The new passageway was narrow, the walls felt like they were suffocating them. Max and Boorg made their way through the dim light, provided only by an occasional flickering torch. Max’s mind was preoccupied with the memory of his dead friends. “They dare to say all those things to me,” he was mad.
After what felt like an eternity of walking, the passage finally opened up once again. This one was different from the others they had encountered. It was more of a cavern than a room, with rocks rising from the floor and stalactites hanging from the ceiling. A blue light emanated from the walls, shadows danced on the walls.
In the center of the cavern was a pool of water, its surface perfectly still. The blue light seemed to come from the pool, pulsing gently as if it were alive. Max approached the edge of the pool carefully, looking into its depths. The water was impossibly clear, and he could see down to the bottom, where a strange glowing object rested - a crystal, about the size of his fist, pulsating that soft blue light.
“That important,” Boorg said, standing next to Max at the water’s edge. “Maybe another test?”
“Probably,” Max replied, focused on the crystal. “But I have no idea what the test will be.”
Boorg shrugged. “One way to find out.”
Before Max could stop him, or say anything, Boorg reached into the water. The moment his hand touched the surface, the entire cavern started to tremble, and the water around the crystal began to bubble. Max stepped back, scared, but Boorg remained steady, his hand gripping the crystal.
Suddenly, the water exploded, and a mysterious figure emerged from the pool. A creature made entirely of water, its form constantly changing and swirling. It had no face, but Max could feel its eyes on him.
The creature raised its hand, making the water around it splash forward like a wave, crashing down toward them. Max barely had time to react, raising his wand and casting protection around them. The water struck the barrier with incredible force, causing it to crack and shake, but somehow it held.
“Water and fire, we could evaporate the creature!” Max thought. He tightened his grip and focused. “Get back, Boorg!” a fiery glow began to gather at the tip of the wand. “Fireball!” Max shouted, a blazing orb of flame shot forward, missed the monster and ended up on the wall behind it. “I have to think of another plan!”
“Boorg, get the crystal!” Max shouted over the loud roar of the water.
Boorg nodded, still gripping the crystal with one hand while using his other to hold himself. The water creature seemed to notice this and turned its attention fully on Boorg, sending another wave crashing toward him.
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Max gritted his teeth, casting the shield once again. “Come on, Boorg, hurry!”
With a loud scream, Boorg pulled the crystal from the pool. As soon as he did, the water creature let out a loud roar, its form collapsing back into the pool. The cavern shook violently, and the blue light began to fade, leaving the chamber in near darkness.
Max sat down, exhausted. “Did… did we do it?”
Boorg held up the crystal, which was now glowing brighter than before. He bit on it. “Hard.”
The light spread fast around the cave, and the walls around them began to shift and change. The jagged rocks smoothed out, and the cavern seemed to stretch and grow, entirely transforming into something new. The pool of water disappeared, revealing a stone platform in the center of the room.
On the platform stood another figure - this one made of solid stone, a knight in ancient armor, holding a massive sword. The knight’s eyes glowed with the same blue light as the crystal, and as it stepped forward, Max realized this was their next challenge.
“Boorg,” Max said, readying his wand, “I think we’re about to fight this guy.”
Boorg grinned, gripping his axe. “Finally, I love to hit.”
The stone knight moved surprisingly fast for its size, raising its sword and bringing it down toward them with incredible force. Max dodged to the side, the sword striking the ground where he just stood, sending shards of stone flying.
Boorg, with a smile on his face, charged forward, meeting the knight head-on. He swung his axe with all his strength, aiming for the knight’s torso, but the blade barely left a scratch on the stone armor.
“This thing strong! Boorg shouted, preparing himself for the knight’s powerful backhanded swing that sent him flying.
Max needed to think fast. His spells weren’t designed for brute force. There has to be a way to defeat this knight, something they were missing.
Then he remembered the crystal. It was still glowing brightly on the dungeon floor. If the crystal had the same energy as the knight, maybe they could use it to weaken the creature.
“Boorg, the crystal!” Max yelled. “Try using the crystal!”
Boorg was still doing the knight’s attacks. “How?”
“Get close and press it against the armor!”
Boorg nodded, he ran towards the crystal and grabbed it. He dodged another of the knight’s swings and lunged forward, pressing the crystal against the knight’s chest plate. The knight froze, its glowing eyes flickering as the crystal’s light became stronger.
Max used the opportunity, focusing his magic through his wand. He focused on the point where the crystal touched the knight, sending a fireball into the stone. He missed, the fireball exploded on the closest wall, but luckily the knight began to crack, lines of light spreading across its armor like a web. The crystal was enough to beat it.
“Keep going Boorg!” Max yelled.
Boorg, with one final slash of his axe, shattered the knight into pieces, the stone crumbling to dust as the light from the crystal pulsated one last time and then it disappeared.
The room fell silent, the only sound the echo of the knight’s collapse. Max and Boorg stood there, catching their breath, the crystal now a dull, lifeless stone in Boorg’s hand.
“We did it,” Max said.
Boorg threw the now-useless crystal. “This intense.”
A doorway appeared in the wall, glowing with a soft light. It was the way forward, the next step in the dungeon’s trial.
“Ready for the next one?” Max asked.
“Let’s go!” Boorg gave a tired smile.
Together they stepped through the doorway, ready to face the next challenge.