Chapter 77: The Abble Tree Root Cellar 2 – The End

  The inferno that ensued far exceeded Theo’s wildest thoughts. At best, he expected the first few bursts of flames to burn its eye before it sank down into its hole to hide, as he’d seen it do when Grace got close earlier in the fight. It did. In fact, it did it just as the second flare-up of flames arrived. By the third, it had slammed its head all the way down, creating an earthquake in the process that sent Theo back down on his cheeks. Theo thought for a second that was the end of it—but the mana thread targeting mechanism wasn’t so simple that it required line of sight, nor would it be interrupted.

  A few seconds passed, enough time for half a dozen ‘Create’ ‘Fire’ to iterate in the loop. Smoke rose from small openings in the ground in front of Theo, white and black from moist moss and dry wood. He got up in fear of being caught in a cloud of smoke, but then the cave recoiled in pain and flailed with its ground and walls.

  Large sections of rock fell from the walls and ceiling, parts of the cavern Theo had thought was part of the boss’s body. Likewise, large stones exploded up from the ground, bringing torn, serpentine roots along with them, pre-shredded into metre-long sections. Worst was the air: the howl seeping out of the underground titan seemed to ignite it, stopping Theo from being able to utilise it. What he was able to take into his lungs thundered inside him, reverberating down his throat and crashing around inside his lungs. Fifty points less in the Vital stat might’ve been the end of him.

  Then came the flames spouting from several locations all at once. The temperature rose as the smoke reached his nostrils. It couldn’t enter, as the man seemed unable to either inhale or exhale. The smoke showed the visual effect of the ongoing howl, though, as it shook and churned along with the air.

  The boss’ head popped back up, covered in murderous, hungry flames. Shades of both blue and green hid within them, but the top metre of the tall fire was pure orange heat. A maelstrom of dirt formed around it as the ground lowered, forming a whirling crater dropping off towards the boss’ body. Despite the thing being swathed in flames, Theo could still see its shape as more of the boss revealed itself.

  The boss itself was just one giant stump buried underground with a face on it. The rest of it, which explained its influence over the entire area, was roots forming an intricate-yet-natural pulley-system. It seemed the cavern, walls and all, was just a puppet controlled by this sub-surface stump. But all of it burned.

  The fire spread, affecting all rope-like sections of roots controlling the cavern. Theo was caught in the maelstrom and tried climbing up the loose-dirt hill that was sucking him in, but nothing helped. He slid far enough down to reach the same level as the top roots, and the swirling dirt carried him straight into one of them. The man crashed into the flaming wood, but it was already crisp enough to shatter from the impact. A blast of sparks and ash rose, but Theo felt fine otherwise.

  Then another serpentine section crackled and crumbled under the pressure. Its blackened skin snapped. More roots followed, and the howls coming from the stump grew ever higher. Luckily, the vortex dragging Theo down slowed as the boss’ influence over the area decreased. The ground—no longer churning, but performing a gentle roll—grew firm enough for him to get a solid grip, and the man started his ascent. He ignored the System message telling him his Fire Affinity leveled up.

  His back, facing the inferno-stricken Elder stump, burned from the heat. If Theo fell further down, he’d catch fire himself. It would be the end of him. So he clambered onto whatever he could that wasn’t blazing and kept climbing.

  After another minute, the ground had become solid and stopped moving. Theo had climbed all the way, now resting on the edge, the air stilled enough for him to catch a fresh breath. Carbon filled his lungs with every intake, but it was better than nothing. The boss wasn’t dead, but its body had stilled just like the air, and its current groans were nothing but tortured whimpers asking for release.

  Theo looked around, still seeing pillars of flame rising from hundreds of points all across the cavern. His vision blurred, but what else could it be? He wondered then how long he would’ve survived in this scorching heat if he had never come to this world. How hot was it inside the closed-off cavern? He felt as if he were melting, but even the sweat beading from his skin bubbled and boiled away, leaving his already sooty-black skin covered in white flecks.

  Then he remembered Grace, and his body found the energy to stand. He ran without knowing where he was or where to go. Theo didn’t know how far around he’d gone in the merry-go-round of dirt earlier, and with all these flames, it was hard to tell where he’d been.

  What if he’d killed her? What if the flames had done her in? What if…

  A faint green flicker of light flashed between a few orange-red spouts. His vision was still fading more by the second, but the light couldn’t be anything other than her. He ran using the flames to orient himself—the ground was nothing but blurry darkness, after all—and soon stumbled upon a familiar girl. Her hair was black with soot and ash, as were the rest of her tattered, burnt clothes. They covered the basics, but the arms of her shirt were gone, and a black hole revealed her belly and side. Her skirt was still on fire, but the smouldering material resisted the flames somewhat.

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  “Grace!” he yelled. Theo ran to her, coughing up smoke just like her.

  “Theo?” she asked, her upper body swaying as if she was attempting to move, but it wouldn’t listen. A green light flickered again, but it seemed to no avail.

  Theo saw the black and red creeping up her skirt. “Take your skirt off, it’s burning you!”

  She smiled, her teeth a lighthouse of white amidst a blackening sea. “Not the time, Theo.”

  “You’re delirious! Take it off!”

  The skirt disappeared, and her burnt and bruised legs were covered in a pair of linen trousers Theo couldn’t remember seeing before. They were pale brown, though that changed in a matter of seconds. He couldn’t help but think back to their first dungeon run, where she stored her skirt in an instant but made a show of putting her regular clothes back on. At any other time, he’d laugh.

