Rubble from Mizzryk's ceiling collapse still settled, his betrayal gnawing at my trust. Hamish and I exchanged wary glances, his parting curses echoing as we ventured deeper into the dungeon's winding corridors. The dungeon's shadows grew heavier, mirroring its darker turn. The passageways narrowed, and oppressive heat climbed with every step. Flickering torchlight and the distant rumble of shifting stone led us along twisting paths, while the air grew heavy with sulfur and scorched metal.
We stopped at the final chamber, where other rooms had been empty of life. Mizzryk stood there, hands raised in feeble surrender. "Please, no kill Mizzryk. I want to help you," he pleaded, his voice trembling. His begging stirred my pity, though his treachery lingered in my mind.
Hamish glowered darkly. He snapped his sword up, preparing for battle. I summoned a volley of ice spikes to my waiting hands, fingers tense. Mizzryk dropped to his knees, burying his face in his hands as he babbled for mercy. This display irked Hamish, honorable and unwilling to slay even a pathetic creature like Mizzryk. So we paused and watched, cautious.
After a long, tense moment, Mizzryk slowly lifted his head. "Please. No kill, I can help. I helped kill the Mental Fire Elemental in the core room. I will protect you," he offered, his voice pleading as he nodded for us to trust him. His beady eyes, damp with tears, fixed on us with pitiful intensity, once sharp with deceit, now desperate. I couldn't bear the sight of him, a sad, ugly, mean little creature, pitiful in its despair. Maybe it just needed a friend to be better. "Hamish, maybe it's worth taking a chance on him. He might be useful," I murmured, my trust wavering.
Hamish turned his gaze toward me and held it for a long moment, lips compressed. "Fine. But he's your problem. If he turns on us, I'm taking his head home as a trophy." We moved side by side, cautious and alert. We stopped before a massive carved archway that opened into a vast chamber. The walls pulsed with a deep red glow, alive with molten energy.
At the center, a titanic figure loomed, a colossal fire elemental whose every movement radiated searing heat. Its burning form guarded a churning core of raw power and ancient malice. Nearly five meters tall, it was encased in a metallic shell surrounding its blazing furnace, and flames poured from its eyes as it swiveled between us. Mizzryk nervously whispered, "That's him. Fire. Heat. Death!" He pointed a gnarled finger at the boss of this trial. My heart pounded as I absorbed the scene. The elemental's molten glow mesmerized me, while the air vibrated with the roar of its power. I clutched my staff, my sapphire core pulsing with anxious energy. Hamish's eyes narrowed in determination, knowing this blazing beast and its core were the dungeon's final, deadliest prize.
The inevitable clash erupted. Hamish darted left, while I veered right, splitting our attack to avoid overlap. I summoned an ice lance, twirled to add momentum, and flung the frosty spear into the elemental's head, distracting it as Hamish charged from the other side. A bright aura of light radiated from him, pushing back the heat as he advanced. He swung his sword in a diagonal slash that struck the creature's thigh. I called forth more ice, spreading it along the floor. The elemental stumbled on the slick surface as I hurled shards of frost, the fight blurring into a frantic game of survival.
Hamish held its attention, hacking at its legs with his radiant aura, while I pummeled the beast with ice shards and blasts of water. The water made its metal sizzle and steam, and wherever I soaked its body, the surface grew brittle and vulnerable to Hamish's strikes. Hamish unleashed his signature move, the Double-Beat Strike. He swung his blade horizontally, and after a powerful impact against the armored elemental, he pivoted swiftly, pulling his sword in a full circle to strike again from a less-defended angle. The blow landed with a resounding "Chunk! Swoosh, chonck!" that shattered the creature's defenses. That final blow did it. The elemental's molten glow dimmed as Hamish's blade found its mark.
With a resounding crash, its massive body shuddered and collapsed. For a moment, the chamber fell silent as the oppressive heat receded. I dared to breathe, clinging to my staff while I watched the hulking form crumble. My glacial cage still encased its legs, ice cracking as it settled against the lifeless husk. "Well," Hamish muttered, stepping back with his sword at the ready. "That's done."
Yet the heat intensified, my heart lurching as the creature's body flared again. Cracks in its metallic hide widened to reveal a core of pure flame. "Hamish! Move!" I shouted. He leapt away, but nearly too late, as flames erupted from all around its body. I squeaked in fear, certain he wouldn't make it.
