Flames engulfed Sif’s body, consuming not only the outer layer of her skin, hair, and eyes but also every muscle, tendon, and vein, turning her into a living torch.
Her gaze was fixed on the blurred image of the furious, ice-covered Wyrm, whipping its tail as it prepared for another attack. At the same time, a swarm of basilisks surrounded the group, shielding the Serpent from another unexpected strike.
“Damn you… Corym…” Lirian choked out, barely conscious, still clinging to Corym’s side.
Streams of blood trickled from his mouth, as well as his nose and eyes—clear signs of severe internal injuries.
“Calm down, we have no other choice,” the elf replied, lowering the wounded man to the ground so he could catch his breath.
“There must… be another… way,” Lirian insisted, gripping his throat with his frostbitten fingers.
“Ugh… Have you ever heard the saying ‘fight fire with fire’?” Corym extended his right hand toward the half-elf before turning his gaze back to Sif’s burning silhouette. “Well, now we have to make it a reality.”
Even Sif’s mind was not spared from the flames—they seized control of all her senses, completely suppressing the pain that would otherwise have been unbearable.
“Disgusting…”
That word was the first to resonate in her mind—a word that stirred a deep sense of revulsion at the mere sight of the monster. Yet, she couldn’t tell whether it was her own instinct or that of the goddess of Arson, Agnijwala, whispering within her.
Whatever it was, the woman's gaze had clearly enraged the beast, causing it to writhe in place, ready to strike.
Despite the flames obscuring her eyes, Sif felt like she could see more than ever before—no attack could catch her off guard.
In an instant, the monster lunged at her, its jaws opening wide as it struck from above.
A single sidestep—that was all it took to evade the attack. She landed on a jagged rock fragment right next to the Wyrm as it struggled to rise from the ground.
The second attack came just as predictably as the first—a tail strike aimed directly at her side. But this time, she caught it with just her right hand.
And at that moment, from the point of impact, an even greater heat surged through her—a fire that filled her with energy, as if the very force of the blow was fueling her own power.
Harnessing that energy, she struck back with her other hand, driving it into the Wyrm’s tail with all her might. The flames burned deep, leaving a massive wound and sending the beast reeling.
"Hot..." She mumbled—or maybe just thought it. Her senses, once sharpened to their very limits, were beginning to blur together.
And in that haze, only one thing remained clear—the next victim of her crimson-drenched flames.
The Wyrm’s roars filled the cavern once more, its hollow eyes now oozing with pus as it thrashed wildly, circling not just the woman but the rest of the group as well.
Its erratic movements caused the cave walls to crumble, sending chunks of rock crashing down like deadly projectiles, while the remaining Basilisks began to retreat slowly from the battlefield.
Then, with a swift motion, Corym raised a shimmering protective barrier over them.
"How’s she holding up...?" Lirian muttered, head lowered as he continued resting against the rock.
"For now, she seems fine..." Vidar replied, sitting beside him while wrapping a bandage around the bite wound on his left arm from the basilisks.
"I wouldn’t say that." Syviis cut in, watching the woman’s battle with the beast intently.
Dodging the flying debris was hardly a challenge—a few quick steps were enough to avoid them—but the sudden disappearance of the basilisks, which had swarmed the area just moments ago, posed a far greater concern for the now flame-haired woman.
She had no time to dwell on it, though. The heat wasn’t just rising around her—it was intensifying within her, surging higher with every strike. And without a clear target, she had no way to release the excess energy.
"Clever one, aren’t you...?" This time, she was sure the words left her lips.
With a fluidity that resembled more a dance than mere evasive movements, she weaved between the falling stone fragments, her gaze locked onto the monster.
"But you forgot one thing..." the woman continued, leaning forward slightly before striking with precision, launching one of the largest chunks of rock toward the Wyrm with a loud scream, using up most of her gathered energy.
"...Rocks can be a target too."
Flames consumed the airborne stone, turning it into a blazing fireball.
