Arthur knew his mission was one of immense peril. Lord Valerius's army was a blanket of shadow that enveloped the city, and to venture outside the Shield of the Ancients was to step into the mouth of a dragon. Under the cover of a moonless night, Arthur and Elias met at a secret passage in the castle's deepest cellar, a forgotten tunnel that led to the city's old aqueducts.
"Be careful, Arthur," Elias said, his voice a low whisper. "The book says the Sunstone's temple is located on the treacherous slopes of Mount Aegis. The path is guarded by the Stone Giant, a behemoth of living rock awakened by Valerius's magic."
Arthur nodded, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He knew the Stone Giant was the second major villain in his quest, the first of the elemental war. "I'll be careful," he promised. "Keep the book with you. I'll need your help deciphering its secrets, even from a distance."
With a final nod, Arthur slipped through the dark passage. The air grew colder, and the rhythmic pounding of the army against the shield grew louder, a chilling symphony of war. He emerged from a grate in the city wall, the shimmering shield above him a beacon of hope, but the world outside was a nightmare of twisted, shadowy figures. The corrupted soldiers of Valerius's army patrolled the siege lines, their crimson eyes scanning the darkness.
Arthur, using his magic, cloaked himself in a veil of shadow, a trick he'd learned from his last encounter with the Shadow Weavers. The magic of the shadow was a dangerous tool, but in this case, it was a necessity. He moved like a ghost, a silent whisper in the night, his heart hammering in his chest. He saw the enemy up close for the first time—grotesque, stony figures with glowing eyes, their forms a perversion of life and magic. They were terrifying, but they were not intelligent. They were instruments of war, not men.
He made it past the siege lines and began his journey toward the distant, jagged peaks of Mount Aegis. The journey was long and grueling, a constant test of his endurance. He faced wolves corrupted by the dark magic, their eyes glowing red, and treacherous, enchanted terrain that tried to lead him astray. He fought and he ran, his resolve strengthened by the memory of his city, his king, and his friend.
Finally, after days of relentless travel, he arrived at the foot of Mount Aegis. The air here was thin and cold, and the ground was a jagged field of broken stone. In the distance, he saw it—the Stone Giant, a colossal figure of animated rock and stone, standing guard before a massive cavern. The giant's form shifted and changed, as if it were a living part of the mountain itself. The Sunstone's temple was inside that cave, and the only way to get to it was to go through the behemoth.