Crash Bandicoot

Chapter 3: N. Sanity

The duo of Crash and Aku Aku progressed through the jungles of Wumpa Island; however, the marsupial soon broke into a brisk jog, which eventually turned into a full sprint. Even with Aku Aku's magic, he had great difficulty keeping up with the young hero.

What felt like hours later, Crash halted completely, with his guardian catching up to him at last and turning to him curiously. Crash said nothing as he looked toward the right, with Aku Aku turning toward said direction as well. Before the two was a series of platforms that were atop a body of water. It did not take long for either of them to realize that they were, in reality, near a waterfall.

Crash, in absolute awe, proceeded to take a look around. He did not get to take many steps forward, however, before insane cackling filled the air. He and Aku Aku looked around curiously, searching for the mysterious voice. A few seconds later, a blue kangaroo appeared from out of nowhere, his psychotic chuckling continuing right in Crash's face. The kangaroo in particular was in a straitjacket, proving just how insane he must have been.

As Aku Aku eyed the mutant, he couldn't help but feel a dark presence emanating from him. He looked the kangaroo directly in the eyes and noticed that something was a bit odd. Before he had the chance to speak, the mutant began to bounce back and forth throughout the area. As peculiar as it seemed, what appeared to be TNT crates fell from the sky, landing in the area and floating toward the waterfall.

"Be careful, Crash," warned Aku Aku. "I sense he will be a tough foe."

Crash gave a reassuring smile and a thumbs up as he glared at the kangaroo, who was moving at a rather quick pace, making it nearly impossible to catch him off guard. Crash averted his gaze instead toward the TNT crates, and a marvelous idea soon came to mind. He hopped on one of the crates, quickly jumping back off as the timer went down. After three seconds, the TNT exploded right in the kangaroo's face, but that only resulted in his cackling once again and hopping around wildly.

"Keep at it, Crash!" cheered Aku Aku. "I can sense he is weakening!"

Quiet, you. I shall deal with you later.

Aku Aku looked around, but there appeared to be no one in sight aside from Crash and his opponent. He was so lost in thought that he hadn't yet noticed that the mutant had already been defeated. Said mutant fell down the waterfall, screaming along the way. The noise alone was enough to get Aku Aku's attention.

"Well done, child," he said. "Now let us proceed. Hopefully we will not be interrupted any time soon."

Just as the last word left his lips, he noticed that Crash began to sway back and forth, his eyes slowly closing. The bandicoot eventually fell to the ground, with Aku Aku checking on him immediately. He tried to awaken Crash, but to no avail. The marsupial was unconscious, and no amount of magic could reverse it.

"What am I going to do?" Aku Aku wondered aloud.

This is what you get for meddling in affairs.

"Who are you? Reveal yourself at once!"

I shall do nothing of the sort. For now...succumb to the shadows.

Before Aku Aku could react, a portal appeared underneath Crash, a mysterious force pulling him in. Aku Aku followed him as quickly as possible, doing so right before the portal closed. The two soon appeared in an unfamiliar area, with Crash remaining unconscious. Aku Aku proceeded to take a look around, at the same time refusing to leave the hero's side. It was at that moment that the mask started to believe there was more going on than just Cortex's meddling.