The red flare split the sky like a wound.
Hunnt and Alder raced across the scorched ridge, their boots cracking through layers of cooled ash. The air burned with a metallic taste, and the world ahead pulsed in shades of molten red. Below, the basin glowed — rivers of lava crawling between fissures like veins beneath skin. And from within that inferno came a sound that didn't belong to earth.
A heartbeat.
Slow. Trembling. Alive.
They reached the edge just as a gust of heat struck, washing over them in a wall of pain. Down in the crater, two figures stood amid the shimmering haze — Kael and Seren, their silhouettes cut sharp against the rising glow. Kael had his light bowgun slung across his back, eyes scanning the trembling ground. Seren's lance was planted firm before her, the steel of her shield warped from the heat.
Alder squinted. "That's them. And judging by the flare… they've found it."
Hunnt's eyes narrowed. "Then it's already waking."
They descended the ridge, sliding through black dust that hissed beneath their boots. Kael turned as they approached, the faint shimmer of sweat glinting on his temple.
"Took your time," Kael said, voice strained but calm. "It's restless."
Hunnt tossed him a small leather satchel. "Had to make something first."
Kael caught it. "Let me guess — it's not lunch."
"Cool Drinks," Hunnt said. "Two each. It'll keep your insides from cooking."
Alder peered into his satchel and whistled. "And these green ones?"
"Potions. Five per head. Use them when you're too broken to walk."
Kael smirked. "You always think ahead, don't you?"
"I just plan to survive," Hunnt said, pulling the cork from his own bottle and downing a swig. The cool shock hit his throat like winter ice. Alder drank next, gasping as it froze his tongue.
"Holy hells," Alder sputtered. "That's colder than snow in the spine!"
Seren tried hers and coughed, the chill cutting through the burn of the air. "Feels like drinking icefire."
"You'll thank me later," Hunnt said, sealing his flask. "Drink the second when you start to burn."
Kael took another sip and glanced toward the crater. "Then we better move. It's shifting."
They gathered at the edge, heat shimmering between them and the abyss below. The mountain's skin — Vulcarion's shell — twitched like a living wound. Each slow exhale vented jets of flame from fissures along its side. The sound wasn't just air; it was breath — hot, thick, and ancient.
Seren swallowed, her fingers tightening on her lance. "So that's the Slumbering Furnace…"
"Not for long," Hunnt said. He turned to the others. "Roles before it wakes. Kael — you lead. Keep distance, find patterns, call shots. Seren, you take the front. Hold its attention and cover Alder when he swings. Alder — you're our hammer. Hit when Kael calls it. No reckless charges."
Alder smirked. "Reckless is my style."
"Then tone it down," Hunnt replied flatly. "I'll keep its focus on me. If it looks your way, I'll make it regret it."
Kael looked up from his bowgun. "You're baiting a living volcano?"
Hunnt slid his gauntlets on, the black metal hissing as it met the heat. "Better me than you."
The ground trembled. Then it broke.
The entire basin shuddered as molten rock shifted beneath them. Steam exploded upward, throwing waves of heat across the ridge. From within the cracks, light spilled — orange, white, and furious.
Then came the sound.
A roar so deep it drowned the world.
It wasn't just noise; it was power — the kind that bent stone and air alike. Kael staggered, covering his ears. Seren dug her lance into the ground to steady herself. Alder grit his teeth, shielding his face with his forearm as fire rippled outward in concentric waves.
The Vulcarion Basal rose.
Its shell split along its back, glowing veins bleeding magma into the air. The creature's head emerged from the molten crust, eyes burning gold — brighter than the sun, colder than wrath. Every breath vented smoke and molten gas, turning the basin into a living furnace.
Alder exhaled shakily. "That's not a monster. That's a goddamn mountain."
Hunnt lowered into stance. "Then we break the mountain."
Kael raised his bowgun. "Open fire!"
The first volley cracked the air — piercing rounds slamming into Vulcarion's head. Sparks erupted, but no blood followed. The wyvern barely flinched. Its gaze shifted toward the hunters, molten fury swirling in its eyes.
Seren charged first, shield high. Her boots melted into the stone with every step, but she didn't slow. She thrust her lance into the creature's leg — metal meeting rock with a scream. The weapon bounced off harmlessly, sending a jolt up her arm.
Alder followed, roaring as he swung his great sword in a downward arc. The blade struck Vulcarion's flank — and ricocheted off, leaving not even a crack.
"What—?" Alder gasped.
Kael's next volley of explosive rounds detonated against its side — nothing. No damage. Only fire.
Hunnt blurred forward, his Observation Haki locking onto the beast's shifting heat. He slammed his fists — cloaked in Armament Haki — into its chest with a double strike. The sound cracked like thunder. For a heartbeat, even the air trembled.
Then Vulcarion turned its head toward him.
Hunnt leapt back just as the monster's tail crashed down, a molten whip that split the ground where he stood. The shockwave sent shards of obsidian flying in every direction.
Kael shouted over the chaos. "It's like hitting iron! No weak points yet!"
Seren gritted her teeth, raising her shield again as another blast of heat surged outward. The air shimmered; her armor hissed, glowing faintly red. Alder planted his blade and steadied himself, breath ragged.
Hunnt landed beside him, his gauntlets glowing faintly from heat. "You good?"
"Define good!" Alder barked, sweat streaming down his face.
Hunnt grinned. "Still standing. That's good enough."
Then the ground rumbled again — harder, deeper.
Vulcarion's shell cracked wider, and magma spilled between its plates.
The heat doubled. The sound deepened.
Kael's voice cut through the roar. "It's shifting into rage!"
Hunnt's gaze sharpened. "Everyone, brace!"
The wyvern's chest expanded — then exploded in light.
A surge of molten energy tore through the basin, a pillar of flame shooting skyward.
The shockwave slammed into the hunters, throwing them back across the ridge.
Kael hit the ground, rolling behind a boulder. Seren dropped to one knee, her shield scorched. Alder coughed through smoke, armor glowing faintly from the heat. Hunnt dug his gauntlets into the ground, sliding backward until he stopped, his boots carving trenches in the stone.
When the fire cleared, Vulcarion Basal stood in full — its shell a living volcano, each crack glowing brighter than before.
Kael lowered his arm and exhaled shakily. "So this is its rage phase…"
Hunnt's voice came low, steady. "Then this is where the real fight begins."