Steam choked the narrow descent route, and Kikaru drove her boots into the crumbling rock to keep from sliding.
The dungeon was coming apart beneath her, the rock melting away like cotton candy dropped in water. Superheated air warped the dark, and her carbon-fiber brace clicked an uneven rhythm against the incline while her prototype armor fought to keep her balanced on terrain that would not hold still.
A brace-load warning flashed red across her HUD before static swallowed the icon. The expensive gear had nothing solid to push against.
A shadow dropped through the vapor behind her, and she spun with her plasma rifle up.
Soma passed her without a word.
He wore no armor, only a white trench coat with a heavy fur-lined collar that hung past his knees, the dark blue lining catching the heat-glow of the cavern.
Silver-white hair fell over his pale features, and he kept his hands in his pockets as he walked down the boiling incline like the floor was not trying to kill them both.
