The ecosystem inside the 4-Star Gate was maliciously aggressive.
Hide's body was now covered by the dark scales and he stood anchored to the slick, freezing bedrock, his leg talons were dug into the rock.
The metallic armor was absorbing the relentless barrage of magically dense hail. Each chunk of ice struck his armor like a bullet, shattering into freezing mist.
Every few seconds, blinding forks of jagged blue lightning tore down from the churning heavens. The electrical strikes didn't just illuminate the sky—they violently lashed the earth, leaving scorched, smoking craters across the terrain.
Looking through the torrential downpour, Hide realized to his absolute disappointment that they had manifested near the base of a colossal mountain. The jagged incline offered absolutely zero natural cover. There were no trees, no ruins, and no valleys.
The only reprieves from the devastating weather were a series of ominous caves dotting the rock face higher up the slope.
