES

The Lobby encompasses the first three floors of the Citadel. It is an expansive room that takes up nearly the entire floor of the building. The Citadel center is a large open space within the Lobby that extends up to the third floor before finally ending. The second and third floors of the Citadel are merely accessories to the Lobby; surrounding the large area with two squared balconies with waist-high railings. Each floor also holds a two-meter wide walkway that extends across the center of the gap: the second floor running North-South, the third floor running East-West.

Supporting each balcony from the level below it is a set of stone pillars three feet in diameter that stretch from floor to ceiling on the first and second floor. In each of the Citadel's corners there is a stairwell that runs from the 4th floor down to the Treasury.

The Treasury sits beneath ground level. It is a massive vault made of steel and stone that contains the wealth of Draeger inside. There is only one entrance... a massive steel vault door that seems to open and close of its own accord. Men are allowed into the treasury to view the mountains of gold contained within, but none are ever allowed to leave if they attempt to take what does not belong to them.

Inside the Treasury bricks of gold are stacked in piles taller than houses, gemstones are heaped into mounds the size of desert dunes, and precious artifacts from ages long past litter the area.

The Cavern sits far below the foundations of the Citadel. It is a natural stone cave that houses the ruins of an ancient civilization within it. There are only two ways to reach the Cavern: either by following the winding series of dark corridors that descend below the Treasury into the bowels of Gaia itself, or through one of the portals that connect the ruins to others of the same type throughout the world.

The Leviathan Stadium

The _______________

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Within the Cavern are the aged remains of an ancient stadium that has survived the tests of time... barely. The cavern walls meld with those of the stadium, blocking some hallways with stone walls and others with collapsed rock. Over the ages many pillars have tilted or fallen, and of the many carved statues of heroes and kings that decorate the arena there is only one that remains intact:

A colossus made of stone, sitting upon a throne twice as tall as any man as he watches with unblinking eyes and a furrowed brow at the arena ring below him. Empty for millenia... waiting for new blood to be spilled upon it.

The Upper Levels consist of the fourth through eleventh floors. They are each connected by a spiral stairway that runs through the center of the building from the fourth floor up. Each new set of floors presents a different situation to one attempting to climb the tower.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth floors are like any other building. There are hallways, rooms, and doors of all shapes and sizes. Some connecting to others, some leading only to a dead end. With no windows to the outside these two floors more closely resemble a maze than a building.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth floors are divided into four sections each and filled completely with stone statues of various types. Some of warriors, some of animals, but all resemble some manner of living creature.

The tenth and eleventh floors are a garden of carvings. Delicately sculpted sprigs and leaves adorn the trees and foliage. The floor is covered in etchings and sculpture that resemble grass, brush, and even a brook running through the center of the garden.

There are no stairs that reach the twelfth floor.

THE UNDERGROUND

The Durem Underground is the name of a gambling ring that operates out of the Red Light District. Through Draeger they have arranged for a circuit of CCTV cameras to be set up within the Concrete Citadel on nearly every floor.

Through these cameras the fights are broadcast in seedy back-alley gambling parlors and bets are placed on who will win, who will lose, and who may not survive. Like all illegal fight gambling, the odds are stacked in favor of the bookies and the fighters never get a cut of the profits themselves.

However, it is due to this gambling ring that the fights that take place in the Concrete Citadel quickly become the talk of the town in hushed words and cautious whispers. Fights that take place within the Citadel contribute to a fighter's public image and popularity.

DRAEGER

The man called Draeger is the owner of the Citadel. Little is known about him except that he never leaves his tower, that he is a man of unimaginable wealth and power, and that he welcomes to his Citadel any who wish to prove their worth on the battlefield.

Draeger has promised a bar of gold from his Treasury to any fighter that proves his worth. Because of this boast and the tales of untold wealth that emerge from the tower with every combatant that returns, many would-be fighters have flocked to the Citadel in recent weeks, hoping to take home a treasure of their own.

LORE

The Concrete Citadel has become the center of a great number of urban legends and superstition since it was first constructed in the city of Durem.

