Things Left Undone Book 3, Chapter 14
Ayla's Little Problem... And How it Was Solved
By CuteLucca
They landed on Karandash seven hours later, shaken just as bad as before. They immediately walked to where the Epoch was, but found nothing, not even a wire's plastic coating. They all groaned, and went to find Tryuiop.
The underworld was a shambles, they had to clear aside piles of boulders and bypass gaping chasms in order to get to the grand chamber. There, the wall with the mural of the eleven heroes on it was cracked and falling apart. A scrap of paper caught their eye, and Glenn read it.
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Hello, guys. I'm sure that you've returned to take me to some other place, but that will not be necessary. After you killed the Darkrunner, this place began to fall apart. I caution you, leave before you, too, are crushed or buried alive! I have fixed your time machine, Epoch, I believe you called it; and left it in the room with the magical table. If you are wondering where I am, I have been called to join my brother, Jas-chu, in the afterlife. We have a lot of catching up to do! Much luck to you and yours,
Tryuiop
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Glenn looked up. "Jas-chu was his brother? Why didn't he ever tell us?"
A boulder crashed to the ground as he finished that sentence, and Ayla threw him out of the way. "Run!!" She yelled, and they all dodged crashing rocks as they went to get the Epoch.
There it was in all its glory. They crowded into the time machine, and blasted off for their own planet just in time, before the ceiling collapsed and the underworld was buried forevermore under tons and tons of rubble.
* * * * *
They appeared on their own planet, in Johnny's place, 2304AD. As one, the nine heroes jumped out of the ship and kissed the ground, ignoring the dirt in their eyes and down their throats.
Magus sighed as he laid on the ground. "I'll never call our planet dull again!!"
Flea nodded enthusiastically. "Hey Magus- how did Slash and Ozzie make it home?"
"They hitched a ride with that Zob thing."
Just then, Ayla made a despairing yowl.
"What's wrong, Ayla?" Johnny asked.
She buried her head in her hands and groaned. "Ayla just remember that family being held hostage by Reptites! Ayla no find Xath, so Reptites kill Ayla and son and husband!"
Glenn sat up. "We must assist Ayla in her time of need. I shall help solve this unpleasant problem! Will anyone else come?"
Of course, everyone volunteered, except Johnny. "I would love to help you Ayla, but I really have had enough adventures for the rest of my life!! And I'm sure you can whip those Reptites without the help of a puny robot like me."
And so, he gave everyone hugs and handshakes goodbye. With a final wave, his eight friends disappeared in the Epoch.
Johnny sighed and inspected his piles, to see if those marauding kids had had a field day in his absence.
* * * * *
They had no trouble locating the Reptite's lair, it was carved out of a smoke-spewing volcano. They set the Epoch down, and stealthily snuck into the lair.
Stealth wasn't that big of an issue, though, because the place was completely deserted.
The big cavern was just as easy to find as the lair was; the corridor from the outside led straight in. To the far wall, Kino was still tied, and the baby Krono was suspended in a little hammock. Ayla yelled, and ran to her two loved ones, but stopped when Pharos placed a hunting knife to Kino's throat. Kino swallowed convulsively, and squeezed his eyes shut as a trickle of blood ran down his chest and splattered on the floor.
Ayla was furious. "Let Kino go, Pharos!! Ayla bring friends, we beat you and all your Reptites!!"
"I don't think so, Ayla. You see, the deal was for you to retrieve Xath. Do I see Xath here? No, I didn't think so. Therefore, take one step closer and I'll slit this ape's throat." Kino pulled away from the knife and groaned. Krono, in his hammock, began to cry.
Ayla looked back to her friends, seeking guidance, but they looked just as bewildered as she. She tried to sort out her choices. But, in the end, she didn't have to.
Behind Pharos, with a blast of light, appeared Johnny. He put a finger to his lips, and raised a heavy iron bar over his head. He brought it down, crushing the Reptite's skull, and ending the standoff.
Ayla laughed, and ran over, embracing her husband. She untied him, and lovingly lifted Krono from the rough rope hammock. Then, she turned to Johnny. "Ayla thank you so very much." Johnny just blushed, and sheepishly said that it was nothing.
She handed him the baby Krono, and he took the child, and looked in his eyes. There, Johnny could see what the boy would become. Krono giggled, and reached up, grasping on to a lock of Johnny's blue hair. He laughed. He handed the baby back to Ayla. Then, with a wave at the others, he disappeared again, this time for good.
Ayla treated her friends to dinner in Ioka village, Poi soup as usual. Finally the time came when the companions had to go their separate ways, and Ayla gave them all great big hugs and walked with them all the way back to the Epoch. "Say hi to all family and friends for Ayla, everyone. I see you all in one year!!"
And they blasted off, to drop Robo off in 2304.
* * * * *
Robo disembarked at the Arris dome, and Doan was there waiting for him. He wished his friends goodbye, and walked with Doan into the dome, discussing plans to make Johnny a national hero. He turned back right before he went in the door, and gave one last enthusiastic wave.
* * * * *
Next, they stopped at Ozzie's fort, 604AD, where Slash and Ozzie ran out to greet them. Flea and Magus hugged the stone walls in joy, and breathed deeply of the healthy, familiar scent of magic. Glenn disembarked as well, and joined his former enemies on the fort's doorstep. He proclaimed that he would live there, and Flea, once so reluctant to talk to him, led him straight inside and showed him to his room.
Magus, Slash, and Ozzie let out a cheer, and as Lucca, Marle, and Crono left for their home time of 1004AD, they saw Glenn and Flea waving from the window of the tower.
* * * * *
Finally home, the last three companions parked the Epoch in Lucca's workshop. They sat in her house for a while, chatting and enjoying each other's company, and one by one, they nodded off into a long, restful sleep.
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