Lost Worlds Page 11

  "Trust me, and I will trust you," she said to Karen. "Help me, and I will help you." Karen reached out to Chrissy and grabbed her head. Chrissy did the same to Karen. Both of their eyes began to glow, and energy began to flow between them as they faded into a trance. Jimmy and Lauren could do nothing but watch. Then they both started to speak in unison.

  "Cassandra‚." they said. "Seravno‚.Master‚.he tries to overthrow‚.he wants the Triad power for his own‚.Ultimate Power‚locked away‚..in time‚." They both fell backwards, near the brink of unconsciousness. They carefully stand up.

  "Seravno has taken Amy back in time with him," Chrissy replied.

  "Who is Seravno?" Jimmy asked.

  "He is Cassandra's master," Karen replied, holding her head. "He is the master of the Lycans. Long ago, during the Great Cataclysm, the Evil One set forth two armies he created from the slaves. The Segui, who were a vampiric sect that existed out of daylight and fed off the blood of the living, and the Lycans, a band of savage man-beasts that transform their shape at will to overtake and brutally kill their enemies. The factions had a war within‚.and Seravno sought the Triad powers for his own to overthrow the Evil One himself. He wants me‚but we have to stop him at all costs. Amy's life depends on it‚.everyone's lives depend on it."

  "What do we have to do then?" Lauren said, pulling her sword.

  "We need to go back in time," Jimmy said. "But my time band is broken, and without the proper components to fix it, I can't use it."

  "There is a way," Karen said. "The Rock of Time. Hidden away in the farthest point south on the earth, it is able to focus and channel the powers we have to transport us where and when we need to go. But we must hurry before history is changed. Else we will never know and never be able to stop it."

  "Let's not waste any more time then!" Jimmy said, pulling his sword and raising it.

  "Power, be my strength!" The sword caught fire, and the flames crept down, surrounding her entire body. The flames formed the bronze armor of the Avatar of Power, transforming Lauren into the Dragon Lady.

  "Wisdom, be my strength!" The sword sparked to life, as the dark energy swirled around her. The darkness bonded to her skin, forming the silvery armor of the Avatar of Wisdom, transforming Chrissy into the Dark Woman.

  "Courage, be my strength!" The sword exploded with golden light which wrapped itself around his entire body. The light became brighter and brighter as it formed the golden armor of the Avatar of Courage, transforming Jimmy into the Hero.

  Karen reached into her purse and pulled out the glowing orb. She held it out before her.

  "Strength of my ancestors, empower me!" The energy flowed from the orb and down her arm. Her hair blew back in a breeze as the energy transformed it from brown to red, and her outfit into the deep red dress of the Red Witch. Her eyes blinked, changing to hazel, with a small brown speck remaining within each iris.

  "I am in control," she said softly. "We must hurry to Antarctica while there is still time." She snapped her fingers, and all of them vanished in a flash of light.

  * * *

  The four of them appeared in the skies over Antarctica, in front of a mountain range near the South Pole.

  "There," Red pointed. "We need to get into that mountain."

  "That's my cue," Lauren said, her eyes glowing like flames. She charged her sword, the flames enveloping it, and swung it from top to bottom. A wave of flame energy swept forward and literally sliced a chunk of the ice from the side of the mountain, revealing a cave entrance. Lauren brought her sword back up and gently blew on it.

  "Let's go," Jimmy said, and they flew down to the entrance and made their way in. As they approached the center chamber, the room glowed.

  "Look!" Lauren said. "There it is!" She went to move, but Red put out her arm to stop her.

  "Wait," she said. "This cavern is laced with traps. There is a test for the Triad." She pointed to the pedestals in the room.

  "I understand," Chrissy said. She carefully walked to one of the pedestals. "This one‚this has the same symbol as the hilt of my sword. This must be Wisdom." She pulled her sword and drove it into the pedestal.

  "Then that one must be Power," Lauren said, approaching another pedestal, and she did the same."

