I slowly opened my eyes for a few seconds until my vision finally cleared. I was in a cavern of some sort. It was almost pitch black save a tunnel connected to the cavern on the far side. I rolled over, taking my pack off my back as I fumbled around in the bottom for a flashlight.

I switched it on, and began looking around at my surroundings. Behind me, where I had woken up, there was a solid stonewall, recessed into the wall. It was shaped like an arch in shape, twenty feet tall, and fifteen across. I ran my hand over it, it was unnaturally smooth. I was guessing that it was the gate I had passed through. I stepped on something. Bending over, I realized it was one of Robin's birdorangs. I was on the right track.

I swung my back on, and went to turn around, when I felt a prick on the back of my neck, and then another spear point in my lower back.

"Don't move stranger."

Two pairs of arms grasped each side of me, as I was turned around to face my attacker. He held a torch in one hand, with some sort of glowing substance on the tip that illuminated it in blue light.

He nodded to another man behind me, as my pack was removed from my back, and they began rummaging through it.

"Forgive us, but we don't get new materials or supplies very often. We take what we can."

"Please remove my possessions to me and let me on my way. Stay out of my pack."

"You are a queer one stranger. You are in no position to bargain."

"I'll ask one more time. Please get out of my pack."

"I think not. You have valuable supplies in that pack of yours. I have never seen such technology. Tell me stranger, how do things fare in our realm. I haven't laid eyes upon my beloved Rome in many a year."

"Rome…right."

I felt myself getting worked up, felt myself getting angry and tense. I screamed out in pain as the ridges broke through my skin, spikes materializing out of my arms as I thrust back my two captors.

I charged towards the ringleader, the one who had called me 'stranger.' I knocked him to the ground as I held a spike to his throat, pressing into his neck as a trickle of blood ran down his throat.

I was taken aback when I didn't see fear in the man's eyes, just a peaking curiosity.

"Perhaps I misjudged you stranger."

"Tell your men to lay down their weapons and return to me what is mine, or the spike goes through your throat."

"As you wish. Skane, Boen, do as our stranger requests."

They slowly climbed to their feet, eying me warily as they gathered up my scattered possessions, and returned them to their rightful positions in my pack. They quickly handed it over with shaking arms. I snatched it from them as I threw their leader to the ground, swung my pack over my shoulder, and made my way towards the illuminated tunnel ahead.

"Wait stranger, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into or where you are going. My men and I can be of help."

I halted, and turned my head back towards them. "And why would you help me? What's in it for you?"

"You, obviously possess unique abilities. They would be of great use to us, even if only for a short while."

I thought about it, and realizing that I really didn't know where I was going or what I was getting into, I slowly nodded, walking back towards the man, and his three men.

He held his hand out, I shook it, and the deal was sealed.

He slid his pack off of his back, reached in, and pulled out some sort of clay jar. Reaching inside, he pulled out a handful of some sort of goop, and smeared it on the end of his torch. The brightness increased until it was almost blinding.

He propped his torch up against his pack, and progressed to sitting on the ground. His men did so beside him. I warily took a seat in the circle around the torch, as their leader addressed me.

"So stranger, do you have a name?"

"Uh, its Chrone."

"I am Kraet, this is Skane, Boen, and Mason." He motioned towards his companions.

Skane was a tall, lean man, piercing green eyes with black hair. He had shaggy hair and a stern look on his face. All of the men, even their leader Kraet, had a cloak made out of some sort of animal hide, and a pack that they wore on their back.

Boen was shorter, though not by much. He was probably around five-nine, he still had an inch or two on me. He had brown eyes, and burnet hair. A scraggly beard and a distant look in his eyes. What looked like a claw mark ran its way from the middle of his forehead, across his nose, and ended on his right cheek.

Mason, was a little shorter than me. He had a longer black beard and black hair. Brown eyes stared at me warily, he didn't look too friendly. He had a knife in his gloved hands that he spun between his fingers.

