Rayman Pirate-Community

Well, if you really want to, I guess it's alright, as long as you make sure you say they belong to me.

ofcoarse... before i write any thing ill ask for your aproval...

Chapter 11: Alien vs. Flood

CODEFS Warship, Near the Swamps

“He transported the ENTIRE Ark here!” exploded Shadow. “HOW!?”
Sonic shrugged, still stunned by what had happened. “Chaos Control, maybe?”
“Eggman is a human. He can’t use Chaos Control. And besides, it would take a very strong user to move such a huge object so many light-years. Only Black Doom was capable of that sort of thing, and only if he had all seven Emeralds,”
“Well, he might not need all seven. Remember the Master Emerald? It’s still on Angel Island. Unless Eggman has it,”
“The fact still remains; Eggman can NOT use Chaos Control! Unless... He found someone else to do it for him?”
Sonic and Shadow looked thoughtfully at the crater that marred the swamps.
Raylina brought them back to reality. “Does it really matter right now how he got the Ark here? What we should worry about now is what we should do,”
Sonic nodded. “Do we take the Emeralds to him?”
Shadow snorted. “Of course not,”
“I’m inclined to agree,” said Lachimax. Christian nodded, agreeing. “Whatever he wants them for can’t be good. You’re better off tricking him somehow,”
Shadow looked at them both coldly, as if to say “Who asked you?” but Sonic nodded. “Alright,” he said. “But we only have forty-eight hours, so we’re going to have to think of something quickly,”
Lachimax gazed out to above the Swamps, where dark clouds were forming. Something else was happening there. A faint, red glow was coming from just below the clouds, gathering in a mote of light.
Darnan, his Red Lum companion, hovered at his shoulder, but began to drift slowly forwards towards the clouds. “Darnan?” asked Lachimax quietly.
Darnan shook himself. Something is wrong, he said in Lachimax’s mind. I feel an urge to go to that spot, where the clouds are. Something is pulling me. I can fight it, but other Red Lums may not be able to.
Lachimax’s forehead creased in concern.
Then, he noticed the red glow disappear suddenly, replaced by a black cloud. Darnan cried in shock. Something is very badly wrong! The Red Lums in the area... I can no longer feel them! They have been transformed!
The small, black cloud below the storm clouds began to shift, flying in all directions. Lachimax frowned. Now he knew what was going on.
“Bucket!” he yelled. “Get us out of here!”
“Sir?” came Bucket’s mechanical voice.
“We’re about to have company!”
Darnan moaned, as the distant cloud of Black Lums descended upon the Crossroads.

Space Colony ARK

Mr. Dark looked in disgust at the Doctor’s back, hunched over a control screen. He saw what Eggman was, now. Nothing but a coward, who used others to achieve his own means. He would be better off if he had never met this slime. Yet... He had to stay. But this firing of the Eclipse Cannon at the Fairy Council... unthinkable! There had to be a way he could delay it somehow. If only for a few days...
An idea entered Dark’s head.
Sabotage.

Evil Genius Inc. Experimental Weapons Facility, the Dream Forest
Forty Minutes until Reactor Overload

Team Scorpion and Rayman emerged into the central corridor to find several Aliens waiting for them. One bounded forward, towering over Rayman, second set of mandibles extended, dripping saliva. Its eyeless face stared menacingly at him. A blast from a shotgun threw it backwards, and Gripnos moved forward, shielding Rayman from the acidic blood with his round Knaaren energy barrier. The Alien squirmed on the ground, tail flailing in all directions. Gripnos finished it off with another shot from his shotgun.
“Get to Dark Hog!” called Rayden, and the four fought their way through the Aliens. Then something strange happened. One second the Aliens were fighting for every inch, the next they were retreating, running down the corridor.
“This isn’t like them,” said Rayden, firing one last burst at them. “Normally they fight to the last one, no matter what,”
“How do you know so much about them?” asked Rayman suspiciously.
“I was around when they attacked the first time,” Rayden answered. “You’re looking at one of the only people you didn’t have to resurrect,”
Rayman was impressed.
Rayden stroked his chin as they piled into Dark Hog. “Normally, they like to fight in dark, enclosed spaces as well. That normally gives them advantage. They might ambush us as we get closer to the Queen,”
Sharkin was in the turret again, Gripnos driving. Rayman was in the passenger seat, with Rayden hanging onto the side, standing on a foot rung and holding onto a hand grip with one hand, Tybalt with the other.
Rayman glanced at the radar. “The Emerald has stopped moving. We should get to it quickly!”
Gripnos put the Hog in gear and accelerated down the corridor.
After a minute, without warning, an Alien leapt from the roof onto the front of the vehicle. It landed with a thud on its feet, staring through the windscreen at Rayman. It opened its mouth slowly, hissing.
Gripnos span the wheel in an attempt to throw the Alien off, but it stayed put, gripping with its claws. It began to climb over the windshield, a drop of saliva landing on Rayman’s shoe. Rayden tried to bring his weapon up to fire at the Alien, but Dark Hog hit a bump and through off his aim. The Alien slid further to Gripnos’ side, so that Rayden couldn’t get a clear shot.
Gripnos braked hard, bringing the vehicle to a stop. Sharkin brought the turret to bear, raining deadly bullets upon the creature. The high-caliber projectiles tore through the Alien, spreading its acidic blood, which immediately began to eat away the floor.
Rayman noticed they had reached a junction of the corridors. Only now did he realise how big this place must really be, continuing several floors underground. This new corridor, however, was slightly too small for Dark Hog to fit down. It was darker, all of the lights having been knocked out.
Rayden stepped down, flicked the in-built pen torch on Tybalt on, and asked Rayman “This the way?”
Rayman looked at the radar, trying to decipher it, and said “I think so,”
“Alright, boys. If the Aliens are going to ambush us, here is where they’ll do it. We need to be on our guard,” Rayden loaded a new clip into Tybalt, cocking it with a metallic chik-chik.
“Lock and load, people,”

