Even as Gale and her phoenix Asha agreed the best route ahead was down this tunnel, Edune was channeling magic through the staff, preparing a spell to summon another elemental of fire, now that his last summoned minion from the plane of fire had perished. The mage tapped the bottom of his new staff, and a line of flames appeared, curving to meet in a circle. The flames grew and drew inward as they did, and a fire elemental formed as the flames heightened. A fiery humanoid, about four feet tall, stepped out of the circle as the flames died down, arcane symbols at the circle's perimeter fading in a fiery glow. He was studying how to bind an elemental to this world for more than a brief time, and hopefully could have a reliable companion. Not to the degree of the young woman and her phoenix, probably, as beings from the elemental planes seemed to be rather singular in their mental capacity. 

"Gale, and Asha. Pleased to meet you." Edune said, nodding at them and proceeding down the tunnel, his fiery summon out ahead. The spacious tunnel eventually curved around and opened into a large cavern, the source of the distant light. The enormous cavern had another tunnel leaving out the opposite end, barely visible because it offered a distant light. However, within the cavern, a large, pulsing red crystal proved to be the source of the distant light. His fiery humanoid glided out into the cavern, lighting the way. Edune followed, readying himself for a spell at a moment's notice. In the shadowy walls and corners of the enormous cave, the rustling of disturbed rocks echoed out. The mage already had a spell prepared, as did his elemental when a number of dead staggered into the light from the right. Flames sprouted from the tip of his new staff and formed into a ball of fire, which shot and his the nearest ghoul. 

Splashes echoed from the distant pockets of the cave as more fiends came into the firelight. The red crystal hung against the high ceiling of the cave, and shadows danced across its glowing surface now. Several vampires, hanging from the cave's high ceiling as casually as one walks the ground, touched the crystal and seemed to draw from it's power. A crimson energy flowed up the hands of the four vampires. Each appeared to be some sort of caster type, which proved to be true as dark bolts of energy were hurled down from the ceiling towards them. 

The fire elemental shot fiery bolts at the approaching corpses, lighting them up in flame. Edune turned to find fanged undead, moving with quickness and grace out of the shadows from the left. A bolt of lightning left the tip of his staff and struck the one in the lead, taking in down in a flash of power. The mage dodged a dark bolt of shadow magic from above. He returned fire with a large fiery bolt of his own, but a round shield of dark, purple energy formed around the vampires near the crystal, absorbing his spell. They were definitely in for a fight. The man took a small glass bottle from within the pockets of his robes, taking a sip from a slightly glowing blue potion before he tucked it back in. He felt his mana pool surge with magic as it filled again and he readied himself for the coming battle. 

The tunnel widened into a cavern, and both fire-bird and dream-walker had their gaze drawn to the crystal hanging from above. Something about it did not sit right with the phoenix, and her flames billowed out more as walking corpses were crawling out from the other passage past it. The blood-drinking ghouls were here too, but neither of them had paid attention to those who had fled to know if they were the same. The sorcerer was already up in arms, sending fire on them while the vampires too began to attack. Dodging the dark energy, this would prove more of a challenge than the one who had owned the stave Edune now wielded. These vampires kept their distance, and were using their magic to keep enemies away.

As all of this was taking place, Gale kept her eyes fixated on the ceiling. She was acting odd, as if she were intently focused on something. "Gale." Her companion called. The girl did not reply, but did move to avoid another bolt of energy from the vampires above. "Gale?" Asha called to her again. While the dream-walker looked up, the burning gauntlets she had used in the previous battle reappeared on her hands again and the girl began to walk towards the crystal. "Gale, what are you–" Wind began to gather beneath her feet, and she readied herself in a stance. Springing into the air with a vortex of wind currents boosting her from below, Gale rocketed towards the cavern ceiling with fists drawn back ready to strike. The vampires surrounding the crystal did not seem too concerned, after all they had the shield created using the crystal's power. However, Gale wasn't aiming at them or the crystal.

Upon reaching the zenith of her jump she slammed her fists into the roof of the underground chamber, causing large fractures to break out all over its surface. The impact wasn't quite enough, but the bloodsuckers hanging from the ceiling had to regain their footing for a moment. Their faces quickly turned from snide condescension into alarm. This girl was trying to bring the entire cave down! When Edune had been fighting off the incoming undead, she had realized they would not be able to destroy the crystal as long as it was out of their reach. If she couldn't hit it from below, then she could bring it down instead. Realizing what she was intending to do, the vampires above turned their focus to the girl and began attacking her with magic to prevent her from repeating it again. Asha was ready to move in to block the blows with her own body if need be, but Gale already had something else in mind.

She continued charging up her next jump, and when the bolts were about to hit her she held up a silver shield inlaid with black tourmaline. As soon as the first bolt made contact, the shield gave out a burst of blinding light–staggering the vampires and anyone who wasn't behind it. Having created an opening in their assault, she leaped upwards again and sent a second round of hits to the ceiling, widening the cracks. Pieces of dirt and stone were beginning to fall, and one more round of hits would do the cavern ceiling in. And once it crumbled, everything would come falling down.

