Portal
Chapter One
Daren fled across the plains in terror. One could not see what was chasing him until he began down the hill. On top of the hill was a Grial, a fierce reptilian who preyed on the Hume. Daren ran as fast as he could, looking over his shoulder every few lengths. His frantic run was cut short as the ground under his feet gave way. Even the Grial halted as it looked at Daren with one greedy eye, the other on the hole that appeared in the ground. Daren shakily drew out a small knife, backing up from the hole and away from the ebony scaled reptilian.
"You are mine Hume!" The Grial hissed, forked tongue dancing across it's teeth in anticipation as it forgot the gaping hole in the ground and started to approach Daren.
A huge savagely clawed hand burst out of the hole and grabbed the Grial. The lizard screeched and bit at the hand ineffectively as the large beast pulled itself out of the ground. Daren nearly fainted. What stood in front of him now was a Behemoth.
The Behemoth looked at the Grial in its clawed hand with red eyes as large as dinner plates. The beast opened its jaws and threw the screaming Grial in its mouth. Daren winced at the sickening crunch as the Behemoth chewed the lizard, a still twitching tail hanging out of its mouth. Swallowing the lizard, the creature let out a belch as it turned to Daren, blood dripping out of its jaws, giving it an even more terrifying appearance.
Daren knew he couldn't out run the massive beast as large as a three tier tower, so he resigned himself to death and charged the beast with a yell, small knife ready to slice. What Daren did not know was that he was exploiting the Behemoth's greatest weakness; the beast had terrible eyesight. The Behemoth sensed his approach and roared, turning its blunt shaped head towards the Hume, red eyes trying to see what creature was charging it. As its head swept from side to side, Daren jumped up and dug his knife into the thick hide of the Behemoth. The beast, seeing him, swatted at him as one would a fly. Daren was sent flying and hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him. Daren, now weaponless, screamed as the Behemoth charged at him, mouth open wide.
Then Daren heard an odd sound behind him and turned around to see a sphere of pulsing light. Out of the light came strange men with odd weapons, calling to each other in excited tones. The Behemoth stopped in its tracks, surveying the situation, eyeing the men, gobs of drool falling from its blood covered jaws. The sphere of light disappeared and a total of eight men had come through it.
The men shouted excitably when they saw the Behemoth, whether in fear or surprise, Daren did not know.
Major Grant had come through the portal, knowing that the world, 239-DEB, had life sustaining status. When he saw the great beast the size of an elephant staring at him and his men, he felt the slightest unease. Could his men's weapons take it down if it charged?
"Steady, men! If that blasted thing charges, then open fire!" He ordered.
Sure enough, the beast roared angrily and charged Grant and his men at a disturbing speed. Grant held his M16 up and opened fire. The rest of his med followed suit and discharged their weapons at the beast. Grant cursed. The bullets didn't seem to be doing much damage. The beast was almost upon them. Growling, Grant pulled the pin on a grenade and tossed it into the beast's open jaws.
"Get down, men!" He shouted as he hit the ground, covering his head as the grenade blew up in the creature's mouth. The beast's head exploded messily, splattering everywhere. He and his men stood up, brushing off gore from their uniforms.
Looking around their perimeter, Grant saw a native curled up into a ball, hands covering his head, whimpering.
"Tom, go check that boy out" He barked gruffly. Tom, Grant's second in command, nodded and walked over to the cowering boy. Grant sighed and looked around; hopefully, there weren't many beasts like the one he'd killed.
Daren had curled up into the fetal position, ears ringing from the magic that the strange men had cast. He was terrified. The men were powerful, indeed, to kill a Behemoth. No one ever has been able to slay one in Daren's lifetime.
He yelped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see one of the strange men looking at him.
"Hey, boy, you alright?" The man asked in a friendly tone.
Daren, for a moment not comprehending what the man said, nodded, sitting up.
"That's good. What is your name, boy?" The man asked with a smile.
