[803] [2913] [16999] [xxxxx] Temple of the Ancient Golem

Riala and Anui-el were sound asleep, their peaceful breaths blending with the crackling of the campfire that was beginning to die out. Ancalis moved like a shadow, expertly slipping out of the campsite without a sound, wings tight against his back as he grew into his Haedian shape, joining Dominion by the treeline.

Dominion~"You’re seriously doing this?"

Dominion whispered, glancing back at the camp, half expecting Riala to come storming out any second. It wasn’t easy for Ancalis to get out of her hold.

Ancalis~"What? Look– I know she’s always insisting I siphon from her, but I think she could use a break.. Besides, a little trip never hurt anyone."

Dominion narrowed his eyes, shaking his head with a half-grin.

Dominion~"Yeah, until she notices you’re gone and sets something on fire trying to find you. You know how she gets.."

Ancalis chuckled softly, brushing it off with a flick of his tail.

Ancalis~"She’ll be fine. She needs her rest. And you, my dear pup, need to loosen up. It’s not every day we stumble across forgotten ruins soaked in ancient magic. Warrenfall is a bountiful feast, and I intend to gorge a little now and then.."

Dominion rolled his eyes but followed Ancalis through the underbrush, his paws sinking into the soft moss.

Dominion~"Right. Because this is all about the ruins and not about you sneaking off to avoid your daily magical drain session."

Ancalis gave a playful shrug.

Ancalis~"I think it’s a win-win. Riala gets to sleep, I get a break with something different, and you get to have some fun with that growing magic of yours."

Dominion huffed but couldn’t help but feel the excitement creeping in. It wasn’t every day they got to have a little unsupervised fun.

Dominion~"Well, as long as we’re quick. I’m not exactly in the mood for a Riala-style wake-up call."

Ancalis grinned, his eyes gleaming as they neared the old Ruins; their silhouette barely visible through the dark mist.

Ancalis~"Trust me, we’ll be in and out before she even knows we’re gone."

Dominion gave him a skeptical look.

Dominion~"You always say that, and somehow we end up in more trouble than we bargained for. I just wanted to practice my magic, not end up cursed or something."

Ancalis chuckled again, giving Dominion a light nudge with his wing.

Ancalis~"Oh, don’t be so dramatic, pup. You’ll get your chance to show off that magic of yours. And if something does go wrong, well, I’ve got the knack for getting-the-fuck-out."

Dominion snorted but couldn’t help but smile.

Dominion~"Yeah, that's one way to put it... Just keep your magic stuff in check, alright?"

The ruins loomed ahead, crumbling and overgrown, but undeniably full of ancient power. Dominion’s paws tingled as they got closer, the air heavy with the hum of old magic. For once, he was starting to think maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Dominion~"Alright, let’s get this over with before Riala wakes up and I end up in more trouble than you."

Ancalis’ grin widened as they reached the edge of the ruins.

Ancalis~"That’s the spirit. You’ll never be in more trouble than me– I’m too damn good at it."

As the two approached only the sound of two arguing, whispering voices seemed to become louder than the humming of the magic, giving way to the reality that they were, in fact, not the only ones around.

Ajax- “I’m telling you, you’re not going to need all of that!”

Theneras- “I, for one, do not want to be faced with poisoned arrows sticking out of my butt. Again.”

Ajax- “Woah. Again???”

Theneras- “YES!”

The second voice seemed to be at his limit as he responded, though the laughter that followed showed that he was, still, not being taken seriously. From the shadows, closer to the ruins, the two Reoseans became visible against the dimmest of lights from the moon above. One was significantly taller than the other, a puller, looking down to the small chaser, and both sported a bright, white coat. 

The chaser dropped several bags on the floor as they came to a stop, small vials and bandages falling out of some and he hurried to collect them all again. The puller watched with an amused expression.

Ajax- “You’d be able to fit a lot of treasure in those if you just… drop those.”

Theneras- “I’m not here for the treasures, I just want to document the ruins and see what’s in there–”

Ajax- “Sooooo I can take them?”

Theneras paused and looked up, his eyes narrowing and choosing not to answer. He might snag some of the treasure himself after all, as a souvenir and something to show to his clan leader. He didn’t want to lock himself into the reality that Ajax would take everything.

Dominion~ "Poisoned arrows in the butt, huh?? Sounds like a fun story!"

Dominion’s voice broke through the quiet like it always did—loud and without a care. He stepped out from their hiding spot with a pounce, his usual grin plastered on his face like he’d just wandered into a good joke.

Ancalis~ "What are you doing???"

Ancalis hissed across in a sharp tone, his short fur bristling with irritation. He had half a mind to grab Dominion by the scruff and drag him back, already regretting not tying him to a rock before they left. But no, Dominion just had to ruin whatever stealth they had..

