Thomas, undeterred by the barrage of magic, charged in with a fierce battle cry, his blade gleaming in the dim light. His face was set in a grim expression, eyes narrowed with determination. He swung with all his might, and to my surprise, his blade cut through the air and made contact, drawing a thin line of crimson from the Djinn's arm. The metallic scent of blood mixed with the smoky air was a stark reminder of the life-or-death stakes of this battle.
The Djinn snarled, its eyes narrowing with a mix of anger and amusement. It raised a hand to its wound, fingers brushing against the cut. Thomas pulled back, his chest heaving with exertion, readying himself for another attack. The Djinn, however, was quick to recover. It unleashed a burst of wind, a powerful gust that sent Thomas staggering backward, nearly knocking him off his feet. His boots scraped against the rough stone floor as he struggled to maintain his balance.
Not wasting any time, I focused my energy and conjured a bolt of lightning. The air hummed with electricity, and I felt the familiar tingle in my fingertips as the spell charged. I sent it crackling through the air toward the Djinn. The electricity danced along its form, causing it to shudder for a brief moment, the smell of ozone filling the room.
Thomas regained his footing and charged again, his sword aimed for the Djinn's heart. Sweat glistened on his brow, his breath coming in ragged gasps. This time, the Djinn anticipated the move and vanished in a burst of light, reappearing behind him. Before Thomas could react, the Djinn swung its staff, knocking him off balance. Thomas let out a grunt of pain as he hit the ground, the impact echoing through the room.f
I quickly conjured another fireball, the heat searing my palms. The Djinn warped again, avoiding the spell with a smug grin and reappearing closer to me. It grinned wickedly, its eyes gleaming with malice, and unleashed a dark bolt of energy. The spell struck me square in the chest, pain shooting through me like a thousand needles piercing my skin. My muscles seized up, and I could barely move, the world around me blurring. My breath hitched, and I felt the cold sweat of fear trickle down my spine.
The Djinn took advantage of my stunned state, warping across the room to unleash another spell. A dark wave of energy erupted from its hands, sweeping toward Thomas. He tried to dodge, but the spell hit him, and he cried out as he was thrown off his feet, landing hard on the ground. The room seemed to spin, the edges of my vision darkening as the spell's effect wore off. I struggled to regain my bearings, the pain in my chest still throbbing.
My vision cleared just in time to see Thomas getting up, his face pale and drawn, but the Djinn was faster. It warped again, appearing directly in front of me. Its eyes were like burning coals, full of contempt. It sent a shockwave of energy at my feet, causing the ground to ripple and buckle. I stumbled, trying to keep my balance, but the floor gave way beneath me, and I fell to my knees. The cold, hard stone bit into my skin, and I gritted my teeth against the pain.
Thomas, too, was caught in the Djinn's trap. The ground beneath him surged upward, tripping him and sending him crashing to the ground. We were both vulnerable, struggling to regain our footing as the Djinn hovered above us, its eyes glowing with triumph. It raised its hands, gathering energy for another attack, the room crackling with power. The air was thick with the scent of magic and battle, and the atmosphere was charged with tension.
But I knew we couldn't give up now. With a surge of determination, I pushed myself up, my hands trembling with the effort. Electricity crackled around my fingers, the familiar sensation grounding me. With a shout, I released a Lightning Fist toward the Djinn. The spell shot forward, lightning arcing through the air. At the same moment, Thomas rose to his feet, his sword at the ready. The Djinn tried to warp away, but my spell hit it just as it began to fade, disrupting its teleportation.
Thomas took the opportunity to charge, his blade cutting through the air with deadly precision. The Djinn let out a howl of pain, staggering back as blood seeped from its wounds. The metallic tang mixed with the acrid scent of burning magic created a nauseating combination. Thomas and I stood side by side, panting and battered but ready to finish the fight. The room crackled with energy, the air thick with the scent of magic and battle. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing the urgency of the moment.
"Keep at it, Thomas!" I shouted, launching another fireball. My voice was hoarse, the words barely carrying over the chaos. Thomas kept swinging away with his sword, his face a mask of grim determination. "I won't stop until this thing is down!" he yelled back, his voice barely audible over the din of battle. His hands were clenched around the hilt of his sword, knuckles white with tension.