Daren looked at the man suspiciously.
"Daren is what others call me." He replied, trying to be polite as to not anger the strange man.
Daren flinched when the man chuckled, and stared at the hand blankly when the strange man held out his hand.
"My name is Tom. Nice to meet you, Daren." He said, taking Daren's hand and shaking it.
Daren flinched when he heard the magic man shout.
"Find anything out yet?" The magic man shouted.
Strange man Tom shouted back.
"His name's Daren, sir!" he replied, and then turned back to Daren "Is there a village nearby, Daren? We would like to meet your people." He asked.
Daren nodded.
"I'll show you, but I don't trust magic man you call 'Sir'" Daren said, eyeing the magic man in suspicion.
Strange man Tom laughed.
"Major Grant? Magic man? He's always like that when he's in a new world. He's my leader, and I trust him with my life. By the way, how old are you? You look as if you're still wet behind the ears, kiddo." He said.
Daren nodded.
"I will take you and magic man Major Grant and the others. But my people are wary around strangers, and you all are… strange. I have seen fourteen summers." He said, the last bit with pride.
Tom nodded and stood up.
"Sir! Daren will take us to his village. He says his people are wary about strangers." He shouted across the clearing.
Daren saw magic man Major Grant nod.
"Good work, Lieutenant! Everyone, pack up, we're moving out!" He shouted gathering his stuff.
Daren took the strange group of men up and down hills and across the plains. Meanwhile, he showed Tom the flora and fauna of the region.
"See that twin headed one? It is called a Juunai, and they are good eating!" He said excitedly as Tom stared at it thoughtfully.
"It looks like a cow" Tom exclaimed as one of the other men pulled out an object and clicked something, causing a bright flash. Daren jumped and stared at the man.
"What magic is that?" He whispered, half intrigued, half fearful.
The men looked at each other and shared a chuckle. One of the men handed Daren the object the flash came from.
"It is called a camera. It is not magic, even though it seems that way to you. Here, look here; can you see the picture I took of the Juunai?" He said kindly.
Daren gasped.
"You are an artist! It is so lifelike!" He said, staring at the man with big eyes.
The man laughed and shook his head, taking the camera back and rejoining the rest of the men.
"Hey, Kid! How far until we get to your village?" Major Grant asked bluntly.
Daren thought for a minute.
"One bright-change" Daren said.
The Major scowled.
"What in the world does that mean?" He responded.
Tom looked at the Major.
"About one day, sir" He said, after talking with Daren.
The Major nodded.
"In a couple hours, we make camp, the men need rest" Grant said.
Daren tugged on Tom's sleeve.
"Umm….what's an hour?" He asked curiously.
Tom laughed and messed up Daren's hair.
"My people's way of keeping time, kiddo. An hour is sixty minutes, which is sixty seconds" He replied.
Tom spent the next few minutes to explain his people's way of keeping time.
Daren nodded after Tom explained, understanding.
"So, about two lamp lightings!" He said to himself, content that he was learning about the new people. How proud his parents would be, being so brave around strangers!
Lieutenant Tom Peterson liked the native kid. The kid was bright and intelligent, which was more than he could say about a couple men in his group… The kid was showing him the wildlife in the area, from what looked like two headed cows called Juunai, to the dragons that Daren's people used for transportation called Nighthawks.
Tom was in awe of this planet, 239-DEB. As Daren explained, his race had called this planet Elpe, which meant 'Mother' in Daren's language. Tom was intrigued by Daren's people, the Hume. Daren looked like a normal human, but his eyes were slit, like a cat. And Daren was lithe, as far as Tom could see.
Daren picked up English pretty well, as his language and Tom's were nearly identical.
"So, the Nighthawks eat meat, right?" Tom asked the kid.
The kid shook his head, brown hair falling over his yellow eyes.
"No! They only eat plants! Well, they also eat minerals to keep their scales strong." He replied vehemently.
