Part I: A World Below Fire
The entrance to the Abyssal Furnace was a jagged wound in the earth, belching waves of molten heat that shimmered the air like a fever dream. Deep beneath Emberhold, the ancient forge-city once powered by volcanic mana veins now pulsed with unstable magical radiation — and something worse.
Aira stood before the mouth of the dungeon, clad in flame-forged armor that hummed with radiant energy. Behind her, the full core of Blazing Dawn waited, eyes set, hearts racing.
"This place," Mira whispered, "feels like it remembers us."
"It remembers fire," Aira replied. "And it'll remember us after today."
This was no ordinary dungeon. The Guild had named it Abyssal-Class — classified not just for its difficulty, but for its unpredictability. A tier above even S-rank, Abyssal Dungeons were whispered about in tales — dungeons that bent the rules of time, space, and mortality.
And now, Emberhold's hope lay in Aira's hands to conquer it.
Part II: Descent
The party moved in tight formation through the blackened stone corridors, guided only by Aira's burning blade and Kael's subtle wind-light. The further they descended, the more the temperature dropped — not from cold, but from ancient fire burned out.
Gutted tunnels were strewn with half-melted skeletons. Slabs of obsidian twisted into impossible spirals. And everywhere, eyes — dozens, spectral and hateful — glimmering in the cracks.
They struck first.
Dozens of hounds, stitched together from ash and molten bone, rushed from the walls.
> "FLAME CLONE DEPLOYED!"
With a pulse of mana, Aira summoned two blazing doubles. One intercepted the hounds mid-charge, unleashing a flaming whirlwind. The second clone teleported behind enemy lines and exploded, scattering bone and magma like shrapnel.
Seris moved like a shadow, her twin blades cutting down any survivors. Kael created a cyclone of burning wind, boosting Aira's clone movements. Mira amplified their shields with radiant sigils.
> "One corridor down," Aira breathed. "Only fifty more."
They pushed deeper.
Part III: Infernal Gauntlet
Over the next several hours, Aira tested the limits of Flame Clone. In a lava bridge battle, she created four clones to serve as bait — leaping from crumbling platforms to drag obsidian serpents into the magma below.
During a chamber of shifting fire runes, her clone activated every glyph trap at once while the real Aira led the team safely through.
Her team moved like a machine now:
Kael scouted ahead with wind senses
Seris eliminated ambush threats
Mira kept their stamina stable
Aira commanded with fiery clarity
Until they reached the Furnace Heart Gate.
An enormous door forged from cursed ore. Runes flickered. Blood sacrifices from long-dead flame priests marked the walls.
Aira stepped forward and pressed her hand to the seal.
> System Alert: "Final Trial: Defeat the Infernal Host. Survive."
The gate creaked open.
Part IV: The Infernal Host
The inner chamber roared with living fire. Pools of magma bubbled like boiling blood. And at the center… a being emerged from molten chains — fifteen feet tall, cloaked in armor fused with magma.
Infernal Host Xal'Thoraz
> Class: World-Eater Construct Weakness: Clone Confusion, Coordinated Fire
The creature roared — its voice a shockwave of lava.
"Positions!" Aira shouted.
Immediately:
Clone 1 charged with her sword drawn
Clone 2 launched fire spears from above
Clone 3 teleported to the back of the boss, stabbing upward
Clone 4 exploded at the base to stagger its legs
Xal'Thoraz retaliated with a lava storm. One clone disintegrated. Another reformed instantly. Mira's sigils glowed to full power, reinforcing barriers. Seris and Kael went into full assault mode.
The real Aira danced through the flames, striking with surgical precision, using her clone visibility to flank the construct.
> "Flame Clone — MAX DEPLOYMENT."
Six clones erupted around her, creating chaos. The boss faltered.
Then it adapted.
It summoned smaller golems, splitting the team.
Kael shouted, "We're surrounded!"
Aira fused two clones into a supernova and launched them into the swarm. Boom. The heat nearly shattered the dome.
In the smoke, Aira used Scorchstep to reappear directly behind the boss. She plunged her blade into its burning spine.
"Fall."
Xal'Thoraz screamed and crumbled into ash.
> System Alert: Dungeon Cleared. EXP Gained. Unique Material Acquired: Furnace Heart Core.
Part V: What Remains
The team staggered from the chamber, sweat-soaked and silent.
Outside, the horizon trembled. The second wave of the Beast Tide had begun.
Aira sat for a moment in silence.
Her system pinged.
> Clone Sync Rate: 87% New Unlock: Flame Clone: Extended Link Mode — Clones c
an now function for extended durations with independent command protocols.
She smiled faintly.
"Let them come. We're ready."