  "Then that would make the remaining one Courage," Jimmy said, approaching it. He looked at Chrissy and Cat, then drove his sword into it. A quake shook the cavern, then a glowing light shone on the rock in the center of the room. Red carefully approached it and took it off its pedestal.

  "Quickly, Traid," she said. "We must exit the cavern!" They withdrew their swords, and the mountain shook even worse.

  "What is that?" yelled Lauren.

  "It's a trap!" yelled Jimmy. The three rushed at Red, and helped her escape from the mountain before the cavern could seal them in. Outside, they stood together.

  "Now what?" asked Lauren.

  "Now we must focus our powers on the stone," Red replied. We must keep our thoughts on Amy. It will be the only anchor we have to pull us through time." They pulled their swords, and Red held her orb and the stone in front of her. They focused their powers, and the energy merged, causing them all to vanish in a flash of light.

  * * *

  The four of them dropped out of the sky and landed in a relatively barren dusty plain outside a town. They all got up off the ground and Lauren looked around.

  "When are we?" she asked.

  "By the looks of it, early 1890's," replied Chrissy. "We have to find out the source of the‚" Just then, they heard a scream from the town. Jimmy pulled his sword.

  "There's our answer," he said, running for town. Chrissy and Cat followed, with Red in hot pursuit. When they got there, they saw a goblin creature terrorizing the people in town. He turned to see the Triad running towards him, and he grinned.

  "Ah!" he said. "More heroes to crush! My master ordered me to destroy you, and that is what I shall do!" He pulled out an orb and it glowed. Suddenly, it felt like they all weighed much more than they did‚like they were being pulled into the ground.

  "What is happening?" Jimmy asked.

  "It's the Orb of Gravitation," Chrissy said. "He's using it to increase the ground's pull on us!" The goblin pulled out a boomerang and threw it at them, knocking them to the ground.

  "I can't get up!" Lauren yelled. The goblin laughed.

  "I have an idea," Jimmy said. He pulled his sword and set it in front of him. He opened his hand and focused. The sword sprung into the air and dug into the ground. Jimmy motioned his hand in a circle, and the sword began to dig through the ground around them in a circle‚faster‚..faster‚and faster. A cloud of dust kicked up around them.

  "What is this all about?" the goblin asked. He let go of the orb and crept closer for a look. Suddenly, Chrissy sprung up from the dirt, and in one clean motion, thrust her sword through his skull to the hilt. Blood gushed out of his mouth, then the energy set off an electrical charge that flowed into Chrissy‚.resulting in an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Jimmy and Lauren crawled out of the pit that was created, and Red levitated out in a forcefield and set down near where Chrissy had landed. Jimmy and Lauren got to their feet, and as quickly as Jimmy held out his outstretched arm and hand, his sword jumped from the ground to it. Red touched Chrissy, and helped her up.

  "The power will help to heal you," she said. "You know‚that's not the only way to absorb their wisdom‚but I must admit, it is efficient." Red picked up the Orb and tossed it to Lauren. She then gave the boomerang to Jimmy. "This is the Light Boomerang. Keep it safe." They gathered together with the Rock of Time.

  "They were headed to ancient Egypt," Chrissy said. "I saw the number 2000‚I assume 2000 BC." They once again focused their energies on the rock, levitated into the air, and were gone once again in a flash of light.

  * * *

  They once again appeared in a flash of light, and fell to the ground, landing in sand. They got up and saw they were in a desert. In the short distance, they spotted an oasis
.

  "Could they be there?" Lauren asked.

  "One way to find out," answered Jimmy. They all ran in the direction of the oasis. When they got there, they spotted a pool of water. As the got closer though, they were surprised from behind. A beast‚a mantaur, appeared from nowhere.

  "I am Teradaum!" he yelled. "I claim the Orb of Vision as my own! By it you were found, and by it you shall meet your destruction!" He held out the orb, and suddenly, everyone lost their sight.

