" Josh! Daniel! What are you doing, snipe the elementals!" Carl shouted from the front leading the party, they had found themselves defending from both sides. Fire elementals in the lava continuously fired lava at the them while the rocks and fire slimes on the walls and ground impeded their movement, they continuously released acid and fire breaths.
The heat was also frying their insides, the air was hot and they could not stop sweating their endurance and stamina taking a dip.
Josh and Daniel, the archers pulled back the strings of their bows, two or three arrows were released, mana flowed in those arrows allowing them to curve behind the rocks built similar to stalagmites hitting the elementals.
However more elementals would rise up in the pool of lava increasing the amount of lava attacks, Josh and Daniel fired continuously but it clear they were going nowhere, Carl bit his bottom lip, a habit of his. He was about to shout a retreat order when without warning the lava surged, waves of laves rushed the sides and the heat wave exploded, " Water magic; raging waves." Ben released water magic however the barrier protecting him and Nathaniel grew a bit transparent.
The water magic was slightly effective in delaying the lava wave for a minute at most, " Earth magic; Guardian fortress!" Wilson shouted as he collapsed on his knees, he had rapidly cast one of the tier 2 advanced magic spells, earth arose from the bottom of the lava shaking the cavern as a towering wall that separated them from the lava pool appeared but Wilson was now indisposed, his mana had run out due casting a spell he had not yet mastered.
Elemental particles were key in any spell casting, magic phenomena was the results of gathering, shaping and compression as well as release of such particles . All powered by mana however magicians did not create elemental particles rather they gathered them by releasing attributed mana that acted like a magnet thus making spell casting and its degree of effect larger.
Elemental particles were available everywhere however in different quantities, for example the lava pool Nathaniel and his group were exploring had mainly earth and fire elemental particles. That was the reason Ben's raging water waves had such little effect with water elemental particles barely available his spell was reduced in degree of effect however Wilson was able to cast such a wide range spell beyond his capabilities due to earth elemental being highly available.
High concentration of elemental particles often gave birth to elemental creatures often termed spirits of nature, different from those that resided within the spirit world.
So the environment was a factor as well when casting magic. " Lets retreat!" Carl shouted the order definitely his timing was less than impeccable for had it been any later Wilson would have bolted.
Scurrying like rats they ran along the narrow path their sense of respite was shattered when without warning a massive hand shattered like paper the earth wall separating them from the pool, chunks of hot rock rained down on them a bits of lava seeped into the path behind Carl as the the larva flowed enveloping the path right on his heels.
" Nathaniel! You bastard what is this?!" Leon screamed frantically he was second last and Carl's huffs on on his neck. " I don't know! I have never encountered the damn thing!" Nathaniel said and he was not lying he did not know of such a monster lying below in the lava pool. The monster was a rank two lava golem that stood over 7 meters making the pool of lava look like a bath. Mana flowed like blood between the rocks on its body.
The archers fired mana arrows over the wall, they were augmenters so their fire power compared to a magician was severely lacking. Augmenters could imbue into their weapons with mana to increase damage output however there were few who could imbue into their weapons their elemental affinity, like lacing the arrows with fire or water taking damage output to another level entirely.
So the fact Josh and Daniel rank C adventurers could not imbue their elemental affinity into their weapons made Carl very angry, in the town of Liberia any and all rank Cs could augment their weapon with their elemental affinity. Of course even if you could proficiency mattered but it was still better than this.
He questioned at that moment Rodrick's expertise as a guild master maybe the man had gotten done in by age.
The lava golem smashed the wall hoping to crush the invader's of his domain, mana barrier's grew fainter as molten rocks continuously fell on them. The spearman Larkson couldn't help but shout, " Wilson! So much for your magic, did you want to take us with you!"
" My magic?" Wilson looked appalled. " You are the useless one, tell me Larkson what have done other than munch on us, hiding like a coward. Heck even the cripple is better than you at least he knows the way!" Wilson did not hold back, his breaths grew fainter as his head throbbed, he regretted using guardian fortress, more battles lay ahead his only respite was that with the huge amount of earth and fire elemental particles his mana recovery was sped up.
Larkson grew angry the remark, Wilson was right but there was nothing he could do the environment they were fighting in severely limited his fighting prowess. The group ran along the stretch of the path. " Up ahead." Daniel shouted his shout however was greeted but the massive suction of mana in the room towards the golem as a massive lava ball formed, its size increased rapidly.
" Brace yourselves!" Ben shouted, Nathaniel used his lacking mana to also reinforce the shield they were quite literally prancing in death's face.
"Run faster!" Carl shouted, surely after this he had bone to pick with Rodrick.
The massive larva ball of 12 meter diameter slammed to Wilson's 4.5 meter wall with thickness of roughly 21 inches.
The wall resisted however due to its lack of fortification magic it was broken through like a twig. The larval ball smashed their magic shields along with the wall behind them sending them into the cave opening where they had destroyed the golems prior.
Molten rubble covered the ground their death or livelihood unknown.
A brief moment passed before barely audible coughs emerged from the now solidifying molten rocks. Carl's exposed burnt arms barely managed to pry away the rubble from him, the arm bracers he had along with his shield had been destroyed surviving the attack. " Anyo-cou-gh-ne alive?" Carl asked as he stood up, laying his eyes upon the devastation.
"I'm alive." Leon said coughing as well, ash smoked dissipated as his eyes saw the burnt corpse of Larkson lying just a few meters aways from him. He was uninjured but much like Carl most of his armor was destroyed defending from the attack.
" Leon, help me find the others quickly, we have got to get out of here!" Carl said with urgency, so the two men searched the rubble. They had found the labyrinth or whatever this accursed place was called and had to retreat.
" Josh is that you?" Leon asked after prying the rubble off, his voice glad to another comrade however his happiness short lived as he looked at Josh's body. Without thought his instincts flared as he dogged to the side, mana arrows out of nowhere skewered Josh's sorry figure. " Leo..." Josh's life faded as confusion marred his already legless body.