The chamber was thick with tension, the scent of blood and sweat clinging to the damp air. Clay's breath was steady despite the burning in his muscles. Around him lay the defeated bodies of Kael's mercenaries, some groaning in pain, others unconscious.
Kael stood near the edge of the cavern, eyes gleaming with a sickening triumph. "You're tougher than I thought, Clay," he said mockingly, brushing dust off his sleeve. "But you've already lost."
Clay wiped the blood from his dagger without looking away. "Funny. You sound like the ones lying on the floor."
Kael's smirk faltered for a moment before he forced it back into place. "Oh, this?" He gestured dismissively at the fallen thugs. "They were just for fun. The real challenge is something else entirely."
Without warning, Kael raised a glowing crystal in his hand and hurled it at the pedestal in the center of the room.
The moment it struck, a deafening pulse of energy ripped through the chamber. Blue runes along the walls flared violently, casting jagged shadows across the stone. The ground trembled as cracks spiderwebbed beneath their feet.
A guttural roar echoed from deep within the dungeon, primal and filled with rage.
Clay's instincts screamed at him to move, but he held his ground, eyes locked on the shadows pooling beyond the cavern's edge.
The air grew thick with an oppressive force. From the darkness emerged a monstrosity — a towering beast with black, glistening scales and glowing crimson eyes. Its massive claws scraped against the stone floor, and venom dripped from its jagged maw.
"A guardian," Kael said, his voice cold. "I wonder how long you'll last against it."
He turned and disappeared into the shadows, the echoes of his retreating footsteps fading into the chaos.
Clay clenched his jaw, suppressing a surge of frustration. Coward.
The guardian roared, shaking the cavern as it lunged forward, claws slicing through the air with terrifying speed.
Clay dove to the side, rolling across the uneven stone just as the beast's claws shattered a pillar where he had stood moments ago.
Think, Clay. You can't outmuscle it. Outsmart it.
Activating his Appraiser skill, ghostly lines of information flickered across his vision:
Obsidian Guardian Beast
Weak point: base of the skull (armor gap). Vulnerable during recovery from lunges.
Clay's pulse steadied. Got it.
The beast snarled and charged again, its bulk thundering across the stone floor. Instead of dodging outright, Clay sprinted toward it, closing the distance faster than the creature expected.
At the last second, he ducked low, feeling the rush of air as claws swiped just inches above his head. The beast's momentum carried it forward, exposing the vulnerable gap at the base of its skull.
Clay didn't hesitate.
He leaped onto its back, gripping the jagged ridges along its spine as the creature thrashed wildly. Each jolt threatened to throw him off, but he held firm, teeth gritted against the pain shooting through his arms.
With a savage thrust, Clay drove his dagger into the exposed flesh beneath the guardian's skull.
The beast let out a blood-curdling screech, its massive body convulsing violently. Black ichor sprayed from the wound, sizzling as it hit the stone floor.
Clay twisted the blade deeper, severing vital tendons. The creature's struggles grew weaker until, finally, it collapsed with a shuddering gasp.
Silence descended upon the chamber once more.
Clay rolled off the beast's lifeless form, his chest heaving. He wiped the sweat and grime from his face, grimacing at the stench of burnt ichor.
The runes along the walls dimmed, their chaotic glow fading into a soft, steady pulse. The ground beneath him stabilized, and a hidden passageway groaned open at the far end of the cavern.
Clay stood, every muscle in his body aching, but his resolve unshaken.
Kael.
The traitor had fled, but Clay wasn't about to let him get away.
"This isn't over," Clay muttered under his breath, his grey eyes cold and unforgiving.
Sheathing his dagger, he strode toward the open passageway, ready to finish what Kael had started.
The hunt had begun.