Crystal Quest

Chapter 1: White

Story and all characters within are property of Malachite of Rune Tear. This story is only to be archived at Rune Tear, and if you wish to archive it yourself, please e-mail me for permission. Feedback is very welcome! In fact, it is NEEDED!

E-Mail: malachite84@yahoo.com

Shadowed deep blue eyes took in the surroundings of the sparsely furnished room. Faded pink wallpaper failed to add any cheer to the utter dismalness. The only furniture besides the bed consisted of a low bookshelf, where a few stuffed animals and several fantasy books lay. Most prominent was a deluxe golden-edition set of the “Classical Fantasy Collection”. Lying on the white sheets, a pale teenaged girl stared at the ceiling. After a while, she spoke, her soft voice barely above a whisper. “Why? Why is everything going wrong? Dad’s in jail, the stupid man, Mark is somewhere in Mexico, doing who knows what, and Mom is in the hospital with some weird disease. Can my life get any worse?” She reached over and gingerly picked up a worn stuffed brown bear. Smiling slightly, she straightened its tiny red bow tie. “What can I do, Mr. Fluff?” Staring into the lifeless black glass eyes, she sighed and looked through the window, from which golden light from the afternoon sun filtered in. “I should go check on Mom, see what the doctors said.” Getting to her feet, she brushed a strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear, being slightly annoyed it had escaped her ponytail. “Oh yeah…I better make sure my bike is still working too. After all, it’s not like Mom can drive me.”

…

Leaving her bike outside, the girl walked through the glass doors and approached the reception desk. “I’m Crystal Walker, here to see Alice Walker in room 106.” She was directed to a nearby hall and started walking to the room. ‘What if she’s terminal? No. I promised myself I wouldn’t think like that.’ She arrived and knocked quietly on the door. “Mom? It’s me, Crystal.”

“Come in,” beckoned a female voice from the inside.

Crystal carefully opened the door and stepped in. The room was actually pretty nice, but nevertheless, it was still a hospital room. White, clean, and sterile described it perfectly. Alice sat upright on the bed, a paperback novel lying facedown on her lap. She was wearing a pale blue hospital gown, and her dark blonde hair interlaced with streaks of gray was tied back with a black ribbon. Her still youthful face was smiling, but her blue eyes were sad. “Crystal, dear! It’s so nice to see you!”

“It’s good to see you too, Mom.” The girl carefully sat on the foot of the bed and looked at her mother. “What did the doctors say?”

“Well…I’ll spare you the details. They’ve never seen anything like this before. They have no idea how to treat it…but don’t worry, dear. I’m sure they’ll figure out something.” She paused and concentrated for a moment before reaching into her purse, which lay on the white plastic stand by the bed that passed for a dresser of sorts. Slowly, she withdrew a delicate looking golden key. “Crystal…please hold on to this for me.”

Crystal took the proffered object and frowned slightly. “What do I use…”

She was cut off as an absolutely huge woman who seemed to be a nurse barged in. She was at least 7 foot tall, and had muscles found on professional football players. Crystal gasped slightly at the sight and grew extremely nervous. The nurse gave her a death glare. “VISITING HOURS ARE OVER!” she barked.

“Yes ma’am,” Crystal replied quietly and shoved the key in her pocket. She got up and made her way to the door. On the way out, she heard her mother’s voice. “Crystal, use the key.” The door then slammed shut. The last sound Crystal heard was the huge nurse muttering something about the evil of today’s youth.

As she walked back to the main reception room, Crystal got an idea. It was a bad one, but she had to know. Walking over to the receptionist, she asked for a copy of Alice’s medical condition. She received a paper with plenty of complicated medical terms she didn’t know, but she picked out three phrases. “Fatal”, “Only a couple months”, and “Terminal” stared at her from the cruel document. Crystal bit her lip and blinked rapidly, not wanting to believe it. “Oh Mom…”

…

Crystal sat in her room on her bed, her thoughts a jumble in her head. She was confused, wondering what…wondering IF…she could do anything. “It’s not fair. Why Mom? I don’t understand.” Taking out the small golden key her mother had entrusted to her, Crystal looked thoughtful. “I wonder what this is for.” Deciding making a search was better than sitting here just being depressed, she climbed out of bed and walked to her mother’s room. Like Crystal’s, it was sparsely furnished, but the few pieces of furniture were very tasteful. “Now, where to start…” Crystal walked over to her mother’s vanity table, a magnificent structure of solid oak polished until it shone. The glass itself had an etched border of twining roses, each petal individual. Crystal had always admired it, and would spend hours on end when she was little playing dress-up with Alice’s make up. The drawer had a keyhole, but it was the wrong size. Pulling on the drawer, Crystal gasped as it slid open. Lying on the top was a photograph of her mother as a younger girl, looking around age 10. She had long sparkling dark blonde hair with a black ribbon around it like a headband. She wore a pale blue old-fashioned dress, and was wearing white stockings with shiny black shoes. Crystal smiled and closed the drawer again carefully. “Mom hasn’t changed much.”

