By this point, the lake of fire was well behind Flameslinger, Prism Break and Ignitor's minds; its watery flames and scorching plants traded off for hot stone and warm, beaten paths, but little mind was paid to it, for Ignitor enraptured them as he told stories with gusto.

"And then, right as the dragon swooped down," Ignitor rambled, complete with wild hand gestures, "I leaped forward, drew my sword and proclaimed…"

Ignitor whipped his sword out of its sheath and waved it towards the heaven.

"'Tremble by my blade, foul monster! I may have transformest unto a being of fire, but that will not stopest me from bringing an end unto thy reign of terror! En guard!'"

As Ignitor continued to reenact his story, complete with a gratuitous amount of sword-swinging and epic speeches, Prism Break only sighed and rolled his blank eyes.

"And that is how I gained the title of Ignitor, knight of the crackling flames!" Ignitor stood tall and dug his sword into the ground with a chuckle. "To believe this happened only about a decade ago! It always feelest so far back…"

"Wait, a decade? I thought you were my age!" Prism Break exclaimed as he groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Ugh, now you're making me feel old!"

Flameslinger just smiled, shook his own head while he gave Prism Break a sympathetic pat or two, and turned back to Ignitor.

"Say, are we anywhere closer to that crystal grotto?" Flameslinger asked as he turned his head around, "It feels like we've been walking for an eternity now."

Ignitor hummed, yanked out the map and stretched it out wide. "Now, accordest to our map, the grotto we seekest should be," Ignitor said as he tapped his foot, wrapped the map back up and turned around, "right ahead!"

Ignitor rolled up the map and beamed ahead, while Flameslinger and Prism Break hopped ahead and took in the view with gaped jaws.

There before them all loomed the entrance to a massive cave, its red stone decorated by clusters of tall, warm-colored crystals that shone brilliantly against the warm flames that made up the world around them. Everything about it seemed so warm and inviting, and yet, a level of suspicion came over everyone. This was supposedly the home of a ferocious monster, and something with a magical treasure was bound to have some kind of trick to it.

Prism Break, however, seemed more fascinated by the crystals that decorated the entrance than anything! He grinned as he gently tapped one, yowled and whipped his hand back while his normally-green crystals tinted with a bit of red. Oh Prism Break…

"I suppose this is the place," Flameslinger remarked as he adjusted his bow and quiver's place on his back, "shall we embark?"

"Stolest the words right from my mouth, Sir Flameslinger," Ignitor replied as he stowed away the map and walked into the open depths of the cavern's mouth.

Flameslinger took one last turn back at Prism Break while Prism Break blew his hands off, ran inside, and promptly tripped over a rock.

Well, not that it was possible for him to see anything, even if he took off his blindfold. The cavern's entirely insides were surprisingly dark compared to the warm outer world, and everything melted into an identical blob of blue and purple with no sort of detail. The only light came from Ignitor, whose bright red flames provided the closest thing they had to a torch.

"It beeth quite dark here, indeed?" Ignitor remarked as he lifted up his sword and held it like a flashlight. "I supposest this shall hast to do for now."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ignitor," Prism Break remarked as he walked inside and crossed his arms, "I can see just fine!"

"You can?" Flameslinger asked as he looked back at Prism Break and shook his head.

"I lived in a dark cave for over a century of my entire life." Prism Break raised an eyebrow at Flameslinger and shook his head. "Something like this is nothing!"

Flameslinger grinned, whipped around and pushed Prism Break to the front of the ground. "In that case, you can be our guide!" Flameslinger grinned as he stood close to Ignitor, the only source of light in an otherwise cold and dark room. "Lead the way, Prism Break!"

Prism Break sighed, but nonetheless shook his head and stormed down the halls. "Just follow me, and don't touch anything weird-looking. You never know what could be about ready to fall apart in places like these."

So, Flameslinger and Ignitor trailed behind Prism Break at such a close distance that they practically breathed down Prism Break's back, but Prism Break turned around and shot them a glare.

"When I said close, I didn't mean that close," Prism Break scolded as he pushed them back. "That's good."

And som they trekked down the dark, identical halls with only the back of Prism Break an indicator of where to go next. The cavern's tunnels seemed to stretch out forever, and the space around them that could be seen was mostly just blank, sprawling stone floors and nothing more. Was this really the right place?