CODEFS Warship, En route to Fairy Council

The warship sped through the air, blasting away from the army that was assembling in the Swamps. The Fighting Squad wasn’t usually one to run away from a fight, but if the last time Black Lums had been unleashed was anything to go by, the little beings would build up their military bases and weapons extremely quickly, and their numbers would be vastly superior to those under Lachimax’s command.
“How do we even know that these are Black Lums?” asked Christian.
“Darnan’s instinct has never been wrong before,” said Lachimax.
Gilly nodded. “It’s true. He has always sensed when something has been wrong in the world,”
“So we must make best speed to the Fairy Council,” continued Lachimax. “To warn them of this new threat,”
Shadow listened to this, Sonic aside. “We don’t have time for this,” he said. “We have to collect the Emeralds and find a way of stopping Eggman,”
Sonic looked troubled. “We should help them somehow,”
“The best way of helping right now is to get the Emeralds and get out of here, so that Eggman has no reason to stay,”
Sonic nodded reluctantly. “Alright, then. But shouldn’t we take Raylina with us?”
“Why? She’ll be safer here, and to be honest, we’d be better off without her,”
Sonic frowned. “Fine. But we’d better go now. She’ll want to come,”
Shadow nodded, producing the yellow Emerald.
Raylina emerged from the cabin, rubbing her eyes to adjust to the light, and saw the two Hedgehogs huddled together. She frowned, stepping towards them.
Shadow raised the Emerald between them.
Raylina realised what was happening, and began to run forwards.
“Chaos...” Shadow uttered.
Raylina grabbed Sonic’s arm.
“Control!”

Evil Genius Inc. Experimental Weapons Facility
30 minutes until Reactor Overload

Reports were coming to the Queen’s mind of encounters with other creatures, fellow victims of the scientists’ greed. They had been freed by her children’s curiosity. Among them was a group of brown, jellyfish like creatures, not dissimilar from her own Facehuggers, who attached themselves to their victims’ backs and transformed them into zombie-like combat forms.

Her interface with the facility’s central computer system told her that these creatures and those they infected were known as Flood. (Those who are Halo fans will know straight away what I mean by Flood.)They were giving her and her brethren much trouble, resisting the Aliens’ onslaught. And, although the infection forms were unable to completely take control of her children, due to their similarly volatile cell structure, they were doing their best and had managed to partially infect many of her soldiers. It wasn’t pretty. The Flood-Aliens were turning on both her and the other Flood, creating a faction of their own.
She had freed herself and her children, expecting to escape and destroy, but it looked as though they had some competition.

The four fighters walked down the darkened, narrow corridor, weapons raised, senses sharpened. Rayman had the completely justified feeling that they were being watched.
A beeping noise rose from the motion detector attached to Sharkin’s belt. He glanced at it. “Rayden, we’ve got movement coming in behind us,”
Rayman glanced backwards, unable to see anything through the darkness. Rayden remained calm.
Sharkin shone a torch behind them. Nothing unusual could be seen, but the instant he flicked the torch on, the beeping from his motion detector stopped. When he switched it off, the beeping started again.
“They’re following us,” he said. “Stay on guard,”
Rayman’s radar showed that the Emerald was barely thirty metres ahead, and, indeed, he could see a faint, blue glow in the darkness before them.
“Almost there,”
They rounded a corner, ever alert, and saw the Chaos Emerald, floating a metre and a half from the ground. Rayman smiled, and ran forward to seize it. Rayden called “Wait!”
Rayman ignored him, reaching for the gem...
Only to have it and the thing that was holding it, invisible in the darkness, disappear in a flash of blue...
And reappear behind him.
He spun around, only to be knocked to the ground by the claws of an Alien.
It pinned him to the ground, bringing its head down towards his face, extending its second set of mandibles. This was unlike any other Alien he had seen. It was slightly shorter, but still considerably tall. The major difference was the hedgehog-like spines all over its head. Rayman struggled against the beast, but the Xenohog had him firmly pinned.
Then the sound of gunfire tore through the air. Rayden, Sharkin, and Gripnos were all firing at the Xenohog. Holding, the Emerald, though, it once again disappeared with a blue flash. It reappeared behind them, striking at Gripnos, then disappeared once again.
“It’s using Chaos Control!” shouted Rayden, turning Tybalt towards the Xenohog’s next appearance.
It vanished again, this time not reappearing. That was when dozens of normal Aliens chose to swarm forwards from either side, screeching in pain as bullets tore through their skeletal bodies. Rayman was left to fight several of them by himself, as Team Scorpion could not risk getting the creatures’ acid blood on him.
Then, the Xenohog was there again, Chaos Emerald in hand. It dove straight at Sharkin, knocking the machine gun from his hands and pinning him by the neck against a wall. It brought the end of its tail around to point straight at the Teensie’s eye, ready to kill him with a single flick. With a roar, Gripnos threw his shotgun aside and closed his fists around the Hedgehog-grown Xenomorph. It released Sharkin, and turned to wrestle with the Knaaren. The two were almost equal in strength, but the Alien used its claws and fangs to advantage. Its attacks, which would have killed most creatures instantly, merely scratched the Knaaren’s tough skin.
Its second mouth rushed at his face, but he ducked at the last minute and grabbed the tongue-like extension in his fist. The Alien screeched as he ripped it from its mouth, tossing it aside, and brought his round energy shield to bear as the acid blood spattered from the creature’s now-empty mouth. Unfazed, the Alien attacked with new ferocity, but was unable to penetrate the strong, magical shield.
That’s when Rayden jumped in, firing both of his handguns into the Xenohog’s torso. It screamed again, rounding on him...
And had its chest blasted open by a round from Gripnos’ shotgun from behind, as wielded by Sharkin. It fell, finally, still squirming.
Meanwhile, Rayman was still in a hand-to-hand fight with no less than three black-skinned Aliens. “A little help would be appreciated!” he yelled.
Rayden hefted the blue Emerald from the Xenohog’s remains, whose acid blood had seemed to avoid the gem, and raised it above his head. “Cease fire!” he called to Gripnos and Sharkin, and the Aliens swarmed towards them. He unhooked a grenade from his belt, popped the pin with his thumb, and dropped it to the ground. He then focused his power on the Emerald, and yelled “Chaos Control!”

The four of them were suddenly standing alongside Dark Hog, just outside the corridor they had previously ventured down. A distant boom came from the corridor, followed by the screams of many Aliens.
“Nice manoeuvre, Rayden,” said Sharkin respectfully.
Rayman nodded in agreement. “Now, can we get out of here?”

15 minutes until Reactor Overload

They piled into Dark Hog, bouncing along the wide corridor once again.
As they passed one laboratory, several humanoid beings emerged from it, covered in deforming brown lumps and wielding huge claws.

