The opening to the dungeon was sharp jagged rocks that looked like they had risen out of the ground, smashing into one another.

Runes covered the massive triangular entrance and the ground.

“Those don’t look natural,” Petor said as he and Valter slowed their pace.

“Alarm runes, let us know if things go badly here, also when people enter or exit the dungeons to keep track.” Valter said.

They crossed a bridge over a lava flow that disappeared down the maw of the dungeon entrance. Both taking fire resistance potions.

Petor checked his gear again as they reached the other bank and started down into the dungeon, the ground sloping into the ground. The lava kept it all lit.

Petor followed after Valter who had one hand resting on the arbalest over his legs.

They rode into the dungeon, as it passed underground they went through to twin gates carved with runes and channels, burning fire traced through them, flickering.

The room beyond was a hundred meters long and at least as wide, the ground looked like it had been smashed together, parts jutting up and others buried below. Magma weaved through the terrain.

Petor and Valter rode abreast, Ignus and Mirradon leapt over the molten rivers, their pace not slowing.

“Up ahead!” Petor said, seeing creatures move out from where they’d been among the broken landscape. He freed his sling and spun it.

They were a third of Petor and Valter’s size, the same color as the red stone throughout the dungeon. Flames danced in their eyes and mouths, more ignited around their fists. They were vaguely humanoid with snarling faces.

Valter rose up in his stirrups, using but his legs to hold himself steady as Ignus continued to run full-tilt. He fired his arbalest, taking out two of the creatures.

Petor topped off the cold shot and released it.

It left a white trail as it struck one of the creatures in the face, it exploded, killing the creature and several around it.

Four spells went off over the ground, each pointing up and away from the group. Explosions ripped through the air. Ice flashed over the space underneath, creatures and magma popped under the rapid thermal change.

Petor adjusted his aim and let loose, hitting part of the group stumbling about. The cold shot turned explosive, tearing apart the group. Petor reloaded the sling, hooking it back in place before he drew his spear. Valter’s arbalest had been replaced with a spear too.

Ignus and Mirradon smashed through the remaining creatures. Petor’s spear took the head of one, a slight adjustment made it go through the chest of another, then they were through.

Of forty, less than a handful remained. Petor stored his spear, spun his sling and loosed it at the group.

He reloaded as he watched it go off, moving with Mirradon as she jumped over another molten stream.

“Back’s clear,” He turned to face the front, another door, this one larger than the first, a bigger room beyond. If they had to get out at a run he didn’t want to be fighting his way out if he could help it.

“They’re up ahead.” Valter yelled. He pointed into the distance. Creatures that looked like knights made from stone were engaged in fighting. The sounds of combat, flash of spells ringing through the space.

The trainees are getting pushed back. Last legs, frustrations turning to panic.

They were at least on raised terrain, up around the left side wall. Based on the fact there were so many enemies left alive in the last room. They must have been sneaking around the boundary to reach the next door and got caught.

They were among the jagged rocks, the knights were eating up their terrain advantage. Their flat planed stone armor that covered them completely absorbing attacks as they fought back.

Petor felt the mana around Valter flex, a repeat spell going off over the rear of the knights.

Wind whipped through the space the explosions cracking off, as ice covered the knights, stone cracked and two fell, smashing on the ground and collapsing.

The explosions were an adaptation to the Thermal Burst, instead of using heat it used cold, super freezing the target area.

A cloud appeared in the region the explosion had gone off, black and night, smoking with freezing tendrils, staining the ground and knights under it with hoarfrost.

The knight’s movements shuddered to a still.

Petor reached out to Valter’s tether, letting a stream of mana through their connection.

Petor held onto Mirradon’s reins as he stood up in his saddle. His sling whirred in his hands as he released it.

A fighter took the chance to charge forward into the fight, pushing past the knights to go for easy kills.

Petor barely had time to draw back on his sling, fighting the momentum he’d imparted on the shot.

He ran right into the path of Petor’s sling shot. His victorious grin as he raised his arm turned to alarm as he looked in the direction of the stone.

