A/N: Hey guys! I hope you liked how i highlighted the friendship between Rayman and Globox in the last chapter. Anyway, Rayman has saved Globox, but his help won't be enough to reach the second mask.

Chapter 9: Carmen the Whale

Rayman came out of the spiral door with Globox and brought him home. The baby Globoxes immediately jumped into their father's arms, happy that he has returned, and thanked the hero without limbs.

''Globox!'' shouted Uglette, who immediately ran to hug her husband.

''I'm fine, dear. Rayman saved me, and we faced pirates together.'' said Globox.

"I'm so glad you're okay, honey," said Uglette. Now reunited, husband and wife kissed, while Rayman watched the scene with a smile.

''Thank you, Rayman! You freed my Globox!'' she said, before hugging him.

''You're welcome, Uglette.'' he replied.

''Rayman, thanks for coming to get me. Now I can sleep peacefully. By the way, one of my kids, Globber,(1) found a cave in the well. Go check it out.'' said Globox.

Rayman went to the Stone Circle, where the Teensies were waiting for him.

''Globox is safe and sound at home.'' he said.

''Well done.'' said the Grand Minimus. ''But there are some bad news.''

''What is it?''

''The pirates have captured Carmen the Whale, and locked her in a fortress in the Whale Bay.''

''Oh, dear. Is she important to get to the second mask?'' asked Rayman.

"''Yes. In the well near Globox's house, there is the entrance to the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire, located in a mountain near an active volcano, here, you will find the second mask, the Earth Mask, but you cannot go on without Globox and Carmen's help. The passage is blocked by a huge tentacle that only Carmen can eliminate, and you can only reach the place with Globox's rain. To go to the Whale Bay, go through the fortress near the beach after going down the well.'' the king of the Teensies explained.

Rayman turned back, and Globber was waiting for him while his siblings were playing soccer.

''Hi, Rayman! Take me to the cave. I will show you a passage that will lead to the fortress. From there, you can access the Whale Bay.''

The limbless hero lifted the baby Globox and entered the well, entering the underground cave. Once down, Rayman found seventeen Yellow Lums in the area. There was also a crossroads: on the left the Whale Bay, and on the right the passage to the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire. Before long, they found the fortress, and found two sleeping red pirates.

''Rayman, the red pirates are the strongest you will encounter. They are very resistant and will fire homing missiles. Hit the missiles to destroy them, and remember to use the power of accumulation to defeat the toughest enemies faster.'' said Murfy.

The limbless hero treasured Murfy's advice and fired a fully charged Magic Fist which destroyed one of the two pirates, but the other woke up and shot him a missile that took him aback and hit him, dealing serious damage to him. However, Rayman recovered and approached the enemy, hitting him with an uppercut, a flying kick and a roundhouse kick, then leaned forward before activating the helicopter. His hair rotated like blades, preventing the pirate from acting and destroying him. Rayman then saw a hole in the wall and placed the baby Globox inside it, who began to hack the system, thus opening the door.

''The door is open, now you can go through.'' said Globber.

''Thanks, Globber! Now go home and stay with your parents and siblings.'' Rayman told him, before going down a staircase.

Yellow Lums found: 17/30, total 374/1000

Saved Familiar spirits: 33/80

Now in the depths of the fortress, Rayman entered what looked like some kind of aquarium, where he found an open chest with a Yellow Lum inside, and arrived on the other side he found a strange enemy similar to a walking barrel.

''This is a pirate-barrel. It's usually found in tight corners. Look for a spot where you can safely attack it, or fire at will.'' Murfy advised him.

The pirate-barrel was not easy to deal with, as it hit Rayman every three shots by the hero, but he healed himself with three Red Lums that it dropped after its defeat, and he hit a switch that opened a door, while Murfy told him that in Whale Bay, he had to find fifty Yellow Lums and save three Familiar spirits. Clinging to a net, the hero took four Yellow Lums and, when he got to the other side, he saw a golden glove, which he took, being wrapped in a bright light, and his gloves became golden.

''Murfy, what happened? I suddenly feel very strong.'' he asked Murfy.

''That's a Power Fist. It will power-up your shots. Be careful though: if you take damage three times, you will lose the upgrade, so be very careful if you don't want to lose it.'' said the greenbottle.

