Shohara let out a little sigh. She knew that being chosen as the Neopian Times' special reporter for the inaugural voyage of the very first under lava boat ever made, the fruit of the joint efforts of the most valiant Moltaran scientists and realized with the best Virtupets-made materials, was without any doubt the greatest honour of her career. Still, the most exciting thing that had happened until that moment was when the Mayor tripped on his own shoelaces right before starting his speech at the inauguration, and that was not something her readers would add to their historic events list. After that, there had been only red, hot lava, at first thrilling, then fascinating, finally tedious.

The exploration of the magma tunnels was painfully slow, and, according to the Captain, they had covered just one-third of the distance between Moltara and Mistery Island. The mission goal was to find a channel between the underground city and the Techo Mountain volcano, but the Roxton's Eye had to face many dead ends and deviations, and progress was not as fast as expected; still, nothing worthy of note had happened yet, and Shohara was starting to feel a bit discouraged.

Just when she was about to let out a second sigh, somebody knocked at her door.

"Shohara?" It was the second-in-command, a Magma Yurble named Groot. "You better come and take a look..."

They crowded around a viewing porthole, joining Bertholm, one of the technicians. The porthole's thick triple-layered glass was aglow with the crimson streams of lava just outside. Beautiful, if a bit monotonous a scene by this point. It took a couple of moments for her to see what was different. Eddies and whirls poured against the window as she realized aloud, "It's going the wrong way! Hang on, are *we* going the wrong way?"

Bertholm nodded and shook his head simultaneously. "Yes. Well, no. Well, we're not. The sensors picked up something at the other end of this tunnel. Something big. We don't know what it is, but it's mobile, and it's pushing a lot of magma this way. Roxton's Eye doesn't have any difficulty sailing blind, of course, but um... the Captain said to stay the course for now and then mentioned something about scouting ahead..." he trailed off sheepishly, the magma Gnorbu's eyes awed behind oversized goggles.

Groot scowled, looking markedly less awed. "That Flotsam's whims are going to be the end of me. He better be wearing the harness and all his safety gear."

"Hold on - just how large an entity are we talking here?" Shohara rifled through her pockets for a notepad and pencil, nerves warring with excitement for - finally! - some real news. Bertholm glanced down at some papers scrawled with calculations, then back up. He held up one of the papers for her inspection; on it, he'd doodled the tiny figure of a Gnorbu for scale next to a neatly labelled 'Tunnel Obstruction (Moltara)'. Either Gnorbus got really, really large, or TO(M) was about the size of three Altador Cup stadiums from one end to the other.

As she digested this information, a muffled rapping came at the porthole.

“I’ve got good news and bad news, lads,” he announced. “Which would you like first?”

Shohara opened her mouth to ask for the good news when the Yurble beside her cut her off.

“Bad news!” Berthholm requested.

“I found the obstruction,” Captain Everan said proudly, setting his flippers on his hips, “and it is *totally* impassable.”

"So, what does this mean?" Shohara fretted, "If the exit is blocked, do we have to turn around?" Shohara thought of the cramped quarters of some of the tighter passageways they had already travelled through, and wondered if the Roxton's Eye actually had space to turn around at all.

"Well, no, it doesn't have to," Berthholm replied, adjusting his goggles. "We'd planned to exit from the Mystery Island volcano, but we *could* divert course and exit in Tyrannia."

"Tyrannia!" Shohara burst, ears shooting upward. "But that could take days!”

“Well, it would still be better than being stuck here forever,” Groot huffed.

Shohara began to thump her paw anxiously against the ground, crossing her arms over her chest. She’d wanted something exciting to happen, but she had also wanted to make it home to her comfy bed tonight. “Oh, no…” she worried, “What will we eat? Who will feed my Kadoatie? What will my parents think happened to me? Or my boss? What if we-”

“Hey, now!” Captain Everan cried, beckoning at her to slow down, “What about my good news?”

“Oh!” Shohara gasped, “Yes, please, please, what’s the good news? I really need some good news right now.”

