Hidden Secrets - Archive

[Inaam]

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This is my Rayman fic. I may change bits of it later so please bear with me!



A/N: this is a story on its own. If I choose to write another Rayman fic, it MAY or MAY NOT be a sequel.



DISCLAIMER: I DON’T own Rayman, or any of the other characters. At the moment, the only thing that I actually thought of is the emerald forest. It might actually be important to the story, but I won’t say much more now.



So let’s get on with it!



~_-*-_~





It was a beautiful day in the emerald forest. The sun was shining; the birds where chirping…



…And Rayman was asleep. He wouldn’t be for long, but at the moment he was. He was having a dream. He sometimes did. Sometimes these dreams came true, sometimes not. It was not a pleasant dream.



--**--**--**--



Rayman was walking. He was walking through the forest. It didn’t look like a forest he knew, but it was by far the most beautiful he had ever seen. Rayman felt that he was in a rush. He didn’t pause to admire the sights. Suddenly he heard a voice.



“Help! Someone, please help me!” A girl’s voice. She sounded in great pain. Almost as though she was being tortured. Upon hearing her voice, Rayman’s heart squirmed. It was always like this: every time he heard somebody causing hurt to others, in a dream, he felt angered. Enraged. But in real life, he was always calm. But this time is was almost something…more. Almost as if the screams were effecting him deep down.



In his dream, he yelled out aloud. He followed the sound of the voice, now accompanied by loud, evil laughter. He felt hollow within, his rage was consuming him. But he also felt another emotion: hate. He hated the laughter, and the person who was laughing.



“ARGH!” He couldn’t it any longer. He screamed in rage, and hate, throwing fists and balls of light at the trees blocking his path. He would regret it later. They were beautiful trees, with smooth, brown trunks and long green leaves that, if you felt them, felt almost like silk. The bark itself was smooth and felt nice. Ignoring all this, Rayman trampled his way to the voice.



“NOOOOO! Please! I beg you! No-AAAAAAAARGH!” the screams became louder, filled with pain. Rayman redoubled his efforts to reach the voice, but the very vines seemed to be holding him back. He screamed at them.



Finally after what seemed like an age of thrashing, and squirming, he reached a clearing. A huge clearing. Rayman rage intensified as he saw the burning trunks of once tall and proud trees. He ran to the other side of the clearing, and nearly bumped into a castle wall. The screams seemed to be coming from inside it. He blew a hole into the wall and saw a flight of stairs. They were covered in red velvet, and felt nice to his feet. He didn’t seem to be wearing shoes. He saw a wooden door.



The screams echoed through his head, making it hard to move. He staggered to the door, but the screams didn’t seam to be coming from there. He moved on. He could barely see now, for the pain inside him was becoming unbearable.



He saw the second door. He didn’t seam to touch it but it opened. He was in the position that could be described as ‘on his knees’ if he had knees. He looked up. A figure was standing with his back to Rayman. It turned, slowly.



What Rayman saw was so unbelievably evil, that he screamed. He screamed so powerfully, that the walls shook, and the castle tumbled down. The last thing he saw was the face of the ‘creature’ grinning out at him.

[Inaam]

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything here; it’s all Ubisoft’s apart from the emerald forest.

Chapter 2 –

~_-*-_~

Rayman awoke, with a start. He was gasping; sweating. He looked around wildly, confused and still trying to wake up from his dream. Being in a forest sure didn’t help. It took him a good few seconds to realise that he was alive, and that he had just been dreaming.

‘Rayman! Oh thank god!’ Said a voice. Rayman raised his fists, prepared to defend himself. he turned, and saw Ly standing just behind him looking scared, and confused. This seemed to carm Rayman as he lowered his hands. He looked at Ly. Then behind her, there was Globox. He looked just as worried as Ly, but perhaps a bit more confused.

‘AAAAARGH!’ came a voice, followed by a bump. Murphy picks himself up from the floor and looks at Rayman ‘Hey! What did I miss?’ Everyone laughed at this, except Rayman. He was still troubled about his dream. He had had lots of similar dreams before, three to be exact.
Once just before mister dark’s invasion, he had dreamed about a giant cake, which was being made by a cloaked figure holding a statue of the great plotoon.
Second a few months before razorbeard had come, he had seen a small figure, ordering some robots around.
And finally, he had seen André as a red lum, and a shadow of a scary figure turning him into an evil black lum. He had then seen him change many red lums black, which had happened only moments later…

…had Rayman seen the future? He shivered at the thought. If he had, this was going to be the most powerful and evil creature he had ever seen.

But this dream had been different, more realistic somehow; and it had lasted longer…much longer. What was happening to him? He tried to recall the dream. He was not even aware of the goings on around him. He put his hands to his eyes, trying to keep the memories inside him. He could remember the trees. Beautiful trees. He had torn down a lot of them. He felt sorry to them, even though they were only a dream, h felt that he had destroyed life. He tried to remember more…a castle. Some doors? How much? 1? 5? 2? He couldn’t remember: it was like trying to keep water in cupped hands.
Then he remembered the screams, and it all came flooding back to him. Someone was being injured! Maybe right now! No…Rayman was sure that he would have heard them terrible screams.

Ly touched Rayman. ‘Are you ok?’ she asked.

Rayman looked at her. He tried to smile reassuringly, but didn’t quite manage it.

‘I’m fine’

‘No you’re not!’ she accused him ‘Look, I’ve known you for a long time. Please? what’s the matter? C’mon what’re friends for?’ she smiled at him. He smiled back at her.

‘Ok.’ He sighed. ‘I had a…well…a-a dream. But it didn’t really feel like a dream. It was more like a sort of premonition.’ He paused ‘I dunno, but it was kinda weird you know?’ Ly looked at him curiously.

‘Go on…’ it was a request, not an order.

Rayman looked at her ‘well, I was in a forest’ he sighed again ‘a beautiful forest, with trees that felt nice to touch. It was a nice forest, full of nature. I would have stopped to enjoy the sights but I heard some screams. The felt like someone was being tortured. I saw a castle- I think- … but the rest is just a blur. I remember trying to open a door, but it was locked. I was loosing energy quickly’ he faltered ‘and then I saw…it’ he stopped.

Ly gaped at him. ‘A thing? What was it?’ Rayman opened his mouth and then closed it again. He shook his head.

‘It’s too horrible to describe’ he said, desperately. I don’t know what to do! I’ve had dreams like this before, but never so clear.’

Ly looked at him in a curious way, almost as if she felt sorry for him. She remembered a time, long ago…

‘Hello dear!’ said Betilla, the fairy. ‘Are you ok?’

‘Yes mother’ came the reply. Ly gazed up at her mother and smiled. Betilla smiled back at him. There was a huge bond between mother and daughter. They had some food, cooked -magically – by Bettila. Betilla was just about to ask Ly to go to sleep, when there was a sudden knock on the door.

‘I’ll get it!’ volunteered Ly. She walked to the door, looking around the house. There were a lot of magical things inside there. Ly was quite a large fairy, so they had moved here. She had taken after her father, who, unfortunately, she had never known. As she reached the door she saw some of the magical “masterpieces” that she had made. She smiled remembering the times she had come home, and proudly showed her mother, who, in turn hung them up on the walls.

She opened the door. She gasped. In front of her was a young child, who looked lost. He was cute, but very peculiar. He had a large nose, almost like the teensies, and he had nice hair, that fell over his eyes. However, the most peculiar thing about him was that he had no limbs! No arms or legs, no neck!

Remembering her manners Ly invited her in. he smiled at her, in a cute way. He was about a half of her size, yet he seemed to be almost bigger in essence.

‘I’m sorry, if I’m interrupting you but I think that I’m lost.’ He looked down sadly, and almost ashamed. ‘I don’t want to waste your time, but could you please?’ he trailed of looking both ashamed and embarrassed. He looked up into her face again ‘no, in sorry, I’d only be wasting your time…’

By now Betilla was wondering what was happening. She came floating round the corner and smiled. She saw the child.

‘Hello dear, are you lost? Would you like to come in?’ she asked him, politely and kindly.

He looked up at her, astonished. ‘y-yes please!’ he paused, looking at them both, awkwardly. ‘I’m Rayman.’ Betilla smiled at him.

‘I’m Betilla. Do come in, you look cold out there!’

Ly smiled as she remembered how Rayman had first entered they lives. He smiled at Rayman.

‘Come on’ she whispered to him.

He looked up into her pretty face as he had done all those years ago. ‘Why? Where are we going?’

Her face changed; she looked almost grave. ‘To see Polokus.’

Rayman’s face brightened ‘Hey! Excellent idea Ly! He created this world, and he is kind of like the master of dreams isn’t he?’ he jumped up and started running. Turning back he laughed ‘race ya!’

Ly smiled again, remembering the fun loving Rayman, who always saw the fun in things. She started running after him.

‘You’d better hope I trip over’ she laughed as she over took him.

‘I know you should’ he laughed with twinkling eyes.

Suddenly there was a loud CRASH and an ‘oof!’ from behind them. They turned and saw Globox on the floor. Evidently he had tried to follow them.

Laughing they turned back and helped him up.

‘I think we better walk the rest’ said Rayman with a smile. Globox looked happy, though he tried to hide it.

They walked for a few more minutes, chatting amongst themselves. They soon reached the temple of polokus. Rayman looked in.

‘You two wait here. I’ll be right back’ he whispered, not knowing why. He walked into the cave.

The place looked like it had been ransacked. Pages of books had been torn, and the shelves upturned. It appeared that someone had searched the place…but the worst thing was, that Polokus wasn’t there…

[Inaam]

Chapter 3 – And So The Adventure Begins


Rayman stared again at the cave. He turned round and round, sure that Polokus was around here somewhere…but where? He called for him, sure that Polokus would answer. Polokus always replied to anyone who called, even if it was just telling them to go away.

‘POLOKUS! Hello? IS ANYBODY THERE?’ shouted Rayman. He awaited an answer, but all that he received was echo after echo of his voice. What was Polokus playing at? Where was he? He must be hiding…unless…he wasn’t here?

No…that’d be impossible! He had no reason to go out, and Polokus never did anything without reason. Now Rayman began to worry. What if this was connected to his dream? Maybe someone…or something didn’t want his dream interpreted?

Rayman shot one last furtive look around the cave, searching for any sign that may show where Polokus was, or where he was going-but there was nothing. He walked out of the cave. Ly and Globox took one look at him and knew, instantly, that something was wrong. Rayman looked worried.

Ly looked at Globox, wandering in the news would scare him. Rayman-evidently-was thinking the same thing, he nodded at Globox, and shot him one of his usual smiles, it didn’t work: it came out more like a grimace. Rayman turned to Ly. She waited for him to saw something, but he looked sideways at Globox. He didn’t like the idea of scaring Globox, they had been good friends for a long time, although Globox had become much braver after his last adventure, it may have just been a cover. He thought for a second.

‘Ly? Can I talk to you…in private?’ He ventured, hoping that it wouldn’t offend Globox. Globox however looked as blank as ever and sat down on a stumped tree near the entrance to Polokus’ cave. Rayman looked at Ly. Ly knew that something was wrong, but Rayman seemed reluctant to speak. She was reminded again of her child-days:

-_~*~_-

‘Hey Ly! Hello Auntie,’ Rayman laughed. ‘How are you?’ Ly and Betilla both laughed.

‘Formal as ever I see, Rayman.’ Betilla smiled at him. Rayman laughed back, his eyes twinkling joy, like they always had. Ly found herself gazing into those deep eyes, young, yet wise. Happy, yet proud. And not without good reason, for he had recently fought off Mr. Dark's invasion, and rescued the Great Protoon; the heart of the world.

Betilla was carrying some plates. They looked heavy. Rayman smiled at her and stepped forward:

‘Can I help, Auntie?’ he asked, making a mock bow.

Betilla laughed again. ‘Okay, but make sure you don’t drop them.’ It was a mark of her faith in Rayman that she actually let him carry them. She usually never let anybody carry them for fear that they would break them. But she trusted Rayman completely, almost as much as she trusted Ly. Betilla felt a sudden sadness at the loss of her husband, Ly was her only reminder of him. Rayman, sensing that Betilla wished to be left alone, turned to Ly.

‘Hey Ly, wanna go play?’ he asked her. She smiled at him. That was Rayman; always fun loving, always happy. He had been living with Betilla and Ly for two years now, and never had he slackened: always helping when help was needed, and never a burden.

‘Ok,’ she replied. She followed Rayman out of the door. Rayman was leading the way and Ly didn’t know where he was going. She laughed at him. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked him. He turned and smiled at Ly. It was almost sad, but Rayman was never sad…not Rayman.

‘You’ll see. It isn’t far from here, won’t be long.’ He led her through some tall grass. There were some trees on the other side: beautiful trees, just turning into blossom. She smiled at them. She had always liked trees, but especially in this state, happy and singing in they speech, and growing blossom. She stopped and looked at them, at peace with herself. Trees calmed her somehow: smiling out at her and speaking to her in their language. Like all fairies, Ly had a curious affinity with nature; she could speak with them. She had taught Rayman many things like that, but not magic. Rayman wasn’t good at magic: he didn’t have magical power. She turned and realised that she could see Rayman. For a second her heart stopped.

‘Ly! If you wanna keep up you gotta keep walking’ Rayman laughed at her. He emerged from the undergrowth, and she realised that he had been just a few feet away, hidden by the grass and tress. She laughed at him.

‘No I don’t! I can float!’ And she did so, sticking her tongue out at Rayman. Rayman smiled at her.

‘C’mon, not far now.’ They walked for a while, chatting idly. Suddenly, there was a ruffling from the undergrowth. She froze. Rayman crept up the grass and leapt on it.

‘AAAARGH!’ came a male voice. Rayman laughed, but Ly could only manage a weak smile. She had been genuinely scared, without reason. It was only Globox.

‘You scared me!’ he said to Rayman.

‘I didn’t mean to!’ Rayman replied. He looked at Globox curiously. ‘Were you following us?’

‘Well…no…’ Globox said, shuffling his feet. This time Ly laughed along with Rayman. Globox was always a bad liar. Rayman smiled at him.

‘C’mon, you don’t have to lie to us!’ Rayman said to him. Globox stared up at him, with utmost respect. Globox had always liked Rayman, and had always believed that Rayman was a better person than him.

‘Ok, I was. But I only wanted to see--’ Rayman stopped him.

‘It’s ok, but still you should have walked with us instead of following us,’ Rayman said. ‘It doesn’t matter…err…Globox? Can I talk to you? Privately?’ He spoke the last word with a glance at Ly. She wouldn’t eavesdrop on Rayman, she didn’t want to, and besides, if Rayman wanted to tell her he would in his own time. Ly walked over backwards a little while.

Rayman watched her before turning to Globox. ‘Globox? Can I ask you a massive favour?’ he asked.

‘Sure Rayman,’ Globox smiled. ‘What is it?’

Rayman looked awkward ‘Well…its not that I don’t want you to follow us, but can you leave Ly and me alone? Just for a little while, because I’ve got summat important to tell her, and I’m not sure if I'm ready to speak to everyone about it.’ He looked shocked at what he just said, and for some reason he almost looked sorry to have said it. ‘Look, I’m sorry Globox but--’ He trailed off, looking at Globox, who- to his surprise – was smiling.

‘Sure Rayman! See ya around,’ he smiled. He turned and headed back the direction that Ly went in and tripped over a fallen log. ‘Oops!’ Rayman laughed and went over to help.

‘Thanks Rayman!’ Globox called.

‘You're welcome Globox,’ said Rayman winking at him. Ly came over, and looked surprised that Globox was leaving.

‘Where’s he going?’ she inquired to Rayman. Rayman sighed. He looked her in the face.

‘I asked him to. He seemed happy to, so it’s ok,’ he replied. ‘Look Ly, I gotta tell you something. And it’s sort of important.’ He sighed again. He looked like he wanted to tell something to her, but he seemed to be almost too reluctant, almost scared that he would hurt her feelings. He plucked up courage.

‘Ly- I…well,’ he paused and started again, ‘Ly, I’ve been thinking a lot, and I’ve decided that I’m too much of a burden for you and Auntie Betilla.’ Ly looked like she wanted to interrupt. But Rayman stopped her. ‘Look, please don’t interrupt. I just about managed to pluck up enough courage to tell you now, and I’m not sure if I could do again.’ He smiled at her; a weak smile, a shadow of his usual one. She smiled encouragingly back to him. ‘I’ve decided to move out.’ Ly started in protest but Rayman interrupted. ‘I didn’t want it to be too far from you, because you are my family, and family’s important. I’ve made a tree house. I could live in it, wanna go see?’

Ly looked at him in shock for a second before she smiled at him. ‘Sure! Wait a sec…you made it yourself? I could have helped you!’ She smiled.

‘I know, but I couldn’t tell you…I just couldn’t!’ He looked sad. ‘If I’d known that you were going to be so-so kind about it I would have told you earlier…’ Ly looked shocked at this. Why would she not be kind about it? She asked him. He shook his head.

‘Doesn’t matter, race you!’ He laughed and took off. Ly leapt into floating position; cross legged, and floating she almost looked like she was sitting on a cloud – this was her usual for racing-- and gave chase. They went on for about a minute, at high speed expertly dodging trees.

‘I win!’ they said in perfect unison. They laughed. ‘I guess it’s a draw!’ Rayman smiled. ‘Well we're here!’ Ly looked at the oak she was leaning against, gasping for breath. What she saw took her breath away.

It was beautiful, an oak, tall, with beautiful green leaves and acorns already growing in its leaves, safely protected by its shell. It must have seen at least a hundred years. It was hollow. And there was a door carved into it; seemingly with its consent, for it was smiling, happy at how he looked.

‘Wow Rayman! It’s…it's beautiful!’ she gasped. And she meant it. She couldn’t believe that Rayman had made this himself…or maybe she could? He was a very talented person, and she wasn’t really surprised that he had made it himself.

‘Well don’t just stand there gaping at it, go in!’ Rayman gestured at the door. Ly smiled at her. She was more than a friend to him. He was like a brother. She walked in. She gasped. It was beautiful inside too! Rayman seemed to have varnished the wood, but not so. It gleamed, but it seemed natural. There was furniture, not much, but nice anyway. Rayman had managed to acquire a velvet carpet. It felt nice to her bare feet. Rayman looked at her, as though waiting for her opinion.

‘Well…it’s not much,’ he began with a downcast face.

‘It’s wonderful Rayman!’ She sat down gratefully on a sofa, and Rayman sat opposite her on a couch.

‘Really?’ he asked her. She nodded.

They chatted for a while, talking about a lot of things. Suddenly she remembered that Rayman had not allowed Globox to come. She wondered why.

‘Why didn’t you let Globox come?’ she asked curiously. At this Rayman seemed to undergo a serious internal struggle. Ly watched him for a second. He looked up.

‘Well…it was just that I didn’t really want to tell anyone yet, apart from you. I was going to ask auntie Betilla too but she seemed preoccupied.’ Ly knew that he meant emotionally, he had always been better at that than Ly.

‘Ok. Wait? What’s the time?’ she asked. Rayman pointed at a cuckoo clock on the wall, nicely crafted with ornate wooden texture, that seemed to be stuck to the wall. She looked at it. ‘Gee, it’s getting late. C’mon, we better go back.’

Rayman avoided her eyes, averting his own.

‘I-erm…was gonna move in today…’ he said. Ly looked shocked.

‘Oh…erm…ok,’ she said. It didn’t seem right to her. It all seemed too sudden. ‘Ok. What shall I tell mum?’ she asked.

‘The truth,’ replied Rayman. He still hadn’t looked up. She walked away. Rayman watched her. If she had looked back, and seen the haunted look in his face, she would have realised that there was something else that Rayman wanted to say, something that he hadn’t had the courage to say.Ly realised that Rayman had been talking to her.

‘Ly? What’s up?’ Rayman asked her.

‘Nothing, I just thought, never mind. It doesn’t matter,’ she replied.

‘Ok. Look, just come in to the cave, it’s too hard to explain. You should see for yourself.’ She walked into the cave. Her reaction wasn’t quite the same as Rayman’s. She gasped and ran round the books and shelves. She turned to Rayman.

‘If something was strong enough to kidnap Polokus…’ She didn’t finish the sentence.

‘I know’ replied Rayman. ‘But we have to help him!’ He looked almost desperate. 'But I can’t defeat something as strong as Polokus…maybe stronger! I need help. I need strength. Power. Do you know anyone that can help?’ he asked Ly. She thought for a moment.

‘Yes’ she said after she thought for a bit. ‘There’s an old teensie who lives in the village. He might be able to help us!’ Her eyes glowed with excitement. ‘He lives in the village. We should go to him first!’ she volunteered.

They walked out of the cave, and Globox walked toward them.

‘Hmm…I smell adventure! You two are going on one, I can feel it!’ He narrowed his eyes trying to sound cool and impressive. ‘I’m coming with ya!’ he said. Rayman thought, and agreed. Globox had been a lot of help in his last adventure; if it hadn’t been for him, Rayman would never have defeated Reflux.

As they walked off into the sunrise, a pair of red eyes opened. They seemed to smile. Everything was going according to plan…

[Inaam]

Chapter 3 – And So The Adventure Begins


Rayman stared again at the cave. He turned round and round, sure that Polokus was around here somewhere…but where? He called for him, sure that Polokus would answer. Polokus always replied to anyone who called, even if it was just telling them to go away.

‘POLOKUS! Hello? IS ANYBODY THERE?’ shouted Rayman. He awaited an answer, but all that he received was echo after echo of his voice. What was Polokus playing at? Where was he? He must be hiding…unless…he wasn’t here?

No…that’d be impossible! He had no reason to go out, and Polokus never did anything without reason. Now Rayman began to worry. What if this was connected to his dream? Maybe someone…or something didn’t want his dream interpreted?

Rayman shot one last furtive look around the cave, searching for any sign that may show where Polokus was, or where he was going-but there was nothing. He walked out of the cave. Ly and Globox took one look at him and knew, instantly, that something was wrong. Rayman looked worried.

Ly looked at Globox, wandering in the news would scare him. Rayman-evidently-was thinking the same thing, he nodded at Globox, and shot him one of his usual smiles, it didn’t work: it came out more like a grimace. Rayman turned to Ly. She waited for him to saw something, but he looked sideways at Globox. He didn’t like the idea of scaring Globox, they had been good friends for a long time, although Globox had become much braver after his last adventure, it may have just been a cover. He thought for a second.

‘Ly? Can I talk to you…in private?’ He ventured, hoping that it wouldn’t offend Globox. Globox however looked as blank as ever and sat down on a stumped tree near the entrance to Polokus’ cave. Rayman looked at Ly. Ly knew that something was wrong, but Rayman seemed reluctant to speak. She was reminded again of her child-days:

-_~*~_-

‘Hey Ly! Hello Auntie,’ Rayman laughed. ‘How are you?’ Ly and Betilla both laughed.

‘Formal as ever I see, Rayman.’ Betilla smiled at him. Rayman laughed back, his eyes twinkling joy, like they always had. Ly found herself gazing into those deep eyes, young, yet wise. Happy, yet proud. And not without good reason, for he had recently fought off Mr. Dark's invasion, and rescued the Great Protoon; the heart of the world.

Betilla was carrying some plates. They looked heavy. Rayman smiled at her and stepped forward:

‘Can I help, Auntie?’ he asked, making a mock bow.

Betilla laughed again. ‘Okay, but make sure you don’t drop them.’ It was a mark of her faith in Rayman that she actually let him carry them. She usually never let anybody carry them for fear that they would break them. But she trusted Rayman completely, almost as much as she trusted Ly. Betilla felt a sudden sadness at the loss of her husband, Ly was her only reminder of him. Rayman, sensing that Betilla wished to be left alone, turned to Ly.

‘Hey Ly, wanna go play?’ he asked her. She smiled at him. That was Rayman; always fun loving, always happy. He had been living with Betilla and Ly for two years now, and never had he slackened: always helping when help was needed, and never a burden.

‘Ok,’ she replied. She followed Rayman out of the door. Rayman was leading the way and Ly didn’t know where he was going. She laughed at him. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked him. He turned and smiled at Ly. It was almost sad, but Rayman was never sad…not Rayman.

‘You’ll see. It isn’t far from here, won’t be long.’ He led her through some tall grass. There were some trees on the other side: beautiful trees, just turning into blossom. She smiled at them. She had always liked trees, but especially in this state, happy and singing in they speech, and growing blossom. She stopped and looked at them, at peace with herself. Trees calmed her somehow: smiling out at her and speaking to her in their language. Like all fairies, Ly had a curious affinity with nature; she could speak with them. She had taught Rayman many things like that, but not magic. Rayman wasn’t good at magic: he didn’t have magical power. She turned and realised that she could see Rayman. For a second her heart stopped.

‘Ly! If you wanna keep up you gotta keep walking’ Rayman laughed at her. He emerged from the undergrowth, and she realised that he had been just a few feet away, hidden by the grass and tress. She laughed at him.

‘No I don’t! I can float!’ And she did so, sticking her tongue out at Rayman. Rayman smiled at her.

‘C’mon, not far now.’ They walked for a while, chatting idly. Suddenly, there was a ruffling from the undergrowth. She froze. Rayman crept up the grass and leapt on it.

‘AAAARGH!’ came a male voice. Rayman laughed, but Ly could only manage a weak smile. She had been genuinely scared, without reason. It was only Globox.

‘You scared me!’ he said to Rayman.

‘I didn’t mean to!’ Rayman replied. He looked at Globox curiously. ‘Were you following us?’

‘Well…no…’ Globox said, shuffling his feet. This time Ly laughed along with Rayman. Globox was always a bad liar. Rayman smiled at him.

‘C’mon, you don’t have to lie to us!’ Rayman said to him. Globox stared up at him, with utmost respect. Globox had always liked Rayman, and had always believed that Rayman was a better person than him.

‘Ok, I was. But I only wanted to see--’ Rayman stopped him.

‘It’s ok, but still you should have walked with us instead of following us,’ Rayman said. ‘It doesn’t matter…err…Globox? Can I talk to you? Privately?’ He spoke the last word with a glance at Ly. She wouldn’t eavesdrop on Rayman, she didn’t want to, and besides, if Rayman wanted to tell her he would in his own time. Ly walked over backwards a little while.

Rayman watched her before turning to Globox. ‘Globox? Can I ask you a massive favour?’ he asked.

‘Sure Rayman,’ Globox smiled. ‘What is it?’

Rayman looked awkward ‘Well…its not that I don’t want you to follow us, but can you leave Ly and me alone? Just for a little while, because I’ve got summat important to tell her, and I’m not sure if I'm ready to speak to everyone about it.’ He looked shocked at what he just said, and for some reason he almost looked sorry to have said it. ‘Look, I’m sorry Globox but--’ He trailed off, looking at Globox, who- to his surprise – was smiling.

‘Sure Rayman! See ya around,’ he smiled. He turned and headed back the direction that Ly went in and tripped over a fallen log. ‘Oops!’ Rayman laughed and went over to help.

‘Thanks Rayman!’ Globox called.

‘You're welcome Globox,’ said Rayman winking at him. Ly came over, and looked surprised that Globox was leaving.

‘Where’s he going?’ she inquired to Rayman. Rayman sighed. He looked her in the face.

‘I asked him to. He seemed happy to, so it’s ok,’ he replied. ‘Look Ly, I gotta tell you something. And it’s sort of important.’ He sighed again. He looked like he wanted to tell something to her, but he seemed to be almost too reluctant, almost scared that he would hurt her feelings. He plucked up courage.

