Low-Fantasy Occultist

The heat intensified as they went deeper into the Western Sector, making it hard even for the adventurers, with their higher physical stats, to move with their usual agility. The air shimmered, distorting the distance into a mirage of black rock and grey fog, while the smell of sulfur coated Nick’s throat with the taste of rotten eggs and copper, filtering through his wind bubble, although without the danger it would have otherwise brought.

They had reached the edge of a massive caldera, a bowl of jagged obsidian that was clearly the remains of an ancient volcano. Despite its age, through the swirling, oily mist, Nick could see the glow of magma rivers. This was clearly still an active area, and the dungeon’s heavy presence only made it more hostile.

"It’s down there," Nick murmured, tapping the Shard against the blackened earth. "I can feel the mana being pulled in.”

Honestly, it would have been almost impossible to miss, since what used to be a widely spread network of power now went through half as many anchors, making each one stand out all the more.

By the time we reach the southern anchor, it will be shining like a beacon.

"I don't see an obelisk," Malik said, squinting through the haze. He kept his shield raised, even though the heat radiating from the metal rim was already making him sweat heavily. “Though to be fair, I can’t see much at all.”

"It’s hidden, but it’s here,” Nick replied, narrowing his eyes as he pushed [Empyrean Intuition] deeper.

Yet even with his spiritual sight, the details remained blurry. The ambient mana here was extremely dense, much thicker than in the fungal forest or the canyon. It churned and roiled in a chaotic storm of Earth and Fire that muddled his senses.

If I hadn’t been able to catch a glimpse of a presence keeping everything running, I would have thought it was a miracle that the ritual was still going on after so much disruption. But I guess that’s the power of a Prestige ritualist.

He didn’t know what he would do when he finally faced such a being. He doubted they would repeat the mistakes that Changer made in Alluria. But at the same time, even Prestige classes had their limits, and a Greater Ritual failure couldn’t be stopped just with raw power.

“If Nick says it’s here, then it’s here,” Raphael said. “Let’s try to move forward. Willow, keep the shields up. I don’t want to find out what that fog will do to us if it touches our skin, and we need Nick to be free to cast.”

Willow nodded, though Nick sensed a flicker of annoyance she was quick to hide. She looked pale, but she easily summoned a shimmering bubble of cool air around the group to take over for him. It would drain her mana constantly, but without it, their lungs would burn in minutes, and while it wasn’t particularly pleasant to be relegated to support for the whole fight, her firepower in the fight was nothing compared to what Nick could summon.

I suppose I’ll need to talk to her eventually. I don’t want resentment to grow between us.

It wasn’t something he would have cared about before, but this mission was teaching him that maintaining cohesion and trust among teammates was more important than pride.

For a long moment, nothing happened as they started moving into the caldera proper. The only sounds were the wet bloop of bursting magma bubbles and the hiss of steam vents.

Then, the earth shook.

It began with a low vibration in the soles of their boots, rattling the loose gravel. Then, the magma lake below erupted.

A geyser of molten rock shot fifty feet into the air, coloring the fog with shades of fiery orange. From the heart of the eruption, a massive shape emerged from the surface.

It was hideous. A fusion of salamander and wurm, its body was a sleek, muscular cylinder of obsidian scales that glowed from within. It lacked wings, but its limbs were thick and powerful, ending in claws that looked capable of tearing through a castle wall. Once its arc was completed, it fell back down and swam through the lava as effortlessly as a shark through water.

As the beast crested the magma wave, it shook its massive head, causing droplets of burning rock to spray across the caldera. Where the drops landed, they twisted, writhing, expanding, and within seconds, solidified into smaller, quadrupedal shapes.

"It’s spawning more monsters!" Monte yelled, charging his rapier with a skill.

A dozen of the smaller lizards—copies of the Magma-Scale Iguanas they had fought earlier—scrambled up the caldera walls, their claws gripping the glassy rock, and moved toward them with unerring precision.

"Fire!" Raphael roared. "Don't let them reach us, or we’ll be swarmed!”

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The battle started with a bang as the spawn opened their jaws and released streams of pressurized magma.

"[Glacial Wall]!" Yvonne yelled, slamming her greatsword into the ground. A barrier of ice burst out, instantly turning into steam as the magma struck it, but it held just long enough for Malik and Ord to step through and engage.

She truly is more than she appears. But I suppose I knew that from peering into her memories.

Nick stayed in the backline, firing a [Jet Stream] at a leaping lizard and knocking it out of the air into a steam vent, but his eyes were fixed on the Guardian.