Trees thinned as they approached the intended lake of lava, replaced by smaller shrubs and things that looked remarkably like cattails growing in the lake itself. The biggest difference was that the base of each plant was atop the lava instead of buried under it- though they seemed to have roots digging into the viscous liquid. From a handful of meters back, John found that there was only minimal increase in heat from the lava lake- though no doubt it would ramp up quickly as they got close.

Sect Head Charlotte was closer, both because the increased heat was more tolerable for her and the Firepine Palace, but also because John and Aydan would be more effective blending into the background. An unknown enemy was still in the area, after all.

In the midst of the lava lake ahead, the purpose of their presence in the area stood out on the surface. Surrounded by meter wide spots of red that were like round carpets atop the orange-white lava was a fire lily. At the moment it didn’t look like much more than an orange-red pod with sparkles of different colors peeking through the outer petals. As it was supposed to come into bloom today, it should quickly look like another further into the lake, blades of fire spreading out radially in several layers. Throughout the sizable lake were more than a dozen examples from fully closed to spread wide open, flames surging around the petals.

According to what he’d been told, fire lilies bloomed one day per year and had to be used or preserved that same day for optimal effect. Fortunately, as all fire lilies in one lake tended to be in sync, predicting when that day would be was fairly simple. Since the Firepine Palace was dominant in their area the locals had stayed away and wouldn’t have known when the time was, but clearly there had been either spies or someone slipped information to a third party- which was also espionage, just that one was strictly external. No doubt Charlotte would be looking into things later.

Spouts of lava that John didn’t quite understand at first suddenly erupted near the most advanced fire lily, the one that was fully open and swirling flames about itself, producing all manner of yellow, orange, and red hues with small traces of other colors sprinkled in. John quickly realized that the spouts were not some sort of geological instability- though geysers were not uncommon in the region- but rather splashes from creatures under the surface.

Two large creatures John might have called ‘fish’ were engaged with each other, with more watching from afar. Charlotte also noticed the action, smoothly transitioning into motion. “Firepine Palace, with me! The rest of you, secure the area.” That included both John and Aydan as well as the other allied sects who had come to lend a hand in exchange for some of the rewards.

Charlotte's steps upon the lake of lava left behind dark patches as she drew the heat into her. She didn’t completely solidify the surface, but the following cultivators who walked in the same place as her would not have to deal with so much of the extreme temperatures. A late Consolidated Soul Phase fire cultivator like Charlotte had nothing to fear from a simple lake of lava, but the weaker members of the sect would find it troublesome to resist. As she got further in the lake, instead of simply paving her own way Charlotte hopped to the dark red sections that were already present, the giant pads of the fire lilies. The lake of lava supported those walking atop it with relative ease due to its density and viscosity- cultivators wouldn’t sink far into it even standing still- but the pads provided a natural insulation from below.

When Charlotte approached the two fish in conflict, they reacted to her presence by combining their attacks, gouts of lava spewing towards her in arcs. She avoided those and countered with an attack of her own. It was not visible above the surface, but John felt something twisting beneath. Several of the large lily pads trembled and then shifted, the tendrils attaching them to the greater plant twisting around the swimmers.

The battle was not over so easily, as the lake dwellers were more than just fish. They were about as large as moderately sized sharks, a couple meters in length. Their ‘fins’ clashed against the tendrils of plant matter enwrapping them, curling into sorts of claws that sliced it apart. Charlotte was not done, of course. Even against creatures so clearly comfortable in heat, as a proper fire cultivator and the leader of a local sect she knew how to handle them. The wrappings had simply been to slow them while she approached closer, then she leapt forward and landed with a double footed stomp near them. Lava splashed upward, vaulting one of them into the air.

Charlotte already had her blades in hand, a longer one near to the length of John’s arming sword and a smaller one more akin to a sai with additional blades. The secondary blade went mostly unused as Charlotte chopped into the creature in the air, her fire elemental spiritual energy able to augment the sharpness of her blade against the fish as she cut through its scales where John presumed gills would be on a normal creature. It was sliced open, while at the same time the second lunged for Charlotte’s legs.

John kept an eye on the battle while following a small group around the edge of the lake, watching for the mentioned intruders. He did his best to blend the image and feeling of himself and Aydan with the others such that only the very careful or those with highly trained senses would pick them in particular out of those around them, either due to their divergent elements of their cultivation strength. That was feasible enough, as long as they weren’t directly engaged in combat.

Charlotte finished her battle at nearly the same time as the fire lily itself finalized its display. She immediately set about harvesting it, storing petals and seeds and other parts in separate specially made boxes, much like a small jewelry box in size. At the same time, several others across the lake began their prominent displays and flashes of light came from the far side of the lake, combat being engaged by the groups that had patrolled in the opposite direction.

