[Chapter 218. Familiar encounter]

Searanox could barely see over the growing wall of volcanic rock that formed with each spray of magma. The cooling stone built up in thick, lumpy layers on his defensive drone's barrier, creating an artificial cliff that climbed toward the tunnel ceiling. The heat radiating from the new rock pressed against his suit, pushing its cooling systems to their limits. His drones did not encounter the same problem, since they could fly toward the ceiling and continue their assault from above. But even that carried a massive drawback; with the changed angle of attack, they could no longer attempt to strike the turtles' weak spots.

During the short time he fought them, he noted their weaknesses. They were slow to react and move, their movements ponderous and predictable like ancient geological forces. Their shells might not be the most resistant material he had encountered so far, but they ranked high, the basalt-like armor with its glowing orange fissures absorbing and dispersing energy with terrifying efficiency. That said, only the shell was hard to crack. Their undersides were softer than the dark-gray, almost black hide. The hide itself felt like stone, but vulnerable spots existed right inside the shell, at the small opening near the neck, and the holes for their legs. These were the spots where the hide remained vulnerable, the only places his energy weapons could penetrate without expending prohibitive amounts of power. The contrast between the near-impenetrable outer armor and these soft spots was stark, like finding paper-thin gaps in a mountain of granite.

Only three remained, but that did not slow their creation of a volcanic rock wall. Their methodical spitting of magma remained consistent, each glob adding another layer to the barrier separating him from his targets. With little to no vision left of his targets, he overcharged his rifle and shot at the rocky wall. The impact was deafening, but the hot stone suffered little more than a crater, the energy dissipating through the semi-molten rock like heat through a conductor.

Searanox clicked his tongue in annoyance and overcharged his offensive drone. Its twin beam emitters flared in a brilliance of violet light, the intensity forcing him to narrow his eyes. Seconds later, the twin beams lanced into one of the turtles, shattering its basalt-like shell in a spray of shrapnel. The sound of the explosion echoed through the tunnel, a percussive blast swallowed by the hissing of cooling magma and the groaning of stressed stone. The turtle collapsed with a guttural cry, its glowing orange blood pooling on the crystalline floor before hardening into glass.

The thunderous impact echoed through the narrow confines of the tunnel, followed by the staccato rattling of shrapnel striking the crystalline walls. A deep, resonating rumble vibrated through the soles of his boots as the massive body of the turtle slammed against the stone floor.

At the same time, his assault drones finished another turtle after blasting its shell and hide with a ceaseless barrage of crimson beams. The sustained fire weakened the creature's defenses, each beam chipping away at the basalt-like armor until the final shot penetrated the soft flesh beneath. The turtle's death throes were a mix of guttural cries and the sound of its shell cracking like a mountain under geological pressure.

The last turtle continued to spit magma against the barrier with relentless determination. The barrier hummed with strain as it absorbed the thermal energy. Its hexagonal patterns flickered with blue light that grew dimmer with each impact. His drones managed to stop it with a lethal blow, focusing the final attack on the creature's exposed neck as it craned its head to spit another spray of magma.

With the turtles dead, he moved to the left wall of the tunnel. The opening between the crystalline tunnel wall and the structure the turtles had grown proved just wide enough for him to squeeze through. The wall of cooling rock stood like a monument to their power, its surface a mosaic of blackened stone and glowing orange fissures pulsing with residual heat. As he made contact with the stony barrier, he felt its immense heat radiating through his suit. The intensity penetrated his gauntlets and seared his arm with a dull, persistent burn that made his teeth clench.

"Fuck... Good that I don't have to crawl over that wall," he muttered, pressing his body through the gap. The rough texture of the rock scraped against his armor with the sound of grinding stones. The air on the other side was cooler, though thick with the scent of sulfur and molten rock.

Once on the other side, he saw the remaining turtle dissolved into motes of system energy, its massive form breaking apart into countless particles of light that swirled in the air before fading into nothingness. Before the System claimed it, he focused his intent, bringing forth the System Window.

`From my experience in dungeons, I know where this is going.` He thought, anticipating the stronger beasts awaiting him deeper inside. Their forms would grow more formidable the deeper he would descend into the hellish depths. His mind's eye painted vivid pictures of creatures forged in the heart of this volcanic prison, their power scaled to match the rising temperature and pressure that suffused the environment.

His drones assumed a new formation around him before he headed deeper into the tunnel, their metallic bodies glinting in the orange light pulsing from cracks in the molten stone walls. The defensive drone took point, its barrier shimmering with blue energy that stood out against the reddish-black surroundings. Attack drones positioned themselves at the flanks, their weapon ports open and humming with latent power. The recon drone darted ahead, its silent movement belying the purpose it served.

At the next crossing, he summoned two basic recon drones and sent them ahead into the tunnels, their sleek forms vanishing into the darkness that seemed to devour light itself. While he waited and analyzed their memory feed, he went over the fight with the turtles, dissecting every moment of the encounter.

`Their shells are thick, and so was their hide. The best I can do is take them out before they get close enough to spit their molten rock at me. An overcharged shot into their necks should take them out. That would kill at least two of them. The others I have to...`

Searanox's thought process halted as he saw the memory one of his drones provided.

`You are fucking kidding me.`

In this memory, he saw a wide cavernous space. Within this cavern lay something he knew well. Wolves. There were more than a dozen of them, their massive forms moving with a grace that belied their size. The cavern itself was vast, its ceiling lost in a haze of sulfurous smoke, walls slick with condensation that hissed as it hit the superheated air.

These were no ordinary wolves. Their forms were a living contradiction, sculpted from the essence of fire. Each stood the size of a horse. Their powerful lupine silhouettes possessed fur that shimmered like a kindling flame, shifting and reforming like captured starlight. Their manes and tails were made of actual flame, licking at their bodies with a relentless hunger for fuel, casting dancing shadows that seemed to writhe with a life of their own. Coals of intense white-hot light burned within their chests, pulsing like hearts and casting the cavern in a flickering, hellish glow. Their heads were the most terrifying aspect. Their fangs were black obsidian-like rock veined with molten cracks. Their eyes were nothing but burning embers that seemed to bore into his soul. When one padded forward, its paws left scorch marks on the stone floor, the rock turning to black glass in its wake.

`That has to be a joke. One of them could level a dungeon. How are there more than a dozen?`

His mind raced, calculating probabilities and survival rates, his thoughts warring with the primal fear threatening to surface. These were not just wolves; they were elemental forces given form, living embodiments of destruction that could turn his prepared plans to ash in seconds.

For a moment, he played with the idea of leaving them be, to turn back and seek another path. But then he noticed the chest at the end of the chamber. Its metallic surface gleamed with an otherworldly sheen promising rewards beyond imagination. It was positioned like a lure, a deliberate temptation placed by the System.

"Fuck you, System... Fuck you and your all-knowing bullshit," Searanox cursed under his breath, the words escaping his lips as the heat of the cavern pressed in on him.