Once again, here I am. I don't mind as much that I'm not getting many
reviews, at least I have one loyal fan. Anyway, here comes some action and
fighting, finally. And Maverick, time actually flows like a spiral. But
since the Rubies are at different points on the spiral, and Scales will
just return to her normal time when this is over, there will be no paradox
or danger of her running into herself. In fact, because I don't want too
many plot complications, no Ruby will be hidden in the present. Sorry.
Disclaimer: Blarg.
After eating some yummy fish, our two heroes returned to the palace or as we could also call it, the administrative building. Inside, Darius had spread a couple of scrolls out on his desk. He was pleased when Scales and Arik came in. "Ah, I was wondering when you two would get here. Sit down, I've found what you're looking for." "So you know where the Chronos Ruby is?" Scales asked eagerly as she got into a seat. Darius nodded. He pointed to some writing on the scroll. Scales had no idea what it meant, having never learnt Atlantean. Arik seemed unable to read it as well. "Many decades ago, in my father's reign as king, a strange reptile appeared out of thin air in his bedchambers." He paused for a moment, looking at something in the scroll then at Arik. "You know, now that I think about it, the reptile described looked almost exactly like you Arik, but he was a bit larger and was purple." He looked back to the scroll and continued. "The reptile told my startled father to take care of a very special gemstone. The reptile gave my father the gemstone and vanished back to whence he had come. My father had the court magicians examine the strange jewel and they were frightened by it. They saw visions in the gem, nightmarish images of Mount Fate exploding, the island/continent being shattered by quakes and upheavals, and the entirety of Atlantis sinking beneath the waves after being reduced to a lifeless wasteland. Believing that the jewel was evil to show such a horrible vision, my father and the magicians sealed the stone away in a temple constructed from magic. The magicians then placed a guardian formed of water and ice in the temple to keep the evil jewel from ever leaving the place, preventing anyone from getting it and possibly using its mysterious power to bring about the dark vision." He paused, then continued. "After creating the Guardian, Axel, they shut the temple doors and swore never to speak of this again." Scales and Arik momentarily exchanged glances. Arik spoke up. "Where exactly is this temple?" Darius frowned. "It is in a grotto due north of this city, inside a cave on the northernmost beach. You wish to take this jewel, this Chronos Ruby?" he asked. The reptiles nodded. The Doberman sighed. "Very well. Arik, I've known you for what, ten years? I know I can trust you to use the jewel for good purposes." "Of course, Darius." Arik said. Darius looked at Scales. "Can I trust you as well?" Scales nodded. "Of course you can." Darius nodded. "Very well then. You have my permission to get into the temple and try to take the Ruby. The Guardian will probably try to kill you, though." Scales shrugged. "I've faced worse threats and walked away. I can handle a measly Guardian or two." "Then go and get the Ruby. Good luck to the both of you." Said Darius. Then he grinned. "Oh Arik, remember what I said earlier, okay?" Arik scowled. "Don't worry, I will." He muttered. "Good!" Darius said cheerfully. "Now, could you please leave me in peace? I have a declaration to write forbidding the stripping of weasels. Some weirdo left a weasel hanging from a flagpole in a public place after permanently ruining the poor guy's chance at having children." Scales tried to look very innocent as Arik glared at her. As the king started writing, they exited the chamber. "I knew you were a little too harsh with that thief." Arik grumbled. Scales frowned. "Hey, he stole that expensive necklace you bought for me! What was I supposed to do, leave him to the police or something?" "Yes!" said Arik. "If I did that, how would I be encouraging him not to steal again?" she retorted. Arik shook his head. "Whatever. Come on, we have to get to the beach!" "I know a shortcut." Said Scales, grabbing Arik's arm. "What are you-" Arik started. "Chaos Control!" They warped away.
Elsewhere...Sauron stood in front of the cave entrance impatiently. Eventually, a smaller raptor came out. "Well? Did you find anything?" the great raptor asked. The smaller one bowed. "My lord, we've found a door that must lead to the temple proper. However, we are unable to open it. It seems to be too thick to be blasted open by our powder kegs." Sauron growled, trying to keep himself from ripping out the lesser dinosaur's throat. "Well, go back and find a way to open the door! I want that Ruby!" The worthless minion took a step back, frightened. "A-at once sir, right away!" He ran back into the cave. Sauron pulled out the red Chronos Ruby, staring once more into its depths, at the vision of his future. He saw himself as a deity, controlling the forces of time itself to annihilate everything and build anew. He grinned. His grin faded when he saw two strange figures, one white, one black, attacking his god form. As the vision cut off, he wondered what those figures represented. He snarled. No pair of figures were going to stop his plans. He had been waiting too long for this. True power would belong to the Omnivores once again, and to himself most of all.
Scales and Arik reappeared on the same cliff they had started on. Arik pulled himself from Scales. "Next time, warn me when you're going to do that!" he yelled at her. Scales rolled her eyes. "Geez, what's up with you? Why are you so grouchy all of a sudden? What exactly did Darius talk to you about earlier?" "Nothing. Now, what's this shortcut you had in mind?" Arik asked, trying to forget the king's suggestions. Scales pointed north, to the ocean on the horizon. "I can warp to anyplace I can see or have seen before. I can see that beach right about now, due north from the city. I can get us straight to the beach and near the cave!" Arik cheered up considerably. "Do it, then!" Scales grabbed Arik's arm. "Hang on, then! Chaos Control!" They warped away in a flash of green light. They reappeared on a beach. Arik let go of Scales and took a few steps towards the water. "Brilliant! Scales, you're a genius!" He paused, taking in a deep breath. "Ah, the ocean air. Brisk, isn't it?" "Uh, Arik?" Scales said anxiously. "What?" he said, gazing out to sea. "I think you might want to take a look at this." Scales said, more anxious than before. "What is-" Arik turned around and saw a cave dug into the nearby cliff wall, an Atlantean rune carved above it. "Scales, you found the cave!" "Arik, that's not what I was talking about." Said Scales. "Then what-" Arik stopped abruptly as a big Massopondylus suddenly dropped down from a ledge above the cave and started running towards them, shrieking. "Oh. It would appear Sauron has already gotten here." "Uh, yeah." Said Scales as the shrieking Massopondylus got closer. (By the way, just for description, a Massopondylus looks sort of like a raptor, but a little bigger, bulkier, and not nearly as fast or cool looking. I think.) Arik realized now might be his chance to make up for his failure to stop the thief before. "Scales, you get in the cave! I'll hold off the brute and whatever other minions of darkness may be lurking around!" Scales looked at him, surprised. "Are you sure you can handle this guy?" Arik scoffed. "I ripped off all the protruding organs and ate the hearts of five of these guys when I was only seven. This one is no match for me!" Scales blinked. "You were only seven when-" Arik pushed her away. "There's no time for that now! Get in the cave and find the Ruby!" Scales started forward, took a glance back, then started running past the Massopondylus, who still hadn't quite reached Arik. Yes, he was pretty slow. She passed the dinosaur, and he didn't even notice her. Apparently they were stupid too. She shrugged and ran ahead, going into the cave. Arik got into a fighting stance, charging up an energy ball as the Massopondylus got closer. "Come on, asshole. Just make me throw this." The dinosaur kept shrieking and running towards him. Arik threw the energy ball, striking the dinosaur and killing him instantly. Arik blinked. "Well, that was easy." That's when he heard ten more shrieks as another group of Massopondylus ran towards him. "Scratch that, this may be slightly difficult."
