After the earthquake, faint tremors rippled through the fissured ground. Dust particles swirled within shafts of light, cutting through the cavern's deep shadows. Red luminance from flowing lava and soft glow from bioluminescent plants lit the environment. Amidst the chaos, Crimson Ruby's henchmen lay motionless, entangled in collapsed rocks.

  "I was forbidden to assist. I could only observe as you vanquished the Orcs," Zirien growled.

  "A Druid bound by restriction is like a caged bear," Swift-River replied, her sharp voice cutting through the dust-filled air. "But now you're free to act."

  Zirien's eyes glinted with anticipation. "Indeed. And act I shall," he said, his voice carrying the smooth confidence of a predator about to strike.

  Zirien morphed into his immense polar bear and tortoiseshell form. His massive body leaped over the widening stream of magma. Zirien in bear form landed upon the white stone altar.

  "Your reign of terror ends today, Ruby!" Zirien roared, barreling into Crimson Ruby.

  The impact sent a shockwave into the Dracolich. Zirien's metal-reinforced claws ripped away layers of red scale and gems.

  "Insignificant pest!" Ruby snarled, his metallic voice reverberating through the chamber. "Your efforts are futile against my power."

  Back-to-back with Iandel, Swift-River's blood surged. Battle thrummed through her. Her whip-like dragon tail lashed out and ensnared a minion.

  "Stay close, Iandel," Swift-River warned. Her polearm felled Crimson Ruby's minions like straw dolls.

  "Wolves! They just keep coming," Iandel cursed, his sardonic tone belying the danger they faced. "Remind me why we chose to fight in a volcano?"

  "You followed me, remember?" Swift-River replied, ducking beneath a cultist's wild swing. "Besides, you thrive in chaos."

  Iandel's Combat Net flew, capturing two henchmen in its grasp. His gloved fist clenched as he swung the net toward the magma stream.

  "Two more for the fire," Iandel said, releasing the net. The henchmen plummeted into the molten flow with agonized screams, decreasing Ruby's forces.

  "Crimson Ruby's underlings are powerless in our presence," Iandel said, a smirk playing across his face. "Though I'd prefer a fight with more challenge and less number."

  He shifted between weapons with deadly precision. Net to snare, Whisperwind to finish. Iandel moved with Elven grace. His blade flashed through unarmored cultists while his net trapped those who tried to flee.

  From behind a jagged boulder, Streed appeared from under his cloak. He launched silver daggers in quick succession. Each found its mark, thinning the enemy's ranks. Swift-River saw a dagger skim past her shoulder that struck down a minion attempting an attack from behind. That's stealth and precision for you. Streed's silent approach impressed her.

  "My gratitude, Prince of Shadows," Swift-River called to Streed, using one of the honorifics he typically misapplied to others.

  Streed offered a flourished bow despite the battle raging around them. "The Dark Sovereign is most welcome," he replied with characteristic formality, misgendering her as usual.

  A pile of rocks shifted beneath Swift-River's gaze.

  "Miikka, can you hear me?" she called out, but he stared on, unanswering.

  Swift-River's scaled tail whipped through the air. It coiled around a minion's neck, tightened, and snapped with a sickening crack. The body crumpled at her feet as she turned back to search for Miikka.

  Crimson radiance of molten lava illuminated Miikka's broken body. Dazed and speechless, he extricated his disfigured form from the debris. He struggled onto one knee.

  "Swift... River," Miikka gasped, his voice barely audible over the battle. "Built for tight spots naturally... but this one's a bit much, eh?" Despite his pain, a hint of his usual playfulness surfaced.

  From the shadows, Streed extended his hands. He chanted an incantation that shimmered in the air.

  "Zirien, Iandel, our minds unite," he whispered.

  A faint glow enveloped their heads.

  "Focus on the left flank, Zirien," Streed's voice echoed in their minds, clear and confident.

  "Understood," Zirien's thoughts responded. "The beast favors his right side after my attack."

  The bear-tortoise hybrid understood. He maneuvered Crimson Ruby into a lower portion of the cave, preventing the Dracolich's wing strikes.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  "Iandel, high ground," Streed advised.

  "Always telling me what to do, brother," Iandel's thoughts carried his characteristic sarcasm. "But for once, your strategy has merit."

  His twin brother moved with supernatural speed to a better vantage point. Iandel's bow attacks became more lethal, guided by Streed's tactical insights.

  Crimson Ruby, now near the lava flow, turned his wrath toward Miikka.

  "Traitor! You dare betray me?" Ruby's voice thundered through the cavern. "After all I've given you, little one, this is how you repay my generosity?"

  "Generosity?" Miikka spat, finding his voice despite the pain. "You call enslavement generosity? Life's a rumble, mate. And I choose which side to fight on."

  Spellwork crackled within his talons. Chains of scorching light wrapped around Miikka. Crimson Ruby's focus wavered. Despite his cracked shell and bleeding leg, he bared his metallic teeth and launched another attack.

  Swift-River's expression turned to shock when she saw Miikka caught by Crimson Ruby's magic. I must save my old only friend from when I was slave to the wretched worm. Fear tightened its grip. She looked at Zirien, Iandel, and Streed, fighting for their lives, for her and the Orc's.

  "I've got to save him!" Swift-River yelled, her eyes blazing with determination. "Hold them off without me!"

