The torch hit the black, viscous surface of the tar-mud.
For a fraction of a second, nothing happened. The starving, exhausted Paladins stopped their charge, staring at the tiny purple flame sizzling in the muck, their sleep-deprived minds failing to process the danger.
Then, the Bio-Reactor's runoff ignited.
A shockwave of pure thermal force ripped through the basin, accompanied by a deafening THOOM that rattled the teeth of every creature within five miles.
A sea of violet and violent orange fire instantly engulfed the entire clearing. The flames shot forty feet into the air, feeding greedily on the chemical-soaked mud and the Paladins' tabards.
"NO!" Aurelius shrieked.
The Golden King slammed his fists against the invisible barrier of his Sun Shrine network. He watched in absolute, paralyzed horror as his final 3,800 men were swallowed by the inferno.
He was Rank 9, a god of the Sun. And this fire was industrial, toxic, and utterly devoid of mercy.
