“I have to attack the mountain…?” Micro asked.

“How do you attack a mountain?”

“I’m sure that in any world, to defeat a mountain is to look down upon it from its highest point.” Kel wondered aloud.

“Is it not so on your world?”

“Now that you mention it, I’ve heard people talk about mountain climbing like that.” Micro replied with a nod, then he chuckled as a thought came to mind.

“The old man’s son got stuck up one once.”

“Before we go, master, I do feel I should clarify your task…” Kel said as he grabbed Micro’s shoulder just before he could start running.

“It’s unlikely you’ll be able to reach the top at your current level. I doubt I’ve even made it halfway to the top yet.”

“It doesn’t look that tall…” Micro frowned as he inspected it more carefully.

“Indeed, but I assure you that no living member of our sect, other than my grandfather, has reached the summit and claimed its ultimate reward.” Kel explained with reverence.

“It was such an arduous experience for him that he doesn’t even speak of it to this day.”

“But if there’s a Core Card at the top-”

“It will be there when we return from the tournament, master.” Kel asserted.

“I promise you, master. One day we will reach the summit, and I would be honoured to do so together with you, but you must practice restraint.”

“The brakes…” Micro sighed, nodding as he understood what Kel was trying to say.

“Thanks, Kel.”

“Fear not, master.” Kel said a bit more cheerfully.

“There are still treasures to be found elsewhere on the mountain.”

“Why didn’t you lead with that, you stinking turtle!” Blue shouted as she flew past Kel and Micro on a straight path for the mountain.

“Ah, she does like treasure.” Micro recalled as he watched her blue light fade into the distance.

“What kind of treasure is it?”

“Did I not mention, there are a number of Core Cards hidden all over the mountain, master.” Kel said with a grin.

“Promise me you’ll meet me on the other side of the dungeon's entrance once you’ve found one.”

“I promise!” Micro shouted as he poured even more energy into his legs and ran toward the mountain as fast as he could. The thought of Core Cards just waiting to be found made the mountain look as welcoming as indoor parking on a hot day, knowing that each card he mastered would get him one step closer to finding a way home.

Although his feet still felt heavier than normal in the heavier gravity, Micro tripped only twice as he ran through the golden trees, jumping over roots and rocks on the way. The added comfort of knowing he had all the time in the world to accomplish his goal filled him with such relief that an expression of joy began to form on his increasingly sweaty face. As he reached the edge of the forest where the relatively flat forest floor met the foot of the mountain, he looked up in anticipation, but he was surprised to see a familiar blue light shining atop a rock only a few steps up the mountain.

“Blue, what’s wrong?” He asked as he took his first step up the steep, rocky incline.

“What the-”

And the world around him suddenly seemed to stretch and twist as its gravity nearly doubled. He glanced back as he thought he felt the forest pulling him backward, then he looked up at the mountain’s peak and doubted his eyes.

“Did the mountain just get taller…?” He wondered aloud as he increased the amount of energy flowing down to his legs. He managed to regain his balance and took another step up to where Blue was lying on a rock, but his senses were struck by the same shock once again.

“Ugh…”

The mountain’s peak now looked almost twice as high as it did when he had looked up at it from the foot of the mountain moments ago, and the gravity had only grown stronger. He readjusted the flow of internal energy to compensate for the change and took another step, but again the mountain’s peak grew farther away. This time he no longer had enough power within him to compensate for the change in gravity, and his feet stayed firmly rooted to the rocks beneath them. However, as he took a deep breath, he felt something in the air.

Curious about the strange quality of the air, he tried filling his eyes with energy to make it easier to perceive the elemental energies in the air, and he was blinded by the sheer density of it all. With his eyes opened to the spiritual world, the pile of rocks he had taken the mountain for looked like a raging fire, overflowing with so much lifeforce that it was hard to see through. He withdrew his aura from his eyes and took another breath, this time making sure to utilize the energy he drew in. Just as he had practiced with the food in his stomach earlier, he absorbed the energy into his own and pushed it down into his legs, finally giving them the strength to move.

He took another step, and wasn’t surprised when the same event occurred, but this time he was prepared to draw in as much energy as he needed, and after a moment of circulating the energy he’d taken in, he took another step, and another…

“Blue…” He called out as he finally came eye to eye with the pixie lying lazily on the rock.

“Did you find… any cards…?”

“No…” She groaned.

“Shut up…”

“Sorry…” He replied.

“This is… difficult…”

“That’s the annoying part…” Blue sighed, forcing herself up to a sitting position with a grunt.

“There’s plenty of energy to use… But using it is exhausting in itself… These tricky dungeons…”

“Tricky…?”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“The realm we’re in now… The time in here isn’t the only thing that old cultivator messed with…” She said as she looked up at the summit, now barely visible in the distance.

“Space gets more and more squished… The higher up you go…”

“Space gets squished?” Micro asked, struggling to channel the energy rich air he was breathing throughout his body as he spoke.

“The mountain only looks small from a distance…” She continued with a bitter tone.

“It’s actually much bigger…”

“So it gets taller the higher up you go…?”

“Just be quiet and let me catch my breath…” She complained.

“I can’t even fly up here…”

“Oh, I can help…” Micro said as he leaned over to pick her up. She only rolled her eyes however, as pulled on her wings as hard as he could but wasn’t able to budge her from her place. He tried two more times before nearly fainting.

“How much meat did you eat…?”

“Ugh…” Blue rolled her eyes as she began to refocus her internal energy.

“Kel told us to come back…” Micro continued.

“After we find a Core Card…”

“So…” She said with a fed up tone.

“One Core Card each…”

“Just one…” Micro confirmed as he caught his breath.