And then, there was Kraet. He had a clean face, no beard, and graying hair. He was roughly my height, and had a lean physique. He eyed me curiously I finally addressed them.

"So, can you tell me anything about this world? Some ghost looking guy came through a white gate, into my city, and told me this was something called the Baskire? What do you guys no if it?"

"We know just about everything there is to know about this place. Baskire is a boundary world between the realms of humans and the Balrags-"

"Yeah, that ghosty guy said something about them. I guess one of those things broke through into the city, and he said he was sent to retrieve it or something."

"Ah, you must have met a Laer. They are the guardians of this boundary world. They make sure that nothing gets through to the next world. No humans get into Creag, and no Balrags break their way through to earth. On the rare occasion when they do break through, a Laer is sent to retrieve them by any means necessary, even extermination."

"Ok, if their job is to make sure that humans stay on earth, and Balrags on Creag, then why aren't they hunting you guys here in The Baskire?"

"That's the interesting thing. Once you're here, there's no going back. I've been here since the era of the Roman Empire, Skane came sometime around the Revolutionary War, Boen and Mason, they've been here since the 1950's. I haven't seen anyone else from our realm in a long time. Tell me, what's the year?"

"It's 2004. So hang on a minute. You're trying to tell me that you guys are hundreds of years old? Even though that's physically impossible?"

"Does anything else you have experienced since leaving earth tell you that things follow the same rules here? Once you come into the Baskire, you begin to change. You stop aging the moment you set foot in this realm. Sometimes other things begin to change, size, hair color, even eye color. A few even mutate into unspeakable things, dark and evil. You don't want to meet any of them."

"Wait, wait, wait! Your telling me that I will begin to change too? And that I'll never be able to get back to earth?"

"There have been many a try to get back to earth, all have failed, most go mad trying or die in the process. Very few can learn to live in the Baskire. It's a dark, dark place. As for you, the changes will take place gradually, it takes a few weeks to truly and completely change. But who knows? You're different, maybe the same rules don't apply to you."

"Is there any way to get back through the gate? My friends came here, I came looking for them. I plan to get back."

"The only way back is with a special stone that the Laers carry. Each guardian has one. It opens the gate. Only they can get you back through."

"Ok, so how do we get one of these keys?"

"Ah, now that is the problem. As long as we stay out of the Laers' way, they tolerate our presence. Heck, some times they'll even give us food or drive off a Belrag for us. But when it comes to the gates, things are set in stone. Meddle with the gates, or attack a Laer, and you will be killed. They have unspeakable power, none have ever defeated a Laer. Besides, after awhile, there's no point to trying to get back. For once you change, the Baskire becomes your home, forever. Eternally condemned to wander the never ending tunnels of the Baskire, we are but ghosts."

"So, you're immortal too?"

"No. Not in the remotest way. Though we no longer age, we can be killed by mortal means. Cut us, we bleed, we can die just as easily as the next man. We've just become skilled in the ways of the Baskire. It's a hard life, but we manage. The Baskire is our home."

I looked at them, raising an eyebrow. Most of this was hardly believable, but of course I didn't really have a choice in the matter. So far, everything I had seen would have been labeled impossible on earth, but of course, this was some sort of alternate dimension. I was going to have to play by their rules.

"Ok, that's nice I guess. So, how do we go about finding my friends?"

"That should prove interesting. I have no idea how long they have been here. The gates warp time. When you could have just arrived here an hour ago, they may have already been here for hours, even days. Despite the fact that they entered the gate just moments before you."

This was just getting to be more fun by the minute. I shook my head. Things really did look bad, for all of this. I had no means to track down my friends not to mention the fact that there was a good chance that I wouldn't get back to my home.

