The torrent of lava flowed in front of them, bubbles occasionally bursting and flinging droplets of fiery molten rock through the air. A pocket of steam erupted from a nearby rock, producing a hot cloud of gas that split the air and drew the attention away from the glowing river. The tunnel opening was a few feet behind the adventurers, and the small cavern ahead of them was surprisingly cave-like in appearance.

"Well," Kylie said, hands on her hips. "Good thing I bought those Boots of Lava Walking a few months back."

"Wow, really?" Keevan said, impressed. 

"Of course not," Kylie replied. "I've never even seen lava before now. Why would I buy an expensive magical item for something I've never seen?"

"Keevan," Brody said. "Any ideas about how to cross?"

"Uh… I could make an ice bridge?" Keevan said questioningly.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, dear," Helen said, forestalling Kylie's doubtless cutting response. "Ice does melt, don'tcha know."

"Could you build a bridge of stone?" Groll asked. "You were very adept at moving the earth for our burrow in the insect cavern."

"I don't think I can do that with stone," Keevan replied. "I could only do it with the ground back there because it was so loose."

"So how can we cross this?" Brody asked. 

"Easy. I just lasso a rope around one of those stalactites and then swing across the river," Kylie said sarcastically. 

"Excellent. You're a valuable asset to the team," Brody said. 

"But… I didn't…" Kylie spluttered. "I don't even think that's physically possible."

"Keevan," Groll said. "Your spell that maintains your temperature… could it withstand the lava?"

Keevan's face turned white. "Um… I would rather not test it."

The adventurers stood in silence for a few moments, watching the molten rock slowly flow by. Tiny flames would shoot up briefly in different parts of the stream. Keevan began to surreptitiously pick his nose, bring his hand down toward his waist, and flick toward the lava.

"That second sun you made back in the ice cavern," Groll said, startling the mage. "Could you do the same thing, but with… cold? Make something very, very cold and drop it in the lava?"

"Um… I could make something out of ice and drop it in the lava. But it would just melt, wouldn't it?" Keevan replied. 

"Yes, but you may be able to cool the lava with enough of it. Cause some of it to turn to rock briefly enough for us to cross. If you start building it high, like at the ceiling, it may have enough ice to cool down the lava by the time it reaches the flow," the orc said.

Keevan shrugged and began his usual muttering and hand waving. A large structure of ice began to form on the ceiling. It wove itself between several stalactites, growing denser and heavier as more ice was added. It continued to grow toward the lava, growing heavier and heavier. Finally, the stalactites on the ceiling gave way and fell from the ceiling. 

The whole structure crashed into the lava with an explosion of steam, fire, and sound. Heat rolled over the unprepared adventurers in a wave, and chunks of ice shot at high speeds over their heads. Keevan and Brody just fanned the steam from their faces, but the rest of The Undefilers jumped back and turned around to guard themselves against the oppressive warmth.

"Gust of Wind!" Helen cried from within the sweltering cloud.

A hot wind blew through the cavern, carrying the steam farther into the cavern and away from the adventurers. Keevan lowered his hands and looked around sheepishly at his companions. 

"Now!" Brody shouted, running and leaping across the stream with two large, quick steps. 

The ice had partially cooled the lava, but Brody had determined that the two fallen stalactites provided a much better walkway than the newly-formed rock below them. After seeing their leader cross safely, the others quickly followed his lead and made it across the flowing, molten rock.

The adventurers stood on the other side of the flowing lava, looking back as their improvised path was slowly swallowed. Keevan even audibly gulped.

“SHEEEEEEEEEEEESH!” called a voice from behind them, startling them from their reverie.

The Undefilers spun around, bringing weapons up in a ready position as a figure appeared out of the darkness. The shape of a young woman who appeared to be made of chunks of living rock jumped down from a shadowy ledge higher up in the cavern and landed in a somersault. After completing the roll, she stood up, extended her right arm up and to her right, her left arm bent but going in the same direction, and buried her head in the crook of her left elbow. The motion only lasted a second, then she continued to saunter over to the group, chattering the whole way.

“Suh fam. That was dank,” the rock figure said. “Keep that up, I might stan you. No cap.”

