The team worked efficiently at leveling up their bodysuits. Bit by bit, the material crept from gray toward white, becoming a shiny, bright, glossy color the shade of freshly fallen snow. Every so often, the team would return to the boss antechamber room and test their new level of heat resistance. That indeed seemed to be the functional purpose of the bodysuit: slowly, even dipping their hands into lava became tolerable.

But only 'tolerable' in the vaguest sense of the word. And only for short periods of time. None of them particularly wanted to submerge themselves completely and risk traversing the goop, especially considering the difficulty of moving around inside it. Getting cooked alive had to be one of the more gruesome ways to go, much less getting slow-cooked if they got lost or stuck. So they wanted plenty of protection.

But further killing of monsters seemed to have diminishing returns. Already glossy white, the bodysuit didn't seem to have much more resistance to offer. It had capped out. Further safeguards would have to come from other means. Seeing how Zoey had alchemy skills to play with, and a collection of reagents she'd been gathering, it was time to see what she could make to help her team with the climactic battle of the third-tier shard.

As she had once before, Zoey set up an impromptu alchemy station, laid out her collected reagents, and got to work.

The most important discovery came rather quickly. Throughout the magma caverns, there had been glowing red ore nearly everywhere—something an inspection informed her was called 'cinderstone ore'. Considering its prevalence and the way it radiated warmth even sitting in her palm, Zoey suspected it would catalyze into a number of heat-related potions. Perhaps even the exact one their team needed for easier passage through the lava lake.

And sure enough, a few test brews later, Zoey found something that did exactly that.

 

Igneous Salvation: Consume to improve resistance to environmental heat. Effectiveness rises proportionally to temperature.

 

Even better, it sounded like it was especially suited to what they needed. The potion might not do too much for staying cool in a sauna, for example, but it became proportionally stronger when dealing with extreme temperatures. Like submerging into lava.

It was a shame it wouldn't help much against flame-based attacks, though. Environmental heat only, the description said.

She handed the first batch off to her team to experiment with. While they tested its duration and effectiveness, she continued working. While they weren't in any dire rush, Zoey knew Rosalie didn't want her to sit around and play with potions all day; she had to work quickly.

Next up, she created something suitable for combat, also catalyzed through cinderstone ore.

 

Potion of Infernal Shielding: Absorb a small amount of heat-based damage.

 

A simple, straightforward potion that would undoubtedly be useful in the upcoming fight. The team would appreciate having a few to quaff at appropriate times throughout the engagement. A more classical 'useful' potion, as would normally be expected from an alchemist.

After making extra batches of both those discoveries, Zoey focused her efforts on other promising reagents. She unsealed a bottle of sulfurous spring water, which the team had found less than an hour ago. The effect she ended up catalyzing she didn't even intend to make—it happened nearly by accident. Sometimes, alchemy worked like that.

 

Potion of Lavasight: Improves visibility when submerged in lava.

 

The team had been prepared to fumble their way around, perhaps following a wall to make it to the other side, and it would have been unpleasant, having so little ability to navigate. Zoey hadn't been looking forward to it. So, while not a strict necessity, this potion would also be a welcome utility.

Next, she pulled out a collection of scaldblossoms, red and orange flowers that the team had found infrequently gathered around lava lake shores. Peeling the petals off and crushing them into a fine dust—going slow, else they would burst into flames—she prepared the reagent.

 

Potion of Relieve Burn: Restores a moderate amount of health inflicted by heat-based attacks.

 

In a way, it was another variation of the flame shield potions. These just worked after the fact. Since individual potions became less effective when taken in immediate succession, the variance in technical effect was important. It meant both could be used at full strength without cannibalizing each other.

The last of Zoey's successes came from 'molten pearls', which were shiny black orbs found inside roughly one in five of the scaldblossoms, which were already a rare resource. She only had four of them, and the first batch failed to catalyze. The second, though, succeeded.

 

Potion of Consume Blaze: When potion is broken, explode and extinguish nearby flames.

 

A portable fire extinguisher. Rather than a consumable, this one could be thrown as a weapon, presumably highly effective against enemies comprised of molten material, as the boss would be. At the very least, it could be useful to extinguish fires created by their attacks. Zoey didn't know exactly how they would utilize it in the upcoming fight, but she was sure they would find some use.

