Episode Two: Oops, Sorry
Once the boys were re-equipped, they group began to proceed through the complex caverns where the Terracons made their home. "We'll never find out way out," said Nash. "I can't believe those Terracons we ran into took the Green Dragon Wings."
"I can't believe they ATE the Green Dragon Wings!" said Jessica. "Those were made of silk, that couldn't have tasted any good."
"They're known for their hunger," said Kyle. "And you do have to admit that it WAS kind of funny when they choked on them."
Mia groaned miserably. "But they're worthless now. All the magic shot out of them and transported a vase and another Terracon somewhere else in Lunar," she said.
Unbeknownst to them, Ramus was about to get a special visitor. . .
"Don't worry, we'll find the exit," said Luna. "Laike and Nall both know where we are, if we take a long time getting back they'll send a search party."
"Hey, check this out!" said Nash. "I think I've found out ticket out of this place!"
"What is it, Nash?" asked Luna.
"There's an opening behind this tapestry, there's an opening to a cave!" he said excitedly. "We're finally getting out of here and getting back home!"
"Let me see!" said Kyle. "Hey, what do you know? He's onto something!" The tall, muscular Nanza native lifted back the tapestry to reveal a dark cave leading behind the walls of the Terracons' home.
Jessica's eyes lit up. "Maybe it's the way out!"
"It's worth a try," said Alex. He stepped into the dark cavern and coughed. "Maybe not. There's a ton of dust in here. If it was the exit, then the Terracons wouldn't have let all this dust settle."
"Well, maybe it's a secret exit," said Kyle. "You know, one that leads to an opening they don't know about."
"I'm so sick of this place that I'll try anything!" said Jessica. She stepped into the cave and took a few steps before suddenly falling through the floor. "EEEEEEE!!!"
"Jessica!" said Kyle, going after her. "WAH!"
"Do we go after them?" asked Nash.
"You and the girls go ahead, I'll pick up the rear," said Alex. Nash nodded and led the girls down the slide, all screaming on the way down. Alex gulped and followed, finding himself on a huge water slide. "AHHHHHH!!!!"
Once Alex reached the end of the ride, he found himself in a shoulder deep pool of water. He saw his friends, all soaked and looking liked drowned rats, at the edge of the pool. The former Dragonmaster swam over, eventually dragging himself out of the water. "I think things just got worse," said Nash.
"No kidding, Sherlock," said Kyle. "Let's try to find a way out. Then we've got to hope someone comes for us. At least we know Laike knows we're in the Saylan Desert."
"But we can't give up. Let's at least try to find some food or something we can make into food," said Alex.
"Right," said Jessica. "Food. . . I'm so hungry!"
"Let's start looking," said Kyle. "Come on. We have to keep moving."
After finding some mushrooms that Kyle deemed weren't poisonous, the group ate, but still weren't much closer to an exit than they had been. It wasn't much later that most of the group lay asleep, only Alex remaining awake. Luna lay next to him, shivering from her still wet clothes. It was only because of Jessica's healing magic that they weren't all going to catch cold.
This is scary, he thought. At least when we were fighting Ghaleon we weren't going hungry, we weren't cold, and we had a prayer.
Suddenly, Alex heard a shimmering sound in the distance. He sat up and saw something glowing in the distance. "Wow," he said.
"Mmm, Alex, go back to sleep," mumbled Luna.
"I see something. Something shiny," he said.
Luna was suddenly awake. "Is it the exit!?"
Slowly, the other party members began to awake. "Exit?" mumbled Jessica, rubbing one of her eyes.
"There's something glowing over there," said Alex. "It, it might be the exit!"
"If it's the exit, let's go!" said Nash.
"Hold it, Sparky, let's go together," said Kyle. "It could be a trap."
"Right, right," said Nash. The group slowly proceeded to the light, each of their hearts pounding in their chests. The approach was slow and steady, the girls clinging to their respective men.
"Who's going out first?" whispered Jessica.
"I don't know," said Nash.
