The battle escalates as Mortivax partially emerges from the dark portal. The environment grows chaotic, with lava streams erupting and molten energy spiraling wildly around the chamber. Damian, Linda, and Nerrisa face overwhelming odds as Mortivax unleashes his full power, revealing why even Damian's ancestors feared him. Damian, Nerrisa and linda must rally together to hold him off long enough to seal the portal and prevent his complete arrival. Mortivax begins to manifest, his towering, shadowy figure half-visible through the portal. His presence warps reality around the Crucible, creating a suffocating aura of despair. The chamber grows darker, and the remaining Volcanic Wraiths, now empowered by Mortivax, charge at Damian and Nerrisa with renewed ferocity. Realizing the urgency, Damian channels the enhanced power of the Philosopher's Stone to summon an advanced defensive barrier:
Spell: Pyroclastic Aegis (Shield of Fire and Stone)
Incantation:
"Flamma ignita, saxa firma, fortitudinem meam tege,
Hostes tenebris deflectite, abyssum excludite!"
("Kindled flame, steadfast stone, shield my strength,
Deflect enemies of shadow, exclude the abyss!")
The barrier surrounds the group in a dome of molten fire and reinforced stone, protecting them temporarily. However, Mortivax strikes the shield with shadowy constructs, having the shape of an axe, cracking it bit by bit. Using the philosopher stone to reinforce the spell, Damian begins to lose control, the philosopher stone begins to corrupt Damian's arm, Linda grabs the aetherial pendent, she uses the Pendant of Aetherial Binding to stabilize the Philosopher's Stone's energy within Damian, allowing him to concentrate while she performs a counterattack. She casts a powerful dispersal spell to break the wraiths apart:
Spell: Aetherial Dissolution
Incantation:
"Lux aetherica, fracta umbrarum,
Corpus spirituum dissipate, evanescite!"
("Aetherial light, shatter the shadows,
Dissolve the spirit bodies, disappear!")
A radiant burst of light envelops the chamber, disintegrating many of the wraiths and buying the group some time. Nerrisa, seeing Mortivax's tendrils still attacking the barrier, uses her alchemical arrows to sever them. She combines precision and enchantments from the grimoire to craft an explosive alchemical arrow mid-battle.
"Explode in radiance, burn through the abyss!"
The arrow strikes Mortivax's form, causing him to recoil momentarily and weakening the portal's stability.
Furious, Mortivax fully steps through the portal for a brief moment, revealing his horrifying, multi-limbed shadowy form. His booming voice fills the chamber:
"You are mere pawns in a game far older than your feeble minds can comprehend! Witness true despair, tremble before my feet!"
Mortivax unleashes a devastating attack, summoning shadowy chains that erupt from the ground, holding Damian, Linda, and Nerrisa.
Mortivax mumbles the spell, the chains began to emit dark energy:
Spell: Shackles of Oblivion
Incantation:
"Tenebrae aeternae, animas coerce,
Lumen vitae exstinguite, spernam vincite!"
("Eternal shadows, bind their souls,
Extinguish the light of life, crush their hope!")
The chains begin sapping their strength, and Damian struggles to resist. He looks at Nerrisa and linda as they scream in pains, Damian felt pity for his companions, bearing the thought that he brought such fate upon them. Desperate to break free, Damian taps deeper into the Philosopher's Stone, despite the risks. He casts a forbidden spell from the grimoire to banish Mortivax temporarily:
Spell: Banishment of the Abyssal Lord
Incantation:
"Regnum abyssale, redite in tenebras vestras,
Potentia oppressa, infernum carcerem ingredite!"
("Abyssal realm, return to your darkness,
Power suppressed, enter the infernal prison!")
Golden and crimson light surge from Damian, targeting the portal. The spell destabilizes the gateway,the portal began to lose it form, it shakes violently and began to sock everything in its path , turning itself into a black hole, it sucks mortivax ,forcing Mortivax to retreat partially, but it also begins draining Damian's life force rapidly, as he kept chanting the spell. As mortivax was being sucked into the portal, the chains that was used by mortivax to hold Damian, Nerrisa and Linda began to fade, Nerrisa and Linda forcefully break free from chains.
Realizing Damian is on the verge of collapse, Linda uses the Pendant of Aetherial Binding to shield him from the Philosopher's Stone's backlash, while Nerrisa fires another Sunburst Bolt into the portal to sever its connection. Mortivax roars in fury as he is forced back into the abyss, his eyes filled with the undenying intent to kill Damian and his companions. his shadowy figure dissipating into the portal. Before the portal closes, Mortivax's voice echoes ominously:
"You delay the inevitable, but this world will burn under my rule. The Stone will consume you, boy. You cannot save them all, I shall be back to claim what's mine." The portal seals with a thunderous explosion, leaving the chamber silent except for the faint hum of the Crucible. Damian collapses, exhausted and shaken by Mortivax's parting words. Linda and Nerrisa stabilize him using their healing spells, but the group realizes the cost of their victory. The Philosopher's Stone now pulses erratically, and Damian's aura feels more unstable.
Damian, Nerrisa and Linda resolves to leave the Cradle of Embers with the Crucible's knowledge, but their journey is far from over. Damian reflects on Mortivax's words, wondering if he can maintain control of the Philosopher's Stone or if he will become a victim to its consuming power.
The chamber is silent, the echoes of Mortivax's retreat fading into the distance. Damian stands shakily, his body drained, and the Philosopher's Stone pulsing erratically in his hand. Its once brilliant energy now flickers, a reflection of his unstable connection to its immense power. He looks to Nerrisa and Linda, guilt heavy in his eyes. "We stopped him, but he'll return. And next time, I don't know if I'll be strong enough to face him." Nerrisa steps forward, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to do this alone, Damian. We'll face him together, no matter what." Her voice carries a quiet strength that cuts through his doubt. Linda, still holding the Pendant of Aetherial Binding, nods resolutely. "And next time, we'll be stronger. We'll make sure of it."
The group leaves the Crucible, its glow dimming behind them, a stark reminder of the trials they've endured. Outside, the air is eerily still, the volcanic landscape now quiet, yet heavy with tension. Damian glances back at the entrance, Mortivax's final words echoing in his mind. As they press on, they know their battle is far
from over, the true storm is yet to come.