Journey to the Island of Halastia
Chapter 10: Cats, Magic, and Volcanoes, Oh My
On the demonic island, Neteru and his companions had finally reached the foot of the volcano. Their heads tilted backwards as they starred up at the top of the huge volcano that dwarfed our heroes. The volcano itself looked even bigger up close, with a height of approximately 1056 feet which is the human too hamster equivalent of two miles.
"Hif Hif." said Neteru as he sniffed the air. "I smell brimstone."
"I don't like this." said Moonbeam nervously.
"I'm not liking this, either." said Terra.
"We can't back down now." said Neteru. "We got to climb to the top of that volcano."
"Why?" asked Moonbeam. "We don't know for certain if Glabrezu is up there. Besides, why would he be up there in the first place?"
"Because this is no ordinary volcano, nor is this an ordinary island." said Neteru. "My instincts tell me that there is something special about this volcano and some how, Glabrezu knows about it."
"I trust Neteru on this one so lets go." said Mara. Neteru couldn't help but smile at her for being so loyal to him. With a groan, Terra and Moonbeam reluctantly climbed up the volcano along side Neteru and Mara. The volcano was almost strait up so they had to use their powers in order to safely climb up it. With every foot off the ground they traveled, they could feel the ominous presence grow stronger. They knew they were getting closer to a terrible evil and they could just feel it from the rock itself.
Meanwhile, back in Rokugon, Soshi had led her friends to a local museum. As Soshi had promised, she managed to contact Nin-Ham and Topaz and told them to come to the museum where Soshi and the Ham-Hams will be waiting. The Ham-Hams all huddled into a group as they followed Soshi through the museum, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they followed. The museum represented Rokugon history. Inside were many artifacts from samurai who had existed in Rokugon thousands of years ago. There were displays with wax mannequins of ham-hams, each display a reenactment of historical events and practices. There was also some magical items in this museum as well.
After being led through all the displays in the museum, the Ham-Hams finally reached a display that held a podium and upon the podium was a single gold Caidoz piece that looked exactly like the piece that Daruth had.
"So that's the piece they are looking for." said Cappy.
"It looks exactly the same as the one Daruth had." said Oxnard.
"All of the twelve Caidoz pieces may look the same but they're not." said Harmony.
"Heke? What do you mean?" asked Roberto.
"I heard that each of the Caidoz pieces have some kind of unique characteristic that you can't see with the naked eye." explained Harmony.
"Okay, whatever." said Roberto.
"So how are we going to keep that Caidoz piece away from Spat?" asked Oxnard, changing the subject.
"I don't know." admitted Soshi.
"But perhaps we could be of service." said a voice behind them. The six Ham-Hams turned their heads to see that right behind them stood Topaz (who was the speaker) and Nin-Ham. Topaz was as toll as Maxwell and he even has Maxwell's oval shaped ears. Topaz was all white except for some brown spots which covered his entire body. One large oval shaped spot covered Topaz's eyes, making him look like he has a raccoon mask. He wore a gold chain neckless around his neck with a green gem on it. On his back was a long wooden quarterstaff attached by a black strap that wrapped around the ham-ham at a diagonal angle resting on his right shoulder. Nin-Ham also looked no different than the last time they had seen him. He still possessed his old ninja-to (a type of ninja sword) and he was still wearing his all black ninja outfit.
"Hamha." said Nin-Ham kindly.
"Hamha, Nin-Ham." said Oxnard.
"Who are these two?" asked Roberto.
"My name is Topaz." said Topaz. "I'm a psion who is capable of using his psychic powers to bend the forces of nature to my will."
"And I'm Nin-Ham, which is short for 'ninja hamster." and Nin-Ham.
"Are these more friends you picked up here in Rokugon?" asked Roberto.
"Yep, they sure did." said Nin-Ham. "But I don't think I've met you before. What is your name?"
"I'm Roberto." said Roberto.
"And I'm Harmony." said Harmony cheerfully. "And we need you guys to help us protect a very important artifact from getting stolen."
"So I've heard." said Topaz. "So is this the item you wont us to help protect?"