Scales looked around. The cave was quite large, but not as big as she had expected. A large pool with a dock on it was to her right. A series of ledges on a wall at the back of the cave led up to a big crack she bet she could squeeze through. As she passed by a crab, suddenly a raptor jumped off of one of the ledges. Spotting Scales, the raptor growled and started throwing energy balls at her! Scales ran towards the raptor, jumping and dodging away from the blasts, launching into a Homing Kick when she got close enough. She slammed into the raptor, knocking him a few feet away. As she dropped to the ground, the raptor lunged at her with a kick of its own. Scales jumped away from the dinosaur and jumped at it from behind with another Homing Kick. The raptor screeched, spun around and slashed at her with its sharp claws. She lashed out with her own, slicing deep into the dinosaur's face. It shrieked and backed away, clutching the side of its face. Scales swung her bladed tail at the raptor while he was distracted. The heavily bladed tail smashed into the raptor's already damaged face, driving a single tail spike into the reptile's brain. The dinosaur screamed, took a few steps back, and fell to the ground, dead. She felt strangely pleased at the raptor's demise. It must have been some of the primal memories and instincts in her own ancient DNA strands, cloned from dinosaurs who no doubt hated the omnivores. It was no surprise she didn't find herself liking the omnivorous raptors either. Walking away from the corpse, Scales went to the back of the cave. She started to walk up the ledges, which formed a winding path up to the crack. She jumped up the ledges that were separated from the path and reached the crack in the wall. She squeezed through and found herself in another cave. A large pool of water took up most of the room. In the water were several fish and what looked like a giant sea anemone. Scales saw a sandy shore on the right side of the pool. She jumped in the water and swam over to the shore, pulling herself from the water. She looked around and saw an old rope ladder leading up a shaft in the ceiling. She climbed up the ladder and found herself in a tunnel leading out into an even bigger cave. She walked out of the tunnel and looked around. The temperature in the cave seemed a little chilly. There was crystalline frost clinging to the walls. An even bigger pool of water occupied half the room. The other half seemed empty, except for a few things. There was a big, blue and green pentagonal door made of stone, covered in ornate carvings set in the wall. On either side of the door was a glowing pyramidal base, one blue, one orange. Further from the stone door, on either side of it, were two smaller doors, closed with metal planks over them. As Scales approached the ornate door, a smaller brown raptor jumped out from its hiding place. Snarling, Scales grabbed the raptor before it could attack. She started throttling the dinosaur viciously before hurling him into the cave wall, cracking its skull. As the dead raptor slumped to the ground, Scales tried to figure out a way through the door. She examined the triangular bases, then thought she should take a look at one of the sealed doors. After finding she couldn't kick them down, she resorted to a much better tactic. "SERPENT STRIKE!" she yelled, firing a huge snake blast at the door, blowing it open. The door gone, Scales walked through the tunnel behind it. At the end of the tunnel, the cave elongated horizontally. A set of stairs went along the wall to a small platform. Scales went to the bottom of the stairs and climbed up them, reaching the platform. Lying on it was a very large blue sphere about the size of her torso, glowing brightly. Remembering the blue pyramid outside, Scales grunted and picked up the sphere, surprised at how light it was. Hoisting the large sphere, Scales walked back down the stairs and out into the main cave. She went to the big door and placed the sphere on the point of the blue pyramid. It locked into place, balancing perfectly on the tip. "Now to see what's behind door number two." Scales said. She went to the other door and blasted it open with another Serpent Strike. She walked through the open doorway and found a set of stairs. She walked up the staircase and came to a small room with another small staircase leading up to the back wall. Scales went up the stairs and found an orange sphere exactly like the other one. She hoisted it up to her shoulder and carried the big orb out to the cavern. She walked over to the orange base and placed the sphere on top, locking it to the point. The big ornate door rumbled and split into three segments, retracting into the sides of the wall. A dark passageway beckoned. Scales hesitantly walked into the foreboding tunnel. She walked through the tunnel as it sloped downwards and wound a little, ending in front of a blue-green stone ramp filling up the sides of the tunnel. It went up towards a room completely different from the cave. Scales walked up the ramp and into the room. It had a blue floor and the walls were covered with the same blue-green stone as everything else in this temple. The walls were ornate and had glowing orbs for lanterns, lighting the chamber. Straight ahead, on the back wall, was a large opening. Scales walked through the opening and gasped. She was in an enormous cavern, the walls and ceiling enchanted to look like the night sky. She was on an ornate ledge with what looked like a long, steep road leading down through the cave. Scales grinned. It looked like it was time for a run. She jumped off the ledge and landed on the ramp, beginning to run down it. She ran by dozens of pillars lining the path as it got steeper. It started to curve right without forming a half pipe, forcing Scales to quickly change directions lest she fall into the abyss of the cave. As she followed the curving path to the right, she jumped over a big gap and went into a covered section of the path, like a tunnel made of ice allowing her to still see the starry walls. She ran through the tunnel as it kept going to the right and downward. She exited the tunnel and leaped over another big gap, ran down another section of ramp, jumped off at the end and landed on a walkway leading straight to a big pentagonal door built into a large structure raising from the pit. A pair of giant pillars supported an overhang right over Scales' head. Scales walked towards the door, which split in half at her approach, receding into the wall. Scales went through and found herself on the other side of the building, still in the starry cave. She was on a large ledge. Right ahead of her, across a gap she could not possibly jump, was a steep ramp going upward. The bottom and top of the ramp were sheaved off, making for a straight drop into the abyss from either end. On the lower section of the ramp, below the edge, a waterfall cascaded from a waterway. Two pillars with orb lanterns lit up the bottom