In the morning, Lana focused on getting this task done and getting back to her son. They ate a quick breakfast, got packed up and resumed the same formation. Just after lunch, they noticed the ground this far out was so dry it was crunching under their feet. The cracks were a few inches deep.
"If Kent were here, my prince would have trouble walking. The claws of the younger ones were getting caught in the cracks last time we were here."
This was a simple, informative statement to him. To her, it was a reminder of his absence, but it also consoled her that he was safer where he was. She closed her eyes and breathed.
Just as she opened her eyes once again, the sound of lightning cracking pierced the otherwise stillness. It was followed by the snarling growl of a monster. Yet, they couldn't see anything on the horizon.
The party took off running. Kyle grabbed a speed ability and was out of sight in no time. Lana asked Levalis to run faster since there were no threats to her friends. She wanted to be there to support Kyle.
Kyle's figure got shorter as he appeared to go underground. They came upon a boulder that looked ordinary until it swung an appendage-like club in her direction.
She ducked under the club while throwing out a Qi-infused whip-vine. As Levalis kept going, the club shattered. Soon, they were also going below ground.
At the bottom of the ramp, the party were shocked to see a 30-foot-tall inferno-looking figure. It had arms and legs made of oozing magma that flowed slowly like rafts on a lazy river on a bright summer day. Some parts were not glowing as bright as others. One arm was fully black and hanging limply at its side. It was clearly injured.
It swirled its good hand in a circle and the ball of lava in its hand grew to three times the size of Kyle's head. At the same time, Kyle was creating something in his own hand made of ice. Almost simultaneously, the two let loose.
Kyle still had his speed ability active. Not only did his ice spear reach his opponent first, but he was able to dodge the attack as well. He was already forming another as he zig-zagged around the room. Three more ice spears in quick succession, and magma-man was defeated.
Kyle walked within 20 feet of the corpse and realized he couldn't get any closer, but he refused to leave the crystal behind. The heat was quite powerful. The ice he used to kill it already melted, nothing left, the steam long-since vanished.
Kyle winked at Lana then encased it in a block of ice. He stood there watching it go straight to steam. Once the ice was gone, he did it again and again until the magma-man was solid rock. Then he broke it apart and retrieved his crystal.
Kyle walked up to his wife and wrapped his arms around her, "all that and he still wasn't as hot as you," as he leaned down to kiss her.
Lana giggled and met her husband in a kiss. It was a quick one this time. She grinned up into his eyes, "just a long as you don't throw me in a block of ice…."
Kyle feigned shock, "never Mi Lady!" He caressed her cheek, "my beautiful butterfly."
Dobin's voice cut through their affections.
"You may want to quit being all lovey dovey. Get over here and heal this lady. She's wearing high-end armor."
Lana and Kyle rushed to Dobin's location only to notice all the others were already looking around the area for further monsters or anything interesting. The couple looked at Dobin's feet.
On the ground was an injured lady. Lana was surprised to see she knew the woman. It was Electra Vigor, one of the leaders she met the night before her wedding. Lana knelt at her side and healed her. However, she noticed the healing was… different this time. Not only did the healing happen in a fraction of the normal time but her hands were glowing.
As the color returned to her cheeks, Lady Elektra sat upright and fired a bolt of lightning at the corpse only to stare at it, just now realizing it was dead.
"What?" Her eyes were wide with shock as she slowly took in her surroundings and realized she had been rescued by the young Lady Lana.
She gulped looking into Lana's eyes, "it's okay Lady Elektra. You are among friends now."
She blinked at Lana, "how…?"
Lana giggled and explained the current mission they were on and what happened when they came upon the monster. Lana paid special attention to ensure Elektra knew Kyle was the reason she was now alive as well as her brother Dobin who found her unconscious body.
Elektra smiled and thanked them for her rescue then she sighed.
"Lady Lana, there is so much I wish I could tell you and your brother, but I swore an oath to your mother. She feared if you knew everything, you'd put yourself in undue danger. All I can tell you is she left this ring for you. She called it the Portal Ring of Calissa."
She removed the ring from her finger and placed it on Lana's finger. Her finger was bigger than Elektra's so it increased in size as it went on.
"This ring creates portals to travel between known locations such as planets and realms. The ring works like the school portals. It casts a circle on the ground. Instead of sprinkling dust on them, just step in and state your destination. It vanishes after 5 minutes. You can use it twice per day. At most, you can bring a total of 10 people through at once, but the portal will only be up for one minute if that is the case."
Lana went to bow in reverence and gratitude when Kyle heard her say "fuck it" and she wrapped her arms around the leader. "Thank you!"
Elektra chuckled and hugged her back, "you're welcome."
She looked at Lana's party, "so we are off to the corruption area?"
Kai was the first to speak among the stunned students, "we'd be honored to have someone of your stature accompany us," then he bowed trying to show proper respect to her.
They quickly got back in formation. Elektra offered to walk in back with Kai since this was a student thing. She didn't want to interfere with their training.
Soon, the ground turned black and no longer made a sound beneath their feet. What should have been dried sand resembled crumbled ash with each step. The air became oppressive and ominous.
After only an hour of being in this strange field, the pressure became unbearable. The air itself felt like a gravitational pull. Each step was an act of willpower. Before long, they felt if they kept going, they would collapse.
"I suggest we turn back," Kai told the group. "I fought the Walkers. This isn't them. I don't know what this is and I don't like it, but we need to be smart about this. The scanner isn't picking up anything."
"I can barely move…" Sam said.
"The field is growing. I got much further last time," Levalis panted.
Lana's face, while tired, also grew determined. "Everyone, climb on top of Levalis, as quickly as you can. I'm getting us out of here."
Eventually everyone was able to climb up in some capacity while the panteri simply lay down. He knew what she was planning and it didn't involve him walking anywhere.
Lana pointed the ring at the ground beneath them. She hoped them all being on the oversized cat would count. As soon as the circle was big enough, she sent the image in her head of where they left the dome and their friends. There was a flash of light followed by the same sensation as though they used the school teleporters. Then they found themselves outside the dome.
Everyone clamored off the monster's back in order they got on. Lana, Blaine and Dobin were all that was left when she heard a message from the trees.
Emergency, Kent and Rosalie are being attacked by scimmia!