Mizzryk, true to his word, unleashed a gust of ferocious wind at the flames, parting the blast just enough for Hamish to dive to safety behind a stone pillar. The mechanical husk erupted, a column of fire surging skyward. The blast sent me stumbling, but my Ice Shield sprang up just in time to deflect it. The metallic carcass melted into slag, leaving behind a figure of living flame. It hovered, a vaguely humanoid form twisting and flaring as it struggled to hold shape, its burning eyes fixed on me. Even from afar, I felt the searing heat.
"Of course," Hamish growled, raising his shield. "The bloody thing isn't done!" Mizzryk's delighted laugh echoed from behind us. "The core is freed at last! What a marvel, such power, such chaos!" The elemental shrieked, its piercing cry reverberating through the chamber. It surged forward, a whip of flame lashing toward Hamish. He raised his shield and absorbed the strike, though the force sent him sliding back.
"It's too fast!" he shouted. "Snow, ideas?" My mind raced, the elemental's erratic movements and unstable form overwhelming. The heat was unbearable, pools evaporating and stone beneath glowing red-hot. Then a thought struck me. "Fuel!" I yelled. "It's burning through its fuel! If we make it burn hotter, it'll run out faster!"
Hamish grunted as he blocked another flaming tendril. "And when it does?" I was already casting. "It'll solidify. Then we can hit it where it hurts." He didn't question me. I braced myself as the elemental lashed out again, raising my staff to focus on the fire's source. My magic reached deep into the air, stripping away the chill, the temperature spiking as stone cracked under the intensified heat.
The creature's movements grew erratic, its form flickering. It shrieked deafeningly as its flames surged, consuming more air and heat. Its fluid shape stuttered, parts hardening as the fire exhausted its fuel. "It's working!" I called, my voice strained, sweat dripping as I poured every bit of energy into the spell. Hamish advanced, shield raised and sword ready. "Hold it steady, lass!"
Mizzryk's laughter rang out. "Ah, yes! Perfect timing! Now Mizzryk claims his prize!" The kobold raised his staff and fired a force bolt straight into Hamish's back. Hamish staggered, his shield dropping for a moment as the bolt struck. The elemental, still blazing wildly, lashed out and caught him with a fiery tendril. He collapsed to one knee, clutching his side.
"Hamish!" I screamed, rushing to his side. I dropped to the ground and pulled him behind my Ice Shield as Mizzryk fired another bolt, this one deflected by my barrier. "Traitorous little shite!" Hamish growled, his voice thick with pain. Mizzryk's grin widened as he stepped forward, his staff glowing fiercely. "Ah, such fools! I warned you! Now the dungeon's power shall be mine!"
The elemental shrieked once more, its form collapsing inward as the heat consumed its core. It fell into a heap of molten rock, its flames sputtering into nothingness. For a brief moment, the chamber fell silent, but there was no time to celebrate. Mizzryk raised his staff and fired another force bolt. It struck my shield, cracking the ice and sending a shockwave through the chamber.
Hamish groaned, clutching his side as he struggled to summon a healing spell. "Lass, remain vigilant," he whispered softly. "He'll kill us both if we let him." I nodded, my hands trembling as I reinforced the shield. Mizzryk laughed and stepped closer. "Yes, yes! Struggle all you want, it only makes my victory sweeter!"
Hamish muttered under his breath, his hand glowing faintly as he pressed it to his wound. Another bolt shattered part of our shield. I gritted my teeth and summoned more ice to mend it, though my mana drained rapidly. "Mizzryk will take the core, yes!" the kobold crowed triumphantly. "And you, little mage, and your brute will bow before my power!"
My shield cracked further, and I felt my strength wane. Hamish struggled to heal, his face pale and movements sluggish. Panic rose as Mizzryk fired yet another bolt that shook the ground and compromised our defenses. His laughter echoed as he raised his staff for another spell. "Pathetic!" he cackled. "Your shields are nothing! Your strength fades! And Mizzryk will—"
"Shut up!" I snapped, my voice cracking as the new shield flickered into place. I felt its fragility, knowing it wouldn't hold. Behind me, Hamish grunted, trying to summon healing, a faint glow around his hands, but his movements were slow and shaky. We couldn't hold out much longer.
Panic surged within me. I slammed my fist against a nearby pillar. "Ciall agam féin!" I cursed in Gaelic, the words spilling out raw and urgent. "Foolish! Stupid! Think, Snow, think!" My eyes darted to the pack over my shoulder, spotting the potions. I grabbed a healing potion and thrust it into Hamish's hand. "Drink this!" I barked, my voice sharper than I intended.
He stared for a moment, then nodded, uncorking it and downing the glowing liquid. Simultaneously, I fumbled for a mana potion, pulled it free, and swallowed it in one desperate gulp. The trembling in my hands ceased instantly. My sapphire core flared with renewed strength as the potion restored my energy. Beside me, Hamish straightened, color returning to his face, his eyes burning with fury as he gripped his shield tighter.
