The Author's Viewpoint -
Chapter 151 - The Sleeping Guardian
Chapter 151: Chapter 151 - The Sleeping Guardian
"We can make the golem fight for us?"
Vanya’s voice was low, still wrapped in disbelief as she repeated the idea aloud.
Tave gave her a faint, confident smile and nodded once. "Do you know anything about golems, Vanya?"
She shrugged slightly, then shook her head. "Not much."
"Then let me make it simple." He leaned a little closer. "There are three core components that make up a golem. First, the vessel. That’s the physical form we see now. The body. The shell."
Vanya gave a slow nod. "Alright..."
"Second is the energy source. This functions similarly to what most Awakeners have. It’s almost like a Monster Core, but artificial. It can be replaced, or recharged."
Her eyes narrowed in thought. "I heard that to kill a golem completely, you need to destroy that core. Is that true?"
"Yes," Tave confirmed. "Different from monsters. You can kill a beast by severing its head and leave the core untouched for harvesting. But golems? No. Their ’life’ is completely tied to that artificial core. Destroy that, and they die."
He paused and glanced toward her, gauging her understanding.
"And the third component?"
"The command."
Vanya tilted her head again. "Command?"
"Yes. Most golems are created with a very specific directive. That command guides everything they do. And usually, they’re controlled by their creator through that instruction."
"Are you saying," Vanya asked slowly, "that someone here created this golem?"
Tave shook his head. "Not necessarily. It’s possible that the command was given long ago. A single order. Then the golem was placed here to fulfill it... indefinitely."
"Okay..."
"And this golem," Tave continued, his voice dropping slightly as he gestured toward the unmoving figure, "its core directive is to protect the balance of this forest."
Vanya blinked. "Balance?"
"One of its tasks," he explained, "is to eliminate threats that would disturb that balance."
"Monsters? Hunters?"
"More specifically... anything external. Anything that’s not supposed to be here."
Her eyes widened slightly as the implications set in.
"So... the demons?" she whispered. "And us, the Rift challengers?"
"Yes," Tave confirmed with a slow nod. "Exactly."
"Creating a golem like this to protect the Rift..." Vanya murmured, piecing the logic together, "...means it would naturally turn against any Rift challenger. So it makes sense, facing it would be part of the trial."
"Exactly," Tave said. "And normally, we’d have to defeat it in order to advance and complete the Rift."
Vanya went quiet, waiting for what he would say next.
"But this golem... is currently running on limited energy," he continued, voice lowering.
She frowned. "Didn’t you say they can recharge themselves?"
"They should be able to," Tave nodded. "But it seems the demon activity inside this Rift has disrupted that process. The energy flow in the forest is off-balance."
"So... this is because of the demons?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "They’ve done it on purpose, to prevent the golem from interfering with whatever they’re doing. And now... it won’t activate unless a true emergency happens around it."
Vanya’s gaze softened as she looked back toward the motionless figure. "Such a poor giant," she whispered. "So... what do we do with this situation?"
Tave’s lips curved into a quiet, knowing smile.
He stepped out from behind the tree, signaling her to follow. A subtle motion, but clear. It meant safe enough.
The moment they emerged, the golem stirred.
Its massive head slowly turned in their direction, the artificial eyes glowing dimly as they tracked the movement.
"The golem is responding, Tave," Vanya whispered.
Tave nodded once. "Now, channel your elemental energy. To both of us."
Without hesitation, her hands gently raised. Soft green light flowed from her palms, a calm, radiant pulse of nature itself. The energy spread between them like mist, wrapping around their bodies, making them glow faintly in the gloom.
Together, they stepped forward until they stood directly before the golem’s massive foot. Just the foot alone towered nearly up to their chests.
Then, with a heavy groan of shifting earth and grinding stone, the golem stirred more fully.
It leaned forward, lifting its colossal frame with surprising grace, and brought both of its enormous hands down to the ground. Dust rose in thick clouds around them as it pressed its weight forward, its glowing eyes locking onto the two small figures below.
No, not to both of them, only onto Vanya.
