Ah here we go, the next instance of the Story Board where I singlehandedly
blow my entire special effects budget for the year. Enjoy. :)

SB041	The Dark Crystal

Orelious blinked at Red. * I thought you had left? *

The young white dragon sat there grinning. "We're learning astral projection
now. So I can occasionally show up even when I can't be here in person."
Orelious nodded as Red suddenly looked up and away, apparently at someone or
something not visible in the projection. "Yes, teacher, I'll pay attention,
(now), no I'm not looking in on the sorority dragonettes again...", as his
visonage flickered, then faded away.

~ Oh do I wissh I could be there, ~ mused Orelious's serpent. The other heads
just hmphed at hir.

Meanwhile, Matt and Jerhevon were checking their email on the HML, trying
to figure out what just happened, and taking advantadge of Darwin's T1000
link to the internet. That is, after Darwin assured them that they were
perfectly safe because the T1000 was kept contained in a set of aluminum cans,
not that unlike soda cans, stored in a too cold Coke machine in the depths of
the TURDIS.

Without warning, the TURDIS, lurched, sending them tumbling across the control
consoles as klaxons sounded through the vessel. Orelious lurched into a 
window, and clung on tight, trying to dig in hir claws to keep from going
anywhere else. And even Dinosorcerer down in the McDonald's lost his lunch as
it made a sudden dash for freedom, and upset itself to tumble across the
floor.

After a few moments of quivvering, the TURDIS settled down enough to allow the
crew to regain a few of their wits. "Oh shit!", "What was that", "Did anybody
get the license number of that Ultrasaurus?" They looked to the screens to
find even Darwin both shaken and stirred.

Dinosorceror made it back to the control room as Darwin recovered his voice.
"Due to circumstances beyond our control, the TURDIS will lose structual
integrity in 10 minutes. Have a Nice Day."

~*" WHAT?!? "*~ came the response of seven voices in perfect tune and harmony.

"Due to circumstances beyond our control, the TURDIS will lose structual
integrity in 10 minutes. Have a Nice Day." replied the dolphin AI.

Dinosorceror looked boggled, and hesitated, but Jerhevon quickly reached to
the console, sounding the alert.

The TURDIS shook again as William Riker struck a dramatic pose calling "RED
ALERT! all Hands abandon ship!"

Orelious turned to Jerhevon, "I know this is a bad time and all, but what is
*He* doing here?" indicating Riker.

"Dramatic license," responded Jerhevon, hitting random controls on the
keyboard which he had previously determined looked important, but did not do 
anything at all, "We only have artistic licenses, and Frakes was kind enough 
to step in."

Matt just held on for dear life as the TURDIS shuddered again, a whining sound
emanating from the console and increasing. Dinosorceror looked to Darwin
commandingly "Darwin, is there anyplace to land in the next, oh, 8 minutes?"

"Yes, there are 2,300 x 10^23 localities reachable in the next..."

"I don't care which one, just land us on the closest!" interrupted
Dinosorceror.

"Re-orientating TURDIS now, touchdown in 7.5 minutes"

Orelious grabbed a random console and began typing things in,*"5 minutes til
she blows"*

Matt, for lack of anything better than clinging cried out. "Wha-What happened?
Were we attacked?"

Darwin responded from his display that showed four minutes remaining. "No,
the stressed gravity-flux crystal has grown inharmonious, resulting in gaps
in the trans-space pocket that forms the Interior of the TURDIS. These tears
in the pocket could allow loose change and tachyons to fall out. Or
coelurosaurs or other visitors to gain entrance through unauthorized means.
To put it simply: (insert accent here) Captain, I'm giving her all she's got,
but she cannot take it anymore."

Shudders ripped through the TURDIS, cracks began to race across the twisting
plastics of the consoles. Orelious cried out "Brace yourselves everybody, 
we're coming in hard and fast." as a ruddy brown planet appeared on the broken
view screen and began to grow quickly.

Livingstone whined, and Benjamin tried to hold the panicked dog close as he
too tried to cling on. Matt had gotten his neck and tail caught around some
of the supports, but the supports were showing signs of breaking away soon as
well.

