It should be noted that this is really the last chapter. There is a seventh one, but it's more just an epilogue clearing everything up. R&R
CHAPTER SIX: The Guardian Of Time"May the lums protect us" Pollukus cried as the creature rose above them.
"Actually we were really considering getting out" Sarrago said.
"I meant it in a spiritual way" Pollukus replied.
The three lums looked at him.
"Never mind" he replied.
The people where still running, Rayman's eyes where fixed on the monster that rose, high above the tallest building in sight, miles high, higher than anything our hero had seen before. His legs were bony, yet the bones where strong, his toes where crooked, but the corners where sharp. He towered over everything; his body spurted out from his waist, a massive six-pack that continued into huge muscles and sharp claws and the end. His scaly neck, then finally his face. His pointed nose, his deep, fiery red eyes, the eyes that stared down at all they could see, which was a lot, and struck fear in all. Made you want to run, hide, run to whatever was comfort, yet when you got there it didn't feel like comfort anymore because those eyes would still be with you, they'd suck you in, keep you locked in, make you fall, burn in the flames, sizzle to a pulp, die inside. If you once looked into the eyes of Barrig, guardian of the Emit Amulet.
Dark was still on his knees, staring up at Barrig, arms outstretched "I released you," he yelled, laughing, "I released you, with your power I will be unstoppable"
It then became clear that Barrig did not share that dream. He launched his foot towards Dark and the emperor only just dodged. Barrig advanced on Dark, his feet squashing the cars and benches he passed like a human accidentally squashes an ant. Dark had reached a building, he turned to run, but Barrig was oncoming, his body surrounding Dark on his own, there was no escape. Dark knelt down and pleaded for his life as Barrig prepared for the final blow to the man who saved him from his cell.
Meanwhile, Rayman had spotted the missing half of the Emit Amulet (the one Barrig had come from) lying in the centre of the square where it had landed. Hurriedly he jumped up and ran to it, Pollukus spotted what he was doing and shouted for him to stop but Rayman didn't hear the warning until too late. He snatched up the half, Barrig sensed it, and turned on him. Dark, realising he was saved, collapsed on the pavement. Barrig walked up to Rayman and stared down at him, Rayman looked back, then took one part of the Amulet in each hand and raised them above his head.
"Rayman get out of there!" Ly yelled.
As Barrig went to land his claw on the hero, Rayman joined the two pieces of the Amulet. A bolt of energy shot from the centre of the new-formed Amulet, where the two joined, and struck Barrig. Barrig staggered back, roared, and stormed off, leaving careless destruction in his wake.
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Murphy erupted.
"When the universes where created," the lums explained "the Emit Amulet was created to," they looked at Pollukus, Pollukus shook his head, they turned back to the others "to, erm, allow passage between them. But when they where, well, all connected… Barrig was born… erm, within the void between them"
"They're lying" Murphy whispered.
"Barrig became a danger to each world, travelling throughout them and destroying each one. So, we imprisoned him in the Emit Amulet, praying he would never be realised. Now that he has been, our only hope is to re-imprison him inside the Amulet"
On the Emit Amulet there were three buttons. A huge one, and two small ones, one above the big one (used to separate the two parts), and one below. Garento pointed to the small one below the big one "Find Barrig," he instructed "find Barrig and press that to re-imprison him, good luck hero"
"Thank you" Rayman replied, and hurried off in the direction Barrig had gone.
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The last remaining pirates had run out into the streets of London, only to be bombarded by a whole army of Hoodlums, resulting in a war across the city. Something you must know is that there weren't as many Hoodlums as everyone thought, there where only around two hundred at most. Thing was, they where much harder to kill than pirates as once they returned to Black Lum mode only about 1 ever actually got shot, so the pirates had hardly killed any over the years. There had, on the other hand, been thousands of pirates, and compared to how many there'd been at one point two hundred where very few, and that was about how many there where now, with no factories left to create any more.
So, London was now a battlefield with the two sides shooting at each other from all over the place and a huge monster stalking the city. To confuse matters more, the human army had shown up and seemed to be shooting at anything that moved, panic was everywhere with the now three sets of gunfire.