‘Ly- I…well,’ he paused and started again, ‘Ly, I’ve been thinking a lot, and I’ve decided that I’m too much of a burden for you and Auntie Betilla.’ Ly looked like she wanted to interrupt. But Rayman stopped her. ‘Look, please don’t interrupt. I just about managed to pluck up enough courage to tell you now, and I’m not sure if I could do again.’ He smiled at her; a weak smile, a shadow of his usual one. She smiled encouragingly back to him. ‘I’ve decided to move out.’ Ly started in protest but Rayman interrupted. ‘I didn’t want it to be too far from you, because you are my family, and family’s important. I’ve made a tree house. I could live in it, wanna go see?’

Ly looked at him in shock for a second before she smiled at him. ‘Sure! Wait a sec…you made it yourself? I could have helped you!’ She smiled.

‘I know, but I couldn’t tell you…I just couldn’t!’ He looked sad. ‘If I’d known that you were going to be so-so kind about it I would have told you earlier…’ Ly looked shocked at this. Why would she not be kind about it? She asked him. He shook his head.

‘Doesn’t matter, race you!’ He laughed and took off. Ly leapt into floating position; cross legged, and floating she almost looked like she was sitting on a cloud – this was her usual for racing-- and gave chase. They went on for about a minute, at high speed expertly dodging trees.

‘I win!’ they said in perfect unison. They laughed. ‘I guess it’s a draw!’ Rayman smiled. ‘Well we're here!’ Ly looked at the oak she was leaning against, gasping for breath. What she saw took her breath away.

It was beautiful, an oak, tall, with beautiful green leaves and acorns already growing in its leaves, safely protected by its shell. It must have seen at least a hundred years. It was hollow. And there was a door carved into it; seemingly with its consent, for it was smiling, happy at how he looked.

‘Wow Rayman! It’s…it's beautiful!’ she gasped. And she meant it. She couldn’t believe that Rayman had made this himself…or maybe she could? He was a very talented person, and she wasn’t really surprised that he had made it himself.

‘Well don’t just stand there gaping at it, go in!’ Rayman gestured at the door. Ly smiled at her. She was more than a friend to him. He was like a brother. She walked in. She gasped. It was beautiful inside too! Rayman seemed to have varnished the wood, but not so. It gleamed, but it seemed natural. There was furniture, not much, but nice anyway. Rayman had managed to acquire a velvet carpet. It felt nice to her bare feet. Rayman looked at her, as though waiting for her opinion.

‘Well…it’s not much,’ he began with a downcast face.

‘It’s wonderful Rayman!’ She sat down gratefully on a sofa, and Rayman sat opposite her on a couch.

‘Really?’ he asked her. She nodded.

They chatted for a while, talking about a lot of things. Suddenly she remembered that Rayman had not allowed Globox to come. She wondered why.

‘Why didn’t you let Globox come?’ she asked curiously. At this Rayman seemed to undergo a serious internal struggle. Ly watched him for a second. He looked up.

‘Well…it was just that I didn’t really want to tell anyone yet, apart from you. I was going to ask auntie Betilla too but she seemed preoccupied.’ Ly knew that he meant emotionally, he had always been better at that than Ly.

‘Ok. Wait? What’s the time?’ she asked. Rayman pointed at a cuckoo clock on the wall, nicely crafted with ornate wooden texture, that seemed to be stuck to the wall. She looked at it. ‘Gee, it’s getting late. C’mon, we better go back.’

Rayman avoided her eyes, averting his own.

‘I-erm…was gonna move in today…’ he said. Ly looked shocked.

‘Oh…erm…ok,’ she said. It didn’t seem right to her. It all seemed too sudden. ‘Ok. What shall I tell mum?’ she asked.

‘The truth,’ replied Rayman. He still hadn’t looked up. She walked away. Rayman watched her. If she had looked back, and seen the haunted look in his face, she would have realised that there was something else that Rayman wanted to say, something that he hadn’t had the courage to say.Ly realised that Rayman had been talking to her.

‘Ly? What’s up?’ Rayman asked her.

‘Nothing, I just thought, never mind. It doesn’t matter,’ she replied.

‘Ok. Look, just come in to the cave, it’s too hard to explain. You should see for yourself.’ She walked into the cave. Her reaction wasn’t quite the same as Rayman’s. She gasped and ran round the books and shelves. She turned to Rayman.

‘If something was strong enough to kidnap Polokus…’ She didn’t finish the sentence.

‘I know’ replied Rayman. ‘But we have to help him!’ He looked almost desperate. 'But I can’t defeat something as strong as Polokus…maybe stronger! I need help. I need strength. Power. Do you know anyone that can help?’ he asked Ly. She thought for a moment.

‘Yes’ she said after she thought for a bit. ‘There’s an old teensie who lives in the village. He might be able to help us!’ Her eyes glowed with excitement. ‘He lives in the village. We should go to him first!’ she volunteered.

They walked out of the cave, and Globox walked toward them.

‘Hmm…I smell adventure! You two are going on one, I can feel it!’ He narrowed his eyes trying to sound cool and impressive. ‘I’m coming with ya!’ he said. Rayman thought, and agreed. Globox had been a lot of help in his last adventure; if it hadn’t been for him, Rayman would never have defeated Reflux.

As they walked off into the sunrise, a pair of red eyes opened. They seemed to smile. Everything was going according to plan…

[Inaam]

Chapter Five: Journey To The Cave Of Jades

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
The companions, and they guides were in a forest again. It was not very think, however, and there was a lot of space to move about. The sunlight shined from the sky above, through the leaves of

Furion turned around and saw that the three companions where lagging behind again. He sighed, and, turning to Furio, he spoke.

‘They’re behind us again,’ He said. ‘We should wait for them…’ Furion was not paying attention to anything. He was usually like this, he just followed Furion. He was not idle though, he was thinking. He was a rare type of Muddie, he was a magical being; yet he was also a warrior. He was mainly magical however. Furion on the other hand was a warrior with magical abilities. Together, they were a formidable team. But they hadn’t been able to prevent themselves being kidnapped. They also had another power.

Communication.

They could commune with themselves without any other being knowing. Thought speech they called it. And it made sense too. They could share their own thoughts with each other. At first there had been the problem of how to hide private thoughts. They had soon worked out how to though. They thought-spoke with each other now.

They need rest Furion. They don’t have the energy that we do. They seem to need rest, all except the limbless one.

Yes, he seems to be they leader. I wonder what the true reason is that they are travelling together…

So you think they are lying?

Well… Furion sounded uncomfortable. I know that I’m not the expert on these things, but I believe that they are hiding something.

maybe so, Furio replied, but there was no lie in they eyes when they told us that they wanted to go to the cave of jades.

That’s just it though, Furion argued, why do they want to go there? You don’t think that they are…friends of our enemies?

Now it was Furio’s turn to sound uncomfortable. I’m not sure. He admitted, but they did not seem to be serving him. Should we question them?

No, Furion replied, for all we know, they could be waiting for the right moment to attack, maybe when we are asleep. And what if they are just trying to find our secret passage?

Nevertheless, they could be our only hope. Furio pondered, the limbless one has a great power about him. It could be him who stops our enemy, and free our race.

I agree, but we should be careful. They may all be lying. Furion replied. If this is a trap, we will fall straight into it.

That is the point. Furio replied, he let all of the people who were with me go free. I don’t think that he would let them if he truly was a servitor of out enemy. But let’s leave it for a while. We should rest, and allow them to do the same.

Furion agreed. They both turned, and told Rayman and the others that they could rest. Ly and Globox looked grateful. Rayman did not, and he hid it well, sitting down as though grateful, and chatting to his friends. Furio and Furion both agreed that whatever else he may be, he was a good friend.

‘We should take watch, you know. In case some muddies, or more fowl things, attack us.’ Furion said. ‘I’ll take first watch!’

‘And I’ll take second.’ Furio volunteered.

‘Ok and I’ll take third.’ Rayman said. ‘And don’t hesitate to wake me if you need to’ he smiled, and lying on the leaves, he fell to sleep almost instantly. Globox also went to sleep quickly, smiling in his sleep. Ly, however, couldn’t sleep. She just couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were being watched. She yawned. Rayman and the brothers could take care of it.

--

It was later in the night, and Furio had taken over Furion’s shift, and Rayman Furio’s. In truth neither brother was asleep, neither had been all night, and neither would be for the rest of that night.

I trust him. Furio told Furion, they were in the middle of conversation. He does not seem to be the type that would serve the evil.

I know. But it could all be a big act. Furion replied.

Well, no way to know unless we find out…

And so, switching abruptly from thought-speech to normal speech, he spoke to directly to Rayman.

‘Rayman,’ he began. Rayman started, and turned to Furio. He smiled.

‘Didn’t realise you were awake’ he smiled. ‘What is it?’

‘Rayman, we have told you everything about ourselves. Now it is your turn to tell us.’ Furio replied. ‘You must forgive us for being but a little suspicious. The spies of the enemy are everywhere, and for all we know, you could be leading us into a trap!’

‘Leading you?’ Rayman laughed ‘Well, you’re the guides. And yes, I do understand, and forgive you for being suspicious. I hope you’ll do the same for me!’ So Rayman continued to tell them the story; the full story. Not emitting any parts: he told them of his dream, of Polokus’ disappearance, and of the journey to the teensie’s library. Here he paused.

‘I can’t tell you what I saw in the vision. I was…forbidden,’ as he spoke these words, he realised that he could here a voice…it sounded like the seers! They told him something.

‘Furio,’ he began, not knowing how to say this. ‘I just got a message from the seers. They told me that if you didn’t believe me, I could tell you something; in the cave of jades. There is a legend amongst your people…that there is power to be found there, but only to those who deserve it? You believe that there is a greatly powerful being that lives there, guarding the jades…and the powers.’ He stopped. This was not all that the seers had told him. He decided to tell them the rest of it too. ‘There’s one more thing. It’s about the seers. They told me that they also exist in your lore. They are known as the oracle to you. They eyeless ones who see all of the world. Furio gasped.

‘The oracles…?’ He spoke, in wonder and in awe. ‘The oracles granted you a vision?’

‘I don’t believe a word of it!’ Snarled Furion, forgetting himself for a moment, then pausing, but not backing down.

Furio glanced at him furtively. He saved your life! Doesn’t that count for something? And I do believe him! Why do you think he would lie, and how else does he know of the oracle?

Furion glanced down at his feet. I know. I’m sorry, I just forgot myself for a moment.

Furio turned to Rayman. ‘I believe you, but my brother has his doubts. We can talk to each other using our brains. It’s complicated; it’d take a long time to explain.’

Rayman grinned, and was about to say that they had all night when they were interrupted.

A large, rhino-like creature bounded out from the deeps of the forest, trampling trees as it went. It had a think, grey hide with black stripes across its back. It had four horns, one on the end of its nose, two on wither side – like an elephants tusks – and another just beneath its chin, pointing out almost like a beard. But there was nothing comical about this. Its eyes were red with rage, and its skin seemed crumpled, and not well-kept. It saw the companions, sniffed, and raised itself on its hind legs. It let out a ferocious roar that uprooted some trees, and woke Ly and Globox.

They were both instantly awake. Rayman stood next to the creature, not wanting to hurt it as he knew that it was innocent. He spoke to it softly, but that seemed to enrage it.

‘I AM NOT A DUMB ANIMAL FOOL! YOU SHALL FACE THE WRATH, OF NEREVAR!’ he roared, and upon doing that, launched itself upon Rayman. Ly gasped, and bound forward to help him, lighting up the night with her energy spheres. Rayman himself was throwing punches at it, but neither seemed to have any effect. Furio and Furion also tried vainly to stop it from killing them all. It was Globox who saved them.

He started dancing around, waving his arms, and screaming some unknown words. Suddenly, some rain clouds appeared, but not in the sky. They were underneath Nerevar’s feet. This made Nerevar slip, and fall. There was a huge explosion, and in a puff of smoke, and black dust, Nerevar was gone.

Weird… thought Rayman. I wonder what happened to it.

‘WOW Globox, how did you know what to do?’ exclaimed Ly.

‘Yeah that was pretty cool!’ Rayman smiled at Globox. ‘Thanks, for saving our lives,’

‘Hey, what are friends for?’ Globox grinned back at him. ‘Did you see that? Wow-kapow! Just like that, and POOF! He disappeared!’ Globox couldn’t believe it himself, and he went on. Ly smiled inwardly. He deserved his moment. He deserved it. But eventually, even Globox’s exited talking quietened down, and fell silent.

None of the five companions could get much sleep that night, so they set of early, before dawn. No birds cawed, and the silence seemed eary. They all sought to break it, but they couldn’t quite manage it. It was all dark. They all held hold of the person if front’s hand. Furio was in the lead, followed by Furio, followed by Ly, and Globox. Rayman brought up the rear.

Rayman waved his free hand in front of him. He couldn’t see it. He realised that this time would be perfect for an ambush. Ly, apparently, thought the same thing. She created a glow ball in her hand. It lighted up the dark, but the light never seemed to reach far beyond the ball.

Furio suggested that they rest for the rest of the night, as they had in idea what trap they may walk into. They lay against some trees. Ly and Globox were quickly asleep. Rayman volunteered to keep watch with the brothers. They didn’t talk; none of them were in the mood. Instead they just kept a lookout. Nothing much happened that night, and, curiously, this gave Rayman an ominous feeling. It felt like they were being lulled into a false sense of security.

-_~*~_-

The next day they set off again. They walked and walked. And walked. And walked and walked and walked.

And walked.

They were in the middle of a barren, sandy desert like place. Globox was reminded of the desert of the knareen. He shuddered. He hoped there weren’t any here.

It was all getting boring, as Globox was saying. Even Ly wanted some action.

And they got it.

CHARGE!


‘FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES! STOP THEM!’ Furio yelled, his eyes bulging, as he loosened his sword.

‘Why?’ Rayman shouted back.

But Furio had no time to answer. There was a general roar as they were ambushed. Suddenly, they were surrounded. There was silence.

Furion whispered to the rest. ‘They are evil creatures. We believe that they aren’t even alive! The evil made them. They look like they are made out of sand.’

And, indeed, they did. They looked humanoid. They were held together with sand, like cement. But there wasn’t any skin, no bones. They looked like they were made entirely out of sand. Rayman sent a fist flying into the nearest one. It collapsed into the sand. But even as he did so, a wind sent the sand particles to flow together, making some more creatures.

Then they attacked. Throwing themselves onto the companions, blinding; choking them.

‘Globox,’ Rayman spluttered. ‘Use the rain!’

‘OK!’ Globox managed to choke out, and –blinded by the sand- outstretched his hands. The sand creatures, realising what was happening, sent a wild fury of sand flying over them. The wind seemed to be helping them.

Within seconds, they were engulfed in a sea of sand. Globox seemed to be still trying to help them, however, as there was a sudden gush of rain. It wasn’t much however, and it was faltering. Rayman made his way to Globox by throwing fists ahead of him. His fists seemed to go through the sand creatures, and then through the ones behind them. He charged another fist. He sent it flying.

‘OUCH!’ came a voice, so much like Globox.

‘Globox, don’t give up!’ Rayman screamed, trying to make his way to Globox’s side. He appeared suddenly at Globox’s side, and threw fists at all sides, protecting Globox. This seemed to strengthen Globox, and rain came falling all around them. The sand creatures melted away. They were free!

Rayman congratulated Globox, but Globox shook his head.

‘I would never have done it without you. They were smothering me, and I wouldn’t have managed it if you hadn’t moved them away. And besides, it was you who told me what to do in the first place!’ Rayman was very taken aback. He hadn’t thought of it like that. He paused for a few seconds, and then smiled at Globox.

‘I suppose your right,’ he replied. Ly, and Globox cheered, and Furio and Furion smiled at him. Rayman felt proud.

‘We really should be going’ he told them. ‘I’d rather get out of this small desert then get attacked again!’ Ly laughed, and agreed. They walked on.

Before long, they left the sandy desert, and reached a rocky area. It was smooth, nice rock, and it felt nice to the touch. Furion suggested that they have a rest.

This time Ly took first watch. It was still day-time, and everyone was awake, so it didn’t really count as a watch. Rayman was looking across the desert, trying-but not quite succeeding-to look like he was talking along with the rest.

He was staring out across the rock, to where the cave of jade was. He was always like this; whenever he went on a quest. He was always so serious, but trying not to look it. Ly thought that he probably took everything seriously. Every invasion was a possibility that this world could be taken over. He couldn’t let that happen.

-_~*~_-

It had barely been a year. Not even a year! Since Mr. Dark had invaded this land. But now, again, it was being invaded. An army consisting entirely of robots had appeared out of nowhere, in a giant ship that floated in the air. And then, without warning, they had attacked.

Now, hopes were dim for the people of Rayman’s world, but he still hadn’t given up that last small glimmer of hope. It was all that he needed. He and the small amount of living creatures that where still free had conducted a plan. It was dangerous, and if Rayman failed: possibly fatal.

But still, he had stuck stubbornly to his idea, along with Globox (whom the plan had greatly involved) and so eventually, the others had to give in. Ly looked into his deep eyes with admiration. He would willingly give up so much for them, for his people, for his friends, the people who had taken him in, and accepted him. She was proud to be one of them.

‘Rayman,’ she had said, ‘You don’t have to go ahead with this.’ And he had turned to look at her, a sharp look of courage and hope in his eyes.

‘I don’t…’ He had replied. ‘I don’t, but I will. You helped me when I was in need of it. You gave me shelter when I had no place to go. You were my friends. If I didn’t help you now, when you needed it, and deserved it, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. It’s the only way I can thank you.’ And now he had smiled. ‘And besides, what are friends for?’

Ly had smiled at him, but the smiles hid a fear, she had a bad feeling.

What are friends for Rayman? I do not know. She had thought. And she hadn’t. She still didn’t. When she came to her senses, she had seen that Rayman had left her, knowing that she had wanted to be left alone. She smiled inwardly. She was grateful to him for that.


Rayman had gone to talk with Globox, who was sitting on his own, a sad look in his eyes, his lips trembling. A single tear had run down his face, and he had wiped it off. He let out a great shuddering sigh. He had been slouched forward. He hadn’t known that she was watching him. Something must have happened to him.

As she thought that thought, her immediate next thought was of how to comfort him. She had not known how to. That was when she had noticed Rayman, standing behind Globox. She watched him, as she sat down next to Globox. She couldn’t here what he said, but he looked at Globox – evidently trying to comfort him. He put an arm on Globox’s shoulder. Globox had looked at him. The tears gone, he looked at Rayman.

He had smiled, and nodded at Rayman. Wiping away what was left of his tears, he had stood up and walked away. Ly had caught Rayman’s eyes and smiled at him. He had grinned back, and flashed her thumbs up.

Rayman was a good friend, a very good friend. He had pushed aside his own fears to help others. She had lost concentration again, delving into her own thoughts. She felt Rayman’s hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, and realised that there were tears in her eyes.

‘Rayman,’ she had said, ‘Please, be ok, please come back ok!’ she had said, wiping away her tears. Rayman himself had looked down to his feet and she saw that he was also scared.

‘Rayman,’ she had tried to comfort him. ‘You will come back. You will succeed.’ She had told him, and as she said it she knew it to be true.

‘I wish I was as sure as you.’ He had replied. The words had shocked Ly. He had always seemed so sure, so…brave.

‘Ly?’

‘Mm?’

‘You are a good friend too.’ And he had left his seat. She just stared at the blank spot where Rayman had been. She smiled. Rayman had comforted Globox, just like she had comforted her. Yes. She was a good friend to.

She left her seat, and went to her house.

-_~*~_-

‘We are almost there. The cave of jades lies not far ahead.’ Furio told Rayman. ‘But first we need some food, and drink. Yours is almost running out, and we also need some food. I ask you and your friends to wait here as we find some food.’

‘Ok,’ Rayman had replied, ‘but I’ll come with you.’

‘Ok,’ Furio sighed ‘We’ll be right back.’

Ly was not to happy at being left with Globox, but she also agreed.

‘Ill stay,’ he smiled, ‘I’ll protect Ly!’ he had laughed. He was joking.

‘You’re the one who’ll need protecting!’ Ly laughed back.

Furio had returned, having conjured a small basket out of leaves. Magic bound them together.

Rayman and Furio walked onwards into the trees. Rayman had been about to say that they were vegetarians, all three of them, but he had not needed to. It appeared that Furio and Furion were also vegetarians.

Pretty soon, there was a decent amount of food in the make-shift basket. Rayman’s keen hearing soon heard a small stream. Rayman had brought along some water-skins and he had filled them all, and then had a small wash in the stream. Refreshed and strengthened, they threesome walked back to Globox and Ly.

As they got colder, it appeared that Globox and Ly were evidently having a good time. Rayman smiled at himself, and walked into the ‘camp’. Globox had found some dry firewood, and laid it out for a fire. It was getting dark, and they should rest for the night. Rayman told them about the stream, and lead Globox to it. He had come back some time later, and took Ly to the stream. Meanwhile, Rayman discussed plans with Furio.

‘How long do you think it will be till we get to the cave?’ He asked.

‘If we have a rest tonight, and make a hard journey tomorrow, we should be there by tomorrow easily.’ Furio replied. ‘But that’s counting without danger or interruption.’

‘So is that is like not a long time, like say…half a day?’ Rayman questioned.

‘Correct, but we must set off early nevertheless.’

‘RAYMAN, FURIO!’ Furion’s voice shouted. ‘WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!’ Almost before this sentence had finished, Rayman was up and running to Furion. And, indeed, he was under attack. Many stone and rock beings were pummelling them with their heavy fists. As Rayman stared at them, wide eyed, a small single word stirred in his memory.

Golem.

They were golems! Earthen-creatures: creatures made entirely of earth. So the sand creatures…could they have been golems too? It was certainly possible…

Rayman sent his fists at the golems, seemingly made out of mud. They were brown, and the mud almost seemed to drip of them. They were short, the tallest reaching Rayman’s height. As the fists touched them, they crumbled. It was a short battle, yet a victory short-lived. More golems came crashing out of the trees. The mud-golems came at front, but there were more: huge things, and grey. They seemed to be made of stone, and rock.

Rayman gulped, this was going to be hard. Furio was casting spells, causing the golems to explode. Furion was hacking at them with his sword: a beautiful thing, its blade made of silver, and its golden hilt encrusted with jewels and magical rocks. They were enchanted swords, and Furio also owned one. They seemed to slice through the mud-golems, but it was harder to destroy the stone-golems.

Rayman sent fist after fist at them, but –although some stone crumbled, and fell of these mighty titans- they still stood. This mountain like creatures took some work. It was a long and wearisome battle. They not only used power, but they were sly too. They feinted to go to the left, but they went to the right. At last Rayman fell into a weary dance, until the last was destroyed.

Even then they were not granted rest.

Ly and Globox came running out of the wood from were the stream had been, followed by more golems. Globox seemed to have tried to protect Ly, as he was moving gingerly, and collapsed on the ground near Rayman.

‘I…tried…’ he gasped, and shaking his head, lay down, and couldn’t move. He seemed to have broken some ribs, as he clutched his heart. It hurt him. There were cuts and scratches all over him, were he had been hurt.

‘You did your best Globox. Have a rest; I’ll take care of these!’ and with that, he turned to face the golems. His heart sank. There were legions of them! Or so it seemed…mud golems followed by stone golems…they kept on coming!

Ly was shooting her spheres at the golems, and it seemed to be affective. The brown mud golems crumbled before they could reach the four defenders, and the grey stone golems were not too hard either.

But there were too much. They kept on coming: never tiring. Furio and Furion were both felled, and Ly collapsed because she was so tired. Only Rayman remained. His teeth gritted in concentration, he leapt to protect the guides. He picked them up and moved them to Globox, so he could protect all three of them.

The golems were still coming though, and Ly was still in the line of fire. Rayman leaped to her just before she was trampled by a golem, and ran back carrying her to the other three. The golems seemed to be lessening, there were definitely less. Sweat covered Rayman’s brow as he tried to stop them altogether. It had taken him a long time, but he finally managed it. He collapsed next to Ly, and would have fallen asleep right there had he not heard the big bangs.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Footsteps,

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Coming nearer

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Rayman forced himself to get up. His aching muscles hurt, but he had to protect his friends. What he saw almost made his collapse again. There was another golem; one last golem. But it was HUGE.

It was much bigger then the stone golems. Rayman looked up and stared at its face. When reflux had mutated, and become huge, he still was just a tiny bit bigger then this golem. It was a deep purple. It had a brown face. Rayman tried punching it one its leg, and although a small slab came out, the move did more damage to Rayman then the golem.

‘R-R-R-Rayman,’ spoke Furio. ‘Go for its head!’

Rayman did a quick calculation in his head. It was after him; it would ignore the others. Because it was so large, it would be a big advantage to Rayman to stay as small as possible, so that he could stay out of its sight. He darted underneath the golem, and for a moment it was confused. The Rayman produced a sharp stick, and swung it into the golem’s leg. He had another in his left hand, and he swung that up too.

Rayman had never been mountaineering, but that is what he was doing now. He was using Furio and Furion’s swords. He climbed his way to the golems face, and when he got there, he unleashed a charged punch that hit the golem in the face.

The face fell clean off. It landed some few metres away, and there it smashed. Without its head, the golem stumbled, and fell. It smashed into a million small pieces.

But were was Rayman?

Ly gasped, having seen it all from the floor. She couldn’t see Rayman in the dark. Furio and Furion had also managed to pick themselves up. Globox was unconscious, it appeared. Ly was grateful, to him. He had saved her life. She let up an energy sphere.

‘Rayman, where are you?’ she shouted, calling at him. She couldn’t hear anything. Furio was crouched next to Globox. A bright light came from the stars, and crashed into Globox. It made him levitate, and glow with an intensity. He landed gently onto the floor, and awakened.

‘Hey…’ he began, moving his arms, as though testing them. ‘I’m ok! What happened?’ Then he spotted the shattered golem. ‘Wow that must’ve been big!’ He looked around. ‘Where’s Rayman?’

Ly help back a tear. ‘I don’t know,’ she said, grateful that her voice sounded normal. ‘He stopped the golem, but he was on it when it shattered.’

Globox got to his feet. ‘Rayman?’ he shouted. ‘RAYMAN!’ This time he heard something. A small voice:

‘Help!’

‘Hey, that’s Rayman!’ Globox shouted, running off toward the voice. Ly caught up to him, and Furio and Furion got there shortly after. Ly used her magic to life the rock, aided greatly by Globox. Rayman was underneath it, crushed by the weight of the rock. One of his hands was badly bent, and his feet were bent in an uncomfortable position. He was bleeding heavily from his face, and Ly suspected internal bleeding too.

‘Rayman!’ Ly sobbed, hoping that he could be alright.

‘Move aside,’ commanded Furio. Ly did so. Furio used the same spell that he had used on Globox. Rayman also began to glow, but the spell didn’t work as well as it did on Globox. Although both Rayman’s feet were healed, and his hand looked better, the bleeding didn’t stop entirely. Although the internal bleeding seemed to have stopped, and the external bleeding was slowing, he still moved gingerly, and although he didn’t say anything it still hurt.

Furio tried again, but this time he used a more powerful spell: he used the same spell, but he managed to channel Furio’s, Ly’s, and Globox’s powers. They all managed to create a gigantic force bubble, which swallowed Rayman. Small jets of electricity spat out from it in to Rayman, healing all his pains. When the bubble disappeared, he came back; as good as new. He smiled at them.

‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘We should really get some rest, we’ll be setting off early tomorrow.’

‘Yes. And if we are fast enough, we should be there by midday tomorrow.’ Furio replied. They all lay down and one by one, dropped off. They never thought of leaving a guard: they were too tired, and relieved. It was luck that kept them safe during the night.

They set off early, as planned the next day, and the journey went quietly and safely: quietly because they were all tired from the day before, and safely because there seemed to be no enemies. Rayman was glad for that, because he felt that he couldn’t fight off another attack.

