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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
ASOIAF and all of its characters belong to GRRM
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 73: The Stone Guardians
The door swung open without a sound.
Beyond it lay a vast chamber with a ceiling so high that the light from Joffrey's spell could not reach its apex. The walls were lined with braziers that had not been lit in millennia, their iron stands rusted, their bowls empty.
The air was warm...uncomfortably warm, and it smelled of old ashes and something metallic, like blood that had been heated until it turned to vapor.
Joffrey stepped inside first, his light sphere floating above him, pushing back the darkness.
The Hound followed, his greatsword ready. Aggo and the other Dothraki came behind, their arakhs gleaming under the enchanted light. Their footsteps echoed on the stone, too loud in the silence.
The chamber was a temple within the temple, a place of worship and sacrifice, of supplication and blood. At its center stood a statue, carved from the same seamless black stone as the city, but larger than any they had seen. It was massive, towering above them like a god, its shadow stretching across the floor.
It depicted the fire creature from the carvings, the primordial being that had come to rest in the Shadow Lands.
The statue was terrifying in its detail. It did not seem to have been carved, but created using the same magic that had shaped the rest of the city, a single seamless piece, as if it had grown from the earth like a tree.
The creature's body was roughly draconic in shape, a silhouette of obsidian-black rock crisscrossed with deep fissures that seemed to glow with a faint, inner light. Its chest was cracked open, revealing a core of what might have been molten stone.
Its wings were great ribbons of jagged rock and spread wide, as if caught in the moment of taking flight.
Its head was a vertical split in the stone, a jagged maw that gaped open to reveal nothing but darkness.
But it was the eyes that held Joffrey's attention. They were not carved. They were gems...massive rubies, dark as dried blood, and they seemed to follow him as he moved.
"This is what they worshipped," Joffrey said quietly. "The thing that sleeps beneath us."
The Hound glanced at him. "That thing is actually here?"
Joffrey did not answer. He was scanning the room, taking in the details, cataloging every shadow, every corner, every potential threat.
"Let us get a better look at this room. There is something here…" He snapped his fingers, and an instant later, all the torches in the chamber blazed to life with furious flames that quickly illuminated the massive space.
The light was orange and red, a stark contrast to the cold blue fire of Asshai.
Now he could see the walls. They were covered in more carvings, scenes of worship and sacrifice, of the creature bestowing gifts upon its most loyal followers.
Hooded figures knelt before the sleeping god, their hands raised, their mouths open in silent prayer.
There was a large brazier before the statue, just large enough for a person to be secured inside. He did not comment on it. Its purpose was obvious.
"I do not like this room, Prince," Aggo said. The other Dothraki warriors nodded in agreement, their dark eyes darting to the shadows.
"Aye. I do not like this either. It is too quiet, and it reeks of blood." The Hound's hand tightened on his greatsword. "You said this temple would have something guarding it."
"Yes, I did say that, did I not?" Joffrey's eyes swept the chamber, and then he saw them.
Four large statues stood in the corners of the room, humanoid figures with draconic heads, their bodies carved from the same black stone as the walls. They stood at attention, their weapons long spears of obsidian, held at the ready. Their blank eyes stared at nothing, their stone faces frozen in expressions of eternal vigilance.
"Those are new," the Hound said, following his gaze. "The other corridors did not have statues like these."
"That is because they are not decorations," Joffrey said. "They are the guardians you have been inquiring about."
Aggo moved closer to one of the statues, his arakh raised. "They do not move."
"Give them a moment." Joffrey's voice was calm. "They probably have not moved in thousands of years."
The first statue stepped down from its pedestal without warning, its stone feet cracking the floor beneath them. The sound was deafening in the silence, like a grinding, scraping noise that set their teeth on edge.
The other three followed soon after, their movements slow but inexorable, their obsidian spears lowering to point at the intruders. Their ruby eyes...smaller than those of the great statue, but no less menacing, glowed to life, fixing on Joffrey and his companions.
"On guard!" Joffrey commanded. "Do not let them corner you."
The Hound roared and charged at the nearest statue, his enchanted greatsword arcing through the air. The blade connected with the creature's chest and bounced off. The stone was barely chipped, a shallow scratch that would have done nothing to a living opponent.
The statue responded with a swing of its spear. The Hound barely dodged in time, the obsidian tip scraping against his reinforced armor. Sparks flew, and the armor flickered...the enchantment had been weakened.
"Those statues are magical constructs," Joffrey said, his eyes tracking the movements of the guardians. "Their weapons and bodies are made of an incredibly sturdy material. Your steel weapons will not be enough to damage them. Focus on distracting them. Avoid engaging directly."
"Are we just going to run away?" the Hound growled, retreating from another strike.
"No. There is no need to retreat. I may have a way to handle them."
Joffrey raised his hand and focused his magic. A beam of pale blue energy shot from his palm, striking the nearest statue in the chest. The creature staggered but did not fall. Cracks spread across its surface, thin and spiderwebbed...but then, slowly, they began to close.
'An auto-repair function,' Joffrey thought. 'Not bad for such primitive people.'
He had not expected that from these ancient golems. But it meant he would have to change tactics to something more advanced.
He aimed the tip of his finger at the statue and focused his magic to a sharp point. "Aperio Arcana. "
A soft yellow light shot out and struck the golem in its chest. At first, nothing happened. Then the yellow light began to spread, flowing across the golem's body like water seeping through cracks in a dam. It concentrated on the runes engraved in the black stone, illuminating them from within.
The statue stopped moving.
Joffrey smiled. The spell had worked. Aperio Arcana was designed to unravel magical enchantments from the inside, infiltrating the artifact and removing everything that made it function.
Modern wizards had ways to protect their creations against such attacks, but the ancient sorcerers who had made these golems had not anticipated such a threat.
He snapped his fingers toward the frozen golem. "Bombarda. "
The construct exploded into countless pieces. After losing its protections, it shattered with no resistance against Joffrey's demolition spell.
Shards of black stone rained down on the floor, and the ruby eyes went dark.
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While Joffrey dealt with the first statue, the other three pressed hard on the Hound and the Dothraki.
Aggo moved with the nimbleness of a shadowcat, his enhanced speed allowing him to dance between the statues' strikes.
His arakh flashed, but the blade left only scratches on the stone. He could not harm them, but he could distract them, leading them away from the others. He darted left, then right, drawing one of the golems into a corner while the other warriors focused on the remaining two.
The rest of the Dothraki were not so lucky. One of them took a glancing blow from a spear, the obsidian tip cutting through his leather armor and drawing blood. He stumbled back, clutching his side, and another statue lunged toward him, its spear raised for a killing thrust.
Aggo intercepted it. He moved faster than any normal man should have been able to move, his arakh flashing in the dim light. The blade caught the statue's spear, deflecting it at the last moment. The obsidian tip scraped across the wounded warrior's shoulder instead of piercing his chest.
The Hound was struggling. His greatsword was useless against the stone, and his armor was taking a beating. He parried a spear thrust, but the impact jarred his arms, and he nearly lost his grip on the sword. The statue pressed its advantage, driving him back step by step.
"Prince!" he roared.
"Yes, yes. I am coming."
Having destroyed the first statue, Joffrey turned his attention to the others, his magic already gathering at the tips of his fingers. But one of the statues had broken free of the Dothraki and was charging toward the Hound, its spear aimed at his back.
Aggo saw it first. He moved faster than any normal man should have been able to move, his arakh flashing in the dim light. The blade caught the statue's spear, deflecting it at the last moment. The obsidian tip scraped across the Hound's shoulder instead of piercing his back, cutting through his armor and drawing blood.
The Hound spun, his greatsword swinging, but the statue's other hand caught the blade and snapped it in half. The steel shrieked, and the broken pieces clattered to the floor.
"Bastard," the Hound snarled, throwing the broken sword aside.
Joffrey raised both hands. "Fulminis Maxima. "
A bolt of lightning arced from his palms, striking the statue that had attacked the Hound and sending it tumbling across the chamber. Its stone body cracked and smoked, but it was not destroyed. The auto-repair function was already working, sealing the fissures.
Joffrey did not wait. He turned to another golem that was distracted, attacking one of the Dothraki, and cast Aperio Arcana again. The yellow light spread across its surface, illuminating the runes, and the statue froze.
"Bombarda. "
It shattered like the first.
The Hound retrieved the fallen spear of the golem that had almost killed him and charged at the nearest remaining statue. His strength, amplified by rage, drove the obsidian tip into the creature's chest. It was not enough to destroy it, but it staggered, and Aggo was there, delivering a powerful kick to its back that sent it crashing to the floor.
"Aperio Arcana." A yellow spark covered the collapsed golem, and it never moved again.
The last statue...the one Joffrey had struck with lightning, was just recovering when he turned to face it. Its body was still cracked, its movements sluggish. It raised its spear, but Joffrey was faster.
"Aperio Arcana."
The yellow light spread. The statue froze.
"Bombarda."
Stone shards flew. The ruby eyes went dark.
The chamber fell silent.
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The Hound leaned against the wall, breathing hard. His armor was scarred, his shoulder bleeding, but the wound was shallow. Aggo was checking the wounded Dothraki, binding his injury with strips of cloth. The other warrior was pale but alive.
"We cannot take many more fights like that," the Hound grumbled, staring at the pieces of his shattered greatsword. He was still gripping the obsidian spear he had stolen from the golem, his knuckles white.
"We will not have to." Joffrey was already moving toward the statue of the primordial being. "The guardians were the last line of defense. Beyond this chamber, there is only the creature itself. Although... there may still be a few more of those undead roaming the corridors, so do not relax too much."
He walked up to the Hound and took something from his pocket. "Do not worry. I will get you another sword. A better one. In the meantime, use this."
The Hound glanced at the small object in Joffrey's hands, a copper container filled with healing ointment. He had seen it before. He grunted and took it, applying the paste to his wound. The pain faded almost immediately, and his expression softened.
"Share it with the others," Joffrey said.
He turned his attention to the massive statue at the center of the chamber.
"What are you looking for?" the Hound asked.
Joffrey examined the statue, running his hands over its surface. The stone was warm to the touch, almost hot, as if the fire inside it was still burning after all these centuries. "I am sure there is another chamber beneath us. There must be a way to access it. Some hidden mechanism."
"What makes you think it is in that statue? It could be anywhere."
"Well..." Joffrey looked around the chamber. "This is a temple dedicated to the worship of this entity." He pointed at the statue. "If they were going to hide anything important, it should be—"
He found it. A small depression in the stone, hidden in the folds of the creature's wing, was barely visible unless one knew where to look. His fingers traced the edges, and he pressed.
The statue began to move.
It slid aside, grinding against the floor, revealing a dark opening behind it.
A set of stairs descended into the earth, their steps worn smooth by centuries of use. Heat rose from below...thick and oppressive, carrying the smell of sulfur and the taste of ancient power.
"It is still here," Joffrey said. He had felt its presence before, but now it was stronger, more intense. The heartbeat was louder, the pulse more urgent.
"Are you really going down there, Prince?" Aggo asked. "I have a bad feeling. Something very dangerous is there."
Joffrey nodded. He had the same feeling, but he was not a man who backed down from danger.
And he still had a few aces in his sleeve if the worst came to pass.
"This otherworldly being...this primordial creature, is waiting for me at the end of these stairs," he said. "And I intend to meet it."
He stepped onto the first stair and began to descend. The darkness swallowed him.
The Corpse City had given up its secret.
Now it was time to face what slept beneath.
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