Dragon Roost Fried Ritos [Lavaclaw, BP / UD]

Heat. Pain. Elliot cried out and stepped back when the totem in front of him was hit with a bolt and immediately responded by spewing fire forward. The flames licked the Rito's face and the arms he brought up to protect himself, but as he stepped back he realized it had been the right decision- the totem backed up too, putting Elliot just out of reach of its fire. Fortunately he'd managed to keep the fire from actually catching on something, so he got away with just pain. Okay, so that was clearly not how they were supposed to handle this thing.

But then what? They couldn't get past it in this narrow hallway! "Urgh," he said. "I really don't want to waste another crystal trying something I'm not even sure will work. Ma chère," he said, "Do you have anything with a little more... fire?"

"Fire? Uh, hm..." Naomi patted her pouches and the like before finding something she was as of yet unaccustomed to; the slicker supply! She had had to bug a friend for days before she'd managed to convince him to make these puppies for her, but now that she had her new toy...

"I've got these," she offered, holding up a small loosely-sealed bag. "Slickers. Ever heard of them, Prince? Because, they light up quite easily." They didn't burn brightly, and she doubted that they would explode on contact with this thing, but given that it liked to attack with fireballs...

With that in mind, the girl hurled her pouch at the statuesque creature. It burst with an oil splash, and right on cue, the Anubis tried to shoot back...

Only to be caught in its own flames and begin burning, courtesy of the slicker's highly flammable properties. Naomi smiled as it eventually disappeared. That worked even better than she'd thought.

"Yes! Wonderful, Naomi!" Elliot cried out in satisfaction as the totem burnt to nothingness, clearing the way for them. Careful, so he wouldn't run into anything like it again, he proceeded down the increasingly darkening passage. He reached back, grabbing Naomi's hand so they wouldn't get separated, and wished he had a torch. He didn't know for how long all he heard was the sound of his boots on the bedrock floor and he saw nothing, occasionally squeezing his comanion's hand to ensure he wasn't losing his mind.

A twist left.
A turn right.
A passage to their right... or was it the left? Elliot was starting to forget the difference. At any rate, when he turned the corner, he immediately shielded his eyes from the light. "Whoa," he muttered as he lowered his hand, squinting so the light wouldn't blind him again. "Is this... this is amazing."

They found themselves in a large, circular room, miraculously without any form of lava in it save for a very narrow gutter around the perimeter. Despite the lack of lava, the room was intensely brightly lit, especially after the dark corridors they just left. Upon a second investigation of the ceiling and the walls, Elliot saw that the light didn't come from torches, lanterns, or any other form of fire. From the ceiling hung numerous stalactites without points, instead offering a large round surface for fiery monsters to cling to.

The fires that lit the room burnt on the backs of ugly black slug-like creatures, crackled around the wings of slumbering Fire Keese, and flared up from apparently docile Fire Bubbles. The cunning part of Elliot's mind finally woke up, immediately realizing what this meant. Torch Slugs were usually docile, but Fire Bubbles and Fire Keese were agressive. Once provoked, they wouldn't relent until killed... and killing monsters in this room would eventually rob them of the light they needed.

For they would need light if they were to get out of this room. Scattered around it were four pillars, too tall to jump on and too smooth to clamber onto. In the ceiling, square in the middle of the room, was something that resembled a hatch, with under it a large block about Elliot's size. It was nowhere near high enough to reach the ceiling. "I think that's our way out," he said. "And if we could move that block," he pointed to it, "In front of those pillars," he turned and pointed at one, "Then I think we could climb up and do... something." He scratched his head. It was jsut an idea... and they'd have to be able to move the block.

Naomi winced. She didn't see any form of illumination in here, other than the creatures that were liable to fry them for dinner. That they all were acting so... peacefully brought her no comfort. If anything, it made her jumpier and more suspicious of them. And she was not good at all with not acting impulsively. Dreading the answer, she could not bring herself to ask the question on her mind for several moments. "I... I'm guessing we have to keep these creepy things alive?"

