Chapter 13: Shadows of the Vale Beast
Ashen Vale stretched barren under a gray sky, its cracked earth dusted with glyph-ash, spires broken like bones. Jason trekked with Voren's runners, the Farthalin's crimson glow sharp, whispering: Farthalin. The colossus vision—Kaldor's grid alive—gnawed at him, scar throbbing. We're walking into it. The system's ping—[Resolve Points: 3400%]—felt heavy. 3400% Resolve Points—I'm reaching a breaking point. Lynn led, her rune stone casting a green light, the second manuscript in her satchel. "Ashen Vale holds the next statue," she said, green eyes scanning. She's focused. Celia scouted, her dagger twirling, violet eyes alert. Ren's warhammer gleamed, his red hair a flag, his sister's dream steady.
Voren walked beside Jason, his glyph-etched armor clinking, eyes like steel. "Ashen Vale's cursed," he said, voice low. "The Rune War's end burned it. My runners died here, guarding relics." He's haunted. Jason's Farthalin pulsed, its warmth a warning. The Farthalin knows—its warmth a warning of what's ahead. The air grew heavy, glyphs flickering on broken spires. Celia's hand flicked, signaling danger. "Glyph-beast," she hissed, violet eyes locking on a shadow. Not again—a glyph-beast, just when we thought we were safe. A beast emerged—stone and sigils, claws red, twice the last. A predator.
Jason charged, blade slashing, sparks flying. Tougher than Crags. Pain lanced his side as claws grazed, but he rolled, striking a glyph. Celia darted, her dagger slicing sigils, violet eyes fierce. "Like my brother's traps," she growled, dodging a claw. Ren roared, warhammer cracking stone, his voice a vow: "For Kaldor!" Lynn's rune flared, green light weakening the beast, her glyphs precise. Voren's blade struck, his runners circling, their glyphs flaring. He's a leader. The beast fell, its sigils dim, dust rising.
Voren's breath was heavy, his eyes on Jason. "You fight like us," he said, a nod of respect. He's warming. The system pinged: [System Insight: Defeated glyph-beast. Reward: 300 Resolve Points. Resolve Points: 3700%.] Lynn studied the spires, her rune stone glowing. "The statue's close," she said, pointing to a glyph-pulse. We're on track. They pressed forward, the cracked earth giving way to a sunken plaza, where a statue loomed—smaller than Crags', its glyphs faint but alive, pulsing red. A barrier of sigils shimmered around it, crackling with energy. A challenge.
Lynn knelt, her rune stone tracing the barrier's glyphs. "It's a lock—tied to the grid," she said, her voice steady. "We need to align the sigils, or it'll summon another guardian." Another fight. Voren crossed his arms, his voice low. "The colossus is tracking us—through your Farthalin," he said, eyes on Jason. "We can't outrun it forever." A plan. Jason nodded, gripping the Farthalin. "Then we disrupt its link here," he said, voice firm. Lynn agreed, her fingers working the sigils, green light syncing with the statue's pulse. "If we balance the grid, we might slow the colossi," she said, eyes sharp. A chance.
The Farthalin burned, a vision striking: Kaldor's grid flaring, a colossus watching, a voice roaring: You're mine.It's tracking us. A tremor shook Ashen Vale, glyphs dimming, shadows moving. Not alone. Celia's dagger twirled, Ren's warhammer gleamed, and Voren's runners regrouped, eyes wary. Lynn's gaze met Jason's, her resolve iron, but the Farthalin's whisper surged, a darkness coiling, pulling him toward the statue—and the colossus beyond.