Chrono Cross
The Five Relics
Chapter 1 – Break-in
Kid felt the treasure in her hands already. She enjoyed the adrenaline pumping through her body. The alarm has yet to go off and the guards on duty have yet to catch her. Her presence was like a cat treading on the ledges of rooftops.
Kid walked down the hallway. Constant images of lanterns and doors flashed through her mind. The sound of her footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. Each door and lantern identical to the last, the route seemed to last forever. After what seemed to be forever, Kid reached the end of the hallway. There awaited a staircase in front of her, and on the sides of it stood two golden snake sculptures facing each other. On top of the lintel was a plague. In bright golden letters the words stood out on the plague. Treasure Room.
Kid grinned, a sense of accomplishment relaxed her.
"Time to finally get back what they took from me."
Making sure not to fall for any traps, Kid rummaged through her small belt pouch and found a can of her special chemicals. She sprayed the concoction into the air, mist spewed and drifted in all directions. Horizontal lasers ran in between the snake statues. On the ceiling was an array of intersecting lasers coming from all directions. Kid expected this type of cunning layouts. The bottom was too thin to slide under and scaling the ceiling would expose her to the switches on top. However, there was an area where the lasers did not cover. The gap between the ceiling and the statues was long enough for her to slip through. However, the statues were about seven feet tall and the ceiling only stood about ten, making it impossible to jump through. Behind her, she could hear very faint footsteps.
Kid took a deep breath. She pulled out a set of miniature mirrors, about the size of a credit card, and placed them on the bottom row of lasers. It gave her about half a foot to crawl through if she was to go under. The young lady placed another mirror on top. The sound of the footsteps came closer. The gap now measured about three quarters of a foot. Satisfied, Kid got down on her stomach and started to crawl through. Knowing her head got through, she quickly got her body through and got up. Swiftly she retrieved her mirrors and leaned against the wall, hoping the wall would provide enough camouflage for her. A guard came by and knocked on a door. "It's your shift!" Sounds of grumbling came from inside the room. "Hurry up!" The guard turned around and started surveying the halls. He glanced over at the statues for a moment. After a few seconds, he turned his head in the other direction. "This has got to be the most boring job ever." A smile came across Kid's face.
"Whatever you say."
Kid slowly headed up the fleet of stairs. Only after a minute, she reached the top of the stairway. She glimpsed into the room as she was walking up the stairs. Many items were displayed on small pillars. Light came only from the two moons shining in the dark sky through the glass ceiling. Cautiously, she walked around avoiding any lasers which she knew about from previous break-ins. A sparkle on the side of her eye caught her attention. The thief walked up to the pedestal housing a purple patch with star formations on front. The Astral Pouch.
"There you are darling. Hold on, you'll be back in my hands in just a second."
Kid used the last of her bottle to check for any hidden lasers. There was none at all. Huh? She knew this was too easy, there must have been a catch. Using her knives, she carved a hole through the glass protecting the amulet just big enough to slide her hand through. Slowly, her hand went in and grabbed the trinket. She reeled her hand back out, but as soon as she did, Kid realized she has set off a trap by removing the object from the stand. The small platform that it stood on rose slightly and stopped.
The alarm went off.
Kid's attention shot to the door as metal bars slammed to the ground, locking her in. On the other side of the room, a hidden door opened up and guards charged at her. Kid reacted and threw a smoke bomb on the ground, filling the room with smoke. Hastily she shoved aside the footmen and ran into the room which they came from. She entered the main hall, clenching the pouch in her hand. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling.
"There's the intruder! Get her!"
Guards at her left ran toward her. Kid took off to her right. From the main hall, there was the entrance vestibule. The blueprints the thief made described guard rooms in the halls connecting to the main hall which she just left. The entrance is the best place for her to exit.
The main hall was on the 2nd story. It was above the entrance vestibule and was connected by a fleet of stairs. The stairs was wide enough so if two guards came up the stairs, she'd be trapped. Hastily, Kid sprinted down the stairs. She had to hurry before the guards came. As the entrance approached, sounds of commands scattered through the air.
"The intruder's coming! Get into position! Lock the doors!"
Kid entered the foyer to find a row of guards barricading the front door. Without stopping, she continued to sprint at the infantry. Each guard pulled out their spear and pointed it at the intruder. Suddenly, Kid flew through the air. She landed on one of the soldier's shoulders and flung herself at the window. A large shatter filled the air as Kid crashed through the stained glass and rolled on the grass outside. Sounds of sirens and shouts filled the air. In a second, she was already up on her feet and running. Kid chuckled as she looked at the prize in her hand.
"Let's get out of here."