Chrys stood at the entranceway of the cavern. along side him was the Rhiinehorn Gestault carrying a pickaxe and a large sack.

"This place doesn't look that scary, I can see myself bringing a girl here to impress them" Chrys had a nonchalant demeanour.

The Rhiinehorn visibly shivered, " me like no, spooky tings un der" there was a deep quiver in his voice.

Chrys patted him on the back," don't worry big guy I'll protect you from the spookies buddy"

A disbelieving HMMPH was the reply

The pair ventured in cautiously, there was a disturbing feeling about this place. Like a crackling energy in the air, it prickled the skin like static electricity.

The entire cavern hummed and vibrated under their feet, Chrys gripped his sword tighter, his body now tense with anxiety.

"Soooo Gestault where are these crystals we need to collect?" Chrys tried not to parlay the nervousness he was feeling. The last thing he wanted was to have a one ton rhino freaking out with all these jagged edges around.

"Back" was the terse response.

"That's what I was afraid of" Chrys mumbled inaudibly.

Now about 200 metres in, the light from the outside began to wane. The twisting and turning corridor was barely wide enough for the a Rhiinehorn to pass through.

After 20 minutes more of trekking the wind began to pick up. It was emanating from deeper within it was carried a metallic scent, like fresh spilt blood.

The wind transported something else, something far more sinister. At first Chrys thought it was just the sound of the wind flowing over the various rocks. Oooooooowaa ooooooowaaBut as they continued a pattern emerged from the auditory chaos. Ooooh ooooh oooooooh

The sound sent shivers through the waaspern's carapace.

"Me like no sound!" Gestault's voice filled with apprehension.

"Me too buddy, me too, let's get what we came for and get the hell out of here"

"HMMPT" the response , Gestault pointed at an outcropping of rose coloured crystals, "here!"

The behemoth went to work with pickaxe CLAANG!!CLAANG!! CLAANG!!

"Gestault can  you do that a little quieter? I really don't want wake up whatever the fuck is in here." Chrys whispered

"Nope"

"Great" Chrys peered around the corner, away from the pick axe, the voice on the wind took a more discernible quality. Oooooooh oooooooh cuuuuuckooooo oooooooh oooooooh cuuuuuckoooo.

This puzzled Chrys more, while he was thinking about the oddity of it he heard Gestault yelled out "DONE!"

"Okay big guy you head back to the ship, I'll follow you in a minute" the sound was like an itch that needed scratching.

He walked a little further in the gloom. Up ahead he perceived an ethereal green glow. COOMMEE CUUCKOOOO COOOMEE

Chrys entered a vast chamber, the walls and roof were lined with shimmering crystals of every type imaginable.

Near the back was a massive glowing green crystal, Chrys surveyed the room. There didn't appear to be anything imminently dangerous to worry about, so he entered.

As he was walked toward the green rock he heard singing in his mind YOU CAME YOU CAME CUCKOO YOU CAME!

Now on guard, he  approached slowly, in front of the crystal was some type of ghoulish offering. A deer head skull impaled on a stalagmite. The sight made Chrys queasy, there was something oddly familiar about it.

As he moved closer to the crystal a silhouette formed within. A squat humanoid with incredibly long hair was very agitated inside jumping around vigorously.

A voice from inside spoke frantically, " see Zeesha I TOLD you he would come! You never believe, but ah ha! I was right! How rude calling me banana brain in front of our guest! If you don't mind your tongue I will stop speaking with you. I have options now. Ooh ooh ooh Apologies accepted! Okay okay just wait I'll ask him, stop YELLING"

Chrys had a hunch , Maurice?" He approached the emerald about to peer inside...

"DON'T TOUCH IT DON'T EVER TOUCH IT NO NO NO!!!" Maurice screamed out from within "he composed himself " if you touch the crystal you will become trapped like me!"

"Trapped? How did you become trapped?"

"That blue bastard!! He is the cause of everything!! SHUT UP ZEESHA I WILL ASK HIM WHEN I AM FUCKING READY! Um eh our deer friend here is anxious to know something." Maurice gestured to the skull "I see many, many things here, many things."

Maurice collapsed to his knees sobbing uncontrollably, "my beautiful Bai murdered in right in front of my eyes, I could do nothing NOTHING. That BLUE BASTARD he murdered her, but I ...I saved my son at least. I see many many things. Zeesha says ask Golden Boy what happened to the buzzard? He has joined Rebecca beyond the Veil,my eyes are blind to him."

"I haven't seen Chorda since that explosion, and Rebecca not since..."

"The hot spring! I saw, I saw ooh ooh ooh I see many things! I saw that Blue Bastard" Maurice was hopping around angrily.

Chrys mumbled, "was there anybody not watching us?" then aloud "do you mean Ahriman? Rebecca's minion?"

"The Blue Bastard!! Bastard Bastard!! ooh ooh ooh do you know?"

"Know what?"

"It burns, Kaazaam, it burns Cuckoo, it all burns! I've seen it I've seen it!! The Blue Bastard destroys it. The ants are marching marching marching!!" Maurice was marching back and forth in his green prison.

"They attacked Kaazaam?"

"Time is fuzzy, yesterday? tomorrow? Into the long ago, or long from now? But they are coming"

"How can I stop them? Maurice, how do I get back to Kaazzam?"

Maurice giggled maniacally, " go where you're going going going, that is the path!"

"You mean keep going to The Cloud Lord to save the READER?"

"Ooh ooh ooh the parrot it much more than just a READER Chrys, much more. She is a WRITER!!!!"

"A WRITER? How does that change things?"

"You must tell her to forget her bird kink, give up her lust and message "THE" WRITER!!"

There was WAY too much going on here, " she needs to message another WRITER, who the fat guy?"

"No, no , no not him, he has a different part to play. "THE" WRITER she will know, she needs to tell him to {change the ending} that is how you get back to Kaazaam. I will help don't worry, I have learned something. Something they never expected." 

He started to giggle wildly and spin in Circles. He rose his hands in the air and the walls of the cavern shook.

"Maurice what's going on?"

"RUUUUNNN!!!!! CUCKOO RUUUUNNNNN!!!!"

Parts of the walls and ceiling were breaking loose in giant chunks. Chrys saw them begin to transform into crystalline beasts. 10, 20, hundreds.

The Waaspern turned an ran as fast as he could, as a cacophony of destruction was being released behind him.

He stumbled his way back to the entrance, leapt as high as he could catching a rope hanging from the bow.

He screamed "GO GO GO!!!" The crew acted quickly and cast off from the cliff face just as the crystalline hoards poured out of the sky island.

 As they pulled him about Chrys dryly said to Rheam'hent, "so, you still want to be me? "