themonasnovels Chapter 41: BONEFIRE
Chapter 41: BONEFIRE
Chapter 41 - BONEFIREPREVIOUSLY-
"Okay," Sigmund broke the tension,
"Let's use what we are given."
"That's good," Raphael nodded.
"There must be a reason why Vayren gave this." Leon opened the book again.
"Let's see what he has written for us." Theo carefully opened his book.
-*-**-*-*-*
DATE- 13th , MONTH OF THAWEN, 2021 A.G.
Sunlight knifed through the dense green canopy, catching the side of Leon's face in a sudden blaze of warmth. He stirred with a grunt, grimacing against the unwelcome light.
"Urg..." The sound came out hoarse, half a growl.
He blinked sleep from his eyes, rubbing them with the back of a calloused hand, and pushed himself upright with a groggy sway. The forest floor, littered with pine needles and damp loam, clung to his cloak.
"Ralph? Sig?" His voice echoed into the treetops,
"Use your aura. Bones. Muscles. Breathe through them."
He shifted, drawing in a slow breath. His awareness slid inward. Into tension, tightness—then, a slither of sensation. Heat.
FLINCH!
His body convulsed. Veins bulged grotesquely beneath his skin. Blood beaded from his nose and the corners of his eyes, dripping onto the moss.
"Careful!" Gorvax shouted. "Separate the toxins from the aura! Use your energy to purge them!"
Theo gritted his teeth, mind tunneling through the agony. His aura, raw and instinctual, extended toward the bones in his gut. Tendrils of green mist curled around the fragments, binding them. A black wisp, sinuous and deliberate, began to wring the corruption from the marrow.
From his pores, black, gluey filth began to seep.
THUD!
He collapsed, writhing, clutching his stomach. His breath turned jagged and wild. His skin blazed red with fever.
"ROOK!"
The vulture darted in.
TAP.
SINK.
One talon pierced Theo's torso. A thin stream of blackened blood hissed onto the grass.
"Krrrr..."
From Rook's talon, a radiant orange aura surged into Theo's chest—warm and gravitational, like the glow of a dying star.
The poison retched from Theo's wounds, spewing from his skin in puddles of bubbling sludge.
His body twitched. Then—
"Haah!" he gasped, bolting upright. Steam rose from his skin. His fever had broken.
He turned. Gorvax and Rook were beside him, silent but relieved.
"Krr!" Rook squawked, wrapping a wing around him.
Theo smiled weakly. "Sorry, partner... scared you, huh?"
"You fool!" Gorvax shrieked, rage barely concealing his worry. "You were supposed to eat one bone at a time!"
Theo laughed, weak but triumphant.
"I'm alive, aren't I?"
Gorvax cursed under his breath. "Back to circulation. The bones still hold residual aura. Focus!"
Theo crossed his legs again, closed his eyes, and drew his mind back into his core. This time, he felt it—fragments of dissolved bone releasing their essence in steady pulses. His muscles drank it in like parched soil.
He opened his eyes.
"Mr. Gorvax... the bones—won't they make me sick again?"
"No," Gorvax said flatly. "Your body will absorb them now. You're already different. The bones are food."
Theo clenched his wrists.
"I never imagined I had something like this inside me." His gaze lifted to the sky, the clouds drifting like ships above. "Vayren... he really knew."
"Ahem," Gorvax cleared his throat.
"Krrrr..."
"Use your aura. Heal the wounds," Gorvax snapped, gesturing to the ragged holes in his chest.
"Right," Theo said, placing his hands on the wounds.
FLARE!
A green glow flared to life, surging over his skin. The torn flesh mended slowly, the bleeding halted—though faint scars remained.
"I don't feel... stronger," he admitted. "Shouldn't something have changed?"
Gorvax stared at him, exasperated.
"Do this for a fortnight, boy. Then see."
Theo stood, shaking the dust off his cloak. He strapped his axe to his back. His eyes, once hesitant, now burned with quiet resolve.
"Fuuu..."
He exhaled, turned toward the labyrinth's entrance—
—and stepped inside.