She then turned to Alice’s precious jewelry box. It was locked tight, but the keyhole was much too small for Crystal’s key. “I wonder if Mom still has her wedding ring?” Crystal pondered out loud. She surveyed the rest of the room, but couldn’t see anything else with a keyhole. Shrugging, she stepped out into the hallway.

Crystal crashed to the floor as soon as she took a step in the hall. Muttering darkly, she stood up and sighed. “Stupid mirror.” The mirror was an antique, something her Mom had received as a gift a long time ago. It was floor-length and the frame seemed to be some sort of brass. However, the brass and glass were scratched, and dust somehow always found its way to the old bulky thing. Added to that, Crystal was constantly tripping on the jutting out stand it was placed on. Suddenly, a flash as light glinted off of metal caught her eye. “A keyhole!” There, right on the metallic brass frame, was the keyhole, apparently part of the mirror’s design. Curiously, she slowly inserted the key into it. A soft click echoed through the empty hall and the mirror radiated a burst of golden light. Crystal covered her eyes as the blinding light filled her vision, a loud roaring sound tearing down the hallway around her.

The roaring abruptly stopped, and Crystal chanced looking again. Blinking away the light spots in her eyes, she gasped softly. “Oh my…looks like that mirror did something totally weird.” Backing up, her back pressed against the sheer stone wall of a cliff. Carefully, her hands examined the surface. The wall rippled and a circle of sparkling fire appeared on the surface of the smooth rock. Inside the circle of flame was a scene, like that of a television, showing her hallway and Alice’s mirror. “I think I can get back through this portal…but I want to explore a bit first.”

She set off on foot, her white sneakers crunching softly on the gravel path she had decided to follow. Taking in the scenery, Crystal let out a soft whistle of appreciation. The landscape was utterly gorgeous. Everything was completely natural, with trees and flowers growing wherever they felt, un-hindered by the ministrations of gardeners and the like. Small furry creatures ran up and down trees, berries and nuts in their tiny mouths. As she turned a sharp corner, the trees ended and revealed a huge building. It consisted of an enormous tower, which seemed to be made of something similar to mother-of-pearl, and what seemed to be a Castle of some sort of white quartz built around the base of the tower. “Wow! It’s amazing!” Crystal gazed at the magnificent site, so enraptured that she didn’t notice the figure that walked right up behind her and tapped her shoulder. Letting out a small squeak, she spun around to look at the new arrival.

The figure was a real life bunny girl, it seemed. She was human enough, with a human face and body proportions, except long rabbit ears covered in short white fur poked out of her just above shoulder-length white hair. She was wearing what Crystal thought looked an awful lot like a cheerleader’s outfit. It consisted of a loose long-sleeved purple sweater with “Bunni” written in sequins, a short pleated mini skirt, a deeper purple and sprinkled generously with sequins, and white boots which came up right to the end of the skirt. On her hands she wore white fingerless gloves, which seemed to be made of leather or something similar, and a purple beaded bracelet was hung around her right bunny ear. “Hiya, girly. Name’s Bunni, nice to make your acquaintance.” Bunni shook Crystal’s hand vigorously, with a surprisingly very powerful grip.

“Hello, my name’s Crystal Walker.” Crystal managed to smile, trying to cover over her surprise and nervousness. Fortunately, Bunni seemed to be very friendly.

“Well, Cryssy-girl, you better not just stand here…things are a bit dangerous still after that big thing a while back.” She broke off as her warm violet eyes suddenly flashed a cold, hard light. “WATCH OUT! A PHANTASM!” She pushed Crystal to the side as a huge black wolf-like shape jumped at her. Bunni gritted her teeth and smashed a fist into its face, driving it back.

Crystal was thrown down to the ground, breathing shakily as she stared fearfully at the fight. “That thing…it’s like a nightmare!”

