We didn't get spotted by anyone on our way up the Volcano, thankfully. It was also lucky Callie kept that shield around us, because more than one of us fell on the way up. Though we had incredibly powerful physical bodies, most of us couldn't actually fly, and the mountain was much less durable than we were. The rock crumbled out from under us a number of times, but thanks to going slow and being careful the few times someone slipped we were able to intervene before they fell, and even the wolves made it to the top of the Volcano safely.

Once we made it up to the top we all stopped to catch our breaths, not tired so much as extremely frazzled from the constant worry about the fucking ground collapsing from under our shoes. We were able to stand much more stable on the rim of the Volcano, looking down on the sprawling maze of lava rock walls that coated the bottom of the Volcanic bowl, which to my immense relief was NOT coated with lava as I'd expected. It made sense in a way, while we couldn't assume it was entirely dormant it was pretty clear it was safe to interact with up here at the top.

We all crouched down inside the rim so no one could see us from farther away. High Perception stats made things like that possible and it was better not to risk it. As we stared down into the labyrinth we could see shambling forms that were barely visible from up here, even with our enhanced Perception. Callie was able to see them best given her talents, and relayed their appearance to the rest of us but no one knew what they were. Despite how prepared we were for the undead biome no one here had any special knowledge of these kinds of monsters.

Luckily there were other options. We still had our scan rings, and while we were out here we had signals that would let us do a bit of research. We spent twenty minutes or so tracking down monsters that fit the description Callie gave us, just so we would have the best chance when we went in. Callie was the one who found them, which given her much nicer ring and the fact that she could actually see the damn things wasn't really a surprise.

Making sure to stay low just in case she crawled over to us, wincing a bit as the sharpened bit of volcanic gravel scraped at her legs, though her higher Impact prevented any actual damage. I suspected there were higher ranked stone shards in there or it probably wouldn't have even hurt her. When she got close enough she turned her screen so we could all see the picture. The creature was a large upright monster made of the same lava rock as the labyrinth, which kind of explained why we couldn't make them out very well.

Callie looked less than enthused. "They're called Tinderlings. A type of G ranked lava construct. They form naturally when low grade fire elementals possess lava rocks. In their base form they're basically small rolling pebbles, but over time they accrue more stone and build themselves stronger bodies. When they rank up they merge into their rock form entirely and become a completely new creature. Tinderlings are durable, being made of stone and all, but they're mainly Might attributed, which makes them both stronger and makes the heat they give off more intense. These are not an easy enemy to fight, and avoiding them is going to be our best best."

The gravel shifted slightly as the wolves adjusted themselves, clearly not enjoying being stuck on their bellies in sharp gravel, whether it could actually hurt them or not. They even whimpered slightly, though Jessie was able to shush them into silence again. Despite the wolves bonding with each of us Jessie was still their main point of contact and they seemed closer to her than the rest of us. I didn't mind. She would probably be working with them more than we would. Her life energy could even help them evolve over time if I understood her power correctly. They were mounts for us, but for Jessie they were a huge force multiplier.

Focusing back on Callie I asked the question that no one had gotten around to yet. "Will we be able to avoid them? The labyrinth is kind of sprawling. We might be able to work around them if we use the raven, but what happens if we run into one of these things after we enter the tunnels. We don't know what it's like down there, we have no way to tell what the setup is like under there, we might be completely penned in with them." For that matter I didn't know which entrance we should even pick. They weren't small, I might be able to use Seek Hidden to find the closest to our target, but I'd feel better if we got a bit closer.

Luckily she seemed less unsure about this. "Yes. Like I said, absurdly Might heavy. Their Perception is pretty much rock bottom, probably because no one expects rock monsters to have particularly sharp senses, especially given the lack of eyes and ears. We should be able to sneak by them easily enough, though if we get penned in like you're worried about we might have to fight in a few cases. It's better than the alternative though. Fighting a few of them is better than fighting dozens, and we don't exactly have a way of avoiding them completely."

I grinned. "That might not be accurate. Remember we're standing on a big ass mountain. This entire thing is made of rock. I had an idea when I saw this place, but now that we made it up here it's beginning to become an actual plan. What if we avoid the labyrinth and the monsters entirely. My Sucking Mud skill can turn the earth liquid in a ten meter radius. What if I narrow the effect and use it to reach further down. We might be able to literally sink through the ground and into the tunnels while bypassing all the dangers."

