Luke's plan was straightforward: eliminate the priest first.
He waited for the opportune moment when the two groups of enemies were at opposite ends of the hall. Meanwhile, Sooty readied her Reaver Beak ability. Luke cast Essence Bond on the target as Sooty prepared to swoop down on the priest. He then launched an Essence Lance. Sooty's beak tore into the priest, causing severe damage. Before the priest could cast any spells to save himself, Sooty unleashed an Essence Screech and finished the undead off with a Talon Strike.
Sooty immediately flew back to Luke, using the incoming Essence Lance as cover. Now alerted, the Flame Monks and Scarlet Wielders let out guttural growls. To Luke's surprise, three of the four Flame Monks collapsed when the Essence Lance crashed to the floor.
The remaining Flame Monk and Scarlet Wielders started charging down the narrower hallway toward Luke. Flame Monks had natural resistance against the Essence Lance slow but were helpless against Essence Bond. The injuries sustained from the surprise attack further slowed the remaining Flame Monk down. This gave Luke and Sooty a precious three-second advantage. Luke slashed through the remaining Flame Monk with a swift, decisive strike. Cutting through its rotting skin and deadening flames like butter, he killed it. The Scarlet Wielders still had a distance to cover. Sooty took matters into her own hands, using swift swipes of her talons still powered by Infusion charges to cut down two wielders, then led the last one to Luke. One attack from Whispering Edge and the last Wielder was nearly sliced in half.
Luke sheathed his sword, his brow furrowing. "Too easy," he worriedly said.
He had grown accustomed to each battle being both challenging and life-threatening. Yet seven undead fell to the tag team of Reaver and Crow in seconds. The ease with which they were dispatched made him wonder if he was being lulled into letting his guard down.
"Let not the victory swell your head, laddie. These beasties band together quicker than you can blink. If you're not mindful, a much larger horde can muster in no time. And we know bog all of what those priests might be up to," Wayfinder counseled Luke.
Luke nodded at his words. If he planned each attack on these groups, the fights would remain manageable, but who knew what would happen if he attracted multiple groups? Taking that into account, he stayed cautious. Luke decided to check the combat log later, preferring to do so once several groups had been cleared. A few bronze flashes appeared in his inventory; he planned to check them only once it was packed.
"Looks like we found our grind spot, Sooty. Let's clear this place out."
Sooty responded by spreading out her wings and pushing her head forward. As if to say bring it on.
With only one group left in the widened hall, Luke only needed to repeat the process. Part of him wanted to be lazy and use Temporal North to spam two Essence Lances back to back, which would likely wipe out the entire group. But Wayfinder's warning resounded in his mind. Instead, he refreshed Infusion as he always did. Double-checking that only one group was left in the area, Luke waited until they patrolled to his nearest corner. This time, Luke hit them with a perfect Essence Fissure, although the high ceiling of the area meant they didn't hit the roof.
Luke, unsure if Essence Lance would shatter unless in contact with something, decided to try and see if he could command it to break without hitting a target first. Before that, as always, he applied an Essence Bond. He chose a Flame Monk in the forward center position, thinking it would be the easiest one for Sooty to spread the Bond to others. Sooty faithfully let out her Essence Screech, and the group of eight all had Essence Bond applied. Luke then had Sooty wait half a second, giving him time to test his theory with Essence Lance. He threw it, aiming to hit the densest part of the group before it would have impacted only a Wielder.
He mentally commanded the Lance to shatter, and as expected, the skill obeyed, with its shards hitting all eight group members. None of the Monks survived the combo. Sooty again finished off the priest, this time before the Essence Fissure's lift effect ended. With the three Wielders alone and nearly dead, Sooty landed a few quick strikes before they could reach Luke. Luke could feel his confidence growing, with this fight being even more straightforward than the last. These creatures would have easily killed the Luke of yesterday, but today, they were nothing to him. As he passed by the massacred group, a few more items entered into his inventory.
Luke rubbed his sword. He wanted a weapon this entire time, yet it was barely used once he finally got one. Then again, he was sure it would come in handy in a more brutal battle. Going through his usual preparation phase, the group quickly moved on. The heat was increasing again, and the next room was filled with Flame Monks and Crimson Priests worshiping a red Unholy Flame. The flame danced, and a spectral aura radiated from it. Even with its crimson color, a pitch-black radiance was coming from it.
The temperature of the flame was scalding his skin. Sooty visibly was not enjoying the heat. Fighting in this place would put them at a significant disadvantage. The undead around the Unholy Flame were utterly unaffected. Even if the previous fights were straightforward, with this solid environmental disadvantage, the story was different. Luke scanned the area. The entire place had about twenty undead spread out slightly, but not enough to pull them into separate groups.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
He observed what he could and returned to a much more cool part of the monastery. Sooty was panting heavily, probably from an early onset of heat stroke. Seeing this, Luke played it safe. They walked back further, and Luke spotted an old large wooden cup on a small table nearby. He took the cup with him, walking further out of the monastery.
