The Immortals of Notoriouslandia
Chapter Sixteen: The Core of Fire
The path to Rubabranas was a trek across a volcanic basin known as Ashvourne Ridge—a scorched, smoldering landscape where obsidian cliffs dripped with magma and the air pulsed with heat.
Sapphire led them toward a distant beacon of red-orange glow, hovering over a floating platform of molten stone.
It was there the crystal awaited.
And it was not unguarded.
Arrival at the Forge Platform
The platform floated atop a lake of lava, suspended by ancient crystal pylons still buzzing with electric heat.
At its center, hovering in a pedestal of blazing plasma, was Rubabranas—the solar crystal. The air shimmered around it with unbearable temperature. The heat wasn't just physical—it was alive, watching.
As they approached, a tremor shook the entire field.
The lava parted.
Something massive rose.
The Guardian Appears: Proctalypus
A monstrous shape emerged from the molten lake—part metallic, part crystalline. It rose on eight jagged tentacles, each one glistening with pulsating light. Its body was bulbous and shielded in molten crystal armor, engraved with glowing sigils.
This was Proctalypus—the crystal octopus cyborg, forged by ancient Vrystallion smiths to guard Rubabranas for eternity.
Its eyes flared, and each of its tentacles extended outward, then fired plasma lasers in synchronized bursts.
One shot seared the stone beneath Sapphire. Another singed Mr. Shonk's shoulder.
Kukranchunlikryting threw a toxin bomb—no effect.
Descentedrain tried a psychic burst—it rebounded off the shell.
Even Sapphire's crystal sabers couldn't scratch the armor.
No Damage. No Weakness.
They dodged and weaved through deadly lasers, heatwaves, and magnetic shock pulses.
"It's invincible!" Kukranchunlikryting snarled, ducking under a flaming tentacle.
"It's like punching a volcano made of rage!" Mr. Shonk added, already sweating gallons.
Descentedrain's eyes scanned the platform. His focus fell on a mural etched into the obsidian wall—ancient glyphs circling a strange picture of a flipped octopus surrounded by radiant light.
He read the only decipherable phrase beneath it:
"Flip thee octopus, then shoot its core thee—then you shall succeed."
The Strategy
"Shonk!" Descentedrain shouted over the heat. "It's a riddle! You have to flip it!"
"You what? It's the size of a building!"
"You're strong. Use it."
Mr. Shonk growled.
"Fine. Just owe me a year's supply of mango bars."
He charged with his trident glowing blue, dodging plasma strikes. He leapt, landed behind the guardian, and drove his feet into the platform—lifting with everything he had.
The stone cracked.
With a roar, he flipped Proctalypus onto its back.
Beneath the creature, hidden and glowing—a pulsing red core, shaped like a miniature sun.
"NOW!" Descentedrain yelled.
Kukranchunlikryting hurled a toxin beam fused with heat-resistant acid.
Sapphire launched her twin crystal blades straight into the core.
Descentedrain fired a concentrated psychic lance.
The strikes hit in unison.
The core exploded, sending molten fragments across the field.
Proctalypus let out a distorted screech—then melted into the lava from whence it came, vanishing beneath the molten tide.
Claiming Rubabranas
The platform cooled. The fire dimmed.
And Rubabranas pulsed gently in its pedestal—welcoming them.
Descentedrain approached and touched it.
The moment he did, energy flashed outward in a fiery wave, flowing into his chest, wrapping around his spine and surging into his limbs.
The crystal's fire spread to the others, its magic sharing itself freely with all four.
New Powers Awakened
🔥 Descentedrain felt heat pool in his hands—he could now summon solar flares, forge blades of fire, and bend thermal energy like thought.
🔥 Sapphire's crystals began to glow with solar intensity, creating luminous sabers and heat-enhanced projectiles.
🔥 Kukranchunlikryting's toxins began to steam—he could now mix thermal venom, corrosive enough to melt stone.
🔥 Mr. Shonk's trident now blazed with fire—every strike unleashing controlled bursts of plasma.