of the ramp. Scales looked for a way to get across the pit and ramp. She saw a series of what looked like vines. What was peculiar about them was that they were hanging from big leafs that were spinning slowly, like propellers, keeping them floating in the air. Weird! Scales saw she could probably swing from one vine to another to get over the ramp. She took a running jump off the ledge and grabbed a vine. It sagged a little, but stayed aloft. As Scales started swinging back and forth to build momentum, something rose from the pit beneath her. It floated out of the chasm and positioned itself over the bottom of the ramp. It was a large thing, glowing blue and appearing to be made from ice. It had an oblong torso with a pointy protrusion at the bottom, where hips should have been. But none were there. At either end of the oblong torso was an arm, ending in a strong, four-fingered hand. The top of the torso had a triangular head, carved to look like it had two maniacal eyes and a wide, grinning mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. This was clearly Axel, the Guardian. The creature did not speak. It wound back its right arm, conjured a big icicle, and threw it at Scales. She swung out of the way of the projectile. Letting go with one hand, she shot an energy ball at the monster. It fizzled out ineffectively on Axel's skin. The Guardian conjured another icicle. Scales swung away from the projectile and managed to jump and hover to the next vine. Axel moved a little up the ramp to aim at her better. While dodging icicles, Scales continued to swing up the vines, eventually reaching the top of the ramp. Axel had kept moving up after her to hit her better. Scales saw that from the incline that was the top of the ramp was another wide chasm with some more floating vines over it. On the other side of the chasm, rising from the cavern abyss, was a large stone building. It was essentially a big alcove of sorts, with a ledge running around the outside of the alcove and going up the sides of the building in big ramps. From inside the alcove, water flowed from a channel in the back wall, going out of the building and over the ledge, down into the abyss. Hanging from the ceiling right above the entrance of the big alcove was a giant icicle. As Axel floated over the chasm, Scales started swinging across the vines while dodging the icicles, forcing the Guardian to move further and further back to shoot at her properly. Eventually, it floated right underneath the giant icicle. This was Scales' chance! As she swung away from another icicle, she threw an energy ball at the big hanging ice stalactite. The ball exploded, causing the icicle to shake, causing ice fragments to fall to the ground, bouncing off Axel. The Guardian looked up just in time to see the entire icicle come crashing down, smashing through its triangular head. If Axel's face hadn't been carved, it would have registered shock. The icicle drove right through Axel's body, sticking out of the bottom. The ice monster wobbled and fell, dropping into the chasm. Scales would have rejoiced if she still weren't hanging from the vine. She restarted her swinging, reaching the last vine and dropping into the stream of water rushing over the ledge. The current was surprisingly strong, nearly bowling her over. Struggling against the flow, Scales pushed forward, spotting a door above the water source. She climbed out of the stream to a small ledge on either side of the water and walked up and over the water source, approaching the pentagonal door. It slid open as she approached. She walked up a ramp, coming out into a large open area, still in the cave of stars. Most of the room was filled with shallow water. Ahead of Scales, a long ramp extended up to a platform rising from the middle of the room. Scales walked up the ramp and found an altar. Sitting on the altar was a large green jewel, the Chronos Ruby. Scales paused as she was about to take it, flashing back to the old Indiana Jones movies she had seen as a kid. After a moment's thought, she decided that since the Atlanteans hadn't expected anyone to get by Axel, they wouldn't have bothered setting up any traps past the Guardian. She picked up the Ruby and put it in her dimensional pocket. As she had thought, there were no traps. She smirked. "Time to get back to Arik. Chaos Control!" she vanished in a flash of green light.
Scales rematerialized outside the cave and found a slightly winded Arik panting, standing on top of a small heap of dead bodies. He noticed her. "Hey, did you get the Ruby?" he asked. Scales pulled out the green jewel. "Yep. It was a little harder than I thought, but not too hard. The Guardian was a breeze." "Well, that's a relief." Said Arik. "Shall we go now?" Scales asked. "Sure, let me just get down from here." Arik jumped down from the pile. "Okay, Chronos-" "Not so fast!" yelled an unfamiliar voice. A large gray raptor walked towards them. "I demand you give me the Chronos Rubies!" "And who are you?" Scales asked. "Scales, that's Sauron!" said Arik. The evil raptor nodded. "Correct. I am Sauron, future Emperor of the Saurians. Those Rubies belonged to my ancestors, and by birthright they are mine. Hand them over!" Arik's eyes narrowed. "Well, my ancestor took them from yours, so they're my birthright! So there!" Sauron growled. "You dare defy me?" "You bet we defy you!" said Scales. The dinosaur chuckled. "So there are two of you, are there? Hmmph. I was hoping to slay the descendant of Slashfang in a one-on-one duel. But you being here ruins that, and I don't have a partner at the moment. I doubt you would consent to stay out of any duel, am I correct?" Arik frowned. "Of course Scales would stay out of the duel! Right Scales?" She snorted. "Hell no! If you're getting your butt kicked out there, there's no way I'm going to let this jerk win!" Sauron grinned. "As I expected. I can see you two have taken out the meager troops I brought with me. Although I would prefer to stay and fight, I think it would be a better idea to retreat. Chronos Control!" A white time portal ripped open behind him, a wind blowing into it. "Until next time. Farewell!" Sauron jumped into the portal, sealing it behind him. Scales blinked. "Hey, how come when you do Chronos Control we just move backward or forward in time, but he seems to be able to make a portal that no doubt moves him through time as well as space?" Arik frowned. "I guess the old Emperors knew more about the Rubies and how to use them then my family ever did. He probably read up how to do the portal thing in some transcripts of his ancestors." He sighed. "I was really hoping to fight with him. Well, perhaps next time." He cheered up a little. "Anyway, at least we have two Rubies to his one!" "Yeah, and we're soon going to get more than that! Come on buddy, let's get out of here." Said Scales. "Right. Hang on!" As Scales grabbed his wrist, Arik pulled out the white Ruby. "Chronos Control!" They vanished in a flash of light.
