Well, I can certainly understand if all the fans I had with this story have now left, because of how long I took. I am truly sorry to those who will end up reading this, and I hope to continue this story and its sequels to the end. I hope you're all doing well, and I hope everyone has a great day. God bless.

The Volcano

"It's that high?" asked Tiny. "Good God, this is going to take a long time."

"Deal with it," Dingodile growled. "We've been through this before. Just not when it comes to a freaking volcano. But the sooner we're finished with this, the better. I don't want to have to do this, either, but if we don't, then Cortex will likely attempt to kill us. That's what I'm thinking, at least."

They started climbing up the side of the mountain, hoping this wouldn't take too much out of them. They knew Crash was on the island somewhere, and while that wasn't something they wanted to think about, it was a major concern, and one they would have to deal with.

"Where do you think he is?" Tiny asked. "I mean, he's definitely here on the island, but where exactly? Do you think he's climbing the volcano, as well?"

"That's not something I want to think about, Tiny," Dingodile snapped. "I don't mean to snap at you, but it's just something I need to tell you. I've had enough of that marsupial. He can go screw himself. I don't need to be dealing with him, and I don't think I would be dealing with him, if it hadn't been for Cortex. I don't give a crap if Cortex heard this, or what he might think. He created that little demon, and because of him, we're going to have to deal with him for a longer time! I don't know what in the name of God I'm going to have to do to get rid of him. I've already tried a few times, and I've already failed all of them. I nearly succeeded at the Native Fortress, but my idea that he would be eaten and killed by the Natives proved to be useless. That God-forsaken mask! I will find that thing soon and kill it!"

"Well, you're probably going to need help, eh?" came a voice. Tiny and Dingodile turned around to see Ripper Roo hopping toward them. "Wondering how I'm here, are you? Well, somehow, after I fell into the ocean, I woke up on a side of the beach, and so now I'm here. Glad I found you. We're going up the volcano, aren't we? It'd make the most sense, especially since we have to meet Koala Kong, am I right?"

"Kong can wait," Dingodile growled. "I hate that piece of crap. He can go screw himself, as well. I'll make sure to punch him when I finally look at him. Even his face is hard to look at. Remind me to tell him that when I finally make it up there."

"Will do," Tiny said. "I wonder where in the name of God that bothersome Bandicoot is. I hope we don't run into him until this mission is almost completely over. I hope this volcano erupts just as we leave so that he can be incinerated by the lava. Oh, that would be just great, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh, I agree," Dingodile told him. "I never wanted another ally...or whatever in the name of God I'm supposed to call the rest of these things. Besides you two, I count the rest of them as only experiments. They mean nothing at all to me. Thank God there've been some who have died as a result of their experimentation."

"Like who?" Tiny asked.

"Like that freaking walrus N-Gin found," Ripper Roo said. "Have you heard that story?"

"No, I haven't," Tiny admitted. "Honestly, I haven't heard most of these stories. I've never been told them."

"Well, the story goes like this," Dingodile began. "N-Gin was traveling to Cortex's base in Antarctica when he stumbled upon a wounded walrus. Its wounds were the result of a failed territorial dispute with another walrus. From what I heard, the thing's wounds were gushing blood. Cortex told N-Gin to leave the thing behind, but it seems N-Gin has a soft spot for walruses, or something of that sort. So he saved the creature, brought it back to the Iceberg Lab, and experimented on it. As a result, the thing became like we are now. N-Gin named the God-forsaken thing Rusty. It was almost impervious. Not even TNT or Nitro could kill it, amazingly. I mean, TNT can't kill me, either, nor can it kill you, Ripper, but you are dazed by them at times. But they didn't harm Rusty at all. He was sent on only one mission, and it didn't succeed. He was on one of N. Gin's battleships, and he was supposed to take out a fleet of enemy ships sent by a rival of Cortex's. That whole fleet was nearly destroyed, but then one of the ships was able to hit Rusty's with a torpedo, igniting the ammunition below. The ship blew into many pieces, and Rusty was killed as a result. I didn't care, though. He was annoying. Even more so than Crash, if that's even possible! He kept saying to himself, though out loud: 'Yummy! Fresh meat for my pot!'" He spoke more gutturally for his impression, momentarily losing the accent. "But that's all behind us now. Now we have to deal with Crash, unfortunately. But it'll all be over soon, I'm pretty sure."

