January 29, 2019, 11:44 am. Five minutes north of Aethire's outermost defensive Freeze Rays. And other, less interesting, defensive measures.

After arriving outside of Aethire, I confirm everyone's safe before teleporting us to the horizon again. We spend the entire day teleporting, only flying whenever my Facet dips under half. We stop to rest as I raise another shelter. Then we continue the next day until we're finally in sight of Elementalist's peak. The volcanic dungeon is oozing lava down its side, which then drips down hundreds of meters to strike the frozen sheet of ice below. Because of course it's a floating island. It also has lightning striking it every few seconds. Somehow, Genitha managed to leave that little fact out.

Not that we'll have trouble reaching it. Kellica's the only one without an easy method of flight, stuck with her basic glider. But that's more than enough that she's been able to keep up with only a little assistance from Tipan and I. Heck, we could probably have carried her without it.

While we've arrived at the volcano, we technically haven't gained access to Elementalist's Peak.

"So, somewhere in all that lava, is a dungeon entrance?" Tipan asks, running one of her hands through her mohawk, making it flop despite the frigid winds being stopped by our barrier.

"That's what I was told," I respond, searching for a clue as to where the entrance might be hidden. "An onyx gate, two K'tharn tall. Or so the notes say."

"That shouldn't be too hard to find," Rufka says, floating directly above Tipan and looking down.

Tipan just rolls her eyes, before sending a large bolt of wind in the direction of the island. It only takes me a second to realize it's the same height as her and Rufka. As the bolt gets closer to the floating volcano, its scale gets clearer.

"Oh," Rufka says as the brilliant green bolt finally impacts the side of the island. It was barely visible. And couldn't have been more than a hundredth the height of the volcano. "So, best get started then?"

"Unfortunately, it'll just be me and Smoulder doing most of the searching," I say, staring at the island. "The rest of you don't have enough resistance to stay close for long."

"We may not have resistance, but I can still help," Roberts says, floating closer. "My shields should be able to weather a fair amount of heat without any real damage."

"I... didn't think of that," I admit, watching as Roberts creates a dome large enough to encompass the rest of the party.

"And I'm actually not terrible with fire," Rose declares, holding his hand out in front of him. And having a small lick of flame no larger than the tip of my pinkie pop into existence. And then flutter and die out.

It's not much, but considering Josh can't summon even that much yet, it's not bad.

"Yeah. I'd just be a liability," Josh states, eyeing the volcano warily. "Most of my powers aren't going to be useful when dealing with fire. Maybe I should sit this dungeon out."

"It's called the Elementalist's Peak, Josh. Not the Firemancer's Peak. Where's your sense of adventure?" Rose asks, elbowing Josh.

"Left it in my other pants," Josh replies, but there's a slight smile on his lips. It's good to see him smile. He hasn't done that much since he and Beth started arguing after his... return. Rebirth? The time when he came back from the dead. Right, Resurrection.

"Well, guess you'll just have to make do with these pants," I say, which earns me a smile of my own. Good.

"Indeed. This is hardly the time for changing pants. Though I do have some rather dapper ones that would suit you," Roberts says from slightly above me.

"Thanks guys. I get the point, I'll stay," Josh says with a light chuckle. "But I still don't think I'm our best bet for exploring."

"Nope. But that's why I sent Smoulder ahead," I say, looking over at where a small blob of lava was just displaced. "She's been searching since we started talking."

Roberts’ laugh drowns out any other response until he recovers.

"Something wrong?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"Nothing. Nothing. Good thinking Lexi."

"Uh, thanks?" I reply, arching my eyebrow at him before turning back to the glowing mountain. Smoulder's already feeling satisfied. But there's no sense of accomplishment so I'm pretty sure she hasn't found the arch yet.

Instead of joining her, I fly to the far side of the island. As I approach the lava, I'm amazed at how not even my bound clothing is getting seared. My elemental resistances are kind of amazing. Roberts and the others take another point, closer to Smoulder. They work as a group, and while it's slower than either Smoulder or I on our own, I admit that they are at least covering a fair portion of the volcano.

I'm still the one to find the gate. It's buried a third of the way down, completely covered in hardened magma. It was only the subtle tug of several types of mana that gave it away.

Guess that's appropriate for Elementalist's peak.

It takes an hour to clear a path I feel is safe enough to get the others inside. A path that might possibly have a couple Smoulder statues at the entrance. And more light fixtures than are necessary. Since the required number is basically zero.

Still, it looks like an appropriately dungeon-esqe entrance instead of a random hole in the ground.

Which no one except Rufka seems to appreciate, as they all just fly past me to the entrance once I alert them I've found it. But Rufka indulges me, allowing me to explain the flourishes I incorporated. It's a small thing, but it reminds me of how great she is.

We approach the Onyx gate together. Unlike with the last dungeon, there's no visible city or anything like that on the other side. Instead, the entrance is a swirling mass of colours. Which I'm pretty sure are representations of the elements. Green for wind. Purple for lightning. Light and dark blue for Water and Ice respectively. Going around, I confirm they're all there. And in the gaps is the yellowish dusk of twilight.

"It's... prettier than I expected," Rose says, holding his hand out towards it.

"Hmm. So, who goes through first?" Roberts asks, pulling Rose back before he can get too close.

"I should," I say, stepping forward. "If there's anything on the other side, it shouldn't be able to hurt me."

What I don't mention is that if no one else is there, if I have to use teleportation offensively, that just means there's no risk of hurting them. Before anyone can put a hand on my shoulder, I step inside, Hasting myself.

