The Next Generation Part 18
Forgotten Foes
By Krazy Sam
Stal turned to Sari. “Aren’t we going back to Prehistoric times to locate the evidence of our arrival?” he finally asked. Sari shrugged, staring into the empty void in the End of Time.
“I guess so…” she murmured, unsure of herself. Stal smiled.
“Great! I never knew what to believe in… now, there may be answers!”
Sari nodded. “Let’s go.”
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In Heckran cave, the strange man raised an eyebrow, moving to the main whirlpool. He carried nothing but a sword and a bag of healing herbs, and wore a single gold earring in his left ear. Adjusting his highly decorated robe over his shoulders, he began to lower himself into the whirlpool. “You’re close, Mio… I can feel it…”
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Lana sighed and deeply inhaled the spring air, sunning herself on her front lawn. Maro was sprawled out next to her, scribbling furiously in a large leather journal, occasionally stopping to stare at the lazily passing clouds or to pluck a small flower from the green grass below him.
“Is there life after death, Lana?” Maro finally asked. Lana shrugged.
“I don’t know. I would assume there wasn’t, because there is no scientific evidence of it. However, due to what has happened recently, I would now say that I’m unsure. Maro, I really don’t know…”
Maro went back to writing in his journal, occasionally dipping his quill pen into a jar of ink. “What about life before birth?”
Lana sighed in exasperation. “I don’t know! Why are you asking me these questions?”
Maro opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud splash. Lana’s head snapped to face the sound, and her eyes widened as a strange blue-skinned man landed ten feet in front of her. His eyes widened and he bowed deeply.
“Forgive me, M’lady… I believe I have the wrong person…” he murmured. Lana’s eyes widened.
“Slash!!!” she cried. Maro gasped and held his pen like he would a weapon.
“So it is you, Mio…” he murmured. “I forgot that you were to have human forms…” Slash replied. Lana stood up and walked up to him.
“I thought you were killed…” she murmured. Slash shook his head.
“I escaped, but I was able to learn the secrets of the timestream, so I came here… but I’m an outcast to both Mystics and humans…” he voiced. Lana nodded.
“What brings you here?” she asked. Slash turned away.
“Flea is here, isn’t she?” he muttered. Lana shrugged.
“Laeri?” she questioned. Slash raised an eyebrow.
“I guess I’ve forgotten her real name, eh?” he returned. Lana shrugged again.
“I suppose so… I haven’t really kept track of her changing names… how did you escape?” she asked. Slash turned back to Lana.
“Flea has gone mad with fury over the humiliation of her defeat. Night and day, she paced our hideout cursing Crono and Magus, and all of the travelers like them. She kept making plots to kill them, but I assumed she wasn’t serious. Was she?”
Maro’s eyes filled with tears. “Someone else killed my parents,” he answered, his voice squeaking. Slash cocked his head.
“Who are your parents?” he finally asked.
“Crono and Marle,” Lana answered for him. Slash studied Maro and finally nodded.
“I see a resemblance,” he said simply. “Who killed them?”
“Sari says that Flea’s accomplice, Guares, murdered them,” she answered.
Slash raised an eyebrow. “Sari?”
Lana smiled softly. “One of my future lives…” she explained. Slash nodded.
“Might I be able to talk with your current family? I’d like to meet them,” he spoke. Lana sucked in a deep breath.
“I don’t know…” she murmured. Slash tried to look pitiful.
“Please? I haven’t had contact with anyone since I escaped four years ago…” he pleaded. Lana tapped her foot and finally nodded.
“Tread softly. My mother holds a grudge…” she warned. Slash raised an eyebrow.
“Your mother? Do I know her?” he asked as Lana led him inside.
.
“A guest is here to see me?” Lucca called from the kitchen. A delicious aroma of baked chicken and soup filled the air, and Slash’s mouth watered hungrily. Lucca stepped out of the kitchen slowly, and her eyes went wide. “Slash…” she growled, narrowing her eyes. Slash gasped and stepped back.
“My dear God! You’re… Madam Lucca, aren’t you?” he cried. Lucca advanced menacingly.
“Don’t you forget it…” she hissed. Lana moved forward to protect Slash.
“He’s not here to harm anyone! He’s… an old friend,” she murmured. Lucca raised an eyebrow.
“You’re friends with this scum?” she asked softly. Lana turned away.
“You remember what I told you about my history, Mother,” she shot back. Lucca nodded.
“He was a friend of Mio, you mean?” she asked. Lana nodded.
“He helped me through some tough times, and now he’s here to help stop the killers,” she replied. Lucca’s eyes darkened distrustfully.
“Madam, I assure you, I mean no harm!” Slash insisted.
Lucca shook her head. “You tried to kill us before. How do I know that you’re not leading us into a trap?” she finally asked.
“Madam Lucca! Living alone for all these years allowed me to think of my actions. They were wrong, and know that we were in a state of war!” Slash cried, defending himself.
“In fact, I also helped to fight against you,” Lana replied softly. Lucca’s eyes widened slowly.
“What…?” she whispered. Lana turned away.
“It all has to do with the 400 year war, in 580…” she started, remembering the events.