They pursued Dark Hog, running in a lopsided way. “What the hell?” said Gripnos, turning to look at them as he drove. “They must be the Flood, that bio-weapon Standent mentioned a while ago!” called Rayden, as Sharkin brought the turret to bear and opened fire on the gruesome forms. They fell with loud moans, exploding in showers of fluid and bodily parts.
More Flood began to appear, along with a swarm of infection forms. But then, Aliens were leaping from the walls and roof, intercepting the combat forms and doing battle with them. Rayman watched in amazement from the back of the vehicle as the two virulent bioforms tore each other to pieces. The Aliens seemed to have the advantage in close combat, dispatching the Flood with agility, strength and speed. But several of the Flood wielded weapons, and opened fire on the Xenomorphs without hesitation. The animal screams of the Aliens and the low moans of the Flood filled the facility.
As Dark Hog sped down the corridor, both Facehuggers and Infection Forms began to pour from the vents in the ceilings, swarming over each other and competing for the prize of fresh hosts. Three Infection Forms and two Facehuggers jumped onto Dark Hog, seeking out hosts to be infected and impregnated. A Facehugger leapt at the occupied Gripnos from behind, but was pulled off by Rayden in the seat next to him. Switching targets, the Alien spawn tried to jump onto Rayden’s face, but the Limbless being caught it in midair, wrestling with it with one hand. An infection form jumped at him as well, leaving him to fight them both with one hand each.
Two bulbous infection forms jumped at Sharkin in the turret, but he dispatched them in midair with two accurate shots from his pistol.
The remaining Facehugger sped along Dark Hog’s side, straight towards where Rayman was standing. It jumped at him, propelled by its strong tail. He raised his hand, catching it, and it wrapped its spider-like legs around his hand. He swung his fist downwards, beside the moving vehicle, and charged it with energy. The Facehugger let go without a sound, falling to the ground below to be crushed by Dark Hog’s rear wheel.
Rayden was still struggling with the infection form and the Facehugger. Gripnos was unable to stop Dark Hog, as it was being pursued by both Flood and Aliens.
Rayden brought his hands together, the Alien Facehugger on one, the Flood Infection Form on the other. The two creatures turned on each other, scrabbling and stabbing and wriggling. He tossed them overboard with a flick of his hand, and they rolled away behind the truck.
The computer voice was still counting down. It was up to a minute and ten seconds.
Dark Hog rounded a corner, came close to rolling, and righted itself. At the end of this stretch of corridor was the Quarantine Teleporter, a green sphere of light which would take them outside.
“Reactor Overload in 10 seconds,”
“Hold on tight!” yelled Gripnos as he pressed the accelerator to the metal. Dark Hog shot forwards, skidding over Alien and Flood slime.
“5.”
Sharkin fired at the Flood chasing them.
“4.”
A rumble came from deep within the facility.
“3.”
The teleporter grew closer.
“2.”
Almost there...
“1.”

The EGI Experimental Weapons Facility was designed to be able to withstand a twenty megatonne nuclear blast from the outside. It did a good job of containing a similar explosion from the inside. The nuclear reactor overloaded, destroying everything within. Flood, Aliens, and the other experiments, all consumed in an almighty nuclear fire.
On the outside, all that could be discerned of the explosion was an enormously loud “BOOM!”. The outside of the facility remained intact, an empty shell, keeping the radiation inside.

A few hundred metres into the trees, Rayman stood with Team Scorpion, alive and well.
Rayden spun the Chaos Emerald on his finger, looking thoughtful. “I don’t believe we have any further use for this gem,” he said with a slight smile. “Here,”
He tossed it to Rayman. Rayman caught it, looking at the younger Ray in disbelief.
Rayden raised an eyebrow. “No need to thank me,”
Rayman smiled. “Thank you,” he said, extending a hand.
Rayden shook it.

Heh, unlike in some movies it didn't feel like it was a case of "5 minutes left! Oh no!!!" *10 minutes later* "Only a minute left!!!"

Flood?! But they're just a rip-off of the Headcrabs from Half-Life! Why didn't you make it a Half-Life crossover, like I suggested?! WHY?!

I'm still going to read it, though.

Actually, I think you'll find that Halo was around before Half-Life, therefore making headcrabs a rip-off of Flood.

I dunno...to be honest, this is becoming a little bit too much of a crossover for me, but it's still interesting. 83

And I regret to inform you, but Half-Life came out 3 years BEFORE Halo.

Zay-el wrote:And I regret to inform you, but Half-Life came out 3 years BEFORE Halo.

Indeed. As punishment, Lachimax must now cross this fic over with Half-Life AS WELL as Rayman, Halo, Alien and Sonic.

Ah. Yes. I see. Well. If that's how it's going to be...
Sorry about that, everyone. It was a simple mistake on my part.
Sonic and Rayman are the major franchises at work in this fanfic, but by the end there will be a hint of several other games. Alien and Halo have only played minor parts, while Sonic and Rayman are the major players. I'm certainly not afraid to cross Rayman with any other franchise that comes to my mind, as you have noticed. I find it makes it more interesting. Maybe that says something about my lack of talent as a writer, that I need other franchises to make it interesting. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

You have to do something with Predator. The one that Razorbeard killed in AVR was resurrected by Rayman along with all the other good guys, wasn't he?

I wasn't planning to use him, but I suppose I could fit him in somewhere.

Before I begin the next chapter, I’d just like to summarise what is going on at the moment:
Eggman and Mr. Dark have the red Chaos Emerald, having taken it from Shadow, as well as all four of the Masks of Polokus, which they are using to power the Eclipse Cannon onboard the Space Colony Ark. Eggman is threatening to fire the Eclipse Cannon upon the Fairy Council if Sonic, Shadow and Raylina do not bring him the Emeralds they have.
The two Hegehogs and Raylina have the yellow and purple Emeralds, having lost the green Emerald to Dark Rayman. Dark Rayman is using the green Chaos Emerald to build an army of Black Lums to help him find the rest of the Emeralds.
The Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad is on its way to the Fairy Council to warn them of the threat from Eggman and the impending attack from the Black Lums, having previously rescued Raylina, Sonic and Shadow from the Marshes of Awakening. (I forgot to mention this in the actual story, but they came to the Marshes because Foilarak, their Moskito scout member, saw Raylina entering the Cave of Bad Dreams and phoned it in to Lachimax.)
Rayman now has the blue Emerald, and is looking for more.
The two remaining Chaos Emeralds are the white and the cyan.