On the other side, there was a sandy area with a piece of an abandoned ship, where Rayman found four Yellow Lums, and took five more by jumping on the rolling that, though, he faced two red pirates together, and while the Power Fist helped him, he was shot once. Across the fortress, he defeated a yellow pirate and destroyed a door with a barrel of dust, saving a Familiar spirit and a Purple Lum that allowed him to exit.

Yellow Lums found: 14/50, total 388/1000

Saved Familiar spirits: 1/3, total 34/80

After leaving the fortress, Rayman found himself in front of a large lake and noticed that night had fallen.

Murfy then called him.

''Rayman! I think I know why the pirates have captured Carmen the Whale!'' he exclaimed.

'Tell me, Murfy.'' said Rayman.

''Carmen usually lives in the ocean, but she also makes trips to the Whale Bay. The pirates want to kill her!'' said Murfy.

''What?! They want to kill Carmen?! Why?'' exclaimed Rayman, horrified. He couldn't believe that the pirates wanted to kill an innocent whale.

''The pirates want to use her blubber to oil the engine of their Prison-ship. By pressing a switch, you can disable an electrical barrier that traps her.'' explained the greenbottle.''Quick, help her before it's too late!''

''But there is a problem. It has become dark, and without the light of the suns I won't be able to see anything underwater.'' said the limbless hero.

'Don't worry. If you create an energy ball with your Magic Fist, it may give you some light.'' said Murfy.

''Thank you, Murfy. You are a true friend. You always know how to help me.''

''No problem, blondie!'' said Murfy jokingly.

Rayman chuckled, hearing these words, then dived into the water, where he found four Yellow Lums nearby inside two oysters, four others in the lake and five others entering a cave near the laser barrier where Carmen was. Due to the amount of time he spent underwater, he had to go back to the surface or collect a Blue Lum a few times, and he also had to create an energy ball with the Magic Fist, since at night the light doesn't reach the areas below the surface. The hero hit the switch, disabling the lasers and freeing Carmen, then took a missile to destroy a door and saved the second Familiar spirit. Carmen said something in her language, which Rayman could not understand.

Murfy translated the message. ''She said: ''Thanks for saving me, Rayman. To get out of Whale Bay, follow me to cross the ocean. It will take some time, but don't worry. I will leave some air bubbles for you, so you can recover some air. Be careful though: the piranhas who are there suffer from heartburn and love my air bubbles, so if they get too close, shoot them to drive them away.''. It's time to put into practice what I taught you about swimming.''

Rayman inspired and dived into the water again, following Carmen, and in the meantime he found four Yellow Lums, before the two reached the bottom.

Yellow Lums found: 32/50, total 406/1000

Saved Familiar spirits: 2/3, total 35/80

For two minutes, Rayman swam relentlessly, supported by Carmen's air bubbles, who occasionally warned him of nearby piranhas and guided him to the wreck of a sunken pirate ship. The whale then said goodbye to him with a message that Murfy translated: ''Thanks again, Rayman. Now I will go back to the ocean and drive out the tentacle blocking the way to the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire. See you there.''

Inside the ship, Rayman found two Lums and went outside, where he found the last Familiar spirit to save and twenty Yellow Lums, including nine that he took while sliding down a waterfall.

Finally, after outsmarting a gorilla-pirate, he saved the Teensie, and together, they went out with a spiral door.

Yellow Lums collected: 50/50, total 424/1000

Saved Familiar spirits: 3/3, total 36/80

Rayman returned to the Teensie Circle.

''The pirates wanted to kill Carmen and use her blubber to oil the Prison-ship.'' he said.

''Oh God! Is she okay?'' asked a Teensie, worried.

''Carmen is fine, she's free now. If I hadn't managed to save her in time, I'd never forgive myself.'' replied Rayman.

''Nice job, Rayman! Now that Globox and Carmen are free, they will help you get to the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire.'' said the Grand Minimus.

''Well, it's night and I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep, the Stone and Fire Sanctuary will certainly be very long.'' said Rayman, before yawning.

Okay, we'll leave you alone. Goodnight.'' said a Teensie.

''Goodnight.'' said Rayman, who built a hammock and fell asleep.

A/N: Carmen the Whale is safe. This means that Rayman can now go to the Sanctuary of Rock and Fire, where he will find the second mask. Get ready because it will be a long level, perhaps the longest in the whole game.

(1): Globox was once called Globber, but he changed his name to Globox and passed his old name to one of his children.