They needed lava wyrms. Live lava wyrms, no less.
And there was only one place to find them.
Tal breathed as shallowly as he could through the scarf wrapped around his face to filter out the ash and smog that were a weird, hellish inversion of Halo's Deepfrost clouds and good, clean snow. Boreal floated overhead, riding thermals so robust and strong that she barely needed to flap and keeping the Gore Crows at bay while Tal moved cautiously over the untrustworthy Crust below.
His beloved ship Peregrine had brought them to the edge of the fiery land, but he'd anchored her at the border and well away from any unexpected lava fountains that might damage her. The rest of the way had been on foot, and he'd tread far more lightly than he had the first time he'd crossed the burning region. He'd hunted lials with Deimos here, once...
A memory he shook off with a morose sigh as he looked around again, trying to spot any lava flowing unnaturally or, better yet, in the convenient shape of a small cat. There were ceramic containers in his Bag for the little beasties, and he could only hope that they were strong enough to contain the heat of the wyrms.
"See anything?" he whispered back at his companion for the journey, voice low - as if that would make a difference in this land of creaking rocks and bubbling lava.
And there was only one place to find them.
Tal breathed as shallowly as he could through the scarf wrapped around his face to filter out the ash and smog that were a weird, hellish inversion of Halo's Deepfrost clouds and good, clean snow. Boreal floated overhead, riding thermals so robust and strong that she barely needed to flap and keeping the Gore Crows at bay while Tal moved cautiously over the untrustworthy Crust below.
His beloved ship Peregrine had brought them to the edge of the fiery land, but he'd anchored her at the border and well away from any unexpected lava fountains that might damage her. The rest of the way had been on foot, and he'd tread far more lightly than he had the first time he'd crossed the burning region. He'd hunted lials with Deimos here, once...
A memory he shook off with a morose sigh as he looked around again, trying to spot any lava flowing unnaturally or, better yet, in the convenient shape of a small cat. There were ceramic containers in his Bag for the little beasties, and he could only hope that they were strong enough to contain the heat of the wyrms.
"See anything?" he whispered back at his companion for the journey, voice low - as if that would make a difference in this land of creaking rocks and bubbling lava.
