Chapter 16 - The Iron Gate's Guardians
The dungeon's oppressive silence was only disturbed by the steady rhythm of footsteps. Lucas led the group deeper, his eyes scanning every detail of the cavernous halls. The eerie blue glow of the surrounding crystals flickered as if the dungeon itself was alive, breathing with them.
Then, without warning, the light dimmed. Shadows stretched across the stone walls, and a bone-chilling sensation crawled up their spines.
A massive iron gate loomed ahead. Its surface was engraved with intricate symbols pulsing with faint, silvery energy. The structure exuded an unmistakable aura of authority this was a threshold few had crossed and lived to tell the tale.
In front of the gate stood three humanoid figures, clad in polished white armor that gleamed even in the fading light. Each of them gripped a spear, the weapons humming softly, as if filled with raw magical power. Their presence alone commanded absolute stillness.
The group instinctively slowed their pace. No one spoke at first, their collective gaze fixed on the armored sentinels barring their way.
Then, a quiet chuckle broke the silence.
Siman smirked, eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and intrigue. He tilted his head toward Lucas and muttered, "Ooh, metal guards... Interesting. You know, Lucas? These guys are really strong. The three of them together can fight off two Rank A warriors, soo—"
His hand moved before his words even finished.
Two daggers flashed through the air, so fast they were nearly invisible.
Thunk!Thunk!
The blades embedded themselves precisely into the neck joints of two guards. A split second later, the armored figures shuddered, their glowing spears flickering before they collapsed in perfect silence. It was as if they had never existed.
The group stood frozen, processing what had just happened.
Kyle's jaw tensed. The two Rank C members exchanged uncertain glances, their eyes wide with disbelief. Even Darlene, always composed, blinked in stunned silence.
The only one who remained unmoved was the young boy, his expression as unreadable as ever.
Lucas let out a slow breath, breaking the tension with a dry, measured voice. "Go, Andre."
Andre stepped forward, saying nothing. His large frame radiated raw power, his stance shifting into something lethal and deliberate. His eyes gleamed with an almost animalistic hunger for battle.
Without hesitation, he activated "Light Shots."
Six glowing projectiles materialized in the air, hovering around him like tiny suns before launching at the remaining guard in a coordinated assault.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The shots struck true, but the armor absorbed the impact. The white sentinel barely budged.
Andre's expression remained unreadable, but his actions spoke louder than words. He surged forward with the momentum of a rampaging beast, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
His first punch landed squarely against the guardian's torso. The impact echoed through the chamber, the force so intense that the stone beneath them cracked.
The guard staggered slightly, but recovered almost instantly. With a smooth, unnatural motion, it retaliated.
The spear blurred as it lashed out.
Andre dodged left, just narrowly avoiding a strike that would have pierced straight through his ribs.
A savage grin spread across his face.
"Oh, you can fight?" he muttered under his breath, his voice laced with something almost resembling excitement.
What followed was a violent storm of movement an exchange of unrelenting attacks.
Andre swung with monstrous force, his blows landing with the weight of a sledgehammer. The guard countered with calculated precision, its white spear slicing through the air in an intricate dance of destruction.
Clash! Thud! Whoosh!
Each impact sent vibrations through the cavern walls, dust and debris falling from above as if the dungeon itself was trembling from the sheer ferocity of the battle.
Kyle, watching from the sidelines, muttered under his breath, "This isn't normal… That thing moves like it's alive."
Darlene clenched her staff tightly. "It's adapting to Andre's attacks."
Lucas nodded, eyes narrowing. "It's more than just a guardian. It's something else…"
Siman, arms crossed, simply grinned. "Now this is fun."
The battle intensified.
Andre, breathing heavily, wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. His knuckles were raw from the relentless assault, but he showed no signs of slowing.
The guardian, however, remained eerily efficient. Though dented and damaged, its movements retained their mechanical precision, as if its very existence was driven by one purpose—to kill.
Then, just as the group thought the fight had reached a standstill, the air shifted.
Andre's muscles tensed.
Something deep inside him stirred.
And then, it happened.
The white glow of the guardian's armor flickered.
It was faint, almost imperceptible, but Lucas saw it.
His mind worked fast, piecing things together.
"Andre! Keep hitting the same spot on its chest!" he commanded, his voice sharp and authoritative.
Andre didn't hesitate.
With a thunderous roar, he charged forward, ignoring the spear that barely scraped past his side. He twisted mid-motion, bringing his fist down like an executioner's blade onto the exact spot Lucas had pointed out.
The guardian faltered.
Andre grinned.
"Found your weakness, huh?"
Without giving it a chance to recover, he unleashed a devastating barrage of punches, each one striking the same precise point with increasing ferocity.
The sentinel let out a distorted, metallic shriek.
Then
CRACK!
A massive fracture splintered across its chestplate. The light within its armor flickered violently before dying out.
The guardian crumpled.
Silence.
The only sound was Andre's heavy breathing, his fists still clenched.
Then, as if on cue, the iron gate began to groan.
The locks shifted. The sigils dimmed.
And slowly, agonizingly slow—
The doors began to open.
A gust of stale, ice-cold air rushed past them. The darkness beyond was thick, suffocating, almost alive.
Lucas exhaled, the weight of the moment settling in. "We're in."
Kyle ran a hand through his hair, still looking at Andre with something between awe and disbelief. "Yeah… Let's just hope whatever's behind that door isn't worse than this."
Siman, ever the wild card, merely chuckled. "Oh, it definitely is."