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Crucible's assault was both precise and deadly. The last attack slammed the elemental down into the fire and disappeared. You feel the heat in the room weakening slightly but the fire still remains. A sudden boom erupts from outside the room moments later.
Find me...
A whisper so faint passes through your ears alone that you thought you were just imagining it. However it rekindles your memory of the first time Alseta approached you.
Raffe sighs. "Well, best we leave to find whatever that boom was before the flames within roast us."
So saying Raffe and Xin strategically retreat outside. Once out of the inferno he scans the area, sending an empathic suggestion that Xin do the same.
Without words, Crucible charges around the corner to confront more of the minions of chaos.
Isaac's demeanor changes.
Outside. Now.
He turns and rushes back outside.
As he and his feathered companion are scanning the area, Raffe turns to Issac. "Everything ok? You seem more agitated than I have seen you."
Something... something strange is happening. I don't know what it is but something is different from when we came in. I think we should just get outside.
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As the group exits the room, you notice that the fire from the altar is larger than before. For some reason however, it starts to fade, as if the fire was being reeled in into a singularity within the flames.
At the right hand corner, another explosion erupts causing more wood to fall from the ceiling and all fires in the building recede to a smoldering burn except for one that rose like someone climbing out of the river. It takes on a humanoid form, almost twice as large compared to the ones you have fought before. He walks to the center of the temple wall and smashes his fist into a hollow brick, extracting a metal box from within.
He turns to Issac and beckons, pulsating roar of fire fills the room as if was laughing at you.
You are too late door master! Your journey ends here!
Crucible remains standing in the midst of the temples hallway to block the creatures escape and mutters a dark prayer of protection.
Come beast, see if you burn hotter than the forge of creation.
Raffe takes position behind Crucible and casts Mage Armor on himself.
"Well, this thing just does not want to die. Who opened the gate to the plane of fire and forgot to shut it?"
Isaac stares in shock for a moment.
I think it tricked me. It made me think it was the old lady.
He suddenly scowls and starts conjuring again. Then a blob of acid forms in front of him and he launches it at the elemental.
Raffe takes a pace backard from the elemental and targets it with yet another frost ray. "What will it take to make you things finally die, Lissala herself to smite you with her seven sided rune?!?"
Crucible jams his shield at the beast from the left, trying to use it as an anvil to his hammer strike.
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The elemental dances around the ball of acid and ducks beneath the blue ray aimed at it. It looks around just in time to lean back from Crucible's hammer, but it put him off balance enough to be slammed against the shield.
The elemental retaliates in an small blast of fire against Crucible...
... but the shield was still in the way for it to have any effect.
Raffe takes position along the wall and tries again to hit the elemental, again being careful not to hit Crucible.
Crucible continues his melee assault while shouting something at it in a dark tongue.
Isaac, assuming his pony has vanished now, summons another eagle.
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The assault continues as the elemental finally finds a gap in Crucible's defenses and slams a stream of flames into his side. The cloth starts smoldering, looking like it could burst into flames at any moment.
Crucible retaliates with a mighty bash of his shield, the metal heating up more than ever.
Raffe takes the opportunity as well to fire a well placed Ray of Frost, freezing the air of the elemental's shoulder temporarily before being melted away.
The enemy's flames have weakened a bit, the flow of fire visibly slowing down but still deadly.
Crucible ignores the smoldering of his heavy leather clothing, well used to the fires of the forge. Struggling to keep the swirling flame creature from going after those he protects, the forgeborn continues to focus on his shield, trusting to his defense to outlast the foes flailing attacks.
Raffe apparently is so distracted by finally hitting the elemental that his next beam doesn't even materalize.
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This time, the elemental narrowly evades Crucible's attacks. He's starting to get used to his rhythm.
Meanwhile, Issac feels a sudden pain from within as he opens a gate next to the fire elemental and summons an eagle. The eagle eagerly assaults the fire elemental but Issac is too stunned to move.
A claw and a beak finds it's way into the elemental's fiery core, slashing away some of its life force. Seeing the new, weaker opponent next to him, the elemental turns to the eagle and launches a fiery fist at it.
The eagle got hit, one of its wings starts to burn and every flap of its wings only causes the flames to grow.
Raffe takes aim and attempts to hit it again.
Frustrated at his inability to slay the creature, Crucible takes a chance and shifts to strike at the creature from the rear. Hopefully he will be able to strike down the fire beast before it can get past him and attack his companions.
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The elemental dances around Crucible's feeble attempts to bring it down as it burns down Raffe's Ray of Frost. Issac is still in pain and does not realize that his eagle is slowly being eaten away by fire.
Despite this, the eagle swoops aside and eagerly attacks the elemental.
,
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Its two talons leave a mark upon the elemental's fiery core, but it barely flinches. The elemental steps back to avoid being flanked and focuses on destroying the pesky bird.
This time however, the eagle was able to flap away from the attack.
Raffe, frustrated with his lack of sucess, begins to move toward the frontlines, stopping midway to aim another frost ray at it.
Growling and muttering in a dark tongue Crucible continues to swing at the elusive fire creature, but smoke continues to cloak the creature, confusing his swings.
Crucible continues to stand off the fiery creatures attacks but even his mighty limbs grow weary, and his brow furrows as his shielding enhancement nears its end.
Raffe tries one more time to hit the elemental with a ray of frost.
Not waiting to see if it connects Raffe readies his staff.
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As the fire elemental dances around the assault by Crucible, a portal opened where the eagle disappeared and seemed to suck in some of the enemy's flames (). He is now looking very faint, with large portions of its fiery body flickering.
Raffe takes advantage of the situation and manages to plant his ray onto the elemental's core! The metal cube within it freezes solid and starts spreading across the creature's body as it collapses and crashes onto the ground. The still frozen cube remains still upon the elemental's now frozen fragments.
As the creature collapses, Issac does so as well and is unconscious. The remaining flames around the corner of the temple are very faint now and continues to fade away.
As the elemental finally collapses, Raffe lets out a small cheer that is echoed by his familiar, Xin.
"Thank you, Crucible... that elemental just would not die. I wonder what was in the box that it thought was worth killing over."
Still huffing in exertion and frustration, pulls off his leather apron and begins to use it to stomp out the remaining flames, then proceeds to start repairing the building, magically and methodically. As part of this he kicks the box over to Raffe.
When finished he leaves the temple and casts his remaining healing spell on himself.
Crucible carries Issac from the smoking temple, attempting to discern what damage he has suffered. Seeing the furtive eyes of the ratfolk villagers he calls them forth.
The fire creature has been defeated and the temple has been preserved. If you have a proper healer, my companion seems to have suffered from his deeds.
Crucible in his unsubtle fashion attempts to learn more of the god of this temple and the nature of the Ratfolk themselves as he tends to any hurts they have.
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Crucible finds that none of the ratfolk are gravely injured and would recover easily with a few days of rest. However, they do look less panicked now that they the ones who rescued their younglings come out alive. A couple of them from the rear starts to dance while you can see some of them holding on to their young tightly.
"This Temple of Alseta is where our town healer was when the first explosion occurred, did you not find her?" one of the ratfolk said.
"Our village does not have an inn, but there are cots stored in the temple you can use to rest if they have not yet been burned."
Raffe picks up the frozen chest and takes it outside to open it (if it is unlocked).
"We did not see the healer I am afraid, just the young ones and several fire elementals... the last, and largest, of which took this out the temple walls and tried to... assimilate it, for lack of better words, into itself."