A/N: Well, here we are, the final dungeon! Get yourself the best equips you can and pack your healing items! I wanted to upload this much sooner, but I decided that some last minute changes were needed, including a bit more things happening. Hopefully, it all works out. Next up... the dreaded Boss Battles!

Malandy: Thanks! I didn't expect any free advertising, but I won't complain. Hopefully it gets the story out there for others to read and hopefully enjoy. Hope you keep enjoying what I'm writing too.

Fortune Summoners: Journey of the Elementals

By: Snidne

Fortune Summoners © Lizsoft

Recettear, Chantelise © EasyGameStation

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

Chapter 25: Castle Crashers

The powerful, malevolent aura could be sensed by everyone in the room, even by one such as Recette whom, as Caillou had once quoted, 'magic would bounce off like rubber'. There was nothing about the room to suggest it housed a gateway into the Dark World, other than the fact it was completely bare of anything but the floor, ceiling and four walls that made it a room.

Griff prepared the spell, watching as a giant portal began to open, several runic writings in Chaos appearing along the walls and ceiling. The gateway opened, with everyone tensed and ready. Stepping through, they found themselves in a spacious, yet dimly lit room with several shelves filled with various cans and wrapped goods. "This is… a pantry," Tear said uncertainly.

"I think so… but why here of all places," Elise asked.

"Man, first a cave, now a pantry, do these portals make any sense," Chante said.

"If one thinks about it, it is rather ingenious," Arma said. "How many people would believe an escape route lies through a pantry?"

"Alright," Griff said, gathering their attention, "the first thing we need to do is keep at least two of you here to guard the gateway. Undoubtedly once we head out of here, the word of intruders will spread and they will likely search for more of us or wherever we managed to sneak in from. We cannot have our one passage out of here be compromised."

"I got this," Charme said giving thumbs up. "No one will get through me!"

"I will accompany you then," Nagi said, bowing. "I am used to standing guard over something."

"Good. Next we will need a team to head to the dungeons of this place. They are likely to be underground," Griff continued. "I have a feeling the Demon Generals, and even the King, are still in the castle and that is the most likely place they will be held. I will be heading down, so who is with me?"

"Count me in," Elise said.

"Same here," Tielle cheered.

"Affirmative," Arma said.

"Got it," Louie said.

"Where Louie goes, I shall follow," Recette said.

"That should be enough," Griff said. "The rest of you need to secure the upper area. See if you can't find any clues as to what is happening or where our foes may be. Do not be reckless though. This is their stronghold for now."

"No problem," Arche said. "Those bad guys won't know what hit them!"

"I surmise we will be meeting somewhere afterwards," Stella asked.

"The throne room will be our rendezvous point. We need to get moving soon. There is no telling what will happen." The large group quickly left the pantry and into a kitchen proper. The kitchen itself was huge, and there were several golem-like creatures managing tasks. The creatures were startled by the appearance of the group, and using the surprise to their advantage, quickly destroyed them. Once out of the kitchen, they found themselves at the end of a hallway. With no other places to go, the group sped forwards.

The next room was a dining hall, but there were no enemies in sight. Heading to the next area, they entered what appeared to be a foyer. A staircase led to the second floor, where five doorways stood. The first floor had three other doorways to explore. "Lots of places to go… how do we cover them all," Elan asked.

"I have a feeling… the dungeons are this way," Griff said pointing to the doorway at the other end of the room. "For now, we spilt up here… you take the upper floors. If I'm wrong, we can at least clear out any enemies along the way before trying a different path."

"Right. Let's get moving." Griff and his team continued ahead while the rest headed upstairs. Caillou approached the center door, reaching out to open it before stopping. "What's wrong Caillou," Elan asked.

"This door has a barrier around it. Whatever is powering this barrier is likely going to be in one of the other pathways."

"So I'm guessing that whatever is beyond this point is something worth protecting," Stella said. "The throne room perhaps?"

"Maybe. So which way do we go," Arche asked.

"I suppose this far right path. It's as good as any at this point," Elan said. "By the way Caillou, you can't simply break it?"

"Not without studying what is powering the barrier and how it works. It could end up taking too long. Best to find the source and deal with it there." The group headed to the far right pathway, walking down a corridor and taking out the various monsters within. Several Orcs with swords and bows blocked their path, and Stella and Arche were surprised by the Ropers and Knights from Pensee's dungeons also within.