  "We've handled worse odds," Zirien called back, his commanding voice carrying over the din of battle. "Go to him!"

  A lightning bolt crackled through the air. It illuminated the space for a split second with its eerie light and struck Iandel. Smoke emanated from his armor. He quivered, enveloped in pulsating blue electricity.

  "Swift-River, the halfling... protect him!" Iandel yelled through gritted teeth. "Wolves! That stings more than your cooking, Streed!"

  "Focus on survival, brother," Streed replied telepathically. "Your humor can wait for less deadly circumstances."

  Iandel sidestepped over the dead toward Streed and released three arrows in rapid succession.

  The arrows mid-flight transformed into flames. They enveloped the foe that struck Iandel with the lightning. The attacker's body flamed up, collapsed, and ignited into a blazing bonfire.

  "Your aim improves under pressure," Streed observed dryly. "Perhaps I should arrange for you to be struck by lightning more often."

  "Try it and you'll be my next target," Iandel shot back with a pained grin.

  Crimson Ruby, irate and wounded, swatted Zirien. The wing strike sent Zirien tumbling across the rocky surface and into the magma. Ruby scanned the battlefield and noticed the skeletal dragon's hesitation.

  "Ivory!" Crimson Ruby bellowed, his voice bouncing off stone walls. "You stand idle in my hour of need? Attack or you'll share their fate!"

  "I serve not by choice but by chains," Ivory replied, a hint of defiance in her voice.

  Ivory unleashed her freeze breath across the battlefield. Ice crystals formed midair as the frigid gust tore through the chamber, sweeping howling minions into the fiery magma below.

  "Yet, I am bound to follow your exact orders," Ivory's skeletal jaw clicked with each word, her tone laced with bitter compliance. "You ordered me to attack. You failed to specify a target."

  The intense cold struck the scalding hot magma. The cries of pain intensified and then silenced. Steam billowed and filled the space. The stream of magma solidified into rock, transforming the area into a sauna veiled in thick steam.

  "This battle is not yet won!" Crimson Ruby shouted.

  Cloaked in steam, he molded the hot fog into arrow-like weapons.

  "Swift-River, your transformation impresses me, but it won't save you," Ruby taunted, his metallic teeth gleaming through the mist. "From slave to warrior. Yet still destined to serve me in the end."

  "I serve no one," Swift-River hissed back, her dragon features more pronounced in her anger. "Especially not a hollow tyrant with a void for a heart."

  Hurricane winds swirled within the hollow, each arrow a vow of devastation.

  The wind howled. Rocks fell from the earthquake's aftershocks. Swift-River used this distraction to save her friend. She dashed toward Miikka and scooped him up into her arms. They evaded the henchmen's awkward attacks and maneuvered through the cave's uneven terrain. She slowed to a walk, concentrated, and a portal of vines unwound. Its green tendrils invited them in.

  "Hold tight, old friend," she whispered to Miikka, cradling his small form. "This escape won't be gentle."

  "Close to the ground's secrets," Miikka murmured, his eyes fluttering with pain. "Low enough to dodge swings, but not curses, it seems."

  The ground beneath Zirien's feet trembled. The earthquake's aftershock vibrated through the underground chamber. Zirien, in his half-elf form shouted, "I command the elements!"

  Wind surged from his outstretched hand. The fog arrows dissipated against the barrier.

  "Your magic fails against the power of nature itself," Zirien declared, his voice carrying the calm authority that made him such a formidable opponent.

  The Dracolich watched, seething as his attacks fell before the rejuvenated Druid. His opponents withdrew into a wooden portal, finding refuge from his imminent danger.

  "No matter," Crimson Ruby muttered to himself. "Your escape merely delays your inevitable defeat."

  "Underestimate us at your peril," Zirien warned as he backed toward the portal. "Next time, we won't leave until your bones are ash."

  Crimson Ruby's talons clenched against the altar stone, his mind already plotting their next encounter.

  Kneeling beside Miikka, Swift-River traced the sinister purpling wound where Crimson Ruby's curse struck him.

  "Miikka, what did he do to you?" Swift-River whispered, her fingers hovering above the corrupted flesh.

  "Just a love tap," Miikka joked weakly, his playful nature persisting despite his condition. "Ruby never did know how to say goodbye properly."

  Zirien, Iandel, and Streed staggered through the portal. Their armor dented and cloaks torn from the relentless battle. Iandel collapsed to one knee, blood seeping through his charred armor where the lightning had struck.

  "Wolves take that lightning-wielding cultist," Iandel groaned. "If I weren't already in pain, I'd hunt down his remains and burn them again."

  "Your vengeance would be wasted on ash," Streed noted, examining his brother's wound. "Your arrows were rather thorough."

  Zirien's gaze found Swift-River's. A silent exchange. His eyes held concern beyond their wounds. For her. Swift-River's chest tightened. Something passed between them that transcended peril.

  "That was... impressive spellwork," Swift-River said to Zirien, her voice softening momentarily.

  "Nature responds to those who respect its power," he replied simply, his usual confidence tempered by evident fatigue.

  "We've survived," Swift-River said. The portal's glow faded behind them.

  "And Ruby lived." Her jaw tightened. "Next time, we bring an army."

  If this story is working for you, a follow really helps it grow.

  Next time: The curse spreads. Miikka's time runs short

  https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0G2D295BN ---