Volcano

[shufti]

There's a smoky smell in the air.

Shufti and Enzo land heavily on warm, dusty rock.

The claws had gripped so hard, Shufti felt like she was going to pass out. When she lands, instinctively one hand reaches to protect her head, the other her abdomen. The grip around her chest is gone, and she takes a deep breath, and coughs with the dust.

What is this place? Why is the air so thick?

Comments

[a1enzo]

Enzo rolls as he lands, and groans.

"Shufti?"

[shufti]

Shufti has a bit of a coughing fit, but manages to get enough breath to steady herself.

"I'm so sorry." she says. "It got you too."

[a1enzo]

"I'm not. If it didn't, you'd be here by yourself. Wherever here is. Are you okay?"

[shufti]

"I'm fine." Shufti says. She has some scratches on her arms from the claws, but is starting to get some colour back in her face.

"What in the gods' names is that?" she asks, pointing to the mountain billowing smoke. "It looks like one of Jack's science projects."

The one that made a big mess all over the kitchen.

[a1enzo]

Enzo looks at their surroundings properly. He's never seen a real one in person, but…

"A volcano? Seriously? Does Milliways even have one of those? I think we'd have noticed."

[shufti]

"Is it on fire?" Shufti asks, eying it.

"The one Jack made spat foam all over the kitchen."

[a1enzo]

"The Earth is full of molten rock under pressure. Volcanoes are where it pushes out."

He knows it because of his learnings.

[shufti]

Shufti spots her sword sticking out a crack in the rocks and goes over to pull it out.

"Enzo, you still have your badge? Think you can get us a door back to the bar? If not, then it's possible we're still in the grounds somewhere."

[a1enzo]

Enzo makes the attempt, but the nearest to a doorway he can find is an arch in the rock of the cavern. It leads nowhere but its other side.

"Sorry. We must still be in Milliways, anyway, or else somewhere seriously magical. I mean we're both here and I'm still a sprite."

[shufti]

"True." Grim smile. "First clue. If we know where we are, we know where to start."

She thinks for the moment. "I think we may be in the labyrinth. There's nowhere else big enough."

[a1enzo]

"And if we are, there must be a way out."

Out of the huge volcanic cavern is sounding pretty good.

"Follow a wall?"

[shufti]

"Good plan."

The volcano's smoke seems to be getting thicker.

"We should get moving."

[a1enzo]

"Yeah. Say, if we're still in Milliways, then…" He produces and expands his surfbaud.

[shufti]

Shufti climbs up and holds on cautiously.

"Is that red stuff the rock?" she asks, pointing up.

[a1enzo]

Enzo puts on as much speed as he can without tipping or jostling, keeping the cavern wall some yards to their left and watching for openings.

"Yes," he says with forced calm, and puts on a little altitude as well. "It's called magma when it's underground and lava when it erupts. I'm not sure which this counts as."

[shufti]

"How quickly do they... go?"

[a1enzo]

"Not sure. I think some are more flowy, and some are more… explode-y."

[shufti]

Certainly little black rocks seem to be flying off the mountain...

Then, a huge glob of magma starts bubbling out of the top and descending down the side.

[a1enzo]

Argh. Enzo flies higher and faster. "Keep close to me so you're inside my forcefield."

[shufti]

Shufti holds on tight.

The volcano starts to erupt, with quite some force.

"Is that a door?" she points to a concave area of rock.

[a1enzo]

"Let's find out!" Enzo aims for it (but not so fast as to crash into the rock if she's wrong).

[shufti]

The lava is gaining on them... but it looks like there's a door.

[a1enzo]

The heat is making it harder for him to think, but fortunately, he doesn't really need to think very hard at the moment. As soon as he can see for sure that there is an opening, he accelerates to the max.

[shufti]

Shufti can feel her hands starting to sweat, and grips on for dear life as they go through the hole.