Luna Mountain

Gaga saw the entrance to the inside of the mountain, and pointed it out to Onua. "There's where we go in. Are you sure you want to go?"

"Of course! I hate waste, and this trip would have been wasted if we didn't even try to get the water. Let's go."

They headed for the entrance, and as they walked through it Gaga asked, "What do you think the challenges will be?"

"I have no idea, but there are five, based on the elements, so as we pass them, we'll get a better idea of what's coming up next."

"True." By this time they had started walking down the tunnel, and as they went around a corner, the entrance was lost from view. They walked for a short while, and Gaga relaxed about the challenges. Onua-san is a very capable young woman, and I can assist her as needed, so there shouldn't be a problem. They'd passed many curves and twists in the tunnel, but no other ways branched off, so there was no fear of getting lost. As they approached yet another bend they saw a red-orange glow, and quickened their pace.

As they turned the corner, they halted. The passageway widened suddenly, and they saw a canyon, from which the glow came. Onua walked up to the edge and looked down. "Well." she said. "I think this is the first challenge." At the bottom of the canyon, instead of a river, there was a pulsing, glowing vein of red-hot magma. The canyon was too shallow, so the flow of molten rock was uncomfortably close. Just standing at the edge Onua felt slightly blistered from the heat. The only way across this chasm was a narrow rope-and-wood hanging bridge, which bent in the middle to get even closer to the magma.

"This seems simple enough." said Onua. "We just have to get across the bridge, Gaga-san. …Gaga-san?" She turned to see him still in the tunnel, as far from the lava as he could get without actually leaving the room. He was sweating. "Is something wrong, Gaga-san?"

"I have bad memories of trying to cross lava-filled chasms…"

Flashback:

Gaga, Cube, and Chow shrunk down to almost-microscopic size, inside Barizan. They were trying to find out why he had malfunctioned and collapsed, inoperative. Cube and Chow were walking across a bridge over a lava-filled chasm (inside a robot?...weird.), they looked back to see Gaga shriveled up like a dead frog from the heat, lying facedown.

Flashback:

Cube and Chow holding Gaga underwater, trying to re-hydrate him from the lava-disaster. Gaga coming up sputtering, just as a flash flood, (again, inside a robot?) washes them away.

End Flashback.

"You know we have to cross this. Putting it off won't change anything." Onua said practically.

"I know, it's just…"

Onua had sympathy on him, he really looked uncomfortable. "I tell you what, Gaga. You go first, and I'll be behind you, to make sure you can get across. If I think you're having trouble, I'll help you, okay?"

"O-okay…" Gaga steeled himself, and came forward, stepping onto the bridge.

Heat washed over him, but he walked forward. He moved tentatively, and Onua said, "You know, the faster you move, the quicker you'll get across."

"Oh, right." He walked faster, but the other side seemed so far away, and he was so hot…

About halfway across, just where the bridge sagged lowest, he slowed and stopped. Onua came up behind him and realized that he was sweating and glassy-eyed, not really aware of what was going on. Gaga stood there, his thoughts moving as slowly as thick syrup. Hot…tired…sleepy…hot…tired…move…tired...hot…

Onua knew she had to do something or he'd just fall over right there. The heat seemed to have sapped his volition. Quickly, she made a decision.

Gaga was still standing there, almost devoid of will, when he felt something grasp his shoulders. Onua leaned her forehead against the knapsack on his back and pushed slightly with her her hands on his shoulders, saying, "Put your right foot before you." Gaga did so, simply obeying what the voice said. "Put your left foot before you." Again, he obeyed. "Put your right foot before you." This continued until they reached the other side.

Once they were off the bridge, Onua pushed him slightly harder, and he sat down abruptly. She slipped her knapsack off, and rummaged through it for her canteen. When she found it, she twisted the cap off and splashed some in his face. He blinked and spluttered, then became aware of his surroundings, finally awake again. "There now, that wasn't so bad! It could have been much worse." He looked at Onua, realizing what had happened. "Thank you, Onua-san; I couldn't have crossed that on my own. I would have just stood there and shriveled up like a raisin if it weren't for you."

"Don't worry about it! You'd have done the same for me if our positions had been reversed. Now how are you doing, do you want to rest here for awhile? Or do you want to go on immediately?"

"I'm just fine, if I drink some of my water, I'll be ready to go."

"Then let's move on to the next challenge!"

As they stood and went out the tunnel on this side of the chasm, Gaga thought, I hope they're all as easy as that one, but somehow I doubt it. I have the feeling that they'll just get harder and more dangerous the further we go.