Chapter 12: War and Water

Whale Bay

Raylina felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She keeled over, weakened, to be caught in surprise by Sonic.
“Wha...”
Shadow’s upper lip curled.
“You followed us,” he said in an angry near-whisper.
“Shadow, calm down,” said Sonic. “It doesn’t matter. She can help!”
Shadow’s eyes narrowed, and he turned away.
“Fine,” he said, undercurrents of anger obvious in his voice. “But don’t expect me to like it,” he said as he walked away.
Sonic leaned over Raylina, collapsed in his arms. She breathed heavily. “Wha... Why am I like this?”
“It’s because you just warped with Chaos Control for the first time,” he said knowingly. “I was the same the first time I did it. It drains you of energy. Don’t worry; it’ll be better next time. The same thing happened to me when I first used Chaos Control. And I had to fight Shadow almost straight afterwards!” he said with a grin at the memory. “Good times,”
Raylina got shakily to her feet. “Where are we?”
They were standing on a long, white, sandy beach. The waves of the ocean lapped against their feet, and the soft calls of seagulls floated on the breeze. The sun was setting on the horizon, bathing the beach in beautiful orange light.
At either end of the beach were large, blue stone outcroppings, blocking access from those directions. Behind them, past the sand, was an old, wooden, Robo-Pirate structure, built in the particular style of the rapacious automatons. It had to have been at least twenty years old.
A few hundred metres along the beach was a pier, to which was roped a magnificent tallship, clearly not of Pirate make. It was painted gold, and looked as though it might have been built by Teensies.
“I can feel another Emerald,” said Sonic, sniffing the air. “But it’s weird... I can’t tell whether it’s near or far, high or low,”
Raylina frowned. Sonic gestured after Shadow’s retreating back. “Let’s catch up with him,”
They jogged after the black hedgehog, Sonic deliberately slowing for Raylina.
Just as they caught up to him, Shadow balled his gloved hands into fists. “Where’s that damn FOURTH Chaos Emerald!” he yelled, shouting to the wind. “This cursed place is messing with my senses! I hate THIS WORLD!”
He cast a Chaos Spear from his hand in anger, blasting a nearby rock into rubble.
“Gee, buddy, calm down,” said Sonic, stepping forward and lifting a hand to place on Shadow’s shoulder.
Shadow turned to him, a look of intense dislike in his eyes. “Don’t... call... me... BUDDY!”
A sudden pulse in the air threw Sonic backwards, landing on his back in the sand. Raylina watched in horror as Shadow began a tirade.
“I have had enough of your crap, faker! I don’t need your help, and you don’t need mine. I’d be better off finding the Chaos Emeralds on my own!”
“You don’t mean that...” began Sonic, climbing to his feet.
“Don’t I? DON’T I!? We’ll see how sincere I am when I bring the other five Chaos Emeralds back to Mobius by MYSELF, including the one SHE lost!”
“Leave her out of this!” said Sonic defensively.
“I’ll bring whoever I want into this!” yelled the dark Mobian, the golden cuffs on his wrist glowing with power. “I’m going to fight Dark Rayman myself,” he said finally, drawing the yellow Chaos Emerald.
“Chaos...”
“No, Shadow!” screamed Raylina.
“CONTROL!”
He was gone.

The Swamps

The Black Lums built their army from the ground up in a matter of hours.
They built armour for themselves from the metal deposits beneath the Bayou. They constructed vehicles and artillery, both airborne and ground-based. They felled many of the giant trees to build their bases.
Their first objective was to shift their base of operations to the Summit Beyond the Clouds, where the original army led by Andre had constructed their centre of power. There they used what was left from the first exploded base to build their own.
The Black Lums that had been created by Andre had been mere shadows of the true Black Lums, made with what meagre power he possessed. These were proper, true Black Lums, converted using a Chaos Emerald. They were intelligent, strong, and powerful. And ready to fight.
But they could not invade uncontested. As well as the many and varied species of the Crossroads, Eggman’s army of robots was mobilised to counter the Dark Lums almost as soon as they were created. Now, a three-way war was beginning to rage, between Eggman and his army of robots, Dark Rayman and the Black Lums, and the forces of the Fairy Council.

The Fairy Council

The CODEFS warship came to a landing on the large lawn outside the Council, just after the sun had set. Its sail billowed in the wind, its boosters humming down.
Lachimax vaulted over the railing, spear in hand, and landed crouched on the lawn. He rose to see Betilla and the Grand Minimus emerge from the Fairy Council, ready to meet him. He walked to them, preparing himself to be the deliverer of bad news.
“What news bring you, leader of the Fighting Squad?” squeaked the Grand Minimus.
“Some of grave importance, I am afraid,” he said. “The Black Lums have returned,”
The Grand Minimus looked shocked, but Betilla nodded. I had sensed it was so, she said, unattached hands floating by her side.
“They are led by Dark Rayman. But there is more. Doctor Eggman has brought a superweapon into orbit around this planet, and is threatening to destroy your Council with it in less than two days,”
“Then we must evacuate!” said the Grand Minimus.
Yes, said Betilla. But we cannot remove the Heart of the World. We must trust in the Heroes to save us. But in the mean time, begin the evacuation process,
“What news of Raylina?” asked the Teensie lord.
“We encountered her and her Hedgehog friends in the Marshes of Awakening, just before they were destroyed. They currently have two Emeralds. They say that Eggman has another, and Dark Rayman may now have one,”
“What about Rayman?”
Lachimax bowed his head. “We have no news of him,”
Betilla looked troubled.
“We must move to counter the Black Lums!” said the Minimus.
“My squad is now and ever in your hands. We will fight for you, as we always have,” said Lachimax.
Betilla nodded. Go forth and do what damage you may. But try not to do anything to risky. If the Heroes cannot save us, then we are doomed,
These words chilled Lachimax, but he turned back to the warship and jogged towards it.

Whale Bay

“Ah, Shadow,” sighed Sonic. “That hedgehog will be the death of me,”
“It’s my fault!” sobbed Raylina. “He left because of me!”
“Don’t worry about him,” said Sonic. “He’s the Ultimate Lifeform. I’m sure he can take care of himself,”
Raylina nodded reluctantly, sniffing.
“Now, where is that damn fourth Chaos Emerald?”
“Maybe... maybe we should search inside that fort,” she said, pointing at the abandoned Pirate structure.
“Maybe we should,” agreed Sonic.