"Oh, that rock looks suspicious," Prism Break mumbled as he veered away left. "Don't step on that, you two."

"Step on what, Prism Break?" Flameslinger asked as he veered his head around. "I can barely sense a thing in this—"

CLICK! Flameslinger, Ignitor and Prism Break all froze for a moment as a tiny, button-shaped rock slowly sank into the ground.

"Flameslinger," Prism Break whispered as his eyes went wide, "what exactly did you just press?"

Flameslinger stepped back and winced, but before he could open his mouth and retort, the entire ceiling above them shuddered and dropped dust and rocks down below! He, Ignitor and Prism Break all coughed in unison as they tried to fan away the dust, but in the end it was unnecessary.

Out of nowhere, something crashed down and completely blew away the dust! But what? As all three of them looked back, Prism Break jolted up and froze. There behind them, a massive slab of rock blocked the way behind!

"What beest that?" Ignitor asked as he lifted up his sword and unveiled a cold, rocky mass that definitely was not there before.

"I'm not sure," Flameslinger remarked as he brushed his hand against the rock's surface. "Maybe it's a wall?"

Another soft rumble shook the earth below as the "wall" started to shudder, and for a moment, it seemed as though it moved just a bit further? Well, before they could even figure it out further, Prism Break yanked them both out of the way and cast a barrier of green crystal between them and the "wall."

"QUIET BLABBERING AND RUN, YOU TWO! THAT'S A BOULDER!"

Prism Break dashed down the halls with Flameslinger and Ignitor still in tow, and just in time, too! While he ran, the boulder smashed through his barrier and balled down the halls as if Prism Break's words were just the prompt it needed! The whole hallway shuddered as the boulder barreled down the way, all while Flameslinger, Ignitor and Prism Break ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Despite how fast they ran, the boulder bowled even faster behind them, and its speed only increased from the hill it flew down! The boulder was inches behind them, and before long they'd be flattened.

Flameslinger, Ignitor and Prism Break turned around and screamed as they tried to bolt off, but instead, they all snagged their feet on the floor and tripped in unison! Before they knew it, they all rolled down the halls and crashed onto the floors! They all groaned as they got up, turned around and froze as the boulder came straight towards them—but in a stroke of luck, the boulder was so big that it smashed into the tunnel's entrance and crumbled into a billion tiny pebbles!

They all sighed with relief as they jumped back to their feet, paused and gazed over the room before them.

Unlike before, it wasn't dark at all, but rather filtered with a gentle, purple light, followed by flashes of red, green, yellow… A whole rainbow of colors flashed through the room, all powered by color-changing crystals! Better yet, they didn't need to look around for the next way through, for there was a door right head! There was only one problem, though; it was locked tight and the key was nowhere in sight!

"Something tells me this is going to take a while," Flameslinger remarked as he pulled his blindfold down and caught a glimpse, pulled it back over his eyes. He crossed his arms and drummed his fingers against them. "How do you unlock a locked door with no key?"

While Flameslinger pondered, Ignitor walked behind, and hummed as he placed his hand on its surface while its colors reflected against his armor. His flames lingered on it for a moment as his armor gave off a miniature light show, and he crept into the darkness with an intrigued hum.

Prism Break, meanwhile, knocked his own crystal hands on the color-changing ones and grinned as his own crystals shifted in hue for a moment, but frowned and sighed as they went back to their natural green. His eyes trailed back to the crystals as he basked in their beauty, but he screamed and jumped back as a cannonball flew out of nowhere and slammed right into the crystal!

Flameslinger jumped away as the cannonball screeched towards him, and instead, it slammed into a second crystal, and bounced off a few more before it slammed into a stone wall and shuddered! As it rolled down, a slot opened up in the floor right before the cannonball hit the ground, and instead, it slunk into a black void right before the floor closed up again.

Prism Break shuddered, turned around and snarled as he caught sight of Ignitor, who laid in the darkness beside an old-looking cannon that was positioned suspiciously close to the crystals.

"I could not help but ponder," Ignitor remarked as he drew his hand away from the cannon, "this door seemingly lackest a key, yet it appeareth to be our only way of proceeding. What if there actually was a key after all, mayhap?"

"Like, a hidden key?" Flameslinger flicked his ears.

Ignitor, however, just shook his head and scattered small flames across the floor. "I have thought of something different." Ignitor gestured towards the crystals around. "Perhaps these crystals beest the actual key!"

