"I need to buy skates." Sean was the first to nervously move across the moving crystals. "Claes, will you remind me to write it down in your notebook?"

"Less talking, more walking." Claes put his arms out to keep his balance. "It's like walking on ice."

"That's why I need skates," Sean said again. I looked above my shoulder to see Chloriette, Lenard, and Victor also focusing on their balance so they wouldn't fall into the huge gap. It was like walking through an earthquake.

My eyes trailed downwards until they landed on the crystals beneath our feet. Behind the transparent surface, all I could see was darkness. It made us look like we're flying towards the portal.

We stood before a crystal that doesn't move a single inch. "Okay, here's what we're going to do, the five of us will go to the portal, and you will get the key." Claes looked at me.

"And why me, exactly . . . ?" I asked. Then I realized why. "Oh, right . . . I can fly. It'll be easier for me to get there and to the portal."

"Yeah, about that . . ." Lenard stared at the red crystal. "I think the island has its tricks on its sleeve." We followed his gaze and saw an open area of the red giant crystal until huge shards abruptly went up and down every time the crystal floor made a gap.

I shook my head. "I really should stop saying things like that."

"Careful now, and make sure you don't let the spiky ones tear your pants to shreds." Victor never took his eyes off the view.

"Luckily, I brought a pair," I muttered under my breath, which is true. Before I started hovering, Claes and the others carefully went to the gate. I prayed to the Almighty of the heavens to keep me safe (as well as my pants). While taking flight, I carefully looked left and right before stopping whenever a tall crystal spike was about to impale me with its sharp, pointy end as a huge hole opened.

I have to be very, VERY, careful, I told myself. The red crystal is just straight ahead. I had no idea what this island was capable of, but it's better not to do something reckless. I sped up a little bit. The weird part was that the sharp crystals soared and descended quite fast. "This is not good," I commented. Even though I flew high enough to avoid the spikes, it adjusted its height just to reach me. I kept on dodging as quickly as possible. 

"All right, the only way to get through. . . is through." I unsheathed the claymore as its blade igniting until I sensed its power. I sliced at every crystal that blocked my way, even the ones beneath me.

I'm almost there! The string was attached at the top of the red crystal. I reached out with my left hand, hoping to get the key. Unexpectedly, the red crystal ascended and transformed into a red, gigantic, serpent-like creature. With white gems for eyes, sharp diamonds as fangs, and one, thick, spiky, slithering red crystal as its body. Its appearance was enough for me to say, Oh crap. The key was nowhere to be found. It must have been swallowed by the red crystal serpent. The monster released a powerful shriek that I'm not proud to hear. (Especially when the shriek was loud as my sisters' . . .or Lenard's).

"Okay, now's the good time to say 'oh crap!'"

The serpent lunged at me with its opened jaw, but I flew around it. I took a glance and saw the serpent three feet away from me. "Oh crap!" I said it again. While I dodged my way to survival, I'm thinking of a plan to get the key and save my butt, of course, including my pants. I looked at the serpent, opening its jaw once again. A light caught my eye, that was the time I saw the key hanging on its Uvula. Eww.

I finally thought of what to do. I looked to where Claes and the others were. They're almost at the gate, but there's a catch. The crystal ground they're standing on moved and all of a sudden, five crystals appeared. The five changed into Claes, Sean, Chloriette, Victor, and Lenard. Going fire against fire.

Instead of seeing how long can the serpent go, I went straight to its mouth (I am grateful that some creatures have no serious nose-breaking breath). The easy part was evading the fangs, but the hard part was moving its tongue and shaking the body, which could mess up my balance and increasing the possibility of me getting eaten.

My head couldn't stop moving as the key swayed side by side. Cutting the string that was attached to the key, I took it before it fell to its esophagus. There! Now all I have to do is have the serpent open its mouth. To do that, I have to summon my magic. It's burning time! My body started igniting with fire. I could feel the air swirling around me, turning white blizzards into igniting red aura.

The serpent coughed with a clashing sound of the crystals. Suddenly, the mouth burst from the explosion, and that was the time for me to escape as I flew to my friends in less than four seconds. "So, how's it going?" I asked Claes, who was busy fighting his other-self.

He was trying to push his crystallized duplicate with his sword, but it has the same strength as his. "Aside from the fact that I'm going to be killed by myself and how my hair started to look like Sean's, I think I'm doing fine."

Suddenly, the red crystal serpent charged its way toward us from afar. "Whoa, what is that?!" Claes' eyes widened after he parried an attack from his other-self. I looked at the serpent then back to him. 

"Oh, that? An acquaintance," I replied.

"I think the snake misses you!" Claes said with a thrust of his sword.

"It misses its dinner," I said.

"Got the key?" He dodged another attack.

"Yeah," I showed to him. "We can get out now."

"Good, good, but first, help me!"

"Oh." I was about to until another crystal rose from the ground. It transformed and changed into me. "I guess we have to help ourselves first!" I told him. I ducked as the other me swung its sword before attempting to fly, which almost made me drop the key. I dodged it every attack from its crystallized claymore. I was fast enough to watch over the crystal blade. "Time to fight fire with fire." My claymore burned intensely until it's bright. That's when I noticed that my doppelgänger couldn't copy my magic because they're just crystals.

"You're in big trouble!" I told him (myself). The doppelgänger was good at guarding, but with my magic, I had the upper hand. every swing I gave was like swinging an explosive sword every time the blade made physical contact.

It exploded as I pierced its heart. I descended to help my friends. I checked on them, they were still handling themselves. Lenard was having a hard time winning against himself from a slapping contest, Victor never had a wrestling match before, especially with his copy, Sean didn't want his doppelgänger to give him a painful wedgie, Claes . . . pretty much the same, Chloriette lifted her hand to a stop, I can hear her singing to her crystal double. Believe it or not, it worked!

The doppelgänger stopped, jaw dropped. She cut her (not herself) in half with her feather sword. "Nice cut," I told her.

"The same goes for you back there." She pointed at the sky.

"Well, I would mind being killed by myself."

"And your new friend?" Chloriette looked at the serpent, who was now about to strike. But I carried her near our friends. We all went near the empty portal, surrounded by ourselves and the red crystal serpent. I still got the key. I searched around for a keyhole. But there's none. "Bud, it's time to go to the portal!" Victor said.

I dashed toward the middle of the gate, but there was something wrong. "There's no keyhole!" I searched.

"Please don't tell me it's a trap," whined Sean. "I do not want to get a wedgie from myself!"

I kept searching- I could've sworn there's got to be a hole in here. "Xabe, please tell me you found it? Because the word 'It's a trap' gives me chills." Lenard hid behind Victor, who struggled against both crystal Victor and Lenard.

Then I noticed something, it was like a carving. I prick my finger unto it then the carving disintegrated into a keyhole. Without a word, I inserted the key, but it won't turn. The serpent struck first, but Sean and Lenard dodged it. The doppelgängers charged too, but Lenard cast a spell to make a wall. "Kid, what is happening?" Claes asked me.

"I-I don't know, it won't turn!" I switched the key to the other side and insert it again. However, it still won't turn. "Victor, I need your help!" I turned to him.

"Sure, flying man." Victor came over and took hold of the key. 

"Don't call me that." I glared at him.

We used all of our strength to rotate the silver key. It rotated slowly until we heard a click. The portal opened with a swirling blue light. "Let's go!" I yelled. After defending themselves, they went to the portal. I'm the last one to enter. All I could see was light . . . and trees.

A/N:

Oh crap, indeed. That was a close one! With the Island of Glass off the list, it's time to go into the World of Battleships. And how will it look like? You'll soon find out in the next chapter!