Chapter 26: The Rust Pit
The Rust Pit was a lake of liquid corrosion. It bubbled and hissed, sending up plumes of acidic vapor that ate through metal and flesh alike. The Ironclad stood at the edge, their crude armor already showing signs of decay. Mara looked at the radio. "We can't go in there. The suits will fail." Kaelen's voice crackled through the speaker, cold and flat. "You will go in. Or you will die here." He had synthesized a new coating for their armor—a temporary film of Neutralizing Gel. It would protect them for fifteen minutes. No more. "Five minutes to extract the Corrosive Ooze," Kaelen ordered. "Move." Mara nodded. She and her people stepped into the pit. The gel sizzled and smoked as it contacted the acid. They moved quickly, filling glass vials with the thick, yellow ooze. Halfway throug
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