It is said that the Citadel appeared overnight. No crew was ever hired to construct it, and no zoning permits were ever filed for it. There are no records at all of it's construction or who owns the building and the land. Nevertheless, the Citadel stands where it does now, and anyone that asks who owns it is told simply "Draeger".

There are no doors or windows on the outside of the tower. However, there have been those who swear they have seen both, at times. There are also those who have been inside and returned alive to tell about it, swearing that there was nothing special about the entrance and that it was always exactly where it was meant to be.

Some people profess that the entrance to the tower will only appear for those that have the soul of a warrior and carry battle in their hearts.

Many claim to have seen windows in the tower at certain times of day. Some even have proof in the form of photographs that they have taken of the Citadel. However, if there ever was a window it never seems to be there when reexamined.

The Concrete Citadel has an elemental affinity with EARTH

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A man crumpled an envelope in his hand, shoving it into his pocket as he stared up at the Citadel. Green eyes shone brightly, the golden flecks of yellow swirling gently as he tried to focus at its pinnacle. Shrugging, he began to move forward, taking each step in stride. He ignored the statue in every action except one: running his fingers across the base of it as he stepped around the sculpture.

"If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders-- what would you tell him to do?"

"I... don't know. What... could he do? What would you tell him?"

"To shrug."

Smirking, Shouyin looked at the blank wall in front of him and rapped stone knuckles against it.

You've been asleep a long time, Velvel. It's almost your birthday.

Shouyin took a step back as the door began to morph, still kind of smiling as it went through its motions. For some reason his expression seemed a little... understated. This was an awe-inspiring moment, a church without doors peeling away to reveal majesty and gold, and yet he was unaffected by its glory.

Was it hero's disillusionment? Had this man experienced too much, even within his short years, and finally become tired of it? This certainly might have explained his sudden 'retirement', whatever or wherever that had been. However, all that experience had only really taught him one thing: that he wasn't a hero. Not of any sort.

Maybe the knowledge that you weren't great, special, or much of anything made the world seem more dull.

"Whatever you say," he went on in.

"Well, we're of an understanding then, that you have ears. Jolly good."

Shouyin eyed the man with a curious look. This was an old hat sort of situation; the clichéd, mysterious building and its halfway omnipotent, arch-villain owner accosting the young and oblivious entrant. Despite the familiarity though, something felt different, as if this was not a situation that could be taken as lightly as all the others, regardless of how many there had been.

It was late fall, and the man with green eyes was wearing blue jeans, skate shoes, a black t-shirt, and a cheap, brown suede jacket that hugged his shoulders tightly, while still providing the necessary warmth. However, in spite of all the provisions made in defense of the season, he felt uncomfortably chill. In the middle of the city, where the heat of over population was an unforgiving constant, he felt the cold of the mountains where he'd decided he'd spend the rest of his days not long ago. Until, of course, he got a letter telling him to come to this very place.

This Citadel wasn't a place true religion, in other words hollow words and blind faith. This was a church of the mountains: of stone and trees and dirt and iron ore. This was a church of the earth, where words were a last resort, because so much had already been said by its presence. Suddenly, the half-golem felt a little inspired, a bit more -alive-.

"But y'know, when I get a letter promising untold riches, I gotta realize something...

I'm just gonna see another big guy who thinks he can take me down."

Shouyin eyed the gold suspiciously, flinching as the bar struck the floor and slid to a stop at his feet. The half-golem frowned and returned his gaze to the man ahead of him.

"..." The theme of this encounter was a bit confusing for him. Was he to be persecuted, or rewarded? He shivered as the citadel, in the true fashion of pathetic fallacy, answered. Little bumps scattered down his forearms as the lights dimmed, tiny hairs brushing uncomfortably against his sleeves as they seemed to go rigid.

For a brief moment Shouyin put his back to his accuser, turning his eyes upwards to view his audience. The man was noticeably unnerved, but human will was the ability to defeat your own emotions, and the half-golem was ******** loaded with will.

"Depends on how much you want me to."

It wasn't that Shou was unmotivated by the gold, he just wasn't sure what his motivation was supposed to be for. The contradiction between the man's words and his attitude had the half-golem off guard. Riches he didn't need: gold he could probably pull out of the ground himself, and a man who was going to make his life Hell unless he killed him?