She shivered in spite of the cold at the thought, and decided to try inspecting the block that Elliot had pointed out. She rapped her knuckles on it and it made a deep sound. It seemed very solid... And...

The Rito put all her weight behind the block, but it didn't accomplish much other than popping out a few beads of sweat from her. This thing was not going anywhere that way. "No good..." she intoned. She sighed from exertion and frustration, and, almost instinctively clambered on top of the block. High places always made her feel better. She took a few deep breaths on top of it. It was better than nothing. But when she actually looked around on top of it her calm was replaced by dread.

"Hey, Prince? There's something here that might help, but you're not gonna like it..." She pointed a finger at what revealed itself to be a circle of napping Bubbles, that periodically flared up--if she were to guess, Naomi would say that it was the Bubble equivalent of snoring? They were gathered around something that seemed to be some sort of tool, and from the glimpses she could catch from the flashes, it looked like some kind of glove? She knew that there were gloves that could increase the amount of weight a person could move...

"That would be best," Elliot said in response to Naomi's question, and glanced around nervously when she climbed on top of the block. "That's why I don't think it would be a good idea to fly. Both the displacement of wind and the sound of our wingbeats could wake them up, and I'm not worried about the Torch Slugs, but the Keese and Bubbles are fast." That was also why he was indeed not happy to hear about the circle of Bubbles. When he followed her pointing hand, though, he sighed in relief.

"It's not as bad as it looks on a first glance," he explained as Naomi came down and joined him. "Do you see how far some of them are spaced apart?" He pointed to in particular the nearest two. "We're Rito, we're kind of small and nimble. One of us should be able to squeeze between them, get the glove, and sneak back out. If we tread lightly enough, we could do so without waking them- and the rest of the room."

He looked around once more, paranoid that the very sound of his voice would alert the Keese. "You're smaller, Naomi. I hate to ask this of you, but do you think you could try? Take your shoes off if you think they'd make too much noise."

Naomi's heart sunk when he said that. She was somewhat afraid that it would come to that. "I-I think I could..." she said shakily and quietly. Well... there was little time to waste, after all. She just had to try and take it very, very quietly...

Although she had been breathing more quickly when she was approaching the Bubbles, she found that she was holding her breath as the turned her body to step between two of the little skulls, and when the one in front of her burst into flames, she stiffened and a small sound escaped her mouth. For a terrible moment, that seemed to last an eternity, Naomi thought that it would be the end, but the fire settled down momentarily and allowed her to continue on. She let out her breath as quietly as she could when she reached the center and fitted the glove to her hand. Now to sneak back out...

If crawling had been an option--which she should have taken--before to help her stability so she wouldn't be startled and fall, it certainly wasn't once she donned the gauntlet. This thing was made of pure metal. She was silently amazed that it would be so relatively pristine after being in such a hot place all the time, and thinking about it, she was again supremely grateful to Veran for keeping them safe from heat. She tiptoed slowly out of the circle, wincing again at the blazes that flared up to either side of her, and sank to the ground when she thought she was safe.

"I-I think I got it..." she muttered, still trying to soothe her nerves.

Elliot froze as one of the bubbles kept its fire up for longer than usual. Had it turned slightly, as were it looking at Naomi? Valoo's hooked tail, he hoped not. Speaking of Valoo, he thought, the dragon had been oddly dormant for a while now... He prayed that it would remain such, at least until they got out of this room. He really didn't want to be caught without a light...

When Naomi stepped out of the circle, he grabbed both her hands and pulled her close, as if he wanted to be sure the things wouldn't decide to attack her after all. "Great job, madame. I apologise; when we get out of here you may name your reward, I promise." He turned back to the block. "Do you think it's a Power Glove or something like it?" He walked to the block and climbed on top of it, looking around and finally focusing his gaze on the pillars. There was definitely something on top of each of them.

"Let's try with small steps first," he said, smiling down at her. "Try pushing it to the pillar there." He pointed at the closest pillar as he spoke, preparing to climb off the block as he did so.

