Chapter 28: Glyphs And Golems

They crossed the threshold onto the temple grounds, sunlight filtering through the canopy of trees surrounding the ancient structure.

The stone path beneath their feet was cracked, with weeds pushing through, nature slowly reclaiming what man had built.

Kane glanced up at the bright afternoon sky, confusion evident on his face.

"Uh, Cyrus? It’s still daylight." He gestured upward.

"I thought this was supposed to be some moonlight-activated magic temple. Shouldn’t we be doing this at night?"

"The ritual chamber activates under moonlight." Cyrus continued forward without breaking stride. "But we need time to navigate the temple’s defenses and locate the central chamber before the moon reaches the correct position."

They stepped into an abandoned courtyard, its stone tiles buckled and broken. Massive columns, half-collapsed, framed what once must have been a grand entrance.

"Makes sense," Kane muttered, surveying the crumbling structure.

"Get in, find the chamber, wait for moonrise, and grab the chalice. How hard could this be?"

His foot caught on a loose stone, sending him stumbling forward.

As he regained his balance, his hand pressed against a weathered tile bearing a faded rune. The symbol flashed brilliant blue beneath his palm.

"Kane—" Cyrus’s warning came too late.

A deep rumbling shook the courtyard.

The ground trembled as sections of the stone floor cracked open.

Massive humanoid figures pulled themselves upward, their bodies formed of the same ancient stone as the temple itself.

Six feet tall with blank faces and hulking limbs, the golems oriented toward Kane and Cyrus.

"You just had to say it, didn’t you?" Cyrus’s eyes flashed crimson as he held a defensive stance.

"Hey, I didn’t know!" Kane backed up, fumbling for his rune-etched pistol. "Nobody mentioned anything about stone golems!"

The first golem lunged at Kane, stone fingers grasping for his throat.

He ducked and rolled, firing two shots that sparked against the creature’s head but barely slowed it down.

"These things aren’t very friendly!" Kane scrambled backward, his tail bristling with alarm.

The stone golem charged again, its arms outstretched towards Kane.

Cyrus moved in between them, grabbing the construct’s head with one hand.

His fingers dug into the stone, veins of crimson energy spreading through the cracks before he crushed the golem’s head into dust.

"Show-off," Kane muttered.

"You’re welcome," Cyrus said dryly, already turning to face the remaining golems.

Kane squinted at the approaching stone constructs, noticing something he’d missed before.

Faint lines etched into each of their chests formed a complex glyph, barely visible against the weathered stone.

"Cyrus! The markings on their torsos—I think that’s their weakness!"

Kane aimed his pistol at the nearest golem’s chest symbol and fired.

The rune-etched bullet struck the glyph dead center, causing the entire construct to shudder.

Cracks spread outward from the impact point, and the golem crumbled into rubble.

"Huh. Would you look at that." Kane grinned, newfound confidence surging through him.

"Maybe I should’ve also mentioned I was top marksman at the Bureau three years running."

Cyrus ignored him, destroying another with a powerful kick.

Kane pivoted, taking out another golem with a precise shot to its chest symbol.

The stone creature shattered, fragments scattering across the ancient tiles.

"That’s two for me," Kane called out, ducking as stone fists swung over his head.

Cyrus moved with lethal efficiency, his hands glowing with crimson energy as he systematically dismantled each construct that approached him.

His expression remained unchanged, as if this were merely a mild inconvenience.

"And I’ve lost count," Cyrus replied flatly, crushing another golem’s chest with a single strike.

Suddenly, the ground trembled again, more violently this time.

The temple walls shook as dozens more stone figures emerged from the earth and descended from the crumbling architecture.

Within moments, they found themselves surrounded, the circle of golems tightening around them.

"We can’t take them all like this." Kane pressed his back against Cyrus’s, counting the advancing enemies.

"You insult me if you think this is challenging." Cyrus’s voice dropped an octave, resonating with ancient power.

The air around him shimmered with heat as his shoulders tensed beneath his tailored jacket.

With a sound like tearing fabric, massive black wings erupted from his back, shredding through the expensive material.

The dragon wings unfurled to their full span, obsidian scales catching the light as they stretched twenty feet across the courtyard.

"Hold on," Cyrus commanded.

Before Kane could protest, Cyrus’s strong arms cinched around his waist.

His stomach lurched as Cyrus launched them skyward with a powerful thrust of his wings.

Wind rushed past Kane’s ears as they soared above the temple courtyard. Below, the stone golems clawed uselessly at the air, unable to reach them.

"A little warning next time!" Kane shouted, his tail wrapping instinctively around Cyrus’s arm for stability.

From their aerial vantage point, Kane steadied himself against Cyrus’s firm grip and raised his pistol.

"Keep us hovering!" Kane shouted over the wind. "I’ve got a clear shot at all their glyphs from up here!"

He sighted down the barrel, exhaled slowly, and squeezed the trigger.

The rune-etched bullet streaked downward, striking a golem’s chest symbol with perfect precision. It crumbled instantly.

"One down, a couple dozen to go," Kane muttered, already lining up his next shot.

Each pull of the trigger sent another construct shattering into rubble below.

Five golems fell in rapid succession, their stone bodies reduced to piles of debris.

Meanwhile, Cyrus tucked his wings and dove toward the courtyard, releasing Kane momentarily to smash through a cluster of golems.

The impact created a shockwave that cracked the surrounding stone tiles.

He snatched Kane mid-air on the upswing, powerful wings carrying them skyward again.

"I’m gonna be sick," he gasped, face paling.

Cyrus glanced at Kane’s greenish complexion and descended rapidly, setting him on solid ground with unexpected gentleness.

"Stay behind me," Cyrus said, wings flaring wide like a shield.

"Just... give me a second." Kane steadied himself against a column, swallowing hard before raising his pistol.

In a swift motion, Kane dispatched one with a well-placed shot, while Cyrus crushed the last with brutal efficiency.

As silence fell over the courtyard, Kane holstered his weapon.

"So... temple defenses. That’s one down."