The golem was clunky, awkward, and barely held together by vines, enchanted nails, and hope. Kael had carved runes into its chest and fed it a single glowing crystal for power. It wasn't smart—but it didn't need to be.
It just needed to move.
To draw the monster away.
As dusk fell, Kael crept to the edge of the treeline and whispered the activation spell. The golem stirred, joints creaking like old wood in a storm. It stood, crackling with faint blue light, and began its slow march toward the mine.
The monster reacted instantly.
With a howl that rattled the leaves and sent birds scattering into the sky, it charged the golem. The two collided near the shaft. Kael watched from a hill, heart in his throat. It was working. The monster was distracted, clawing and slamming the wooden decoy.
But then—
Something else happened.
The mine shuddered.
A new sound—scraping, panting, frantic.
And then someone ran out.
Not a monster. A person.
A young lady, covered in dust and blood, clothes torn and eyes wide with horror. She stumbled from the mine mouth, gasping like she hadn't breathed fresh air in days.
"No… no, don't go down there," she shouted, falling to her knees. "It's still down there… The real one. The one even that thing is afraid of!"
Kael's stomach dropped.
The golem, now broken and splintered, collapsed under the monster's final blow. The creature turned, as if sensing the deeper threat had stirred. But it didn't attack again.
It retreated.
Back to the mine.
Kael stared, frozen, as the survivor collapsed beside the river.
Whatever secret the mine held… it was deeper, older, and far more dangerous than he'd ever imagined.
And now he had a witness.