Left and right, the Mage flung spells at the coming undead. A bolt of lightning flew from the staff, pointed at a coming vampire. It received the bolt in the chest, and burned into ashes with the single blast. A fireball left his free palm and met a stiffly walking corpse, which knocked it backwards and off its feet as the flames spread along its rotting flesh. There were dozens of undead, making this cave feel more like a crypt, and Edune wasn't a particular fan of tombs. The fires from his elemental grew fierce, as did his own as they burned the undead, the quick vampires and the shambling corpses alike. So focused was he on the fight that the mage did not notice the girl, Gale, until her phoenix had called her name several times. Wham! The cave ceiling rumbled as her attack impacted, but the mage was overwhelmed with opponents of his own. Fearful of the intruders that were slaying their kin in their very midst, the vampires ran at him at once, as quickly as they could, clearly intending to overwhelm the mage.

His fiery minion worked to stand between him and the vampires, but there were many- this was certainly their nest, their den. As the flames grew in the shadows, bones and bodies could be seen in the cavern's dark corners. Some sat in grotesque pools of blackish liquid, no doubt the source of the splashing earlier. Edune worked furiously, weaving spell after spell to ward off the vampires. A burst of bright light emitted from the head of his staff, powerful enough that the vampires closest him stumbled several steps backwards, shrieking. Just afterwards, another bright burst of blinding light came from where the girl fought, smashing the ceiling. Freed from the battle momentarily, the spellcaster realized what the girl was intending to do. She sought to bring down the ceiling, and thus shatter the stronghold of the vampiric spellcasters. 

"Gale! Asha!" He called. "As soon as it starts to come down, make for the exit!" He shouted, pointing at the distant opening of a tunnel, which was lit with a bright light from somewhere within. Perhaps it promised daylight? His own humanoid-shaped elemental of flames began gliding towards the distant exit, burning the vampires and ghouls that moved to bar their path. Edune Spellsinger followed his minion, the tip of his staff spitting fire onto any undead that strayed too closely. In his free hand, electricity crackled between his fingertips as he prepared a spell. The man aimed his palm upwards and released a bolt of lightning into the ceiling, which gave a great rumble. Rocks and dust began to fall from the ceiling– it was close to collapse. Another hit or two would bring the cave down. "Hurry!" The mage shouted, running towards the exit as the rumbling grew.

The undead surged forth, the vampires with their supernatural speed and the walking corpses with their single minded determination to stop them at the exit. Edune nearly became overwhelmed as he fled, surrounded by their numbers, but slipped past his own fire elemental and ran full on into the tunnel that represented sanctuary. His fiery minion would fight to the last, leaving the material plane when the cavern finally caved in. The mage's feet and momentum carried him upwards into the sloping tunnel, the light growing until he suddenly burst out into the forest. The dim light from the sister moons shone through the dense canopy, the natural sounds of the forest almost loud in the surroundings. Insects sung in the night, the world at peace. Panting and sweating, the mage glanced behind himself, hoping for the safety of the others.

One more hit, then it would be done. The continued use of so much power was a strain on her, but Gale spirit did not waver. One more strike, and the crystal would fall. Hands clasped as if in prayer, she thought of her teacher and her homeland. "Oh Master Rashaad, grant me strength." The flames renewed, she charged upward with a gust of wind one more time–pounding her fists into the cavern ceiling as hard as she could. A loud crack signaled the deed was done, and the stone cavern shattered in a shower of rubble. The remaining vampires shrieked as everything fell around them, and the crystal was splintered in the fall. The release of energy from it caused a powerful recoil, blasting the area further. Desperate to keep the girl safe, Asha thew herself over Gale as the rocks began to fall.

Above, all fell quiet as the collapse ended. There was silence from the tunnel Edune had escaped from. Not even the groans of the undead could be heard. When the dust settled, the young dream-walker and her fire-bird were not seen. Down in the depths below, Gale had lost consciousness. She awoke in a place of blackness, like an endless void. There was no ground beneath her feet, nor a sky above. No light, no other people with her. The cavern was gone, but where was she? Then, she heard a voice calling to her. "…le…G…ale…" It was familiar. She knew that voice. Who was that? Her head hurt, and she tried to recall. "Gale…wake up…you must wake up." 

Warmth spread through her as she remembered. From beneath a pile of rubble, a small flame flickered. Having taken the brunt of the blast, Asha had perished shielding her companion. However, true to her kind, she reignited from the ashes. The phoenix returned to life, and the warmth of her flames brought comfort in the cold darkness. Taking the celestial sash, the bird draped it around the unconscious girl and it began to heal her. The darkness of the void gave way to light, as her eyes opened. Reaching up, she pushed the stones away and came out from the shattered ruin of the vampire den. "You have awoken, child." "Asha…" She held onto her friend, the phoenix's blazing plumage dancing around the girl's arms. She then saw her clothes were covered in ashes. Her companion had sacrificed herself to keep her safe. "Come, let us ascend. He is waiting for us above. We mustn't let him worry." Nodding, she dug herself out of the landslide and emerged from the hole at the end of the tunnel.

After a long time, the phoenix was seen flying out from the tunnel exit. Not far behind was the girl, bruised and somewhat battered, but alive. There was dirt on her clothes and face, but it was miraculous how she had survived such an ordeal. Nothing else followed, and it was safe to say the undead had been buried in a tomb of their own making.