Tom nodded and was about to reply when Major Grant interrupted them.
"We camp here. Time to rest up, men!" He said, setting his pack on the ground. Tom set his own pack on the ground and Daren plopped down next to him, not looking a bit tired.
"You tire easily, but that is because you carry heavy packs, no?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.
Tom laughed.
"You try to carry it for miles then, in the morning. Let's see how much stamina you have then!" He said, clapping Daren on the back.
Daren froze.
"What did you say?" He asked, visibly paling.
Tom looked at Daren, an eyebrow raised.
"In the morning we are going to b-" He said, but Daren interrupted him.
"No! We must keep moving then! Night is when the Grial come out! They will eat us all!" He said, gulping.
Tom looked concerned.
"Grial?" He asked. Major Grant came to sit next to them.
"Anything wrong, Lieutenant?" he asked gruffly.
Daren looked distressed.
"Daren was concerned about nightfall, sir" Tom replied.
Major Grant scoffed.
"Afraid of the dark, is he?" He said.
Daren looked up.
"I am not afraid of the dark, but of what the dark brings. The Grial will come, and will take a lot of your magic to fight them off, for they hunt in packs." He said
Tom nodded.
"Tell us more about the Grial, Daren" He said.
The Major merely nodded to show that he was listening.
"The Grial are a reptilian race whose intelligence rivals the Hume, my race. They hunt us Hume and anything moving that they could take a bite out of. They've even killed Nighthawks and baby Behemoths for food. They are as large as a Juunai, maybe even bigger…" Daren said, shivering at the thought.
Tom spoke up.
"They only come out at night, right?" He asked.
Daren shook his head.
"Loners may head out into the light when driven to starvation. One attacked me this early lighti-, I mean morning. The Behemoth you killed with your magic ate it whole."
Major Grant snorted.
"You are lucky we came when we did, then. Do not worry; we will not be surprised by the Grial. We will set up watched during the night." He said, and then shouted at one of the other men to come over.
"Private Marshall, you are to take the first shift" He barked.
Marshall nodded and walked off.
Tom looked at Daren, who relaxed a bit.
"You'll be alright, kid. We won't let anything hurt you." He said kindly.
Daren looked up.
"Major, can you teach me magic?" He asked, looking at Grant's M16.
Major Grant burst out laughing.
"Teach you to shoot? Sorry kid, but you're too young." He said, but handed Daren a Bowie knife.
Daren smiled shyly at Major Grant.
"Thank you, Major" He replied.
Major Grant rubbed the back of his head.
"Don't mention it. I really mean it, don't mention it. The authorities will be on me in a second when they hear that I gave military issue equipment to a native." He replied, sounding embarrassed.
Daren was practically jumping from happiness as the light in the sky went down. He tried Human food! He ate what was called a 'ration' which was in a 'can'. He didn't much care for the taste of the food, which was called 'SPAM', but he didn't mind. He loved new things. These people knew so much magic! From the artistic man with the 'camera' who was called Sergeant Mason, to Private Marshall, who could call the power of fire itself with what he called a 'lighter'.
He especially liked the knife he was given, a special one called a 'Bowie' knife. It was large and wickedly sharp. As he held it, he felt protected by its very presence.
His reverie was quickly snapped when the Grial attacked. Five of them ganged up on Mason and dragged him into the night within a few seconds.
Despite his fear, Daren jumped up and ran after them, his eyes adjusting to the absence of light.
"Daren!" Tom exclaimed, scrambling to his feet.
Ignoring Tom's shouts, Daren ran after the Grial, knife in hand. He heard the magic which was called gunfire and rushed towards it.
Mason had killed two of the Grial, but was being subdued as Daren saw him. Daren couldn't take the screams of Mason and jumped on the closest Grial, knife slashing at its neck. The Grial fell with a confused gurgled squawk. The other two turned to Daren and hissed, rushing at him, only to be taken down by gunfire from behind Daren. Daren turned to see Tom standing there, a furious look on his face.
