Kale hung from the jagged crevices of the rock wall, his fingers straining against the rough stone as the heat from below rose in suffocating waves.
He looked down at the islands of charred earth and the rivers of flowing lava, where dozens of fiery salamanders moved with a slow and predatory grace.
His muscles burned with a deep fatigue, yet the analytical gears of his mind were already grinding through the variables of their current predicament.
He turned his head slightly to look at Neo, who was clinging to his shoulder with its obsidian claws. The hydra's three heads were alert, its six golden eyes reflecting the incandescent orange glow of the chamber.
Kale gritted his teeth, feeling the heavy weight of the Mythical Will pressing against his consciousness like a leaden shroud.
"Sorry buddy, but it seems fate is a bitch, and we have no choice but to risk it all," Kale whispered through a parched throat. He felt the creature's muscles tense in response to his words.
