Alistair stared in disbelief as their energies poured relentlessly into the crystal, which strained under the immense pressure. The precarious balance they maintained in the battle felt as though even the smallest mistake could lead to unthinkable consequences.

  Without hesitation, he teleported above the fray, gathering all of his accumulated kinetic energy and drawing deep on his own reserves. Determined to tip the scales, he unleashed the most kinetically charged Kinetic Strike he had performed so far. The devastating impact tore through the mountainous mass of writhing tentacles, punching straight through and leaving destruction in its wake.

  The explosive force ripped a massive gouge through the creature, violently unleashing the strike’s full momentum. The attack carved deep into the eldritch abomination, exposing part of the volcano still buried beneath its sprawling bulk.

  His intervention gave King and Riseth desperately needed breathing room. With Fluffy now arriving to join the fray, the tides of the battle had begun to turn against the eldritch intruder.

  "Why the hell did you spend all your effort creating a booby-trapped treasure if you aren’t going to let it spring the trap?" Alistair asked through the Akashic Link, his tone sharper than intended. The simmering fury of his Cold Rage, coupled with the increasingly oppressive eldritch pressure clawing at his mind, edged his voice.

  His Battlespheres hovered in formation, firing Kinetic Strikes in a steady rhythm as they charged between each release. The blasts rained down on the writhing mass of tentacles, each strike timed to spread and expand violently upon impact, maximizing the destructive force. The synchronized rhythm of the attacks added relentless pressure to the eldritch monstrosity, carving through its grotesque form with cold calculated precision.

  "It seemed like a good idea at the time," King rumbled through the Akashic Link, his tone heavy with exertion.

  "It still is!" Riseth interjected, her voice calm but resolute. "We just need a little more time. We can gain the treasure and put this creature down for good."

  King let out a low, rumbling grumble but swallowed whatever retort he had, clearly on edge and in visible pain from the grueling fight.

  "Trust me," Riseth said through the Akashic Link, her voice steady despite the chaos as a tentacle lashed out toward them. "I’m almost done adding the final touch to it."

  Alistair let out a controlled breath, cracking his neck as he prepared to dive into the fight proper. He partially dodged a massive tentacle swiping at him, lashing out with his blazing poleaxe in retaliation, unwilling to be caught off guard by eldritch physiology again. This Z’egreh, he quickly realized, wasn’t composed of many entities but rather a singular, grotesque one. His poleaxe cut cleanly through the tentacle, leaving a deep, burned-out gash as the half-severed appendage withered and snapped from the creature’s jerky movements. The many maws dotting its grotesque form wasted no time, consuming its own severed tendrils in a horrifying display.

  He noted that he had siphoned a significant amount of kinetic energy from the massive tentacle, a small smile tugging at his lips. With renewed momentum, he hurtled toward another tentacle, colliding with it with a devastating impact. The sheer force splattered the appendage into a fine mist, his accumulated power proving overwhelming.

  Fluffy soared high above the battlefield, deftly evading stray swipes aimed at her while retaliating with her orbiting metal plates, which carved into the eldritch monstrosity with relentless momentum. As she reached a position above the creature’s epicenter, the many tentacles writhed upward, straining to grasp her. Undeterred, she conjured a thunderstorm, the sky crackling with raw energy. A deluge of lightning descended upon Z’egreh, striking with unrelenting ferocity as her power reserves plummeted under the strain of the attack.

  Combined with King’s searing flames and Alistair’s unyielding kinetic assault, the eldritch monstrosity was dismantled piece by grotesque piece, its unnatural form unraveling under the trio’s onslaught.

  It let out an unearthly screech from all of its grotesque mouths, the sound reverberating through the battlefield like an unrelenting wave. Riseth nearly lost her focus on the cursed spike as a violent, desperate mental attack assaulted all of their minds, disrupting their coordinated efforts. They struggled to shield themselves, each buckling under the sheer intensity of the eldritch influence.

  Riseth bore the largest burden, her connection to the cursed treasure leaving her especially vulnerable. Alistair noticed her faltering control, and his Cold Rage flared to new heights, shutting out all external influences as he hurled himself toward the monstrosity with single-minded determination.

  All its eyes fixed on him, their alien gaze betraying emotions Alistair couldn’t decipher. Before he could intercept, the gargantuan creature leaped with all its mass and desperation, crashing down upon the blackened crystalline spike. The impact shook the island, reverberating like a death knell.

  The reaction was immediate and devastating. Riseth screamed as the backlash from the spike coursed through her, blood flowing freely from her ears, eyes, and mouth. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed onto all fours, desperately clinging to King for support. King roared in agony as the backlash tore through his body, his black flames flaring unnaturally bright before sputtering erratically. His form grew rigid, muscles locking up as he entered a state of shock, threatening to plummet from the sky.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Alistair abandoned his attack as he fought his rage and desire to tear the creature apart. His cold logic prevailed over the rage as he reached out with his telekinesis, trying to prevent King from falling into the massive, squirming form of the Z'egreh that had advanced beneath them.

  Alistair strained under King’s immense magical weight, the heart rapidly pulsing with cursed energy that threatened to spiral out of control. The cursed energy clawed at his telekinetic connection, attempting to invade, but he forced it back using his mastery over force, steadily containing the runaway energy.

  Fluffy descended, growing even larger as her massive coils wrapped protectively around King. Her wings beat heavily, working alongside Alistair’s telekinetic support to stabilize King and keep him from plummeting.

