Chapter 16: The Obsidian Monster
Gazel drew his sword and stepped in front of the carriage, shouting over the panic. "Form up around the princess! Now!"
The knights moved on instinct, steel ringing as they formed a tight circle around Didi and the carriage, shields locking together while their eyes stayed fixed on the cracked earth.
’Talking monsters don’t just show up,’ Gazel thought, his grip tightening on the hilt until his fingers locked hard around the leather, ’they usually only manifest speech at seven Shards or higher, and anything at that level needs at least a Master to handle.’
He had no Master, and he didn’t even have a six-Shard in his squad.
’This is bad,’ he thought, shifting his weight to block the clearest path to the carriage, ’top priority right now is getting the princess out safe, if I can buy them thirty seconds to mount and ride, that’s enough. I just have to survive thirty seconds.’
The ground split open with a sound like tearing metal, dirt and stone collapsing inward while a massive shape pushed its way up from the dark.
The earth gave way to reveal a torso of layered obsidian scales and a head that looked too human for something buried underground.
Dust rolled off its shoulders in thick waves while it pulled itself free, its eyes scanning the knights before locking onto Didi with a slow, deliberate focus that made every sword in the formation tremble.
"Well now," it said, its voice grinding like stone on stone, a low rumble that vibrated through their boots and up into their chests.
"I knew my nose wasn’t lying after all. One of the Underworld King’s royal bloodlines, huh? His Majesty will be happy if I bring you back to him."
The monster tilted its head, sniffing the air again like a hound tracking a scent.
"Though my main mission was the Goddess’s last bloodline," it muttered, its tone shifting to something almost annoyed.
"Filthy thing. I can still smell the residue of her power lingering in this area." It paused, its gaze drifting past the knights toward the distant tree line before snapping back to Didi.
"But that one is still too weak, not worth the effort of dragging back right now."
Its mouth stretched into a wide, unnatural grin, rows of razor-sharp teeth catching the light. "The royal bloodline, on the other hand. That will do nicely for now."
Didi felt her breath catch in her throat, her hands gripping the edge of the carriage door until her fingers ached.
’Goddess bloodline?’ she thought, her mind racing through every history lesson and royal archive she had ever read.
’What is it talking about? There is no Goddess bloodline left. The records say she died centuries ago.’
A cold hand suddenly closed around her wrist. She looked down to see Gazel leaning in close, his voice barely a whisper.
"Your Highness, get ready to run."
Her eyes widened. "What? No. I am not running."
"Listen to me," he said, his grip tightening. "When I say move, you mount and you ride. Do not look back no matter what."
"I said no," she hissed back, trying to pull her hand free while her pride flared hot in her chest. "I am not some fragile doll you can pack away the moment things get dangerous."
Gazel didn’t let go, turning his head just enough to look at her with an expression that made her words catch in her throat.
"Stop being a spoiled brat for once and listen to me," he said in a cold tone, shutting down her rebellious tone.
She stared at him in shook, because in the ten years Gazel had served as her personal guard, he had never once raised his voice at her, let alone spoken to her like this.
She wasn’t dumb, and the fear twisting in her stomach wasn’t just about the thing standing in front of them, it was about understanding exactly why he was looking at her like that.
’I know very much how powerful a talking monster is,’ she thought, her mind flashing back to every lecture and every archive record she had ever read. ’We are nowhere near capable of fighting something like that but...’
Her father’s council members were the only ones who regularly dealt with threats like this, and Gazel was not a council member.
He was a powerful knight, no doubt about that, but facing a monster of that caliber is just not something the current him can do.
’Leaving them is the right choice,’ she told herself, trying to force the logic through the panic. ’If I run, they can focus on surviving instead of trying to protect me.’
But then her eyes flicked past Gazel’s shoulder, catching the sight of the young knight on the far left whose hands were shaking so badly his shield kept rattling against his armor.
’But these are my people,’ she thought, her fingers tightening on the carriage door. ’If I run now, wouldn’t I just be a coward? Using my people as meat shields?’
Gazel didn’t wait for her to answer, he was already turning back to the formation, "knights, on my mark, we create an opening for the carriage to break through!"
The monster watched them with that same amused grin, its tail twitching lazily behind it while the ground continued to crack and shift around its feet.
"Run all you want," it said, its voice dripping with casual malice. "It won’t change the outcome."
Didi felt something cold settle in her chest, pushing past the panic and the shaking in her hands.
’No,’ she thought, ’this is not right.’ She looked at the young knight with the rattling shield, at every single person in that formation who was about to throw their lives away so she could ride away with her tail between her legs. ’I may be a princess, but I am not hiding behind my people while they die for me.’
She pulled her wrist free from Gazel’s grip and stepped out from behind the carriage.
"Your Highness—"
Mana flared around her body in a sharp burst, frost spreading across the ground from her boots while the air temperature dropped fast, turning breath to white clouds. Three crystal Shards rose around her arms in a slow orbit, each one catching the light and throwing it back in fractured blue.
Gazel turned around fast, his eyes locking onto the princess in confusion. "What are you doing, you need to—"
"I am taking command now," she said, her voice carrying no room for argument. "You will follow my orders, Gazel, and you will stop treating me like a little puppy."
He wanted to argue but he knew there was no convincing her when she was like this. ’Dammit, if the princess dies, the king might lose his position to the other major noble houses.’ He thought, biting his lip and forcing his eyes to face the monster.
’I have to make sure she survives, no matter the cost.’
The monster watched the whole thing with its head tilted to one side, that grin slowly fading into something closer to boredom.
’Is that it?’ he thought, looking a the shards around Didi’s wrist and feeling a dull disappointment settle in his chest.
’This is what the Underworld King’s bloodline produces these days? I expected at least five, maybe six if the royal line had been breeding for strength.’ He let out a slow breath through his nose, already losing interest.
’What a shame. I was told this bloodline was special, but she doesn’t even look like she could handle a hellhound.’
His gaze drifted past her for a second, his mind pulling toward something else entirely.
’Then again, there was that other one,’ he thought, remembering the faint residue of power he had picked up earlier. ’The one carrying the Goddess’s scent. If the royal bloodline is this weak, I wonder if he will be any different.’
Hajin grabbed the boar by one of its tusks, spun his whole body, and slammed it into the ground, "stay down big guy, this battle won’t go in your favor," he said, a large grin spreading on his face.