The sun hung mercilessly above their heads, turning the dirt beneath them dry and cracked. The heat pressed down like a curse, but it did little to shake the resolve of the two figures standing at the edge of the battlefield.
"Are you ready?"
The voice came from a broad-shouldered man with silver-white hair. A heavy mace rested in his right hand, while a reinforced shield stood firm in his left. He wore armor far bulkier than any cleric usually dared to wear—battle-scarred and unholy in its weight.
"Give me a moment. Let me double-check my gear."
The reply came from the masked figure beside him—taller, leaner. His hair was tied back, and a dragon-engraved dagger hung across his back. Despite the danger ahead, he wore only light armor and carried scrolls strapped to his belt. He moved like shadow and silence.
"You done?" the cleric asked again.
Roine gave a quick nod. "Yeah. But… you sure this will work? Just the two of us? We're up against Hell Lizards. Even four-man teams haven't returned from this place."
"I'm sure," said the cleric. His name was Hara. And his voice carried no fear.
Roine hesitated. "I'm just a mid-level Bringer. I can summon, I can heal, but I'm not a frontliner. I hope you have a solid plan."
Hara let out a long breath and pulled a folded parchment from his pocket. Drawn across it were three monsters—each a different lizard, each bearing a different elemental symbol.
"Listen carefully," Hara began. "We're facing three types of Hell Lizards. First: Lightning Lizard. No armor. Medium damage. But if it's still alive after three minutes, it enters berserk mode—summons a thunderstorm that no shield, no dodge, no Guardian can survive."
Roine's eyes sharpened.
"Second: Ice Lizard. A little more armor. But the highest damage output. Many of its attacks are lethal even at full health."
"Third: Steel Lizard. Virtually no offense. But its armor is five times stronger than the others. It's a wall."
Roine swallowed. "I assume we can't just kill them one by one?"
"No," Hara replied. "They must all die at the same time. If even one is killed early, and the other two are still alive ten seconds later, it revives completely. That's why timing is everything."
"So we separate them?" Roine asked.
"Yes," Hara nodded. "Each of us pulls one. The Lightning one, we ignore for now. One minute before it goes berserk, we bring it down—together."
Roine furrowed his brow. "But what if we don't finish the others in time? Won't it just come back?"
"It will. But the Lightning one is the easiest to kill. We'll just keep repeating it—until all three go down in sync. It'll take patience and stamina. But it's possible."
Roine drew a slow breath, then gave a small nod. "Alright. I'll pull the Steel one. As a Bringer with some assassin subclass skills, I can whittle it down steadily. You provoke the Ice one. The most dangerous."
"Good," said Hara.
"And the Lightning Lizard?"
Hara looked him dead in the eyes. "Ignore it. Until I say otherwise."
Roine hesitated again, then smirked. "No promises."
With that, they stepped toward the looming stone gate—marking the cursed entrance to the Nest of Lizard Hell. A rumble echoed from beyond, as if the ground itself knew blood was about to be spilled.
Hara adjusted his shield. "Let's go."
Roine rolled his shoulders and followed. Behind the mask, no one could see the nerves twisting in his stomach—but he walked forward anyway.
If I hesitate… we die.