The Ashen Canyon was an A Rank dungeon known for its suffocating heat and massive armored predators.

Deep inside the burning gorge a towering Ash Wyrm thrashed wildly. The monster was sixty feet of molten rock and razor sharp scales radiating a heat so intense it turned the surrounding sand into glass. It opened its massive jaws preparing to unleash a torrent of liquid magma.

"Shield wall!" a deep commanding voice echoed through the canyon.

Captain Gideon Cross stepped forward. He was a massive man in his late forties with graying hair and a thick beard. He wore heavy platinum armor and carried a tower shield that was nearly as tall as he was. He slammed the base of the shield into the glass floor and activated his signature A Rank skill.

"Titan’s Wall."

A brilliant golden dome of hard light erupted from the shield covering his entire team. The Ash Wyrm unleashed its magma breath a blinding river of liquid fire that crashed against the golden dome. The heat was apocalyptic but Gideon did not take a single step backward. He gritted his teeth his boots grinding into the floor holding the line perfectly.

"Hold it Captain!" a cheerful voice yelled from behind him. "Just three more seconds!"

"I can hold this all day Finn" Gideon grunted a confident smile hidden beneath his beard. "Just do your job."

Finn and Flint the twin B Rank Assassins of the team blurred into motion. They were identical in every way wearing sleek black leather armor and wielding twin curved daggers. They used the blinding light of the magma breath as cover activating their stealth skills to vanish into the shadows of the canyon walls.

"Elena" Gideon called out the golden dome beginning to crack under the sustained heat. "Now."

Elena Rostova stepped out from behind the massive tank. She was twenty two years old with bright blonde hair tied in a strict braid. She wore the pristine white and gold robes of an A Rank Elemental Mage. As the daughter of a high ranking Astra Guild executive there was a massive amount of pressure on her shoulders. But she never let it show.

She raised her glowing silver staff her blue eyes locking onto the Ash Wyrm.

"Glacial Lance" Elena chanted her voice cutting through the roar of the flames.

The temperature in the canyon plummeted. A massive spear of absolute zero ice materialized in the air above her spinning rapidly. She thrust her staff forward and the ice spear shot across the canyon piercing straight through the dying magma breath and slamming directly into the Ash Wyrm’s open mouth.

The monster shrieked as the absolute zero ice exploded inside its throat freezing its internal magma core. The sudden extreme shift in temperature caused the monster’s thick rock scales to turn brittle and crack.

"It is vulnerable!" Elena shouted lowering her staff.

"We got it!" Finn and Flint yelled in unison.

The twins reappeared directly above the frozen monster dropping from the canyon walls like twin missiles. Their daggers glowed with piercing green mana. They landed on the Wyrm’s back and sprinted down its spine driving their blades into the brittle cracked scales. They moved with flawless synchronization carving deep lethal trenches into the beast’s armor.

The Ash Wyrm thrashed trying to shake them off but the damage was already done.

"Declan" Gideon ordered dropping his heavy shield. "Keep them topped off."

Declan the team’s A Rank Healer sighed dramatically from the back of the formation. He was a tall lanky man who always looked like he needed a nap. "They would not need healing if they stopped jumping onto the backs of giant fire breathing worms." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Despite his complaining Declan raised his hands. A warm soothing green light washed over the twins instantly healing the minor burns they had sustained from the monster’s residual heat.

"Thanks doc!" Flint laughed driving his dagger into the base of the Wyrm’s skull.

The monster let out one final pathetic groan before its massive body collapsed into the glass sand dissolving into a mountain of gray ash. A massive glowing red A Rank core clattered to the ground.

"Clear" Gideon announced rolling his broad shoulders and sheathing his massive shield.

The Ironclad the most elite A Rank strike team in the local branch gathered around the fallen core. They were not just a team. They had been diving together for four years. They were a family.

"That makes twenty two kills for me" Finn smirked tossing his dagger into the air and catching it. "And only twenty for you Flint. You are getting slow brother."

"I did all the heavy lifting on the armor plating" Flint argued shoving his brother playfully. "You just took the last hit. That counts as half a kill."

"Boys" Elena smiled walking over and picking up the massive red core. "It does not matter who got the last hit. What matters is that this core is going to fetch at least around fifty million credits on the guild market. We just hit our quarterly quota in a single week."

Gideon smiled proudly looking at his team. "Good work everyone. Flawless execution. Elena your timing on that Glacial Lance was perfect. You completely neutralized its primary weapon."

Elena blushed slightly brushing a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Thank you Captain. I have been practicing the cast time."

"Do not praise her too much" Declan muttered walking over and handing Gideon a stamina potion. "If her head gets any bigger she is going to start acting like her father."

"I am nothing like my father" Elena said her smile fading slightly. "I earn my keep. I do not sit in a corporate boardroom and order people around."

"We know kid" Gideon said placing a heavy reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You are the best mage I have ever worked with. Name or no name."

Elena smiled her eyes shining with genuine gratitude.

"Alright" Gideon clapped his hands together the sound echoing through the quiet canyon. "Let us pack it up. Drinks are on me tonight. We earned a celebration."

The team cheered their laughter echoing through the dungeon. They were strong, a strong team and they were coordinated.