We dug into the second layer while our second team, the salt golems and my glass faun, were creeping down the stairwell. Argent led a contingent of rats that would be our distraction.

They burst out from the stairway, scattering to the four winds across the plateaus of the second layer- drawing the earth elementals up from their geode-nests.

The elementals were predictable, that was their fault. Creatures of base instinct. Sensing intruders, they were bound to give chase, and Argent’s crew was very, very quick. In moments the stone-hounds were scattered across the layer chasing after zig-zagging, evasive little targets.

The stone-lizard was rising from its den. A flock of rolling boulders clumped together to form the clawed feet, the legs, showers of dirt rising up to accumulated into a rock-scaled body. It was like there was an invisible form in the air, and the surrounding earth was simply pulled in to fill that shape.

Something to consider if I ever tried to make my own elementals.

I cut through the final layer of stone separating us from the cavernous second layer, and we began the assault in earnest. We had to take out the little ones, now, before the earth-lizard formed and they became distractions to that battle..

The spiders sent out a volley of bone spears, and one of the stone-hounds was instantly skewered. The spider reeled its line in, dragging the struggling creature out over the edge of the plateau, and then cut the silken rope, dropping the hound to its doom.

From the stairwell, a tremendous snort signalled the charge of the salt golems. The nearest hound barely had time to dodge away from the first hulking form, rhinoceros-shaped, that came hurtling towards it- and no time at all for the second. It was impaled on the tip of a shaggy, clouded horn, and tossed into the air as its stony body broke apart.

It began to reform, of course, but huge cloudy-grey feet stomped its half-formed body to pieces again. And again.

The lizard was almost complete, all but the head. We had to finish off the little ones before that happened.

A calcite spider dropped from our perch above the middle plateau, landing on the floor below. The team of rats leading each of the two remaining hounds rushed towards it. One of my goliath harpoon spiders prepared to fire.

The rats scampered through the calcite spider’s legs, and the stone-hounds crashed into it. They clawed and ripped at the stony hide of the arachnid, bringing it to the ground, crushing their jaws into its rigid flesh. The harpoon spider fired.

The bone spear pierced through the calcite hide, and into the hollow, fume-filled cavity beneath. There was a spark.

And the countless sharp fangs of crystal grown within the calcite spider’s body were scattered in all directions by an explosive whoosh of flame- a bright shattering that threw glimmering crystal in all directions, the jewelled spears gleaming with reflected firelight.

The hounds were torn apart.

The stone-lizard was awake now, lifting its head towards the source of the noise and disruption within its quiet lair. Its trifold mouth cracked open, letting out a deep, disgruntled croak, a sound of stone grinding and chipping. It started towards the rats, huddled at the edge of the middle plateau.

And Aurum surged forward.

His jaws blossomed open, stretching wide, fangs bared. Like an arrow he burst from the tunnel I had carved and crashed down upon the giant elemental, sinking his teeth into its neck. His sheer weight and bulk pulled its head down, twisting its neck until its feet lost contact with the earth and the beast was sent rolling over. Aurum slithered around and around, winding his scaled coils tight around its throat.

There was a crack of stone breaking as he squeezed down, tensing every muscle of his enormous bulk until the rigid body beneath simply broke. The entirety of the stone lizard’s head fell away, severed, hitting the ground in a landslide of dirt as the body behind fell limp.

But it wasn’t over.

The beast’s earthen flesh swirled up, reforming, and there was little Aurum could do to stop it but swat away boulders with his tail. With nothing to hold onto that wasn’t flowing, reshaping itself, he was easily thrown down by an angry flick of the beast’s shoulders.

As a new head formed, they stared each other down, Aurum by far the smaller of the two. The earth-lizard was the size of an elephant, while Aurum was barely larger than an apex reptile, a crocodile or giant python.

But he was quick, and he had friends. Already, calcite spiders were rushing down the walls, their fat, hollow bodies carrying deadly explosive potential. My goliath harpoon spiders lined up along a thin ridge I shaped on the walls and fired, a row of harpoons digging into the beast’s side and tugging it off balance.

