Chapter 14: Secrets of the Third Manuscript
Ashen Vale's spires loomed, glyphs pulsing faintly as Jason followed Lynn, the Farthalin's crimson glow heavy, whispering: Farthalin. The colossus vision—Kaldor's grid alive—clung to him, scar throbbing. The colossus—it's close, its presence pressing on my mind. The system's ping—[Resolve Points: 3700%]—felt like a heartbeat. 3700% Resolve Points—this power's testing me. Lynn's rune stone cast a green light, her satchel holding the second manuscript, her green eyes sharp. "The statue's here," she said, pointing to a glyph-pulse. She's certain. Celia scouted, her dagger a shadow, violet eyes scanning. Ren's warhammer gleamed, his red hair tied back, sister's dream iron. Voren's runners flanked, blades ready.
A stone platform emerged, a statue rising—another rune-lord, its glyphs blue, holding a tablet—the key. Lynn knelt, her rune stone tracing sigils, a third manuscript sliding free. "This maps the grid's core," she said, trembling. A breakthrough. Celia's voice cut through: "Rogues." Shadows surged, their glyphs red, blades glinting. It's a trap, set to ambush us at the statue. Jason counted fifteen, their leader's rune stone unstable. "The manuscript!" he roared, charging. Jason parried, blade slashing, instincts fluid. Celia struck, her dagger slicing wards, her violet eyes lethal. "My brother died for this," she growled, feeling a rogue. Her pain.
Ren roared, warhammer crushing armor, his voice a vow: "For Kaldor!" Lynn's rune flared, green light shielding her glyphs like a wall. Voren's runners fought, their blades sharp, but rogues pressed, glyphs cracking stone. Jason ducked, slamming a rogue into the platform, its glyphs flaring. Lynn's rune cracked the manuscript, sigils aligning. "It's a node key!" she shouted, her voice rising. She's got it. The statue hummed, glyphs brightening, but the Farthalin burned, its whisper a scream: You're mine.It's fighting.
Lynn unrolled the manuscript, her fingers tracing a complex glyph pattern, green eyes narrowing. "This core glyph—Kaldor's heart—is guarded by a rift," she said, voice steady. "It's unstable, pulling colossi from the grid." A new obstacle. She pointed to a faded symbol. "We need a ward stone to seal it, or the core will collapse." A quest. Voren nodded, his voice low. "Ashen Vale's relics might hold one—risky, but possible." A plan is forming.
The rogues fled, their leader's rune shattering. The system pinged: [System Insight: Secured third manuscript. Reward: 300 Resolve Points. Resolve Points: 4000%.] A shadow moved in the mist—a colossus scout, its sigils red, eyes locked on Jason's Farthalin. It's here. Jason raised his blade, the Farthalin flaring, as the scout charged, stone fists smashing the platform. Celia darted, dagger striking a sigil, violet eyes fierce. "Keep it off, Lynn!" she shouted. Ren's warhammer clashed, cracking stone, his roar defiant. Voren's runners flanked, blades flashing, but the scout's strength forced them back. Lynn's rune flared, green light weakening its glyphs, and Jason's final slash severed its core, the creature crumbling to dust.
Celia's dagger twirled, her violet eyes softening. "My brother would've fought here," she said, voice low. She's healing. Ren's warhammer gleamed, Voren's runners stood tall, and Lynn clutched the manuscript, her resolve iron. "This core—it's our key to Kaldor," she said, eyes on Jason. We're closer. The Farthalin pulsed, a vision flashing: a colossus looming, Kaldor's grid unstable, a voice hissing: You're mine. A tremor shook Ashen Vale, glyphs dimming, a larger shadow moving in the mist. Something bigger. The Farthalin's whisper roared, a darkness coiling, pulling Jason toward the core—and its guardian.