Chapter 14: The Sentinel

After 7 hours of resting Oberon was awakened by the footsteps of the towering drakeling parents.

Standing in front of the two towering beasts, he waited for them to finish their conversation.

The father gently nudged his wife and said, "You should stay here, I will guide the Golem there."

"But-"

Before she could complain she was cut off, as he gently laid his wing over her. "No, need to worry, I am more familiar with the region there. So just look after the little troublemaker."

As if on cue, Layla, the troublemaker appeared in the doorway and dashed towards Oberon. But before she could reach him her mother snatched her up and hold her against her body. Ignoring the hissing and growling daughter, the mother left the room while saying, "Stop, protesting so much. You will get over it eventually. Argh no, you can't..."

As the voice fades away, Oberon is now alone with the giant thayra. "What are you waiting for, lets go."

With a quick nod, Oberon followed closely behind him.

...

The walk was long and tedious, but surprisingly peaceful. Kasra lead the way with Oberon to his left. As he patrolled his territories he knew the area quite well and knew how to avoid the more dangerous inhabitants. The weaker animals all avoided us, except for a few overly curious ones. But they didn't manage to see the next terrane change.

After approximately 5 hours of walking, Oberon spotted a large open space with a ruined church in the middle and a pristine flower garden around it. It looked like someone took care of it recently.

Standing at the edge of the clearing Oberon could feel the mana wave of the staff coming from the inside of the church, it was quite faint, but still there.

"The staff should be here, or at least I think it is. There is a strange smell that keeps most of the creatures away, and those that come here never returned. Anyway, now with my part of the deal is done, this is where we will part ways. Good luck in your endeavors." With those words, the giant drakeling turned around and walked deep into the forest again.

Oberon gave the retreating figure a short wave.

Focusing back on the church, or at least what is left of it.

Carefully walking through the gravel pathways leading to the church, Oberon was fully ready with a large tower shield and a spear in his hand. Something has to be here as the flowers were freshly watered and kept. The place was like a patch of sand in a tundra, refreshing and calming.

Taking a closer look at the flowers he noticed that there were many kinds of flowers that are highly toxic to living beings or have negative effects, like paralyzing, nausea, disorientation, hallucination, disorientation and many more. It was just like the gas the Sakata empire used to "cleanse" our enemies. This was probably the reason why this place was left alone. But many flowers and plants are clearly not native to this continent.

That means that this place was created after the war occurred here, but why?

The Staff of Zelka was hidden here, but instead of using it they just hid it away and build a church on top of it, with only one sentinel guarding it?

Oberon filtered through his memories to find an answer, but it just didn't make any sense to him.

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

Hearing heavy metal steps on the stone floor, Oberon stood still while rearing his arm back. It didn't take long for a three-meter-tall metal creature to walk out of the church.

The sand on his face moved in recognition as a familiar figure appeared.

A metal sentinel, a "petty" try from the trade-kingdom Lopita, south of the Sakata Empire, to create similar golems like the Sand Golems and sell them to the highest bidder.

The sentinel was large with two lanky arms that almost reach the ground, the moss on the body of the machine indicates that it has been here a long time already. The large chunks of metal plating already eroded or missing showed the rough interior mechanics. The two unproportionate eyes shone red as they locked onto Oberon.

"Intruder detected!" spoke the sentinel in an old Sakatarian accent.

It spread its arms backward as the larger "Eye" gleamed with energy.

"This will be the last warning!"

Seeing that there is no sense in talking he threw the core sand spear right into the center of the sentinel.

*Thud*

*Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

The spear dented the chest plating inwards and made it stagger backward as a ray of fire shot out of its eye. The beam nearly hit Oberon as the staggering caused it to fire all around him. Trees, flowers, grass, and even the ground were scorched and ablaze. The torrent of flames spat out plumes of black smoke.

'That is new...' thought Oberon as he never saw a sentinel able to shoot out such a powerful attack. His core quickly analyzed the beam and it turned out that he shout out pure heat energy. The amount is insane, as the energy behind it could fill Oberon's enlarged core from 0% to 75%.