It hit him in the shoulder with a sickening crunch and sent him spinning across the ground.

Valter fired his arbalest, over the wounded idiot hitting the knight that Petor had been aiming for.

Petor reached out to the mana around the group, rage in his veins. “Don’t fucking move down the hill you fucking idiots.” His voice boomed through the room as he reached for the knights and yanked.

Mana rushed for him as they got into range, Petor loaded and released another loaded shot. The knights were rushing for the wounded man on the ground now. The defenders had some more steel in their spines.

Petor’s cold shot buried into one of the knight’s chest the knight’s head, limbs and torso blowing off of one another as it collapsed, its body-shrapnel making another nearby fall over.

Petor drew his spear lowering himself.

“Go for those on the hill, get them ready to move,” Valter yelled.

“Got it!” Petor slowed Mirradon, coming back and around Ignus before letting Mirradon free again, her speed getting them back beside one another.

The knights tried to react, but the cold slowed them to choreograph their movements.

Mirradon’s smashed through them as Petor wielded his spear carving a line of wreckage through their broken lines as he wheeled for where the broken idiot was. Petor smashed a knight’s head off with a blow of his spear. It collapsed like a column, cracking as it struck the ground. Petor slipped his leg from his stirrups, riding on one side and came off, storing Mirradon as he slid on the ground, he slammed his spear through another knights chest, using them to slow, he turned his spear, changing his grip coming under a massive knight’s blade, they were easily twice his height. He swung his spear viciously, tearing through the Knight’s leg.

Moving past them he brought his butt down on its chest, stopping whatever was keeping them moving.

He grabbed the wounded knight with his left hand, picking him up and throwing him up over his left shoulder.

Petor reached out to the world and drew in power, shoving it into the knight. He screamed as his shattered bones were forcefully yanked back into place, fusing and undoing the damage of the shot. Petor stalked up the hill, his spear tearing through the knights as he reached the top, his spear smacking a sword away before he pushed the wide-eyed trainee to the side with the shaft of his spear.

“Keep your head in it,” Petor grabbed the man’s shoulder and shoved power into him. The man shuddered, his eyes and channels glowing as he straightened, gripping his sword tighter as his breaths came slower.

Petor released him, the man stumbling as he staggered up against the wall.

“Defend this position.”

“Sir.” There was iron determination in the man’s voice.

Petor stepped past and into the top of the slight rise. Wounded were all over the damn place. Mages slumped up against pillars, their faces wan and pale. Mana depletion.

There was about fifteen of them in total. Petor dropped the man on his shoulder to the ground, just making sure he didn’t hit the man’s head. None were dead but three were not looking good at all.

He reached out to the wounded in a bad way and shoved mana into them, bringing them back from the edge. In their unconscious state they had no defenses to stop him, it was just like powering up the plants in the field.

He needed concentration to work his healing spell. Get the defenders going, then heal up the wounded.

He split his attention to the depleted mages. Once they sensed the flow of mana their innate resistances fell away.

Two were tending to them, using their meagre supplies.

Petor pulled out two ready medical bandoliers, each with bandages, and potions. Desari had made them so any of the horsemen could quickly put themselves or one another back together.

He smacked his spear butt against the ground, cracking the stone—but getting their attention.

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“Use these, stamina first, then healing potions, don’t want to kill them, green for stamina, red for healing. Healing potions into the wounds first!”

“Sir,” The nearest nearly jumped on the bandolier, pulling it open to attend on her wounded. Petor tossed the other to the second healer. He grabbed them, covered in blood as he turned back to those he was tending with steely eyes.

Petor moved to the entrances to the terrain. He jabbed his spear through an opening, cracking a knight’s knee, it toppled, falling down the rise a bit, the fighter swung her sword at their head, chipping it.

Petor pulled them to the side, out the way of the knight’s thrust, his mana running through their body as Petor casually stabbed through the knight’s head and into its body, cavicate, blew its chest apart, its mana rushing into Petor.