Naomi shook her head. "I don't... think so? This looks a little bit big to be a power glove..." If she recalled correctly, weren't those made of leather or the like anyway? Well, she guessed that there were a lot of different ways for it to look. She just hoped that this thing would help them. She tried to flexing her hand in it. She didn't feel any different...

But suddenly she and the block were floating in mid-air. She had inadvertently pointed the palm out towards the block, so the fist had gone and latched onto the block's edge. "Uuuh..." she shook her head, confused. "Prince? Are you seeing this? How do I get down?"

Elliot bit his tongue in order to not scream when the block suddenly shot up and started to hover in midair. Well, at least it wasn't bobbing up and down, he guessed, and he started to clamber back onto it when he heard Naomi talking. "Give me a minute," he said, "I need to... There we are." Making himself comfortable on top of the block, he crossed his legs and looked around. A fear of heights was not something he suffered of, it was just that he had been caught off-guard by the sudden motion.

"Well, stick with the plan, I guess. See if you can move the block in some way or another. Now that it's not stuck, it should be easier!" With that, he turned to the nearest pillar. "Same target. If we get close enough, maybe I can even jump onto it from the block, so we won't have to set it down right away. We'll worry about that when the time comes."

"Wha--" Naomi asked. "You're just planning to leave me here?!" She in her distress brought her hand down, which only shot her up even further, and the block descended with a loud noise right back into the recess. Er... wait, had that...

She tried raising her hand a little, which made the block rise again and she fell. When she moved it left, so too did the block, and she rotated right. She tried fiddling with the connection a little more until she managed to get it to take her place in front of a pillar. Her goal accomplished, she remembered that Elliot evidently was all right with leaving her here, and her hands turned to fists. Well, he could just move this thing himself then! She clenched her hands into fists as she thought that and the gauntlet released, returning to her hand and dropping both objects to the ground.

She glowered at the prince, but said nothing. She thought that her eyes said enough.

With the block finally in front of the pillar as Elliot had asked, he clambered on top of the taller stone construction. He chose to deliberately ignore Naomi's ire for the moment. Soon enough she'd see reason- they had to proceed in the dungeon if they were to save Valoo and the island. He may have been largely useless, but at least he was fully willing to die if he could just accomplish that goal.

...he was largely useless, wasn't he? With his limited magic, lack of weapons, and limited number of casts, he only really had his insight at his disposal. Shaking the thoughts before they would cripple him, he looked around the top of the pillar and saw a small raised platform, just big enough for him to step on. He did so, and he heard something click on the ground. Looking around once more to see if he had alerted any of the monsters, he leapt down.

"I suppose you're too angry to help save Lord Valoo?" he asked Naomi, before putting one shoulder to the block and planning his course for the next pillar.

Wow. Was this seriously the person she'd earlier thought was--no, no. What was she thinking? What was she ever thinking? He'd just been ready to leave her there. What a jerk!

"Oh, I'm mad, prince," Naomi muttered as she stepped into position in front of another pillar, "but don't flatter yourself. Some petty spite isn't worth endangering Lord Valoo." She whirled around the block again, this time far more comfortable with the movement and much faster. She liked it that way. It left him less time for a retort.

The next couple of pillars passed with relatively few hitches, and Naomi used the time to think of possible applications for this little gadget. She'd seen that she could go up and down with it. Could she perhaps move in diagonal circles? Her musings helped to calm her a bit.

Elliot honestly didn't get it. Yes, she might have been freaked out by her earlier predicament, but honestly... saving Lord Valoo, preferably BEFORE he shook the dungeon again and set all these monsters upon them, was top priority. He hadn't been about to LEAVE her, as soon as they had been done with the switches he would have helped her find a way to get down. He agreed on one thing, though: petty spite was not an excuse to endanger the Rito god.

As he leapt up to the final pillar, not waiting for Naomi to put the block down, he realized that the Keese just above his head had started to stir. Not good. He brought his foot down on the switch hard, but as he did so his worst nightmare occurred. From beneath the ground, in the small crevice that the block had originally been in, came an enormous racket that roused every last monster in the room from its sleep as a large metal ladder rose up to the ceiling at a fast pace. "Forget the block!" Elliot shouted, jumping off the pillar and using his wings to glide to the ladder, "Get up! Ladies first! Get up and undo the hatch, I'll keep them occupied!"

