Chapter 77 – The Vault of Blades
Tamara woke to silence.
Her lungs burned as she drew in the first breath—air thick with dust and the faint, metallic tang of old blood. The ceiling above her shimmered with faint golden veins that pulsed like dying stars, and the walls glowed faintly with ancient runes carved into sandstone.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Her body ached, and her mind replayed the last few seconds before everything had gone white—the Pyramid, John's shout, the light, the feeling of being pulled.
Then nothing.
Now she was here.
She rolled to her side and saw them—Vulgrat, Mara, and Sera sprawled across the floor like fallen soldiers, dust clinging to their cloaks.
"Hey… wake up," Tamara whispered hoarsely, crawling toward them.
She shook Sera's shoulder first. The healer didn't stir. Vulgrat grunted faintly, eyes fluttering open, confused but breathing. Mara lay still, one arm across her chest, her sword half-drawn as though she'd tried to fight even while unconscious.
Tamara's gaze drifted upward.
The chamber was enormous—round, hollow, lined with ancient stone coffins stacked three high. Each sarcophagus bore the likeness of long-forgotten warriors: faces carved sharp and proud, weapons clutched against their chests. The air was cold but heavy with a pressure that spoke of essence—old essence, the kind that clung to ruins and whispered of curses.
"…The hell is this place," Vulgrat rasped, pushing himself up on one elbow.
"I don't know," Tamara said quietly. "Last thing I remember, we were outside. The pyramid… it pulled us in."
He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes flicking toward the runes along the walls. "Pulled us? No… this isn't the pyramid itself. The energy's—wrong. It's warped, like the laws here bend around something."
"You're saying we're in another dimension?"
He gave a helpless shrug. "Maybe. We're somewhere inside the pyramid, but not in the same space as before. A sealed chamber, a pocket realm—something like that."
Mara stirred next, followed by Sera, both groggy and disoriented.
Tamara quickly filled them in: where they'd woken, what Vulgrat suspected. None of them liked the conclusion.
"So John, Blake, and Lysa…" Sera began.
Tamara nodded. "They're somewhere else. The pyramid scattered us."
"Then we find them," Mara said simply, pushing herself to her feet.
They began to explore.
The deeper they moved into the chamber, the more it resembled a treasury. Long tables lined the center, buried under ancient weapons, ornate boxes, and relics that glowed faintly with preserved essence. Coins of gold, gems, and shards of crystal littered the floor like the remains of forgotten offerings.
Vulgrat's eyes widened. "A relic vault," he murmured. "We must've been thrown into the pyramid's treasure layer. Look at this craftsmanship—it's pre-collapse era."
Sera bent down, brushing sand from a silver tome. Its surface shimmered like liquid light, runes pulsing faintly. "This one's still active."
Tamara was already scanning the weapons. Most were rusted or hollow of essence, but one item caught her eye—a spear mounted on the far wall, black with streaks of white metal running through the shaft, its tip shaped like a crescent fang. The air around it hummed.
Behind her, Mara had found something else. A shield leaned against a broken altar—massive, round, its surface etched with intertwining circles and layered runes. When Mara touched it, light rippled across its surface like water disturbed.
Vulgrat crouched beside her, inspecting the engravings. "That's no ordinary shield. Step 9, easily. E-rank bulwark type—'Bulwark of Shielding' by the pattern. It's crafted to multiply defensive strength by nearly two steps."
Mara tested the grip, expression softening with awe. The shield responded like it recognized her touch. The hum that followed resonated through the room.
Tamara glanced back at Sera, who had opened the tome. The moment she did, it released a faint pulse of essence, and runes flared across its pages—two of them locking onto her skin in pale blue light.
Sera gasped. "It… it linked with me."
"What did it give you?" Tamara asked.
She hesitated, eyes unfocused as the knowledge settled into her mind. "Two skills. Healing Burst—a full restoration spell, but it'll take everything I have. And Swiftness Blessing—movement enhancement for three allies."
"Both Step 9?" Vulgrat guessed.
She nodded.
Tamara gave a rare grin. "Then that'll come in handy."
But her words hadn't even faded before the air shifted.
A faint tremor ran beneath their feet. The coffins lining the walls began to shake, lids scraping as centuries of dust fell away.
"Oh, hell," Vulgrat muttered. "That wasn't just a treasure room—it's a warded vault. You triggered a defense mechanism."
The ground split.
Two massive doors at the far ends of the chamber ground open with a thunderous groan. From the darkness beyond, a hiss echoed—a wet, metallic screech that vibrated in the bones.
Then they came.
The Sandrazor Beasts.
Bronze-scaled bodies poured into the chamber like a living tide—two dozen of them at least. They crawled over each other, tails dragging razor grooves through the stone, eyes burning molten orange. Each exhale shimmered the air, and the scent of scorched sand filled the vault.