  “I’m fine. It was just a joke.”

  Theo couldn’t believe it. She seemed half-dead already, with burns covering her entire body, which was already beaten and bruised.

  “We have to get out of here,” he said, ignoring her previous words. “We’ll die if we stay here.”

  “Worry-wart. Go loot the big boss. I’ll take the other two. They should be around here somewhere.”

  “Grace—”

  “Looting the boss causes it to disappear, Theo,” Grace said through her hoarse voice. “Just don’t burn yourself.”

  Fighting her would only take more time that he couldn’t afford. The flames had lowered now, but were still standing taller than him where they emerged from the ground. The gigantic crater with the now-dead, stumpy boss was easy to find despite his eyes, but the moment he started sliding down towards it, he tripped and fell. The climb down turned into a roll, and Theo crashed into the blackened boss with a heavy thump.

  Crashing against it, its dead body disappeared with a flash of light, as did all the severed pieces of its body littering both the ground and the underground. The cavern shifted, but somehow, it didn’t collapse over them. The air grew lighter to breathe, and the thick smoke filling the air grew more transparent. Theo waited, taking deeper and deeper breaths as oxygen returned to the area.

  He must’ve fallen asleep, because the next thing he saw was Grace pulling him up the slope. On the edge stood a fine wooden chest, similar to what he’d seen from the boss of the dungeon before. Behind it was a long trail leading to where Grace had pulled it from.

  She leaned Theo against the chest, then jumped back down into the crater. Theo tried looking down, but he struggled to make his body listen. She popped up moments later with a giant chest in tow, this one embellished with golden patterns.

  “Two?” he asked. He was disoriented, but he figured she knew what he meant.

  “Two bosses, two chests. Let’s take our time. Neither of us is in a state to rush.”

  He looked her over, rejoicing in his vision returning to normal. Maybe a small multiplier to his Vital stat wouldn’t be the worst thing.

  “You need medical attention,” he argued.

  “I need a break so I can heal myself later. The slight mana regen increase in town won’t be worth the pain of moving all the way there.”

  “How are you feeling, then?”

  “I’ll heal,” she smiled. “I’m grateful…for you doing what needed to be done. I-I’m sorry you had to do that.”

  He looked down, but she sat down on her knees in front of him and lifted his head higher by pushing his chin up.

  “Theo. You saved me. I realise the price you think you paid, but you’re no less you now than you were earlier. You’re still the man I’ve come to adore.”

  “I’d do it again. Last time, I didn’t think I would…ever. But this time, I know. I don’t want to know I’m capable of this.”

  “Capable and willing are two different things, and you are anything but willing.” She leaned in for a soft kiss. Her lips tasted like ash, but it was still comforting. “I don’t think you’re less for doing what you did. You’re more. You saved both our lives. I’m the one who brought you down here—I was the one who should’ve protected you. I’m sorry.”

  Theo took a deep breath. “Let’s take a look at the loot. You sit and rest. You’re hurt.”

  “Taking charge? I like it.”

  Theo chuckled. “Just saving us from having a conversation that’ll bring us both down.” He opened the smaller chest first, saving what he hoped would be the best for last.

  Item: Vial of Abble Essence x5

  Quality: Fine

  Rarity: Common

  Description: A vial of pure, distilled abble essence. Will add a delightful taste or a strong aroma of abble.

  Item: Blanket of Soft Seating

  Quality: Fine

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Description: A blanket offering great comfort to those resting on it.

  Item: Abble-Scented Nightgown

  Quality: Fine

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Description: A gown which provides comfortable sleeping for the wearer and an enticing sight for that special someone.

  Theo eyed the small wooden vials the least and then looked at the blanket and the nightgown with a suspicious gaze. Seeing his eyes narrow, Grace cleared her throat to rouse him. He caressed the blanket, feeling its soft comfort. He then inspected the very see-through dress with a sour scoff. Next, he stacked everything on top of the other and handed the bundle to the cleric.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t have fooled around in the dungeon,” he said as he handed them off.

  “Oh, this blanket feels so good!” she said, barely listening to his words. “Oh, this is pretty!” She inspected the items as well before she once more returned her attention to him. “Why do you say that? Didn’t you like it?” She winked with that all-too-familiar smile, the one belonging to a devilish vixen.

  “I did…but I think the dungeon liked it more.”

  Theo then gave her the details of the items, and Grace laughed.

  “I just think he’s trying to help us out, you know? Maybe he just wants us to go all the way.”

  “He?” Theo asked. “Since when is the dungeon a he?”

  Grace lifted the skimpy nightgown. “What do you think?”

  Couldn’t fault that logic.

  “Maybe next time,” she said, this time into the air above.

  “Not happening. I’m not doing that in a dungeon where the dungeon is obviously watching us.”

  “So you draw the line there? Seems a small jump from where we ended earlier,” she grinned. “Hear that, dungeon? We’ll be limiting our escapades down here to—”

  “Moving on!”

  Theo pushed open the heavy lid of the more ornate chest without pause, ignoring the laugh of the woman behind him. Despite his attitude, he couldn’t wait to see her wear the nightgown, but in a more private setting. They got carried away earlier, but before doing anything more, they should clarify some things, just in case they weren’t on the same level. Before that, though, they should get out of this place before it started asking to join them or something.