“Aim for the openings between armor,” Petor told the fighter without looking at her, surveying the battlefield. Ignus smashed a knight away with his head, his leg crushing the chest of another. Valter was carving a path through the knights. His cloud of cold encircling him and Ignus.

Each blow targeted weaknesses, bringing the knights low, dismantling them with cold efficiency.

“Yes sir,” The woman said.

Petor patted her on the shoulder and moved to the next opening. The mage here was staggering as Petor grabbed him by the shoulder.

He stumbled and raised his hands, preparing a casting. His eyes swimming as mana poured into him.

“Change out with someone,” Petor said.

“I can’t,” The man said.

Petor looked to him, green reflecting in the man’s eyes as he lifted up the mage by his shoulder.

The man looked at Petor holding him up by his shoulder. “Change. With. Someone.”

“Y-yes mister Famine.”

Petor lowered him back down and moved to the other openings. The knights had been dealt with. He grabbed a wounded woman standing at her post and healing her. He lowered his spear and fired off mana blasts, taking off two knight’s heads and another’s knee. Valter finished that one off as Ignus released a blast of fire that melted through another knights’ chest.

Another series of cold thermal blasts went off.

Valter and Ignus held the ground at the bottom of the rise, the knights just with a third of their number.

Movements in mana drew Petor’s attention.”

“More coming,” Petor yelled, shooting blasts in the direction of the knights moving to the rise, coming from across the room. Their slow ponderous steps cracking the stone beneath them.

Thankfully there was plenty of mana to drain in this place, keeping him moving and topping up everyone even as he dipped into his reserves.

“Got it! Situation?” Valter yelled, tearing through the knights with calm ease.

“They’re fucked up, getting them ready to move!” Petor said.

“Understood!”

Petor ducked back into the space ontop of the rise. “Everyone that can move, come here.”

Most tried to shift towards him, he touched their shoulders, shoving mana into them, getting them recovered.

“Back up those at the entrances, move forward if they start to flag,” Petor said. First he needed to make sure he didn’t get stabbed in the ass, then he could look after the wounded.

The two tending to them were patching through them quick. Petor cut the threads of power to others, he touched the wounded, checking their situations, working on the worst wounded, pulling them enough so that they would be out of danger.

Satisfied that they wouldn’t die, Petor stood up, gathering up his spear he’d laid down and headed to the openings on the rise.

“You three check out the other entrances, make sure others don’t sneak up.” They moved to obey as he reached the entrance he’d come through. Three were in the space, a few more knights lay dead upon the rise. Valter was in the midst of it all. Handling things but getting bogged down.

“Watch the entrance.” Petor stepped past the defenders.

“But you’re a farmer,” One of the fighters said. Petor paused and looked back. He had a defiant look on his face that was quickly paling, the other two looking anywhere but at Petor. Their anger directed at the man among them.

A deathless chuckle passed through Petor’s lips. “And what makes the fields grow?” His voice was a whisper through the mana around them. The trio shivering, the talker stepping back.

Petor stopped hiding the grin, the sheer excitement that ran through him. “Blood.” The word a breathless promise as Petor turned back to face the battle ahead.

Petor ran down the incline, a knight turning away from Valter and Ingus’ melee as he stabbed through them. Punching through them only took a little bit of effort now.

Cavicate blew the knight apart Petor ducking under a blow, bringing his spear across the stomach of a knight and activating cavicate. A spray of unanimated stone was left behind him as he leaped forward.

He’d spent weeks honing his mana senses, picking out what was seeds, what was dirt, what was people. It had been laborious, frustrating and boring, So. Fucking. Boring.

Petor laughed, thankful for every second as he weaved to the side, relying on senses over his eyes to dodge between the knights. He saw their everymovement, the way they channelled mana through their bodies to increase the impact of their attacks. The outlay of their channels.

“Core opposite side of where a human’s heart would be! The head is useless,” Petor yelled to Valter.

“Highly effected by heat!” Valter yelled back. Petor’s rapid stabs impaled two knights he dodged a boulder hurled at his head, the ground cracked under his feet as he crossed the ten meters in a step, the knight still half bowled over from the throw.

