Twin orbs of pure darkness glared down at Sam from what was approximately the giant shadow’s face, causing an icy chill to roll slowly up his back.

“We got this...” Sam could feel the will draining from him with every second those evil eyes were on him. “We do have this... right?”

“Didn’t you say you’ve beaten this thing before?” Thunder asked.

“I had a freaking demigod relic helping me,” Sam reasoned. “And...”

Sam didn’t want to say it out loud, but he noticed that this giant shadow seemed far more manifest than just a mere outline of darkness like the one he and Crow-Man had fought at the Met.

Where its form once flickered in and out like a bad TV reception, the nearly thirty-foot top-half of the giant rising out of the hole in the ground was more solid now with more noticeable features. The outline of wild, unkempt hair, the shape of a gigantic chiseled face, and those twin orbs of darkness that were its eyes — these things freaked Sam out more than he could admit.

“A shadow’s curse rises from the earth, Immortal in the land of its birth,” Sam chanted. “The great horrors it shall awaken, to slay the source of all creation...”

“Really?” Thunder frowned. “Did you need to repeat that now?”

“I just figured that we really need to hear that second part from Farsight,” Sam reasoned.

“Think about it later...” Thunder tightened her grip on Sam’s hand. “Now we need to run!”

She pulled Sam along with her as the giant shadow’s fist came crashing down on their heads. It broke through the ground, causing a crater that nearly destroyed the entire garden.

Cracks formed across what remained of the floor. Trees fell. Healing fountains stopped working as the pipes underneath them burst open, spewing water up into the air.

The civilians hiding at the rear of the garden screamed in terror.

“We need to help them,” Thunder said.

“Go,” Sam urged.

He pulled away from Thunder.

“I’ve got this,” he promised.

She hesitated for only a moment. Then she was off, leaving Sam behind to the big bad giant, although he wouldn’t do it alone.

Sam saw one of Crow-Man’s knives fly up to the giant shadow’s face. It detonated a second later, erupting in a tiny burst of flames that seemed to cause the giant some discomfort.

A second throwing knife flew up, but this time the giant raised its arm to swat the projectile away, leaving it open for a third throwing knife to strike it on the chest. The explosion that followed definitely hurt it. The ear-shattering roar it unleashed, the kind that shook Sam to his bones, was proof enough.

Enraged, the giant shadow hurled one of its fists into the spot where Crow-Man and Farsight should have been. But Sam saw them slide underneath its reach and run to where he was standing. While he was glad that they were safe, he couldn’t help cringe at how much of the hospital’s western wall had been destroyed by the giant’s attack. Even worse, the ground beneath Sam began to rumble once more. More cracks appeared on the floor.

“This place isn’t going to hold up much longer,” Sam realized.

“No, it won’t,” Farsight agreed.

She and Crow-Man had just arrived at his side.

“I’ve seen a thousand different probabilities where this entire hospital caves in... and soon,” she explained.

Like the heroes they were, all three of them turned their heads to the civilians that Thunder was helping down into a nearby hole. It was a brilliant plan. Get them underneath and away from the giant shadow that was in their way. There was just one glaring problem.

“Do any of the probabilities you’ve seen not end with this hospital collapsing?” Sam asked.

“Just one,” Farsight answered. “But it means you fighting the giant on your own while Crow-Man and I search for the villain who summoned it.”

“You can’t,” Sam started, which Crow-Man finished with, “Face the Trickster.”

“Excuse me, which of the three of us,” Farsight pointed to them and then to herself, “is the seer?”

The wind brushed against them, forcing all their eyes up at the giant shadow that had just pulled its fist back in preparation for another smash.

“Sam,” Farsight’s voice wasn’t the least bit concerned when she finished with, “you’ve got this.”

Then she jumped into the hole without waiting for either hero.

“I’ve got her,” Crow-Man promised just before he too plunged into the nearby hole.

“Great,” Sam sighed. “Leave me alone with my worst nightmare...”

A fist the size of a van speeded toward Sam, and he had just bare seconds to raise his arms up and form an X.

“Bulwark!” Sam yelled.

WARNING! Your HP is below half its total amount [HP: 348/700]. It is recommended that you switch off [Bulwark (ζ)] while [Regeneration (ζ)] works to replenish your life-force.

I really wish I could get a time out too, Sam thought.

This time, Sam didn’t envision a shield on his arm but spread Bulwark’s aura across his entire body. It wasn’t enough.

The giant shadow’s fist crashed on top of him, and the force of it brought Sam to his knees. Even worse, the pain in his left arm which he was trying hard not to think about suddenly intensified from a five to an eight. Mortal Fist seemed to have long-term consequences Sam would have to figure out later.

