novelraw Chapter 58: Pale Reliquary
Chapter 58: Pale Reliquary
His steps were quiet but precise — every footfall calculated, every Weapon wedged into the tunnel wall or floor just right so Daemon wouldn’t block his own thin trickle of light. He worked like a child playing with mirrors, except his mirrors were battered Spears, chipped Swords, and a dull Shield that never found a worthy arm. Each reflection bounced the pale glow further into the darkness — pushing back the mountain’s cold, gnawing belly one flicker at a time.
So stupid, he scolded himself, pausing to adjust an angle. Could’ve packed a few Torches, Daemon. But no — genius idea, climb a freezing peak with nothing but Weapons and your dumb smile.
He forced himself forward anyway, keeping to the same corridor the wind insisted on using. The thin current brushed his face, ruffled the hair behind his neck, whispering secrets of what lay ahead. With every bend, the draft grew sharper — a sure sign the cave was guiding him upward again.
After half an hour of digging and crawling, hacking through frozen chokepoints, and wedging a battered Spear into a fresh crack to catch the wan light, Daemon finally squeezed through one last stone squeeze and found himself in a wide cavern.
White.
Everything was white.
The walls were choked with jagged Stalactites, each crowned in a forest of cruel Icicles. The floor bristled with Stalagmites armored in Ice, while massive Stalagnates fused ceiling to ground in frozen columns that looked ready to snap with the wrong touch.
He shivered as a draft slithered down his neck. “Damn... It’s cold as balls in here,” he hissed, hugging his Great-Axe closer.
At least I’m not stuck in that rat tunnel anymore.
He crept forward, feet crunching on a snow layer so thick it silenced his usual thunderous steps. Only a faint glow bled through an archway ahead — the exit. Just a few dozen meters more.
Almost there. Fresh air. Open sky. Then I’ll figure out how to deal with those Gargoyles if they’re still up there waiting for a round two—
Rahh.
Daemon froze mid-step. Ahead, between him and that blessed shaft of white, stood something he hadn’t signed up for.
A humanoid figure — almost his height, clad in a shroud of filthy white fur. Long black horns curled back from a head that looked part-goat, part-nightmare. One thick arm gripped a Stone-Mace so primitive it might’ve been ripped straight from a caveman’s ghost. The other dragged a Yak by its horn — the beast’s frozen tongue lolling uselessly.
Two icy blue eyes locked on him. The creature’s breath puffed in steamy clouds. It tensed, shoulders rising, nostrils flaring.
Daemon raised both hands. “Wait! Hold your Yaks now! I’m not here to squat in your cave, big guy!”
The Yeti — for what else could it be? — responded by dropping the Yak with a thud. Its free hand clamped around the Stone-Mace’s thick shaft. Slowly, with theatrical malice, it raised the Weapon high above its horned skull.
Only then did Daemon notice its feet — or rather, the lack thereof. Instead, thick-furred knuckles braced the ground like some monstrous primate, coiling raw muscle behind every motion.
“Oh no, we’re not doing that today!” Daemon snapped. He kicked off, activating Rush. Wind howled past him as he tore across the cavern, blasting through knee-deep drifts. Behind him, stone screamed.
Boom!Crack!Creak!Crash!
He didn’t need to look back to know the ceiling was shedding Icicles like rain. Whole Stalactites crashed down in bone-snapping shards, obliterating the ground he’d just sprinted across.
“I’ll be damned...” he wheezed when he burst into the blinding open air. Snow swirled in glittering cyclones around him as he stumbled to a stop at the cavern mouth. “That attack’s a lot like the Centaur Khan’s Earthquake! Except this one’s focused... straight line, not an AOE.” He spared a quick glance at the groaning cavern. “You get more range than the Centaur, though — respect. Keep your real estate, buddy.”
Roar.
A blast of frosty breath washed over his neck. He pivoted — the Yeti was already squeezing through the exit, mace dragging stone flakes off the walls. Blue eyes like glacier fire.
“Bruh! You wrecked your own crib — that’s on you!” Daemon barked, but the creature lunged forward, knuckles smashing snow as it charged. Worse yet — it wasn’t alone.
Crack.Clatter.Rumble.
The snow beneath the beast’s knuckles cracked open. A jagged faultline split the slope, vomiting chunks of stone and frost skyward. From that wound, two massive shapes rose — rough-hewn arms punching free, icy crowns scraping the sky.