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I threw fireball after fireball at the Djinn, my hands shaking from exhaustion and the strain of constant spellcasting. The heat from the flames scorched my skin, and my throat burned from the acrid smoke that filled the room. I drank potion after potion, the cool liquid soothing my throat and replenishing my dwindling reserves of health and mana. Just as I was about to cast another spell, a voice spoke into my mind.
“There’s no rule about taming a secret boss either. Now’s your chance.”
Without hesitating or even wondering where the familiar voice came from, I threw out my hand and cast a mana battery. The force of the spell was immense, and I felt myself being thrown to the ground like discarded trash. Pain exploded in every part of my body as if every bone had shattered at once. My vision blurred, and I gasped for breath, the agony almost unbearable.
A small lamp burned onto my arm next to the crown for Kingsley and the thumbs up for Thumbs. The heat was intense, searing my skin, and I clenched my teeth against the pain. The lamp's glow was eerie, casting a strange light over the room.
[Congratulations! You have tamed Djinn, the secret boss. (Mana battery)]
Suddenly, like a veil had been lifted, the foggy remains of Djinn’s lamp vanished, and we were back in the boss room. I laughed, a bitter sound that echoed in the silence that followed. I looked around at the chaos and destruction the fight had caused. The room was filled with smoke and ash, the remnants of our battle scattered everywhere. Blood pooled on the ground, both mine and Thomas's, as well as a dark, spreading stain around Klericho's body. Unlike past attempts, his body hadn't evaporated into an Aerlynt orb.
I sighed as I walked forward to Thomas, feeling the exhaustion in my bones. My muscles ached, and my wounds throbbed with a dull, persistent pain. Just as I was about to clap my hand on his shoulder, he turned around and thrust the sword into my gut. The pain was immediate and overwhelming, a fiery lance through my abdomen. I let out a bloody gasp, my vision darkening at the edges.
“You—what—?” I stammered, the words barely escaping my lips. Pain and shock overwhelmed me, the betrayal cutting deeper than the blade.
“All this time, practically years pretending to be something I'm not, well, no more,” Thomas hissed, his eyes cold and filled with fury. As he snapped his fingers, a flood of demons entered the room, their eyes glowing with malevolence. A gauntlet formed around Thomas's hand, hovering over the tattoos on my left arm. Inky blue magic, similar to the Djinn's, flowed from the tattoo as it vanished off my arm, receding into the gauntlet. The Aerlynt orb had vanished off my arm, leaving a dull ache in its place.
“What—what did you do?” I struggled to speak through my broken mouth and mortal wounds, tears rolling down my face, unbidden.
“There is more to this dungeon than your pitiful gods—real, ancient power. And it thirsts for an ancient vengeance that can no longer be held back."
Thomas pulled the sword the rest of the way out of my slowly fading body. The pain was excruciating, a burning agony that spread from my gut to every part of my being. I assumed I still had a single point of health left, or the run would have ended, but I had no energy to move and little more to speak. My vision blurred, and I felt the cold hand of death closing in.
“For years, Rellum has abandoned me to this horrid place as a guard. No promise of advancement, making a name, or even attaining salvation.” He spat at the ground as he said the word 'salvation,' his voice dripping with contempt. “What She has promised has already been delivered. Powerful weapons. Freedom. The chance of ascending to the top. And without the Aerlynt orb, that horrid excuse for a man over there will never return." He glanced at Klericho's lifeless body with disdain. "I got myself killed to get away from him the first time. Imagine my shock that a fourth full year had passed before someone was worthy of penance.” He laughed bitterly, the sound grating against the eerie silence that had settled over the room. “I will surely see you again, but it will be in your power, not Malikap’s. Any last words?”
Pain seared through my body, my vision fading in and out. I knew I had only moments left. With the last of my strength, I managed to choke out,
“Ice beam, bitch.” The words were barely a whisper, but the spell surged from my mouth, and a blast of cold energy shot toward Thomas. The surprise on his face was the last thing I saw before my mouth exploded in a red mist, and everything went dark.
As I lost consciousness, the cold of the spell was the only sensation I felt, the icy power contrasting with the burning pain of my wounds. I heard Elizabeth's voice, distant and cold, intone,
[You have died. End of run 6. Due to the destructive power of whatever Thomas did, your corpse has been obliterated, destroying all of the items on your person.]
The world went dark, and I was left with nothing but the lingering echoes of betrayal and the bitter taste of failure.