Ignitor's attention turned back to the worn cannon, and he walked up and lit it with a lean of his spirit body. The flames crackled against the fuse and out shot a cannonball! The cannonball hit each crystal in succession with a firm ding once again, and rolled down into the nothingness via a slot in the floor that soon closed, but the gates didn't open.

Flameslinger widened his eyes, drew down his blindfold and glared at the crystals as they slowly shifted in color; finally, they all turned a bright red!

"Now!" Flameslinger cried as he signaled towards Ignitor!

Ignitor lit the cannon once more, and once again the cannonball slammed against each bright crimson crystal! But this time, as the cannonball slammed against the wall and rolled into the void, the door opened with a low rumble!

Flameslinger grinned, dashed right through the door and into the next room. Though, really it felt more like an extension of the first with its purple rock walls littered with clusters and formations of bright pink crystals, right down to the gate that blocked off the next section! Thankfully, this one had a lock with a visible keyhole. Seems opening it would be a lot easier!

Flameslinger dashed around each and every crystal, Prism Break stormed in and shot lasers through the wall in pursuit of secret holes, and Ignitor even hit a few crystals just to be safe. In spite of all they did, no keys seemed to show!

Flameslinger sighed, leaned against a nearby crystal pillar and crossed his arms. He paused for a moment as he peered at his reflection in the crystal, gasped and stumbled back!

"I found the key!" Flameslinger exclaimed as he waved over Prism Break and Ignitor. "Look!"

The two of them dashed over, and gasped as they examined the pillar; sure enough, the key was trapped in the heart of its crystal confines! But, that opened up another problem, and they all seemed to realize that as their faces fell.

"This pillar seems pretty solid," Flameslinger remarked as he knocked his fist against the pillar's side. "I doubt my arrows could do anything about it."

"Allow me, then!" Ignitor said as he drew his sword. "EXCELSIOR!"

Ignitor swung his sword right into the center of pillar, but apparently even its burning flames didn't do anything, either! The moment it made contact, it shook Ignitor to his core and he stumbled back. As Ignitor spun around and babbled out some medieval-sounding nonsense, Prism Break only sighed and stepped up.

"Guess it's my time to shine," Prism Break remarked as he clapped his hands together.

With a mighty cry, Prism Break smashed his crystalline hands against the crystal, and grinned as the crystal pillar completely shattered!

Flameslinger snatched the key right before it hit the ground and turned back to the gate. At last, their harrowing journey would finally come to a close! Flameslinger pressed the key into the lock and unlocked it with a simple turn. The door shuddered for a moment, creaked open and unveiled a sight so bright and awe-inspiring that it froze them all in their tracks!

The entire room was coated in sparkling gold, from the ceiling to the walls and even the floors! That wasn't all, either. All sorts of sparkling gold and jewels piled across the floors, which were occasionally peppered with strange treasures and old-looking devices that still held an air of mystery to them. Even the ceiling had its own treasure, what with the strange, light gold, dragon-shaped statue stuck to it!

But, none of that was what they came for, so Flameslinger, Prism Break and Ignitor instead fixed their gazes down on the floor; there, a collection of sparkling golden stones stuck out from the floor. Unlike everything else around, though, they radiated with a kind of gentle, magical warmth that just drew one in and made them never want to leave.

"Why, what art this sensation?" Ignitor asked as he drew towards the stones and brushed his hands against them. "I have no reckoning as to how, but the flames in my soul art completely new, as if they had just been stokest!"

"Wait, did you say stoked?" Flameslinger gasped as he looked at Ignitor and back at the stones with wide eyes. "These have to be the hearthstones!" Flameslinger grinned, knelt down and swept the hearthstones off of the floors. "We got what we came here for." Flameslinger turned to Prism Break and Ignitor as he pulled his blindfold back over his eyes. "Let's bring these back to the fire spirit village!"

The three of them nodded, but before they could walk out, something in them all froze as they broke into shudders. For a moment, it almost felt like they were being watched? But, that couldn't be right, they were the only ones here! They all winced and peered up at the ceiling, where…

Wait a second, were that dragon statue's eyes always open?

"YOU THIEVES!" roared the statue as it dropped down from the floor in one swift movement. "HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY TREASURE!"

