Chapter 20: Tomb of the Ancients

Rayman landed in a graveyard. Death was everywhere he looked. Creepy. It was like the Cave of Bad Dreams all over again, except that he couldn't just wake up from it this time, and with even creepier music.

The sign in front of him read: "Clark was captured here before being brought to the technical check-up." Poor Clark! How long was he captured here all alone, with no one but the souls of the dead for company? Rayman smashed a cage and hit a switch and opened a door. He had to find Clark!

Rayman fought off another spider just like in The Canopy and jumped into a robo-pirate's tomb (at least ONE of them is dead, Rayman thought). He hit the switch on the coffin with the robotic corpse in it and a platform emerged somewhere out of green water. He dodged some more spiders in the tomb and climbed out of it on their webs.

He jumped on some platforms and had fun breaking the teeth of the piranha that jumped out of the water in between them. It went Clink! and just disappeared. Rayman liked that sound. It was so satisfying. He climbed up another web and turned left. He saw another switch. But to get to it, he had to fight off another pirate, shoot the giant skeletal hand in the large treasure chest to make it retract, and climb up a HUGE web and dodge another spider. It was definitely no playground here. Rayman willed himself to complete the level as fast as he could.

The second platform in the green lake rose. One more switch to go. Rayman retraced his steps and turned right this time. He walked into a cemetery area and fought off another robot that just popped out of a coffin. Success! Then flicked the third switch hidden behind a tombstone and the third platform rose in the lake, and now he could cross the lake.

Crossing the lake was fun — more piranhas to shoot and break their teeth. Rayman then climbed up a huge web (spiders seem to run the place here and it shows) and went to find the 1000th lum of the game. Razorbeard, after eating it up on his Buccaneer, must have pooped it out in here somehow. Rayman hoped that he won't find any Robo-Pirate poop in here, if they can produce poop.

The 1000th lum is hidden in a secret and very well concealed area in the game, and all games have their secrets. Good luck finding the lum, fellow players!

Rayman then found himself near a "Death Stream". The remains of the dead are probably being washed away in this stream of water — NOT a good place for a swim! Rayman saw a hexagonal platform he could ride, but there was a grill blocking it. He hit some gears on the wall and made them turn and the grill went up. Rayman hopped onto the platform and began his "joy" ride down the stream.

The platform floated near some webs and Rayman climbed up. He defeated a pirate and hit a switch and some lasers disappeared. Rayman walked past the lasers. He crossed a few wooden bridges and landed on another hexagonal platform. Wheeeeee! Another "joy" ride!

This place was beyond bleak, gloomy and morbid. But Rayman made an effort to try and stay as optimistic and cheerful as possible. He will not let the gloominess or the stench of this place get him down. That's the last thing a hero of light like him needs.

Rayman climbed some more webs (yay, spiders) and picked up a keg. He lit it and took a ride in the air into a hole in the upper section of a wall. He fell down into another part of the Death Swamp. He rode another ked to another platform in the middle of the swamp and collected all the red lums there. Then he rode another keg downwards to a bridge. He broke his 73rd cage and defeated another pirate. Easy-peasy.

And it's time for another "joy" ride on the hexagonal platform! The platform floated down really slowly down the smelly stream, much to Rayman's impatience. He floated down to some webs stretched out horizontally for him to climb on. As he climbed, he shot at the zombie chickens that keep materialising every one second. They stopped appearing after he reached the end of the web. It was really like back in the Bayou, Rayman thought, only creepier and smellier.

He continued his ride on the hexagon and swung from a purple lum and climbed another web upwards. He shot at every damn zombie chicken that kept zooming his way. He climbed onto different pillars supporting the ceiling and smashed his 74th cage. Then he swung from another purple lum and collected sweet, sweet red lums and landed down on land sweet land (concrete, really).

Rayman saw another stupid web and climbed up. A large spider came over and knocked him back down. He fought off a spider by climbing right back up to the highest point of the web, jumping away from the spider, then shooting at it before he landed on the ground. Rayman was thankful the spider could not climb down its own web. He repeated this act a few times until he defeated the spider. He went on his way and shot at some gears and fell into a hole that was covered with grill.

Rayman sniffed himself. He was going to need a good bath under a light waterfall or stream when he gets out of this level.

And it's another ride through the Death Stream. Rayman hit some buttons on the wall and some lasers retracted, allowing him to pass unharmed. Two platforms began floating downstream together — Rayman's and an empty one. Up ahead a pirate began tossing flaming barrels at Rayman. Rayman hopped from platform to platform to dodge the barrels in time as they hit the previous platform he was standing on.

He floated past the pirate and climbed up some nettings (finally, no more webs!). He found himself in another pirate ship. He walked further in and a "Big Shot" pirate began shooting some big shots at him. Rayman ran round and round the room trying to dodge those bullets and shoot back at the same time. It was exhausting and he could feel his limbless body sweating. But he did it. The pirate crashed and Rayman ate up some more delicious red lums.

He went to pick up a keg in the corner of the room and tossed it at a door at the top of some stairs. Voila, his 75th cage. Rayman then swung from a purple lum and climbed up some more nettings. He went on his way and found himself near a big door. Rayman read the sign next to it: "Technical Check-up". This is it. Clark is here. He went inside and saw his best buddy sitting on the ground.

"Clark?" Rayman called out to his bud.

Clark looked up. "RAYMAN!" The big-chinned, muscle-bound giant got u and ran to hug Rayman. But he suddenly stopped, his hands outstretched. Weird circles spun in his eyes. From afar in the same chamber he could hear the sound of a remote control. Clarked walked in a circle as if he was being possessed. Rayman's excitement and joy evaporated. Rayman's friend was being mind-controlled by a pirate.

Clark began to attack him. Rayman ran around the room to dodge his hits. He hit three switches in one wall and a laser appeared. Rayman led Clark over to the laser and he tripped over it. Rayman kept shooting at the mechanical box on Clark's back until it exploded. He had won! And Clark was himself again.

Rayman and Clark celebrated their friendship. Rayman broke cage number 76 and a Teensie with a flower crown — another friend — came out. Rayman left the level and returned again to smash the last cage of the level that he missed. Then he went back to the Woods of Light and took a good, long shower under the waterfall.