Chapter 18: The Point of No Return

I kept looking around me, but the feeling wouldn't decrease in the slightest... on the contrary, I got the feeling I was being stared at from multiple directions...

And to make matter worse, my <Aura Body> ability picked up multiple life forms in the area. Uncertain what kind of creatures I would encounter within this outrageously wild area, first and foremost I had to take my own safety into consideration...

"Stay alert! Prey that don't have the home field advantage are the easiest to catch, it's on you if you let that happen!"

I tried to keep myself focused and alert,

as my <Aura Body> ability had previously picked up a lot of hostile creatures...

Yet, it seemed like it didn't pick up any fital signs of creatures that would be closing in on me, some weaker prey had gotten itself lost and, like myself were easy picking.

Looking at them I became hungry. Unable to let such a chance slip by, I closed is as I finally was able to...

Just when I thought all incoming hostility had vanished and I would be able to enjoy and easy meal... The ground began to shake and tear,

finally cracking open and revealing something huge...

In the nick of time I was able to avoid its immeasurable mouth. Still rolling from the momentum and unable to see where I went...

I slammed my back into a wall abruptly coming to a stop... As I had tumbled upside-down I wasn't able to get a clear view, that was when I heard it...

A bone chilling high pitched shreek followed by bone shattering and crunching noises.

The beast's voice shook the surrounding area almost like the sound a whale would make...

but as I was unable to believe that a whale could be present so deep under the ground,

I had to see what was happening... I turned myself right side-up and opened my eyes.

I couldn't believe my eyes, as what transpired serveral feet away from me was the stuff of horrors...

Unable to grasp what I saw, the only thing I knew for certain was that it was several more times gruesome than what I had encountered at birth...

That was when it dawned on me, not only where I was, but maybe even what had transpired in front of me... that I must have had some sort of guardian angel protecting me from all these insanities!

I couldn't believe my eyes, as I firmly believed what transpired could only be the stuff of fiction, yet... Here it transpired in front of me.

The place where the prey was located at,

was nowhere to be found... instead... a giant crater could be seen, with a creature inside which looked almost like a machine...

Its maw opened up revealing serveral layers of teeth even though its jaws bended outwards, almost as if its mouth resembled a claw which could quickly catch anything without fail...

The inside of these ferocious jaws shook me tot the core, not only was the beast filled with teeth to the brim, it looked like once caught, there was no turning back...

As the jaws clamped on to serveral prey at the same time, its jaws began to rotate almost giving me thd feeling of a blender... the immeasurable amount if teeth made short work of its prey as they quickly got turned into a minced meat.

Not even leaving behind their carcasses the beast quickly returned to the depth from once it came, only leaving a gigantic crater in its wake...

As I looked in awe, dumbstruck by fear of the beast and hoping it wouldn't return...

I had survived something crazy yet again...

It was clear that I didn't belong here, not in the slightest... The world had shown me yet again...

That if you wanted to survive, you had to outwit your opponents.

"Survival of the fittest!"

As I shouted that phrase at the top of my lungs,

I finally calmed down, or... at least enough to take in the enviroment I had found myself in...

Way different that the luminescent rocks, creatures and area's. Here everything seemed to be well lit...

Magma oozed up from the edges of the wells,

geysers with piping hot steam, shot out the air which made it clear why the area had become hotter and more intense as I had slowly entered the area previously. It was almost like going from a cave to a volcanic region...

I was still on edge as I didn't know what I could encounter next, but, one thing was certain...

I was hungry...

Having lost my easy prey to the monstrosity,

I realized I had not checked out what kind of creature it was...

Previously it almost felt like it resembled a machine, when I suddenly remembered a type of creature from a specific cardgame.

As I did, I uttered the words; "Wurm".

Slowly I began exploring, while searching for food.

The heat began getting to me as I wasn't used to the sheer temperature rise, still... I had to move on...

I couldn't be the only one here, having a hard time, right? Unable to think straight because of the heat I decided it was best to try and find a water source.

As I was unable to return, knowing I would be ambushed by the remaining Scarlet Scavenger I was forced to find my resources in the unexplored area.

I had gone so far the rabbit hole, thay it seemed almost impossible to venture back using the same route, knowing this... I literally had no other option than to find a different path leading upwards.

As I went on my journey to find both a food- and water source nothing really seemed to go my way...

I did find serveral unfamiliar creatures, but quickly found that they were much more nimble on their feet than mee... as they left me in the dust, I wasn't going to let it stop me...

For what felt like serveral hours hours on end, I was unable to find anything which remotely felt like food or water of some sort... When I finally stumbled upon what seemes like a river, but... instead of water... Lava was flowing through...

*sigh*

Where... The... Hell... Am I?!

Frustrated and almost overwhelmed by the heat,

I quickly took a step back. I had to find another way, as I was unable to cross the scorching river of flowing magma... I turned around to go and look for another way around, but... when I did...

I could have sworn something was staring at me from the other side. 

Deciding not to care much about it, I went on my way following the never ending stream of magma...

Hoping to find the origin of the river, I kept on walking... all the while I was unable to shake the feeling of being watched... now, what felt like miles away from the entrance. I noticed something withing the seemingly endless stream of magma.

At the middle of the river huge platforms could be seen, thinking these were rocks I calmed down a bit as it seemed I had found a way across the insanely life threatening river of magma. But that was when a bubble formed in the river... as it bursted something shot upwards from the depths of the river.

"Magma!"

Huge chunks of magma flew through the air, towards the area from which I was standing on. Quickly I tried to dodge the endless rain of chucks, and it looked like I was doing a great job at it, but as I dodged, something made me trip and fall on my back...

As I did, I was unable to dodge the last chuck which landed on my vulnerable stomach area, leaving its mark I got burned... the pain shot through, like something I had never witnessed before. The wound kept throbbing as it had burned my skin heavily.

As I thought things couldn't even get any worse...

A creature surface from the depths of the river,

which had set its sights on me...

As it surfaced, I was yet unable to see what it resambled as it was shrouded in magma,

its shillouette didn't gave me any clues of what it might be, the only thing I knew was that if I wouldn't move right now, that I was done for...