Propelled with greater force than even the best trebuchet, the burning rock slammed into its target, embedding the creature deep into the cave wall. A deafening roar erupted from the Wyrm as thick smoke filled the cavern, followed by a cascade of smaller debris—though these no longer needed to be dodged.
Amidst the swirling smoke, a yellow flame began to spread—the fire of an enraged beast.
Sif stood unmoving, unaffected by the heat, waiting for the next attack—one she could counter.
Yet, she couldn’t ignore the creature’s unusual behavior. Normal Wyrms would retreat if their prey proved too strong, this one however showed no intention of fleeing. Even the basilisks, meant to be its symbiotic colony, had long since disappeared.
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Corym had noticed it as well. But at that moment, there was nothing he could do about it.
The next attack—just as predictable as the rest—was a simple blast of flames, spreading in all directions.
Climbing up the cave walls and crawling across the rocky ground, the fire was meant to be the last resort of the barely-alive Wyrm.
For Sif, already consumed by flames far hotter, the attack changed nothing—at least, that’s how it seemed at first. But with each clash between the two fires, the weaker flames were pulled into the stronger ones, further intensifying the heat surging within her.
Her breathing quickened. Her vision disappeared entirely, consumed by the inferno raging within her pupils. The only thing her sense of smell could register was the overwhelming scent of burning.
The Wyrm's attack succeded, disorienting the woman and cutting off most of her senses, leaving her completely unprotected.
Her hearing, however, remained intact, allowing her to pick up the shouts of her companions just as the looming form of the Wyrm reared up before her.
The creature pushed off from the hole in the wall and lunged toward the woman, spreading even more flames along the way.
She wanted to counter, to strike the creature in the face before it could land its next blow—but with her senses now so heavily impaired, and by the lack of monster's reaction it seemed like she missed, making a hole in the wall next to the Wyrm's moving head instead.
That left her with only one option: to take the attack head-on. Given her already deteriorating condition, it wasn’t an ideal choice—but it was better than the risk of crippling injury.
In an instant, she clasped her hands together in front of her, forming a shield and bracing for impact.
But the blow never came.
Instead, the massive body of the creature was slammed into the ground with a loud, earth-shaking crash, sending a wave of air straight at the woman. The gust partially blew the flames from her face, making it easier for her to see.
What saved her was the platform that had partially collapsed onto the ground, pinning the creature beneath it.
"SIF, NOW!" Lirian's exhausted shout rang in her ears, sweeping the flames from her mind and restoring all her senses with a cold surge of energy.
Her body lunged forward almost instinctively, and as her hand moved, forging another blade from the flames, her gaze however flicked back to the man.
Lirian was barely standing, using Mallory’s hammer for support, yet his body radiated an overwhelming chill. The bandages around his hands and head began to freeze, and the tips of his hair paled.
Sif snapped her focus back just as she closed the final few steps toward the beast’s head. She had to strike now—while it was still pinned down, unable to defend itself.
The first slash tore through the scales along the back of the beast’s head and neck, ripping it back into consciousness with a wave of searing pain.
The second strike came even faster—Sif gripped the weapon from behind and drove it into the now-exposed weak spot on its neck, burning the creature from within. A second later, she tore a chunk of flesh free, spilling it's blood everywhere.
A deafening roar was all the beast could muster. As Sif carved into it with relentless strikes, it desperately tried to spew flames at her again—fire that nearly reached her.
"THRYN!"
Then its maw was frozen mid-attack by a swift blow from Lirian, now standing just a short distance from Sif.
"DIE!" she screamed, driving her blade into the same spot—the upper part of the beast’s neck—again and again.
Blood spilled across the rocky ground, and the creature’s agonized screams shook the cavern, growing weaker with every strike.
But it wasn’t just the Wyrm that was in such a wretched state—Sif herself was barely standing, her legs beginning to falter beneath her.
Yet her hands refused to stop. Even when the monster’s roars finally fell silent, even when its head barely clung to the rest of its body by mere strands of flesh and bone, her weapon kept cutting—deeper and deeper—until, with one final scream of hers, the creature’s head snapped free and crashed to the ground at her feet.
