Chương 28: Speed Demon.

Nythera stared at what had to be the most complex rock she had ever seen. A mass of light-blue quartz crystal, perfectly spherical, unlike everything else in the golem. It was about as big as a melon, but it had a dozen jagged connections to other places in the head, lines of colored quartz leading away. She got right up to it and noticed that none of the quartz connections were actually touching it. It's… hovering? This is definitely valuable. Hovering gemstones in the middle of the brain cavity of a guardian?

Checks just about every box of valuable there is. Nythera reached in and yanked it out, breaking four of the quartz connectors in the process. Wow, it's beautiful. There was a certain depth to the gem that she could not put into words. She shoved it in her sack and then set about ripping the eyeballs and anything else not bolted down into her bag. Half an hour later she skedaddled out of the head. No no no! They are not going to divide the loot without me! I need the LOOT.

She arrived to find them gawking over a huge metal chest.

"Wait up! I want a piece!" She called out. She reached the chest to find them all giggling, she saw Kennick pass a small bag to Dominic.

"We were betting on how worried you would be about the loot here" Hugh laughed. Seriously? Hazing the new guy?

"Really? I killed the guardian, I should get a fair portion!" Nythera exclaimed, elbowing her way into the circle around the chest. Eight glowing embers greeted her, there were three green potions in another corner and a helm that looked like it belonged straight from a knight of Greymere.

"Alright Lord, which do you want?" Dominic asked. I am not wearing that helmet, and Embers are easier to use…

"Give me the Embers" she answered. Dominic scooped out five Embers and handed them to her "Your share." Once the loot was pocketed Dominic announced his decision.

"We are out of our depth going to the third guardian of a tier one dungeon, I want to investigate the crash site of the crystal and then head out." Everyone nodded their heads. The center of the cavern had been replaced with a vast, jagged quartz expanse. The top of the crystal is now the floor?

"Sometimes, landmarks like this could have valuable parts, I want everyone to search carefully" Dominic said. Hugh's leg flexed and the cast snapped off.

"All good to go sir." He saluted.

"All four shields ready." he said as he hefted his towershield and three bags filled with quartz bits. Well, maybe there will be something worth taking. Could always use more to sell. Kennick was already gone. Nythera noticed Talvik spiraling through the air. She ran to the spot beneath him "Come on Talvik, you've been useless this entire time!" She shouted up at him, praying no one else could hear her.

"Child, have you ever checked your footing?" Talvik answered. What is his problem? She looked around. There was a strange hole carved into the milky-white quartz. On closer inspection, she found jagged stairs descending into its interior.

"Dominc! I found something!" She bellowed out as loud as she could. The flux twitched. She turned to find Kennick, already there and inspecting the entrance. How in Kronan's name does he do that? Dominic, followed by Ludwig and Hugh reached the entrance in the quartz.

"That was fast." Ludwig remarked.

"Heheh, our lass lord found us something really nice. What do we do boss?" Hugh asked. Dominic looked from one member to another.

"This is too big of a chance to pass up, we have to go for it." Dominic decided.

"Dominic, what the Hel are these stairs? I've never seen anything like it." she asked. Why am I the only one who has no idea what they are?

"This is almost certainly a sacred guardian, you only get one shot at them and they can't be found by going through a dungeon normally." Dominic answered "Tales have been told of the rewards for slaying one, suffice to say, we are going to try to kill it" They descended into the milky depths, Dominic and Kennick led the way, lightning crackling off his staff to light the way down. I don't like these stairs… What if I'm attacked? There's no space for me to summon Aether Culverin.

After minutes of spiralling into the quartz depths, light could be seen shining through the crystal. A small, glowing crystalline cavern lay at the bottom. Crystals covered the floor, the walls, the ceiling, jagged spikes stabbed out of the ground everywhere. A battlefield full of obstacles. Light shown from within the crystals, there was not a shadow to be found anywhere in the room. The flux in the air was incredibly dense, beyond anything she had ever seen before, it jittered through the air erratically.

I don't like this room, there's nowhere to run. If you could run, tripping on this crystal could probably kill you. She glanced longingly back at the stairs which lay behind an obstacle course of sharpened quartz spears. Talvik stared back from his perch on the steps. You sly little shit, going to sit this one out too? She stuck out here tongue.