"Don't you ever run off like that again, or I swear I'll shoot you myself!" He growled, and then saw Mason, who was groaning and holding his left arm.
Daren sulked.
"I'm sorry…I didn't think…" He mumbled.
Mason was able to get up to his feet and looked at Daren.
"Thank you, man. I thought I was done for. Damn those lizards are fast!" He said as Tom led them back to the camp.
Daren looked at the Major, who looked absolutely livid.
"You are forbidden to leave my sight from now on, kid!" He shouted at Daren, who looked at his feet.
Mason looked at Major Grant.
"This kid saved my life, sir. He killed one of those lizards himself, and drew off the attack." He said as his arm was being bandaged by Tom.
The Major looked at Tom.
"Is this true, Lieutenant?" He barked.
Tom nodded.
The Major huffed.
"Go to sleep kid, we'll keep watch. And that's an order!" He said grumpily, but his eyes were smiling.
Daren nodded and soon fell asleep, feeling safe.
Daren woke up to a familiar chirping sound. He bolted awake and looked around. The Major's men were on their feet, their magic making 'guns' aimed at the sky. Daren hurried to his feet with a shout.
"No! Don't shoot! She won't hurt you!" He said, tugging on the Major's arm.
Major Grant looked at Daren, unconvinced.
"That thing's been screeching at us for an hour! If it doesn't want to kill us, then what the bloody hell does it want?" He said, looking at the Nighthawk circling above in the sky.
Daren blinked. The Nighthawk didn't look at all threatening to him, but he was used to their appearances. In fact, the Nighthawk was greeting them, not 'screeching' at them. Daren waved at the creature, and she flew down, cupping the air with her wings, causing strong gusts that some of the Major's men cursed at. She landed and looked at Daren expectantly
Daren recognized the Nighthawk as Ghost, his own Nighthawk he had received at the age of thirteen summers. Daren ran up to her side, stroking her hazy grey scales. Ghost nuzzled him tenderly, nearly knocking him over.
"Meet Ghost, my Nighthawk friend. Do not be concerned; she is harmless, only one summer old." He said to Tom and the others, turning to them with a smile. Ghost chirped at them, curious.
Tom was the only one to step towards Ghost. He put his hand on her scaly hide and gasped.
"Her scales…they are so soft!" He exclaimed as Ghost looked at him with whirling green eyes.
Daren laughed. Ghost seemed to like Tom, the strange man.
The Major huffed, looking at the Nighthawk expressionlessly.
"That thing is only a year old? How big do these dragon things get, anyway?" He asked, and then blinked in surprise as Daren flinched at the word 'dragon'.
"Don't say that name! Those creatures are the bane of all life! Those creatures made me choose what I wanted to be when I grew up; a Dragoon." He said vehemently. Ghost snorted angrily, echoing Daren's anger of the dreaded dragons.
"Are you a Hessian?" Grant asked abruptly, recognizing the term 'dragoon'.
Daren's face went blank with confusion.
"What's a Head-shin?" He asked, pronouncing the word strangely in his odd accent.
Tom laughed.
"Never mind, kid. Oh! Why that's quite the weapon!" He said, exclaiming as Daren jumped on Ghost's back and pulled out what looked like a harpoon gun from a side strap on Ghost's saddle.
Daren nodded.
"I am a Dragoon. I am training in the Cavalry to hunt dragons." He said, flinching again at the word.
Grant stared, shocked.
"You are allowed in the army at your age?" He said; face starting to turn red, angry that these 'Hume' let kids fight in the army.
Daren shrugged.
"We Hume only live to be thirty summers. Any older than that, then they are considered Elders." He said.
(Anyhoo, please read and review! I do not own Stargate, so…yeah. I wish I did. I'll try to add another chapter soon, but I'm really, REALLY busy with school and stuff. Reviews are what motivate me, nothing more, nothing less.
~Salvo~)