Guardian Past The Gate

KRHHHHKK!

A deafening screech interrupted Blind's declaration of victory, sending us all into excruciating pain as our ears were violated by this bloodthirst filled cry.

"W-what was that?" Sora quivered in the direction of Blind, but he only replied with wide eyes and a shocked and confused face. None of us knew what that was. But all of us knew, it was close by. Very close. The very sensation of death breathing down our neck or what seemed like it. My palms began to sweat and my face pale, heat extracted from my cheeks from my frightened state. My mouth dry, unable to produce any saliva to ease down my throat. We all looked at each over, before a loud banging was heard from the door directly placed in front of us. Sealed for now. But would it hold whatever it was that laid dormant behind it?

A few minutes had gone past and any noise and movement that could be heard previously had gone a bleak silence. Our party was too worn out, let alone for the fact that we were all to scared, so nobody moved. Everyone rested in the middle of the circular platform, either standing hunched with sweat beaming of their faces, or sat down and curled into a closed off manner from the rest.

None of us dared to break the silence, no matter how suffocating it felt and how much we needed the comfort of other's words. So we sat there. For what felt like hours on end, before Skull face spoke up.

"I think we should get going now. We have rested long enough and whatever we heard previously, seemed to have already gone."

"Are you fucking kidding me?! I'm not moving! Not when that things is around!" Crafty, one of the more confident and aggressive people in this party, felt doubtful of the chances we stood against the monster that produced that bloodthirst with just it's piercing cry. Seeing this, naturally the rest of our party's moral seemed to spiral in the direction of Crafty's thoughts.

"I know how you may feel. But sitting here isn't going to do us any good. Going back at this point would be a waste and this is our ONLY possible chance of completing this mission." He spoke with a demanding tone as his last words were directed in my way. He realised if we were to turn back, I wouldn't join them again and it seemed he doesn't want to kill me aimlessly. If I'm honest, I don't think he would have killed me anyway. Probably at worst left me down here to get back up to the surface on my own. Which I guess, was still not ideal. Netherless, he understood they can only move forward or else they'd have to stain their hands with my blood if they didn't want information about the party's behaviour being leaked to the public through the guild. It would thoroughly destroy their reputation and they wouldn't be able to ever get anyone else to join their group for any missions.

"If you all understand what this means, then I suggest you get moving. Choose! Either die sitting here! Or die completing this mission!" Our leader's face was shrouded in darkness as his raw emotions filled the empty voids between us.

"What about the choice of going back up to the surface? You forgot about that?" Sora spat. His demeanour now to a child going through one of his tantrums.

"No, I didn't forget. It just isn't available. As for anyone who tries to get past that door... will be slain immediately by my hands." His weapon retracted from his waist and now pointed at the throat of Sora. His eyes hidden by the shadows and only the fierce look on his face was revealed.

Sora swallowed hard before slowly stumbling back a step. "Y-y-you can't possibly threaten you own member. Your own friend! How dare you show me this gratitude after everything I've done for you and this party!"

"I still remember all you did for our party. And you are still my dear friend as well as comrade. Because of that reason, will I not allow you to take the easy way out."

Sora was seemingly taken a back by this. He bit down on his lip till a red liquid surfaced and proceeded to face away from our leader, and away from the exit. Just like the rest of our party. All now stood, all still unsure and frightened of our fate. But with a newly found determination.

Of course, I'd be going forwards no matter what. You have to stick your neck out to lure in the predator, so you can have a chance at devouring the beast above you.

"Ok, ok. Let's get this over with!" Sora exclaimed to the party as he walked off, several paces ahead of the group, his hand now caressing the stone wall in front.

"Don't get too excited! Weren't you just pissing your pants a second ago?! Blind replied playfully at Sora's act.

"Hey! I wasn't the only one! Besides I'm hear no-!"