Their heads were narrow and plated, crowned with ridges that looked forged rather than grown. When they moved, their scales clicked and ground like blades being sharpened.
Vulgrat backed up. "Step 4s. Every one of them."
Sera's voice trembled. "There's too many—"
Tamara drew her sword, stepping in front of the others. "Then we kill what we can."
The first wave struck.
They were fast—faster than beasts that size should have been. Sandrazors lunged, claws cutting arcs through the air, tails whipping like bladed whips. Tamara met the first one head-on, steel shrieking against its scales. Sparks exploded.
"Left flank!" she shouted.
Mara raised her new shield. The air around it solidified, forming a faint wall of shimmering light. The first creature that hit it was launched back, skull cracked from the recoil. Mara didn't stop—she slammed forward, shield first, shattering two more under her momentum.
"Bulwark of Shielding," Vulgrat breathed. "It amplifies her physical force as well…"
Sera's tome flared. "Swiftness!"
Blue light swept across them. Tamara felt her body lighten, every motion sharper, faster. She ducked under a swinging tail and drove her blade through the joint of a beast's neck.
Mara, now nearly glowing, became a storm. The shield was a living wall—every bash a concussive blast, every counterstrike leaving trails of light. Scales cracked. Beasts shrieked.
But for every one that fell, another took its place.
Vulgrat hurled an explosive flask, fire bursting across the chamber and momentarily halting their advance.
Tamara's chest heaved. "We can't hold like this!"
Then the air shifted again.
A new roar cut through the chaos—sharper, higher, filled with fury.
From the far doorway, something larger crawled through.
It was smaller than the others, but its presence crushed the room. Its scales were darker—more crimson than bronze—and its eyes glowed a deep amber. Spines ran along its back, and its movements were fluid, almost deliberate.
"The alpha," Mara said grimly. "No… a matriarch."
The female Sandrazor reared back, its throat swelling. The energy gathering in its chest crackled with red heat.
"Brace!" Tamara shouted.
The matriarch roared, and a concussive blast of sonic force ripped through the chamber, hurling them back.
Mara slammed into the ground, her shield flickering from the impact. Blood trailed from her lip.
Then the matriarch charged.
It moved like a meteor—faster than the eye could track, tail carving a glowing arc behind it. Mara met it mid-stride, shield raised. The collision detonated.
Stone shattered. Dust erupted.
The shield held—but barely. Mara coughed blood, arm trembling as she forced herself upright. The matriarch hissed, circling, claws scraping sparks.
"Come on," Mara growled, wiping her mouth.
It lunged again. She sidestepped, slammed the shield into its flank, and followed with a backhand slash that cut deep into its shoulder. Steam hissed from the wound.
But the matriarch didn't stop—it reared up and slammed its tail down, knocking her off her feet. She rolled, gasping.
Tamara yelled her name, but the beast was already on her.
Tamara raised her hands. "Freeze."
The word carried power. Frost erupted from air, spreading across the beast's body in jagged lines. Ice climbed its limbs, locking it mid-roar.
The matriarch froze solid—just for a heartbeat.
Mara lay on her side, coughing blood into the sand.
Sera ran forward, the tome glowing white-hot. "Healing Burst!"
A pulse of pure light exploded outward, washing over the chamber. The wounds on Mara's body sealed instantly, color flooding back into her skin.
Then another wave of energy followed—Swiftness Blessing. The world slowed around Mara, every motion amplified, her strength surging like a second heartbeat.
She rose in a blur.
The frost cracked. The matriarch broke free, shrieking—only to meet Mara's charge.
The shield hit first. Then the sword. Then another strike. Each blow rang like thunder. Scales shattered, heat burst from the creature's body, and in the end, the matriarch fell silent, its body crumbling into bronze shards.
The chamber went still.
Tamara exhaled, lowering her sword. "Everyone alive?"
Sera nodded weakly. Vulgrat groaned. Mara just sat down, exhausted but smiling faintly.
"Remind me never to touch glowing artifacts again," Vulgrat muttered.
Tamara glanced toward the spear on the wall. It still glowed softly, untouched.
She walked over and lifted it free. The moment she did, the air thrummed with restrained power. It was perfectly balanced—black and silver, light as air yet heavy with promise.
"This thing has to be something good," she whispered. "I'll take this for John."
She thought of John.
"This'll be useful for him."
And with that, she slid it into her storage ring.
Vulgrat started pointing out a bunch of cores most of which are tier 4 and up. Then looked at all the medical ingredients and treasures.
"It would be good to take all of this" Vulgrat exclaimed
With a flash Tamara out the rest of the stuff in her ring.
They walked through the opened door that the monsters came out of and The vault dimmed, as though the pyramid itself was watching.