I looked at them glumly. All of us whipped our heads around as the gate behind us was activated, as the stone panel was enveloped in the familiar white light. Something came through. I hopped to my feet, falling into a defensive stance as what I knew to be a Belrag came through the gate. It looked different this time, no longer was it made of light, but now it was normal, flesh and bone.

The men also rose to their feet, drawing their spears. I looked at the Belrag as I noticed the glowing purple rope ensnaring its neck. The Laer came through the gate soon after it, sword prodding it forward as he held the rope in his other hand. He was still made of light; I looked at them in bewilderment. I recognized both figures, they were the ones who had invaded our city. The Laer pulled the Belrag to a halt, yanking back harshly on the rope as he walked towards the Belrag. As he neared, sword drawn, it lunged at him. He dodged the attack effortlessly, and then sent some sort of energy through the rope the light increased tenfold, and the creature dropped to the ground, writhing and bellowing in pain. The Laer approached the Belrag as it recoiled. He reached for the rope around its neck, and removed it, backing off quickly as the Belrag climbed to its feet. It looked around, eyes darting back and forth as it flared its nostrils. Now that I got to see it up close, it reminded me of a Minotaur, at least in the way its figure was arranged. While it was on the ground, I had gotten a glimpse of its taloned feet beneath its cloak, and its clawed hands. It lowered its head, preparing to charge.

The Laer blurred in a flurry of light, and a moment later was standing on the other side of the cavern. The enraged Belrag looked around, saw us, and charged. My newly gained companions had taken the opportunity to make a dash for the other side of the cavern while the Belrag had been on the ground. The Belrag grabbed its sword from the sheath on its back, and charged towards me like a mad bull, fury blazing in its eyes.

It came at me, and I was unable to get out of the way quick enough. I did the only thing I could, raising my spike in defense. They did little against the beast's attack. It plowed into me like a train with its shoulder, driving me backwards, and then loomed over my fallen figure.

I shuffled backwards as its sword fell; hitting stone where I had previously lay. I rose to my feet, entered hyper-mode, and raced towards the figure. I knew there was no way that I could match it in strength, in this dimension, it was considerably smaller, only about 15 feet tall, but still more than twice my size. I drove the blunt side of my spike into its chest; my arm came away still ringing from the impact. It was like hitting a steel wall. My attacks had no effect.

The Belrag came hovered over me menacingly, and reached down with a clawed hand, picking me up by the front of my uniform, holding me before his face. He muttered something in some unknown language, which sounded more like clicks and grunts than anything else. Contempt blazed in those blank eyes as he raised his sword with one hand, me in the other, preparing to deliver the fatal blow.

A scream erupted from the creature's throat as it dropped its sword, clutching its side and me. I looked down at the figure sprawled before me. Kraet's spear stuck out of its side, a good foot of the weapon buried in the Belrag's chest. I looked down at it with a sneer on its face.

It looked up at me, black tears falling from its wet eyes as it released its side and lunged up at me. I managed to dodge for the most part, but the creature's claws raked against my thigh as I fell backwards beside the creature. It lay on the ground in a puddle of its own black blood as Kraet and his men charged forwards with spears and swords, and finished the job, delivering blow upon blow on the fallen beast as it bellowed with pain.

Blood spewed from its throat, chest, and every available place. I was coated in the beast's fluids, as I lay there stunned, propped up on my elbows. The Belrag's empty eyes stared directly at me as every bit of life in it was stripped away, the dead eyes still fixed on my face. The breathing stopped, the echoed screams faded away, and the body stopped twitching as I lay there in its still warm blood, shivering at the display of ruthlessness that I had just seen. Not that I done the very same thing on more than one occasion.

But there is a distinct difference before killing someone, and having to watch the life flee from their body from up close. When you kill, your body and instinct take over, and you kill and kill until there is nothing left with a breath in them. Emotions are barred to the back of the mind as millions of years of evolution and survival take over; primal instinct overrules every rational thought in your head. Not until the knife drops from your hand do you realize what you have done, and the emotional floodgates collapse as your mind finally comes to the realization of what you have done.

