The pit roared like a living thing, spitting out waves of heat and shadow as the creature dragged itself free. Its massive horns scraped the cavern ceiling, molten chains dripping fire as they rattled across its twisted frame. Its wings spread wide, blotting out the strange lights above.
Sezzle's knees nearly buckled. "That's not a monster… that's a freaking final boss! Janae, what do we even—"
The beast roared, the sound shaking the platforms apart. Janae's aura flared bright gold, her hair whipping in the heat, her eyes glowing with raw focus. She slid into a fighting stance.
"We beat it. Together."
The monster lunged, its clawed fist smashing downward. Janae leapt high, flipping off a collapsing platform. Golden energy erupted from her palm as she slammed into the creature's wrist, blasting it backward. The chains snapped and reformed, glowing hotter.
Sezzle gritted her teeth, sparks exploding violently from her hands. "Alright… guess we're really doing this." She extended her arms, letting her aura burn brighter, electricity dancing across the cavern walls. Her eyes lit up violet, sharp and wild.
The beast roared again and swung one of its chains like a flaming whip. Janae vaulted over it, twisting midair to land on the chain itself, sprinting upward like it was solid ground.
"YOOO, HOW ARE YOU—" Sezzle shouted, eyes wide.
Janae shouted back mid-run, "Focus, Sez!" She launched herself off the chain, spinning in the air, slamming her heel straight into the beast's face with an explosion of golden light.
The monster staggered, chains whipping wildly. Sezzle ducked, barely avoiding one that shattered a platform to dust. Her power flared uncontrollably, arcs of lightning snaking from her chest.
"Oh hell no—you're not taking me out like that!" she yelled. She thrust both palms forward.
A massive surge of violet lightning burst forth, wrapping around the chain mid-swing. With a scream, Sezzle yanked her arms back, redirecting the chain. The beast roared in shock as its own weapon slammed into its torso, sparks and molten fire exploding across its body.
Janae landed beside her, eyes blazing. "See? You are ready!"
The monster roared again, wings spreading, its chest glowing like a furnace about to erupt.
Sezzle's eyes widened. "That thing's about to nuke us!"
Janae's aura ignited brighter than ever, her whole body radiating gold. She grabbed Sezzle's arm. "Then we hit it harder. You trust me?"
Sezzle swallowed, electricity buzzing so loud it drowned out the roar. "…Always."
Janae grinned. "Good. Then let's finish this."
They moved in sync. Janae launched forward, a golden comet, while Sezzle followed, her lightning spiraling into a storm. The beast unleashed its blast—a tidal wave of molten fire and shadow. But Janae cut straight through it, Sezzle's lightning splitting it apart.
"NOW!" Janae screamed.
Together, they struck—their powers colliding into one brilliant explosion of gold and violet. The cavern shook, light flooding every corner. The monster shrieked, chains shattering, its form breaking into shards of molten shadow before vanishing into nothing.
Silence fell.
Sezzle collapsed to her knees, panting. "Holy… holy sh*t… we just killed that thing!"
Janae landed beside her, glowing aura fading. Her chest heaved, but a fierce grin spread across her face. "Yeah. And that was just level one."
The cavern pulsed, as if laughing. Far above, the ceiling cracked open, revealing another staircase of light.
Sezzle groaned. "Nope. Nope nope nope. Don't tell me there's a level two."
Janae offered her a hand. "C'mon, Sez. We're built for this."
Sezzle sighed, sparks still dancing across her palms. "…Fine. But next boss? I call dibs on the first hit."
Janae smirked. "Deal."
Together, they stepped toward the light, unaware that in the shadows, something far worse than chains and fire was already waiting.