Tiny sighed. "There's way too freaking much going on. I hope you're right when it comes to that. I don't want this to be going on much longer. Any longer, and I might as well kill myself."

"I don't think you should do that. There's a lot of things that are still left to live for. There's still a lot left. That includes the death of Crash. That's what matters the most. Now we just have to climb, and then wait. Do you understand me?"

"Fine. I'm really not gonna like it, but I'll do it for you, because you're my brother."

"Good. As for you, Ripper, I'm pretty sure I don't have to go into a whole speech about getting up there being worth it for you, do I?"

"No, not at all," Ripper replied.

"Good," Dingodile said again. "Now, let's get going. It's going to be hard work, and I really hate Koala Kong. Let's get him over with soon. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really hope Crash climbs fast."

Crash and Aku were walking—and floating—through some of the jungle standing between them and the volcano. They hadn't spoken to each other for quite some time, though Crash believed that was due to the fact Aku needed time to think.

"We're not far," said Aku finally. "I can feel the heat, and it almost hurts. But I will not let that deter me, nor should it deter you. We need to stick together, no matter what happens. This will be a difficult challenge, however. I wish I could teleport us all the way, but the great amount of heat does not allow me to do so. We'll have to climb much of the way, though I can help in some areas."

"That's fine," Crash said. "I'm sure it could be much worse. If I didn't have you with me, then this would definitely have been much worse. I'm happy to have a companion like you. You've helped me through many tough spots, and without you, I'd be dead."

"That is true, though we should not dwell on it much longer. I understand you're probably wondering who might be at the top of the volcano. Well, I overheard Dingodile, and he says we do not have to climb that far up, because there is a secret passage leading into the volcano, and it resembles a door. But it blends into the rock, so it might be hard for us to find. There's a reason we can't climb up to the top. We would likely be incinerated, because that's where most of the lava is located. There is a chamber, however, that does not contain all of that, and that's what the door leads into."

"Good," Crash said. "Wait, how did you find all this stuff out?"

"I eavesdropped. It was dangerous, I know, but it needed to happen. Without it, we would be blind to all that we needed to know. Without this information, we would have likely climbed all the way to top and died. It was dangerous, but it was worth it."

"Definitely."

They continued on their way toward the volcano. As they neared the edge of the jungle, Crash saw a great big natural structure, made of black stone.

But he did not see the sheer size of it until he left the jungle completely, and when he looked up, his eyes widened. He had never seen something so large.

It towered high above them, higher than even the clouds, black stone all the way up. But there was something about the stone that made him a little concerned. The stone wasn't as jagged as he would have hoped.

"This black stone is too smooth for us to climb," Crash said. "Or, for me to climb."

"It's not as bad as it seems," Aku told him. "There should be small edges, and even though they are small, you should be able to keep your fingers there, so long as your strength doesn't give out. Do not be worried, though. I will be there, and if you fall, I should be able to levitate you from the danger. However, I must warn you: I am still recovering from the attack Dingodile attempted on us. I'm not as weak as I was after that, but I'm not as strong as I was when you found me, either. I hope that does not make you frightened. I can still help you to the fullest extent, but it will just take more out of me than it would have before."

"I understand. Well, we might as well start. If they've already started climbing, as you said, then we might only have a limited time. There's no need for us to keep them waiting, either. I just hope that when we get in there, you'll be alright."

"I should be," Aku said. "If the volcano does not erupt, that is."

Crash walked up to the volcano and started his ascent.

As soon as he began, it was already hard work. But he couldn't give up. There was too much at stake for him to do so. If he stopped now, then all would be lost.

He continued climbing upward until Aku-Aku flew in front of him. By this time Crash was beginning to sweat profusely, and he could feel his muscle straining as he pulled himself upward. Slowly he looked down and saw he'd put considerable distance between him and the ground. If he fell from this height, it wouldn't be enough to kill him, but it sure would hurt, and possibly even cripple him. That was not something he could allow to happen.

