The Pyromancer was guarding the staff.
Dom had seen this during the last exchange.
The creature turned its body to protect the crystal whenever Dom got closer.
The staff was necessary for the creature to channel its fire.
Without the staff, the flames would become unfocused and might even backfire.
However, Dom could not destroy the staff.
He needed it to remain intact.
The Pyromancer lifted the staff again.
Fire was gathering at the tip of the crystal, building up for something larger than just a wall of flame.
Dom did not wait to find out what it was.
He activated Keen Edge, the blades humming blue, and sprinted, not directly at the creature but along the wall of the chamber, circling it, forcing the Pyromancer to follow his movements.
StinkyRiftDiver: he is going for the flank
GoblinSlayer69: circle strafe meta
The Pyromancer turned slowly, tracking Dom’s movement.
The fire at the tip of the staff was still building, a compressed sphere of heat that had not yet released.
It was waiting for a clear shot.
Dom provided that shot, then broke his pattern at the last moment, pivoting sharply and closing the distance from an angle that the creature had not expected.
He drove Keen Edge across the back of the Pyromancer’s knee.
The blade cut deep, severing tendon, and the creature’s leg buckled.
It stumbled, the staff dipping, the compressed fire sphere wobbling at the tip of the crystal.
CertifiedFloorTank: THE SPHERE IS DESTABILIZING
ActuallyADruid: if that goes off it will take half the chamber with it
Dom noticed it.
The Pyromancer was losing control of its own spell.
The fire at the tip of the staff was pulsing erratically, the compression failing.
If it detonated, the crystal might survive because the staff was designed to channel fire, but Dom would not.
He had only seconds.
He aimed for the arm.
Keen Edge sliced through scales and muscle, and the Pyromancer’s grip weakened.
The staff fell to the stone.
The fire sphere at its tip flickered and extinguished, releasing a wave of heat that washed harmlessly past Dom’s face.
OhNoRatio: HE DISARMED IT
PixelSlvt: THE STAFF IS INTACT
SaltySupp0rt: that is at least a fifty-thousand-dollar drop sitting on the floor right now
The Pyromancer screamed.
It lunged for the staff with its remaining arm, but Dom was already in motion.
He kicked the staff away, sending it skidding across the stone, and drove both blades into the creature’s exposed side.
Without the staff to channel its fire, the Pyromancer’s flames were unfocused, wild, sputtering from its hide in erratic bursts that scorched the walls but could not find a target.
Dom continued cutting.
Legs.
Arms.
Anything that moved.
The Pyromancer’s HP bar dropped in chunks, 15%, 12%, 9%, and the creature’s movements became slower, weaker, its flames dimming to embers.
current viewers: 44,000
BussyBlaster9000: HE IS CARVING IT APART xXDungeonDaddyXx: this is crazy
[Target HP: 7%]
The golden interface flared.
[SPECIAL CONDITION: ACTIVATE NOW]
A holographic stick figure appeared in front of Dom, glowing and golden, its tiny limbs already moving.
It struck a pose with wide legs, one arm across its chest, the other pointing forward like a magical girl about to deliver judgment.
A crescent moon backdrop shimmered into existence behind it, and sparkles began to fall.
Then the stick figure spoke.
“Punishment delivered… with a purr~!”
The stick figure winked.
The sparkles intensified.
The demonstration looped.
Dom stared at it.
The chat went wild.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Dom said quietly.
Dom stepped back, breathing heavily.
The Pyromancer was on its knees, one arm limp, the other reaching weakly toward the staff that lay twenty feet away.
Its flames were nearly extinguished.
Its HP bar was a sliver of red.
It was defeated.
All that was left was the finish.
xXDungeonDaddyXx: why did he stop
GoblinSlayer69: is he looking at something
IT IS TIME.
DO THE DANCE
Dom took the stance.
Wide legs.
Arm across his chest.
Opposite arm pointing at the Pyromancer.
The system overlaid a crescent moon backdrop and sparkle effects.
The Pyromancer looked up, confused and broken, its reptilian eyes reflecting the golden light.
PixelSlvt: WAIT THE SPARKLES ARE REAL
MomsCreditCard: the crescent moon just APPEARED
SaltySupp0rt: how is he doing that
StinkyRiftDiver: the production value is INSANE
“Punishment delivered…”
His voice cracked.
“…with a purr~!”
He lunged.
The blade sank into the Pyromancer’s throat.
The creature gurgled, collapsed, and died.
The chat did not just react.
It exploded.
PixelSlvt: ICONIC 😭😭😭
BussyBlaster9000: NEW EMOTE JUST DROPPED 🔥🔥🔥 xXDungeonDaddyXx: THE SPARKLES THE PURR THE CRESCENT MOON I AM UNWELL
GoblinSlayer69: PUNISHMENT DELIVERED WITH A PURR 🗣️🗣️🗣️
OhNoRatio: CLIP IT CLIP IT CLIP IT
SaltySupp0rt: HE SOUNDED SO PAINED DOING IT TOO 💀
StinkyRiftDiver: the way his voice cracked on the purr.
this man was dying inside.