With a woosh they entered the unamed planet's atmosphere and the temperature
began to rise within the TURDIS as the crew took up crash positions, the
clock read 2 minutes. The TURDIS twitched and lurched violently. With a
shattering crash the cylinder rising and falling in the midst of the control
panel blew, spraying a jet of bluish steam through the console ceilingwards
as Orelious valiantly tried anything sie could think of to keep them together.

With a lurching groan the TURDIS crashed into the ground of the planet,
twisting and gouging a path to a stop as they all held on fast, holding on
with any way possible. Darwin called out a feeble "60 seconds left," as the
TURDIS finally stopped, leaving everyone shaken.

The clock raced down too fast as they pulled themselves together. Matt helping
Ben and Livingstone up while Dinosorceror groaned and Jerhevon hastilly
gathered all of the objects he could into a carrysack. Sooner then any would
have liked, Darwin began to count down the final seconds.

"... 10 ..."

Jerhevon and Matt began to shoulder the door together.

"...  9 ..."

Dinosorcerer picks up Livingstone while Orelious helps Benjamin.

"...  8 ..."

With a snap, flames sprout from the console and race through the wreckage.

"...  7 ..."

The door groans and shifts under the onslaught.

"...  6 ..."

Dinsorceror beats at the nearby flames with his tail.

"...  5 ..."

One of the doors begins to buckle, and opens slightly.

"...  4 ..."

Jerhevon holds the battered door while Matt reaches through and works to pry
them apart.

"...  0 ..."

~*"BWah?!?"*~ came the startled response as everybody looked to Darwin.

"Just kidding ...  3 ..."

With a snap, the other door falls from its hinges and Matt throws it back into
the control room.

"...  2 ..."

"Everybody, Let's go!" Jerhevon calls belatedly as they rushed out hastilly,
stumbling over the wreckage so far.

"...  1 ..."

They hurl themselves from the TURDIS, racing in different directions...

"...  0 ..."

...to throw themselves to the ground as a shockwave races from TURDIS. The
TURDIS itself glows brightly and begins to waver and twist impossibly. Like
an onion's many layers, the TURDIS seems to peel itself away again an again
stretching and expanding.

It ends with an anti-climatic pop and a cloud of brimstone. The only thing
left in the blackened crater where the TURDIS crashed is a hatrack, and
a dagger-like shard of crystal.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a distant hill, a vulpine figure watched through high-powered binoculars.
"Shards, if any of them have been killed... no wait, one, two, three, four.. 
ok ok, looks like they all made it, thanks heavens. I hope they manage to 
stay out of the way of the rulers here," and he gave an involutary shudder.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slowly the crew managed to pull themselves together, and Orelious tended to
their wounds. For all that happened to the TURDIS, everybody except the
computer, Darwin, had made it out safely, and there was not much concern shown
for the AI.

Dinosorceror stood looking over the devestation caused by the crash, sighed,
then kicked a stone, "Well guess that is that."

Jerhevon wandered to where the TURDIS had been, leaning on the hatrack, he
reached down and picked up the darkened crystal shard. "Hmph, wonder where
this came from?"

~Probably the front hall, no idea why we had it there,~ quipped the snake.

Jerhevon rolled his eyes, "I meant this crystal." He tossed it from hand to
hand as he returned to the gathering of man, dog, apatosaur and chimaera.

Orelious took the crystal from Jerhevon, and looked it over intently. 
Testilly, the goat tasted it then spat, "Have to be thorough and see if it's
a sugar or salt crystal." Finally, Orelious seemed to come to some kind of
decision, the lioness and goat discussed it a moment further before revealing
their consensus. "It appears to be a fragment of the gravity-flux crystal."

"Hmph, may as well hold onto it and see if its useful. Anyone have any ideas?
Dino doesn't seem to be much help right now."

Matt raised his hand. All else looked to him aside from Dinosorcer who was off
doing his own thing. Finally Orelious spoke, * Yes, Matt? What is it? *

Matt looked a bit relieved, then spoke up "Well, I know I'm new here, but I'd
rather sleep in a nice bed and have a good dinner, and well..."

* Yes, do go on *

He paused to breath then went on, "It looks like there is a town over there,
perhaps we could seek for help?"

