I'll Trade My Wood For Your Fire (Eevachu, Guy, Will) [Lavaclaw]

Rika wasn't quite sure who's roar was more headache-inducing, the ape's or Sienna's. Likely Sienna's due to the fact she was directly beside him. If that didn't help her establish her dominance over the ape, nothing short of killing it would. It seemed that would be what she would have to do, as he seemed relatively unphased by Sienna's mighty bellow. As the ape began to chuck rocks, however, Rika immediately began to act, as he was far smaller than the ape and was merely a sitting duck standing there. As the ape chucked rocks, Rika began darting forward, dashing towards one of the larger boulders that was nearby in an attempt to provide himself shelter. Luckily, Boris managed to stop the primate's ranged assault, so it resorted to another method; a shockwave. A rippling red shockwave echoed across the floor, Rika diving beneath a large boulder. Despite taking the blow and shielding himself from the shockwave, Rika still felt the ground under him shake. The Kokiri couldn't help but attempt to hold onto the boulder to stabilize himself. This ape had a couple extra tricks up his sleeve, but so did Rika.

As soon as the shockwave passed, Rika slid out from the boulder, an orb of water forming in his hand. With a quick chuck, the bubble bomb flew across the sky, exploding a few feet from the Magmape. The creature let out a frightening howl of pain as the water splashing its body fizzled away into steam, thrashing in place angrily. However, despite its clearly poor reaction and discomfort to the attack, its body didn't seem to show any strong signs of injury like you would expect from someone who had just taken a bomb directly. "Fine, try this one!" Rika shouted as his fingers snapped. As his motion completed, a wide, intricate glowing circle formed underneath Magmape, with his feet as the base. In a few moments, a massive spire- though relatively small compared to the Magmape and the various boulders lying around- would erupt from its center, tearing into anything in its path with great force. Sienna was beginning to close in on the monkey around this time, though hopefully she would be wise enough to remember the spell from earlier and not be brutally impaled by it.

The Magmape's attention was directed in the direction of the Aqua Grenade, where the water that sizzled away at his skin originated from, that of Rika's. The monkey let out a ferocious howl towards at Rika and readied itself to charge at him ferociously.

Both Sienna and Rika were keeping Magmape well distracted below, so while he had initially interfered with the overgrown ape, Boris was moving around largely unnoticed. This came as no surprise, considering how the rest of their adventure had gone, up to this point, but it worked in his favor. Boris was not much of a fighter, and that was a fact that Sienna would happily attest to. However, just because he was no good in a fight, didn't mean that he didn't have his own ways. Given enough time and resources, he could generally find some solution to a given problem. And so, though it might seem strange to the others at the moment, the Deku was currently flying upwards, directly towards the ceiling of the great cavern. It was a pity that using his Deku Leaf to fly was so damn slow.

Boris took a brief moment to take a look down below, watching as Magmape pounded against the ground. Rika took shelter behind a rock, while Sienna's complaint reached him all the way up in the air, her Megamouth Mask amplifying her griping. He shook his head and returned his gaze to the task at hand: he had reached his destination. As he'd suspected, a large number of stalactites were hanging from the ceiling, and he was currently positioned next to one of the largest. It took only a bit of inspection before he began his work. He shoved a hand into his seed bag, pulling out a handful of magic beans and jamming the legumes into any significant crack near the top. That complete, he fussed around in his gear for a small canteen of water, before uncapping it. Then, he waited.

Blow after blow, it seemed they might come close to killing the beast before it could do more damage. A grenade of water sent him reeling back, and though he managed to avoid any major organs being damaged, his stomach was partially pierced by the mage's Spire. In fact, as Sienna approached, he few swipes at melee range appeared more out of desperation than actual strategy, though clearly even that wasn't working, only serving to stoke Sienna's fury further.

