The descent from the high watching terrace into the underground arena of Progenitor Vault Two was a plunge into a living deep-rock hurricane. The arena stretched for eight miles across the deep mantle, bounded by giant stone pillars of tightly packed black glass and black-ice dark rock that groaned under the violent, thrashing weight of an enraged titan.
In the center of the arena, chained by crumbling gravity holding pylons, was the Earth-Shaker Behemoth.
The sight of the creature up close defied mortal understanding. At two hundred and fourteen meters in length, the titan was a moving mountain range of linked dark rock plates, crystal-hardened mantle quartz, and pulsating veins of molten melted rock waste. Its massive head, armed with three forward-sweeping horns of magnetic ironstone each sixty meters long, swung through the air with devastating moving driving force. It smashed into the leftover holding stone props with sounds like exploding artillery batteries.
Every time the Behemoth’s horned head struck a pillar, a size nine-point-two ground-shaking blast wave rippled through the twenty-two miles of solid rock above. It sent fresh cracks racing toward the surface cities of Java and Sumatra.
Arthur hit the arena floor at a dead run. His moving absorption boots drained away the violent tremors that threatened to throw him off his feet. Behind him, Titus moved with astonishing speed, his massive claws digging into the bedrock to project a wide, circular gravity-dampening ward around their approach hall.
