"The floor is lava. Quite literally. Magma has begun to pool under your hooves. How do you escape?"

✦

The heat was unbearable.

Archimedes halted mid-step, his sharp gaze snapping downward. The ground beneath his hooves glowed a dull, angry red—magma, bubbling to the surface like a slow, molten tide. A thin crack split the stone nearby with a hiss, and suddenly, pop!—a burst of heat shot upward, singeing the ends of his tail.

“The floor - !” Terrence barked, hopping backward with a startled jolt. He landed lightly, as if the molten rock was a mere inconvenience. “Archimedes, move!”

“I see it,” Archimedes snapped, his voice sharp with irritation. Ideas whirred in his mind like the gears of a well-oiled machine. He scanned the chamber—cracks spreading, magma pooling—no obvious exit in sight.

“Not seeing you move!” Terrence added, his usual cocky tone edged with urgency. The blue mercenary stallion was already springing between the larger stones, his movements fluid and confident.

Archimedes exhaled, forcing himself to focus. Panic clouds reason. “The higher ground,” he muttered, peering around as the lava snapped and boiled at his heels. His eyes caught sight of a ledge jutting from the far wall, high above the rising magma.

“Terrence! There!” Archimedes barked, jerking his head toward the ledge.

“On it- me first!” Terrence grinned—grinned—and leapt forward, rock to rock, his hooves a blur. Archimedes followed, carefully calculating each step, sweat pouring down his face as the heat clawed at him.

“Less thinking, more jumping, genius!” Terrence called back, laughing despite the danger.

Archimedes ignored him, his focus unshakable. With one final push, he landed on the ledge, narrowly avoiding a splatter of molten rock below. He turned, breathing hard, as Terrence landed beside him with a flourish.

“Not bad for a scholar,” Terrence quipped, smirking.

Archimedes scowled. “Perhaps next time, you’ll listen when I say we shouldn’t go this way.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Archimedes stared at him, unamused. Below, the magma continued to rise, but for now, they were safe.

“Let’s just keep moving,” Archimedes said stiffly, already plotting their next route. He had tunnels to map, he didn't have time for failure. Terrence chuckled, but fell in step beside him.