Brody looked at his companions in confusion. Groll seemed to be silently mouthing the words back to himself, trying to divine their meaning. Kylie was frowning. Helen had her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised. Keevan seemed to be panicking about what sort of spell to use against a talking rock monster.

“Best be droppin’ those weapons or you finna catch these hands,” the figure said, stopping a good ten paces away and raising her fists in an exaggerated fighting stance.

The group slowly lowered their weapons. Based on their facial expressions, they had no idea what was going on.

“Who are you?” Brody asked.

“I’m Jehn Zi,” the figure said, stretching her arms out to either side. “Oooo. Those spider dudes gon’ be salty A-F when they find out you crossed when they couldn’t.”

“Have you been keeping them from crossing?” Groll asked.

“Nah. They took an L way back,” Jehn Zi said. “But they’re creepy. If they had gotten across, they’d have gotten clapped. Periodt.”

“I see,” Groll said. “We are looking for the source of the magic in these caverns. Would you happen to know where we might find it?”

“Bet,” Jehn Zi said. “But you guys still have your weapons out. Vibe check, fam. I ain’t finna finesse you or nothin’ sus like that. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

The Undefilers slowly put away their weapons and followed the beckoning rock woman. Kylie walked close to Groll and tapped on his arm, signaling him to bend down a bit.

“What is going on?” Kylie whispered.

“I am at a complete loss,” Groll whispered back.

“What are you whispering about?” Keevan whispered from behind them.

“Nothing,” Kylie replied.

Keevan shrugged and continued walking with the group, letting the light orb above him illuminate the cavern that they walked through. Brody was in the lead of the group and had sheathed his sword, though his shield was still out and ready for an attack from the mysterious rock woman.

"How strong is your stone?" Brody asked. "From one armored individual to another."

Jehn Zi looked Brody up and down from over her shoulder as she walked. "Stronger than your armor, smol boi."

The scene shifts to reveal Brody seated in front of a rock wall. 

"Adventurer Tip: If possible, it is ideal to be rock hard. I wish I were rock hard all the time," Brody said. "Even while rock hard, though, you should still wear protection."

The scene shifts back to the group following Jehn Zi through the cavern chambers.

“So…” Kylie said. “Are you from this cavern?”

Jehn Zi laughed. “Ooo, sis, you sendin’ me. Nah, I’m from a few caverns down. Rest of these places be high-key danger. That’s how I ended up vibin’ in here. This place hits different.”

The group followed Jehn Zi through some sub-chambers within the larger cavern until they came to the familiar sight of a rock tunnel with a small patch of grass inexplicably growing in front of it. The path disappeared into darkness, but it was definitely the same tunnels they were used to. The rock woman leaned up against the wall of the cavern next to the tunnel with her arms crossed in front of her and her feet on the grass. 

“If you want to go to the source of it all, you gotta go through here,” Jehn Zi said. “But watch out for this other guy. All I do is talk to him and he big mad.”

Seemingly from nowhere, part of the cavern wall exploded in a fiery burst of force, light, and sound that caused the adventurers to shield their eyes. When the light faded, a figure not unlike Jehn Zi was standing there, though partially made of lava instead of all stone. This new figure was definitely male and definitely felt much older than their guide.

“I told you!” the figure shouted at Jehn Zi. “Stay off my lawn!”

“Okay, Boomer,” Jehn Zi replied, casually stepping away from the figure and his grass. “No worries. I’m finna dipset. Just showin’ fam the exit. No cap.”

“Ugh!” the figure replied. “You make no sense with your mumbo jumbo. You have no idea how hard I have to work to get this grass to grow. You know nothing of hard work and responsibility!”

“Mr. Boomer, sir?” Brody said hesitantly. 

“What?!” Boomer said, his head bursting in a loud eruption that set the adventurers’ ears ringing.

“Could we pass, sir? We would like to go to the next cavern to seek out the source of the magic here. We need to understand it and what it’s doing,” Brody replied.

“Well, finally some respect,” Boomer said, waving them toward the tunnel. “Fine. Go on, then. But I don’t know why you'd want to fix anything. Everything works fine. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The adventurers edged by the two rock people and into the tunnel. Helen waved back at the two, giving them warm smiles.

