Chapter 21: Burning Cove [2]

"Hmmm fuck... I'm going to hurl!" Colin began to heave, kneeling on the ground after entering the red portal.

"Man... That never gets easier!" Brin said with a wry smile, his face pale as he began to survey the area.

"I feel bad... carry me...." Marie complained as she leaned against the two men, her staff almost falling as her robes were down to her shoulders.

Raven stood in silence; he paid no attention to these people, his eyes watching the surroundings, feeling a sense of awe at how different this place was from the previous dungeon.

'It's amazing.'

Raven stood at the entrance of the Burning Cove, taking in the fiery underground dungeon before him. The walls were made of blackened rock, and molten lava flowed through narrow channels carved into the stone. The heat was almost unbearable, and he could feel sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

Two passageways led into the Burning Cove, each more treacherous than the last. The first was narrow and winding, and Raven could see the flicker of flames illuminating the walls. The heat emanating from the passageway was intense, and he knew it would be difficult to navigate.

The second passageway was wider and more open, with a bridge suspended over a pool of molten lava. Raven could see the heat rising from the lava, causing the air to shimmer and blur. Despite the danger, he knew this passageway might be the faster route to his destination.

Raven stood at the entrance, considering his options, when the party finally recovered and called out to him.

"Hey... Raven? Are you fine after travelling through the portal?" Brin asked with a faint smile; his face was disgusting and fake for Raven to look at; even the damn goblins that tried to kill him were better.

"My mother taught me to endure them better, so it became a habit." He lied, not wanting to tell anything about his secrets.

"Hmmmm, I see... Are we ready to get going... Which path should we take? That one looks a bit harsh. Can your shoulder even get through those tight walls? Marie's ass too.."

"Fuck you; my ass isn't big!" Marie protested as they prepared their weapons: dual swords, a longbow, daggers, and a witch.

Woosh!

Raven swung his axe, the pressure causing a small gust of wind pushing the embers of flame away from his body, sweltering with heat, a little thankful he was wearing lighter clothes. He removed the suit jacket and pulled off his shirt, his muscular and bulky body now on display as he stepped towards the entrance leading to the long footbridge.

'Still, no monster's in sight.'

He knelt and looked around, seeing the lava pool beneath the bridge. The flames seemed to have moments of calm, but Raven knew there must be something else behind the pool, waiting to attack.

'A trap?'

Raven decided to test the waters and slowly crawled across the bridge. It creaked under his weight, and he felt the heat begin to sear his skin, feeling a dryness in his throat as the other three followed him; their weight caused the bridge to sway, sink and almost touch the lava below.

Marie was the first to move forward, her feet sinking as she stepped onto the bridge. She quickly took another and then braced herself, trying to ignore the searing pain as she moved forward.

Brin was next to follow, moving quicker than he thought possible, taking a few steps before stumbling and falling forwards; his arms sprawled out and his legs hitting the ground. His sword clanged against the stone floor, echoing throughout the tunnel.

Colin was third to step forward, using both hands to keep himself steady as he inched closer to the end. One hand rested on the wall, while the other held his longbow, which was knocked aside as he fell.

"Shit..." Raven muttered; the moment the three stepped onto the bridge, not only did it start swaying there was a strange guttural cry as monsters with charred grey skin appeared like rats, like a mixture of goblins and dwarves and started to flood from the walls. However, only a few dozen armed with crude bows and sharp rocks stood on either side of the party about 3 meters above them on the rock walls.

One of the goblins threw a large boulder at Raven's head, narrowly missing as he swung his axe at the creature to deflect any arrows, as the mist in his body seemed to empower his reactions and strength in combat. Another goblin screamed and ran towards Marie, its bow raised high, releasing an arrow at her chest.

"No!" Raven shouted, knocking the arrow down with the back of his hand, sending it spinning into the lava pool.

Despite not knowing if they were trustworthy, he wouldn't let them be wounded for anything, the pretty woman's face slightly flushed as she was moments from death; before nodding to Raven, she admired his wonderful almond body as he allowed her to pass along with Brin, using his large body to deflect and block the arrows. At the same time, Colin fired back, making the grey goblins retreat.

The group continued up the passageway until they arrived at the other side, where they found a massive room filled with molten lava and a large pool of water. There was no sign of monsters, just a staircase leading upwards, so they climbed the stairs.

They reached the top and found themselves inside the second cave, with a tall ledge that went all the way around, allowing them to reach the ceiling. As they moved further inwards, the walls grew thinner, and the heat lessened until they reached a large cavern with a huge waterfall cascading down from the roof, forming a pool at the bottom. On the other side was a large pool of water, with green plants surrounding the edge, growing out of the volcanic rocks.

Crash!

A pile of rocks dropped, covering the only exit as the various fauna and plants were torn down, revealing small holes in the wall, just large enough for the grey-skinned monsters to enter.

"It was a trap..." Brin muttered; they thought it was a lucky path because of the goblin's early retreat.

"There was no way we could've known." Colin shrugged, examining the hole in the wall.

"Let's go," Raven said, looking at the waterfall as he considered their options, his axe at the ready as the low hum of the monster's grunts and the sound of their skittering feet grew louder in his enhanced hearing.

"Prepare for combat!" He shouted before stepping forward; the parties were back against the only safe wall as they listened and waited for the monster to appear.

Almost ten minutes before the first came, a goblin with four arms wielding a club that looked like it could split open skulls and ribs, and the other two hands holding a dagger in each hand.

"Looks like this is going to be fun!" Colin grinned, pulling back the string of his longbow, a sharp iron arrow with a strange glow on the tip; the sound of his bowstring was the signal for battle on both sides, and rapidly, the goblin hunkered towards them. In contrast, the whistle of his iron arrow, cascading across the boiling cave, twirled through the air like it was dancing on the faint wind, penetrating through the chest of the first goblin, dropping the grey-skinned monster with a thud.

Raven wouldn't be outdone, his body filled with a sense of power far beyond normal; he wanted to release to blast these monsters into mush, desiring a class of his own, charging forward like a bull in a red rage, goblins poured from the north wall their numbers in the dozen, yet his brutal body tightened with a powerful and vicious cleave his axe tore through the air, a howling of black metal followed by the shrieks of five goblin torso's slamming against the wall, his body standing between the emerging goblins and the entire party, his bronzed muscles bulging and a look of excitement on his face.

"Come!" He growled as he began to swing his axe, dropping several goblins in a single strike, clearing space for Colin and Brin to unleash their weapons, slicing through the grey-skinned creatures as though they weren't even there.

With a roar, Colin unleashed arrows at the advancing goblins, catching two in the stomach before they could rush forward, sending them tumbling into the pool of water.

"That's how you do it!" He praised, grinning wide as he saw Raven move to the next goblin, carving its limbs and body easily, turning it into a bloody mess as he used his axe to cut down the remaining goblins before them.

"Damn, it feels good! Like I am at home..." Raven said with a grin; his body didn't feel tired, nor did he feel weak or hungry; his body was focused, and his mind was clear.

'Is this what it's like to be strong?' He wondered, not questioning whether he was strong, but his body felt incredible, more powerful than he had ever imagined.

Suddenly, his ears twitched as the wind whistled from behind, two arrows shooting towards him; Raven's head tilted narrowly avoiding one, while the second grazed across his cheek, with a burning pain before both arrows luckily pierced the heads of two grey goblins seeming to attack him from behind.

'This little cunt... Was it on purpose?' Raven thought, clenching tightly onto his mother's axe.

"Forgive me, big guy! You moved in the way!" Colin shouted with an insincere voice.