‘We are almost there.’ Spoke Furion, Furio had gone back to his thinking state. ‘This is the last climb.’ They had climbed many hills. ‘I think we should have a rest before we climb it.’ He looked sideways at Furio, as though seeking his approval, but Furio said nothing.

They had a short rest and some food too. After these they all felt good again and there was a lot of merry-making; even Furio joined in. They were all happy that they had almost reached the cave of jades.

But Rayman was forcing himself to smile, and to be happy. He wasn’t. He knew that the end of the journey would not be at the cave of jades. It was only the first leg! And it was too…if this was only the first leg, how dangerous would the second leg be? Or the third, fourth, even fifth?

As the enemy gained more power, so would those attacking him…

…and his friends. There was to much danger. They would be attacked again, and again. Rayman feared for his friends like he had never before. Mr. Dark had never truly killed anybody. Razorbeard wanted slaves. The only person in danger from André was Globox, but even then he wasn’t: André was inside him: that meant that the hoodlums wouldn’t kill Globox for fear of killing they master.

But now the danger was very real. How much Rayman wished that they could just be left alone; to be happy until the end of their days.

But he knew that wouldn’t happen. He had to protect his friends. He had a choice: and he wanted to help them. He may be different, or scary, but they had still helped him. He felt that he owed his life to them. Especially Ly, the fairy who had answered the door: the one who had helped him, and stuck by him faithfully as a friend all these years.

Rayman was glad that he had friends. He remembered the days before that, lonely, with nobody to help him. And even before that. Worse memories, worse nightmares. Rayman never liked remembering them times. Evil times they were: worse then any else he had.

But he shook those memories away, focusing on the task at hand. His friends: those who had helped his as a child, who had cared for him as nobody else had.

Love, friendship, caring, kindness. He had never felt those emotions before, and when he had, he had been happy. Happy that at last he was regarded as something more then just a creature.
Rayman’s thoughts were interrupted by Furio’s voice suggesting that they set off. Rayman got up, and they climbed over the last hill. It no longer felt like a taxing job, more like a friendly outing.

It did not take them very long to reach the top, but they reached it eventually. Furio went first, to check that the coast was clear. Furion climbed up after him, and helped the others up as Furio kept a lookout. Ly went first, then Globox. Rayman looked up.

He gasped. Never had he seen such cruelty. Slaves were being whipped to carry precious jades from the cave, to the other side of the valley, for indeed, the cave of jades was located in a valley. It was a flat valley, almost unnaturally so. The slave drivers that had no masks had evil grins on they faces, as though they enjoyed their work. Some did have masks on. Hideous things, with lashes of what looked at first sight like paint, and as Rayman looked more closely, he sae that it was not paint: it was blood. There was also some shoddy thread work, and although they were mostly the same colour, there were a few that looked as though one piece of string had run out, and a completely different colour had been used. There were many clashes of colour.

The slaves themselves were badly driven, cuts and bruises on their backs and faces. Here and there lay decomposing bodies of people who had just dropped down dead of exhaustion, and starvation. Some had been whipped to death. None of them had been picked up. Some looked like they had been there for weeks, and some were decomposing; leaving a sickly odour around the valley. Single children had to carry giant loads of gems that seemed too heavy to carry. It was a gloomy atmosphere, but Rayman was enraged. Never had he seen such cruelty: some slaves were being whipped for no reason as they worked. A mother cried over her dead child’s body, which had died, it seemed of badly infected whip lashes. The slave drivers did not care for the slaves, as long as they got the job done. There were many different types of people too, fairies, muddies, teensies, and many others that Rayman had never seen before.

As the five companions stared at the gruesome scene below them, Furion spoke out aloud.

‘What do we do now?’

‘I say that we help these people. I say that we set them free, and then we can go to the cave! Who’s with me?’ he roared.

There was a cheer, as everybody raised they hands to agree with Rayman.

‘Ok,’ Rayman smiled. ‘Here’s the plan.’ Rayman looked down at the slaves below him, and wondered if his plan would work…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

[Inaam]

The Great Escape

--__--__--__--__--__--

It was a warm day in the valley of jades; the sun was directly above them, glaring down at them fiercely, and impairing they vision. There was a lot of heat too, magnified and reflected a million times by the jades from the cave. In the sweltering heat, the captors of the slaves tried to make themselves look tough and mean by putting on thick heavy coats that covered all of they body.

There were many curious smells in the valley: the dirt and grime that the unwashed, dirty slaves carried upon them, many days worth, as they had not been washed since they had first been captured, unless the blissful rain that had come on to them a few days ago.

But more mud had covered them at that time, and made them dirtier and gave them a greater smell. There was also the smell of freshly dug earth, as many of the slave-people had dug whilst trying to uncover more of the precious gems. Many had also tried to bury their loved ones, who had died, but had received whip lashes in return. Now the bodies of the dead creatures’ lay half-buried in the dirty mud. Many people looked at their bodies in grief, sadness and helplessness.

There had been a slave uprising a few days ago, but it had been quickly stopped with such ferocity that they had never even thought about doing so again. Many of the women and children were badly abused, whilst they saw their fathers, brothers and husbands being beaten so closely to death, and in some cases into death.

But death was a reward now in that valley, for the state in which the slaves were forced to work at were close to unbearable. Many people saw death as the easiest, and indeed, the only way out. Many would already have committed suicide if it was not for the slave captors preventing them from having any dangerous objects. Also there were many slaves who knew that something was going to happen: that somebody was going to save them.

They knew not how long it would be.

For a few days now the same questions and the same rumours had been going around, being passed from slave to slave, until pretty much everybody knew what they were.

Many people believed that the slave drivers were working for money, to sell the jades and create a great profit for them. But it soon became apparent that they were taking orders from another person. There were not many rumours about who that person was, but there were VERY many that said what he wanted with the cave of jades.

Some people believed that he wanted it for the money, selling all the jades for his own benifits, retiring to a small island perhaps, and selling them off as slaves to people off planet.

More people did not believe this rumour. A few perhaps, believed that the person was a sicko who enjoyed in harming innocents.

But most people believed that it was another great invasion was beginning. Just like when André had attempted to take over the world and as Razorbeard before him. Some people remembered the first invasion: when Mr. Dark had invaded, those people also remembered the person who had been their saviour, the person who had rid the world of the first evil.

These people believed that he had defeated Razorbeard, and converted the dark lum lord, André into a red lum again. These people believed that he would return, and help them out of this mess.

They waited for many days in agony, awaiting the arrival of their saviour, the arrival of Rayman.

It was time for the second shift to change to third shift – not for the slaves, but for the slave drivers. The slaves were never given rest. It had already been a long weary day for them, but they would get no rest. They would be worked off their feet and there was nothing they could do about it. All they could do was hope, and even that was scarce.

It was just another day for them; the slave drivers and the slaves alike. It had not been long since they had first begun work here, but everything had fallen into a routine.

A few on-duty guards stood off to the side of the valley, out of sight from the rest of the valley, but in clear view from the hills above. It appeared that a slave driver had stolen some jades, and was boasting about it to his friends. But they had left a crucial gap in the defences, and they had also made things easier for Rayman and his friends.

It was a surprise attack. The slave drivers were caught unawares. Rayman leapt down from above, downing two as he fell, and two more before any of the others realised what was happening.

Ly ran down at them, following the hill. A reckless rage had come over her after seeing the cruelty that the slaves were suffering. She had a deep caring for life, and seeing it disrespected infuriated her.

The battle was over quick, and all of the guards were unconscious. Now phase two of their plan could begin.

Rayman picked up the leaders clothes, and put them on himself, over his normal clothes. Ly Globox and the Furio brothers also put on some clothes.

‘Phew!’ Globox groaned as he put on the smelly clothes. ‘These stink!’

‘They sure do, but its out only way to help the slaves,’ replied Rayman. He walked forward, dutifully, and purposefully. Ly followed not far behind. Globox came about a few minutes later, and then Furio and Furion; pretending to be laughing with each other, as though they were slave drivers, and got into position.

They waited for Rayman’s signal. It came about five minutes later. They all moved closer to the rest of the guards. Suddenly, all the guards began to move toward the same building. At the same time, some guards began t walk out. They were changing shifts again.

Now Rayman’s signal came. Furio and Furion began to walk from opposite sides toward the huge mass of slave drivers. Rayman had managed to push his way to the front, and Ly and Globox behind the rest.

Rayman’s second signal came. A huge amount of guards fell in the confusion that followed immediately after. Rayman had conducted a perfect surround movement, and the guards had nowhere to go. Pushing and shoving to get away from the bolts of lightning that came from Furio’s hands, and Ly’s power balls. Rayman himself was felling many slave drivers.

But then it all went wrong. The slave drivers, realising that there were only five of them, turned and began to attack, and although the rain that Globox made caused many of them to slip and fall, it was not enough. The five companions were about to be overrun.

Suddenly there was a huge shouting from the side of the slave drivers. The five companions, who had been driven to a corner, could not see what was happening. But then the slave drivers parted, and they saw, with a rush of excitement what had happened.

The slaves had rebelled again. The slave drivers, who had already been weakened, were confused again, and many ended up attacking their own fellows. Rayman and the others lifted off the uniforms, and helped in the attack. Before long, the slave drivers had been defeated, but there were some more.

There were not very many, but amongst them was a giant. He had a deep commanding voice, and seemed to be the leader of this group of slave drivers.

‘CHARGE!’ He yelled, pushing forward some stragglers who were afraid of the slaves and Rayman. Rayman leapt over the heads of the oncoming slavers, and ran toward their leader. Rayman shouted out a challenge as he ran, merely to capture the huge person’s attention.

The giant turned and saw Rayman. He grinned at him, showing many yellow teeth, and a false gold one. Rayman was forcefully reminded of the people who had shot hammers at him in his first adventure. He had never found out what they called themselves, but this person seemed to look a lot like an enlargened version of them.

He lifted a foot, and brought it crashing down to where Rayman had been. Rayman leapt away, and ran through the big guy’s legs. Whilst he ran, he charged up a fist, and hit the giant on the feet.

‘OW!’ the giant yelled, as though he had been struck sharply with a pin.

Rayman shot some more fists at the feet, then as the giant lifted it, ran up to them, and hung on to one. The giant didn’t know where Rayman was. He just assumed that Rayman had been squashed. He lifted his foot to examine it, and Rayman helicoptered onto it, shooting it as he flew.

Now the giant was getting very annoyed, and lifted his hand to bite Rayman. Rayman was to fast for him, however, and he leapt onto the giant’s nose. With a grin, Rayman punched him twice on the nose, and three times on his temple. It was enough to make the giant faint.

Rayman helicoptered down to the ground, none to worse for the ordeal. He heard some cheering, and as he looked down he saw the scores of slaves smiling, and cheering at him. He landed perfectly, and smiled at them. There were many of them: teensies, fairies, muddies, and many others he didn’t recognise.

One ex-slave, with leathery-looking grey like skin, that had turned an unhealthy brown from being neglected for so long, stepped forward. He was a short, squat creature, and he spoke out to Rayman.

‘I am a guardian of this cave.’ He said, in a high pitched voice. Rayman was surprised; he had expected a deep voice. ‘We know of your journey.’ Rayman was surprised. ‘How?’ he smiled his eyes twinkling, ‘I can read minds. This is what makes me a good guardian. Unfortunately, our captors’ and saying this, he spread his arm around to the slaves, ‘had found a way to reverse this power.’

Rayman looked at the cave of jades. Although many of its precious gems had gone, it still looked beautiful and majestic. Rayman wondered if he was fit to go into it.

‘Rayman,’ it was Ly, ‘you just saved the cave. If anyone deserves to, go in it’s you.’ Rayman nodded, and took a deep breath.

‘You must stay here. I was told by the seers that I had to go in alone. I do not know why,’ Ly nodded, and the others agreed, but warily.

Rayman stepped into the cave.

-_~*~_-

Rayman had been gone a long while. He had taken the map, but Ly hoped that he hadn’t gotten himself lost. She felt highly anxious, and she only remembered being so once before…

-_~*~_-

It was a great victory; perhaps his greatest yet. But he was not here to celebrate it. It had been planned to be the greatest celebration that had ever occurred. But nobody was in the mood to celebrate.

He had gone down with the ship. He had been inside the ship when the accursed pirate had destructed it, and escaped in his tiny capsule. All they had left was a shoe. One measly shoe!

Many people were crying, standing around the small pillar of stone and rock that the shoe – the only thing left that they could find of Rayman – had landed on. The only material reminder they had of Rayman.

Many people were staring at the shoe in sadness, engulfing themselves in memories of Rayman. Many more were crying, those who had known Rayman very well. His closest friends were beyond crying. There was a huge gaping hole inside them, and they felt numb. Numb with shock, horror and surprise.

Where was Rayman? That was the question on everybody’s lips. Where was he? When would he come back? Globox’s children were standing not far from they father. They knew that something was wrong, but they didn’t know what. Occasionally one would come forward.

‘Daddy,’ said a small child, coming forward to its father. ‘Daddy, what’s the matter? Where’s uncie Wayman?’


Globox’s lips trembled slightly as he turned to face his child. ‘Nothing’s the matter,’ he said, trying but failing to smile. ‘And uncle Rayman isn’t here.’ He turned back to gaze at the shoe, the last memory of his friend ‘I don’t know where he is.’

There was a sudden hush around the clearing, for everybody had heard the same sound: a small ruffling amongst the trees. Globox’s kids ran down to Globox, and stood around him, hoping that he could protect them.

Now the trees were moving slightly, and everybody knew that somebody or something was coming out of the trees. Ly moved into an attacking stance, but did not charge up a powerball.

The trees parted, and out limped Rayman, using some crutches made out of wood. There was a stunned silence as he looked around the clearing. Then there was a stunning cheer. Rayman winced slightly, but smiled. He stepped forward toward his shoe. A ray of magical energy erupted from where his leg would be. It connected with the shoe, and connected the shoe with Rayman’s body. Rayman’s crutches fell to the floor, and there was another cheer.

Rayman looked into Ly’s eyes. He smiled again. She knew what he was saying.

Thank you.

-_~*~_-

The cave was huge. Enormous, gigantic! It was a catacomb of tunnels and networks. Rayman had trouble finding his way through. It was very dark in the tunnels, and hard to see. Twice Rayman ended up finding the same dead end.

Eventually, his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. He recognised ways that he had been before and slowly – though he didn’t know it – he was making progress. Gradually, the walls began to change: becoming more looked-after, and once or twice he thought he saw a few things that looked like pictures.

It was very boring inside the caves, so Rayman thought back to peaceful days. He remembered the times before even Mr. Dark had invaded. He smiled at the memories of the Anitoons: those pink little creatures were still around, but many had been scared off Rayman’s planet after that. Then he remembered about the times when he had been stuck inside the prison on Razorbeard’s ship.

He remembered something; the first power that Ly had given him. The power to make spheres! He had forgotten about them! He wondered if he could still do it.

He closed his eyes, concentrating on making a sphere glowing bright in his hand, just like Ly. He smiled. It didn’t feel like nothing had happened, so with a sigh he opened his eyes.

But lo and behold! There it was: a perfect yellow sphere inside his hands, glowing with an intensity unmatched by anything Rayman had ever seen before. He must have grown stronger since the last time he had tried to make one. He could see around the cave. Fierce bolts of electricity now jumped from the sphere. Rayman put it out without throwing it. He tried making one again, but this time he stopped growing it when it was bright enough to look around clearly.

There were wooden beams holing up the crumbling parts of the wall. There were markings on the wall. Rayman bent closer to examine them.

They seemed to be painted, and they also all seemed to be linked. The first one showed four different beings. One seemed to be hidden by a cloud of flame. The next was the most beautiful person Rayman had ever seen.

She had long wavy blue hair, and a purple skin. She wore a chain around her forehead, made of sliver that seemed to capture the sunlight, and throw it back. In the middle of it, was a small silver moon hanging down in the middle of her head, just above the nose, and between the eyes. The eyes! They were a clear blue, and there was a huge amount of intelligence behind them. They glowed with a bright light, seeming to make the picture almost seem alive. She had full red lips, and pearly white teeth. There was a small chain hanging down from her ear: this also had a crescent moon on it. Through the moon, another chain hung down, going through the centre of the crescent. At the end of it was what seemed like a small claw. There was also a silver necklace round her neck; like many half-circles entwined. Some leaves were in her hair; green even though they were nowhere near water.

Rayman gazed at her for a few seconds, and then turned to the next person. This one seemed to be surrounded by a sandstorm of some sort, but he gave Rayman an ominous feeling. Rayman turned to the next picture, and gasped.

It was Polokus!

Rayman looked at it in confusion. What would Polokus be doing in a carving like this? Rayman shook his head, then suddenly remembered his task. He continued to walk.

As he walked past the picture, a small gleam of red eyes opened in the shadows. If you saw them, you could just have imagined a frown attached to them, its brow furrowed. It shouldn’t have come to this. Rayman should not have gotten past the slaves, and the slave masters, and most of all, he shouldn’t have remembered his power. But then the eyes seem to straighten again, the brow no longer furrowed. It was highly unlikely that Rayman would evade the next trap.

And if you listened carefully, you could have heard a small cackle.

[Inaam]

Aspect of Fire

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_ ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

Rayman walked past the picture, and moved on. The tunnel led ahead slightly, and then turned a corner. Somehow, Rayman was suspicious of that corner. As he approached it, he charged up a power ball on his left hand too. He moved as far away from the turn as possible. He edged closer and closer.

There was something behind him! Rayman turned, having heard a sound. He searched around the tunnel with his eyes, looking for the disturbance. But there was nothing there.

He approached the turn again, if possible, more carefully than before. He leaped around the corner but there was nothing there. Rayman sighed, putting out the power ball on his right hand. He was letting his nerves get the better of him.

He moved on, not as warily as before.

BANG!

The sound came, clearer and louder than before. Startled, Rayman turned round to see who was there. There was nothing.

The attack came before he even knew what was happening.

There was a scuffling sound as though somebody was moving behind him. Rayman half-turned and saw the edge of a large cloak, with black feathers on the edge of it. It was brown.

It was the last thing that Rayman saw.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_ ~_~_~_~

Globox was feeling worried. It had been a long time since Rayman had been in the cave.

‘Ly?’ he asked, ‘why do you think that Rayman is taking so long?’

Ly answered without taking her eyes off the cave entrance. ‘I suppose that the cave is long, and it probably takes a long time to get to were Rayman needs to go.’

I hope. She added silently. Secretly she believed that Rayman had been attacked. She now sincerely regretted letting him go on his own. Please be ok.

Furio and Furion were standing some way apart, talking in their mind language.

What chance do you think he has? Furion asked Furio.

I don’t know but I think that it should be a pretty good one. The way he took that golem down…do you realise what it was?

I do, but we should not speak of it here.

I know. To tell you the truth, I don’t know how much of a chance Rayman has. Furio said, surprising Furion. He turned his head toward Furio.

Maybe…in truth, I hope that he does survive.

Me too…

-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__- __-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-

It was still some time later. It was beginning to get dark. Now even the ex-slaves were beginning to worry. There had been many times when some slave drivers had gone into the cave alone. What if they had placed traps?

There were only two people who still believed that Rayman was alive: Globox and Ly. Their hope was not much but they both remembered how they had felt after Admiral Razorbeard’s ship had blown up. Rayman had still come back to them.

But where was he? Why was he taking so long? What had happened in the cave?

What if they were wrong…?

Neither of them gave up hope, both of them refused to give it up. They helped the ex-slaves to clear up the mess and damage caused by the slave drivers. There was also a funeral procession, to properly bury those people who had died at the hands of the ‘oppressors’.

It was the leathery-looking person who had said that he was a guardian of the cave who had thought of the idea. Ly had set off to look for some hard mahogany tree who accepted that it be partially cut down to be made into a coffin. Ly would then magically restore the felled branches to the tree.

As Ly returned, followed by magically floating branches, she gazed back into the cave.

‘He hasn’t come back yet,’ Globox said. ‘But he will come back, soon.’ He glanced at his feet. ‘I hope.’ He added in an undertone. Ly’s enhanced hearing caught it.

‘He will, don’t give up hope!’ she told him, trying to comfort herself as well as Globox, and looking at the cave. ‘He will,’

-_~*~_-

Inside the cave, there were many noises. Squeaks of small rats made a constant drone to the symphony of sounds. The rocks and woods were creaking, blown by an unseen and breathless wind. The sighing of the rocks was punctuated by the gentle drip of the collected moist on the roof of the cave.

And amidst all of this, there was a chuckling. A chuckling of a small creature pleased by its success at doing what its master had told it to do. Admittedly, its master had done much to help it, whilst it had merely distracted the limbless creature; it was its master who had landed the killing blow.

It chuckled again as he reached the target that had been killed, hoping to scavenge anything off the creature’s body. To its dismay, there was nothing there, so it turned away, its mind already back to how it would get back to its master.

There was a sound behind him, a small thud. It would normally have been inaudible, but in this reasonably quite section of the cave, he heard it. He turned.

-_~*~_-

It was dark. Very dark. There was something on his chest, restricting his breathing, killing him. He tried to shout out, to move, to punch, kick, push his way out of this air restricting place. Tears fell down his eyes. He couldn’t breath.

Sweat mingled with his tears as he tried to push the weight off of him. The darkness was consuming him, chocking him, adding to the heavy weight on his chest. He tried again to shout, and again it didn’t work.

A laugh! Somebody was laughing at him! Mocking him! Now a rage consumed him, adding to the air restricting weight, and the all-consuming darkness. He gritted his teeth, biting, scratching, punching, kicking: anything to get him out of this spot.

He tried to calm down, to focus. But it wasn’t happening. The rage was completely consuming him. The laughter grew louder in his ears, making them ring, adding to the pain he already felt.

Still the laughter went on, and the weight never lifted. He pushed, hands aching. He no longer had the strength to move, but he carried on; if heavily, if tiredly.

And finally the blackness lifted. It gave Rayman hope. But it also hurt his eyes to see the light after so much time in the dark. His head ached. His rage died down slightly, but not completely.

And now the weight lifted, leaving him gasping for breath. He saw a huge yellow circle obscuring his vision. He placed a hand upon his chest, trying to slow his breathing and calm himself.

His tears stopped, and he wiped away the sweat. He tried to stand up, but he still did not have enough strength to do so. He focused on gathering his energy to get up out of this venerable state.

The laughing died down, as though it had been cut off. This gave Rayman strength. He struggled to get up. He pushed himself up off the floor, and turned to gaze at where the laughing sound came from.

There was nothing there! Rayman turned, again and again. There was nothing there! The laughter rang up again, behind Rayman. He turned. It was still behind him. shock and confusion filled his brain, but he began to take in the surroundings; ignoring the laughter.

He was in a circular room. By the looks of it, it was made out of mahogany. Forcefully taken. He fought down the anger that threatened to consume him again.

In front of him, and slightly to the right, was a huge pair of windows, five times as wide as Rayman, and as tall as the room. He looked up and saw that the walls reached up many metres. The roof was clear glass; Rayman could see the sky.

As he walked toward the window, his ears caught the sound of gushing water. When he reached the window, and looked out, he saw that there was a large waterfall. He looked down, and nearly fell in surprise. He was many stories up; at least twenty!

And now the walls were spinning, making him dizzy. He was beginning to feel nauseous. Was it the room spinning or him? Everything went black.

-_~*~_-

He was back in the cave. He opened his eyes, his vision blurred slightly. He rubbed his eyes with his hands. As his vision cleared, he saw that there was something in front of him.

He could only see its back at the moment, but what he saw disgusted him. A bony back, so bony that he could actually see the spine: individual segments. It was bent slightly, a hunchback. Its skin looked like it had once been full and healthy. Now it looked a dull brown, almost grey.

It was moving away from Rayman, staggering slightly as though he was hurt. He wore nothing but a small loincloth. His bare legs were thin and looked as though they could snap with the slightest tap.

Rayman jumped to his feat, and charged up both his fists. The creature turned, and Rayman saw fear in its eyes.

Its face was heavily mutilated: its nose was blown out of position. One of its eyes was small and watery whilst the other was large and reproachful. It had sharp teeth and a powerful jaw. Rayman could see its ribs: sunken and bony. Its hands had hair on the back of them, and he kept rubbing them.

He looked at Rayman as if he thought that Rayman would kill him. Rayman stepped forward, smiling, and raised his hands in a gesture of peace. The creature yelped, mistaking the kind smile as evil, and the peace gesture as a gesture of attack. It turned tail and ran.

Rayman’s eyes followed it, wondering why it had misunderstood him. he walked in the direction that the creature had gone in, thinking that that was the way that he needed to go. He charged up a power ball again, lighting the scenery. He walked a few steps, and realised that he was going in the wrong direction: he spotted the painting.

He looked at it again, suspiciously. He remembered the sound, and the thing that had knocked him unconscious. He supposed that it couldn’t have been the creature; it had seemed too weak, and besides, Rayman hadn’t seen the cloak or the feathers anywhere near it.

Rayman turned around, and walked back to the corner that he had been attacked on. This time he felt no warning about it. He had learned to trust his instincts. He turned the corner again, and saw that this tunnel was much larger. He couldn’t see the end of it.

As he ventured down the tunnel, he heard the rats’ squeaking stop.

Weird… he thought. I wonder what happened to them.

As he reached the end of the tunnel, he saw that there was a door. He could only see glimpses of it, because there seemed to be some shadows moving around it. He approached the door carefully. He looked over his shoulder – not wanting to be ambushed again – and looked back at the door.

He knew that he was approaching the end of his journey. He moved closer to the door, more verily. He put his back to the walls, so he could see both behind and in front, and so nobody could ambush him.

His shock was evident in his face when something sneaked up behind him. it grabbed his ‘shoulders’.

Rayman sent a fist over his shoulder, and he heard a clattering sound. He turned and saw a zombie chicken.

Oh no. Rayman thought. Now they can sneak up behind me!

Masses of zombie chickens flew out of the walls, the floor and even the roof!

Rayman was beginning to panic, if many more come, he wouldn’t have the strength to face them.

As though recognising his weariness, the number of birds dramatically increased. Rayman sent fists flying all around him. then he remembered his power balls.

How stupid can I get? He scolded himself. They were incredibly useful last time.

So Rayman started using his power balls. It felt strange, yet he liked it. He could feel the power next to his hands, and as the zombies crumbled, he felt new strength returning to him.

Now the zombies seemed to be decreasing, but they attacked more cleverly as though directed by a greater force.

At last Rayman managed to destroy them all, and rested his hands for a little bit. He suddenly spotted a large withered…thing coming out of the wall. He watched, horrified as it emerged: a giant zombie chicken. He saw the feathers, like rags withered and specially cut for this zombie. It raised its bony arms, and many smaller zombie chickens flew out of the walls, full speed at Rayman.

He was too stunned to protect himself, raising his hands too late. As the chickens reached him, they broke, and withered, but they left Rayman hurt. Dust was rising, as the chickens launched themselves at Rayman.

Rayman could see through a small gap in the dust, the leader of the chickens seemingly smiling at him; an evil glint in its eyes. Its arms were still raised, as many more chickens flew out of the wall.

Rayman raised his hands and managed to make a power ball. It crashed through many chickens, making them crash and clatter onto the floor. The smile on the leader suddenly wavered, but its hands were still raised. Rayman continued to make more power balls, sending them in all directions.

Suddenly the attack stopped, though the giant zombie still had its arms raised. It seemed that the zombie chickens had run out. The furious leader launched itself at Rayman, swinging its arms, and trying to hurt Rayman as much as possible.