... Time to quit playing deadwolf.

"You must want it a lot," he said, grinning as he slid his left foot back and put his hands up, taking a basic fighting stance. The gargoyles no longer bothered him; they were stone automatons, and stone was what he worked with best. Vultures that circled overhead when he had no plans on dying.

"That makes things simple."

Shrugging as the constructs leaped at him, Shouyin abandoned his stance, standing up straight and taking a step forward. Immediately the gargoyles were upon him, the most eager one in the vanguard flying directly at his right shoulder.

In a simple motion, as if catching a set of keys tossed gently through the air, the half-golem brought up his right hand, and 'caught' said gargoyle's face. With a gentle squeeze and a self-confident smile, he turned the assailant to dust. He continued to step forward, throwing his arms about in liberal smacks and grabs and punches, casting every attacker aside with granular disdain.

He disregarded the fact that his jacket and shirt were slowly being clawed away, 'cause anyways, the more bare skin there was a'showing, the more those gargoyle claws dissipated against his back.

So, in a cloud of dust, he came closer and closer to his goal.

Nevertheless, Shouyin kept up, matching the rate of creation with that of destruction one for one. However, it was easy to notice the mistakes he was now making under the exponential increase in pressure. Every so often a claw would reach his skin without dissolving, drawing a thin red line across his body. And he might grab a gargoyle and hold it longer than necessary, crushing its face through means of brute force rather than a chemical or elemental finesse.

This hardly mattered though, because by now the man would be within arm's reach, and the half-golem would make a point of this by stepping forward with his right and throwing a good old fashioned stone-fisted straight.

The ********> He shook his right hand in a habitual sort of manner, as if the impact had hurt it, loosening stone joints as he tried to pinpoint a source for the voice that surrounded him.

A source his feet found before his ears had a chance. Even with shoes on, he could still -feel- the ground's vibrations. It was a simple matter of concentration, something he hadn't been able to spare as he'd faced the man and his 'pets'. More unsettling than the boom of the all-encompassing voice then, was the fact that it truly was -all-encompassing-. The stone was finally talking back to its master.

"Never gets any easier."

Casting the remains of his jacket aside, Shouyin began jogging towards the stairs and making his way up.

"Nope--" Shouyin did an about-face to look at the rhino, "never."

The half-golem -threw- his left foot back, steam scattering away from it as he stomped his heel down like a sort of piston. He brought his hands up to the forefront. This was the sort of moment that separated the man from his peers, and the sane in general. The part where the audience realized 'fight or flight' wasn't a choice Shou ever had to make.

Breathing slowly (in through the nose, out through the mouth), he flexed his fingers, and met the giant charging rhino head on. Lead hand gripped the back of the second horn, actually -tugging- the beast in as his rear arm circled behind the first, aiming to grab the upper lip of its mouth.

Toes pinched the soles of his shoes, trying to suck some sort of support from the surety of the ground beneath him. In a relaxed state, the man's heart pumped almost twice at fast as the average man's in an effort to force the rock in his blood through his veins, but now it was at least triple, and rising steadily. Muscles screamed with an overload of oxygenated fuel as they stood against the rhino's charge. Fibres in his thighs already bordered on tearing, and, mind blocking out the pain, he leaned back, torquing his body, and the rhino's, around counter-clockwise.

It had been said, that in a contest of strength, one could simply assume Shouyin was stronger.

And, in an effort to prove it, he'd go about throwing a giant rhino off the citadel's second story balcony.

Peering over what was left of the railing at the rhino's remains, Shouyin was reminded of the wall's words, and looked up once more. He couldn't really see past the fifth or sixth floor in the mood lighting, but it was obvious there was plenty more to come after that.

I can't do that a dozen times, no less half.

"Maybe the next floor'll just be a surprise party."

"Oh ******** this," Shouyin breathed in sharply at the top of the stairs and began running full out at the charging behemoths. Throwing one rhino was alright, fun even-- a chance to shove it in the big man's face! but this was unnecessary cruelty.

