Chapter 17 - Chapter 17 - Guiding Glow

The light didn't come from the cave. It came from Lumi. For one terrifying heartbeat, the Stoneback Guardian's horn — bright, blazing, inches from skewering Riley — was swallowed in a sudden, blinding burst of white-gold radiance. Riley shielded his face with an arm, blinking rapidly as his vision swam. "L-Lumi…?" The tiny spirit stood between him and the charging guardian — trembling, terrified, yet shining brighter than he ever had before. His glow wasn't flickering now. It wasn't weak. It was full. Focused. Alive. Guiding Glow.Not the weak, subtle buff they'd felt before.The TRUE version. At last, Lumi had stopped holding back. The entire cavern changed. What was previously chaos — dust, motion, darkness — suddenly sharpened into clarity. Riley felt it instantly. His heartbeat steadied.His breathing aligned.His bowstring felt lighter.Every crack in the guardian's armor seemed outlined in faint gold. Guiding Glow. The real one. The one Lumi had been too scared to use… until now. Riley felt the rush of instinct. The cave didn't feel like it was slowing. He felt like he was speeding up. The Stoneback Guardian — mid-charge — reeled backward as Lumi's light blasted across its face. The elite beast roared, skidding and dragging deep gouges across the stone floor. It shook its massive head, disoriented.Its crystal horn flickered erratically.For the first time… it hesitated. Aria stared, slack-jawed. "Okay—okay! Tell me you're all seeing this! Lumi just—just—SUPER NOVA'D the boss!" Dot shrieked in agreement, vibrating on Aria's shoulder. Sofia gasped, wide-eyed. "He… he looks different…" Lumi stood with his tiny legs braced stubbornly apart, luminous tail lifted like a banner, eyes shining with fierce, uncharacteristic courage. Riley reached out with a shaky hand. "Lumi… you did amazing." Lumi chirped once — exhausted but proud — and planted himself firmly at Riley's feet. The guardian shook the last of the light from its vision. Its horn steadied. Its eyes burned with fury. Riley rose to his feet, bow ready, heart steady. "Now," he said softly."While Lumi's got him off-balance." The guardian stomped the ground again, cracks spiderwebbing outward. This time, the shockwave was smaller — weaker.The destabilised armor from smashing the ore-infused stalagmite was still active, though fading. "Aria! Dot! Left flank!" Riley barked."Sofia! Shield Aria on my mark!" Sofia nodded, gripping her Lumen Rod tight. Aria cracked her knuckles."Born ready. Dot? You ready to bite God?" Dot hunkered down like a tiny bloodthirsty tank. The guardian lowered its head… and charged. This charge was different. Riley saw everything. The exact moment the guardian's hooves left the ground.The way its unstable armor vibrated from the previous impact.The faint glimmer of its weakened chest plate.The rhythm of its stride. He didn't need instinct. He had Lumi. Riley shifted left — not to dodge — but to line up the shot. "Riley—what are you—" Aria started. "Cover me!" He planted his feet, bow drawn fully back. The guardian thundered toward him, horn aimed straight at his heart. Sofia screamed, "Riley, MOVE!" Aria threw herself forward—"BRO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING—" "Trust me!" he barked. Lumi's glow brightened again — Guiding Glow pulsed through him. Riley aimed not where the guardian was— but where it would be. He loosed. Spirit Shot — The arrow streaked forward, glowing gold from Lumi's aura. It hit the guardian's cracked shoulder plate. CRACK— The plate split wider. Riley fired again. Spirit Shot — Crack widening. Riley's breath steadied. This was it. "Twin Pierce!" he shouted. Two arrows formed instantly, glowing brighter than usual, pulled into perfect alignment by Lumi's radiant aura. The guardian lunged— The arrows flew— And both slammed deep into the exposed fissure in its armor. CRRRRRAAAAAACK The chest plate ruptured. Light burst through the cracks. The guardian roared in agony, stumbling. That was the moment. "ARIA! NOW!" Aria planted her feet. "DOT — WEB HIS LEG!" Dot leapt, spraying a thick line of web into the guardian's left foreleg. The sticky strands tightened, throwing the beast off balance. Aria sprinted forward, gauntlets crackling. "FLURRY COMBO!" jabhookUPPERCUT Her uppercut slammed into the weakened joint. Stone exploded. The guardian dropped to one knee, chest lowered — fully exposing the glowing core beneath its cracked plates. Sofia saw the opening. "GLOWSHIELD!" A radiant bubble wrapped around Riley just as the guardian desperately swung its tail. The tail SLAMMED into the shield — and shattered it. But it bought Riley the half-second he needed. He pulled the bowstring back one final time. Lumi leapt onto his shoulder, light blazing like a beacon. Riley whispered— "For my team." He loosed. Spirit Shot — Enhanced by Lumi's Guiding Glow The arrow drilled straight into the exposed core. A deep, resonant crack shook the entire cavern. The guardian froze. Then the light inside it erupted outward. The core overloaded. The cracks in the guardian's body glowed white-hot. Then— BOOOOOOM The Stoneback Guardian exploded into shards of light and crumbled stone, collapsing in a heap that shook the chamber. Dust filled the air. Silence fell. Then— SYSTEM: DUNGEON BOSS DEFEATEDSTONEBACK GUARDIAN — ELITEEXP GAINED: +420BONUS: FIRST CLEAR (PARTY) Aria dropped onto her back, laughing breathlessly. "WE—ARE—GODS." Sofia collapsed onto her knees, hugging Echo tight. "I thought we were going to die…" Dot flopped dramatically onto Aria's chest, legs twitching from exhaustion. Riley exhaled slowly. Then looked down at Lumi. The tiny creature was breathing hard, glow flickering, legs wobbly… but he stood tall and proud. Riley sank to a knee and scooped him gently into his hands. "You were incredible," he whispered. "Absolutely incredible." Lumi chirped weakly and nuzzled against his thumb. Aria sat up. "Okay, okay — I know we're all having emotions — BUT LOOK." She pointed. Where the guardian had fallen, a pedestal rose from the stone floor. And atop it: a large, iron-bound chest glowing faintly with runes. Sofia gasped.Aria squealed.Dot nearly passed out from excitement. Riley smiled tiredly. "That's our first treasure." He looked down at Lumi. "And you earned it."