Kai and the Chaos Emeralds
Chapter 21: Storming the Lair
Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel rode their Chocobos to the designated point shown on the map. As they rode, the sand blew in their faces. Eventually, they reached the point on the map. There was nothing in the area except a strange, blue cactus.
"Say the password," Hazel said.
"Right," Kai said.
Kai then stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"OPEN SESAME!!!" Kai shouted.
His shout echoed through the desert. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to quake. The sand also began to shift, and a small patch of earth was splitting in half. Soon the shaking stopped, and a large staircase heading underground was visible.
"Cool," Kai said.
"Let's go," Zero said. "We still have to get that emerald."
They rushed down the staircase. They stopped right before they hit the bottom. Zero turned to face the rest of the group.
"We have to use stealth here," Zero whispered. "Right now, we have the element of surprise. As long as we don't give out our location at any given time, we should be able to sneak to the emerald without having to waste our energy."
"Right," everyone else agreed.
Zero looked in the hallway to which the staircase led. To the right was an extremely long hallway. To the left was a hallway that led to a door guarded by ten thieves.
"The right probably leads to a dead-end," Zero said. "The left is guarded by ten thieves, which means that the emerald is that way. So what's the plan?"
"I've got one," Hazel said.
She whispered the plan to the rest of the group. After a minute, Kai threw a bomb-rock as far as he could down the right hallway without being noticed. The rock exploded, and all ten of the guards ran down the right hallway. Kai and his friends took this opportunity to head to the left and enter the door. The door led to another hallway.
Meanwhile, Serena was looking at the Chaos Radar.
"Whoever those travelers from earlier were, they sure weren't ordinary," Serena thought. "They were not only carrying a Chaos Emerald, but they had this strange device with them. If I can figure out how it works…"
A loud banging came from her door.
"Milady!" Jaramillo's voice shouted from the other side. "We have an emergency!"
Serena quickly hid the radar and the Chaos Emerald. She then opened the door. Jaramillo was on the other side and was covered in sweat.
"What is it?" Serena asked.
"The men we stationed at the entrance saw a strange explosion down the hallway to the right of the staircase," Jaramillo answered. "They checked it out and didn't find anyone."
Serena thought about what Jaramillo had just said.
"Just how many guards left their post?" Serena asked.
"All ten of them, ma'am," Jaramillo answered.
"WHAT?!" Serena exclaimed. "Those idiots! The explosion was a diversion! Someone got past them!"
"How's that possible?" Jaramillo asked. "No one knows the location of this place, let alone the password needed to get in."
"One man does," Serena corrected him. "Moustafa must've been bribed to give away our location. Post 40 men in the main room immediately! Tell them to attack any unfamiliar people. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Jaramillo answered immediately.
He then rushed out of the room.
"We haven't had an intruder since my dad was in charge," Serena thought. "This could get interesting."
Kai and his friends eventually reached the main room. Unfortunately, all forty guards spotted them.
"So much for the element of surprise," Toad said.
The guards then charged straight for them. Kai and Zero easily defeated all forty of the guards with no problem. Zero then picked one of them up by the collar of his shirt.
"Where is the emerald that you stole from us?" Zero asked. "Give me a good answer, and you'll live. Give me a bad answer, and you'll be on the wrong end of a kunai knife. Do you understand?"
Zero intimidation worked. This guard was shuddering like crazy. He pointed to a door that was straight ahead.
"Thank you," Zero said calmly.
Zero then dropped this guard, who immediately ran away. Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel then ran through the door that the guard pointed out.
Meanwhile, Serena was sitting in her room. She was deep in thought. A flashback began.
A kid Serena walked up to her father, Ali.
"Father," Serena said.
"What is it?" Ali asked.
"Why did you decide to become a thief?" Serena asked.
"I thought you'd ask me that," Ali said. "Sit in my lap."
Ali sat in a chair, and Serena sat in his lap.
"Have you ever heard of the Chaos Emeralds?" Ali asked his daughter.
"No," Serena answered.
"The Chaos Emeralds are beautiful gems with extreme power," Ali explained. "If someone truly evil gets their hands on the Chaos Emeralds, they could destroy the world. I became a thief so I could steal the emeralds and make sure that no one can misuse their power."
"Wow!" Serena exclaimed.
Ali then placed his hand on Serena's head.
"I want you to promise me something," Ali said. "If I am to ever die, I want you to find all seven of the Chaos Emeralds."
"What do they look like?" Serena asked.
"You'll know when you see them," Ali answered. "Trust me."
"Ok," Serena said. "You can count on me!"
The flashback then ended. Serena was staring at the picture of her dad, Moustafa, and herself.
