A/N: Hey, guys! In the previous chapter, Rayman and Globox arrived at the Land of the Livid Dead, and learned from a Teensie of the Griskin tribe the story of their tribe, now trapped in a magical tower. But where is Roméo Patti's office? Let's begin.
Rayman and Globox had just emerged from a small cave. If the Hoodlums had also attacked the Land of the Livid Dead, then surely something is wrong. Suddenly, there was an alarm, and Globox screamed in fear.
(''Combat- The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass OST'')
''Globox! What is it?'' Rayman asked.
''Hoodlum! And there are lots of them!'' shouted his friend.
He was right: there were a lot of Hoodmonger Soldiers and some Hoodstormers, and dealing with them wasn't easy, mostly because of the latter ones, annoying as mosquitoes and fast as drones, distracting him and leaving him exposed to the Hoodmonger Soldiers's gunfire, so Murfy was forced to intervene by tickling the little flying Hoodlums, and Rayman was able to use the Vortex Fist to throw them at the Hoodmonger Soldiers. However, the situation hadn't changed much, as not one, but two Hoodbooms joined their comrades and threw the explosive bottles of plum juice. The limbless hero used the Vortex Fist again, shrinking one of them and defeating it with a stomp, then hit a Hoodmonger Soldier with a flying kick followed by an uppercut, but he was still outnumbered.
''These guys are really annoying, especially those Hoodstormers.'' Murfy said.
Rayman then used his Magic Fist, firing a large energy ball that exploded, hitting all enemies and defeating them. ''Finally, they just kept coming!'' he exclaimed, relieved. After rescuing a Teensie, he called Globox and told him he could now go out.
(''Combat- The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass OST-s '')
''Phew! Are you OK, Rayman?'' asked the amphibian.
''It wasn't easy, but I'm fine.'' replied the limbless hero.
''You know, Rayman? I'm certainly not brave, but if I'm scared, it's not for me.''
''What do you mean?''
''I mean if I'm scared, I'm not scared for myself, but for you. You are strong, it is true, but one day, you will face a battle that you will not be able to win, and if that happens, you will die and the Glade of Dreams will no longer have its protector. You are my best friend, and we are like brothers(1). I don't want to lose you, or my wife, let alone of my 650 children.''
Hearing this sentence took Rayman by surprise, as he wasn't expecting it. ''Oh, Globox! You are always concerned about everyone except yourself. That's one of the things I adore about you.'' he said, moved, and the two friends gave each other a hug.
André commented on the scene saying he was moved, but the group doubted whether he was sincere or not. ''I never expected such a phrase to come out of your mouth, Globox. The fact that you care about others makes you a good friend.'' Murfy said.
''Hey, that's what my friends do. I wish I could help, but my cowardice prevents me.'' Globox replied, and let Rayman go.
The fly then saw a small fortress on an island. ''There's a Hoodlum fortress over here. We can swim to it. '' He said.
Upon reaching the outpost, the group saw a Hoodboom that escaped on a zeppelin, then entered inside, ending up in the caves below.
''Globox, one day I'll take you to dinner. In fact, I'll have you for dinner! Starting with your liver! I'm thirsty, so give me some plum juice!'' Said André, thirsty as always.
(''Pirates! - Part 3- Rayman 2 OST'')
Suddenly, a high-pitched sound was heard, and Rayman, Globox and Murfy went down, seeing a large white Hoodlum with a small helmet on its head and wearing green gloves and a red and green robe, and had a large wooden shield. When it lifted it robe, another little Hoodlum in a green robe came out holding an explosive bottle of plum juice, which exploded.
''What are those things?!'' Globox exclaimed.
''That's a Grim Keeper! It's strong on defense and hard to hit. As with Shielded Hoodbooms, there are two variants: those with the wooden shield and those with the metal shields. Remember that you can destroy wooden shields, but not metal ones. They send their followers, the Grims, who will try to approach with an explosive bottle of plum juice in hand that acts like a bomb: if you hit them or after a certain period of time, the bottle will explode, killing them, but if they are too close, the explosion will damage you. Look for a way to penetrate the defenses of the Grim Keeper.'' Murfy said, analyzing the enemy.
The amphibian was once again too scared to be able to act. He gets scared easily, and this is more of a hindrance for him, preventing him from being able to help in the fight. The invasion of the Robo-Pirates two years ago had certainly contributed to this. Murfy tried to distract the Grim Keeper as much as possible, and Rayman hit it in the side with a Vortex Fist that knocked him against the wall, then used a Shock Rocket Fist, which swept behind the opponent and hit him.
''I think the Shock Rocket Fist is working! '' Rayman said, firing the missile again.
After a minute of fighting, the Grim Keeper had taken a lot of damage, but was not yet defeated. He took a trombone and played it, calling for another Grim Keeper, who had a metal shield.
