Michael did not waste another second.
"Let's move."
The soldier nodded sharply. The Starborn's armor folded into a travel mode, soft light pulsing along its edges. Spartan adjusted his glasses and stepped forward to match Michael's pace.
They began running across the red desert.
The second floor of Hell stretched far and wide. Jagged dunes rolled like frozen waves beneath a crimson sky. The heat pressed down on them, but none of them slowed.
Michael was new to the second floor.
He had hunted here for only a short while, so he followed their lead.
The Starborn ran ahead, leaving a faint trail of shimmering motes behind him. The soldier followed on the right.
As they moved, the second floor revealed more of its nature.
Unlike the first floor, which was mostly barren frozen land, the second floor had more life and more danger.
Beasts prowled the dunes.
Winged predators circled the sky.
Burrowing creatures stirred beneath the ground whenever Michael's group passed.
