They stood frozen on the hill, wind brushing past their faces. Their eyes locked on the transformed temple.
What had once been a forgotten ruin swallowed by time was now something entirely different. It turned into a vast and structured building which also alive with strange Magic power.
A wide courtyard spread out before the temple like a basin, paved with ancient stone that shimmered with green veins of light.
Towering pillars that twisted and etched with runes none of them recognized rose like silent sentinels along the perimeter. Their tops were jagged and broken but somehow they still stood tall against the cloudy sky.
And then there were those.
Fifty stone figures stood in perfect formation across the courtyard. They were massive golems that sculpted from dark granite and inlaid with glowing green lines along their arms, torsos, heads and eyes.
Each one easily twice or thrice the height of a man. Their eyes—if they could be called that—shone with piercing green light. None of them moved, but everything in their aura screamed instant danger.
A heavy silence fell across the group again.
Selene stepped forward slightly. Her jaw tight. "There's no way we're getting past those things."
Kaela nodded grimly. "We'd be lucky to get past three without being crushed. They are different from normal rock golem."
"They're not guarding that place for no reason," Jan muttered, eyes narrowed. "Something's awakened in there. We must go there."
"It looks like they're waiting for order or signal to attack," Mark said, sword in hand. "They maybe know that we're coming and stand guard there. So that their master can focus whatever they doing inside the temple."
"But how?" Hund growled, almost more to himself.
The group's eyes turned slowly to the trio standing behind them — Darel, Yara, and Varn.
"You were sent by the cult," Jan said firmly. "If you know anything about what we're walking into, now's the time to talk."
Darel gritted his teeth and shifted uncomfortably. "We told you already. We weren't told much. We were just given orders and paid."
Yara crossed her arms, a flicker of frustration on her face.
"They didn't explain anything about the temple or the golems. Just said to kill your group because you will be were interfering."
"We were just weapons for hire, man," Varn added flatly. "That's all. Kill the adventurers, leave the rest to others. We didn't ask questions because we weren't supposed to. And I don't really care about their agenda."
"Great," Mark muttered. "So even the ones who were supposed to be involved don't know what the hell is happening."
"Hey," Darel snapped, a little defensive. "You think we'd be walking into this if we knew? Those things could level cities. And most of my party is dead!"
A gust of wind brushed over them again, carrying a faint unnatural hum from the direction of the temple.
The green lights across the courtyard pulsed slow and deliberate like a heartbeat.
Something was inside, they were sure of it. And it was alive.
They all stared forward in silence again and their thoughts racing.
Whatever the cult had done, whatever rituals they'd completed, this temple was now containing something powerful. With those golems as its first line of defense.
"We need a plan," Selene said quietly. "Because charging in there with out condition is just suicide."
Kaela looked at the temple again and let out a slow breath.
"Are we still going there, though?" she asked. She shrugged, almost sheepishly. "I mean… look at that."
No one answered right away. They couldn't.
What she said was entirely reasonable. The towering structure pulsing with green Magic, the fifty golems like titans on watch, the warped land that bent away from the temple's presence, it all screamed one thing, which is for them to stay away.
And yet, no one turned back.
Because deep inside, none of them not truly wanted to. Even though every instinct in their bodies roared to run and escape and to survive, their feet didn't move.
Their hearts rebelled against the idea of abandoning this quest. Because they all saw the same thing, if this wasn't stopped, there might not be a kingdom left to run to.
But even that conviction didn't change the simple truth. They weren't capable. Not against those sentries or against whatever power had reshaped the temple and filled it with this aura of dread.
The only ones who stood a chance were Erend and Eccar.
Everyone knew that. It wasn't just awe, it was fact. They were Dragonborn. While the rest of them had bled and fought and struggled to make it here, Erend and Eccar had already closed a hundred rifts, killed hordes of grey creatures, and scorched half the forest doing it.
Could they really pass this next burden to them too?
That thought settled heavy on the group. It tasted bitter. Because while it might be the only choice it felt like surrender. Like admitting they were less.
Selene's hands curled into fists. Mark stared ahead with jaw tight. Even Hund looked tense, uncharacteristically quiet.
They were all proud adventurers who had faced monsters, cultists, and death then had survived.
And yet none of them could deny the overwhelming power ahead. The power that made even their pride falter.
Jan's eyes stayed locked on the glowing spires of the temple. His mind was racing with doubts and calculations. Normally, he was the first to say when something was a trap. When to cut losses and when to pull back.
But this time, pulling back wasn't just saving themselves, it was potentially dooming others.
He let out a breath. "For now, lets just wait."
They all turned to him.
"Until Erend and Eccar are done with the rifts," Jan continued. "I'm not marching anyone into that place blind. Not when we don't even know what's inside and when those things are standing guard.
"If Erend and Eccar come, then we can talk plans. But until then, we stay here. If they need us later, we'll be ready."
There was a moment of silence, and then slow nods all around.
No one was happy about it. But they agreed.
Because retreating out of fear was one thing. But waiting to fight smart, to fight when the time was right, that wasn't cowardice. That was a strategy.