Mizzryk laughed again, raising his staff. "Ah, potions will not save you! Mizzryk will—" He didn't finish. Hamish roared, surging forward with terrifying speed as the air rippled, his shield slamming Mizzryk with bone-shattering force. The kobold crashed against the far wall with a cry of pain, his staff clattering to the ground. He slumped, stunned and dazed.
"You've got no idea who you've messed with," Hamish growled. I stumbled to my feet and rushed after him. Mizzryk twitched, fumbling for his staff, but I acted quickly. I raised my staff, and ice swirled into a cage of jagged frost that erupted around him. The kobold hissed, his claws scraping the ice as he struggled to break free.
"Disarm him!" I called to Hamish. "Take that staff before he does anything else!" Hamish needed no prompting. He grabbed the staff and wrenched it from Mizzryk's grasp, his growing strength easily overpowering the thin kobold like yanking a knife from a child. The glow around Mizzryk dimmed instantly. He screeched, flinging weak sparks that fizzled harmlessly.
"No!" the kobold cried, his voice shrill. "No, no, no! Mizzryk cannot lose! This is not how it was meant to be!" Hamish loomed over him, expression dark. "Beg," he commanded. Mizzryk froze, his wide yellow eyes darting between us. "What?!" he stammered.
"Beg," Hamish repeated in a low, dangerous tone. "Beg for your life. Surrender all your treasures, or I'll finish what I started." The kobold's bravado crumbled. He dropped to his knees, clasping his hands. "Please! Please, no! I'm sorry! I'll give you everything, gold, treasures, even… even a candle! But please, no killing!"
"Candle?" Hamish raised an eyebrow, then spotted a small waxy object in Mizzryk's belt pouch. He reached down and plucked it free. Mizzryk howled in despair. "No! Not the candle! Please, do not take candle!" Hamish held it up with a grimace. "It's just a bloody candle."
"It is Mizzryk's candle!" the kobold wailed, pressing his forehead against the ice. "Do not take it! Please, I beg!" I crossed my arms. "Now you're just bullying him. Surrender, Mizz. Swear an oath to leave this dungeon and admit defeat, or we'll finish you."
Mizzryk hesitated, eyes darting between us. Finally, he slumped in defeat. "Fine," he muttered. "I swear. I'll leave. No power, no treasures… no candle." He sniffled loudly, tears streaming down his scaly face. I waved my hand, dispelling the ice cage. The kobold scrambled free, clutching his empty belt pouch before fleeing into the shadows, sobbing uncontrollably.
Hamish sighed and snorted, grabbing the candle. "What a piece of work… that candle smells like arse anyway." He paused, glancing at it again. "…You don't suppose he…" He threw it into a refuse pile in the corner. "Oh gods… uhh, no, please no." He wretched, wiping his hands on his pants. I giggled, unable to resist making it worse for Hamish. "Yep. He probably did. Who knows how kobolds keep themselves busy?"
"I touched it!" Hamish leaned on the wall, retching onto the floor. Mizzryk departed toward the crystal, sniffling. The crystal painlessly absorbed him back into itself, absorbing its points back into its stores.
With Mizzryk gone, I turned back to the flickering core of the elemental, still glowing at the center of the room. The dungeon had not declared victory, our task unfinished. "Hamish," I said steadily. "I'll handle this." He stepped back as I raised my staff and focused, drawing on my last reserves of strength.
Ice and frost swirled above the core, coalescing into a massive spike. It took longer than I expected, but I poured everything into the spell as the icicle grew larger and sharper with each passing second. Finally, with a piercing cry, I thrust my staff forward. The spike hurtled downward, piercing the core with a deafening crack. The core shattered, splintering into shards of molten light that scattered across the floor. Silence fell as the oppressive heat lifted.
The dungeon's voice echoed, calm and precise: "Victory achieved! Well done. Rewards unlocked." In the center, a massive treasure chest appeared, its surface adorned with glowing runes. Hamish stepped forward and rested his hand on the lid. "This had better be worth it."
Inside we found a smooth, faintly glowing marble shard, a rare metal shard etched with veins of silver and gold, a ring for Hamish enchanted to enhance his dexterity, and a scattering of gold coins and small trinkets. Hamish slipped the ring on, a small grin emerging. "Not bad," he said. "Though I still don't know what to make of that candle."
I shrugged, too tired to care at this point. "Let's get back to the settlement. I'm done with this place." Together, we made our way toward the dungeon's exit. For reasons I couldn't explain, I smiled with satisfaction all the way out.