* Sounds fair to me *, said the lioness, to which the goat nodded.

Benjamin agreed, "After all that josseling, my tush is beat, I could use a
good bed"

"Alright then, sounds like we have a plan," acceded Jerhevon, "We'll head out
when everyone's ready."

Then Matt asked, "and what of Dino?"

"Oh, we better drag him along, it's just not right to leave him wandering the
countryside."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a brief respite, the group headed towards the town. Livingstone leading
Benjamin. Orelious keeping an eye on the trailing Dinosorceror. And Matt and
Jerhevon discussing the apatosaur's training. All of them felt something
ominous brewing though.

The season seemed to be fall, and all the foliage was fallen in hues of brown,
red and orange. Above them the trees curled gnarled and thickened into a cloudy
sky that was darkening with falling night. And aside from the wind rustling
the leaves, nothing was stirring. They shivered a bit as they approached the
town for there were no sounds of birds, or the drone of insects. Nothing but
the wind touseling the leaves and the feeling of something laying in wait with
nothing for them to retreat to.

The town was much the same once they reached it, empty, deserted, a ghost
town. Leaves blew down the street unhindered. The street lamps did not light
up. And the empty eyes of darkened windows watched them everywhere they went.

Even Dinosorceror was beginning to take notice of their surroundings. Matt
finally voiced the question running through their heads, "What happened here?"

Orelious looked about * I don't know. It just feels like the people just left
one day. One day fine, and the next poof.. no one left at all. *

Benjamin hmmed, "Is it me, or does this place feel sort of familiar. Not all
of it, just ever few blocks or so."

Jerhevon chuckled hollowly, "That thought occured to me when I saw the 
McDonald's back there, but it can't be the same one, they exist everywhere.
Just like the x-rated theatres like that one...", he trailed off as he
pointed, everyone being stunned to a moment of silence as well. Certainly
X-rated theatres exist everywhere, but they hardly ever looked the same, and
this one seemed to be carrying a rather ecclectic set of films. 'Raptor X's
Favorite Home Videos', '100 hours of Godzilla stomping', and 'Draco's in the
Kitchen with Dina'.

They continued on in muted silence til they came to the abandoned Pyrite Gym.
They just looked to each other as Jerhevon looked at the inside of the door.
They could explain away chains, they could explain movie selections by chance.
But this would have been too coincidental. Jerhevon looked up, indicating the
deep raking grooves on the inside of the door, "There's no mistaking this.
X made these when we put her in there after we though Dino had destroyed the
Objects after Cera became Ceralien."

Benjamin shook his head and murmered, "But how can that be?"

Matt nodded, "Yeah, we saw the TURDIS destroyed."

"Maybe, maybe not," said Orelious the goat, "There may be an explanation of
this. Remember that Darwin said the problems were related to the crystal that
dealt with the trans-space pocket."

"The what?"

"The trans-space pocket.. it's how the TURDIS is bigger on the inside than the
outside. If that pocket was allowed to resume its normal shape, that is, flat
with respect to the universe instead of being a pocket, then it is possible
that anything that was in the pocket would be forcibly merged with the area
immediately outside the pocket. In this case... this entire planet."

"Okiee..."

The paused in thought a moment, "Well, if we can manage to find the core of
the TURDIS and .... "

"AUUUUGHHH!!", Benjamin cried out as a giant claw suddenly clasped around him,
lifting him up above the street.

"No no, not Auugh.... ER, Maybe yes...," stuttered the goat as sie suddenly
focused on her surroundings again as another claw clasped around hir, lifting
hir up with a startled "AUUUUGHHH!!".

All around the group a cluster of giant suburban crabs[ed note: suburban crabs
are much like their cousins, the hermit crabs, but are much more social] had
emerged from the alleys. They snapped their large claws at at the group as
they advanced, carrying Dinosorcer, Benjamin and Orelious. They looked much
like walking mobile homes. Their sides were aluminum plated with the backside
festooned with bumperstickers of everywhere they had been. One even sported an
awning an tacky, oranamental string of pepper shaped lights. From beneath
their shells emerged sets of long, spindly legs, a pair of eyes on short
stalks and a pair of large and dangerous looking claws.