John saw other cultivators moving out on the lake besides Firepine Palace. Further conflict was inevitable now, the only question was whether each side would secure the lilies closest to them or go on the offensive. It was a bit of a split. The intruding cultivators secured a few locations, two active and two not, while Firepine Palace took a defensive stance as well except for a small group with Sect Head Charlotte.

At this point it was John’s responsibility to reach one of the battles, though instead of going directly he continued to circle the lake with the group he was with. Not only could they cut off potential directions of retreat, spending less time on the fire lake was best for them to conserve energy. Even the fire cultivators who could draw upon the power could only take so much.

As they moved closer, John sensed something. A familiar aura, both in general and specific. The flashes of light had been an indication- as it was specifically light and not just spiritual energy colliding. Now, John was certain it was the Righteous Flame League… along with Asgeirr, the spear wielding cultivator John had fought in Astrein’s tournament.

Since they had fought, John had advanced from rank 31 to 32, another step in the mid Consolidated Soul Phase. He couldn’t tell exactly, but it seemed Asgeirr had similarly advanced, or if not he was close. That wasn’t surprising with their similar ages, at their current level one would not expect either of them to suddenly pull ahead by a significant margin. A single rank would have only shifted things slightly in the favor of one side regardless. Asgeirr was not the only Consolidated Soul Phase cultivator among the Righteous Flame League- there was an older man who had just begun to clash with Charlotte. That left that balance slightly in the favor of Firepine Palace with the presence of John and Aydan, but the Righteous Flame League had also brought more Soul Expansion Phase cultivators.

At the risk of worsening the man’s opinions of darkness cultivators, John opened his offensive with a throwing dagger. The weapon was coated in darkness and water to be maximally effective against the man’s fire and light elements. It was infused with Clinging Affliction, aiming to cause maximum consternation to the man. Just because he had beat the man once before didn’t mean he was confident in doing the same in terrain that favored him.

The dagger met its mark, drawing the man’s attention away from the lake creatures and the fire lily Asgeirr was focused on towards the shore. He raised his spear defensively. John could attempt further ranged assault, but with the man prepared his abilities would only be minimally effective. The Clinging Affliction had already run its course, water destructively feeding on the fire and the darkness reacting with the man’s light element to explode around his left shoulder, on the rear. It was meant to cause more lasting damage, but that simply didn’t work out in this case.

With the allied fire cultivators moving forward, John and Aydan joined them atop the lava. It was not the optimal position for them to fight, but their cultivations could make up for some of that. The Righteous Flame League’s split between fire and light would likely make the fire lake less optimal for them as well, so with John’s water element it was Aydan who was the most affected.

“I’ll take care of the small fry,” John’s uncle said. “I’ll keep them off your back… and I don’t want to face a Consolidated Soul Phase cultivator like this.”

John nodded as he followed the same path as some of the other fire cultivators. What amount of heat they had drawn away or dispersed made the trail somewhat easier, and John added his own water element to cool it and earth to push the heat outward. It wasn’t the most effective, but it was better than directly clashing his energy against the lava.

He moved for the fire lily pads, natural areas where the heat was minimized. Asgeirr saw his plans as well as seeming to recognize him. He moved to cut him off, forcing John to stop short. “We meet again, villain.”

“I’m not the one who is uninvited, intruding in unowned territory to steal another’s claim,” John couldn’t help but point out. At the same time, he was looking for a good opening. If there wasn’t one, he would have to make one.

His legs tensed as he leapt off the surface of the lake, air element carrying him higher. Beneath his feet he gathered earth and water once more. His trajectory carried him at an angle to Asgeirr, but the man took the opportunity to charge forward. His spear flashed with light as John moved through the air, but he was already prepared for that move with a small filter of darkness over his eyes. He parried the spear with his sword as his feet hit the surface of the lava lake… and his earth energy pushed through, shoving a pillar of lava out beneath Asgeirr’s feet and knocking him back. The earth energy consumed by the fire was more or less balanced out by the lava already being liquid, though obviously making any lasting changes would be terribly difficult.

John repositioned himself even further, alighting on one of the large lily pads. It wasn’t comfortable to stand upon, but he didn’t have to split as much of his concentration to supporting his footing.

Asgeirr was already charging back towards John, drawing the local fire element into him as he moved. That would increase his endurance in the battle while John would find his lowered, making drawing out the fight undesirable. Asgeirr’s aggressive style already favored short engagements, but John hadn’t chosen to engage on the lava lake without a plan. He just had to rely on Aydan to keep others away, as promised.