Taking a boxer's guard mid-run, the half-golem came to a sliding halt with his right leg in front, holding his right shoulder back as he loaded another stone-fisted punch, this time in a sort of downward-swinging hook that he brought careening into the side of the nearest rhino's snout. Altering the animal's stone with the strike itself, he'd shatter its head, sending the debris into the other rhino's face and starting a sort of chain reaction down the first beast's body: a ripple of shock waves and dusty explosions that'd leave it in manageable brick-sized pieces.

Then, without pause, he'd follow up with a clean left uppercut underneath the following construct's jaw, causing another ripple that forced particles to spread apart and drop the thing's density enough that it didn't immediately fall apart, but rather went sailing backwards into the air in a very unreasonable kind of half-backflip.

And then it'd break all the same.

"... Maybe the next floor'll just be a surprise party!"

This is probably ******** -hilarious- for anyone watching.

"Let's do this, then," Shouyin said with a sigh. He eased into his favourite ol' basic fighting stance once more, holding himself patient and still as he tried to settle down after those first three exertions. Even though relying on sheer strength drained him the most, the energy and concentration required to persistently disintegrate large or numerous constructs was somewhat monumental. And while he was nowhere near his threshold of effort (which was immense, considering his will), that point still existed, and if this was going to be the pace for the entire building, well...

Even the Stone King could only go so far.

"Ho no," the half-golem spoke softly, closing his eyes and lifting his left foot off the ground. There wasn't time to take his shoes off, so the connection wouldn't be as strong, but Shouyin had come a long way, and a connection would form ne'ertheless.

The slightly raised foot would come about as the man went into a horse stance, and the gorilla would freeze in place. In time with the planted foot he'd make a pair of fists, rotating his forearms outwards as he brought them down into a sort of ready position, and the gorilla's arms would follow along.

"Stop copying me," he'd say as he lifted his hands up to shoulder level, keeping the beast's down all the same. He'd make a little turning motion with the index finger of his right hand, and the gorilla would turn around. And then he'd start walking, keeping the construct in front of him and trekking it on up the stairs.

Pet monkeys... ******** hilarious.

"Hrmmf," Shouyin said as he swung his arms about, the ape mimicking his movements once more, bringing his palms together in a clap the monkey sent echoing down the dim hallways-- just before it fell apart and blew away in a surreal cloud of dust.

"What a waste."

He tucked his hands into his pockets and started walking.

"Well this sucks," the half-golem said as he knocked off his shoes, a smile crossing his face as he listened to the reassuring smack of bare feet against cold stone. In addition, he'd move up against the left side of the hallway, knocking the side of his fist off the wall in time with every other step, creating a smooth rhythm of movement, and...

Vibrations: twinges of sound slipping through the cracks of the earth like snakes. All it would take was a good ol' fashioned look and listen, and he'd soon get an image of the entire network of tunnels flashing through his mind, set for him to navigate through. If this had been a trap laid for Shou, it was a foolish one.

The man was placed entirely within his element.

"s**t," someone was playing Shou's own game against him. A labyrinth that destroyed and recreated itself at someone else's whim. Was it another half-golem then? A frightening concept. First there was the possible link to Ze'ev, and then there was the magnitude of this man's ability. Whoever he was, he was nowhere near Shouyin, and yet he was creating creatures of incredible size and dexterity, and altering such a large maze in a variety of intricate fashions.

If this was a half-golem, Shouyin was entirely out of his league in terms of stone control. If not, then he was still something terrifying. Gathering his resolve, Shou smacked his fist one last time against the wall, creating a heavy boom that echoed throughout most of the halls that surrounded him. One last boom to find the way up towards the next floor, and then he'd juggernaut it.

A simple, headlong dash after his mark, breaking through or casting aside every wall that stood in his way.

Shouyin moved on up, to the east side, to a deluxe apartment in the sky.

Or rather, he traveled up the stairs.

By the time the half-golem reached the top of the stairs, and his destination, he felt... uncomfortable. He was obviously fit; despite the usual focus on strength when regarding the man, he had the stamina and endurance required to go the distance and all that, but the compounded effort required to get him where he was had unpleasant after-effects.