  Riseth, still clinging to King, managed to shift from all fours to one knee. Her focus remained unwavering on the cursed spike, now being consumed by the eldritch monstrosity, even as her body shook under the immense strain.

  "Let it go!" Alistair called out, his voice tinged with urgency.

  "Just a little more!" Riseth retorted, coughing up more blood before hastily pulling out a potion and quaffing it. Her gaze remained fixed on the writhing mass below as its flesh darkened further, cursed energy consuming it inch by inch.

  Tense moments passed before King finally regained consciousness, his wings beating unevenly as a pained grunt escaped him.

  "That hurt like a bitch," King grumbled as he regained altitude, his wings beating heavily. He quickly glanced at Alistair and Fluffy, his appreciation evident despite the exhaustion in his voice. His gaze shifted back toward the Z'egreh and then to Riseth, curiosity and anticipation flickering in his draconic eyes.

  "Did it work?" he rumbled, his tone a mixture of weariness and intrigue as he studied the writhing mass being consumed by the cursed crystalline spike.

  Riseth’s smile widened into a predatory grin as magic snapped into place. The writhing mass of tentacles was sucked into the cursed crystalline spike, consumed piece by piece. The creature’s cursed and weakened form could no longer withstand the draw. Alistair felt the eldritch influence wavering as the spike came into view again, though it was no longer the crystalline structure it once was. Now, it had twisted and curled, its surface a polished black riddled with strange shapes and bulges, violently and greedily devouring the very essence of the Residue of Z'egreh.

  Seeing the Z’egreh being consumed and its influence no longer clawing at his mind, Alistair allowed himself to drop Cold Rage, letting out a long sigh of relief. He still hated using the skill—it dulled his enjoyment of battle far too much, and the feebleness that crept in afterward was unpleasant in ways he could barely describe.

  "Ugh, that treasure slurps these disgusting tentacles like it’s spaghetti,” Alistair commented, grimacing. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to look at pasta the same way for a while.”

  Riseth chuckled, wiping the blood from her face with a casual wave of magic that caused it to slide off effortlessly. She patted King’s scale plate, her smile wide and unapologetic. Catching King’s curious gaze lingering on her, she explained, “Apologies. It took longer than I expected to manipulate the properties of the curse and structure. I had to refine it until it would manage to contain the Z'egreh and respond in kind—manipulating the curse so it consumes anything that tries to consume it.”

  They watched as the last remnants of the Residue of Z'egreh were drawn into the twisted crystalline treasure, which pulsed ominously with a mixture of cursed and eldritch energy. The entity’s essence writhed as though trying to escape, but its efforts were futile. Its being fused irrevocably with the cursed energies, creating something entirely new. Whether this was a boon or an unmitigated disaster, Alistair couldn’t tell. Cursed treasures were already dangerous; one fused with the residue of a greater eldritch being only multiplied the risk.

  “This is sketchy as hell. We should either destroy it or get rid of it as soon as possible,” Alistair muttered, his tone edged with unease. Fluffy shrank down, curling over his shoulders before shifting into her smaller humanoid form. She rested her small hands on his head, peering down with wide eyes as the process came to an end. A series of chimes echoed in their minds, signaling the battle’s conclusion and the Z'egreh’s defeat. Simultaneously, the oppressive eldritch aura that had clawed at their minds finally vanished, sealed away along with the creature itself.

  As the last of the tentacles disappeared into the treasure, Alistair’s gaze lingered on the crystalline surface. He froze, certain he could see something beneath the polished exterior—gnashing maws and sinister eyes, brief flashes of horrors beyond mortal comprehension. A shiver ran down his spine.

  As they gazed down at the darkened crystal, a surge of Nivareth’s magic rippled through the air. Nearby, they noticed a perfect sphere of fog lingering where the eldritch beings had forced their way into the realm. The magic within the fog intensified, sparking a moment of alarm. Alistair and Riseth braced themselves, fearing the realm might release more eldritch monstrosities. Instead, two shimmering scales emerged from the fog, radiating an indescribable color and power that nearly overwhelmed Alistair’s Conceptual Awareness.

  He quickly toned down the sensitivity of his skill, allowing the scales’ dazzling glow to resolve into a constantly shifting coloration—a mesmerizing blend of deep cobalt blue and brilliant gold. The scales hovered in front of him and Riseth, their intricate designs drawing his focus. Unlike the previous silver scales, these were distinct in both shape and detail, featuring two frayed edges and an intricate pattern that bore a striking resemblance to the innermost petals of the realm lotus.

  “Something tells me we need to collect enough of these to recreate the lotus,” Riseth said, her voice tinged with curiosity and awe.

  “I thought the same,” Alistair replied, extending his hand. One of the scales floated down, settling softly onto his palm before melting into his skin. A soothing warmth spread through his body as it anchored itself to his soul, a sensation akin to a warm blanket wrapping around him. Riseth followed suit, absorbing the second scale. Through their resonance, Alistair sensed the scale settling into her soul as well.

  A sudden warmth on the back of his hand drew Alistair’s attention. He and Riseth exchanged a glance before turning their hands over. To their surprise, identical markings had appeared on their skin—small, delicate designs resembling the intricate petals they had just absorbed. Positioned side by side and marking the beginnings of the inner circle of the lotus, the markings looked like the first strokes of a tattoo, intricate, yet its meaning was obvious to both Alistair and Riseth.