The only way to survive as a killer is to build a wall in the back of your mind to contain those emotions, permanently banishing them. You lose your identity as living a life without emotion finally takes it toll on your empty void of a heart where only darkness and evil tumults around endlessly.

I looked at the creature with dead, glazed over eyes of my own, and slowly climbed to my feet, fingering my new wounds. Three parallel claw marks made good ten-inch gashes on the front of my upper thigh, blood dripping through the uniform. I wasn't too worried; they weren't that deep and wouldn't take long to scab over.

I didn't even bother to wipe away the Belrag's blood. Blood had been a common companion to me in my previous years, the disgust quickly wears away.

My new companions moved on to pulling out hunting knives as they progressed to stripping the beast of its clothing, discarding it as they began to strip the meat from its bones. I looked at them filled with disgust. Killing was one thing, eating another sentient being was on a completely different level.

Kraet came over towards me, seeing the shock in my face. "We gotta get food somehow. We have to eat."

"That thing had rational thought. That's practically cannibalism."

"Well, unless you want to starve, I suggest that you get used to it rather quickly, because here in the Baskire, you learn not to waste any resource."

He walked back over to assist his men in their proceedings. I felt like vomiting, and yet didn't. They all paused for a moment, looking over at me.

"If you plan to eat, I suggest that you get over here and help."

I remembered the painful gaze of the Belrag as it had died, the screams, the blood, and then looked back at my companions. Not a spark of pity was in their eyes, they meant business.

Swallowing the bile that had risen in the back of my throat, I walked over to the hacked up corpse, and climbed with Kraet up onto the creature's desecrated back. Pulling my knife from my thigh sheath, I began hacking away beside them, truly disgusted. I willed my emotional void to take over, and slowly it did. My thoughts faded away as my mind went numb and my body took over, hacking away at the dead creature.

I don't know how much timed passed, but eventually, Mason came over and shook my shoulder, motioning to me that we were done. With dead eyes I followed him away from the piles of bone, flesh, and clothing that had been left.

Kraet was digging through the creature's pack. He had already taken a liking to the Belrag's sword that now hung from a hilt at his hip. It must have had some sort of enchantment because it had shrunken to half the size that it had been when the Belrag had it. Faint blue tendrils of light danced over the blade surface, hypnotizing me as I watched.

I shook my head, tearing my eyes from the sword as I looked around the cavern. Kraet was rooting through the pack, looking for useful supplies. Skane and Boen were packing up the meat in some sort of leather bags, while Mason was kneeled next to the pile of bones and flesh and clothing, which he was slowly moving over towards the wall bit by bit.

Skane walked over towards me, and handed me three bags. I set two of them down next to me, and looked into the third pack to see what it was that they had given me. I peeked inside; it was the meat from the Belrag. My stomach did summersault as I felt like I was going to be sick. I was thoroughly disgusted. I pulled a piece of the meat out, it was dry. Recalling that they had been rolling the meat in some sort of grey powder, I realized that it must have dried the meat out.

I quickly slipped the meat back into the pack, tightened the tether, and looked up at the two waiting men who were watching me.

"Those are your rations for the next week. You're responsible for carrying all of it." They turned and walked away, leaving me with the three leather pouches. I eyed them, and for a moment considered just leaving them, but decided against it. At one point or another I would need something to eat. Not that I would delve into the food source any time soon, I would hold out for as long as I possibly could, the thought of eating what had once been a sentient being wasn't too appealing to me at the moment.

I took the three packs, managing to stuff two of them into my backpack, while I tethered the last to one of the hooks on the side of my bag.

"So guys, any idea where we are?" Cyborg addressed Robin and Raven.

"No idea." Robin said, looking around at the faintly glowing walls as they continued walked through the tunnels as they had been for the last several hours.

