My heartbeat was almost heard throughout the tunnels beneath Coltend as I broke into a nervous sweat.
We knew we had to be close to the exits that the tunnels would eventually lead to. The adrenaline coursing through my veins before the battle began made my hands shake a little, and even though with Meliss at my side, and Bernar just ahead of me, I could sense that I wasn't the only one getting nervous.
I've got to get my shit together. Being a liability now is not something I can afford; neither for me nor Meliss, either, I thought, giving her a reassuring smile as I could manage.
She, too, was a nervous wreck and whispered countless prayers to the gods that the need to fight for her life would not come, but I knew she was nearly in tears.
I put my hand on her shoulder, and she looked at me with no small amount of fear in her eyes. "You alright?" I asked, already knowing the answer. She paused for a moment, then nodded her response. "Other than shaking like I've got an internal earthquake underway, I'm fine," she said quietly in the dimly lit tunnels.
By fine she means fucked up, insecure, needy, and emotional, right? I've been shaking so badly, I hardly noticed her shaking this much, I thought, trying my best to keep my own fears under control.
"We're going to be alright," I said as comfortingly as possible, only getting a quick nod before she squeezed her arms around me more tightly. Thorsen was still at the helm of our group, wandering in near darkness, when Nenvalur heard a sound that neither he nor Anwill recognized. "Think we've been noticed?" he asked quietly.
"Nothing's been down here for centuries, it seems. The odds of someone or something wandering down here of their own accord are astronomical," he shook his head, feeling Meliss shudder as soon as he finished. "We should hurry if we wish to maintain the element of surprise," he told Thorsen, who nodded and picked up the pace.
We went on for a few minutes without interruption, except for a few rumblings above us, when Leona pointed at a sign on the wall. "Here, take a look at this. I can't read it, but I recognize it. I believe we are heading in the right direction," she said. Anwill went over to her side and read the barely visible inscription. "Quite an eye you've got there, my lady," he grinned, gesturing for Nenvalur to approach.
"I have been searching for it ever since we entered. When I was younger, I used to sneak into the library to take a gander at the books unsuitable for a queen," she said, returning the grin, causing Anwill to purse his lips while widening his eyes. "Well, I'm glad you did. Nenvalur, I believe she's right," he gestured to the inscription, forcing Nenvalur to lean in and examine it more closely.
"Well, there's something you don't see every day. I'm glad you found it, because now that we're on the right path, we can hurry and reach the battle. My sword is thirsty, and I would be remiss to leave it parched for much longer," Nenvalur chuckled, causing me to raise an eyebrow.
So, you're a nutcase afterall, I thought wryly, knowing he could hear it.
He didn't acknowledge it with anything more than a slight scoff through his nostrils before returning to lead the way with Thorsen and Anwill, but that was enough for me. A few minutes and a few signs later, we came to an open area like the one that held the portal stone, where, near the back, stood a large wooden structure supporting the inner walls.
On the far side of the room was a metallic door with leaf-like designs reaching from the base to the top. However, both Anwill and Nenvalur held up their fists simultaneously, prompting the rest of us to halt.
"This must be the entrance," Anwill said, but Nenvalur observed the detailed workings on the door, using a bit of mana to light up the carvings. It was a beautiful display that shone a dim light in the darkness. "Unless Coltend has such smiths that could craft something like the smiths of my homeland, this has to be it," he said, just as a crumbling sound came from our right.
Nenvalur and the others turned as quickly as a hummingbird and saw the walls begin to move, as large stones and dust kicked up and filled the air. "Sentries!" he called out, drawing his sword immediately. I heard the call and quickly brushed Meliss aside, where Leona took her and maintained a safe distance.
Three gigantic stone figures emerged from their resting places in the walls, crumbling the stones around them. There had been no sign that they were there to begin with, but it was evident that something activated them. The Master cast a ball of light high into the air to illuminate our surroundings and reveal the golems for the rest of us.
"Ah, I've met these before," Thorsen began, causing me to look at him curiously. "What? When?" I asked, gripping the hilt of my blade tightly, staring straight into the golem's mouth. "I met one along the Rhydian Pass by chance and barely escaped with my life. Three of them will be nasty business," he growled, readying his large sword.