"Pay attention to this cavern child, there is a lesson to be learned here." His voice echoed in her mind. Well that's not threatening at all, Talvik's lessons usually involve pain and danger.

"Alright, keep close, everyone stay in formation." Dominic bellowed. Hugh and Ludwig took the vanguard, Kennick found a large crystal to perch onto and Dominic remained in the rear, staff crackling with power. Nythera ran up to him and summoned her cannon, crouching behind it.

"Nythera, do not shoot that thing until you have an absolutely clear shot, ok? And be careful with the ceiling here, can't afford a cave-in." Dominic warned.

"You see anything up there, Hugh?" Dominic called out. Hugh had reached the top of a small hill of quartz "Nothing here boss, not a damn thing except quartz." Hugh answered, peering cautiously around himself constantly. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Hugh pivoted in an instant and was thrown from the top of the hill. A floating crystalline core above which floated a small, half-spherical head with two red eyes.

It had two appendages that floated off of either side, each a foot long, the ends of which sharpened into milky quartz spikes. fucking Hel! How am I supposed to hit something that small? She cursed and pivoted her cannon. It was already gone. Ludwig flew into a wall. Dominic let out a roar and thrust his staff forward. Lightning arc and shot through the room, slamming into the golem. It thrust one of its arms directly into the floor. Nythera watched helplessly as the lightning flux drained into the ground.

She pivoted the cannon, pushing her back into it with all the Strength she had.

"Dominic! Don't stop!" She called out.

"FIRE!" She screamed desperately as soon as the cannon had pivoted. The roar of the cannon echoed through the room and the wall behind the golem exploded. What? I missed? She looked closer. No way… I didn't mess, but I barely chipped one of its arms. It can deflect cannon fire?! Dominic's lightning petered out.

"I've got no more flux left, kid, RUN!" Dominic shouted and drew out a short sword. An arrow flashed and bounced off the golem, Kennick was halfway up a wall launching projectiles. Ludwig roared and came at it from the other side, swinging his hammers to and fro, the golem dodged between them, sometimes allowing hammers to pass through the space between its body parts. As if idly observing him. I am NOT RUNNING ANYMORE! She pivoted the cannon straight at Ludwig.

Come on come on come on, just get thrown back into a wall again. The golem pulled back one of its spiked-arms. Ludwig swung right for the core. The floating core shifted down, the hammer swung through air yet again. A stake of quartz pierced straight through his chest. Nythera simply watched. Ludwig's arms went slack, the hammer falling from his grip. No no no no no Ludwig slumped forward and his body began to slide off the quartz stake. Another of Kennick's arrows simply bounced off its head.

Dominic roared to life, lightning flux charging the air around him.

"HOW DARE YOU-" and collapsed on the spot.

"Fi.. fire" she stuttered out the command. Her cannon roared, filling the silent room with thunder. Ludwig and the golem exploded in an inferno, the tiny death machine knocked hard against one of the rear walls. Nythera gripped her cannon desperately, looking for where the golem would appear. I just need to hit it once more! An arrow flew from Kennick's perch, her eyes following it closely. There!

"FIRE!" she screamed. The cannon stood, silent as the grave, flux swirling inside, still busy forming the next shell. SHIT She caught sight of the terror. Its head had a massive chunk blow out revealing an inner red quartz layer. It zigzagged awkwardly through the cavern, sometimes jolting in a random direction. Yeah a cannonball to the brain might have fucked its movement.

"HERE YA BEASTIE COME OVER HERE" Hugh slammed his axe against his shield, approaching the killing machine. It jittered in place, turning to face Hugh. Another arrow bounced pointlessly across its head.

"FIRE!" Nythera screamed again to no avail. When I get out of this, I am going to find a way to crank the fucking reload time down! She internally screamed at herself. I'm completely useless. Well Kennick is also useless, at least I'm not as useless as him. Hugh cut down towards the golem, chipping off part of its arm with his axe. It pulled back its spear arm like before, poised to strike. Shit! Nythera ran forward, dispelling her cannon.

A quartz arm stabbed through the shield, piercing the metal like it was paper. It headed straight for his head. Her heart dropped. Hugh jumped backwards, pulling the golem with him, the spike had gone too far to the side, right above his shoulder. Nythera wove flux as she ran, forcing the skill to crystalize. It came to her, charged with rage and desperation, several feet ahead of her a shape manifested, right at the foot of the golem. Hugh charged forward again.

