Investigate ahead.

Niki leads the pack, though Vyzia and Lynx are nearly beside her. Despite her usual distance, Eva follows closely behind, now that she's nearly immune to even a bath of flames. You pass the others to join them, and behind the group comes Dixby, revitalized now that she's bolstered her own resistance against the heat--her and Lalarin already looking better. Though as Malakae notices even her bunnyfolk rival braving ahead, she hustles forward to join. It seems she doesn't want to be outdone.

Despite the climate only becoming worse as one strays from the path, Snow perches up on the hillside with her bow still ready. Sweat runs down her inner thighs, and coats her pale skin in a radiant glow, perhaps betraying her stealthy preference beneath the light of the sun in an area where there's nowhere to hide, though subtlety isn't her only skill. As she draws back the bowstring of her magic weapon, her aim remains stable, and focused on something you've yet to see.

"Impidian," is all she says before the arrow is released.

The projectile shatters through the body of a tiny creature the moment it comes into view. All that remains is a pile of broken glass as dark as coal. Though immediately, Snow withdraws another arrow from her quiver, signalling to you that it's far from over.

"What's an impidian?" you ask quickly.

Eva points forward her wand. "Tiny elemental creatures. Very deadly. They may be small, but they're made of obsidian."

"They shatter with ease," Snow adds. "But one cut could be lethal. They're sharper than any sword."

"And they travel in groups."

Right on cue, several come streaming out from behind the corner. Not unlike goblins, they're like tiny snarling humanoid creatures, though they're far more rotund, and their entire bodies are made from shards of black glass. They scrape the stone beneath them as they sprint towards the party with tiny legs. While not alarmingly fast, their danger comes in numbers, and the fact that one could easily slice through a limb. You draw Lauo and prepare for combat.

The first gets the boot from Niki, and it bursts into fragments against the hillside. After that attempt, the next tries to leap, and it does so far higher than anyone expects. Niki thankfully blocks the attack with her should, and the fact that it's bolstered by magic means hardly a cut remains despite the sharpness of her foe's appendages. Without even the need of her mace, she crushes it down beneath the weight and strength of her body, and shards of obsidian splatter out beneath her shield.

"Magic Bolt!" Eva shouts, and her sparkling projectile causes the next to shatter as well. "Magic Bolt!" she repeats, taking out yet another.

The targets are small. That's another danger. But it seems Eva's aim is on point.

One nears Captain Silver, and at last she draws her blade. Her skills make quick work of her foe, as well as the one which follows. Meanwhile, Xue remains silent behind her. The two make eye contact briefly, but she shakes her head, as if to say his aid is not yet necessary.

Rabbit's Foot is the next to leap into action. She moves with incredible precision and agility. One kick defeats an impidian instantly, and a second perishes the same. She spins her staff around, and whacks a third foe down to the ground. She jumps and flips over one going for her ankles, and it doesn't even have time to turn before she pierces it to the ground by the tip of her weapon.

She glances up with widened eyes. Three leap down from a higher point, and she hardly has time to move. Though as she steps back, the cracked stone beneath her heel gives way, and it causes her to fall backwards. She uses this momentum to throw herself the same direction, places her hands down flat against the ground, and flips away just before the impidians would have pierced her.

"... Whew. Lucky," she says with a grin. "Nice try, criminals."

Beyond her, at least a dozen more are on their way.

Malakae steps forward with a sigh. She blows bangs from her eyes, and reaches her hands out to the sides with fingers outstretched like claws. "These aren't burglars, bunny. Step aside and let a true mage handle this."

"Ooh. Are we supposed to be going full out already?" Eva asks.

Vyzia shakes her head. "These creatures aren't much of a threat to people like us."

Not even seeming to hear the words from those around her, Malakae's arms glow with swirling magic. Her hands rise up, and her golden eyes glow bright. "These creatures are weak to all which would destroy glass. The answer is easy. Take this, you foolish, pathetic creatures. The magic of a gold dragon! Shatter!" Then with a thrust forward of her grasp, a point in space between the oncoming impidians sparkles. A mere second passes before a shockwave detonates across the battlefield. The impidians caught in the spell become no more than tiny razor sharp fragments scattering in all directions.

However, said fragments are just as dangerous.

Niki jumps into action with her shield up in the air. "Titan's Bulwark!" she shouts. While she doesn't have nearly as much mana as a mage, her reserve is more than enough to call upon a massive rectangular barrier which is wide enough to almost completely block the opening between the hills. It absorbs the deadly shower of glass before it can injure anybody behind her.

After the spell is lowered, she looks back to Malakae with a furled brow. "Careful. You almost got the others hurt."

"I--Well, you see..." she frantically tries to explain.

