It was a long climb to the top, and as they ascended, it got hotter and hotter. When they finally reached the summit of Frenig Volcano, everybody was drenched in sweat, and Wily could see that a massive, boiling lake of lava filled the crater almost to the rim. At the center of the pool was a large opening the lava poured into. Boulders dotted the edge of the lake.
“We need to get through there?” Roveeka said doubtfully.
“You heard the Oracle of Oak,” Wily said. “That’s the only unguarded way into the Below.”
“We need to start coating these boulders in halo wax,” Pryvyd said. “Then we’ll line them up over the lava to make a path to the center.”
“What will we do then?” Roveeka asked.
“Tie the rope to the last one and have a very long climb down,” Pryvyd said.
They moved to a flat rock and opened the tarp full of halo wax. Together, all of them began slathering the airy wax all over the rock. Once it was slick white, to everyone’s delight, the large stone hovered a hand’s length above the lava. They pushed it to the lava lake and placed the hovering stone just a step from shore.
“Just ten more of those,” Wily said, “and we will get to the center with no problem.”
They hurried back and started coating a second boulder with the halo wax. After finishing, they moved it into place next to the first rock. As they started on the third rock, Wily heard a crash near his feet. He shielded his eyes as chunks of rock exploded all around him. When it was safe to look around again, he quickly spotted the two stone golems from the base of the volcano, who were now standing on the far side of the lava lake. Both of them were holding massive boulders in their hands and getting ready to hurl them at Wily and his companions. Standing next to them was the treacherous skrover.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the taller of the two stone golems shouted, his voice echoing around the crater.
Roveeka suddenly looked very guilty. “I’m sorry,” she said. “This is all my fault.”
“It was a mistake,” Valor said. “We all make them.”
Roveeka smiled as Wily gave Valor a surprised look.
“She never did anything to me,” Valor said.
The other stone golem tossed a second boulder at the companions, but Moshul was quick to react. He grabbed a nearby stone and lifted it in front of the flying rock to block it. The two boulders made contact and shattered into a thousand pebbles. Moshul was knocked off his feet and nearly smashed into Wily and Valor.
“Everybody onto the bridge,” Pryvyd called out.
“But it’s not finished,” Odette said.
“There may be a way,” Pryvyd said, grabbing the tarp full of halo wax.
Wily and the others left their horses and the mountain lion behind and stepped onto the first stone slab.
“Keep going,” Pryvyd said, “onto the second block.”
Odette led the way, then stopped short at the edge of the lava.
“Now what?” she yelled.
Pryvyd grabbed the first hovering stone block and moved it in front of them. They were going to get across the lava lake by moving the stone bridge pieces so there was always a block in front of them! Everyone quickly hurried forward.
Wily felt a surge of hope; they were actually going to make it! But he was surprised the stone golems hadn’t continued bombarding them with more rocks. Then he looked up and understood: the two stone golems had lifted a giant chunk of rock up over their shoulders together. Wily watched them heave it into the air. The rock only flew a short distance, not nearly far enough to strike Wily and his friends, and plummeted into the lava lake. Wily almost laughed at their failed attempt.
It only took a second for him to realize the stone golems were in fact much smarter than he realized. They had never intended for the boulder to hit them. It didn’t need to, because something else would: where the boulder had struck the surface of the lava lake, a gigantic wave of boiling lava had formed, and it was rolling right toward them.
The wave of lava moved at tremendous speed. Wily realized what was about to happen. The wave was going to come crashing over them and burn them alive.
“On the count of three,” Wily shouted, “jump up.”
“Why?!?” Odette said.
“One. Two. Three.”
All of the companions jumped at the same time. When they came down together, their combined weight caused the hovering rock they were on to hit the lava with a splash, melting the wax right off the bottom.
“How was that a good idea?” Odette screamed. “The rock won’t hover over the lava anymore.”
“That’s true,” Wily said, “but now it can ride the wave.”
The wave of lava kept rolling toward Wily and the others. As it rose up behind them, the stone they were precariously balanced on tilted downward and was sent gliding across the lake’s surface. The wave was licking the back of the stone, preparing to crash over them. But the floating bridge piece rushed ahead and just avoided being swallowed. As the wave crashed behind them, their stone ride was sent racing even faster across the lava—straight toward the hole in the middle of the lake.