"Ah, naw. Sorry 'bout the wait." Ne'ertheless, he was still gonna kick this guy's a** for all that running.

"I'm done proving my worth to your lot," the man said as he pulled away the rest of his tattered t-shirt in a bit of over-dramatic movement. He took a step forward, dropping the remains of the garment as he listened to the sound of his foot meeting the cold stone floor. For once he was speaking a deeply personal truth, despite the simplistic cliché inherent in the statement. Despite the call to an old nature the invitation had provoked, and the initial trials brought to fruition, he was finally hearkening back to his most final resolution.

Since his retreat to the northern temples, the half-golem had made a point of abandoning all the things that had strapped him to his former environment. Not in search of enlightenment or anything that haughty, simply some quiet, within and without. Even though he'd mostly occupied himself with training in the mountains (and maybe the odd book), there was a certain peace involved with not being concerned about -anything-. And now, having re-realizing his own provisions, he remained unworried. This was just another task set against himself.

Shouyin only needed to prove his worth to himself, so he started running at the man.

"You'll have to find out on your own."

Eww... Gathering his resolve, Shou went in with the ol' bob and weave, swiftly ducking under the incoming swing and taking a wide step out to the side with his right foot, bringing the rear left sliding forwards a twinge as he rose up again with a heavy left hook. Stone knuckles swiftly encased the attacking fist as this happened.

No point holding back when the guy wanted to die, after all.

"Ch'," Shouyin half-smirked, eyeing the freakish steel construct with ever-growing suspicion. Shaking off his left hand, which was feeling sorta numb from the jolt of hitting metal where he'd imagined sand or stone would rest, he shuffled back a few steps before taking a running start and jumping across the river. He'd aim to land with his right side sort of leaned forwards, not exactly landing in a fighting stance, but stumbling into that.

If he was allowed breathing room even further than this preparation, he'd solidify his stance as earlier explained and start shuffling forwards, leading with a quick right jab for that goofy steel head.

Fast! Shouyin brought his arms up in an X in front of his chest, stone covering his left arm as the mannequin met him on the other side of the river. He knew it was risky taking the leap, but he hadn't expected the thing to be so quick in response.

Pointed hands dug into the stone arms, grating up to catch Shou in the shoulders and push him back into the river with a sort of sucking splash, like the sound of somebody falling into quicksand. He floundered as he was submerged under the water, but then, it wasn't really water. That was obvious upon contact. In fact...

There'd be a sound quite akin to a DON as the flow of the river came to a halt.

Eddies and waves would be frozen in place all along the bank - like time had stopped - even though the false leaves in the false trees still rustled unnaturally. And then a fist would burst out of the solid stream as Shouyin tore himself from the flowstone facsimile. Bits of curved and misshapen rock fell from the half-golem's back and shoulders while he pulled himself back up to his feet.

Screw learning to swim, he was walking on 'water'.

"Let's try this again, then, eh?"

"Pff'!" With his pair of stone arms (the left one just being a layered enhancement, of course), the half-golem would strike against the inside of the construct's conical forearms with both hands, knocking them out to the side with a sort of dual 'slapping hello-wave'.

He'd then grip the metal pseudo-hands from overtop with his own, aiming to pull the dummy into a hefty left knee for the face or chest. Thai-style hip thrust for power 'n everything.

Shouyin blinked, as if he'd just waken from a long sleep that had overtaken him in between grabbing the construct, and finally striking it.

He maintained his composure following this brief flash of existentialism however, as well as his rhythm. Without falter he would plant his left foot forwards after the knee, entering a somewhat wider-legged karate stance with the left side ahead. His left arm would raise up simultaneously, the forearm parallel with the automaton's chest, touching it only slightly. In concordance with each another, the left arm would lower, staying horizontal, and the half-golem would shift his rear foot to point directly forwards as he torqued his hips and entire upper body into a heavy right straight punch for directly beneath the puppet's solax plexus, assuming it had a physiology aesthetically reminiscent of a human's.

Regardless of whether said assumption proved true, the thing would still go flying.

s**t that thing's abrasive. The half-golem would start to square his stance while the creature went into its football 'snap' position by bringing his left foot in closer to his body before sliding it further out to the side. He'd be standing with legs wide, feet not exactly parallel, hands open at shoulder-height.