“It’s no nightmare, girlfriend! It’s as real as you and me!” She dodged the phantasm’s fangs and backed away slightly, throwing up a fighting pose. “CRESCENT KICK!” Her booted foot lashed forward in a wide arc, the air almost seeming to glow in a golden color as she connected with the creature’s side directly. It made no noise, just vanished in a puff of black smoke. “It’s gone now…one less monster we have to worry about.” She did a quick stretch then turned back to Crystal and smiled. “Hey, don’t be so surprised. I’m a fighter all right, trained by the White Queen’s Knights. I’m a member of the royal guard, her majesty’s personal bodyguards.”

Crystal shook her head, not believing that this cheerleader bunny girl with a slight valley girl accent was actually a fighter, and a bodyguard of a Queen no less. “How many of those…phantasms, right? How many phantasms are there around here?”

Bunni shrugged and cracked her knuckles. “I have no idea. Shouldn’t be very many. The Queen’s power keeps most away from this general area…except the strong ones.”

“So…that one was strong?”

“THAT thing? No way. It was just stupid.”

“But…”

“Only the stupid and strong dare try approach my abode. The Queen’s Knights are strong, and the Queen herself has some powerful spells.” Bunni looked up suddenly, her long rabbit ears perking up. “You know, Cryssy-gal, we need to get to the Queen already! We’ve spent enough time chatting.” She motioned for Crystal to follow as she took off, jogging at a swift pace.

‘She isn’t hopping?’ Crystal mentally smacked herself. ‘Don’t be stupid Crystal! Bunni’s just a normal girl…mostly anyways.’ She ran after the bunny girl, keeping up the pace easily. ‘I must remember to thank the PE coaches when we get home…track DOES help out!’

…

They arrived at the glittering palace of white crystal, the main towers soaring high into the sky. Crystal’s breath was taken away at the majesty of the scene, her pale fingertips tracing lightly across the smooth carved walls. The heavy wooden doors creaked open at the slightest touch of Crystal’s hand and the two girls stepped in carefully. The reception hall was a dazzling scene, all polished pale marble floors and beautiful silver and gold thread tapestries. Bunni’s boot heels clacked lightly on the tile, Crystal’s own sneakers squeaking against the surface until she managed to tread more carefully. The late afternoon sunlight poured through the huge glass windows, the reflection on the marble almost blinding.

A rustle of silk drew Crystal’s attention away from the room’s décor. “Good day to you girls.” Crystal looked in the direction the stately female voice came from, and gasped. The woman was very tall, around six feet, and her age was impossible to tell, although it was obvious she wasn’t too young. Her complexion was smooth and pale, but not unhealthy looking. Her pure white hair was pinned into a neat bun, and a diamond tiara graced her head. She wore floor-length white silk robes, trimmed in miniature pearls. Diamond rings adorned her fingers, and diamond earrings sparkled in her earlobes. Cradled in her arms she carried a small purple velvet pillow, on which lay a translucent white sphere, which she was stroking delicately.

Crystal was speechless at the sight, but Bunni just smiled and curtsied. “Good day to you, your majesty.”

The queen nodded and turned around. “Follow me. We shall adjourn to the throne room. Proper introductions will be made there.” She made her way gracefully down the hallway.

Crystal sighed enviously. The White Queen didn’t walk, she glided, practically floating. ‘I wish I could be like that…no more tripping over everything.’

The throne room was as gorgeous and brightly lit as the entrance hall. The queen sat down primly on the throne, beckoning with her hand. As Bunni and Crystal walked over, the stately woman waved her hand over the white orb lying on its purple pillow in her lap. Two comfortable-looking lawn chairs and a table filled with pastries and tea things popped into existence in front of her throne. Bunni happily bounced into a chair, while Crystal sat down nervously. The White Queen had poured the tea, and was sipping at a cup delicately. “Now then. Bunni, who is our guest?”

“Her? Oh! This is Crystal.” She nudged the blonde girl slightly.

Crystal smiled nervously. “Uh, yeah…I’m Crystal Walker, pleased to meet you, your majesty.” She managed a rather shaky curtsy.

The queen nodded graciously. “Your mother’s name is Alice, is it not?”

The blonde teen blinked in surprise. “Yeah. I mean, yes, your majesty. You…you knew my mom?”

A small smile formed on the queen’s pale pink lips. “Ah, yes. It was quite a while ago. She was about your age, my dear. Such a charming girl. And such spirit! How is she doing?”

Crystal sighed softly brushing back some platinum strands that had fallen out her ponytail. “Mom…Alice…she’s sick.” Crystal clenched a fist, her voice growing determined. “But I’ll find a way to cure her of that disease, or whatever she may be suffering from!”

“Your strong will and courage are to be commended. In fact, there is a way to cure your mother.” The queen looked thoughtful.

