Okay sorry for the chapterspam, but since the whole story is actually finished I can upload the whole thing xD PREPARE YOURSELVES.

Also I screwed up on ways-out-of-an-area again OTL

But Waka must have at least ATTEMPTED to get the Serpant Crystal before he steals it from us, right? He ain't that lazy.

... Okay maybe he is.

And congratulations, if you read the whole chapter you now know how to say "peace of cake" in French.

Au revoir!

The rocky cliff face of the mountain loomed ahead of Kal, blocking out the sunlight where she was stood at the base. She could just about see the sails of the windmill from here, outlined in the low light. Sure enough, there was a tunnel at the end of the path. It was pitch black and foreboding, but she knew she had to go inside. Whether it was because the crystal Waka was looking for might be inside, or the fact that nothing this interesting ever happened to her, she wasn't sure.

Once inside the tunnel, it didn't seem so dark. It lead down to a small clearing, where daylight seeped through a few tiny gaps in the walls. There were two large pools of water lined with jagged rocks, only a thin passage separating them like a bridge. At the far side there was what looked like some kind of ancient door, yet a red evil-looking barrier blocked it off.

"I came all the way here and the darn place is blocked off?" Kal groaned in disbelief, standing and staring at the barrier, trying to think of a way through or to get rid of it. She'd spent far too much time and effort getting here for this to be a dead end.

"Why would you want to get in there? Surely you cannot be our saviour?"

"Huh?" Kal span around in shock, trying to see who had just spoken to her.

There was no one there.

Am I hearing things now? she wondered, narrowing her eyes and casting one more glance around before she turned back to watch the barrier once more. Perhaps it was because of the evil barricading the door…

"What is a canine doing here at the Gale Shrine?"

She definitely wasn't hearing things. Finally working out where the voice was coming from, Kal glanced above her and jumped back in surprise, just about managing to avoid falling into the water.

There was some kind of human spirit floating in the air; a man with a green patterned kimono and an unusual hat that resembled the windmill outside. His black hair was long at the sides and seemed to resemble dog ears.

"I…" Kal stuttered. This wasn't the first spirit she'd encountered, but it was still strange to think that someone dead had just spoken to her. Or that spirits were able to understand what she said, whether they could when they were alive or not. Swallowing, she started again. "I-I'm looking for something."

"You are an unusual dog, are you not?" the spirit commented curiously.

"I guess. I thought the wings kind of gave that away."

"You have wings? Then I am assuming you are a Tsubasa Inu?"

Kal blinked. He could tell she was a dog, but hadn't noticed the wings on her back? Usually that was the first thing people noticed.

The spirit seemed to detect her confusion. "Ah, you see, my eyes have failed me. I cannot see physically, but I can see you with my mind's eye. It seems that you would be too old for an ordinary dog, yet you are still young."

"Well… I suppose…" Kal muttered, still wary.

"My name is Yatsu. It has been a long time since anyone came this way. Guarding this shrine as little more than a spirit can get very lonely at times… anyway, you say you are looking for something, dog? May I ask what?"

"Something called the Serpent Crystal," Kal shrugged. "I was told it's somewhere in here."

"Then you were told correctly. But only the Satomi Power Orbs can grant access to the shrine, and the only one they shall grant access to is the one who shall defeat Crimson Helm."

"Crimson Helm?"

"My, you came here not knowing of the great beast that resides in these caves? You should turn back. It isn't safe here."

Kal was slightly taken aback. "I've fought demons before. I'll manage. Isn't there any other way in?"

Yatsu was silent for a moment. "Yes, there are other ways into the shrine, but this is the only entrance accessible to those who are not airborne. The demons inside are very powerful, however. Much more powerful than any outside."

"Nothing I can't handle," Kal protested defiantly. Besides, she was just looking for the Serpent Crystal. If she happened to flay some demon in the process then so be it.

"You have such a strong determination. Are you of any connection to the man who was here earlier?"

Her defiance vanished in an instant to be replaced with hope. "Man? Who was it?"