His last words blanked out, as the stone door flew open and went soaring through the room and crashing behind us at the doorstep of the exit. Our group's eye's naturally followed the flying object, but when we turned around, we all wished we never did. Sora was no longer standing ballsy at the cobbled gate, instead his body crushed under the colossal door that found it's way behind us. His blood rapidly leaking out like a jam filled donut that was crushed underneath the rest. Some of our party's members had their mouths gaping wide open, but nothing came out of their throat. Our fear influenced us and the silence rung like an eternally deafening bell as our predator centred his whole hearted attention on us.

"What in the god's name is that?" The whisper emerged from our leader. All of us were too focused on our fear to display any emotion towards the corpse of Sora.

I stepped back in awe, the creatures presence and appearance resembled close of what I considered a death God would look like. It was an insect monster. But it was humanoid. Unlike anything I had ever seen before. Clearly the first time they have seen something like that too, based on their reaction. Well over seven feet tall, a gold exoskeleton that relayed it's brilliant shine even in the dark, cannon balls as shoulders, jet black skulls on it's fists. This insect monster reminded me of a book that I once stole for firewood. Before I burnt it, I turned a couple pages. On those pages were theories of insect monsters acquiring more power by finding and feeding themselves with the precious material called source crystals. These crystals are inherently hard to find as they are deep under ground and in some of the most uncanny of places you could think of. But the reasons these crystals are so sought out for, is because they allow you to increase your source strength by supplying you with the energy they had gathered up for millennia. The theory, in lames terms, means that these insect monsters have found a way to extract the power without the use of technological equipment, unlike us humans.

For a human who has found a source crystal and wants to use it, they must declare it and then pay a fee to a special organization that has the required technology to help you extract it and cumulate it inside you. It's a rather tedious and expensive process from what I read.

Anyway, it seemed the book that I dismissed as rubbish, seemed to have greater foresight than my young and ignorant self. After all, this predator in front of me, was in no means similar in terms of other monster insects. It's killing intent sent a rush of adrenaline through my body which ordered me to run, yet at the same time I was glued to one spot because of the same fear. It was a conflicting feeling that it sent through my body and my nervous system. My body began internally fighting.

Luckily my mind was already armed and prepped awaiting to calculate any chance of survival. The pool of blood, which had amassed behind us, now trickled to my feet, and in that moment the beast shrieked with oppressive authority that demanded we give up our lives as the offering to the king. To the strongest being in this place.

"R-run!" A desperate cry emerged from our last original male magician of the party, Red Snake, before the Beetle appeared next to him and slammed his golden fist armed with a crimson skull into his body. And as his fist collided, an explosion underneath the heavy blow from the monster appeared.

Everyone was now shook and we had only one more person who could use healing magic in the group. Our group scattered in multiple different directions, all heeding to Skull face's words of instruction. We all circled the beast who stood over the corpses of two of our fallen magicians. It's eyes, naturally, fell upon Widow. Our last original mage of the party and our last magician capable of using healing magic.

I wonder if this beast is actually intelligent or is it just following instincts? Either way, its working. Looking at the explosion that was created on impact by the insect monster, it's safe to assume this is most likely a Bombardier Beetle. What should we do?

"Ok! Souls, charge!" Blind shouted, his short swords aimed at the Beetle. The other two Souls followed their leader, but only after a moment of hesitance. All three came from different angles, forming a triangle formation. The first to lunge in was Crafty, her scarred arms reaching for her back to equip her two longswords. She throws herself into the air, soaring past the Beetle's abdomen and swinging her swords in an x motion hoping to pierce the exoskeleton. But to no success.

"Damn it! Oi Red Wolf, back me up!"

With call for assistance, Red Wolf followed up allowing Crafty to reposition herself. Whilst running forwards towards the beast, she charges her swords in a Valencia coloured source strength.

"HAHHHHHH!"

KLANK!

The only noise that could be heard after that ferocious strike which hadn't even managed to scratch the exoskeleton hit the surface.