There would be no gentle climb down a rope ladder. The hovering rock shot into the ring of lava, and they began to fall into the dark pit at its center. As they fell, Wily clutched the edge of the rock and looked over. The glowing circular waterfall of lava seemed to stretch down into infinity. The sight was positively dizzying. Wily wondered if this was what the bottomless pit of Carrion Tomb would have looked like if it had been lit up.
“We’re going to die!” Valor shouted.
She was right. If they hit whatever was below them going at this speed, they would all be flattened—and unlike Moshul, they wouldn’t be able to walk it off with a newly shaped back.
They needed some way to slow their fall. Unlike with their shield sled ride, there was nothing here for Righteous to attach a rope to. Wily’s mind was spinning like a loose gear about to snap off. Then he spied the tarp of halo wax.
Wily lunged for Pryvyd and grabbed the tarp.
“Moshul, spread this overhead,” Wily called out. “And everyone get on his shoulders.”
Odette, Valor, Roveeka, Pryvyd, and Wily all jumped aboard Moshul as he extended his arms and opened the tarp still half-filled with halo wax.
The air was swept up into the cloth, forming a huge dome above them. Their rapid descent was instantly slowed. The rock went tumbling below as Moshul and his companions drifted down.
“That was brilliant, Wily,” Roveeka said. “How’d you come up with that?”
“Paraspores,” Wily answered. “The little fungus seeds would drift down from the cave ceilings using chutes shaped like domes.”
As they continued to descend, the light of the sun faded above. Yet it wasn’t dark: the flaming walls of lava dropping from the edge of the lake basked everything in a warm glow of orange. Wily felt his skin crackling with heat. He wondered if this was what a cookie felt like when it was baking in an oven.
As they sailed deeper and deeper into the volcano, Wily could see that the falling lava was caught in a basin that extended around the perimeter of the wall. It was like a giant fountain. The lava was swept into holes in the walls and likely sent back to the surface to bubble and fall once more. As they descended farther still, the hole darkened rapidly as there was no more lava surrounding them. Fortunately, the temperature began to decrease too.
A group of fireflies fluttered up from Moshul’s thick moss. They lit up the small area beneath the parachute but not much beyond.
“How much deeper do you think this goes?” Roveeka asked.
“The say the Below is a land beneath even the deepest dungeon. I would imagine that we have a very great distance to travel yet,” Odette said.
Wily spotted a few strange creatures peeking their heads out from holes in the stone walls. While he couldn’t see them clearly, he guessed they were some kind of spider, judging by the fact that they were speaking in Arachnid.
“They look delicious,” Wily heard one click. “Especially the large one in the golden shell.”
“I would happily take the small pale ones,” another spider voice mumbled. “Maybe not as much meat but the bones will be just as crunchy.”
“We’re not here to be eaten,” Wily called out in Arachnid. “Find a different meal.”
“Your Arachnid is very good,” Valor said. “But trying to talk reason with spiders is wasted energy. They only appreciate a commanding voice.”
“It’s always worked for me,” Wily answered. “Maybe surface spiders like to be pushed around. But dungeon spiders appreciate being spoken to kindly.”
“Get back to your webs, eight legs,” Valor intoned. “Or I’ll find a death mantis who would think you were the tasty meal.”
Valor’s booming voice was enough to give Wily chills down his back, and it seemed to work quite well. He could hear the spiders skitter away. Wily looked at Valor with reluctant admiration. She noticed, and they started to share a smile when—they hit the bottom of the cavern with a mighty thud.
“Is this the Below?” Odette asked.
“I don’t think so,” Roveeka said. “I don’t see an upside-down star. But we certainly are deep.”
Everyone climbed off Moshul’s back and onto the floor of the pit. Roveeka moved swiftly into the darkness, leaving the others behind.
“Roveeka, where are you going?” Wily called out.
“Over here.”
Wily followed the sound of her voice. The others followed behind him. Moshul’s fireflies lit the path ahead until they found Roveeka standing by an arched doorway. Like all hobgoblets, she had a natural talent to see in the dark.
“This looks like the only way out of here,” Roveeka said, pointing into a pitch-black tunnel.
“Do you think it is safe?” Wily asked.
“I don’t think anything is safe down here,” Pryvyd answered.
Moshul put his ear to the ground, but only for a moment.
“Do you hear something?” Odette asked.
Moshul began to sign to the others.
“He says he hears footsteps,” Pryvyd said. “Hundreds of them. And they’re moving this way.”