"This is the place," Aku said. "Can you see the edge where you are supposed to move along?"

Crash looked long and hard at the black stone in front of him, and soon found a part of the stone jutting out. It was small, but when he placed his fingers on it, it was just enough for the tips. It would take a great amount of strength to continue on his way, but he believed he could do it.

"Yes," Crash said. "I can see them, and I'm ready to do this. Let's hope it doesn't take too long, though. I'm sweating quite a bit, and I feel as though I'll need to rest after this."

"I know," Aku said. "That's something we all want to do right now. I wish there was an easier way to do this, but that is not possible, unfortunately. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Crash, but I must be honest with you, no matter how hard the truth is."

Crash nodded, then continued. There was still much to go, and he needed to conserve strength. That meant he could not dangle like he was already without moving at all.

He pulled himself up as well as he possibly could. It was nowhere near easy.

"I want to stop," he said, "but at the same time, I know I cannot. We need to keep going, or things are going to get worse. Then again, I'm not sure if that's even possible." He looked to Aku. "Have you ever seen things get worse than this?"

"Yes," Aku said. "I'll tell you more another time, but for now it is better if those times are never mentioned at all. Please forgive me, for I do not mean to make things harder on you, but…"

Crash nodded, then with all his determination, began climbing the volcano again.

He found a spot where he could place his right hand, and he pulled himself up to that ledge. It was right there that he took a moment to breathe in and out. He continued on when a few seconds had passed.

Looking all around himself, he could see the metamorphic rock. There was a part of him that wondered how he knew what "metamorphic" meant. He guessed it had to do with Cortex and his experiments. After all, if Cortex had been able to create Dingodile with the ability to control Fire, or Ripper Roo with the ability to absorb TNT and Nitro blasts and use them against him, then it was certainly possible for something to have happened within his brain that made him smarter and smarter as time went on.

My brain is changing, he thought. The more and more that my brain changes, the smarter that I become. I hope I can use this discovery against Cortex when I get the chance, but then , how will I use something like that against him? It actually might not make any sense, what I just thought. Oh well, at least I understand that I am changing. Hopefully I can use my brain to get to the top of this volcano. I also pray that it does not begin to erupt. If it does, then it could spell the end for everyone around here for miles. I'm not sure what I should do if that begins to happen. I might not have a way to escape it. It could actually be my downfall, be the way that I die. I just don't know.

Just then, a sharp rock cut his hand, and he quickly examined it. There was a bit of blood leaking from the cut, but it was not too bad at the same time. Despite the pain, he continued. He continued and continued and continued. He could not stop, because he knew that he could not allow any of Cortex's creations to take over the islands.

"Crash, are you okay?" Aku-Aku asked him with concern.

"For now, yes," Crash replied. "My hand hurts, because I just cut it on a rock." He carried himself upwards to another ledge. "It's not too bad, though, so there's no need for you or anyone else to worry about it. Then again, other than myself, you're the only one that actually could care or worry about it."

"True," Aku said. "Do you want me to take a look at it, though, because I can help you. I may not be able to heal it, as a result of the heat I am facing. There are times where I wish I could transfer my body into yet another mask, but one made of metal. Having to do this when you are made of wood and could be set on fire and killed is…it's just horrible. Truthfully, though I was not always in such a way. There was a time where I wouldn't have had to worry about this. I would have been able to teleport us into those halls. But thanks to my brother, those days are long gone. He stripped that Magic away from me, and it is because of him that I am so weak a great deal of the time. Please forgive me, Crash, because I know how this sets you back."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Crash asked him. "I understand that you're not as strong as you once were, but I'm not going to hate you for it. I wish I understood more of what was going on, more about where it was that I came from. I know, though, that Cortex is the one who holds those answers. I need to find him, and I need to find some way to take him down. Getting to the top of this volcano is the first answer to that. I know such a thing will not be easy, but I believe it can be done."

