Touch of Fate

"First of all, I want to take stock of our resources." Mike began running through mental checklists.

"Tal, I'm not really familiar with how Pact Magic works. Could you explain what your current capabilities are?"

"Low on mana." She said hesitantly. "Without Mejimanethial, only Air Magic is available. Akiriti is contracted spirit, not bound one. She can't help directly. Long preparation needed to do more."

Not for the first time, Mike wondered at the elf's odd manner of speech. It seemed to have gotten less fluent since the destruction of the bound armor, but he couldn't tell if that was a result of the trauma or a sign of something else.

He guessed from her description that Tal was able to use a limited amount of Air Magic in her current state, but wouldn't be able to do much else. [I guess that a contract spirit is one that is providing some kind of intangible benefit, while a bound one is manifested directly.]

"Do you only have the two spirits contracted?"

She nodded in response. Mike sensed some bitter regret emanating from her features.

Mike grimaced. He had been hoping that she would still have a few aces up her sleeve. It increasingly seemed like he would have to shoulder the majority of the coming conflict.

"Any idea of what the boss for this floor is?"

She shook her head 'no.'

"Brenden." The young beastman twitched noticeably at the sound of his name. "Are you still good to go?"

He simply nodded as well, although a strange eagerness seemed to be leaking from behind his cold exterior.

Mike glanced over at the twins, carefully taking in their building panic. [I'm going to have to be very careful with these two. They are close to the breaking point.]

"Rita, how many arrows do you have left?"

The girl jumped, and started looking around sheepishly after suddenly being made the center of attention. "I-I think I have a few left." She took a few seconds to count. "Six, I-I have s-six left."

Mike took notice of her trembling hands as she was counting. He locked gazes with each of the twins in turn. "Alright, I have a plan for how we should tackle this thing. First, I need the two of you o understand something."

The pair swallowed nervously almost at the same time.

"This boss fight will probably be dangerous, and there is a very real chance that one or all of us will be seriously injured or killed. Everyone here lacks practical dungeon delving experience. Frankly we are all in over heads."

Lloyd and Rita both looked stricken. Mike was amazed on how synchronized their reactions were.

"However, I want you to know that I feel we have a good chance of getting through this, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that you survive."

They didn't look convinced, some Mike finally came to a decision. [Sorry Kaya, I'm going to have use this for someone other than Morris.]

He handed Lloyd a small, uncut crystal. "This is a salvation stone."

Tal started, a look of surprise forming on her face.....or not, but she did seem to be more than a little interested in the crystal.

Mike continued. "If you or your sister are in danger, and I can't get to you, just crush this crystal and you will be protected by a shield of force."

Lloyd stared, bug eyed, the stone. "Is this a-a magic....item?" He asked softly.

Mike nodded, smiling at the way the younger adventurer handled the crystal like some kind of holy relic.

He walked to the top of a short set of stairs leading up to the boss room, before turning around and addressing the group.

Putting together what knowledge of group combat he'd picked up from the novels he'd read in his past life, and after considering the possibilities, he had decided on a course of action that would hopefully lead to success.

"So here's the strategy. Brenden you are the vanguard. We aren't sure what the enemy is going to be or how many, so I need you to react quickly once we get inside. If we are fighting multiple enemies, try to keep as many as you can occupied while the rest of us eliminate them one by one. If there is only one boss, use hit and run tactics. Try to keep its attention on you, but avoid getting too deeply entangled with it."

The beastman straightened in place. A feral grin shattering his icy countenance. Mike wasn't sure, but he thought that this might have been the first real smile he'd seen from Brenden since they'd met, and it was giving him the creeps.

"Tal, I want you to run rearguard support. Hit the enemies hard and fast and try to keep them off balance. Just watch out for Brenden and I."

The elf nodded, determination evident, if only by Mike's estimation.

"Rita," The girl released a small squeak when her name was called. "I want you to stay back with Tal, and fire at targets of opportunity. Even if you are only distracting the boss, you can take some pressure off of the front line. Take your time, you only have six arrows, so make them count."