CertifiedFloorTank: most humiliating finisher in hunter history and he COMMITTED
ActuallyADruid: I need to analyze this frame by frame later but right now I am just SCREAMING
KravenMoHead34: I came here skeptical.
I am leaving a changed man.
F2P_And_Proud: THE CHAT HAS ASCENDED
MomsCreditCard: 😭😭😭💀💀💀✨✨✨🐱🐱🐱
BussyBlaster9000: PURRRRRRR
PixelSlvt: @BussyBlaster9000 PURRRRRRR xXDungeonDaddyXx: PURRRRRRR current viewers: 52,000
The emojis flooded in faster than Dom could keep track of, sparkles, cats, crying faces, skulls, fire, hearts.
The chat was scrolling so quickly that individual messages blurred into a wall of noise.
Someone donated ten dollars just to make the text-to-speech say “nya.” Then someone else donated twenty to make it say “punishment delivered.” Then fifty for “PURRR.”
[the system is experiencing a brief overload of the chat servers!! the audience is generating unprecedented message volume!! this is excellent for engagement metrics!!]
Dom stood over the corpse, breathing heavily, sparkles still fading around him, the chat still exploding in his peripheral vision.
The humiliation was sharp and immediate.
So was the view count.
So was the donation total ticking upward in the corner of his screen.
He was never going to live this down.
But he was alive.
The Pyromancer was dead.
The staff was intact.
And somewhere in the chaos, the reward window was opening.
current viewers: 52,000 and climbing
[Manager Unit — Private Message]
[THE SPARKLE FINISHER CLIP IS ALREADY TRENDING. I AM CRYING. ACTUAL TEARS.]
Dom blinked.
Of course she was watching.
[ALSO THE DONATIONS JUST HIT FOUR FIGURES]
Four figures.
He had made a thousand dollars from strangers throwing money at their screens while he humiliated himself in front of the entire internet.
[I AM NOT SAYING THE PURR WAS WORTH A THOUSAND DOLLARS BUT]
Dom did not have the energy to respond.
He was staring at the golden text appearing in front of him, the chat still screaming, the sparkles still falling, the staff still warm in his hand.
Not reading any of that.
Not now.
Not ever.
The reward window was opening.
He barely noticed.
He was still staring at the staff, at the crystal, at the creature he had killed without damaging the most valuable thing in the room.
The chat was screaming.
The viewers were climbing.
He stored the staff in his inventory.
[QUEST COMPLETE!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧]
[Reward: Alchemical Synthesis Component — “Phoenix Tear Extract”]
[Grade: Legendary]
The vial was crystal glass.
A single drop of liquid burning gold.
Then the text flickered.
The gold interface stuttered, just for an instant, and something else bled through.
Corrupted code.
A fragment of text that did not belong.
[This item was not scheduled for this timeline. Error: Recipient status undefined. Substituting nearest available asset.]
Then it was gone.
The cheerful gold returned.
[enjoy the bonus!!]
Dom stared at the vial.
The chat was still screaming, but he barely heard them.
Not scheduled for this timeline.
What did that mean?
Whose reward was this supposed to be?
He stored the vial in his inventory.
The questions could wait.
He had a staff to sell, loot to collect, a stream to end.
Dom straightened up.
His ribs ached.
His knee was a disaster.
The healing potion was wearing off and the stamina potion was not far behind.
He looked into the empty air where he imagined a camera might be.
“Stream is over. I need to go. Thanks for watching. Follow if you want. Don’t if you don’t. I do not care.”
BussyBlaster9000: NOOOO DO NOT GO
PixelSlvt: BEST STREAM EVER
MomsCreditCard: get some rest catboy 😭
CertifiedFloorTank: hell of a raid.
respect.
[the system congratulates host on a successful first live stream!! the audience response has exceeded all projections!! the system is so proud!!]
“Yeah. Great. Ending it now.”
[broadcast terminated]
[BROADCAST SUMMARY]
Peak Viewers: 63,842
New Followers: +48,113
Revenue:
Donations: $3,284
Ad Revenue: Pending
Most Clipped Moment:
“Punishment delivered… with a purr~!”
8,721 clips created
Viewer Rating:
★★★★★
Then the overlay vanished.
The view count disappeared.
The donation tracker, the pinned comments, the scrolling emojis, all gone.
For the first time in over an hour, Dom’s vision was clear.
After a period of time, he came out from the rift.
The trainyards welcomed him with the cold air of the night and the far-off sound of the Chicago L.
His phone vibrated.
It was Lucy.
[Lucy]: THE SPARKLE FINISHER CLIP IS TRENDING.
ACTUAL TEARS.
[Lucy]: ActuallyADruid just put up a complete combat analysis.
[Lucy]: Congratulations.
You are now officially internet boyfriend material.
Dom let out a sigh.
Then he replied: I am putting the phone down.
[Lucy]: Do not forget to ice your ribs.
And your knee.
And your arm.
Actually just ice everything.
He put the phone in his pocket and pulled his hood up.
The ears fit into place.
It was time to go home, count his money, and think about his next move.