CHAPTER 134: WHEN SETBACK IS NOT A LIMIT

Kelvin’s parents’ deaths in these mines, their screams were swallowed by a collapse triggered by unstable fire essence, his father’s burning form a shadow etched in his nightmares.

The drake-essence amulet at his chest, was warm with Mealin’s encouragement which glowed faintly, echoing his mentor’s words: "Honor their legacy, Kelvin. You are stronger than your fear and always bear this in your mind."

The wyrm’s roars echoed from the depths, a deep rumble that shook loose pebbles at his feet, their clatter was a prelude to the danger within, but Xerion’s hiss was fierce, his scales flared briefly, which was a promise of strength as they descended into the mines’ scorched labyrinth.

The upper tunnels were a maze of blackened stone, their walls were etched with ancient runes that flickered with unstable energy.

Their surfaces were scarred by molten flows that had hardened into jagged ridges which were littered with the remnants of miners’ lives that were rusted picks, shattered lanterns, charred crates and their wood were splintered by the wyrm’s fiery passage.

The heat was oppressive, the scent of molten rock and ash were thick, the glow of fire essence veins was casting fractured light across the walls, their pulses were like the heartbeat of a beast, each throb was a reminder of the collapse that took his parents.

Kelvin’s boots crunched on the scorched floor, his Veilbane Medal glinted at his chest, its violet and gold surface was a testament to his triumph over the Sovereign in the Primordial Rift, forged through battles in the Shattered Peaks, Verdant Hollow, Iron Fens, Abyssal Caldera, Sanctum, Veilheart, Abyss Core, and Rift.

His scars were faint lines across his chest, shoulder, arm, and thigh, it burned under his rune-etched tunic, remnants of those trials, now facing a challenge that is tied to his past, the mines a crucible of memory and danger.

Memories of his parents flooded back: his mother’s gentle hands were guiding his to etch fire runes, her voice was soft with patience as she taught him their patterns; his father’s lessons in these tunnels, his strong frame silhouetted against glowing veins, his laughter was warm as he spoke of taming wyrms with courage.

Their absence was a cold weight, a void that ached as the tunnels were deepened, the wyrm’s roars grew louder with their vibrations rattling his bones.

Kelvin clutched his amulet, its warmth was easing the grief that threatened to choke him, Xerion’s hiss was a steady reassurance, their bond was a flame that burned through the shadows of his past, guiding him through the mines’ oppressive darkness.

The tunnels were treacherous, their walls were trembling with each of the wyrm’s roars, cracks of spider webbing was across the stone with molten pools bubbling in crevices, their heat forced Kelvin to pause and weave water runes from his gauntlet, their cool glow hardened the lava into brittle stone, clearing a path.

He swung the rune-etched pick with its fire runes flaring as it shattered fallen beams and debris, its weight was balanced in his hands, a gift from the smith who had known his father, its runes was a reminder of their shared legacy.

Xerion’s tail smashed through the larger obstacles, his scales dimmed for stealth, his amber eyes were tracking shadows for threats, their sync ratio was a seamless dance of a tamer and beast, built by Sanctum training and Mealin’s rigorous lessons.

Strange runes on the walls caught Kelvin’s attention, their glow pulsed with an eerie, Veil-like energy, their patterns were jagged and unfamiliar, unlike the fire essence runes his parents had taught him, unsettling him as he recalled Vark’s vow in the Red Wastes ambush to claim the wyrm’s loot.

The runes hinted at the wyrm’s unnatural origins, a shadow of the Veil’s lingering power that suggested a deeper connection to Vark’s Crew’s scavenging with their greed a growing threat to Valebreach’s fragile stability.

Kelvin traced one with his gauntlet, its psychic pulse stings his scars, a sharp reminder of the Rift’s horrors, his resolve hardening as he pressed deeper, Xerion’s hiss was sharp with caution, their bond was a shield against the mines’ weight, the wyrm’s roars was a beacon drawing them onward.

Navigating the labyrinth took hours, the tunnels were twisting deeper, their walls were narrow, the heat was intensifying, the fire essence veins were glowing brighter with their pulses faster, as if sensing the wyrm’s proximity.

Kelvin paused to consult Mealin’s tome, its leather cover were etched with wyrm lore, its pages had details about the mines’ unstable paths, marked with warnings of molten traps and collapsing shafts.