“Last cultivator to find one…” She continued as she brought herself to her feet. She looked up at Micro with a childish expression.

“Doesn’t get any meat tonight…!”

“That’s…” Micro began with a look of horror, but Blue had already jumped ahead several paces in search of a Core Card. He looked back up at the mountain, which seemed to disappear into the orange sky above, and shrugged.

“I need to be more fuel efficient anyway.”

~

Micro’s first instinct was to stop thinking about the task ahead, recalling his experience in the Turtle Art dungeon, but it proved impossible to cease his thoughts while constantly transforming the energy he breathed into power in his legs. He tried walking laterally along the mountainside, hoping to find a Core Card near the foot of the mountain, but he found nothing but rocks and grass. He also recalled that Blue had proceeded straight up the mountain, so he assumed she had done so for a reason and continued his painfully slow ascent.

The amount of concentration needed to push more and more energy down to his legs began to tire him far more than the simple act of climbing. Rather than emptying his mind, it felt like every part of his brain was working overtime as he balanced energy circulation with Core Card hunting. He tried summoning the Fire Turtle Art armour for a while, but it only made it more difficult to draw in energy, and it did nothing to counter the effects of increased gravity.

The next thing he considered as a means of increasing his efficiency was making his core larger and stronger, so that he could gather more energy with each breath. However, when he took even a moment to look inward at his core, he immediately collapsed beneath the pressure of the mountain’s gravity.

All he could do was take a step, take a breath, circulate his energy, and will himself forward, again and again.

Take a step, breathe, focus.

Take a step…

Breathe…

Focus…

He couldn’t even lift his eyes from the ground as he repeated the act more times than he could count. He watched the rocks beneath him come and go, each one less interesting than the last. Some of them he tripped over and stubbed his toe on, while others he kicked out of the way as he slid his foot forward. The sweat that fell from the tip of his nose fell through the air fast enough that he could hear the whistle of each drop before it hit the ground, leaving small craters in the rocks wherever he went. Even dust failed to rise from the impact of each drop of sweat.

Long after losing track of time beneath the sunless, orange sky, he was greeted by a welcome sight. Sticking out of the side of the mountain, mostly hidden among the rocks, was a strange little structure. He could tell what it was made of, but it reminded him of a tiny little roadside shrine like the farmers used to erect in the mountains. However, what Micro liked most about the little shrine that didn’t even reach his knees was what was resting inside of it.

“Ha…” Micro could only sigh as he reached down to pick the Core Card out of the shrine it inhabited.

It was a familiar shade of green, and he recognized the symbol of the fire element at the top right, but he wasn’t sure what to make of the symbol which adorned it. He was surprised to see the shrine slowly crumble once he’d fully removed the card, turning to dust in moments and becoming indistinguishable from any other spot on the mountain.

“Poor craftsmanship, I guess…”

Still unable to relax, Micro didn’t spend another moment enduring the altitude he had reached. For the first since he began his quest, he turned around to face the world below.

“Wow…” Despite the pain in his legs quickly overwhelming him as he wasted a full breath of energy on that single word, he couldn't help but enjoy the view of the golden island in the sky from his vantage point. A mysterious wind blew through the trees, making waves that mesmerized more with each moment he looked at them.

“Ouch…”

He dropped the Core Card as his knees buckled, and he struggled for a moment to reclaim it from the newly formed crater by his feet.

“Wait…” He grunted as he stood back up, his hand aching as he did his best not to release the card a second time.

“Trill, can you carry this one as well?”

“Fine…” Trill replied, throwing his hand up to receive the card with some difficulty.

“Why is it so heavy… Stupid human…”

“We’re in a dungeon…” Micro explained as he stretched his fingers.

“Hah…” Trill groaned.

“Of course…”

“You don’t mind carrying those, do you…?” Micro asked as he took a moment to regulate his breathing.

“Doesn’t matter…” Trill replied grumpily.

“Pixies follow orders…”

“Oh…” Micro shrugged.

“Well… thanks, Trill.”

“At the very least…” Trill grumbled.

“Let me sleep…”

Micro was content to let Trill enjoy a nap in his pocket while he imagined the mountain fried beef waiting for him. The sound of the cook’s laughter echoed in his ears as he took his first step down the hill, but he was quickly brought back to reality as gravity caught him off guard once more. He stumbled forward as he struggled to account for the lessening of gravity while descending, realizing that his habit of increasing the flow of energy which each step would have to be reversed.

To further his difficulty concentrating, while he had gotten used to the mountain’s peak growing farther and farther away as he ascended, the base of the mountain now seemed to rush toward him with each step. He became dizzy and nauseous in little time as he sought an end to his quest.

After what felt like days had passed and his legs felt lighter than they ever had, he was once again able to imagine the steaming bowls of mountain fried beef waiting for him at the temple. He could almost smell the honeybuns being baked in some faraway place. However, something a short way down the mountain suddenly came into view that filled him with fear and urgency.

“Blue?!” Micro gasped as he realized how far ahead she was, and it was clear that she was dragging a Core Card behind her judging by the trail it had carved in the rocks Micro now walked upon.

Blue looked behind her as Micro’s anxious voice caught her ears, but she gave no thought to her usual antics. She quickly returned her attention to her descent, moving roughly the same speed as Micro despite her shorter steps.

“Wait…!” Micro cried out, his visions of mountain fried beef and freshly baked honeybuns going up in smoke as he recalled the rules Blue had set for their race.

“Maybe we could share…!”

In his panic, he lost his footing for just a moment, but one misstep was all it took to rob him of his balance. He wondered for a brief moment during the fall if Blue would wait for him, but he remained unsure until his head made contact with the rocks on the mountainside and everything went black.