The stairway descended into a cavern glowing like the inside of a furnace. Heat slammed into Lin's face as soon as they stepped through. The floor ended abruptly at a wide river of molten lava — but it wasn't just lava.
Something moved beneath the orange surface. Dozens of somethings.
Lin squinted. "Tell me those are bubbles."
Crystal: "Those are not bubbles."
Nyra raised her staff. "The River of Phinara. Step wrong, and they strip you to the bone before the lava finishes the job."
Elara peered over the edge, horrified. "There are fish. In lava."
Lin stared. "How? How is that even—"
A long, scaled snout broke the surface, dripping glowing magma. Its teeth were serrated, its eyes like molten gold. The creature hissed, and tiny flames puffed out of its gills.
Crystal: "Oh, they're adorable. Like goldfish… if goldfish ate legs."
---
The Gauntlet
Stone pillars rose from the lava like stepping stones, each one inscribed with faint runes. Some glowed blue, some red, some didn't glow at all.
Nyra stepped onto the first blue rune. It held firm. "Only the blue stones are stable. The rest will sink."
Lin swallowed. "Okay. Easy. Don't step on the red stones. Got it."
He leapt to the next blue pillar. It wobbled but stayed up. Elara followed, balancing like a cat.
A Phinara Fish leapt out of the lava and snapped at Lin's leg. He yelped, barely pulling back in time. "It jumps? It jumps?"
Crystal laughed. "The floor is lava, the water is lava, the fish are lava. Good luck!"
---
Puzzle Under Pressure
The pillars ahead twisted into a zigzag. Red, blue, red, blank… the pattern made no sense. Heat shimmered in the air.
Lin's new Puzzle Sense flickered — runes rearranging themselves in his mind.
"Wait… the blue stones make a pattern. Jaguar, eagle, serpent…"
He scanned the sequence. "Step where the animal order repeats. That's the safe path."
Elara blinked. "You're sure?"
"Nope!" Lin jumped anyway.
The pillar held. He exhaled. "One down…"
Nyra followed gracefully. Elara cursed but copied them.
Behind them, a Phinara Fish leapt higher than before, its teeth scraping Lin's shoe. He screamed. "They're getting bolder!"
Crystal purred. "Maybe they smell fear."
---
Close Call
Halfway across, a red pillar Lin had used as a decoy suddenly cracked and sank into the lava. A massive Phinara Fish lunged out of the molten river, snapping at him. He swung his club instinctively, smacking it across the snout. It hissed and splashed back down.
Nyra's voice stayed calm. "Keep moving. They are drawn to hesitation."
Lin muttered, "Great motivational speech…"
They reached the final stretch. Only three pillars remained — but the last one had no color at all. Just blank stone.
Lin's Puzzle Sense burned in his head. He squinted. "The blank one isn't dead. It's a reset rune. It'll teleport us to the other side."
Elara's eyes widened. "If you're wrong…"
"Then we're fish food." He took a deep breath and jumped.
Blue light flared under his feet — and in a blink, they appeared on the far side of the river, safe and whole.
---
Aftermath
Lin fell to his knees, panting. "I hate fish. I hate lava. I hate lava fish."
Crystal giggled. "But they love you."
Behind them, the Phinara Fish hissed, sinking back into the molten river. The cavern rumbled, and another door opened ahead, carved with serpent runes.
Nyra's staff glowed faintly. "The Gauntlet of Phinara is passed. The Guardian Beast awaits."
Lin groaned. "Guardian Beast? As in… boss fight?"
Crystal: "Oh yes. And this one has claws."
To be continued…