Lets see if this works. Petor stabbed into the knight and shoved the mana raging through his channels into the knight. It shuddered, the mana tearing through its channels, the heated sections between joints bled molten stone, cracks tore through the knight.

Fuck!

Petor eyed the last remaining knights coming up through the terrain, clumped together.

Mana flooded through Petor’s body, through his armor, he tore out his spear, the knight cracking like a glass vase hitting the ground in slow motion.

“Take cover!” Petor yelled.

Petor created a barrier, a flat plane connected to his foot as he stabbed the butt of his spear into the ground and kicked.

The barrier flared with kinetic force, spreading the impact from one point to its entire plane.

The knight flew, crossing fifteen meters, its body coming apart before it reached the other knights.

Petor’s barrier detached from his foot, forming an angled plane up and away from the blast as Petor ducked down. Valter stored Ignus and jumped, a blade passing through the air behind him.

Mana glowed through the knight as its body lost the ability to hold together and detonated. The forces and shrapnel from the little that remained of the pulverized knights and the torn up ground hammered on Petor’s barrier, a second of true destruction and then it was over.

Petor stood up, looking through the dust that surrounded him.

“No more knights,” He tapped the butt of his spear against the ground, getting rid of the stone clinging to it where he’d stabbed it into the ground.

Valter picked himself up off the ground. Regular eyes wouldn’t be able to pierce the dust around them. They’d both left regular well behind. One seeing the flow of mana, the other the flow of heat.

“What was that?” Valter asked tersely, ever the gentlemen he’d missed the implied fuck that was definitely part of that sentence.

“Well,” Petor started, gods it already sounded like he was making excuses to himself. “I have been pulling the mana out of stuff, you know starve it out. I just well thought about trying it out the other way.”

There was a few tense minutes, the dust settling down some. “You charged up an enemy knight.”

“There was a lot of free mana and well I’ve seen what happens to plants. This was just a bit more—dusty?”

Valter coughed, though Petor doubted it was from the dust, he could see the glimmer of amusement in the other man’s eyes.

“You and Mya will be the death of me,” Valter sighed and turned, moving towards the rise and the trainees.

“Hey! With friends like this!” Petor grinned and moved to follow him.

His smile disappeared as something moved, something much larger and with a lot more mana than these knights. He hadn’t notice it because it was massive and it hadn’t been moving at all, blending in with the ground.

“Are you fucking kidding me,” Petor deadpanned. Honestly the knights hadn’t been much to deal with, their reactions were slow, sure they hit like a pissed off horse. Though his own strength had been as much if not stronger, and activating cavicate from within their bodies was a death sentence.

Petor and Valter walked through the dust and out on the other side. Petor rested the butt of his spear on the ground. Valter spun his sword in thought.

The ground cracked as the beast surfaced, it shed stone and magma as its powerful forelimbs grabbed onto the ground and heaved itself up.

“Looks like a rhino and a boar had sex with a rock table.” Petor said, his sight moving over the creature for weaknesses.

“Ugly fucking thing.” Valter agreed, his voice also distracted with professional detachment.

“You hear what I said to the trainees? Was pretty badass.” Petor asked.

“About the fields?” Valter chuckled.

“Yeah,” Petor grins.

“Pretty good.” Valter agreed, the levity evaporating as he tensed.

“Magma moving up through its stomach.”

The openings in its natural armor glowed as the beast released a roar, a stream of lava shooting out into the sky. Its back legs caught onto the ground cracking some stone off before finding its footing, lava sloshing around after its departure like bath water.

“Fucking great,” Petor let out a tired sigh.

Petor raised his spear, and pointed at the beast. “Core is in its stomach, three quarters down its length, fourth ridge of spine armor from the rear.”

Valter grunted in agreement, doing his own deductions.

It was some four meters tall and eight long, its armor cooling to black/grey. Its eyes the same molten red as the knights.

The beast turned its head to face them, turning way too fast for something its bulk should be able to do.

