By the time they reached the edge of the Sablepine forest, Julian was soaked in sweat, scratched by brambles, and emotionally bruised from arguing with his cloak.
"I swear this thing is tightening just to annoy me," he muttered.
[I'd call that poetic justice.]
Lira moved ahead confidently, barely breaking a sweat. She scanned the treeline, then pointed to a series of weathered stone markers nearly buried in the moss.
"This is it. Entrance should be nearby."
Julian peered at the stones. Each was carved with runes too faded to read. A low hum filled the air, barely audible but definitely magical. Blobby trembled inside his pouch.
"You okay, buddy?"
Blobby let out a cautious squish.
[Residual spell energy detected. Ancient. Unstable. Likely to explode if provoked.]
"Awesome. My favorite kind."
Lira found a slab of stone shaped like a door lying half-buried under vines. She placed a hand on it, murmured a chant, and it slowly slid open with the sound of groaning stone and escaping dust.
A stairway descended into darkness.
Julian took one look and said, "Let me guess. No handrails."
[Also no lighting, breathable air, or guarantee of survival.]
"Perfect."
They descended slowly, Lira's fire-glove casting a warm glow ahead. The walls were lined with carvings—old, worn, and angular. Symbols that looked vaguely like spell circles and screaming faces.
Julian grimaced. "Is that guy vomiting a snake?"
Lira nodded. "That's a binding rune. Used to trap summoned creatures."
"Cool. Let's never touch that."
They reached the bottom: a long hallway with a cracked stone floor and doors on either side. At the end was a wide archway that led into a pitch-black chamber.
"This feels like the kind of place where a boss fight starts without warning," Julian whispered.
[Very likely. Strong magical field ahead. Also, your cloak just tensed.]
"What do you mean tensed—"
The cloak suddenly pulled to the left, yanking Julian off his feet and through one of the doors.
"Hey—HEY—stop dragging me, you dramatic blanket!"
Lira ran after him. "What's happening?!"
Julian landed on his back in a circular room lined with glowing blue runes. The door slammed shut behind Lira just as she entered.
"Oh no," Julian said. "Circle room. Glowing runes. This is a summoning chamber, isn't it?"
[Yes. And it's active.]
"OF COURSE IT IS."
The runes lit up in sequence. Energy surged toward the center of the room. Wind picked up, spinning their hair and blowing Blobby sideways.
From the middle of the runes, a shape began to form—smoke and flame, taking the rough form of a humanoid wrapped in shadow and flame.
"Okay, maybe it's friendly," Julian said.
The being's eyes flared open—two burning red slits.
"Never mind."
It raised its hand. The air turned electric. Lira blasted it with a fireball before it could finish charging, but it absorbed the blow like a snack.
"Julian," she said, "we have a problem."
"I noticed!"
Julian raised the spoon. "Mind Pulse!"
The wave hit the entity and actually staggered it slightly.
[It's a spellform. Construct of raw magic bound to an ancient command. Likely unstable.]
"So... we beat it by overloading it?"
[Exactly. Hit it with magic until it forgets how to exist.]
Julian grinned. "My specialty."
Lira flung bolts of fire in rapid bursts while Julian focused his mental energy into rhythmic pulses. The construct roared and lashed out, sending a shockwave through the chamber.
Julian hit the floor hard.
The cloak wrapped protectively around him for half a second—then punched him in the ribs.
"Seriously?"
You were embarrassing yourself.
Julian stood again, vision blurry, and gathered one last surge of focus.
"Lira! Distract it!"
She drew its attention with a massive pillar of flame while Julian charged up a focused burst of mind energy. The spoon hummed in his hand.
"Eat this, pixel nightmare!"
He let the pulse fly. It slammed into the construct's core. The being froze, convulsed—and shattered like glass under pressure.
The runes dimmed. The wind died.
Silence returned.
Lira fell back against the wall, breathing hard.
Julian sat down, groaning. "That was... the worst cardio session of my life."
[You overclocked your brain again. You'll feel stupid for the next hour.]
"How is that different from normal?"
[Fair.]
The door creaked open.
They stepped back into the hallway, both limping, covered in sweat and soot.
"So," Julian said, "was that the Forgotten Spell?"
"No," Lira said, "but it was guarding it."
[Your next room contains the spell. Be advised: it's sealed for a reason.]
Julian groaned. "Great. More cursed knowledge."
Blobby peeked from the pouch and jiggled encouragingly.
Julian patted him. "I miss the slime quest already."