So they searched the abandoned fortress. Entrance was easy, as the wooden parts of the gates had rotted long ago. The Pirates’ tendency to build everything from wood certainly proved useful at times. They split up and looked through the many rooms, finding everything from deactivated Robo-Pirates to tanks of water containing Piranhas. But no Chaos Emerald.
Raylina did, however, discover a tunnel that led underground and into the water, seemingly connected to an entire network of underwater caves. She showed Sonic, and he agreed that the next Emerald could well be somewhere in the depths.
He winced as he considered this. “We won’t be able to get it, then,”
Raylina’s brow creased in puzzlement. “Why not?”
“Um... well... this is embarrassing...”
“Come on, what is it?”
“I can’t... exactly... swim,”
Raylina had to struggle not to burst out laughing.
Sonic kicked at the ground. “Yeah, okay,”
Raylina had learned to swim from an early age, instructed by her father and his friend, Murfy. She had learnt the use of air bubbles and Blue Lums to extend her time in the water, and the dangers of what lurked in the deep. She was astounded that such a renowned hero as Sonic was unable to swim.
With a Herculean effort, she swallowed her laughter to say: “Well, that doesn’t really matter. I can swim well. I’ll get it,”
Despite Sonic’s unreasonable, and, in her opinion, highly sexist protests, she was determined to attempt to fetch the Emerald from the depths of the caves, and his objections only strengthened her resolve.
Finally, he agreed, but on one condition. “Take the Emerald we have with you,” he said, drawing the purple Chaos Emerald from who knows where. “You might need it down there,”
He eyed the shimmering water with obvious distrust.
Raylina nodded, taking the Emerald. “I’ll come back with two of these,” she said.
“Be careful down there,” Sonic warned.
Raylina turned her head to him, the corner of her mouth raised in a smile, and winked. “No worries,”
Then she leapt into the air, hands, head, body and feet forming a graceful ark as she dived with barely a splash into the depths of Whale Bay.

Iron Mountains

The inevitable first clash between the forces of Eggman and the Dark Rayman’s Hoodlum army came soon, and came hard.
The Egg Carrier, Eggman’s flagship, ventured into the mountains in search of Chaos Emeralds, following the signal of Dark Rayman’s green gem. The Carrier encountered a sizeable Hoodlum patrol, equipped with balloon ships and helicopter-like gunships. Although the Hoodlum flight technology was relatively primitive, their weapons proved highly effective against the Egg Pawns that manned Eggman’s master ship.
And, while Eggman commanded his machines from the safety of the Ark, viewing the battle live through a console screen that floated through the battle wherever he piloted it, Dark Rayman arrived at the battle in the flesh. Or whatever he was made of.
And, of course, having locked on to Dark Rayman’s metaphysical ‘scent’ through Chaos Control, Shadow the Hedgehog was next to appear.

The battle was in full swing by the time Shadow arrived in the flash of blue that heralded the appearance of a Chaos Control user. He appeared within the Egg Carrier, which was at the centre of the battle, firing lasers and banks of missiles at hovering Hoodlum vehicles. Flying Hoodlum soldiers boarded the cruiser by any means possible, armed with automatic laser cannons. These new Hoodlums wore black armour over their cloth costumes, and carried forbidding weapons. They were quite different from the army that followed Andre all those years ago, but they still wore the trademark wide-brimmed hats.
Two Egg Pawns turned their weapons on Shadow as he appeared. He disappeared again, reappearing behind them, and struck them down with little effort. He turned behind him to see a ten-strong rifle-toting Hoodlum boarding party begin to take aim at him down a long hallway. He ran straight at them, dodging, and began to slide along on his hover skates, building up to high speeds. Energy bolts fired by the Hoodlum rifles glanced off the walls as he rolled under them, leaping off walls and curling into a ball to spin forwards, then uncurling once again and running for two seconds along the wall itself. The Hoodlums couldn’t get a good shot. Shadow pushed off the wall at them, still travelling at speed, and took out one Hoodlum, slamming it into the ground. He twisted the rifle from its cloth fingers, firing it into another Hoodlum’s chest as he span back to his feet. The eight remaining Lums tried to bring their weapons to bear, but the hedgehog was too quick, taking one in the head with a homing attack. He leapt into the air to hover for a moment with his skates, taking three more Hoodlums down with shots to the chest, then performed two more homing attacks to leave on Hoodlum standing. He came in close, slamming the butt of his rifle into the Hoodlum’s scarecrow face. Its cloth body collapsed on itself, and the Black Lum within struggled free.
Shadow seized the Dark Lum in his gloved hand, holding it up. It flapped its tiny wings vainly, evil red eyes searching for an escape. Shadow examined it for a moment, Hoodlum rifle held in the other hand, and then tossed it aside.
Nine more of the Lums flew away from their destroyed bodies, seeking to return to their master. Shadow watched as they flew down the corridor. Then he took as much ammunition as he could salvage from the desiccated Hoodlums, reloaded his rifle, and began his search for Dark Rayman.

Whale Bay

Raylina swam downwards, the grey stone of the underwater tunnel surrounding her. She drew strength from the Chaos Emerald, diving ever deeper through the crystal-clear water. She was running out of air already. Would she have to turn back so soon? Just as she was preparing to do just that, she spotted an air pocket above her. She swam straight towards it, breaking the surface and breathing in stale oxygen. She looked around, the Emerald illuminating the dim cave she found herself in. She clambered out of the water onto the rocky floor, and turned towards a tunnel which led deeper.
She followed the tunnel, sometimes having to swim under the water, sometimes walking. The salty smell of the ocean followed her everywhere. Clusters of seaweed and coral grew in the shadows, heavens knew how without any light. She travelled deeper and deeper into the tunnel network, following her instincts, until finally she emerged into a large cavern. Most of it was submerged, with a veritable forest of seaweed beckoning to her. She treaded water, as there was no surface for her to stand on. The cavern extended deep underwater, and was large enough to house...
A whale.
She started in surprise as a dark purple hump broke the surface, a jet of water spraying from the blowhole on its back with a snort. A great, Y-shaped tail followed, and then the whale dived again. Raylina smiled, half in joy, half in fear. She had never seen a whale so close before, but she did not know of its intentions. This cavern must have a big tunnel leading directly to the ocean.
The whale swam back around beneath her. She watched in awe as the graceful being rose again, floating just below her. It gazed at her with one wise eye.
Then it spoke.
Welcome, Raylina, the whale said. Raylina nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected mind contact. Do not be afraid. I mean you no harm. I am Carmen. I met your father, many years ago.
Raylina replied tentatively: Do you live here?
Carmen sighed mentally, the memories of the past swimming through her eyes. For the moment. I tend to roam wherever my whims take me, through the infinite waves of the sea,
Alone? Raylina asked.
The whale closed its eyes, still remaining just below the surface. Yes. There were once more, many more. But I am the last of my kind. I have swum alone for over twenty years now. There are other whales, certainly, but not of my kind. My species is all but extinct.
What happened?
The metal ones came. They imprisoned my race, killing us one by one and melting our blubber down to power their lights. A great bitterness filled her voice. I was the only one left when Rayman came to this cove. He destroyed the metal ones here, and released me back into the sea. I rewarded him by leading him to where he needed to go.
Sadness welled up inside Raylina, sadness for this great, wise creature who was doomed to live her life in isolation. The two females floated there for a minute, filled with melancholy. Finally, Carmen spoke. I know what you seek here.
Raylina perked up. Really? Have you seen it
Felt it, yes. It lies further on. It arrived three days ago, and radiates great energy. It scares away the fish who dwell here. You would do well to remove it for me,
I shall, Carmen, Raylina promised.
Then take hold, Carmen said, presenting her tail to the Ray. And we shall go to it
Raylina took a deep breath, and grabbed onto the tail.

