Jax slowly stood up, staring at the empty sky where the swarm had once been.
"…Remind me," he said slowly, "never to piss you off."
Nina smirked weakly, clearly drained. "Noted."
West let out a sigh of relief. "That was impressive."
"Thank you," she replied while trying to steady herself.
•••
•••
The deeper they went, the more aggressive the environment became.
They encountered two more waves both dangerous as well.
The third wave consisted of smaller, faster variants of the lizard creatures that moved in packs, coordinating their attacks to isolate targets. Jax nearly got overwhelmed before West stepped in, cutting through their formation and shattering their rhythm.
The fourth wave introduced armored variants that could partially submerge into the molten ground, erupting beneath them without warning.
Gor'thala countered by sensing the vibrations through the earth, calling out their positions just in time for West and Jax to intercept.
