Bab 125: Flames and Shadows (Volume 2 start)

Under the relentless wrath of a fiery volcano, the surroundings were a relentless testament to the power of nature. Heat hung heavy in the air, suffocating like a smothering blanket. Lava flowed in meandering streams, a fiery serpent of molten rock that cut through the scorched earth. Plumes of acrid smoke billowed into the sky, their dark tendrils snaking upwards, as if trying to escape the relentless heat that oppressed this land.

Amidst this inferno, a fierce battle raged. A group of men and women, clad in rugged gear and sweat-soaked clothes, faced off against a colossal lava slug. This grotesque creature, standing at least ten meters tall, was a grotesque amalgamation of hardened magma and molten lava.

Its body was a dark, obsidian black, pockmarked with fiery red cracks that oozed with molten lava. Enormous, bulging eyes, red as burning coals, protruded from its grotesque face. Rows of sharp, obsidian spikes adorned its back, like a crown atop its fluid form.