Dominion~ "We overheard you two. Traps, treasures... Sounds like you could use a couple more hands! Or paws, or whatever we have together."

Dominion strolled towards Theneras and Ajax, tail flicking lazily as if this were a casual stroll rather than a magic heist for Ancalis.

Ancalis~ "Idiot."

Ancalis cursed under his breath, his muscles tensing as he debated the merits of simply turning around and pretending not to know him. But he couldn’t leave Dominion alone in this mess. Begrudgingly, he slipped out of the shadows, his dark fur blending into the night as he joined them, clearly far less enthusiastic.

Theneras was startled the moment he heard the extra voice from the other parties, narrowing his eyes and placing a paw protectively over his bags.

Theneras- “It was, in fact, not fun.”

Ajax laughed and rolled his eyes- at least until he heard Ancalis. The Puller let out a gasp and his tail swished in recognition.

Ajax- “It’s you! Wow, long time no see, huh??”

A small vial rolled towards him, and as the puller walked he nearly stepped on it– if he had he would have slipped but as luck would have it, his paw missed it by a hair’s width. Theneras had grimaced and let out a soft sight in relief, shaking his head and gathering his stuff again.

Ajax- “Did the flute work out for you guys? Are you guys here for some personal treasure hunting?”

Theneras- “I would like to be out of this place by morning- can we hurry up and skip the familiarities?”

The chaser picked the bags up again, walking straight to a crumbled entrance and stepping over the stones to head inside. Ajax didn’t pay him no mind, staring expectantly at Ancalis and Dominion for an answer.

Ancalis blinked, his eyes narrowing as Ajax's words finally registered. For a moment, there was no recognition—until the memory resurfaced. The flute. And everything that followed. His lip curled back in a silent snarl. Without a word, the dark Haedian lashed out, his padded hand wrapping around Ajax’s neck, toppling the unsuspecting vayron onto his back. Ajax let out an oof in response and raised his paws in defense, opening his mouth to speak but gurgling a little at the pressure on his throat.

Ancalis loomed over him like a shadow, his glowing eyes cutting through the dim night.

Ancalis~ "The flute? You wretched little—"

Before he could finish, Dominion barreled in, shoving himself against Ancalis and knocking him aside just enough to free the vayron from his grip.

Dominion~ "He’s right, Ancalis! We gotta’ move!"

Ancalis growled in protest, already bristling as he steadied himself.

Ancalis~ "But he—"

Dominion~ "It can wait until morning. We’re wasting time here!"

Ancalis’ snarl deepened, but he grudgingly stepped back, recognizing that Dominion—unfortunately—was right. Time was slipping away. Still, his eyes remained locked on Ajax, sharp and burning with threat. He raised two fingers to his eyes, then pointed them directly at the Puller, claws hovering just inches from Ajax’s face.

Ancalis~ "I'm watching you, you little charlatan."

Ajax shrunk back a little, a nervous smile on his face. He didn’t understand why the Haedian was so aggressive- all he did was sell them a flute! That worked well, last time he had checked! Still, he quickly scurried off to follow Theneras inside. 

Once along with the other chaser, he cleared his throat a little.

Ajax- “So how deep do you want to go?”

Theneras- “Deep enough so I can’t see the entrance behind us anymore.”

Ajax- “Haha… ha. Right.”

The puller looked behind him to see the others following, grimacing. He knew he’d get out if he needed to, for sure. He always got out of tricky situations- that was his specialty! But he still didn’t like the way that man just assaulted him out of nowhere. 

Ajax- “So, theoretically, if something were to happen- you have healing stuff?”

Theneras- “Ofcourse.”

Dominion’s ears twitched as Ajax and Theneras moved deeper into the ruins, their voices echoing faintly off the stone walls, naturally carrying back.

Dominion~ "Did you really need to manhandle him like that? You’re making us look like villains here."

Dominion kept his voice low, and Ancalis growled under his breath, his eyes still fixed ahead.

Ancalis~ "He deserved it."

But Dominion was already losing interest in the argument, his focus shifting to the ruins around them. The air here felt heavier, filled with the faint, vibrating hum of ancient magic. He couldn’t help but grin.

As they approached Ajax and Theneras again, Dominion overheard the Puller's nervous question about healing supplies.

Dominion~ "You worry too much. We’re more than capable of getting out of any trouble! Me and Ancalis are great at magic - and I’m on my way to becoming a powerful—-"

Before anyone could respond, a faint rumble shook the ground beneath them. Loose dust rained down from the stone ceiling.

Ancalis~ "You felt that, right..?"

The hum of magic intensified, vibrating through the walls now. Ancalis stepped forward cautiously, his eyes glowing green as he felt the arcane energy around them.

