The air in the Treasury began to boil. The shelter that had protected them turned into an oven that would roast them alive. Desperate people screamed, but the heat soon stole their voices—
The Red Dragon narrowed its vertical pupils. Its dragon breath shifted from flames to a dark-red heat wave. It wanted to torment the humans inside a little longer.
The old noble parted his parched lips and whispered faintly, "Great Lord, today I return to your embrace..."
The mages kept casting spells to cool the Treasury, but only turned it into a steamer.
Richard covered his face. His eyes felt ready to burst from the heat. "This won't work! We're all going to die in here!"
"Then we charge out!"
The resident mage's shout warped in the heat wave. The last three golems activated at once, braced themselves against the Treasury door, and pushed.
The pupil beyond the hole vanished. In its place, a dragon claw blocked the door.
"Overload mode!"
The resident mage waved his staff, casting one final blessing on the three Guardian Golems.
Light wind and heavy earth swirled around the golems. Their internal cores began releasing energy wildly, and a sheen gradually spread across their beautiful but cold metal faces.
The air in the Treasury grew hotter still. People began to faint. The metal door, burned dark red by the dragon's breath, sent wisps of smoke rising from the six metal hands pressed against it.
Screeech—
The dragon's claw scraped meteor-shower sparks from the Treasury door. The golems' finger joints began to melt, and the light from the magical cores and runes within them blazed at its brightest—the door hinge gave its first groan.
Crack!
One Guardian Golem's elbow fractured under the heat and strain. It dropped to one knee, its five tempered-steel fingers