Changeling

Nestra checked her helmet status. The air was technically breathable if one thought tear gas was an acceptable fragrance. By her side, Miu’s head was encased in a transparent bubble that made her look like a vintage cosmonaut. She slowed down as the tunnel she was in widened into a vast cavern.

The black volcanic rock of this world was covered in thick yellow slabs of sulfur. Surprisingly, half of the cave was submerged under a shallow layer of water, and plumes of yellow gas bubbled out of numerous pools with vulgar gurgles. The temperature would have been suffocating were it not for the Bellerophon armor’s current ice coating. Nestra’s mana reserves were massive for a mid D-class, and she was putting those to good use.

“Think there are more of them here?” Miu bleated.

She didn’t like giant, slime-covered worms. Go figure.

“I know there are more. Stand back. Let me get their attention.”

Nestra confidently stepped towards the water. It was close to boiling temperature and would flash-cook any baseline on contact, but she was a gleam. An ice gleam. She had this.

Nestra looked up before beginning. Through the cracks of the ceiling, she could see glimpses of a shockingly blue sky, not unlike Earth’s own.

Right. Enough of this. Wordlessly, Nestra activated her Zero Aura. It was getting faster and easier every time.

Water particles turned to floating ice around her. A wind pushed the toxic fumes away, dispersing them and clearing sight. Fingers of ice crept from the edges of the pools towards the center with quickening hunger. Nestra adopted a low guard. She’d been using that one very often recently.