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Mio laid out a large map made of parchment and began marking on it with a large stick of charcoal. “We attack here, near Dorino. They’re expecting us near Guardia, so this should be an easy victory,” she called confidently to the Mystic army. Laeri stepped forward and nodded, her auburn hair down and held back with a bandana.
“What about the humans?” she asked softly. Mio raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?” she questioned. Laeri drew in a deep breath.
“A couple of humans boast of superior swordsmanship…” she murmured. Slash stepped up from beside her and nodded.
“She speaks the truth, M’lady,” he confirmed. Mio snorted.
“Humans can’t defeat us,” she argued. “They’re weak, and they give up too easily. Within the next three years, we should have Zenan Bridge, Porre, and the Cursed Woods under our rule!” she cried. Slash nodded.
“Sir Magus will be proud of us,” he added. Laeri bobbed her head in agreement.
“How are those plans coming?” a voice called from behind the three. Mio whirled around and nodded, finding Layith standing there. Lady Layith was the High Priestess of the time, and she was well known for her healing and destroying powers. She smiled as she brushed back her long black hair.
“We’ll have Mount Dendaro in a matter of days,” Mio answered. Layith frowned.
“Dendaro? What’s so important about that silly mountain?” she sneered. Laeri stepped forward.
“The humans are using its caves to store supplies. Also, with the mountain under our control, we would have an unobstructed view of our targets. With our long-range weapons, we could easily destroy human settlements from well over a mile away!”
Layith smiled softly. “Make it so. It is Shanai’s will to have the Mystics rule the world, not those silly humans. Why else would He have given us the Holy Stone to control all magic?”
Laeri scoffed. “I can control all magic. Why should we bother with a silly rock?”
Layith moved forward and slapped Laeri across the cheek. “Idiot! It’s because of the stone that we even have these powers! Its magic far surpasses that of the SunStone, which you draw your weak power off of.”
Slash stepped forward. “Touch her again and you will find my blade at your throat,” he growled. Layith tapped his pale blue nose and laughed.
“My magic is no match for your sword. Make a move to attack me and there’ll be pieces of you scattered all over the landscape!” she threatened.
“Stop it!” Mio screamed, pounding her fist on her wooden desk. The three quarreling Mystics pulled apart. “We’re not discussing the Stone; we’re trying to lay out an attack plan!”
Layith sniffed. “Fine. I merely came by to let you know that Sir Magus is pleased with you as a General, Mio.”
Mio beamed. “Perhaps I could get a job in his castle after the war!” she squealed. Laeri’s view dropped to the floor and she looked as if she were about to cry.
“Yes… I knew that you’d be perfect serving directly under the Great Sir Magus…” she sighed. Slash placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“He’s probably going to select you as his head Magician,” he murmured. Laeri smiled.
“Or his top spy?” she suggested. Slash smiled.
“Whatever you want to be…”
.
Maro sighed impatiently. “Is this really necessary?”
Lana shrugged. “That’s what happened.” Slash nodded in agreement.
“I always had somewhat of a crush on Flea. I’m glad I’m over that now.”
Lucca raised an eyebrow. “Lana, please continue.”
Lana drew in a deep breath. “Well, we began our attack on Dendaro. There were many soldiers about…”
.
“Do you think that we could take all six of them out at once?” Mio whispered to Laeri. She nodded.
“Leave it all to me.” Thrusting her right hand forward, an explosion suddenly ripped through all six men. All Mio heard aside from the loud roar were the anguished screams of the soldiers. She sighed, silently grieving for the humans. Laeri narrowed her eyes. “You’re getting weak, Mio. You need to learn what is your duty and what is acceptable grieving. This is merely duty.”
Mio sighed. “Yes…”
.
Lana sighed. “After that, I deeply regretted the war against the humans. When I fell off the side of Mount Dendaro a few weeks later, I lost my memory. When I was brought before Layith for my sentencing a few years later after helping the humans, I was given my memory back so I would remember how weak I had become…”
Slash sighed. “Poor lass…”
Lucca lowered her head. “Well, what do you have to do with it?” she directed at Slash.
“I was under Mio’s command. I regret never opposing Layith…”
Lucca sighed. “Well, would you like to stay for dinner?” she finally asked. Slash’s stomach growled as if in reply.
“Thank you for your kind offer. I’d love to stay…” he replied, embarrassed.
.
Sari pushed through the dense brush and finally came to a small clearing. “We’ll take a small break here,” she called. Stal promptly plopped down on a hollow log, and Sari uttered a small sigh of fear, remembering what happened to Tavi.
“I’m hungry…” Elena whined, rubbing her stomach. Sari tossed her a small biscuit.
“Eat quickly. We must stay on the move if we hope to avoid monsters,” she answered. Stal’s eyes widened.
“Like those…?” he asked, his eyes wide. Sari gasped. There were three giant rats staring her in the face. One dashed and stole Elena’s biscuit.
“Hey!” Elena screamed. She pushed her hand forward and a bubble of water shot forth, snapping in the rat’s face. Stal drew his new bow and fired an arrow at the same rat. It pierced its leg, and it retaliated by biting Stal’s left ankle. It immediately swelled up and turned purple. Stal screamed in pain and fell to the ground, clutching his poisoned ankle.
