The New Generation Part 3
The Unknown Time
By Dark Magus
Kaira stumbled out of the time gate. Where was she? She looked around. She didn’t see the normal forest. She was in a cave. At the far end of the cave she could see some light. Daylight perhaps? She looked back to signal Carr and Jase to follow her, but realized that they weren’t there. She would have to go back and get them. She fished in her pocket for the gate key. She curled her fingers around it. She was about to pull it out when a hand grabbed her arm and covered her mouth so she couldn’t scream…
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***800 AD
Jase met Carr at the base of a tree. "What was that?" Jase asked in amazement.
"That was a time gate," explained Carr. "That’s how we got here in the first place."
A rustle in the leaves signaled to them that the guards were still searching the forest. The two quickly scrambled up a tree. They quietly watched the guard walk right underneath them. When he was gone they stayed up in the tree.
"You think she’ll come back for us?" Jase asked.
"Yes. She came after you in the first place." Carr assured him. Jase and Carr sat there waiting for the gate to expand again. It never did…
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***The Unknown Time
Kaira woke up from a deep sleep. Where and when was she? Who had kidnapped her?
A person came into the room. Or, a thing. It was a sort of reptile. He was very intelligent looking for an animal. He had on the skin of an animal that Kaira had never seen before. He wore noting else, just the one piece around his waist held up by two straps around his back. He was barefoot. He had no hair. The thing also had no weapon. Odd. Everybody carried weapons. It was their only means of defense. The reptile never spoke. It was finally out of sheer boredom that Kaira started singing to herself.
"Who are you talking to?" the reptile asked. Amazing! It could actually talk! "Who are you talking to?" it repeated.
"I uh… was just singing to myself," Kaira replied.
"Crazy person," it muttered to itself, "First waltzing around in a cave filled with monsters, then talking to herself."
"Hey!" Kaira spat back.
The creature ignored her rude remark. "My name is Aza, what’s yours?"
He seemed friendly enough, "My name’s Kaira. Pardon me, but how do you talk?"
"What is so strange about a reptite talking? Don’t reptites talk where you come from?"
"There are no reptites where I come from. Only mystics and humans."
"Nonsense. Reptites have been around since, well, the beginning of time."
Then Kaira remembered that she wasn’t even close to her time, probably. How was she going to explain? "Look Aza. I don’t come from this time period. I come from 1500 AD. When is this?"
"This is 2,000,000 TS."
"TS?"
"Yes, the 2,000,000 year of the recorded Time Stream."
Kaira thought back. Didn’t time used to be recorded like that until 62,000,000 TS. Then didn’t it start over again at 1 AD. This must be 60,000,000 BC. Hanging around Carr too long must have started to affect her. She actually remembered that.
"Well," Kaira began, "If it is OK, I would like to go back to where you found me. I have to go back to my time."
"Look," Aza began, "I think you are completely nuts. But if you want to go back there, then so be it. I will take you there in the morning."
"Morning? But can’t I go now? I have friends waiting for me."
"Look Kaira, you have been out cold for two days now. I’m sure a couple more hours would make no difference."
Two days? Jase and Carr were probably worried sick. He was right though. A couple of hours would make no difference now. Kaira settled back down in her bed of some straw-like substance and fell back to sleep.
*****
Kaira got up in the morning early. She saw that Aza was still sleeping. She shook him awake.
"What the…" a growl escaped his mouth. Then he settled down once he realized who it was. Aza got out of his bed and got his stuff together for the fight ahead.
Kaira saw a sight she didn’t want to see again. Aza produced a talon from each of his fingers. He found a grinding stone and sharpened them. After about a half hour of sharpening, Aza was ready to go. Kaira followed Aza’s lead. He led them to a cave at the base of a single mountain in the middle of a forest. They walked inside. Aza waved his hands and produced the claws again. Kaira took the example and drew her katana. The two of them advanced farther into the cave. Kaira heard a rustle and turned. There was a mini reptile the corner. She sliced it with her sword. Aza seemed surprisingly OK with her killing another reptile.
"Almost there," Aza told her. Then Kaira saw the sparkle. A gate. She advanced towards it. "NO WAIT," Aza shouted. "It could be a…"
Too late. Kaira heard a roar in the depths of a cave. She and Aza were soon surrounded by many creatures, ranging from large to small. There were hundreds of them. They were clearly outnumbered. Then Aza did something amazing. He produced a crude flame in his hand. It shot to the nearest beast, incinerating it. It would take hundreds of those blasts to kill the horde though.
Finally Kaira knew that they were going to lose no matter what and pulled out the gate key. The sparkle expanded into a blue ball. It engulfed the two of them, saving their lives.
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***800 AD
Jase heard a noise in the clearing. He saw just enough to see the blue ball closing. Kaira was back! She also had a strange creature by her side. Jase drew his daggers just in case. The creature seemed friendly though. Jase came out of his hiding spot, "Welcome back Kaira."
"Hi Jase. Meet Aza. He is a new friend that you should get to know because you will only see him for two minutes the rest of your life." It was clear that Kaira had no intention whatsoever of traveling through time again. Then Carr came into the scene. He was running. "Guards… still here," he panted."
"Aza. You’ll have to come with us," Kaira explained, "If they find you they’ll take you to the freak show."
With that the four of them darted for the castle. They ran up the steps and pushed through the gates. The four darted through the throne room, whereupon the king ordered guards after them. They found the room they had originally come from and raised the gate key. A gate appeared and the four simultaneously jumped inside.
Instead of ending up where she should, in the museum, Kaira found herself among four pillars of light. Past them were steps. She ventured over and down the steps. She saw a single lamp post with an old man leaning against it. The man turned his head.
"Ah. More guests. Maybe THEY have the potential to defeat Magmos," he said. The man signaled for the four of them to gather around him. He began to tell them a story.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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