209 Guardians

Karla stood and headed toward the hairy creepy thing she had just slain. Surgit tried to get on his feet, but the world whirled around him as soon as he did. He slumped back against the wall and took an antidote Karla had handed him.

As it turned out, the creepy thing they'd just fought actually fought with a venomous corpse. They didn't know how it worked, but Surgit's rapidly deteriorating state proved their suspicions.

Karla grunted as she knelt and picked something off the thing's corpse. Her eyebrows furrowed as she inspected the item in her hands. She turned toward Surgit, her frown hadn't subsided.

She threw the item toward him and he caught it midair. His reflexes were getting better. That meant the poison effect was wearing off. He inspected the item with his third eye.

'Sage's Hair: Special material used in a Holy Chalice ritual.

A body part of a saint, sacrificed by the Healing Church in their search for Truth.

The additional rite Fetid Offering invigorates the Watchers, making them more treacherous than normal, but also making them worthy prey for a special hunt.'

Surgit's jaw dropped. He looked at Karla, then at the item in his hands. "That crazy thing was a sage?" he asked.

Karla shrugged. "Was, precisely," she replied with a dejected voice. She looked at Surgit, fat creases forming above her thin eyebrows. "Why did we come here in the first place?"

Surgit got to his feet. He no longer felt dizzy or nauseous. "I'll show you."

He led her to the end of the room they were in. A lever was lodged inside a half circle, imitating a half moon. A violet light shone on the lever and all around the engraved half moon. Surgit clutched the lever. He grunted and spread his legs apart. Then he pulled the lever toward him.

Slowly, the lever complained and obeyed the hunter's will. By the time he finally pulled the lever to the other side, Surgit's face had grown red. "Those who designed this were definitely not human," he said, breathless.

Karla's ears perked up. She turned toward the door they came from. "I heard some clicking noise, coming from there."

Surgit nodded. "There's a door in this labyrinth that leads to the first guardian. All we have to do is find these levers and remove all the locks on the door."

Karla turned toward the hunter. "Why do we want to meet this guardian?" she asked.

Surgit scratched his head. "You learn stuff, about the scourge and how to grow stronger. I wouldn't have gotten this far if I didn't explore the first dungeons. In fact, the first time you and Francis summoned me to fight Gavril, I was exploring the dungeons for the first time."

"What did you learn?" Karla asked, crossing her arms.

"But you didn't learn anything about leaving this nightmare," Karla retorted.

Surgit shook his head. "That's not an easy task. I suspect it's hidden in the depths of these dungeons. Tell you what, let's face the first guardian in this labyrinth, see what we can learn."

Karla didn't look convinced, but action was better than over thinking. She agreed, and they both headed to the area from which the click emanated. They met some pale creatures on their way, but they quickly dealt with them and moved on.

They soon found a barred metallic door that Surgit lifted open. They got inside and pushed another door, only to find themselves in a small round room. It looked like the inside of a dome. Pillars rose all around them, connecting the floor to a mezzanine on top.

A horned werewolf lay on all fours in the middle of the room. It lifted its head as the two hunters got in. It snarled, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth and long, pointy fangs. It jumped then stood on its hind legs.

Surgit and Karla recognized it as a similar beast to the one they'd fought earlier. Then Surgit heard the murmurs inside his head, informing him of the monster's nature.

"Beast Possessed Soul."

Surgit and Karla exchanged a nod then they both ran on opposite directions. The beast flicked its fingers, no easy feat considering its long sharp claws. A flame appeared immediately afterwards then shot toward Karla.

She avoided it with ease, while Surgit snuck behind the beast and brought his hammer on its shoulders with all his might. The beast staggered and fell to its knees. Surgit felt his arm transform.

Just as he thrust his transformed hand at the beast's back, he saw Karla standing in front of the werewolf. Her arm had also transformed, and she pierced the beast's chest at the same time as Surgit attacked its back.

They tore the thing apart. Blood and sinew showered them as the beast exploded into tiny pieces. Each of them received a blood gem after that, and a dream lantern appeared right next to them.

Surgit approached it, activated his third eye then snapped his fingers near the lamp. A blue light ignited inside, but the hunters weren't transported back to the dream. "We can go back to the dream, but we'll forfeit all the echoes we've earned so far," he explained to Karla.

"That's the knowledge you promised?" she asked, wiping blood from her face and spitting the pieces of meat that found their way inside her mouth.

Surgit chuckled. "Of course not, come take a look at this." He led her to a marble slab at the western part of the dome. Somebody had engraved something on it in a foreign language. Karla frowned at it, unable to read what was written.

"Activate your insight and read through these engravings," Surgit urged her.

She did as she was told. She saw the engravings spring to life. The lines slithered around, as though they were little snakes. They changed form until they were of a language Karla could understand.

"Herein lay the tombs of the Great Ones. Do not delve too deep into the tombs of the Old Gods, Oh unwary wanderer. The guardians are merciless. Any and all that try to unveil our secrets shall be met with unrelenting resistance.

"Heed our warning, leave this place and do not come back, for the guardians do not forgive trespassers. Only pain and suffering shall welcome you here. Leave at once, and don't look back."

Karla turned toward Surgit. "Well, that was very useful," she said in a sarcastic tone.

Surgit, on the other hand, had a wide stupid grin plastered on his face. "Guardians... This means stronger foes and much more blood echoes." Noticing Karla's heavy frown, he went on. "Don't try to find answers to difficult questions now. These tombs and their guardians, they're part of a big puzzle we haven't even begun to understand. Be patient, all we have is time anyway."

Karla scoffed. "If you say so," she replied, dejected.

"Look at it from this perspective," Surgit said then got closer to her. "The guardians are fierce opponents. I've fought one in the previous dungeon, a scary flaming dog..." He shuddered. "They're tough to beat, but the reward is well worth the risk. We might finally be able to beat Gavril!"