“Take care, you two,” the dwarf said.

“YEET!” Jehn Zi called out.

Boomer began chasing Jehn Zi around and shouting incoherently as the adventurers left the pair behind in the tunnel. The group walked on wordlessly for a few minutes before the silence was finally broken.

“That reminded me of home,” Keevan said suddenly.

“Wait, what?” Kylie asked, startled.

“Just the people. Jehn Zi reminds me of a cousin of mine. They use a lot of the same words. Well, he used to use those. I think Jehn Zi is a bit dated. Which makes sense if she never gets any visitors, I guess. And Boomer is a lot like my father,” Keevan replied.

“I thought you came from some distinguished mage family in a floating manor or something,” Kylie said. “I can’t see distinguished mages running around shouting at people to get off their grass.”

“Oh, we don’t have grass,” Keevan said.

“Hah! Knew it. Floating manor?” Kylie asked.

“Nope. It doesn’t magically float. That would be a ridiculous amount of magic,” Keevan said. “But people are pretty jealous of it. Our house has wheels.”

“Wait,” Kylie said. “You mean your house… the house of the family of famously talented mages… is a mobile home?”

“Oh, yeah,” Keevan said, absently running his fingertips along the wall of the tunnel. “We travel around. Sometimes we’ll stay in one place for a while, but most of the time we just bounce from place to place. And we’re not all famous mages. Uncle Kleetus, for example, can hardly do any magic. But I guess he’s sort of unique in that way.”

Kylie fell back behind Keevan in the tunnel without responding and looked up at Groll. She mouthed the word ‘what’ incredulously at the orc, who shrugged. 

“I think that sounds fascinating,” Helen said. “Traveling around the world with a full kitchen. I could go for that, don’tcha know!”

“Traveling with so much seems like it would be a burden,” Brody said from ahead. “I used to travel with a big trunk I carried around with me. Now I just travel with what I can carry on my back. I ended up with too much junk in my trunk."

"Not like we can tell," Kylie muttered under her breath, looking at Brody's plate armor.

“I grew up with a large family, as well,” Groll said. “The whole tribe was my family. Is it similar to yours, Keevan? Do you have a patriarch with more authority in the family than the others, similar to a chieftain? Maybe a grandfather? Or is the one with the most magical talent in charge?”

“I don’t really know that we have anyone in charge,” Keevan said, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought. “But everyone does walk a little softer around Grandpappy. But the most magical talent thing definitely isn’t right, because that’s me. And I wouldn’t have gone out to do adventuring if I were in charge. I would just stay at home. We had lots of great snacks at home.”

Keevan looked wistful as he reminisced about what the group could only imagine was a large assortment of greasy finger foods, based on his obsession with the tiny sausages Helen often made. 

“So what,” Kylie said. “They kicked you out?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say they kicked me out,” Keevan replied, breaking out of his reverie. “They just said I had to go out into the world and learn to be… useful. ‘Earn your place in the world’ is what Pa said.”

“That sounds like they kicked you out,” Kylie said.

“Dear,” Helen began. “How old are you? I know elves live very long lives. With all the spells you know, I think we all assumed you must be well over a hundred. But the situation you’re describing sounds more like that of a teenager.”

“A hundred?! Hah!” Keevan guffawed. “No, but I’m not a teenager, either. I’m twenty-two. I’m an adult! But yeah, I am pretty young to be out on my own for an elf. We typically don’t leave our families until we’re at least fifty. The Crimsoncollar family, my family, usually doesn’t have anyone leave before they’re in their seventies. But I guess that doesn’t apply to magical prodigies.”

A few of the group missed a step at the mention of Keevan’s young age. They had all assumed he was exaggerating his status as magical prodigy throughout their travels these past eight months, but the amount of magical knowledge and power he had at twenty-two was unheard of. His immature behavior now made a lot more sense to the group.

Keevan didn’t seem to notice his companions’ reaction to learning about his age or experience. He just began talking about his family and their traditions around magic, fashion, music, and travel. The way he told it, they really loved traveling in their mobile home, practicing magic, and playing banjos. Groll seemed completely taken with the world Keevan described.