Moana: World Darkness

Escape

As Tamatoa's song comes to an end, Maui, inside Tamatoa's mouth, uses all of his strength to prevent himself from being swallowed whole. Moana, relentless, finally scaled the treacherous bone cage, only to plummet into a vibrant green luminescence that mirrored Te Fiti's heart. Kai emerged with his brow furrowed in confusion. 

"Great, where am I now?" he quipped, sarcasm laced with a hint of panic. Relief flooded his face as he spotted Maui and Moana. "Hey, there you guys are. Man, I'm so glad to see you two. You're not gonna believe this but you don't know what I've been through, I mean, this place is crazy-" His voice died as the gravity of the situation dawned. "Oh. That crab man is a bad crab," he muttered, concern replacing his bravado.

Suddenly, Maui's voice growled from within Tamatoa's cavernous mouth, strained with exertion. "Kai, take Moana with you and get out of here!"

Kai's face hardened. "I can't and I won't," he responded, his voice firm despite the rising panic.

"Just do it!" Maui roared, desperation lacing his words.

Kai's face hardened. "No," he responded, his voice firm despite the rising panic. "I ain't leaving no one behind. Besides, after all the crazy things that happened to me, I finally got the hang of my powers. Sorta." He closed his eyes, focusing for a brief moment. With a flash of light, Kai transformed, not into a human, but a smaller version of Tamatoa himself! Though still much larger than an average human, he was a shrimp compared to the original. Kai slammed into Tamatoa with surprising force, pinning the giant crab against the wall and forcing him to release Maui. "I'll give you some time!" Kai yelled. "Go get Moana!" He tossed the hook at Maui, then locked claws with Tamatoa, their struggle shaking the entire cavern.

Maui nodded in acknowledgement, snatching the hook Kai had thrown. He sprinted towards Moana's cage, his eyes scanning for a way to break the bars. With a few well-placed swings of the hook, the cage clanged open. "Get ready, we're leaving," he yelped, urgency lacing his voice.

"What about Kai?" Moana cried, already scrambling out of the wreckage.

"He'll be fine," Maui insisted, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the exit. "Come on!"

Moana dug her heels in. "He doesn't look fine!" she yelled, pointing back at the heart of the battle. Kai was visibly tired. The giant crab, enraged, was slowly gaining the upper hand.

Suddenly, a spark ignited in Moana's eyes. "Wait, I have an idea!" she exclaimed, darting away from Maui's grasp. Before he could protest, she raced towards the battling crustaceans.

"Hey! I got something shiny for you!" Moana shouted, holding aloft the glowing heart of Te Fiti. Tamatoa's monstrous pincer screeched to a halt mid-attack. 

"The heart of Te Fiti." He let out a strangled gasp, his beady eyes fixated on the heart's radiant light. The monstrous crab's entire body pivoted away from Kai, drawn to the irresistible lure.

"Moana, don't give it to him!" Kai roared, his voice strained with exertion. But Moana was already charging forward, the heart held high like a beacon.

Tamatoa lurched towards her, his gargantuan form shaking the very ground. "Give it to me, little human!" he roared. "You can't run from me!" A mischievous glint sparked in Moana's eyes. She darted away, leading the monstrous crab on a merry chase. "Oh, you can?" Tamatoa chuckled, despite himself, surprised by her agility. "You keep surprising me." But her laughter died in her throat as her foot caught on a loose rock. She tumbled forward, the heart of Te Fiti slipping from her grasp. It rolled across the cavern floor before disappearing into a narrow crack in the earth. Tamatoa screeched to a halt, his beady eyes widening in horror. The pursuit was forgotten. With a desperate scrabble, he shoved his massive claws into the crack, tearing at the earth. "The power of creation, for a crustacean!" he shrieked, his voice laced with manic desperation. "Where is it? Where is it?!"