Magmape staggered back, its jaw now clearly unhinged, but a fire was burning in its eyes. If anyone could believe it, he was now more angry than before, and despite a broken lower jaw, he beat against his chest and loosed a great howl, shaking the earth with the tremors of his rage. Fire blossomed around his head and hands, and briefly, white hot gouts of flame exploded outward from his body. The force at which they did so would certainly be enough to blow back Sienna should she be caught unprepared, but that was just as well, considering a number of stalactites had dislodged from the ceiling to impale the things below.

And yet, Boris' work was for naught. With preternatural speed, Magmape leapt from the ground, straight up into the air. With impossible precision and speed, he swiped a number of the stalactites falling from above to the side, while simultaneously grabbing the largest. Like a meteor he crashed into the ground, slamming the point of the stalactite into the ground. A massive shockwave burst out from him, opening cracks and fissures along the floor.

"Oh hell." Boris said quietly, as he watched from above. Now what?

As the shockwave rippled across the ground, it left small fissures in its wake, tearing open the earth to form small cracks as it raced outward, threatening to trip up and leave prone those in its path. As it came to Rika, he found his primary defense literally shattering before his very eyes. The boulder he had used for cover began to crack and break apart as the shockwave collided with it. The Kokiri couldn't do anything except run from it as the boulder exploded into many smaller parts, sending them flying outward. The shockwave flew past as it crushed the boulder, pulling Rika into the air then violently tossing him on the ground. The Kokiri landed with a tumble and crash, trying to push himself up and overcome the momentary disorientation he was feeling as a result.

Looking around, Rika could immediately see Magmape had not charged at him while in his prone state; its attention seemed to be mostly focused on Sienna at the moment, the one who had engaged him in melee combat. Hopefully it would stay that way, due to what Rika noticed next; many of the boulders, as far as he could see, had met a similar fate to the one he was hiding behind, having been smashed and crushed by the shockwave. The final, and perhaps most alarming thing Rika noticed, was the many cracks and fissures that hard formed across the battlefield. As though they were on some colossal rock giant, a glowing, red ooze began to seep out of the many slits that had formed like a fresh wound. It was nothing more than magma, but if Rika had to guess, it would be a bigger detriment to the three of them than to the overgrown ape.

He would have to launch a counterattack before the Magmape engaged Sienna in melee range, but unfortunately most of his spells were either not particularly usable as of that moment or likely ineffective against him. Though, if he didn't like the Aqua Grenade. . .

Extending his hand, a magical swirl of ice spun around his hand, honing in on his palm and forming a large cluster of chilling, blue magical energy. Launching forward, the orb threatened to intercept Magmape should he try to charge at Sienna, though it would be somewhat difficult to gauge his exact speed. Following with a wave of his other hand, Rika would fire a similar orb of wind at the creature, following closely behind the Ice spell.

"Shit." Rika muttered as Sienna's heavy, iron body dropped with a clunk. Magmape's head lifted up, away from Sienna, as if he was a child who had become with their toy and desired a new one to pull apart. Unfortunately for Rika, Boris was hovering high at the ceiling, leaving him as the only land-bound target left. Turning his head to face Rika, it was clear who his next target was going to be as Magmape let out another series of howls and shrieks. There was no cover left for the Kokiri, and with Magmape's size and speed, outrunning him would be an impossibility; there was nothing the Kokiri could do except fight. He had little time to act before Magmape was upon him and squeezing his head off.

Forming a liquid ball in his right hand as Magmape began to charge ahead, the ape would find himself impacting it mid-lunge as it was tossed. The ape screeched and roared as it was enveloped in steam, the shower of magically generated water sizzling away against the touch of its hot, flowing body. Behind the steam, Rika could see the glowing results of his work; further chipping and cracking had formed on Magmape's upper body, revealing bright, flowing, and oozing magma underneath. Perhaps it was due to his weakened exoskeleton, but the attack seemed to be largely more effective than his previous attempt. The attack, though useful, was not enough to sway Magmape from finishing his assault.

