In the end, only Elaine experienced a meeting like Isaac and James did. She met the one called Overlord Prosperity, a female alien with two faces on a single head. Even though it was just one being, speaking to her apparently felt like addressing a crowd. That her appearance changed every few seconds also didn't help.

According to Elaine, she had been so thrown off that it took a good few moments before she reacted and tried to attack. Not that it worked, of course. Similar to Isaac, she just got frozen in place and was left hanging for the entire meeting while the Overlord spoke.

Unlike Rakin, though, Prosperity didn't bother explaining the reasoning behind the Virus Wars. Still, she wasn't like the Overlord James met either. Instead, she played at being sympathetic, offering kind words and understanding. Obviously, that didn't work, and if Elaine could, she most likely would have spat the alien in the face.

As for how the encounter ended? With another Patron mission of course.

Just like Isaac, Elaine received a compass but no word about what her task would entail. All the Overlord told her was that she would know what to do when she arrived at the location. At the very least, the Interface notification confirmed there were no restrictions. Thus, they didn't have to worry about letting her go alone.

That pretty much marked the end of their night. For a brief moment, Isaac worried Marie might feel left out for not getting a Patron mission of her own, but she was the opposite of disappointed. According to her, it gave her time to prepare for when her moment came. Besides, they had already seen her Sire at work during the transmission.

And so, rested and ready for another day of running, they packed up their camp and continued down south. The one small mercy? Both compasses pointed in almost the same direction—at worst, a couple of degrees apart.

It took them about two hours to reach the end of the Peaceful Plains, where lush grass gave way to dead, cracked soil and sprawling sands. There weren't any lava rivers on the border, but they would reach them soon.

Now entering: Burning Wasteland

The moment this notification appeared in front of Isaac, a blast of searing hot wind slammed into his small body. His steady flight stuttered, almost forcing him into a dive. Quickly, he flapped his wings harder, steadying his form and starting to hover.

Damn… that's hot…

While Galt might not be the hottest place on Earth, it was far, far away from being the coldest. Even so, no summer in his hometown could compare to this blistering heat. He felt as if the feathers on his body were starting to melt.

Suddenly I'm very happy we restocked on fresh water and have Marie to summon more just in case, he thought, casting his gaze over the new massive territory stretching before him.

Good news? No monsters in the sky. It seemed even the local beasts knew better than to fly around in this furnace. He could sympathize.

Bad news? There were plenty of beasts on the ground. Swarms of ash-skinned, dog-sized lizards running across the sand, leaving a trail of dust in their wake. Packs of larger-than-average jackals prowling between the dunes. And then there were the weird clouds of crimson insects buzzing above the rivers of lava. Isaac couldn't make out the details from here, but something told him they weren't friendly.

And those were just the ones in plain sight. He would bet good money that others were waiting in the canyons, caves, or even inside the lava rivers until a prey came closer. One thing was certain. The Peaceful Plains had nothing on this place.

At least it will be fun. He chuckled, his quiet cawing filling his ears. I had enough of for—

"Isaac!"

He glanced down at the sudden shout of his name coming from his team far below. They were darting around in the sand, moving as if they were fighting air. He would have frowned if he could.

No, wait… not air…

He squinted, focusing harder. Among his three teammates, four additional figures moved. Their bodies were like transparent glass, which made them almost invisible to the naked eye, especially from such a distance. Other than that, they resembled giant scorpions—if scorpions could grow to the size of small cars.

Interesting welcoming committee, Isaac mused as he dived head-first toward the battlefield. The closer he got, the more noticeable the beasts became. Though, that could also amount to the few hits his team had already scored.

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Potential Threat: Low-Moderate

Drawing on a bit of blood from his core, Blood Draw ignited around his body. Like a living torpedo, he plunged into the nearest creature's back. Its glass-like carapace shattered on impact, splattering silver liquid across the sand.

He shot out of the other side of its body, transformed, and landed in a roll, the loose sand cushioning his momentum. He then glanced over his shoulder only to see the beast drop to the ground, dead.

[Glassstalker (LVL. 11) slain.]