In that moment Aurum’s tail flickered, so fast I couldn’t even see the movement- only the impact. The bone-breaking, dull thwack that bent the elemental’s head in a brutal jerk, one that would have killed a truly living beast then and there. But this time, a massive clawed hindleg stopped it from toppling over and being easy game. This time, it fought back.

A twitch of its shoulders pulled hard on the mooring lines of the harpoons. As it thrashed, the spiders were forced to bite down and cut their lines, all except one- One foolish, brave spider that clung on to the last, and was yanked off the ledge and down into the abyss between the plateaus. It didn’t survive the landing. I winced.

My reinforcements were arriving now, the salt golems forced to move ponderously and carefully across the narrow glass bridges. My glass faun was just behind them, carrying a runed spike in its hands and a manacle draped over its shoulders.

He would have the honor of the last blow.

The earth-lizard lunged at Aurum and he darted aside, his serpentine bulk uncoiling to hurl him back in a slithering hop that carried him away from the raking claws. The point of his tail delivered a parting blow, another brutal slap that shook the earth as the lizard reeled and stomped to recover its footing. This time, we didn’t give it the chance.

A salt golem smashed into the beast’s side, sending it rolling. Another slammed into it as it tried to climb back up, pushing it towards the edge of the plateau. The beast’s hindquarters went over, but it grabbed hold of the earth, claws dragging deep furrows across the stone platform as it struggled to pull itself back up.

In that moment, Cabochon sailed down a line of silk and landed beside it. The dark iron shackle snapped down into the creature’s wrist, a sizzle of smoke pouring up as it let out the first sound of pain I had ever heard it make- a sound as sweet as music to me, a miserable roaring croak.

Cabochon retreated, the salt golems moving to shield him.

The earth elemental climbed back up, but my calcite spiders were swarming over it now, clinging onto its back. They prepared to give their lives.

Aurum slithered back, but the earth-lizard was enraged now, and it lunged for him, time and time again. Until finally he wasn’t fast enough, couldn’t fend it off with little slithering maneuvers and clever blows from his tail. Its flint tusk raked along the ground and slashed up, spearing him through the belly. I watched in horror as he was lifted from the ground in a trail of blood. A twist of its head and it threw him down again.

Blood was everywhere, an enormous pool forming under Aurum as he lifted his hooded head and roared in defiance. The shadow of his enemy loomed above him.

The earth-lizard roared back, and its three-pointed mouth split open, a hiss of gas rushing forward-

Aurum spat a dart of flame down its throat, and the fumes exploded before they could escape, tearing open a flaming gash in its underbelly, spots of glowing orange lighting up within the beast’s stomach. It faltered, letting out a confused sound of pain.

Aurum drew himself up, and spewed white fire in a raking blast along its back. One by one the calcite spiders shattered into deadly fragments. The force pushed the beast down, onto its side, half-collapsed back into rubble. From without and within its rocky hide was pockmarked with craters.

The glass golem rushed in, smashing the second manacle into place and vaulting atop the lizard’s head. The beast rose and bucked, trying to throw the clever little faun off, knowing the end was near- sensing in some primitive way the danger of that spike.

Aurum lunged forward, wrapping himself around a bound limb, overlapping the shackle. The beast could no longer reshape or reform there, its abilities deadened by the nulling iron. It had no way to throw him off as he twisted his way up and knotted around its neck, tying foreleg and head together in a crushing bind of slithering golden scales.

The faun lifted the spike and drove it down. There was a flash of golden light as the runes lit up, spreading across the beast’s body, inscribing themselves down into the rocky flesh with sizzles and hisses and gushes of smoke, scarring themselves into every portion of its being. Binding it.

Cabochon climbed up to take me, carrying me down. The beast was unable to move, lacking control of its own body. It glared at me with baleful gemstone eyes I already anticipated plucking out.

I felt my will come into contact with the earth elemental’s rude little mind, and I was overjoyed, I was ecstatic, I was gleeful to have this ugly blight on my battlegrounds, fighting by my rules. Finally I had my chance of revenge.

The mental battle could have been short, if I wanted it to be. I was not so merciful.