He hoped Naomi would get over her anger soon, because the Keese had all unfurled their wings and the bubbles were rattling. He wondered what was going to attack him first... and if Veran's magic would protect him or if he was about to become fried turkey.

Naomi gritted her teeth and threw the gauntlet to Elliot. "Don't die, you stupid--" she couldn't finish it, but she hoped he got the message. Even as she climbed, though, she kept one hand flicking and throwing needles off-handedly. The vast majority of them hit nothing but air, but a few of them pelted an enemy by sheer luck.

In reality she wasn't aiming at all, just throwing them in the general direction of the Keese while simultaneously keeping the falling projectiles away from Elliot. That was just what happened when she multi-tasked. She did hear at least some little squeaks of pain, though, so she hoped that they'd hit something vital.

The top of the ladder frustrated her to no end. The hatch was bolted and... tied?! Who tied up hatches in rooms like this?! She fumbled with it, periodically looking down to check on Elliot. It felt far too long to get the stupid thing untied and unbolted, and goddesses forbid, open. Finally she managed to shove the trapdoor open and looked down to the room below.

"It's open! Hurry!"

Elliot caught the heavy gauntlet, his eyes shifting to the block they had used to reach the pillars. Grinning, he slipped his hand into the garment and raised his hand towards the block. Unlike Naomi, he was fully prepared for the sudden lift into the air. From having studied the lass, he knew how to move it, too. He waited until a good portion of the monsters was upon him, before spreading one wing and soaring downward to arc toward where the block was.

As expected, the two switched places incredibly quickly, the block ramming into the Keese and Bubbles and knocking them all into the ground. Elliot then relocated back to where he had been, although more slowly- a good portion of the light had been extinguished when the monsters had disintegrated. With mostly Torch Slugs slowly crawling towards him across the floor, Elliot dislodged the gauntlet from the block and instead flew up, now assaulted by less flying monsters and well capable of dodging whatever came his way. When Naomi shouted up, he saluted the remaining enemies and flew up, launching himself through the hatch. "Shut it!" he called, not knowing if they had followed him.

As he landed in the next room, he noted that he felt better. At first, he thought it was because he had had a chance to stretch his wings again, but as he took off the gauntlet, he realized the temperature in this room was a good deal lower than the rest of the dungeon. It was a relief. "Oh," he said, "That's a lot better. Here." He held out his hand with the gauntlet to Naomi as he inspected the room. It looked to be a dead end, a smaller circular room bathed in a soft blue light. The walls were covered in ivy, with small buds of blue flower-like plants on them.

Just as Elliot sat down, hoping to catch his breath, he heard a familiar rumbling above him...

"Ack..." Naomi held her arms over her head as the shaking started again, and she looked around worriedly after it stopped. She hadn't had time to inspect the room before the tremors started, but... she couldn't see anything that had changed? She shook herself. Now wasn't the time for that.

"Hey! Are you all right? No injuries?" To her relief, she didn't spot any conspicuous harm on his body... "Hm, but where are we..." she turned again to look at the ivy-laden room. Her hand found a strange orb, and she lifted it to look more closely. "Huh? What..." she looked up at the walls again. Had one of the buds fallen? Then what was this...?

She tried to pry it open, but when she tried to interacted with it, there was burst of frigid air reminiscent of the one when they'd found the ChuChu. After a moment's shock and momentary pain at the sudden change in temperature, Naomi smiled wickedly.

"I think I have an idea," she said, plucking another Chill Seed from the vines. She went back to the hatch, opened it, and dropped the seed back down.

