Saga of the Two-World Emperor
Volume 1: A Spark in the Ashes
Chapter 25 – The Serpent's Gambit
The air in the deep cavern was thick with tension, a palpable entity that was colder and heavier than the damp stone surrounding them. The only sounds were the eternal, thunderous roar of the underground river and the frantic, shallow breaths of the men preparing for a battle against a foe of iron and magic.
Every piece of the plan was in place. Brock and Corin had finished setting up the trigger for the rockslide, a complex arrangement of levers and a single, load-bearing rope tied to the fractured pillar they had identified. It was a crude but effective mechanism, a testament to their years of experience working with the unforgiving nature of the mountain.
On the edge of the chasm, Garrick stood ready. The new zip line—a single, thick rope stretched taut across the raging river, connected to a simple pulley system—looked terrifyingly fragile against the backdrop of the immense cavern. He checked the leather harness Adrian had designed one last time, his face a mask of grim determination.
Adrian stood a short distance away, the small blue crystal shard held loosely in his hand. His eyes were closed, but his mind was anything but calm. Using [Energy Analysis], he was observing the battlefield in a way no one else could. The guardian golem across the river was a beacon of stable, pulsing blue energy, its patrol route a slow, predictable circle around the glowing crystal vein. It was dormant, but aware.
"Are you ready?" Adrian asked, his voice cutting through the noise of the river.
Garrick gave a single, sharp nod. He didn't need words. His entire being was focused on the task ahead.
"Remember the timing," Adrian instructed, his voice low and steady, a calming anchor in the sea of fear. "Do not engage. Your only goal is to draw its full attention. Make it see you as the single greatest threat. I will handle the rest."
"Understood," Garrick replied, his knuckles white as he gripped the pulley handle.
"Brock, Corin," Adrian turned to the miners. "The moment you see the flash of my crystal, you will have five seconds. No more, no less. When I give the signal, cut the trigger rope. Is that clear?"
"Clear as crystal, my lord," Brock answered, his hand resting on the large, sharpened axe he would use to sever the rope.
"Then let the game begin," Adrian said softly.
With a deep breath, Garrick launched himself off the edge. The pulley shrieked as it sped along the rope, carrying him across the chasm. He was a dark silhouette against the faint blue glow of the crystals on the other side, dangling precariously over the churning, white-water rapids. The journey felt like an eternity. The wind whipped at his face, and the spray from the river below felt like icy needles on his skin.
He landed on the other side with a heavy thud, immediately unhooking himself from the pulley.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the golem stirred.
Its single blue eye, which had been pulsing with a calm rhythm, now flared with a brilliant, intense light. The ambient energy in the cavern shifted, and Adrian could feel a wave of hostile intent wash over them. The guardian let out a low, grinding sound as it turned its massive iron body to face the intruder.
"Now, Sir Garrick!" Adrian commanded in his mind, knowing the soldier would understand the timing.
Garrick didn't hesitate. He broke into a full sprint, not away from the golem, but directly towards the glowing crystal vein—the heart of the guardian's territory.
The golem's reaction was instantaneous and absolute. Its slow, patrolling movements were replaced by a single-minded, aggressive advance. Its primary directive had been triggered. The intruder was attempting to defile the sacred source. It raised its heavy hammer-arm, its metallic feet scraping loudly against the stone as it charged towards Garrick, completely ignoring the four other sources of life on the other side of the river.
"It's working!" Corin whispered in awe. "It's not even looking at us!"
Adrian watched the scene unfold through his energy-sensitive vision. He could see the brilliant, chaotic energy signature of Garrick running and dodging, and the massive, focused beam of the golem's perception locked onto him like a predator on its prey.
*Now…*
Garrick, following the plan, reached the crystal vein. He didn't try to mine it. Instead, he slammed the flat of his sword against the largest crystal.
CLANG!
The sound was surprisingly loud, and it sent a visible ripple of energy through the cavern.
