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The trial gates slammed shut behind them with a thunderous echo. Heat rolled across the obsidian arena, air warping, sparks dancing from the lava channels that cut across the battlefield. The first guardian beast emerged—a towering quadruped of molten hide and ember eyes, a flame-horned salamander elemental roaring in fury.
"Positions!" Sorrel barked, lifting his otter-blurred staff, water-like ripples of Vita blooming outward.
The group fell into formation:
Oliver – blade drawn, hovering at the front as a secondary attacker.
Zack – already melting into the shadows, nonexistent threads weaving between cracks in the floor.
Anne – clutching her tome, a faint circle glowing beneath her feet, her summon waiting.
Aether – calm, stoic, sword resting on his shoulder, a last resort.
Sorrel – channeling healing streams of cool water energy to soothe scorched skin.
Garrick – shield braced, standing like an iron wall in front of them all.
Nico – crackling fire in both fists, already grinning ear to ear.
"{Attack!} {Attack!} {Attack!}" Nico shouted like a gamer spamming a button, vaulting forward with reckless speed. His flames clashed against the salamander's, forcing the creature back with sheer intensity.
Oliver followed, striking from the side, his blade glowing faintly from Sorrel's buff. Each slash wasn't about raw power, but about precision—supporting Nico's frenzy.
Behind them, Sorrel kept up a steady stream of shimmering aqua-light, instantly sealing burns and cuts. Oliver noticed how quickly wounds knitted shut—faster than even Fern's gentle druidic touch.
Fern's healing… it cured sickness, deep fatigue, lingering damage.
But Sorrel's… it was immediate. Scalds sealed in seconds. Flesh restored before pain set in.
Oliver found himself caught in the thought, comparing them… until the beast's horn swung toward him, blazing.
"Oliver!" Garrick roared.
The strike nearly landed—until Zack's nonexistent threads lashed out of the shadows, binding the salamander's limbs like invisible chains. The elemental roared, thrashing in place, magma dripping from its body.
"Finish it," Zack said flatly, his eyes glimmering red-black in the dark.
"{Final hit!}" Nico shouted triumphantly, launching himself skyward. His flames surged, wrapping his entire arm as he drove a blazing punch into the salamander's skull.
The beast exploded into a burst of sparks, crumbling into glowing fragments that hissed out on the obsidian floor.
The arena fell into silence, save for Sorrel's gentle stream of healing water washing across the group.
Nico landed, fists smoking, a manic grin plastered on his face. "See? Speedrun strat!"
Oliver blinked, his heart still hammering. He glanced at Sorrel, then at Zack, who was already slipping back into the shadows like nothing happened.
"…I almost got roasted back there."
"Almost," Zack murmured, "but not quite."
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