Chapter 2
"Keeper?" Krystal repeated as she stepped forward, "What is this Keeper?"
The stone was silent for an long time before he finally slapped his belly, a loud rock-smashing-into-rock sound, the kind of sound that alerted furs to devastating rockslides.
"Keepers," he said softly, "Looked just like you. Same clothing. Same staff you carry. You are a Shrine Keeper, judging by your head piece and cuffs. A lower ranking one by the few white tattoos you have."
Stunned, Krystal could only stand there with her jaw hung open while he rattled off all the technicalities of these Keepers. She had expected answers to her planet's whereabouts, not even more questions that had nothing to do with her original quest.
Finally finding her voice, Krystal asked, "You say my people come from Dinosaur Planet? We were Keepers here?"
"Ah, you are a quick one," he winked, "Keepers of the Krazoa Shrines and Force Point Temples. Your kind left long ago."
She took a deep breath, "When did they leave? Why? How?"
"I don't count time the same as mortal creatures. I cannot know how much has passed," he said as he rubbed his stony belly thoughtfully.
"Why," the Warp Stone said, "That is a long story. You see, long ago, the Keepers and the Dinosaurs lived peacefully together. The Keepers cared for and guarded the Krazoa Shrines and the Force Point Temples. But eventually some of the Dinosaurs grew jealous of the rapport the Keepers held with the planet's spirits and the power they wielded. Before any bloodshed occurred, the Keepers simply left, with assistance from Outsiders. I believe the Krazoa Spirits had something to do with this assistance, but this is only my thought.
"I know not where your people went, but they left, and eventually they were forgotten. Forgotten, but not lost. I always had a feeling that the Keepers would return. Tell me, when will more arrive? If Keepers had been watching the shrines and temples, Scales would never have come into power."
Krystal answered simply, "I am the only one left. The only one that I know of, at least. Cerenia disappeared while I was away, and I am searching the galaxy for answers. That is what led me to Dinosaur Planet."
"Ah, so I see I have raised more questions for you," the Warp Stone leaned forward, "Let me help you find more answers. I was used as a Keeper Portal and I can transport you almost anywhere on this planet. Keepers would come and go from Krazoa Palace, not the upper levels, but to and from the lower levels. I will warp you there.
"Stand on this platform, and step into my hand," he finished.
"Wait, I'm supposed to go with you to Krazoa Palace," Tricky said with a worried whine.
Not even bothering to look back, Krystal said, "When you have been searching for answers as long as I have, Prince Tricky, you will be willing to break rules. Even promises."
Without another word, Krystal stepped onto the platform, but suddenly turned to face Fox and Tricky.
"Please, Prince, I must go," she pleaded.
Bowing his head, Tricky gave in, "Well, okay. But you better be back here before dusk"
Krystal smiled, "Thank you Tricky. Your generosity will do you well in ruling."
The dias raised and the Warp Stone held out his hand, palm up. Warily, Krystal climbed onto the hand. She found it smooth, yet cold and hard.
'Of course,' she thought dumbly, 'He is stone.'
"Are you ready to go," he asked with a tone of finality.
The vixen looked up at him and answered, "Yes."
Bright light flashed from his hand and the warm sun and fresh air disappeared. Krystal spun around in darkness, on the edge of control, for what seemed like a long time. She finally realized she was no longer in the cold warp zone, but on cold surface, and in near pitch blackness.
'Inside the lower levels,' Krystal thought.
The vixen pulled out her staff and a blue light appeared from the tip, providing ample light. She was in a small antechamber, standing on an amber dias. The walls were smooth stone, and ahead was an opening. She could see it curved to the left, but nothing more.
Stepping off the dias, Krystal carefully walked along the gently curving path until along the wall, she saw a torch covered by years of dust. She brushed off the tip and stepped back, firing her staff once. The torch burst into flame as if it had been designed to respond as such to staff fire.
'Most curious,' she thought as her eyes adjusted to the more than ample light put off by the wooden torch, 'Wood usually explodes if I try to light it with my staff.'
Moving along, and taking the torch with her, Krystal came to a larger room. It was nearly rectangular, but the corners were rounded off. Most notable were statues, several statues, that lined the walls. They were skillfully carved into the wall, looking almost as if they had stepped away from the stone itself.
Krystal closely examined each, and all bore the likeness of Cerenians. Even their apparel and decorations were similar to the Staff Masters and Mistresses of her former planet. She concluded they were important leaders or founders of... something important.
There was nothing else in the room but dust, and two other exits in addition to the one she had come through. Peering through the south exit, Krystal could see another room that was much larger than the first two she had seen. Moving quickly, the vixen arrived in the large chamber.
The sight surprised her. Light from her torch reflected off of gems and mirrors set in the stone, giving a star-lit appearance. But the light play was not as astonishing as the mess that covered most of the floor. Crumbling parchments lay strewn about the stone floor, their writing barely legible in the reflecting light.
Kneeling, Krystal looked closely at the nearest scroll and read aloud, "Student must stand, feet apart, hold staff tightly and aim. Feel the fire flow through the staff, power from the base reserve.
"They're instructions... on using fire for the staff," she concluded, also noting the faded image of a standing fur holding a staff.
The moment she touched the scroll paper, it dissolved into dust. Frowning, Krystal carefully stepped around piles of rolled up scrolls, until she saw another open parchment. On it were details of shrine keeping, from care and cleaning to contact with the Krazoa themselves. Carrying the Spirits to the Palace wasn't mentioned, so Krystal assumed that it wasn't a common enough occurrence to be required material.
The piles of faded and tattered scrolls went from one end of the room to the other, and Krystal could see an entrance on the east end of the room, but she decided to backtrack to avoid destroying anymore valuable artifacts. After a short walk, she arrived at the small room and moved quickly down the east moving path. It was nearly strait and she could almost see into the next chamber.
Again, the vixen was surprised at the sight she beheld in the chamber. A great staff rested upright in an ornate stand. The staff was decorated in bright colors, with a deep emerald gem imbedded in the tip. It was almost overly lavish and bespoke of a grander time, a time long past. She resisted the urge to touch the staff for fear that it too would dissolve into dust and be lost forever.
The chamber itself also contained the gems in the walls and two torches and wall brackets. Krystal lit the two torches and marveled at the reflecting lights. A smaller tunnel went east and to the south was a larger tunnel opening. It was then that she realized the south entrance had a light breeze moving through it, which was causing the torches to flicker and reflect off the walls.
The hall was embedded with gem and colored-stone frescos depicting Krazoa and Dinosaur tribes. Krystal paused occasionally to marvel at the beautiful artwork. When she finally made it to the tunnel end, she was presented with a great sunken chamber. A walkway circled the lower center, and four sets of steps descended the circle. At the bottom was an ornately decorated raised dias.
"Some... type of... meeting room," she finally concluded.
The circular room was huge, the roof towering to many meters. Torch stands were everywhere, and all over the ceiling she could see the gems and crystals that would reflect light. Krystal could only imagine the grandeur of the fully occupied and lit chamber.
She suddenly realized that she would never see such a thing and it broke her. Krystal collapsed to her knees and curled up in a ball, crying tears she hadn't cried in so long. Desperation and despair finally overcame her long-held and dwindling hope of finding answers.
Krystal didn't know how many more questions she would ask before there was nothing more to find on Dinosaur Planet, but she knew she couldn't ask anymore yet. It was becoming too hard to stay afloat when she was drowning in unanswered questions.