An hour had passed since the harrowing transformation in the Hall of Justice. Now, a small group stood before the shimmering surface of a teleportation portal, its ethereal light casting dancing shadows across their faces. Leora, her posture rigid with determination, stood at the forefront. Flanking her were the three newly transformed humans, their eyes still adjusting to the heightened senses of their Bite forms. The enigmatic prophet lingered at the edge of the group, his weathered face inscrutable. And there was Cyrus, his mind still reeling from the events he had witnessed.
The air crackled with unspoken tension. No words were necessary; each member of the group understood the gravity of their mission. Their target - the primordial canine - loomed in their thoughts like a distant storm on the horizon.
With a collective deep breath, they stepped into the portal. Reality warped around them, colors and sensations blending into a dizzying kaleidoscope. When Cyrus opened his eyes again, his head was spinning. Even after years of such travel, the disorientation never fully subsided.
As his vision cleared, Cyrus found himself in a hellscape that defied imagination. The world around him had transformed into a realm of fire and brimstone. Vast networks of tunnels and interconnected chambers stretched as far as the eye could see, their walls pulsing with rivers of molten rock. The air shimmered with heat, creating mirages that danced at the edge of perception.
Cyrus frowned, feeling the scorching air caress his skin. Each exhale produced a cloud of steam, as if his very breath was being vaporized. He glanced around, taking in the surreal landscape. The tunnels seemed to breathe, expanding and contracting with the flow of magma, creating an unsettling illusion of being inside a living organism.
The world had turned red - a vivid, angry crimson that spoke of primal forces barely contained. It was as if they had stepped into the very heart of a volcano, or perhaps the depths of some mythical underworld. Currents of superheated air buffeted them from all sides, and Cyrus instinctively raised an arm to shield his face.
To his astonishment, the searing winds didn't burn him as expected. Looking down, he realized they all wore sleek, white combinations that seemed to shimmer with a faint blue energy. These suits, marvels of technology and magic, formed an invisible barrier against the intense heat that would have otherwise reduced them to ash in seconds.
"The Magma Stomach is one of the most dangerous places in Arkania," the prophet's voice cut through the roar of the inferno around them. His tone was grave, laden with the weight of knowledge earned through untold hardships. "Stay alert." With those words of caution, he began to move forward, his steps sure despite the treacherous terrain.
As they began their descent into the fiery depths, Cyrus felt an odd sensation stirring within him. It was as if something deep within the tunnels was calling out to him, an invisible force tugging at his very essence. The feeling was both exhilarating and unnerving. Could it be the primordial canine reaching out to him? The thought sent a shiver down his spine, despite the oppressive heat.
The group fell into a loose formation as they marched onward. Cyrus found himself drawing closer to Leora. Despite the recent strain in their relationship, he felt compelled to break the silence between them. Perhaps it was the alien environment, or the weight of their mission, but he suddenly craved the familiarity of conversation with her.
"What is the feud between the panther canine and the lion canine?" he asked, falling into step beside her. His voice sounded odd in the strange acoustics of the tunnel, echoing off the magma-slick walls.
Leora turned to him, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied his face. There was something in her gaze that Cyrus couldn't quite decipher - a mixture of curiosity and... was that concern?
"You have changed," she said, her words barely audible above the ambient roar of their surroundings.
Cyrus nearly stumbled, caught off guard by her unexpected observation. His steps slowed as he processed her words. What did she mean? How could she possibly know about the inner turmoil he'd been experiencing? It wasn't as if his recent doubts and revelations were written across his face. Or were they?
"Don't tell me it's that obvious," he muttered to himself, a note of worry creeping into his voice.
Leora's next words did nothing to alleviate his confusion. "Whatever, you do what you want," she said, a hint of frustration coloring her tone.
Cyrus fell silent, his mind racing. Was she angry? Was it because she had been forced to leave her beloved umbrella behind for this mission? Or was there something else, some deeper current of discontent that he had failed to notice?
After a moment of tense silence, Leora seemed to relent. Her voice took on a more measured tone as she began to answer his original question.
"When my father, the old leader of the lion canine, was still alive, we and the panther canine were very close," she explained. "My father had a lot of respect for their leader. Unfortunately, this friendship was short-lived. They both died tracking Lionore."
Cyrus listened intently, piecing together the fragments of history he had never fully understood.
"Afterward," Leora continued, "my mother took over the lion canine, while Dargos, the leader's brother, took control of the panther canine. The conflict intensified, and eventually, the panther canine left City Zero."
Cyrus frowned, his mind working to fill in the gaps. He would bet his arm that Dargos hadn't simply left - he had been driven out by the queen. The panther canine, with their rigid code of honor, had always been a thorn in the queen's side. Dargos, privy to the queen's secrets, posed a threat to her position. Unable to eliminate him openly, she had instead orchestrated his exile.
"The panther canine settled in City 5, closest to the mines," Leora went on, oblivious to Cyrus's internal deductions. "As you can imagine, the Karmic monster didn't make life easy for them."
Cyrus nodded, remembering his own terrifying encounter with the Karmic monster. A pang of sympathy for the panther canine stirred in his chest.
"The Karmic monster's attacks were relentless," Leora said, her voice tinged with a hint of sorrow. "Even with the bureau's help, they couldn't hold out for long. At one point, Dargos swallowed his pride and asked my mother for help. But she said it was too risky."
She paused, her gaze distant as if looking into the past. "If you look at a map of Arkania today, you won't find City 5. It was razed to the ground by the Karmic monster. The few survivors... well, some disappeared, others were sold into slavery."
Cyrus couldn't suppress a gasp. Suddenly, Prid's actions - his willingness to betray his honor and attempt to kill Leora - made a terrible kind of sense. Saved by Don Sanchez and tasked with protecting his son Marko, Prid had owed them his life according to the panther canine code of honor. He should have served them until death. But he had disregarded those ancestral rules for the sake of revenge, blaming the queen for the misfortune that had befallen his family and his people.
As they continued their perilous journey through the Magma Stomach, Cyrus's mind whirled with this new information. One might wonder why Dargos hadn't simply endured the queen's rule for the sake of his family's safety. But Cyrus shook his head at the thought. Knowing the queen and the depths of her capabilities, he realized that acquiescence would likely have led to an even worse fate. If they hadn't ended up dead, they would have become nothing more than lab rats for the queen's twisted experiments.
A wave of disgust washed over Cyrus as he recalled the queen's charming, devilish smile. Her beauty and sex appeal were merely weapons in her arsenal, luring the unwary to a horrible death. Those deceived by her outward appearance often found that the only way out was through the grave.
As they pressed on through the hellish landscape of the Magma Stomach, Cyrus felt the weight of these revelations settling on his shoulders. The mission to find the primordial canine had taken on new dimensions, tangled in a web of political intrigue and ancient grudges. And somewhere in the fiery depths ahead, their quarry awaited - a being of immense power that could tip the scales of this precarious balance.
With each step deeper into the heart of this infernal realm, Cyrus steeled himself for the challenges that lay ahead. The heat, the danger, the uncertainty - all paled in comparison to the potential consequences of their mission. As they marched on, the call he felt from the depths grew stronger, a siren song leading them towards their destiny, for better or for worse.