Bloom

Elyssa stared at the walls of the Guildmaster’s office that surrounded her.

It had been decades since her last foray into the Mericite Dungeon, almost a full twenty years.

She still had nightmares sometimes about when she first saw the Red Death inside it.

Glancing down she re-read the missive her latest A-Rank party sent from deep within the Dungeon.

Currently trailing the Lord of Foxes, Azvril. No sign of the Red Death in the past 35 levels.

It wasn’t the lack of sighting that was a problem, it was what it portended.

The damn tree has to be sentient. It’s the only way to explain such rapid progress. Elyssa thought. Even after performing enough merits for years to rise through the ranks it took two decade to become S-Ranked Guild Master of the Burning Toad Guild. As the top Adventuring Guild in the kingdom, she had requested permission to move the Guild House from the Capital to Merryweather. The new location was just outside the Mericite Dungeon entrance. Many guildmembers had disagreed with her choice, yet she knew it was crucial.

The Blazing Inferno of sixty years ago was proof enough that the Red Death couldn’t be allowed to escape the Dungeon alive.

The town sat on the trade roads between Elven lands and the nearby Human kingdom. Profits from the Dungeon delving ensured that the route remained plenty valuable. As such, the town was granted limited freedom by both parties after a lengthy treaty had been signed. It helped that the Northern Forest had suffered a massive setback. Even sixty years later, there was minimal recovery on all fronts.

Elyssa moved her eyes back to the massive load of paperwork requiring her attention just in time to be interrupted by her door bursting open.

“Guildmaster, the Red Death is escaping the Dungeon!” a receptionist screamed.

“Summon the Black Boar raiding party, gather all affiliated members, contact the city guard for reinforcements, and make sure the elves know!” Elyss said reaching for the mana around here before twisting it to summon her combat gear on.

A resounding crack of air accompanied her teleport to the outer edge of the Mericite Dungeon.

Before her a creature looking like a weird cross between a fox beastkin and a Dryad was talking carelessly to Azvril.

What drew her attention though was the delicate tree on the Dryad’s head. It was no longer floating like the last time she’d seen it, however the strange mini-bonsai type tree was now accompanied by a complex mechanical device that seemed to tell time.

Taking in the sights she noted the Black Boar raid party appearing behind her in the same snap crack of displaced air.

“We will make reparations to the Beast Emperor for this, attack now!” Elyssa said, her voice whipcracking in command.

Her opening salvo launched immediately, twelve glowing spheres of combat magic the size of ping pong balls shimmering into existence. Each sphere contained the might of the ‘Explosion’ spell at MAX rank, combined with their innate homing magic. They were the least draining spell she could launch on short notice, each sphere targeted the tree before launching in a stream of glowing light.

The members of the Black Boar raiding party wasted no time either, the two healers on their seven person team threw massive buffs on the four warriors. Haste, DefenseUP, AttackUP, Magic Resist All, the list went on each buff worth a fortune on the open market. The last member of the Black Boar raid team created rippling walls of smooth water shielding the casters within.

Elyssa watched as her spheres impacted on a Flameshield that materialized around the Red Death.

Her eyes bulged as she realized there wasn’t a single Explosion to be seen, instead it was as if a giant mouth simply swallowed the spells.

By the Green Godess, what height of fire magic has it reached? Elyssa thought despair starting to rise in her mind.

Thrusting the fear back to the depths she sacrificed her left arm to power a ritual, blood staining her combat robes a rusty iron red.

“Frost is my Domain.” Elyssa chanted, even as the Black Boar warriors closed the final steps to their targets.

The first warrior who managed to reach the two fox beastkin attacked Azvril’s leg with a sharp horizontal cut. The Beast Lord snorted as he performed a simple check with his knee shattering the sword on his crystal combat armor. Without pause the warrior launched himself at the Foxlord attempting to tie him down for a moment. The man’s sacrifice was in vain as elbow met helmet in a gory explosion.

Rage dotted the features of the other three warriors as they threw honor to the winds attacking in combination.

Elyssa didn’t have time to watch the rest of the fight, as her spell was starting to take effect. Freezing wind surrounded the Dryad and Red Death while frost started to form on each of them. Directing the spell, she sacrificed four mana stones to decrease the temperature even further. Crystalline ice started to creep up the Dryad’s legs, while frost congealed on the Read Death’s branches.

“This violation of the treaty is amusing, are there anymore garbage wanting to play?” The Foxlord Azvril said, as his right hand crushed the skull of the last Black Boar warrior.

Elyssa ignored him more focused on the strange flame that appeared floating between the two parties.

“Fire is my Domain. Flame my calling. Blood Burn.”

“Impossi-” Elyssa managed to get out, before the world erupted in pain and heat.