Despite their size, the crabs advanced quickly. Livingstone nipped at what he
thought to be their heels.

Matt managed to grab the halves of a single claw and slowly forced it further
open then was recommended.

Jerhevon ducked low beneath one claw, twisting to strike with his tail. Sparks
flew off the crab's carapace as his spikes struck a glancing blow the crab
shook off.

Matt managed to break the claw apart even as the crab's other claw clamped
around his middle constrictingly. He struggled hard, tail lashing as he tried
to get a grip and pry this one apart as well.

Jerhevon swung again, and was blocked by first one claw. Then striking lower
he managed to bash one leg of many useless. But the crab before him was
tireless, pressing forward, pressing the advantadge.

Both were too busy to see one of the other crabs grab up Livingstone as well
as the other crabs stuff their prisoners into their mobile homes then turn and
begin marching to a distant, twisted spire.

Still Matt and Jerhevon fought on, tiring in their struggles, losing ground
as they fought against the shelled beasts. Both missed the subtle
snicker-snack of a vulpine blade wielded with expert skill that suddenly
helped slice the claw imprisoning Matt in twain. Finally free, Matt punched
the now disarmed crab facing him solidlly, and with a shriek, the creature
died, it's shell caving-in, the string of decorative lights flickering out.

Jerhevon twisted, throwing more sparks off the remaining crab's shell before
kicking back at the claw that moved to block, getting tripped up by the other
claw, missing entirely Matt's lunge from the side that bowled the creature
helplessly over onto its back. Matt proceeded to elbow drop on the creature
and squashed it into itself before moving to help Jerhevon up.

"Thanks," said the battered stegosaur.

"No problem, uh, except..."

"Except? Except what."

"Where did everybody else go?"

"Uh, hmmm, good question... let's try that way," suggested Jerhevon, pointing
to the twisted spire in the distance.

"Why there?"

Jerhevon eyed the large glow-in-the-dark arrow spray painted on the ground a
paw-print near the edge from whomever it was stepping in the paint. The arrow
pointed straight to the spire. "Just call it a hunch," he said as he began
walking.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Fox, that nearly cost you dearly just then." chimed Beck, the computer on his
wrist.

Fox chuckled, cleaning his blade before sliding it back into its scabbard, "No
problem, in, swish, and back out again. Clean as ever and not even so much as
one hair out of place."

"I was referring to your wager."

Fox grinned, "Aw, C'mon, you know those two would have gotten free eventually,
and headed after their friends. I merely helped with what was inevitable."

Beck made a noise indicating that if it had eyes, it would have rolled them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orelious looked up blearily through the dirty window of the mobile home, alone
except for hirselves. Through the window should see one of the other crabs
scrabbling bumpily along like her own ride was doing. Up above the clouds were
dark and forbidding, gathering into greasy, twisted lumps. Lighting race
through the clouds and boomed with thunder, but no rain fell.

The lioness gasped, and the others turned to look the way sie was.

Rising from the tortured plain the suburban crabs were walking was a tall and
twisted tower. It rose with awkward and ragged twists and unnatural crags that
defied the laws of gravity and sanity. In color it was black, a soul searing
black, occasionally outlined by lightning that forked around it, but seemed
reluctant to touch it.

Higher and impossibly large, the blasted spire rose above them as the crabs
approached it, and finally crossed a long, narrow bridge over an endless drop.
Shortly their rides scrambled into the structure's cavernous entrance and sie
could hear the rasping clang as the solid metal doors closed behind them and
closed out the weak light of the day, dropping the area into darkness.

Even in the darkness, the crabs moved forward, deeper into the spire.
Eventually the flickering greasy light of torches appeared and the crabs
stopped. They were greated by a deep belch, followed by a creaking, "Ah, yess,
we have guesstss, the Emperor will be mosst pleassed."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt and Jerhevon made their way across the plain, primarily following the
scuffling tracks left by the crabs and the occasional spray painted arrow
when they strayed too far off the path.

Matt looked down to Jerhevon, "Aren't you worried that they might be leading
us into a trap?"