One detour through the time stream later, Scales and Arik were back in the hut. Arik was getting some meat from his freezer. "So tell me, what was the temple like?" Scales pondered for a moment. "Pretty short, to tell the truth. I had been expecting the thing to be larger. And there weren't really any traps at all, aside from Axel. All in all, it wasn't so bad." Arik placed the meat on the table and sat down. "Tell me, how did you defeat the Guardian?" Scales shrugged as she ripped off a chunk of food. "Dropped a giant icicle on his head. Went right through the guy and killed him, making him fall into an abyss in a cave full of stars." "A cave full of stars?" Arik asked around a peace of meat. "Yeah," said Scales, tearing into some more dead animal. "It was enchanted to look like the night sky. It was quite pretty." "A cave full of stars..." Arik mused. "Sounds poetic." Scales shrugged as she devoured another piece of meat. "Maybe the magicians who made the place were poets or philosophers too. Though you'd think they'd make it tougher to get through. I mean, sure, three sealed doors; two of which can only be opened by blasting through them, sliding or running down a steep ramp with gaps in it, swinging from floating vine to floating vine over a deep chasm, dodging icicles thrown by a near- invincible ice monster, dropping a giant icicle on said monster's head from a distance and then swinging to the Ruby may be hard for normal people, but they're a cinch for people like me." Arik grinned. "Maybe they didn't have people like you in mind when they built the place." Scales laughed as she swallowed a piece of meat. "Yeah, you're probably right. So, where are we going next?" Arik looked out the window, seeing it was getting dark. "To sleep. We'll find out where the next Ruby is in the morning." Scales protested. "Ah, but Arik, I'm not even tired!" That's when she let out a wide yawn. She scowled as Arik giggled. "Okay, maybe I am tired. But you don't look tired either!" "I hold my yawns in.," he said. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." He walked over to a ladder and started climbing up it to the second floor of the hut. Scales followed him. Arik stopped when he reached the second floor, jumping onto a ledge running by all the bookshelves. There were four doors on this level. He led her to a door with a gem carved above it. "This is...was my parent's room. You can stay in it if you like."
Scales frowned. "Where will you sleep?" Arik pointed to a different door across the way. "My room. If you need me, just go over there and wake me up." He started walking away. "The facilities in my parent's room should be adequate for your needs, though they may be a little strange to you at first." He paused, then turned around. "You may be thankful to my great-great-great-great-great-great- great-great-great-great-grandfather for learning of the miracles of indoor plumbing and installing them in the house." He continued walking. Scales went into the room and instantly sneezed, sending lots of dust away. Wiping her eyes, she was surprised to see the room was covered in dust. Apparently Arik hadn't been in here for years. The room was very nice, larger than she had expected. Tapestries made of fur and skin hung from the walls, pictures woven into them, depicting Arik's family history. A closed glass door led out to a small balcony. On another side of the room was an open door revealing what had to be a bathroom. There was a low sink, a raised platform with a hole in it, and a large basin with some faucets and a pair of grates. In the middle of the room was a large woven nest with cushions in it, right about the size for two adult raptors to sleep comfortably in. Aside from the tapestries, there were what looked like a few framed photographs, some of them ancient, others looking only a decade or a little older in age. Scales walked over to what looked like the most recent photograph and blew some dust off of it. It was a family group shot. In the front of the group was a little male raptor that could only be Arik. He looked so cute at that age. Actually, he still looked cute. She blinked. Where did that come from? She shook it out of her head and looked at the rest of the photo. Right behind Arik were two slightly older females, his sisters. Standing over both of them were two adult raptors, one male, one female. They were Arik's parents. Scales sniffed a little. They looked so happy back then. She wondered how long it had been taken before the raiders came. Then she wondered where the family had gotten a camera, but realized it was probably some souvenir from the future. It was getting darker. Looking for some kind of light even though she could probably get around with night vision, Scales saw a globe on the wall. She touched it, and the globe lit up, illuminating the room. Despite all the dust, the bedroom looked nice and homey, a place where there had been a lot of love. She ventured through the glass door and wandered out on the balcony, taking in the view of the prehistoric world. Lit by twilight, it was beautiful. Realizing she had never been outside in this place, she looked around the balcony, trying to get a better view of this giant hut. She saw it was bigger than the main room had let on. It was not made of mud or straw or anything she was familiar with. Perhaps it was fashioned of clay. The hut towered a story above her and went down a story below her. She could see a few windows here and there. She went back inside and washed up in the bathroom, finding the sink easy to use. She went back to the bedroom, turned off the light globe, and crawled into the nest, curling up and finding it to be extremely comfortable. Closing her eyes, she went to sleep.
Sorry if this chapter ends on a strange note. Anyway, what did you think? I can't produce quality work if I don't know I'm doing well! Scales: Isn't it time for the interview? Me: Why so it is! Scales, how are you doing? Scales: Fine, thank you. Me: How was the first real level? Scales: Interesting. I'm not used to that format of level. Me: Yeah, I know. Was Axel a pushover? Scales: Well, he wasn't completely easy, I mean I did have to dodge sharp icicles while swinging across a great pit. Me: Do you like Arik? Scales: Yeah. Me: No, I mean do you LIKE Arik? Scales: Hey! I don't have to talk about that! Me: Fine. Do you have any questions for me, since I am unable to access reviews due to some weird problems with FF.net? Scales: Um, okay. How is it that everyone we meet speaks English? Me: They don't. The Master Ruby merely translates it with magic to make it reach your ears as English. Scales: Oh. How come Arik's house is so big, has indoor plumbing, books, and photographs? Me: Time travel, remember? They have lots of stuff from all over history. Scales: Oh, right. Hey, I just thought of something. If Arik can time travel, why didn't he just use Chronos Control to go back and save his family?
Me: Because of paradox. If his family had survived the raid, Arik would have had no need to go back in time to save them, thus they would not be saved, and would die. There is no changing the past. Scales: (Looking sad.) Well, there goes my chance of saving Mom. Wait! Couldn't I just warp back in time, grab her, then return to the present with her? Me: Scales, that would also change the past! If you hadn't seen your mother die before you, you would never have awakened your more primal instincts and not be nearly as cool or dangerous. By doing so, you would never have destroyed GUN, so it would still be a threat. Scales: Damn. Me: Anyway, even if you did save her some other way, by stopping GUN from invading the ARK, then Amy would never have been created. All sorts of other things would also change as a result of that one event, completely wrecking your original future. You see, the past cannot be changed by anyone but a god, since they are immune to its effects. And even they do not dare to do it, for one slight alteration to the timeline could result in an advantage that would allow Satan (The Devil, not the robot) a chance to kill people or free himself from Hell. Scales: I understand. I guess the dead stay dead unless miracles occur. Me: Exactly. Well, that's all the time we have for today. See you next time!