"I do not know who, but he was able to see me. I believe he was also looking for the Serpent Crystal."

Kal thought carefully for a moment. "Did he speak with an accent?"

Yatsu nodded.

That confirmed her thoughts. "Thanks!" she barked as she span around and raced back over to the tunnel.

"Do not underestimate the power of demons, young one," Yatsu called, just loud enough for her to hear before she vanished into the dark once more.

Kal circled the mountain twice before she eventually noticed a gap in the rocks halfway up that looked impossible to climb up to. She glided effortlessly over to it and landed just within the tunnel, glancing around.

It looked pretty similar to the one she had been in a moment ago; dark and gloomy, but because of the dimming light the sides were still visible and she could see where she was going. She recalled what Yatsu had said about there being a powerful demon in here. It didn't scare her, but she decided she'd better be on her guard.

Eyes and ears alert, she cautiously padded along the tunnel, trying to ignore the pebbles that dug into her paw pads. The floor wasn't as smooth as in the tunnel at ground level, probably because it was unlikely that such an inaccessible ground would have been walked on enough to have been worn down.

Suddenly the silence was broken by a loud monstrous roar from somewhere deeper inside the mountain. It made the ground shake and Kal flinched as she was showered with pebbles that fell from the roof of the tunnel. Though it wasn't as loud this time, she knew she'd heard that roar before.

"Okay, I'll be careful later," she muttered to herself, taking off at a run.

The tunnel rose and fell many times before she finally saw some orange light up ahead. That couldn't be right. She couldn't have emerged from the other side of the mountain already…

Then she skidded to a halt just in time to stop herself from falling down into a large cavern below.

And it was a good thing she did.

At first she thought the place was on fire, but as her eyes adjusted to the light she realised that the burning shapes were no ordinary flames. They looked like some kind of serpent heads that seemed to have risen out of the floor. There were a number of them as well. In fact, as she glanced around the cave, she counted eight…

An eight-headed serpent? This is Orochi!

It couldn't be. Orochi wasn't made of fire, and the last she heard he was in the Moon Cave. Was this some kind of fire copy of him?

She scanned the room again, realising that this inferno Orochi hadn't noticed her. Yet. At one end of the room there was some kind of altar which one of the heads was guarding so closely it looked like a miracle the wood hadn't yet burst into flames. On the altar was what looked like a berry, but it reflected the light more than any fruit could. That must be the Serpent Crystal.

On the opposite side another of the heads appeared to be blocking another tunnel, which looked like the only other way out. Kal narrowed her eyes. The rest of the heads were spread out around the cave, though they appeared to be mainly on the opposite side to her. Eventually her eyes adjusted completely to the bright light, and she could see that there was someone else in the cave as well.

Waka!

The fire Orochi was obviously trying to stop him from getting to the crystal. Quick as he was, Waka was easily avoiding all of the serpent's attacks, but it was making sure he didn't escape. It knew that he would tire eventually and it seemed willing to wait.

Right. She couldn't just stand here and watch. Time for action.

Kal jumped down into the cavern, leaping quickly from rock to rock till she reached the ground. Much quicker than flying down. As soon as she landed she took a deep breath - trying not to choke on the smoky smell and the dust that floated up from the ancient rocks - and let out an ear-splitting roar.

Wow. She hadn't expected that to be so loud. The noise echoed around the cave and in seconds all of the fire Orochi heads had turned to see what it was. Instinctively Kal lowered into a defensive position, a growl rising in her throat.

Taking advantage of the serpent's lack of attention, Waka swiftly jumped out of it's reach and floated up to the tunnel in the roof and somewhat safety.

Well, she'd distracted the fire Orochi. Her plan had worked. Unfortunately, she hadn't planned what she was going to do afterwards…

Oops.

One of the heads let out a loud roar, and Kal only just managed to jump out of the way in time as a massive fireball exploded against the wall behind her. There was no way she could fight against this thing without getting turned into roast meat. Had to escape quickly before she ended up cornered here.