Rayman leaped up high, almost grazing his had against the roof of the tunnel. He sent punches and power balls flying at the zombie, causing its attack to falter. But then it attacked with an increased ferocity.

Rayman leapt, from wall to wall, floor to roof, all the while sending power balls flying into the zombie.

Rayman was leading a long a weary dance. He did not dance in a pattern, but rather he danced more wildly, the exhilaration of the dance pulsing through his veins, all the while hurting the zombie.

An arm fell off it, and it stood there, with only one arm, floating inches off the ground swiping at Rayman with its one remaining arm. Rayman, realising its weak spots, started to aim at the arm joints, trying to whack the other arm off too.

The zombie chicken began to attack with such ferocity that Rayman was hurt twice. He had a small cut on his back, and two deeper cuts, one on his chest, and the other on his face. He was covered in grime and rising dust, still wildly dancing with the chicken, the dance reaching its peak, but not quiet there yet.

Now the arm fell, not completely, but enough so that the zombie could no longer use it. It screeched with rage, and began to chase Rayman, snapping at him, its eyes blazing with an unmatched ferocity.

Rayman ran backwards, sending punches into the giant bird’s eyes, and down its mouth.

The zombie caught Rayman in its beak! He had tarried too long in one place, paying dearly for his moment. The furious bird shaked it head from side to side, biting hard into Rayman. Rayman went flying into a wall, which crumbled slightly sending dust landing onto him – and into his wounds.

He got up shakily, and managed to send one last power ball into the creatures face. It blew up, sending more dust over Rayman. He coughed, and rubbed the dust out of his face.

He turned his head wearily to the door. He groaned as he got up, and limped his way to the door.

The shadows flickered across the door. Suddenly, they leap out at Rayman.

Rayman groaned. ‘Not again!’ He looked closely at the shadows and realised what they were: black caterpillars, from the cave of bad dreams. How did they get here?

Rayman didn’t have time to wonder, because they flew right toward him. Rayman raised his aching hands to defend himself, throwing fists and shooting power balls.

He almost fell with exhaustion, for every time he killed a caterpillar, it regenerated. Then Rayman fought a different battle: rather than attacking outright just beating the caterpillars up, he shot them both at the same time, so that he could make it to the other side of the door.

He worked out this plan in his head, and decided to give it a go. He moved closer to the door, which seemed to be the place that the caterpillars were rejuvenating from. He punched one, giving it time to rejuvenate. Meanwhile, the other - oblivious to Rayman’s plan, charged straight at Rayman. When it was next to the door, the other caterpillar also charged at Rayman.

With precision timing, Rayman shot them both on the heads. As soon as this had happened, he ran toward the door. But before he reached it, he heard a sound: a clapping sound.

Somebody was applauding him.

‘Well done,’ a slightly mechanical voice spoke, though no body could be seen. ‘You have passed the first test. Pass through.’ As this voice finished, there came a sound as though of a lock unlocking.

Rayman walked toward the door, and looked at it for the first time.

It was a great size, almost twice as wide as Rayman was tall, and three times as high. Rayman gazed at it for a second, taking in its beauty. It was a large, possibly oak door. It had jewels incrusted in it. Around its edges were sapphires, rubies, pearls, diamonds: many things. In the centre, taking place of pride was a large jade. It was set in perfectly, seemingly dimming the beauty of the other gems.

Rayman pushed his hand against the door, pushing it gently open. It didn’t creak. Rayman walked into the cavern. He didn’t walk wearily, or in a protecting manor, but rather he walked confidently, and meaningfully.

He walked right into the centre of the room. He was suddenly aware of the stifling heat that was in that room. Pieces of rock were beginning to melt slightly.

A sound came from somewhere above him. He looked up and saw that the rock seemed to open up into empty sky. Presently, he became aware that the sound he heard was somebody talking to him.

‘Rayman,’ it began. ‘I’ve heard such a lot about you.’ Rayman gazed around, searching for the sound.

‘Welcome,’ the voice said, and with that, a huge flaming rock crashed into the ground in front of Rayman. Rayman walked closer to it, warily. He almost jumped backwards when he saw that it was moving.

It wasn’t a rock. It was a person. But Rayman had never seen anything like him before.

The person in front of him stood up, straight and tall. He looked at Rayman for a few seconds, with startling yellow eyes. Rayman stared at him, surprised at what this creature looked like.

His yellow eyes were set in a perfect, handsome face that looked almost orange in the light. His blond hair was swept backwards, as though a flame was being bent in the wind. He had a tell body, that was an orange-y colour, and his hands were huge. He was barefoot. A huge amount of heat seemed to be emanating from him.

But before Rayman’s eyes, he began to change. His handsome face seemed to melt, into what looked like frozen lava. It was still handsome, but it looked different, as though he had undergone a transformation. After this, his hair turned a dark red, almost black, and fell down onto his shoulder his arms themselves began to thicken, and turn yellow too. His legs stretched, making him seem larger, and the skin was set alight in a blazing fire. All of him, his arms, legs, head and his bare chest were now blazing.

And again he changed, back into his first form.

‘You have seen two of my true forms.’ He said. ‘My name is Flaréoné’ he offered a hand, and Rayman shook it. ‘I am the one that the seers told you to come to.’

Now Rayman looked up into Flaréoné’s face. ‘They sent me to find you?’ He asked. ‘Why you? Who – what – are you?’

Flaréoné smiled. ‘Follow me,’ he said, beckoning to Rayman to follow him.

Flaréoné ran swiftly over the rock, and as he reached the door, it opened. The caterpillars flew forward, and Rayman jumped in front of Flaréoné, ready to protect his new friend. But Flaréoné just waved a hand, and the caterpillars moved aside.

Rayman stared at his new accomplice. ‘How did you do that?’ He asked, astonished.

‘I set them to guard the door. The zombie chickens were not under my command, but they proved a valuable defence.’ Flaréoné replied.

‘So why did you not tell them to stop attacking me?’ Rayman asked, furious.

‘It was your test. You passed it.’

Now the two had reached the painting that Rayman had examined earlier. Flaréoné pointed to the one on the left.

‘Me. Surrounded by flame.’

‘But how come they don’t affect you?’ Rayman asked: the first of the many questions that were bursting from his head. ‘How do you know Polokus? Who are the others?’

Rayman was stopped by a hand from Flaréoné , ‘The flames don’t affect me because I created them. I am the aspect of flame.’ Rayman gazed at Flaréoné, mouth opened slightly. He didn’t know what an aspect was, but he could see that it was something of great power.

‘How do I know Polokus?’ He laughed. ‘Well many would say that he was my brother. All of them.’ His gaze hardened. ‘But we are not. We are of kin, but we are not related.’ He paused. ‘The others? I will not say here, not now.’

Rayman would normally have pursued the subject, but upon seeing that it was a touchy subject for the aspect, he did not.

They walked back out of the cave.

-_~*~_-

‘Ly?!’ Shouted Globox, spotting his friend. She was lying on the ground some way away from the small forest. She had just collapsed. Globox ran toward Ly as fast as his legs could carry him, and knelt down next to her.

‘Ly…Ly?’ He said, trying to wake her up. Her eyelids fluttered, and looked up at Globox’s face.

‘Globox,’ she began, spluttering the mud away from her face. ‘I felt a strong power, it made me faint. I think it came from the cave, but it was too powerful to tell!’ She tried to get up, but Globox pressed her down. He conjured some water, and bade her drink it.

‘Thanks Globox,’ she said, after a long refreshing drink. ‘I feel much better now!’ She smiled, her eyes twinkling.

Ly got up and approached the cave. Globox went with her, looking over her soldier. She knelt down, and laced an ear on the floor. She was straining to listen for some sound, and Globox, realising this, was quiet.

Ly sighed. All she could here was the squeaking of mice, the gentle pitter patter of their feet. She listened harder, her brow furrowed. She heard something…footsteps!

She listened more carefully, and recognised that they were Rayman’s feet. But along side them was another, unfamiliar footstep. But Rayman seemed to be ok, so she lifted her head away from the ground.

‘I think Rayman is coming back now!’ She smiled at Globox. No sooner had she said that, did Rayman come out of the cave, smiling from ear to ear. However, he seemed to be hurting slightly. His cuts seemed to be affecting him.

‘I’m back!’ He announced, ‘and I’ve got a friend too!’ Ly gasped as she saw Flaré oné, in his fiery form. He turned quickly back to his humanoid form, not wanting to alarm anybody.

After a short introduction, during which Flaréoné shaked hands with everybody, Rayman, Globox, Ly, Furio, Furion, and Flaréoné discussed their plans for what to do next.

‘We do not know what the next thing to do is.’ Furio said, indicating him and Furion. ‘We were just your guides to get you to the cave. Though, of course, we are more then willing to continue with you.’ Rayman smiled at Furio’s friendship.

‘I do not want to put you two in danger,’ he began, but was interrupted.

‘You have no need to. If you do not allow us to go, we will follow you anyway!’ Furio interrupted. Again Rayman smiled, and agreed. Globox and Ly also decided to come with them; Flaré oné also ‘offered his services’.

‘So we know who’s going,’ Rayman said. ‘But we don’t know where to go.’

At this, Flaréoné raised his head to the sky. ‘I know,’ he said.

‘Where?’

‘The glory glade.’ He said. It didn’t quite have a dramatic effect.

‘The glory glade?’ asked Rayman. ‘What’s that?’

‘The glory glade…that’s were we need to go. It is hard to describe, it would take many hours to do so. I think that you shall see when you get there.’

There was something about the way that Flaréoné spoke that gave Rayman an ominous feeling.

He had no time to wonder about this however. He suddenly felt faint.

He looked down into his wounds, and saw that they had become infected by the dust and grime from the cave.

‘Oh no,’ he whispered. Then he fainted.

-_~*~_-

[Inaam]

Chapter 8: Hallucinations, Councils, and Journeys.

-_~*~_-

It was a week later, and the companions were no closer to setting off then they were after the meeting. This was mainly due to Rayman: his situation had not improved greatly.

Furio and Furion set out everyday, attempting to heal him. Apparently, He had improved, but not by much. Everybody was beginning to feel worried about him, not least Ly and Globox.

Ly had thought that the ex-slaves would move out, back to their villages. But she had been wrong. They had decided to stay in the valley. The slave drivers had made themselves – or rather, the slaves had made – excellent accommodations.

The slaves had decided to move into these houses. They had been captured village at a time, and all put together. They had come to know each other. They had grown into a community. They called themselves the freelings, ironically.

Ly and Globox had helped them clear out all the rubbish, and clutter that the drivers had left there. They both found it hard to concentrate; their mind often going back to Rayman, and how he was.

Rayman was still unconscious, and he had been for the last few days. According to Furion, this was natural; his body was saving its energy to go purely into healing his wounds.

His wounds were beginning to heal, and close, but it was a hard task to get out all the dust and dirt away from his wounds to prevent an infection. He was heavily beat, and his body was severely scratched and bruised, where he had been attacked.

Flaréoné, however, was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared the very day that Rayman had fallen unconscious, and he had not returned.

‘Ly!’ a voice spoke, interrupting Ly’s thoughts and bringing her back to reality. ‘Be careful!’ She turned and saw that the speaker had been a girl who Ly had befriended a while ago. Her name was Fianna. Ly looked up and smiled at her. She realised that she had almost walked into the wall.

Fianna was a limbless creature, rather like Rayman. She had lovely, deep blue eyes, and a beautiful face. Her eyes almost always seemed to tinkle in the sunlight. Her long hair was sliver and seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.

She was genuinely a peaceful person, but when the time arose she could be as ferocious as any. She had led the main slave charge against the slave drivers, and it was a wonder that she had not been killed. Many of the slaves considered her a hero. She was one of the few that had been captured alone; her family and friends had all been killed.

‘It’s Rayman isn’t it?’ Fianna asked, seeming to read Ly’s mind. She had come to know Ly very well in the short space of time she had known her.

‘Yes…I’ve known him for a very long time. I don’t know how I’d cope if he…died’ she replied, trying to choke down the tears in her eyes. Fianna nodded sympathetically.

‘I know how you feel. Are you sure you’ll be ok?’ Fianna asked Ly. Ly nodded slowly, not trusting herself to speak.

-_~*~_-

Pain! Fear! Danger!

That was all that Rayman felt. He was in agony. He looked around, trying to find his friends, but they were nowhere to be seen.

He began to run, trying to shout out their names, but no sound came out. He tried to calm himself. He covered his face with his hands. Trying to wash away the pain, the fear. He looked around, for he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched.

And that he was in danger.

He took in his bearings, noticing that he was in the middle of nowhere – it was sandy. That was all that he could see for miles around up to the flat horizon.

He remembered the sand golems, and began to run; trying his utmost to get away from the danger. He ran for what felt to him like miles, but his movements were becoming sluggish, as though he was running through porridge.

But then he was no longer in the sand. He had the peculiar sensation that he was falling, and he tried to activate his helicopter. But it wouldn’t work. He was surrounded by blackness.

Then the feeling went: he no longer felt that he was falling. As his vision slowly returned to him he saw that he was near some trees. They were large, palm like, but they were scarce and few in number.

He tried again to find out where he was, but his thoughts were interrupted by a smell. He sniffed gently, and realised that it was the sweet aroma of water. He strained his hearing and found out which direction it was in.

As he walked in that direction, the birds began to whistle softly. He felt at peace for a little while, but as he neared the water, he began to feel the uncomfortable danger feeling again.

He reached the water. His mouth was suddenly dry, so he bent over to take a drink. He took three large swigs, and then watched his reflection lazily for a little while.

Horror took his as he saw that there were bodies of dead people and animals, some fully decayed, others not so.

He scrabbled away from the water, his mouth still wet from the drink. He felt horrified that he had drunk that impure water.

He felt a hot sensation on his back, and turned to see that the trees were on fire. He gasped, choking in the fumes. He slipped backwards, into the water. He sank slowly to the bottom, unable to keep himself afloat. As he felt himself nestle between the other dead bodies, he realised that this would be his dying place.

It was ironic. He was surrounded by water, yet he was as thirsty as he had ever been – perhaps even more so.

Already his lungs were beginning to burst, but as he stared up at the sky, looking at the stars he loved so much, a shadow came over him.

His senses were slowing, but he could make out four figures, disfigured by the rippling water. With a spasm of horror, he realised that it was the same foursome that he had seen in the picture. He tried again to shout, to ask Flaréoné for help. But it did not come.

Darkness was overcoming Rayman.

-_~*~_-

‘Ly! Ly-come-over-here-quick-Furio-and-Furion-said-that-something’s-happening!’ Globox yelled excitedly, jumping from one foot to another. Ly stared at him.

‘Calm down Globox, what did you say…and try saying it slower this time!’ she said to him. Globox took a huge breath, and said again.

‘Furio and Furion think that something’s happening, and it sounded good too!’ Ly paused for a second, then dropped the bundle of firewood she had been about to pick up.

‘Take me to them.’

-_~*~_-

Furio was watching Rayman, making sure that he didn’t get any worse, and keeping him alive.

In truth, both the brothers had believed that Rayman stood little chance of survival. Rayman seemed to be proving them wrong.

Over the past few days, Rayman has steadily gained health. He awoke from his unconsciousness with a need for water. His mouth was extremely dry. After he had drunk the water given to him by a freeling, he stood up, shakily, and the first thing he asked was where Flaréoné was.

‘I don’t know,’ replied Furio. ‘He disappeared as soon as you fell unconscious.’ Rayman was about to question him further, but Ly had run up to him, and hugged him hard. Tears fell down her face, as she broke off embarrassedly from the embrace. Globox stood next to her, beaming.

Behind them, and approaching perhaps more slowly was a freeling. It was Fianna. Rayman gazed at her for a few seconds before asking Ly if she knew where Flaréoné had gone.

‘No,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘But he did say to me that he would be back soon.’ Rayman sighed, sitting back down onto his bed. Fianna spoke softly to the others, suggesting that Rayman needed a rest.

‘After all,’ she smiled, ‘he has saved us all, battled with an army of zombies, and still managed to come back to us.’ Rayman was grateful for this, for he felt weak, but he didn’t want to admit it.

Curiously, once they had all gone – though reluctantly – he could not sleep. Questions raged through his minds, about his dream, about the cave…but mostly about Flaréoné. Where was he now? What was he doing in Rayman’s dream? Why wasn’t Rayman with any of his friends?

There were some voices outside his bedroom. Rayman recognised Flaréoné. He jumped out of his bed, and limped toward the door. He opened it, and a sudden hush fell.

Flaréoné turned, and spoke to Rayman.

‘Rayman,’ he said, quietly and urgently. ‘There was a special type of venom inside the giant zombie’s beak. I do not know where the venom came from – indeed I don’t know where the bird came from.’

He held a small flower in his hand; freshly picked. ‘I have been looking for the cure to that venom. Three drops of this and you should be cured.’ Rayman took it. He looked in Flaréoné’s face.

He saw no lie in his eyes, and genuine worry was on Flaréoné’s face. Rayman took the flower from his hands, feeling the softness of it. He looked down at it.

‘It is a very magical plant,’ Flaréoné was saying. ‘It has become very rare, for many had been taken for their magical heeling properties. I suggest that we all wait outside, because the outburst of energy may be a bit much.’ Rayman nodded, and walked back inside. Ly closed the door.

‘How come you were away for so long?’ Ly asked Flaréoné, not as trustful as Rayman.

‘As I said,’ he replied. ‘It is a rare plant. It went searching many miles to find it.’ Ly sensed the truth in his voice and decided not to ask any more questions.

Ly was about to say something, but she was interrupted by a huge explosion.

The house itself seemed to have jumped a few centimetres into the air – though it hadn’t really – and a blinding light escaped from every hole, space or gap anywhere in it.

The light intensified, massive bursts of magical energy and light escaping the house. Ly’s thoughts were on Rayman, was he safe? Had the plant been powerful enough – or too powerful?

As suddenly at it had begun, the light stopped. There was an eerie silence, following the outbreak of sound that had been just seconds before. Many people had stopped what they were doing to stare at the house.

But Rayman was still not there. Ly waited anxiously, but she heeded Flaréoné's advice, and stood her ground.

And still Rayman didn’t come. Many of the people who had stopped to watch had gone back to working, or doing whatever they had been doing before.

And still Rayman did not come.

Lt stepped forward, but Flaréoné put a hand out to stop her. It was dangerous. Ly sighed.

And still Rayman did not come out.

‘R-Rayman?’ said Globox quietly, then louder. ‘Rayman?’

And finally they received an answer.

‘I’m…here,’ Rayman’s voice said, sounding very weak. ‘Hang on, I’ll be right there.’

The door creaked slowly open, revealing Rayman. He looked slightly shell-shocked and his hair had been flung backwards. He walked slightly wobbly, and walked out of the door. He managed a small smile.

‘I feel better now,’ he smiled. ‘Thanks Flaréoné.’

‘You’re welcome,’ he replied. ‘But we should get going.’ Rayman nodded.

‘I think I need a small wash first.’ He said.

‘There’s a stream just inside the woods. You can have a shower there.’ Fianna said.

Rayman walked into the trees toward the water.

‘C’mon,’ said Fianna. ‘You should get ready. You’re going soon.’ There was a hint of sadness in her voice. It felt as though she would lose a friend.

-_~*~_-

‘Rayman, we got to prepare to take off again.’ Ly told him. ‘We’re setting off within three days.’ Rayman nodded. He had come back from his wash, and now he needed to get ready for the journey.

According to Flaréoné, this journey was going to take a long time, and they were going to be away from food for a long time. Therefore they had to pack enough food and water to last them a long time.

Globox was an excellent asset in this case, being able to store food, amongst other things, in his neck. He also had the power to make rain, which would serve as a drink. This meant that they didn’t have to take as much water with them.

Rayman had few belongings, but he packed a lot of food, and placed it all on a backpack. Some of the creatures in the valley had magical packs that didn’t need to be carried, as long as the creature had enough strength to keep them afloat. Rayman used one of these.

Furio and Furion had asked Flaréoné if there was any need for animals; pack animals, or riding. Flaréoné shook his great head, and said not yet.

Flaréoné usually stayed in his fiery form. However, now he used his human form instead, for the comfort of others, and also to hide his identity.

All in all it was going to be a busy day.

Rayman was walking back to the hut that he had slept in, and had lived in for the past few days. He was carrying food from the village store. Most of the slave drivers had eaten raw flesh, and other gruesome things. The villages had thrown these things away. But there were still a lot of edible food.

Rayman dumped his food in his house, and walked back to the store. As he approached it, he heard a lot of people shouting, and the sound of metal-against-metal.

Rayman ran round the corner and realised what was happening. There were few people guarding the food stores. A small army had chosen to attack here. The battle was raging around the centre, were a tall man was standing, a grim smile on his face. Flaréoné was attacking the attackers with bolts of fire, and things that looked like Rayman’s power balls. Furio and Furion were hacking about with their swords, hacking their way through the enemy forces. Ly was standing on a high rock, sending sphere after bright sphere into the crowd. Globox was sending storm-clouds over the enemies, lightning striking down at all of them. Out of the slaves there was only one person. Fianna. She was attacking heroically, slashing and cutting with a magnificent sword.

Rayman stared at this grim scene for a few seconds, before charging down himself, sending power balls into the crowd. He leapt over a wall of enemies, punching them as he leapt. They all went down.

Rayman found himself face to face with the tall man. He brandished his sword, and Rayman raised his fists. The man charged at Rayman stabbing his sword where he knew Rayman would leap.

Rayman was forced to jump backwards, punching the man in the face and chest. The man staggered under the blows, but regained his stamina and charged again. This time he slashed in the place where Rayman’s legs should have been, utilising his training. He swore under his breath as he realised that this would not affect Rayman.

He attacked again, pretending that he was going to attack Rayman’s ‘legs’ again, but instead jabbed his sword into Rayman’s heart. He missed by a hairs’ breadth.

Rayman charged up a power ball, and let it loose, the electricity charging as it went, smacking the warrior full in the face.

‘RETREAT!’ He shouted, sensing that he was loosing the battle. Rayman looked around, and saw that the soldiers were indeed losing.

A passionate anger was sparked up in their eyes, but they were very disciplined. They retreated as soon as the order was given. Rayman looked around.

None of his friends seemed any worse for the wear, but they were all thoroughly shaken.

Ly was still standing on the rock, a sphere still in her hand. She smiled down at the others, and threw it at the retreating enemies.

Globox sighed to himself, but he to look happy that they had driven off the intruders. He was sweating, and he directed the rain cloud over his head to wash him out.

Furio and Furion were watching the retreating forces with narrowed eyes. They replaced their swords into their hilts, but their still remained in their fighting positions.

Flaréoné had an angry look in his face, and he looked down at the dead bodies around him. Rayman was shocked. He himself hadn’t killed, just made them unconscious. It looked like Flaréoné was not used to killing either.

Fianna replaced her sword into the sword hilt. On of her armless hands was dragging down, and it was red, smeared with blood. Ly ran over to her, and began to heal the wounds. Fianna and Ly started talking, already the exhilaration of the battle coming to them.

Rayman was impressed by Fianna’s bravery, enemies lay by her feet, left and right, felled by Fianna’s blade. She herself had been scratched once or twice but nothing serious.

He waited for a while watching Ly and Fianna, but he turned to the Furio brothers. But they were not there, and they were talking to Flaréoné. Rayman heard bits of what they were saying.

‘It’s a bit suspicious though isn’t it Flaréoné?’

‘I would agree to that, but I had nothing to do with the intruders!’

‘Oh, right, and what else were you doing for the last few days, if not looking for them?’ There was a slight growl in Furion’s voice, but he stopped as Rayman came nearer.

‘Flaréoné,’ he began. ‘I believe that you are telling the truth. Butdo you know who they were? Who were those people?’

‘I believe that they were servitors of the enemy.’ Flaréoné said, and walked back to the house.

Rayman walked over to Fianna and Ly – Globox was with them now too - and listened to them talk for a little while. Fianna saw him, and invited his to join the conversation.

‘Fianna, that’s twice that this valley has been attacked. I think that there should be some means of defence when we are gone.’ Rayman suggested. Fianna thought for a while then replied.

‘I know. But there aren’t that many warriors in the valley, and I don’t know how else to defend.’

‘How about a wall?’

-_~*~_-

After Globox’s brilliant suggestion, Ly and Fianna began to round up all the freelings. After they had been told the plan they all agreed that some defence was needed, and set about collecting hard materials that would make do for a wall. Then those that could fight were told that if the walls were broken it would be up to them to defend.

Rayman, Globox, Ly, Furio, Furion and Flaréoné were amongst the many that were setting up the wall. All their provisions had been packed, and they had decided to stay until the defence was complete. There was going to be a big vote today, to see who would be the leader of the freelings.

Fianna had decided to candidate after Ly had suggested it.

Ly saw Fianna a bit away, and made her way to her.

‘Good luck Fianna,’ said Ly. Fianna smiled at her.

‘Thanks,’ she replied. ‘I’m feeling nervous.’ She looked it too.

‘You’ll be fine!’ Ly said.

‘I know,’ she sighed. ‘Well, I have to go. Bye!’

-_~*~_-

They were setting off today. A huge crowd had arrived to see them off. People, lums fairies, creatures of all sorts were there to see off their saviours.

‘…And so, we must say goodbye to our great benefactors, who saved us from the clutches of a terrible evil!’ This was the end of a speech. It had been spoken by the leathery-looking person who most people called Traid.

The freelings had decided that they had needed a leader, and there had been a great vote. Fianna had won almost unanimously, with a few votes going to Traid and various other people.

Ly wanted to congratulate Fianna, but Ly hadn’t seen her since yesterday, just before the announcements of the votes were read out.

The wall had been completed very quickly, promising a good and sturdy defence. Traid was the person who had told Rayman that he could go into the cave of jades. He was doing a good-bye speech rather then Fianna because Fianna had told him to do it.

There was a stage set out above the people, and magical speakers had been put in place. Ly looked down into the crowd, but she couldn’t see Fianna. She felt gloomy at not being able to say goodbye to her new friend. There was a huge cheer, and Ly realised that Traid’s speech had ended and Rayman had been asked to step up onto the podium, and say a few words.

Before long, his speech was finished too, and as he stepped off the podium, Traid spoke to them.

‘I want you all to remember that we are always in your dept. we wish you a very safe journey, and a happy return. If you ever pass by here again, please visit us.’

‘We will,’ smiled Rayman. ‘But I am afraid that we will have to go.’

‘Rayman,’ Traid spoke. ‘Are you sure that you are able to go?’

‘I’ll be ok. We should get going.’ He replied. They all walked up off the podium, Traid and Ly were last. Before Traid reached the stairs, Ly stopped him.

‘Have you seen Fianna anywhere?’ she asked. Traid shook his head.

‘I haven’t seen her since yesterday I am afraid.’ He replied. Ly sighed.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said. ‘I’ll be seeing you!’

She ran down the stairs to catch up with Rayman and the others. They moved through the centre of where the crowd was, and another cheer reached their ears. As the walked into the trees, a stealthy figure, clad entirely in a black cloak that covered its face and also it’s body. It slipped down off the trees, and began to follow Rayman and his friends.

-_~*~_-

[Inaam]

Chapter 9 - Assassin in the night

_= - =_= -= _= - =_= - =_= - =_= - =_= - =_= - =_= - =_= - =_= - =_= - =_= - =_

The figure sighed. The sound of the companions that it was chasing was slowly fading away, even to the excellent hearing of their pursuer. The figure gazed ahead, and managed to perceive some shadowy figures ahead.

Upon closer inspection, the figure realised that it was not the only creature chasing the companions. The figure gazed at them for a few seconds, with keen blue eyes, marked with the wisdom and intelligence of many years, yet as young as most.

