Well, here it is. I may post Chapter 3 if I get time after work. Hope you like it!
Joel frantically searched for something to defend himself with. Two of the monsters were closing in, and the other stood throwing rocks. The majority of them were hitting Joel, leaving small red marks where they struck.
Finally, he located a hickory stick lying on the ground. Joel raised it and swung at one of the monsters with all his might.
The other two monsters ran away from the sudden attack. The remaining one was knocked out by the impact. Joel continued out of the canyon, stick in hand.
He headed into a nearby village. A large building with a sign reading "Truce Inn" stood on his left. On his right was a smaller building with a sign reading "Market."
Joel decided to enter the Truce Inn first. Maybe then he could get a clue as to his whereabouts.
"Hi!" A beautiful waitress greeted him at the door. "Sit wherever you like!"
Joel took a seat at one of the tables. Instead of having chairs like the Truce Inn he remembered, it had wooden benches. He found this rather peculiar.
He observed his surroundings. The lamps here used gas instead of electricity, and the patrons were dressed in medieval clothing. The waitress he had met was wearing a Renaissance-style dress.
The waitress approached him again. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah. I was just wondering where I am."
"Are you a traveler?" she inquired.
"Something like that."
"This is Truce Village, which lies within the Kingdom of Guardia."
Joel was beginning to put together the pieces. "Ruled by King Nigel VIII, right?"
"What are you saying?! Nigel is a prince! Our king is King Guardia XVI."
"If I may ask, what year is this?" Joel inquired.
"600."
That was what had happened. Joel had gone back in time 1,401 years. How could he find Mike in the distant past?
"Thank you." Joel stood up and left the Inn.
He then headed to the Market. A soldier in full armor stood inside.
"Are you fighting Magus' troops, son?"
"What?!"
"There's a war going on. Magus is the leader of the Mystic troops. They say he has unimaginable powers. I suggest you get yourself properly equipped."
"Thanks. I'll do that." He purchased a sword, helmet, and a small suit of armor. He had the soldier help him into his armor. Then Joel asked him, "How did Magus get all this power?"
"I don't know," the soldier replied. "It seems that someone named Forrester has harnessed the power of Lavos, though."
After rescuing Mike, both of them would have a score to settle.
***
Joel rushed through Guardia Forest until finally, he reached the
Castle. He opened the large oak doors and entered.
"Halt! Who goes there?!"
Two soldiers glared suspiciously at Joel. "Are you one of Magus' troopers, son?"
"Hardly!" laughed the other. "This guy would never have made the cut!"
A loud voice came from the top of the stairs to the throne room. "Stop this at once!"
The three looked up to see Mike, who was dressed in a light blue jumpsuit and cape. A jeweled gold belt crossed his waist, and the sleeves of his jumpsuit and the bottom of his cape were embroidered with gold thread. Mike wore a pair of suede boots with rather high heels.
The soldiers knelt in reverence. "Prince Nigel!"
"Show your manners!" Mike barked. "He is a friend of mine!"
"But he looks suspicious!" one soldier objected.
Mike scowled. "Can't you follow orders?!"
"Pardon the delay. Please enter, Sir!" The soldier stood up and nervously backed away from Joel. Mike winked at Joel before heading into the throne room.
"Where is the Chancellor?!" The sight of the King and Queen having an argument greeted Joel. "He's been leaving the castle an awful lot lately."
"Dear, he keeps going to the cathedral," the Queen said in a soothing tone. "He must be a very devout man."
"Well, it still seems strange to--" The King noticed Joel in the doorway. "What do you want?!" he snapped indignantly.
"I was just wondering where M--uh, Prince Nigel went," Joel stammered.
"Oh, you must be that one guy he wanted to talk to. He's upstairs in his room."
"Thanks," Joel said quickly before heading for the stairs. The minute he began to ascend them, the King started screaming at his wife again.
Once Joel reached the top, he walked down the hallway. The castle attendants ignored him, even when he entered the room at the end of the hallway.
Inside, Mike was sitting on a feather bed. He looked up when he heard the doors open.
"Joel! Thank God you're here!" He slid off the bed and approached Joel, which was a very difficult task in the high-heeled boots he wore. "It's weird. Everyone calls me Nigel for some reason."
The sparkle of Mike's jeweled belt reminded Joel he still had Mike's pendant. "I almost forgot," he said as he pulled the pendant out of his pocket. "Here you go."
"Thank you." Mike gently pulled the pendant out of Joel's hands. "I don't know what I would do if I lost this."
"Where did you get that?" Joel inquired. "Is it a family possession?"
Mike lowered his head. "It's all I have left of them."
"What do you mean?" Joel thought of his own family. Nothing he could do would make them welcome him back home.
Mike's voice trembled. "They're...they're all..."
"Look, if you don't want to talk about it--"
"...I'm the only one left. I...I went back to my old neighborhood after I came back to Earth. The whole street was blocked off, and everyone had been evacuated from their homes. I talked to somebody there, and they told me that my house had burned to the ground. Everybody was sleeping, and they couldn't get out in time..."
Joel put an arm around Mike. "I'm sorry I asked."
"No, it's OK. You're the first person I've told. I went to where my house used to be after the street was reopened, and I saw a bright red light coming from the ashes. I got a little closer to it and found the pendant."
Joel nodded. It was reassuring to know he wasn't the only one who had lost his family. "So you've kept it ever since."
Suddenly, the pendant began to glow. Mike screamed and doubled over in pain.
"I'm being torn apart!" Mike's skin then began to fade away. "Joel! Help me!" There was a flash of light, then Mike vanished into thin air.
Joel knelt down to look for any clues. The pendant was nowhere to be found. He then pushed himself off the floor and headed out of the room. He was determined to rescue Mike, not only for the `bots, but for his sake too. With what Mike had been through, he was probably the only person who could understand Joel's suffering.
"Joel!" He looked up to see Lucca running towards him. "Good, you're safe!" She collapsed onto the ground, panting. "Did you find that guy?"
Joel was at a loss for words. "He's gone."
"GONE?! What do you mean, he's gone!" Lucca regained her composure, then extended her hand to Joel, who helped her up. "Well then, it's exactly as I thought. I knew I recognized that pendant from somewhere."
"Have you seen it?" Joel asked.
"It's a treasure of the Guardia royal family. Prince Nigel had one just like it. Because of that, that guy might have been affected by what has happened to the Prince."
"Which is?" Joel asked with rising interest.
"Prince Nigel has been kidnapped. Someone was supposed to have rescued him, but history has somehow been changed. That guy bears a striking resemblance to the Prince, so the soldiers probably called off their search when they found him. But if the real Prince Nigel is killed..."
"Then Mike will die too."
"Exactly. Whoever kidnapped Nigel is probably after the pendant. From what we saw in Leene Square, it seems that pendant allows its possessor to travel through time. Can you imagine what will happen if villains get ahold of it?"
"I've heard enough," Joel stated. "Let's go find Mike."
Lucca nodded, and they headed back down the stairs. The King and Queen were now speaking to one another in a civil tone.
"Has Nigel left the castle recently?" the Queen inquired.
The King paused. "Yes, he did go with the Chancellor to see the new cathedral..."
Lucca tapped Joel on the shoulder. "Let's go check it out."