Callie looked less than enthused by my idea. "Solomon, that...that is INCREDIBLY dangerous. What if we don't pick a spot over the tunnels, what if someone sinks down into the earth and then gets stuck down there. They could drown in the mud, that sounds...horrifying to even imagine. I'd love a way to avoid all this danger but I can't in good conscience let anyone take that risk." Her voice was quavering at the thought, and I wondered if she had some sort of phobia about being buried alive.

Luckily I didn't just spout the idea without consideration. "Not at all, I thought of that. I can use Seek Hidden to find the tunnel system, it's huge so it wont be hard to locate. As for getting stuck, our bodies are way more powerful than they used to be. Tearing ourselves free of some dirt wouldn't be hard for any of us, and we could put a rope around the persons waist just in case so they can follow it back up. Plus with our Might we can hold our breaths WAY longer than we used to. I noticed it when we were swimming the other day."

I'd actually been pretty confused at how that worked. My best guess was the increased suction from inhalation condensed a lot more air into our lungs, but I hadn't really had a chance to ask anyone about it. It was one of those weird side effects of Might that no one really mentioned because it didn't usually come up in the day to day. I was really looking forward to finding out more of those actually. I could see Callie still looked a bit put off, and I stepped forward, putting my hands on her shoulders.

I gave them a squeeze. "Hey, no one was suggesting you do it first. I'm the one with the Sucking Mud skill, so I'll try it out. If something goes wrong I can use the skill again and you guys can pull me up by the rope, no muss no fuss. Ok?" Her eyes looked clouded for a second, as if she wasn't looking at me, and I wondered what the hell had happened to her that gave her this kind of reaction the idea of being buried. It wasn't an underground thing, we'd done that plenty since we got here. It was specifically the idea of being buried alive.

Still, not the time or place, and possibly not my business. I made my intention to let it go obvious, and I saw her come back to her senses as she noticed me letting go of her shoulders. She shook it off, giving me a brittle smile. "Yeah. Of course, that sounds like a smart safety measure. Let's do that." With that said, we started to make our way down the crater slowly, towards the edges of the labyrinth. In order for this to work I needed to be close enough for Seek Hidden to find both the right entrance and the tunnels themselves.

Luckily as explained earlier the Tinderlings had shit for Perception so even a basic application of stealth let me range ahead of the group without fear of being noticed. I let the others fall behind as I slowly made my way forward to the edge of the labyrinth, and when I got close enough I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and activated Seek Hidden, targeting the entrance closest to the Akkadian Fire Beads. I'd considered doing the Heart of the Greater Mountain, but I suspected based on the name is was big enough for me to use the tracking skill on it directly when we got to that point.

I felt the skill activate, and given the size of the entrances I didn't need to strain it or change its application to make it work. I opened my eyes, staring out into the labyrinth and after a minute or so of searching managed to catch sight of a dim red glow. I gestured up to the others to follow at a distance and began the process of sneaking around the edge of the labyrinth, drawing closer and closer to the slowly brightening red glow of the entrance we needed to make use of to get to the Akkadian Fire Beads first. I was pretty sure getting the Heart was going to involve fighting for it, but if we could secure the beads first we could ensure we at least had a chance to win or tie regardless of the outcome.

As we drew in close to the proper entrance I waved the others in closer and nodded to Benny, who passed me a rope he was able to conjure from his torso. Since Benny himself was G rank, and the rope was at least H it would be more durable than average. I tied it around my waist and cancelled Seek Hidden, waiting a second before activating it again searching for the tunnel system beneath us. Unlike the entrance the tunnels were MASSIVE and as such I didn't even need to look to see them lit up like a lantern.

I made my way over to a tunnel that I saw connected to the entrance we wanted and extended past the edge of the labyrinth before turning to the others. I kept my voice low as I spoke, still somewhat worried about the Tinderlings hearing us. "Alright, I'm going to head down to test out the process, it isn't too far so it shouldn't be a problem, plus my mask will keep my face clear and I can hold my breath on the way. If you feel a tug though, pull me up, and if the ground hardens wait a minute and I'll use the skill again." I cracked my neck, readying myself for the next task. "Wish me luck." I just hoped I didn't need it.