Out of Time the Grand Quest

by Christopher Douglass

  She looked around for one of her discarded weapons. Seeing two next to Bree’s feet. Heading towards them, Bree bent and picked them up. Kim opened her mouth to warn her against it, not because they were rigged, but because they were hers. No one touched Kim’s gun’s but Kim.

  Before words came from her lips though, Bree lifted the Sig Auger. Instantly the look on her face transformed into one of amazement. Before Kim’s eyes, Bree’s clothes changed. Her pants became leather, her shirt black and baggy. It was only when the metal studded jacket began forming around her shoulders that Kimi was now just Kimi again. No more was she Klashnikov Kim. Somehow, her Gunslinger personality had transferred over to Bree when the girl had handled her weapon.

  Looking around at the carnage, Kimi’s stomach heaved. Holding her hand over her mouth, Kimberly kept the contents down through sheer force of will. Bree was inspecting her new clothes, and the weapon in her hand. With furrowed brow, Kimi took the weapon from Bree’s hands. Instantly she felt herself snap back into character, the gunslinger Kim back as if she had never left.

  Nibbling her lip, Kim returned to the still kneeling Prince, touching both shoulders with the barrel lightly before saying a few words that sounded legitimate. Though Kim had never been good at putting people in office, her skills were in taking them out of one. Once Edward recited the words and agreed to uphold the kingdom, Kim finally placed the crown on his head.

  King Edward the III stood regally, sitting in the throne with a decisive air. It was at this moment Kimi’s energy ran out and she lost the character once more. Her knees gave way and she fell to the floor. She turned this embarrassing moment to her advantage, her brain giving her inspiration.

  “All hail King Edward the third. New King and rightful ruler of England.”

  The other three followed her lead, kneeling and paying homage to the new King. Kimberly saw Jasmine pull her hands apart, thousands of string filling the once empty space, her eyes moving back and forth rapidly. The woman let out a sigh, nodding her head when she noticed Kimi’s stare.

  “It worked. Everything is resolved. Now we just need to close the rift.”

  “Surely ye fair host of Heaven canst stay a little longer? I wouldst thank you for your services.”

  Jasmine and Isabelle both shook their heads but it was Jasmine who spoke. “We cannot. Our duty calls us back.”

  With that Jasmine began reading from her Map and Kimi felt the world around her fixing itself.

  “Wait.”

  Jasmine stopped reading, staring at Kimi in surprise.

  “I’m weak and near burnt out. Let’s at least get a good meal out of this. Unless you can fetch me enough meat to fill my stomach. You’re a mediator, you should have an idea of how much I can pack away. Staying a little longer won’t change much.”

  “You’re right. I could use a good meal too. I haven’t used my abilities much, but I haven’t fully recovered from our escape either.”

  “This tis good news! Say and I shalt have the cooks prepares thee a repast fit for ones of your stature.”

  “Two whole pigs worth of food to start. Bread is fine, but soups and meat would be much better.”

  “Dost thou plan a court gathering to ask so much?”

  “Angel’s can eat a lot. Especially once we have expended so much energy taking the castle back like we did.”

  “Then I shall feed ye until ye are stuffed. So sayeth the King.”

  *******

  “What was it like Bree? How did it feel?”

  Isabelle leaned forward on the table, her eyes wide with interest. Kimberly stacked yet another plate on top of the four already there. A servant slide a sixth plate in front of her before taking the empty ones away. Kimi barely registered the servants presence, the pile seeming to disappear as if by magic. Jasmine had claimed she was full after only three huge plates of food, and the two mages had eaten a plate apiece. Kimberly felt like a pig, continuing to wolf down what was put in front of her while the other three talked about random things.

  At least the room was private. King Edward had wanted to throw a grand feast, inviting many of the court nobles and make a big show of the angels who had secured his throne for him. A quick denial of this prospect had him agreeing instantly, not wanting to displease the messengers of God.

  Bree looked from Isabelle to Jasmine, who was also leaning on the square table the four of them were around to listen closer.