Globox, Murphy, Ly and the Freedom Five had become fugitives, with all three out to kill them. The human army had begun to evacuate stranded humans in helicopters, and at one point they tried to board. All that happened though was the human army pointing their guns at them and saying something that they could guess translated to "Back off". They then remembered that they where alien in this world, and for the very first time since coming here they felt lost. Alone. Hunted. They truly where a long way from home.
Barrig wasn't on anyone's side. He crashed through the city, destroying anything that got in his way whether it was pirate, hoodlum or human. He had been away too long, trapped within the Emit Amulet, and had forgotten most of his earlier life. He could remember searching for something, he wasn't sure what, but to find it he remembered destroying. Destroying was all he knew. So destroy he did. Within minutes of him leaving Rayman a good half of London was in ruins to his name, houses burnt, shops crumbled, towers collapsed, as the monster made his way through, not planning on stopping until everything lay in dust.
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Sarrago, Garento and Yupio meanwhile had hidden in a small alley near a makeshift base a group of hoodlums had set up.
"They'll be killed," Garento shouted, "by pirates, humans, or Barrig it doesn't matter, we have to help them"
"They betrayed me," Sarrago replied, referring to the incident in Paris "they tried to kill me, why should I help them?"
"The hoodlums tried to kill you in Paris," Yupio told him "we want to save the good lums that where turned into them, through their own fear"
A bullet flew at them and they only just dodged, a pirate stood on a roof over looking the alley. The three lums fled back out into the street, and came face to face with a blockade made up of about ten hoodlums.
"Come on Sarrago," Garento went on as the blockade advanced "you've been a black lum, we all have, you know they can't help what they do"
"I suppose" Sarrago replied.
"Come on, they're our friends, our off springs, our fellow lums we can't let them die" Yupio pleaded.
"Ok" Sarrago sighed, and the three lums shone with light energy. The light energy combined and shot into the hoodlums. Their costumes vanished, and so did their black fur. Where ten hoodlums once stood, ten red lums now sat.
The three that had rescued them panted, tired out after their work. It had taken the ultimate energy of the three of them to do that.
One of the newly restored red lums went to speak but suddenly the pirate that had been on the roof appeared behind their saviours.
"Perfect," he commented, "now stand there, wings up, this won't take a second"
He readied his gun, Sarrago, Yupio, and Garento had no energy to fight back. Just before the pirate could shoot however, the ten other lums where upon the pirate, their energy blasting into him, the robot creaked with pain.
Suddenly, Barrig appeared. His foot swung past, smashing the pirate into tiny bits carelessly. He hadn't even noticed. His feet hit Sarrago, Yupio and Garento in just one stomp, the others attempted to help but it was two late. The lums where gone. They just vanished into the cataclysm of the universes. Lost.
Barrig was gone as fast as he had arrived. The ten lums fled off in separate directions, not to escape, but to rescue their surviving brothers, to avenge the deaths of the three fallen. Well, not deaths as much. Lums didn't die; they just departed from their world…
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Rayman charged through the streets. He couldn't see Barrig, but the monster hadn't exactly been difficult to track. Wherever there was ruin, there had been Barrig.
Pirates, hoodlums and humans shot at him as he ran but he kept going. He couldn't waste time fighting them; he knew he had to catch Barrig before any of this could be healed. Cars on fire flew at him, the human civilians had now begun rioting which added to the confusion (and no doubt was born of it). London was on the high road to destruction, and Rayman could guess the rest of this world was if he didn't move. To add to his conscience, he somehow felt that if this world suffered so would his. He guessed his friends felt it too, what else kept him and them from fleeing to its safety?
His hero instincts had failed him; he didn't want to do this anymore. He wanted to be back at the fairy council, with Globox, Murphy and Ly, on a sunny day, sitting on the grass of a river bank. Hear the animals chattering to each other, feel the sunlight on the back of his head, feel safe and content. Here, safe was the last thing he could feel, all he felt inside was darkness, what he could remember of his past dwelling heavily on his mind, the pain, the torture, the darkness. What Dark had said, about it being Rayman's fault he had no face. Now here he was with complete human features. What was going on?