Scales: And don't forget to review. We won't be able to reach the next Ruby without a good review!
After eating some yummy fish, our two heroes returned to the palace or as we could also call it, the administrative building. Inside, Darius had spread a couple of scrolls out on his desk. He was pleased when Scales and Arik came in. "Ah, I was wondering when you two would get here. Sit down, I've found what you're looking for." "So you know where the Chronos Ruby is?" Scales asked eagerly as she got into a seat. Darius nodded. He pointed to some writing on the scroll. Scales had no idea what it meant, having never learnt Atlantean. Arik seemed unable to read it as well. "Many decades ago, in my father's reign as king, a strange reptile appeared out of thin air in his bedchambers." He paused for a moment, looking at something in the scroll then at Arik. "You know, now that I think about it, the reptile described looked almost exactly like you Arik, but he was a bit larger and was purple." He looked back to the scroll and continued. "The reptile told my startled father to take care of a very special gemstone. The reptile gave my father the gemstone and vanished back to whence he had come. My father had the court magicians examine the strange jewel and they were frightened by it. They saw visions in the gem, nightmarish images of Mount Fate exploding, the island/continent being shattered by quakes and upheavals, and the entirety of Atlantis sinking beneath the waves after being reduced to a lifeless wasteland. Believing that the jewel was evil to show such a horrible vision, my father and the magicians sealed the stone away in a temple constructed from magic. The magicians then placed a guardian formed of water and ice in the temple to keep the evil jewel from ever leaving the place, preventing anyone from getting it and possibly using its mysterious power to bring about the dark vision." He paused, then continued. "After creating the Guardian, Axel, they shut the temple doors and swore never to speak of this again." Scales and Arik momentarily exchanged glances. Arik spoke up. "Where exactly is this temple?" Darius frowned. "It is in a grotto due north of this city, inside a cave on the northernmost beach. You wish to take this jewel, this Chronos Ruby?" he asked. The reptiles nodded. The Doberman sighed. "Very well. Arik, I've known you for what, ten years? I know I can trust you to use the jewel for good purposes." "Of course, Darius." Arik said. Darius looked at Scales. "Can I trust you as well?" Scales nodded. "Of course you can." Darius nodded. "Very well then. You have my permission to get into the temple and try to take the Ruby. The Guardian will probably try to kill you, though." Scales shrugged. "I've faced worse threats and walked away. I can handle a measly Guardian or two." "Then go and get the Ruby. Good luck to the both of you." Said Darius. Then he grinned. "Oh Arik, remember what I said earlier, okay?" Arik scowled. "Don't worry, I will." He muttered. "Good!" Darius said cheerfully. "Now, could you please leave me in peace? I have a declaration to write forbidding the stripping of weasels. Some weirdo left a weasel hanging from a flagpole in a public place after permanently ruining the poor guy's chance at having children." Scales tried to look very innocent as Arik glared at her. As the king started writing, they exited the chamber. "I knew you were a little too harsh with that thief." Arik grumbled. Scales frowned. "Hey, he stole that expensive necklace you bought for me! What was I supposed to do, leave him to the police or something?" "Yes!" said Arik. "If I did that, how would I be encouraging him not to steal again?" she retorted. Arik shook his head. "Whatever. Come on, we have to get to the beach!" "I know a shortcut." Said Scales, grabbing Arik's arm. "What are you-" Arik started. "Chaos Control!" They warped away.
Elsewhere...Sauron stood in front of the cave entrance impatiently. Eventually, a smaller raptor came out. "Well? Did you find anything?" the great raptor asked. The smaller one bowed. "My lord, we've found a door that must lead to the temple proper. However, we are unable to open it. It seems to be too thick to be blasted open by our powder kegs." Sauron growled, trying to keep himself from ripping out the lesser dinosaur's throat. "Well, go back and find a way to open the door! I want that Ruby!" The worthless minion took a step back, frightened. "A-at once sir, right away!" He ran back into the cave. Sauron pulled out the red Chronos Ruby, staring once more into its depths, at the vision of his future. He saw himself as a deity, controlling the forces of time itself to annihilate everything and build anew. He grinned. His grin faded when he saw two strange figures, one white, one black, attacking his god form. As the vision cut off, he wondered what those figures represented. He snarled. No pair of figures were going to stop his plans. He had been waiting too long for this. True power would belong to the Omnivores once again, and to himself most of all.
Scales and Arik reappeared on the same cliff they had started on. Arik pulled himself from Scales. "Next time, warn me when you're going to do that!" he yelled at her. Scales rolled her eyes. "Geez, what's up with you? Why are you so grouchy all of a sudden? What exactly did Darius talk to you about earlier?" "Nothing. Now, what's this shortcut you had in mind?" Arik asked, trying to forget the king's suggestions. Scales pointed north, to the ocean on the horizon. "I can warp to anyplace I can see or have seen before. I can see that beach right about now, due north from the city. I can get us straight to the beach and near the cave!" Arik cheered up considerably. "Do it, then!" Scales grabbed Arik's arm. "Hang on, then! Chaos Control!" They warped away in a flash of green light. They reappeared on a beach. Arik let go of Scales and took a few steps towards the water. "Brilliant! Scales, you're a genius!" He paused, taking in a deep breath. "Ah, the ocean air. Brisk, isn't it?" "Uh, Arik?" Scales said anxiously. "What?" he said, gazing out to sea. "I think you might want to take a look at this." Scales said, more anxious than before. "What is-" Arik turned around and saw a cave dug into the nearby cliff wall, an Atlantean rune carved above it. "Scales, you found the cave!" "Arik, that's not what I was talking about." Said Scales. "Then what-" Arik stopped abruptly as a big Massopondylus suddenly dropped down from a ledge above the cave and started running towards them, shrieking. "Oh. It would appear Sauron has already gotten here." "Uh, yeah." Said Scales as the shrieking Massopondylus got closer. (By the way, just for description, a Massopondylus looks sort of like a raptor, but a little bigger, bulkier, and not nearly as fast or cool looking. I think.) Arik realized now might be his chance to make up for his failure to stop the thief before. "Scales, you get in the cave! I'll hold off the brute and whatever other minions of darkness may be lurking around!" Scales looked at him, surprised. "Are you sure you can handle this guy?" Arik scoffed. "I ripped off all the protruding organs and ate the hearts of five of these guys when I was only seven. This one is no match for me!" Scales blinked. "You were only seven when-" Arik pushed her away. "There's no time for that now! Get in the cave and find the Ruby!" Scales started forward, took a glance back, then started running past the Massopondylus, who still hadn't quite reached Arik. Yes, he was pretty slow. She passed the dinosaur, and he didn't even notice her. Apparently they were stupid too. She shrugged and ran ahead, going into the cave. Arik got into a fighting stance, charging up an energy ball as the Massopondylus got closer. "Come on, asshole. Just make me throw this." The dinosaur kept shrieking and running towards him. Arik threw the energy ball, striking the dinosaur and killing him instantly. Arik blinked. "Well, that was easy." That's when he heard ten more shrieks as another group of Massopondylus ran towards him. "Scratch that, this may be slightly difficult."