Two fifteen-meter monsters lumbered into the storm — one Stone-Golem, one Ice-Golem. Both swung fists the size of siege towers, eyes blank pits that glowed with a dull, hateful life.
“What the — you can Summon too?!” Daemon spat snow from his lips. “Great. First the Gargoyles, now a walking avalanche with pets.”
He flicked his claws, summoning sparks. Chain Lightning — Multiple-Target. Wake up call, frost fur. He sent the first jolt into the Yeti’s shoulder. Arcs of silver-blue Lightning crackled down its back, jumping to the Golems lumbering behind it.
The Yeti roared, steam hissing from its fur where the Lightning crawled. Its eyes found Daemon’s — colder, if that were possible.
[Yeti / Melee]
[Health : 1,745 / 2,400]
[Mana : 220 / 1,250]
[Damage : 190]
[Movement-Speed : 170]
[Skills]
[Bash : Yeti slams its Stone-Mace to Summon Earth and Ice-Spikes]
120% Freezing-Damage, Stun+3.5 sec, inflict Slow Curse, Range 50 meters
[Slow]
All-Speeds (-5%) for 20 seconds
[Cold Immunity]
Thrives in extreme cold — Regen+7% for Mana, Stamina, and Health
[Rejuvenation]
Heal 800 Health over 30 sec
[Rallying Roar]
Damage+25% to all Allies within 30 meters
[Nature’s Beloved]
Summon two Golems compatible with natural affinity
You’re tanky, huh? Damn tree-hugger with bonus Golems.
The Stone-Golem lurched forward, dragging knuckles through the snow. Then — with terrifying calm — it twisted, popped its left fist free of its massive wrist, and hurled it at Daemon like a living Catapult.
He ducked, the boulder-fist slicing the air so close his ears buzzed.
[Stone-Golem / Melee]
[Health : 2,500 / 3,000]
[Damage : 300]
[Movement-Speed : 150]
[Skills]
[Spell Immunity]
Only Positive Spells apply — all Negative Spells fail
[Fist Throw]
Hurl boulder-like fists, Damage+100, Stun+2 sec. Fist re-grows from ground contact in 30 sec, immediate growth shrinks Golem by 1 meter
“Stop trying to rock me to death!” Daemon bellowed, skidding backward. But the Ice-Golem was already slamming a foot down. A line of Ice-Spikes shredded toward him like fanged arrows.
He vaulted sideways, cursing. The Bash Skill again — same as the Yeti’s, copied right into its Summon. Great.
[Ice-Golem / Melee]
[Health : 2,500 / 2,750]
[Mana : 375 / 450]
[Damage : 250]
[Movement-Speed : 150]
[Skills]
[Spell Immunity]
Only Positive Spells apply — all Negative Spells fail
[Bash : Slam foot to Summon Ice-Spikes]
120% Freezing-Damage, Stun+3.5 sec, inflict Slow Curse, Range 50 meters
[Slow]
All-Speeds (-5%) for 20 seconds
[Cold Fury : Split body into three]
Each clone has 800 Health, Damage-Received+200%, Speed+30%
Daemon watched the Ice-Golem fracture with a sickening crack — three smaller clones formed, all screeching as they rushed him on stubby legs, leaving jagged claw marks in the snow.
“You wanna multiply? Fine! I’ll multiply the corpses!” He roared back. He activated Rush, slashing forward with the black Spear and black Sword. The first clone exploded into shards. His Great-Axe carved the second apart. The third lunged — too slow — and got skewered by a Katana thrust.
Behind him, the Yeti roared again — free from the stun, readying its Stone-Mace for another earth-shaking slam.
“Bad move, furball!” Daemon bellowed. He hurled his Spear — a direct hit to the Yeti’s knee. The massive creature bellowed in pain. He followed up, sweeping his Great-Axe across the other leg.
Wouldn’t hurt to try this, he thought. Lightning Cocoon!
The air around him hummed, crackled — then exploded into a shell of silver-blue Lightning that wrapped his armored bulk in High-Voltage threads.
The Stone-Golem, stumbling closer, raised both fists. Daemon didn’t wait — he charged, spinning the Great-Axe overhead. The snow sizzled where the Lightning trailed behind him.
“You idiots started this — now I’m finishing it!” His voice boomed like a storm as he crashed into the Yeti, the Stone-Golem, and the last flickering clone of the Ice-Golem all at once — a living tempest of frost, fury, and sparks.
Here's a link to my discord server if you want to talk - .gg/HwHHR6Hds