BOOM!
Sigmund sidestepped just as the golem's stone fist came crashing down.
CRACK!
The gauntlet slammed into the cavern wall, punching a crater into the rockface. Shards clattered to the floor like splintered teeth.
"Sh*t!" Sig cursed, breath catching.
"Mr. Skaleg, what do I do?!"
The skeletal hologram flickered, casting violet hues across the stone floor. Skaleg's ethereal bones shifted with a sigh.
"I cannot assist. Ask Nyx."
"Nyx!"
LUNGE!
From the shadows, a blur of silver-grey burst forth.
SLASH!
Claws shimmered with ghostly energy as Nyx raked them down the golem's back. Sparks flew where magic met stone.
CREAK!
The construct turned, marble sigils glowing faintly across its head like a slowly awakening eye.
RUMBLE... CRASH!
It swung again, but Nyx danced beneath the blow, fluid as moonlight on water.
A low growl rumbled from the leopard's throat.
THUMP!
With a mighty leap, Nyx struck the golem's chest, his hindlegs kicking off with supernatural force.
CRACK!
The golem staggered, slamming into a stone pillar that buckled beneath its weight.
Still it rose. Still it scanned. Unrelenting.
'What can I do?' Sigmund's thoughts raced.
'My sword barely scratches it. I can't keep wasting aura like this.'
Skaleg's voice returned, distant and dry:
"Use the wire... Remember what you studied."
Sig closed his eyes.
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Chapter 5: Traps and Defenses
To set a Mana-Charged Tripwire, select a 0.3mm high-carbon steel wire, 5 meters long, and anchor one end to a fixed point, such as a tree or stone, using a double-loop knot. Stretch the wire taut across your chosen path, keeping it 10 centimeters above the ground, and secure the other end with a tension peg. Channel a steady stream of aura into the wire to make it hum with latent energy, then coat it with a thin layer of fire mana, visualizing the mana as a glowing sheath. This will trigger a burst of flame when the wire is disturbed, incapacitating intruders. Test the setup by tossing a small stick across the wire; the flames should flare instantly, leaving the wire intact for reuse. Always mark your tripwire's location with a subtle aura pulse to avoid ensnaring allies.
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'No idea if my wire's 0.3mm...' he glanced up at the golem.
'But let's make it work.'
"Nyx!" Sig shouted. "Keep him busy!"
The leopard gave a short nod, vanishing into shadow once more.
SLIDE!
Sigmund dove low, slipping between the golem's legs as the steel wire hissed free from his fingers. His movements were a dance of instinct—fluid, precise.
JUMP!
He twisted in midair, landing behind the construct. The wire looped in his fingers, already wrapping around joints.
SHING—WRAP!
The cord slithered over stone like a silver serpent—binding ankles, knees, wrists, elbows, shoulders.
"Hold still, you bastard!"
Boots braced against the golem's neck.
STRETCH!
PULL!
Veins bulged in Sigmund's hand as he twisted the wire taut around the golem's throat.
TRICKLE!
Blood flowed from his palm as the wire sank his skin.
CREAK... GRIND... SNAP!
The creature's limbs began to lock. The joints, bound by enchanted steel, could no longer rotate.
"Nyx—now!"
KRAA!
Nyx struck like a guillotine. His claws carved through the glowing marble etched into the golem's face.
WHAM!
The stone behemoth collapsed in a heap. Limbs twitched, then stilled.
From its shattered core, crimson wisps rose—like curses leaking from a broken seal.
DING!
A purple pane flickered into view.
[INBOX]
◈ Golem's Labyrinth Cleared!
(Difficulty: Normal)
DING!
[INBOX]
◈ New Quest Available
Do you accept?
[Y/N]
Sigmund exhaled sharply, then tapped Y.
[QUEST: Labyrinth Hunter]
◈ Clear 15 labyrinths
Progress: [1/15]
Reward: ???
Penalty: None
Sigmund coiled the steel wire neatly, every motion practiced, deliberate.
"Mr. Skaleg," he said, eyes already scanning the far tunnel,
"Let's move."