Kael gritted his teeth, his legs trembling as he faced the towering guardian. His sword was embedded deep into the rune on its chest, but the creature's stone body still moved, cracks forming along its surface. The guardian's roar echoed through the cave, shaking the very ground beneath them.
Kerric, struggling to stand, called out weakly. "It's not enough, Kael! You've got to destroy the core!"
The guardian raised its arm, its massive stone fist aimed directly at Kael's head. In one final, desperate move, Kael wrenched his sword free from the creature's chest and leapt back. The guardian's fist slammed into the ground where he had just been, sending rocks and debris flying.
Kael stumbled, the pain in his leg nearly causing him to collapse, but he couldn't stop now. His eyes were locked on the rune at the creature's chest, the weak point he had struck once before. The glowing light within it flickered, but it hadn't gone out.
Gathering what little strength he had left, Kael dashed forward, aiming his sword for the core of the rune. This time, he struck with everything he had, his blade driving deep into the heart of the stone.
The guardian let out a final, piercing roar, its body convulsing as cracks spread like lightning across its chest and limbs. The rune flared brightly, and for a moment, Kael thought it would explode. He pulled back just as the creature's stone armor shattered, chunks of rock falling to the ground in a cascade.
The massive stone guardian collapsed, its body crumbling into a heap of rubble. The cave trembled as its weight hit the floor, but the light in its eyes was gone. The guardian was no more.
Kael collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. His chest burned from the wound across his torso, and his leg throbbed where the spike had torn through it. But it was over. The guardian was defeated.
Kerric, bloodied and exhausted, staggered toward him, his face pale. "You did it," he rasped.
Kael didn't respond. He simply stared at the pile of rubble that had once been the guardian, the weight of what they had lost sinking in.
But the relic was still ahead, and Kael knew their fight wasn't over.
Every step Kael took was agony. His leg was barely holding him up, and the open wound on his chest stung with every breath. Kerric wasn't faring much better, limping heavily from the hidden spikes that had torn into him earlier. But neither of them said a word. They simply kept moving.
The air in the cave grew colder, and as they moved deeper, Kael began to notice the faint glow of symbols etched into the walls. Ancient writing, foreign and indecipherable, seemed to pulse faintly, as if the cave itself was alive, watching them.
The ground beneath their feet was uneven, littered with debris, and Kael's focus was split between his injuries and the traps he knew laid ahead. They had already triggered several, spikes, falling stones, even disorienting gas that had left them stumbling, and each one seemed to sap more of their strength.
Kael grimaced as another spike shot up from the ground, grazing his side but missing his vital organs. He stumbled forward, his hand pressed to the wound. "It's close," he muttered, more to himself than to Kerric.
Kerric was silent, his face pale, but there was something in his eyes. determination, or maybe desperation.
Finally, after what felt like hours, they reached the end of the cave. Before them lay a small chamber, its entrance marked by glowing symbols carved into the rock. The air inside was colder than anywhere else in the cave, thick with the weight of something ancient, something powerful.
At the center of the room, resting on a stone pedestal, was the relic.
It wasn't what Kael had expected. The object was small, barely the size of his palm, and it looked almost ordinary, like a simple stone, or perhaps a pill. But the power radiating from it was undeniable. Even standing at the edge of the chamber, Kael could feel the energy thrumming through the air, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Kerric stepped forward, his eyes locked on the relic. For a moment, Kael saw something flicker in his gaze, desire, maybe even greed. But there was something else too, something darker.
"What now?" Kael asked, his voice low, his grip tightening on his sword despite the pain in his chest.
Kerric didn't respond at first. His eyes were still fixed on the relic, his face unreadable. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft, almost regretful. "I didn't think it would be like this."
Kael's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"
Kerric let out a slow breath, his hand resting on his side where the blood still seeped from his wounds. "I've been chasing this for so long... I thought it would change everything. I thought it would make things right."
Kael's chest tightened. He had known Kerric had his secrets, but there was something about his tone, something pained.
"What are you really after, Kerric?" Kael asked quietly.
Kerric turned to him, and for the first time, Kael saw guilt in his eyes. "I didn't want to drag you into this, Kael. I didn't want any of them to die for this."
The silence between them was heavy, the relic's glow casting faint shadows on the walls. Kael stared at Kerric, waiting for him to continue.
"I was sent by Silas" Kerric admitted, his voice thick with guilt. "But it wasn't just about serving him. I thought... if I had this, I could change things. Make things better."
Kael's jaw tightened. He didn't know whether to believe Kerric, whether to trust that his intentions were noble or selfish. But he could see the pain in Kerric's eyes, the weight of his own choices.
"We're not going to make it out of here if we don't use it," Kerric said, nodding toward the relic.
Before Kael could respond, the faint sound of footsteps echoed through the cave. It was distant but growing closer, the unmistakable clink of armor and the shuffle of boots on stone.
Kael's heart raced. He recognized the sound, not the Iron Circle, but soldiers.
Kerric's face paled, his body tensing. "They're here," he whispered.