The air in the abandoned hall felt heavy, charged with the kind of anticipation that prickled at the edges of Elaine's nerves. The glow from Lira's essence charges cast flickering shadows against the stone walls, and every creak of the ancient structure seemed deafening in the silence.
They were ready. As ready as they'd ever be.
Elaine stood at the center of the hall, her heart pounding as she scanned the dim expanse. The essence traps were set along the floor in precise intervals, the glowing lines of energy humming faintly. Kael and Ferran had taken positions at the barricades, their weapons drawn, while Lira crouched near a makeshift alchemical rig, her hands hovering over the detonation controls.
"Four hours, they said," Ferran muttered from behind his barrier. "Feels like four days."
"Patience," Kael replied, his tone calm but sharp. "They'll come."
Elaine barely heard them. Her focus was locked on the faint shimmer at the far end of the hall, a distortion in the air that made her skin crawl.
"They're here," she whispered.
The Constructs Arrive
The distortion grew, the air rippling like water as the first construct stepped through. Its form was larger than the one they'd encountered before, its translucent body shifting and fracturing like jagged shards of glass. The glow of its core pulsed rhythmically, casting eerie patterns across the walls.
Two more constructs followed, their movements unnervingly smooth as they fanned out, their void-like eyes fixed on Elaine.
"Three of them," Kael said, his voice tight. "Lovely."
Elaine's pulse quickened as the constructs advanced, their cores humming with energy that vibrated through the air.
"Wait for it," she said, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her chest.
The constructs moved as one, their steps echoing in perfect unison. When they reached the first trap, the essence charge flared to life, a burst of blue light erupting across the floor.
The lead construct staggered, its core flickering violently as the energy rippled through its form.
"Now!" Elaine shouted.
The Battle
Kael loosed an arrow, the projectile glowing faintly with an alchemical tip. It struck the flickering construct square in the chest, shattering part of its body and sending shards scattering across the floor.
Ferran charged forward with a roar, his blade slicing through the legs of a second construct. The fragments reassembled almost instantly, but the attack slowed it enough for Lira to trigger a second trap.
The explosion rocked the hall, sending the second construct stumbling into a wall. Its core flickered erratically, the energy within it destabilizing.
Elaine focused on the third construct, her hands trembling as she activated the Nexus interface. The faint overlay guided her vision, highlighting the glowing lines of energy connecting the construct to its core.
Nexus Guidance:
Core destabilization: Overload energy channel at base of construct's frame.Warning: Energy feedback likely to impact surrounding traps.
Elaine gritted her teeth. The traps were their best weapon, but they wouldn't last long if the constructs overloaded them.
"Lira, the next charge!" she shouted.
Lira's hands flew over the controls, and another essence trap detonated beneath the third construct. The blast sent ripples through its form, and its movements faltered as the energy in its core began to fragment.
"Keep hitting them!" Kael yelled, loosing another arrow.
Ferran rolled to avoid a swipe from the second construct, his blade flashing as he struck at its legs again. "I'm starting to think they don't like me!"
Elaine ignored him, her focus locked on the shimmering core of the lead construct. The Nexus flared in her vision, its guidance shifting rapidly:
Core Vulnerability Detected.
Action Required: Focus destabilization on central energy node.
Elaine sprinted forward, dodging a jagged shard of energy as the lead construct swung its arm. She skidded to a stop just beneath it, her hands glowing faintly with a concentrated essence vial she'd prepared earlier.
"Let's see how you handle this," she muttered, hurling the vial directly into the core.
The reaction was immediate. The construct let out a distorted, mechanical roar as the essence spread through its body, the energy channels cracking and flickering.
"Elaine, move!" Kael shouted.
She dove out of the way just as the construct collapsed, its fragmented form dissolving into motes of light.
"One down," Ferran called. "Two to go."
The Turning Point
The remaining constructs seemed to adapt, their movements growing faster and more erratic as they pressed forward. The traps still slowed them, but their cores pulsed with increasing intensity, the energy threatening to overload.
Elaine's mind raced. They needed to end this—now.
"Lira, can we detonate the rest of the traps all at once?" she asked.
Lira's eyes widened. "That'll destabilize the whole hall! We could bring the roof down on ourselves."
"Do it," Elaine said, her voice firm. "It's the only way."
Lira hesitated for only a moment before nodding. Her hands moved quickly, recalibrating the controls as the constructs closed in.
"Ready!" Lira shouted.
"Everyone, fall back!" Elaine yelled.
Kael and Ferran retreated toward the far end of the hall, and Elaine followed, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
Lira slammed her hand down on the detonation trigger.
The explosion was deafening, a wave of blue and gold light erupting across the hall as every essence charge detonated at once. The energy rippled through the constructs, their cores flaring brilliantly before shattering into fragments.
The force of the blast knocked Elaine off her feet, and she hit the ground hard, her ears ringing. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling, and the hall groaned ominously as the stone walls cracked.
For a moment, there was only silence.
The Aftermath
Elaine pushed herself up, coughing as she waved away the dust. The constructs were gone, their shattered fragments dissolving into the air.
"Everyone okay?" she called, her voice hoarse.
"I'm alive," Ferran groaned, pulling himself out from behind a pile of rubble.
"Barely," Lira muttered, brushing debris from her hair.
Kael helped Lira to her feet, his bow still in hand. "We did it."
Elaine exhaled shakily, her hands trembling as the Nexus flickered in her vision:
Threat Neutralized. Core Disruption Successful.
Divergence Status: Escalated. Additional Nexus intervention likely.
Elaine's chest tightened. They'd won—for now. But the Nexus's warnings made one thing clear: this wasn't the end.
"We need to move," she said, her voice steady despite the exhaustion weighing her down. "The constructs were just the beginning. The Nexus isn't done with us yet."
Kael nodded, his expression grim. "Then we'd better be ready for whatever comes next."