Seems as though that statue wasn't really a statue at all! Rather, it was a full-blown dragon with a massive, bulky body and curled horns that curved around its muzzle. Its massive chest with sparkly golden chest plates shuddered with every heavy breath the dragon made, and its snout spewed out golden dust across the room with every breath. Its wide, golden eyes burned with rage like sunlight, harsh and unforgiving, and its tail slammed against the floor with such power that the whole room shook.

"YOU'LL REGRET COMING TO MY TREASURE HOARD, YOU PETTY PILFERERS!"

Prism Break and Ignitor both snarled as they ran to Flameslinger's side and raised their weapons, while Flameslinger himself stashed the hearthstones in his pocket and drew his bow. Seems it was time for a fight!

§

"Alright, buddy," Chihiro said as she tapped her pencil against her notepad, "so, tell us what happened to your treasure."

Tallmane frowned, sat down and swished its tail against the dried blood-stained earth as it tapped a claw against its muzzle.

"Well, you see, it all started this morning," Tallmane explained as it brushed its paw against the earth, "I was fast asleep with my treasure—"

Chihiro didn't even peel her eyes away from her notepad as she scribbled down the notes. "And what was this treasure, exactly?"

"Well, it was a small, thin, statue, about this big." Tallmane gestured with its paws for emphasis. "It had the most intricate and beautiful carving. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it was carved in a queen's image!"

Chihiro nodded as she sketched out a rough guess of the statue's image and tapped her toes against the ground. "Mm-hmm."

Tallmane shook its head. "Anyways, getting back to the point. I was fast asleep with my treasure curled beside me, but then, then morning I woke up—" Tallmane shuddered, held a paw to its face and nearly fainted if not for Fluffy catching it "—oh, it was terrible! My treasure had been stolen from me!"

Tallmane leaned back on the ground while its ears drooped.

"And worse yet, aside from a hole dug in my burrow, I couldn't find a single hint as to the thief's identity! I looked around all day, but nothing could be found," Tallmane said as it frowned and swished up dust with its tail. "No footprints, no torn clothes, no trace of magic, nothing!" Tallmane heaved a sigh. "And I haven't a single clue as to who would've taken it…"

"Hmmm, that is pretty tricky," Chihiro remarked as she looked over her notes, then stashed away the notepad and stood. "Could you take us to this burrow?"

Tallmane just swiveled its head towards a gigantic hole in the ground not that far from them, one that was definitely big enough for a lynx of its size to crawl through and make a home from.

So, Chihiro took a few steps forward and glazed over the hole, but unfortunately, it didn't seem like there were any clues around! Aside from the dirt and dust and blood scattered in the midst of the earlier conflict, nothing seemed out of the ordinary around it. She frowned, leaned down and got ready to slide down the hole!

But, before she could, Fluffy stepped forward, pressed its nose to the ground and took in a few deep sniffs. With one last inhale, it lifted its head up to the skies, pointed towards the path ahead and started barking! Wait, could hyenas even bark? Well, this was a simulation, so Chihiro probably shouldn't take it very seriously, but…

"What is it, buddy?" Chihiro asked as she ran up to Fluffy and rubbed its leg. "Did you smell something?"

Fluffy barked again, and bolted down a small, off the side trail ahead of the clearing! It seemed kind of suspicious with how hidden it was underneath the trees, but if this was the place where that thief was, well, it was worth a shot!

Tallmane seemed just as hesitant as Chihiro was to enter, but finally it heaved a sigh and shook its head. "I hate dingy trails, but, if it's to get my treasure back," Tallmane said as it stretched back and bounded forward, "I suppose I'll have to relent!"

While Tallmane bounded into the depths of the small trail's path, Chihiro herself shrugged and tapped her shoes against the earth! A flood of magic flew into her veins as magical wings manifested on the heels of her boots, and her heart burst with the speed of an entire pack of cheetahs!

"HEY, WAIT FOR ME!" Chihiro shouted as she dashed forward!

Thankfully, Chihiro had little problem keeping up with Fluffy and Tallmane with the help of her speed shoes, and it even made the chilling, bone-biting autumn breeze kind of pleasant! She giggled and cheered and bounded in the air as she dashed down paths of crunchy leaves and rounded corners, her gaze only guided by their footsteps and the faint evening sunlight that dappled through the trees.

Chihiro grinned as she grabbed hold of a skinny tree trunk, turned herself around and bolted down the path ahead. But right out of nowhere, some person in a cloak bolted out of the bushes and stopped in the middle of the path! Chihiro went so fast that she couldn't stop herself!