The end of the hallway held a spiraling staircase. Griff had explained the castle had three towers, so they resigned themselves to climb up. Several cobras and bats were slowing them down, but ultimately could not stop them. The three natives to Scotsholm were mostly supporting the two powerhouses of Pensee. Arche was enamored by how strong Elan was with just his fists and Stella and Sana were more captivated by Caillou's magical skill. Merely watching them felt like a learning experience.

Reaching the top, they found a large deserted space with nothing of note within. "End of the line… looks like there isn't anything here," Elan said.

"Are you sure? Maybe we should search around more," Sana suggested.

Before anyone could reply, a barrier surrounded the doorway back, causing the three girls to turn in surprised. Caillou and Elan however were shocked to see something appear before them. "W-w-what!? What is THAT doing here," Caillou said in disbelief.

The three girls turned to see that a large ball of fire had appeared within the center of the room, the cackle of electricity surrounding it as it grew to outsize Chiffon. Suddenly an unholy wailing sound filled the room, causing everyone to cover their ears. "What is THAT," Arche asked.

"Arche… I feel… I'm scared… don't go near…" Chiffon said, shaking constantly. As an Elemental, he could literally feel the overwhelming malice the thing before them was emitting.

"That thing… is a Will-o-Wisp," Elan said, already feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise up. Every adventurer had been warned of these things, and he had thankfully never had the misfortune of seeing one. Even as he said it, the room began to feel cold, as if despite being a thing made of fire, it sucked out all the warmth around it. "But what the heck is it doing here? They should only exist in Pensee's dungeons."

"No idea… but it looks like we have to beat this thing to escape."

"Are you kidding? Can something like that even be beaten," Stella asked, starting to sound afraid.

"It's a monster. A powerful, resilient one, but still considered a monster all the same," Caillou said. "It can be beaten, but it won't be easy."

The Will-o-Wisp charged forwards with surprising speed, causing everyone to move quickly out of the way, scattering themselves. "Whoa! It's fast," Sana exclaimed. "Icicle!" Her spell crashed into the monster, but it showed no signs of taking any damage. It sped after its attacker, causing Elan to quickly rush in and get her away.

"Watch out! You don't want to let that thing touch you!"

"Unison!" Arche and Chiffon fused, but the moment it was done, Arche stumbled to one knee, gritting her teeth. "Wha… oh man, it's like… I can feel what Chiffon was feeling. There's… so much hatred in there…"

The Will-o-Wisp changed directions smoothly, going after Arche. She quickly picked herself up and swung her sword. "Twister!" The magical wind blasted at the beast, but the monster powered through it, still charging towards the swordswoman. She flew up to try to dodge, but the monster followed.

"Chaser!"

"Gemini!"

The two homing spells clashed with the fireball, slowing it down before it settled to attack at Caillou. "Teleport!" Caillou vanished just before the monster could ram into him appearing on the opposite side of the room. "Darn it… nothing we do is working!"

"It's definitely weakening, but not by much," Elan said. "Chi Blast!" Elan continued to pelt at it from long range, hoping to keep it at bay.

"This isn't good. At this rate we will run out of power too quickly. But it's too dangerous to even get near it," Stella said.

"But, what can we do," Sana asked, unleashing a wave of water at the monster.

"I have an idea. You guys boost me up," Arche said, holding her sword at the ready. Sana provided a barrier while Stella coated her sword in fire.

"Arche, you better not do something stupid!"

"Don't worry, this might just work! Thunderstorm!" Arche summoned a magical lightning storm above the Will-o-Wisp, pelting it with bolts of energy. "Lightning Blade!" Arche's sword was coated completely in electricity, the glowing power making her sword look longer than it was originally. "Here I go!" Arche charged in with the Will-o-Wisp charging as well. It would take some precision to get the strike right, but Arche was confident.

At the last moment, Arche dodged, swinging her blade hard. Even enhanced as it was, it felt like Arche had swung at a solid stone wall. The overwhelming malice she felt when her blade made contact was also starting to give her a headache. The Will-o-Wisp began to charge at her, and her eyes went wide, unknowing if it would be the end…

"ORA!" Elan's fist crashed into the monster with such force it knocked it completely off course. He winced, seeing his hand was burnt from simple contact with the thing. "You ok?"