"Why are we whispering?" asked Kyle.
"I don't know!" hissed Alex. "I'll go."
"Be careful," said Luna. Alex nodded and poked his head around the corner of the alcove and gasped. Sitting on a rock pedestal sat a huge, glowing crystal. It shimmered in every color of the rainbow, easily hypnotizing the young Dragonmaster that gazed apon it. Several spikes of crystal shot out in multiple directions, resembling one of Mia's Ice Lance spells.
"Wow," said Alex. "That thing is incredible!"
"Alex?" asked Nash. He joined Alex and whistled. "That's an expensive rock, right there. But what is it doing in the middle of this cave? Why's it glowing? Something isn't right here."
Kyle's eyes widened as he looked at the crystal Alex had discovered. "Can you imagine how much money that could be sold for?" he said. "That's gotta be worth WAY more than a Dragon Diamond! Not only will we be heroes, but we'll be filthy stinking RICH heroes if we sell off that thing!"
"Let me see!" said Jessica. "That would make a pretty necklace! Maybe we could get a piece of it for my wedding ring. And there'd be plenty left over to make wedding rings for Luna and Mia for whenever Alex and Nash ever get the nerve to pop the question."
"It's so pretty!" said Luna. "But what is it?"
"I don't know, something feels wrong about it," said Nash.
Mia, easily the smallest in the group (Vanetians- especially Ausas- tended to be a little on the short side), kept jumping up over shoulders trying to see over her taller friends. "Hey! I want to see what it is, too!"
"It's absolutely fascinating," said Alex. He began to slowly walk towards the crystal, his hand outstretched. His friends' voices began to slowly become less and less audible, the only thing in his mind the crystal that lay before him.
"Alex, what are you doing?!" said Mia. "Get away from that!"
"It's radiating with powerful magic! I think it's holding more power in one of its spikes than Ghaleon had in his whole body!" said Nash.
Alex didn't respond. He kept slowly walking over to the crystal. Kyle had now joined him, his eyes locked on the jewel as much as Alex's had.
"We've got to get them! Luna, help me grab Alex. Mia, Jessica, please try to get a hold on Kyle," said Nash. The rest of the group tried to grab the two swordsmen, and found pulling them back futile. Alex and Kyle would not stop proceeding to the crystal.
"STOP!" cried Jessica.
"You guys, it might be BAD!" said Nash. "Snap out of it!"
"Jessica! Try a litany!" said Mia.
Jessica chanted quickly. Nothing happened. "Nothing!" she said. "Nash, you and Mia have to destroy that thing!"
"What? Are you crazy?" said Mia.
"Just do it!" said Luna.
"We don't have much of a choice," said Nash. He and Mia began to chant.
"Summon elemental power!!"
"Check this out!"
KA-ZAP!
KA-ZING!
KA-BOOM!
"Huh?" said Alex, snapping out of his trance. "What the- that thing's gonna explode!"
"This is bad," said Nash. "Blowing it up was probably worse than letting Alex and Kyle keep on walking."
"Holy crap, that thing's shaking pretty badly," said Kyle.
"It's gonna BLOW!" said Jessica. "Run!"
KKAA-BBOOOOMM!!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Sometime later, the group slowly began to regain consciousness. "Ow, my head," complained Kyle.
"I think I'm hurt in places I didn't even know I had," Nash grumbled.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," said Jessica.
"Double for me," said Mia.
"Has anyone besides me noticed we're floating in a vast nothingness?" said Luna.
With that, the group then decided that they were, indeed, floating in a vast nothingness. They all reacted uniquely. Nash began to wildly flap his arms and legs. Kyle gawked and looked around. Mia giggled, stating she thought this was fun. Jessica attempted to swim through the air and became frustrated that she couldn't. Luna and Alex exchanged looks and waited for something to happen.
"Nothing's happened yet," said Kyle. "But something's bound to happened."
"Of course something's going to happen!" said Nash. "We shouldn't have tried to mess with that crystal! Or found another way to snap you and Alex out of it!"