"How do you beat them?" I asked quietly. "They can regenerate quickly since they're primarily made of mana, but I'm sure we'll figure something out," he smiled down at me. "Keep the others back to avoid any unnecessary losses," the Master directed, spreading a single arm out as he shouted over his shoulder.
Bernar spread his arms to help the ones behind him remain safe in the tunnel. I could see the sentries still recovering from ages of sleep, one of them even shaking their head to wake themselves from slumber.
While they had no ears, their massive black eyes allowed them to see much more than a normal human could. "They must have woken up because of the mana I used. Inconvenient, but not impossible to overcome. To battle!" the mad elf shouted, charging in directly toward the trio.
The one immediately to his left swung a massive arm covered in moss and other plants that grew within the cave's depths. It struck the ground where he had just stood, blasting rocks and dust into the air. I could have sworn I heard him laughing as he dodged another blow coming from just behind him. "We can't let him do this alone. Even for someone like him, this will not be easy," the Master told Bernar, Thorsen, and Anwill, who immediately followed him into battle.
Thorsen did his best to slash at the nook behind one of their knees to no effect and grunted in frustration. "Oh, it's no use slashing at them, Thorsen. We have to find their cores, quickly!" Nenvalur chuckled, dodging yet another blow and infusing his blade with Recia. "How the fuck do we do that?" Thorsen asked, dashing out of the way of a two-handed slam.
"By attacking them, or pushing them off the side of a cliff, which we don't have," Nenvalur chuckled as he jumped high enough to reach chest height and stabbed his blade into its shoulder. "Damn it," he grunted, pushing off it to get away of another attack that was aimed at where he was going to land.
He must have had multiple encounters with these creatures if he knows so much about them, I thought, watching the Master and Bernar try a similar technique.
The first sentry moved in for a crushing blow aimed at Anwill, who expertly dove out of the way. The blow cast the thin layer of mud where he had once stood into the air, and the ground shook. "Get underneath them, if you can! They don't bend well, so if you just dodge their feet, you might have a better chance at surviving," Nenvalur said after recovering from the first blow from the sentry nearest to him.
Another blow aimed for the Master and Thorsen came in at a sweep, forcing them to jump over the large fist that came for them. "Good thing they're somewhat slow," Thorsen said lightly. "Slow, but still deadly if you don't focus," the Master snapped back.
Anwill circled the sentry nearest to him while watching the others in the area. Another pounding blow shook the ground and made some of the stones from the roof fall to the ground about them, adding a new enemy to the arena. They dodged the falling rocks as best they could, though one hit Anwill in the shoulder, nearly crushing the bone beneath his armor.
"We've got to hurry, or else this entire network will come down on our heads," he shouted as he clutched his shoulder. "I have an idea," the Master said. He moved closer to one of the sentries, grabbing a stone along the way. He threw it at its head, and it instantly swung at him. "Move," he shouted while he and Thorsen dodged the incoming blow, which struck the wall at its side, causing more rubble to fall from the ceiling.
"On me," he said to the others, who came to him, dodging other blows along the way. The sentry nearest to the Master tried to crush them with his enormous, stone foot, and he stepped out of the way. "Cast Exar at their heads, make them come this way," he said, already preparing a spell. "Are you insane?" Anwill asked worriedly. "Perhaps, but if we can turn their blows against one another, we might just win this. Let them do the work for us," the Master dodged another stomp.
"That should do it," Nenvalur said, approaching the Master and Thorsen. Anwill came soon after, and the four bunched together. The others and I looked on anxiously and heard some quietly praying for a positive outcome.
Even from where I stood, I could feel the immense amount of mana they drew in preparation for their trickery. "Now!" the Master shouted, and they cast their spells to get the attention of the ones who threatened them. Large bursts of blue mana were emitted from the small group, reaching their targets. However, the sentries replied with their own attacks, clasping their hands together and smacking them down towards the ground.
The four of them rolled out of the way of the unified blows, covering themselves in mud. The Master saw his plan had failed miserably, and he sighed when the sentries began to turn on them, more aggravated than before. They struck wildly at the ground beneath them, kicking up a cloud of dust that became difficult to see.
I could tell the four of them weren't having an easy time. Even in the fifth stage, a sentry golem was still quite a challenge to them, since they couldn't simply manipulate the elements the creatures were made of.
Wait a minute. Does it respond to Exar blasts? I've got an idea, I thought, rushing out from the entrance to the large room and into the open area before me.