They stood at the platform's edge, watching the lava calm.
They had claimed Rubabranas.
And this was only the first.
That night, beneath the burning skies of Ashvourne Ridge, the Unbound Team set up camp on a cooled obsidian bluff, the echoes of their victory over Proctalypus still warm in the stones.
A fire roared—not wood-fed, but born from a sliver of Rubabranas crystal.
Its light glowed gold-orange, casting shifting shadows across their faces.
And Descentedrain, as always, came prepared.
Campfire Gifts
He pulled a large bag from his pack and dropped it next to Mr. Shonk, who blinked in disbelief.
"Is that…?"
Descentedrain nodded.
"A year's supply. Fifteen flavors. Mango Graham Bars, fresh-packed."
Shonk howled in victory.
"My soul is complete!"
Next, Descentedrain handed Kukranchunlikryting a steaming black thermos wrapped in hazard tape.
"Extra hot cocoa. With triple acid marshmallows. Please don't melt the firepit."
The mutant grinned wide, sipping the brew that hissed and glowed neon green.
Then Descentedrain turned to Sapphire, offering a small crystal dish filled with shimmering, translucent berries—like jeweled dewdrops.
Her eyes lit up.
"These are…""The crystal fruit from Veilroot Caverns," he finished. "I asked around in the city."
"You remembered," she said, voice soft.
She plucked one, took a bite, and leaned just a little closer.
"Careful, Descentedrain… you keep doing things like this, I might fall for you twice."
He gave a tight-lipped smile, glancing into the fire.
"Save the flirting for after we survive the end of the world."
"Deal," she purred.
The Next Trial: Daimandrine
At sunrise, they departed east—through the glowing chasm called the Glassway Rift, toward a gate carved into a mountain spine.
There stood a statue: an armored swordsman, weathered by time, blade sheathed, one hand empty, held outward.
Before him: a sealed gate, humming with psychic locks.
Then a voice drifted from the stones—ancient, calm, poetic:
"No flame, no frost, no gift divine—To earn my power, you walk by spine.My shield lies still where mirrors weep,In Tyrsrattliel Forest, tangled deep.
No power used, no force nor flair—Just wit and teamwork, if you dare.Align the gaze, unlock the chest—And place the shield upon my breast."
Tyrsrattliel Forest – The Puzzle of Mirrors
The forest was alive with shimmering mist and whispering trees.
Two massive mirrors stood hidden among the trunks, moss-coated, angled toward a crystal chest bound in glowing iron vines.
The team examined the terrain.
"No powers," Descentedrain reminded them. "We solve this with our minds. Not our might."
Kukranchunlikryting climbed one tree and used a fallen branch to clean the first mirror.
Sapphire found the second and adjusted it using a stone and a length of rope.
Mr. Shonk used sheer strength—without Bontaine—to tilt a platform the mirror sat on, causing it to reflect exactly where it needed to go.
And Descentedrain stood at the chest's side.
When the two mirrors were finally aligned, their beams converged—creating a single glowing sigil on the chest.
It clicked.
The lid opened.
Inside: a golden crystalline shield, etched with the face of a lion and the sigils of old Vrystallion kings.
They returned and placed it gently into the statue's open hand.
Its fingers closed around it.
The gate behind him opened without a sound.
Claiming Daimandrine
The chamber within was silent and hollow, a dome of black stone with a floating crystalline pedestal at its center.
Resting upon it was Daimandrine—a shimmering, color-shifting gem, nearly invisible at certain angles, humming with raw potential.
Descentedrain reached forward.
This time, the power hit instantly.
A surge of telekinetic force flooded his brain. His muscles pulsed with sudden strength. He dropped to one knee, gasping, but rose stronger than before.
The crystal's power flowed to the others:
🜁 Mr. Shonk's raw might multiplied—his punches could crater stone without using Bontaine.🜁 Sapphire felt herself lift without trying—her crystals now moved without her touching them.🜁 Kukranchunlikryting found he could levitate toxins and mentally shape their flow.
They had new powers now.
And their journey wasn't over.