The Hand of Mon

As they ran, Savina noticed that the ground was progressively becoming more refined. The haphazardly cut stone of the mineshaft floor gave way to neatly cut stone tiles.

"This dungeon." She thought to herself. "It's slowly transforming the natural mineshaft into an actual dungeon. Smooth stone and everything. We need to dispel this dungeon before it becomes permanent. The kingdom of Ruoroa is not in the position to deal with a new super powerful dungeon right now."

The party came to a stop, the small claustrophobic passageway of the mineshaft opened into a large cavernous space. Looking down a flight of solid stone stairs, Savina dispelled her ball of fire. The room was lit by glowing minerals that jutted out of the walls and ceiling.

"Have you two noticed, this place isn't like the rest of the dungeon… This entire dungeon is weird" Savina whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Rio whispered back.

Pointing down the stairs, a single pedestal stood out from the rest of the room. A right-handed gauntlet sat atop it, the fingers clenched into a fist.

"I'm worried I might wake that thing up," Savina muttered.

"Is that, the artefact?"

Observing the room, Savina noted how this room seemed to be fully converted, the walls, floor, and ceiling were made of stone tiles. Except near the pedestal, two large juts of stone stuck out of the ground.

"If I'm right, this isn't organic." Savina huffed. As Rio turned to her, Savina explained what she meant. "The way this dungeon has formed, I don't believe this artefact was created naturally."

As Iseul started down the stairs, Rio watched him. "What do you mean 'naturally'? How can an artefact not be created naturally? Do you mean someone left it here?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking. Somebody left that gauntlet here and… infused the surrounding area with a high amount of mana, forming a sort of pseudo-dungeon. So over time, the gauntlet would absorb the mana and cause it to evolve into a higher-tier artefact. I think that the mineshaft is currently in the process of turning into a labyrinth of sorts, without a guide we could have got lost in the many passages of the mineshaft, I've only read about this process in books. Who's lacking so much morality that they'd enact this process. Although." Surveying the room, Savina furrowed her brow. "I still can't figure out where all of those golems came from."

Tapping Savina's shoulder, Rio gestured to Iseul. "Should he be doing that?"

"Doing what?" Looking at Iseul, Savina's eyes widened as Iseul was about to touch the artefact.

"Iseul!" Savina shouted. "Don't touch the-"

As Iseul's fingers grazed the side of the gauntlet, the room began to shake.

Staggering away from the pedestal, Iseul's Hunter Sense which was still attuned to the dungeon's mana went wild as all the mana in the dungeon flooded back into the room all at once, Iseul felt his head spin. To stop himself from falling over from the pressure in his head. Iseul dug his swords into the ground to balance himself as he lessened the sensitivity of his Hunter Sense.

The concentration of mana in the room intensified in response to the artefacts' activation. Streams of mana became visible to the naked eye, a mass of cyan swirling energy encircled the artefact. The gauntlet's fingers slowly unfurled as the mana began to flow into the gauntlet's palm.

Savina froze as she felt the mana flow through her. "This mana-"

"You idiot!" Leaping down the steps, Rio grabbed Iseul's shoulder. "Don't just touch things when you don't know what they do." Seeing Iseul's reaction, Rio grew concerned. "Are you ok Iseul?"

All Iseul could do was shake his head in response.

"The artefact, what's it… This dungeon doesn't have a Dungeon Guardian. Does that mean-" Savina's eyes widened, moving, Savina leapt down the steps, running past Rio and Iseul, Savina coated her palms in violet fire. "The artefact is also the Dungeon Guardian, we can't let it activate!" Reaching out to coat the artefact in her violet fire, to destroy the artefact before it could do anything, Savina failed.

Spikes of solid rock shot out from the base of the pedestal, aimed at Savina's head. Ducking the spikes, Savina formed a fireball, throwing it forwards.

A wall of stone rose out of the ground to impede the attack.

"How did it do that?" Rio asked, unsure of what he could do.

"The gauntlet," Savina gritted her teeth. "It's bending the surrounding stone to defend itself." Pressing her palms together, Savina held her hands together pushing her palms forward, a jet of violet fire spewed onto the rock wall. As the violet fire began to eat its way through the stone. Savina called out to the others. "Do something! We need to destroy it before it finishes activating!"

Summoning a portal, Rio pulled out a vial of acid. Rushing the gauntlet from the left, Rio hurled the vial from his left hand. The effort was meaningless as the gauntlet only created another wall. Smashing against the wall, Rio pulled out a second vial of acid. "We need to get through its defence."

Recovering from the influx of mana, Iseul pulled his swords out of the ground.

Sensing Savina's attempt to destroy the rock wall in front of her, Iseul gripped his swords tighter as Rio threw a second vial of acid. "There would be no point in rushing it from the right side, it'll only pull up another stone wall," Iseul smirked beneath his helmet. "That's never stopped me before."

Jumping around the side of the rock wall keeping Savina at bay, Iseul leapt at the gauntlet.

As the gauntlet pulled a stone wall out of the ground, Iseul didn't slow down. Swinging with both swords, Iseul shattered the stone wall, sending stone fragments flying in all directions. Spinning in the air, Iseul again brought his swords down on the gauntlet.

Clashing against the artefact, Iseul sent the gauntlet spinning across the room. A large gash now visible in the metal.

The room stopped shaking as the gauntlet came to a stop. The rock walls and spikes the gauntlet had created crumbled.

Not sure what to do next, Rio turned to Savina. "Is that, is that it? That felt too easy."