Lifting his wide hand into the air, it came flying down, pulling apart the wispy smoke in an attempt to grapple- or flatten, perhaps- Rika. Jumping to the side, the Kokiri was able to narrowly sidestep the hand as it crashed into the earth below, breaking apart the ground and spilling magma out from underneath, seemingly harmlessly soaking his hand in the vibrant earthen life. His attack was slow, and full of anger, with no real guidance or aim- perhaps he was blinded by the steam-, making it an easy dodge for Rika. However, without assistance it was not something he could consistently keep up. Even with his agility, such a massive size difference was hard to overcome in a fight of strength.

Boris sucked in a breath unhappily, as he watched the events below unfold. Goddesses, how he wished he was actually useful in a fight. He'd begun work on another stalactite, but it had taken him a moment to even find one, having dropped several already, and a few having fallen of their own accord from Magmape's pounding. Cramming beans into the cracked rock as quickly as possible, Boris swiftly began watering them again, though it was readily apparent that Magmape was nowhere near where this one might impact. Still, he didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. With the sprouting of a final magic bean, he heard the satisfying crack of the stalactite. Moving as far a away as he could, his Fist of Pacci grasped the hard surface of the falling rock.

In a blur, the two switched places, then Boris took just a brief moment to adjust himself before repeating the process. It was clear, now, that he was slowly, but surely, maintaining the altitude of the stalactite, while attempting to move it over Magmape. As Magmape flailed at Rika, missing its swipe at the Kokiri, Boris arrived at his destination, and with a final switch, the stalactite was hurtling down at Magmape. It crashed against its target, the sound quickly followed a a pained below, the sharp tip digging deeply into Magmape's shoulder and forcing the overgrown beast to the ground, if only for a moment.

This monster's endurance was outstanding. It had taken powerful blow after powerful blow, and though it was clearly effected by their assaults, the fact that it was still standing and able to move was a testament to its strength. Rika couldn't help but glare at the monkey. It was like it was cheating or something, how could it survive so many attacks? As the earth around Rika and Sienna began to rupture, the Kokiri quickly backed away from Magmape, creating a small amount of distance between the two should it choose to attack him. He was caught off guard by Magmape's next attack, though.

Dipping its hand into the crevices it had created, Magmape swiped upward, sending a large, scattered spread of magma at the Kokiri. Quickly running to avoid the attack and also thrusting his hand forward, chilling ice cooled the heat at his hand as it launched forward, tearing through the magma threatening to melt him. Instead, Rika found himself assaulted by rock, having been converted from magma due to the spell, the sweltering hot earth pelting against his body, likely burning his skin even underneath his clothing. However, it was by far the option he preferred.

As Magmape flung his lava, the ape smashed and banged on the ground once more; the ground vibrated powerfully as many more fissures erupted across the ground, tearing it apart further and further. This was bad; the less ground they had, the more of a disadvantage they were at, and their platform situation was only degrading. Most of Rika's spells were still unavailable, though they didn't seem to have a particularly strong effect. Except. . .

The results of the latest Aqua Grenade flashed into Rika's mind, which seemed far more effective than before and revealed his underlying body; pure magma. If he was made of magma, what would happen if it were to come into contact with water similar to the magma he had flung? Perhaps if Rika could do that, it would prove to be quite effective or at least provide a strong weak point they could smash. Without glancing towards them, Rika called out to his two companions.

"We need to destroy more of his outer shell! His body seems to be made of magma, and if we can reveal more of it I have a plan!" For now though, their primary concern was not being drizzled with magma.

----

As the conflict inside raged on, the intensity outside grew to match it. The mountain roared and smoked like a boiling pot, as if it were ready to erupt in any second. "Oh Goddesses. . . " One man whispered, his mouth agape with surprise and perhaps even fear. It may have been unsafe to remain on the island, but instead of fleeing, all the many people forming the base of the operation against the island could do nothing except stare up in shock, great anticipation of the horrifying end that might happen filling their bodies.