Suddenly, the floor in front of them cracked, revealing a staircase descending into darkness, lit by an eerie, pulsating glow from below. Theneras had jumped and hidden himself behind the confident puller, who wasn’t too phased at the reveal. After all, he’d seen it numerous times in the ancient temples and places he’d explored before.

Dominion~ "Well, there’s our path forward."

Ancalis shot Dominion a sharp glance, his claws flexing slightly.

Ancalis~ "A little too convenient, don’t you think, pup?"

Dominion flashed a grin, already starting toward the stairs. 

Dominion~"We’ll never know if we don’t check it out. Thought you weren’t scared of anything?"

Ancalis huffed, riled by the very idea that he was the coward amongst all of them. His eyes shot across to Ajax and Theneras like knives.

Ancalis~” You should worry more for the two babbling tag-alongs who could prove useful for blocking hidden traps for us.”

Ajax- “Oh, I never get hit by any traps.”

The Puller smiled in response, looking back to Ancalis- perhaps a little smugly. It was his job after all. Not looking smugly– but ruin delving. 

Ajax- “You have to remember that these temples were build for people. So- why wouldn’t there be pathways for them to go through?”

Theneras- “Because, maybe, they want to make sure people don’t follow the same path as they did?”

Ajax- “Nahhh.”

Ajax shook his head and trotted ahead, meeting Dominion at the front, leaving a quite worried Theneras behind with Ancalis. He liked Dominion’s fearlessness, after all. 

The pathways led them through various corridors, some trapped, some not. Poison darts shooting from the walls and ceilings wasn’t uncommon, but Ajax just walked through with nothing happening to him. Theneras did, as per his story, get a dart in his butt at least once- but if taken out quick enough and treated with a potion it had hardly any effect on him. 

Eventually, the corridors led to a big open section, statues stood facing each other with a grand pedestal in between them. Upon the pedestal was a floating gem, filled with magic- the same colour as the eyes of the statues. 

Ajax- “Now, don’t touch that.”

The puller pointed to the gem.

Ajax- “The real nice artifacts are the ones that people often don’t think are useful. Like– spoons and forks. Lutes and flutes. Not the gems filled with ancient magic.”

After a frustrating gauntlet of traps, Ancalis stood in the chamber, plucking poisoned darts out of his hide. Luckily, the blight in him meant that such a task was harmless– he’d endured much worse for sure. His fur was ruffled in patches where darts had struck, but his attention was already on the glowing gem in the center of the room. The statues around it loomed. Dominion glanced at him, a small snort escaping.

Dominion~ "You look like a pincushion…"

Ancalis~” Shut it, pup.”

Ancalis snarled, his focus on the pulsating gem still. His claws twitched, itching to reach for it.

Ancalis~ "That gem… I can feel the power radiating from it. Raw, untapped magic."

Dominion, sensing trouble, sidestepped in front of Ancalis as he moved toward the pedestal.

Dominion~ "Yeah, no. Don’t even think about it. We didn’t come all this way for you to start playing with ancient magic."

Ancalis' eyes narrowed, his voice low with irritation.

Ancalis~ "That’s exactly why I came all this way... I can siphon it, Dominion. It wouldn’t take much."

Dominion shook his head.

Dominion~ "We're not getting cursed because you’ve got… Sticky fingers!"

Ancalis’ lip curled, but he stopped in place. His eyes lingered on the gem, every instinct screaming at him to take the power for himself.

Ancalis~ " Such a spoilsport you are.. What, you plan on listening to the idiot who thinks a spoon is worth snatching from a place like this??”

Ajax- “Between ancient relics and spoons, which ones do you think we’ll find more of, and sell more of?”

The puller would have tapped his paw to his head if he could, before he went off to nosy and see if he could find anything on the ground that he could carry along with him. His magic materialized a pouch, and slowly but surely he started gathering things.

Theneras- “So… what was this temple for, then?”

Ajax- “Look around- the statues and glyphs usually tell the story of its origin, and purpose. I’m not too invested in the lore surrounding things in Warrenfall. It’s usually some sort of gOdlY WoRsSHip.”

His voice fluctuated as he mocked the practice of worship. Theneras pouted, looking around before making his way to the gem in the middle, and looking up between it and the statues surrounding them. He had some sort of history with statues facing a certain way. In his clan, seeing the statue of a wolf face outwards meant it was protecting something from intruders. In this case, though- they were facing towards the gem. They weren’t protecting it. 

Sure enough, as he got too close to the light of the gem- the heads of the statues turned towards him. Naturally, he let out a (manly) shriek in surprise before the temple started to shake. Dust fell from the ceiling and the chaser scrambled to get a good hold of his bags so he was ready to turn and run, and the stones around the gem began to levitate and hover. With the gem in the middle, it began to shape itself into the form of a golem ready to attack.