  “It was-- like I became someone else. Not like I knew I was Bree Hakra in someone else’s body or dressed up like someone else. But I believed I was someone called Klashnikov Kim. Everything she knew, I knew. So I knew what I was holding was called a gun, and I knew how to fire it, clean it, tear it apart and put it back together. I knew every little thing about it. Information about tons of other guns was also in my head. It wasn’t scary though. Because it was like I had grown up with all of this information, not like it had just been shoved into my head suddenly. I can’t really explain it better than that. Is that what your world is really like Kimi?”

  Bree looked across the table at where Kimberly was finishing off her sixth plate, finally feeling full. Swallowing her mouth of meat Kimi shook her head.

  “Not exactly. This character is one I made up to fit into a post-apocalyptic style book. While my world has many of those same ideals and corruption, it’s really not that bad. The guns are all real though. My world is filled with them and most warfare is fought using both guns and chemicals. Swords are relics of the past that no one uses anymore. I think it best I not say more.”

  “But what was that?”

  Kimberly gave the three looking at her a small shrug. “I’m not sure. I’m just making a guess here right now, but Grell said Phaser’s usually have at least two Other powers, while mediators from Atlantis only have one. I know one of my Other powers is to transform into different characters from books I read. The more I know on a subject, or on a character, the more fleshed out that transformation becomes and the less energy it uses. My guess is, this is either an extension of that ability, or a second Other power. I’d have to experiment a little more to see how it works. I mean, can anyone take up this character I created? Or only the person, or person’s, I am contracted with? Can I transfer it of my own will? Or is it tied to the props I use? Can I do another transformation? Or is it one or the other?””

  “Lets try it now then!”

  “No. Did you forget? This is just a temporary halt. Now that I’m full, we need to get moving. Lets close this rift and get on our way. The clock is ticking and the Due Date creeps ever closer.”

  “We can spend a little more time here while we experiment right? You have renewable food to eat, which you can’t guarantee once we leave.”

  Kimi shook her head, feeling Nimli who was silently sitting on her shoulder, do the same. Kimi could feel her wasting away, as if the two of them were bonded. She had stopped talking much, and didn’t even have enough energy to fly around. She needed to get back to the other world and replenish her power. Sliding the Map out of her pouch, Kimi opened it to the proper place.

  “Edward the second was forced to relinquish his crown to his son Edward the third, who was crowned on February 1, 1327. He then retired to Berkeley castle where he died on September 21 of that same year. Murdered by the orders Roger Mortimer of the new regime behind the back of both the now King Edward and his consort Queen, Isabelle.

  “Though King at fourteen, Edward the third was little more than a figurehead. The real power being held by Roger Mortimer who was the de facto ruler of England. Edward the third married Phillipa of Hainault on January 24, 1328, whom he had been engaged to at twelve years of age. On June 15, 1330, Edward and Phillippa had a son, Edward of Woodstock, also known as the Black Prince, who would Sire Richard the second and die one year before his father King Edward the third. The throne would then fall to the infant Richard the second upon Edward the thirds death.

  “The birth of Edward of Woodstock, sparked King Edward to take act
ion, marching upon Nottingham Castle with his friend William Montagu and many trusted others to take Roger Mortimer by surprise on October 13, 1330. Mortimer was then executed and King Edward the thirds personal reign truly began.”

  Kimberly snapped the book closed after finishing the reading Jasmine had started. The world around them wavered, just like with the hiccup. Between one exhale and inhale of breath, they were back in the other reality. All four of them fell on their butts, the chairs they were sitting on no longer existing. Kimberly would have to remember that little tidbit, they came back in whatever position they had been in previously.

  Nimli perked up immediately, shooting from her shoulder to fly in happy circles. Kimi gave the other three girls a small bow before heading off away from the spot in the direction Maria had to have gone in. She didn’t make it far before the sound of crunching leaves met her ears. Turning, Kimi found the other three following her. They stopped, looking anxious in the way they lowered their head and dug their toes in the dirt. It was Bree who spoke first.