"Iseul!" As Iseul stood up, he turned to Savina. "Did you destroy the artefact, Iseul?"

Savina's question was answered as the room began to shake again, more intense than before.

"No! It's still going-" Savina's cried as all the mana that was surrounding the gauntlet flooded directly into the artefact.

As the artefact finished absorbing all the mana, the ground surrounding the gauntlet began to break, reshaping and reforming. A golem's body rose from the ground, the gauntlet on its right hand, its fingers flexed as the gauntlet finalized its body.

Hearing a slight ding, screens appeared in front of each party member respectively.

Notification: Dungeon Guardian 'The Hand of Mon' has awakened.

Savina's eyes lingered on the name. "Mon." She whispered. "I see now. This mana." Waving the notification away. Savina grit her teeth. "I thought- I thought this mana felt familiar." Savina's words shook, not with fear of the newly awakened Dungeon Guardian but with rage from hearing that name.

"Who did this! Do people have no sense of shame! No morality!" Savina howled.

Clutching her head, Savina's eyes began to burn with the same violet fire she wielded. Her fire spread from her palms across her hands, crawling along her arms, the fire burnt her sleeves stopping just before the elbow. Savina's hair came undone as the ribbon that had been holding her hair up, burnt away as violet fire lit up her hair.

As Rio took a step toward Savina, Iseul put a sword out to stop him.

"Let me past, Iseul- What are you doing?"

Standing in front of Rio, Iseul could feel something that Rio could not.

Iseul felt it moments after the notification appeared. Savina's mana had grown violent. Savina was now emanating a wave of anger, a rage, burning as hot as the strongest fire.

Fire coiled around Savina's right arm. "Whoever made you, I will make them pay for this." Punching forwards with her right arm, a torrent of violet fire burst forth from her closed fist.

The torrent of fire threatened to swallow the Dungeon Guardian whole. Pushing its hands into the ground, The Hand of Mon tore the ground apart, a large wall of earth was pulled free from the ground. Travelling upwards and with such force, it smashed into the ceiling.

Jumping, Savina's shoes were incinerated as violet fire shot out from her feet, propelling Savina forwards. Punching the wall, an explosion shook the room, as the rock wall fell apart, The Hand of Mon slammed its palms together summoning more stone walls in an attempt to crush Savina.

Channelling her emotions, Savina spread her arms out. The walls of stone crashed against the wave of violet fire, the fire burning with such intensity that it turned the stone to magma, which fell to the floor.

Watching this as it happened, Rio stood in awe. "What is happening, Iseul?" Rio asked, knowing Iseul would have no answer.

As The Hand of Mon stopped summoning stone walls, it crafted a spear out of a blue glowing metal that it pulled from the ground.

In response to the golems spear, Savina pulled all the violet fire that she had spread across their arena. Condensing it all into a small space, into the size of a blueberry.

Holding it between her fingers, Savina cast the fireball forwards.

Pulling back, The Hand of Mon took aim. Throwing the spear forwards, it hit the small fireball dead centre.

Splitting in half, all the violet fire that had been condensed down into the size of a blueberry burst outwards.

As the fire overtook Savina and The Hand of Mon.

Rio and Iseul could only look on, helpless.

"Wow, Red, I expected them to be strong, but isn't this a bit ridiculous?"

Turning, Rio was taken aback. Two men casually stood next to him. Both wearing different coloured fox masks.

"It may look powerful, but her mana is running wild. The Dungeon Guardian is at a disadvantage. If the stone it was using was more resistant to the violet fire, then it would be an even match, but as it stands. This is one-sided."

Throwing his hands up, orange energy began to swirl around the Red fox's fingers. A barrier of orange energy appeared around the four people.

Rio flinched as the fire hit the barrier. After a moment, Rio relaxed somewhat, seeing that they hadn't been incinerated.

Turning to the two newcomers, Rio held his sword forward. "Who the hell are you?"

Looking at him, the Blue fox snickered. "That's not your problem."

As the fire subsided, the Red fox saw Savina standing over The Hand of Mon, with both hands she held a large fireball above her head, moments away from finishing the Dungeon Guardian off. Collapsing the barrier, the Red fox pointed to Savina. "Blue! Stop her before she destroys the artefact!"

Nodding, the Blue fox ran towards Savina, taking this as a sign that they weren't friendly. Iseul and Rio ran after the Blue fox.

Looking behind him, the Blue fox sighed. Stopping, he raised his fists. "I haven't got time to deal with you."

Attacking Blue, Iseul swung his sword horizontally.

"So slow." Ducking Iseul's attack, Blue ducked Iseul's attack. With just his fists, the Blue fox punched Iseul's armoured chest. "If Red's assumption is correct, that'll be enough to take you out of the fight."

Moments after the Blue fox's fist came into contact with Iseul's chest, Iseul fell over, dropping his swords, he frantically looked around.

As Rio knelt next to Iseul, the Blue fox continued running towards Savina.

"Iseul." Grabbing Iseul's shoulders, Rio tried to calm him down. "What's wrong? Did that guy do something?"

Iseul didn't respond, instead, he only waved his arms, as Iseul's hands grabbed Rio's arm. Rio felt Iseul tightly grip his arm. "It's like-" As a thought crossed Rio's mind, Iseul took his helmet off. Iseul's eyes frantically moved. "You can't see-"

Quickly turning around, Rio's eyes widened as he saw that the Blue fox had reached Savina.

"Savina! Don't let him touch you, he can stop your skills from working-"

Balling his fist, the Blue fox sucker-punched Savina in the back.