  "I can't see a thing!" yelled Lauren.

  "Me either," said Jimmy. The monster began firing arrows at them, and there was little they could do. Red raised her hand, and erected a forcefield, but it was clear it wouldn't hold.

  "Isn't there something we can do?" Jimmy asked.

  "I have enough energy to restore your vision for thirty seconds," Red replied. "After that, the shield will collapse and we will be at his mercy."

  "That's all the time I need," Jimmy said through his teeth, carefully listening to the monster's laughs. Red raised her other arm, and in mere seconds, Jimmy's vision faded back to normal. He pulled up and dashed at the monster, drawing his sword. Before he could react, Jimmy drove the sword right through his chest, clear to the other side. After a slight twist, he pulled it out and wiped it clean. The monster fell to its knees‚then out of nowhere, Chrissy once again leaped into the air, and drove her sword into his skull. The explosion was even more intense, and when the smoke cleared, she was lying on the ground on her back, gasping for air. Red ran to her and touched her.

  "You must focus your energy," she said to her. "A mere touch can absorb their thoughts. You must maintain control, or the knowledge will stop your heart from beating!" Chrissy coughed, and Red helped her to her feet. "What did he know?"

  "I saw an arsenal," Chrissy eeked out. "I saw an entire castle. It's almost possible the year was in the fourteenth century."

  "1369 AD," Jimmy said. "It's back to the beginning. He wants to try to eradicate us by stopping me from retrieving the time band. We have to go back to 1369 and stop him and Cassandra." Jimmy picked up the Bow of Yinsir, and Lauren grabbed the Orb of Vision and placed it in her pouch. They once again focused on the Rock of Time, and after levitating into the air, they were once again gone in a flash of light.

  * * *

  In a flash of light, they once again fell from the sky and landed in front of a huge castle. The draw bridge came down, and a huge army of skeletons charged at them.

  "Here we go!" yelled Jimmy, as the three of them charged their swords and began taking shots at them. Red wound back and fired energy bolts as well. The skeletons one by one fell into piles of bones, but moments later would come back to life.

  "They just keep coming back no matter how many times we knock 'em down," Lauren said.

  "How is this possible?" Jimmy asked.

  "It has to be the Orb of Life and Death," Red said. "We have to find a different way to eliminate these pests."

  "Chrissy," Jimmy said. Before he could say another word, she looked at Jimmy and nodded‚as if she already knew his plan. Jimmy ran right at her, and she hoisted him up, sending him flying into the stone roof above the drawbridge. The roof collapsed on top of them, burying the bones in rubble."

  "That takes care of that," Jimmy said, resheathing hiss word. They all ran in the direction of the arsenal. When they arrived, they saw Cassandra there, Amy tied up and chained to the wall.

  "Red!" Cassandra yelled. You will not escape here alive! And Triad, you shall be destroyed as well!"

  "Oh good," Jimmy said. "I felt kinda neglected for a second." Jimmy ran at Cassandra and swung his sword, but Cassandra met his sword with her claws. Her eyes glowed red as the strength of her Lycan heritage fueled her. They fought hand to hand, her agility every bit of a match for Jimmy's cunning. Red ran to Amy and used her power to break the chains that held her. She then surrounded herself and Amy in a forcefield. Lauren took the initiative and pulled her laser whip out. It stretched to three times its length, and she lashed on to Cassandra. Cassandra was able to slide out of it and continue attacking Jimmy, but the orb she was carrying fell to the ground. Lauren immediately lashed onto it and pulled it to her. Chrissy sheathed her sword.

  "Here goes nothing," she said as she ran at Cassandra from behind and grabbed her forehead. The electricity flowed between them as Chrissy drained her mind of all thought. Lauren grabbed the remaining orb, and something strange happened. Jimmy backed off as Chrissy held on to Cassandra. The orbs Lauren had begun to glow, and her armor began to violently change shape.