The blade slipped from her exhausted hands, clattering at her feet. And as she stared into the now-lifeless eyes of the beast, the only thing she could muster was a trembling smile.
Because she had won.
The cave fell into silence.
The only sound was the slow dripping of blood, pooling around the severed head of the Wyrm.
The flames that had once engulfed the cavern had died down, leaving only thin trails of smoke curling toward the ceiling. The fire surrounding the woman also faded, returning her senses to normal—bringing back the pain. Strangely, it wasn’t as intense as she expected… or perhaps her body was just too numb to be able to feel it.
Her body trembled as the last remnants of adrenaline drained away, allowing her to finally think clearly.
"I… I won…" she choked out, laughing in the face of the dead Wyrm.
Her breath came in shallow gasps, her legs unsteady, barely able to keep her upright—but still, she stood.
At least, until someone grabbed her shoulder.
Sif turned quickly, nearly stumbling over the beast’s severed head.
"Relax... it's just me." Lirian chuckled, his voice hoarse, triggering a slight cough.
His skin was terribly pale—almost alabaster—and the tips of his hair looked as if he were already an aging old man.
"Lirian..." The sight of him gripped Sif’s heart, but the moment she tried to take a step toward him, her body became unbearably heavy, pulling her toward the ground.
"I got you..." Lirian caught her before she could collapse, grabbing her hand and steadying her.
"...Thanks," she mumbled, her gaze still lingering on the monster. Even though she was certain of its death, the unease refused to leave her so easily.
Lirian just sighed, leading her toward the rest of the group.
Honestly, he wasn’t surprised by her caution—he had barely survived this encounter himself.
When they finally reached the rest of the group, Lirian set Sif down, letting her lean against a piece of wood from the collapsed platform.
"Are you alright?" Corym asked, his tired gaze scanning her body for any serious injuries.
"Yeah… I’m just exhausted… but I didn’t get hit too hard," she replied, her eyes half-closed—until they suddenly widened at the sight of Lukius lying on the ground next to Mallory.
"What happened?!" she rasped, trying to push herself up.
"Calm down…" Lirian stopped her, gently sitting her back down. "...He’ll be fine. He just used a little too much mana during the fall."
"Fall…?" she repeated.
Only then—when she turned her head slightly and saw the half-collapsed platform—did it finally click. That was what had crashed down onto the monster, making her victory possible.
"These idiots thought dropping that thing right on top of us was a great idea!" Mallory shouted, her teeth grinding as she pointed at the unconscious Lukius and the two sitting beside him.
"T-that was my idea!" Sylleth blurted out, his head hanging low, cutting off Zara—who had already turned less pale and definitely less anxious now that everything's over—from speaking up.
Sif glanced between the boy and the woman glaring at him with a murderous look, which made her let out a small smile and a chuckle. The laughter caused a slight burning sensation in her lungs, triggering a cough.
"Alright... Syviis, Vidar and Niall went ahead to the next section of the cave, so the medics should be here soon," Corym informed the woman, waving his hand toward Sylleth, signaling him to come closer.
That’s when Sif noticed the wound on his right arm—it wasn’t deep and looked more like a scraped bruise than a serious injury.
Corym pulled a bandage from his bag and began wrapping it around the boy’s wound.
"Thank you..." Sylleth muttered, flinching slightly as the fabric tightened around the injury.
"Sylleth," she addressed the boy. "You did well... if it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t—"
Suddenly, darkness swallowed her vision, dragging it into an endless abyss as her body—too exhausted to keep her conscious any longer—collapsed toward the ground, only to be caught by Lirian’s lap.
"And there she goes..." the half-elf chuckled, shifting into a more comfortable position.
"Alright, so now we can... rest?" Zara chimed in, also moving closer to Lirian.
"Yes, let's rest for a bit," Corym nodded, finally tying the bandage and putting the rest back into his bag.
In the end, the cavern was silent once more, save for the occasional crackling of dying embers and the slow, steady breathing of the exhausted group. The once-roaring flames had faded, leaving behind only faint wisps of smoke curling toward the ceiling.