Egg Carrier, The Iron Mountains

Shadow moved through the battle like a storm, destroying robots and Hoodlums alike who got in his way. Sometimes he wielded the energy rifles of the Hoodlums; sometimes the laser guns of the Egg Pawns; sometimes both at once; and sometimes nothing but his own fists.
Just after he had finished destroying a squad of Pawns, a floating monitor showing Eggman’s image hovered into view. “Shadow!” it spoke. “What are you doing here?”
Shadow was reloading the weapons he held in each hand. “Looking for my Chaos Emerald, Doctor,”
Eggman considered this. “While you’re here, would you mind helping me destroy these pests? They are proving...”
An explosion rocked the ship, and sirens sounded in the corridors.
...annoying.”
Shadow turned his back on the Doctor’s monitor, walking away. “Sorry, Doctor, but I am not here to help you,”
“But...”
Shadow pointed his Egg Pawn gun backwards over his shoulder and pulled the trigger, blasting the monitor into scrap. It crashed to the floor, glass splinters sliding across the ground. Shadow didn’t break stride.
He found his way to a hole in the side of the ship, where a missile had blown the fuselage open. He gazed upon the chaos outside. Eggman’s smaller craft flew among the Hoodlum balloon ships and choppers, attempting to shoot them down, while the balloon ships dropped squads of Hoodlums into the Egg Carrier, where they tried to storm the ship. Shadow spotted Dark Rayman onboard one of the balloon ships, protecting it with the use of his Emerald. He did not appear to be leading it to the Carrier, but was using it to destroy flying Egg Pawns.
The battle had moved over an old Robo-Pirate facility, a prison which once held several Baby Globoxes. Shadow scanned it intently, looking for something he could use to get to Dark Rayman.
He found it.

Whale Bay

Raylina held on for dear life as Carmen swam deeper and deeper into the caves. Whenever her lungs grew tight, the great whale released an air bubble from her blowhole for Raylina to breathe in as they travelled. All sorts of underwater creatures flashed past as they swept through the tunnels: fish, octopi, squid, crabs. Raylina could have sworn she saw a shark five times as long as she was tall swimming past in the other direction.
Finally, they reached a point where Carmen could go no further, as the tunnel narrowed to the point that the whale could not fit. You must go on alone from here the whale informed Raylina. The great power is just beyond. Fear not, there are air bubbles in abundance in there for you to swallow,
Raylina nodded. Thank you, Carmen. If you like, I will come here to visit you again,
Carmen paused for a moment, then spoke. Thank you, great heroine. I would be most grateful for some company. Whales such as myself live for as long as a hundred years, and I have many long weeks alone with my sorrow ahead of me,
Raylina thanked Carmen again, and then swam forwards into the ever-narrowing tunnel. She felt a shift in the waters as Carmen turned around and left.
She was on her own.
She rose up beyond the tunnel into a larger cave filled with water. As Carmen had promised, air bubbles rose in their dozens from cracks in the floor. Raylina spotted the cyan Chaos Emerald almost straight away, hovering mysteriously in the centre of the cavern. She swam towards it, smiling in triumph...
Boom.
The cave shuddered. Raylina stopped in surprise, looking around.
BOOM.
Fragments of stone fell from the ceiling, drifting towards the cave floor.
BOOM!
With a great rush of water, a large section of the cave wall imploded, collapsing in slow-motion through the water. Raylina swam backwards quickly, out of the path of the falling boulders.
Out of the new gaping hole emerged a hulking, three-legged robot climbed into the cave. Its head looked like a huge, metal pumpkin, with three very long, spindly legs coming from the bottom. A man-shaped energy cannon resided in its mouth, and two robotic fish floated around its head.
(This thing was actually a boss in Rayman 3, in the underwater part of the Land of the Livid Dead)
A Hoodlum pilot spotted Raylina from behind the machine’s eye, and turned the energy cannon towards Raylina. Her eyes widened, and she moved aside just as a yellow beam crashed into the wall behind her. The two fish turned towards her, each firing a seeking torpedo from its mouth.
It was on.

The Iron Mountains

Shadow waited until the Egg Carrier was directly above the flat patch on the mountain, and then backed up a few metres. He ran forwards, diving gracefully out of the hole in the Carrier. He spread his arms wide, falling through the air like a parachutist. He closed his eyes as the air rushed past his face, roaring in his ears. The hedgehog fell several hundred metres, extended on hand forwards...
And grabbed a pole protruding from the Pirate facility. The sudden stop, which would have ripped any lesser creature’s arm clean off, barely even jarred him. He swung off the pipe, hitting the ground at speed. He skated across the ground, as a turret on the Egg Carrier locked onto him. It fired a barrage of bullets at the hedgehog, but Shadow was too quick, staying just ahead of the turret’s line of fire. He got under cover, sliding to a halt as the turret bombarded the prison.

Eggman was watching through the eyes of the turret, trying to gun down Shadow. When the hedgehog disappeared into the sprawling Pirate prison, he swore. “What’s that damned hedgehog up to?”
He watched, keeping the turret trained on the prison. While he was watching the building intently, he missed the vehicle outside begin to move.
It was about the same height as a Grolgoth, but was vastly different. It took the shape of a bow-legged, chicken-like robot. The cockpit was inside the head, which hung just below the top of the legs. Its legs were the only extensions of the head; it had no weaponry or instruments. It had been created twenty years ago by the Robo-Pirates for mountain travel, and Rayman had once had to get around it. (In Rayman 2. It appeared in the level the Iron Mountains, where it bounced rocks and stuff up every time it jumped. For any Metal Gear fans, it looks kind of like a Metal Gear Rex.)
The machine shook its legs, going through warm-up routines. It stepped forwards, directed by the driver within.

