[STATUS: Victorious but Conflicted]
The Firebrand was finally gone, but the Crucible cared not. It, like the back wall of the firewall, continued its forward momentum. Ash settled in the air, dusting his boots, but as the furnace behind him roared louder, Remi knew he couldn't come to rest. The Crucible had traded one predator for another, one that he had largely ignored until now.
Nothing likes to be ignored. Not people. Not animals. And certainly not the Crucible. The towering inferno that ran the length of the space behind Remi surged forward. Where before it had been satisfied to inch along, it had picked up its pace. He guessed the jog was over, and the sprint had begun, both his and the wall’s.
His lungs already burned; each breath felt like a fist squeezing a crumpled paper ball—the air crinkled. His ribs stabbed every time he drew breath, and so the prospect of racing for a key was less than ideal. But this place didn’t give a shit.
Remi’s path was clear; he’d need to move quickly or risk being cut off from that path.
Nel: Stop standing around there like you’ve jammed the copier again. Get your ass moving, old man!
He didn’t need the reminder—he was already moving. He was at half way to dead with his health bar hovering at 50%, and so while he wanted to hurry, his legs felt like they were sluggish. The damage from the Firebrand had put Remi in a tenuous position. He couldn't really afford much more HP to go up in smoke.
The walls blurred as he ran. Whether it was the haze of heat or the movement, it turned into a neon line of orange. Remi was in a Tron Lightcycle maze, and he needed to navigate to his prize.
He rapidly closed the final ten yards of this long start lane, banked hard right when he got to the end—time for this race to really begin. The corridor continued to stretch ahead of him. It was about forty-five feet, narrow, and cast off waves of shimmering heat that warped the light in front of him. He could hear the roar of the back firewall, now on the forty-yard line, on his left shoulder. It continued to move like a freight train, chugging closer and closer as he ran, eating about a yard every five seconds.
Remi checked his stats one last time to be sure.
[HP: 131/271 | MP: 140/361]
[INKWELL: 13% | N.S.R.: 7.6 | Status: Exhausted!]
He wouldn’t get a rewrite anytime soon, and his NSR was the same as when Nel had joined the party. As he watched, it dropped to 7.2. Fine! He thought. He needed to stop getting distracted and switched his focus back to his mini-map and to running. The key marker was on the far side of where he was currently facing, but to his left. About ten yards in-front of the firewall. It pulsed in what felt like mockery. He knew he wouldn’t be able to navigate to it before the wall caught up to him.
He was only a few turns to a straightway, where he would need to deal with the wall itself. Even though he didn’t want to, he slowed to a stop. He needed to consider.
Remi: Nel! Any ideas?
Nel: Don’t die.
AI: Agreed.
Remi: Neither of you is helping.
Remi was going to need to pass through the wall itself, and while he was pretty sure his body could take the damage. He was not so sure about his lungs.
It was then that he remembered his bandana of bad-assedness. He pulled it out of his pocket. Bubblegum pink, but now sadly with some black smears from his ashen fingers. Remi dug in his murse and pulled his remaining juice box from the snack drawer. This one was in a tetrapack—a bag of juice. His mom used to get them for him as a kid. A Capri-Sun for her capricious-son. The memory made him smile as he bit the end of the silvery packet with his molars. Remi yanked, tearing open the packet. Some juice splashed onto his face. It was berry-flavored. He emptied the remaining juice onto the bandana itself. If he was going to smell anything through a pink face mask, it seemed appropriate that it was strawberry, because regardless of what the note said, he wouldn’t look badass.
Remi quickly tied the bandana around his face, hoping the wetness would help him when he passed through the flames. He breathed through his mouth. It wasn’t an N-95 mask, but it would have to do.
He resumed his race, and after a few more turns—left, right, right, left—he was facing the firewall. The key was a few corridors away, still on his right-hand side, but his map told him the only way to access it was to pass through the wall in-front of him. Remi raced towards the firewall. He was going to need to do this fast or it would kill him. It might be delirium because of the heat, but it felt like it shivered in anticipation. Gross! It seemed to lean forward, ready to embrace Remi.
Not going to happen. He timed the spells to work in quick succession. First, a Mana Pulse directed at the wall itself to create a gap. The shockwave worked as intended, blowing a small hole in the flaming barrier. This gave Remi the visibility he needed to send a thin line of mana through the gap to lock onto the floor. As the hole closed, about three feet in front of the wall, he snapped the tether, letting the recoil rocket him forward.
Remi didn't escape the fire, however. It closed as he was passing through the gap. A waterfall of fire that whooshed past him as he slid through it. He could feel his skin blister and pop on his back. The wetness of the ooze was both oddly cooling and horrifying.