Who am I? What have I done? He cried in his thoughts as they overwhelmed him and he hit the ground of the city that was tearing itself apart around him.
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The ten lums swept throughout the city, seeking out the remaining hoodlums and rescuing them from their dark fate. They ran into Barrig more than once, but the number of pirates was slowly decreasing, whilst scrap metal was on an all time high. Before long, red lums swarmed the city, picking off the remaining pirates and destroying them. Barrig, however, remained. There was only one who could stop him, and it wasn't the one who currently possessed the Emit Amulet…
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The Freedom Five, along with Globox, Murphy and Ly, swept through the city.
"Come on guys we gotta get out of here somehow" Murphy yelled.
"You guys go on," a deep voice replied "Globox going to look for Rayman"
"What?" everyone stopped and looked at Globox, who stood facing the direction Barrig had gone.
"Globox not leaving his best buddy"
"What?" Gumsi exploded "Globox, you'll be killed, we have to escape"
"Yeh," Murphy backed the king up "Rayman wouldn't want that"
"Rayman would go back for us," Globox argued, "so Globox go back for Rayman"
Romeo began spluttering "but… I… Dude… We… Er… I… Man I…"
"Globox is right," Ly walked in "I have faith in Rayman but I'll help him in any way I can. I'm going with Globox"
"Me too" Pollukus cheered.
"And me" Clark joined in.
"Don't forget about me," Sssssam volunteered.
"Er… I… well… Ok man I'm coming too" Romeo announced.
Murphy and Gumsi shrugged, and followed.
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Rayman awoke to the sounds of guns and rioting. People shooting, swearing, cursing. He stood up, he saw Barrig a few blocks away from where he was, and began to run. Everyone was too preoccupied in his or her own role in the city's chaos to notice him. Barrig stood beside the river, preparing to jump it to reach the other side.
Just as he was about to leap, Rayman ran in "Oi Barrig!!"
Barrig turned "Well," he said, surprising the hero, as he hadn't thought Barrig could speak "what have we here? Who are you little limbless one?"
Rayman laughed "I don't know," he replied triumphantly, he'd got to grips with that much at least, "but I know what I'm doing," he threw the Emit Amulet at Barrig, pressing the button as he let it go "go get 'im" he yelled.
"Nooooo," Barrig howled, but Rayman could tell he was acting "don't send me back in there"
The Amulet hit him, it opened a little smoke, smoke swept out, but nothing happened to Barrig. The smoke vanished, the Amulet shut, and dropped to the floor at the monster's knees.
"WHAT!!!!" Rayman yelled.
Barrig laughed "If only it where that easy. You do not have the power to re-imprison me. I was ordered out of my cell by one, and only he who gave that order can send me back in"
"Dark!" Rayman realised "only Dark can re-imprison you"
"Glad you reached your senses boy," Dark sneered, appearing out of the riots, his gun pointed at Rayman "the fate of both worlds rests in my hands"
He picked up the Emit Amulet from where it had fallen and tossed it up and down with one hand "Let's show Barry the way shall we"
He pressed the large button on the Amulet, light, the same light that the portals where made of, shot from it and created one by the side of the destroyed road.
"Shall we say," Dark spoke into the Amulet "Candy Chateau, 4142 your world's years?"
The portal appeared.
Rayman went to say something but the words never quite came.
"Come with me Barrig," Dark offered, his arm outstretched to the giant "into their world"
"Don't listen to him Barrig" Rayman yelled, but he knew it'd be no use.
"Together Barrig," Dark went on convincingly "we can destroy both worlds, then rebuild them, rebuild them in our image. Work together the two of us could be unstoppable, your strength and my knowledge. Not even the lums could prevent us"
Barrig hummed "I like it"
"No!" came a yell, Rayman volleyed over Dark's head and landed between the madman and the portal "Don't do this Dark! Barrig will betray you! Once you've done all that you can, he'll kill you and take what you've achieved for himself. It's not too late to turn back Dark, make everything right; it's never too late. Use the Emit Amulet, re-imprison Barrig, do what only you can do"
Dark pointed his gun at the hero "Don't try it, it won't work"
"It's over Dark," Rayman went on "only you and Barrig are left now, the pirates are gone, look, the sky's full of red lums (it was), don't carry it on Dark. Surrender while you can still make things right again!"
