Journey to the center of the Volcanic Archipelago

Core had been walking through this all-encompassing watery grave for who knows how long now. All around them was nothing but water and darkness, with the occasional finned creature moving past them. The further the lone wanderer got the harder it was to move, and at this point the surrounding pressure was getting unbearable. Their metal plating had started to buckle inwards and couldn't hold on for much longer. And if they got any water at all in their systems, not even mentioning this many tons of pressure, then that would be the end. They had to reach dry land soon. But as Core processed their situation, they noted something. Each step took less effort as the rock they walked on slowly started to slope upward. It did not take long for the surrounding pressure to ease up enough that the metal plating surrounding the weary unit wasn't in any more danger of breaking. And eventually Core saw something welcoming that they hadn't seen in what felt like ages. Light. After what must have been at least another hour of lumbering through the depths and passing many more of these strange aquatic creatures Core finally saw what they had been longing for ever since they left it. A steep cliff that started at the bottom they walked on and reached past the now gradually more visible surface. After all this time in the deep watery hell, they had pushed through it and reached land. Core started climbing.
But as early as the first contact with this cliff Core noted that something felt... off. The black rock felt not only very light and filled with small holes, but also very warm to the touch. Core didn't pay any mind to it, the heat wasn't bad enough to kill them and at this point they had been submerged for far too long. After a long climb their head finally breached the surface, and for a second their eyes were closed just so they could feel the air around them. The very hot air around them... Core opened their eyes upon their damaged systems registering a much higher temperature than normal, and they documented a whole new sight. The black and porous rock covered every inch of land in sight, which still wasn't much. The realization that all they had reached was an island would have made them scream if they had any lungs or vocal chords to scream with, because this meant that they had to go underwater again. They went down on their knees and slammed their closed fist in the ground as their normally blue eyes glowed a bright orange. After about a minute they stood up, eyes back to normal. They weren't that keen on going underwater again and so were likely going to be here a while, so why not explore a bit? That's why they existed after all. Core headed further inland.
Core was designed to feel, but after a while they started to wish they weren't. The temperature only got hotter the further they got from the shore. Their vision was distorted from the intense heat and the steam from the quickly evaporating water covering them didn't make things better. At least the latter part stopped shortly thereafter. And it did not take long for them to find the source of the heat as they looked into a small crater. The thick red-orange liquid at the bottom emanated more heat than anything Core had ever encountered before. Hotter than the engines back home, and according to the thermal readings much much hotter than the superheated plasma beams from those weird sailed creatures they encountered in the jungle a while ago. The liquid seemed to be extremely thick judging by it's slow movement and the black, seemingly hardened, spots floating around in it. Just looking down at it made Core feel like they were melting. They couldn't see it, but their faceplate had started to glow orange from the intense heat. They quickly turned away and continued onward before it became too much.
After a short while they reached the other side of this isle, and not a minute too late. Parts of their armour had started to melt due to the intense heat and their inner systems struggled to keep up. Thankfully the shoreline was a bit cooler. Core never thought they would be this relieved to see water again, especially this soon after their previous ordeal. But now their central processor started to falter. Their armour had already taken a beating from the intense pressure on their journey here, and the heat on this island had only made things worse. If they stayed inland they would melt. If they continued underwater they would be crushed. Was this the end of their long journey? Core was almost relieved. They would never finish their mission, but that was fine. After everything, this was as good of a final resting place as any. Core closed their eyes as their rusted knees touched the darkened sizzling ground. They had seen so much, experienced so much, overcome so much...
That's right. They had overcome so much beforehand, and some pressure or heat wouldn't beat them down now. The metallic traveler stood up and looked over the horizon and saw their next goal: another black island. Equally hot if the distorted air around it were any indication. Their armour was still intact enough to keep out any water. And with the closest thing their motionless faceplate could get to a resolute smile, Core went into the watery depths again. Their journey wasn't over just yet.