Chương 81: 79: Wanderer

Remnya At Amy's insistence, Remnya spent the night within the camp, departing before sunrise while the stars kept vigil. Clad in a Karx uniform, she shouldered a borrowed backpack with a change of clothes, food, water, and her friend's favorite toy—a worn-out doll with one eye and no hair. The cold wind lashed against Remnya's face, freezing her ears as the rugged terrain unfolded in the dark. She refused to use her fire to illuminate the path and relied on her other senses.

Amid the alpenglow, rocky silhouettes emerged, bathed in an orange aura, revealing an imposing volcano on the horizon. Dark clouds veiled the snowy peak, intertwining with the toxic gases emanating from the Earth's core. A jagged volcanic crust extended for kilometers with vents exhaling hot vapors. Fourteen kilometers of arduous ascent and subzero temperatures awaited, yet her only concern was whether or not Zeo could survive long enough.

She trusted her friend's strength and ignored the intrusive thoughts threatening with a tragic outcome. As a panoramic view of Rexton's valleys grew behind her, the path became steeper, and clouds covered the sky. The surface beneath her boots took on a stickier texture while sporadic gusts of wind played a game of ice and fire, alternating temperatures with each breath. The height increased, the sky darkened, and an intense reek of sulfur filled her nose. A few raindrops landed on her skin, acid rain.

They were heavy and warm but unable to harm her. Remnya widened her eyes when something glowed in the distance. Dense rivers of magma flowed between the rocks like blood. She rushed forward, eager to see such a fascinating liquid for the first time. She thrust her hand into it and scooped up a glob, squeezing it between her fingers. It looked like molten candy mixed with sand, but felt as dense and heavy as solid stone. A smile escaped her lips. Her fire body was a privilege for an ephemeral moment.

Not many could ever experience that connection with nature. Her journey continued through several magma rivers and chimneys of hot vapors. The air was thinner, and her body felt heavier with each step. After one hour, Remnya crossed what Debrin called the Sunset Zone, and the first traces of death emerged along the path. Two human skulls lay half-buried in molten rocks surrounded by volcanic flies. The insects were half the size of her fingers and fed on rotten flesh.

Remnya witnessed more skulls and bones, but the further she advanced, the older and drier they were. Debrin had warned her of the 'Necrotix' that inhabited the Sunset Zone. She had no idea what the word meant but was eager to find out. The first sight of said creatures happened when she stood on the edge of a cliff to marvel at the view of Rexton's valleys. A strange humanoid creature wandered around a volcanic pit at the bottom of the cliff. Fascinated, Remnya slid downhill along the slope and landed on a rock.

She walked toward it, making enough noise for the Necrotix to notice her. The creature turned in her direction. It was tall and bony with long arms and short legs. Its face reminded her of a corpse, with two worm-filled holes for eyes and rotten flesh falling apart to reveal a massive skull. Its teeth were large like a horse's, and it lacked ears, so Remnya assumed it detected through smell. Suddenly, it charged at her like an enraged animal. She took a fighting stance and focused on its movements.

The beast was quick and swatted its arms violently at her. Remnya evaded the attacks, causing its hands to hit the ground with enough force to shatter the obsidian in half. It let out a piercing shriek of anger and agony and attacked again, but she was faster and sent it flying against a rock with a sidekick to the head.

"This thing smells awful." She grimaced at the reek of rotten flesh. The Necrotix twisted its body, defying anatomy, and crawled in her direction on all fours faster than before. Remnya summoned her fire, engulfing the creature in flames. However, it didn't stop and pounced on her, shrieking and opening its mouth. Surprised by its speed, she couldn't dodge the whole attack, and its teeth scratched her leg, ripping the Kevlar off her pants and part of her skin.

Remnya landed hard on her elbows and spine, then quickly sprang to her feet.

"Interesting," she said, increasing the temperature on the Necrotix's body until it began to melt and fall apart. The creature kept trying to reach her until its legs collapsed. Yet, it dragged its torso toward her, using its limbs like a spider, stretching its neck, and opening its jaw frenetically, eager to consume her flesh. Remnya smashed the creature's head with a descending kick and crushed its skull with her heel, cracking it in half against the sharp terrain.

A brown and green liquid full of larvae oozed from it. Even headless, the Necrotix kept flailing the stumps of its limbs toward her, clawing at her forearm. She gritted her teeth and burned the rest of its body until it became ashes. Remnya observed her deed for long seconds and analyzed the outcome of her first battle. Underestimating those creatures would be a mistake, she realized. Besides, the energy necessary to kill them was high. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road.

Report any occurrences elsewhere. Debrin had told her there were hundreds, if not thousands, of them, roaming around there. Remnya smiled and looked up at the cloudy sky, her heart beating faster, craving for the next challenge. * On the first night, Remnya heated an instant soup on the running magma beside her improvised camp amid a flat terrain. The temperature had dropped below zero, but the warmth of lava kept her body from freezing.

The air was thin, and the toxic gases in the atmosphere made her dizzy, but she trusted her lungs could handle it. The lament of Necrotixes echoed in the distance, interrupting the silence, but her fatigue overpowered the noise. Remnya slept for a few hours and woke up with an intense headache before sunrise. Ignoring the pain, she drank water, gathered her belongings, and continued the ascent. Although the top of the Vezzanyo was a mere seven kilometers away, the remaining path posed daunting challenges.

Necrotixes of different sizes crossed paths with Remnya, but thanks to her previous encounter, she was more cautious and avoided using her fire to preserve energy. Their weaknesses and strengths became more evident with each kill. Despite lacking eyes and ears, the Necrotixes possessed a developed sense of smell, and their endurance surpassed anything she had faced before. She sustained minor scratches throughout her confrontations, the itching sensation growing more intense with every passing minute.