There were other reagents Zoey had stored away in their hours-long adventure through the shard, but it was time to get moving. The reagents weren't going anywhere. She would have them after she left the shard, just, her Resourceful skill wouldn't trigger. But at the same time, she would have Sabina to aid her, and a much better workshop.

After gathering her things and standing, Zoey opened her mouth to say they should get going—but paused.

"Oh, right," she said, remembering. "There's one more potion we have to check on."

Her three teammates looked at her curiously, including Maddy, who should have known better. She'd forgotten as well, it seemed. Or maybe she was too embarrassed to bring it up.

So, Zoey pulled out her and Maddy's loot reward.

The hollow two-sided pocket pussy appeared in her hands, still dripping with her and Maddy's loads—having been supernaturally preserved inside her inventory. The smell hit her immediately: thick and musky. Zoey pulled the two hollow ends up, keeping it in a 'U' shape, to prevent the sticky material from drooling out.

 

Potion of Spellcasting Alacrity: Provides a moderate boost to how fast spells can be cast, and how efficiently. Will expire upon shard exit.

 

It had finished brewing, then. And even better, it sounded like a pretty decent potion.

"Wha— What the hell?" Delta said. "Is that a pocket pussy? And why is it called a 'potion'? Why is it dripping cum?"

Zoey laughed. "It was called a 'Brewing Chamber,' earlier. The name got replaced, I guess. The way it works is, uh, by filling it up with, well, you know, and letting it brew for a while, it makes a potion." A second later, she added, "Oh, and it's stronger the more people who cum in it. So I had some help."

Rosalie and Delta turned to Maddy, whose face was, of course, rapidly turning scarlet.

"W-We would hardly let it go to waste," Maddy stammered out. "We're professionals."

"You fucked that with her?" Delta asked, shocked. "Which means, you grew a cock? I didn't know that happened. Did you like it?"

"She liked it," Zoey said, grinning at the girl, whose face continued to redden.

"Lucky you," Delta said enviously. "I can't believe I got stuck with blondie when all of that was happening."

"T-The potion is really good," Maddy choked out, trying to change the topic. "Spellcasting alacrity is a pretty high-tier potion. It effectively boosts your mana pool and makes you a faster caster."

"And it'll expire soon," Zoey said. "So there's no saving it for later." A grin spread across Zoey's lips at the implication. "You're obviously the better mage, so it goes to you."

Maddy stared at the cum-stuffed pocket pussy. "Um."

"What's wrong?"

"But it's full of… our…"

"That was the goal." Zoey took a step forward, grinning. "Open up, cutie."

"S-Seriously?"

"Better to take it now, in case the fight starts before we have a chance. We're all ready to head in, yeah?" Turning to Rosalie, it took the blonde a second to respond. She jolted and nodded in confirmation to Zoey's question. She was watching the show with heated cheeks.

"Oh," Maddy said. "Okay. Um. I-If that's what's best."

Zoey's heart started to slam as she drew the lewd mess of a pocket pussy closer to Maddy's lips. The smaller girl shivered, then closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Arousal raced through Zoey as she slowly pressed the edge of the toy into Maddy's lips. It was still warm and slippery from their shared use.

She began to feed the lewd potion to the other girl, tipping the toy forward and watching the sticky shared mess ooze from it, dribbling and spilling into Maddy's mouth. Maddy groaned, swallowing the thick mess as more and more of it poured out. Their musky load coated her tongue, lips, and chin, dripping down onto her breasts as Zoey tipped it further and further, Maddy trying to keep up. The three of them watched, the air growing hotter—even Delta watching silently, wide-eyed.

When finally Zoey had spilled the last drop into Maddy's mouth, she pulled the toy away, and Maddy shivered. She opened her eyes, a dazed look in them as she drank the last of the sticky substance. Her eyes flitted away from Zoey, to Rosalie and Delta. She looked nearly faint at being so blatantly the center of attention. And for doing something so lewd in front of them.

"T-There we go," Maddy squeaked out. "Um. Time to go fight a boss, now. Let's get going, yeah?"