"Not really, they may very well be, but if so, it will probably be by the
same creatures that made off with our friends. It's not like we have any
better place that we can go without the TURDIS anyways."

"I suppose..." commented Matt, still none too confident.

"Trust me." said the stegosaur with a determined grin. "That spire must be
where it's at.

"You mean that dark and twisted one with the pair of crabs guarding a thin
bridge over a deep crevice?"

Jerhevon only faltered a little. "Yes, seems the most likely place to me,
even if it's a bit of a poor neighborhood if you ask me. Must be hell on the
property value."

Soon they arrived at the bridge, the crabs eyed them, the only signs of their
attention being the following of their eyestalks until the two dinosaurs got
too close, at which point the two crabs chittered and moved together
completely blocking the bridge. Even though by now, the two could also see the
large rusty doors blocking the other end of the bridge.

"Well, doesn't this pose a conumdrum," murmered Jerhevon, looking about and
scratching his head until he saw a sign on a post near the bridge.

The sign read:
	Welcome to NF'allich Keep, Home of the Emperor of the Kegsis
	Empire. Now go away. No solictors.
	
Then in small print below that:
	All beer deliveries recieved around back.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside, Benjamin, Orelious, Dinosorceror, and even Livingstone were affixed to
the walls of a large central chamber. Grotesquely carved gargoyles peered from
the edge of the room over the balconies of the floor above. Towards the side
was a dilapidated couch facing a large TV tuned to the a rough and tumble
game of rugby. In the center of the room was a large seal with a gilded rim.
Mystical symbols traced around the edges and a lever stood to one side.

And then there were the Kegsis. These were vile, greasy, ruddy-brown reptilian
creatures with reddish necks and wrinkled, almost beaklike faces. Their eyes 
were small and beady. They wore various the rugby sweatshirts of their 
favorite teams, and loose jeans loosely secured about their large
beer-bellies with a belt. Their tails hung down behind them. Occasionally they
remembered to hitch up the pants that were sagging down past their butts [ed
note: Remember, just say No to crack.] And they drank, and they drank, and
they drank. They always had at least one beer on hand and belched frequently.

And serving the Kegsis were what are best described as toadies. These poor
creatures were pale, glassy-eyed, bipedal frogs with no will and resistance.
They simply did any and every bidding of the bullying Kegsis.

For now, the Kegsis were preoccupied with the rugby game on the tube. Which
was rather fortunate for the group, there had only been time for the Kegsis to
belch at them malevolently and poke and prod them with such comments as
"Great!", "Make for a good meal.", "Looks like he'll have good white meat."
Then the game came on and all were distracted to watch it.

But now the game was ending, and one of the creatures moved to stand near the
seal as the others rose and formed a loose collection looking toward this one.
This particular Kegsis was dressed incongruously with a priest's whitecollar
and held a bible which looked liked it had never been opened, only thumped.
This one began "Praisse to the Lord.. Grudge." and to a one, they all nodded
respect to a larger, and particularilly brutish Kegsis.

"Now iss the time to open your heartss and extend them unto these poor daemon
posssessed souls," and the creature indicated the four chained to the wall
who had begun to struggle again. "We sshall sshow them the error of their
ways and blesss them with the holy sscripture of the Eye of Argon!"

The others groaned, except Livingstone who whimpered and Orelious who paused
in hir struggles as the Kegsis began to open the seal. "Doh! I should have
recognized that seal. The Eye is the Central core of the TURDIS!"

>From the opening rose a darkened crystal, perfect but for a single flaw.
Around it, just within the edge of the opening glowed the words of the Eye
of Argon by Jim Theis. The Kegsis gathered all about the Eye and began to
read in unison:

	The weather beaten trail wound ahead into the dust racked
	climes of the baren land which dominates large portions of
	the Norgolian empire. Age worn hoof prints smothered by the
	sifting sands of time shone dully against the dust splattered
	crust of earth. The tireless sun case its parching rays of
	incandescense from overhead, half way through its daily
	revolution. Small rodents scampered about, occupying
	themselves in the daily accomplishments of their dismal lives.
	Dust sprayed over three heavy mounts in blinding clouds, while
	they bore the burdonsome cargoes of their struggling overseers...
	