"COME HERE YOU BASTARD" He bellowed. Nythera threw herself behind her cannon, feeding flux into it as rapidly as she could. Her fingers ran hot. The barrel was mid-formation, spectral lines of flux yet to be filled in.

"FIRE!" She begged her cannon, pushing the cannon to action. The flux pushed back. She pushed harder. The chamber roared to life, sending a shell of half formed flux flying out the barrel. It smashed into the golem just a few feet away and detonated. Her own cannon was caught in the shockwave and its half-assembled structure collapsed into the explosion. The last thing she remembered was flying across the room. … She awoke to chatter.

"Ludwig, he would want her to take it. She fought valiantly and actually managed to finish it off." Dominic said.

"Aye, she fought well. That move… I didn't expect that from her." Hugh replied with a somber note.

"She was… inspiring. I have never seen anyone force a spell to fire prematurely like that…" A new voice called out.

"Wake Child, your companions await." Talvik's voice commanded. Nythera opened her eyes and leaned up. Dominic glanced over "Good, you're up, we need to talk about the loot from this." His voice was oddly sober.

"What happened? I don't remember much. How did we kill it? And what about Ludwig?" Nythera shot out questions rapid-fire.

"You… did it. Nythera, you killed the golem." Kennick, the source of the new voice before, answered. She looked at him in shock. So that's what he sounds lik"Ludwig fought valiantly, and fell a true delver, we will mourn his loss tonight and celebrate victory." Hugh answered, a solemn look on his face.

"Lord…" Dominic started and then stopped, looking straight at her.

"I have never seen anything like that in my life, half-formed spells firing off? You dispelled your prior construct to make a new one that could fire faster. Completely reckless, dangerous, you nearly killed yourself and Hugh… it was incredible." he finished. I… killed that monster? She barely remembered it, the flux flowing and bucking under her grip. Her rage and desperation clamping down on it. Dominic held out his hand with a strange looking hammer, glowing with pure flux in it, as if offering it to her.

"What is this? Is it that frack hammer thing?" She asked.

"This is… it's often called Kronan's Hammer. It can only be used once, simply tap the item you desire to upgrade with it. It'll knock it up one tier. It's worth more than all the equipment we are wearing and all the loot and money we have combined." Dominic explained.

"Why… why me? I nearly got us killed. Multiple times. I only managed to take it down because of Hugh distracting it." Nythera stuttered. I can't accept this, Ludwig DIED here, his party members should take it.

"Nythera, while your actions in this dungeon have been nothing short of incredibly reckless, you've shown us a firepower that rivals strata three as a strata zero. We discussed what happened and came to the conclusion that your mistakes here were from a lack of experience and not malicious intent. Ludwig would want the future Lord of Myrraval to take this, you're going to need to be strong to lead us all." Dominic pushed the hammer into her hands.

It was heavy, heavy with trust, heavy with responsibilities, both to herself and others. I absolutely cannot waste this, accepting this means accepting the responsibility and trust the others place in me. To live up to my station. Dominic handed out a few Embers to the rest of the group and then pulled out a fist-sized piece of quartz.

"Now, the stat gem is only going to one of us, and we will be using it immediately, no reselling." Dominic said. He breathed in slowly. Kennick and Hugh's anticipation was high. Stat gem? What the fuck is that?

"Its a strength gem, which means it's going to Hugh." Dominic handed it off to Hugh. Kennick sulked on the spot. The gemstone melted into Hugh's skin.

"Four strength, not bad." Hugh noted. What? He just got permanent stats from that?

"Lastly, we got a single Cinder." Dominic held up a brightly glowing coin. Nythera shielded her eyes, the flux density blinding her.

"This goes to Ludwig's family, along with all his gear." Dominic nodded at Hugh, who took his great hammers and strapped them onto his back.

"Now, as for the guardian itself, I'll haul back what I can, the quartz arms are too big and unwieldy, but the head will make a good trophy." he said. The group seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief as the distribution was finished. Nythera turned the hammer over in her hands. I know exactly what I'm using this on. She held out her right hand and tapped.