“You mean, the crystal shards? The prism amulet?” Bunni frowned, her ears drooping down. “But, those are…”

“Scattered all over the land, and protected by powerful guardians.” The queen took Crystal’s hand in hers. “Crystal, there exists a most powerful relic in this land, the prism amulet. It grants unlimited power to both heal and destroy. I have heard rumors lately of an evil trying to find this amulet…”

“Where is the amulet though?” Crystal asked.

“The amulet was shattered into several pieces, crystal shards with special abilities. If you wish, you may attempt to collect all of these shards and reassemble the prim amulet to heal your mother.” The White Queen fixed Crystal with her regal gaze.

Crystal nodded firmly. “I’ll do anything to save mom’s life.”

A loud crash caused all three females to jump to their feet, their gazes darting to the entrance of the throne room. Bunni gasped and went into a fighting stance. “Phantasms!” A huge group of more than twenty black wolf shapes leered in the doorway. Standing in front of them was a shadowy-looking man.

The man was wrapped in darkness itself, garbed in an all-concealing black cloak. “White Queen, hand over the white crystal shard, or die.” His voice was deep and rough, and sent shivers down Crystal’s spine. It was not a kind voice at all. No, this was the voice of evil.

The queen calmly stroked her orb, the light inside of the translucent sphere pulsing softly. “I am afraid I must deny your request…”

A single phantasm lunged forwards, but Bunni was ready. “Crescent Moon…BLAST!” A golden burst of light exploded from her fists and engulfed the wolf-like beast. When the light faded, the monster was gone.

The dark man figure raised his hand, a dark aura forming around him. He pointed one black-gloved finger at the bunny girl, black electricity streaking towards her. She cried out as it hit, stumbling to the ground paralyzed, still glaring hatefully at the phantasms. “My queen, please take flight! This guy is way too strong!”

The rest of the phantasms lunged forwards, and Crystal backed away swiftly. The queen calmly raised her orb in the air, the light inside of it blazing like a miniature star. “White Lancer.” Countless rays of light streamed from the crystalline sphere, piercing each and every one of the phantasms. A huge explosion of energy exploded throughout the room, blinding Crystal temporarily. Blinking the blinding spots from her eyes, she gasped softly. All the phantasms were gone, and only the dark man was left. The queen’s eyes were blazing white fire, as was her orb. “Now, leave this place, immediately!”

The man chuckled quietly to himself. “No. No one can defeat me, the master of evil, Black Cloak!”

“Black Cloak!” Bunni stumbled to her feet, golden energy shining around her. “You…you’re the new evil we have heard about! I will not let you keep this up! Bad guys always finish last…CRESCENT KICK!” She launched herself towards Black Cloak, but was blasted backwards by the shielding aura around him, slamming into a wall hard. “Oww…bad guys don’t play fair either…”

The queen held up her orb slowly, the light inside of it slowly dimming. “This is what you want…” The inner light suddenly exploded outward, the orb itself shattering into countless fragments. A lone shard of white crystal shone in the air, casting a pale glow to the entire throne room. “The white crystal shard, over which I am the guardian.”

“Yessss…” Black Cloak rubbed his hands together with anticipation. “You, little girl hiding back there, bring it to me!” He motioned at Crystal.

The White Queen carefully pressed the shard into Crystal’s palm. “The prism amulet is not to be used for evil…it is to be used for good! By my power, I entrust the white crystal shard to this girl, Crystal Walker, daughter of the legendary Alice!”

The shard floated in front of Crystal, casting its light over her. The blonde girl carefully plucked it from the air, closing her eyes as an unfamiliar sense of power flowed through her. ‘I feel it…this power is close to my heart. It’s almost as if I’m this much closer to my mom…this energy running through me…must be used to protect. To protect Bunni and the White Queen, I will use the white crystal shard’s abilities!’ “Evil being, be gone! Purity…”

Black Cloak gasped in shock and disbelief. “No one can use the true powers of the crystal shards! Except…ah…it is because she is the daughter of Alice…”

“BEAM!” Pure white energy collected around Crystal’s hands, where she clutched the shard to her chest. Suddenly, a slender beam of light blazed across the room, piercing through Black Cloak’s shield instantly. It struck his shoulder, and he hissed in pain.

“I will get you, Crystal…and I will take your shard as well! Right now, though…I’m off to find the rest of the shards to gain more power!” He vanished in a sweep of his cloak.

The queen and Bunni slowly walked towards Crystal, who was standing motionless, the shard still clutched tightly in her hands. “I…did it.” She smiled softly before collapsing on to the throne room’s floor, unconscious.

End of Chapter 1

Go to Chapter 2: Blue