The firepower of the sentinel was no joke, but it was rigid and could only follow basic commands. And Oberon has full intent on abusing those limitations.

Regaining its stability the sentinel's arms unfolded numerous sharp blades on the outer side. Its legs contorted and folded like a spring. Gravel and dirt shot outwards as the heavy machine jumped with incredible might toward the sand golem.

Oberon couldn't form a weapon quick enough or dodge so he raised the tower shield in front of his body and brazed for the attack.

The sentinel swung its arms, but the blades just broke off the core sand shield. However, with all the momentum and mass behind the jump, it crashed straight into Oberon and sent him crashing into a distant tree.

His core took a little bit of damage that he quickly mended.

Deforming his body and reforming it behind the fallen sentinel he used an axe and hacked at its neck of it. But surprised again the head turned around and gleamed ominously.

Sensing another beam incoming ins such a short time, he quickly thought of a solution.

Pushing himself off the body and rolling backward the ray of light just shot into the sky like a beacon.

*Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

'This one is far more advanced than the ones I know of...' though Oberon as the Sentinel rights itself up.

'How can it hold so much energy.'

Creating some distance by jumping back Oberon quickly threw some knives at it, but to his surprise, the smaller eye glowed and dozens of small energy shields formed just before the knives landed.

'Large energy reserves, high calculation power, rapid energy shield deployment... it is almost as if I am fighting a Paladin.' thought Oberon as he continued to rain down knives.

The eye gleamed again, '5-second interval.'

*Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

Hiding behind a pillar the ray melted right through it making it topple over.

Using the dust that got thrown up he charged the sentinel with a spear.

Dodging the two swinging arms he aimed his weapon at an exposed part of its body. The spear pushed right through the machine and Oberon threw it to the ground.

Ready to cut off its head he suddenly felt two large arms holding him.

Only 3 seconds passed but he could see the energy gathering in its eye again.

He couldn't escape as deforming his body would make the sentinel able to grab his core and it would be over for him. And forming a weapon to destroy the eye would take too much time so having not many options left... he gambled.

Thrusting his hand into his stomach he pulled out the cube and hold it in front of him.

*Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

The red heat beam hit the cube.

The runes on the cube lit up.

On contact, it glowed bright golden and absorbed the energy greedily.

The beam kept going for a few moments longer.

When the beam died down Oberon could see the slightly meted face of the Sentinel from overcharging.

Putting the cube pack in his body he recharged his core like always, but this time a familiar announcement from his system popped up.

[Compadibal energy source found!]

[Recomend extracting energy source!]

Ignoring the notification, he grabbed the head with his hands and pushed.

*Creak*

The head creaked as the metal bend and deformed. The two hands that were holding him were now scratching at Oberon's back trying to reach his core before he could crush its head. The notion was futile as the core sand armor was too durable and it only could graze a few corns of sand off. Seeing that it was no use the sentinel opted to push Oberon away, but he already clung to the sentinel's body like the two were welded together.

*Crack*

*Boom*

With a last push, Oberon crushed the sentinel's head as metal parts and cooling fluids covered his hands.

The head might be missing but the sentinel was still operational. So trying to disarm it, now with its main weapon gone. He aimed a blade at a weak point between the shoulder and arm.

A red shield manifested but with how little energy it has left, the blade swung right through the shield and all the metal wires and magic conductors. The arm fell to the ground and Oberon spun around him and cut its left arm clean off.

Now head and armless the sentinel got desperate wanting to crush Oberon with its weight it just flopped forewords. Oberon just reformed his body behind it and watched as it fall like a chopped tree.

The sentinel tried to create some space with a sweeping kick but it was far too slow, so Oberon just ended this little game and cut off its leg.

It was a pathetic sight, that Oberon didn't really enjoy.

Flipping the body on its back, he formed a large flat double-edged blade, he made the edge rotate similar to a chainsaw. Holding it towards the chest plating sparks flew out as he cut out a large square. The revealed core of the sentinel was still pumping liquid mana throughout the machine like a human heart.

Oberon's face scrunched up.

'Disgusting'