In response, the crystal flashed sending out rays of light to each of the
four prisoners secured to the walls. They groaned and were racked with pain
as the crystal began to siphon their life essences into the Kegsis.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jerhevon and Matt made it into the spire easilly enough. When they presented
themselves to the back door as beer distrubutors, even though they lacked
any sort anything appropriate for credentials, the pale toadies let them in
mechanically. Still they were lost in the labyrinthine interior, but then
they heard snippets from the chanting Kegsis.

	... Grignr's emerald green orbs glared lustfully at the
	wallowing soldier struggling before his chestnut swirled
	mount ...
	
It made both dinosaurs grimace, but it also gave them something they could
orientate on. Matt shuddered, but Jerhevon led the way, "The rulers of
this keep must have them this way."

	... After spilling a spout of blood from the leader of
	the mercenaries as he dismembered one of the officer's arms
	...
	
Soon they found themselves overlooking the grand room where the Kegsis
were performing their obscene ritual on the dinosaurs' friends. Dinosorcer
still looked apathetic, but the other three were squirming and whining
as the crystal glowed, it's fault silhouetted and revealed as a missing
fragment.

The Kegsis took no notice of them as Matt and Jerhevon dropped down to the
main floor. Jerhevon indicated that he circle around one way trying to free
their friends while Matt should go the other way and do the same.

Still the Kegsis droned on:

	...Tables were clustered with groups of drunken thieves,
	and cutthroats, tossing dice, or making love to willing
	prostitutes...
	
Jerhevon reached Benjamin who was writhing at the proceedings. The stegosaur
reached up, but could not deal with the bonds.

Matt ended up at Orelious first, and likewise was stumped by the bonds.
As he tried to free the agonized chimaera Orelious managed to speak briefly,
through clenched teeth, "The Shard... use the shard..." before almost
screaming as the crystal drained more of hir essence.

Matt look flustered, "Shard... what shard?" his mind racing, trying to make
the connection. Then it came to him and he cried out, "Jerhevon! The Shard!"

The Kegsis were shaking from their ritualistic chance, for the first time
noticing Matt. As their chanting stopped, the glow left the crystal and
the prisoners sagged in their bonds. Growling, they bared dirty claws.
Behind them Jerhevon tried to work things out himself, shard, shard...
yes, still got it... he pulled it out and held it towards thee Kegsis.

Nothing happened.

The Kegsis advanced on Matt as the brachiasaur took up a defensive position.
With a wide sweep, he forces the  Kegsis to fall back. Then they strike again
baiting the poor brachiasaur one way, then sucker-punching him from the other.

Jerhevon finally made the connection between the flaw in the crystal and the
shard from the TURDIS. With a cry, he cjarged forward as Kegsis turned back
towards his cry. But he has caught them by surprise, flattening the bible
thumper in the process of using him as a stepping stool to reach up to the
crystal and press the shard back into place.

With an abrupt chime the crystal flashed, creating a physical force that sent
Jerhevon and the kegsis soaring away from the now whole crystal that began to
sink back down under the seal. Raging electrical bursts sallied forth freeing
the trapped chimaera, human, parasaur and dog. Then time and space went all
topsy-turvy. There was a feeling and impression of sucking and folding in.
The friends felt themselves being drawn together as the light from the crystal
increased to a blinding cresendo that caused them all to white out.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they awoke, all stiff and sore, they found themselves on the TURDIS once
again. Somehow the TURDIS seemed brighter this time though, as if it was now
whole in a way that it never had been before.

Most of them were still marveling at what they had just experienced when
Dinosorceror grumphed apathetically and said he was off to grab a cold soda.

Fortunately, they were spared further problems due to a lack of pocket change
on Dinosorceror's part when he tried to use the first soda machine he came
across.

--------------------+-------------------------------------------------------
Jerhevon            |"Oh I'm a Stegosaurus, and my friends all call me Pete"
Stegosaur at large  |                      - Brian Dullaghan, Dinosaur Songs
brefin@cache.cow.net|           http://cache.cow.net/~brefin/Sarthia/
--------------------+-------------------------------------------------------