Scales looked around. The cave was quite large, but not as big as she had expected. A large pool with a dock on it was to her right. A series of ledges on a wall at the back of the cave led up to a big crack she bet she could squeeze through. As she passed by a crab, suddenly a raptor jumped off of one of the ledges. Spotting Scales, the raptor growled and started throwing energy balls at her! Scales ran towards the raptor, jumping and dodging away from the blasts, launching into a Homing Kick when she got close enough. She slammed into the raptor, knocking him a few feet away. As she dropped to the ground, the raptor lunged at her with a kick of its own. Scales jumped away from the dinosaur and jumped at it from behind with another Homing Kick. The raptor screeched, spun around and slashed at her with its sharp claws. She lashed out with her own, slicing deep into the dinosaur's face. It shrieked and backed away, clutching the side of its face. Scales swung her bladed tail at the raptor while he was distracted. The heavily bladed tail smashed into the raptor's already damaged face, driving a single tail spike into the reptile's brain. The dinosaur screamed, took a few steps back, and fell to the ground, dead. She felt strangely pleased at the raptor's demise. It must have been some of the primal memories and instincts in her own ancient DNA strands, cloned from dinosaurs who no doubt hated the omnivores. It was no surprise she didn't find herself liking the omnivorous raptors either. Walking away from the corpse, Scales went to the back of the cave. She started to walk up the ledges, which formed a winding path up to the crack. She jumped up the ledges that were separated from the path and reached the crack in the wall. She squeezed through and found herself in another cave. A large pool of water took up most of the room. In the water were several fish and what looked like a giant sea anemone. Scales saw a sandy shore on the right side of the pool. She jumped in the water and swam over to the shore, pulling herself from the water. She looked around and saw an old rope ladder leading up a shaft in the ceiling. She climbed up the ladder and found herself in a tunnel leading out into an even bigger cave. She walked out of the tunnel and looked around. The temperature in the cave seemed a little chilly. There was crystalline frost clinging to the walls. An even bigger pool of water occupied half the room. The other half seemed empty, except for a few things. There was a big, blue and green pentagonal door made of stone, covered in ornate carvings set in the wall. On either side of the door was a glowing pyramidal base, one blue, one orange. Further from the stone door, on either side of it, were two smaller doors, closed with metal planks over them. As Scales approached the ornate door, a smaller brown raptor jumped out from its hiding place. Snarling, Scales grabbed the raptor before it could attack. She started throttling the dinosaur viciously before hurling him into the cave wall, cracking its skull. As the dead raptor slumped to the ground, Scales tried to figure out a way through the door. She examined the triangular bases, then thought she should take a look at one of the sealed doors. After finding she couldn't kick them down, she resorted to a much better tactic. "SERPENT STRIKE!" she yelled, firing a huge snake blast at the door, blowing it open. The door gone, Scales walked through the tunnel behind it. At the end of the tunnel, the cave elongated horizontally. A set of stairs went along the wall to a small platform. Scales went to the bottom of the stairs and climbed up them, reaching the platform. Lying on it was a very large blue sphere about the size of her torso, glowing brightly. Remembering the blue pyramid outside, Scales grunted and picked up the sphere, surprised at how light it was. Hoisting the large sphere, Scales walked back down the stairs and out into the main cave. She went to the big door and placed the sphere on the point of the blue pyramid. It locked into place, balancing perfectly on the tip. "Now to see what's behind door number two." Scales said. She went to the other door and blasted it open with another Serpent Strike. She walked through the open doorway and found a set of stairs. She walked up the staircase and came to a small room with another small staircase leading up to the back wall. Scales went up the stairs and found an orange sphere exactly like the other one. She hoisted it up to her shoulder and carried the big orb out to the cavern. She walked over to the orange base and placed the sphere on top, locking it to the point. The big ornate door rumbled and split into three segments, retracting into the sides of the wall. A dark passageway beckoned. Scales hesitantly walked into the foreboding tunnel. She walked through the tunnel as it sloped downwards and wound a little, ending in front of a blue-green stone ramp filling up the sides of the tunnel. It went up towards a room completely different from the cave. Scales walked up the ramp and into the room. It had a blue floor and the walls were covered with the same blue-green stone as everything else in this temple. The walls were ornate and had glowing orbs for lanterns, lighting the chamber. Straight ahead, on the back wall, was a large opening. Scales walked through the opening and gasped. She was in an enormous cavern, the walls and ceiling enchanted to look like the night sky. She was on an ornate ledge with what looked like a long, steep road leading down through the cave. Scales grinned. It looked like it was time for a run. She jumped off the ledge and landed on the ramp, beginning to run down it. She ran by dozens of pillars lining the path as it got steeper. It started to curve right without forming a half pipe, forcing Scales to quickly change directions lest she fall into the abyss of the cave. As she followed the curving path to the right, she jumped over a big gap and went into a covered section of the path, like a tunnel made of ice allowing her to still see the starry walls. She ran through the tunnel as it kept going to the right and downward. She exited the tunnel and leaped over another big gap, ran down another section of ramp, jumped off at the end and landed on a walkway leading straight to a big pentagonal door built into a large structure raising from the pit. A pair of giant pillars supported an overhang right over Scales' head. Scales walked towards the door, which split in half at her approach, receding into the wall. Scales went through and found herself on the other side of the building, still in the starry cave. She was on a large ledge. Right ahead of her, across a gap she could not possibly jump, was a steep ramp going upward. The bottom and top of the ramp were sheaved off, making for a straight drop into the abyss from either end. On the lower section of the ramp, below the edge, a waterfall cascaded from a waterway. Two pillars with orb lanterns lit up the bottom