Takumi walked through the lush forest, his eyes scanning the horizon as Commander Ursar walked beside him, using his ship's advanced scanning technology to look for the mysterious artifact. Behind them, the rest of the team was slowly following, with Lyra and Kael throwing glances at the spaceship parked awkwardly on the nearby mountain ridge.
"So, just to recap," Takumi said, breaking the silence, "we're chasing a cosmic artifact that can supposedly control time and space, we have a spaceship that I saved from crashing, and we're working with a talking bear in a space suit. You know, just a regular day."
Veronica smirked, rolling her eyes. "You act like this isn't our usual kind of nonsense."
"Yeah," Lyra chimed in. "At least this time we have a spaceship. And honestly, Ursar's got better aim than Kael."
Kael scoffed. "I hit what I aim for. It's just that what I aim for isn't always what you want me to hit."
Commander Ursar, whose ears were swiveling in amusement, nodded along. "This banter is… delightful. Almost reminds me of my crew back on the Galactic Pawliner." He paused, then added, "Well, except for the part where they don't make bear jokes every five minutes."
Takumi snorted. "Well, get used to it. You're with us now."
The forest around them thickened, the trees growing taller and more twisted, their branches stretching overhead like the bony fingers of some ancient giant. Every so often, the air would shimmer, and Takumi could feel the faint hum of energy—something cosmic, something powerful. They were getting close.
"Commander," Takumi said, glancing over at the bear-bot. "You sure your scanners are leading us in the right direction?"
Ursar gave a confident nod. "Absolutely. The artifact's energy readings are becoming more concentrated. We're definitely getting close. In fact…" He paused, pressing a few buttons on his wrist console, and a hologram of the area appeared. "The signal is strongest just up ahead."
Takumi squinted at the hologram, then looked up at the path before them. "Looks like it's coming from… that cave?"
Sure enough, a dark, ominous cave loomed in the distance, nestled between jagged rocks. It had "dangerous artifact hidden inside" written all over it. The wind whistled through the cracks in the rocks, and a faint glow emanated from within.
"Classic artifact hiding spot," Lyra said, adjusting her visor. "Creepy cave? Check. Glowing light? Check. Definitely a trap? Double check."
Veronica crossed her arms, staring at the cave like it had personally insulted her. "It's always caves. Why is it always caves?"
"At least it's not a temple full of booby traps this time," Kael muttered.
"Don't jinx it," Elena said quietly, her staff already glowing with a soft protective aura. "It might just be worse."
As they approached the entrance to the cave, Takumi could feel the weight of the cosmic energy pulsing from within. It was like a slow, steady heartbeat, vibrating through the ground and up his legs. It was definitely powerful—whatever this artifact was, it wasn't something to be taken lightly.
"Alright, team," Takumi said, glancing over his shoulder at his friends. "We go in, grab the artifact, and get out. Simple, right?"
"Nothing we ever do is simple," Veronica said dryly.
Lyra grinned, pulling her sniper rifle from her back. "Well, as long as it's not full of interdimensional ghosts or something, I think we're fine."
Takumi paused, staring at her. "Why would you even say that?"
Lyra shrugged. "I mean, we've done almost everything else. It's only a matter of time before we run into ghost pirates or something."
"Please," Kael groaned, "don't give the universe any ideas."
With a deep breath, Takumi led the way into the cave. The air inside was cool and damp, and the walls glowed faintly with some kind of bioluminescent moss. The cave wasn't particularly deep, but the further they went, the stronger the energy grew. It was like walking into the heart of a star, the cosmic force pulling them closer.
After what felt like an eternity, they stepped into a large cavern, the ceiling high above them glittering with what looked like stars. In the center of the cavern, floating a few feet above the ground, was the artifact.
And, of course, it was glowing.
It looked like a sphere of pure energy, swirling with colors that shifted and changed like a cosmic storm. Tendrils of energy reached out from it, occasionally sparking against the stone floor. It was beautiful, in a terrifying, "this-could-end-the-universe" kind of way.
"Whoa," Lyra whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "That's… really something."
Commander Ursar's scanners were beeping like crazy. "This is it. The source of the energy we've been tracking. The Artifact of Eternity. Legend says it can bend time and space to the will of its user."
Takumi stared at it for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, so who wants to bet that the second we touch this thing, something awful happens?"
Veronica chuckled. "I'm not taking that bet."
"Me neither," Kael added.
"Wise decision," Elena murmured.
Takumi shook his head. "Alright, Commander, what's the plan? Can you safely… extract it?"
Ursar stepped forward, pulling out a device from his belt that looked like a cross between a giant wrench and a laser gun. "If my calculations are correct, I should be able to contain its energy long enough for us to transport it back to my ship. However…" He paused, glancing at the artifact. "The problem is, we have no idea what might happen once it's moved."
"Great," Takumi said, rubbing his temples. "Of course. Why would anything be straightforward?"
Just as Ursar raised his device to begin the process, the cavern trembled. Small rocks fell from the ceiling, and the air around them seemed to ripple with an unseen force. The artifact began to glow brighter, and the tendrils of energy started to lash out, snapping through the air like electrical whips.
"Uh, Takumi," Lyra said, stepping back. "This thing is about to go full meltdown!"
"Commander, now would be a good time to contain it," Veronica said, her voice tense.
Ursar's paws moved quickly, activating his device. A beam of light shot from it, surrounding the artifact in a shimmering field. The energy tendrils clashed against the field, but it seemed to hold—for now.
"Got it!" Ursar said triumphantly. "Now we just need to—"
Before he could finish, a massive crack opened in the cavern floor. A blinding light shot up from the crack, and from within it, a figure emerged. Tall, imposing, and crackling with energy. Its form was humanoid, but its body was made of pure light, its eyes glowing with the same cosmic energy as the artifact.
"Of course!" Takumi groaned. "A cosmic guardian! Because why wouldn't there be one?!"
The guardian raised a hand, and the entire cavern trembled. "WHO DARES TO DISTURB THE ETERNAL ARTIFACT?"
"Uh," Takumi said, stepping forward, "I guess that's us? But listen, we're just trying to prevent this thing from blowing up our worlds. No harm, no foul?"
The guardian's eyes narrowed. "YOU WILL NOT TOUCH THE ARTIFACT. LEAVE NOW, OR FACE DESTRUCTION."
"Well," Kael said, cracking his knuckles, "I guess diplomacy is off the table."
"Big surprise," Lyra muttered.
Takumi sighed, stepping forward with his hands raised. "Alright, big guy. Let's not do anything rash. I'm a god too, you know. We're practically cousins. What do you say we just… take the artifact and leave, and you can go back to your cosmic nap?"
The guardian responded by summoning a massive bolt of energy and hurling it directly at Takumi.
Takumi barely managed to dodge, the energy bolt smashing into the ground where he'd just been standing. "Okay, cool, no nap. Got it."
Veronica drew her blades, her eyes locked on the guardian. "Time to fight."
Takumi glanced back at his friends, then sighed again. "Alright, team. Let's show this cosmic guardian that we don't play by the rules."
With that, they charged forward, ready to face him together, Takumi couldn't help but smile.
This was going to be awesome.