Quest for the Omnistone

Chapter 47: A Blue Extermination

Max:

"Smee?" I asked in disbelief. With the whole wide multiverse of bad guys, Smee seemed like the least likely choice to face us.

Smee sighed. "Why am I always called that? It's—"

"What're you doing here, Smee?" Crystal prompted. "And what do you have to do with this cage?"

"Oh, right of course." Smee said. "Well, I was told to point out where the peridot is for you. I was supposed to catch all of you first—"

"All of us?" Johnny repeated, clenching his fists as they began to smoke.

I nudged him and gave him a look: Not a good place to torch right now. If he went all Charizard on us here in this dark cavern, I'm not sure everyone would make it to the surface unharmed and, well... alive.

Johnny got my message and took a deep breathe. He turned to Smee, who was shifting nervously from foot to foot while we had our little exchange. "You were saying?"

"Well, I was told you'd be hard to bargain with, you see. So I took some precautionary measures. Anyway, the thing is, Orange Hood placed in my possession a weapon you'll need if you want to survive the tunnel."

"And I'm guessing you won't just give it to us." I said. It was a well-known bartering rule in the multiverse. You won't find many stories without it. "So what do you need?"

"Hmm... that pretty necklace will do." He held his hand out to Crystal.

"My necklace?" Crystal said, her hands going to her neck. She kept her symbol under her shirt most of the time, but I guess it fell out during the fall. Smee's gold-digging eyes must've seen it immediately.

It was a funny thing, her necklace. Despite becoming a Traveler at age sixteen, Crystal has had that necklace ever since she was... nine, ten years old? We never really found out who sent it, but it must have been a forewarning of sorts. A sign of the world she'd enter in years to come. Apart from that, I don't think it had any greater value.

Smee shrugged. "It's only temporarily, unless you want to keep the weapon I'll give you, of course. I'm a trader of me word."

"Can't we offer you something else?" Johnny tried.

"Nope. My mind is made up."                                                      

"And if I refuse?" Crystal asked.

"Well, Orange Hood told me it's pretty much impossible to survive the tunnel without the weapon, which might I add, is well-hidden from you until you agree."

"How do I know you won't just run away with the necklace as soon as I give it to you?" Crystal said.

"Oh, um," There was a jangling sound as Smee lifted up his right leg. A thick chain with no visible lock connected his ankle to the cage currently holding Hailow. "The guy thought of that too. He attached this magic chain so that as long as there was someone in this cage, I'd be trapped with him too."

Johnny grunted. "So how are you going to show us the way if you're stuck here?"

"I can still point it out for you. Not that far, see?" Smee said. He pointed a grimy finger to twin stalagmites embedded in the wall three feet apart from each other. I walked over, Keyblade in hand just in case. In between the two rock formations was an entrance around Crystal's height, meaning we'd have to bend a little if we were to accompany her.

"And what's stopping us from just going in and getting the gem without complying with your request?" Johnny asked.

"Well, I did mention that you won't survive in the tunnel without my help. Plus, there is this musical instrument friend of yours trapped in the cage, of course." Smee pointed out, adjusting his glasses. "Only I can free him with the password."