Yet she was too focused on her goal to care. A dense blanket of clouds enveloped Remnya in a cold, dismal landscape, where she could barely discern her arms. Humidity filled her nostrils, along with the sulfur smoke signaling that her destination was close. Her boots crunched on an unfamiliar surface. Remnya lowered her gaze and saw her feet surrounded by snow. It was her first time seeing that cold substance. She picked a handful and crushed it between her fingers while her eyes widened at the rare sight.

Curiosity led her to take a bite, but the bitter taste, infused with sulfur and ashes, immediately compelled her to spit it out. After hours of fighting through an almost vertical ascent, Remnya rose above the clouds, panting, with her fingers frozen. An intense orange light on the horizon merged with the smoke, reflecting on the sky where sporadic sunbeams seeped through. Remnya climbed the last step of snowy rocks and raised her head to witness her destination. The Vezzanyo top spread before her eyes.

An immense crater radiated a blinding glow, its heat waves brushing her skin. It pulsated like a living being and bent reality around its reach. A smile drew across Remnya's lips as she walked around the edge of the Vezzanyo, looking for the best path to descend into The Heart. Molten snow rolled down the slopes like small cascades along with water vapor. Climbing down a glowing rock, Remnya began her descent into the bowels of the Earth. The lava lake beneath her was mesmerizing, glowing in different tones of red.

It seemed to growl as the molten rocks rumbled, echoing against the walls with the pops of magma bubbles. Remnya sat on the edge of a pointy rock and closed her eyes, feeling the hot breath of the core brushing her hair. Perhaps she was a demon, after all. The gates of hell felt like home. A nearby wall cracked, and chunks of rock fell into the lake, creating a brief stillness. Then, a distant roar shattered the silence, reverberating across the crater and bringing Remnya back to reality.

As she opened her eyes, a formidable force struck her head, propelling her body against the rocks. A massive creature stood before her, roaring with the force of thousands of lions. At first, she assumed it was another Necrotix, but its muscular figure and smooth movements reminded her of a seasoned warrior. The creature charged at her and crushed her against the volcano walls with several punches as it tried to bite her face.

Remnya harnessed energy in her hands and pushed it away with an explosion of crimson fire. The beast hurtled toward the crater but caught on a protruding edge and stopped its fall. It climbed like a spider, its glowing eyes approaching at great speed. It roared and launched another assault. Even though Remnya blocked the attack, its heavy punch embedded her into the walls with brutal force. She tried retaliating, but the monster snatched her torso and jumped with her into the crater.

Unable to break free, Remnya channeled a stream of fire to reduce the impact against the lava, yet it felt like a freight train crashing on her body. As the creature tried to bite her, Remnya shot it in the mouth with a fireball and held its jaw with her right hand to protect her neck. Another crimson blaze shot from her left palm, forcing the beast to release her. She sprawled on the unstable ground of magma, and her boot soles began to melt.

The creature jumped at her and hit Remnya with its head, followed by more punches that impacted her face and body. Bewildered by the creature's exceptional speed and strength, Remnya questioned whether her body had weakened or her enemy was beyond her capabilities. Unable to defend from its attacks, the monster buried its fangs in her shoulder, causing her to groan in pain.

"You rotten bastard!" Remnya summoned her crimson ghost, and the temperature of her body increased until it reached its maximum. A punch forced the creature away from her with its mouth smoking and lips melting, and then her Crimson Ghost pounced on it, sending it toward the crater.

"DIE!" Remnya jumped too, her body glowing with fury, and charged all her energy into a massive fireball. Her attack struck the creature in the chest and buried it at the bottom of the crater. Remnya covered herself as the lava rose, filled with crimson fire. A massive explosion followed, and an enormous eruption covered the sky with a mesmerizing orange-and-crimson glow. The Vezzanyo ejected Remnya's body like a bullet, and lightning formed above the crater like a hellish storm.

The volcano fractured, causing an avalanche of rocks, lava, and fire. The world spun around Remnya as she fell from the sky like a luminous meteor. Desperately, she shot fireballs against the ground to reduce the impending impact. However, the violent fall almost rendered her unconscious. Her body was buried under tons of half-molten rocks. Incessant earthquakes shook the whole place, and lava lakes flowed toward the valley of Rexton like blood.

Remnya groaned in pain as she crawled out of the ground, bleeding and coughing.

"Dammit!" She ignored the pain and ran downhill, stumbling upon sharp obsidian. She desperately ran along the glowing avalanche, trying to think of ways to stop the apocalypse from reaching the camp where her friend was. As Remnya was about to summon her fire, a flash blinded her eyes, forcing her to stop. A thick layer of ice covered the ground. The lava stopped, sizzling while everything around her froze. Vapor filled the atmosphere, and the earthquakes ceased.

Remnya dropped to her knees, panting, smoke coming out of her insides, while she witnessed a surreal view. A crystal landscape emerged before her eyes like a mirror, sparkling like thousands of diamonds. The hot atmosphere gave way to an icy wind that brushed her hair. Relief filled her heart as she understood that Debrin was the craftsman behind that spectacle of ice. She lay on her back and stared at the cloudy sky, sore and exhausted. However, within the depths of hell, a dreadful energy pulsated with ire.

Whatever had attacked her was still alive and craving her blood. It wouldn't take long for it to break free from its temporary prison. Remnya stood up, adjusted her torn clothes, wiped her blood, and limped toward her camp, knowing the most challenging training of her life had just begun.