"That's the kind of faith I wish I had once possessed," Aku said. "Then maybe Uka-Uka could not have been able to do this to me. I do not understand how it is that he gained the power he did, however, and that is something I would like to find out. However, he is long dead, and because of that, there is no reason to keep my mind on such a subject. Now, how much farther do we have to go, do you think?"

Crash looked over at him and saw him look upward. Looking upward himself, he found there was still at least a hundred feet to go. It was a long way, but he knew he could do it. He knew he would be able to stop this part of Cortex's plan. If he couldn't, then problems would arise.

As he looked down to judge just how far up they had come, he saw something that caused him to feel great fear. He had not expected to see it—or rather, them—but now that he was able to see Dingodile, Tiny, and Ripper Roo on their way, he knew he could do nothing more than force himself to hurry even more.

"Oh God," he said, and he took off climbing. He heard Aku say something in some strange language.

"We can see you!" Dingodile called from below him. "We can see you, and it will not be long until we are able to get to you and kill you! You will not be able to run from us forever, you stupid Bandicoot!"

His threat was accompanied by a cackle from Ripper Roo and a roar from Tiny. Crash knew they were going to have to hurry as soon as they possibly could. If Dingodile was able to catch up with them, then it was certain that all Hell would break loose.

Crash scurried upward, believing he could make it to the top.

Below him, Dingodile, Tiny, and Ripper Roo, watched with anger as Crash continued forward.

"He's getting away!" Tiny yelled. "If we don't hurry, then we won't be able to kill him!"

"Fool, we're not supposed to kill him," Dingodile said. "If we kill him, then we'll be killed, as well. You have to realize that. If you don't, then I'll slam you in the skull! I'm sure you don't want that, do you?"

"What does it matter?" Tiny asked. "We're going to get killed nonetheless! There's no way for us to get to him before he enters and confronts Koala Kong!"

"Maybe he'll kill Kong," Ripper Roo said in a hopeful tone.

"Wait, what?" Tiny said. "You want Kong dead? Why?"

"That's a long story that I thought you already knew," Dingodile said. "You may be my greatest ally, but even I have to admit that there are times where it seems as though your brains lapse!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if my brains did lapse," Tiny said. "You know just as well as I do how Cortex creates us. It's a wonder more of us haven't lost our minds!"

"Well, I definitely know I'm not one of those you could call sane," Ripper said.

"Yes, that's the truth," Dingodile muttered under his breath. "And yes, Tiny, I do know how Cortex works the 'magic' he does when he creates us. I want nothing more than to kill Crash, but even I know just how stupid it would be to attempt it here and now!"

"So what are we going to do when we finally get up there? Help Kong take Crash down?"

"No," Dingodile said. "Part of me thinks Kong won't be able to take Crash down. This isn't just because of how much I truly hate him, but also because of my experience in combat with him."

"What kind of experience was that?"

"We had different training, and I proved myself to be on a similar strength level as both you and him. I sparred with him one day, and one thing I learned was that he likes to cheat. As we were battling, he kicked me in the shin, something that was not supposed to be allowed. He punched me, and even though Cortex watched, he did not do a thing. Kong won that, and I remained as just one of the common creations, while Kong has become one of those capable of holding down an entire area on his own. I wanted nothing more than to kill him right then and there, but I stopped myself. However, if I get the chance now, then I will kill him. We may not be allowed to kill Crash, but I was never told that I could kill Kong."

"Do you think you will be allowed that chance?" Tiny asked.

"Right now, I don't know," Dingodile replied. "But I believe I will…one day."

After seeing Dingodile and the others, Crash had scurried upward as fast as he possibly could. He had not expected to be able to scurry as fast as he had, but at the same time, he believed it had just been adrenaline. Once that adrenaline was gone, however, he was extremely exhausted, and there was a part of him that did not believe he could move on.

Then he reached upward one more time and found level ground.

Completely surprised by this, he pulled himself up and found that he was now just in front of a long, extremely dark hall.

"What is this?" he said.