He had made it through. He couldn’t believe it; it had worked. Which was good, as he would need to do that again. But his relief evaporated as the wall behind him belched forth a shower of sparks and ash. Embers surrounded his face and licked his cheeks. They stung his eyelids as his vision filled with white blotches.
Remi threw up his arm, but it was too late. He had been thrust into darkness, and in his panic he had inhaled deeply. He had sucked in by instinct, and the bandana around his face clung tight. The juice and the fabric created a waterboarding effect. Remi had no air, and his body exploded in panic.
He stumbled to a halt and dropped to his knees. He yanked at the fabric over his face. The fabric clung wet to his lips and nose, refusing to let go. He clawed at it desperately. The Crucible didn’t want him breathing, so Remi was drowning on dry land.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Blood rushed to his ears. A beating that made his head swim. Finally, he could pull the bandana down to settle around his neck, but the damage was done. Remi couldn't think; his breathing became desperate as smoke filled his lungs. I can’t breathe! Each inhale flooded him. Smoke didn’t rise; it poured into his lungs. It filled him like drowning in reverse. Remi could feel like he was going to faint, and if he did, he, like the Firebrand, would become only ash and memory.
As his vision began to blacken at the edges, a blaze of purple light flashed across the center of his vision. It was a message from Nel, in purple font. It seemed to beat back against the edges of the impending darkness.
Nel: I’ve got you, Remi. It’s okay. You’re okay. I need you to name five things for me. Focus on what you see and feel.
Remi’s heart slammed against his chest, but he tried his best to focus. He opened his eyes.
Remi: I see the ground. It has been burned.
Nel: Good. And.
Remi: I see the walls.
Nel: And.
Remi’s breathing was slowing.
Remi: I feel the heat.
Nel: Good for you. I need one more thing. Can you try to see the key?
Remi: It’s on my mini-map. Yes, I can see it.
Nel: You're doing great, old man. Now, I'm going to need you to get up.
He tried to get to his feet, but even though his breathing was less labored, his body refused to move.
Remi: I can’t, Nel.
He was not sure how she did it, but suddenly she was there beside him. Not physically, but in his head. He could feel her there. Her next words didn't appear in front of him, but in his mind. He could hear her voice. The calm coolness of it.
“Remi, we’re in this together. I already have my key. It’s in the door, waiting for you. I’m waiting for you.”
Something in Remi shifted. This wasn’t just about him. He punched his panic down, like it was a bogeyman. He thrust it deep into the darkness, under the bed where it belonged.
He thought, “Fear does not exist in this Dungeon, does it?” Nel was right there with him, in his thoughts, as it was her voice that responded.
“No, Remi!”
Remi stood up. They could do this—together. He moved forward. With each step, it became easier. One foot, then the other. Each step brought him more under control. Each made breathing easier.
“That’s it, Remi. You’ve got this.” And he did. He was back in control. He assessed the situation as he resumed his jog.
Health was low, at about forty percent. The last blast had been about a ten percent kicker. He had enough for the return trip—it would be close, but it should be enough.
Remi finally returned to a run, and he felt Nel’s presence leave him. He would need to ask her about that later. As he continued to run, he had a more pressing question.
Remi: Nel, thanks—.
Nel: Don’t. It’s fine.
Remi: Okay, what happens when the firewall reaches you? Can’t you just pass through it like I did and then we open the door easy-peasy.
Nel: I wish it were that simple. I could survive the firewall. But the code tells me the door wouldn't. There’s no other exit. It’s a portal, so basically, we’d be fucked.
Hearing her swear shocked him. He felt an admonition rise in him. The ghost of teachers past. What the fuck! Of course she can swear; she's an adult, and he isn’t her teacher anymore.
It was then that the key finally appeared, not just on his mini-map, but he could actually see it. The corridor ahead of him ended in a small alcove, and there, hovering above it, glowing with a strange internal light, was the key. Remi was there in an instant, and without hesitation, he grabbed it.
[KEY ACQUIRED]
Nel: You should be more cautious. That could have been trapped.
Remi spun on his heels and returned the way he had come.
Remi: Nah. You told me you had yours. If they had been trapped, you’d have warned me.
Nel: You’re pretty pleased with yourself, aren’t you?
Remi: Always.
He would have grinned, but it was too hard with the running. He retraced his path, watching the map closely. Several turns and much running later—too much cardio if he were being honest—he was once again at the firewall. He could tell by looking at the map that it was going to be close. The wall was only 20 yards away from the back wall, and closing on the door fast. Remi could see Nel’s location pop up as an icon on the map.