''This isn't good at all!'' shouted Globox. Having an enemy with hard-to-penetrate defenses and at the same time sending his minions to attack was bad enough in itself, let alone two.
The hero destroyed the first Grim Keeper's wooden shield and then defeated it with a Heavy Metal Fist. Not even this, however, could damage the other's shield. ''And I thought Hoodstormers were annoying!'' he exclaimed. Murfy did what he could to distract the enemy, but it wasn't easy due to the size and durability of the shield, and Rayman barely managed to hit the opponent.
Globox watched the scene, really worried. ''I have to do something! But what?'' he thought. At one point, he saw rocks nearby and had an idea. He threw one. The Grim Keeper blocked it, and Rayman took advantage of it to hit him from behind with an axe kick followed by a dropkick.
''Globox, it's working! Keep throwing the rocks!'' Murfy shouted.
After the amphibian threw another rock, the limbless hero hit the enemy with a series of punches, then grabbed the shield with both hands. ''We must take that shield out of its hands!'' he exclaimed. His friend stepped in to help, and they managed to force the Grim Keeper to let go of the shield, leaving it defenseless. It sent out several Grims, but they were easily avoided and Globox threw more rocks, one bigger than the other, until the enemy returned a Black Lum.
(''Pirates! - Part 3- Rayman 2 OST-s'')
''Holy Polokus, that was exhausting! It wasn't exactly easy! '' Rayman said as he took a deep breath. ''You did a good job, Globox. Without your help, we could not penetrate the defenses of those Hoodlums.'' he then turned to Globox.
''Yup, you acted despite your fear! Great!'' Murfy complimented him.
''Hey, that's fine. Now I have to give André a drink, or he'll throw a tantrum.'' replied Globox. He then drank a barrel of plum juice, and under the state of intoxication, emitted a bubble that allowed the others to reach him, and Rayman also saved the sixth Teensie of the Griskin tribe, then destroyed a door with the Heavy Metal Fist.
(''Hoodoo Sorcerer- Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc OST'')
Hoodlums came down from a zeppelin, and one was different from the others: tall, with a green and yellow veil and a purple hat and cloak with yellow stars and moons.
''Since when are Hoodlums also wizards?'' asked the hero.
''There's just no end of these Hoodlums!'' Globox exclaimed.
''That's a Hoodoo. Hoodoos are expert wizards who can protect an ally with a force field, but they can also cast powerful spells and block the fist you fired, Rayman(2). They are tough and high-ranking in the army, but they have very poor defenses and it only takes a few hits to defeat them, after all, wizards are fragile.'' Murfy said.
In addition to the Hoodoo, there were three Hoodblasters, one of which protected by the magician's force field, who attacked Rayman with an ice magic that he managed to dodge, but then hit him by summoning a lightning bolt with an electric magic, causing severe damage and blocked his right fist too. The limbless hero then dodged a fire spell and his fist returned to him, but the Hoodoo disappeared, making itself invisible with another spell. He then attacked the Hoodmonger who was protected, forcing the Hoodoo to reappear and then defeating it soon after, and after having suffered a couple of shots from the three Hoodblasters, he defeated them along with a Hoodboom, then defeated a second Hoodboom who was on the zeppelin via a Shock Rocket Fist.
(''Hoodoo Sorcerer- Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc OST-s'')
Globox stepped out, relieved that the battle was over. ''This place is not safe at all. Rayman, are you hurt?'' He asked.
''Could be better.'' Rayman replied. Suddenly, he yawned. ''I'm exhausted.'' he said.
''I'm not surprised, you fought a lot of Hoodlums, and they weren't low-ranking thugs. Let's go find a safe place to camp and get some rest.'' Murfy said.
The three walked out of the outpost, knowing it wasn't safe. When they came to an area where they made sure there was no danger, they pitched a tent and built a fire.
''Man, there were so many enemies that for a while, I thought we wouldn't make it.'' Globox said.
''Apparently, the Hoodlums had built a base here too.'' Murfy commented.
''Yeah. I'm starting to miss the Red Lums. Well, let's get some rest. I'm tired, and if I don't sleep or get disturbed while I sleep, I get grouchy. '' Rayman said. ''Good night.''
''Good night.''
Globox was the first to fall asleep, and after putting out the fire, Rayman fell asleep on his belly, while Murfy got into his hood.
Saved Teensies: 6/9, total 25/60
A/N: The Land of the Livid Dead isn't as safe as it seems, and those Hoodlums were a real nuisance. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you to the next one. Bye!
(1): Rayman and Globox are defined as such in Rayman Origins.
(2): Initially, Hoodoos could shoot fireballs and block Rayman's fist, but these abilities were removed to avoid making them too difficult and giving them a too confusing pattern, only leaving them their ability to create force fields.