"No" Dark yelled, and was about to pull the trigger of his gun when two blasts of magic shot from nowhere and hit him. Dark was sent flying; his gun flew out of his hands. Barrig swung round to see where it had come from.
The blasts had come from Pollukus and Ly, who stood with the other six (overall there was the Freedom Five and three others) on the street corner.
"Hi Rayman," Globox cheered "that's my friend" he shouted to anyone listening, which was no one.
"Hi all," Rayman yelled "thanks for coming back"
"Nah we couldn't leave you Rayman," Murphy laughed "all these dangers, you wouldn't last a second without your swat team"
Rayman laughed, and smiled at Ly "I wouldn't have got very at all without you all"
"I don't like to break this very touching little moment," said a new voice.
Everyone swung round, Doomand climbed out of the river, clutching a large gun.
"Oh you survived eh?" Ly said coldly.
"Doomand!" Dark yelled, "destroy these worms"
"I will," Doomand replied, advancing on Dark, who lay sprawled on the floor still "but first, I want to show you this, the Annihilator!"
"The what?" Dark exclaimed, "I didn't order a production of…"
"I created it myself," Doomand sneered, walking right up to his emperor "in secret. First, it takes you through great pain, second, it strips you of your features, except eyes, I thought eyes would help identify the bodies, third, it burns you apart limb by limb, and finally, this is the bit I like, finally, it kills you" he cackled.
"Well shut up and use it on them" Dark yelled.
"No," Doomand sniggered "I'd rather use it on you"
"Wha…" a purple, electrical blast shot from the Annihilator, Dark rose into the air and shrieked in pain.
He had kept hold of the Emit Amulet when Pollukus and Ly had shot him, but now it fell to the floor. Dark howled and cried out for help as Doomand sniggered loudly.
"What the? Man I'm confused" Romeo commented.
"For too long have I been your hired gun Dark," Doomand yelled "for too long have I commanded your armies, fought your battles, killed your enemies, whilst you take all the credit and royalties. Well it ends now. With you gone I will be the emperor. I will rebuild the factories, or create a new army all together if I have to. I will destroy Rayman and his stupid little friends. I will avenge the Admiral Razorbeard. Me, Emperor Doomand!"
"You traitor!!!" Dark cried.
"Rayman do something," Ly pleaded running to his side "even Mister Dark doesn't deserve this!"
Rayman looked at his old enemy, betrayed, weak, Barrig just standing there, occasionally hobbling and staggering, Dark's only remaining "ally" not even moving to help him. Still, after Rayman's history with Dark (some which he didn't think he knew) the hero saw no motive to help him. Except for Ly. And Rayman knew Ly could make him do anything, absolutely anything.
Rayman charged at Doomand, building up his fist, and then he swiped at the pirate, knocking him over. The gun fell to the floor, so did Dark, howling.
"Protect me!" he yelled "Protect me I'll do anything"
Rayman turned to face Doomand; Doomand picked up his Annihilator and shot at Rayman. Rayman dived to avoid the blast, sending another fist towards Doomand as he fell. Doomand leapt at Rayman, Rayman rolled out of the way, and the General hit his head on the floor. Doomand grabbed his Annihilator and took another pot shot at Rayman. Rayman rolled out of the way and realised his mistake too late. The blast shot past where he'd been and hit Dark, who was just standing up.
"Perfect" Doomand cackled.
"This is your fault Rayman" Dark cried as he was once again overcome with the pain.
"Rayman help him," Ly screamed but Rayman stood static, something Dark had said had frozen him to the spot.
This is your fault Rayman.
It was you that did this me! It's your fault I'm like this!
"It can't be" Rayman gasped.
The Annihilator was doing what Doomand said it would, Dark had taken the pain, and as it continued, Dark's features where vanishing. His clothes had snapped off, and a dark blue substance was cloaking his body, except the yellow eyes. Dark continued to scream and curse Rayman.
