The Volcano Region was a hellish landscape, its cracked obsidian ground spewing jets of steam, while rivers of molten rock flowed sluggishly between jagged peaks. The air shimmered with heat, turning every breath into a searing burn. It was the perfect battleground for someone like Nara.
She tore through the battlefield, her body wreathed in flames, her fists striking with the force of a hammer. Each punch sent competitors flying, their armor scorched, their confidence shattered. Even the beasts that roamed the region seemed to recognize her as a predator. Lava hounds backed away, their instincts warning them of the inferno's wrath.
Then, it happened.
A glint of metal caught her eye—a vial sailing through the air. The moment it shattered against her shoulder, a strange purple mist engulfed her. She coughed, blinking rapidly, as her vision swam and the world tilted. The battlefield twisted into bizarre shapes, colors bleeding into each other in unnatural ways.
The hallucinogen took hold fast.
Nara growled, trying to shake off the effects, but her mind betrayed her. The ground beneath her no longer felt solid; it wobbled like jelly. Figures around her distorted—some turned into monstrous, shadowy shapes, others stretched impossibly tall. The sky above flickered between night and day, as if time had lost meaning.
And then she saw him—the elf who had thrown the vial.
In her disoriented state, his smirking face stood out like a beacon. A sneer of arrogance, a glint of mischief in his golden eyes. He was laughing at her. Laughing.
Rage burned away all rational thought.
With an earth-shaking roar, Nara charged. The very ground cracked beneath her explosive steps, her movements fueled by raw fury rather than coordination. The elf's smirk vanished as he realized that, hallucinogen or not, he had just made the worst mistake of his life.
"Shit, shit, shit!" he yelped, turning on his heel and sprinting toward the forest bordering the volcanic region.
But Nara followed.
She smashed through everything in her path—trees, rocks, and unfortunate competitors too slow to move. Her flames set the underbrush ablaze, leaving a trail of fire and destruction in her wake. She didn't care. The only thing that mattered was catching him.
Jhaeros and Velka
Elsewhere, in the Ravine Forest…
Jhaeros knelt beside the corpses of several Ravine Deer, their bodies still warm, their wounds fresh. Velka had already begun feasting on one, her sharp fangs tearing into the tender flesh. It was a necessary meal, and Jhaeros let her eat, while his hands worked efficiently.
With practiced precision, he removed the antlers, careful not to damage the structure. Ravine Deer horns were valuable—they contained properties useful in medicine, particularly for treating wounds and inflammation. He had no intention of wasting them.
Velka huffed contentedly, her tail flicking as she continued eating. The scent of blood lingered in the humid air, but it did not bother him.
Then—
"HELP!! HELP!! HELP!! HELP!! HELP!! HELP!! HELP!! HELP!! HELP!!"
Jhaeros' ears twitched.
The sound of frantic footsteps reached him before he even saw them—several participants bolting past him in utter terror. Their eyes were wide with fear, their armor dented and scorched. One of them tripped, scrambled to his feet, and kept running without looking back.
Jhaeros swiftly rose, his feline reflexes already preparing for an unseen threat. Velka snapped her head up from her meal, ears perked, muscles tensed.
He stepped into their path and matched their speed, running alongside them with effortless agility.
"What happened?" he asked, his voice calm but firm.
One of the fleeing competitors, a young man with a torn cloak and a burn mark on his shoulder, gasped out, "An orc—on fire—she's chasing us! She's insane!"
Another runner, panting heavily, added, "She's completely lost it! She's screaming, breaking everything—nothing's stopping her!"
Jhaeros frowned. An orc? On fire?
His gut twisted. There was only one person that could be.
Then, from behind them—
A thunderous crash shook the ground.
Jhaeros' sharp eyes snapped toward the source of the noise, and his breath caught.
Through the trees, a wall of flames surged toward them, consuming everything in its path. And in the heart of that inferno, an unmistakable figure emerged.
Nara.
Her eyes were wild, unfocused, yet locked onto something—or someone—far ahead. Her fists still burned, the heat distorting the air around her. Leaves ignited just from her passing. Bark on trees blackened and cracked from the sheer intensity of her presence.
And she was moving fast.
Jhaeros made a split-second decision.
"Get out of here," he ordered the fleeing participants. "Now."
They didn't need to be told twice. The competitors scattered, diving deeper into the forest, leaving him standing in Nara's direct path.
Velka snarled, lowering her body into a defensive stance, but Jhaeros placed a calming hand on her head.
"Nara," he called, voice sharp.
She didn't react.
She was beyond reason, trapped in a mind consumed by illusions and rage. And whatever she saw in that moment wasn't him.
Jhaeros narrowed his eyes. He could handle Nara in a fight—but a berserk, hallucinatory Nara? That was a different problem.
Velka growled beside him, sensing the imminent battle.
Jhaeros didn't have much time to think.
The firestorm raged forward.
And so, with measured breath, Jhaeros prepared for the fight to come.