Page 71 of The Wind Dancer
It wasn’t ordinary light. It was glowing symbols. They blazed on the walls and floor, carved into the stone, soaked with crimson, as if someone had infused them with blood. They lit up one by one, as if waking up from an eternal slumber, and the air around them grew heavy.
I froze. My body felt like it was caught in a spider’s web, and then I heard avoice.
It was lifeless and hollow, as if the stone itself were speaking.
“The protection of the Sanctuary welcomes the bearer...”
CHAPTER 20
“The protection system of the Sanctuary welcomes the bearer. Violations of the Temple’s boundaries have been detected. Activating quarantine measures.”
What kind of nonsense was this? I recognized that voice from my dream. I turned around as my instincts kicked in.
The creatures were only a few steps away. The nearest one jumped at me, its claws aimed at me, and its open maw of needle-like teeth ready to bite down. I stepped aside, preparing to parry the attack...
And the walls sprang to life.
An ink-black mist gushed out of the stone, which swiftly formed vortexes. A moment later, they condensed into their true form. Four faceless shadows clad in black metal armor, with cold emerald flames blazing where their eyes should’ve been. Their movements were as fluid as mercury, and it looked as if they anticipated every movement. And they held weapons that were as unusual as them. Strange blades, which constantly flowed into different shapes, were woven from the same materialas they were. The symbols on the flowing blades pulsed, as if uttering silent curses.
They resembled combat automatons. But the automatons I had seen or had heard of now seemed like a child’s attempt at recreating the work of a true master. The beauty and deadly grace of these eerie warriors was simply amazing.
Fouche froze. His face a grimace of absolute horror.
“Impossible... They should be sleeping... We did not invade the Sanctuary!”
The first automaton attacked. It stepped, or rather slid forward, leaving a shadowy trail behind it. With a single strike, it pierced straight through the creature. It screamed and crumbled into dust. The monstrous creatures I had fled from were nothing compared to them.
The second automaton stomped down on the stone floor. The ground heaved, flinging the tangle monster into the air. The automaton didn’t even need to move as it fell. Stone spikes surged up from the floor and impaled it as it crashed back down.
The third automaton stepped forward, passing through the creature whose body was made of darkness. Its armor flashed with a cold light, the monster froze, and then shattered.
I took a deep breath. The air was heavy, filled with the smell of metal, the creatures’ stench, and something that made me afraid.
The giant creature roared. It rushed forward, raising its weapon to crush the nearest automaton.
The weapon blurred due to the speed.
The sledgehammer connected. And then it shattered, as if it had been made of glass. The automaton didn’t even flinch. It just turned its hand, and the liquid metal condensed into a massive hammer.
It struck back.
The massive creature became a smear of black goo.
“Threat level: minimal. Elimination carried out successfully.”
They just stated a fact with an absolutely neutral tone.
Fouche was retreating. I could see his fingers trembling, twitching at the edges of his robe.
“Feng Lao... You have no idea what you’ve awoken!”
He threw his hand forward and black smoke filled the dark corridor. And then he was gone. All that remained was the awful smell of sulfur.
The automatons didn’t chase after him. They turned back into black mist, and slowly sank into the walls.
I exhaled, feeling a shiver go down my spine.
The Sanctuary spoke again:
