I don't own anything except Chris Keon
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As the four escaped prisoners fled from Hellena Prison, Chris hoped desperately that they would find safety soon. He still had no idea what was going on, and knew that only shock was keeping him going. As soon as it sank in that he was truly a long way from home, Chris knew that he'd have at best a panic attack, at worst a total collapse.
Just like ten years before, when his parents died...
Shoving the thought aside, Chris called to Dart. "How much farther before we reach some kind of safety?"
"There's a prairie not far from here," the red-clad warrior replied. "If we can lose the guards, we should be able to rest there for a while."
"And then we make for the Limestone Cave," Lavitz added. "That's the fastest way to civilization."
Not long after, they reached the edge of the prairie. But there was not yet time to rest; their pursuers began firing arrows. "Take cover!" Lavitz shouted. Then, "Urgh!"
He'd been hit; an arrow shaft protruded from his ankle. "Lavitz!" Chris hurried to his side, then dragged him behind some rocks, where there was some cover from the archers. "Are you okay?"
Lavitz grimaced. "I'll be fine. We have to go, now."
Shana shook her head. "No, Lavitz. If you walk on that, it'll be a lot worse!" She examined the wound, noting that nothing important had been hit. "I'm going to pull this out; brace yourself."
Lavitz only grunted as the arrow came out; he was too disciplined to have any other reaction. When it was gone, he panted for a moment. "Thanks, Shana." He stood, ignoring the pain. "Now, we gotta get out of here before the Sandorans catch us."
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It didn't take long to lose their pursuit; the Sandorans weren't prepared to search for prisoners in the bush. They soon took refuge in an old shack.
"I think we're safe, for now," Dart said. "They won't be coming back."
"That's good," Chris said, then collapsed against the wall, breathing rapidly.
Shana quickly knelt next to him. "Chris!? What happened!?"
Lavitz touched her shoulder. "Let him be, Shana. I think I know what's wrong." When Shana looked up, puzzled, he nodded at Chris's shuddering body. "Panic attack. Maybe worse. Think about it; he's just been dropped into a place that he's never heard of, with no idea how to get home, and he's also just killed people for the first time in his life. How would you feel if you had all that dropped on you at once?"
"You're right..." Shana turned to Dart then. "So tell me, Dart. Where have you been these last five years?" When he was silent, she waved her hands. "Never mind! It's not important right now, anyway."
Dart took a deep breath. "I was on a journey for revenge. I was searching for the one who destroyed my home."
"The Black Monster?" He nodded. "I know only the name," Shana said. "Nobody would tell me more because they said I was too young."
"What did the Black Monster do to you, Dart?" Lavitz asked.
After another pause, Dart said "I had two homes. One of them is Seles, where I lived with Shana. The other was Neet, where I lived with my parents, until eighteen years ago." He gazed at the ceiling. "I was five years old. When the Black Monster came to the village. Only my father, mother, and I were able to make it out." He sighed. "But then my father decided to go back, to try to help the other villagers, and my mother followed him. I never saw either of them again."
"What happened to Neet after that?" Shana asked.
"When I went back the next morning, I found it completely changed. It had all been burned to the ground, and there was no sign of my parents. All I ever found was my father's memento, the one thing he carried with him everywhere." Dart held up a glowing stone.
At the sight of the light, Chris was jerked out of his trance-like state. He stared at it for a moment, as half-seen images went through his mind. Dart has one of them? How did... He shook himself. Where did that come from? I've never seen one before. How would I know what it is?
Lavitz turned as Chris stood. "You okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine. So where to now?"
"Now we go to the Limestone Cave, and from there, to Bale, the capital of Basil. It's time I reported to King Albert." A thought struck him, and Lavitz turned to Dart. "You know, Dart, you should talk to Minister Noish. He knows all the legends of Endiness, so I'm sure he'll know something about the Black Monster." He cocked his head, then looked back at Chris. "Come to think of it, he might know how to send you home, too, Chris. Or at least have some idea of where to start."
Chris nodded. "Okay, it's worth a try. Let's go."
It wasn't quite that simple; first they had to find a way to cross a nearby river, which required the use of a log. After first losing said log to the river, they returned to the bank to find that it had lodged in just the spot they needed it. From there, the way was clear to the Limestone Cave.
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As the group neared the cave's mouth, Dart glanced occasionally back at the enigmatic young man that traveled with them. He still knew little of Chris, though he was certainly grateful for his help in rescuing Shana. And he didn't like being that much in the dark.
He did know that Chris was new to battle; his reaction was far too genuine to have been faked. But that was all that he knew. Everything else was information provided by Chris himself; it was impossible to know that, for example, he was from a land called Alaska.
Dart sighed and shook himself. Lavitz trusted the younger man; that was enough. On impulse, he turned to him. "So what's your homeland like, Chris? Anything like Serdio?"
Chris shrugged. "Well, I haven't yet seen enough of Serdio to be sure, but I doubt it."
"What do you mean?" Shana asked.
"Well, for one thing, the climate is extremely different," he said. He wiped sweat from his forehead. "Alaska is a cold place, where blizzards are the norm. It's also so far north that, in the farthest regions, like where I'm from, there are only a few days and nights per year. You have months of night, and months of day. I don't know how much you people know about astronomy, but there is a logical explanation for it, I assure you."
Lavitz paused. "I'm not sure I understand, but Tiberoans might. Tiberoa is a southern country, bordering on Serdio, and they believe fate is controlled by the stars. They are superb astronomers and astrologers."
Chris snorted. "They've got that same kind of metaphysical, pseudo-religious claptrap back home, too. I don't buy it, myself. How can giants balls of really hot stuff control destiny?"
Lavitz shrugged. "Didn't say I believed it, just that Tiberoans do. I don't really know, myself." He thought for a moment. "Cold place, huh? So that's why you were wearing that heavy coat when you arrived?"
"Yeah." Chris shivered at the memory. "Matter of fact, I was freezing to death in a blizzard at the time. It was during one of the long nights, so the sun wasn't around to help. I may have wound up in hell on earth, but it saved me from death just the same." He frowned, shaking his head. "I just wish I knew where I was, how I got here, and how to go back. I don't think I'm even on the same planet I started on, and the implications of that are truly frightening."
"What do you mean, Chris?" Shana asked, concerned.
Chris took a deep breath, to stave off another panic attack. "Earth barely has the technology to send manned missions into orbit; we're not even close to interstellar drive yet. If this ain't Earth, and I don't remember hearing of any place like this there, then I'm going to have a very hard time going home."
"I'm sure Minister Noish will know something useful," Lavitz said. "He knows all the legends and prophecies of Endiness."
"So who's your king in Alaska?" Dart asked, changing the subject. "Since you want to go back, I gather he's a just king? Or queen?"
"Actually, we don't have a monarchy." Chris grinned at the uncomprehending looks they gave him. "Alaska is just one of fifty small territories in a larger country. Our government is what we call a representative democracy."
They had reached the cave by then, and Chris spent most of the trek through it trying to explain to three people who had never heard of a country without a monarch what a "democracy" was.
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After a near-death accident involving an underground stream, hopping, and slippery stepping stones, Chris finally gave up trying to convince his friends that a democracy was better than a monarchy. Besides, he was starting to think they were right.
Towards the exit, Dart, who was leading at the time, stopped. "Did you hear that?"
Lavitz listened for a moment, then hissed. "I think it's the Urobolus," he said. "The much-talked-about guardian of the cave."
"What kind of a monster is it?" Chris asked, flowing into a karate stance.
"Think of a really big snake," Lavitz said. "Do you have big snakes in your world, Chris?" When the martial artist nodded, Lavitz raised an eyebrow. "How do you kill them?"
"Well," Chris said, "the best method that I've heard of is to blow off its head with a .44 magnum. Unfortunately, I don't have one handy, let alone the equivalent for something that big. Said equivalent being a sixteen-inch battleship turret."
