Five sets of footsteps marched along ashes as they followed a winding path upwards. In front, a tall and lanky woman in emerald robes who kept her nose to the sky. The four behind her were clad in glossy black armor, signifying they were members of the Obsidian Hunters. The two in the back dragged a woman in chains along, who kept her head down.

Pits of lava bubbled on either side of the group. Pillars of stone that rose high into the sky sunk slowly into the molten lakes. Mechanical scorpions poked their heads out of the lava, curious about the visitors for just a moment before scuttling back into the fire.

For the armored hunters, the heat had been hitting them harder the closer they got to the heart of the volcano. Looking to the skies and seeing the dragons of the Verdant Colony freely flying about made the long walk feel even more meaningless.

“Why can’t we get one of those?” One of the hunters, Sev, asked. As he spoke, he wasn’t sure if he meant for it to be a joke or not, but the tense body language of the others suggested humor might not be best for their leader on this operation, the woman in front.

“There used to be a city that stood far above here, that carried all around the volcano,” Commander Raytris said, ignoring him. “All that’s left are the remains of the ancient ones’ legacy, ruins that slowly sink into the molten lakes more and more each day. Soon, they’ll be gone completely.”

The group reached a passageway into the volcano. The scorching temperature was much worse in here. There was more evidence of the ancient ones’ society here, as there were pathways carved into the walls around them, stone stairwells swirling upwards. Raytris stopped at the edge of a cliff and stared into the center of the hellish pit before them, and Sev approached beside her. He kicked a rock off the edge and watched as the lava obliterated it.

“How many did you lose on the last attempt?” Raytris asked. She didn’t turn to look at him.

“Uh…at least three?” Sev said. He had to take his helmet off, just to try and breathe a little bit. Raytris didn’t react. She was perhaps better off without the armor; warmth didn’t affect her as much as it did the others.

“Surprising, given the Obsidian Hunters’ supposed prowess,” Raytris said. “I’d prefer not using your band of mercenaries, but it’s important that this mission remain private.”

Sev understood that part. The Verdant Colony didn’t want to be associated with a thing like this publicly. He admitted to himself that the dragon scouts generally flying around the area probably didn’t draw as much suspicion as a full-scale focused force entering the volcano would have.

“Well then, who has the pieces?” Raytris asked.

One of the other hunters, Daim, nodded and approached the edge of the cliff. He reached into his side bag and pulled out two strange artifacts.

They appeared to be fragments of a small window; stained glass split like a puzzle with a metal frame. Raytris gave a glare, wordlessly ordering Daim to stay in place holding the two pieces in front of him.

“Let’s see if our esteemed guest can aid us here.” Raytris said.

She casually waved a hand, gesturing for the two hunters in the back to bring their prisoner forward. Clad in a simple black shirt, grayish pants, and a black strap that went across each shoulder that would hold her knives if they hadn’t taken them, the woman stumbled to the ground, her long teal hair instantly dusty from the ashes as she was pushed down. Myles Althea, never one to let a little capture get in the way of a good adventure, slowly lifted her head with a wide grin on her face, her violet eyes almost sparkling with a wild sort of glee.

“Oh, you’re finally going to let me do something?” Myles asked, promptly receiving a punch from one of the hunters holding her. She knew she’d get hit when she was snarking, but she couldn’t help it. So far since they began ‘working together,’ they had tended to punch her a lot.

The hunters lifted her to her feet, with Daim still holding the pieces in front of him, his arms trembling from holding the pose for so long.

“We’ve uncovered two crystals of the ancient ones, which we believe to be the key to finding what’s hidden here,” Raytris said.

“I was there when they were uncovered,” Sev said. “They tried a lot of things before…the other guys…er. Fell in.”

“Going by your research papers, you have some idea on how to use relics of the ancient ones, Althea.” Raytris said.

“Uh huh,” Myles said, recognizing the artifact from her studies. “Let me hold it.”

She held her arms out. It took the armored hunters a few moments to realize she was asking them to unlock the chains on her wrists. They turned to Raytris, who sighed. “Just do it already.”

Myles sighed in relief with the chains removed. She thought about kicking as many of her captors as she could down into the lava, but that would probably earn her a trip down alongside them shortly after. She took the two pieces from Daim.

“Rest those arms up, huh?” Myles said.

Myles pointed the two pieces forward, looking through them as she scanned over the lava in front of them. The glass was a brownish green, aged from centuries of dormancy after the fall of the ancient ones. There was a brief resurgence when the three heroes brought back some of the incredible magic and technology of their ancestors.

Myles clicked the two pieces together, which fit perfectly. On the frame, glowing etchings in the language of the ancient ones appeared.

“I figured that part out.” Sev said, getting looks from the other hunters. “What? I did!”

“And then you lost your whole squad, but lived to tell the tale,” Myles said. “Funny how that works.”

“Well, we thought the magic glow meant we could…live when we dove down into the…” Sev said. “And that the treasure was below us, since they said it’s in the volcano.”

“It’s obviously not at the bottom of the lava pit here, but I’m sure you learned that by now.”

“I was still kind of hoping it would be below,” Sev said.

“If you don’t hurry up, I’m throwing you in next,” Raytris said.

“Fine, fine.” Myles said. “Something like this doesn’t open a way down…”

Myles swirled her right pointer finger on the glass, causing the frame to hum with energy.

“It takes us across.” Myles said as a conjured platform appeared in front of them, the same sky-blue glow of the runes on the frame.

“Is it safe to walk on?” Raytris asked, not sounding very impressed, which was more than a bit disappointing for Myles even if the commander was a stooge of the Verdant Colony.

“Yes,” Myles said, stomping a foot down to show the magic walkway was just as solid as the ground they stood on. “Just don’t look down because it’s somewhat translucent and that might make you dizzy, and could lead to unintended encounters of skin to very hot magma.”

Myles gestured for Raytris and the hunters to cross.

“You first,” Raytris said, patting the hilt of the saber sheathed on her belt. “Any divergence from our agreement and…well, I already said what I'd do to you.”

“Right…” Myles said. She took a deep breath, then regretted that as she heavily breathed in the smoky air.

“Quit stalling.” Raytris said as Myles coughed.

“Right, right,” Myles said, swallowing her fear (once she could swallow again after all the smoke) so she could take a step forward. The platform wasn’t incredibly thin, but it also wasn’t as wide as she would have liked. She also didn’t trust a Verdant Colony commander nor a group of Obsidian Hunters not to throw her into the magma now that she helped them get a step further. Her legs were also shakier than she would have liked, forcing her to up the bravado lest she look too scared in front of the enemy.

Slowly, she crossed the pit, hearing the marching footsteps of those behind her continue on. She flinched as she heard a metal clanking sound and whirled back to see Daim trip over his feet, unable to keep his legs close enough together to walk along the path. She was too far back to reach for him as he screamed and tumbled far below. The screams grew more frantic as he touched lava, meeting a quick and burning end. Myles turned away as soon as he touched down and stayed still as the screams silenced.

“Why are you stopping?” Raytris asked coldly.

Myles nodded, moving a bit more cautiously as she continued on. Daim’s fate would match her own if she made a single misstep now.

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