Before The Fall (origins)

Pursuit

"General!!!"

"I can hold them!"

"It's three on one, and two are holding your pet down.  I don't have Rei to use, but I'm still strong."

"Asura, they're made of stone, I don't think you can fight something like this.  This isn't a human being."

"Tsk...but if I don't do anything..."

"Leave it to me!  Just get through the door and run!  Don't forget what you came here for."

"I can't fight the whole convoy."

"Think, corn brain.  If the convoy entered this way or another, they would've encountered something or other.  They're numbers are most likely depleted right now, if not severely weakened."

"But..."

"Asura, just go!  Krista is what matters now.  If she's still alive."

"To think you were so against this operation."

"Get to Krista and bring her back to Yap.  He at least deserves that."

"Don't die on me."

"I'll see you in hell."

*

Why is it so...wet?

Krista?  Who's...

Krista!

Magrathea jerked awake from his spot in the middle of the pool of water.

"My head...what happened...I fell...into this pool?  Is that...I can't remember."

He looked around the dark chamber, scanning for anything that would want to leap out at him.

"What was I doing?"

It all came back in a flash of pain.  The pool, the voice, the beacon.

"Hello?  Sir?  Where are you?"

Silence.

"I fell asleep?  No, something happened...I asked the pool something..."

Magrathea blurring looked around, rubbing the exhaustion from his eyes.  His haze wandered into the pool of water he was sitting.  And he saw a crystal.

"Hello.  What are you?"

One hand reached down to pick it up, when a scream ran through the room.  A familiar scream.  The vocals were strained, but the voice was the same.

Krista.  She's close!

On reflex, he picked up the palm sized crystal and started running towards where he thought he heard the sound come from.

And towards where he felt something familiar.