As the fire Orochi let out another roar, she jumped into the air and spread her wings. Another fireball smashed into the ground below, and Kal flinched as she felt flames scorch her fur. But the wind from the fiery explosion carried her up slightly, and she hurriedly flapped her wings before she fell back down into the flames.

She dodged her way around more fireballs as she headed for the tunnel in the roof, the last one smashing against the rocks just below the entrance the second she disappeared inside. The orange glow slowly faded from the walls of the tunnel as Kal ran through it, finally coming to a halt when she was out of range of the monster's attacks - and out of breath. She stood breathing heavily for a moment before regaining her composure.

Then she realised with a start that Waka was standing in front of her.

"Merci," he smiled. "Although I would have got out of there in the end anyway, ma chérie."

Guess that's as good as a thanks as I'll get, Kal thought silently, though she didn't really mind. She padded over to him and took up a loyal position at his side, pressing her muzzle into the palm of his hand.

"I'm surprised you managed to find this place," Waka commented, quickly ruffling her ears before glancing back in the direction of the cave.

Kal followed his gaze, even though there was nothing to see as the cave wasn't in sight from here. She knew what he was thinking. The Serpent Crystal was still inside the cave, being guarded by the fire Orochi and whatever that Crimson Helm thing Yatsu had mentioned was. Why was he looking for it anyway? It hadn't seemed particularly special - although the demon had been pretty determined to stop him from getting it…

"I'm assuming you know about the Serpent Crystal?" he asked, as if reading her thoughts.

Kal nodded.

"Orochi has created a barrier across the entrance of the Moon Cave to stop anyone from getting in. With the Serpent Crystal I can dispel it."

So that was why the crystal was so important. No wonder Orochi didn't want anyone taking it.

Well, no point standing around here, Kal shrugged, stepping forwards.

"There isn't much point trying to retrieve it again," Waka continued, sitting on one of the large rocks at the side of the tunnel. "Amaterasu is on her way here to defeat Crimson Helm. There isn't much she and the little bug can use the crystal for, so we might as well take it once the coast is clear."

"Let them do all the work, eh?" Kal muttered, raising an eyebrow. She jumped onto one of the boulders, flicked off a few sharp pebbles and sat down to wait. "Why not."

Kal watched from the safety of the tunnel as Amaterasu fought against Crimson Helm, which turned out to be some kind of cow-type demon with Orochi's head. She defeated it easily - possibly something to do with the strange orbs that circled around her as if deflecting the monster's attacks. As the demon realised it was defeated, it backed away, summoning the fire Orochi heads. Then another person had arrived; a middle-aged man with a partially bald head, purple clothes, and a wooden sword. He hadn't looked much to start with, but he somehow managed to slice through all the fire Orochi's heads, and the flaming beast vanished. Kal was surprised his sword hadn't burnt to a crisp - or at least caught on fire. Then he'd pulled off some kind of whirlwind technique, slicing Crimson Helm to pieces. Looking partially angry and partially horrified, he'd muttered something she couldn't hear before running off. Strange.

"Wait here," Waka ordered quietly, jumping into the air and using the wings on his hat to float down to the altar where the Serpent Crystal was. Amaterasu and Issun didn't notice him until the wolf glanced around.

"Oh, am I interrupting something, ma chérie?"

A few minutes later Kal stepped back as Waka landed back in the tunnel, carrying the crystal. Even up close it still looked like a bunch of grapes.

"Morceau de gâteau," he said with a flourish, flicking one of the draping wings of his helmet. "I'm afraid I don't have enough time to fix your collar, so do you know the way to the Moon Cave?"

Kal let out a long sigh and nodded. Great. More travelling across the country.

"In that case, I shall meet you there," he waved. "Don't take too long."

Then he vanished in a cloud of sparks.

"Thanks," Kal muttered, turning and heading back along the tunnel in the direction of fresh air. Still, if he was going to use the Serpent Crystal to dispel the barrier at the Moon Cave, that meant Amaterasu would probably be heading over there too to fight Orochi. Kal quickened her pace. This was going to be interesting.