Shadow the Hedgehog had experience with driving all sorts of vehicles. Tanks, motorcycles, G.U.N. mechs, all things he had driven in his day. He had seen the empty Jumper idling by the prison, and had decided to use it.
Shadow tested the controls, directing the Jumper forwards. It stepped across the uneven ground, feet automatically adapting to the terrain. He pressed a button, and it jumped a couple of metres into the air. It hit the ground, and some loose rocks nearby shot upwards.
Shadow bared his teeth, revealing the two pointed fangs in the top of his mouth. “I like this thing,”
The Jumper leapt into the air, propelled by its powerful legs. It sailed through the sky with awesome grace, and hit a cliff, pushing off that with its feet. Under Shadow’s control, it shot through the air and landed cleanly on top of the Egg Carrier, scraping the paint off as it slid to a stop.
In the meantime, the battle was still raging. Eggman’s troops were almost all destroyed, while Hoodlums were continually pouring in. The Egg Carrier was being forced to pull out. Shadow directed the Jumper to get off the Carrier just as it blasted away at full speed.
The Hoodlums quickly polished off the remaining Egg Pawns, and began to leave. Shadow was left in the Jumper on top of a cliff. He watched the surviving Hoodlum balloon ships and chopper gunships fly away, Dark Rayman and the green Emerald among them.
Shadow wiped his forehead, and then began to leap after them.

Carmen - Sanctuary by Utada Hikaru http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwdEGgvpvx4

This song is the main theme of Kingdom Hearts 2

Whoops.

What?

I bumped it. Heh. Did you read the chapter?

Of course, I always do.

What did you think?

Good, as always. I just get sick of saying it all the time.

Haha, very good. Feel free to not comment.

Chapter 13: Defiance

Space Colony ARK

Eggman was furious at the loss of the battle. He was thoughtless with rage, and could not be comforted. Such was his anger at these upstarts who had thought to defeat him, that he decided to order a strike with the Eclipse Cannon upon the Summit Beyond the Clouds.
Waiting until the Ark was aligned properly, he punched in the appropriate codes, cranked the power up to half, and pressed the fire button.
The control room hummed as the Cannon charged, preparing to fire...
And then stopped.
“Insufficient energy source inserted,” stated the computer.
Eggman frowned, looking up at the slots which had once held all seven Chaos Emeralds, and now were the homes of the four Masks of Polokus.
The Masks were missing.
He cursed his foolishness at not checking first, and then turned to order a search for them, only to see Mr. Dark standing before him, Masks revolving around a point above his outstretched hand. The grinning, green-blue Water mask. The squared, serious-looking Stone mask. The anguished, green-eyed Fire mask. The orange, satisfied Air mask.

Such power was contained in these artefacts. The four Masks together possessed equal power, and rather similar properties, to the seven Chaos Emeralds together.
“Looking for these?” the sorcerer asked, face, as always, cloaked in shadows by his broad-rimmed hat.
Eggman reached for them. “Yes! Why did you remove them? I must use them at once!”
Mr. Dark closed his hand, and the Masks vanished. “No.”
Eggman turned red with rage. “You dare defy my wishes!? I am Doctor Ivo Robotnik! I need those Masks to destroy my enemies and take my rightful place as ruler of...”
Dark drew himself to his full height, which was almost as tall as Eggman. “Do not give me orders, scientist. I am not some paltry slave who you can command as you wish. I have seen power you would never even dream of. I do not bow to the wishes of fat, over-ambitious doctors who do not know their place!”
Eggman opened his mouth to retaliate, but Dark cut him off. “The Cannon must not be used without thought. You cannot fire upon this planet without due thought and consideration. If you destroyed the Summit Beyond the clouds, millions of tonnes of ice and water would be instantly turned to vapour, drastically affecting the Crossroads’ climate. You have already created an imbalance with your ill-thought destruction of the Marshes of Awakening. If you worsen it further with your petty whims for vengeance, there is no telling how the Crossroads will be affected.”
“What do I care?” spat Eggman. “I have no interest in this world. It can go to hell for all I care,”
“You may not,” Dark said. “But I do. I will not stand here and allow you to destroy it,”
Eggman sputtered with rage. “You...you...”
Dark turned to leave. “You may have the Masks only when I allow it, Robotnik,”
He left the Doctor standing there, face red, unable to speak.

Eggman saw the world through the eyes of a scientist. To him, everything was numbers and figures, merely a collection of atoms and sub-atomic particles. The universe had no great purpose, no meaning, no fate.
Mr. Dark, however, was a sorcerer, a powerful magician. He could see past these trivialities. Certainly, he understood the science of the universe, but he could also see the great powers which pushed things into motion. He understood the grand schemes of the Gods and the Ancients, and he understood that life was more than complete chance. The universe had a purpose, of that he was certain. And he would unlock that purpose.

Whale Bay

Sonic paced back and forth in the chamber that contained the entrance to the underground tunnel system, anxious for the female Ray’s safety. She was really no more than a child, and he was very worried about what was happening down there.
Then he reminded himself that he, too, was no more than a child. They were around the same age, mentally and physically. But the difference here was experience. Sonic had fought Eggman on countless occasions, saving Mobius from his ravages and the ravages of other evils. Raylina, however, had lived a comfortable life separate from the evils of the universe. Born of a fairy and a limbless being, she had the power to change worlds. She just had no idea how to wield it.
Sonic was awoken from his reverie by the sounds of a landing coming from outside. He could hear the slightly ridiculous voices of the Hoodlums, babbling in their strange language. Sonic shook his head. Looked like he would have to do some fighting as well. He trotted out of the facility to see a swarm of Hoodlums landing from their balloon craft, covered by the helicopter gunships. He was just in time to see a monstrous, three legged contraption disappear into the waves, searching for a way into the tunnels.
The Hoodlums spotted him standing in the doorway. They ran towards him, shouting and gesturing with their rifles.
Sonic grinned. “Time to run,”