Passing through the gate has a similar feeling to entering Raz's, but the passage itself is different. The actual building blocks are more complex, but the mechanism is simpler.

Then I'm through, and I'm left standing on a small island barely ten meters across. The gate stands behind me, firmly in the middle of the island. The edge of the island drops away, revealing choppy water far below. Ringing the island are eight bridges, stretching out around it. They're each marked by a faint tinge of elemental mana, but the far end is obscured in the dusky haze of twilight mixed with their element colour. I check the island for danger, but other than the gate it's completely unoccupied. Figuring they should be safe, I send the all-clear through party chat.

As everyone joins me on the island, I read through the System notification I received on arrival.

"Iron rank training challenge Elementalist's Peak joined."

"Teleportation abilities have been locked to Elementalist's Peak training zone."

"Zone Quest received: Complete the basics. Requirements 0/8 Basic Elementalist Challenges Completed. Rewards: 10 iron rank integration points, 1 iron rank class progression point. Time: 12/12 days remaining."

Okay, well, that's nice and standard. Though twelve days seems like a lot of time. Wonder if there are hidden challenges here like there were in the Builder City dungeon. Gotta be, right?

"Hmm, that's a pleasant aroma," Tipan says, stepping up on my right.

"Huh. Yeah, kinda fruity," Rufka agrees as she joins me on the left. "Where's it coming from?"

The three of us only take a minute to discover it's coming from the island of Earth.

"That's weird, right?" Rose asks. "Like, that's a basic element. Should it smell like fruit?"

"Did Genitha not say this is a rare dungeon? I'd be surprised if it was boring," Roberts says, stepping up next to the bridge leading towards the blob of brown. As he steps closer, the blob resolves itself slightly. Instead of being completely formless, it now looks like a stack of rough bricks, though they flow at the edges. When Roberts sets his foot on the bridge, a notification next to it pops up, warning that the trial is in use. As he steps back, the notification disappears. And the bricks drift back to their formless shape. "Interesting."

"Okay. Like I said earlier," I begin, getting everyone's attention. Which makes me gulp for a second. But then I remember that Beth believed I could do this. It's an easy dungeon, and it's not like I'm their leader. Just the person relaying information. "We'll each need to complete the trials individually. And then there will be a group challenge. Which should unlock the rest area once we complete it."

There's a round of nods then Josh and Rose both walk towards the Earth trial. When Rose steps onto the bridge, the notification fails to pop up. Then Josh joins him and they nod at each other before walking down the bridge.

"Pretty sure that's cheating," I mumble as I watch them cross together. Then I notice Roberts stepping onto the trial for fire. Which surprises me. He's had more trouble learning fire than any other element.

When he turns back, he notices my gaze. He gives me a smile, while wagging his bushy eyebrows in my direction. "It's best to challenge yourself, when you can." Then he turns back and strolls towards the giant ball of fire that resolves itself into a platform with glowing torches.

"I suppose I should try my hand at lightning?" Kellica asks, taking a single step towards the glowing ball of purple before looking towards me. And I know she's not looking towards Rufka, cause Rufka's dangling her feet off the edge by the Earth bridge, playing with Smoulder.

"I don't see why not," I reply, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. That's what a team leader would do, right?

"Right. I'll conquer this trial shortly then return!" Kellica declares before charging across the bridge, her ponytail flailing in the wind behind her.

"She's rather... enthusiastic," Tipan comments from beside me, brushing her mohawk out of her eyes as we gaze after Kellica’s retreating form.

I shrug, my gaze shifting to where Rufka and Smoulder are playing. Rufka has managed to capture Smoulder in her arms and is getting my mana-hare companion to kick at a little ball of water. Then I focus back on Tipan. "Did you have a preference?"

"I think I'll start with wind. Should be simple enough for me. And will allow me to evaluate what sort of tests we're being put through. You?"

"Figured I'd let everyone else choose first. Doubt any of the elements are going to be much of a challenge."

"True. Well, wish me luck," Tipan says, taking her staff in both hands as she steps toward the wind bridge.

"Good luck. And may Astra guide you," I say, trying to offer the encouragement a team leader should. Like Beth would. Maybe?

"Thank you. You as well," Tipan replies before starting across the bridge to the wind blob. Which resolves to a small valley surrounded by thin reeds that whistle as she gets further away.

"Just you and me," Rufka states from behind me, making me jump. She ambushes me with a flurry of kisses before pulling away. "Guess I should get started. Was thinking I'd do Stone."

"Oh yeah?" I reply, stopping her as she moves to take a step towards the floating grey island.

"Yep. Wanted something challenging," Rufka says with a wink as she spins out of my grasp. “But decided to go somewhere hard instead.”

It takes me a second, but then I can't help but groan at her pun as she walks across the bridge. Ahead of her, the grey blob resolves into a shape reminiscent of a spoked wheel. If the wheel also had jagged ridges along each spoke.

Smoulder hops over to me, landing on my shoulder as I consider my options. I look to her as I say, "You know, we're going to have to do all of these. Hope you don't mind starting with ice?"

Smoulder's return smugness ensures me that anything I can handle she can too. Which… fair.

With that decided, I take my first step towards the first challenge, the dark blue blob resolving into a frozen palace twice the size of any of any of my companions' challenges.

As if noticing my surprise, Smoulder rises up on my shoulder, igniting herself and glaring at the castle as I walk closer.

Despite the icy building ahead, it's with a warm shoulder, and an equally warm heart, that I start the first challenge of Elementalist's Peak.