No changes to kill notifications, he noted, even as two Crimson Deaths formed at his side. I guess there's no reason to fix what isn't broken.

As another Glassstalker fell to the combined might of Elaine and Maire, Isaac fired the spears at the two remaining beasts attacking James. Like always, the man held himself well, even against multiple enemies, his transformed arm and the new sword blocking everything coming his way. That the Scorpions were almost twice his size didn't matter.

At last, the Crimson Deaths reached their target, erupting almost on impact. The beasts screeched as they lost a leg and a tail, respectively. Still, despite the momentary pain, this seemed to only enrage them as they descended upon their nearest target again.

Good luck with that, Isaac thought, sprinting toward them and seeing Elaine doing the same on the other side of the battlefield. Marie, in her Legacy form, joined in the charge, too, water swirling around her form.

And James?

He dropped his sword and transformed both his hands into titanic, glowing gray shields. He barely stumbled when the scorpions slammed into them.

Let's end it.

The Root slipped into Isaac's hand, its surface flaring to life with a fresh surge of crimson energy. He closed the distance to the nearest scorpion and swung, releasing two sharp arcs of blood that cut across its side.

The glass-like carapace bent and shattered, earning one final dying screech from the beast. It dropped on the sand, half of its body gone. A moment later, its last companion suffered the same fate, crumpling with two jagged holes punched through its back. One was noticeably larger than the other, and with Marie's Legacy form slithering free from the wound, it wasn't hard to guess why.

Interesting… Isaac hummed, glancing at his teammates. They looked largely unharmed.

"Everyone alright?" he asked, just to make sure.

"I guess," Elaine said, brushing dust from her arm. "After the ambus—"

She paused mid-word when a sudden buzzing filled the air. All of them turned toward a narrow path between two jagged rock formations. They didn't have to wait long for the source of the noise to show up.

It was the same swarm of crimson insects Isaac had seen hovering over the lava rivers earlier. Only now that they were much closer, he could put their forms at something between a fist-sized scarab and a bee. There were at least a few dozen of them here.

Potential Threat: Low

Huh, shouldn't be a problem then. With that thought in mind, he shot forward, igniting the Root with another charge of Blood Draw. The moment the insects were within reach, he swung.

It turned out to be a mistake.

As the wave of blood washed over the monsters, they all detonated with the power of a grenade. And as Isaac was quite close, and he pretty much made them all explode at the same time, he took the brunt of the blast.

It sent him flying through the air until he hit the sand and continued tumbling across it. Once he rolled to a stop, he groaned, looking down at his body. A part of his arms and torso was scorched, not that he really cared. His regeneration would fix that in a couple minutes.

No, what really annoyed him was the destruction of another shirt. At this point, he would have to start going topless soon.

Never mind… I hate this place.

I'm really, really starting to hate this place, Isaac thought as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Around him, his team was doing the same, sprinting through the almost endless tunnels of this cavern. If not for the small stream of lava that had been their companion since the beginning of the dive, they would have already gotten lost.

"I cannot believe our sponsors sent us to kill a goddamn dragon!" James bellowed just as another roar behind them shook the entire cave. It sounded much louder than the last one. Not a good sign.

"It's Wyvern, not a dragon!" Elaine yelled back. "Dragons have four legs and two wings. Not two legs and two wings."

"Really, princess? Now of all times?!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Marie growled. "Isaac, what's the plan?!"

And wasn't that a great question? After his compass led them into this damned cave, they had expected to fight something more ordinary. Yet here they were, forced to face a fire and lava-spewing dragon. The creature almost cooked them alive when it had spotted them, hence the running. Ambushing it wasn't even an option.

"Get out of here and hit it with everything we got the moment it tries to follow?" he offered. "That's really all I have for now!"

"Better than nothing!" James yelled. "Ultimates?"

"Use them if you're sure you can land the shot," Isaac replied, spotting sunlight at the end of this bus-sized tunnel. "Otherwise, hold on for a better moment."

"Roger, Roger, boss! Let's kill the dragon! Or die trying!"

"It's a Wyvern!"

Isaac snorted, already gathering Viron and blood for overcharged Crimson Death.

Yeah, let's kill the dragon.

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