The three-legged robot took aim once again at Raylina, preparing to unleash its missiles and laser cannon upon her. It fired its laser, sweeping it from left to right. Raylina dodged by flipping backwards over it, again and again. Then the laser stopped, and the hovering metal fish fired a torpedo after her. A gun shaped like the torso of a man appeared in the robot’s mouth, firing rapid bolts of energy from its arms in Raylina’s direction. It was slow to turn, and she was able to dodge them without undue difficulty. This machine’s weakness was its sluggish speed, Raylina realised. She swam towards the open mouth of the robot, torpedo trailing behind her. When she was close enough, she performed an underwater backflip so that she was now behind the missile. With this sudden loss of target, the torpedo locked onto the gun inside the robot’s mouth. It thudded into it, exploding and damaging the gun quite badly. One of its arms was unable to fire. The cannon retracted into the robot’s mouth, and the other energy cannon fired another beam. Raylina avoided it, swallowing air bubbles when she could, and waited until the mouth opened again. When it did, she swam forwards into it. The man-cannon searched for her, but could not find her as she was behind it. She smiled slightly, closing her fist. It glowed with blue energy as she punched a hole straight through the cannon’s chest. It sparked and collapsed, unable to fire again.
Raylina kicked out just as the mouth closed again, and turned to face the machine. She swam upwards so that she was level with the cockpit, where she could see a single Hoodlum looking at her, mouth open in awe. Another torpedo was launched towards her, and she dodged once again, allowing the missile to thud with a crunch into the robot’s eye, where the Hoodlum was piloting it. The glass held. Just.
Raylina floated backwards, kicking to stay level with the machine, and held her hands behind her. A blue ball of energy appeared between her hands, growing until it was a sphere as large as her body. Electricity crackled across its surface, casting a blue light across her body. She released the sphere, and it travelled through the water, speeding towards the cockpit. The weakened glass collapsed, and the loss of pressure had catastrophic effect. The entire pumpkin-shaped head of the machine crumpled like paper, collapsing inwards. Bubbles rushed out of every edifice, streaming upwards. The thing’s body collapsed to the cave’s floor, landing with a thud.
A single Black Lum struggled free of the wreckage, bedraggled and stunned. It attempted to swim away using its tiny wings, with not a lot of success. Raylina was not worried for its sake. Lums could not die.
Raylina swam downwards to the robot’s wreckage, spotting the Emerald amongst the scrap metal. She held it aloof. Her words muffled by the water, she uttered “Chaos Control!”
In a flash of blue, she was gone.

Sonic ran at full speed toward the Hoodlums down the beach, dodging their rifle shots without difficulty. His shoes threw up clouds of sand where they met the ground. Within second he was close enough to attack. He leapt high into the air, his body curving into a ball, and shot straight at the foremost Hoodlum. It collapsed in a pile of cloth, and he hit the ground still in a ball, spinning at speed through the Hoodlums. They fell like grass before a mower as he carved a path through them. He bounced off the ground again, homing in on a small, hovering Hoodlum, held in the air by its heli-pack. From it, he launched upwards to a balloon ship, which was trying to take off. He uncurled, grabbing the ropes which attached the balloon to the boat-like platform which constituted the balloon ship. He spun around them once, launching himself feet-first towards the balloon. His momentum carried him straight through the balloon, leaving two large punctures on either side. He sailed through the air as the balloon ship crashed to the ground, taking out ten Hoodlums. Sonic shot upwards, managing to grab a protruding piece of wood in the bottom of a helicopter gunship. He used that to swing upwards, breaking through the bottom and into the cockpit. The pilot turned around just in time to be launched through the windscreen by a homing attack from Sonic. The hedgehog went through the glass with it, uncurling once again and landing crouched in the sand.
A hulking Hoodlum wearing a large chestplate thudded towards him. It carried a cannon on its shoulder, operated by a pull-chain which dangled near its hand. The Heckler aimed its gun directly at Sonic and pulled the chain several times. Sonic jumped just as the energy thudded into the sand beneath him, fusing it into glass. He homing attacked the Heckler, but bounced of its impervious armour. The Heckler cackled in delight, grabbing Sonic by the neck. It peered at him with its scarecrow eyes as Sonic struggled futilely.

Raylina appeared on the beach to see Sonic crash out of the helicopter gunship. She looked around frantically. Her eyes fell upon a red tin can lying in the sand, a round, Hoodlum face printed on the label. It had been thrown clear of the helicopter when it crashed.
“Laser Washing Powder...” she read, eyebrow raised.
She broke it open, and the powder within burst forth.

“Hey, potatoface!”
The Heckler turned towards the new noise. Sonic looked around, struggling in the Heckler’s grip, and smiled in surprise.
There stood Raylina. Her clothes had been turned red, her hair blue. The gloves on her hands were encased in red steel, with spikes protruding from them. One of her fists was spinning around in a circle, charging its power. “Drop that hedgehog,” she said.
The Heckler obliged, tossing Sonic to the sand. Raylina ran at it, unleashing her completely charged Heavy Metal Fist. It hit the Heckler’s armour with outstanding force, launching its chestplate high into the air. It looked downwards in shock as Raylina pounded the soft cloth beneath, until the chestplate, attracted by the Heckler’s magnetism, landed back on the Hoodlum. It fired its cannon again, missing Raylina by inches. Sonic leapt back into action, climbing up the Heckler’s back and grabbing the cannon. He ripped it off, tossing it aside, leaving Raylina free to once again remove the Hoodlum’s chestplate and pound the living daylights out of it. Just as the chestplate was about to re-land, Sonic launched himself at the Heckler’s body, finishing it off with a final spinning blow.
The shock troop fell to the ground, fabric collapsing into a pile.
Raylina’s clothes returned to normal, the Washing Powder’s effect having worn off. Two helicopter gunships were bearing down on them, and the rest of the Hoodlums were regrouping to come after them.
Sonic grinned at the Ray. “Shall we?”
Raylina climbed into his arms, and he ran.

Summit Beyond the Clouds

Rayman stepped out into the snow, feet sinking into the icy substance. Rayden had shown him how to use the Emerald to transport oneself, although how Rayden himself knew was beyond Rayman.
The limbless being smiled, memories returning to him. Ah yes, this very spot was where he had landed with Globox all those years ago. Back then, the Hoodlums had been a disorganised rabble with little leadership. Now, however, they were directed by Dark Rayman, and were a far larger threat. Especially if Rayman’s shadowy counterpart managed to lay his hands on more Emeralds.
Rayman began the long journey to the mountain peak, where he would be able to enter the Hoodlums’ Headquarters.

Shadow’s Jumper landed with a heavy thud on the escarpment. He gazed upon the icy reaches of the mountain. He saw a lot of Hoodlum activity near the peak. Well, it looked as though that was where he had to go. Dark Rayman was soon going to discover why Shadow the Hedgehog was known throughout Mobius as the Ultimate Lifeform.