Spirit Taming

Chapter 230: Burning Heat

There was almost a feeling of loss as they went back down the spiraling stairs. Clark could tell that he could have to check every single tower no matter what. It was definitely part of Alexander's intentions. He just wondered what the other two gargoyles would do as a test of his endurance.

Almost as if to answer him, a heat was growing and growing from the spiraling staircase on the right side of the cathedral. But Clark welcomed it. He had just come from being soaking wet and noticed the heat instantly. It was the perfect signal to let him know where to go next.

"Alight, Devi, hide away in the taming space since you are not a fire type beast. Crim, you can climb the stairs with me. You should be able to resist the heat and even use it to train a little." Crim and the dragon form and should have the natural heat resistance that came with being a dragon even though he was also a slime.

The idea that Clark had come up with was simple, the flames would help temper Crim's body as they climbed. He was also sure that the fire elemental gargoyles were at the top of the stairs influencing the temperature to challenge him. It was an ideal test of will since many people would not be perturbed by water but easily defeated by heat.

That was why some fire related dungeons were completely ignored.

The walk to the stairwell from the other was enough for Clark to realize the magnitude of the heat he would face. The temperature was growing by the second and the longer he waited the worse it would be. It was a test of time against the heat instead of a test of strength and endurance.

"Crim, we need to move now." Clark was already removing his additional clothing since he knew that the water would heat up to steam. This would scald his skin so it was better to deal with the heat alone instead of that. The fewer injuries he faced the better. But that didn't mean he stored them away.

He left them right at the bottom of the stairs enjoying the fact that he would have dry clothes as a secondary bonus after this test.

The waves of heat were visible in the air and Clark could feel it through his shoes as he stepped on the first step. After carefully watching Crim's first few steps, Clark was proven right with his theory. Crim was more or less fine in the heat.

There was a slight steam around him though that made Clark wonder if Crim was weaker to flames than he should be due to the slime body not adjusting to fire as of yet. It made him rethink some training for after this dungeon.

But that was not what he had to focus on. Clark had to face the heat and step on the next step. But he had already begun sweating. The heat was still rising and even looking up didn't feel possible. However, with the one glance he did take up the center area of the spiraling staircase, Clark got sight of a white got flame.

The gargoyle was sitting at the top of the stairs holding a powerful fire ball in its mouth to constantly throw heat on to the gray marble steps. It was enough to heat them consistently while also heating the air. If Clark had even pretended not to feel the heat, he was sure that the gargoyle would increase the flames to the next level without hesitation.

By the time that Clark had reached the tenth step, he and Crim had begun to show the signs that they were being negatively affected by the heat. Crim was slightly smaller because of the water evaporating from his body. It was a clear loss for his slime body. Yet, it didn't seem to affect him too much. He was able to condense his body at will so making his body better able to handle these conditions.

Clark was much different. He had a weaker body than Crim because he was human. The only difference was that he had felt an energy building in his chest. The bonds he had with Crim were always influencing him. Devi was the same way. That was why he was able to become stronger.

The closer and more powerful a tamer and their beasts were the more powerful the tamer.

The feeling in his chest grew more and more as Crim persevered. Before Clark could say anything, he felt the heat kick up again. It was like a switch turning on. His dragon energy that crim had shared with him was beginning to temper his body even more strongly than before. The intense fluctuations making Clark sweat more.

His pale skin made Crim growl in worry but when he felt that Clark was actually glad for this change he held himself back. The feeling of tempering his body was not at all pleasant. It was actually very hard to maintain focus while doing so. However, to get stronger, Clark was willing to suffer the flames of hell.

The same mindset that was fresh from the water gargoyles test came back to Clark. He steeled his mind to step up over and over as the heat grew. The closer the white hot ball of flame became the more Clark felt the burns forming on his skin. But by the time that he reached the top, he had made a dramatic change in his physique.

The remaining fat on his body that training had not dealt with had evaporated. His cheek bones showed off a little more but even more dramatically, his skin had actually started to revert back to the normal pale coloration it should be. The dragon energy that crim had supplied had literally tempered Clark's body beyond his level.

This only went to show how unique the bond between a dragon type beast and its tamer had. Many would never know such a bond or feeling. The desire to stand above all.

As the fireball was swallowed by the fire gargoyle, Clark felt that the entire cathedral was intensely cold. It lacked the heat he had just adjusted to. The look the fire gargoyle gave Clark was one of annoyance. It clearly had wanted him to fail and was wishing it could have made the flames more intense. But he would never go against what Alexander had asked of him.

It followed the same path out of the church as the water gargoyle and jumped from an open window.

"Devi, check the top of this roof too. I bet that there is another scripture there." Clark knew where the next scripture was and did not hesitate to call out Devi again to check. "Just as I thought." Clark managed to catch the scripture as it fell and wondered how he had so much energy. He surprisingly felt more energetic than he was before he had climbed the stairs.

"Crim, you look a lot more tired. How about you rest for a while." the difference in Crim was dramatic. He was sluggish and smaller than before. "You shared a lot of your energy with me. You did very well." Clark was very proud to realize that Crim had given so much to ensure that Clark would be safe and sound when he reached the top of this tower.

The system had the same evaluation that the fire gargoyle had been stuck without advancement. It had also responded about finding the third scripture. Now Clark was sure that the fourth would be in exactly the same place as the other two but in the last tower of the church. The only issue was that it was sure to be more challenging to get than the others because he had to face the last gargoyle.

"Come On Devi, back down we go." Before he even stepped on the first step down, Clark and Devi heard the roar of the fourth gargoyle. The wind being kicked up was all over the first floor along with the cracking of wooden church pews. "I think this is going to be worse than the last one."

The two prepared themselves and barely managed to get down the stairs to see that the gargoyle was standing in front of the stage where the pedestal was. It spotted them instantly. This gargoyle was smaller and clearly the youngest of the four. However, when it opened its mouth, the wind in the room became dangerous.

Visible white wind blades flowed everywhere around it. The only things unscathed were the walls which resisted the wind perfectly. The pews were torn to shreds making the entire room even more full of danger. It was a clear method to stop them from making it to the back of the church.

"Devi, we charge. Dodge what we can and charge." Clark took a deep breath to prepare himself. He wasn't sure if his ghostly steps could make it this far. Nor was he sure that Devi was strong enough to resist the wind. But they were going to try with everything they had.