The figure stooped to pick up an invisible item off the floor. It leapt up into the trees, running across its slender branches as though it was merely walking on the forest floor beneath.

It raced ahead and soon reached the creatures in front. As it reached them, it caught the sound of a small and quite chattering, as though the creatures were talking amongst themselves. One turned its head, searching around the forest floor.

The figures blood turned cold, its blue eyes wide, as it realised just what the creatures were. The intelligence behind its eyes sparked up as its ears strained to capture the talk of the creatures’ chatterings.

They were kobolds. Vermin, disgusting creatures that lived underground, hardly ever venturing above ground…and here was a whole squadron of them! What were they doing here?

The stealthy figure followed the kobolds, silently, efficiently, making sure that the kobolds would not realise that there was somebody there, yet always keeping them in its sights.

More often then not, a kobold would fall down off the high trees to the ground, with a high pitched squeak. It would then get up, and climb the tree again, obviously oblivious the pain that it should have felt after falling from such a great height.

The kobolds were speaking to each other, a language that had not been heard for many an age above the grounds, known to few. The figure tried to listen, tried to understand what they were saying, but it was close to impossible.

The kobold that had been looking around, evidently a lookout was not very clever, most probably a low-life hunter. It was searching the ground, unbelieving that anything could follow the mighty leaps and jumps that the kobolds used, leaping from tree to tree. It was looking only at the forest floor.

Big mistake.

The kobold looked around again, searching the forest floor. Although it was stupid, it did its job superbly, efficiently. It turned its head to look behind him, and the figure that was following caught its first true sight of a kobold.

It had a dull brown skin. It was furry, but the fur was rotten, and flea-ridden, as it had most likely never kept it clean. It had deep eyes, red, cunning, small slits that looked down into the forest below. The eyes themselves were red, wholly and completely red. Red within red, no whites at all. Its face was rat-like, but it was covered in what seemed suspiciously like a skull. An earring stood out from the rest of the kobold’s possessions, the only one that had been made with love and care.

It glinted silver in the white moonlight, but it was hung on a rough rope that went through a small hole in the creature’s ears. It seemed to contain some seeds, or perhaps small stones, for every time it shifted its head, a small rattling escaped from the silvery diamond. It was a small creature, but it was also very sturdy. It had a small tail creeping out from its back. It held a spear in its hands.

The creature’s eyes narrowed, as it spotted what it thought was a threat. On its back was a small pack. It reached out with a hand to the pack, pulling out a small thick wooden pole, with a sharp metallic head-point. It was a spear: a throwing spear.

It threw the spear down onto the ground, with precision aiming, and skewered a small and helpless rabbit. The kobold leapt down onto the floor beside the rabbit, and sniffed at it.

Upon deciding that it truly was dead, it pulled out the spear with a disgusting squelch, and climbed back up the tall tree, the whole process taking mere seconds.

The figures eyes narrowed, seeing the merciless nature of these small rodents. It unsheathed a short sword; glinting silver in the moonlight, its golden handle beautifully crafted: the craftsmanship was excellent. A lot of heart and passion had gone into that sword.

The small kobold ahead was sniffing the air suspiciously, seemingly sensing the danger that was near. It raced ahead to catch up to its fellows, unbeknown that there was a small figure following it, just as speedily, but much more stealthily.

The kobold dropped down to the ground, dead before it knew it: a slit in its throat, yet it landed heavily, not softening its landing. Its killer had realised that it had made a deadly, possibly costly mistake.

The chattering stopped, dozens of eyes turned slowly toward their fallen comrade, and then to its killer. Tons of eyes narrowed, spears in their hands. This wasn’t going to be quick, nor painless, as it had been for the small rabbit. It was going to hurt. A lot. The creatures silently crept forward, their hunting spears in their hands.

The figure was going to be surrounded, these small creatures advancing in the gloom. There were many kobolds, varying in both colour and rank. The piebald creatures had many varieties of weapons at their disposal, swords, spears, arrows, and many more such things.

One kobold stood from all the rest, larger, and cleverer. It was their leader. It bore a staff, small, wooden, perhaps useless as a melee weapon, but extremely powerful when concentrating the powerful magical energies of the shaman. For shaman he was, learned in the lore and magics of the kobold race.

An invisible, yet deathly aura surrounded it, strengthening its minions, but striking fear into the hearts of its enemies. It had many diamonds, different shapes and sizes, sounds escaping every time it moved.

It raised its staff high in the air, and with an ear-piercing screech the kobolds charged. The first in the line of the kobolds was small, smaller then the creature that had just been slain, but it was aware of the danger now.

But as it charged, its thoughts faltered. The creature stood there, a hood over its head, a cloak covering its body. It did not even stir as the kobold ran toward it, and as the kobold raised its short spear to drive it into the heart of the enemy, it thought that it was too easy.

The kobold was right next to the foe now, and still it did not stir. The spear was mere millimetres next to the heart before the creature even begun to stir.

With speed barely recognisable with the naked eye, the sword flashed, the kobold shrieked with pain as disbelief as it realised that its hand was no longer there, it stared down into the forest floor, shock written all over its face. Its shriek was cut short as the sword was pressed into its chest, piercing its heart.

The kobold sank to the bottom of the forest, the disbelief still on its face, its empty staring eyes looking straight up at its killer, its mouth still opened slightly. It landed next to its hand, and the spear rolled onto its chest, and it lay there.

The kobolds had stopped their attack at their astonishment, but their charged again. Their opponent looked down into the floor, sadness etched into its face.

The kobolds were almost on top of the figure now, but it still did not stir. The spears missed, an invisible, magical hand pushing them gently from their target.

The sword flashed upward, slashing, biting at its enemies, left, right, the kobold fell.

But as they fell, the dust raised into the air. It obscured the vision of the attacker, but it healed the wounds of the earth-dwellers. They were creatures of the ground, and as they returned there, they wounds seemed to heal. Hope looked dim for their attacker now.

But still it didn’t give up, still it clung onto the small beacon of hope that remained, rather than give it up, and fling itself into death. It grabbed a hold on the tree trunk, using it to twist and turn away from the attacks of the kobolds.

As it swung round, it gained speed; it flung itself into the air, still holding the tree trunk, and kicked out at the kobolds, pushing them back, giving itself some more time.

It attacked with its sword once more, now dealing heavy and deadly blows, not giving the kobolds time to heal.

The battle was over quickly. As the dust settled, a figure walked out from the trees, without a backward glance. It moved ahead quickly. It was now imperative that it reached Rayman quickly.

As it moved on into the distance, the body of the purple kobold stirred slightly. Its eyes opened into thin slits, the life behind them draining. It buried itself into the sand, burrowing deeper and deeper, all the while heeling its body.

Anger and rage flared up inside it. It had lost its honour. It wanted to regain the honour. It wanted revenge.

8_* -_- *_8

The figure stumbled forward. It had indeed received some blows, and now the wounds cried out in pain and despair. The figure sat down for a small while, and opened a small, nearly invisible pack from its back. Inside there were many things, amongst them lay a prized bow. But the figure swept them all gently aside, and pulled out a small bottle of potion.

It took it out and rubbed small amounts of the potion onto its wounds. Aside from feeling revitalised, its felt energised too. It stood up, lifting the pack onto its back, and set off once more.

It could no longer hear its main target, but it no longer needed too.

It knew where they had stopped for the night.

*_8 *_* 8_*

-_~*~_-

It was sunny. Rayman took that as a good sign. It was early in the day, not long after they had set off from the valley.

Flaréoné had taken him aside from the others. It was apparently something important.

‘Rayman,’ Flaréoné said suddenly. ‘You will need more power to defeat you foe.’

‘I know…’ Rayman replied unsure of what to say.

‘And I could give you some.’

‘Give then.’ Rayman asked gently. Flaréoné turned to face Rayman. A fire blazed in his eyes. He raised his right hand, palm upwards, and a glowing fire ball appeared in his hand.

Rayman gazed at it transfixed.

Flaréoné shot the ball into Rayman’s chest. Rayman was thrown backwards a few paces. A ring of fire surrounded him, but it quickly died.

Flaréoné walked up to him and helped him up.

‘You have been given the power of the fire element.’ Flaréoné said in a strange tone. ‘I will not tell you how to use them, for they will be more powerful when unlocked by yourself.’ His voice turned to normal.

‘That is all I can do for you.’ He said, and walked back to the others.

Rayman stood for a few seconds, and gazed at his hands. They seemed to be burning with an uneasy flame.

He walked back.

-_~*~_-

Rayman was first watch. He looked around the clearing. It was quite large, and in the middle of the forest. There was a brown patch of barren land were no vegetation grew.

Rayman sighed, and looked around the clearing again. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen…but there was nothing out of the ordinary.

And yet…and yet…

He just couldn’t shake the feeling. The ominous feeling that something was going to happen was beginning to take over.

Crack!

There was something there! Something behind him! Rayman turned his head so quickly, that if he had a neck he would have cricked it. It was only Ly.

‘I couldn’t sleep,’ she said apologetically. ‘I’ve got the feeling that something’s going to happen…I just cant shake the feeling.’ Rayman nodded.

‘Yeah me too,’ he replied. ‘I don’t think I could get any sleep either.’ He smiled. ‘Want to help me keep watch?’

‘Sure!’ replied Ly. ‘I couldn’t expect you to manage it on your own anyway.’ Rayman laughed, and pushed her gently.

At that moment, there was a great howling sound. Everyone in the camp suddenly woke up.

There was another loud roar, and a great beast flung itself out of the forest. It had brown skin. Its bare arms were covered in what looked like scars from long ago. Its bare legs covered in scratches and marks, along with some crudely made tattoos that looked as though they had been branded on.

It wore a giant protective hide that covered a short amount of his legs and waists. It looked as though it was made out of the skin of some animal. He had two legs, but he had six arms. None of them were the same, and they all seemed to have been sawn on, and made with the sole purpose of destruction.

His upper two arms were the closest to what normal arms were like. The creatures left arm was normal, but covered in many scars and burns, but there was a long snaking tattoo, completely black, snaking down his outer arm. It seemed to be many ropy things, five it seemed, all intercrossing, swerving, crossing on another until they reached its wrists, and then they turned themselves in a circle round his wrist, like a manacle chaining him to some miserable past. It clutched on a large staff, the magical prowess so great that it was actually glowing purple. However – although Rayman didn’t know it – the arm had not been completely finished. Although the staff itself held great power, its owner had no magical prowess whatsoever. The staff was soon to be melded into the hand, making a part of this monstrosity and also giving it awesome power.

His upper right arm however, bore no scar, and no tattoo. It was much more hideous. The muscles from inside his arm were so big that they had erupted partially out of his skin. He skin was split, partially dead, and the muscles were clearly visible. But even now, they strained to grow, screamed at the small confining space into which they had been placed to grow. The skin that was still alive looked red, but it also looked unhealthy: doomed to die. He raised the arm high into the air, and the muscles good be seen working, lifting themselves, and the skin that they were attached to.

The middle right arm was also vaguely human, but it had had been converted, changed, melted into some hideous weapon. It was now one long pipe, but inside it there were many more pipes: each a different colour. At the end, where the hand should have been, the wires escaped from the larger tunnel, and they could be seen for what they truly were. Acid spewed out one, and fire out of another. Huge torrents of things forced they way out of the tubes, many things, both recognisable and not. Multiple liquids squirmed as they corroded the inner tubes on their ways out. As they landed on the ground, it burned, melted, froze, and transformed all at once. Steam issued forth from wherever the things landed. The stream of liquid was suddenly stopped, as though the monster had only put them on for show. A spout of electricity burst out of the middle tube, sending sparks and short bursts of electricity flying out, illuminating the ground. This show was also stopped.

The hand opposite that was not even close to humanoid. It was more robotic - metallic and shiny, but most of the arm seemed to be there merely to carry, or to power, the clenching ‘hand’ that lay at the end of it. It was a claw-like vice, gigantic, metallic. It looked heavy, and the power could almost be felt as it slowly clenched and unclenched itself. The arm itself seemed to be one long hollow tube, but to give it a more scary effect, it had been made to look bigger then it truly was. Circular metallic discs had been inserted into it, protruding outward, sharp; some were spinning with an amazing speed.

Underneath that arm, the bottom left arm – if it could be called that – was placed. This truly seemed to have been sawed on – the stitching was evident, and obvious. It seemed to have been stuffed with anything – rocks, stones, wood, cotton…many things were placed inside there, and then it was stitched up again. This made the skin look rough, uneven. At the end was placed a gigantic metallic claw, swinging against the movement of gravity. It accidentally swiped at a tall and sturdy tree, but its owner didn’t even realise it. The shining blade swung through the tree like a hot knife through butter. It came out unscratched – indeed, it came out looking just the same as before, but the tree had its trunk sliced through. It fell, crashing down onto the other trees. The giant monster stopped the claw – with an effort it seemed – and raised it slightly, preventing it from swinging. The arm stopped swinging but the claw itself was still quivering slightly.

The last arm was perhaps the most deadly. Although it was not yet complete, the power that it would later wield was very evident. It was a short stump, not of skin, but of metal. An android arm perhaps? The short stump. Metallic. Small wires could be seen, jutting out from the hole that was soon to bee filled. There were many hollow tubes and pipes coming out from the short place; some wires rejoined the arm, whilst others stood out, sneering at any that would dare to come close to it. The creature was a terrifying monster, created for the sole purposes of destruction, and driving fear into the hearts of its enemies.

The creature stepped forward, its massive legs working hard to carry the heavy weight it carried. They resembled the muscled arm, doomed to carry the great weight above them forever more.

Upon the giant creatures chest there was a giant wad of metal, perhaps there to protect the weak points that the creature had.

The head was disgusting. Its chin seemed to droop slightly away from the rest of its head, as though it had been sunken. The actually face was something out of a nightmare. One eye was red, the other blue, and the face was twisted, converted into a permanent scowl. Small spots had erupted on his (for he was indeed a male) face, a mutation caused, possibly, by the arms that had been attached.

The giant stumbled forward, his mismatched eyes glaring down at the tiny ants below him, mischievous creatures that he wished to squash.

But his orders had been clear, and he begun to carry them out.

He raised a hand, the one with the many pipes, and a giant gust of flame erupted forth, scorching the land on which Rayman had been standing mere seconds before. Ignoring the rest of the companions, he went for Rayman alone.

‘Hey, he’s after me!’ Rayman yelled to the others. ‘Stay away and you’ll be safe!’ the others didn’t want to stay away, but they did as Rayman said, and stayed far away.

Rayman jumped onto a tree, a sudden idea had hit him that if he could blind the creature, he may have more of a chance. The creature glared at him, and raised his claw. He sent it to the tree Rayman was on, but Rayman was too quick.

He jumped onto the next tree. And the next, and then the next again, all the while keeping away from the monsters attacks. The creature roared, and attacked in a furious rage, quickening his attacks, determined to get rid of Rayman. Rayman thought of a plan. It was dangerous, but it was all that he had.

Rayman waited for the arm to come near, and as it was slicing the tree, Rayman leapt onto the horrid skin. The creature laughed to itself – a deep booming sound, as it thought that Rayman had been killed.

The rage that overcame him when he saw that Rayman was on his arm was so profound, that he howled again. His upper two arms worked furiously to capture his prey. But his prey was elusive, and the creature had been told to bring him alive.

Rayman sent a sphere into the arm. The arm split, the sewing broken, and all the stuffing came out: guts, rocks: many things came out, but the skin remained. The blade hung useless at the end, hanging down, poised to fall.

Rayman leapt onto the pipe that contained the acids, knowing that this was perhaps one of the most deadly weapons that the creature had at its disposal. But the creature raised an arm: the normal like one, and raised its staff to attack Rayman. Rayman managed to jump out of the way, confident that the creature had don’t itself some harm.

But no! The staff merely glanced off, not even denting the pipe organ of the giant. The staff itself was unchanged too, it appeared. Evidently it was made of stronger things that Rayman had thought.

The creature lowered his arm, as Rayman leapt onto the thick piece of metal, higher up on the pipe arm. The vice-hand gripped at Rayman, and succeeded on grabbing a hold on Rayman’s shirt. It brought Rayman before it’s faced and smiled a hideously evil smile.

It took a huge breath, and for a second, Rayman thought that he was going to be breathed into the giant monster, but no! The monster let out a putrid breath; a stun gas that had been fitted into its chest. Rayman knew what was coming, but the gas was slow moving.

Rayman twisted, and managed to fall away from the vice, but a small piece of his shirt was ripped off. The vice unclenched, and the piece of fabric began to fall. Rayman let fly a fist, grabbing the shirt before it hit the ground. Rayman could feel the vice coming nearer.

As soon as his hand returned, he jumped quickly to the left, avoiding the vice by inches. Rayman jumped onto the pipe arm, which the creature raised high into the air. Rayman ran up the arm, and helicoptered onto the creatures nose.

Rayman let out a grim smile and charged up a power-ball.

‘Night, night!’ Rayman said, but before he could unleash his ball, the muscled arm reached out and grabbed him.

The creature face was contorted into an expression of anger, as it raised the stupid creature to his face. He roared once more, and began to squeeze.

Damn the orders! Damn the boss! This creature had hurt him, and damn him too! He was going to squeeze the very life out of this infernal midget, and he didn’t care about the consequences.

Rayman felt his eyes popping, his breathing was becoming hard. His vision swam, and he knew that this was the end. His vision was completely obscured by the giant seething eyes. They would be the last thing that he would see.

-_~*~_-

Traid was in the valley of the freelings. He was a magi. An ancient magi, of an old and supreme order.

He had been captured. It had been written in the stars…he had known that he would be captured. But it was still a huge shock when he did. The magical energy within him was so great that he had to wear a restraining belt.

He was a part of the ancient magus order. He had lived many long years; watching over the world, watching the stars…he was a magi.

But he was also the only one left. The others had all been killed; going off to fight battles…there were also many other reasons.

One of the most important was that the magi had made enemies. Enemies with evil, and those that fought to protect the evil. Many ancient evils had been destroyed or subdued by the magi. But many magi had fallen in the process.

The magi all had a link. In this way, if there was but one of the magus order left alive the magi order still remained. The souls of those long dead had come to reside in the bodies of their fellows. They had escaped the confines of death to help the rest of the world. Along with their souls, they magical prowess had also come to rest in the body of their comrade.

This was why Traid was the most powerful magi left in the world. His power was great – very great – but even he could evade his capture. He tried, oh yes! He tried! But it was not enough. He was captured. But he had been saved too. Saved by an unexpected return…

Rayman. He knew about Rayman. He had been the channelling energy that had created Rayman. No, not created. Summoned, perhaps? Nobody knew. Traid knew instantly that Rayman was more powerful them he. Traid knew instantly that this new figure, this beacon of hope had more potential then the rest of the world.

But where had he come from? Only one person knew. Only Rayman knew. But even he had hidden it from himself: the thoughts and memories only to bee returned when he needed them.

The history of Rayman was a shroud. But the deeds that Rayman did were not forgotten. He had vanquished his first opponent with such skill and ferocity that the world had appointed Rayman guardian. He was guardian of this world.

Mr Dark had been defeated easily, but the defeat had been so complete that the shadow had never been seen again.

And then Admiral Razorbeard had invaded along with his army of robots. Rayman had been captured hope had looked dim for the guardian. But friendship had prevailed.

Rayman succeeded in escaping from the prison ship, and went on to re-unite the four masks of Polokus. Polokus, who had needed to rejuvenate his powers, had gone to sleep for many hundreds of years.

He had granted Traid, the last magi, the energy to call upon a hero when it was needed. Traid himself had managed to keep the evils at bay for a long time, without any help.

But Mr. Dark had been clever. He had attacked when Traid was unfit to fight. Traid had been unable together his energies back quick enough, for the trial that he had just gone through had drained him of his power. Even now he was not yet recovered.

And so he had used what was left of his strength to call upon that hero, the person that would go on to become guardian, who would save the world many times. He had used his last ounces to summon Rayman, and then had fallen into a deep sleep.

When he had woken again, he was told about Rayman’s deeds, of the destruction of the grolgroth, how he had almost sacrificed his own life to save those of many others.

He had also been told of his great deeds against the army of hoodlums, the transformed red lums, of how he had fought against the power of the leptys, handed down into the single monstrous creature known to most as Reflux.

Traid had been proud of this hero, happy that there was finally somebody to help protect the world from the evils.

But even now Traid hadn’t been able to help. Although he was gaining energy fast, and rejuvenating it every day, I was not enough, not quick enough. He was still weak, next to little of his former power remained, not enough to protect this world.

He feared that his days were over. Perhaps it was time to move over, to let a new guardian protect the land. Whatever the case, he would do his part to help the world to its fullest.

-_~*~_-

What was happening? What was in front of him? Rayman’s thoughts came slowly, far apart, and blurrily. Was the eye red, or blue? The whole world seemed to have melted into a mixture of red and blue.

Rayman strained to gather what was left of his strength to look his for in the eye. He opened his eyes.

The monster glared at Rayman, hate was all that it could feel, all that it felt: raw emotion; raw hate.


-_~*~_-
Ly stared at the monsters face. At its hand. At Rayman. Tears obscured her vision as she realised what was happening. She made to move forward, but Flaréoné put out a hand to stop her.

‘You’ll get killed. Only a miracle can save him now.’ He said.

It did not take quite that, but they did get what they needed.
-_~*~_-

Rayman could see the creature’s eyes. Only his sight seemed to be working now, he couldn’t feel anything, his body was numb. His hearing and his sense of smell also seemed to have disappeared; though the creature seemed to be roaring, Rayman could hear nothing, and the stench of decaying flesh had left him.

Suddenly there was something in the monster’s eye. A sudden glint. Its grip on Rayman loosened slightly and everything came flooding back. He was suddenly aware of how much the fallen arm had decayed, and he could hear the howling moans of the monster. A pain so great had returned to him that he felt as though he could pass out there and then.

But the creature still had a grip on Rayman. As Rayman’s senses improved, he begun to realise that the creature was indeed howling, but now his howl was a howl of pain, rather then anger.

There was something in its eye! It was an arrow, excellently crafted, but were had it come from? And there was another one, piercing the other eye!

The monsters roars grew louder, as it desperately began to claw at its eyes, attempting to force out the arrows.

But he succeeded only in breaking the arrow shafts, and he pressed the arrow-points in deeper.

Rayman realised that there was a rope attached to both arrows, and he leaped out of the monster’s slackened grip, and onto the ropes.

He felt suddenly energized, and as he looked around to see why, he spotted a squadron of red lums, not too far away, heading in his direction.

They speeded up to Rayman, flying around him; healing his wounds and hurts, and finally letting Rayman absorb them. Rayman felt re-energized and refreshed also.

A huge thing fell to the ground behind Rayman, landing with a huge thud, Rayman turned to see it, and realised that it was the red eye. Another thud told Rayman that the blue eye had also fallen.

The monster stumbled and fell into the forest.

A showed figure appeared before the eyes, unloosening the arrow heads, and magically reconnecting them to the shafts.

The figure then turned to Rayman and lifted its hood.

‘Fianna?!?’ Rayman exclaimed, for it was indeed her who had been following the companions.

‘Yes,’ she replied smiling, ‘Fianna.’

Ly came up running to Rayman and spotted Fianna too. She stopped dead in her tracks.

‘Fianna? What are you doing here?’

‘I’ve come to help you in your task.’ Fianna replied.

At that moment a huge bird-like creature flew into the sky. It was just a small bit bigger then the monster they had just fought. But it didn’t stop.

Diving into something in the trees, it picked up something in its talons. It was the monster.

‘Wait a second…’ Rayman whispered. ‘I’ve seen that before!’ And he had, it was the very same that had been searching the ground before they had met up with Furion. Rayman saw up close just how majestic and deadly it was, but it flew away, with such a speed that he didn’t have time to see it properly.

There was much happiness and rejoice between the friends as they reunited. Fianna told them of her journey, ending with how she had shot the monster.

‘I saw that you were in trouble, so I opened my pack, picked out my arrows, and shot him in the eyes. They were like his only weak point. I wonder how he was disfigured.’ Globox snorted. Disfigured was hardly the right word. Fianna continued.

‘I added some roped, hoping that you would understand my plan. So with a touch of magical guidance, and a well aimed shot I managed to get it. The rest you probably all know.’

Flaréoné was more interested in the kobolds.

‘They were above ground you say?’ He asked.

‘Yes,’

‘And there were a lot of them?’

‘Yes,’

‘Hmm...Very suspicious. They rarely come out in ones, never mind packs! Very interesting…’ and so he delved into his own thoughts.

‘We might as well rest here for the night.’ Rayman said.

And so they did, with Furio taking first watch and Furion taking second. They would not risk being caught unawares again.

-_~*~_-

It was the next night, and things seemed to be going fine. The day had gone fine, and according to Flaréoné they had made a lot of progress. They set up camp happily, and the blazing fire that Flaréoné had conjured flickered in the moonlight.

Rayman had an uncomfortable feeling again, and he could not sleep. Fianna was on watch, and she was tending to her bowstrings.

Rayman walked up to her and sat down next to her. Neither of them said anything for a while.

‘Can’t sleep?’ Fianna asked.

‘No,’ Rayman replied. ‘I can’t shake off the feeling that something is going to happen.’

‘Yeah me too…’ Fianna sighed. ‘I don’t think I could go to sleep if I tried.’

‘I could help you keep watch…’ Rayman suggested. Fianna smiled.

‘If you like.’

And they kept watch for a while. But nothing could prepare them for what happened next.

An ear-piercing yell erupted from the trees. A small ball flew out of the trees and attempted to smack into Rayman’s face.

Rayman dodged it, but it turned in mid-air, and smacked him full-force in his stomach. He went crashing backwards, his eyes watering, and landed with a heavy thud on the ground.

8_* *_8

Flaréoné woke to the sound of the thud, and realised what was happening. Fianna was standing ext to Rayman, protecting him from the balls that kept flying at the two. But the balls were not giving up, attacking Rayman more then Fianna.

Rayman was already unconscious, and his already battered body was being continuously subdued to the attack. Fianna was slicing at the monsters, but their bodies seemed to be made out of hard rock.

Flaréoné instantly realised what the balls were, and rushed to Fianna’s aid. Fianna’s aid was slashing right and left. He was a few paces away when something terrible happened.

One of the balls attacked her from above, and ill fate had it that one attacked her from behind too. Even worse was that a third had distracted her by emitting a high pitched screech.

This screech had both its upside and a downside for the attackers. The downside was that all the other companions were awakened. However the upside greatly outweighed the bad points.

Fianna, believing that it was another form of attack, had raised her sword to block the attack, but shock was evident on her eyes when both other balls collided with her.

She slumped onto Rayman’s body, and the other balls continued their attacks.

Flaréoné realised that he had stopped running. He raced forward again, but he wasn’t quick enough to outrun Ly.

She leapt forward, am extremely powerful powerball fuelled by her rage and fear.

She had already feared to lose the life of her best friend, and now somebody who was quickly becoming a fast friend was also in danger. She couldn’t bear to lose them.

She sent her first powerball into the pack of balls. They were tightly clasped together, a huge ball made out of balls, and when the powerball clashed into them, the ball burst, sending the rock creatures flying.

She sent out another powerball, and another and another, until the attackers drew back and formed another plan of attack. This gave enough time for the others to reach them

They tried to calm Ly down, but her anger was greater now than ever, she sped at them, charging a powerball as she went, but she never let it go.

A small creature fell out of the branches above her. It landed on its neck, and she began to try and shake him off – momentarily distracted.

The army of balls flew at her again, flying into her with as much speed as they could muster. But she didn’t feel the attacks; the rage seemed to be protecting her.

She sent attack after attack at them, but they didn’t stop coming.

They smothered her, blocking her from view of her friends. A small shriek was heard - cut short. The balls withdrew, and they saw the body of Ly.