"Yep." said Soshi. "We suspect that he will come here some time tonight to steal it."
"And if you have any suggestions, we would love to hear it." said Harmony cheerfully.
"Well, unless we capture this guy, he is just going to steal it again." said Topaz. "I recommend that we try and trap him while he is in the process of stealing the Caidoz piece."
"Oh, that sounds like a hamsterrific idea." said Harmony wiggling her hips merrily. "I know just how to do it, too." They huddled together so that Harmony could whisper her plan.
Meanwhile, the group who had separated to save the girls from the tribe (Boss, Maxwell, Stan, Hamtaro, Howdy, Dexter, and Travis) were hiking up a trail, repeating "Ticky-Ticky" as they did. Their thoughts were preoccupied with trying to save their girlfriend, sister, or friend from that terrible tribe. Whatever their motives were, they were determined to save those girls. They hiked up a wilderness trail which was covered in trees that towered over them. If it weren't for the fact that they were less than half of a foot tall, then they would not have been able to squeeze between those thick tree trunks.
"This forest seems to be getting bigger with every step we take." said Howdy. "Lets stop and rest."
"We can't stop now, we got to be getting close." said Boss.
"I want to save the girls just as much as you do, Boss, but we wont be able to do so if we're over exerted." said Maxwell. "We should stop for a break."
"Okay, fine." said Boss, realizing that Maxwell had a point. "I'll give you five minutes but that's all." There were some sighs of relief as they all sat down onto the ground and rested. Boss too also sat down onto the soft ground. He ran his paw along the grass, his thoughts focused on finding Bijou.
"Oh Bijou, where are you?" thought Boss to himself. "No matter what it takes, I will save you." He picked up a blade of grass from the ground, closed his eyes and then laid back with the blade of grass still in his paws. His back rubbed against the grass like a soft blanket. Boss felt surprisingly relaxed from lying down like that and because of this, his mind was capable of drifting even further into his thoughts of Bijou. As his imagination took hold, he imagined himself saving Bijou...
Boss's day dream begins.
He imagined Bijou tied to a large wooden stake which was located on top of a large stone pillar that over looked five hungry cats who weren't too far below. The cats jumped up and down, trying to grab Bijou from the stake, meowing and hissing with hunger.
"Get away from me you beasts." cried Bijou. "Help me. Somebody help me."
"I'll save you." cried an imagined version of Boss who had just came into view. Boss had pictured himself to be wearing what appeared to be a black Zorro outfit with the black cape, black hat, and even the black mask.
"Don't worry, my french seniorretta," said Boss's imagined self, "for it is I, Boss, who shall save you."
"My hero." said Bijou. The cats all turned their attention to Boss and began to advance towards him.
"These cats will end up with only eight lives by the time I'm done with them." said Boss. "On guard." Boss pulled out a long thin sword and with moves that could only happen in Boss's dreams, he cut off chunks of fur from the cat's bodies, spelling out the letter "B" all over them. Realizing his skills were too powerful, the cats began to shake in fright at Boss. With a smile, Boss just simply said, "Boo" and the cats ran off in fright. With the danger gone, Boss made a mighty leap into the air and landed right onto the pillar and then with his sword, he cut Bijou free from the stake.
"Oh Boss, you were magnifique." said Bijou. She then kissed Boss on the cheek and Boss's fantasy ended.
Boss's day dream ends.
Boss laid there on the grass, smiling at his fantasy. He brought the blade of grass to his nose and began to sniff it, repeating "Hif-Hif" as he did. The smell of the grass just made his mind wonder some more but when he sniffed it again, his nose finally recognized another scent on it. It was faint but it was still there. This discovery caused Boss to sit up sharply and he began to sniff the blade of grass some more.
"Hif-Hif. I know that french aroma anywhere." said Boss. "It's Bijou." Boss began to sniff the ground, repeating "Hif-Hif" as he did. There was a faint trail of Bijou's scent leading off into the forest. "Hey you hams, the girls went this way."