He adjusted his pack, the fire-resistant ores and wyrm essence clinked softly, and their weight was a constant reminder of the mission’s stakes.

A sudden tremor shook the tunnel, a slab of rock came crashing down, forcing Kelvin to dive aside, his gauntlet flaring with a water rune to cool a molten pool that splashed nearby, steam was rising as Xerion’s tail smashed the debris, clearing the path.

The serpent’s scales flared briefly, while his amber eyes were locked on a faint glow ahead, their synchronizing ratio that guided their steps as they reached a vast cavern.

Its ceiling were studded with glowing crystals that cast fractured light across a molten pool and its surface was a ripple with liquid flame, the air was thick with the scent of burning stone, the heat was a physical force pressing against Kelvin’s scars.

At the cavern’s center loomed the Level 8 Epic Fire-Wyrm, a behemoth of molten scales that blazed crimson and obsidian, its thirty-foot length coiled like a living furnace, its eyes were glowing with Veil-tainted fire and their violet depths pulsed with unnatural energy.

Its massive form dwarfing Xerion, its roars shocked the cavern, sending crystals crashing to the floor with their shards scattering across the molten pool.

The beast was a nightmare, its flames scorched the walls, leaving trails of blackened stone, its presence was a mockery of the mines’ stability, a cruel echo of the collapse that took Kelvin’s parents.

His scars burned, the wyrm’s flames evoked his father’s burning form, his mother’s screams in the collapse, the memory was a knife that twisted in his chest, but he stood firm with his gauntlet flaring with fire runes that were tempered by ice, his voice was steady as he whispered to Xerion, "We will end this for them, for Valebreach."

The serpent uncoiled, while his scales were blazing crimson and gold, his fiery vortex ignited the cavern, its flames was a challenge that matched the wyrm’s roar, their 82% sync ratio was a heartbeat driving their strategy, their bond was a flame against the beast’s fury.

The battle erupted in a blaze of fire and chaos, the cavern was trembling as Kelvin wove a fire lance, its flames were sharpened by ice runes, targeting the wyrm’s molten scales, aiming for weak points that were detailed in Mealin’s tome—joints where the scales parted and they are vulnerable to piercing strikes.

Xerion struck with his tail, its honor rune glowed as it smashed against the wyrm’s flank, sending sparks flying, his fiery vortex engulfed the beast, forcing it to rear back, its molten blasts scorched the cavern’s walls, with their heat testing the fire-resistant ores that were woven into Kelvin’s tunic.

The wyrm’s speed was terrifying, its coils were lashing with deadly precision, its flames was a torrent that forced Kelvin to roll while his scars tingled as he dodged, weaving water runes to douse the fiery waves and steam rising as the gauntlet’s glow cooled the attack, the cavern’s crystals reflected the chaos in fractured bursts of light.

Xerion darted through the melee, his scales flared, his amber eyes were locked on the wyrm’s movements, their bond was a seamless flow as they countered its strikes.

Kelvin’s fire lances pierced its scales, Xerion’s vortexes kept burning its wounds, the cavern was shaking with every clash and cracks were spreading across the walls, with debris raining down, the instability was a mirror of the collapse that haunted Kelvin’s past.

The wyrm’s Veil-tainted eyes glowed brighter and its roars laced with psychic energy that stung Kelvin’s mind, a chilling echo of the Sovereign’s assaults in the Rift, but he pushed through, his parents’ memory was a flame that burned brighter than his fear.

He snapped a water trap, its runes were binding the wyrm’s tail, slowing its thrashing power and thereby allowing Xerion to strike a weak point, his tail cracked a scale, molten ichor seeping out, its violet glow confirmed the wyrm’s unnatural origins, a creation of Veil hubris.

The beast broke free, its roar was deafening, and unleashed a fiery torrent that forced Kelvin to dive behind a rune-etched platform, its surface was scarred by molten burns, his gauntlet flaring to shield him, Xerion’s vortex countered the flames with a blaze of crimson and gold.

The battle was relentless, the cavern’s instability was growing, cracks were widening as crystals were shattered above, their light casted jagged shadows across the molten pool, the wyrm’s power was a testament to its Veil-tainted strength.