"Look, lad, your feathered pal's not doing well in this heat, aye? Get her some water and let her rest at the entrance. Time's tickin', but being hasty won't help us now, will it?" Wayfinder's voice had a well-hidden hint of worry.
Time was ticking on Luke's heart, but rushing things would help no one. They were finally back out of the middle entrance a few minutes later. A rush of cold air wafted over the group, and Sooty was already looking better.
"Sooty, pour some water from your feather into this cup. Drink some water from there first."
Sooty let a controlled amount of water enter the large cup, and only a tiny part spilled. Immediately, she began to drink with her beak. Seeing her recover, he put his attention to other matters.
"So the environment is something to watch out for, too, huh? I got too caught up in the ease of our fights and forgot about other dangers. I'll need to see if we can gain resistance to this sort of thing in the future." Luke said out loud, mainly hoping to bounce ideas off of Wayfinder.
Wayfinder didn't disappoint. "There's more than one way to deal with heat and the elements. It ain't just about resistances. A bit more HP and Strength can save your life. And gear will come to you. Or you can be a compass like good ol' me. Only lady compasses can make a stallion like me pant!"
Wayfinder was good at giving decent advice in one second but ruining his image the next. Luke ignored his antics and focused on the usable information he told him. Stats had secondary effects, like indirect ones against the environment you were in. With Sooty having had her fill, she refilled the cup and nudged him. Luke didn't have to think about what she meant. He needed to drink, too. Downing a cup of water, he looked on as Sooty began to rest beside him.
Switching from his talk about the fine rear shine of a lady compass, Wayfinder abruptly changed his line of conversation.
"That bloody flame's got me worried, lad. If it's what I think, we must snuff it out tonight, or we'll be toast before your heart even gives in ." The compass certainly could come out with gut-wrenching words at times.
"Another issue, is it? What makes you think that Wayfinder?" Luke didn't disagree; he was merely confused.
This flame wasn't an issue today or yesterday, so why would it be one soon?
Luke heard a long sigh from the compass, "You pigeon head, what is this place?" Wayfinder asked instead of answering.
He gave back a confused answer, "A tomb, right?" His voice left a high tone toward the end, unsure of himself.
"What's wrong with you, lad? This ain't an ordinary tomb. It's a bloody trial for Reavers! That flame is part of it. If you want to last even a day, get rid of its followers." Wayfinder pressed further on him.
Luke connected the dots without asking anymore. The flame would continue to grow, and if he couldn't clear the tomb in time or stop it from growing enough before it became too hot to come near, he'd have nowhere to go. Eventually, he'd be dealing with a heat he couldn't handle and all the other deadly things this place had to offer. To prove Wayfinder's point, when Luke looked at his log, he noticed a quest.
[Kill The Worshipers Of The Unholy Flame!]
Reward: 1 level, 10 fire resist granted to you and your companion.
Failure: Become ash for the next Reaver to find.
[11:09:34]
"You taking note of the tickin', lad? You might think you've all the hours of the day, but that inferno's going to roar beyond your control before you know it." Wayfinder asked, even though there was certainty in his voice.
"Right…" Luke murmured, not quite grasping Wayfinder's point. This was a huge issue, sure, but he had eleven hours. Why did Wayfinder seem so sure it was less?
"True, you might not be ash for a good while yet, but the means to curb that blaze, to slow its fury—that's what you're about to lose if you don't act swift," Wayfinder clarified, pointing out the urgency of preemptive action.
Damn, I knew something was wrong. Luke immediately thought. Things had gone too smoothly in that entrance. So this was why he needed to figure out a way to stop those twenty worshipers. The sooner, the better. Then, before fully forming the thought, he asked Wayfinder a question.
"Can't Sooty soak the flame with all the pond water at once?"
"You think some pond water is going to fix a tier 3 flame, lad? No, you can only slow its growth and leave this place before it grows into a raging inferno."
Luke let out a sigh. Things wouldn't get fixed with a clever solution like last time. He had to take on all twenty of those worshipers, and he had to do it soon. Then, only two things had to be known and taken care of first.
"Would Sooty recover in time?" He asked Wayfinder, unsure why he thought the compass would know the answer.
Wayfinder's voice was laced with urgency. “The wee crow's going need a spell to cool her feathers after that scorchin'. But mark me words, by the time she's back on her wee talons, you'll be scraping the bottom of the hourglass to sort this blistering puzzle out."
Luke clenched his fists. "I have to do this without her?"
"Aye, lad, we can't back down now. You might be able to Infuse me, though it'll not do much good. But me Temporal North ability—that's what'll tip the scales. So, gather your wits about you, boy; you'll likely get but one chance at this." Wayfinder's voice carried the rough edge of urgency and a touch of gruff encouragement.
As he checked his log, Luke's eyes darted past useless crafting materials to what mattered: [You have stolen 5 strength, 9 HP, 1 Agility]. It would have to do. Luke began to focus his eyes. His breathing entered into a steady rhythm. He covered Sooty with cloth and placed her in a shaded cave alcove. The darkness of the tomb entrances stared back at him, oppressive in their silent anticipation of what was to come.
It was time to extinguish some flame-worshiping undead.