"Impossible!" the hero gasped.
With Dark's body completely blue except the eyes, his limbs began to vanish. Rayman couldn't believe it. Appearing in front of him was the Mister Dark he had known, the Mister Dark who had kidnapped the Great Protoon. The Mister Dark who had blamed him for how he looked, Rayman had just witnessed how it was his fault. Dark's past, Rayman's future. But how?
"Rayman!" Ly cried.
Dark's limbs where now gone, and Doomand moved in for the final kill. It was at that point that Barrig fell. He just toppled, though everyone should have expected it, the way he was staggering. He collapsed, one of his giant claws landed on Doomand, slicing the robot in half. Doomand dropped the gun, and an almost dead and very different Dark fell to the floor.
Doomand lay sizzling. His life support circuits had been smashed and he was slowly going offline. Everyone else was more interested in Dark and Barrig.
"Man what happened to him?" Romeo asked.
"The Amulet!" Pollukus replied, pointing to where it had landed when Dark had dropped it.
It had smashed into pieces, clearly from being thrown around too much.
"Nassssssssssty" Sssssam remarked.
"He thought he was free," Pollukus went on "but get trapped with it once, your fate is forever bound by it"
Clark and Gumsi nodded.
Rayman meanwhile confronted Dark, the real Mister Dark. In his opinion anyway.
Without his hat and cloak he looked a little strange, but put them on him and he would look the way he had when Rayman met him the first time. Dark was still weak after his ordeal, but he was alive. He crawled over to the portal, then stood up and pointed his now limbless hand at Rayman (had Doomand continued the assault the rest of his body would have burnt away too but since it had stopped in the early burning stage he was left limbless) "You will pay for this Rayman" he leapt into the portal.
Rayman turned round to his friends, Ly, Globox, Murphy, Clark, Pollukus, Romeo, Sssssam and Gumsi.
He grinned and nodded at the portal "Shall we?"
"Lead the way Ray" Murphy laughed, they filed into it. The humans could take it from there.
Doomand was left under Barrig's claw. Dying.
"Oh well" he sighed, knowing this was it.
He let his head drop back on the pavement.
"Well hello sir, how are you?"
Doomand looked up, Clemont stood before him. Doomand hadn't seen his servant since he knocked him out of the ship on their way from Paris to here, and was interested to know how the robot had made his way here. He couldn't help noticing that Clemont now had only one leg, which may hint, but he never asked what had actually happened.
"Clemont!" the General had never thought he'd be so happy to see the little machine "can you me out of here?"
"I'm so very sorry sir but I was most offended by what you did in Wales so I have decided to quit" he threw his duster at Doomand.
"Yeh but…"
"I'm working in a weather station, spare parts or something sounds most spiffing, so I no longer have time for your errands"
"I know but couldn't you just…"
"I am sorry sir but I cannot possibly work for two people at once and I must be leaving now to start my new job, farewell. Maybe I'll see you some time"
"But, But, I…" Clemont left.
"Never mind" Doomand sighed as his lights went out, and he died.
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Rayman wasn't sure when he lost consciousness again but since he remembered nothing of the portal journey he guessed that it was somewhere around then. He looked at his surroundings, he was still in London. At least, it was London, but it was Candy Chateau. Candy Chateau in the same lay out as London, yet it was the Candy Chateau he'd always known. Nothing had changed.
The buildings where now giant hills made of cake, the Thames was a river of melted candy, and a tower of icing, could that be Big Ben? Had to be.
But how? Rayman wondered.
Then he realised. Then it suddenly made sense. All the questions he'd been puzzling over suddenly fitted in, they all worked. And all through one discovery.
It wasn't a bad discovery, not now anyway but maybe earlier on. With the answer of many questions, many new one's had spawned but they could wait.
Rayman looked, Ly, who was lying next to him, slowly woke up. She smiled when she saw him.
"Hi"
"Hi" Rayman replied.
"You ok, you look surprised"
Rayman laughed, through shock or relief he wasn't sure "that world," he sighed "that world, London… Paris… Germany… it was our world"
"What?"
"Ly," Rayman looked at his friend "that world was our past…"
To be concluded...