This was the ultimate provocation. The golem let out a furious, grinding roar. It was now completely enraged, its programming utterly focused on destroying the source of this desecration. It was exactly where Adrian wanted it to be: its back turned to them, its full attention diverted.
"Hold your position," Adrian said calmly to the miners, his own heart pounding. "Wait for my signal."
He raised the crystal shard in his hand. He closed his eyes, shutting out the physical world and focusing entirely on the flow of energy he could now perceive. He reached out with his will, channeling his "Emperor's Will" not as a broad wave of pressure, but as a sharp, focused needle.
He didn't target the golem's head. That was its strongest point. Instead, he targeted the weaker energy lines he had identified earlier—the ones that flowed from the core down into its legs.
He poured all his concentration into the crystal shard. It began to glow with a brilliant blue light, the touch of it growing warm in his palm.
*Paralyze.*
A silent, invisible pulse of pure psychic energy shot across the chasm and struck the golem in the back of its knees.
BZZZZT!
The guardian automaton, which had been mid-charge, seized up instantly. Its legs locked in place, and it stumbled forward, its massive body crashing to the ground with a deafening CLANG of metal on stone. The blue crystal in its head flickered erratically, and it let out a high-pitched, screeching sound of corrupted data.
It was stunned. Immobilized.
"NOW!" Adrian roared.
Brock didn't need to be told twice. With a mighty yell, he swung the heavy axe in his hands. The sharpened blade bit deep into the trigger rope.
SNAP!
The rope severed. For a heart-stopping second, nothing happened.
Then, a deep, ominous cracking sound echoed from the ceiling above the fallen golem. Small pebbles began to rain down.
Garrick, seeing his chance, scrambled away from the crystal vein, seeking cover behind a large rock formation.
The cracking sound grew louder, more intense. The entire cavern began to feel like it was shaking. The fractured rock shelf that Brock and Corin had identified began to groan under its own weight.
Then, with a final, thunderous CRACK, it gave way.
CRUUUUUMBLE!
Tons of rock and debris cascaded down from the ceiling. It wasn't a simple rockslide; it was an avalanche of stone, a waterfall of destruction that slammed down directly onto the spot where the golem was struggling to rise. The sight was both terrifying and magnificent. The roar of the falling rock momentarily drowned out even the sound of the river.
A massive cloud of dust and grit exploded outwards, obscuring everything from view. The ground beneath their feet shook violently, and the men had to brace themselves to keep from falling.
The avalanche lasted for nearly ten seconds. When it finally stopped, an eerie silence fell over the cavern, broken only by the ever-present roar of the river and the sound of a few stray pebbles clattering down.
The dust slowly began to settle.
Where the mighty guardian had once stood, there was now only a massive, newly formed mountain of rubble and shattered rock. There was no movement. No glowing blue light.
They had done it.
"Did… did we get it?" Corin asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Adrian was panting heavily, the mental exertion from his attack leaving him dizzy and drained. But he forced himself to stand straight.
"The guardian is not destroyed," he said, activating his [Energy Analysis] again. "Its armor is too strong. But it is trapped… buried. It will take it hours, perhaps even days, to dig its way out."
He looked at the others, a triumphant smile on his face.
"We have our window of opportunity."
Brock let out a whoop of pure joy, a sound that echoed strangely in the now-quiet cavern. Even Borin, who had been the most skeptical, had a look of stunned admiration on his face.
But Garrick, ever the soldier, was still wary.
"That rockslide… it was loud enough to wake the dead. Are you certain that golem was the only thing guarding this place?"
As if on cue, a new sound cut through the air.
It wasn't the roar of the river. It wasn't the grinding of metal.
It was a low, guttural hissing.
And it wasn't coming from the pile of rubble across the river.
It was coming from the dark, unexplored tunnels… on *their* side of the chasm.
The short-lived moment of triumph vanished instantly, replaced by a new, more primal dread.
They were not alone. And whatever was coming… was now awake.
(End of Chapter 25)