Remi raced towards and then through the wall. Mana Pulse and Mana Lash again allowed him to force his way through. Another couple of turns, and then a final hard right, and he was in the back corridor. He could see Nel in the distance, about 150 feet away. He could do this!
He was halfway to her when the rear wall passed through the corridor wall on his right. Seeing it or the system notification wasn’t even necessary.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: CORRIDOR COLLAPSE IMMINENT!]
Remi felt the wall’s heat blast against his side as it crested into the pathway. It had grown in height, and heat rolled off it in waves that caused his HP to tick down steadily. Remi was in a corridor that was narrowing fast. He had no time to think, only to run.
Nel was now 30 feet away. His corridor was shrinking; it was now about 8 feet wide. He adjusted his line to run right next to the wall on his left, giving him the most room possible from the moving wall.
10 feet from the door. A narrow line of space, five feet. As he slowed and turned to the door, there was only a 3-foot gap behind him, barely enough room to move.
Remi slammed the key into the open hole, turned and looked at Nel. She nodded in understanding.
“3…2…1…” they turned their keys in unison and the door swung open. Remi stumbled through first, and Nel slipped in after. There was only about a foot of space left. Lucky she was so lithe.
As she crossed the threshold, her foot caught on an unseen lip. She fell to her knees—still not fully inside. Her back and legs were exposed. Remi heard her scream as the wall consumed her legs. He could hear the sizzle of her flesh. The fire didn’t give up that easily, especially when it had victory in its grasp. It lunged. Fingers of flame curled through the threshold, as if hell itself was reaching for Nel, desperate to drag her into the underworld.
Not today Satan! The line of mana shot from his hand, and wrapped around her, locking her arms to her side as it coiled tightly around her torso. Remi yanked with both hands, pulling her into the room. Nel slid to safety; smoke rolled off her legs, just as the firewall ate the remaining space. Through the frame of the door, all Remi could see was orange. He was not sure if it would continue into the space with the door open, but he wouldn't find out.
A quick boot of the door closed it with a slam. It was as if he had slammed a door in the middle of a temporary wall, and even though the room he found himself in was solid stone, the solid space shook in response. Remi walked up and locked it from the inside. He didn’t even care that he burned his fingers on the glowing bronze mechanism. He clicked the lock into place, cutting off the roar outside. The sounds outside disappeared, and the latch snapped from bright orange to its metallic color. There was blessed silence.
Only then did the relief hit. He could feel his heart hammer in his chest, his lungs expanding and contracting in ragged gasps; he was barely alive. He had pulled something as he yanked Nel into the room, and he had done 10 HP more damage to himself. Worth it! He was alive, and so was she.
Remi bent to check on her; she was in terrible shape. Smoke still curled from her legs, but her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths that hitched. She was alive. Barely. He gently placed his hands underneath her body. Nel’s skin was hot on his hands as he gently picked her up. Remi took her to the center of the room slowly, careful not to do her any more damage. She was going to need some healing. Hell, he was going to need some healing. They didn’t have a lot of options. I really need to get some bandages or a fucking healing potion!
The irony of the moment was palpable as he gingerly set Nel back down on the ground. You would think that after all of that, the last thing that he would want to do was even look at another fire ever again, let alone that he would light one. But they both needed some rest, and some healing, and this was one way that he could make that happen. Remi pushed the button on his vest and was rewarded with a campfire. It sprang to life, materializing on the floor beside Nel. A happy little fire, in stark contrast to the manic one they had just bested. Its soft, controlled heat a counterpoint to what had lived outside this room.
As Remi settled himself down on the other side of the fire, placing himself between the door and Nel, he prepared to drift off to sleep.
[STATUS: CRITICAL EXHAUSTION]
The HUD notification appeared between him and what he saw with horror on the far side of the room. As sleep claimed him, the fire pulled him under, its healing warmth drawing him into rest. The last thing that Remi saw before slipping into blackness was that there was another frigging door. Ironic as hell!
?? The Fall Of The Sea ??
by JollyUmbrella
On a small boat in the middle of unknown waters, a boy awakens with no memory of who he is or why he is at sea.
What To Expect:
- Complex character dynamics
- Emotional backstories and arcs
- Thoughtfully crafted world with rich culture and history
- Powerful characters
- Slight hints and possible romances
- Awesome fight scenes
- Long, plot-driven story with narrative twists
Upload Schedule:
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. UTC-5
[SPECIAL] November 2025: Daily
Accolades:
[Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
