Dive to the ground!

What kind of defense would be appropriate in a situation like this? You had a shield, but would it actually work against an attack like this Devilbolt? The wind itself had been enough, nearly knocking you off your feet while making approach impossible, but those flames were otherworldly! They seemed to darken the room instead of lighting it as the coils wrapped through the air, becoming a twister centered on you as their target.

"Squires do have a role to play in my master's world to come. A squire like you, however? You may be a tad ill-equipped for that world. I do not believe he will disparage me if I remove one squire from the board," Nil giggled, her eyes narrowing into crescents as the black serpents of flame closed in on your position. "And I do so want to see the look of despair on the faces of all of those saintesses as you disappear in a plume of devil's fire! Hm hm hm hm! Forgive a lady her simple pleasures!"

Your eyes widened as the fire drew closer.{if Helmid = True}

"Geod, no!" Helmid cried, trying hard to move into position so that she could dive in front of the flames. It was a futile effort-- she was too far back and you were too close to the front. The winds were too strong for her to make headway. "Attack me instead! Nil!" It was pointless-- the woman was too smart to divert her attacks towards your nearly indestructible paladin.{endif}{if Amulette = True}

You saw a pair of skeletons rise up quickly in the path of the flames, but no sooner had they appeared before they were dashed by the Devilbolt. Quickly devised necromancy like that wouldn't make an effective shield!

"Hrgh! Square yourself, squire! My necromancy's come to naught!" Amulette warned you, sounding uncharacteristically frustrated.{endif}{if Rosary = True}

"Geod, protect him! Geod, please, protect him!" Rosary chanted through tears, wringing her gold cross in two hands, but it was no use. The wind tunnel was too powerful for her to concentrate and summon her Geodshield! Her prayers couldn't reach the creator in this state. "No... Noooo!" Her wailing echoed through the cavern as the flames drew nearer to you.{endif}{if Belit = True}

"Hey... Hey! You've got to move! Y-You've got to dodge them!" Belit begged you. It was all she could do to cling to one of the cavern's support pillars and avoid flying backward. She knew she was asking the impossible, but she couldn't stop herself. "You hear me?! You're going to die if that hits you! Move, dammit! Mooove!"{endif}{if Bangaal = True}

"My, what a situation!" Bangaal whistled in an annoyingly lackadaisical tone, given the situation. "Bangaal will use her chaos magic! Just a moment, Lavender Vin! She has created a portal-- if you jump into the air, you'll fly backward into it! You can thank her later!" the djinn announced, proudly. You tried, but as soon as you jumped, the wind blew you to one side, knocking you out of the way of the portal.

"Ah... whoops!"

That was no help at all!{endif}{if Liens = True}

"I can't... I can't reach...!" Liens growled, extending her hand further. "You've got to take it! Take the box! If you don't, you'll-!"

The inventor gasped as the wind knocked her invention free from her hand-- it sailed uselessly to shatter against the back of the cavern wall.

"I... Dammit...! Fuck!" she muttered, her eyes wide with terror as she pulled herself against the wine casket for support. There was nothing more she could do to help you.{endif}

The coiling black snakes followed the wind tunnels battering your body, spinning around you like a twister. In a last ditch effort, you jumped to the floor of the cave, hoping to surpass them, while protecting your head by dropping your sword and cradling the shield above your cranium. It worked even worse than you'd hoped: your attempt to dive to the cavern's floor ended in you being sucked up inside the wind tunnel. The shield did a little to protect you, at first, but soon, you found yourself surrounded in black flames. The dim light of the cavern seemed to disappear as your body was tossed around like a rag-doll, battered by countless devilbolts that shrouded your vision with black flames.

You blacked out.