But before she can, there's a scream from behind.

"Salamander!" Eva yells out in panic. She stumbles back as a massive six-legged serpent glowing with fire all down its crimson scales erupts from the unstable ground directly beside the center of the party. It bares its teeth down at her, and the flames of its burning body flare up as if to appear even larger.

A stream of fire then rushes from its maw. The deadly breath completely showers the panicked bunnyfolk, though immediately, the others are on their way. Niki sprints over to protect her, Amara hurries with healing magic at the ready, and you're already in the air.

Fava flutters away, and you drive Lauo directly into the face of the salamander without hesitation. It crashes to the ground, and you hop back a moment before further flames leak out from the opened wound.

Whether it was already dead or not will never be known, because hardly a second later, Bek's maul absolutely crushes its head.

"Got it!" announces the dwarf. "How are you, lass? Oh... Nevermind. She's fine."

"Yeah. I mean, did you all forget about the potion?" Dixby comments.

"B-But, she--" Malakae looks her over with pink in her cheeks.

"Oh my," says Captain Silver. "Honestly, with the whole metallic thing you have going, it's quite a beautiful sight."

"I don't see the issue," says Vyzia.

Eva stands still. She remains in shock for a moment, but slowly opens her eyes. She breathes a sigh of relief upon remembering her condition. But then she looks down, and her eyes widen. With such a mighty burst of fire, not a single fragment of her outfit remains. She stands completely nude, with a metal-coloured body like a nude statue made from solid brass. Her skin shines bright--every last inch of it, exposed for all to see. But then, she reactions in a way beyond even what you expected.

She falls to her knees and lets out a humiliating moan. Her eyes roll back, and with one hand between her legs, she looks as if she's about to cum. Though the initial one was much louder, she continues to whimper and pant beneath her breath, and even though it's impossible to see any blush in her cheeks by the strange condition of her enchanted skin, it isn't difficult to tell. She's overwhelmed by euphoria, and it couldn't just be from being seen naked.

"D-Do you need healing?" Amara asks with concern.

"No... I'm not hurt," Eva whispers. She shivers. Then slowly, not without embarrassment in her eyes, she pulls herself up onto wobbling legs. She wraps her arms around her body in a futile attempt to cover up what she can, though her breasts are so large, and with the other hand between her legs, she can do nothing to conceal her bouncing ass. The brass bunny looks around in an increasing state of panic with so many eyes upon her. Then she looks to you. "Kyle, I think there's another side effect the potion had on me."

Dixby glances away. "Oh yeah. You can take a blast from a dragon, but there are two side effects. One is that your skin looks the way it does, and the other is that instead of experiencing pain from the heat, it's replaced by pleasure. That's better though, right? You wouldn't want--"

"Is it though?!" Eva shouts. "Right in front of everyone, I almost c--I mean, I guess I lived."

"It doesn't last that long though. None of the potions do. So we shouldn't linger."

"Are you gonna be good to keep going?" you ask Eva.

She nods. "Just try not to walk too quickly," she mutters. "I gotta try to cover myself up."

"But why?" Vyzia asks.

Stax snorts. "Because her body bounces too much otherwise."

"So does mine."

"That's enough!" Malakae calls out. "Oh and... s-sorry about before. I forgot you weren't all as strong as a dragon."

Only a brief moment passes with the others staring back at her before she caves.

"I mean, I wasn't thinking. All right? But the impidians are gone, so we should continue. I'll be more cautious going forward."

While the others talk, and poor Eva continues to struggle with her wardrobe malfunction as well as the burning heat within her body, your ears perk up. You look to Snow, who looks back to you as if to suggest she hears something as well. Lalarin, with a bunnyfolk's keen hearing (when it isn't incredibly distracted by something else) also seems to be picking it up. Though they look confused. Your expression is far different. It's familiar, the sound. You can't place it at first. Though slowly, your disbelief ceases to be in the way of reality. It has to be true, even if it seems implausible.

"What is that?" Lalarin asks.

"A creature perhaps," says Snow. "One I haven't heard before."

Amara brings a hand to her ear and attempts to listen. "I also cannot place it."

Eva wanders up closer to you, perhaps because she feels far safer in your presence while in such a **** state. She squeezes her shiny brass breasts tight against her arm and peers up at you, almost as if attempting to read your mind. "Something is bothering you," she says. "I can tell. What are you thinking about, Kyle?"

For just a moment, you feel Xue inspecting you as well, but he looks away and joins beside Captain Silver.

You look back to Eva. "I think I know what that sound is, though I don't know how it's possible."

Then two word echo out from afar. You can just barely make them out, as can the others. The voice simply says, "Finish him!"