“Argh~h!” he screamed as the pressure of a mountain pressed down against him. “Herculean!”

The surrounding air exploded outward. Even more cracks formed beneath Sam’s feet. And just for a moment, he was enveloped in the teal light of his own life-force.

[Herculean (Δ)] is now active. Based on probability and threat assessment calculations, your current Strength is temporarily quadrupled. [STRENGTH: 208]

“Holy Zeus,” Sam breathed.

It wasn’t pain he felt at that moment. It was power unlike anything he’d ever felt before for this was the first time Sam’s strength had ever gone past that two-hundred mark.

“Master...” Sam called. “I need to see... Herculean’s status... please!”

Hold on, kid... I’m accessing the system right now, Chiron answered.

POWER: Herculean LEVEL: Delta (Δ) DESCRIPTION: Named after the hero known for his incredible strength, calling forth this power exponentially increases one’s strength during times of great need. CHANGES AT (Δ) LEVEL: Strength gained is proportional to the current STR attribute + crisis level + opponent’s power-level. Power will no longer rapidly drain the hero’s life-force. Life-force usage is now set at Moderate. WARNING! Herculean will still cause the hero’s fatigue to grow at a quick pace. WARNING! Herculean still sacrifices defense for power. Damage received is increased while this power is active.

“Lucky I have Bulwark,” Sam said through gritted teeth. “Let’s see what this kind of strength can do!”

It was slow, almost unbearably so. But Sam did manage to raise the giant shadow’s fist inch by inch until he was able to rise to his feet once more.

“Master, I’m doing it!” Sam said, sounding quite pleased with himself.

Don’t get cocky, kid, Chiron warned.

There was a sound akin to a sonic boom just before Sam felt the weight above him double, forcing him back on his knees.

“What the...”

That thing just smacked its other fist down on you too, Chiron explained. Hold on, kid... hold on!

The ground beneath Sam was cratering. It wouldn’t be long before it gave to the pressure, and the entire hospital would topple with it.

“Argh!” Sam screamed as his knees buckled.

WARNING! Your HP is nearing critical levels [HP: 268/700]. It is recommended that you switch off [Bulwark (ζ)] and [Herculean (Δ)]. [Regeneration (ζ)] cannot replenish your life-force otherwise.

Sam could hear the screams behind him. He could hear Thunder urging people to remain calm.

No, I won’t fail them like I failed Maeve, Sam thought.

But then the pressure above him intensified. The aura surrounding him was dimming. Blood dripped down his nose.

“I can’t...” Sam gasped.

Hold on, kid... don’t you dare give up now! Chiron urged.

The strum of a guitar reached Sam’s ears. A song began to play, one Sam hadn’t heard in a long, long time.

“This is...” Sam breathed.

The words in the bard’s song were part of a lullaby that Sam’s mother used to sing to him every night. It was a song of heroes and monsters and overcoming great adversity. Sam thought he’d forgotten it by now, but the memories of happier times had only been buried deep inside him and were just waiting to be uncovered, to be remembered, to serve as lessons for the kind of hero he could be.

“It’s not whether or not I can do it,” Sam realized.

Bit by bit, he raised his arms just a little higher.

“A hero always comes through, even if it means sacrificing my life,” Sam added.

Maeve’s face and the memory of her own sacrifice flashed across Sam’s mind.

“Show me, Herculean!” Sam said through gritted teeth. “Show me just how strong I can be!”

Sam gathered all his strength into his arms and forced them up even as his veins began to pop.

Kid, you’re doing it! Chiron said in awe. Damn, I’ve got goosebumps just watching this.

Then, as if the giant shadow sensed Sam fighting back, it increased its power and forced Sam back down on his knees.

“It’s going to be alright,” Sam insisted.

There were tears in his eyes. Sweat coated his back.

“I won’t let you destroy this place,” Sam promised.

The pressure Sam strained against was so strong that the surrounding air raged around him. Yet he couldn’t hear the howling of the wind because the bard’s song only got louder, drowning out all other noises around him.

Lesson number two, kid, persevere! Chiron reminded him. No matter the pain, no matter the struggle, a true hero never stops to answer the call when it is given!

“I know,” Sam growled. Then he drew back his left arm, forcing all the giant shadow’s weight under just one hand. “Mortal—”

He formed a fist with his left hand and forced what little remained of his life-force into it.

“—Fist!” Sam yelled.

Sam flung his arm forward and felt his bones crack as he smashed his glowing fist against the giant shadow’s own fists.

The explosion that followed forced Sam to fall over but also blew his enemy’s arms up, up, and away, causing the giant’s form to topple into the hospital wall behind it.

A terrible quake followed, but the building held. And when the dust had finally settled, Sam was on the ground, and he wasn’t breathing.