And then it'd leap.

He had no idea how to handle the mass. He was reluctant to try and alter its structure, entirely for fear of whoever was behind its movement: the thing was full of a heavy sort of energy. So he had to deal with it the hard way.

Shouyin would tuck in his right side immediately after the thing stuck its left cone out towards him. Steel would grate against stone as the spear slid against his shoulder and he grabbed the construct's right 'hip' with his left hand and started to fall back. He had no intention of catching the backwards freak head on and bearing the brunt of its weight and momentum-- he'd just roll onto his back with his right forearm pushing between his chest and the creation's.

Those weird limbs wouldn't do much help if the thing had no ground game.

No time to waste then. Shouyin would tuck his knees up, aiming to set his heels against the thing's knees in a sort of lazy butterfly guard. Then, placing his right hand on the back of the construct's neck, and grabbing its right forearm with his left, he'd simply kick out his heels, shoving the thing's legs out back and flat as he tugged that right arm in towards his left side and threw all his bodyweight over in a clockwise roll over his left shoulder.

In other words, he'd hug the ******** close and barrel roll his way on top of it.

Cue a quick shift to full mount, some upwards posturing, and a whole lot of facepunches.

Shouyin just smirked at the construct's floundering actions and continued to hammer its face in backwards. The two arm-spears would be countered by layers of stone that formed over the areas of contact; they'd strike with the sound of a pick-axe trying to pierce a wall of granite and then grate off harmlessly.

Of course, he couldn't have predicted the thing switching its joint -again-, and this would cause a problem, since there was about to be a pair of uncomfortably large holes in Shouyin's back. He hadn't even made an attempt at keeping his 'sense' open, feeling the ground and steel move against him.

Kid comes back thinking he's humble, and falls under the sway of over-confidence all over again-- s**t.

The legs would pierce the rough, muscled flesh of the half-golem's shoulders, each spear getting caught in between a pair of stone-plated ribs on the corresponding side and then wedging about as painfully as possible. Shou would grunt, unaware of the full extent of the initial impact, before his pupils swiftly dilated and his arms came to a stop against the machine's chest. A man with stone skin, alone for so long, began to forget what real pain was like.

Life was a lesson taught by a b***h teacher, and that dead wolf was learning.

The spikes lashed out once more, slicing away bits and pieces of Shou's abdomen and upper torso with every thrust. He tried to sway feebly out of the way, avoiding any more unwanted penetration, but he was far too taken aback by his sudden disadvantage to provide a formidable defense. His arms had to raise -themselves- in an instinctive protective effort just to keep himself from getting disemboweled. It took a wayward stab just above the half-golem's eyebrow to really wake him up.

Y'still got s**t to do, kid.

Shouyin's arms twitched as they came up in front of his torso once more, this time with purpose. Stone would layer his forearms, deflecting the next two or three stabs before he reached out and gripped both cones in one of those classic vice-type grips. With a sort of spasm of the half-golem's head to the right the metal spikes in his grasp (including the ones wedged in his back) would began to melt away, liquid steel falling down his back and forearms and mixing with the stone blood that was already present.

Life ain't just a game; no more playing around.

Shouyin blinked and almost gasped. He'd never felt this before, not from steel, and certainly not from stone. These elements were his own - he was a part of them - to have them slip away like this, in complete rejection of his will... it was like a denial sent from the very earth itself: do not touch.

He bristled, trying to shrug the feeling off and maintain his rhythm. Stone would've already begun doing its work against his back, the slick blood falling upwards and malleable bandages that forced the cones wedged into his ribs out and away before solidifying atop the wounds. The stone had no healing properties in and of itself, but it was like a special scab formed out of the half-golem's granite-laden blood.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the man would simply start shoving. His left hand would lash out, gripping the construct's right arm at the 'bicep' while most of his torso layered with stone. He could not actively disintegrate the figure through his own abilities, but underneath all of his gifts lay that sole universal human benefit: strength.

Shouyin would grab the thing's left 'forearm' with his right, and start pulling at the socket.