"We're not on earth anymore. I would be able to sense it. We're somewhere else, though I have no idea where." Raven said, looking at the back of Robin's head as Cyborg and she continued to follow Robin. Cyborg had his shoulder light on, adding more light to the dim caverns.

Robin walked over to one of the walls, pulling off a glove as he ran his hand over the rough stone.

"What is this stuff?"

Cyborg walked up next to him, and ran a scanner over the odd plant that was growing on the walls. "It's some sort of plant, not one found on earth, my databases would have been able to identify it."

"Ok, great. We have concluded that we're not on earth, and that the plant growing on the walls is illuminating the tunnel. Just great, none of that is going to help us. Let's recap. We got pulled through that gate made of light, which that thing invading our city came through. We all saw a blinding light, and then woke up on the floor in that cavern. We have now been wandering aimlessly through these tunnels for hours on end, and have yet to meet a single living thing other than the moss growing on the walls. So, anyone have any brilliant ideas?" Raven glared at Robin and Cyborg.

Robin rubbed the back of his neck, Cyborg looked away.

"Great. Just great."

"I guess we just keep going until we find someone or something that can help us figure out where we are. These tunnels can't go on forever." Robin looked at his two teammates.

Raven sighed, Cyborg shrugged, and they resumed their endless wandering.

Three hours later, something caught Robin's attention up ahead. A faint flicker of light had disappeared around the corner ahead.

"Come on guys! I think I saw something up ahead!" He pulled out a birdorang, and then looked back at his weary teammates as they glared back at him with half open eyes. They shrugged, Raven rolled her eyes, and they took off down the tunnel.

They whipped around the corner, to find themselves in a huge cavern. A figure stood crouched over next to one of the walls. They ran over towards him, stopping about ten feet off as Robin approached him slowly.

"Hello? Can you tell us where we are?"

The figure didn't make any motion, showing no sign of having even heard him. He walked up to the shrouded figure, which had a black hood drawn over his head. He tapped him on the shoulder.

The figure whipped around, raising his dagger into the air as he stopped it just inches from Robin's neck.

Robin didn't flinch, but looked at the figure in bewilderment. The shadows from his hood covered his face. He wore ragged pants and shirt, with a cloak trailing behind him on the ground as he rose to his feet, grabbing Robin by the front of the uniform.

Cyborg charged his cannon, Raven summoned energy as it balled around her fist.

The figure turned his head away from Robin, and looked over at the bewildered titans. Blue eyes shimmered from beneath his hood.

Robin very slowly turned his head towards the cloaked figure, and addressed him.

"Whoa, we didn't mean to startle you. We just wanted to know if you could tell us where we are, or how we can get back to our city from wherever this is."

The figure's eyes narrowed into slits as he slowly withdrew his dagger from Robin's neck, his hand disappearing under his cloak. He took a few steps backwards, his eyes never leaving Robin's form.

Raven's eyes turned back to their normal form, Cyborg lowered his cannon.

Robin took a cautious step towards the figure once again.

"You shouldn't be here strangers. This is not your land."

"Yeah, we kinda figured that much out. Can you tell us where we are, or for the matter how we get back to earth?"

"You have entered the Baskire. A border land between the worlds of the humans and the Belrags."

"Ok…how do we get back to earth?"

He thought about this for a moment, and then responded.

"The only way back to your dimension is to steal the keystone from the Laers that guard the gates, and then activate the gate. Only then can you get back to your world."

Robin raised an eyebrow out of skepticism.

Raven took the opportunity to question the figure herself.

"So, who are you?"

"I am Sedriel. I am, or at least was a human at one point in my past. I have lived in these caves for hundreds of years. The Baskire changes you, every fiber of your being."

He lowered his hood, revealing to them his face for the first time. He looked like a regular human, except for his eyes. Those illuminated blue eyes stared back at them, no pupils, just solid pools of blue.