"I'm scared," said Mia. "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know, we just have to float tight and be patient," said Alex. "Someone wanted us here, so we have to wait for them to do something."
Good observation.
"A ha! Something's finally happening!" said Kyle. "A disembodied voice is talking to us. That's better than we've had. Where are we?"
"Who are you and what was that crystal?" asked Jessica.
This is not the place to talk. Here, let me take you to my private living quarters.
In a soft glow of light, the group found themselves in a warm parlor, each couple sitting on a love seat centered around a warm hearth. To their happiness, they were also dry and fully healed. "Hey, things are getting better already," said Nash, crossing his legs and leaning back in his seat after putting his hands behind his head.
"Are you so sure about that?" asked Alex. "We still don't know what the disembodied voice wants with us."
"I am no longer a disembodied voice."
The group gasped as an angry looking woman appeared before them. She wore a blue shirt, a tan vest, and thick brown pants. A blonde ponytail hung over her back, a green headband fluffing her bangs upward. "Who are you?" asked Luna.
"I'm Willamina. I'm the Keeper of the Realms," she said.
"Hi, nice meeting you, I'm Mia Ausa," said Mia. "This is Nash, and our friends are Alex, Luna, Kyle, and Jessica. Could you please tell us why we've been brought here?"
"Easy. You broke the Crystal of the Realms," said Willamina.
"THAT'S what that thing was. Uh, what does it do?" asked Nash.
"It's my main source of power. It also helps stop people entering the In Between. That's where we are. You see, if the wrong person gets into the In Between, they could summon all of the evil villains from the different realms and proceed to take over the realms one at a time. I'm supposed to make sure that doesn't happen. That crystal was my best defense!" said Willamina. "That's why I'm going to have to kill you all."
"What!?" said Kyle. "Hey, we were lost and that thing hypnotized me and my friend and our friends got scared so they-"
"I know all that!" said Willamina. "You only needed to snap your fingers right in their ears."
"THAT was how we snapped them out of it?" said Nash.
"Heh, that's kind of a funny pun if you think about it," said Jessica.
"We're going to get killed and you think that this is FUNNY?" said Mia. Jessica shrugged. "Look, please, we're really sorry and if there's any way we can help you-"
Willamina held up her hand, silencing the group. She looked thoughtful. "Hmm, perhaps you can help me. You seem to be overall good kids," she said. "Hey, aren't you the kids who just saved your world from massive destruction by that Magic Emperor guy?"
"Yes," said Alex. "People of our world have come to know us as the Five Heroes."
"Hmm," said the Keeper of the Realms. She levitated off the ground and took an Indian style seating position. "Sounds, interesting. All right. I have an idea."
"You'll let us help you?" asked Kyle.
"Yes," said Willamina. "Only if the crystal did what I think it did." She snapped her fingers and suddenly the group was in a laboratory filled with different colorful liquids and containers.
"She's certainly good with magic," said Nash. "Where is she?"
"Over there," said Kyle. Willamina was looking into a crystal ball, waving her hands around it. The group walked over and looked in, seeing nothing. "See anything?"
"Ah. Just as I suspected. The crystal was shattered into many small pieces," she said. "They've since morphed into glowing balls about as large as a fist."
"And?" asked Alex.
"If all of the pieces were to be brought back together again, the crystal should re-form," said Willamina. "Now, here's the deal. You kids go and get the first piece. Get the first piece and I'll let you live, then you can get the other pieces."
"That's it? Find a glowing piece of crystal?" said Kyle.
"I have to see if you're effective, though, even in drastic situations," she said. "I'll send you to one of the realms in an area where the crystal is located. But, I'll have you all sent to different corners of the city. You have to not only locate the crystal, but also locate each other. You'll have a week- seven days- to do it."
"If we fail?" asked Jessica.
Willamina had to only draw her finger across her neck to get the point across.
"So if we take the test and pass, we live. If we fail, we die. But if we don't take the test at all, we die," said Alex.
"Right," said Willamina.
"We'd better take the test. It's either we might die, or we'll DEFINITELY die," said Kyle. "Any other catches?"
"Four of you can use magic, I see," said Willamina. "This is more of a warning, but, in many of the realms, this type of magic does not exist, so I'd advise against using it."
"Is this one of those realms?" asked Nash.
"I believe so," said Willamina. "Now, Nash, is it? Follow me. You're going first. I need to- oh! I almost forgot. Different realms have different kinds of clothing and styles. I'm afraid you're going to need to dress like the locals for the majority of your adventures. And sometimes I'll have to alter your physical appearance."
"Why?" asked Luna.
"Well, for instance, I'm going to need to make your hair brown or black, Luna, since they don't have many people with blue hair where you're going. In fact it's non-existent. As far as Jessica, they don't have beast people, so I'll only have to change your ears and those little lines on your cheek," said Willamina. "But there will be some realms where you can be yourselves."
"Oh good," said Nash. "Meet you guys there."
"Don't make yourself scarce, Nash, and behave yourself!" said Mia as Willamina led him out of the room.
Finally, only Alex remained. Willamina had just left with Jessica. Each of the trips had only taken a matter of minutes, and finally, the Keeper of the Realms returned. "Alex, it's your turn." Alex stood up and followed Willamina into the door his friends had all disappeared into.
The room consisted of a mirror, several chairs, and a desk. Willamina looked over Alex. "Hmm, okay, I think I've got it," she said. She waved her hand over Alex and he suddenly felt different. He looked into the mirror in the room and blinked. He was wearing a strange looking green shirt with sleeves onto barely reaching his elbows and a pair of somewhat tight blue pants. His walking boots had been replaced by strange boots laced with white strings.
Willamina laughed. "The shirt is called a T-shirt. The pants are called jeans. The shoes are called sneakers. The thing on your wrist is a watch, a time-telling device. In your back pocket is a wallet, which contains money that you'll need to use to purchase food. Each of you has been given one hundred dollars, spend it wisely."
"Dollar?" asked Alex.
"The base money unit in the world you're going to," said the Keeper of the Realms. "The money is fairly simple to figure out. I wish you good-luck. Step through the mirror and you will be brought to the realm you are to visit."
Alex nodded. "All right. I'll see you when we get back, Willamina."
Willamina laughed. "You all seem so confident. Bye!" she said. With that, Alex boldly faced the mirror and stepped through into the unknown.
So concludes episode two. Ah, so now we have a plot line. The group is going to be skipping realms to fix something that they broke. But the question is, will they succeed? And exactly where has Willamina sent them? All this and more in episode three!
As for the realm skipping itself, well, huh, now you know why it's called the Sliders Series. Although it'll probably get a name change eventually. A good part of this whole series will be cross-overs, where the Lunar cast visits worlds where such characters as Sailor Moon, Link and Zelda, and possibly even Sabrina the Teenage Witch reside. Others will be just placing the characters in a modern world setting with some strange going-ons, such as secret government operations or evil super geniuses with no nemesis. There should also be some aspects of the past, such as a Western adventure and 20's gangster setup.
Many of you might say "What about Lunar 2?" and "Bring on Harry Potter, baby, yeah!" Well, first off, I absolutely despise Harry Potter. I hate how society is trying to shove him up my butt. If there is a Harry Potter crossing, expect him and that stupid school of his to go down in flames. As for Lunar 2, well, I'm still undecided. My old excuse was that "What if the two Nalls run into each other and Lunar 2 Nall spoils what happens to them?" Well, Nall from Lunar SSSC didn't go with them. He went back to Burg to tell Alex's parents where they were. I must admit that Nash and Mia seeing Vane in Lunar 2 would be interesting, maybe ever heartbreaking, and I could only imagine what Jessica would say when they find out the Meribia mansion has changed.
Heh, long Author's Notes. Sorry. . .
-Dixxy