“Get me an opening Petor.” Valter stored his sword, fire ignited around his feet, melting the stone as frost spread up his gauntlets. “I’ll hit it in the stomach.”

Petor grunted and started running, hoisting his spear. “Making me do all the work again.” The stone cracked and crunched beneath his feet as the wind pulled at him. His breath a bellows, a laugh crawling up the back of his throat, filling his chest with anticipation. He drew on his mana, infused it throughout his body.

It rushed to obey, his muscles filled with boundless energy.

The beast’s armor shifted, glowing with red. He’s too far away. Petor summons Mirradon and jumps, she orientates to the ground ahead of her. Green flames ignite her hair and her hooves. Petor catches onto her saddle, reducing the impact as he gets his feet under him, holding onto the reins, crouched down as she covers the distance.

Petor looks over to Valter, the man’s arms are glowing with white cold, his feet blue flame, but a dozen meters back.

Petor watches the beast and fires a mana bolt, offsetting its attack, causing it to back up from the sensitive hit to its mouth.

It gathers itself, opening its mouth wider.

“Give me a good launch girl.” Petor whispered to Mirradon. She plants her front legs and kicks her back legs, Petor jumps as she reaches the apex of her bucking.

He’s overshooting, going to be over the beast’s head. Petor spread out, stretching himself out as much as possible.

The spear head sunk into the top of the creatures mouth, his body continuing over the beast’s head. Pulling it back like a string through a bull’s nose ring. The creature rears up, on its back legs.

Oh fucking golden! Petor looks down.

Valter launches himself like a human dart, blue flames at his feet, as his fist, glowing white with cold, smoking with warming vapors, hitting the beast’s stomach and going through.

Petor felt the cracking through his spear as Valter went through the creature.

Its internals blew out of every opening it could find. Petor’s spear loosened as he kicked away fromt the beast, taking a few steps to arrest his motion on the ground.

What remained of the beast landed in two semi-connected sections. Valter turned to Petor white cold evaporating from him in a steam, leaving a bloody stained Valter, his grin shining through his helmet.

“That was pretty badass,” Petor said, moving close to him and holding out a hand.

Valter slaps it and holds it. “Good opening.”

Petor chuckles, the battle madness, the thrill dancing in both of their eyes. Petor just wants to let out a yell, but holds it back in as they release one another’s hands.

He glances towards the entrance deeper into the dungeon.

“As much fun as this has been, hasn’t been all that difficult,” Petor turns his eyes to the rise. “And we have to babysit these bunch of idiots back home.”

Valter takes in a breath. “Well, hopefully we can find something fun to mess with in the Water Plane.”

“Here’s hoping,” Petor starts walking towards the rise, Mirradon moving over to join them. “I hate babysitting.”

He pats Mirradon. “Good damn girl, nice flames too.”

“We should probably loot the cores and materials too,” Valter said.

Petor looked around at the destruction they’d wrought. “Well, don’t know how much we’ll get in the way of materials, but definitely cores. They might not be strong enough to really put up a fight. Honestly it had been pretty easy for them both. It was why Petor felt safe running his test.

Though cores were still gold.

“Between you and Mya I’m going to be the most stylish mother fucker out there.” He started walking towards the knight’s remains. “without a damn copper to my name.”

“Well, at least you’ll be alive.” Valter said, turning back to the still smoking beast.

“Yeah. And can punch a stone beast in two.” Petor fell quiet. “I think that’s worth it.”

All this power, all the knowledge he’d sucked up, damn, he just wanted to put it to use.

He took out his crystal channelling mana through it.

“Mya here.”

“D here,” There was a heaviness to her voice.

“Cleared up the dungeon, gathering the trainees and heading back to you,” Petor said.

“Understood. The Geraxi Empire has made their first play. My brother’s on his way,” Desari said.

A chill ran through Petor as his pace picked up.

“We’ll be back within forty minutes. The trainees don’t have mounts.”

“Understood. Mya, could you meet us in the council chambers?” Desari asked.

“On my way.”