"But it hasn't been five minutes yet." whined Stan but Boss wasn't listening. He ran further into the forest, his mind focussed on Bijou. Since they had no other choice, the other Ham-Hams got up and ran after Boss, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran.
They ran through the forest until they stopped at a cliff. Upon seeing what was below, they quickly got down onto their bellies and out of sight because down below was the tribe. It was like a colosseum of some kind. Constructed out wood, the colosseum was like a bowl with rows upon rows of seats over looking the stage below. The tribal ham-hams all were crying out and cheering loudly like rowdy football fans. They were wearing grass skirts and body make-up that was painted onto their fur. The body make-up was barbaric in nature and they expressed death and evil with signs of skeletons and symbols that represented torture. But the scary looking tribe was nothing compared to what was down in the center of the colosseum. The girls were each tied to individual wooden stakes at the bottom of the stadium. The eight frightened ham-girls struggled against the rope that bounded them.
"Ookwee, ookwee." whined Penelope.
"Please, let us go." begged Pashmina but her pleads were ignored.
There were cries of excitement as a ham-ham stepped up to a nearby podium. The podium was located on the brim of the bowl-shaped colosseum, enabling the sitter of the podium to overlook the crowd below. The ham-ham was the chief of the tribe. He had light brown fur all over his body and he wore ferret skins as a vest and a loin cloth. He wore a large feathered crown on his head and a mask that looked like a skull face.
"In honor of our god, Nephemma, we sacrifice these innocent souls to you." announced the chief in a prayer like fashion. "Release the beast." With that said, four ham-hams gathered around a large wooden crate that was connected to the stadium. The ham-hams opened the large door and from the crate was a long deep "meow."
"Like this is so not cool." said Sandy. As the girls had feared, an orange cat came out of the box and he looked like he hadn't eaten in days. Laura had never been so frightened of a cat before. When she was human, cats were no problem but now that she was a rodent, she was now vulnerable and susceptible to being inside of a cat belly.
The boys on the cliff watched in horror as the cat drew closer to the girls.
"Cats, why did it have to be cats?" said Hamtaro.
"Our chances of saving the girls are slim." said Maxwell. Boss didn't hear Maxwell because he was more focused on Bijou. Down in the stadium, Bijou wiggled against her restraints. The tribal hamsters cheered madly as the cat approached Bijou and began to lick Bijou's belly, tasting her before eating her. This display terrified Bijou to the point of uncontrolled panic.
"Oh no, please no." cried Bijou. "Somebody help me." Hearing Bijou's cry of fright, Boss could no longer control himself. In search for something that could help him, Boss quickly found a vine nearby. Without thinking, Boss grabbed the vine and then swung down to the stadium like Tarzan. The other Ham-Hams watched in astonishment as Boss swung on the vine down to the cat. Before the cat could sink his teeth into Bijou, Boss landed right on the cat's head. The cat meowed loudly as it tried to shake Boss off but Boss held on tightly by the cat's ear and at the same time, he was repeatedly striking the cat with his shovel.
"That will teach you to mess with Bijou." said Boss as he fought. This sudden display of heroism not only surprised the ham-girls but it also surprised the other tribal hamsters who couldn't believe their eyes.
Meanwhile, the other Ham-Hams were still on the cliff watching the fight. Since the vine was no longer within reach, they couldn't swing down there themselves.
"What are we going to do?" cried Hamtaro. "Boss needs help."
"This cliff is too steep to run down." said Dexter. "How are we going to get down there."
"Wait a minute, I have an idea." said Maxwell. Maxwell picked up a leaf and said, "This cliff is at a 45 degree angle and it is muddy so we can use these leaves to toboggan down the hill."
"But I don't want to tobog-again. Heh heh." said Howdy, laughing at his stupid joke.
"Howdy!" cried the Ham-Hams.
"Oh, all right." said Howdy. As instructed by Maxwell, they got onto their leaves and then slid down the hill like a mud slide.
"Oopaa." they shouted as they leaped off the edge of the cliff and began to slide down it. However, the cliff was steeper than Maxwell had anticipated and as a result, he and the Ham-Hams were sliding down the cliff at an uncontrollable rate.