of the ramp. Scales looked for a way to get across the pit and ramp. She saw a series of what looked like vines. What was peculiar about them was that they were hanging from big leafs that were spinning slowly, like propellers, keeping them floating in the air. Weird! Scales saw she could probably swing from one vine to another to get over the ramp. She took a running jump off the ledge and grabbed a vine. It sagged a little, but stayed aloft. As Scales started swinging back and forth to build momentum, something rose from the pit beneath her. It floated out of the chasm and positioned itself over the bottom of the ramp. It was a large thing, glowing blue and appearing to be made from ice. It had an oblong torso with a pointy protrusion at the bottom, where hips should have been. But none were there. At either end of the oblong torso was an arm, ending in a strong, four-fingered hand. The top of the torso had a triangular head, carved to look like it had two maniacal eyes and a wide, grinning mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. This was clearly Axel, the Guardian. The creature did not speak. It wound back its right arm, conjured a big icicle, and threw it at Scales. She swung out of the way of the projectile. Letting go with one hand, she shot an energy ball at the monster. It fizzled out ineffectively on Axel's skin. The Guardian conjured another icicle. Scales swung away from the projectile and managed to jump and hover to the next vine. Axel moved a little up the ramp to aim at her better. While dodging icicles, Scales continued to swing up the vines, eventually reaching the top of the ramp. Axel had kept moving up after her to hit her better. Scales saw that from the incline that was the top of the ramp was another wide chasm with some more floating vines over it. On the other side of the chasm, rising from the cavern abyss, was a large stone building. It was essentially a big alcove of sorts, with a ledge running around the outside of the alcove and going up the sides of the building in big ramps. From inside the alcove, water flowed from a channel in the back wall, going out of the building and over the ledge, down into the abyss. Hanging from the ceiling right above the entrance of the big alcove was a giant icicle. As Axel floated over the chasm, Scales started swinging across the vines while dodging the icicles, forcing the Guardian to move further and further back to shoot at her properly. Eventually, it floated right underneath the giant icicle. This was Scales' chance! As she swung away from another icicle, she threw an energy ball at the big hanging ice stalactite. The ball exploded, causing the icicle to shake, causing ice fragments to fall to the ground, bouncing off Axel. The Guardian looked up just in time to see the entire icicle come crashing down, smashing through its triangular head. If Axel's face hadn't been carved, it would have registered shock. The icicle drove right through Axel's body, sticking out of the bottom. The ice monster wobbled and fell, dropping into the chasm. Scales would have rejoiced if she still weren't hanging from the vine. She restarted her swinging, reaching the last vine and dropping into the stream of water rushing over the ledge. The current was surprisingly strong, nearly bowling her over. Struggling against the flow, Scales pushed forward, spotting a door above the water source. She climbed out of the stream to a small ledge on either side of the water and walked up and over the water source, approaching the pentagonal door. It slid open as she approached. She walked up a ramp, coming out into a large open area, still in the cave of stars. Most of the room was filled with shallow water. Ahead of Scales, a long ramp extended up to a platform rising from the middle of the room. Scales walked up the ramp and found an altar. Sitting on the altar was a large green jewel, the Chronos Ruby. Scales paused as she was about to take it, flashing back to the old Indiana Jones movies she had seen as a kid. After a moment's thought, she decided that since the Atlanteans hadn't expected anyone to get by Axel, they wouldn't have bothered setting up any traps past the Guardian. She picked up the Ruby and put it in her dimensional pocket. As she had thought, there were no traps. She smirked. "Time to get back to Arik. Chaos Control!" she vanished in a flash of green light.
Scales rematerialized outside the cave and found a slightly winded Arik panting, standing on top of a small heap of dead bodies. He noticed her. "Hey, did you get the Ruby?" he asked. Scales pulled out the green jewel. "Yep. It was a little harder than I thought, but not too hard. The Guardian was a breeze." "Well, that's a relief." Said Arik. "Shall we go now?" Scales asked. "Sure, let me just get down from here." Arik jumped down from the pile. "Okay, Chronos-" "Not so fast!" yelled an unfamiliar voice. A large gray raptor walked towards them. "I demand you give me the Chronos Rubies!" "And who are you?" Scales asked. "Scales, that's Sauron!" said Arik. The evil raptor nodded. "Correct. I am Sauron, future Emperor of the Saurians. Those Rubies belonged to my ancestors, and by birthright they are mine. Hand them over!" Arik's eyes narrowed. "Well, my ancestor took them from yours, so they're my birthright! So there!" Sauron growled. "You dare defy me?" "You bet we defy you!" said Scales. The dinosaur chuckled. "So there are two of you, are there? Hmmph. I was hoping to slay the descendant of Slashfang in a one-on-one duel. But you being here ruins that, and I don't have a partner at the moment. I doubt you would consent to stay out of any duel, am I correct?" Arik frowned. "Of course Scales would stay out of the duel! Right Scales?" She snorted. "Hell no! If you're getting your butt kicked out there, there's no way I'm going to let this jerk win!" Sauron grinned. "As I expected. I can see you two have taken out the meager troops I brought with me. Although I would prefer to stay and fight, I think it would be a better idea to retreat. Chronos Control!" A white time portal ripped open behind him, a wind blowing into it. "Until next time. Farewell!" Sauron jumped into the portal, sealing it behind him. Scales blinked. "Hey, how come when you do Chronos Control we just move backward or forward in time, but he seems to be able to make a portal that no doubt moves him through time as well as space?" Arik frowned. "I guess the old Emperors knew more about the Rubies and how to use them then my family ever did. He probably read up how to do the portal thing in some transcripts of his ancestors." He sighed. "I was really hoping to fight with him. Well, perhaps next time." He cheered up a little. "Anyway, at least we have two Rubies to his one!" "Yeah, and we're soon going to get more than that! Come on buddy, let's get out of here." Said Scales. "Right. Hang on!" As Scales grabbed his wrist, Arik pulled out the white Ruby. "Chronos Control!" They vanished in a flash of light.
