After Atelier had managed to somehow stuff the Perfect Apple into his bag. "Well, the last thing I want is to use the Perfect Apple as bait for the Dragon King," he said to Xuehua. "That would be a frightening waste of an apple like this. Right, uh... let's get going." As for the ruby, he thought it best to give it to Aine first, seeing she might know what to do with it. Then Atelier left the treasure room, nodding to Blacky on the way. In an instant, he could feel the heat hitting his ears and paws. It was as if the heat had intensified, and miraculously there weren't any minions about. Then again, there didn't seem to be a need. The lava lake below and its incredible heat was enough to scare away just about anyone, and were it not for the Potion of Cold and his allies, Atelier wouldn't have come on this journey either.
Xuehua too stepped to the edge of the room, though she stayed back as per Atelier's plan. She reached into her bag, feeling for the orb. Hopefully her training would pay off... it usually did, after all. Still, she couldn't help but feel at least a little nervous.
@SAF @122 Generation @ChocoChicken Aine noticed the ruby. She knew it was either valuable on its own, or part of something valuable, but couldn't place where it belonged. Maybe there were other pieces out there that could help, she thought.
The party continued their descent further down to the lava lake. After some time, but not that much time, they felt the heat become more intense than it should have. There weren't any minions, but as Atelier expected, there was no need. The heat and the lava would deter anyone from coming close. And also for good reason, because the bubbling lava was beginning to rise from the lake below to the surface!
@WavePearl (The party will need to take cover in the nearest treasure room in order to avoid contact with the lava, because the lava is rising)
@122 Generation Aine gasped as the lava started approaching. What was she supposed to do now? She shook at the thought of being roast Sylveon...
Blacky too, stepped out from that first treasure room while gripping his Cinderace sword (I forgot to specify last time) with a wary look. But then... "Oh, great," Blacky's eyes went as wide as dinner plates upon seeing the rising lava down there. He quickly shook his head and looked around to see if there were any treasure rooms close to the group's current location.
Xuehua immediately began partially concentrating on her magic, her grip on the orb in her bag becoming tighter. It was probably a bit earlier than needed, but in case they couldn't reach one in time...
@WavePearl @SAF @ChocoChicken The party was about halfway between the next treasure room below them and the previous room. It was always a safer option to backtrack and avoid the lava, but going to the next treasure room would give them a little progress. The problem was that going further below risked getting too close to the lava. So the only possible way to have someone either increase the party's speed or simply have someone whisk them to the treasure room instantly... "How could I have missed this?" Atelier said to himself. He hadn't expected the lava to be this active and this fast. And as it happened, the next treasure room, following the same spiraling pathway, was directly beneath them, so it meant the party would have to run a full circle before getting there, unless there was a shortcut...
Right - the ring! "Grab on quick, guys!" Xuehua let go of the orb and tightened a fist, holding her arm out to the others. "I think I can get us into that room below - this better work this better work this better work..." Focusing her energy into the teleportation ring, she directed her gaze into the room below. GETUSTHEREGETUSTHEREGETUSTHERENOW-
Without further ado Blacky grabbed Xuehua's outstretched arm with his free hand paw. His other one was still clenching his sword with an even tighter grip, not wanting to let it go.
Atelier did the same, also grabbing onto Xuehua’s arm. Sweat formed on his head as the lava got closer.
Xuehua’s ring glowed, and for a second, nothing happened. Then in an instant, the party warped to the location that Xuehua had gazed at. Within seconds, as the party landed in the treasure room, a huge plume of lava shot upward past the treasure room entrance. Fortunately a magical barrier kept the lava from coming in, and the heat radiating from the lava was incredible.
@122 Generation @SAF @ChocoChicken Aine shook the rocks and dust from her fur. "Rough landing..." she mused as she looked herself over for injuries.
Following the teleportation, Blacky fell on his butt as he let go of Xuehua's arm. His sword fell on the ground in process. "Ow..."
Xuehua stumbled forward a few steps, then backwards when she nearly hit the lava barrier. "Everyone all right? Thank Arceus we found that there..." Atelier's plan came back to her head. Blacky was going to have to break them out of the room afterwards, but as for the lava... would her spell reach outside through all the molten rock?
"I... I'm fine." Atelier did his best to keep his bag together so that his books wouldn’t spill out. Even then, he ended up rolling on the ground so as not to damage his bag, or the Perfect Apple. Now that he found his footing once more, he looked at this treasure room. There were more piles of coins and currency, medical supplies - presumably taken from Steamington, ores like bronze and silver which could be used to craft weapons. Plus, among the treasures here, there was also some sheet music that had been brought from Piquedilly. The melody was capable of curing ailments. And fortunately for Xuehua, it wasn't before long that the lava had rescinded and was headed back to the lava lake below. Even then, what was a layer of molten rock in front of the treasure room had cooled and hardened to solid rock. What surprised Atelier was that it had cooled down much faster than he expected. He looked closely at the wall of rock - it was still red-hot.