Dart didn't understand the reference, but he got the gist of it. "So we'll just have to kill it the old fashioned way: cut off its head."
"I'll try the old blunt-trauma method," Chris said, raising his fists. "I know a few tricks."
"Better hurry, then!" Lavitz advised, for the Urobolus was suddenly rearing up before them. The knight rushed it, twirling his spear. "Rod Typhoon!"
"Burning Rush!" Dart called out, using a short but lethal combination on the monster.
For once, Chris smoothly slipped into the fight; he was letting his trained responses function as a battle computer, leaving him essentially a passenger in his own body as his limbs moved with a speed faster than conscious thought. He pummeled the beast mercilessly, with the power Lavitz had compared to a battering ram.
It soon appeared that its reputation was undeserved, for the Urobolus quickly fell to the unending pounding it was receiving. But as three of the group turned to leave, Shana paused for a moment beside the felled beast. And that was when it revived, raising its head to crush Shana.
"Shana!" Dart screamed, running, knowing that he wouldn't get there in time...
And a bright, bluish-white light emanated from Shana's head, radiating at the foul beast. When it touched, the Urobolus began to disintegrate, starting at the head, ending at the tail. When the light faded, the monster was gone, and Shana sank to her knees.
Chris was first to reach her side. "Shana! Are you okay?"
"Shana, what happened?" Dart asked, kneeling next to her.
She shook her head in confusion. "I don't know..."
"Come on, guys," Lavitz said then. "Let's continue on to Bale."
"Yeah," Chris agreed wearily. "I'm all for getting someplace where I won't be eaten if I make the wrong move."
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They spent that night on the road, making camp in a small clearing. "We should reach Bale tomorrow morning," Lavitz said. "It's not too much farther."
Chris stared moodily at the campfire. "Isn't it a little dangerous sitting out here like this? I'd think that monsters could show up at any time."
Dart chuckled. "Don't worry about that; most aren't nocturnal, and the few that are don't like fire. They'll stay away."
"Is something wrong, Chris?" Shana asked, noting his unseeing stare.
He started, then glanced at her. "Nah, nothing that hasn't been bothering me already. I'm just wondering what I'll do when we get to Bale; if this Minister Noish does know some way of getting me home, I don't imagine that it'll be in the city itself. How am I to find my way around? I'm a stranger in a strange land."
"King Albert will know what to do," Lavitz said confidently. "He is a wise ruler. And he doesn't have to put up with a bunch of bickering politicians deciding how or if to carry out his wishes," he added, needling Chris a little about his own land's government.
"Okay, okay," he said, laughing, "I surrender! Maybe your way is better after all. Anyway, I'm looking forward to meeting this king."
"Speaking of having trouble traveling," Dart said then, "how is it that you were able to travel freely in your own world, if you don't know how to fight? Do your soldiers protect travelers from the monsters?"
"As it happens," Chris said, "my world doesn't have monsters. Never has, unless you count some really big animals with really big teeth that have been extinct for a long time."
"No monsters?" Shana repeated, surprised. "Must be a nice place to live," she added a moment later, wistfully.
"Maybe, maybe not," Chris disagreed. "We've got our own problems; why would you want to leave this land of fresh air, clean water, and decent government? Aside from the beastly temperature, of course."
"If it's as bad as you say," Lavitz said, frowning, "then why do you want to go back?"
"It's home," he said simply. That, Lavitz understood. Even if Basil had the problems Chris's land did, he would still fight to protect it at any cost.
"Well," Dart said, yawning, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning."
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Shortly before noon the next day, the city of Bale, capital of Basil, appeared on the horizon. The great city where, as Lavitz explained, the legitimate king of Serdio reigned, impressed even Chris, whose homeland had cities much larger.