"A-ah! Yeah…" Arche's mind was frazzled as she recovered from her near-death experience. The Will-o-Wisp seemed to be having trouble staying afloat, which meant it was finally weakening. Suddenly a large magic circle surrounded it, complex writing surrounding the spell circle. At first they were concerned that the monster was about to cast an ability, when they noticed Caillou was the one focusing.

"Hehehe… I've been meaning to try this one out! Element… Release!" A pillar of raw magical power shot out from the circle, enveloping the monster within. Another unholy wail resounded out of it before the fire disappeared and the barrier around the exit lifted. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief seeing it go down.

"That… was intense," Elan said, as he helped Caillou up. Arche and Chiffon separated, with Chiffon immediately hugging Arche.

"Arche… that was really scary…"

"It's ok, Chiffon… it's gone now."

"I do hope Griff and the others are doing ok," Sana said.

"This is… too easy," Griff said, dispatching another Knight. The monsters they had encountered were strong, could easily pass for the lower level ones within the Lapis Ruins. But for a path leading into the dungeons, Griff had expected more of a resistance.

"Well, I'm not complaining," Chante said, keeping a lookout for more surprises. She, Louie and Griff had taken the front lines, while Tielle, Arma and Recette kept to the back line. For the most part, the three up front were getting most of the fighting in, though Arma and Tielle's long-range abilities helped to keep things from getting too hectic.

As they descended the next flight of stairs, they found what they had been looking for; jail cells. Moving along, they noticed that they were filled, with a single prisoner each. Griff stared at the first one he came across, anger visible in his gaze.

"Griff…" Recette said, unable to find words to calm him down.

"Despicable. To do this to the proud race of Demons…" Within the cage, a single demon was chained inside, arms and legs pressed against the wall. On his neck was a collar of sorts, with a blue gem embedded in it. The demon wasn't moving and didn't react to the presence outside the cage.

"Hey, are you ok in there," Elise called out. The demon didn't reply, his eyes still closed. "What happened here?"

"I don't know… but I have a feeling we are going to find out soon enough," Tear said.

The group kept moving, passing by more cells some with demons in them, others without. None of the demons seemed to be reacting to their presence, though Griff had stopped before one of them and simply stared inside before he was pulled along to keep going. Chante had looked into the cage as well, but she didn't see anything special or different about its occupant.

They finally reached a large room that had three floors of prison cells, some filled but most empty. "There," Griff said pointing to the opposite doorway. "That should be the jailor's office. The keys to the cells should be within."

"Everyone, step back," Arma commanded. They all did, in time to see something fall from the upper levels. A behemoth of a monster, carrying a large mace and wearing straps of armor over its towering body, roared out.

"INTRUDERS! PUNISH THEM, ALL!" Arma pulled Recette back, as the others scattered when the beast smashed its weapon into the ground. A small crater had formed from the impact.

"Talk about a welcome," Chante said. "Sis, you ready?"

"Never seen a monster like this… everyone, stay on your guard!"

Griff gave an inhuman roar of fury. Powerful dark energies surrounded him pushing everyone back. "YOU SHALL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE HERE, ABOMINATION!" He charged in yelling with fury as he slashed at the beast's body. If the monster had felt anything, it didn't show or even flinch. It merely roared and attempted to smash its weapon into Griff. Louie quickly pulled him back, preventing him for meeting a messy end.

"Damn it Griff, you cannot just rush that thing recklessly," he admonished, as Tielle charged her arrows and pelted the thing with them. Again it didn't flinch, but instead wildly charged at the Archer.

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO STOP ME, SWORDSMAN," Griff said, anger and power still within his voice. "I AM GOING TO KILL THAT THING IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" Griff charged in again, though Arma was with him this time. Arma aimed her flamethrowers at the creature's face, blinding it and causing it to flail its weapon around. Griff slashed at its body once more, but his attacks barely seemed to faze it. The creature's mace smashed into Arma, knocking her back.

"Arma!" Recette quickly gathered some healing items from her pack, while Elise and Louie stepped in.

