Chapter 88: Gateway Guardian
The Bora Golem collapsed with a final breath as it shuddered, and Eleanor sank against the nearest rock, her chest heaving and her blade extinguishing as exhaustion finally caught up with her in full.
"That’s two," she managed. "Please tell me that’s all of them."
Finn stood up and glanced around before replying as he heaved a breath. "Yeah, that’s all of them..."
They crossed the last stretch of ground toward the bridge that spanned across the ravine before the Gateway, and Eleanor’s steps slowed the instant the far side came fully into view.
A shape waited there, enormous and unmistakable. It’s mane wreathed in living flame that cast flickering orange light across the ancient stonework of the twin spires behind it.
It stood there, gazing at the with hollow eyes, unmoving. The only thing that differentiated it from a status was probably the fact that its back rose and fell with each breath it took.
"Is that—" Wren’s voice caught.
"Hestia," Eleanor finished clenching her jaw.
"We haven’t seen a single one this entire route," Finn said, disbelief plain in his voice. "Why now? And why is it standing right there?"
Eleanor studied the creature’s position — planted directly in front of the Gateway’s path, unmoving and watching them with a patience that made her skin crawl.
Suddenly, she felt the pieces click into place as her gaze landed on the beast.
"It’s not wandering," she said. "My best guess is that it’s guarding. I think that’s its whole purpose. It sits there until something tries to cross, and then it attacks anyone that tries to cross it..."
Though it was only a hypothesis, it seemed to make perfect sense. Nothing else could explain why they have only met a Hestia near a gateway. Twice...
Why haven’t they encountered it before?
"That’s insane," Wren said.
"That’s this world," Eleanor said.
Then, she sank to the ground, and it was clear that the pain from her wound had already taken too much of a toll on her.
Callum was already moving, his pale light gathering around his hands as he worked quickly across each of them, closing the worst of the cuts and bruises from the fight they had just survived.
"Done. But I don’t think we can keep moving. My ability closes wounds, not replenish lost strength. I can’t give any of your strength back."
Eleanor exhaled, watching the Hestia across the bridge, its enormous form utterly still and waiting.
"We’re not fighting that today," she said finally.
"We could try—" Finn started.
"No." Eleanor’s voice left no room for argument. "We just cleared two Bora Golems. We’re too exhausted like Callum said, and that thing hasn’t moved an inch since we spotted it, which means it’s not going anywhere either. Fighting it exhausted is how people die for no reason."
Nobody argued further, the truth of it settling visibly over the group.
"We head back," Eleanor said. "Regroup with the others. See what they found on their own routes, and come back properly prepared instead of charging in blindly."
They turned away from the bridge, the Hestia’s patient gaze following them the entire time, and Eleanor didn’t look back again until the trees had fully swallowed the Gateway from view.
***
The fortress gates swung open to meet a small, anxious crowd gathered near the courtyard, and Lucas watched their expressions shift the instant they realized only two of the three teams had returned.
"Where’s Eleanor?" someone called, worry plain in their voice.
"She’s fine," Mark said, raising both hands to calm the gathering murmur. "Her team’s still out. Probably found something at the Gateway that needed more planning than a straight fight. She’ll be back. Probably not far behind us, honestly."
The reassurance settled the crowd somewhat, survivors dispersing back toward their evening routines with something close to relief, and Lucas just went straight ahead, exhaustion clawing across every inch of his body.
He slipped away from the group without much comment, nobody quite noticing amidst the general commotion of the return, and made his way through the fortress halls alone.
’That Avallion... I can’t believe we didn’t know that killing it was the worst mistake we could make. And apparently i had to literally die to figure that part out.’
The fight replayed in his memory... so far, if memory served him right, that had to be the most gruesome death he had ever had the displeasure to experience.
Avallions, hunted in groups. And he had to be in the receiving end twice before he fully understood.
Those beasts may have not been the strongest, but they were the fastest. And they made sure to take their time dismembering their prey before they feasted on whatever was left of their corpses.
The image of Pyra being torn in half resurfaced and he fought back the urge to vomit.
He could still feel what it felt like to have your organs picked at...
They were merciless aerial predators, smart too. What shocked Lucas the most was the fact that they had the intelligence to call for backup whenever they were cornered as well...
He reached his room, closed the door behind him, and had barely taken two steps before a sharp, sudden heat flared across his back. The mark between his shoulder blades, dormat since the moment it first appeared, suddenly burning like someone was pressing hot metal onto his skin.
"Ah—!" He staggered, hand flying to his shoulder. But the pain sharpened further, causing him to bite his lips so hard he tasted blood.
Something trickled from his nose an instant later, and when he raised a hand to touch it, his fingers came out red.
Another thing followed, flowing from the corner of one eye, then the other...
Blood...
Blood began pouring steadily, dripping down his face.
"What—" His voice came out choked, panic flooding his system. "What is this—"
[Ding!]
The system bloomed in his vision a second later and he managed to turn to face it.
However, when he saw the notification, his eyes widened...