(Meanwhile, within the Time-Stilled World, Dumpy's POV)
*Pant*
*Pant*
Dumpy panted heavily as he fell to his knees in exhaustion, his giant sword supporting the weight of his massive body while acid sweat rolled down his skin and sizzled upon contact with the ground below.
*Fssshhhh*
*Fshhhhh*
Wherever those drops landed, the stone cracked and hissed violently, as the corrosive fluid ate into the surface and left behind fresh fissures that spread outward like the marks of some invisible beast clawing at the earth.
"Must break through… must endure this pain for a few more days…" Dumpy muttered, his voice strained and ragged as his breathing remained uneven, while the burning sensation crawling through every part of his body refused to lessen even slightly.
It felt as though his flesh was being roasted from within, as though every vein, every organ, and every piece of muscle hidden beneath his skin had been tossed into a furnace and left there to endure.
