[Chapter 33. Node Guardian]

  The silence was profound, broken only by the distant call of an unfamiliar bird and the faint, almost imperceptible hum of mana that now permeated the world. The portal itself pulsed within the dead tree's hollow trunk, a deep, angry blue, the veins of purple spreading like a disease across the bark, marking its intrusion into this once-peaceful place.

  Searanox dismissed the dungeon window with a flicker of irritation, the anticlimactic clear leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He sat back down on the rock that was close by, and unpacked some of his rations he packed. While he does that three recon drones appear and fly of into different directions.

  He pulled a crinkled foil package from the backpack. The bright, cheerful logo for some chocolate-dipped breakfast pastry felt obscenely out of place here, a relic from a world that was already feeling like a lifetime ago. He tore it open with his teeth, the scent of artificial sweetness and stale grain filling the air.

  The pastry was crushed, its filling oozing from the sides, but he ate it anyway in three quick bites. It was tasteful, a bit dry in his mouth, but it was calories. He followed it with a swig of lukewarm sweet tea from a plastic bottle. He crumpled up the trash before stuffed it back into his pack, leaving no trace.

  As he finished, a ping from one of his recon drones arrived in his mind a map and a single, persistent anomaly. A concentrated signature of mana that didn't match the dungeon, smaller but more complex, located roughly five kilometers to the southwest.

  The anticlimax of the Burrowing Depths faded, replaced by a sharp focus. His nostrils flared once. He stood, dusting off his pants, and summoned a travel drone. The disk materialized with a soft hum, and as he stepped onto it, he gave the silent command. The drone lifted smoothly, rising above the canopy, and then accelerated toward the unknown signal, leaving the hollow, glowing tomb behind.

  The thought was simple as he lay on the drone while the world beneath him was rushing by. The forest stretched out, an endless sea of green with a few strange rock formations scattered about. He had been traveling for about twenty minutes when the drone slowed, the anomaly was directly below him.

  He descended slowly. He dismissed the drone and dropped the last few meters. He landed softly, his boots sinking into the moss covered ground. The anomaly seemed to be coming from a small clearing, in the center of which was a strange rock formation.

  It was a cluster of smooth, black stones, arranged in a perfect circle, roughly five meters in diameter. The stones were warm to the touch, and they seemed to pulse with a faint, blue light.

  Searanox's eyes widened slightly as he read the notification, a slow, grin creeps up his face. He summoned two assault, one offensive and one defensive drone. They materialized around him and gave them mental commands to spread out and take advantages positions.

  They took of except for the defensive drone that just floated up a bit higher above him. As his hand brushes over the surface of the center stone, a System window appeared over the center stone followed by a voice.

  The stone circle responded to his touch with a violent surge of power. The blue light within the stones flared, pulsing like a frantic heartbeat, casting dancing shadows that writhed like living things across the clearing. The air grew heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and something ancient, something wild.

  The ground between the stones began to churn and heave, soil and moss tearing upwards as if clawed by invisible hands from below. A deep, guttural groan vibrated through the soles of his boots, a sound not of stone grinding, but of immense muscle and bone awakening after a long slumber. The mound of earth bulged violently, then split apart.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  A massive, moose-like head, crowned with formidable, flattened antlers of hardened bone, pushed its way into the light. Its fur was coarse and dark brown, its nose a wide, leathery snout that flared as it scented the air.

  The creature hauled its colossal body from the earth, its sheer size making the clearing feel suddenly small. It stood over three and a half meters at the shoulder, a terrifying fusion of a moose's powerful frame and the raw, muscular build of a bear. Thick, powerful legs ended not in hooves, but in massive, bear-like paws armed with long, sharp claws.

  It shook its head, sending clumps of damp earth flying, and its nostrils flared again, its breath misting in the charged air. A primal roar tore from its throat, a sound so profound it disoriented Searanox for a split second, making the world seem to warp around the edges. There was no moment of assessment, no posturing.

  The Ravager's dark eyes fixed on him, its legs bunching with terrifying speed, and it charged. The ground trembled under its immense bulk, trees groaning as it brushed past them. The defensive drone reacted instantly, its hexagonal barrier flaring into existence just as the Ravager lowered its head, the flattened antlers aimed squarely at Searanox.

  The impact was not a collision but an explosion.

  The blue shield screamed under the force, glowing plates cracking and flickering wildly. Searanox was thrown back several meters by the shockwave, the sheer power of the charge leaving him breathless. The Ravager recoiled, shaking its head from the impact, its lips drawing back in a snarl before it began to circle, preparing for its next, devastating assault.

  His drones didn't wait for his command after he got attacked, they opened fire on the Ravager. Crimson beams poured down on it while heavy violet beams tore into his flesh, carving a chunk out of its shoulder.

  Meanwhile Searanox got up from between the stones, his shoulder hurting like hell. The Ravager got up on its hind legs and swiped his massive claw at the already weakened barrier, breaking right through as it dissolves into motes of blue sparks just like the defensive drone itself.

  Searanox pulled his rifle to his shoulder and fired the violet beam slamming into the chest of the Ravager, pushing it slightly back. It lost its balance and fell backwards, swiping at one of the drones as it fell.

  The drone got caught in its claws and pulled down with it. On the ground, it ripped it apart. The metallic shell gave way with a sickening crunch, sparks showering the forest floor as its lens shattered. Searanox summoned a new defensive and assault drone, while the Ravager was down.

  The air crackled with energy as fresh materialized shapes flickered into existence, their hum cutting through the beast's panted breaths. The air grew heavy, thick with the smell of burned flesh and fur. The combined assault of crimson and violet beams painted the clearing in violent strobes. It focused on the drones for a while, its massive paws swatting at the buzzing irritants with increasing force, but after some time it noticed that however many it destroyed, they just kept coming.

  The beast's dark eyes, once narrowed, now held a flicker of confusion, its head cocked to the side as it struggled to comprehend the unending stream of objects.

  A deafening roar shattered its brief hesitation. It charged not at the floating specters of death, but at their master, the source of its agony. The assault drones fired as it advanced, their beams searing its hide, but it ignored the pain.

  Searanox brought his rifle up, but he was too slow. The world spun, a blur of brown fur and raw force. A colossal paw connected with his chest, and he was airborne again, a ragdoll flung through the undergrowth. He slammed into a tree trunk with a sickening crack, the impact driving the air from his lungs and sending a blinding flash of pain through his torso.

  He slid down the rough bark, landing in a heap at its base, his vision swimming with black spots.

  "Ohh~ fuck that hurt..." He coughed out

  Through the haze of pain, he saw the Ravager turn its attention back to the remaining drones, its fury renewed by his temporary removal from the fight.

  It lunged, claws extended, and another assault drone.

  With a sickening crunch a violet beam burst out its left front joint, leaving its lib. Recoiling from the pain the Ravager loud a roar, as it tore once again through the barrier made from hexagonal segments. Searanox pushed himself off the ground and leaned against the trunk, shouldering its weapon before a violet energy gathered in the magitech rifle. after five seconds he released the energy, a violent beam of violet swirling energy crashed into its side.

  Ripping right through its thick hide and muscles beneath.

  It turned its massive head towards him and charged, a new defensive drone formed its barrier fresh and active. Mere moments before impact the Ravager lowered its head making contact with its massive antlers, the barrier flared up violently before bursting into blue sparks. It kept it in place just long enough for the offensive drone to charge up its overcharged beam emitter and releasing a thick violet beam that penetrated through the base of its neck. Piercing right through into the ground below, the Ravager fell forward lifelessly.