“Well, the good news is *what* the obstruction actually is!” he told her with a cheeky wink. “Turns out, it’s…”

"Isn't that good news?" Captain Everan said cheerfully. "Something to put in your paper!"

Bertholm was continuing, brow furrowed at the obstruction ahead of them. "Except for the fact that...hey, hold on."

These two were really telling her that the highlight of this inaugural trip was that she got to report that they found a different kind of magma? Really?

She tried to drum up some enthusiasm in her expression. "That's really something. You're right."

Bertholm frowned, leaning as far against the viewing panel as he could, then beckoned the other technicians towards him. Soon there was a flurry of commotion, each of them muttering to one another, and their faces looked worried.

"What is it?" Shohara asked. "Is everything okay?"

Bertholm turned. "Well, you see. The magma we thought was an entirely new magma...it's just moved."

"Moved?" Shohara echoed. "As in, like it's flowing towards us?"

The other guests let out panicked squeals at this, and Captain Everan quickly moved to comfort them.

"Now, now, it's nothing like that!" he said. Then he paused, glancing at Bertholm. "Er, right?"

"Well, for starters, magma only moves upward with Neopia's crust," Bertholm said. "It certainly doesn't flow or erupt down here in these tunnels. That would be scientifically impossible. And yet...look!"

Everyone moved to the wide glass panel that covered the front of the ship, and on Bertholm's order, Captain Everan drove the boat closer towards the obstruction. As it became clearer, a huge layer of molten rock that glowed and shifted, it also became clear that this was no thick layer of magma blocking the path.

Because whatever this was, it just opened its eyes and blinked at them.

Captain Everan was comparatively calm. Almost scientific as he quizzically looked upon the labouring beast.

It was dome-shaped with effervescent green tendrils cascading down all sides. It had a layer of blackened sludge that slowly slipped down its body and into the water. Its eyes were fragmented, like a fly, with little triangles of red in gradient ranging from crimson to a soft sunset colour. Its breath rocked its body in the water, heavy to keep itself afloat.

“I think it’s unwell,” Captain ventured.

“And what are we supposed to do about that?!” Exclaimed Bertholm, face contorted in disgust.

“Maybe we can help it?” Shohara offered cautiously.

Captain Everan nodded curiously, muttering, “we’ve come this far.”

Hesitantly, he retook the wheel and gingerly steered the ship directly towards the beast, pulsating waves from its breath making it difficult to slowly near.

It was as vast and unassailable as a mountain, and if it so wished, it could easily capsize their ship. It'd be easy, like a child crushing a sand castle. Luckily it showed no signs of aggression, but that didn't make the lump in Shohara's throat any less small when they stopped just short of its titanic face.

"Well, now comes the tricky part..." Captain Everan said, clearing his throat. "Somehow, we have to make it clear to this creature that A: we mean it no harm and B: we wish to put an end to whatever ails it."

"Ah, yes. I imagine the language barrier is going to be quite tricky to overcome..." Bertholm said, tilting his head as he mulled over their predicament. "We could simply stick with simple words and let our body language and tone of voice communicate our intent! But that's assuming it would perceive them the same way we would."

"Aye," Groot chimed in somberly, "For all we know, a friendly "Hello!" and a wave could be interpreted as "Out of the way, ugly!" And I'd rather not insult a creature that could sink us with the flick of a tentacle..."

Suddenly, the tense atmosphere of the observation deck was utterly destroyed by a startling noise. Shohara's stomach had chosen now of all times to let out an ear-piercing grumble, and the Cybunny felt mortified as she clutched her middle.

"Ah!" she yelped, "S-So sorry! I haven't eaten breakfast yet, and-"

Before the captain or Groot could scold her, a deep rumbling sound from outside interrupted them. It was so powerful that it caused the glass of the observation window to vibrate, and there was a brief feeling of dread as they slowly looked towards it... and saw the creature's body heaving as it placed the tip of a tentacle over where its mouth could be.

"Well, what do you know... it's *laughing*."

Shohara breathed a sigh of relief, only to furrow her brow in confusion. "Wait, but how could it hear-"

"I hear everything. Your stomach included."