  “Do you--- do you mind if we go with you? The truth is, none of us are very strong. Emry was the strongest of the four of us. Me and Isabelle together might be a match for a mid level mage, and Jasmine’s ability is more support than offensive. Emry died because we were too weak to protect ourselves well enough.”

  “I don’t care, I could use a mage for a temporary contract if I need it. But know that I’m not going to jump into every rift I see. I’m not on quest, I’m only searching for Maria.”

  “We understand.”

  Kimberly started walking again, following the compass on her Map towards her next destination while the three caught up to her. She noticed the front was filled with twenty-six different anomalies now, meaning the other groups were doing their job. Tucking the tome under her arm, she focused her attention on Jasmine. It would be smart to get an idea of just what her new companions strengths and weaknesses were.

  “So what is your mediator power?”

  “Needle and thread. Well, more precisely that is how my ability manifests. I can heal wounds, that’s my strong point. My parents were both doctors and so I learned a lot about sicknesses and patching people up. If I stitch you up with needle and thread, the wound heals almost instantly. I can attach a sort of magical thread to you as well and heal you from a distance, but it isn’t as effective. It works well in the midst of a battle, take a cut and have it close itself between one swing and the next. I can stick people with needles and control them as well, but that’s really difficult and takes a lot of concentration. I’m pretty defenseless when I do that. Plus I can only manage controlling one person at a time while I can heal multiple people at once.”

  “Useful, I’ll remember that. What about you Bree? Are you a generalized mage? Or do you specialize in one area of magic?”

  “I know a little about all the basic elements like every mage, but my strongest element is wind based spells.”

  “And you Isabelle?”

  “My strongest aspect is ice.”

  “I see.”

  Kimberly wasn’t sure how she would use this information yet, but knowledge was always useful. She just hoped she could continue to put on this brave face until she was safely back in Yandor.

  Chapter 12: Queen for a Day

  “He’s heading to the right! ’Belle, head straight and cut across. Try to head him off.”

  “You got it Jas.”

  “Bree, cut left and try getting ahead of him.”

  “Right.”

  “Kimi, can you buy them even thirty seconds?”

  “I’ll try.”

  Kimberly put on another burst of speed, throwing out a hand to make vines of sand shoot from the ground in front of the Thrustvis. The vines wrapped around it’s feet for just a moment, but soon broke in the mad rush it was on. Bree and Isabelle split, Bree riding a tornado of wind almost parallel to the ground

  Thrustvis, nearly impervious to physical attacks. Bullets had bounced off or barely scratched the thick hide. It had eaten her sword and taken on the properties of the blade, his skin turning metallic. Truly an infuriating creature she was glad did not exist in her world. At least it did not have much resistance to magic-- it just seemed to have a sixth sense as to when someone cast it in the creatures direction. More than once had it dodged out of the way of a direct attack and killing blow.

  Raising three fingers from her side, Kimberly the Ageless Sorceress, caused the sand in front of the creature to rise up. The Thrustvis punched through, only to be met by another wall of sand. Kimberly kept cascading the granules, slowing its speed by just a fraction of a second each time.

  Jasmine yelled out behind her as Kimberly changed the sand to brick by adding water and hardening it. The city fast approaching ahead. “We’re not going to make it!”

  As the Thrustvis broke through, Kimberly turned the fragments back to sand, quickly chaining the monster to the ground with a yank. “We’re going to make it!”

  With a roar the creature powered out of its shackles, a backlash of energy slapping Kimberly across the mind like a whip. Ice shards flew at the back of its head from the left. At the last moment it bent, letting the magic fly harmlessly overhead. The shards were caught by a funnel of wind as Bree grabbed them mid flight, spinning on her heels to send them back again. The ice spread out as it flew, the monster had no way to dodge them all. Yet in a feat of agility that defied its large brutish size, it jumped and twirled. Ice passed harmlessly over and under its body and between its limbs. Some of the shards were staggered, allowing the arms to go up over the first set then down under the next between the spaces.

