Crash and Aku Aku, after much venturing, found themselves in a city of sorts. It was rather swampy and humid, and iguanas, bats, and other animals could be seen running amok throughout the area. The city appeared to be abandoned, but somehow the fires throughout the place were still lit.
As the two looked ahead, they took notice of several traps and hazards. The young bandicoot quivered in his shoes, but his guardian did his best to assure him that everything would be fine. After all, they had gotten through the journey unscathed...so far.
Crash took a deep breath before stepping forward, letting Aku Aku know that he was ready. He began to run, his guardian mask trailing close behind as always. He dodged the obstacles as best he could; the traps may have been easy to dodge, sure, but he eventually ran into an iguana, thus taking a little damage. He vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing just a few inches behind where he had originally been. Crash tilted his head, as if to ask what had just happened.
"I have not the faintest idea," Aku Aku responded. Before the mask could say another word, the hooded figure from earlier appeared through a portal, which disappeared promptly after. "What do you want this time?"
"I have only come to explain a few things," the individual replied. "Crash, you may find that when you are damaged, you will not die right away. Rather, you will disappear and then reappear somewhere in the area. Now, you're probably wondering why that is. Well, think of your adventure as a sort of...video game. You have multiple lives, all thanks to yours truly."
"You mean to tell us that you caused such a thing to occur?"
"Precisely. This wasn't Cortex's idea, no. I simply chose to give you a fighting chance, to make things infinitely more interesting...for me."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Let's just say that Cortex has no idea of what is to come..."
The figure said nothing else and vanished once more. Crash had so many questions on his mind, but he was also smart enough to know that there wasn't time. Now that he knew he basically could not die, he was more confident than ever. He progressed through the area, not necessarily being as careful as he should have, as he continuously ran into traps and hazards. Eventually, he noticed something above his head that seemed to show that he only had one life left.
I forgot to mention that you don't have an infinite amount of lives; you only have a few. Once you lose your final life, you will die permanently and your soul will be in my hands for all eternity.
That voice! It was the hooded figure. Crash seemed to be hearing the voice within his mind. He shook his head to be rid of the thought, as he now had to focus. He didn't even explain to Aku Aku what he had just been told as he traversed through the old city.
A short while later, after reaching what seemed to be the end of the area, Crash was suddenly teleported to a different part of the city, more specifically a mine that was somewhere underground. He looked around and, noticing that Aku Aku was no longer beside him, began to panic.
Calm yourself.
The cloaked individual appeared once again, and the bandicoot took a cautionary step back. "I am not here to harm you...yet," said the individual. "Now listen to me, mortal. This is what we in the organization refer to as a Bonus Level. Our leader recently designed these levels so that we can see just how agile you have become. I realize you have just recently been evolved, but refusal to participate in this level will result in your destruction. Now go. I'm sure you will not disappoint." After uttering those words, the figure disappeared.
They didn't even explain what I'm supposed to do, Crash thought.
The young bandicoot looked just up ahead to see numerous TNT and Nitro crates, as well as wooden crates, somehow hanging in the air. He only had one life left, so he had to make it count. He was nervous, but even so, he had to get through the mine and back to Aku Aku if he stood a chance of saving his girlfriend.
Speaking of Aku Aku, he searched for the bandicoot but could not find him anywhere. Not even magic was enough to discern his location. Unbeknownst to him, a certain hooded figure was watching him from nearby.
That fool, they thought. He will never find the bandicoot. That mortal is doomed to an eternal hell...if he doesn't die first.
YOU ARE READING
Crash Bandicoot
FanfictionThis was it. This was the moment he had been waiting for so long. Doctor Neo Periwinkle Cortex was going to get that bandicoot to be leader of the Cortex Commandos and would rule the world. But what happens when the experiment fails? (WARNING: NSFW...
