Beyond the room with the enormous boulder they found a room glowing like a furnace; the walls were bathed an angry, livid red in the light of the magma sea below and there was even a waterfall of the molten lava running down one of the walls. Domingo and Lawrence loosened the clasps of their jackets, knotting them about their waists before continuing on their way. The walkways here were considerably wider, but the rocks were loose and unsteady; many times bits would crumble beneath their feet and they would have to leap several feet to advance. All the while they were descending, and quite in defiance of natural physics the further down they traveled, the hotter the temperature.
The pair tripped and stumbled their way down a particularly unstable sediment staircase, and Lawrence whisked out his broadsword so quickly that Domingo flinched and took a step backward. Not far away, basking in the intense heat of the cavern, was a dozen or so salamanders. At first the helmsman thought he could take the lot by surprise, but Domingo's boots scuffing the floor alerted their quarry and several streams of fire-breath blasted their way.
"Flank right!" Lawrence ordered his comrade, trusting Domingo to do as he asked as he sprang ahead and to the left. A pair of salamanders fell quickly to his deadly broadsword, now magically gleaming blue against the violent crimson filling the cave, but three more accosted him as he dodged aside and he could hardly avoid them all. Claws raked all down his right arm as he parried the blows, but his his left hand proved dominant as he quickly cleaved the attacker in two.
Domingo proved much quicker, as he was a lot less stocky than his companion, so he was impossible to hit in those opening seconds. Surging ahead he sliced through four salamanders with two deft swipes of the glittering blue kukris, and pivoting on his light boots he sheathed the twin curved knives and drew out his wicked crossbow. Even as Lawrence suffered the scratches down his right arm Domingo fired twice in rapid succession, killing the last of their opponents with barely a thought. Lawrence quick-stepped ahead, his way clear, and easily finished the last pair of monsters.
But their scuffle had alerted the entire temple to their presence, and older and fouler things than salamanders dwelt in the depths of Pyrynn. Already they could hear scrabbling feet on the walkway above, and wordlessly they decided not to linger as they fled further into the chamber.
"I was hoping to avoid all this unnecessary battle," Lawrence panted through gritted teeth as they sprinted onward. "Now every disgusting creature in the whole place knows we're here!"
"Come off it, Scarface! You scared or something?" Domingo taunted, whirling when the reached a turn in the walkway and sighting some far-off monster down his crossbow and firing off a particularly difficult shot before taking flight again. "This is the fun part! You can't just expect the treasure to be waiting at the entrance!"
"You have a very warped opinion of fun," was all Lawrence said in reply.
Ahead gaped another door, and they leapt through it with all manner of repulsive creatures gnashing at their heels; throwing their combined weight against the heavy stone door, Lawrence and Domingo sealed their pursuers in the sweltering chamber behind them. There they leaned, attempting to catch their breath for several long minutes, until Lawrence prodded Domingo none-too-gently in the side with the hilt of his broadsword and they continued on.
Author's Note: They're not exactly screaming like little girls yet, but just wait. I'll be sure to humiliate them before they've gotten out of Pyrynn, and that's a promise. Seeing as how my former beta has disappeared, I must thank Lady Lanet and Meowzy-chan, who have been faithful reviewers since the story began. Thanks guys!
Lady Lanet: ...I don't think I'll be covering the puzzles, actually. It's one of those things that's just too difficult to describe...glad you liked the boulder scene, though, because it was fun to write. Will work extra hard on the boss battle when I come to it.
Meowzy-chan: GASP! Me too! Funny how that works out, but now that you mention it, is totally like Indiana Jones! As for Alfonso, I'll get around to him in a couple of chapters; will just have to round off these Pyrynn bits.
Thanks, all!