"LOOK OUT!" Chihiro cried as she balled down the pathway, but by then it was too late! They only just got a glimpse of each other before they crashed into each other!

Chihiro groaned and rubbed her head, but got up to her knees and shook off the pain. "Hey, are you alright?" Chihiro asked as she dusted off her pants, leaned over and held out her hand. "Here, let me help you—" Chihiro froze as her eyes trailed across the ground "—up?"

While the person groaned and rubbed their sore back, Chihiro completely forgot about them and lifted a small statue that was definitely not there a second ago off the ground. It was a shiny silver and carved in the shape of a slender woman who donned a fancy crown and an intricate gown. Wait a second, didn't Tallmane say its treasure looked like this? Chihiro pulled her notepad out from her pocket, held it up to the statue, and grinned wide as she stashed the notepad back away. Yep, this was what they were looking for! Good timing, too; she could hear Fluffy and Tallmane's footsteps as they bounded down the path.

"Hey, guys!" Chihiro shouted as she spun around and waved the statue high in the air. "I found the treas—OOF!"

Right as Chihiro waved, something tackled her to the ground out of nowhere! While the statue slipped from her hand and fell back to the ground alongside her, Chihiro herself grunted and bit her lip from the pain. Just who did that? Chihiro turned back to the statue, but before she could reclaim it, that strange man yanked it off the ground and floated off!

"Hey, get back here, you thief!" Tallmane exclaimed as it bolted after the man.

Chihiro grunted and went to pull herself off the ground, but before she could, Fluffy sprang forward, grabbed Chihiro by the back of her shirt and flipped her onto its back! Chihiro smiled, and grabbed tight onto Fluffy's back as they all bolted down into another forest clearing!

The person still tried to run ahead, but unfortunately they just weren't quick enough! Tallmane leaped in front of the way away and landed with such intensity that it blew off their hood and unveiled the face of a grizzled man with thick stubble and bright magenta eyes. The man snarled and turned back around, but before he could escape Chihiro and Fluffy blocked him off!

"You're cornered, buddy!" Chihiro shouted as she climbed on top of Fluffy's head and glared down the man. "We've got you surrounded! Now give us back the treasure!"

"Your treasure?" The man scoffed, his voice tired and rough. "What a laugh! I was the one who found this statue! If anything, you stole it from me, Eqiohr Umaex!"

"Oh, so now you're lying to save face? Give me a break!" Tallmane snarled as it bore its teeth and sharpened its claws against the earth. "I was the one who found it, not you!"

Eqoihr and Tallmane scowled as they locked eyes, and both of them shot rows of magic blasts that slammed right into each other and exploded in mid-air! Eqoihr snarled as he summoned a magical staff and spun it around, all while a faint magenta glow emerged from his pocket.

Chihiro winced, slid off of Fluffy and fixed her eyes on the fight. Who was the rightful owner of that weird statue, Eqoihr or Tallmane? As they spat insults at each other and traded blows, her heart wavered just a bit. Her eyes fixed on that strange glow, and her feet started to move without her even knowing, but Fluffy yanked her back before she could jump into the fray!

Chihiro yelped as a gigantic magical blast blew through where she once stood, courtesy of Eqoihr! Eqoihr snarled as he shot another magic blast towards the shield that Tallmane raised, but Tallmane just turned around and kicked the shield straight at him with its back legs! Eqoihr gasped, yet before he could get away, the shield crashed into him and rammed him into a nearby tree! Eqoihr grimaced as he lunged up and jumped back into the fray, but while he brawled, he didn't seem to notice the statue slip out of his coat pocket!

However, Chihiro certainly did! Now, she finally had a chance to put an end to all this fighting! So, Chihiro teleported over under the cover of the fight, and snatched the statue off of the floor! With a short teleport back, Chihiro stomped her feet and grinned as the ground below her rumbled, and let out a soft shout of surprise as a magical stone pillar leaped out underneath her and towered over the fight scene! With her safely out of everyone else's grip, Chihiro cleared her throat and summoned a magical megaphone.

"ATTENTION, EVERYONE!" Chihiro exclaimed through the megaphone's amplified chambers. "UNTIL YOU ALL CALM DOWN AND TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, THIS TREASURE BELONGS TO ME!"