It had bruises and dents all over it – as though the bones had broken – but there was a knife in her neck. She wasn’t moving.

The balls seemed to have grown sudden heads and hands. They pawed at the ground. There were short blades in their hands, not unlike the one in Ly’s neck.

They charged again, but this time they were faced by a much greater challenge…

Fuelled by the desperation and despair that had filled them on seeing Ly’s body, they had prepared their best attacks.

A heavy black cloud flew out of Globox’s hands, flying low across the grass.

Flaréoné swept his hand in a wide arc, from one side to the other, and where the hand went, an arc of flame formed, and rather than fading, it strengthened by the minute.

Furio and Furion both charged up a powerball each – as powerful as they could get it – and then they joined both balls to make an even more powerful ball.

The attacks all started at the same time.

Flaréoné let off his now very powerful arc, and at the same the powerball was also let loose.

Globox’s attack was the deadliest however, and as the cloud gained speed, it reached the crouching figures just slightly before the other attacks, and as soon as it got there it began to drop bolts of electricity, attacking individual creatures with super speed.

The arc reached the first creatures and it blew up into a million smaller fireballs, battering the creatures. But they seemed to be immune to his magics, and they stood on defiantly.

As the powerball reached them, they scattered like ants scurrying this way and that. The majority of them managed to avoid the ball, though many slower ones were caught, and lay sizzling on the ground.

Now the thundercloud was growing by the moment, and it was chasing the creatures.

Either unaware, or uncaring of their losses, the creatures turned back to face the companions.

Globox’s lips were pursed, his eyes closed in concentration, his hands quivering with the power that he was controlling. Flaréoné and the brothers had realised that his attack was the most efficient, and they had formed a small circle around him, the brothers with swords in their hands, whilst Flaréoné's hands seemed to be melting.

He was turning into his most powerful form. He was doing so slowly, hoping that he wouldn’t have to do it, but if he did he would.

The creatures leapt at full speed, hopping forwards, dodging even the bolts of lightning.

The glints of their many swords were visible as they charged forward in a last attack to kill their enemies.

But a sudden mist was swept upon them, and fear clutched their hearts and the soft moist covered them.

This was also directed by Globox who seemed to be gaining power rather then losing it, controlling two powers at once.

Flaréoné realised a better way in which he could protect Globox was to lend him some magical energy, but Globox refused it; a small shake of his head and a slight smile on his lips.

He knew where his power was coming from and Flaréoné didn’t need to help him. Globox had enough power at his disposal anyway.

The lightning bolts flashed again, but they didn’t break the mist. The lightning didn’t stop – in fact they grew more and more powerful.

The lightning stopped abruptly. The cloud dispersed into t thin mist, and then was blown away by a gentle breeze. The mist lingered for a small while longer, but then it too disappeared.

There was not one creature left alive; all electrocuted, burned or smothered by the mist.

Flaréoné immediately ran to Ly, and checked her for any vital signs. He withdrew slowly, and bowed his head.

Ly was dead.

[Inaam]

Goodbye, Friend


The night was silent, though bright, the moon was shining in its full with the stars around it shining bright. No night time noises were sounded. The trees, reflecting the moon’s light, seemed silver in the dark, like

Flaréoné stood next to Ly, motionless, yet looking down onto her body. Although no emotion crossed his face, many things went on behind his eyes.

He hadn’t even known Ly for very long, but here she was, lying in the ground in front of him, dead, and he felt remorse, sorry that she had died; he felt anger, anger at those who had killed her; he felt sadness, though this emotion was his custom and he was used to it.

Globox stood next to him. No tears fell down his face, but emotions played clearly across his face. No anger showed, though he felt a huge surge of sadness. He had known Ly more or less all his life.

But although a large portion of his sadness was directly because of Ly’s death the rest was devoted to Rayman. Rayman had been closer to Ly then any other person that Globox knew. Ho wondered how Rayman would take it.

But although his brain registered that Ly had died, and thoughts played across his mind, he still could not believe that she was dead. It had always been Rayman who had defeated the bad guys, but whilst Rayman was away it was usually Ly who comforted them and assured them that Rayman would pull through. And now she was gone.

Suddenly he felt an emotion that he had not felt in his memory, in fact one that he had probably never felt at all before this. It took him a second to realise that he hated those creatures that had killed Ly.

Now tears fell down his face as he remembered all those times that Ly had been there for him, all those times where she had raised their moral, and the times she could make even the worst of things into fun, even the great war against the pirates she had invented the walk of life, and the times where she had helped him look after his children.

His thoughts turned to his children, and he realised that they would not understand why Ly would not be able to come back, and even worse, those old enough to understand that Ly was dead…they called her auntie…Auntie Ly. What would he tell them?

He looked at his own hands. He realised that he had welded great power, and suddenly he felt light-headed, for he had always thought that he had no powers, other then the rain dance, which served for no more purpose then to provide water. He had always thought of himself as useless in battle, which was why he was exceedingly happy at having been able to help Rayman against André.

Furio and Furion lay on the floor next to Ly, making futile attempts to revive Ly, but they knew secretly in their hearts and minds that no magic could give the dead life. They conversed silently through their minds, but although they both sought to give the other comfort, they couldn’t shake the feeling of losing a friend.

Their were draining their powers using their most powerful spells, so although no life was returned to Ly, her skin was still a healthy colour, and her body would not decompose for a long time. The cuts that had been the result of the knives had vanished, leaving her skin smooth and clean.

This was the scene that Fianna saw as she awoke out of her unconscious state. She realised that she was on top of Rayman, and embarrassed, she got up quickly, and realised that she was aching all over.

Her memory returned to her, and she picked up her sword from where it had fallen on the floor, placing back into its bag. The others were standing with their backs to her; she limped toward them, wondering why they were not even looking at her. And where was Ly?

She was about to say something when she saw Ly’s body. Her eyes widened, and she gasped slightly. Was she…was Ly…dead? She turned to Globox.

‘Is…is she…’ she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. That would make it real. She knelt by Ly’s body, and held her hand tight, feeling for a pulse. There was none. Tears fell down Fianna’s cheeks as her thoughts were confirmed. Ly was dead...

She clenched her teeth, but the tears would not stop flowing, she let out a deep shuddering breath. Her eyes cried with sadness, but they burned with anger.

Ly, the only friend she had had for a long time; the closest Fianna had come to having her sister back, her family back…gone…like her family, her mother, her sister… and in her heart she knew that it was the same person who had ordered Ly to be that had ordered the deaths of everything she ever loved.

Ly and her sister had even looked alike, and Fianna could not shake the memory of watching her sister die; the old sorrow that she had long since buried deep in her heart was opened again, and along with it burned the new rage at the person who had killed her family and friends.

She heard a rustle among the leaves, a shuffling sound. She turned to see Rayman coming toward them, on foot lagging behind. His blue eyes were alert, but filled with pain. His foot was obviously causing him pain.

He had still not seen Ly’s dead body. She watched as Rayman’s eyes saw Ly’s body, she watched as his eyes widened in shock, horror, pain, sorrow...many emotions running across his face. He rubbed his eyes gently, willing the image to go away, but it was no illusion.

He opened his mouth but no sound came out. He tried again.

‘L…Ly?’ the name came out a mere whisper. As he spoke her name, tears fell from his eyes, slowly at first, but then quickening; trailing down his cheeks and dropping to the ground. He made no move to wipe them. His blue eyes were blurred by the passage of water.

He looked like a child, unable to believe that she was dead. She had been more of a friend to him. She had been a sister. She had been his sister and play-mate ever since he had been a small child. He had known her all his remembered life, the first person in his memory who had ever been kind to him, the first person who had ever been his friend…

Fianna tried to speak, to comfort him, but no words came out. Her own sight became blurred as more tears came from her eyes.

Rayman limped forward toward Ly, wiping his tears from his eyes. With his wet hand, he lifted Ly’s hand. It was still warm. Clutching it to his chest he let his tears flow free.

Fianna clenched her fists. The sorrow inside her was subsiding as more and more anger built up inside her, a rage that she had to concentrate to fight down. The same person who had killed Ly; who had ordered the deaths of her family, who had made Fianna’s life a living hell for all those years…

It seemed that whoever it was, was steadily taking away everything she had ever cared for. In the short time that they had known each other, Ly had been like a sister to her. They had formed a bond almost instantly finding it easy to talk…just like sisters. She even looked a lot like her; the resemblance was just as striking in death as in life.

Fianna remembered watching her sister being killed, and weeping over her dead body as those who had killed her went away; she remembered burying her family…she tried to block out those memories but they would not leave her: her elder sister, her mother…her whole family torn away from her. It shouldn’t have happened to someone so young; someone of her age shouldn’t have had to bury her own mother and father.


Whoever had killed them would pay. And Fianna would have her vengeance.

-_~*~_-


Rayman felt an empty hole inside him; a huge gaping pit of despair which Ly had previously filled up. As he looked at Ly’s dead body he realised that there was movement about him. It was still night…or was it? How long had Rayman been standing here, looking at Ly’s body and thinking…

Actually no more then half an hour had passed since Rayman had awoken, but to him it could have been a year. As he turned he wiped the drying tears from his face, and realised that they were getting ready to bury Ly.

They all stood back as Globox wiggled the fingers on his right hand. Evidently, something had happened to him, for he did not need to dance to cause rain-fall now; instead he needed only waggle his fingers.

And indeed a small storm cloud opened up out of nowhere in front of him and started spurting rain. From the ground a small chute appeared, growing into a small tree, but gaining no blossom.

Instead twigs grew toward the floor in a peculiar shape.

Spades.

Rayman understood what was to be done, and he stood by and let Globox, Fianna, and Flaréoné start to dig a small hole in the ground. He grabbed a spade himself and helped them. He tried a smile but it came out feeble and fake.

Before long a small hole had been constructed in the ground, enough for Ly’s body to rest in. Rayman swept away the perspiration from his face, and the tears that had newly fallen from his eyes and mingled there.

He turned to Ly’s body with a sad, defeated look in his eyes, and lifting her slowly placed her gently into the hole. He began to shovel the earth onto her body. Fianna Flaréoné understood that he had to do so on his own and indicated to Globox to leave him be.

As Rayman saw the earth cover Ly’s face, he realised that this would be the last time he would see Ly’s face. Sadness etched itself deeper into his soul, and as he turned he felt that he had left a part of himself with Ly in the grave.

-_~*~_-

‘He survived.’

‘Who?’

‘Rayman, who else?’

‘So?’

‘Is he not our enemy?’

‘He is indeed our enemy,’

‘S--’

‘But not our only enemy…’

‘What do you mean?’

‘He is not my major concern…’

‘What do you mean…?’

‘I mean exactly what I say. He doesn’t worry me. No, there is another I fear’

‘What…? Who do you mean?’

‘There is currently no need for you to know. I’ll tell you when the time is right.’

‘Yes master…’

-_~*~_-

The clearing was bathed in a bright light. The large tree-leaves were green, with a small tint of yellow that was a reflection of the light. Though it was bright in the clearing, it was still night.

And though Flaréoné was on watch, he was not looking out for any enemies.

He was sitting not far from Rayman, and he looked as though he was waiting for something.

A bird was flying around the clearing. There were many peculiarities about this bird. It flew effortlessly, floating around the clearing. Its eyes were a dark black, with yellow where the whites should be. Its head was orange, as was most of the rest of its body. It had a bright orange, red, and yellow glow about it, which became brighter and more yellow as it reached it stomach, then dimmed and turned slowly red again as it reached the tail feathers. The tail feathers were wonderful oranges and yellows; an orange feather between every two yellow feathers.

It also happened to look like it was on fire.

The bird was a phoenix.

Though the phoenix was a creature of fire, it had a free will, and served Flaréoné – the aspect of fire - only because Flaréoné had once saved its life.

Phoenixes did not live in the world Rayman lived in; indeed, they had not been sighted for many a century. The world in which they lived in could only be accessed by a portal-like rift in the worlds. Many of these had been destroyed, but some alive still retained the power to re-open these rifts.

Flaréoné was one of these people.

There was a very powerful connection that existed between the two, Flaréoné and the phoenix, not unlike the one that Furio and Furion had. Flaréoné rarely needed help from the phoenix, and he only called upon it in the direst of needs.

‘It will happen tonight.’ He whispered, and though he said it to himself, the great bird turned abruptly in mid flight, and landed gracefully on Flaréoné’s shoulder. Its shape seemed to adjust so that it could fit comfortably. Phoenix’s had no definite shape, but the most common form they took was of the bird.

‘Yes…tonight. To have the most powerful effect, it must happen on a very powerfully magical night. Tonight…’

He turned his head and gazed at Rayman where he had slept. There was still a sad look on his face, but his brow was furrowed, and perspiration shone on his face.

He had wanted to keep the watch, but Flaréoné had not let him. Rayman needed rest; physically, mentally and emotionally. He might as well have that rest whilst he could.

It was a magical night. Flaréoné could feel the magic pulsing in the air around him; he could almost breathe it in.

‘The time has come…’ he spoke to himself. He looked troubled. He had wanted to do this for a long time, yet at the same time he was dreading doing so. Then his face straightened and he stood up.

He stood quite still, as though he had been frozen. It was a small while before anything actually happened. His body seemed to start to flicker in the phoenix’s firelight. The flickering became stronger, until it became evident that it was fire.

The fire grew, but never left his body, and didn’t even seem to touch the earth beneath him. And still it grew.

It grew until his whole body was on fire. But then the flames began to grow stronger, and before long, Flaréoné’s body was completely covered in flame.

A cocoon of fire.

The phoenix continued its patrol, but flying slower. It gazed silently in the trees, keeping an eye out for any creature that might be out there.

The stars went out. Clouds came and covered the moon. The only light now was from the phoenix’s body. The clouds began to darken; dawn was close before Flaréoné began finally to emerge from his cocoon.

The flames didn’t die down completely; instead they became near invisible and tight to Flaréoné’s skin.

But the body that exited the cocoon was not the one that entered it. Flaréoné had changed.

His white skin had darkened slightly, but no the bronze of tan, but rather it was a natural light brown. His blonde hair looked fairer, waving though there was no wind, and in themselves looked like strands of fire. His tunic had disappeared, and he was bare-chested, with yellow-orange trousers covering his legs, with a black belt around his waist. His arms were muscles, and his chest broad. His features had also become clearer, and sharper, making him look more handsome. His face said that he was a young man, no older then thirty winters, but his eyes told a different story. They were the eyes of a person who had lived many a year and had lived to find the wisdom that came with age. His eyes though, his eyes where what made him stand out. They were yellow, in such a way that it seemed as though his pupil was actually split into two parts, narrowly connected.

He turned his eyes to Rayman. His face was no longer furrowed, but his face was still wet with sweat.

‘Now it’s your turn…’

-_~*~_-

Rayman stood at the edge of a cliff. He knew instantly that this was a dream. He looked down cautiously and saw the sheer drop; higher then Rayman would have believed possible.

He turned around and nearly jumped off the cliff by accident. There was somebody behind him, somebody who he didn’t recognise but felt that he should. He was immediately caught by his golden eyes.

He took an involuntary step backwards, and fell off the cliff.

He shut his eyes tight. I’ll wake up before I reach the bottom. But as in every dream, he still felt fear of reaching the bottom. A sudden heat was on his back. Have I landed? He opened his eyes carefully and saw that he was…rising.

He turned in mid-air; a curious feeling, and saw that there was what looked like yellow wisps of wind below him. Then he realised that it was fire, heating the air underneath him to make it rise, carrying Rayman.

He jumped off at the cliff. The golden-eyed person spoke.

‘Rayman. Welcome. I am Flaréoné. When you wake up I will look like this. Do not be alarmed, this is my normal form.’

Rayman nodded. He didn’t feel like talking. Wake up had reminded him of the world outside the dream…He shook himself mentally, and spoke aloud.

‘How are you in my dream?’

‘It is not a true dream. More of a vision, except you are living in it, and it will not happen in the future. It is happening in your mind. I’m sorry for invading your space, but there was no other way.’

‘No other way for what?’ Rayman asked. Flaréoné turned his back to Rayman before he answered.

‘Remember the powers I gave you earlier this day? I told you that I had given you the powers. They are there inside you waiting to be unleashed.’

He turned suddenly and there was a fireball in his hand. Before Rayman could react, Flaréoné threw the ball at him.

‘Ever heard the saying fight fire with fire? Good. You’re doing it already.’ A skin-tight flame had appeared around Rayman, like the one that Flaréoné had emerged from the cocoon in. the fireball seemed to just dissolve in its wake. ‘Yes…good. But if I used a more powerful attack – or if I even charged up that fireball just a little more, your shield would have shattered. You have to work on it.’ He turned his back once more and began to walk. ‘Follow me.’

Rayman realised that on the cliff he stood on was a hill. He was standing on the lower part at the drop. Flaréoné climbed the hill. He stopped at the top and waited for Rayman to catch up.

‘Behold!’ Flaréoné said. ‘The palace of fire,’

It was indeed a palace of fire. The walls were flames that burned for all eternity, tall and Imposing. Different shades of the flame showed the windows and doors. Flaréoné stopped at the door.

‘Step through the flames. They will not harm you unless they are commanded to.’ He spoke as though the flames had lives, that they were real living things. Flaréoné stepped through the door. Rayman followed. He felt a curious tingling on his back, and then he was through.

From the inside the walls were wooden, tall, mahogany, carvings decorated the walls. The doors behind them stood at twice his height, tall oak doors with heavy metal handles.

‘You told me that you gave me fire powers. Seeing as you’re the aspect of fire, that should make sense, but how do I…unlock them? How do I cast the fireball?’

‘I’ll teach you some of the most basic attacks and forms of defence. The rest will be much more powerful if you work it out yourself.’

‘First – as you say – the fireball.’ He thought for a second. ‘You know how to make a powerball. Well to create a fireball is like creating a powerball, but instead of doing that, picture it on fire, like a fireball. Try it.’

Rayman tried it. The first time he did it, a powerball was created instead. He tried again, and managed to do it correctly.

‘Ok, I know that, what else?’

‘You know it. Now make it powerful. Break my shield.’

A glow surrounded Flaréoné; a smooth yellow shield that protected him from the fireballs that Rayman created.

Rayman created many fireballs, but none of them broke the shield.

‘You power up your powerballs. Try the same with your fireballs.’

Rayman obliged, and the fireball grew in his hand, the heat growing, the fires flickering more dangerously. Rayman let it loose. It landed on Flaréoné’s chest part of the shield. The whole thing turned red, but the fireball disappeared and the shield went back to the normal yellow.

‘Much better, but not quite there,’

Rayman nodded and tried again. He held it as long as he could; the fireball grew larger then the powerballs were at max power, but it did stop growing eventually. Licks of flame flew out, disappearing into the air; the fire danced chaotically, and Rayman launched it. His hand was pushed backward slightly from the power of the fireball, and the fireball missed and landed on the wall. It went right through.

‘Much better. If that got me, the shield would have broken. Concentrate on your hand, make sure it doesn’t move, and soon it will be as easy as your powerballs.’

Rayman nodded, and this time he was expecting the rebound, and his hand stayed steady, and it landed again on Flaréoné’s chest. The shield imploded, and the fireball whacked Flaréoné.

‘Good. Now the defence shield that I made. Concentrate hard on fire, enveloping your body.’

Rayman did so, closing his eyes in concentration. His eyes opened in shock as he realised that he was suddenly surrounded in fire. He felt a sudden sense of de ja vu, and the very hall of the palace seemed like the one in which he had almost died defeating Mr Dark.

Flaréoné’s voice came out from beyond the flames. ‘Don’t be afraid! Ask them to protect you.’

Rayman thought this sounded stupid, but he did so. He was about to ask them out aloud to protect him, but then he realised what Flaréoné meant, and concentrated hard on placing them around him body. They moved at his will, and went around his body. He told them not to harm him and they instead protected him,

But they were not smooth like Flaréoné’s and they shattered at the first weak ball that Flaréoné sent.

‘How do I make it strong and smooth?’

‘More flames.’

Rayman concentrated again, his brow furrowed, and this time the flames knew what to do and came quicker and protected him straight away. Flaréoné had to make a big ball like Rayman’s to break it.

‘Good enough. There’s another shield, much easier, and much more efficient. Especially against fire.’

‘Tell me.’

‘Ok. Look into your mind. The knowledge of everything that I gave you is locked in your brain. You need to find it, and unlock it. Gharsgash.’

The last word triggered something in Rayman’s mind, and he knew what he had to do. A special type of fire was needed, and only one flame large enough to cover his body. He even knew how to make it, and what it did.

‘How did you do that?’

‘When I gave you the power, I gave you the knowledge to use it. I also made sure that if I spoke a certain word, a certain piece of information would be unlocked. It worked. Try it.’

Rayman concentrated on the certain fire. A huge flame appeared in front of him, a dark orange one, and it immediately covered Rayman’s skin, very close fitting. Flaréoné powered up a fireball and shot it at the shield. The shield went a bright red, but then it went orange again, except a little more intense, and a little more powerful. It had absorbed the fire, strengthening the shield at the same time.

‘Good! That was excellent! Now we have a short dual; practice what you’ve learned.’

Rayman started off trying to make the first shield, but as he was trying to get the flames under control, Flaréoné let off a small fireball and Rayman was forced to dodge out of the way. The flames stood standing, and quite by accident, Rayman learned how to move them around, not unlike the ones Mr. Dark had used on him.

Rayman remembered that Mr. Dark had been able to summon them just by looking at a spot in the ground. Rayman concentrated on a piece of the floor and made a flame come up out of there.

Suddenly a fire appeared in front of Rayman. It was not hot at all, in fact it was pleasantly warm, but it gave off a thick black smoke. Rayman tried to imitate it, but only a small amount of smoke came out, and the fire was small. Rayman remembered how to make it, and promised himself that he would learn how to do it properly. It would be a good help.

Though the smoke obscured his vision, it also prevented Flaréoné seeing what he was doing. He made a few more fires, then, making them follow him, he leapt out of the smoke, surprising Flaréoné and throwing fireball after fireball at him.

H threw a fist, and absentmindedly, he made it into a fire-fist, his normal fist with fire speeding it up, and also increasing the impact damage. It sped straight through Flaréoné’s shield, and sent him flying into the wall. Shocked, he stayed lying where he was against the wall. He didn’t know that Rayman would be able to do that.

Rayman sent his flames to surround Flaréoné, and then asked him if he surrendered.

‘I surrender. Congratulations.’

Rayman smiled, and helped him up.

‘We’d better be getting back…’ Flaréoné said.

Rayman nodded. His despair returned. He had tried to forget that Ly was dead, but he couldn’t. He nodded again, and pushed the door open. As he exited it, he woke up. He saw Flaréoné’s new form in the centre of the clearing.

With a phoenix on his soldier.

Rayman walked over to it. Its beautiful…he thought. He reached out a tentative hand, and touched its warm wings. It swung its head over to him, and its eyes seemed to smile.

‘He likes you.’ Smiled Flaréoné. Rayman smiled back.

Fianna woke from where she had slept. She walked warily to Flaréoné, and looked at the phoenix.

‘Hello Flaréoné. I see that you’ve reverted to your original form. Good, maybe we could fend off the attacks better.’

‘How did you know?’ asked Flaréoné, startled.

‘I can read minds. Well sort of anyway; I can only know what you want me to now. You wanted tot ell us that you would revert to your normal form, but you couldn’t. I knew like that. I could do it since I was a small child. Sometimes its really easy, but most of the time I have to concentrate to do it. She reached out a confident hand, and stroked the bird absently.’

Globox woke up then.

‘Hello.’ He said, in a dull tone. He looked at Flaréoné. ‘Who are you?’

‘Its Flaréoné, Globox,’ Fianna and Rayman said at the same time.

‘Oh…how come you look so different?’

‘I changed my looks.’ He said smiling slightly.

‘Oh…ok,’ Globox looked slightly confused. ‘That’s a nice bird.’ He said, trying to make conversation, but he didn’t really feel like talking, and neither did anyone else.

It was still dark. Rayman looked up and realised that it was day, but heavy clouds had appeared, threatening rain, and blotting out the sun.

‘We really should get going,’ he said, pointedly looking at the sky. Flaréoné looked up and nodded.

‘This way.’ He said, leading the way away from the clearing. As Rayman stepped out into the trees, he took one last private, mournful look at the clearing.

The clearing where Ly had died…the clearing where Ly was buried.

He looked away with a sad look on his face again. He walked on again, following behind Flaréoné.

-_~*~_-

Traid was worried. He felt that something was going to happen, but he didn’t know what, he had an apprehensive feeling. He had learned to trust his feelings.

People had begun to disappear around the valley of the freelings – newly dubbed the free valley – and he was beginning to think that it was too much of a coincidence.

He thought at first that people where getting lost in the strange forests, but then a small child had been reported missing from his home at night, a young man going for some water and not coming back…

He sincerely hoped that there were no people, no slave-drivers, waiting around for revenge. Or worse.

He could easily hold his own in a fight, being a very powerful shaman, and also having been a hunter and warrior for a short time. He knew that there were many experienced fighters amongst the freelings, and many that had potential to become good fighters. He knew that the freelings wouldn’t have too much trouble taking care of a gang of slave-drivers, but even so, he had never liked fighting, and always preferred any other way.

Or maybe he was just over-reacting to a small matter. He sighed, trying to decide what to do. The valley was a new settlement, not quite a community yet; though some groups of people knew each other from before being slaves, or met new people whilst they were slaves.

He decided that it would be safest to send off a small search party to try and find the missing people, but he would make sure that they were decent fighters before they went. Better safe then sorry.

He called for some fighters that he knew. Three Muddies came soon enough, all three of them stout and good fighters. One of them was a good magic-caster too. He called some fighting Teensies, four in all, stout spears in their hands. He also sent an element that he created with his own magic. He needed to stay here, but he could also see and speak via the element.

He sent off the small group with simple instructions. ‘Find the missing people, and report back when you find them. Any person there not meant to be there was to be captured – not harmed in any way unless they attacked first. Capture them if you can, but defend yourself if necessary.’

The group nodded and trouped out of the valley.

[Inaam]

The Forest
--

It was cold. The clouds that Rayman had seen earlier were threatening to rain. The sky was dark, but Flaréoné’s body seemed to glow and light the way for Rayman and the others to follow him closely.

The trees were much closer together now, closing them in, but they seemed to part to give way for Flaréoné. Flaréoné walked on undaunted, leading the way through the forest.

It was evidently a lot larger then Rayman had originally thought. They had walked for a long time now. But he hadn’t realised. He just moved his feet, following the feet of Fianna who was just in front of him.

His thoughts where elsewhere: in the clearing, remembering how peaceful Ly’s face had looked; at home, what would he say to Betilla? His thoughts followed these endless trains of thoughts, and he didn’t realise that it was getting dark. It wasn’t night yet, but the clouds where darkening steadily.

He fought back the tears that threatened to envelope his eyes.

It was very quite. Nobody was talking.

Behind the clouds, the sun had set. The moon shone overhead, but its light was obscured by the clouds. The only light now was the unnatural glow of Flaréoné’s body.

Globox stared at Flaréoné in front of him. Flaréoné seemed to know where he was going. Globox was assured by this thought. Flaréoné would save them. Flaréoné was strong…

Furio and Furion conversed fiercely and silently. Their usefulness as guides has ended, and they were now in unknown territory. They made sure they could remember the areas they were going trough and paths they were following. They intended to maybe come this way again.

But what will we do after? Asked Furio.

We could join the Freelings. After all, they are the ex-slaves as we are. And Fianna is their leader.

Fianna herself was walking behind them. Her anger had not subsided, and neither had her sadness, but neither of those emotions were showing, and in fact, she had stored them away somewhere deep in her heart.

