Chronicles of the Exalted Sun Child

There was a loud, low thrum that came from the lava creature. It had not finished shaping itself, but the sound that felt too low to be heard by humans filled the caldera. The slopes somehow amplified and concentrated the sound, and it manifested as a constant wave that pushed everything away from the centre.

Yuriko could both hear and feel the low roar, but she doubted that Carina, Ryoko, and Saki could. Devotee winced and held out a hand as he formed a barrier, while her fellow Ancients simply used their Anima to isolate themselves from the wave.

Ilvara cried and clapped her hands against her temples. Her 'Chronian Gear probably picked up the low-frequency sound—and it probably hurt. Fluffington had crouched down, with his ears laid flat against his skull while Sir Blue simply bobbed in place, though she could feel the borders of his spherical form quiver with heavy emotion.

Carina, having made her declaration that the thing wasn't her bad luck's fault, had stepped back while holding her plasma rifle in place. Yuriko didn't think her weapon would be useful against the creature, considering superheated plasma probably wouldn't hurt a creature made out of lava.

The convoy of trucks continued to back up, while some of the combatants inside came out. Pale blue shields manifested between the convoy and the creature, but Yuriko could see the projected energy thrumming in tune with the roar's frequency.

"It isn't your fault," Yuriko agreed with a smile. "I don't blame you for any wrongdoing, but rather, I love it that you attract a challenge to something boring."

Carina sighed. "You know you need help, right?"

Yuriko gave the greenette an offended look, and the other girl sighed even as her cheeks coloured.

"Anyway, do you want to test your mettle first before I intervene?" Yuriko asked Heron and Gwendith.

Gwendith shrugged. "I'm fine whatever you decide."

"I want to test myself first," Heron said at the same time. Both of her Squires exchanged looks. "Do you want to help or hang back?" he asked Gwendith.

"I will aid you. Yuri, please hang back unless it's clear we can't take it," Gwendith said decisively, which sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. Yuriko nodded and stroked her lover's cheek, then did the same to Heron's arm.

"Well, fight to your heart's content, but come back alive."

Gwendith nodded while Heron gave her a savage grin. Behind her, Yuriko noticed Ilvara's heated gaze bouncing from Heron's behind to Yuriko's while Carina shook her head in disbelief.

"That's a Layer Guardian. Nothing less than your best should be brought to bear!" Carina protested.

"It's a guardian of the first layer, right? How strong is it?"

"No, you don't understand, a Layer Guardian isn't something you fight to defeat, it's something you fight to survive and run from!" Carina growled.

Yuriko tilted her head. "Is it stronger than those Ice Elementals we encountered last time?"

"They don't even come close," Carina shivered. "We should retreat. Climb up the slope and find another gate. Or wait for the biome to reset."

"No one has defeated a Layer Guardian before?"

"Larger expeditions. Or those consisting of the strongest delvers in Shangria," Carina admitted, "There's only one Layer Guardian at a time, and the shard that came from the one that was defeated gained the delvers a million credits."

Yuriko nodded. "Is it that one?"

Carina gave her a side eye. "Only one Layer Guardian in the entirety of Shangria at a time. The few times they were defeated, they came back different. Stronger."

"Hoh." Yuriko hummed as she used her perception and Chaos Sight to observe the manifesting enemy. The lava stuck to the figure, sloughing off slowly to reveal metallic skin underneath. It was quadrupedal, and about fifty paces high at the shoulder. Heron and Gwendith had jumped off the road and were racing down the slope.

The convoy continued to retreat, but was still some distance away from the slope. Well, the rearmost Camper Truck was close enough, and it went off-road. It spun around so that its front pointed towards the slope, and the pilot drove the vehicle upwards. The next Camper Truck reached the perimeter road and did the same manoeuvre, but by then, the guardian had finished forming.

"That's a big cow," Yuriko muttered.

An auroch, actually, Yuriko thought. The shape was similar to the cattle she encountered in Bella and Kogasi planes, except this one was covered in metal, bronze or some powerful variant, since she was pretty sure the mundane metal would have liquified from the heat of the lava.

The auroch's body looked too muscular, as if its muscles had muscles on them. Bulges within bulges. Its horns were even wider than the rest of its length, and its head was a good dozen or so paces long. Flames burst from its nostrils as it snorted, and when its leg shifted, it created a wave on the lava pool. If not for the fact that the guardian used up most of the molten earth to form itself, the caldera would be awash by now.

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It strode threateningly towards the convoy. The lead trucks activated their weapons, much good it could do. The machine gun turrets spat plasma bolts, but they all imparted heart. Thermal energy was the last thing that could harm the bull, and the plasma splashed harmlessly over bronze.

Huh.

No, it wasn't entirely harmless. She noticed that the plasma machine guns struck the same spot. Dull red coloured the bronze surface, but the guns only hit the auroch's shoulder.

MOOOOOO!

The low washed over the caldera and slammed a shockwave against the trucks. Force fields flickered and failed after seconds, and the trucks were driven back, the machine guns silenced, but only for a moment. Plasma machine guns weren't the only weapons to bring to bear. The Armoured Camper Trucks in the middle of the convoy sported different armaments. Cannons that fired explosive shells. A tank and wasn't that a sight to see. The only tanks Yuriko saw before were from Irvalla, and those things barely tickled her protective aura when they hit. These were far more potent; she could see how the bronze bull's metal skin was dented by the blast. It was the third truck from the front that unleashed the cannon, and she could tell that it had not been braced properly. The recoil drove the truck back, and it bumped into the truck behind it.

Boom!

Another cannon blast, but it did little but annoy the bull. But the guardian seemed to disdain the trucks. It didn't even blink, much less retaliate. Instead, its long tail slammed the lava and flicked. Gobbets slammed onto the road, far short of the trucks. But the pyroclastic chunks weren't meant to be projectiles. The globs of molten earth were soon shaped into miniature bronze calves, and these ones, larger than actual cattle, charged the convoy. The lead truck aimed its machine gun turrets at the incoming monsters, and this time, they didn't fire plasma bolts but solid bullets. They struck with such strength that the calves' metal skin was dented, and the kinetic force stopped them in their tracks. But the trucks could only fire at a few calves at a time. The gobbets of lava created more than two dozen minions, and while the road was narrow, the creatures could walk across the lava without sinking into it.

That did reveal that the calves were less dense than the molten earth, which meant they weren't solid bronze either.

The inner trucks opened their ceiling hatches, and out popped the actual delvers. The trucks continued to retreat from the land bridge, and by the time the calves reached melee range, the convoy had driven onto the slope. That gave the defenders enough room to create a formation of warriors.

Now, Yuriko's eyes focused on the people fighting rather than the battle as a whole. She absently noted that her two lovers had not reached the combat zone yet, but probably would in a couple of minutes. It remained to be seen which target they would pick. Would they help the beleaguered delvers, or would they head directly to the giant bull?

The defenders initially formed a line, but that devolved into individual melees. The vanguard intercepted the lead calves, but left enough space for the trucks' supporting fire to strike with relative impunity. Pale auras erupted from the lead defenders, and Yuriko recognised them as the circle of Ancients she encountered before. But…there were more than five of them. A total of fifteen Ancients were part of the convoy, and while she couldn't tell their maximum Anima reach, she noticed that their Anima were at least three times as dense as they would normally be. How strong they actually were was yet to be seen.

The clash was thunderous. The lead Ancient struck; their weapon of choice was an enormous blade, though it was no match for Fri'Avgi's length or girth. It was also a weapon the Ancient wielded easily with a single hand, and it was made out of a familiar golden alloy. Orichalc.

Anima lights covered the weapon, and when it struck a calf, it cleft it in twain. The stricken calf moo'ed with distress, then…

Baboom!

It exploded with the same ferociousness as an erupting volcano. The Ancient's Anima flared as it protected them from the blast, but they weren't the only ones affected. Their neighbouring fellows were nearly thrown off their feet, and the calves, unharmed by the force and heat, took advantage.

Anima lights flared as they countered the tackles or sideswipes, but even from afar, Yuriko saw the grievous damage dealt to the Anima. Something she could have used to further strengthen herself, but she had a hunch that those Ancients were cursing their misfortune under their breaths. An Anima that was tempered by Anaflexio, while sturdier and stronger, had a whole lot less plasticity.

Still, just the fifteen Ancients held the line, and Yuriko felt that all of them were stronger than her lovers, at least, at first glance. Ancients didn't grow quickly once they reached Actualisation, and her lovers could only progress one step at a time. Ambrosia accelerated Yuriko's growth, but the resource had been scarce. Even now that she had a renewable source, she was still reluctant to use it to fuel base growth rather than for esoteric means.

Heron and Gwendith reached the shores and they rushed directly at the calves.

'A good choice,' Yuriko mused, even as she returned her gaze to the giant bull. There, she found its bovine eyes turned towards her direction. Hmmm, no, that wasn't quite right. A herbivore's eyes couldn't stare straight ahead. No, its head was tilted to the side, so that one of the eyes looked like it was directed at her. Steam and flames erupted from its nostrils while its body was covered by a shimmering heat haze. It seemed content to wait and see.

"It sees us as nothing but ants," Carina said sourly. Her fingers were flexing convulsively on her rifle.

"How long has this incarnation survived?" Yuriko asked.

"Decades, I think." Carina shook her head. "It's usually found in the third to fifth layer, rarely the first."

"But it has happened before?"

"Once…no, twice, in recent years," Carina said, then she swallowed, and added, "I've seen the Celestial Bull once before. We ran and so ended that expedition. So many were burned to ashes."

"Did those expeditions involve Ancients…Mystics, before?"

"Yes. They died all the same. We really should run."

"It's too early for that," Yuriko laughed. "The preliminaries haven't really begun."

Gwendith froze a calf into solid ice. Heron ripped another into shreds. Their Truths were strong, and Yuriko enjoyed watching the two express them.

She watched the other Ancients and judged them. The expression of their Truths were…fragile. Yuriko shook her head. How could they call themselves Ancients when they were that much weaker even while holding the advantage in Anima density?

She smirked and returned her focus to the giant bull…and she watched its Truths play across the surface of its metal skin.