"Inside the lava!" Oscar freaked out.
"Yes," she affirmed.
He stood back to back with her, both of them in alert for any incoming attacks.
"If it's in a place like that why do the natives even need to be out here protecting it? This is suicide for anyone that jumps in."
While he spoke, a man jumped in and was instantly incinerated.
"God!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Whatever you do please don't involve with the natives. Don't go fighting them," she threw a punch at a man coming her way, simultaneously stabbing him with the dagger on the back of her palm.
At the moment, everyone else was busy fighting around them rather than with them.
"I'm going in," Nora took a step forward as the words leave her mouth.
Oscar quickly blocked her with his chainsword pointed at her face, "I'm not letting you make the dumb decision of killing yourself."
"I've only known you for a small while Oscar. I don't know if you know that you're extremely suicidal. You're not exactly fit for material to talk someone out of death," she pushed his chainsword out of the way with the dagger and moved towards the lava.
At first the beam on Oscar's face faded. He wore a look of realization. Not that he didn't know he had always wanted to die, it just has never been phrased to him like that before.
He turned around and rushed for her, slicing away everyone that was in his path still he reached her.
"I don't care if I wanna die, I don't have a purpose. But you do," he raised the chainsword to her face again. "I'm not letting you die."
Nora sighed in disappointment, "Hello… Mr hero, this is the underworld. Only the natives can kill us, otherwise we can't die."
"Ohh," Oscar's brain rang back on. "Underworld. Underworld."
"Can I pass now, hero?" she asked permission, rather ironically.
Oscar was slowly dropping down his chainsword but then he raised it up again in a quick second, "But how do I know you can still respawn? You told me you discovered your powers few days ago, what if something changed?"
"Remember when we first met, and you exploded out of nowhere? I died. Yet here I am."
"Wow," Oscar was impressed. "I didn't know I killed you. It's pretty relieving."
"Now get out my way," she aggressively pushed him to the side.
While she approached the lava Oscar cut off a man that was trying to stab her from behind, then he put the tip of his chainsword on the ground, just watching her with a dreamy smile as she approached the river of flames.
With the momentum building Nora walked to the edge of the pond, which appeared to be slow motion in Oscar's eyes. She jumped in and faced the same fate as all the other men… incinerated.
"Ah!" Oscar's jaws dropped.
From behind a hand grabbed him on the shoulder and pulled him to the corner of the hole. At first he felt lifeless like a heartbroken man but then he turned around and saw that it was Nora.
"Whoa! That was fast," he cleared his throat, trying to act like he didn't just freak out.
"That was a total disaster. I couldn't swim deep. I died as soon as I hit the lava," Nora looked frustrated already.
"I'm the only one allowed to say die here," Oscar was still in shock of seeing her respawn. "Y'all can say reboot."
"I have to figure out a plan," she formed staggers on both her hands with the fog and charged into the crowd with a battle cry like a wild beast, surprising even Oscar.
He stood where he was on the battlefield just stunned watching her, while pushing everyone who came for a fight away from him.
In a minute she came back to him, "I have something."
Oscar opened his palms wide, "What happened to you a minute ago?"
"My head was exploding. I had to vent my frustration," she turned around and faced the pond. "I'm going back in. This time I'm covering myself with a protective shield."
"Made of fog?" Oscar guessed.
"Yes. With my powers," she affirmed.
"Look," the air around Oscar suddenly got serious. "If you succeed, we'd have to get out of here as soon as possible. Everyone's attention will be on us with the Aconite in our grasps."
"I get it," she straight up ran for the pond this time and jumped in. Seconds before impact, she covered herself with dark fog like a bubble.
"I hope this works," he raised his chainsword and swung it to the left, cutting of the head of three men all at once. Then he swung to the right, out of the blue Nora appeared at the edge of his sword.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" he cut off her head.
The red mist in the air took hold of her body again and she appeared behind him.
"Dude!" Nora sighed as he turned around to her. "You've killed me twice."
"2 – 1" he raised his fingers to explain, nervously. "It sounds fair. You killed me with the natives once."
"You said you didn't die."
"I would have," he defended.
"We're doomed," Nora's heart started panting in anger. "It's too hot in there, I couldn't hold up the shield. My quest is doomed. I'm useless."
"How can I even restore order back in here and fight the new demon king when I can't even use my powers just because it's too hot. I don't know how to use these powers except craft weapons," she spoke in x2 speed, with her lips rapping. "I wish I had some kind of mentor or something to teach me."
"Calm down. Nora, breathe," Oscar tried to help.
Nora looked up to him with rage building up in her, "It was all your fault. My tutor should have been alive by now. I won't have failed so… early. I won't have failed," she charged towards him with hostility while he retreated backwards.
'She's right. It's all my fault. If I didn't march in blindly that man will still be alive. I have to make this up to her,' Oscar thought to himself.
"Nora, Nora, I have an idea."
From out of nowhere a man dropped into the hole with a gush of wind which pushed away everyone around him. He was muscular with long hair, his outfit like a barbarian. He held two huge swords.
Everyone on the battlefield froze instantaneously with their gaze on him. They were in awe.
"I have failed," Nora wore a defeated expression.
"Who's he?" Oscar questioned.
"The king of savages. He was one of the only two people to enter the underground with their powers from the mortal realm. If he's here, we're all doomed. I've lost the Aconite," she fell on her knees.
The man jumped high into the air with his two swords ready to strike down one of the dogs who caught his neck in the air within his fingers and crushed it.
"Ohh," Oscar's looked disappointed after all hyped up he was. "Hm," he faked a cough. "And just like that, you're back to being on the path to success."
Everyone immediately started fighting again like he was never there.
Disgruntled, Nora stood up from her knees and wiped her tears.
"I have an idea. Do the protective shield on me this time let me go in. If you're not inside, the heat can't effect you," Oscar pitched.
"Oscar!" she seemed choked by the suggestion. "That's ridiculous. If you die, you're dead. This is your life you'd be giving away."
"I ruined everything for you. I want to fix it. And if your world is in danger, so is mine. I want to help."
"Oscar, I don't know if I can contain you with the shield for a long time without seeing it or you. I'm still an amateur. I've never done this before," she explained.
"My HP is at 100. Before it gets to zero, I'd be out. Trust me, this will work."
"How'd you know?" she kicked away a man coming beside Oscar with knives instantly shooting out of her shoe.
"If you don't try, how can you ever know?"
Nora panted while trying to process his words.
He pulled out his chainsword and started calving through the men, making his way to the pond. Nora followed with visual confusion for his plan, she was a bit scared for him.
He got to the edge and turned to her, throwing his chainsword away concurrently.
"How sure are you?"
Oscar jumped for the river of flames.
"I'm not," he replied in midair.