  Kimberly took that moment to bring her hands together as if to pray, thrusting upwards as they clapped. Rock shot from the sand, one giant spear to skewer the beast right through the middle. Yet even this the monster managed to avoid a killing blow from, sucking in its gut and rolling sideways. Kimberly’s attack hadn’t been a complete miss though, red blood trailed from a deep gash along the monsters stomach. The blood flew in an arc as he planted one hand on the ground, spring boarding back to his feet to keep running unerringly towards his destination.

  “I’m going to try something! Jasmine- catch!”

  Kimberly tossed her staff at the woman huffing to keep up behind the three. As her fingers touched the instrument, Kimi stumbled just a second, returning to her normal self. Jasmine sped forward with new speed and skill, flinging rocks from the ground in an attempt to halt the Thrustvis. As her side began to hurt she closed her eyes, seeking out that special place in her mind.

  The Ageless Sorceress was a final product. Just like her Knight character. Just like the other characters she had created during her daydreaming. But they hadn’t started that way. They had started as all powerful creatures that had no weaknesses and knew everything. Having skills and abilities added on top of another from every new book she read.

  But that had quickly gotten boring. It had been fun at first, but having invincible characters with no weaknesses and skills for every esoteric occasion had made her imagination stagnate. There had been no real reason for her to imagine encounters when she could just flick her finger and kill someone.

  So, she had cut out those more unique abilities. A generalized sorceress was easier to imagine and give weaknesses to over one with a bunch of abilities that could be considered “fringe” magic.

  But she hadn’t forgotten those discarded bits.

  In the dark recesses of that special room, she found what she was looking for. Laying in a pile behind the sorceress’ stand against the wall in the darkness. Not stopping to wonder if she could actually pull this off without Jasmine losing the Ageless Sorceress character, Kimi opened her eyes while stepping into the new character.

  She was the Blood Witch. Outcast from society for her ability to manipulate that red liquid. Even other witches turned their backs on her. Despite that, she traveled the world helping people. Not letting her lot in life sour her to evil.

 
; The Thrustvis entered the city, his clawed feet clacking against the cobbled lanes and the loincloth he wore barely staying around the waist. Kimi slit her palm on the run, flinging droplets that transformed into lances at the creatures back. At the last moment it dipped left, Kimi’s projectiles slamming into a pillar of stone that had risen at the same time. But one lance had gotten past its guard, the creature having run right into it’s path. The Thrustvis entered the temple, Kimi and the three women hot on its heels.

  The first thing she saw when she entered, was a statue standing from floor to ceiling of Isis, Egyptian goddess known to be a protector of the dead and patroness of nature and magic. The creature leapt, leaving gouges in the stone as it lunged for the back of the woman who was just turning at the commotion. It landed, backhanding two servants so hard their heads were severed from their bodies. It brought its hands forward again, snatching the woman as he turned towards the four pursuers, one hand cupping the woman around the neck the other around her waist.

  “Give it up Thrustvis! You’re cornered! Let her go and we will let you live. Just go back where you came from.”

  The Thrustvis grinned at Isabelle’s words, licking the woman’s face. He understood what we were saying. Though Kimi didn’t know if it could actually speak. It was too intelligent not to understand. Plus, it had entered the rift with a purpose. And moved unerringly towards that goal nonstop the last hour. Now, that goal was in his hands. The same goal the four of them were after.

  Cleopatra VII Philopator, better known as just Cleopatra. While her family refused to learn and speak Egyptian, sticking to the Greek roots they came from while ruling Egypt after Alexander the Greats death, she had learned. Because of this, the Egyptians regarded her as a reincarnation of Isis. She had been married to her father, and ruled jointly with him. After his death, she had married both her brothers Ptolemy XIII and XIV, as was the Egyptian custom, when they each took the throne. Now, with both of them dead, she was sole pharaoh.