Melting problems

"Clem, what are you talking about?" Clem looked directly at the station. Upon closer inspection, some parts were melted or destroyed—walls, machines, and more.

However, all the fences and screens were missing.

Clem aimed towards the entrance and entered the station alone.

"Stay behind me. I don't know what happened. My bunnies aren't capable nor have they been trained for it."

"Your bunnies?"

"Just keep following me, Mister Chump."

Chump followed, clutching his bag and watching Clem's back. There were no sounds, no footprints—just the stench of burned wood and food.

Upon entering one of the rooms left by the destruction, Clem kneeled, examining the wreckage closely. He picked up fragments of furniture and machinery.

The wood was burnt with cracks. The plastic was melted and bent. And most of the metal was partially missing or melted.

"These weren't just melted, they were broken too. Something or someone came and tried to break these before melting them," Clem commented uncertainly.

"Huh?" Chump asked. "Why would they need to break them before melting?"

Clem's voice barely changed as he stood up. "I don't know. But I've been here before, and there was nothing capable of this... We need to hurry and get to my camp. Whatever it is, maybe they're on their way."

Chump finished the thought. "Or they're already there." Then spoke up. "Alright, I'll follow you."

Both exited the station and entered the village. The grim reminder hit them like a hammer. More corpses. Animals mourning their owners' bodies.

"At least no one had to suffer. While we're at it... are there any surviving babies left alone?"

"It's true that some people survived. As for the babies and the elderly, we made sure their souls were taken completely. Don't worry about that right now. Meisho confirmed the procedure was painless."

"What went wrong with the spell?" Chump asked.

"We're not sure. But something made it impossible to gather all the souls initially." The golem's tone indicated uncertainty.

"Any idea of what was it?" The human insisted.

"I don't know, okay?" Clem nervously shouted. "Can we focus? My lab is nearby; we need to hurry."

"Are we going to your lab or following the path left by that thing?" Chump asked, concerned.

"At this point... I think both."

They continued walking. Far away, a blue metallic house next to IKEA (a large furniture store) came into view. Leaving the desolated village behind, they reached the highway that separated it from the industrial district and markets.

However, destruction marred the road. Large chunks of the highway were thrown aside, forming a pile covered in dirt and sand. The bridge had missing sections in the middle. Most metallic elements—barriers, signs, lights—were missing or scarce.

A beast was on the highway, striking the ground with its hands and breaking it into chunks.

The beast stood as tall as Clem, its body glowing a hot red. Its torso consisted of chunks of molten magma, emitting steam that anyone nearby could feel.

The creature's fangs and legs were covered in obsidian skin, diamond bones, and coal muscles. Its head was made of austenite, an unstable steel mostly comprised of iron and a bit of coal, preventing it from solidifying entirely.

Its eyes resembled fiery orange emerald-like rubies.

The creature struck the highway with its powerful claws once again, unaware of their presence nearby. Its fangs began digging into a section of the highway, while its claws cut and drilled through the stones effortlessly.

Once the stones were small enough to be picked up, the creature sniffed them. Some were tossed aside in a pile, while others were consumed and later expelled as small molten mineral chunks.

"Good fucking dammit, what the hell is that?" Chump whispered, using his handbag as a shield and cover.

Clem stepped back, pulling Chump with him.

"It's a molten devourer, known as the 'Terramors Ursus Devorator.' They usually inhabit volcanic zones or deep underground, so their destructive behavior here is unintentional," Clem informed, his voice tinged with fear.

"How did it end up here? You know what? Don't answer that. It's just an animal, right? We can go around and ignore it. If it doesn't notice us, we'll be fine, right?"

"No, my chest has the same crystal too... Goddess, my research."

Chump's whisper grew slightly louder. "It's a predator of yours?! Right here and now?! Oh come on, what a coincidence! Clem, what do we do?"

"I don't know."

The beast sniffed the air, its body slowly moving in their direction. Its eyes weren't focused, moving around its face absentmindedly.

Chump lowered his voice. "Any tricks up your sleeves? Any plans?"

"No, my powers involve electricity or metal, and both barely affect it. Its head nullifies any electric powers, and its body melts metal easily." Clem was frozen, his arms trembling, his voice laced with anxiety and fear.

"Call Meisho then! She'll get help; she's your master!"

"She won't arrive in time. We have limited resources, and I'd be breaking our contract if I did that! I won't perish because of this incident."

"Then forget the lab and let's wait it out-"

Clem grabbed Chump by the shirt, his expression one of fear.

"If I lose all the resources and research provided by Meisho, I'll be dishonored! I can't lose that, not now!"

The golem's expression barely changed, his eyes widening by design. His voice, however, carried all the anxiety and fear he was experiencing.

As the beast charged towards Clem faster than before, it attacked the golem.

Clem aimed both hands towards the bear. The chest crystal illuminated in purple as the metallic torso became covered in thunderous marks.

With a dazzling purplish-blue brilliance, a thunderous energy emanated from the golem, culminating in a powerful impact on the beast.

However, the beast was only minimally affected, merely slowing down for a brief moment.

It then retaliated, launching an attack against the golem.

Chump pushed Clem back, jolting the giant golem and compelling it to continue moving. The human knocked on its head a few times until it responded.

"Run! We need time! Then you can call for reinforcements! It's made of molten metal, right?" Chump yelled at the metal-headed man while grabbing his hand.

Clem replied doubtfully. "Yeah... but water will hardly affect it."

Chump laughed as he feigned a move towards the beast. "Hahaha, no-no, that's heated metal, over hundreds of degrees Celsius. We're in the perfect place!"

Clem asked, his voice reflecting ignorance and fear. "For what exactly?"

Chump smiled, radiating confidence. "To kill it, of course!" As they ran towards the industrial zone.