Rita gulped nervously again, but looked a little less fearful than she did a minute ago.

"Lloyd, I want you to protect the rear line, especially your sister. To the best of your ability, stop monsters from getting close to Rita and Tal, but try to protect yourself. You don't have to kill any of them, just give the rest of the group time to eliminate the threat."

"Right." The boy said more confidently than he obviously felt.

Mike noticed that no one asked him where he would be in the formation. They evidently trusted him to act in their best interests.

He gave the group one more thorough examination. In truth, Mike was not nearly as confident as he appeared. When he took charge of the newbie adventurers, he began to feel the weight of responsibility.

The five of them were literally risking their lives following his plan. If something went wrong, he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to forgive himself.

After a few moments spent wracking his brain, trying to see if he had forgotten anything, he decided it was time. [Nothing for it, but to do it, I suppose.]

He turned and faced the boss room doors. He raised one hand, waving the group to move forward, before placing that same hand on the right most door and pushed it open.

The adventurers took their places around him, Brenden hopping up to stand next to him, a feral grin already locked in place. He looked.....eager, like predator during the hunt.

[I swear this guy is bipolar. Whatever. He could think he was Napoleon, and I wouldn't care so long as it got us out of here in one piece.]

As soon as the door was open, the group sprung forward and entered the boss room.

Apparently, the boss room sealed itself when delvers entered it, and it was not uncommon for some of a party to be stuck outside of the room during the fight. In order to prevent this from occurring, most adventuring parties would rush into a boss room at one time.

Mike examined the chamber while the rest of the group got into formation. The worked stone of the previous section of the dungeon had given way to natural-looking cave walls. The adventurers stood in a vast, circular chamber so large, it dwarfed all the other dungeon rooms they had seen leading up to this point.

At the very center of the room was a glowing pool of magma, roughly 30m across.

Everyone was tensed, waiting for the fight to start, when a confused voice broke the silence.

"Where's the boss?" Lloyd asked. "It's not another trapped room, right?"

Mike was about to reply, when a strange rumbling cry echoed throughout the chamber.

An oddly smooth and rounded head emerged from the pool in the center of room, gradually giving way to a long and slender reptilian body. Every part of the creature seemed to be composed of glowing lava. Much like many of the creatures Mike had seen in this world, it seemed to have been built on a larger scale, standing roughly 5m tall and nearly 20m longs.

Two brighter patches near the top of its head evidently served as the monster's eyes. They swept the room, before focusing on the adventurers.

Another patch formed where a normal lizard would have a mouth. It seemed to stretch wide and another of those unusual cries was unleashed on the group.

"What is that?!!" Lloyd cried.

"Lava Salamander. Composite elemental of earth and fire. Recommend Water Magic." Tal answered, more succinctly than usual, already conjuring her spirit into existence behind her.

"Duly noted." Mike answered while he summoned a sphere of water into his hand and directed it the monster. It splashed against the salamander, accomplishing little besides creating some steam.

"Will need more." Tal called.

"Yeah, I got that." Mike answered dryly.

The salamander's eyes narrowed as it focused on Mike. It stretched its mouth wide again, but this time its chest region seemed to inflate.

Recognizing the approaching danger, he threw his left hand forward and quickly summoned a thick wall of water in front of the group.

"Stay behind me!" He yelled, while cursing in his heart. [What is it with this place and fire breathing lizards?]

He had to squint as a bright flash of light filled the room. His wall of water was quickly engulfed by a wash of fire, nearly evaporating it on contact. Seeing his rapidly dwindling protection, he fed more mana into the wall, but it seemed to be a losing battle.

A cloud of steam erupted from the confrontation, and Mike could feel the flesh of his arm burning, the searing agony making it difficult to maintain his concentration.

After what felt like an eternity, the flames abated. Mike released his water magic, and fell to his knees, cradling a now-blackened arm.

He could distantly hear yelling. It sounded like someone was trying to call his name, but he couldn't think over the intensity of the pain.

He looked up, and saw the salamander charging directly at him, mouth still agape.