Book 5: Chapter 15 — Menagerie (1)
When they finally reached the Champion’s Gate, two days and eleven more encounters later, the thing loomed even larger than Noah had expected. Its blocky profile and the sheer bulk of everything else around it masked its true size until they were close, but now he stood beneath it the scale was intimidating.
Hundreds of feet of black stone rose in a triangular arch carved with glowing symbols that had to have been each taller than Noah and Aurelia combined. Filling the gate's center, a mana barrier glowed with green light, waiting for challengers worthy of what lay beyond.
They stood before it, two tiny hunters about to challenge something that had killed better fighters than them. The smart move would be to turn back. Rest. Prepare. Return when they were stronger.
But this was their ‘getting stronger’. Death Valley was no casual tourist destination and they needed to be ready to handle much worse than anything here could match.
His heart beat faster at the concentrated power emanating from beyond the threshold. His Dragon's Will stirred with anticipation, recognizing the presence of an apex predator.
"Whatever's in there," Noah said, "if things go bad..."
"They won't."
"But if they do. You should know—"
Aurelia stepped close, her finger pressing gently against his lips. Her eyes were soft, vulnerable, open in a way she rarely allowed herself to be.