"These eyes, the Baskire's curse upon me. Once you enter this domain, you change. Usually for the worse. I can no longer see as I once could. The world is permanently tinted blue through my eyes, and light blinds me."

"Will these changes affect us?"

"If you stay long enough, yes."

"How long do we have?"

"In earthen time, approximately a week. I must warn you, few have ever escaped, and once you begin to change, you too become part of the Baskire, and escape is impossible, for the Baskire becomes your home."

Cyborg, Robin, and even Raven stared at him with wide-open eyes.

"Can you help us find this gate, and get past these Laers?" Robin asked.

"I can take you as far as the barrier, once there, you must venture on alone. Only unchanged beings can pass through the barrier without having the flesh stripped from their bones. It's not an easy way to die. Very slow, extremely painful."

"Well then, lets get started. We obviously don't have much time."

Sedriel grabbed a wooden staff that was leaning up against the wall, and began leading them.

I jogged after Kraet, a little out of breath. I had to admit, these guys were in even better shape then I was in. We had been traveling for two days, and things had fallen into a loose pattern. We jogged, ran, and occasionally walked for at least sixteen hours a day. After that, we slept in shifts, one or two of us always on watch duty. So far, we had met one other Laer and two Belrags. I had yet to meet another human other than the companions that I had recently acquired.

We had finally stopped for the night. I leaned up against the cave walls as Mason, Skane, and Boen rolled out their sleeping mats, and went to bed. I had first watch.

Kraet sat over by the fire, twirling a dagger between his fingers.

I let my pack fall to the ground as I rooted through it for some meat. We had not had to kill the two Belrags that we had met, one we had driven away from camp during the night, and the other we knocked out.

I grabbed my water bottle and poured some of it over my head. Wiping a mixture of sweat and water out of my eyes, I pushed the hair out of face and then progressed to grabbing some of the meat from my food sacks.

I had tried to hold off on eating it, but after just one day, I was famished. As much running as we were doing, I needed all of the energy I could get. I tried not to think about what I was eating, it made me want to hurl.

I chewed on some of the smoked meat as I looked out into the darkness.

Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I whipped my head around to see a faint light flicker as it rounded the corner of the cavern and out into the main travel way.

I jogged out of the cavern, and after the light. I immediately pulled to a halt as I saw the figure in front of me. It was a Laer.

"So mortal, we meet again. I see that you refuse to give up your quest. A foolish hope drives you, but it is honorable all the same."

It was the same Laer that I had seen back on earth in Jump City, and then met again in the cavern as he was releasing the Belrag that had escaped into our dimension.

"What the hell do you want?"

"I have come to warn you mortal, your friends have allied with a great evil. The creature they have joined seeks to release Gyrnn, a powerful being neither Belrag nor Human in origin. We ourselves do not know what kind of creature he is, but he is powerful, and has enough power to destroy the Baskire. He came very near to accomplishing his goal. Why he wishes to destroy the Baskire, we know not. We managed to imprison him three hundred earthen years ago, in a pocket dimension that we created to hold him. Your friends have joined this beast's quest, and the Laer have decided that they must die. Gyrnn cannot escape, we lost over half of our ranks in his last rampage, there's a good chance that he could overcome our forces should he escape again."

"You don't know my friends. There's no way they would do something like that."

"We are not mistaken in that they travel with a beast that seeks to release Gyrnn. For one reason or another, they have allied with them, your friends, upon capture, have been ordered dead. Do not interfere with the order of things mere mortal, or you too shall meet the same fate."

The Laer disappeared in a flurry of light, leaving me there to contemplate what actions to take from there. Kraet came out from around the corner and stood next to me.

"I know of this figure of which the Laer speaks. His name is Sedriel, and he is by far one of the greatest evils that roam this realm. No more than a servant to Gyrnn, but he still possesses great power. He is not to be under estimated. Tomorrow we shall reach the barrier, beyond that gate is where you shall find your friends if indeed Sedriel has lead them there. It is within the walls of that cavern that Gyrnn is imprisoned. My companions and I cannot travel with you any further than the barrier. Only the unchanged can pass through it."