Wollo was not one to watch, as he cowered underneath a small, nearby tent set-up, believing that it would protect him from whatever horrible resolution the others came to expect. Things were getting scary, the volcano was ready to eat not only him but everyone else on the island, too. Rika likely found the button to destroy the island, and was playing around with it or something of that nature, but he needed to hurry back before he pressed it. Wollo's other friends should hurry too. He sure hoped they were alright. Hopefully after this was over, all of Wollo's friends could play together, and it would be a good time.

Goddesses, he wished he could help more, but he was liable to get crushed by the ape, or set ablaze by the now rampant lava. But his friends--well, Rika anyways--seemed in dire straights, with the floor quickly falling out from beneath them. Seeing as he had few other ways to assist, it was back to the Magic Beans. At least they lived up to their name, he grimaced. Using his Deku Leaf helicopter, along with his Fist of Pacci, he traveled quickly around the room. He began to place a bean at regular intervals in the walls, high enough up from the lava that the plants wouldn't quite burn away, but close enough for at least Sienna to make it atop them, with her feather. Rika would have to use his Fist of Pacci if he had no other alternative...

Watering the seeds, leafy green platforms appeared to line the walls, hopefully giving the other two a momentary reprieve from the crumbling floor. "Up here!" Hopefully the two knew how they worked, Boris thought to himself, as he landed upon a leaf and shifted his wait, extending it out and closer to the center of the room. With a swing of his Deku Leaf, he sent a blast of wind at Magmape's back, staggering it for a brief moment.

Though unpleasant and painful, Rika had no time to complain as he had a far more pressing issue at hand; their land was quickly vanishing, and they had little place to go. Luckily, Boris had been working to circumvent that issue, creating a small handful of magical floating leaves, high enough so they would not be lit aflame yet low enough that they could be reached. They wouldn't be of help if they couldn't be reached, though. As Sienna leaped away onto the platforms, Magmape decided to turn his attention onto Rika. Lifting his hand into the air, he would go to smash the Kokiri; if he missed, the ground's reaction would likely do something. This was bad for the Kokiri, but as Magmape went to attack, he stumbled. An unexpected powerful gust of wind crashed into the ape's shoulder, sending him tumbling forward and almost collapsing on top of Rika. However, the ape didn't, and instead it gave Rika the opportunity he needed to escape.

Flying into the air with the Fist of Pacci, Rika went launching towards the wall, dropping and landing on a Magic Leaf. Magmape wasn't done with Rika, though. As the ape recovered from its daze, it charged at the wall, leaping and attempting to vault and climb up the wall to reach the Kokiri. With a wave of his hand, Rika launched another ball of Wind underneath him then jumped, using the Fist of Pacci to move to another leaf. The wind spell, though possibly not ineffective, did seemingly little to halt the Magmape as it charged through the leaf Rika once stood on, trampling and squashing it. Unabated by his previous attempt, Magmape zoomed across the wall like a spider in an attempt to reach Rika once more. This time, the Kokiri thrust his hand forward, sending a chilling chunk of Ice crashing into the charging Magmape. As it connected, the ape's large hands lost contact with the wall, sending him crashing and roaring into the ground and magma below. As it fell, Rika had his magic leaf move further away from the wall, to prevent Magmape from simply climbing up to him. As if the villain in a horror movie though, that was certainly not enough to kill the ape, as it stood back up, its eyes flaring wildly. The Ice spell had done noticeable damage though; like his armored skin had been grabbed and torn off, Magmape's glowing red wounds had been extended, reaching across his upper chest and shoulder to reveal a wide vital point to hit.

"There!" Rika shouted, readying an orb of water as the ape began to try overcooking Rika again. The Kokiri chucked the orb downward at the ascending ape, exploding in Magmape's face and enveloping his newly formed vital point with a forceful torrent of water. As the steam quickly settled, it was clear the impact it had; it was as though Magmape's wound had been seared shut, the entire area of its upper chest and right shoulder having turned into black rock. Though on first observation it may have appeared as though the assault merely strengthened Magmape's defenses once more, in actuality it was akin to petrifying one's body, turning their skin, blood, and organs to stone. If they smashed that, Magmape would certainly be down for the count, though accomplishing that was easier said than done, as the ape was, though injured, clearly still alive.