"Hey Maxwell, how do we stop this thing?" asked Hamtaro.
"I don't know." cried Maxwell.
"We're gonna crash." cried Stan. They all screamed as they rushed toward the ground and then landed hard in a puddle of mud.
"Well that wasn't at all pleasant." said Dexter after spitting out some mud from his mouth.
"Oh man, the girls will never want to see me like this." said Stan.
"Less talking, more moving, we got to save Laura and the others." said Travis. Before the others could wipe all the mud off of themselves, Travis led them towards the stadium.
The entrance was unguarded so they easily ran through the hallways of the stadium (repeating "Badda-Badda") until they ran up into the audience as if they were entering a football game. The Ham-Hams quickly noticed that Boss was still hanging onto the cat like a cowboy on a bull but he was beginning to loose his grip.
"Hang on, Boss." said Hamtaro and before anyone could stop him, he ran to the bottom of the audience and then leaped into the air, shouting "Oopaa" as he sailed through the air. He landed right on the cat's head and began to wrestle the cat as well. The cat hissed angrily at this new aggressor that had shown up. As the cat was distracted by Boss and Hamtaro, the other Ham-Hams had leaped off the stadium and began to run over to the girls. They pulled out knives from their pack packs and began to cut the girls free.
"Don't worry, Pashmina." said Dexter as he ran over to the stake that held Pashmina. "I'm here to save you." Dexter got behind Pashmina and was about to cut her free when suddenly, Howdy said, "Oh no you wont, I'm saving Pashmina."
"No, I am." interjected Dexter.
"No, I am." shouted Howdy.
"Boys!" shouted Pashmina. "Why not have one of you go over and cut Penelope free for me first."
"Oh, I will, I will." chorussed Howdy and Dexter in their usual competitive way. The tribal chief, who had noticed that the other Ham-Hams were freeing the prisoners, ordered someone to come down and stop them but only the cat handlers had weapons with them and everyone else was too afraid to go near the cat.
Once the girls had been freed, Boss and Hamtaro finally lost their grip on the cat and they were flung into the air and landed hard right in front of the other Ham-Hams.
"Ouchichi." said Hamtaro and Boss.
"Hamtaro, Boss, are you guys all right?" asked Bijou.
"Yeah, we're fine." said Boss. Infuriated, the cat began to go on a rampage, attacking the other triable hamsters in the audience. The tribal hamsters all began to panic and run for their lives in an attempt to escape the cat while the cat wranglers tried to contain the cat. In the chaos, the Ham-Hams made their escape through an exit and they ran as fast as they could from the stadium, repeating "Badda-Badda" as they ran.
Once they had managed to find a clearing where they could hide, the relieved girls began to thank their heroes.
"Oh Boss, you saved my life." said Bijou to Boss.
"It was nothing." said Boss.
"Well, here's my way of saying 'thank you." said Bijou and with that, she gave a big kiss on Boss's nose. Boss immediately went as stiff as a board and then he fainted with a big smile on his face. Nearby, Sandy was also thanking her heroes. She held both Stan and Maxwell in her arms and said, "Like, you boys were amazing."
"It was nothing, sis." said Stan.
"Yeah, we had to rescue you." said Maxwell.
"Aw, you guys are the best." said Sandy and with that said, she kissed both of them on the cheek, ignoring the dry mud all over their fur. The kiss caused Maxwell and Stan to blush, causing their faces to turn bright red. Out of embarrassment, Maxwell and Stan began rubbing their heads, repeating "Kushi-Kushi" as they did. The other former humans were also relieved to be alive as well. Laura, Kana, Kylie, and June were virtually all over Travis with joy. Travis had to fight them off just so he could breath.
"Say, where is the other Ham-Hams?" asked Kana.
"What about Roberto?" said Laura. "Where is he?'
"That we can explain along the way." said Hamtaro.
"Yeah but right now, we better go before that tribe finds us." said Travis and with that said, they all made their way back to Halastia, repeating "Chick-ah Chick-ah" as they walked.