As much as Zoey would have liked to pin Maddy down after the arousing display, the potions had limited timers on them, and they really did have a boss to attend to. All four of them quaffed their heat-resistance and lava-sight potions, then stepped up hesitantly to the shore.

Even Delta, the risk-taker and reckless of the group, eyed the superheated material with a doubtful look. Seeing Rosalie dip a foot in, though, then step more firmly into the pool, the foxgirl quickly followed, not wanting to be outdone.

Zoey, for her part, came to terms with her task. It was fairly difficult to force her body to obey. Kind of like hurling herself from a cliff. The lizard part of her brain was demanding that she in absolutely, under no circumstances, walk into a pool of lava.

But she overrode those survival instincts. They didn't know how long the trek through the lava pool was, and Zoey didn't want to get caught halfway through when the potions expired.

Her foot sank into the thick, viscous material, and Zoey thought lava should probably be more solid, nearly impossible to move around in, but that wasn't the case. It was far from being as loose as water, instead only somewhat thick—maybe like honey. Though, Zoey supposed, for all she knew, this was some magical material that only seemed like lava.

Slowly, she submerged herself.

The combined defenses of her bodysuit and potions meant the lava didn't scald to the touch. That said, it was an intense heat, like stepping inside a sauna turned up way too high. Bit by bit, the mild burning sensation crawled up her legs, then her stomach, and finally her neck. With one last steeling of her nerves—since she was already falling behind her teammates—Zoey took a deep breath and plunged under the surface.

As expected, the heat was even more unpleasant on her face, the part of her body the suit's protection didn't fully extend to. But it was tolerable. Painful, but only mildly. Prying her eyes open took another great over-ruling of her instincts. When she did, though, the underground space revealed itself to her—her eyes burning as she looked around. The lava-sight potion did exactly as it described. She could see up to thirty feet in every direction, the environment covered in something similar to thick orange fog. The pain on those sensitive organs were too much to bear constantly, though: she identified the direction her teammates were moving, then closed her eyes and started swimming.

'Swimming.' Maybe not the most accurate word; it felt more like struggling through thick mud. She also wasn't sinking properly; she had to angle her body down and propel herself to get deeper, under the lip of the cavern wall holding the boss mural.

Oxygen was as much a limiting factor as potion durations. Progressing through advancements came with a whole host of physiological advantages, and the ability to hold her breath was one of many things that had been greatly amplified as Zoey moved through the ranks. But that didn't mean she had an infinite supply, nor even a massively improved one, and it was slow progress, swimming through such thick material.

Cracking her eyes open every dozen seconds or so to re-orient herself, Zoey and her team swam through the lava, progressing as quickly as they could. Rosalie and Delta, whose physical stats were far higher than her and Maddy's, moved much faster—which meant they led the way, exploring the underground tunnel system and identifying the proper direction to head in. They disappeared into the thick orange fog once, which incited a brief panic in Zoey, but Rosalie quickly returned, pointing upward, indicating it was time to emerge.

Soon enough, Zoey burst from the lava lake and gasped in air. She wiped her eyes of magma and blinked as she looked around.

They had, indeed, emerged into a massive boss chamber.

Rosalie and Delta were already climbing onto the shore, and Zoey and Maddy rushed to join them. Her teammates' weapons appeared in their hands, each of the girls peering around with concern. Stumbling up onto the rocky ground, Zoey wiped off the clinging globs of magma and drew her own weapon.

The arena was a spectacle. A lava moat, ovular in shape, encircled the massive space. Like the rest of the magma caverns, stalactites and stalagmites sprouted in various places. Red veins of cinderstone covered the walls and ceiling, and instead of branching natural patterns as before, they were now organized and geometric, forming straight lines and swirling diagrams as if laying out some arcane ritual.

And in the center, of course, lay the boss monster. Asleep or otherwise inert, the massive pile of rocks was sealed together with glowing orange lava. It heaved up and down in a slow rhythm—breathing, while asleep.

The team had a moment to talk, then. And quaff another round of potions and brace for the battle. Undoubtedly, the fight would begin when they approached, or perhaps struck the first blow.

Without needing to explicitly state it, the team did just that, drinking the appropriate potions.

 "Alright," Rosalie said, wiping her mouth and looking at the three of them. "Just be ready for anything. This might be regular combat, but I doubt there won't be something strange. Zoey's aspects were less common in this shard, but very much present."

"So it'll be on me to handle it, then? If there is?" Zoey asked. Like against the second shard, it had been Zoey's job to fuck the reflection senseless; Rosalie and Delta had sat on the sidelines.

"If it's something a single person can handle, yes," Rosalie said.

"And if you need backup," Delta grinned, "I'll be there."

Zoey nodded. It all depended on how that encounter shaped up. And if anything lewd appeared in the first place. But as Rosalie had said, the odds seemed high. It might not be a pure fuck-fest like against Mel, but Zoey was certain there would be something.

"Here we go, then," Rosalie said.

Without further ado, Rosalie gripped her spear and strode forward. Delta hung a dozen feet to her right, ready to flank or sneak around, depending on how the fight started. Zoey and Maddy hung back, both ranged casters needing to stay out of the fray. The typical formation.

As they approached, the huge pile of magma-sealed rocks started to rumble. Slowly, the boss emerged from its slumber. Glowing orange lava poured upward, quickly forming legs, a torso, arms, and a head. Rocks flowed across its body, creating armor and weapons—four weapons for four hands, as the image from earlier had depicted. Sword, ax, spear, and hammer.

When its transformation had completed, a hulking fire elemental standing twenty feet tall towered over them, easily the largest monster Zoey had fought yet. Throughout her deadly adventures in previous shards, she'd been learning to push away the terror that came with engaging literal monsters. She'd admit that a pang of horror shot through her, though, seeing this particular beast. Smoldering onyx eyes sat on its square and brutish skull, and a mouth made entirely of lava ripped open to release a roar that shook the entire cavern. Bits of molten goo flew from its body as it shook in rage, steaming the ground where the globs hit.

Rosalie responded to the very intimidating display without a single ounce of concern. She snorted, then charged forward, spear held at the ready.

"Don't be so dramatic," Zoey heard the blonde mutter.