With a startled squeal, Shohara fell to the ground and clutched her head, her large eyes nearly bugging out in surprise. That voice... she *felt* it. Felt it inside her head, speaking so deeply it reverberated in her chest.

"Shohara, what's wrong?!" Captain Everan asked, his eyes wide in panic, "What's happening to you?!"

"I gave her a fright. My apologies..."

Judging by the startled cries of everyone present, followed by the captain steadying himself against a wall while Bertholm took a tumble of his own, everyone could hear the creature's telepathic voice. They looked back at the observation window and were met with the sight of the creature staring at them with eyes that were weak, yet gleaming with a hint of a mischievous zeal.

"Y-You can talk!" Groot yelped, to which the creature nodded weakly.

"Indeed. And you all have something to say, I take it..."

The creature doubled over before assaulting everyone's minds with a telepathic coughing fit. Shohara cringed as her mind was assaulted by a sensation that could only be described as a mental bomb going off, but she put on a brave face and stood her ground. As uncomfortable as it felt, they had a journey to complete...

And in her case, a home to return to.

"We noticed that you're feeling under the weather. Is there anything we can do to help?"

Shohara took a moment to steady herself, clutching her head until it stopped ringing, before looking back up at the creature. She felt a lump of pity build at the base of her stomach, overtaking the fear that had been there previously. This creature seemed so gentle and kind, despite its size, and it also seemed to believe that no one would help him.

“Of course we want to help.” She said, earnestly. “We aren’t the type of pets to leave someone to suffer.” Bertholm, Captain Everan and Groot all nodded in agreement. She already knew they had wished to help, but seeing their affirmation helped quell any lingering doubt in her. She knew she wanted to go home, but home could wait...She was sure her sister would feed her Kadoatie while she was gone.

“What’s wrong with you?” Groot repeated the question again. “You still haven’t given us an answer to that.”

The creature was silent for a moment, though Shohara could sense its brain twisting to come up with an answer. After a moment, it let out a mental sigh and spoke once more. “I’m afraid I’m not sure...Despite my endless hearing, I don’t believe it to be anything that’s found on the surface.” It coughed once more before continuing with a shuddering breath. “I’d ask if I could, but unlike my hearing, my telepathy can only reach so far. It makes for a lot of one-sided conversations.”

The pity in Shohara’s stomach only grew. She could tell this creature was lonely and trying to hide it. She went to place her paw onto the porthole, hoping to send some kind of comfort, but a mental shock suddenly surged through her, and she was thrown off her feet. The headache lingered for a moment, just as she felt a more gentle, though amused, message.

“Careful.” The creature chuckled. “I’d imagine that’s hot.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly, especially when she felt Groot’s disapproving eyes on her. It was the first rule of the ship to be careful of the glass if you weren’t a Molten Pet. Everan seemed to realise what she had been doing, however, and strode up to the porthole to tap it as she’d wished to.

“Don’t worry.” He said confidently. “We’ll find a way to help!”

With that, he turned to his crew and clapped his fins. “Alright, crew, we have a mission here! This creature needs our help, so we’re gonna do what we can!”

Some of the crew looked a little unsure, exchanging nervous glances. After a moment of hesitation, one of them spoke up. “But how are we supposed to help if we don’t know what’s wrong?” And with that, more apprehensive voices joined in.

“How do we know we can trust this creature?”

“That thing could kill us in an instant. I say we get out of here.”

“Can we really use our resources on this?”

“What if-“

“SILENCE!” The room fell silent at Groot’s bellow. Even the most stubborn crewmate knew better than to argue with the second in command. He paused for a moment before continuing, eyes fiery. “This voyage was started to help Neopia! We’re here to discover and give future pets the chance to understand these magma channels. We’ve found a creature within them who is suffering; what kind of crew would we be if we left it without at least trying?”

The room remained silent for a moment, taking in Groot’s words. It was the creature who finally broke the silence through all of their minds, voice amused, though Shohara got the feeling it was trying to hide how touched it was. “What a speech!”