There was just something about it, he mused. Something regal and righteous. It felt like the rightful heir's seat of government. So maybe the guys are right about a strong monarchy being better than a place where you can wind up with fifty-one percent wanting one thing, and, since they're a "majority", the other forty-nine percent get the shaft. Chris gazed up at the palace that was coming into view. "So that's where King Albert reigns?" he asked Lavitz.
The Serdian knight nodded. "Yeah. Though His Majesty has only been of age for a few years, he's been the best ruler Serdio has seen in centuries."
Chris grew thoughtful. "How old is he? And if he's so young, who ruled before him?"
"He's twenty-six," Lavitz replied. "Before he came of age, Minister Noish was his regent. Before that, King Carlos ruled, until twenty years ago, when his brother Doel assassinated him. Before the civil war broke out, Doel actually ruled in Bale for a short time. He was chased out by loyalists within a year, though."
His friend glanced at him in surprise. "The leader of the Sandorans is King Albert's uncle? That must make things dicey."
Lavitz shrugged. "It's not that bad; His Majesty was only six when Doel killed his father, so he's never really thought of him as an uncle. But King Albert does wish that there was another way; the war has torn the country apart." He nodded toward the palace. "C'mon; it's time I made my report. I'll introduce you."
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When the four reached Indels Castle itself, the guards let them through without question, expressing great relief that Lavitz was safe. Chris quickly got the impression that the older man was famed and admired within the Serdian knighthood.
The throne room was on the highest level of the castle, and King Albert was within. Also present were Minister Noish, and black-robed advisor whom Chris disliked on sight. Nothing overt, just something about the man seemed... menacing.
King Albert smiled widely when Lavitz entered. "Lavitz! You're safe! When I heard your knighthood had been attacked, I-"
Lavitz knelt. "I'm afraid the reports are true, Your Majesty. I'm the only survivor of the First Knighthood; the others are all dead."
The king sighed. "Please, Lavitz, not so formal." He noticed the knight's companions. "Please, my friend, introduce me."
"Your Majesty," he said, "these three people are the only reason I'm standing here. Chris Keon, here, is a martial artist, with a dilemma I'll explain in a moment; he's also far stronger than he looks. He broke down the door to our cell, permitting us to escape. Dart Feld is a warrior we met during our escape; he'd broken into Hellena Prison to free a friend of his, this girl. Her name is Shana, and I've seen very few people who could possibly match her skill with a bow."
King Albert nodded to each one in turn. "Thank you all for helping Lavitz; he is my best friend, and also the one who instructed me in the ways of the spear." He turned his attention to Chris. "So what is your problem? I'll do what I can to help."
Chris took a deep breath. "To put it simply, Your Majesty, I've no idea where I am. Not two days ago, I was quickly freezing to death in a blizzard, and I collapsed. When I awoke, I was in Hellena Prison, with no knowledge of how I arrived. And I'd never even heard of Serdio." He paused. "Your Majesty, I think I'm a very long way from home."
Lavitz nodded in confirmation. "I brought him here in part because I thought Minister Noish might know something that could help."
"I see," the minister said. Noish looked thoughtful for a moment, then sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm afraid I don't know anything about that. There are many legends in Endiness, but I don't know of any that refer to travelers from lands that far away."
"I see," Chris said quietly. He hadn't expected anything different, really.
"Don't give up yet," Albert said. "Stay at the castle for a day or two, and try the library. Even I haven't ready every book there; perhaps you'll find something in one of them."
Chris bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty." He glanced around. "I guess you'll have strategy and such to discuss with Lavitz; if you'll have someone show me to my room, I'll get some rest."
King Albert directed a servant to show him the way, and Chris left the throne room.
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Author's note: I see I've introduced some mysteries here; some of them will be explained in the next chapter. In Chapter 3, the group will reach Hoax, and Rose will enter the story. This will be where the story starts to get interesting, I think.
To respond to Knightblazer85, I don't think there's any Dragon besides the Divine Dragon that's referred to as the "King of Dragons", so, yeah, that's the Dragon in question.
Not much else to say this time; thanks for the reviews, and please, keep them coming. Solid Shark