AN- Hello! Ready for Chapter 3? Remember that I don't own the Rayman series or any characters here except Janus, Orchid, Orion and Simon.

Chapter 3: Departure and Adventure

It was a bright day in Clearleaf Forest. The thick canopy of trees was sufficient to keep the sun from bearing down on the creatures below, which were currently relaxing. Two creatures in the forest, however, were not relaxing. Rayman and Simon, after walking for about an hour, decided to sit down and take a break.

"Whew!" Rayman said, wiping beads of sweat from his face. "We've been walking for a while!"

Simon nodded slowly. "You're still upset about her, aren't you?" Rayman asked, noticing Simon's sad face.

He nodded again. "Rayman, you wouldn't understand." He sighed. "Ever since her mother died she was the only thing I had. I love her more than life itself; I would die for her if I had to! And now that she's gone…"

At that the old man burst into tears. "Don't worry, Simon." Rayman said, patting his friend on the back. "Go ahead and cry."

Simon wiped his eyes, and his expression became hard. "Rayman, when we meet up with whoever took my daughter, leave him to me."

Rayman shook his head. "You don't want revenge, Simon."

"Yes, I do." He replied fiercely. "You wouldn't understand, Rayman! He took my daughter away from me! What would you do if someone abducted your daughter?"

"I'd go after them," Rayman sighed, "but I wouldn't seek revenge. Simon, your grief is blinding you to reality; you don't know how horrible it is to kill someone. Just let your grief subside; you know that it's the right thing to do."

Simon sighed. "You're right, Rayman, as always. I'm… I'm sorry."

"That's alright." Rayman said comfortingly. "Now lets get going! We're very close to Whale Bay!"

Simon stretched as he got up. "It kind of hurts to get up after you've been sitting for so long. Don't you agree?"

But Rayman wasn't listening. "Simon," he whispered, "we're being followed." Rayman motioned for his friend to lie down in the nearby foliage and listen. The sound of footsteps got closer and closer as the stranger got closer and closer. Rayman prepared himself for what would happen by charging energy into his fists, but stopped in shock after hearing a voice.

"Rayman, cut that out!" It said. "You know I'm not an enemy!"

Rayman could hardly believe his ears. "Ly?" He asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"Coming with you, of course." Ly said. She was carrying a knapsack on her shoulders and a map in her left hand. "After you had left I began to worry if you two could really go on this trip alone. So… here I am!"

"Well, thank you Ly." Rayman told her. "But you know how dangerous Janus is! Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Rayman," Ly sniffed in indignation, "you know how powerful my magic is. Also, I remember a certain fairy who helped you a lot in your war against Captain Razorbeard."

"Well, you're right." Rayman admitted sheepishly. "But are you sure that you…"

"Yes." Ly said firmly.

Rayman knew that there was no more room for discussion. "Alright." He told her. "You can come along."

"That's good." Ly smiled. "Now, lets go! We aren't getting any closer standing here!" With that, the three friends walked off in the direction of Whale Bay.

*******

After about half an hour of walking, the friends came upon a beach. The sands of the beach sparkled in the sun, which had since gone down a little. Palm trees dotted the landscape of the beach, and crystalline waters lay on the horizon.

"Whale Bay." Rayman said, looking wistfully at the ocean. "It's such a lovely place."

"I'll second that." Ly said. "I love going to a beach to relax."

"Now that we're here," Simon asked, "where are we supposed to go?"

Rayman didn't reply. Instead, he took a large conch shell out of a pouch he was carrying. Placing the conch to his lips, he blew a low, mournful tune through the shell. After he had played his tune, the whole area became silent. Suddenly, a wave broke the surface as a large whale emerged from the water. It looked at Rayman through its kind blue eyes before speaking in a deep, but kind, voice.

"Greetings, Rayman." It said. "How are you this fine afternoon?"

"I'm fine, Carmen." Rayman replied. "But I need to ask you for a favor."

"A favor?" Carmen asked. "Of course, my friend! Anything for you!"

"Thanks, Carmen!" Rayman said, smiling with gratitude. "One of my friends was kidnapped and I need your help in rescuing her."

"Oh!" Carmen smiled. "You need me to carry you somewhere! Where do you need to go, Rayman?"

"I need to go to the Badlands." Rayman told her. "Do you know where that is, Carmen?"

Carmen's kind face suddenly turned grave. "Yes, I know where that is." She told him. "But do you know just how dangerous the Badlands are, Rayman?"

"I do." He nodded. "But I need to save my friend. I can't just leave her to die; it's not my way."

