Merle's eyes fluttered open, her head pounding with a dull ache. The air was thick and fetid, the rancid stench making her stomach churn. Forcing herself upright, she squinted into the oppressive darkness. Her hand instinctively rose, fingers forming the familiar gesture for a fire spell, but when she summoned its name, the flames fizzled out almost immediately.
The faint glow of metal shards scattered around her caught her attention. As they absorbed the remnants of her mana, a cold blue light pulsed from them, illuminating the jagged walls of the cavern. Her heart sank.
"Lunallium ores..." she muttered, realization washing over her like ice water. The fog in her mind began to clear, and dread settled in its place. "This is bad. Really bad. I need to get out of here."
Fragments of memory pieced themselves together-an ambush, snarling faces, the metallic clang of weapons. Goblins. Her blood ran cold as she recalled their vile reputation. Weak individually, but deadly in numbers, goblins were cruel and intelligent predators. They enslaved their prey especially female ones, often subjecting them to unimaginable horrors. This cave, dark and reeking of decay, was undoubtedly their lair.
She needed light. Channeling what little mana she could muster, Merle fed it into the lunallium ores around her. They absorbed her energy eagerly, glowing brighter, casting pale blue radiance across the cavern. That's when she heard it-a faint whimper.
Merle followed the sound and froze. Huddled against the far wall were three women. She recognized them immediately-the same women from the camp attacked by hobgoblins. One was unconscious, her breathing shallow but steady, while the other two were awake. One appeared frail and terrified, her face pale, but the other exuded a surprising calmness, her golden hair and fiery amber eyes gleaming in the dim light.
The blonde woman looked up, her gaze steady. "Are you awake enough to move?" she asked her voice carrying authority.
Merle knelt beside her, taking a closer look. The woman's armor, though scuffed, bore the crest of the Stoke Dukedom. She wasn't just any survivor-she was a knight.
"Elise," the woman introduced herself simply. "I was sent here on a mission. Looks like we're in the same mess."
Merle raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem affected by the lunallium," she noted, impressed despite the situation.
"I'm lucky like that," Elise said with a shrug, her expression neutral.
"Good," Merle said. "We're going to need that luck. I have a plan to get us out of here. But first, help me gather the ores."
Elise didn't hesitate, rising to her feet with a metallic clank. Her armor glinted faintly in the blue light as she moved, pulling the glowing shards from the ground and bringing them to Merle.
Merle's eyes sparked with hints of excitement as she took the ores. "Do you know how rare this stuff is?" she asked, holding up one of the luminescent fragments. "A bit of silver mixed with lunallium gives you mithril. Magical, self-repairing metal. Isn't that incredible?"
Elise crossed her arms, unimpressed. "And how exactly does that help us escape?"
Merle grinned. "Lunallium absorbs mana, right? That's why it's glowing. But it has a limit. Once it's saturated, it starts to glow red. After that, if it keeps absorbing mana, the stored energy overloads and creates new pathways for release."
Elise narrowed her eyes. "And you're saying we can... use that?"
"Exactly," Merle replied, her grin widening.
"So you want us to pour all our mana into these ores?" Elise asked, skepticism lacing her tone.
"Yep."
"And when we're drained, we'll be defenseless?"
Merle rolled her eyes. "Weren't you listening? The overload will give us a better chance than sitting here waiting for the goblins to come back."
Elise hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. Let's do it. But this better work."
"It'll work," Merle said, already positioning the ores strategically around the cavern. "Probably."
The two women locked eyes briefly before beginning their work. Together, they channeled their mana into the lunallium, the pale blue light intensifying with each surge of energy. The cavern pulsed with an eerie glow, the ores growing brighter and brighter, teetering on the edge of saturation.
And then, the first fragment flickered red.
Merle's eyes lit up with excitement. She rushed to the glowing fragment, scooping it up carefully. "Do you have anything sharp?"
"Only my sword," Elise said, her tone rigid as she reached for the blade strapped to her back.
"That'll do. Give it to me," Merle replied, holding out her hand.
"What exactly are you planning?" Elise asked as she unsheathed the weapon, the steel gleaming faintly in the dim light.
"You keep channeling your mana. I've got a faster way to reverse the flow,"
As soon as the sword was in her grasp, Merle got to work. The blade glided over the lunallium fragment, sparks flying as she meticulously etched intricate grooves into its surface. Her movements were precise, guided by a deep understanding of the ore's properties. Under her touch, the fragment began to change, its glow stabilizing into a warm red hue.
"Bring me more of the ones turning red!" she called to Elise without looking up.
Elise complied without hesitation, gathering the reddening fragments and bringing them to Merle. Despite their dwindling mana reserves, the two women worked tirelessly. Merle carved and refined each fragment, transforming the overloaded ores into makeshift mana batteries. Her hands moved with the skill of a seasoned magical engineer, sweat beading on her brow as she pushed herself to her limits.
Finally, just as the last fragment was completed, a guttural snarl echoed through the cavern.
The goblins had returned.