"I have no idea," Aku said from his right. "But it looks as though we are about to reach a central part of the volcano." He quickly exited the area, then flew back in after a few moments. "Yes, just as I thought: Cortex built a structure that looks as though it is a part of the volcano itself right here on top. If there is an eruption, then this place will be completely destroyed. I am not sure why he would go to all the trouble of something such as this in spite of that, but I guess there is something he wanted. Anyway, Crash, there is no need for us to tarry any longer. The longer that we wait, the less time it will take Dingodile and those other two creatures created by Cortex to climb up here and find us. I'm sure that after seeing you, they are quickening their pace. I cannot shield you from any of Dingodile's attacks, remember? We must hurry, because I do not want you to face such issues."

"Thank you," Crash said. "I'm glad you're actually worried for me. I wonder if there's anyone else in the world that would exhibit that besides just you."

"I wish I knew if there were more or not, but I do not think I can help you there," Aku said. "And for that, I am sorry, Crash."

Crash nodded. He could feel pain throughout his body. He wanted nothing more than to be able to sleep, but the first thing he needed to do was get through these halls and find whoever it was that was hiding at the end of it all.

"Are you okay?" Aku asked with concern.

"Somewhat, but it's nowhere near easy for me to move right now," Crash said. "Climbing up here like I did…it's made everything so much harder. I feel a great deal of pain, and I don't know if I'll be able to fight after this. At the same time, I know I need to."

"Yes, and while I know how painful this experience must be, as a result of what I have felt in the past, you must move on and act as though there is nothing impeding you," Aku said. "I have felt great pain throughout my lives, both before I transferred myself into this mask and even now. Despite the pain you are feeling, the best thing for you to do is to get to your feet and keep moving. I cannot allow you to be like this for much longer. I need your help to end this."

Crash nodded and sighed. "Fine," he said. "I don't know why I doubted myself, because I know you're right."

He got to his feet.

The pain I've felt is something I can use to my advantage, he thought. I've already thought this, and I am going to think it again. While my original thoughts were a bit confusing, I believe I will be able to move on. I cannot let this pain stop me any longer. Instead, I need to walk forward and act as though I'm about to take on Cortex. That might not be the truth, and it definitely won't be the truth for a while, but I believe that it soon will be. I won't give up that hope.

He finally straightened up and looked down the hall where they would probably have to go.

"It's time to go down there, isn't it?" Crash asked Aku. "I don't think we have much of a choice, seeing as how there are no other passageways for us to go down."

"Yes, and it is time. No more tarrying, as I said before."

The two of them walked forward without fear, knowing fear would not help them whatsoever in a situation such as this.

"Tell me," Crash said, "What was the worst thing that your brother ever did? You've told me some of his atrocities, but what are some of the others?"

"There was the time that he tried to murder a little girl, believing her to be possessed by spirits," Aku said. "He took her into his home and prepared to cut her open to remove her vital organs. When I later was forced to interrogate him in order learn why he had done it—and they only trusted me to do so, as many of the others were extremely scared of him—he mentioned that the evil spirits only took over the blood and the organs, because those were the most vital parts. It was horrible to hear such things, but at the same time, I found it somewhat interesting. To hear the skill he had with being a common doctor, as well as a witch-doctor, I did not know if I should congratulate him or condemn him. Of course, in the end, I condemned him for what he did. We did not kill him, as we knew killing him was not the best option. All the same, we had to do something, and so we sealed him away. By this time, just as I had long before he had, he'd transferred himself into his mask. I felt horror when it came to sealing him away, but I knew that it was the only way. It haunts me, and I do not think I will ever be able to get the memory out of my mind. I guess those are the types of memories and thoughts that you are not supposed to be able to forget, that they are those that you are supposed to learn from."

Crash nodded. As Aku spoke, he continued to look ahead, as well as around himself. The walls were made of the same metamorphic rock as the area outside, as was the floor. If this was, in fact, the way that it all looked, then Crash guessed they were not far from wherever the lava was.

And as he thought about that, he wondered just how powerful this next creation of Cortex's would be, and just how much it would take to bring them down. He guessed it would take quite a lot, but even then, he knew he still had his faith, and that he had Aku by his side.

With those two things, how could he lose?