Instead she was alert, making sure that she kept an eye out for anything out there, and her ears open for any sound and her nose for any smell. She had taken her sword out of the bag which she still carried on her back, and she had tied it along with its scabbard onto her ‘waist’. Her right hand lay on it, and its comforting solidness was enough to calm her for the while.

She thought about the blade; how she had received it in a solemn ceremony from her sister after years of practise with a stick. She had been very proud that day. She had yet to name her sword but no name appealed to her. She knew that the day would come soon when her sword would be given a name.

She drew it and gazed at its solid perfection. She did not know how her sister could have gotten it unless she had made it herself. And indeed; whoever had made it had placed strong magic in it, and her sister had been an excellent and strong mage. She had even taught Fianna a little before…

She gazed at her sword, taking in the smooth metal, the sharp edges and the sharp point. The handle was made of a substance very like wood, but easier to hold, and with a much firmer grip, small stones of shining red, green, blue and many more besides were planted deep in the handle, and though the handle was solidly opaque, she could see where they were.

But the most interesting thing lay on its blade: runes, three on each side. She didn’t know what they meant, but she liked to believe that they contained very powerful magic. She wondered what they meant, and what they stood for.

She sheathed her sword, and continued walking. Rayman stood behind her; paying no attention to anything that was going on around him.

Pull yourself together! He thought to himself. Ly’s gone. It’s your duty to make sure that no one else dies too. He cupped his hands in his face, realising that it was still wet. He wiped the tears from his face, and breathed out slowly. He cut off his sorrow, burying it deep within himself, and trying not to venture close to the place where he had put it.

He replaced the empty place with memories of Ly, of them playing together as children, all the happy times.

He tried a smile, but it came out feeble and weak, and obviously fake.

He sighed, and continued walking. He felt he had to do something or say something to raise everyone’s hopes, but he could think of nothing to say, and nothing that he could to that would make them smile.

Time will heal all pains.

A voice sounded in his head. He didn’t know where that voice had come from, but it had sounded oddly familiar. And yet he agreed with the voice, time would heal pain. But even though he knew it to be true he couldn’t help but wonder whether it was true.

Only time would tell.

-_~*~_-

‘Always the hero, eh Rayman?’ Ly grinned mischievously. Rayman blushed, but he knew that it was true. Globox’s kids had gone on an ‘expedition’ and gotten lost. Globox was really worried, but Ly had organised a search party.

‘They’re blue, look like frogs and about this tall.’ She said her hand not far from the floor. Everyone groaned.

‘We know Ly.’ Murfy had said. Ly ignored him.

It was Rayman who found them, not far from their house, and returned them to Globox.

‘Yeah well, it wasn’t too hard, all I had to do was follow the screams and sounds of fighting.’ Rayman grinned. Ly grinned back.

‘C’mon. Lets go eat.’ Uglette had made a feast in Rayman’s honour to ‘thank him for bringing the children back…again.’

They walked together to the middle of the village in which they lived and saw a huge table absolutely cram packed with food. Globox was eying the dishes longingly, but didn’t touch. When the kids saw Rayman they all started cheering.

One of Globox’s kids shyly walked up to him and looked at him.

‘Thank youw unker Wayman!’ She said in shy tones. Then she ran back to all her brothers and sisters. Rayman smiled.

‘You’re welcome,’ he said under his breath. He looked on at all the people amassed there. All happy; smiling. He was smiling too. Happy times…

-_~*~_-

Rayman shook himself out of his stupor. Rather then cheering him up, the memory of all those happy faces had made him, if anything, feel worse then before. And seeing Ly’s face…alive…

He shook himself inwardly.

Its not going to help...its not going to bring her back…said that voice, so unlike his own inside him. He tried to fight against it, but he found that he did not have the strength or the will to do so.

Instead he just sighed again and kept on walking. The forest sounds rang so clearly in his mind, the whisper of the wind, the slight creaking of the trees, and the cracking as the twigs crushed underfoot.

He nearly jumped when Flaréoné’s voice sounded out in front of him.

‘Almost there.’ Rayman looked up and saw Fianna and Globox against the illuminated Flaréoné. He had forgotten that h was still on a quest, he had forgotten that he really was a hero.

Why don’t I let the world take care of itself? He thought to himself. But something welled up inside him, and he knew that he couldn’t accept a normal life. He loved being a hero; he loved seeing the happy faces…

But there wouldn’t be any happy faces now would there? They’d all be sad that Ly was dead. Rayman closed his eyes, and tried to shut out the emotions that were welling up inside him.

He turned his thoughts to the faceless person who had ordered the attack…the person who was responsible for Ly’s death.

And he longed for revenge. He took deep steadying breaths and clenched his fists. He longed for that moment of battle, where it would be just Rayman…and the enemy… he longed for the chance to drive his fist into the person’s face, to attack him.

He would use his new powers to, burn the person, torture him until he begged for death…and then grant that wish.

Rayman shook himself. Don’t think thoughts like that! Your job is to protect the world.

Beneath all the anger and sadness, Rayman was shocked that he could think those thoughts. He was a hero, he wasn’t supposed to kill, he was supposed to help and save those that needed him.

He was suddenly aware of a new noise. It had come in gradually and Rayman couldn’t remember when it had started. This bothered him. He looked carefully around so that he was looking around but it wasn’t obvious that he was doing so.

It was only a squirrel.

Rayman shook himself inwardly again. You’re getting jumpy just leave it, Said one voice. But what if it was someone who was going to attack? Better safe then sorry… his mind turned again to Ly. I don’t want that to happen again…

Rayman’s brow creased, and he tried to keep the coming tears back.

-_~*~_-

They had walked on through the night without even realising it. The sun was still not up, but the blackness of the night was slowly edging away to a dull greyness.

The night seemed to have lasted a lifetime. They were now moving uphill, and the trees seemed to be lessening. Suddenly Flaréoné stopped, and Globox who hadn’t been paying attention bumped into him.

Rayman kept on walking toward Flaréoné. He realised that they were standing on what looked like a small cliff, with a path leading down to the right. He looked down and realised that he was looking at the glory glades.

A small gasp of amazement passed his lips as he saw the glade in all its glory. It was a lush green, full of grass and bushes and strange plants, the sun coming over the horizon illuminating everything with an unnatural golden light; a beautiful scene.

But looking closer he saw that the grass was turning slowly to yellow, and the bushes looked dead and withered. He could tell by the look of surprise on Flaréoné’s face that this wasn’t what it was supposed to look like.

‘There’s something wrong…’

[Inaam]

The Glades

--



-_~*~_-

The company followed Flaréoné down the hill they were on. There was a small path to the left. Flaréoné followed it down. The sky was white turning steadily to grey, heavy with rain, but none fell.

The Glade looked much worse down here. The grass that had looked merely parched from higher above looked positively starved, even burned, and here and there, there were parts of uprooted earth and the grass was trodden on underfoot. It was also overgrown, and so weak and unfed that it couldn’t hold its own weight, nor that of the steady wind that was blowing around the glade.

Rayman realised that the Glade was bigger then it had looked from above; there were trees like a wall which prevented the rest of the glade being viewed. The trees were also withered, the trunks were burned and black, leaves that were neither green nor yellow giving them a sickly colour. Many of them were dead, but they seemed stuck, none blew in the wind.

The silence was complete; there were no birds twittering, no trees rustling. Their own breath seemed to make too much noise. Even the wind seemed to make little noise, even though it was howling forcefully. Every step they took seemed to echo a million times in the glades. All their senses were alert.

There was a small gap in the trees, coated with golden leaves. Rayman stepped cautiously toward it. There was a small sign next to the entry, once possibly a magnificent sign displaying the entry to the Glades. Now however, it was lopsided and broken. One of its supports had broken down completely and the rest were close to doing so. The wood that it was made of was very brittle. A small hanging piece fell off in the wind, and flew half-heartedly toward them, landing near their feet.

On the sign what had once said The Glory Glades now had graffiti all over it. The ‘L’ had been crossed out if bright red ink which looked awfully like blood. It now read The Gory Glades.

‘Gory?’ Rayman spoke aloud, cautiously.

‘We’ll stay here.’ Furio and Furion suggested. ‘To make sure that nobody follows you in.’ they stood one on each side of the entry, their swords drawn. They were conversing in thoughts.

The rest walked through the path, the trees either side standing ominously, their dead branches clinging to each other overhead, blocking off all light from the sky above. The wind blew from in front and behind tunnel chilling them to their bones, but no one even noticed, they were too anxious to get to the other side.

The state of the trees became steadily worse, and as they exited the other side, the trees had become black, and crumbling, half-burned and were completely bare. A rotten log looked as though it had been hacked down with a blunt axe, and left were it had fallen, rotting in the mud which was tinged with the green of crushed undergrowth.

‘A sacrilege of life!’ Globox exclaimed angrily.

The ground was becoming wet and even boggy. Their feet fell deep into the mud and became covered in the thick murky substance. Flaréoné seemed unaffected by the mud, but his feet were not entirely visible behind the cloak of flames. He was covered by the flames, only his head and the upper part of his body were truly visible, and even then it was as though covered with a mist or smoke. He seemed to have changed, looking a little taller; a little fainter; only his face was truly visible. Even now his face betrayed no emotion.

But the glade looking like this was affecting him most deeply. He had dwelt there for a long while during the years, and to see the once-familiar surroundings of the glade so horribly blighted were a shock to him. He proceeded quickly toward the centre were the residents of the glade traditionally lived.

But that was where the most horrible shock lay.

In the open Glade among the first of the trees a horrible smell filled the air, drifting toward them in the wind. As they ventured further into the Glade the trees thinned, the suddenly fell away revealing a horrific scene before them.

A huge pit had been dug from the tip of the trees to the other side. The ground in the pit was dead and blighted. It stank of death. A gentle pool of blood and mud had gathered into the middle, and tainted the sides, giving the image of a huge and red basin.

Scattered all over the pit were the residents of the Glades. Blood was everywhere as were body parts. A huge fire was in the middle; started with what seemed like bare bodies. The ashes were still hot and burning. Beside it was a great pile of helms and mail, cloven shields, and broken swords, bows and darts, and other gear of war. Upon a stake in the middle was set a great warrior of the Glade.

Some heads had been cut off and placed horribly into spikes rising from the ground. People lay half-lifted into the air with poles driven through their chests and necks. Some residents of the Glade had tried to fight back but had been skewered on their own swords.

Naked wounds ran bloody and deep, tributaries to the giant stream that led to the pit. Green scars lay along the ground, vines of poison and blood snaked along the ground, curling and twisting, lapping hither and thither.

Flies gathered in clusters around the glades feasting on dead flesh and rotten carcasses. Rats feasted on the dead bodies of the citizens on the glade, growing huge in size, and deviously cunning. They fought amongst each other and killed each other leaving their bodies also dead on the ground. These rats were also long gone, even though only three days had passed.

The bodies were halfway decomposing, and the stench of death lay heavily among the ground. Horribly disfigured faces gaped at them through death, with eyes wide open, mouths half open in an everlasting scream. Blood and fire was everywhere.

Houses and huts that had once stood tall and proud had been burned to the ground, ashes blowing gently back and forth in the wind along with the incinerated remains of the people who had been dwelling in them. The dried woods of the houses had been used in the fuelling of the great central fire, which burned ever bright and blazing, scorched bodies being reduced to ashes and beyond.

Rayman stared in shock at the glade before him. Who could possibly have done this? His eyes were caught at all the warriors, dead. They died protecting their homes, just as he was doing. His breath caught suddenly, and he found that his chest had gone tight.

Globox looked all around it, horrified at the state that the glade was in. He was a great lover of nature. His fists were clenched as he glared at the defaced Glade.

Fianna’s brow was creased, and her hand on her sword. The state of the glade troubled her, to say the least, but she didn’t let that cloud her judgement, and she knew that someone had done this, and also that they may still be there.

Flaréoné walked in shock to the centre of the Glade, where the great warrior had been skewered, and looked at him in shock. He had known him, and remembered him now. His face now began to betray some of the emotion he felt, shock showed on his face primarily, but also a gaping whole of despair with a seed of anger in it.

Suddenly four bright pillars of light erupted from the cloudless sky and struck like lightning into the ground in four corners around Flaréoné. But the lightning did not fade and thunder did not follow. Silently, tendrils grew out of the pillars, and like vines entangled Flaréoné. Even as he struggled the vines seemed to slowly entangle him, and when they finally covered him they turned solid and Flaréoné was encased in a cell.

At that same time a loud cry sounded from the glades and out of the encircling forest hundreds small men with painted faces and bare chests charged blindly toward Rayman and his friends. The wind blowing wildly through their ragged hair, blowing it up to make them seem taller then they really were; small things, wearing chiefly green and blue, with yellow and red marks painted into their faces. Immediately they knew that these were the people who had desecrated the Glade. The each held long spears in their hands with lethally sharp points. Yelling screams and war cries, they charged toward the three who had wondered nearer the middle of the Glade.

Globox immediately tried to do what he had done but a few nights ago. It seemed like such a long time ago. He raised his hands and tried to create the storm he had created then. A cloud came and shot toward the invaders, and for a moment they faltered, but fear overcame him and he fell whimpering to his knees, his hands over his eyes, and trying to hide his considerably large form.

Rayman sent fists half-heartedly at invaders. Even so, they fell over, and some did not rise again. Fianna drew him sword from her scabbard and swung brutally at the figure in front of her, using her momentum to bring her sword down into another. She kicked at one that tried to stab her as she drew her sword up again. But one jumped onto her from behind and bit the back of her head, and as she tried to draw it off, others swarmed her and pummelled her.

Rayman gritted his teeth and fought with renewed vigour. If he was going to fall, he would fall protecting Fianna as she had fallen protecting him that fateful night.

He sent a fireball at the cluster of monsters at Fianna. It exploded on contact and its shock sent the little creatures flying and Fianna herself moved deeper into the dirt. He lifted her out so that she would not suffocate, and sent another fireball at the sea of oncoming monsters. Some fell but more still kept coming.

He sent a Powerball into the face of a creature who was about to leap up at him. He created some dancing flames alike to those that Mr. Dark had used against him, and sent them circling around Fianna. With a grim determination he attacked the monsters who had swarmed up at him.

-_~*~_-

Traid was worried. The troop that he had sent out had not returned though the time in which they were meant to return had long gone. Three days had gone now since he had sent them.

He pondered over where they could possibly be, or what could possibly have happened to them. He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long deep sigh.

He needed to get to the bottom of this mystery. More and more people where disappearing and the residents of the valley were becoming fearful and some words were whispered among them that Traid had some deal with them.

He worried about conflict within the Freelings, and was striving to find any of the captured, or even just a little information. The troop that he had sent three days ago had not been seen since; more and more people were beginning to believe that Traid had something to do with it.

He sighed again and looked around the dwelling he lived in. In the small amount of time the Freelings had been free, they had already made themselves houses and already they were settling down – if it was not for the kidnappings, for that is what they seemed to be, the Freelings would already be a thriving society. It was small enough that everyone knew each other and yet, large enough to be productive. Traid sighed. It was his idea of a perfect society.

There was a knock on the door.

‘Come in.’ Traid said, and they did. Another troop who Traid had called together earlier stood in front of them.

Three of his own kind there were, though their skin was not as leathery as his, nor as creased. They stood still looking at him, with spears held and their sides and awaiting orders. This time they would go armed.

There were also two females, sisters. Suain and Liana. Nobody knew them but themselves, and they had been of the few that were not willing to open. Living in self-imposed seclusion, they had not talked much, although they had come whenever duty had called. Traid was now one of the few people they trusted, if trust it could be called. He trusted them completely, and hoped that they would be able to bring Traid some news.

A chill wind came into the room and chilled them to their bones. The weather was turning steadily worse. Traid created a magical fire in the middle of the room that heated them, but did not burn the wood that the buildings were made out of.

‘You know why you are here I presume.’ Nod ‘It may be dangerous out there.’ He paused. ‘I implore you to be careful. If there is anything hostile out there, try not to face it alone, if at all. If there is something unfriendly out there, you should get back and we will send out an attack force to deal with it. This is not to say that you shouldn’t protect yourself. You are just looking. Try if you can to find some news of our fellow residents. Good luck and Godspeed.’

The troop nodded again, and trooped out of the house. The wind chilled the room again as the door closed. A few loose leaves flew into the house, and lay on the floor. Traid stared at them for a long while, thinking.

-_~*~_-

Rayman sent yet more fists at the relentless army. He was scratched and bruised, but bodies lay all about him, a small barrier to the army that didn’t stop. How long he had been there fighting he did not know.

It seemed to him that his fists were getting weaker, and his flames getting stronger, so he used more and more the powers he was unfamiliar with. The wind blew now slower and stronger, bearing heavy rain. Rayman didn’t know if these magical flames would be affected by water, but he had no desire to risk it.

He charged up a fireball.

A creature jumped up to attack his face, helped somewhat by the wind which pushed him forward. Rayman instinctively punched it in the face with the hand the fireball was in. It caused a weird effect, of a fist, Powerball, and Fireball combined.

Rayman had discovered a new power.

He gritted his teeth and did it again. But this time the Fireball was not completely created when he sent it, but his fists seemed as though they were on fire.

A fiend managed to slip underneath him, stabbing his foot as he went. Blood fell out spilling onto the ground. Rayman faltered for a second. In that one moment he looked all around the Glade.

Flaréoné’s cage had dispersed, but Flaréoné himself laid writing on the floor, his flames weak, his eyes unfocused, his mouth gaping. His face covered in mud. The wind threw dead leaves at him in as if in spite, mocking him in his weakness.

Fianna lay near his feet. She looked merely asleep, but her face was deep in the mud. Rayman lifted her up and turned her to face the sky.

Globox lay on the floor not far from where Fianna had fallen. His hands over his head, but he was no longer trembling, he looked as though he had frozen where he was, if it wasn’t for the pale-blue, almost silver substance dripping down his arm to create a small puddle in the ground. It was blood. A deep gash was in Globox’s head where the watery blood was coming from.

Rayman stared for a second at Globox’s fallen form. To the attackers it looked as though his face contorted. His eyes looked like coals, kindled into a roaring flame, his hands looked as though they were on fire, and his face looked…different. A fire seemed to consume him from the inside.

He ran blindly into the swarm of enemies, fists flailing, anger spilling out onto these creatures. He opened his eyes watching the people fall before him. He yelled, shooting yet more fists at the coming swarm.

Fire erupted out of the ground. Without realising it Rayman had created a huge pillar of flame out of the ground the scorched all those around him. The attackers fled away from it, scrambling over each other to avoid getting burned.

But that path led them to Rayman. He felt himself controlled by anger. He knew, and yet he didn’t care. He didn’t want to protect his friends anymore; he wanted to kill, to vent out his anger and his frustration. At the moment his target was those unfortunate attackers. They tried to flee from his oncoming anger, and the great flame behind them.

But there was nowhere to go.

They were trapped. The foolish creatures decided that Rayman would hurt them less. They charged toward him, only to be met by a huge onslaught of fire and anger. Fire engulfed them from the ground, from behind…from Rayman himself.

The air was black with pungent smoke. Nothing in the Glade was burnable except the creatures, and they met the full fury of the storm.

The sky above let loose its water in an attempt to douse the fires, but Rayman held that to his advantage too.

The warriors attacking him raised their weapons to the sky and yelled out a shriek of laughter. They were saved. And when the first few drops of water fell, they felt invigorated, the water sliding down their bare bodies. Rayman’s grim form stood in front of them, his hair wet, his fists raised, and his face contorted in a scowl of fury.

But the rain changed. Its cool refreshing touch grew warm. Soon it was scalding them! Then the rain turned into fire and now it truly was burning them. The night had fallen, and it was very dark. So dark in fact that they could not see Rayman but for a dark shadow illuminated by the blazing fire-rain.

The little creatures screamed and withered in pain, scalded and burnt by the hot flames. Not one of the attackers had been left alive. Their bodies lay smoking and burning in the ruins of the glade; exactly opposite the fire of the residents.

Rayman stood panting heavily. The anger pulsing through his veins died down, and he looked in horror at what was before him.

I did that… He thought. I…killed…them… his fists fell down to his side, still clutched tightly into fists. He stared at the attackers before him. He turned around and vomited heavily onto the ground. Sweat poured off his large nose. He ran to where Fianna was and tried to wake her, but she was heavily asleep. Globox, too, he couldn’t wake.

He ran then toward Flaréoné. His eyes were wide; his flames very weak. He looked almost dead. Rayman made him sit. His eyes were unfocused, and his mouth gaping open. He looked slightly insane.

‘Flaréoné!’ Rayman whispered, then realising he had no reason to be quite, he repeated louder. But Flaréoné didn’t reply; indeed, he didn’t even seem to notice that Rayman was there at all.

Rayman waved a hand in front of his eyes. Nothing. He slapped Flaréoné hard, to no avail. Flaréoné stared straight through Rayman as though he wasn’t there. He went back to Globox, and tried to wake him. He opened his eyes slightly and gazed at Rayman.

‘Ray…man…’ he gasped. ‘I…think there was…some sort of…poison…on their weapons…’ he tried to lift an arm but he couldn’t manage it. His eyes drooped again and Rayman couldn’t wake him again. He realised that trying to do that to Fianna would have similar effects.

He ran back to Flaréoné and managed to get him to stand up. He tried to get Flaréoné to help him, but he was unresponsive, and instead followed Rayman.

Furio and Furion. Rayman thought to himself. If I cant get Globox and Fianna to them, maybe they can help. In any case, we can’t stay here… He cast another furtive look around the Glade and felt a strange sickening sensation in his stomach. So much death here… He thought.

He returned to Fianna and lifted her easily to his soldier. She was much lighter then he had expected. He knew that Globox would be heavier, and it took a lot of strength for Rayman to lift him. He held him like he did with plums. Globox’s one heavy plum…Rayman thought to himself.

Globox’s blood had disappeared, as had the gash in his forehead. The ground where the blood has fallen was grassy and looked as it would have before the Glade’s desecration. Rayman stared at it for a couple of seconds, then turned.

He carried them to the outer part of the Glade with Flaréoné following dumbly. Flaréoné seemed to recover slightly. His eyes were more focused, although he still had a dazed expression on his face.

Rayman had a rest to the entrance of the tunnel, and turned to look around the Glade again. He cupped his face in his hands and tried to block out the feeling as he realised he had killed all those creatures. But I enjoyed killing them! Rayman realised. I hurt them and burnt them, and killed them, but in enjoyed it. I liked killing them! What am I turning into…

He tried to push these thoughts out of his head as he carried Fianna and Globox through the tunnel.

At the other end he saw Furio and both there.

But they were tied, their hands and feet tied to a tree, with their weapons on the floor beneath them. Rayman carefully placed Globox and Fianna on the floor and ran to them, to help them out of their bounds. He used their weapons to cut the ropes. They immediately launched into an explanation.

‘There were so many!’

‘Hundreds and hundreds!’

‘They overpowered us.’

‘And tied us to these trees.’

‘I think they went into the Glades. Did you see them?’

Rayman stopped them. ‘Yes I saw them. They are no more…’ his face darkened. Furio and Furion exchanged looks.

‘What…what did you do to them?’ Furio asked.

‘I killed them.’ Rayman said bitterly. ‘I killed them…’

Furio and Furion didn’t push hi about it.

‘What happened to those three?’ Furion asked. Globox and Fianna were still lying in the mud where Rayman had placed them. Flaréoné stood next to them. His mouth was now closed, and his gaze clearer, but he still seemed incapable of speech.

‘Globox and Fianna I think are hurt by some poison. I don’t know what happened to Flaréoné. He was trapped in some sort of cage…’ Rayman looked at him closely. ‘But we can’t stay here. We must go. Quickly. Away from here.’

Furio and Furion lifted Globox between them, and Rayman carried Fianna. Flaréoné walked with Rayman as they made steady progress back into the forest. They stopped some way in, and Rayman placed Fianna on the ground again.

As soon as he did so, she jumped up and looked around in shock. Her face was very white.

‘What happened? Where are those creatures? Where are we?’ Rayman told her to sit down, and not to worry.

‘I think you were poisoned. Globox too,’ he said pointing to were Globox was. ‘You’ll need some rest. Try not to move. Furio and Furion will come to you in a sec.’

‘Globox is ok. No lasting damage I think. The poison is wearing off. We’ve done what we can for him, he’ll be fine.’ They turned to Fianna. ‘And now you.’ They checked her for signs of poisoning, but she seemed ok. ‘You are very resistant against the poison! The best thing to do now is too sleep. I think all of us should. Me and Furion will keep guard.’

Flaréoné was sitting with his back against a tree, his eyes clouded again, but no longer gazed, as though he was merely thinking. Rayman looked at him.

‘He’ll be ok.’ Furion said, noticing that Rayman was looking art Flaréoné. ‘I don’t know what happens, but he seems to be recovering already. Get some sleep. You need it.’

-_~*~_-

[Inaam]

Aspect Of Water

--

Rayman wondered why he felt so wretched and miserable. Everything was black. He was asleep, but his thoughts penetrated his sleep anyway. It wasn’t restful…it was even restless. He opened his eyes and found himself standing upright below the starry sky with the crescent moon shining down on him from high up in the heavens. He gazed up at it for a second before looking about him.

Rayman stood at the edge of a cliff. He knew instantly that this was a dream. He looked down cautiously and saw the sheer drop; higher then Rayman would have believed possible.

An immense feeling of déjà vu took him as he looked down the precipice. He couldn’t see the bottom, but immense clouds were beneath him.

He turned around and nearly fell off the cliff. There was somebody behind him, somebody who he didn’t recognise…

He took an involuntary step backwards and slipped off the edge. His eyes widened. He tried to use his hair as a helicopter to slow his descent, but it didn’t work.

I’m going to crash! This time I really am going to crash…I wonder what it feels like. Rayman thought. But no. I’ll wake before I reach the bottom. But as ever, his doubt grew as he fell ever closer. He shut his eyes, and prepared for the crash. He knew it was a dream but still his fear grew.

The sound of rushing water suddenly filled his ears, and before he had a chance to take a breath he was in the water. His lungs burned, his eyes opened and widened, filled with water, and he splashed to reach the top.

When he finally broke the surface, his lungs burning, his eyes stinging, he was surprised to see that he was at the very edge of the cliff. It was as though he had not fallen at all.

He raised himself out of the water, and found that his clothes were not wet – neither was his face or any other part of his body. He turned warily back to the water. He pushed a hand into it and raised it out. Dry.

‘Magic water,’ said a voice. He felt as though it aught to be dreamy, but it was clear as the cold sea’s waves. Rayman turned quickly and almost fell again, but caught himself in time.

In front of him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her bare arms seemed to reflect the moonlight. She had long wavy blue hair, and a mouth that looked as though it was quick to laugh, and slow to frown. Her skin had a strange bluish tinge, but naturally so, and her face was proud and noble. It seemed as though he was looking upon a queen, and felt he should bow down. She wore a necklace, a silver chain that ended in a crescent moon. Her startling eyes shone, bright sapphires gleaming in the sunlight, deep blue jewels of many shades. Light seemed to shine about them. She had full red lips, and small pearly white teeth.

She wore a blue garment, with a deep purple scarf that hung over her right shoulder on both sides. it waved gently in the wind, but didn’t fall off.

‘Thanks…’ Rayman stuttered. ‘Who are you?’

‘You’re welcome.’ She smiled at him. ‘My name is Éréandé. I suppose you would call me the aspect of water. You have seen me before, but not alive and walking. Think back to the Cave Of Jades.’

He thought back to the Cave of Jades, and his thoughts fell immediately onto Flaréoné. He tried again and his mind alighted onto the picture.