The shaking of the dungeon didn't even catch Elliot off-guard anymore. He was just happy that it happened now and not ten minutes ago when they had needed the monsters' light. This time, the room remained unchanged, save for some of the plants that had been knocked loose from their vines and fallen to the ground. It figured- the tremor hadn't been as intense as the ones before it had been. More confusing was Naomi, who could've drank his blood a few minutes ago. Now she was suddenly concerned about him? Elliot scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He liked to think he had women figured out, but he guessed not.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked as Naomi grabbed another one of the cold-releasing seeds and dropped it down the hatch. "I mean, it might give us some time to look around to see what changed, yes, but I don't think we will... you know what, nevermind." As Naomi dropped the Chill Seed and it released a burst of cold upon impact with a Fire Bubble, most of the other monsters fluttered away in terror of the icy stuff. He popped his head down to cast a cursory look around the other room while he had time. Nodding, he pulled his head back in afterwards and threw the hatch shut before the Fire Keese could get to them.

"I saw something," he said. "A passage opened up, in that side of the wall." He pointed in the direction he had seen the passage in. "I suggest we bomb them with Chill Seeds to buy time and then fly to that passage before Valoo shakes the dungeon again. Maybe take some of them with us, too. Did you see how frightened the monsters were of them?"

Naomi nodded, and immediately went about plucking some of the round blue seeds. She may not have been the best puzzle-solver, but she didn't need to be told that ice against fire was a good idea. She filled her pockets and pouches with them, and took an experimental shot or two with her slingshot against the wall. It would take some doing to get used to the weight... but it would be worth it. In a fiery place like this there was no better weapon than cold.

"Okay... you ready, Prince?" asked Naomi, holding a seed in each hand. "Then... let's go. We should do this fast, since I don't know how long they'll stay panicked." She opened the hatch, tossing the frosty makeshift bombs in the direction of the passage that Elliot had pointed out. As they'd hoped, the monsters that were around those areas she dropped the seeds immediately scattered. Taking that as her cue, Naomi dropped through the opening without bothering with the ladder, and let out her wings as soon as she could. It felt good to have the air beneath her again... But there was no time for reverie. The monsters wouldn't leave them alone forever, and she couldn't use her hands while she flew, so she glided through the air and dove through the opening, turning as she landed.

"Ready when you are." Elliot spread his feathers pre-emptively, and when Naomi took off he took it as his cue. Careful not to pass her by, he followed her through the passage that had opened up and landed behind her. Whereas she turned around, presumably to fight anything that followed them, however, Elliot looked around to his front. "Hey!" he shouted, "We're back here!"

They were back at the dead end that had forced them to turn around before. Except this time, they were in the very area that they had wanted to get to. They stood on a platform of solid rock, surrounded by lava. In fact, to his left, he could see the ledge around the perimeter of the room that they had stood on. To his right was the jar of water, and further beyond it... Wait, what was that?

As he had called out in surprise, something had moved on the other side of the lavapool, drawing his attention. He gasped in shock and, admittedly, terror as he realized what he was looking at.

It was an ape. But not any normal ape. Oh, no. It was a gargantuan primate, maybe about as big as Lord Valoo himself. It was hard to tell from this distance. Most terrifying was its colouring. It looked like it was largely made of rock, with patches of fur that looked to consist of ash instead of hair. When Elliot had called, the monster had turned to him and now stared at him with burning red eyes. For a few seconds, the two just stood there gazing at each other, but the primate recovered first, leaping up and seemingly grabbing something in the ceiling. It seemed to support it, for the beast started rocking back and forth, shaking the ceiling. It didn't cause an earthquake. Instead, it caused large rocks to fall from the ceiling.

"Naomi!" Elliot shouted, in case she wasn't paying attention, "Danger above!"

"Wha--" Naomi threw herself to the side as huge rocks descended upon them. Rocks fell on the other side, as well, but the stupid ape was on the ceiling, so it didn't have to worry about its own side of the battle field. "Gah!" As the Rito hit the ground, several boulders fell around her. That darned demon gorilla...

She drew her crossbow and fired, but the magma-skinned monster quickly adjusted its position to avoid the bolt. If she couldn't feather him with bolts, though, she didn't think she could hit him with a Chill Seed... And she didn't think it was a wonderful idea to try and fly over lava, either, even discounting the hail of rocks that the overgrown monkey was sending at them.

"Too far away! I can't hit him like this...!"