Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 71

"Whoo boy, it's hotter than a firefly's backside!"

The weird remark came from YellowThere, who took off his cowboy hat and mopped his forehead even though there wasn't even a single drop of sweat on his face.

He wasn't lying, though. It was hot, like they'd been teleported into an unforgiving desert. But it wasn't like any desert Severance had seen before.

They all stood on a circular platform, which was the only area raised high enough to remain untouched by an entire field of cooled lava flows. Not far from them was the ruins of an old stone building. Half of it had crumbled into a pile of scorched rocks, but the front half of the building still remained. The doorway that faced them swirled with the murky light of a dungeon entrance.

You have discovered a new location, the System silently informed Severance. Designated Outsider Instance: K-792

That didn't give Severance a good feeling. Not only was this place secluded in a part of the Lost Lands, but it was designated as 'Outsider' by the System itself. What was that supposed to mean?

"Looks like a nice place," Mr Softee quipped.

"Yeah, it looks awesome." Where Mr Softee had been sarcastic, Awesome Dude was entirely genuine. There was nothing but awe in the way he regarded their surroundings.

Severance wasn't surprised. His friend thought rocks were cool.

"You should be able to teleport here on your own now," Olen informed them. He'd folded his hands behind his back, unperturbed by the desolation around them.

"Cool," Mr Snowman responded.

"Naw," YellowThere immediately responded. "You see that lava? You know what it's sayin'? It's lookin' at ya, and it's sayin' 'not cool, man.'"

Someone groaned, even as Awesome Dude burst into laughter like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard in his life. "Dude! That's because lava's supposed to be hot, right? Did you get that, Sev?"

Severance rolled his eyes. It wasn't even remotely funny. Especially when one considered the lava around them had long since cooled into solid rock. These guys were trying too hard.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder. "Have fun," Maun's absurdly cheerful voice sang in his ear.

"You-!" Severance spun, dislodging Maun's grip, but a flash of light caught him in the face. When it faded, Maun was gone. So was Batin.

That only left Olen. The clansman's attention passed over the assembled team before settling on Severance.

"Be careful," the clansman murmured. He said nothing further, but he didn't need to. The warning in his gaze was enough. He took a single step back and instantly vanished, a scattering of pale sparks floating in his place.

"How'd he do that, anyway?" Mr Softee wandered up to Severance. "I've never seen an NPC move a group of people like that."

Severance looked at the Evoker. Then at the others, because he could see the same question all over their faces. What was he supposed to say? That wasn't something he could even begin to explain. And even if he knew the answer, he doubted he could speak of it.

"It's probably a clan ability." Morning Glory, the little healer, piped up. She tilted her head as she not-so-subtly looked at the prominent clan mark on Severance's shoulder. With his sleeveless coat, it was out in the open.

"Yeah, something like that." Severance quickly grabbed onto that idea, because it was sort of true. Most people knew by now that clan abilities were varied and often unique. He silently sent her a big thank-you.