I could only watch from afar, unable to see any point of entry for me to assist. The team wasn't really co-ordinating anymore, they were using their instincts and previously built up experience to move themselves, it was something I lacked, therefore my support was minimised and the others took turns to power at the monster.

Of course, the monster wouldn't just sit their defending from our hits, and soon started once again targeting specific members, blitzing in their direction swinging his explosive fists that meant imminent death on contact.

The whole party now rushed ahead at the creature hoping to pin it in one position and rain down continuous attacks. Everyone who could use magic now rained down attacks on it, all apart from me, and the Souls took turns to charge up and aim for the same place.

"Our magic isn't really effective! We need more firepower!"

"Leader, I might have to do it again!" Blind looked on as he relayed his message, his eyes burrowed and sweat teeming down his face.

"You can't! You know of the drawbacks that come with it if you do it so soon after!"

"But if I die it's not like I'll ever have use for it anyway."

Leader Skull face fell silent, closed his eyes and nodded his head. Then he sighed faced back to the rest of our party.

"Everybody, let's make a real push and give Drake some time to prepare himself!"

Everybody looked on in silence, all stern faced preparing to use up every little bit of mana they have left.

Drake? Is that Blind's real name then? Nevermind that, this is the perfect chance for me to get involved.

I jumped over to the rest of the party, placing myself in the back and began utilising all the mana I could gather and still control. The others began their attack as I continued to charge and cram more and more mana into the spell, refining it at each turn. My hand violently started shaking as the strain of the mana being gathered into the one spot increased with the more condensed I made the spell. I grasped my hand by the wrist, steadying it, spreading both my legs apart, gaining complete balance. The wind spell started fiercely growing and forming the visible lime colouring in my palm. The wind I created was strong enough that the other party members began looking at me in the back, their eyes blazed in bewilderment and shaken with a new form of hope.

Drake ignored it completely, his eyes closed, and a heavy field moulding around him. His right leg forward and his left back for support, slightly crouched with the twin short swords held in reverse grip overlapping each over, guarding his face. An explosion of the same ultramarine colour, vibrated around him but at the same time flowed smoothly like waves leaking of the tips of his short swords handles. He burst forward in an instant, leaping into the air spinning sideways next to the creatures chest, and unleashed his daggers, a flood of two identical sword swipes haunt over the beast powering towards his chest as they make contact. A clean cut that drew a purple spiked blood, the creature wailed, howling and swinging it's fist's randomly trying to hit it's aggressor. However Drake was all too fast in this state, calmly using the flying fists to propel himself of from to get away. He fell backwards, landing on one knee and holding his stomach, blood spurting out his mouth.

The Party jumped in excitement, however Drake, Skull face, and I, all knew the cut wasn't deep enough.

"We're just waiting for you! Whenever your ready!" Skull face shouted to me, his voice now scarred from the shouting and rough.

The mana in my palm coerced, bending to my will, moulding destructively. all the little practice that I had put in, connected and parked together in this one moment of brilliance. The spell was ready.

"I'm ready!"

I braced my palm forwards underneath all the force being exerted on my left palm, using the whole of my body and other arm to position it progressively forwards. It spiralled into a miniature vortex that was waiting to bloom from my hand. I picked my spot carefully, aiming exactly where the pervious wound had been inflicted on it by Drake's attack. I struggled to keep up my hand all until I let go. The spell roared on ahead, perfectly placing it on the previous mark. The mana ruptured on impact, the whole monsters body down from it's head, ripped away being sent backwards into the formidable stone gate it had entered from. The mana fragments sparkled like lime dust, slowly falling unlike the debris that fell from the ceiling. The area of the spell proved to be larger than I thought, even if I condensed it that much. I had much still to work on.

"YESSSSS!" The whole party erupted, their fist powering to the sky. I tried to do the same, but the hand I released my spell with was now broken, from the shoulder down to the finger tips.

I felt no pain, probably due to the adrenaline coursing through my veins, but I still collapsed, from the sheer exhaustion and focus I accumulated.