Chapter 4 – Hot Jaws
It was in a distant land, which was not included in modern maps of this world. In a place that is dark and foreboding, where only the strong survive. It can be characterized as a burn-empty landscape at first glance. Stretching across the land is an ashen plain covered in dark, seemingly lifeless soil, while the air is filled with the stench of sulfur and burning. Surrounding this place are rugged mountain ranges, adding to its isolation and inaccessibility. The influence of the active volcanoes is evident in the plumes of smoke and ash. These seemingly barren wastelands, cracked Earth, and rivers of molten lava further contribute to the bleak nature reflected in the oppressive presence of the creatures that reside here.
A magma river follows away from a mighty volcano, churning and bubbling as it flows down to the seemingly barren planes. Its rhythmic sounds are interrupted by a loud bang and a splash.
A shark-like creature dropped from the sky to the shore. It looked like a bull shark but covered in rocky magma skin, like armor. It converged, its body glowing as the creature took its last breath. An apex predator in its environment is dead by the shore of the magma river.
A few seconds later, a humanoid figure came from the flowing magma. Unfazed, it dripped the molten liquid from its body. As the remaining magma hardens and cracks, the figure continues to walk toward the Magma Shark. As solidified magma starts to crack and peel off, the creature reveals its flawless skin.
It was human-like. A male, he was tall and had a muscular build, reflecting his physical prowess and projecting an aura of authority and strength. His golden hair and eyes radiated, and with a smile, he looked nothing like when he was dropped from the sky. He now looked like a living statue of those Greek gods back on Earth, a bit battered but still giving off a radiant aura of an otherworldly being. He became taller and more muscular.
He hobbled over to the Magma Shark’s corpse. Despite his imposing build, visible bite marks and lacerations marred his near-perfect body.
He examined the body and then looked around. He seemed unfazed by his environment as if he had already experienced something like this.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a magma shark. What an interesting species.”
A voice said, seemingly coming from nowhere.
“Do not underestimate them. They seem to be one of the most dangerous predators in this area.”
“You always worry too much, Romy. This is the most fun I have had in a while.”
Nolen seems to be speaking to his right palm, where a crystal is embedded and glows as if it is saying.
“It’s my job to worry. I am your G.I. Remember, Guardian Intelligence system. My job is to assist you and ensure you do your job.”
“I know, I know. Protect the Earth and guide humanity to the right path. I have been doing that for the past five years.”
“A job was given to you by the council and your parents no less. You know how important your job is, right? How many resources were prioritized for you?” Romy reminded Nolen.
Massaging his eyebrows, he seemed defeated by his companion. Nolen switched the topic to avoid another long lecture.
“Anyway, I was a bit worried back there. No matter how I tried to contact you with our mind link, you didn’t answer me.”
“My system is fried due to whatever happened to us back there. The summoning, or whatever you called it, did a number on my system and took some time to reboot. It did a number on you as well, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, I felt so drained after that light show. I had to play along until I could figure things out. My senses were numb, and I couldn’t react when they dropped us on that active volcano out of nowhere. Lucky for us, I could recover using the energy from the magma while we were getting rolled around by the undercurrent of the magma flow.”
“Surprisingly, many things could survive in molten magma here. I could scan a few of them, but my system barely returned when we were slushed around. We are really in a different world from Earth.” Romy sounded a bit surprised in her tone.
“Yup, then this big boy came. I never thought we would meet that thing. It was strong. Also, where the hell are we?” Nolen asked while looking around
“I don’t have enough function to determine that, but I can tell you we are still on the same planet but in a different region from the soil composition. How far from the place we started from, I don’t know. I’ll need to recover my system for that.”
“Then let’s look around, Romy. Let’s get our bearings first, then set up camp here. I want to taste some otherworldly shark meat.”
“Okay, you look around; I’ll continue my systems check and assess your body. Also, find some clothes, your butt naked.” Romy said with a snarky tone
“That’s what happens when you take a dip with your clothes on in magma, Romy; they turn to ash. Also, how am I supposed to find clothes in the middle of nowhere?” He gestured at his body with a puzzled look.
“We will figure that out later; assessment first. I have no idea how damaged my system got. I must run a full diagnostic and check how bad it is.”
The crystal then dove back into Nolen’s body as if it were part of it all along.
Nolen then proceeded to look around. His strength was barely restored, so he did not go too far from the Magma Shark’s body. Gathering what he thought was helpful around him while he was looking.