Carmen was impressed by Rayman's devotion. "Alright, Rayman. I'll do anything for a friend. Hop on my back!"

Rayman climbed onto his friend's back, followed by a nervous Ly and Simon. Then, Rayman reached into his pouch and took out a hardwood staff. Raising it above his head, Rayman mumbled a few words. The Lum Crystal on the end of the staff suddenly began to glow as a thin barrier began to surround the friends.

"I created an oxygen shield." Rayman explained. "That way we'll be able to breathe underwater. Ready, Carmen?"

"Ready!" The whale told him. Saying this, Carmen began to swim slowly into the deeper water. Soon, the friends were underwater.

*******

Rayman stared in amazement as Carmen went deeper and deeper; he had never been this deep before. Coral shimmered vibrantly among the water as brightly colored fish swam by. The wooden skeleton of a ship was also visible, tempting the friends with the promise of riches.

"This is amazing, Carmen!" Rayman said.

"The bottom of the ocean is a wonderful place, Rayman." She replied happily. "I remember when I was but a cub; we always used to play in an old galleon. Of course, I'm much too big for that now, but…"

"Shh!" Rayman said, silencing his friend. "Did you hear anything?"

"No… I didn't hear anything, Rayman." Carmen replied.

"Wait, Rayman's right." Simon said. "I heard some kind of noise… and it's getting closer!"

Rayman turned around and gasped. Standing in front of him was a gigantic, horrifying creature. The creature before them was large and grayish-blue, with hundreds of tentacles hanging around its mouth. The creature stared malevolently at the friends from a red eye before charging at them.

"Carmen," Rayman asked, "what is that thing?"

"It can't be…" Carmen muttered. "It's… it's a Kraken!"

"A Kraken?" Rayman asked. "What's…"

Before Rayman could say anything else, however, the Kraken rammed into Carmen, sending the whale skidding through the water. Crimson drops of blood flowed form the area where the Kraken hit her.

"We can't outrun that thing, Rayman!" Carmen yelled. "What are we going to do?"

"The only thing we can do." Rayman said, pulling out his staff. "Fight that thing."

"But Rayman," Carmen protested, "that's suicide! The Kraken could crush us all with ease!"

"Just keep running away." Rayman said. "Leave the fighting to me." Saying this, Rayman turned towards the monster. "Okay big guy, want to fight?" The Kraken roared at him.

"Alright." Rayman grimaced. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you…" Saying that, the Lum Crystal at the end of Rayman's staff began to glow. Suddenly, a bolt of golden light erupted from his staff, striking the Kraken in its chest. The best roared, lashing out at the whale with its tentacles. Carmen managed to dodge the thrashing tentacles as Rayman fired another bolt, hitting the Kraken in the eye this time. The Kraken roared in pain; Rayman had apparently blinded the beast. Roaring, it charged the whale again, battering it with its tentacles.

"You were right, Carmen." Rayman sighed as the whale reeled at the force of the blow. "We're doomed…"

"Wait!" Ly yelled. "Sharks!"

She was right; ominous gray fins began to slice through the water. The sharks themselves were a ghastly sight; the gray creatures' eyes gleamed as they stared at the injured whale. Rayman shuddered at the sight of the sharks' rows of serrated teeth.

"Come on!" Rayman yelled. "You want to mess with us?" He shot more bolts of light at the sharks, driving away any whom managed to get too close. Finally, the sharks seemed tired of chasing Carmen, and went towards a less troublesome meal; the Kraken.

The wounded Kraken began to flail at the sharks as they got close, but there were too many of them. Rayman watched in horror as the sharks struck violently at the Kraken. Rayman covered his friends' eyes as the sharks finally overwhelmed the creature and dragged it off to the bottom of the sea.

"That's the law of the oceans, Rayman." Carmen told them gently. "Eat or be eaten. And remember, the Kraken was trying to kill us."

"I know." Rayman said. "It's just…"

"Disturbing." Ly finished for him

"I know, but we're safe and that's what matters." Carmen said. "Try to take a rest from all that fighting, Rayman; we're almost there."

Indeed, the whale had already begun to pull up. As Carmen surfaced, Rayman began to feel a bit lightheaded. Finally, they had broken the surface and were staring at a strange mass of land.

"There it is, my friends." Carmen told them.

Rayman gasped. The land before them was bordered by spires of rock. The rotting skeletons of ships hung around the surface, staring towards the destinations they would never reach. The hot sun beat down on the land, heating the sands of a dismal beach.

"Welcome," Carmen told them, "to the Badlands."