Theneras- “H-h-HOLY–”

The chaser scampered away and Ajax looked up as he was holding numerous small miscellaneous items in his mouth to put into his pouch.

Ajax- “What did you do???”

Theneras- “I just looked at it, Ajax!! I just LOOKED!!”

The chaser cried out, running behind the puller and taking shelter behind him. He wasn’t a fighter, and especially not a fighter of things like that.

Ancalis~” Just looked at it…”

Ancalis scoffed as the golem awakened, its massive form looming over them. Dominion felt a surge of determination then. He could feel the elemental energy coursing through him, ready to be unleashed. Perfect opportunity.

Dominion~ “Stay back! I’ve got this!”

He raised his paws, summoning flames that flickered to life around him, swirling with intensity. With a swift motion, he launched a fireball directly at the golem’s chest, the flames exploding upon impact and leaving scorch marks on its rocky surface.

Dominion~ “Come on! Is that all you’ve got?”

The golem roared, shifting its massive bulk as it swung its arm toward him. Dominion expertly sidestepped, a bolt of lightning crackling in his hold as he prepared for the next strike.

Dominion~ “Let’s turn up the heat!”

With a flick of his wrist, he sent a crackling arc of lightning arcing through the air, striking the golem squarely in the shoulder. The energy coursed through the creature, causing it to stagger and momentarily lose its footing.

Meanwhile, Ancalis lurked in the shadows, watching with keen interest. He recognized that Dominion was fully engaged with the golem, its attention fixed on the powerful elemental magic being unleashed.

Ancalis~ “Perfect distraction…”

Stealthily, he crept closer to the shimmering gem at the center of the temple. The air thrummed with energy, but he focused, allowing the darkness to cloak him as he moved unseen toward the prize.

Dominion summoned another fireball, this one larger and more intense. He hurled it at the golem, the flames igniting as they collided with its stone form, creating a deafening explosion that sent shards of rock flying. 

Theneras sidestepped some of the rocks that were thrown straight at him, but as luck would have it, Ajax wasn’t even hit by any of them. The puller waited for the golem to come to a complete standstill before walking over to Dominion.

Ajax- “That was amazing! I’ve not seen a Gladiator get destroyed before!”

He smiled widely, looking between the rocks and the vayron.

Ajax- “Though it’s not out for the count yet, so we should probably leave–”

Theneras- “Not dead??”

Ajax- “No? It’s magic. It’ll re-assemble if we let it.”

Theneras- “You’ve dealt with them before?”

Ajax- “Sort of? I just let them do their thing and they let me do mine.”

The puller smiled brightly to the chaser, and Theneras could not look more baffled. How was this vayron alive??

Ajax- “If you want to kill-kill it, you need to release the magic from the gem. But if you do that, or take the gem from its body, the temple will collapse too.”

Ofcourse, he didn’t know the adventure of the Haedian behind them.

Dominion~” You let them do their thing?? What does that mean! Their thing is squishing bugs like us!”

Dominion complained, panting for breath in his brief respite from the battle. This wasn’t over, clearly. No matter what he hit the golem with it only seemed to enrage and put itself back together. Typical. It was connected to the place-or the gem- or both, as Ajax had outlined.

The runner struck out at the golem with a great charge of lightning, sprinting up like a comet and thwarting the stony beast at its core to push it back–sending it toppling to the ground. Then, he swiveled, noting Ancalis seconds from snatching the gem.

Dominion~” You take that, the whole place comes down!”

Ancalis understood the instant jeopardy– but still, he was hardly swayed. This was a sweet fruit ripe for the taking. Whilst the golem was down, Ancalis snatched the gem in his claws, shuddering with the feel of its magic coursing through his being. Intoxicating, as always. The temple groaned and shook once its heart was stolen away. It was coming down, as anticipated.

Dominion charged up one final attack, calling down a bolt of lightning engulfed in flame to strike the golem to pieces one final time to tear it to shreds.

Ancalis turned his claws around the gem, reducing its size and storing its power away in a hidden stash. He nodded to himself, satisfied to add another powerful artifact to his growing collection on his belt.

Ancalis~” Let’s get out of here before we’re turned to paste then, yes?”

The haedian spoke as he leapt across the chamber, gliding effortlessly with his wings and landing by Theneras and Ajax. He scooped the two vayrons up in his arms and pressed towards the exit that Dominion was already making a break for. They sprinted through the corridors, the walls crumbling and traps firing wildly around them. Stone and debris rained down in their path, but Ancalis, with a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes, moved effortlessly—his every step as calculated as his heist.

And then, just as the weight of the temple threatened to bury them alive, they burst into the open. Dust hung in the air behind them, and the sound of destruction faded into eerie silence. The cool night breeze greeted them as they stumbled out beneath the trees, moonlight filtering down through the branches.

They had made it.