[A coninuation of this campaign]

The group galloped through the narrowing halls, the faint scent of fresh air in their nostrils—a promise of freedom just ahead. The walls, once stifling and ominous, now felt more like a passage to salvation. Each twist and turn brought them closer to the surface, the oppressive weight of the dungeon easing slightly.

“We’re almost there,” Seraph urged, her voice hoarse but hopeful.

Viv, leading the charge, glanced over her shoulder. “No time to slow down. Just keep moving!”

Dorian, bringing up the rear, winced as his aching flank protested each step. He glanced back nervously but saw nothing following. His heart, however, refused to stop racing. “We can’t relax until we’re out.”

Barnes trotted alongside Seraph, glancing at the uneven floor beneath them. “What if—”

The ground shook violently, cutting off his words. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and the walls groaned under some immense pressure.

“Run!” Viv shouted, her voice sharp with urgency.

They surged forward, but the tremors grew more intense. With a deafening crack, the floor beneath them began to splinter. Jagged fissures raced along the stone, glowing faintly with an ominous orange light.

“No, no, no!” Seraph cried, leaping over a widening gap.

The glow intensified, and with a sudden burst of heat, the ground beneath them crumbled, revealing a bubbling pool of molten lava. The oppressive heat surged upward, curling their manes and searing their lungs.

“Keep going!” Viv yelled, urging the others forward as the cracking floor forced them to zigzag toward the narrowing exit.

Just as the group thought they might escape, the lava surged unnaturally, and from its molten depths, the skull rose.

It was smaller than before but no less menacing. The cracks they had inflicted earlier had been sealed with molten rock, and its jagged surface glowed red-hot, as if the skull itself had fused with the lava. Its empty sockets burned with an infernal light, and its jaw opened and closed, releasing guttural, otherworldly sounds that vibrated through the cavern.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Viv shouted, skidding to a halt as the skull floated toward them, the lava bubbling in its wake.

Dorian’s knees buckled under the sheer weight of despair. “We can’t fight it again! Not like this!”

“We don’t have to,” Seraph said firmly, yanking him upright with her shoulder. “We just need to get out!”

Barnes’ eyes darted to the crumbling walls and the narrowing path ahead. “That’s not going to be easy with that in the way.”

The skull let out a terrible roar, and a wave of molten rock surged forward, forcing the group to scatter.

“Split up!” Viv yelled. “Find another way around!”

The group scattered, darting along the edges of the cavern where the ground remained solid. The skull pursued them relentlessly, its molten aura igniting small fires wherever it drifted close.

Barnes veered toward a narrow outcropping of rock, their mind racing for a solution. “This thing shouldn’t even be alive!”

“Less talking, more running!” Viv shouted, leaping over another fissure.

Dorian struggled to keep up, his body weak from exertion. He skidded to a halt near a jagged boulder, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He turned his head, eyes blazing with desperation. “We have to slow it down somehow!”

Seraph, galloping past him, yelled, “Then figure it out! I’ll buy us some time!” She doubled back and let out a piercing whinny, drawing the skull’s attention.

The skull turned sharply, its molten sockets locking onto her. It surged forward, trailing a wave of heat and lava.

“Seraph!” Dorian called, panic in his voice.

“I’ve got this!” she barked, her hooves pounding against the stone as she led the skull on a harrowing chase along the cavern’s edge.

Viv darted toward Dorian, nudging him with her shoulder. “We need to get to that exit—now!”

Barnes appeared beside them, their eyes wide but determined. “The path’s closing up fast. If we’re doing something, it’s got to be now.”

Dorian clenched his jaw, forcing his body upright despite the pain. “Fine. I’ll—” He paused, his eyes flicking to the cracks beneath the skull. Lava seeped upward, but the stone remained precariously intact.

“What are you thinking?” Viv asked, following his gaze.

“If we can close the ground under it,” Dorian said, his voice trembling with both fear and resolve, “it might get stuck back in the earth.”

Viv’s ears flattened against her head. “That’s risky.”

“We don’t have another choice!”

Barnes glanced at the cracks and then at the skull, which was now twisting midair, trying to reach Seraph. “If you can focus your magic there,” they said, pointing with a nod, “we’ll cover you.”

“Let’s do it,” Viv agreed, already moving to position herself between Dorian and the skull.

Dorian nodded, summoning the last reserves of his strength. His horn sparked to life, a pale blue glow flickering uncertainly at first before stabilizing. He focused on the cracks beneath the skull, willing them to widen, to crumble.

The ground trembled as his magic took hold, but the effort cost him dearly. His legs buckled again, and Viv darted to his side, propping him up with her shoulder.

“Keep going!” she urged.

Seraph, still leading the skull in circles, noticed the cracks widening beneath it. She pushed herself harder, darting closer to the edge to force the skull into position.

“Push it in!” Barnes shouted as the cracks splintered further.

The skull, sensing the shift, let out a furious roar and turned its blazing sockets toward Dorian. It surged forward, but the ground beneath it opened up and a stony hand reached for its ghastly form.

With a deafening crack, the stone clamped the skull and pulled it back into the ravine, plunging it into the molten lava below.

The group didn’t wait to see if it would rise again. They bolted toward the narrowing exit, their hooves pounding against the crumbling ground.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the cavern behind them collapsed entirely, sealing the skull and the molten pit within.

The group stumbled to a halt in a smaller, cooler passage, their breaths ragged and their bodies trembling.

“Is it over?” Barnes asked, their voice barely above a whisper.

“Hopefully. I really hope it doesn’t come back,” Seraph said, though her tone held no certainty.

Dorian collapsed against a wall, his body shaking from exhaustion. Viv and Barnes moved to steady him, their own legs barely holding.

“We need to get out right now,” Viv said, her voice firm despite her obvious exhaustion. “Whatever’s left down here isn’t worth dying for.”

Silence fell over the group as they made their way through the halls once more.

[The end!]