One detour through the time stream later, Scales and Arik were back in the hut. Arik was getting some meat from his freezer. "So tell me, what was the temple like?" Scales pondered for a moment. "Pretty short, to tell the truth. I had been expecting the thing to be larger. And there weren't really any traps at all, aside from Axel. All in all, it wasn't so bad." Arik placed the meat on the table and sat down. "Tell me, how did you defeat the Guardian?" Scales shrugged as she ripped off a chunk of food. "Dropped a giant icicle on his head. Went right through the guy and killed him, making him fall into an abyss in a cave full of stars." "A cave full of stars?" Arik asked around a peace of meat. "Yeah," said Scales, tearing into some more dead animal. "It was enchanted to look like the night sky. It was quite pretty." "A cave full of stars..." Arik mused. "Sounds poetic." Scales shrugged as she devoured another piece of meat. "Maybe the magicians who made the place were poets or philosophers too. Though you'd think they'd make it tougher to get through. I mean, sure, three sealed doors; two of which can only be opened by blasting through them, sliding or running down a steep ramp with gaps in it, swinging from floating vine to floating vine over a deep chasm, dodging icicles thrown by a near- invincible ice monster, dropping a giant icicle on said monster's head from a distance and then swinging to the Ruby may be hard for normal people, but they're a cinch for people like me." Arik grinned. "Maybe they didn't have people like you in mind when they built the place." Scales laughed as she swallowed a piece of meat. "Yeah, you're probably right. So, where are we going next?" Arik looked out the window, seeing it was getting dark. "To sleep. We'll find out where the next Ruby is in the morning." Scales protested. "Ah, but Arik, I'm not even tired!" That's when she let out a wide yawn. She scowled as Arik giggled. "Okay, maybe I am tired. But you don't look tired either!" "I hold my yawns in.," he said. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." He walked over to a ladder and started climbing up it to the second floor of the hut. Scales followed him. Arik stopped when he reached the second floor, jumping onto a ledge running by all the bookshelves. There were four doors on this level. He led her to a door with a gem carved above it. "This is...was my parent's room. You can stay in it if you like."
Scales frowned. "Where will you sleep?" Arik pointed to a different door across the way. "My room. If you need me, just go over there and wake me up." He started walking away. "The facilities in my parent's room should be adequate for your needs, though they may be a little strange to you at first." He paused, then turned around. "You may be thankful to my great-great-great-great-great-great- great-great-great-great-grandfather for learning of the miracles of indoor plumbing and installing them in the house." He continued walking. Scales went into the room and instantly sneezed, sending lots of dust away. Wiping her eyes, she was surprised to see the room was covered in dust. Apparently Arik hadn't been in here for years. The room was very nice, larger than she had expected. Tapestries made of fur and skin hung from the walls, pictures woven into them, depicting Arik's family history. A closed glass door led out to a small balcony. On another side of the room was an open door revealing what had to be a bathroom. There was a low sink, a raised platform with a hole in it, and a large basin with some faucets and a pair of grates. In the middle of the room was a large woven nest with cushions in it, right about the size for two adult raptors to sleep comfortably in. Aside from the tapestries, there were what looked like a few framed photographs, some of them ancient, others looking only a decade or a little older in age. Scales walked over to what looked like the most recent photograph and blew some dust off of it. It was a family group shot. In the front of the group was a little male raptor that could only be Arik. He looked so cute at that age. Actually, he still looked cute. She blinked. Where did that come from? She shook it out of her head and looked at the rest of the photo. Right behind Arik were two slightly older females, his sisters. Standing over both of them were two adult raptors, one male, one female. They were Arik's parents. Scales sniffed a little. They looked so happy back then. She wondered how long it had been taken before the raiders came. Then she wondered where the family had gotten a camera, but realized it was probably some souvenir from the future. It was getting darker. Looking for some kind of light even though she could probably get around with night vision, Scales saw a globe on the wall. She touched it, and the globe lit up, illuminating the room. Despite all the dust, the bedroom looked nice and homey, a place where there had been a lot of love. She ventured through the glass door and wandered out on the balcony, taking in the view of the prehistoric world. Lit by twilight, it was beautiful. Realizing she had never been outside in this place, she looked around the balcony, trying to get a better view of this giant hut. She saw it was bigger than the main room had let on. It was not made of mud or straw or anything she was familiar with. Perhaps it was fashioned of clay. The hut towered a story above her and went down a story below her. She could see a few windows here and there. She went back inside and washed up in the bathroom, finding the sink easy to use. She went back to the bedroom, turned off the light globe, and crawled into the nest, curling up and finding it to be extremely comfortable. Closing her eyes, she went to sleep.
Sorry if this chapter ends on a strange note. Anyway, what did you think? I can't produce quality work if I don't know I'm doing well! Scales: Isn't it time for the interview? Me: Why so it is! Scales, how are you doing? Scales: Fine, thank you. Me: How was the first real level? Scales: Interesting. I'm not used to that format of level. Me: Yeah, I know. Was Axel a pushover? Scales: Well, he wasn't completely easy, I mean I did have to dodge sharp icicles while swinging across a great pit. Me: Do you like Arik? Scales: Yeah. Me: No, I mean do you LIKE Arik? Scales: Hey! I don't have to talk about that! Me: Fine. Do you have any questions for me, since I am unable to access reviews due to some weird problems with FF.net? Scales: Um, okay. How is it that everyone we meet speaks English? Me: They don't. The Master Ruby merely translates it with magic to make it reach your ears as English. Scales: Oh. How come Arik's house is so big, has indoor plumbing, books, and photographs? Me: Time travel, remember? They have lots of stuff from all over history. Scales: Oh, right. Hey, I just thought of something. If Arik can time travel, why didn't he just use Chronos Control to go back and save his family?
Me: Because of paradox. If his family had survived the raid, Arik would have had no need to go back in time to save them, thus they would not be saved, and would die. There is no changing the past. Scales: (Looking sad.) Well, there goes my chance of saving Mom. Wait! Couldn't I just warp back in time, grab her, then return to the present with her? Me: Scales, that would also change the past! If you hadn't seen your mother die before you, you would never have awakened your more primal instincts and not be nearly as cool or dangerous. By doing so, you would never have destroyed GUN, so it would still be a threat. Scales: Damn. Me: Anyway, even if you did save her some other way, by stopping GUN from invading the ARK, then Amy would never have been created. All sorts of other things would also change as a result of that one event, completely wrecking your original future. You see, the past cannot be changed by anyone but a god, since they are immune to its effects. And even they do not dare to do it, for one slight alteration to the timeline could result in an advantage that would allow Satan (The Devil, not the robot) a chance to kill people or free himself from Hell. Scales: I understand. I guess the dead stay dead unless miracles occur. Me: Exactly. Well, that's all the time we have for today. See you next time!
Scales: And don't forget to review. We won't be able to reach the next Ruby without a good review!