FicWad

Chapter 7: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Madhouse...

Brian saw the partially-invisible thing run past him, as he steeled himself for another attack by it. It looked like it was still standing, but seven 9x19mm rounds had made it lose its nerve. Brian was relieved; most unarmored people wouldn't have just shrugged off getting shot like that. Then again, most people weren't a shimmering mirage, and didn't look like they were eight feet tall and built like a brick Buick.
Brian only had one word for that. Crazy. The figure he had rescued from the inviso-beast wasn't any less shocking, as she stood up. He could tell it was a she at least. Still, coming face to face with something straight out of a fantasy book wasn't his idea of normal.
She was somewhat tall for a human female, probably five foot nine or so. She had the form of a practiced gymnast, but that is where the similarity ended. Firstly, she was a fox. A bipedal fox, dressed in a loincloth, some sort of bikini top, sandals, and bracers. A tiara-looking piece of jewelry also encircled her forehead; giving her the look of some sort of tribal princess. Come to think of it, the markings around her upper arms and thighs had the air of tribal tattoos about them.
Brian noticed her take a step back, shifting into a defensive crouch. Immediately afterwards, he saw exactly why; his Glock was trained on her torso. "Dammit. Sorry." Brian blurted out, as he slid his finger off the trigger, lowering the handgun. "I'm not here to hurt you," he continued, "Hell, you probably don't speak my language, anyway."
The foxette blinked as she regained her previous posture, taking a hesitant step towards him. She then spoke to him. "Actually, I understand you just fine... I speak Lylat fairly well." Brian's jaw dropped, eliciting an arched eyebrow from the vixen. She spoke English... crisp, British-accented English at that. No, she couldn't have, it was impossible. "Who... who are you?" She spoke again, an inquisitive tone carried over her accent.
Brian remained still for a moment and arched an eyebrow in return. The silence passed awkwardly as he made full eye contact with the foxgirl for the first time; hazel eyes boring into his, seemingly peering into his soul and probing for his darkest secrets. This caused him to blink a bit, before responding. "Brian Lancing. And... don't ask me what I'm doing here, because I haven't a damn clue myself."
The vixen nodded as she took a step closer. Brian was getting a little more nervous; having a fuzzy alien he had just met almost invading his personal space wasn't a nice thought, even if you took away the fact he had just been in combat. She did, however, stop before she spoke again. "I won't pry, Brian. Still, thank you for helping me. I wouldn't have been able to fend that creature off with my bare paws."
Brian found himself nodding, before he slid the Glock back into its holster. He had a lot of questions on his mind, but he was fairly sure the foxgirl wouldn't be able to tell him how he ended up in this place... wherever it was. So, he decided to focus on the small questions first. "Now, back at you... who're you?"
The vixen glanced up at him, the faint ghost of what he assumed (and that was from Saturday morning cartoons, so he could very well be wrong) was a smile touching her lips. "I am Krystal Haleth," she announced softly, "daughter of Haran and Yitana Haleth, members of the Great Council of Cerinia."
Brian blinked... he guessed he didn't introduce himself properly in this culture, so he might as well get on with it. "Um... I'm the son of John and Susan Lancing back in Montana. My old man was a county sheriff, and my mom was a nurse. Er... that enough?"
Krystal nodded, the smile growing a little bit. "I've been around the Lylat System," she inquired, "but I have never heard of this.. Montana before?" She gained a puzzled look on her features, and her tail swished lightly.
Brian sighed, and shook his head. "I don't know what this Lylat system is. Montana is a state in the nation where I'm a citizen on the planet Earth. That's all I really can explain to you." He shrugged as he glanced around... the purplish beam which exuded from the mask-statue on the wall had subsided, and the giant gem he saw earlier was being risen towards the top .
Krystal nodded, and sighed. "I've never heard of a planet called... Earth. I just hope that if you're lost, we can find a way to get you back home." She took a few steps closer, which caused Brian to take a step back towards the wall near one of the pillars.
"Considering you have no idea where I'm from, and the fact I've no damn clue where I am, that's a tall order." Brian took a deep breath, before letting it out slowly. He couldn't let the stress get to him. This was way beyond a standard operation for him, but hesitation and dwelling on a situation he couldn't change would end up getting him killed.
