Chapter 2 - The Lurking Shadow

The four of them stood over the guardian's remains, bloodied, swaying, and quiet.

No one cheered.

Even slumped in death, the figure looked unbroken — the shadow of its massive frame lying on the ground still towering in the flickering torchlight. Dented blackened armor, warped but not pierced. The sword lay to one side, long as a man and still gleaming with an oily sheen. And no blood. Not a drop.

"Gods," Ryel breathed, hand pressed to his ribs. "We lived."

"Barely," Ana muttered, holding one arm limp at her side. "I can't feel my hand."

Captain Deren crouched, eyes scanning the armor with something like reverence. "This thing wasn't forged by man. Look at the plating—layered like bark. Or bone."

"No shield," Ryel murmured. "Just stood there and took everything. That sweep nearly took Elric's leg."

Elric, pale and sweat-drenched, leaned against the wall, his blade sheathed. "But it didn't," he managed with a strained grin. "And now it's dead."

The silence in the chamber thickened. A drip somewhere, echoing faintly.

"We've done it," Ryel said. "Just one room left. The core."

Deren nodded. "And once it's shattered, none of the monsters will be able to return. This place will fall dead for good."

They pushed forward slowly, wounded and weary. Blood stained their boots. Elric walked with a limp. Ana's spells flickered now, drawn thin by hours of use. Even Deren, composed as ever, held his sword lower than usual.

They passed under the jagged archway.

The core room opened before them — round, echoing, quiet. The ceiling disappeared into shadows above. At its center floated the dungeon core, hovering above a dais of obsidian. It pulsed with violet light, slow and rhythmic — like a sleeping heartbeat.

Deren stepped forward first, limping slightly.

"That's it," he spoke with a hint of relief. "Let's finish this."

Ryel nodded and raised his sword. But before he could step forward—

Pssht.

A sharp, snapping hiss. Something zipped through the air. Ryel turned.

Elric stood frozen, eyes wide.

A thin black shard jutted from his thigh. No longer than a dart. He reached down with trembling fingers, touched it—

"Poison," he choked.

Before Ana could move, another dart struck her shoulder. She screamed, staggering back, nearly falling. The torch in her hand clattered to the floor.

"Shields up!" Deren barked, dragging her behind him. "Back! Move!"

Ryel spun, blade raised, scanning the walls — but there was nothing. No movement. No gleam of eyes, no shifting of shadow.

Just the air — still, too still — and the sensation of being watched.

Another dart struck the stone near Deren's foot. He didn't wait.

"Fall back to the guardian chamber!"

They fled, half-dragging Ana and Elric, both of whom were turning pale, their breaths quick and ragged. Ryel brought up the rear, every shadow a threat.

Back in the guardian's hall, they collapsed behind the fallen colossus. The armor loomed over them even in death — its grim shape like some dead god watching from the dark.

Ana winced as Deren snapped the dart's shaft and poured something bitter-smelling over the wound.

"I—I can feel it moving in my veins," she whispered.

"Slow-acting," Deren muttered. "It's made to terrify first. Kill later."

"Why didn't it follow?" Ryel said. "Why didn't it strike again?"

No answer.

They waited in silence.

Nothing came through the arch.

The only sound was Elric's strained breathing and the occasional hiss of torchflame.

"Let's not complain about something working in our favor," Elric wheezed, trying to force a smile.

Then Ana said, weakly: "Perhaps it is guarding the core."

The others looked at her.

"The creature… whatever it is. It waited. Didn't show during the guardian fight. Didn't stop us while we rested. It struck when we touched the core chamber. Perhaps it is bound to it."

"Room-bound," Ryel murmured. "Some constructs are. Rules etched into them. They can't leave their space."

"Or won't," said Deren. "Pray it stays that way. But don't bet our lives on it." 

A long pause. Then:

"We could still break the core," Ryel said. "If we rush in—"

"No," Deren said, harsh and final. "We're bleeding, drained, poisoned. We don't know how many of those things there are. And if they can see us while we can't see them… it's suicide."

"We come back," Ana said. Her voice was thin, but her eyes were sharp. "With more. Recuperated, with antidotes in hand, perhaps even an extra teammate or two for security. Even though most monsters will come back to life, common sense dictates that the guardian won't return. It's done."

They looked to Elric, who now slumped forward, breath shallow.

Ryel swallowed hard, then nodded.

They stood.

And slowly, quietly, they left the dungeon behind — never once hearing the creature's steps, never glimpsing its shape. Only the faint tingling at their backs, the unmistakable sense of eyes watching from the depth of the dungeon.