The stone head lowered further, bringing its face within mere meters of the elven girl. The giant loomed like a mountain beginning to move, as if one motion could crush everything in its path.
But Vanya didn’t flinch.
She stepped forward instead, calm and unshaken. She raised her hand and gently placed her palm against the stone surface of the golem’s chin.
Her touch was light. Respectful.
"The golem isn’t attacking," she said softly, almost to herself.
"That’s because of your energy," Tave replied quietly. "The golem recognizes you as part of the forest’s balance, not a threat."
The great being remained still, silent. And then, gradually, it pulled back, retracting its face, rising once more to its seated position.
Seeing the golem settle back into its calm, seated posture, Tave took a few quick steps and leapt up onto its massive foot, then turned to glance over his shoulder and motioned for Vanya to follow.
The golem slowly lifted one of its hands and placed it on its knee, creating a sort of natural stepping platform. Tave darted up its limb with ease, climbing quickly with agility until he reached the massive shoulder.
Vanya remained momentarily on the knee, watching what he was doing, her eyes narrowed in quiet curiosity.
Up top, Tave drew his sword, gripping one of the thick, vine-like roots that twisted through the golem’s form. He carefully lowered himself along its left chest until he reached a specific section near the center. With careful positioning, he held himself in place and began driving his sword repeatedly into that spot.
The blade clanged off the stone with each strike, sparks flashing briefly in the dim light. The golem shifted slightly, its massive eyes flicking toward Tave. But it made no move to retaliate.
"Vanya," Tave called down. "I think I need your help."
"What should I do?"
"I need you to strike this area. Hard."
Without hesitation, Vanya turned. Her arms lifted slowly, gracefully, like a conductor drawing the breath of a forest.
The trees around her responded. Branches trembled, vines writhed, and the thick limbs of nearby trees began to move as if stirred from sleep.
Then, with a sudden, thunderous crack, a mass of branches and vines launched forward, slamming into the golem’s chest at the exact spot Tave had indicated.
He leapt away just in time, avoiding the powerful blow.
The impact resounded like a drumbeat through the trees. Once. Twice. Again.
"Enough!" he called down.
Climbing back toward the chest, Tave kicked at a section of the stone, his boot slamming hard against it.
"Ah, it’s locked tightly. It seems that this golem is too ancient." he said from above.
"Do you need another force, Tave?"
"No,"
After a moment of silence, click.
A mechanical shift echoed deep inside the golem. With a low, grinding sound, a segment on the left side of its chest creaked open, revealing a narrow cavity hidden behind the thick plating.
Tave didn’t wait. He dropped into the opening, slipping into the cramped space. The walls were tight, and he had to crouch low, bracing himself with one hand as he ducked inside.
Understanding what was happening without needing another word, Vanya quickly followed. She climbed after Tave with agile movements, leaping and pulling herself, until she reached the open cavity in the golem’s chest.
Inside, Tave pointed toward the center of the narrow chamber. Embedded in the heart of the golem was a crystal, roughly the size of a human head, glowing faintly with a pale green light. It looked dim, like a lantern on the verge of dying.
"What should I do with the core?" Vanya asked, glancing back at him.
"Charge it with your energy. You just need to channel your energy into it. Keep going until the light stabilizes."
Vanya gave a soft nod. She crawled further into the space, carefully lowering herself into a sitting position before placing both hands against the crystal’s smooth surface.
The moment her palms made contact, a soft hum filled the air. Streams of green energy flowed from her hands like gentle vines, weaving across the crystal’s surface.
And then, the crystal began to pulse.
Tave watched, eyes narrowing in satisfaction. He nodded once, then turned and crawled back out of the chamber. With a fluid motion, he crawled up and settled on the golem’s shoulder, eyes scanning the forest beyond.
"Fang," he called calmly, "keep watch. Make sure no demons approach while Vanya’s working."
A faint growl answered from below.
This process would take time. And Tave knew, even a small interruption could ruin everything. There would be no backup now.
If something came for them... he would face it alone.
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