With the crews' doubts forcibly quelled, Captain Everan stood up straight and turned to address them once again. “What a speech it was!” He nudged Groot cheerfully. “I say we do whatever we can! If we don’t know what illness this is, then I say we use a cure-all!”

That was a risk, cure-alls weren’t guaranteed to cure your illness...But then again, it was probably their best bet. Shohara was pretty sure they had one somewhere on board.

But how would they manage to get it to the creature, through the magma…?

Bertholm found the cure-all, and he, Groot, and the captain slipped away, into the magma, one by one.

Shohara was left alone on deck, having been too anxious to voice her concerns. The men just... moved so fast, and seemed so determined. "C-creature," she started. "Can you talk to just me? I... I don't want the others hearing." The Cybunny was afraid they might think her reasoning was stupid, or silly. Maybe the crew and captain were right, maybe the tentacled mass was simply physically ill after all.

"Yes?" the creature said to her. "I have opened a telepathic mind link with just you. What is it?"

"Er..." Shohara hesitated. Mustering her courage, she approached this problem from her biggest strength -- journalism. "I would like to feature you in an edition for the Neopian Times. That is the main news outlet in the surface world."

A hesitation. "Proceed," they said.

"Who are you? What are you? Why are you here?"

"I am a mass of cells, some of which have learned to think and reason -- same as you."

"Do you have a name? Mine is Shohara."

"Shohara, my name cannot be pronounced by your common tongue -- it is comprised of the sounds of whirling magma itself. To address your other questions, I am one of the last in a long line of Magma Neopets known as the Magnas. The eventual construction of the town in the magma caves siphoned off our supplies and magma resources... and we were hard-hit. Some went to the surface, where they have become intertwined in the magic colour of every Magma pet. Others perished. Very few of us remain, though as the strongest and largest, it is my destiny to guard these tunnels for the few others. I stay behind, so our legacy might be remembered. I am ill -- physically, for being here a long time with little sustenance, and mentally, for not having seen or conversed with anyone. You are correct. I am sad, lonely."

Shohara frowned at all these revelations and listened intently. She didn't furiously scribble these notes down -- she knew she would remember them.

"You know," they continued, "I blamed the encroaching town, the 'Moltarans' according to your tunnel obstruction diagram, for my lonesome legacy and the destruction of my people... I did not attack you, because I do not want to start a circle of death."

The Cybunny reflected on this. Yes... had the creature attacked, the Roxton's Eye would have attacked back. And vice versa. Where would they be, then? Both parties destroyed, most likely.

"Though I see now that you creatures are kind. That maybe I didn't need to continue to resent the surface dwellers for their past injustices... Oh, your friends are almost here with their cure-all."

Shohara thought a moment. "I have an idea!" She grinned and started penning notes. "This is the maiden voyage to find a path between Moltara and Mystery Island to open possibilities of tourism between the nations. So there will be others who come here, others who I'm sure would love to hear your story. Ones that would feel for you and want to help you and the few others rebuild. And... and I'll make sure that tourism is done in a sustainable way, too! So that no more magma resources of yours are siphoned. All us Neopets on the surface, we'll help you, I promise."

The creature... smiled, Shohara was sure of it. She felt it. "Alright, I will let you all pass into my kind's territory. They are much smaller than I am, so you should have no issue navigating around them. But please, tread carefully."

The Cybunny pressed her paw to her heart. "You have my word."

Groot applied the cure-all -- a cream -- swimming about and slathering it up and down the massive creature's tentacles.

"Moltarans," the creature telepathically boomed to everyone once Groot had finished, "I thank you dearly for your help and the kindness you have shown. I feel physically better -- somewhat from your cure-all, but mostly from the mental easing that came with the words of the bright young Shohara."

The eyes of the crew and captain turned quizzically toward the Roxton's Eye.

"You may pass... but please, be protective of my people."

There was a huge whoosh of Magma as the creature swam away from them and turned down another tunnel, letting the Eye pass unabated.

Well, Shohara had done it. She had saved the day and had her story to boot. The others would be back soon enough -- to hear about just what she did -- and she would give them some hints, but tell them to "wait for the NT story."

She smiled as she went to the airlock to meet them.

The End