The cold night air bit at Elaine's skin as they left the shadow of the tower behind. The crystalline key pulsed faintly in her satchel, its rhythm syncing with the shard's glow. It wasn't just a fragment of the Nexus—it was a piece of something larger, something deliberately hidden.
Kael broke the silence, his voice low. "You're sure taking that thing with us is a good idea? Seems like every time we touch Nexus tech, something tries to kill us."
Elaine glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "If we don't take it, someone else will. We saw what the Shattered Hand was willing to do with fragments. Imagine what they could do with this."
Ferran chuckled, the sound dry. "Yeah, and now we're carrying a flashing beacon that probably screams 'Come kill us!' to anyone looking for it."
"We'll handle it," Elaine said firmly, adjusting her satchel. "We don't have a choice."
Lira stepped up beside her, her voice hesitant. "Do you think… do you think the Nexus knew we'd find this? Like, maybe it planned for it?"
Elaine's steps faltered for a moment. The idea gnawed at the edge of her mind, the faint echoes of the Nexus's fragmented presence still lingering in her thoughts.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But if it did, then we're already playing its game."
The Ambush
The trail led them into a narrow canyon, the towering cliffs on either side casting long shadows under the pale light of the moon. The shard's glow grew brighter, its pulse quickening as they pressed forward.
"Feels like a trap," Ferran muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade.
Kael nodded, his bow drawn and ready. "I don't like this. Too many places to hide."
Elaine slowed her pace, her senses on high alert. The canyon walls seemed to close in around them, the air growing heavier with every step.
Then she heard it—a faint rustle, a whisper of movement just beyond the edge of her vision.
"Get down!" she shouted.
An arrow whistled through the air, striking the ground where she had stood moments before. Shadows moved along the canyon walls as figures emerged from the darkness, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight.
"Shattered Hand," Kael growled, loosing an arrow of his own.
The attackers were clad in patched armor and tattered cloaks, their faces obscured by masks etched with the same glowing sigil Elaine had seen in Ythral. They moved with precision, their formation tight as they closed in.
The Fight
Elaine drew her blade, the weapon catching the moonlight as she lunged at the nearest attacker. Their swords clashed, the impact sending sparks flying as the two struggled for control.
Kael fired a rapid volley of arrows, each shot striking true and forcing their opponents to take cover. Lira hurled an essence vial, the explosion lighting up the canyon and sending two attackers sprawling.
"Watch the flanks!" Elaine shouted, parrying another strike.
Ferran roared as he charged into the fray, his blade carving through the chaos with brutal efficiency. "These guys don't quit!"
"They're after the shard," Elaine said, her voice tight as she disarmed one of her attackers and sent them sprawling.
One of the masked figures stepped forward, their movements deliberate and precise. They wielded a crystalline blade that pulsed faintly with the same unstable energy as the Nexus constructs.
"You've taken what belongs to us," the figure said, their voice cold and distorted by the mask. "Return it, and you might live."
Elaine smirked, her blade at the ready. "Not a chance."
The figure lunged, their strikes faster and more brutal than the others. Elaine dodged and countered, her blade finding openings but never enough to break their defense.
"Kael!" she shouted. "Take them down!"
Kael's arrow flew, but the masked figure deflected it with a flick of their blade, the projectile shattering into fragments.
"They're enhanced!" Lira shouted, hurling another vial. The explosion forced the figure back, but only for a moment.
Elaine pressed the attack, her blade flashing as she forced the figure toward the canyon wall.
"Who sent you?" she demanded, her strikes growing fiercer.
The figure parried her blows, their voice calm. "You'll find out soon enough—if you survive."
Breaking the Assault
As the fight raged on, the shard in Elaine's satchel pulsed violently, its energy resonating with the crystalline blade of her opponent. The air around them crackled with unstable power, the ground trembling beneath their feet.
"They're feeding off the shard's energy!" Lira called.
Elaine gritted her teeth. "Then we cut them off."
She feinted to the left, drawing her opponent's blade wide, and drove her blade into the crystal embedded in their armor. The impact sent a surge of energy through both of them, the force throwing them apart.
The masked figure staggered, their blade flickering and collapsing into shards. The remaining attackers hesitated, their formation breaking as they saw their leader falter.
"Now!" Kael shouted, firing another volley of arrows.
The remaining attackers scattered, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as they had appeared.
Elaine pushed herself to her feet, her chest heaving as she watched the masked figure retreat.
"This isn't over," they said, their voice echoing in the canyon as they vanished into the darkness.
The Cost of Survival
The canyon fell silent, the only sound the labored breathing of Elaine and her team.
"You okay?" Kael asked, stepping to her side.
Elaine nodded, wiping blood from a shallow cut on her forehead. "I'm fine. But this was planned—they knew we were coming."
Lira crouched beside one of the fallen attackers, examining their broken weapon. "This crystal… it's the same as the shard. They're harnessing Nexus fragments, just like the Shattered Hand."
Ferran scowled, his blade still drawn. "So, what? We've got more of these fanatics crawling out of the woodwork?"
Elaine's grip tightened on her blade. "Not just fanatics. Someone's organizing them, giving them tools, weapons. They're building something—something dangerous."
Kael nodded grimly. "And they'll come for us again."
Elaine slipped the shard and the crystalline key deeper into her satchel, her expression resolute. "Let them. We'll be ready."
As they moved deeper into the canyon, the shard's pulse grew stronger, leading them toward their next destination—and the dangerous secrets that awaited them.