"Right on time," Merle muttered, exhaustion giving way to a spark of excitement. She stood, clutching one of the modified lunallium shards. Her lips curled into a grin as she faced the advancing horde. "Let's see how well this mana storage device works on you filthy monsters!"
She began preparing a spell, her hands weaving patterns in the air. Her voice rose as she chanted, drawing power from the modified lunallium. But when she reached for the familiar charm hanging around her neck-a talisman she always used to focus her energy-her fingers grasped at empty air.
Her movements faltered. "Where's my good luck charm?" she muttered, her voice tinged with panic.
She patted herself down, frantically searching her robes. "Where is it? Where's my charm?"
Elise glanced at her, disbelief on her face. "Are you serious right now?" she snapped, drawing her sword and stepping forward to intercept the goblins.
The monsters surged toward them, their grotesque forms illuminated by the eerie red glow of the lunallium. Elise swung her blade, cutting through the first wave with ease. Her movements were fluid despite her heavy armor, each strike powerful and devastating.
Merle, still rattled, shook herself out of her panic. "Focus, Merle," she muttered under her breath. She clutched the modified shard tightly, drawing on its stored mana. With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed a surge of wind magic, sending a cluster of goblins hurtling backward.
But the horde was relentless. More goblins poured into the cavern, their snarls and jeers filling the air. Elise fought fiercely, her sword cleaving through the creatures. Yet the sheer number of them threatened to overwhelm.
Merle stumbled back, clutching another fragment as she prepared a more powerful spell. But before she could finish, a goblin leaped at her, its clawed hand swiping for her throat. She dodged just in time, the attack grazing her shoulder. Pain flared, but she bit back a cry, retaliating with a burst of flame that consumed the creature in an instant.
Elise grunted as she parried a strike, her armor denting under the force of a hobgoblin's club. "We're not going to hold them off much longer!" she shouted over the chaos.
Merle nodded, her mind racing. She gripped a glowing red shard, her eyes narrowing as she whispered a hurried incantation. The lunallium pulsed in her hand, its glow intensifying. "Time to find out if this works," she muttered, hurling the shard toward the densest part of the horde.
The fragment exploded on impact, releasing a shockwave of pure mana. Goblins screeched as they were flung backward, their twisted forms crashing into the cavern walls. For a moment, the onslaught paused, the air heavy with the acrid scent of burned flesh and ozone.
But the reprieve was short-lived. More goblins emerged from the shadows, their snarls echoing ominously. Elise's grip tightened on her sword as she squared her stance. "Any more bright ideas?"
Merle grimaced, her hands already reaching for another shard. "Working on it," she muttered, her breath short from exhaustion.
Without her amethyst necklace, her spellcasting was less refined. The flow of magic wasn't as smooth, and she wasn't sure how one of her deadliest spells would behave in such a frantic, unsteady situation. But she had no choice-she had to try.
"I have a spell that might work, but it'll take time to cast. Can you buy me some?" Merle asked, her voice strained.
Elise, already covered in goblin blood, flashed a fierce grin. "My blade is eager for more."
With that, Elise surged forward, her sword a blur as she cleaved through the goblins that rushed toward them. Merle, her focus unbroken, began to chant softly under her breath. A small flicker of flame sparked into existence in her palm, flickering erratically as she continued her long, complicated incantation. The flame danced across her fingers, its intensity growing as she poured more mana into it.
After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke the final words, her voice unwavering despite the strain. "Infernal Devourer."
The tiny flame shot forward, darting across the cavern and landing on one of the goblins. For a moment, nothing happened. Elise glanced over at Merle, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Is that it?"
"Wait for it," Merle replied, her voice calm, though she too was uncertain.
Then, with a violent flare, the goblin's body spontaneously combusted. Flames erupted from within, its skin and flesh burning away to ash before the fire spread like wildfire, leaping from one goblin to the next. The flames consumed them faster and faster, each goblin reduced to cinders in moments. The fire, no longer contained, seemed to hunt them down, growing fiercer with each new victim.
Within seconds, the cavern was filled with the acrid stench of burning flesh. The last goblin, caught in the spell's fury, fell to the floor, reduced to nothing but a pile of smoldering ash.
The fire finally died down, leaving only a faint trail of smoke in the air. The cavern, once teeming with goblins, was now quiet.
Elise stood, her sword dripping with blood, eyes wide in shock. "What spell was that?" she asked, her voice a mix of awe and unease.
Merle, still catching her breath, grinned with a mix of pride and wariness. "Infernal Devourer. It's one of my creations... though, to be honest, even I'm a little afraid of it. As you saw, it burns creatures from the inside out, then spreads to others of the same kind. It doesn't stop until it's wiped them all out."
Elise shook her head, a low whistle escaping her lips. "That's a scary spell."
"It sure is," Merle said, her excitement giving way to exhaustion. She sank to the ground, her body finally giving in to the toll the fight had taken on her. The adrenaline was fading, leaving her drained.
She wiped her forehead, her gaze turning distant. "We need to plan our next move. There are bound to be more of them."
Elise nodded, sheathing her sword as she glanced around the now-empty cavern. "Agreed. Let's make sure we're ready for whatever comes next."