"So, why does Sedriel need my friends?"

"He needs them to break the stones that imprison Gyrnn within the pocket dimension. He himself cannot pass through the barrier. Undoubtedly he has told them that that is the only way in which they can get home. I must warn you though; you must prevent your friends from breaking those stones at all costs. If Gyrnn is released, this realm with fall, and the borders between Creag and Earth will be in disarray. Both dimensions will fall in rapid succession. Gyrnn won't be satisfied with destroying the Baskire alone."

I gave a shaky nod. He walked back into the side cavern, back towards the fire. I stood there, honestly wondering if I would have the strength to kill my kin if it came down to it. They may have driven me out, but they were still my family, or the closest thing to a family I had left in the world. I slumped up against the wall, hugging myself as I shivered. Tomorrow was the day. I was either going to be reunited with my friends, or I was going to have to see them die by my own hand. The chills increased, my blank eyes stared out into the darkness.

Robin, Raven, and Cyborg pulled to a halt behind Sedriel. A white wall was stretched in front of them.

"What is this?"

"This is the barrier. Only still pure life forms may pass beyond this point. That excludes me."

"So, what do we do from here?"

"When you pass through the barrier, you will arrive in a large cavern. Along the wall there will be a gate, similar to the one that you came through. Above and on either side of the gate, you will find three stones. All three of these must be broken for the gate to be activated. Once this has been done, you will be sucked through the gate and back into your dimension, though where and when I could not tell you."

"Ok, well, thanks for your help I guess. We wouldn't have made it this far had it not been for you." Robin said.

"It was my duty. I would not wish my same fate upon you. I must leave you now, I have other matters to attend to." He turned around, and began walking away, hood drawn over his head.

Raven muttered something under her breath so low that only she could hear. "This doesn't feel right."

Robin and Cyborg headed towards the whitewashed wall. Robin felt for the wall, and his hand went right through it. "I guess this is it guys. We're finally going home."

They stepped through and into the domain beyond.

Kraet, Mason, Skane, and Boen pulled to a halt in front of a white wall. I didn't have to even guess; I knew that this was the barrier.

Kraet led me aside. "This is where we must part. Remember Chrone, at all costs the stones cannot be broken. The Baskire cannot stand another assault from that demon. Do not sacrifice three worlds to save three friends. This is larger than you can even begin to imagine."

"Don't worry, I'll do what's necessary. The stones won't be broken, Gyrnn won't get loose."

"I must tell you Chrone, the chances are not good that you will return home. If you step through that barrier, the Laer will offer you no compassion. They take such breaches very seriously. If you are caught in there, you will be killed, along with your friends."

"That's a risk I am willing to take. My friends are worth the sacrifice."

"I have one final gift for you." He reached inside of his cloak, and withdrew something wrapped in rags. He slowly peeled them back, to reveal a glowing stone.

"This is a gate key. If you are indeed successful, you can use this to get home."

"I thought you said that getting one of those was impossible, and that no one had ever done it."

"I had to make sure you were trustworthy. As for the rest of what I said, it was true. No one has ever escaped the Baskire."

"Did you kill the Laer?"

"No, a Belrag killed it, I drove it off and managed to get my hand on the stone. By that time, it was far too late for me. The Baskire is my home."

He rewrapped the stone, and gave it to me. I thought about putting it in my pack, but settled for slipping it into my boot in case I needed access to it quickly.

"Thank you Kraet. You have helped me in more ways than you can imagine. I will get home, I will prevent Gyrnn from escaping, and I will save my friends."

I looked back at Kraet, Mason, Boen, and Skane once more as I walked towards the barrier. I stuck a hand through, the rest of my soon followed. In a flash of light, I left my four companions behind in search of my three friends.