The vixen regarded him curiously, before leaning against the opposing pillar. "I know this might not comfort you, but I'm in very much the same position that you're in, Brian." She stretched a bit, taking a look down both stretches of the corridor before continuing. "My starship is stranded here, and I'm also tasked to save this planet from destruction."
Brian blinked, and started chuckling a bit. "Destruction? Krystal, it'd take a pretty damn powerful weapon to destroy an entire planet. I'm not talking about this Death Star BS, either." He got a strange look from Krystal, and shook his head. "That thing's a fictional weapon that could blow up a planet where I come from. Anyway... where I come from, it would take a full-out, global scale war to destroy a planet. If that's happening here, I don't think someone unarmed like yourself is going to stop it."
Krystal sighed, shaking her head at him. "No, Brian. There isn't a full-scale war. This is a mostly peaceful planet, but one of the dinosaur tribes..."
Brian cut her off. "Dinosaurs? You've gotta be kidding me. They've been dead for ages! I mean..."
Krystal returned the favor, her voice carrying a bite which caused Brian to back off. "If you'll let me finish...one of the tribes, the Sharpclaw, started taking over the entire planet. The place we're in, Krazoa Palace, was designed to house the Krazoa spirits which help maintain Dinosaur Planet." Krystal sighed, and held up a paw towards Brian, keeping him quiet as she regained her thoughts.
"The leader of the Sharpclaw, General Scales, apparently managed to storm the palace and steal one of the spirits. The Earthwalker tribe, which were charged with guarding this place, hid the other five Krazoa throughout the palace. What I need to do is collect all of them and then the planet will be mostly whole, again."
Brian straightened up, a perplexed look on his face. "Hold on. What do you mean by mostly whole? Is there something else you need to do in order to get his mess straightened out?"
Krystal nodded, and stood back up. "Yes. The planet is missing four pieces, which are orbiting it as we speak. They are held in place by four Spellstones. They must be replaced, or the magical energies holding Dinosaur Planet together will finally deteriorate enough to cause it to break apart entirely."
Brian sighed, and stood up as well. "So, I take it you're not going to find these things just laying out in the open. That brings me to another point. As far as I can see, you're unarmed. Right?" Brian waved at the vixen, who nodded in response. "Exactly. I'm not fit to take on an army, either."
Krystal blinked, and motioned to his jacket. "You have a blaster, right? It's not very powerful, but it's better than bare paws. I don't have my staff on me, so I'm down to just those." The blue-furred Cerinian shrugged, a soft sigh escaping her lips.
Brian shrugged in return, and reached to his belt. She did need a weapon, and he wasn't about to lose the edge he had with the Glock. He pulled out Jakob's old riot baton, giving a flick of the wrist to bring the telescoping steel rod to its full extension. Afterwards, he extended his arm, offering the baton to Krystal. "Here. It's not much, but you've got a better idea how to use it than me."
Krystal nodded, as she plucked the baton out of his hand. The weapon was a decent bit heavier than her staff, and only about one-half the length. She wasn't used to something that short, and it lacked even the most basic of her staff's capabilities, but it would have to do. "You... you're wanting to team up, are you?" Krystal inquired, a puzzled expression contorting her eyebrows and muzzle.
Brian sighed. "As much as I'd like to stick around here," he mused, "I don't think staying here and waiting for another invisobastard to pick me off is an attractive option." He shook his head, and pointed toward the corridor she came from. "That place leads to an exit, right?"
Krystal nodded, pushing herself off of the pillar. "Yes. However, Krazoa Palace is simply a floating rock in the middle of a storm. We'd have to find a way off." She glanced towards the hallway she entered from, and back to Brian. "Kyte, one of the local resistance leaders, might still be around. If he is, we can get back to my ship and figure out what to do from there."
Brian nodded, and took a few steps forward, toward the hallway. "I guess our best bet is to try. It's doubtful that we're going to find out much info on how to get this planet together, and to get my butt back home if we're stuck up here." After a moment, Brian and Krystal made their way into the hallway, and started the task of saving Dinosaur Planet.