If their situation weren't so dire, Boris likely would have laughed at the absurdity of "ape surfing". As it were, with a wall of molten magma quickly approaching from below, all he could find time to think about was screaming. And more screaming. Thankfully, he didn't have to think much, as his other hand reflexively grasped a corner of his Deku Leaf, billowing it out into a parachute. He shot upwards with the draft of hot air. Boris had a brief twang of worry, wondering if Rika would be able to make it out alive as well. Sienna seemed perfectly fine, riding a corpse to the top.

As Sienna plummeted through the mist and Magmape's corpse fell limp, Rika let out an audible sigh. His body was scorched and sore, and that monkey was an unkillable titan of a monster- no matter what they threw at it, it shrugged their attacks off and kept fighting. Rika was beginning to doubt if it was even possible for it to die, but the deed had somehow been accomplished. It was nice that they were able to kill such an enemy, so it was unfortunate that they were all about to be boiled alive by the rising lava. Was there any way to survive? Even if they didn't fall in, the lava would just erupt and consume them once they reached the top of the room. Rika couldn't worry about that right now, as he was about to die. The room- no, the entire mountain- started to shake violently, signaling what was about to come. Glancing down, he could see the lava bubbling through the mist; this leaf would not protect him from that, he would need to find something else. Scanning around, his eyes caught the sight of a large chunk of rock resting in the lava below him, a remnant of one of the many boulders Magmape destroyed. This one was rather large, and with luck would prevent the lava from consuming him, at least until they reached the roof, but Rika would have to deal with that issue later. With a leap of faith, Rika jumped from the leaf onto the boulder, just before the earth below him roared and the lava sent him catapulting upward.

Surprisingly, Rika did not find himself flattened or cooked alive upon impact with the ceiling. The intense heat was baring down on him, his skin turning red with pain even with the albeit fading magical protection bestowed upon him and the deadly boiling earth soup splashing by his sides, but he was more than alive. He found himself flying through darkness until finally, there was light. They were blasted out into the open, and Rika's rock was pushed out of the erupting lavaflow, finding himself floating in mid-air for a brief moment, until he began sinking, further and further as he plummeted down. Rika barely had time to assess his situation as he desperately tried to grasp for anything around him- which was nothing at all-, crashing into the cool liquid below him. It was the ocean. Frantically splashing to swim to the surface, Rika broke through the top of the water, looking around. He was outside, and he was alive. Dragon Roost Island was essentially exploding, but he was alive. There was probably nothing he could do about that, but it seemed like they caused something to happen within the volcano. Was that invincible monster the cause of the issues? As powerful as he was, Rika almost doubted it, but his death seemed to cause some sort of chain reaction. Was Boris still alive? And what of the other Deku, Sienna? They could have been burned alive just by being next to the lava, were they able to make it out?

Well, Rika had no time to worry about them or the state of the mountain right now, he could investigate that more later; he had to make sure that a random boulder or erupting lava didn't land on him, because if he fell here, other things were sure to as well. If the denizens of the island were lucky, some other duo, perhaps a Rito prince and his archer mercenary, would cleanse the evils pervading this island and stop it from being destroyed by this eruption.

Like a steel ball from a canon, Boris was launched into the sky by an open vent in the volcano. When he was finally able to stop screaming, his breath was taken away by what he saw. The island was truly beautiful from this vantage, where he was high above the earth and sea to really appreciate their magnitude. There, below, he made out small figures, which he thought were likely Rika and Sienna. He let out a sigh of relief, at both having survived. It was quite the ordeal they'd been through, and honestly, he hadn't expected any of them to make it. But, there they were, and here he was.

As he drifted down slowly, he watched as both of his companions went about their ways. He'd have waved, had he not had both hands occupied, though they probably wouldn't have spotted him. Oh well. Boris was certain that, one way or another, they'd end up meeting each other someday. Until then, hope you guys have some less terrifying adventures. He thought to himself, as he drifted away. It was time to head home.