The chamber doors had barely finished slamming shut when the Goblin Commander moved.
It did not roar...
It advanced....
Measured…. Heavy….Certain...
Its halberd cut through the air in a wide arc.
Max intercepted first,
Steel met steel the impact exploded through the chamber like thunder. Max's boots skidded across stone. Snow moved instantly, striking low toward the creature's knee. Rey followed from the side, blade precise, aiming for tendon and joint.
The halberd reversed direction unnaturally fast. Snow barely rolled in time.
Rey's strike connected but sparks flew instead of blood.
"Armor plating," Rey muttered "Improvised"
Ben lunged from behind Max, spear thrusting toward the creature's ribs. The Goblin Commander twisted.The spear glanced off bone. It countered with a brutal kick. Ben flew backward and crashed against a stone pillar. The pillar cracked, Ben groaned but pushed himself up.
"I'm fine!" he snapped.
The creature's eyes never left Eragon.
Not even once, Eragon moved forward anyway. He couldn't stay behind Max forever. He stepped in during the next exchange, blade cutting toward the creature's wrist. The wind shifted slightly around his strike. His blade moved faster than his arm alone could manage. The edge sliced across the creature's forearm Green blood spilled.
The Goblin Commander paused. Just for a second it looked at the wound. Then back at him.
"Unstable," it said calmly
Max shouted, "Focus!"
The halberd slammed down again. This time Snow blocked with both hands and the force drove him to one knee.
Rey attacked high….
Ben swept low…..
Max pressed forward with raw strength.They were coordinated.
Disciplined...
But the creature was stronger. It fought like a trained soldier. Not like a dungeon beast.
Mage stood at the rear, chanting under his breath. A circle of pale blue light formed beneath the Goblin Commander's feet.
The air tightened…..
Gravity pressed down…..
The creature's movement slowed for half a heartbeat. Then it roared, muscles swelling, and shattered the spell with brute force. Mage staggered slightly.
"It resists control magic," he said quietly
Max's breathing grew heavier
"We can't drag this out!"
Eragon stepped in again, this time from the left. The halberd swung toward him too fast.
He ducked under it, the blade sliced a lock of his hair cleanly off. He drove his sword upward toward the creature's throat the wind surged around his wrist the strike landed.
Not deep…..
But enough...
The Goblin Commander snarled. It grabbed Eragon by the collar with its free hand and lifted him off the ground.
Max shouted…..
Snow lunged....
Ben thrust his spear into the creature's side it didn't let go. Eragon felt the pressure tightening around his throat. The creature leaned closer
"The seal weakens," it murmured.
Then Max's blade carved deep across its exposed arm the grip loosened. Eragon dropped to the ground, coughing. Snow dragged him back.
"Stay down!" Snow hissed
"I'm not finished," Eragon forced out
"You will be if you rush it."
The Goblin Commander shifted tactics.It stopped attacking wildly. Instead, it began targeting weaknesses. It knocked Ben aside deliberately. It feinted toward Rey, forcing him to reposition. It aimed crushing blows at Max's guard, testing endurance.
This wasn't rage…..
It was strategy...
Minutes stretched...
Sweat mixed with blood...
Max's left shoulder took a glancing hit. Snow's bandaged side reopened. Rey's breathing grew uneven. Mage cast again this time reinforcing Snow's footing with stabilizing runes. The creature roared once more and charged directly at Eragon.
Not at Max....
Not at Snow...
At him....
Eragon met it halfway. Not retreating, he adjusted his stance. He waited for the halberd to descend then stepped inside the arc. Too close for a full swing.
His blade struck upward again the wind responded stronger this time.
Not explosive....
Compressed...
Sharp.....
The air around his sword condensed like a thin invisible edge. The strike pierced deeper the creature staggered. Max didn't hesitate. He stepped in and drove his blade through the exposed chest. Snow followed with a downward thrust. Ben's spear pinned its leg. Rey cut across the neck. The Goblin Commander let out a final, distorted breath.
Then it collapsed….
Heavy...
Final…..
Silence swallowed the chamber. No one moved at first. Then the body began to dissolve. Just like before, Green flesh breaking into particles of light. Leaving behind a large D-rank mana stone at the center of the impact crater. Ben exhaled slowly.
"That's done."
But the ground trembled. Cracks spread across the chamber floor. From beneath the fallen body, a faint spiral of wind began to rise. Max stepped forward cautiously.
"Another evolution?"
Mage's eyes narrowed
"No."
The stone at the center of the chamber, the dungeon core began to fracture,
Not violently....
Deliberately....
Like something sealed inside was pushing outward. Wind gathered tighter and tighter.
Dust lifted from the floor. Snow stepped forward and stopped abruptly. The air in front of him thickened. He couldn't breathe properly.
Max tried next...
Same result....
Invisible pressure forced him back a step
"What is this?" Ben demanded
Mage said nothing. His gaze was fixed on Eragon. The wind was not resisting him.
It was parting, Eragon felt it clearly now.
Not pressure...
Recognition....
The cracked dungeon core split open fully.
Inside it, suspended in spiraling currents of pale silver wind, was a ring. Simple in shape.....
Silver...…..
With faint engravings along its inner surface. It rotated slowly,
Waiting....
No one spoke....
Max looked at Eragon...
"…Go."
Not trust...Not approval….Just acknowledgment....
Eragon stepped forward. The air did not resist him. The wind circled his wrists gently. He reached out his fingers touched the ring. Everything stopped sound vanished. Wind froze mid spiral. Dust hung motionless in the air. For one suspended second, the entire chamber existed in absolute silence. Then the ring slid onto his finger on its own.
Not violently....
Not dramatically...
Simply… fitting...
A thin band of wind rotated once around his body. His veins glowed faintly beneath his skin pale silver lines branching briefly from his wrist.
His breathing hitched, Power flooded in not overwhelming.
But vast....
Ancient....
Sealed....
Unlocked.....
The wind did not explode outward. It bowed and then settled. The chamber returned to normal. Sound rushed back Eragon staggered. Snow moved instinctively to catch him.
"Eragon!"
Max stepped forward sharply
"What just happened?"
Eragon tried to speak but the world tilted.
His vision blurred the wind around him faded into whispers. He collapsed Snow caught him fully this time.
"He's burning up," Snow said.
Mage stepped closer, studying the ring carefully.
"…Interesting"
Max's eyes hardened
"Say it clearly"
Mage glanced up
"The dungeon did not create that."
Silence. Rey stared at Eragon's hand.
"So it was sealed here"
Ben swallowed
"And it chose him"
No one argued Eragon's consciousness faded completely. Darkness took him.
And within that darkness a voice,
Ancient...
Calm...
One seal broken....
Far away….Beyond Rivergate….Beyond East Point…..Deep within an untouched forest.
A massive hollow tree stood alone beneath a pale sky. Wind moved through its opening softly. Inside the darkness of that hollow two faint golden eyes opened,
Watching…..
Silent...
Awake....!!!