“Stal, are you all right?” Sari called. Stal nodded.
“I will be…” he murmured. Sari turned and fired a shadowy beam at all three rats, leaving nothing but smoking spots in the ground. She immediately placed a hand on Stal’s ankle, healing it.
“Let’s go,” Sari called.
.
Half an hour later, Sari, Stal, and Elena came to an even larger clearing. Sari nodded and began to walk around, inspecting the ground.
“This is the place,” she stated, “But where is the capsule Santin spoke of?”
Stal shrugged and pounded his fist on the ground, sending large chunks of dirt flying out of the ground. A large metal tube flew out of one of the new holes and landed at Elena’s feet.
“What’s this?” she finally asked. She picked up the capsule and staggered under its weight. “It’s heavy!”
Sari lifted up the capsule easily. “I wonder what’s in here…?” she wondered. She unscrewed the top and turned the capsule upside-down, allowing the contents to spill out. Many small computers hit the ground, and a tiny monitor was next to follow. Sari picked up one of the small computers and began to press a series of buttons. She gasped, and read the words that appeared on the screen.
.
October Twelfth, 10295
The attacks keep coming. Why do the Et-Salaat keep attacking? We have done them no harm! We have made peace with almost every life form known to us, but the Et-Salaat… They seem to not want peace, just our planet. They burrow deep underground and live deep in the ground for hundreds of years, and when they’ve used up every resource, they erupt, destroy all life, and move on in search of a new planet. It’s been this way for trillions of years, and now is no different. The only hope for the human race to survive is our newest project, the Chrono Project. We are going to colonize a planet far away, Relgus Nine. However, we’ve genetically engineered the earliest Homo Sapiens and another race of half-human, half-dinosaur geniuses. We’ve affectionately nicknamed them Reptites. The ones we created were friendly and open-minded, but the ones that we want to create need to be rivals to the new human race…
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Elena sighed. “So that’s how Reptites came into existence…”
Stal raised an eyebrow. “I’m just surprised that humans were around long enough to actually see a year that far into the future.”
Sari cleared her throat and kept reading.
.
If this new planet hopes to be safe from the Et-Salaat, we’ve got to make sure that everything goes as planned. If it does, their lives should mirror ours, with any alterations that we see fit. So far, another race is going to evolve from Reptites- the Mystics. With all of these new races and beings, it’s amazing that this world would even look like Earth… but I hope everything goes well. But I’m digressing…
To protect Relgus Nine from the Et-Salaat, distinct individuals will come into existence at certain times in history. These people will be the only ones that can save the planet. It is absolutely imperative that they stay alive until their mission is completed. If any one dies before completing their mission… Relgus Nine is doomed.
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“What?” Stal cried. “We all have a mission?”
Sari nodded. “I suppose so… but what’s mine?” She thought for a moment. “According to what I remember, I die before Lao is defeated… and Tavi is dead… if he was one of these people, our battle is already lost!”
Elena choked back a sob. “We’re doomed…”
Sari bent down and picked up the monitor. “There’s more…” She turned it on, and gasped. She was pictured on the tiny gadget! She clutched the monitor with shaking hands and Stal and Elena crowded around to get a better view.
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Kash fingered the second amulet given to him, and finally gasped. “The pendant!” Olana smiled from beside him.
“I have the same pendant… It seems as if we are all connected somehow…”
Kash smiled. “I was wondering how he could have two of the same amulet… but he didn’t… I guess his age is beginning to get to him…”
Olana shrugged.
.
The tiny screen flickered, and Sari’s face finally began to speak from the box.
“If you are seeing this right now, that means that you have dug up the capsule…” she began. “My name is Seta, and hopefully, the person modeled after me is alive and on this planet. There are others, people who are here, who are also to reappear somewhere in history. Their names, unlike mine, have been used for the people modeled after them, but I chose not to have my name repeat... but that is unimportant...” She sighed. “Their names are Crono, Marle, Lucca, Janus, Ayla, Glenn, and there is a robot that is to be created to help them. We haven’t thought up a name for it.”
Sari nodded. “That explains it.”
.
Seta took in another deep breath. “There are others, descendants of these people, who will protect the planet long after these six humans pass on. One of them, who will be Mystic, will be the sole protector of this planet after the passing of these heroes. If she dies, the planet is doomed. Be forewarned, protect the one called Mio. If she is to perish, the planet will die.” The screen suddenly flickered and was replaced by loud static.
Sari sighed. “This planet will be doomed after we defeat Lao…” she whispered. Elena cocked her head.
“Why?”
Sari lowered her head. “I remember seeing this through Lana’s eyes… I die trying to save the rest of you…”
Stal shook his head and smiled. “But we’ve been changing history like crazy. Remember? Everything you remembered was wrong!”
Sari smiled softly. “I sure hope so…”
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Slash stepped outside of the large dome and inhaled the warm air, secretly glad that he came out of hiding. He turned back to Lana and nodded. “Once I get my weapons and my few possessions, we’ll be able to stop Flea.”
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