211 Keeper Of The Old Lords

Surgit and Karla danced around the bloody thin creatures the bell ringing crone summoned. Surgit slashed and kicked, while Karla skipped past the enemies, only slaying the ones that stood in her way.

She quickly reached the old crone, and with two well placed swings, she cut her down. Surgit was surrounded by then. Three bloody creatures with long scythes were about to cut him to pieces when they wailed and fell to the ground. They exploded, showering the hunter in blood.

Surgit wiped the blood from his face and looked at Karla, who was panting and smiling.

"Next time, you'll take care of them," he said, pointing at the spot where the bloody creatures exploded.

"You're just mad because I saved your ass once more," she said, still smiling.

Surgit got inside the room Karla had rushed in. He found himself in a spacious place that reminded him of Francis's mansion hall. Stairs from either side of the walls led to a floor above them.

They saw light shining above, but they couldn't hear or smell any creatures in the distance, save for the guardian they targeted. "Shall we get this over with?" Surgit asked.

Karla nodded. Her eyes hardened as she looked above. "I can sense something in the air, beside the usual tension in these tombs."

"I can feel it too," Surgit said then shuddered. "Our next fight's going to be a challenge..."

"How do you know?" Karla asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I've felt like this every time I was about to face a dangerous foe," Surgit replied. His eyes were still glued on the light above. "It's like the hair at the back of my neck stands. I can feel tension in the air, electric, deadly."

"I couldn't have described it better," Karla said. "Is this what they call a hunter's sense?"

Surgit shrugged. "Call it what you will, what matters is that it warns us of danger."

"I have a suggestion," Karla said with an upbeat voice.

Surgit turned to her, eyebrows arched.

"We came here to find answers, and to get stronger, right?" she asked.

A devious smirk began forming on her face. Surgit frowned. "What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"That guardian is strong, how about we take turns fighting it?" She said in a confident tone.

Surgit's eyes widened. He chuckled lightly. "You already assume we'll die against the guardian," he said in a mocking tone.

"If it's weak, then by all means, let's get rid of it and move on," Karla retorted. She raised a finger in front of Surgit's face. "If it's strong, however, I suggest we take it as an opportunity to grow."

Surgit scratched his chin. His stubble had transformed into a full grown beard. "If we're fighting Gavril, then facing whatever Francis is preparing for us..." He shrugged. "Yes, let's do that. If it's strong and fast, it will be a good way to prepare for the fight against Gavril."

They climbed the stairs and soon found themselves facing a small marble gate. Time and dust had stripped it of all its previous glory. The engravings that were previously well depicted and colorful had now become bland, eroded.

The hunters activated their insight and saw the engravings dance and whirl. Soon a text appeared before their eyes in a language they could understand. "Turn around, unwary traveler. Do not disturb the Old Gods, or suffer the guardian's wrath!" Karla read out loud.

"Why read warnings if we're just not going to listen to them?" Surgit asked then pushed the door open.

The door complained. Its hinges, lacking oil, creaked and complained. Surgit put all his strength behind his next push. The door creaked open while dust fell over their shoulders. They soon found themselves in a long hall. Pillars stood on each side, limiting their manoeuvrability. They had but a limited space to move around.

They saw a tall humanoid shape in the distance. By its garb, it looked like a woman.

"Keeper Of The Old Lords." The name came to Karla and Surgit's minds in form of faint whispers.

"What was that?" Karla asked.

"That's the name given to this thing," Surgit said through gritted teeth.

"It sure looks, and feels, strong," Karla replied.

The keeper was slowly walking toward them. Its head was homed in on the hunters. They couldn't see its eyes, but they could see the helmet it was wearing. It had six cavities, each one stacked above the other in pairs.

"Does this thing have six eyes?" Karla whispered.

The keeper kept on walking toward them, slowly cutting the distance between it and the hunters. It held a curved sword on one hand, loosely slumped against its legs. The keeper also wore a large, pointy hat.

"It sure looks like we're about to face a wizard. Are you still certain we should fight it one at a time?" Surgit asked.

Karla nodded. "I'll go first. If I die, you go after me. I'll wait for you by the lantern."

"I really don't want to lose all the echoes we've gathered so far. They'll help us evolve, especially after we defeat this one and the last guardian," Surgit replied with a hesitant tone.

"We can always get more echoes, but you can't get fighting experience unless you face strong opponents and survive." Karla turned to look at Surgit then. "We have something most people don't. We can come back from the dead, stronger, fiercer. Let's take advantage of that!"

She smiled then dashed toward the keeper. The tall armored keeper didn't change its pace to meet Karla. It kept walking ever so slowly, its head directed at the hunter that approached it.

Karla reached it a little while after. Karla swung at it, and the keeper jumped backwards, slashing its weapon at the air as it did. Karla whipped her gun out and shot the keeper as it swung its saber for the second time.

The keeper fell to its knees, and Karla jumped at the occasion. One visceral attack later, the keeper was lying on its back, blood pouring out its chest. Karla beamed. She was about to turn toward Surgit when it saw the keeper's fingers twitch.

It slowly got to its feet and rested its head on Karla. Karla dashed forward. The keeper was a fair distance away from her, but if she could incite it to attack once more, she could finish it with another visceral attack.

The swing she expected, however, never came. She saw the keeper throw its free hand forward. Then a fiery jet exploded toward Karla. She jumped backward to avoid it, but her dodge wasn't well timed.

Surgit heard her howl as fire caught on her. He ran for her rescue, but by the time he arrived, Karla had turned into charred meat. Surgit squeezed his hand around his sword's hilt. The keeper was slowly approaching him, but his eyes were glued on Karla, who hadn't disappeared yet.