Grim took a deep breath before running towards the sentence. "Hey, beasty! O-o-o-over here!" he yelled, studying out a bit as he tried to be brave.
The two didn't have to wait long before the monster surged forth, growling wildly. "Grr… Leeeaaaave!!!" it bellowed coming towards Grim.
The small cat monster darted away quickly. "It's coming!" he yelled, signaling Xinyi to get into action.
She got to the other side of it, the opposite direction of grim. "O-Over here, beasty!" she yelled out darting away. "C-come over here!"
The monster growled once more, pulling down his pick to strike the girl. "There… thief… too. Won't give… mine… mine!"
It missed the girl by inches, Grim coming closer to her as the creature tried to lift its weapon. "That punch looks like a knockout if it lands!" he screamed as the girl got up.
She looked at the beast and started moving. "G-get as far from the t-tunnel as possible," she said, running in a zigzag pattern.
The monster chased them swinging at them as they went. "Go away! Go away!!" It screamed.
Grim jumped back looking at the girl. "It's pretty far from the tunnel now!"
She nodded, moving back as far as possible and taking a deep breath. "Now!" she yelled as loud as possible, causing the men to jump into action.
Ace came out from behind a tree, flinging a gust of wind at the monster. "Ok, I got this! Let's go, Extra Large Tempest!" he yells as the wind swirled around the best, making it disoriented.
"And the Great Grim's Fire Special!" Grim joins in blowing blue fire inside the wind tunnel. It escalated and spun around the thing, trapping it in a fiery tornado.
The ginger smiled at this, preparing another blast. "How's that! I can even fan Grim's shoddy flame into an inferno!" he boasted, earning a glare from the cat.
"It's not shoddy! Ugh, every word out of your mouth pisses me off!" he yells before shooting another flame.
Xinyi smiled at the two before making a small signal to who was watching over them. "Now's our chance!" she yells signaling Deuce to action.
The raven stood above the cave observing the scene. He closed his eyes, pointing his wand at the distracted monster. "Calm down… take aim… the biggest, heaviest… thing I know…" he whispered, before opening his eyes with newfound determination. "Come forth, cauldron!"
A spark went through the air, and over the beast came forth the giant iron pot. Instantly falling onto the thing, it was crushed to the ground, unable to move. The wind and flames slowly dissipated around it.
"Got it! Nice work everyone!" Grim cheered, as he danced around. "Hey, look! The monster looks as flat as a pancake just like Ace did earlier!"
The ginger glared at the animal. "You don't need to bring that up again! Jeez, today just isn't my day," he grumbled while everyone else smiled.
"Let's go get the magic crystal while that thing can't move," Deuce said as they rushed into the cave, leaving the monster in its state of paralysis.
"Waaaaaiit!" it wailed as they left trying desperately to escape the crushing weight.
The four rushed down the corridor, looking for the last palace they saw the stone. "There! A magic crystal!" Deuce called, his words housing around the walls
"Hands oooooooofff!" The monster's yells come from the outside, and a screeching sound can be heard as it escapes the iron restraints.
Xinyi and Grim worked on removing the green crystal from the wall while Ace and Deuce went to check on their assailant. Both were surprised to see its movement. "Crap! That thing is almost free!" Ace yelled.
Grim heard them and quickly responded. "Hey, Deuce! Throw some more stuff on it! We need more time to remove the stone!"
Deuce panicked a bit, training to think. "Uhh, something heavy!?" he pointed his pen at the beast. "C-come forth! Caldron! And um… ummm! Cauldron!? One more, cauldron!"
A total of three more cauldrons fell on top of the thing making it fall once more.
"Do you have nothing but cauldrons in your repertoire!?" Ace mocked as he went to help Xinyi
"Shut up! I'm at my wits' end here!" Deuce called back, focusing on the thing once more.
A blue flame shocked them, causing the two to turn. Grim stud there an annoyed look on his face. Xinyi stood behind him, the green sparkling crystal clenched tightly to her chest. "We got the magic crystal! Let's skedaddle!" yelled the gremlin as they booked it out of the entrance.
The two boys nodded. "Roger!" Ace called chasing after them, Deuce not far behind.
"That… is… miiiiiine!" the monster called, using all its strength to free itself and chase the thieves.
If you fight hard, know who you are, and are proud of who you are, you've got a good chance of winning.
W. Lincoln hawkins AT&T Bell Laboratories, Confidence