His jaunt forward was a little more certain, a little more confidant than before. The beasts that lurked below posed far fewer a threat to him and so he casts his attention aside to wherever that siren call lured him to. To not follow it would be to betray his word, now. So long as he followed, she’d see him in her favor. Though, that wasn’t the only reason he obeyed her.

The suffocating heat had to come to an end at some point, surely. It could not last forever. He’d heard the tales of adventurers in the past speak of a different layer that hid below the lava reserves where the air would lighten. Perhaps, concerningly so. They say it becomes so thin that the urge to fall into slumber is irresistible. He supposes he’ll have to wait and see it for himself.

Leaving the sanctity of the temple, the air immediately shifts and the oppressive weight drops easily off his shoulders.

Riot returns to its curious exploring while Petricho walks down further and further into the depths of this hellish layer. It had to be a good thing, going lower in. The further down one must travel, the sooner one would arrive in a different layer. His excitement to get out of the heat would be the first issue that stumbles on his path down.

Shadows grow longer as the light of the magma can barely reach the paths he now takes. Riot’s light is a welcome beacon as he steps further away from the giant lakes. The shadows feel like they chase after him as he goes. While protected, it feels unnerving all the same.

One particular shadow is unlike the rest. It is big and imposing as the dark entity rises up to accost him. On a dime, he backs up to get the bigger picture of the creature.

Dragons aren’t the rarest story adventurers would tell. They certainly liked to speak about them like they fought a dozen. Petrichor rarely believed such a thing, and now that he had been down here, he certainly didn’t believe in them more. This far up – this close to the surface? No, it wasn’t possible.

The tall figure, though, did resemble vaguely a draconic shape. That alone held some credibility. Frowning, the leopard courser prepares to fight. While she said she’d protect him, he didn’t think that extended to invincibility outright. If there was a threat, he needed to be prepared for anything. Riot moved out of the way, ready for a command.

It would never come as something…smaller than expected reveals itself in a “grand” show of fire. Frankly, Petrichor felt more offended that the wyrm would waste his time trying to get out of the heat for such a pathetic display. He’s tempted to just leave it in its own embarrassment until it speaks.

“You there! Traveler! There’s a fee for passing by my Keep!”

Petrichor raises a single eyebrow, unimpressed. Riot returns to his side and does the wisp equivalent of a petulant stare back at the wyrm. It showed that both courser and entity alike found the display offensive.

“Uh-huh. And…you are gonna take coin from me?” His tone is incredulous at best, daring at the same time. He almost wants to laugh in the thing’s face. Days spent working with unbearable customers reined in that response.

The wyrm growls, a pitiful sound. “I’ll take much more than that for your disrespect!” The thing has the nerve to harrumph at him.

Without even blinking, Petrichor begins to walk again. He walks right past the sputtering wyrm and doesn’t even consider the danger of doing so. In his eyes, there was none at all. Just another creature wanting to be the stronger of their kind. It was sad to watch, honestly.

It tries to make good on its word. The wyrm is poised to strike, reaching back with its claws. When it attempts to make contact, however, a powerful force ripples through its very soul. It is painfully lethal in its threat as the creature falls to the ground screeching. The energy source attacks the creature until Petrichor falls out of its line of sight.

Heaving breaths in and out, whining in agony as it does, it sits there on the boiling rocks for a while. It is not until hours later that it can move again, its eyes tracking the path the courser went with unbridled fear.

“Another cursed one is in the kingdom. One that reeks of her favor. Master will not be pleased.”