  "She isn't ready," said Red.

  "What are you talking about?" asked Amy. "What is going on?"

  "Lauren!" Red yelled. She focused the power of her orb on Lauren, and she fell to her knees. Lauren felt her hands change‚as the armor on them turned from bronze to red. They caught fire, as if they were aflame themselves. Her sword split in two‚.one fire, one ice. A rage came over her as the power of the Red Orb focused. As this happened, Red fell to the ground, her dress fading into the brown shirt and blue jeans, hair from red to brown, and her eyes slowly from hazel to brown. Amy looked down at her.

  "Mom?" she asked, almost in tears from fear. Lauren focused the rage and charged towards Cassandra, and as Chrissy let go, Lauren swung violently, slashing through both arms and beheading Cassandra. The lifeless bloodied corpse fell to the ground and exploded. Lauren's rage slowly faded, and the sword became whole again, the armor changing back to bronze.

  "What happened?" Jimmy asked.

  "There's no time to explain," Red said. "We have to chase down Seravno."

  "He's gone to the beginning," Chrissy said. "Not only do Cassandra's thoughts confirm this, so does Legandria."

  The Triad faces its greatest challenge

  Against the ultimate evil

  A goblin, a mantaur, a monster will fight them

  But victory shall be theirs

  In the end, Virtue will prevail

  Just like when this began.

  "Where is that?" Lauren said.

  "He's gone to face G’riel," Karen said. "He is going to stop her from enchanting the swords. History must remain unchanged, Jimmy. You have to stop him."

  "But look what happened to the Rock of Time!" Lauren said. She pointed‚and it had been damaged in the battle, sliced in two. "Without the rock, how can we stop him?" Karen reached into her pocket and pulled out Jimmy's time band.

  "You can use this to go back and stop him," she replied.

  "But I couldn't fix it," Jimmy said. Karen picks up a pebble from the ground‚a fragment of the Rock of Time.

  "You will find this was the missing piece you were searching for," Karen said, handing it to Jimmy carefully. Jimmy immediately and quickly went to work on the time band, and fixed it.

  "What about everyone here?" Jimmy asked.

  "I can see the future," she replied. "All possible outcomes, and what will happen. If you stop Seravno, you will not only save everyone, you will fix the time line. Once fixed, we will be returned to our own time as if we never left." Jimmy let out a sigh, and began setting the coordinates on the time band. As he was ready to hit the button, he looked up one last time.

  "I won't let you down," he said, looking at Lauren one last time. Then he pushed the button, and in a bright flash of light, he was gone.

  * * *

  Jimmy appeared in a flash of light in the middle of a storm. Seravno, the beast king of the Lycans, was using every last ounce of sorcery and cunning to fight against G’riel. She clasped her amulet tightly as she fought back, but even her magic couldn't stay off the physical advances of her foe. Jimmy charged his sword and took a shot at Seravno, disrupting his spell and knocking him over.

  "Virtue!" he screamed, looking over at Jimmy. He sprung to his feet. "I don't know how you exist here, but you are too late! The cycle begins and ends here, and I alone will have the power!" He ran at Jimmy, pulling a sword, and Jimmy met his with a clank. They exchanged blows, and the swords spark
ed as they clanked together. Jimmy fought hard, but Seravno's superior strength was giving him the upper hand. Just then, G’riel held out her amulet, and a force hit Jimmy that caused his armor to glow. As the glow became brighter, he felt stronger‚.faster‚.and he was able to push Seravno back, fighting harder.

  "He IS the beginning and the end!" G’riel shouted. "Your master has no power over the Hero of Life!" Jimmy felt the strength of the Triad behind him, and his final swung destroyed Seravno's sword. Jimmy raised his sword one last time, charged with Triad power, and sliced clean through him, killing him instantly. Jimmy turned around and saw G’riel, and he approached her and knelt. Her concentration ceased, and his armor returned to normal. She touched his shoulder.