Wizards & Warriors/Lava Cave

Though it is divided into two sections, the Lava Cave is a rather short stage compared to many of the others. There's only two keys and five treasure chests to discover. The knight guarding the exit only requires 50 diamonds to pass.

First Chamber
The first chamber of the Lava Cave is small and sparse. The floor is covered with scalding lava, and you will lose one unit of health for every few seconds that you stand on it. If you have the Boots of Lava Walking, you will lose health much more slowly, but you will still take damage by standing on the lava for too long. From time to time, a jet of flame will fly up from the lava. If you are wearing the boots, you can actually hitch a ride on the flame as it travels back and forth along the bottom of the cave.

Two things will be moving through the air. The first are harmless bubbles that rise from the surface of the lava. Kuros can hitch a ride on these bubbles and climb to higher locations. The second are the flame spirits that occupy the cave. They move around slowly at first, but after a while, they dart forward in Kuros' direction, attempting to burn him. The flames are quickly removed by attacking them.

Throughout the cave are a number of torches. Like the acorns in the first stage, if Kuros throws a dagger at them, they will reveal items. This chamber has one pink chest and one red chest. The exit from the chamber is a pink door. Obviously, you will need the pink key to advance. It is found waiting on a small platform in the middle of the cave. With it, you can open the pink chest (A) before you leave. If you failed to collect the Potion of Levitation from its two locations in the previous stage, you can collect it from the pink chest. Otherwise, it will be diamonds.

Since you don't have access to the red key, you can't open the red chest (B) yet. Once you collect the red key, you may wish to return to this chamber to collect its contents. Inside, you will find the Horn. This instrument's special property is to reveal the location of secret chamber entrances when played within range. There happen to be a number of such entrances in the next stage, so this might be a handy item to bring along.

Second Chamber
This is where more of the action of the stage will take place. In addition to all of the elements and enemies present in the first chamber, the second chamber also includes winged demons who fly around and like to pester Kuros. Immediately when you arrive, you can drop down to the lava, and hitch a ride up to the higher section of the left side of this chamber. In addition to a few visible diamonds, there are three hidden caches of diamonds that you must jump up to collect. Two are very easy to access, while the third is not. The two easy ones are find just above the highest platform and above the highest ledge on the right wall.

Since the left side is a dead-end, you'll need to explore more to the right. The guardian knight awaits in the far right side, so the only area left to explore is the middle section. The walls of this section are composed such that Kuros will not be able to successfully ride a bubble all the way up this section unless it appears in exactly the right spot. You will have to rely on jumping skills to make it all the way up the tunnel. Some of the jumps can be a bit tricky, but proper use of the Potion of Levitation can make the ascent much easier.

As you make your way up the center, you will be assaulted by more flames. While they may pester you, they can also help you by providing various potions. Eventually, you will reach a high enough ledge where the cave opens up to the left. If you collected the Feather of Feather Fall from the previous stage, making the jump to the left can be easily done by holding as you leap over, and floating to solid ground. Otherwise, you will have to attack the flames and wait for a blue potion to help you launch yourself over the slippery slope and on to the ground beyond.

Once you make it all the way into this alcove, you will finally locate the red key. The red chest immediately below the key (C) contains diamonds. Make your way back to the right, and continue climbing to the highest position in the cave. There you will find another treasure chest (D), and inside will be the Battle Axe of Agor. This will serve as a replacement and upgrade to the Dagger of Throwing. It serves the same purpose, but it does twice the amount of damage, and it can permit the throwing of two axes if you collect four axe upgrades from defeated enemies or torches.

After collecting the Axe, make your way back down to the bottom. You can investigate the chest that awaits you there (E) and you will find the Staff of Power. This powerful magical item imbues its wielder with strong offensive magic that can travel far. It will, however, replace the Boots of Lava Walking, or any other changeable equipment you currently have. Alternatively, you can return to the first chamber and open chest B to obtain the Horn. Beginners may prefer the Horn in order to learn the location of many of the hidden chamber entrances in the, while experts may opt to use the Staff of Power against the variety of enemies that it contains.

When you're ready, and have collected at least 50 diamonds, head all the way to the right to open the red door that leads to the final confrontation with the boss of this stage.

Boss: Rock Spirit
The boss is a large rock spirit that can float freely and roam through the air. It will pursue Kuros constantly while spitting small projectiles at it. Because it moves in a straight line towards Kuros, it's even easier to anticipate than the bouncing skull boss from the first stage. You can easily defeat it by walking to one corner, turning around and attacking it, leaping over it when it gets too close, and then running to the opposite corner before repeating the process. You should have little trouble clearing the boss with your leaps, and you will be able to take a few bars of health away with each cycle. Once the rock spirit is defeated, souls will appear in its place just like they did when the Giant Bat was defeated. Destroy these souls until every one is gone, and a treasure pile will rise from the ground. Collect the treasure, and you will run through the door to rescue Galadriel for 20,000 points before advancing to the next stage.