"This heat is cooking us alive!" Garrett yelled over the roar of the magma. Sweat poured down his face, and Red was visibly distressed, its fleece rapidly softening and failing to lock into armor. "Red can't hold the vanguard in this! I'm compromised!"
"Pull back to the midline!" Nathan ordered without hesitation. "Mirko, take the front! Derek—your Salamander was built for this environment! Take the spearhead!"
Derek didn't argue. He barked a command, and his Salamander roared, surging forward. The beast actively absorbed the ambient heat of the room, growing larger and more vicious as it slammed into a Forge Drake. The two titans collided in a blinding shockwave of fire and scale, snapping jaws and tearing at heavy armor. Derek moved flawlessly in his summon's shadow, exploiting the openings.
Mirko took the second Drake head-on. She caught a stream of molten slag directly on [Impenetrable Fortress], the emerald magic hissing violently into heavy steam.
