Primal Outcasts

Chapter 9: Crystal Hollow

It was the next day after the fall of the illegal Coliseum. The morning sun cast a warm light over the clearing where Kuma, Amy, and Jagger had spent the night, with each taking turns doing watches in case Darkan chose to come back. Of course, Freedo and Luna were able to relax easily since they didn't sense any new sorts of dangers for the rest of the night. Fang and the other prisoners had already departed, each heading toward their respective homes. Now, Kuma, Amy, and their new ally Jagger the stegosaurus were preparing to embark on their journey to Kuma's homeland, Nibel.

"Ready to go, you two? I know you said you'll be parting ways half away but my Dad will still help you. He should be reading the letter by now." Kuma said as he grabbed his bag and Freedo crawled to his shoulder. Amy grabbed her bag as Jagger came out of the tent with new clothing, a brown vest, and new brown pants, allowing him to hold on to his cards more easily.

"I'll think about it. For now, I'll go with numbers." Jagger said.

So Kuma continues toward Nibel, with two new friends he made on the way.

"So Jagger, just out of curiosity, you mentioned before that you came from a place called Las Mesozoic? The land of the Ancient Reptile Clan?" Kuma asked.

Jagger nodded slowly. "Yeah... Las Mesozoic. It's a place far from here, hidden deep in the mountains. My clan, the Reptilia, has lived there for generations. We're a mix of all kinds of ancient reptiles—stegosaurus like me, raptors, triceratops, and more."

Amy leaned forward, her interest piqued. "What's it like there? Is it full of ancient creatures like you? By ancient, you mean beings before other species appeared, such as humans and others?"

Jagger smiled with a hint of pride in his eyes. "It's a land lost in time. Dense jungles, towering mountains, and rivers have flowed since the dawn of the world. The air is thick with the scent of earth and the sound of life—birds, insects, and, of course, the roars of my kin. We live in harmony with nature, guided by the wisdom of our elders. Unfortunately due to the war, some of the clans split apart creating their own communities such they didn't believe the way of our King. Since peace from other clans hasn't been possible since the Demon Cross was formed."

"Aww darn really? Geez Kuma even though we helped the others before, the land is still difficult." Amy muttered as she crossed her arms.

"It's a long story, Amy but it has been like this for hundreds of years. Yes, I want to connect with everyone here but the dream may be hard but it is not impossible." Kuma said.

Jagger was about to make a comment on Kuma's answer when a dark portal suddenly appeared in front of them, making the group grow alert as they stepped back in defense preparing who or what might come out.

"Huh? Is Darkan making a comeback for Jagger?" Kuma said as Kuma and Amy got in battle pose, standing in front of Jagger to protect him

"If he is, I'm giving him a tease of my celestial magic this time!" Amy said.

"Tch... wait..." Jagger said as he sniffed the air, not recognizing Darkan's smell. "This is someone else."

"Right, you are!" The masked human girl said as she traversed through the portal, with her kimono clothing, showing the same purple crystal mark as Darkan had.

"That purple broken crystal mark.... It's the same one as Darkan. Are they part of the same organization?" Kuma said as the second person came out with the same mask and wearing the thick vest, showing his white striped body with the same mark on the back of the vest, revealing it was a white albino tiger. "Who are you?"

"This is the chimera? Mmm... doesn't look very impressive as Darkan said. Strangely, is he the target he wants to get?" The masked tiger said, ignoring Kuma's question.