She nodded thoughtfully as she noticed the change in Rayman’s expression. ‘I am not wearing all that jewellery this time.’ She frowned. ‘I don’t like that picture…or jewellery…Except perhaps this,’ she rubbed the moon. ‘Come. This is not a good place to await whatever would befall us.’ She turned and began to walk away. Rayman walked besides her matching her pace.

‘You got into my dream the same way as Flaréoné?’

‘Ah, he has already tested you? Good, that will make it so much simpler. Yes, it is one of the few things we did the same.’

‘Ah. So you came for the same reason?’

She smiled. ‘Did I come to you, or did you come to me?’

Rayman walked quietly for a moment. ‘You’re more alike to Flaréoné then you think.’

She smiled softly. When she smiled, it looked like the light of the moon and the stars had come to dwell in her mouth, and as her lips parted, her pearly white teeth stood out like stars in the dark. ‘Perhaps. But we must not stay here. I’ll tell you when we get inside.’

‘The Palace of Fire?’

‘No.’ she said. They climbed the last ridge, and she pointed. ‘The Palace of Ice. And water, but there’s not very much of that.’

‘Ah. I should have known.’ Rayman grinned. She smiled, but said nothing until they were at the door. A huge door of ice; interlocking and imposing standing tall and proud before him. Icicles wove around the huge door. He looked up and saw a few windows, gaps in the ice, though icicles dripping down from the top.

She placed a hand on the door, and it gleamed for a while, water dripping around it and onto the floor. Then the glowing light disappeared and everything was still. Suddenly it opened.

She stepped inside and turned. ‘Come.’ She said, and turned. The cold struck Rayman immediately like a thousand stinging needles all at once. And immediately the wind that had been blowing outside stopped; Rayman hadn’t noticed it was there before that.

They passed through many doors and arches. The Palace seemed to be much larger then what it had seemed like from the outside. Rayman stared all around him at the empty walls which, though made from ice, seemed to have a life of their own. He looked up at the ceiling and saw that there were many beautiful chandeliers constructed of ice, with water where the fire should be. But they gave off no light, for the light came from outside: every few steps there was a gap in the ceiling where light penetrated. Small snowflakes fell through these gaps and landed at Rayman’s feet.

Stalactite hung down from the ceiling interwoven with icicles, and other frozen items that struck Rayman as being magical even though there was nothing to even suggest that they were. They shined and glinted with a bright light and seemed more to be like jewels. Veins of ice formed inside the semi-transparent walls, giving the whole thing an eerie living effect.

All these seemed to be forming a huge magical pattern which interwove and interlocked, doubling back and forward again, overlapping itself, until it was so complicated that it was a wonder in itself. Although there seemed to be no light, the whole thing glowed blue.

They entered another room, larger then the rest. The ceiling was very high up, but the stalactites were very long and reached very near Éréandé’s head. Some, however, stopped very high up, but reflected the glowing blue with such intensity that they looked like stars, and the palace seemed to open up into the sky. But there was no gap in the ceiling, and the light was indeed magical, the glow of water rather then natural light. Blue and green shone across the room, reflected many times, leaving the room bright. The light even seemed natural and white, and room made of real walls, not ice. As far as Rayman could see there was no gap in the walls or the floor; no flaw in the design of this magnificent structure. And no snow fell inside it.

In the middle of the room was what looked to Rayman like a tall pillar; a little taller then he was. Éréandé walked immediately to this pillar. She cupped her hands and dipped her hands into it…it was then that Rayman realised that it was not a pillar at all, but rather a basin.

‘What is this room?’ He asked her.

‘Just that. A room.’ She replied, her hands still in the basin, her back still to Rayman.

‘This…palace seems larger from the inside then out. How is that possible?’

‘Magic.’ She smiled.

‘Who…who created it?’

‘I did,’

She withdrew her dripping hands from the basin before Rayman could ask another question. Using her hands as a cup she walked to Rayman, and knelt near him, careful not to spill a drop.

‘Drink this.’ She said, offering her hands.

‘What is it?’ Rayman asked.

‘My way of giving you my power. Drink!’ Rayman dipped his own hands into her larger ones and took some water. He drank it, and it fell down his throat as though it had been burning and it was a cool lake of pure, clear water. His hands had taken but a little water, but it seemed to Rayman as though he had drunken his fill and more. He closed his eyes in an effort to enjoy this miraculous water more.

When the water was finally drunk and he finally opened his eyes, Rayman saw that the water which had been in Éréandé’s hand had become ice. She turned back to the basin and dropped it in with a slight splash. Something emerged from the top of the basin, and grew until it filled almost the entire room. It looked like a frozen statue of a huge creature, with nine heads which turned away in different directions, ending in snake-like heads.

Suddenly, Rayman felt dizzy. He felt as though he was going to be sick. He stumbled backwards, and even before he had realised that she had moved, Éréandé had grabbed him.

‘The powers are already taking effect!’ She paused. ‘My power was constructed in this way like a poison. Thankfully for you, this is a dream, so the poisonous effects will last here and here only. But I must make this quick before you awake…’

Although her own words suggested that she be quick, she turned back toward the base of the pillar and paused for a few seconds as though gathering herself together. She turned back toward Rayman and sighed.

‘First I will tell you how to…learn…how to use your powers. They are much like Flaréoné’s. For example, his fireball is the equivalent of my ice ball which – when used correctly and with enough strength – can be used to freeze an enemy.’

‘Like the fire-pillars you likely learned to construct with Flaréoné, you can make both ice and water pillars. The ice ones, alas, are unmovable, but they cause great obstacles in your enemy’s path. The water serves to cloud your enemy’s vision and to confuse him.’

‘Shields you can make too, Icy Armour, which is most like to mail, and is very…resistant. It is also very strong, and light too, and it doesn’t get you wet. The Watery Armour is merely a wall of water that surrounds you; it nullifies most Fiery Attacks, but is quite weak against anything else. However, you can make this stronger by adding what you would call a magical element to it. You can make it very bright, or else you can make anything that goes through it melt, rather like acid would. However, you would need practice to make either of these as well as the many others which I have no time to name, and no time to explain. You could combine them, but that would take a lot more practice.’

‘You can also create Projectiles of Ice. These shards are very effective against a large crowd of enemies. There are two main ways to make them. The first is to make them come out of your hands. I need not explain how you would do that, because you will know at the time you need it. The second type you can make come out of the clouds and the sky. Like a blizzard.’ As she showed him these attacks and powers, she demonstrated them herself.

‘Alas, I have no time to speak more to you about your powers, the rest you must discover for yourself. Now, I must tell you what is most urgent…and although you wont understand it, I beg you to listen and then to relay my message to Flaréoné.’ Rayman, who had spent this time listening intently to what Éréandé said, nodded slowly, as he tried to take in everything she said.

‘Tell him: Oranu is behind this. Tell him he has persuaded…corrupted Polokus to…help him, and has imprisoned me.’

‘Corrupted Polokus?’ Rayman said, shaking his head, and trying to ignore the ‘poison’ that was running through his veins. It was taking a great effect.

‘Yes…’ Éréandé seemed to muse within herself for a moment.

‘I do not know how, but even so it is clear that Polokus is acting of his own accord. Either that, or he is possessed in the same way as Oranu…’

‘It won’t be long before he overpowers me too. Tell him that Oranu is not working on his own accord, tell him that I think he has become…possessed. I have no other way of describing it. He has become cold…like a ruthless killer; I have never seen him like this before!’ She paused, and bit her lip.

‘Tell Flaréoné also that I am sorry for the prison. I had no choice, Oranu was too strong! He knows all the ways in which he can overpower us all, and that it won’t be long before Flaréoné, too, is captured. Tell him that he mustn’t be caught. Tell him the circle must not be complete!’

‘Tell him to run…to keep with you…and hide! Tell him that Oranu…or the person who is controlling him…has his spies everywhere and his war machines too. Tell him to take the quickest way to Bascalite, and to lay low there. Rayman, you have no chance against Oranu…against all of us…you must go into hiding too!’ She opened her mouth to say more, but Rayman interrupted angrily.

‘He killed...he killed Ly!’ He shouted, struggling not to choke on his words. His head was starting to ache, and his mind was becoming fast cloudy. ‘Do you expect me to just take that lying down?’ He struggled not to lose himself to his rage. ‘Do you think that I will allow this to pass? Let him kill me, let him do what he likes...but if I do nothing, I will not be able to live with it.’

Éréandé waited for him to calm down. Rayman was taking deep breaths, but he was thinking.

‘Very well. I will go to where my doom may take me, but I will go alone. Flaréoné will lead the others to Bascalite, but I will go alone…to find Oranu and make him pay! At the very least I will challenge him.’

‘Rayman, listen. The might of Polokus Flaréoné and me combined are not enough to take on what Oranu has become. He always was more powerful then us, but always the most peace-loving.’

‘Rayman, he was the last person I expected to betray us! But as I do not believe it is he who is behind his actions! I believe he has become…controlled…in some way. I don’t know how, but the more I think of it, the more likely it becomes.’

‘Please Rayman, don’t risk your life for the sake of revenge!’ She sighed. ‘Do what you believe is right. I cannot stop you. I merely ask you to take my advice!’ But even as she spoke she saw that Rayman was beyond listening. Even now his fists were clenched and his teeth tight.

‘And besides…you can’t get here – to the place that Oranu dwells – without him wanting you to get there. This, all of it, is a different dimensional plain, almost. It doesn’t exist on the planet on which you dwell…we were barely able to get you here without alerting him…’ She added in a whisper, as a final effort, almost to herself

Rayman looked into her eyes, and opened his mouth to retort, but he was interrupted.

Suddenly, as though a wall had been lifted, or a window opened, the sound of a wind entered the room. Although there was none in the room, the wind seemed to be outside it. It banged angrily on the door, seeking a way in. Rayman and Éréandé both looked at the door, one with fear, both with apprehension.

Éréandé stood up suddenly, and quickly, she raised Rayman to his feet. She led him to the far end of the room, conjuring something with her hands as she ran. She stopped suddenly, not far from the wall, and turned back in the same moment. Rayman almost crashed into her. His reflexes were becoming slow…

‘Quickly!’ she whispered. ‘Drink this!’ She handed him a green liquid in a golden goblet. Rayman took it but he did not drink. She stood in front of him, protecting him from all view from outside.

‘Why?’

‘Just drink it! It will wake you up and lift you from this place. You must not be caught. Hurry, drink!’ She pushed the goblet into his mouth, and before he knew it Rayman had taken a large gulp.

The goblet fell from his hands onto the floor, and Rayman collapsed with it. He fell onto the floor, and although he tried to lift himself, he could not.

The green liquid fell all over the floor and quickly turned to ice, similar to the ice that Rayman had regarded as magical. He lay in an uncomfortable position, and it seemed to him as though he was twitching, but he was laying still.

The last thing he saw was the door flying open, and a creature behind it. The same, evil creature of that almost-forgotten dream so long ago…

Then darkness overtook him.

[Inaam]

Rayman’s eyes opened, and he saw that the sun was up. He closed his eyes painfully; the sun hurt his eyes. He sat up and looked around. He saw that everyone was awake. Furion was cooking breakfast on a fire created by Flaréoné.

Rayman stood up, and immediately, Flaréoné was next to him.

‘Rayman! Are you ok? I heard of what happened yesterday…’

‘Look…I have to tell you something. A message…from Éréandé.’ Rayman interrupted. Flaréoné’s eyes widened.

‘Are you sure? How did you get this message?’

‘I’ll explain it. It was like the…dream…in which you showed me how to use your powers.’

‘Your powers, Rayman,’ Flaréoné interrupted. Rayman was silent for a second, then he continued.

‘Except instead of you it was Éréandé. She led me to the Palace of Ice…’ He paused for a second, struggling to find the right words.

‘It was like she was in a hurry. She kept talking about how we had to be quick. We reached the centre – at least, I think it was the centre…there was a tall basin in it. She made me drink some of the water which she said gave me the powers.’

‘She explained to me how to use a few, most of them modifications of what you showed me, but she said there were more…and then…’

‘And then, she told me to give you a message. She said that we had to flee…run, and hide…in Bascalite. She told me who was behind it, someone who I’ve never heard of before. She said that he’d corrupted Polokus. She said that he was corrupted too, or possessed. She said she couldn’t hold out for much longer.’

‘Who was it?’ Flaréoné asked, though he sounded as though he thought he knew the answer. Rayman didn’t answer. ‘Rayman, who was it?’

‘Oranu. His name is Oranu…’ Rayman sighed. Flaréoné looked horrified.

‘You are sure?’

‘I am…Why, who is he?’

‘Oranu…Oranu is the last aspect. The last figure on that painting in the Cave of Jades.’

Rayman thought back to that time, so long ago it seemed now; so much things had happened since then.

The first had been Flaréoné of course, standing tall and surrounded by flames. He looked in that picture quite unlike he did now. He looked calm – if a little shocked – at the moment. But the figure in the picture had emanated a sense of forbidding, or anger and danger. Two faces of fire.

Éréandé had been next, beautiful as ever. But with too much jewellery. Rayman remembered. Even so she had looked as beautiful as ever. Her hair had been waving in the wind, her face too, had seemed to be a healthier shade of purple-blue. He felt a sudden rush of pity for her, trapped in her own little world…

Polokus had been on the far right, looking, like he normally did, quite short. His long arms, however, made up for this. His pants and funny hat covered the most part of his body. He wore no shoes as usual. Rayman remembered him saying that the Earth did not try and harm him as he walked through its gardens. What little of his face and chest he could see, though, had the same unhealthy-seeming tinge of cream. On Polokus it seemed quite natural, but one could hardly help but wonder how he had come by such an amazing colour of skin. How had Polokus been corrupted? Even worse, what if he was not corrupted, and as Éréandé had suggested, was acting of his own accord? The thought chilled Rayman.


And finally, the third, the one who had so much scared Éréandé and Flaréoné, who had…corrupted…Polokus. The one who had ordered the death of Ly.

The one known as Oranu.

Oranu had been surrounded in a heavy; thick black wind that hid him well. What did Oranu look like? How had he been possessed? Indeed, had he been possessed? What if he, too, had been acting of his own accord? Éréandé may have got it wrong…

‘Oranu…’ Rayman said, turning the word in his mouth. ‘Who is he, exactly?’

‘Oranu, as I said, is the last figure of the picture in the Cave of Jades. He is the last aspect. The aspect of wind.’

‘If he, too, is an aspect, why did Éréandé say that he was more powerful then all the rest of you put together?’ Rayman wondered out aloud. Flaréoné pondered his question for a few moments before answering.

‘I believe that isn’t exactly what she said. Am I correct in believing she said that the other three, Polokus, Éréandé and I could not take him on?’

Rayman opened his mouth to answer, then realised that that was exactly what Éréandé had said. He closed his mouth, and nodded slowly.

‘Think of it in this way: don’t think of us as aspects, or people, think of us as the elements. I want you to think of it in two ways.’

‘The first is as a trump game. Earth, or wood, can be burned by fire…me…but water can put fire out. Earth can contain that water. But wind can do all of this. With strength he can destroy the earth; with enough he can even contain water too, although that would take a lot of his energy. And he can put fire out.’

‘Then think of it as if he wanted to control us, instead of destroying us. He can mould earth like clay, and with much more energy, can do the same to water…eventually. And to fire, he can control it in two ways. He can blow it and spread it where he likes, and threaten it with death. I fear he has done the first all along, and the second he most likely will do as he captures me…and then, back to the trumps, he can use Earth to help contain Water, and help him control her too. And then all three of them can turn and annihilate me.’ The last sentence he said in a bitter tone.

‘And then, try to think of a way in which Earth, Water and Fire can overcome Wind. It is not possible. Earth can, to an extent, entrap Wind, but Wind can easily escape. Water is virtually useless. And fire…’ he laughed hoarsely. ‘Fire helps wind. As it burns, it lets off Air. We can do nothing…’ Rayman had been listening carefully throughout this speech. He stood in silent for a few seconds, then he spoke:

‘And yet, Wind is peaceful, as Éréandé said.’ He paused, and thought for a second. ‘And how else could he become possessed? He was polluted…’ Rayman lapsed again into silence. Flaréoné thought that he had persuaded Rayman to come with him to Bascalite.

‘Very well. I cannot allow Oranu to be controlled like this. Haven’t I been labelled a hero? Is it not a hero’s job – my job – to rescue and to save? I will not go into hiding. I will confront Oranu. Are you with me?’

‘Rayman, there is no way, do you hear? No way you can defeat Oranu. He’s too fast, he’s too powerful…and you can’t reach him anyway. He’s not even on this planet…’

Rayman nodded. ‘I know. Éréandé told me.’ He gritted his teeth. ‘Is there nothing I can do?’

‘You can survive, Rayman. You can do at least that.’ Flaréoné answered, hopefully. Rayman looked to the clear blue sky. It was cold. There was no wind, and the sun was out, but it was still very cold.

‘Spies everywhere…that’s what Éréandé said. What’s to stop Oranu from having spies in Bascalite too?’

‘Because it’s impossible; air cannot…penetrate that place. You will see when we reach there.’ Flaréoné began to walk back to the camp.

‘One more thing, Flaréoné!’ Rayman said, running to catch up to Flaréoné.

‘She told me to tell you sorry about the prison. What did she mean?’

‘The thing that I was entrapped in yesterday. It was quite a magical feat. It included powers from Air, Earth and Water combined. That is one more thing about your powers. Not that you have both Ice and Fire, you can combine them. Unfortunately the two do not go well together.’ Flaréoné continued walking, leaving Rayman where he stood on the grass.

-_~*~_-

Furion stood ill-at-ease with his spear in his hand. He looked at it carefully, taking in every detail.

It didn’t seem like much at first sight, he noticed. He twirled it in his hand, taking in the many textures of the would-be rotted wood. The tip wasn’t much either. It was the standard triangular-shaped metal killing device. It was streamlined to perfection, although the untrained eye couldn’t spot this.

He slid his finger around the edge. He pricked his finger by accident on the tip. He healed himself with a wave of his other hand, but the drop of blood stayed on the metal, sliding down gently around the curved blade. It was shaped in the perfect way to pierce enemies with, utilising every trick that the metal smiths had ever used…

At the bottom of the metal was a small rubber band to prevent any damage to the comparatively fragile wood. The edge, the killing part of his spear, was removable. With magic he could expand the rubber, releasing the metal and leaving behind the wood.

Tucked into the gap between shaft and staff was the edge of a large red cloth. It was cut in many places; the mark of war. Half of it seemed to have fallen of entirely. But the fallen pieces had been collected and placed in the treasure trove of his far away village. The village had been ransacked; the gold and precious jewels taken, but he was sure they hadn’t found the entrance to the true treasures.

The tattered cloth had silver symbols on them. Furion did not know what they meant; his father had commanded them created and prepared before Furio and Furion were even born. A twin piece was given also to Furio. They had slept in identical beds with these identical cloths of protection covering them. His father had died before the true meaning of these cloths was revealed.

The symbols were muddied and not very clear, but in a subtle way they seemed almost to stand out. Furion stared at these symbols for a few more seconds, before his eyes travelled to the staff section of his spear.

Normally, if one had just looked at it, it would look like just another piece of wood. But Furion was beyond these disguises; he had known and wielded his staff for many years.

Very shallowly, so as not to be seen, a line of symbols had been cut, from the sharp head of it down to almost the bottom of the staff. These symbols had been cut into two sides of the staff, so that the power emanating from them was redoubled, for these symbols held strong magical meanings. If the metal was removed it would dissolve into the air quickly, and it would take a long time to create more.

Which was why it was only removed as a last resort.

The raiment which had covered him as he slept as a child was also covered with protective runes, and would cover him once more just as the staff was covered in offensive ones and would be wielded with it. Legend spoke of the power of these items. Once removed, the cloth would become repaired in a single instant, and once the arrow shaft was removed, the power of the staff would be released into its wielder’s body. The resulting outburst of energy would be extremely great, and after its effect was worn down, the brother’s bodies would lie either dead or deeply unconscious. But before that time there would be a huge amount of energy that overwhelmed the brothers and made them into highly powerful and highly efficient killing machines.

If they survived the experience they would find enemies by many numbers surrounding them.

But Furion – and Furio too – believed that that time had not yet come. They would use this only if there was no other solution, as they had been commanded by their father…before he had died…

Furio sat nearby with his back to a tree and his legs crossed. He was concentrating on a basin of water which had been created by Globox. The basin he carried around in a miniature form and made it big whenever he needed it. The water was currently bubbling softly, heated by a fire created by Flaréoné. Furio patiently waited with the basin in his crossed legs for it to cool, never taking his eyes off it.

When he saw the moment, he crushed in his fist the leaf that he was holding and squeezed the juice into the basin. The water began twisting very fast and turned green. Immediately, Furio spilled the lot onto Globox’s injured head. It healed very quickly, letting of a blue smoke. When it had cleared, there was no visible remnant of the mark.

-_~*~_-

Globox felt the back of his head gingerly again, but he felt nothing there. The gash had gone in an instant. Furio and Furion were extremely good healers.

He looked at his frog like fingers again, and realised he was thirsty. He created a tiny trickle of water in the air and let it fall into his mouth. After he had drunken his fill he made the water vanish.

Globox had gained power of his unusual power of water in a very small amount of time and he was finding that he could do much more then created rain clouds. He could make lightning come out of them, and he could create small streams too. Somehow he knew also that he could create waters that could heal, although he had no idea how, and no idea how he knew.

True, he needed to use conscious effort to create the water, and he hated doing the water dance all the time. It made him feel…silly. But the tiny trickle he had just created had not needed him to dance at all. He had merely to wave his fingers in a peculiar pattern. This was proof, it seemed, that he was indeed gaining control over his powers.

-_~*~_-

Fianna sat a little way away from the others, tending to her sword. Her bag lay open next to her, and as she sat on the ground, she used various items from it to help her with her sword.

She lifted a small cloth out of the bag and began to rub her sword down. It was dirty with mud, and something that looked like blood. She ignored both things and set to polishing her sword.

When it was clean to her satisfaction, she reached once more into her bag and lifted out a small blue container. She opened it and inside was…dust. It was blue, the same blue as the sky. She took out a small pinch of it and scattered it on her sword, careful not to scatter any. The sword seemed to glow blue for a second. She raised the cloth again and carefully spread the dust all over her sword. She spread it so finely that the dust could no longer be seen.

She laid it on the floor in front of her, and looked at it from all angles. When she was satisfied, she took the scabbard off from her waist and began to clean it thoroughly. When it shined once more, she began to turn her attention to any damage that might have been done to it.

She rubbed her fingers on a shallow rip and whispered a few words. The thin strands joined together slowly and it wasn’t long before it was as good as new again.

She placed her sword in her scabbard and tied it around her waist again. She reached into her pack again and took out the bow that she had used against the giant that had almost killed Rayman. The string had come loose slightly, and she tightened it again. The wood seemed to be fine, however, and she placed the bow beside her.

She took out a small dagger and looked at it. it was notched on one side, but she had received it like that and had never fixed it.

She had got it from her sister on a night so long ago. The two had sneaked out in the middle of the night because Fianna couldn’t sleep. She had been so young then, and yet, the memory was one of the clearest she had.

She and her sister had walked a small while into the forest that the village was situated next to. But then they went off the path. Now Fianna was exited. Both sisters had had what the elders of the village called the ‘Old Blood’; they both liked adventure. They walked someway through the trees, but Fianna got the impression that her sister knew where she was going.

Before long they reached a tall tree, dead long ago, but with many marks and scratches on it. Fianna’s sister took out a dagger and placed another scratch into the tree. Then, silently, she had turned and given Fianna the first weapon she had ever received…

Fianna’s hands started shaking, badly, and she dropped the dagger. It had been a mistake to think of her sister. She placed her trembling hands onto her face and tied to calm herself. She took deep breaths, but the image of her sister’s dead body would not leave her mind. Small tears slid through her fingers, and she wiped them quickly.

She thought of the soldiers that had killed everyone she had ever loved. Her tears stopped. Her hands stopped shaking. She let her hands drop, and she found that they were clenched into fists. She glared down at the dagger, its blade glowing softly red…

-_~*~_-

Rayman stood where Flaréoné had left him, looking back into the clearing where all the others where. Flaréoné was leaning against a tree, and staring at a spot in the ground, stuck in his own thoughts.

Rayman too, didn’t notice much around him; his thoughts were spent thinking about Oranu and what he should do. What he wanted to do was just to kill him…or the person possessing him… and have it over and done with, but he realised that it would not be so easy.

Well, if I can’t kill him yet, the best thing to do is to kill him later. Before long he’ll come back to here; let him come and find me alive and ready to kill him! He thought. And with that, his mind was made up. They would go to Bascalite, and await their fate there.

-_~*~_-

Traid was feeling more and more worried. Days had gone and the first party had not returned. He feared the worst…as did the residents of the Valley. It was now all too clear that it was not mere coincidence that was making many people go missing. He sighed, sitting down, crossed-legged on the floor. People talked about the slave drivers returning, or that there was another ominous presence that was worse even than them.

Those who had children did not let them out of the house, and no one went anywhere without company.

The people in the Valley had settled down for the most part, everyone had a house, and the stores of the slavers had revealed that they wouldn’t need to go and find food for a long time to come. If it wasn’t for Rayman, they would have been stuck in the Valley for a very long time.

But still the unknown presence remained, and people were becoming frightened. Rumours had even started that Traid himself was a slave-driver, and he was slowly stealing away the people.

The wind howled around the house, inside and out, screaming shrilly. The fire in the fireplace crackled and waved as the wind passed over it.

The first group that Traid had sent out had not returned. The elemental that he had sent with them had merely disappeared, without Traid even sensing anything. Traid began to suspect that there was someone with great magical prowess leading the kidnappers.

Traid sat in thought for a long time, thinking of how best to resolve the situation. If he sent out another search party, it would likely go missing, and fuel the rumours of his involvement in this scheme, but if he did not do so, he might never find out who was behind the raids.

He made up his mind.

--

It wasn’t long before they came, but Traid thought long and hard about what he would say to them.

They trooped in, all at once. All of them were heavily armed, and all of them knew how to use their weapons. He wouldn’t allow them to be caught off guard.

‘You know why you are here.’ Traid started off simply. ‘So I will not bore you with details. All we know is that people are going missing and that we must find them.’

‘You might know about the other party I sent out, and not one has yet returned. As time passes it becomes increasingly less likely that they do. We must now assume the worst, which is why I asked for you, and that I requested you to go heavily armed.’ He stood up from his position on the floor.

‘Your main priority is to find and rescue the missing people. But if you find anything that wants to hurt you, defend yourself in any means you see as fit. If you cannot find them, or find them dead, come back and tell us. If you are not back in four days we will assume you dead or captured.’

He walked to the door and opened it.

‘Good luck.’

[th3()ne]

A Conversational Network is the most personal of all four because introductions are made through actual communication instead of just a profile or a list of interests. The medium of Conversational Networks are weblogs or blogs, which is a journal published on the Internet that contains a mixture of what is happening in a person’s life as well as the latest web trends. Blogs are updated regularly and can be maintained even by people with little technical knowledge through the use of a program or script. What happens is that a person read someone’s blog, and then gets a general idea of the author based on what he or she writes in the blog. One can even participate in someone’s blog by adding comments on their entries. Bloggers—those who own and write in blogs—have the choice to ignore their readers or reciprocate by reading and placing comments on the blogs of their readers. Then they can develop a more personal relationship through e-mails, chat, or an eyeball, a term used for people from the Internet who meet face-to-face for the first time.

[Matyuv]

You can do all the training with all of the common browsers, like Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Netscape, or Opera. However, some of the examples in our advanced classes require the latest versions of the browsers.