"I'll keep my promise, father," Serena thought. "I won't let anyone get their hands on this emerald."
"Lady Serena!" a voice shouted from a nearby radio.
Serena picked up the radio.
"What is it?" Serena asked.
"There are four intruders!" the guard shouted. "There is a swordsman with a bandana, an aggressive ninja, a mushroom person, and some chick in a white dress!"
Serena then realized who the intruders were.
"Alright," Serena said into the radio. "I want you to radio the Triad and tell them to prepare for our intruders."
"The Triad?!" the guard exclaimed. "Are you sure? They'll destroy them!"
"We must protect our treasure no matter what," Serena said. "If the intruders must die, so be it."
"Yes ma'am!" the guard shouted.
Serena then turned off the radio.
"Our intruders are about to see the true power of the Thieves of Sand," Serena thought. "Besides Jaramillo and myself, the members of the Triad are the most powerful members in our group. Those intruders are done for."
Meanwhile, Kai, Toad, Hazel, and Zero were continuing down the path. Eventually they reached a wall with a single door. The door had a fire-shaped emblem carved in the door.
"I smell a trap," Toad said.
"Only one thing to do," Kai said.
Kai opened the door. Inside were two steel bridges that met at a large steel platform that was in a large room. One of the bridges was in front of them, and the other led to another door. Beneath the platform and the bridge was a boiling pool of lava.
"I wouldn't want to fall down there," Kai said.
They crossed the first bridge and stepped onto the platform. Almost one second later, both doors locked themselves.
"I knew it!" Toad exclaimed.
Suddenly, what looked like a boulder fell from the sky. Kai, Toad, Zero, and Hazel jumped out of the way. When it hit the platform, Kai knew exactly what it was because he had met one before. It was a Goron. The Goron stood up. He was huge and had bands on his arms.
"I am Magnus!" the Goron bellowed. "I will be your opponent."
"Bring it on!" Kai shouted.
Kai began to draw his sword, but Hazel stopped him.
"Let me take him," Hazel said. "With my defensive capabilities, I'll give you guys a chance to spot his weak points."
"Fine," Kai said.
Kai, Toad, and Zero stepped back onto the bridge, and Hazel stepped toward Magnus.
"Just because you're a woman, that doesn't mean I won't slaughter you," Magnus said.
"Bring it on," Hazel said.
On the ceiling, a video camera was catching everything. In a living room, twenty thieves were resting watching the fight.
"We're taking all bets!" a thief in a green beret shouted. "Magnus vs. the girl! Winner doubles their wages!"
"Magnus will win no problem," another thief said. "I bet 50 gold pieces on Magnus."
"I bet 100 on Magnus," another said.
Everyone began betting on Magnus. Soon, only one was left. She was a bat-girl. She wore a black suit and had a pink heart over her chest.
"What do you bet, Rouge?" the thief in a green beret asked.
"I bet 1500 on the girl," Rouge answered.
Everyone stared at her as if she said she was god.
"Are you sure?" one of the thieves asked.
"Of course," Rouge said. "I always keep my bets."
Meanwhile, the battle between Hazel and Magnus began. Magnus threw punch after punch at Hazel. Hazel tried to fight back with her hammer, but she couldn't put a scratch on Magnus's thick armor plating.
"I guess I'll try this," Hazel said as she jumped back.
Hazel then charged up her Gyro Sphere spell. She then charged forward to hit Magnus. When Magnus saw this, he curled into a ball. When Hazel's spell hit, Magnus began to spin. The faster Hazel's spell spun, the faster Magnus spun. Eventually, Magnus spun so fast that Hazel was blown backwards. Luckily, she caught herself right before she went over the edge.
"That was close," Hazel thought. "Gyro Sphere's completely useless against this guy! I guess I'll have to try something else."
Magnus began to roll toward Hazel. Hazel jumped forward and used her Barrier spell. When Magnus stopped spinning, Hazel released the spell. Magnus then began to punch at Hazel. Hazel dodged each punch, making sure she stayed near the center of the platform.
Eventually, Magnus began to roll at Hazel again. Hazel used her Barrier spell again and blocked the roll. Then Magnus began punching again. This pattern continued over and over. Eventually, Hazel was getting tired.
Magnus spun one more time. Hazel blocked it with her barrier one more time, but eventually the barrier cracked.
"No!" Hazel thought.
The barrier broke. Hazel was blown back toward the edge. This time, however, she couldn't stop herself.
"No!" Toad shouted.
"Hazel!!!" Kai screamed.
Hazel moved so fast that she fell over the edge. She began to fall. The boiling lava was waiting for her at the bottom.