"Wind!"

"Vacuum Cut!"

Both strikes caused various cuts along the beast's body, but for all it did it seemed more to agitate it than actually do much damage. Suddenly magical energies gathered around the mace it wielded and he slammed it down, spires of earth shooting out. Everyone was knocked back by the blow, save Arma and Recette.

"Nothing is working! He's shrugging everything we throw at him," Elise said.

"Ice Arrow!" Tielle fired several ice enchanted arrows at the beast's feet, freezing it in place. "Arma, quickly!"

"Affirmative." Arma focused as her special weapon materialized before her. With the beast stuck and a clear shot available, she quickly charged the weapon. "Vector Cannon, fire!" The huge blast of energy enveloped the beast, the recoil slamming Arma into the nearby wall. She slumped down, too tired to continue fighting.

"Whoa! What the heck was that," Chante asked.

"Arma's special weapon," Louie answered. "Did it work…?"

A roar answered when they saw the beast emerged from the blow, looking a bit worse for wear but still standing. "INSECTS! PERISH!" The beast charged, to which Griff and Louie struck back, defending against the creature's rampage.

"This isn't looking good," Tear said. "We need a new plan of attack."

"But what can we do? We've already hit that thing with some of our best moves," Tielle said.

"I've got an idea," Recette said, drawing her own blade. "If it doesn't have a weak point, maybe if we attack it in the same place, over and over again…"

"Alright, that's good thinking," Louie said. "Everyone, go for it! Don't stop till he's down!"

Tielle launched her arrows at the beast, striking it in the chest. Elise struck forwards, dodging the monster's attack to strike at her. Louie and Recette jumped in at the same time, both striking with as much power as they could.

Griff finished the chain of attacks driving his claw into the beast's chest. The monster gave another howl of pain before it was destroyed, scattering several hundreds of Magic Crystals throughout the room. Griff forced himself to calm down, letting the rage drain out of him. "Good riddance."

"You ok, Griff," Tielle asked.

"I… will be fine," he said, his voice returning to normal.

"That was crazy," Chante said. "Can we rest now?"

"Later," Griff said. "We still need to free the demons."

"Still, that was a rather impressive strategy you employed, Recette," Tear said. "Where did you even get the idea?"

"Eh? Hehehe… well, it… came to me?" She laughed nervously. She honestly couldn't tell them she had gotten the idea from a book. (Wings of Eldon 2, Chapter 19.)

"Well, it worked so no worries about that," Louie said. "Good job Recette."

"Let's move out then," Elise said.

New Abilities Unlocked!

Arche - Thunderstorm

Mana Cost: 20 MP

Description: Charged with power, Arche rains Lightning on her foes!

Effect: Unleash a barrage of lightning in front of Arche for 7 seconds. Enemies caught within take damage every second. May cause flinching.

Arche - Lightning Blade

Mana Cost: 15 MP

Description: Arche empowers her sword to deal great damage! Casting twice unleashes it's true potential!

Effect: Increases Arche's attack damage and slightly increases the range of her sword attacks. Lasts for 20 seconds. Casting a second time will grant Arche a second 'Lightning Blade' that lasts for half the time and unlocks Duel Sword Style, giving her new sword techniques and playstyle.

Caillou - Element Release

SP Cost: 25 SP

Description: Caillou unleashes the secrets of magic on his foes!

Effect: Deals 250% non-elemental damage on enemies caught in a targeted area. Takes 3 seconds to cast, giving swifter enemies a chance to dodge the damage completely. Useful on stationary or slow-moving targets.

Tielle - Ice Arrow

SP Cost: 1 SP per attack

Description: Tielle enchants her arrows, granting them frost abilities.

Effect: While this ability is active, Tielle's arrows gain ice damage and induce slowing effects on enemies attacked. Arrows gain a chance to inflict Freeze status for 2 seconds based on her Magic Stat. Duration and chance to Freeze are halved against Bosses.

Griff - Berserk Fury

SP Cost: None

Description: Griff goes on a rampage... consequences be damned!

Effect: Massively increases damage dealt by Griff to enemies. Other abilities and items cannot be used. After 3 seconds, if Griff is not attacking an enemy, he will lose 5 HP per second. Lasts 20 seconds.